Brain Fried!

I am feeling a bit toasted in the brain.  I have been studying for the Psychology Exam on Monday and after 5 hours I am only half way through the study guide.  This is information overload.  I am going to have to figure out a way to be a bit quicker in my test prep because I don't have 10 hours to drop on an exam.  I guess I am at that freak out stage right now and will know a lot more once we get through the first exam.  I'll get a feel for how this Professor tests and it will make things easier in the future.  At least I hope so because I am certainly feeling that the brain has been fried.  I did go in to work for a while this afternoon and then took the kids out for a frosty this evening.  Just have to get away from it for a bit.  Hopefully I can get through the next two chapters of the review a little quicker.  Craziness!  Can't wait to get through these general ed classes that introduce you to a topic with way too much information.  Just cramming it in. 

Not So Bad!

Rocky III.  Rocky taunts Mr. T (I can't recall his character name in the movie) by saying 'You're not so bad! Come on!'  Okay, truthfully I could have the wrong movie completely, it is Rocky but it could be IV with Ivan Drago.  Regardless, Not So Bad!, that is the message I was going for and Rocky popped into my head.  Yesterday I mentioned that I had a test today.  I was a little nervous not fully knowing what to expect.  By the time I had answered the first five questions I was completely confident that I was prepared.  There were two questions out of the 50 that I was not too comfortable with and there may have been a couple more that I wasn't 100% certain of.  So, it wasn't so bad.  Made it just fine and felt really good about it.  Hopefully the results are reflective of how I felt.  I think it will.

Then there was the 5 question quiz for the geology lab today.  I did the reading an hour and a half before lab then I sat down for the quiz and my mind was completely blank.  That sucked.  It was 'so bad'.  I don't know if that is a normal thing.  I studied a lot for that History test and maybe I had nothing left in the tank for geology.  Dang it!  Gonna have to get it back for Geology as I have a test in class and in lab next Friday.  Psychology is on Monday.  It's a bit intense.  Gotta get ready.

Well, I am feeling like I am pretty well over the cold I have had all week.  Natty and Andy seem to be back to good health and up until this afternoon Jack was doing great.  He looked bad when I got home and really hasn't done much.  He hasn't been sleeping much this week and I am sure that has not helped him but I think he has come down with something.  Hopefully we can get him through it quickly.  And that, my friends, is the news of the day!  Not so bad! 

Big Test Tomorrow!

Back in school after 15 years and tomorrow will be a big test for me.  It is my first exam and I have no idea how I am going to do.  Am I retaining the information?  Am I even understanding it?  I am not feeling to bad about it right now but I imagine I am going to have a bit of anxiety in the morning as I make my way to the classroom.  Holy cow! Do I have what it takes?  We'll see how things go tomorrow.

Keeping Emergency Services Busy

What a day.  I was in my second class of the day when I received a text that said the Brick House was on fire and that Firemen were on site.  I excused myself from class and called Enoch from the Best Western who sent the message.  Apparently we had a fire start down in the basement.  It was the light switch to our walk in freezer.  The wires had loosened over the years and were arching.  This caught the insulation on fire.  We were quite fortunate that one of our cooks was there, smelled the smoke, investigated, found the problem and called the fire department.  They had a hard time locating the fire as it was in the wall and smoke coming out of the wall but they managed to get to the source and get it out.  We were also quite fortunate that it happened when it did because if it had happened in the middle of the night it would have taken the whole building.  That would not have been good. 

When I walked into Psychology Anna, one of our employees, was there and was shocked to see me, she was a little freaked out and was happy I was there and okay.  The gal sitting next to her had told her all about it and they were both shocked that I was completely calm about it.  I really didn't know what was happening but I was calm about it from the get go.  I was confident that the fire department could handle it and we would handle what ever came of it.  I sent Dave a message at that point and he let me know that everything was good, that it was a close call but we would be fine.  We opened an hour late and grateful that we were able to open.

I went in after school and learned a bit more about it, checked out the area of the fire and then went about washing some dishes.  I was nearly done with the dishes when I got a phone call from mom that dad had fallen out of the bed and was puking up blood.  Dave and I were off for the folks house.  We got him up, got him in his chair and then in the bathroom.  Amy got there shortly after.  Mom had called the paramedics who arrived shortly after that and eventually took pops out to the ambulance and to the hospital.  Looks as if his bleeding ulcer is back.  Not certain that this is the case but it is consistent with what he went through previously.  At the hospital they gave him a unit of blood and then were doing a scope.  I don't know the outcome of the scope yet but he is there tonight and could possibly return home tomorrow.

Wow!  What a day.  Big thanks to those firemen an paramedics who twice took care of us today.  Grateful for their service. 

I don't know what is going on this week but it has been a tough one.  I've got a lot going on with school this week.  Not sure how I am going to get it all done and then I've got all these other things happening as well.  Have to say I had a little conversation with myself on the way home from school wondering if I should really be doing this.  Then I thought about Job and how valiant he was.  I suppose I can press on.   

