bitemyshirt

My most frequent subway order. . .

2010-08-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

Footlong tuna on italian herb and cheese, please.
Pepperjack.
Mayo on the bread side.
A little bit of lettuce, some cucumbers. . .
A lot of onions.
Some salt and pepper and that'll be it.
Can you please wrap it as two six inch sandwiches? Thanks.

Then I go to the gas station to get ruffles sour cream and cheddar, because Subway no longer carries those chips and I must have those chips with my tuna sandwich. . .

What's your standard subway order?

Hyrum's appetite

2010-07-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

Brought Hyrum to the hospital cafeteria, one of his new favorite places to eat. He orders a grilled cheese and fries, AND a side of mashed potatoes with gravy, and he grabs a handful of fishy crackers from the salad bar, as well.
I order the pork tacos.
Hyrum gets a soda, too.
I take a bite of my pork tacos, and offer Hyrum a taste.
I don't like them, the pork is too salty for my taste, but Hyrum loves them.
So he eats both tacos, and his grilled cheese, and his potatoes, and his fries. Okay, he might have shared with Patricia, but he wasn't planning to at the time I left them. . .

Hope they have something better tomorrow.

Random thoughts

2010-07-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

Had fun with Hyrum at Cub Country the past two days. I think we ought to buy a BB gun.

"Sounds like life to me" by Darryl Worley is a great song. The chorus struck me on the way to the hospital. Trying not to be "caught up in a tragedy" but accept what life is and plug along with faith and happiness.

Then, I watched the news a couple minutes ago and saw some soldiers deploying for Iraq. What a sacrifice. God bless them.

I am almost getting sucked into politics again. Must. . .stop. . .reading. Too depressing, scarry, and sobering. I must hold to my assertion that the best thing I can do for my country right now is focus on being a good father and husband. It's not that I want to stick my head in the sand. I do, however, realize that whining and arguing won't do a bit to change our situation. I'm not going to run for office, not going to blog political, and I'm not going to try to convince opposing-minded individuals that they are wrong. I can vote, and I can be a good Dad and Husband. That's what I can and need to do in this season of my life.

It's a good thing college football is coming up. That will distract me from politics. Uh oh. . .is that what "Caesar" wants? The masses are entertained!

enough for now. . .gotta go

Bullet points.

2010-07-15T23:55:00.000-07:00

We haven't run since Emily's latest hospital stay. We'll need to get back to it.
I still need to write my talk for this Sunday.
This chef is cool. I really want to make his chicken biryani.
Glad it's Friday!
Hope that Emily and Patricia return home tomorrow.
We're out of Ice Cream. . .AUGH!
Grateful for friends and family.
If you are a parent and a minivan owner, you need to watch Swaggerwagon.

Family Exercise

2010-07-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

John, Reed, Anna, and I have been running in the mornings. It has been excellent. It brings great satisfaction to see the kids set goals and work hard (through pain) to reach them. We try to best our times each morning, so it gets increasingly difficult. The kids have let me push them, and they have been excelling. We run our last 1/2 mile distance tomorrow, then we'll add another lap next Monday.

A new favorite food.

2010-06-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

These are to die for.
I made some mango, lime, cilantro puree for dip. Triple the recipe when you make them, you won't be disappointed.

All he needs

2010-06-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

Out of the blue the other day. . .

Hyrum: You know what? I'm at the point in my life where I have all that I want and need: healthy food; a good body; lotsa money.

Dad: How much money do you have?

Hyrum: Nine dollars, but grandma owes me one, so I'll have ten.

Dad: That's a great attitude to have. I know a lot of people who are over 50 years old and can't say that they have all they want and need.

Hyrum: That's cause they're old, and they're about to die.

What eight year-old begins a sentence with the phrase "I'm at the point in my life. . " anyway?

Too Funny

2010-06-23T21:46:00.001-07:00

Two different conversations with my son today:

First:
let's pick it up in the middle of the conversation, after Son has repeatedly asked to go to WalMart. . .
Me: "We are not going to go to Wal-Mart today."
Son: "Fine. I guess you don't want to be smart or live better."
It took me a second, but then I got it. The thing is, he wasn't laughing--he was dead serious.

Second:
We're talking about his day's activities, where he went to a very fun place.
Me: "So you're telling me that you didn't have any fun there?"
Son: "Nope."
Me: "You had to have some fun."
Son: "Well if you call 99.9% boring 'some', then yes, I had some fun."
Simply dripping with optimism.

Had to blog it--didn't want to forget.

Gratitude List

2010-06-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

In no particular order:

Jacob
Emily
Hyrum
Anna
Lizzie
John
Reed
Patricia
A mom-in-law that will drop everything to come help
A father-in-law that is OK with his wife gone so much
Jacob's grunting that I get to try to decipher.
My children helping out so much.
Jesus Christ
My chance to serve others through a church calling
Neighbors who love us.
My boss
My co-workers
My job
Family
The lessons we learn from the scriptures
Selfless doctors
Amazing nurses
Cars that work
Nice music (currently listening to Jon Schmidt's Sunday Collection playlist from his website)
A house
Food
That my kids have the best Mom
Emily's singing
Brian Regan (Emergency Room is probably my favorite)
The rain
The United States Constitution
Our soldiers
My church leaders
My kids' primary teachers and YM leaders
Swaggerwagon video (gotta see it if you've not)
Good health
Good friends
Thoughtful children
Good books
Inspiration from others' words and examples.

2010-06-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

Made these sloppy joes today. I liked them. Sweet with a kick.

Bradley Wilcox | The Atonement: After All We Can Do | August 18, 2009 | BYU Broadcasting

2010-06-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Great talk--helped clarify my perspective on the atonement.

Bradley Wilcox | The Atonement: After All We Can Do | August 18, 2009 | BYU Broadcasting

'Road Trip' by Jon Schmidt - BY EAR

2010-06-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

This is my nephew playing a Jon Schmidt song. If his rendition is the most popular, he'll win concert tickets. Go, Hunter.

Back to Blogging

2010-06-08T19:05:00.001-07:00

FB is nice, and it serves it's purpose. But I miss blogging. It helps me to focus on the teaching moments in the family--and it provides a nice journal that's easier to access than FB archives. Therefore, I formally re-commit to update Bite My Shirt at least once each week. Any fellow blog-slackers reading this? I challenge you to do the same--just transfer 50% of your FB time to your blogging and you're set.

Now, this won't count as my week's post. . .so stay tuned. . .

RVing it down South

2010-04-08T21:09:00.001-07:00

I was just helping Hyrum with his spelling homework. I was reading him the words and using them in sentences to have fun:
Me: "Flower - Are you going to give a flower to your wife?"
Hyrum: "I'm not going to have a wife."
Me: "Oh?"
Hyrum: "I'm going to live with Britton [his cousin]. . .in a motorhome. . .[pause]. . .in Mexico."

He just might. . .

Nice amputation.

