Family FUN & ... Food!!!!

I know everyone says this, but...I have the best families in the world!!! But it's TRUE!!!!

Now you're aksing yourself..."why did he pluralize the word 'family'?!" It's because I've not only been born into an AMAZING family, but I've been "adopted" into many other families as well!! I'll have to talk about my "adopted" families in another blog, because this one's "all about the Miller's"!!!

These last several weeks I've been spending time with my family in Bountiful. As you'll see from the pics below it's been some GRRRREAT fun!!! When my family gets together we don't only like to play & just be together, but we like to eat!!! We don't eat at the fanciest restaurants, but we DO eat well!!!

This first pic is from our family dinner celebrating Father's (04/20) & Mic's (04/25) b-days!! Mic chose to eat at Tepanyaki Sushi Bar & Restaurant in SL!! I've eaten at their location in Provo several times and had good experiences, but this last visit at the SL location has been the BESTEST so far!!! Chef Ping was HIL-AR-IOUS!!! He was TRULY entertaining & made the visit SOOO much fun!! The sad part about it being such an AWESOME experience is that all other visits will pale in comparison!! It's gonna be VERY hard to top Chef Ping!! I regret not taking more pictures, but this one will have to spark memories for all of us!!

This next group of pics is from the "surprise" party Mother put together for Father. It was the Old Man's "60th" this year & he didn't want anything special done to celebrate his tenure here with us. But as is common in our family...when someone mentions that they don't want something done, we know their true intentions & tend to do the opposite!!

It is VERY tough to find presents for members of my family!! I struggle EVERY b-day trying to come up something to get. This year Jodi & I were trying to think of things to get or places to even look when Mother mentioned just going to the DI & getting a tie. What a GRRRREAT idea!!! We went with the only intention of getting a tie, but then we decided to walk thru the "nick-nacks" & as Jodi was explaining to me what she was looking for she turned &...BAM...there it was!! What could be more appropriate for our Father then a "Best Father Ever" nick-nack!!

Mic, Jared, Taylor & Rachel got Father a card that...if you know us Miller's...brought tears to his eyes (picture not included). Haley, Charlie & Kannon put together a collage of recent family photos that Haley took up Mueller Park Canyon!! (Check out Haley's blog here!!)

Whilst Jodi & I were wandering thru Wal*Mart after our trip to the DI, I's gots to thinking that I should probably get Pops a gift. Since we were back in the DVD area looking for GRRRREAT deals in the bargain bin, I decided to jump over to the TV section & look for a TV DVD that Father might like...I chose the good ole "Get Smart" Season 1. I'm excited to watch the infamous Don Adams play the blunderous Maxwell Smart. He did a MUCH better job than Steve Carell, but no one will EVER play a better Michael Scott!! Everyone's got their own niche in life!!

Mother has been aksing me for weeks to look into getting Father a program that will assist him in converting his old LPs & cassette tapes into MP3s/CDs. Around Christmas time I remember seeing something at Costco, so I checked it out on a lunch break from Foundations & was able to pick it up!! Now we just gotta get the computer at home functioning well enough to run the program!! I'm excited to get this functioning so I can re-live some fond memories with the music he's got!!

These next couple of pics show what happens when we get together. Lots of sittin around chattin...and oh yeah...Mic studyin!!! I'm SOO excited for her to be done with skool!! Then she can enjoy our times doin...well...nothing much!!! GOOD TIMES!!!!

I LOVE how much fun kids have with my friend, Mator!! Let me share a little story with y'all...a couple of weeks ago I left Mator at the Parents because Jare & Mic were going to borrow it to play at the Little Sahara. Whilst it was at my Parents, Taylor & Rachel spent some time there. Jodi went out to check on the kids because they had been outside for about an hour. She discovered them taking turns sitting on Mator pretending they were driving him. I took the following picture after Father's b-day party. The kids were playing "camping". You can see on the back of Mator the "firewood" & camping equipment they were hauling around. I sure miss having the imagination of a child!!! I don't EVER wanna grow up!!!!

Okay...this next picture is really just for me, but I had to post it. This is my ALL-TIME favoritist dish that my Mother makes for me!!! It's called "Creamed Eggs on Toast" or also know by the armed services as SOS (Shi* on Sandpaper)!!! Trust me...it's heaven on a plate!!!