Some Things Make Me Sad

There are times when we have experiences that make us sad.  I have had a few of those experiences in my life and another here recently.  Anxiety and depression are real and can be painful to live with and to watch others live with.  My sweet daughter has been having some challenges with anxiety and some depression as well.  There were some things at the beginning of the school year but they seemed to have passed.  I thought it was more situational and had to do with a new school year as a freshman at high school.  She seemed to adjust and do a lot better after a couple of weeks.  There have been moments since then where anxiety was high but isn't that normal?  I get a bit of anxiety now and again myself but have also gotten used to the idea that whatever it is I can get through it.  Well, we have some concerns and Natty has shared some things in relation to wanting to hurt herself.  Having a bit of anxiety about school and wanting to hurt ones self seems like a quick jump to me.  I live with this child and she happens to be a lot of fun and happy so it shocks me when we are suddenly at this point.  Anyway, she did something yesterday that she thought I was going to be mad about when I found out.  I won't go in to detail about what she did because I don't want to embarrass her and I don't want this to define who she is or become her identity.  All I can say is that I wasn't mad but I was very sad.  Sad for my little girl who thinks she is not a very good person and who doesn't like herself.  I think there are times when we beat ourselves up pretty good for every little thing that we do wrong and I think that when we do so we easily forget about the Savior who has suffered for our infirmities, our afflictions, our short comings.  He has taken that upon himself.  He makes up for our short comings and fills our gaps and through him we can be made whole no matter how far from whole we ourselves are.  He makes up the difference.  Some things make me sad.  Seeing my child in pain and suffering, that makes me sad.  In the Savior there is hope and so I will not stay in my sadness and I will do everything in my power as her father to help her fine that hope in Christ, that strength in Christ, that joy in Christ.  I will do my best to help her understand the atonement and I will do my best to help her to be gentle with herself for Christ has borne the awful burden for each of us even for her.  I am grateful for my sweet daughter and I love her dearly.  I am grateful to be her father and hope that I can live up to my responsibilities in our family.         

I Want To Share...

Last night was a rough one for Jack.  He had a very hard time sleeping with a lot of things happening in his mind.  After two blessings and some prayers he eventually fell asleep.  At some point in the night he came in and asked me if he could turn on the light and sleep with it on in his room.  Andy had already found his way into my bed so I said sure.  He told me this morning how in the night when he was scared he searched I Am a Child of God on You Tube on an I Pod.  Anyway, he listed a few songs that he listened to and that brought him comfort in the night.  I am a Child of God, I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go, and Praise to the Man.  What a stud. 

Tonight after FHE and scripture and prayer we were upstairs, I was doing some laundry stuff and Jack had the I Pod and was listening to this music again.  On came I am a Child of God.  He sang along with it.  He knows it well.  He got emotional.  It was pretty special.  He told me that he wanted to stand and share his testimony right there in the middle of his room.  He did.  It was a neat thing.  Jack has a strong desire to serve the Lord and to do what it right.  He just came down a few minutes ago and asked me to give him a blessing so he can understand God's words.  That is a line from I am a Child of God; help me to understand his words before it grows to late.  Grateful for his example and his faith. 

Thoughts on Senses and Perceptions

I am currently enrolled in a Psychology class and we have been reviewing senses and perception this last week.  I wrote a reflective paper on it based on a couple experiences I have had.  The subject is one where we can experience the same stimulus that triggers certain senses but out perception of the stimuli can be completely different, it is individual.  Well, those are my thoughts anyway.  Here's the piece.  

Senses and Perceptions
    Senses is not something I always thought a lot about when growing up.  I mean, I knew that there were blind people, and there were deaf people and then there were people who couldn't speak  but for the most part the people I knew enjoyed the same five senses that I did.  I remember moving into a new house when I was seven and having a neighbor kid come over and tell my brother and I all about a green rat that haunted the basement of the house we moved into.  That had little to no effect on my brother but it scared me to death.  I hated that basement and was terrified of the green rat for the four years we lived in that house.  We both heard the story, I received it differently and lived in fear while he was just fine.  Perception is an individual experience. 
    As I pondered the subject I thought about a couple of experiences I had with my son Jack.  Jack is autistic and there are some things that affect him in different ways.  I don't claim to be an expert on autism, far from it, but I have had a lot of experiences with Jack that allow me to see that we perceive things differently.  The two areas I will touch on relate to Jack's sense of touch and his sense hearing and how I differ from him.
    When Jack was three we were living in Florida.  We had recognized some delays in development and a few other challenges and had taken him in to specialists.  He was preparing to start school, early intervention, in the fall. We had a pool at our home and I spent a lot of time with Jack in the pool.  He loved the water.  As he was learning to swim and had learned how to hold his breath he got pretty brave.  He watched as I would throw his older sister into the water and he decided he wanted to do the same.  We started out small and we would repeat the process over and over again.  Eventually I started throwing him higher and then even higher.  He loved it.  We noticed that when he would crash into the water he wouldn't rush back up to the surface.  Rather he would plunge into the water, spread out his arms and legs and slowly float back to the surface and come back to do it all over again.  We decided to put on some goggles and watch him underwater.  This was a really neat discovery for us.  After hitting the water Jack would spread out his arms and legs as mentioned.  He also had his eyes wide open and had a huge smile on his face every time.  Why was this so much fun for him?  We examined further and found that upon entering the water there were thousands of tiny are bubbles that were all around his body, mostly under his body.  They were just part of the process of entering the water.  On the slow float to the surface those tiny air bubbles would push up against his body and that sense, that touch gave him tremendous joy. 
    I grew up loving the pool and had a special love for the diving boards.  I entered the water many times and certainly had the same kind of bubbles floating up around me.  I don't know if I was too busy trying to exit the pool so I could get back on the diving board or what but I never received those bubbles with the same kind of joy that Jack does.  I felt their touch but perceived it completely differently.  Jack wants to soak in every bubble and really feel it.  I feel the same kind of bubbles but really don't care all that much about them.  Our bubble perception is different. 
    One of the great challenges we face is going out to a movie as a family.  We are fairly selective over what we will watch and very much so when it comes to splurging at the movie theater.  One movie that Jack and his brother and sister really wanted to see was the movie Planes.  There was not a trailer for the movie that Jack had not seen or studied in detail.  He was excited and he was ready to see the film.  We went for it and I even decided to hasten the viewing by going to the regular theater instead of waiting for it to go into the lower priced theater.  This was big time for the kids and they were all excited including Jack.  Something happened though as the lights dimmed and the sound cranked up.  Instead of enjoying the movie and seeing these characters that he grew to love in the trailers he studied, Jack was terrified.  He was 9 years old and this movie was a cartoon similar to Cars that was one of his favorites.  There should have been no problem.  There was a problem, a big one.  The sound was piercing to Jack.  I was sitting right by him and it was just movie theater sound.  For Jack it was very scary to the point of tears.  We went out and after he gathered himself he wanted to go back in.  We did.  Within a few minutes he was back to terrified.  We went out.  We went back in.  Out, back in.  Out... there wasn't anything left to leave in the restroom but as much as he wanted to Jack couldn't do it.  We stood outside the theater, said a little prayer that he could be brave and make it through the movie and went back in.  He was still terrified and clutched onto my hand and arm.  He managed to make it through but he was exhausted by the end.  It was a movie.  We watched it together.  His younger brother sat on the other side of me and was completely fine, loved the movie.  It was the sound.  For Jack it was over stimulating and was blasting in his ears.  The over stimulation lead to the movie being very scary and he did not like it at all.  Later when he could watch it on DVD he was just fine.  The volume was lower and the movie was not nearly as scary as he perceived it to be. 
    It is interesting to think that we can be doing the same thing as someone else and receive it so differently.  The sounds and the bubbles or the stories we are told can be the same but our perception of them is ours alone.  Perception is individual.        