2010-01-28T19:15:00.001-08:00

Lizzie (age 3) was playing Star-Wars Lego minifigures with me and Hyrum (age 7). Hyrum was being the good guys, and Lizzie and I were a pair of bad droids. Lizzie's droid got mad at the way my droid was talking. .

Lizzie: "If you keep talking that way, I will cut your head off!"
Me: "That's not very kind to cut my head off!"
Lizzie: "Well, then I'll cut your legs off!"
Me: "That's not very nice, either, to cut my legs off!"
Lizzie: "Well. . I'll do it nicely!"

Another Homework Assignment

2009-11-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

Patricia: Hyrum, why did you put an "R" and a "TM" up here at the top of your paper?

Hyrum: That's so nobody would copy me. But they did anyway.

Awesome Homework

2009-11-23T19:00:00.001-08:00

I am guessing the assignment was to write four phrases that completed the prompt: "because of me" (notice the prompt in the middle). This was Hyrum's paper.

Dentist Trip

2009-10-29T17:45:00.001-07:00

Went to the dentist with the whole family yesterday. Here's a funny conversation:

"Dad, I haven't had any cavities in my entire life (7 years)" said one son. He continued: "And Mom has had one cavity."

I replied: "I've had about 20 cavities in my life."

Son: " I bet that's why you married mom!"

I hadn't thought of that. . .but I can add it to my very long list of reasons! Oh, and no cavities for anyone yesterday.

Went to Logan to visit Grandpa Ellis

2009-10-05T21:36:00.001-07:00

We also took pictures at the temple. It was a nice day.

First Day, 2nd grade, 2009

2009-08-24T18:47:00.001-07:00

Hyrum's teacher videotaped the first day of class.

Scout Trip

2009-08-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

Went to Camp Tracy with John, Reed, and some other 11-yr-old scouts this past weekend. It was a lot of fun. The boys learned how to shoot .22 rifles, archery, lashings, knots, first aid, nature, rowing, drug awareness, flag ceremonies, and other things. A highlight of the experience was witnessing the retirement of a flag. Did you know there are only two groups that can retire the American flag: the Boy Scouts and the Armed Forces? This gave me a renewed sense of gratitude for those that serve our country, and for the blessing I enjoy from being a citizen of the United States of America.

I am grateful for the Scouting program and those that serves therein. Truly, it is an inspired program, designed to strengthen boys, families, and the nation. I look forward to many more scouting experiences as my boys continue through the program.

I like this:

2009-04-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

Minnie Louise Haskins' words:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied, "Go out into the darkness and put thine hand into the hand of God. That shall be to thee better than a light, and safer than a known way." [John Bartlett, comp., Familiar Quotations (Toronto, 1955), p. 881]

Honesty

2009-03-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

Went to Anna's second and third grade program at the Elementary School yesterday. The program focused on honesty, telling the story of the Emperor's Seed and the story of Abraham Lincoln. After a rendition of the stories, some of the children recited the Gettysburg Address. I cried as I remembered how blessed our nation is to have had President Lincoln. Thank God for Abraham Lincoln. God Bless America.

Hyrum, the Compliment King

2009-03-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

We've watched Iron Chef recently, and the kids have taken to rating the food that we've prepared and eaten. Yesterday, they even had their own version of Iron Chef, using Cheese as the secret ingredient. So, this evening for FHE, we had a brownie, pudding, cool whip dish. . .

Dad: Hey guys, what do you think about the dessert?

Reed: Two thumbs up!

John: Two thumbs up!

Hyrum: If I were a centipede mixed with a whale, I would give it a whole-body-plus-one -hundred thumbs up.

Thanks, Hyrum.

Photoshop Fun

2009-02-12T15:18:00.001-08:00

My students' parents were in town for Parent Weekend. I re-wrapped a Cadbury Chocolate Bar with this beauty. It was a lot of fun to give this to them. . .

Couch Potato

2009-02-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

Hyrum was mad at me and stormed out of my room with a blanket and pillow.
"I am staying on the couch until I am seventeen!" (He turned seven last Friday.)
"What about food? What are you going to eat?", I called as he walked down the hallway.
He returned to my doorway.
"And every once and awhile I'll go in the kitchen," he declared.

Hyrum's 7th Birthday Gift

2009-02-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

The coolest Lego set we've bought and built, by far. Agents Mission 6 Mobile Command Center

Check this out. There is a projector that lights up the villain's portrait. Yes, way!

Nice screens for the guys to control the command center.

And check out this little water craft that is stored in the back.

It all closes up nicely.
Worth Every Penny. It took Hyrum a full day to build.

100 Slushies

2009-02-07T17:52:00.001-08:00

Going for 100 Slushies without repeating a flavor. Had #5 today:

5. Orange with Lemon - another great one.
4. Minute Maid Apple Juice - for the morning.
3. Lime with Strawberry - this one was really good!
2. Minute Maid Cranberry with Minute Maid Apple - in the morning.
1. Cranberry with Lime - tart and sour; yummy!

Big Brother Hyrum

2009-01-25T20:35:00.000-08:00

Duh, Dad

2008-12-10T19:02:00.001-08:00

Hyrum and I were at the Doctor's office yesterday. There was a sink in the office, much like the one shown above, with foot pedals that controlled the water flow. I thought I would give Hyrum an exercise in critical thinking:

"So Hyrum. Why do you think they have the controls for the faucet down there?" I asked pointing to the foot pedals.

Without a second thought, Hyrum immediately responded, "Because they don't have any up there!" and he nodded towards the top of the sink.

I guess he passed my test. . .

Hyrum's Name

2008-12-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

The kids were researching their name origins the other evening. We discovered that Hyrum's name means: Brother of the Exalted One. We never knew that before. Very interesting. I wonder if Joseph Smith, Sr. and Lucy Mack knew that.

Quick tidbits

2008-12-02T22:29:00.000-08:00

So little time to blog. . .some random memories that I don't want to forget:

"Emily farts a lot Dad. She just farted like ten times." Hyrum casually reported this to me as he was hanging Christmas tree ornaments on the tree.
Watching Hyrum hanging the ornaments (voluntarily, of his own accord, with nobody helping him) was awesome. He was having such a peaceful, fun time.
Anna's rat died. One of them. Patricia asked her if she wanted to help me dispose of the body to say her last goodbyes. In her matter of fact voice, Anna responded: "What would I want to say to a dead rat?" And a couple of breaths later, "Dad, can I get a snake now?" Let's just say that Anna is not terribly attached to her pets.
FHE ended rather poorly, but this was a blessing in disguise. I sent the kids to bed early (not in a yelling voice, mind you). But their dissapointment, and my desire to make things right before they went to sleep precipitated some nice talks that needed to happen. The night ended well and we are a better family because of us working through our relationships.
John and Reed start Jr. Jazz this week. That'll be fun.
Lizzie is just so funny. I could just watch her all day. She just talks to herself, plays with animals, sings, sings, and sings some more. Such a joy to have.
Jacob and Emily are too cute. Jacob looks exactly like Britton (his cousin) when he was a baby. Emily looks like all our other kids when they were babies. They are fascinated by the Christmas tree lights.
Thanks to some kind neighbors, we have a new (to us) tree that's seven feet tall and has lights. It's way better than our four feet tall one we've used for the past number of years. I like it a lot.
Can't wait to make fudge for Christmas.
Loving BYU basketball. Cummard and Fredette are my two favorite players on the team this year.
I don't even want to think about the loss to Utah. . .
Work, schmerk. . .
Gave a talk recently highlighting 5 ways to support your spouse: personal prayer, personal scripture study, magnify your calling, take her to the temple, and meet her needs first. Perhaps I'll blog more in-depth on that at another time.
Thanksgiving kickball game was a blast. Great memories.
Feeling so grateful to the Lord for our blessings.

