jake and annie

Its a girl!

2012-02-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

Wait... that looks like Henry!? Henry is just celebrating the recent news that he will soon be outnumbered 2 to 1. Truth is Henry wears whatever is available.. which is not uncommonly pink. Since pink is now increasingly more likely to be available.. get used to it bud. You'll be a great older brother and Charlotte can hardly stand how excited she is about having a sister. Lets see if it persists into teenage years.. heaven help us all.

We are very excited. Everything appears healthy and good and we are so grateful. Nice to start getting to know her a little more.

Happy Birthday Henry and Charlotte!!

2012-01-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

Most Fattening Time of the Year

2011-12-15T08:39:00.000-08:00

This is a silly seasonal selection from a set of Christmas shows that Lokalgrown did in 2004. We were the house entertainment for Gardner Village in Salt Lake City. We drove down from Logan (USU) pretty much every night that December. It was arduous in some ways, but some great memories came out of those drives as well. We should get T-Shirts for the simple fact that we drove through Sardine Canyon every night in December TWICE and didn't die.

This song has become more of a truism than I ever feared to imagine. Am I the only one that justifies seasonal laziness through historic (yet completely non-applicable) realities? Truth is historically, winter was a pretty lazy time for agrarian societies.... yeah so that means that I CANT get off my butt and go to a gym.. and I CANT suck it up and ride the bike in the cold and wet... yeah you can see how well this is working to appease my "fitness" anxiety.

Anyway.. here's to spring... and hot buttered rolls in the meantime.

Christmas Thoughts

2011-12-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

What is Christmas? What is it to you? The answer may be messier than you think.. maybe. This is something I have pondered annually for several rotations around the sun. Most recently I was called to reflection after the President of the LDS church, Thomas S. Monsen admonished reflection on how we are observing Christmas. Have we sufficiently honored the Reason for the Season. So what is Christmas for me?...is it what I want it to be? Is it what it should be?

Here are my Christmas facts as I see them:
1. There is NO DOUBT that the very idea of Christmas evokes within me deep and powerfully positive feelings. Its warm, safe, and very REAL to me.
2. These powerful experiences are not uncommonly associated with stories, images, or music related to the savior (predominantly Nativity related).
3. Admittedly more frequently, and sometimes more powerfully, these feelings are associated with less Christ-"centered" things: A 1984 Christmas tree, singing Christmas songs with family, walking home from sledding adventures in a snowy wonderland, Temple Square, the anxiety of Christmas Eve, Charlie Brown's Christmas, California Raisins Christmas, etc.
4. I don't state, without serious consideration, the fact that I feel I have long been able to see right through the "Marketers" Christmas. I have never found anything moving or particularly powerful about this element of Christmas.

So whats this all about Jake.. is there some sort of problem? Well, maybe not, and even if there is, its probably just one of those occasional healthy 're-calibration" moments. I was just really struck with President Monsen's thought. The specific words even escape me at the moment. I think it was because he suggested a form of Christmas celebration that could be improved upon... and it sounded really familiar... So it caused me to reflect on this powerful and very REAL force in my life which is Christmas. Where does the Holy Ghost stop, and the Christmas "Spirit" begin? Are they the same?

Maybe this is confusing... lets take another angle. What would Christmas be like with no (or a soured) association to the 1984 Christmas tree, singing songs with family, hot cocoa after building snowmen in the backyard, California Raisins, etc. What would be left? My testimony of the divine birth, life and death of the savior. But would it be the same? Would it come close? What if it didn't. What if, like Ebeneezer Scrooge I went to bed and had the vision of losing all of these things... would I awake and feel the pressing need to re-wire my Christmas feelings?

Although the question continues (and will likely continue) to occupy my brain at this season, I must say that it is my initial (and anxiety appeasing) notion that any sensation as pure and positive as those associated with Christmas for me, have to be of divine origin. Why can't the Holy Ghost occupy a tender (albeit completely secular) melody in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker? Joy to the World the Lord is come. My "Spirit" of Christmas has no malice, is centered on goodwill toward man, and in its way is the embodiment of the truest forms of JOY.

I absolutely take President Monsen's words to heart. Let us always keep close tabs on our observation of this sacred season. Let us find every opportunity to reflect on Christs miraculous birth and life, and ponder what force for positive change it can have in our lives. Lets make it the CENTER of our Christmas observance always. But, lets not forget his gifts of warm hot chocolate, places to gather and faces to gather with, tradition, brotherly kindness and pure JOY. Maybe these are simply what pour out of a Christ-centered Christmas. God bless us every one!

---All that said, I still feel no guilt for having absolutely zero emotional response to the final scenes of the movie Elf. "You better watch out, you better not cry..." Sorry... nothin... Now the closing scene of Luke II...."Let earth.. receive .. her King..." There it is.. Santa is a good concept, but its hard to beat the real deal:)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 1914

2011-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

My favorite Christmas tale and rendition. I recorded this off of PBS when I was 14 or 15.

Enjoy.

Lokapella

2011-12-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

If I haven't yet made it obnoxiously clear. I belonged to a musical group in college called "lokalgrown." I remember someone once noting to me that it was "tacky" to be a fan of your own band... I still don't get that. I think some people are thinking too hard about stuff. I didn't listen to our music a great deal while I was making it, but in successive years I find the music both enjoyable and tremendously memorable and memora-full.

Lokalgrown was originally constituted of myself and three choir guys. From the start we were destined to become an acappella group (which was all the rage in Utah at the time... and probably still is) Thanks to an affinity for classic and alternative rock, as well as some instrumental capacity we went the more traditional "band" route. This, by no means, meant that we couldn't ocassionally set our instruments down and vocalize a bit. Every Christmas we sang the First Noel, every fourth of July we did the Star Spangled Banner, and occasionally we sang "Be still My Soul" at church functions (this tragically remains the only unrecorded of the three, which is so sad because it was such a powerful and amazing song to sing.)

Whenever we would sing one of these songs, inevitably a slew of co-eds and parents would bombard us with the request that we lay our weapons of rock and roll down and join the ranks of the vocally exclusive. We remained a rock and roll band that sang acapella occasionally. And there was much rejoicing.

Please enjoy this version of The First Noel (arranged by Quinn Dietlein, and sung by Jacob Callister, Nathan Davis, Quinn Dietlien and Matthew Sadowski). This recording was missing for about 7 years and showed up on an unmarked CD I almost threw away... whew...

Chenry fitting the stereotype

2011-11-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

I have always been a lover of instances where the stereotypes we apply are dashed by examples of individuals doing what we would perhaps least expect them to. Environmentally conscious Conservatives, Pro-life Liberals, high profile musicians or actors who remain true to their spouses for decades, High School football players in the drama club or on the debate team. Anytime someone shows us that we have to be more careful about the "little boxes" we put people in is a victory for humanity in my opinion. In my years as a youth leader I have put much thought into the idea of encouraging this (without engineering it, or overstepping important parameters). I hope as a parent I can find that perfect balance that allows a child to be what they are... without too much over-correction.
In the development laboratory that is the Callister household, we have daily exposure to a microcosm of gender stereotyping. It is certainly too early to address in any way (other than an amusing blog post), but I thought it might be entertaining to characterize our two little ones, one boy and one girl, born in the same ten minute period, growing up in the same house, same food, same Mom, .....same everything.... and yet...

One of them has not stopped moving during waking moments for the last four months. If we put a camera on his/her head it would wander literally unceasingly from morning until nap and from nap until nighttime

One of them can, in full state of satisfaction, sit and look at a book or observe some object for extended periods of time.

One of them is excelling in motor development and is already taking steps (I have witnessed them walk across the entire room). This same individual is obsessed with physical feats and seems to be driven to achieve them simply for the sake of having done it.

One of them is very keenly mimicking Mom and Dad and has started regularly using words like (Uh-oh, quack, Momma and Dadda)

One tends to stop and perform a VIRTUAL cost-benefit analysis before most potentially hazardous actions, while the other tends to perform a PHYSICAL cost-benefit analysis... which often results in either surprising achievement or significant personal injury or one followed by the other.

One seems more interested in personal interaction (getting to know you), while the other is more interested in fleeting intimate moments between his/her other adventures.

I should note that their are some similarities, both have their tender and sweet moments, both can get pretty awrnry, both seem to be mimicking gestures pretty well (clapping hands, waiving) and both love bath time (in their own respective ways)

Which is which? Well there is a simple formula to find out--- just apply all of the gender stereotypes you can think of and you'll have your answer!

Every day more and more personality pours out of these two! We are so excited to see all the ways they will defy any preconceptions we have of them!!!

Here are some fun clips. The clip of Henry was really dark so I lightened it up, its still looks pretty funky (sorry).

The Sprout's First Halloween

2011-11-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

I always imagined Halloween to be SO fun with kids...and it was! However, why I felt I needed to hand sew TWO costumes is beyond me. Seriously, why? At least they turned out pretty cute(although kind of tela tubbyish). I didn't have time to finish them, but in the end it doesn't really matter. We went to a fun party at the Whipple's home, then onto our Bishop's home and finally the Robinson's spook alley. Fun night and the kids were champs. Jake and I were farmers if you can't tell. Put kids in bed and cuddled up to a movie. Perfect Halloween, not enough pictures.

When I'm 64...

2011-10-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Happy 64th Dad!!

When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from now,
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine?

If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door,
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

I could be handy mending a fuse
When your lights have gone.
You can knit a sweater by the fireside
Sunday mornings go for a ride.

Doing the garden, digging the weeds,
Who could ask for more?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

Every summer we can rent a cottage
In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear
We shall scrimp and save
Grandchildren on your knee
Vera, Chuck, and Dave

Send me a postcard, drop me a line,
Stating point of view.
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, Wasting Away.

Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me,
When I'm sixty-four?

-Beatles

Inexpensive Lessons

2011-09-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

We have all heard it before on the news, in church, elsewhere: "This was a lesson that came at a high price..."

So what about the lessons that come at a low price. Maybe the effectiveness of the lesson is directly proportional to the cost... but I don't think so. Here are two lessons I learned that came at a relatively low cost. Thank heavens.

13 years old:
I found a crossbow in a garbage once while doing my paper route. I am sure the crossbow had killed a pet or person in this family and so they were getting rid of it. I was 13... I had no choice right? I had to resurrect it to mischievous use. I hauled it home (I wonder what neighbors thought as their paperboy walked by with their paper in one hand, and a crossbow in the other... Deseret News doesn't mess around). When I got home I immediately grabbed the only arrows we had, my Dad's hunting arrows. I shot a few of them at the fence. One shot kicked a little harder than expected and the arrow went sailing over the fence (remember, these were full-on hunting arrows). I immediately raced to the front yard in terror. I found the arrow lying safely in the middle of the cul-de-sac. To this day I get the chills when I think about what an idiot 13-year old could have done to some unsuspecting person.

21 years old:
I am at Utah State in the University Pines Apartment parking lot. I was scratching my head because my car was out of gas and I needed to get some errands done. It was COMPLETELY out of gas. I had, in fact, rolled into the parking lot on fumes the day before.
Jake: I could ask one of my many friends (several of whom had already offered) to get a ride to the gas station... but that would mean driving back and forth and... ahh, what a pain."
The nearest gas station was in the Smith's parking lot about a 3/4 mile away.. but entirely downhill from where I was. 4th north in Logan descends from campus down to Main Street at a pretty good grade. If I could hit the one light just right, I could sail right in to the station. What a brilliant idea!! I slowly heaved the car over to the street, got it turned down the hill then exerted a final effort at a head start. I got clipping along pretty good and as I went to hop into my now quickly rolling vehicle, I stumbled over my own feet. For a second I was essentially being dragged. With every ounce of power in my arms, and with significant awkwardness, I hauled myself into the car and assumed some control. I immediately thought, "geez I could have rolled over my legs..." As I glided down 4th North, it struck me with some pretty humbling clarity that I had VERY nearly sent an un-maned vehicle (a.k.a A 4,000 pound torpedo) down one of the busiest streets in Logan. At that grade the ABSOLUTE BEST scenario would have been a tree impalement at 40 miles an hour. At worst?.. well... geez I shutter to think. Incidentally I did hit the light just right and sailed into the gas station so I could put $4.75 worth of gas in the car.

These were lessons learned at a relatively low price. Another lesson in all of this is that there are 12 and 21 (and 32) year olds out there now. Heaven help us all to not bear any costs associated with their "lessons."

Jake

September 11th 2001: Innocence Lost

2011-09-10T21:13:00.001-07:00

September 11th 2001: Logan, Utah. I was just stirring very early to get ready for my morning run when our neighbor Jana Deitlein (sister to my roommate Quin) came over and told us to hurry and turn on the news. At this point only one plane had hit one tower. I cannot recall my first thoughts. It is not uncommon that you get up in the morning and see bad, even horrible news, and I am sure I perceived this on that level at first. Within a few minutes of being up, the second tower was hit. My reaction to this occurrence is something that is very vivid in my memory. My experience escalated from the feeling you get when something horrible HAS happened (the way we experience most news) to when something horrible is HAPPENING, obviously two very different sensations. There were very audible and genuine gasps from people in the room when this second impact became clear, a sort of "pinch me, is this really happening?" sensation. I was very scared. In hindsight you can think through the timeline of that day and put some boundaries on the horror that took place, but at that time you were left with the most trusted anchormen, politicians and emergency professionals scrambling to figure out what in the world was happening (and happening next).

For the rest of the morning a crowd gathered at our apartment, people were woken up and quickly debriefed. It is so funny to think of it now, but people were stressing because they had to slip away so that they could get to class. Awful as it was the magnitude had not really set in.

After not too long we watched in COMPLETE astonishment as the first tower fell. Again, gasps and shouting, some crying. We were more numbed but equally astonished when the second tower came down. Obviously reports of the Pentagon strike and other planes out of contact were just adding to the hysteria. I remember having a moment of panic remembering that my parents had been in Connecticut to see my sister and were coming home sometime soon. I was able to get in touch with them. They were safe (had either already made it home, or had their flight cancelled, I can't remember).

Again, rather ridiculously (in hind-sight), I myself went to my afternoon class that day. Campus was a ghost town, people were walking around like zombies. It seemed so inappropriate to even smile at anyone else.

On September 11, 2001, we all lost a bit of our innocence. So many things we had unquestioned faith in (our safety, other humans, our naive world views) were completely undercut. What a significant date. How often do you catch yourself thinking in terms of pre and post 9/11? If something happened in 1999..I have to try to remember how I used to think about things before September 2001.

TEN years have passed. I have regained some faith, but who doesn't shutter a bit at the sound of the words Nine Eleven. Its like the reminder of the innocence that won't be regained. Ten years has allowed us to characterize much of the ignorance and hatred that led to that event. This helps us isolate the threat more effectively, thanks heavens. These ten years are a long ways from the boundless fear, uncertainty and sorrow of that morning.

Today I remember the countless acts of selflessness, of prayers offered, of a quarter million ENDLESSLY DIVERSE Americans melded firmly together in a solidarity of loss and shared concern. I think of how we recovered, how we will always recover. How the wrong shall fail and the right prevail.

Today my thoughts and prayers are with ALL who suffered senselessly in any degree on 9/11/2001.

Please feel free to share your 9/11 experience/memory if you are so inclined.

Moscow in September

2011-09-07T17:46:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely ad-hoc northern Idaho experience this last weekend. Always eager to leverage work holidays into what feel like vacations. This fit the model nicely. We visited my brother Dan, his wife Angie and there new dog Mona. It was a blast! The drive was not nearly as long as it was... maybe that makes sense. Between "Stuff You Should Know" podcasts and trying to guess what the scenery was like (at 3 am) I kept pretty aware and things zipped along. The kids did pretty darn good too.

Moscow (thats Mosc-oh, not Mosc-ow... I mention this only because it was funny when we told people here we were going to Moscow they all corrected our pronunciation). Apparently there are no "cows" in Moscow so... go figure.

Anyway Moscow is a lovely town in the middle of the Palouse region of Washington/Idaho, a bizarre hill country formation with top-soil hundreds of feet deep in some places. The University of Idaho in Moscow and Washington State in Pullman are only a few miles from one another so we enjoyed seeing both campuses and a bit of what Dan (my brother) is up to.

We mostly enjoyed some laid back time (largely dictated by 8 month old napping schedules). We watched some funny TV, ate some good food, and played Dan's published card game (Nile). We also enjoyed some outside time with a visit to the Saturday market, to a great park in Pullman and a REALLY GREAT bike ride along the Palouse to Pines trail. It was so much fun. We busted out the bike trailer for the kids and they just loved it!

Before we left on Tuesday I was able to co-host Dan's radio show for the campus radio station. It was such a blast! We had a great time trying to peg, introduce and play our top-ten song list. I wish I could do that every week (but I am sure Dan would get sick of me quickly).

All said it was a great time in the northeastern northwest. Thanks Dangie for enduring the spit-up/crying of our kids, and barking and growling of our dog (to say nothing of Annie and I's corks). Hope to get back sometime soon.

