Watermelon with hair!

So Tommy's new favorite toy is...a watermelon! He cried when we cut one up for our picnic the other day, so we went and bought him one of those little watermelons for him to play with. On the way home from the store, Alice heard in the back seat Tommy saying something he says to her a lot, "Your hair is so pretty...hair so pretty." She turned around and saw Tommy with a pink comb running it down the sides of the watermelon like he was combing its hair! He kept saying " So pretty, your hair is so pretty." He must have seen the light and dark contrast in the green stripes that are exaggerated on those smaller watermelons, and then thought it was hair. He loves his new toy! Or should I say sister?

Welcome to the New America!

In recognition of the momentous event that took place yesterday, February 17, 2009, with the signing into law of the completely bipartisan (did I say that? I meant grossly partisan) Government Stimulus, oh, pardon me, the Economic Stimulus Package, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to simply say--welcome to the New America! FDR had his New Deal, now Obama has his New America. An America where capitalism is reigned in, not set free; an America where the people are rewarded based on need and not merit, an America where the desire to succeed must now be tempered with a recognition that the greater you succeed, the more intimate will become your financial relationship with the government. Make more, keep less--get used to it. Our own Vice-President has proudly proclaimed that it is our patriotic duty to pay taxes. Be a patriot, give the government your money! Help them save irresponsible business while indirectly punishing the responbile ones! Our government is now bigger, badder, and bolder than ever before. The latest word is, this is just the beginning. More steps may be necessary...but what's another 400 billion next month when we spent twice that this month? Axelrod, Geitner, and others are certainly speaking that way as of late. I believe what we need now is what Reagan sought to achieve--and accomplished--in the early 80's: "What we're trying to do is alter the economic situation (one much worse than today's) by changing one simple two-letter word, economic control by government to economic control on government." A last thought from the man who embodies the America that I believe in, what I can now only hold onto in spirit, idealism, and hope due to its death in political reality: "We always must ask: Is government working to liberate and empower the individual? Is it creating incentives for people to produce, save, invest, and profit from legitimate risks and honest toil? Is it encouraging all of us to reach for the stars? Or does it seek to compel, command, and coerce people into submission and dependence? Ask these questions, because no matter where you look today, you will see that development depends on economic freedom." -- Ronald Reagan, October 15, 1981.

"They have kind of a layaway plan for your lives which never changes. It's called, 'Americans make, government takes.'" - Remarks at the National Conference of the National Federation of Independent Business, June 22, 1983.

Visit Jeff's NEW Blog!

In an effort to keep this blog focused more on family and fun, I have created a separate blog for political discussions (something many of us are fond of doing quite often). I invite everyone to check it out and post your ideas and thoughts on politics. Why are they important? Do they really matter? Are "We the people" really the driving force behind the government, or has it become "We the government?" How have political ideologies evolved, and how harmonized are new ones with the original ideas of the founders? Lots of good stuff to discuss!

Check it out at:
http://www.jeffspoliticalcorner.blogspot.com

Why my boys make life hard....(in a good way!)

Do you think Tommy likes dessert? What can I say, Alice and I are teaching him the most important things first (that at mealtime, the best thing usually comes last). Kids learn best by example, right? Maybe we should consider cutting back on the sweets! Anyways, Tommy and Jonas are precious boys. While it's hard not working at a job (I've been looking for full-time employment for 3 months, I'm only working 10 hours a week now), it is a privilege and joy beyond joy to have so much time with them. They actually make it hard to find a job because I just get so caught up in doing things with them and taking care of them. At the same time, it fuels my motivation to always be trying to improve my resume (isn't there only so many ways to spin your skills and experience? I've discovered them all). I want to get working full-time to provide better for them. I can't necessarily say that they deserve more, because what they are receiving in terms of time, love, and attention from both of us is astounding, but they deserve more in terms of a father who is a full-time provider and building financial security as opposed to someone who just manages to make it by each month. It will be hard to not have as much time with my boys every day as I do now. While going to work full-time will feel good in terms of providing, in 20 years I will look back with greater fondness for the time spent at home, not in the office. I guess there's a fine balance to be struck here, and while I'm certainly way out of balance right now in terms of my professional life, for the time being it's not such a bad balance because at least the side being favored is family and not profession!

Question Answered...

I'm a Jeopardy nut, and as such I often think in the form of a question. So when I saw this picture, the first thought that immediately popped into my head was, of course, a question: "What are two of my absolutely, positively most favorite things in the whole world?"

Happy Thanksgiving!

We truly have much to be grateful for. I've been pretty down the last few weeks due to my slow job search and the elections, but it's good to remember that life is ALWAYS filled with reasons to be happy and grateful. I know that I'll find a job eventually, and Obama's presidency will only be 4 years, and that's a good place to start.

Of course the greatest blessings are first and foremost the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without that, then I wouldn't appreciate or value ANYTHING else as much as I do. Without that, even my family wouldn't be quite as special because I wouldn't exist within the reality of our being an ETERNAL family. My family is a close second, however. My beautiful wife who loves me and my boys is the best thing. I love Alice! She makes me feel such a deep love for everything good. Our boys are also so wonderful. I experience a joy and happiness I never knew existed when I simply sit back and look at them. Seeing their smiles, hearing their laughs, deepens my joy to a degree I have never before known in my life.