Big brother.

2008-11-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

Dad walks in the front door from church meetings this morning and immediately encounters Lizzie (2 yrs old) at the tops of the steps.

"I scared. John and Reed and Anna and Hyrum scared me!" she said in a sorrowful voice.

"Here, let me give you a hug," says Dad as he picks her up. "Do you want to tell me what scared you."

"John and Reed and Anna and Hyrum. . .downstairs. . .there's a snake. . .and it was scarry!"

Patricia, who is in the kitchen, explains: "I think they're playing Harry Potter Scene-It downstairs."

Dad tries to console Lizzie with some reflective listening. "There was a snake? And it was scarry?"

Just then, Hyrum comes upstairs. He looks at Lizzie and uses a voice full of compassion and sympathy. "It's alright, Lizzie, " he begins. "You know what happens?," he continues, "a bird comes and pecks out the snake's eyes. And Harry Potter throws a rock and the snake follows it. . ."

Just as Dad is wondering if the news of a bird pecking out a snake's eyes will do anything to console Lizzie, she begins to smile. Hyrum is going on and one about the snake getting defeated, all the time with a cheerful and compassionate voice.

Lizzie laughs: "Funny snake!" she says and goes on her way.

Hyrum's the best.

Great-Grandpa Clark's Buke A Moramona

2008-11-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

This is a cool story about a copy of the Book of Mormon that my great-grandpa Clark (on my mother's side) owned. After he died, his Daughter (my grandma) donated it to the BYU-Hawaii; and now it's on display.

Gratitude

2008-11-05T10:09:00.001-08:00

It's Thanksgiving month. And I was thinking a lot about my blessings last night as I was cleaning the kitchen. I had just read a friend's blog entry; and felt humbled for all that I have. So I decided to write a post about; and also pass it along. . .

25 Things for which I am grateful:

5 people (not relatives):
1. My kids' teachers at school.
2. The staff at Pioneer Valley Hospital
3. Employees at Great Harvest (they are always so cheerful and make my day)
4. The bishopric and their families
5. My co-workers

5 material things:
6. Our dishwasher.
7. The swing that Biz and Dar let us borrow.
8. Disposable diapers.
9. Hot water.
10. My cell phone.

5 intangibles:
11. Freedom of religion.
12. The kindness of strangers, especially minimum-wage workers.
13. Other people's perspectives that challenge my thinking.
14. The atonement of Jesus Christ.
15. My health.

5 ancestors:
16. Grandma Ellis (my mother's mom)
17. Charles Stewart (great-grandfather pioneer)
18. King Richard the Lion-hearted
19. Grandpa Kammerman (dad's dad)
20. Grandma Kammerman (dad's mom)

5 qualities in my spouse (or a loved one):
21. She puts God first
22. She puts her children second
23. She is wise when thinking about the needs of our children
24. She lets me do what I want (even when it's lame)
25. She is forgiving and patient.

Okay, it's your turn if you want. I would love to be inspired by your lists.

Big Sister

2008-11-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

FHE Idea

2008-11-02T09:16:00.001-08:00

Hyrum had singing time today for our at-home Primary. He helped me choose a bunch of primary songs from the church music site. I created a playlist for him in iTunes. During singing time we played name that tune. He got to be in control, clicking play and pause with the mouse. Most primary songs and hymns can be downloaded from that site. You can also transpose the songs to different keys at that site; very cool.

Blogging elsewhere, too.

2008-10-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

I met up with a friend after 10 or so years. Such a cool reunion. We decided to co-author a blog as a way to maintaining contact and conversing. The blog's focus is fatherhood. Check it out!.

My current favorite song

2008-10-31T09:19:00.001-07:00

I like it's simplicity. I've tried other songs by the same singer; I don't like the others as much as I like this one.

Lessons from Jonah

2008-10-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

At the recommendation of a dear friend, I recently read the book Jonah. There are some great lessons in this short biblical story. I decided to organize the lessons learned by the main players in the story.

The fish: Heavenly Father can and will intervene in our lives in major ways. I personally think that he does this on a very limited basis, but I could be wrong. The whale reminds us of Heavenly Father's power and mercy. Power? Well that's self-explanatory. Mercy? Yes! Jonah could have drowned; or Heavenly Father could have chosen any number of other interventions. Now, in our lives our fish will come in many different forms. Perhaps we should note that in this story, the fish is a direct result of Jonah's disobedience. Some of our "trials" have nothing to do with our faithfulness; they are consequences of others' actions or the combined results of thousands of people making certain decisions. There will be times, however, when our predicament is brought upon us by our wickedness. It is interesting, though, that regardless of how we've reached our current position, the prescription is always the same: humility and repentance. What would Heavenly Father have me do in this moment?

The other sailors: These men were believers. They did not worship the same God as Jonah, but they had a firm belief that a God (some God) was causing this storm. And they were anxious to find out what this God wanted in order to make the storm stop. Now, they were in a desperate situation; they feared for their lives. Nevertheless, they turned to God. How many times do we turn to God first when we are faced with tough times?

The people of Nineveh: Here we learn a wonderful lesson of humility and repentance. These people spent weeks in sack-cloth and ashes to show that they changed. Again, they feared death; but they did believe when preached the word.

The bean plant and the worm: I think there is a lot to learn here. All of a sudden, Jonah wakes up to find a bean plant has sprung up overnight to give him shade. Then, a worm eats the bean plant and Jonah wishes he could die. He is chastised for caring more about a bean plant than the thousands in Nineveh. Something else: the bean plant provided nourishment to the worm. Often, what is taken from us will bless others.

Jonah: We don't learn a whole lot about this prophet. How long was he a prophet? What had he done previous to this? What did he do afterward? Many questions about him remain unanswered. He comes onto the scene, receives an assignment, runs from it, is chastised, reluctantly fulfills his responsibility (the letter of the law), still complains, and then the story ends (I'd like to think the people of Nineveh took him in, and he lived happily amongst them the remainder of his days). The greatest lesson I take from his interaction with God is that God will support us in our assignments; but he will still expect us to fulfill our duty. After Jonah was spit out upon the land God did not say, "There, you learned your lesson, now go your way." Instead, he repeated his same instruction. I admit that I wish many of my assignments would just go away. At times, I am willing to accept punishment for laziness, as long as the assignment will just quietly go away. This is not how it works. As I type this, I realize I have a lot of repenting to do as a hometeacher. And this assignments will not go away.

