It's a BOY!!!

Just kidding, she's still a girl. Janna had her real ultrasound (not just a gender check) today and it appears that everything is in good working order. We thought that you might like to see what the new baby will look like, so here are some pictures from the ultrasound. The above picture is of her profile, with her head on the right and legs on the left.

This is a picture of the babies face. If you can find her mouth (which is located where it should be) you will see that it kind of looks like she is smiling.

This is the last picture. If you look closely you can see both of her arms and hands. While you cannot see it in any of these pictures, the babies heart is beating well. She is a very active child, especially when Janna is trying to rest. Janna reports being kicked by her frequently.

Here is a message from the girls, we hope that you enjoy it.

Let the Fun Begin

This is a Picture of one of the nicer buildings on south campus at UB. Of course it is not a picture of the building that all of my classes are in, but I thought it looked nice.I attend classes in Kimball Tower. This is a picture of Kimball Tower and its 13 stories of ugliness.

So far school has not been too bad. I actually expected it to be worse than it has been, but then this is only the first week. I am taking 16 credit hours, here is a list of my classes:
Pathophysiology
Pharmacotherapy
Nursing Research
Anesthesia Principles I
Nursing Roles I
Nursing Roles II

It is so nice to finally be doing something productive. Sitting around at home was alright, but I felt like I was wasting so much time doing nothing. Janna is glad that school has started too. She says that it has been nice for her to get back on a schedule, but the truth probably is that she is glad to get me out of her way.

Side note: in case you have not heard, Janna and Ambrey will probably be traveling back to Utah next week. They will likely be staying for a couple of weeks, but the whole trip will depend on what her nurse practitioner says tomorrow.

2007 Camping Trip

Bear on the loose!!! No joke, less than 30 minutes south of us there is a bear on the loose in the middle of a neighborhood. Officials are still on the lookout for it because it disappeared just after locals called the police.

Last week we went camping for the first time this year. We wanted to go camping before we left Utah, but between my knee problems and the move, things did not work out. When we arrived at the campsite, we put our tinfoil dinners on some hot coals and set up our tent near some friends. The dinners were awsome! They were filled with carrots, potatoes, celery pieces, and sausages, and lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and BBQ sauce. They were loaded with flavor.
The tent we used was my two-man tent that I have used many times on scout trips. We wish that we could have brought our eight-man tent, but that is currently residing on Grandview Hill in Gunnar's garage. Oops! Oh well, believe it or not the four-and-one-half of us fit into it fairly comfortably. The picture above is of me standing in front of the tent that we slept in.
The campsite was only about ten minutes away from our place in Williamsville. It is a site that is used by the BSA for summer camps. It has a pretty large open field, lots of trees, and a river that is not too far from the field. The tallest trees that you see in this picture are probably between 50 and 75 feet tall. Trees like these can be found all over the place. All-in-all we thought it was a pretty nice place, but it is definitely not the same as camping in the mountains.
The people that we were able to meet on this trip were a lot of fun to be around. So far we like the area, the ward, and the people we have met.

Our Rodent Neighbors

I have been trying to get this picture for a while now. In Utah you only get to see squirrels and rabbits up in the mountains or in a cage; we have them living just outside our doors, and here is the proof. We do not live in a rural area, in fact we live just outside of Buffalo and we are surrounded by busy highways. I took this picture while a squirrel was seeking refuge from a storm on our neighbors covered porch.

Robbed by the Association

I was perusing the sports pages today and found something interesting. Former NBA official Mike Mathis spoke out about Tim Donaghy and officiating in the NBA in general. You may find what he had to say interesting, I did. I have posted links to two articles under my Jazz links list. As a disclaimer Mathis's record is not clean, but as a former official his opinions should deserve some consideration. For those who do not want to read one of the posted articles, he essentially says that Jordan pushed off and that video doesn't lie (conspiracy?). While he addresses this one play, he does not mention anything about all of the calls that were blown/missed (who knows, maybe the mob was in on this series) earlier in the game. Who knows if the Jazz could have pulled out the series, but I wish that we would have had the opportunity to find out.

Calling My Shot

I am calling my shot, but first, a flower for Grandma.