Motivation Lacking

I wanted to have a really productive day when it came to the homework but apparently I didn't want it enough.  I did get up and knock out some Geology homework and a little History but took a break from Psychology.  Perhaps I was lacking a bit of motivation.  Thats right, motivationally challenged and apparently motivationally isn't an actual word... according to the blogger spell checker anyway.  Well, it is now.  I'm sure it won't rank up there with selfie as the new word of the year or whatever.  Anywho, (another non word, apparently I am full of them today) I had a few other things to do, I was tired and I just didn't sit down and do it.  I am going to have to be more disciplined.  I'm three weeks in and had to take a break, watch a movie, exercise and run for a bit.  Not only that but I still have to work, shop, do homework with the kids, cook and whatever else so I can't just be in the books all the time.  I don't know, I have not been a full time student for 15 years and I may be screwing up big time here but when your the single dad with all the responsibility, sometimes the studies have to be modified and sometimes one just needs a moment away from it.  I'll be back at it soon enough.

Unpredictable

Had one of those days that was impossible to predict.  Got everybody up and out of the house on time for school then when I got to my own class I received a text from Natalie.  She was not feeling well and needed me to come pick her up.  She had to hold on as I couldn't skip out on class.  I have class from 9 AM to 1 PM and I walk to school so a quick trip to the High School to pick her up is anything but quick.  Between my first and second class I called the school and asked if they would release her for the day via this phone call.  They asked about how she would get home.  Fortunately we live right next to the school so no big deal.  She managed just fine and so my day would return to normal.  All was normal and then a girl passed out in Psychology.  She completely fell out of her chair, knocked her head on the ground and was out.  She was not moving.  After about 30 to 45 seconds she began moving and made her way back up to her chair.  It kind of threw everything there for a minute.  I could tell that it was heavy on the Professors mind and her lecture kind of stalled a bit.  It took her a few minutes to get back on track.  She handed out a little assignment and had us work on it while everything else got sorted out.  Kind of weird.  I returned home a little after 1, found Natty sound asleep and started reviewing my lab for later.  I got a call from South Elementary School.  Jack had an accident and needed me to bring him some clothes.  Fortunately I was where I was because if I had been at work chances are I wouldn't have heard my phone and picked up the call.  Had I been at school Jack would have been sitting on the toilet for quite some time.  I was able to get him taken care of pretty quickly.  While he was washing his hands I told him to make sure he did not fart if he thought he had to.  He just needed to get to the toilet and avoid any surprises.  The old runny tummy can make our farts, well, unpredictable. 

The Power Nap

My day got a little messed up right after a good start.  I had a plan for homework and studying this morning and it was going well.  I actually made Grandma Vi's breakfast casserole and had just put it in the oven for the 1.5 hour bake time when I sat down, got on the computer and was navigating towards my SUU portal.  A text message came through saying that one of our cooks was sick, Dave had a presentation to do for a class and could I come open the store.  Yep.  I had 30 minutes or so and let the casserole continue to cook before taking it out, loading it up and finishing it at the Brick House.  My homework and studying would have to wait.  I eventually finished the casserole, got to sample a bit of it after the lunch rush and then set it aside to take home.  Hopefully it is good in the morning cause that is the plan for breakfast for a few days.  Anyhow, I didn't end up getting home until 6:30ish and then had to come up with dinner.  Once I got through dinner and some clean up I finally had a chance to sit down and look at that homework around 8:30 or so.  I couldn't keep my eyes opened and wasn't retaining a thing so I finally said screw it.  I went up to my room and took a nice little power nap a little after 9.  So wonderful.  I came down at 9:30, got through my reading with out a problem.  I am sure to have to employ the power nap on a regular basis.  Sometimes running on fumes is a difficult thing and a little breather helps to bring some life back. 

