Well, we've been in the house for nearly 8 months. And I think we're finally to the point of feeling "we're done" with major renovations, etc. It helps actually having pictures up on most of the walls. Now the last touch is waiting for our new couch to arrive in about a week.
Some random notes:
1. After 8 months, I still can't remember where the silverware drawer is. I continually go to the left of the dishwasher to find silverware, even though it's never been kept there. It seems like the logical place for some reason, but it's really over by the store.
2. After 6 months, I was still trying to turn off the light in Josh's room with the light switch even though the light switch is linked to an electrical plug instead of an overhead light. I finally outsmarted myself by moving Josh's lamp over to the other side of the room so that the switch does, indeed, turn off the light.
3. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get a toilet to stop running? This is the new toilet in our main upstairs bathroom. It didn't run with the old toilet, but has already run since we've had this one installed. The plumber adjusted it once, and last week, we had them install a new 'flapper' as they said that was the problem. But it still runs for about 8 seconds every 15 or 20 minutes. It drives me crazy. I'm open to solutions.
4. Speaking of solutions, my Swiss train watch has an issue now, too. The hour hand has gotten pushed ahead somehow, so that when it's 10 o clock straight up, the little hand is about 1/4 of the way past 10 o clock. It's off just enough to be annoying.
5. Don't ask me if you have turn the key left or right on the front door to unlock and lock it. It continues to be trial and error every day. I should learn that.
6. My favorite touch that was added a week ago was a great sunset picture that my Grandma painted at Laguna that features me and my 3 siblings. It's just the right set of colors to match the gold color of our family room.
7. I'm still learning the art of tip-toeing around the house at night without waking up kids. Haven't mastered all the creaking floor boards.
8. One thing I don't like is the light switch in the play room upstairs. For some odd reason, it's over in the opposite far corner from the entrance. So you have to turn it off and then navigate a completely dark room which can be deadly with toys on the floor.
9. One thing I liked in the old house was that when I heard strange noises, I just thought it was the neighbors in our 'duplex-style' house. So I could just discount it. But now when I hear noises, I have to investigate because it might actually be something!
That's it for now. I have to focus this week on the "YEARLY" Christmas Newsletter, so I probably won't write until I have that finished.
Mark
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Cooperstown
Josh and I took a road trip last weekend to Cooperstown, the mecca of baseball fans. He and I have been planning it for several weeks, and he was definitely excited!
When I got home Thursday night with the rental car, he wanted to go outside and 'check it out.' At 2 a.m. on Friday morning, he was too excited to sleep anymore and asked if I'd come lie down with him. He was definitely ready to get up when the alarm clock went off at 4:45 a.m. He said something to the effect that this was going to be the greatest day of his life.
We hit the road around 5:20 a.m. It's a long drive -- about 4 hours straight up to Albany, and then back down along rural roads for the final hour. The fall colors were beautiful....I like to say they were a brillant, subdued hue, a little like the colors you see after it rains on chalk drawings on the sidewalk and they all run together. I really forget how beautiful New York State is....it's much more than Manhattan. I really want to explore more of New York State.
One note about "Never Lost", which is the Hertz GPS system. It's very good and helpful, but sometimes it just doesn't have a common sense feature. After reprogramming it for "Shortest Distance", it took us along the east side of the lake instead of the west side (which makes more sense and are wider roads). Yes, it was shorter as the crow flies, but not what I would have taken.
We made it to the Hall of Fame around 9:45 a.m. and found parking on the street (there's no parking lot and it's just a really small town.) We spent the first couple of hours looking for answers to the scavenger hunt quiz that they provide for kids -- with the prize being baseball cards, so this was definitely a "Josh activity". Some of the answers were really obscure. Quite honestly, I think it could have been done a little better. It was kind of like taking a test that didn't focus on the real learnings but pulled out very random facts. But Josh liked it. After finishing the first one, we did the second one, so he could get both sets of free cards. Then we did the Scouting one, so he'll get a Scout patch. That one was better....each question tied to a point of the Scout Law. "A Scout is Friendly...speaking of Friendly, Wrigley Field is known as the Friendly confines. Find the exhibit on Wrigley and ...."
We toured the museum exactly how you are NOT to do Disneyland, according to the kid Disneyland books. Specifically, you shouldn't shoot around the park like a ping-pong shot out of a cannon. We'd see something on the 3rd floor, then he wanted to see the art exhibit on the 1st floor, then remembered something on the 3rd floor he wanted to see, then back to the 2nd floor, etc. throughout the whole day. But it was fun and I let him choose to agenda and make the decisions, so I just went along for the ride.
Lots of great things to see, though it wouldn't be too amazing if you weren't a big baseball fan. But Josh is, so it all meant something to him. They had just finished putting up the 2007 World Series exhibit, and he loved seeing that.
