The Quickest Update EVER!

1. We just purchased a new house
2. We don't have Internet yet
3. Daven and I are in Nebraska for Steph's wedding and Christmas
4. I'm using Mother Teresa's and Bishop Bob's Internet
5. No pics of the house because we left that memory chip in Colorado
6. Steph (my sister-in-law) looked exactly like Grandma Rex's Cinderella doll in her living room...Tiff, Steff you know which one I'm talking about?
7. This silly winter storm front is FREEZING!!! -18 in Colorado and - something or another in Nebraska
8. Daven and I had to rent a big red Ford F150 because of an ity-bity accident on the ice with our Honda...all is well, no worries it is being repaired in Colorado as we speak...type rather.
9. I don't like Fords
10. I don't like trucks
11. Yes, I know that sounds weird as I am a Kearl.
12. Baby Avery is cute
13. Makes me want to have one
14. Brittney...I received your package THANK YOU!!!!! (Everyone at church always comments on it and I love to tell them where it came from) Proper thank you forth coming.
15. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!! We miss EVERYONE!

Cheyenne Did a Tag?! Whaaaaat?

My sister, Cheyenne, NEVER does tags, hence the title of my post. She tagged me so I thought I'd do it considering this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, not unlike the Hale-Bopp comet.

8 TV Shows I Watch:
1. CSI (the original)
2. CSI: NY
3. ER
4. The Office
5. Eli Stone
6. 30 Rock
7. Antique Roadshow
8. This Old House

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Road the bus to work and almost got side-swipped by a passing car.
2. Worked for 10 1/2 hrs.
3. Rocked/Jazzed/Swinged/Big Banded out to good ole Sinatra and Dean in my office while I had the entire floor to myself for two hours
4. Took the stairs down from the 20th floor rather than use the elevator (I suppose it would be more beneficial if I took them up, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sore...how lame is that?)
5. Ate a five dollar, five dollar foot looooong with my husband
6. Was visited by my visiting teachers
7. Worked on a tie-quilt for Relief Society
8. Watched CSI and ER

8 Favorite Places to Eat:
1. Fong's
2. New Fong's
3. Subway
4. Chico's
5. Fazolli's
6. Mimi's Cafe
7. Lazlo's
8. Merel's

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. CLOSING ON OUR HOUSE (hopefully, 4:00PM on Monday)
2. Painting, carpeting and moving into said house
3. Steph's wedding
4. Seeing baby Avery
5. Christmas
6. Getting my hair cut...again. It grows waaaay too fast
7. Having children of our own
8. Seeing the 'Twilight" movie

8 Things On My Wish List:
1. New bed spread and throw pillows
2. Vacation to Rome and Savannah, GA
3. A time when Daven and I can host a Thanksgiving dinner
4. Kids
5. Dog
6. Cat (but Daven is allergic...so he says :) )
7. New curtains
8. All things that bring joy

8 Tagged People
1. Kristina, Brando and Avery
2. Ricky and Ang
3. Sarah Westergard
4. Chanda
5. Brittney (I swear you just did a tag in like Oct., so don't feel pressured :) )
6. Dale Rex y Judith Rebecca Bundy Rex
7. Dre
8. Mindy

Things that make you go hmmm...

Well...things that make me laugh really.



1) Finding fishing supplies rolling around in the dryer after laundry. I thought I didn't have to worry about checking pockets before wash until we had little ones. Apparently I was wrong.



2) Daven feeding the missionaries in my absence...poor missionaries.



3) Putting my funnels to good use, i.e. using them to change the oil.



4) Daylight Savings. Talk about a power trip. Who came up with the idea to mess with Father Time?



5) Camera operators at golf tournaments. How do they get that job anyway?

Interviewer: can you see this white circle on this plain white piece of paper?

Applicant: Yes.

Interviewer: Congratulations! You're hired.



6) Mascot identity crises... case in point Alabama, aka bama, aka Crimson tide...and what's up with the elephant?

**I actually know the history behind all of these titles seeing as how my sister, Cheyenne, used to be a Bama Belle. I still find it funny how they have so many identities. Although...at least they've had the same names throughout football history. Did you know the Huskers used to be the Bug Eaters?



7) Hockey players...have you ever seen them with their helmets off? Yeah, the helmets are for protection alright, protection for the spectators eyes! Seriously, they ALL have broken noses. And the goalie masks? I'm sure Freddie Crouger would have been much more scary sans the mask.



8) Silver Medalists...congratulations, you are the top looser. You are the #1 person who lost.



9) Jerry Seinfeld, because he did a bit on the above circumstance...sorry, that wasn't my own observation.



10) Toilet paper, paper towels and bathroom cleaning product commercials. Ever noticed how they compare them to the "leading brand" in the side-by-side screen shot? Wait a second, if they do in fact work better than the leading brand, shouldn't they be the leading brand?



