Keltose

Ginger Bread Christmas Party

2009-12-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

A couple years my Mom put on a great Chris tmas party for our family and it involved making Ginger Bread Houses. It was a lot of fun. Jenn thought it would be fun to do that with some friends and neighbors this year and we had a blast. Ava in particular really enjoyed making her creations and was a big helper in building my Frank Lloyd Wright style ginger bread house. Here are some pics from the evening and the full story board on Flickr.

Merry Christmas!

Bennett - 6 Weeks Old

2009-12-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

We recently had some photos taken of Bennett when he was 6 weeks old. Had we waited any longer we were afraid he would be too big for half of the props. We also had a few with Ava too, and they turned out really good. I have uploaded the best ones on Flickr, so feel free to check them out.

Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

In keeping with tradition, (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) we had a beautiful clear day a couple weeks ago to go up with The Tenbusch's for the second year in a row to cut down our Christmas Tree. My camera battery died, so Libby took more pictures as you'll see on her blog.
Permits this year were $5 through the forest service (Thanks Brian for snagging) and we went up in the mountains just south of Mt. St. Helens. I can honestly say it wasn't the best Christmas Tree I have cut down, but as they say it always looks different in the forest.
Ava sure had a fun time playing in the snow and decorating our tree. She was really worried we were going to leave the tree in the woods.

Here are some pics from the days adventure:

Thanks again for Brian, Libby and Evie for going and making it a blast!

This is how I roll...(Spoiler: nerd alert)

2009-11-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

It seems like the holiday season is the ideal time to fix your relative's and friend's PC/Tech related problems. Being an early adopter of technology, I usually have a story about something.

So, in an effort to archive some of my favorite tools and insights I am listing my favorite apps, websites and tools that I use throughout my day, which involves a bike commute, office and school. I hope you haven't heard of some of these things and you can find them useful in your routine. If I have missed something put it in the comments.

The Work Office

Some of the key elements of the office at work are the dual floating monitors, wireless keyboard and mouse. The rest is your basic office, and I won't bore you with my filing habits and methods. Here are the websites, software and things that are useful between the hours of 8am 5pm:

XMarks -This is a nice little plug-in for FireFox that syncs and saves your bookmarks between various computers. Comes in really handy.
Reader - Some people read the newspaper every morning, I scroll through my favorite sites for news and info. Plus its much quicker to read. Reader also has a great search feature to find past articles.
Evernote (Tip) - I am still working with Evernote and haven't fully incorporated it, but have found it can be useful depending on your
Chrome - Most companies have online expense reporting, AP, etc. websites that you need to go through and using IE is way slower. I find Google Chrome to be the best way to speed through this process. That is, if you can install it past the corporate firewall.

Portable Apps- Apps for USB drive. This can be a nice little work around when I need an app, that I am unable to download through the evil corporate firewall, nor do I have the time to call IT and explain my situation.

The Home Office

My home-office, again is nothing special but it works for school, work and fun. The main points of this room are multiple CAT 6e, COAX and Electrical plugs. Which I thought of while wiring this room. Dual-Monitor Linux and Windows set-ups, and a nicely organized cable cluster.

The Web

Here are my most used apps and websites that usually turn to when helping someone out with a project or problem. If you haven't heard of them, check them out. They are all free too!
Firefox-Customizable browser
XMarks-Firefox plug in for bookmark sync
Gmail Notifier-Firefox plugin
AVG or Avast-Antivirus
Twitter-no explanation nessecary
Pidgin-Open source IM

LogMeIn-Remote PC log in (Great for tech support)

Lifehacker - Great website for a lot of stuff. The name sums it up.

Google
YouTube-Video Sharing
Google Docs-A nice place to back up documents.
SketchUp Example Design you house remodel
Picasa-Quick Photo editor and manager

WAVE- The future in collaboration?

Apps
OpenOffice -Free alternative to Microsoft
VLC -Media Player
Evernote -Document manager Tip

Cloud
DropBox- (Cloud back up and sync)
2GDocs -Open Office extension
Flickr -(Photo sharing and back up)

Mobility
IronKey -If James Bond had a USB drive it would be this one.
PenDrive Linux - Linux for USB sticks.

YouMail- Customize and manage your Voice Mail.

Google Voice- Like YouMail, but tied to Google. I ended going back to YouMail for now.

