Gessel Family

Ben's Many Faces of Christmas Joy

2011-12-31T17:47:00.000-08:00

For those who missed it...

La Famille

2011-11-29T08:18:00.001-08:00

One of the 7 wonders of the world

This one can SLEEP!

Our future linebacker

A bicycle built for 3

Thanksgiving walk in Great Falls with Uncle Drew & Aunt Matalie

"I can sleep through the flash, watch me!"

Walking home from Sam's school

The babysitter

Dont' worry, it's faux white leopard.

The hospital beach - soaking some rays

Getting ready to bust out (only to return for the bilirubin lights the next day)

Day 1

First few minutes

We are the 3 amigos

I'm slowly learning the value of a contractor

2011-03-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Seriously rethinking the DIY mentality

Day 3: Changing all timeline estimates but too deep to stop

Day 7: Knocked out the pantry / laundry room so the family can eat with mostly clean clothes

Day (way longer than anticipated): Tile is coming down, and my knees voted to impeach me

Day "I can see a dim light in the distance": This thing might actually work

Day "a month later": wondering why painting and installing the trim added a week to the project

Day today: She's all done, and as you can see from the baby seat, already getting very dirty

Happy birthday Ben!

2011-01-16T12:09:00.001-08:00

Signature day!

2010-11-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

We're famous!

2010-11-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

Nat's cousin Christopher is entering a competition for Samsung to do a commercial for their new product- the galaxy tab. We spent last Saturday filming it. He's the one who did our wedding video as well. He's amazing. Here's the link
http://zooppa.com/ads/samsung-galaxy-tab-video-contest/videos/the-possibilities-that-bring-us-together?fbid=g4BVW9XyRej

Let's tidy up the nursery

2010-11-16T17:07:00.000-08:00

Fall Pictures

2010-11-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

We picked 12 bags of apples a couple weeks ago. Mom and Dad spent two full days making all the apples into applesauce. Mmmmmmm.

With cinnamon or plain?

Pretty Emily

Memories of Oregon

2010-09-12T10:53:00.001-07:00

A few pics from Drew and Natalie...

A few pics off my camera...

New Gessel Family Blog

2010-08-05T21:57:00.001-07:00

Nat has started the newest Gessel Family blog about our extremely exciting life here in Provo. Please feel free to visit when you feel so inclined.

http://gessels.blogspot.com/

-drew

Happy Birthday, Andrew! 25 years old!

2010-08-04T19:28:00.001-07:00

Andrew is the funniest, cutest, sweetest and most caring boy! He grew up to be all that plus very athletic and intelligent.
Hard to believe that cutie is now a husband with a cute wife of his own. Way to go, Andrew! We love you and hope you have the best year ever!

Sarah at Age 2

2010-07-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Sarah

2010-07-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

Sarah...The sweetest daughter, the most loving wife, the most patient mother, the greatest sister, the truest friend, the kindest person...We are so glad to have you in our eternal family, and we love you very much! Thank you for your honesty, your sense of humor, your wit, your memory of fun movie lines, your silly side, and your great determination to do it right. We hope you have a wonderful birthday! Send pictures!

A perfect Day in the Northwest

2010-06-13T15:29:00.001-07:00

Emily Masters, Tom, Gary and Debbie in Gig Harbor

Wedding Video (Temple Part)

2010-06-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

Natalie's cousin Christopher made a really beautiful video of our wedding. He divided into two sections: the temple and the reception. He posted the temple one online, so anyone who wants to see it, the link is http://www.vimeo.com/12437598. A lot of you are in this video too. Enjoy

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2010-05-26T18:05:00.001-07:00

2010-05-26T18:03:00.001-07:00

having a little trouble with the blogging...

2010-05-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

2010-05-26T18:00:00.001-07:00

2010-05-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

2010-05-26T17:25:00.001-07:00

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Tacoma Open House

2010-05-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Water Drop Pictures

2010-05-18T19:29:00.001-07:00

Messed around with water, food coloring and camera the other day. Fun results.

The Wedding

2010-05-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Tom: "What does that one smell like?"
Sam and Lauren: "Purple."
Lauren: "This one smells like yellow."

John is the coolest dude ever.

Someone likes french fries.

Thunder Over Louisville

2010-04-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Cara again offered her awesome condo for watching the coolest show in Louisville. It started with an airshow.

Then fireworks! These were just a test.

This airplane had fireworks coming off it. It looks like a fairy.

This is the grand finale but I uploaded the pictures backwards.

Elder Daniel Gessel

2010-03-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

JOHN!

2010-03-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

It's so fun watching John try to figure out how to crawl.

