The Big Waive

It was the 3rd grade program today at South Elementary.  I got there a couple minutes late and they were already up on stage singing.  Apparently Jack was looking for me because as soon as I walked in the door on the opposite side of the gym he started waiving at me.  I smiled and waived back to him and he kept on singing with a huge grin on his face.  There were some fun songs and lots of smiles.  At one point he was walking back to his spot and started pretending like he was on a horse and roping cattle.  Fun stuff.

After the concert he ran back to me with a big grin on his face and jumped through the air for me to catch ,  Fortunately I did catch him.  It is a good feeling to be there for your child and to feel their love and excitement for you. 

Drying Fruit

I was partaking of some dried fruit, a mixed bag, a couple of weeks ago and found it to be quite delicious.  I love the stuff.  Anyhow, I decided to take a peak at the ingredients and was a bit put off by this healthy bag of fruit that was filled with added sugar.  That just frustrates me.  I just want the dried fruit.  I decided to make some of my own and tonight I cut up banana and pineapple and have them in the dehydrator right now.  The big question is will it be nearly as tasty without all the added sugar?  I am sure it will and if it is a little less sweet, we'll get used to it and enjoy it for being a little more healthy. 

What if I...

I am venturing into a what if post and at the risk of sounding morbid the what if question on my mind is what if I died tomorrow?  It must have been in Gospel Principles today when in conversing about the blessings of Heavenly Father on our families as we remain faithful to our covenants I made a comment about what I do when my kids are up in Alaska.  I visit the Temple each week and put their names and their moms name in the prayer rolls, I serve faithfully in my calling and as a home teacher with the hope that by doing these things I can call upon the Lord to be with and bless the kids while we are apart.  I believe that he does.  Anyhow, that lead to a couple of additional comments and my mind was stirred and I asked myself the question; What if I died tomorrow?  What would happen to my children?  Have I set a strong enough example of righteousness for them to follow?  Have I helped them develop their testimonies to a point that if I were suddenly gone they would remain faithful to the Lord?  I don't know what the answer to these questions is.  My first hope is that we don't have to find that out and my second hope is that Natty, Jack and Andy each have the seed of faith firmly planted within them, that it has taken root and that those roots are healthy and strong.

I believe that I have a lot of work to do and a long way to go.  We do our best to live the gospel basics and to strive to follow the Savior and his living Prophet Thomas S. Monson.  That doesn't happen without struggle and without challenges.  I think the Lord knows that we will have those and that it is okay.  The most important part of it all is that we carry on, we continue to press forward doing the very best that we can do to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Well, what if I die tomorrow?  If I do then I share this message with Natalie, Jackson and Anderson.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and the fullness of the Gospel is found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's Prophet on the earth today and as we follow him, we follow the Lord.  The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ and as you read it along with The Bible and other scriptures they will serve as an anchor to the Savior.  They are the words of God and will safely guide you through this life.  Jesus Christ is your Savior and friend.  He is your brother.  He knows who you are and in your darkest hours He is there.  You are not alone.  He loves you.  Follow Him in faith.  Don't get caught up in what the world says you should do, no, you follow the Lord and His Prophet the very best that you can and you will be doing what is right and that is what really matters in this life.  As your father I invoke my blessing upon each of you, that you will know in your hearts that these things are true and that you will find peace and joy as you adhere to the principles of the Gospel.  Know that I will always be near you, that I will be one of the angels on your right or on your left, round about you to bear you up.  You are children of God and are worthy of his help.  I love you with all of my heart.    

Catering the Autism Conference

For the last couple of months I've worked with a gal named Chris Haught from SEDC. They contacted us regarding some catering needs for a conference they had. I was unaware when we started that it was an autism conference.  As that information became known to me I asked Chris if I could attend and I was able to do so.  For breakfast, lunch and the breaks I was out manning the food and drinks.  Dave and Amy were there for breakfast and mom joined them for the lunch. 
The food went very well and we had a lot of compliments for both breakfast and lunch.  Always good to hear.  For me the conference also went very well and I learned a lot.  Wow, so much that I don't know and so much that can help.  There are some things I saw that I need to do a better job at. There is help out there and that is comforting.

The presenter was Dr. Ron Leaf.  I thought he did a great job and showed a lot of examples of different strategies at work.  He showed some pretty severe cases and methods they follow with behavior,  learning how to learn, reinforcers and catching people doing good. 

When you see all these things, they give you hope and at the same time help you recognize things that you can do better.  It can be a bit overwhelming.   There was a family friend there, Sister Pace from New Harmony, she has worked with autistic children for years and we talked a few times.  She gave me some perspective and some encouragement.   Anyhow,  great conference.  

