District Sleepers

Aspiring Broadway Singers...

2008-04-29T11:37:00.001-07:00

This last Friday, Scotty Palmer and myself put on a performance of a lifetime. Our church had a fundraiser for the boy scouts in our ward, and they were asking people to perform at the event. I was asked to play a song on my guitar, but figured we could do much better than that. I got my buddy Scott to join me in performing "The Confrontation" from Les Miserables. (We had done it before). Here are a few pictures from our performance!

"3 days is all I need! Then I return...I pledge my word..."

"Men like you can never change...A man....such as YOU!!!!"

"There is no place for you to hide"

"I will be Theeeeerrreeee....."

Op-Ed with Newt and Gov Pawlenty

2008-04-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

The following is an op-ed that I helped with. If you read far enough down, you will see that it mentions our demonstration project. Go Newt and Gov. Pawlenty!

http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=18189764

Mike

Gov. Tim Pawlenty: Health-care records lag technology
By NEWT GINGRICH and TIM PAWLENTY
April 27, 2008
The U.S. Census Bureau announced it will complete the 2010 census using the same method used in its first census in 1790: pen and paper. It's shocking that this massive undertaking won't utilize technology that is second-nature in our daily lives. Yet, there is a far more important part of our lives that remains as antiquated as the Census Bureau: health care.
Technologically, health care is at least a generation behind. Instead of using e-health records, roughly two-thirds of hospitals and nine out of 10 doctors rely on paper record-keeping. In today's society, it's akin to commuting by stagecoach.
Is it surprising then that our health-care system is riddled with problems?
Take patient safety. The Institute of Medicine reported that more than 1.5 million preventable medication injuries occur annually, while preventable medical errors kill as many as 98,000 Americans every year. Information technology can improve safety by alerting providers of medication errors, drug allergies or critical pieces of patient history.
Take rising costs. One contributing factor is that our medical records are locked away in filing cabinets. Since very few providers have a complete patient record, recent lab tests or scans are often reordered. Access to up-to-date information would save tens of billions of dollars every year.
Getting information technology into the hands of providers is critical, and right here in Minnesota you can find many pioneers bringing health care into the 21st century. Two of the state's -- and the world's -- best examples of modernized systems are the Mayo Clinic and Park Nicollet Health Services, thanks in no small part to their use of electronic medical records.
According to the latest edition of the Dartmouth Health Atlas, the Mayo Clinic is so effective that "if the U.S. health care system mirrored the practice patterns of gold-standard health care systems such as the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Medicare could save tens of billions of dollars annually."
At Mayo, updated patient records can be accessed instantly by authorized caregivers at more than 16,000 computer terminals across three facilities. Park Nicollet is equally as advanced. It has electronically connected its six urgent-care centers and 25 community clinics.
Other pioneers in the state include UnitedHealthcare and HealthPartners, industry leaders in developing websites for their members to better manage their health. RxHub has deployed a nationwide electronic prescribing network, and Minnesota-based MinuteClinic has electronically connected its 500-plus stores.
Although nearly all of Minnesota's hospitals and two-thirds of its primary care clinics are using or implementing e-health records, there is still work to be done.
First, health-care providers must connect their information systems. It does patients no good if their information is inaccessible when needed.
In 2007, legislation was signed that mandated all hospitals and health-care providers to adopt interoperable or interconnected systems by 2015. Through the Minnesota e-Health Initiative in the Department of Health, the state is working closely with representatives from every health-care sector to meet this deadline. It also has joined with leaders from its largest health-care organizations to announce an e-health information exchange. This superhighway will be one of the largest such exchanges in the nation, serving more than 3 million Minnesotans and connecting doctors, hospitals and clinics across the state.
Second, other large segments of providers in Minnesota, such as home health agencies, long-term-care facilities and community physicians must increase their use of technology. Of the 16,000 community physicians who deliver the majority of the care in the state, less than a quarter use e-health records.
Last month, Minnesota was designated as a Chartered Value Exchange by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As part of this designation, Minnesota's health-care community should take advantage of a program introduced by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt that will pay 1,200 small- to medium-sized primary care physician practices to use e-health records.
Given the life-and-death implications, one would think health care would be more technologically advanced. Minnesota provides shining examples of what a modernized system can be, and through hard work, it can be even better. The citizens of Minnesota deserve nothing less.
Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is the founder of the Center for Health Transformation. Tim Pawlenty is governor of Minnesota.
© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

Flyfishing for Shad

2008-04-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend fly-fishing on the Potomac River right out from Georgetown University. I convinced Rob Wood to come down Friday night and spend the day fishing with Bobby Harrington and me. So he packed his family up and came down. We got up early Saturday morning and headed over to Fletchers Boat House to get our row boats and licenses. We were lucky and got the last 2 boats Fletchers had.

Fishing in the morning was a little slow, and it took us a while to figure out the proper technique. Once we did, the shad started coming in. Rob and I hit a few doubles in the morning which kept it exciting.

Mike and Rob bringing in doubles!

The beautiful shad of the potomac

Unfortunately, Rob had to take off a little after lunch; but Bobby and I stayed out, and ended up glad we did. Bobby and I hit 7 doubles in the afternoon, which means we both had fish on at the same time. The fishing was incredible. Shad are a very tough fish and always put up a good fight. Their underbelly is often so sharp and pointed it feels like it could cut you. There are 2 types of Shad: Hickory and American. The Americans are the gold prize of shad. We caught mostly Hickory, but got lucky and hit a few Americans as well. I think we all caught one or two Americans, but Bobby caught the fish of the day towards the end of the day. This Shad was like an NFL football; it was huge.

Bobby and his big American Shad

Okay, maybe it wasn’t the biggest fish of the weekend, I guess this fish was…

Huge Striper from the Potomac

This is a fish of a lifetime, so I will spare all of you details on how it was caught....It was gigantic and very heavy. Some day when i have more time I will tell the story! Some day....

All in all, it was a great weekend and I had a great time spending time with Bobby and Rob. We'll get them again next weekend!

Update on Work...

2008-04-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get back into the habit of blogging. It has been some time since I posted last, and a lot has happened. At the beginning of the year I began a new and exciting job that I am thoroughly enjoying. I am the Director of a National Electronic Health Records (EHR) Demonstration Project that is focused on improving the quality of patient care through the efficient use of EHRs.

We (Medicare) are offering to pay primary care physicians an incentive payment for using EHRs efficiently to improve the quality of care. The way the medical system is organized creates an unfair mismatch for physicians. In most cases they bear the sole responsibility of purchasing these expensive systems, and once they do the payers of health care, like Medicare, receive most of the financial benefit. It isn’t until the EHR is well integrated into the physicians practice that they start saving money. Through this demonstration project, Medicare is taking the lead to try and reverse this mismatch by giving money back to physicians for effectively using EHRs to help us accomplish the ultimate objective which is to improve the quality of care Medicare beneficiaries receive. In the middle of June we will be announcing 12 communities across the country that will participate in the demonstration project with us. To date, we have visited about 37 communities and invited them to apply to be part of the project. The project has been well received, and we are hopeful that we will get a good amount of applications.

I am writing this from an Amtrack train, headed up to Newark to participate in the last event for the promotion of my project. The applications are due May 13. I am challenged by the work, but am enjoying it and learning a lot; it has been a great project for me to work on! If you want to learn more, which I'm sure all of you do, here are the links to more information on the project:

EHR Demonstration Fact Sheet
EHR Demonstration Web Site

Here is an article from the road:
http://www.khi.org/s/index.cfm?aid=1157

I love my Wii!

2008-03-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

So I turned the big 30 on March 13th! For my birthday this year I got a gift that to this point in my life, I have never had. To this point in my long career I have never owned a video game console. Growing up I was always jealous of my friends that could spend countless hours in mindless fun. Once I got a little older I realized the wisdom of my parents in limiting my exposure to these time dumps. However, my perfect record has been destroyed.