Learning Something

Started the third week of school today after having Monday off for MLK day.  It was a fine day at school.  I feel like I might be getting used to it and I actually feel like I am starting to learn some things.  That is good.  The ill feeling I had on the first day of school has passed a bit and I think I am gaining a bit more confidence that I can do this.  I am grateful for that.  Of course I haven't had any tests yet and that could quickly change my mind and my level of confidence.  I will press forward and do the very best that I can do.

The Kipper

Received word this evening that our old black lab Kipper passed away.  He has been battling cancer for the last several months and had actually done quite well for a time.  A couple days ago I got a message from Wendy, his owner, that he wasn't going to be around much longer and had lumps the size of oranges in his neck.  She said he passed quietly and they had shared a Hershey's chocolate bar today.  The kids were all a little sad. 

We didn't have the Kipper for too long, maybe a year.  He was a big dog and he was a bit of a baby.  Used to cry when we put him out in the yard.  I will remember how he used to come and lay at the entry to the kitchen with his head pointed at me and his eyes fixed on me whenever I would make the kids school lunches.  I didn't allow him in the kitchen when I was preparing food but he knew where he could hang out and he knew that eventually I would throw him some scraps.  What else do you do with bread crust that has to be removed from sandwiches or the occasional Cheetos that fall on the floor?  I will also remember going in to get a slice of my birthday cake and finding the entire second half of the cake gone.  What a sneaky bugger.  Then there were the many nights that he would walk through the house and wake me up with his tap dancing on the wood floors.  There was the day he and Andy played in the flour together and were covered or Natty and Jack would climb into his little kennel with him and close the door.  He certainly had some patience and was good to the kids. 

We were happy when we learned of his life with Wendy.  She lived on some land in Alaska, I think 8 or 9 acres.  He had a girlfriend, Aurora and from pictures Wendy shared he managed to work his way into the bed.  That didn't happen at our house... at least when I was home.  I did catch him on the furniture a time or two. Well, he enjoyed the outdoors and even mixed it up with a moose once.  He didn't do all that well against the moose but lived to talk about it.  I'm sure dogs talk to each other about old battle scars and the like.  Wendy called him her gentle giant.  He certainly was that.  We are grateful to have shared some time together with him.   

An Hour

I went into work this morning to finish up some carrot cakes I made for a catering thing.  I thought I would only be there a short while and then would be home.  Not so.  A little more than 4 hours later I got home.  I collected Jack and Andy and took them back to work because I had to wash some dishes and thought it would take about an hour.  Not so.  4 hours later we were hitting the road.  Apparently my hours are not really an hour.  That is okay.  It was a big day for us and that was good.  We like to have big days.  It is nowhere near some of our summertime big days but we'll take it.  Felt bad for the kids though.  Had this day off of school and we didn't do much of anything.  That's the way it goes sometimes when you have a business to look after.  We made the most of it though.  The boys came out and helped me run some dishes through and we had a good time doing it.  Natty was at a friends house but we collected her when we were done and had a fabulous little family trip to the store.  Good times were had by all and it only took us an hour.  Yes, just one legit hour. 

Mess

It is a three day weekend or so they say.  Some of us don't really get three day weekends except the fact that I don't have to go to school tomorrow.  I guess that counts though I will have school work to do tomorrow in the form of reading.  Always lots of that to do.  Wonderful.  I am feeling that a bit, feeling the need to go into work for a spell, feeling the need to get some laundry done and the house picked up.  Things are a bit of a mess right now and I would assume that most of my time tomorrow will be spent in catching up.  Catching up on homework and reading, on laundry, dishes and general housework just sounds so exciting.  Oh well, we will press forward and hopefully find some time to accomplish all that is in front of us to do and get out of the mess. 

First Paper in a Long Time

In psychology we have an assignment to write three reports on things we have studied over the week.  The professor gives us three questions related to different topics discussed and we choose one of those questions to report on.  It has been quite a while since I last wrote a paper and I am not real confident that this paper is going to do well at all.  I may have taken too much of a creative approach to the document instead of a scientific or critical thinking one.  Anyway, I don't have Microsoft Office/Word or whatever on this computer so I used the basic word processor.  All was good until I found it does not have any sort of spell checking function.  In a pinch I copied and pasted the document right here on the blog and went through and corrected some spelling.  It was a bit of a process but I feel good knowing I fixed some of my spelling issues.  Anyhow, I had it on here and it saved as a draft when I finished earlier today.  I saw that draft saved on here and decided I would tell this little bit about it and then just post it up.  Hope it reads well.  

