The Carters get a Wii!
Clint gets a Flip Video.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Ward vs. Family
I know I already offered a post about stuff that is quirky about me or some stuff that bugs me but I have another one that I would like to add to the list.
This post is not for the squeamish so if you don't want to read a controversial topic or you don't want your mind to be swayed by my opinion, please take this moment to exit my blog because some of the stuff I will say, you might not like or you might not agree with. If that is you, please click on this link and visit a happy place.
I don't know why but every time I hear someone get up in church and say "Ward Family", I get the heebee jeebees. I know, it sounds like a very loving way of referring to your ward, as a "family". It is just a warm and fuzzy image that most people seem to love to say. Me, I don't like my ward being referred to as a family. In fact, this last year our church was very much against changing the definition of marriage. Now this, I am in favor. Let us not change the meaning of marriage. It should be a union between a man and a woman. Therefor, why are we changing the meaning of a family? Shouldn't we reserve the word "family" for a unit with a Father, Mother and Children? I know, some families only have a father and children, some only a mother and children, some only a father and a mother. In any case, a family has a definition that should not change. People that are related. Ok, there are many combinations that could also be families such as adoption, grand parents, only children and no parents, etc.
I would prefer that a family unit remain a family, and a ward remain a ward. A ward has a definition of a group of families that is lead by a Bishop. A family is not lead by a Bishop. I know that people will argue that a Bishop is like the Father of the the ward and the Relief Society President is the Mother, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda. It doesn't quite work so please stop referring to your ward as a family. For some reason I don't hear people saying, "Our Stake Family", or our "Regional Family", or our "General Church Family". Lets leave families as families, wards as wards and stakes as stakes.
So, there you have it. I have probably disenfranchised half of my readership now with my opinion of wards and families. I hope I have not offended and I wish to hear your arguments for and against.
This post is not for the squeamish so if you don't want to read a controversial topic or you don't want your mind to be swayed by my opinion, please take this moment to exit my blog because some of the stuff I will say, you might not like or you might not agree with. If that is you, please click on this link and visit a happy place.
I don't know why but every time I hear someone get up in church and say "Ward Family", I get the heebee jeebees. I know, it sounds like a very loving way of referring to your ward, as a "family". It is just a warm and fuzzy image that most people seem to love to say. Me, I don't like my ward being referred to as a family. In fact, this last year our church was very much against changing the definition of marriage. Now this, I am in favor. Let us not change the meaning of marriage. It should be a union between a man and a woman. Therefor, why are we changing the meaning of a family? Shouldn't we reserve the word "family" for a unit with a Father, Mother and Children? I know, some families only have a father and children, some only a mother and children, some only a father and a mother. In any case, a family has a definition that should not change. People that are related. Ok, there are many combinations that could also be families such as adoption, grand parents, only children and no parents, etc.
I would prefer that a family unit remain a family, and a ward remain a ward. A ward has a definition of a group of families that is lead by a Bishop. A family is not lead by a Bishop. I know that people will argue that a Bishop is like the Father of the the ward and the Relief Society President is the Mother, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda. It doesn't quite work so please stop referring to your ward as a family. For some reason I don't hear people saying, "Our Stake Family", or our "Regional Family", or our "General Church Family". Lets leave families as families, wards as wards and stakes as stakes.
So, there you have it. I have probably disenfranchised half of my readership now with my opinion of wards and families. I hope I have not offended and I wish to hear your arguments for and against.
Surprise Birthday Party
As I relaxed on Saturday, after running some errands and going shopping, by brain began to think about the events of the day. My birthday was on Friday and we didn't do much but open a few presents. As my brain started to sift through the happenings, I began to wonder if maybe my wife had planned some kind of party for me later on that evening. We had arranged to have dinner with some friends down at a local restaurant at 7:00pm but for some reason my thoughts were starting to draw some connections that may or may not be reality. There were several events that transpired that on a normal day I wouldn't have thought twice about, but, because they were all happening within a short period of time gave me pause. Either there was a party being planned for me or I was just being paranoid. I really hadn't thought of a surprise party all week so I wasn't sure if I was delusional or what. It is hard for me to describe how I felt because there were a bunch of events that came together very nicely, too nicely I thought.
Anyway, somehow Deanna had managed to make me feel like it was my idea to go over to my parents to practice a song that I was to sing for church. On the way over I was thinking in my head that either there will be a group of people in the house or I was just crazy. I was even thinking of telling her about all these connections I made in my brain while we were eating dinner. But, as I walked into the living room of my parents house I was greeted by a rousing chorus of "SURPRISE". Instead of surprise, I felt relief that I was not going crazy and that my suspicions were correct.
We had a wonderful time visiting with all of the families and friends that were able to visit. We ate snacks and punch and talked all evening.
I must say, my wife was very convincing. She did a wonderful job of keeping this party a secret, inviting the guests and arranging the scheme of how to get me to the house.
Thank you Deanna for a wonderful 40th Birthday Party.
Anyway, somehow Deanna had managed to make me feel like it was my idea to go over to my parents to practice a song that I was to sing for church. On the way over I was thinking in my head that either there will be a group of people in the house or I was just crazy. I was even thinking of telling her about all these connections I made in my brain while we were eating dinner. But, as I walked into the living room of my parents house I was greeted by a rousing chorus of "SURPRISE". Instead of surprise, I felt relief that I was not going crazy and that my suspicions were correct.
We had a wonderful time visiting with all of the families and friends that were able to visit. We ate snacks and punch and talked all evening.
I must say, my wife was very convincing. She did a wonderful job of keeping this party a secret, inviting the guests and arranging the scheme of how to get me to the house.
Thank you Deanna for a wonderful 40th Birthday Party.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
100 posts
I didn't know it until today, just browsing around the "blogosphere", that my last post was post number 101! Can you believe it. I have bloviated with both pithy and verbose prose equaling Mr. Monks perfect number, 100. I really don't feel like I have written such a gaggle of posts but if you just type a few ideas every few days is surely adds up. I am not all that sure that it adds up to something interesting, but it does add up.
In celebration of my 100th post, I have decided to offer you something for free. Here is a link to some free stuff.
Free Cycling
Free Translation
Free gmail
Free Web Filter
In celebration of my 100th post, I have decided to offer you something for free. Here is a link to some free stuff.
Free Cycling
Free Translation
Free gmail
Free Web Filter
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Tagged
Ok, I'm not sure if I like being tagged or not. On the one hand, it gives me very specific ideas on what to write on my blog. On the other hand, I hate feeling obligated to do something just because others are doing it. Somehow I have always considered myself a nonconformist even though I conform to almost everything I do, so, I'll conform and finish the tag assignment that Clark Draney tagged me with.
8 favorite TV Shows (in no particular order because my tastes and preferences change)
1. Greatest American Hero (from when I was a kid)
2. M*A*S*H
3. The Apprentice
4. American Idol
5. Seinfeld
6. Hogan's Heroes
7. Candid Camera
8. Medium
8 things I did yesterday
1. drove home from Logan
2. kept basketball stats on Andy's Game (they lost)
3. checked my email
4. orders on eCarters.com (a shameless plug for my web store)
5. stopped at Wendy's and had lunch
6. took the girls to Pets Mart (or is it Pet Smart, or Pets Smart?)
7. scrapped snow off of our car windshield
8. visited Deanna's parents
8 favorite restaurants
1. Olive Garden (love their salad)
2. Chick-fil-a
3. P.F. Chang's (love the lettuce wraps)
4. Panda Express
5. All You Can Eat Sushi
6. Central Park
7. McDonalds
8. Anything but Mexican Food
8 things on my wish list
1. Lexus (not an SUV) (sedan with tinted windows)
2. A big house on either North or South Temple Drive
3. 7 day trip to Bahamas or a Cruise (just Deanna and I)
4. I wish I was a failing bank and could request 300 billion dollars
5. more patience with my kids (same as Clark Draney)
6. I wish I was taller
7. 8 more wishes (got to throw that one in there)
8. a trip to someplace fun with the kids (Disney World or national parks or Mormon Historical Sights)
Tag, you're it
1. Melinda
2. Marni
3. Rachael
4. Analee
8 favorite TV Shows (in no particular order because my tastes and preferences change)
1. Greatest American Hero (from when I was a kid)
2. M*A*S*H
3. The Apprentice
4. American Idol
5. Seinfeld
6. Hogan's Heroes
7. Candid Camera
8. Medium
8 things I did yesterday
1. drove home from Logan
2. kept basketball stats on Andy's Game (they lost)
3. checked my email
4. orders on eCarters.com (a shameless plug for my web store)
5. stopped at Wendy's and had lunch
6. took the girls to Pets Mart (or is it Pet Smart, or Pets Smart?)
