Moving the Cows

We moved the cows from the winter range (the desert) to the summer range (the ranch) this weekend. I don't remember ever moving the cows and having things work out so well. It was amazing. I think the reason why it went well was that we had a lot of people. We had my dad and all his sons, my uncle and all but one of his sons, and my dad's 1st cousin and his grandson plus my nephew and some of my cousin's small boys. We found most of the cows (I think all but 3) on the first day!
One of the best things was when we pushed the cows into the corral we had so many people there that we were able to form a human wall and not one calf got out at the end. Also, on the second day Robert saw 2 cows and calves, but then lost them. Robert had been in the saddle a lot the day before and most of that morning looking for those cows so when I got there I switched him to give him a break. My cousin and found them soon after and drove them the 3 miles to the corral. My cousin and I were able to keep them together the whole way and when we got to the corral the cows were spooked by a horse that was left in the loading pen near the gate to the corral. After we moved the horse the cows went right in - amazingly.
When my cousin and I were done there we tried to meet up with others that were getting the last cow that was far from the corrals. Its calf had a broken leg so we couldn't drive it to the corrals. When we met up with them they had the calf in the back of the truck, but we didn't know where the cow was. Bruce then told us that Robert was following the cow on foot so we set up the cattle trailer in the middle of an open valley with 5 12 foot panels funneling into the trailer.
We had just gotten everything set up and sent out riders to replace Robert when I went to pick up Robert in the truck. I was motioned back when I got to the trees at the edge of the clearing. Everyone hid - I went in the cab of a truck with Bruce's dog (so it would scare the cow). When the cow was in the funnel everyone crashed in and closed the outer panels and the cow jumped right in the trailer. That never happens - usually the cow get too scared of the trailer (or never makes it to the trailer because the dog barks) and it takes 1 or 2 more hours before we get the cow in a corral or near the trailer again. Bruce jokingly said that this must be one of the blessings we received because of Dad's mission. My cousin joked that that's how our ancestors did it in the olden days when every thing just worked - in the days when both dogs, horses and cows were well trained their roles.

Brian Introduction

So I guess the best way to start is with an introduction. I started this page as a Mother's day present for Jenny. We're using this page to share information about us with friends and family so that people who are considering us a adoptive parents to their children can know more about us. I think that is a big decision and maybe there are other people like me that would want to spend the time to research everything out before hand.

I grew up as the youngest of 8 children and have felt loved by each of them and my parents. My brother's and sister's names in order of age are Marilyn, Christine, Kathy, Barbara, Holly, Bruce and Robert. Each is married and has children so when we get together there are 40 of us including my mom and dad. My dad was a professor of Mathematics for 40 years and has been retired for almost 2 years. My mom is a homemaker and always took a class at the university as her outlet from the kids. My mom and dad just finished an 18 month proselyting mission to England for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I also served a 2 year proselyting mission speaking German in Switzerland when I was 19 years old. It was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed (and still enjoy) learning German and talking with others about what they think about God.

I currently am a full time student and am studying to get a master's degree in electrical engineering. With that degree I have mainly studied about light, but have also studied micro fabrication principles. I am currently doing an internship with a company that does communication systems - like fiber optic cables and radio antennas for telephone, video and internet. Professionally I hope to get an MBA after obtaining some technical experience. With the MBA and technical experience I hope to contribute to developing telecommunications throughout the world.

That is some of where I've been and where I hope to go. I look forward to comments posted by family and friends. I hope that we will grow closer together with sharing this information.