Who's Hungry?

Some Old Pics

I recently revived the programs used to do fun stuff on my cell phone (like make ringtones, movies and download pictures). I came across some fun pictures and thought I should share some. The technology we have at our fingeertips is amazing.

We were in the MUSS last year and had a ton of fun eating free food and hanging out in the student section. It was always fun to take Maggie. We always dressed her in sparkly red pants. She is so cute. This was taken about one year ago.

Last year on Thanksgiving we did some Hinckley Family Portraits because we hadn't done them since before Chelsea's mission in 2001. Since those pictures we'd had 6 wonderful additions to the family through marriage and birth. Now with the twins the Wayne Hinckley family has doubled to 16. Here's a picture of the women folk:

When Megan and I were dating we used to joke about how things would be when we ruled the world, so we thought we'd better train Maggie on that too:
I think she liked it.

After pictures we had our Thanksgiving Feast at my mom's house. Maggie and I were excited:
And then later we looked through the ads to see if we could get and super sweet deals in the morning sales:
We didn't get anything much beyond a remote controlled helicopter and some hand tools.

Maggie used to play with a small magnetic necklace. She stunned us the Sunday after Thanksgiving when she put it on her head like a crown. It was so cute that I had to take a picture, even though we were in church, but the meeting hadn't started yet, so I was OK, right?

Megan was in the early stages of twin pregnancy at this time. We didn't know it was twins, but faces like this should have led us on to it.

Near the end of January we had to take our Honda to get inspected and had the brakes and oil changed and had a transmission flush on the Corolla. I didn't think it would take long, so I had Maggie with me at the car place while we waited. They seemed to take forever with the car and in the mean time Maggie was getting tired of sitting around. She started climbing all over stuff and getting in to junk. While she was doing something she slipped and banged her poor mouth on a chair. She was crying hard and I could see some blood on her lips. She wouldn't let me look at her closely to see if she was going to be OK or if she was going to lose a tooth. The only way I could see her mouth was to tell her to smile and take a picture. This was back in the day of Maggie's cheesy grins. Luckily it looked like she was going to be ok.
Maggie loves playing with her cousins. This was taken at the end of April:

Megan and I took Maggie with us to celebrate our third anniversary in May. We went to dinner and then went to test drive a new car that we thought we wanted. Maggie was really helpful in making sure the tires were properly inflated:

These are some more cousins having fun taken on May 14.

About 10 days before the twins came, Megs and I were chillin and so what do we do when we are bored? I whipped out the camera phone and we had an ANTM photo shoot:




She started getting angry there near the end. Being pregnant with twins can slighlty increase volatility and appetite.

Here are the boys on the day that we brought them home:
Maggie loves to play with them and tries to be like them at times:
Sometimes I take pictures of myself on accident. I don't know why all the accidental pics have such strange facial expressions and crazy hair. We've become accustomed to blaming it on the lack of sleep. Megan told me today though that the trick is to convince yourself that you don't need much sleep. That way you won't feel sleep deprived.

And finally, we went to the Utah football game against CSU a few weeks ago. Megan and I sat by ourselves in the Asian Student Section of the MUSS. It was fun! The reason why going to a Utah game at Rice Eccles is so memorable is because where else in Utah will you see this:

It's hard to see, but there was a guy that was wearing nothing but shoes and a speedo walking around the student section, posing for pictures with any stranger that wanted to. What a great sense of team spirit and fan dedication. It was awesome!

I recently heard an anonymous discussion regarding income taxes. Because I intend to be incredulously rich someday, I decided to do some research to uncover based on the current 2007 tax schedules, at what point will my taxes exceed 50% of my income. This has been a hot topic in the recent election.

I first researched the federal and state income tax rate schedules. I found the federal rates in the 2007 instruction booklet to the form 1040. By the way I have the instruction booklet (all 155 pages) because I did our own taxes by hand earlier this year and it was really cool! Way more awesome than the tax programs. The booklet can be downloaded at irs.org.

I then found the state tax brackets on the state website (http://incometax.utah.gov/rates.php).

After glancing at the information shown in those tables, before any calculations were done, I quickly observed that one would have to be in the highest bracket (over $350,000) to come even close to paying 50% of your income.

I did some quick calcs and observed that the amount of taxed income obviously converges on the percentages of 35% Federal + 6.98% State = 42% total.

I then remembered that I was omitting Social security and medicaid. So i found those rates at this website: http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/colafacts.htm. The website gives 2009 rates in which Medicaid has remained a constant 1.45% and Social Security is increased to 7.65% for employees and 13.85% for the self employed, of the first $102,000 only. Based on my work experience, if I intend to be so ridiculously rich I'm going to have to be self employed.

