I just noticed that I haven't had any entries here for over five months, and it's mostly because I always like to include a photo or two and I have been having camera problems. My digital SLR has had problems with the software and won't recognize the lenses on the camera, thus everything that is automatic, including the focus, speed and light has not been working. I have sent it in twice, and hopefully it is now fixed.

A lot has happened since my last post; Thanksgiving and Christmas, the birth of a grand daughter, a couple of deaths in the extended family, the ups and downs of the economy and how it has affected our company, etc.. In the mean time, I have been a little involved in facebook and I waste too much of each day checking in there. For every good thing that you read, there are about 10 things that are marginally interesting or just plain dumb. I have decided to check it once a day, and never at work.

We had a wonderful Christmas season this year. Even though the funds available for Christmas were a little tighter this year than seasons past, everybody seemed to appreciate the gifts under the tree and I don't believe anybody felt deprived. What was really special is the number of children and grandchildren that shared our holidays with us. We were able to visit Mao and Cathy just before Christmas and get hugs from Hunter and skeptical stares from Isabella. We also travelled to North Carolina to visit Sam and Lindsey and their boys and see their new little Ruby. We also opened a few Christmas presents with them. We then spent Christmas with almost everybody else. Besides Adam and J.R. and their families that live in our area, we were lucky enough to have Ashley & Todd and the boys, Sunny & Steve and their 6 youngest, and also a surprise visit from Lindsey & Harmon and their kids. Sunny and Steve and their family spent most nights at the Price family beach house, and Harmon and Lindsey and their kids spent a couple of nights with us and the other nights at a good friends beach condominium. We would often have breakfasts as a group and evening meals together. Nancy and I would make daily food runs to Costco, and we would fill our garbage cans with paper products, etc., about every two days. When garbage day arrived I had to deposit the overflow that wouldn't fit into our cans into three different neighbors cans that were sitting out by the curb.

What great fun we had and what beautiful grandchildren we have been blessed with. It was total chaos at times, but what wonderful chaos. It is so nice to be able to spend time with the little ones that we don't get to see often enough. There were a couple of things that stand out in my memory. One, is seeing about 16 or 17 grandchildren in my pool all at once. The other was our lunch at Ruby's cafe in Laguna Beach up on the open air room above the cafe. There were children everywhere and lots of smiles and laughter. What great memories!

We have a new year in front of us and I hope that we will all have the things we hope for and accomplish the things we have set out to do. I gave a talk in church a couple of weeks ago and spoke about the resolutions we should make if we truly want to be happier in the new year and for the rest of our lives. It was built around four distinct areas. I suggested that we all resolve to do the following: Resolve to expand our intellectual horizons and to increase in wisdom by reading out of the best books. Be resolute in preserving and strengthening our physical health. Resolve to be truer friends and become socially acceptable to people of high standards. And finally, to grow spiritually and increase in favor with God. I hope that my children and my older grandchildren will review this and determine ways that they can apply this in their lives.

I have also resolved to be a better blogger. My camera is now working properly and I will make better use of it. I will also spend less time watching t.v. and wasting time. It is going by way too fast.