A memorable weekend....

2011-08-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

Jake and I have waited for years to be able to take our own kids camping. This weekend we did it! It was the best. Just our little family for two days in the SUNNY Oregon wilderness...a perfect weekend. I love these kids so much. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Incidentally, this is my first post I believe on this blog. Jake dared me to do it :)

The bedtime routine will not be altered...
We pretty much were pulling sticks, pine needles and cones from their mouths the whole weekend.
Pine cones are delicious... the only source of omega 19 fatty dirt acids.
This is what we see of Charlotte these days. That girl puts everything in her mouth.
I'm not sure how Charlotte is having fun with her head cranked that way...

Not sure why I am volunteering this early morning tent picture, but here it is.
View from camp. Oregon really is the most beautiful place when the sun shines.
Proud Papa

My Duty...

2011-08-15T21:07:00.001-07:00

There is still a certain amount of confusion about who wears the pants in the family... I guess this idiom is relatively outdated given the fact that we both usually wear pants... maybe the more relevant question is who wears the dresses... on Sunday? Anyway there are some roles that are confused in our family... wait which one is sorta messy? Which one is always looking for a competitive angle? Which one is conservative? which one is captain cautious? OK, even though I wear pants.. yes I maintain the family blog. It started out as OUR blog.. in fact, Annie started the blog. There was no intimidation, no domination, no agitation.. well there is always a bit of agitation.. anyway I keep the blog fires burning. In all of my relative womanliness, I yet lack what some Mormons call the Relief Society gene. This is the gene that causes us to instinctively think of motherly or generally generous and tender pursuits. I am not great at sharing ALL of the moments. In order to receive updates on the Jake and Annie Callister family, one must slog through a random post, wait a while.. and then, after all that, perhaps be disappointed by absence of detail and/or lack of quantity.
I am trying to make a solid effort at sharing a sliver of the bounteous joy that is ours in having these two little twinkies in our lives. I am pleased to say that any decrease in posting of late is generally because we are loving, preserving, or laughing at our children (not domestic violence, alcohol, video games, or online gambling). If I am being more honest, another significant portion of time is spent waiting for pictures and movies to upload through our sad little internet provider. And if I am being MOST honest, I have to admit that I have never seen Top Gun from start to finish.
Please enjoy these adorable and self-explanatory pictures... Oh and thanks for reading...

In Remembrance...

2011-08-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

I feel compelled to share some thoughts about my Uncle Sheldon who passed away yesterday. Sheldon was the first of 16 children (my father was twelfth). Sheldon is a part of a lot of my early memories of adventure and experiencing nature. We made a lot of trips with our uncles and cousins when we were younger. Although Sheldon's family was grown and out of the house, he was always present on these trips and was such a pleasant person to be around. Sheldon was a strong advocate of the "make your own fun" way of doing things and always had a story, or a song, or a game to keep people occupied and enjoying one another's company. Keeping everyone involved was a key component of all of this (no surprise after being the oldest of 16 kids).
From Saturday morning basketball, to annual Flaming Gorge trips, to special trips to Wyoming, Canada, Topaz Mt. or Canyonlands, I have vivid and amazing memories of this fine man and I am so grateful for his contribution to my life and who I am.
Sheldon is second from the left in both pictures.

Helplessness Blues

2011-08-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Some songs just say it... And need to be shared (over and over). Something very real and refreshing about this assertion of philosophy with a heavy dose of "but what do I know." Sometimes questions are the best answers (and safest)

I was raised up believing I was somehow unique
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see
And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me

But I don't, I don't know what that will be
I'll get back to you someday soon you will see

What's my name, what's my station, oh, just tell me what I should do
I don't need to be kind to the armies of night that would do such injustice to you
Or bow down and be grateful and say "sure, take all that you see"
To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls and determine my future for me

And I don't, I don't know who to believe
I'll get back to you someday soon you will see

If I know only one thing, it's that everything that I see
Of the world outside is so inconceivable often I barely can speak
Yeah I'm tongue-tied and dizzy and I can't keep it to myself
What good is it to sing helplessness blues, why should I wait for anyone else?

And I know, I know you will keep me on the shelf
I'll come back to you someday soon myself

If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm raw
If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm sore
And you would wait tables and soon run the store

Gold hair in the sunlight, my light in the dawn
If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm sore
If I had an orchard, I'd work till I'm sore
Someday I'll be like the man on the screen

Robin Pecknold

Little Rascals

2011-08-01T08:26:00.001-07:00

These two are just coming alive. Very fun.

Up to speed...

2011-07-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Had a great time in Utah last week. We enjoyed some great high elevation family fun. It is always renewing to be with family and rekindle those strong bonds. This trip was great in that regard. These pictures include Charlotte suited out for Pineview Reservoir boating, Chenry meeting Grandma Warner, Jake atop powder mountain surveying essentially all of northern Utah, and finally the rascals in action.

Goings on...

2011-07-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Well,
The children and Annie are in Reno Nevada with Annie's sister. I am, therefore, alone. Yes it is lonely at times and I sure miss my lovely wife and cute family. This is not to say that I am sitting at home sulking over it. Ironically, relaxing is the word I would use to describe the last 6 days that have been fairly full of strenuous labor. There is something lovely about the freedom I have right now to just do things. Its not that the kids always make doing things impossible so much as it becomes prohibitively frustrating to do them with either repeated interruptions or a nagging sense that I should be helping more. This is where the "relaxing" part of manual labor comes in. Here is the list of things I have been able to do:
1. Clean out the garage
2. Start construction on a Hammock Arbor
3. Play lots and lots of guitar
4. Replace the power board on our flat screen TV (particularly proud of this one)
5. Cleaning the office after I put the TV back together
6. Paint the fireplace white (while watching a lot of SNL 1990s on Netflix)
7. Installing a Window AC
8. Writing in my journal
9. Organizing a boy scout fundraiser
10. Enjoying our raspberries (and strawberries)
11. Make a visit to Fall Creek (my favorite pristine swimming hole)
12. Setting up my phonograph and 8 track player and making it sound FANTASTIC!
13. Read out of my Crosby, Stills and Nash Biography and Rolling Stones 100 greatest Albums of all time.
13. Enjoy good food and fun with friends.
By the time Annie and Chenry get home I will have worked out some serious busy body tension and will be ready to just sit and hold those kiddos and that sweet wife of mine for another six months... at least! Annie sent this video of the kids. This is obviously before they realized that I was nowhere to be found. The attached picture is when they discovered that I was not there. The video is...well just have a watch.

Lest we stagnate...

2011-06-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

You've got to keep it real with the blog.. and you've got to keep it fresh. I recognize this all sounds cliche, like early 90's hip-hop (which is fresh on the mind after my viewing of 90's SNL episodes on Netflix), but it is true.
Annie and I's world continues on in relatively blissful baby chaos. We are indeed stretched in many direction and grossly under slept, but if we are being honest (and I expressed my blanket blog commitment to "keep it real") we are the happiest we have been in a long time. In the roller coaster of life, we are enjoying one of those high points where you have a moment to observe your context widely from a clear positive perspective. It is my hope that lifes roller coaster at this point is patterned after the old rollercoaster at Lagoon which permitted a reasonable stretch at this higher level (then again, maybe my comparison is weak considering the old rollercoaster at Lagoon could fall at any given moment sending its helpless passengers into a firey death....) Whew...
Anyway. Summer approaches and winter is just barely leaving, near as I can tell the afternoon of June 14th between the hours of 2 pm and 6 pm were Spring. We have been enjoying being outside more. The kids love it! We set up the teepee last night for a farewell party for some friends. It was great!
I am finally doing something that I have wanted to do for a long time (pretty much since I left Utah) and that is put a little band together. I finally have the pieces together more or less. If you are in Eugene and here what sounds like washed up musicians covering Tom Petty, don't worry we have to be done by 9:00.
We had a little photo shoot the other day and got some GREAT pics. Enjoy.

Henry and Charlotte in Action

2011-05-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

Reflections (and Confessions) of a new father

2011-05-13T12:38:00.000-07:00

In my four-plus months of fatherhood I have made the following observations. I recognize that my limited experience will almost surely serve the sole purpose of amusing those who have preceded me in parenthood, and those who observe from the sidelines. Perhaps the other father of four month old twins will be the only one who truly finds utility in my reflections… I am comfortable with that.

1. I am increasingly convinced of the principle of “transcendent moments” in parenting. It suggests that parents endure what can be a majority of unpleasant moments by experience occasional moments of “transcendence.” The example: Henry can be a pill. He doesn’t sleep when he should (when I should), he throws up all over himself, can shriek like Gene Simmons (but in a tone unknown to traditional scales), and is generally a source of distraction from other critical activities. That said, in the 30 seconds he smiles at me during a diaper change at 3 am with the “I just thought we needed some quality time together Dad” look in his eyes… all is forgiven. Its all worth it! That’s a high that no other earthly experience has yet afforded me. Which is critical when, after five more minutes, he has re-engaged in warfare against sleep.

2. I have a genuine and thorough astonishment for the mother of my children. I do not know how she does it. I have never been so relieved to go to work each morning for my “break.” Tuesday nights are “Annie appreciation night.” She works at Pottery Barn from 5 till 9 pm. The three of us (Chenry and I) barely survive this ordeal. A perfect snapshot of this would be me reaching down into the swing where a screaming Henry waits for me to fix the alignment of a bottle I have propped in his mouth. Meanwhile a fussy and slobber-faced Charlotte (in the baby holder on my chest) would be hunched over with me, drooling onto my work parents (which I didn’t have time to change out of). How Annie does this day in and out is truly beyond me, and speaks to the higher power that mother’s channel.

3. Oh…this is how parents lose it. OK, I am still perplexed by dangerous violence applied to children in moments of frustration… but I am less perplexed. No I would never hurt my child, but one night after a solid week of horrible nights, I went to put Henry down after his third round of rocking and waking (over 2 hours). I got him down in the crib, and did the commando hand release, perfect… perfect… easy does it….CLANK! I stepped on a playtoy while turning around. Suddenly Henry went 0 to 60 in 0 seconds. In the frustration that ensued I squeezed Henry firmly to my chest and directed the LOUDEST yet COMPLETELY SILENT primal scream into the heavens ever known to man. My spirit had left my body, joined itself with satan and then slowly returned… it was a humbling experience.

4. Little things. I, like most people, can do hard things. We typically endure hardship by telling ourselves “we can GET THROUGH this.” Just gotta make it to Saturday (scout camp), just gotta make it to May (difficult term), etc. I have found no one task to be too overwhelming in and of itself in this little parenting project. What tends to intimidate is the magnitude of what I signed up for. Tonight’s challenge may end… but there will be others next month, next year. We signed up for an EXTENDED program. The moments that this reality really settles on me are some of the most overwhelming.

5. Entitlement. I have no entitlement as a parent. I tried to convince myself that I do:
Dad: Dear Charlotte and Henry, Daddy works hard to provide for you and Mommy works hard to care for you. Because of this we are entitled to a few things: A) By 8:30 you will be asleep so that Mommy and Daddy can remember what the other looks like without four additional limbs, B)We will wake up 2 or 3 times each night, BUT you must go back to sleep after the 45 minutes it takes to feed you. This is our entitlement kids.
Charlotte and Henry: Nope
These are some of the hardest times too. You have told yourself you can endure it as long as your entitlements are preserved. When you “work” through your “break,” you find yourself desperately seeking an HR representative to complain to. I am a parent, support staff to a boss who does not understand “break” and is beholden to no schedule.

6. I have felt sort of guilty about not reading as much parenting literature as my wife reads. The other day I thought to myself… maybe it is good that one of us can speak from a relatively “un-informed” perspective. I tend to think (maybe inaccurately) that too much “information” can be a bad thing (e.g. talk radio).

7. There is nothing cuter than baby laughs.

8. Most co-workers and colleagues can’t tell which shirts were lurched on earlier that morning.

9. I was right in asserting that I did not need to “practice” by changing my friend’s kids diapers. Yeah, picked it up pretty fast.

10. If you think your awkward with babies… you are, but just wait until you have your own.

11. Annie and I watched a video of us bathing Henry at about 3 weeks. We were so careful and gentle and soft. This is an amusing comparison to our M.O. now which is to grab the “other’ child by the shirt because that is the only way to do it with the one hand you have available.

12. I can do things with my right hand now that I never thought I could do with both hands!

13. Necessity is the mother of invention? (oh and beenkies ARE necessary)…

14. Its all relative. Forgive me for this obnoxious observation. This one is hard. I know so many mothers with one baby who have really worked hard and been pushed to their limits. I get that it is REALLY hard regardless. That said, it is hard as a twin parent of 4 month olds to re-calibrate to that fact. For us, the dream is not a moment to ourselves… the dream is a moment with just one baby... TRULY! It is such a relief. Those are magic moments. All parenting is non-stop, but my experience with one baby is that it is non-stop AND humanly possible, sometimes it doesn’t feel that way with twins.

15. I love being a DAD!

Update in Pictures

2011-05-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

You'll have to make your own story for these pics. Figured its better to show them without details than not show them at all. I'll get you started:
"Cute Kids", and then "Jake heads back to Southern Utah"

Everybody get your Roll On!!

2011-05-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Proud to announce that Henry has successfully rolled from belly to back. Very exciting! Here is the proof. Its on now Charlotte...

The inginuity of motherhood

2011-04-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

OK. Long has it been. Blogging has just been usurped by a number of additional, arguably more important, things. I do miss it however, there is more to blog about now than ever before (classic irony right?).

Anyway Annie and Chenry and I went to Utah last weekend for Annie's grandmother's funeral (other grandmother). It was a joyous affair full of family, visiting, remembering... oh, and lots of snow. I have told everyone that the lesson I gained from the trip was that traveling with kids is easier than I thought, and that traveling with kids is harder than I thought. The actual traveling, though far from devoid of drama, was relatively easy. However, hauling kids EVERYWHERE once we got there, and tending to their needs in more of an improvisational form was pretty intense (like bad Jazz).

We were able to perform what we call the naming and blessing of our babies in Salt Lake at my parent's congregation (the congregation I grew up in). There was so much family there. It was really unforgetable. Perfection would have been having our friends from home there as well. But we were happy nonetheless.

Though the weather was not perfect, I was able to enjoy some quality sunny eastern Oregon on the way home (with Annie and Chenry sound asleep). What can I say, I am Great Basin guy! Just love that cedar and sage, and vista after vista.

Chenry are good. A little sick right now, but growing strong and bringing us tremendous joy! They are such cute little buggers. As promised the stressful and frustrating moments of those early months are already turning into fun and more sustainably challenging moments as we approach 4 MONTHS!

I would dream of sleeping more right now but... you have to sleep to do that...

Context...

2011-03-06T21:41:00.000-08:00

With Annie and kids out of town, I figured I would take the opportunity to do something I have wanted to do since C & H arrived... it is a good way to feel closer to them in their absence if nothing else.

Sometimes its easy to lose context on the miracles that happen in our lives. Change happens on a timetable that requires a little more patience than our Disney film spoiled minds can appreciate. This is a video trying to capture the miracle that is our little Henry and Charlotte.

It is more for my little family, but I figured there is no reason not to share. There have been many who have prayed and hoped for us for the last 4 years. This may give you all context as well.

The final song in this movie has been playing in my head for over a year. I knew it would be the song to this movie. This is becuase while driving to scout camp in the summer of 2009 (in the throws of infertility frustration) I was listening to this song and had the distinct impression that spirits beyond were letting me know that it was going to be alright, that they were coming. This song has represented that idea to me for a long time.

The miracle is not lost on us...

Family fun for C & H

2011-02-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share a little gallery of some pics of family with our little Charlotte and Henry. WE have been very blessed and fortunate to have a lot of visitors during this fun time (and I am missing pics of Aunts Jessica and Lauren who were also here).

In order:
Nanna Barlow
Grandma and Grandpa Callister
Aunt Sydney Barlow
Aunt Sutton Barlow
Uncle Dan and Aunt Angie Callister

Thanks for the visits (looking forward to more!!)

J, A, C, H and M

Full Baby

2011-02-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

Some baby pics

2011-02-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

These pics are actually a little outdated. But they are so cute.

This great experiment has begun now in full force. Today is Annie's first full day by herself at home. We are so grateful for the family help we have had so far. I think the next few days will really help us understand how helpful it was. Our prayers are with Annie today. I think she will do well.

Henry and Charlotte are a handful no doubt, but what a labor of love! We are enjoying the rollercoaster so far.

Update...

2011-01-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Annie and I and babes are enjoying our "babymoon." We are a little out of touch and feel a little bad about it... but it sure is a nice time. Not that any others would singularly disrupt this, but it seems easiest to just get off the grid for a little bit.
Annie's mother is here. We are getting our routine down pretty well. Last night we actually slept about 6 hours!! It was great. We were both feeling a little loopy and were so glad to have cooperation from the twinkies.
As I write I can hear them snorting and chirping. They are soo cute and we love them to death.
Just thought I would share. We may be off of our babymoon sometime soon.
Annie is doing much better and is getting around the house a little... she is loving lying on her back again, and sits in joyous awe of how quickly her tummy "deflated," and legs decompressed.