11) Perscription Drug commercials. No thank you, I'll stick with the side effects of my own allergies; sneezing and a running nose. I'm not into diarreah, stomach cramps, blackouts and in some severe cases, death.

Last but not least...



12) Phone books. I swear we just got the same exact phone book a week ago.

Well, that's all I've got. If I think of anymore then I'll post it. Thanks for reading!

"Become as Little Children"

I'm having a difficult time trying to think of something to post other than political commentary that at times seems so futile. Not to mention, the more I write the more it gets my blood boiling. There is actually a TV station in Denver that does 30 second political ad breaks where they just air pretty music and pretty pictures while a clock in the corner counts down to the revisitaion of political mudbaths at their best. So, I thought I would do the same.

Whenever I need a mental break, my mind always wanders to my mother playing primary songs on the piano, preciously playing each note with just her right hand and serenading me. The two songs I remember her playing the most were "He Sent His Son" and "When He Comes Again." I thought I would just post the words to those two songs along with some appropriate pictures. It will be cathartic for me and hopefully a few of you will appreciate it as well.


He Sent His Son
#34





How could the Father tell the world of love and tenderness?
He sent his Son, a newborn babe, with peace and holiness.


How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go?
He sent his Son to walk with men on earth, that we may know.

How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death?



He sent his Son to die for us and rise with living breath.





What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say?
Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way.


What does he ask?

Live like his Son.



When He Comes Again
#82

I wonder when he comes again,
Will herald angels sing?
Will Earth be white with drifted snow,
Or will the world know spring?


I wonder if one star will shine,
Far brighter than the rest;
Will daylight stay the whole night through?
Will song birds leave their nest?


I'm sure He'll call his little ones
Together 'round His knee,
Because He said in days gone by,
"Suffer them to come to me!"



I wonder, when He comes again,
Will I be ready there,
To look upon His loving face
And join with Him in prayer?


Each day I'll try to do his will
And let my light so shine
That others seeing me may seek
For greater light divine.


Then, when that blessed day is here,
He'll love me and he'll say,
"You've served me well, my little child;
Come unto my arms to stay!"





*Artwork courtesy of Simon Dewey and Greg Olsen

Food for thought...I'm talkin' a smorgusborg people!

This is an article by Orson Scott Card. I must say, I am drawn to those who write what I am thinking, as I assume most of us are. With all the mudslinging and politics that exist--not just in the election, but in the newsrooms as well--I often think I'm in the middle of a bad dream where I try to scream but no one will hear me. Well...hear this, or read this I suppose...

Meridian Magazine
Posted on Monday, October 20, 2008 12:29:44 PM

Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?
By Orson Scott Card

Editor's note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.

An open letter to the local daily paper - almost every local daily paper in America: I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.

This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration. It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans.

What is a risky loan? It's a loan that the recipient is likely not to be able to repay. The goal of this rule change was to help the poor - which especially would help members of minority groups. But how does it help these people to give them a loan that they can't repay? They get into a house, yes, but when they can't make the payments, they lose the house - along with their credit rating. They end up worse off than before.

This was completely foreseeable and in fact many people did foresee it. One political party, in Congress and in the executive branch, tried repeatedly to tighten up the rules. The other party blocked every such attempt and tried to loosen them. Furthermore, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were making political contributions to the very members of Congress who were allowing them to make irresponsible loans. (Though why quasi-federal agencies were allowed to do so baffles me. It's as if the Pentagon were allowed to contribute to the political campaigns of Congressmen who support increasing their budget.)

Isn't there a story here? Doesn't journalism require that you who produce our daily paper tell the truth about who brought us to a position where the only way to keep confidence in our economy was a $700 billion bailout?

Aren't you supposed to follow the money and see which politicians were benefiting personally from the deregulation of mortgage lending?

I have no doubt that if these facts had pointed to the Republican Party or to John McCain as the guilty parties, you would be treating it as a vast scandal. "Housing-gate," no doubt. Or "Fannie-gate." Instead, it was Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, both Democrats, who denied that there were any problems, who refused Bush administration requests to set up a regulatory agency to watch over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who were still pushing for these agencies to go even further in promoting sub-prime mortgage loans almost up to the minute they failed.

As Thomas Sowell points out in a TownHall.com essay entitled "Do Facts Matter?" ( http://snipurl.com/457townhall_com] ): "Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush's Secretary of the Treasury." These are facts. This financial crisis was completely preventable. The party that blocked any attempt to prevent it was ... the Democratic Party. The party that tried to prevent it was ... the Republican Party. Yet when Nancy Pelosi accused the Bush administration and Republican deregulation of causing the crisis, you in the press did not hold her to account for her lie. Instead, you criticized Republicans who took offense at this lie and refused to vote for the bailout!

