Whrrl: Christmas Day

A few highlights from our Christmas day as documented on my Whrrl story. It was my first one so give me a break.

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Merry Christmas

Dear Family & Friends,

2009 has been a wonderful year for the Randle family. We’ve grown a lot as Nancy and I are approaching five years of marriage and Derek is nearly three years old. We’ve had our fair share of ups and downs, but we have been blessed so much throughout the year. Hey, we even got two In-N-Out Burgers within 10 miles of our condo!

I’ve been busy with the usual: editing, playing hockey and pressuring Derek into liking what I like (it isn’t too hard.) I’ve had a great experience working this year and look forward to improving that much more in 2010. One of the highlights of my year was going to see the Anaheim Ducks beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 on Game 6 of the 2009 playoffs. Nancy got me a ticket while I was in California by myself on business. What a great anniversary present!

Nancy stays busy and she is very helpful. She’s always looking to help our friends and family and is a great example of love and service to Derek and me. I would say a highlight of Nancy’s year was going to see The Killers concert in Salt Lake City. Her younger brother came home from his LDS mission to Taiwan and we had the whole family together for the first time in two years. It was awesome (just imagine the shopping with her sisters!)

Derek is the one we like to talk about most. If you asked Derek what he would like to do today he would respond, “Go to Disneyland and see Bu-Buzz Lightyear and Zurg.” The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it? Derek gave us quite the scare by needing hernia surgery, but everything went really well. We’ve stopped making him move furniture around so he won’t strain himself again. Haha. Derek also loves baseball. I took Derek to an Angels game with my dad and brothers. We sat in the nosebleeds in far right field. Being so far away from the action, Derek looked at me, about two innings into the game, and said “Dad, look,” as he pointed to the infield, “there is a baseball game... over there!” He’s hilarious.

You can catch up with us throughout the year on our blog at randlereruns.blogspot.com. We look forward to 2010 and wish you all a very happy holiday season.

With love,

Bryce, Nancy and Derek

Merry Christmas

and a happy New Year!

More than a top ten list

A couple of weeks ago, James, my brother-in-law who is married to Nikki, e-mailed me about a sort of top ten list of reasons you can tell you are married to a Knight. After a couple of e-mails back and forth between James, Mike (Heidi's husband) and me, we came up with the list below. Some of them will seem kind of odd, but that's probably because you aren't married to a Knight.

"So Bryce, Mike, and I are so glad we married into the Knight family. We are especially thankful for the Knight women in our lives. While musing upon our gratitude for this particular blessing during this Thanksgiving season, we discovered a few commonalities between these special Knight women… :)

You might be married to a Knight if…

1. You own more than one of the following red items: couch, curtains, walls, doors, dishes…

2. Your wife knows where the nearest five Target locations are and the fastest routes to them, between them, during rush hour, on Saturdays at 1pm…

3. Your wife sends you to Walmart when she is compelled to purchase items there because they are currently out of stock at the nearest five Targets.

4. Your wife calls her sisters to notify them of Target sales locally and to see if the same sale is going on in their end of the US, and asks them to purchase things on sale there and ship them to her (even though this may actually end up costing more (not including time)… that’s not the point, the point is, “I got such a good deal on it!”)

5. Your wife has recently composed a sonnet, blog, or ode to Target. http://randlereruns.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-may-have-mentioned-it-before-but-i.html

6. Your wife can't manage to write a blog without including (have I mentioned I LOVE Target?!)

7. As a last tribute to Target related humor… “We believe that Target is the only place to shop; we believe in all that Target has released on clearance, all that is now on clearance, and we believe Target will yet release on clearance many great and important things pertaining to my house decor; Perdition, thy name be Wal Mart, Amen.”

8. Everything is SOooooo cute! especially baby clothes from Gymboree or amazing deals from a craft store.

9. Your wife buys things she already has because they’ve gone more on sale and she can now return them to get an additional 25 cents off (notice this one may happen multiple times for the same item, for example, if it continues to decrease in price over a one year period)

10. …if you’ve ever heard your wife say, “Oh my Heck!” when frustrated.