Thanks for the well wishes

This is the cutest. We set them down together and they locked arms on their own. Then Charlotte puts on this big smile.

Introducing...

2011-01-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

Henry Platte Callister and his younger sister (by 6 minutes) Charlotte Mary Callister.

On our 36 week day (January 7), Annie woke me up at 2:40 am to inform me that her water had broken. We scrambled to get things together (queue circus music)... Annie labored very steady for about 7 hours and then got an epidural. She continued to progress very well after the anesthesia as well.
Babies were born 5:09 and 5:15 pm, January 7, 2010. No C-section required, YEAH! Annie was pretty abused in the process however. Henry was 6 lbs 3 oz, and Charlotte was 5 lbs 7 oz. Little Charlotte was born breech. Annie suffered a very painful hematoma, and was in a bad way that evening. I have never seen her like that and it was very scary for all of us. For a little while Annie was afraid she was going to die.. .then she was afraid that she wasn't going to die. She pleaded to be knocked out. Saddest and hardest thing I have ever seen in my life. They rushed her into an operating room to extract the hematoma, and left me alone with twins for about 4 hours... yeah rough night!
That was the lowpoint and it has just gotten steadily better. The staff at the hospital have been truly amazing and helpful. Annie and I keep commenting that it is like one big workshop.
Annie and I have been sharing nursing duties... Perhaps not what your thinking. Because feeding two is quite the chore I am helping finger nurse one of the babies each feeding. It seems so far that the real test is to convince the kids that they don't exist yet, because every time they realize it they seem to be unhappy about it. There are some very cute wide awake moments with them though too.
We have stayed in the hospital a little longer because Henry has a little jaundice and for mom's sake as well.
For those curious about the names, here's the deal: Annie and I have liked Charlotte for a long time, we have known for a while that she is Charlotte. We decided recently to also give her her great Grandmothers name "Mary." Grandmother Foulger passed away recently and we like the idea of them having gotten to know each other a little bit, and we love this timeless and lovely name.
Henry is a name Annie has talked about since we have been married. We both have Henry's in our families (including Annie's biological maternal grandfather). It is a great name... and although I have been very reserved about it up to this point it is now safe to point out that John Denver's given name was "Henry John Deustchendorf" ... just sayin...
Platte is a name from my family. The name's origin is the Platte River where my great great great grandmother, pioneer, Eliza Maria Partridge Lyman gave birth to a son, Platte De Alton Lyman in 1848. My great grandfather, Joseph Platte was named after his uncle Platte De Alton. In the last few years I have taken a real interest in both of these ancestors and I know of no finer way to honor them than to try to instill their character and principles in my son, starting with their/his name.
We are so happy and cannot see, hug and squeeze our little ones enough right now. We love them so much! They are perfect! Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. We will likely leave the hospital Wednesday January 12. We have family coming to town and are very happy for the help. After that we are comforted knowing we have lots of caring friends in Eugene who wont leave us hanging!
Welcome to our family Henry and Charlotte!!!

Keepin it Real!

2011-01-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ever put up a blog post just because you need to be moving along from the previous post? Some posts can live in a relatively ageless condition, while others like those with a title that means "Merry Christmas" in German, can become stale and tacky very fast.

How ironic is it however that another type of post which has a very short shelf-life is the post that addresses the fleeting relevance of blog posts. By addressing the issue, I have set myself up for another quick turn-around. Thankfully, my wife is fully pregnant with twins and their imminent arrival presents the perfect opportunity for a healthy and rich, long lasting post!

This is shaping up to be a pretty great year!

Jeremiah Johnson pic is up just because we watched it last night. For such a depressing film, it sure does make me happy!

Froehliche Weinachten 1998

2010-12-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

In December 1998, I was a newly arrived in Dresden, Germany, a disappointing December transfer had me leaving my first area in the middle of the holiday season. It was a hard move. Had I known I was moving to one of the most beautiful and intersting places in Europe, I might have been happier about it. My mission companion and I got a very rare "walk-in," we gave our message and presented a Book of Mormon to the individual. They were distraught because they had nothing for us. We assured them we needed nothing in return... but they insisted. They handed me a CD in a cardboard case. It was called "Weinachten in Sachsen" or Christmas in Saxony. It was a promotional by the local newspaper and contained about 20 Christmas songs sung by the Thomanerchor (the boys choir that Bach directed when he was in Leipzig)...At the time I thought it would be fairly inconsequential. 12 years later, the Thomanerchor is a Callister Christmas tradition. Few things take me to that pivotal time and magical place more quickly and vividly.
What made Christmas in Germany so magical? Was it the smell of Bratwurst and Wassail in the streets? Was it the dreamlike markets? Was it the fact that I was spending every day sharing the message of Christ? Was it the fact that I was away from family and so much more poignantly recognized that element in my life in its absence.... Was it the handmade toys, the selfless members of the church? The answer is simple, it was surely ALL of these things!
However I want to address the power of the German Christmas carol. I have never seen a people with more reverance for their carols than Germans. We had an experience that Christmas that burned into my mind the effect that Christmas music has on the human spirit.
We went with some members of the Dresden ward to an old folks home there. It was a pretty bleak place, and these folks started out the evening pretty detached. Elderly East Germans have endured tremendous hardship and always had a manner and look in their eyes that embodied it. What ensued that night was amazing. I watched as these individuals went from cautiously listening, to tentatively singing along to literally whaling the words to these songs. I dont know that I have ever been more moved in my life. These people were channeling deep but vivid memories of one of the few memories of pure joy in there troubled lives. I was doing some channeling myself. We weeped/sang with these people for 45 minutes. There was no conversation or words that could have brought those people to that point. It was a highly spiritual moment. What I noticed through the rest of my mission was that you could rarley get through a Christmas song with an older person without them choking up, or at least beaming.
Since my mission, I have made it a point to get out to sing to the elderly every Christmas. Yeah a plate of cookies is nice and a visit is valuable, but you can transport a soul for just a minute when you bless them with that moment. Who can't relate to the emotion that the JOY of Christmases past brings. How much more poignant will it be in the sunset of our lives?
Every time I listen to my random German Christmas CD gift, I am reminded of the spirit and power of the Christmas Carol in my Christmas observance.
I hope you enjoy one of my favorites

My Prego Lily

2010-12-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

Responding to many requests for pregnant Annie pictures:

Isn't she cute?

We are almost to 31 weeks at this point. Babies have checked out well at every check up so far. They are moving around like crazy in there. It has gone from little pokes now and again, to sweeping elbow, head and feet movements across Annie's belly... what a sight! Annie is often sore these days but still working on her feet quite a bit and feeling generally OK, especially considering the circumstances.

Things are pretty great. Thank Heaven!

Memorable Weekend

2010-11-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

Annie and I had a very memorable weekend. Annie's Grandmother Foulger passed away a few weeks ago, and her funeral was this last weekend in Washington DC. Miracle #1 was connecting with a friend of Annie's in order to get affordable (albeit standby) tickets. Miracle #2 was Annie being in a condition to fly this late into her pregnancy (7 months and some). Miracle #3 was catching our standby flight out of Seattle to Washington DC.

The weekend in DC was just one great big miracle. Such a incredible thing (making it more miraculous and amazing that we could be there). It was true family solidarity and strength in action. Grandmother Foulger was an amazing woman and it was a powerful experience to be (and feel) a part of that group. It felt like perfect words were shared, perfect memorials expressed, and perfect celebrations enacted.

My first memory of Grandmother Foulger was in October 2003, at an apartment in Salt Lake City. I was meeting a huge group of the family for the first time. It was intimidating. Grandmother set the tone of welcoming and acceptance. I even had facial hair at the time, and she managed to get off one of the most subtle and loving critiques I had ever experienced (something about how great men look with a clean shave). I have included a picture of Grandmother with her sister Jean at our wedding in July 2005. Grandmother will be missed....

Back to the miracles: Miracle #5 making it to the airport in DC after GPS got us in a serious funk in DC traffic. Miracle #6 Landing safely in a Seattle snowstorm (one of the roughest landings I have experienced, maybe you have seen the news). Miracle #7 Making a Portland flight (replacing our canceled Eugene flight) as the 28th and 29th standby passengers! Miracle #7 warrants a little more detail. Annie and I were dead tired and very mentally drained by the time we landed in Portland at 1:45 am. poor Annie is 7 months pregnant (measuring 8 months), and had endured two very long flights and a stressful lay over. (I had this Joseph and Mary moment sitting there, it really hit home for me). The only place that had cars was Herz and it was clear why. They were asking $200 for us to take a car to Eugene for the night. We weren't certain if we had any chance of getting on flights or even the train the next day and desperately wanted to be moving on. We were also incredibly tired and the weather outside was... shall we say, frightful. Driving seemed like a scary options as well. The $200 was a massive discouragement also. With prayers in our hearts to have our nightmare over, we decided we needed to be moving on and that I could just drive slowly and drink some caffeine. Just as I was about to concede to the Herz sales associate, I noticed a gentleman walk in with the same glaze in his eyes. He was wearing an Oregon duck sweatshirt (U of O is in Eugene) and I immediately recognized the opportunity and seized it. As I got closer I was completely astonished to realize that it was an old acquaintance from school... no not U of O, but from Grade school, Junior High and High school in Salt Lake!! It was an almost out of body experience. What are you doing here? Turns out he had lived in Eugene for ten years and was returning home and got caught up in the weather mess like us. He had further complicated his situation by leaving his personal car key in a rental car in Vegas. He had to rent a car and return it the next day. Returning the car to the same location reduced the price to $100 dollars, which we split. We had a slow but comfortable ride to Eugene. This friend and I kept each other wide awake talking about old times, while Annie slept soundly in the back seat. When we returned home at 4:45 am, I have never been so happy to be in my house and in my bed. We expressed some serious gratitude that night for a watchful eye on us. Did Grandmother Foulger have a hand in any of this... why not?

Happy to be home and praying for those traveling this weekend.

Jake and Annie

Circle Game...

2010-11-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

We were talking with friends about our parents not having as many pregnancy pictures as our generation seems to take. The truth is WE DO HAVE the pictures! No it’s not MY mother or YOURS, but this woman captured candidly in a spontaneous moment of motherly elation represents ALL mothers from the years 1979 to 1986. No recession, energy crisis or unrest in the Middle East was going to keep this mother from achieving maternal magnificence.

And what father to be from that same era wouldn’t feel satisfactorily embodied by this proxy recorder player – representing ALL testosterone filled fathers and ALL of those Air Supply songs performed to audiences in utero.

These are from an older pregnancy book that Annie and I have around. The book is actually pretty cool and valuable, but there are some doozy pics in it, my goodness! From funny, and cute to fascinating and terrifying. WE hope your as moved as we have been (and Mom and Dad obviously were).
P.S. There is so much potential for adding your own picture captions here... please feel free to do so...

Lead on...

2010-10-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

Had to do some driving for work today and landed on something while flipping through channels. I don’t usually tune in much to our Christian music stations here. It feels wrong to hate music dedicated to Christian beliefs, so I guess I just don’t love it. Its just too… something… (especially ironic since I am a huge a fan of forms of music that exhibit numerous components of “too.” too old, too cheesy, too much information, too little information, too soft, too slow, too Norwegian, too subtle, too bold, too sad, too happy… Anyway more ironic is that I used to be in what can only be categorized as a “Christian music group” (no not Lokalgrown… that was religion of a different sort).
Anyway, I digress, I landed on a Christian music station today and got hooked by a tune that really moved me. Its message was one of those things I needed to hear. The song is called Lead Me by Sanctus Real, and it speaks for itself. It struck me how relevant the message was to things I have brewed on for the last few months (and the last few years honestly). I got a little sobby driving down Interstate 5 thinking about existing and, to a greater extent, impending pressures and the need to lead and be led. A great message to a great tune. Aah the tender mercies to be found in the subtleties of life. It can be overwhelming to think of what we are “called” to do, right?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAKBXBXz1fo

Sanctus Real - “Lead Me”

I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

How the time flies...

2010-10-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

I just spoke with my brother whose daughter was born today, and it struck me how fast that it all happened. This sensation is, of course, enhanced by the "gestation" occurring in my own life. I am referring, naturally, to the twins that Annie is carrying around. We have been trying to stay on top of weeks, etc. At first we really were on top of it... at this point I have to sort of sit back and remind myself. But one thing that we are consistently aware of is that it is all happening very fast. Annie had her first baby shower yesterday!! Whoa! We have been fairly good at taking pics. I thought it would be fun to show them. If I really thought about it, I might be able to assign specific weeks to these... but I am not going to. I took my best stab at chronological order however.
Enjoy:

3 Score and 3 years ago...

2010-10-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

I wanted to public wish my father a very happy birthday. He is one of my favorite people in the world and so today is a special day for me. I thought since I didn't share pictures on my last post, I had better include some on this one. Here are a few of my favorites, from yester-scores:

Love ya Dad!

My Dad is second from the right (with 4 of his 8 brothers)

Drama in Real Life

2010-10-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

I wish I had pictures to accompany this post... I wasn't in a frame of mind to think that way yesterday, and the day was something I figured I would not want to remember. We inherited, with the purchase of our home, a lawn of many and varied species of both grass and other plant varieties. Annie (and others) will tell you that I spend a good deal of time fiddling with our lawn... largley to no avail. Yeah its not the worst in the neighborhood, but its certainly only status quo (and there are definitely people who spend less time with their lawns and have better results).
For about a year now I have been flirting with the idea of de-thatching the lawn. "Thatch" is the organic stuff that builds up between the grass and the soil. It has been clear that this was preventing the lawn from succeeding in some areas. Thatch keeps sun and water and air out... not good. The reason I haven't thatched yet, is because I know it is a tremendous undertaking. Its easy to find something else to do on any given Saturday.
I decided it was now or never. We had a weekend with reasonable weather forecasted and this is one of the only times of year that it is recommended to thatch (spring or early fall).
My day started at 5:00 am. I got up and watered the lawn, getting up every half hour to switch the water around.
I had a pleasant breakfast, and waited until it was late enough to start up the lawn mower. 9:00 mowed the lawn once, to get it to a manageable level, then mowed it again to get as low as I needed it. I came into the house sore and exhausted and thought... this is going to be a long day...
I rented a de-thatcher which can be best described as a 'Power Rake" They are pretty gnarly machines. The blade rips up the dead organic material in your lawn and leaves a little carpet of stuff in its wake. It seemed to work best when I pulled it backwards... which was sort of like pulling a wagon full of people across the lawn... back and forth and back and forth. I then ran the de-thatcher perpendicular to you previous rows. Our 1/3 acre lot was covered in a 2 inch thick blanket of thatch. At this point I ran the dethatcher back to the rental place (a harrowing experience in and of itself (trying to keep the de-thatcher from hitting me in the head or slamming through our back window (all while driving a stick shift)).
When I returned my least favorite part of the project awaited me: Raking up the grass. Dear heavens... there was SOOOO much grass. It was the sort of thing you think "there is no way I will ever be done with this." About a third the way through the front yard a freind of ours came over with her kids. They started to help me. Although they didnt help much and ultimately destroyed most of my piles, it was a little tender mercy that made me laugh and forget my miserable task for a bit. I dont know if I would have stuck to it if they hadn't shown up. it took about two and half hours of rigorous raking to get the grass up and into the truck. I then took the grass to a reccyling place... assumed incorrectly they would have a shovel there... and ended up heaving everything out by hand... it almost killed me.
Upon return we mowed the lawn one more time to trim the stuff that had been lifted by the de-thatcher, and to clean up extra grass clippinngs. the project was pretty much non-stop from 9-5.
I then went to a church meeting. And watched the rest of the Duck football game.
Tomorrow I will fertilize and reseed some areas...
This had better do something positive to our lawn!

Note to all-- if you ever de-thatch --- stretch first... pray often... and get some help.

I'll post a picture of our immaculate lawn, when it is thus.

Jake

Blue skies smilin at me...

2010-09-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

Just returned from a fantastic and amazingly memorable weekend. After a brief skype session with my brother Dan and his wife Angie a little over a week ago, we all decided to get together this very weekend. It was fairly ad-hoc and sort of came together in a very quick and organic manner. They live in Moscow Idaho where Dan is attending grad school. We figured Seattle would be a fun equi-distant rendesvous. After some research Mt Rainier began to emerge as an even better spot to meet (since none of us have been there, and all of us have wanted to go). The weather has been fairly atrocious the last little while but we just figured, whatever, rain, snow, hail... bring it on.

We met in the town of Packwood, WA and stayed in a cheap little "inn." It was fun. In the morning Dan and I chased a herd of Elk around town. Very quaint and lovely place. Saturday was surprisingly and quite stunningly clear and GORGEOUS! It was also Public Lands Day, so the park had free entrance!

