Quinn & Aryn

SWEET Corn Festival!

I think maybe I've been a little too negative about things lately, in particular what it's like living in Keokuk. I need to change my perspective. Yesterday, after church, I was decided to go to the Sweet Corn Festival in West Point, Iowa and I realized just how SWEET life here really is. Here are a few of the many sweet highlights of the festival:

First, loads and loads of sweet corn...

Sweet daisy dukes and teen Moms...
Sweet corn enthusiasts with sweet corn to go...

Sweet Moms with sweetly-fit T-shirts...

Sweet dudes with belts over their shirt...

Sweet hats celebrating the many fairs and festivals of Iowa...

Sweet family time...

Sweet St. Louis Cardinal fan...

Sweet jean shorts, muscle shirts, and tats...

Sweet teen NASCAR enthusiasts...

Sweet camo' man...

Sweet dude thinking it's Mardi Gras....

Sweet belt gizmos...

Belt-gizmo-guy with a sweeeet shirt, and best of all a SWEET hickey on his neck...

Sweet....

Sweet hair, sweet back sweat, sweet ability to smoke with no hands...

Not-so-sweet bellyache from too much corn (check out the rash on his stomach--sweet)...

Sweet safety-goggle glasses and sweet preparedness
(Need anything measured? I'm your guy!)...

Sweet wangstas....

Sweet Jerry Garcia impersonators...

Sweet haircuts on sweet ticket-taker guys...

Sweet special effects (Hey, how did my legs get turned around from my body?)...

Sweet do-rag and take-home box
(Did he steal Mr. Belt-Gizmo, hicky guy's shirt?)....

Speaking of sweet "do"...

Sweet hat, muscle shirt, camo shorts, skee-ball skillz....

SWEET pony-tail and sweet knowing he's literate...

Sweet dude with sweet shades and sweeeeet chin hair...

Sweet local style of the sweet babes (surprised I don't have a girlfriend out here yet?)...

Sweet messages...

Latest pictures of kids

So, I've kind of gone the way of Facebook these days, as the infrequency of my updates indicates, but thought I'd post the two latest pictures of the kids.

Quinn - about 13 months

Aryn - 3 1/2 years old

Home Sweet Enchanting Home

No matter how old you are, sometimes you just need some parent time. I had been thinking about Mom & Dad a lot and feeling a desire to be with them and be back "home", so I decided to go spend the weekend with them in New Mexico. It was such a great break and good catharsis for me. For the last year any spare time and money that I mustered up has been used to go see Aryn & Quinn, which I completely love and enjoy; however, I also really want to be able to spend some time with my other family as well. I especially want to make sure I create opportunities to spend time with Mom and try to offer her as much love and support as possible during her battle with her cancer. I was able to travel out Thursday and returned Tuesday--a wonderful five days together. Mom was recovering from her last round of chemotherapy before her surgery in June, but was feeling OK and looked great. She is such a courageous fighter. Dad continues to be a strong and steady foundation for Mom and the whole family. They are both just awesome! Although the weather was unusually cool, cloudy, and rainy, we did get some sunshine and a nice enough day to get out to Paako Ridge golf course and enjoy a round of golf together. Mom even came along for the ride! Thanks Mom, Dad, KC, Kellie, Isaac, and Eliza for a fantastic weekend.

Beautiful Paako Ridge

My favorite kind of father & son outing

Being goofy with KC

Mom and Dad--always supporting each other

One of the things I miss most about living in NM is golf outings with Dad & KC

Kellie being excited about her new earrings she got in Santa Fe--she's so cute.

KC & Kellie while going to the countless art galleries on Canyon Road in Santa Fe.

Some New Mexico beauty... the Rio Grande and the verdant oasis of vegetation it creates

...Cactus flowers

...old churches and sanctuaries--this one at Chimayo

...Southwestern charm

...the "Bosque" along the river

Utah Trip 4/23 to 4/28

Well, I'm back in Keokuk. A 24-hour shift later, and it's time to post my latest trip out to Utah to see Aryn & Quinn. Although the time gap between this trip and my last trip was much smaller than my previous visit, it still always seems like a long time in between visits. Aryn greeted me with her usual heart-melting hug and smile. Quinn looked at me with a "do I know you?" suspicious stare. It only took Quinn a couple of minutes (and perhaps a little jealousy when Aryn was getting her hug) however, to quickly run over and get in on the action. I was hoping for better weather because it's much easier to find activities for the kids when I can include outdoors, but winter was still trying to hold on out in Utah, and overall we had a mixed bag of sunshine, clouds, rain, and even snow. Aunt Kathee and Uncle Dave were gracious enough to host me again, and we started the visit by just playing at their house, but then filled out the week with trips to Rock Canyon, Hogle Zoo, Discovery Museum, Sugarhouse Park, and of course plenty of time in Alpine.

In Provo at Aunt Kathee and Uncle Dave's

Rock Canyon

We played by the BYU football stadium with lots of grassy hills to
run and roll down and even a cougar to climb on.

Of course, a lot of time was spent at Sara's in beautiful Alpine, and she is
always gracious at letting us play there and feeding us yummy meals.

We spent a chilly day at Hogle Zoo where the kids got to see
their favorite animals-- giraffes (Aryn) and birds (Quinn)

Discovery Museum in the Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City

Sugarhouse Park
enjoying the playground, ducks, geese and sunshine.