What? It's not the liar, but the victims of the lie who are to blame?

Now let's follow the money ... right to the presidential candidate who is the number-two recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae. And after Freddie Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae who made $90 million while running it into the ground, was fired for his incompetence, one presidential candidate's campaign actually consulted him for advice on housing. If that presidential candidate had been John McCain, you would have called it a major scandal and we would be getting stories in your paper every day about how incompetent and corrupt he was. But instead, that candidate was Barack Obama, and so you have buried this story, and when the McCain campaign dared to call Raines an "adviser" to the Obama campaign - because that campaign had sought his advice - you actually let Obama's people get away with accusing McCain of lying, merely because Raines wasn't listed as an official adviser to the Obama campaign. You would never tolerate such weasely nit-picking from a Republican.

If you who produce our local daily paper actually had any principles, you would be pounding this story, because the prosperity of all Americans was put at risk by the foolish, short-sighted, politically selfish, and possibly corrupt actions of leading Democrats, including Obama.

If you who produce our local daily paper had any personal honor, you would find it unbearable to let the American people believe that somehow Republicans were to blame for this crisis. There are precedents. Even though President Bush and his administration never said that Iraq sponsored or was linked to 9/11, you could not stand the fact that Americans had that misapprehension - so you pounded us with the fact that there was no such link. (Along the way, you created the false impression that Bush had lied to them and said that there was a connection.)

If you had any principles, then surely right now, when the American people are set to blame President Bush and John McCain for a crisis they tried to prevent, and are actually shifting to approve of Barack Obama because of a crisis he helped cause, you would be laboring at least as hard to correct that false impression. Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That's what you claim you do, when you accept people's money to buy or subscribe to your paper. But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie - that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad - even bad weather - on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to.

If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth - even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate. Because that's what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don't like the probable consequences. That's what honesty means . That's how trust is earned. Barack Obama is just another politician, and not a very wise one. He has revealed his ignorance and naivete time after time - and you have swept it under the rug, treated it as nothing. Meanwhile, you have participated in the borking of Sarah Palin, reporting savage attacks on her for the pregnancy of her unmarried daughter - while you ignored the story of John Edwards's own adultery for many months.

So I ask you now: Do you have any standards at all? Do you even know what honesty means? Is getting people to vote for Barack Obama so important that you will throw away everything that journalism is supposed to stand for?

You might want to remember the way the National Organization of Women threw away their integrity by supporting Bill Clinton despite his well-known pattern of sexual exploitation of powerless women. Who listens to NOW anymore? We know they stand for nothing; they have no principles. That's where you are right now.

It's not too late. You know that if the situation were reversed, and the truth would damage McCain and help Obama, you would be moving heaven and earth to get the true story out there.

If you want to redeem your honor, you will swallow hard and make a list of all the stories you would print if it were McCain who had been getting money from Fannie Mae, McCain whose campaign had consulted with its discredited former CEO, McCain who had voted against tightening its lending practices. Then you will print them, even though every one of those true stories will point the finger of blame at the reckless Democratic Party, *which put our nation's prosperity at risk so they could feel good about helping the poor,* and lay a fair share of the blame at Obama's door. You will also tell the truth about John McCain: that he tried, as a Senator, to do what it took to prevent this crisis. You will tell the truth about President Bush: that his administration tried more than once to get Congress to regulate lending in a responsible way. This was a Congress-caused crisis, beginning during the Clinton administration, with Democrats leading the way into the crisis and blocking every effort to get out of it in a timely fashion.

If you at our local daily newspaper continue to let Americans believe - and vote as if - President Bush and the Republicans caused the crisis, then you are joining in that lie. If you do not tell the truth about the Democrats - including Barack Obama - and do so with the same energy you would use if the miscreants were Republicans - then you are not journalists by any standard. You're just the public relations machine of the Democratic Party, and it's time you were all fired and real journalists brought in, so that we can actually have a news paper in our city.
(This article first appeared in The Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro, North Carolina)

Mr. Card was pretty blunt, but some of those things needed to be said.

I highlighted a sentence in red that I wanted to discuss. It's not a bad thing to want to help poor. In fact, we have been commanded to do so by a much greater/higher power than the American "Democratic" government. That's just it, the government will not answer before God; we will. It is our individual responsibility to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, help the poor; we cannot leave our individual responsibilities up to the government. This includes our fiscal responsibilities. In the instance that the government fails, as they did with sub-prime lending, we have to turn to ourselves, as we should do in the first place. Ask ourselves: Hmm, is it really a good idea to buy that $200,000 house we've been approved for if I'm only making $15,000/yr.?

