. . . . Jeff Brown and Family

Two Cute Girls!

2009-06-14T21:32:00.002-04:00

Technology is amazing and some predictions

2009-06-14T20:32:00.003-04:00

It is amazing how fast technology is changing and growing. With MagicJack or OOMA, you can already get unlimited local and long distance phone service without any monthly fee just through the internet and my prediction is that TV Service will soon follow (actually you can get this already and watch on the computer) but they will make a unit like Magicjack or OOMA that will get almost any channel you want through the internet and show it on your TV and it will be live or on demand. Actually TV's will start to come with Wireless cards and ethernet jacks inside the TV to just download or stream right on the Set.

Instead of getting laptops, cell phones, cameras, MP3 players or camcorders anymore, there will be one small unit to carry around that will do everything these 5 things do plus more. With 4G networks coming, (1 already here in Atlanta with Clear www.clear.com ), we will have plenty of coverage and speed anywhere we are in the world.

These predictions are also much closer then what you think. I guess in no more than 4 years from now. My predictions are usually right, just ask my family. lol, Thanks Scott and Ali for making them so.

Wipeout on today!

2009-06-03T12:11:00.004-04:00

I Recommend this show for a good laugh that started last week and airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm on ABC.

Maren is 1 year old!

2009-05-19T21:14:00.004-04:00

Maren is 19 lbs 14 oz (20 Percentile)

Height 29.5" (60 Percentile)

Got 3 shots :(

She loves to be where the action (Tanner and Lindsey) is. She crawls around until she finds them. Also now has 7 teeth, but we found out more are coming this week. Loves toys that make any and lots of noise while she makes lots of noises too. She is a very spirited child. Loves to eat anything except most cereal like Cheerios, but sure liked this cupcake!

New recent Pictures

2009-05-05T21:23:00.011-04:00

photo tag

2009-04-04T22:52:00.003-04:00

I got tagged. This photo is the sixth picture in the sixth folder which is in another sixth folder in my pictures folder. This is first time that most of the family got together after Tanner was born in 2003 at Grandpa and Grandma's place in Altonah, UT.

You do the sixth picture too!

Who comes up with these National Months?

2009-03-26T00:05:00.002-04:00

For Example, I hear March is National Craft Month

Does Government come up with this or who sets these so called Months apart?

I've heard all sorts of different "National Months" for things over the years, Breast Cancer Awareness month, Nutrition month, Poetry month, etc.

So I found this link that Maybe will help: :)

http://www.quamada.com/months.html

Maren is getting bored in her highchair

2009-03-25T21:06:00.006-04:00

It is good and paded behind her head but I can't believe that she keeps going.

New Pollingpoint Quiz to you?

2009-03-25T20:27:00.002-04:00

Interesting to think of these recent pollingpoint questions and how I would answer. I know each candidate probably has at least 1 thing that I disagree with, but how would you answer if one or two of those things are so important.

Would you vote for a candidate for President who disagreed with you on abortion, but agreed with you on most other issues?

Would you vote for a candidate for President who disagreed with you on the issue of Gay marriage, but agreed with you on most other issues?

Would you vote for a candidate for President who is an atheist?

Bailout and Bull

2009-03-14T09:17:00.002-04:00

I got home late last night and turned on 20/20 on ABC and it was a special about the Bailouts and our economic and political time.

Please view it here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7081471

I can't believe what the government is saying and doing.

Our Snowman

2009-03-04T18:42:00.002-05:00

Another thing we did other than go sledding down our hill was to create our snowman!

Snow in GA

2009-03-03T16:58:00.004-05:00

We got a good layer of snow on Sunday here. It was only about 4 inches but schools were closed for monday so both Tanner and Lindsey got to play in the snow for a while and loved it!

American Idol SLC Auditions

2009-01-30T10:33:00.002-05:00

We have been watching some of the auditions of American Idol and we just watched the SLC auditions last night and I was impressed with how nice people are in SLC. Not very many of the, lets say, "weird" people, even though there was definitely some.

New Phone is cool!

2009-01-30T09:58:00.003-05:00

I like my new phone. It is a basically an IPhone (but without Wifi) that is $30 and easier to put Music, Movies, Pictures, etc on. I love how you can just put anything directly onto the MicroSD card without going through a program (like itunes). I like the touch screen but it is a little harder to scroll with than the IPhone, but pretty close. I do like how you can get tons of applications free right on the internet and install them so easily on the phone. There are tons of hacks too. I wish it just had Wi-Fi. I'm not paying for AT&T internet data service to get internet on it but you can if you want.

Place the State

2009-01-13T00:55:00.002-05:00

Pretty cool little game Ali! You can probably get a 100% if you don't get a middle state early. Here is the link again for others to play:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/states_experiment_drag-drop_Intermed_State15s_500.html

BrownFamilyPictures.smugmug.com

2009-01-09T08:43:00.005-05:00

Scott got our extended family a Smugmug account so that we can all upload our pictures to share and view. We will be uploading many pictures over time. Please visit BrownFamilyPictures.smugmug.com to view them.

2008 Picture

2008-12-29T01:32:00.002-05:00

We Should be finishing our 2008 letter this week and get it in the mail with this Photo.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-17T19:42:00.002-05:00

Black Friday Deals

2008-11-24T00:38:00.002-05:00

Check out the Black Friday deals going on at www.blackfriday.info

Q: Are you/would you go shopping on Black Friday?

Q: After looking at the deals, what sounds like the best deal and for what?

Q: Do you think you would have to go stand in line early before 4 am to get this deal?

Q: Is it worth it?

How would you answer this week's Pollingpoint poll?

2008-11-18T21:46:00.003-05:00

1) People are legally considered adults when they turn 18, but at what age do you think society should treat children like grown-ups?
A. 21 or above
B. 20
C. 19
D. 18
E. 17
F. 16
G. Earlier than 16
H. It completely depends on the child.

2) Do you think the legal driving age should be lowered, raised, or stay the same?
A. Lowered
B. Raised
C. Stay the same

3) John McCain has been criticized for not being Internet-savvy. How important is it that the President is up-to-date on information technology?
A. Very important
B. Somewhat important
C. Not very important
D. Not at all important

4) Do you think there is a trend in America of people becoming more or less intelligent?
A. More intelligent
B. Less intelligent
C. No trend
D. Don't know

5) How big of a role do you think the Internet plays in this trend?
A. Very big
B. Somewhat big
C. Not very big
D. Not at all
E. Not sure

6) Would you go on a reality TV show?
A. Definitely Yes
B. Probably Yes, but it has to be a specific one.
C. Probably Not, unless there is a new show made that I would do.
D. Definitely Not.
(if you answer A or B, Tell the name of the show)

7) Would you go on a TV Game show?
Same Answers as above
(Again, if you answer A or B, Tell the name of the show)

I'm going to answer in the comments, but if you read the comments you have to answer the questions too!!

