Did you hear that the taxes on all tobacco products went up a lot last week? The federal tax on a package of cigarettes went from around .50 to about $1.10. This was done for a couple reasons, to fund health care for children, and to get more people to quit smoking. My question is how do you feel about this?
I don't like it, now I am all for people quitting smoking but I don't like the government vilifying a group of people and then raising taxes on them; and if the government really was concerned about our well being why not prohibit alcohol again, it certainly causes more problems than tobacco, how about pornography, a much larger plague on the world than cigarettes. I see this as just one more way the government is squeezing as much money out of the public as possible, and that I am against.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Life Accomplishments thus far
Instructions: Take the following list and bold the items you have completed or experienced.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (I figure an overnight boat counts too)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (whiffleball counts right)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (it didn't last too long)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been on television
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (hm, I need to do this soon)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own
49/100
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (I figure an overnight boat counts too)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (whiffleball counts right)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (it didn't last too long)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been on television
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain (hm, I need to do this soon)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own
49/100
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Some thoughts
I want to thank everyone for their thoughts from my previous post; I appreciated the advice and general support I got, all of it helped.
Also I just wanted to write down a couple things I learned. Did you know that there are fewer stars in the galaxy then there are dollars in the national debt? To be fair it should be said the US GDP is a lot larger than the number of stars in the galaxy as well. It is so hard to comprehend how much money is being spent by the government. To give everyone an idea I have posted a couple pictures of various galaxies.
The picture on the right is of two galaxies colliding, the one on the left is the Eagle nebula, one of my favorite pictures taken by the hubble telescope.
I tried to find accurate numbers for stars in a galaxy but because of the size it is impossible to count but the numbers are estimated around 200 billion (for the Milky Way at least, I am assuming other galaxies are of comparable size). In my brief search I could find a specific number for the national debt either but I think the number is around $10 trillion, about 50 times larger than 200 billion. And another number of interest, there are apparently around 6.8 billion people in the world.
Also I just wanted to write down a couple things I learned. Did you know that there are fewer stars in the galaxy then there are dollars in the national debt? To be fair it should be said the US GDP is a lot larger than the number of stars in the galaxy as well. It is so hard to comprehend how much money is being spent by the government. To give everyone an idea I have posted a couple pictures of various galaxies.
The picture on the right is of two galaxies colliding, the one on the left is the Eagle nebula, one of my favorite pictures taken by the hubble telescope.
I tried to find accurate numbers for stars in a galaxy but because of the size it is impossible to count but the numbers are estimated around 200 billion (for the Milky Way at least, I am assuming other galaxies are of comparable size). In my brief search I could find a specific number for the national debt either but I think the number is around $10 trillion, about 50 times larger than 200 billion. And another number of interest, there are apparently around 6.8 billion people in the world.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Why is life so hard?
Why does everything in life have to be so hard? Shouldn't answers to problems come easier? Why does the Lord stay his hand for so long? Why are some things so easy for some people and so hard for others? Can the reward really be worth all the anguish we go through in this life? I hope so.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
WTF
I am sick and tired of the government. I posted a couple months ago how I was officially supporting President Obama as long as he did a number of things, used his brain essentially. Well he and the majority of the government are acting like fools, or deliberately trying to bring down capitalism and the American way. I just read an article talking about AIG and how the fed chairman, Ben Bernanke, said "I think if there's a single episode ... that has made me more angry, I can't think of one (other) than AIG,""We really had no choice" but to prop up the company because the consequences of failure could be disastrous. " Oh really, this is a company that cannot succeed on its own, why in the world should I be paying them to continue in their failing ways. No choice? You mean that the supposedly best financial minds in America can come up with nothing better to do than prop up a failing company? That is absurd.
And what is wrong with Obama, he is so full of it. He has said over and over how he will veto any pork that comes across his desk, that he will "call out" congressmen and congresswomen who try to pass wasteful spending bills and yet he keeps signing billions and trillions of dollars of pork laden legislation into effect. If all the proposed budgets and "stimulus" bills are approved, and there is no indication that they won't be approved, then by the end of the year our national debt will be roughly 60% of the nations GDP (gross domestic product). That would be like me working for a company that makes 10 million dollars a year and I get into personal debt to the amount of 6 million dollars, even though my personal salary is much much less than that. Another way to look at it is, total tax revenues approximate 1 trillion dollars a year, with how much the goverment will be in debt is comparable to someone making $50,000 a year being in debt $700,000. That is pathetic.
And what is wrong with Obama, he is so full of it. He has said over and over how he will veto any pork that comes across his desk, that he will "call out" congressmen and congresswomen who try to pass wasteful spending bills and yet he keeps signing billions and trillions of dollars of pork laden legislation into effect. If all the proposed budgets and "stimulus" bills are approved, and there is no indication that they won't be approved, then by the end of the year our national debt will be roughly 60% of the nations GDP (gross domestic product). That would be like me working for a company that makes 10 million dollars a year and I get into personal debt to the amount of 6 million dollars, even though my personal salary is much much less than that. Another way to look at it is, total tax revenues approximate 1 trillion dollars a year, with how much the goverment will be in debt is comparable to someone making $50,000 a year being in debt $700,000. That is pathetic.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Some more pics
"I love my wife", that's what I'm thinking in this picture.
Isn't this a great candid picture of my wife and me at our luncheon.
