Scribblings of the Mind

The Festival of Colors

2011-03-26T16:49:00.005-06:00

Welcome to the Festival of Colors! What a blast. Here are some pictures of me and my friends!

God: Still Awake After Midnight

2010-12-31T02:06:00.002-07:00

I grew up with the LDS/ Christian adage that God goes to sleep at midnight. In simplest vernacular, this meant that nothing good happened after midnight. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I can get caught up with, and ultimately dismiss something that may or may not be true, if I feel that even one word/ principle is misplaced or incorrect. With that being said, I have always struggled with this platitude. Now that I think about—this one phrase may have been the beginning of my utter disdain for platitudes or platitudinal phrases/ thoughts. Hmm...interesting.

Anyway, as a young man, I was generally a very good kid. I didn't smoke/ drink. I didn't sneak out of the house to go to parties. I didn't get anyone pregnant. If I was going to be out past curfew, I would call ahead and let my parents know the situation. Not that these things make someone "bad", but understand that I did what was expected of me and made wise choices.

The principle behind the adage "God goes to sleep after midnight" is that mischief often happens after midnight and people might then make some inappropriate choices. I understand that, and I agree that that can happen. Maybe because I often felt like I was an exception to this rule, I disregarded it at a young age. Some of the greatest conversations I have had with people have happened after midnight. Some of my longest lasting friendships have immerged from having these conversations. I have had many good experiences after midnight. Tonight, is a prime example.

I went to see a movie with one of my EFY friends. After the movie we decided to grab some hot chocolate and drive around Salt Lake City. We left my car at the movie theater and drove in her car. We discussed life, relationships and the future. After driving around for awhile, we stopped the car at the Institute Building on the University of Utah campus. We continued our conversation. An hour or so went by and we discovered that we had killed the battery. My car was about five miles away and it was now past one in the morning. The temperature outside was in the high teens and no cars were in sight.

Because of the late hour, calling someone was a little problematic and an option I deemed unacceptable. “If we could back the car up enough,” I thought, “we could get it on the main road and coast downhill toward the movie theater.” We could get as close as we could and then walk to my car, bring it to her car and then jump the dead battery. We bundled up in all the coats we had and did our best to push the car toward the exit. Our pushing proved futile as we were trying to go uphill in a snow covered parking lot. We were able to move it a couple of feet, which allowed us to push the car forward and barely miss a snow bank and continue through the parking lot toward a different exit. The car picked up speed and we made it to a plowed road. We were about half a block to a secondary road that would take us closer to the theater. We ran as fast as we could—panting and running in canvas shoes and UGG boots. We were so close to the road, but were stopped by a large bump at the intersection. Some slight maneuverings with the wheel and we were able to take the bump at an angle. We had made it.

We both jumped into the car as it picked up speed. Both of us were breathing extremely hard and had to spit a few times to get rid of the snot and excess saliva that had come with the impromptu workout. The cars lights, locks, horn and other parts were unworkable due to the dead battery. Even the brakes took great effort to apply. I was now sitting in the driver’s seat and maneuvered us as best as I could from street to street without losing momentum, or hitting an inclining hill. We shot around a roundabout and made it over the train tracks and onto the main road that would take us into town. We both silently prayed that we would not get hit and that we would make it down safely. From here, the road was all downhill.

We were about 15 blocks east and one block south of where my car was. Each block had its own stoplight. On the GPS in my phone, it estimated a time distance of 1 hour and 28 minutes to walk the distance. We picked up speed as we took a declining hill. The first five or so lights were green and we flew past them gathering momentum. The next light was red, but turned green before we got there or had to apply any breaks. The next light was the same way. So was the next. And the next. And the next. And each light after that was either green or turned green before we reached its intersection. The deceleration of the car matched the lights perfectly, that we were able to coast all the way to the exact street that the theater was on, leaving us one block away from where my car was.

The car slowed to a stop and I jumped out and took off running for my car. I yelled back that I would be back with my car in less than 5 minutes. I ran the one block, jumped in my car and drove back to her car in record breaking time. I spun around the 4 laned road, and faced her car hood to hood. We used her cables, and in less than a minute we had her car running. We laughed at how blessed we were and talked about how amazing it was that we did not hit a single stoplight. We were awed and humbled a bit, knowing that we had coasted almost the exact distance to my car. It was an awesome experience.

So to the world, I boldly proclaim, that God does not go to bed at midnight; and that he is awake and willing to help anyone at all times. This small miracle was a great example of the Lord's hand in our daily lives. I know that he is aware of the simple, as well as the large struggles in our lives. He watches after us and is always there. His arms are outstretched regardless of if we are making appropriate or inappropriate choices. He is our Father, and His love surpasses long after midnight.

Salina raises thousands for Food Bank - ksl.com

2010-12-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Salina raised money for the food bank by cutting her hair!

Overstock raises thousands for Food Bank - ksl.com

To Be Embraced

2010-12-07T11:30:00.001-07:00

“I have interviewed many who feel as if the blessings of the atonement are meant for others and not for them…They don’t feel they qualify because their lives don’t match what they consider to be the ideal”

One young man came home early from his mission.

Another is in his thirties and is yet unmarried.

A young woman never knew her father because her parents divorced when she was little and he refused to maintain contact.

Yet another young woman went on a mission, married in the temple, and then found herself in an abusive relationship. She was divorced before her second anniversary.

A middle-aged woman was trying to earn a living at the same time she was raising her family as a single parent and didn’t have enough hours in the day to do all expected of her.

Another sister felt she might as well be a single parent. Her husband was not a member and did nothing to support her in her efforts to bring up the children in the Church.

A middle-aged man was deeply troubled because his ex-wife left the church when she divorced him and now the children, who remained with their mother, were being bombarded with anti-Mormon literature.

One mother was struggling to deal with her teenage daughter’s suicide, although it happened many years ago.

A teenage boy was anxious for acceptance from other males and responded eagerly when a popular boy extended his friendship. He soon discovered sexual favors were expected to maintain the relationship. He tried to cover his guilt by convincing himself his new lifestyle was acceptable.

His father was wrestling with feelings of hurt, embarrassment, and guilt. His son now claimed to be homosexual and had left the church and participated in demonstrations against it.

The list of struggles seems endless. Obviously, many people live their lives far from the situations they planned and hoped for when they were children. This gives us all the more reason to turn to the Savior, whose message is not just “Come unto me, “but “Come as you are.” He doesn’t say, “Go get your act together and then come back when you fit the mold.” He says, in essence, “Let’s start right where you are, and go from there.” Christ doesn’t wait to offer blessing until our families all look like the happy groups whose pictures appear in the Ensign magazine or in TV commercials. He doesn’t require us to fit any mold before he is willing to mold us.

Sister Chieko N. Okazaki has said: “[Christ is] not waiting for us to be perfect. Perfect people don’t need a Savior. He came to save people in their imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. He’s not embarrassed by us, angry at us, or shocked. He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and our grief” (Lighten Up!” 5-6).

We already learned that the Hebrew word that is translated into the English as Atonement means “to cover.” In Arabic or Aramaic, the verb meaning to atone is kafat, which means “to embrace.” Not only can we be covered, helped, and comforted by the Savior, but we can also be “encircled about eternally in the arms of his love” 2 Nephi 1:15). We can be “clasped in the arms of Jesus” (Mormon 5:11). In our day the Savior has said, “Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love” (D&C 6:20).

…As long as we face discouragement, injustice, abuse, disease, and hurts of every kind—even when they come as a result of unintentional mistakes and accidents—we are not alone. Just as trials are a continuous part of life, so too is the Savior’s Atonement continuous. Not only will Christ “abide” with us at eventide (see Luke 24:29), but because of the continuous power of the Atonement, He will be with us always (see Matthew 28:20). Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One will cover, help, and comfort. He will hold us in His strong embrace continuously.”

(An excerpt from the Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox, 58-61)

The Paradigm of the Princess and the Young Prince

2010-12-04T23:14:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a young princess. She was brought up in a home where her parents often criticized her for her looks, talents and character. Her siblings would taunt her and found humor in putting her down. The princess would join in and attack her siblings and parents. Over time, they began to feel that this behavior was appropriate and used the rationale that this was how they expressed their love to each other. This princess was beautiful and had a sense of humor that was unparallel to any others, but she often felt that she came up short to her parents and family’s expectations. One day she met a handsome prince. They were married and moved to another kingdom away from her parents. As the years passed, the prince helped the princess see her amazing worth. While she was comfortable in her new home, she expressed her love with kindness and loving affirmation, but whenever she visited her family, she discovered that she fell back into her old habits. She would once again don the mold her family had given her and participate in the button pushing and degrading comments. Each time she returned to her kingdom, she had to rely on her prince to gain her self worth back.

One holiday, the prince and princess were invited to spend some time with the prince’s family. Whereas the prince’s family, was not perfect, and had their quarrels, the environment was dissimilar to the princess’s former habitat. As soon as they arrived, the princess was overwhelmed at the gathering of family. For some reason, this brought back some of those old inadequacies. She began to perceive that the prince’s family was judging her, and she became defensive.

The Prince had one young brother whom had never married. He was unlike many of the other princes. He enjoyed art and beauty. His castle was always clean and decorated magnificently. His clothing, though comfortable, was unique to his tastes and usually fashionable. He spent time with the peasants and looked after criminals—helping them to make changes in their lives. He was often found with youth in his kingdom, teaching them one principle or theory. Some in his family felt that he was a little too open minded when it came to politics and social issues of the kingdom. The young prince was sensitive and was not afraid to show his emotions.

Because of these differences, the princess never quite knew how to handle the young prince. As she started to feel inadequate and defensive, she began to attack the young prince as a defense mechanism. She made snide remarks about his clothing and taunted him continuously about his lack of a wife or girlfriend. She commented about his sensitivity and made fun of his mannerisms and lifestyle. She spoke ill of him to his face and to other members of the family. When the young prince approached her she explained that she was just kidding and just liked to tease him.

As the vacation continued, the princess became more and more relentless in her crusade to attack the young prince. The young prince, whom had once overcame his inadequacies and doubts, began to fall into old molds as well. He was hurt by the princess’s comments and responded at times out of frustration—making snide remarks back to the princess. The princess, feeling validated that the young prince was judging her, continued to openly target the prince.

By the end of the holiday, the princess was eager to return home and escape the judgments of the young prince and her in laws. In turn, the young prince returned home depleted of self worth. The sister in law he had revered and loved had hurt him to the core. Gone was his normal confidence. Gone was his desire to go on. He felt that people were whispering about him and mocking him. Compliments felt like passive aggressive attacks. He would look in the mirror and feel disgusted with his appearance and demeanor. His outings with youth and friends seemed empty. He lost interest in the peasants and the criminals and began to miss opportunities to help others in their trials. Ultimately, the young prince began to recede to his own self doubts and fears.

In the end, the princess felt that the family visit had been a disaster. That her in laws hated her and that the young prince had constantly judged her. The young prince was also dissatisfied with the visit. He felt like a younger, insecure version of himself. The old insecurities were back and his confidence gone.

Though this story starts off about a princess and her handsome prince, we discover that the princess has many scars from her own family. Those scars have made it hard for the princess to be in a family setting without reverting to her old habits of attacking others to hide her own fears and doubts.

Enters the young prince who also has scars from the past.

The princess, unable to deal with her fears, projects them onto the young prince, thus causing her to become defensive to the projections SHE placed on the young prince. Feeling defensive, the princess attacks at the core of the insecurities she knows the young prince has. The young prince—use to others accepting or revering his differences—begins to feel old wounds and doubts reappearing. Where confidence once stood, hurt and doubt take its place.

This paradigm exemplifies how damaging it can be to project our own perceptions onto others. Often we are wrong in our perceptions, or we are the ones who turn our perceptions into reality by casting the projection and waiting for it to be validated by the innocent people caught in the net of our prognosis. When they respond with hurt or anger—acceptable responses—voila! Our perceptions are wrongly validated, causing us to injure ourselves as well as make others feel that their perceptions are also validated due to our reactions to a false validation! Thus—a hopeless paradigm that will hurt all parties, based on false perceptions.

Trusting the Unknown—with God’s Help

2010-09-27T23:41:00.001-06:00

Scripture study is an important part of my life. I am not saying that I always remember to read my scriptures, or always have an amazing spiritual awakening when I do, but I find that when I take the time to read my scriptures, I typically remember how much I love reading them. One of the greatest things about scriptures is the constant change of perspective. What I mean by that is that we as human beings are constantly growing and going through new experiences. Because of this, the scriptures often mean different things to us at different times. In my scripture study yesterday I came across something that hit me pretty powerfully. But before I can explain the powerful moment, I need explain what has been going on in my life recently.

Many of you know that I work pretty hard. I often put in 60-80 hour weeks. I work as a Program Consultant for a facility called Utah Youth Village, where I run a division of treatment foster care. Because of this, my social life has basically disappeared. Those of you who know me also know that I love the youth of today, especially those whom are of the LDS faith. In the summer, there is a great program called Especially for Youth (EFY) that I participate in. I take a couple weeks vacation from Utah Youth Village, and am a counselor for youth ages 14-18. I help them discover their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ and enjoy the company of others their age.

This last summer I had a greater opportunity to be in charge of some of the counselors at EFY. It was so much fun to be around people my own age who are outgoing, spiritual, adventurous, whom are great teachers and whom I count as good friends. It had been a long time since I have had that. When I got home from EFY, I knew that I needed to make some changes in my life that would allow me to have more of a social life.

Anyone who has left EFY to come back to the "real world," knows that it can be a very trying time. For me, this seemed to double in intensity. I believe Heavenly Father was really pushing me to make some changes. I spent a few weeks praying and crying over what he wanted me to do, without really receiving an answer. Finally one day I was sitting in the temple asking Heavenly Father question after question of what I needed to do. I sat there for a couple hours, and felt nothing. Finally, at my point of desperation, it was suddenly as if Heavenly Father said, "Okay, are you ready for this? I'm going to tell you this one time so pay attention." I was really excited because I was finally going to know what he wanted me to do.

"Okay… I'm ready"

"You need to move out of your place."

"Okay, when…?"

"Tonight."

You have to understand that at this point, I had been really praying and trying to figure out what I needed to do but to no avail. As soon as I heard him say move out tonight, I was so ready. I called the people I lived with, and told them that I was moving out that evening. I know I should have been wondering where I was going to go, but I knew that I would be taken care of. As soon as I returned home, I packed all my things and spent until 5 the next morning getting all my things stored away at my sister in law's parent's home. And thus began a month long trial of my faith.

In this last month, I stayed with family, friends, at a hotel, I spent some time camping, one night I even stayed at my office. Most the time I did not know where I would be staying for the evening. I would like to say that I had great faith the whole time, but I did not. I would wake up in the morning, and my realist side would kick in and I would hyperventilate and freak out. "What the heck am I doing? You're nuts!" It was a trying, yet wonderful time. I learned some great lessons that have really defined this point in my life as a crucial character builder. Each time I would break down, I would receive a reaffirming affirmation that Heavenly Father was in control. Each time he would tell me, "Trust me."

With that message I started to do my part in trusting in him. I knew that I needed to be with people my own age. I also knew that I needed roommates whom had the same conviction and testimony of my faith. I wanted a home where I could walk in and see a picture of Christ. I wanted to make my home a temple, and would need roommates whom were conducive to this lifestyle. I knew these desires were righteous desires and that Heavenly Father would provide.

