The Youngquist Family Blog

Cribs: Youngquist cabin edition

2011-11-29T22:57:00.003-06:00

We had a great 1st annual Thanksgiving retreat to the new Youngquist cabin in Aitkin, MN.

Here's a video showcasing the great getaway:

And we learned that there's a "world famous" Fish House Parade held in Aitkin, MN every year.(don't believe me... google "fish house parade") Can someone say annual tradition....? I know where I'll be every Thanksgiving....

Some more Twins game images

2010-04-19T16:32:00.002-05:00

It's called nostalgia!!!
Yet another wonderful outing for the Youngquist men. What a great day for a ball game
Mom - this hunk is for you. What a good lookin' guy.
I am still a little gitty when I think that we have an outdoor baseball stadium. Oh the memories.

Go Twins!

2010-04-15T21:34:00.003-05:00

Enjoying the official 3rd regular season Minnesota Twins game in the new outdoor Target Field as they played the Boston Red Sox. Francisco Liriano pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball and the Twins' bats were alive. I loved having the Youngquist men out on this outing. Hopefully the Twins can keep their 7-2 playing up for the rest of the season. Play ball!

Here's a Joe Mauer foul ball at Target Field.

Joe Brady is getting married!!!

2009-06-30T08:27:00.002-05:00

Here is a picture in variation of Joe and his fiancee. Her name is Katie and they met down in Omaha. She is not only very pretty but she goes toe to toe with Joe and keeps him hopping. They have come to visit twice now and we have always had so much fun with them. Congratulations Joe and Katie - we couldn't be more excited.

To view these photos in their full resolution, please click the image above to view the photo.
To save the image - after having the photo open to full resolution right click and save image to your computer.

Please give me a call if you have any troubles.

-Kevin

weekend in MN

2009-06-23T17:54:00.002-05:00

I got back to Minnesota for the weekend to attend Mike's wedding. Dad, Andrew, Kevin, and I went on sweet bike ride all over downtown. At one point we even hopped on to the light rail with our bikes.

Boy Marriott Cousin is Born!

2009-04-30T20:54:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the family, Boy Marriott Cousin! We are so excited that you have joined us. We heard that your mommy went to the hospital this morning, but you were not ready to come yet. Then she went again to the hospital at 5:30 PM and you joined us at around 7:30 PM tonight Utah time. You weigh 8 lbs. 3 oz. and are 21 inches long. Mommy said it went really well. We got all of this information from your Grandma Ann. We don't know your name yet, but we could see having a name that starts with G - why break the chain? Maybe Gavin or Gilroy or Giovanni? We can't wait to meet you in person this summer.

webcamming with the Youngquists

2009-02-20T17:40:00.004-06:00

Andrew and I webcammed it up. We should all do this... Get your webcams ripping and roaring.

dad and i at stanford

2008-12-15T22:14:00.002-06:00

Dad and I caught a Standford basketball game while out in California for thanksgiving.

spider george

2008-12-15T19:41:00.002-06:00

Here's a picture i meant to post a while ago. Marian returned from the store with a new costume and George put it on right away. The netting over the eyes made it entertaining to watch him try to navigate while trying to act like a tough web-slinging superhero against the big, bad villain, Grant.

the amazing seamstress

2008-11-03T21:25:00.003-06:00

Marian is one heck of a lady. George was going to a neighborhood girl's birthday party. Marian stitched up a chef's hat to go along with her cooking-themed gift. And it was within a half an hour or so.

dad brushes teeth well

2008-09-08T23:05:00.001-05:00

George got his teeth brushed the papa youngquist way.

zipping in costa rica

2008-08-15T00:41:00.000-05:00

Costa Rica 2008

echo echo echo....

2008-07-13T15:05:00.011-05:00

We all took part in the Echo Triathlon this weekend, relay style. Daniel swam, I biked, and Marian ran.

Here's some sweet action shots of the transition from swim to bike, Daniel's putting the time chip on my ankle. The picture on the right, it looks like Daniel is admiring my stretchy pants... (on closer look, his eyes are just closed, but we got a good laugh from it.)

Look at this intense finish by Marian (she has that crazy look on her face, click on pic to enlarge). The poor lady had no idea what was coming. I can only imagine the words Marian used when she passed her.

Here's a clip of us all piled into the Sebring... you can't see much, but you can feel the intensity.

It was a fun experience, I think I've discovered my sport... Biking is amazing. I want to do my own triathlon now. And the discussions have begun about doing a relay triathlon in MN...

The Family

2008-07-11T12:40:00.003-05:00

Daniel - Here is the family image.

Utah Jones and the Last Woo-sade

2008-06-04T10:45:00.002-05:00

Dan Fleming posted this and I thought everyone would like to see Marian preform her own stunts.

