Mike and Cas Grace Family

My photography has moved

2009-01-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to center my online "stuff" around michaelgrace.org I have moved my photography posts to http://photography.michaelgrace.org If you are currently getting emails or subscribing to my rss feed from this blog and would like to do the same with my personal photography site I would encourage you to do so. If you would like me to add you to the mailing list I would be more than happy to if you let me know. I really like the way the photography blog looks and I am excited to keep it going.

My plans for michaelgrace.org is to have michaelgrace.org be a portal to different aspects of my life like photography, web design, resume, family, and more. It isn't all set up yet but it is in the works. In the meantime, enjoy http://photography.michaelgrace.org

The sky is blue

2009-01-20T23:29:00.000-08:00

Today I was only able to take a few photos but it was really nice that the sky was so blue and the setting sun was a nice golden color. Made for some fun shots. Check out the full album at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25650257@N02/sets/72157612626926126/

This bare tree was made really red by warm setting sun in contrast to the cool blue sky.

Nothing really special about this picture, but I thought it was fun to see my shadow on the fun texture of the tree.

I was blessed to walk by just as the sun was sitting in between the fork in the tree. Probably should have held the camera straight for a better picture. I like the golden look of the warm setting sunlight.

Brent & Rendi Visit

2009-01-19T23:33:00.000-08:00

Brent & Rendi came to visit and it was a lot of fun having them there. I have uploaded some of the pictures to flickr and will direct you there to see them since I don't have time right now to upload them individually and discuss each one. http://www.flickr.com/photos/25650257@N02/sets/72157612779359794/

Cassie's current project

2009-01-19T00:09:00.001-08:00

Cassie is working on a fun painting right now that it is really different and fun. Just wanted to share. :-)

Game night - 10,000 (ten thousand dice game)

2009-01-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

We had a great time tonight playing a fun dice game called ten thousand. My parents showed us this game and it has become one of our favorites. Go to http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dice-play/Games/TenThousand.htm to read the rules of the game. If you like it, let us know. :-)

Old Cold Blue

2009-01-15T22:35:00.000-08:00

Only got a few more pictures today but I am getting much better at fixing the photos. I am thinking that I am going to start shooting in RAW format since I am editing all of my photos anyway. From what I understand from what I have learned, RAW has several advantages over shooting in jpg. No lost data, wider range of color capture, and much more are the advantages that I have heard of. I am excited to try it out and see how it works. But, until then, here are my pictures from today.

This is another classic "Rexburg buried in snow" picture. I love the blue color of the sign poking up out of the snow. I had on my telephoto lens so it was a bit easier to get the depth of field that I wanted. The composition also works well because the horizon line of the snow goes from left to right and naturally leads the eye to the subject, which is the sign. The background is blurred enough to keep from distracting too much but is still clear enough to give the sign context. Now, I have to confess that when I took this picture I did not think about all of those things. I was actually looking for something sticking out of the snow. I even passed the sign and stopped and went back after I passed it.

I just had to take another picture of this. This one is in a different stairwell so there is no sanitizer nailed to the wall distracting from the picture.

I wish I would have placed the subject more to the right of the frame so that he would be looking into the main portion of the picture.

I loved the blue sky's we had today! We had a fog this morning that iced everything and made the trees look absolutely beautiful. I was originally going to wait for the jet to get out of the frame but it makes the composition more powerful than the ones without it, I think.

Sweetest Electric car I have ever seen!

2009-01-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

Tesla is setting a new standard for electric cars with their Tesla Roadster. Albeit a bit out of my price range but it is nice to see a break from the frumpy looking hybrid and electric cars on the market right now. Want to know how this electric car goes from 0-60 in under 4 seconds? Check out the specs at http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php

Surviving the snow

2009-01-14T19:52:00.001-08:00

Photos from 01/14/09

I had some time in between classes today so I was able to take a few pictures. It was fun and really cold after about 30 minutes. I found a squirrel tearing into some frozen apricots and he was fun to watch.

I like how the trees frame the subject. There is a foreground, horizon, and background. The ravaged apricots can be seen on the ground.

Looking for it's next target! :-) I like the composition of this one.

I think cropping this one in a tall format helps it feel like the squirrel is high up in a tree.

I like how the bottom branch creates a sense of horizon for the squirrel and it leads the eye to the subject. I also like the stance I caught the squirrel in. I am not sure I like the white wood in the picture but I couldn't crop it out without ruining the effect of the branch, so I opted to keep the white wood in.

This is the photo that epitomizes the theme of my photo shoot. I went out with the purpose of photographing a theme of surviving in the cold snow or beauty in the cold. I think this picture represents that theme well.

We have a lot of construction going on at the BYU-I campus and it is inconvenient but as I was walking by one the the piles of construction material and I saw the light shining through and I just had to take a picture of it.

I thought this was a funny site to see. Can you guess why? I have walked by this hundreds of times and this was the first time I saw it and recognized that the stairs sign is the opposite of the stairs. Not critical but I think it is funny.

I have to preface this with the fact that I think Cassie is sooooo cute! I bent down at the end of our bed to pick up something and I looked up and this is what I saw. Hidden behind the Sudoku puzzle book and snuggled in bed under the sheets, winding down to go to sleep.

I adjusted the colors and cropped all of these pictures. On all of the outdoor pictures I wish I had my telephoto lens and my mono pod. I took about 75 pictures and ended up with roughly 10 that were nice. Not bad for a days work but I still have a long ways to go.

