Eventful

Event #1: Brady broke his arm at basketball on Thursday. He was flying high for a rebound, and had that much further to drop when his legs got taken out. He's brave, and has only cried twice.


Event #2: I expressed my creativity in true Edwards-style with a candy bar poster. I'm certain the cashier suspected bulemia.

Event #3: I ran my first 10K. I lost by 20 seconds. In the words of Seinfeld, "Congratulations, you almost won. Of all the losers, you came in first of that group. You're the No. 1 LOSER."

Event #4: Zac learned to decorate his hair at meal time. That equates to more showers throughout the week, including one where he joined me fully dressed.

Event #5: Zachary made it through three hours of church with a tie.

Event #6: Zachary fell asleep on the tile after said three hours. He is becoming a one-nap child (gone are my four hours of freedom), so he can barely make it through his afternoon bottle. Obviously, he didn't quite make it this time.

p.s. Brady didn't really cry.

Valentine's for the Ages

This year was my turn to plan Valentine's Day and I figured there was no better way to dote on my wife than a beautiful, relaxing sunset dinner cruise. This time of year is especially popular because humpback whales are scattered along the coast. As seen by Karen's expression, I did good. Remember this smile as our story continues.

Our first stop of our 5 hour boat adventure was Spinner Dolphin haven. They loved to swim with the bow of the boat and some fully breached twirling high above the surface. It was exciting!

Here's a shot of the front of the boat. Notice the calmness of the ocean--if only it stayed this way....

This picture is significant because it is the last scene that Karen remembers before visiting the back of boat. The winds and ocean swell began to rock the boat, 2-1/2 hours into our journey. Let's just say that perhaps Karen should have taken two Dramamine's rather than one.

The color of the water has always fascinated me. Unfortunately, at this juncture of our ride

the ocean swell increased even more.

For whatever reason, I wasn't effected at all by ups and downs of the boat. I really enjoyed seeing the remarkable Napali coast.

A big reason Karen and I have been looking forward to this cruise was the whales. We were hoping for the opportunity to see them up close and personal. The whale below passed by within 30 yards of the boat. Karen even enjoyed this one--she said she had just finished hurling, looked up and smiled with excitement as the whale passed by, and then went back to being sick. I really did feel bad for her.


They also served dinner. I had some delicious terri-chicken and Kalua Pork over rice. It was so good that Karen decided to try just a little bit (ie fish food that would be freshly delivered a little later).

As we made our way back, Karen began to wish and hope the sun would set and be over with. She really was miserable. In her defense, she wasn't the only one. There were probably 6-8 people that spewed while were out at sea. The smell of bile was so strong at the back of the boat that I couldn't stay long. Karen was a really good sport and we got this picture together. She's still smiling.

When the sun did set, it was beautiful, but it also meant the cruise was over. Karen could not get off that boat quick enough. It was a Valentine's for the ages.

Here's to the Married Man...

We were thrilled to join in the Ryan & Karen wedding and festivities. They chose a beautiful location, a beautiful (freezing) day, and a beautiful ceremony in the Manti temple.


Zachary honestly didn't understand what he was feeling. The temperature had him very confused. I think he prefers the sand in Hawaii over Utah's white sand.

Prior to the big day, we all gathered for Mom's birthday.

Later, we stayed in posh Manti, partying hard at a local pizza shop after being rejected by another diner. We stayed up late, preparing reception material, and the infamous honeymoon basket. Well, we did, but Zac was cooked for the night.

After the wedding, we went to Payson for a wedding breakfast/lunch. We joked the day before about all moving in with Mom and Dad and starting a catering business after we lose our jobs. The boys did a great job on their "Here's to the Married Man..." cheer,

...as well as their made-for-Ryan-and-Karen wedding song.

The reception was held later that night, at the Peteetneet Academy. We mostly spent the time keeping Zachary at bay on the stairs, but did have time to snap a few close-ups of family.

Parker, my buddy for the weekend:

Garrett:
Bryson, looking fierce:

Brynlee:

Tanner:

Zac, and his other father, Cory. In Sunday School, Zac honestly couldn't figure out who was his dad--Cory or Brady.
Zac, wearing a tie for the first eight minutes, thirty seconds of the reception:

GQ Blake:
Maddie and Rachel, who entertained crowds with their matching dresses and twirling.The groom:

Brady and Scott:Kristen:

Natalie:

Ang:

Me and Zac:

Brady:

The kids were sure excited for Ryan and Karen to bust out the wedding cake:

Easton and McKay:
The girls skipped out to decorate the car in sub-freezing temperatures. The night before (at the motel), Kristen broke out tissue paper and started us on 110 home-made flowers. I remember thinking that this was exactly the kind of project I try to avoid, but it ended up being a memorable experience and certainly the best looking car I've helped decorate.

Rachel, wishing Ryan and Karen a happy honeymoon:
Ryan, ready to get on the road:

The day left us all quite worn out:

Later in the week, we went skiing at Alta with Cory, Kristen, Blake, Rachel, and Kristen's father and brother. Cory actually caught us at the end of a run with his camera phone:

It snowed on us much of the day, but we absolutely loved it, especially the runs when we were with Cory and Kristen.

Brady had to leave Sunday, along with the other out-of-towners, but Mom, Dad, the Ritchie family, and my siblings were good enough to entertain and feed us for another week.

Mom and Ang even watched Zac another day while I went skiing with my brother, Kev, at Park City. It was a beautiful day, and a better resort.

Zac and I also spent an afternoon at the Draper Temple Open House. Walking through the silent tour, he let out a chorus of "Wows." He won some hearts that day.

Other things of note in this endless blog post:

• Thanks to Emily for watching Zac on Day 1 of skiing. It was also nice spending an afternoon with her little family!
• We spent most of the trip with a cold, that we ended up giving to everyone we had contact with. Apologies.
• We saw both sets of my grandparents, as well as another aunt and uncle, for some delicious dinners and conversation.
• We spent an evening with Zac's birth mother.
• Zac and I went ice skating with my siblings. Very fun.
• We were supposed to go to a basketball game, but we showed up for the 7pm game, which actually started at 4pm. Boo.
• I have not cooked in 3.5 weeks.
• Ang, Mom and I picked up some great items at the outlets one afternoon.
• We went to Cafe Rio twice. Yum.