It was a really wonderful visit. The kids are just so much fun to be with, and this trip I got to spend five days instead of three or four. I'm so grateful for a job in which I can pack in all my work into a few days and be able to take off to see the kids without needing to utilize vacation time. I was also glad to have been able to see Grandma Roberts and her beautifully remodeled home, in addition to a few old friends, which made the trip even more enjoyable after the kids got tucked into bed. Aunt Kathee and Uncle Dave are so wonderful and hospitable for letting me crash at their place too. It's going to be a rough 6 weeks before I get to see the kids again. I've chosen to take a visit in May to see Mom instead of the kids, knowing that I will get to spend some good quality time with the kids at the beginning of June in Sedona. So, that's the next trip I'm eagerly awaiting.

AND...Before I'm done, I need to throw a little shout out to my AMAZING sister Kellie, and brother-in-law KC, who both celebrated their birthday while I was away. What wonderful siblings and friends they both are. It seems like just yesterday we were all living together in Royal Farms in Sandy or Holliday or wherever that was. My how times change. :) You guys rock, and I appreciate and value both of your friendship. HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!

Trip to New Mexico

So...after I got back from my trip to Utah on Tuesday night, I worked a 24 hour shift on Wednesday, and then Thursday morning drove back down to St. Louis (the closest major airport) to fly up to Cleveland to pick up the latest memeber of the extended Roberts Family and drive her down to Albuquerque. Her name was Acura. Yes, it was a car. And, I only mention as her part of the greater Roberts family because now, finally, KC feels that his family is complete. When I heard they bought their new car, I volunteered to pick it up and drive it out to them rather than have them pay to transport it there. I figure if they're going to pay for anything, let me come out and see them, and pay for me to get back to Iowa. It worked out wonderfully! ...I got a nice (most of the time) relaxing drive across the country, listened to some good music, and more than anything else got to spend a few days with my wonderful parents, sister, brother-in-law, and neice and nephew.

What made this trip even more satisfying was being able to spend some time with my amazing mother who had started chemotherapy for another battle with cancer a few days before I arrived. Mom was recently diagnosed with liver cancer (after already surviving Round 1 with colon cancer 5 years ago), and is gracefully battling it again with the same faith, grace, and strength as she did the first time. I love her soooo much and hope she is in everyone's prayers to beat this again! You can do it, Mom!

March trip to Utah

It's official. I stink at blogging these days. I'm not sure if it's just that my life is pretty uneventful these days and the only things I think that are noteworthy are related to the lives of my children. Or maybe they're just much more photogenic than I am, and since I don't see them often, AND blog posts without pictures aren't nearly as fun, I figure why post anything that doesn't include the latest and greatest pictures of them. Regardless, if you still check my blog once in a while for a new posting....I apologize.

So, the latest...

I was able to get out to see Aryn and Quinn back in late March. It is always so great to see them and they are just as adorable as ever. Winter has been holding on in Utah with both hands and just not letting go, so the coldness has been a bit restrictive when I'm there. However, we have been able to spend time at their favorite library (in Draper), swim in Lehi's indoor pool, and we played at my good Aunt Kathee and Uncle Dave's house for a while too. (Thanks so much to both for being so hospitable and letting me crash there!) Aryn is always just dreamy for me and we have so much fun being able to express our love for each other and just how much we've missed playing house together, me being her handsome prince, reading stories, or her favorite...me telling her stories. She is without a doubt my "precious angel", and she's a great big sister to Quinn.

When I saw Quinn this time, he looked longer and older. He is definitely growing up and is so fun to chase around and make laugh (which isn't hard to do). He loves to follow his sister around and explore things. He is a "gadget guy" and likes to play with phones and tools and light sockets. At the library he prefers the computers to books. He has an infectious smile and brightens the day of whoever is around him. His health is much improved as well and he seems to be growing out of his laryngomalacia as the doctor's predicted.


Another bonus last visit was being able to celebrate my Grandma Roberts's 83rd birthday. She is such an amazing woman! Despite some recent setbacks with her health (a broken arm, arthritis, etc.) she still manages to live completely independently, and not only that, but she continues to not only shovel her own sidewalks and mow her own lawns, but those of her neighbors also. She has more children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren than I count, but she remembers to call every one on their birthday (usually in the morning) and sing them her distinctive version of "Happy Birthday". Grandma, we love you.


Back in Keokuk, things are all right. I have recently changed my position at Midwest Academy from Shift Leader to Family Representative. I view it more as a lateral movement than moving up or down. However, it does allow me to be more involved and responsible for the progress of specific students on my caseload, as well as work with their parents and families to "keep them on board". I am excited to have a deeper level of connection with the boys and their families, and think it will actually fit my personality and my motivations for being at the school more closely. I am excited about it and already have eight boys on my caseload to try and turn into solid young men.

Quinn is ONE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, QUINN!

I returned from another trip out to see the kids this week. It was so fun to see them again, and they are growing up so quickly. This trip was extra special as Quinn celebrated his 1st Birthday on February 17th! Although I haven't been around Quinn nearly as much as I would have liked, it has been so rewarding for me the last few visits to really begin to feel a stronger bond with him and know that he actually knows who his Daddy is too. Quinn is such a sweet spirit, so good-natured, and an absolute joy to be around. He is inquisitive, loves "gadgets" like phones and buttons, loves climbing stairs (and often tries to jump off of the last stair), loves his big sister Aryn, loves being outside and eating snow, and warms up to about anyone. He has struggled at times with ear infections, his laryngomalacia, and reflux, but he has handled it for the most part with great strength and always maintained his smile and peaceable character. He got tubes in his ears last month which have helped his ear infections, and it looks like his laryngomalacia is finally starting to gradually subside as well. In fact, Sara reports that he actually slept entirely through the night last week (which had not really happened yet). So, here's to a healthy and happy second year, Quinn! I LOVE YOU!