Sleeping lady

2008-05-26T21:27:00.003-05:00

It is always interesting to look at Hannah and think she is ours to raise and care for. Without fail it is a humbling feeling. Pres. Hinckley talked about scenic vistas and bursts of exhilaration during life's earthly journey when likening it to a train ride. I thought we would share a beautiful vista.

The house that the Youngquist Family is rebuilding

2008-05-26T19:54:00.001-05:00

Whaoo! Here are some pictures of our work-in-progress! We are very excited to get our hands dirty and our demo skills fine tuned. The house has already brought loads of fun and visitors...raccoons included. =) Enjoy the adventure with us through these pictures.

Here is photo of me and Kevin in front of the house on the first day of repair and remodel. (Hannah was asleep in her carrier for the photo)

We were surprised and happy to see the original hardwood floors were in relatively good condition.

Removing the molding and tack strips.

The living room featured floor to ceiling mirrors. They brought back bitter sweet memories of Kevin's years in Russian Ballet.

Workin' it

2008-05-22T14:40:00.001-05:00

Here are some fun belly time moments with Hannah - we are still working on the laughing and enjoyment part.

When Hannah wakes in the morning or from a nap there is the ceremonial stretching of the fingers and wrists. This usually involves grunting like a goat.

Here is another day of smile practice. As you can tell it is quite strenuous and tiring.

We hope that by the time you guys get here from UT/WY that she will have a full fledged gummy smile.

last minute trip with russell

2008-05-10T15:17:00.008-05:00

Last weekend was a very therapeutic trip for me. Russell and I tested out the company car and fuel card and went to Vegas and Phoenix.

We got a buffet at the Ceasar Palace (we were a bit disappointed)

We watched the jazz game at a sport book

This is where we stayed, Excalibur (a fancy looking motel 6). You get what you pay for. We were on the 21st floor of the tower to the left with the beautiful view of the backside of the castle:).

Had to make a pit stop of course.

Visited Chase Field to watch the Diamondbacks play the Mets.

And much much more, we visited the Mesa temple and saw a neat exhibit about Christ in the visitor center. Also explored the Phoenician, an amazing resort in Scottsdale. The golf course is beautiful. Next roadtrip, hopefully to San Fran, visit Grandma and Grandpa and the Giants.

Lance got nothing on this

2008-04-30T21:53:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday, Daniel and I went for a little bike ride. I'm investigating the option of purchasing a road bike. With an outfit like that, I think I'm ready for the Tour de France.

(notice my intense, no-smile look...)

Grant "uh-oh!" turns 1

2008-04-10T21:48:00.005-05:00

Grant roared into his first completed year yesterday, with a cake extravaganza, digging twin holes in the cake with his two fists. And when everyone was looking at him, he would say, "uh-oh!". We had a great time watching how fast he can put food into his mouth--this guy was meant to eat.

Nana and Grandad, Trace and half of the Storheim clan were there, and Daniel & Brittany Burton (friends) helped us bring in Grant's new year. Grant has just blossomed since getting his ear tubes. It may be age too, but he is such a delight! He is constantly smiling, saying "uh-oh" and just making life great (except at night, he still struggles a little).

George is growing up too, but we must always remember that he IS two, so the "terrible twos" aren't over yet, and if we forget, he reminds us quickly. Things are flying around here, with Grant taking a few steps, and holding onto any moveable object while pushing. The big game is for George to take one side of a stool, and pull it around the house, with Grant hanging on for dear life on the other side, trying to put one foot infront of another. They laugh and pull/push the stool over and over. Sometimes, Grant has had enough, but doesn't know how to stop, and George isn't really interested in stopping, so Grant will whimper, then start crying, but he'll keep holding on and marching to George's tempo!

We are the luckiest people in the world to have such a delightful family and home. All are welcome--come on by!

the youngquist wyoming cabin

2008-04-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

Life is good

2008-03-23T22:53:00.006-05:00

It is interesting to see what we take pictures of now that Hannah has joined us. I will see what I can do about providing some more/additional photos of MariAnne and myself. MariAnne is definitely not one to sit still for a photo op.

Easter was wonderful. We had an idealic snowfall in the morning with large fluffy flakes drifting downward. The temperature was just at or above freezing making me want to have a good old snowball fight.

The Easter Bunny came early this morning and provided Hannah her weight in jelly beans, chocolate and strawberry whoppers. Can you image gifts on that kind of weight scale. WOW!! Thanks Dad - it made our family's morning.

I had a chance to attend my Sunday meetings as MariAnne held down the fort. It was interesting going to church without MariAnne. I can't wait to have both MariAnne and Hannah at church with me.

more to come...

Daniel for State Legislature!