Days suddenly turned into weeks and I still had not found a place to live. In my fear, I began to lower my standards. I found a place to live and told them I would take it. Long story short—the place fell through. One by one, each place I committed to move into fell through for one reason or another. It took a lot of patience and faith to get through this time. It scared me so much. It had almost been a month since I moved out and I did not have a place to live.

It was here that I learned a valuable lesson. My mother sent a quote to me via a letter to my brother on a mission in Hawaii. The quote said, ""SHOULD GOD COMMAND ME TO JUMP THROUGH A BRICK WALL, IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO JUMP---HIS TO SEE THAT I GET THROUGH!" It occurred to me that sometimes Heavenly Father allows us to hit the wall a few times before he lets us jump through. He needs to know that we will still trust him when things do not work out. It was a great lesson to learn.

Eventually, after about a month's time, I ended up moving into a beautiful apartment with two amazing and stalwart guys. Even though there were times that I was eager to move Heavenly Father's timeline along, he knew what I needed and made it all come together in the way he knew would be best. Now I have everything that I wanted and that he wanted for me.

This now brings me to my powerful personal experience yesterday during my scripture study. I was reading in 2 Nephi Ch. 4. This chapter discusses the death of Lehi and his blessings toward each of his sons. Toward the end of the chapter, Nephi (Lehi's son) talks about all his weaknesses and his faults. I began to ponder all my struggles this last month and my faults. I started to wonder why Heavenly Father would command something of me, like moving out of my home, and then when I followed him—things didn't work out.

As soon as I had that thought, a story popped into my head. It was the story of Nephi. He was commanded to go back to Jerusalem and get brass plates (scripture/ family history) from an evil man whom had no desire to give up these plates. But Nephi trusted in Heavenly Father and said, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." Everyone always says, "Wow! What a great man. What great faith!" And while he does have great faith, I think we tend to forget the path he took to get the brass plates. After he made this great show of faith, he was beaten by his brothers, lost all of his money and was put in a situation where he had to take another's life.

Recognizing this was such a great awakening for me. We often think that if we follow the counsel of our Father in Heaven, then he will immediately bless us with the blessing we are looking for. Where he does bless us, those blessing are often different then the one's we are expecting. They also tend to come on a much different timetable than we hope or expect.

So the next time you have a Nephi moment where you "go and do," remember that your path will still be strewn with trials and other opportunities to learn and grow. But among those trials, remember that Heavenly Father is in control, and knows what he is doing. Trust in him and his time. He loves you very much and all will work out.

Forgotten Inspiration

2010-08-18T21:13:00.002-06:00

This afternoon I walked into my brother Mark's bathroom, and saw a small sign that read, "Live 24 hours as if Christ were right beside you, seeing everything you do!" Now to some this is a nice thought, and they pass by it believing it is just another uphamism or platitudinal "Jesus quote." Others see a deeper meaning and begin to evaluate if they would change things if Christ were there watching their every more. But to me... This quote meant so much more.

About ten years ago, I was in charge of a Family Home Meeting lesson for my family. Family Home Meeting is a time my family set aside each Monday to spend time with each other. It consisted of songs, a prayer, a lesson, games and dessert! This particular Monday, I was in charge of the lesson. For those who knew me as a young boy, they would know that I always did things my own way! I counted myself as a nonconformist, even though I really wasn't. But I did like to do things my own way. This lesson was no different. It seemed to me that our lessons were all pretty similar. I decided that I would make it a little different. I had read a quote that had spoke to me. The quote said, "Live 24 hours as if Christ were right beside you, seeing everything you do!"

For some reason I can't remember, that quote really struck me. I began to base my lesson around that idea. To help further get my message across to my family, I printed little cutouts on cardstock that had the quote on it. I gave my lesson and it went real well. I challenged my family members to place the quote in a place they could see it everyday. After a few weeks, I forgot the lesson and moved on to conquer my next injustice or idea I felt the world needed to know.

So now as I stare at that tattered cutout of my quote on Mark's bathroom mirror, I remembered my pubescent excitement. I asked Mark about the quote, and he explained that he had kept that quote since that Monday Family Home Meeting, and read it everyday!

Now I'm driving down to Cedar City for a business conference and I can't get the fact that Mark kept that quote all these years. It's interesting that we don't fully know the impact our words might have on those around us. We may say something. A burst of passion, and then forget the whole conversation. But our words just might be the godsend that might help another out in their times of need. Remember that.

Cooking with Scott Halle

2010-01-19T14:07:00.003-07:00

The other day I was in the mood to cook and cook I did. I found pieces of recipes and then added the rest. It was quite enjoyable and I even invited a few friends over to try my masterpieces… okay, so I only invited my brother Mark. Thank you Mark. But the other day, I was given the opportunity to really test my cooking abilities. The 18^th of January was the birthday of a dear woman that I work with. As I was working, I overheard Penny, this great woman, talking to her husband about what they were going to cook for her birthday dinner. In our home we are responsible for cooking meals for the boys. For some reason, I kind of passed that responsibility over to my other colleges. It has become an unwritten law that Scott does not cook dinner for the boys. Now don't get me wrong—I love to cook, and I'm not bad at it, but at work we have a budget to work under and so the dinners are not always that exciting—and leave little room for experimentation and creativity. So it was to their surprise when I leaned over and explained that I would like to cook Penny's birthday dinner. They agreed and off I went to the store to buy ingredients. The whole process was exciting. I enlisted my boys help and we had a well-oiled machine as we grilled, spread, chopped and sliced. Here are the recipes for my meal. I hope that you try things out and experiment past what I have given you. I have made the bruschetta almost every day and have even tried it with avocados. Mmmm! So enjoy the recipe and write back telling me of your cooking adventures. Bon Appetit!

Crusted Parmesan Chicken and Seasoned Red Potatoes

Ingredients

1 2 pounds red potatoes
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 large green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced
4 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and pepper
2 cups shredded Parmesan, available in tubs near deli -- make sure to get shredded cheese, not grated
4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 Roma tomatoes
15 to 20 leaves fresh basil

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on thickness of potatoes.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Combine with peppers and onions, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Coat the potatoes, peppers and onions with extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat vegetables in a thin layer, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season liberally with salt and pepper. The more the merrier. Place potatoes in the oven and roast 20 to 22 minutes, until potatoes are just tender and peppers and onions are crisp at edges. Toss mixture with tongs, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a serving dish.

While potatoes cook, prepare chicken. Roll out a 2-foot piece of waxed paper or foil near the stove top. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat -- your pan must be very hot when the chicken is added. Pile the shredded cheese on the work surface created with the waxed paper. Season your chicken breasts with black pepper but no salt; the cheese will add enough salt to the taste of the dish. (To give the chicken more flavor and to make it more tender, I used a marinade for a couple hours before I cooked it. I used Mesquite, a McCall's or McCormick brand. If you use a marinade, dab off bulk of the marinade with a paper towel – and then follow next steps) Press the breasts firmly into the cheese. Coat both sides of breasts with as much cheese as possible. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Set breasts into the skillet and cook 7-10 minutes on each side, until cheese forms an even, golden casing around the tender chicken breasts.

While chicken cooks, combine chopped tomatoes with basil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Drain off any excess oil from chicken as you remove it from the skillet. Top chicken with big spoonfuls of raw sauce and serve with potatoes, peppers and onions.

Bruschetta

Ingredients

15-30 leaves of Basil
1 loaf of thick bread – Harmons has the best Rosemary Olive Oil bread ever. It works best. Or find a nice baguette.
4 Roma tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
Olive oil

Directions

Slice bread at 45 degree angle. Toast on both sides on a warm skillet until golden brown. When toasted, slice garlic clove and spread on toasted bread. Then coat bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Once done, place mixture of tomatoes and basil on the bread and enjoy.

The whole cooking process takes no more than 30 minutes. It is simple and delicious.

Simple Pleasures

2009-12-09T12:51:00.001-07:00

Today I dream of simpler days

Of trampolines and spring

I dream of sprinklers and pecans

And hiding when I'd been bad

Of fighting for the front seat

And arguing for no reason

Today I look for simple things

The things that make life shine

It's the Saturday morning cartoons

Followed by pancakes, laughter and dishes

It's the getting in trouble for wrestling

Stopping, then getting in trouble again

Today I remember the simple times

The times of being a child

When you could run to a parent or sibling

And curl up in their arms

When you could run around naked

And everyone thought you were cute

Today I long for simple life

When life meant so much more

Without a job, without a care

A puddle was your domain

To shoot a BB gun or play with army men

No one relied on you, no one needed you

Today I dream of simpler days

Of trampolines and spring

Of days without a future

And days of no regret

And as I dream of simple things

I realize—life is great

The wrong road

2009-12-09T12:18:00.002-07:00

In every life, we find ourselves off the path we should be on, and going the complete, opposite direction. As we walk down this new path we're angry at the old path. We curse it and justify our new direction. We lie to ourselves saying that we enjoy this path more. Sometimes—we believe our own lie. We tell ourselves that this path is brighter, more exiting, or that we have more friends here. We enjoy ourselves and we try to improve the path we're on. On certain days—we realize that we're trying to model it after our old path. Then we get angry and completely destroy any evidence of the old in the new. We blame others and rationalize that we are not lonely. Secretly, and often subconsciously, we long for our old path. One day you allow yourself to think of the old path. You bask in it and long to return to its familiar roads. You continue to justify your reasoning for being on your present past, but the argument sounds weak. You blame yourself and call yourself weak. IT's at these times that you feel most alone. You dream of your old road, the one you've been trying to create in the wrong spot, and tell yourself that it would be too hard to return. You tell yourself that no one would want you due to the tainting of your new path. For some—the argument ends here, and they continue down their wrong road hoping one day for a better road. They constantly build new roads because they are unsatisfied, yet stay unsatisfied, cause the road they want—they refuse to return to. For others, they somehow push themselves to return to the old path. But once they get there, they're frightened and allow their fears to return them to their wrong road. And every now and then—one is able to muster the courage to return to where they've always belonged. They look at their old path and see everything they remembered. It's terrifying, yet they take faith and join their familiar road. It usually is not an easy path, and some return to their wrong road. But for those who return to stay, their road takes them where they've always wanted to go.

To those whom are just leaving their old path for a new—please turn back. It will save you heartache, pain and ultimately…everything else. This new path is not worth it. The further you stray, the harder it is to find the old path, and nothing you do or try will replace it. For those of you down webs of unsatisfying roads—please come home. You're loved… and what you are searching for has been here all along. For those who refuse to return… we think of you often and love you more than you allow yourself to believe. To all those on their wrong road longing for something they can't quite explain—please turn around. Turn around and come home.

Crazy Hair!

2009-11-23T10:51:00.002-07:00

Innocence Part I

2009-10-20T10:49:00.002-06:00

Laughter bubbled out of the young boy’s mouth. His bright blue eyes shone with youthful giddiness and delight. He had no worries. He ran ahead of his mother running from one vendor to the next. The sun was shining, and a last summer breeze was whipping around fallen popcorn, napkins, and the faint smell of cigarette smoke. “Look at this Mom,” The excited youngster proudly displayed a spinner hat on his head—giggles escaping from behind his straight, innocent teeth. His mother’s attention was on another vendor and she had not seen her son’s new addition. With excitement bursting out of the eager boy he waited anxiously for his mother to turn around.

In a split second, this boy’s life was changed.

Not far away, a portly man was driving home from the flower store. The beautiful day had reminded him of how much he appreciated his wife, and he had stopped and bought his wife some peach roses. Since as long as he could remember, his wife of 37 years had loved peach roses. He reminisced of the first time they had met. He had walked into the flower store where she worked. He remembered how her hair had been pinned up, but that a strand had escaped and now fallen across her forehead covering her eyes. “What can I get for you?” Her voice had surprised him. It was rich and beautiful, yet had tenderness to it. He made a fool out of himself trying to explain that he had a blind date that night and didn’t know what flowers to get. She looked at him with her plain brown eyes and gave him a half smile as if knowing something that he did not. She made him a bouquet of peach roses and sent him on his way. He laughed to himself remembering how she had easily convinced him to purchase a more expensive bouquet. That night he couldn’t stop thinking about her during his blind date. The next day, he bought a single peach rose and walked into her flower shop. They were married 6 months later. The man looked over at the flowers arranged beautifully in the car seat next to him anticipating the half smile his wife would give upon sight of the flowers.

As he thought about his wife he suddenly felt a throbbing sensation in the right side of his head. The pain was overpowering. Without warning, his right arm fell off the steering wheel and fell limp on his leg. The pain had moved to the entire right side of his body. The car lurched to the left as the man strained to stay conscious. His last thoughts were that of his wife and her crooked smile—as his car plowed into a sign reading “Street Fair, Drive Slowly.”

The eager boy was bursting with excitement. He knew that his Mom would smile, and laugh at his new hat. He loved his mother, as only a young child could. She was his world. The spinner on his hat spun slowly as the wind gently passed. As the wind blew his hat, the young boy heard a scream. Curiously and instantaneous, the boy looked past his mother toward the sound of the scream. Before the young boy could stop smiling, he watched as a car plowed through the crowd. More screams pierced the air. Vendors were tossed and destroyed as if they were children’s blocks. Not understanding what was happening, the boy just stood there. His eyes whirled to his mother. He could see that she was laughing with another woman as they examined an article of clothing. The boy watched as if in slow motion the car speeding toward the vendor where his mother laughed innocently. Their eyes caught for a moment. The boy wanted to cry out but couldn’t. He watched his mother’s eyes, they sparkled, and he knew that she had suddenly noticed the hat. At the same moment, the car hit the vendor where the mother stood. The young boy watched as the mother’s eyes turned from excitement to confusion. The car hit the vendor sending wood splinters and t-shirts into the air. The boy watched his mother as the front of the car hit her from behind. He’ll never forget her uncharacteristic look of fear, as the car went over her body and continued through the street.

I Went to the Mountains Today

2009-08-23T17:39:00.002-06:00

Today, in Utah, or at least Northern Utah, our world stopped for a moment as a House of the Lord was dedicated. Church was cancelled so that everyone could attend. Concerts, devotionals, and talks were given prior to this dedication. Wherever you went there was a buzz about the new Oquirr Mountain Temple. I have visited this temple many times. I have been inside for the Open House, and have spent many starry nights sitting on a bench just north of the temple that I have claimed as my own. In my opinion, I would say that it is one of my favorite temples. I have had many long discussions with my Heavenly Father while gazing at this great edifice and basking in its glory. We would talk and I would promise to improve and become more like him. I have sat reading books next to the lake directly behind the temple. I have watched as the foundation was placed, as the walls came up, and as Angel Moroni was placed on the top to await the second coming. I remember the first night I drove by to see the lights on. I might have cried at the beauty of it. When I am there—I feel alive, and close to my creator.

Unfortunately—due to forgetfulness, a previous vacation, and not getting a ticket—I did not attend.

Since church was cancelled, I went instead to the mountains. I pulled to the side of the road and stepped out into the beautiful afternoon air. The sound of my church ECCO's crunching against the gravel echoed through the canyon. A car passed to see this 23 year old guy wearing pinstriped slacks, a tucked in white shirt and a black skinny tie, disappear into the foliage. I can only imagine what went through their head's. I crossed a small stream, hopped over rock after rock, and entered into a different world. As I walked over the rocks I looked for that one perfect place to sit and relax. After much searching I found that very rock. It was very large and stood over all the rest of the rocks. It gave view to a small canyon where a stream ran noisily yet peaceful. I sat down and let it all in. In time I was lying on my back watching the clouds and listening to the beauty of my environment. I had a nice chat with my Heavenly Father; made resolutions to improve where I need to improve, and in time fell asleep with my back pressed against the hard rock. As I slept, the world did not stop. The clouds continued to move. The sun continued to shine. The wind still blew, and the ants still crawled on my rock. As I slept, bikers rode by me and hikers passed without even knowing I was there. As I slept, I too forgot that I was even there.