What an amazing place. You climb up and up, and it gets more and more stunning, then suddenly BAM Rainier emerges.. it is sort of breathtaking. We commented on the fact that the mountains around Rainier get a little bit of a raw deal since they are stunning, yet... largely ignored... we recognized them and showed our appreciation.

We arrived at Paradise, the park village there. It has an old old lodge and a fun visitor's center, and tons of great hiking. I'll let the pictures do the talking, but we had a fantastic time in that unbelievably serene setting. It was such a postcard, and again, the weather literally couldn't have been any better. This was probably one of Annie's last rigorous hikes for a while. She and Angie took a shorter loop, while Dan and I hoofed it up to a pretty incredible overlook! I was still proud of my cute little pregnant wife!

We rolled off of Rainier at mid-day and coasted into the Seattle area. We decided to avoid Seattle and instead head along the western shore of the sound. We stopped into Gig Harbor (because we saw it on the map and thought it would be fun to eat in a "harbor"). It was stunning as well... couldn't have been more serene... another post card. We could see Rainier in the background, and this cute little harbor town was out of some movie. We had some great seafood there and then yummy ice cream.

We stayed that night with my old college roommate Garet Barney and his family in Bremerton, WA. It was SOO fun to see them. We sang a little, visited a little and laughed a lot. We went to church this morning in Bremerton and got home this evening.

What a great weekend. Seriously one of the best. Thanks Dangie for an unforgettable time. The chats, tunes, and shared sunshine will be a happy thought for a long time.

A FUN visit to the doctor

2010-09-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

I know, what a contradiction: FUN and DOCTOR! Dear heavens Annie and I had a fun visit today at the Docs. We met, in the most real way so far, our little ones. We found out that we are having a BOY and a GIRL. One of each! Pretty great huh? I guess we each get one... not sure which gets which, I am just glad that one of them is a boy.. not gonna lie.. that's just how it is alright?
But seriously we are most grateful that they appear healthy and normal (Annie and I know that ultrasounds don't pick up on the "abnormalities" that our children undoubtedly possess given their genetic stock, but we look forward to their manifestation... well most of them.)
These little buggers are so cute. So we wanted to show you. Here is the boy:
Before the tech could get through her first sentence, we all noticed MY SON... in all of his... SONLINESS.
3D pictures are a little weird, but some of the ones we got are downright cute, and it is pretty neat to start putting together their little features:

Here is the little princess:

Look closely at this great shot.

Were it not for two placentas, her toe would be right up his nose. She is full on ready to spring off of his face.... poor little guy (she seems to take after her mother, in respecting personal space... just kidding hun...)
Finally, look at these cute little buns on our daughter... she must be workin out in there. We thought it was a little impressionist looking.. like a Van Gogh... cute huh?

Too long!

2010-09-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

My goodness it has been way too long since we updated. And this time it certainly isn't because there hasn't been much going on. August was whirlwind, and wonderful. We started out the month hosting Annie's sister and her kids. Jessica somehow got her kids from Ohio to Oregon (via Utah, Sun Valley, and everyplace in between) in a minivan... by herself. It was SO fun to have them here. We saw the biggest trees in the world (Redwoods), went on a wildlife safari (Winston, Oregon) visited sea lion caves and tide pools, and did some swimming in the pristine Smith River (and our bishop's pool!) What a great time!

Then it was off to Utah for what I guess we would call our summer vacation. Utah was great! For the first part of the week we just visited family, friends, and played some lokalgrown shows. It was really just right. The second part of the week was an adventurous trip down to southeastern Utah to retrace some of the steps and events of my great grandfather Joseph Platte Callister (if you follow our blog at all, you know I have been pre-occupied with him for the last few years). My parents, sister and husband, and brother and kids joined us. It was "epic." We had so much fun out in the desert... and particularly in desert areas where water was to be found (which we tried to arrange as much as possible).
It was a very moving experience to be with family in places that were very special to family. I am making an attempt to do a comprehensive summary of this trip, the places, the history, etc. so I wont get into it now, but enjoy the pics:

Also of note is the birthday party that Annie and her friend put together for Annie's thirtieth. We were out in the middle of a field, with pretty lights, delicious food, stellar company and just unforgettable times. It was so much fun! Hopefully we can track down some pics and share them soon.

Finally, Annie and I are 18 weeks along. She is a cute little pregnant lady. We will find out the sex(s) this coming week. We are SOOO excited.

Isn't she lovely?

A dedicated daughter of the Great Spirit

2010-08-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have been excited about this post. Those who know Annie well, know that she can set real high standards for herself in her creative pursuits (design, cooking, etc). About two and a half weeks ago she told me that she was planning to build a teepee for girls camp. After "participating" in some of last year's girls camp projects, my first thought was oh boy. At first I figured this was more of a prop than anything else... it soon became clear that this was not to be an academic exercise, this thing was to be the real deal.
Annie researched teepees, found patterns, scoped everything out. She started making a 14 foot teepee from scratch!! We bought and gathered old sheets, and she started sewing. With some help from a friend, and yours truly, she sewed hundreds of feet of fabric together (SOO many seems). Poles was a real challenge. the real deal would be wooden poles... not gonna happen (especially on top of our car). The compromise was PVC conduit pipe (10 feet lengths with additions). This way they could be pulled apart and reassembled. They were certainly less solid than wood, but they did OK.
I'll bet Annie put 60 hours into this teepee. The girls loved it, but I am sure they don't understand how much time and effort went into it. As was noted by a friend, that they wont know until they do a similar project for their girls camp girls.
I am sure you don't need a 14-foot teepee for a successful girls camp, but I sure am inspired by Annie when she gets these ideas and sees them through (after significant personal sacrifice). She is amazing!

Jake

Fiver years and counting...

2010-07-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

5 years ago yesterday, Annie and I were married in the Washington DC temple. 5 years! Good gracious. In some ways it feels a lot like, and in others it does not at all. Certainly five years ago when I heard about people being married for five years it sounded like a long time. Anyway, Annie is in girls camp prep mode (which includes designing and making a 14 foot Teepee....definitely the subject of another blog entry). Because of this, and the fact that we are honored and pleased to have my cousin Jordan in town, led to a less "focused" anniversary celebration. But it doesn't mean fun and even great things weren't accomplished.
Jordan and I went on an 11-mile hike through the three Sisters wildreness. It was stunning up there! We had a great hike. I am very sore. Upon return we went out to eat at Cornecopia (a burger joint in Eugene). We enjoyed the air conditioning in the restaurant, and I couldn't stop watching Dick Smothers who came in and sat near us. I am not kidding... there is NO question that it was Dick Smothers!!
Afterward we went to Voodoo doughnuts, and immortalized ourselves in the five year anniversary pics below. We wrapped up the evening with the movie 2012, which was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen, but was fun in that ridiculous sort of way.

We intend to celebrate properly once girls and scout camp are done (a true reason for celebration). It was still a great day!!

Get out while you can...

2010-07-19T16:31:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of "getting out while we can" Annie and I went for an overnighter backpacking trip in the cascades. It was gorgeous, and perfect weather. The mountain we hiked to felt and looked very much like Red Castle in the Uintas. It was such a welcome and needed experience.

We were the only ones there... the bugs made it easy to understand why, but with our good little tent, we still kept away from (mostly) and enjoyed ourselves. Here is to the wilderness and getting out while/when you can!

Jake

With great relief and happiness!

2010-07-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

With relief at no longer needing to restrain our excitement, we are happy to announce that ANNIE IS PREGNANT! We have reached a point of relative security in our pregnancy (11 weeks) an now want our friends and relatives to know. If that is not exciting enough, we are expecting, and have seen with our own eyes, TWO little ones inside of Annie. Yes that means TWINS. Whew. Talk about diving in head first. For those not familiar with IVF (we have gotten a lot of questions about it: Check out some details here :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_vitro_fertilisation
This is not exactly how WE envisioned starting our family. But after some VERY prayerful decision making, its where we landed. We are 100% thrilled about it!

Annie excited about another shot of hormone.... the first one was very scary... and even worse for Annie... We did this several times a day for a while... I was very proud of Annie.

How crazy is this... Most of us don't even have ultrasounds of us as a fetus..these guys are 8 celled!!

Our 5-week ultrasound (required with fertility procedures) was obviously very exciting. We laughed and cried when we saw our two little peanuts. It only took about two hours for a measure of reality to sink in… Annie and I were looking at pictures of women pregnant with twins: Jake: “Oh Dear Heavens”, Annie: “No, no, no, there is no way…” After the initial scare and trauma, we landed back in a place of relative comfort, security and excitement!

Annie has been doing really well. She has been tired, sore, cravy, and now and again she gets minor bouts of nausea. Really not too bad. We have been tossing around some name ideas already: Jesther, Flortence, Pasquah, Jepler, Hurplon, Chawsmuqe…… like we would tell you the names we are really thinking of so soon!!

Anyway this is a very happy time for Annie and I. We feel VERY blessed. We appreciate everyone’s prayers and support throughout the last few relatively difficult years (and look forward to continued support in rearing these little buggers).

Here they are:
One was a little more subdued and peaceful, one was really jumpy… ergo Annie thinks one is a boy and one is a girl… Can you guess what characteristic she associated with the boy?

Thanks as well to Dr. Austin and staff. They were great.

Nature's Air Conditioner

2010-07-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

It has been... well... WARM the last few days. Perhaps WARM doesn't quite paint the picture... it has been sweltering. Yesterday Annie got off of work at about 2:00 pm, and joined me in the sweat shop/ living room. She suggested we go to the coast...(aka Natures Air conditioner).
With each drop in elevation the thermometer reflected a corresponding and welcomed decrease. We went from 93 degrees in Eugene to 65 degrees in Florence.
We had a great afternoon on the coast, flying kites, watching wildlife in the tide pools, collecting driftwood. Perhaps no one enjoyed it more than MOBY. He couldn't stop running around, he was loving it. He face planted in tide pool after tide pool, it was very funny. We had some lovely chowder and fish and chips in Florence and then returned to our humid house. It was a great afternoon!

Endless Summer

2010-06-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Summer 1984 or 5: On a road trip through the national parks of Southern Utah with our cousins the Zaleskis The soundtrack: The Beach Boys. We had one of those zip up canvas cases that held about 12 cassettes (precursor to Case Logic). It was jam packed full of Beach Boys albums. They were the easy favorite of the Callister boys. We would all sing out loud with the songs. I remember being in the back and freaking out that Mom and Dad would take more than ten seconds to turn the cassette over. (This is because I was powerlessly stuffed into the back of the Jeep Cherokee with the luggage (this is ok because it actually wasn’t dangerous at all to be without a seat belt before 1985)….

ANY Beach Boys tune takes me to summer camping vacations with cousins… it just does.

I have had people ask me if there is something my family or parents did to make us all a little more musically inclined… although we did have lessons and things, I think the seed was planted on countless roadtrips, and at home with all of us singing our guts out together. Singing became like talking… what is there is to be self conscious about? The second singing out loud becomes uncool in my household is the day we are in trouble.

Anyway here is to SUMMER, ROADTRIPS, the BEACH BOYS, and family SINGALONGS!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDfH_J4MAUQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdov2UIjUpY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCZ_bv9aLc

Heavenly Blue

2010-06-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

OK... Yes it has been too long.

I have something fun to write about however... so here you are:

This last weekend Annie and I joined our friends the Rigby's (Brandon, Marcie, Rocky and Daisy) and the Richards (Sam, Chrissy, Holland and Becket) for some camping extraordinaire. Our original plans were a little bolder than we thought (a little early to get up as high as we wanted... at least without a hummer), but we landed in a lovely spot on Hills Creek reservoir outside of Oakridge, Oregon. The spot was perfect!

I spent my birthday fishing, floating, napping in a hammock, playing games and eating great food. It was awesome. The water and sky were the bluest of blues... a color we haven't seen much this spring!

Thanks to the Rigby's, Richards and Annie for making it an awesome birthday!!

Fleeting

2010-05-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

Ok I know some people use my music endorsements specifically to develop their "songs to avoid" list. But here me out... and give it a shot. Every now and again a band comes around that supports what I know is true, THERE IS GREAT MUSIC BEING MADE TODAY... you just have to dig a little for it. This happened in 2000 with Coldplay's first tunes, in 2002 with the Shins, and in 2003 with the Kings of Convenience, and once again most recently with the group the FLEET FOXES. Thanks to Adam Record (of Royce) for the recommendation.

These guys hearken back to a time when soaring vocal harmonies reigned, when funny looking people could sell records because the music spoke for itself. These guys are like the moody blues, the association, crosby stills nash and young, shins and beach boys mixed into one. I LOVE IT! If you are looking for a great sampler check out Quiet Houses or Mykonos

Quite Houses
Mykonos

Let me know what you think.

Always Growing...

2010-05-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

Every now and again, usually after a few days of incidental "unshaveness" I get the urge to let nature take its course on my face. I grow a beard. In my case, this is more akin to letting nature take its course in your yard than letting nature take its course in the wilderness. The wilderness option would produce the largest, most heinous neck beard you have ever seen, and most of my face would be consumed in hair. No, this is nature harnessed, this is trimming, edging, pruning, and perhaps even mowing. Its not a statement, its not a paradigm shift, its just hair where there wasn't any before (and where God saw fit to make it grow). The other thing about beards is that they are among those physical attributes that everyone is happy to share their opinion about (obviously because they either know you can remove it easily, or they have been waiting a long time to find something positive to say about your appearance). For example no one ever says "Jake, your nose is a little crooked and your eyes are a little too close together," or "your calves are hot" but people will say "That nonsense on your face has GOT to go"

Anyway someone at work sent me this link and I found it interesting and amusing. I guess this is really the reasoning behind my growth:

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/The-Trustworthiness-of-Beards/22581/

Excerpt:

A recent study in the Journal of Marketing Communications found that men with beards were deemed more credible than those who were clean-shaven. The study showed participants pictures of men endorsing certain products. In some photos, the men were clean-shaven. In others, the same men had beards. Participants thought the men with beards had greater expertise and were significantly more trustworthy when they were endorsing products like cell phones and toothpaste.

Jake

Happy Birthday Eli!

2010-04-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

Allow me to tell you about a young man I know
Do not be mistaken, he is no average Joe
His name is Eli Moss, and he’s pretty hard to miss
Except when he is sleeping or giving his mom a kiss

He snuck into the world while I was on its other side
Here’s a picture of my nephew Eli, I would tell the Germans with pride
We’ve never lived in the same zip code… or even shared a time zone
But when we get together its as fun a time as I’ve known

Yes Eli is the kind a guy you want to get to know
He can help you out, or explain the facts, or even put on a show
He’s one of the oldest grand-kids and wears the honor well
You’ll find its hard to disregard what Eli’s trying to sell

Its Eli David’s birthday and I’ll bet he’s on cloud nine
But wait a moment, he’s on Cloud ELEVEN! And that’s a totally different kind!
So Happy Birthday Eli, Were thinking of just you!
Cant wait to see you very soon, and the rest of your family too!

Losing a great American!!

2010-04-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

About a year or more ago, I wrote an entry about one of my newly found heros, Stewart Udall. He passed away a few weeks ago. I am dissapointed there wasn't more publicity or to do about this former Secretary of the Interior. What an impressive American!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Udall

When I heard Stewart speak or read his books, I just always felt so much in harmony with his thinking and interpretations. It was especially nice to hear it from somone who shared so much of my own heritage. He was 90, so we were fortunate to have him around for a long time!

God rest his soul.

Jake

Happy Birthday Josh

2010-04-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

I want to wish my older brother Josh a happy birthday! He is turning 34.. Wow! Not to freak you out Josh, but to put things in perspective, you were 6 when Dad was 34... Ok I am sorry I said that... But think of all of the cool things Dad has done since then!

This is a picture of Josh when he was 19 or 20 (I am guessing). Even though it is blurry I love it. One reason is that it is one of a few pictures that show the awesome wallpaper mural I put up in my room, but the main reason is it shows Josh in my room playing the guitar. Josh was not in my room often when I was a teenager, but some of my fondest memories are when he was there. One memory sticks out very plainly of Josh and I lying on my bed reading through a Garfield comic book we had, and just laughing our guts out! It was 10 year old nirvana for me.

Josh is a very funny guy. Everyone in my family is actually quite funny. Contemplation reveals that I however am the only member of the family who has to actually try to be funny. Josh is another sibling that just sort of talks, says it how he sees it... and you have to laugh at how wonderfully witty his take and delivery are.

Josh is a hard worker, a hard thinker, a hard reader, and yes.. a hard rocker! I think he is a great guy that I am proud to connected to in an unquestionable and irrevocable way.

I will always look up to you Josh, (even though I am now several inches taller than you) I hope you have a an awesome birthday!!! Wish I could be there.

