First Day of First Grade

So Yesterday Boo started 1st Grade...where has the time gone.

Sunday night we had a nice dinner, then talked about school. We discussed what she was excited for and what was on her mind.
I was then able to give her a fathers blessing as well as give Nat one.

I am so grateful for the restored authority and priesthood of God that allows me to do this.

It is a blessing of comfort and peace that comes no other way.

Share the Goodness

I am so grateful I had several boring conference calls scheduled today that I only had to half listen too. I was able to watch on line the Devotional from BYU Education week. I had wanted to go to Education week again but decided to save my 60 bucks.

Elder Bednar gave a talk on social media and what he thinks of it.
https://www.lds.org/church/share/goodness?cid=HPMO081814340&lang=eng

Here is the link to watch it if you are so inclined.

It was a gre4at talk full of nothing really majorly new but a urge by an apostle to flood the world with goodness.

So grateful I could listen/watch this today.

too long gone

How time flies when you’re not noting it.

It has been far too long since last I wrote on here. As always I am so grateful for all that happens to us.

Update on our lives:

My dad is now a resident of the Veteran’s Home in Ogden.

His health has made it so My mom can no longer take care of him at home. So many little miracles happened to get him to be in where he is. Usually there is a 2 year waiting list but circumstances happened just right that he got in. They take such good care of him. I visit every Tuesday afternoon.

Nat and I were released from our Church callings, her from Young Women’s and me from the Stake Young Men’s Presidency. We are now teaching 5 Sunbeams in Primary.

It is nice working with her but I have to admit I still am working on catching the vision of the call. But the kids love us and even make sure they drag their parents to Church so they can come to Primary.

My job is a job…so grateful that I have a way to provide our family with money so that Nat can stay home with Boo.

This is the last week of Sumner for Boo. Next Monday she starts 1^st Grade. Not sure Nat is ready for her to be out of her sight and control for a whole day, 5 days a week but Boo is excited.

I am so grateful for blessing that come even if I don’t deserve them.

Little things happen that as they ripple out have mighty change.

As for my list about myself in 10 years…I’m working on it. Report to follow.

My Self in 10 Years

I was greatly impressed with some of the speeches at this past weekend’s Academy Awards.

Mostly with Matthew McConaughey's speech.

The thought of having your hero be yourself but 10 years from now is amazing and it got me to thinking where do I want to be 10 years from now.

Here are the facts:

• I will be 65 (man that sounds old)
• My kids will be older but in particular Boo will be 16. Dating, High school and all that comes with it.
• My grandkids will be in Young Men’s and Young Women’s or very close to it.
• I doubt my Dad will still be here but you never know.
• My wife will still melt my heart and soul every time I look at her.
• We will still be in the same house…We love the Ward and neighborhood, not necessarily the house (yet)

Where do I personally want to be…wow that is a deep question.

• I still want to be my wife’s best friend. Need to keep her #1 in all that I do or plan on doing.
• I want to be Boo’s best buddy as she calls me. Items mention below will help with this as well as always remembering to listen and not judge or snap decisions for her.
• I want my grandkids to know who Papa is and get excited when they know we are going to talk. This means I have to make an effort to go see them and get to know them and they me. Time invested is the biggest thing as well as listening.
• Nat and I plan on doing a mission once Boo gets on one herself or into collage so that leads to some must have right off the bat. (Now this is more a 13 year plan but it still fits)
• Financially ready. Enough savings to cover things.
• Physically ready.  Belly gone, in shape, strong enough and healthy.
• Spiritually ready. To be so in tune with how the Spirit works with me personally that I can act on the promptings received and do what He would want.

Nothing that is impossible nor will it be extra easy…So how do I accomplish my 65 year old self when looking at the list above.