If we accept individual responsibility then we must accept the role we played in this ecomomic downturn--as small and minute as it might be. While I agree with Mr. Card in this article, I cannot, as he seems to do so, place all the blame on one party or the other. I know I can shoulder part of it. But, this begs the question if we all had lived up to every inch of our personal responsibility would this have been prevented? Well, I know what I think but what do all of you think? Is this economic crisis something only the government can solve, is it something only the government could have prevented?

I realize there are a lot of different facets to consider and I honestly think if we all really did live up to our responsibilites then technically you could argue there would be no need for government. The truth is we don't always do that and the government is supposed to come in where the individual lacks...hmmm...there's an interesting thought. Can you see why the survival of a nation is based upon its service and devotion to God? "We can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off." (Ether 2:9) "He that doth pssess it shall serve God or shall be swept off...behold this is a choice land and whatsoever nation shall pssess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land..." (Ether 2:10 & 12)

Ok...like I said a lot of facets...sorry if my ramblings don't make sense. I hope you can somehow draw all the connections.

"Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord"

A few weeks ago Daven and I had the privilege of speaking at our stake's youth fireside. They wanted someone young and fresh to speak to the youth about the importance of a temple marriage. Seeing as how we are the youngest couple in the stake by about 10 years, I'm sure they picked us for our youth rather than our wisdom.

The fireside was surprisingly small, only about 15 youth attended (we were expecting about 100). Although we were few in numbers, the Spirit was very strong thanks to the presence and words from a Denver Temple sealer/Patriarch and his wife.

A lot of people asked about the talks so I thought I would just post it. I don't have Daven's talk and I typically write my talks in outline form, but luckily I wrote out every word for this talk. It's perfect timing too, because a few of the conference addresses spoke about these very things.

"In this day and age marriage is often swept under the rug. Words like "death do us part" are said too much. Even the act of marriage is fast depleting. Friends I've had have asked the question why get married, let alone why is there a need for a temple marriage? To our Heavenly Father those are heartbreaking questions, but thankfully they have an answer. The eternal nature of marriage, the necessity of this sacred unification and finally the protection a temple marriage offers you and your posterity are three answers I wish to focus on today.

We know in the temple we marry for time and all eternity. To better understand why be married in the temple we can look to our first parents: Adam and Eve. In Genesis 2:24 we read

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his WIFE: and they shall be one flesh."

This marriage took place as they were in their eternal state in the Garden of Eden, BEFORE they partook of the fruit that made them enter into this mortal, temporal world. From this we learn God NEVER intended nor commanded this sacred relationship to be anything less than eternal.

The Lord further declares this intention and command in modern revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 131: 2-4. The Lord states:

"And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];

And if he does not, he CANNOT obtain it.

He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase."

President Joseph Fielding Smith continues to explain this "new and everlasting covenant:"

"The new and everlasting covenant...is everything--the fullness of the gospel. So marriage properly performed, baptism, ordination to the priesthood, everything else--every contract, every obligation, every performance that pertains to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise according to his law..., is a part of the new and everlasting covenant.

"...Therefore, all who seek a place in the kingdom of God are under the obligation and commandment to abide in the new and everlasting covenant."

Why be married in the temple? Because marriage is meant to be eternal and nothing less.

God commands us to enter into this new and everlasting covenant because he does not desire us to be alone. President Eyring said, "Our Heavenly Father wants our hearts to be knit together. That union in love is not simply an ideal. It is a necessity."

"...The requirement that we be one is not for this life alone. It is to be without end...All of us have felt something of both union and separation. We don't need to be told which we should choose. We know."

Why be married in the temple? Because we were meant to be together in the most enduring and eternal sense possible.

This eternal unity you can experience only through a temple marriage. But, this unity is not only extended to us, but our posterity as well. God's work and glory is (as declared in Moses 1:39) "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Likewise, ours is to keep his commandments with all our "might, mind and strength." (Doctrine and Covenants 11:20) As we learned from Joseph Fielding Smith, temple marriage is certainly one of those commandments.

When we strive to keep our baptismal covenants and make our choice to be eternally married, sealed and live up to those covenants, the Lord promises our posterity will be blessed, protected and will have the opportunity to hear and choose the Gospel. As they (your posterity) do this, they will make themselves ready--as you have made yourself ready--to obtain the highest; to obtain eternal life. By you keeping the commandments and covenants with all your "might, mind and strength," God's work and glory becomes your work and glory.

Why be married in the temple? To do your part in ensuring an eternal family blessed and protected by the Holy Spirit of promise.

These three reasons are why I chose to marry within the walls of the House of the Lord. I was taught and I knew marriage was designed to be eternal. I wanted to be unified and to be one with my husband both in this life and the next. And, most importantly, I longed for the protection only these sacred and everlasting covenants could offer.

For me, eternal marriage is much more than a commandment. It is the saving grace of a world gone topsy-turvy. One of the greatest gifts I can give to this world, to my Heavenly Father and to my Savior Jesus Christ--who makes our eternity possible-- is the power of a marriage sealed by the power of the Holy Ghost, where the Savior is central in this sacred, eternal relationship."

