nevermind

Well... I guess it doesn't matter now. Bret, PLEASE don't metion it to him since I guess he already found out and had it out with her this weekend... but the girl that tracked me down and that I've been "seeing" recently was Shanna. I don't doubt that you and or Tevs had already figured that out... by me not wanting to say anything... but she assured me she wanted absolutly nothing to do with Kipp because of what he did during and after the marriage and divorce. I want you to be able to keep your friendship with Kipp, but I think I may have been wrong trying to keep this from you and Tevs. Shanna was just worried that he'd be upset... which aparently, he was. I was under the impression that she didn't want anyone to know untill we knew if we'd actually start seeing each other, or have to worry about telling anyone, or making it official. But it comes to this. There will be nothing to come of us, and there was nothing that happened... which I'm glad, becuase I had the chance and denied her... that is SO not like me... Tevs, you know that.

So.... why do I write this? Well... like Bret, this is the closest thing to a journal I have. Although this might not have been the best way to inform you of my secret "girlfriend" that never was, but I record it in part for my own benefit and in part to get it out. I have to say, I had a good weekend, and when it came down to it, nothing happened. But the thought of marring a girl, with ready made cousins for my nephews (that are already friends) seemed like a very apealing idea... plus, we all know how she and I made eyes at each other that night she came over for dinner.

Oh, well. Another failed relationship. I'm just about one shy of turning gay.

Bret, I'm sorry if I've comprimised your friendship with Kipp. For what it's worth, you can sleep well knowing that nothing happened. AND, if he asks... you can honestly say you didn't know anything about it.

The Park on Monday

Well, just a quick little blog here. We just got back from the park. Now, normally this wouldn't be so amazing that I would want to blog about it, but this particular trip to the park was quite eventful. Bret drove us to this park so that we could play and enjoy the nice weather. Oh, by the way, Jacob Webb is here with us for a couple of days. So, here we are at the park, and everything was just normal as can be. Kids swinging, adults pushing, blah blah blah! Well, somehow, I am not quite sure how, a nice little game of tag errupted! We were running around the play equipment chasing each other and laughing so much. It was so fun running and playing. I realized just how out of shape I am in. I could never catch Jake or Bret. They are so fast. I had such a fantastic time laughing and playing together with the kids and with the other kids! LOL!!!! It was so fun to watch Bret and Jacob jumping and running all over the playground. They are still pretty fast and agile. I felt like an old lady!!!

Now here is the highlight. I was it. I was chasing Bret around in the sand, around the play equipment and all of a sudden, BLAM! I was eating dirt. I totally tripped up and did a face plant in the sand. I was laughing so hard! I had sand in my mouth, in my teeth, in my hair, on my clothes, it was fantastic! There was a girl on the swings and bret said she made a funny face after watching me eat it! I haven't had so much fun in so long. I forgot how much fun it is to play. I think Jarek and Malik had a good time too. We should probably play more often!!!

junket

Just wanted to use my word of the day. Kathy's junket to the city with Scott was fun for her, but seemed to disappoint Scott. He was sad all weekend, and even left church early. He did email her this morning saying he read his scriptures last night and was doing better. love sure makes it hard to be happy all the time. He wants Kathy, she wants Boomer, Boomer isn't allowed to like her, Scott hates Boomer, it is such a circle over here. :) I love my word of the day calendar. there are just some things in life that make each day a bit brighter, like having this family Blog. I even went out and spent a little extra to buy Christmas lights that stay on even if one goes out. I'll see if it works. we bought a white-lighted deer two years ago, and this year, we can't get half of the lights on the one side to light. ugh. I am in the Christmas spirit! I love this time of year! poor dad, he had a bad weekend. he hurt his thigh in basketball, got one of those "I saw you go through the red light photo" tickets, and he is not happy with the choir at church. he did get the dishwasher in, so that should make him happy. I sure am! thanks, Hon and Tom! work is still a stress to him. I made him a good dinner by candlelight, but the only thing that seems to cheer him up is reading Harry Potter. :) well, I am off to walk, it is 45 outside today!!!