Jake

The World is a Dorf (Village)

2010-04-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

Those who know me well, or have followed my blog for a while know that I am very into Family History. Most recently I have been intrigued deeply by my father's grandfather's history. Most of what we know about him is from his cousin Albert R Lyman. Albert R Lyman wrote several volumes of journals (by several I mean more than 10). He and my great grandfather were very close during a very impressionable time, and had some very exciting adventures together in the San Juan wilderness of southeastern Utah. Lucky for me this relative also wrote a number of books (both fiction and non-fiction). I just bought my 5th book written by or directly related to Albert R Lyman.

Now we turn to my Grandmother on my Mom's side, Elaine Spry Warner. This is a woman I have the pleasure to know very personally. My mother has recently completed compiling some of the histories on her side of the family. I have been reading through them as well. I stumbled onto the following entry of my grandmothers:

"During my eighteenth year (1940-1941), I received my Patriarchal Blessing form Albert Lyman, Salt Lake Stake Patriarch. May and Ruth went with me that evening to Brother Lyman's home."

I thought it was ironic that my Grandma had received her blessing from someone with the same name as a significant relative on my father's side. I KNEW it wasn't the same person, because Albert lived in San Juan County, was only 60 years old, and this just couldn't be the same person.

I recently bought a history of Albert R Lyman, and after a conversation with my folks decided to do a little more research on this to confirm that it was indeed impossible. First, I discovered that Albert actually had spent some time in Salt Lake in the late 1930s early 1940s... but no one makes you a patriarch after a few years in a stake... here is what I found in the Albert R Lyman history:

"In October 1940 he (Albert) was called as a Patriarch to the Salt Lake Stake. He observed then and many times later that he was neither prepared nor worthy of such a calling. But to us who knew him better, he was a natural vessel by which these blessings would come to the lives of hundreds of people."

I got that good old fashioned heart race after reading that!! What a great connection to stumble onto!

Looks like Albert has touched my family in more ways than I had thought.

Genuine Question...

2010-04-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

Whether I adhere to it or not, it is typically my position that I don't know enough about the complexities of political issues to make comments without coming across as ignorant to someone... So embracing that confession, I have a genuine question.

My scouts are currently working on the Citizenship in the Community merit badge. Last night one of our requirements was to discuss the services that Government provides through tax dollars. For 12 and 13 year olds you are always trying to keep these concepts simple, and so I realize inherent in that is the potential for error and half truth, etc. We started with the idea that a "community" essentially decides that there are certain services that 1) can only really be effectively provided at a mass scale (it wouldn't make sense for all of us to own and maintain the strip of road in front of our house, so we put that power and our money in the hands of government to make sure roads are kept at a certain standard, and to ensure that we can get around), and 2) services we feel are something that a general (comprehensive)provision of makes the community a better place (parks, public safety, libraries, etc.) Our goal (and I the goal of the badge) is to try to make the point that we pay taxes for these things so that, for example, when someone needs help from the police, they don't need to worry if they can afford it or not. I think the boys were catching on.

Anyway, as the boys listed all of these government services, (police, parks, street maintenance, fire fighters, libraries, one of them mentioned "health care." I had to stop and correct him. The assistant scout master and myself started to explain to them that Health Care is a little different. Honestly the boys faces were the best indication of how well we were doing to explain that Health Care is different (not very well).

It was a poignant moment for me. The truth is, questions of quality aside, many country's do provide health care as part of the rest of the service package mentioned above, and for the reasons that we had noted.

Can those who are smarter than me give me the "boy scout" explanation of why it is smarter to keep this service out of government hands? I think I know the Rush Limbaugh type answers, and I guess I am partly wondering if we are all on board with conservative talk radio's forecast for universal health care, or if there is more to it that I am missing.

Is it the "quality" issue? I found it hard to make that argument when the U.S. doesn't seem to fair tremendously better than other nations in our overall health.

Not trying to be obnoxious, and again, I confess genuine ignorance on a lot of the matter. I am genuinely wondering what your answers would be. This health care stuff is hard for me to sift through.

Jake

Fun day... and Mysterious Coincidence

2010-03-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Annie and I had a rare and wonderfully pleasant sunny Saturday (rare because it was sunny, AND Annie wasn't working). We called up our friends the Richards and went for a lovely hike. Eugene is bordered on the south by forested hills, and it is pretty amazing how fast you can be in what feels like a rain forest (especially if your from Utah). Upon our return I spent the next 2 hours or so weeding the garden plot... The weather was so pleasant that I could have been out there another hour or so. We ended the day at the Richards home eating good food and playing some seriously goofy games (along with our others friends the Palmers). One game involved me shaking until I almost threw up and another showed off Annie's extraordinary capacity for controlled facial contortion. Very fun.

As a side note. It took me a while.. but I pieced together something that explains a lot. If your not a Lost fan you wont really understand, but for those who are. How is this for evidence that my parents were part of the Dharma Initiative? The vehicle in the the first two pictures was our family-mobile through the entire 80's. I cant remember exactly what was on the front of it... There are a few months in the mid seventies that my parents could not be accounted for. And I seem to remember getting visits from "Uncle Ben" when I was a kid... anyway food for thought.

Hurley driving a Dharma Van.

Losing a "Real Man"

2010-03-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

Saw that Merlin Olsen passed away today after a long battle with cancer. Ok I was never an outspoken or overtly obvious Merlin Olsen fan, but as I reflect on this man, I notice that we share some connections and he was the type of guy that every young man (and old man) should want to be like. Merlin went to Utah State like me, and shared my love for Cache County. Merlin and I even met a few times (at Bear Lake while I was working there, and randomly enough in Newport Oregon at Annie and I's favorite little seafood dive).

Merlin seemed to be a straight shooter no matter what he did. And how great would it be to see athletes who behave like gentlemen and scholars in this day and age. Merlin set the standard for that when he played in the NFL in the 60s and 70s.

Last but not least, who will ever forget Merlin in Little House on the Prairie, how do you go from bustin heads on the field to Little House on the Prairie... only Merlin.

We'll miss you Merlin.

Jake

Me lady

2010-02-13T21:13:00.001-08:00

Happy V-Day hun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi6Qq5cgHkk

Jake

Last Little While...

2010-02-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

I am not sure exactly why my drive to post has decreased of late. Life has been admittedly more hectic than in recent history. Work is busy, teaching at the university requires a lot of extra time... I guess of the things that were unwittingly sacrificed, the regular blog entry was one of them. I certainly have lost no sleep worrying about what my devoted followers would do without my occasional quarky updates. I think there is a truth to blogging and it is similar to performing music in bars, cafe's, or at weddings (which I have done much of). The truth is that satisfaction for both must be based on the sharing, not in seeking some assurance that others will find it pleasing or entertaining. I think you set yourself up for disappointment if that's the approach. Like most things, I think blog posters are definitely getting more out of the experience than blog readers.

ANYWAY...
I was looking through the camera and thought it would be fun to share some quick updates from the life of Jake and Annie.
Mobius continues to bless our lives in his own little adorably obnoxious way. His favorite place to be is as high as he can comfortably be (usually the top of the couch). One day Moby found his perch occupied and simply reveled in its new condition.
Annie went on a Buffalo Wing kick... which has blessed the lives of those around her... Dear heavens they are delicious!!

Annie and I spent New Years Eve chaperoning a youth dance. These have come to more poignantly capture and rekindle the angst and awkwardness of adolescence than anything I am familiar with. This dance was extraordinarily fun though (maybe because I was DJing).
Yesterday, Annie had a rare Saturday off so we went Cross Country Skiing. It was great fun. New snow... a lot of work heading up the hill, but great fun coming down. We rested at a great warming shelter about 2.5 miles in, and had our favorite camping curry meal.... mmm yummy!

Life is good. Hope to keep posting more often. I surely enjoy it.

Jake

Take it or Leave it...

2010-01-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

First of all, Hello again. Had a bit of an off spell there. I post when I feel like it and... well.. I haven't for quiet some time. Quick update:

We are good. Annie is working at the barn (Pottery Barn) a lot these days. We see less of each other, but still enough, and more than a lot of couples we know. Annie started learning violin. I started teaching an "Intro to Geographic Information Systems" (GIS) course at the University of Oregon. I am enjoying it a lot. It will just last a term and makes me much busier, but its fine. Moby is as much a rascal as he has ever been (and maybe more so).

Got the February National Geographic today. "Polygamy in America" was the cover story. I'll bet you can guess what the story focused on... and where it focused. The article is fine, polygamy is what it is and was what it was.

My thoughts for this post focus more on the fact that those of us who are American Mormons and have been for more than a generation or two, are mostly the products of polygamy. Annie and I certainly are. This will be the case with greater and greater frequency as these family "bushes" expand into into future family trees. If one of the ideas was to "multiply and replenish" then Mission Accomplished!

I expect to get a few questions about this one. I fully accept my polygamist heritage without apology, and simply make my understanding of the history of it (and of them) clear to those curious.

Check out the article from a newsstand near you!

New Years

2010-01-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it is that time again. Time to make our January... I mean new YEAR's... resolutions. Having done this several times I have found the most successful strategy to be in making a SHORT list(like two or three things tops). Any more and you lose a prayer for even remembering them. I have also noticed in the past that I treat resolution making much like I would an assignment in High School: crank it out to check it off the list. Although it would be ideal to be considering my resolutions the last few weeks of December it just doesn't happen. I have thus made my peace with utilizing the first part of January as a "Research and Development" period for resolution making. This makes them both more appropriate and harder to forget. Another key to successful resolution setting for me is making those around me aware of my resolutions.

I pray you all have a wondrous 2010! I am hoping it will be a benchmark year for the Jacob and Annie Callister family too.

The Great Intangible

2009-12-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

Annie bought me a book I have had on my wish list for a while. “Man to Man” by Albert R Lyman. It is very rare, and I surely would have had no knowledge of its existence if I hadn’t been digging fairly deep. Albert R Lyman is by some standards a distant relative (GGrandpa’s cousin), yet he feels like an uncle for not entirely unfounded reasons (which I won’t delve into now).
His book is “Historic Fiction.” He makes clear that the main character (a teenage boy) is himself. It documents a sort of right of passage for this young man. From a very early age he was out wrangling cattle in the wild country of San Juan County, Utah. Here he learns how to be a man… a real man. He learns about the “Great Intangible.”
I was very moved and impressed by this concept. To religious people this “Intangible” comes across very clearly as the Holy Spirit. The Intangible whispers warnings to the boy, it comforts him when he is frightened and alone. However, Ablert infuses a very convincing, powerful and, for me, very moving added dimension to our concept of this “Spirit.” He says it best:
These are excerpts taken from the beginning (pre-teen), middle (teenager) and end of the book (young adulthood). Ben Roger is the boy and Fred Roger is his father.

…Beyond the trail and beyond the flickering light of their fire, hovered something intangible and still, something awe-inspiring because of its infinite vastness and silence. Fred Roger was at home and at peace with this majestic influence. To him it was a grand spirit of awareness in the vast solitude—the sacred hush of the wilderness, accented by the sounds of nature echoing from its remote and hidden depth. It had an especial affinity for his experienced and disciplined sense. But because this intangible was something new and strange to Ben, it filled him with a vague fear or apprehension…He half feared and half expected it all the time, this intangible essence of the wilderness…
…Half asleep he would bask in the pulsating presence of the deep silence he had once feared. He felt the pervading peace of the great Intangible which dwelt in all its majesty beyond the glimmer of the fire at night, and in the tangles of the forest beyond the trail by day…a strange harmony of forces and things… he found himself expecting it, listening for it, loving it. He wondered how it could really be a voice without a sound…
…What the difference if they couldn’t explain it? Neither would Ben try to explain about the Intangible, though he considered his knowledge of it to be the most precious of his mental treasures…they were surely included in the “true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” about which Fred Roger had spoken…

Albert’s beautiful and seemless weaving of an appreciation for and communication with nature and the natural world as part and parcel of the influence of the Holy Spirit is inspiring to me. Where can we best hear the still small “Intangible” voice? Is this an aspect of the Spirit we address less and less because with every generation we relate less and less to it. Here is to those who have heard and felt this dimension of the great Intangible, and to the opportunity (available and seized) for future generations to do so as well!

I think Yule agree

2009-12-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

Once again that time is near
Christmas morning is almost hear
But ponder on this simple theme
that Christmas Eve may better capture your dream

Just like Friday Night is somehow more
than the rigor and distraction of Saturday's chores
or how the smell of fresh bread can ring a more pleasant tune
than eating it and knowing it will all be over soon

You've bought all the presents
you know what they'll get
you know that this christmas
they'll never forget

Your not quite certain
whats in that box
it could be a jacket...
but it could also be socks

The darkness outside makes the Christmas lights brighter
your snuggled up with hot chocolate or hot apple cider

You wonder how Christmas has come so fast
It certainly didn't in Christmases past
You want it to slow down, you remember that feeling
The day after Christmas can be so unappealing

So Come all ye faithful, and let us rejoice!
and for this, Christmas EVE may be the better choice
More singing, more thinking, more hope for the season
more heartfelt regard for the genuine reason

This Christmas Eve, please remember and cherish this thought
its more about what you'll BE giving than what you utlimately got
I think if Jesus was choosing what is right
He'd pass on Christmas morning for this Oh Holy Night!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone. We will me miss all of you, and be thinking of you tonight!!

--Jake and Annie (and Moby)

Rachel's Day

2009-12-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

I think in the hectic of Christmas season's past I have failed to adequately recognize my sister Rachel's Birthday! THIS year, I will not let that happen. Rachel is turning 29... good grief!! Just one more year in the twenties: Here are my favorite things about my sister Rachel:

1. She was the original performer in the family (and probably the most talented). It would be unreasonable not to acknowledge that Rachel's early performances influenced me in that "hey that looks like fun... I bet I could do that" sort of way. Until a few years ago, she was non-stop, including a multi-year run at Lagoon that really showcased her talent. She is an incredible dancer and has a powerful voice. You showed us all how to do it Rach.

2. Rachel has a hard time not being real. I admire that. When she extends a genuine compliment, it is a powerful and meaningful thing.

3. She has an original and very real sense of humor. I have two siblings like this. I think most people define sense of humor too narrowly. Rachel is not a huge "act silly and goofy and get people to laugh" person. Her humor is in her subtle comments and gestures, she is funniest when it seems she is trying the least. To me it is more often the things she laughs AT that make her sense of humor unique and hilarious. When she finds the avenue to express herself humorously, it amuses me as much as anything ever has.

4. Rachel was always standing up for her beliefs. Rachel was popular in high school, but often strived very actively to avoid the pitfalls of popularity. She made a concerted effort to befreind the freindless, to date anyone who appropriately asked, and to serve whenever she could. I remember receiving a letter with a newspaper clipping while on my mission. It described how Rachel had arranged for a number of special needs kids to go a dance (or something similiar). Nothing pleases me more than those who defy the stereotype, and Rachel, was not your typical too cool, too cute too popular high school girl. I admired and respected that.

You deserve a wonderful year. I hope it is a good one.

Happy Birthday Rachel. Love ya

Jake

Jake Tunes

2009-12-05T17:33:00.000-08:00

Alright. I have held off for a long time on the decision to do this. Mostly it was because I didn't want to be tacky or obnoxious, but as I read through the blog, I notice that I breached that point a long time ago. I made the final decision after someone suggested that I do it (but get me wrong, I was dying to hear it). SO I have included one of those music widgets with some of my music on it. Annie may hate this, (because it is admittedly ugly), but that's another thing... she hasn't contributed in soo long, that it is really feeling like MY blog.... can I get a witness on that one?

Anyway we'll see how it goes. I put songs that I am singing on. Many of them I wrote as well. The ones I didn't write are Beat of a Drum, Wichita Lineman, Follow Me, Beside You and Patchouli Breeze (last two written by Daniel Callister). Drifting and Left of You were also co-written with Quinn Dietlein.

Quality is variable depending on whether it was home or studio recorded, but I like' em all. Hope you enjoy one or two at least. My favorites are Patchouli Breeze and Follow Me

Jake

Family History in the Kitchen

2009-11-30T16:05:00.000-08:00

I had a very cool experience yesterday afternoon.
I have recently been very fascinated with the history of my Grandfather's father Joseph Platte Callister. Most interesting to me is his link to the Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition and the settling of San Juan County, Utah. One interesting source of details in this history is Joseph Platte's cousin Albert R Lyman. He was a amateur historian and kept excellent records of his, and his ancestor's history. He is known as the founding father of Blanding and is a very interesting fellow.

I stumbled onto an online digital archive that contained his Missionary journal (actual scanned pages). I knew he and Joseph Platte had been very close and I was excited to see if he wrote about him at all. Initial browsing through the old cursive font of Albert R revealed no illusion to JP. Before I left the archive I thought I would look at the back of the last page. There was one thing on the page. A little portrait of Joseph Platte Callister. He is looking as sharp as ever in the picture! I had never seen it, and immediately it gave me the same feeling I had when I found my first copy of a rare John Denver bootleg vinyll, or a really big Topaz.. it was awesome.

No one in the family (and extended family) had seen it. Without leaving my kitchen, I was able to do some family history work and come closer to my ancestors.

and THAT is awesome!!