Functions of the Brain
    The brain is a fascinating thing and the lectures and readings on brain function this week were enlightening and instructive.  Walking, making sandwiches and folding laundry are tasks that I perform on a regular basis and will take a closer look at how brain function is involved in each. 
    Walking is usually a simple task.  From my home each morning I walk my kids to school and then continue on my way to school.  It is a simple task for the most part but sometimes it takes a little extra effort to keep my youngest son moving.  Some days he lacks the desire to attend school and would much rather stay at home so our walk consists of additional brain function that includes listening and motivational speaking. 
    Walking itself is a function of the hypothalamus which is part of the limbic system.  I am constantly looking at where I am going which is a function of the occipital lobe.  We cross a street that can sometimes encounter cars driving past.  For the most part my kids pay attention but sometimes they walk out in the road without looking.  When I was a child I had a few experiences where friends got hit by cars.  My hippocampus has stored these memories and my amygdala can quickly recall those fear memories and my responses when I have to quickly stop my kids from entering the street. 
    As we head towards the school my son Andy often complains of one thing or another.  It could be that his foot hurts so he can't walk quickly or it is that nobody wants to be his friend.  Sometimes it is that he is too cold and doesn't want to walk.  Whatever it is my temporal lobes are on the job as I listen to his concerns.  My frontal lobe has to be on the ball as it takes some quick thinking to keep this boy moving forward.  Planning, personality, complex decision making, the proper language and or actions come into play.  Hopefully it all comes together just right and we make it through the process.  Some days are easier than others.  Who knew walking could be so eventful? 
    My family and I own a restaurant in Cedar City.  We have a lot of fun with it and enjoy making sandwiches.  We opened it up a few years ago and have added a number of different sandwiches to the menu over time.  Simply throwing a sandwich on the menu doesn't happen.  There is a process that must be followed in order to ensure we are putting out a great product that is different from what everybody else is doing.  It has to not only taste good but it has to look good and we have to figure out how to make it efficiently. 
    A few months after we opened I was picking up pizza for my kids.  In doing so I drove by a competitors restaurant and noticed a sign out front that claimed they had the best grilled Reuben sandwich.  I am a big fan of a Reuben sandwich but we didn't have one on the menu.  It was time to start making a sandwich.  A finely tuned parietal lobe and is necessary when creating the perfect grilled Reuben sandwich.  Touch, temperature and taste definitely come in to play. 
    I call it The Ruby.  A traditional Reuben sandwich comes on rye with Russian dressing, corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut.  Truly a fantastic combination.  The Ruby is a little different.  The competitor said best grilled Reuben so I started on the grill with our marble rye bread.  This has to be done right so as to have the right feel.  There are a lot of juices in the sandwich and having it all soggy is not what anyone wants to touch.  Grilling the bread has to be done just right and we grill the inside first then begin grilling the outside. I didn't have corned beef in the restaurant and didn't want to bring in an additional item so I opted for pastrami and then added a little salami to further enhance the taste.  Both meats were heated to the appropriate temperature before putting them on the sandwich.  When the bread is ready I top it with thousand island dressing, then stack Swiss and provolone cheeses.  On top the cheese I add the pastrami and salami and then top that with sauerkraut.  I close up the sandwich with the other slice of marble rye and leave it on the grill until the cheese is melting and the juices are coming together and the temperature is just right. 
    The parietal lobe plays a big role in the entire experience.  The occipital lobe is key as the sandwich has to look good and I have to see what I am doing.  Certainly the motor cortex in the frontal lobes are vital to making it all come together.  Finally the temporal lobes are key.  I have to listen to the customers.  If they don't like the sandwich then we have a problem.  Fortunately we hit a home run with the Ruby.  I never really thought about brain function in creating this sandwich but it all came into play.  The first one I made and the one that made the menu were not the same sandwich.  It took some refining and testing and certainly tasting before it was just right. 
    I am a single father of three.  Taking care of my family takes a significant amount of time. I also have a business to run and I just started going back to school after 15 years.  Life is busy.  It was plenty busy before this semester and now it is even busier.  There are a few things that never seem to stop and the laundry is one of them.  Laundry takes time.  I'm not certain that laundry isn't controlled by involuntary movement because I don't know that I always want to volunteer to do it.  Nevertheless it must be done and for me it often involves folding clothes at 2 in the morning.  Certainly I would much rather be asleep but I have to involve all the areas of my brain in order to complete the task.  The frontal lobes for motor function, the parietal lobes to check the temperature of the clothes and know they are actually dry, the occipital lobes and temporal lobes because I have to see what I am folding and then have to process that visual information and put the folded clothes in the appropriate pile.  That and I am usually watching a movie or a show to help keep myself entertained whilst completing the unfavorable task.  Yep, it requires all of my brain to do it. 
    The brain is quite amazing and the ways in which it all works together are definitely fascinating.  I certainly have not entertained the many functions of the brain that are all working together in order to accomplish even the simplest tasks and appreciate more fully how it works after learning a bit more about it this week. 

Sixty Five

I may have said this some time in the past but whatever.  I am quite happy to have my folks year of birth as 1950.  It makes keeping track of their age very easy.  Natalie also fits into this boat as her year of birth was 2000.  Anyhow, 65 year ago today James Allphin Fontano was born into this world.  What a man!  I think there were a few times over the last year that we weren't quite sure this day was going to come and yet it has.  There have been miracles and marvelous works done on his behalf this last year and we are grateful that today we celebrated another birthday with him.  Happy Birthday pops!  We love you!

My Hands

I was just sitting here looking at my hands resting on the keyboard while I was pondering on what I might write today.  They are starting to look a little older, not quite a smooth as they once were.  They've got some wear and tear on them.  That is a good thing.  There are experiences worn on these hands.  Experiences that have helped to shape them and my life.  These hands have worked a saw to clear brush from behind the Hawaii Temple.  These hands have been on fire at Camp Pupukea as a Boy Scout in Hawaii. These hands have held snow shovels and cleared snow to help elderly members of our ward in Carson City with Brother Reid and have wielded many a snow shovel everywhere else that required it.  These hands have picked up scissors and cut the front lawn of Brian Jeckels in Gelvandale, South Africa and shaved the heads of mental patients in a hospital outside of Queenstown, South Africa.  These hands have crafted toilets for crippled patients living in townships of Capetown, South Africa and pushed special needs children on swings and merry go rounds in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. These hands have cleared ruined belongings and ripped out sheet rock from homes destroyed by hurricane Katrina in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  These hands have been on lots of moves.  These hands have been laid on heads of friends and loved ones to give priesthood blessings.  These hands have held my precious babies and played with my children.  They have been dirty, they have been clean, they have been bloody, and swollen, and in pain. They have been healed. These hands have experienced much over the last 41 years, much that is good.  I am grateful for these hands.  Sure they look like baseballs with sausages hanging out of them but they allow me to experience much and to serve much and for that I am eternally grateful and find reason to rejoice.  Not that anything I have done is of any more importance than anything you have done.  These are just quick memories of things that have meant something to me.  Examine your hands, what have you done?  Something great to be sure.   