My second popular photography magazine came the other day so I am really excited to learn some new things. It has been a lot of fun to get the magazine and I have my parents to thank for that wonderful Christmas gift. I also hope that as I continue to take more pictures and process them that it won't take as long because it took a good amount of time to sort through them and fix them up. Have a great day and thanks for looking. :-)

P.S. please feel free to leave me a comment on what you think. I would love to hear your feedback or suggestions if you have time. Thanks.

Photo Resolution

2009-01-11T23:35:00.000-08:00

So, it is a new year and I am making a new year resolution to take more photos and share them with family. This resolution to become better and photography and the work flow that goes with it, I am calling my "Photo Resolution". (Rim Shot) {Pun intended} :-) LOL

My goal is to take pictures everyday and to take my camera with me more often. I hope this will help me to become a better photographer and help me to change the way I see the world. It is late and I really should get to sleep but I really want to start by posting some pictures from a family gathering recently.

This is actually not from the family gathering but from when Cas and I went to Boise and I saw this rusted sign that had painted on it' "Metalex - Rust Preventive Paint". I love it! :-)

I really liked this photo because they are both looking so happy. I should have blurred the background more and the chair rack in the back ruins the shot. Other than that I like it.

What a great moment. Both are looking in the same direction with their eyes well open and there are not a lot of distractions in the background. Really cute faces.

Both are no longer looking in the same direction but the facial expressions make up for that.

I have to admit I am a sucker for really cute expressions. That baby is just soo cute!

I like the composition but I despise the background distractions (chairs, people). I should have moved the chairs and blurred out the background more by changing the aperture or with Photoshop's Gaussian blur.

I like the composition in this one and I was able to catch a good look. Also, no blaring distractions in the background. Finally. :-)

I enjoy the composition, expressions, and theme. Once again I wish I would have moved the cups and the garbage can.

Same thing here, just a different expression. Sooo cute!

I am not sure why I like this picture, but I do. Maybe because it is family and the picture is telling.

These kids were having soo much fun scurring around on the floor playing. I like that you can't see what they are watching which helps give it relatability or universal theme. Also the amount of distraction from the subjects are low and the reflection on the floor is a nice touch.

They found the camera! :-) I like that the angles on the arms brings all of the attention to the expression on his face. Kids rock!

This was one of the decoration on the table. It looks better in black and white and with my copyright. I guess it feels professional to me. I like the composition and the very shallow depth of field.

Well, there you have it. The begining of a year long resolve to become a better photographer overall. Not just at taking the pictures but also sorting, editing, sharing, and analyzing to improve the next shoot. Have a great day!

Dr Who Season 4

2008-11-11T13:02:00.000-08:00

Dr Who Season 4 has started and is now on iTunes. Hooray! :-) Those whom I am close to absolutely love this show. I have to admit that it is a lot of fun to watch. :-)

Yes!

2008-11-04T14:10:00.001-08:00

Bald is beautiful

2008-11-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

Any one remember this?! Muahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!! The unmasked baldy has struck again. Muahahahahahahahaha!! :-)

The Great Grandpa Bauer

2008-11-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

It has been a year now since grandpa Bauer has passed away and I only have sweet memories of him. I am glad that I had the blessing and opportunity to know and spend time with this great man. A big thanks to the Bauers for the reminder and fun picture of grandpa.

Halloween Fun

2008-11-04T09:24:00.001-08:00

Cassie and I really had a great time together this Halloween. We were able to carve pumpkins, bake some cookies, relax, and take a nice little nap. Cassie helped me carve the pumpkins. I think it is funny that carving pumpkins goes a lot faster now that I am bigger and older than I used to be. I remember carving pumpkins as a kid taking much longer than it does now but it is just as fun. Next year I think I am going to do the puking pumpkin because I think that one is really funny. I am sad that carved pumpkins don't last very long here because of the weather and the low humidity levels. Oh well, our bread lasts a lot longer here. :-)

To shave or not to shave :-)

2008-11-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

I just love to laugh and I think learning how to laugh is a prerequisite to enjoying life on this earth. I found this comic particularly funny because I dislike shaving also. Find this comic at comics.com

Cutest Comic

2008-10-27T18:49:00.001-07:00

Cassie and I just love the Rose is Rose comic strip and this is one of my favorites!
You can find Rose is Rose on the internet at comics.com

My Technical Blog!

2008-10-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have my technical blog up and running and I love it! I absolutely love WordPress now. I got really frustrated before because my hosting service had a link to install WordPress and it never worked so I got really frustrated a long time ago. I have since then uploaded the latest WordPress to my server and it runs and looks great! I really like how it runs compared to blogger. I still like blogger but I feel that WordPress is a bit more professional. I am really excited to put all of my geeky nerdy knowledge there that will hopefully allow me to provide for my family in the very near future.

Pedestrian death in Rexburg crosswalk

2008-10-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

It is another mournful day at Rexburg, ID as another pedestrian has died and another is injured. Local news 8 and news channel 6 report on the incident. Rexburg is experiencing growing pains and it doesn't help that most of us are egotistical and self-absorbed. I am not just flying by the seat of my pants when I say this either. There is a reason why our country drives slower than other countries and still has more accidents and deaths than others. We have got to change our way of thinking. Driving a motor vehicle is a substantial and consequential PRIVILEGE. I am not singling any one out. I am the first to step up and say that I need to be more attentive and rush less. How did we become so self centered that we think it is OK to risk the lives of others around us to get to a destination 15 seconds faster or a minute? Is some body's life worth being on time? Are you willing to give up your life or your working hips and legs for some one who is a couple of minutes late for work or class? Think about it.