Not as customizable as YouMail, but also easier in some ways.

Linux/OpenSource
Ubuntu- My personal favorite Linux version.
GIMP- Photo Shop alternative

61 Apps We are Thankful For (Lifehacker)

The Bag
This doesn't really have anything to do with the post, but it's a part of my commute and what I tote along for little fixes, in a bind. I am not sure this bag is fully considered my man purse, but it definitely goes with me wherever I go. I decided to layout everything I had in it, mainly to see what I was carrying around, and to show some of the things I can't leave home without. These items are also a definition of my nerd-ness.

The items:

Camera Case

MP3 Player

Tripod

BA-II Plus

Check Book - Who uses these things these days?

Wet Ones

Cellphone Case and phone

change

Bike tool

USB drives

Cat 5e, USB, Audio

Sewing Kit

Camera Charger
Flickr Moo Cards

Chapstick

Plastic

Mints

Glasses

Keys

A/V Cable

Wallet

Business cards

Pens

hand gel

cuff links

Spare phone battery

nail clippers

power adapters

MP3 charger

Name Sakes

2009-11-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

Last night at a dinner party, a friend told Jenn and I that they had some good friends in San Diego whose last name is Kelly, but even more funny is the fact that they have a daughter and son named Ava and Bennett. While Ava has been a rather popular name over the last few years, Bennett has never been in the top 300. So the coincidence of the same two names in the same family is pretty rare.

**Popularity of the female name Ava**
Year of birth	Rank
2008	5
2007	4
2006	5
2005	9
2004	25
2003	39
2002	82
2001	133
2000	180

**Popularity of the male name Bennett**
Year of birth	Rank
2008	361
2007	372
2006	368
2005	391
2004	404
2003	430
2002	445
2001	471
2000	441

I have always been interested in names and the externalities they bring to people; that interest peaked even more after I read Freakoniomics and the analysis and insight that they offered. I recommend the book to anyone who is interested or will be naming a child soon. It is also interesting to see how name trends can change according to our current events in the world. A classic example of that is 'Katrina' who was trending toward higher rankings until 2005.

Here is another recent post from the Freakonomics blog regarding names, that I thought was pretty funny.

And for the official Social Security Name Rankings go here.

In Honor of our Veterans

2009-11-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

My grandfather, Kelly Gardner, whom I was named after was a C-47 pilot and flew 'The Hump' in WWII in 1945. At the time he was deployed he was engaged to be married to my Grandma. While flying one of his mission's his plane went down from a lightning storm in Burma and was MIA for several weeks. Being the pilot of the plane he was the last one to jump, his chute barely opened in time before he hit the ground, but the impact was still severe. He spent time at an Army hospital in Germany and later in Logan Utah. To this day he still battles the pain from those injuries.

He is truly an amazing man.

I am sure there are a million other stories like this of our awesome Veterans. A special thanks goes out to all of them.

Here are a couple pictures that my dad scanned and another that he took of my Grandpa at an air show this year.

Our Little Soybean

2009-11-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

Couldn't resist The Office reference...

Here are a couple pics with Bennett's eyes open.
As I take more shots, I will be sure to post the good ones,
but the rest I will upload here.
He's a good little baby.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

Ava got this whole Halloween thing down last night. She had a great time being a Lady Bug and getting candy from the neighbors. We made an attempt to dress Buster up as a Squirrel and put Bennett in a Pumpkin costume. It was quite a feat to get the pictures I got, but it was a fun night for all of us!

Bennett J. Gardner

2009-10-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Born Oct. 13, 2009. 8lbs 2oz.

Here are some first photos of our little guy. He is sleeping a lot and I just hope he brings that habit home with him. It was pretty funny, when we brought Ava in to see him, I think she thought he was a fake doll or something. We had Bennett 'give' her an Elmo Doll as a little present, she loved it. More pics to come.
Thanks for all the kind texts, e-mails and prayers.

Pumpkins and Fishing

2009-10-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a Grandparents visit, from my Dad and Robyn. They made the drive up to see Ava (and us) and then Dad and I went fishing on the Lewis River for Salmon. It was a great weekend and Ava had an absolute blast with the added attention. Thanks again for the visit guys. The photographed highlights are here and here with some favorites below.