Voting Today

2008-11-04T11:03:00.001-05:00

Family Picture and events

2008-11-02T13:29:00.002-05:00

Tanner had interession (week off of school) a week ago and we got to do some fun things together. Went to Stone Mountain park where we played mini-golf, rode the train, and saw lots of shows. Went to a Pumpkin Patch area and they had a hay-ride and play area where we also had a picnic. And also went to the Atlanta Zoo where we all had a good time. It was good to do family stuff for that week because this is the busy season for Best Buy and we will not have much time until after Christmas.

Georgia Ballot Measures

2008-11-02T11:51:00.002-05:00

Here are the 3 ballot measures for Georgia to vote on tomorrow as well:

This is for your information and also I have given my opinion :) but this is for you to decide.

#1) “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the General Assembly by general law shall encourage the preservation, conservation, and protection of the state's forests through the special assessment and taxation of certain forest lands and assistance grants to local government?"

Jeff's understanding is that people or businesses that own undeveloped or forest areas (over 200 acres) would get a tax break on that property if left undeveloped (at least for 15 years). People against the measure say that It would mean less tax money coming from that area and it would have to be made up by all Georgia taxpayers. People for it say that it helps to preserve the forest land and that those owners are not charged the high rate of taxes for preserving forests and undeveloped land.

I would say I am for this in order to not punish big land owners (people or businesses) for forest and undeveloped land and to preserve some of the green forests in GA. If they want to still develop it, they can as before with normal taxation. So it doesn't hurt development either.

#2) “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize community redevelopment and authorize counties, municipalities, and local boards of education to use tax funds for redevelopment purposes and programs?"

Jeff's understanding is that local government would get to use school taxes to fund development projects in the community. People against it say that school funds should be used on school needs only and not for the community or development. And that it gives the school board to much power to fund things not part of education. People for it say that that money from city and county are sometimes not enough to support massive projects and it gives a choice to the school board to help in the community or not. They say that when they improve the community and area it therefore improves schools.

I am against this one. If the local government wants to improve an area or for development then use the money from state and county and city taxes and not from school funds. If they can't support it with those alone then save up or find something else that will help. School board members should focus on direct help in education and not on things that indirectly might help.

#3) “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to provide by general law for the creation and comprehensive regulation of infrastructure development districts for the provision of infrastructure as authorized by local governments?"

Jeff's understanding is that local government could approve of "infrastructure districts" or "private cities" basically an "area of land" meant for a developer to borrow money from the local government to develop that area and pay it off from people who buy that area after it is developed. People against it say that it makes it so that the local government can give tax payer money to a Developer to promote development in an area that might not occur or not needed. And if that area fails (doesn't sell) then the taxpayers are left to pay for it. People for it say that it is a new tool that will be used to pay for badly needed projects in some areas to increase development and that developers will pay back to taxpayers after it is bought up. Also it makes it so that these developments have a 20 Percent greenspace for parks and better water conservation.

I am against this measure because I want developers to build where they want and how they want and not the local government telling them where and how.

Tagged

2008-10-13T23:56:00.013-04:00

I got Tagged, I Tag everyone who reads this if you haven't done it yet

8 Things I am Passionate about:

Family (immediate and extended)

My Faith

Knowledge (I need to know all)

Efficiency

Electronics

Entertainment (Board games, etc)

Politics

Competition and Some Sports

8(I have many more) Words or phrases I say:

(Most are Jeff Originals that need to be said with a specific connotation and tone)

Yeah right

Nae

"Beatings" or "Bungings" (multiple usages)

Buh Bye

It's Half Past Quarter Time

"Basics" or "Basically"

Deal with it

Makes it so good

8 Things to accomplish in the upcoming year:

Pay off all Debt (except House)

Teach and play with Children

Switch the office and Play room

Take wife out on dates more

Promotion at Work

Go to Temple more often

Create a Will

Save a Life

8 Places I want to go or visit:

Visit Family in Utah and Oregon

England and a Wimbledon Final Match

World Cup Final Match

NHL Playoffs Finals Game

Caribbean Island

All 50 states (40 Done, 10 more to go)

Australia

Holy Land area

8 things I need or want:

An automated way to get house clean

Healthy Family

An extra 2 hours a Day (More time or slower time)

More Sleep or just to feel more rested

Products that will last longer without service

More Freedom (Not as much that Kevin wants people to have though)

To know all

My calling and election made sure

Who is Who?

2008-10-13T23:47:00.006-04:00

Do you know who is who?

3)

Have your guess? Look at the notes for the answers to see if your right and don't look at any other pics.

2 Current Pics

2008-10-03T00:39:00.002-04:00

Glad all family got out of Circuit City

2008-10-03T00:11:00.003-04:00

Here is a recent article I found. I'm just glad that many in our family don't work for Circuit City anymore.

Whole article can be read here at: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10053605-17.html

The fate of Circuit City is very much in doubt. After months of poor performance and even worse management, the company reported its second-quarter earnings on Monday for the month ending August 31, and let's just say that Circuit City is in deep trouble.
According to the company, it incurred a net loss during the quarter of $239 million on $2.3 billion in revenue. During the same quarter in 2007, the company lost almost $63 million on $2.6 billion in revenue. In the past six months, Circuit City has lost over $400 million--almost four times as much as it lost during the same period in 2007.

"Clearly, the performance of the company is unacceptable to all of our stakeholders, and it is imperative that we take the right steps to accelerate our turnaround," stated James A. Marcum, chief executive officer of Circuit City Stores. "The management team and the board of directors are conducting a comprehensive review of all aspects of our business to determine the best methods of delivering substantially improved financial performance and maximizing shareholder value.

"We recognize that this will require that we intensify our efforts to correct problems in our business. In particular, to be successful, all of our actions must start with improving the customer experience in our stores. As we move forward, we intend to improve how we operate, strengthen our market position, and build a stronger future for the company."
Here's a clue, Marcum: sell the company to the highest bidder as soon as possible and get out before it's too late. It's your only option.

At the time of this posting, Circuit City's stock price is a laughable $1.21. Compare that to Best Buy's $37.59 stock price and you quickly learn everything you need to know about the position Circuit City presently finds itself in.

But let's take a quick look at Best Buy. Obviously Circuit City is being affected by the current state of the economy and less people are willing to spend money on tech toys than they were last year, so the same should be true for Best Buy, right?

Guess again.

According to its latest filings, Best Buy's revenue is hovering at around $9 billion--well in-line with prior year numbers--and its profit during the quarter ending August 30 is $200 million. More importantly, its revenue is up by almost $1 billion over the previous quarter.
So what gives? Why is Best Buy such a successful company when Circuit City is slowly turning into the laughingstock of the tech retail world? It's simple: there's only room for one big-box tech retailer.

