Revenge of the Sith

I haven't posted in a while, due mostly in part to the fact that my brother and his fiancee were here - so I didn't have much time to spend on the computer. The other reason is we were busy watching Revenge of the Sith and shoveling rock. Thanks for the help Jake.

Regarding the movie - here is my review:

I have waited literally decades for this moment. Star Wars has been a huge part of my life. Some of my first memories involve seeing Empire Strikes Back with my aunt Kathy. I remember seeing Return of the Jedi with my father while most of downtown SLC had rivers in place of streets. I recall getting into the books written by Timothy Zahn that carry on the story of Luke, Han, and Leia. Then the dozens of other books I read as part of what fans call the "Expanded Universe" of Star Wars.

I remember waiting to see Episode I with my family in NY - even though the theater wasn't that great. I think I saw it multiple times and loved it - though it received a lot of negative criticism. Three years later Attack of the Clones made me fall in love again. And here years later, the last of the films was released. I have been anxiously awaiting this day for years. How could it possibly live up to expectations? I purchased opening midnight tickets to the digital theater and restlessly awaited that moment. Wednesday I did little at work except think about that night. When time came to go, we loaded up with Tevia, Jake, and Cari (sp?). Tevia and I had digital tickets. Jake and his girl did not. But as we entered the line, the people in front of us had two tickets to sell. I ran to get Jake and they were able to see it with us in the digital theater. Even nicer, they let us into the theater 3 hours early, so we could wait indoors in nice seats instead of outside in the heat. Kip eventually joined us and we enjoyed speaking with the many fans around us. Our theater had some people dressed up, but the crazy fans seem to have missed out on the digital format, and were in the mile-long line outside having lightsaber duels, etc.

There was talk of the movie starting early - and we were all excited. But they changed their mind and we had to wait until midnight. When the movie began the theater erupted. We were in the third or fourth row from the front, so our seats weren't awesome, but they weren't bad. The opening scene (and I have now seen it twice) is perhaps the most amazing battle scene I have ever scene. It was beautiful and amazing. This film will change the way films are made in the future.

I was aware of many of the spoilers, though I tried to avoid them. I therefore knew much of what would happen. But I was pleasantly surprised by a few things. I found the acting some of the best in the series, and it moved very fast. It certainly was the darkest, and felt it merited the PG-13 it received. My biggest surprise was how well Mr. Lucas was able to help the viewer sympathize with Anakin and his decisions. It was a great metaphore on how good people can be lead slowly down the wrong path until they have become something they never would have set out to be. It is even easy to say that he made correct decisions. It is very true that passion and love, though great gifts from God, can blind us. The Emperor did a fantastic job of showing how manipulative he is. He is pure evil - and like the devil can ensnare us with lies and manipulation. He manipulates everybody in this film: from his apprentice Count Dooku to the Jedi Council to Anakin himself. He plays a great evil character that meshes beautifully with his acting in Return of the Jedi.

I also saw how many times Anakin could have been saved had somebody just reached out to him. Mace makes a fatal mistake of not letting Anakin go with him to arrest Palpatine (due to his nontrust in Anakin). Had he brought him Anakin would have seen Palpatine's evil. Instead he arrives late, according to the Emperor's plan, and witnesses Mace about to kill the Emperor. He hadn't seen Palpatine murder three other Jedi. Instead he sees a man being bullied by a power-hungry Jedi. Obi-Wan later does nothing to convince Anakin that Padme did not lead Obi-Wan to Mustafar. Instead, Anakin continues to believe that Padme has betrayed him. Even wise Yoda does little to interfere with Anakin's path. Instead, all of these people slowly watch him lose control until it is too late. How often do we do the same with those around us?

The fight scenes were spectacular and some of the effects amazing. The end was pure sadness, as I couldn't help but cry during the exchange of Anakin and Padme, and eventually between a mutilated Anakin and Obi-Wan. "You were the chosen one!" The actors do an awesome job of showing the emotion, and as a viewer I can not help but feel their pain and suffering. You can not help but believe that Anakin is a good man deep down inside of an evil one. Like Lucifer of old, his good intentions can not justify the means. This film, unlike any other, ends on such a sad note that you almost leave the theater in pain - though this also could be juxtaposed with the feeling that this is the last of the films.

I loved this movie and understand why the critics did, too. I did not find it the best of the six (I think I still like Empire more), but it is a classic addition to the series. Fortunately for us we know the ultimate outcome - and this helps the movie to not be even darker. Especially the second time I saw it, I felt myself reaching out to Anakin - to help him see the other side. (I admit also that in almost every scene with Padme she looks JUST LIKE Tevia! This makes the movie even more dramatic and real to me, as I certainly would do anything for Tevia). I feel for Yoda as he fails. I feel for them all! It is an emotional film.

It ends with some great ties to the original trilogy - and throughout the film we get answers to questions left unanswered in other films: like why Obi-Wan tells Vader if he is killed he will become more powerful, or even an explanation of the virgin birth of Anakin. All in all, Lucas is a genius that has brought imagination - and even morals - to at least two generations. I thank him for that.

star wars stuff

ok, so we expected to see something here about the movie, even though my other Jacob isn't seeing it til this morning. we all saw it last night. of course, I will start with too much fighting for me. but that was a given. I like the bad guy-good guy theme stuff all the way through all of the trilogy. it got slow in a few places, and I would have added some side plots to keep people like me interested. I had a little kid next to me, about 9 or 10, who was with his 'big' brother, who was 12 or 13. they had cans of silly string, which they used every once and awhile to decorate the chairs in front of them. ( a bit distracting) what did I get out of it? courage. I will be praying for courage for me. I hardly ever pray for anything for me, and I know I could be more courageous. Yoda goes into a room, by himself, and confronts this huge universal bad guy. I loved that. why did he do it? cause he knew the force was with him. I know Heavenly Father is with us when we need Him, but do we always really feel that when we have to face daunting situations? I want a little yoda, so where is that little keychain one, jacob? what do I have to face that I need courage for? oh, I could give you a great list..... I ended up standing outside in my pj's this week, as you may recall. I have to face a stake president today, and find out if I am in YW or not, and I was tempted all week, even as skywalker was, that I am not good enough, or I am too rebellious to be the YW president. and so I get these rebellios feelings and feel like........ oh, better not tell my kids. so I pray for jacob and Cari to have the courage to move forward and only get married in the temple. and for Tev to be a great influence in Primary, and For Jarek to see his good and recognize his talents, and for my other Jacob to overcome whatever he has in his life, and Bret, you are pretty courageous, but do your home teaching!
yes, I liked the movie, and would see it again. Kathy and Tom loved it! dad is already at the temple with the missionaries and 2 new members he baptized. he will get home at 3, and then go right to stake conference. I think he liked it. love ya all, mom

jealous

Hi, I can write this cause no one else here hardly ever reads the blogs. I am glad you will all be together this week, and jealous that I am not there. yes, we are seeing StarWars and even already have our tickets for friday night at 7. it is sunny and I cleaned carpets, painted 2 walls in the kitchen, washed the windows inside and out in the green room, and still have energy. Tom is done with tennis. his back was really hurting him the last 2 weeks. we took Daisy to Quiet Acres last night for FHE. it was fun remembering all of our walks there. still no news on the YW presidency thing. it is driving me crazy. have fun together, and don't spoil the movie for us! love ya, mom

Dreams

Yeah Cari, I don't think you're a spaz for letting dreams effect you... I think Tevs will back me up on this one... I know she and I have similar dreams sometimes... the best ones are when you've been beating someone up all night, or fighting like in a war, or like you're a secret agent like Alias or Austin Powers... k, maybe not Austin... but you know...
It's kinda funny you mention the dream thing though... I've been reading the Harry Potter books lately. I want to get through them all again before the 6th comes out. Anyway, I'm on the 4th, still my favorite, and the other night I had a dream I was in the Triwizard Tournament.... it's not that I was Harry Potter or anything like that, but I was in the Tourney and it was way wierd... But I wasn't doing too bad... ya know, for not having any wizarding experience myself and for being a muggle and all. Anyway... there was one point that I woke up in a sweat, but I can't remember what was happening... oh well...
As for the running out at 6am to check the car... Yeah, I've done that one becuase of a dream too... us Honda owners are really the only ones who can know what it's like to worry about their cars like that... but at least the Precious has an alarm, so I'd hear her if something was wrong. :)

Vader's Blog

Ever want to read Darth Vader's blog? Well, you can. I found this very creative. It is also quite accurate, as this guy really has a good knowledge of the Star Wars universe. There are some things in here that made me crack up - but I warn you - if you don't know a lot of the Star Wars universe, it won't be as funny or impressive. One of my favorites is his day he has lunch with Boba Fett. It made me laugh. I also like his blog on mother's day about Padme. Check it out.

http://darthside.blogspot.com/

egos, emperors, and wookies

Congratulations on your achievments Darth Sith Jedi Master Bret!! I know just what you mean, it is nice to get even a simple "thank you" now and again from management/presidents/CFOs/big wigs. I know my efforts are appreciated around here... well... it's either my efforts or the way I keep everyone laughing around here.
Tevia... yes, you are very... well, in your own words, "persuasive." But I've yet to see lightning fly from your fingertips.. YET! But the jury is still out on you being the emperor or not.
Poor wookie. I'm with Tevs on this one... with gas prices where they are... I couldn't justify keepin him around... Not only does he seem to guzzle it up on the road, but apparently, if he's huffing now, that's just that much more down the drain... even if it is just fumes.

I wanted to anounce, the sun is out today in Provo, and I will be going golfing after work... I'd like to bring my clubs to play in AZ when I come in July... Don't know how feasible that'd be though... let me know what you think Darth Jedi Wall.