I sat and pondered for a few minutes about the anguish and turmoil such an accident would cause in my life from either side of an accident. Personally I don't think I could have the strength to bear the burden of taking an other's life, or loosing one close to me. Take a few moments the next time you go to start the car and see how it effects your driving.

Definition of drive: operate and control the direction and speed of a motor vehicle.
hmmmm... no where in that definition do I see the words texting, ipod, music, cell phone, or earphones. So I guess driving is called driving for a reason.... [sarcasm]
If you think you are one of those people who are good enough to drive and try to do something else you are wrong.

Please, from the bottom of my heart, drive carefully. Use your God given, state authorized privilege to drive wisely and make the world a better place starting with the one person you really have control over, yourself. You can make a difference!

Date night

2008-10-12T01:02:00.000-07:00

Cassie and I had a fun time tonight grabbing a jamba juice and then
heading over to the Rex for a night of bowling. Cas did really well
and she bowled two strikes in a row on the last frame! Cassie totally
rocks! We were also able to get a lot of homework done but it still
wasn't enough. Arggg! We also saw the first snow of the season stick a
little bit.

Snow = Reduced traction = No motorcycle = Withdrawls for Michael

2008-10-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

I am really sad the snow is going to be here in Rexburg already. I
just hope that the snow doesn't stay so I can get a few more days of
ridding in. I am going to have to figure out the best way to winterize
my bike. I am not sure it is a good idea to drain re fuel tank or not
because of rust issues. I will have to do some research. Untill then I
will keep ridding till the snow doesn't let me.

Sponge Bob?!

2008-10-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

It seems that one of our pictures is getting some attention on Google images. Unfortunately it is not one of my own but a picture of sponge bob that is creating the buzz. On a post we put up over Memorial weekend I included a picture of sponge bob because Cassie watched "Sponge Bob the Movie" while we were driving. Last I checked the picture was about the 7th picture when "Sponge Bob" is searched for in Google images and has elicited almost 400 visits.

Blog from scratch

2008-10-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

I know that not everyone will appreciate this but I am really excited about it so I am going to share it anyway. I am wanting to build basically a resume online by building up MichaelGrace.org I also wanted to create a blog tied to my site at blog.MichaelGrace.org Instead of customizing a blog from a free blog service like Blogger or WordPress I have decided to create my own blog completely from scratch.

I am really excited about the progress that I have made already. Working on this endevor has really helped me learn a lot about connecting databases to web pages throug php and developing dynamic web pages. I still have a great deal to learn, but I look forward to the challenge and the growth.

229?!!!!?!!

2008-10-05T01:19:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe that we have 229 blog posts since we have started. I must really like to ramble some times. I am excited to be able to take what I have written in this blog and turn it into a book using blurb.com. Cassie and I are also currently working on getting our book put together from our San Francisco trip and we are excited about that also.

No More Tech - On This Blog

2008-10-05T00:46:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the technology that God has blessed this world with. While I enjoy it and find it absorbing I understand that most of my family that fallows our blog doesn't want to wade through a bunch of code and jiberish every time they visit our blog so I am moving all of me tech stuff to another temporary blog at http://gunnysackofcode.blogspot.com/ until I get my official blog up and running at blog.michaelgrace.org. It as all part of building up my name for the future. I have michaelgrace.org and I am thinking about getting michaelgrace.info because michaelgrace.com is already taken.

Rexburg Hazmat Visits BYUI (Ricks)

2008-10-05T00:36:00.000-07:00

Recently as I was leaving class one day from BYU-Idaho (Ricks) I noticed the local hazmat firetruck with their hoses running over to the current construction. I don't know why they were there but it was interesting to learn that we even have a hazmat team in this area.

Best Bean Salad

2008-10-05T00:13:00.000-07:00

My last post reminds me of a bean salad that I had recently. Before I tell about this salad I need to preface it with some backstory. Before I had this magnificent bean salad I had never before partaken of a bean salad nor knew that such a thing existed. Growing up my mom would help teach us that salads were fun to eat and tasty and so as a result sometimes for a late stack my mom and I would bust out the salad and the saltine crackers or chips and smash up the chips or crackers and then sprinkle on the ranch dressing.

So, I really enjoy salads and I have my mom to thank for that. I also would make what I call the "Man Salad" while I was single in college. I called it the man salad because it wasn't a pansy salad like most are but it was about 40% meat 40% salad and then 20% beans, dressing, crutons, chips, cheese, and more. I really filled a large plate and it was really a lot of fun making the salads. They tasted really good and they were easy to make. So, I guess you could say I have a soft spot for salads.

Back to the incredible bean salad. This bean salad was introduced to me by Tammy Sluder. I am still working on getting the recipie but I am sure I will get it because it is too good not to get. This bean salad has great taste and it can be really filling. According to Tammy it is really easy and quick to make. I am definately going to add it to my list of favorites alongside Gwen's moist chocolate cake.