Let's face it--CompUSA (although it has made a comeback to some extent), died at the hands of online tech retailers and Best Buy. It faced many of the same issues currently plaguing Circuit City--little customer traffic, for one--and it couldn't stand up to the experience and prices offered at Best Buy and online.
Circuit City keeps talking about its need to improve the customer experience in stores, but I have no idea how it will accomplish such a feat.

First off, it needs customers in its stores. Obviously people buy products at Circuit City stores, but if there's a Best Buy within a close proximity, I'm willing to bet that the Best Buy will have hundreds of people looking to buy products, while the Circuit City has a handful. I have gone to both stores (they're within about 5 minutes of each other) in my area on the same day. The Best Buy is flooded with customers looking to pick up HDTVs, digital cameras, and other tech toys, while the Circuit City is practically empty.

Assuming Circuit City can increase the number of customers that patronize its stores (which it probably won't be able to do), it'll need to improve the customer experience by reducing its prices, employing more sales representatives to help its customers, and provide an experience in the stores that's more conducive to buying products from the company. Of course, the only problem with that scenario is that the company isn't in the financial condition to do anything of the sort.

Regardless, Circuit City is a public company and it's forced to maximize shareholder value. In order to do that, it needs to find any way to turn a profit and try to fend off the Best Buy and online onslaught. With that in mind, maybe it can turn most of its business online and keep only those stores that are performing extremely well. Or maybe it can go back to the table with Blockbuster and work out a deal to increase the value to both firms.

Or maybe Circuit City can raise the white flag and start finding a potential suitor.
It's that last option that makes the most sense at this point. Let's face it--Circuit City will never be able to stand up to Best Buy and its chances of creating a strong online presence are just as slim. Worse, its financial health keeps getting worse and the company seems like it's at wit's end. And as a shareholder, seeing your executives at wit's end means it's not a company worth owning any longer.

And so, at this time when immediate action is not only advisable, it's entirely necessary, Circuit City finds itself in an unenviable position. The company needs to find a way to turn things around, but it won't be able to do that unless it can invest in those changes. And at this point, that's practically impossible.

Realizing that, Circuit City really only has two options: sell to the highest bidder or face total annihilation. It's a sad state of affairs and I'm sure the company won't like to hear it, but at this point, selling it to the highest bidder is its only option.
And considering it tried desperately to get Blockbuster to bite, I think it knows that all too well.
Check out Don's Digital Home podcast, Twitter feed, and FriendFeed.

Communication

2008-09-21T22:26:00.003-04:00

Here in our world of immediate communication to anyone, it is amazing when we still can't communicate when we need or want to. We use phones, txt messages, Instant messages, email, etc to instantly communicate to people when needed and sometimes messages are still not communicated correctly or in enough time. I am someone who anyone can usually get a hold of me very quickly and easily almost at anytime for anything, but why is this not the case with a majority of others? Maybe some people don't like communicating or don't want to quickly, but is this for a majority of people? Anyway, thanks for those who are efficient.
This is not directed at anyone, I just was thinking about it recently.

VACATION AND RAIN

2008-08-25T17:06:00.004-04:00

Went on a family vacation with the extended family this past week to Florida and had a lot of fun. First we all stayed at my Dad and Mom's new house in Orlando with lots of new games and toys. Some new toys for Tanner and Lindsey and some new toys for the older kids (that means everyone in the family). My sisters introduced the playstation 3 toy to me and the game Rockband that Mike Page and I were into a bit this week. We got the beat down pretty well as we played.

I got to keep up with the olympics in HD on a 65" Plasma there. Also got to see a few movies in HD. It was good to pass some time in the house because there was some rain for a couple days due to Tropical storm Fay coming through Florida.

We went to Disneyworld's Magic kingdom for a day and Tanner and Lindsey had a good time. It was hard getting Lindsey off of, "It's a small world" because she wanted to do it again and stay on and Tanner's favorite was, "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Also went to Sea World for a Day and we all loved all the shows and animals. Tanner loved the shark encounter the best and Lindsey favorite was watching Elmo and a live sesame street show. Carie and I liked the Shamu show best.
We also got to go to the beach near Melbourne and had a good day enjoying the sun, sand, and cool water while riding some bigger waves due to the storms. Probably a bit too much because we all got a bit sunburned.
Also, Carie and I never got to go out for our anniversary because we worked all the week before we left. So we went out just us 2 and went to a good dinner show. They put on a show and give you clues that you should figure out to see who the murderer was. Dinner was pretty good too. At the end they tell you who the murderer is and see if your right. Pretty cool and you can get more info at www.sleuths.com.

Anyway, a good week and Thank you so much Mom and Dad for the invite and a great time.

Recent Happenings

2008-08-06T23:53:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to tell what everyone has been up to recently:

Jeff: I had been working hard in Preparation and during Tax Free Weekend. Crazy how busy and what people will go through to save $20-$60 dollars of Sales Tax during these 4 days. Overtime is really going to be nice on the next paycheck! Taking care of the lawn (mostly) and playing outside with the kids when home.

Carie: Hardest job of all keeping up with the house and now 3 kids. She is going to be getting back to tutoring part-time again in a few weeks that she enjoys. She takes care of the most with the shopping and bills included.

Tanner: Has been busy during the summer, he just finished intermediate swimming lessons and is just starting Under 6 Soccer with Walton parks. He started Kindergarten this year and likes it so far. He rides the bus everyday back and forth. He likes to play with neighborhood friends every extra time he can.

Lindsey: Has also been busy, well making Carie and I busy with the things she can get into when not looked at. We are potty training her and it is going slow. She loves the Caliou show on PBS and likes to go for walks and go swimming. She is at the very independant time that wants to do everything all by herself. "Lindsey do it." Likes to accessorize already and dress up.

Maren: Smiling now when she gets the attention and is holding her head up alot on her own. Sometimes sleeping for 6 hours at night. A little different then Tanner and Lindsey because she likes Bath time and diaper changes. But even she doesn't like changing clothes or getting dressed - just like the others.

Register to vote

2008-08-02T22:04:00.001-04:00

A new Favorite Show

2008-07-21T22:43:00.002-04:00

I watched this new show last week for the first time called, "WIPEOUT" on ABC on Tuesday nights and I'm hooked. It is really goofy, but so funny. Then right after that, I watched, "I survived a Japanese Game show", and it was almost just as funny. You should check it out tomorrow night on ABC.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/wipeout/index?pn=index

Pick your scenario

2008-07-12T23:08:00.003-04:00

Cool little map that I found on the web. Only has McCain and Obama on it though. Guess what the results will be on Nov 4th. Choose what the swing states will do. Sounds like a lot of states are locked up already.

Religion Question I couldn't answer

2008-07-10T23:48:00.002-04:00

We recently had one of Carie's friends growing up visit us in Atlanta and spent a day with us. She is a different religion and went to church with us. She knows a lot about Mormons already and we got into a discussion and she asked lots of questions. Carie and I were able to answer most of them, but I didn't have an answer to one. She asked why African-Americans were unable to hold the priesthood until 1978. I wasn't too sure so I decided to do research and find out. Here is an article that helped me understand at least a little more on this subject. Hopefully it answers her question a little more.

http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/blackmormon/BMPB.html

More new Pictures

2008-07-07T10:08:00.005-04:00

Had a fun time with Grandma visiting!

