It's that time of the year again and as of today (12/8/17) we already had our first snow and dove right into a tray Costco baklava!!!
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Christmas time is here
Caught this sitting in draft stage...better get it published!
It's that time of the year again and as of today (12/8/17) we already had our first snow and dove right into a tray Costco baklava!!!
It's that time of the year again and as of today (12/8/17) we already had our first snow and dove right into a tray Costco baklava!!!
The Swing
This has been sitting in our drafts for a little while. Thought we'd share as is :) Enoy!
Shout out to Katherine Ann for reminding us that our little man is old enough (and strong enough) to hold himself up in the baby swings! We took him to the park for the first time and he was soooo cute. He was a little apprehensive at first but then he would realize that after he swung away he would always swing right back to mom and dad's smiling faces, which solicited the greatest smiles and giggles. We tried the baby swing and the big swing - with papa holding him of course (he's not that old and strong). He did great until he got too cold.
Shout out to Katherine Ann for reminding us that our little man is old enough (and strong enough) to hold himself up in the baby swings! We took him to the park for the first time and he was soooo cute. He was a little apprehensive at first but then he would realize that after he swung away he would always swing right back to mom and dad's smiling faces, which solicited the greatest smiles and giggles. We tried the baby swing and the big swing - with papa holding him of course (he's not that old and strong). He did great until he got too cold.
Oh Canada! Part 1 of....many to come...
Well its been more than two years since we posted and a lot has happened in that time. We had a baby! We finished a PhD! We took our first "big boy" job at Vancouver Island University! AND we immigrated to Canada!
We now live on an island and while island life is tough (have to ferry or fly to get off island, no IKEA, high cost of living) we love living in paradise :)
Here are a few photos, with more to come!!!!!
We now live on an island and while island life is tough (have to ferry or fly to get off island, no IKEA, high cost of living) we love living in paradise :)
Here are a few photos, with more to come!!!!!
COVID-19, Fasting and Mighty Prayer
Today was fast Sunday and we were invited by our area authority to join in 'might fasting and prayer' in response to the current situation regarding COVID-19. The purpose of the fast was five-fold:
A quick note on COVID-19
We haven't blogged in a while but given that COVID-19 is like nothing we have ever experienced in our lifetime I thought I would document some of our thoughts and experiences for our posterity. In a nut shell, the WHO has declared the spread of COVID-19 (a flu-like corona virus) as a global pandemic and countries around the world are responding by sending people home, shutting down non-essential services and limiting travel. The extreme social distancing measures require people to work from home, cancel events (including Church meetings and activities), avoid face-to-face contact with friends and family, wash hands and engage in vigilant hygiene practices, etc. This has resulted in social isolation, social/physical/mental health issues (i.e., sedentary lifestyles, abuse, depression, anxiety), and what is likely to be an economic collapse.
While Michelle and I feel that the global response has been driven by fear, implemented with little thought for the future, based on insufficient/poor data, and led by corrupt or misinformed leaders we are still bound by humanities shared fate at this time. That said, we are faithful, optimistic, and sustain our Church leaders as prophets, seers, and revelators. We feel blessed to still have a job, one that allows me to work from home, and to have extra time together to strengthen our family, grow our garden, and serve others.
Prophets, SEE-ers, and revelators
We believe President Nelson, his counselors, and the Quorum of Twelve Apostles are prophets, seers, and revelators. Isn't it amazing that more than a year before we experienced this global pandemic the leaders of the Church revealed inspired adjustment towards a "home centered, church supported" approach to Gospel living, bolstered by a robust Come Follow Me home study curriculum. This increased reliance on home centered Gospel living and the increased attention on individual's using their agency to receive personal revelation has prepared us all for this period of time when we no longer have face-to-face Church meetings.
We are also blessed to live in a time where we can meet and stay connected via technology and we advocate often that social distancing does not mean social isolation. We can still reach out, minister, serve, and be connected via the many communication platforms at our disposal.
We have been studying the Come Follow Me material during this time and we were reminded that Nephi, and subsequently Mormon kept both the small and large plates of Nephi together as part of the gold plates that would later become the Book of Mormon. Mormon reveals that this was done for a "wise purpose" and that while he did NOT know that purpose, "the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me [Mormon] to do according to his will." We know now that thousands of years later, Martin Harris would repeatedly ask for and lose the first 116 pages of translated text that represented a significant chunk of the large plates of Nephi...and that those sections would be replaced by the second, smaller record written by Nephi and preserved by Mormon. We are so grateful for prophet leaders like Mormon and President Nelson today who "do according to HIS will", even if they don't know why, so that we can be prepared for anything, including pandemics. We are also grateful for prophet leaders like Enos who prayed with all his heart that the records would be preserved that they might one day come to us!
Hugulkultur
If you had asked me six years ago if I would ever be doing hugulkultur I probably would have said "hugul-what?" I'm so glad I married Michelle, who has helped us to "lay up in store" so that while everyone else is raiding the stores for food, water, and toilet paper (not sure why they need so much toilet paper - COVID doesn't cause diarrhea) we would feel secure and calm. We have a great financial reserve, water supply, growing food supply, growing emergency supply, and abundant cultivated, and planted garden space. Michelle has also been making our own soap and other toiletries, fermenting our own veggies and sauerkraut, making homemade applesauce from the fruit harvested in our own back yard, etc. She is amazing.
So back to hugulkultur...in addition to three planter boxes and multiple ground level planting areas, we just recently prepared a hugulkultur mound. Basically, you dig a trench, line it with split would, branches, and mulch and cover it with healthy soil (making a mound of earth) and then plant seed in this mound. The idea is that the organics buried beneath the ground enrich the soil and increase its fertility drastically compared to a nearby patch of earth that doesn't include these elements. We plan to grow pumpkins and other sprawling plants on this mound, however, for the time being it looks like a lovely burial plot in our backyard and we suspect any day the police will be knocking to see whose body we've buried in our yard, only to be disappointed when we unearth branches and logs.