I came home to find Jack a bit over stimulated from a show the kids watched.  We went to the park, he didn't want to play.  We had dinner, went to the store, came home and got ready for bed.  Jack decided after about 30 seconds that he couldn't sleep in his bed.  Too scared, wanted to be by me.  So he did.  He decided that it would be a lot of fun to put on my PJ shorts.  I think he's got a few years... thankfully.

Off Roading

Tonight I did a bit of unexpected off roading.  Jay and Sara are up camping at 3 peaks and the plan was to join them for the evening.   I ended up having to work late in preparation for a large catering job tomorrow.   The boys went up with Annie from across the street.  By the time I got up there it was dark and I couldn't find them. I drove all over the place in search of the group.  Spent well over an hour trying to find them.  Thus the off roading adventures.   Fun stuff.  When I did find them I think it was by luck.  I found them right in time to go home. 

Tomorrow morning is coming early.   Gotta get some rest. 

Running for Water

I was helping in the kitchen today with slicing bread when I heard an employee say we were out of bottled water.  I stopped and asked if there was a customer who needed to have one.  Yes.  Out the door I went and made a speedy trip to the Wally Mart in to restock on bottled water and to pick up a cold one for this customer.  It was an in and out trip and I spent more on the bottle of water at the Wally Mart than what we sell it for.  That is okay though.  It was important to me that we do everything we can to make this customers visit a great one.  It would have been easy to make our employee go back out and tell the customer that we didn't have bottled water and ask for a new item, I just don't think it would have been appreciated.  As it stands I don't know if the customer appreciated the gesture or not, don't know if she even knew and really, that is what I would prefer.

Exercising Faith

As the father and leader of my family I recognize the great responsibility I have to lead my family in righteousness.  I have to set an example for my children that will lead them to Christ and help them to build testimonies of their own.  I have the responsibility of helping them with their schooling, putting a roof over their heads, providing food for them to eat, taking care of themselves physically and so much more.  I will tell you right now that I am not very good at this stuff.  I fall short and am unable to meet all of their needs on my own.  I do however have a belief that through doing the things Heavenly Father would have me do I am strengthened and my family is blessed.  Those blessings come through others who the Lord inspires to serve our family in a variety of ways.  I am so very grateful for these blessings.  I recognized my imperfections and failings a long time ago.  I guess I should clarify that by saying some of my imperfections and failings because I seem to be discovering more of them at a regular pace.  In any case, knowing how weak I am I know that I need help, even divine intervention.  And so I try each day to exercise my faith in Jesus Christ by living the gospel and by doing the basics.  You know the basics - reading scriptures, saying prayers, holding regular family home evenings, attending church meetings, visiting and serving in the Temple, performing our Priesthood duties.  I can say some days are better than others in my exercising of faith however, I believe the Lord knows our hearts and our desires and as we go forth and do our best I believe we can call down the powers of Heaven to bless our homes and our families.  Oh how I need strength from the Lord to carry on and how grateful I am for exercising faith.      

Too Embarrassed

In the last while I have begun experiencing something with Jack that we have not really had an issue with in the past.  When something comes up that he is not comfortable with he fights it big time and says "I'm too embarrassed, I'm too embarrassed!"  Tonight was the Cub Scout Pack Meeting and Jack was set to receive his Wolf Badge, a couple of beads and a few arrow points.  I could not get him to go to the meeting.  When it was time to leave the house he fought me the entire time repeating over and over that he was too embarrassed.  When I asked what he was embarrassed about he said he didn't want to get up in front of all the people.  I told him I would go up with him and that satisfied him long enough to get his Scout shirt on and get in the car.  Getting out of the car was not covered in that and so we had to work through that.  I don't even remember what we did to get through that.  At the front of the Church he put on the brakes again and again he was too embarrassed.  Finally he agreed to come into the church building but he would only go to the nursery.  I was done trying at that point and I let him go to the nursery while I attended the meeting.  He seemed to have enjoyed himself.  It was just him and he did a very good job at not making a mess and putting things away.  He did go into the room at the end for a cookie and met with his new Bear leader for a moment.  He talked with her just fine and seemed okay.  Hopefully he will not be too embarrassed next week when we go to her house for den meeting.  I don't know if it is the adjustment from Wolves to Bears that has him "embarrassed" or if there is something else.  Certainly that change has affected him.  Hopefully we can get him beyond his embarrassment and functioning well. 