Maren is getting bigger and more alert

Also she is smiling more now

The cutest three girls!

Recent Pictures and Summer Happenings

2008-06-28T10:18:00.007-04:00

Marcia came to visit and we all went to Stone Mountain Park and did lots of activities. Rode the train, Played Mini-golf, Played in the Kids playhouse, and Watched the Laser show.

Maren was blessed on Father's Day!

Lindsey becomes "Fancy Lindsey" with the help of Grandma and the book she brought.

Lindsey likes to run and play soccer like Tanner

Tanner has a week long soccer camp with England players. Tanner and his 3 coaches.

Tanner finishes Pre-K and loved his teachers.

Supreme Court Got it right this time

2008-06-26T22:48:00.002-04:00

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a constitutional right to keep guns in their homes for self-defense, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun control in U.S. history.

My question is why was this ever questioned at all? That's what the second amendment gives us a right to do.

But it also had in the news that, "Mayors Pledge to Uphold Gun Control Laws Despite Supreme Court Ruling." Who are these Mayors and why?

New Pollingpoint Questions and results

2008-06-24T08:38:00.005-04:00

Here are some more questions for you to answer from Pollingpoint!

1) Which comes closest to your view about evaluating students for admission into a college or university?

A. Applicants should be admitted solely on the basis or merit, even if that results in few minority students being admitted.
B. An applicant's racial background should be considered to help promote diversity on college campuses, even if that means admitting some minority students with lower qualifications.

2) Regardless of which candidate you support, who do you think will win?

A. John McCain will probably win the election
B. The election will be very close
C. Barack Obama will probably win the election
D. Another candidate will probably win the election
E. Not sure

3) Should middle schools or high schools make free condoms or birth control bills available to students?

A. Middle schools
B. High schools
C. Both
D. Neither
E. Not sure

Some other results:

Which of these people do you think would make a good role model for young girls? (teens)

Which of these people do you think would make a good role model for young girls? (adults)

Family links you wish you didn't know about

2008-06-19T23:14:00.003-04:00

I am grateful for Mike Page for starting a Geni account (www.geni.com) where you can see geneology for your family and also that it reminds you when a birthday is near and information about your family members. Actually, Carie is already sick of all the emails, but I don't mind them as a chance to learn about history and family. I just hope we get more people to join and take advantage of everything it can offer. But sometimes you might not want to know who you might be related to. For example, how about if you find your relative is Adolf Hitler or something?

This kind of happened to me yesterday when I clicked to see who a person is from the latest email. Joy Brisbo is the person I was interested in and it took me to a page that said she is my fourth cousin's wife's aunt. It also tells you how you are related by creating direct lines to that person from yourself, Blue color lines are blood family members and it switches to red lines if it goes through a marriage. Joy Brisbo is not my direct relative because it switches to red at Marcia Sheffield. I thought this is weird because Kim Sheffield is Blue. These are my wife Carie's Parents!!! I click on Kim Sheffield (Carie's Dad) and it says we are fourth cousins. Aparently, my great great grandfather and Kim's great great grandmother are brother and sister from Denmark. It is on my mom side and Carie's dad side. I just think it is a little wierd that Carie is also my Fourth cousin once removed if this is accurate. I know it doesn't really make that big of an deal, but you don't expect to be somewhat related to your wife at all or for at least for minimum of 10 generations.

Flying $ Tips and inefficiency

2008-06-10T14:30:00.006-04:00

I am so curious on how some of the same flights to and from cities are so many different prices.

For example, we have been looking for a flight for Carie's Mother (Marcia) to come out to Georgia to see us for a while and never have found a good deal until 2 weeks ago.

The last time we found a flight for her was about 1 1/2 years ago and it was from Medford, Oregon to Atlanta for around $350. But the funny thing is that it traveled through Portland. So Medford to Portland to Atlanta. But the same flight# from Portland to Atlanta was $450. Which we didn't mind from Medford because that was 1 hour closer for Marcia to go to instead of Portland. But it is usually cheaper from Portland to Atlanta.

Going back to the most recent flight we just got, we have never seen any better than $475 for a flight from Portland to Atlanta or anywhere near Portland (Medford or Eugene). But, I was just checking around at different airports around Atlanta which include Greenville, SC - Birmingham, AL - Chattanooga, TN - or Augusta, Macon, or Athens GA which are all within driving distance (all about 2 hours of driving from Atlanta). I found this flight from Delta from Portland to Birmingham, AL for $250 which was great. Again the funny thing is that it goes through Atlanta both times. So Portland to Atlanta then Birmingham here, then from Birmingham to Atlanta then Portland Back. But the same flight# if I only wanted Portland to Atlanta was $700. So I went ahead and got that flight to Birmingham knowing I probably have to drive there and back both times, but that will still save lots of money. (Around $100 in Gas to Birmingham back and forth twice vs around $30 in Gas to and from Atlanta airport twice).

So I call Delta just yesterday and see if there is a way to just stop in Atlanta because it goes there anyway instead of taking up a seat and getting a drink to go to Birmingham. I was even willing to pay around $100 more to do so for just saving the time. But I was told that you can't cancel one part or it all gets cancelled and the same flight just from Portland to Atlanta is $700. I told them I'm just going to drive to Birmingham that is only 2 hours away for $100 in Gas, but wanted to give you the opportunity to get that money for Delta instead of the Gas company but they said they couldn't do anything. No wonder the Airlines are going bankrupt all the time, they don't make smart business sense or decisions. Again I was trying to pay them $100 for me not taking up 2 seats and 2 drinks from them, but they can't do that. Oh well.

Hockey and Soccer

2008-06-04T01:00:00.001-04:00

When I was growing up my two favorite sports were College Football and Basketball. Probably because everyone liked BYU Football and my dad liked football a lot too. Basketball was always up there too because that was the sport I played most growing up and probably still play most. (Try to play every Wednesday night with our ward). But I don't have much passion for either of these 2 sports anymore and I haven't had much a desire to watch these sports for a while now (College and Pro).

Over the last few years, Hockey has continually been my favorite sport. After learning and playing it in many different ways (Ice, Roller, and Floor) it is a sport that is so fast and exciting even though it is a lot less scoring than any of those from my past. I audited the Ice Hockey class at BYU twice after I took it for real just to get more practice. Soccer is growing and growing with me. First of all it is a lot like Hockey, with goal scoring and complex play making with a true team effort. I think it is too late to try to learn to play it though, but I follow it pretty good. I find myself turning to the Spanish channel occasionally just to see if it has a game on even though I can't understand the commentary.

Other sports I like to watch and sometimes play include Tennis and Volleyball.