LYB!!!!!

I Looked Out the Window & What Did I See...

I know that I'm VERY late at posting this blog, expecially [yes...I know I spelled it wrong ;0) ] since just about everyone I know experienced this, but what the h***!!!

So, I LOVE the outdoors!! I LOVE being in the outdoors!! I LOVE playing in the outdoors!! I LOVE the outdoor weather...most of the time!! There's just something fascinating to me about 6 inches of snow on "Tax Day" of all days!!! It seems to me like someone else is morning as well!!! LOVE You Mother Nature!!!!!

LYB!!!!!

April Fool's 2009!!!

[I promise I started this the night of April Fool's!!! I've just been VERY distracted!!!]

Fore Warning: This is going to be a LONG blog!!!

As most of you know I've been working for my cousin in American Fork since July 2008. "The Boss" & I are the only full-time males of the office and there are 6 females that officially "rule" the office. This being said...you can only imagine MANY of the conversations that take place in the office...most of which are geared towards the feminine side of life. There is one office member in particular that holds NO reserve in letting it be known that her & her husband (Jenna & Andrew) are trying to bring a "little one" into this world!! It's become common talk in the office to guess the order in which the Ladies will become pregnant. I find it VERY hilarious!!! But I know it's stressing "The Boss" to the max!!!

Anyhow...on with the story...for the last month or so the Ladies of Foundations have been planning an April Fool's joke to play on "The Boss". With all the pregnancy talk around the office the Ladies decided to play a pregnancy April Fool's. Alyssa decided she'd be the one to "pull The Boss' leg". It played out perfectly!!
For the last month or so Alyssa's been talking about how she missed her "friend". We've been teasing her that it's because she's pregnant, but she's been adimant that it's not possible, however we kept harassing her.
So...a week or so ago she found out that an acquaintance of hers is pregnant & Alyssa approached her to see if she'd be willing to provide a "positive test" for us. She was hesitant, but after a little persuasion gave in & acknowledged the hilarity of the situation.
So...Wednesday morning (April 1st) Alyssa came in to the office & stated that she was sick yesterday when she got up & that she wasn't feeling any better this morning. We harassed her that she was "preggy" & Emily told her that she was going to go next door to Albertson's & get a pregnancy test. After much debate Alyssa conceeded, but she said that she had forgot her cell phone at home & if she WAS going to take the test that she would need to have it so she could call her husband. Of course it was agreed that that would be appropriate.
Of course the whole time she's gone we're joking about her going someplace to get a "sample" but then we'd also joke about how disgusting that would be to have the "sample" floating around in her bag when she came back, so we blew off that idea.
When Alyssa returned we joked with her a bit & then Emily & I went next door to Albertson's to get the "test". However, on the way over Emily mentioned to me that Alyssa picked up a test when she (supposedly) left to get her phone. Alyssa had her acquaintance take the tests & gave them back to her & Alyssa gave the tests to Emily in the original packaging so that The Boss wouldn't recognize the difference. {Man...I just realized how long this story is getting...sorry if I'm boring you but it was HIL-AR-IOUS!!!!}
Emily & I returned to the office, gave the tests to Alyssa & she disappeared into the bathroom for what seemed like an eternity, but was actually only about 10 minutes. We began to worry that maybe she really WAS pregnant...especially when she first came out of the door. The look on her face was SOOOO convincing. She came out of the back of the office with her hand over her mouth & she was shaking uncontrollably...at least until she got past The Boss' desk, out of his line of sight, then she got the BIGGEST grin on her face. She grabbed her bag & walked straight out the front door to her car without looking back!! She drove off!!!
The look on The Boss' face was unforgettable!! He was a little hesitant at first...he even asked: "do you think someone could act that good?!" We played off of his hesitancy for about 1/2 an hour. Alyssa called & spoke with Emily & they continued to make it sound like she was struggling but that Alyssa would return to the office shortly.
When Alyssa returned we continued to talk about it, but not too much because we "knew" how sensitive of a subject it was. (RIGHT!!!!) We kept it going for about an hour & then...out of the blue...Alyssa made a comment similar to: "wouldn't it be funny if I left to get my phone & had someone else take the test?!" The Boss wasn't paying too much attention to what was going on, but you could tell her heard what she said because he immediately stopped was he was doing, paused where he was for about 30 seconds, then turned around & aksed: "are you serious?!" We all just screamed "APRIL FOOL'S" and EVERYONE had a good laugh the rest of the day!!!