Jake

Giving Thanks...

2009-11-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

Man is wired to be ungrateful...
Our natural tendency is to consider first and foremost the "burden" we are forced to bear, and the joy we are being "denied." God bless a holiday that reminds us to consider and REMEMBER that things are pretty good. Here is my hodge podge of gratefulness:

If the world was a village of one hundred people... I would be the most well off in the village.... (because I have food, sanitation, and an education)... thats a hard one to blow off...

I won't be experiencing one of the highlights of my year this November: Thanksgiving in Sun Valley with family... but I also won't have to make a middle of the night, white knuckle, nine hour drive either...

I live in a comfortable house in a quite and safe neighborhood.

My trip to work is approximately 12 minutes

My wife puts up with all sorts of my garbage

My wife enjoys making unbelievably delicious food

I have a job that provides my family a sustainable income and health insurance

I am healthy in every critical way

God blessed me with a sense of self at a very young and critical age, which may very well have saved my life through teenage years fraught with insecurity and distraction

I have two parents who made outstanding efforts to love and guide me. Its amazing how this becomes so much clearer as you mature.

I have Public Television which is a saving grace in modern media (2 OPB stations now)

I have the rare CONVENIENCE of being able to worry about things other than safety, food and shelter.

I recently received a forward with a long list of advice from a 93 year old... it fits in well with all of this. Here are my favorites:
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
Its better to be kind than right
Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
Over prepare, then go with the flow.
No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
Frame every so-called disaster with these words. 'In five years, will this matter?'
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
The best is yet to come.
Yield.

Happy Thanksgiving

Jake

Quak!....Quack?!

2009-11-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

Due to the selfless generosity of our dear friends the Stockdales, Annie and I were able to enjoy some last second Oregon Duck football! It was frigid, but a lot of fun! The Ducks handily beat Arizona State (although they allowed some nonsense in the third quarter that made everyone a little less at ease).
Perhaps my favorite part was attending my first night game. It was the first time I have looked at tailgaters and thought something other than "really you guys? This is where you want to be right now? Doing this? The night-time atmosphere seemed more like a huge encampment of the Macedonian army. Lots of fires, separate parties.. the vibe was much cooler.
It was a great date night... including dark and scary bike rides to and from Autzen. Anyway No complaints.

What a great time. Thanks Dave and Teresa!

Jake

...Same Old.. (Continued)

2009-11-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

Five more Minutes

I would like to add five minutes to a lot of things. I would like to add five minutes of sleep after my alarm goes off. I would love to add five more minutes to my life, five more minutes to my lunch period, five more minutes for eating food, five more minutes on a long distance call, five more minutes to say what I need to say, five more minutes of peace and quit, five more minutes before I go to work, five more minutes of Peter Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like I Do,” five more minutes of having my back scratched, feet massaged, and head itched. Five more minutes in the pool, five more minutes with my niece, and five more minutes until the land mine explodes.

Things you can buy for 50 cents
1. If your lucky, a fantastic record at DI
2. Any 8-track (maybe two) at DI
3. Actually most things at DI
4. A packages of tacks
5. A pop
6. Not much of anything in Alacart line anymore (school lunch)
7. Favors from younger siblings
8. Two huge ice cream cones in the gas station at the end of Trappers Loop
9. One doughnut…WHAT A RIP!!

If my mirror could talk
What are you looking at? Are you really going to wear that? You know I am sick of looking at you, you make me sick, flicking your toothbrush juice at me because you think its so entertaining how the water sprays all over me. That just great… oh and the zit popping …terrific! How about the weird organic materials growing all over me… have you looked at my lower right corner? Have you? Whose gonna clean that up? Not you apparently… oh and then you leave me in the dark all day, I cant see a dang thing… mirrors need light to reflect einstien! Who am I supposed to talk to huh? The sink?! Yeah well I’m sick of it, you go and take a shower every morning, you fog everything up, I can’t breath, I can’t see. You need to do some reflecting of your own wise guy.

Fictional Place
My name is Zarko. From the planet Merkutsio. I am writing to you from the colonial province known to Merkutcites as Vietnam. I am lying in a pile of my own vomit. Why, you ask? Well that information will be released to you at an undisclosed time, considering you cooperate with my requests. If not I will be forced to take each of your bottom lips and pull them up over your heads, which may seem impossible to your feeble human minds but has proven possible through extensive Merkutsian research. Anyway, here’s the deal- Grant me political asylum or die…. Oh did I mention that I am in a pile of my own vomit.

Ingredients for Happy Life
1. Food
2. Folks
3. Fun
4. Time to love
5. Time to hate
6. A time for peace… I swear its not too late
7. Things to believe in
8. Music
9. Peace of Mind

Best Lookin:
1. Nancy Wilson (Heart)
2. Cindy Crawford
3. Kathy Ireland (What ever happened to her?)
4. Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
5. Stevie Nicks

Same Old...

2009-11-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight I re-stumbled into an old composition notebook of mine from a creative writing class my Junior year in high school 95-96. I remember reading through this with Annie once. Her take home form the experience was that I have not changed much since I was in high school.... I still am not sure how to take that. I know I have changed, but there are parts of that book, that sort of strike a chord of utter "jakeness." Its sort of a reminder of what it means to be a Jake. Here are some samples:

10 words I don't like: 1)tizzy 2)orb 3)vomit 4)putrid 5)begat 6)zit 7)chunk
10 words I like: 1)fuzz 2)Guadalupe 3)Larva 4)Garbanzo 5)fjord 6)lather 7)funkadelic

10 things that annoy me:
1)People who think all that John Denver sings about is drugs
2)Really intense fragrances
3)People who think the Moody Blues music is too weird
4)People who try to talk me into doing things I dont want to do
5)People who don't know the difference between the 60s and the 70s
6)People who play their music really loud in campgrounds
7)Mean people
8)Women's rights freaks (I was tempted to sensor myself... but that seems unauthentic)
9)Tangled fishing line
10)People who hit you as a form of greeting

Things I believe in:
1) GOD
2) Repentance
3) John Denver
4) Democracy
5) My parents
6) Phonographs
7) The old fashioned way of doing things
8) The Christmas spirit

Things I regret:
1) Not taking AP Biology
2) Only being able to live 6 months in the seventies
3) Having been a fan of the New Kids on the Block when they first became popluar
4) Having not tried in the 6th and 7th grade
5) Not playing little league baseball
6) Not recording every episode of the Muppets when they were on regular television
7) All the bad stuff I have done

"Painful"
1) Flipping over your handlebars and landing on your face
2) People making fun of John Denver
3) Having your legs tied to two separate horses and having them run in opposite directions
4) eating tomatoes
5) Braces
6) Having your eye poked with a sharp objects
7) Burning alive
8) Deep frying your arm
9) Passing a kidney stone

"Hell"

Hell for me?... Wow. Hell for me wouldn't be a place without milk, it wouldn't be a place with some horned demon with a pitch fork. It would be a humid room, that I always have to wear a snowsuit in. I would have constant indigestion and sometimes diarrhea, but I would never be able to take the snowsuit off, so I would have to.... Something like TOOL or SEPULTURA or rap would be playing loud and nonstop. There would be people all around me having never ending banana eating contests. There would be lice infested rats all over the ground. Ooh, and everyone would be slapping me on the back and making fun of John Denver.

To do before I die:
1) Visit every National Park in the US
2) Get Married
3) Have kids
4) Become a forester of Geologist
5) Figure out Algebra and how it applies to anything
6) Fly in a commercial airplane
7) Graduate form college
8) Go to Europe
9) Have HUGE TRACKS OF LAND

Hardest thing I ever did:
The hardest thing I ever had to do was finish a plate of this ricey, cheesy, spicy dinner my mom made about 10 years ago. I couldn't leave the table until I had finished. It was the most awful tasting stuff in the world, and I had a mountain of it because I thought it was going to be delicious. My brothers and sisters had left and were watching America's Funniest Home videos downstairs. But I was stuck till I finished. Well I finished, about an hour later having spent most of the time between bites psyching myself up for the next mouthful of Japanese concentration camp food. I would gag, plug my nose, close my eyes and force the food down with all my might. When I was done I was offered a piece of cake, but I had been too traumatized to think of anything else to eat.

(Sorry Mom... I bet I would love it now)

There is more great stuff... maybe I will share some later

Jake

Who knows where the time goes..

2009-11-05T08:20:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is challenging to accept that you have a one way ticket on the escalator of time and space. Everyone else is there with you. As you get older you seem to become more aware of this reality. Perhaps that is because when we are young we are so eager to get to the next day, next week, next birthday! Things change. I have started to understand, in the slightest degree, the way our grandparents and even parents feel about days gone by, "the way things used to be." I am too young to be having "the way things used to be" moments, and yet I find myself in conversations about strange devices called floppy disks, or watching a 12 year old on the bus look at a man's portable CD player like it was from outer space, or looking back at music or TV shows from my youth that I thought were so hip but now appear unmistakably cheesy. One example however that stands out in my mind is the impact of progress on areas where I had a real sense of place.

When I was in my very early teens my friend Trent Johnson and I would go rabbit hunting out near Cedar Fort, Utah (west of Lehi). Trent was more of a hunting enthusiast than I (when his Dad went hunting, he had every intention of actually getting a deer... I discovered after years of hunting with MY dad and uncles that the worst possible thing that could happen on their deer hunt is that someone would shoot (and have to deal with) a dead deer). Trent and I had taken hunter safety together and viewed ourselves as skilled outdoorsman. We were, however, skilled outdoorsman who had to have our mom's drive us out to our hunting grounds. Once you left Lehi or, Bluffdale, this area was pretty much the sticks. We really developed a connection with a specific area and loved our Saturday afternoons out there. We rarely killed anything, but always had fun.
Years later I asked a girl from school(USU) out. It was summer time and she was staying with family in Utah Valley. She gave me directions and I agreed to pick her up. As I followed the directions I realized that I was generally heading towards my old hunting grounds. She mentioned that the relatives she was staying with were a young family. It seemed strange that they would be on a farm out there. As I followed the road out towards Cedar Fort I started doubting the directions... I must have taken a wrong turn...this cant be right. Then suddenly I noticed a newer looking apartment complex... then another... then a subdivision, then three subdivisions!!!! It was like discovering a whole new civilization... like Will Smith in Independence Day.. I was flabbergasted. It was utterly astounded how quickly this area, that I would have guessed would remain undeveloped for decades to come, had become quite literally a city in a matter of a few years.

Time indeed marches on. I think of Annie's grandmother who is 95. She has watched the Wasatch Front go from being a few larger towns with satellite villages into an endless fabric of cities and suburbs. For better or worse, it is part of what happens here on earth. We learn, we relearn, we adjust, we adapt... and yes, amid all of the convenience and progress, we even yearn for what we've lost.... except for floppy disks....

Heppy Halloveen

2009-10-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

I know Halloween gets some bad press, and it is sort of a weird holiday to explain, justify, or responsibly relate to. Yet I feel a warm fuzzy when I think of Halloween. It isn't a Christmas or Thanksgiving fuzzy... but its not far off. Maybe it is just the celebration of this time of year, which is a stellar season. I wont say it has nothing to do with goblins or ghouls... because in a way.. it does (although more of a Charlie Brown version of goblins than a Nightmare on Elm Street version.

Recently Annie and I attended some Halloween parties. We have sort of lamed out on dressing up for Halloween the last few years. This year we thought we needed to at least make an effort. Still we weren't interested in spending much money. We figured we would approach the process organically and went to our favorite thrift store with an open mind. the idea soon developed that we could take an exercise theme. We decided that "awkward" needed to be incorporated, (especially after finding me some uncomfortably short running shorts--and I don't mean uncomfortable for me). After finding Annie a random speed skating suit from Australia, it was sealed--- our theme would simply be: "really awkward exercise couple" the guiding question was: "If you were walking your dog in the park, and a couple jogged past you... what would it take to for that to be the most awkwardly amusing experience it could be?" We tried to achieve this within reason.

I also thought it had been too long since we posted a Moby update. This is a pic of him fully aware of how much trouble he was in after getting into the garbage (it is hard to stay mad at something so cute).

A Mystery... Once Again...

2009-10-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

Read about this this morning. Apparently experts have been able to prove beyond doubt that the skeleton found earlier this year in the desert of southern Utah was NOT that of Everett Ruess's. Apparently there was some jumping to conclusions, and some mistakes made on the DNA side of things. So you decide, is it better news that Everett's Story remains a mystery? or is it sad that we have been robbed of some answers.... I like the mystery... maybe I still have a chance of stumbling into his remains or belongings in the wildlands of southeastern Utah!!

Here is the article, enjoy:

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=8397489

An Uncanny Resemblance...

2009-10-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw a picture of Joan Baez on one of her albums (probably 15 years ago), I remember thinking: "She looks a lot my Mom when she was a teenager."

Last night on American Masters(PBS) they did a profile of Joan Baez. I have generally only seen pictures of her. After watching her for an hour or so, I just couldn't get over the uncanny resemblance she has to my mom. Particularly her phases of life. The long straight hair (60's), the shorter cut (70s-80s), and the salt and pepper look (today). There were times when it was just crazy how much she reminded me of my mother. Annie agreed.

You and Joan were both very attractive young people Mom, and you have both aged very well! You could definitely pass for Joan's sister if nothing else. Here are some comparison pics (they don't do it justice, not to mention I don't have much of a selection of older (60's) pics, which are the best matches.

Craters and Shakespeare...

2009-10-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

Annie and I returned late last night from the shortest... but funnest of road trips. We have wanted for some time to go to the Oregon Shakespearean Festival. It is sort of a tradition now (this would be our third year). I usually get Annie tickets for her birthday... but I got something else this year. We decided we had better do it while we can, so Annie took off this last Saturday and we put together a fairly ad-hoc trip.

We decided to make Crater Lake part of the trip (partially inspired by Ken Burns new PBS documentary). We meandered through Highway 138, along the stunning North Umpqua River, and stayed at a humble yet homey little cabin resort at Union Creek (about 20 miles from Crater lake). I recommend it! The cabin was sort of ghetto, but charming in its own way. The resort is also right next to the Rogue River Gorge, which was really stunning (even at half light).

The next day we decided to dedicate the morning to a hike at Crater Lake. What a great morning! The angle of the sun in Autumn is easily my favorite... there is just something about it. It always reminds me of deer hunts as a kid. We stopped in to the Crater Lake lodge and stretched. On our 3.5 mile hike, we only passed one or two groups (until the end). The hike (up Garfield Peak) provided us stunning views of the lake. You really have to see Crater Lake to get the scope of it. Its not only how Huge it is, but also how straight down the cliffs are (how far down the lake is from the rim). They have some great park facilities there to explain the geologic history of the site (it collpased, more than exploded... very interesting).

After our hike we meandered down Highway 62 towards Medford. This was a gorgeous drive through a landscape very different than the Willamette Valley (where we live). I loved it!! Madrones, oak savannahs, even ASPENS here and there. We pulled into Ashland about 4:00. Our first stop was to get tickets (we didn't have any and were not at all certain (if not doubtful) we would be able to get any). The pleasantly hippie cashier was very nice and gave us some options and tips. We got standing room tickets for "Don Quixote." We meandered the streets of Ashland for a bit. Ashland is nestled against a mountain and has a sort of Austria in Southern Oregon feel to it. Its very pleasant. We stopped in for a lovely Italian dinner, the place had a really nice atmosphere. Even the loud woman behind us, trying to corrupt her nieces and my overly done pasta, weren't enough to break our pleasant mood.

Although standing for a three hour play is not ideal, it was surprisingly achievable. The play was fun. I have always enjoyed Cervante's story of a slightly dillusional and endearing optimist, and this play was a fun take on it.

All in all we had a great time! And back in time to teach my deacon's quorum lesson on Sunday.

The KING of Inconvenience...

2009-10-07T21:28:00.001-07:00

In the Spring of 2003 I was at work (at the City of Logan) listening to a online NPR music station out of LA (KCRW), when a song came on the station that caused me stop everything I was doing. I remember literally stopping immediately and thinking… this is unbelievable! They did not announce who it was. I racked my mind to remember some of the lyrics so that I could track the song down… I was genuinely panicked. I remember that I ended up having to search the online playlist of the show, and I actually listened to 4 or 5 of the songs before I found “Homesick” by the Kings of Convenience. At that time they were just releasing their second album. The next two months of life were steeped in KOC tunes. There first album “Quiet is the New Loud” said it all. It was exactly what I was looking for at that time. Two voices, two guitars, pleasant anglo-norwegian harmonies…

Annie became a fan quickly. After about 6 months, KOC made their way to the US on an extremely limited tour (10 cities) One of the stops was San Francisco. I decided I couldn’t miss it. My sister Rachel was living in San Fransisco at the time, and we recruited Annie’s roommate (also Rachel) to come along. We headed out on a Friday, for a Saturday night show. Ahh Nevada…. Before we left Annie agreed to pick up a guys’ surfboard in Reno and bring it back to Logan… with my Honda Accord. I was not happy, but I was also atypically indifferent about it and maintained a “we’ll see” attitude.