An hour or so later I was stirred back to life. I sat quietly—continuing to let everything sink in. I got up—stretched—and started back to my car. Before I knew it, I was back to my car and heading further up the canyon. My ECCO's were now scuffed, my shirt untucked, and my tie creased where I had slept on it. I rolled my windows down and let the breeze enter my car. As I made my way to the last area for vehicles, I found a spot and parked my car. From my position I could see the peaks of the mountains above me as well as the valleys below me. It was a beautiful sight. I again talked to my Father in Heaven and committed to continue to grow. As we spoke I watched a father play pass with his two sons. You could easily tell that one boy was older than the other. The older was more athletic and had no difficulty catching or throwing the football while the younger rarely caught the ball. After each pass, the father called his sons back and discussed the pass. He showed them alternate ways to move, catch, and throw. When either of the boys caught the ball he cheered their accomplishment and encouraged when they dropped or missed the ball completely. Through it all, they were all laughing and hugging.

As I drove down the mountain, I once more talked to my Father in Heaven. I thanked him for each of these experiences. I thanked him for the temple and its beauty. I thanked him for the mountain and its beauty. I thanked him for the Father and his sons, and their beauty. In short—I thanked him for showing me that he loved me. Each experience was different and in itself unique. When our Father in Heaven lets us know He's there, the world doesn't stop, the sun may or may not be shining, and we may not have what we want—but he is there. Don't believe me—then go to "your" mountain—He's waiting for you.

Smile of the Day

2009-04-27T01:18:00.001-06:00

I shall—

2009-04-15T02:11:00.001-06:00

I fear I will lose the one thing that I love most—the one thing that holds me together. How would I keep moving on? What would push me then? Tonight as I sit here on my bed and listen to the rain hit the glass of my window, I truly taste fear. What if I lose it? What will I do? It's my everything. It keeps me going when I want to give up. It moves me to help one more person in their daily trials. It has taught me to love, to cherish, and to hope. It truly is a part of who I am. I'm afraid that if it goes… there will be nothing left of me. Can I make it without it, or will I fall apart? Already, I ache with fear for a future alone.

I'll always wonder where I went wrong. When did I jump on a different path; and why did I not stay the course? Why could I not be strong? Did I listen? Did I follow? What choice did I make that changed my path? What choice did others make, that changed my path? Will I ever find it again, or will it be lost to me forever?

I'm scared. Scared of the unknown without this one thing that I cherish above all else. Where will I go? What will I do?

Will I survive?

Of course you'll survive.

You are scared; I know. Where will you go? You will continue to walk, and I shall lead you. What will you do? You will continue to choose, and I shall prompt you.

Will you ever find it again? I never left you; and I shall be with you always. Your choices may have led you down a different path, but I shall bring you back again. You'll choose to follow, and you'll choose to listen, and when you don't—I shall continue to teach. You are strong. Stronger than you know. You will be on my path, and together we shall go.

I am the one thing you love most; I hold you together. Together we will move one, and I shall push you. And as you sit listening to the rain, I shall sit with you, and give you faith. I cannot be lost. You are my everything. I shall keep you going when you want to give up. I shall move you to serve. I shall teach you love, help you to cherish, and give you hope. I will always be a part of you. I shall not leave you when you fall apart. But I shall lift you into my arms—and I shall rock you, and love you, and lift you. Then I shall set you back on your feet. I ache for you. I long to see you through. And as for the future, I shall be there for you.

Did I not say that I would not leave you? Did I not show you my love? Regardless of your choices, I love you. I will always be there for you. It might be hard for a while

My Son

2009-04-07T14:05:00.008-06:00

There are times in your life where you have no desire to go on. You sit in front of the fireplace and just sit. Your mind is empty and you've blocked your heart. You want to ask why, but stop yourself. Once the fire has burned out, you light it again—for no other reason than to feel alive. As the days pass, your heart creeps open, filling your mind with memories. Good ones; bad ones.

You remember the day he was born. The excited tears in your wife's eyes as she held him for the first time. How scared you were when you held him for the first time. You began to cry as you picture the first time he opened his eyes; his first haircut; his first time eating real food—his first everything. Then you start to laugh as you remember the first time you changed his diaper. The time he rolled over on your bed smearing poop into your new beige, suede comforter. The time he peed on your wife as she changed his diaper. You start to cry again as it sinks in that he'll never do that again. He'll never wet the bed again, or know what it's like to have his own children. You hate yourself and wish that you hadn't yelled at him for wetting his bed over and over. You see his little quivering lip trying to be strong and remember how easily that look could melt your heart. You laugh and cry remembering how happy he was to see you when you got home from work. How he would ignore his Mom just so he could be with you. You remember the day he told you he hated you. It was after you had swatted him for coloring on the wall with his new marker set you had gotten him. Suddenly that spot on the wall has become your favorite piece of art. You remember the day after; laughing with him, scrubbing the walls till you could barely see any marker. You now take a marker and trace over where he had written years ago. You don't know how to explain it but it makes you feel so much better.

Memories come flying back. You laugh and cry, and somehow, still have more tears in your system. When you finally stop crying, you cry again because you feel you are forgetting him. You try to remember everything about him. His crooked smile, his straight blonde hair; his unique rough laugh and bright blue eyes. You remember how you hated to see him suck his thumb, but now you would give anything to see him doing it again. You find yourself again in front of the fireplace. No matter where you go you see him. You see him sitting in front of the fireplace asking how Santa could make it down if there was a fire in it. You walk past the bathroom and can almost hear him yelling for toilet paper. You walk in the garage and see his old skateboard. It still has the dried blood from the first and only time he road it. You walk pass, vowing never to clean it. As you walk out the door, you pause to remember the flowers he had dug up and given to your wife. You resist the urge to pull up every tulip. As you drive to work, you wish you had let him eat ice cream in your car. You long for a stain to remember him by. The memories of your little boy, now gone are a part of who you are.

You remember the day you took him to the hospital. You and your wife were so scared. But not your son—he was so excited by all the equipment and the bed that moved up and down. When the doctor told you that he was dying you scoffed—then sobbed. You'll never forget his last day. His wise eyes; his strong chin. He told you that it would be ok, and that you could have another boy to take his place. He tried not to cry, but when the tears poured out and slid down his beautiful, soft cheeks, you wondered how you would make it. He looked up to you and said, "I ain't worried about dying…" Never again would you ever correct someone's grammar. Those words were music to your ears. As you remember his last breath, and holding your wife after he was gone, the memories flooded your mind again. The time you found him sneaking cookies, and then offering to share with you when you caught him. The broken vase from Grandma. More food on the floor and on his face than in his mouth. The silent moments when he would fall asleep in your lap as you read him a book. Remembering how many books you actually skipped pages to hurry the process along. You laugh and you cry—remembering the greatest son one could ask for. And when the fire dies down again—you light it once more, and continue to remember—the son you'll never have.

Individual Miracle

2009-03-30T09:23:00.002-06:00

This morning I witnessed a beautiful act of Love delivered from our Father in Heaven. My alarm clock sounded at 6:30am, telling me that I had one hour before my Stake Priesthood Meeting began. Knowing my time was short, I said a quick prayer asking Heavenly Father to allow me to feel his love and spirit throughout my day. After a speedy shower, I grabbed a bowl of cereal and opened my scriptures to Abraham chapter 3. This chapter gave me a beautiful reminder that Heavenly Father knows and loves us individually. It helped remind me of my purpose in this life, and my duties to help those around me. After my study, I jumped into my car leaving my cereal bowl to be washed at some future time. I made it to the meeting and was uplifted by the powerful words spoken. As the meeting concluded, I felt a desire to visit Temple Square and participate in the morning's Music and the Spoken Word. I hurried off to Salt Lake (about 15 minutes from my home) and found a parking spot not far from the Tabernacle. By the time I got out of my car, snow had started to fall. With the strong winds, it was hard to see in front of you. I eventually made my way into the Tabernacle and enjoyed a beautiful spiritual concert by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Each time the choir finished a song, the wind beating against the historic building became more and more prominent. I knew that the snowy weather was intensifying as we sat, warm in our pews. In time the concert too ended. As the doors were opened, the wind shot into the packed building. Snow was falling heavily, and was being whipped furiously by the wind. I sat for a while, not wanting to leave my warm shelter.

The time finally came, and I ventured into the cold wind and snow. In seconds I was covered in snow. I made a dash and eventually came to my car. After a pointless brush off, I jumped in my car and headed for home. By now the weather was extremely heavy. As I approached the entrance to I-15, I had no idea what would happen in the next 3 minutes and the effect it would have on my day. I entered onto the acceleration ramp, and began to pick up speed. My car caught a bit on the snowy roads, but continued to gather speed. At the end of the ramp, I planned to merge into traffic. Just before I did, I slowed my car down for no reason. As I did, I caught a view of a white Acura sliding out of control. It was in the far left lane and the driver was frantically trying to keep control of the car. It was if time paused for me, and allowed this car a time plane of its own. The back of the car pitched to the left forcing the car to the right and into another lane of traffic. I watched as this car pitch left and right, and then finally go to spin. It went through one lane of traffic; two; then three. It missed this car, and then spun beautifully to slide in between two others. It then lurched backwards to slide pass another car. It finally went into a spin into my lane. As their car turned, I was face to face with the driver and passenger. Their car was about 20 feet away from mine. It was a surreal feeling. My mind calculated ahead of me, and I anticipated that in seconds their car would hit the freeway wall, and leave them hurt or dead. In my head I uttered a one word prayer; Help. Their car slid past me sideways and straight toward the wall. I watched in awe as the car lurched before impact, swung slightly to its right, and stopped mere inches from the wall.

…

Time came back to normal. I passed their car. My heart was beating quickly, but I felt calm. Without realizing it, I suddenly found myself crying. The experience had come and gone so quickly, that I hadn't even had time to think. The more I thought on the experience, the harder I cried. I had just experienced a beautiful miracle. That car had lost control, slid across 5 lanes or more of traffic, made it around 10-15 cars without hitting any of them, and then miraculously missed hitting an ominous wall, to stop on the side of the road without so much as a scratch. I don't know why these people were spared. Perhaps they were newlyweds living on love with only one car, and a part-time job. Perhaps they were on their way to church. Perhaps they were living in sin and Heavenly Father wanted to remind them of his presence and love. I don't know. But I do know that out of this experience, I saw firsthand a miracle. And inside I couldn't help but feel the spirit confirming to me that Heavenly Father loves and looks out for us all individually. One foot closer—one speed faster—one extra patch of ice—and who knows how this would have turned out. But I know that Heavenly Father was watching out for this couple, and for those around them. He does love us all individually, and is aware of every choice, thought, and feeling that we have. HE loves us all. HE is in control. And HE knows us each individually. Those three points make this life miraculous.

COMPUTER DOWN COMPUTER DOWN COMPUTER DOWN

2009-03-16T10:42:00.002-06:00

My apologies to everyone who follows this blog. My computer has been down. Actually, it has been dead. But thanks to technology, my laptop is being resurrected today! YEAH!!!! So I'll be back soon.

Worries

2009-02-12T18:27:00.002-07:00

Today my brother Mark got back from his mission to Boise, ID. I am so excited to see him, talk with him, and just bask in his presence. But above all that, I am a little worried for him. Coming home from a mission is a very hard thing. The first 6 months after mine were probably the hardest time I have ever been through. It is not easy to come home from a mission. On fact it can be downright hard. I would like to mention of few of these fears, and hopefully anyone who read this, and knows Mark, will be able to be sensitive to him. Most of what I say is from my own experience and may have nothing to do with Mark, but from others that I have talked to, it seems like what I went through was pretty similar to others.

You are lonely: It is extremely hard to be without a companion. We might joke about it, but we really do miss having someone there. And it's weird because for me, companions were one of my biggest struggles. But once you get home, you realize how much you miss having someone with you at all time. When you get home, everyone is all over you. Then a day passes. Then two. Everyone has lives to live, and soon you are left alone. It really is a weird feeling. You sit there and get nervous. At night time, there's no one to talk to and discuss the day with. You find yourself turning around to whisper to your companion something, and there's no one there. You start to feel very lonely. Just because one has been on a mission, doesn't mean that they feel comfortable going up and meeting new people. On the mission I was known for stopping and talking to everyone. It scared the crap out of me, but I would tell myself that what if they would have joined the church if I had stopped. When I came home I went straight to BYU, where I didn't know anyone. It was hard to make friends, and often times I opted to just stay quiet and spent a lot of time by myself. You often feel disconnected from the world. Be aware of that.
Your jokes are not funny: All of your jokes are somewhat scripturally based. To you they are funny, because that's what you have been living the last two years. But to others, you look weird and always sound churchy.
You feel bad thinking about yourself: For the last two years you have learned to point your arrows out and focus on everyone else but yourself. Upon returning home, it's suddenly about you. What college are you going to? You need to focus on getting a job. You must work hard on your classes so you can do something with your life. You, you, you. It really is hard. The problem is it can get depressing to a Returned Missionary. On the mission, you somewhat judged yourself on how well you focused on others, and put them first. Now you are putting yourself first all the time, and you feel bad for it.
You don't fit in: For the last two years you have sweat, suffered, grown, and have become a different person. You come home, and everyone expects you to be the exact same as you were before. That's hard, because you have grown to like who you have become on the mission. When you don't fit that old mold, people wonder what happened to you, and say, "I can't wait until you are back to normal." I hated when people told me that. It was as if they were waiting for me to change again. That's hard for a Returned Missionary because they love who they are. They have worked hard, they study, they don't have any desire to watch a bad movie, listen to inappropriate music, etc. It's hard. Where someone might turn to a movie when they're having a bad day, a Returned Missionary might turn to his scriptures. For the last two years they have found the answers to everything within the scriptures. So when they see a problem, they turn to the scriptures. Often they see others with problems and know that they can receive that help through the scriptures as well. Unfortunately, they are often called "churchy" or "self righteous". Just a personal note, I had this happen to me, and I don't think a comment has ever hurt me so much. All I was trying to do was live my life in a way that I felt was good, and got ridiculed for it. Please don't tell a returned missionary that they are to Church or that they wear their religion on their sleeve. There is nothing wrong with that, and we need more out there who are quick to turn to Heavenly Father.
Girls: For me girls were really hard to get used to. Sort of. I have always gotten along with girls better than I have guys, so being friends and talking with them was no problem. But as for looking at a girl romantically, it was so hard for me. When you first get on a mission, you see girls everywhere and get so nervous, and try hard not to think of them as "hot", "cute" or a "potential eternal companion." You use tools such as looking away or singing a hymn to stop those thoughts. Over time you get so good at it, that you don't even recognize a difference between them. I remember in my first area having a girl my age open the door we knocked on.
"Yes, can I help you?"
"Uh—um… We're the missionaries, of—um the Church of—um, the church of Jesus Christ. Uh, I mean the Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder-day… I mean latter, not ladder… you know not the ladder things you stand on, but latter with T's…uhhhhhh… (This is where you turn to your companion, and pray that he'll bail you out)
And that's just because she's a female. By the end of my mission, I had a girl come to the door with just her lacey bra and panties. I didn't miss a beat in telling her who we were and I sincerely wanted to help her have a better life. I didn't even think about what she was wearing until after we left her place. Maybe I was the exception, but it is awkward to begin thinking of girls romantically. Months after my mission I would pull up to a stoplight, see a good-looking girl, and I would automatically turn away. Then I would find myself humming "I need thee every hour." It's funny how it works, but you train yourself not to think of girls. After two years of doing that, you get pretty good at it, and it can take a while to break.
You enjoy talking about your mission: After spending two years doing something, it becomes your life. If I were to go work on a sheep farm for two years, I would relate most things to some experience from the farm. It wouldn't be that I was trying to brag or make myself seem more knowledgeable than others, it would just be what I know and have lived for the last two years. So when a Returned Missionary says "Oh man, that reminds me of…" or "Dang, I had a companion who did…" be patient with them. Be happy for them. A parent talks about their children. A Returned Missionary talks about their missions and how it has affected them.
It's hard to listen to music and watch certain movies: Again, for the last two years you have taught yourself that media needs to be appropriate. You have seen families torn apart by inappropriate media and you don't want that to happen to you. You shun that and want to listen to the songs that make you feel good. Often those are the hymns and LDS music. Please be understanding of them and their difference in music/ media. A returned missionary will watch a movie and look for and see underlying messages. They will want to discuss this. Don't be hard on them.
You want to continue the skills you have learned on your mission: I remember a roommate who would watch movies that were not the most appropriate, and when I would tell him that I didn't want to watch those movies, he would say, "Don't worry… I said the same thing when I got home from my mission. You will in a few months." I hated that. I hated when people would tell me that I would be normal again soon. Just the other day I walked out of a movie that had a man cheating on his wife. On the mission you grow a lot and set a pattern for how you want to live your life. When people tell you that you're going to stop reading your scriptures, or start watching inappropriate movies, it's just frustrating. Please don't set a Returned Missionary up for failure. Encourage them to continue the good skills they have learned on the mission, and improve anything they need to work on.
You don't feel good enough: While on a mission, you are so close to Heavenly Father. You a have literally been set apart from the world. On the mission you feel great when you have the spirit and feel empty when you don't. So after two years of having the spirit with you almost nonstop, you come home and do not have the spirit with you as strongly. Instantly you feel like you are doing something wrong and feel like you're not doing enough. Help the Returned Missionary realize that they can feel the spirit in other ways than sharing the gospel. It takes a while to get out of this mentality. Help them; don't make it worse for them.
You want to help: As a missionary you learn to love serving people. Once you come home, there are not as many opportunities to serve. Think about it… you serve nonstop for two years, and then suddenly don't have any opportunity to serve. Help them out. Find little things they can do for you. It's not taking advantage of them. They really want to help they just don't know how to approach it.

