Fourth of the way there. . .

A chance for service. . .

I have not done ASL interpreting in years but I was asked by a Sister to come and interpret for the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. It was really interesting and fun. I was glad for the opportunity. . .

Life is lovely. . .

Had Pookah and all the children yesterday. We had a lot of fun together. . . loved it!

A true gentleman . . .

President Ronald Rasband (former CEO of Huntsman Chemical Corporation) was mission president for the NY North Mission. He would occasionally share stories about John Huntsman. One story he related was about Mr. Huntsman definition of a gentleman. John believed a gentleman was a man who could make anyone in any situation feel comfortable in his presence.

This is best definition I've ever heard for a gentleman. It's something I strive for and want to teach my boys . . .

Wedding fo the century. . .

Too cool!

If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see.

- Henry David Thoreau

Face off with Facebook. . .

Everyone I know has gone over to facebook! I heard buzz about it but never bothered with it since I am a devoted bloggernaut.

I confess I have been fascinated with everything you can do on facebook. Games, quizes, chatting, goofy surveys, pictures, etc.

Fear not BlogSpot! I yet hold out faithful and true!

Speaking of perspective. . .

Given my last blog, I thought this might be appropriate. . . Monty Python's Universe Song sung by Stephen Hawking. . .

Perspective gained at passions expence. . .

As any or many devoted readers may know -- I have been playing catch up on my blog. Part of the reason is due to my New Year resolution, I want to actually keep one or two them this year.

The experience has been interesting.

You gain some perspective on past events as time goes by. . . but some of the passion and details are obscured in the misting of time.

Reference

See previous post

Eh?!

I went to Deaf Mentor conference this weekend. It was awesome! Even though I have native langauage ability in ASL - I learned so much!

I loved catching up with all the people I know in the deaf community. I loved meeting a ton of new families and professionals. Great to network and learn from each other.

They had some great classes. My favorite was Minnie May on how to teach your deaf child to read. Another good one delt with strategies for teaching the whole family sign. Just awesome!

Primary colors are 1 2 3 . . .

Tonight I went with Natali to her Primary dance. The theme was "Mission Possible". We dressed as spies and had a great time. It was a bunch of fun and Natali is an accomplished dancer for only eight years of age.

A man may tell but never teach . . .

Being is the great explainer.

- Henry David Thoreau

A favorite of mine . . .

I have grown up with this picture over my mantle.

Honestly, I mostly took it for granted and ignored it. Certainly I studied it once or twice but never really made an effort to consider it, understand the story behind it. I did learn early on it was George Washington but where and why he was praying was not even a question.

Later, at GWU, I learned about the man and the circumstances that inspired the painting. Then later I had the opportunity to see the original - that did it - I absolutely love the painting.

If you have not seen the original, the first thing you need to know it is huge, almost life size. That is incredible considering the detail. Oh! and the detail! I kid you not . . . it is like 3D! The framed copy just doesn't capture it. It feels like you are in the woods with General Washington. Its almost like you are a soldier out to gather wood for a fire and accidentally stumble across your commander in prayer.

Seriously cool! It now hangs in my home. . .

An oldie but a goodie. . .

Happy Patty's Day to ye!

Riverdance 2002
Uploaded by Juliajulia.

Gadday mate!

Happy Canberra Day! Canberra Day is a public holiday held annually on the second Monday in March in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to celebrate the official naming of Canberra. Canberra was named at a ceremony on March 12, 1913 by Lady Denman, the wife of the then Governor-General Lord Denman.

If you were wonder why that's cool enough for a holiday. . .

Canberra (pronounced /ˈkænbrə, ˈkænbərə/[3]) is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory, 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne. The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely purpose-built, planned city. Following an international contest for the city's design, a design by the Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The city's design was heavily influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation that have earned Canberra the title "bush capital". Although the growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, it emerged as a thriving city after World War II.