We felt very fortunate to have our entire bishopric come down for our wedding, true they did get out of going to a leadership meeting for Stake conference but I like to think they would have come down even if they didn't get out of going to a meeting. They were so helpful also for our open house we had in Provo. We had the open house at our Bishop's house, (the couple on the left) and the other four were there helping out with refreshments. Bishop Buckner even posted a road sign to help people find the place better, they were very helpful and effectively played the role as sudo-parents for the evening.
We had some fun playing around with some of the pics.
This picture essential sums up our relationship, I goof around and she puts up with me. :)
Staci doesn't like kissing pictures, but aren't these great!!!
Here is a great picture of my roommates and my wife (isn't she HOT in this picture). These are great friends that I've had for a number of years, they are all folk dance originating friendships. I lived with Dave and Scotty (the two on the right) for about three years and they have always been great roommates, I've known Jed (the tall one) for about a year longer, we weren't roommates until this last year. Staci has been really good friends with Jed for a couple years also and she became really good friends with Dave and Scotty while I was still living in SLC. When I moved back to Provo I moved back in with these guys and they were the ones who can be credited for getting me and Staci together. I do need to thank them their great friendship and also for being very chill during my and Staci's transition from friends to dating friends to engaged to married. You guys rock!!!
I didn't realize this at the time but this dance that my mom and I are dancing in this picture is a Viennese Waltz, not only is it a great dance but it is also the very first dance my mom taught me as a youth. I am very lucky Staci let me pick the song to dance to (she was dancing with her Dad at the same time and had every right to choose whatever song she wanted), thanks babe, I love you. Oh by the way, the song we are dancing to is "Can I have this Dance?" from High School Musical 3, great song.
So this is a great picture of the bouquet throwing, it was a great bouquet and we were really hoping one of our nieces would get it, or Staci's roommate, but some random girl who had just walked into the reception who we didn't even know plowed her way through and snagged it, we were a bit bugged but luckily we had some extra flowers that we gave to our nieces.
I really like this picture of us cutting the cake.
"I'm number one" that's what I was saying when this picture was taken. Actually I don't remember why I was doing that. "one reception down, two to go", or maybe I was saying, "which way is the wind blowing?" If anyone has other suggestions I would like to read them in the comments.
Isn't this a great candid picture of my wife and me at our luncheon.
We felt very fortunate to have our entire bishopric come down for our wedding, true they did get out of going to a leadership meeting for Stake conference but I like to think they would have come down even if they didn't get out of going to a meeting. They were so helpful also for our open house we had in Provo. We had the open house at our Bishop's house, (the couple on the left) and the other four were there helping out with refreshments. Bishop Buckner even posted a road sign to help people find the place better, they were very helpful and effectively played the role as sudo-parents for the evening.
We had some fun playing around with some of the pics.
This picture essential sums up our relationship, I goof around and she puts up with me. :)
Staci doesn't like kissing pictures, but aren't these great!!!
Here is a great picture of my roommates and my wife (isn't she HOT in this picture). These are great friends that I've had for a number of years, they are all folk dance originating friendships. I lived with Dave and Scotty (the two on the right) for about three years and they have always been great roommates, I've known Jed (the tall one) for about a year longer, we weren't roommates until this last year. Staci has been really good friends with Jed for a couple years also and she became really good friends with Dave and Scotty while I was still living in SLC. When I moved back to Provo I moved back in with these guys and they were the ones who can be credited for getting me and Staci together. I do need to thank them their great friendship and also for being very chill during my and Staci's transition from friends to dating friends to engaged to married. You guys rock!!!
I didn't realize this at the time but this dance that my mom and I are dancing in this picture is a Viennese Waltz, not only is it a great dance but it is also the very first dance my mom taught me as a youth. I am very lucky Staci let me pick the song to dance to (she was dancing with her Dad at the same time and had every right to choose whatever song she wanted), thanks babe, I love you. Oh by the way, the song we are dancing to is "Can I have this Dance?" from High School Musical 3, great song.
So this is a great picture of the bouquet throwing, it was a great bouquet and we were really hoping one of our nieces would get it, or Staci's roommate, but some random girl who had just walked into the reception who we didn't even know plowed her way through and snagged it, we were a bit bugged but luckily we had some extra flowers that we gave to our nieces.
I really like this picture of us cutting the cake.
"I'm number one" that's what I was saying when this picture was taken. Actually I don't remember why I was doing that. "one reception down, two to go", or maybe I was saying, "which way is the wind blowing?" If anyone has other suggestions I would like to read them in the comments.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Ha, I'm married!!!
So it has finally come, the turning point in my life, one could even say the turning point in eternity for me. From now on and forever I will be a married man, SWEET!!!!!The wedding was fantastic, it really was an emotional roller coaster of a we
ekend.
But more on that later.This post will be mostly pictures with a few explanations. This first picture was right when we came out of the temple. The next four are pretty self explanatory.
Here is my favorite pic of Staci.
Here are some of our great friends, starting on the left going clockwise, Stephanie Calton, Jed Brown (also our photographer), Dave McMullin, Brian McMullin, Scotty West.
And of course our parents, notice the missionary name tags on my parents. They had just arrived that day from Chile, we were very blessed to have them there with us for when we were sealed.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
It's been a while
Because it has been such a long time since I last posted a blog I am going to have a very random compilation of thoughts, not the masterpiece that I usually post.