After adding those additional taxes I came up with the following graph:

As can be seen in the graph, based on Married, Filing Jointly status, even with zero deductions, it is impossible to pay over 50% of your income to taxes if the taxes to which you are referring include Federal, State, Medicaid and Social Security. The graph will once again converge at 35% Federal + 6.98% State + 1.45% Medicaid = 43.43% total

I'll be honest: I don't know if I will ever make over $1,000,000 per year, so I cut the table down to the first million as shown below. Interesting how the burden really levels out.
I don't know how to end this post. I think taxes are cool. I mean, it's hard paying for them, but we have a lot of benefits and protection as a result of them. I guess that's why their always automatically deducted and most people just never think of them. Awesome.

A Timeline: Election ’08 and Me.

On February 5, 2008, I joined 255,217 other Utahns and voted for Mitt Romney in Utah’s Republican Presidential Primary. Romney won the Utah primary with a decisive 90% of the vote. More statistics from the primary are found here.

I voted for Romney because I liked him. I didn’t know much about him, but I knew that I could trust him and that we had the same fundamental beliefs because we are members of the same church.

I was very sad and angered when certain events transpired and eventually Romney dropped out of the race. At that time myself and the local media suspected that McCain and other candidates had formed backstabbing secret combinations to ensure that Romney never surpassed McCain in the race for delegates. I thought that it was noble of him to step down and instruct his delegates to endorse McCain.

After Romney left the race my attention was drawn elsewhere. Starting in March through May we were busy scrounging every last cent we could find to buy our house. Then in July we found ourselves suddenly expanding from one car seat to three. My mind completely ignored the political arena. I remember hearing about the democratic primaries dragging out for a long time and then suddenly Barack Obama was chosen as the nominee.

Due to Megan’s attraction to the Obama’s and the Democratic Party, we watched some of the Democratic Convention and I was impressed. I didn’t know much about Obama or Joe Biden, but I enjoyed the unity, upbeat optimism and enthusiasm of the party.

Later the Republican National Convention was held and was delayed a day due to Hurricane Gustav. I was hoping that Mitt Romney would be nominated as the Vice to McCain. Instead he chose Sarah Palin, who, I’ll be honest, has annoyed me from the first minute I saw her. Although, I have thoroughly enjoyed Tina Fey’s take on the situation.

A few weeks later the bottom of our economy started falling out. I had never owned a house, had a real job or had a family during any other presidential election and suddenly I identified several issues that were really important to me and my family. Being admittedly unfamiliar with the candidates, I decided that I would wipe the slate clean and intently listen to the debates to aid me in deciding who would be my pick for the next president.

The first debate was on September 26. I was hanging out with Maggie that night and watched the debate on CNN.com while she watched her ABC show. I remember the candidates speaking of several issues pertinent to me. Obama said that he will not change policy on gay marriage, gun control or abortion because those are things that no one can agree upon at this time. I was glad he said that. Gay marriage and legalized abortion are two things that are fundamentally contrary to my personal beliefs and spiritual witness-based convictions and I will not tolerate them. As far as gun control is concerned, I think that there are too many wacked-out nut jobs that do bad things with them. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to get a gun or two, but I do think that improvements need to happen to better keep them away from the crazies.

Later in the first debate I was very impressed by McCain’s knowledge and fluency with regards to foreign policy and the war situation. I don’t think that Obama totally choked, but he was no match for McCain’s name dropping and confidence.

In the second debate I liked Obama’s plan with regards to tax breaks and health care. A coworker had previously warned me that Obama’s health care plan was socialism. But I left the debate feeling like it was McCain’s plan that was socialistic. McCain’s plan did not appeal to me. It was fun to see McCain get so mad at Obama. I was further frustrated with McCain because on a lot of issues he failed to express his policy and instead pointed out the flaws in Obama’s intentions. I really wanted to know what he stood for but on several topics he left me better introduced to Obama and still guessing at what he would do.

We decided to go to Ryan’s final football game in Wildcat Stadium during the third debate. Ryan’s team totally won. It was a good game. Ryan is a quick left guard on the offensive line. It was fun to see him pull and then light up unsuspecting rushers. I played left tackle back in my day. It would have been fun to have played together with him on the left side.

When we got home and listened to the news all we heard about was Joe the Plumber. I was busy at work the next day, so I decided that SNL’s Weekend Update, Thursday Edition would have to make up for the missed debate. To be honest, I didn’t get much out of it.

Since the debates we have heard a lot of sound bites on news clips. The most prominent one to me is McCain keeps saying that Obama wants to "redistribute wealth" instead of "create wealth" like it’s a bad thing. But honestly, somebody please tell me what is wrong with that? I spent two awesome years in a third world country and you know what? I firmly believe that class distinctions are what make a developed/developing nation a third world country.