Quinn enjoying some of his new presents with Aryn.

A trip to the library with Dad.

Belated update

(This was a draft that I never finished, but figured I'd publish what I had anyway.)

A little update:

1) The Holidays were so fun! It was so nice to have extended time off work to be with family in New Mexico and the kids in Utah. Thanks to everyone who made it wonderful.

2) Quinn has been struggling with his health really since he was born. His laryngomalacia has kind of haunted him since birth, but he's managed it OK. However, he's also had bad reflux. It doesn't make him spit up, but it has impacted his eating and his sleeping for months. He's also had frequent ear infections that have thrown off his balance and caused him discomfort especially at nights. He's such a sweetheart and such a great-natured kid that it's kind of hard for me to really even know there is a problem because he is so pleasant. However, Sara has assured me that the good-natured boy that I see during my visits isn't even close to what a dream he is when he's totally healthy. We finally got him a surgery to put tubes in his ears which will hopefully elminate his ear infections, and Sara has been laboring diligently to try and figure out the right medicine for him and what dosage is appropriate. Hopefully, we'll get everything figured out soon and he'll grow out of his other conditions so he can just be the happy, easy-going kid that he is.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I wanted to write down some of my favorite quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today. For many years this day was such an important day for me in my job that I wanted to make sure it didn't go unacknowledged this year. I think the significance of this day and what it symbolizes is more profound than ever this year as it falls on the eve of the inauguration of our nation's first African-American president. What sweet real-life poetry that is! Our country has come a long way, and I hope that our new President can help us to progress even further.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

If man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.

We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobile rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to mankind.

Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.

Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.

Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress.

Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.

We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

I decided early to give my life to something eternal and absolute. Not to these little gods that are here today and gone tomorrow, but to God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.

Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right.

Happy Holidays!

It's late night on the 23rd/ early Christmas Eve, and I thought since I last wrote on Thanksgiving, I'd better do a little December update. I'm sure I'll post more after Christmas (with some pictures), but for those of you who care enough about me to be checking my blog, I wanted to make sure there was at least a message wishing you a Merry Christmas!

December so far has been busy and eventful. I've mostly just been working at Midwest and enjoying my time with the boys there. I'm at a place now where I feel like I know what I'm doing and have developed some pretty good relationships with many of the students and staff and hopefully are getting down to some good work in improving their lives. Iowa has been cold and I'm learning the meaning of freezing rain. If you've never experienced your car getting literally covered in a 1/2 inch shell of ice, it's something.....I wouldn't recommend you ever do. But life is good out there.
At the beginning of December I also had the opportunity to spend 5 days in Chicago attending a work-related seminar. You need to understand though that these "seminars" are in NO WAY anything close to what you would expect from a "work-related seminar". They are actually really powerful, life-changing meetings that make you really do some deep introspection into why you are the way you are, and then build a foundation from which transformation can take place. They are designed not just for the students in my school, but their families and anyone else who wants to attend as well. In fact, when parents and family and staff go through, we don't even talk about the students...it's all about YOU, and what you can do to tranform your own life in a way that will make you a better and more effective person and improve your relationship with yourself and others. For those who know what's going on with me, it's probably needless to say that at this point in my life it was a very beneficial seminar and really opened my eyes to some things about myself that I want to change and do differently. So, I was excited for that opportunity and am anxious to start truly living my life in a way that I want to.

I also got lucky enough to take 10 days off to be with family for the holidays. I flew into Albuquerque on Saturday night (with a 3 hour delay in Denver because of the crashed plane there), and got in late for a BYU football game party I planned but never attended (and a game I never watched...not even on DVR...boo Cougars). But it was really fun to see Mom, Dad, Kellie, KC, Isaac and Eliza as well as a friend and his wife and children who came down from Santa Fe to visit. Sunday night I flew up to Salt Lake City for some business I had on Monday, and while there was also able to see Aryn and Quinn during the afternoon and evening, as well as my dear Grandma, before flying back down to Albuquerque early this morning. I'll stay here in Albuquerque until the 26th and then drive back up to Utah to spend a few more days with my kids before heading back to Iowa. It has been and will continue to be a bit of a whirlwind, but it's great to be able to be with loved ones during the Christmas holiday.

Finally...it's probably appropriate to include one last note... the "business" I attended to in Utah yesterday was a mediation date for Sara's and my divorce. It has now officially ended, and although I have a lot of really mixed emotions about it all, it resolved quite reasonably and peaceably and we're both relieved there is finally some closure. We know we need to continue to work together to ensure our wonderful children are well-cared for and that they are very aware that they have two parents who care for and love them deeply. We are committed to that, and so far I think we are doing a pretty good job at it. And hopefully, both Sara and I can also now move forward with our new lives in a positive and productive way. I believe that we will.

Merry Christmas and may the spirit of this wonderful season rest with you all!

