Cari's Great Talk (I felt worth posting)

How to Teach Your Children to Lean on the Lord

Good morning.

I'd like to start by reading two scriptures. The first is Proverbs 3:5 - 6.

And now Alma 37:35.

A lesson that seems to get harder to learn the older we get is to lean on the Lord.

I think it's a little funny that the specific topic I was given was how to teach our children how to lean on the Lord.

The way I see it, they have a bit of an advantage - children are generally used to relying on their parents for pretty much everything in life, so they are used to the concept.

Probably one of the best ways for us to remember how to lean on the Lord is to be like a little child, as we're taught in Mosiah 3:19.

The part of that verse that really sticks out to me is to be "willing to submit to all things".

The first step to relying on the Lord is to be willing to submit to whatever situation, trial or blessing, that He gives us.

Also, we can't pick and choose when we lean or rely on the Lord - we need to rely on Him for ALL things. Alma 37:36 says:

So how do we learn to rely on the Lord?

In order to rely on anyone, including the Lord, I think the first step is to trust that individual, as it says in the verses from Proverbs I read earlier. The scriptures have a lot to say about trusting in the Lord, such as in 2 Nephi 4:34 - 35:

In order to trust someone, you need to know them. Proverbs 9:10 says:

So how do we get to know the Lord?

There are many ways: serving Him, feeding His sheep, and so forth. One way to get to know anyone, including the Lord, that I want to focus on is communicating with that individual.

It's hard to know someone you don't ever talk to.

Our primary means of two way communication with the Lord is prayer.

The Bible Dictionary is one of my favorite study helps for the scriptures, and I have always loved the entry on prayer. It says, in part:

"As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship.

Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."

The purpose of prayer isn't to inform the Lord of our needs and desires - He's quite aware of those already.

As the Bible Dictionary says, the purpose of prayer is to bring our will in line with God's.

In other words, it is a way to help us reconcile our will with His.

I also want to point out that prayer is an action, a "form of work" as the Bible Dictionary says.

It's an effort of our part to show that we want something.

When it comes to leaning on the Lord, there are two extremes that should be avoided.

One is the extreme of leaning too much and the other is the extreme of leaning too little.

A common example from church history of someone who leaned too much on the Lord is Oliver Cowdery in his attempt to translate part of the Book of Mormon.

In Doctrine and Covenants 9:7, the Lord chastises Oliver and explains what he did wrong.

We cannot spend every day of our lives on this earth waiting for an angel or a lightening bolt to tell us what to do.

We need to ask, study, and put in some effort.

James 2:17 says:

We must put forth some effort to accomplish the things in life we want to accomplish.

If we do, we will be blessed. Alma 37:37 says:

On the other hand, we also can't leave the Lord out of the equation.

There are examples everywhere in the world today of people who, for whatever reasons, leave the Lord out of their lives and lean unto their own understanding.

The scriptures are also very clear on the negative consequences of this extreme. Doctrine and Covenants 3:4 says:

As with many things in life, leaning on the Lord requires finding the right balance for each situation.

In some situations, there is nothing we can do, and we must exercise hope and leave everything up to the Lord.

In other situations, there is much we can do, and we can faithfully do what we can and then leave the rest to the Lord.

A good way to know what we can do is to pray and ask, and then listen for a response.

As I studied leaning on the Lord, I have realized not only how important it is, but how difficult it can be sometimes.

It's a good thing we don't need to be perfect at something or an expert in a subject before we can share what we do know with someone else.

If that was the case, I wouldn't be talking to you about this right now.

One of the ways we can teach our children about the Lord is through telling them, explain how and why we need to do it.

Another way to teach our children how to rely on the Lord is by example.

This is perhaps both the easiest and hardest way to teach.

It's easy because it's part of something we're already doing: living our lifes.

But it's hard because when (let's be honest it's when, not if) we make a mistake, our children are still watching and will pick up on our mistakes as well as our good decisions.

With our young family, something I am learning is that we need to teach to a child's level of understanding.

Even if my 18-month-old daughter was listening to this talk instead of playing in the back of the chapel, chances are she's not going to remember much of anything I'm saying.

But we've made goals as a family to try to teach her things as she gets older and her understanding grows.

One of our goals the last few months has been to get to her fold her arms and be quiet for prayers. It was a bit of a struggle at first, but she's very good about it now.

And now, she's often the one that reminds us to pray before our meals - she'll fold her arms when I set a plate of food down in front of her. So we've got some hope that some part of what we're trying to teach her is starting to sink in.

In all our righteous endeavors, we need to pray first to get our wills in line with the Lord's.

Then we need to pray to know what we can do and then do it - we need to do what we can do and put in a valiant effort.

But we also need to remember that we must lean and trust in the Lord for the rest.

2 Nephi 10:24 says:

As we put in a constant effort to lean on the Lord, we will better know how to teach our children to do the same, and they will at the same time, learn from our example.

Thank you all SOOOOOOO Much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much for making me cry guys... maybe it is just PMS. :)

Really, this is so thoughtful and generous of you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Words really cannot express (and you all know I hardly have a shortage of words to say/write) my deep gratitude and exceeding exhilaration for this new fun camera. I am so thrilled to read the manual and figure out all the fun things to do with it. I appreciate all of you guys letting me take pictures of you, even if I am bossy and annoying. I love pictures, I love taking pictures, and I love looking through all the pictures and reliving all the great times that have been recorded this way. I don't know why you guys are so nice to me, but I really don't deserve it, especially after being so grumpy lately. But thank you, and thanks for loving me even when I am a chump. You are all so wonderful. I love you all very much. thanks, thanks, thanks, a million times over, THANKS!!!

Post Dedicated to Tevia

Okay, this is a support post for Tevia. Okay that didn't come out like I wanted it. Maybe appreciation is a better word!

Tevia, thank you for hosting all of our crazy families for Christmas. I love being with family and your home seems to be the gathering place for a few years now. It is stressful and complicated to cater to so many different people and during such a frantic time as Christmas. I want you to know that I personally love being in PHX and that's probably mainly because I feel so at home in your house. Our fun family Christmas would not have been possible without you sharing your home and doing all the hard work to make it a vacation for us. Please know that even though I am sarcastic and annoying most of the time, I am really grateful for your efforts and have always liked having you and Bret as good examples a few years in front of us.

Okay mushy stuff over! Now for the exciting part.

The family would like to thank you for hosting us for Christmas in combination with an early birthday present, we present you with the best hockey stick gift ever! I hope you enjoy your camera and it is a model you would have purchased yourself. But lets be honest, this only means you will have to slave even more at taking family pictures! Also, on a more selfish note... if in the distant future I just happen to be wake boarding near PHX, maybe you could bring that nifty little camera of yours and make me look good!

Love,
Jacob, Cari, Mom, Dad, Kathy, Jimmy, Hazel and Speed(We find out on Monday!)

P.S. Don't shoot your eye out:-)

The end of a decade...

The last decade ended in a blur. With a second trip to Dubai followed by the visit of family, then Christmas, then San Diego, and then the New Year. All of it was wonderful.

In Dubai I got to go on a desert safari where I rode a camel, went jeeping in the endless sand dunes, and ate a typical middle eastern meal in the middle of the desert.

Jacob and Cari and Kathy and Jimmy visited soon after my long voyage home. Jacob and Cari were able to see our family sing and speak in church. We then spent many nights talking long into the early morning.

My parents soon arrived and then we celebrated a wonderful Christmas. I loved seeing everyone open their presents - and loved the green laser I got for Jimmy (hopefully he liked it, too). The Christmas meal was great with a Honey Baked Ham supplied by Jacob and Cari.

We set off the next day to San Diego where we had a fun and spacious condo that mom had organized to surprise grandpa on his 50th birthday. Though it wasn't too hot, the weather was nice, even nice enough for grandpa, Jacob and me to surf (with the aid of a wetsuit). Surfing was fantastic and I was gladly sore the next few days for having learned how to surf. I can easily see the pull of being a beach bum with a surf board.