11. Your wife secretly wants to name your next kid Bono or Edge (maybe just as a middle name) (and in the case of Natalie – Bowser)

12. Waking your wife up from a nap necessitates wearing a facemask, cup, defensive attack dog training gloves and steel-toed boots. Not to mention an up-to-date last will and testament

13. If you happen to have strawberries in your fridge, regardless of the season, price of the strawberries, or quality

14. If the only thing colder than your wife's hands are her feet, and the only thing colder than your wife's feet is liquid nitrogen or perhaps the dark side of the moon.

15. If you have an entire cupboard set apart for chocolate chips; alternately, your food storage might consist primarily of chocolate chips.

16. If you've received the evil eye for teasing…

17. "Yous guys" come up now and then.

18. If 'Quest Voice' means something to you (a special tone of voice reserved for the damned)

19. There is only one word for how food tastes when it is good "Tasty"

20. Your mother-in-law often uses the phrase give me peace! in a her best Minnie mouse voice.

21. Your wife purses her lips and has a very serious stare while fixing her hair or applying makeup in the mirror

22. You’re the luckiest guy on earth

We realize that we haven’t even considered all the shoe-related indicators, but the list was already getting pretty long, so we’ve decided to reserve shoe-humor for later."

I may have mentioned it before, but I love Target

Well, they got me again. I love Target. Oh, passionately love. The sales, the clearance, the totally-cool-looking-things-that-look-like-Pottery-Barn-for-a-fraction-of-the-price, the clearance, the prices, the many checkout lanes, the red logo, the open aisles, the lack of lame music playing, the fact that nothing is stacked on the top shelf (except toys at Christmas), the cool phones that make people come to you in 30 seconds (or the voice record lady will get mad), the clean bathrooms, the cheap food, the clearance, the lighting, the selection, and, well, I could go ON AND ON AND ON AND ON. I LOOOOOOVE Target.

Then they put out this totally cool and awesome Thanksgiving commercial staring another Nancy. I love my name and I love Target. Could I POSSIBLY be their TARGET audience? Good thing I studied advertising in school or they may have got me. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: I love Target advertising too.

Here is the commercial:

I can't decide if the cut-out paper turkey leg or answering the door with a bowl and a whisk it my favorite part. Hahaha.

On a side note, when I was in school I did some Comms research paper and read a book about Target and why they are so successful. I only read about half of it due to my amount of procrastination and it not being the true subject of my assigned topic and luck in library due dates (yes, I know about renewing. I did it twice.) So I told myself I would read it when I have more time. Hummm. If only I had more time AND could remember the name of the book. I guess I could read through my research papers from college and see if I referenced it correctly. But man, I need time for that too. Anyway.

So dear Target: I love you. Happy Thanksgiving. I'll see you several times next week, as always.

XOXO, Nancy

ps: there is a total ban on anyone making a comment here about their dislike of Target. This is my blog and I say so. Plus I always protect what I love.

pps: this post is dedicated to Nikki, Heidi, Melanie and Bryce (He has to go there a lot. At least he can get a dedication. Think of it like the beginning of a children's book. Doncha ever wish that was you?)

My Red Dyson = Love

My friend was asking what kind of vacuum to buy on Facebook with a $300 budget. I raved about my Dyson and felt like I needed to post it on some forum or something. Then I remembered I have a blog and can post my opinions to it whenever I want... and I haven't done so in quite some time... Anyway, the post:

My Dyson is seriously one of my ultimate, TOTALLY worth it purchases. I love it - especially how unbelievably satisfying it is to vacuum and see how much stuff you pull up. The cord is long, the bag-less feature is easy to use, you can switch it to a canister-type style (for hard floors) with an attachment, the hose is like 17 feet long, there is a lifetime filter, 5 year warranty, it is light and it hasn't ever given me a problem.

The best way to get a deal on a Dyson is search online for a store front that has a sale going on -- then take it to Bed Bath and Beyond to price match. My sister got her $500 version (DC 24) for $320! But there is usually a good one with attachments and an extra filter at Costco. I actually sold some extra attachments mine came with on eBay for $10-$20 too... but they do have some pretty cool attachments I love...

Mine is the regular (DC 07) version, but I am jealous of the new(er) Ball addition and the quick-draw hose feature.

I have heard mixed reviews from other people of the Dyson, but I have been nothing but totally satisfied (OBVIOUSLY!) I threw my $150 Dirt Devil away after 18 months with a newer $30 filter. What a waste!