I made it 30 years, but for my 30th birthday my family decided to get me a Nintendo Wii. (of course I didn’t ask for it!!). In addition to getting a Wii, I also got a video game pass from Blockbuster that allows me to rent as many games in a month that I can. I figure I can determine what games I really like before buying them. So far I have loved it. I love the fact that I can download old school video games like Super Mario Brothers 3, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, and Excite Bike; great games from way back in the day. I have also really enjoyed the interactive (athletic…some would say) aspect of the Wii. I love playing tennis and Tiger Woods golf, and it amazes me how the machine is able to receive my movements and translate them into video game movements. I will confess after taking batting practice the other night, I woke up sore; I couldn’t believe it. I have also broken a sweat boxing with Qualter. The machine is quite entertaining. All the thanks to my loving family that got this for me…Now all of you need to come visit so you can play with me.

Wow! We have Great Leaders in this Country

2008-03-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Tribute to an Incredible Man...Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-01-31T17:54:00.000-08:00

This week the world lost something great. Our beloved Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away and was reunited with his loving wife. President Hinckley was truly a giant! His loving, sweet, and gentle personality changed the lives of many, including my own. I know he was a Prophet of God. His insightful words inspired and will continue to inspire me to be a better man. I love the quote I heard him say when he came to Georgia while on my mission "The Gospel is to make bad men good, and good men better." He is a man who lived according to the principles he taught, and showed all of us the joy we can experience in doing the same. His wit and sense of humor was appreciated by all. During the same visit in Georgia, the first words that came out of his mouth were "Georgia, the land of the red-soil and the red-necks!" He was a wonderful man, and I will always be grateful for what he has done for me in my life. I feel somewhat selfish experiencing sorrow at his loss, because I know he is in a better place with his loving wife.

Thank you President Hinckley for the example of your life.

Here are a few video tributes I enjoyed watching:

Here is a tribute by Glen Beck, a loud spoken report for CNN:

I love hearing him bear his testimony...

Expand SCHIP?

2007-10-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Flight of the Conchords

2007-10-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more classic Flight of the Conchords videos. The second one is long, but well worth it. Enjoy....

SCHIP - What They Aren't Telling You

2007-10-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

Written by Charles SignorilePublished October 04, 2007

As expected, President Bush vetoed the children's health insurance bill today. Also as expected, this has brought an onslaught of attacks from the left, coupled with blatant lies to back them up. Senator Harry Reid, who is quickly moving my top ten list of useless politicians, called it a "heartless veto".
"By vetoing a bipartisan bill to renew the successful Children's Health Insurance Program, President Bush is denying health care to millions of low-income kids in America." said Reid.
Before pulling out your box of tissues and weeping for the "millions of low income kids" this "heartless veto" has denied from insurance, I think it is important to look into what Democrats, and the media are not telling you about this bill.
For starters it is important to note that President Bush did not veto the SCHIP program, what he vetoed was the enormous expansion of it. President Bush had asked for a small expansion of this program from Congress, requesting an additional $5 billion over the next 5 years. The House's first draft of this bill authorized an additional $50 billion and covered "children" as old as 25 from families which made as much as $82,000 per year. Those numbers have since been toned down, however the final bill which was presented to President Bush requested an increase of $35 billion and would cover "children" as old as 21.
While looking at those figures also realize that, as the Wall Street Journal reported recently, this bill has what is known as a "funding cliff". The "yearly SCHIP layout increases to $13.9 billion in 2011, then abruptly cuts spending by 65% below current funding levels. This helps 'score' the bill as costing only $35 billion over the five-year budget window, but it also means that come 2012 Congress will either have to pass new spending or kick kids off the rolls". Meaning this 5 year expansion is only funded for 4 years under the current legislation!
With regards to the "funding" of this expansion, it is comical how the Democrats wish to do so. Funding is expected to come from a 61 cent increase in tax on cigarettes, with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), echoing the reason many other Dems have stated "The tobacco tax is a great way to pay for it, because if you tax people who are smoking and they smoke less, then we have less health problems." Yes Mr. Pallone, that is true, if you increase taxes on cigarettes less people will smoke, but then who will be paying the tax??! "In just five years, Congress will need over 9 million new smokers," estimated The Heritage Foundation's Michelle Bucci and William Beach.
President Bush has stated he is worried the expansion of the SCHIP program to children who come from families with higher income levels would inevitably lead to some children who are already covered by private insurance to be moved into the taxpayer funded program. He is also worried that the Democrats expansion of this bill is simply a small step towards a national health care system. I agree with him on both counts.
Democrats claim it is preposterous that this bill is in any way a first step towards national health care, it is simply to help the children. Apparently those same people have not yet read the memo Hillary Clinton received in 1993 from her staff which stated federal coverage of children should be used as a precursor to universal coverage.
One other very important item which most have yet to read about in the newspaper, or hear about on ABC news. Under the new expansion of SCHIP, States will not be mandated to verify the legal status of the applicant. This bill provides billions of billions of dollars to the States to offer it poorer citizens insurance, but does not require the States to verify that only citizens will receive this money. The words taxpayer funded insurance for illegal aliens were never mentioned in the NY Times as far as I could see.
The fact is, Democrats are claiming Bush hates children while at the same time they are playing politics with children's health care, using it to benefit themselves instead of the children. SCHIP has expired as of September 30, meaning States will not receive any monies from the Federal Government for this program until a new bill is passed. The Democrats have known for months this large expansion of the program would be vetoed by President Bush, but decided to wait until the plan expired before presenting it to him for his veto. This allowed them to paint the President as being evil, while they proclaim they are the party that cares about children.
"If he vetoes the bill, it's a political victory for us." said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL). House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer agreed saying "With a bill on its way to the president's desk by the end of next week, Democrats will be safe in blaming the White House for allowing the program to expire"
These words do not sound like a group of people whose only interest is to help "poor" children. There is an obvious political agenda surrounding the SCHIP expansion, and it is a game politicians on both sides have been playing for years. Until we as a Country stop electing career politicians to represent us, this game will continue and the only losers will be us.
Like the old joke goes, "How do you know when a politician is lying?", "His lips are moving."

Hilarious Video...

2007-09-16T17:22:00.001-07:00

I have found a new comedy act that I love. These guys are on a show on HBO called Flight of the Conchords. The TV show is about these two guys from New Zealand who move to New York to make it big with their music. This is a clip from a real concert, and one of their songs. To say the least, it is hilarious! Enjoy...

Travel to Tanzania, Africa

2007-09-07T21:52:00.001-07:00

I recently returned from a trip to Tanzania, Africa. Tanzania is a beautiful country full of incredible people. It was a bit of a cultural shock going there and seeing the differences between the USA and Tanzania. I was amazed by the difficulties the people experience in their daily living. Despite the difficulties, the people remain optimistic and don’t seem easily discouraged. It made me appreciate some of the small luxuries, like running water, good roads, and shoes.

When I arrived in Africa Friday, August 17, I was completely alone. Usually we travel with security agents, but they weren't coming until the following evening. I quickly realized how much I enjoy having people to talk with. I had no phone, and no internet access, and I was picked up at the airport by a Tanzanian driver who spoke little English and was taken to my hotel. As Ron Burgendy says in the movie Anchorman "It is hard to be lonely in a big city." I felt that way. I checked in and figured out how to contact Cingular and they were able to activate my service. Having easy and quick access to friends and family is a great blessing that I take for granted. It is nice to be able to have a phone, pick up and call anytime we want. When it is gone, it feels awful! (especially when you're in a foreign country and have no clue up from down.)

Saturday morning, I got to work on lining up a safari for Sunday. A local driver, Steven, came to our lobby and I negotiated with him from $600 down to $300 for a day long safari in Mukumi National Park. The deal was he would drive me there (3 hours), pay for my entrance into the park, and for the guide fee, and drive me back to the hotel. I felt pretty good about the package I got and have been told by multiple sources that I got a screaming deal.

After lining up my safari, I decided to head to a local market where I could purchase wood carvings and other gifts for people. Driving in Tanzania is crazy! Not only is the steering wheel on the opposite side of the car, they drive on the opposite side of the road. I kept thinking we were going to hit oncoming cars until I realized they were coming at us from the other lane. Several times when getting in the car, I would walk up to the drivers side, thinking it to be the passangers side, and open the door. My driver finally started laughing at me and saying "not American my friend!" We got a good laugh out of it.

On the way to the market guess what I saw? You got it, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

At the end of a long shopping spree in Dar es Salaam. The gentleman in the white shirt helped me around the market and took good care of me.

