Be My Valentine

Here's to some girls who I would like to be my valentines. I'm not sure I can get these out before I eat them -- especially to Hayley in Madrid. I know Ashlie's name is spelled wrong too. I hope you all had a nice Valentine's day! Cole wore his Clint coat while Clint wore his RSL coat. I really like these two guys.

Cole got his first bike and found he did like spinning the wheel. He may have to wait for Max to ride before he gets interested.

Melon's Odyssey

Last week in Peach Tree City in a forested industrial park inside a conference room $millions$ were transacted and the company sold majority shares to a NY/LA based private equity firm who hopes to sell the biz down the road for the $millions$ paid times 5. And so the Odyssey begins...

2010 Economic Outlook

Contemplating the 5-year projection for aerospace spare parts market, a stab in the dark?This from the Wall Street Journal:

The U.S. economy is this decade likely to perform as poorly as the one that just ended due to higher savings by more cautious Americans and a less qualified labor force, several top economists said Sunday.

The world’s largest economy is expected to see between 2009 and 2019 growth in gross domestic product - a broad measure of economic activity - close to the annual average of 1.9% seen between 1999 and 2009, economists said. That marked the worst performance since the 1930s, the decade of the U.S. Great Depression.

The economic recovery seen from the second half of 2009 has been driven by a government stimulus that will be fading in 2010, warned Martin Feldstein, a Harvard University economist and former Reagan administration economist.

“It’s easy to be dismal about the U.S. economy,” said Dale Jorgenson, an expert on productivity who sees a deterioration in the quality of the labor force causing productivity growth to fall to 1.5% a year this decade from 2% a year in the last 10 years.

Following a financial crisis that was partly a result of Americans spending beyond their means, Nobel-laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz said the U.S. savings rate could go markedly higher in the coming years. “We’re not likely to have robust growth any time soon,” Stiglitz told a panel at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association entitled “Growth or Stagnation After The Recession.” Both Stiglitz and Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard University economist, warned the large debt accumulated to counter the crisis will be a major headache for the U.S. economy. They also cautioned there could be a new crisis down the road unless the U.S. regulatory system is improved.

On a more optimistic note, economists said China and India should continue to propel the world economy forward, which in turn would help the U.S. Feldstein said there could be a substantial improvement in net exports out of the U.S. “That’s where we could see a shift in aggregate demand, which could bring us back to full employment.”

It is hard to fake out reality.

Christmas Images

Didn't get too many shots as the camera battery died. All this moving around makes for mixed emotions.

Here I sit on the precipice of celebration and anticipation moving toward the unknown, grasping at the past.

Touring Christmas

This must be the start of Shauna's Christmas. The townhouse, as you can see, is subtly decorated in order to ease into the season, without straining a muscle, or peaking too soon, say on December 23rd. Shauna is the master (mistress?).
She and Hayley left for Santa Clara today with a carload of Christmas fixins. I'll follow tomorrow -- working all the way!

Touring Christmas Season

This fine couple invited Shauna and me to watch The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, The Orchestra at Temple Square, and The Bells on Temple Square present The Wondrous Gift of Christmas with special guests Natalie Cole and Michael McCullough (whew!). After eating the best pizza I have ever eaten -- Setobello pizza (my first time), we enjoyed the show immensely!

But, before we embarked on the previous, we headed to Brighton High School to watch some girls dance to Hayley's choreography. Don't these girls look like Christmas is happening?

Hard to see but this is Hayley directing her youngest quartet.

OK, not current, but Shauna and I headed to Sacrament meeting today at C&C's new ward where they were the featured speakers. They both spoke well, on prayer. Cassie said, "we have been married 3 months, and I've been pregnant half of that." She also said that Clint now wants to be called, "Atomic Mass Unit." Amu for short? Or some such thing, he'll have to explain.

Clint not only had great presence and delivery at the podium (aka Bob Dalton), but the content of his discourse was very insightful to boot.

Sibling Dinner

As the sun set inside Clint's TV, Hayley gazed into Max's eyes, and I enjoyed getting invited to a sibling dinner. Max made the trek with his brother and parents to C&C's place. Here he tries very hard to focus on his grandpa's camera.

Cole had been looking forward, all day, to going to Clint's house to play. And play they did. Cole was single minded in his play with uncle clint.

Hanyon here relaxing in the twin lounge chairs.

C&C's place has been transformed from a man cave into a newlyweds retreat. Thanks for inviting me, thanks for the food, and thanks for being around.