First on my mind was something that I saw on TV, Ben Stein was being interviewed about the upcoming Obama presidency and he said "Now that he (Obama) is elected I hope he's the best president we have ever had." He has a very good perspective on how we should view our political leaders. These past four years have been lined with how critical so many people have been of President Bush, so many people have been so quick to point out that he has one of the lowest approval ratings in history (yet they gloss over the fact that Congress has an ever lower approval rating). Because of this animosity towards a Republican president many republicans have mentioned how they are looking forward to opposing Obama to show the same animosity towards him as a sort of payback. I admit that I have had similar thoughts, looking with an almost longing to see the country turn to pot, figuratively of course, and then in four years we would be able to say that it was the biggest mistake to elect Barack Obama. But after further consideration, and hearing what Ben Stein said, I've come to realize that it is foolish, selfish, and prideful to hope for a bad presidency just to see someone fail who doesn't have the same political persuasions as you. So this is my official declaration that I support Barack Obama for the presidency so far as him helping improve the country, strengthening the economy through sound principles, strengthening the family through good social principles but more importantly through his example of how he treats his family, and keeping our country safe from terrorists, oh and of course through all of this I expect him to uphold the constitution and support our inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Instead of keeping this in cue for who knows how long I will post it now although I was originally planning on writing a lot more. Actually I want to get a couple things off my chest.
Why is it that Roland Burris is so adamant about becoming instated as the fill-in Senator for Obama's seat as soon as possible. Does he not understand why everyone is so concerned about making him a senator when he was named by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich right after he was accused by the FBI of corruption by trying to sale the senate seat to the highest bidder? True Burris has not been implicated with any involvement in the scandal but why not slow down and allow the Democratic Congressional leadership become more comfortable over the appointment. Is he worried that no one else will see him as a good pick, from all I've seen on him, and admittedly it's not much, he is an adequate choice. Just calm down and let Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi get more comfortable. And what's with Caroline Kennedy being seen as a great pick to fill Hilary Clinton's seat, all I've heard about her is she has tried to stay out of politics as much as possible, and that makes her a good choice to become senator, why, because her last name is Kennedy? That's ridiculous.
First on my mind was something that I saw on TV, Ben Stein was being interviewed about the upcoming Obama presidency and he said "Now that he (Obama) is elected I hope he's the best president we have ever had." He has a very good perspective on how we should view our political leaders. These past four years have been lined with how critical so many people have been of President Bush, so many people have been so quick to point out that he has one of the lowest approval ratings in history (yet they gloss over the fact that Congress has an ever lower approval rating). Because of this animosity towards a Republican president many republicans have mentioned how they are looking forward to opposing Obama to show the same animosity towards him as a sort of payback. I admit that I have had similar thoughts, looking with an almost longing to see the country turn to pot, figuratively of course, and then in four years we would be able to say that it was the biggest mistake to elect Barack Obama. But after further consideration, and hearing what Ben Stein said, I've come to realize that it is foolish, selfish, and prideful to hope for a bad presidency just to see someone fail who doesn't have the same political persuasions as you. So this is my official declaration that I support Barack Obama for the presidency so far as him helping improve the country, strengthening the economy through sound principles, strengthening the family through good social principles but more importantly through his example of how he treats his family, and keeping our country safe from terrorists, oh and of course through all of this I expect him to uphold the constitution and support our inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Instead of keeping this in cue for who knows how long I will post it now although I was originally planning on writing a lot more. Actually I want to get a couple things off my chest.
Why is it that Roland Burris is so adamant about becoming instated as the fill-in Senator for Obama's seat as soon as possible. Does he not understand why everyone is so concerned about making him a senator when he was named by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich right after he was accused by the FBI of corruption by trying to sale the senate seat to the highest bidder? True Burris has not been implicated with any involvement in the scandal but why not slow down and allow the Democratic Congressional leadership become more comfortable over the appointment. Is he worried that no one else will see him as a good pick, from all I've seen on him, and admittedly it's not much, he is an adequate choice. Just calm down and let Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi get more comfortable. And what's with Caroline Kennedy being seen as a great pick to fill Hilary Clinton's seat, all I've heard about her is she has tried to stay out of politics as much as possible, and that makes her a good choice to become senator, why, because her last name is Kennedy? That's ridiculous.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
What a wonderful life
Dear Santa,I am having a hard time deciding what I really want for Christmas this year, usually there are a couple large items on my list that I would most likely buy myself if I didn't get them from someone else (something I've done for the past couple years and has resulted in some nice stuff). This year, however, I don't seem to want too much and although there are some expensive items that would be sweet to get such as a mountain bike, a snowboard and snowboarding boots, another gun (you never know when we'll loose a lot of the choices due to government legislation and regulation), and a surround sound system to complete my basic home entertainment system, these items aren't as appealing to me due to recent changes in my life.