In my current state, taking it to the man so that I can afford to pay off our medical bills and buy a bigger car for my gaggle of children is not a bad idea. McCain, how is wealth created? From what I have heard from you, I infer that you believe that rich people become richer (create wealth) by taking advantage of the lower classmen. But wouldn’t the world we live in be a happier place if the majority had greater economic opportunity to invest in new inventions and creations? I believe that that is how wealth is created. It has to start at its roots. That is how a tree grows. It does not grow by watering and nourishing the leaves.

If you can’t tell by now, Yes, I have decided to vote for Obama. McCain frustrates me. He gets angry, doesn’t answer the questions, negatively talks about his opponents, can’t raise his arms (that really, really bugs me for some reason) and is out of touch with the immediate needs of the majority of Americans.

Some people have spread bad rumors about Obama. Let me use some common sense to displace these rumors.

1. Obama is not an American. What? Hello? At what point in the application for candidacy to run for president did Obama pull the wool over the eyes of the committee to grant applications for presidency? It is true that only native-born American citizens can be president. If Obama is not American, he could not have applied to be the president. His presidential campaign would have never happened.

2. Obama is a terrorist. Oh really? What part of him working to clean up the slums of Chicago says that he would like turn around and destroy our entire nation? Terrorism is not treated lightly in our country, especially not back in Washington. If you haven’t noticed, even the slightest suspected terrorists are forever blacklisted by the CIA and other intelligence groups. If Obama is a terrorist his campaign would have never gotten off the ground and he would likely be locked up somewhere else.

3. Obama is my 11th cousin. This one is actually true with the caveat that we are one generation removed. The church actually did the research to tell me that.

4. Obama has insufficient experience to be the president. While I agree that McCain has more extensive foreign policy experience, the role of the president is not to be the definitive genius on all issues. For this reason the Presidential Cabinet has existed since the Presidency itself. Based on Obama’s occupational and political experience, he will be able to choose team members that will assist him in making the right decisions.

That is my 2 cents. Let me know your feelings. I'm voting tomorrow at noon, so act quick if you want to dissuade me.

10% off Ebay

I saw the other day that you can get 10% off any purchase on ebay if you use paypal and your ebay and paypal email addresses are the same. You can get up to $100 off! It expires Thursday night (10-30-08) at midnight Pacific Time. Check out at PayPal before then and type in the code: CFALLSAVINGS10P

You can't beat free money.

Sunday's Talk

I have pasted below the talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting last Sunday. It's long, so take a deep breath and enjoy! Megan also talked; check out her words of wisdom HERE.

CRITICALITIES OF LIFE

In preparation for this talk I decided I would discuss several questions with respect to adversity. They are:

1. What is Adversity?
2. Who does Adversity Affect?
3. Why do we have adversity?
4. How do we overcome adversity?
5. How do we prevent or cope with adversity?

I will answer these questions in that order.

What is Adversity?

Adversity is a lot like Tupperware. For example, it is something that everyone has and it comes in many colors, shapes and sizes and each piece seems to have a different purpose. Some forms of adversity that we encounter in our lives include trials, disappointments, sadness, sickness and heartache. Helping others to overcome adversity can be a very rewarding experience in our lives. Unfortunately, true to the analogy, we don’t typically think a lot about our neighbors’ Tupperware. [pause for laughter]

The adverse conditions that we face in life are directed by our Heavenly Father. In His all-knowing way He allows adversity to enter our lives so that through the principles of free agency, adversity becomes a teaching tool to prepare us to return to Him. Each individual receives trials specific to their needs. As we learn to manage our own trials in life, Heavenly Father can use us as an instrument to serve others in effort to alleviate their pains and suffering.

Last week in Elder’s quorum we had a really good discussion about trials. I don’t know if it was planned that way, but our lesson gave me a lot of good material for this talk. The lesson came from the teachings of Joseph Smith, the prophet of the Restoration and the first president of our church in this dispensation. Joseph Smith’s life was full of adversity.

Wilford Woodruff, the fourth President of the Church, said: “The Lord told Joseph that He would prove him, whether he would abide in His covenant or not, even unto death. He did prove him; and although [Joseph] had the whole world to contend against and the treachery of false friends to withstand, although his whole life was a scene of trouble and anxiety and care, yet, in all his afflictions, his imprisonments, the mobbings and ill treatment he passed through, he was ever true to his God.”2

Who does Adversity Affect?

Again quoting from the Joseph Smith manual, the prophet Joseph taught:

“The destinies of all people are in the hands of a just God, and He will do no injustice to any one; and this one thing is sure, that they who will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution [see 2 Timothy 3:12]; and before their robes are made white in the blood of the Lamb, it is to be expected, according to John the Revelator, they will pass through great tribulation [see Revelation 7:13–14].”4

“Men have to suffer that they may come upon Mount Zion and be exalted above the heavens.”5 [End quote]

Each of us will experience some form of adversity in our lives. Some may be experiencing none, one or multiple trials at any given time. Some trials may be short-lived, others constant and long-suffering. Through our individual attitudes and faith, we may differ in how we manage and allow our adversities to affect us.