Some bonus Derek pictures

I think my sisters would kill me unless I posted some pictures of Derek too. I'll choose a few here and put the rest on Flickr.

At the Owlz game.
Eating his cute cookie at Disneyland.
Exhausted after Disneyland day #1.

Projects and over-run budgets.

TA-DA! A blog post! I know, I know, how exciting.

I just finished my latest project for my living room. The South end has been redone and I thought I would share the progress.

The family pictures: Family pictures are always an ordeal, even when you don't want them to be. When my sister Nikki was in town, we went shopping for clothes. 17 outfits later (okay, maybe there were only 15), we decided on what I should wear. Then Bryce and Derek's outfits were easy to find. I then decided to take the pictures at Wadley Farms in Lindon. Clay came with us to make Derek smile -- somehow a grown man with a light saber always does the trick! (Thanks again, Clay.)

We did Rick Nye's new website and left some cash at the end for an updated family picture. I did take the picture of Derek on the right -- he wouldn't cooperate long enough for Rick to take a picture, so Mike and Claire let us use their backyard as a backdrop a few days later.

The coffee/end tables & frames: I went in to Four Chairs to order some frames for our family pictures and I saw the tables. I knew I had to have them! They came in a set, so I decided I needed both end and the coffee table. That meant we had to rearrange the living room, moving the entertainment center and rearranging the media stuff. That was quite the project. I also had a hard time deciding on a frame color, but I think black will be traditional enough throughout the years. (I do Four Chairs' website too. But don't look at it now. It's in the middle of being revamped.)

The lamps: I got a black lamp base and pretty red lamp shade for our wedding. I realized a little while later that I should have two -- one for my side of the bed and one for Bryce -- but Target decided to no longer carry the shade. A few years later I noticed the base on clearance, so I bought it. A short while after that, we moved and one of the bases was dropped and broken (the guilty person will remain nameless).

Now fast-forward to the present. I had two new black end tables, one functioning black base, one broken black base and one red shade. I went to Lowe's and (all by myself) found the necessary pieces to fix the broken base. I then browsed online and found a darling lamp shade for $250. I then kept looking for lamp shades and found one at Target.

I then decided that I wanted something more unique for my totally-awesome-and-totally-unique end tables. So I went to six stores and then decided that the Target lamp shades were totally-awesome-and-totally-unique-especially-for-their-price. I then went to JoAnn's and bought beads and trim to spice them up. An hour later with the hot hot glue gun, they look pretty dang good. (And no, I didn't make a mistake. I meant to say hot twice. Just ask my right thumb.)

I also spent an evening with my Lowe's fix-it parts and my broken lamp base. I was only electrocuted once (and tripped the power twice), but I fixed my broken base for a little less than $10. It was so worth it.

The couch and accessories: the same ol' red couch. In my wildest dreams I will get a new one someday. I have fabric left over from the curtains for toss pillows. What a concept. So for today, just let the couch be. The throw has been at Target for months and it finally went on clearance, which means I have no restraint. Hooray for Target clearance.

I want something else for the East wall and some sort of finishing touch with the picture frames. Maybe someday we'll decide what to do with our lives, we'll own something and I will be able to paint too.

But hey, several projects and several over-run budgets later, I couldn't be happier about my new South-end in my living room. And my cute family hanging on the wall.

Derek is Babysat by Clay

Clay always does a terrific job babysitting. He's very willing too. One of Derek's (and Clay's) favorite things to do with Clay is lightsaber fight. Clay brought over the Darth Vader mask and at first it scared him, but then it was fine.

Derek also likes to pitch the ball (imaginary) and then run the bases. Until tonight we had never seen him dust himself off.

Then we dressed him up like Yoda.

It's an 8 minute clip and the in house film editor didn't feel like editing it. So we won't be offended if you close it early.

The Real Singin in the Rain

Singin' in the Rain continues to be one of Derek's choice songs. The other day it was raining so he got to use the umbrella. It was a monumental day.

Tonight we let him dance with it to Singin' in the Rain.

Grammie and Hockey

Do you like the new header? I had a hard time choosing a picture (and a new background that looked boy-ish enough!) It is a picture of Derek at the ice rink. Bryce took him there while I was at the new IHC hospital in Murray visiting my Grammie in the Neuro ICU.