Well, that's mostly it. I added a few ad-libs here and there in the original. Hope you enjoyed.

Weekend of Inspiration, Reflection and Re-dedication

Wow. I can't believe how incredible General Conference has been. It's only been one session thus far, but I have such a stronger resolve to do an honest, more prayerful study of the Book of Mormon. And how about Elder Bednar? He has such a simplistic way of explaining things.

I love learning from our prophets and apostles. They truly speak the words of our Heavenly Father. What I love is when they give their own life experiences. Somehow, hearing that an Apostle of the Lord has gone through the same feelings as I have makes me more able and determined to follow the Lord.

General Conference brings with it many uplifting segments. I was so impressed with the Primary choir. I love the Primary, and there is nothing more beautiful and inspiring than listening to children sing "I am a Child of God" or "I Love to See the Temple." I've learned so much from each and everyone of my Primary kids, both in Idaho and here in Colorado. They have been my mortal angels.

I love President Monson's love for these little children. When we were living in Idaho, Daven and I had the privilege to attend the Rexburg Temple dedication--the first official act of President Monson's presidency. He spoke to the children and told his cute stories and let them place mortar in the cornerstone as he did in these most recent temple dedications.

And don't forget all of the new temples. I'm personally most excited for the Rome Temple. Did you get to hear the awes of the crowd when President Monson announced it?

Ancient Rome meets modern revelation!

Let us in!!

MARCI!! I can't get into your blog. Daven's email is davenlake@gmail.com. That's what I get for neglecting my blog...sorry.

Where Have You Been? Welcome Back to our Blog :)

Well my friends, I realize it's been quite sometime since my last post. Hopefully you'll be pleased to know that a lot has happened since then. I guess not really a lot. Daven and I still have our same-but exciting-church callings, I'm still maintaining my post as the eternal job-seeker and we still have no cable and technically no Internet. One major change occurred...we are on our way to becoming HOME OWNERS! How cool is that?

I don't have any pictures, so for now a verbal description will have to suffice. It's a two story home with just over 2,000 Sq.Ft. It was built in 1977 and has that dark wood by the fireplace, on the stairs and beams running across a vaulted ceiling. If you can kind of think back to the Brady Bunch house you can imagine the wood. It's really not that bad, with a caramel/Khaki color paint it will really pop. It has 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms and a finished basement. We will have to paint and re-carpet and do a lot of minor repairs. But let me tell you; it's a steal of a deal.

I don't want to jinx it so I just want to be clear that we don't have it yet. We are going through the whole appraisal process. So keep your fingers crossed, knock on the closest hardwood object and throw some salt over your shoulder for us.

Anyway, sorry for the delay in posting. I think my sister and I have traded places because all of a sudden she's posting like a maniac and I've taken her place as the procrastinating poster.

Hopefully I'll have more to write about soon.

The Olympic's Olympic Drug Problem

The 2008 Beijing games have definitely not been found wanting. Throughout the competition records have quite literally been blown out of the water, trampled upon with lightening-fast speed and we've even seen the underdogs win in surprising match-ups (maybe now the Olympic committee will think twice about doing away with the "American dominated" sport of softball). However, I must say I am nearing the end of the games with a taste of doping disappointment.

Now, I know performance enhancing drugs have disqualified athletes from just about every sport--both winter and summer. I never would have guessed four particular drug throw outs. I was excitedly watching the Equestrian jumping event when I learned of an unsettling truth: four of the best riders were disqualified for putting drugs into their horses' systems. The horses were doped...horses...really? Are you serious?

Horses are some of the most majestic and powerful animals ever to walk the planet THEY DON'T NEED DRUGS, they just need a better rider. If that's the case, then I'm glad the riders were disqualified because they're not good enough to be in the Olympics anyway. Secondly, the athletes who drug themselves at least had the choice to do so, as wrong as it may be. I admittedly have an easier time justifying the doping of one's own body rather than drugging an unsuspecting, naturally powerful animal such as a horse.

Ultimately I feel if an athlete is even thinking about pumping up his/her performance illegally then he/she should not count themselves as an athlete of Olympic calliber for that time. I say 'for that time' because I believe people can have a change of heart and ultimately recognize their natural potential. This was ironically demonstrated in the gold medalist of this equine event. He voluntarly withdrew himself from the past two Olympics because of a drug addiction he, himself, was dealing with.

I believe the Olympics are represented by those of honor, strength and patriotism as the Chinese so beautifully alluded to during the opening of the games themselves. I just hope other people, especially the athletes, feel the same.

Sorry, for the little rave. I just had to get that off my chest. Also, I'm sorry for not posting for a while, although most of my fellow bloggers haven't posted in as many days either so I figure I'm good! :)

Tagger Ragger Do!

