It's the End of the World as We Know It...

So... It is almost 2013... Another apocalypse avoided... AWESOME!!!

But anyways... This holiday season has been filled with so many blessings that I can't even count. I don't even know where to start.

The studio is FINALLY open... The Pretty One is desperately trying to get people to come in so that she can get this business going. Bills don't pay themselves. Gotta have money. So... If you want some pictures done, come on down. The name of the shop is Yellow Canary Photography... It's in Hesperia, CA... Come see us.

With the shop open, we were hoping that the bank would finally help us with some start up money. (They said they would back in July/August). What ACTUALLY happened was we were told that we needed to be in business for at least 2 years before they would even consider helping us... LAME SAUCE TO THE MAX... So, that translated into no money for Christmas. Not something we were looking forward to telling the kids... Fortunately, there are some very generous and wonderful people in our ward... We don't know who they are, but we are extremely grateful for their help. The Pretty One's grandma was also very generous. The kids got some wonderful presents for Christmas and we got a few small things for us with grandma's money. I have been truly humbled and my faith has been strengthened because of the AWESOME blessings that we received this Christmas season. Thank you to everyone that made it AWESOME!!

The next thing is that I turned 35... I don't feel 35... There is a quote by Margaret Atwood that perfectly describes me. It says, "I believe that everyone else my age is an adult whereas I am merely in disguise." I don't think that I will ever really think of myself as an adult. There is too much kid in me.

This birthday was especially AWESOME because we went to the temple and did some work for my Dad's parents. They both passed away many years ago and we finally went and did the work for them. They have been sealed together for time and eternity and my Dad was sealed to his parents. That is pretty AWESOME!!!

The rest of the day was spent with family and friends, cake and presents... Good stuff... Good times... AWESOMENESS!!!

(I still don't feel 35). :)

Now we wait to roll in the new year. Playing games and spending time as a family. Can't complain too much about that.

I am looking forward to what this new year will bring. 2012 had its ups and downs, but I learned a lot. I am hoping that 2013 is more AWESOME and I will be able to learn a great many more wonderful things.

I will leave you all with this quote from Christopher Reeve...

"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."

Happy new year to all you AWESOME people...

 

The Thanksgiving Post (You knew it was coming...)

So, today is Thanksgiving and I have so much to be thankful for... So, here are my 10 things for this year...

1) The Pretty One.... She is amazing.

2) Kid #1, Kid #2, And Kid #3... They are so smart, and funny, and bring such joy to my life.

3) Family that lives close. Both mine and The Pretty One's... It is good to know that we have someone close that we can share an evening with or leave the kids with on short notice if we need to.

4) My job... Teaching is such an AWESOME experience... There are so many students that have touched my life and brought great joy to me... Some have moved on to do great things and some are still with me learning how to bring AWESOMENESS to the world.... They are all AWESOME sauce....

5) All of my AWESOME Friends... I have so many that I couldn't possibly name you all separately.... You have let me into your lives and your families. You have given me great advice, good times, and AWESOME experiences... You have helped shape and mold me into what I need to be.

6) My Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ...

7) My membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church brings so much peace and direction to my life that I wouldn't be who I am without its teachings.

8) My calling in the Church. I get to work closely with wonderfully spiritual men and women. They give me the chance to serve and teach me many great truths as we sit in council together each Sunday. I also get to serve each member of the ward and I hope that they know that I love each of them as my brothers and sisters.

9) The chance to live and learn each day... I know that I am NOT perfect, but I also know that this life is the place where we learn to become like our Heavenly Father. There is still so much that I still need to learn and I am grateful for the opportunity each day.

10) The little joys of life... A kiss from the wife, a hug from the kids, a smile from the world...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone... Have an AWESOME sauce kind of day...

 

"Are you ready for this?"

So...  It has been a while since I last posted anything.  Sorry to all those avid followers of my AWESOME life.  It has been pretty busy and I haven't really felt inspired to do any writing.

For the last couple of weeks I have been (with the help of a good friend) installing a wood-burning stove in my house.  This has been an AWESOME learning experience for me.  I got to learn how to lay tile, we cut a hole in my roof for the chimney, we cut a hole in the floor for an air vent because I live in a manufactured home.  It has been fun.  My friend kept asking me, "Are you ready for this?" whenever we had to do something that there was no turning back from.  (Like cutting holes in my floor and ceiling...).  It was really funny.  He would tell me what we were going to do, look at me kind of sideways, and then ask me that question.  As soon as I would say "Yes", he would begin the process.  Now I wasn't ALWAYS ready when I said yes, but sometimes you have to take a little risk to get a big reward.  It has been a good time and we are almost done.  Here is what we have so far...