We had some wonderful dinners and I enjoyed being with the family. The last night most of us went to the temple (while Jacob and Cari volunteered to watch the kids) and had a wonderful evening of spiritual enlightenment. I was happy to be a part of a family that wanted to make the temple a part of our trip.

Afterwards we separated ways again - looking forward to a day we can be together again. For me the time was a reminder of how important family is - and how it makes me want to be a better man. What a great time to get that reminder! Right during the new year. And so I look forward to this new year and decade with a mindset to improve myself as a person; to be a better man, a better husband, a better father, brother, and son. I dream of a day where we can spend much more time together as a family.

First Blog

One of my few New Years resolutions for this year is to stay in contact more often with my family. I talk to my mom maybe once every week and a half and my dad maybe once every 3 weeks. Its not that they don't call its just when they do I usually miss it and never return phone calls. Also, I've been a member of this blog for about a year now and still have NEVER blogged. Unacceptable. So here is my first. I just wanted to let all of you know how happy I am to be a part of your family. Christmas was great and even though it was tough not going home to see my family in New York, I loved every minute we spent together. I am in such high spirits when we are all together and I know I can say the same for Kath. So thank you all for letting me be a part of it. The boys are so fun to hang out with and finally getting to meet Hazel was beyond words. She is the happiest baby I have ever seen. The whole trip went perfect.

I am very excited for the huge changes to come this year. In 9 months I am OUT of the Marines =) and one year from now I will be starting school (finally). Kathy will be student teaching in just a couple of days and soon will be a real teacher. Me and Kathy are very excited about possibly living in AZ. We talk about it all the time. Life is pretty good...especially knowing I don't have to say goodbye to Kathy again. Well, thanks Bret and Tevia for having us for Christmas and thank you all for letting me be a part of this incredible family. I miss and love you all very much.

Merry Christmas

Joy, peace, happiness, merriment, families, love, smiles, twinkling lights, games; this is what I think of when I think of Christmas.  But I also think all those things when I think of our family.  (except maybe for the twinkling lights).
Words, at least my simple words, cannot express the joy I have in my heart being a mother to each one of you!  And that includes you all!  I smile when I think of you.  I smile when I think of each grandchild. 
It is a blessing to have such a family.
There is a song that goes, "let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me..." 
It does begin with me.  I want to express that to you today, because I don't know if we will get around tuit during our visit together, that I have peace in my heart.
This gospel we live was a gift to me, the greatest gift I have ever been given.  It does bring me joy, even great joy.  And seeing you guys live the Gospel increases that joy. 
I know that Christ was not born in December, but seeing so many people take the time to celebrate Him and worship Him brings me great happiness.
He has blessed me, healed me, saved me, comforted me, and continues to do so daily.  I have seen miracles, both large and small. 
I have felt that peace He promised us.  It is most precious. 
It seems impossible to bear a testimony in words over a computer.  How can the spirit accompany what I am trying to say and what I feel?
My Christmas wish for all you is peace in your heart, even that most precious gift of love from the Savior Himself.  I hope you feel it.  I hope you live it.  I pray for each of you daily, and I can feel His help and watchfulness over you.  I love to see  and hear that you do your callings and ask the Lord for guidance and fast and pray oft.
Each time we receive inspiration, the Lord has more confidence in us that we believed enough to seek it, and then acted on it.  We can then be given more and more. It is amazing!
Between all our fun and presents and food and excitement, I know we will feel the beautiful spirit that abounds in our family and homes.
Merry Christmas from mom! 

The weather outside is frightful

But beautiful!

The Outsiders

I had never read this popular book, or saw the movie. Dad had to read it in high school.  It was chosen as our book club book this month, so I was glad to finally read it.  The girl wrote it while still in high school, so the writing itself could have been improved, but I loved the concept, and the characters.  I had 'greasers' in my high school, and dated several.  One time, Mark came over to wash and dry his flannel shirt after it got blood on it during a fight. Fun days.
So we Netflixed the movie, and watched it last night.  Boy!  The stars in it!  Now you all know dad and I know little of actors names and what movies they are in.  This short movie was made in 1983. It had a very young Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon,  the young kid star  from Karate kid, Diane Lane, and Patrick Swazy.  If they redid the movie today, it would be better, as they never quite captured the relationships and feelings of the book. It also did a poor job of developing the theme of labels and reputations.
We enjoyed it, and I even cried.  I recommend both.

Thanksgiving, Neti Pots, Fish

We had a fun Thanksgiving weekend. Early Thursday morning we headed up to Show Low to spend time with the Webbs. The plans had originally been to have dinner at Tevia's parents' house - then it turned to lunch (thus the early morning leaving) - and then it turned to lunch at the fire station. I admittedly was a little dubious in my expectations as my experience has been that if we do not have dinner with immediate family or friends, then the dinner can turn out to be lacking. I recall years ago a dinner where I didn't even get any rolls or mashed potatoes. But we were there at noon ready to go; but nobody else was. We finally started eating at around 2 PM. I did enjoy three dished that were there: Tevia's salad, Tevia's mom's sweet potatoes, and Tevia's dad's stuffing. Unfortunately not much else was good. The mashed potatoes weren't all that good, the turkey dry and tasteless, and there was no corn! After the meal I told Tevia that I have enacted a new Thanksgiving rule: we will only do Thanksgiving with immediate family or friends (the rule does not stand outside the US). This may seem mean, but I really like Thanksgiving. Whenever we entrust the meal to be prepared by people we don't know, we tend to be disappointed. We'll see how well we follow our rule. Unfortunately, later that night we had to go out and get some dinner at the only place open in Show Low on Thanksgiving: McDonalds.

Though the meal was less-than-fabulous, it was nice to be up with family. We played many games and had fun together. A few of us were still a little sick with stuffed noses and coughs. A year or so ago I had read about neti pots online and had wanted to try them. A tradition that began with yoga, these pots have saline water poured through your nasal passages (think: in one nostril, out the other). Tevia was on board, but we never bought one. Upon arriving in Show Low we found Tevia's mother had one - though she had never used it. Her best friend had convinced her to buy one and attested to the effectiveness of it. With my nose being quite stuffy I was eager to try it. So I did! And boy, did I like it. And it worked even better than I imagined. After that my sinuses were clear and I could breathe like a charm. One thing I HATE about have having a stuffy nose (either from colds or allergies) is that I can not sleep breathing through my mouth. So if I am stuffed, I don't get much sleep. The neti pot relieved this issue for me, at least this week. I did it three times over the few days and loved it. Tevia and Risa followed suit and did it as well - and both loved it, too. In fact, we eventually stole the neti pot and brought it home. I haven't needed it since, but look forward to seeing how effective it is during allergy season. I'd much rather use a neti pot than a decongestant as it is natural and doesn't contain drugs. But for a first time trial, I would say it works great.

On the way back from Show Low I decided to stop at the fishing hatchery we always pass on the way home. I've wanted to stop for years, and last time we visited I vowed next time we would stop. And so we did. It was a pretty 4 mile drive off the highway up some pretty canyon. Upon arriving we found a fun pond full of HUGE trout that you could feed. Some of these trout were amazingly big. And they had all kinds: rainbow, brook, and even apache (only in Arizona). Afterwards we headed up to the pools that had the hatching trout. They had different kinds and different sizes. It was fun to stick your fingers in the water and they would jump out of the water and bite your finger and go crazy. Tevia pointed out that there were many signs stating NOT to put your hands in the water, but eventually she let the boys do it, too. They laughed and had fun. There were thousands of fish. It was so cool. I absolutely loved it. The water was very cold - nearly freezing according to some of the signs (some trout need water very cold). It was a fun 30 minute stop on the way back - and definitely we will stop again some day. Maybe next time on one of the hot drives home to cool off. Too bad we couldn't catch them! It made me want to get back into fishing. Maybe next year I'll focus on that with the boys.