This is an essential part of Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption. Heavenly Father has sent us to earth where we are required to exercise the gift of free agency. Maintaining our ability to choose and then choosing to positively react to adversity are important steps in returning to our Heavenly Father.

Why do we Have Adversity?

As an American missionary in a third world country, I was often asked by embittered people not of our faith why a loving God would allow such widespread suffering around the world. Due to the closed-minded attitude of the inquisitors, they never accepted my straightforward answer. My response was typically along the lines of this quote obtained from lds.org:

Trials may come as a consequence of a person's own pride and disobedience. These trials can be avoided through righteous living. Other trials are simply a natural part of life and may come at times when people are living righteously. For example, people may experience trials in times of sickness or uncertainty or at the deaths of loved ones. Adversity may sometimes come because of others' poor choices and hurtful words and actions. Suffering may also come through a loving Heavenly Father as a tutoring experience. [End Quote]

Ultimately, like father Lehi taught his son Jacob in 2 Nephi 2:11, we must have adversity in our lives to teach us the difference between good and bad, and holy and unholy. Knowing and recognizing the difference will then prepare us to return to live with our families and Heavenly Father forever.

Shortly after being chased out of town by the wicked King Noah, Alma the older (the first Alma) said this in Mosiah 23: 21-22:

21 Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to ^achasten his people; yea, he trieth their ^bpatience and their faith.

22 Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his ^atrust in him the same shall be ^blifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people.

The Lord tests our patience and faith through adversity. With the help of the Lord, the promise is that we can be “lifted up” to return to live with our Heavenly Father “at the last day.” Each step involved in overcoming adversity will lead to spiritual growth, refinement and progress. In Ether 12 Moroni taught: And if men come unto me I will show unto them their ^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them.

Moroni also said:

I would show unto the world that ^afaith is things which are ^bhoped for and ^cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no ^dwitness until after the ^etrial of your faith.

It is through our trials that we can test our faith and then if we’re successful in being patient and hard working, we will gain testimony. The Lord will see that we are sufficiently tried to be purified, sanctified and worthy in preparation to return to Him.

John Taylor, the third President of the Church, said: “I heard the Prophet Joseph say, in speaking to the Twelve on one occasion: ‘You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God.’ … Joseph Smith never had many months of peace after he received the truth, and finally he was murdered in Carthage jail.”8

How do we Overcome Adversity?

Alma the younger, son of the first Alma who was previously quoted, reiterated his father’s teaching in Alma 36:3:

"Whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day"

Adverse conditions can teach us and help us to grow closer to the Lord by putting our trust in Him. In this instance putting our trust in Him means working harder to model our lives after the pattern he has taught us in the church through the modern-day prophets. As always, the scriptures, with extra emphasis to the teachings and life examples of Jesus Christ are an excellent source of inspiration and comfort.

As we exercise our faith through prayer, study and meditation we should ask the following questions:

1. What am I to do?
2. What am I to learn from this experience?
3. What am I to change?
4. Whom am I to help?
5. How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial?

Relying on the Lord to ease our burdens and teach us from on high fulfills Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s teaching that

Rather than simply passing through trials, we must allow trials to pass through us in ways that sanctify us. [End Quote]

If the purpose of having trials is just that as previously mentioned, to sanctify us in preparation to receive celestial glory, then the best way to permanently overcome our trials is to make sure that we don’t ever forget the lessons learned and then they will never comeback. Like the sports cliché says, the best defense is a solid offense. That mentality has worked well with positive results for BYU 7 out of 8 times this year, so obviously it’s not perfect. Therefore, let’s examine what happens when we apply both a solid offense and a solid defense, which leads me to the next question.

How do we Prevent/Cope with Adversity?

As stated, if we exercise faith and fully learn and always remember what the Lord expects us to understand through our adversities, we will not necessitate further trials along those same lines. This is a component of enduring to the end.

Tupperware comes with a lifetime guarantee. Likewise, our Heavenly Father offers us a lifetime guarantee with respect to adversity. In Mark 13:13 Jesus taught:

“He that shall [faithfully] endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”

Elder Robert D. Hales said:

If we are patient in our afflictions, endure them well, and wait upon the Lord to learn the lessons of mortality, the Lord will be with us to strengthen us unto the end of our days

We learn to endure to the end by learning to finish our current responsibilities, and we simply continue doing it all of our lives. We cannot expect to learn endurance in our later years if we have developed the habit of quitting when things get difficult now.