I am sure there is a lot more to learn from this story. What lessons can you contribute?

An early resolution

2008-10-29T13:04:00.001-07:00

I have decided to go off carbonation. I need all the energy I can get and soda saps my energy. It will be tough; but that's okay. I do reserve the right to an occasional DP during an eating out meal. Is that weak of me?

Thank you Dr. H

2008-10-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Jacob Kempton Kammerman was born at 6:05 in West Valley, Utah. He weighed 6 lbs. 5 oz. and was 18 inches long.

Emily Anne Kammerman was born at 6:07 in West Valley, Utah. She weighed 5 lbs. 15 oz and was 18 inches long.

Patricia is recovering well; she is anxious to get to solid foods!

The staff at Pioneer Valley Hospital are awesome. They are cheerful, accommodating, and very thoughtful. I got to spend the first 45 minutes of the kids' lives with them in the nursery (there were no other infants there at the time). Patricia was finally able to see them a couple of hours later, after they sewed her up and moved her into a maternity room. The evening went well. The kids are learning to nurse; though they want to sleep more than anything else. Emily has had her eyes open more than Jacob; but he has been a more energetic eater. They look quite a bit different, I think. Jacob has a bigger nose; at least that's the most recognizable difference that I picked up on.

We'll take the other kids to see them later on today.

I big thank you to Dr. H. for taking care of Patricia. The anesthesiologist was excellent, too. His demeanor is perfect; Patricia felt very safe and taken care of. Thanks also to all those that are thinking of us.

As I am typing this, Scotland the Brave came up on my playlist. This made me think of all my ancestors; without whose sacrifice Jacob and Emily would not be here. I am so grateful to my grandparents, their parents, and so on. I am truly blessed with a wonderful heritage.

Most importantly, I give thanks to Heavenly Father. I feel a great sense of humility as I ponder the fact that I am a father of wonderful children who part of this great generation. I must do better to serve them.

Soft Hands

2008-10-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Becky's Tribute CD today and thought of Grandma. I wrote and posted this poem shortly after she passed away. I decided to re-post it today. I love you Grandma and Grandpa.

First avenue
Cagney and Lacey
TV Trays
Grandpa's Buttermilk
Tuna-less sandwiches
Hanger basket
photo albums
feeding birds
watering plants
Opal and Willie
ZCMI Hallmark
Well water

West Jordan
Birthday Parties
Reading crocheting
Bob and Seamus
Dinosaurs, Tigers

Royal blood
Temple patron
Righteous matriach
Devoted sweetheart
Loving mother
Faithful servant

Soft hands.

Grandpa awaits
Goodbye, Grandma.

It's 9:16 at Night

2008-10-23T20:16:00.001-07:00

. . .and Lizzie is running around singing: "Shake your booty! Shake your booty! Shake your booty like this!" (then she wiggles her bum).

I don't think she's going to bed any time soon.

Great 8 Tag

2008-10-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by Mary. Here we go!

Eight Favorite TV Shows:
1. Everybody Loves Raymond
2. Iron Chef
3. What Not to Wear
4. Perry Mason
5. I Love Lucy
6. Star Trek: Voyager
7. Phineas and Ferb (this is my favorite on the list, BTW)
8. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Eight Favorite Restaurants:
1. Cafe Rio (Pork burrito, enchilada style)
2. Chipotle (chicken burrito with the corn salsa, add guacamole)
3. Neil's (a great place for halibut in Draper)
4. IKEA (the meatballs with the lingonberry sauce. . .yum!)
5. Golden Corral (gotta love the buffet. I usually get the pot roast--don't tell my Dad!)
6. Ruby Tuesdays (the southwestern chicken eggrolls appetizer ROCKS)
7. Taco Time (Big Juan burrito, with guacamole)
8. Kyoto (vegetable tempura platter)

Eight Things that Happened Yesterday:
1. Played volleyball until 11:45 in the evening.
2. Ate a Tuna Sandwich from Subway for lunch.
3. Went to Hyrum's last soccer game of the season--yippee.
4. Went to the Dentist and got two cavities filled; and made two more appointments for a ton of more work. OUCH
5. Took 400 milligrams of ibuprofen in the evening because my mouth was hurting (see #4)
6. Read a book about Dinosaurs with Hyrum before bedtime.
7. Got sacked like eight times in a row while playing Madden NFL 07 with Anna on the computer.
8. Finished listening to the book Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry. Good read.

Eight Things to look forward to:
1. Jacob
2. Emily
3. Taking time off work to take care of Jacob and Emily (and Patricia and the other kids)
4. Thanksgiving
5. Taking time off work around thanksgiving
6. Christmas
7. Taking time off work around Christmas.
8. A time when Patricia and I are the only ones in our bed at night!

Eight things on my wish list (I am going material things here):
1. A flip video
2. Carcasonne, a board game
3. a Wii (for the family, of course)
4. An authentic chilean humita (kind of like a tamale, but WAAAAY better)
5. Spore, a new computer game
6. Cafe Rio gift card
7. A new bathroom
8. Grass in the front yard, or the permission to dig it up and plant plants!

Eight Things I love about the Fall:
1. BYU Football
2. Hot chocolate in the mornings
3. Leaves
4. Thanksgiving
5. Pumpkin pie
6. Thinking about Christmas
7. College football pick'em contest at work
8. BYU football

Eight people I tag:
1. John
2. Reed
3. Anna
4. Mike and Hallie
5. Meredith (if she ever reads this!)
6. Patricia (in her spare time--but she can't reach the keyboard these days!)
7. Hyrum
8. Jason (write a blog post, Mr. Construction Guy!)

That was a fun post!

New post

2008-10-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

Wrote a new post over at MormonDads.

Self-Test

2008-10-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

On Mary's blog she wrote:

I think in every relationship we have we can ask ourselves if we are trying to have power over that person or if we are trying to serve and love that person.

I like this: it's a very simple test of our hearts. Sadly, I probably fail this test most often with my children.

Common knowledge (which is sometimes commonly stupid) suggests that parents should have some control over their children. This is false, and this is wrong. Parents should not try to exert control over their children. I should influence and teach, but not control. How often am I in the mindset of "serve and love" during my interactions with my children. Where is the service and love in the phrases my children most often hear from me? Stop that! Do this! Don't do that! Go to your room!

I have some repenting to do.
Thanks, Mary.

Great article

2008-10-13T18:47:00.001-07:00

Stumbled upon this great article at LDS Philosopher. It provides thought-provoking insight into a oft-discussed topic that I've never seen handled this way. Take the time to read it; there are numerous scriptural references and it can easily be a very rich scripture study for the day. Thanks to Jeffrey Thayne over at LDS Philosopher.

Great read

2008-10-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am just finishing up Orson Scott Card's book Xenocide. This is the first novel I have ever read twice. An amazing read; I love it more the second time. It is the third in a series of four; and I would recommend the entire series.