Yea...my first tag. My good friend, Whitney, from Rexburg tagged me on this one.

3 joys
1. Primary: I've been in primary for a while and, let me tell you, it is pure joy when I see them progress and learn in leaps and bounds.

2. Road Trips: These are joyous occassions probably because Daven usually does the driving. However, we always have some sort of crazy experience that makes its way to the record books (i.e. camping on an LDS church lawn or almost being struck by lightening)

3. Rex Family Reunions: When 300+ cousins, aunts and uncles get together for a weekend why wouldn't it be joyful?

3Fears
1. Drwoning/not being able to breathe. How scary would that be? I get freaked out if I put a snorkling mask on.

2. Clowns: Why...who said putting on an over-excess of white make-up, drawing fake tears and wearing a huge red nose is funny? Where in is the humor? Actually, my fear originates from a giant stuffed clown my cousin, Tiffany, used to have...remember that Tiff? Yeah...thanks.

3. Birth Deffects: I'm just scared I wouldn't know how to handle it; I would probably keep blaming myself

3 goals (these are long-term goals...with the exception of #3--not that I'm pregnant (ahem...Brittney :) ), but hopefully sooner rather than later.)
1. Run a marathon: I will of course work up to that; intermittently running half marathons and such.

2. Sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir: I would love to be in the choir, but that requires living in Utah-- not that there's anything wrong with that, but as of now I don't forsee us living there.

3. Have four, or whatever is right, beautiful children.

3 Obsessions
1. OK, I'll admit it...I'm obsessed with the "Twilight" saga. I check the Web site everyday and I watch the trailers over and over.

2. Crosswords: I know tons of great Web sites for crosswords.

3. My mr. frodo

3 Random Facts
1. My cousin, Jenny, and I have matching moles on our right temples.

2. I can do the best Raptor impersonation you will ever see.

3. I absolutely love love love musicals. If you ask Daven he would say his marriage is a musical.

3 People I Tag

1. Marci: I really want to find out what her fears are.
2. Sarah: My absolute bestest V.T. companion; I miss having long talks with her.
3. Brittney: one of the most wonderful friends you could have.

This one goes out to the one I love...

Ahhhh...I just got off the phone with one of my friends who is currently contemplating taking that eternal step of marriage. During the course of our conversation, I was delighted to share my experience with making that all-important decision. Call me selfish, but I loved talking about how I knew Daven was--and still is--the one for me. It brought up so many emotions and I hope you'll allow me to endulge in my selfishness as I list all the things I love about my hubby...

I love (and I probably shouldn't say this--especially on the Internet) how something specific about me is always hidden in his passwords

I love how he wiggles his head under my arm if he wants a hug

I love how he gets a little half smirk on his face when he is about to pull someones leg

I love how you can hear the half smirk in his voice when he tries to pull your leg over the phone

I love how he makes tense situations light

I love how he is so detail oriented...he always thinks of the little things even in his prayers...it is sooo cute!

I love how he always thanks me for making dinner

I love how he is willing to wash the pots and pans

I love how he can never remember where he sets his phone or tv remote even though he always sets in the exact same place day after day

I love how we have the exact same tastes in movies

I love how we don't have the exact same taste in books...I could never survive reading "One Up on Wall Street" and other books of the sort

I love how he loves being in the scouts

I love how he looks on a wakeboard, skiis...water in general

I love how he never knows where to put the dish towels...I'll give you a hint Daven...they probably don't belong in the same cabinet as the appliances.

I love how he endures listening to me reading my writings/stories/blog entries to him all for the sake of editing

I love how he never knows exactly how to handle me during that time of the month

I love how he accomplishes ALL his goals

I love how he talks about his younger sisters and brother with me...he loves them so much

I love how he knows and understands--so perfectly it seems--his responsibility as a priesthood holder

I love how he is always learning

I love how he asks me to sing to him

I love how he thinks I actually have a good voice

I love how he sometimes forgets to flush and then denies it...well, OK, maybe I don't particularly love that

I love how he cares so much about the relationships he has made over the years

Most of all I love that he loves me!

Lake Powell Pictures

Finally. Here are some pics from Lake Powell. Our Internet is the slowest ever so these have seriously been weeks in the making. Hope you enjoy.





***Finally over the wake!***


***Now...how do I get back?***




***Wakesurfing Savanna...hey, I try***






***Wakesurfing Daven***







***Not the best form, but at least I'm up***



***Cowboy Daven--His horse is his wakeboard and his country is the water***






***Landscape Arch--this arch's span is longer than a football field!***

***The famous Delicate Arch***

***The Three Gossips***

***Balanced Rock***

America the Beautiful

OK, OK, OK...I'm so sorry I haven't posted in quite a while, but we were busy. Daven and I spent the last week in Lake Powell with his cousins. It was AMAZING!! Daven's cousins, Dave and Jeremy, both have a share of a house boat and they were kind enough to invite us to spend a week with them. We had an extra day before we met them so we went to Arches National Park. What a breathtaking experience. God's hand is so magestic, powerful yet delicate. Just looking at the land and the formations, you can tell the creation was done with so much love and care; with a touch only possible from the hand of an all-knowing artist.