Other sports that I have never enjoyed include: Baseball and Racing (Nascar)

Sports (if you call these sports) that I think people are foolish by even participating in: Boxing, fighting (like UFC. -sorry Kevin, actually that's maybe why you like to watch it?) and Poker.

My Euro 2008 Predictions

2008-06-04T00:59:00.006-04:00

Here are my Predictions for Euro 2008. The European Championship of Soccer held every 4 years. Want to play too or do you know about soccer? Signup for Euro Pickup on ESPN.com.

GAME SELECTIONS FOR JeffBrown [Jeffrey Brown]
GROUP	HOME	HOME/DRAW/AWAY		AWAY	DATE (ET)	STADIUM

Group A	Switzerland			Czech Republic	Jun. 7, 12:00 PM	St Jakob Park

Group A	Portugal			Turkey	Jun. 7, 2:45 PM	Stade de Geneve

Group A	Czech Republic			Portugal	Jun. 11, 12:00 PM	Stade Geneve

Group A	Switzerland			Turkey	Jun. 11, 2:45 PM	St Jakob Park

Group A	Turkey			Czech Republic	Jun. 15, 2:45 PM	Stade Geneve

Group A	Switzerland			Portugal	Jun. 15, 2:45 PM	St Jakob Park

Group B	Austria			Croatia	Jun. 8, 12:00 PM	Ernst Happel Stadion

Group B	Germany			Poland	Jun. 8, 2:45 PM	Worthersee Stadion

Group B	Croatia			Germany	Jun. 12, 12:00 PM	Wortherseestadion

Group B	Austria			Poland	Jun. 12, 2:45 PM	Ernst Happel Stadion

Group B	Poland			Croatia	Jun. 16, 2:45 PM	Wortherseestadion

Group B	Austria			Germany	Jun. 16, 2:45 PM	Ernst Happel Stadion

Group C	Romania			France	Jun. 9, 12:00 PM	Letzigrund Stadium

Group C	Netherlands			Italy	Jun. 9, 2:45 PM	Stade de Suisse Wankdorf

Group C	Italy			Romania	Jun. 13, 12:00 PM	Letzigrund Stadium

Group C	Netherlands			France	Jun. 13, 2:45 PM	Stade de Suisse Wankdorf

Group C	France			Italy	Jun. 17, 2:45 PM	Letzigrund Stadium

Group C	Netherlands			Romania	Jun. 17, 2:45 PM	Stade de Suisse Wankdorf

Group D	Spain			Russia	Jun. 10, 12:00 PM	Tivoli Neu Stadium

Group D	Greece			Sweden	Jun. 10, 2:45 PM	Wals-Siezenhem Stadion

Group D	Sweden			Spain	Jun. 14, 12:00 PM	Letzigrund Stadium

Group D	Greece			Russia	Jun. 14, 2:45 PM	Wals-Siezenhem Stadion

Group D	Russia			Sweden	Jun. 18, 2:45 PM	Tivoli Neu Stadium

Group D	Greece			Spain	Jun. 18, 2:45 PM	Wals-Siezenhem Stadion

Quarterfinals	Winner Group A			Runner-up Group B	Jun. 19, 2:45 PM	TBD

Quarterfinals	Winner Group B			Runner-up Group A	Jun. 20, 2:45 PM	TBD

Quarterfinals	Winner Group C			Runner-up Group D	Jun. 21, 2:45 PM	TBD

Quarterfinals	Winner Group D			Runner-up Group C	Jun. 22, 2:45 PM	TBD

Semifinals	W25			W26	Jun. 25, 2:45 PM	TBD

Semifinals	W27			W28	Jun. 26, 2:45 PM	TBD

Final	W29			W30	Jun. 29, 2:45 PM	TBD

Tiebreaker	Final Score Guess 1		2 Final Score Guess

- Selected Pick - Correct Selection - Incorrect Selection

Terrible Twos

2008-06-02T13:31:00.001-04:00

Lindsey is so cute and is a joy to have but she is now in the middle of the Terrible Twos. This is a stage in a toddlers life where they try to be more independant but cannot express their needs very good still. So Lindsey has not been a very good listener or obeying us very much and she has been getting into everything with more messes. She likes to write on the walls especially. Tanner went through the same thing when he was about three and I'm so grateful that he has been out for a while. A couple of things for advise to all others:

Spend more time watching out for what they do! Start using time-out and take away priviliges for bad actions. DO NOT GIVE IN because Tantrums will occur. Make sure you continually go over rules and set limits for things and even start giving them small choices of what they want with your guidance.

As we are doing these things it is a little easier to transition through. A good thing is that Lindsey is alot more helpful and is great at picking and cleaning up a few things.

Maren Kae Brown

2008-05-20T16:40:00.002-04:00

The New Baby is Here!!!

2008-05-19T02:40:00.004-04:00

Finally after a few days of continuous contractions and wondering, our new baby has finally been born. And what a cute girl she is! Everyone is healthy and strong. We are still going with MAREN as the first name but still undecided about middle yet. Born on Sunday 5/18/2008 at 2:29 am. Weighing 6 Lb, 4.6 oz and 18 inches long. Bigger than Tanner and Lindsey by 1 1/2 pounds almost. More pictures to come soon.

Mother's Day

2008-05-14T16:49:00.005-04:00

I always get a nice gift for my mother on mother's day but the only thing Carie always wants is flowers and that is what I usually get. But this year I found a different gift that matches what she always wants. Fruit Flowers! She has been craving fruit alot this pregnancy. Oh, by the way, we think the new baby will be coming this week. Lots of contractions in the past few days.

Super Smash Brawl for Wii anyone?

2008-05-06T13:52:00.004-04:00

Played this game a few times and am now pretty into it for the Wii. I still am not very good, but need some more practicing. Who is the strongest character so I can learn and destroy? Let me know when you want to play?

Anyone get Mario Cart yet and can let me know if it is worth getting and playing?

Interesting Results, what does America think on . .

2008-05-06T12:49:00.016-04:00

Here are a few results of polls taken recently from Pollingpoint

How serious a problem do you think global warming is?

Do you think violent movies and video games inspire mentally unstable people to commit acts of violence like the shootings at Virginia Tech?

Would you be more or less likely to support a candidate for president who favors stricter gun control laws?

What do you think is the most important problem facing public education in the U.S. today?

In general, how well would you say things are going for the US in Iraq?

Do you think the stem cell debate is relevant or irrelevant to the debate on abortion?

Do you think embryonic stem cell research should be legal?

Digital Video vs Pictures

2008-04-15T15:41:00.004-04:00

I have always liked doing Digital Videos better than Pictures. Carie is always taking and getting pictures ready, but I usually try to do the camcorder more. Much better than pictures because you get to hear and see people in action than just see how they look in a still picture. So here are a few more recent videos taken.