That much closer

2008-10-08T23:43:00.001-07:00

Just finished my part in the new room for the babies: baseboard molding, and bit more painting. The room is not as nice as I would have liked. There are mistakes here and there, and it is humbling to realize that everything I undertake cannot be just how I would like it. Oh well, I need to learn to be happy with my efforts, and more importantly, grateful for what the Lord has given me and my family. Tomorrow (actually, later on today) Patricia's sisters will come over and they will do their part in the room: arranging furniture, accessorizing, etc. I am really excited about the babies. I know their lungs are getting stronger and stronger each day Patricia does not go into labor; but I also just want them here already! I feel so fortunate that I have a great plan at work. I have 225 hours of sick leave that I can use in the first year of the babies' lives. I will take two weeks off when they are delivered; and then use other hours and days as we need them.

I am just feeling so grateful right now. I have been listening to hymns for the past two hours while I've painted, and that has helped me to feel the Spirit. Then, I decided to post on my blog before hitting the sack; and while typing this a wonderful feeling of joy has settled in my mind and heart. I am so grateful to God for his blessings in my life; and my greatest blessings are my wonderful wife and loving children. I am humbled as I contemplate not only my blessings, but also my responsibilities as a husband and father. I am so grateful for the Plan of Happiness, the scriptures, and the living prophets.

Hallelujah!

Attention!

2008-10-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

"Contention often reflects the absence of attention."

-Truman Madsen,
The Language of Love at Home
found in "Four Essays on Love"

I ran across this statement the other night and it rang true. All too often, I expect my children to get along perfectly, on their own, for long periods of time. It is only natural that they will argue and bicker. Adults can't even get along for long periods of time without arguing. I can be a better Dad by giving my children more attention.

Cross-posted at Mormon Dads

Tagged

2008-10-01T15:50:00.001-07:00

I was tagged and need to share 5 things about myself that you might not know. I am going to cheat and share 5 things about me and Patricia:

1. I'll start with a Patricia one. It may suprise some of you to learn that she is a huge BYU fan. The other day, she watched the recorded game of the Beck to Harline pass (the U vs Y games from two years ago). She cried at the end. And she knew what was going to happen!

2. Okay, one from me. . .I am the original A. K. "A.K." was my nickname in High School and it is on my letterman jacket. I should have had it trademarked; then I would have made some money from Andre Kirelinko when he decided to use it.

3. One from both of us. We don't watch a lot of TV. But we have had phases in the past. We went through an Everybody Loves Raymond phase; a Star Trek Voyager phase; a What Not to Wear phase; and (most embarrassing) a Fear Factor phase.

4. Patricia again. . .She won't share this, but it is commonly known amongst everybody who served in Poland during her mission years, and shortly thereafter; she was the best Polish speaker in the mission.

5. Last, one from me again. Emma is my all-time favorite movie. It's one of the only movies that I've watched over and over. I love it.

Okay. I tag The Elf and the Dwarf, The Soccer Girl, and Thunder's Rumblings. You're it!

Update and tag chain:
I was initially tagged by The Gardners.
Then I tagged The Elf and the Dwarf and they responded.
And I tagged Anna and she responded.
And I tagged ThundersRumblings and she responded, too!

Blog tip

2008-09-30T05:01:00.000-07:00

Just noticed something cool. If you post-date a blog when writing it, it will automatically post itself on that date and time. This way, you can write a bunch of content when you have the time, but space out the posting. This avoids the feast or famine appearance, and supports a consistent timing of posts. Pretty cool.

How dare she wear those!

2008-09-30T04:57:00.001-07:00

Preface: Blogs exist to post things like the following. . .

Last night, Hyrum was looking at a Star Wars picture book. All of a sudden he said: "Ew, gross! This girl is wearing boobs!"

Excellent talk on the scriptures

2008-09-27T23:55:00.000-07:00

Found this talk as I was preparing to give a talk on Gospel Study.

Cousins

2008-09-21T16:28:00.001-07:00

Mary took a great picture of John and Chloie. I decided to have a little fun with Photoshop. . .this is what turned out.

Started a new blog

2008-09-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Bite My Shirt is a family journal. Mormon Dads is a blog that is specific to fatherhood and husbandhood. I might get kind of preachy over there, I am not sure. I am hoping to use it as a tool to help me focus on fatherhood; banking on the fact that my kids will be better off for me doing it! Check out the blog, if you will. Happy to have help with the content if any fathers want to join me in the effort.

Need something done around the house?

2008-09-17T23:13:00.001-07:00

My brother in law recently started a construction business. For those of you who have seen it, he did the siding on our house and our neighbor's house. He also recently re-modeled our kitchen, wall to wall, floor to ceiling (even taking off the cottage cheese stuff off the ceiling). He's a hard worker, he's honest, and his prices are reasonable. If you need something done, he can do it. . .

So Good, So Right

2008-09-17T22:43:00.001-07:00

Just played volleyball for 2 1/2 hours at the church. By legs are shot; but they should recover by next week for another round. It was so fun; it's been about 2 years, I think, since I last played. My favorite sport to play.

The Irish Brigade

2008-09-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

I was watching "Gods and General" with my history class. This is a powerful movie (bias and inaccuracies notwithstanding). I was touched as I watched a rendition of the Irish troops charging the Confederate positions in the battle at Richmond. In the movie, the writer added a part: those firing on the Irish were also Irish. I did a bit of research to find if this truly happened, but have not been able to confirm or deny this.
Nevertheless, this was a powerful scene and got me thinking about war and about people. The older I get, the more real people become to me. I felt a mixture of emotions: grief, gratitude, admiration, and sadness. To think of all the men and boys that lost their lives in the Civil War. Then, stepping back further, to think of all those who have lost their lives in countless wars. How sad.
God bless those that are serving their country. May they be comforted and know that they are loved.

Now, I didn't lose it in front of the class while I watched the movie. But I made the mistake of talking to the students after I turned the TV off. I began to explain that scene to theme, making sure they understood the significance of what was portrayed.

"The confederates began to cheer for their Irishmen on the other side as they retreated," I told them.

"Who were they cheering for?" a student asked.

"The people they had just been shooting at, and in honor of the people they had just killed." I responded.

That's when I lost it.

By the way, it's a great movie; I own a copy and I am happy to lend it out.

Tears in the classroom

2008-09-10T21:06:00.001-07:00

I've taught for over 11 years and have never cried in front of the students during a lesson. Until today.

I will write more about it later.

Music in the house

2008-09-04T20:58:00.001-07:00

The boys are jazzed about band. Mark loaned Reed a clarinet and we purchased a trombone for John today (for the same amount it would have cost to rent it for the school year). They are excited about school band and both were able to get some fairly good sound out of their instruments the first time they tried.
Of course, we bought Anna, Hyrum, and Lizzie kazoos so everyone could have a "new" instrument. Lizzie loves her kazoo, in fact she calls it her trombone.

Man, those clarinet squeaks send shivers down my spine!

Fourth Clue

2008-08-31T18:14:00.001-07:00

The fourth clue consists of two letters;
but which two are they?
Consider the following
and find them, you may. . .