Besides the hugulkultur we have moved multiple rose bushes, built terraced steps in the front yard so we could plant on flat surfaces rather than a hill, and are actively pruning our fruit trees back to life! We see all of this growth and preparation as a blessing associated with living the law of tithing! God has opened the windows of Heaven and poured out blessings that there is not room enough to receive it! We love these words in John 10:10 "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." We thank God for our abundant life!
The Most Important Work
It has been said that the "most important work [we] will do is within the walls of [our] own home" and that "no success in life will compensate for failure in the home". As we have been contemplating the extra time we have to spend at home, we have come to realize (AND HOPE) that our children will not remember the stress, the fear, the uncertainty, the lost employment, the anxiety, etc. associated with COVID-19. Instead, we hope they will remember receiving the sacrament and Church lessons at the hands of their parents each week or that they will remember that both dad and mom got to snuggle up and hide under the blankets, join in dance parties, and otherwise play in ways that were previously less frequent or less possible due to busy schedules, out-of-home obligations, etc. We have done three weeks of at-home Church now and had great lessons focused on Building on a Strong Foundation (Wise man and the foolish man, built foundations with blocks), Working in the Lord's Vineyard (Allegory of the Olive Trees, literally had the kids dunging one of our trees with rabbit poop) and Praying and Receiving Answers (Enos 1, coloring pages and role plays). These opportunities have been priceless and have shifted our priorities and our approach to parenting, living the Gospel, and teaching the Gospel in our home! We've started incorporating more, good music in our daily lives, having more family discussions with the intent to start family councils, scheduling weekly parent-child date nights, and much more!
It has also been fun to work with the Youth in this environment. We held our first zoom activity last week by playing Come Follow Me Jeopardy and it was a huge hit! The kids loved it and seemed to crave the social time! We are looking forward to a Conference Kahoot in two weeks!
Working from Home
Fortunately for me, VIU has shifted classes online. I am still compensated, the students still get to complete the semester, and I get to sharpen my craft. I have shifted by incorporating recorded lectures that always have my face showing in the corner (to remind them of the human connection), hosting open/live zoom meetings, and by reducing the number of and adjusting assignments. I have also incorporated interactive technology like Netflix Parties and Kahoot trivia apps to engage students in creative ways. I have been excited by these opportunities and tried to be responsive to student feedback. I love what I do!
My one worry is that the mandated social distancing will drag on for so long that our enrollment numbers will decrease, funds will decrease, and therefore my job will be in jeopardy.
However, we will move forward in faith and hope for the best!
- To ask the Lord to bless and inspire our Church and government leaders and their efforts to protect the health and well-being of all people and to find solutions to address the challenges we are facing in all nations.
- To pray for all those who are suffering the physical, emotional, and economic impact of COVID-19, that they will be blessed according to their needs.
- To pray that the hearts of people everywhere will be softened and turned toward the Lord in humility and that faith in Jesus Christ will increase on the earth.
- To pray for spiritual strength to overcome fear and anxiety, for inspiration to protect ourselves and our families, and for the awareness and ability to minister to those in need.
- To pray for increased understanding and personal revelation in preparation for general conference and the prophetic guidance and messages regarding the bicentennial of the Restoration.
A quick note on COVID-19
We haven't blogged in a while but given that COVID-19 is like nothing we have ever experienced in our lifetime I thought I would document some of our thoughts and experiences for our posterity. In a nut shell, the WHO has declared the spread of COVID-19 (a flu-like corona virus) as a global pandemic and countries around the world are responding by sending people home, shutting down non-essential services and limiting travel. The extreme social distancing measures require people to work from home, cancel events (including Church meetings and activities), avoid face-to-face contact with friends and family, wash hands and engage in vigilant hygiene practices, etc. This has resulted in social isolation, social/physical/mental health issues (i.e., sedentary lifestyles, abuse, depression, anxiety), and what is likely to be an economic collapse.
While Michelle and I feel that the global response has been driven by fear, implemented with little thought for the future, based on insufficient/poor data, and led by corrupt or misinformed leaders we are still bound by humanities shared fate at this time. That said, we are faithful, optimistic, and sustain our Church leaders as prophets, seers, and revelators. We feel blessed to still have a job, one that allows me to work from home, and to have extra time together to strengthen our family, grow our garden, and serve others.
Prophets, SEE-ers, and revelators
We believe President Nelson, his counselors, and the Quorum of Twelve Apostles are prophets, seers, and revelators. Isn't it amazing that more than a year before we experienced this global pandemic the leaders of the Church revealed inspired adjustment towards a "home centered, church supported" approach to Gospel living, bolstered by a robust Come Follow Me home study curriculum. This increased reliance on home centered Gospel living and the increased attention on individual's using their agency to receive personal revelation has prepared us all for this period of time when we no longer have face-to-face Church meetings.
We are also blessed to live in a time where we can meet and stay connected via technology and we advocate often that social distancing does not mean social isolation. We can still reach out, minister, serve, and be connected via the many communication platforms at our disposal.
We have been studying the Come Follow Me material during this time and we were reminded that Nephi, and subsequently Mormon kept both the small and large plates of Nephi together as part of the gold plates that would later become the Book of Mormon. Mormon reveals that this was done for a "wise purpose" and that while he did NOT know that purpose, "the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me [Mormon] to do according to his will." We know now that thousands of years later, Martin Harris would repeatedly ask for and lose the first 116 pages of translated text that represented a significant chunk of the large plates of Nephi...and that those sections would be replaced by the second, smaller record written by Nephi and preserved by Mormon. We are so grateful for prophet leaders like Mormon and President Nelson today who "do according to HIS will", even if they don't know why, so that we can be prepared for anything, including pandemics. We are also grateful for prophet leaders like Enos who prayed with all his heart that the records would be preserved that they might one day come to us!