As I'm sure you are aware, I have finally found the woman of my dreams, the love of my life, my "one and only", and because she has agreed to be sealed to me for time and all eternity I am finding all of the customary things I ask for are appealing less and less to me when compared to Staci Wilcock (soon to be Staci Andelin)
I have been thinking of a literary character to whom I could compare my soon-to-be bride and I think Desdemona from the Shakespearian play Othello will suffice. Desdemona is known for her beauty, purity and devotion to her husband; Staci fits those comparisons very well. Now Santa don't misundersand me, I am not comparing myself to Othello and fortunately there is no Iago in our relationship (except that one tempter, Satan, who tries to destroy everything good and beautiful), and I am certainly not suggesting that Staci will have a similar fate to Desdemona, I am merely comparing Staci to Desdemona due to her beauty, loyalty, and above all her purity. I love her so much; I have gone two days without seeing her amd my life has felt empty in those two days. She makes me happy, she keeps me laughing, she helps me grow spiritually and helps me see new perspectives to life, she takes care of me when I'm sick and loves to have fun when I'm well, she keeps me healthy by motivating me to eat healthy (and she usually generously prepares the food herself) and by encouraging me to exercise regularly through her example (something I am needing more and more with a desk job). She gives me direction, motivation, and above all she gives my life so much more meaing. I had a realization the other day that from now on all of my decisions will effect her; I am humbled at the trust she is placing in me and I hope and pray that I can live up to that trust.
So as you can see, my life is so much better with Staci in it. But that is not all that is going well for me; I also have been blessed with a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love my Savior so much; I am reminded of one of my favorite lines from a fantastic movie, "Amazing Grace"; the priest who was a former slave ship captian says a very profound yet simple line towards the end of the movie (and his life) "I can remember two things, that I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior". Sometimes I wonder why He is so merciful towards me; the scripture in D&C 18:10 comes to mind, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God", I am humbled to realize that the worth of my sould is also great in the sight of God.
So as you can see, my life is very good right now and I foresee it only getting better regardless of what I get or don't get for Christmas this year. I hope you don't take that the wrong way; I really do enjoy receiving gifts and I really appreciate the effort you go through to get the right gifts for the right people, but my happiness is not related to my material possessions (but they're still nice). To show that I appreciate receiving gifts as a simple gesture of friendship and love (I say simple because it is just one of the many ways to show these things and it is not necessary either) I will attempt to right down some smaller items that would be nice to receive on December 25, 2008.
I realized the other day that I don't have very many whit Sunday shirts; I would prefer nicer shirts, with some texture, French cuffs (not necessary), and a wide European collar (pretty important). I don't want any ties though, I am a little too picky with my ties and I don't want you to feel bad because you bought me a tie that I won't enjoy wearing.
Some how I have lost most of my black socks that I received last year for Christmas; I'm not sure how that happened but it did and again this I could use some black socks, I prefer the thick kind.
I am a fan of Church books; Hugh Nibley books are good as well as books written by Apostles, but no LDS fiction.
I think Batman: The Dark Knight is coming out soon on Blu-ray, I would absolutely love to receive that.
That is about it, if you come up with something that you think I'd like then I'm sure I will enjoy it, you have bben doing this for a long time and I trust your judgment. Oh, I just remember that next to my fiance the other great gift I have already received is for my parents to be able to come to our wedding. Those two things have made my life great.
Merry Christmas
PS. I trust I'll be getting the customary orange in my stocking right? :)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Dang, We look good!
Here are our pics,
Tell us what you think
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Many thanks to Jed Brown and Stephanie Calton for helping make these pictures look so great.
Tell us what you think
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Many thanks to Jed Brown and Stephanie Calton for helping make these pictures look so great.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Election Day
I have been thinking about politics and the future of America a lot recently, as I'm sure a lot of people have been. I thought I would write down a few of my thoughts before elections are finalized.
First off I want to say that I really don't want an Obama presidency; I do not hate everything about him but there is a lot of his views that I totally disagree with. I do have to admit that there are some things that are admirable about him, first and foremost is he seems to be a genuine family man. He cares about his wife, daughters, mother, and grandmother (who just passed away today, which is unfortunate that she passed away at an already stressful time for Obama). It is true, however, that he has a half brother living in poverty in Kenya although admittedly I don't know all details about that.
Another thing that is admirable about Obama is his ability to get young people excited about politics. I have seen a couple interesting youth groups singing songs and praising Obama, one was a steppin routine done based on exerpts from some of Obama's speeches with the teenagers starting out by chanting "Alpha and Omega" over and over, that I found a bit disturbing. I have read a lot of criticism comparing these youth groups to Hitler's youth groups in Nazi Germany. That is a bit unfair though because even those youth groups were based on community service and serving the public good, they were all just so completely deceived about their leader's intentions.
Then I have to ask the question, what are Obama's motives? I don't know but there are a number of disturbing patterns about his life and associations. He has repeatedly associated himself with the extremists of society, including domestic terrorists, Palestinian terrorist sympathizers, and racist religious leaders. It may be true that these men are not involved in his administration but I see these as signs to what his personal views are, and with a man so inexperienced we have very little to judge him with so why not use all the information we can gather. I am very concerned about what will happen to this country if Barack Obama is elected the next president and with the most recent Fox News poll showing Obama with 50% and McCain with only 43% it is looking more and more likely that Obama will win.
But I must remind myself not to fall into the liberal mentality of the past 8 years where bad news for America was good news for liberals because they could pass the blame onto the Bush administration. (This very well could have been the mentality of conservatives during the Clinton years but I don't remember and I certainly hope it wasn't). I will not become an America hater just because I don't agree with the current administration. I will still pray for my elected officials that they will be able to make good decisions for the great country and that we can stay protected from our enemies and that the wars we are involved in can end as soon as possible with the best possible results for us.