thanksgiving

we had lots of fun with all the chaos and little kids. it was different for me. I didn't get to play any games, but I did enjoy watching the Ward kids act like they were in toy heaven, going from room to room playing all our stuff. we had plenty of food, 20 people, and Miya and Greg came over later at 7 for pie. I tried not to eat too much, but she brought over this delicious chocolate pie. yummie! I had already had pumpkin pie, but, oh well. so I will have to be good for awhile. we had been invited to go bowling with the ketchesons at 8, but everyone was still here. the Wards couldn't get their kids to leave. Megan, 4, drove me crazy, as usual, opening cupboards and my frig, going upstairs and bringing down stuff, without any supervision from her parents. Kathy and Tom impressed everyone with DDR, and everyone tried it, including most of the adult women and all the Ward kids. they loved it. Ana DeMoura intends to buy it now. they played chinese ping pong, and that was a hit. Kathy had fun in the city. what a wonderful experience she will always remember. she ate at Tavern on the Green in Central Park, saw the show at Radio City music hall, stayed over night and had a wonderful time seeing what the family she stayed with live like in Manhattan, and got to see the parade. she is a lucky girl. we missed you all, but kept busy. I was glad we had decided to invite over a big crowd. I was exhausted by 9, and in bed by 10. hope you all had as much fun.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I think most of you have probably seen this movie by now, so I thought I would blog about it. We saw it Friday evening (thanks Tevs for arranging a babysitter!) with some friends. We saw it at the CineCapri, which is the largest movie screen in AZ (not IMAX). It was exciting to get in line, though the line seemed mostly comprised of children. The theater clapped and cheered as the movie started - so it felt like Star Wars.

To start out, I must remind everyone that I have not particularly enjoyed the Harry Potter movies. I love the books, but the first two movies I didn't like all that much. The third I loved, mostly due to the fact that Alfonso Cuaron directed it, and I love his style. I was, however, looking forward to this movie - and had just reread the book recently.

I would have to say that for the most part I was disappointed. I know they have to take a long book and shorten it, but it seems like they left out some good stuff and kept some stuff in that didn't need to be there. An example would be Rita Skeeter. If they weren't going to show what happens to her (thanks to Hermione), why would they even have her character in the film? The movie seemed strung together with little flow. You don't even really get to see who wins the Quidditch World Cup. I understand that the movie is made mostly for fans of the books, and so we know, but it seemed silly to leave little things like that out. I also did not like the directing/acting. Hermione did a good job, but Ron, the twins, Mr. Weasley, and others seemed uninterested. I was especially underwhelmed by Dumbledore's acting. Maybe this is more because I really did love Richard Harris in the first two movies (one of the few things I liked). In this film Dumbledore seemed mean and not calm, like I picture him in the books. He even pushes and is semi-violent towards Harry when he finds his name has come out of the goblet of fire. That is definitely not how it happens in the book.

In the end we did have fun. I think most people will love the movie. It is always hard to see movies of books you love, since the director will have a different view of things. I also find it so weird that they change so much at times. I understand this is necessary to shorten the time of the movie, but I thought they would have had it right to make two movies out of this book like they had originally planned. Then we could have seen more fun things like S.P.E.W.

I will probably end up seeing it again on DVD at some point, but for me, the movie was not all that great. Sorry Potter fans - but I say we demand Cuaron be brought back for number 6! I think they already have a director for number five.

I did like Voldemort. Mr. Fiennes did a good job.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I wish we could all be together, see the parade, have biscuits and berries, and play games. that would be my perfect Thanksgiving. ( this includes you, Jacob Webb!) but, I will be happy with having over the DeMouras and Wards, set a fun table with Kathy, and watch the parade on tv. dad wants to set tables up in the family room so we can all sit together, (15 people), and then play games. kathy wanted to go to the parade really bad, as did I, but Tom didn't. since they are having a turkey bowl that morning for the YM, we decided to go Tom's way. Kathy is going to the city with Scott on Wed to see the Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes. now she may stay later and watch them blow up the big balloons for the parade. if she does, I may talk dad into going down and seeing that also. fun! I have Christmas music on, and am ready! from Sept to Jan 1st is always my favorite time of year. I hope all the visits with my family went well.

Vague news brief...

Life is funny... ok, so maybe not life itself so much as how it unfolds sometimes. I don't want Bret and Tevs to feel like I'm keeping anything from them, but... I am. This last week I was tracked down and contacted by an old friend. Maybe not so much as a friend, more like an acquaintence. Okay, so, not even an acquaintence, more like, uh... we met once before a long time ago. Under the circumstances that we met, we were unable to really get to know each other... it was a complicated situation. Apparently there was some attraction and maybe even chemisty at our first meeting though because she and I both thought of trying to find each other again to get to know one another a little more. She, however, took the thought one step further and actually found me. That is a story in itself, but we'll just say she did.