Ego Tripping

This week has been crazy. I apologize to Tevia for having to stay late and work on things, which is abnormal (luckilly). This week a few things that have happened that continue to show me in a good light in the company. We had a client come in this week (Tyco), and at the last minute I was asked to replace the director assigned to the client and present to them that day. I don't mind doing presentations, even sales ones, so I was able to pull off a great presentation with the five client visitors as well as some very high level Prudential people. I have been involved in many of these the past few months - including Bayer which we won their business and will be a well over million dollar client. Remember, I am not in sales. I received a lot of compliments from many people for my work with Tyco. Word also got around that I had replaced the other director and so many people in the department see me as the new superman - or the new Sofia (my old boss/mentor who was the greatest thing since sliced bread). The next day I was in a client presentation when the account executive on the account (which happens to be Prudential Financial - or own parent company) went on and on about how me and my team have changed our relationship with the client contact since it came to my team a year ago. At one point in the presentation the President of our company - Margery Marshall - just turned to me and started clapping - and everyone else stared at me and clapped. It was a strange feeling.

So I have felt very blessed this week to know that my company values me and that they feel I am good at what I do. Not that I haven't felt that before, but it is nice to receive recognition. I know that even a simple thank you can be heartfelt and make somebody's day. So I am trying not to get a big head - as I already suffer from enough cockiness - and keep doing my job. I love what I do. It has been busy, but I still don't work as much as many managers at my level.

On a separate note - the Wookie (my Jeep) started smelling like gasoline yesterday - very strongly. We let it sit and in the morning it still was very stong smelling, so I decided to take a better look. The Wookie then decided not to start! Crazy walking carpet! So I had him towed to the shop down the street (thanks AAA). They replaced the battery but found no leaks and smelled no gas. So I picked him up and wonder if he was just huffing yesterday or something. We'll see if he smells again. Tevia was ready to trade him in this morning. She must be like the Emperor - he hates Wookies - as you'll see in Episode III.

Use the Force Bret

Okay, so it has rained pretty much non-stop for the past 2 months it seems!!! Bret, I know you have control over the weather in the region you live... but do you think you could maybe extend that power, use the Force, or whatever it is you do and make it stop raining here?? I know Utah has been in like a 6 year drought or whatever, but come on, this is supposed to be a desert, droughts are expected... besides, I could care less if the entire state burned, cause in the mean time my new golf clubs are just gathering dust!
Speaking of golf, and the Force (two very different things come to mind)... first, the Force... my work rented out a movie theater to see Star Wars III on the 21st at 8am!!! we can bring whoever we want for free... just like they did for us for LOTR III and Harry Potter III... I'm SO excited... cause the only thing better than getting to see BIG movies that are coming out, is seeing them for FREE!!!!
As for the golf thing... although I haven't been able to hit the real links for some time, I met a girl who has Tiger Woods Golf on X-box... so we play that every now and then... and that's almost as fun... but not quite. :) I have to say though, I am better at the real deal than on X-box... yup, the last time I went golfing I hit a 10 over par... and that was after doing a 4 over on the first hole... so every other hole was either par or boggie golf!!
Anyway... Bret, please use the Force to give us some clear weather for the Real SL game this weekend... cause I can't seem to get these dang Mormons to stop praying for rain!!

construction, what I know...

So, I worked in a construction company for four years and learned a few things about the way a schedule is set up. And here is how it goes, the person who calls and complains the most and the loudest gets service first. Now, generally I am not the type of person who is a big wave maker. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and think that they are all nice and good and fair. So we have had our pool under construction since the middle of April and now we are in the second week of May and we are still waiting on this company to get a move on finishing up. The last thing they have to do is come out and start the pump and put in chemicals. The pool was finished being plastered on Saturday, and they said they would be out the next day (yeah right) to get everything going. Now mind you, they had already taken the last installment of our money, so in my mind I am expecting things to get done. Well, it is Tuesday and I have already called two times since yesterday morning with them reassuring me that someone will call me this afternoon. Well, as you can imagine, no call, so I call again, and this time I am quite irritated. The girl gets back on the phone after "checking" what the schedule is, and tells me that I am two more days out. I was mad. I interrupted her and said no way. I told her that I had paid in full and that I didn't want to be kept getting put off and put off because they had my money and didn't think it a priority to finish out the job until they felt like it. So I explained that I wanted them out here and that if they couldn't get someone out here, I wanted my service fee back for the part of the job they promised me would be done in a certain time frame and wasn't. Well she said "Hold on Mrs. Wall". So I did, and she came back and said I must be "lucky" because someone would be out today before five.
Moral of the story: Sometimes you really have to be the squeaky wheel to get things done, even if it isn't exactly your normal way of doing things.
I knew this from working construction, but didn't think that I would ever be the annoying woman on the other end that you just wanted to go away!!!!!
That is all.

The Dark Side Shrouds Everything

This week has been a week of sithspawn! It is funny how some weeks, like Tevia noted some days, just seem to go bad. Work has been crazy this week with so many typical big corporation bureaucratic mishaps, unaccountable employees and mishaps. Luckily for me, I am an optimist and can get through the days without too much strife - and then come home to a wonderful family that can make me forget the woes of the day. This week for the third month in a row our accounting group messed up the invoice to one of my clients. The third month in a row! The client called me fuming because so many of the mistakes were the same as the last two months. He knows the errors are not my fault, but I am the one who gets the calls and hears the complaints. I am the one who has to elevate the issue to senior management only to have the issue thrown about as no one wants to take responsibility. So what is the solution? I will audit all invoices from now on. No, I am not an accountant, I do not work in billing, I do not get paid for it, but if I want the client to be satisfied the only person that can do it is me. And this is just a small example. Now, I know this attitude is one of the reasons I have been very successful in my career, but sometimes you just get tired of taking everything on. My job responsibilities become blurred and it gets more difficult to focus on things that are truly important.

I still like my job, and I understand that these things go on everywhere, but it is good to vent from time to time. When you deal with things like this and then have to deal with two employees who start an email war telling the other one how much they don't like them and makes one of them cry, you just start to wonder. I think I was able to handle that one pretty well, though, as the one guy agreed he was in the wrong and apologized today. He came to me afterwards and said it must be tough to be a manager and have to deal with such dumb things. I agreed. But I know none of us are perfect and some days some people just really tick us off. Even me, believe it or not. There is this one guy that we play basketball with and for some reason he just bugs me. He is rude, cocky, annoying...just like most of us. I don't know what it is that just puts him in a league of his own. I told this to Kipp, and he agreed. For some reason this guy just bugs. Maybe he has a really bad spirit or something. So I try to be nice to him - but it is hard. (Not that I am mean to him, I'm not really that type of person).

Two weeks until Episode III. I am reading the book Labyrinth of Evil, which is the novel that leads up to the start of the movie - a PREQUEL to the prequel you could say. It is getting me psyched, like I wasn't already. I've heard from some good sources that this movie will make you cry. So be prepared.

Luck

It seems strange that one person would have such bad luck the whole day doing errands. I got in every line where the person in front of me had a problem and had to call the manager, and every time I got on the road to go to my next stop, someone cut me off, and two of the stores I went to didn't have what I wanted even though the same store in a different location had the stuff just two days before. I guess I am just glad that I got home safe and didn't fare worse. I will try to keep my luck just so and stay home the rest of the afternoon, Oh yeah, after I pick Jarek up from school. Have a lovely day.

Star Wars

When I purchased our midnight screening of Star Wars, I didn't realize it would cause such confusion. First of all, on the ticket confirmation it states May 18 12:01 showing. At first this didn't bother me, then I remembered that the movie is coming out on Thursday May 19, or so I thought, and 12:01 on May 18th was really the evening of Tuesday! I was very confused. At the same time, when I purchased them online, I just assumed it was for the digital theater since it was the only option. Then when I went on last night to look for tickets for my brother who is coming down to visit that week, I saw there were 4 options! How was I to know which screen I had, as there is only 1 screen with a digital projector.

To figure it out I called the theater and they were of little help. They said the ticket meant the "evening" of May 18, so that cleared that up, but to know which theater I had to actually pick up the tickets to see. So I drove to the theater and got my tickets. To my delight, our tickets are for the digital screen. To my brother's sorrow, the digital showing is sold out at midnight. However, he can still buy tickets to a midnight showing at the same theater, just not on a digital screen. (Jake Wall - call me for details). I am excited to see my brother and his girlfriend, since I won't be seeing them next week like originally anticipated. I think the code word we could use for the wedding debacle is: the "shoulda got married in December" incident. :-)

weddings, proms, and funerals

Ok, so I have lots of good reasons why I have not blogged. we have known 4 people that have died in the last 2 weeks, one cancelled wedding, and a prom that was probably bigger than a wedding. Yikes. Peggy Prettyman died last week. Curtis Larson's younger brother died in a car crash this week. Suzanne Hettinger's mom died yesterday. and the pope, don't forget about him. and one of dad's investigator's father had his funeral yesterday. I made cookies, lasagna, bread, sent tons of cards, shopped, prayed, and spent 4 hours working on girls camp today. Kathy is at the Yankees game with Mary Kate Moore tonight. Rite Aid lost our prom pics, and life just continues to throw stuff at us left and right. I am fine, smiling, and amazingly not stressed at all. I guess we learn how to handle and manage more and more. it is good practice for when we get to heaven and have to manage even more. :)

Weddings and no more weddings?

Last week we were able to go up to Snowflake to attend Tevia's cousin's wedding at the Snowflake Temple. I really like that temple. A lot of people complain that it is plain and boring, but I love it. The inside has some beautiful stained glass and a lot of Native American artwork and crafts. It gives a very different feel. I assisted Tevia with the photography after the sealing and then we headed to the reception in Lakeside.

The reception was at the church (same as our wedding), but this time it had the wonderful smell of lacquer! The floor had just been redone and it smelled terrible. Too bad. Tevia even felt sick from it and we had to leave early. It was good to see some people. That night Reyn, the groom, was sick all night - so they had a fun first night together!

Last night we went to the reception in Mesa. It was very nice. The weather was beautiful.