Gratitude

I spent the day at work yesterday for Thanksgiving. As you probably know, my "days" at work consist of a 6:30 am to about 11:00 pm shift. It was interesting to me to read students' "reflections" last night before I returned home. So many of these students--many of whom have been in this program for over a year, and many others who have not seen their families for several months--write something to the effect of..."I was thinking today was really going to suck. I woke up, realized it was Thanksgiving, and thought of how crappy it was I was in a program. But I was surprised that I ended up having a really good day." I found myself last night thinking similar thoughts. To maintain my own family's tradition, I had each student say something they were grateful for at dinner. Surprisingly, they took it seriously, and each student shared several things they were grateful for. For most of them it went something like this..."I'm grateful for my family, for being sober, and for having a second chance"...or some version thereof. As I tried to get through sharing my own thoughts of gratitude with them I couldn't help but choke up as I thought of my many blessings and found myself with similar thoughts to them once again. I figured since I wasn't able to be around loved ones yesterday, I would at least share some of my thoughts with you through here. So, here is my gratitude list for this year (both serious and a few a little less-serious):

1- My children. I love Aryn and Quinn so much! It's very hard to be away from them and when I think of them a tear (or more) usually wells up in my eye, but I'm so grateful they are healthy and well, and I get a chance to see them as often as possible. They truly are my little angels...in every sense of that word.
2- My family. Like many others, I feel like I am the most lucky person in the world to be born into a family that is so awesome! I know they can't all be the best, but I'm certain that mine is....so it must be a tie at least. This year I've learned even more just how wonderful it is to be unconditionally loved and supported and I've leaned on that love and support a lot. Thanks Dad, Mom, Chris, Ellie, Brooklyn, Dave, Kellie, KC, Dane, Emily, Grandma, Sam, Sophie, Maggie, Cambria, Maya, Isaac, Eliza, Eden, Zia, and the two little ones to come. I also have some wonderful aunts, uncles, cousins, and ex-in-laws who expand my family network even further. It's such a comfort to know I have such a strong support structure and big safety net underneath me of caring, thoughtful, talented, and loving family members.
3- My friends. Similar to my feelings about family, I have some wonderful friends. When you go through some tough times you realize who your true friends are and the people you can really trust and rely on. I have some amazing ones who I know are always there for me, even if I don't communicate with them often, and see many of them even less. I often feel quite lonely and isolated out here, but I appreciate the connection I have with many good friends who help remind me that bonds of friendship transcend proximity.
4- My health. I'm very grateful that my health is reasonably good. I'm certainly on the decline as far as my athleticism, speed, "hops", recovery time, etc, but it's good to still be able to run and hike and play with relative ease. Nothing reminds me of how grateful I am for good health more than getting injured or sick, and since both happened to me in recent weeks, I'm especially thankful for my health.
5- My job. I have some ambivalence at times about my work...as I think most people do. It's hard to be away from family and friends as well, but I am very grateful for my job. Considering my circumstances, I think it's very important that I be doing something from which I find meaning and gain fulfillment. Working with the boys here has been rewarding and I feel like I'm developing some good relationships with them and assisting them as they embark on this pathway of change. Of course there are always lessons I'm trying to teach that are relevant to me also, so it's therapeutic in more ways than one.
6- Technology. I was reading a friend's blog and poached this idea from her, but it rang true to me when she said how thankful she was for technology...in particular, everything DIGITAL. I'm old enough to remember having to do research at the library on microfiche, look in yellow pages for buisness addresses, and actually send hand-written mail in the pre-internet days; having to use typewriters and write drafts of things by hand first; having to be selective about taking pictures because of the cost of film and developing it and never knowing whether or not your pictures were going to even turn out or whose eyes would be closed when you finally saw the final product; replacing your cassette collection with a CD collection and then having to tote around your big CD collection everywhere, where now you can just stash your little IPod in your pocket and it's got your entire music AND photo collection conveniently organized on it; having to use pay phones, or better yet, manipulating the collect call system to get a quick message to mom without losing your quarter, and then having to have a different, expensive long-distance plan for your phone or call after 9 or 10 at night so it wouldn't cost so much. Oh, so many things that have progressed and improved with technology!

Anyway, my list could and probably should go on and on, but that will have to do it for now.
Hope you all had a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING. I love you all.

One more note...I was thinking of the many times I've had to be away from my family for Thanksgiving, and realized it has been way too often. If I remember correctly, here's a list of places that I've spent Thanksgiving away from home:
- MTC in Provo, UT
- Fresno, California
- Hanoi, Vietnam ("Where is the damn cranberry sauce?" inside joke for Brooke)
- Boston, MA
- Philadelphia, PA (twice?)
- Park City, UT (I think actually we were on a road trip with the kids in the school to either Bend, OR or the Grand Canyon and Moab)
- Seattle, WA (twice?)
- Hualien, Taiwan
- and now Keokuk, IA

Visits to see the Kids

October 4th - 7th

I never posted about my trip out to Utah to see the kids in October during conference weekend, but I figure it's better late than never. This trip was especially fun because my Mom and Dad met me up in Utah so that I could see them and they could see Aryn & Quinn as well. We had so much fun together! Thanks Mom and Dad for making the trip and helping out so much while I was there. Here are a few pictures from the trip including a few from a little trip to Cascade Springs Sara and I made after Mom and Dad left.

November 15 - 18th

I just went out to Utah to see the kids again and had such a wonderful time with them. They are as adorable as ever and we had so much fun together. The weather even cooperated and gave us warm sunny days to spend out at the park, in the yard working and playing, and at Grandma's house jumping on the trampoline, swinging, and exploring. We went swimming one day, did some Christmas shopping, and had some yummy meals together including a great Sunday dinner Sara made that we ate with Grandma-Great (my Grandma) along with Grandma and Grandpa Clement (Woo-hoo Grandma, as Aryn calls her). Big thanks to Jed & Megan Beck for continuing their hospitality to me while I'm out there, and thanks to Sara and her family for being so hospitable and kind as well. It was a great trip!