God Bless the USA
First off I want to say that I really don't want an Obama presidency; I do not hate everything about him but there is a lot of his views that I totally disagree with. I do have to admit that there are some things that are admirable about him, first and foremost is he seems to be a genuine family man. He cares about his wife, daughters, mother, and grandmother (who just passed away today, which is unfortunate that she passed away at an already stressful time for Obama). It is true, however, that he has a half brother living in poverty in Kenya although admittedly I don't know all details about that.
Another thing that is admirable about Obama is his ability to get young people excited about politics. I have seen a couple interesting youth groups singing songs and praising Obama, one was a steppin routine done based on exerpts from some of Obama's speeches with the teenagers starting out by chanting "Alpha and Omega" over and over, that I found a bit disturbing. I have read a lot of criticism comparing these youth groups to Hitler's youth groups in Nazi Germany. That is a bit unfair though because even those youth groups were based on community service and serving the public good, they were all just so completely deceived about their leader's intentions.
Then I have to ask the question, what are Obama's motives? I don't know but there are a number of disturbing patterns about his life and associations. He has repeatedly associated himself with the extremists of society, including domestic terrorists, Palestinian terrorist sympathizers, and racist religious leaders. It may be true that these men are not involved in his administration but I see these as signs to what his personal views are, and with a man so inexperienced we have very little to judge him with so why not use all the information we can gather. I am very concerned about what will happen to this country if Barack Obama is elected the next president and with the most recent Fox News poll showing Obama with 50% and McCain with only 43% it is looking more and more likely that Obama will win.
But I must remind myself not to fall into the liberal mentality of the past 8 years where bad news for America was good news for liberals because they could pass the blame onto the Bush administration. (This very well could have been the mentality of conservatives during the Clinton years but I don't remember and I certainly hope it wasn't). I will not become an America hater just because I don't agree with the current administration. I will still pray for my elected officials that they will be able to make good decisions for the great country and that we can stay protected from our enemies and that the wars we are involved in can end as soon as possible with the best possible results for us.
God Bless the USA
Monday, October 20, 2008
Staci and Jamon sittin in a tree...
Well, I am finally getting around to making this blog entry after a week; I'm sorry for the wait but in perspective it really isn't that long to wait.
I am so happy to able to write this, I AM GOING TO MARRY STACI WILCOCK!!!!! YIPEE!!!
My proposal was simple but it did come at a cost. I had already purchased the ring and talked to her dad Saturday morning and I was long boarding on my way over to propose and thinking about this very large step in my life when KABLAM I crashed on my longboard breaking my elbow. I was able to finish riding to her place, some may think it was foolish of me to continue on my long board but I figured it would get myself there quicker and also I was feeling a little light headed and almost fainted, I'm not sure I would have been able to walk over there. Another side story is there was a guy and a girl getting into a parked car right behind me and they didn't see if I was alright, they must have seen at least some part of the crash and yet not even a quick "you all right?" I would have told them I was fine anyway but I would have appreciated the concern. Back to the important story.
I got over to Staci's place, she doctored me up, and we went to the insta-care. I was really worried because although I left the ring in my jacket at her place I did have a card in my wallet with the ring info on it and she needed to pull out my medical insurance card; I was really worried she would see it but luckily she didn't. The entire time while at the doctors I was either thinking this really hurts or I should be engaged already. It was especially annoying when after putting Staci's name down as my emergeny contact info the nurse asked our relationship and I had to say girlfriend and not fiance.
Afterwards we watched the BYU vs New Mexico game at Tyson's apartment with the ring in my jacket pocket while Staci used it as a blanket, that made me especially nervous. After the game we watched a movie then went back to her place and finally about 11 hours behind schedule I proposed. For more, and different details check out my fiance's website :-) http://stacethespace.blogspot.com/
We just spent the weekend in Houston visiting her sister and bro-in-law, the only family members I hadn't met yet. It was a lot of fun and really nice weather. We even tried to take some engagement photos but none of them really turned out very well.
We are getting married Feb. 7, 2009 in the St. George temple, a reception will be in Enoch, UT (right next to Cedar City) that night, an open house will be in Provo, UT on Thursday Feb 12 and then another one in Sparks, NV on Valentine's day; I know, a bit cheesy but Staci really wanted to have it that night. Actually it just works that way even though Staci doesn't want to have it on Valentine's Day, it could be the 13th but only if the 14th absolutely won't work.
We are really happy and are enjoying the engaged life and are eagerly awaiting married life.
I am so happy to able to write this, I AM GOING TO MARRY STACI WILCOCK!!!!! YIPEE!!!
My proposal was simple but it did come at a cost. I had already purchased the ring and talked to her dad Saturday morning and I was long boarding on my way over to propose and thinking about this very large step in my life when KABLAM I crashed on my longboard breaking my elbow. I was able to finish riding to her place, some may think it was foolish of me to continue on my long board but I figured it would get myself there quicker and also I was feeling a little light headed and almost fainted, I'm not sure I would have been able to walk over there. Another side story is there was a guy and a girl getting into a parked car right behind me and they didn't see if I was alright, they must have seen at least some part of the crash and yet not even a quick "you all right?" I would have told them I was fine anyway but I would have appreciated the concern. Back to the important story.