It is days like these when I realize that I have a long way to go in understanding autism. I will do my best to not get too embarrassed as I  work towards that greater understanding. 

Peeing Freely

While cleaning up after dinner Andy really wanted to play outside.   I let him go for a bit.  From the kitchen window I watched as he moved a chair on top of a cot in an effort to get over the wall and play with his cousins.  He proceeded to climb up and then jumped down quickly,  danced a bit, dropped his drawers and peed on the wall.  Had to get a pic so I went out back.  When Andy noticed I was there I asked him how the wall got wet.  He proudly declared his urination.  Ahh, to be six, peeing freely without a care in the world. 

Scouts and Slow Sticks

Jack had a busy day yesterday with a scouting activity and with a small airplane construction project.   The scout activity didn't go so well as far as Jack being with his den and participating in the activities.  Instead he showed me a few things at the museum and we hung out together.   We had a good time looking at a model train set of old Cedar City.  We also checked out several coaches and other exhibits.  One exhibit was a water wheel outside.  It was pretty neat to learn about it and it's purpose.   This one was used to turn two or three large pistons that pumped air into the furnace.   It was cool. 
Our other project,  build a slow stick. It's a remote control airplane.   It is near completion.   Here are some pics.

 

 

Need To Work on My Fireworks!

Well, I should never post anything about going on a date.  This is simply a follow up post to update last nights post where I proudly discussed my big date.  I thought it had gone well but there were a few things that I later thought I could have done a little better but nothing drastic.  I had sent a little thank you text afterwards, said I enjoyed the evening and suggested that perhaps we might do it again sometime.  At some point this afternoon I got a reply to to that text and was told that there was no spark that would lead her to want to go on another date with me.  She hopes we can still be friends when we see each other.  Well, yeah, sure.  Why would we not be friends.  I did thank her for her honesty and said we absolutely can be friends.  I really have no problem with what she said and am quite thankful that she didn't worry about sparing my feelings.  That just makes things so much easier. 

So, back to me.  I knew I should have worn my bedazzled jeans.  They create all kinds of spark.  Oh, that's right, I don't have bedazzled jeans.  Maybe I need a pair.  I don't know, do guys actually wear bedazzled clothing?  I don't.  Apparently that could be problematic for me.  Bruce Springsteen likes to sing  a song about dancing in the dark and how you can't light a fire without a spark.  Looks like I need to work on my fireworks a bit, even if we're just dancing in the dark...

As I think about it, I thought the date was good and quite enjoyed her company.  Sure I would love to do that again.  I don't date a lot and having a night out with a lovely lady is a nice break from being at home with the three kiddos.  Not saying I don't enjoy and love my kiddos because I surely do love them, only trying to create a perspective.  She doesn't have kids and spends a lot of time with other adults doing a variety of things.  I walk away saying "that was great, I loved the conversation blah blah blah".  She probably found it rather a boring - sparkless if you will - evening.  I will learn from this... I hope.   

You have a....

Dana Barrett skillfully lets down Louis Tully of Central Park West when she informs him that she has a date and will be missing his party.  I love Louis Tully's reply "You have a date, tonight? Well, yes I did have a date tonight. I went out with a really great gal tonight.  Dave actually recommended I go out with her one day when she was at the LBH on a date with someone else.  A few months later and what do you know, that happened.   I had a great time talking with her and getting to know more about her.  I hope to go out with her again.  I guess we'll see.

Tomato Seeds

I was out running this morning and listening to conference, the latest conference actually.  It is so good.  Anyhow, I was listening to Elder Ballard's talk and loved a story he told about a little girl and a tomato seed.  A long time ago I taught the Gospel Doctrine class in the University Ward in Las Vegas.  While doing so I determined that our lives are full of parables, our own personal parables.  The story Elder Ballard shared was such a parable.  I felt a need to share it here.  I could identify with certain things.  I sometimes find myself wilting and in need of light and water.  Well, I won't say more, here is the story. 

As we think about the imagery of succoring the weak, lifting up the hands which hang down, and strengthening feeble knees, I am reminded of a sweet seven-year-old showing her grandfather a small tomato plant she had started from seed as part of a second-grade school project.

She explained that from one tiny seed would come a plant. And if the plant were cared for, it would grow many tomatoes that would each have many seeds.

She said, “And if all of those seeds were planted and grew more tomatoes, and you planted all of those seeds, in a few seasons you would have millions of tomatoes.”

“All,” she said in amazement, “from one little seed.”

But then she said, “I almost killed my plant. I left it in a dark room and forgot to water it. When I remembered the plant, it was all wilted and dead looking. I cried because I thought of all of those millions of tomatoes that would never grow.”