Nesting

2009-09-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

When Jenn told me she is nesting. My first question was "Is it curable?" And after more research on Google/WebMD and observation, I found out that 'nesting' isn't really curable or isn't really even a condition, but a *syndrome* that pregnant women invented as an excuse to redesign parts of the house, get new rugs, bedding, furniture and even con husbands and fathers into finally completing 'to-do' lists that have been getting put-off for months.
Well, despite the headaches involved with acting excited about a new comforter, rugs, pillows, etc. and 'completely redesigned play room' (the old layout just wasn't working out for some reason).
Anyways, it is nice to have finally gotten some things on my list done, and the end result, as you can see in the pictures, turned out nicely. In all fairness, though I guess we all go through these phases, mine are just in the form of fishing trips, bike parts, gadgets and concerts. So, next time I bring home a new phone or computer, I just say I was nesting.

At the Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Pumpkin Patch tonight. More pics to come.

Finally the house project winds down

2008-06-10T14:27:00.009-07:00

Over the past three months, I have been diligently working on our house with JR while Jenn takes care of Ava. At many times, I wondered what if was in over my head and many times found myself uttering the infamouse words,"I've made a huge mistake".

Finally this weekend, we had our open house and invited neighbors and friends, and even held our inaugural movie night with a nice viewing of Transformers, (more than meets the eye). It was awesome. I really can't believe what it has turned into. We are really happy with it. Check out the photos below, but jump on over to my Flickr -Flip This House collection for the whole storyboard.

The concept:
A. B.

The end result:
a. b.

Man Overboard

2009-09-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

A little late on this post, but Labor Day weekend was pretty awesome.
I went to Salt Lake for a weekend and had every minute jam packed with adventure.
From the moment I landed my brothers were already planning a kayak/rafting excursion on the Weber River. I had never done this one before, Hayden was our 'river guide' and failed to provide the rest of us with helmets and life jackets, which could have come in handy, especially when Bryan and I got hung up in the raft and kayak and he ended up going overboard down a chute. It was pretty scary, but he popped up immediately and quickly got turned around and on the kayak that I had lost earlier. I ended up jumping on his raft. It happened pretty quick, but was a pretty wild moment. I wish I had it on video.
Hayden, was a good guide though and he can rip it up on his kayak. (See video below).

The next day was an ATV ride with Nick, where we went up Farmington Canyon to Francis Peak, it was about 35 miles round trip and a great time!

After the ATV ride it was the reason I had come back to SLC to begin with and that was the Blink 182 show. My brother Brad was with me and it was an awesome show. It was good seeing the band back on stage. I am looking forward to their album later next year. It was a pretty exhausting weekend, but a lot of fun. I am glad I was able to do it all. Enjoy the pics.

The High Mountain Variety

2009-09-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Last month my neighbors invited me on a hike to Coldwater Peak up near Mt. St. Helens. It was a steep climb, 12 miles round trip, but definitely worth the effort. Besides the amazing views and scenery, I was introduced to the art of gathering Huckleberries. I have never really eaten Huckleberries before and found them to be very tasty, especially the "high mountain variety" as my friend Chris likes to call them.
Enjoy the pics-my camera was lost at the time of this hike, so the credit goes to Chris for the great shots. Flickr

What I Learned Tonight...

2009-08-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

I enjoy watching Documentary's and with Jenn being gone and nearly every Documentary on Netflix having the the watch now feature, I decided to dedicate a night to watching some in my queue. The ones I watched were:

King of Kong
Helvetica
Cocaine Cowboys
King Corn

They were all really interesting. King of Kong was interesting at how much people can love and obsess about old-school arcade games. Helvetica (I wanted to do this post in Helvetica, but it wasn't an option in the Blogger editor) was pretty cool, and interesting in the history behind the most widely used type-faces of the last 50 years. Cocaine Cowboys showed that you can make a lot of money in the drug business, but also go to prison and die. King Corn made me start wondering about the negative affects of High-Fructose Corn Syrup and it also made me happy that I just bought my next year and half supply of meat from a small private ranch that doesn't feed the cow on corn in a stall the whole time.

I have a few more in my queue that I need to get to and plan doing so before school starts. I would also recommend all of these as well. If you know of any that are worth watching let me know.