Hopefully, we will have it done today.  We just need one more part to put the pipe onto the stove...

You know...  The funny thing is that I really didn't know what I was going to talk about today, but recounting this experience has gotten me thinking.

How often do we wait until we are really ready before we do something?

How often do we wait until someone asks us, "Are you ready for this?"

I don't know how many people I know give me the excuse that they are waiting until they are "ready" to...

• get married
• go to college
• buy a home
• have children
• (insert big life event here)

Whatever it is....  You are NEVER going to be completely ready for those decisions.  You just aren't.  But does that mean that you will NEVER get to do them....  Nope.  Sometimes you just jump in with both feet and either be sink or swim....  It is a matter of faith, or trust, or whatever you personally believe.  Sometimes you just do it and see what happens.

The Pretty One is an expert at jumping in with both feet.  Years ago she said to me that we needed to buy a house.  I looked at our finances at the time and wondered how we would ever afford that.  She persisted and, though I wasn't completely convinced, we went for it.  We started looking and saw a LOT of really weird places that scared both of us.  When we finally found our first home, we just knew that it was the place for us.  The AWESOME thing was that it fit into our budget.  Coincidence???  I think not.  We were just supposed to be there at that time of our life.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago.  The Pretty One wanted to become a photographer...  I was like...  Okay...  In my mind I went back to our wedding day when the man who sealed us together for time and eternity in the Los Angeles Temple gave me this advice.  This is not an exact quote...  Your wife has many hidden talents and you need to let her develop those talents.

So I bought her a Nikon D5000 to start with...  She is really good...  An I am NOT just saying that.

Fast Forward to this year...  She says that she needs to open a Photography studio.  I am thinking to myself...  She's crazy....  But then I think back to that blessed day 12 years ago and say OK.  It has been a long road, but she should be opening soon.

I really don't know HOW we have survived financially through this whole process, but we have made it...  Barely...  LOL!!!

My point is... If we had waited until we were READY, we would never have had these wonderful, faith building experiences.  We would never be living our dreams like we are.

If somebody asks us, "Are you ready for this?", we say yes, even if the answer is really no...  We just do it because we know that if we wait, whatever we feel we need to do would never ACTUALLY happen.

Has it been hard?  Yes...   Is it worth the debt, the worry, the tears, the craziness?  Absolutely...  Have there been a lot of struggles along the way?  Most definitely....  But nothing worth having is ever easy to get.

The Lord doesn't require us to be "ready"...  He only asks us to be willing...  If we are willing to do what the Lord would have us do, and have the faith necessary to accomplish His will, HE will take care of the rest and our life will be AWESOME.

So... Go for your dreams...  Don't wait until you are "ready"...  If someone asks' "Are you ready for this?", say YES...  Then do it and see what happens...  If the Lord wills it, then it will be AWESOME Sauce...

10 Things That I KNOW Are True...

Before I go into what this post is really about, I want to tell you all about the inspiration behind it.  I was watching a TED Talk by Sarah Kay.  If you don't know about TED Talks, then head on over to Ted.com and check them out.  Great stuff... AWESOME stuff.... What are you waiting for?!?!?  Go check it out!!!

Okay...  Did you do it?  Not yet?  You want to finish reading this post first?  All right...  Then I'll cut to the chase.  In this talk, Sarah Kay mentions something about making lists to help her students to determine what they can write about.  One of those lists is "10 things that I know are true."

So...  Here are my 10 things... (With a little commentary when appropriate.)

1) My wife (aka The Pretty One) is AH...MAY...ZING!!!!

She just is.  She sets her sights on something and pretty soon she has it.

2) Kid #1, Kid #2, and Kid #3 are equally amazing

Nuff said

3) I love my family with ALL that I am.

4) I am a Son of God and Jesus Christ is my Savior and Elder Brother.

5) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Book of Mormon are true.

6) I am NOT a perfect teacher, but I am pretty darn good at teaching.

7) I am an insecure person.

You are probably thinking... Yeah, right... You write all this crazy stuff on your blog...  And you would be justified in thinking that.  But, here's the thing... I am WEIRD.  I am very comfortable in my own weirdness on my own, but I feel like most people aren't and that makes me less comfortable with my weirdness in public and even with my friends.  (As I type this, my brain is saying, "Stop, they are going to think you are Super weird guy and never read your blog again!!!")