Enduring to the end is necessary, but not necessarily easy. Because we are human, we are not perfect and we are prone to temptations as Satan exploits our weaknesses. Our Heavenly Father has promised us this in Corinthians 10:13:

There hath no temptation ^ataken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be ^btempted above that ye are able; but will with the ^ctemptation also make a way to ^descape, that ye may be able to ^ebear it.

Though some of our adversities may be long-lasting, they serve to be a constant reminder of what Heavenly Father desires that we learn and they will not be in excess of what we are able to bear. We can’t become depressed and lose hope for what is in store. For example, some of us will encounter life-long disabilities. I have seen this in my own father who has slowly lost his eyesight over the last 20 years. I know that while he misses being able to see his family and he will never be able to see his grandchildren while on this earth, that his permanent disability of blindness has instilled an everlasting hope and testimony to be able to rise up in the first morning if the resurrection. Sure his disability is difficult, but out of this thorny trial he has gained the ability to be one of the most patient, honest and righteous men I have ever met.

I have found through my own personal experiences that Heavenly Father not only limits my trials to what I can bear, but He has also prepared me in advance of my trials. [Tell story MAYBE]

We can gain deeper testimonies and avoid temptations that may weaken our testimonies of important gospel principles by following Helaman’s teaching to his sons Nephi and Lehi in Helaman 5:12:

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the ^arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your ^bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty ^cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Megan mentioned that I am a geotechnical engineer, so this is where I get really excited in a nerdy sort of way. To close I would like to metaphorically expound on the importance of building a solid foundation.

As some of you may know, millions of years ago this area was covered by Lake Bonneville. Over millions of years the lake deposited sediments along the valley floor. As the lake receded, canyons were incised and rivers and streams formed out of the mouths of canyons and through the valley.

We now live in what is called a sediment filled basin. The groundwater is relatively shallow and the sediments are several hundred feet deep in some areas of the Salt Lake Valley. The sediments consist primarily of sand, silt and clay. Due to the soft and liquefaction-prone condition of these soils, deep foundations must be used in the construction of critical use structures.

Some examples of critical use structures are hospitals, schools, highway bridges, power plants, and cell phone towers. Critical use structures must be designed to withstand the maximum considered natural disasters so that in the event of emergency safety, medical assistance and transportation routes remain functioning.

In Utah deep foundations used in the construction of critical use structures typically consist of groups of steel piles. Each pile is driven into the ground until a specified resistance or load capacity is achieved. This sometimes requires that each pile be driven in excess of 100 feet.

The analogy is that our lives are critical to our Heavenly Father and he requires us to do our part in return for eternal life with Him. He said: For behold, this is my ^awork and my ^bglory—to bring to pass the ^cimmortality and ^deternal ^elife of man.

Just like the sediment filled basins where we live, if we desire to build our critical foundation on the rock of Christ, we have to punch through the poor soils of adversity and temptation. Driving piles into the ground is not easy and can be a long and slow process. Oft times it may feel like we have reached the more stable layers below, but a test will prove that we are not quite there. He will help us in reaching our goals and staying on target. May we always work to bear our lives on Christ by overcoming and being patient in our trials.

Bear Testimony.

LAST CALL!!

A while ago I posted that we were in need of unloading some stuff. I made some very attractive KSL classified listings and we were able to sell the chain link fence. Recently Megan decided she wants to keep and refinish the 6 foot shelf. This link will take you to the blog post with links to the merchandise. The stuff that didn't find new owners is still just floating around, so now we have no option but to offer the goods for...


... of course upon the condition that we know you and trust that you will take care of our precious unneeded junk.

Featured Item:Yes, the classic 19-inch Magnavox TV from 1989 is still available.

Come and get it. The first person that does will receive a free meal with us (if you come around meal time).

Other new things that we no longer need (these things probably won't be free):

1. 2nd Generation 4GB iPod mini with CD and stuff
2. Toshiba A45-S150 Satellite (40 GB, 512 MB) with HP 3650 Inkjet Printer
3. 1994 Honda Accord LX (211k miles, click to see ad)

Let me know if you're interested and we could strike a deal!!

A Couple of Things I Have Learned this Week

Sometimes, actually more often than not, when I am trying to do a gravel hatch in AutoCAD it looks more like a mess of sticks than gravel. Yesterday I learned that if you redefine the hatch origin in the hatch command window to be closer or even within your intended hatch, it looks like perfect gravel every time! Who knew?

Then today I was researching to find a riprap classification specification. I remembered that one time when I worked for another company that we rented a huge scale and then did a mass gradation by hand. It was a lot of hard work and the guy that was doing it with me had a bad back and had to drive to the site with a blow up pillow. So guess who did all the heavy lifting. The table below is from a USACE document for Best Management Practices (BMPs). I can help spec out riprap now if anyone wants some.