Quick Update

So after 9 days of hobbling around, and taking in all the comments from friends and family that I should "get (my ankle) checked out", I went and had it x-rayed. Turns out I have a "chip fracture". There's nothing they can really do it about it, so I'm back hobbling around the school; and, as is typically my experience with doctors, I'm out a few bucks in order to know something that I pretty much already knew and can't really do anything about other than wait for it to heal. But I guess it's "peace of mind", right? Yeah, right.

Oh, I'm heading out to Utah to see the kids tomorrow morning. Can't wait!!!! It's been since the first weekend of October since I last saw them, so I'm very excited. I'll post pics and an update upon my return.

Ouch!

I end up doing a lot of activities with the boys at the school on my days off. (What does that say about my social life?) Yesterday morning I played basketball with a bunch of the seniors at the school while everyone else was taking tests. At the end of the game a few of us were playing "21" when I came down and landed on a kid's foot. My ankle rolled hard and I heard a pop, then my knee kind of buckled the other direction. I hit the floor in pain and had a bad feeling this was more serious than other times I had rolled my ankle. As I squirmed around on the floor, with the boys just kind of watching with concern and not knowing what they should do, I tried to figure out how I was going to get the boys' back to the facility and get myself to the doctor. A few minutes passed, along with the initial pain, and I decided I would try to get up and put a little pressure on it and see how badly it was hurt. Fortunately, it seemed to be OK and I walked the kids back to the facility and hobbled home to put some ice on my ankle and try to stay off it. The swelling started to go down a little bit, and I went and voted and got things ready for an election night activity I was doing with the boys that night. It's still swollen now, but I don't think it's as serious as I initially thought it might be, so that's good....probably just not much ball for the next week or two.

Technology Challenge

Sorry for the lack of blogging and blog responses...I've been a little out of the loop lately. For about the last two weeks I've been without internet for the most part. Occasionally it will come up-- sporadically and slowly while I'm at work; but the problem with that is...it is sporadic, slow, and I'm at work. From what I hear, the problem stems from our provider. Since Keokuk is in the middle of nowhere, and since the school is on the outskirts of "the middle of nowhere", our options for internet pretty much comes down to one satelite provider. Apparently, sometimes this provider/server seems to not pay its bills, and when it doesn't, they get shut off and we are left high and dry and with no other options. Quite frustrating. Additionally, my satellite TV was down for about 2 weeks a while back, so for a period of time, I was without much contact with the "real world". Fortunately, my school-issued phone worked, well...at least until it's battery would die, which usually occurs about 8:00 pm.
I often hear my siblings or others say how "lucky" I am, or how "nice" it sounds to live such a simple life free form the nuisances of technology and busyness. I'm not sure I agree. If you think so, here is my challenge.....

Let's see how long you can live without the following: 1) TV (shouldn't be too hard for many of you); 2) Internet (now we're getting a little more difficult); 3) Turn off your cell phone and see how long you can go before turning it on, and 4) When you think you're OK with any one of the previous three, do them all at the same time, and see how long you last. Yeah, it's really "nice". haha

I've got my money on Dane and Emily to win this one.

Chi-town

So, living in Keokuk isn't all bad, but one does have to get creative at times in finding something entertaining to do. I've discovered that I really do not have a whole lot of free time, especially if I use some of that free time that I have to catch up on some much-needed rest. However, when the creative juices aren't flowing, I'm rested, and I'm not swamped with things to do...I have to figure out SOMEthing to keep me occupied. One Saturday afternoon I realized I just needed to "get out of Dodge". My cosmopolitan side needed some nurturing, so I figured I'd head up to the biggest nearby city and spend the weekend...and that would be Chicago (although St. Louis is actually closer, I figured Chicago was more interesting, plus I had a free room to stay in since my brother was getting trained for his new job up there). Five hours later I was nervously veering through the speeding traffic on the busy interstate system, and just enjoying the pace and speed and intensity and combustion of a big city. It was already really late so I ended up just locating my hotel and getting some rest so I'd be ready to explore the city the next day. I really had no agenda other than: 1) see people, 2) eat ethnic food, and 3) see something interesting for cheap. I checked the first thing off my list by wandering into a Vietnamese section of town and eating some good "pho". Yum! (The only "ethnic" food in Keokuk is a quite average Chinese restaurant and Mexican restaurant...unless you count Taco Bell as Mexican and Pizza Hut as Italian). I then wandered over to Lakeshore Drive and noticed the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline and hundreds of people playing beach volleyball, jogging, picnicing, and enjoying the beautiful autumn day. I decided to park my car about 5 miles north of downtown by Lincoln Park (so as to avoid any exorbitant parking fees) and got out and just started walking toward downtown. I was so impressed by the lively scene along the waterfront and how nice the city skyline was. I ended up walking miles down the shoreline and into downtown, stopped to window-shop at a few stores (even though I had no money to buy anything it was nice shopping at something other than Wal-Mart), and watched street-performers with the same amount of awe and entertainment as I remember doing as a naive and sheltered high-school kid the first time I went to Boston. It was so fun to just be in a city. I ended up probably walking 12-15 miles that day and loved every minute of it. When I finally decided I needed to head back to Keokuk that evening, I realized I had basically just driven 10 hours to "go on a little (urban) hike". I laughed at how it seemed in the past I had to find the perfect time, and have a 3-4 day weekend, to justify a trip down to Arches when I lived in Utah, or to go to Martha's Vineyard when I lived in Boston, or to go to Olympic Peninsula when I lived in Seattle. And here in Keokuk, I hardly thought twice about just getting in my car and heading up five hours just to BE in Chicago. With gas prices what they are, I don't know that I'll make a habit of that, but it sure was fun.