We're not sure about my brother's wedding, which was supposed to happen in two weeks. It has been postponed for the time being. I believe we are still going to go to St. Louis as we don't want to waste a three day vacation with a babysitter here in AZ. It should be fun. I feel for my brother, as this must be very crazy for him. I don't think I've ever known anybody to cancel their wedding just 2 weeks prior to the actual ceremony, so it is a little funny. I think my brother is handling it well (we'll see if he comments!), and I am proud of him. I give him all of my support. I just hope he forgives me for chuckling every time I think about it. It is pretty funny to me. Crazy things always happen to Jacob, so this falls in line with his life pattern. He's always been able to put a smile on my face. Hopefully he'll have a smile soon, too. Good luck!

I also purchased tickets to go see Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on opening night (midnight) at the theater here with the digital projector. I'm excited. Tevia should be coming, and my friend Kipp and his ex-wife will be coming too. It should be a lot of fun. Buying them online sure beats standing in line like in the old days.

Spanglish

I don't know what it is, but this year has been a good year for movies at the Wall home. I have really enjoyed some movies this year - like House of Flying Daggers, Shall We Dance, and now - Spanglish. I really wanted to see this film in the theater, but it seems we have less opportunity to do this since a night at the movies is a good $40 investment these days. So we rented it on DVD from Netflix this week. It stars Adam Sandler - note this is not a comedy, he plays a serious role, Paz Vega (was fantastic), and some great child actors. I was extremely touched by this film much in the same way as Shall We Dance. Once again it was because of the moral of the story. It is a moral film with a moral ending. It is so refreshing to see films like that. It was directed by James L. Brooks, a name you will recognize from Simpsons fame. He did a great job. I also liked the fact that they did not do subtitles for the Spanish, as it wasn't necessary (yes, I know I understand Spanish, but I still think most people would understand the themes). To clarify, the movie is in English, but there are many Spanish dialogues.

The other thing I really enjoyed was the theme that we want our children to be like us. I have thought of this often, but never realized to what extremes we may go to try and ensure this - and not necessarily for the bad. For example, in the film Paz's character does not want her daughter to go to the rich, private school because she doesn't want her daughter to be like them. I can totally relate to this and understand her motives and agree with her decision. Others can't relate to that and would see this is a crazy decision that is limiting the education of her daughter. In the end she wants her daughter to go through similar experiences as her so she can end up being like her. This is the same for me. I realize that many decisions I make are because I want my children to have a life similar to mine. My life has been great and I like my perception of life. I want my kids to experience similar experiences, which a life at an expensive private school will not provide. On a higher level, this makes me think about God, as he is our Father. He wants us to be like Him, too - and has set up a plan that will allow us to. So it would seem - and we certainly do not dismiss this notion - that He went through similar experiences.

On a different note, but related to deep concepts, I am reading (listening to) the Dark Matter series that Tevia recommended to me. I love this series. It is very deep and thought-provoking. It is a theme about God, creation, sin, and spirituality. Very well-written.

Taxes

I'm sorry my last entry might have had a slightly negavite tone, I didn't intend for it to sound that way. However, this will be negative. I just had to pay $2,500.00 in taxes!! I am SO pissed off! My employer has been blowing wind up my rear all year assuring me that my 1099 taxation would be minimal. However, between taxes, car(gas/repair) expenses, etc... I'm walking away making about $6/hr for my night job. That's all fine and good considering all I have to do is sit in my car and do nothing... BUT, I'm really not making $6/hr. My income is reported as me making some $24,000 last year wich prevents me from qualifying for grants for school. Now that I'm going to the U, that's $4,500/ semester. Since I'm getting no assistance on that because I make too much, that's at least $9,000/year right there that I'm eating, plus $2500 in taxes, plus an arm and a leg in gas/car expenses,(gas for my night driving expenses was about $1200 and thanks to all those extra miles there's $400 for tires, $300 for brakes, and another $400 just today for CV joints)... so instead of my night job bringing in $10,844 (like I had to report for income), I ended up with a net profit of $1,944, and that only if I don't take anymore classes this year for school!!!! It REALLY doesn't pay to work and go to school.... It almost doesn't pay to work at all in life... well if you're single and don't have a family to worry about. I might as well quit my jobs and live off government welfare!.. the only problem is, I've "made" too much this year already, and last year, and now I won't qualify for any assistacne for the next year and half!!!
There's less than a fine thread of sanity and logic that are keeping me from just up and leaving EVERYTHING and moving someplace south of the boarder where palm trees grow... because at this point, other than family, I don't have any reason to stay.

Wedding Fever

This past weekend we had people over as Tevia's cousin (Heidi Borrego) went through the temple to get her endowments. She is getting married this Friday in the Snowflake temple (we'll be attending) to her beau Ren - not Stimpy. Ren seems like a great guy. They seemed very in love, as they were oblivious to anything else that went on in our house besides themselves. It reminded me of my wedding, which happened nearly 9 years ago this month. What a wonderful day that was. I can not think of a better day in my life. It was a perfect day - as I was completely oblivious to anything except my beautiful friend and the covenants we were making with our God. You could call it the perfect hybrid of spirituality and physical joy. I do not think any other church can provide that mixture - which seems strange, yet fits so well into God's plan.

Our home teachers came over this week (Kip Sorenson and Paul Bennion). The lesson was on how our church does not worship/utilize the cross. Are we the only Christian church not to do so? I'm not sure about the Jehovah Witnesses (though one could argue if they are Christian - as many argue if Mormons are). I thought President Hinckley's comments that the symbol of our church should be the lives of its members. How true that rings, as any symbol would take away from Christ - and possibly lead to idol worship.

Well, that was a good tangent away from marriage. Saturday at the Mesa Temple the grounds were packed with people getting married. My brother is getting married in a few weeks. This is that time of year. I hope that all of these people understand the seriousness of this commitment, and are already working on their relationships. As Tevia and I approach our 9 year anniversary, it isn't hard to think of others who have already been divorced. One of our good friends has been divorced for 2 years now and it is difficult to see him go through the pain and muck of dealing with it. He wants to be involved in his children's lives, and so does all he can to be able to. But it is not easy. So many people give up so quickly, or don't really think about the consequences. In the end, the selfishness of one/two causes the pain of many. Certainly there are circumstances that merit a divorce, but I think these are rare. My biggest advice to people looking to get married soon? Love your spouse more than anything in the world. Treat them like a queen/king. Tevia is my queen - and she deserves all I can provide.

The heart of a child

Today was a day of celebration. Jarek had his latest cardiology appointment and his heart was found to not have changed since last time. This means good news to those of us in the heart defect world, and it means a good chance of at least another year without surgery. His Dr. set up an appointment a year from now. I insisted we celebrate, and Jarek chose Chuck E. Cheese's as the ideal place. We ordered pizza and wings (which weren't all that bad) and played games. It was a great day.

So as I endured a day at work with two hour conference calls and hundreds of emails, my mind was distracted from time to time with the thought of how little things like that mean. What matters is family, health, God. I am grateful to know what things bring happiness. This is not to say that if Jarek needed surgery I would not be happy. But I am grateful for this moment - and the thought that Jarek is doing well. Jarek woke me up last night letting me know that his shoulder hurt really bad. I was instantly awake! In the end it had fallen asleep as he was sleeping on it weird. So it was fine. But we want so much for our children to be happy. It is so easy to see how so many were swayed by Lucifer's plan! It seems so logical to have our children experience no pain - no misery - no suffering. It only seems fair. But God is so wise to let us experience these things. It is so true that having experienced sickness makes being healthy so wonderful. Having been ridiculed makes true friends even more special. I often fear that I have been blessed too much.

So today we celebrate another day with my son. Each one is truly a blessing from God. Would I see life like this had he been a perfectly born son with no issues or defects? I don't know - but I know that I can never imagine my life without having been through these years with him. I like Malik, too!

Saturday was the opening day of Star Wars toys released for Revenge of the Sith (careful how you type that!). I took the boyz in early on Saturday to buy some. We were surrounded by old collectors and many of the toys had already sold out! Jarek bought a General Grievous; Malik the Galactic Heroes with Grievous and Obi-Wan; and I bought the Clone Trooper rifle! We had fun.

Excuses, excuses and lies... What ever happened to the TRUTH???

So today I arrived at my apartment after spending the weekend in Centerville with my roommates to find yet another one of "those girls." You know the type... I started to date her last semester and things seemed to have been going well... however, she pulled the "I don't think we should date anymore because I'm going to go on a mission... I don't want to date or get involved with anyone." Well... that's all fine and good. I'll support anyone who wants to serve. HOWEVER, when that same little doe is later seen parading around with some buck attached to her hand, I can't help but think there is something grossly wrong with me. Here's what really adds lemon juice to my paper cut...
I have the nick name "Stewie." The reason for the name... I'm a pretty domestic guy. I cook. I clean. I'm a complete gentleman... heck, that's a triple threat. I open doors, give awesome foot rubs, and am always willing to lend a helping hand and give whatever I can to ANYONE who needs it. I date quite frequently, almost every night when possible, I'm out there, I'm making myself available, and from what I hear, I'm not a completely ugly dog. So what is wrong with me then?
Is every girl I want to take out, or date, really THAT unavailable??? I've heard just about every one... "I'm going on a mission" "I just want to be friends" "you're really nice I don't want to hurt you, so we shouldn't date" "it's not you it's me" (I invented the "it's not you it's me, if it's anyone it's me!!) "I need to focus on my grades" "I'm busy" "I want to look around still" and the list goes on and on....
I have to admit, I think it's fine when someone doesn't want to get married. I'm not necessarily looking for that at the immediate present anyway. And as for those that say they feel they need to figure things out for themselves still... that's great too.... HOWEVER, when these same girls are weeks, sometimes days, later seen quite serious with some other shmuck.... next thing you know, they're married.
I should be used to such things by now. And I know I don't really have a lot of reason to complain, after all, I am only 24 (25 next month) and I know in the real world (anywhere outside of Provo) that's REALLY young.... but still...
So am I way off base here?? Maybe I'm doing something fatally wrong in relationships...
I'm open to whatever you have to say... the truth will be better than the crap I've been fed for the past 24 years.