We had lunch at a diner-like restaurant up the street -- chicken nuggets, fries and hot chocolate. Then we went back to the museum, but by 2:30 p.m., he was worn out. After the requisite visit to the gift shop, he wanted to go check out the hotel. He walked into the Best Western and said he wanted to stay there for 2 weeks. (Funny, I was thinking how it was below the standards of most hotels I stay at during business trips). We got to room 207 and he wanted to unpack and claim spaces, choose his bed, etc. Then he wanted to swim. I really don't like swimming, but the water wasn't horribly cold, so it wasn't too bad.
We went to the Pizza Hut in the parking lot for dinner, and he was basically falling asleep (he kind of gorged on bread sticks). So he wanted me to get him home quickly and I thought he'd fall asleep. But after 10 minutes, he was OK again, so we rented "Everyone's Hero" (an animated film about Babe Ruth's bat) from the video store in the parking lot and watched it on my computer. He was asleep by 8.
It snowed overnight and it gave the area a quaint little Christmas feel to it. It continued to dust snow for the early morning. After our continental breakfast, he decided against the morning swim (YEA!) and we got to the museum when the doors opened at 9 a.m. There wasn't anything new to see, but he just wanted to see it all again. And once again, we went from floor to floor in no particular order.
Finally, around 11:15, I suggested we head home, and he was very relunctant. He knew there was nothing else to see, but he just didn't want it to end ("Can't we stay another night?"). It was almost like admitting defeat. But he agreed after we said goodbye to the gift shop one more time. The drive home was fine (the snow disappeared and it was a beautiful fall drive). We dropped off the rental car, took the train from there to home, and Kathryn picked us up at the station after being at soccer.
All in all, it was the absolute perfect trip for Josh and me. It's really fortunate we live so close to it and it's such a passion for Josh. I think we'll both have memories for a long time.
When I got home Thursday night with the rental car, he wanted to go outside and 'check it out.' At 2 a.m. on Friday morning, he was too excited to sleep anymore and asked if I'd come lie down with him. He was definitely ready to get up when the alarm clock went off at 4:45 a.m. He said something to the effect that this was going to be the greatest day of his life.
We hit the road around 5:20 a.m. It's a long drive -- about 4 hours straight up to Albany, and then back down along rural roads for the final hour. The fall colors were beautiful....I like to say they were a brillant, subdued hue, a little like the colors you see after it rains on chalk drawings on the sidewalk and they all run together. I really forget how beautiful New York State is....it's much more than Manhattan. I really want to explore more of New York State.
One note about "Never Lost", which is the Hertz GPS system. It's very good and helpful, but sometimes it just doesn't have a common sense feature. After reprogramming it for "Shortest Distance", it took us along the east side of the lake instead of the west side (which makes more sense and are wider roads). Yes, it was shorter as the crow flies, but not what I would have taken.
We made it to the Hall of Fame around 9:45 a.m. and found parking on the street (there's no parking lot and it's just a really small town.) We spent the first couple of hours looking for answers to the scavenger hunt quiz that they provide for kids -- with the prize being baseball cards, so this was definitely a "Josh activity". Some of the answers were really obscure. Quite honestly, I think it could have been done a little better. It was kind of like taking a test that didn't focus on the real learnings but pulled out very random facts. But Josh liked it. After finishing the first one, we did the second one, so he could get both sets of free cards. Then we did the Scouting one, so he'll get a Scout patch. That one was better....each question tied to a point of the Scout Law. "A Scout is Friendly...speaking of Friendly, Wrigley Field is known as the Friendly confines. Find the exhibit on Wrigley and ...."
We toured the museum exactly how you are NOT to do Disneyland, according to the kid Disneyland books. Specifically, you shouldn't shoot around the park like a ping-pong shot out of a cannon. We'd see something on the 3rd floor, then he wanted to see the art exhibit on the 1st floor, then remembered something on the 3rd floor he wanted to see, then back to the 2nd floor, etc. throughout the whole day. But it was fun and I let him choose to agenda and make the decisions, so I just went along for the ride.
Lots of great things to see, though it wouldn't be too amazing if you weren't a big baseball fan. But Josh is, so it all meant something to him. They had just finished putting up the 2007 World Series exhibit, and he loved seeing that.
We had lunch at a diner-like restaurant up the street -- chicken nuggets, fries and hot chocolate. Then we went back to the museum, but by 2:30 p.m., he was worn out. After the requisite visit to the gift shop, he wanted to go check out the hotel. He walked into the Best Western and said he wanted to stay there for 2 weeks. (Funny, I was thinking how it was below the standards of most hotels I stay at during business trips). We got to room 207 and he wanted to unpack and claim spaces, choose his bed, etc. Then he wanted to swim. I really don't like swimming, but the water wasn't horribly cold, so it wasn't too bad.