These are just a few of the things to be aware of with a recently Returned Missionary. Please be mindful of Mark and anyone else you may know who has returned recently from their mission. For those of you, who have served missions, feel free to add on to my list and share your own experiences. For those of you who haven't served missions, please leave your comments as well. I know that my family struggled with me when I returned from my mission. For my family, feel free to share your side of how you perceived me. I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say.

Laziness

2009-02-06T16:04:00.002-07:00

Today I learned a valuable lesson. You know, the ones that hit you in the face with a big, "Boy, you're an idiot!" Today's lesson was on Laziness. My car was on empty so I pulled into the nearest Sinclair. I got out of my car, slid my card, and waited patiently for my card to be authorized. The screen went blank and then gave me permission to start pumping fuel. I took the gas pump out of its spot and inserted it into my car. I then selected "unleaded" and started the pump. After a few short minutes, the pump stopped. I took the pump out of my car, screwed the lid back on and waited for my receipt to print. To my frustration, instead of printing out my receipt, a message crossed the screen. "See cashier for receipt". This message comes when the paper is out in the receipt box. I don't know why, but for some reason this frustrated me so much! "What bums! They need to be on top of their stuff and keep their receipt paper filled! It's pointless for me to pay at the pump if I have to go inside to get the receipt." Some days I am very vocal, and stomped my way toward the cashier. "These people need to get off their lazy butts and fill the pa--." That's when it hit me. I'm such an idiot. Here I am complaining about them being lazy, and I'm too lazy to get out of my car and walk ten yards to grab a receipt. I stopped in my tracks feeling like I had a "This man's an idiot" sign above my head. Feeling like everyone was looking at me, I put my head down and beelined toward my car. What a lesson. I sat there embarrassed, yet also humored at the lesson that I had learned. It's so simple to see how everyone else is being lazy, as we sit and watch them from our overstuffed sofa. Got to love the lessons that we learn.

Free Write: Gender Roles

2009-02-04T12:03:00.002-07:00

Honestly, I have wanted to write so badly. But everything I write recently has been pathetic. That or I sit at my computer for an hour and come up with a blank screen with a few smiley and frowny faces on it. So today I have decided to do a free write. I will just write whatever pops into my head. It may be confusing, but stick with it. It most likely will not be eloquent, pretty, or even grammatically correct… but it will be enlightening I hope. My desire is to get you to think, and then respond my leaving comments with your thoughts and ideas. Enjoy.

As humans I believe that we want to be appreciated, we want to be loved. Somewhere along our existence we become susceptible to society and their way of thinking. For some they are susceptible at a young age. Their parents have taken societies view and teach their children gender roles. Girls must be prim, proper, and like dolls and reading. Boys must like the outdoors, sports, and adventure. Parents want their child to be involved, well rounded, and have everything they did not have. In their innocent desires they often hurt their children. Boys are put in soccer, football, and wrestling. Girls go to dance, piano, and cheer camp. All this would be great except for one thing… what happens when these lines are crossed.

What happens when the girl wants to play football and go camping, and the boy likes to read and take dancing? We wonderful parents don't know what to do. We had engrained in us stricter gender roles and often struggle with these broken roles. A guy can't play flute or dance. "Hmmm… kid must be gay." It is an innocent thought that can cause problems. Our kids have heard that being gay is wrong, so when they hear their parents say that some boy who plays the flute might be gay, all they hear is "Ronny plays the flute. He's one of those bad gay people."(Who cares that Ronny's family doesn't have the money to buy a trumpet, so he uses his Mom's old flute so he can be in the band.) Or "Sally doesn't look like the girls on the TV and in the magazines. I don't like her." (Who cares that she's the sweetest girl alive) And then our kids, who really don't know any better, whisper behind those kid's backs. "Ronny's such a girl, he plays the flute." "I don't like Sally. She thinks she's better than all the boys. Well she's not!"

And it's not that our kids are being malicious, they are just repeating what they "thought" they heard us say. They are modeling themselves after us. They long so much for acceptance from us that they will do and say everything we say. Why do you think kids go to Middle School and campaign for the President of the United States? They don't know John McCain from Barrak Obama, other than what they have heard from their parents. And they will fight tooth and nail for our picks without even knowing or understanding what that candidate stands for. They don't understand political rhetoric or media bias. But they do understand that Mom or Dad like Obama. They lie, make up, and attack others all to protect our choices. Our children are so susceptible to our choices, decisions, and thoughts.

So what do we do? How do we help our children but still keep some form of Gender Roles without hurting others consciously or subconsciously? Do we have gender roles, or do we get rid of them? Should a man open a door for a lady or say she's equal and can open it herself? Did you know that President Eisenhower, President Bush, President Franklin Roosevelt, Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Martin, and Jimmy Stewart were all male cheerleaders? These men have done amazing things, and no one would call them gay. Why have we characterized a male on a cheerleading squad gay? It's a recent thing… You know girls don't get hit with these as much as boys do. I could be bias because I am a boy and may not have the female perspective. Enlighten me… please leave comments on what you think. Your thoughts, ideas, why this happens, etc. Give me some solutions.

Special Invitation

2009-01-14T21:05:00.002-07:00

I had the day off of work today. After waking up at 8am, and then finally getting out of bed at 3pm, I was not sure what the day had in store for me. While in bed this morning I was able to talk with many of my family members and get some work done along the way. Even though I didn't leave my bed till the afternoon, I would like to call the day a success. Upon finally getting out of bed, taking a shower, and eating a combined Breakfast, lunch and Dinner, I decided that I would go for a drive. I was not sure where I was heading, but started off anyway. I hopped onto I-15 and headed south thinking that I might make it up to the mountains or find a secluded road. Instead, I missed my turn and ended up on East Bangerter Hwy. I continued to drive and see where I ended.

As I drove, I saw a small sign that said Temple Open House. I knew that I would not be able to get in without a ticket, but thought that a small detour to drive by the new Draper Temple wouldn't be so bad. Today was a beautiful day for the Wasatch Front. The sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful blue. Actually, by this time of the day, the sun was setting and the sky was an array of deep reds, illustrious yellows and oranges, with stripes of purple thrown in artistically. The temple is set up against the mountains overlooking the whole Salt Lake Valley. It was an amazing view. I was glad that I had seen that small sign.

As I pulled up to the temple, a valet stopped me and asked for my VIP pass. I told him that I did not have one and was just passing by. "Are they doing tours?" I asked. "Tonight is a VIP night," the kind gentleman replied. "Tell you what," he said with a twinkle in his eye and a small old man smirk. "Why don't you park your car right here, and take the tour as my VIP." I was shocked. "I don't have a ticket though, "I said wishing that I did. "Don't worry about it tonight son. You need to be here." With that I parked my car and was escorted into the Stake Center.

I was escorted from one room to another till I was shown into a room of Bishops, Stake Presidents, General Authorities and their families. I overheard that there were a few government officials and foreign dignitaries. There I sat, and was given a special tour of the Draper, Utah Temple. It was beautiful! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could not help but feel the spirit there as I walked from room to room, touched the beautiful workmanship, and found myself sitting in the beautifully, peaceful Celestial Room. As I sat there, I couldn't help but think of how grateful I was for a special, unexpected gift from my Heavenly Father. How grateful I was for a desire to drive, a missed turn, and a small sign. I do believe that I was directed to the temple tonight. I did not have a VIP pass or a ticket. But I did have a personal invitation from my Heavenly Father. He knew that I needed a spiritual experience. How grateful I am for his awareness of each of us. He knows our struggles. He knows when we feel like we are not doing enough. He knows when we have lost all desire to go on. He knows when we are troubled or depressed. He knows when we are afraid, discouraged, or lonely. He is aware of all our weaknesses, our faults, and our imperfections. And even though he knows all this about us, he still loves us. He's there to wrap his arm around us. To turn a missed turn into an amazing experience. To send someone our way to buoy us up in our time of despair or loneliness. He's there to remind us of our strengths, or give us an opportunity to share some of the knowledge we have gained from a former trial. He loves us so much, that he allows us to go through all the hurt and worldly turmoil. He knows us so well. He knows what we need to grow. Sometimes it feels like he is not there, but I can guarantee that he is there, looking out for each of us. If you feel like giving up on yourself, remember that he is there. He might be reminding you of that by allowing you to be in the situation that you are in. Trust in him! He knows what's best. He sees the big picture. Look for your special invitation. He's trying to send it to you!

Introducing my New Blog!

2009-01-05T01:24:00.003-07:00

So I have been reading my Mission Journal a lot recently, and an idea popped into my head. It would be interesting and unique to post my journal online so people could see what my mission was like. I remember once while on my mission thinking that the general members of the church have no idea what a mission is about. All they hear are the 3 or 4 greatest stories from your mission, and think that that is what a mission is. They don't hear the stories of the countless amazing people who suddenly stop allowing you in the door. They never hear the stories of the nights you spend crying in bed cause you are not sure what to do to help someone progress. They never knew that you struggled so hard with the language/companions/lessons/ culture/ _____________. They understand that there are trials, but they don't really see the crazy journey that you have taken to become who you are. They don't know or even really understand the mentality missionaries have.

I also want to do this as a reminder to me of the amazing mentality that we have when we are on missions. I often wonder how I made it through a mission, and remember the mentality that I had. That everything that happened to me was for a reason. Heavenly Father was in control. He knew me, loved me, and knew what I needed to progress. All I had to do was to trust in him and do my best. I long to have that mentality strengthend in me.

So I am going to try this out and see where it takes me. Please comment and let me know what you think so I know if anyone is interested at all in what I am posting. Or if you have been through something similar on a mission or from life in general, feel free to laugh, cry, or share with me. Again, I am very honest and open in my journals. Be open and enjoy. hopefully we can all grow closer to our Heavenly Father.

This is a personal blog so if you are interested in reading it, you will need to let me know and I will invite you in. Give me your email address. Without an invitation, you will not be allowed to access the blog. Thanks!

Happy 2009

2009-01-01T00:23:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I'm sick and have been throwing up all day, so I am not going to write long. Sure love you all. Hope that things are going well! Good night!

Weekends, the Movies, and Lonliness

2008-12-14T18:57:00.007-07:00

Like most things, writing has to be done at the right moment. I often get these great ideas to put on my blog, and then delete what I write because of the "crappiness" of my writing. Today I have decided to post this piece no matter what. Today is Sunday, which means that it is one of the two days that I have off from work. I love these days, but I also despise them. After a long week with my boys at the group home, it is so nice to relax and unwind. There's only one problem. There is no one to relax and unwind with!

Since I work so much, and go to school... my social life is really nonexistent. So therefore, I hate Sundays and Mondays. They are so lonely. Sunday isn't as bad, but by Monday, I am relaxed, refreshed, and wanting to do something. I am not one who likes to just sit around. I love to be busy and doing something--anything! So when Monday rolls around, I am so antsy. I usually call or text the select friends that I do have to find out that they have lives outside of my friendship. They are usually busy, and I am left on my own.

My day typically ends with me sitting in a restaurant alone, eating and watching the young couples, families, and everyone else enjoying each others company. I get an extra scoop of ice cream to cheer me up. Then I leave a large tip to the server to make myself feel like I'm serving, and then head over to the movie theater where i will sit alone and enjoy a delectable movie by myself. Once the movie is done, one of three scenarios play out.

Scenario #1: The movie was totally lame so I call my sisters to tell them that it was the worst movie ever. They don't answer so I text them telling them that the movie was the worst movie ever, and when I get no replies, I write about it on my blog. Scenario #2: The movie rocked so I try to call anyone to tell them how great the movie was. No one answers so I send a text...no one replies and I write about it on my blog. Scenario #3: Whether the move sucked or rocked I know that no one will pick up their phone or text me back, so I just forget it and critique or reminisce about the movie in my head. Got to love life.

You know, even though going alone has not been my favorite thing in the world, I kind of enjoy my little Monday routine. Not really, but it is better than sitting in my bedroom all alone. I hate being alone. Blame it on being from a family of 12 children, but I cannot stand to be alone. The other day I walked to Target just to be around people. Boy... that's sad. Funny... but sad. But then again, that's life I guess. Gotta take what life gives you. Well it's late and Monday is about to start. I better get some sleep so I can prepare for my exciting day. I wonder what's playing at the theater...

Writing Assignment: Number 4

2008-12-11T11:12:00.001-07:00

(In this assignment we were asked to write on a memory of a vehicle)

Growing up in a family of 14, our station wagon was quickly traded in for a 12 passenger van. Instead of station wagon stories, I have van stories. I think we went through at least three or four vans—we just kept trading the old one in for a new one. Whether we were in van 1, van 2, or van 4 (we really never labeled them that way—they were each called "the van") the stories were the same.

Dad always drove, and Mom usually sat in the passenger's seat. Occasionally she would switch someone seats to calm some rowdy kids. Other times she was bugged by Dad and needed to get away. Seat statuses changed over the years. When I was younger, the back seat was the coveted spot. As I got older, you would sit nowhere but the front seats. In my opinion, as a child… there was no better seat than the floor.