Where have I been?

This must have been quite a week for everyone. Just a quick sports update... Arizona made quite possibly the DUMBEST play EVER to get knocked out of the NCAA tourney... You're down by one with 10 seconds... DRIVE IT TO THE FREAKIN HOOP!!!! Anyway, as for our intramural sports, we're out of the soccer tourney, and we're still undefeated in basketball... tonight was a close one. Jacob's cousin almost pulled an Arizona move that put us in OT.... good thing we pulled it off.
I bought my tix to fly out to NY today!!! I'm SO excited!! I ended up buying tickets on the same flight out as Bret, and the same one back as well.... I'll be flying into AZ on Jul 15th and spend some time with Bret before we fly out on the 19th.
Anyway... I don't know why my brain is so fried, but it is... so that's all I'll say for now.

Good Friday

Why do they call today Good Friday? Wouldn't "Bad Friday" or "Sad Friday" seem more appropriate? I know God would eventually be resurrected on Sunday, but they killed Him on Friday. Seems a little strange.

I have found the key to bliss in the March Madness. If I pick Duke to actually go to the Final Four - they LOSE! Why have I not noticed this before. You see, when I pick them to lose, they win. It is all starting to make sense to me.

This week, like most lately, seems to have passed so quickly with little to no spare time. I look forward to this weekend to chill with the fam and have fun. Tevia and I are going on a date tomorrow - and I can't wait. I'm not sure when the last time we went to dinner alone. I am looking forward to Easter because I have it on good word that the Easter Bunny is bringing the Star Wars Clone Wars DVD.

I find it funny the little things that bring so much excitement to my life: my Sole Collector magazines, the Eastbay catalog, anything Star Wars, sushi, and basketball. I could live a life full of fun and contentment with just a few of these things. The best thing? Most of these cost little to no money! The next few months will be great. Star Wars in May! Harry Potter in July! 2005 should be fun. If I were my brother, I'd delay my wedding until the opening day of Star Wars. Or maybe the day before and then after the reception we could all go to the midnight showing. It could be our bachelor party! We Mormons kinda get parafusado (Portuguese - google it!) on the whole bachelor party thing. Why should we? Instead of strippers, let's just play some ball, watch some movies, and do a scripture search. :-)

cursed

did one of you put a 'breaking curse' on us? let's see, we have 2 broken cars, a broken computer, Tom's headphones broke last night, an ethernet wire broke while we were unplugging it yesterday, our dryer door keeps popping open, and when I go down the laundry is still soaking wet, the frig isn't keeping the food cold enough, the front water spout froze and spouted water all over the front deck, and is now turned off till dad can fix it, my van makes a terrible noise, ( that is in addition to the cracked bumper and dents), Kathy can't find her glasses, and our hot water heater now doesn't let more than 2 people shower without the water getting cold. all in the last few weeks. poor dad, my fix it man. glad I have him! I guess after I complained to my fix it man that everything was breaking, I felt badly immediately, and repented, and took Bret's usual point of view: I have a hundred or more things that do work, so I should be thankful. especially for a husband who is working and works good! :)

Strange homework...

Well,
Cari and I had strange homeowrk this week from our Marriage family relations class. It was to run by our parents that we were considereing a very early baby and then observe their reactions. This was some how supposed to prepare us for the supposedly difficult parental pressure that can follow marriage. While I will not give the details from either consversation(or who they were), I will say Cari and I both predicted a different response than given. So, in conclusion, be careful when you are given strange homework! What would the rest of you have said?
~The Sore March Madness Loser

St. Patrick's Day

I can tell I have been busy because I haven't written anything in a while. Funny how busy life can get even when nothing really is going on. I am home alone as Tevia and the boys went up to Lakeside. I just got back from our Stake basketball tournament. Surprise: we lost. Actually, we should have won. We started out great as I hit my first few shots to put us up. We stayed ahead the whole game until the final 5 minutes (I was on the bench at this point). They finally had me go back in with 1 minute left (I don't mean to seem cocky, but I was on this game. I think I hit 6 three-pointers and only missed like one shot. They should have kept me in). But in the last minute, I didn't even get to touch the ball. We turned it over three times and lost by five.

March Madness has started. We'll see how well I do in our family/friends pool. I don't think I've ever won a bracket pool in my life, so chances are slim. The good news is that this year neither of my teams are in (St. John's/BYU), so I don't have the usual problem of picking the teams I want to win and not the teams that will win.

I'm not sure what else has even happened this week. It just seems like it is almost over and I had no time to do anything. Oh yeah, I was called to be the "assistant Blazer Scout leader" - at least I think so. The counselor wasn't quite sure. We'll see what I'm set apart for on Sunday. So I'll be spending Wednesday nights with 11 year old boys. I should fit in well.

I still haven't cut my hair - I think it has been four months. It is LONG. My mom would love it. I change it up. Some days it is messy and curly like Seth Cohen's on the OC. Other days I slick it back. It is funny the reactions. Some people absolutely love it messy/curly. Others love it slicked back. And usually people only like it the one way. I'm sure it won't last much longer, as it will start to get warm soon. But it has been a fun experiment, though Tevia has only braided it a couple of times. I would say it is a good 4 inches long on top. We'll see how long this experiment lasts. It will probably last until the week before I head out to NY in the summer. :-)

Of life and leisure

I agree with Tevs... So sad to hear when others can't find anything worthwhile in life... and that sadness is only amplified when the ones you love are the ones complaining of misery in life. I know so many people right now that view life from both perspectives. There are those who seem to be able to find something (at least) good in everything and those that make sure to point out the bad in everything. I think I was once a pessimist myself. Very cynical and negative. However, I've been learning lately that either I have changed my disposition, or everyone else has just become more pessimistic than me. My friends and coworkers have expressed to me that I am so positive. Sure I have my off days, usually when I haven't eaten, but other than that, I do consider myself a fairly content and happy person. I guess it comes down to HOW you look at your situation rather than WHAT your situation is. Also, it doesn't hurt to have an escape, (or as my therapist put it, coping mechanism)... (the difference being how what you do affects other people). Anyway... mine are sports, dates, music, making meals for my roommates or friends, and my personal favorite... CLEANING!!!
But Tevs is right, finding good in life is something that comes from within. I think that for so much of my life I was SO unhappy because I kept expecting my happiness to be found in, or determined by, other people. And although I don't let the lack of one consume me with unhappiness in the present, I look forward to finding more happiness in an eternal companion someday... and don't worry Tevs, I will.... I'm working on it. :)

Wicked and Happiness

So I finished the book Wicked. I ended up really liking it and it gave me a lot to think about. I also went to the library and checked out the movie The Wizard of Oz, just to watch it and see that side of it. (I plan on reading the book too) My sister was over last night and she had read it about six months ago and so we talked a little about it. She was very negative towards it and didn't really have a lot of nice things to say about it. She had got from the book that it just brings out all of the bad, negative aspects of humanity and society, and that it was totally a liberal book telling everyone that is conservative that their beliefs and morals are dumb. She read into it so many things that I just didn't see. She is currently really hating our society and life in general, which made me very sad because she thinks that everything in this life is horrible. She is depressed and says there is no point to life because everyone is bad and everything will just continue to get worse. I was a little concerned to hear her say this, because I find so much joy and happiness and goodness in this life, partly because I know the joy of eternal life and families, partly because there is still so much good and happiness in this life. She makes me sad because I feel like no matter what she does, she will not be happy because she doesn't choose to find the things that bring true joy. I love her, and feel sorry for her. I tell her what I believe makes us happy, but she will ultimatley have to find it and make it part of her life. Why is it that even when people have the plan of happiness, the joys of going to the temple, family and light and truth, someone can still not see the big picture? How sad and how discouraging. I am glad that I am basically a happy person, and I can find happiness where ever I am. Life is Beautiful.

fendeer benders

well, I had the nicest looking car in the family. after Kathy managed to dent in and scratch the one back end, we decided not to get it fixed. last night, we had the sister missionaries, the elders, and a family of 5 all over for salad and pizza so they would have a place to do the interviews for this sunday's baptisms. somehow the elders, even though there is a rule that they can't back up without the other missionary being out of the car and backing them up, still managed to hit the other side of my car. I haven't seen it yet, and it is 6:35 am and I let Kathy take it, so I won't see it till later. dad said the bumper is messed up in 3 places. we hate to turn them in, cause won't they take away their driving priveleges? poor elders. I was already up in bed reading, but dad said they looked like young, forlorn teenagers and all their brightness was out of them when they came and knocked on the door and told us. lucky for me I don't really care all that much what cars look like. and..... dad didn't get mad. he just actually felt bad for the missionaries.

Running Ragged

I know that it is just part of life, but this week has been super busy. It seems that the older my kids get, the more places I have to be and the earlier I have to get up! I honestly don't know how mother's with more children and less space between them do it! Maybe you just learn to adapt and become an atomoton for the next 18-25 years!!!! In any case, I have a great respect for women who can do that. Today is the first day all week that I don't have anything on my calendar. No running to downtown phoenix, no running to PT, no meetings(lucky me!) Nothing except getting Jarek to school. I think I will work outside today as the weather is so beautiful. Malik will like playing in the dirt.

Back to the point, I am glad that I am busy and have the life I have. It would be far less rewarding to me if all I had to do was get up and go to a dull job every day. At least my children give me the satisfaction of creating, building and nurturing. I am grateful to be a mother even if I do get a little ragged by the end of the week.

The Zoo, Culture Change and Meetings

This past Monday I took a volunteer day from work and went on a field trip with Jarek's class to the zoo (not the Phoenix Zoo, but the Wildlife Zoo out by Luke AFB). We had to be at the school by 7:40 in order to get on the bus by 8:45 or so. The adults were given a few students to be in charge of. My group consisted of Jarek, Brennan, and Michael. We got on the bus and took the 45 minute drive out to LA (or so it seemed).