You can read more about that here at a blog my mom is managing.

**UPDATE** Grammie opened her eyes today and the doctor says she can see out of the left eye. She talks and responds to questions! She is moving her left hand when asked. YAY!

I debated writing this post or not -- I'm not very good at telling people when my family is sick. Or talking about when my family is sick. Or dealing with the fact that my family is sick. But I am continuously thinking and praying for her, making for a lame blog post about something I'm not really thinking about if I say something else. But my family has only seen real blessings when we're really sick. So hey, there are positives.

Bryce and I visited her last night (thanks to Derek's awesome Grandpa Rock Star and Grandma Leslie and Best Friend Aunt Jennifer.) She is making real progress and we just hope she continues moving in the right direction.

My Grammie is the most independent and faithful person I know. It took a lot of strength for her to finally have her knee surgery, and now she is still strong. Now we are watching the Lord do His thing and provide us with the strength we need.

Love ya, Grammie.

This is my grandparents at the airport waiting for Brady to come off the airplane from his mission. Grammie is holding Olivia.
This is at our wedding. Of course I have pictures of Grammie taking pictures.
This is in 1992. Cute, huh?
This is Derek at the hospital with the blanket Grammie (and Gramps) made for him.

I think Grammie would like this one.

This is at my Grammie's house on Danish Road after my bridal shower. I don't think Heidi and Nikki will like this picture, but hey, here we are.

This is Grammie with Derek.
The fam at our Graduation. This is the most recent picture of the extended family at Brady's homecoming.

Prayer Time

Derek has been repeating prayers lately. I am sure it is because of his awesome nursery leaders. He loves nursery. 

Tonight he was saying a prayer at Family Home Evening (Family Night is always Mondays. We have a little lesson, play games and then have a treat sometimes). We were teaching/telling him how to pray again tonight and he said "Father," and then looked down and so gracefully picked up a Cheez-It! cracker. 

Our eyes were half closed (kind of) and we saw him pick up this cracker with such care and then just take a good bite out of it. Hilarious. It was like it was going to be his last Cheez-It! ever. As soon as he swallowed the chewed up cheesy goodness that is condensed into a 1 inch squared piece of crunch, he continued with the prayer. 

Funny kid. 

Singin in the Rain

A couple weeks ago we watched Singin' in the Rain with Mike, Claire & Abby at their place on the large 65" television. It was an amazing experience for Derek. He has instantly fallen in love with the movie and now dances to "Moses", "Good Mornin'" and of course "Singin' in the Rain." 

One of our favorite versions of Singin' in the Rain is the VW commercial that played in Europe a few years back. Derek loves to watch it on YouTube and has come up with his own dance. 

Our favorite parts of Derek's dance are, besides the whole thing, around 1:00- 1:50. At about 1:45 he does his best to imitate the breakdancer in the VW video. 

The VW commercial is below:

Lame Blogger

I am quite the lame blogger.

I know, it's awful. I spent quite the time blogging about the Anaheim Ducks at TheDucksBlog.com and http://hockey-leaks2.blogspot.com/. I started theducksblog a couple months ago, right before the playoffs. Then I was invited by HockeyLeaks.com to be their Ducks guy.

I am also trying to do HockeyPlayer.com things and add now and then PostFifthPictures.com. With so much to write, I get a little overwhelmed and just shut down.

I have also been working at the LDS Motion Picture Studio and Rivetal in Orem more than full time between the two. So while doing those I just ran out of time to keep up on these blogs.

So yes, now you write about how "when I grow up for real I won't have time for anything" or you can just say "thanks for keeping us posted."

:)

Flashback: Day 1 at Disney Studios

I realized that all of my blog posts from our blog we made on iWeb three years ago while I was working at the Walt Disney Studios were still on our computer. It's been nearly three years since that day and a lot of people still ask me about it, I thought I would post the entries I wrote on our blog for the next couple of days. Some of it is a little embarrassing to read now. I figured out how to get there 10-15 min quicker each day and little things like that pop up a lot. 