We went from the fragile intricacies of the Arches to the commanding water-lined canyons of Lake Powell. America the Beautiful. What more can I say?

At Powell we spent most of our time on the house boat and being pulled, in one way or another, from behind Dave's Mastercraft. Most of you know I have never really been around boats at all, as a result, I have never learned the art of water sports. Well, not so anymore. I can now add skiing, wakeboarding, wakesurfing and boating to my list of hobbies. I love it. Last year I learned how to wakeboard and wakesurf. This year I somewhat-- but not really-- perfected those skills and I even learned how to ski. Sadly I pale in comparison to Daven. He is a monster when it comes to the lake. He makes it look so easy.

I was super grateful to learn all those skills and I have to tell Dave and Drey thank you for having the patience to teach me how to do everything. They had four kids of their own plus about seven other people wanting to ski, so it was nice they took the time.

Well, I have to unpack our camera, so I don't have any pictures available as of yet. That will for sure be my next post--promise!

Music quite seriously does make the world go 'round

I have a lot of things to say/post, but I'm not going to write just yet. Apparently our blog is too "wordy." Daven wants us to post more pictures. OK, that's understandable. I'll make that my first priority before I post anything with more words. But, we don't really have any worth while pictures yet, so you'll have to wait until we snap some. I'll make us take a ton tonight.

I actually do have something to post; I shouldn't have gotten ahead of myself. One of my friends has just come out with a new CD (Trees and Other Shady Things) and Web site. His name is Eric Forsyth. He's like a mix of Jack Johnson and Joshua James (see "Joshua James" post in May). Anyway, if you go to his Web site (http://www.ericforsythmusic.com/) you can listen to his music. It's very refreshing music with pure and genuine lyrics. I love it. You all should check it out and tell me what you think. Oh, you have to listen to his rendition of "Rocket Man" genius I say, GENIUS!

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Golly mama shut di de (or something like that)

So…Indiana Jones. As some of you may know, I am the biggest fan of John Williams. (Never heard of him?? Listen to JAWS, StarWars, Harry Potter and the Olympics!) It will come to no surprise when I tell you the music saved the movie. It was the only genuine bit in the whole thing. Sure we got to see Harrison’s half smile, listen to him call someone kid—albeit an illegitimate kid (yet another post)— and witness a betrayal of one of his supposed colleagues. BUT, they weren’t genuine; at least they weren’t performed genuinely.

All of the clichés of Indiana seemed a little forced in this movie, not to mention a few of the themes were a bit far fetched (i.e. Jr. the III swinging through the trees like Tarzan or a character from Rudyard’s book, I’m sorry did I come to see a Spielberg/Lucas film or a Kipling re-make?)

Anyway, it was OK and I am grateful to finally experience Indy on the big screen and of course I’m always game to listen to Johnny on surround sound. Oh, and I’m pretty sure Cate Blanchett only blinked twice in the whole movie.

Home Sweet Home

Daven and I are all moved in to our new apartment. We got in Thursday evening and with the help of Daven's dad and our new Elders' Quorum, we moved in within an hour and a half.

We're pretty impressed with our new ward. After we had moved in, our bishop stopped by to introduce himself and the missionaries and a couple of priests visited us today! They say it's a pretty small ward and they were a bit concerned how we would handle it coming from BYU-Idaho. I think they assumed we came from a large ward...

We love the area in which we live. There is a King Soopers (i.e. gigantic grocery store) directly across the street. TJMax, Home Goods, and two Super Wal-Marts all within a couple miles. HEAVEN! Most of you may know this, but Home Goods is part of TJMax which means all of the deco is super cheap. We found a massive clock with a pendulum for only $24. One at Wal-Mart that doesn't even compare is about $100. We also have two malls within a five mile radius and an outdoor mall as well.

Everything is pretty good; however, I have had a couple bad experiences. One was a crazy driver yelling obscenities at us and another was a crazy mother yelling even more obscenities...directed at me. Yeah, pretty sure I almost cried. Oh well.

Well, I should go to bed, but we saw the new Indiana Jones movie. I'll have to write about that in my next post. All I can say is hope it's the last one...

Joshua James

Check out our playlist at the bottom and listen to Joshua James. He is our old friend from Nebraska and I think his songs are marvelous. I could only find a couple songs from playlist.com, so if you want more you can click on this link: http://www.joshuajames.tv/

Adieu

I'm back by popular demand! It turns out I'm a horrible blogger...at least that is what it seems to be, however, I happen to have a great excuse as to why I haven't posted anything in two weeks.