Look at his expression of determination.

The birds are back

2010-03-20T12:11:00.001-07:00

Birds have been waking me up every morning, so I decided to go return the favor and harass THEM.

I don't know what this little guys is. If anybody does, let me know.

These are downy woodpeckers. The males have red on their head.

The male.

The male and female cardinals look a lot different.

This guy didn't wake me up, and he's from California, but i put him in anyways.

Same with this pelican.

the chitlens

2010-02-08T06:54:00.001-08:00

Snow Pics

2010-02-07T13:02:00.001-08:00

We got some snow the other day so I went out to take some pics. I messed around with these a little bit in Adobe Lightroom, trying to get a really contrasty look.

guess we should have gone with a 4 wheel drive car

2010-02-06T17:42:00.001-08:00

Our neighbor's Patio

Our backyard

Ode to the garbage can snowdrift
(our garbage can is 2x its natural height with that white hat)

Pull up a chair, wait, this one might be taken. . .

The walk that's been shoveled 5x, and still maintains that beautiful "fresh snow" look

I got my hands in the paper!

2010-02-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100205/NEWS01/2050359/1008/NEWS01/Students+get+some+help+with+their+teeth

This little guy was the best patient ever. After his cleaning he got a filling right on the front of that front tooth.

My Blog

2010-01-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

If anyone is interested, I've started writing on my blog again. I am taking a class on the New Testament again this semester and as part of the course, we are supposed to write a weekly blog relating to the reading. Feel free to make comments. My blog site is andrewgessel.blogspot.com.

Christmas morning

2009-12-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

National Cathedral and Christmas tree cutting

2009-11-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving at the Bennions

2009-11-27T17:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

Please,

Take your time while you eat.

Enjoy one another's company.

It isn't all about the food.

For to those who focus too much

On stuffing their faces,

Bad things happen.

You know, like a sudden camera flash

That happens to catch you mid-puke!

Engaged!!!!

2009-11-14T22:09:00.001-08:00

For those of you who don't know, Natalie and I are now officially engaged! We had a little adventure day, going around to different places we like in the area and finally ended up in Kiwanis Park, a place where we like to take walks together. We went over to the place where I first told Natalie that I was falling in love with her and told her that I still loved her. I got down on my knee and asked her to marry me. At first she was pretty stunned, but eventually got around to saying yes. It was perfect and we are so excited! We will keep you all posted on the date of the wedding. It will be at the Newport Beach Temple in Southern California. Pictures of the day are coming later!

The Latest

2009-11-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

We decided to be western people this year. Sam liked the idea of carrying a gun. Unfortunately his authentic Wyoming chaps were too long

pumpkin patch--the kids are showing dad how big their pumpkins are--this pumpkin patch was in Bluemont, close to the Shenandoah mountains--beautiful

Danny's last day of school (Lauren is wearing my shirt)

waiting for dad to come home. . . always waiting

the best picture I have of all three

trick-or-treating--they lasted much longer than we thought they would

John is a cowboy too, although Danny thought he looked like a farmer

A picture I tried to delete from this post, but couldn't figure out how

John is usually happy and calm--THANK YOU to all the heavenly hosts who prepared him to come down to our family--and he is LONG--all his pjs are now too short (this adorable one came from Moe)

Posted by Sarah

2009-11-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

Oh and by the way, we played with a musician named Trace Bundy at the show. Check him out on youtube. You won't be disappointed!

Music

2009-11-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

This is a link to a facebook video. I played with my friend Asher on Thursday at Velour. He's a Christian artist (not LDS) and a really great friend. This was the last song we played that night. TJ is playing bass. It was a fun show. I hope you like the video. The song starts at 1:50.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=702235941559

Leaf Peeping at Bernheim Forest

2009-11-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

Erin and I went to Bernheim Forest last weekend to take some pics. Some of these are hers. I hope she doesn't mind me posting them!

I love taking portraits, especially when I have such a beautiful subject!

Chicago!

2009-10-05T17:50:00.001-07:00

I was in Chicago last weekend for a conference sponsored by 3M. They put us up in this hotel that was pretty nice. This is the lobby.Our hotel was across the street from Millenium Park where you'd find this sculpture called "Cloud Gate."

This is the famous water tower on the Miracle mile. The purple glow is coming from the John Hancock Tower.
The Chicago river is really pretty how it runs through the city.
Another sculpture in Millenium Park

This is from the top of the Sears (now the Willis) Tower.
They built these "glass boxes" that you can stand in 97 floors up. Crazy!