Tuesday May 20, 2006

Today has been quite the day so far. I really had no expectations. I felt a little like a freshman and on top of the world as well. I left my great uncle's house in Simi Valley at 7:30 a.m. not really knowing what to expect for traffic. It only took me about 40 minutes to get to the Recruiting building on Olive Ave. (two blocks from the studio lot). They took our forms, double-checked them for us, took our pictures, and then we headed over to the main lot and got our ID cards. On the way to my new location I got to see the wardrobe from the Chronicles of Narnia. It was pretty fun.

I then went into the Frank G. Wells building and met with Sharon
Dean. She isn't my immediate supervisor, but she seems to be one of
many liaisons between Post and Production. I got to meet with Jayne
Armstrong, my supervisor, and then she showed me my desk, computer, etc.

Jayne introduced me to a ton of people. It was exciting because I
thought I would be some scrap-intern, but in reality, everyone was
really excited about having me there. We went to a meeting with the
President of Production (about 35 people) and talked about the
progress of each film that Disney/Touchstone has in the making.
We then went out to lunch and I actually met a man who was wearing a Mr. Dungbeetle shirt. Having worked on the foley for MDB I went and talked to him. Turns out he knew Bill Nelson and Clay McCaw (sp?). I don't have his name with me, but if anyone wants it, he gave his card to me. Jayne was impressed with my social skills. I talked with her about wanting to get into the guild and get on a show after graduation and she said that wouldn't be too hard for me to do. I guess she really likes me. She gave me a lot of confidence because she noted me as someone who can achieve what they want to because of their hard work. I can tell she is going to be very fun to work with.

 
We then went and saw dailies for two movies they are currently
shooting, Underdog & Wild Hogs. We did this with some administrative/creative people. It was pretty fun. Everyone is being really nice. I start actually going into a cutting room next week. I will keep you all posted.

It only took 40-45 minutes each way getting in. Pretty good- I thought.

Into the Light

I went to Los Angeles this week for a short trip to visit some potential clients and reconnect with some friends at Disney while I had the week off a the LDS Motion Picture Studio. One experience that I had that sticks out in my mind happened right after I met a family friend who is Director of Photography for breakfast. He wanted to show me this editorial house in Burbank where he had always edited his corporate work. 

As we were leaving, one of the part owners (I think) pulled up. My friend hadn't seem in him some time, but the man, probably in his 50's, looked very sad. Bob, our family friend, asked him "Hey, how's it going?"

He responded quickly. "It sucks. My wife passed away 45 days ago."

What do you say to that? All I saw on his face was despair. I don't know what the man has gone through in the past month and a half, but it's had me thinking. 

The next day was Wednesday and I flew back to Utah for my 4th wedding anniversary. Every couple of hours I think about what that man said. I am so grateful to know that my marriage will last beyond the grave. Thank you Nancy for saying yes. Love you, babe. 

And yes, for those of you who wondered what we did. We watched the season finale of LOST. It was awesome. 

Ken's Slideshow

Here is the slideshow I did for Ken's funeral in case some of you were not able to see it. There is no music.

Sewing #1, #2 and #3

This has been a sewing month.  I wish I had my own sewing machine (correction: I wish I had my Mom's sewing machine because it's the only one I know how to use), but when she isn't using it she kindly lets me take it home and sew away.  Then I end up taking it back to her house so she can fix all of my mistakes, but hey, that's beside the point.  I hated to sew when I was younger, but I did it and made my mom's life miserable.  Now I actually enjoy it, so I guess all of that whining paid off in the end.  (Thanks, Mom.)  

Sewing project #1: Olivia's blanket 

We had a new niece born this month, Olivia Kate.  So cute.  Since she is girl #3 in her family (and I am girl #3 in my family), I decided I would make her a blanket.  Here are some finished pictures of it:

Sewing Project #2: Living Room Curtains

We've had these vinyl blinds in our living room since we moved in.  They worked, for the most part, but they had this weird fabric stuff over them that really looked like it belonged in a Holiday Inn.  So when I found this fabric I couldn't resist.  This was just a day project, but I think they turned out nice.  AND I didn't need my mom's help!  This is the only window in our living room, so they needed some dressing up.  Now I just need some patio furniture on our balcony.

Sewing Project #3: Derek's Quilt

So my big project is to sew Derek a quilt for his "big boy" bed.  I haven't started this one yet, but I need to finish it soon.  I had all of these plans to do it the past few days but oh well.  Here are the fabrics that Leslie helped me pick out.  Looks cute, huh?  Can you tell I'm into robin egg blue and dark brown?  Anyway, wish me luck!