The shops were incredible and each was loaded with similar goods. In the front of the shops were the sales people, and as you walked to the back they had people sitting on floors carving the items that were for sale.

My first night, I had dinner by myself at the Seacliff Hotel. It is a beautiful hotel that sits on the Indian Ocean. I even treated myself to some ice cream.

Sunday morning I headed to Mukumi National Park for my safari. The park is about 3 hours north of Dar es Salaam, depending on how fast you drive. I was amazed by the amount of people I saw on the side of the road walking from one village to the next that were anywhere from 1 mile to 5 miles apart. Many of the women walked with buckets of fruit or grains balancing on their heads. I saw one woman that particularly impressed me. When I saw her I hadn't seen a village for over a mile. The woman was walking along the road balancing a large bucket of produce on her head. If that wasn't enough, she was barefoot, and was carrying an infant in one arm, and with the other she was holding the hand of an older child. Life in Tanzania is not easy, and the people endure very difficult trials day after day. These women are strong and determined, and they persist despite the difficulty. The streets are also filled with bikers, not Cannondale Caad 8 bikes, these are bikes that look like they are 20-30 years old with rusty frames. The bikes were loaded with goods: wood, seeds, baskets, people, and anything else that could fit on a bike. When there was a hill, the bikers would get off and push the bike to the top of the hill and resume riding. Garbage is a problem in Tanzania. Each village was covered with trash, littering occurred everywhere I looked. The drive was beautiful. We drove up past Morogoro, which lies at the base of Morogoro Mountain. It had rained the night before and the clouds that sat on the mountain created a beautiful scenery. I would describe most of the drive as somewhat tropical. Banana, coconut, and mango trees were everywhere, and the villagers lined the streets selling their produce.

The speed limit on the road was 50 km/hour, but Steven drove like his passenger and averaged 140 km/hour! It was exciting just watching all the cars we would pass as if they were stopped. Steven and I were stopped for speeding 4 times on the way up and back. The first time, I was so nervous! I thought I would end up in prison. Steven jumped out of the car, started small talk with the officer and slipped him 2000 schillings ($1.50) and we were off. Each time we were stopped Steven would slip the officer money and that would be the end of it. I wish we could do that in the USA!

Along the drive to Mikumi National Park, there were items for sale all along the road. These baskets and rugs/mats were everywhere. One item I regret not purchasing...a hand woven basket

Mikumi National Park entrance.... the "Danger...Wild Animals" caught my attention!

This is the location where you sign into the park and begin the safari. It was raining when we arrived, so I spent some time making friends with the guards and staff. My German gummy bears went a long way.

The first animal we saw were hippos. There were about 15 of them in this pool. The National Park actually makes a man made reservoir and then the hippos come to the water. More people die from Hippo attacks annually in Africa than from any other animal.

I felt very lucky about this sighting...that is the King of the Jungle, 2 male lions! We were coming along the road and saw a heard of wildebeests (below) running. I thought they were running from our vehicle, but we quickly realized there was something more scary they were a afraid of.

Pack of wildebeests

We saw a bunch of beautiful giraffes, they were easy to spot for obvious reasons.

We drove through lots of this type of brush. This is prime lion living as they are able to walk around undetected. I kept thinking one was going to jump out and come right in my window. It was a little freaky.

The Bush

L to R: Steven (my driver), Eagle, Tour Guide, and my Chinese friend. I don't remember my Chinese friends name, but when we pulled up to the park he was there on his motorcycle. He was hoping to take his bike into the park. You can put 2 and 2 together and figure out that it isn't a very wise idea. So he asked if he could join us in our car and I agreed. (for $10) Which is a really good deal!

Entrance of Mikumi National Park

Baboon

I was fascinated by the drive back to Dar. It was about a 3 hour drive passing through village after village. Each village had some form of a market that lined the streets selling all types of goods from produce to live chickens to clothing and shoes. I was shocked by the amount of people awaiting buyers. We stopped several times because Steven had to buy potatoes for his wife. When we got out of the car and were instantly mobbed.

The markets had their produce on fancy display. This is a selection of tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and apples.

I think this guy had just finished stacking his produce! It deserves a thumbs up!

Here is Steven negotiating with the sellers. You can see the guy carrying the live chickens. They were flapping all around and squawking. Holding them looked really difficult.

Brick is essential for the structures in the villages. Most of the villages had a brickyard where they would burn the mud into brick for all their buildings. Here is a picture of some of the brick workers unloading the brick.

Monday we began our walk throughs. The first place we visited was Mwananyamala Hospital in Dar. This was a very eye opening experience. As we pulled through the gate to the hospital, we were stopped and told we could not proceed any further because the road was being paved. The hospital was paving their dirt road for the Secretary's visit. As we entered the hospital it reminded me more of a university, or outdoor shopping area than a hospital. People were everywhere, and the buildings were single leveled and open. As we got out of our vehicle, I heard a woman near me weeping. I looked over and saw this woman sitting on the ground, with a friend on each side of her, crying "he's dead! he's dead!" Locals passed by her as if this happened all the time. I wanted so badly to comfort her in some way, but I knew there was nothing I could do. My hear sunk. I can't adequately describe the conditions at this hospital. The waiting rooms, located outdoors, were filled with dozens and dozens of people, mainly women with children, awaiting treatment. The facilities were old and looked as if they hadn't been cleaned for some time. At a hospital in the US, you see doctors and nurses walking around all over, here, I saw no doctors. The demand for care was so high but there was insufficient staff to treat the patients.

The first thing we noticed is that they were putting in a brick road (previously dirt) for the Secretary's arrival. They were very excited that Secretary Leavitt was coming. Our Department is funding a new clinic that they are opening in the hospital.

Some of the completed road

This is the record keeping room for the entire hospital

Here I am with the hospital staff in the new clinic. It was neat to hear them express profound gratitude for the aide our country is giving them. The new clinic isn't huge, but it is clean, well built, and provides a great sense of optimism. The hospital staff is very proud of the new building.

The next site we went to was with Pathfinder International. This is a business that provides home based care to people living with HIV/ AIDS. This walk through took us to some of the poorest regions in Dar. As you can see from the picture above what some of the neighborhoods were like.

At our first visit, I fell in love with this beautiful little girl. She was darling and would mimic everything I did. At first she was very shy, but by the end of our visit, she was jumping up and down and having all sorts of fun with us.

I love this picture of this young African boy

Mohammed is a young boy who is living AIDS free; his mother who is receiving home based care for her AIDS. Mohammed is a strong and vibrant young man, determined to stay AIDS free.

We also visited an older couple who several years ago found out they both had been living with AIDS for some time. Mwaepipiana, the husband, was a very charismatic and positive man. he had a smile that could turn your hear inside out. He is in the blue striped shirt above. Mwaepipiana, who goes by Mwinyi, which I am told means African Master, (He carries the name well) told us their story of when they found out they had AIDS. This strong man said to us, "when we found out we just cried and cried and cried. We didn't know what to do." He became very somber and I then asked him how he felt now that he is receiving treatment? His face lit up and he said "Very good sir, very good!" This seemed to be a theme among the people of Africa, despite the difficulties of life they remained very optimistic and positive.

I found this welcome package funny. You get a nice bowl of fruit and right next to it a can of Raid! Fortunately, I didn't have to use it.

I had my first experience sleeping with mosquito nets at the Serena Hotel.

View from the balcony of my hotel room...not bad.

Zanzibar is famous for their many unique sail boats. They were all over and beautiful to look at.

Another beautiful sailboat on the Indian Ocean in Zanzibar

Getting comfy in the lobby of the Serena Hotel

Big Joe and I. Joe had to be one of my favorite guys from the trip. Big Joe is one of the managers of the Serena Hotel, and is one of the most charismatic and energetic people I have ever met. Every time he would see me he would hollar "Brother man!" and follow it up with a bunch of other expressions ending in "man". Big Joe took good care of us while we were at the Serena. He even showed me his picture with Bill Clinton from when Clinton visited Zanzibar several years ago.

The first walk through we had in Zanzibar was for the President's Malaria Initiative, or PMI. President Bush has created this program to help in the battle against malaria . We went to a warehouse where all of the malaria sprayers go before heading out for the day. They come to the warehouse to get dressed in these hot outfits that protect them from the elements. There is also a helmet that goes with the outfit. The workers then go into local communities, empty the homes, and spray insecticides into the homes to protect the occupants from malaria.

