Things that I really enjoy

1.  Hearing the first cry of our new born baby. 
2.  Taking a picture that when as you hit the shutter, you already know it looks so good. 
3.  Understanding to your core the proof of a mathematical theorem.
4.  Slightly more invigorating is actually writing the theorem. 
5.  Sitting with a buddy, playing any cooperative video game. 
6.  Getting a smile from Ephraim. 
7.  Trying my hardest and succeeding. 
8.  Finishing a run. 
9.  Cuddling with Stepheni. 
10.  Ephraim falling asleep in my arms. 
11.  

A moment's respite (i.e. the calm before the storm part 2)

I'm still waiting for screaming at some point, none yet.

We got in to see the midwife this morning at about 10am and spent some time there on this crazy little contraption that measures the baby's heart rate and the contractions.  It was fun to see how the machine worked and try to get baby to move for us.  Speaking of which, we are now trying to finalize the name we are picking for him.  I'm in favor of Ephraim, but we want to wait to see him to decide finally.

We spent today running around and finalizing some stuff, getting a breast pump to use and try to get some oxytocin flowing to get the contractions to work for us before we would have to go to the hospital.  For awhile they were coming on, a little randomly but every few minutes and lasting for at least 45 seconds to a minute.  We took a few careful walks and mostly just tried to keep moving.  The goal is to get some real labor going by 3am (24 hours after her water broke) or they will have to use pitocin, which we are trying to avoid since they make the contractions a bit more painful than they normally would be.

We checked into the hospital at around 9, and they immediately got her into a room.  Her gown is pretty cute, but she wouldn't let me show any of those pictures to the public, alas.  Luckily they have wifi here so I can work on stuff while Stepheni is resting.

Truth be told I would rather be the one in bed with an IV and having contractions, Stepheni takes better care of me than I do of her and I don't like seeing her in pain like this.  I keep a smile on my face and keep positive, for Stepheni and for her mom who has been fretting back in Illinois.

Thanks for all the prayers and the love.

What makes Everquest so appealing?

So tonight, I broke down and loaded up Everquest on my computer for less than an hour.  Less than an hour because it only took me that long to realize that it would go no where and that my time with my wife, family, job, and life in general are too valuable to me to give up.  It was nostalgic though, having spent over four years playing the stupid thing I still remembered how to get around and all the back alley ways through Cabilis and the book to the Plane of Knowledge in the Field of Bone.  But dining around in Luclin and killing a few things got me to thinking about the sheer amount of time that it requires to get anywhere in the game.  Definitely a turn-off.  I mean besides being appealing to people who somehow think they have nothing better to do than grind out levels until you can raid and then spend a few hours a night on the thing, how do such games keep our attention?

Well, first, redundantly, it's appealing to those that don't want to do anything else.  Great, besides that.

One thing I noticed is the sense of accomplishment there is built in to each little facet of the game.  Lots of inventory items, lots of levels to grind out, lots of sub levels to grind out, lots of monsters to kill, etc.  I think sometimes they built a game how we should be considering our goals in life.  It's hard to have a little bell go off each time you level in real life; sometimes it is hard to track how far you really are getting in life.  But, there is a sense of accomplishment that can be achieved when small simple goals are met, especially in a group setting, which leads me to my next point.

We are social creatures.  I definitely sympathize with those out there that struggle socially.  I was there for a while in my life as well, luckily the mission kind of helped me with that.  Foremost there is something nice about not knowing who the other people are really.  You can be whoever you want to be, be that kind, mean, male, female, outspoken or aloof.  There is a certain amount of power that comes from being able to stop and think about a situation without giving anything away and then act as you can on the internet.  But accomplishing things in social situations and with people to chat with and even help or to help is kind of nice.  It's even better when they are real life acquaintances or friends that you are doing it all with.  I don't have any studies, I am just kind of going off my own feelings and experiences from the past few years.

Thinking of this and other fun aspects of these games, it gets me to thinking about how we should be considering our own lives to make them more interesting; to get us more involved in our own flesh and not in games like EverQuest or Halo, magazines like Us or People, or soap operas or sitcoms.  All these things stem from the same source and rob us of our time.  Rob because in reality they give at best, very little in return, and at worst, nothing.

So let's do things with others.  Be involved in a community of some kind, be that church or a club or some online gathering doing something creative and good that builds you as a person.  Volunteer and give of yourself to others.

Then let's consider the little accomplishments in life, because that is what leads to the big things.  The fact that we are here today and living and reading and loving and breathing and part of something, anything is a miracle of no small merit.  So let's be grateful and take satisfaction in everything good that we do.

That's what I think.

Packing

I've discovered it's one of my least favorite things
(Note the dead look in my eyes)

I mean it's great to clean and to see from a general level of chaos
come a certain amount of order.

Maybe it's just the moving all the boxes from Rexburg to San Antonio
and how much it will cost that is such a bother.  The bees are all the contractors
that want to take my hunny, I mean munny.  Our friends have come to help, Mike and Zak so far.  Thanks again, guys!

But this is all for a good cause, I remind myself.  

And, really, it is all because I got a job down in San Antonio.  