The show was amazing, we got to see them up close and the show was incredible. Another great artist “Feist” opened for and played with them. It was everything I wanted it to be. We could walk to and from the venue from Rachel’s apartment in downtown SF.

The Sierras were beautiful, and as we descended into Reno, I remembered our daunting task… the surfboard. We arrived at Shane Dyer’s house nice and early. His mom was so nice and had goodies all ready for us. The surfboard challenge went from obnoxious to a closely observed and analyzed test of my manly capacity to secure this ginormous object to the top of my sedan. My testosterone levels kept me from considering that this was a stupid idea. After about 40 minutes I had the thing snug on top of the car. We started out.. everything was fine… until we started going over 50 miles per hour… then things got interesting… the board was like a big sail. I am surprised we didn’t take flight. I began having visions of the board breaking free and sailing through the windshield of a mini-van decapitating the unsuspecting family right in the middle of the chorus of Old McDonald. We stopped for a council at a truck stop about 40 miles east of Reno. The council was heated; Take the surfboard back? No way, then I will have wasted 3 hours of life; drive at 45 miles per hour across Nevada? I would rather drive the surfboard back to San Fransisco; Stuff the surfboard INTO the car? Yeah right there is no w…. wait a second .. yeah lets try that.

In an act that only prayer and brief fasting could have allowed to realize, we defied the laws of physics and stuffed that surfboard into the car. The back end was pressed “firmly” against the back corner of the trunk, and the tip was pressed firmly against the opposite corner of the windshield. Annie sat in the front seat UNDER the surfboard, while Rachel sat next to the surfboard in a fairly contorted fashion (and without a seatbelt, which she reminded us of the rest of the way home). Form the drivers seat, I could see neither one of them.

At 1:00 am as we drove near the Utah-Nevada border (near Snowville). The amusing thought came to me of the impression the officer who would pull us over would have when he saw a dude, two ladies, lots of luggage and a surfboard stuffed in an Accord… and in the middle of the Great Basin… Glad it never happened.

Had we been further removed from the high of the Kings of Convenience concert we might not have made it. Oh and Shane (my future brother-in-law… another story) was very happy to have his board to take to Mexico the next week. Anything for family right… even if you don’t know they are….

All this simply to announce that the Kings of Convenience have a new album!!! After 5 years… I am so excited…. “Declaration of Dependence” will be released October 20th, 2009. Here is a teaser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yanODtMA7Vg

Touchin in....

2009-10-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a few pics from our brief trip down to Utah last week for my littlest sister Deborah's wedding. It was a great time! Dan and I even got to be the soundtrack for the reception (well us and the rest of lokalgrown). The whole family was together for the first time in quite a few years. We spent a lot of quality family time together. Including a trip up and over Guardsman Pass and into Park City. I was pleased to see the pass hadn't changed much, but was shocked at how Park City seems to continue to creep over the mountain.. pretty soon my parents house will be a suburb of Park City.

The colors were amazing. My favorite tree, without question, is the aspen. They were looking great at Guardsman.

It was great to see all of you family. I felt especially privileged to get to spend some quality time with the Moss boys. They sure are growing up!!! We sure love and miss you all.

Congrats Deb and Stephen, and good luck!

Jake

Roommate Moment

2009-09-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have no intent with this blog entry to dim the importance or value of any other period of my life. I think I can, however, with confidence and conviction, declare that college was the funnest and most carefree time in my life so far. I will follow that with two important points: (A) Life is truly not just about having fun, and (B) I did graduate from college with sufficient grades and understanding to get me into Graduate school… (which was less fun by the way).

This moment is a reflection on one of many college moments. Once again it is the story of a road trip. This time with college roommates Quinn Dietlein and Lance Stott. I don’t think we three were actually ever roommates together, but I was certainly roommates with Lance, and certainly roommates with Quinn. We decided to go on a road trip through southern Utah. (If anyone has any doubt about me missing the red rock of my home state, then you needn’t look further than my blog entries). The beauty of a college student’s life is their ability to mobilize on impulses. If I remember correctly this expedition was rather ad-hoc.

Quinn and I’s relationship began when he was my zone leader on my LDS mission in Germany. The stoic and disciplined Quinn I knew in that environment would be replaced by a largely irreverent, uninhibited showman, with a wit that I have not found an equal to. Lance was a neighbor –turned friend, and our relationship was built on an affinity for music and the wilderness (Lance opened for lokalgrown at our first show in 2001, as the aptly named “Stott”)

The first 4 or 5 hours of the trip really set the standard for the whole expedition. From Logan to Green River, I doubt there was 15 minutes of total silence. Quinn and I share a preoccupation with hearing the sound of our own voices… not talking mind you… but rather singing… and not always pleasant either. I hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time. At one point the event had ceased to be just a silly exercise, and in an instant I realized that Quinn and I had sung three or four successive Beatles songs together in a completely invented (orientally derived) language, without looking at each or even cracking a smile. What’s more is that I turned around and noticed that Lance (not as inclined to such behavior) was staring out the window and inserting random and enthusiastic contributions to our Asian mix. I would give an organ to have this moment on tape. Priceless!

Quinn was preparing for a musical recital at school and had brought along his music. I will never forget the image of Quinn (wearing basketball shorts and shoes….. and NOTHING else) walking through a slot canyon with his music folder, singing a classical German piece. I will also not forget Lance and I’s effort to distance ourselves from this unnatural (or overly natural) spectacle.

We passed through Hanksville and Torrey (Quinn and I made an as-yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecy that lokalgrown would play a show on the 12 ft by 12 ft stage in their city center (across from the burger joint). Next we climbed over gorgeous Boulder Mountain, and gazed from its lofty heights down into rift valleys of Capitol Reef National Park. We drove across the Hogsback of Highway 12 between Boulder and Escalante. That night we slept on the edge of a wide panorama of Grand Staircase National Monument (I’d tell you where, but then my secret would be out). That night we pontificated about an animal we saw in the wash below us, swearing that it was a bear… it had to be!! We’d NEVER seen an animal move like that. Quinn would not leave the fire after Lance and I made this scientific conclusion. The next morning Lance and I bravely journeyed to the wash and with slight embarrassment approached the Cow and calf that were peacefully meandering through the wash (and doing so in an astoundingly cow-like fashion….). Quinn stayed behind to “practice his music” (and to not get eaten by the ferocious “bears”).

The next leg of the trip was through Bryce Canyon (where Quinn and I somehow forgot all of our German in a humbling and awkward exchange with two fairly attractive German girls at Ruby’s Inn). Thankfully, Spanish speaking Lance still probably doesn’t know how unsmooth Quinn and I are capable of being (then again maybe he knows better than anyone else). It was then off to Piute County, Centerville and Richfield, Scipio and home.

These are two friends (among many) that I do not see enough of. We shared wonderful times, well beyond the above described experience. For the late-teenager wondering about college: Please do not rob yourself of this incredible opportunity for every good thing in the world to happen to you in a matter of years!!! Go Aggies!!

Shout out to the LKG

2009-09-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

The only credit I can claim, is being a founding father of this band... ( and emeritus member). Great interview you guys!! For those who want to see Lokalgrown in concert, they are playing at the Layton Amphitheater Thursday September 17. I will be with them in spirit. Check out their KSL Studio 5 appearance from this morning.
Long may you run LKG...

Jake

Alaskan Memory

2009-09-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Between the months of May and September of 2001, I ventured to a corner of the world that many dream of reaching. In the past these dreams were often shattered by cold and disappointment. Your odds for success are better in the new millennium.

I decided the summer after I got home from my mission that I would go far away, reinvent dimensions of myself. The desire was very genuinely a remnant of both pent up wanderlust from my mission, and a decade old desire to go to the "last frontier." I had made wonderful friends that year at Utah State, but felt no desire to remain nearby that summer. I was off, by myself. It was thrilling.

That summer I worked in a gift shop outside of Denali National Park. I played volleyball in daylight at midnight, experience summer solstice under Mt. Mckinley (Denali) a full 7 hour drive from any paved road, performed for the public for the first time, met lifelong friends, climbed mountains, saw grizzly bears and caribou... it was a great summer. A hard one to convey to others.

Someday I will return to the land of the midnight sun... mark my words. The picture is of Dave Davis and I (one of several very good friends I met that summer).

Jake

The Enigma with the Stigma

2009-09-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

At the risk of further alienating myself from mainstream America I am choosing to make another bold statement.
The Bee Gees are indeed an "enigma with a stigma." This incredibly talented group of brothers (Brothers Gibb)reached iconic status for their contributions to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and as a result became the involuntary banner carriers of the new "disco" sound.
What is often and TRAGICALLY ignored is the INCREDIBLE music this group made long before the disco era ever began (l967-73). There songs, in my opinion, were some of the best ballads and melodies written at that time. I have attached some clips of their earlier stuff for those interested. Those of you not interested can continue in the false belief that the Bee Gees were simply a "disco group." I have also deemed 12:00-1:00 today "Bee Gees appreciation lunch hour"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc5oqjFsT5g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykU8iSKkJR0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COqUjfrB8dI

Enjoy

Jake

An Epic Moment

2009-08-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

This moment is an addition to the “early days” chapter of Annie and I’s story. This is a pre-courtship moment, a “were just friends moment”, but a pivotal, nay, critical, nay, EPIC moment in our history. The picture is the only pre-marraige pic I could find (Canyonlands 2004), but it was taken a good 3 or 4 years after this moment.

Annie had come over to our apartment to see my roommate Nate, her friend from Ricks college. I was the only one home and successfully made every attempt at keeping her around. She ended up sitting on the couch, and we talked for a while. Somehow through our conversation she mentioned that she was hoping to drive to Jackson Hole that weekend to look for a summer job. I jumped at the opportunity to provide her with some company.

That Saturday morning I came by her apartment. Our day started out in a poignant orientation in the ways of Annie that I did not truly appreciate at the time. Her hamster was dying… later I came to find out that her hamsters were very frequently in a near state of death, and that Annie had a long history of restoring hamsters to health. Although if you know Annie, you know that her hamster stories always end in death. Anyway, we waited to nurse her hamster to life and then took off.

Road trips are easily the best way to get to know someone. Stuck in the same place, two feet from one another, perfect balance of opportunities for conversation or non-awkward silence (radio listening or simply scenery watching), and a shared goal. This was when I got to know Annie in the most basic way. “You have how many siblings? You live with all of your Aunts and Uncles? Sounds like a compound….” now that I have heard Annie tell her story so many times, its funny to remember the first time I heard it.

We drove through gorgeous country, had wonderful conversation and even got Annie a job in Jackson. I made a CD for the trip and even called it the Jake and Annie Jackson mix. We still have the CD today (after allowing Annie’s sister Lizzie to babysit it for a while). Annie heard some of her first Moody Blues on that trip and I heard my first Ben Harper song.

We decided to go over the Tetons and into Idaho on the way back. We spontaneously decided to stop in at my Mission President’s home, which we were driving right past. It was wonderful, and Annie did a great job of playing the quasi-girlfriend part in front of Ma and Pa Moss. Needless to say they approved and always ask about her by name whenever they call or write.

Incidentally, this trip, I believe is when I decided that I really liked Annie Barlow, and it is also when Annie decided that we would just be friends…. I showed her didn’t I?

Good on Us!!!

2009-08-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

I wish I could provide a picture with this post... but as of this moment... I cannot place the camera. I am sure it will reappear....right?

Anyway. Annie and I are always busy with our work with the youth in our congregation. Every week requires at least two days that are dedicated in some manner to a lesson or activity/event. But we both recently wrapped up something that required a bit more attention and dedication: Girls Camp and Scout Camp... and the feeling is: GOOD.

Annie was Girls Camp director for our ward and was very involved in inventing fun activities and creating crafty things (which she recruited me for in several late night craft sessions... which I think she still regrets). She did a great job, and had some great help! The girls had a wonderful time. No surprise right? How could you not enjoy a week in the wilderness with Annie?

My Scout Camp was the week afterward. It also was very involving and turned out really good.

Last night we relaxed on the couch to a movie in the way that you can only appreciate when you have taken on something challenging and completed it successfully.... I guess I had better get ready for Wednesday night....

Jake

A brief vent...

2009-08-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

I try to keep my political thoughts mostly to myself. I know way too little to have anything meaningful to say. I also feel a blog is not the best venue for presenting such thoughts. But this is less political philosophy and more social philosophy. I am troubled by the recent approach that has been taken by citizen's at town hall meetings about health care reform. Most upsetting is the OVERWHELMING far-right framework that is encouraging and supporting this "sabotage." One site I looked at encouraged readers to "join the mob."

Perhaps this hits closer to home for me. I am a public servant. I have spent many nights in City Council meetings and Planning Commission meetings. It is common that there is a person or two who take full advantage of there "right" to voice opinions... their approach is heated, angry, and honestly childish. It is also common that there is a person with the exact same objectives who presents a well spoken, calm, and respectful opinion. Both are seeking the same outcome, but one has allowed a meeting to take place, while the other has really created an obstacle to resolution.

I am sure there are meaningful town hall meetings taking place all over, and we are just seeing reports about the heated ones. Most folks are civil enough to laugh off suggestions that they "sabotage" these rare opportunities for public feedback. We all have the right to be upset about something, but it just seems so ugly to approach it in the manner some have chosen to.

Jake

Too Much Heat and Too Much Information...

2009-07-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Warm is a feeling you get when you see
ferries eating marshmallows
or nymphs filled with glee

Hot is a feeling that's tied with the summer
It isn't really pleasant
but not too big a'bummer

Hot-Musty-Nasty is a term I've invented
to describe the discomfort
that July has just vented

Here sleep is like laying in a bed of linguine
with the sweat from my body
I could water our zuchini

I scream out the window at the top of my voice
"wheres the temperate summer promised
when we made this choice!"

Dinner preparation is an unbearable chore
I convinced Annie to use one oven range
instead of all four.

A shower in the morning and a shower at night
I wish for one at midday....
but it doesn't seem right

I once scorned the people so scantily clad
but now I have joined them
like a native of Chad

Hey neighbor how are you? you want to go see a show?
I'll just put on some trousers
and we should be good to go.

Just turn up your AC, the ignorant say
shall I ride my imaginary polar bear
while on my way?

Stay cool and clearheaded,
drink oft and be wise
A cool front is coming
keep your eye on that prize

Are you Sitting Comfortably?

2009-07-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Annie is outdoing herself these days. When I first saw that the Moody Blues were coming to Eugene, I made a decision. I had seen them several times, there were other things we could use the money for, I was going to convince myself that they could come to town and I would not NEED to see them. For those who don't know, the Moody Blues are my favorite band, have been since I was in junior high.

Anyway as the concert got closer, I started having dreams where Justin Hayward (lead singer for the Moodies) would be looking at me all disappointed-like. Because Eugene's "hippie per capita is so high," it also seemed that everyone was talking about it. But I was going to be strong. But I wasn't counting out a miracle.

I came home from work yesterday and Annie had left me a surprise: Two tickets to the show!!!! So now I just needed to figure out who to take... just kidding. I was so excited. Suddenly, we were going to the show!

The temperature was 9,000 degrees all night, but we brought a water bottle with us and kept cool. Eugene came out in all of its counter-cultural flare. Most of the time I struggled with the predicament of whether to watch my life-long musical idols... or to watch the gyrating inebriated hippies (all senior citizens mind you). It was very entertaining.

The show was great! They still sound fantastic and played some of my favorites: "Are you Sitting Comfortably," "Driftwood," "Story in your Eyes." It was a classic time!

Thanks Annie
Jake

Cooler memories...

2009-07-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

I find myself, on these hot, almost intolerable summer afternoons, daydreaming about the crisp cool air of winter. It is no surprise to me that there are several communities out there that celebrate “Christmas in July.” Certainly our natural tendency is to desire what we currently don’t have. Perhaps this sentiment was most strongly thrust upon me as I visited yesterday with a neighbor in my sweltering living room and came to the sudden and unpleasant realization that there was a steady stream of sweat traveling down the center of back and into my nether regions. Such moments call to mind memories of cooler…yet heart warming moments:
Christmas Memory:
December 1998: I was living in Dresden, Germany as an LDS missionary. All of the missionaries in the area had come together in Dresden for a conference. These meetings were always a very pleasant get together. Good food, good advice, good fun, good company. Towards the end, a group of elders were gathering around a piano and had decided that it would be fun to go down to the Dresden Christmas Market (one of the oldest in the world), and sing some carols. I was invited at the recommendation of one Elder Quinn Dietlein, an elder that I barely knew from Adam, but had heard that I had a voice.
We went to the Old City where the market was. Christmas time in these traditional city centers in Germany are a magical experience. The smells, noises, sites: It is Christmas at its best. We found a place under an old stone bridge linking the riverfront and the market, an area of high traffic and great acoustics. It was a magical hour of music! I was on cloud nine. In a beautiful place, with very talented singers, bringing joy to passers by. It was freezing, but we were un-phased. It remains an incredible Christmas memory. And for those not aware, Quinn Dietlein became a very close friend/roommate/bandmate, and a person I have shared many subsequent magical musical moments with.