Malaria sprayers getting ready for a hard days work

Tanzania has had enormous success in their fight against malaria. Another form of treatment we help fund is mosquito nets, like the one below. Following our visit to the warehouse, we were able to go into a local village to see where the spraying is occurring.

This is a picture of Secretary Leavitt, Dr. Julie Gerberding, and Ambassador Retzer of Tanzania getting ready to participate in the malaria spraying.

Helping Secretary Leavitt (far left), Rear Admiral Timothy Ziemer, and the Tanzanian Minister of Health get ready to witness the spraying.

Bill Steiger and I after the spraying event in Zanzibar

Pausing to play with some of the local children from the PMI spraying event

Beautiful beaches of Zanzibar

Stonetown is a famous location on the island of Zanzibar. It is a beautiful little town with narrow roads and ancient buildings. I got in some more shopping while in Stonetown.

L to R: Beverly Cummings, Control Officer for our visit, me, Rebecca Miller, CDC employee who came to Tanzania to help with our trip. Both Beverly and Rebecca were great to work with. Beverly has been in Tanzania for a couple years and works for our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention office.

This is how I got to the PMI Warehouse from the Zanzibar airport. A lot of the locals travel around like this. It was about a 10 minute ride and was very enjoyable.

Allyson Bell and I at the Serena Hotel

Dr. Jiddawwi and I at the Zanziar Blood Center. Dr. Jiddawwi was the Minister of Health in Zanzibar and was a wonderful man!

After the Secretary's Departure, I went back to Dar es Salaam and got to go to one of the beaches to swim in the Indian Ocean.

Picture of the back of our hotel, the Movenpick, in Dar es Salaam.

A view from my beach chair
At the beach (we were actually at a beach located within a beautiful hotel) they had these performers that were incredible! Here is one of them doing a flip through two bike rims!

Body surfing in the Indian Ocean!

After my swim in the ocean!

Here I am with Jerry, he was our designated driver from the Embassy. He was a great guy and took good care of us.

Grand Tetons 07

2007-08-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

How we love the Tetons! It has been since Lizzy and I moved to Washington, DC that I have been to the Tetons. It was a joy to return to what I believe to be the most beautiful scenery on earth! We had a wonderful time boating, fishing, and spending time with family. Lizzy wasn't able to make the trip because of poor planning. Her parents were in DC during the trip and she decided to stay in the big city to be with them. She was missed. Here are some pictures from our great trip!

Water Skiing on Jackson Lake

Bald Eagle

Mark showing off on the wake board

Mark showing he isn't only a wake boarder

Mighty Dad making a cut in front of Mt. Moran! Beautiful!!!!

Momma cutting the glass near Signal Mountain with the beautiful Tetons behind

My beautiful sister Chico (Jane) showing off on the glass

Brother Matt giving the family skiing lessons...

Jackson Lake

Mayo and Baldy (Pat and Mike). Pat gave that name to himself not me...

Mike, Chico, Dad, and Matt, w/ Vanessa hiding behind the window. My family bought a new boat this year and it was incredible! Well done Dad!

Dad getting back from a swim to Signal Mountain to get Momma a coke. Dad had gone in to the lodge to get her a coke but ended up with a Diet Coke. We found a coke on the boat and my Dad jumped in the water swam around the boat and climbed on the boat telling my Mom he swam to Signal Mountain to get her a coke. What a guy!

Matt and I infront of the Grand Tetons

Momma and I in front of Mt. Moran. Some of the things I love the most...Momma, Tetons, Boating, and the UTES!!!

Mark and Mike pausing to admire the beautiful mountains and the glass for skiing!

One of the days a big storm came up and we put up this coverage for the boat! It was incredible and kept all of us dry and warm.

Momma taking care of little Preston

Camping in Tent Village

The gang enjoying breakfast at Mom and Dad's campsite

Beautiful Claire and Ellie enjoying breakfast

Preston and Ellie playing in the forest

Matt and Jane after a great day on the boat

Beautiful Lucy with a rare smile!

Big Colton smiling for the camera

Preston and Grace coming back from the woods. We had told Preston to go find Grace and make sure she came back safe. He went up to her gave her a hug and held her hand back to camp. It was a priceless moment!

Momma and beautiful Ava Jean

Nanna and Bappa with all the grand kids...what a bunch!

A view from afar of our campsites

Claire, Ellie, Preston and Uncle Mike playing in the hammack

Mark entertaining at night...

Fly Fishing Flat Creek

The view from Flat Creek of the Tetons...

On our way to Flat Creek we stopped and saw a big heard of buffalo... a couple of them got a little aggressive with us

I caught this beautiful cutthroat trout on my first cast. We were walking the river head hunting, and I cast into the brush on the side of the river, wiggled it onto the water....BAM! Fish on! Flat Creek was a fun river to fish; the fish made us work hard but when you hit one it was well worth it.

Big cutthroat on Flat Creek

Dad was very patient with this fish and threw about everything in his box but the patience paid off, he finally hit him! Well done Dad!

Family Pictures in Front of the Tetons...

McCulloughs

Me and my beautiful sisters: Jennie, Julie, Me, and Jane

Me and my wonderful parents

Momma and Dad

Richards Family: Preston, Julie, Colton, and Pat

Tres Bonia Hermanas...

Fly-Fishing the Gun Powder

2007-07-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Mike Q, Scotty P, and I went back up to the Gun Powder for another round of fly-fishing. Both Scotty and Q have improved their technique quite a bit and the fish seemed to agree. Q landed a handful of fish, and Scotty tricked several, bringing them up to his dry fly. Next time he will set the hook! We had a great day on the river!

Mike Q and a beautiful Brown Trout

Scotty P casting to a rising trout

The Gun Powder doesn't hold huge fish, but the browns are very active a are full of color.

Michael Q bringing one home

Another late night feeder, hit on a dry fly

The boys after a great day on the Gun Powder

Beautiful Lucy....

2007-07-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

We recently added a new niece to our family! Jennie and Jamie brought another beautiful little girl into the world.

Here she is, the beautiful Lucy McCullough

The 3 McCullough girls: Lucy, Ellie, and Claire

Here are the 3 girls and their wonderful mother!

Back in the Saddle!

2007-07-14T22:47:00.001-07:00

This week I got back on my bike to test out the healing clavicle. I was pleasantly surprised that it was strong and felt good. I rode, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The only time I feel a little week is when I go over lots of bumps in the road. Other than that, I just need to keep it loose while riding by stretching it. It tends to tighten up a little while riding. It feels really good to be back in the saddle, and just in time for the Tour de France!!

Taylor, Tami and Ava Come to DC..

2007-07-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

Lizzy, Tami and Ava, and Taylor and I

Here is beautiful Ava with a big smile for the camera!

Taylor and Tami Leavitt and their new girl Ava came to DC to celebrate the 4th of July with their family. We got together with them to have dinner and had a great time. It was fun catching up with them and playing with their beautiful daughter Ava.

4th of July Celebration in the Nation's Capitol

2007-07-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July this year Elizabeth and I flew back from SLC from our vacation and arrived at 4:30pm. Scott Palmer picked us up and took us home and we quickly got unpacked and ready for our 4th of July bash at the Health and Human Services Building. Linda and Emily Dunn were in town and staying at our place, and Rob and Chelsae Wood came down from Philly to join us for the celebration. I also invited the Qualters and the Palmers to join us. We had a great celebration that included bbq, an incredible selection of desserts and an incredible view of the fireworks. Here are some pictures from our celebration.

Lizzy and I in front of the Capitol

Beautiful fireworks in over the Washington Monument

Here is a video of the fireworks that I took:
(It really isn't 1997 like I say, but 2007...)

The gang from L to R: Matt, Elaine and Mike Q, Me and Lizzy, Katie and Scott P

Lizzy and I with Emily and Linda Dunn

Scott P, Mike, Mike Q and Matt Q

Rob and Chelsae and Little Rob at the 4th of July party

The girls from L to R: Emily and Linda, Lizzy, Chelsae, and Katie P

Linda and Emily at the firework show

Vacation to Sun Valley and Salt Lake

2007-07-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

How we love the west! Mountains, crisp air, and beautiful mountain streams full of trout! We just got back from our first vacation out west since Christmas. We flew into SLC and then drove up to Sun Valley, Idaho with Patrique Richards. We had a great time. My parents, Jane and her boyfriend Eric, Matt, Vanessa and Ava, and Pat, Julie, Preston and Colton were all up there. Here are some pics from our time in Sun Valley.