Thank you for all your prayers and support, and thanks to USAA for hiring me!  
Back to packing!

Back in her arms again

It's great to be back from Seattle.  The expedition was great but it is nice to be back with Stepheni and not waking up alone again.  I would really like to go back there someday to spend some time with Stepheni there touring the city and eating at the restaurants there.  Justin and I walked by the famous Ruth's Chris steakhouse and had enough time to look at the menu.  It wasn't too expensive:  We would have just had to cut everything in half and share the plate of food they brought us to afford it.  I'll go back one day ;-)

Stepheni and I had some time to go shopping today, and we ended up buying Lady and the Tramp and Puss in Boots, both of which we love!  It ended up costing us a pretty penny, but we feel like it is a good investment for our kids one day as they are good, clean Disney movies and Blu-Ray.  We had a chance to talk about what we want for our children in terms of entertainment and came up with some ideas:

1.  No cable:  We don't watch it as it is, and we don't feel that cable TV has anything to offer to our kids.  If we want some educational material then we can go out and buy it.  Stepheni brought up as well that keeping the TV off for the first two years of Etienne's life will be fairly easy and what she would like to do, but we will have to decide what to do with our second child as Etienne will want to watch TV and the other may not be two already; something to think about.

2.  One family computer:  While Stepheni and I will have our tablets and phones, we feel like it is important to have one family computer (probably an iMac due to the family settings it has) and have that be available but supervised.  We've talked about the importance of using the tools that are available in the world but knowing how to leave inappropriate content is an important skill to develop and something we want to teach our children.  YouTube is full of great information but it is also full of garbage as well, the same goes for Facebook, LinkedIn, and the internet at large!

3.  Look at the ratings and reviews.  Looking at websites like Common Sense Media, imdb Parents Guide, Kids in Mind, and Parent Previews are great resources to find out why movies are rated the way they are, and teaching our children to look at ratings and gauge whether it sounds like something good to go to  even with G and PG-rated movies will teach them to make good moral decisions early on.  Thinking back to the counsel given to us to "be in the world but not of the world" is something not only wise but necessary in this day and age.  There is a lot of great content out there, but knowing how to filter through it and find what is good and wholesome therein is a necessary skill for everyone that wants to lead a wholesome and uplifting life.

Thanks for reading.

Consistency in Marriage

One of my classmates brought up a good question today in class, asking about in what things should we be consistent in marriage and family life.  I thought about it and responded with those things that I have seen my own dad do during my whole life, and realized I had never told him those things I most respected him for and looked up to him for.

My response was that he was always consistent in the spiritual things that really mattered:  Going to church every Sunday, he was always a full tithe payer, we always read scriptures and said family prayers at night, and he was always respectful of my mother and then my step-mother later, never raising his voice at either and never making the divorce a subject.

I am grateful for a father who has always been and will always be an example in my life of righteous fatherhood and Priesthood.

Despite My Stabbing Her - She Still Loved Me.

We went to the ward campout last night, on purpose too, and even enjoyed it!  During these campouts you do crazy things like look st the stars, no our necks didn't get stuck like that;  we ate dutch oven chicken and potatoes, delicious and the dutch even forgave us for making ovens out of them; and slept out under the stars, most of them stayed put so we were safe.  Bro. McDonald prepared a short fireside talk about the eternities and about our understanding as members of the church about the heavens and the stars and how infinite our inheritances that await us are.  It was a wonderful time and it moved me to think about our heavenly father and how much he has promised everyone who follows His Son.  We took lots of pictures too, many of newlyweds or newlyparents, who ended up not camping out all night.  But they were good sports for coming to the show. 

So it was pretty cold out last night, until about 4am and we decided we'd had enough of it and went and got all the extra clothes and layers and blankets we had in the car and put them on too.  It was fun for Stepheni and I to keep each other warm though. 

This morning we got up to the most disturbing rooster crow I've ever heard.  Realistic enough to sound like there was a rooster outside, unrealistic enough to make me fear for whatever rooster that was making that noise within hearing distance.  It turned out ti be our high councilman Bro. McDonald waking us up.  They had breakfast burritos, again delicious and we were off to go get s fishing license and some fishing gear in the next town over.  We went fishing most of the day, without much luck.  I did catch three sticks though and managed to stab Stepheni,  but she still loves me!  It was a good day. 

FHE - Memory

Stepheni and I for this week are going to write about a memory that we have, important to us, something good to remember and share with others.  So here goes:

I think one of the happiest moments in my life was leaving on a mission.  Well, actually reporting to the MTC.  The months leading up to reporting as a missionary are pretty harrowing and nervewracking.  They tell you that it is the perfect time for tempatation to set in, they are probably right.  But flying out and reporting was amazing.  Holly, Lindsey, Mom and Dad were all there with me to support me and see me off.  I was bawling, and so was everyone else pretty much.  The video they show to everyone right before you leave and go out opposite sides of the big room you are in is pretty emotionally packed too.  If you leave there not crying you pretty much have no soul =P  But it was good.  I was all smiles though walking through the doors.  Thus started my journey on the mission.  It was wonderful, and I want to do it all over again!  I love the mission!