Sealing, Baby, and graduation

Two really special events have occurred in the past week…well, actually three, but who's counting. In order of eternal priority:

Kevin and Jenny were sealed in the Jordan River Temple last Wednesday (June 3, 2009). It was so wonderful to have them ready and willing to make the sacred covenants necessary to have an eternal family. And little Hayden was such a cute young man in his white clothes. It was a long night but well worth all the time and preparation everyone made. When Hayden was brought into the sealing room, he was pretty tired but very game to do his part. Teresa was holding him while his hand was placed on Kevin and Jenny's and then he just laid his little head on the top of all the hands and looked up at his mommy and daddy with those big beautiful eyes of his. What a special moment for all of us.

We took a few pictures after everything was done but I don't have any right now. I will post them when I get them from Josh. We were just so pleased that Kevin and Jenny have taken this big step in their lives and the lives of their children.

On Sunday (June 7) we all went down to Provo to participate in the blessing for Brian and Paula's little girl, Katherine Dawn. She is healthy, strong, and full of life and Brian gave her a very special blessing. There will be lots of work for all the members of that family as they bless and raise Becca but they will all do well. Grandma and Grandpa Grange and Uncle Therron and Aunt Estelle came up from Huntington and all our kids but Melissa and Josh DeMoux were there (they are away in California for vacation). We all had a great time and had a great visit. (I guess I should also mention that Paula's family was there for the blessing and have been here all week, helping with Becca and things. Becca has an appointment today for and MRI to see if they can define what she has a little better. We are hoping!!??)

Lastly, Friday was Joel's High School Graduation. We went to the E-Center (a cavernous, loud and echoey joint that is used mostly for hockey games) and sat, listening to…not much because the sound system is really bad. But Joel was excited and had a good time with his friends for the last hurrah. Afterward we all went out to dinner and got a chance to make sure Joel was well appreciated for his efforts. Now we have to get him out to work so he can be ready for college. Oh, and while things were ponderously moving along, we caught Joel in a candid moment. Enjoy this vintage Joel moment and know that this is pretty much who he is. We love him and are so glad he is with us and yes, he really can be silly sometimes.

The end is near

School is almost over…well, it IS over for most of the students but the district makes them come for a few more days. It makes no sense to me to collect all the books and then expect the kids to come to school for another week and an half…and then get mad when they don't seem to care. But I'm not in charge so I will just enjoy these last few days and get ready for the summer. We have finished all the awards banquets and final assemblies for Joel so now we are just biding our time till he moves on to his next adventure. Should be interesting to see how he does this summer.

The DeMoux's are headed out on their family vacation next weekend and grandma has been plotting to make things sort of fun for them all. There will be some surprises to make the trip a little easier and give Melissa and Josh a little relief. I don't know if all Grandma's are like Teresa, but she is constantly coming up with ideas to make things cool for the little ones. I suppose when they are older they will look back and say their grandma was pretty neat but right now I don't know if they really get it.

We also are getting ready for our own trip to Jamaica in July. There are so many things to get ready and so many arrangements that it has become a logistics nightmare…but Teresa has it all in hand and we will be fine. We just found out that if we want to use our Garmin while we are there, it will cost $100 to upgrade to new maps. I guess we can buy a paper map and save a bunch of money. Although it is nice to have someone yelling at you as you drive and go the wrong way ("recalculating…you big dummy"). Things should be exciting for our summer so we will keep you informed.

Woops!!! Missed a few weeks.

It has been some time since I posted to our blog so I am offering this short entry to pacify the loyal fans who have missed the adventures of our family. Mostly, we have been involved in Joel's baseball games, plays, performances, and assorted activities. It never ends at this age. We are always going somewhere for something and mostly we love it.

Baseball has finally ended and the high school team did pretty well. They took fourth in their region and played four games in the state playoffs. Joel played in two of the games and pinch hit in the other two. I think he had a good year but he is already missing baseball. Don't know how much he will be able to play this summer because he needs to work and he has a college class he needs to take. Maybe he will just be a regular boy for a while.

I am including a video of Joel and his friend Gabe as they performed at the school talent show. They did very well and were pleased enough that they are going to try out for a competition at one of the fairs this summer. Enjoy and I will try to be better about posting

Wicked, Babies, Conference

OK, I am tardy with a post to our blog but I have been busy and lazy and just about every excuse you can think of for the past month. And since I can't remember everything that has happened I will probably just make a short entry this time. Today we are waiting anxiously for Paula to have her new little girl. The doctors have induced her and they are just waiting for the workings of the mortal frame to take over and push that little angel out to this dark and dreary world. We have Becca today and will be going down after the delivery to help things get set up. Paula's mom is here so we won't be staying long but we want to see the new addition and finally hear what she will be called.