7. scrapped snow off of our car windshield
8. visited Deanna's parents
8 favorite restaurants
1. Olive Garden (love their salad)
2. Chick-fil-a
3. P.F. Chang's (love the lettuce wraps)
4. Panda Express
5. All You Can Eat Sushi
6. Central Park
7. McDonalds
8. Anything but Mexican Food
8 things on my wish list
1. Lexus (not an SUV) (sedan with tinted windows)
2. A big house on either North or South Temple Drive
3. 7 day trip to Bahamas or a Cruise (just Deanna and I)
4. I wish I was a failing bank and could request 300 billion dollars
5. more patience with my kids (same as Clark Draney)
6. I wish I was taller
7. 8 more wishes (got to throw that one in there)
8. a trip to someplace fun with the kids (Disney World or national parks or Mormon Historical Sights)
Tag, you're it
1. Melinda
2. Marni
3. Rachael
4. Analee
Turning 40
I don't have much to say about turning 40. At this time in my life I really don't feel like I am having my "mid life crisis". I think I had the crisis a few years ago when, out of the blue, I stopped into McDonalds and bought myself a Big Mac. I know it was a crazy time but I did it, and I'm not all that proud of it. I have dropped back down into reality and have ordered the two single hamburger meal since the breakdown.
I decided to just list some stuff that I thought were evidence that I was actually 40 since I still look like I'm 15.
Signs that I am 40 years old.
1. I found a hair on my shoulder that was about 40 inches long. That's an inch for every year for those mathematicians reading my blog.
2. If I grow out my beard, (which I used to do to form a goatee) you would notice that I have gray hair.
3. Jumping on the trampoline is not fun any more. It really hurts. It's like I can feel all of my internal organs sloshing around inside and they really don't like sloshing around.
4. My waist line has expanded to 34 inches. I am no longer size 32X32. Even my 34's are starting to feel tight.
5. My hair line is starting to resemble that of Bruce Willis.
6. I don't mind driving the speed limit on the Highway.
7. I listen to talk radio and actually understand the subjects they are talking about.
Signs that I am not 40 yet.
1. I still have good vision.
2. I still like speeding in town.
3. I still have a goofy streak that shows itself every time I do the "Quick Draw McGraw" skit.
4. I still get "carded" when filling up with gas at the local Chevron Station. "Are you old enough to be filling up with gas?" (I then flash my license at the attendant)
5. I have all of my teeth? Well, minus 2 and a half. BUT, I haven't replace them all, yet.
6. I still spin cookies in the church parking lot. Just ask my terrified kids.
I decided to just list some stuff that I thought were evidence that I was actually 40 since I still look like I'm 15.
Signs that I am 40 years old.
1. I found a hair on my shoulder that was about 40 inches long. That's an inch for every year for those mathematicians reading my blog.
2. If I grow out my beard, (which I used to do to form a goatee) you would notice that I have gray hair.
3. Jumping on the trampoline is not fun any more. It really hurts. It's like I can feel all of my internal organs sloshing around inside and they really don't like sloshing around.
4. My waist line has expanded to 34 inches. I am no longer size 32X32. Even my 34's are starting to feel tight.
5. My hair line is starting to resemble that of Bruce Willis.
6. I don't mind driving the speed limit on the Highway.
7. I listen to talk radio and actually understand the subjects they are talking about.
Signs that I am not 40 yet.
1. I still have good vision.
2. I still like speeding in town.
3. I still have a goofy streak that shows itself every time I do the "Quick Draw McGraw" skit.
4. I still get "carded" when filling up with gas at the local Chevron Station. "Are you old enough to be filling up with gas?" (I then flash my license at the attendant)
5. I have all of my teeth? Well, minus 2 and a half. BUT, I haven't replace them all, yet.
6. I still spin cookies in the church parking lot. Just ask my terrified kids.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Early Christmas Gifts
Deanna and I have already given each other our Christmas gifts this year. I know, I know, we need to wait and be excited for Christmas morning, but we could not wait a second longer. I took our van down to the local Les Schwab and we bought each other new tires. I bought Deanna the right front tire and she bought the left. How romantic.
It is a sign of true love and affection.
It is a sign of true love and affection.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Christmas lights
Finally--we got our Christmas lights up on the house.
It didn't take as long as I thought.
It didn't take as long as I thought.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Quirks
I've been tagged by my sister Melinda. Here are some quirks about me. Please keep in mind that they are not in any particular order. If fact, they are arranged in random order. (oxymoron)
1 - My High School English teacher taught me to say "reared" instead of "raised". She said, you raise cattle and you rear children. Now, every time I hear "raised" in reference to people, I cringe and every time I say "reared" I feel weird.
2 - I love whip cream, whipped topping, or cool whip. I like to put a huge pile of it on my pie. Interesting that it is the exact opposite of my sister.
3 - I don't like nuts. Nuts taste ok but I don't like how the little pieces of nuts linger around in your mouth for hours. Not in cookies, not in cakes, not in fruit cake, not in ice cream. I do, however, like nuts in my peanut butter.
4 - I hate swimming pools. I don't like swimming in water that a thousand other people have swam in. If you want me to be more specific, I can, but it will completely gross you out and make you a pool hater too. If you want more detail, send me an email.
5 - I hate getting my fingers dirty or sticky. I hardly ever lick my fingers. I use a spoon to spoon out cookie dough. I would rather eat a donut with a fork and knife than get my fingers all sticky. I like Jerry Seinfeld's idea of eating candy bars with a fork and knife so you don't have to get chocolate all over your fingers.
6 - I am amazed at how often I can associate something in real life with an episode of Seinfeld.
I'm not going to tag anyone because my sister tagged all the people I would have tagged.
Here are the rules.
1. Link the person(s) who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag some fellow bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.
1 - My High School English teacher taught me to say "reared" instead of "raised". She said, you raise cattle and you rear children. Now, every time I hear "raised" in reference to people, I cringe and every time I say "reared" I feel weird.
2 - I love whip cream, whipped topping, or cool whip. I like to put a huge pile of it on my pie. Interesting that it is the exact opposite of my sister.
3 - I don't like nuts. Nuts taste ok but I don't like how the little pieces of nuts linger around in your mouth for hours. Not in cookies, not in cakes, not in fruit cake, not in ice cream. I do, however, like nuts in my peanut butter.
4 - I hate swimming pools. I don't like swimming in water that a thousand other people have swam in. If you want me to be more specific, I can, but it will completely gross you out and make you a pool hater too. If you want more detail, send me an email.
5 - I hate getting my fingers dirty or sticky. I hardly ever lick my fingers. I use a spoon to spoon out cookie dough. I would rather eat a donut with a fork and knife than get my fingers all sticky. I like Jerry Seinfeld's idea of eating candy bars with a fork and knife so you don't have to get chocolate all over your fingers.
6 - I am amazed at how often I can associate something in real life with an episode of Seinfeld.
I'm not going to tag anyone because my sister tagged all the people I would have tagged.
Here are the rules.
1. Link the person(s) who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag some fellow bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
funeral
There is nothing like attending a funeral to put your life back into prospective. This weekend I attended the funeral of my Uncle Ron Carter. This is my uncle on my father's side. Ron Carter was the father of 8 children. Five boys and 3 girls. As each of the children got up to speak, each of them mentioned how important the family was to their father. Each of them had their own favorite saying, favorite event that was emblazoned in their minds that engulfed the feeling of what their Dad meant to them. As they told these stories, talked about mannerisms, and discussed childhood nicknames, I couldn't help but think about my own roll as a father in my family. What stories would be told about me? How would I be viewed by my kids? What memories would they have of me? I am almost positive that the memories that I have and the lessons that I want them to remember will not be the ones told at my funeral. As we listened (I say we because Coby and Savanna were with me) I could see Savanna writing on a small piece of paper. As I peaked over my shoulder to see what she was doing, I discovered that she was writing down all of the nick names that I used for my kids. This brought a smile to my face and gave me the assurance that maybe I was on the right track.
I have always looked up to the cousins that I have in the Uncle Ron family. I still remember when I was little and the BIG Carter Cousins came over to our house to have lunch. I remember they were all really tall and really good at basketball. I wanted to be just like them. One very vivid memory was when we had a bowl of chips and one of the Carter boys picked up the chip and put the whole chip in their mouth. WOW, that was awesome. I couldn't do that. Latter on in life when I got a little older, I used the ONE BITE technique of eating a chip and that is when I realized, it wasn't that hard. :-) I don't know where I was going with that last comment, I just put it out there.
After the funeral service I had a sad feeling. Not that I was devastated for the passing of my uncle Ron, but that I wished I had gotten to know there family better, because they were all very "GOOD" people. I could tell that all of the children of Ron and Laree Carter were, in the words of my Dad, "The salt of the earth".
One final thought, what does, "Shoot Luke, the sky's full of pigeons." mean and where did it come from?