Arizona at BYU Sept. 1
This game could go either way. Arizona has installed a new offense in hopes of improving on their 6-6 season in 2006. It usually takes time to get a new offense to click, which should benefit the Cougars. However, under Bronco the Cougars a 0-2 on opening day, losing at Arizona in 2006 (a game they should have won), and losing to Boston College in 2005 while the Cougars were trying to work implement their new offense.
Winner: BYU

BYU at UCLA Sept. 8
a.k.a. Benedict Olson vs. BYU
OK, the whole Benedict thing is a joke but just think about what this kid could have done for BYU if he would have been willing to stick around. Instead of starting for BYU, he will be starting for UCLA in what should be his 7th career start. This should be a close game, but BYU will lose at the Rose Bowl if they cannot get pressure on Olson.
Winner: UCLA

BYU at Tulsa Sept. 15
After last years 49-24 blowout, Tulsa will be out for revenge. Barring injury, I don’t think they get it.
Winner: BYU

Air Force at BYU Sept. 22
Air Force usually starts the season off hot, and falls apart in the end. This year will be different. In the first four weeks of the season Air Force plays the top three teams in the conference, all of them coming back to back. Air Force will most likely be 1-3 following this game.
Winner: BYU

First third of the season: 3-1

BYU at New Mexico Sept. 29
This game will likely be closer than most would expect. Rocky Long has been great for the Lobos, but if fans are expecting better than another 6-6 season they will be sorely disappointed.
Winner: BYU

BYU at UNLV Oct. 13
Coming off of a bye week BYU may as well be playing a division II football program. UNLV football has been awful, and yet every year they somehow get 1-2 conference wins. UNLV is on its way to finishing at the bottom of the conference for the 5th consecutive year. This one will not be close.
Winner: BYU

Eastern Washington at BYU Oct. 20
This is their game against a division II opponent, need I say more?
Winner: BYU

BYU at San Diego State Oct. 27
At this point I have BYU winning 5 in a row. If they don’t slip up here it could be another two weeks before they risk losing again. Chuck Long will be good for this team in the long run, assuming he sticks around. At this point in the season BYU is the better team, but either they slip-up here or at home against CSU.
Winner: San Diego State

Second third of the season: 3-1

Colorado State at BYU Nov. 3
Coach Lubick is one of the top 3 or 4 coaches in the conference. Too bad he’s coaching at the most difficult place to play and against the hottest coach in the conference. BYU will not lose to CSU at home unless there are injury problems.
Winner: BYU

TCU at BYU Nov. 8
This is supposed to be the clash of the 2 best teams in the conference. It definitely is a clash of the two best coaches’ in the league. BYU will win, but don’t expect it to be very convincing. On a short turn around, BYU will be able to prepare just well enough to squeak out a win.
Winner: BYU

BYU at Wyoming Nov. 17
It’s time for the brawl in Laramie. This is a horrible place to play, especially at this time of the year. It’s bitterly cold, and the fans are lousy. Wyoming will want payback of the humiliation that they suffered last year losing 55-7. Here is the second upset of the season.
Winner: Wyoming
“The Holy War”
Utah at BYU Nov. 24
Last years game was one of the best football games that I have ever seen college or pro. This year Utah will be looking to avenge a game that they had put away until they went into a prevent defense and prevented themselves from winning. With two in conference losses, expect this game to mean something aside from bragging rights.
Winner: BYU

Second third of the season: 3-1
BYU’s final record: 9-3
The poll predicting BYU’s record will close in about 3 hours and changes in the final tally is unlikely. So ahead of schedule, here is your winner; Bronco and the Cougs will win 9 or 10 games this year (received 2/4 votes). 11 or 12 wins received 1 vote, as did BYU finishing with fewer than 6 wins and out of the bowl picture.

Happy Birthday Apryl!!!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Apryl, happy birthday to you!!!
Here is a little bit of info on my little sister, Apryl.
She was born on August 11, 1984.
She was named after a combination of things:
1. A big primate (ape), no doubt due to the dark hair that my parents were sure would soon cover her entire body
2. My dad’s favorite food (the roll).
Due to a spelling error, her name was spelled Apryl instead of Aperoll.
Her middle name, Lynne, was fashioned after the violin. It was believed that she would have a smooth rhythm about her. This was yet another mistake. Anyone who is at all acquainted with my family is well aware of our rhythmical deficiencies.
If you believe any of that (other than the birth date) I am sorry for misleading you. Happy Birthday Ape, we love you!!!
Both of these pictures were taken during the month of February in 2005 while Ambrey was in the hospital with bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

A Bit of a Snoozer

For more on this picture, see the end of this comment.

Now that the first ever poll on the Vincent Five blog has come to a close, it is time to review the results. In review, the question that was asked was: "Are the utah Jazz making a mistake by not offering Dee Brown a guaranteed contract?" The winning answer recieved a total of 66% of the votes, or in other words two of the three votes that were cast. In case you did not see the winning answer, here it is: "No, there are a million Dee Browns out there."

Since multiple votes were optional, two answers tied for second place.

Signing him might help to keep Deron happy

Remember Mo Williams?

