Ben Kweller and China

Ben Kweller Live at Tucson

Sharon and I recently went to a Ben Kweller concert. Here's a few pictures I took using my phone. The resolution is crummy enough for Shelley to ask me on facebook where I was playing the guitar at, but I guess Ben Kweller is only 28 and has a baby face, as well as a sweet set of long curly hair. I think when I get back from China my hair will look like that.
For the finale of the encore, he brought out his four year old son and had him play the drums. When he refused to play a rendition of "Bingo was his name-o" the little boy consented to play "Say it Aint So" by Weezer, and he totally rocked it out.

Ben Kweller's son playing the drums at the concert

Anyways, we're all ready for China! We're here at Mom and Dad's house, hoping to leave tomorrow at 5:00 am to get some party time in at the beach, and then we'll leave on Tuesday afternoon for the true middle earth country (that's pretty much the literal translation of it: middle country) China.

Yea!

Blueberry Pancakes

Blueberry Pancake Tongues

Kind of sick, you might not want to enlarge this one. But we were wondering why my tongue is pointy and Sharon's is rounded. I suggested it was because my primitive ancestors used to hunt with their tongue, using the concealed weapon to poke people's eyes out. Any ideas?

For Time and Eternity....

That's right, Sharon and I got sealed last week on June 6th! It was a perfect evening and surprisingly cool as we left the temple around 7:00. The sealing room was full with family and a few friends that came out to support us. The ceremony was very nice. Afterward we went to Gary and Gwen's house for a nice get together, and the Aunts and Uncles all gave us a super nice 7-person tent! Looks like we have to have 5 kids now. Gwen also made a really nice cross stitch commemorating our sealing. Our family is so great!

Aunt Gwen was again super nice to help us with some pictures. She does a great job:

Mom did a great job altering Sharon's dress to fit garments, and she also made the bouquet.

I like how this picture is officially dated with Caitlin's belly. Speaking of, she's getting induced tomorrow! Uncle Sam, here I come.

I had heard stories of things getting crazy before going to the temple, and the Bishop also specifically warned me it might happen. With Sharon's experiments at her lab going poorly, her having really bad allergies, lots of dental work, no travel document, and other things, the Bishop was definitely right. Oddly enough, however, when we returned home and checked the mail Sunday morning we found our travel document! Sharon can officially leave the country and come back, so I don't have to move to China just yet. Sharon's allergies also got better, her work doesn't seem as hectic, her teeth are better, and other things just seem to be resolved. Sharon bore a really sweet testimony on Sunday about all that, and I followed her to talk about how good and peaceful it felt to finally be sealed.

Next step: meet the parents.

my new office and news this saturday

I started a new job last week at a new neurology clinic near our house. It's just a short term job that a doctor in my ward helped me get; until we go to China at the end of this month I'll be taking surveys of patients to assess where the clinic can improve. Considering the clinic is only a year old, it is still working through some glitches its mechanics and some revamping is needed. While the job puts me in an office making tons of phone calls every day, I actually like it. I even get a fancy office with a window right next to all the doctor's offices:

My empty office at the Center for Neurosciences

It needs a few decorations, but I almost feel important in it. While my job may just be considered telemarketing as Chase pointed out to me, I've found that most people are very willing to talk about their doctors and their experiences with a professional they trust and respect. It has already been worthwhile to hear about people who were paralyzed from the waist down and were totally healed after treatment. Conversely, it has been edifying to hear patient's frustrations when they don't get the kind of treatment they expect. As you can imagine, this type of edification usually comes through a stream of raised voices.

It's all serving to solidify my interest in medicine and also puts forth the idea of becoming a neurologist in my mind.


In other, better news... Sharon and I are getting sealed this Saturday!! 6:00 PM in the Mesa temple.