Simple Randomness

I Should Read More…

So lately I’ve been thinking a lot about doing more reading.  I used to do a lot of reading actually, but in recent years I’ve just been so busy with everything that I haven’t had the time to do it.

You know what has been great though?  We don’t have TV at our house and so I’m not wasting my time with that.  In fact, there have been several times where I’ve picked up a book for a minute or two when in the past I would have just plopped down and turned on the TV.  What a waste of time!

The thing about books is that they tend to really engage you if its a good book.  Kinda like when you’re in a movie theater you get more into it than when you’re watching the same movie at home.  It also seems that I internalize things a lot better when I read as well.  I think I’ve heard others say this also.

I’ve also noticed that my interests have changed over the years.  When I was a teenager the only kinds of books that I enjoyed reading were fantasy novels.  I still enjoy those, but no I also like reading educational books.

Anyway, there’s a random topic for today.  Go read!t

Remembering 9/11 - The 7 Year Anniversary

Seven years ago, 9/11/01, is a day that I think few of us will ever forget.  It’s one of those days where everyone can remember where they were and what they were doing.

As for myself, I was actually living in South America at the time (Chile to be exact).  I was serving as a missionary for my church and we were headed to a meeting with some other missionaries.  On the bus a Chilean told us something about tornados and airplanes crashing into buildings, but we didn’t know what he was talking about.  I do remember at the bus stop seeing people watching a TV with a burning building on it, but I had no idea what it was.

So we get to our meeting and the janitor asks us what we are doing there, that we should be in our apartments.  We didn’t know why.  Then he hooked up a TV and showed us.  I remember all of us just watching with a blank stare, not sure what to think or do.  One of the guys with us was actually from New York City.  We found out later that some of his father’s friends were killed that day.

One of the really scary things about being in Chile during that time is that 9/11 is already a bad day there.  9/11 is the day that Pinochet took over.  If you know anything about Chilean history, he was dictator for a long time, and we helped to put him there.  So it’s not exactly a day when a lot of people are friendly to Americans.  So needless to say, we stayed in our apartments for about 2 days without leaving, wondering if we were going to have to flee the country.

It was a scary time to say the least.  But I also remember walking down the street a few days later and a man that I had never met walked up and asked us if we were all right, and offered his deepest sympathies for what was happening.

That day changed all of us I think.  For me, it gave me a renewed pride in our country for the way we pulled together to get through it.  It also opened my eyes to the fact that there really are people who don’t like us.  Whether out of actual hate or ignorance.

On this 7 year anniversary of 9/11, I think it’s important for all of us to remember that day.  It was tragic, and it changed us…for the best I hope!

You Just Never Know

Yesterday I called a client for an appointment.  At first I couldn’t get a hold of her, then she eventually called me back in tears letting me know that her two daughters had been in a car wreck and one had died.  It was a very sad thing to hear.

This made me think though: you just never know when something like that will happen to yourself or someone you love.  It made me think that each day I should make sure that I treat my wife and kids the best that I can, because I never know if today will be the last day that I see them.

Can you imagine if you lost someone and the last thing you said to them was something in anger?  That would be just heart breaking.  But we can all try to make sure that isn’t the case with us and our loved ones.  So if you have a fight, find a way to resolve it and resolve it quickly.  Because you just never know…

Six Year Anniversary

As of this coming Sunday, my wife and I have been married 6 years!  Have we had our bumpy spots…definitely.  But we’re still together, and that’s what matters.

One thing that I’ve learned over the last 6 years is that a marriage doesn’t always just go great.  You have to actually work on it.  When I first got married I really didn’t understand what that meant.  And to this day I’m sure that I understand it 100%, but I do know that you have to give it real attention.  Otherwise things just die.

I’m excited for the coming years.  I think we still have a lot of growing to do, but I’m excited for it.  I love my wife.  So I guess you might say that this post is somewhat dedicated to her.  Six years isn’t that long looking back, and I’m looking forward to the next 60+!

Going on Vacation This Weekend!

Well, thankfully it’s time for another vacation this coming weekend.  Every year my wife’s family goes up to Bear Lake, Utah for a weekend, and it just so happens that this year we’re going over the 4th of July weekend.  I’m hoping that there will be some sweet fireworks over the lake or something like that.