About the picture

We have been struggling with keeping Ambrey in bed as of late. This picture was taken of her at about 10:30 at night after she had fallen asleep at the top of the stairs. It came as a bit of a surprise to us because we can usually hear her get out of bed.

Niagara Falls

Ever considered visiting Niagara Falls? Do it in the summer. I have been there twice, both times within the last year. The first time that I went it was about seven months ago near the end of January. I traveled out to Buffalo with my friend David for our school interviews. While in Buffalo we decided to visit Niagara Falls. The falls were amazing. The weather however, was brutal. It was freezing, humid, and the falls cause a continuous mist, which makes it all worse. I took a picture of a fence and the pay-binoculars because they were covered with at least an inch of ice. I would post the pictures, but somehow I lost them.We crossed the boarder on foot, walked through some of the shops (most of which sold maple syrup and various items that were adorned with pictures of the Mounties), and had lunch. If you are looking for a haunted house, visit Canada sometime. We walked around a large block and passed by no less than four of five of them. I had the opportunity to return to the falls this summer with Janna, Alyssa, Ambrey, Chris, Renee, and Jayda.

It was without a doubt more impressive, more beautiful, and more fun. We first bought tickets to ride on the Maid of the Mist. Once we paid for our tickets (12.50 for adults, free for kids 5 and under), we walked up onto the observation deck to view the falls. While on the observation deck it started to rain.

About the time that we made it to one of the boats it was pouring. In truth, we thought that this made the boat ride even more fun. This turned out to be the funnest 25 dollars that we have spent in a while. If you make the trip to Niagara, you have to do this. For those who don't know, the boat will take you right up to the base of the falls. If you are concerned about getting wet then I would suggest you get over it because you probably will.

They do provide you with cheap rain jackets that double as souvenirs, but I would not plan on them keeping you dry.

We have some video of this, but I am not currently able to upload it onto our blog. Because this currently is not available, I found some from you tube and posted it at the bottom of our blog.

Happy #6

Today is Alyssa's birthday! Congrats Alyssa, you made it to the age of six.

Alyssa's party started at 11am (9 am Utah time), and finished just after 1pm. We started by taking the girls to McDonalds for happy meals, and then let them play in play land.

We then returned home for presents and games. This was the first time that we were unable to invite family to a birthday party, but fortunately we have some good friends that live close by.

Above is a picture of the girls who were invited to Alyssa's party. From left to right: Ellie, Alyssa, Tabatha, Branwin, and Ambrey. Tabatha and Ellie are David and Chantel's daughters (I will be going to school with David), and Branwin is Jessica and Chad's daughter (Our next door neighbors).

We finished things off by having the girls decorate their own cakes. The girls had a really good time, and it wasn't nearly as messy as you might expect.

Still No Deal for the Mountain

There are many who probably do not know this about me, but when it comes to sports my first love has always been football. Whether it was watching Joe Montana or Steve Young throw touchdown passes to the great Jerry Rice, or watching Ty Detmer scramble out of the pocket to connect with Eric Drage, it did not matter to me because I love watching football (I think I will avoid playing it for a while though). For the past seven years I have been on hiatus from the NFL, leaving me only with college.

As I am sure that many of you are well aware, BYU has been my college football team for many years. I grew up watching their games at the stadium with my grandpa, or at home on TV. I have been able to watch their successes, and I have been able to watch their failures. From Bosco's national championship in '84 to the '96 cotton bowl victory, I have been able to watch it. I remember in recent history watching now QB coach Brandon Doman run the option with Doak walker award winner Luke Staley. I also remember how poorly it all ended under the same coach of that great team (Gary Crowton).Then there was last year. BYU football was on top of the Mountain West Conference again. They finished the regular season 10-2 and after a convincing victory over Oregon their record stood at 11-2. They were nationally ranked in the top 15. All in all it was a great year for BYU football. John Beck reminded us all of some of the former great QB's to pass through BYU. Jonny Harline was among the best in the nation at his position. Cameron Jensen led the most solid defense to pass through BYU in the last 10 years.

And where was I through all of this? Watching the two or three games that were televised by our dish company, and listening to the rest. Why would an avid BYU fan listen to the games instead of watching them you ask? Ask Craig Thompson, the commissioner for the Mountain West Conference. I cannot believe that anyone would be dumb enough to sign a contract that would prevent the fan base from viewing their teams. And yet he signed the contract knowing that no deal was in place with the dish companies, and that the majority owner of the mountain (the channel that would cover mwc sports) was Comcast. Unbelievable!!!And here we are, more than a year later, and still without a deal in place to allow fans to view their teams. Great leadership commissioner!!! Nice job!!!

In case you were wondering, the guy at the top of this post is my friend Jeremy. Jeremy is a U of U fan. We had a friendly bet on the outcome of the BYU-Utah game. As I am sure you can tell (or remember), BYU won (which meant that I did too). What a great game. What an even better finish. It was definitely one for the ages.