What is this?

Hint, I found it in Bret's room when I started wrapping Christmas gifts yesterday. It was going to be for Jarek.

The Pics

T

I forgot to add some of the pictures.
The tree at Rockefeller center, not lit yet,  a bird from the zoo, much prettier in person, and good old sponge bob!

Thanksgiving

I felt like we were all so separated and kind of doing our own thing this year. I hope we can fix that next year!
Dad & I enjoyed the day, although no matter what, I missed all of you.
The train ride down to the city was beautiful! That first made me miss Tevia, as I could see her snapping pics the whole way down. The morning mist was just rising, the sun coming through, and the water of the Hudson shone blue and still, reflecting every mountain, every bridge, every scene, like you see in a calendar or a puzzle photo. Gorgeous!
Then I wished the boys were on the train with me. I hope we can take them this summer down to the city to see some sites and just ride the train and enjoy NY.
Our plan to watch the parade from Central Park was thwarted, as we decided to get off one stop too early to allow me not to have to walk as far. Ha ha. That backfired. The police had every road blocked off so you could not cross, so we had to walk and walk, trying to get around Columbus circle, which never happened. So we sat on a wall and watched the top of the parade. Dad said we were about 80 yds away. It was still fun and exciting, until the few of us that had climbed this wall got kicked off by a hotel staff guy. So we moved on...
We decided to go see the Central Park zoo. We had been there years before, and knew it was small, but we love zoos, and it was such a nice day outside.
We took the subway back down and under the streets that the parade was on, so we finally ended up on the other side of Central Park. It was $10, and usually we would have said that was not worth it for the few animals you see compared to a real zoo, but we loved it. As they fed the seals, they had them do tricks, like wave and bark and jump and dive, etc. THAT reminded me of, "It was feeding time at the zoo...." Anybody remember those lines? Bret? Ah yes, Sammy the Seal, which we must have read 1,000 times. So then I missed Bret, especially as we walked through the tropical house, filled with all colors of birds, snakes, etc. My camera does not do well, but I tried.
Then we heard a mob roar, and went to see the lemurs, and thought of Kathy, and her wish that there were pink lemurs when we were up at the tiny zoo in Millbrook.
We walked past dozens of hot nut stands, and at most, they were roasting chestnuts, literally, on an open fire. Cool. We didn't buy any, but we thought of Tevia.
We walked all the way from Central Park down 5th ave to Times Square. By then it was noon, we were hungry, tired, and dad was going low. We had wanted something interesting and fun to eat for lunch, and had predecided not to get pizza, chinese, or deli, as we get that often. Well, that is all we saw! We must be bad at knowing where to look, as I am sure this city must have some other places. We saw 3 TGIFs, and didn't want that, so we headed toward the Olive Garden in Times Square. It was closed and rented out to a private party. So, we got Deli, which made me think of Tom, as that is his favorite place to eat. Even right before he left for his mission, and we told him we would take him wherever he wanted to eat dinner, he chose a deli in NY.
We passed Wicked and wished J & Cari with there with us.
We saw hundreds of Yankee and Giant stuff being sold on the sidewalks, and thought of Jimmy.
It is wonderful to have such great memories of all you kids. I am very grateful for my family!

New Moon

We actually liked it a lot better than the first one. The main girl is not a very good actress, and I would rather marry a werewolf than a vampire, but, oh well.
I had heard how hot all these guys running around without shirts on was from my young women. I totally disagree with that. They really could have chosen some cuter guys.
In the end, it was refreshing watching this with no sex or swear words at all, especially after having watched parts of the American Music awards. I wanted to see Adam what's his name sing, and Kings of Leon, and Janet Jackson. Big mistake. I had to switch channels as soon as Lambert started his sex song. Disgusting. I think he just threw his career in the toilet. Sad.

The Decision - Gifts

The final decision for 2009 is we pick names - as siblings. The names are below. Each person gets a present for the person they have selected. This year I was not random - but did boys for boys, etc. Next year we can use the LHC to determine randomness. I did not pick a name for Tommy or the parents. I did not include kids (e.g. mine or Heather, er, Hazel). Maybe after a few more are born we can, but for now my kids would get the lucky advantage. That doesn't mean we can't buy for any of these people. I didn't include Jacob Webb and family as we already have picked names for them on the other side of the family. If anyone finds this unfair, it probably is. If people would like "ideas" on what the person they have would like, please feel free to elicit in comments or via private email/chat.

Kathy to buy for: Tevia
Tevia to buy for: Cari
Cari to buy for: Kathy

Bret to buy for: Jimmy
Jacob to buy for: Bret
Jimmy to buy for: Jacob

Gifts

K so this might sound stupid but over here in Hawaii we were wondering what will be expected of us in AZ for Christmas this year. Are we all giving each other gifts this year? or just to our favorites =) hehe. either way it's fine for us. We would just like to know. Also if we are getting everyone a gift I would like some ideas so we are not aimlessly buying junk =) k well let us know! Can't wait till Dec!

D.N. #2

I am supposed to be working on kindness as a quality mothers should have. I started 11/9, and although it has been 2 weeks, I think I need another week. I didn't do very well on this one.

Dubai

I was asked a little over a week ago to go to Dubai to meet with a client. I had already been asked to go to Dubai in December, so this was a very short notice and surprising request. I checked with Tevia and she was okay with it, so I booked my tickets and left on Sunday.

Dubai was one of the top 5 cities I wanted to visit in my life, so it was exciting to be able to go. Unfortunately it is very far away (longer than even flying to Hong Kong), so I was not looking forward to the long flights - especially in economy class.

I traveled through Houston to Doha in Qatar. In the Doha airport it was fun to see such a different culture. One of the cool things I saw was a man in his robes with a hooded hawk sitting on his forearm - in the middle of the airport. I didn't have a lot of time to wait and then got on my flight to Dubai. I arrived in Dubai fairly late (around 11 PM). As I went through customs/immigration, they did not like my passport. My passport was washed in the washing machine a few years ago - and so it is wrinkled and tattered. When I asked to get a new one, I was told that I didn't need one and to just use it until it expires. Well, Dubai did not like it and the agent gave me a piece of paper and told me to go to some office. I arrived in the office and gave a man behind a counter my passport and the paper. He indicated to me to sit down and then left with my passport. I wasn't too nervous until the woman sitting next to me started freaking out, saying she had been in the room for 5 hours and had no idea what was going on. I imagined a scenario where I was going to be stuck in this room for hours and eventually sent home. But fortunately about 20 minutes later the guy returned and gave me back my passport and told me to proceed.

I grabbed a taxi to the hotel and checked in. The guy at the counter told me it was my lucky day as the room that had been booked for me was full and they were going to have to upgrade me. Indeed I was lucky! The room was a two bedroom suite - and it was nearly the size of my house! It was so cool. It was by far the nicest room I have ever stayed in. It had the two bedrooms, two walk-in closets, three bathrooms, a living room, three big TVs, etc.

My business meetings in Dubai went well. There were several things I was excited to see in Dubai. The world's tallest building - Burj Dubai. The Palm Jumeirah. And the Burj Al Arab - the world's first 7 star hotel. I didn't have much time there, so I didn't think I would have a chance to see them all. But the first night for dinner the client took us to a wonderful Lebanese restaurant right below the Burj Dubai. This building is magnificent. It is so cool. It is twice the size of the Empire State Building and the tallest structure ever built on earth (except maybe the tower of babel?). Next to our restaurant was the fountains that were built by the same company that did the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. It was a perfect setting. And the food was awesome.