Ice Breakers

2008-04-05T23:14:00.004-04:00

I am a leader at a Best Buy Electronics store and I have 1 day each week that I am in charge of leading the morning discussion for that day. My day has always been Saturday. We always have an Ice Breaker to start and go from there. My favorite Ice Breaker has always been the sit down volleyball game. You have 2 teams that sit down on the floor and use a large rubber ball as a volleyball with the checkout lanes as the net. It is pretty fun, but some people always don't want to participate so I have been trying to come up with a few more Ice Breakers. Today we did a fast scavenger hunt. Can you come up with all of these items found in a Best Buy store? Could be multiple different items for each.

Jeff's Scavenger Hunt
Find as many of these items as you can
1) Digital connection but no sound
2) makes Cars have 110-120 Volts
3) Call me without any phone
4) Has no value in the store but people spend lots of money for it
5) This week's new release DVD or CD
6) Filled or unfilled container of a gas

Anyway, but I'm trying to get other suggestions for other good Ice breakers. Do you have one?

Who are those people that Cause traffic at intersections?

2008-03-28T18:37:00.005-04:00

I have been annoyed at people that are in the middle of 4 way stop sign intersections asking for donations. Instead of being on the side of intersections like this picture, they are really right in the middle of the road inbetween the 2 lanes. Today they were at 2 different intersections, one in Loganville and one in Winder. What is annoying to me was that these people cause a longer backup in traffic at those intersections. Also it has to be pretty dangerous to be in the middle of the road. I asked my mom today who she thinks these people are and she thinks that they are Shriners. I looked them up today at http://www.shrinershq.org/Shrine/Default.asp. Interesting enough they are Master Masons. It sounds like they are trying to get donations for Shriners Hospital. Shriners Hospital sounds like a great Hospital that helps children get medical help without the family paying anything. I am a little curious if they take all the money people donate and give it to the Hospital or if they use it for other things like the Temples they have, or their social activities, etc, or if they might take some of the donations for themselves. Overall it sounds like a good thing to donate to.

New Pollingpoint Quiz, How would you answer?

2008-03-27T18:32:00.005-04:00

I received a new link to participate in this week's Pollingpoint survey and it was quite interesting but vague. It was actually so vague that some answers were very hard to give due to no specifics behind it. So the way that I took it was to ask "in general". Some are about Government and some are about Society if you can separate the two of those. So I took it and then I asked Kevin, Derek, Scott, and Carie some of the questions too and this is some responses to each. I would say if you comment, and have not participated in the survey, then I would like you to answer the questions as well. Again, the answers that were given might change if you put any specific examples into any question.

The answers for the first questions were in the range of:

Strongly Agree

Moderately Agree

Mildly Agree

Mildly Disagree

Moderately Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Q) Sometimes government needs to make laws that keep people from hurting themselves.
A) Kevin Strongly Disagree, Jeff Mildly Agree, Scott Moderately Agree, Derek Moderately Disagree, Carie Mildly agree

Q) It's society's responsibility to make sure everyone's basic needs are met.
A) Jeff Mildly Agree, Scott Disagree, Kevin Agree, Derek Moderately Agree, Carie Moderately Agree

Q) People should be able to rely on the government for help when they need it.
A) Scott Agree, Kevin Strongly Disagree, Jeff Mildly Agree, Carie Moderately Agree, Derek Mildly Disagree

Q) People who are successful in business have a right to enjoy their wealth as they see fit.
A) Kevin Strongly Agree, Scott Agree, Jeff Moderately Agree, Derek Strongly Agree, Carie Mildly Disagree

Q) Government regulations are almost always a waste of everyone's time and money.
A) Kevin Strongly Agree, Jeff Mildly Disagree, Scott Disagree, Derek Moderately Agree, Carie Moderately Agree

Q) We have gone too far in pushing equal rights in this country.
A) Kevin Moderately Agree, Scott Agree, Jeff Mildly Agree, Derek Strongly Agree, Carie Moderately Disagree

Q) Parents should encourage young boys to be more sensitive and less rough and tough.
A) Scott disagree, Kevin Moderately Disagree, Jeff Mildly Disagree, Derek Moderately Agree, Carie Mildly Agree

The next Questions asked were about if the following things that might contain a certain amount of Risk to our Society. So answers needed to be:

Almost no Risk

Slight Risk

Moderate Risk

High Risk

Q) Gay Marriage

A) Derek = Moderate Risk, Jeff, Kevin, Scott, and Carie = High Risk

Q) Legal Restrictions on Abortion

A) Derek, Jeff, and Carie = Almost no Risk, Scott and Kevin = Slight Risk

Q) Spread of Nuclear Weapons

A) Kevin = Moderate Risk, Scott, Jeff, Derek, and Carie = High Risk

Q) The Internet

A) Derek = Almost no Risk, Kevin = Slight Risk, Jeff and Carie = Moderate Risk, Scott = High Risk

Q) Nuclear Power

A) Derek = Almost No Risk, Jeff = Slight Risk, Kevin = Moderate Risk, Scott = High Risk

Q) Mad Cow Disease

A) Derek = Almost no Risk, Carie and Jeff = Slight Risk, Scott and Kevin = Moderate Risk

Q) Pornography

A) All Answered High Risk

Carie Pregnant Update

2008-03-18T20:42:00.006-04:00

I wanted to give an update on our new arrival like Katie did.

Week: 30

Real Due date: May 28th

What we think the date will be: Around May 8th

Girl Possible Names: Maren, Marisa, Emily, Madeline

Possible Middle Names: Elizabeth, Kae.

Different Food Craves I have seen: Eggs(omelets), Fish sticks.

Tannner's Birthday!

2008-03-16T20:40:00.004-04:00

Today was Tanner's birthday! And he is 5 years old now. He is getting alot easier to communicate with and to talk to. He is really a great son. We had his party with friends his age yesterday (Saturday) and he had a great time. It was a superhero theme and all the kids had fun on the "obstacle course" and when the villian (me dressed up) stole the cupcakes, the kids chased me around the house trying to get them back. Once they caught me, they tied me up. His favorite toy is a Transformer that he got. Carie and I watched the Transformer movie a little bit ago and one day while Carie was gone, I let Tanner watch the middle to the end too and he liked it. Then I got in trouble with Carie fom letting him watch some. I forgot that it was rated PG-13. It was a bit too violent for him as well. He also got a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle DVD that he loves to watch everyday! Crazy how things were so popular in my day growing up are now popular again over 20 years later.

PollingPoint / Surveys

2008-03-16T20:20:00.002-04:00

I signed up for a website that conducts polls at least once a week. It is pollingpoint.com. I like how they phrase alot of their questions. They ask you everything from politics to what you buy and your opinion on many different topics. Each survey takes about 10 minutes and they give you a certain number of points anytime you finish one. Again, usually a new one every week. Once you get enough points you can redeem them for prizes or cash. I first got into it because I like to answer the questions and give my opinion, but I like it more since I can get rewarded for answering. I sometimes get phone calls about surveys that they are conducting too around the area, like today about building a YMCA in Walton county and I like giving my opinion on anything and everything. I wonder how many people I count for when they do these surveys?