In case you have forgotten, or maybe have never had the experience, school buses are not very comfortable. I sat by Brennan, one of the boys in Jarek's class that has some issues. I mean, this is the kid that actually got Jarek so upset that he bit him! Another day when I took Jarek to school, this was the boy that arrived, threw his backpack on the ground and burst into tears. I felt bad for him, so was happy to have him sit by me and talk endlessly in my ear. In the row across from us were two Vietnamese girls: Julie and Selena. They told me they were sisters, but since they both had different family names, I suspected otherwise. I was right; they are cousins. They were fun to talk to as I asked them how to count in Vietnamese and they were willing to have full conversations with me in their language even though I understood little but smiled and nodded.

One of the coolest things about the bus ride was passing Luke AFB and seeing all of the F16s take off and land. They would fly right over our bus just a few hundred feet above us. It was cool. At the zoo we were given a whole hour to take our kids through the zoo before meeting back for lunch. I let the boyz decide where to go. We saw the jaguars (Jarek and my favorite), the baby white tigers (would have been Kathy's favorite), penguins, etc. I let the boyz ride on the carrousel and offered to give them a riverboat ride - but Michael was afraid.

We had a lot of fun and it was a great opportunity to take a free day off of work and spend time with Jarek and see him interact with his peers. On the bus ride home, the Vietnamese girls decided to hang all over Jarek and I. Jarek didn't really like the attention, which was fine since he is only 5. I would have enjoyed it more had they been 20 years older and not nearly as annoying. But it was fun.

Last week I was "chosen" to be part of a new culture initiative in our company. The president of our company called me and wanted me to be involved due to my leadership and influence in the company. 12 of us were chosen - coincidence? - and were forced to meet today for 6 hours to discuss our corporate culture. I had to get out of a few other meetings, but in the end I am excited about this. I truly believe we need a culture shift and am happy to provide my two cents and be a part of the solution.

But this is a perfect example of how people try to take too much of my time with meetings. I bet this week I spent 75% of my days in meetings and the rest at my desk or at my team. I can not stand meetings, and most are completely inefficient and a waste of time. Tomorrow I only have 2 for two hours and it feels like a vacation already. I need the time at my desk to do my work and help my team. I feel like I have abandoned my team this week, and I can sense they feel the same way. Hopefully things will calm down, but I have a feeling that this is pattern that will continue throughout my career. I think most managers just like meetings. I guess they must have nothing else to do, so they justify their time and money by sitting in meetings.

I guess we have seen the survivors of the blog. Congrats mom, Jake Webb, and Tevia for hanging in there. That is more than I thought would last. I honestly thought it would just be me and my mom (love you mom!).

Just a post

It's been a while since I've been able to get online and even look at these. Bret, you scoring machine you! I wish I could play more often. Even though I'm on an intramural team, we only get to play once every other week. The regular season was at least off set by me having a coed soccer game on alternating weeks from basketball, so I had at least something going on pretty much every week. Jacob knows what I'm talking about... we're on the same team for both sports. Our soccer team got ranked in the 2nd division. I really don't think we're that good, so we may not last long in the tournament... we'll see. Our basketball team got put in the 3rd division and I feel a little better about that. We're really not that great as a team even though we have some good skill as individual players... I think as a team we've been improving, so maybe we'll get somewhere in the tourney... maybe even get a T-shirt out of it, I hope.... If not... I have at least been getting one dunk, (sometimes more) per game. To me, that just makes my week... expecially when I dunk over someone!
Anyway... Sorry to hear about Kathy's accident, but I'm glad to hear she's still alive. :) I can't help but laugh thinking about what she must have looked like preparing for death that day. (as sad as that may have been for her at the time, I hope she can laugh about it someday too).
I can't believe little Malik is off to school already!! I feel like such a shmuck sometimes. Here my nefews are growing up without any cousins, and it feels like it's my fault... although I really think I'm doing all I can to remmedy that. I'm currently interested in my roommates' cousin... We'll see what comes of that. She was born in Utah, but grew up in Memphis... so she meets my new prerequisit of not being from west of the Rockies. Dumb rule I know, but I haven't had any luck with west coast girls thus far. Plus she has really cool relatives! (my roommates)... that's always a plus, good in-laws.
Anyway... That's Provo for me in a nut shell. Hope each of you are having a great day!

Malik goes to school

Well Malik is growing up. He started his first day of preschool today. He was very excited and walked right into the classroom without even turning back once. It feels a little strange not having him here with Jarek and I in the morning, but I am sure he is having a wonderful time. I am glad that he gets to go to preschool and make some new frineds. Next school year it will be even stranger as both Jarek and Malik will be gone in the morning! Maybe I will start writing that book I have been thinking about!

kathy's fender bender

Kathy had another little backing up accident yesterday,. she managed to hit my car with her vn as she was leaving for school at 6:30 am. she blames it on not feeling well, but I think she was starting to get overconfident in her driving skills and starting to back out of the driveway in the morning like a crazy woman. both vehicles are damaged, she swung around and hit my back fender with her front wheel area. dad was fuming all day, but he never did yell at her. wow! he did give her hours of worrying and fright, the whole 'daddy's going to kill Kathy' thing went on all day. she came home from school, ( I had made her go after she hit the car), feeling nauseous and crying within an hour after getting there. she laid around all day in a daze. she sat at dinner waiting for the kill. he finally just said, " did you learn something from this?" we haven't decided how to fix it yet. we probably won't go thru insurance, but we can't leave them like they are. they are home today, as it is a major snowstorm,. the weather messed up a bit, and said rain till noon, then turn to snow gradually as the cold front came in. I went shopping at 9 am, to 3 stores, to get home by 11 and beat the snow. I didn't. it was already 2" by then. the schools were late getting their elementary kids home. ours got home at noon. it was a nice treat for them, as they are really busy with science fair, work, and tennis. tennis was cancelled, Kathy's not driving in to work, and we can all relax tonight.
and by the way, the family of 4 girls and their mom from the D. Republic that we have been driving to church from Beacon and having over, etc. are all getting baptized in 2 weeks! cool! the 15 year old girl adores Kathy, and loves to be with her. they had her over for dinner on sunday. they made a huge fuss over her. kiss the boys for me, mom

Basketball - the comeback

As I have mentioned on this blog before, my ward basketball has been an interesting experience. This week they wanted to practice on Wednesday - the same night that I play out in Scottsdale, and have for years. I told them I would commit to come if they promised me they would have 10 players since I want to play full court if I am going to sacrifice the good ball in the East Valley. Well, I flew in from Pittsburgh Wednesday night and after seeing that my family was in good order and the kids were in bed, I immediately went up to the church. There were 5 players. So when I arrived we had six. Needless to say we played half court. I was disappointed but played. It was funny, since our team weekness is defense I was able to basically score at will. They kept saying, "why don't you play like this in our games?" I didn't want to say because people actually play defense on me in games!

Well, last night we had another game. Lo and behold, we only had five players show up! This was great news to me, since I knew I would be able to play the whole game. The other good news was that the rest of the team had practiced on Wednesday and so basically they gave me the greenlight to shoot whenever I wanted to. And...can you believe it? We won. I scored like 30 points and we won by 10. It was a lot of fun. I guess the 15 players didn't really help us much in the previous games. Now we'll see if we can keep that number down.

I brought Jarek with me to the game. He plays with the other kids and really enjoys himself. Of course, he doesn't watch me play, but that is okay. On the way home he told me he really likes spending time with me. It was cute.

Jarek's little ER visit

Sorry I haven't blogged more, but I have been a little busy with kids! Sorry for not telling everyone Jarek was almost appendectimized, but the following day Malik was not feeling so well and just wanted me to hold him all day. Which he rarely does. That is how I know he isn't feeling too hot! Basically, Jarek had all the classic symptoms of Appendicitis(sp?) and both my dad and his doctor's office said I should take him in. We were there for about five hours and he had to have an IV, blood work and CAT scan. Needless to say, we were glad to find out it wasn't anything serious. He was a little trooper and I was so grateful for my friend Kathy who came and rescued Malik from and afternoon of complete boredom!! She is a great friend. All in all, we are starting to get back to normal life. I admit, I am not quite so eloquent, or complimentary as bret, but I say what I need to and that is that. Oh, when bret called from the airplane the first thing that crossed my mind was "oh great, his plane is getting hijacked or crashing because why else in the world would he call from the plane". Goes to show how paranoid I am. But I am glad he called and it made me feel good knowing that he was willing to fork out the bucks to make sure his child was well. He is a wonderful guy. That is all for now. Except, I want to hear how the IKEA trip went.

Pittsburgh and the scare

Well life has been pretty crazy lately. Especially work life. Last week was our company meeting, so I was rarely in the office and rarely at home. This week I was asked to go Pittsburgh, PA to visit a potential client - Heinz (yes, the ketchup company). I flew in Tuesday night. I arrived around 10:30 PM and took a taxi to the hotel. I stayed at the Westin Conference Center Hotel, which was quite nice. Since I arrived so late, there were no restaurants open and I could not justify the exorbitant prices for room service. All I had eaten for dinner was peanuts. It took a few hours to fall asleep, as I was still on PHX time. I woke up a few hours later to get ready for our 7 AM meeting.

The Heinz office was very nice - on the 59th floor of the USX (US Steel) building. I would have to say that I was pretty impressed with Pittsburgh. It may be that the 6 inches of snow on the ground made it look much more romantic or clean, but it seemed a great city with a neat mixture of new and old buildings. The meetings went well. It was interrupted by a fantastic lunch where I indulged in Sea Scallops with rice and corn. After telling them about our services and answering any lingering questions they had, I headed back to the airport with the two other Pru people: Mike Cahill and Kathy Morris.

