Baby Allison

Feb 23 our beautiful new niece was born- 7 lbs. 11 oz., black hair, and named after her mother. You've never seen a big sister more proud than Livvy. We are so happy to have her join our family! In fact, the whole experience made me start thinking about having a little one of our own- much to Beau's chagrin :)

A Tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley

President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away at his home last night at the age of 97. He served the church for over 12 years, traveled the world offering service to others, and reached out to encourage everyone to stand for something. Glenn Beck, who appears nightly on his own show on CNN says that President Hinckley was his “shining city on a hill,” the person who made him want to be better. Glenn’s message is simply this: find a good example in your own life that inspires you to be a better person. Gordon B. Hinckley was that person for many people. He will be sorely missed by millions in more than 150 nations who considered him to be a divinely inspired leader and prophet, including me.

Click here to see a "photatobug" paying tribute to Gordon B. Hinckley.

President Thomas S. Monson:

“It was my privilege to know and love President Hinckley long before either of us was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or the First Presidency. Through the years I have sat next to him, have served with him and have learned from him. I am a witness to his prophetic calling.

“President Hinckley was prodigious in his work ethic and was totally dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a friend to one and all and a leader who inspired spirituality. His outreach on an international scale was unprecedented. He was truly a prophet for our time. Like the Master, he devoted his life to doing good, and God was surely with him. His life was a gift to the world.”

President Henry B. Eyring:

“President Hinckley had the gift to make people want to do better and to feel that they could. Last Tuesday I sat in a meeting with him as he considered and then decided matters of great importance, some about individuals and some affecting the entire Church. He was pleasant, incisive, and clearly inspired. For me, he raised the standard of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, giving all.”

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles express our heartfelt love and admiration for President Gordon B. Hinckley and the singular life of service he lived. He was our prophet, our leader, our brother and our friend. We feel a deep, personal loss at his passing. He unfailingly demonstrated his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose witness he was at home and abroad.

“We will miss his wit and his wisdom, his leadership and his love. However, we cannot but rejoice in his reunion with his beloved Marjorie, with his parents and other family members who have gone before, and with the prophets of God, both ancient and modern, among whose eternal ranks he now stands. As the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles we echo the voice of the Master, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant. … Enter into the joy of thy Lord.’ ”

The Good Life

Today has been a day worthy of extensive documentation. Our entire family is spending time in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Where is that you ask? Let me show you.

Feel free to explore around. Check out the private Villa's we are staying at.

You might have heard of Zihuatanejo from "The Shawshank Redemption". I have not tracked down Andy Dufrain yet, but don't think that is the only reason to visit this incredible part of the globe.

Jan 5, 2008 - We awoke this morning at 6:00 am, ate breakfast, and jumped aboard our private boat for a deep sea fishing adventure. Our captain, Fito, and co-captain, Barrie Brewer, took us 30 miles from the coast before our first fish hit. My adrenaline surged when one the reels on our outrigger started buzzing. BJ and Fito grabbed the pole and set the hook. It was great watching BJ bring in the 4' Mahi Mahi (our dinner). Moments later we had two more hits. I jumped on a pole and BJ took the other. The beasts on the other end of the lines were 60 and 80 pound Sailfish. After reeling for some time, Laura and Mom took over. My sweetheart, Laura, continued to reel as the fish continued to fight. From time to time the fish would jump from the water as if to show a sign of what you were up against. It was amazing to feel the raw power of these creatures. 45 minutes later we pulled the fish aboard for some quick photos and set them free.

Here is a little video clip of me pulling in the Sailfish. Notice the moment of awkwardness when it flops in the boat. I seriously didn't know what to do to show it off. I mean... you can't really hold it up over your head or anything. I went with the straddle method. I guess it's as good as any.

On our journey back to shore we came across a huge family of dolphin. They put on quite a show for us, swimming alongside the boat and jumping through our waves.

Christmas at the Cabin - 2007

Mama and Baby Moose
This photo was taken right outside of our cabin.

This year we spent the holidays:

• playing games
• watching movies
• flying remote control helicopters
• hanging with friends and family
• and competing in the "First Annual Klondike Derby"

Christmas Eve was spent watching Santa Clause vs. The Snowman 3D (IMAX). We returned home and met up with Marie, Joe, Livvey, and Joe's parents. Sharon and Laura made a wonderful Christmas dinner, and we had a chocolate fountain for desert.

Christmas morning we had breakfast and headed up to the Brewer Cabin. Here are some of our favorite photos from the holidays.

Blithe and Lola at the top of the stairs.

Braxton and Lola getting ready to fix up a turkey sandwich.

Braxton can't believe his eyes when he opens his Christmas gifts.

Mom and the girls hanging out.

The 2007 Christmas Pickle

So here's the story. A number of years ago my mom bought me a pickle poker for Christmas. Yes that's correct... a "Pickle Poker". It's any tool with the sole purpose of pulling pickles out of a pickle jar. She thought I would like it because it looked like a gadget you would see on mission impossible. We all laughed at my pickle gift and from then on it became a tradition. My pickle poker collection grew to a unmanageable size, and my mother decided enough with the pickle gifts. My cousin Tia took over as pickle producer and stepped the pickle presents up to the next level. The first year she carved a pickle out of a bar of soap. The following year I received a really cool pickle ornament and story telling about the tradition of the Christmas Pickle. This year I received Pickle Panties. Who doesn't want green panties with text that reads, "I Love Pickles... They're Dillicious? I have already received crazy offers to buy the pickle panties. Sorry folks, can not and will not. I can't wait to see the 2009 pickle present!

Elf This

So we have received a number of "Elf Yourself" emails recently. I think the first one we viewed was Tiana and JC's. It has become so popular that we hardly go a day now without receiving a new "I Got Elfed" link. Laura has been having elf nightmares the last few nights, and it's really starting to erode our Christmas spirit. To display our complete disgust with this trend we have prepared a little something of our own. Click HERE or HERE.

Memories of McChevitz

Laramy McChevitz (aka Beau N. Brewer)

I stumbled upon this photo the other day and thought it would be a disservice to everyone I know not to post it. It was taken in 2000 at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda, Africa. What is going on you ask? Let me explain.

One of my best friends, Devin Roane, and I flew to Africa a few days after my family and everyone else. After watching "Fletch Lives" one to many times, we decided to arrive in Africa undercover. I believe we changed into our disguises at the JFK airport, or maybe it was in London?... either way you would not have believed the looks we were getting from passerbys. Our stewardess couldn't quite figure out if we were for real or not. She did everything she could to not look us in the eyes. I'm sure it was the only way she could keep from laughing.

From the Uganda Airport, we took a bus ride to our guest house. When we arrived, we were greeted by the family, a number of other volunteers, and locals. I guess word had made it around that we were extremely handsome young men. A look of utter confusion spread across the group as we stepped out from the bus. One of the locals turned to my mom and said, "Your son is very ugly". I don't know if the opinions changed much after we changed out of our disguises, but there were plenty of laughs to go around and we sure had a good time.

2007 Sponsors Review

This week, I'm sitting down with my skydiving sponsors, MonaVie, and reviewing things Dusty and I did for them in 2007. For those of you unfamiliar with MonaVie, it's a health drink made with a proprietary blend of 19 body-beneficial fruits. The main fruit in MonaVie is the acai berry, which is listed as one of the top superfoods in the world. Check their website out at www.monavie.com

I put together a document for them with pictures and stories from this year. Check it out here and tell me what you think.