This was the first time I got to see both Colton and Ava. It was great spending time with them.

Big Colton and Mike hanging out

Elizabeth and beautiful Ava

Matt, Ava and Mike on the day we arrived in Sun Valley.

The fly fishing in Sun Valley was spectacular! The Green Drakes were out and the fishing couldn't have been better. I would fish twice a day, first, during the Drake hatch from 11 am until 3 pm. The fish were all over the drakes every day I went out. I would then go out fishing late in the evening. I would typically go out at around 8pm and fish until well past dark. One night I went out with my dad, Pat and Julie and we fished until almost midnight! It was so fun!

Elizabeth and one of the big rainbow trout she caught late at night!

Here is one of the big rainbow's Mike caught during the drake hatch

Patrique posing with a beautiful rainbow he caught with a drake

Dad and Mike getting ready to go head hunting

Doubles! The fishing was so hot, there were several times both Dad and I hooked fish at the same time!

While in Sun Valley we ate very well. Here is the crew at KB's Mexican restaurant.

Colton showing us a big smile

Lizzy and Mike

Here is the entire gang after eating delicious ice cream

Mom and Dad being romantic

Beautiful Jane and Eric

Preston and his proud mother Julie

The family at Rocky Mountain Pizza

Back to Salt Lake City...

After our time in Sun Valley we headed back to SLC to spend the rest of our vacation.

We were fortunate enough to be in SLC the weekend Nate and Cami Shipp were blessing their new daughter, Sadie. She is a beautiful little angel. Here I am with Nate and Todd at the after party.

Silje and Emma posing for the camera

Silje and Emma tried burying me with the grass. They did a pretty good job...I'm still pulling grass out of my ears.

Jefrilyn and the girls blowing out Jefrilyn's birthday candles

Todd and I went up to the Provo for some fly fishing. Todd figured he would bring respect back to fly fishing by fishing without his shirt. He quickly realized it was a mistake with all the bugs that were out and all the brush we had to walk through.

A beautiful brown I caught on the Middle Provo

Big Brownie

Todd at night nailed this beautiful brown

Silje and Mike at Hoggle Zoo posing in front of the elephants

Elizabeth, Silje and Emma posing in front of the zebras at Hoggle Zoo

Busy Saturday...

2007-06-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Lizzy and I had a very busy Day!

We started the day at the Capitol Hill Car Wash. Our church hosted a car wash for the young women in our ward to help pay for their summer camp. We washed over 25 cars and had a hugely successful event! It was fun working alongside our friends. Here are some pictures from the car wash.

Lizzy and Dorethe advertising for the wash

Diamond and Mimi (hiding in the background) washing away

Here I am giving my best effort despite the limp clavicle

Maurice pausing from car washing to pose for the camera

Mimi getting ready to ambush me with the hose while Scotty P cheers her on

After the car wash, Lizzy and I went over to Crystal City to go to the Palmer's swimming pool. On our way we stopped at the Potbellys to grab lunch. To our surprise, the Crystal City Classic Biking Race was going on. We sat and ate our lunch and watched some pro riders ride through the streets of Crystal City.

After we ate, we headed over to the swimming pool for some relaxation. I fell asleep for an hour without putting on sunblock ended up toasting my head.

I then took off to go Fly-Fishing on the Upper Gunpowder by myself. I had a great time and caught some beautiful fish.

Here is a picture of the beautiful dam

Small mouth bass I caught on the Gunpowder

I caught a bunch of little brown trout like this little guy

Two fly fishermen on the Gunpowder

The Best Ever....

2007-06-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

As I have been watching the NBA playoffs this year, it has taken me back to the glory days of the NBA with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley. The competition between teams like Boston and LA or Chicago and New York was ridiculous. I have spent a good deal of time watching old Michael Jordan highlight videos. He is simply...the best ever. Here are a few of my favorite commercials of all time....enjoy the magic.

I love this video...I want the song on my ipod...

I'm not posting this video because it it a little long, but worth the watch. It will give you the chills. It is called What is Love?

Here is another great Jordan commercial...Old Jordan vs. Young Jordan

Fly-Fishing the Gunpowder

2007-06-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I took Mike Q and Scotty P up to Gunpowder Falls for a day of fly-fishing. We had a great time even though the fish weren't too active. I spent some time helping Mike and Scott with their casts and they made some good progress. I made an error in judgment in deciding where to go; I took us to a stretch of the Gunpowder that requires long accurate casts. However, the scenery was beautiful and it was fun being with Scott and Mike on the river. Fishing with the collarbone wasn't too difficult because the left hand is used for line control and doesn't require too much movement. However, my shoulder did fatigue and it got a little uncomfortable. I also got to put my new waders I got at the Orvis Outlet to use. We had a great day and I hope we can get up there again shortly.

Scotty P and Mike Q casting to trout on the Gunpowder

Mike, Scotty P, and Mike Q after a fun day on the river.

Rehoboth Beach Weekend Getaway

2007-06-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

On Friday of last week Lizzy and I, and the Qualters took off from work early and went down to Rehoboth Beach for the weekend. We stayed at Jim and Carole's beach house and had the most relaxing weekend. Friday night we grilled up hamburgers and went on a night stroll along the beach. Saturday was beautiful, after sleeping in, we went to the beach and had a great day. I even tried throwing around a football with my gimp collar bone. (I paid for it later that night). Sunday was rainy all day but provided us an opportunity to do what we went for...relax. Overall, we ate well, bought lots of clothes (and new fishing waders for me) at the outlets, soaked up the sun, and enjoyed the company of good friends. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Here is Lizzy relaxing...at least it seems that way. Lizzy had to finish this book before the weekend was over and the book was the only item of stress we encountered all weekend. Notice the cute new hat Lizzy is wearing.

Mike Q and I waiting patiently for our name to be called at the Big Fish Grill

The whole gang after finishing our meal at Big Fish Grill

Mike and Mike at the beach

Mike and Elaine relaxing at the beach

Mike and Liz wearing their new jackets on the lifeguard stand at Rehoboth Beach

The Qualters introduced us to Friendly's Ice Cream, I don't think we got enough...but it was delicious! Lizzy is still having dreams about the peanut butter from that place!

My First Crash...

2007-05-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

My cracked $180 helmet. Don't worry, I have already replaced it . . . just need to replace my collar bone now . . .

Here I am getting ready to get in the car to go to the ER. You can see some of the road rash on my left arm...

Well, you spend enough time on your bike you are bound to eat pavement every once in a while. This last Saturday, May 19, I took a nasty spill on my bike and ended up in the ER with a broken clavicle. Saturday morning I took a nice long ride to Mt. Vernon with a friend of mine from work, Kent Forde. I was amazed at how good I felt after completing the 45 mile ride, so I decided to take my wife's invitation to go with her and Katie Palmer up to the National Arboretum. After riding around for several miles, I was on a flat stretch of road and decided to stretch my lower back. I took my hands off the handlebars, and was stretching. Just then a big gust of wind came and turned my front wheel. I tried to recover, but couldn't. I hit and hit hard. My first reaction was "My Bike!" I quickly assessed its damage which consisted of a bent handlebar. I then felt sharp pain in the region of my collar bone; I felt it, and it was obvious I had broken something up in the region as the bone was protruding out. I also noticed that I had cracked my helmet, but my head didn't hurt at all. The helmet had absorbed the entirety of the crash. I am a huge believer in helmets, it could have been bad. Katie and Liz were riding behind me and saw the entire crash. I was lucky they were there. Katie went and got her car, we put the bikes on the rack and headed home. We took the bikes off the car and Lizzy and I headed to the ER. When I walked into the ER, I showed the person at the front desk my protruding collar bone, and he gave me a look like "you should be dead." They quickly got me in and began the examination of it. They gave me a few percocets and sent me off to get x-rays. The guy doing the x-rays was pretty rough with me and I think the percocets on my empty stomach was a bad combo. I got really dizzy and felt like I was going to puke. I told the guy and he said, just stand up straight so we can get the x-ray done. I finally just sat down because I was so faint...I think I blacked out for a minute. The next thing I knew, they had me laying back in the bed and were doing the x-rays with me laying down. It felt much better. The x-ray revealed a broken clavicle. They told me I would have to wear a brace for a month! This is disappointing news to me as I have been riding a bunch and my legs feel good, and softball season just started! Oh well, at least it is only a month. Lizzy has been very good to me and has been pampering me. Getting dressed is the most difficult activity, but I'm getting better at it.