The second day our meetings ended early so I asked a couple of my colleagues if they wanted to go out and see a few things. They agreed, so we packed into a taxi (which were fairly inexpensive) and for the first stop went to Jumeirah beach to see if we could see the Burj al Arab. We couldn't get into the hotel as it is restricted, but we were able to see it and go to the beach nearby. The beach was very nice - and the water surprisingly clear. We then got another taxi and went to the Palm Jumeirah to drive over it and go to the Atlantis resort at the top. There is another Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, and this one is very similar. Driving over the Palm was so cool as I have for years wanted to visit this marvel and have seen so many satellite pictures. It was cool to think that I was actually there. The Atlantis was nice - but the best part was a huge aquarium they have with thousands of fish. It was even bigger than the one in Hong Kong (Ocean Park). And the best part? They had a live whale shark! It was very cool.

That evening we went to another resort/hotel that had canals spread throughout the property (imagine Venice) and we ate at a nice restaurant along the canals. This place was full of rich people and celebrities, as we saw several professional golfers (though I didn't recognize them) as the Dubai open was happening this week.

The next morning I woke up early and after more than 24 hours arrived back in Phoenix safe and sound.

I absolutely loved Dubai. And though I was there for a very short period, it definitely is one of the favorite places I have ever visited. It reminded me of Singapore but with a more modern feel and then the middle eastern style. The most impressive thing was how NEW and BIG everything was. The weather was similar to Phoenix. In fact, since it is on the sea it reminded me a lot of Rocky Point in Mexico with desert flora and sand. I am hoping I do get to go back again in December, and definitely it is a place I want to take Tevia one day.

I never felt unsafe there. I know a few people had worried about the location (near Iran/Iraq/Saudi Arabia). But this is a very global city - and westernized. The city is comprised of 80% foreigners (mostly from India - they are the ones building everything - making a wage of 10 USD per day). There were many Europeans, Americans, Asians, etc. Even in Qatar I didn't feel any more out of place than I would in China or France. It was a neat experience.

It's the Best News Ever

After dropping Hazel off to "party" at Ellery's house this morning (those are Ellery's words), Jacob and I headed off to the doctor to get the update on my...ahem...delicate situation.

Long story short, after waiting an exorbiant length of time and trying to not laugh when I was shown the plastic Dixie cup this office takes urine samples in, we finally saw the doctor and had a nice talk. He told me how he thought this delivery should go better since it's my second one (they had me fill out a page with notes about my first pregnancy and I completely overflowed the box they left open for "Complications"). Then he told us that if the ultrasound looked good, then I could start to ease off on my restrictions and start doing some light exercise. (Insert small cheer here.)

We walked over to the next building (where the ultrasound machine is) and got to see a very good view of our tiny little baby. He (we're using the male pronouns out of Jacob's strong belief that this one HAS to be a boy and my moderate belief that it probably is but we'll see) gave us a good wave and several good jumps that were completely adorable. Then we got the BEST NEWS EVER: the bleed/blood clot/big serious worry for the last 2 months is completely gone! Not a trace of it was left! So the ultrasound nurse (who I LOVE) said she whole-heartedly agreed with the doctor that I could resume normal activity but to obviously be smart about it and ease back into it (which I was already planning on). So we are very, very excited that I can start getting back to normal and (hopefully) keep from gaining a ridiculous amount of weight.

For those who want the particulars, baby is measuring about 6.5 centimeters from head to rump and his heartrate is 165 bpm. We're very happy with this news and I can't wait to go walk the mall later tonight and to do some WiiFit Plus, etc. Thank you for all the prayers - they certainly worked!

Technical SS

All went well! Everyone pulled through, not one person called in sick, and Aaron Ricks, who was doing Rock Band, did call Saturday afternoon to say he couldn't do it, but he found a replacement. Very responsible! Tim Cotter did it for him. The chapel at 6pm had 30ish people in it, and I was worried, but, we had ordered pizza for 120, and dad was on the ball. By 6:20, he called and added 2 more pizzas, and I never even got a piece! We had some guys take more than one, of course, even with all our planning and serving, but I was just glad we had that many people! The parents were not interested in some of the website areas we had demonstrations for, but all in all, I think the talks were great, informative, and maybe, oh just maybe, we helped one or two youth from climbing down the road of gaming addiction or porn. We had several parents say they think their sons were addicted to gaming, always WOW. We had several men say they think their wives were addicted to games on facebook. :) hilarious.
Dad thinks his talks stunk, like usual, but he did great. I am thrilled with the results of about 4 weeks of hard work. I can now relax, as we have no SS for December.

Hehe

Jimmy is home =) We are beyond happy. Just thought you should all know.

Halloween, November

Halloween was a lot of fun. Tevia's costumes were fantastic. So I was excited to go to work in my costume on Friday (one of the few fun things we are still able to do at work). Afterwards we had our ward party, which I think went well. I say "I think" because I was stuck in the YM room manning the bean bag throw and was in there the entire time and never had a chance to leave and see the other rooms. At the same time I had a crying blue pikmin sitting in the corner refusing to participate (Malik can be quite stubborn). But it was fun and Tevia did a great job on the activity.

Saturday was Halloween so we got dressed again and went out with the boys while Risa gave out candy. We met up with the neighbors down the street and went with them. This is where I became frustrated. Year after year we have seen a reduction in the amount of people that participate in Halloween. This year the amount of homes that actually gave out candy was easily less than 25%. How sad is that! I was so disappointed in our neighborhood and wished I had some eggs to throw at some of the homes. Even more frustrating were the amount of homes that had all their lights on (many turn off all their lights including their porch lights in order to signal they are not home) and STILL did not answer the door to give out candy. This means that after an hour of trick-or-treating the kids really only have a few pieces of candy.

Why is it that so many people don't participate? I can only guess a few reasons. One is that our neighborhoods are no longer communities where we care for each other. There are a few scattered here and there, but for the most part our neighbors don't really know us and don't care about our kids, etc. Another reason is that for some reason there are more and more people who are convinced Halloween is evil (including our own local church leaders!) and don't want to contribute to the growing of this holiday. Ironically they don't see that the holiday is suffering and now limits the one holiday we really had left where we consistently visited our neighbors.

Whatever the reason is (or are), it made me very sad and disappointed. The kids still had fun and had little idea of how different it was when we were kids. But it still was frustrating to see so many people wouldn't participate.

After Halloween November has been great in terms of weather, but difficult in terms of my company. Nearly three months ago they approached me with this opportunity to go to the UK and until now nothing has been offered to me. However, I am doing the job. This means I have been working two jobs for nearly 3 months - AND been stressed about how to make plans for the next year or so. At this point I am about at my breaking point and am tempted to just send a letter to senior management to say forget it and start looking for another job. How inconsiderate these companies can be by leaving a family in the dark for so long, unable to make commitments or decisions as they strung along. And by working two jobs I have put in way more hours than usual - which I hate to do. I don't mind doing it from time to time when necessary, but to do it for a job besides the one I have and not even know if I will continue in that job makes it worse. And frustrating, as the client I work with continually asks why I haven't moved to London yet.

Thank goodness for a wife who tries to be patient. But it is time for a change. I will give my company one more week - and if this thing doesn't pan out, I will seriously begin looking for other work. And yes, I realize that this is perhaps the worst time since I have been in the workforce to look for a job.

The Lego project

I love to organize! So I found the perfect thing to do while watching the Yankees kick butt.
I have went through the house, gathering, and then organizing Lego. I emptied out the lego table, and did a basic sorting to see what we have. I think it is less than we thought we had. It looks like less when it is in nice, neat containers.
I have sorted it by color, then, I made a box of wheels and tires, windows and door, weird blue and yellow shield-type things, (clear colored plastic shapes).
Then, I have two containers of small tiny parts, and one container of people and body parts.
I also have a 3 sectioned container of bigger specialty pieces, like airplane tails and rocket type things.
There are 2 containers that were already sorted that hold Technique, I think.
There are 9 pads, which I am actually washing. They are old and not in too good of shape, and dirty and even sticky. Weird. Who knows what sticky substance is on them!
I had fun, but I have no idea how to divide it up between all of you. I know Jacob wants some.
Any ideas? I guess I can divide up the colors, and make 4 separate boxes of mixed colors.
Then, how would I divide up all the cute little people and parts?
I am open for suggestions.
I am guessing dad will take apart the lego table. Boy, we really are in a downsizing mode!