I have always looked up to the cousins that I have in the Uncle Ron family. I still remember when I was little and the BIG Carter Cousins came over to our house to have lunch. I remember they were all really tall and really good at basketball. I wanted to be just like them. One very vivid memory was when we had a bowl of chips and one of the Carter boys picked up the chip and put the whole chip in their mouth. WOW, that was awesome. I couldn't do that. Latter on in life when I got a little older, I used the ONE BITE technique of eating a chip and that is when I realized, it wasn't that hard. :-) I don't know where I was going with that last comment, I just put it out there.
After the funeral service I had a sad feeling. Not that I was devastated for the passing of my uncle Ron, but that I wished I had gotten to know there family better, because they were all very "GOOD" people. I could tell that all of the children of Ron and Laree Carter were, in the words of my Dad, "The salt of the earth".
One final thought, what does, "Shoot Luke, the sky's full of pigeons." mean and where did it come from?
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Ready for Christmas?
I think I have mentioned this in my blog before but I have learned to look for gifts for kids and my wife all year round. I don't just shop the last week before Christmas to get the gifts, I am looking for things all year. Unfortunately, I have run out of gift ideas for this year. Especially for my wife. I normally have a notepad full of gift ideas for Deanna but with her birthday and Anniversary this summer, I have used up all of the good gift ideas. Now, my list is empty and I'm very worried about it. I have the regular gift ideas that have been on the list forever like tennis gear, a car starter, kindergarten stuff but I don't have anything exciting and new. I pride myself in getting her something that she didn't know she wanted, but will love to have. I know what you are thinking, "why don't you just ask her what she wants?". I have asked her several times and the responses so far have been that she would like some piece of clothing. Now, I have been trained and taught from Stacy and Clinton from What not to wear, so I know that I can not just pick out a piece of clothing and expect it to fit. The process of buying clothes requires trying on every piece to make sure that it fits in all of the right places. So, I am not buying clothes. I have also decided not to buy gift cards. I know that if I tell everyone that I am buying my wife gift cards for Christmas, I would have and uprising in the female community that would eclipse the uproar of an angry crowed of disgruntled factory workers.
I guess I'll just have to keep listening for clues to find out what she wants. Oh, one last thing. I was given the advise a few years back, that I should never give my wife a gift that is normally a household item. One year I gave my wife a new kitchen faucet for a gift for her birthday or mothers day or something, (which we needed really badly) and all of the ladies in the office thought I was a clod. So, I try and stay away from these types of gifts too.
If any of you have any suggestions, please let me know.
I guess I'll just have to keep listening for clues to find out what she wants. Oh, one last thing. I was given the advise a few years back, that I should never give my wife a gift that is normally a household item. One year I gave my wife a new kitchen faucet for a gift for her birthday or mothers day or something, (which we needed really badly) and all of the ladies in the office thought I was a clod. So, I try and stay away from these types of gifts too.
If any of you have any suggestions, please let me know.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Movie Review
As a new addition to my blog. I am now writing about current movies I have watched. I really haven't watched a movie for over 6 months so, I am guessing, that these reviews will be few and far between.
The movie I am reviewing today is "High School Musical 3".
I'll start off by saying that this movie is rated G. Even with a G rating you never know what you are going to see or hear. I am very thrilled to report that it lived up to it's rating. I thought the movie had awesome music, great dance scenes and a good storyline and ending. I would recommend going and seeing the movie. You can also review it on Screen It.
Something else I really liked about it was that the boys that were dancing and singing in the movie were actually cool. When the actors needed to look like they were good at basketball, they were actually really good. Most of the time, they get an actor and try to make them look like they are good at basketball. For example, Michael J Fox playing basketball. He is supposed to be good, but it is obvious that he is not. Also, the boys singing and dancing in this movie show young boys and youth that it can look cool to dance. The dancing scenes were macho when they needed to be and graceful in others.
My only complaint was actually with the movie theater itself. If you go into a movie theater, you expect AWESOME sound and effects. For some reason, the only speakers that were audible were the very front speakers. The music was awesome but without full surround sound, it sounded very flat. I felt I could get better sound out of my hoky speakers on my computer than we had at the movie. I complained twice to management but they just said, "That is just how they must have designed the movie."
Two thumbs up from me on this movie.
Enjoy.
The movie I am reviewing today is "High School Musical 3".
I'll start off by saying that this movie is rated G. Even with a G rating you never know what you are going to see or hear. I am very thrilled to report that it lived up to it's rating. I thought the movie had awesome music, great dance scenes and a good storyline and ending. I would recommend going and seeing the movie. You can also review it on Screen It.
Something else I really liked about it was that the boys that were dancing and singing in the movie were actually cool. When the actors needed to look like they were good at basketball, they were actually really good. Most of the time, they get an actor and try to make them look like they are good at basketball. For example, Michael J Fox playing basketball. He is supposed to be good, but it is obvious that he is not. Also, the boys singing and dancing in this movie show young boys and youth that it can look cool to dance. The dancing scenes were macho when they needed to be and graceful in others.
My only complaint was actually with the movie theater itself. If you go into a movie theater, you expect AWESOME sound and effects. For some reason, the only speakers that were audible were the very front speakers. The music was awesome but without full surround sound, it sounded very flat. I felt I could get better sound out of my hoky speakers on my computer than we had at the movie. I complained twice to management but they just said, "That is just how they must have designed the movie."
Two thumbs up from me on this movie.
Enjoy.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Book Club
For all of you who know me to any degree, you know that I do not enjoy reading books. I am a little dyslexic and I feel I am a slow reader. Reading to me is a chore and may even be hard work. What I am about to tell you may be a huge surprise so please take a minute to take the last bite of the cookie that is in your hand and sit down. Make sure that the glass of milk next to your keyboard is out of striking distance.
I have joined a book club.
AARRRGFGGHHHHH!!!!! Splatttt!!!!! Curpluink!!!! Curfuffle!!!!
I warned you.
Yes, 5 manly, matcho, masculine, ruff and tumble dudes have organized a book club exclusively for men. The first book that was recommended by this group of raging, robust males was "Enders Game". And, if you are a current subscriber to my Blog, you would know that this book is one of the only books that I have re-read in my life. Therefore, when I found out that this book club would be reading books like this, I decided to join.
Last month we read "Never Cry Wolf" which was a good book. It is funny and easy to read. We had great discussions about wolves, politics and hunting. (interestingly enough, none of us hunt, but we could if we had to)
This month, we will be reading, "Me and the Geezer". We will see if the other brave gentlemen enjoy this book about baseball as much as I did.
The interesting thing about Me and the Geezer is that it was written by my Uncle, Ron Carter. The story is written from the son's prospective which would be my cousin. The Geezer is Ron Carter himself as the father. Some of you might already know that Ron Carter is a notable author which wrote the "Prelude to Glory" series.
I have joined a book club.
AARRRGFGGHHHHH!!!!! Splatttt!!!!! Curpluink!!!! Curfuffle!!!!
I warned you.
Yes, 5 manly, matcho, masculine, ruff and tumble dudes have organized a book club exclusively for men. The first book that was recommended by this group of raging, robust males was "Enders Game". And, if you are a current subscriber to my Blog, you would know that this book is one of the only books that I have re-read in my life. Therefore, when I found out that this book club would be reading books like this, I decided to join.
Last month we read "Never Cry Wolf" which was a good book. It is funny and easy to read. We had great discussions about wolves, politics and hunting. (interestingly enough, none of us hunt, but we could if we had to)
This month, we will be reading, "Me and the Geezer". We will see if the other brave gentlemen enjoy this book about baseball as much as I did.
The interesting thing about Me and the Geezer is that it was written by my Uncle, Ron Carter. The story is written from the son's prospective which would be my cousin. The Geezer is Ron Carter himself as the father. Some of you might already know that Ron Carter is a notable author which wrote the "Prelude to Glory" series.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Grand Champion
Every year at Sawtooth Elementary there is a pumpkin decorating contest. Yes, decorating because if it was pumpkin carving then after about 2 days the pumpkins that are displayed in the library would start to rot and stink. So, all of the kids are invited to decorate a pumpkin. This year Savanna decided that she wanted to decorate a pumpkin like a porcupine. Hummm, not the easiest but probably a very creative idea. I pondered over many ideas and even scoured the internet looking for an idea for a porcupine pumpkin. You may all be astonished to find out that there really aren't that many Porcupine Pumpkins out there in circulation and believe me, I employed all of my internet searching talent to find something to spark some creativity. I really didn't find anything to help me out of this artistic hole so I decided to just make it up. We went to the store and picked up some wooden skewers, googly eyeballs and some play-doh. This is what we came up with as a finished product.