Oh, the fun times I'm going to miss at Foundations!!!!

LYB!!!!!

Sarah A's B-day Dinner...Cafe Rio Style_03172009

I had the WONDERFUL priviledge of being invited to the exclusive birthday dinner in honor of the AMAZING Sarah A!! It was prepared by the OUTSTANDING Claire B!! Somehow Claire-Bear got her hands on the recipes for Cafe Rio's pork & "house" dressing!! It was SOOOO good!!! Thank you SOOO much for including me in this celebration!!!!

LYB!!!!!

Cecily B's B-day_Fat Cats_03162009

Second only to spending time with my Family is...spending time with my Friends!!  And bowling none-to-boot!!!  Thanks Friends for including me in the FUN!!!!!

LYB!!!!!

A Day With The Family_03142009

As you'll see with this blog I've discovered a wonderful way to make a slideshow of my pics (slide.com...very cool)!!!  And since I like to take a LOT of pictures & it's TOO difficult for me to pick just a few to post I figured this would be the best & easiest way for me to post them all!!

Last weekend I decided last minute to spend the day with my family!!  On my way home I called to "warn" them...if you will...and to my surprise Kannon answered the phone!!  He was bragging about eating Mickey Mouse pancakes & eggs!!  I told him how jealous I was & asked that he ask Gramma to save some for me...which luckily she did!!  MMMM...I sure do LOVE my Mother's cooking!!!

It was a fun-filled day which began with breakfast & ended with a bowling excursion with Jared, Jodi & Danny!!  This first slideshow shows the amazing pancake & eggs that we got to enjoy along with some of the score/screen shots showing the skillz that our family has at bowling, as well as some photos of Jessi playing and eating snow!!  What a fun family member she is!!!

Following are some photos of the fun time we had while cleaning out our cars!!  Kannon was a HUGE help, after he completed his stop sign of course!!

This last slideshow has some photos that Kannon took!!  It's amazing how much he takes after his Mother!!!

This little video clip shows how much fun Kannon has when helping us out!!

LYB!!!!!

Haley's B-day Dinner_Texas Roadhouse_03072009

I absolutely LOVE my family and ANY opportunity that I get to spend time with them!!!  This blog is dedicated to Haley's B-day dinner at the Texas Roadhouse!!!  Time VERY well spent!!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!

LYB!!!!!

Baby Wright's Baby Shower_03032009!!

Over the past several months I've been dwelling WAY too much on the "things" that I don't have or have lost instead of appreciating the "things" that I do have. This last week I had a few experiences that brought this fact to my attention & helped me see the error of my ways!!

I'd like to share one such experience now!!

The last several semesters of my college "life" I had the WONDERFUL priveledge of "volunteering" at the Orem Institute of Religion & becoming good friends with the office staff!! I spent nearly every morning (& every evening) helping w/registration & what ever else they requested!! One of these staff members is a friend of mine that I made in one of my wards (Orem College 16th), StashaLee!! StashaLee & Doug met in our ward & were married in 2007. I've become good enough friends with these ladies (& Doug), that I was invited to a baby shower for Doug & StashaLee's boy that is due in the next 5 weeks!! Following are just some of the pictures from this occasion:

{MOST of the attendees}

{YES...I picked this out ALL BY MYSELF!!!!}

{A couple of the other gifts given/received}

The reason I post this as one of my "experiences" is because of the great LOVE & acceptance that I feel from these WONDERFUL Sisters by being included in this time-honored "female" tradition!! These AMAZING Sisters helped to keep me active & going strong during this period of my life!! I am FOREVER indebted to them!!!

LYB!!!!!

Nick's B-day Celebration 2009!!!

So...I LOVE to eat & I LOVE to celebrate special occasions & when the opportunity comes that they come hand-in-hand...I'm ALL for it!!!