2008-10-04T23:59:00.001-07:00

Gwen and Dee worked really hard today on their canning of applesauce. I love how the entire house fills with the smell of apples and cinnamon and canning. It has been really nice for Gwen to have such a large stove top with 6 full sized gas burners. When we get all of them going the kitchen really warms up fast. Gwen also recently got the huge shiny stainless steel pot that you can see below and it has been soo much fun to use. It can hold a monster load of food and it as great!

I was privileged to be able to try some of the applesauce and it was magnificent. Hot off the stove, chunky, just the right amount of cinnamon, and cooked with love. You can't see it but in the back left corner burner behind the black and white speckled pot is an iron skillet that I cooked my banana pancakes on. Thanks to my wonderful mother I am privy to the great savory taste off banana pancakes. Gwen also relayed to me that apple pancakes are really good to so I am going to be trying those in the near future.

Painting with light

2008-10-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

My awesome dad told me about this paint with light technique. I had tried it before when I was in Japan but never got a chance to really try it out. I had fun taking these pictures. I had my 2 coats on, gloves, hat, and I was running around with my home made light saber. I am sure I would have looked very funny to any passerby that happened to catch a glimpse of what I was doing.

Anyway, It was a lot of fun and I am excited to try out a few different ideas next time I use this technique. It is hard to do this using a digital camera though because the battery dies soo quickly. The light sensor sucks up electricity the entire time that the shutter is open so, when the shutter is open for 30 seconds at a time it really wears on the battery.

I took about 30 different pictures at 30 seconds each and it took my D200 battery from full to less than half and I usually go through a batter every few weeks depending on how much I use the camera. This is really fun technique to try and if you do I would love to see what you did. I am always looking for more ideas.

When I first started my flash light was to wide so I created a home made light saber by wraping newspaper around the end of the flash light and then rubber banding it tight. I then cut out a spot for the switch so I could turn it off. It really helped focus the light more.

ZOOM ZOOM!!

Night Photos

2008-10-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

Since school has started up again I have not had a chance to relax a bit and do some photography so when I got some free time today I thought I would revisit an old hobby and take some night pictures (since the sun was gone). It was fun and some of them turned out nice. It is a bit harder to get good night pictures because it is dark for one thing. Being so dark makes it hard to focus but I really enjoy the way light shows up on the pictures. All of these photos were taken with a 30 second shutter speed.

Cassie, the incredible!

2008-10-03T23:59:00.001-07:00

Cassie has really been working hard lately and has been able to create
these two beautiful pillows. It was so much fun to see how excited
cassie was when the pillows were done and when we saw how nice they
looked in our room she got even more excited. I believe it is a
wonderful thing to be able to create from fabric and thread. Cassie is
really an incredible artist no matter what she is doing. Whether it is
pillows or paintings or even dinner, Cas is amazing and I love her
very much. I love beautifying our home with her beautiful creations.

Motorcycles!

2008-10-02T23:59:00.001-07:00

A nice picture of my bike parked next to Jed's yellow rocket. It has
been really nice to be able to park re bike so close to all of my
classes. Plus I just really enjoy riding my motorcycle.

Samantha Adams does it again

2008-09-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Samantha Adams has been putting out some good work lately and I can't wait for her career to really take off. Way to go Samantha! If you like it let us know and we will pass the word on to Samantha. Thanks for lookin!

Halloween art by Mike

2008-09-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

I also had fun making some finger paints also.

Samantha Adams

2008-09-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

Samantha Adams did this beautiful piece on my phone and we would be
willing to take $39 for the original copy. :-) LOL Just wait and more
will be coming.

My sleeping rock star

2008-09-28T01:35:00.000-07:00

Cassie worked really hard today and I think she is amazing for all of
the things she has done. First she made this amazing pillow that looks
like it came from a high class store. She picked up the materials to
make it this morning and it looks really good. It matches our bedding
and everything. She also worked on a couple very difficult art
projects and they are looking good so far as I can tell. She also
managed to get some laundry done also. Cassie also took me to a suit
shop here in town after she had already stopped there earlier. She had
stopped there eelier so she could find the ones that looked good and
then had them set aside so she could come get me and I could try on
the few an pick one. What a sweet heart! She also watched the general
relief society broadcast with her mom this afternoon. I am really
blessed and gratefull to have such a beautiful, hard working, and all
around amazing woman as my wife. I know Cassie will probably be not to
happy with me for sharing this picture but I think the hair flair is
really cute. It shows how hard she has worked today. I love you Cas!

Procrastination doesn't pay

2008-09-28T01:22:00.001-07:00

After a long hard day of building web pages for about 10 hours I am
ready to give it a break. Last year I should have learned how to make
web pages better with CSS and make them XHTML 1.0 strict, and I did,
just not well enough. I also was playing catch up with one of the
pages that should have been done already. It took a lot of time and
wasn't easy but it was a great learning experience. My knowledge of
CSS has grown, my XHTML skills are growing and my pages are looking
better than they have ever looked before. I have done reports on how
to create FAVICONS for a website, how to optimize a site for speed,
and I will be working next on how to set up alternative formating for
mobile devices and printers. I am really excited to be able to put all
of my knowledge to good use in the future. If you are interested in
taking a look at the website that I am building for my class
assignments you can check it out at http://mydigitalgaragesale.com
I am hoping that by the end of the semester or the year that I will
have enough knowledge to put together a nice website for Cassie so she
can show off her awsome artwork and use it to showcase her portfolio.
I really love the work that she does and I would love to share it with
the world. In the meantime she is sharing her art through http://casgrace.blogspot.com

Cute baby, darling eyes

2008-09-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Now that Cassie and I are married it seems like we just can't get away from cute babies. They are everywhere! :-) Well, this cute baby is compliments of Brent and Orendia.

