Dennis Torres

Happy 1 Month!!!!!

2011-12-15T13:29:00.004-10:00

Can't believe it's been a month since Emery was born. She is doing awesome. Here is the latest pic with her 1 month outfit!

Our little Emery

2011-11-22T13:53:00.002-10:00

Emery Lyn is here!

2011-11-15T18:38:00.004-10:00

We are so happy to finally have Emery Lyn with us! She was born on 11-11-11 at 2:18pm, weighing 8.8 lbs, and 20.5" long. She is beautiful, healthy, and getting lots of loves. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!

Brief glimpse into the past 12 months....

2011-04-10T14:24:00.004-10:00

Today is the perfect day to give an update.
First matter of business: today is our Anniversary!! Happy anniversary Danielle!! Not sure how to describe the past year. I've never been happier, and I love Danielle for the wonderful person that she is, and her ability to lead her life in a way that inspires me at all levels. I continue to be impressed by her abilities and talents, especially those having to do with loving people and genuinely caring for those around her. I love you Danielle!! Thank you for marrying me! :)

Another exciting announcement: WE ARE GOING TO BE PARENTS!!!! WOOHOO! we've had the hardest time trying to keep it secret, we wanted to wait until we had gone to our first doctor's appointment. But now we know it's official! We are soooooo excited, and fortunate for this opportunity to embark on this next chapter! Our "official" due date is 11/11/11! is that cool? What will the gender be!!!! needless to say, we have so many plans for either boy or girl. Here's our little one's first picture:
it's about the size of a gummy bear right now, but giving Danielle a run for her money. She has been more sick than most, but feeling a little better each day.

The last year in Washington has been a blast. We have made so many new friends, I have been 'adopted' into one of the best families I have ever met, and we have achieved many of our goals. Danielle has enjoyed teaching Spanish at Chiawana High School. She has a chance to interact with a great group of kids. I am loving my job at Bruker, it has been extremely interesting to say the least, and I continue to learn and challenge myself there everyday. Danielle and I have also started our own business which is working out great for us so far! feel free to visit our website www.SummitMaintenanceSolutions.com. We have many mountains to climb in the future, but I couldn't ask for a better companion along side me to do it all.

It's Official

2010-04-26T10:58:00.001-10:00

If you haven't heard by now, here it is...We're moving to Washington! woohoo we're excited but also sad to leave having family here. More details to come soon...

Engagement Pictures

2010-03-06T19:45:00.005-10:00

Dani has been posting a lot of the pictures, but here are some new pictures that she has just finished editing. I love them and her! We're trying to decide which picture to use for the invitations, so check out her blog here and let us know which you like best.

New Year's Resolution!

2010-01-05T06:34:00.007-10:00

This Christmas, Santa Claus was nice enough to give me one of the presents I had asked for: a collection of audio talks by Truman G. Madsen titled The Presidents of the Church. I enjoyed listening to these recorded talks once on my mission, and wanted to go over them again. Madsen takes about an hour or so and recalls the lives of each prophet up to Gordon B. Hinckley. He offers insights on each president that helps you become acquainted with their characters and attributes.

Anyway, there is particular excerpt on the life of Heber J. Grant that I thought was well worded by Truman G. Madsen. I enjoyed the clarity in which he described the importance of keeping the commandments, and offered an explanation as to why so many times we choose to disregard the most basic but important commandments only because they do not seem to jibe with worldly traditions or because we are afraid of others opinions. He mentioned something B.H. Roberts had said about Heber J. Grant, that “What you expect [from him] is straight forward one-liners: Keep the commandments.” Truman G. Madsen continued by stating “That is the law and the prophets. That’s exactly what needed to be said and still needs to be said. He believed that intellectual reasons either for refusing to investigate or for leaving the church are after the fact, and the fact is behavior. One has to find rationale when his life is out of harmony with the truth. There is enough of the light that he is trying to suppress it and invents plausible reasons why he doesn’t have to obey. But the truth is that we all know that our conscience does voice protest at our lives and our sins, and also kisses us as it were when we honor the core of our hearts which is truth.”

I am glad this was stated the way it was because it plainly described the course we naturally take when we REALLY don’t want to follow a commandment. I believe the major reason why this happens in our lives at one point or another is because of the lack of gospel knowledge AND the lack of desire to obtain gospel knowledge, because if we would search out the proper way of keeping with doctrine and commandments, we would stay on the correct course.