She was then excited to tell her grandfather about the “miracle” that happened.

She explained, “Momma said maybe the plant wasn’t dead. Maybe all it needed was some water and some light to bring life back.

“And she was right. I gave the plant some water, and I put it in the window for light. And guess what?” she asked. “It came back to life, and now it’s going to grow millions of tomatoes!”

Her small tomato plant, so full of potential but so weakened and wilted from unintentional neglect, was strengthened and revived through the simple ministration of water and light by the little girl’s loving and caring hands.

Brothers and sisters, as the literal spirit children of our loving Heavenly Father, we have unlimited, divine potential. But if we are not careful, we can become like the wilted tomato plant. We can drift away from the true doctrine and gospel of Christ and become spiritually undernourished and wilted, having removed ourselves from the divine light and living waters of the Savior’s eternal love and priesthood power.

I loved that story.  To me it speaks of a number of things but foremost in my mind is the hope it provides.  No matter where we are at in our lives we can be revived through the Savior.  His light and his living water can renew us if we will come unto him and do the things he asks us to do.  I know that is true. 

Applying For a Job

I offer this as quick advice to anyone applying for a job.  Though I am sure there are many who are aware of this I have had several apply who just don't quite get it. 

First, if you are dropping off an application look somewhat presentable.  If you are not going to dress up then at least do not dress down.  Appearance should look professional, clean, friendly and inviting.  Skimpy outfits are not what I mean by inviting. 

Getting overly aggressive when you are handing off your application at a restaurant in the middle of their lunch rush, not such a good idea.  I had a guy who acted like a turd in the front of a line of customers.  That doesn't get you very far.  We called in some interviews and he was one of them.  I didn't realize who it was at first but after 30 seconds on the phone, "ahhhh that guy".  Remembered for all the wrong reasons.  No good.

My final point tonight is dropping off an application with a friend who is also dropping off an application.  Not the best idea.  Especially not the best idea when you come in and start acting silly in front of customers.  Drive me crazy. 

Those are just a few pointers based on my experience with applicants.  I hope they come in handy to someone. 

That is all.   

Head Shot

For his birthday Jack got a State Series Quarter map from his Grandma and so we have been looking at every quarter that crosses our path to see if it is a State we don't have yet.  Tonight I went through the boys banks and then my own coin jug to see what kind of luck we would have.  I actually found a goodly number of them.  In any case, while I was going through my coin jug Jack and Andy were sitting together on my bed watching AFV on my Kindle.  They were laughing and playing and having a good time.  Andy got up to use the restroom and when he walked back in the room and towards the bed where they had been hanging out, Jack decided to throw a car at him.  Not sure why though I don't think he was intending to hit him in the forehead with the thing.  Andy went down following the head shot, Jack had a look of horror on his face and was immediately apologetic.  Andy was in tears and was hurting a bit and was also quite determined that he would not forgive Jack for what he did.  He gets a little intense that way.  After they calmed down a bit and began getting along again Jack was staring at Andy, Andy got nervous because Jack was staring at his head which had been bleeding.  Andy made it very clear that Jack was not allowed to pick at his head.  This did not stop Jack from examining the head wound after which he looked at Andy, held up the car that he had thrown and said "This bumper fits perfectly with the scar on your head".   

Prophets and Apostles

I am grateful for living Prophets and Apostles on the earth today. In a time when there is much confusion in the world and the blurring of lines and boundaries I find peace in knowing that I can turn to the Lords Prophets and Apostles for guidance and direction in my life.  There is strength in following the Prophet.  There is an assurance of hope when we do those things that our Savior would have us do and that includes following his chosen Prophets.  It is my testimony that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  It is my testimony that Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet on the Earth today.  It is my testimony that when we heed the counsel we receive from a Prophet of God that we will draw nearer to God and will receive much needed protection for our families.  I am grateful for this testimony.  I am grateful for the strength it provides me in my life and the blessing it is to my family. 

Baby Griffin

Today I had the privelege of standing in the circle for the blessing of Griffin James Fontano.  Dave did a great job blessing his little boy.  The entire fam was there with the exception of Pete and Tara and fam.  Though while sitting in the meeting I was texting with Pete about Dave Bertino, his band, Jared Hancock and a cover of the Beastie Boys Fight for your Right at a combined activity in the Hawaii Kai 2nd Ward.  Anyhow, it was almost like he was there with us. 

Jack kept getting up to get a drink today.  Every time he got up he would walk up two rows and talk to Dave and Dani and Griffin.  He was loving it. 