The pumpkin sat at the end of a bookshelf in the library for a week and on the final day I received a phone call from Savanna. We had one a prize for our entry. Not just any prize. We were really thinking we would get something dorky like, "Most Porcupinee'est". We received the award of "Grand Champion". This is not just an award they give out willy nilly. They only give out 2 of these per year. One for the K - 3 grade and one for the 4 - 6 grades and Savanna's won Grand Champion for the 4 -6 grades.
I have mixed emotions. I am thrilled that we won, of course, but this also means that Dad will be expected to create a high level of pumpkin decorating prowess for years to come. I don't know if I'll be able to match the success we had this year. Maybe I should do as Dennis Miller always says. "Always be closing!" And Seignfield said on his TV program that if you had a great laugh off of one of your jokes, quit on a high note. "That's it for me folks, you've been great!"
The pumpkin sat at the end of a bookshelf in the library for a week and on the final day I received a phone call from Savanna. We had one a prize for our entry. Not just any prize. We were really thinking we would get something dorky like, "Most Porcupinee'est". We received the award of "Grand Champion". This is not just an award they give out willy nilly. They only give out 2 of these per year. One for the K - 3 grade and one for the 4 - 6 grades and Savanna's won Grand Champion for the 4 -6 grades.
I have mixed emotions. I am thrilled that we won, of course, but this also means that Dad will be expected to create a high level of pumpkin decorating prowess for years to come. I don't know if I'll be able to match the success we had this year. Maybe I should do as Dennis Miller always says. "Always be closing!" And Seignfield said on his TV program that if you had a great laugh off of one of your jokes, quit on a high note. "That's it for me folks, you've been great!"
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Clint Carter for President?
I think someone nominated me for President and there is a lot of people out there willing to vote for me. Watch this news clip!!!
Monday, October 27, 2008
http://wordle.net/
Now here is a fun little exercise. Connect to http://wordle.net/ and input your blog address and it will give you a quick summary of words that are used the most in your blog and then arranges them in a cool little pattern. Give it a try.
Here is a Wordle of my Blog.
Here is a Wordle of my Family.
Here is a Wordle of my Blog.
Here is a Wordle of my Family.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Halloween 08
When I was a kid, we used to get out all of Mom's acrylic paints and paint the front window in our house. We had a huge front window which consisted of one large paine and 2 smaller windows on each side. Rachael was our artist in the family and it seemed like every year she would draw a design on the window, with a crayon at first, to outline the images we would paint. Then, we would paint over the crayon markings with black paint to give detail to the pictures. Then, the fun part. We filled in the blank spaces with all sorts of colors. We really loved painting the front windows.
I decided one year, to give it a try on our front windows. I am definitely not an artist and everything I draw has to be plagiarized, but the kids really enjoy painting our front windows. Here is a sampling of our work.
Fun Looking Monster
Ok, so the pictures are not great and the camera that took the photos were from my cell phone so they look very very rough, but I think you get the cut of my gib. (a quote from Dennis Miller)
I decided one year, to give it a try on our front windows. I am definitely not an artist and everything I draw has to be plagiarized, but the kids really enjoy painting our front windows. Here is a sampling of our work.
Fun Looking Monster
Pumpkins and Trick or Treat (which I had to write backwards to look correct in the window)
Cat and Pumpkin
Ok, so the pictures are not great and the camera that took the photos were from my cell phone so they look very very rough, but I think you get the cut of my gib. (a quote from Dennis Miller)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Savanna Published on LDS.org
I have been following a blog called LDSWebGuy for a few months now and he always has some interesting "tech" information about the Church. One of his posts a few weeks ago announced a place where the Youth in the church could comment about how they felt about General Conference. I liked the idea so I sent the link to all of my kids to see if they would comment.
Savanna was the only one that picked up on it and typed something up. I wasn't sure if they would use her comments or not but when I looked today, her post had been published on the LDS Website. She typed this all by herself without any help from her parents. In fact, I asked her yesterday if she had written something and she said she had but didn't remember what she had said. I think it is awesome that they added it to the youth comments.
Here is the LINK to that page. Great Job Savanna!
Savanna was the only one that picked up on it and typed something up. I wasn't sure if they would use her comments or not but when I looked today, her post had been published on the LDS Website. She typed this all by herself without any help from her parents. In fact, I asked her yesterday if she had written something and she said she had but didn't remember what she had said. I think it is awesome that they added it to the youth comments.
Here is the LINK to that page. Great Job Savanna!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Lift Where You Stand
I wanted to write something about General Conference that we had in October. Here are some of the talks that I enjoyed.
I'm not sure why but the talk that sticks out most in my mind from the Conference weekend was President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk during the Priesthood Session of Conference, it was titled, Lift Where You Stand. I really liked the idea that everyone, whatever the calling, needs to "lift" where they are standing. Whether that be the ward greeter or the Bishop, you need to do your best to lift the ward where you can. The story goes that a number of men were trying to lift and move a piano. They had tried every configuration of men at the front, at the back, on the sides, on the legs but they just couldn't move the piano. Finally, one of the men said, "Lets all stand as close together as we can around the piano and Lift where you stand". After trying this idea, the piano was moved into place. There are many great lessons that can be learned from this parable.
The second talk that I really thought was good was by Elaine S. Dalto Young Women General President called "A Return to Virtue". I think I enjoyed this one because we have been talking with Coby about these very issues in his life. The best quote out of the talk actually came from President Monson that counseled: "You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone". Coby has already had to make this decision in his life. We know that he will be blessed for these decisions and that in the future, he will be looked up to by his piers for making correct choices.
And my last quote was mentioned by President Thomas S. Monson. He stated in his talk, "Brother Hess wrote—and I quote: “These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year." I am now justified in taking photos of our kids every year. Now, we just have to work on getting those family pictures taken a little bit more often.
I'm not sure why but the talk that sticks out most in my mind from the Conference weekend was President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk during the Priesthood Session of Conference, it was titled, Lift Where You Stand. I really liked the idea that everyone, whatever the calling, needs to "lift" where they are standing. Whether that be the ward greeter or the Bishop, you need to do your best to lift the ward where you can. The story goes that a number of men were trying to lift and move a piano. They had tried every configuration of men at the front, at the back, on the sides, on the legs but they just couldn't move the piano. Finally, one of the men said, "Lets all stand as close together as we can around the piano and Lift where you stand". After trying this idea, the piano was moved into place. There are many great lessons that can be learned from this parable.
The second talk that I really thought was good was by Elaine S. Dalto Young Women General President called "A Return to Virtue". I think I enjoyed this one because we have been talking with Coby about these very issues in his life. The best quote out of the talk actually came from President Monson that counseled: "You be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone". Coby has already had to make this decision in his life. We know that he will be blessed for these decisions and that in the future, he will be looked up to by his piers for making correct choices.
And my last quote was mentioned by President Thomas S. Monson. He stated in his talk, "Brother Hess wrote—and I quote: “These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year." I am now justified in taking photos of our kids every year. Now, we just have to work on getting those family pictures taken a little bit more often.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Professional Photographs
Every year we try to take photographs of our kids so that we can go back through their life and see how they have grown and matured. We have found that the normal school shots don't quite cut it as a good photo of our kids. Last year we gave it one more try to see if the "school" pics would be nice enough for our yearly pictures of the kids but the they turned out to be horrible. They were blury and out of focus and too far away to see their faces. So, we went back to Kim Critchfield to have their pictures taken. We got them back on Friday and they look wonderful. The only complaint we have is that they all look too old. They are growing up too fast. Out of all of our children, I think Coby has changed the most.
I also feel justified in taking these "expensive pictures" because it was mentioned by President Thomas S. Monson in the October 2008 General Conference. He stated in his talk, "Brother Hess wrote—and I quote: “These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year."
So, there you have it. I'm now justified in taking pictures of our kids. Now, we just have to work on getting those family pictures taken a little bit more often.
Kate Carter 2008
Savanna Carter 2008
Coby Carter 2008
Andrew Carter 2008
I also feel justified in taking these "expensive pictures" because it was mentioned by President Thomas S. Monson in the October 2008 General Conference. He stated in his talk, "Brother Hess wrote—and I quote: “These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year."
So, there you have it. I'm now justified in taking pictures of our kids. Now, we just have to work on getting those family pictures taken a little bit more often.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
57 hits?
I was nonchalontly parusing my Google Analytics to see if anyone is visiting my sites when I came across some very interesting data. On Monday the 14th I had 57 hits to my blog. Now, to most of your this may not seem like much, but if you look at my hit counter you will see that I normally average around 11 to 20 hits per day.
Where did all of those hits come from you might ask? Very good questions. I did a little research and found that the hits came from 19 countries.
Hummm, I wonder what countries have hit might web site? Here is a map of the countries that have visited. 19 Countries?