Daven and I took a little road trip for a little bit of time to do a little job searching that turned into a BIG success. Daven received a great job offer with Key Equipment Finance and I have a few options under my belt as well.

Where are we going? Here's a hint...where can you find eight professional sports teams, more sunny days than Miami, Florida, a white-water rapid adventure in the middle of downtown and absolutely horrible traffic on I-25?

You guessed it--I hope :) We are headed to Denver, home of the Broncos, Rockies, Crush, Nuggets, Avalanche, Rapids, Barbarians and Mammoths (four of which I had never before heard) all within six short hours of good ole Lincoln, Ne. Which means we are now 600 times more likely to attend a Husker game over a Buffalo game...unless, of course, it's both.

We will grace the Mile High city with our presence by the end of next week, and no doubt with our mad skillz, we will bring it to even greater heights (I'm kidding, of course). Nevertheless, it's sad to think we will be leaving Rexburg behind. It is such a wonderful little town that holds all the memories of our married life thus far. It is especially sad to have to leave our fantastic ward. I cry just thinking about it. Sunday I was released as Primary President. I had been in the primary for almost a year and a half (not as president but as Nursery teacher and other callings) and even before then Daven and I always helped out when they needed us. So, really it seems like I've been in there since we've been in the ward. I had the hardest time holding back tears as I taught and interacted with our primary children for one of the last times. (I say "one of the last" because I secretly hope the new president will have me stay for our last Sunday, although I suppose it wouldn't be so bad to attend Sunday School with my husband like he's been longing for for the past few months and in Relief Society I want to sit by my friend Brittney-- who was my predecessor--in hopes she can coach me through the transition). That being said, the 51st ward kids are one of a kind. I could go through and list what each individual child has taught me, but a las...I'm running out of Kleenexes.

That's all the update I have time for at this moment. I'll try and do a better job to satisfy the needs of all my fans out there! Really, actually Desiree was the only one who pestered me for a new post. I am only assuming the rest of you felt the same.

The Best Channel in the World

Daven and I checked out a drama series from the local library (which I would recommend if you ever have the craving to rent a movie; you would be surprised what your neighborhood library has to offer, for FREE!) It is a late 90s series called "The Pretender." I've watched about eight episodes thus far, and I am pleasantly surprised at the lack of drugs, sex and violence. Rarely do they show anyone getting shot or dying. If a character does die, we find out via a close up of the day's newspaper headlines.

I really think it could have been a bigger hit, minus the fact that the camera work occasionally looks it was done by my mom who, even though we have had a camcorder for over 10 plus years has only managed to produce about five home videos. Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is I would much rather have poor lighting, sloppy editing and amateur camera work in a show rather than one riddled with drugs, sex and violence. Fortunately Daven and I do not have access to any of today's dramas as we are poor, unemployed college graduates and cannot afford cable. However, we are happy to stick with our favorite channel: The Madison Public Library.

Solstice This!

In the Northwestern Hemisphere, the earth begins to tilt closer and closer to the sun as the days go by until we reach what is called the Summer Solstice. This would-be-considered law of nature is set to occur on September 22. However, it has become apparent to me that Idaho sets out to defy the laws of the universe; changing the weather on a whim with blatant disregard to its begrudged residents.

Today, my friends, is April 24. According to all known laws, we should be experiencing an increase of temperature day by day. Instead, we experienced a blizzard between the hours of 12:00 and 2:00. The once spring-exposed trees now quiver under the weight of the newly fallen powder. Clumps of unwelcomed snow slip off tired branches and fall on unsuspecting passer-bys. The ground, once dotted with spots of green grass, now is covered by a smothering bag of undesirable snowflakes. That's right...I just said snowflakes are undesirable. Each unique little crystallized water particle comes together to create one uniform punch line of some cruel joke of nature. Not funny.

Upon observing this odd-weathered spring day, I've resigned to move to Australia. The outback seems nice and warm and it is so completely in the opposite hemisphere that I expect confusion and when the laws of nature fail to apply themselves there, I will at least think it normal.

Get Your Diploma in the Mail Today!

How exciting! Why exciting you ask? Well, BYU-Idaho just started their Summer semmester--a deceiving title considering there are only two weeks of the semester that could actually be considered summer--and Daven and I have not stepped foot on campus. Yes...we decided to sluff our classes today. It was a mutual decision. Of course, I'm only kidding...it was all Daven's idea.

Fools if you think we would skip classes! Why, we've no need! We are official BYU-Idaho graduates...well, not until they mail our diplomas and make sure all accounts and parking tickets have been paid...oh, parking tickets...ooops! We are official diploma-cover-holding graduates of BYU-Idaho and man it feels good.