One of my resolutions this year is to gain a deeper understanding of the Gospel and the commandments so that I can not only continue on the right course, and also understand WHY I am on the right course.

This CD collection is really insightful and I highly recommend it, if you would like to borrow mine, just let me know!

We're ENGAGED!

2009-12-15T08:48:00.007-10:00

WOOHOO! as of 12/12/09, Danielle and I are engaged! You can find out the details of the engagement by visiting Danielle's blog! www.adoseofdani.blogspot.com. I'm not as good as she is at the list thing, but I CAN tell you that she is everything good in life all compacted into a beautiful person! I am so thankful to know her. I cannot wait to experience everything that life has to offer with her. Love you Danielle! You're all I ever wanted!

Ultimate experience at the Christmas Devotional

2009-12-07T07:05:00.008-10:00

Last night Dani and I had one of the best experiences of our lives! We had the opportunity to obtain some tickets for the Christmas Devotional from a coworker. It was 6 of us total. We decided to meet up at door #5 about 30 minutes before the devotional was to start. One couple was bringing the tickets for all of us. Well they were late in arriving because of the traffic and lack of parking, so we waited until 5:57, just about a minute before they were to close the doors! We were kind of down because we knew we wouldn’t get good seats. So we go through the metal detectors, and soon after a brother comes up to us and asks if we wanted some really good seats, OF COURSE! He said it would be in the floor area So we’re thinking ‘oh well we lucked out at least we’ll be closer than we thought’ well it turns out they put us all on the 7^TH ROW! It was amazing!! Here we are walking in on the hour and sitting on the 7^th row right in front of the presidency. We were just so amazed that it happened the way it did. We enjoyed every bit of the devotional, the choir and orchestra was just so powerful, I had never experienced that from so close. After the Devotional ended we get up and realize that we were SURROUNDED by all of the apostles! Our faces must have looked pretty funny, we couldn’t believe it. We were ushered through the front of the Conference center, along with the rest of the general authorities. I thought the experience was priceless, especially since the crowd was slow moving, which gave me the chance to chat with Elder Cook (which happens to be my mission president’s brother) Sis. Dew, and greet just about every other apostle. They took us through the long tunnel underneath the conference center and the temple, that was a neat experience in and of itself. The whole night was just was just priceless. Especially since I got to experience that with Danielle :)

Eat to live UPDATE

2009-11-23T06:43:00.004-10:00

So, First weigh in: 10/19/2009 at 239 lbs

Last weigh in: 11/23/09 at 226lbs

13 lbs Woohoo!!!

The "lifestyle change" is going great so far. I can't believe how easy it's been. I actually feel like I could step it up. Throughout the week I'm careful to eat healthy foods, but on weekends I have eaten a lot, and still have lost weigh, I'm loving it. I'm going to the gym about 2-3 times a week, so I could definitely improve there. but woohoo it feels great!

2009-11-09T11:47:00.004-10:00

I overheard some co-workers talking about a health book they started reading a while back, called 'Eat to Live.' Among other things, this individual shared her experience on how much weight she lost and what she did in order to achieve her weight loss goals. I was interested enough to order the book and look into it. 5 bucks plus tax. Three weeks ago Danielle and I started reading the book and both were surprised at the well-researched information which the Author shared from his years of research and expertise. The author, Joel Fuhrman, M.D., focuses on making a lifestyle change from the typical American diet to a more natural diet focused mostly on raw fruits and vegetables. I think the book is amazing! I've actually been following his advice for the last 3 weeks and have already lost 8 lbs! I'm not starving at all, I'm just eating a lot more veggies and got off the fast food train (I still visit the train every now and then, but definitely not like I used to). Anyway the book is great because he's not selling anything; he's just educating you on the important nutrients in food, what foods carry what benefits. He lays it all out, lets you know what is most healthy. I highly suggest you give it a try!

The Subway Lady is weird...

2009-10-27T04:15:00.004-10:00

Yesterday I went to get lunch at a nearby Subway and the conversation went something like this:

Me: walk into Subway

Manager lady: NO, WE DON'T HAVE IT. NOPE. WE'RE ALL OUT.