Ken Barlow: smiling and laughing, always our little buddy

I was asked to give my little cousin's eulogy at this funeral that took place yesterday. I told a few people that I would post my talk on my blog/facebook for those relatives that were not able to make it or that wanted to read it again. More on this whole story later...

Upon being appointed to take this moment to relish in the moments of Ken’s life with all present, I gathered memories from his parents, grandparents, and others that surrounded him. I pray that my words will uplift, comfort, and add to the illustrious memories we have of Ken Christian Barlow.

Ken Christian Barlow was born on December 21, 2006 on a beautiful winter morning in Provo, Utah. Our memories of him start just before he was born, as I remember Saori being notably anxious to meet Ken as any mother is who truly loves her children. On the morning of Ken’s birth, we woke up to find an e-mail from Scott proudly stating that we all had a new cousin, nephew, or grandson.

When Scott went to pick up Saori from the hospital, he asked me to watch Kai, Mia, and Kou. There was a special feeling in their house that morning. That’s what happens when everyone's new favorite family member comes home for the very first time.

As Ken started to grow, our memories of him grew as well. When he was old enough to sit up, he used to sit in his bouncer and look at you, peaceful and content. At 8 months he went from crawling to walking, and gave the family a run for his money as they hurried to again baby-proof the house from a walking child that would touch nearly everything.

At family parties, Ken was shy, and mostly wanted to be held by his Dad or a trusted family member. But as he came into the house, everyone would yell, “Baby Ken!” and welcome him to the party. Once you got him away from clinging onto Dad, he would involve you in one of his games by either shooting you with an empty squirt gun and waiting for a reaction, or tossing a ball back and forth. His uncles, cousins and grandparents would laugh and play along as Ken giggled with a large, toothy smile. Ken also loved the wagon rides around Grandma’s house, as one of his willing cousins would pull him along.

Ken is certainly loved by his brothers and sister. Kai, Mia, and Kou looked for hugs from him as they came in the door from school. Sometimes they had to wait until he woke up from his nap. But, as soon as they were reunited, he had trouble leaving them alone. Kou, because of his troubles pronouncing the letter "k," called Ken "Ten” and thus Ken’s family nickname was created.

A personal favorite memory of mine was when Kou used to take Ken's hand and wave to himself saying "Hi Po!" Mia would look after Ken like a mini-mommy, and their parents appreciated her stepping up to change diapers, getting him something to eat, or helping him to watch his favorite TV show. My favorite thoughtful question from Mia was when she asked Scott and Saori, “Why does Ken look like a Chinese baby?” Nonetheless, Ken loved the same toys that he saw his brothers play with. Whether a lightsaber, sword, lego, toy gun, or matchbox car, he wanted it if his older brothers had it. He would also sit with Kai and Kou while they played video games on the Wii or the computer thinking he “just had to be the next in line”, both watching and learning from them intently.

But of the most loved toys, it was the ball that set him apart from his siblings. He loved the basketball, football, tennis ball, soccer ball, or any other ball whether hard or soft or small or large. Lately Ken was able to dribble for a few seconds, throw overhand, and kick like a semi-pro soccer player. This always made his Dad beam proudly. At two years old, he seemed quite athletic, and felt most comfortable and confident holding and throwing a ball anywhere he went.
One day when Ken was still younger, I remember Saori being excited because Ken had started eating real people food. We then looked on as Ken ate an entire Costco chocolate muffin all by himself. Those muffins, a Nutella sandwich, or a bowl of chocolate flake cereal turned into his favorite breakfast meal. He of course graduated to everything else the family ate, and his favorite foods included Japanese sticky rice and Dad’s grilled chicken. I’m sure that his favorite part of that grilled chicken was grabbing his shoes and following his daddy out to the grill to help out.

As many of you know, Scott works downstairs in the basement, and Ken took advantage of where his dad worked as much as possible. He had just learned to open the office door and tried many times to make himself Daddy's assistant. Ken would run in if the door was open, give his Dad a hug, and help him by gathering papers from the printer or sit quietly on his lap for a few minutes until it was time for a conference call or getting back to email. Scott would also send him off on a special assignment to color on blank paper if he needed some enticing to move back upstairs. When Ken found Scott was out of the office, he would mimic Scott by pretending to type up important memos on the laptop or organize his office by pulling expense reports or other work papers from a briefcase mistakenly left open.

