Autumn in the Mountains

We took a nice drive in the mountains this afternoon. Along the way I shot a few photos of the bare trees. These were along the road to Snow Basin ski resort.

Ward Halloween Party

Tonight (Friday 10-23) was our ward Halloween Party! There was a Chili Cook-off and Pumpkin Carving contest and a big screen showing of the classic "It's the Great Pumpkin Charley Brown"! All the kids had a great time. The show was fun and especially knowing that it is older than most in attendance...
















Aren't My Boys CUTE?!?

Ammon, My Son...

Ammon My Son,

How I wish you were here. It is two years ago today since we were together. Those brief moments that we got to share are still etched on my mind. Your life on this earth was so very short, and yet those moments we spent together have changed who I am in ways that are hard to describe.

I've been a Father before and since, for your Brothers and Sister, but that day I learned the hardest part of what it means to be a father. I learned what it means to have to say goodbye to a precious child. I have thought long about that day and those precious moments holding you in the palm of my hand. I've wondered what might have been. I've thought how things could have been different. I've felt you near when the memories wanted to overcome me. And I feel you now as I remember that day.

If you were here now you would be nearing your 2^nd birthday. I 'm sure you would be just walking and beginning to talk. We would be playing together, and your smile would be the light of our home! How I have wished those things for you. But your purpose in our lives was a different one. God had a greater purpose for you, one that is still unfolding. My memories of you motivate and guide me now. Being your father helps me be a better father for your siblings. My desire to see you again guides my actions so that I may be worthy of that blessing.

I named you Ammon because I knew you had a great mission to perform. Just like Ammon of old I am sure that you are now serving that mission and blessing so many others by that service. When my thoughts turn to you this knowledge turns my sorrow to joy and lifts my spirits.

Where you are now, you can see the end from the beginning. There, in the presence of our God, you know with a certain knowledge that all of this is for our good and will make us stronger and more united. From My vantage point, veiled from the glory around you, those things are only seen through the eyes of my faith. But for now that is enough. My Love for You and our Faith will see us through and one day we will be together, never to be apart again.

I miss you my Son, but we must get on with that work the Lord has given us to do. Visit me sometimes, that I may feel your spirit near, and I promise to keep your memory fresh in my mind as well. I will Love you Always,

Dad...

Andy Joe's Big Birthday Party

I had a great day today helping Daisy with Andrew's 3rd birthday party!
We did a "Build Your Own" Drive-In Movie!! I built little cardboard cars in advance with black paper-plate wheels and a seat cut in the top (cup-holders too!). For the first part all the kids (with parents helping) used Pens, Paper, Tape, and my old Die-Cutting machine to decorate their cars!
They put shapes from the die-cuts and drew their names and generally had a great time!!
After we finished decorating we moved the cars into position in front of the big white screen (a sheet over the big chalk board at the church...) and they watched BOLT on the big screen. They each had a soda and a bag of popcorn for the movie.
Meanwhile all us adults had some Killer Filipino "Cuisine"!!
All-in-All and great day with the family and our wonderful friends!

Pillar of Fire

I just finished reading (Listening to actually...) The Promised Land vol.1: Pillar of Fire, by David Woolley. Given the number of hours I spend in the car every week, I have enjoyed listening to audio books while I work. This is the latest, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I have kind of mixed feelings about the "Historical" LDS Fiction, but it is really starting to grow on me. This series is set in Jerusalem just prior to Lehi & Ishmael's families leaving. It draws on the framework given in the Book of Mormon and expands (imaginativly) upon it. It takes a little liberty I think in some of the character development, but certainly within reason. From early on in the book I was really gripped by the plot line and interested to see how Mr Woolley would develop the personalities of those who we know so well from the BOM. I certainly found that the kind of circumstances and events he creates could certainly have been expected given the sorry state of the people of Israel at that time frame. The end of the book was reasonably predictable, but I certainly has me chomping at the bit to read Vol. 2!! Luckily My best Friend has Vol 2 and wants to trade me for Vol 1 so He can start the series too!! I can't Wait!

The last novel I read was Daniel & Nephi by Chris Heimerdinger. This novel was great fun even though it is geared toward a younger audience. Chris takes the "What If" approach and supposes that Daniel (of the Lions Den!) and Nephi could have met as boys. He weaves this idea into a grand adventure! I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to reading some of Mr Heimerdinger,s other works!

Nearer my God to Thee

Recent events have given me pause to reflect the past few days. Our week was interrupted in a way by a call from Daisy's OB/GYN who wanted an appointment to discuss the results of her last blood test. In a nutshell, the test indicated an increased "risk" of our baby having Down's Syndrome. Although the doctor was quick to stress that the uncertainty of our due date may have a significant role in this test, this result really gave us a lot to think about.

I think I am the more easy-going of the two of us because, although I would naturally prefer a healthy normal baby, I readily accept that whatever the outcome I will roll with it as best I can. Daisy however was hit much harder than I was with this news. Busy husband that I was, I did not pick up on this fact as quickly as I should have and that did not help matters much. Daisy is still tender (emotionally) after the loss of our second child (Ammon) to a premature birth so this news opened that wound and expanded it. After a visit from our Bishop and a Blessing she was doing a bit better but still very reflective.