I got over to Staci's place, she doctored me up, and we went to the insta-care. I was really worried because although I left the ring in my jacket at her place I did have a card in my wallet with the ring info on it and she needed to pull out my medical insurance card; I was really worried she would see it but luckily she didn't. The entire time while at the doctors I was either thinking this really hurts or I should be engaged already. It was especially annoying when after putting Staci's name down as my emergeny contact info the nurse asked our relationship and I had to say girlfriend and not fiance.
Afterwards we watched the BYU vs New Mexico game at Tyson's apartment with the ring in my jacket pocket while Staci used it as a blanket, that made me especially nervous. After the game we watched a movie then went back to her place and finally about 11 hours behind schedule I proposed. For more, and different details check out my fiance's website :-) http://stacethespace.blogspot.com/
We just spent the weekend in Houston visiting her sister and bro-in-law, the only family members I hadn't met yet. It was a lot of fun and really nice weather. We even tried to take some engagement photos but none of them really turned out very well.
We are getting married Feb. 7, 2009 in the St. George temple, a reception will be in Enoch, UT (right next to Cedar City) that night, an open house will be in Provo, UT on Thursday Feb 12 and then another one in Sparks, NV on Valentine's day; I know, a bit cheesy but Staci really wanted to have it that night. Actually it just works that way even though Staci doesn't want to have it on Valentine's Day, it could be the 13th but only if the 14th absolutely won't work.
We are really happy and are enjoying the engaged life and are eagerly awaiting married life.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
A Temple in Rome!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so happy right now, I almost hesitate to write about this because I don't think I'll adequately describe my feelings. I can tell you that when the announcement was made I raised my arms up in joy, everyone in the room looked at me (because I predicted they would announce a Rome temple) and I was speechless, one of the few times in my life that I've been speechless. And I would be lying if I said my eyes stayed dry.
Rome has a very rich history (just call me Captain Obvious) and was the center of the Western world for over a thousand years when you consider the reign of the Caesars and the Popes. Italy was the center of the Renaissance and was therefore instrumental in coming out of the dark ages. It is home to some of the great artists, musicians, and thinkers of the past two millennia. And yet Italy has a brighter future than past. There are a number of prophecies made by modern prophets about Italy and its place in the church. Lorenzo Snow dedicated the land for the preaching of the Gospel and after WWII Ezra Taft Benson rededicated the land for the preaching of the Gospel and in both prayers marvelous blessings were promised.
I would like to inform everyone about the very first Italian and most likely Roman Catholic convert. His name was Giuseppe Taranto and he was born in Cagliari, Sardegna (I've been there) and moved to Sicily when he was young. His family was very poor and so he left home to become a sailor in order to provide better for his family (he wasn't married). He came to America and decided to start a business in Boston providing fresh produce to merchant ships in the harbor, sort of like a boat to boat produce salesman. He was very succesful at this and was able to save a substantial amount of money. He met missionaries and accepted the Gospel but didn't join the saints in Nauvoo but stayed in Boston. Oh and before he accepted the Gospel he had a dream one night in which he was told to give his gold to the prophet, Brigham. After the martydom and an accident in the harbor when he almost lost his life (he never learned to swim) he decided to join the saints in Nauvoo. At this time the Church was very strapped for cash and was having a very hard time coming up with the financial means to continue building the temple. Brigham Young called a meeting and announced that they would have to cease work on the temple unless the Church could come up with more money. This was the same day that Giuseppe Taranto arrived in Nauvoo; upon hearing that announcement he then understood his dream he had years ago and saught an audience with Brigham Young during which he gave the Church his life savings of about $6000 in gold. These funds were enough to keep the Church going and able to finish the temple which allowed so many of the saints to receive their endowments.
And now more than a hundred and fifty years later Italy will be getting a temple.
There is more I would like to write but I need to get this posted.
Rome has a very rich history (just call me Captain Obvious) and was the center of the Western world for over a thousand years when you consider the reign of the Caesars and the Popes. Italy was the center of the Renaissance and was therefore instrumental in coming out of the dark ages. It is home to some of the great artists, musicians, and thinkers of the past two millennia. And yet Italy has a brighter future than past. There are a number of prophecies made by modern prophets about Italy and its place in the church. Lorenzo Snow dedicated the land for the preaching of the Gospel and after WWII Ezra Taft Benson rededicated the land for the preaching of the Gospel and in both prayers marvelous blessings were promised.
I would like to inform everyone about the very first Italian and most likely Roman Catholic convert. His name was Giuseppe Taranto and he was born in Cagliari, Sardegna (I've been there) and moved to Sicily when he was young. His family was very poor and so he left home to become a sailor in order to provide better for his family (he wasn't married). He came to America and decided to start a business in Boston providing fresh produce to merchant ships in the harbor, sort of like a boat to boat produce salesman. He was very succesful at this and was able to save a substantial amount of money. He met missionaries and accepted the Gospel but didn't join the saints in Nauvoo but stayed in Boston. Oh and before he accepted the Gospel he had a dream one night in which he was told to give his gold to the prophet, Brigham. After the martydom and an accident in the harbor when he almost lost his life (he never learned to swim) he decided to join the saints in Nauvoo. At this time the Church was very strapped for cash and was having a very hard time coming up with the financial means to continue building the temple. Brigham Young called a meeting and announced that they would have to cease work on the temple unless the Church could come up with more money. This was the same day that Giuseppe Taranto arrived in Nauvoo; upon hearing that announcement he then understood his dream he had years ago and saught an audience with Brigham Young during which he gave the Church his life savings of about $6000 in gold. These funds were enough to keep the Church going and able to finish the temple which allowed so many of the saints to receive their endowments.