Here is the best one that I could find that visited my blog.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia!! What! Now who in their right mind would visit my blog from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia? eh?
Where did all of those hits come from you might ask? Very good questions. I did a little research and found that the hits came from 19 countries.
Hummm, I wonder what countries have hit might web site? Here is a map of the countries that have visited. 19 Countries?
Here is the best one that I could find that visited my blog.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia!! What! Now who in their right mind would visit my blog from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia? eh?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Simpsonized
I was browsing around the internet looking for some friends that are on the interent and I ran across a new friend's blog. His name is Clark. On his website it had a "Simpsonized" picture of himself. Fortunately, he had placed a link on his blog so that you could try it yourself. So, you guessed it, I clicked on over to http://simpsonizeme.com and this is what I look like SIMPSONIZED!
BYU Game
I don't know why but over the last couple of weeks I have been totally jazzed about going down to BYU for the Homecoming game. I don't normally get that excited but this time, I was really animated about the idea.
Last weekend we packed up all of the kids and headed down to Utah to go to BYU's Homecoming. We stayed in Bountiful with my parents and then got up Saturday morning and headed to Provo. It was slated to be a chilly morning but we were up for a good time so we packed all of our warm clothes and headed for the south side of BYU Campus. As we drove up the street we were going to hang out on for the Homecoming Parade, we noticed that the police escorts were just passing by. We had managed to arrive at the exact right time to see the whole parade. The kids loved watching the different colleges, bands and cheerleaders walk by and enjoyed picking up the sprinkling of candy.
After the parade, I had arranged to have the kids take a look at the student housing at Heritage Halls. We were given a quick tour of the girls student dorms. After leaving the dorms the girls mentioned that the apartment was really small. The bedrooms were smaller than there current bedroom in our house.
We wandered over to the Wilkenson center where we browsed through tons of BYU toys, clothes and gear. We ate lunch at the Cougar Eat. (I don't know if it is still called that or not). While everyone was sitting back and enjoying the meal, the kids started getting restless so I decided to take them to Kimball Tower to drop coins down the stair well. The kids loved it. I was actually able to drop a quarter 6 stories before it caught a rail and stopped its fall.
Be broke up after lunch and the girls went shopping the guys went to the game. BYU had a mediocre game but it was good enough to put a W on BYU's game column. Here is a picture of the boys and me at the game.
Last weekend we packed up all of the kids and headed down to Utah to go to BYU's Homecoming. We stayed in Bountiful with my parents and then got up Saturday morning and headed to Provo. It was slated to be a chilly morning but we were up for a good time so we packed all of our warm clothes and headed for the south side of BYU Campus. As we drove up the street we were going to hang out on for the Homecoming Parade, we noticed that the police escorts were just passing by. We had managed to arrive at the exact right time to see the whole parade. The kids loved watching the different colleges, bands and cheerleaders walk by and enjoyed picking up the sprinkling of candy.
After the parade, I had arranged to have the kids take a look at the student housing at Heritage Halls. We were given a quick tour of the girls student dorms. After leaving the dorms the girls mentioned that the apartment was really small. The bedrooms were smaller than there current bedroom in our house.
We wandered over to the Wilkenson center where we browsed through tons of BYU toys, clothes and gear. We ate lunch at the Cougar Eat. (I don't know if it is still called that or not). While everyone was sitting back and enjoying the meal, the kids started getting restless so I decided to take them to Kimball Tower to drop coins down the stair well. The kids loved it. I was actually able to drop a quarter 6 stories before it caught a rail and stopped its fall.
Be broke up after lunch and the girls went shopping the guys went to the game. BYU had a mediocre game but it was good enough to put a W on BYU's game column. Here is a picture of the boys and me at the game.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Global Cooling
It is official, at least in my book, we are now witnessing global cooling. It has been reported that Twin Falls Idaho will get snow Friday October 9th. Yes, that is right, SNOW!!!!
Our family has been planning on traveling down to Provo Utah this weekend to attend the BYU Homecoming game.
Now we are having second thoughts because of this nasty storm system that will be traveling our way Friday and Saturday. Of course, it has to come from the Gulf of Alaska. It has been predicted that we will get snow accumulations up to 2 inches. So, do we stay or do we go?
We had such high hopes for this trip to Provo this year. The BYU Cougs should be fun to watch this year since they have had an incredible winning streak.
We normally head down to the south side of campus to watch the Homecoming Parade but now, it looks like there might be 2 inches of snow on the parade route. That just doesn't seem fun. I guess we could bring our skis and inner tubes and try to make some fun out of the miserable weather.
I'll let you know what we decide. I guess if the weather is really bad, maybe it will be so bad that it will be a trip that we NEVER forget.
Our family has been planning on traveling down to Provo Utah this weekend to attend the BYU Homecoming game.
Now we are having second thoughts because of this nasty storm system that will be traveling our way Friday and Saturday. Of course, it has to come from the Gulf of Alaska. It has been predicted that we will get snow accumulations up to 2 inches. So, do we stay or do we go? We had such high hopes for this trip to Provo this year. The BYU Cougs should be fun to watch this year since they have had an incredible winning streak.
We normally head down to the south side of campus to watch the Homecoming Parade but now, it looks like there might be 2 inches of snow on the parade route. That just doesn't seem fun. I guess we could bring our skis and inner tubes and try to make some fun out of the miserable weather.
I'll let you know what we decide. I guess if the weather is really bad, maybe it will be so bad that it will be a trip that we NEVER forget.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Eagle Scout
This weekend Coby Carter received his Eagle Scout Rank. We had his Eagle Court of Honor down at the river and had President Ward hand him his Eagle Scout award. Here are some pictures.
I took a few pages out of my Mom's Eagle Court of Honor play book and had 2 canoes ready to escort the 2 Eagles across the pond at the golf course and had them escorted by their mentors up to the Eagle Court of Honor. We had a bon fire, a bunch of flags and one big US Flag which made the event special. The weather was perfect and we all had a wonderful time. I think Coby felt special and that all the hard work had finally paid off.
Congratulations Coby!!!
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| From Coby Eagle Scout |
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| From Coby Eagle Scout |
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| From Coby Eagle Scout |
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| From Coby Eagle Scout |
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| From Coby Eagle Scout |
I took a few pages out of my Mom's Eagle Court of Honor play book and had 2 canoes ready to escort the 2 Eagles across the pond at the golf course and had them escorted by their mentors up to the Eagle Court of Honor. We had a bon fire, a bunch of flags and one big US Flag which made the event special. The weather was perfect and we all had a wonderful time. I think Coby felt special and that all the hard work had finally paid off.
Congratulations Coby!!!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
New Sites
Well, you know me, well, maybe you don't but I am a computer geek. With that geekyness I should be up on all of the new technology and new websites that are out there. Sorry to disappoint but I haven't been. One of the reasons for my lack of nerdyness is that I have been serving as the YMP (Young Mens President) in our ward. Last week I was released. You have all probably felt the same disappointment and releaf that comes along with being released. I'm both sad and glad at the same time. Very strange. Just yesterday I went over to the church to help with some "Board of Review" interviews, and the youth were meeting for their Mutual activity. I found myself wanting to go in and feel the excitement but at the same them, the calm, knowing I wasn't in charge. So, after getting home last night, I had a smile on my face because I didn't have the stress of making sure everything was running correctly in the YM program.
Anyway, getting back to my point. I have ventured out into 2 new internet sites and I must say, they are both addicting. They are definitely not "NEW" websites, but they are new to me. The first one is Craig's list. This is so much fun to browse through the items that are available for sale in my local area. Almost every day now I take a minute to checkout what people have listed from Twin Falls Idaho. The second site is FaceBook. And what do you know, I already have 9 friends. It sure makes me feel special.
I know, I know, these sites have been around for a long time and most of you are already members and have been checking them out every so often. This just shows you just how much time I have spent on the internet lately and how much time I have had to just goof around.
Anyway, getting back to my point. I have ventured out into 2 new internet sites and I must say, they are both addicting. They are definitely not "NEW" websites, but they are new to me. The first one is Craig's list. This is so much fun to browse through the items that are available for sale in my local area. Almost every day now I take a minute to checkout what people have listed from Twin Falls Idaho. The second site is FaceBook. And what do you know, I already have 9 friends. It sure makes me feel special.
I know, I know, these sites have been around for a long time and most of you are already members and have been checking them out every so often. This just shows you just how much time I have spent on the internet lately and how much time I have had to just goof around.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Crash
My sister called the other day and wanted some help with her computer. Unfortunately her computer had crashed and wanted to know how to proceed. I told her that if the Hard Drive was ok, then she could get back her her files but that probably meant her motherboard was bad and she would have to buy a new computer. If her hard drive was bad, that means she couldn't get her data but she could probably replace the drive in her computer inexpensively.