Hugulkultur
If you had asked me six years ago if I would ever be doing hugulkultur I probably would have said "hugul-what?" I'm so glad I married Michelle, who has helped us to "lay up in store" so that while everyone else is raiding the stores for food, water, and toilet paper (not sure why they need so much toilet paper - COVID doesn't cause diarrhea) we would feel secure and calm. We have a great financial reserve, water supply, growing food supply, growing emergency supply, and abundant cultivated, and planted garden space. Michelle has also been making our own soap and other toiletries, fermenting our own veggies and sauerkraut, making homemade applesauce from the fruit harvested in our own back yard, etc. She is amazing.
So back to hugulkultur...in addition to three planter boxes and multiple ground level planting areas, we just recently prepared a hugulkultur mound. Basically, you dig a trench, line it with split would, branches, and mulch and cover it with healthy soil (making a mound of earth) and then plant seed in this mound. The idea is that the organics buried beneath the ground enrich the soil and increase its fertility drastically compared to a nearby patch of earth that doesn't include these elements. We plan to grow pumpkins and other sprawling plants on this mound, however, for the time being it looks like a lovely burial plot in our backyard and we suspect any day the police will be knocking to see whose body we've buried in our yard, only to be disappointed when we unearth branches and logs.
Besides the hugulkultur we have moved multiple rose bushes, built terraced steps in the front yard so we could plant on flat surfaces rather than a hill, and are actively pruning our fruit trees back to life! We see all of this growth and preparation as a blessing associated with living the law of tithing! God has opened the windows of Heaven and poured out blessings that there is not room enough to receive it! We love these words in John 10:10 "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." We thank God for our abundant life!
The Most Important Work
It has been said that the "most important work [we] will do is within the walls of [our] own home" and that "no success in life will compensate for failure in the home". As we have been contemplating the extra time we have to spend at home, we have come to realize (AND HOPE) that our children will not remember the stress, the fear, the uncertainty, the lost employment, the anxiety, etc. associated with COVID-19. Instead, we hope they will remember receiving the sacrament and Church lessons at the hands of their parents each week or that they will remember that both dad and mom got to snuggle up and hide under the blankets, join in dance parties, and otherwise play in ways that were previously less frequent or less possible due to busy schedules, out-of-home obligations, etc. We have done three weeks of at-home Church now and had great lessons focused on Building on a Strong Foundation (Wise man and the foolish man, built foundations with blocks), Working in the Lord's Vineyard (Allegory of the Olive Trees, literally had the kids dunging one of our trees with rabbit poop) and Praying and Receiving Answers (Enos 1, coloring pages and role plays). These opportunities have been priceless and have shifted our priorities and our approach to parenting, living the Gospel, and teaching the Gospel in our home! We've started incorporating more, good music in our daily lives, having more family discussions with the intent to start family councils, scheduling weekly parent-child date nights, and much more!
It has also been fun to work with the Youth in this environment. We held our first zoom activity last week by playing Come Follow Me Jeopardy and it was a huge hit! The kids loved it and seemed to crave the social time! We are looking forward to a Conference Kahoot in two weeks!
Working from Home
Fortunately for me, VIU has shifted classes online. I am still compensated, the students still get to complete the semester, and I get to sharpen my craft. I have shifted by incorporating recorded lectures that always have my face showing in the corner (to remind them of the human connection), hosting open/live zoom meetings, and by reducing the number of and adjusting assignments. I have also incorporated interactive technology like Netflix Parties and Kahoot trivia apps to engage students in creative ways. I have been excited by these opportunities and tried to be responsive to student feedback. I love what I do!
My one worry is that the mandated social distancing will drag on for so long that our enrollment numbers will decrease, funds will decrease, and therefore my job will be in jeopardy.
However, we will move forward in faith and hope for the best!
Sunday, May 5, 2019
BabIES (plural) on board!!!
Eleanor Jane Stone was born on November 19th at 10:40pm in the Greenville Midwifery Birthing Center, a branch of the Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville South Carolina.
California here we came!
Still catching up on the good ole' blog. This one is all about our trip to California this summer! With the exception of the stress leading up to the trip and the return flight it was actually a pretty great vacation!
To start, the whole trip came about because I (Garrett) had signed up (aka was signed up by my friend Ryan—who often volunteers me to do crazy and time-consuming things) to participate in a statistics competition. It just so happened that the competition was being held in San Fransisco, CA, just an hour away from my home town, and that I had been awarded a grant to participate. Since the school was covering my expenses, we were so close to home, and we only had to pay for a flight for Michelle (Anderson flies free), we decided to make a family trip out of it! Unfortunately, somehow we didn't take very many pictures.
Let me take a moment to explain how the competition works, talk about the results, and then vent about how stressful it was! THEN I will get back to the rest of the trip and how relaxing and great it was!
The Competition
The competition is called the Slobada and Bulkowski Cup and functions as part of the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) annual conference. I was a member of one of six teams chosen to compete (out of thirty teams that applied from universities across the country). Our team, "the Outliers," (I know, we are nerds) was the first team to represent Clemson University in the SPR Cup. Woot, woot, we are so cool. :) In addition to Ryan and I, Zeynep G., Li-Hsin Chen, and Kellie Walters were also on the team, however, for reasons I will explain later, the brunt of the work fell on my shoulders...and nearly crushed me!
The way the SPR cup works is that each team is given access to the same large, publicly available data set and given two months to develop a unique and compelling research question and then answer that question using an advanced and edgy analytic approach. In the competition, each team has ten minutes to describe their question, analysis, results, and implications in an engaging way. Since our team was made up of all leisure scholars, we wanted to stay within our wheelhouse and decided to explore how a mother's PLAYING with her child mediated the relationship between her mental health and her child's risk behavior over time—basically, we wanted to know if play/leisure is important to a child's health and well-being. We used a complex form of a statistical approach called second order latent growth modeling, which at the time I had never even heard of!