• Work on projects around the house that Nat and I have been ignoring or I am too lazy to do.
• This means starting the painting in the kitchen then the floors and move to finish the basement. Not to mention the long list I have for the yard.
• Save Save and Save. Do not waste my money on things of no real value. Junk food, Gas Station Hotdogs, will not only help save money but will lead into losing the weight and getting in shape.
• Daily Family prayer
• Daily Family Scripture study
• Personal Prayer and Study and I mean real study…digging deep and searching for the meanings that lay there.
• Regular Temple attendance with my wife and by myself.
• Meaningful fasting. Doing it with a purpose in mind. (This will be the hardest thing for me personally)
• Don’t waste time on those shows or TV or Books that will not aid in reaching the ultimate goal. This doesn’t mean to enter a monastery, good books and movies can help uplift and sustain a person.
• Laughter is always a welcome part of my life.
• Exercise…yes even daily exercise. I guess I must say it need to be real exercise, the kind I see Nat do and not just phoning it in walking on the tread mill.
• Making prayer a vital part of my job. Everything seems to flow smoother if I take the time to kneel down in my office and discus work items with Him. I have asked for miracles to happen and they have. If I am praying about work little things seem to happen to make things just work. Clients are not upset when I thought they would blow up, deliveries seem to happen early, My team seem to behave better with each other.

Make and take the time for my grandkids.

 Well the first thing I have to do is to decide that I start today and not think “Oh Monday would be the best time to start this sort of thing.”

 So I guess once I fix the hot water heater leak at home I need to head to the gym…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some days you have to search…

Today started out very messy. After a long weekend, work shoved its head into the quiet of the morning. My team called to tell me the phones didn’t seem to be working. I put a ticket in with the help desk and got the usual, duh response. Then my main contact at my client called with a totally different problem. Now he rarely calls me, and when he does it usually means storm clouds ahead. This time was no different. Due to someone else not doing their job in a timely manner, as they are trusted to do, I looked bad and my client is now screaming.

Long story short version, I had to come into the office when I had planned on working from home. I had to deal with people that do not report to me but caused the goof. I had to put in place a new, time consuming process to avoid future problems and to babysit said people to ensure they do what they say.

All this before 11 in the morning…

However, I am grateful I have a job that I can get paid enough so that Boo has her mom at home. It pays enough that we have the basics that we need with a few trips to Disney each year (as long as we keep it under a set amount)

I am grateful for a wonderful wife that makes miracles happen with the money.

I am grateful for a house to live in even if it has costs us more this year than we ever thought possible.

And I am grateful that I have my health…ok I feel better now, and it’s not even noon.

 

I just might be old!

On Friday we celebrated my oldest child’s 30^th birthday. I hadn’t given the age much thought until my daughter said, “Does it make you feel old to have your oldest turn 30?”

I was then flooded with memories over the years of her being born, the excitement and adjustment of a new baby. Starting to crawl, then walk, then get into everything. Her personality coming into it’s own. Starting nursery in Primary, starting school. It was then that I hauled up short thinking; your youngest is starting school on Monday. That’s when the mixed part started.

I love being a grand pa (Papa) and am so proud of my 4 wonderful grandkids. I also am a proud father of 4 wonderful kids. Just so happens they range in ages 30, 27, 24 and 5.

So while I felt old for a second on thinking My baby girl is 30 with 3 babies of her own, I also had the tug on my pant leg from a very active 5 year old wanting to tell me about how she could jump off the stage all by herself.

Family is everything to me…No success or joy comes into my life that can compare to the thrill of seeing my kids do well and be happy. Whether it’s doing well at their job, or with their own families, or giving a talk and singing at a funeral for a loved one or just being happy where they are at. Even if where they are at is being able to jump off the stage by themselves.

I love having my grandkids smile when they see Papa has come into the room.

I love seeing my wife smile, which is a true peek into heaven for me.

So yes I am old, but I just don’t have the time to think about it…

Sometimes getting old is cool!

Well, I now am the very proud grandfather to another wonderful granddaughter. That makes 2 grandsons and 2 granddaughters.

Mom and Baby are doing fine. As I held her I was overcome with the thought that this is one of the great things about getting old.
You get to see your kids having kids and the instant love and protective feeling that comes with that.

Each of my kids are very unique. The 2 that are married picked very unique people as well.
My grandkids each are their own selves. Their personalities and their mannerisms crack me up.

I am so grateful that I have the kids I do. I am so grateful that at my mid 50 age that I get to have my youngest be 5 and my grand kids be extremely close to that.
It is a magical thing to be a Papa and Dad to preschoolers.

I am also extremely grateful for a wife that not only makes me smile, but gives me strength and support just by thinking of her and looking at her picture.

Jo and Josh I am so happy for you and the boys. Thanks for letting me be part of their lives.