Chris and his Amazing Catalina Crossing

On September 18th-19th, I had the fortunate experience of watching and participating in the most incredible athletic accomplishment with which I've ever been personally involved. The best part about it was it was my 14-month older brother , Chris, who did it. Back in early summer, he casually asked me if I would like to support kayak for him as he attempted to cross the Catalina Channel. I thought it sounded fun, and it was an excuse to get out of Iowa and go to Southern California, so I promptly said "Sure, if I can work it out". I really didn't have any understanding of what it really meant though, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull it off with my work schedule and finances. However, as his targeted day grew nearer, we revisited the idea and we decided we would really try to make it work. With some help from Chris and a little negotiating at work I was able to get off and fly out to Orange County for the big event. Prior to the big day, I worked three straight 18-hour shifts, then got off my last shift at 11:00 pm and drove 5 hours to Chicago to catch a 5:30 am flight to Orange County. By midnight that night, Thursday the 18th, I was on a boat watching Chris jump into pitch black waters and swim to Catalina Island to begin his Channel Crossing.

My parents and I, along with a support team that included an Ironman triathelete, an English Channel crosser, and the world-record holder for most miles swam in one month, were all there to cheer him on and provide motivation, direction, and nutrition. Because I wasn't as experienced of a kayker as others there, I was told to not go out at night...when the ocean was so dark, vast, and formidable. But at about 6:00 am, when the sun crept over the wet horizon, I went off the boat onto my ocean kayak to paddle up to my brother who was still just moving along with a rhythmic cadence.
For his swim to be officially recorded and accepted, he had to have an observer there to "officiate" the swim. He was not allowed a wet suit, or any kind of physical assistance at all (no one was ever allowed to touch him, or him use the boat or kayak for support). Every 30 minutes he would have a "feed" where the kayaker would reach out a water bottle and a little "gu" (power gel) to him. These feedings would last all of 15 seconds before he would get back into his stroke. They were told to be so quick for two reasons, because they didn't want to add on any extra time or have him expend any extra energy that wasn't propelling him towards his destination and safety; and secondly, so that his metabollic heart rate would not lower which would cause his body temperature to decline. The water was usually mid-60s and any stopping would cause his temperature to drop quickly, in which case he would be at risk of cramping and even hypothermia.

The conditions of the swim were good to start, with moonlight casting a glow on the water so that we could see his arms escaping the dark ocean and his head turn for his breaths. However, by mid-morning, winds had started to pick up and the currents had changed as well....not good things for open-water swimmers. The swells and waves became much larger than expected posing problems for both he and myself, the kayaker, and the current the boat was trying to follow had shifted as well. This caused him at one point to be swimming for an hour straight with literally no progress. He was swimming on a treadmill essentially. They had to re-route him to find a current, and after he finally got to a better current, he had lost valuable time and added essentially four extra miles to the swim.
Eventually we saw the coastline and the beach-front hills began to get a little bit larger and larger. My brother continued to go strong, with his arms churning in a steady motion like an oil rig, moving up and down, up and down, for what seemed like an eternity. We all worried about him, considering how long he was in the water and how much energy and strength he would be able to sustain, but his stamina and perseverence were incredible. We finally made radio contact with an on-shore lifeguard to help us find a place he would be able to safely come into the coast since his landing spot had been changed multiple times to account for the current and conditions. He helped us find a little cove in which he finally, almost literally, crawled ashore....25 miles and just under 15 hours later.

I was truly amazed and inspired at what he had just done. He became the 156th person to successfully cross the channel since 1926. His feat was the equivalent of running almost three marathons back to back to back. I felt blessed to have been able to assist in some way and to share that incredible accomplishment with him. Way to go, Chris!!!

Not only was I so glad to be able to share in that experience with Chris, but it so neat to see my Mom and Dad, Brooklyn and her family, Chris's family, and I even got a 4-hour layover in Salt Lake City on the way home, in which time I was able to meet Sara, Aryn, and Quinn again for lunch and a little visit. It was a WONDERFUL weekend!

Summer Update

All right, for those of you who have endured the same posting for the last few months, I've finally decided to update my blog. It's going to be a "MEGA-posting too", one more thing to test your patience and endurance. As you know, it's now officially autumn, and I've given you very little information about my summer; so...here are a few of the highlights:

Aryn and Quinn

I think it's a no-brainer that seeing my kids is always the highlight. It's been really hard being away from them, but fortunately I've managed to get out to Utah to see them fairly regularly. They're doing really well, and Sara has got them comfortable in their new home in a great little neighborhood in Alpine. Quinn is growing up so quickly and is now crawling everywhere, climbing up stairs, pulling himself up to anything he can, and walking along, around, or pushing it. He has a wonderful, easy-going personality and is almost always smiling as the pictures show. He likes to laugh, stick things in his mouth, play with his big sister, and from what I hear has been a relatively easy child to raise. His health has improved substantially and hasn't proven to be too much of a problem (other than some expensive medicine he has to take).

6 month old pictures

When asked how old she is, Aryn now consistently answers "eleven"...and in some ways she acts it. :) She's very intelligent and continues to amaze people (at least me) with the things she does and says at such an early age. Sara has her enrolled in gymnastics classes, and she also gets to have Sara practice music lessons on her, and is doing really well in both. In fact, she has repeatedly assured Sara in all seriousness that she is ready to perform a piano number in sacrament meeting. She loves playing with her neighbors and having friends and cousins over to play. She likes hiking, especially in the "high, high, high mountains", and is a great big sister to Quinn.