2008-03-16T22:19:00.003-05:00

Although our news isn't one/one hundredth as exciting as Kevin and MariAnne's new little Hannah, we thought we'd post an update still! :) Daniel, now two weeks ago, declared his intent to run for state legislature and so we accompanied him down to the county offices and took some pics. We're excited to do a lot of walking this summer handing out literature and rallying for Daniel to hopefully get elected! Exciting times ahead for sure. And then we wanted to share some recent pics of the boys, which are outdated now because we just cut Grant's hair for the first time on Saturday and he is looking so much older than even these pictures depict. That will have to be for another post! We love you and wish we could be enjoying the new baby and helping so that all at the Youngquist household could get a bit more sleep!

Daniel swearing in about something in order to declare his candidacy

Striking a pose as now registered candidate for state legislature

Grant 11 months, George 2-1/2

Hannah Mae Youngquist's Big Arrival

2008-03-15T13:00:00.011-05:00

Hannah Mae Youngquist entered this world on the glorious day of March 12th at approximately 7:14 pm Central Standard Time. Here are some images of the pretty package to hold you over until an in-person visit is possible. More posts and images will follow.

We were shocked to have MariAnne's water break Wednesday at 4:00 pm. Hannah is a sweet little girl that loves to be swaddled and talked to. She was born 5 lbs 10 oz at a whopping 19 inches. She came a month before her due date but we are so happy to report that all her systems are well enough developed that we were able to check out of the hospital yesterday. Both mother and daughter are recovering very well and are exceeding expectations after the events of these past few days.

We love you all and are so grateful for all your loving support. We couldn't have gotten through these past days without you.

Kevin and MariAnne

first week in Wyo

2008-03-01T14:39:00.000-06:00

I have survived my first week in the wild wild west, a.k.a. Wyoming. I was up there with my boss all week. Here's a link to my "route." I'll make the drive up to Kemmerer and Mountain View once a week. And I'll make the Rock Springs/Green River trek twice a week. Below is a picture I took of the JC Penney mother store in Kemmerer. So, this last week I was introduced to all the people I'll be working with, learned more about ordering Nabisco products for the stores, and much much more. I'll be putting in a lot of time Monday through Thursday, and Friday should be a 2-3 hour day.

I've been spotted

2008-02-19T10:38:00.000-06:00

Andrew has found me in the slideshow. I'm in two of the photos, can you find me? Go Cougars!

Call me Kraft...?

2008-02-14T12:41:00.000-06:00

I got a sweet offer from Kraft as a Sales Rep and have accepted. It's crazy how it's come about and happened so fast. It seems too good to be true. There's got to be a catch, oh wait, maybe it's the living in Evanston, WY part... :) Well, hopefully I'll be driving the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.

Elin's Prayer for President Hinckley

2008-02-12T19:55:00.000-06:00

The last several days Elin has been talking about President Hinckley in her prayers. She says, "Thank you for President Hinckley, we are so happy that he is with Heavenly Father, but we are so sad that he died." It is so sweet to listen to her pray.

Elin figuring out her parents' secret code

2008-02-11T20:13:00.000-06:00

Tonight Elin wanted a piece of gum right before bedtime. Telling her no, Courtney said that she would take a piece of gum out for Elin to have in the morning. Courtney put it on the stair railing in the hall.

When I left Elin's room to let the girls snuggle before Elin went to sleep, I asked Courtney, "Where is the g-u-m?" spelling gum.

Courtney replied, "It f-e-l-l."

Elin then piped in, "E-C-F-E", which stands for Early Childhood Family Education.

By then we all burst out laughing, as Elin knew we were spelling things out and was trying to break the "c-o-d-e".

Mitt Romney and the Kirkhams in Minnesota

2008-02-05T21:43:00.000-06:00

Jon and Mirjam Kirkham wore their Olympic volunteer jackets at Mitt Romney's rally last Saturday. I feel like I almost know Mitt personally through this picture.

Hinckley slideshow

2008-01-28T18:21:00.000-06:00

Check out this nice slide show of President Hinckley on BYU's site.

Legacy of Dad's golf balls

2008-01-26T12:13:00.000-06:00

I enjoyed this article in the Wall Street Journal today. It made me think of Dad. I love you Dad!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120129464123117695.html?mod=hpp_us_inside_today

Christmas in Minnesota

2008-01-25T21:05:00.000-06:00

Although it's nearly February I thought I'd share some fun December moments from our family. Inspired by Marian's magnificent creations, I made matching 3 tiered Christmas skirts for Elin and her cousins (shown her with Ellie Yarrington and Annie Littlefield). Daddy and Elin reenact the Nutcracker Prince and the Sugarplum fairy at Macy's Christmas Display.
Before it got frigid we spent a lot of time outside playing in the snow and attempting to cross country ski.