Last night we began our family adventure to the musical Wicked. Josh, Heather, Brian, Paula, Joel and his date went up to Capitol Theater and enjoyed a night out watching witches and wizards do their thing. Tonight Kevin, Jenny, Missy and Josh will be attending and Saturday is the day for Mom and Dad to make an appearance. So far all have had glowing reviews and have been thrilled with the experience. Who knew a green skinned witch could create such a stir in a community.

We just finished General Conference and were very excited with the messages given by our leaders. It seems they are trying to prepare us for the events of the times by helping us draw closer to the Lord. I especially enjoyed Elder Hales message on how to prepare for difficult times. You might want to consider some of his thoughts and see how they apply to your lives. Actually, it would be good for anyone to listen or read all the messages given by the Prophets. It sure is nice to know that God doesn't leave us alone in these difficult times.

Went to the Green River with Josh last week and we had a pretty good time. Our trailer was comfortable except that the battery was dead and we had no heat the first night. It was only 7 degrees so we piled blankets and made it through all right. Found a place to charge the battery and slept better the next night. Fishing was good Saturday and the weather was much nicer. Don't have many pics so this will have to do.

Teresa and I got a new camera and I will be posting a few pics to show the difference from our old one. Should be fun when we go to Jamaica. See ya next time.

Matt is visiting

Baseball season is back and we are gearing up for all the travel, sitting, freezing, burning, cheering, weeping (figuratively speaking), etc. that goes with it. Joel is a senior but his position is manned by seniors so we aren't sure how much he will play. For sure, he will catch when Clint pitches but who knows on the other days. His attitude is good and I believe that if he hits enough he will be on the field. We'll see how things turn out this season.

We are starting to have spring type weather here in the valley. It snowed last week but the forecast is for the 60's by early next week. Today is very pleasant and I am sure Teresa is glad because she is up in Ogden at a game. We aren't quite ready to plant a garden but it is nice to have some warm weather after a long winter. Maybe we will get some flowers in soon so the front yard looks better.

Josh and I are headed out to the Green River in a couple of weeks. We were hoping Heather and Teresa might get to go but other things forced a change in our plans. One of these days I hope to get Teresa out on a river so she can try fishing on her own. She's not very excited but I think she might like i1000000000t if she gave it a whirl.

I'm tending Matt and daycare kids right now and Matt wants to type so I have to give him a minute. 8ui/ 000000000000000000000000+565656opooi9b7hjj all the weird stuff was him (even those things in the upper part). He has a real knack for finding strange combinations. Better run so he can have a playmate.

Sickness, Last-times and Peace

Whatever it is that has stricken our house is pretty strong. There are coughs and headaches and aches and pains galore all through the home we call home. Teresa and Joel went back to the doctor today and were given even more antibiotics to treat their diseased systems. Hopefully these will have better effect than the previous efforts. This has been a tough cold and flu season for our house and many in our ward, school and neighborhood. I have an average of 2 kids out nearly every day in every class and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Maybe this is one of those plagues that are the precursor to the Millennium? Or maybe we are just being tested to see if we will begin to remember God more in our lives. Ask me in a few hundred years and I will let you know which it is.

Joel's play ended last Monday (see Missy's blog for info on her kids participation) and we have officially begun the "last-time" days for our final child. These days usually come during the senior year of high school and include things like last dances, last parties, last games and last plays. It is really just a realization that a particular part of life is coming to an end and the victim (or loved one) has no idea what may be coming in the near future. Yes, there are missions, college, work, and marriage lying in wait but after so many years in the safe environment of 'growing up', uncertainty is all that can be seen. No one has ever died from a "last-time" experience but many have been injured emotionally as they have struggled to let go of the old ways and move to the new. Joel has not been obsessed with these things yet but I suspect he will begin to see more of their appearances in the near future. Sure hope he can handle things. J

Today was a make-up day for parent/teacher conference so I had some time to attend the temple. My original plan was to go to an endowment session but I was a little slow getting there so I settled for some initiatories. I was pleasantly surprised to find a wonderful feeling of peace, over and above my normal experience, as I participated in these ordinances. It was a reminder to me that we can become accustomed to some of the spiritual experiences found in life. There also is a tendency on our part to expect great swellings every time we do something relating to the Spirit. More often than not, we must wait and cherish these special times and use them as building blocks in our personal growth. If God were to give us extraordinary experiences every time we did well, we would lose some of our ability to choose for ourselves how to live. By letting us feel and build and wait and then feel again, we anticipate the coming times when the Holy Ghost manifests to us something above the normal joyful/peaceful feelings we have in the temple (or any other spiritual events in our lives). At least that's how it felt to me as I considered my day at the temple. Is that how it is for you?