The first letter is one the British drink often.
The second is made with a peace sign.
Put both together and you get clue four.
It's all so easy, who could ask for more?

Youth Conference

2008-08-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Youth conference this past weekend was amazing. The youth participated in skits, a swim party, a dance, and a service activity. They also listened to a number of workshops on various topics from CES speakers. I cried as I listened to them bear their testimonies of the gospel. I felt strengthened, hopeful, energized, and renewed. The next generation is a strong one--and I feel blessed to work with them.

All but done

2008-08-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

A couple more improvements to my final project prior to turning it in on Tuesday, and I am done with my Master's degree. Yipee! My academic experience at the University of Utah was nothing but positive. I enjoyed the classes, the professors, and the program in general.
Over the course of the three years that I attended the U, I tried, on several occasions, to cheer for their sports teams. Though I rationalized that I should be able to cheer for them since I was a student, I simply could not do it with any heart. Sure, I am sometimes happy when they win; but this is only because their wins benefit the Cougars.
Patricia pointed out that starting next week I will have only 1 regularly scheduled responsibility on a weekday evening. It's been almost 9 years since I've only had one night a week busy. I look forward to spending more time with the family. Of course, typing this probably jinxed me; thank goodness I am not superstitious, because that brings bad luck.

Interesting. I will have to check it out.

2008-07-22T16:17:00.001-07:00

Change the world one child at a time

view presentation (tags: canada france romania war)

Hyrum's Wisdom

2008-07-20T21:31:00.001-07:00

Lizzie was playing with her doll. Hyrum was talking to her.

Hyrum: Lizzie, did you know that Jesus was a baby once? And Heavenly Father was a baby once, too.

This is something he was never taught. Just the common sense of a 6 year old.

Awesome talk on Freedom

2008-07-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

Marion D. Hanks gave a great talk on freedom back in 1954. I found myself liking just about every sentence he said. I will write about it more in a future post.

By the way, I came across this talk because I subscribe to the Classic BYU Speeches podcast put out by BYU. Great talks. . .

"He's holding us up"

2008-07-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

For some reason, the conversation turned to the topic of death (we had been talking about hair color, then eye color, then cancer, then death--in case you were wondering):
Child 1 : Yeah, well everyone dies. . .except for that one dude. Jesus asked him what he wished for and he wanted to [stay alive forever].

Child 2: Yeah, he's holding us up.

Parent: Holding us up? What do you mean?

Child 2: He's holding us up. We can't get assigned to kingdoms until we all die and resurrect. He's holding us up!

Real Salt Lake game

2008-07-09T07:11:00.001-07:00

Browsing through pictures and I realized that I hadn't posted about this experience. A bunch of the kids from the ward (and some parents) went to the RSL game, eating lunch at Murray Park beforehand. It was fun.

Visit to Logan

2008-07-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun. Had to leave too early, though; wish we could have stayed longer.

Chocolate Shakes Rule

2008-07-05T15:42:00.001-07:00

I love chocolate shakes, especially when someone buys them for me.

Horseshoe Rules

2008-07-05T15:40:00.001-07:00

Went to this link and found some interesting information about horseshoe rules.

A ringer is worth 3 points. In order for a horseshoe to be classified as a ringer, you must be able to draw a straight line between the open ends of the horseshoe and not have that line touch the stake.
Tossing your horseshoe closest to the stake is worth one point. The priority goes to any horseshoe that actually touches (or leans) against the stake; if none of the horseshoes are actually touching then the closest is determined by distance. If by chance a competitor scores both of the closest horseshoes then he is awarded 2 points instead of the normal one.
Ringers and closest horseshoes are calculated separately, so it's entirely possible for a player to score 3 points from a ringer on their first toss and an additional point for having the closest horseshoe on their second.
As with many games, there is a twist called cancellations. Anytime both opponents land horseshoes that are equally close to the stake they cancel each other out – no score is given. The same holds true for ringers; if both parties score a ringer then no points are awarded for that particular ringer. Taking this to the next level, let's say Joe tossed two ringers and Mary tossed one. In this situation Mary's canceled one of Joe's ringers out, so only one would remain, earning him three points.

I have heard somewhere that crazy cock-fighters count ringers for five points--perhaps they are in a hurry to get back to their fights. You know those gambling types. . .

Wisdom

2008-07-03T09:34:00.001-07:00

Found this on a FAQ of someone's blog today:

Why is the world so screwed up?

Men.

How do we fix it?

Women.

I tend to agree.

Journal Entry

2008-06-27T22:12:00.001-07:00

Finished up the conference with Arbinger Institute today. Excellent, uplifting, inspiring and thought-provoking. I feel a tremendous urge to be a better person.

We also attended the Ward Campout this evening. It was fun, but we came home early so we can prepare to host a party tomorrow because family is coming in from China! Haven't seen them in a year. Yippee!

Arbinger Institute

2008-06-26T21:04:00.001-07:00

Attended the first day of a two day conference by the Arbinger Institue today. I love their work and I am excited for tomorrow. I will post more of the conference at a future date.

We're on our way to...

2008-06-26T08:07:00.001-07:00

We're on our way to the doctor, so Patricia can have an ultrasound to find out what she'll be having in November. We're pretty excited, and we'll post you up later. listen

Powered by Jott

Try this on the web, see if you can beat me!

2008-06-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Late night games

2008-06-22T22:19:00.001-07:00

Hyrum, Lizzie, and I took a long Sunday afternoon nap, so we were not tired when it was the normal bedtime. We're staying up late to play games. We played Scooby Doo Hide and Shriek, Scooby Doo Memory, and Hyrum is still thinking of a third game to play. He is dusting the living room right now(we got this new vacuum with a duster inserted on the side and he loves the duster with its extendable (sp?) handle); he said that dusting helps him think. Lizzie and I are patiently waiting for his decision. It's 11:15. We see if we get to sleep by midnight!

Revelation and the Holy Spirit

2008-06-21T23:00:00.001-07:00

I've spent some time the past couple of days thinking and blogging about reason and revelation. The conversations have given me an opportunity to both think about what I believe and to bear testimony. It has been enjoyable and helped me to focus on things of the gospel, which is better (for me) than politics or sports.

I ran discovered this article on the LDS Philosopher blog by Noel Reynolds. He was my Stake President when I attended the Y. I liked these two paragraphs, and how they relate to what I've been thinking about.

Another way of putting the problem of reason and revelation is to ask if revelation must give the same results as philosophical or scientific method to be valid. Because of the narrowness of these two as conceived by contemporary practitioners, the answer must be no. In the interest of time, allow me to point out only one of many reasons. Contemporary philosophy and science have accepted certain ground rules--such as the principle of naturalism--which restrict in advance the range of possible explanations that can be given for our observations. Specifically, no explanations are acceptable which refer to the reality of gods or other supernatural beings.
It may well be that such a principle has been necessary for secular science to make any headway when its practitioners represent so many different beliefs about the existence of gods. But it is also clearly true that to the extent that the supernatural world does exist and does interact causally with the world of our ordinary experience, science has arbitrarily erected a barrier against its own free explorations of that essential feature of reality--and has condemned itself permanently to a partial understanding of the truth.
http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6805

Young Men's Theme

2008-06-21T21:44:00.001-07:00

Each Sunday in Priesthood Quorum, and again on Tuesday during Mutual night, the Young Men of the Aaronic Priesthood and their leaders stand as a group and recite the Young Men’s theme. :

We are sons of your Heavenly Father and disciples of Jesus Christ. We act in Faith, hope charity and love with an eye single to the Glory of God. As a bearer of the Aaronic Priesthood, I will:

BECOME converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and live its teachings.