The Friend Party

Jack turned 9 as I mentioned in yesterdays post.  He had his own plans for how we were to celebrate his big day.  First off, this was not going to be a single day celebration.  No way, we were having a family party and a friend party and that was that.  In my mind family party translated as we were going to go out to dinner or something, just the 4 of us, and we were going to quietly celebrate Jack turning 9 and then on Saturday we would be hosting a party for friends, cousins, the rest of the fam that could make it. 

At 4 on Friday Jack called me to find out why I wasn't home, it had been a half our since school let out and I guess he was ready to party.  I talked about my version of what I thought our family party was going to be but he wasn't having any.  I asked the folks, Amy and Dan, Jay and Sara and fam to all come over for a little something.  Then I hit the Wally Mart for a cake and other necessary items for a birthday party.  We pulled off a quick one and the fam came through.  I did manage to forget 9 balloons though Jack somehow forgot about those.  We could make up for it at the friend party. 

Today was said friend party.  We had put together some plans relative to this party and it was all based on airplanes.  Jack got his slow stick yesterday and so we went with the airplane theme.  Invitations were tickets, we played pin the propeller on the airplane, we built rubberband airplane kits for everyone and we had fun flying them in the back yard for a while.  I only had to make two trips on the roof and only had to pull three of them out of a tree.  Not too bad.  The biggest challenge was to keep the planes from complete destruction.   They are not very strong.  I managed to salvage a few after the party and put them together with new parts or mixed matched parts.  They were fun.

I saw some good flights with those though Natty had the best.  She threw one that went way up, looped over the big pine tree in Jay's backyard then swerved back up by the house, flew across the yard, over the wall and landed beautifully on the patio of the the neighbor to the back.  Way to go Natty!

It was great to have the fam in town.  They are all here for baby Griffins baby blessing on Sunday but were able to stop in for Jack.  He had a few challenging moments but he handled himself very well and it was a fine day. 

 

 

We had to do some shopping first thing.  Jack decided he needed to ride.

 



Pin the prop on the plane.  Wen't quite well.  

Jack is 9

Jackson Walter Fontano turned 9 years old today.   What a wonderful little boy he is.  I am filled with gratitude to have Jack in my life.  Here are a few pics from our little family party.   Fun times.

Haircuts

It was well beyond time for Andy to have a haircut.  Tonight we made that happen.  Jack opted for a trim as well.  We had a little fun along the way.  I asked Andy if he wanted a mullet.  Um, no.  I managed to work one in just long enough to snap a pic.  Jack went with the reverse mohawk and wanted a pic as well.  Everybody ended up fully trimmed, including myself.   I am sure Amy will be less than thrilled as I have ruined yet another haircut.  Give it a couple weeks and it will be fabulous.  

Transition

In the last couple of weeks I have transitioned my morning run from the elliptical to outside, running a 5K.  Well, last week I ran outside MWF and did the elliptical Tues/Thurs.  This week I have gone outside everyday.  As part of that transition I have also changed my entertainment.  No longer am I watching movies or TV shows via Netflix.  Instead I began listening to conference talks and the words of the Prophets and Apostles and other Church leaders.  I have also listened to the Ensign Magazine and the Scriptures.  Yesterday we had a conversation about activities that waste our time and do not lead us closer to our Heavenly Father.  Today I was running and there was a talk by a General Authority that discussed that very thing.  It was great and provided additional back up for what I am trying to teach the kids.  I am sorry that I don't recall the name of the person who gave the talk.  It was good though.  All of the talks were good.  There seems to be a part in every talk I listen to that is for me.  I am grateful for that and for the love I feel from a Father in Heaven who is aware of our needs. 

Their Good

Andy was being a bit of a pain tonight.  Actually, he has had a rough time lately.  I have mentioned this before.  We were reading a book called The Seven Miracles that Saved America.  I think that is the title.  Anyhow, we read through the first miracle of Christopher Columbus and some of the things that happened in his discovery of the new world.  It was a good read.  The kids were into it.  When I said we would read more tomorrow, that it was time to move on to scriptures Andy got quite angry and started threatening me again.  The threatening is getting out of hand and I had my fill of it so we ended up having a bit of a discussion. 

That lead to a few different things part of which was how we treat each other.  I then talked about when we get older we may very well find that some of our best friends are the people that are sitting here in this room.  Well my goodness that one struck a chord with everyone.  I was a little emotional when I said it and that launched Jack into state.  He got pretty emotional and just started crying and talking about friends and how hard it is for him to not have any friends, just one friend who eats lunch with him in the smile room, Tristan.  He talked about not having any friends at break to play with and I hurt for him.  I know how he struggles with that and it is very hard for a parent.  We talked about prayer and asking Heavenly Father to help him, to guide him to someone that needs a friend.  He agreed that this would be a good thing.  It will be fun to see it in action.