School Pictures

2008-03-11T18:52:00.006-04:00

Today we got Tanner's proof picture from school. The cheapest way to get any photo from the place that took the picture is to pay for the cheapest "package" which is $22 for 1 5X7 and 4 wallets. Why can't I pay for 1 Digital File and print my own? I'm willing to pay for their time (maybe 1-2 minutes to take a picture) and digital file but not their Paper and ink when I can print it myself. What is 2 minutes of their time worth? According to them it is $22/.0333 = $660/hr and I get 1 5X7 and 4 wallets. Did you know you can get 1 5X7 and 4 wallets from Walgreens or anywhere like that for less than $2. Also, you can order a photo CD with a digital file on it for $35, but only after you buy a "package." Also you can't print any of that photo from the digital CD because it is copyrighted.

New Pictures of Kids

2008-03-04T17:08:00.003-05:00

Here are a new recent pictures of the kids taken yesterday. Hope you enjoy.

Have any Car Repairs

2008-02-28T20:18:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share my view on any car repairs you will ever have. I have had a few in the past and I want to pass on this information on how to save money when you come to a point when your car needs to be repaired in any way.

If you know what is wrong then all the better because it will help you out, but most likely you will not know what the problem with your car is. First you need to call around and tell them that your car needs to be looked at and when they can look at it. Some require an appointment. Next ask what is the price to get it looked at. This can range anywhere from $40 - $90. Most call it a diagnostic fee. Most car repair centers have specialized computers that run your car through a diagnostic test and it reports what is wrong. They like to tell you that once they find out the final price to fix your car then this fee is not applied. So take your car to the place you found and the car repair shop will then call you later with a quote on what it will take with parts and labor to fix the car. They will give you just one price. Then you need to ask for the breakdown of the quote including all part numbers and costs for each, labor time and labor costs of each and write it down. Before moving on, you need to know where the price point is. If it is less than $150-$300 you probably just need to say fix it to the car place. This can be iffy sometimes because you might be able to still repair cheaper but it might cost you the same. Also this only works if you are willing to wait for your car to get fixed longer then what the car place will quote you.

The next step is the most critical. You need to ask the car place if they can wait and see if you can find some of those parts yourself instead. (This is tricky, because they could always charge you for delays or holding fees so make sure you ask if it is okay to try to find some parts yourself if it takes a couple of days to a week). They usually tend to work with you. They like to see if you can find cheaper prices. Car places might even match the prices you can find. REMEMBER TO ASK again to see if they will charge you anything else while you try to get parts. If they do try to charge you for any holding fees then you need to do your best to get your car back or out of there as quickly as possible and just pay for the diagnostic fee. The main part was just to get a quote on what parts and labor was needed. Last step is try to find the parts yourself and get the labor done yourself or get the best price for the labor too.

For example, I got a quote for only 1 part I need on my last car problem. The part itself was going to cost me $338 through the car place. I found it on the internet for $55. I had the car place install it for me though. I had to pay for the diagnostic fee even though they said it would get applied to whatever they do, but it still saved me over $200. So they charge a lot for all parts and liquids. Even try to get any Coolant, oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid from walmart or a local car sales store. Again they were trying to charge me $28 for coolant and I got it instead for $9 at walmart for the amount they needed. Labor work is approx $70-$100/hour for any work done. So getting your car repair manual would save a lot of money if you have tools. Some things you can repair yourself. Again the toughest part is just to find out what is wrong.

Hopefully this will be helpful to you for the future.

Almonds

2008-02-21T19:36:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to say that I am obsessed with Almonds. It can only be the plain non-salted ones. I don't like them in any chocolate. It is the main gift I wanted for Valentines day and that's what I got! They are actually very good for you too. Yes, I know that is an interesting snack, but I like it better than all candy.

PBS show on "The Mormons"

2008-02-19T21:36:00.002-05:00

Today was my day off like usual each week and it was nice to relax. My kids watch some of PBS shows and during the weekend I saw that a show called "The Mormons" was coming on later on PBS. I decided to go ahead and Tivo it to watch it later. It was 2 hours long and I watched it today. It started okay with the early history, but after only 5 minutes they already were badmouthing the church. I found out that it was Part 1 of 2 in this 2 hours. The main people that they had on the documentary it seemed were Historians and people not in the church. If you look up the program on http://www.pbs.org/mormons/ it actually lists some people and they have more nonmembers or excommunicated members than members commenting. And when the members did comment it was short, while the excommunicated and nonmembers were given more time. It was apparent that they were trying to focus on the outskirts and contriversal issues than on what the people and truths were. Polygamy seemed to be the focus for 45 minutes of the 2 hour show. Also the Mountain Meadows Massacre filled another at least 15 minutes of the show. I was very disappointed in the show. You can watch it online on the link I have provided. I haven't seen Part 2 yet, but probably will soon.

IRAQ

2008-02-19T11:21:00.001-05:00

My brother Kevin has passed along an interesting article that an LDS person has written about the conflict in iraq. It can be found at: http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/ashton2.html.

It has some interesting points and some truths so why does (I think) most LDS people support the U.S. still in Iraq including me? I wanted to share my view and what I am thinking. Again, this is only my view.

First this article starts talking about the Book of Mormon's views on war and when it should be used for from Alma 43:47 and 48:14. Which I totally agree that you should go to war to only defend your land, country, liberty, rights, religion, and lives including family. Also sometimes to help others to defend their land, country, liberty, rights, religion and lives. The Book of Mormon shares the doctrines of the kingdom. It was not meant to be historical and teach about every little thing not doctrinal. I think Alma probably wrote more about this war and what the Nephites did after and before each battle and war and why, but that is not the purpose of the Book of Mormon. It's main purpose is to convince everyone to come unto Christ. So what was the specific details that went on after each battle or war we do not know, which I think the author tries to specify or assume too much like saying that it was the policy of Captain Moroni of letting the lamanites sort out their own government affairs. Does the author really think we are aggressively slaughtering the people there in iraq instead of trying to defend ourselves and other iraqis?

I also didn't like how this person interpreted Captain Moroni's after war moves. I don't know the exact things Captain Moroni did after he won his battles but why could he not help the lamanites. He prepared the Nephite lands against further attack but, why couldn't he do that also by sending missionaries or teaching the lamanites. Maybe even teaching them laws and principles including government principles including maybe democracy. Where does it say that we can't stay in those lands that we make "instable" to help the people, even to help defend them. Maybe they can even ask for help, like many countries have in the past. So we try to do our best to do what we can. Right? Even using the Spirit and revelation as our guide.