Remember there were 14 of us in a 12 passenger van. It was better to be lying on the floor, either in between the seats or under the seats. Obviously, this was pre "click it or ticket" days. We slept. We argued. We all sang at the top of our lungs. Life in the van—good memories.

Writing Assignment: Number 2

2008-12-11T11:00:00.001-07:00

In this assignment we were asked to write on a memory of animals.)

Unexpected Dances

Ha Ha Ha! I love dances! Especially the dances with friends. It was Saturday night, the dance was over, and I was off to go catch up with my friends who were headed to IHOP. I jumped in the car, quickly jumping from gear to gear. I turned the music up, reliving the last hour in my head. As I thought, I suddenly saw a possum crossing the street ahead of me. It was too late to think. I slammed on the brakes and attempted to swerve. Instead of missing the animal, I somehow hit him perfectly and ran him over with my front left tire, and then my back left tire. Thoughts raced through my head as I continued down the road. My empathy for the animal won out and I backed the car up until the animal aligned with my door.

I opened the door to find the animal still alive. The body was crushed. Tufts of hair seemed to be everywhere except for on the animal's body. The pressure of the tire had sent so much pressure to its head that the eyes had popped out. Blood was everywhere. The animal growled a mournful sound through the spurting blood. Its teeth clenched as if wishing it could die. In a time when I should only have been thinking of the animal, I thought of myself. I was overwhelmed with helplessness. I climbed back into my car. I sobbed. I continued after my friends knowing that the animal was still shuttering in pain. The dance seemed far away. And IHOP had lost its appeal.

Writing Assignment: Number 3

2008-12-11T10:46:00.001-07:00

(In this assignment we were asked to write on water.)

Wasting Water

I like to waste water! So shoot me. I am one of those bums who will buy a case of bottled water once a week. It is more convenient. You can tell me that bottled water is better only because it is in my head, but I love a cold Arrowhead water any day. I love to run and play in the sprinkler. What a great bonding activity. You run around laughing and having a good time. Never mind that the water is continually running. There's nothing better than filling your bathtub to the brim and then lowering your tired or sore body into the steaming water. And when the water cools… you drain it, and fill it again. Water is great. It sustains. It keeps us alive physically, but it also sustains us mentally. Water is an escape. The pool, the hot tub, the sprinkler. The river, the lake, the rain. They build memories. They build relationships. I love to waste water.

Writing Assignments: Number 1

2008-12-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

I am enrolled in a Writing and Rhetoric class this semester. It has been a lot of fun for me. Between that class and this blog, I have a newfound love for writing. I thought it might be fun to type up a few of my quick in class writings and let you all read them. They are small and quick writings. They are not the best, but I truly enjoyed writing them. I hope that you enjoy. Here is my first one.

(This writing was to be on a memory of food)

Hot Dogs

Birds singing. The voices of little children, enjoying the beautiful day, float across the breeze. The sun shines through the freshly dusted blinds to illuminate the young man puking in the toilet. Little pieces of hot dog are floating in the now acidic water. Such a beautiful day. Who could deny the chance to participate in a hot dog eating contest? Every time I see someone eating a hot dog, my mind floats back to that quintessential day, and the hot dogs calmly floating in my toilet bowl.

Body Image and Perception

2008-12-05T09:17:00.002-07:00

Today I want to be older, and uglier! I have thought a lot about body image in my 22 years, and I have to admit that I have gotten stuck in its rut a time or two.

Being one of twelve kids, it is natural that I would desire to stand out and be noticed. I tried to be the best student, but would be reminded that my A- could easily become a B, and that Roger and Benjamin never had B's. I tried to stand out by being athletic and playing Soccer. Needless to say I did not stand out for my athletic ability. As a child I desired to look nice. I was not always appreciative of the hand-me-downs coming from some kind family to our family—from Benjamin to Roger, and from Roger to me. In time I began buying my own clothes. At school I might have been ridiculed for my hand-me-downs, but at home I was ridiculed for my new found fashion. I tried to involve myself with every extracurricular activity so as to prove that I was able to account to something. Unfortunately, I tried many things to improve this thing called we call image.

I have always been a rather sensitive person. As I child and adolescent my sensitivity was often mistaken as being wimpy, girly, or gay. It was at this time that I realized that I was a very animated person. Maybe it was because I idolized the females in my world (mom, sisters, and grandma) and I picked up many of their characteristics and mannerisms. This did not help my peer’s perception of me. The ridicule at school continued, and my perception of myself began to wane. I wanted to be accepted; I wanted to be liked. I began to get a perception of the quintessential guy that I would need to become to fit in. I felt that I had to be strong, athletic, and good looking. In my eyes I did not fit any of those descriptions.

It was a time of comparing me to everyone and anyone. This person was stronger than me; that person was better looking; He was better at basketball—and so was she. I tried so hard. I tried to lift weights. I shaved with an electric razor so my acne would be less. I tried to lower my high-pitched voice. I even failed a test once, just so I would not look like the goody-two-shoe that I had been labeled. Girls would tell me, "Oh man Scott... when you're a senior you are going to be Hott." I waited and waited for that day to come, expecting that one day girls would suddenly have an epiphany and realize that this good looking hunk was right there in front of them. Needles to say, that never happened. Looking back at my perceptions of myself I often feel saddened as I remember trying so hard to please everyone else. It was sad, yet also comical. I learned a lot of lessons from these trying years.

In time my voice deepened a little (not much), I grew into my body, and I began to be comfortable with who I had become. I accepted my crazy mannerisms and realized that I do not have to fit people's molds. Most importantly, I had to abolish in my head my made up mold of the quintessential guy I needed to become. There are times when I fall back into portions of this rut. I put expectations on myself. I need to be the best at work. I should be the top student in class. I need to look good and have lots of dates. Really all of those expectations are empty.
As I became more comfortable with myself I realized that I am not an ugly person. And thanks to my mother, I have some amazing eyes that compliment my face very nicely. But today, I wish to be ugly. Interesting thought, I know. I spent so much of my life trying to look nice and improve my image, and now I want to destroy it? It does not make sense! I learned recently that good looks can often get in the way. Image is not everything, and is subjective to people's perception.

Yesterday at work I pulled a boy into our therapy room to discuss an issue that had happened at school. We would usually go into the office but it was occupied and I figured that the therapy room would be appropriate for our discussion. He sat on the couch and I sat on the opposite side of the room in another chair. We discussed his problem for a while and then started to finish up. As we were finishing up our conversation one of the therapists opened the door and walked in. "Oh" she exclaimed, "What's going on?" I told her that we were talking about an incident at school, and then we excused ourselves from the room so that another boy could have family therapy with this therapist. I thought nothing of the incident until later that night when I sat down to discuss the day with another guy that I work with. He told me that the therapist had come to him and was worried. She told him that she had walked in on me talking with one of the boys. She said that the lights were out (it was midday) and that I had the door closed. For some reason she perceived that our conversation was inappropriate and that I had ulterior motives with this young man.

Anyone who knows me knows and understands that I am very passionate about my job and helping others. I was shocked. Of course I would never do anything inappropriate with one of my boys. I have no desire to ever do anything of the sort. Here I was trying to help this young man, and teach to his issue, and I was suddenly being perceived as manipulating him into an inappropriate romantic relationship. I was stunned and extremely hurt. My friend explained that because of my passion, mannerisms, and looks (IMAGE) the therapist had these perceptions. I wanted to puke. The very thought of what she must think of me.

So today I wish to be old and ugly. That way I would not be perceived in the wrong way. It is sad that we must constantly be aware of others perceptions. We live in a sick world that wants to paint everyone as having some type of angle. If you're smiling the world wonders what your ulterior motives are. If you're kind to a child you are automatically looked at as a possible predator. If you are doing your job as a teacher in a group home, you are looked at as someone who is trying to manipulate a young man into a romantic relationship. C'mon world! Give it a rest! There are good people out there who are just trying to live good lives. We smile because we're happy, we are trying to be friendly, or we are reminded of a memory. We might be attracted to children because we desire to have our own, or we wish for a simple life. And we teach and try to help others because we truly want to help and encourage the youth of today!

Perceptions can easily hurt people. As kids we are trapped behind the perceptions of our peers who think we need to fit a perfect mold. As we grow older that mold is modified and we hurry to fit it so we can be popular. We finally become mature enough to shed that mold and find our own personalized identity. Then when we think we are good, the world puts us into other molds and tells us that we have ulterior motives. Body Image and perception—vices of the world.

WOW!

2008-12-01T07:14:00.001-07:00

Good Morning, Good Morning,

I just wanted to write a quick note to tell you that IT IS DECEMBER!!!! Crazy how fast this year has gone! I can't believe it.

Interesting Facts about Proposition 8

2008-11-20T11:02:00.001-07:00

1. Mormons make up only 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 750,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 36 million.

2. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then out of a total of 5,661,583 yes votes, LDS voters made up 4.4% of the Yes vote and 2.3% of the total Proposition 8 vote (11,050,301).

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign (except for a nominal, and legal, in-kind donation of $2,078.97, to cover the travel expenses of leaders coming from Utah for a meeting). Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.

4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $36 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.

5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.

6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.

7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.

8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).

9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims - all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.

10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.

11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church has always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.

12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do - we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.

Proposition 8 Article

2008-11-20T10:43:00.002-07:00

Good Morning,

I was recently on my friend Marcie's blog and read a great article that she wrote on Proposition 8. Her words were very inspiring, and she reminded me of a quote that my grandparents always quoted. I have heard this quote so many times, but never truly understood it until I read it under this context. I think that you will all really enjoy her article.

How are you togay?

My high school principal was gay.

It wasn't really a secret, but she didn't go out and verbally state it. She did, however, have pictures of her and her partner with their adopted daughter displayed around her office.

I was part of the OHS newspaper The Blue and Gold.

One day I went in to see my principal for an interview about the re-building of our school. She was dressed in a business suit and her short hair just added spunk to the usually dull role of principal. She was definitely the coolest principal I had ever known. Hands down, my favorite.

I walked in and said, "Hello. How are you doing togay?"

And then I realized what I had said and I tried to play it off.
I didn't even wait for her to answer, "Oh good! That's good to hear!"
"Did you just say 'togay'?"
I flat-out denied it. "No. Of course not. Why would I say that? That doesn't even make sense."

We carried out our interview and I published a good article. But everyone in my class knows about it and, to this day, classmates greet me with How are you doing togay?

Gay marriage. Gays. Homosexuality. Prop 8.

Do you want to know a secret? Often I think that it's not fair for gays to be denied marital status. I think we're robbing them of a right all should have. I think it doesn't bother me, so I should allow it. It's hard enough to find love in this world, I have no right to deny someone else of that. They're trying to find a bit of stability in a world overgrown with pain. I think that so many people are wrong when they vote against gays and proclaim that God told them to. I think God loves everyone. How can people claim they are Christlike when they won't allow equality to all God's children?

And then I caught myself.

"This is how those people think."

I thought back to biblical times. All those times when people finally had to make a stand between being with God or being with the world. Babylon. Noah. Sodom. Gomorrah. It's no surprise to me that Babylon accepted gays. They probably thought the same thing I did: if we don't accept them, we're not being good; we're not being Christian.

We are now in a time when people think they are following God but they really aren't. I know because I was there myself but a few days ago. America is hanging on a thread and I think a lot of it is because we are forgetting God. If you look at history there is a strong correlation between a country's success and its bond with God. Look at the strides America took during the Great Awakenings and look at what Europe didn't do during the Dark Ages. Look at the Reformation and the Renaissance. When we make an effort to know God, we are opened to the Creator's power and become creators of our own merit. We create bridges and art and music and telescopes. But when we sever our attachment to God by allowing sin we lose that creativity; we lose that progress.

Alexander Pope put it like this:
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
as to be hated needs but to be seen.
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
first we endure, then pity, then embrace.

Please re-read that and think about it for a minute. Then think about how it relates to homosexuality and adultery/fornication.

We have a hard time distinguishing between sin and righteousness. It's because we don't want it to be a sin. We don't want to say that yes, we are condemning homosexuality. But we should. We don't want to tell our gay friends, family members, co-workers, or gay principle, "Hey, guess what. You are sinning." We don't want to confront them because all in all, they are good people. Great people, even. But we have got to make a stand sometime. We can no longer close our eyes simply because we do not wish to see sin. Get real with yourself.

Love the sinner, not the sin. Can you see the difference?

If it's a sin, it should not be supported. If the person is sinning, they should be loved but that doesn't mean they should keep on sinning. Look at the way God destroyed the earth with a flood when no one listened to Noah. Yes, God loves his people. But he doesn't like them sinning. You just go ahead and think of every other instance when God destroyed a people because of their wickedness. I'm sure such educated and wikipedia-savvy individuals as yourselves will not find this difficult.

No, gays getting married will not directly hurt you. You will not fall over dead simply because your gay neighbors are legally married. Nor will their marriage suddenly make your marriage null and void. No, you won't get a case of AIDS just because the guy standing next to you in the supermarket has succeeded in sleeping with every girl on the third floor. What people do in private does not publicly harm you. But in a very real sense, these sins sever our souls. These sins cause our nation to drift even further from God.

If you allow gay marriage or fornication you might as well take "In God We Trust" off the pennies and "under God" out of the pledge. It's time we take a stand against sin.

Passing the Halle Blog

2008-11-20T10:37:00.003-07:00

So this post is my 36th post. Now I'm sure you could care less, but this just so happens to be exciting. My family has a blog that all my sibling and I contribute to. There are 36 posts on that blog. So today is exciting, because this post matches theirs! Yeah! Ha Ha Ha! You probably could care less, but it is exciting to me. So Happy 36th post day!

Ward Family

2008-11-16T20:48:00.003-07:00

So today was my third week in my new ward. Instead of going to a student/singles ward, I go to a family ward. In fact... today I spoke in Sacrament Meeting. The repercussions were pretty funny. I got two invites to go to dinner, a plate of cookies brought over just now, every lady over the age of 50 asked if I was single. And every lady over 50 had an amazing granddaughter/ daughter whom I just HAD to meet. One little old lady gave me a hug, and then told me that I reminded her of her late husband. She then went on and on about how they met, what his favorite cereal was, how he had unusual bowel problem that caused him lots of pain before he died, etc. Little kids came up to me and gave me hugs, and asked if I wanted to play hide and seek. Hee Hee! I thought that was cute. I thought the whole thing was great! It felt so good to be a part of a family. When you live away from family, it can be pretty lonely, and it was nice to be fussed over... even if it meant having every older lady throw their granddaughter at me, or listen to the bowel problems of an old man. I loved every minute of it. It's good to have a ward family!

Pink! I love her!

2008-11-13T10:13:00.001-07:00

Tami Writes Again

2008-11-10T23:00:00.001-07:00

I just recieved this note from Tami. Thought you all might want to read it.

~Scott

I would like to apologize for expressing my frustration to all of you about what has happened here in California. I clearly have strong feelings about this issue and my desire was to try to share the kind of pain caused over this whole issue. Some who received my email saw that, but I think most felt it was an attack on them. My intention was to attack the idea that gays are "not worthy of equal treatment" and to express and share the kind of intense pain being caused by the Church's involvement. It was not to attack the people on this email and to cause the kind of pain that I have been seeing here. I clearly did not accomplish that. For that, I am truly sorry. I will continue the fight for the many people in my life who are kind, compassionate and gay, and hopefully do it in a manner that does not return the kind of intolerance that I have been so saddened by.

