New Bedroom

Well...Julie's brother finally repo'd the bed Daniel has been using for the last couple of years. So we had to make new arrangements for Daniel's room. We spent some time deciding whether to just buy enough to get by knowing that we'll have to add more later or to buy a full set with full intention to never have to do so for him again. We opted for the latter. Here it is...

Draper Temple Tour

Yesterday, we went to the Draper temple with the kids. It was pretty fun. The best part was Daniel's anticipation. He showed as much excitement for visiting the temple as he did for Christmas. As we rode the bus up to the temple, the temple kept coming in and out of view as the road curved. When we finally got really close, Daniel saw it and announced, "There it is!" He actually bounced in his seat and had a very giddy smile on his face.

Once we were in side, they handed us a pamphlet that gave a brief explanation of the more prominent rooms. Daniel immediately opened up the pamphlet, pointed at pictures and said, "Let's go to this room." Two or three times we had to point out to him that we were in the room he wanted to go to.

I had to lift up the kids so they could see the never ending images in the sealing room. Megan thought the baptismal font was a swimming pool. We sat in the Celestial Room for a minute and talked about the temple experience. It was a great time for all.

Nugget from Obama's Inagural Address

I watched President Obama's inaugural address today with great interest. Of all that was said, there is one line that, no matter your politics, seems valuable advice on a personal level if not national level: our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed.

We all have those little areas in our life where we know change is needed. We stand pat hoping that past efforts to correct the problem will work where they haven't before. We protect the narrow interest of a small benefit or habit here or there when the cost of gaining that benefit or enjoying that indiscretion betrays the larger character we are trying to construct. We put off unpleasant decisions because we fear the unknown or we fear we might not be up to the task. The time for such foolishness is surely past. Who are you really? Are you going to continue to permit your little demons control your life just because you are too lazy to evict them?

Let us examine ourselves and our families and make the unpleasant decisions that need to be made in order to "remake" ourselves and our families into what they really can be!

Porcelain Funeral

Well, Legato (our fish) passed away today. I was interested to see how the kids would react. At first, Megan seemed a little sad. Daniel was nearly indifferent. So later this evening, it came time to dispose of the body. Julie and I wondered whether to take care of it quietly or with the kids. I wanted to be there to show the kids what the deal is. I know it's just a fish, but the whole spirit/body thing works the same as people.

So we took the fish up to the bathroom while the kids were brushing their teeth. We discussed that Legato wasn't there anymore and that it was just a shell. When Daniel realized I was going to flush him down the toilet, that's when it hit him. He started crying and Megan was fascinated. We waved good-bye. I asked Daniel if he wanted to do the honors. He said no, but Megan bolted for the side of the toilet, said goodbye, and flushed.

And there you have our first porcelain funeral.

Follow up on BCS post

I was at McDonald's today for lunch and was discussing the local and national politicians spending government resources on college football. I essentially quoted myself from the last post when I told my boss that if I had two hours with the President-elect, college football would not be a topic of conversation. From behind me, I hear a rather adamant, "Amen!"

Let's keep perspective, people. College football is not the center of the universe, even if the system is broken.

BCS and Politics

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Utah fan. I love to see them do well. I think they got screwed out of the national championship because of a poorly designed system that (1) cannot possibly keep up with changes in relative strength of conference issues and (2) is geared to fill certain people's and company's wallets with cash, not just enjoy the sportsmanship and rivalry of college sports. The BCS system will never be able to accomplish its stated purpose of establishing an undisputed national champion. It is a broken system and its owners do not seem inclined to change it.

However, as much as I dislike the BCS system (just like anyone else who isn't getting their pocket stuffed by it), I dislike even more the idea that members of Congress and other elected officials are spending any time at all on the matter. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has launched an investigation into anti-trust violations. Ralph Becker and Barak Obama last week discussed the economy and, wait for it..., the BCS.

I'm not the most sophisticated or politically savvy person in town. But if I had the ear of any of these elected officials, including president-elect Barak Obama for an hour or two, the BCS would not be a topic of discussion. There are too many other important things that have greater impact on the lives of many, many people for my elected officials and my tax dollars to focus on a game.

Not good at the bowl...

Last night, Megan had some stomach problems and made a few extra visits to the bathroom. After cleaning up the first up-chuck mess, Julie gave Megan a plastic bowl in bed with instructions to puke in there if she wasn't going to make it to the bathroom. The next time around, Megan used the bowl to catch at least some of it, but still made quite a mess on the bed and floor. When Julie went to help her, she was upset and confessed, "I'm not very good at the bowl!"

Utah 31 - Alabama 17

For all the so-called mid-majors out there, we just got a huge boost! Keep it rolling!

Beautiful Pictures

My friend did a give-away not long ago with these beautiful pictures. I wanted to share these beautiful pictures and what the artist has to say about each one of them!

David Bowman: has had a passion for art ever since he could pick up a pencil. He loves creating images of the Savior that inspire and uplift. Along with his Christian fine art, David has also written and illustrated a series of scripture storybooks for children titled "Who's Your Hero". Check out his website at www.bowman-art.com to see more of his precious art.

"Innocence"

The Savior tells us we need to become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God. I've often wondered what it is about little children Jesus loves most, and I think its their innocence. They are clean slates, seeing the world and others through untarnished eyes. Their hearts are pure, without the baggage of cynicism and self-doubt. In this piece, I've tried to imagine how a child would act upon meeting the Master for the first time. Without reservation or inhibition, I think he would simply want to play with Him. He would be at complete ease, allowing his pure little heart to soak in the love and laughter of His pure, infinite heart. Its no wonder Christ delights in these little ones and sets them up to be our examples.

"Security"

One of the greatest human needs is a sense of security. In all aspects of life, we naturally gravitate towards anything that makes us feel safe. In this piece, I wanted to convey a sense of complete peace and calm like only the Savior can provide. It's a security that allows us to rest assured, without fear or worry, when we put ourselves trustingly in His arms. Little children have that inherent kind of trust in their parents, so it's fitting that the man and girl who modeled for "Security" are actually father and daughter. They generated
the exact feel I was looking for.

"My Child"

This piece conveys an intimate, up-close-and-personal feeling of the Savior's love. Notice how all the lines draw your attention and point towards Jesus' face in the center. I chose the name "My Child" because the only thing that could compare (even remotely) to Christ's compassion for us is the love of a parent for his/her child. This image is also intended to put things in perspective. Above all, we are God's children first. He allows us the privelege of experiencing parenthood for ourselves and we are entrusted to be the mothers and fathers of His children here on earth.

The Dark Knight

So last night, we watched The Dark Knight before heading upstairs to bed. I must say that I have a different view of movies than I did before I was a parent. First, the movie had very dynamic sound...the softs were really soft and the louds were really loud. So there were a number of times where the louds snuck up on us and the subwoofer was pounding away far louder than we normally let it when the kids are asleep. So that woke the kids up and we caught them watching the movie from the stairs. (Well...Daniel was watching and Megan was telling him he was going to get in trouble for being out of bed.)

Anyway...the plot and theme of the movie was just fine. I actually like that. I think the guy who did the acting for the Joker did a fantastic job. However, the violence and the graphic nature of several scenes was way overboard. Julie and I talked a while about how we both felt at times like it might have been better to just turn it off. I speculated that if this movie had been rated in 1990 that it would have been R rated easily. (Seriously...if Backdraft got an R, this would have.) It's just too bad that Hollywood is no longer willing to present good plots and theme like this without excessive violence. And I know...I should have known what I was getting. I saw the first Batman movie. I guess I'll just have to be far more careful about such things in the future.