Well, we found out, that her hard drive was toast so she now was trying to get some of her important information off of the drive which may or may not be possible. RATS. One of the most important of all of the data on a computer these days is your photographs. So, I want to give all of you "Little Enoch Readers" a couple of tips.
Tip #1: A file is not REALLY saved unless it is in 2 places.
This means that it can be on 2 computers, or a computer and a backup drive or a computer and on the internet. If your pictures are only in 1 place, they are not truly safe.
Tip #2: I found this little video about saving your pictures on the internet so my second tip is to follow this guys advise and safe your pictures to a website. Here is the vid.
Personally, I purchased a 350 gig external hard drive that I backup to every once in a while. If one of my computers crashes, I can get it off of this other drive. After watching the video, I am now also keeping some photos on the web. Great Stuff!
Well, we found out, that her hard drive was toast so she now was trying to get some of her important information off of the drive which may or may not be possible. RATS. One of the most important of all of the data on a computer these days is your photographs. So, I want to give all of you "Little Enoch Readers" a couple of tips.
Tip #1: A file is not REALLY saved unless it is in 2 places.
This means that it can be on 2 computers, or a computer and a backup drive or a computer and on the internet. If your pictures are only in 1 place, they are not truly safe.
Tip #2: I found this little video about saving your pictures on the internet so my second tip is to follow this guys advise and safe your pictures to a website. Here is the vid.
Personally, I purchased a 350 gig external hard drive that I backup to every once in a while. If one of my computers crashes, I can get it off of this other drive. After watching the video, I am now also keeping some photos on the web. Great Stuff!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Summer of Coby
Well, with all of the happenings this Summer, who knew that it would turn out to be "The Summer of Coby" (in a deep announcing voice)!
Andy played baseball the first part of the summer where he traveled all over the state to play in "All Star" tournaments.
Savanna had clogging competitions at Lagoon and performed in several locations.
Deanna played tennis for the local tennis league.
I didn't do much of anything.
BUT, COBY, he had a pretty awesome summer.
Coby finished his Duty To God award for Deacons. Coby finished his Eagle Scout award and should receive his patch within the next couple of weeks. Coby practiced and performed for the Prophet at the Youth Cultural Celebration. Coby was ordained a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood. Coby began seminary this year. Wow, what a list of accomplishments.
Now, on a lighter side. Coby has a group of friends that have started messing around with making video clips and they have now published their first video on You Tube. Here is a link to their short video. Yes, it is a little goofy, well, who are we kidding, it is really goofy, but they did it and they plan on doing more. Coby is only in the first scene but they are planning on doing a re-make of their first video and adding Coby to the cast.
The video is called "Totally Pointless". You will see that the title matches the performance.
Enjoy
Andy played baseball the first part of the summer where he traveled all over the state to play in "All Star" tournaments.
Savanna had clogging competitions at Lagoon and performed in several locations.
Deanna played tennis for the local tennis league.
I didn't do much of anything.
BUT, COBY, he had a pretty awesome summer.
Coby finished his Duty To God award for Deacons. Coby finished his Eagle Scout award and should receive his patch within the next couple of weeks. Coby practiced and performed for the Prophet at the Youth Cultural Celebration. Coby was ordained a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood. Coby began seminary this year. Wow, what a list of accomplishments.
Now, on a lighter side. Coby has a group of friends that have started messing around with making video clips and they have now published their first video on You Tube. Here is a link to their short video. Yes, it is a little goofy, well, who are we kidding, it is really goofy, but they did it and they plan on doing more. Coby is only in the first scene but they are planning on doing a re-make of their first video and adding Coby to the cast.
The video is called "Totally Pointless". You will see that the title matches the performance.
Enjoy
Monday, September 01, 2008
New Stake in Twin Falls
It was announced in church on Sunday that there will be a new stake formed in Twin Falls Idaho. The new stake will be called the Twin Falls South Stake. Because of this new stake, the Twin Falls Stake, the Kimberly Stake and the Twin Falls West Stake will be affected. The new Twin Falls South Stake will take 3 wards from the Twin Falls Stake. These wards that are leaving our stake are the 3rd ward, the 9th ward and the 13th wards. This is significant because 6 of our High Council members are from these three wards, a number of people in stake presidencies have people from these wards and also our Stake Patriarch, and our 1st counselor in the Stake Presidency. So, there will be some major turnover in the Twin Falls Stake in the next 2 weeks. It should be exciting.
Although the Twin Falls Stake will be losing 3 wards, we are also gaining 2 wards. The Twin Falls Stake will take back 2 wards from the Kimberly Stake. These 2 wards will be the 11th Ward and the 15th Ward. So, that means we will pick up a Stake Patriarch from the Kimberly Stake and a member of their Stake Presidency.
The new Twin Falls South Stake will not have a building at first so they will use the old Twin Falls Stake Center as their meeting house until their building is constructed.
These changes should take effect on September 14th during our General Stake Conference.
Isn't this exciting?!?!?
Although the Twin Falls Stake will be losing 3 wards, we are also gaining 2 wards. The Twin Falls Stake will take back 2 wards from the Kimberly Stake. These 2 wards will be the 11th Ward and the 15th Ward. So, that means we will pick up a Stake Patriarch from the Kimberly Stake and a member of their Stake Presidency.
The new Twin Falls South Stake will not have a building at first so they will use the old Twin Falls Stake Center as their meeting house until their building is constructed.
These changes should take effect on September 14th during our General Stake Conference.
Isn't this exciting?!?!?
Saturday, August 30, 2008
YCC Success
After many many long months of practice. The YCC (Youth Cultural Celebration) was a HUGE success. Many of the leaders, parents and youth were wondering if all of these hours and hours of practice would be worth it. Scouting programs were put on hold, youth activities were put on hold and many schedules were re-arranged just to make this happen. Many families gave up a lot to be involved in this event. After all is said and done, everyone that I have talked to has said it was totally wort it.
The Celebration was Awesome. Many times during the performance I was litterally brought to tears knowing how much work was put into the production and to see it blossom like it did was just amazing.
If you were to ask anyone in the stake if they would do it all again, I am almost certain that they would all say YES, it was completely and totally worth it.
Here are some snap shots that someone else took of the celebration. You really had to be there to completely appreciate how well this performance was presented.
The Celebration was Awesome. Many times during the performance I was litterally brought to tears knowing how much work was put into the production and to see it blossom like it did was just amazing.
If you were to ask anyone in the stake if they would do it all again, I am almost certain that they would all say YES, it was completely and totally worth it.
Here are some snap shots that someone else took of the celebration. You really had to be there to completely appreciate how well this performance was presented.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Back To School Too
Ok, everyone else is posting "back to school" pics so I guess I had better join the herd and post my own.
Here is the Carter's first day of school pictures.
Here is the Carter's first day of school pictures.
Friday, August 22, 2008
School Starts
Every year we head over to our elementary school for their annual open house. This is a time when the parents and the kids get to see their new class rooms and meet their new teacher. Each year we do this, I make sure that our kids dress up in nice clothes (not church clothes) but nice clothes, to meet their new teacher. Every year the kids complain about having to look nice to go to school for the first time. My requirements are, no flip flops, not tee shirts, no shorts. They are to wear a collared shirt, long pants without holes and shoes. Girls should wear a skirt. All I get is griping, gowning, and complaining. HOWEVER, when we arrive at the school, they are all looking nice and presentable. I follow the same rules and wear a collared shirt, nice pants and a suit jacket.
My Sister Rachael taught me this important lesson one year while picking her brain about life. She mentioned that every time she went to the school to meet with a teacher or an administrator, she always dressed up in her nicest outfit and if she could, she would wear a suit. She found that the administrator and the teachers would treat her much different just based on how she dressed. I totally believe it so now, when I go to the school, I always try to dress up.
So, to round out this blog post, I was shocked at how many of the parents and kids were dressed when attending the "open house" at our elementary school. Parents were wearing flip flops, tee shirts, grungy shorts, tank tops. It was amazing. The kids were dressed the same, sloppy, and slouchy.
First impressions do matter. I'm going to hold to my standard of always dressing up to go to school.
My Sister Rachael taught me this important lesson one year while picking her brain about life. She mentioned that every time she went to the school to meet with a teacher or an administrator, she always dressed up in her nicest outfit and if she could, she would wear a suit. She found that the administrator and the teachers would treat her much different just based on how she dressed. I totally believe it so now, when I go to the school, I always try to dress up.
So, to round out this blog post, I was shocked at how many of the parents and kids were dressed when attending the "open house" at our elementary school. Parents were wearing flip flops, tee shirts, grungy shorts, tank tops. It was amazing. The kids were dressed the same, sloppy, and slouchy.