If you’ve never been to Bear Lake it’s pretty cool.  It’s a lake that is part in Utah, part in Idaho.  And the really neat thing about it is the color of blue that it is.  Most lakes in Utah are kind of a dirty green color, but for some reason Bear Lake has a really nice blue color to it, almost like the ocean…but not salty!

This year should be interesting because now we have 2 kids.  It was interesting with 1…I guess we’ll see how it goes!

Dads Are More Important than ‘Grads’

So, for the last who knows how long they always seem to lump Father’s Day with Graduation.  I know it’s catchy to say “Dad’s and Grad’s” and all, but it seems to me that by saying this we’re getting the suggestion that Dads don’t deserve their own holiday.  It’s like they’re just not important enough.

I think I’m thinking about this more lately because I’m a father myself.  I would hate for my kids to compare me with some of the ‘father figures’ that are portrayed in TV these days.  What happened to the shows that had great dad’s like the Cosby Show and others?

I have to admit that I get a little annoyed when I see ads on TV or hear them on the radio where the guy is the idiot in the family.  And it seems to becoming more and more this way.  Is that what we’re being portrayed as?

I know that I don’t want that stereotype to be what my kids think of me.  And I think its up to all of us Fathers to really stand up and be the best fathers that we can be.  So happy Father’s Day to all you Dad’s out there.  I know this year I’ll be thinking about what I can do to better deserve the day and not be lumped in with the Grads.

Thoughts On Organic Foods

I’m all about eating healthier, but sometimes I wonder if going “organic” is really worth it. The other day my wife and I were looking around an organic grocery store and trying to decide if that would be the smart thing to do.

I guess the thing I wonder sometimes is if there are different levels of ‘organic’. Does it always mean that there are no chemicals used? Or are there some less harmful ones that can be used to still keep the vegetables and fruits bug free.

I will say though, I’m not overly impressed with the standard produce that I always get at the local grocery store. So if organic food really does taste better and in the end is a lot better for me, I’d probably make the switch.

I’m also a believer that it’s a good idea to eat as few processed foods as you can. I’m not talking about being a fanatic and avoiding all processed foods all together, but I do believe that’s one of the reasons why we have such an obesity problem in this country.

Anyone else have some thoughts on going organic?

Ever Have One of Those Days…

It seems like lately I’m just having a lot of days where I’m just dragging! I mean, some good things are happening and all right now, but I’m having a hard time staying motivated and positive about a lot of things.

Now normally I can trace it back to something, but I’m having a hard time doing that this time. Hopefully it’s just a short phase…cause I got plenty to do.

Actually, I think one of the big things for me right now is that I’m not getting enough sleep. I really need to set myself some sort of a curfew and then actually stick with it!

Anybody else have any ideas or had this type of problem before?  Any ideas on how to get out of it?

Crazy Vacations Make for Fun Vacations

Ok, with summer approaching I’m getting the feeling that I need to go on vacation! So I was thinking this morning about different vacations that I’ve been on that have been a little more wild.

I still think that one of the crazier vacations I’ve been on was a band tour in high school to San Francisco. Think about it, a bunch of high school band kids crammed on a bus driving from Utah to San Francisco. It was interesting to say the least! Once we got there we found plenty of things to do in San Francisco like going to the Hard Rock Cafe, visiting Alcatraz, and playing card games with like 20+ people in on the same game. Crazy stuff…and honestly looking back I think I would much rather visited San Francisco with a different group of people!

My wife had a crazy trip to Boston once. But this was to see her friend get married. They still found plenty of things to do in Boston, but the sad thing about that trip for her was that a bunch of her CDs got stolen! Not cool, but despite all that she still wants to take me back there sometime because she liked it so much.

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Mother’s Day Coming Up…

So Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday, and I still have no idea what I’m going to get my wife, my mom, or my mother-in-law! I’m really bad at coming up with ideas for this sort of thing, and I’m always afraid that I’m going to just do something lame.

In fact, I remember one year as a kid when I totally forgot to get my Mom something. So the moment arrived and I reached in my pocket and gave her a string. It has been a running joke in my family for years that I gave my Mom a string rather than a real gift…

So this year I need to come up with some better ideas. It looks like 1800Flowers.com has some really good ideas, and I know that my wife and Mom like flowers, so maybe I’ll just do one of their gifts. If you’re in the same bind as me, check them out. You might get some good ideas!

Has anyone else noticed that Mother’s Day is always a much bigger deal that Father’s Day?