The Boots

A little experience I want us to remember happened yesterday.  The 5th graders at South Elementary earned a workers holiday recently and were planning on enjoying a snow day with a little field trip over to the little hill at the High School by Cal Ranch.  They actually went today and Jack had quite the time.  Anyhow, students were required to wear proper snow gear which would not have been a problem but Jack managed to leave his snow boots up in Alaska. I am not a real wealthy fellow and the idea of having to go buy more snow boots when I had purchased a very nice pair for him didn't make me all that happy.  They are being sent down but we would not get them in time and thus we had a bit of a dilemma.  I was at Walmart for work reasons and decided I would just look and see if there was a real cheap pair I could pick up for him so he could go.  Incidentally, it was snowing outside at the very moment I was in the store looking for snow boots.  No snow boots!  Seriously none.  It is January.  Perhaps winter has passed.  There were some work boots that were his size but I didn't think they were waterproof.  At $15 I almost picked them up but had visions of water seeping into them and Jack being miserable and angry with me so I decided to hold off.  Yesterday evening I had the boys with me and we were going to head out of work and over to see if we could find some snow boots at the Cal Ranch store actually.  Jack suggested that we go to that thrift store where you can get used clothes.  Maybe they would have some snow boots.  I hadn't even thought of it.  We went and got there roughly 9 minutes before they closed, they being Deseret Industries.  We went over to where the shoes are.  Not all the shoes look real great and it can be a bit scary.  I wasn't seeing anything.  There was an area where I saw some ski boots and I was going to look closer over there and then it was like the heavens opened... okay not quite that dramatic but right there in front of us was a nice pair of snow boots.  They look like they had hardly been worn.  The soles were in good shape, the shoes themselves looked good, the laces were strong.  The only thing missing was the liner on the insole.  There was still padding, just padding without the neat clean liner.  Jack put them on and said the fit great and felt great.  These boots would do the trick and they were only $4.  Wonderful!  The report from Jack after school today was that the boots did do the trick.  They were sturdy and Jack liked them.  That is pretty dang fantastic stuff.  Sure am glad that Jack was listening.  It certainly made something, well an unnecessary expense, seem a lot easier to swallow and felt like a bit of a tender mercy on our behalf when finances are so tight. 

Scripture Lessons

I got home from work tonight and found three kids who were not getting along at all.  I tried to settle the situation but things continued to be foul.  That is a frustrating thing.  Then I got the attempts at tattle telling and I said sorry, don't want to hear it.  I let them know this was not acceptable and needed to stop.  It was a busy evening, I didn't bring home food and didn't want to cook so I took them through the drive through at McD's with gift cards they got from Grandpapa for Christmas.  Things settled for a couple of hours and then we ran into the contention wall again.  I was not happy about it and made it clear that we were not going to do that.  For scriptures tonight we found ourselves in 1 Nephi 16 and the story of Nephi breaking his bow.  How appropriate.  We read about all the complaining and the arguing and then we read about how Nephi handled the situation.  We discussed what he could have done.  He could have very easily gotten into it with the other members of his family and would have had some great arguments to be sure.  He did not.  Instead of arguing he found a solution to the problem and made a bow and arrow.  We then went on to read about the family looking upon the Liahona and finding that it did not work when they did not exercise faith.  We then discussed how contention drives the spirit away and we lose that companionship in our home.  We lose direction that comes from the Lord just as the spindles on the Liahona would not work for Lehi and his family.  I am grateful for scripture lessons and for inspiration that comes when I am feeling a little overwhelmed and perhaps not really sure how to help my family.  This scripture lesson seemed to help.  Everyone participated and seemed to get the picture.  We will need to continue this discussion to be sure.  I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who does not leave us alone.  My desire was to help my children get beyond the contention of the day.  I think we accomplished that and hopefully we learned some lessons that can help us each day and strengthen our family. 

Schooling

I'm a week in and still alive, somehow.  I am a tad nervous about a few things but I hope that I can manage myself well and get through the things that are on my shoulders right now.  Feeling a bit overwhelmed but grateful also to have gotten this ball rolling after 15 years.  I can look back and easily say should have but that gets me nowhere.  I've shared this little adventure with friends and the response usually involves the eyes getting quite big and looking at me like I am crazy.  Maybe I am.  I have certainly felt that emotion and questioned my sanity.  Hoping to get a bit more comfortable with things and used to the additional load.  Getting schooled on schooling. 

Prophet Of God

It is the second Sunday of the month and as such it is my week to teach in Elders Quorum.  I was excited several weeks ago when I looked up who we would be studying this year and found that it was President Ezra Taft Benson.  The lesson this week was an introduction to the book and a look at the life and ministry of President Benson.  There were 33 pages alone on the life and ministry and no way we could cover all of that information in the time allotted.  I did a review of the introduction to the book and reviewed the guidelines on personal study and preparing ourselves for the lesson.  I hope each of us can spend time in these lessons and can learn what it is the Lord would have us learn.  As an instructor I get so much out of preparing the lesson and I know, because I don't always review the lesson on the weeks I am not instructing, I know that often times we come to class unprepared.  I would love to be in front of a class where those attending had read the lesson and pondered it some with impressions at the ready.  I think it would add so much and am committing myself to be better prepared in those weeks when I am not instructing.