As I said before, I ended up doing most of the work on the project since one of the team members decided to do his comprehensive exams (cough, cough, Ryan—the team captain and one who started this whole thing), two left the country (which I felt like doing about halfway through the analysis), and one had too many other commitments (and admittedly wasn't that great at stats anyways). Needless to say, I pretty much spent all day, every day, doing stats for two months and lived in the lab/office across the hall from Dr. Moore's office. Dr. Moore is one of our teachers (as his pupils we sometimes call ourselves "Moore-ons") and he acted as our faculty mentor and my personal, guardian angel throughout the project. Without his help and Michelle's support we (aka. I) never would have been ready for the competition. In fact, I basically re-learned a whole semester's worth of material in about a single month and did nothing but stats until I could do the analysis in my sleep.
It was a great learning experience but I think I shaved off a few years of my life due to stress. The worst part came three days before the competition. We were running our final analysis and expected to spend an hour or so talking about the results and casually discussing the conference. Five hours later, when the analysis and results still weren't making any sense, we departed our separate ways in a panic. Our plan was to regroup on Monday with Dr. Moore, figure it out, and then fly out on Tuesday! I couldn't wait so I went home and spent the next four hours trying to figure out what went wrong. I was able to do it! We had entered and interpreted some data incorrectly and that was throwing us off. I completed the analysis, let the team know that it was fixed and the results made sense, and then crashed. If I ever had a testimony that there was a God and that He loves us, it was in that moment. I felt like my skills had been sharpened and my brain made clear and I was very thankful in my prayers that evening. At that point, having done the majority of the work and put in hundreds of hours I handed everything to Ryan and said "I'm done" and let him figure out the presentation. He was working on the presentation right up until we had to submit it but he did it, and we did it!
In the end, we got third place! I was just glad we didn't look like total buffoons. We held our own and represented Clemson well. That said, I was so tired of stats that I didn't even bother staying for the awards ceremony. I was so fed up with stats that when Michelle volunteered to brave San Fransisco traffic and infrastructure to come pick me up early I jumped at the chance. Thank you for rescuing and supporting me my lover!
The Vacation
Our post competition time was amazing. We swam in the pool with Anderson who is bound to be a little fish and was screaming and splashing and loving every minute of it. Michelle and I were able to go on a date in Davis. We had forgotten how much we missed the diversity and culture of California cities (having now lived two years in a small, rural town with no real "downtown" and very little to do aside from watching football and eating bbq). The humidity (or lack thereof), temperature, etc. were perfect and it was sooooo good to be with family. We got some good game time in as well, and brushed off our Phase 10 and SkipBo skills.
Jenny and Matt also came up so they could be there while we were there (THANK YOU) and it was so good to see them to. We went with mom and Jen to do some thrift store shopping (a must) and all came out with some good finds (It was fun to watch Jen at work :) ).
The Flights
The flight there was surprisingly low-key. Anderson was a little squirmy, but did a great job with nursing and sleeping. He also managed to have eight dirty diapers by the end of the day, five of which happened mid-flight. Those bathrooms are so inadequate for changing diapers of squirmy babies!
The flight back was pretty low-key as well, although there was significantly more wake-time. I think not being able to fully walk and move around helped ease the stress of the flights, since Anderson couldn't try to break free and run down the aisles. One downside on the way back is that we were in front of another large family. One of the kids, probably aged 5, sat behind me (Michelle) and was intentionally kicking the seat. Which kept waking Anderson up. Fortunately the parents were sympathetic, having their own baby, and soon switched places with the kicker.
We got into Atlanta pretty late and loaded up the car for the drive home. We made a quick stop to pick up some food, and then drove home. Anderson slept almost the whole way home, made the transition to bed smoothly, and then slept until 8:30 the next morning, which was a huge blessing! All in all, we loved the trip, spending time with family, and how it felt like real vacation.
To start, the whole trip came about because I (Garrett) had signed up (aka was signed up by my friend Ryan—who often volunteers me to do crazy and time-consuming things) to participate in a statistics competition. It just so happened that the competition was being held in San Fransisco, CA, just an hour away from my home town, and that I had been awarded a grant to participate. Since the school was covering my expenses, we were so close to home, and we only had to pay for a flight for Michelle (Anderson flies free), we decided to make a family trip out of it! Unfortunately, somehow we didn't take very many pictures.
Let me take a moment to explain how the competition works, talk about the results, and then vent about how stressful it was! THEN I will get back to the rest of the trip and how relaxing and great it was!
The Competition
The competition is called the Slobada and Bulkowski Cup and functions as part of the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) annual conference. I was a member of one of six teams chosen to compete (out of thirty teams that applied from universities across the country). Our team, "the Outliers," (I know, we are nerds) was the first team to represent Clemson University in the SPR Cup. Woot, woot, we are so cool. :) In addition to Ryan and I, Zeynep G., Li-Hsin Chen, and Kellie Walters were also on the team, however, for reasons I will explain later, the brunt of the work fell on my shoulders...and nearly crushed me!
The way the SPR cup works is that each team is given access to the same large, publicly available data set and given two months to develop a unique and compelling research question and then answer that question using an advanced and edgy analytic approach. In the competition, each team has ten minutes to describe their question, analysis, results, and implications in an engaging way. Since our team was made up of all leisure scholars, we wanted to stay within our wheelhouse and decided to explore how a mother's PLAYING with her child mediated the relationship between her mental health and her child's risk behavior over time—basically, we wanted to know if play/leisure is important to a child's health and well-being. We used a complex form of a statistical approach called second order latent growth modeling, which at the time I had never even heard of!