Sassy Cassie!

2008-09-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

My sassy Cassie is just too much fun! I love it when she gets a little crazy.

Samantha Adams

2008-09-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

Samantha Adams took this picture in Rexburg, Idaho

Cool parents

2008-09-26T23:40:00.001-07:00

When it comes to parents I got the cream of the crop! Not only do
rumors say that I turned out somewhat OK but my parents are a ton of
fun to be with. Cassie and I really had a fun time being able to spend
some food quality time with them. I always miss them when I am away
and look forward to the next time we get to hang out. I hope that some
day Cassie and I will be as cute as my parents are together. In the
mean time we will just have to settle for second place.

Wireless N review

2008-09-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

We recently got a Linksys WRT150 wireless router and we love it! It is
slim, sexy, and it works flawlessly. I was honestly shocked when I
pulled the wireless router out of the box because of how thin and
small it is. Set up was a breeze with the automated setup software
that it came with and I was also able to make some more detailed
changes later by logging into the router through my Internet browser.
Overall I am very very happy with this device and the range compared
to my wireless g router is jaw droppingly good! This router is well
worth the money I gave Wal-Mart for it. If you don't have a wireless n
router yet you are missing out!

Cure for balding

2008-09-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

I didn't think I would say this but as I have been growing my hair
back out in preparation for the winter I miss having my baby butt
smooth bald head. I still have thought every now and then of running
to the bathroom, grabing the can of shaving cream and the razor and
smoothing out my head again. I guess this means I have found the cure
for male balding. Learn to love being bald and you will be excited for
the day when it doesn't take so much shaving cream to take care of
your hair every morning. :-)

Cassie's hair cut

2008-09-26T22:59:00.001-07:00

Cassie got her hair cut today and she looks absolutely unequivocally
and undeniably cute! He is one of my candid glamour shots of Cassie in
action. I married the most amazingly wonderful woman that is the best
match for me ever! This kind of compatibility is only possible through
the intervention of a supreme being.

Halloween cat 2

2008-09-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

I think we make a good pair. Don't you think we look good together?
Unfortunatly for this cat Cassie is way cuter and a lot more fun to
live with.

Hallowen cat

2008-09-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

HALLOWEEN CAT AND ME
I totally fell in love with this black halloween cat the moment I saw
it. I think the cat looks absolutely adorable. If only other cats were
as easy going as this one. :-) LOL

Tea cup planter

2008-09-26T22:47:00.001-07:00

TEA CUP PLANTER PART 3
So Cassie and I found the tea cup planter pot again but this time in
the Rexburg, Idaho Wal-Mart so it was my turn to get my picture taken
with the planter pot. I love shopping with Cassie, it is just so much
fun.

The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know - Einstien

2008-09-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

I am amazed every day at how much there is to learn about the world
around us. I think I am beginning to understand why the brilliant Albert
Einstein once said, " The more I learn, the more I realize I don't
know." as I continue to expand my knowledge through study and
experience my eyes are opened even more to all the thing that I didn't
know that I could know. So does this idea substantiate the saying that
ignorance is bliss? In a way I would say that it does. But, I also
have to say that I am very glad that I have learned the things I have
and I hope to continue to learn the things that I am going to need to
know. This bring me to another quote that is a favorite of mine by
Daniel J. Boorstin. Daniel Boorstin said, "The greatest obstacle to
discovery is no ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge." when we
think that we know something and become unteachable we are doomed to
being stuck with our limited and possibly incorrect or incomplete
knowledge.

It's Heartbreaking when a good man is killed (Paul Lusk, Sugar City Idaho)

2008-09-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a mournful day as I have found out that a good man, that I knew personally, died yesterday on September 24, 2008. I had the opportunity of getting to know the Lusk family about 2 years ago. I made a video slide show for my cousins beauty pageant and Sister Lusk approached me about doing the same thing for a family members birthday. Paul Lusk was also my wife's boss for a short time while she worked in the BYU Idaho library. It is hard to think that just a year ago I was sitting behind Brother Lusk in a Priesthood meeting. KIDK reports that Brother Lusk and his wife were out taking a walk when an 18 year old man hit Brother Lusk, killing him. What isn't told in the article is how the young man was speeding, passing another car, and talking on his cell phone. A witness reports that the driver appeared to also be preoccupied with some other task that could not be made out by the witness. (This is the same witness that tried reviving Brother Lusk at the scene of the accident) The car accident occurred in Sugar City, Idaho where the Lusk family currently resides.

Paul Lusk was an employee at Brigham Young University - Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho.

I could very easily go on ranting like I did the other day for education but I am not going to... at least not today. I will say this though, Please don't be stupid! When you are driving, please only drive. That is the way it is supposed to be. The Germans had that figured out a long time ago when they outlawed cup holders in their cars. Here in the US, on the other hand, some people decide which car to buy based on where and how many cup holders there are in the car. If you decide to be stupid then most likely it is others who will have to bear the burden of your stupidity, like the lusk family now living without a husband and dad. Also, here is something to think about... just because it is not illegal to do something does not, I repeat does not mean that doing such an action is OK. My prayers go out to the Lusk family at this very difficult time, the young man who is dealing with the killing of a good father and a husband, and all the other people like me who are dealing with the loss of a friend and college.

