Favorite Websites

I have a few websites that I go to every day for news, information and technology. I also have a few websites that I go to just for fun. I decided to start a list of favorite website and share them with the millions of blog viewers that come to my blog every day.

Free Translation Website: http://www.freetranslation.com/

Low Price electronics: www.NewEgg.com

Common Errors in English: Common English Errors

Cool Website Tools: http://www.dynamicdrive.com

the Drudge Report: http://www.drudgereport.com

Wordle: http://www.wordle.net/

Aaronic Priesthood/Scout Room

I was in a church meeting the other day and the speaker was talking about the different rooms in the church buildings. If you walk down the hall in a typical Mormon church, you would walk into a room with padded chairs, doilies on the table, artwork on the walls depicting women from the scriptures. You would know that you are in the Relief Society Room (the room that the women meet in for classes). If you continue down the hall you would find a room with small little chairs, pictures of Christ with children, children's music and you would quickly identify the room as the primary room (where all of the children under 12 meet for classes). Continue around the building and you would easily pick out the nursery room with toys and mats and treats. On around the building you would find a room with lace and themes on the wall about young women values and personal progress. Pictures would also adorn the room with thought provoking quotes and the Young Woman's theme. Again, it is easy to see that the young women of the church meet in this room (ages 12 - 18). However, I would challenge you to find the room where the Aaronic Priesthood meets (young men from 12 - 18). If you walked into our building, the rooms that the Aaronic Priesthood meet in are void of any pictures, statements, quotes, or themes. I never thought about it before this talk.

The speaker continued so say that young men are very susceptible to visual images. Why don't we try to fill their heads with positive visual images and quotes. Why don't we try harder to combat the visual images they see on TV, Movies, Magazines by promoting our own religious images and values.

As you might have guessed, I have started to do this in our ward building. I would ask you to keep this hush, hush. I have talked to someone in authority about making some of these changes but haven't heard back on how to procede. So, I just started to add things to room. I posted the article about return missionaries that play for Utah State. I posted an article about a local leader being called as a mission president. I also printed a copy of the "Purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood" and my wife (bless her heart) bought me a very nice frame to use. I'll be posting this framed document on the wall this Sunday. I was able to post some of these items quickly and easily because there is a cork board just off to the side of one of the chalk boards. I don't know if anyone is noticing but at least it is making me feel better and giving me a chance to be creative and (a little sneaky). This week, I am working on a small picture with the Scout Law on it. I wasn't sure what I was going to do but last night I decided to make a "Wordle" out of the law and see how it would turn out. This is what I was able to come up with. I think it is pretty awesome. I'll be posting it in the "Aaronic Priesthood" room this Sunday.



Stop by and take a look if you would like. Maybe you will get the bug to start adding spiritual, faith promoting pictures and quotes to the Aaronic Priesthood Room in your building.

ISAT's

Yesterday at Sawtooth Elementary they had their ISAT tests. I don't know much about the ISAT test but, from what I understand, the test is taken on a computer. Each student starts answering test questions at their own grade level. As the student answers questions correctly, they continue until the computer determines where their ability stops. Theoretically, if they keep answering questions correctly, they can continue into high school level questions. Again, I don't know but I think that is how it works.

The reason I explain that is, that after school, my daughter came up to me and told me that she got a good score on her ISAT's. I don't know what a good score is so I just congratulated her on her accomplishment. Then, she paused and stated that she received the highest score in the school. A little skeptical, I asked, you mean in your class, or in the 4th grade? No, she replied, I received the highest score at Sawtooth. Still a little leery of her statement, I asked Deanna and she confirmed, Savanna had the highest ISAT score in the whole school. Higher than all of the 6th graders scores. Needless to say our 6th grader, Andy, was not happy to hear about this little juicy fact.

CONGRATULATIONS Savanna on getting the highest ISAT score in her whole school. I can tell you one thing, she didn't not inherit my test taking abilities, that gene came from her mother.

Shoshone Falls

The Falls have been running at full power this last week and there are tons of people rushing down into the canyon to see the falls while it is at its best. Sunday afternoon I was reading some blogs and found one of my friends had posted a few pictures of the falls from their trip. I quickly jumped up, gathered the kids and piled them into the car for an afternoon hike down to Shoshone Falls. As we made the turn to head towards the canyon, I could tell that a thousand other people had made the same decision. The cars were stacked all the way back to the little church on the corner. I, being an impatient person that I am, decided to turn around and head back home. Either we would have to find another way down, or we would go home. I wasn't about to wait hours in line to go down to the falls. As I started back home, I decided to take a quick detour down by the Lyman's house to see if maybe we could pickup the walking trail down at the end of that street. We crept around and stuck back as far was we could and then parked the car on the side of a private street. We got out of the car and started hiking to the canyon rim to see how far we were from the falls. I turned on my Flip Video and the rest is history.

Enjoy the video.

Easter 09

Here is a little video I took of our Easter Egg Hunt at the Twin Falls City Park.

Time

I love watching a TV show called Medium. I'm not quite sure why I like this show. It is about a lady that knows things before they happen or knows things that happened because of a dream.

I just watched the latest show and it had this quote. I liked it so I decided to add it to my blog.

"Time is priceless, yet it costs us nothing. You can do anything you want with it, but you can’t own it. You can spend it, but you can’t keep it. And once you’ve lost it? There’s no getting it back. It’s just…gone.

— Allison DuBois"

Am I alone?

We have some rules in our house. Some we copied from our parents and some of the rules we made up along the way. Eventually these rules will be tested in a variety of ways by our kids and when they bump up against one of these rules, sometimes it hurts and sometimes its hard. Eventually we will get the same response I remember giving my parents, "All of the other kids are allowed to do it". I know that I did this when I was a kids but I just thought it would be interesting to see if it is true. Deanna and I may be the ONLY parents on the planet with such strict rules.

So, in an effort to make myself feel like I am still a nice guy and not a tyrant in my own house, and in an effort to help my kids see that there are other parents out there just as mean as I am, I have decided to create a little poll. It is anonymous so please feel free to TELL THE TRUTH and not select the "correct" answer. If you really do allow it, click that you allow it. Don't sugar coat it. I don't care if your rules are different, I am just interested to know if we are the only ones out there trying to solve these difficult moral problems. If I'm nuts, then I'll have more evidence that I need to be committed.

If you have any poll questions, let me know and I'll add a few.

Here are the questions:

Questions are no longer available.