Empty nesting

Well, here goes. Dad & I have been doing a lot of talking lately. We are in the down-sizing mode. We love our life. We know these years should be some of the best years of our lives. We have our health, some money, and our freedom, except for.... a dog.
As much as I love Daisy, it has come to the point where we really feel like she is tying us down. There are many times that we want to be gone longer, or stay in the city, etc. and we can't.
We also feel that she would really be better off with a family with kids. I hardly have time to walk her anymore. She is pretty bored with life around here.
We do not feel that any of you are at a point where you can take her. We do not want any of you to feel like you have to. We are going to put a notice in our vet's office, and also sign her up for the Beagle adoption agency. She will be wanted and loved.
I can't do this secretly. I feel I need to at least tell you all that we have pondered this over and over, and this is our decision.
I don't think Tom will mind; he will only be here a few weeks and then leave again.
Cari, I feel the worst for you. But, with a baby on the way, and another little one, the timing is just not right. You guys can always get another good-natured cute beagle or dog someday and train her with your kids when they are the right age.
Kathy, I know you and Jimmy will get our own dog.
I don't think Bret & Tevs really will care much.
So, we are sorry, but we are pretty sure about this.
Don't shoot us, love to all. Mom

Hazel's Halloween

Here are some pics of Hazel in her Halloween costume. We celebrated a day early in order to attend my office trick-or-treating that they do every year. We're not going to go real trick-or-treating since Hazel couldn't master the phrase in time. I'm sure she'll be excited to go next year.

Jacob and I sewed her whole costume ourselves, which was easily my biggest sewing project to date. It was a lot of fun, at least for me. Hazel didn't really like her costume until people started handing her candy. Then she got a lot more excited. In case anyone cares, I dressed up as a Sneetch and Jacob dressed up as a beach bum. We're going to spend tonight with some friends, but not in costume.

Frustration

I am in charge of this huge Super Saturday in November based on technology, and it is for parents of youth and youth 12 -18. I had to fight my way through the Stake leaders to get this, and I have had no support, as Jim Rawlings always gone now, looking for a job, and will probably be gone by then. Dad was his counselor, and he has been released and is too busy with his new calling, and the other YM counselor is in Middletown.
Anyways, we had 3 top speakers lined up for the main talks, and now all 3 have cancelled, (well, Br. Dalton says he has to go to London that day, but when he saw my face, he said maybe he can give the talk and take the redeye out).
So here I am, frustrated. I have looked for a guy who could give a technical talk about how to use parental controls on a comp, protect against porn, etc. NO one seems to know or want to give this talk. I have called over 15 people.
I wish I could afford to bring Bret or Prof Knudson or Jake out here!
egh.

Hawaii Update

So first of all, I LOVE Hawaii. Going from having to wear actual socks and shoes everyday and freezing your tail off the matter where you go... to having your feet be able to be free and actually being hot when you walk outside is absolutely phenomenal. It is so gorgeous here and the weather has been perfect beach weather everyday since I have gotten here. So my body is very pleased with this as I've soaked up the sun quite a few times this week. The ocean is breath taking as ever too. I swear, the ocean will always be one of those things that the matter how much you see it, it will still just blow you away. I think it will be very hard to leave this place for good next year. Last time, I knew I was coming back, now it's a different story.

I still am not in our new apartment yet. It looks like I will move in this weekend though. So I am excited... pretty much to the point where I can't sleep at all because all I do is lay there and think about our stuff and every square inch of the new place and where I can put things and how I can make it look nice. This is both fun for me but also a curse. Lol I wish I could just calm down one night and just fall asleep. Oh well. I know I probably won't sleep really well until Jimmy gets home anyways, so why not have fun thinking about things right?

I chose an apartment that is on the 9th floor of an apartment complex. The view is what won me over, as well as well the brand new oven, fridge, dish washer, washer, dryer, sink, cabinets, floors, bathroom, and paint jobs... oh a the granite counter tops. Its pretty small but its definitely pretty. I just hope Jimmy likes it. I am excited because we have a trash chute haha and I think that sounds fun.

We still don't know when Jimmy is getting back. All of the other companies know their exact arrival times and dates except for H&S company which is of course Jimmy's lol. I waited in line with Ashley to find out the times and dates and her husband gets back on my birthday so I was jealous as they said they don't think H&S will get back till alittle bit later. But oh well. I am in good spirits. He is still coming home after all! And we don't have to say any more goodbyes!!!! Usually this is what most people live by... but for us it is a first and I can not even tell you how happy it makes me feel to know that our long separations are over! I feel very blessed and lucky to have all this excitement in my life. It is just going to be the best thing in the world to see Jimmy's face again. =) Even if it is after my bday!

Well that is the news for now. Next time I blog, maybe my husband will be right next to me!!!

Trip to UT Oct '09 - State of My Health

Our annual trip up to UT was great. We headed out Wednesday morning and decided to deliberately take our time and stop more often. We took a route we have never taken before - and that turned out great. The first cool part was taking the 89 Alternative route instead of going through Page. This crosses the Colorado River over the Navajo Bridge, which was so cool to stop and eat lunch and marvel at the beauty. We saw rafters while we were on the bridge and now I really want to do a rafting trip - it was a nice calm river here - so easy for everyone.

We also stopped in Zions National Park. I have wanted to go there for a long time - and it met my expectations. And it was even more pretty with all of the pretty leaves turning colors. We even saw some bighorn sheep. Just outside of Zion's was a small town called Springdale which was awesome: I would love to retire there. So quaint and fun.

We arrived in Provo later that evening and enjoyed seeing the Jacobs and their families. I chuckled when my brother came in with a full on beard. Thursday we played some tennis which was fun. I love playing tennis and it was fun to play with Tevia and the Jacobs (and Millie). Cari made a great meal for us that night and we stayed up talking.

Friday I played tennis with the boys and then we met up with our friends Rob and Anna and their family for lunch. It was great to see them and we had a lot of fun. We ordered some food from an old fav restaurant - which wasn't as good as I remembered. J Wall showed off his cool entertainment system which includes a subwoofer which literally shakes the apartments. Saturday we got ready for the game. I was able to go to the legacy tent with Jake thanks to Cari giving me her wristband. This was cool as you could eat in a large tent before the game and watch ESPN, etc. It was fun, though I didn't eat much. I did like the white chocolate fountain with bananas though! The game was fun - at least being there with the boys and Tevia. The game ITSELF was not that fun. We got killed by TCU. They were the better team and deserved the win. BYU is at a crossroads which I can blog about another time.

After the game we had dinner with Elder Mark Bullock from my mission and his wife Emily. It had been nearly 10 years since I last saw them. It was so fun to see them and talk. They looked the same! We had some brazilian food to bring some saudades of the zionland. We hoped to plan a trip to Brazil together in 2011. I had a lot of fun.

Sunday we drove back. I am glad that is done. I wish the trip could have been longer. We always love going up there. It always makes me want to move up there.

------------------

We recently had a free health check at our office where they measured cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. My results came back great.

My blood pressure is quite low (good low), my cholesterol is normal (176), my body fat was normal (though higher than I'd like), my glucose was good and overall they said I was very healthy. This was good to hear as when I had returned from Hong Kong my doctor had mentioned my cholesterol was a little high and had even suggested some drugs. I refused and told him if it really was high then I would credit it to poor eating and lack of exercise in HK. I told him that in a few months I'm sure I would be back to normal. I was right. And he is no longer my doctor.