Me: [blank stare] uhhh....ha ha....yeah...

Manager lady: HAHAHAHA, WHAT CAN WE GET YA.

Me: yeah do you have the veggie max sub here?

Manager lady: SURE DO. PUT THE GREEN PEPPERS AND OLIVES ON IT THOUGH, IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO EAT THAT SUB.

Me: Um, I'm ok thanks...

Manager lady: YOU WANT TO TOAST THIS ONE TOO, PERSONAL SUGGESTION, IT MAKES IT TASTE BETTER.

Me: ok....I'll have it toasted...

Then the poor 16 year-old in between the big manager lady and the sandwich counter started making my sandwich. She had a look in her eyes that screamed "help me she's going to put me back in the closet after I'm done making your sandwich." so my sandwich is done, I go to the register:

16 year-old to Manager lady: ummmm...the credit card machine is still down.

Manager lady to 16 year-old: [in an attempted whisper tone that I can clearly hear] WATCH THIS....

Manager lady to 16 year-old: GIVE HIM THE SANDWICH. JUST GIVE IT TO HIM!

[16 year-old hesitates as her mind subconsciously shuffles through her ethical values and tries to makes sense of why she is giving away free food from a restaurant that clearly charges people for food, and which could have made arrangements to only take cash instead of just giving away food. But she slowly slides the sandwich my way anyway.]

Manager lady to me: LUNCH IS ON ME TODAY, NO CHARGE.

Me: ....boy that's great, thanks so much.

Manager lady: YOU ARE WELCOME. [looks at me with a creepy stare because she knows that she just pulled off the coolest manager move she could ever make, and is waiting for my mind to explode because of the slyness and craftiness of her moves.]

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs!

2009-10-18T12:45:00.003-10:00

We had a blast this weekend when we met up with my closest of friends Stace and Naomi and watched 'Cloudy with a chance of meatballs' in 3-D (hence the glasses)! We really enjoyed it! Afterward, we hit up Coldstone for some dessert and spent the evening reminiscing about mission memories (Stace and I served in Philly PA together). Good times!

pa-pa,pa-pa-razzi

2009-10-16T18:35:00.006-10:00

Soooo....Dani and I decided to go to this one really nice place and get some pictures taken just because it's been so long since the last picture update. We initially took it seriously and had some great ideas, BUT if you know Dani and I, you won't be surprised to know that most of the picture session consisted of pictures like this:

Another Project, DONE!!

2009-09-25T04:17:00.003-10:00

Here is my latest project, a 7 X 8 ATV/Utility trailer! It used to be a 7 X 9, built very poorly, yellow, nasty. I had a new railing built and pretty much new everything and now tada! I have to say this was a lot of work and it took much longer than I thought it would, but I'm happy with the turnout. It was a good learning experience and something to add to my stress-relieving hobby. It's for sale, as are all my projects.

1970's Vintage Peugeot

2009-09-14T17:43:00.004-10:00

This is my latest project and it's done! (almost). Within the last few months I have gotten an urge to restore things, and vintage road bikes have been the first of various projects. Here are some pics of this 10 speed beauty!

Mate y un Asadito

2009-06-25T17:20:00.008-10:00

Last weekend was probably one of the funnest I've had in a long time. My roommates and I along with Dani and her roommates all got together for a nice parrillada in Provo Canyon! We stocked up on meat and...meat...and everything else, and of course brought some mate with us:

First time heating up the water over a wood fire, perfect temp...

Highlight of the evening was being able to do a lot of this to this person...:)

This was the NEXT best thing!

Innocent? Ignorant? I don't know, but don't do it :)

2009-06-16T10:53:00.002-10:00

This story is unbelievable. It seems like such a basic scam that we usually brush away, but look at this entire video and see how complex these thieves can get.

Thanks for the Surprise Dani!

2009-06-10T10:17:00.002-10:00

Dani gave me the best surprise last night. So on top of me trying to figure out how I’m going to deal with the $2,500 of repairs on my car, I found out even more tragic news: Dani is going to a work retreat up in the mountains and will be gone Friday-Saturday. I was distraught at the idea that I would be spending this cold, wet weekend, alone. BUT, all worries disappeared when she surprised me with the BOURNE DVD TRILOGY!! She knew I would be devastated, so she gave me the next best thing, Jason Bourne. Needless to say this weekend will be a Bourne marathon weekend. Anyone is welcome to come over and join me. THANK YOU DANIELLE!!

