The Gray Report

This was my first week of working Monday through Thursday and it went very well. I am working on a project focused on introverts. I encourage everyone to check out the book I am reading to better understand the topic. It is really quite fascinating as I realize that being an introvert is not a bad thing at all. Simply it is the distortion of our culture that makes it appear so. Kassie got a job working with the National Association of Manufacturers and started that on Friday. We are still able to go on our Saturday adventures however, and this Saturday was no different. We started out by going to Ford's Theater and saw a really neat museum with all sorts of artifacts of Abraham Lincoln's and John Wilkes Booth. It was pretty crazy to be there, the exact place where that tragic event occurred. We walked there and we walked back, giving our legs and everything else a pretty good work out. After some lunch and resting we geared up, met with the Lymans (another couple that is here)...

This was a busy week for touring! MLK day was a fun adventure for us in that we hit the National Museum of Natural History, the National Aquarium, the Jefferson Monument, the FDR Monument, the new MLK monument and . . . saw Mission Impossible 4 on the Smithsonian IMAX theater! It was a great holiday and a neat time to be in DC. When we go to the Mall we have found it is the fastest to just walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. Each time we walk by the President's house. Yesterday there was a Catholic group saying "Hail Mary" at the fence over and over, and later a group of protesters with Syrian flags and pictures of Hitler. Pretty interesting house guest I reckon. I really love the Washington Monument. We learned this week that each state donated a stone to the statue, and Utah's has inscribed on it "Holiness to the Lord" with a picture of a beehive. I think that is fitting to describe Washington and all he has done for this country. I had never seen pictures of t...

It is hard to imagine that we are already half way through January, and though things just got started here we only have 3 months left in Washington DC. This week I started my internship, became more aware of the transportation system here, and saw some amazing things with my beautiful wife! While waiting at the Metro stops, it is hard for me to not think of scenes from The Matrix or Batman Begins because really I feel like I am right in the middle of it all. Call it a wacky imagination, maturation in progress, or simply creative thinking but that is my world. Though the Metro is more expensive, I like how quickly you can get on and off. I take the bus to work each morning, and there is much more stop-and-go. But when something costs only a dollar - every time, there really isn't much of a decision making process required. We toured the capital this week. The massive stone structure is something that is hard fro me to tear my eyes away from. The magnificence of the thing, as well ...

I will try to keep a fairly good record of our exploits and adventures here in the Nation's capital. It is exciting and I am particularly happy about the amazing opportunities there are for pictures! Our trip began at the bus stop outside of the Barlow Center. I took an exterior shot of the Center - the top 2.5 windows on the right are ours. Once on the bus we went past some of the "Occupy" folk which was interesting. And then we came to our stop just outside of Union Station (where I will also be getting off to work at the FJC). Our first grand site was the Capital. So here we are. Washington DC is very different for both Kass and I, but we are finding a way to call it home as quickly as we can. Our first full day in DC consisted of going to Safeway on the bus, eating a modest lunch, and then going to the the Mall for the second time. We began at the capital building and headed towards the Lincoln Memorial (2 miles) before walking home another 2 miles or so. Our first st...

Wolf Creek Village, in Eden UT is a wonderful place. It was with great joy and pleasure that Kassie and I stayed with Mom, Dad, Lucy, and Abi/Logan for nearly a week. We hot tubbed, watched movies, played games, went on some drives, laughed, ate, and even worked up some sweat playing racquetball. It was a grand experience and here are some pictures to prove it. Mom, the leader of the pack poses at the top of Powder Ridge. Her love, direction, and goodness are lights to our family that I believe will have an exponential impact on our lives forever. On our drive, Logan was my companion (and Dad's) in the back seat as we went to President McKay's house in Huntsville and to the Monastery. He is a happy child, and his mullet gives his toothy visage an even happier presence. The sun shone upon us during our walk/hike, and I was able to snap this before running to catch up to the vanguard company. I consider this my patriotic picture. It is hard to believe this was all happening in De...

So the semester has come to an end, and that means a valuable thing has entered my life: time. Now I can be obnoxious, take pictures, sleep in till 5:45, think about new routines, and watch/help Kassie with dinner. About a week ago Kas asked me, "what would you like for dinner this week?" I thought for a moment, flashes of the usual quickly went by - things like pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers, and so forth. Before shrugging my shoulders and saying, "I don't know" like I usually do when I am just too lazy to think harder than normal, my mind recalled a golden happy memory from the dark recesses of days gone by. Chicken Pot Pie. The thought was concrete and my mouth watered. "Chicken Pot Pie would be a good option," I said while trying to hide how actually excited I was at the prospect. When I get overly excited about things it betrays the natural calm that I try to portray to the world and those around me. kas nodded, "That sounds good. I haven...

As I reflect upon the spiritual thoughts I have had in classes this semester, and the unique parallels to the gospel that have been noted, I think it would be helpful to quote from a reflection I wrote for my job as a freshman mentor at BYU. “I think that really the breakthrough for me this semester was recognizing the parts of my life in which I was stuck in a fixed mindset. Studying the animation program with my other job, the readings I have had with this job, as well as taking on a mentorship role, has taught me to just not worry so much about what I don't know or can't do. Instead I have tried to begin to focus on what I can do, and what I can learn with the time I have. I have always wanted to learn how to use Photoshop, and make cool stuff on the computer. For one reason or another (my own pride/fear?) I never tried. This semester I took 2 hours a week and dedicated it towards learning Photoshop and other new skills. Though I have yet to learn much more, it ha...