As the seat of the government of Australia, Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the High Court of Australia and numerous government departments and agencies. It is also the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance, such as the Australian War Memorial, National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia and the National Library of Australia. The federal government contributes the largest percentage of Gross State Product and is the largest single employer in Canberra.

So there you go. . . it is amazing what you can learn from your day planner calendar!

Beware the ides of March . . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS!

Thanks. I love you Dad. I really believe your one of the best! Hope you enjoy the historical reference.

For Ki

Check it out. . .

I added pictures to the slide shows of the other leaves of my tree. So take a second and watch.

A hope. . .

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Henry David Thoreau

For the joy. . .

Enjoy!

Don't forget to sing and dance. . .everyday!

Brazilian Jui Jitsu Bombshell. . .

Kyra Gracie is without a doubt one of the coolest women of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She is very accomplished and innovative in her sport.

A short list of her achievements include:

-2 World BJJ Titles (2004, 2006)

-5 Pan American BJJ Games Titles (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007)

-5 Brazilian BJJ Titles (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004)

-6 New York State BJJ Titles (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)

-2 ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) Submission Wrestling World Titles (2005, 2007)

-1 Asiatic BJJ Title (2006)

Despite being a fierce fighter and competitor, she is reputed to be very generous and feminine.

You may want to turn off your speakers because of the cheesy sound track but here are some great clips of her in competition. Kyra is the one in the blue jersey during the no gi matches.

Leaves on the trade winds. . .

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Immigration is a topic that passes across the political stage periodically but doesn't seem to get any real progress or reform. I am going to throw out some of my ideas on immagration.

> Toss the current system - too complicated, too expensive, not enforced and doesn't work

> The door is wide open - Anyone who wants to come, be an American and persue life, liberty and happiness are welcome. The only requirement is you must have no criminal record.

I know many are saying that America would be overrun. I believe there would be an initial surge but it would eventually balance out. Additionally, our country is abundant enough to handle any productive addition to our society. Historically there have been immigration surges that the cynical were certain would destroy America and yet here we are.

> Provisional Citizen - All immigrants are provisional citizens. They have the same rights as regular citizens except that if they commit a felony at any time - they lose citizenship. Additionally they have two years to file a tax return or they lose citizenship.

> Enforce, enforce, enforce - The first key is to give NO BENEFITS! No drivers license. No food stamps. No long term hospital care. No social services. No schooling. NONE! At first blush this may sound harsh, but we have made citizenship accessible to everyone who will play by the rules. We should give no incentives or benefits to those who do not.

The second key is to arrest, deport or imprison those who are in violation.

These ideas may sound simplistic, and I understand many things would still need to be worked out (including a process for handling exceptions) but I think these reforms have merit.

It is easy to criticize somebodies ideas, much harder to come up with your own . . . I invite all comments but encourage your to throw out an idea or two.

What's with all the Vampires?

I thought Buffy was clever and fun, wouldn't deny the genius of Anne's Vampire series. . .but what is with all the vampire craze! Really!

Everywhere I turn there is a new show, movie, book, play. . .about Vampires. It's over the top!

. . .but the public must be hungry for it because they wouldn't keep churning it out if it wasn't making money. . .

I think a wooden stake should be driven through the heart and be done with it.

On to werewolves. . .

Confession

I love watching Ninja Warrior. It is a crazy show out of Japan where one hundred contestants gather at the foot of Mt. Midoriyama to conquer a four stage obstacle course.

The obstacles are crazy and deep muddy water awaits to receive those who fail to safely traverse them.

Much of the time my children love watching with me.

Falling off and getting back on the horse. . .

If there is anyone who reads my blog with any regularity, they may have noticed it has been a while since I last posted.

Life happens.

My work restricted "social sites" from access. I won't complain but it is annoying when a few abuse a good thing and ruin it for the rest. That dealt a tough blow to my blogging habit because I did most of my blogging at lunch or breaks. Then when I get home I am usually exhausted or busy with family so I don' t sit down and write.