Things I love in the fall

The fall in NY! Gorgeous color, leaves falling, sun shining, pumpkins on steps and porches, and colorful mums all over front yards. I have been lucky enough to get to drive around a lot these last few weeks, and boy, it has been beautiful!
Friday my old and dear friend Olivia and I are walking the rail bridge across the Hudson, then Friday night we are taking them to sit at the window of River Station and look out over the NY hills as we eat and chat.
I have enough candy for an army for next week, and we will only get about 25 kids. I always make special pumpkin cookies for the neighbor kids. They love to stop over.
Our Stake Conference is on Halloween, and the leaders were nice enough to move all the meetings up, so even the adult meeting will be over by 5. That is way cool! I like to be home on Halloween and watch some scary movie and give out treats. And, of course, have pizza!

October, so far...

I haven't been around much, but so much has happened in October already. Conference was great. My favorite talk was Holland's talk on the Book of Mormon. Powerful, true, and touching. Loved it.

I enjoyed a nice trip to London with my wife. She has blogged much about the trip - at least from her perspective. For me, I have been there a couple of times already (once just two months ago), so it was fun to see her excitement. The business side went well as I met with a new client from Saudi Arabia. They were very friendly and fun to work with. Who knows if this opportunity to live in London will come to fruition, but for me it was fun to be able to take Tevia there and look at homes. Though we didn't see a lot of homes we liked, there were a couple that we would have loved to move into immediately. My favorite was a three level home with the first level having a sitting/reception room, a very large (unusual in london) kitchen, a conservatory and then a small garden in the back with grass and a small detached room/office where I could work from home or have people stay in the summer or store the kids. =) The second floor had a very quaint master bedroom and another small bedroom. The third floor was very cool with a large bedroom and bathroom and a tiny loft area you could only access through a tiny door in the bathroom where kids could sit and read and play make believe. I absolutely loved it. It was in Twickenham - the mecca of rugby.

Tonight I bought and played Wii Fit Plus. I already love it. Several things I have noticed so far that I love about it:

- I can set my own routines and not have to wait between each set. In other words I can choose several routines and it goes through them automatically without stopping, etc. Keeps the heart pounding and makes the workouts go faster.
- Lists the calories you burn!
- Has fun new activities. I tried a new martial arts one tonight which was fun and the kids loved.

Great timing as I have gained 4 pounds over the past 2 weeks.

digital savvy grandma

In prep for this big Stake youth event I am in charge of in November, I have decided to walk the walk so I can know what I am talking about by experience.
I have joined Twitter, Facebook, and can now text.
I will probably stop the first 2 once the event is over.
I am experimenting with them.
The minute I opened Twitter, I got 3 'single' ladies asking for young men to 'hit them up'. I blocked them.
I don't get the Twitter thing, so if one of you out there can sign up and then tell me what the heck we are supposed to actually do on it, that would be helpful. lol.
Glad you walls are back in town and safe and sound.

my mom

My mom had an anxiety attack last week, and also fell. She was put on additional medication, and then yesterday, she had another worse anxiety attack. She is weak, and has been told to get 2 weeks of solid bedrest, with no visitors or phone calls.
I have called her everyday, and her voice is weak and sad. She only talks for a few seconds, and doesn't remember that I even called. It is sad to hear her like this, and not be able to just go there and make her more comfortable and happy. She has asked my sister and I not to come. We are worried about the quality of care she can get from just Milan. Michael and Marsha will monitor things, and bring in some meals.
Milan's family is in touch and also worried. Michael says she has not been this weak since her stroke. She can not walk on her own, and has lost her appetite.

I find it interesting that just yesterday I was feeling so strong and happy and motivated to be a better person, and inspired about life. Today, I feel that now the Lord is testing me on what I learned this weekend.
I am lucky I don't drink, because I do see how people become addicted to things. After a few phone calls tonight from family, I immediately turned to m&m's, even though I knew I was emotionally eating. It is a good thing that I don't have a lot of stress in my life, or I would weigh 300 lbs. lol
Jacob and Cari, send pics of Hazel to cheer me and make me smile!
It is harder than I thought to watch my mom waste away.

Professional Year

Last week I received an email from the education administration which was about my "professional year" for the 2010 school year. It was a brief preview of some of the responsibilities we would have as students and attached was a form to be filled out with certain information and to be signed to promise to keep all the rules, like not missing even one day due to any other excuse than illness or of strict emergency lol. Anyways, at the very top it says congratulations and welcome to your professional year of BYU-Hawaii's education program.

I was surprised at how good this email made me feel. I almost actually started to cry. Next year I will receive my degree and will be able to be an actual teacher! Not a helper or an assistant but to finally have my own class and so much more. This has been my dream since I was a little girl and it is so exciting to be able to fulfill a life long dream! Since I can remember I have loved and had such a strong admiration for children. I do not find them annoying, unintellectual, and difficult, like most people in society. I honestly have never ceased to see them as the most incredible and inspiring people in the world. And I am so blessed to be able to achieve this dream of mine and have the opportunity to teach children as a professional teacher on a daily basis. Because I have also grown up with a love and passion for teaching. I love to watch a child when they finally get something or to know that I made a difference in their life. Teaching is seriously without a doubt the BEST job on earth! =) Even if the money kinda sucks.... So I am so stoked for next year and to be able to do my student teaching and finish up the last couple of strings to graduating.

I am so grateful that the Lord has led me on a path where my education is possible. Its pretty cool how it all worked out.

Malik can ride a bike

No pics, no video...yet. But tonight I took Malik out (with Enok happily following us) and was able to get Malik to ride his bike without training wheels. Next we'll practice starting and stopping (though he already is pretty good at stopping).

avatar

So I just watched Avatar, I think the first one, Boy in the Ice. Maybe I need to see a few more episodes to understand all of your interest in it?

Mom and Baby with ducks

Its not in the video, but earlier Hazel ambushed a family of resting ducks and they barely moved in time. The mother ran away and all 8 of her babies followed her quickly in a straight line. Now I know they normally do that but I had never seen such a large family do it so perfect like the cartoons. It made me laugh and then Hazel almost fell in the pond.



CARI IS PREGNANT

Meh, RSS feeds won't hide it:-( But most with feeds already know anyway.

The first fat joke? Or a cheaper rate?

Catching Fire - Rock Climbing

I finished Catching Fire. And since Kathy posted a while ago, I thought I would just do a new post and not make everyone read the comments. Plus most of you probably (maybe I'm wrong about this) read this via RSS so don't see most of the comments anyway. But maybe that is just me since I am a geek and rarely visit anyone's actual site.

Though the book didn't change my life like it did my sister, it was intriguing and made me think a lot. And that is what I love about these books. I still like the first book (Hunger Games) better, but this was a good follow up and had plenty of twists and turns and gut-wrenching scenes. Picture me sitting outside at the picnic tables at my work with tears pouring out below the bottom of my sunglasses. I'm sure many people must have thought I was weird. I have to say that no books since Harry Potter have kept me so intrigued and interested in what is going to happen next. I definitely would recommend this book.

The last two weeks have been fun with the Young Men. Two weeks ago we did baptisms at the temple. It was fun. This last week we went rock climbing at a rock gym. I was surprised to find the gym completely empty, so it we had it to ourselves. This made it even more fun. I was also surprised to see that I still can climb rocks pretty good (or fake rocks). I was a little worried my finger that went backwards last month would give me issues, but it didn't act up too much. I hope to head back there with Tevia on a date in the next few weeks.

food for thought- admiration

Admiration Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Who are the people you most admire, and why? Some admire those who have acquired worldly success, wealth, athletic prowess, prestige, or celebrity. Others look up to those who made a difference in the world or in someone’s life, those who have inspired others to be their best or carry on despite hardship and disappointment. Either way, we all—whether we realize it or not—admire someone. So consider for a moment, what makes a person worthy of your admiration?

Almost daily, popular figures emerge on the world’s stage, attract attention for a moment, and then, almost as quickly as they appeared, fade into distant memory. But fame is not admiration; prominence is not a measure of respect. True admiration lasts longer; it’s not fleeting and is never forgotten.