Anxious to get back to PHX, I called work to see how things were going in the office only to get a call from Tevia. I called her back to find out she was calling from the Emergency Room. My heart jumped as she told me she had taken Jarek in since he was showing all the signs of appendicitis. They were getting ready to take blood tests and do a CAT scan. I was comforted to know that my child was in the competent hands of my beautiful wife. I said some prayers and hoped for the best. As I was in the sky, I knew the flight would be long (4 hours), so I decided to use the Sky Phone. I have never called anyone from the air before, and it was kinda cool to be able to call Tevia from 30,000 feet. I figure if the charges were ridiculous I could just charge them to Prudential - but I also felt any knowledge of my child was worth the price, no matter how high.

In the end the doctors sent Jarek home with his appendix. It was not appendicitis. Tevia told me a few hours later Jarek said he was feeling fine - and the whole family was there to pick me up by the time I landed in PHX. I was glad to be home with a healthy family and be close to them again.

As I flew and thought of Jarek possibly undergoing surgery, I thought about what a wonderful world we live in. I am currently reading the book "Year of Wonder" about the Plague - and could not help but draw parallels to a parent suffering while watching their child sick. We live in a world where so much can be done to stop pain and suffering. A world I can fly home from across the country in a few hours to be close. A world where God has given me a family, a home, health, and a great job. A world where I can feel the despair of a fragile child - and thus the joy of a healthy one. I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me.

journal worthy

ok, why do all my blogs have 'edit' next to them? and do all the subjects for the blogs have to be Bret's 'journal worthy'? :) Bret, I wish I could have chatted with you from Pittsburg. if anyone cares, we got 11" yesterdy, a fun, pretty snow day. Daisy loves the snow, and leaps though it like a rabbit.

Old Friends in a New Light

This past week or so I've been involved in quite a bit discussion about, and with, old friends (from high school and whatnot). I have a friend here in my ward who is from Cali. Her name is Jamie (yes Tevs, I've told you about her), and she is VERY attached and close to her friends from her high school. She's from a small town in Northern California called Lakeport. She and I have had a number of conversations about how she can't understand why I'm not really close to anyone I went to school with, and I can't understand why she can't live in the present. She's actually expressed that she wishes sometimes that she could call Provo "home" like me. Not that I want to live here... but that "home is where the rump rests." She says she wants to move on and live in the present but doesn't know how. Not that she wants to cut her ties with her old friends completely, but she wants to be able to more fully enjoy the new relationships she has the chance to make here and now. Also, she has a "boyfriend" that she's dated for the past 4 years up until this last summer. They "broke up" because he's not a member and other than that she sees him pretty much as the perfect guy. So now, although she wants to move on, she is basically completely under this guy's spell.
Also, Christina Metcalf, a girl I went to school with who now lives in Tucson, and I have recently got back in touch with each other and have talked on IM quite a bit. She and I were always good friends through school but never dated. We still wouldn't given the chance, but I consider us good friends. She was talking the other day about our old classmates, most of whom she still keeps close contact with. She said she's been disappointed with many of them because of who they've become, and pleasantly surprised at other for the same reason... However, she herself doesn't feel as though she's changed at all since high school. I can't help but think that's in part because it's somewhat true.
Just like Jamie, (although maybe not to the same degree) Christina has never moved on from high school or given themselves the chance to grow up and become who they need or want to. This said, I'm actually glad I have had the chance, (and took it) to get out of my home town and live... even if not to the fullest extent that I sometimes would like to due to the cost... but all in all like my new friends and the ever evolving new me. I still really love and care about just about everyone from my past... after all, they all contributed in one way or another to who I am now... but I think more than anything, my friends now are those that are helping me become who I want to become.
I don't think one must completely abandon past relationships to make new ones, but I think the person that can't let go (even just enough to make new relationships) is at such a disadvantage in life... What a big and exciting world we live in... filled with so many people to meet and things to do and see!!! I plan on filling my life with all the new I can while I can. However, due to recent events, I've also realized that I could (and probably should) find a little more room in my life for those from my past... just because I've been able to move on without looking back or thinking twice about a lot of things or people (mostly for my own sanity and protection) I've realized there are people from my past that are still good friends and who could benefit from me and me from them.

Annual Meetings

Does it seem like a long time since I posted something? Well, it should. This week was a hectic week as it was our company's annual team forum, and so I had meetings from 8 AM to 9 PM at night most days. I actually skipped dinner on Wednesday and Thursday, but even with those little bits of time, I had little time to go online and even less time to dedicate to my real job and my family. Weeks like this make me happy that I am not an executive - yet. Meeting after meeting takes a lot out of you, and in the end takes away from your family. Sure, dinners can be glamorous, fun, and calorie-fests, but in the end you will just end up fat and single. I am grateful my family puts up with this once every few months. They are great.

On Friday I was asked by one of our top salesmen to go to Pittsburgh for a presentation to Heinz - yes, the ketchup company. So I think I'll be flying out on Tuesday and come back on Thursday. This is not the ideal time to go to Pittsburgh, but then, is there ever?

We had another double-header for our ward basketball team. I can't remember if I have written much about our team, but it has opened my eyes to how important teamwork is and how much I can't stand losing. I believe of our 10 or so games we have won 2. This week we managed to lose both games to teams that in all honesty were not better than us. Our team meshes about as well as milk and orange juice (but not nearly as nice as Orange Julius!). Tevia actually came to watch and upon leaving commented that our team "really sucks." For me, it has become like half court basketball. In half court basketball, I have difficulty being "motivated," since there is not a lot of movement and, for me, turns into a 3 point shooting match. My drive and competetiveness weakens and I am not into it. The same happens in these games. When I see my team not competing, or even trying, it makes me not try as hard. I'll play defense and pass, but I shoot less and when I shoot I am short as I am not jumping. I feel bad because this team needs my scoring. But it is hard. This week I scored 13 in the first half, but we were down by 20 at halftime. Some of our players have no idea how to play defense, and a few don't even make it down the court to defend. And this is a team with 14 players! Each week it is the same. Kipp, my good friend, and I question if we should go. We love basketball, so in the end we go. We play and get frustrated. We lose and come home ticked off. We decide not to go back, since after all we have 14 players. But in the end we go back. I guess I feel like one of those women who keeps going back to that scumbag, because in the end, she still loves him. I guess I have developed more simpathy.

We rented the movie "Shall We Dance" this week. It has Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Jennifer Lopez. I really do not like Mr. Gere, but anything with J-Lo is tempting. In the end I really enjoyed this movie. The underlying story and theme was so touching and deep - and moral! So different than most movies that Hollywoood puts out. It was very honest and true. Plus J-Lo is in it. :-)

Yesterday was Malik's birthday. He opened presents and we had Dairy Queen cake. It is hard to believe he is 3. Tomorrow is Tevia's birthday. I sometimes feel bad as we are not really into birthdays. We don't really have parties and the presents are never amazing. I wonder if we need to be more into it, or if this is the better way to avoid all of the commercialism and worldly nature of it. We just all keep getting older - and sometimes it's best to quietly acknowledge and move on.

birthdays

happy happy birthday to Malik and Tevia. this blog is especially created for the guys in our lives who may not remember such things! Tevs, you are the best! I don't know what I did without you in my life. I appreciate all you stand for, all of your creativity and spark, and your intelligence and fun. I love the way you raise the boys. and my darling Malik- hope you look great in your new clothes! Bret liked to pick out his own clothes at age 3, and he always did and stil looks fabulous. so both of you blow out those candles and celebrate- another great year is about to happen! love, mom

Disneyland!

Hey Everyone!

I don't want to rub it in or anything, but I just wanted to tell about my weekend at Disneyland! It was a blast. We went in a group of 9 of us from here in Provo. My roommate is from Buena Park CA and his younger brother works at Disneyland. So we stayed with his fam and got into the parks (both Disney and Claifornia Adventure) for free, plus we got those new "fast track" passes, so you don't have to wait in line... although we really didn't need them because, thanks to the morning showers the parks weren't that busy. We also got VIP seats for the Fantasmic show Saturday night. Also, Quentin (my brother) and our cousin Johnathan McNeil came for a while, then came to church and dinner with us on Sunday. It was good to see them.
Anyway, about the parks... If you haven't been in a while I recommend making the trip, especially around or after March when all the rides are supposed to be reopened for the 50th annaversary. (Splash Mountain and Space Mountain are under some major changes!) Also, although there has been a lot of talk about how much California Adventure sucks... I have to say it wasn't that bad. Sure it's not Disneyland, and it's not Cedar Point, but as long as you go into it with that in mind, it's a fun place... I Highly recommend doing the "Sorin'" ride, it was pretty cool.
Anyway, I have pix and I'll get those posted as soon as I figure out how... or I may just email them.

It's all Chinese to me...

We have an employee at my work - Dan Brimhall - who knows Mandarin Chinese. A few weeks ago he offered to teach Chinese (Mandarin) for free to employees interested during lunch breaks. I jumped at the offer, and so about 9 of us go to his classes during lunch twice a week.

I have wanted to learn Chinese for the past few years. It is funny - about three years ago I really wanted to learn Japanese (and still do), but more recently I have been enthralled by Chinese. Whether this be due to the films I love, or what, it has become such a beautiful language to me. So this opportunity has been awesome.

I have been to three sessions now and LOVE it. We have learned surprisingly a lot in just 3 hours. I can say "how are you?" and count and talk about my family. For example (please note that I do not know how to use the TONE symbols, so these words will not have the tonal indications):

Wo xing Wall - means my family name is Wall
Wo jiao Bret - means my given name is Bret
Wo you liang erzi - means I have two sons
Wo you taitai - means I have a wife

The grammar is really cool in Chinese. It is very basic and simple. For example, "ta" means he or she - and it also means his or her. To say "they" you just pluralize it, which is "ta men." I look forward to each class and hope that eventually we can get into characters.

Learning languages is so cool. Now one of our French employees is going to do French classes. So I'm signing up for them, too! Learning a language makes me feel so sympathetic. It helps me feel like I am learning about others as well as the language. I think learning a language is so important. I am very lucky to have this opportunity at my work.

