David and Hunter
The whole family!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Baby Hunter
Today was his baby blessing at church. Here are some pictures.
David and Hunter
The whole family!
David and Hunter
The whole family!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Happy Pioneer Day with Dar and Munchkins
Jim and Jon are at scout camp, so Dar, Kenny, and the girls came swimming this morning. I now have a sunburn, but we had a fun time. The girls have been taking swimming lessons and are becoming good swimmers. They all enjoyed catching the ball while jumping in, except Becky, who got a bloody nose when the ball smacked her in the face. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures!
Katie was a star - she must have jumped in to catch the ball a few dozen times.
Dar was a star - just because she always is. Plus she's 41 and still doing this stuff!
Kenny has some good shots - this one is my favorite. "Throw it higher, Shelly!"
Katie was a star - she must have jumped in to catch the ball a few dozen times.
Dar was a star - just because she always is. Plus she's 41 and still doing this stuff!
Kenny has some good shots - this one is my favorite. "Throw it higher, Shelly!"
Monday, July 20, 2009
Start with Something Simple!
My friend sent this to me. It's one of those common sense kinds of things that was a good reminder.
What’s the best way to build momentum and get results? Start with something simple.
Seriously. I get to see folks who get results and those who don’t. The difference nine times out of ten isn’t smarts. It’s simply action. The smart folks who don’t get results, either get stuck in analysis paralysis or add too many dependencies up front. The folks who get results start taking action and adjust along the way.
Why This Works
Starting with something simple works. It’s not that thinking up front doesn’t help. It certainly does. The problem is, three things can happen along the way:
* At some point, your thoughts are based on way too many assumptions and you don’t know what you don’t know. You then find out too little too late.
* Somebody faster came along. While you’re thinking, they’re doing.
* In the absence of results, your idea slowly dies inside.
The best way to fuel your fire is to incrementally get results. Start with something simple. Results feed on themselves. If you start with something small, you’ll learn faster and you’ll start to adapt. You’ll inform your thinking.
How To Start
Start with the smallest thing you can personally do. If you don’t know where to start, here’s key questions to help:
* What’s the simplest thing you could do?
* What could you do today?
Personally, I find asking what I can do today to be the most effective. Time is a great forcing function. It’s very easy to cut scope using time. If you don’t respect time, then it’s very easy to add way too many things that will never happen.
Fail Fast
While starting with something simple helps build momentum, you’ll also want to quickly spike on your risks. You can do this separately, after you have some success under your belt.
To fail fast, cut your idea into thin end-to-end slices and test your results. For example, take one story or usage scenario and try to instantiate it. Even before you build the solution, simply doing a dry run will reveal a lot of questions you can use to shape your approach.
The purpose of failing fast isn’t to fail. It’s to uncover your risks and pick better paths.
Self-Start Techniques for the Action-challenged
If you know your pattern is to think a thought to death before daring make a move, then here’s a quick way out. Here’s two proven practices:
* Find reference examples. Using time as your friend, and a proven technique as your guide, challenge yourself to find three working examples of your idea, or at least things you can model from. Reference examples will both speed your learning and keep you inspired.
* Find a way to share your idea. Can you share your idea on a slide? Can you whiteboard your idea and take a picture? Show it to a friend or two and get some quick, honest feedback.
Once you get in the habit of just getting started, you’ll wonder how you ever got stuck in the first place.
Success Snowballs
At the end of the day, nothing succeeds like success. Success is a snowball, so build on your successes. Good luck, and get started, on whatever it is that you’ve been thinking about starting.
http://sourcesofinsight.com/2008/12/26/start-with-something-simple/
What’s the best way to build momentum and get results? Start with something simple.
Seriously. I get to see folks who get results and those who don’t. The difference nine times out of ten isn’t smarts. It’s simply action. The smart folks who don’t get results, either get stuck in analysis paralysis or add too many dependencies up front. The folks who get results start taking action and adjust along the way.
Why This Works
Starting with something simple works. It’s not that thinking up front doesn’t help. It certainly does. The problem is, three things can happen along the way:
* At some point, your thoughts are based on way too many assumptions and you don’t know what you don’t know. You then find out too little too late.
* Somebody faster came along. While you’re thinking, they’re doing.
* In the absence of results, your idea slowly dies inside.
The best way to fuel your fire is to incrementally get results. Start with something simple. Results feed on themselves. If you start with something small, you’ll learn faster and you’ll start to adapt. You’ll inform your thinking.