My Proposition 8 Response

2008-11-09T20:44:00.004-07:00

Hey Everyone,

I got a letter today from a woman from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She gave her opinion stating that she was appalled by the Church's stance on Proposition 8 as well as the members who voted to pass it. Her email prompted me to write her back and explain my view, on the other side of her argument. Her email is further down and was posted before my response. Feel free to scroll down and read her letter first. In fact… I would recommend doing that. Once you have read my response, please write comments, and tell me your thoughts on the issue. Thank you very much. I look forward to reading everyone's opinions.

Sincerely,

Scott

Tami,

I am not exactly sure who you are or how I got added to your email list, but I did want to thank you for your email. I admit, I do disagree with the majority of your email, but I do appreciate your voice. You are right... There are many great and wonderful people out there, our brothers and sisters (some literally) who struggle with same-sex attraction. And you are right, there are many out there from many different faiths that fail to see that. If you do not mind, I wish to go through your email, and share with you my opinions of some of the things that you said. Please understand that I truly do this in the spirit of love. I am not attacking you in any way. I just wish to add my opinions to yours and shed a little light on the other side of the argument. My comments might be bold, but please do not take them as harsh words.

With that being said, I am disappointed that you have taken the argument that so many have before you. This is the argument that we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are "blind" sheep following the leaders of the church. I am sure that the followers of Christ got the same argument. Christ went against what society said was right. He did not fear men. His guidance came from a higher power. That of our Father in Heaven. And yes—his followers did follow him like sheep. Because they had a conviction, and had received a personal revelation that he was who he said he was.

From the beginning of time, our Father in Heaven has set up a perfect plan. That plan has involved prophets. People whom our Father in Heaven has called to stand in the place of our Savior, while he is not here on the Earth. Their role is to stand as witnesses to the world. They are called to lead and guide
Christ's church. They speak with our Savior and receive direction from him. They are the watchmen spoken of in Isaiah and Jeremiah. They receive direction and revelation from God for the world. Though the world has constantly rejected the prophets (Noah was a great example) our Father in Heaven loves us all so much, that he has continued to send us prophets.

The prophet today, Thomas S. Monson is called of God. He sees more than we do many times. He sits high on the watchtower, and sounds the call for things that we do not always understand at the time. But like the followers of Christ, we do follow him. He is the shepherd that Christ has given to us to lead us at this time. Like the followers of Christ, members of the church receive convictions of the law of prophets. I have a conviction and have received my own personal revelation that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. And yes, I will follow his council. I know that he speaks for Christ. That is my own personal conviction. I am not following him blindly. I know that he sees the large picture from his perch on the watchtower, and because of the conviction and testimony that I have, I will follow his council. But that is my choice. No one can make that choice for me. I make it with my eyes wide open.

As for your friend's note, I can understand her emotion, but do disagree with her argument. She states, "I can't understand why anyone would vote against me." It is not her that I would vote against, but it is my beliefs that I would vote for. I do believe that marriage is a special thing. I do believe that God created us as men and women, and has consecrated marriage, and sex to be between a married man and a woman. This is what our Father in Heaven has taught us. Through the prophets of old, as well as through the prophets today. So because of that belief, I, and many other members of the church, take a stand against same-sex marriage.

I do not fear man. I know that society is embracing those whom have same-sex relations, and you are right…eventually the majority of the citizens of the United States will most likely support same-sex marriages. But that does not make it right in the eyes of God. I care more about our Father in Heaven's Law than I do about man's law.

Your friend also mentions the "straight, white, privileged Republicans." I find it interesting that she would use that stereotype, when it was Black and Latino women who had the highest percentage for voting for Proposition 8. In fact, the white male, actually had a higher percentage who voted against Proposition 8 than who voted for it.

In your letter, you also said to members who voted yes "You thought you were taking a high moral stand. You weren't. On the contrary, you were being cruel and mean-spirited." Again, I disagree with your stand here. Voters were voting for what they truly believe is right. They were not voting a certain way to be "cruel and mean-spirited." They are standing up for what they believe in. As for the comment you made stating, "I fail to understand why the Church elected to become so aggressively involved in this issue and to contribute to the infliction of this pain." I find this comment interesting and confusing.

First off, the church has had the same argument for a very long time. Even before the Proclamation to the Family, which came out in 1995, the church has stated that marriage was between a man and a woman. It is also LDS doctrine, as well as Christian Doctrine (from the Bible) that Homosexuality is a sin. This is nothing new. Prophets have been warning us of the sanctity of marriage and families for a long time. They knew that this day would come, so they instituted Family Home Evening, the Strength of Youth pamphlet, and the Family: A Proclamation to the World. Prophets are called to guide us, whether that is on moral issues or doctrinal issues. This issue falls under both. Go back and read the statements put out by the LDS church. They are not demeaning at all. One statement put out says,

The Church knew that some of its members would choose not to support its position. Voting choices by Latter-day Saints, like all other people, are influenced by their own unique experiences and circumstances. As we move forward from the election, Church members need to be understanding and accepting of each other and work together for a better society. (http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-responds-to-same-sex-marriage-votes)

This is not telling members that they have to vote a certain way. When groups in Utah started a phone bank, it was the leaders of the church that asked them to stop. The actual church did not ever donate any money to the proponents of Proposition 8. The $20 million that people are talking about comes from members of the church. That was there choice, and no one could make that choice for them. It's sad to see so many people attacking and demonstrating against the church. Like other faiths, we stood up for our beliefs.

As a fellow member of the LDS church, I am saddened at your words about the history of the church. In all kindness I must say, who are you, or anyone else, to dictate to our Father in Heaven that what he says is wrong? Are you, and other members of the church, forgetting who is at the head of this church? It is our Savior, under the direction of our Father. The people in Noah's times scorned him because he spoke for God and tried to help the people. The people failed to listen. It was the Lamanites and many of the Nephites who stoned the prophets saying that Christ was coming. They failed to listen. And it was finally the Nephites, the members of the church, who decided to turn away from God. They too—failed! When we step away from or Father in Heaven and his teachings—we fail.

I understand that you may not agree with me on this, and that is alright. I have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have felt my Savior's love and have felt the presence of the Holy Ghost testify to me that the Leaders of the church are called of God. I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is how our Father in Heaven has planned it to be, and I will take a stand for that any day.

Tami, thank you for the opportunity to write this email. I do hope that I have not offended you in any way. I think it's great that we can discuss such a controversial issue. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Sincerely,

Scott H.

Response to Passing of Proposition 8

2008-11-09T14:04:00.001-07:00

Good Afternoon. Today I got home from church, and found an email waiting for me from an unknown name. I opened it and found an email that I want to share with you. This was written, not by me, but by an LDS person who opposed Proposition 8. I am right now in the process of writing an opinion response to the writer stating the opposite side of her argument. When that is completed, I shall post that here as well. PLEASE leave comments about your thoughts on this post. I would like to hear what others have to say.

Sincerely,

Scott

For those Mormons who rationalize or justify their position on gay marriage with the thought, "I myself have nothing personal against gays – I just need to obey the Church and 'protect' the concept of what marriage is," I have pasted below an email I received from the PTA President at my children's elementary school. She is a Mom, and she also happens to be gay:

"Thank you for your kind words Tami. I am so disappointed in the community that I live in. I have heard that a lot of people who know me voted Yes. It breaks my heart. I work so hard for the school, for the swim team, for the girl scouts...and on... that I can't understand why anyone would vote against me. These are not strangers. These are my children's friends parents. I can barely hold it together. It reminds me that instead of pouring myself into my volunteer work for straight, white, privileged Republicans that I should be working hard to effect change in my gay community. I feel so betrayed. It is people like you that remind me that there is hope. Thank you Tami!"

This is just one example. I have received similar messages of pain and hurt from my gay neighbor across the street, from a gay friend I used to work with, from a gay man at my husband's work, and several others. So when you impersonally voted for Proposition 8 or you impersonally made a contribution or phone call in support of Prop 8 and felt good about doing what the Church had told you to do, know this: you were causing real pain in the lives of real kind-hearted people. There was nothing impersonal about it. You thought you were taking a high moral stand. You weren't. On the contrary, you were being cruel and mean-spirited. You just had the benefit of not seeing the impact of your cruelty. Eight years ago when the Church became involved in the previous proposition against gays, three young Mormon men (two returned missionaries) committed suicide directly as a result of their feelings of alienation and sadness. One of them shot himself on the steps of his ward building and left a note that stated that he hoped his death would make other Mormons realize the pain they were causing.

We are now seeing gleeful "Yes on 8" people standing on street corners waving signs and celebrating that their intolerance and unkindness paid off. How is it that they find so much joy in making others feel so small? My Mormon neighbors still have their "Yes on 8" sign nailed to their tree triumphantly aimed right at my very good gay friends across the street. So now it's time to rub it in and gloat and pour salt on the wound?

Given how apolitical and uninvolved the Church is on so many other social issues, I fail to understand why the Church elected to become so aggressively involved in this issue and to contribute to the infliction of this pain. I am embarrassed to have ever been connected to such insensitivity and intolerance. I wouldn't even want to try to explain it to my gay brother or any of my friends who are dear to me but just happen to love differently.

This time hate and ignorance won. But the victory will not last. The Mormon Church – just as with so many other moral and social issues in the past – is on the wrong side of history. The margin by which Prop 8 won was narrow – much more narrow than when the issue was voted on eight years ago. Young people in America overwhelmingly support gay rights -- it is primarily those 50 and older who are opposed. As additional open-minded young people obtain the right to vote, that gap will continue to close until it is eliminated entirely, and the gap will at long last open on the other side. Social progress can be slow and people can stubbornly refuse to embrace progress, but as new generations are born, change occurs.

There is no better example of this reluctant halting progress than the institutionalized racism the Church embraced as recently as just 30 years ago. Mormons were one of the last religions in America to accept blacks. Then, just as now, Church leaders claimed they weren't being discriminatory, they were just following God's will:

The negroes are not equal with other races where the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned." - Bruce R. McConkie

If there is one drop of negro blood in my children, as I have read to you, they receive the curse. There isn't any argument, therefore, as to intermarriage with the Negro, is there? - Mark E. Peterson

Now we are generous with the Negro. We are willing that the Negro have the highest kind of education. I would be willing to let every Negro drive a Cadillac if they could afford it. - Mark E. Peterson

I would not want you to believe that we bear any animosity toward the Negro. "Darkies" are wonderful people, and they have their place in our church. - Joseph F. Smith

When these statements (and hundreds of others like them) were made by these leaders that the "Negroes" were inferior and not deserving of the same rights as others, they were evidence of the times and the ignorance that accompanies prejudice. Many on this list accepted these statements and didn't question the intolerance or pain they might have caused. It took a long fight to end up in a place where America has an African American President (and interestingly the majority of Mormons did not vote for him), but the fight was well worth it. Many people in the past voted to maintain segregation, discriminatory practices, women as property of their husbands, and at one point in America the majority of people supported slavery - that didn't make it right. The Mormon church has opposed women's rights, birth control, environmental protection, the abolition of the death penalty and has opposed many other forms of progress. They have been on the wrong side of history repeatedly and yet progress has been made. Attitudes about gay people are changing as more people realize that, although gay, they are still part of our families and communities and deserving of the same rights as anyone else. The prejudice and discrimination displayed last Tuesday and in the preceding months will pass. It is just a matter of time… and how much pain will be needlessly inflicted along the way.

Black Hair

2008-11-02T13:43:00.003-07:00

Greetings from Scott! So for Halloween I dyed my hair black! Crazy, I know. It will take a lot of getting used to. but that's ok... life will go on. So here are just a few pics, so you can all see what I look like now! Enjoy!

Annoying Blog Music

2008-10-29T13:24:00.003-06:00

Just thought I would mention an annoyance of mine. I love to check people's blogs. I do. I think they are a lot of fun. But I admit, I do get annoyed with the music on people's blogs. If I check the family blog, I either hear the Brady Bunch Theme song, or the Hymn Love at Home. Both can get very annoying after the 3rd or 4th time hearing them. I go to a Blog to read people's thoughts and get away from all the rest of the world! So here is my call out to everyone out there!

GET RID OF THE MUSIC ON YOUR BLOG!!! I WANT TO HEAR YOU, NOT MUSIC!!!

Shopping and American Eagle!

2008-10-24T10:05:00.004-06:00

So, this last week has been pretty full for me. Most of you know that I am going to school and working Full time. I have been working every day, as well as writing a research paper, writing a rhetorical analysis, and preparing for midterms. So yesterday I went into Salt Lake to just study for a midterm. After about two hours of studying, I was ready to end. So I decided to just go take the exam at the testing center and get it over with. So I did! YEAH!!! No more midterm. That was my last one! I also finished the rhetorical analysis! Not bad! Now all I have left to do is the research paper. Well after the exam, I had about thirty minutes to get to my work. I wanted to celebrate a little so I figured I would run to American Eagle down at the Gateway and grab some jeans. It's winter time, and I'm needing a couple more pairs of jeans. So by the time I get their I have about fifteen minutes. I love American Eagle! And they just happened to be having a sale where you can buy one get one free...and you can mix and match. So if I bought a $79.99 coat, I got another $79.99 coat, or another item for $79.99, for free. It was too much. Hee Hee! So I ended up getting a lot more than I had planned to. So in my excitement...I wanted to share with others my amazing purchases. I got another shirt and a belt, but I couldn't find pics of them. Sorry! Enjoy my shopping spree! So this little beauty is my newest scarf! Yeah! My first scarf purchase of the season!

This one is nice, because it is reversable. The other side is all white! Nice! I really like scarves!
I love American Eagle Slip ons!
You can't beat this shirt! I love it...can't wait to wear it!
I fell in love with this coat the first time I saw it!
Oh and I love this one too. I've always wanted a coat like this. And it's made of cotton!

Now I am sure that some great reasonable person is looking at my purchases and saying, "So...where are the jeans?" Ha Ha Ha! I know...I am a loser...I didn't get any jeans! Hee Hee! Oh well...that just means that I'll have to go back! Pity!

Bad Sportsmanship!!!

2008-10-23T23:13:00.003-06:00

So most of you know that I have never been very athletic. Over the years I have become a little bit more interested in certain sports though. But every time I start to enjoy athletics...I am turned off by one thing. Bad sportsmanship. Sports are suppose to be fun. Get your energy out, and break a sweat. Why do people have to get so competitive. Get out there and enjoy yourself. Today I took my boys and went to go see the Jazz game versus Portland Blazers. It was a fun game, but again...the unsportsmanship shown by the fans totally turned me off to the game.

I don't know how many of you have seen the movie Coach Carter, but at one point their basketball team wins a game, but they spent most of the game criticizing, and mocking the other team. The next day at practice, the Coach humiliates them and takes the credit for all that the team had done good. He did this to prove a point to his players. It just really frustrates me when people are so rude.

One of the things that appalled me tonight, was when a player from the other team was shooting a foul shot. The Utah team's fans would all start booing, and waving their arms to distract the player. I even saw a little old lady, couldn't have been under 80, standing up, screaming, and waving her purse in the air. I mean, WHAT THE HECK! I don't even get it. Or people would boo the referees when they called a foul on a Jazz player, even when it was so obvious that the player had fouled the other team. Why boo the ref for doing his job?

Maybe I just don't get it. It could be. It just does not make sense to be to belittle someone, just because you or someone you like is competing against you. Sports should be a fun place to interact with other people and hone your skills. Not a place to feel bad, and be looked down upon. I guess I just don't get it.

