In Case You Missed Us

For those of you who missed us on our recent trip to America we apologise. Maybe next time. With the exception for a few days with nasty colds our trip was fantastic. Lots of sun, friends, and family. (And plenty of shopping and big American cars of course!) If you want to see some of our other photos you can either check out my blog (there is a link to the right) or look at some of the photos Aga posted on PicasaWeb.

• Los Angeles
• Easter
• San Diego Zoo
• Sea World
• Mexico
• The River
• Hoover Dam
• Utah
• Hollywood

We also have a bit of good news for the family. Last week Agnieszka and I got engaged to be married. The details are fuzzy at this point but everything will probably happen in Poland. I will keep you all posted. :)

'ello

As you all know I do not have any kids to post photos of but rather a sweet little kitten. This is my cat Kobra who is about 5 years old and was rescued from a local Warsaw shelter. He keeps us busy enough as you can see from this photo here. He is going to spend the week at grandma's house because Agnieszka and I are going to the Polish Tatra Mountains for vacation. I will post some photos when we get back and let you all in on how life "behind the iron curtain" really is! ;)

Steve is Very Tricky

I got home from California last weekend and once we walked in the door Steve started asking me if I had to go to the bathroom. Now going to the bathroom at this point is about an hourly production so I suppose it's not a super odd question, but it was still puzzling that he kept suggesting I go. When I walked in, however, I realized why he had been acting so strangely, because he remodeled the bathroom while I was away and turned it into the best bathroom in Provo, including running electricity and cable into a wall so he could mount a flat screen TV for me to watch while I shower, bathe, or get ready for work. It swivels out so I can see it from anywhere, and he mounted a remote control so I can keep things nice and tidy. He also painted, and put up new shelving and hooks. This is my "thank you for having a baby" present from him and I couldn't be more pleased with it. I actually look forward to getting up in the morning!

Shower Photos

Lots of posts today - sorry to inundate the blog in one day, particularly when we have such important news like Paige joining the family! Just posting some of the pictures from my baby shower on Saturday before I head back to the hospital to get my hands back on that baby! Isn't it just ridiculous how fat I am getting? Yeah, I thought so too.

It was Too Much

Marissa and Tiffany threw me a baby shower in California this weekend that would have put Martha Stewart to shame. From the individual ramekins of homemade macaroni and cheese, to the cheese tray with the cheese individually labeled, to the takehome gift of lipbalms and lotions, to the tulips and roses, to the mint lemonade, to my favorite coconut cake and individual cupcakes with diaper pins on them, it was almost too much to bear. I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in a while which was so great. Jenny Sidebotham brought her new baby girl and teared up numerous times during the shower - I kept having to tell her to stop being so emotional. I totally forgot that there were presents until they brought them all in for me to open, and wow, Anna got some really great stuff. She and Paige will be the best dressed baby girls in Utah County!

I will say that the one thing about the shower that makes me cry when I think about it was just being at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We spent the night there and I haven't been in their house forever so walking into it hit me pretty hard. I think all the grandkids would agree that is the best house in the world. I love the way it smells. I love the gardens and the art and the backyard and the playroom. I just love everything about it. And there's something about the bedrooms downstairs that make them bonafide sleep chambers. When we got there, I just looked around for a while and it was all I could do to not start bawling thinking about how much that place is a part of my life and how many hundreds of good family memories live there. For me, there is no safer, cozier, happier place in the entire world. So thanks Grandma and Grandpa for letting me have my shower there and being really truly the best grandparents on the planet and always making your homes the place we most want to be.

I don't have the pictures yet but will post some as soon as I get them.

Jason & Heidi on the Riviera

Jason and Heidi just returned from what looked to be a great cruise to the Mexican riviera, and I am going to bet they were the best looking couple on the entire ship. Jason reports that the ship lost an engine so they ended up getting an extra day at sea and that they didn't mind that or the 80 degree weather.
If you're wondering who that random dude is with Heidi, look a little closer - it's John Tesh.

#24

As much as I'm sure Scott and Kurt do not, I kind of enjoy Kurt as the dark horse in the race for quarterback at BYU. That way, when his glorious moment arrives and he stuns the Cougar Blue with his heroics (and we get to do the "we told you so" dance) an amazing sports story will begin. A few years later we will all have a blast watching the ESPN segment about Kurt on the day he quarterbacks the Cougars to victory in a BCS bowl game that begins, "He was a walk-on from a school in a small Utah town called Heber City..."

Kurt, this is what is known as "visualization" in sports psychology; we are all doing it for you! And on the days that you get tired of having to work harder in the other guys, just remember it will make your ESPN segment that much better :).

I got to thinking about this today because someone I work with pointed out the following article to me that you all can see here: http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/207542/3/

GO KURT!!!

Little Ruben's Polish Hottie

Finally! Here's a picture of the Aga we've all been hearing about and she's gorgeous - should we have expected anything less?

Showered

Bridget and Paige have been offiically showered. It was a big success - almost every person that was invited showed up! Here are some pictures from the party.

And Now a Word from Dr. Garnica...

I got this email from little Ruben today that he wanted me to post and I happily obliged. I realized today that I think the last time I saw him was almost four years ago in San Diego, so it's nice to know he's happy and doing well. I also found this picture and webpage of him regarding his work at Cambridge. I know it's horrifyingly embarassing to all of us what a dummy we have in the family, but I thought I should share the link anyway: http://www-dak.ch.cam.ac.uk/people/Ruben.html. Here's his email...
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Hello all! Its been a long long time but I am still around and doing quite well. Now that we have this wonderful blog I thought I might take the opportunity to say hello and give a quick review of whats been going on with me.

I am currently living in Warsaw Poland with my girlfriend Agnieszka and her (our) dog Toshia. We have been dating for about seven months now and met while living in Cambridge England. As you probably know after Brenda and I moved to the UK things got worse and we eventually split and are now divorced. But Aga and I are very happy together and plan on living in Poland for the next few years while we figure out if Bush (or any president for that matter) will let an ex-Communist like her into the country! We may not move back to the States right away though as we would both like to travel a bit more before we settle down. However, if things go according to our plan, we will most likely be back next Christmas for a visit.

I admit that I am a bit of a Gypsy so I have started a blog of my own to track where I have been. I post photos from my travels, silly stories, and whatever else suits my fancy. The url is:

www.ocphotography.blogspot.com

One of my favorite post so far is this neat video I found on YouTube. Enjoy and I'll try to keep in touch...

http://ocphotography.blogspot.com/2006/09/jump-rope-video.html

Ruben

Jenn is Still the Oldest Grandchild

Tomorrow (January 9th) is Jennifer's birthday, giving me back the ability to say that she's two years older than me. Considering, however, that Jenn has four kids and the youngest can read, write, and drive an ATV expertly, PLUS the fact that Jenn weighs less than me and has actually at some point in her life decorated a house, she is quite a bit farther ahead so those two years really don't give me much comfort. She is the supreme example of what it means to keep a clean house, raise great kids, and look hot doing it all. Happy Birthday Jenn!!!

Bridget's Baby Shower

Bridget's baby shower will be on Saturday, January 20th in the late afternoon at my house. Everyone will receive invitations but I wanted to post the information so you can mark your calendars now. Amber is taking the lead on this one so it's sure to be done right. We are excited to throw Paige her first official party and welcome her into the family Miller style!!!