First impressions do matter. I'm going to hold to my standard of always dressing up to go to school.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
DMZ
I have stared to listen to Dennis Miller on the radio in the mornings as I am headed to work and while I am skateboarding around town trying to solve computer problems for people. I find his musings very entertaining and very insightful. I really like his show because he is always using vocabulary that I am unfamiliar with and he uses analogies that really make you stop and think. Once you stop and think about his analogy and how it fits into his line of thinking, you have just missed the next 10 seconds of his rant. So, you really have to be on your toes to be able to keep up with his discussion.
Dennis Miller
Here is Dennis's website. http://dennismillerradio.com/site If you want to listen live, just click on "Listen Live Free" in the middle section. You could also go to this website link, http://dennismillerradio.com/programhighlights and click on "Download a segment here". Or, click this link to download and listen to his "Pitch" right here.
Once I was listening to Dennis and a caller called in and made the following comment, "I love your show Dennis but I must admit, I only "get" about 1/3 of that you are saying.". Dennis replied, "That's ok because I am making up about 2/3's of what I say."
Anyway, check out the Dennis Miller Show the next time you are in the car and are sick of the all of the other radio personalities out there. I liken this radio show to the concentration and depth of knowledge you need to watch "West Wing".
Dennis Miller
Here is Dennis's website. http://dennismillerradio.com/site If you want to listen live, just click on "Listen Live Free" in the middle section. You could also go to this website link, http://dennismillerradio.com/programhighlights and click on "Download a segment here". Or, click this link to download and listen to his "Pitch" right here.
Once I was listening to Dennis and a caller called in and made the following comment, "I love your show Dennis but I must admit, I only "get" about 1/3 of that you are saying.". Dennis replied, "That's ok because I am making up about 2/3's of what I say."
Anyway, check out the Dennis Miller Show the next time you are in the car and are sick of the all of the other radio personalities out there. I liken this radio show to the concentration and depth of knowledge you need to watch "West Wing".
Friday, August 08, 2008
Outdoor article
So, we have been encouraging Coby to write as much as possible so I decided one day to contact my friend that works at the local newspaper to see if there was something that Coby could type up that might make it into the newspaper. He informed me that sometimes they will have small articles published in the Outdoor section. This was great news because Coby was just about ready to head up to Scout Camp. Before Coby left, we gave him an assignment to write something about an event that happened while being outdoors at Scout Camp. Well, I am sorry to say that I was very skeptical that this assignment would remain in his longterm memory. To my surprise he marched home from camp and typed up a nice little article. I went in to the local paper and asked if he could submit it as an Outdoor article and they gave me their email address. I rushed home to make sure Coby shined up the short story so it could be emailed to the editor.
Well, as of yet, we haven't see his work published. I'm not sure that they ever will so I am going to publish it in my blog. The editor did think writing was good but, he just wasn't sure he would have enough room to fit it in. If it does make the paper, you will be the first (or second) to know.
Here is the link to the paper he wrote. Coby's Hawk Story
Well, as of yet, we haven't see his work published. I'm not sure that they ever will so I am going to publish it in my blog. The editor did think writing was good but, he just wasn't sure he would have enough room to fit it in. If it does make the paper, you will be the first (or second) to know.
Here is the link to the paper he wrote. Coby's Hawk Story
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Hypochondriac or West Nile
Definition of Hypochondriac
Hypochondriac: A person who has hypochondriasis, a disorder characterized by a preoccupation with body functions and the interpretation of normal body sensations (such as sweating) or minor abnormalities (such as minor aches and pains) as portending problems of major medical moment. Reassurance by physicians and others only serves to increase the hypochondriac's persistent anxiety about their health.
Ok, we all know that a hypochondriac is continually worried about dying of a horrible disease. I would like to submit supportive evidence that I have this problem.
When I was younger, I was told that if my left arm ached and started to tingle that I was going to have a heart attack. Well, there have been several times throughout my life that I am pretty sure I had a heart attack because I have had these exact symptoms, however, it always seems to re-occur right after I am reminded of these symptoms.
A month or two ago I was told that my second cousin had a brain tumor. My Dad told me that the symptoms where uncontrolled twitching of your fingers and hands. I put this in the back of my mind after hearing of these symptoms and low and behold, just a few days later, my fingers felt like they were twitching. As I thought over what I had done over the last few days I tried to figure out what may have caused it because I really didn't want to have a brain tumor. I then realized that maybe it was just my hand reacting to pitching curve balls to my son the two night previous. Either that or I was a gonner.
Just this week I wasn't feeling very well. My stomach was turning and bubbling and I wasn't sure what was causing it. I thought back to what I had eaten over the last few days to try and pin it on something. Maybe I had food poisoning. Then, I read in the paper that the first case of West Nile Virus had been discovered. The symptoms are akin to having the flu. Well, that did it for me, I am sure I have West Nile Virus.
So, for future reference, if you know of a new frightening disease, please do not tell me about it nor tell me about the symptoms. I am very likely to come down with that very disease the very next day.
Hypochondriac: A person who has hypochondriasis, a disorder characterized by a preoccupation with body functions and the interpretation of normal body sensations (such as sweating) or minor abnormalities (such as minor aches and pains) as portending problems of major medical moment. Reassurance by physicians and others only serves to increase the hypochondriac's persistent anxiety about their health.
Ok, we all know that a hypochondriac is continually worried about dying of a horrible disease. I would like to submit supportive evidence that I have this problem.
When I was younger, I was told that if my left arm ached and started to tingle that I was going to have a heart attack. Well, there have been several times throughout my life that I am pretty sure I had a heart attack because I have had these exact symptoms, however, it always seems to re-occur right after I am reminded of these symptoms.
A month or two ago I was told that my second cousin had a brain tumor. My Dad told me that the symptoms where uncontrolled twitching of your fingers and hands. I put this in the back of my mind after hearing of these symptoms and low and behold, just a few days later, my fingers felt like they were twitching. As I thought over what I had done over the last few days I tried to figure out what may have caused it because I really didn't want to have a brain tumor. I then realized that maybe it was just my hand reacting to pitching curve balls to my son the two night previous. Either that or I was a gonner.
Just this week I wasn't feeling very well. My stomach was turning and bubbling and I wasn't sure what was causing it. I thought back to what I had eaten over the last few days to try and pin it on something. Maybe I had food poisoning. Then, I read in the paper that the first case of West Nile Virus had been discovered. The symptoms are akin to having the flu. Well, that did it for me, I am sure I have West Nile Virus.
So, for future reference, if you know of a new frightening disease, please do not tell me about it nor tell me about the symptoms. I am very likely to come down with that very disease the very next day.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Social Networking
I have now entered the world of social networking. I'm not quite sure how it works but I'm willing to give it a try. I have signed up for http://www.linkedin.com and I have added a few people to my "network". We will see what happens. I should have a half a million dollar job land in my lap in just a few days. :-)
If you don't know what social networking sites are, you can watch this little video that will teach you what it is all about.
If you don't know what social networking sites are, you can watch this little video that will teach you what it is all about.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
High Adventure
High Adventure Camp was at Redfish lake this year. We had 10 venture age young men with us an 3 adult leaders. We camped for a whole week at the far end of the lake shown in the image below as location #3. There are 2 ways of getting to this camp ground. You can hike 2 miles around the lake and camp, or you can take a boat across the lake. Our stake brought up 4 boats and shuttled all of us over to the camping area.
While I was there I did a little geocaching. There are about 7 geocaches in this area. One of the caches I found had never been found before. I was the first to find. (which is very cool in the geocaching world)
The week went very well. We took one day and hiked into a lake called "Hell Roaring".
The hike was about 5 miles back and half way through the trek the clouds opened up and delivered a load of water that completely drenched us all. We started to worry about staying the night but after we found shelter for everyone and started a fire, the clouds parted and the sun dried us out. It was a good experience for us all.
The best part of the week was when a return missionary came up and delivered a talk to all of our youth. He was straight forward and talked plainly about a mission. I think all of the boys were affected in a positive way.
Great week for scouters at High Adventure Camp.
Redfish like is very beautiful and secluded, however, more and more people are visiting each year. I was suprised to find the lodge full of campers on a Wednesday.
While I was there I did a little geocaching. There are about 7 geocaches in this area. One of the caches I found had never been found before. I was the first to find. (which is very cool in the geocaching world)
The week went very well. We took one day and hiked into a lake called "Hell Roaring".
The hike was about 5 miles back and half way through the trek the clouds opened up and delivered a load of water that completely drenched us all. We started to worry about staying the night but after we found shelter for everyone and started a fire, the clouds parted and the sun dried us out. It was a good experience for us all.
The best part of the week was when a return missionary came up and delivered a talk to all of our youth. He was straight forward and talked plainly about a mission. I think all of the boys were affected in a positive way.