So.... (Awkward).... Next thing....

8) I can't think of anything for #8, so we'll just move on to #9.

9) Life is about overcoming challenges and difficulties and also about growing your soul and reaching for (and catching) your dreams.

10) You don't have to be rich to be happy... Life can be AWESOME no matter what you have to deal with...  Just believe....

So...  There you go...  Now go and make your list.... (And check out TED.com)

Good night everyone...

According to Our Desires...

This is a talk that I gave in Church at the beginning of September.  For those of you who don't know, our Church has no paid minister/clergy.  Members of the congregation are called to hold different positions and all time spent carrying out these "callings" is voluntary.  Each week a few members are called upon to speak and teach during Sacrament meeting.  I was assigned this topic and this is what I came up with.

Please Enjoy...

I want to start by telling you about a couple of friends of mine.

The first friend is a young man that I used to work with. He is in his mid-teens and not really into church. He goes because his family goes, but would rather not be there. He doesn't have a lot of friends at church. He would rather be with his non-member friends doing things that are not what he should be doing. He has a girlfriend even though he isn't old enough to date, but it's more about holding hands and making out than anything else. Pornography is his occasional secret friend. He would rather be doing anything but what the Lord would have him do.

The second friend is happy to be at church. He holds a calling and performs that calling to the best of his abilities. He has friends there and they help him to stay straight. He has a little more debt than he would like, but pays his tithing anyways and somehow is able to make it through. He goes to the temple when he can and honors the priesthood that he holds. He isn't perfect, but does the best he can to do what the Lord would have him do.

What's the difference between my two friends?

The first thing that comes to mind is that their desires are completely opposite. The first one desires the things of the world while the second desires the things of the Lord.

So, why are our desires so important?

Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, "Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming."

So what we desire is what we do. That is something we should all think about. What do we want to be? Do we want to be what the Lord wants us to be or what the world wants us to be? Consider my two friends.

Alma said, "I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction." That's in Alma 29:4.

President John Taylor said, "The Lord … will let mankind pursue happiness in their own way, and according to their desire he will let them drink the cup of their own iniquity in their own way. On the other hand, he has manifested his goodness and will continue to do it to all his children."

So, it's kind of like this... Righteous desires = Blessings, Salvation, Good stuff. Awesome.

Evil desires = Destruction, False hope and happiness, Bad Stuff. Not Awesome.

What do we do so that we have righteous desires and stay away from evil desires?

Hartman Rector, Jr. said, "Believe you can do it. This is the first important principle. All things are possible to them that believe (see Mark 9:23). Surely we must believe in a thing before we can desire it. And God does grant unto men according to their desire (see Alma 29:4). If the desire is strong enough, performance is assured."

What else?

One Word... Yagottawanna

This comes from a talk from the April 1991 general conference. Brother Goaslind, the YM General President, talked about this attitude.

He said, "It reminds me of one of the qualities of godhood. “And there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it.” (Abr. 3:17.) Isn’t it wonderful that we can trust our Father in Heaven to do what he says he will do? 

There are two elements to this principle. First, God takes something into his heart. When we take something into our hearts, it usually means that we feel something. This is the spirit of revelation. (See D&C 8:2–3.) It gives an intense feeling of peacefulness or well-being. President Marion G. Romney said that it “comes into our minds and feelings and induces us to do what is right”; it leads us to do good (see D&C 11:12).

“Yagottawanna” also helps us understand the principle of agency. Youth with sincere desires take initiative. They do good things without waiting to be told. They “do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.” (D&C 58:27.) They act rather than wait to be acted upon. They are in control of themselves. Such control is a wonderful feeling. It is a feeling we get when we exercise one of our most precious gifts—that of free agency."

“Yagottawanna” also shows an attitude of faith. Desire is the beginning of faith.

Alma taught, "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." (Book of Mormon, Alma, Chapter 32)

So it doesn't really matter if we actually believe. We just have to want to believe and, eventually, that desire will grow into belief and our faith will be strengthened.

Back to Brother Goaslind... "What we desire will ultimately help determine our eternal judgment."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks also taught about the influence of our desires upon our final judgment. He said, "The desires of our hearts will be an important consideration in the final judgment. Alma taught that God “granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; … according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction. Yea, … he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires.” (Alma 29:4–5.) 