Here is a closeup of the broken clavicle.

After getting back from the ER. I have to wear button up shirts because I can't get anything over my head.

This was the shirt I got from the ER, it is the only thing I can get over my head, so I sleep in it...

The Pandemics

2007-05-16T07:04:00.000-07:00

It is softball season!! I have put in my best recruiting efforts to form a HHS softball team this year and suffice it to say, I am pleased with the results! Our roster filled up so quickly this year I no longer have to recruit. Our roster has over 60 players on it! We decided to name our team "The Pandemics." I think our logo came together well, I found the chicken on google images, and then altered it a little to get the final product.

I am pretty happy with the results, and I believe our team is as well. I tried to make it so the chicken looked like it had the bird flu, and was coughing out a softball. We have had two games so far and are 2-0. We have a lot of great players on our team. Here are some pictures from our first few games.

The Pandemics after stomping the EPA Gang Green. It was great beating my former team

The Pandemics getting ready for game two against the ONDCP Drug Lords.

Coach Nelson giving instructions to the pink gloved Mary Kosinski

The Pandemics posing after defeating ONDCP.

Our Greatest Fear

2007-04-23T02:11:00.000-07:00

Lizzy and I watched a great movie yesterday: Akeelah and the Bee. I know you are all laughing, but it was actually an inspiring movie. There was a great quote in the movie that I woke up this morning thinking about that I wanted to share with everyone. It is by Marianne Williamson, in her book "Return to Love."

Our Greatest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson

Easter Sunday in DC

2007-04-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

It is Easter season here in the District! Last week we were sure that the cold weather was on its way out, and the spring was here...unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans. We had a beautiful week of 70-80 degree weather and then this week it went cold on us again! It even snowed Friday night! Despite the cold, Easter was a beautiful day. We woke up and the Easter Bunny had paid a visit to Lizzy and I...

Lizzy and the Easter candy...It is amazing the Easter Bunny always remembers to bring Lizzy Snickers Eggs, her favorite!

The talks and music at church were wonderful. After church we came home and Lizzy and her friend Jessica wanted to color eggs. Jessica invited her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Matt, to come over and join us. So they colored eggs as I enjoyed a wonderful nap!

Lizzy and one of her eggs

Matt, Jessica, and Lizzy decorating their eggs

Finished products

Jessica also made us a delicious brunch with blueberry pancakes, eggs, and potatoes. It was delicious. After that party it was ready to get ready for our next. We had invited the Qualters and the Palmers to come over for dinner with us. The men of the group, in selfless acts to bring joy to our wives, volunteered to prepare the dinner. I got assigned to do the meat, Qualter got the mashed potatoes, and Palmer got the rolls. Qualter and I made a run to Costco where we secured all of the goods we would need to prepare an incredible meal.

Here are the men preparing the feast!

All of us enjoying the meal

For dessert we had strawberries, sour cream, and brown sugar. Everyone was a little nervous, but it was a hit! We finished off a huge container of strawberries. The whole meal was a success! Everyone left full of food and grateful for all the blessings we have. Our wives were especially grateful for their husbands who prepared an incredible Easter dinner.

Here we are enjoying the dessert

Work Out at the Nelson's

2007-04-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

We have been very spoiled lately with guests from out of town. Phill was here, and then tonight, Jessica B., Lizzy's friend came down from New York. We went to dinner tonight at Sakana, a sushi place. (I only eat the fried fish) On our way home I called Mike Q and told him to come over and hang out with us; his wife is out of town. We made scones and were sitting around chatting and Jessica pulled out a Jillian Michaels workout video for us to watch. Before we knew it we were all working out....

Lizzy, Mike Q, and Jessica

Jessica working it...

Are those 50lbs?

Cool down...what balance!

Phill Comes to Town...

2007-04-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Phloo flew back into town this week to continue job interviews. We were fortunate enough to get him for a few nights, and then he decided to head home early because he got bored of the job fairs, and he missed his wifey Morgan too much. His last night here, the Qualters came over and Mike Q made cookies for us. We are praying the Looslies move back to town!

Mike Q hard at work making cookies!

Phill and Mike enjoying the cookies. I actually think Mike is trying to show off his bicept by the way he is holding the milk carton, but both Phill and I were unimpressed.

Cherry Blossoms at the TIdal Basin

2007-04-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

After the first session of Conference today, Lizzy and I went over to the the Tidal Basin with the Qualters to check out the Cherry Blossoms. They were gorgeous! On our way over there I received a call from my parents saying they had been called to serve a mission in Mongolia! I was sooo shocked, I quickly put the phone on speaker and asked them to tell Lizzy.... Lizzy said to me "It's April Fools Day," I quickly realized my parents had gotten me on my favorite holiday of the year! I was so mad I hadn't realized it was April Fools Day. Anyhow, they got me good. We had a great time at the Cherry Blossoms Festival, here are some pictures.

The beautiful Cherry Blossoms up close

Mike and Liz enjoying the blossoms

Mike Q, Lizzy, and Elaine Q pausing to pose at the Tidal Basin

Lizzy at the Tidal Basin with the Washington Monument in the background

Elaine enjoying the blossoms

Whooa! What is that?

We paused to have a picnic under the blossoms

Q...what are you doing?

Lizzy and Elaine with their favorite symbol behind

Here are a few more artistic photos from the day...

Ultimate Frisbee - Axis of Evel

2007-03-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

Now that spring has come our ultimate frisbee league has begun again. Our team, Axis of Evel, has a lot of great players and we have a great time getting together. Here are some pics that Lizzy took from our most recent game. We ended up losing the game 13-12, but it was a tough fought game, and our opponents had a lot of talent on their team.

Lizzy catches me coming out for a break

I'm pretty sure this one got over me, but great picture Lizzy!

Scotty P marching out orders

Another great picture by Lizzy. Okay, it was a great catch as well.

Getting rid of the disc with cone head on me

Changing out: Palmer in for Nelson

Going deep!

Trying to find the open man

First Batch of Scones!!!

2007-03-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was thinking about how much I love my Momma's scones and how much I would love to have some. My parents used to make us scones on special occasions. I remember my Mom and Dad letting me invite all my friends over on my B-Day to have scones. They would make a huge pile of dough, get a pot of grease, and go to town. Well, Lizzy and I didn't make our own dough, but we did make scones. Our friends told us you could make them with Rhodes Roll dough, so we bought some, defrosted them, and gave it a try. Just the smell of the oil heating up brought great memories back for me. It took a few to get it right. The first few I allowed the oil to get too hot, so we cooled it down. The next few I made too big and they didn't cook all the way through. Then I remembered my ma and pa stretching them out thin in the middle and a little thicker on the edges. I also cut the dough down to one ball per scone. Once we got it right, they were delicious! We are thinking about creating a monthly Sunday tradition where we invite our friends to come over and have scones with us, we'll see if it takes place. Here are some pics from our first attempt at making scones!

Lizzy making her first scone...

Mike cooking up some mean scones! After a few demo runs...

Mmmmm! The delicious taste of scones!

Second Batch of Scones.... MARCH 30

Friday night we had the Palmers over to see if the scones could pass the friends test...I think the Palmers enjoyed them, I sure did! We have eaten other things over the last week besides scones.

Scott and Katie P enjoying the scones...

Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day...

2007-03-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

Today is Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day. In honor of that I have selected a handful of my favorite quirky country music song titles.