And now more than a hundred and fifty years later Italy will be getting a temple.
There is more I would like to write but I need to get this posted.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Rosh Hashanah Woes
So yesterday was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year (Sept. 30). For this holiday it is custom to focus on cleansing one's life of sin in preparation for Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). In institute last night (where I was reminded of these things) my teacher mentioned how Christians and Jews have many similarities and because of this it can be benefitial to be aware of Jewish customs. I find it fascinating the way other people worship and I try to learn as much as possible from other cultures; however, this is not why I titled this entry "Rosh Hashanah Woes".
My complaint is with Congress for having the nerve to take a day of vacation right in the midst of the greatest financial crisis the nation has faced since the great depression, and possibly the second greatest financial crisis in the history of the US. I don't just think they should have worked because it was just a Jewish holiday, if this was in December I would expect them to work on Christmas also (maybe not Christmas morning though). The are the leaders of this nation and they were elected and are paid by our money to serve the people, why then are they taking a couple days off for a holiday that most of them probably don't even understand let alone recognize themselves. They should be working non stop until this issue is resolved. Although perhaps the best thing for them to do is to leave Washington and do nothing, the current Congress doesn't exactly instill confidence and hasn't really accomplished anything of note in the past four years, and what's more, who's to say that their "answer" won't cause more problems.
Another thing that annoys me is how even now members of Congress are playing politics. John McCain suspended his campaign to try to help in Washington by doing his job and working out a solution to this problem (I don't think he had to announce to the world he was 'suspending his campaign', if it was purely altruisticly motivated and not to look more presidential to get a boost in the poles why didn't he just go and not announce it, perhaps there are logistical intricacies that I don't understand). The Democratic Congress then announced that they had an agreed upon bill that would pass the vote when in reality they didn't. The vote came and failed by about 20 votes (which could have easily been covered by Democrats in Congress if they all agreed on their pork-filled bill) and the Democrats and the media lumped the blame on McCain for getting in the way while trying to be some cowboy riding in to save the day.
These elections are really starting to bug.
Go BYU!!!! (ranked 8th in the nation)
My complaint is with Congress for having the nerve to take a day of vacation right in the midst of the greatest financial crisis the nation has faced since the great depression, and possibly the second greatest financial crisis in the history of the US. I don't just think they should have worked because it was just a Jewish holiday, if this was in December I would expect them to work on Christmas also (maybe not Christmas morning though). The are the leaders of this nation and they were elected and are paid by our money to serve the people, why then are they taking a couple days off for a holiday that most of them probably don't even understand let alone recognize themselves. They should be working non stop until this issue is resolved. Although perhaps the best thing for them to do is to leave Washington and do nothing, the current Congress doesn't exactly instill confidence and hasn't really accomplished anything of note in the past four years, and what's more, who's to say that their "answer" won't cause more problems.
Another thing that annoys me is how even now members of Congress are playing politics. John McCain suspended his campaign to try to help in Washington by doing his job and working out a solution to this problem (I don't think he had to announce to the world he was 'suspending his campaign', if it was purely altruisticly motivated and not to look more presidential to get a boost in the poles why didn't he just go and not announce it, perhaps there are logistical intricacies that I don't understand). The Democratic Congress then announced that they had an agreed upon bill that would pass the vote when in reality they didn't. The vote came and failed by about 20 votes (which could have easily been covered by Democrats in Congress if they all agreed on their pork-filled bill) and the Democrats and the media lumped the blame on McCain for getting in the way while trying to be some cowboy riding in to save the day.
These elections are really starting to bug.
Go BYU!!!! (ranked 8th in the nation)
Monday, September 29, 2008
The US of A socialist style?
So Congress is voting on a financial bailout plan that has been written in the past week in attempts to avert the economic collapse that has been charging towards us. This plan is on top of the other legislation that has been passed in the past month including a bailout for mortgage holders (providing means for people foolish enough to buy houses they couldn't afford to stay in them), a bail out for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (providing them the loan up to some huge amount and of course they took the maximum amount), nationalizing Lehman Brothers Inc. (or something like that) (correction; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were fully nationalized whereas previously they were only partially controlled by the goverment, Lehman Brothers just went bankrupt) which I only thought happened to oil companies in communist countries (nationalize meaning the government takes over the company), and I think I heard about some $30 billion loan to companies not even in the US that was decided on over night without the common public finding out until after the fact. The most recent bail out plan being voted on today is for $700 billion, and some people are saying the funds won't stop there. Glenn Beck (a staunch conservative prone to far right views I concede) said on his radio show that his contacts are suggesting that this legislation could cost easily up to $1.3 trillion. The legislation is designed to buy high risk debt from the institutions that currently hold them. This includes mortgages, credit card debt, and car debt. Then the government will collect on that money. Obviously the tax payer will be hit hard for this legislation but I wonder what the government will do will the debt the do succeed in collecting on, or maybe only debt deemed as uncollectable will be purchased. (It should be obvious that I have not studied extensively on this but I just wanted to get some of my thoughts on paper, so to speak, I'll continue).