That is a sobering teaching, but it is also a gratifying one. It means that when we have done all that we can, our desires will carry us the rest of the way. It also means that if our desires are right, we can be forgiven for the mistakes we will inevitably make as we try to carry those desires into effect. What a comfort for our feelings of inadequacy!"

So... Here's what I got from that... Just because we have righteous desires doesn't mean that we are going to be perfect. We are still going to make mistakes. That is inevitable. But, the Lord is going to be more willing to forgive us if He knows that our hearts and desires are in the right place. The atonement is for everyone. But remember... Yagottawanna...

More from Elder Oaks... "Under the law of God we are accountable for our feelings and desires as well as our acts. Evil thoughts and desires will be punished. (Evil desires = Not Awesome). Acts that seem to be good bring blessings only when they are done with real and righteous intent. On the positive side, we will be blessed for the righteous desires of our hearts even though some outside circumstance has made it impossible for us to carry those desires into action. (Righteous desires = Awesome).

To paraphrase Paul’s teaching in Romans 2:29, he is a true Latter-day Saint who is one inwardly, whose conversion is that of the spirit, in the heart, whose praise is not of men for outward acts, but of God, for the inward desires of the heart."

Now... Back to my two friends... What if I told you that these two people were actually the same person? And what if I told you that this person was me? Would you believe it? 

Friend #1 was me about 15-20 years ago as a youth in the church. I had a very weak testimony and very few friends in the church. I really just wanted to be like my non-member friends and do what they were doing. I was not in a good place spiritually and was destroying myself.

Friend #2 is me now after a lot of repentance and struggle because of those evil desires that I used to have. Am I perfect? Nope... Do I still struggle and make mistakes? Yup... Do I really want to be perfect? Absolutely... There is still a long way to go though.

So... What happened?

Brother Goaslind taught, "Desires change during our lives, sometimes dramatically and quickly, and sometimes gradually. Elder Boyd K. Packer once quoted Lady Astor: “I always dreaded growing old, because then you can’t do all of the things you want to. But it isn’t so bad—you don’t want to!” Be aware that things that seem all-important to you now will not matter in years to come. But you can choose now to want things that are in harmony with eternity. For example, you can choose to be righteous rather than waste your time on perishable things; you can choose to serve willingly rather than selfishly. Elder Marion D. Hanks has often quoted the wise saying that “the things that matter most must not be at the mercy of the things that matter least.” The choices we make in this life have a very important influence on our eternity."

Remember the people of King Benjamin. Before he died, King Benjamin built a tower and called all of his people together. He taught them many great and important truths. Then what happened?

1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them. 

2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. (Book of Mormon, Mosiah, Chapter 5)

No more disposition to do evil. They changed their desires of their hearts from evil (not awesome) to righteous (awesome).

That's what happened to me. There came a time in my life when I was finally able to admit that what I was doing was ruining myself and my future. So I changed my desires. I talked to my Bishop and got on the road to recovery. It took a while, but I was able to repent and be forgiven. Never, ever think that you are stuck on the road to destruction. You can ALWAYS turn around and come back. The Lord will take you if you truly desire to be His.

Now... Does Satan want me back? He sure does... Does he want everyone? You can bet on it... But here's the difference between me now and me back then. I know what he is trying to do. I know that he is going to try and tempt me back with all those things that I did before. So I fight back. I hold on to my righteous desires and keep myself safe from those temptations. I am reminded of a song by Rascall Flats entitled "Stand". The chorus goes like this...

Cause when push comes to shove

You taste what you're made of

You might bend 'till you break

'Cause it's all you can take

On your knees you look up

Decide you've had enough

You get mad, you get strong

Wipe your hands, shake it off

Then you stand, then you stand

Remember to stand firm in the gospel and cling to those righteous desires that will help you return to your Heavenly Father.

I will close with a few last quotes...

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “When people are described as ‘having lost their desire for sin,’ it is they, and they only, who deliberately decided to lose those wrong desires by being willing to ‘give away all [their] sins’ in order to know God.” 

“Therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.”

A. Theodore Tuttle said, "There are many thousands here who are not the captain of the football team, the valedictorian, and the student body president, all in one. Socially, you feel inept. Your grades are not all that good. You are wondering if you can qualify to serve a mission (or in the church in any capacity). Young man (young woman, old man, old woman), fix firmly on your heart a desire to serve the Lord and to declare the gospel: “For I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life.” (Alma 29:4.) I know this promise is true. The Lord loves you. He needs you. You may not have all of the qualities you would like to have. You have great potential. Some of you have made mistakes. Some have troublesome personal habits. Talk to the Lord about them tonight. If you are greatly troubled, talk to your father. You may even need to see your bishop. Get things straightened out now."