SERVE faithfully in priesthood callings and fulfill the responsibilities of priesthood offices.

GIVE meaningful service.

PREPARE and live worthily to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances.

PREPARE to serve an honorable full-time mission.

OBTAIN as much education as possible.

PREPARE to become a worthy husband and father.

GIVE proper respect to women, girls, and children.

Now, the young men will notice some differences in what I just read from what we have been reciting. In researching for this talk, I discovered that what we’ve been reciting for the past 6 years is a bit different than how the official church document reads. Therefore, we will be learning the accurate wording, and re-memorizing our Young Men’s theme to properly align ourselves with the written doctrine. Look on the bright side young men, this means that you get another opportunity for another Cold Stone run once you successfully recite the theme from memory. It’s okay if you don’t all memorize it immediately, I am happy to make more than one trip to Cold Stone.

Brothers and Sisters, what we have been reciting varies ever so slightly from the official church document, but I feel it’s important that we make the necessary changes to re-learn the theme correctly. Furthermore, as we fumble through the wording over the next number of months, this will afford us an opportunity to focus on the content of the Young Men’s theme; and I am excited about this focus—the young men and us leaders will surely draw closer to our Heavenly Father as we strive to imprint these words not only upon our minds, but upon our hearts.
On pages 3-4 from True to the Faith, we read:

The Aaronic Priesthood is "an appendage to the greater, or the Melchizedek Priesthood" (D&C 107:14). It is often called the preparatory priesthood. As a priesthood holder serves in the Aaronic Priesthood, he prepares to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, to receive the blessings of the temple, to serve a full-time mission, to be a loving husband and father, and to continue in lifelong service to the Lord.
Let’s look at the Young men’s theme again with this in mind: that the Aaronic priesthood is preparing him for lifelong service to the Lord.

First and foremost the preamble to the theme reminds the young men of who they are: We are sons of Heavenly Father and Disciples of Jesus Christ.

For the past 11 years, I have worked as a teacher in a residential treatment center. I have personally witnessed the struggles of over 1000 teenagers as they try to make sense of their life, and put themselves on a road to happiness. These teenagers are lost. They don’t know who they are, where they’ve come from, and where they are going. With few exceptions, the parents are lost, too. It is truly sad to see. Most of these families have no belief that they are children of a loving Heavenly Father who loves them. It is no wonder they are confused, angry, depressed, hopeless, and fighting.
They young Men’s theme reminds the boys of who they are. The young men of the church are not lost: they. I feel blessed to serve as a young men’s leader just so that I can recite this theme twice a week and remind myself of who I am.

The remainder of the theme is comprised of 9 stanzas. (Re-read them)
Taking them out of order, they can be grouped into three groups: Those that charge the boys to perfect themselves, those that call the boys to service; and those that invite the boys to prepare.

The first stanza invites and reminds the boys to become converted and live the gospel.

OBTAIN as much education as possible.

However, we understand that the education we receive is for the purpose of serving others. The young men have the examples of the general authorities in this regard. Each of those brethren have obtained as much education as possible, be it education through formal institutions such as universities and colleges or education through their career experiences.

Two of the stanzas start with the verb Give
GIVE meaningful service. And GIVE proper respect to women,
girls, and children.
Another Stanza begins with the word Serve
SERVE faithfully in priesthood callings and
fulfill the responsibilities of priesthood offices.

I commend the youth in our ward for their service. The mutual nights where we perform service for others are some of the best attended by the youth. Our youth are learning to work hard and serve others.
A couple of months ago I dropped by a young man’s house so he could help me administer the sacrament to some ward members who couldn’t make it to church. As we finished up about 35 minutes later, we hopped in the van at our last house so I could take him home. This young man turned to me and said: “Thanks for taking me. I didn’t really want to go, but I really glad I did. And I will go again when you need me.” I replied: “I feel that way a lot of times, too. It’s sometimes hard to get out, but it always feels good to help others.”

If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.
Author: Chinese Proverb

Three stanzas in the Young Men’s theme start with the verb prepare
PREPARE and live worthily to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances.

PREPARE to serve an honorable full-time mission.

PREPARE to become a worthy husband and father.

In large part, the YM theme focuses upon perfecting one’s self, serving others, and preparing to serve others.

Leo Tolstoy wrote:
The meaning of life lies in two major areas: your personal perfection and service to other people. You can serve while you are moving toward perfection, and you can move toward perfection by serving people.

Testimony and end.

Philosophical Love

2008-06-21T00:40:00.001-07:00

I recently discovered a blog written by three BYU students combining their study of philosophy with that of the scriptures. It reminded my of one of my favorite classes while I was there: Philosophical Skills and Doctrines of the Gospel, taught by Chauncey Riddle. The following quotation from Riddle captures one of Dr. Riddles perspectives very nicely.

A new insight in one area of ideas sheds light and new perspective on every truth hitherto discovered. Thus, one must constantly readjust his thinking to new and grander perspectives as the panorama of the Father's marvelous love for his children slowly takes shape and detail. This is exciting to experience. Of all the experiences a person can have, I suppose that learning the ways of God is perhaps next to the greatest of all experiences. I believe that the greatest experience is to have the privilege of putting those newly learned truths into action, to do the work of righteousness that correct concepts and true understanding make possible.

Author: Chauncey Riddle, Source: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6980&x=22&y=10

That was such an awesome class. "If this class is not the focus of your semester, I suggest you don't take it," he told us the first session. A number of students did not return. Thankfully, Patricia did return. She and I spent many hours that semester studying, reading, and writing for Riddles class. Our discussions of the gospel served as rich soil in which our mutual respect and friendship would flourish. Eleven years into our marriage, we still talk about that class rather often. Needless to say, she got the better grade. I did get the girl, though. Thanks Dr. Riddle.

Elder Neal A Maxwell

2008-06-18T22:35:00.001-07:00

Such an awesome talk. . .
boomp3.com

Father's Day

2008-06-15T21:03:00.001-07:00

At the insistence of my family and friends, this is my first official blog post. I decided to write on Father's Day, since Aaron is the one who has been wanting me to share this blog. About a year ago, he asked me what he should blog about, and I jokingly said, "Write something about me!" Well, he ended up writing a lot about me, so I am going to return the favor.