Thank you Enterprise Rent-A-Car!

2009-06-08T03:55:00.004-10:00

Last night I had a Christmas miracle happen in my life. So Dani and I were driving back home from a ridiculously fun day with the entire family, both in St. George and West Jordan. We couldn't wait to get home and go to bed. Welllllll......we were 2 blocks away from home when I noticed there was a car trailing close behind us. By the time I realized that the shape of the headlights belonged to a crown victoria and before I could react, the police lights went on. I thought "oh infierno, another ticket." I hadn't gotten a ticket in a million years, and was all I needed to ruin the night. The officer came up to us and took my license. I also mentioned to him that our car was a rental from ENTERPRISE. He glanced over our rental contract and took my license back to his pig mobile. He came back a few minutes later and just said “ok you’re clear, you can go.” YES. I DIDN’T GET A TICKET. I guess he was just driving around checking license plates, and when he checked mine it came up on his computer weird because it was a rental. Needless to say it was quite the experience. Thank you Enterprise, for letting me have a real life experience that scared me enough to not speed for another 5-7 years.

Spring Adventures

2009-05-17T13:37:00.004-10:00

Dani and I have been on some awesome adventures, and rather than me posting them on my blog I want you to check out the stories/pictures she has been posting on her blog of all the cool experiences we've been having! here is the link : http://adoseofdani.blogspot.com/ enjoy!

festival of Colors and more

2009-04-07T19:09:00.004-10:00

Danielle and I had the chance to go see the festival of colors! We made sure to make it there a little late, hence our cleanliness :). Actually, we underestimated the number in attendance and got stuck in traffic for hours!

haha I like this

2009-03-02T11:06:00.001-10:00

via videosift.com

Trip to Utah Part Dos

2009-01-01T16:03:00.003-10:00

We drove up to Salt Lake to visit David and Kristin and Co. and had a lot of fun times. Too many funny moments to mention, but some of the highlights are shown in these pictures. We were able to see the lights at temple square, have some snowfall fights, and of course, do a little sledding.

My sis Huenú and her kids, Mercedes and Michael

Little Jade

My princess Brinley

beautiful Taylor, aka Tay Tay

Jaders and I

Michael, Me, and Jade

The perks of having a sister that likes photography!

2008-12-28T16:52:00.004-10:00

Thanks to Huenú, I was able to get these cool shots with the Mercedes and Michael. Check these poses out!

The benefits of a cool sister that likes photography

2008-12-28T16:47:00.002-10:00

Thanks to my sister Huenú, I got some cool pictures taken! Check these poses out!

GRADUATION!!!

2008-12-14T14:57:00.004-10:00

The Flood of Laie

2008-12-11T19:49:00.002-10:00

The little city of Laie woke up to sirens, or water in their beds this morning...

This was the front field at the school.
Helping out neighbors with their flooded homes was pretty fun. Meg and I would just cross the street to the beach and fill up trash bags!

2008-12-06T12:11:00.002-10:00

So I've had this great photographer(Meghan) capturing my every move lately, and we both came to the same conclusion: WOW. jk. We had a good time at Turkey bowl, and then took some shots of the Argentina flag and this picture came out pretty nice!

2008-11-22T17:32:00.006-10:00

LONG STORY SHORT I was going to start filming when they realized that my features would take away from the main focus of the movie. I felt that they went too far in trying to compliment me, so I angrily turned the part down.

Little did I know, there is a MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY on campus

2008-11-10T20:15:00.005-10:00

I've been here for 2 1/2 years now and recently discovered that we have a room FULL of stuffed exotic animals from around the world! It was pretty amazing, and it smelled like formaldehyde. There were all types of monkeys, monkey look-a-likes, Rhinos, and a bunch of other unidentified creatures.

Here we go!

2008-10-01T13:25:00.003-10:00

I thought I would start somewhere, so here are some pictures of this beautiful island!

Pounders Beach

Sunset Beach...at sunset

Shark's Cove...at sunset

Stairway to heaven...at sunrise