Anyway, we didn't have much time today so after touching on that we got into the life and ministry and really couldn't get very far.  I began with a few thoughts from President Hinkley that discussed the childhood of President Ezra Taft Benson. They were just thoughts describing his life on a farm and lessons he learned relative to reaping what we sow.  I could barely get through it and finally stopped and explained that I was struggling to read it because my mind was caught up on these two great men who served with each other as Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ and I had a feeling for the brotherhood that existed between them.  As I ponder on that moment further I am just moved by these men, Prophets of God, who have meant so much to me in my life.  I was called to serve as a missionary by President Benson and served under three Presidents of the church in that time as President Benson passed away and then President Hunter.  They are heroes to me and I love them. 

At some point, knowing that we had no time I simply encouraged the brethren to be in the book, to take time to read the life and ministry of President Benson, to see the Lord's hand in his life.  And then I testified that he was a Prophet of God.  I know that to be true and am humbled by the life he lived and by his dedication to the Lord.  I am excited to be learning from his teachings this year. 

Sickly Andy

Andy came down with a bit of a cough on Thursday evening, had a terrible night and was in pretty bad shape Friday.  Today he remained in bad shape though he slept a lot better last night.  It isn't a lot of fun being sick and I certainly feel bad for my baby boyke.  Hopefully we are through the worst of it and he starts to come out of it.  He's been sleeping well for the last few hours and I think he will continue to do well tonight.  There's only one problem.  He seems to have taken over my bed. 

Fun Times

Tonight around 9 I had just returned home with some medicine for Andy, who was asleep, and had the opportunity to sit down for a few minutes and play some games.  I tried to convince Jack to come and join Natty and I for a game of Left Center Right.  He would not come.  You need 3 people.  We ended up both playing in two positions to make it work.  It was good.  This is a game I first played over Christmas with the fam and I thought the kids would like it.  Since I received LCR as a stocking stuffer we had it here.  It was good fun.  We then played Tapple which is also a very fun game.  I did put on a dominating performance, well, I lost a few rounds.  Anyway, it was fun times to sit and play some games with Natty.  We eventually got some participation out of Jack when playing Tapple and Andy woke up and joined in from a distance as well.  We'll have to work on getting a legitimate 3rd player for LCR and continue enjoying both games. 

Must Press Forward

Oh my goodness.  I am a bit tired tonight.  On an off school day I have labored away at studying.  Let me tell you, it was hard.  I have been stuck in the Psychology book for awhile just trying to get through the first chapter.  I finally did do though it put me to sleep a  few times.  I finally opened up the dinosaur book and that was a funner read though I am not very far along in it.  History has been a closed book for a few days since I finished it a bit ago, well, finished the assigned first chapter.  It is all pretty interesting stuff.  I need to continue pressing forward though I still feel a bit overwhelmed.  We will make it, somehow.  As for now, I need to get to bed.  Any more reading and I am passing out. 

Day 2 in the Books

It was my second day of school.  Oh my goodness.  4 hours of lectures.  I got some good notes.  Well, I hope they are good anyway.  It is hard to tell if I am getting down what the professors would have me get down.  It was much easier today.  I didn't want to go throw up so that is positive.  Things also seemed to work out just fine as I walked the boys to the school but did not go inside to class with them.  Rather I kept walking after we got to the door.  I got to class right in time, well, a little early.  That is good because we had a slow departure this morning probably because the boys were up late last night and waking up had some challenges.  Tomorrow morning will hopefully be easier on the wake up call.  I still have a lot of work to do.  It isn't the easiest.  I would try to read some now but I am fairly wiped out and I think my efforts would be fruitless. Comprehension and retention would be minimal at this point.  Must sleep and leave day two in the books. 

Back Home

I made the drive down to Vegas this afternoon and situated myself at gate E15 at the airport while my kids were in the air on their way home from Alaska.  I took my psychology book with me and did my best to read it.  The first few sections of the first chapter were quite boring and I began dozing off.  I took a power nap and then managed to hammer out some more.  Then the flight arrived and after what seemed forever the kids finally got to get off the plane.  They had to wait for everyone else to exit the plane.  That can take a long time.  It was wonderful to see them and I got to listen to a lot of stories and chatter as we progressed on our journey home.  We returned home just before 11.  I fear that tomorrow is going to come a bit early but we are two days behind on getting back to school and are going to have to tough it out tomorrow.  I've also got to be at school and fear that I am not going to be as prepared as I need to as I didn't get through the reading in psychology or the dinosaur class.  History, I got through that chapter this morning.  We'll figure it out.  I am just thrilled to have these beautiful children back home.  

Thunderbird

Today was officially my first day as a Thunderbird as Southern Utah University began it's Spring semester.  It has been a long time since I have been in school, a long time.  I have to say sitting in the second class today which was Diversity, I wanted to go home and throw up.  The second syllabi had me questioning what the hell I have gotten myself into.  The third and fourth syllabi didn't make that sickly feeling go away and vomiting repeatedly seemed like a necessity.  I did not vomit, nor did I crawl into the corner and cry whilst assuming the fetal position.  It was difficult to go back.  I don't know how this semester is going to play out.  There is a lot of work to do and so it will be a bit of a challenge for me to take care of all of my responsibilities.  Did I mention throwing up?  I know that I just have to get the ball rolling again and get used to it.  I do get nervous about my kids and being able to appropriately care for them and meet their needs.  That is not something I can sacrifice for the sake of going to school.  There isn't another parent here to pick up the slack and so it rests on my shoulders.  Does the load seem heavy you are called to bear?  You bet it does and I will do the very best that I can do to meet my responsibilities.  