Let the Polls Begin

I thought that it might be fun to add a new element to our blog. Starting this week you will find a poll that you can vote on. This first poll will end on the sixth of this month, and it will be followed by a new poll.

Being an avid Jazz fan I thought that it would be fitting to make the first poll Jazz related. For those who are unaware, the Jazz have recently signed two new point/combo guards. The first to be signed was the 29 year old Jason Hart. Hart is 6-3, weighs 185 pounds, and has signed a 2 year, 5 million dollar deal. I know very little about Hart, but what I do like is his contract when you compare it to Derrick Fishers. The second guard is 24 year old Ronnie Price, formerly of the Sacramento Kings and UVSC. Price is listed at 6-2 and 190. All reports say that he is a hard worker, and a good athlete. Anyone who saw him play against the Jazz will attest to his athleticism, as I am sure that Carlos Boozer will. If you have not seen his dunk, I have it as one of the viewable videos at the bottom of the blog. Price’s averages have not been great, but he appears to be pretty talented.

This is where the poll comes in. With the signing of two new guards (who are expected to play point), where does this leave Dee Brown? In today’s edition of the Deseret Morning News, Kevin O’Connor is quoted as saying “I’m not going to comment on our restricted free agents. It’s still on the table, yeah….” So my question is: “Are the Utah Jazz making a mistake by not offering Dee Brown a guaranteed contract? On Dee Brown’s web site, he mentioned that he would have signed with the Jazz if they would have guaranteed his contract. Also, where does this leave CJ Miles? Currently the Jazz have 3 point guards and 3 shooting guards under contract. They also have a total of 12 players under contract. Typically they keep no more than 14, and can only have up to 15 on their roster at one time. They have also made it known that they would like to add another big body.
Here is the Jazz roster as presently constituted:

PG- Deron Williams, Jason Hart, and Ronnie Price

SG- Ronnie Brewer, Morris Almond, and Gordan Giricek (reportedly the most likely to be gone before the season starts)

SF- Andre Kirilenko, and Matt Harpring

PF- Carlos Boozer, and Paul Milsap (they have openly said they plan on trying him more at small forward this year, bye, bye AK-47?)

C- Memo Okur, and Jarron Collins

Other guys who are connected to the Jazz:
Restricted Free Agents- Dee Brown (Jazz fans love), and CJ Miles (Jazz coaches love)
Second Round Draft Pick- Kyrylo Fesenko (appears to have real potential)
Free Agent- Rafael Araujo

The Arrival

I am tired of writing about our trip, so this will be the last time that I do unless anyone has any questions. We left Iowa on Monday, July 16th, and during the final two days of our trip, we traveled through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, before finally arriving in New York. This gave us our first opportunity to drive on toll roads. I will write more about those later. The rest of the trip went pretty well.

On our first day back on the road we passed through south Chicago on our way to Maumee, Ohio, which is where we spent our last night on the road. That’s enough said about Maumee. On our final day we drove through Cleveland, passing by Jacob’s Field (home of the Cleveland Indians) and the Quicken Loans Arena (home of the Cleveland Cavaliers). We stopped about 20 miles outside of Cleveland at Kirtland and visited the first built LDS temple, which is currently owned by the Community of Christ. We finally arrived in Williamsville, New York on July 17th, at about 5pm.

It felt great to finally get off the road. Looking back now, I don’t think I would mind making the same trek again sometime, especially if we don’t have to drive a 26 foot moving truck. The pictures are as follows; 1st is a welcome (well come) from the folks at the Riverside Restaurant in Keokuk Iowa, 2nd is a picture of Alyssa and Ambrey standing in front of the Kirtland Temple, 3rd is a picture of the temple, 4th is a picture of our family in front of the temple, 5th Chris and Renee at the temple, and last but not least is a picture to prove that we drove safely.

Toll roads: anytime that you are required to pay cash for driving on a road, I think that you should be able to have certain expectations.

We took I-80/90 almost the entire way to New York, and in three different states we were required to pay a toll. New York and Indiana were reasonable, but we spent around $50.00 on tolls in Ohio. In case you haven’t been there, you’re not missing a whole lot. Cleveland appears interesting, and Kirtland was pretty cool, but that was about it. Anyways, I think that if you are expected to pay that much money for using the highway just one time, you should be able to have certain expectations of the highway. I would expect the highway to be in excellent shape, relatively clean, and road construction to be done at night. Lofty expectations I guess, but in comparison, the toll way in Indiana was less than ¼ of the price, clean, in excellent shape, and the areas of road construction were completely unobstructed.