Noted rabbi Abraham Heschel once said: “When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”1 Very often, the clever get attention, while the kind, the compassionate, the good-hearted are sometimes set aside, forgotten in our rush for the flashy. But the years have a way of putting popularity and prestige in perspective. Acclaim and accomplishments tend to fade over time, but kindness endures. In the end, we reserve our deepest admiration for those who treated others with love, because it’s love that binds hearts together.
Meanwhile, celebrities come and go, flashing across the sky like an occasional comet; but true heroes are as consistent as the rising sun and as timeless as the sparkling stars. And while kind people may not get the headlines or show up on the evening news, they are the people we remember with fondness, even long after they’re gone. They are the people who deserve our admiration.

As I listen to the reasons why Kathy loves the book, Catching Fire; I was thinking about the characters in the book that we like, and why.
Then I came upon this above quote.
I loved it!
Who do you admire?

favorite season

Ah! It is here! My favorite season, or time of year, since it is not exactly fall yet. I love from September to December! I love the cool nights, sweater weather, sunny days, fall colors appearing in all the stores, apple picking, etc.
I love getting ready for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!
Missing you all, mom

Veal Parmesan

So I finally decided to attempt Veal Parmesan. Result, it turned out fantastic:-) I was so imprressed with my creation I even bothered to Plate it for lunch... haha!

Catching Fire

This book has changed my life. That's all I have to say.

Trip to Michigan

After 32 hours of driving, we have returned to our home sweet home. We had fun, and I love being around my family. I may blog more, but here are some pics.

On the way home; BYU wins!

So I am sitting in the Hong Kong airport. Had everything gone as planned I would be about 1/4 of the way home. But when I arrived at the airport this morning I discovered my flight was canceled.

It was during this time that BYU was playing Oklahoma. So I was following the end of the game on my blackberry. I think this was a good thing as it distracted me from being annoyed. So as they searched for alternative routes to PHX I watched play by play as my heart pounded and floods of emotions went through me. Excitement when they took the lead. Fear as Okl marched down the field. And jubilation when they missed the FG. People looked at me like I was crazy as I fist-pumped and smiled and tears nearly came to my eyes.

How wonderful for Max Hall and coach Bronco. It amazes me how much sports can affect me. Even now as I think of it I nearly tear up in joy.

In the meantime I got a flight on Cathay to LAX and won't arrive in PHX until 7 or 8. 7 hours aftermy scheduled time. That sux. But I'll take a BYU win over OU anyday! So I leave HK again having spent time with great friends, eaten way too much (good!) food and enjoyed my time here. But I am ready to go home. :)

Hong Kong again

It was hard to say goodbye to Singapore. It always enchants me, with its quirks. I love our office where the bathroom is warm (ironically the office is FREEZING) and plays great music from the 80's and 90's that I always love. I love how you can not buy gum - probably the only country in the world you must have a prescription to buy gum. I love the food and friendliness of the people.

I woke up very early on Saturday to head to Hong Kong. The plane was nearly empty - so rare these days - so I was able to lay down and sleep a little. Arriving in Hong Kong was exciting. It was a strange feeling. It felt so familiar, yet not. It didn't feel like coming home even though I lived here for nearly a year. I felt like is meshed back in immediately - going through the many routines I did before like taking the subway, etc. I had forgotten how crowded it feels. People are everywhere - all the time. How quickly I had forgotten. And Hong Kong has these smells of its own.

I was curious to see how I would feel once I got here. Would I want to move here again? Would I have regret that we couldn't stay? I was surprised to feel neither of those things. And though I loved living here, I had no desire to move back here. I have done my time in Hong Kong. And now it is a great place to visit. Where I can eat great food and see great things.

Saturday I ate at one of the burger joints I loved (and was a little disappointed - probably only tasted great since I had been in HK so long). I then went to Mong Kok and looked for some ties for the young men. I then did one of my favorite things in Hong Kong - and went to the shoe district where they have dozens of shoe stores selling sneakers. I love sneakers. It is so interesting to me that they have all these stores right next to each other - and most sell the same shoes for the same prices. But once in a while you find something cool. I was excited to see a few Adidas SS2Gs. I think they stopped selling these in the USA - but was happy to see they sell them here in various colors and styles.

This morning I went to church at our old branch. It has changed a lot. The global recession has had many people move back to where they came from . And fewer people moving in. So I didn't get to see some of the people I wanted to. But it was a spiritual meeting and always great to be in the room with general authorities.

For lunch I ate at my kid's favorite place in Hong Kong: Curry in a Hurry. I got the "Double Happiness" and it was fantastic. I just wish my wife and kids here were here to share. I miss them.

Later in the day I got on the 40 minibus and alighted at the deep water bay beach. I then walked the seaside promade (one of my fav walks in hong kong) to repulse bay, where we had lived while here. I took off my shoes and walked in the water and remembered days gone by. I then walked over the bridge that gives you an extra three days of life and headed up to our old apartment building. It had changed quite a bit. My favorite restaurant was closed for renovations (as of a week ago!). The Wellcome grocery store was now a "Jason's Market". The driveway was redone so it was now flat instead of cobblestone. It felt surreal.

Tomorrow is back to work and then next week at this time I'll be back on a plane.

new idea for FHE

“It is during the family home evening and in other family settings that we prepare our children to receive the blessings of the Lord. . . .“Family home evening is a very special time for us to strengthen ourselves and each family member. It is important to include the whole family in assignments for family home evening. A child could share the Primary lesson that he or she had last Sunday. Family home evening strengthened the faith and testimony of my own family.”
Claudio R. M. Costa, “Priesthood Responsibilities,” Ensign, May 2009, 56

With this in mind, and missing all of you, I would like to request that we do a family home evening via skype, (unless one of you tech savvy people find an even better source to do it over the net, which I here are out there somewhere.)
I would like to be so bold as to suggest we plan one Monday a month, and take turns decided who hosts it. It can only last 1/2 hour or so if time is an issue. It will allow us to 'be together' monthly by sight, (I heard you can web-cam as a group on Skype).
It will keep us closer, and strengthen us. The grandkids can also be in charge, of course! We can sing, which dad will love. Webb, you are certainly welcome to join us in my weird ideas.
Let me know what you all think. mom

Singapore - almost over

This week has been wonderful. Singapore remains one of the great places I love to visit. The weather has been great - the people even better - and the food has lived up to its wonder in my mind. I went with a friend on Tuesday to get one of my favorite things in the world to eat: white pepper crab. It was fantastic.

Tonight I headed down to the river, where I used to love to sit and just watch the sunset and people. This time I finally got onto one of the boat tours on the river. I waited until it was almost dark and ended up getting on a boat with hardly anyone on it. In fact, for the last 15 minutes it was just me leaning back and enjoying the beauty of the surroundings with the slight breeze and warm, moist air. It was like heaven.

I have one more day. I plan to eat at another of my favorite local joints and order some Mie Goreng. I'm not sure what to do on my last night. Maybe I'll go back to the river. Or go shopping for my wife. Then Saturday (very early!) I head to Hong Kong.

Utah-Idaho trip 2009

This trip was filled to the brim with people, fun, and good times.
I loved Education week, and came back smarter and inspired to do about 101 things.
I loved being at Jacob and Cari's, and around Hazel. I slowly made friends. I will miss her terribly. She will not even remember me in December. (maybe if we webcam?)
I loved Kathy being there, and shopping and taking classes with her.
I got to see Olivia Cangelosi and her kids, and have lunch at the Museum of Art. Great!
I got to play games, which I love to do.
I took Hazel on her first carousal ride. Kathy & I took her to a mall. She was so good!
I got to see Webb's family, and enjoy a cookout with them.
I loved Ralph's house and boat, and tried not to covet.
I loved seeing them again, and hearing Lisa's chatter, and seeing Nathan & Jason. It was hard to believe that Jason and Jarek are both 10.
I got to see Debbie and her family, Cami and her fam, Monica, who was due any day, and her fam, Bonnie, Leslie, and grandpa. We went to dad's mom's grave site. Very touching.
I loved going to an Idaho ward.
Everyone cooked wonderful meals for us!
Poor dad lost his front tooth in the mountains and had to go the whole trip feeling ugly and in pain.
I just loved everything, except the last day I did get a pretty bad sinus headache.
I could add more details, but I better get busy.
and the plane ride back, just think of continual babies crying while you are all couped up in a tiny spot, and can't sleep or move...
But it was worth it.