Can't resist putting a picture of Andrew and Miles Yarrington who thinks (even at then 5 1/2 months old that Andrew's Donald Duck impersonation is the funniest thing ever.)

Bryce on Christmas Eve receives and gulp -- MODELS with dance (I do have a short video of that if anyone every needs to blackmail him with.)

Elin loves to play dress up -- mommy loves that ARC Thrift store sells cute things as shown in Red dress with shawl on head -- for cheapo prices.

Elin lives the Cinderella story for you. This week Elin and I played Cinderella. I made an invitation to the Ball and delivered it the house. Then I became Violet, the personal assistant and stylist getting Cinderella (aka Rosemary on that day) ready for the ball. Hence dress #1. Then I was made into the fairy Godmother and created a coach out of a pumpkin (an orange tutu) and 4 nutcrackers were turned into horses. At the ball we had music -- Swan Lake to be precise then when the prince proposed we turned on the Wedding March and changed into dress #2 complete in "white" -- ok so it's all light colors, with a lei bouquet and a scarf veil over a hat -- circa 1985 wedding photos.

We'll try to do a better job of staying up to date on the blog -- but for now. Adieu from C!

Thanks for Thoughtful Gifts

2008-01-20T22:08:00.000-06:00

This may be a cheesy way to thank y'all for your wonderful gifts, but I wanted to share photos of our kids enjoying the gifts. We were awed at how creative and thoughtful the gifts were, we felt loved and were very appreciative. That is a language of love, gift-giving, that I can tell I need to work on learning to speak because it is sure fun to be on the receiving end! We love you!

Fat Gums Returns

2008-01-20T21:58:00.000-06:00

We needed to share some pictures of Grant's bulging top gum line, which has made his mother so proud and also glad that Grandpa is miles away so he will no be subjected to taunts of "fat gums!"--just kidding Dad, I loved to be teased! :) Since these pictures, both of his two front teeth have broken through and a third bottom teeth is emerging, with several just below the surface. Poor kid, the teeth all seem to want to come in at once! No sleeping for us, with a teething Grant who also seems to be neverendingly suffering with asthma as well as an eternal ear infection (appointment with ENT on Feb. 4), we are up almost every hour as he can't seem to sleep through the night with all that's going on!

Christmas 2007 out in Salt Lake with Marian and Daniel

2008-01-02T09:29:00.000-06:00

We had a riot in Salt Lake visiting with Marian and Daniel. We got in some quality bonding time with the boys and plenty of laughs and catching up with Marian and Daniel. We visited Candle Light Village, where we ran into Isaac and Rachel Linton and their beautiful daughter. The Linton Family was in the dancing hall with the rest Rachel's family. It was wild just to bump into them. They seem to be doing really well.

As usual Marian and Daniel were more than gracious to let us stay with them and use their car even when the snow was falling like crazy and driving was white-knuckle. Thank you Thank you. I will be sending out a CD with images. Here is a sample.

Happy New Year everyone!!

turkey pic

2007-12-21T14:24:00.000-06:00

Here's a pic from the Thanksgiving out in Utah.

Quien es? Es Dr. Gilberto Cota or... Dr. Scott Youngquist?

2007-12-20T20:04:00.000-06:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119793741946235423.html

2nd Generation Trouble!! The Saga Continues!

2007-12-16T21:42:00.000-06:00

The legacy of Trouble will now live on as the gift of the game, that started the contention, has been passed to the second generation. Bryce has gifted Kevin and MariAnne with their own pop-a-matic bubble. Here is the past and the future all in the same photo.

Bruce Lee vs. George "That ain't magic marker on my hands" Marriott

2007-12-12T13:08:00.000-06:00

Post your bets!!

It's a GIRL!!!

2007-12-11T09:17:00.000-06:00

Good Wednesday to everyone. As you all now know we had our second ultrasound on Monday and it looks like we are having a beautiful and health girl come April 7th. We are about a week further along than we had first thought. Everything is exactly where it should be. I am already able to feel kicks as MariAnne jumps everytime the baby is actively practices her kung-fu.

Kevin and MariAnne

The Boys

2007-12-07T13:01:00.000-06:00

Here's the latest from SLC. George found a marker and exercised his creative side of his brain. And Grant will eat anything that George doesn't eat.

Birthplace of Vern Youngquist

2007-11-10T22:00:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we (Mom, Dad, Bryce MariAnne and Kevin) traveled to Welsh Village, MN, near Red Wing, MN, to pay a visit to the home that was the birthplace of Grandpa Youngquist. As we arrived in the city limits, we thought it would be prudent to have farmer's approval for passage on his land as well as some safety garb as we had the impression that rifle deer hunting season was well underway. We ended up without either of the two and scrubbed the mission til a later date. Before leaving the area, Dad wrote a quick note to the farmer, informing him that we came by looking to find the old farm house and left him our phone number. During the week the kind farmer called and gave us free reign on his land.