Ostriches

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27)

I read this scripture for the Elders Quorum lesson. In the margin next to this verse, I had sometime ago written GRAFITI. Why did I write graffiti? Is it because I think taggers should be harshly punished? That really doesn’t relate to the scripture, unless taggers do it because they have a weakness in an identity crisis or something along those lines. So I thought a little harder and then remembered this:

This is why this scripture is so true. This was some graffiti on a wall along a well-traveled path in Campinas, Brazil. I took a picture of it because it is so ironic how the natural man tends to act like an ostrich when adversity comes. We must not bury our heads when we are embarrassed or when we can’t face our trials. We must look to God, humble ourselves and plead to Him for strength and encouragement. The promise is that in so doing, our weaknesses are reversed to become our strengths. That is awesome!

Directions

For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass (the Liahona), which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land. (Alma 37:44)

When we read this scripture in Sunday School today, the words “if you know how to use it and are worthy to use it” popped into my head. One must have the knowledge of how to use the tool to make the tool effective. For example, I often let Maggie play with my tools. I don’t usually think twice about her playing with them because she doesn’t know how to use them. (Megan blogged about this once) However, she astonished us a few months ago when we saw that whenever we gave her our keys she would walk up to doors and try to use a key. We don’t know where she got that from, based on that we use keyless car remotes and go through the garage into the house. When she plays in the car she always asks for my set of keys. She will pick out the right one and then will put it into the car ignition. We are in big trouble when she learns to turn the key.

Back to the scripture: it is stating that the word of Christ (scriptures, gospel, commandments, etc.) and a compass are easy to follow and will equally point us in the right direction. Following directions, especially when compasses are involved, reminded me of a story. All good stories begin with “one time…” so here we go:

One time, the summer before I was a senior in high school, our stake decided to do a stake-wide, all young men’s summer camp. This was the infamous summer camp where we burned the couch. That story has gained immortal legend status in the Woods Cross 2^nd Ward, especially with all the ever changing nuances that Rick Hawley comes up with; it’s best to get the story from him.

Anyway, the stake called on some of the priest age young men who were basically done with their Eagles and merit badges to be merit badge counselors for the Deacons and Teachers that still needed merit badges. I was assigned to teach the Orienteering Merit Badge, which obviously deals with compasses and compass courses for orienteering purposes. As merit badge counselor I was in charge of teaching the boys how to use a compass and then taking them through all the merit badge requirements. This was my first time being a counselor, so I didn’t know what to expect. I just tried to follow the merit badge book the best I could.

I was in relatively good shape back then (actually I was in darn near the best shape of my life), so I thought nothing strange of requiring the boys to record their 100 meter sprint times. To facilitate this requirement, we found the straightest and flattest area we could, which happened to be the main road through camp.

Due to the distracted nature of the video game generation, it’s hard to get 12-year olds to listen and follow directions. Subsequently, if I remember correctly, we spent A LOT of time getting everyone coordinated and passed off, one by one, on the 100 meters. Many leaders watched us and wondered what the heck we were doing. For years now I have received ridicule for making a 100 meter sprint part of the orienteering merit badge. I even convinced myself that I had misinterpreted the merit badge requirement and that we ran all day long for no apparent reason.

Well, it’s time to set the record straight. In preparation of this post, I uncovered this information:

The fifth requirement is as follows: Set up a 100-meter pace course. Determine your walking and running pace for 100 meters. Tell why it is important to pace-count.

So I didn’t screw up after all! What a relief. For nearly 8 years I have had that sad thought looming over my head. I just may be qualified to teach more merit badges!

And that story was related to the aforementioned scripture because you have follow directions. And sometimes people don’t recognize that you are following directions, but you need to anyway, no matter how hard it is or how silly it seems. We have been promised that if we follow directions we will be blessed. We need to follow up on those types of sacred promises. Doing so will strengthen our testimonies and prepare us for whatever challenges lay before us.

In response to a tagging,

My sister Jill tagged me for to apparently reinvent the meaning of the alphabet. Please be so kind as to bear with me as I complete this endeavor:

