Four down, twelve to go. . .

A quarter of the way through the year. . .

Are you smarter than fifth grade student?

It is getting weird when my daughter Havalah is bringing me homework that I have to study the chapter myself in order to help her. As a confession, sentence diagramming was my weakest link in the subject of English. Frankly, my fanciest diagramming terms come from the movie Oscar. Oy!

The laborer. . .

Today they had neighborhood clean up which meant they deposited dumpsters throughout the area for folks to dispose of their junk. And boy do we have junk! I kid you not, four hours later and the six closest dumpsters to my house were full. I managed to get all the stuff I needed out into one of the bins but what a goat rodeo. I'm just happy it is done.

DUP

I interpreted for Daughters of Utah Pioneers. It is really an interesting group and a history nerd's paradise.

A great ad. . .

My sister's blog had this and I loved it.

I love Shabbats with my children. . .

My Irish twins are so funny. They can play for hours at a time and keep each other entertained the whole time. They play with boats, balls, blocks and whatever else their small hands can grasp. Most of the time they pass an object between each other. They also squawk and babble at each other. You wouldn't think they are really communicating anything except once in a while they will start laughing like they just told the funniest joke in the world. This always makes me wonder. . .

My Ma's cool photo. . .

My mom has an awesome photo blog. If you haven't, you should totally check it out. Anyway, she recently posted a photo near and dear to this blog's heart so we had to share. . .

Bring your children to work day. . .

My company does a great job when they put on the "Bring your children to work day". They make badges for them, gift bags, activities, T-shirts, the whole nine yards.

This year Havalah and J-Bo were able to go. They both had a great time.

Happy Earth Day!

Holocaust Remembrance Day

One of the more moving experiences I have had was visiting the Holocaust Museum in Israel, Yad Vashem.

On the last day of basic training of the IDF (Israel Defence Force), they bring the new soldiers to the eternal flame of Yad Vashem. There, the Chief Minister of Defence reminds the recruits of what they fight for.

The most powerful experience was seeing the shoes, thousands of shoes. And then to realize how many were children and baby shoes.

Always remember. . .

Faster than a speeding train. . . part 2

Faster than a speeding train. . .

Here is more of my new found love. . .

My dream car. . .

All good things come to an end. . .

Hag HaMatza ends tonight at sunset but Shabbat begins. Meshiac ha shalom. . .

MY 200TH POST!

This is my 200th post! YAY!

I have a great family. . .

I am really grateful I have a really great FOO (Family of Origin). I'm glad my siblings are some of my best friends and that we like hanging out together. I love my Parents!

I hope my children will feel the same way when they grow up.

My DVD classic list. . .

Here is my list of DVD classics. . .

1. The Emperor's Club
2. Dead Poet Society
3. The Man Without A Face
4. Mona Lisa Smile
5. October Sky
6. Finding Forester
7. Front of the Class
8. Akeelah and the Bee
9. Amazing Grace
10. King Arthur (2004)
11. The Last Samurai
12. The Secret
13. What the Bleep Do We Know
14. Pride and Prejudice (2005)
15. Mansfield Park
16. Little Women
17. Anne of Green Gables
18. Anne of Avon Lea
19. Sound of Music
20. Rudy
21. Chariots of Fire
22. Braveheart
23. Remember the Titans
24. The Karate Kid
25. Good Will Hunting
26. Princess Bride
27. V for Vendetta
28. Edward Scissor Hands
29. Gladiator
30. Glory
31. Seabiscuit
32. Dances with Wolves
33. Fiddler on the Roof
34. Count of Monte Cristo

There is my current list. Let me know if you think I have missed any. . .

Love it, Hate it . . .

I love Google. And all things Google. One of those applications is Google Reader. My sister had promoted the service for a long time and I didn't bother (old dog, new tricks) but I finally tried it and I love it.

It is really great for a bunch of blogs on publishing and writing I follow but never comment on.

It is not so good for my family or friend blogs that I do want to comment on. I will still usually read them in the Google Reader but then if I want to make a comment I have to stop, go to their blog and make my remark. . .

Google Reader please find a way to comment from thy application!

A meeting to miss. . .

Skipped Ishtar worship service today and hung out with my family. Loved it!

Pookah for Passover

I had Pookah for Passover. She and all the other children seemed to have a great time!

The meal and the Hagadah went really well and the Spirit was great.

Then today the children had a bunch of fun collecting quail and manna (Peeps and Ritz crackers).

Yom tov!

Time to PARTY old school, really old school. . .

Tonight at sunset begins Hag HaMatza or Feast of Unleavened Bread. Yom tov!

Spirit Week. . .

Most schools have a spirit week in which the different classes compete with one another for a trophy.

I have had the privilege to teach Seminary at a private parochial school, Mountain Valley High School. At this school, they have a Spirit Week. It is a week where they have different guest speakers, devotionals, and lessons about the Scriptures and the Messiah. This year they asked me to teach about the Sacrament.

I shared Joseph Smith's teaching that all ordinances are eternal and showed scripturally how the Sacrament had been observed before, during, after, and to come - in the Messiah. I also shared how the Sacrament renews our covenant and makes us one in Messiah.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthay Bro!

Dale, all the best and many more!

Devotional. . .

My children attend Benjamin Franklin Academy for their schooling. I was surprised and impressed when I was asked to come and give a twenty minute morning devotional regarding the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover). I guess they learned from my children that our family observes the Biblical Feasts instead of the typical holidays.

I talked about three central themes.

1) Although we have nothing to offer Him, He redeems us from our slavery and lost state

2) Freedom is found in obedience to God's commandments

3) We are chosen when we choose God

What amazing students. They seemed very open and understanding. It was also fun when I heard my children telling their friends I was their Abba.

A favorite from a classic. . .

One of the best movies ever made is The Court Jester starring Danny Kaye. Here is a great lullaby from that movie. . .

Happy Anniversary

When it rains, it pours. . .

Wow. I have been asked to do a bunch of talks, devotionals and firesides of late. I'm grateful for each opportunity and it has really been interesting to have different schools and groups asking me to do it. I hope what is shared really connects to the different audiences and impacts them in a meaningful way.

I am also really lovin' my Sunday School class. We are having a great time going through the Torah (first five books of Moses).

I'm just grateful and want to say so.

Fireside. . .

Gave a Fireside on the topic of "Blessed are the Peace Makers" in a Hebrew context. It was a tremendous opportunity to share what a Peace Maker is and what that means in regard to the covenant. It was an honor.

Friday, the sun is setting. . .

From outside the box. . .

All this worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of some wise man.

Henry David Thoreau

Ahh spring. . .