As I said before, I ended up doing most of the work on the project since one of the team members decided to do his comprehensive exams (cough, cough, Ryan—the team captain and one who started this whole thing), two left the country (which I felt like doing about halfway through the analysis), and one had too many other commitments (and admittedly wasn't that great at stats anyways). Needless to say, I pretty much spent all day, every day, doing stats for two months and lived in the lab/office across the hall from Dr. Moore's office. Dr. Moore is one of our teachers (as his pupils we sometimes call ourselves "Moore-ons") and he acted as our faculty mentor and my personal, guardian angel throughout the project. Without his help and Michelle's support we (aka. I) never would have been ready for the competition. In fact, I basically re-learned a whole semester's worth of material in about a single month and did nothing but stats until I could do the analysis in my sleep.
It was a great learning experience but I think I shaved off a few years of my life due to stress. The worst part came three days before the competition. We were running our final analysis and expected to spend an hour or so talking about the results and casually discussing the conference. Five hours later, when the analysis and results still weren't making any sense, we departed our separate ways in a panic. Our plan was to regroup on Monday with Dr. Moore, figure it out, and then fly out on Tuesday! I couldn't wait so I went home and spent the next four hours trying to figure out what went wrong. I was able to do it! We had entered and interpreted some data incorrectly and that was throwing us off. I completed the analysis, let the team know that it was fixed and the results made sense, and then crashed. If I ever had a testimony that there was a God and that He loves us, it was in that moment. I felt like my skills had been sharpened and my brain made clear and I was very thankful in my prayers that evening. At that point, having done the majority of the work and put in hundreds of hours I handed everything to Ryan and said "I'm done" and let him figure out the presentation. He was working on the presentation right up until we had to submit it but he did it, and we did it!
In the end, we got third place! I was just glad we didn't look like total buffoons. We held our own and represented Clemson well. That said, I was so tired of stats that I didn't even bother staying for the awards ceremony. I was so fed up with stats that when Michelle volunteered to brave San Fransisco traffic and infrastructure to come pick me up early I jumped at the chance. Thank you for rescuing and supporting me my lover!
The Vacation
Our post competition time was amazing. We swam in the pool with Anderson who is bound to be a little fish and was screaming and splashing and loving every minute of it. Michelle and I were able to go on a date in Davis. We had forgotten how much we missed the diversity and culture of California cities (having now lived two years in a small, rural town with no real "downtown" and very little to do aside from watching football and eating bbq). The humidity (or lack thereof), temperature, etc. were perfect and it was sooooo good to be with family. We got some good game time in as well, and brushed off our Phase 10 and SkipBo skills.
Jenny and Matt also came up so they could be there while we were there (THANK YOU) and it was so good to see them to. We went with mom and Jen to do some thrift store shopping (a must) and all came out with some good finds (It was fun to watch Jen at work :) ).
The Flights
The flight there was surprisingly low-key. Anderson was a little squirmy, but did a great job with nursing and sleeping. He also managed to have eight dirty diapers by the end of the day, five of which happened mid-flight. Those bathrooms are so inadequate for changing diapers of squirmy babies!
The flight back was pretty low-key as well, although there was significantly more wake-time. I think not being able to fully walk and move around helped ease the stress of the flights, since Anderson couldn't try to break free and run down the aisles. One downside on the way back is that we were in front of another large family. One of the kids, probably aged 5, sat behind me (Michelle) and was intentionally kicking the seat. Which kept waking Anderson up. Fortunately the parents were sympathetic, having their own baby, and soon switched places with the kicker.
We got into Atlanta pretty late and loaded up the car for the drive home. We made a quick stop to pick up some food, and then drove home. Anderson slept almost the whole way home, made the transition to bed smoothly, and then slept until 8:30 the next morning, which was a huge blessing! All in all, we loved the trip, spending time with family, and how it felt like real vacation.
Father-Son Outing
Anderson loves to run and loves to be outside. After Norah was born we were couped up in the house for nearly a week but then Nana arrived and saved the day!! Anderson and I took advantage and went on a nice long hike...
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Dear Anderson 11/26/2016
Dear Goob,
Twice in a month! You're napping now, so I figured it was a good time to do a quick documentation. You have molars sprouting up everywhere. I think we are waiting on one on the lower right side, but everything else has come in. And those canines are still SLOW poking along.
You did a somersault for the first time yesterday. You enjoy doing 'Downward Facing Dog' and a Mowgli style walk, but this time you just stuck your cute little bum up higher and higher in the air and flipped over back/sideways! It was pretty exciting. We clapped and cheered and you shrieked and laughed and stomped your feet and then started crying. As you often do when exploring what you can do and learning new things.
You are now saying 'arm' and 'nose' and it kills me with how cute it is. 'Nose' is said rather nasally, with an almost absent 's'. You also say banana like 'nahnahnblahnahblah' and always get excited and stomp your feet and clap. Dude, you are your mama's child! I loved bananas as a kid too.
Yesterday you pointed to the blue and green pyramid rings, respectively, when dad asked you to point them out. We were floored. Dad practices your colors with the legos, and you and I practice with books, but we've never asked you to point out a specific color before. You are one astute little dude, and you love to learn!
Also, you ate a lot of broccoli this week, for which I feel victorious. I've been chopping it up really small and mixing it with shredded parmesan, taco meat, and rice. Win!
*Edit: It's been several weeks since we've nursed; you are officially weaned! You've become a little more snuggly since we've stopped breastfeeding, which is nice. You would have been happy to keep nursing each morning, but I was getting too desperate for my clothes to fit normally again. You've adjusted pretty well, overall. *
Thanksgiving was two days ago and that didn't bring much in the way of exciting new flavors for you. You really liked the sweet potatoes with the streusel topping, and gave the bacon squash a fair try. We were with friends for Thanksgiving and tried a lot of fancy new dishes that were probably a little too unusual for you. BUT, you loved running around the yard and playing with the dog and cat.