How To Start
Start with the smallest thing you can personally do. If you don’t know where to start, here’s key questions to help:
* What’s the simplest thing you could do?
* What could you do today?
Personally, I find asking what I can do today to be the most effective. Time is a great forcing function. It’s very easy to cut scope using time. If you don’t respect time, then it’s very easy to add way too many things that will never happen.
Fail Fast
While starting with something simple helps build momentum, you’ll also want to quickly spike on your risks. You can do this separately, after you have some success under your belt.
To fail fast, cut your idea into thin end-to-end slices and test your results. For example, take one story or usage scenario and try to instantiate it. Even before you build the solution, simply doing a dry run will reveal a lot of questions you can use to shape your approach.
The purpose of failing fast isn’t to fail. It’s to uncover your risks and pick better paths.
Self-Start Techniques for the Action-challenged
If you know your pattern is to think a thought to death before daring make a move, then here’s a quick way out. Here’s two proven practices:
* Find reference examples. Using time as your friend, and a proven technique as your guide, challenge yourself to find three working examples of your idea, or at least things you can model from. Reference examples will both speed your learning and keep you inspired.
* Find a way to share your idea. Can you share your idea on a slide? Can you whiteboard your idea and take a picture? Show it to a friend or two and get some quick, honest feedback.
Once you get in the habit of just getting started, you’ll wonder how you ever got stuck in the first place.
Success Snowballs
At the end of the day, nothing succeeds like success. Success is a snowball, so build on your successes. Good luck, and get started, on whatever it is that you’ve been thinking about starting.
http://sourcesofinsight.com/2008/12/26/start-with-something-simple/
Friday, June 26, 2009
My new nephew - Hunter Gabriel Carr
June 24, 2009
5:52 a.m.
8 lbs
20 inches
American Fork, Utah
David and Shelby's first child - he is very sweet! During my hospital visit, he just wanted to sleep. Every time we moved him or took a picture he just wimpered a little bit. Shelby says David does the same thing.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday Night Fever!
Monday I went with Dar, Jim, and Karri to see a Bee Gees tribute band. They were playing at the Scera Shell in Orem. We got there early to be sure to get a seat and then had to wait forever to get through the announcer guy giving his announcements including reviewing the entire summer schedule and announcing the 25th anniversary of Scera. Then he turned the time over to some radio DJ for free giveaways. Then some Scera contest winner came out to sing. She was actually pretty good, but I just wanted the band to start.
One thing about Utah is that it is really pretty. As we were waiting and waiting and waiting, I took these shots.
There were so many old people there I really couldn't believe it. I'm talking 70 years old. Why in the world were these people at a Bee Gees concert?
Here's a picture of the people next to us as the concert was starting.
See?? A bunch of old people!
After they had sung a few (mellow) songs, the lead singer announced, "Now we're going to slow it down for a song or two." I thought, "You've got to be kidding... slow it down anymore and these people are going to fall over asleep in their chairs!"
Now here are the people next to us after they "slowed it down."
And here they are toward the end of the show.
And check out this lady!
YES - that is a laptop on her lap! Hahahahahahahahahaha!
Overall I enjoyed the concert. We laughed pretty hard a couple of times and enjoyed singing to the songs we knew. Karri and Jim were both exceptionally cold. I didn't get a good picture of Karri but she had her hoodie up and looked like that character on Southpark that wears a hoodie all the time. She was cracking me up. Jim had a hat on and a blanket on his legs like a genuine old man. I do have a picture of Jim and Dar when Jim tried to answer his phone DURING the concert (with Dar trying to lean back so I get a clear shot of Jim). "Hello Bishop!" Hahahahahaaha. He had to leave to go return the bishop's call so he could actually hear.
One thing about Utah is that it is really pretty. As we were waiting and waiting and waiting, I took these shots.
There were so many old people there I really couldn't believe it. I'm talking 70 years old. Why in the world were these people at a Bee Gees concert?
Here's a picture of the people next to us as the concert was starting.
See?? A bunch of old people!
After they had sung a few (mellow) songs, the lead singer announced, "Now we're going to slow it down for a song or two." I thought, "You've got to be kidding... slow it down anymore and these people are going to fall over asleep in their chairs!"
Now here are the people next to us after they "slowed it down."
And here they are toward the end of the show.
And check out this lady!
YES - that is a laptop on her lap! Hahahahahahahahahaha!