Vacations pics forthcoming... but until then....

2009-07-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic vacation in New Hampshire. It was epic! Water, Sun, Sleep, Food, Mitt Romney.... Anyway, it really was a great time. Thanks to the Barlow clan for making it so much fun. I will post some vacation pics, but I need to get the good ones from my sister-in-law first. Until then I will attempt to entertain you with nothing but the hair on my face. I experimented with my beard this last few weeks (its been several years). Now that I am back to the professional world I figured I should shave it, but not without the mandatory "What can I do with it" session. Here are the results. Enjoy!

Jake

2009-07-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Comfortably Nestled Between Two Vacations
Life is hard, you'll all agree
its filled with work and grief you see
now work can be fulfilling
and grief helps us grow
but a break from both can be good you know
We work and work to pay the bills
To repair our roads and fix social ills
and just for a few days we step back and say
what is it that I want to do today
a new sort of living becomes our reward
for a few days we dance to a more pleasant chord
its easy to think... what if life were this good?
and what if I threw out the book of "I Should..."?
to live without deadline, or meetings, or bounds
just footloose and fancy to agreeable sounds
ah but who are we kidding, were too sharp you see
A life that simple is not for me
Now its certain to me what life needn't be
full of endless setbacks and drudgery
but conflict and hard work sure have their place
they stretch us and bring us to a better place
They say a clear conscience is the softest bed
and of a hard worker's vacation the same could be said
You've earned your reward, not just after 5
our society challenges being ALIVE
so go to the mountains, the lakes and abroad
give the non-working YOU the consensual nod
stay up late at night and eat good food
you needn't be reckless, unpleasant or lewd
Its just a time for you to see
that GOD is pleased with our humanity
life's not a vacation its not just for kicks
but enjoy it and remember its part of the Mix!

Family Moment

2009-06-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

I am much excited about heading down to Utah this weekend for the Callister Family reunion. Summer has begun, and many are gathering up the chicks and heading for adventure. There has been much talk recently of "simplifying" vacations. Many are having to "downgrade" to more local vacation spots, and simpler accommodations..... sounds like a Callister family summer trip! Thankfully, we grew up in a spot that was within a few days drive of many of the coolest places in the world (Yellowstone, Glacier, Zion, Bryce, San Diego, San Fransisco, Victoria BC). The truth is we only left the state of Utah on rare occasions. Between those adventures and many I've had since, I am blessed with a rich memory of nearly every corner of the state. One particular trip stands out to me right now: It is today's great moment:

Colorado River float: June 1998.
I was about to leave on my mission and this trip was to be one of the last I would have with the family for a long time. We busted out the family raft and a few cheap floating appendages, headed to our favorite stretch of River (about 30 miles northeast of the City of Moab). This location is nothing short of stunning. High red cliffs frame your view, and occasion breaks in the canyon provide views of the snow capped La Sal mountains, and an occasional rock formation. This section of the Colorado River is more akin to a lazy river than the turbulent rapids that prevail further south. There is, however, enough whitewater to keep adventure seekers satisfied.

This trip was a mix of floating face up next to the raft in the refreshing (albeit incredibly dirty) water of the River, cliff jumping from the lower bluffs adjacent to the river, singing songs around the campfire, water fights, and sharing funny memories of summer trips past. This specific trip was also seasoned with drama and limited hardship. At one point the wind was blowing so hard that we had to row DOWNSTREAM for about an hour... that was less fun. And when we made the ill-fated decision to entertain ourselves by bouncing off of a rock, which ended up trapping us in the full torrent of the Colorado River and pinning my Dad's leg under a rope between two rafts..... we wondered if we would have fond memories of the trip... but after surviving with only shallow physical and emotional scars we got over it quick.

What a great time! Here's to the float trips of the future!

Jake

WELL Done Annie!

2009-06-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Annie does well... as most of you know. She cooks well, she designs well, she gets along well with others. I would like to point out two things she has done well recently that should not go unnoticed.

1. Annie made my birthday very special and fun! I was waiting on pictures to report on this one... and I am sorry I don't have them, but this shouldn't wait (perhaps I will add them later (they are good). Annie surprised me on my birthday and took me to a local vineyard "King Estates." It is south of Eugene about 20 miles. To get there you drive through gorgeous meadows and farms, and the vineyard itself is unbelievably scenic. I cant believe we hadn't been there yet. We had a wonderful lunch (incredible Crab cakes), drank some wonderful wine.... just kidding, and Annie gave me her present. She got me a GPS unit! I have long wanted one but it has always been just a little too far down the wishlist, and a little too expensive. I was very surprised and very happy. She had geo-cached my other present (a wedding ring to replace the one I lost about two years ago). She really went all out! It was so much fun, and it was a great way to celebrate my day!

2. Annie is also the REGIONAL "Employee of the Month" for Pottery Barn! The region is the Pacific Northwest. Yah! Awesome huh? I mean Sales at Pottery Barn is obviously something else Annie does well. It combines both her love for Pottery and her love for Barns.

Anyway once again... Well Done Annie!!!

I just thought the picture was funny, and Annie has an affinity for Asians.. so I figured she would appreciate their endorsement as well.

Jake

One more day in my twenties...

2009-06-11T10:43:00.001-07:00

I won't suggest that I am not excited about my upcoming birthday. I mean... its my day.. let me put it this way: its a day I can ask my wife for a massage and expect it to last more than 30 seconds... that is special. But I must say that there is a very real sadness about leaving my twenties. Perhaps its just the newness of the sensation, the first time you desire to NOT get older. My brain has been wired to want to be 8 years old so I can get baptized, to want to be 12 so I can go to scout camps, to be 16 so I can drive, to be 18 so that I am finally an adult, to be 21 to.... know that I could drink if I wanted to, then it subtly becomes less exciting every year: yay I am turning 26 now I get to...rent a car by myself.... or yippee I cant wait to turn 30 so that I can.... pay a little less for car insurance... Oh man! And who reflects fondly on their thirties? Even if they weren't that bad, nobody ignores the twenties and starts talking about how wonderful and adventurous their thirties were.
Think about it, for a few more hours, I am in the same category as that bright eyed, dream-filled, optimistic college sophomore, and in a few hours I will be in the same broad category as folks who are on the verge of midlife crisis, who have children in high school!!... No offense to you 39 years olds out there, and in all fairness, there is certainly a young man turning twenty out there who is so absorbed by the fact that he is closer to twenty one that he is not thinking about the fact that he is briefly in the same category as me, an 8 to 5er who has stopped playing basketball daily because his knees hurt, and who gets an enormous kick out of doing yard work.
Here is the long and short of it: My twenties have been fantastic! They had drama, sadness, and frustration, but they were packed with adventure, love, accomplishment, learning, and jubilation. Our human calendar makes me think that somehow that is over. I guess I should be celebrating the dawning of a new era. An era that will build on the previous decade's success. Ok.... lets go ahead and do it. Bring it on 30!!!

Right of Passage Moment

2009-06-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

It is that time of the year again when young 17 and 18 year old seniors engage in the rite of passage that is high school graduation. Perhaps it is becuase I work with the youth in our church, but this year's graduating class seems very on my mind. I am taken back to that moment in my own life. For many it is the exitement of a sea of empty agendas, the opportunity to leave home, or the end of youth and the beginning of adulthood.
I graduated in 1997. I knew I would be going to Snow College in the fall. Still there was a very serious sense of change and, quite frankly, of accomplishment. I made some decisions in the weeks after I graduated from high school that made possible where I am today. Much of that was formulated on a ritualistic pilgrimage I took with my friend Ryan. This was our senior trip. No not 12 rowdy teenagers in San Diego, just me and Ryan in the mountains. Thats how we liked it. It had taken us a long time to find someone who liked the things we did, and we weren't going to mess around with inviting someone else along just to ruin it. The trip was to a little place called Aspen! It was my Mecca in those days. I had dreamed about going for years. Now I was all grown up, and I was going to do it!
It was the kind of trip I probably couldn't take now. No AC, the only radio was a battery operated boombox which you could barely hear over the wind, and the batteries only lasted until about Soldiers Summit when Bill Cosby's tape just stopped. We camped the entire time, ate alot of fast food, but also made some of our food (which I am sure was atrocious). We had no REAL plan, just wandered around the continental divide. We looked for Starwood in ASpen (where John Denver lived). THe locals were not terribly forthcoming, and we concluded that they had all made a pact to look confused and stupid when people inquired about the most famous neighborhood in Aspen. That wasn't so important though.
The greatest were the Maroon Bells! We roamed around the lake for a few hours. It was stunning. And there weren't many people there.
It was a great trip. It sealed what was already a very strong freindship between Ryan and I. It also sealed some goals and aspirations I had. I remember one morning while Ryan was still sleeping, I got up and was playing the guitar in a camp chair just thinking. I remember being impressed by the hinge point I was at in life and thinking at that moment, that I was going to prepare myself to serve an LDS mission and I was going to make something of my life. I have thought about that moment often since then. It wasn't extraordinary in any other way, just that I committed to myself that it was "time to grow up." I am grateful for that moment. As I look at the young men I work with I always hope that they will have similiar moments of clarity. It has certainly seemed like a gift, every time I have reflected on it.
A great moment.

Daniel James

2009-06-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

My brother Dan is turning...?26? this year…. Good grief! We have been pretty close throughout the years. We shared a room for forever. I remember one night when I was probably 12 and he was like 8, we spent no less than 3 hours roll playing an interview between an American and Brittan. I just remember giddy laughter throughout the whole thing, as the Brit (myself) became increasingly agitated at the probing questions of the American (Dan). It was in complete darkness mind you. We also used to roll play the spiders in our room talking to each other: Spider #1 (the bumbling idiot): "Hey man you think they're asleep, yet?", Spider #2: "Shut up man, shut up, would you SHUT UP!" This was always done in Ebonics of course. I would give anything for audio recordings of those nights. Anyway, there were some years where Dan was less into being goofy, or maybe it was just that our lives drifted apart a little, but anytime we get back in that mood, I swear I have never met a wittier person.

I am grateful for the time I have been able to spend with this cool guy! He has helped me understand myself a little better, taught me that silence is sometimes appropriate, been a great example of hard work, and has been a very supportive brother. Dan just graduated from Utah State, and I am incredibly proud of him. He will do great things.

Love ya Dan

Happy Birthday!

Lokal Weekend

2009-06-01T09:06:00.000-07:00

Annie and I had a fantastic weekend. The only thing that could have made it better is if we had spent it together. She was (and still is) in Maryland, and I was in Utah. She will have to report on the fun and awesome things she was able to do, I will report on my adventures in the Rocky Mountains.

I went down to Utah for a wedding gig with lokalgrown. It was whirlwind. We also did a public concert on Friday night which we don’t do often. The concert was great! Like a big reunion. We were able to see a lot of old friends, and family members of band mates that we hadn’t seen in a long time. The wedding was a blast too. This all reminded of another GREAT MOMENT:

In the Spring of 2003, lokalgrown was just finishing our second album “A Thousand Times Yes.” We were contemplating how we would kick-off the release of our CD. The idea came up to play at Logan’s premiere venue, the Ellen Eccles Theater on Main Street. There are often two factions in the band, those who are a little more conservative, and those who think big. Some of us thought that was a ridiculous idea. Is there a more embarrassing thing than only filling a fourth of the seats in 1,200 seat theater? Not for a band. After some convincing we decided that if we were ever going to fill a hall, now was the time.

We worked our cans off, producing the show ourselves. We went to local businesses, got sponsorships, made posters, made flyers, built and painted A-frames, spent HOURS delivering flyers, and posting posters. We bought radio time and made a radio commercial. After all of this… we (or at least I) were scared out of our minds that this was not only going to be embarrassing, but also very expensive (a bad combination). We knew our friends and family would be there but that would only fill a fourth of the place.

That night people started trickling in. We waited back stage and nervously poked our heads out every now and again. The seats were filling. By the time the opening act was done the place was brimming! We were ecstatic! What ensued was one of the most fulfilling and amazing moments of my life thus far. We put on a great show and had SO much fun. I think I have never before felt so validated. Everyone has a buddy in a band, and it’s pretty easy to blow it off. For this one night, we weren’t just the “buddies” in a band. We were the real thing. We had a packed hall, a huge sound system, great and well rehearsed music. Perhaps the climax of the evening was a portion of Country Roads where we all stop playing and sing the chorus accapella. The rush I experienced while leading 1,200 people in a beautiful chorus of that tune is something I had never felt before and have felt only a few times since. Few things bring me more joy and fulfillment than facilitating a powerful shared experience through music.

This last weekend was an extension of that sensation, and I hope that opportunities like this will continue! Here’s to great musical moments of the future!

Great Weekend!

2009-05-27T21:21:00.001-07:00

We had a fantastic weekend. Our friends the Richards called us up and wondered if we wanted to go camping. We are always eager for opportunities for spontaneous outdoor experiences, so we said yahoo!
We went to a place called Fall Creek. It is just east of us here in Eugene. It is a wonderful little creek (River by Utah standards). It tumbles down deep and clear, and the coolest thing is that it rolls over bedrock, so its like underwater slot canyons. Fantastic!! The weather was great, the company splendid. We backpacked in about a mile where two streams met. We played in the water and even took a rafting trip down about 2 or 3 miles. It was great. Love those kinds of weekends!

A December Moment

2009-05-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

One night in December, 2002, the lives and influences of these three individuals crossed paths..... perhaps needless to say... it was a great moment.

During the Holiday season of 2002. I was helping my good friends the Dietleins out at their Theater in Utah (Hale Centre Theatre). It would be truer to say that they were helping me out, since I was being paid to make phone calls to maintain season ticket holders... Anyway, my friend Quinn comes in and says "Hey Thomas S. Monson (then 1st counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS church, now president and prophet) is coming to the show tonight (A Christmas Carol), they are going to feed him and want some entertainment" They wanted to know if we would sing silent night in German and then some other Christmas tune. Quinn's mom Sally suggested that we do John Denver's "Christmas for Cowboys", a song which Quinn and I had now sung many times and was a favorite of friends and family.

They had dinner and invited us in. We sang silent night, had some wonderful conversation about the church in Germany. President Monson shared some quick stories about the saints in Germany. Before we sang Christmas for Cowboys, I remember making a kind of apology for singing a "secular" tune. I'll never forget what he said... "well John Denver songs are like hymns"... The song went great.

Now... I'll leave it to each of you to determine whether he was speaking as a prophet that night, or simply as another John Denver fan.... This I know however... That was a great moment!

A Vagabond for Beauty

2009-05-17T07:04:00.001-07:00

Maybe some of you more in the local news loop have heard this fairly recent news, but I just heard it on Friday.

A story which has captivated me since I read a book about it in high school, is that of Everett Ruess. Everett was a very unique person who came to southern Utah in the mid-30's. Born into priviledge in Los Angeles, he had taken to spending most of his time out of doors in the Sierras. He was a trained artsist, and a genuine recluse. He came to Utah with 2 burros. Old timers in Escalante remember him coming to Mormon dances and befreinding some of the local youth. He would disappear into the desert for months and then reappear unxpectedly in Boulder, Escalante, or other southern Utah towns.

His story took a mysterious turn when shortly after sharing a campsite with 2 sheepherders in Davis Gulch (along the hole-in-the-rock road), he dissapeared. His burros were found later... but HE vanished. Locals tried for months to determine his wherabouts, and nothing was concluded. Folklore began to swell about what happened to this unique young man. Did he join an indian tribe?, Was he abducted?, Was his death staged to attain the ultimate freedom and detachment? Did he simply slip and fall?

If you know me, you know I am not a reader. It is rare that I can keep excited about a book enough to get through it. The book "Vagabond for Beauty" is one which I have read many times, and always fascinates me. It is a telling of his story.

Recently an old Ute woman, afflicted with increasingly terminal illness, shared a secret with her son. It is a secret that her father told her when he was near death as well. Medicine men had told him that his ailments were the result of his secret. The secret was that this Ute man (then a very young man), had witnessed the murder of a "young anglo dude" with two burros. Supposedly the young man, watched the two other indians rob and kill this man, then he buried him in a remote area nearby, with some of his stuff. The grandson of this man, spent his free time for the next few months searching his land (the same area), for the grave. HE FOUND IT! The skull, and a few other items.

Most recently, DNA testing, and skeletal analysis concluded that it is the remains of Everett Ruess. Part of the mystery is solved. It is incredible to see answers to this decades old mystery. Obviously questions remain. Everett kept a detailed journal, which has not been found. Also the burial spot was nearly 90 miles from Davis Gulch. How did Everett end up so far away? Maybe answers with be forthcoming.

Pretty great story huh? National Geographic Adventure did an article on this last month check out the link:

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2009/04/everett-ruess/david-roberts-text