Mikes Favorite Quirky Country Music Song Titles
1) She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
2) Tight Fittin' Jeans
3) Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling
4) Her Teeth Was Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure
5) I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life
6) I'm So Miserable Without You, It's Like Having You Here
7) I Still Miss You, Baby, But My Aim's Gettin' Better
8) I Wouldn't Take You To A Dog Fight Even If I Thought You Could Win
9) If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead?
10) If You Got the Money, Honey, I Got the Time
11) There Ain't Enough Room in my Fruit Of The Looms to Hold All My Lovin' For You
12) You're The Hangnail In My Life, And I Can't Bite You Off
13) How Come Your Dog Don't Bite Nobody But Me?
14) I Fell In A Pile Of You And Got Love All Over Me
15) If My Nose Was Running Money, Honey, I'd Blow It Al On You
16) You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly

I found these titles at this website: http://www.bored.com/countrysongtitles/index.htm

Lizzy and Mike's Celebrity Look-alikes

2007-03-26T11:15:00.001-07:00

I found this fun website that allows you to figure out what celebrities you look most like. Here is Lizzy's celebrity look-alike profile:

http://www.myheritage.com

Here is Mike's celebrity look-alike: (Mine aren't as flattering, but I have Jennifer Love Hewitt!)

http://www.myheritage.com

New Found Hobby...

2007-03-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

For Christmas, Lizzy and I got road bikes. As the weather warms in the District, we have been spending lots of time on the road. We bought our bikes at the end of the year clearance sale at Capitol Bikes, and we both got screaming deals. Lizzy got a Scott Contessa, and I got a sweet Cannondale. Here is a picture of me getting ready to head out on a ride.

Me and my sexy new bike!

National Champions The Florida Gators at the White House

2007-03-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Every year the President invites the NCAA football champions to come to the White House for a ceremony. I was lucky enough to get invited this year. It was awesome! When I arrived there were already about 150 people in line so I figured I would have awful seats. As I was walking to get in line a security agent said to me "This is a new line, you want in?" So I was one of the first into the event and had front row seats for the guests! (Family and School officials were still in front of me.) I ran into Bernie Machen and his wife Chris, the former President at the University of Utah who is now the President at the University of Florida. It was great seeing him. Here are some pictures from the event.

Here I am on the White House Lawn with the Florida Gators behind me

President Bush and the Florida Gators

The Legend Urban Meyer

President Bush taking a handoff from Chris Leak

President Bush and former Utah President, now Florida President, Bernie Machen

Tim Tebow signing autographs

Mike with Andre Caldwell, and all star wide receiver for Florida. Check out that ring!

The celebrity Chris Leak

Urban Meyer - Former Ute

Bragging about my Nephew Colton...

2007-03-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

My cute sister Julie sent me some new pictures of their growing family! They are adorable so I thought I'd share the pictures.

Baby Colton and his big beautiful eyes!

Julie, Pat and baby Colton on the day of Colton's baby blessing.

Richards Brothers!

One big happy Richards family!

Happy Birthday Mike --- Big 25 Years Old!

2007-03-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

Mike turned 25 this week! (Isn't that right?) To kick things off, my sweet Lizzy threw me a surprise party Saturday night at Tortilla Coast that took me by total surprise. We have great friends and it was fun to have an excuse to get together with everyone. My birthday was on Tuesday, March 13th, and to celebrate I worked all day. Lizzy baked me some delicious cupcakes Monday night that I could take into work and give to people. It was like going back to grade school! Lizzy spoils me! I have to say I don't love the attention, and it sort of embarrasses me, but I love the fact that I get to talk to all of my family and friends. After work, Lizzy took me to Heritage India, one of my favorite restaurants in DC, with Kimberly K, and Mike and Elaine. We had a great time and the food was delicious! Here are some pictures from the day.

Birthday balloons that my friends at work got me!

I played basketball Monday night with some friends and got some wicked blisters!

Lizzy and I at Heritage India

Mike and Elaine getting ready to eat our delicious food! Mike had just ordered several delicious meat dishes.

mmmm...delicious food. Q isn't always that excited, the food was just really good!

The whole gang after our meal.

After dinner it was present time. Lizzy spoiled me with some new biking gear, and a great beanie that she knit. It was a great birthday! Thank you everyone!

Mike Meets Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

2007-03-09T20:55:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the opportunity to meet my life long hero...Arnold Schwarzenegger. Okay, maybe it's not my life long hero, but it was still a great moment. The highlight of meeting the Terminator was when the Governor introduced me to one of his staff members who happens to have alopecia as well. As we shook hands, I saw him glance at my head and say "Carl, get over here and meet your son." Everyone erupted into laughter, it was a classic moment. If you look carefully at the picture, you can see the gentleman behind Schwarzenegger. Eileen Conover, the wonderful lady who works in our office was there to meet him as well. She worked with the Governor when he was on the President's Fitness Council. The Governator was at our office working with Secretary Leavitt to fine tune his state health care plan.

Eileen and I meeting the Governator. Look closely in the background for my "bald" father.

Happy Birthday Nana!

2007-03-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

My dear Mother celebrated her Birthday last week on March 2. Happy Birthday Momma! Lizzy and I had a great video chat with my family yesterday during which Mark sent us this picture of my Momma with all of her grandchildren. The family continues to grow. Quite a funny picture!

Nana with L to R: Claire, Preston, Ava, Colton, and Ellie

Introducing Mike and Lizzy's Blog....

2007-02-23T07:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Nelson's Blog....After long debate and deliberation, we finally have decided (I am actually still trying to convince Lizzy) to make the plunge and create a blog. We feel this will be a good forum to help keep our family and friends up to speed with all the great experiences we are having.

Life in the District is wonderful! Lizzy and I keep ourselves overbooked with activities, work, school, and church. Lizzy is well despite a little slip she had yesterday on our back steps. She was carrying in some groceries and hit a patch of ice and down she went. She walked away with a bruiser of a mark on her lower back, and dirt all over her clothes. She is okay, but definitely banged up. I think she was more upset that she got dirt on her jeans that she wanted to wear to her "Shade" clothing party later in the day. Lizzy has transferred her knitting energy into the latest craze for "Shade" clothing. She hosted a ragging party last night with friends on the hill, people from work, and I think she may have invited a few people off the street. I was late coming home from work, walked in the door to a bunch of women running wild and screaming because a man had entered. Lizzy had fun hosting the party, and was grateful so many of her friends came. I got to spend the night eating "5 Guys" burgers, playing guitar and watching the office at Mike Q's, which is always a joy.

Work for me is great! Our Nations health care issues fascinate me, and I am enjoying the front row seat I have as we face them. I am constantly inspired by Secretary Leavitt's leadership. He is a brilliant, compassionate man who is tirelessly working to resolve problems such as: providing access to insurance for the uninsured Americans, making health care more affordable, ensuring the quality of health care, implementing Health IT, preparing the country for a pandemic, combating childhood obesity, and other related health problems. I am learning a lot and having great experiences in the process.

Suffice it to say, we are loving our time in the District! I am posting some pictures of activities we have been involved in to give you a flavor for what we have been up to! We love y'all! Hope you will log on to our blog from time to time to see what we are up to... Love

Mike and Lizzy

Super Bowl Party at the Nelsons....

Here we are obviously engaged in the game...

John, Lizzy (my favorite DC baby), and I watching the game

Scott P, Mike Q and Chris, some random BYU fan that I didn't want to let in, enjoying the game.

Lizzy "the beautiful" takes a minute away from her knitting and the game to pose for the camera.

Our delicious food, or what is left of it...

The following link takes you to a great Birthday Cheer that Lizzy came up with for her friend Lindsay Workman. She put all of her best writing and cheering energies into this.

We have a new Niece and a new Nephew!!!

2007-02-22T21:00:00.001-08:00

Lizzy and I are thrilled to be the aunt and uncle of two beautiful new babies, Ava Nelson and Colton Richards. This brings our total to 8. Congratulations Matt and Vanessa and Patrique and Julie!

Baby Ava Nelson

Matt with Baby Ava

Baby Colton Richards

Two little Richards Studs, Preston and Colton

Christmas Break Fishing

2006-12-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

When we were home for the Holidays, I got out with my buddies and did what I love! I spent 3 days on the river. I went up with Adam B the first day, Todd G and Bobby H the second, and Dave Gray and Andrew N the final day. I caught my best fish the first day on a streamer. It was so great to get back on the river. The final day was somewhat rough for me. We got up to the river and I realized I had forgotten my waders. I had hung them in the garage to dry and forgot to put them back in my bag. So we went to the fly shop in Heber and I rented some. We finally got out on the river and I was trying to cross the river to get to a spot I wanted to fish and I slipped and drenched myself! It was freezing, but I was lucky I had some quick dry stuff on. My phone got soaked and is now bugging out. It was still fun to get out and be with Dave. Here are some pictures from my days on the river.