Finally, Elder Oaks has said,"Let us remember that desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. In addition, it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something, whether a true friend, a gifted teacher, or one who has qualified for eternal life."

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Things I Say....

Ok... For all of you that end up really reading this, there are some terms that I use that are pretty unique to me.  I guess you better know what I am talking about.

AWESOME.  Now I know what you're thinking.  That's not unique.  You're right, but I really like this word A LOT.  So, I will use it A LOT...  Just enjoy it...

AWESOME Sauce...  This is BETTER than AWESOME!!!!  Not that many things are better that AWESOME, but there are a few things.

Lame sauce....  This is the opposite of AWESOME.  If something is not AWESOME, then it MUST be Lame sauce.  Just sayin'...

Weak sauce...  This is something akin to Lame sauce...

Ketchup sweat/Mustard pee...  These are a relatively new addition to my lexicon.  My TAs and I came up with it one day while chatting in class.  You know when the ketchup or mustard has been in the fridge for a loooooooooooooooong time without being used and they get that moisture (I don't know if it is water or something else) layer on top.  That's the Ketchup sweat or Mustard pee depending on the condiment.  There is no sweat or pee for Mayo.  I don't like mayo.  It doesn't exist in our house.  You want that stuff, you gotta bring your own.  And take it with you when you leave.  Anyways... I use this with my students when they want to have a name calling war with me. Believe me, when I call them Ketchup sweat or Mustard pee, I win automatically.  Every time.  It's AWESOME!!!!!

Slacker Bum...  This is what I call the students that are lazy at anytime.  Sometimes they are lazy just once or they are chronically lazy.  When they are, I just tell them to stop being a Slacker Bum and get the work done.

Well...  That's it.  It's not much, but I do have my own vocabulary for things.  The Pretty One and I have our own language for things and the kids make up the funniest things, so there may be some more things added to the lexicon as we go...  We'll see....

Have a great night world and remember.....

Always be AWESOME Sauce, and Never be Lame sauce (or Ketchup sweat)....

Hello Out There...

Hello everyone out there in the Internet...

This is my first attempt at blogging, so bear with me and we will see where this goes...  I am not really sure what I want to accomplish, but I have had a nagging feeling that I need to start doing this. Not sure why... Maybe I have something profound to say to the world... Maybe it's just a way for me to keep a journal... I don't know.  I know that I probably won't write something every day, but I will be posting things that stand out to me or have an effect on my life.

So.... Here I am. A 34 year old high school math and AVID teacher.  I have been married for 12 years now to the Pretty One.  She is my joy and inspiration.  She gets it in her head to do something, and she gets it done.  Her current project is opening a photography studio.  She should be open soon...  Hopefully....

We have three AWESOME kids.  Kid #1 is our oldest son.  He had a rough start in life.  He was 8 weeks premature and lived in an incubator for a month.  He is the happiest kid I know and really lives life.  He has a mild case of cerebral palsy and deals with a sensory processing disorder.  Even with these challenges, he loves life to the fullest.  Kid #2 is our daughter.  She is a little more quiet, but has a crazy side when you get her to open up.  She is our artsy kid.  She always gets theses crazy ideas and tries to create them with whatever she can find. (I blame the Pretty One for this).  Kid #3 is our youngest son.  He is too smart for his own good.  (They all are actually).  He started school this year and is rocking his Kindergarten class.  He is a Lego fiend and likes to all the things that little boys like.  Life in our house is never dull with these three kids around.

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The Mormons... The Church has been a guiding light and help for me throughout my life.  I am proud to be a member and will be a member forever.  If this turns anyone off to my blog, well, that's ok...  I am not going to apologize for being a member of the Church.  I will not let this turn into a place where people bash the Church either.  If you don't like the Church, please keep it to yourself.  The Church and its teachings are a large part of what makes me who I am today and I am grateful for that.

Besides...  This blog is for me.  Not the Church or anybody else.

Things that I like....
Reading
Playing video games
Teaching
The word AWESOME. (I'll probably use that word a lot.)
Being with my family and friends
Making people smile

Things I don't like...
Mean people (Not Awesome)
Traffic
Paying bills (Gotta do it, but its no fun)


So... Welcome to my AWESOME life.  It's not much.  I am not rich or famous or anything too special, but I think Life can be AWESOME with whatever you have.  You don't need much....

Let's see where this little adventure takes us....