All of this happened on Wednesday. On Friday we went to the temple as is our weekly routine. Because I had a cold we decided to just do Initiatory work that evening. I have had a an interesting goal ever since I received my own Endowment in 2004, to commit the temple ordinances to memory. Not that doing that would be any sort of achievement by itself, but doing so would help me in my quest to gain more understanding of them. I feel that it frees me up from the 'mechanics' of the temple experience to be able to concentrate on the spirit and meaning of the temple ordinances. We have done Initiatory work enough lately that I was really able to spend this time in reflection and had a wonderful peaceful feeling as we concluded our temple visit.

Saturday morning I had another, very different, temple experience. The youth from our ward went to do Baptisms for the dead. The young women went early in the morning and I went with the young men at 9:15. I have to admit that I was expecting to have the same young men that I had on Wednesday when we went skating. When I got to the chapel to pick them up I saw something I did not anticipate. These same young men were sitting quietly, talking in hushed voices. None of the rough play and noise that I am used to. Throughout the morning, on the rides to and from, and while inside the Temple these amazing young men were Reverent and Respectful! they had an enthusiasm for the activity, but were also touched by the sacred nature of it as well! Their actions added so much to the experience and I again found that I was able to freely enjoy the Spirit in the temple again.

Today we attended our Sunday services and I found a lot of help and direction in all of the talks and lessons that I heard. I always seem to be able to pull strength from these meetings, but I found myself 'tuned in' more today than usual. The afternoon at home was quiet and I had a chance to put all of these days experiences together in my mind.

I tend to ramble on a bit when writing and tonight is no exception to that, but I think all of this has a common thread for me. Heavenly Father always provides strength for me when I need it and ask for it. After the news from the doctor both of us really needed a boost and I am thankful to my God for loving me enough to to give me the boost I needed! I am also grateful for a loving (and forgiving) wife! As I have always said (usually in a joking way) "If I count 10 fingers and 10 toes, that's all I want". Those words have a more significant meaning now, but they are still true. Whatever the ultimate outcome of this pregnancy, the result will be a glorious Gift from a Loving Heavenly Father and I will be humbled (again) by the trust He has put in me to care for one of his precious spirits.

Heaven has been very near these past few days... and I want to keep it that way.

Ice Skating

The Ward youth had a combined activity tonight at the Ogden Ice Sheet, one of the Olympic sites at Weber State University. I got the "Pleasure" of packing 10 of the young men into the van for the ride up. That part was... interesting...
They had a pretty good time skating although I did not make the attempt. I have trid Ice Skates before and don't really like it too much, so I sipped a hot cocoa and watched with all the other leaders except Bro. Thompson (YM Pres.) who did go out and try it.
If we ever have a Roller Skating night then i'll gladly join in (and show them all how!) hehehe!
Here's a couple of pics from my cell...

Trip to Las Vegas

I took a quick trip to Las Vegas yesterday for business. This is the third trip in the last few months and if this new business goes as planned this will become a regular happening. I stayed at the Excalibur hotel this time and got a free upgrade to a nice room with a big HD Flatscreen tv (it pays to look really tired when you check-in...). Here's some pictures from the trip





I had a nice dinner at the MGM Grand Buffet! They had a Lobster/Ricotta Ravioli with a Tomato Alfredo sauce and Scallops & Shrimp that was Fabulous! The MGM has a huge Display with Live Lions too!!


After dinner I took a stroll up to the CocaCola store and then Visited the M&Ms World store which is really fun!

The Sacrament

It was my turn to give the lesson today in Priest Quorum. It is my second attempt at this so I really am just getting used to it. I have spent many years teaching Gospel Doctrine in several wards, but the Young Men are a little different to approach.
The topic of the lesson was the Sacrament. The manual is new this year and is designed for all Young Men's Quorums from 12 (Deacon) to 18 (Priest). It's a great manual with wonderful resource and lesson suggestions that I followed pretty strictly, but I felt that I needed to lead the discussion in a way that would cause the Priests to ponder a little more about the Meaning and Significance of the Sacrament.
As we talked about the sacrament prayers and discussed the special language of these covenants I could see in the response of some of the Young Men that they were seeing these things in a different way.
As we read and discussed the Last Supper and Christ's introduction of the Sacrament to His Apostles the spirit in our meeting was tangible. As the Young Men realized that they are acting FOR Christ in their administering the emblems of the sacrament I believe they began to look at their responsibilities in a new way!
At the close of the lesson our Bishop gave a few remarks about the reverence that should accompany this ordinance and gave a very spiritual example of how we should present the Prayers on the sacrament.
All in all it was an enjoyable and spiritual meeting for me and I think for the Priests too.

First Blog Post...

Hey Everybody!
Not to be outdone by my totally wired wife Daisy, I am finally getting a blog set up! I hope to be able to get in here and post something at least once or twice a week.
Now that our church schedule is 9am I expect to get in here on Sundays.
I'm just enjoying a little play time with my 2 year old Andrew (a.k.a. "Andy Joe") and watching "Juniors Giants" with him this evening.

Just to update, I was released from the Nursery calling a few weeks ago and called to be Assistant Priest Quorum Adviser in our ward. After a year in the Nursery it was a difficult thing to leave 20 or so of my closest little friends. The Priest Quorum is pretty similar to the Nursery in some ways... they just don't cry when they hit each other!

This just in... Well, OK it's not really news, but since MY blog has not covered it yet... My Wife Daisy is pregnant with our 3rd child! The due date is mid-June! Aside from Andy-Joe we also had a baby boy named Ammon, who only lived about 45 minutes, a little over a year ago.

Well, thats a Start! More to come!
Rusty!