Beyond my own immediate family, I am grateful for my own (and Alice's) parents, siblings, and aunts, uncles, and cousins who I love just as much. Families are awesome, and even though I don't see my extended family NEARLY as much as I would like to, I feel just as committed and willing to help any of them out as I would my own immediate family.

This is a great country we live in. The freedoms it affords are truly worth fighting for. We should be proud to be set apart from the rest of the world, because our Lord Himself made that distinction thousands of years ago. His words, His prophecy, weren't limited to that time only. They were words for any group of people who would inhabit the land. The United States of America is truly a city set on a hill. Just as being Latter-day Saints makes us peculiar, different, and at times even a target, being an American is a unique privilege that sets us apart from the world, of course in a non-boastful or wrongly prideful way. Because this nation is great, there are hundreds of thousands who currently serve in our Armed Forces and millions more who have served. . . .and among that number, countless known and unknown who have sacrificed their lives. They have taken all that they have, were, and ever hoped to be, and laid it upon the altar of sacrifice in defense of freedoms and liberties which are truly worth living for because they are also worth dying for.

There is so much more to be grateful for. Throughout history, there have been people that deserve our adulation. There have been events which clearly show the hand of God divinely manifest in the lives of His children on the Earth. The fact that He cares enough about us to make it known through often small, minute, yet spiritually intimate experiences is cause enough to celebrate for an entire day reveling in gratitude for His divine goodness. Not only through our past, but in our present is much to be grateful for. Another great blessing is friendship. I consider my family my friends, and my friends are like family. Alice and I have been blessed with great friends both as individuals before we met and friends we have come to know since our marriage.

We are surrounded by so many things that give us cause to be grateful. Unfortunately, in today's world, it is harder than ever to see them. It seems that solitude is extinct. With cell phones, iPods, computers, and a myriad of other gizmos and gadgets, we can be constantly inundated with noise, distraction, and ever connected to the world. It's no coincidence that Satan is trying to destroy the very thing we need to draw close to the Spirit, hear the Holy Ghost, and receive inspiration, that is peace, silence, and time to ourselves where we are free to ponder and pray without fear of receiving a text message or phone call. Conveniences are not evil, but too much of anything is. I am grateful for the experiences in my life that have helped me learn to find frequent opportunites to turn off the cell phone, get away from computers and work, and do something as simple (and in the world's view probably boring) as sitting in quiet solitude left with nothing but my thoughts.

Although I could go on, for those who have stuck with me this far in reading all this I'll give you a break now. Life is awesome and worth living. One last thought I have to share, and that is a reminder to be mindful of those less fortunate than us. There are many today without the means to provide a warm meal or even a warm shelter for themselves and their loved ones. Let's remember them, sincerely and deeply, in our prayers and actions. I pray for the Lord's love to warm the hearts of those who are underprivileged and struggling. Regardless of how much anyone has in comparison to others, with the Lord's love smiling upon us and warming our hearts we truly have everything worth anything.

Update....thoughts (economic).....go Cougars!

Sorry it's been a couple of weeks since the last posting. I didn't want every posting to be political and the last few weeks most of my thoughts have revolved around politics. Not much new has happened for us. I'm still looking for a full-time job and have some applications out and in the meantime Alice and I are enjoying our time together and with the kids.

One quick semi-political thought, it's on the economy. When would you last say the economy was as bad as it is now? With the political campaigning of the last few months, especially from Obama, the economic condition was made out to be the worst since the Depression. Several claims have been made that Obama will inherit the worst economy since FDR was elected. A great effort to try to immediately link Obama to a good (not great) president of history (not to mention their recent efforts comparing him to Lincoln...that gave me a good laugh). Anyways, in our lifetimes a President has inherited an economy in much worse shape than this one. Guesses? Ronald Reagan inherited the Carter economy which had much higher unemployment, inflation, not to mention interest rates more than double what they are now. Mortgage rates in the late 70s skyrocketed to the low and middle teens. And what solved those problems? Reagonomics. Unfortunately, I don't think Obama will learn from that historical lesson. Especially since when during the early primaries he actually complimented Reagan, the Democrats jumped down his throat for it and he quickly "clarified" what he actually meant to say. Government IS the problem, not the solution to the problem (a sentiment 60% of Americans in the last election agree with according to exit polls across the nation). Enough of that.

In other news, the state of Utah is abuzz with excitement for the annual Holy War. This year has pretty high stakes, although it doesn't feel any different for me. Every year feels the same, and I get pretty maxed out on my hype for this game regardless of the stakes. I mean, it's BYU vs. Utah, can anything really make me want to beat them even more? I don't care if there are championships or millions of dollars in BCS bowl games on the line. Take all that away and I'll still want BYU to beat Utah just as much as I always do. The greatest reward in the game isn't a championship or money, but simple bragging rights, plain and simple. It's superiority and dominance over the Pukes up north. Nothing else really matters...at least for me.