This morning;
It was a beautiful Saturday and we awoke to light rain and mid 30 temperatures. We thought we might have to try another day due to weather delays. As we consulted with weather.com we decided to proceed as planned. We were off. Mom was trying to decide whether or not she should go as she had two, not one but two lessons to prepare her Sunday parenting class. She was a last minute entry but it proved to be a historic trip that was well worth the sacrifice.

After crossing dry stream beds and forging through many rugged feet of dense deciduousness we, or rather, Dad came upon the farm house remains. As you can see from the photographs the house has seen many days and many a moon.

It is interesting to think that 60 or 70 years ago, Vern Youngquist roamed those very same grounds with anticipation for life and what the future would hold. I am sure that he never thought that his children and grandchildren would be trying to find his birthplace, trying to get a glimpse of the way of life in those days.

The gem I came away with from this adventure was a feeling of how fleeting time is. Time crawls by as we watch all the while rapidly racing forward while we're busy working, living, laughing or looking to the past or to the future.

Trick or Treat

2007-11-01T22:18:00.000-05:00

After battling with George last week and failing to get him to wear his lion costume, a miracle occurred and he willingly donned the lion suit last night, just in time for an appearance at Daniel's parents' home and a ward trunk or treat. We were soo happy and had such a fun time, our whole family showed up in Wizard of Oz costumes that were being finished seconds before we left! Marian was sprinkling red glitter on a pair of old shoes smothered with Elmer's glue as Daniel loaded the kids in the car! At the trunk or treat, Daniel took George around while Marian manned the "trunk" and George quickly learned his line "Trick or Treat" and "thank you" and collected quite a stash. He enjoyed himself so much that he was asking tonight to put on his costume, and as we were getting ready for bed, he told Marian, "I want to go trick-or-treating". It's hard at this age to understand that some of these special days only happen once a year. We like the picture of us all together so much, that we're thinking of putting in on a Christmas card, so you may see it again! We love you and hope you had a fun night too.

The Ghost of Halloween Past and Present

2007-10-28T17:34:00.000-05:00

This is Courtney learning to post for the first time!

Today Elin wore her Marian-made beloved Halloween skirt to church (again to heads turning and many smiles). She has spent much time twirling and whirling so we decided to look at last year's pictures and see how she has grown. 2006 is Elin in the black shirt and 2007 is Elin in the white shirt. Enjoy how 1 year makes a world of difference.

The World According to Elin

2007-10-28T12:17:00.001-05:00

While clapping our hands as a family, Elin said that her hands had a different voice (compared to the sounds of Mommy's or Daddy's clapping).

Elin asked Mommy, "Why do these panties have my name on it?"
Mommy asked, "What do you mean?"
Elin answered, "Well, it has an 'E'." The panties do have the name Elmo on them.

I asked Elin the other day as I putting her to bed if she had already had a full pull-up. She answered by saying that one is a strawberry and the other is a hula hoop. Huh? I guess she was describing what the pattern of the pull-up looks like.

Elin wrote her full name for the first time a couple of Fridays ago. Mommy describes the L to Elin as a long straight line, the I as a short line with a circle on top, and the N as a short line with a hook.

Friday morning when I was opening the window blinds in the living room, I showed Elin the exquisite frost that was on the lawn. When Mommy came downstairs, Elin exclaimed, "Mommy, Mommy, come here and see the frosting on the lawn!" :)

Just a spoonful of sugar...

2007-10-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

The following pictures are from our church ward's Oktoberfest party yesterday with brats and beer (German apple beer and root beer). Mary Poppins flew in for a visit. It's a jolly holiday with two Marys (Mirjam Kirkham) and the Banks children. I won the pumpkin carving contest - can you see the CTR (Choose The Right) shield?

check out the church

2007-10-27T11:34:00.001-05:00

The church came out with a new media campaign. It's really neat, click here to check it out. Watch the videos too. They're definitely different from the usual commercials. And they've revamped mormon.org. People can even chat with missionaries from the MTC.

Weekend update with Kevin and MariAnne

2007-10-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

H appy Fall everybody! Not the biblical Fall but the season of crisp w eather and crunchy ground cover. It is all about g e tting outside b efore the cold dar k winter and maxi mizing your vitamin D.

We wanted you all to know that the north shore of Lake S uperior is right where we left it a little more than year and half.

It was fun for the tw o of us t o be up there a nd almost officially

kick-off the autumn with the w hole city of Duluth. And we did often pronou nce it Daloo th. Yah!