More Fun Pictures

2008-10-21T18:36:00.002-06:00

Old Pictures

2008-10-21T12:52:00.004-06:00

Sarah Palin: Can't Beat This

2008-10-20T19:28:00.001-06:00

Well, for all those Sarah Palin fans, I had to post this amazing video. It is too funny. and Amy Poehler is the best ever. Enjoy the show. My favorite part is when the moose comes out. Watch Amy at this part...She's hilarious! Enjoy!

SMALLVILLE!!!

2008-10-18T23:16:00.003-06:00

Greetings! I know that it has been a while. I know I'm bad. Really...it's all my fault. Between school, my AMAZING new job, and my long list of Sugar-Mommas, I've just been busy! Yeah I know...tough life. Ha Ha Ha! Just kidding...no sugar mommas. In due time I guess.

So I have to admit, that one of the reasons I haven't written on here is because I have been a bit preoccupied with something extremely exciting. No it is not Sugar Mommas...it's better than that. I recently made an amazing investment. I'm sure my now you are wondering what this great investment is. Oh ok...I'll tell you. About half a month ago I bought....drumroll please......I bought Smallville Season 7! YEAH!!!!!

There...that's my secret. I am having a love affair with the TV show Smallville. I love it. I'm addicted. There you have it. Every night I have raced home from work to watch episode after episode. I have to admit though...it didn't last long. After a few "late" nights...our affair was finished. (sniff)

But...I found the first five episodes of Season 8 online! Yeah! But then again, my love affair was short lived. I just finished the last episode, and have to wait for the next show to be aired this next Thursday like everyone else. But then again...it's worth it. I am in love with smallville! One Happy Couple. Smallville and me!

Ok to be honest with you...I think I am in love with Chloe and Lois. Allison Mack and Erica Durance. Gotta love Smallville!

WARNING!!! THIS NEXT POST CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE.

2008-10-01T22:55:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I was given an assignment in my Writing and Rhetoric class to write an Opinion Article on a topic of my choice. I chose to write on how Foul Language has become too common in our everyday class. I wanted to really get my point across, so I chose to make some very bold choices in my writing. Please leave comments on what you thought about the article. I'm curious to hear what people think. Do not read this article if you get offended easily.

Fuck, Shit, Thee, Thou, and Thank you

By now you are probably tuned in fast to this article. "Who has the nerve to use such foul language," you might be asking. "Oh my ears are burning" you say. You might be caught off guard right now, but are you as easily bothered when you hear these words in a movie? Or what about in one of your favorite songs? Maybe that does not bother some, but what about when you hear foul language at school? In commercials, the newspaper, TV shows, or in the workplace? Does the foul language bother you then? Would it bother you if your Dentist used the word "Fuck" in a conversation with your child as he or she is getting their teeth cleaned? The intent of this article is not to offend, but to awaken you to a moral degradation caused by an ever increasing use of foul language. Where do you draw the line when it comes to foul language?

From the "oaths of Shakespeare" to the "every other word is a cuss word" found in today's rap lyrics, foul language, or profanity, has been around for centuries. But does that make it acceptable in today's society? Recently, I took a trip with some friends of mine. Our conversation fell on language and how much it has changed. From the beautiful Old-English of Shakespeare's time to today's choppy computer slang we each agreed that language has indeed evolved. Once we established that point, our conversation turned to foul language and how accepted it has become.

Our first area of topic was about the media. There was a time when the media fought strongly against profanity. Laws and codes forbade production companies to use foul language, or equivalent innuendos. Over time, these companies began to substitute swear words by using euphemisms. For example, instead of using the phrase "I don't give a shit" writers would write "I don't give a darn." Over time, this was changed to "I don't give a s@#%" where the last letters of the swear word were replaced with symbols. This allowed the reader to know exactly what was said, without the author actually writing the word. As society evolved and mores changed, the media began to use the words freely without using symbols or euphemisms. "I don't give a shit" became "I don't give a shit" again. In movies and TV shows, producers and directors began to bleep out curse words. "I don't give a sh(bleep)."Again, though this blocked the word from being heard, you understood enough of what has been going on to know exactly what was bleeped out.

I remember sitting down listening to my Grandmother tell me about the first time she heard a swear word in a movie. It was in the early forties and she had gone to watch the classic film "Gone with the Wind." The lead male, Rhett Butler, issued his now infamous words "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Though not the first movie to use a swear word in the United States, it was the first movie my Grandmother had encountered. She recalls that the audience gasped. She herself was taken back. I listened to her tell that story and almost laughed. In today's general society, no one would "give a damn" about that comment. In 2006, the movie "Crash" was nominated for Best Picture. This movie has 182 expletives, including 99 utterances of the word fuck. And this is the movie that won Best Picture in 2006? We have come a long way since Grandma and her gasping crowd.

Many might argue that use of such language is a right to expression. That being said, there have been associations created to warn us of these vulgarities. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) grants movies a parental rating. Depending on the amount of vulgarity, thematic moments, and mature nature of the movie, a rating is applied that allows parents, as well as adults, to decide whether they want to see the movie. This leaves the viewing of the movie, with its profanity, up to the discretion of the viewer. It is the same with books and periodicals. But what about when you are watching the TV with your child and a commercial comes on and uses a swear word. I remember a few years back watching Price is Right when a commercial for Ford came on. It showed a man getting frustrated and yelling the word "damn." That was the first commercial I had heard with swearing in it. My reaction was similar to my Grandmother's. Whereas I am able to decide if I want watch the profanity in a particular movie, I had no say so in this commercial. The media needs to consider all those of their viewers when deciding to use foul language.

Then there is the issue of foul language in the professional world. Recently I went to a job interview with a company that I had heard great things about. As I sat down with the interviewer, he spouted off a string of profanity about the traffic that morning. "Fuckin' traffic sure was a bitch this morning." I was immediately turned off by this man, and did not accept the position that was offered me. In my field, I take care of a number of children and teach them not to swear. As I was taking my boys to school the other day I noticed that "no foul language" was one of the classroom agreements. I used this as an opportunity to teach one of the boys that it is important in the professional world to use appropriate language. As we were talking, we heard a commotion outside in the hall and turned toward the yelling. It was one of the teachers getting upset at another boy. The teacher suddenly said, "I am so tired of your fucking shit." I cringed and slowly looked at my boy. He turned toward me and said, "I thought you said…" I was so embarrassed. For this young boy, and for the teacher who had just humiliated himself by using foul language to vent his anger. The other half of me was furious. Those in positions, such as teachers, need to realize the effect they can have on children as well as those around them. Profanity stems from anger or at least negative connotations. When teachers or others use profanity in the work place, they lessen their credibility as professionals. I am not saying that we need to return to "thee and thou" in our vernacular, but we should be able to determine when foul language is appropriate and when it is not. It is not required to use the word "please and thank you," but those who do exemplify manners. Those who do not swear demonstrate that they respect themselves and others.

This article contains many expletives that have tainted my eyes and ears as I have written them. It is not a common practice of mine to swear. However, I chose to write these words out in hopes to persuade you to recognize that foul language should not become common place. Hopefully seeing these words written in an unexpected place will impress you to identify where you have allowed foul language to become common place in your life. Perhaps you are not bothered by the foul language in your favorite song. Perhaps you are bothered by a teacher using foul language, but do not find it an issue that you allow your children to watch movies with swearing in them. How much is too much? Where do you draw the line?

Scribblings of YOUR Mind

2008-10-01T22:23:00.003-06:00

Alright everyone! I'm ready to hear your thoughts again. This one is a REALLY good one. I'm really excited to hear your thoughts. Let me give you a little background on this song. It is sung by Nellie McKay. She wrote this song in 2004, and had alcohol abuse in her past. What do you think she is trying to say? Does she really want these things? Explain your reasoning! Have fun with it. I'm excited to hear your thoughts!

I wanna get married
Yes, I need a spouse
I want a nice Leave it to Beaverish
Golden retriever and a little white house
I wanna get married
I need to cook meals
I wanna pack you cute little lunches
For my Brady bunches
Then read Danielle Steele
I wanna escape
This rat race I've created
I'm feelin' enervated
I don't care if I make it
I just want to bake a sugar cake for you
To take to work in the morn
And I'll stay home cleaning the dishes
And keeping your wishes all warm
I wanna get married
That's why I was born

I wanna partake in bake sales for the classroom
I wanna hear the sweet tune
Of Sally's little vroom-vroom
As she zooms around my broom
As I exhume the gloom
Of my shallow life
I wanna be simple and honest and dimpled
'cause I am your wife
I will never tarry
I'm not even torn
I wanna get married
That's why I was born

“Scribblings of YOUR Mind”

2008-09-28T16:31:00.002-06:00

Alright! So I LOVE to read. As I unpack all my stuff into my new apartment, I realize that I really have my own library! I love it. So yesterday I was driving from my new apartment, to my Aunt Suzanne's house where I would be staying the night. I really wanted a good book to read and so I decided to stop at a local Seagull Book Store. Once there, I picked out and bought three books. One of those books is called "Finding Dad." It is about a father who left his wife and son. He made some terrible mistakes in his life, but straightened himself out finally. Ten years after he split with his ex-wife, she died. The father, who had not been actively involved in his son's life, picked his son up to start a new life together. The book is about the father and son, and how they have to work together to build a relationship. It's really about repentance and forgiveness. An amazing book for anyone who wants a good book to read. It is written by the same author who wrote Miracle of Miss Willie! It's great! Anyway, so here is a quote from this book that I really liked. I won't tell you what I got out of it yet, because I'm curious to hear what you all think about it. SO this is "Scribblings of YOUR mind. I want to know what you think about this excerpt. What does it mean to you? Do you agree/disagree? Why is it important/not important? Etc. Have fun with it! I am very excited to read your responses. This is the Father talking to the son.

"Alma, sometimes you start down a road, and after you've traveled a little while, you realize that you're on the wrong road. What's strange, though, is that even after you realize it's the wrong road and it's not taking you where you want to go, you still stay on that road. Men especially have a tough time asking directions, and even when they've got the right directions, they stay on the wrong road. Maybe they figure if they stay on the wrong road long enough, it will magically turn into the right one or will intersect with the right one. I don't know what it is. I was on that road for a long time, and for a long time I refused to admit that it was the wrong road. But even after I knew that it was the wrong road, I still stayed on it. Don't ask me why, because I don't have a clue."

Unexpected Love

2008-09-28T16:08:00.002-06:00

So the other day I got a very nice surprise. I got home (back to my Aunt Suzanne's) and there on my bed was a small package from my boys. For those of you whom are new to my blog, I have, HAD 10 boys that I used to live with and take care of. I have since left that place to take care of different boys at a different facility! I only left these boys last week, and I was really struggling. I was really missing them, so the package greatly excited me. I tore it open to find that my boys had given me a book. They had each written a letter telling me how I had impacted their lives, what they liked/didn't like about me, memories, or whatever they had decided to write. It was the neatest thing ever. I just sat down and sobbed. I love these boys so much. And I was missing them so much. I was so homesick for them. That night I did not go to bed till 5am. I just couldn't get them out of my head. For those of you wondering why in the world I would care so much, I was basically a parent figure for them for the last ten months. I lived and breathed those kids. I helped them with their problems. I was there when they were freaking out over little things. I was there when their parents did not came and pick them up for the weekend. I was there spending the whole night next to their bed as they were sick. I sat in the hospital for three days with one boy as he puked nonstop. I was there when they wet the bed and were embarrassed. I was there to calm them down due to storms outside. I sat up with them when I was tired, but I knew that they needed to talk…and talk…and talk some more. I loved every minute of it. It was hard and stressful, but I grew to love each boy with their unique issues and abilities. So you can understand that it was very hard for me suddenly not being there for these boys. I know they weren't my own kids, but in a way they were. So it was definitely a tender mercy when their book came. How grateful I am for a Father in Heaven who is aware of my needs, and knows when I need a lift. In church today I got the impression that the Lord intervenes in our lives when we are in need. And he usually does so through others. It makes me want to be watchful, so I can be used by him to help those around me! Be aware of those around you. Most likely the Lord has been trying to get our attentions to help others. Allow him to use you. It can really make a huge difference to someone else.

Spam and Mustard...Yummmm!

2008-09-26T22:35:00.006-06:00

So I don't know about the rest of you, but sometimes I get the most random cravings! ONe that I get occasionally, and one that I got tonight, is a HUGE craving for Spam with Mustard! Yum, yum, yum! I love that stuff! But only occasionally! So, I decided that I'd give everyone a few Spam facts. Here you go:

Nifty Spam Trivia!

By World War II, Hormel had sold twenty thousand tons of Spam. Then, during the wartime meat rationing, Spam got popular...

If all the cans of Spam ever eaten were put end-to-end, they would circle the globe at least ten times.

In the U.S. alone, 3.8 cans of Spam "are consumed every second"(assuming SPAM is eaten 24 hours a day, 365.25 days a year).

Senator Robert Byrd of West Viginia eats a sandwich of SPAM and mayonnaise on white bread three times a week.

Residents of Hawai'i eat an average of four cans of SPAM per person per year, more than in any other place on Earth (Elsewhere in the Universe, who knows?).

By 1959, a billion cans of SPAM had been sold. The two billion mark was hit in 1970, followed by three billion in 1980, four billion in 1986, and five billion in 1993. That's a lot of SPAM!

In Korea, SPAM is sold in stylish presentation gift boxes of nine cans each. SPAM stolen from army PXs can be found on the Korean black market. And there are Korean imitations called Lo-Spam, Dak, Plumrose, and Tulip, to ensure that no one need go without.

Nikita Krushchev once credited SPAM with the survival of the WWII Russian army. ''Without SPAM, we wouldn't have been able to feed our army,'' he said.

SPAM is sold in over 99% of U.S. grocery stores.

The SPAM luncheon meat trademark is registered in 93 countries.

Over 60 million people in the U.S. eat SPAM.
SPAM is made in two U.S. locations - Austin, Minnesota, and Fremont, Nebraska - and seven other countries: England, Australia, Denmark, Phillipines, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

In 1989, the U.S. armed forces bought 3.3 million pounds of SPAM.

Over 141 million cans of SPAM are sold worldwide each year.

So there you have it! You crazy Spam facts. SO if you don't know what to eat...go grab yourself a can of Spam, and the bottle of mustard! Yumm!

Foul Language and my Peers

2008-09-24T17:55:00.002-06:00

For those of you whom are interested in the paper that I wrote for my writing class on Foul language, I will be putting it up on here shortly. I wrote on how foul language has become so common place in society. I wanted to really get people to think about where they draw the line in terms of profanity. I decided that the only way I would be able to really get at them would be to use the profanity in my paper. I wanted to shock them that I was using foul language. Then attack them by asking why they are offended by me using foul language, but not offended by the profanity in the movies they watch. It was very interesting. I am not one to swear, and struggled even writing out the cuss words on my paper. Today we had took them to classes for peer editing. Instead of just allowing the others in our group to read our papers, each person had to read their paper a loud. Ha Ha Ha! How embarrassing. You think it was hard for me to type the word....now I had to read them a loud to a group of people. My Aunt told me that I deserved that for being facetious. I was shaking so badly! Serves me right I guess. But the other students loved my paper. They said that it really made them think and pushed some good buttons. So I need to make a few revisions, and then I will post it here. Till then...