View of the city from Navy Pier

Pictures from Tucson

2009-09-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

I was in Tucson AZ for the last two weeks to attend the Charles H Tweed Foundation orthodontic course. With the little free time I had I had time to check out the desert sights.

Vacation Part 2

2009-08-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

Heeeeeeere's Johnnny!

2009-08-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

John Frederick Bennion 8 lbs 11 oz born August 19th

If you catch crying at just the right moment, it looks like a big smile . . .

She's a big sister!

Vacation Part 1

2009-08-20T08:24:00.001-07:00

First of all, congratulations to Sarah and Danny Bennion with the birth of their second son John Frederick! We're so happy for you guys. We're also excited to have Natalie Koch visiting from California.

Sunday trip to Pt. Defiance

Sunday BBQing

Port Townsend

Breakfast at Snoqualmie Lodge

Hiking the falls

Ben sank a hole-in-one on the 18th to win a trophy!

July fun

2009-08-09T14:55:00.001-07:00

My friend Cara invited me over for some BBQ and velvet cake on Friday, and I caught this sunset pic from her balcony.

Hannah, one of my co-residents, and her husband John invited me and some other friends to their cabin for the weekend.

Sunset
Sunrise
Random self-portrait

Mt Ada,ms Climb

2009-08-02T19:57:00.001-07:00

Latest and Greatest

2009-07-18T19:02:00.001-07:00

Anyone know who this is? Meeting Sir. Topom Hatt was just too much for our kids. Sam wouldn't even stand in the picture.

We thought posting this picture would make you want to come visit us.

Look who's got Dad's curls. . .

4th of July Bike Parade

My Birthday cake and card (on the wall) from Danny and the kids

Sam's got a new look. We thought Uncle Tom would like this picture

Photography Phun

2009-07-14T19:55:00.001-07:00

I've been doing some experimenting with this software that lets me combine multiple photos to get more detail in the shadows and the highlights. Here are a few of my experiments.

Ya gotta click on this photo to blow it up to see all the detail including the distant trees and the stars.

Red River Gorge

2009-06-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

I went hiking yesterday with one of my co-residents and his family around the Red River Gorge in Daniel Boone State Park. It was such a beautiful place. Here are some pics. This is on top of Battleship Rock. Natural Bridge is on the right.

The Weavers
Peaking off of Battleship Rock
Their little girl is cute!
This is the bottom of Natural Bridge. We hiked across the top of it.
Balanced Rock
Limestone slot canyon just big enough for one person to squeeze through
Red River Gorge
Cool limestone formation
More cool rock

It's crazy what these kids pick up on. . . everything!

2009-05-28T17:54:00.001-07:00

Last night I realized that I picked up an unnecessary expensive prescription for Lauren. When I told Sarah, her knee-jerk reaction was "Oh crap." Sam was in the room and he immediately scolded Sarah, "Mommy, you said crap, that's a mean word. You only say that when you're cooking dinner."

Out of the mouths of babes. . . .

2009-05-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

Andrew & Natalie

2009-05-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Visiting Boston

2009-05-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

I went back to Boston last week for an orthodontic conference. It was great because I got to see a lot of old classmates. I would have been able to see more, but Harvard Dental School was closed all week because of a swine flu outbreak! Don't worry, nobody died.

This is a pic of some of the residents and their wives arriving in Boston.
We attended lectures in the new convention center. It was the biggest building I've been in...someone told me over 1,000,000 square feet!
These are all my co-residents that made the trip. From left: Russ, Heather, Seth, Kamran, me, and Jean-Anne. One couldn't make it (Hannah)
A few pics from around Harvard: Annenberg Hall

I went to the Harvard natural science museum. I love the name of this animal!

Happy Birthday Mom

2009-04-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

Happy _ _ th Birthday Mom! Just a few reasons why I love you:
1. You remember every holiday and birthday, even for your grandkids
2. You serve your family without even thinking about it and without asking for help
3. You are a thoughtful friend
4. You like to take us shopping for new clothes, even if it means we can't tell Dad what you bought us :) Sorry had to throw that in there
5. You enjoy feeding us, our friends, and anybody who happens to pass by the house
6. You gave birth and took care of FIVE kids, which now I'm realizing, is a really big deal
7. You have a good sense of humor, especially when you have rubber cement
8. You made everybody a homemade gift for Christmas even though you had chronic back pain the entire month of December
9. You taught us the importance of FHE, reading scriptures, and having dinner together (which was ALWAYS ready at 6pm)
10. You went to every single one of my track meets, soccer games, xc meets, choir/piano concerts growing up
11. You're my Mom!
Love,
Sarah

Airshow and getting ready for THUNDER!