It also got busy at work, school and family.

I have really missed posting to my blogs and getting feedback from my 1 and 2/3 fans. Also I took a strengths test at work and one of my strengths recommended I write regularly. I do want to accomplish some of my new year goals.

To every Blogger. . .

How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.

Henry David Thoreau

Breakfast: Religion with milk please. . .

I think most people shop religion the way they shop for cereal. Some just pick the cereal they were fed growing up, others pick the one that had that recent clever ad and is all the new rage, others pick the bright happy box with the tasty and easy to swallow sugar sweet cereal on the inside, and a few, a very few - look at the nutrition panel on the side and compare nutrition, price, and value.

Religion like cereal, when a regular part of your diet. will have a lasting impact on your overall spiritual health. So what's on your nutrition panel? Is it what you really want to buy?

Here is what I think is on the back of my huge bag. . .

Mormon Oats and Granola NEW LARGE Family Size

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: feeds large eternal family forever

Note: No matter what %

milk you bring to the table,

you will be short - God will

make up the difference.

                       % of daily value

Doctrine                          100%

Prayer                          100%

Practicality                   100%

Service Opportunities   100%

Scriptures 4g                100%

OT 1g

NT 1g

D&C 1g

PGP 1g

Covenants                     100%

Ordinances                    100%

Gifts of the Spirit           100%

Faith in Messiah Req     100%

Repentance Req.           100%

Commitment Req.          100%

*comes with Grace:

enabling power of God

Ingredients: Messiah, Atonement,

Covenants, His Teachings, The Spirit,

Our Heavenly Father's Plan, Creation,

Fall, Final Judgement, Resurrection,

Justice and Mercy, Grace, Personal 

Revelation and Relationship, Prophets,

Priesthood, Ordinances of Salvation and

Exaltation, Ordinances for blessing

His children, Redemption for those who

had no chance to accept the Messiah,

Faith, Hope, Charity, Choice, Joy,

Eternal Progression, Eternal Family,

Eternal Life

If you're happy with your choice, great! This was just food for thought. . . 

Recast. . .

Today Pookah went under for a replacement cast. The doctor said the left joint looks great and it seems to really be taking this time. 

Good news and good job Pookah! Now sleep off the anaesthesia. . .

Just a little irreverence. . .

I use this when I teach my Sunday School about certain Halacha (legal judgments) in the Torah. This Monte Python skit cracks me up every time. . .

The Sister Armstrong Ice Cream Principle

The MTC cafeteria is a well oiled machine. It feeds three thousand missionaries three times a day in three, three hour blocks. It is amazing to see how quickly a line of a few hundred will snake through and get their food. Along the way there are strategically placed bins with different snacks, one of them had various ice cream treats.

One day I was standing in line and noticed Sister Laurel Armstrong eating a Mississippi Mud. At first blush this may seem unremarkable, however, given that she was a 5'3" very petite spiritual powerhouse it was a strange sight to see her indulge in a

 frozen confection roughly the size of her head. So I strolled over and signed (everyone was required to use their language at all times). . .

"Sister Armstrong, what are you doing? If you eat that, your heart will seize up and you will die! That thing is huge!"

Smiling she replied, "Yes, it is a huge ice cream sandwich but it helps me get the Spirit"

"Huh, I don't get the connection. . .helps you get the Spirit? What do you mean?"

"Let me explain Elder Dilts, when I eat ice cream it makes me happy - when I'm happy, it's easier for me to get the Spirit. Simple really."

Wow, that makes sense. I walked over to the bin, got a Mississippi Mud and . . . it worked! I used the Sister Armstrong Ice Cream Principle throughout my entire mission. When my companion and I were struggling, I'd pull in to some place and buy a couple frozen yogurts or ice creams. Then we were happier, it was easier to get the Spirit and move forward. I still use this principle today. 

If you're in a funk and need the Spirit, find something - anything that brings a smile to your face, makes you happy and then it is much easier to pray and get the Spirit.