Hoof’n’Mouth and Leaders

I don't suppose this happens to anyone else but I again find myself looking rather stupid because my mouth got away from my common sense module. Most of the time I can cover things up with a few choice words OR I can pretend it didn't happen and move on, but this time I have placed the foot squarely (or roundly) in my mouth and it won't come out. Thankfully, I don't notice that this malady has transferred to the next generation of my family so I can only conclude that my sweet wife has been able burn this pernicious fiend from the lives of our children. Anyways, my faux-paux was in my communications with the above mentioned sweetness of my life…I said something that was hurtful to her and it was not take-backable. I mean, I tried to take it back but it was already said and the hurt did not go away when I asked for it back. Being a rather insensitive brute and lacking many of the basic people skills necessary to make it through life without giving offense to many, I have done this sort of thing many times. I expect that someday (probably in the eternities) I will have a sufficiently protective barrier on my mouth to prevent these happenings…but in this mortal venue I am still prone to spew forth these little harmful things. My only hope is that the generosity of soul and largeness of heart contained in Teresa's persona will continue to forgive my weakness of character.

Recently there was a talk given by Hugh Nibley that surfaced on my desk and became the object of my interest. It was called "Leaders and Managers" and shared some of his feelings on the differences between a leader and one who manages. He used as his basic comparison the difference between Amalickiah and Moroni (of the captain variety). Where Moroni was interested in what was right and was seeking to bless all people, Amalickiah was only interested in finding a way to become the 'manager' of a nation. It was very interesting to compare the methods of each man and the results of their efforts, both in their personal lives and also in the lives of those they worked with. I think my main harvest from the experience was to understand that managers are concerned with what they get from their people and efforts and leaders are interested in how the people fare from their efforts. True leaders will do what is right, no matter what the political, business, monetary or other repercussions might be. It is the focus of 'what's in it for me' as opposed to 'how can I bless others.' That is why Joseph Smith, Christ and other great leaders were considered so special. But while Joseph was an excellent leader he may not have been the best manager because he was more concerned for people that he was for status or privilege. He was more interested in the heart and soul of the individual than he was in the status or wealth of his own life. I wonder what would happen if those who manage our country would change their emphasis and try to lead. Wouldn't it be nice to see something like that???

Some time this spring I believe that Josh (and maybe Heather) and I will be heading out on a fishing trip. That presumes that we are all healthy on the same weekend. We'll see!! See you next time.

Dumb Movies

It's not often that Teresa and I have a night when we can go out to see a movie, but tonight (Friday) was one. We decided it was to be one of two choices; 7 Pounds or Taken. Joel had seen 7 Pounds and said he cried at the end and I didn't think I was in the mood for an emotional journey so we chose to go see Taken. The reviews were inconclusive so we hoped it might be something mindless or action packed but not too stupid. We were very disappointed!!! What a vapid, unimaginative movie!! Someone is trying to rip-off the Bourne movies and did a really poor job. The camera work was so disjointed that we couldn't see anything happening. The Bourne movies were the first I saw use that style but there were at least some parts where you could tell what Bourne was doing. In this one, it was all a blur and most of the action made no sense. But, sadly, that was not the most appalling thing about this movie: the acting was dreadful. Usually Liam Neeson (the voice of Aslan in the Narnia films) is pretty reliable but in this role he was only the bringer of death to anyone (friend or foe) he encountered. And while he did it All in the name of recovering his daughter (which is not such a bad reason, but carried much too far) it made no sense most of the time. It's one thing to have someone who is the hero and can beat the bad guys but when the 'good' guy never gets hurt and everyone around him dies, it becomes tiresome. All through the car chase scene there were cars pulling up beside Neeson's vehicle and opening up with automatic weapons but all we see is glass flying and goons dying. Not one wound or glass cut on the hero and the little girl in the backseat hardly moved despite all the jumping, skidding, colliding and mayhem during the chase. But when Neeson shoots he always hits his man with a death wound. Injury finally fell upon our hero when he found his daughter and was captured. But thanks to poor plumbing work and some hapless guards, he was again able to overcome all the wicked ones (and the police) and eventually rescue his daughter. At least in movies of this genre like the Transporter, there is a little humor to salve your broken heart. Nothing intentionally funny happened (thought there were a couple of unintentional moments). Sorry for those who might have wanted to see this and I spoiled your movie, but trust me, I have been a true friend. Or maybe I have been out of the movie scene so long I have lost perspective. You decide. Actually, both of us decided that we should have gone home early because it was far too violent for what we should be watching. Repentance time again!!

