In The Spirit of Thanksgiving

I saw this video on the internet the other day and really enjoyed it; so, I thought I would share. :)



I have enjoyed several of the videos that Mormon Messages has put out, especially, this one and one put out around Father's Day. This video really made me think about the things I'm thankful for.

I am thankful for:
My wonderful wife
My handsome son, and the joy he brings into my life
Having a place to live, a car to drive, and a decent paying job; especially in these economic times
Having very little (and realistically zero) debt
My health
My ability to attend school and support a family, so my wife can stay home
My opportunity to attend college
My large, fun, extended family
My knowledge of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ
My knowledge of Jesus Christ as my Savior, Lord, and Redeemer

These are just a few of many things, but these are in the forefront of my mind today. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

The Weekend

Well, Friday was fun enough. Work was the same, boring, and when I got home Karen and I did what we usually do on Friday nights--stay up way too late watching TV shows. We follow quite a few shows consistently:

Castle - a great, new show about a mystery writer who shadows a detective and helps her solve crime in order to get new ideas for his book. The writer and detective have a relationship similar to Bones and Booth on "Bones" which makes the episodes fun.

Grey's Anatomy - I thoroughly enjoy watching this show because of the major surgery that seems to be done every episode. Wondering if they'll succeed, and knowing how dangerous it is, gets my heart racing--literally--like no other show on TV.

Community - A new comedy on NBC, genuinely funny and surprisingly clean. It's about a successful lawyer who never got a law degree, so the BAR suspended his license until he does. He's decided to do this through community college. Like most new shows the latest episodes are beginning to delve into inappropriate content, so we'll see how long we keep watching.

Lost - Karen and I have watched this one from the beginning, and the last season starts in February. Much like "24", this show comes with cliffhanger endings that keep you on the edge of your seat. That's why we like watching them after they've been posted online, so we don't have to stop. :) Of course, this then leads to staying up way too late, as I mentioned before.

24 - When I was in high school I caught a season of "24" and ever since have wanted to see it from the beginning. This isn't exactly necessary with "24" like it is with "Lost" but I wanted to know the whole story. Lucky (or possibly unlucky) for us we have friends who own every single season. Thus Karen and I have had many late nights of, "oh, just one more episode, it's only midnight!'. We're only on season three out of seven or eight, so we'll probably be taking a break when school starts in January.

So, like I said we stay up way too late watching shows; and when I say we, I mean Karen usually falls asleep around eleven and I continue watching until 1:30 am. This usually makes me quite grumpy, which doesn't make for a fun Saturday.

Saturday, nonetheless, was pretty fun. We headed out to Idaho Falls in the morning and hit all the hot shopping sites: Fred Meyer, Baskin Robbins, Lowe's and JC Penny! :) We needed to pick up a few groceries, Karen had a who-knows-how-old gift certificate, I needed to pick up some parts for my maintenance job, and we needed to pick up Karen's ring, which I resized for our anniversary. We had a pretty good time driving around, I did get annoyed and frustrated and may have yelled, but we got past that eventually.

When I got home I had to complete some work orders, which took up most of the evening. I also had the opportunity to serve a family in our ward. The first counselor in the bishopric called and asked me to help give some blessings. I am very grateful for my calling in the ward, it has consistently given me opportunities to learn and exercise my priesthood. I am also grateful for the righteous, inspired men I serve with who are understanding and patient with me.

When I finished and got home guess what Karen and I did? Yup, stayed up way too late watching shows. (Will we ever learn?) This is usually okay on Friday nights, but not on Saturday. Sunday mornings I'm expected to be in meetings starting at 7:00 am, and if I don't get enough sleep it's hard to get up in the morning.

Sunday ended up alright though. I probably looked like I just rolled out of bed all day long, but at least I was there. Right? David was funny as I took him to nursery. We were walking down the hall and when I opened the door, he looked in and everyone said "hi" to him. He then promptly turned around and ran down the hall! Poor kid, I swear he's traumatized for life. He did not want to be in nursery and when I finally left he was screaming. However, before I could even turn the corner he stopped. This means one of two things, either they busted out the tranquilizers, or he's just a big whiner and wanted to stay with me, but once I left he was content to play with toys.

When I walked over to the church at seven the ground was dry and the sky overcast, but with no sign of the storm that was about to come. When Karen and I got out of sacrament meeting at noon the ground was covered in two inches of snow, and it was still coming down. Hard. With that, winter has finally begun. We were blessed to actually get a fall this year. We were able to enjoy a few 50-60 degree days in-between our weeks of below-freezing temperatures. I keep hearing we're supposed to have a mild winter, and someone told me today that it's supposed to be almost 50 again by Thanksgiving, but we'll see. With the two winters I've lived through, I wouldn't believe it for a second.

Though winter is usually harsh here in Idaho, this snow was peaceful. There was no wind; it made everything so quiet. I love how it reflects light and makes it seem brighter outside. The Sunday snowfall made me happy and excited. It signified the closeness of the holidays and aroused anticipation for my December vacation that will be filled with family and friends. It reminded me of past snow, running outside in the middle of the night with Lee, drifting around corners in the pickup, snow forts and snowball fights; so many fun memories. I can't wait to be back in Olympia for Christmas.