So this last week or so she and I have been in communition with one another and getting to know each other. We live in different states so our conversation is all by phone, text, email, and IM. I love technology! (kinda like the Napoleon Dynamite song, for those of you who've seen the very end of that movie) Anyway... she and I seem to have quite a bit in common... it's almost scarry just how much. I guess at this point it's hard to say, but I think we both could see this resulting in marriage. She's a little older than me, has some children (perfect cousins for my nefews) and is LDS... oh and of course, very attractive, and apparently attracted to me too. Sounds good, right? I think so... but like I siad, our first meeting was a complicated situation and it remains as such. So, for the time being, I just want you all to know I am looking forward to what this year may bring for me. In fact... she is supposed to be coming up here in a couple of weeks for her brother's wedding reception and she and I are going to get together. I'll probably let you all know how that goes, and barring unforseen... uh... complications... I'll keep you informed on everything else as well... maybe. :)

Wedding and a great surprise.

Just this weekend we went up to my parents house for my brother Quentin's wedding. Risa and I got to leave from the Valley on Friday morning, and this ended up being a great help to my mother, as she was starting to get very stressed with everything coming down to the wire. We were able to help with the decorating and last minute details. My kids were so good, especially since they had two of their cousins to play with while we worked.

I was sad because I really wished that my brother Jacob could be there, but had consigned myself to the fact that he just couldn't make it. On saturday morning we were all sitting around the table talking about Jacob when all of a sudden he comes walking in the back door. I thought I was going to pee my pants! I jumped up on him and hugged him and started crying. My mom and sister also ran over and were hugging him and crying. Good job Jake, making all of the women in your family burst into tears of happiness. That was such a fantastic surprise I still get teary eyed just thinking about it. That was one of the best surprises ever. Thanks for coming Jacob. It meant a lot to everyone!!!!!

Back to the wedding part. The wedding itself only took four minutes. They, Quentin and Yesenia, opted out of the ring ceremony and the rest was very short. I was taking the picuters and as always am very nervous that they aren't going to turn out as well as I expect them to. But wait, this isn't about me!

Quentin's new wife, Yesenia, looked very beautiful, and my brother looked very handsome! They looked happy.

The reception was very fun too. We had a delicious dinner, catered by our favorite mexican food restaurant, La Casita. I could eat there every day, the food is so good. They had a live band that Yesenia's friend/coworker hired so that we could have a dance. That was so much fun!!!! Unfortunately, halfway through the dinner our kids started to have meltdowns. Malik was so super tired that he fell asleep while Jacob was holding him, and Jarek was having a really bad earache. Ultimately, we had to take them back to my parents house which meant that Bret had to miss out on all the dancing fun. On a side note, Jarek's ear started oozing again at about 3:00 in the morning. I am taking him to the doctor today.

My sister and I had so much fun dancing all night. Many of Yesenia's cousins asked her to dance and she is so good at it. I tried dancing with one of her cousins, but I am just not a good follower when I dance with a partner. I can do fine if it is just everyone dancing around, but any dancing that requires coordination, like swing or salsa or any of that, I am not so great at. But I had fun, and he was nice enough not to tell me I was horrible. Maybe that was because he didn't speak very good english! :) All in all it was a fun night for me. Not so much so for Bret though. Sorry babes.

It will be fun getting to know Yesenia, she seems like a really nice girl, and her family was very nice too. I hope that she and my brother are happy in their lives, and that they will strive to make it to the temple.

With the two weddings we had this year between our families, I learned something important. Parents are crazy. Maybe, hopefully, I will not get crazy when my kids get married. I doubt that, but at least, being the oldest kid, I will learn what to do and what not to do when our kids get married by all the mistakes and good choices our parents made. We shall see. ~~~~~~

Peace out.

kathy ACT

Kathy got her results today! 26!!!!!!!!!! yeah! we are so happy for her. that should be good enough to get in.

The Old Lady

Two weeks ago I sang in church. So I had to get to church early in order to pratice with the guys I was singing with. I decided to walk since we are fairly close to the chapel and it was a beautiful morning. On the way to church I noticed an old lady walking across the street from me. She looked quite old and had difficulty walking. She noticed me looking at her and said hello. I was feeling more cheerful and friendly than usual, so I responded with a hearty 'good morning' and smiled. Next thing I know she is crossing the street and asks if she can walk with me.

Now, I am not really very nice to strangers. I can blame it no NY or it might just be my personality, but I try to avoid interaction with strangers. But I was feeling inspired and couldn't imagine being rude enough to say "no." So we walked to church as I asked her about her life. She was a widow living in Phoenix with her son. She said she was very lonely and pointed which street she lived down. I told her about my family and how long I had lived in AZ. Abruptly we arrived at church and, without knowing quite what to say, we said goodbye and went our separate ways.