When it was time for a nap, or for bed, Ken did so a bit stubbornly. He didn’t care much for sleeping, yet dozed off after a few minutes of crying. During the last few months, Ken could be talked into going quietly after giving everyone in the family a hug and kiss and telling them individually “goodnight”. Scott also helped by flicking the room lights on and off, or saying to Ken, “No crying” until he laughed and repeated “No crying” back to him. While lying in bed, Ken would take his pointer finger to his top lip, and rubbing his finger back and forth, massage and comfort himself until he fell asleep.

While Ken was recovering from the flu, he never gave up his smile. Saori would try to comfort him before falling asleep, Ken would rub his upper lip, and when asked if he was OK, Ken would look up, gather his strength, and give her the best and biggest smile he could offer. He truly cared to comfort her in his anguish by silently saying “I’m hanging in there Mom.”
Ken will be remembered for his smile, laughter and loving attitude in our family. His countenance lit up the room and brightened your spirit.

Sometime early Wednesday morning on February 25th, after Saori checked on him at 2 am, and what seemed to be him sleeping soundly, he had slipped away quietly and returned to our Father in Heaven. Just as he came home from the hospital for the first time to a happy family, he returned to his Heavenly home in that same manner. There is no doubt that Ken is a cherished son and brother. He was loved as much by his earthly parents as he is by His Heavenly Father.

Let us always remember him at his happiest and healthiest and in his laughter, so that this memory will bring us comfort as he associates with and befriends his loved ones that have passed before us. His early passing should encourage us to live life to the fullest and that we should love those around us for the time that we remain on Earth, with confidence and faith in Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It is an honor to know such an innocent, beautiful and happy son, brother, grandson, and cousin. May the Holy Spirit of our loving, understanding Heavenly Father comfort us as we think of him, miss him, and love him until our sweet day of reunion.

Remember this?

Some things never change.  Derek had a break down this morning: his blanket couldn't come with him in the tub.  Remember this blog post? This time I tried to get a washcloth and explain to him that when things get in the tub, they get soaking wet.  Nice try, mom.  Instead we took a short bath and miraculously the blanket was still around when we were done.  Who did he get this blanket love from anyway?  (Ha. My baby blanket is in shreds and that is the only way I remember it.)

My 25 Random Things Note.

I did this random things note the other day and thought I would make it a blog post too. Sorry if you've already seen it!

1. I haven't seen Star Wars very many times, but I know all of the quotable quotes because of my brother-in-laws (and husband). Nerds.
2. My left foot is bigger than my right foot. Most of the time it's not a big deal, but I've learned my lesson to not pretend one is the right size when it's not.
3. I love my steak cooked medium rare. And I promise, you like it that way too, you just have to try it.
4. I hate doing laundry. The worst. But I don't mind doing dishes. Weird.
5. I have a few brands that I'm 100% loyal to -- Winder Farms, Charmin, Tide and Apple.
6. Oh, Apple. If you told me 5 years ago I wouldn't really know how to use a PC now, I would have laughed. But it's true, I'm totally a Mac user. Thanks again, Bryce.
7. I've never been outside the country or driven across the country. I'm sure I'll get to Brazil with Bryce one day, but I would like to never drive across the country. Ugh. (see #8) I've have been to Hawaii and all over the East Coast.
8. I get car sick.
9. I don't really have time to be doing this, but it's a good Sunday evening activity.
10. I'm a coupon cutter. But a coupon isn't really worth it if it's under 25¢. Too much work.
11. I know all the words to It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) by REM. Dani and I had some time when we were 15.
12. I LOVE the color red. It's pathetic. I have a hard time choosing a different color. I never WEAR red though, I'm at Target too often and hate being mistaken for an employee. But I would probably know the answer to your question, just don't steal whatever thing it is I want that is on clearance. Those little clearance tags are red too, now that I think about it.
13. I love to design. The hours fly by when I'm doing it and I like to think I'm not half-bad at it.
14. When I was younger I loved I Love Lucy. I wanted to learn the trivia and the facts, so I did. Now I don't remember much.
15. I waited for my missionary. It was worth it, now that it's over.
16. I have a 6-year-old sister-in-law that is often mistaken as my daughter. I do have a little boy, Derek, who is pretty dang cute.
17. I don't really forget things (like birthdays and appointments), but I INEVITABLY forget something as I'm walking out the door. Just ask my roommates, it's their favorite thing. It totally sucks now that I live on the third floor.
18. I worked in restaurants growing up. Now I tip too much.
19. I love music. The reason Bryce and I kept hanging out before we were dating was I would choose his car over our other friends -- he would play U2 on the tape deck CD player for me. Ah, the days of being 16. My top three: U2, Collective Soul, and The Killers.
20. LOST. You may think it's just a dumb show about a plane crash on a deserted island, but let me tell you, this is NO Cast Away. It's awesome. Another stellar show introduced by my sister Heidi (also attributed: The West Wing, Arrested Development and ER. I showed her The Office and 30 Rock though, so we're almost even.)
21. Oh, I started watching ER a long time ago. Too long ago. I always meant to stop watching it, but now it's the last season. Then I'll stop watching.
22. I have STICK-STRAIGHT hair. No curl at all. I got a perm when I was in HS and it fell out in less than a week.
23. I like the newspaper and the 10:00 news.
24. For the record, I introduced Bryce to In 'n' Out even though he grew up in California.
25. I paid extra for my vacuum to be red. I told you it was pathetic.