A fter spending Friday in Duluth visiting the Great L akes fresh water Aquarium and the Maritime Museum - w e headed out to Spl it Rock L ighthouse on Saturday.

F riday was over cast and rainy but to our surprise Saturday was sunny and perfect. Who knew the w eatherma n was goin g to be right a bout the 70 percent chan ce of perfect weather. See the pictures for yourselves.

We love you all and next time we w ish you could have come with us.

Kevin and MariAnne

Christmas Exchange for the Youngquist Kids

2007-10-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone. We thought we would get this season started as Macy's is already shelfing their holiday goodies. So soon? Yes - drastic times!!

Below you will find the list of names. The names listed in giving order - Andrew will give to MariAnne - who will give to Marian. Daniel will give to Andrew.

Andrew
MariAnne
Marian
Bryce
Courtney
Kevin
Daniel

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! Let us know if you have questions. We love you all.

Kevin and MariAnne

Some Family Pics

2007-10-12T14:58:00.000-05:00

We took some family pictures yesterday and wanted to give you a preview. It was a girl that was in our Singles' Ward and I thought she did a good job, she was really fun with George and Grant.

Happy Conference Weekend!

2007-10-08T21:15:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone enjoyed conference this weekend. We listened to the two sessions Saturday at home on the Internet after making pancakes for breakfast. Dad, Kevin, Samuel Harris (someone I home teach), and I went to Culver's after watching the priesthood session at the Brooklyn Park chapel. Jon Kirkham was there as well. Sunday we had waffles at Mom and Dad's before watching both sessions. It was a great weekend (and I even got a nap in on Sunday)! Love to you all.

Our new kitchen semi-finished

2007-10-06T19:59:00.000-05:00

I was going to wait until we were all done with our kitchen to unveil the photos, but I'm only now realizing that "all done" may be next year! :) So here the preliminary photos are, I'm already loving it even though I'm not able to use it. Everyday I walk by and look in our kitchen and just sigh in contentment :) And then I'm including a cute picture of Grant before a bath, the men reading the great book Kevin and MariAnne sent Grant, and a random picture of my new haircut, I'm wearing a helmet because it's been recommended by a doctor to avoid head injuries, just kidding, George found the bike helmet in the closet and put it on my head! :)

Our Travels

2007-10-02T09:28:00.000-05:00

I've tried several times to "post" but have always had to run and do something else, and the "post" is forgotten. I'm determined to use this blog more as this may replace our family newsletter in terms of ease and cost! I wanted to share some pictures of the trip that the boys and I took last week to California to visit Grandma and Grandpa (and Pat and Mike as well!) and then for several days down to Monterey with Amy Dorff Gretz and her family. She had a little boy, Marcus, about a week and a half before I had Grant so it was fun to see them together. Her little boy I think has about 4 or 5 pounds on Marcus! Her little girl Sophie and our George did not get along as well as they did a year ago. I still laugh when I think about a scene at their house; Sophie is using the bathroom and George is standing outside the bathroom door singing at the top of his lungs "Frere Jacques" to which Sophie screams "No!", and this repeats over and over again. George wanted to make Sophie laugh and smile, and she just refused to the whole week. Oh well, Amy and I had a good time, even getting a babysitter one afternoon so we could go see Carmel. We also took the kids to the beach and to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which brought back lots of fun memories. Amy has started teaching a kids' music class which we attended with her twice as well.

Visit home

2007-08-13T21:38:00.000-05:00

Two weekends ago I got home for a long weekend. It was a great to hang with the fam and help dad pull out the clothe line poles in the backyard. (Unfortunately, I caught a weekend when Kevin and MariAnne were out of town.) I got to go golfing with Dad. Mom, Dad, and I went downtown to check out the collapsed bridge. It was a great weekend and fun to hang with Elin. I didn't take many pictures but here are some.

Cali Trip Pics

2007-06-06T20:18:00.000-05:00

a little place called Milwaukee

2007-06-03T01:16:00.000-05:00

I have made it to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Here are some pictures of my new place that is empty, little by little it is feeling like a home. (Thanks to mom and dad for driving out a bed and some couches:)) I will have to post some pictures from the great weekend in California also.

And the other picture is a funny story. I don't think the picture gives the new look justice. My new haircut on the first day of work will make a great conversation starter. I was with my new roommate, Ray. We were driving around running errands. I needed a hair cut, but didn't know where to go. We appeared to be in a ghetto and there were bunch of barber shops on ever corner. I joked about stopping at one of them. Then there was one that had a big sign. "Phat Cuts," and it said that cuts were $7. What a deal. Anyway, you had to have been there. I was the only white boy (Ray is black too), and the guy took off my sideburns. It was a fun time. The barbers at "Phat Cuts" are probably having a night of laughter about the white kid without side burns. It looks really goofy, the side burns are gone leaving me with white sides, because the sun has never been there. Anyway, it's not sounding too funny typing it out... Enjoy.