I've been trying to do regular play dates with other moms in the ward so you can get out and run around at parks and interact with other kids. You really do love exploring and running.
As always and for always, we love you.
Twice in a month! You're napping now, so I figured it was a good time to do a quick documentation. You have molars sprouting up everywhere. I think we are waiting on one on the lower right side, but everything else has come in. And those canines are still SLOW poking along.
You did a somersault for the first time yesterday. You enjoy doing 'Downward Facing Dog' and a Mowgli style walk, but this time you just stuck your cute little bum up higher and higher in the air and flipped over back/sideways! It was pretty exciting. We clapped and cheered and you shrieked and laughed and stomped your feet and then started crying. As you often do when exploring what you can do and learning new things.
You are now saying 'arm' and 'nose' and it kills me with how cute it is. 'Nose' is said rather nasally, with an almost absent 's'. You also say banana like 'nahnahnblahnahblah' and always get excited and stomp your feet and clap. Dude, you are your mama's child! I loved bananas as a kid too.
Yesterday you pointed to the blue and green pyramid rings, respectively, when dad asked you to point them out. We were floored. Dad practices your colors with the legos, and you and I practice with books, but we've never asked you to point out a specific color before. You are one astute little dude, and you love to learn!
Also, you ate a lot of broccoli this week, for which I feel victorious. I've been chopping it up really small and mixing it with shredded parmesan, taco meat, and rice. Win!
*Edit: It's been several weeks since we've nursed; you are officially weaned! You've become a little more snuggly since we've stopped breastfeeding, which is nice. You would have been happy to keep nursing each morning, but I was getting too desperate for my clothes to fit normally again. You've adjusted pretty well, overall. *
Thanksgiving was two days ago and that didn't bring much in the way of exciting new flavors for you. You really liked the sweet potatoes with the streusel topping, and gave the bacon squash a fair try. We were with friends for Thanksgiving and tried a lot of fancy new dishes that were probably a little too unusual for you. BUT, you loved running around the yard and playing with the dog and cat.
I've been trying to do regular play dates with other moms in the ward so you can get out and run around at parks and interact with other kids. You really do love exploring and running.
As always and for always, we love you.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Lesson in Meekness
Yet another (!!!) draft that I'm catching up on. This is a lesson outline from a few years back.
My calling is the 1st counselor in the Relief Society. As such, I have the opportunity to occasionally teach.
To be honest, I chose this topic because I found it enlightening. Meekness used to be one of those subjects that just seemed bland and distasteful. Kind of like when you lump faith hope and charity together, it suddenly just isn't as appealing to study. However, while reading this conference talk, I found myself nodding in agreement and understanding. *Fist pump of victory. This lesson was born of a talk by Elder Ulysses Soares. The talk can be found here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/be-meek-and-lowly-of-heart?lang=eng
How do we become more meek?
My calling is the 1st counselor in the Relief Society. As such, I have the opportunity to occasionally teach.
To be honest, I chose this topic because I found it enlightening. Meekness used to be one of those subjects that just seemed bland and distasteful. Kind of like when you lump faith hope and charity together, it suddenly just isn't as appealing to study. However, while reading this conference talk, I found myself nodding in agreement and understanding. *Fist pump of victory. This lesson was born of a talk by Elder Ulysses Soares. The talk can be found here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/be-meek-and-lowly-of-heart?lang=eng
What do you think of when you hear the word “Meek”
Typical answers included weak, bland, push-over, spineless, without character or strength, someone who has been put in their place, submissive.
In preparing for this lesson, I came across the following definition. Meekness is a greek derivative of the word Praus, which means a war horse bridled and ready for battle. Wild,
agitated, irritated, made calm. Strength brought under control.
Qualities
of the meek:
-God-fearing, righteous, humble,
teachable, patient in suffering.
-Temperament is calm, docile,
tolerant, and submissive.
-Not weakness, but behave with goodness, kindness, show strength, serenity, healthy self-worth and self-control.
-Not weakness, but behave with goodness, kindness, show strength, serenity, healthy self-worth and self-control.
-Fruit
of the Spirit: lifestyle reflects righteousness. Elder Soares Quote:
“The
Apostle Paul taught that meekness is fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, it can
most easily be attained if we “live in the Spirit.” And to live in the Spirit,
our lifestyle must reflect righteousness before the Lord.”
We are blessed to be born with seed of meekness in
our hearts. - Elder Soares Quote:
“We are blessed to be born with the seed of
meekness in our hearts. We need to understand that it is not possible to grow
and develop that seed in the twinkling of an eye but rather through the process
of time. Christ asks us to “take up our cross daily”, meaning that it must be a
constant focus and desire.”
How do we become more meek?
Steps
to becoming meek:
1. Improve
Day-by–day through Atonement. God’s grace makes up for our shortcomings. President Lorenzo Snow quote:
”We
have our little follies and our weakness; we should try to overcome them as
fast as possible, and… should instill this feeling in the hearts of our
children… that they may learn to behave properly before Him under all
circumstances. If the husband can live with his wife one day without quarreling or without treating anyone unkindly or without grieving the Spirit
of God… he is so far perfect. Then let him try to be the same the next day. But
supposing he should fail in this his next day’s attempt, that is no reason why
he should not succeed in doing so the third day.”
2. Control
Temper
In what settings do you find yourself getting
annoyed/irritated/angry?
What about when people disagree with your ideas?
Your response when someone offends, critiques your
efforts, or unkind?
How do you successfully calm/invite the spirit back?
“At
these moments and in other difficult situations, we must learn to control our
temper and convey our feelings with patience and gentle persuasion. This is
most important within our homes and within our relationships with our eternal
companions.” - Elder Soares
2 Timothy 2: 24-26 (Taken from Elder Soares' talk) “And
the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to
teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and
that they may recover themselves"
What does it mean to recover themselves?