And all of this is happening because people have bought things they couldn't pay for. I remember in my Macro Economics class at BYU my professor said, when talking about how the economy grows, that people spending money grows the economy and people saving money shrinks the economy. The more money in circulation the better. Henry Ford understood this and started paying his employees more money so they could have enough money to purchase cars of their own thereby increasing revenue for Ford Company. This discussion was actually just after a CES fireside (or maybe a devotional or a talk in conference) by one of the Twelve, I want to say Elder Oaks in which he said we shouldn't be spending so much money, that we need to have an attitude of saving rather than spending. It was funny because he brought that up and said something like "now I'm not contradicting the Brethren, it is better to save in your personal lives, but for the economy is better to spend money; so you don't spend money but hope that everyone else does so the economy grows." The country at that time had a negative savings rate, meaning the nation as a whole was spending more money than they were making. Another factor was back in the Clinton administration there was a large push to put every American in a home. There was a lot of talk about how everyone deserved to own a home and there was legislation passed to require mortgage companies to fulfill quotas when giving mortages. In essence it was affirmative action for the housing market. Sub-prime mortgages came into existence as these companies greatly increased their high risk mortgages. People kept buying larger and larger houses with the intention of selling in a couple years and cashing in on huge earnings from a perpetual housing boom. Now that people have come to their senses and the housing boom has ended people are stuck with huge mortgages which will only get higher as their adjustable interest rates increase. With some many mortgages going into default mortgage companies and losing billions of dollars on bad debt.
Anyways, the question remains what needs to be done to fix the problem, if anything? Do we allow the goverment to step and make very socialist decisions in regards to the economy in order to try to curb the destruction of the economy? Or do we allow market forces to run their course and cleanse out the economy of these lenders and borrowers who made poor decisions? President Bush said that the cost of this bailout plan will in the end be less than if no action is taken and the economy collapses.
I guess in restrospect we should have had the forsite to realize that what is good for an individual is good for a nation and what is bad for an individual is bad for a nation.
In the end all I can think of is this Demotivator.
(30 minutes later)
So apparently it doesn't look good for the legislation to get pass Congress, I still don't know how I feel about it.
I was thinking more about how we got into this mess. I mentioned earlier that a lot of the problem is people living off of credit and getting into bad mortgages. A lot is being said about how this disaster is a result of "8 years of failed Bush economics". It seems to me that liberals and the media (the same thing most of the time) are just trying to place the blame on the easiest target, George W. After 9/11, the claim is that Bush urged everyone to start spending to save the economy; that is not how I remember it. I remember him urging everyone to live life the same way you have been, to not panic. (granted I was in Italy during that year, but still...)
Things are a mess but if we practice good financial principles, live conservatively and don't buy things on credit, we should be fine.
And all of this is happening because people have bought things they couldn't pay for. I remember in my Macro Economics class at BYU my professor said, when talking about how the economy grows, that people spending money grows the economy and people saving money shrinks the economy. The more money in circulation the better. Henry Ford understood this and started paying his employees more money so they could have enough money to purchase cars of their own thereby increasing revenue for Ford Company. This discussion was actually just after a CES fireside (or maybe a devotional or a talk in conference) by one of the Twelve, I want to say Elder Oaks in which he said we shouldn't be spending so much money, that we need to have an attitude of saving rather than spending. It was funny because he brought that up and said something like "now I'm not contradicting the Brethren, it is better to save in your personal lives, but for the economy is better to spend money; so you don't spend money but hope that everyone else does so the economy grows." The country at that time had a negative savings rate, meaning the nation as a whole was spending more money than they were making. Another factor was back in the Clinton administration there was a large push to put every American in a home. There was a lot of talk about how everyone deserved to own a home and there was legislation passed to require mortgage companies to fulfill quotas when giving mortages. In essence it was affirmative action for the housing market. Sub-prime mortgages came into existence as these companies greatly increased their high risk mortgages. People kept buying larger and larger houses with the intention of selling in a couple years and cashing in on huge earnings from a perpetual housing boom. Now that people have come to their senses and the housing boom has ended people are stuck with huge mortgages which will only get higher as their adjustable interest rates increase. With some many mortgages going into default mortgage companies and losing billions of dollars on bad debt.
Anyways, the question remains what needs to be done to fix the problem, if anything? Do we allow the goverment to step and make very socialist decisions in regards to the economy in order to try to curb the destruction of the economy? Or do we allow market forces to run their course and cleanse out the economy of these lenders and borrowers who made poor decisions? President Bush said that the cost of this bailout plan will in the end be less than if no action is taken and the economy collapses.
I guess in restrospect we should have had the forsite to realize that what is good for an individual is good for a nation and what is bad for an individual is bad for a nation.
In the end all I can think of is this Demotivator.
(30 minutes later)
So apparently it doesn't look good for the legislation to get pass Congress, I still don't know how I feel about it.
I was thinking more about how we got into this mess. I mentioned earlier that a lot of the problem is people living off of credit and getting into bad mortgages. A lot is being said about how this disaster is a result of "8 years of failed Bush economics". It seems to me that liberals and the media (the same thing most of the time) are just trying to place the blame on the easiest target, George W. After 9/11, the claim is that Bush urged everyone to start spending to save the economy; that is not how I remember it. I remember him urging everyone to live life the same way you have been, to not panic. (granted I was in Italy during that year, but still...)
Things are a mess but if we practice good financial principles, live conservatively and don't buy things on credit, we should be fine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