AP classes, advice for Tom

Tom is signing up for next year, (junior year) classes. any advice on how important it is to take or not take AP classes, and which calculus to take. (A? or BC) he wants to challenge himself. he now knows he is smart, and wants to excel next year in order to have an easy senior year. he is thinking of AP spanish, english, american history, whatever follows chem, and calculus. hard schedule? is it worth it?

Get Motivated - and Valentine's Day

Today I was able to go to a seminar with a few other people from work called "Get Motivated." Though I don't particulary think I need motivation, I was happy to go with my coworkers down to America West Arena (Go Suns!) for the whole day event. We were able to "weasel" some VIP tickets, so we actually were sitting on the floor about 10 yards from the stage. The speakers consisted of people like: Zig Ziggler, Jerry Lewis, Joe Montana, General Tommy Franks (led troops into Afghanistan, Iraq), Rudy Giulianni, and other business/motivation gurus.

It was a good event. If I were to describe it, I would describe it as a mix between a Republican National Convention, a Christian Revival, one of those meetings you go to where they try to sell you a timeshare, and American Idol. I know that seems weird, but it is a good portrayal. I must admit that I was surprised by the amount of religion they brought into the seminar. I'm not sure if other ticket buyers (Prudential purchased mine) were aware they were going to be told multiple times about Jesus Christ and his power to redeem us, but I sure wasn't. In a way it was a very pleasant surprise, as it made me happy to know that certainly the thousands of people in the arenas around the country are hearing this very good and true message: Jesus will make us happy. Yet I can't help but think that many people were quite turned off by the religious undertones. At one point one of the speakers who really was quite open about Jesus, offered the crowd the opportunity to fill out a form to get a free CD with his "testimony" (what I would call it) and the opportunity to ask for representatives of Christ to visit you and your family. Sound familiar? I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of a Mormon motivational seminar with Steve Covey, Steve Young, the CEO of Dell Computers, and other Mormon leaders - with the missionaries seated outside in the halls of the basketball arenas around the country. Hey, if people are willing to pay for this seminar, why not that one?

The other thing that made me think was to see how people act in such large groups. I am not one easily swayed by groupthink or groups, but most people certainly are. A few of the speakers were pushing products. One speaker, who discussed how we can all get rich using the stock market - as long as we have the right tools - was a fun and interesting speaker. At the end he was able to give us a huge discount on his tools and seminar, which usually sell for over $3,000. For merely $500 you could get the DVDs, website access, and attend the seminar with 100% money back guarantee for satisfaction. After his talk, seriously, I bet 25% of the people signed up. 8 of the 20 in my group did! And this talk came right after a great talk about how money DOES NOT bring happiness. A similar thing happened in the afternoon session with a Real Estate millionaire. I didn't buy anything. I even tried to avoid buying the high priced food at AWA, but my stomach got the best of me.

The best speaker? I thought it was Zig Ziggler. Honestly, I had heard of this guy, but had no idea who he was. I guess you could categorize him as a Christian motivational speaker. He was great. Giulianni was also good. Only a couple were a waste of time - one was by the founder of Kinkos. He's rich now that he sold it to FedEx. I think Jarek could have given a more motivating talk.

In the end, the seminar confirmed my belief that to be motivated we have to be honest, true, and have self-respect. We need to be loved and love others. Most speakers agreed that family was most important - a very interesting concept to sell in today's society. But I agree.

For Valentine's Day, I came home from work to discover my home decorated with large, red, heart-shaped balloons and a wonderful dinner prepared by the greatest chef this side of La Casita. I truly am motivated by that women. There is nothing in this world I would not do for her. The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is the truth - and hopefully all of these people that attended today will come to know not only Christ, but the true Christ that only we as members of his Church know.

Survivor is back!!!

Well, for any of you, which is probably none of you, Survivor starts up again on Thursday. So once again I will be glued to the tube from 7-8pm thursday nights. Please make a note not to call during that time as I will not answer a phone or a text. It is not that I don't love all of you, I just need to have that time to focus on the drama that is Survivor, wishing that it was me surviving and winning, no doubt.

Peace out!

bad day snowmobiling is better than a good day at work

This last Friday my bosses decided to invite the construction department at my work to have the day off and took them snowmobiling… I was also invited. We met up at Daniel’s Summit at 7:30 am and each got fitted with our own Polaris 700 RMK snowmobile. This was my first time ever riding a snowmobile but after the brief crash course in riding I figured I would be ready enough… especially since I have previous experience on four wheelers, motor bikes, etc…. For the most part my experience served me well. What I wasn’t ready for was the difference in turning capabilities between the sleds and four wheelers. You all know I’m not exactly a heavy set person, and for those of you who have ridden on sleds before know just how much you have to use your weight to lean and maneuver them. So needless to say, turning was quite a task for me at the start. Another problem that presented itself was the amount of powder on the mountains; there was at least 18”. I quickly learned that if you try to go up a hill but don’t have enough momentum the sled will sink in the powder and you have to dig it out and lift the tail end around to face down the hill in order to get going again. It really is quite a process even if you have someone there to help you, and even more so if you’re out on your own…. Here’s how it actually went down.
Early in the day we made our way up to the top of the summit where we rode around in some bowls. I was still learning to read the land which was difficult due to the overcast sky and fresh powder over the ground. I tried to stay in a group with some of the more experienced riders but veered off course ever so slightly while going up a particularly irregular climb. I hit a deep cut in the snow and my sled ended up with the tail end stuck deep in the snow. One of the experienced riders came shortly and started to help me after seeing that my attempts were only resulting in getting the sled buried deeper since I was trying to continue up the hill. He helped me turn it around and noted that the best thing to do is get it facing down and get momentum behind you before trying to turn and go up again.
This information was very useful to me later on as I went off on my own and found myself stuck in a situation where I had to dig my sled out by myself and get it facing down only to face a thicket of aspen trees. It was quite an experience to maneuver through the trees, but I made it. Then we spent the next couple of hours just riding around above the timber line. Around 1pm a storm started to roll in so we decided to head back to the lodge for lunch. It was a fun little “race” back and we hit about 70mph a couple of times. WOW!
Lunch was great, the boss paid. I had homemade chicken noodle soup in a bread bowl and home cut fries. I got so stuffed. Everyone did, and with the storm most everyone decided to go home after lunch. Wayne, (the president of the company), Jeff (VP of construction), Dave (head of the Superintendents) and myself stayed. We went up some trails and then out in the mountains with a couple other guys who had GPS devises. Jeff got stuck in a snow covered stream and lost his boot. We ended up getting his boot and the sled out and he decided he had enough so the four of us started to head back. The guys with the GPS offered to guide us back to the trail head but we refused since it was only about 25 yards away. Well… in the snow everything looks the same and we managed to loose the trail. We spent the next 2 hours riding around the mountains trying to find our way back. Finally Wayne reminded me of my phone. I happened to have Verizon (the best coverage there is) and I was able to place a call to the lodge. We gave them our general vicinity and they sent a couple of guys out to find us… and obviously, they did! Good thing too, because by the time they did, it was about 6pm, white out conditions, and dark and cold. The funny thing is, when they found us, we were about 20 yards from the trail. HA! the thing is, it was 20 yards through a THICK grove of trees on a very steep embankment… we knew it was the way we needed to go but didn’t think it was possible to pass that way, the guides who found us however, showed just how easy it was to navigate down.
Anyway, the trip was great. And as Jeff kept saying… “a bad day of snowmobiling is better that a good day at work!”

Performance Appraisals

This week was performance appraisal week at Prudential. This means that I had to sit down with my 11 employees and provide them with a performance rating for 2004 as well as provide them with their salary increase and bonus amount. I am very fortunate that I have a very talented team. Giving reviews to talented/high performing people makes it quite easy. It is always easy to tell people they are doing a great job. What gets more difficult is telling people they are doing an "okay" job, or even worse, a poor job. I have been spared the opportunity this year of letting someone know they are doing a poor job, but did have a few that were doing okay. At Prudential we have a rating system of 1-5. 5 means you are greatly exceeding expectations. 4 means consistently exceeds expectations. 3 - meets expectations, etc. Very few, if any get 1s or 5s. The majority (80-85%) get 3s.

Very few people like to hear negative or critical feedback. When I have an employee who is a 3 performer, that means they are doing their job. But most people like to think they are great employees. Rarely have I come across an employee who thinks they are average - at least at my company. People rationalize their greatness by remembering days they worked overtime, or a great email they received from somebody at some point telling them they did a great job. I am a manager that believes in rewarding performance (as is my company). Therefore there has to be a good reason somebody is better than a 3. I have to have a lot of backup and proof that this person exceeds expectations, and isn't just doing a good/great job in their role. At the same time, I am the type of manager that puts my trust in my employees. I empower them, and expect them to meet my expectations. When I give critical feedback, I do it in a subtle manner, trying not to hurt people's egos and let them know I still trust them (if I do). But to an average employee, this can often lead to delusions of grandeur. So reviews can be difficult if we sit down and I am certain they are a 3 and they are certain they are a 4.

What I try to do to avoid these types of situations is sit down with my employees on a quarterly basis and have a frank discussion. I ask questions like, "what rating do you think you are?" If they say something I disagree with, we discuss it and I tell them what I think the gap is between the two. This has helped me with difficulties with big surprises in performance ratings. But even if they agree they are not a 4, they just don't like to hear the negative aspects. I believe mostly my generation and the generation below me are just not used to receiving good, critical feedback. We have always been told we are the best. So usually critical feedback is a blow to our fragile egos, and we get defensive. The truth is, in most cases the feedback I am providing is not to point out flaws, but to help them reach their goal - or at least see what lacks for them to achieve - of a higher rating. We spend tons of time going through how much time they worked that one weekend or how it will be impossible to be that proactive with such a high caseload, never realizing that by rationalizing or denying such feedback, they are holding themselves back from achieving the next level. They won't even try because they see no need. They are already there.