9:36 Update - Local News 8 reports that the police are not releasing what type of vehicle he was hit by. Paul Lusk was hit by a pickup truck passing another vehicle while on a cell phone.

09/26/08 - No updates from the news wire just yet as to what is going on with the prosecution of the young man that hit Paul Lusk or about the funeral arrangements.

P.S. I don't think KIDK has a very good picture of Brother Lusk. He looked better than the picture shows, but maybe the picture got warped when put on the web.

Schwendiman celebration of a great man!

2008-09-24T02:11:00.001-07:00

On Sunday the Schwendiman's got together to celebrate grandpa
Schwendiman's 98th birthday. I had a great time being there and being
part of the celebration. I am really grateful for such a kind and
loving great grandfather. All my years growing up I can remember
visiting great grandpa Schwendiman's with my family and talking and
learning. Grandpa was always really excited to see us and we were
excited to see him and finally be out of the car. I remember many
times seeing the garden in the back yard that grandpa kept tending to
and thinking that it was impressive that at his age he was still
working as hard, physically, as he was.

Since I have come back to Rexburg I have been thinking more and more
about the generation of youth that are growing up today. I am
concerned about several things in particular. One, the lack of respect
and acquiescence towards authority and elders.

Two, the desire to learn and the respect for learning seems to be
becoming a thing of the past. I wonder why the desire to discover and
learn and progress is disappearing as fast as some say the ozone is. It
is truly saddening to learn that so many children are not only wasting
their time at school but also distracting others who really do want to
learn. Maybe our policy shouldn't be "No child left behind" but
instead be "let's get everyone excited about learning because real
learning is exciting". I remember back in high school wanting to go to
the local community college because at high school I was getting very
frustrated with students impeding real learning. Instead of the
teachers directing the class onto a path of learning and discovery the
teachers were spending most of the class time policing and babysitting
and dealing with problems that should have been taken care of by the
parents. Another thing that really infuriates me is that we pay our
teachers dreadfully low wages. Is it any wonder why we have a hard
time finding good teachers for our children?! It really irks me that
our government is willing to kick out $80 BILLION to bail out a major
company in a decidedly capitalistic country and yet our teachers are
still working two jobs or still driving beat up cars from the 80's. (no
offense to the 80's because I am a huge fan of the 80's) our teachers
deserve better! Our kids deserve better! Don't you think your
children's teacher would try a little harder if they got to drive to
and from work in a nice BMW or didn't have to work a second job? We
pay our doctors, who take care of us, well enough that they have nice
cars and large homes, why not pay our teachers the same since they are
shaping not only our children future but the future of the country.
What in the world is it going to take to get America to wake up and
realize that our beloved country is only as good as the people in it?!
And what is it going to tale to get people to understand that people
are usually only as good as the family and education they get?
What is it going to take for all of us to start putting more time and
money into our education than we put into television, our cars, the
latest and greatest (put your favorite thing that you love to spend
money on here)? Politicians talk about what they are going to do to
improve America but how much do we hear them talk about our education
system?

So how does this all relate to my great grandfathers 98th birthday?
(and you thought I was going off on a crazy unrelated tangent) My
great grandpa Schwendiman is an incredible man! A man who spent his
humble days upon this earth working diligently in eastern Idaho to
raise his family and do right. Grandpa learned to work hard in his
life and I believe he has a great respect for the truth, learning, and
hard work. Grandpa has done a wonderful job at raising good children
who know how to work hard and love their family. I know because they
are my grandparents now who raised my parents. :-) In a day when the
world seems to be spinning out of control and is in major turmoil
great grandpa Schwendiman is a shining example of what we need to
strive to be like in order to bring peace back into this world. I am
very blessed indeed to have such an example in my life. I only wish
that I could have had the chance to get to know him when he was
younger. I pray that we can try a little harder to be the kind of
person that our family and our country so desperately needs.

- Michael Grace

Hot pavement!

2008-09-24T00:34:00.001-07:00

The other day I parked my motorcycle at school and when I came back at
the end of the day my kickstand had penitrated the blacktops surface.
As the day got warmer so did the blacktop. I am blessed that my bike
didn't fall over. It is funny that we think of cement being really
hard but black top compaired to most cement is actually really soft. I
have really really enjoyed risig my motorcycle around Rexburg. I am
also really greatful to Tammy Sluder at State Farm Insurance for
getting me great coverage on my bike at such a low cost. I pay less
than $10 a month to insure my motorcycle. I am really not looking
forward to the snow and ice that will soon disable me from being able
to ride my motorcycle.

Bowflex time!

2008-09-24T00:18:00.000-07:00

Cassie and I have started to utalize the Stott's Bowflex and I am
really enjoying it. I am thinking that maybe if I work really hard I
could look like mr clean and sell some kind of cleaning agent on
television if I can get my head to shine like mr clean's. :-) LOL I
don't really want to be as bulky as mr clean because then I would have
to maintain all of that muscle but I really do want to get into better
shape so Cassie and I are both going to work hard to improve our health.

Thor statue

2008-09-24T00:05:00.000-07:00

I took this picture of the ricks college Thor statue at the beginung
of the semester. I thought it was wierd to see mister Thor on his side
like that. I think they were fixing the floor around him and that is
why they had to move him. For anyone who has spent some time at ricks
college or BYU Idaho they know that Thor is a popular land mark for
meeting up with other people. This is a great school and this is one
of great landmarks. P.S. If you looks really carefully you Might be
able to see my reflection in the glass behind Thor.