Jack started talking about people and he said that there are still good people in the world.  He went on to say something that I found quite interesting.  "There are still good people in the World.  Some of them don't know they are good and they just need to find their good."  That makes a lot of sense.  We each need to find our good. 

Three Straight

I have no recipe, no secrets, no shocking surprises.  What I do have is a talent for getting lucky.  Tonight Louisville won the NCAA Mens Basketball Championship and in doing so topped off my third straight year of winning the Fontano Family NCAA Bracket.  I actually won the contest over a week ago when Louisville beat Duke.  Their last two wins were just icing on the cake.  I did two brackets this year and I did them completely different.  On the first bracket, which I believe took 4th on the Fontano Family contest, I did my best to look at the teams and pick according to a logical outcome.  My second bracket was purely off of gut instinct.  I look at the two teams and just pick one based on my gut.  It's proved to work okay for me at least for the last three years.  The kicker is that I don't watch basketball.  I don't think I saw a single game this season.  Let me go back to that talent for getting lucky.  Hmmmm, can that even exist? 

In other news we had a power outage tonight so we took FHE on the road and drove by the area where the new Temple is likely to be built.  I don't know of any official statement regarding location but had a visitor in the LBH today who had some inside information.  I thought the kids would like to see and I wanted to get an idea also so we drove over.   We discussed the blessings of the Temple, how each of the kids felt about the temple coming and what the blessings of the temple were in their lives.  It was a good meeting and a good drive.    The area where we were told the temple would be built was beautiful.  We are very excited about it. 

Prophets of God

I remember when I was younger, perhaps a little younger than Natty is right now.  I remember sitting in front of the TV watching conference and finding myself bored out of my mind.  I had some growing up to do.  Last night as I sat in the Priesthood Session of General Conference I was pondering the meeting and how great each talk was.  They were powerful messages, inspiring and lifting.  I thought to myself how wonderful it was to be in that meeting, to be spiritually fed and to be alert throughout the meeting.  It was a good meeting.  Today the sessions were also quite good.  The entire conference was uplifting and inspiring.  Doctrine was taught powerfully and  by the spirit.  I am grateful for living prophets on the earth. 

I want to note that I quite enjoyed Elder Perry today.  He spoke boldly and it reminded me of a talk he gave many years ago, I think is was actually 20 years ago actually.  In that talk he shared one of my favorite quotes. "What the Lord has declared to be true will always be true.  What he has declared to be right will always be right, rest assured that when the so-called enlightened doctrines of mankind contradict the holy scriptures, they will only bring heartache, disappointment and destruction to the souls of mankind".  That was a favorite to quote on the mission.  Today's talk reminded me of that one from 20 years ago.  It was shared with power and conviction.  I sure love Elder Perry. 

I am grateful for living Prophets on the earth.  I know President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's prophet on the earth today.  I am grateful for Conference when we can sit at the feet of spiritual leaders and by lifted and strengthened.  I look forward to reviewing these talks over the coming months. 

Cedar City Utah Temple

When the kids and I moved to Cedar City 3 years ago I found myself falling in love with this quiet and beautiful place.  It has been such a blessing in our family to have our home here.  I have joked over the last three years that Cedar City needs two things to make it the perfect place to live.  Number one on that list, as should be the number one on any list, is to have a Temple.  The second, and as much as I love a good Costco dog it is a distant second, is a Costco.  Those are really the only two reasons I go to St. George.  Well, in coming years Costco will be the only reason I have to go to St. George accept that we are opening a Little Brick House down there.  This morning in General Conference President Monson announced the building of two new temples.  I was nervous that there were only two but the first announced was Cedar City Utah.  I was so excited that I didn't even hear the second. I'll have to find that out.  That announcement put to rest the growing number of rumors that a temple was coming. 

When the announcement was made I experienced a feeling of joy I had never experienced previously.  I have never lived in an area that had a temple announced.  I had experienced joy when Reno was announced as it would mean so much for my dear friends in Carson City.  I lived in Vegas at the time and so it didn't immediately affect me.  Today was a bit different.  We were all excited to hear the announcement and since the announcement was made I have had little moments when I have pondered it and just felt wonderful joy.  It is that warm feeling inside that we all love so much when the Spirit speaks to us and confirms the truth of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, of a living Prophet on the earth and that the work of God is rolling forth. 