3. Humility:
modest, courteously respectful
“I
believe, brothers and sisters, that only those who are humble are able to
acknowledge and understand the Lord’s answers to their prayers. The humble are
teachable, recognizing how dependent they are on God and desiring to be subject
to His will. The humble are meek and have the ability to influence others to be
the same. God’s promise to the humble is that He will lead them by the hand. I
truly believe that we will avoid detours and sadness in our lives as long as we
walk hand in hand with the Lord.” - Elder Soares
Humility=God leads by the hand
What blessings have come in your life through
humility?
Mahlangu
Story
In
which areas can meekness be a struggle, and how do we reinforce it?
How
can we be meek in relation to others as well as in relation to God?
How
is meekness a precursor to other virtues? According to Elder Maxwell in A Dimension of True Discipleship, it initiates, facilitates,
consolidates.
A
few blessings of meekness
How
might meekness improve one’s quality of life?
“Meekness,
however, is more than self-restraint; it is the presentation of self in a
posture of kindness and gentleness, reflecting certitude, strength, serenity,
and a healthy self-esteem and self-control.” –Elder Maxwell, A Dimension of True
Discipleship
Isa 29:19 The meek also shall increase their ajoy
in the Lord, and the bpoor
among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
“The
meek are filled with awe and wonder with regard to God and His purposes in the
universe. At the same time, the meek are not awestruck by the many frustrations
of life; they are more easily mobilized for eternal causes and less easily
immobilized by the disappointments of the day.” - Elder Maxwell, A Dimension of True Discipleship
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify
the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always
to give an answer to every man that asketh you a
reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
“Brothers and sisters, I believe the Savior
Jesus Christ is the supreme example of meekness. Even during the last moments
of His mortal life, being unfairly accused and condemned, painfully carrying
His cross up to Golgotha, being mocked and cursed by His enemies, being
abandoned by many who knew Him and had witnessed His miracles, He was nailed on
the cross. Even after the most intense physical suffering, the Lord turned to
His Father and spoke from the bottom of His meek and humble heart: Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do. Christ faced extreme physical and
spiritual suffering, giving us the opportunity to change our spiritual
character and become meek like Him.”
If anyone had right to murmur, seek vengeance, it was
He. - Elder Soares
“Meekness, however, is more than self-restraint; it is
the presentation of self in a posture of kindness and gentleness, reflecting
certitude, strength, serenity, and a healthy self-esteem and self-control.”
–Elder Maxwell, A Dimension of True Discipleship
“The meek are filled with awe and wonder with regard to
God and His purposes in the universe. At the same time, the meek are not
awestruck by the many frustrations of life; they are more easily mobilized for
eternal causes and less easily immobilized by the disappointments of the day.”
- Elder Maxwell, A Dimension of True Discipleship
Debugging
This is another post I found in the drafts pile. I believe this is the first "Palmetto Bug", COCKROACH we found here, and Garrett was the unfortunate recipient. He said he was sitting in the living room working on his research when he hear a loud buzzing and something flew past his ear and "THWAPPED!" onto the couch behind him. He spent the next few minutes hunting it down and stuck it in a jar. They are disgusting, foul creatures. They fly and they crunch and they splat. They happen to be a large reason why we (I at least) would like to move back West eventually.
They are also one of three reasons we moved to a different apartment complex, where we get far fewer bugs! Garrett is the benighted cockroach slayer and has my ever-undying gratitude and praise.
Wilkinson Family Reunion-Ensign Ranch 2014
This post has been sitting in our drafts for just over two years! We went to the Wilkinson family reunion right before we moved out to South Carolina.
Apparently Michelle has a mini-meltdown in the days leading up to the trip, as evidenced by this note :)
Wednesday
Before the hike later that afternoon, we played a game called Allhambra with Ila, Glinda and Sabine and not to brag, but Michelle and I took first and second place (beginners luck, I think not; a little cheating?...ask Michelle :) ). So far day one of the reunion had gone perfect and reminded me much of my Stone family reunions...playing games, going on hikes, eating good food. By Friday night we realized the sub theme to Finding Joy in the Journey must have been: To have joy you must eat tacos; because just about every meal involved tortillas and variations of taco/burrito fillings. Despite the fact that the meals where similar, they all had their own unique, tasty spin and there was plenty to go around.
Apparently Michelle has a mini-meltdown in the days leading up to the trip, as evidenced by this note :)
Wednesday
Drive, Drive, Drive...
Before the hike later that afternoon, we played a game called Allhambra with Ila, Glinda and Sabine and not to brag, but Michelle and I took first and second place (beginners luck, I think not; a little cheating?...ask Michelle :) ). So far day one of the reunion had gone perfect and reminded me much of my Stone family reunions...playing games, going on hikes, eating good food. By Friday night we realized the sub theme to Finding Joy in the Journey must have been: To have joy you must eat tacos; because just about every meal involved tortillas and variations of taco/burrito fillings. Despite the fact that the meals where similar, they all had their own unique, tasty spin and there was plenty to go around.
Thursday
The theme for the reunion this year was "Finding Joy in
the Journey." This mantra came after sifting through a variety of other
themes including its sister with a negative connotation "Endure to the
End." I think we all agreed a family reunion was doomed to fail if we all
felt we'd have to "endure" each other's presence for the few short
days we were together.
Michelle and I (one of the newer members of the family) got
to share the opening message and introduce the theme. We shared a few thoughts
from the scriptures and from President Monson's last conference message aptly
titled "Finding Joy in the Journey." We focused on the idea that we
were meant to have Joy in this life (see 2 Nephi 2:25) and that we could choose
to be happy despite our circumstances (see Alma 62: 41; 3 Nephi 6:13). It was
Abraham Lincoln who said "I reckon most people are just about as happy as
they make up their minds to be." And, President Monson who said
"choose to find joy in the journey now"
(emphasis added).
