Lesson From A Baptism

This post is a little late but I figured I hadn't posted in awhile and this would be a good way to start one. My son was baptized last week and I just had to write a few of my observations from the event. As we headed to the baptism room, Brandon was as close to running in the church as he possibly could be. It could best be described as a cross between power walking and Olympic speed walking. (he knew not to full out run) Watching him go down the hall reminded me of what it means to have something important in our lives.

This was his big day, he had waited all year for this and he was so excited. He knew what he was doing was right and true and couldn't wait to accomplish it. He wanted it so badly and it was so important and special to him that he would have ran through anything to get down that hall and to the baptismal font.

It made me wonder why the older we get, the less often we feel like running towards the goals we want to accomplish. We tend to wander and meander our way through life and put off what we can and should do today, always meaning to do it tomorrow. One area I notice this happen more than it should is in my spiritual life. I remember the days where I, like my son, sprinted towards spiritual goals I had. There are many days now where I don't muster the speed of an old person with a walker.

My new goal is to become more like my 8 year old son, a sprinter in the spiritual sense of the word. I want to do better at things I often neglect. Prayer, scripture study, and even church and the callings associated with it often bring out the old man walker in me. I don't mean for these things to, but I have become weaker in them than I should, and when you are weak in something, you don't race off to do those things often. I want to be better so that when I see my son running full steam ahead, I wont have any regrets of my own in the back of my mind.

Good thoughts for the Chef...

Hi all! This is the Chef's wife. The Chef is a little stressed. He's finishing up his last class for his Bachelor's and it is a doozy! He's been so busy all week and right now he's finishing up a three hour test online. And, he's decaffinated, so he can't get himself a big dose of caffeine to give him a little pep. So, I thought it'd be an awesome idea for everyone that reads to give him a few words of encouragment to help him get through the next couple days. I'll start:

My dear Chef, I sure love you! Thanks so much for all you do for the kids and I. You work so hard at work, and then you come home and work so hard doing homework so that you can provide a better life for us. I'm so thankful for all you do and for the wonderful husband and dad you are. You are amazing! I love you! {Just please, please, please don't ask me to help you with your homework anymore, my brain can't take it!}

Part 3

Seriously this has gone on long enough. Its just a washing machine. Someone please call her so she has something else to do.

Family Fun Part 2

Our son asked if he could go play and I told him to read a book or find something to do for a little while until his friends came home.....here is what he found. We really aren't this boring.

Family Fun...You're All Invited

We got a new set of toys. For your enjoyment....a sneak peak of the next party we throw!

There's No Place Like Home

I had the opportunity to go back home this last weekend to a wedding reception for a good family friend. Given that my going home only entails driving 13 miles to Washington, it wasn't too big of a deal for me. This family has been like a second family to me my whole entire life. I can't remember a day passing without either being there or having them at our home.

I have to confess I was a little nervous because I hadn't seen some of them including my best friend growing up, in several years. I was worried that we wouldn't have much in common, and even less to talk about. It turns out nothing could have been farther from the truth. From the minute we got out of the car until 3 hours later when we had finished helping them take down and clean the place up, it was as if I had never left. We sat and talked and I was perfectly at ease. We were welcomed in just like family, and in reality that's what we all consider each other anyway. I knew when it took us half an hour just to get into the wedding line, and then the father called out to my wife "hey gorgeous" that things were good.

If any of my three readers out there have ever experienced this type of atmosphere, you know how awesome it is. I felt like I was at a family reunion, and to make everything even better, the family I hadn't seen in years is doing so much better than they were when I left. They have almost all gone through the temple and I couldn't ask for more for them.

As I drove home that night, I couldn't help but think about true friends. We gain many friends as we travel through this life, but rarely do we have many TRUE friends. We have lots of people we can count as friends, but this type of friend, a childhood friend that you could still sit and talk with and rely on if you needed anything is a rare thing in this world. We should strive to cultivate more of these types of relationships.

A Perfect Night

Tonight was one of those nights that I consider pretty close to perfection. I took the kids to the Road Runners game and we had a blast. To start we indulged in cupcakes from 25 Main. If you haven't tried them, go get some. They are amazing!

After we got seated the kids went off in search of the two big mascots dancing around so they could get their autographs. They came back with arms autographed in permanent marker. Just so you don't think I'm an unfit parent I did jump in and stop one huge bird from signing my five year olds forehead. Apparently this guy thinks its funny to sign his name on childrens foreheads. Come to think of it, that might be a little fun.(I wonder if they need any help tomorrow in nursery?)

Hmmm.....just a thought. We even got a foul ball during the game, so all in all it was a pretty sweet night.