Tuesday (03/03/09) was my good friend Nick's b-day!! He's not been around to join in the festivities the last couple of years because he's is in the Caribbean going to medical skool @ St George's University. This year HE'S lucky enough to have his new wife, Ku'ulei, there to celebrate it with him!! I miss them both VERY much, but that's not the point of this blog!! The point is...well...there really is no "point" I just wanted to let Nick & Ku'ulei know that we're thinking of them if though they're MILES away!! I hope you had a good one Buddy!!! BACOCNAOI...ACS!!!!!!

This year a few of Nick's friends got together at Bangkok Grill (one of Nick's favorite food establishments) to commemorate Nick's arrival to this world!! 3 out of the 4 of us enjoyed the Masaman (my FAVorite!!!) It was good getting together!! Oh how I miss the old days!!!

{Skoot, MandyAnn, Rob & Ben P enjoyin the BG!!}

I hope EVERYONE...ESPECIALLY Nick & Ku'ulei...had a WUNDERBAR day this last Tuesday!!! Whether it was celebrating a special day or just having a "good one"!!!

LYB!!!!!

One Non-Stop Weekend!!!

There are two types of weekends that I LOVE!! The first is where you can sit around doing absolutely NOTHING...and feel good about it!! And the other is where you have SOOO much planned that you can hardly breathe!!! This last weekend was the latter!!

Babysitting (aka Kid Watching) Some of My Cousins

It all started Friday night when I got to spend the evening watching some of my cousin's kids...Darron & Heather's: Halle, Ava & Thomas and Ryan & Melanie's: Maxwell!!

It's been a LONG time since I've "watched" kids & it was fun getting to do it again!! One of the reasons I like spending time with kids is because I consider myself as having "Peter Pan Syndrome"!! One of these reasons is due to the unconditional LOVE that children have for others!! I wish I had this type of LOVE!! The reason I say this is because I haven't done much with any of these kids...even at family functions...and they welcomed me right in!! Here's a small example: Halle was SOOO helpful especially with Maxwell!! Maxwell is VERY shy & I didn't get to spend much time with him before Ryan left so I'm sure that added to his bashfulness!! Thank goodness for Halle!! She helped him feel welcome & helped to lighten the mood!! Gradually Maxwell came around & joined us for a little dinner!! After we finished dinner we made our way downstairs to the "toy" room. Halle had put "Cars" on the TV for Maxwell earlier so I just finished watching that while I also got to play with the kids a little!! Overall it was a very good night!!

Golfing at The Ranches w/Andy, Ryan & Rich

Earlier in the week my friend Andy called to see if I'd be available (and willing) to go golfing!! LUCKILY I hadn't had anything planned for Saturday yet so I agreed!! It doesn't take much twisting of my arm to get out to play golf...or to spend time with my friends!!! I was SOOO happy that I got to go...even if I didn't play well!! But let's be honest...when do I ever play good golf!!!

BYU-Utah Basketball Game w/The Landlord

Saturday morning JUST before heading to the golf course The Landlord sent me a text aksing what I'd be doing at 3pm that day!! I told him that I'd be on the "links" & he said that he had an extra ticket to the BYU-UofU basketball game!! I told him that I'd LOVE to go but it all depended on what time I got done golfing!! He said that that would be fine!! I wasn't expecting to be SOOO long at the golf course, but we didn't end up getting to the game until 25 seconds left in the first half!!! Which was fine...according to the Landlord...because BYU wasn't doing very well!! I must be a good luck charm for BYU cause they ended up "pulling it out" & beat the U by 13 points!!

Bowling at Miracle Bowl Before Dave F Leaves for PA

Jessica & Andrea planned a surprise dinner/gathering for Dave F who is heading back to PA to be with his family!! I have some of the AWESOMEST friends that think SOOOO much of others!! The reason I say this is because Jessica & Andrea sat at Iggy's for OVER an hour just to get a table big enough for the 16 friends of Dave's that ended up showing up!! After dinner at Iggy's we went bowling at the Miracle Bowl!! I LOVE bowling...even though like golf, I'm not all that good!!! But being with GRRRREAT friends makes up for the bad bowling!! Don't let the picture below fool you...Andrea & Matt REALLY did have a good time!!!

LYB!!!!!