2009-04-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is Riaz. He's my co-resident's son, and darn cute.

They had this great airshow before the fireworks.
My friend Cara invited us over to her condo which has a great view of downtown Louisville to watch the show. This is an F-16
F-22 Raptor I think.
Why didn't I join the Air Force?!
Long exposure of the crowds gathering

Wide-angle shot of downtown Louisville
Stitched panoramic of the crowds gathered for the show. Click on the picture to get the full effect.

Thunder Over Louisville

2009-04-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

Keeneland / Weekend in Lexington

2009-04-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

I went to the horse track with a bunch of friends, and here are a few pics. This one is a classmate of mine. I took this picture through a pair of rose-colored sunglasses, and it kinda looks like they're from the 70's.
The crowds at the track were crazy.
They brought around the horses before the race so you could analyze the horses and pick your winner.
Jockeys are celebrities in Lexington.
We went for a drive in the country to see the horses in their "natural habitat." This one came running up to the fence to say hi. He had an engraved plate on his bridle that gave his name as Storm Treasure, descendant of Secretariat, Kentucky Derby contestant, and very valuable stud.

He started running around, obviously showing off. It was amazing how big and fast he was. Scroll through the pictures below to get a flip-book effect.

Then we visited Henry Clay's House.

2009-03-31T13:16:00.000-07:00

Some YouTube videos of the show... there are three songs here and then one more on my facebook page. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcyQYdE-xYg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq0YoRL7Fh8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMxcymnM_Hw

2009-03-30T20:30:00.001-07:00

hey family- my research presentation video just got posted online here: http://kennedy.byu.edu/events/inquiry/video/2009/index.html. this is the presentation i gave at the byu inquiry conference about a month ago. let me know what you think! -boo

2009-03-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hey I have a link up on my facebook page of a video of a song my band played this last weekend at velour. hope you like it!

Spring has sprung

2009-03-28T15:20:00.001-07:00

Here are more pictures I took with my 100mm macro. This is a red-bellied woodpecker, at least, that's what the website said it was. I saw it every day on my run on the exact same tree. I think he has a nest right in front of him. Not the greatest picture, but I had to post it. This bird makes some crazy sounds.

I didn't notice the little bug in this flower until I got home and put the pics on my computer. Nice home he has.

Weekend at the Runyans

2009-03-22T19:36:00.001-07:00

This is Rachel's Avatar pose, I think.

Mikey rockin' out.

New wide-angle lens

2009-03-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hey fam, I know I have to find more interesting subjects for my pictures, but I had to throw a few pictures up showing how awesome my new wide-angle zoom lens is.This lens is so wide, I could have taken one step and walked up the steps.
This thing is 8 feet wide but I could get so close with this lens I could have reached out and touched it!
I was about 4 inches from the Dragon's nostril here.

Hawaii Trip

2009-03-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

More Pictures

2009-03-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is just me messing around with my 100 mm macro lens. It's so fun, nothing is safe!
A classmate let me take a picture of her eye with it.
I put braces on another classmate. He's getting Invisalign on the top teeth and braces on the bottom.
I walked over to the park yesterday to catch the sunrise.

This tree has an eye, and somebody wrote on his face!
I spotted a little beaver crossing the path.

More camera fun - Portraits!

2009-02-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

Tom's New Camera Adventure

2009-02-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

I realized recently that my clinic photographs were subpar, so I decided to buy a new camera. I got a Canon Digital Rebel XSi. Drew wanted me to post some photos, so I took a walk around my neighborhood this evening to get some shots. It's gonna take some practice to figure out all the settings, and how to get the best shot. That being said, I think this is an amazing camera. All these shots were taken without the flash.
This one was taken with a 100mm macro lens. I like the shallow depth of field.

Just a little something

2009-02-01T19:09:00.000-08:00

2009-01-25T21:32:00.000-08:00

Hey family and friends-
I'm in a New Testament class this semester and our professor has asked us to post a weekly blog to contribute to the online discussion about the church. I'm going to be writing weekly on insights and thoughts on my blog andrewgessel.blogspot.com. I would really love to read your thoughts, comments, insights, personal experiences, etc. on the postings. My first one is up, so feel free to start discussing. Be open and honest.

Daniel's Eagle Court of Honor

2009-01-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas @ the Gessels

2009-01-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Christmas at the Gessel house.

Lauren with her favorite uncle

Zoolights!

Awwwww, cute!