Now back to the principle that war should be used to defend your country, liberty, rights, religion, and lives. The main question that this doesn't answer is at what costs do you defend your country, liberty, rights, religion, and lives. After we were attacked by Al-Qeida on 9/11 what were we to do to defend ourselves? Wait and defend just the U.S. only or go invade and attack Afganistan's taliban? Even though Al-Qeida is not a country? After we got attacked by Japan in WW2, what were we to do to defend ourselves? Get back our lands and just defend or invade Japan lands? Even drop the Atom Bomb? What defending did we do with Vietnam and Korea? I think each war or conflict there can be an assumption made about defending something of those things we should. It doesn't mean that those assumptions are right or wrong, but something I know will be that the people in charge will be held accountable to our Heavenly Father for those actions if they were right or wrong. I wish there could always be Peace, but I know that in this earth life that cannot be the case.

So, going back to the main question about why I still believe we need to be in Iraq is because the people are needing our help to DEFEND themselves and their new country, rights, religion, and lives. I liken it to the Nephites and Ammon who helped the people of Anti-Levi-Nephi defend themselves. Alma 27: 1-12, 23-24. After the lamanites were destroying the people of Anti-Levi-Nephi, the Nephites helped in defending them. So should people take action to defending others sometimes? YES! I even think some will be held liable for not taking any action when some people need defending. The author of the article keeps saying that even if we were defending ourselves at the start of Iraq, then that authority (Saddam Hussein) is no longer there and we aren't defending anymore. Tell that to the people still getting directly attaked by the militants, or trying to take away their rights. The question that I ask is that are we still helping Iraq defend itself? So the question is when does it change away from defending?

February is here already?

2008-02-07T21:27:00.000-05:00

February is already here. It is amazing at how fast time goes faster when you get older. Tanner had his surgery and went well to untie his lip and was fine right after. Carie turned 30 this past week as well. We went out to eat at Olive Garden, Our best place to eat! and rented a movie to watch. Elizabeth, the golden age. Kindof disappointing movie, I don't recommend it. We also rented a movie for Tanner called, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." He is obsessed with this one movie that has 4 episodes on it. I remember watching it when I was little and it was pretty cool. Now I can't stand it. lol. Carie has told me that she is going to buy a new TMNT DVD for his birthday next month. Lindsey has been getting into trouble more and more, but she is too cute to be mad at for too long. She has been testing the boundries. I guess we are in the Terrible two's. Tanner was not bad at all until three, but girls go through things earlier and hopefully faster than boys.

Geographically challenged

2008-01-27T20:36:00.000-05:00

Just was watching Tonight show with Jay Leno and they had this clip, "Jaywalking" where Jay goes out near a public place and ask questions to people. This time he was looking for High School students and asking them about geography questions. Amazing how these Teenagers don't know the continent that Iraq is in, Or what language Great Britain speaks, Or what does the Panama canal connect. Are some kids growing up not getting a Geography class? Same thing when we watch, Smarter than a 5th grader. I admit I haven't known the answer to some questions from the show, but when I see some dumb people on the show it makes me wonder if education is getting worse in our country. No wonder Carie keeps telling me how scary the kids are educated around here. She tutors twice a week at a private institution and is amazed at how little some kids know.

Lindsey is so funny, she likes to sing and dance a lot of the time now. Twinkle, Twinkle little star is her favorite to sing. I will try to get it on video soon. Tanner is having his surgery to remove his tougue tied lip this week. He has not been getting good sleep though because Lindsey has been keeping him up and it is affecting his behavior, especially at school. But he did a great job on Friday and got to play with a friend and go to the Park.

Snow and Cold

2008-01-20T23:40:00.000-05:00

It snowed yesterday Saturday Jan 19 here in GA. We got about 2" on the ground but it didn't stick on the roads. We still have a little left on the grass and areas but I don't think it will stay long. Tanner and Lindsey were excited and played in it for a while. It is amazing what closes down here in GA when it barely snows and gets colder than 32 degrees. Even at BYU when we had over 16" of snow one weekend, we still had school and church like any other day. I took a few pictures of the kids playing and hope to get them on here the next few days.

Recent Events and News

2008-01-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

Things have been busy for us lately. Carie is moving along on with the pregnancy and is about 20 weeks. 1/2 way there. We have the official ultrasound tomorrow, but we already know it is a girl due to an earlier ultrasound done. Also, we just scheduled Tanner's surgery, just to fix Tanner's tongue tied problem. His tongue is tied all the way to the tip and is affecting his speech. Just a little cut on Feb 1st. We have been trying to finish cleaning our house from the holidays. Got all decorations down and almost put away. Got my new HD off the air antenna mounted and up on the roof with the help of my dad and it does a pretty good job for the HD Tivo I got for Christmas. I just need a HDTV now. I've been trying to figure the best way to convert video to MPEG2 so that it can be put on the Tivo. Other than that, work is going good and we like to play board games with family and friends as often as we can.

Tanner about 2 years old
first learning to play hockey.

VoteMatch - Which Candidate do you line up with?

2008-01-03T23:32:00.000-05:00

Today was the Iowa Caucus that starts the year with the big presidential election in November. Carie and I were discussing how we still didn't know a lot about the candidates so we decided to go to a website and see what they stand for and how we match up with them. The website is http://www.speakout.com/VoteMatch/senate2006.asp?quiz=2008. It has 20 questions from Strongly Support to Strongly oppose things. My #1 with 63% Match was Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney #2 at 58%. Carie's #1 was Mitt Romney at 53% and then Mike Huckabee #2 at 48%. Pretty interesting. No surprise for both of us that our lowest match for both of us was Hillary Clinton around 25%.

Why start a blog?

2008-01-01T01:17:00.000-05:00

I have gotten two lessons in Church each of the past 2 weeks about keeping up your history and writing in a journal. So I figure that a new goal that I could do would be to start and keep up a Blog. Because I think I will be better at updating a blog then writing in a journal. Also being Jan 1, 2008 today would be a good goal to start with this year.

A little about me. Jeffrey William Brown born Dec 11, 1976. Oldest of 6 kids. Graduated from South Gwinnett High School in 1995. Served a mission in the Idaho Boise Mission from 1996 to 1998. Got Married to my sweetheart Carie Elizabeth Sheffield on Aug 10, 2001. First child (M) Tanner William Brown born on Mar 16, 2003. Graduated BYU Summer 2003. Second child (F) Lindsey Elaine Brown born Dec 30, 2005. I am currently a Business Sales Supervisor for Best Buy.

First, we are expecting our Third Child! Due date in late May but will be early May probably because our other 2 children have been 3-4 Weeks early. We just got an ultrasound and it is going to be a Girl. We are already having a hard time coming up with a good name we can agree on but we are narrowing it down. Had a Family get together for New Years eve tonight and played games and did the usual Fireworks outside.

Secondly, I want to put down a recent wager my brother Scott and I have on Technology. The wager is if a 37" LCD HDTV which is now around $600 average price, will be about $300 average price in 5 years. If it is under $300, I win.