Study Abroad-Marseille, France 2009

2009-07-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

To answer the question I have been getting all last week...France was awesome. The three weeks spent were incredible. Judging by the pictures, one would guess that it was pure vacation, and when we weren't in class from 9am-5pm, it was. However, it was an experience that was definitely worth doing. The entire three weeks was an intense session of school and culture. I also met some really cool people, class mates and the French alike. I could make this post go on for pages, but instead I'll give the 30 second version and if anyone is interested in anything further, let me know.

The highlights of the schooling were:
A visit to Eurome diterranee Marseille where we learned about one of the largest urban renewal projects in Eur ope.
Had guest lectures and visits from some multi-national companies located in Marseille.
Eurocopter
Gemalto
CMA CGM
L'Occitane

Saw one of the largest nuclear power sites in the world (Didn't really see it--it is getting built still)
Had classes at the EuroMed School of Management on Global Capital Markets, International Management, and guest lectures from Prof.'s from all over Europe on a variety of topics.

The tourist stuff included, the beach, food, concerts, St. Tropez, Cannes, Monaco, hiking and swimming.

I feel very lucky to have gone and fortunate enough to have a supportive family to allow me to do this. I have narrowed down the 818 pictures I took to about 390 and uploaded them to my Flickr page. I hope you enjoy them.

Marseille

2009-06-13T13:43:00.001-07:00

For those that don't know; I am in Marseille France for the next three weeks. Here is a picture that I took. A full write up will be coming when I return, but in the mean time. Follow me on Twitter/Facebook for updates on what's going on over here. You can also check my Flickr page for almost daily uploads of my pics.

The Coast

2009-06-13T13:30:00.001-07:00

Lighthouse, originally uploaded by Keltose.

This post is a little late, but I had to get it up before it gets too late. Dad, Robyn and Hayden came up for a week and Hayden for weekend. It was a fun time of fishing, chilling and the beach. The pictures say all the other thousands of words so check it out. here.

Good Times in the Northwest

2009-05-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

As usual, a little late on this post.
I realize its tough for all of my friends to make the trip and spend some time with us here in the Northwest, but some serious props go to Jake and Ryan for taking the time and money to spend an awesome weekend with me. It was a blast. They even managed to come on one of the 15 nice weather weekends we get a year. The weather couldn't have been better. So,while I am still perfecting the art of tour guide, I tried to plan some cool places that would be worthwhile, it was pretty much a 'we came, we saw, we conquered' tour. I am sure I missed plenty of other cool places, but we'll save those for next time. The main points of attraction were:
Multnomah Falls
Peruvian Restaurant in Portland
Mt. St. Helens
Cannon Beach
Cage Fight (no pics, but a random and long story)

I am guessing those two had a good time, because every night I tried to show a movie, they managed to stay awake for about 3 minutes in.
So, for all you people's out there that are on the fence (*my brothers*) about visiting the Gardner Family, hopefully this post made your decision. And, while I am on the subject, we actually have other visitors with us this week too! Check back for those adventures.

Also, as usual...The Storyboard

My Day

2009-05-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Remember when I dazzled you all with my "Bike Ride Home" video last year? Well, I have done it again, with an 18 hour day highlighted in 3 minutes. I know this sounds nerdy, but to my defense, I definitely did not come with it as noted here.

Anyways, it was kinda cool to watch it back and realize that my average day is just that--average. But I am okay with that. It was fun to watch the family's reaction when I get home from work. That's always a good part of the day! Enjoy the clip. If anyone else has done this or does do it, please share.

Another Ava and Buster moment...

2009-04-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

If you have a 1 minute and 30 seconds to spare, this is an enlightening video about the relationship that Buster and Ava have. The whole feeding process actually took about 5 minutes. Notice how Buster will only eat his food on the rug. I don't get it.

HAPPY EASTER

2009-04-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

Something you don't see everyday

2009-04-06T22:42:00.001-07:00

Rainbow, originally uploaded by Keltose.

On my bike ride home the other day, I had to stop and pull the camera out for the shot of the full rainbow. It had been raining for a long time, and when the sun finally broke through, this is what happened. The rainbow was so big, I had to take three pictures and stitch them together.

I am eskimo

2009-02-28T17:58:00.000-08:00

A few of us went near Mt. St. Helens last night and made an igloo. It was the first time I have ever made one and it was pretty awesome. It took us a little longer than we had expected, but it turned out to be a fine snow structure. Saturday morning we had breakfast and did some snowshoeing, it was a lot of fun. Head on over to here, for the the full story board.