This encounter has had an unusual effect upon my life. First of all, I was happy that someone found me friendly enough to want to walk with me. Maybe some of my NY crust is falling off (no eye contact, ever!). But mostly it was what I didn't do that has bothered me. Certainly I was being kind and was interested in her stories, but I wasn't interested in her. I think this is what keeps me from being a better person. Afterwards I thought of many things I could have done. I could have invited her to church. I could have found out exactly where she lived and have home teachers - or better yet me - visit her. My family could have had a large impact on her life, and vice versa. But I didn't do any of those things. I was scared, uninterested, and busy. This is one area I would like to improve my life in. I want to be more interested in helping and being a part of those around me. I want to give more.

Later that week on my perfunctory trip to the gas station to get Gatorade after basketball at 11 PM, the cashier asked me a question and I actually answered - and asked him a question! We talked for a few minutes and I hope that I made his tough night at work a little better - either that or he thinks I'm gay. :-)

The Impact of Religion

For the past couple of weeks I have been reading two books (well, reading one and listening to another): The Handmaid's Tale and The Giver. They are actually similar books set in a distant future. I have enjoyed them both (I have read the Giver before and loved it). The Handmaid's Tale, as far as I can tell so far, seems to be about how religious extremism could lead to a terrible future. And I agree with this. But it has made me wonder what effect these types of books have on society. Similar books, like 1984, had huge impacts on society to help us avoid a "communistic" future. So does a book like the Handmaid's Tale have too big an impact? In other words, does it affect people to avoid religion at all - instead of extremism? I fear that this is what happens in our society - and it scares people to be religious at all instead of being "too" religious. It seems to be happening in the regular world. With strange stories now of not being able to have the ten commandments on display, or use the word "God" in the pledge of allegiance, or the large discussion about 'intellingent design," it seems people are getting more and more afraid of religion. And what might happen is the creation of a further divide between the religious right and the liberal left. People will be forced to choose extremes, instead of principles, and will be judged for it.

This came up with the recent nomination of Bush's friend for supreme court justice. Since she attended church, it was assumed she was too conservative and couldn't be objective (I am not supporting her nomination here, just making a point). Soon someone will judge me as being religious or not based upon some extreme notion such as abortion or euthanasia (sp?) or evolution, and NOT upon the fact that I believe in a God or pray with my family. I will be judged both by believers and non-believers in this extreme way. It is thinking like this that make me fear the future as we divide as a world no longer in communist vs. capitalist (that battle is over), but religious vs. non-religious (moral vs. amoral?). We already see this in the issues of the middle east as Muslim countries perceive the USA as immoral and sinners. And this makes them ready to kill and sacrifice to eliminate our poison from entering their world. And we see their extremism as "illogical" and "crazy," based upon some belief in a false god, and perhaps just as easily can justify killing.

Not even looking at the scriptures, the logical next world issue would seem to be religious in nature. Even if a country like ours (USA) says that our exportation of democracy is not religious in nature, in reality it is. We are convinced in our minds due to our heritage of religion and freedom of religion that all men should have this choice. We separate it from religion in our minds, but it is seen as evangelistic to other nations. As we export democracy we also export our religion - or anti-religion. There is no way to separate it from who we are. We may say they are separate (church vs. state), but they never can truly be separated. That is why we see left vs. right being much more agnostic vs. believer.

In the end, I enjoy reading how we can take religion to an extreme and limit ourselves as humans from the experiences we need to learn in this world. But I fear that these types of books can scare people from religion - and see all religion as extreme or radical. We know that this is not true. The gospel of Christ accepts all men and women and understands the need for free will.

omen?

Cool thing happened last night on the way home from book club. My friend was driving, and we saw something in the middle of Jackson road up ahead of us. it was too small for a deer, and too big for a raccoon or skunk. as we got closer, it looked like just a plastic bag blowing, and then, when we were right on top of it, it was a huge owl! she had to swerve to avoid it, and when she got within one foot of it, it dropped whatever it had in its claws, and flew off, and the other animal ran out under our car and off into the woods. I never had that happen before. Really cool.
Hey, why is no one blogging? It is Kathy's birthday today, the big 18! of course, she has not been here all day, ran in at 5 to change and redo her makeup and hair and they all went out to dinner. then her friends are coming over tonight, but not for a party, just to chill. she did not want a 'party'. I guess an official party these days has too many responsibilities and expextations. so we got her a DQ cake and soda and chips, and we will chill also and watch the Matrix Reloaded, although why we are going to watch it, I don't know, since I still don't get the first one, and we all heard this one was even harder to understand and not very good. hey, what else are we gonna do on a Friday night? love ya all.