Fail music video on youtube

It took forever to figure out only a 100 mb movie upload on blogger. So I figured I would just use you-tube for the second and keep it a better quality.

Video

Singapore - Day One - Saudades

Saudades is a term in Portuguese which is hard to define, but in essence it is a feeling of great memories and missing something (somebody). It is similar to nostalgia. When I first heard I was going to be coming back to Asia for a business trip I was so excited. But after a few weeks that excitement settled and I started focusing on some of the negatives like the long flight (in coach!), being away from my family, etc.

All of that changed when I woke up this morning and left the hotel. I got in around midnight last night after flying for nearly 24 hours. The flights were fine - though getting used to coach will take some getting used to on these long flights. Stupid economy that changes our travel policies! I grabbed a taxi to my hotel and went to bed as soon as I could. I slept for a little over 5 hours, which was not bad. I showered, dressed and headed out to the Singapore office.

You may recall that at one point I was told I would be running the Singapore office and was very excited to do so. The office is small (around 30 people). But Singapore is such a neat place. It is hot and humid. As I walked out of my hotel and walked toward the office to grab a quick breakfast from the coffee shop across from the office - that feeling of "saudades" returned. As I entered the office and saw old friends and colleagues my heart jumped. As I looked out the window to the building I had so often stared at and dreamed of living in with my family (I absolutely love the pool and playground it has on one of its roofs) I longed for that opportunity that was so fleeting. In the year I've been away new buildings have sprung to life. There is now a McDonald's in the office building. A lot to have changed in a global recession.

I did my training and then spent time with close colleagues of mine who have gone through similar relocations as I have with the company. We talked about the future of this office and the past. I felt like I was part of the team again. I was shocked on how little has changed since I left. Lunch was eaten as we discussed a client outdoors in the warm, moist air. I ate with my good friend who is American but spent the last 12 years in China, a French colleague who recently moved to Hong Kong from our France office and one of the local employees here from Singapore. It felt like I was back on the management team here in Asia again. My views were sought out, my opinions valued. I was surrounded by warmth and great food.

I don't know why I have always found Singapore so pleasant. It just feels good. So my first day in Asia has been a wonderful one. I already miss my beautiful wife madly (and my kids). But I know I will see her soon. One day I will bring her back here to taste the wonderful bread she loves so much.

The day finished eating at the Shanghai restaurant I took my wife and kids to for their first xiaolongbao. A great day capped off with a great meal. It is nearly 9 PM and I’m falling asleep.

desert trip

Okay, no laughing about how it is way too early to think about this, but I had good price tickets come up today, and I missed them because I hadn't thought the dates out enough in my head.
So, in case I see another super good offer on flights, I wondered what weeks you guys would like to go? I know Cari might not be able to go, depending.
Bret, will you be out flying around the world any of the weeks from end of April to mid-May?
Webb, are you guys in? Any big plans around then that would affect what week we pick?
Do we want to try for a week in early May? Do we think the weather would be better, or too hot?
I think it is all just luck. We have been there in early April and had excellent weather.
Just send out some vibes, and I will be more prepared if good prices come up.

This was my finger...

Look closely at his hand. That was what my finger looked like this morning during basketball. It was pretty gross. I didn't have a camera or I would have taken a pic, and didn't feel like leaving it as is too long. So I quickly snapped it back into place. It is pretty swollen.

Mexico '09

This year's trip to Rocky Point, Mexico went as planned: great! We left Tuesday morning and arrived a few hours later with no problems at the home we have stayed every year. This year our group was small. We missed having people around - but it was still fun.

Tuesday we went to the beach. It was a very hot and muggy day - but quite breezy. The ocean felt almost hot to me that day. But it was still fun. That night we went to my favorite chicken place in Rocky Point. I gorged myself on pollo asado and enjoyed eating in the little chicken hut and seeing my boys enjoying the food and sodas.

Wednesday was a little cooler and we spent a lot of time at the pool and the beach. The rest of the time we spent resting, playing games, or napping. In the evening we went to our favorite paleteria to have ice cream bars. I picked my fav coconut bar - which is like heaven.

Thursday was even nicer weather. We went into town and watched the sunset. Afterwards we went to get tacos al pastor at the place Jacob Webb had found last year, but it was closed (had been open the night before). So we tried the next place down the street called Cheko's Tacos. They were great. I also went across the street and bought some bacon-wrapped hot dogs - which reminded me of Brasil and San Blas.

Though it was very relaxing, it seemed like time passed so quickly. Friday was spent at the beach and pool again. I caught a crab that we played with. We then had a great dinner with some shrimp we had purchased in town. After dinner we did fireworks. We went to do them across the street, but the one guard didn't want us to be attacked by the "crazy jumping scorpions that run like the devil." I would have enjoyed seeing those, but we took his advice and did the fireworks in our housing complex. It was fun - and Tevia even let the boys hold the roman candles as they ignited them.

Saturday morning we took one last quick trip to the beach and then headed back to clean up and take off. The trip home was uneventful with a nice stop at Taco Bell. In the end it was a wonderful, relaxing and sun-filled trip. I am probably tanner than I have been in years - and it was fun to feel in great shape as I watched the beach. Though there weren't many people on the beach - it seems the recession has taken its toll on the tourism down there.

I was so happy to go. My only regret is that we couldn't be joined by other family members. Maybe next year. We particularly missed Ellery playing with Enok on the beach.

Girls Camp

This year's camp included all the usual; rain, thunder, lightning, poison ivy, a few stitches, sunburns, drama, etc.
We had perfect weather on Thursday. Bill Hettinger spent 4 hours pulling the girls behind his jet ski on a tube. They loved it!
The sky was clear and bright for our testimony campfire. There were 12 non-members this year, and 6 of them bore their testimonies of how they felt such a special spirit this week.
Personally, I was blessed. I had gone to the camp Saturday with dad to drop off some heavy items, and bales of hay for archery. I went Monday to clean the kitchen and nurse cabin.
By Wednesday, my old bursitis on my right knee was swelling and giving me grief. I came home at 10pm for a good night sleep and nice clean shower. I iced it, and prayed for it not to get worse.
It didn't! By Friday I was still climbing the hills and cleaning and taking down tents in the pouring rain. My back was sore, but not bad. I truly was given the strength to run girls camp, and I am very grateful.

Newburgh-Beacon bridge

I have always wanted to walk this bridge, and Kathy has done it several times, so she suggested we do it tonight. We planned it this morning because the weather was perfect, but then Jesse called to see if we could babysit Charlie, which I always say yet to, so I thought we wouldn't get to, but, later, she canceled. We were glad to get to go. I thought it would be too much for dad, as he ran this morning, then cut the lawn, trimmed the bushes, and fixed some things.
It was a beautiful night, and the breeze coming off of the river smelled like ocean, and there were lots of boats out with people water-skiing and sail boats, etc.
There were big spiders all along the rails. It was fun looking down into the water.
Kathy and I found a big house on the hill that we could all live in.
We wished we could have all been on a nice walk together. It was really fun.
Later, I made dad stop at Carvel to try their ice-cream, as you know me, I wanted to try something different than Dairy Queen.
Jacob, did you work at DQ too, or just Bret? I couldn't remember. How funny that I don't even remember that.