I was standing and doing dishes and thought about constructing of church buildings and hearing about those who would labor on them.  How they would work their regular jobs and then go and work on church buildings or other church related projects.  I felt a desire to get started, to hasten the work on the Cedar City Temple.  I know things are a little different today and that opportunity will likely not come exactly as it did for other saints.  Whatever we are asked to do relative to moving this work forward I stand at the ready.   

The Brick is Back

I was in the shower the other day, it is the place for all good inspiration, and I had a thought that we needed to launch our eating challenge sandwich, the brick.  I started pondering the sandwich how we had last made it and then thought of a new way to do it.  We have lost a bit of our customer base by moving further away from SUU and I thought this would be a good way to take care of them.  An eating challenge would surely attract college students. 

Today we made one as a test.  It was huge.  Total deal is 6 pounds.  We cut it in 4 and Dave, Amy, Zack and I ate it.  That was 10 hours ago now.  I am still stuffed.  I don't think it is going to be an easy one to beat.  We got some great pics and now, it is time to price it out and get it out there.  I am pretty excited about it and have to say, with how full I was after a quarter of the sandwhilch I have no idea how one person pulls this off. 

Disaster Strikes Twice

My morning meal usually consists of a strawberry, or some other fruit, smoothie.  I am often carrying said smoothie to the car and drinking it on the way.  Such was the case today.  As I was opening the front door I was balancing my smoothie on top of my Kindle and a stack of papers.  The cup fell over spilling strawberry smoothie all over the entry way, all over my Kindle and papers, all over my shirt and I left a big trail as I walked into the kitchen to begin cleaning the mess.  What a pain.  I actually started pondering the movie Signs as I was cleaning and I wondered what that spill and my delayed departure would effect.  I laughed as I was driving up the road to head to work and there was our employee Max walking to work.  I stopped and picked him up and was thinking  there is no way I would have been in a position to give him a ride had I not crashed the smoothie.  I know what your thinking.  "Woman in California burns her hand, at the exact same time her mother in Arizona experiences throbbing pain in her hand.  Coincidence?  I think not..."  Okay, maybe you were not thinking that and maybe you were wondering what the heck I am talking about.  It was just some mysterious happenings thing they used to run commercials for all the time when I was much younger. 

Ahhh yes, I said Disaster Strikes Twice.  I had made the kids dinner and was preparing three hard boiled eggs for myself.  Well, we have three dozen hard boiled eggs in the fridge so really I was just peeling them and prepping for deviled eggs.  All was going fine, I was preparing to start refilling the eggs when Andy hands me a juicy drink thing and asks me to take top off.  I was giving it my best shot but it wasn't working all that well and then, an explosion occurred and there was red juice all over the kitchen.  My eggs were covered, the filling had juice in it and their was juice splatter all over the kitchen.  Peeling hard boiled eggs is not on top of my list of things I like to do so I just had to clean the juice as best I could and muscle through the other. 

It's late, I am fixin to turn in.  I'm afraid if I don't get to bed soon I could create another disaster.      

Conga Lines, Sword Kicker and Hero

Twas a fine day and when I got home from work tonight I went to Jay and Sara's to pick up Andy who was hanging out there.  We got to chatting and Jack ended up coming over also.  He came inside and was excited to see Nacho.  He played with her face, her ears, cuddled her a bit and whatever else.  The boy is a dog whisperer.  After a few minutes he says "Nacho, let's form a conga line".  My goodness, always good for a laugh.  The back story, I walked in and checked on him one day while he was watching AFV clips on Netflix.  There was a video that played of a family that was doing a conga line and suddenly their dog (looked like it could have been a great dane) jumps up runs to the back of the line, stands up and joins the conga line.  It was really quite funny and we laughed pretty good.  It sparked an instant love of the conga line for Jack who apparently assumed that all dogs dance the conga.  Nacho did not opt to join Jack in dancing the conga. 

During our nightly routine or as we were preparing to read scriptures anyway, Andy was playing with his little Nerf sword thing.  He pulled two chairs out of the kitchen, sat the Nerf blade across the chairs, stepped back and performed a very dramatic kick that sent the sword flying up in the air and behind him.  It was spectacular.  Natty wanted to get it on video so he set it all back up, stepped back to the wall, dramatically walked forward and with a big sweeping kick completely missed the sword and ended up straddling it.  We had a good laugh at that and I am quite happy to report that Andy enjoyed a great laugh at that as well.  He tends not to laugh at himself at all and gets very upset when he does something silly that makes others laugh.  I was happy to see this change and hope it is a sign of things to come as he continues to grow and mature.  Such a good boy and such a fantastic kicker.  Did I mention how good he is around swords?