Michelle highlighted some key points from the Monson talk.
First, that we need to focus on the most important things in our
lives--people--letting go of the past and prioritizing the present people in
our lives. Secondly, she reminded us of the need to be grateful, to focus on
what we have and not on what we are missing in our lives. As Elder Uchtdorf reminds
us, we ought to be grateful in our
circumstances not for things.
After the thought, we tried to sort out the climbing wall
and realized the communication and scheduling at ensign ranch had much to be
desired (along with the good qualities of course--don't want to sound too whiny
and cynical). Climbing would be
postponed until Friday so we could go on the hike to Franklin Falls.
No matter how much I love the natural and unique beauty of
Utah, the lush, green forests of Washington never cease to amaze me. The rich,
clear pools of water, grandiose, cascading waterfalls and thick, exotic looking
growth remind me of my time in the Australian rainforest or New Zealand back
country.
The hike, like most others I have done in Washington was
gorgeous and Michelle and I took some time to explore off trail, to rock hop,
and to jog along the dirt paths. We especially enjoyed the chatter in the car
on the way to and from the falls with Mom Spencer and cousin Kara.
Here's our confession--Thursday night we definitely snuck away to our cabin to finish watching season one of the Legend of Korra series on our portable DVD player. Thank goodness for technology in the wilderness--bring on season 2.
Upon returning home we were able to laugh away our worries
with Danny, Mom, and Ethan and fall fast asleep.
Here's our confession--Thursday night we definitely snuck away to our cabin to finish watching season one of the Legend of Korra series on our portable DVD player. Thank goodness for technology in the wilderness--bring on season 2.
Friday
Today we took advantage of the canoes on the lake. Although
Michelle hates lake scum and we both quickly realized we'd need to communicate better
to joyfully and successfully direct a canoe, we had fun. The lake was pretty
nasty nast, but we enjoyed our jaunt and then watched the little cousins (and
some of the big ones) slide down the slip n slide while enjoying our ice cream
bars on the side lines.
That afternoon we got to spearhead the climbing activity on
the Ensign Ranch rock wall. Michelle was my bouncer and helped so much with
preparing participants and managing the group while I trained belayers and
supervised safety and climbing. We make a good team. Thanks again to Ethan,
Uncle Kevin, and Cousin Rebecca for being my belayers and helping cleanup.
We almost had a major problem about thirty minutes into our
climbing when Larry (that name was thrown out like a title--commander in chief)
showed up in a panic and said he didn't have any record of my climbing
certification. I had an email that said I was good to go and got the go ahead
from the front desk but somehow Larry hadn't received confirmation and was
going to shut us down. We troubleshot for a minute or two and then thanks to
borrowed smart phone technology (it slaps us in the face every day and reminds
us we need to upgrade) I was able to
show him my credentials. We belayed the
whole family and had a blast watching the tiny tikes bravely climb the wall.
Some of the kids had total trust, no fear or inhibitions and
would have climbed a wall twice as high if we had told them they could do so
safely. I sometimes wish I still had that kind of trust and courage and wasn't
so paralyzed by fear, doubt, etc. All in all it was a really fun experience and
I was able to confirm that I wasn't a certified fraud. Haha.
That night we decided that rather than staying over one more
night at the ranch we would pack up and scoot out early. We said our goodbyes
and got on the road (after a few stops to pet horses and get gas---thankfully
so considering what happened on our drive). On the way to Maple Valley we saw
what looked like a terrible accident. At first I didn't notice it, we just
drove over a spot in the road that had odd and unexpected splotches of red.
These, we later discovered, or rather realized, were blood stains from the
wreckage we had just passed. Michelle, as the passenger was able to see that a
car was on its side and another overturned on the roadside. Though many others
had stopped to see to this tragic accidents' victims, we quickly called those
we loved who were travelling ahead of us and behind us to ensure they weren't
involved in the accident and remained so (this was Michelle's quick
thinking--I'll be glad to have her at my side in intense situations--second
coming included). In addition to the cars, she saw what looked like smaller
bodies or figures strewn across the edge of the road so we also offered a
prayer in behalf of the victims.
Our belief is the blood and bodies we saw were actually
remnants of a deer that had been hit, causing the accident, and hope that there
were no fatalities but the truth is yet to be uncovered. After that, we were just anxious to get home
as safely as possible. A little shaken despite having seen and been in fairly
intense accidents prior to this one.
Again, though I sometimes roll my eyes when Michelle want to stop and
pet a milk cow or coo at a horse, I was grateful to be a few minutes back on
the road and to have avoided a potentially fatal and sorrowful night.
Saturday
Today
the house turned into a construction zone. Michelle was patching holes
and prepping for paint while I sanded railings and the hearth for
staining. In the afternoon we wanted to go for a swim and decided to
check out Ethan's place of employ "Angle Lake Park." Turns out the
people of Washington like to go to the lake, and the city management of
Washington does not like to provide parking. Rather than drive in
circles competing for parking spots we took off early and ran some
errands.
In
the evening we decided that between the work and the heat we needed a
good ole fashioned movie and the lot for choosing the movie fell with
me. I of course made the obvious choice and picked a movie that would
appeal to all (or not)--the magnificent seven, starring Steve McQueen,
Charles Bronson, and a host of their famous contemporaries. Needless to
say, the movie is longer than I remember and by the end of the flick I
was the only one still awake in the room to watch. Oops.
Sunday
We had a picnic in the park after church with Annie's family, and one of Annie's friends and her family. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon, especially since the next day was spent sleeping and driving.
Sunday
We had a picnic in the park after church with Annie's family, and one of Annie's friends and her family. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon, especially since the next day was spent sleeping and driving.
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