Playing at Sliding Rock with her friend, Brinn, during my last visit out September 11th.

Other than going out to Utah to see Aryn and Quinn, the highlights of my summer were definitely being able to have guests come out and visit me. I've felt very blessed to have already been fortunate enough to have several people go out of their way to make a visit to Keokuk, when there are probably a lot more exciting vacation destinations.

Bob Neal

My guests started on the 4th of July weekend, when my best friend from my freshman year of college, Bob Neal, drove up from Lexington, Kentucky to spend the weekend with me. He works for Lexmark and had a few days off, with his wife and two daughters in Utah, so we took advantage. It was so good to catch up, and we had a great time riding around on four-wheelers, playing a lot of basketball and showing a few of the students here that a couple of old guys still have way too much game for them. haha The 4th of July is also a big event here at the school, and an annual tradition has been started to have a barbeque in which many former students come back and visit, followed by an impressive fireworks display that easily surpasses the city's fireworks show. I'm appreciate of Bob for taking the time to swing up here in a time when I could use a friend.

Kellie, KC, Issac, and Eliza

At the beginning of August, KC and Kellie and their kids drove from Albuquerque all the way out here to see me and visit Nauvoo, Carthage, and other historic church sites, along with whatever other random place of interest Kellie could "google". They got to see Historic Nauvoo, and Carthage, where Joseph Smith was jailed and killed. We saw the Nauvoo Pageant, which actually wasn't too cheesy (KC was a little disappointed I think in the lack of cheese). We all developed a better appreciation for our pioneer heritage and church history, as well as the way kids played back then (and I think Kellie thought that this "country living" wasn't too far different from how the pioneers did it 160 years ago). Isaac and Eliza were great spending all day in Nauvoo, but their favorite day was just hanging out at my house and playing with their cousins, riding bikes, riding 4-wheelers, jumping on the trampoline, and having acres and acres of open area in which to explore, run, and feel free. Thanks KC and Kellie for making the sacrifice to come out...it was a lot of fun! I should have at least let you beat me in golf, right KC? :P



Chris, Ellie, Sam, Sophie, and Maggie

In the middle of August, Chris, who had been training in Chicago for his new job, came down with his family to visit. It was so fun to see them all as opportunitites to see all of them have not been too frequent. I wasn't sure if these Southern Cal kids would be down with the midwest, but they all loved seeing the church sites, and also playing around the school. We spent a day in Nauvoo learning, playing, and seeing various shows. We also spent some time here at the school. Maggie got a "scared straight" tour of the school; Sophie was in butterfly heaven and literally could have spent weeks chasing bugs and butterflies in the fields out here; Sam discovered a new love on the four-wheeler and was a real natural talent; and Chris and Ellie were the best and helped me to celebrate my 36th birthday with family and a birthday cake with candles. It was so fun to be able to spend some time with them before the embark on their family adventure for a few years in Abu Dhabi. Thanks guys!

I'll stop there for now, but stay tuned...I'll try to get up at least one more summer events posting. Thanks to everyone who still periodically checks this blog, I appreciate your dilligence. :)

Trip to Utah 7.31 - 8.2

I was able to get out to Utah at the begining of the month to see Aryn & Quinn again. It is always such a big emotional boost to be able to see them and spend time with them. Aryn is just as fun, spunky, and percocious as she always is. We hiked in the mountains, played in the park, went for bike rides, picked vegetables in the garden, ate shaved ice, and one day even went to "Kangaroo Zoo" with our friends Jed & Meghan Beck and their daughter, Aryn's friend, Brinnley. A friend from Taiwan, Liz Covington, was there with her son, Bennett as well, which who was great to see. Little Quinn is growing bigger and just as adorable and pleasant as he's always been. It's fun to start to bond with him a little bit more. He warms up to everyone and just fills your spirit with joy to be around him. It was a great visit. Thanks, Sara, for helping make it nice, and Jed & Meghan for letting me hang out with you guys as well.

The Flood

Many people have asked me about whether I had to swap my house for a rowboat when they watched all of Iowa flooding on MSNBC or CBS Nightly News. Yes, I was here in time for the flooding. However, fortunately Keokuk stayed relatively unscathed. All the locals kept talking about the "flood of '83'" and how this was supposed to be even worse. The news kept reporting that it was going to set a record, and we did see on the news that Cedar Rapids was underwater, and hear of all the road closures, bridge closures, and it seemed like we were going to be cut off completely from Illinois and Missouri for a while. As the flood worked its way down south through Iowa, we started to get prepared (we're in the very southeast corner of the state). They gave us the day it was supposed to crest and everyone talked in anticipation. Wal-Mart was extra busy as everyone was stocking up on water and essentials. Lots of sandbagging was being done, in fact, the Sunday before we had a 50 minute sacrament meeting and then everyone in our branch was deployed to go sandbag or make lunches for all the other sandbaggers the rest of the day. We also brought kids down from the school about every day for a week to sandbag. But then it became just kind of wait and see. Well, the big day hit (the day the river was supposed to crest), and the water did rise about 25 feet, however, the main town of Keokuk is set up on a hill from the river, and although some of the riverfront parks and a few homes along the river went under, we remained relatively unscathed. The only way it impacted me was a few blisters from sandbagging. :) In fact, our bridge into Illinois was one of few that remained open the whole time, although it was cut down to two lanes and was raised about 10 feet with rocks and gravel. Here are a few pictures of the flooding as well as some kids sandbagging from school.