For those who know him, Larry H. Miller, the owner of the Utah Jazz and many other businesses passed away today. He suffered from type 2 diabetes and had a rare, incurable, disease that calcified his blood vessels. Despite what some may think, he was a good man who did much for his family, his state and his religion. He will be missed because he was an honest, good-hearted man who tried his best. His last request was to go home and spend his the week with his family. Wouldn't it be nice to know when you were to leave so you could spend your final few days with those you love most? God bless the Miller family and may his memory be sweet to all who knew him.

Praying

I have come home early from work so Teresa can go to the doctor so I thought I would take some time to catch up. Sadly, my sweetheart has been ill for several days and doesn't seem to be getting better. She can hardly sleep at night and she is miserable all day long. And with a houseful of kids that can make the days really long. Looks like it's going to be a difficult Valentines day for this little girl.

The topic of prayer has been on my mind for the past few days and I thought I might share some insights I have had as I studied. There are two talks by Elder Bednar that have helped me as I have considered the efficacy of my own prayers. They have come in the past two conferences and are excellent for firming your mind on what can be done to make our communications with God better. They are called "Pray Always", and "Ask in Faith." My most important discovery is that I have not been focused correctly as I pray each day. My daily offerings to Heavenly Father need to be more organized and direct and less of the wandering discussions I have had in the past. If my days are to be better and my heart is to be given to God, then my prayers must reflect my desires to have His help in deciding what I should do. Not that I need to wait on every decision, but I do need to be committed to His work more than my own agenda. When that happens, my agency and my will are His to do with as He wishes. And the end result will be greater joy for me and those I love. I don't know how clear that is but it has given me something to work on for a while. Try reading and pondering Elder Bednar's words and it might make more sense.

Gonna be short today so I will see you next time.

Curses, foiled again!!!

Last Monday, when I went to work, I was not completely well from a bout with….something!!! After my classes I felt terrible so I decided to make an addition to this little blog thing. Imagine my surprise when I tried to access my blog and the K-9 content blocker put on by the Church stopped me from getting to my site. I had noticed that there were updates to our network systems but those are usually innocuous and don't have much effect on what I do. Sadly, this particular update seems to have completely restricted me from any access to blogs of ANY type. O, the inhumanity of all this protection. I understand why the Church wants to be careful, but I sure wish they were a little more generous in letting us participate in web blogging. After all, didn't Elder Ballard encourage us to use all the media available to share the gospel message? How am I supposed to do this if I am blocked from all blogging? I know, some may think that doing this at work is not a good use of time, but I also spend a fair amount of time on my laptop at home so it would be convenient to have access. Oh well, I guess I can learn to deal with this blow to my efforts.

Thanks to Brian for his recent post telling us to make sure and link to things to support our blogging. As you will notice (above) I have taken his advice and linked to the talk used to justify the existence of this blog. My only problem will be to remember to add the links as I write. Sometimes I get so involved that I forget to give good references to the material I quote. We'll see how I do.

Today I came home from work, not feeling well again (I think I'm just looking for sympathy), and was greeted with a problem in the downstairs bathroom. It seems one of the daycare kids has tried to flush something down that really wasn't meant to go down. If this sounds eerily familiar, you have probably read Melissa's adventures with Gavin and toilets (scroll down to Nov. 12, 2008 entry). Anyway, I took the toilet off and looked to see the problem…and, voila, nothing. There was nothing in the bowl or anywhere else. In fact, when I put things back together, the unit worked just fine. Was this just a ploy set up by my wife to get me busy and working? Or was it a mysterious occurrence that fixed itself when I disassembled the commode (by the way, why are these things called that? They really aren't commodious and they don't offer any space except for sitting.)? So, now I have to go to Home Depot and find the parts to put things back completely so the kids can take care of themselves again. I don't know if I have ever shared this with anyone, but, I HATE PLUMBING!!!

There have been many distractions since I started this and I have finally decided it is time to give up for now. I will try to get some more written asap. Bye till next time.