Ditzes and the Library

2008-09-24T17:37:00.002-06:00

Do you ever see things that just annoy you? I saw something today that just really "fried my biscuit", as my boys would say. I go to school in downtown Salt Lake City, on a pretty small campus. On this campus there is a quaint little library that has a few tables, nice chairs, and about 30 computers. On the computer desks, there are signs saying, "PLEASE TAKE YOUR PHONE CALLS OUTSIDE INTO THE HALL. TALKING ON THE PHONE IN THE LIBRARY CAN BE DISTRACTING FOR OTHERS." Today as I was working on one of the computers, I received a phone call from my sister Janey. I answered it and quietly whispered, "Hang on," and exited out into the hall. As soon as I was out of the Library, I said hello and had a great conversation with my sister without bothering anyone else. We talked for about 10 minutes, and then I excused myself from the phone call to finish my school work. We said good bye to each other, and I reentered the Library. Before I could get to my seat, I was distracted by a nice looking, preppy girl talking on her phone at her computer. She was not trying to be inconspicuous at all, and was loudly talking to her friend. Her one sided conversation went something like this:

"Oh I know! Yeah she is so totally out of her league… I don't know what Tanner sees in her at all… Oh I know…the other night I saw the two of them together, and I was like, so SICKO!...No. When we were dating he was always really nice…No. I'm at the Library at school…."

Alright, that's enough…I can't handle it any more. By then I had sat down and was trying to get back into my homework. But who could do work when you are listening to that. It was not like she was trying to be quiet. That is when I had a great image cross though my mind. Here is what I was thinking:

"What a bimbo! Can't she read the sign that is right next to her? (I think she was actually playing with it as she was talking) Maybe I should tell her. You know what I should do…oh this is great…I'll pick up my phone like someone was calling me and say, "Oh HIIIIII….how are you? Oh yeah…like totally! Oh wait…I'm in a library right now and the sign says that talking on the phone might distract people. Maybe I should go outside and talk like the sign says…Ok…I'll do that!" Hee Hee! Maybe that will get her attention…"

But before I could be bodacious, she ended her conversation, "Ok… yeah, I better go too. I so love-a you! Bye" and hung up the phone. Dang it! I was getting excited to carry out my plan. Probably a good thing. My facetiousness usually gets me in trouble. And I wonder why I don't have a girlfriend…Hmmm…Oh well. Moral of the story…Stay off your phone in public places, respect those around you, and follow the blasted signs!

Environment and Rhetoric

2008-09-20T09:47:00.004-06:00

So school has been in for three weeks now i think. It's been busy, but good to get out. I have one class everyday Monday through Thursday. It's actually been quite nice. One of my classes is ENG 150, Writing and Rhetoric. Perfect for me. I love to argue and persuade, and I enjoy writing so this should be good. So I get to the class and take a seat. On the projector there is a slide show of beautiful pictures of nature. I though, "Wow! That's nice." Then in walked the teacher. She started talking about the environment. I figured that she would bring it around to writing and rhetoric, but an hour went by and she was still going. "And this tree........blah blah blah..." Well come to find out, the class is Writing and Rhetoric on Environmental Issues!!! BLEH!!! If you know me, I am not an environmentalist. Screw the whales, and drill the oil! Oh well. Hopefully it will hone my writing skills.

Adrenaline

2008-09-07T19:53:00.002-06:00

So I have had many requests to explain the amazing, adventurous experience of skydiving! (this is also for Marcie who wishes to live vicariously through me as she put it) Wow...where to begin. Hmmmm...As I contemplate where to begin, I continue to go further and further back. Let us start on the drive there. Lizzie was driving, her mother in the front seat, myself behind Lizzie's mother, and Shaylee (Lizzie's friend) beside me. We were all bursting with excitement, yet also trepidation. For those of you who know me, you will laugh knowing that it was here, in the car, where I had the thought, "You know...I could get a whole winter wardrobe with the money that I am going to spend here!" The closer we got to the jump site, the more tempting it got! We got to the site at The Tooele Airport near the Great Salt Lake, and waited around for the rest of our group to get there. Eventually everyone got there, but we really wanted to go, so we turned in all our paperwork before everyone else. Before you go, you have to watch a video basically telling you that you will die, but you can't sue the company, etc. Then we waited for another hour or so till they called our names to suit up. We were all giddy and ready to go. It was so funny to see how each person dealt with the anxiety of the wait. Shaylee was more of the silent pensive type. Lizzie was polar opposite and was bouncing off the walls. It was actually rather cute. In fact, at one point we were talking to another lady who was watching her husband jump and Lizze asked the question, "how old is your 23 year old?" It was really funny!

So finally our names were read over the intercom. "Lizzie, Scott, and Shaylee…it's time for you three to suit up." So off we ran into the tent. I met my tandem partner named Utah, and he began to suit me up into my harness! Lizzie was being suited up next to me and we laughed, joked, and tried to keep our nerves at bay. The three of us had all purchased a video and pics of our skydive, so each of us had a camera man who would jump out in front of us, and film/take pictures of our jump! So they came and introduced themselves, and began a documentary of our jump. It was a lot of fun. Eventually the time came, and we left to go board our plane. As Utah and I were boarding the plane, he told me we were going to do this and that, and all these rolls/ crazy things. I told him, "Go ahead and do whatever you want! I am up for anything. And I really was. I wanted it to be totally fun. Lizzie and I were talking afterward about how much trust we put into those guys…kind of scary! But anyway… we boarded the plane and we were off. You know…the thought of turning back never really did cross my mind. I really wasn't that nervous.

So off we climbed into the sky. As I'm looking out the window, Utah was strapping me on to him real tight, and began to tell me what we were going to do. He told me, "Ok…remember all that stuff you watched in the movie?" "Yeah I said," confident that I had listened well. "Well forget all of it…we're going to do something different. He told me that he wanted me to just squat at the door with my toes over the edge, and that the camera man, who would be hanging outside the plane would just pull me out and flip us. WE were going to be pulled out, flipped inverted, and we would freefall, without even the steady parachute, headfirst toward the ground. Then he would tap my shoulder which meant that I was to go into the banana position (Arch my back like a banana, and put my hands out as if I were flossing my brain…there are pictures of this position further down.) So He repeated this a couple of times, and told me how crucial it was that I hit each position at just the right time. I was pretty excited!

Well, suddenly the light came on for one minute until drop. I think that's when it hit me that I was up in the air at 13,000 ft, and was getting ready to jump out of an airplane!!! That's when my heart began to pound. I could feel and hear my heart pounding in my ears and my throat. The next thing I knew, I saw Lizzie getting up, standing by the door…and then she was gone! And suddenly I was moving my hands and pushing myself forward toward the door. This won't be too bad I thought…they're going to pull me out…all I need to do is hit the right positions at the right time.

So there I was…the camera man was out of the plane, and I had moved forward. My toes were over the edge, and I was squatting. I looked out and saw the ground so far away. I would like to say that I was really conscious of everything around me…but I really wasn't. The next thing I knew, my sight was tilted and my whole body felt like it was being tickled. It was such a surge of excitement and fear. I was out of the plane and flying through the air. I remember seeing my feet, and watching the plane disappear quickly. The air licked at every part of my body as I consciously realized that I was flying headfirst straight toward the ground. It was intense. It was not until later that I realized that I was going 172 mph during that inverted freefall! We went so fast that we actually flew past Lizzie and her partner without even knowing it! Whew!!! Talk about a rush! Eventually Utah tapped me, and I went into the banana position which is what most of the pictures show us as. Out of nowhere I suddenly saw my photographer fly out in front of me and got in for some close pics. I remember thinking in my head that I was actually getting tired. But you really do not feel like you're falling. I'm not sure really how to explain it, but it was an amazing feeling. Suddenly I felt a small lurch, and watched my photographer fly right past me as our parachute broke out, catching us leaving us suspended in the air. I looked up at my Parachute to see that it was blue. Weird thought, but that's what popped into my head.

All I could do was hang there and look out at everything around me! I could see the Great Salt Lake, Utah Lake, and the Crater in the ground. Utah turned me just in time to see Shaylee and her tandem partner pull up their parachute! That was neat to watch! It was actually kind of scary, because you also saw her photographer drop further on…I guess that's when you really understand how fast you were going. So at this point Utah handed me the handles of the parachute and allowed me to steer us. He told me to pull my left hand down to my knee. I did…and we started to spin, slowly at first, until we were flying round and round. We were going so fast that all the blood ran into my feet and caused them to pulsate and hurt as if I had the worst case of foot fallen asleep! I straightened us out, and we then spun the other way. This time I bent my legs when the pain began to come. That eased the burning. It was really neat to fly the parachute. With just the pull of your hand, you directed where you went! I loved it! Eventually we made it over to the drop area, and shot down low. I had to raise my legs up as if I were sitting, and allow Utah to put his feet down first. His feet hit, and then mine did! We were the only ones who made a standing landing that day! Because of our abnormal freefall, we were the first ones to make it down to the ground. All the people waiting there cheered, and my video guy came up to finish the documentary! Wow! What a rush!

So there you have it! That was my adventure in the sky. (Marcie I hope that you felt some of the excitement as you lived vicariously through my words!) It was so much fun! I would definitely encourage anyone who gets the chance to go! It's so much fun. So get out there and have some fun…I think I'll go hang gliding next weekend…

I am a skydiving STUD!!!!

2008-09-06T22:14:00.002-06:00

So here are the pics of me and my spontaneous skydiving trip!!

SPONTANEITY

2008-09-06T11:11:00.002-06:00

So after yesterdays post of wanting to extricate myself from the world, I have been given an opportunity that I am going to take! I love spontaneity, and today....I am about to be spontaneous. I woke up at 9:00 am like I usually do on a typical Saturday morning, and then stayed in bed for the next hour checking my emails, Facebook, and this blog. There wasn't much to look at today, so I started to get off. Just as I was closing out the web browser, up popped a chat from my friend Lizzie Markham. And out of nowhere, she invites me to go skydiving with her today! Do I go and do something absolutely nuts, or do I go about with the rest of my "typical" Saturday? So I told Lizzie to hold on as I called my sister to find out if I should go. I called Janey and she was all for it...So I flipped back to my computer and told Lizzie that we're on! AHHHHHHHHH! I can't believe it! I am going skydiving in less than 5 hours. I went out and told my boys and they went nuts. They were all laughing, and hugging me, and giving me high-fives. They're so funny. So there you have it. I woke up today planning on reading my BIO reading assignment and the last few chapters of Twilight, and now I am off to jump out of an airplane! So this is a call out to everyone....go be spontaneous! It is pretty exciting.

Don't Forget to Vote

2008-09-05T17:49:00.001-06:00

Just a small reminder...Don't forget to vote on the poll to the right!

Ready to Run!!!

2008-09-05T08:28:00.003-06:00

One of the most awful feelings is to give some job, relationship, or activity a great amount of time and energy, and then watch it all come crashing down around you. And what makes it worse, is when it comes down because of one whom should be praising you for your efforts. Forgive me for my frustrations…I have a boss who is making life miserable for me right now. All honesty, I think he is mad at me for leaving, and not taking him up on his offer to stay. He has been going behind my back and saying negative things to people that I care about. I just can't get over how unprofessional some of the "Real World" is. Right now, I would just like to run away! Escape all the absurdities, stress, and nepotism that goes on in the work place. How great it would feel to go escape to the lake or the beach, to kick off the shoes and wade in the shallow parts. To go climb up into a tree house and reminisce days of old. How great it would feel to relax a bit and do something audacious, or have a sleepover where you stay up late, drink carbonation (I don't drink carbonation) and eat too much pizza. I want to burn something…sneak ice cream form Mom's freezer….I want to go speeding down the road. To pull out old army men and play in a puddle. I want to be a kid. Why do we want to grow up so fast? Sigh… I'm ready to run…

Answers to Tootin’

2008-09-04T15:04:00.002-06:00

Alright…for those of you anxiously awaiting the answers to my most recent post…the time has come. Here are the answers. Feel free to leave comments.

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

4: Two into the towers, one into the Pentagon, and one in a Pennsylvania field

Could be any of the following… Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, Cleveland, McKinley: I chose Grant

Dick Cheney

Theodore Roosevelt or Thomas Jefferson

Clinton or Johnson…Nixon resigned…he was not impeached

Well there you have it….how did you do?

Tootin' my Horn!

2008-09-03T07:46:00.003-06:00

OK, so I have to toot my horn for a bit. Yesterday classes started for me at BYU Salt Lake Center. My first class was an American Heritage class, and we were all given a quiz of common things about our country that we should know. We were given five minutes. This was the quiz.

1. Who was the father of the Declaration of Independence?
2. Who was the father of the Constitution?
3. How many planes crashed during 9/11?
4. Name one President after Lincoln's Assassination, but before the turn of the century?
5. What President was in office the longest?
6. Who is the Vice President today?
7. Besides Washington and Lincoln, name one of the other two men on Mount Rushmore.
8. Name one of the two Presidents impeached by the house of Representatives.
9. What time period was the Revolutionary War?
A. 1650-1700 B. 1700-1750 C. 1750-1800 D. 1800-1850 E. 1850-1900
10. What time period was the Civil War?
A. 1650-1700 B. 1700-1750 C. 1750-1800 D. 1800-1850 E. 1850-1900

There you have it! See how well you can answer. Answers will follow! So I took this test in under a minute. And I was so excited, because out of the whole class...I was the only one who scored a perfect paper! Toot Toot! Wa ha ha! OK, OK...forgive my facetiousness! So here's the ticker. The next highest score was a 5/10. Pretty sad huh? Already on my first day of class, I was getting evil looks. "Dirty little punk...giving all the answers!" "Let's get him after class." "Who's that cute kid answering all the questions right?" Hee Hee! Well...I have to get to class! Til next time!

Discussions of the Future President

2008-08-17T19:11:00.001-06:00

I recently watched a rerun of the Saddleback forum that took place last Friday. I admit, I was completely intrigued by the questions, as well as the answers. Pastor Rick Warren was not afraid to ask hard questions, which made for some interesting answers. I have been a long time critic of John McCain, but I was honestly impressed by many of his answers. A few of his comments, such as one regarding his failed first marriage, were rather incriminating to himself (I plan to write a future post on this subject). Obama contemplated deeply on each question as if he were trying to produce the quintessential answer. Surprising to me was that McCain was confident and firm about each answer, and was not afraid to share what he believed in.

Each question seemed to have a future argument attached to it. It seemed that Obama recognized this and was very cautious in formatting his replies. I was impressed with Obama's audacity when he said he would not support a constitutional agreement stating a definition of Marriage, even when he believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Both Presidential hopefuls agreed with same definition of marriage, and both agree with letting the states decide for themselves. In an odd contradiction, McCain did articulate that he would push a Federal Constitutional Amendment if a decision was made in his home state, Arizona, to allow same Sex Marriages. I am not sure what I think of McCain's comment on Adoption. He expressed that he would like to make it easier to adopt in the United States. I would not mind adopting myself, but my experience in the field of Psychology has opened my eyes to the number of dysfunctional parents who were and are allowed to adopt. In some quick research I discovered that McCain and his second wife Cindy adopted a child in 1993 at the request of Mother Teresa. In one article, he complained over all the unrelated questions that were asked of him and his family. McCain called Americans to, "Serve a cause greater than your self-interests" while Obama discussed his own and the nations selfishness. This "separated" debate was a first in U.S. history. It showed that these candidates could discuss matters without bashing each other. This being said, I look forward to the upcoming and imminent debates.

Greetings

2008-08-10T23:52:00.000-06:00

Hello, Hello, Hello. It's about time that i got my own Blog. I've been reading though other Blogs and I do have to say...there are many different ways to Blog. Some have pics of family and tell of each little thing that goes on in their life. Others are all about getting their opinion out for the whole world (the few people who care about them) to see. So basically there are lots of different ways to do this. Who know;s what mine will end up being. So I'm just going to give it a shot and see what comes out!