Cameron called on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday it was 11:00 pm, Karen gave him a pretty hard time about calling so late. On Sunday it was 8:20 pm (Karen must have got to him) and then again a little after nine. He calls for my advice; at the end of every call he says, "you always give the best advice". I don't know about that, but it means a lot that he still calls for it. When we were in high school Cameron and I were inseparable. We were always hanging out together and talking late into the night about whatever. When he got back from his mission I had a hope that it might be that way again. I tried to transfer down to BYU so I could be closer to him, other friends, and family, but that didn't work out. Cameron is the type that makes friends extremely easily, no matter who or where he is. So, I was worried that my best friend would disappear and we would just catch up every now and then. I am grateful that hasn't happened, apparently the brotherly bond we had in high school was not just temporary. He still has his really good friends in Provo, but he still calls, still visits, still cares about my opinion. I think part of it may be that I know who he really is. Some of his friends think he should act a certain way, and he doesn't agree, so he calls me to get some support. I tell Karen that I'm his therapist. :)

That was long, huh? I think I'll change the title to "The Long-winded Monologues of Todd" it's more fitting.

Update

Unfortunately, I was wrong about my evening. No guitar, no 24; Karen had an enrichment activity. Blast those uplifting RS events! :) On the upside, I was able to spend a little time playing with David before I put him to bed. I remembered something I find very important as we were eating dinner, and that is, I am David's example. It was funny; as I poured myself a glass of water he instantly wanted a drink. He is mimicking the words Karen and I say now, and he even copies me when I walk around the house.

How important it is for me to realize how closely he watches. This is the point in his life where he can be shaped and taught how to act; however, most of the things he learns he learns by observation. Realizing how closely I'm watched will hopefully help me turn inward and analyze the things I do. Am I acting the way I would like my son to act? Are the things I say and do always appropriate? Am I emulating the Savior through my words and deeds? May the Lord help me be more like him.

A Relaxing Day...Sort Of

This morning was absolutely wonderful. Why? I actually got to take a warm shower. Over the past couple of weeks we've been having problems with our water heater. Unfortunately, (especially for me) this has meant that every morning when I get up there is no hot water. Not the best way to start your day. We're in the process of getting it fixed, but soon we will be in a much bigger, nicer apartment where we won't have to worry about things like this. Hopefully.

I didn't have to work today due to Karen and I both having dentist appointments back to back and me saving up some hours. I was in for a filling; Karen was in for a cleaning. David was surprisingly patient for being at the dentist for four hours, and everyone commented on how well behaved he was. If they only knew... :) In between appointments we grabbed some lunch at Wendy's and some shakes at a locally owned store. Surprisingly, ice cream is still really good when half your face is numb.

Currently I am lounging at home wondering what to do with the rest of my day. I'm sure I'll be helping with dinner and we'll watch some episodes of 24 later (we have been watching the seasons lately; dangerously addictive, but too good to not watch). I'm hoping that later we can go look at a guitar I'm thinking of buying for a guitar class, but we'll see.

Recently I have been worried about our financial situation. There's no cause for alarm--we are very well off right now--I just can't seem to save as much as I would like. My career in the financial industry (banking) and an excellent accounting teacher in high school opened my eyes early to the benefits of saving. As I'm hoping to one day be a millionaire I know that saving early is important, but for some reason I can't stick to a budget. Personally, I think my downfall is credit cards. We have the money, but I decide to put it on a credit card instead and then we end up paying it off in one lump sum, it's a lot harder to part with. Credit cards build a false sense of security and make it easier to think you have more money than you really do. One of these days, when I stop getting cavities, I'll be able to pay off my credit cards. Once they're at zero, they won't be used again. I don't care if we don't get "points" or "rewards", whatever you want to call them; it's better to know how much money you really have and not spend any more. "Live within your means" as we're constantly directed; that's where I'll find peace.

I've decided that this blog will probably become a place for me to rant about whatever is on my mind. I wonder, how many people will actually read it?

Karen asked me why I don't want to post on the family blog. I think the answer is, I don't think anyone is really that interested in my ranting. I mean, look at what I just wrote, do you want to read that or see cute pictures of David? That's what I thought; you shouldn't have to sift through my ranting.

The Beginning

Recently I have been perusing the online world and discovered many blogs written by friends or close acquaintences. A few of these have inspired me to create a new blog, one which solely recorded events from my perspective. This in turn created a space where I will be able to house my thoughts and feelings.

Hopefully, over time, this blog will help me improve my writing skills, grammar, and knowledge of myself. This will, most likely, be one of the hardest things I've ever done; I am a private person and do not share my thoughts or feelings on a regular basis, not even with my wife. I'm sure many who read this blog will lose interest quickly; but really it's for me, not for you.

I apologize for the name and title of the blog, but many of the titles I tried had already been taken. Out of curiosity I went and visited most of these blogs, many never posted on since 2007 or earlier. Nothing particularly of interest I'm sorry to say. However, in the end, I think the current titles captures what I want this blog to be.  Here are some of the other titles I tried:

Through the woods
The life of Todd
Life of Todd
Todd's travels
Todd's world
Life with Todd

These are only the handful I could remember.

For those who are curious as to what may be posted here, I plan on putting anything from a journal entry about my day to a paper I wrote for a class. Please, leave comments--if you have them--about anything that I may write; your input is appreciated.

I hope to post several times a week, if not daily, and would appreciate some nagging if I don't stay on top of it. Thank you to those who decide to join me on my journey through life, whether it be for a day or longer. I hope you enjoy the ride.