A Special Kind of a Day

Today was a special kind of a day.  It began with two beautiful babies being blessed.  I would say two beautiful little babies but Samuel Dodge Morris is no longer a little baby.  He is a big boy for 3 months.  Such a cute little fella.  His cousin Violet Mae Bloomfield is just a tiny thing and quite adorable.  It was a pleasure to be there to participate in these blessings.  The family gathered for a meal and games at the Brick House later.  We just met there because it is our place and provides the kind of space that we need to host a party of that size. 

As food was starting to be served I slid out of the gathering and went to Sacrament meeting at my ward.  As a ward we were invited to fast on behalf of ward members who had special needs.  It was a bit general in nature but the Bishop invited us to do this and wanted to keep individuals anonymous.  It was a neat experience for me and I felt the spirit strong today.  I enjoyed the meeting and was grateful to join in this fast.  I was not going to stay for the rest of the meeting and told President Whetman that I was going to miss quorum meeting unless he needed me to be there.  He said there would be some changes taking place.  I have expected for a little while that he would be released because of some serious health challenges that he has faced over the last four months.  Completely debilitating changes.  For me personally he was one that I included in my fast specifically.  I have appreciated him a great deal since I first met him and became associated with him.  Excellent man who loves the gospel and loves to serve the Lord.  I thought about him, his family and their circumstances a lot today and I have been a bit emotional about things.  I left church during Sunday School but headed back for the third hour.  I am grateful I did as it allowed me to show my love and support of President Whetman.  Good, good man. 

To add to things I am missing the kids today.  They will be home in 48 hours and that is a wonderful blessing and something to look forward to.  Sometimes the quiet can be nice but it is hard when it is gone for a prolonged period of time. 

Well, school starts in 9 hours so I am going to wrap this up.  I do so with my testimony that the Savior lives and loves us.  I know that He knows who we are, He is aware of our every need and He blesses our lives constantly.  I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and for the blessing it has been and continues to be in my life.  I want to be found a true disciple of Jesus Christ, about doing good.   

Transition Time

It is almost 2 AM and I am just starting the blog.  What the heck am I doing?  I have certainly screwed up my schedule over the last couple of weeks and it is now transition time.  I've got to get back on schedule.  School starts for me on Monday and the kids will be home Tuesday night and need to be up Wednesday morning for school.  It is going to be a quick transition, has to be.  But it is definitely transition time. 

Had a fine day.  Went out to lunch with my good friend Collette.  We went to the Pizza Cart and though I thought I was introducing her to Jason and Cindy it turns out they already knew each other from a visit she made there a few nights ago.  Well, no matter, we had a good time and I enjoyed spending the time with her.

I went in to the Brick House to drop off some Costco supplies.  Arrived there about 3 and ended up not being able to leave.  There was a lot going on and we ended up having a very busy evening.  It was a good day.  Jay and fam had come in and later Jim and fam.  We got pretty busy and Jim stayed and helped out.  He was great busing tables and helping out.  I think he figured out pretty quick that busing tables is a lot of work.  Anyway, I certainly appreciated the help.

Time to rest.  I might actually get to bed before 2.  See, that transition time is starting to transition already.   

Gaming

Last night I was out late playing games with the fam.  The night before that I was out late playing games with the fam.  Tonight, out late playing games with the fam.  What is the deal?  I am staying out quite late and getting to bed quite late.  Needs to stop because I've got school starting on Monday and believe you me, I can easily sleep through class.  I have no problem catching a nap in the middle of a class.  Need to not let that happen.  My goodness.  Tonight we played Tapple which is quite a fun game.  It is good stuff and I have certainly enjoyed the gaming.  Along with the gaming the day was just swell.  Work was busy enough.  Bought my books for this semester - ouch.  Made a temple run.  It was a fine day.  Okay, that is all.  I've gotta go crash out. 

The PJ's

I spent most of the day in my pj's.  What is the deal with that?  I had nowhere to go so why change?  I did go shovel some snow this morning and then I chopped firewood, no reason why pj pants would not suffice.  They did the job just fine and they are comfortable so why not? I listened to the life and ministry of Ezra Taft Benson whilst completing these tasks.  It was really a good chapter and was quite moving as I thought about his life and his dedication to the Lord.  He was unafraid of truth.  I am grateful for his dedicated service to the Lord.  I am excited to spend time this year learning more of him, being in his teachings and having the opportunity to share that message.  My goodness, I am asleep here.  Must crash out.  I did eventually change out of the pj's though I'm fixin to go get in some pj's right now. 

New Years Eve 2014

Due to the lateness of the hour this post will actually show up in January, 2015.  That is okay.  This is however the final post for the year 2014.  I have had a fine year.  Lots of good things in my life.  Certainly some challenges but many a sweet blessing and I am grateful for that.  As for winding down the year and celebrating the new year I headed to the folks and enjoyed an evening there with family.  Of course there were the folks, Amy and Dan, Laura and Nigel arrived with Shey, Donny and Baby Violet.  Dave and Dani had stopped by for a little bit and then Dave came back later.  We played the LCR game.  It is fantastic.  Well, I am beat.  I am excited about the coming year. It is going to be interesting.    HAPPY NEW YEAR!