Great week for scouters at High Adventure Camp.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Last Will and Testament
Finally, Deanna and I have completed our Last Will and Testament. Ok, not just that, we finished our living Will, our Power of Attorney and all of the rest of it. If we die tomorrow, we should be good to go (no pun intended).
We have been trying to put this together for years and finally, our ward put together an evening and had one of the lawyers from our stake come over and talked to us about Will's and Trusts. We talked with the lawyer that night and worked through some of the details. Today, we finally went over, finalized our paperwork and signed on the dotted line.
I'm glad to finally have that little issue taken care of in our lives.
BTW, I am leaving all of my debt to my kids. :-)
We have been trying to put this together for years and finally, our ward put together an evening and had one of the lawyers from our stake come over and talked to us about Will's and Trusts. We talked with the lawyer that night and worked through some of the details. Today, we finally went over, finalized our paperwork and signed on the dotted line.
I'm glad to finally have that little issue taken care of in our lives.
BTW, I am leaving all of my debt to my kids. :-)
Monday, July 14, 2008
Too Busy to Blog
Yes, that is correct, I have been too busy to blog. I know that you are all as busy or busier than I am but I am doing my best to use it as an excuse for why I have not posted any pithy comments on my blog lately.
I have had a bunch of ideas for a new blog post but I just haven't been inspired enough to jab away at my keyboard to make them a reality.
Andy is playing baseball in the Cal Ripken All Star League. He is on a team called the Americans. They have a game this week up at Moscow. (not Russia, Idaho) The Idaho version of Moscow is pronounced (Moss Ko). Of course, the Russian version of Moscow is pronounced (Moss Cow). Anyway, we hope he and his team does well up in northern idaho.
Coby is just finishing up his Eagle Scout Application. He met with the Scout Master last night to finish his "Scout Masters Conference". He needs just a couple more signatures before he can mail his app to the national headquarters for review. He has started working on an award called "The Congressional Award". This should keep him busy the rest of the summer. He has also been participating in Speed School at Golds Gym. So, Coby has had a busy summer, not including YCC and Scout Camp coming up next week.
Savanna has been clogging and playing the piano all summer. She has had to really learn quickly because she has moved up 2 team levels and is now dancing with cloggers 2 years older than herself. She seems to be picking up the choreography very well.
Katie lost a tooth this week. She is now without one of her front teeth. The other front tooth came in months ago. She can finally start eating food normally and not have to turn her mouth sideways to try and avoid hitting the loose tooth.
Deanna has been playing tennis this summer but with all of the other activities we have going on, she hasn't found much time to practice. She moved up one level in tennis this year and is now wishing she could go back to her old rating so she go back to crushing her opponents instead of being crushed.
The Twin Falls Temple Open House has begun. There are many OOOO's and AHHH's from the members that have taken the tour last week. Our family will be taking the tour in about an hour (literally). I'll give you a report on our reactions. We have already had our first protester but I'm not sure he is doing such a great job at protesting. He just sits on the grass under an umbrella with a small table of pamphlets. I didn't even notice him when I went past the temple on Saturday but Deanna assures me that he was there. We really do feel more legitimate now that we have our own temple protester.
Well, that is about it for me. Sorry there wasn't some wonderful anecdote nor deep thoughtful message involved. I'll think up something clever next time.
I have had a bunch of ideas for a new blog post but I just haven't been inspired enough to jab away at my keyboard to make them a reality.
Andy is playing baseball in the Cal Ripken All Star League. He is on a team called the Americans. They have a game this week up at Moscow. (not Russia, Idaho) The Idaho version of Moscow is pronounced (Moss Ko). Of course, the Russian version of Moscow is pronounced (Moss Cow). Anyway, we hope he and his team does well up in northern idaho.
Coby is just finishing up his Eagle Scout Application. He met with the Scout Master last night to finish his "Scout Masters Conference". He needs just a couple more signatures before he can mail his app to the national headquarters for review. He has started working on an award called "The Congressional Award". This should keep him busy the rest of the summer. He has also been participating in Speed School at Golds Gym. So, Coby has had a busy summer, not including YCC and Scout Camp coming up next week.
Savanna has been clogging and playing the piano all summer. She has had to really learn quickly because she has moved up 2 team levels and is now dancing with cloggers 2 years older than herself. She seems to be picking up the choreography very well.
Katie lost a tooth this week. She is now without one of her front teeth. The other front tooth came in months ago. She can finally start eating food normally and not have to turn her mouth sideways to try and avoid hitting the loose tooth.
Deanna has been playing tennis this summer but with all of the other activities we have going on, she hasn't found much time to practice. She moved up one level in tennis this year and is now wishing she could go back to her old rating so she go back to crushing her opponents instead of being crushed.
The Twin Falls Temple Open House has begun. There are many OOOO's and AHHH's from the members that have taken the tour last week. Our family will be taking the tour in about an hour (literally). I'll give you a report on our reactions. We have already had our first protester but I'm not sure he is doing such a great job at protesting. He just sits on the grass under an umbrella with a small table of pamphlets. I didn't even notice him when I went past the temple on Saturday but Deanna assures me that he was there. We really do feel more legitimate now that we have our own temple protester.
Well, that is about it for me. Sorry there wasn't some wonderful anecdote nor deep thoughtful message involved. I'll think up something clever next time.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Fathers Day
Just before Fathers day I had a catastrophic event happen to me. My watch band decided to crack and start to separate. I was devastated. You could hear my disappointment all over the house when I bellowed, "Oh No!". Deanna immediately asked me what had happened, thinking that I had either sliced through my finger or fractured my ankle. I replied to her query that my watch band had a tear and was on the verge for breaking apart. I quickly ran downstairs with my watch band teetering on disaster and used my "tech" brain cells to come up with a viable solution. This technique has been used for years by geeks around the world to save similar problems with their favorite coke bottle glasses. I grabbed the black electrical tape and began tightly winding its sticky elastic like tape around my watch band. 
After being satisfied with my engineering genius, I noticed that the black tape blended nicely with my black watch band to be almost completely camouflaged from the normal persons view.
A few days later I noticed that my timepiece was not held to my wrist like it used to be. In further examination I noticed that the electrical tape had given way to the pressures of holding the two sides of my now completely severed watchband. I then new that either I needed to purchase a new watch, or somehow find a replacement watchband for my Timex Ironman Data Link Watch.
Now, I must inform my readership that this is no ordinary Timex Watch. This deluxe model Ironman watch has many features not offered on any other watch that I have found. It has a chronograph, which isn't much of a new feature since all it does it count time as time passes. It has a count down timer which is awesome for keeping track of how long the hamburgers have been on the grill or how much longer you have to watch "Deadliest Catch" on your lunch hour. It has 10 alarms for waking you up in the morning while out of town. It has schedules, Appointments. It also has contacts that you can upload to it so that if you are out of town, you can still find the phone number to the Park City Condo. As you can tell, I really use my watch and all of it's features. The down side to purchasing this watch is that it comes with a price tag of $90.00 and I am not one to spend that kind of money on a watch so it really made me sick to think it was time to buy another watch.
So, this Fathers Day I ripped open one of my gifts to find a nice new watchband for my favorite watch in the world. I quickly figured out how to snap out the old band and install the new components. My wrist feels normal again and I don't have to struggle to yank out my phone every time I need to know the date and time. AND, I no longer spend too much time at lunch watching the latest episodes of "So you think you can dance".
After being satisfied with my engineering genius, I noticed that the black tape blended nicely with my black watch band to be almost completely camouflaged from the normal persons view.A few days later I noticed that my timepiece was not held to my wrist like it used to be. In further examination I noticed that the electrical tape had given way to the pressures of holding the two sides of my now completely severed watchband. I then new that either I needed to purchase a new watch, or somehow find a replacement watchband for my Timex Ironman Data Link Watch.
Now, I must inform my readership that this is no ordinary Timex Watch. This deluxe model Ironman watch has many features not offered on any other watch that I have found. It has a chronograph, which isn't much of a new feature since all it does it count time as time passes. It has a count down timer which is awesome for keeping track of how long the hamburgers have been on the grill or how much longer you have to watch "Deadliest Catch" on your lunch hour. It has 10 alarms for waking you up in the morning while out of town. It has schedules, Appointments. It also has contacts that you can upload to it so that if you are out of town, you can still find the phone number to the Park City Condo. As you can tell, I really use my watch and all of it's features. The down side to purchasing this watch is that it comes with a price tag of $90.00 and I am not one to spend that kind of money on a watch so it really made me sick to think it was time to buy another watch.So, this Fathers Day I ripped open one of my gifts to find a nice new watchband for my favorite watch in the world. I quickly figured out how to snap out the old band and install the new components. My wrist feels normal again and I don't have to struggle to yank out my phone every time I need to know the date and time. AND, I no longer spend too much time at lunch watching the latest episodes of "So you think you can dance".
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