Spring Blossoms

2007-05-30T21:37:00.001-05:00

Some pictures taken the first weekend of May.

Hawaiian Fruit Punch, anyone?

2007-05-30T20:41:00.000-05:00

I splurged this past weekend and bought a 12 pack of Hawaiian Fruit Punch. I remember the days at the Curtis pool when we pulled out a can from the old refrigerator in the garage. An article in the Wall Street Journal today talked about drinks made with ingredients such as ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and sodium benzoate can form cancer-causing benzene. I checked the ingredients on a can and it had both ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate. Anyone want to come over for some Hawaiian Fruit Punch? Anyone, anyone...

NEW YORK -- A lawsuit that alleges soft-drink manufacturers, including PepsiCo Inc., are selling drinks made with ingredients that can form cancer-causing benzene can go move forward, a Kansas federal court has ruled. The suit is one of five lawsuits filed in various states. Plaintiffs are asking soft-drink makers to remove the drinks from store shelves, reformulate their products, and offer refunds to consumers who bought them. Benzene can form in soft drinks containing vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, and either sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate. Scientists say factors such as heat or light exposure can trigger a reaction that forms benzene in the beverages. The ruling late Thursday by U.S. District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil denied a motion to dismiss filed by the defendants in the case, which include PepsiCo Inc. and privately-held Sunny Delight Beverages Co. and Rockstar Inc. "We're now going to see how well the defendant companies hold up when their case is exposed to heat and light," said Gregory M. Garvin, an attorney for the plaintiffs with the Kansas City law firm Sader & Garvin LLC. The plaintiffs said Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi has benzene levels nearly four times the maximum level of 5 parts per billion set by the Environmental Protection Agency for benzene in drinking water. But Pepsi Cola North America spokesman Dave DeCecco said the FDA has reviewed its products and found no reason for concern about benzene levels. "We believe this suit is entirely without merit and we will continue to defend ourselves," Mr. DeCecco said. He added that Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi was reformulated last fall. Coca-Cola Co., a former defendant in the case, settled with the plaintiffs earlier this month and offered replacement drinks to anyone who purchased Fanta Pineapple or Vault Zero before September 2006. The company also volunteered to reformulate the drinks.

Happy Memorial Day

2007-05-30T09:48:00.000-05:00

We hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day this last Monday - Bryce and Aliza in California with Grandma and Grandpa Curtis, Daniel and Marian and kids with Kevin and MariAnne up at the Marriott's cabin. I think Andrew and Courtney with Elin camping. Elin's first real camping trip outside of Grandpa Keith and Grandma Ann's backyard. Mom and Dad - how was your day off? Mom - you have what? a week and a half school at Birchgrove Elementary School. Awesome. We are so excited to have the summer here. Looking forward to visiting Moab and Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park - I just hope we can see a few. We are trying to figure out a trip to MN this summer - maybe the 24th of July? MariAnne has 2.5 days left before she is out for the summer. Man is she excited! We love you all and hope you enjoy the pictures. (click the images to see image full screen and then right-click to save to your computer)

Happy Birthday Marian!!!!

2007-05-24T21:37:00.001-05:00

Where are you going, my little one, my little one? Only one year away from the big 3-0. It is a great club to be a part of. Hope you had a great day!

Happy Anniversary!

2007-05-21T21:37:00.000-05:00

If I have my calendar set up right, a belated happy wedding anniversary shout out should go to Marian and Daniel (last Monday May 14). I am sure George and Grant baked a cake for the occasion.

it's not what you think

2007-05-18T16:37:00.000-05:00

Eliza and I went to the zoo... with four kids.

Miller Motorsports Park

2007-05-18T16:30:00.002-05:00

The Le Mans Series in racing is here in Salt Lake City.

My friend Patrick Hespen gave me a call Wednesday and told me to be at the race track at 5:30 Thursday afternoon.

When MariAnne and I arrived, I was shuffled into the Audi R8 (upper left) and taken around the race track by a professional race car driver. It was in the triple digit speeds. Amazing!

It was great to see Patrick and to catch-up with him. It sounds like things are going really well for him.

It was wild to be back in the world of automakers. There is a lot of money in that sphere. The 3rd picture is a car called a Bugatti Veyron. It is the King of sportscars. The Veyron is sporting a price tag of 1.3 million dollars and screams a 1,000 horse power and 1, 000 ft/lb of torque. AMAZING!