Overall I enjoyed the concert. We laughed pretty hard a couple of times and enjoyed singing to the songs we knew. Karri and Jim were both exceptionally cold. I didn't get a good picture of Karri but she had her hoodie up and looked like that character on Southpark that wears a hoodie all the time. She was cracking me up. Jim had a hat on and a blanket on his legs like a genuine old man. I do have a picture of Jim and Dar when Jim tried to answer his phone DURING the concert (with Dar trying to lean back so I get a clear shot of Jim). "Hello Bishop!" Hahahahahaaha. He had to leave to go return the bishop's call so he could actually hear.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
It's amazing how many health issues I seem to have these days. I told Dar last week that it's probably just a cry for attention and that she should call me more often. Hahahahaha. Anyway...
I started having pain issues last week.. back hurting, can't get comfortable, jumping around in pain - that kind of stuff. Well, it happened again on Monday while I was out to lunch with my boss. Poor Bart, he had to sit in this little restaurant (La Dolce Vida) with me as I fidgeted all around and couldn't get comfortable. We came back to work after lunch and I grabbed my stuff and drove to the emergency room. The pain was similar to the pain from last week and I knew I would be in tears shortly.
I walk into the ER and they took my name and had me sign a release. Then off to triage. The nurse is taking my blood pressure and puts the little pulse thing on my finger. I'm fidgeting and I'm hurting, but it is still under control. She said, "Your pulse is really high. It must be because you're in pain. But you're still smiling." I told her I was just trying to be nice, but that yes, I was in pain.
About ten minutes later (leaving a few details out here), I get a room. I put on the cute little robe - open to the back - and started pacing. It hurt to sit down worse than it hurt to pace. About half an hour later the doctor comes in. "Does it hurt to sit down?" "Yes." "Okay, well sit down." Hahahahaaha. I made a comment about that and the doctor in the hallway started laughing. Anyway, he asked me a few questions, poking here and there, and then he left and told me the nurse would be right in with pain meds. Hallelujah.
Fifteen minutes later, I'm in full tears and I look out the door and find an intern. "Could you please find out if the nurse is coming with pain medicine?" He finds a different nurse - not sure where mine was - and she takes a look at my chart. "She needs an IV RIGHT NOW!" So people start running and next thing I know I have 3 people in my room getting me hooked up. Five minutes later, life is good. Pain is all gone, body is all warm, and they even pulled up the sides of the hospital bed so I wouldn't fall out. How nice of them.
Fast forward about an hour and a half. I've had a CT scan and the doctor is giving me the news. It's a kidney stone. OUCH is what I have to say. So now the waiting game - waiting and hoping that it decides to finish its journey from the kidney to the potty. It hasn't made it yet.
I started having pain issues last week.. back hurting, can't get comfortable, jumping around in pain - that kind of stuff. Well, it happened again on Monday while I was out to lunch with my boss. Poor Bart, he had to sit in this little restaurant (La Dolce Vida) with me as I fidgeted all around and couldn't get comfortable. We came back to work after lunch and I grabbed my stuff and drove to the emergency room. The pain was similar to the pain from last week and I knew I would be in tears shortly.
I walk into the ER and they took my name and had me sign a release. Then off to triage. The nurse is taking my blood pressure and puts the little pulse thing on my finger. I'm fidgeting and I'm hurting, but it is still under control. She said, "Your pulse is really high. It must be because you're in pain. But you're still smiling." I told her I was just trying to be nice, but that yes, I was in pain.
About ten minutes later (leaving a few details out here), I get a room. I put on the cute little robe - open to the back - and started pacing. It hurt to sit down worse than it hurt to pace. About half an hour later the doctor comes in. "Does it hurt to sit down?" "Yes." "Okay, well sit down." Hahahahaaha. I made a comment about that and the doctor in the hallway started laughing. Anyway, he asked me a few questions, poking here and there, and then he left and told me the nurse would be right in with pain meds. Hallelujah.
Fifteen minutes later, I'm in full tears and I look out the door and find an intern. "Could you please find out if the nurse is coming with pain medicine?" He finds a different nurse - not sure where mine was - and she takes a look at my chart. "She needs an IV RIGHT NOW!" So people start running and next thing I know I have 3 people in my room getting me hooked up. Five minutes later, life is good. Pain is all gone, body is all warm, and they even pulled up the sides of the hospital bed so I wouldn't fall out. How nice of them.
Fast forward about an hour and a half. I've had a CT scan and the doctor is giving me the news. It's a kidney stone. OUCH is what I have to say. So now the waiting game - waiting and hoping that it decides to finish its journey from the kidney to the potty. It hasn't made it yet.
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