The truth is, I guess this is necessary, as we can't have all high performers. There will always be those that stand out - and usually they are always the same people.

My review went well. I went in with a particular rating and bonus amount in mind, and was pleasantly surprised. I believe I have grown over the past two years and actually like to hear critical feedback, since I am starting to realize that I am not perfect. Even if I am the best manager in the department (ok, so I haven't grown a TON!), I can still become even better. There is no reason to leave the mark at a low level - we must continually grow. So at the beginning of this year, I am humbled. In most years I would have left my review with pride and confidence, saying I deserved this. This year I felt that I am so lucky to be in this situation, and that the Lord is too kind. I am so grateful for my job and the opportunity I have to use my skills in a way that I enjoy - and that are recognized. That is a blessing that not all people experience. I am also grateful that the Lord listens to our prayers.

I have a long way to go, but I feel that now that I am 30 and have settled into this "adult" life, that I am maturing and that I am getting more humble. So many people are ruined by the thoughts that they "deserve" what they receive. None of us "deserve" anything. Even if I lived perfectly for the rest of my life, I would never merit the blessings I have received up to this point in my life - and the gap would increase as God would most certainly provide even more for living such a life. Be grateful for what you have! It can all be taken in an instant. Cling to the things that are eternal: family, testimony.

A bad day...

Now, i know you are all thinking, "There is no way his day can be as bad as mine." But, let me assure you, you are wrong for this was my day in its lovely details.
To start off, I have had trouble sleeping as of late and last night I had particulaly bad insamnia. I woke up a little late for work but still ate and took a shower becasue I have a such a nice boss. After scraping like an inch off the windshield i found myself at work thinking it could be an okay day. I also at this point was wrong. So, the day looks to be a normal day because I have only a few work orders, and so I get my tools and head to my first one. It just says noise from waterheater. Now, I get this exact work order at least two timea a day. I guess these students grew up in homes with the heater downstairs or something. Water heaters make noise if they're not like brand new. So, I knock on the door ready to give the normal speech since we only replace the heater if it is in really bad shape. But before the door opens I hear a really loud funny sound coming from inside. She opens the door and takes me right to the water heater which has sound around it. But there is a definate problem, the water heater is only a year old. I put my ear to it and didn't hear anything. Then my heart sank as I noticed the sound was louder as I got closer to the floor. I put my ear to the floor and could hear what souned like a water park below the apartment complex! I ran outside and after digging managed to turn the water off... well sort of, the sound didn't stop. I called Chris and told him to haul his butt over and then i called the head of Wymount and Maintanence and told them to get all the water to Wymount shut off asap. Eventually this happens and we are all in the apartment. Chris says,"Well, looks like you got a job in front of you..." and with that he walks out with the big shots and they leave me a BYU pickup and head off to go do all the paperwork. Chris told me to go get a team of 5 guys and lead the project and to have it completed by 6:00pm. So after getting two jackhammers and my other 4 guys we started the crazy project. To be continued...

Life is Fragile

Yesterday afternoon I was awakened by the sound of my work cell vibrating on our counter. I wouldn't normally pick it up, but upon looking at it I realized it was an 801 area code so I thought I would pick it up (curious to think who in Utah would call my work number). It ended up being one of my good friends from the mission - Mike Blackham. I was excited to hear from him, but soon found out the news was not so good. He had called to inform me that one of our close mission friends - Cameron Court - had passed away this weekend in a snowmobile accident. Cameron had been a great friend on the mission. He was a great missionary - full of fun, love, and hard work. At one time on our mission he did a crank call to my mother (to set up a holiday call) where he told her he was calling her from a hospital about her son. My mother started crying - yes, it was a cruel joke - before we assured her that I was fine. Another time we were tracting and were invited into an old man's home. The man had a bunch of jars filled with what looked like mud. I asked him about them and he told me they were really old, pickled something. I told him that Cameron was a HUGE fan of that type of food, and it would be great if he could have some. The man's eyes lit up as he went to get a plate for us. I laughed inside as Cameron, trying not to be rude, tried so hard to eat the stuff. He tasted it and asked to leave, as he knew he was going to vomit. (By the way, I tried it also, and was able to keep it down - ah, I should have been on Fear Factor!). Another good memory of Cameron was a time when we would tract, we would say a random word right before making first contact, and our companion would have to use that word in the conversation. We got up and he said "vermes," which means worms. Trying not to laugh, we began the conversation. I asked the guy if he had lived here a while, and he noted that he had, as it was a nice place to live. I agreed, and said, "yeah, it's nice because the worms are great around here." Cameron busted up laughing and the guy kind of looked at me - probably thinking I just used a wrong word.

Those experiences make me laugh - and probably make everyone else think that we were not very serious missionaries. We were. He was one of our great zone leaders, and I will miss him. He loved to sing and often tried to convince me to sing with him. He wanted to be a country singer, so it really didn't fit my tastes. I feel bad for him for one main reason: he never got married or had kids. I'm sure he loved his life and had a lot of fun, but only one thing really brings a sense of happiness and godliness in this world: family. I feel bad that he wasn't able to experience what I have - the love of my life and kids that make me want to be better. He never was able to experience the hug of a child or difficulty of having a sick child. Will this keep him from heaven? Of course not. He will get that opportunity. But I am so grateful for what I have. I have been so blessed and would feel terrible to even think of complaining. So on a day of sadness - when a true friend has passed away - that grief brings me a sense of happiness in my life. I look forward to seeing him again some day. I miss you Cameron.

ghetto music

we, all 4 of us and a nonmember girl we brought from Beacon, went to a tri-stake dance last night in the Yorktown building, Yorktown, Newburg, and Westchester stakes. what a difference from our stake dances. the whole thing was what Kathy and Tom and all of our youth named ghetto music,. I brought dad so we could dance. they played hardly any slow songs, and the 2 that we danced to, we had never heard of, and weren't even sure if they were slow songs. ask Tom. many of our youth tried to request songs, and the DJ, who looked like he had been hired, would not budge from his 'list'. dad could have stayed home and got something done. but we all had fun. the Yorktown ward is not like it used to be.

Jobs

Thursday I had the opportunity to go to a BYU MBA alumni gathering near the temple here in Phoenix (Mesa). It was during lunch, so I packed up with a fellow employee (Thomas Whitaker - who happens to be a double-alumni with me - both BYU and Thunderbird) and we drove down. There were a few strange things I noticed. One is that most of the people were men - and by most I mean 95%. I guess this shouldn't have been too unexpected, as perhaps many of the BYU women were home with the hijos. The second thing was that people have the strangest jobs. Most of the people I have known in this life have normal jobs: engineers, managers, doctors, lawyers, etc. But as I get older and interview people for jobs, I realize that there are a TON of people out there that either have no idea what to do in their life or they are not fit to work a normal job.

I use the term "normal" loosely, as certainly this is from my perspective. At the luncheon there were guys who did odd jobs for the government, had companies that they couldn't even explain what they did, or just had jobs I've never heard of in industries I had no idea existed. As I thought about it, it made sense. We have billions of people, and they can't all possibly fit into the few jobs that are out there. So many times people have to make up jobs - or they make one up for themselves. I've even seen it done in large companies. You have someone you hired and realized they aren't really good at what they do. You like them, and don't want to fire them, so you "find" a job for them. Maybe they start auditing stuff, or track things, or organize something.

So when a real job comes up, it's no wonder there are millions of applicants. Of course, in my case it seems next to impossible to hire someone. I have two positions open - the perfect position! An entry level position for recent college grads to start out in the international department for a Fortune 500 company. But who do I get applying for this position? Airplane repairmen! Teachers! What are these college kids with no jobs doing???? If you know of anyone, let me know.

In the end, I am even more grateful for my job. What a great job it is. Do I make a million dollars? No. But that is probably a good thing. It is a very secure, fun, challenging, and interesting job. I manage fantastically talented people (probably much more talented than I), get to speak to people around the globe, and only work 37.5 hours per week. So how did I end up with such a great job and Mr. Fulano de Tal (John Doe in Brazil) is working as a salesperson for special water that will cure me of cancer? I'm not sure. My first inkling would be to say it is because of my wife. People meet her and they melt. She is nicknamed the 'moviestar' at work. How can a guy with her on his arm not have the confidence to do well? That confidence is going to show in every job interview, at every job, and during every task. If she thinks I am good enough to marry, then I must be pretty da#* good! The old saying that behind every great man is a great woman is so true.

So do you want a good job? Marry a smarty with a strong testimony, great mother tendencies, and a nice asset - er, figure.

Recipies...

Okay, so here are the requested recipies as of late:
+Tevia's bean bashing bubble chili/soup
(the one with like 8,000 cans required)
+Bonnie's Tacos
+Mom's world famous Lasanga
+Mom's heat attack cheeze wiz macoroni
+Chicken hmm... enchiladas... wow I spelled that closer than I expected
+Dark Chocolate Covered slow roasted Bologna Extreme Mega Super Awesome Stir-Fry!
+or other appropriate, real reciepies!

note to bret: invite Carolyn, her email is carolynwall@gmail.com

Vacation

Okay, let's talk vacation. Where and when? :) I think bret is getting more blogging than he bargained for. I love this way of communication. It is great. Anyhow, bret had mentioned something about virginia beach. Is that a real option? I am always up for the beach. But not for jellyfish!!!! LOL. So let's talk and bounce ideas around.

New Teeths

So last night I was up till 3am reading for my classes and I have to get up at 7am to get my new teeth put in. I have to admit I'm quiite pleased with the results... I'll evern try and post some pix... I can't figure this blogg thing though...
Anyway, that's big news for me, it only took about a year and about $2000.00

Disney Land

Round trip tickets on Southwest airlines to LAX = $110.00
Entrance cost to Disney Land when your roommate's brother works there = $0.00
Getting out of Provo for President's Day weekend = PRICELESS!!!
There are some things money can't buy, for everything else, there're roommates, oh and Master Card (Visa)