A = ADVOCATE FOR: I honestly haven't advocated for anything in years. I'm not off to a very good start here.
B = BEST FEATURE: What type of feature? Feature film? I like the epic movies of the 80's, the Indiana Jones and Back to the Future movies. I also like documentaries.
C= COULDN'T DO WITHOUT: Good food. I can already tell this is going to take a while.
D = DREAMS AND DESIRES: A good career, community involvement and well-roundedness in understanding how people and things work in this world.
E = ESSENTIAL ITEM: Toothpaste. My mom says I inherited a bad tartar build-up problem from my dad. The dentist likes to hurt me.
F= FAVORITE PAST TIME: Sports, friends, yard work, manual labor, relaxing.
G= GOOD AT: Apparently propagating Megan's fertility.
H = HAVE NEVER TRIED: Downhill skiing, but I don't think I really want to try it anyway. Sometimes toasties make me angry.
I = IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS: I would pay off our mortgage and child birthing debts, and then buy us a couple more-suitable vehicles and build an addition on our house and then put some away for family and future needs.
J = JUNKIE FOR: Engineering documentaries, the Panama Canal, dirt and water.
K = KINDRED SPIRIT(s): What the heck is a kindred spirit? That is like the most un-manly thing I have ever heard of.
L = LITTLE KNOWN FACT: I only gained 9 pounds from 6th grade (204 lbs) to being a senior in high school (213 lbs).
M = MEMORABLE MOMENT: I agree with Megan that having the twins and all that happened the day they were born was memorable. Maggie's birth was also very memorable. Having kids in general is memorable; it has a way of erasing all prior memories of being married without kids.
N = NEVER AGAIN WILL I: I'm with Megan on this one: Get married. I got me a good catch and I intend to keep her (I told her to write that when she did this).
O = OCCASIONAL INDULGENCE: Sunday afternoon naps.
P= PERSON I MOST ADMIRE: Those who have been my leaders in family, church, scouts and school.
Q = QUOTE: I don’t pay attention to specific quotes. My inspiration comes from my drive to endure and excel.

R = REASON TO SMILE: I haven’t gone to the dentist in over a year, so I am not so sure I should be smiling all that much.

S = SORRY ABOUT: Hurting the environment because my Honda Accord now only runs on 3 cylinders.
T = TAG SOME FRIENDS: Ryan Charles, David P. Johnson

U = UNINTERESTED IN: Country Music.
V = VERY SCARED OF: Being swarmed by the hornets that I keep trying to kill.
W = WORST HABIT: Being insensitive.
X = X MARKS MY IDEAL VACATION SPOT: All-Inclusive resort somewhere in Mexico.
Y = YESTERYEAR DECADE OF CHOICE: Like Megan, I always thought the 70's would be cool.
Z = ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn.

Guess Who?

In a sudden rush of events, we found ourselves with two brand new additions to our family last Tuesday. A lot of people have wondered about their arrival and how it all happened, so allow me to enlighten you all....

The morning of Tuesday July 8, 2008 was nigh unto the typical morning around our house. Though my alarm had been going off for over a half hour, Maggie finally woke us up a few minutes after 7:00. Still feeling the effects of the sicknesses we all contracted during the prior weekend, we were hesitant to get out of bed. Megan had a doctor’s appointment for a non-stress test, so she showered first. Our shower head was acting up and had absolutely zero pressure. I showered next and got it to give me just a little more pressure by playing with it. I quickly dressed and was off to work by 8:10 because I had a site meeting in Draper at 8:30. As I was leaving Megan threw Maggie in the tub.

As I was pulling off the freeway about 6 minutes later I got a phone call from Megan. I have never heard her be so frantic. I couldn't understand a word she was saying and was assuming that something was wrong with Maggie. After a couple of minutes she was calm enough to tell me that the tub faucet wouldn't turn off and that it almost flooded the house. Adding to the hysteria, she couldn't find her cell phone to ask me what to do. She eventually remembered where the house shut-off valve was in the basement. As she ran down the stairs, her increased girth got the best of her, and she lost her center of gravity, falling forward down about 4 stairs. She caught herself but mostly landed on her belly with her knees and feet still on the stairs above her. She was able to turn the water off without flooding the house, but something in all that emotion of hysteria opened additional valves within.

After my meeting I rushed home and was able to comfort her for a minute while inspecting the busted valve. It was toast and there was no other shutoff than the main house valve. She had placed band-aids on her rug burned knees and arms, poor thing. I resolved to call our home warranty and get the valve replaced immediately. I jokingly told her that she jinxed us the night before when we told our friends Dave and Kristin that we were the fourth family to live in our semi-new house and Megan said it wasn't even possessed as far as she could tell.

I went back to work and called the home warranty people who said they would have a crew there in less than 8 hours to fix the dang valve. Megan called and said she was on her way to LDS hospital for her appointment and that she was feeling some contractions. Her mom had come to watch Maggie and had told Megan that she looked lower, like the babies had slid into delivery position. That wasn't quite what we wanted to hear because we weren't in the least bit ready. Megan was 35 weeks and 2 days along and our bags weren't packed, nor was our nursery ready.

While in the hospital Megan called and said that due to her spill that morning she needed to stay and be monitored longer. She was worried because she parked in 2-hour parking on the street. Eventually the nurses and doctors declared that she was in labor. They gave her a shot of something to see if it would stop, and it wouldn't. They told her to go move her car because she was going to be there a while.