Recent pics of Bennion kids

2008-11-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

As promised, some Halloween pics of the kids

Lauren in her reception dress

Mary Ericksen--Tiff's little girl

Andrew Ericksen

I've realized that I take pictures of almost anything my kids do that I think is "cute." And since they are my kids I probably think a lot of the things that they do are cute, while other people wouldn't think so at all. So maybe since you are uncles/grandparents you will think so too. Mom--notice Lauren's quilt

Anybody recognize this outfit?

Is this cute, or am I just sentimentally attached to her?

photos!

2008-11-03T02:06:00.001-08:00

hi family-

I was in Mampong on Friday and apparently their internet is a little bit faster than in Kumasi and I was able to upload a few pictures on my blog... it took me an hour :) hope you like them

photos!

2008-11-03T02:06:00.000-08:00

hi family-

I was in Mampong on Friday and apparently their internet is a little bit faster than in Kumasi and I was able to upload a few pictures on my blog... it took me an hour :) hope you like them

Homecoming King

2008-10-24T21:45:00.001-07:00

2008-10-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

Daniel's Fall Activities including being voted Curtis High School Homecoming King

Accident Update

2008-10-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

Hey family, just an update on the healing. I got my stitches out yesterday. This is right afterwards. They also peeled off my scabs. It hurt like crazy, but feels good now; no more itchy-itchy.

Tom's Bike Accident

2008-10-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

I was riding my bike to school yesterday morning, and a car going the opposite direction turned left directly in front of me. I think I hit the car on the back passenger side with the right side of my body. I think the right side of my face hit the car, and the gash on my chin came from hitting the ground. I think I blacked out, because I came to when the ambulance was pulling up. More info to come.

2008-09-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

Hey family and everyone else who reads this blog-
I'm currently in Ghana, West Africa doing a research-based field study and I'm posting (trying!) a weekly blog at andrewgessel.blogspot.com. Unfortunately I won't be able to post pictures until I get home because the computers here are a little too slow, but if you want to read any of the experiences (although not super detailed), that's where you can find them!

September Installation

2008-09-24T19:16:00.001-07:00

Sam's latest obsession (I know, I know, he really needs a haircut)

Lauren screaming with excitement (we were at the zoo)

These boots are made for walking, that's just what they do. . .

Supporting Mom at her race

Sam's fort

Lame Duck Triathlon

2008-09-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

The race organizers just posted a few pics from the triathlon. Here's the starting line.

And they're off...
This is all of the first-timers.

"We survived!"

My "Participant" medal!

Oregon Coast Bike Trip

2008-08-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

Mom visits Louisville, etc.

2008-08-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

Mom came to Louisville for a visit last weekend. We went to a party with all the residents and faculty from the orthodontic department. The next day we spent time checking out Louisville. First stop: Churchill Downs (Kentucky Derby).

This is the Louisville Slugger bat factory.
This is Cave Hill National Cemetery, right after I sat in bird poop.
This was our favorite tombstone at the cemetery. I want one like this.
Mom wanted me to put some pictures up of my apartment now that it's all furnished so here they are.

Mom with her favorite piece of furniture.
This is my first Nance appliance and my first Hawley retainer. I don't know why I did hearts.
This is my first patient that I put braces on. She looks happy, huh?

Garage sale finds

2008-08-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went to some garage sales looking for toys for the kids. The garage sales in Ashburn are amazing and quite the event. I hit the jackpot, and I won't tell you how little I ended up spending, because you wouldn't believe me. Above are some pics of the kids with their new loot.

Oregon Coast Bike Trip

2008-08-04T19:11:00.001-07:00

Time for a new post!

2008-07-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

Sam got this bike for his birthday. . .

but Lauren was the one that ended up riding it--brave little girl

Lauren has been obsessed with her stuffed animals lately, especially these two

Sam's little art program at the National Gallery--notice his picture--you can just call him Monet from now on

Lauren at the National Sculpture Garden

Kachow

Tom's New Appt

2008-06-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about my new apartment. I don't have any pictures of the inside yet, because there's still someone living there, but here are a few pictures of the outside.

And my favorite picture from graduation weekend...Samuel was so tired that he fell asleep in his stroller, and his head was bobbing around on the cobblestones. So we gently tied it to his stroller, and he slept for another 20 minutes like this.

Tom's Graduation

2008-06-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

I graduated from Harvard School of Dental Medicine last Thursday. Mom, Dad, Sarah and Daniel Bennion and family came for the festivities.

Here's Lauren packing.

Tired out after a long day.
Public Gardens
Sam sitting on Jack

2008-06-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

HI- my band just got done making a demo at Muse Music here in Provo. Three songs are available at myspace.com/thecolorgypsy. The entire demo album will be available soon.

Some Recent Activities

2008-05-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

2008-05-29T09:29:00.000-07:00