Cool websites

2008-09-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

Rexburg Unplugged

2008-09-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Rexburg unplugged street event. We were
able to meet a lot of really cool people and answer a lot of
questions. Tammy Sluder is really good with people and everyone that
has worked with her so far has nothing but good things to say about
her. State Farm and Rexburg are a great mix. No word yet on who the
winner of the movie basket was. I think we will know on Monday. Go
State Farm and Rexburg.
www.tammysluder.com

Ryan shupe and the rubber band

2008-09-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

Cassie and I had a really fun time attending Ryan shupe and the rubber
band a few days ago and it was a lot of fun. They were a lot funnier
than I thought they would be. I am glad Cassie got me to go.

State farm

2008-09-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hey look! I am a good neigh bear! LOL
I think this bear is confusing his bear sounds with that of a horse.
Go date farm! A big congratulations to Tammy Sluder on her recent
achievements of helping protect the lives of the people of rexburg.

Most Beautiful eyes

2008-09-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

For our 195th blog post I would like to share with the world my wife's beautiful eyes. I took this picture late at night with almost no light so I am glad that the picture is blurry from shake. I would like to take more pictures like this one but try it with better lighting and see what I can come up with. I would love to hear what you think and if you have any suggestions please let me know. This is the only time you will ever hear me say it... ... "thanks for checkin out my wife." :-)

Configuring Mac OS X as an Oracle Client

2008-09-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

I am taking a Database class from Michael McLaughlin and he has a blog post on how to configure Mac OS X as an Oracle Client.

Sunday fun 2

2008-09-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

My sweet Cassie also had fun with the kids on Sunday. Cassie is such
a hottie!!!!! :-)

Sunday fun!

2008-09-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

Cas and I enjoyed our first Sunday back in Idaho. We are in the Salem
3rd ward and we like the people. We went to Sunday school taught by
Dusty and had a few laughs the first few minutes and then got called
out of class to help with the nursery kids. We had a great time with
the kids. Thy are a really fun group to be with. The Salem ward also
has a good stock of toys including this beautiful green piece
showcased by yours truely. We had a great time with these kids and
look forward to the many other adventures that are ominously looming
ahead.

Back to school frenzy

2008-09-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

Coming back to school... Zoo exciting. The byui bookstore has been
moved. The new one is really nice.

Almost to rexburg

2008-09-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

We are almost there!

Adams masks

2008-09-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Me havin fun with some masks at the Adams house.

Safe in homedale

2008-09-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

Cas and I made it safely to homedale without any problems with the
truck or our cargo. We enjoyed visiting with the Adams and now it is
off to bed. I did get pulled over by a nice police officer when we
were about 15 miles outside of homedale. I was coming down off of a
hill and got going 77 in a 65 zone so he pulled me over. Then I
couldn't find the insurance card for the truck so my face started
turning red as I was searching the glove box for the card. The nice
police officer gave me a warning and then fallowed us for the next 10
minutes. All in all it was a great day!

Day 6 of San Fransisco

2008-09-01T00:43:00.000-07:00

We continue to have a great time as our trip comes to a close. The pictures are a lot of fun to look at. The photo index and the slide show are at flikr.com

Improve rank and listing on Google

2008-08-31T00:38:00.001-07:00

In order to improve your websites rank on Google's search engine, Google suggests that you read their documentation on how Google ranks their pages. They then want you to understand how Google's technology works, and then they have some guidelines for improving your sites ranking and quality.

Day 5 San Francisco

2008-08-31T00:14:00.000-07:00

Cassie and I had a great time on day 5 of our San Francisco trip.
we were able to get some really fun pictures of our adventures for the day. Check them out at our Flickr page when you get a chance, there are some real gems in there.

Day 4 of San Francisco

2008-08-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

Check out our pictures from day 4 at San Francisco at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25650257@N02/sets/72157607014671349/

The rock! Alkatraz!

2008-08-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

Just hanging out in an incredible place. Glad I get to spend just a
few hours here and not several years. Pictures will be coming soon.

Day 3 - San Francisco

2008-08-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

We have had another splendid day here at San Francisco and it just keeps getting better! We had a great time at the exploratorium, the golden gate bridge, and running around on the buses. Please feel free to check out our pictures from today at your own pace here at flickr.

Dinner! What a meal

2008-08-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

Pacific catch was the name of the place and man was it good.

Day 2 pictures - San Francisco

2008-08-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

We had a great time our second day here at San Francisco and here are the pictures to prove it. If you would like to look at the pictures at your own pace and at a larger size check them out at our flickr page. More updates later. :-)

Day 2 pictures - San Francisco

2008-08-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

In-n-out party

2008-08-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have never eaten at this place and Cassie likes it a lot so we had
lunch here and it was really good.

Conclusion of day one

2008-08-25T22:09:00.001-07:00

It has been an eventful day today in San Francisco. Cassie and I were able to get here safely and enjoy some of the city. We had a really fun time checking out britex fabrics. We also decided we don't want to live in a big city. We saw a bad part of town, a woman bleeding out on some stairs because she had cut her wrists, super short spandex skirt that could have passed as underwear, a man holding a big sign yelling at us "No more sex", and many more interesting things. We are having a lot of fun but our eyes are being opened at the same time.

coming from the airport to the bart rail system

a fun teriyaki place we ate at down the street from our hotel

our sweet little room

the other half of our sweet room

We made it!