So 35 weeks prego with twins and in labor, the nurses made her go out and move the car. How ironic is it that as she approached the car, there was the city parking enforcer writing her a ticket? He said, "This car has been here longer than 2 hours". And she was like, "I know! I've been here for like 5!! I'm in labor and need to park it somewhere else." To which he said, "Well, I’ll take this ticket back but I’m really not supposed to". What a dork. Megan got in the car and started sobbing. What an emotional day, and this was only at about 1:30 pm.

She then called me and told me that she was admitted for delivery and that she was being given pitocin. The only problem was that I was racing home to meet the plumbers to fix the faucet. I met them and frantically grabbed a bag of stuff. They were there for like 5 minutes and then said that they needed to go back to Salt Lake for a part. So Megan's dad came to house sit and wait for the plumber as I raced up to the hospital. I called my dad and brother to come to the hospital so we could give Megan a blessing. We all met there at 3:00 and gave her a blessing. Megan was getting her epidural as I got there. Looking for a doctor, I said "are you just the anesthesiologist?" I think he got mad and offended by that. Whoops. Sorry, it had been a crazy day.

The nurse told me that at 2:40 they had given her penicillin which needed 4 hours before delivery to fully kick in. So we waited, expecting to deliver around 6:40. Soon my dad and brother left us and a little while later Megan's parents and brothers came up. We joked around a bunch, which made Megan’s monitors go funny from all the belly laughter that she was doing.

At about 7:00 they told us that her doctor was out on a date for her anniversary and that we would wait for her. Finally, a few minutes after 8:00, the doctor showed and assessed Megan and told her to wait some more while she changed. At about 8:45 the doctor came in and broke Megan’s water. Almost instantly Megan’s contractions heightened and became very painful. Worried that the epidural was wearing off, Megan requested more. A few minutes later we were rushed to the operating room for delivery in case anything went awry and a c-section was needed. Megan’s mom and I were able to accompany her in the operating room, but we had to wear these sweet suits.

It took about 3 contractions to get Coleman out. He was born at 9:18 and weighed 5 lbs even and was 19 inches long. We didn’t get to really see him as he was rushed to a warmer bed and was given oxygen. Nine minutes later William slid down and was born after 1 contraction. He was 4 lbs and 13 ozs. He was also whisked away so we never heard how long he was. The boys were rushed to the special care nursery without us getting to touch them. Megan returned to her room having delivered nearly 10 lbs of baby, but saddened by not being able to see them.

Soon Megan’s family left and we were left alone. It seemed like it was about midnight before they moved Megan to her postpartum room. At that time we passed the nursery and were able to touch our boys. They were so small and were being monitored for heart rate, breathing rate and blood oxygen levels. They had IV’s in their hands and were on a CPAP machine that was similar to a sleep apnea machine. We just wanted to touch them, but the nurse said that being 5 weeks early, their skin is underdeveloped and that they don’t like rubs, but just solid contact. Did I mention yet that I don’t really like that nurse?

Anyway, it was about 2:00 pm the next day before we were told that we could hold our babies. Megan was able to do Kangaroo time with the boys, which made her feel a lot better. We had a lot of visitors that second day and lots of people saw the boys through the windows, but only Megan and I have held them. They are way fun to hold and they love to just cuddle up on my chest in little balls. The like my red shirts more than my blue shirts.

Since then they have been off and on and back off of the warmer beds, and are now getting decreased amounts of forced oxygen and air through a nose tube just like the football players. These guys are just days old and are already super manly!! We get to go and hold them and help change their diapers and feed them every 3 hours as much as we want. Megan nurses them and they are really good eaters! That’s what we expected. We want to see the chubby sagging baby cheeks that I had when I was little.

They were under bilirubin lights for a day and 2 nights, but are better now. Maggie's been playing with cousins. We owe a lot of thanks to our families who are doing a ton to help us out.

On Sunday we were able to sneak Maggie into their room. Maggie gave them loves, helped with binks and kissed their heads. It was fun to have our family all together finally. She wanted to be the big sister and hold William, but he’s too small and there’s too many wires and tubes hooked up to him. I can’t wait to see them all wrestling on the ground in a few months.

Sunday morning we talked with the pediatrician who said that they will be done taking antibiotics on Wednesday and then after that, if they keep gaining weight and are off the oxygen for 2 days, they can come home. So we need everyone to pray for them and specifically for their little lungs and respiratory systems, so that they will be sustained on their own breathing by receiving the proper oxygen amounts that they need. The pediatrician estimated that they will be in the nursery till they are a week and a half to two weeks old. We can’t wait to bring them home. They are adorable!