A beautiful brown trout on the Middle Provo

Adam B and I ready to go hog hunting

Adam wolfing down some Dairy Keen, a fishing tradition...mmm train burger..

Todd and I getting ready to get some lunkers

Enjoying a beautiful day on the river. It started snowing really hard and as the snow came down the trout started sipping flies off the surface. There were trout everywhere, it was a beautiful sight!

Bobby H and I bundled up for a great day on the river

Bobby, Todd and I after a great day on the river

Once again, Dairy Keen. This time we decided not to take it in the car. You have to love the train burger at Dairy Keen.

Dave G and I with the waders I rented! This is right before I slipped and fell into the river.

White House Christmas 2006

2006-12-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Lizzy and I were lucky enough to be able to go to the White House to see the Christmas decorations. It is always fun to go there, and they do a beautiful job decorating during the holidays.

Lizzy and I at the White House

White House Ginger Bread House

Lizzy and I in front of the White House Christmas Tree

We ran into my friend Andrew C. while we were there. He was kind enough to strike a pose for us!

Lizzy in front of one of her favorite pictures in the White House...Blah...

Here we are with the friends in the scheduling and advance office that we went with. The Toronto family, Martha L., and John P.

We'll be Home for Christmas

2006-12-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

The Holiday Season is here and our cozy basement apartment smells like evergreen pine. What great memories surround this time of year. Elizabeth and I began the Holidays with a trip over to Eastern Market to get our Christmas tree. It was fun watching Lizzy's face light up as we found the perfect little tree (for the perfect little price). They even delivered the tree to our home which made the deal even more attractive. We quickly put the lights and decorations on the tree as we listened to my favorite Christmas album: Kenny G Christmas. Mike Q and Scott P were there to help us out and ended up doing more dancing to the music than tree decorating, but it was fun having them there. The unfortunate thing is our beautiful tree didn't take water and dried out. So after a few weeks of no water, we decided to take action. So on Saturday Lizzy and I returned to Eastern Market and were given a brand new beautiful tree! It wasn't quite as small as our first, and even sticks out into our hallway, but it's scent is incredible, and it drinks water!

Mike Q. and I decorating our 2nd Christmas Tree!

Life in the District is great! Work continues to provide me great joy despite the long hours. The health care issues our nation is facing are fascinating and I feel incredibly lucky to be in the position I am. I have been spending a lot of time over the last few months playing guitar with Mike Q. We have been learning some great songs, including Christmas music, with the goal of playing at our local coffee shop, Ebenezer's, that has an open mic night.

Lizzy studies constantly. Her schooling has been demanding, but she is doing well and has even found time to knit, her newly found hobby. She has already completed several items including leg warmers, glove (it is only glove because the second isn't complete), and a scarf. She is quite the little knitter.

We are so excited for our return to Salt Lake for Christmas!

Fishing Withdrawl....

2006-12-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

As the weather here gets colder and the fish, more active, I have found myself waking up in the middle of the night casting a make believe fly rod. I long for a cold mountain stream, a tight fly-line, and a fighting brown trout.

Ben Comes to Town

2006-10-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

Lowehouse finally made his visit down to DC and brought Mykell with him. We had a great time with them. Here are some pictures from their visit.

Ben, Mykell, Lizzy and I in front of the Lincoln Monument

Lowehouse

Ben and Mike seeing the sights. Ben and I both bought that good looking coat Ben is wearing

Ben with our cute ladies

Gettysburg with Momma and Papa

2006-10-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

My Momma and Papa came to town over Conference weekend. We took a trip up to Gettysburg. It was our first time up there, and we had a beautiful day. We took our time and saw almost all the sights. It is somewhat of a tiring tour and takes a long time, but we made it through it.

Dad, Momma, and Lizzy at an outlook point overlooking the battlefields of Gettysburg

Dad, Momma, and Lizzy atop a monument at Gettysburg

Momma and Lizzy (in her stylish glasses) hanging out

Me and my sweet Momma

Dad being a loon

Like father, like son

Lizzy and I in Gettysburg

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

2006-10-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

Lizzy celebrated her birthday today. Here are some pictures from her celebration. I threw her a surprise birthday party with a bunch of our friends. I think she loved it! For her birthday, I got her an apple laptop with a fun little carrying case. I figured it would be helpful with her going back to school. I think she liked it.

Lizzy with her new Apple Laptop

Lizzy and her Skor Birthday cake that I made for her. L to R: Scott, Katie, Kimberly, Lizzy, Lindsay, John, Jessica, Lizzy G, Mike, and Elaine

Lizzy blowing out her birthday candles

Lizzy and Jessica G, the birthday girl, and Katie at the party

Grandma Beverly's Birthday Party

2006-08-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Lizzy was able to go back to Salt Lake City to celebrate her grandma's birthday party. Everyone gathered at Roz and Roger's for a catered feast on a lovely August night. Grandma looked beautiful, of course. She is our role model for living it up (and for staying active - she is the buffest eighty-year-old out there!)

Lizzy and the Birthday Girl

Grandma, Tommy, Silje and Lizzy

6 month old Tommy

Emma and Silje - favorite Ellison nieces

The famous "Moby Dick" tongue (all the Ellisons can do it)

Birthday Wishes

Three Blondies - Tommy, Lizzy, and Willy

Beautiful Girls

Post Katrina - New Orleans

2006-05-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

After Katrina, the already inefficient 2-tiered health care system in New Orleans, needed rebuilding. Hospitals, health clinics and other medical facilites needed rebuilding. Doctors had left the region because of the devistation and impact the hurricane had on their business. Our department was tasked with working with the region to help rebuild the health care system. I was able to travel with Secretary Leavitt to New Orleans on several occasions. The first time was in February 2006. The devistation was unbelievable. Progress had been made, but not much. Windows were shattered everywhere, garbage piled on every corner, businesses with boards in the windows and not open for business. In the hardest hit areas, homes were literally lifted off their platforms and set down in their neighbors front yard, or on top of their neighbors home. Boats were in trees, cars on top of homes, the devistation was horrific. Here are some pictures from my travels down there in May 0f 2006. This is many months after the hurricane, you can tell the progress is slow.

Cars piled up under the freeway. There is a several mile stretch of abandoned cars that sits under highway 10. It is incredible to see so many cars that have been found with no one claiming them.

The Superdome

The levee that broke that protected the 9th Ward. The neighborhood to the right of the levee is the neighborhood that the following pictures come from.

There are markings on all of the homes. You see the date 9/15, the date the home was inspected by 4 k9 dogs, and reinspected on 10/08. You can't see the markings on this one, but they also do a marking indicating how many were found in the home, and how many of the found were dead. It is very sobering driving through the neighborhoods seeing the number of people and animals that were killed.

Yes, that is a boat on top of a destroyed home

This home was picked up and put down on this car

If you look closely, you will see the platform blocks for the home that was once here. You can also see the front path and steps. The home that was once here is the white home you see in the distant background. This property was on the first block by where the levee broke.

Looking accross the street from the previous picture of the home that had been moved. This is a picture of the new levees.

There are interesting signs all over including this one

Mark Visits DC

2006-05-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

Mark came out and visited and we had the opportunity of going over to the White House to see the President depart on Marine One. We walked right through the Rose Garden.

Mark standing at the White House Rose Garden

The Oval Office

The Oval Office is directly behind the Rose Garden, and the President was in the Oval Office as we walked by. It was neat to see this place where so many incredible Presidents have worked. We were escorted out to the White House lawn where Marine One (The President's chopper) comes in to pick up the President.

Mark, Lizzy and I infront of the White House awaiting the arrival of Marine One

Mark and Lizzy anticipating the arrival

Marine One coming in for a landing on the White House Lawn

The President and the First Lady on their way to Marine One

Before getting on, the President turned and gave us a wave!

The wind from the departure it gave mark quite the afro

The three of us standing in front of the White House after the President's Departure