In my visit with Jay and Sara, the congo line one, Sara shared with me a conversation she had with Natty who told her that I was her hero.  Sara said she was very sincere and shared how neat it was.  It's kind of a humbling thing to hear that.  When we were hanging out in the kitchen while I made some dinner Natty decided to share those thoughts with me directly.  I mentioned humbling, I think that is the best way for me to describe it.  I know how weak I am.  I know that I fall short in so many areas and how I wish I was able to do more and to be a better father.  Having her tell me I am her hero and to talk about why, humbling.

I am grateful for conga lines, dramatic sword kicks and kitchen conversations about heroes.  I am grateful for my beautiful children, my greatest friends whom I love so very much. 

Matter to Him

This morning during my routine of running on the elliptical and listening to General Conference talks I listened to a couple of talks from President Uchtdorf.  One of the talks was from October 2011 (if I'm remembering that correctly) and titled You Matter to Him.  It reminded me of a talk President Kenneth S. Armstrong gave when I served in the South Africa Cape Town Mission a number of years ago.  Both talks discussed the ever expanding universe and worlds without number.  They talked quite a bit about creation and just how big the universe is.  As I think about the great expanse of space and then consider the number of our Heavenly Fathers creations I am humbled when I think about his hand in my life.  We sometimes feel insignificant and unimportant in the grand scheme of things.  We are however known by our Heavenly Father, loved by our Heavenly Father and we definitely do matter to him.  I am grateful for the experiences I have had in my life that have helped me to know that I matter to my Heavenly Father and that He knows me personally.  It is my testimony that He knows each of us personally, that he desires our happiness and that he makes it possible for us to overcome the world, to be cleansed from sin through repentance and to return to live with him.     

Baths Are Better Than Showers

When we moved to Cedar City Jack was a shower man.  He showered before he went to bed at night and he showered when he got out of bed in the morning.  These were not quickie showers either, these were half hour to hour showers.  The kid was all about the shower and clearly showering was a much better bathing option than taking a bath.  How times have changed.  When we moved to our current home Jack shifted from showers to baths.  He no longer has to be bathing every morning and every night which I am quite thankful for.  That was pretty extreme.  Sensory issues, it's part of the autism spectrum and something we've always enjoyed with Jack.  Anyhow, our current house has a bath/shower combo.  Well, Jack must not like the shower curtain, perhaps it is too noisy...?    He has opted to take baths all the time.  I have tried to convince him to take a shower but he is not budging.  I really am not bothered by it though sometimes for time saving purposes I would prefer he take a shower.  Not happening.  He believes baths are better. 

At church yesterday we ran into a bit of a challenge when the Primary changed up their schedule.  Again, autism spectrum, Jack does not do very well with departures from the structure.  Jack had actually left for class, all was normal.  Andy on the other hand was having a rough day.  I went to his primary classroom with him and that is when we discovered they had changed the schedule.   I had to stand with Andy at the back of the Primary room when we got there because he didn't want to go sit with his class.  He thought he needed to be with me all day.  I was happy to hang with him and then I noticed that Jack was not with his class.  I left Andy with my back pack and told him I had to find Jack.  Fortunately Andy stayed with the back pack and eventually joined his class.  I found Jack sitting in the hallway with Sister Taylor who was trying to convince him to go to the primary room.  Sorry, not going to happen.  Unexpected change and Jack anchored himself to the floor.  I took over and managed to get him to go walk around with me.  That was an adventure in and of itself and after a few more challenges we managed to go to his class together.

When we got to the class I was hoping he would go in but he told me he was too embarrassed and wanted me to go with him.  I did.  We sat and tried to catch up on the lesson.  Well, I tried to catch up, Jack seemed to be up to speed immediately.  I was watching Jack complete a maze that was part of the lesson that he missed when a question was asked and Jack suddenly starts giving an answer that dealt with the manner of baptism taught by Jesus.  This sparked a big discussion on baptism and these 8 and 9 year old boys were really chatting it up about baptism by immersion and they were also discussing sprinkling and how it is less effective.  The teacher brought it all back around with the apostacy and how some churchs alterred the manner of baptism to sprinkling but through the restoration of the Gospel the Savior has revealed how the ordinance of baptism should be performed, by immersion by one holding the proper priesthood authority.  Jack stops, turns to me and says in all seriousness, "That is why baths are better than showers".