2008-08-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

We made it! We had a great time getting here and now we are at a sushi
place down the street from our hotel and we are hungry. This city
looks fun.

First flight together

2008-08-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

Cassie and I realized that this is our first plane trip together.
Cassie said she enjoys snuggling with her honey on the plane. I
enjoyed the many kisses, holding hands, and watching wallace and
gromit. Fun stuff. We hope the pilot lands the plane as well as he has
flown the plane the whole time.

Downsizing?

2008-08-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

Everything is getting tighter with the economy but shrinking my
pretzel to this size is just sad. :-) never thought food on a plane
would get zoo small.

Take off

2008-08-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

Just about ready to take off. A bit nervous but we are really excited.
Everything has gone as planned so far. Things are looking good! I look
forward to my complimentry snack. :-)

Can you say high waters?!

2008-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

Saw this sweet sight while waiting to board. Clinton and stacy would
not approve.

Last window washing

2008-08-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Cassie and I were able to wash our last house this weekend and it felt
great to finish and be done. We are now retired from the window
washing business and will only be washing for ourselves and close
family and friends.

Airport time

2008-08-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

We have now arived at the airport. Security is always a pleasure since
the tradgedy if 9/11. No problems getting through today though.

Let the trip begin!

2008-08-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

Our trip is off to a good start this fine morning. A great big thanks
to mom for taking us to the airport.

Cassie's cute curl

2008-08-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Rag castle!

2008-08-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

I got a bucket of rags to keep the shape of the bucket! Fun stuff.
Endless fun when washing windows.

Cassie's Art Rocks!!

2008-08-21T10:29:00.001-07:00

Cassie does a lot of amazing artwork. I especially like it when she
puts me into her art. This is one of my favorite sketches of me. :-)
Keep up with cassie's art at http://casgrace.blogspot.com/
I am also very proud of Cas for setting up her very own blog all on
her own without my help. Way to go Cas!

Bike rodeo

2008-08-19T23:10:00.001-07:00

Dad and I were able to help with a bike rodeo today and it was a lot
of fun. We helped inform them on safety and bicycle maintenance. Dad
also gave them rides on his tandem bike for something really cool to
do. Most of the kids got a ride and loved it. This kid was absolutely
adorable and I ran along side them to get the picture.

tree cutting

2008-08-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

we had a guy come out and cut down one of our dead trees. It was interesting to watch him climb up the tree and then cut it down.

150 posts - wow!

2008-08-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

We have now posted 150 posts on our family blog. I have my angelic
wife and google to thank for reaching this milestone. Here's to
continuing to document life through blogger at http://mikeandcas.blogspot.com

Spice rack

2008-08-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

Saw the coolest spice rack the other day. It makes me think of a
chemists lab with all the test tubes. It is really fun with all the
cork plugs.

Rain rain go away

2008-08-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

The sun worked really hard today to shine through and it finally did.
It was nice to wash windows without rain.

Fort Worden @ Port Townsend

2008-08-18T01:19:00.000-07:00

After visiting the old car show we took a hike over to the old Fort Worden and it was really cool to see and learn some of the history behind it.

Port Townsend Car show

2008-08-18T01:03:00.001-07:00

Cassie and I decided back when we visited Port Townsend a few months ago to celebrate our anniversary that we would come back for a large old car show. So we hoped on the motorcycle and we rode the 100 miles to Port Townsend to see the show. We really enjoyed the show and got to see a lot of cool cars. There was a lot of "Wow!" and "Cool!" and "No Way!" being said while we were checking out all the cars at the show. We were able to take a lot of pictures of some of our favorite cars and we would like to share them with you.

Sunday Walk

2008-08-18T00:56:00.000-07:00

Cassie and I had a fun time taking a walk together today and we were able to get some good pictures.

Teaching the sunbeams

2008-08-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

This week marks the second to last week that we will have the
opportunity to teach the sunbeams before we leave. We have really
enjoyed our time with the sunbeams and we have learned a lot from
them. It has been really fun and interesting to get to know all of the
children and learn about their personalities. We have had many good
laughs with the children as they have shared with us their thoughts.

Cassie has done an exceptional job teaching the young ones and has
done a good job at keeping their attention. I just love watching
Cassie teach the children. I think she is sooooooo cute. The children
have really enjoyed cassies artistic abilities. Cassie has illustrated
several stories and they consistently ask her to tell them the stories
with the pictures. It is so cute and adorable to see them listen so
atentively as Cas tells the stories. We have loved serving in this
teaching calling and we are going to miss the children.

2008-08-17T00:21:00.000-07:00

pyzam.com has some fun stuff for blogs and web pages.

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Widom in my toof ga pulled

2008-08-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

Andrew got his wisdom teeth pulled today. Horray!

Cassies cute cactus

2008-08-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

At a job the other day Cassie pointed these out and said she really
liked them.

Amazing sunset blue

2008-08-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

I like blue and this is just amazing.

Failed vending machine prediction

2008-08-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Much to my consternation, it appears that I was wrong about my own
prediction of what I would see next in a vending machine. After
walking through the mall a bit more we found a large vending machine
with proactive facial care products. I was way off!!! :-)
Well, it appears that the vending machine age has just started to
germinate.