"50 Things I Love About My Husband"

1. His smile
2. His finger food feasts
3. His attention to detail
4. His family and the way he was raised
5. His clean-cut appearance (O.K., most of the time)
6. His sensitivity to my needs
7. His sensitivity to my wants
8. He has always wanted me to be a stay-at-home Mom
9. He is a great cook
10. His laugh
11. The times when he cries
12. His passion for his hobbies
13. His passion for causes he believes in
14. He can take any kind of lesson and make it fun and interesting
15. His patience with me
16. That he would give up having a Corvette to have a big family
17. He can think of good ideas in minutes (I am very jealous of this one)
18. His spoiling of his daughters (and me)
19. That he likes to camp and hike
20. That he is finishing school! YEAH!!
21. He is a hard worker
22. I love when he comes home from work and is excited to see the kids and play with them
23. He is O.K. with who I am
24. He is O.K. with how I look (at least one of us is)
25. When we help each other with our various assignments and responsibilities
26. His intelligence
27. He appreciates even the little things I do
28. He courage to "walk out" or "turn it off", if necessary
29. I like to watch him play sports
30. Our dates -- past, present, and future
31. His stability as a provider
32. That I am always right!
33. That we became close friends before we ever dated
34. His loyalty to BYU (go Cougs!)
35. He gives priesthood blessings when needed
36. His dedication to his callings
37. His dedication to the Lord
38. Seeing his face light up when I return from a long trip
39. He likes country music and likes to sing it
40. He needs me
41. He buys me Reese's
42. He married me
43. He lets me go and do whatever, whenever -- no questions, no guilt trips
44. He notices things about the kids that I don't
45. He rarely spoils himself -- he only owns one "toy" that I can think of -- his IPhone
46. He loves food and trying new foods
47. I love to play the guitar and sing with him
48. He keeps up our blog
49. He likes Jane Austen movies
50. I got to marry the man I always admired and loved, but felt was out of reach

I love you!

Anna's visit to China.

2008-06-14T21:09:00.001-07:00

Anna made a quick visit to China. Check out her blog for a report and a picture.

Jesus' backyard

2008-06-12T21:45:00.001-07:00

I overheard Hyrum talking to Patricia during bedtime prayers.

Hyrum: You know what I imaginate, Mom?

Patricia: What?

Hyrum: I imaginate that Jesus has a big house. And in his backyard he has a whole bunch of phones, like walkie-talkies, so he can listen to all our prayers.

He said some more, but I'll need to talk to Patricia to get the rest. . .

Daily TweetJournal

2008-06-12T11:54:00.001-07:00

Journal notes of the past 24 hours

17:48 Currently Browsing: tinyurl.com/6p2h6s #
20:35 Currently Browsing: mediatedcultures.net/worldsim.htm #
21:38 free downloadable kids stories. . .storynory.com/ #
21:52 .WMV stories with pictures bigbible.org/children/ #
22:09 Let's pray for these families: www.ksl.com/?nid=157&sid=129285 #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Daily TweetJournal

2008-06-11T11:54:00.001-07:00

Journal notes of the past 24 hours

13:18 that new iphone looks sleek. . .have to put it on my wish list #
17:17 preparing a presentation on microbloggin. Had no idea of all the options .tinyurl.com/37u2ky #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Daily TweetJournal

2008-06-10T11:50:00.001-07:00

Journal notes of the past 24 hours

21:14 went van shopping; settled on a Ford Econoline over the Chevy Express. wanted the corvette at the Chevy dealer, but it didnt' seat 12 #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Daily TweetJournal

2008-06-09T11:52:00.001-07:00

Journal notes of the past 24 hours

21:14 Go Cougars! tinyurl.com/584r2m #
21:27 new blog post, funny antecdote with son: bitemyshirt.blogspot.com/2008/06/funny.html #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Funny

2008-06-08T21:25:00.001-07:00

Hyrum and I were browsing French Open pictures at ESPN.com. I mentioned that Federer had got second place. . .

Hyrum said: "Oh, so he got a food tray."

We both looked at each other and laughed.

Kids' blogs

2008-06-08T21:11:00.001-07:00

Along with Reed and John, Anna and Hyrum have blogs, too. Check out their links on the right. Because of Scribefire (an awesome add-on in Firefox) I think the kids will blog a lot more frequently. Hyrum sees his blog as a place to watch star wars clips from youtube (since that's the last post I helped him with). . .anyway, they've love any comments.

Daily TweetJournal

2008-06-08T11:52:00.001-07:00

Journal notes of the past 24 hours

20:46 New blog post about community building: tinyurl.com/6q33xu #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Fun with Photoshop

2008-06-07T21:57:00.001-07:00

Over 200 people attend community meeting to be better people. . .

2008-06-07T20:43:00.001-07:00

Kearns, Utah June 7, 2008. People from the neighborhood filled the room to capacity and it was a good thing that additional chairs were provided. Neighbors and friends from numerous cultures listened attentively as speakers shared personal experiences and insights about life and happiness. None of the speakers were paid - they were ordinary, "run of the mill" people from the neighborhood. One shared a message of Faith, another (through a translator) shared one of Faith and Service. There was a talk on Charity, one on Love, and one about having a clear focus to be a better person. The atmosphere was one of joy and excitement as neighbors mingled amongst themselves afterwards. Surely, the neighborhood will benefit from this meeting; and other neighborhoods around the nation should do the same.

Isn't this amazing news! Neighbors getting together to help inspire each other to do better. I was there, and it was an awesome meeting. I gleaned a lot from the speakers; but what most impressed me was the bigger picture: we are getting together, voluntarily, to help each other out.

Those of us that belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have various labels for such meetings: Sacrament Meeting, Firesides, Mutual. Tonight's meeting happened to be called Stake Conference. We often lose sight of what is really happening in those meetings. We aren't just going to a meeting; we're gathering together to strengthen and help one another and our communities.

Can't wait until tomorrow's session.

Daily TweetJournal

2008-06-07T11:52:00.001-07:00

Journal notes of the past 24 hours

20:57 good luck to all those riding in the Red Riding Hood tomorrow #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Daily TweetJournal

2008-06-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

Journal notes of the past 24 hours

17:12 learning Photoshop with Zheng. . .it's pretty fun tonight #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Daily TweetJournal

2008-06-05T11:55:00.001-07:00

Journal notes of the past 24 hours

15:12 using Randy's Pausch's last lecture as a focal point of our parent weekend the next two days. Theme: Walk the Talk #
21:08 joined PMOG #
21:37 just reorganized my site files in dreamweaver and reloaded site. . .I will be amazed if it works properly when it finished "putting" #
10:13 I want a Flip phone. tinyurl.com/6aj44p #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Daily TweetJournal

2008-06-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Journal notes of the past 24 hours

13:19 Some cool quotations at: tinyurl.com/6pcsvu #
13:20 just finished an Econ activity on supply, demand, and equilibrium price. It was a blast! #
14:50 Interesting: tinyurl.com/5sgy4e #
15:40 Just listen Men in Black on the way to school. Great song and great movie. tinyurl.com/45aswl #

Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

Great Quotation for Husbands and Fathers

2008-06-03T13:15:00.001-07:00

Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.

Saint Francis de Sales