I have never seen so many Ferrari's just parked around. Like an Enzo Ferrari!! Who sees one just sitting there. I touched it. It was like walking into a Target parking lot and seeing one exotic car after another. An out of this world experience.

Below is a photo of Patrick and I with just another Lamborghini. Both the Lamborghini and Bugatti are owned by the same guy that owns The Yellow Pages. Old money!!

How is that for a 1st post!!

Elin's First Fishing Trip

2007-05-13T12:14:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful time yesterday fishing on Eagle Lake and Pike Lake in Plymouth, MN on fishing opener weekend. It was Grandpa Keith, Grandma Ann, Andrew, and Elin. We went in the fishing boat. We caught several crappies and one sunfish (two crappies and the one sunfish were big enough to keep for dining purposes, we hope to eat them soon). Elin was alternating between naming the fish either Matt or Max. Elin worked up the courage and started to touch the fish that were being caught. We saw several Canadian Geese and even a swimming beaver. Here are some pictures Grandma Ann took. Photos of fish may appear smaller than in real life. :)

Recalls.gov

2007-05-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

Interesting website that I read about in the Wall Street Journal. It shows all of the recalls that are out there. Bryce, you are going to have to have your Youth Model ATV repaired. :)

Future Crocodile Hunter?

2007-05-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Elin had a chance to see and touch some reptiles at a kids' class going on at Grandma Susan's work. She had a really good time. Here are two pictures of her with her new "friends".

Marian's Baby!

2007-04-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

Daniel and Marian have a new little boy to join the Marriott clan. He was born last Monday the 9th. His name is Grant Youngquist Marriott. Congrats!

Family?

2007-03-30T13:52:00.001-05:00

Hey family! How's everyone doing? Let's get some updates... Family...? Are you there?

My first offer

2006-12-01T09:57:00.000-06:00

I just got news from Kohl's that they are extending me an offer to move to Milwaukee. Wow, it feels good to get an offer. Now is crunch time, I have to figure it all out.

BYU rocks the Utes!!!

2006-11-25T19:48:00.000-06:00

It was a lot of fun to watch the game with Dad, Bryce, and Daniel - and on top of it all, get the great news that Kevin and MariAnne are expecting their first child. Hip, hip, hooray!!!

Bryce's update

2006-10-29T18:25:00.000-06:00

Marian, I'll e-mail you my blurb aside from blogging it.

Things have been dandy in Provo. I have been very busy this semester. I think I enjoy getting involved with everything possible. I think it comes with wanting to be a social guy. I'm an extrovert. I'm taking classes, working 20 hours, helping out with the Marketing Association (a club in the business school), volunteering with BYU athletic marketing, intramural b-ball, searching for an eternal companion, and trying to figure out my future career plans. It's great.

Classes are going well. I'm learning a lot, really trying to master the marketing lingo. I'm looking forward to graduating in April '07.

My "Product Manager Internship" is going well. It's a good learning experience. My boss isn't the most organized guy, so I'm learning more about communication skills. I have been having fun brainstorming how to market Music and theatre events better. It's very nice to be working on campus.

Dating life is good and always an adventure. At the beginning of the semester to just a couple weeks ago I was dating a nice girl, Ashley. We're keeping in touch, but dating other people.

My future career plans is probably what's consuming my mind the most. I've been interviewing quite a bit recently. So far I've interviewed with Kohl's, Black & Decker, Cisco Systems, and General Mills. Also I've been in touch will contacts at Taylor Made golf and Mrs. Fields. It's exciting. Black & Decker went really well. I won't have an offer, if I get one, until February or so. Kohl's just called me up this last week and want to fly me out to Milwaukee Nov. 16th and 17th for a second round. It's nice to know that I'm wanted. I can't wait to figure all of it out.

That's it for now. The Cougars are doing wonderful in football. It looks like they should take the Mountain West Conference. They should slip into the top 25 ranks soon.

Upcoming events, I'm heading up to Portland the 10th and 11th of Nov. for Ike Linton's wedding.

That's it for now. Below is a picture of Dan (my Bulgaria travel buddy) and I with Pres. Galbraith at a mission reunion a month ago.

So I've never "blogged" before...

2006-10-28T17:26:00.000-05:00

Hey, I've never blogged before--but I wanted to support Bryce and at the same time this could be really fun! I just wanted to say hello, and hopefully everyone remembered Mom's birthday on Friday. Will, Daniel's little brother, just got home from his mission today, so we've been with them quite a bit. We're excited to see you all for Christmas and to spend time together. Remember to write something for our family newsletter--it doesn't have to be huge, but send it to dfm.my8@gmail.com, thanks!! Love you all!

Welcome!

2006-10-14T23:03:00.000-05:00

Greetings Family!

Let's start a blog. It's simple and convenient.