Derek meets the Little Einsteins

Derek meets the Little Einsteins
Originally uploaded by bryce.randle

Derek loves the Little Einsteins.

While we were at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios on February 6, Derek got to meet them. Derek can't go on the larger rides so while Mike, Heidi, and Nancy were on Rockin' Roller Coaster, Derek and I headed over to see who we could meet.



I was by myself, of course, and I had a lot in the stroller to take with me so it wouldn't get stolen. Derek saw the characters and got really excited. I let him out of the stroller and tried to hurry as fast as I could to grab the cameras, the irreplaceable, and etc.

Derek was too fast for me though. When I looked up, he had already cut the line and gone to give June and Quincy high-fives. I felt bad when I had to come get him out of the front. I felt bad for the parents he had cut, there were about 8 kids with their parents in the line in front of him. I felt bad for Derek because he was living a fantasy. Everyone was nice about it though. They told me Derek was cute with them. So that made it better.

As we got into the line, Quincy and June left and Leo and Annie came in. Derek gave them high-fives as they walked by and then waited in line. In this picture you can see he gave them a hug all on his own. He didn't do that with anyone else, not even Mickey or Buzz & Woody.



He had a great time with them. And we just love Derek.

My Free PlayStation 3

Yes. It worked. I am now enjoying a free Playstation 3.

The whole thing worked out. I got eight people to sign up for an offer each (most of them free offers like a credit report or a low cost trail of GameFly or Netflix) and after the system processed the order, I got my PS3 in about four days. I signed up around December 9th and started a Blockbuster free trial.

I got a few relatives and friends to sign up for some offers, mostly Blockbuster. This is where we hit a problem though and I started to get discouraged. Blockbuster offers never processed and I gave up. I had eight people sign up and about half of them signed up for Blockbuster. I never heard anything back and I figured I would just stop.

I changed my mind when I did a free credit report instead. That offer processed immediately. Then Jared Moench did a trial of GameFly and I got excited about it again. I got the rest of my friends (and Aunt Whitney!) to sign up for credit reports and GameFly because I knew those worked.

I had my PlayStation 3 by January 30. It is awesome. That's a $400 machine for free!

Now I am working on a Wii and I am 20% there. I completed my offer and now I need five more people to sign up. I would recommend Netflix, GameFly, or a credit report with "Credit Check Total."
Thanks for helping me out everyone!

Yes, this is my son

Derek gets to take a look at his dad work from home.

Can you tell?

Here is on KidPix at my mom's computer.

An awesome blog post

My friend/college roommate/high school BF/essay editor, Dani, wrote an awesome blog post. I've read it aloud to a lot of people these past few days and decided I needed to post it here so others can enjoy it too.  

Read this awesome blog post. 

Thanks, Dani, for the entertainment. My dad agrees, the best line is about the current threat level.