Life in Iowa

l've found myself living in some pretty random places in my life (Stockton, CA, Malden, MA, Hualien, Taiwan). I suppose that everywhere is random to someone, but I think Keokuk, Iowa is pretty random to about everyone. So, that said, I'll give you all a little synopsis of what my life has been like here in Keokuk, Iowa, since I figure those of you reading this are somewhat interested in my life...which does go beyond just pictures of my children.

I started my job at Midwest Academy in early May and am acting as one of two Shift Leaders for the boys' wing. The school is co-ed, but the boys and the girls stay very segregated on their own wings with very little interaction. Right now there are about 100 boys, and maybe 50 girls. Typically they like to have that number much higher...about 150 boys, but the current economy affects everything including many parents ability to drop several thousand dollars a month on high school. The school is on the outskirts of town and sits on about 20 or 30 acres of green grass, rolling hills, and corn fields. I was originally living in a 4 bedroom house on campus, but moved to a 2 bedroom apartment in a four-plex with my cousin, Ben (the owner of the school) and his wife and two kids, his parents in-law, and the boys wing supervisor with his wife and son.

The students here are for the most part decent kids, but ones that had begun making some bad decisions that had already, or were turning into, self-destructive habits and were creating consequences that were damaging to the well-being of their families (irony that I work here?). Many come in kicking and screaming, some leave kicking and screaming; but for many of them (the ones that make these kind of jobs "worth it"), a year or two here turns them into accountable, mature, self-aware young men and women that have developed some healthy habits and behavior patterns that will set them up for a future of success, or at minimum...productivity without hurting themselves or those around them too much.

My work consists of keeping all the "families" of boys on schedule, and making sure they are staying on task and following the schedule and school's rules. I supervise the dorm parents who stay with the families throughout the day, as well as the "family reps" who are the liason between the students, the school, and their parents. I tend to handle all the crises that occur each day, deal with some of the more problematic kids that require extra attention/discipline, as well as the logistics of paperwork, transportation, activities, coordination with the academic leaders, nurses and doctors, etc.

I've enjoyed the work a lot and getting back into the mindset that my success each day isn't measured by how much you did, or how much you earned, or what you produced. But rather a successful day may have been providing some motivation to someone to not write that letter home saying they don't ever want to see their parents again, or controlling their temper enough to not hit another kid in the face, or being honest about a situation that happened in a classroom, or finally getting a kid to understand that principle that making a minor correction now could have major implications for what their future destination will be.

Aryn in Sedona

At the end of June, I got a chance to go out to Utah to see Aryn and Quinn. It is never frequent enough, or long enough of a visit, but I loved having a week to be with my kids. After spending a day playing with Quinn, I took Aryn and flew down to Arizona to meet up with the rest of my family (with the exception of Dane, Emily, Eden, and Zia--we missed you) for a week of fun in Sedona. It's becoming a bit of a Roberts family tradition now, as this marks the second year in a row we've met there. It was SO good to be able to see everybody and especially fun to spend five straight days with Aryn swimming, hiking, and playing. My little "precious angel" was so fun to be with and buoys my spirit.

Aryn loved being with her Grandpa and Grandma, as well as her cousins, aunts and uncles. Because she was born on Christmas, we even celebrated her 1/2 birthday. However, Aryn knew when her birthday was, knew it wasn't June 25th, and wanted nothing to do with a "birthday party"; although when she all the wonderful gifts coming, she was quite alright having a "Special Aryn Day" party. Thanks Mom and Dad for making it happen again!!!!

The Mighty Quinn

It's been hard to not be around Quinn very much as he gets bigger and bigger and to miss out on all those "firsts" that babies do. However, I did get to see him a couple of days in June, and it was so great to see his contagious smile and laugh with his addicting giggles. He's such a good kid and has been a blessing to Sara because of his sweet disposition and his easy-going personality. Here are a few pictures of him at almost four months.

Challenging Times

Well, most of you who are reading this are probably tired of seeing/reading "Laryngo...what?" from the "artist formely known as Jordon and Sara Roberts Family". (http://www.jandsroberts.blogspot.com/) Unfortunately, since that last posting, the Jordon and Sara Roberts Family has taken a tragic detour and now that title is a misnomer, while Jordon's Blog, is a more accurate indication of the "family" in which I currently reside.

I'll try to explain in as delicate a manner as I can, and if any humor is expressed, it is really done as a coping mechanism, because the whole situation has been incredibly difficult for everyone involved. In March, Sara and I seperated and Sara moved up to Alpine, UT where she has bought a home for her and the kids. At the beginning of May I moved out to Keokuk, IA to begin a new professional (and personal) life working at a private boarding school for troubled teens. We are currently finalizing a divorce, and learning how to live our lives as singles again...Sara with our beautiful children, Aryn and Quinn, and me with my hundred or so troubled young men.

We are both really trying to rely on the healing power of our Savior to heal our hearts and spirits, in the ways that we need to be healed. I am trying to figure out how to be a good long-distance Dad with limited opportunities to see my kids. Sara is trying to figure out how to be a stay-at-home devoted Mother without the full-time support of a spouse. She is probably doing a better job than I am, but I will try to get out to see the kids once a month or so. This blog will serve to keep everyone posted as to their growth, as well as an occasional note to let you know how my single Midwest living is going. Please keep in touch. Love, Jordon