We went to the Pizza Hut in the parking lot for dinner, and he was basically falling asleep (he kind of gorged on bread sticks). So he wanted me to get him home quickly and I thought he'd fall asleep. But after 10 minutes, he was OK again, so we rented "Everyone's Hero" (an animated film about Babe Ruth's bat) from the video store in the parking lot and watched it on my computer. He was asleep by 8.
It snowed overnight and it gave the area a quaint little Christmas feel to it. It continued to dust snow for the early morning. After our continental breakfast, he decided against the morning swim (YEA!) and we got to the museum when the doors opened at 9 a.m. There wasn't anything new to see, but he just wanted to see it all again. And once again, we went from floor to floor in no particular order.
Finally, around 11:15, I suggested we head home, and he was very relunctant. He knew there was nothing else to see, but he just didn't want it to end ("Can't we stay another night?"). It was almost like admitting defeat. But he agreed after we said goodbye to the gift shop one more time. The drive home was fine (the snow disappeared and it was a beautiful fall drive). We dropped off the rental car, took the train from there to home, and Kathryn picked us up at the station after being at soccer.
All in all, it was the absolute perfect trip for Josh and me. It's really fortunate we live so close to it and it's such a passion for Josh. I think we'll both have memories for a long time.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Home Repairs
I get a real sense of satisfaction...almost a runners high, if you will...when I get "home to dos" crossed off my list. Partly because I rarely know how to solve them going in, and partly because it seems like there's never a fast fix.
But I'm doing pretty good lately.
When we turned on the furnace, the blower (aka "fan") seemed to be malfunctioning. When the furnace would turn off, the blower would still blow. I kind of put off calling for help, thinking it might be something that could just fix itself on its own -- or that I'd figure out a solution.
It was very gratifying to learn it WAS something...some timer mechanism that was busted. The part was a mere $25 and the total fix job was less than $150. Thrilled to pay it as I now have worry-free heat!
The same day that was fixed, the dishwasher started to leak. But I've learned to not rush to call a repairman on clothes and dishwashers. We've been wrong two or three times before. Alas, waiting was the right call, as the leak seems to have sealed itself and it hasn't been a problem sense. Saved the cost of a house call.
I've struggled with our wireless router ever since we got the Mac updated at my office. So I bought a new Apple router (the other one was Linksys) because the old one had had its issues other times, too. It didn't solve it at first, but after calling Apple, and being told to unplug everything for 2 minutes and restarting, it worked perfectly! Did we need the new router? Maybe, maybe not, but I have worry-free wireless now, and that's worth it!
One of our newly installed toilets "runs" every 15 minutes or so. I bit the bullet and am having the plumber come back to install a new flapper. Having it run is like a Chinese water torture (thinking of wasted money and water), so it's worth my piece of mind as I know I'm not capable of simple plumbing repairs, despite what people say.
Lastly, the tire light came on in the car this weekend. Often, I assume it's probably a mistake and forget about it. But I've learned from experience and arranged for the service station to immediately check it out....only $22 later, we have a screw removed and a tire patched.
Yea! Like I said up front, it's a great feeling to get these off my list!
But I'm doing pretty good lately.
When we turned on the furnace, the blower (aka "fan") seemed to be malfunctioning. When the furnace would turn off, the blower would still blow. I kind of put off calling for help, thinking it might be something that could just fix itself on its own -- or that I'd figure out a solution.
It was very gratifying to learn it WAS something...some timer mechanism that was busted. The part was a mere $25 and the total fix job was less than $150. Thrilled to pay it as I now have worry-free heat!
The same day that was fixed, the dishwasher started to leak. But I've learned to not rush to call a repairman on clothes and dishwashers. We've been wrong two or three times before. Alas, waiting was the right call, as the leak seems to have sealed itself and it hasn't been a problem sense. Saved the cost of a house call.
I've struggled with our wireless router ever since we got the Mac updated at my office. So I bought a new Apple router (the other one was Linksys) because the old one had had its issues other times, too. It didn't solve it at first, but after calling Apple, and being told to unplug everything for 2 minutes and restarting, it worked perfectly! Did we need the new router? Maybe, maybe not, but I have worry-free wireless now, and that's worth it!
One of our newly installed toilets "runs" every 15 minutes or so. I bit the bullet and am having the plumber come back to install a new flapper. Having it run is like a Chinese water torture (thinking of wasted money and water), so it's worth my piece of mind as I know I'm not capable of simple plumbing repairs, despite what people say.
Lastly, the tire light came on in the car this weekend. Often, I assume it's probably a mistake and forget about it. But I've learned from experience and arranged for the service station to immediately check it out....only $22 later, we have a screw removed and a tire patched.
Yea! Like I said up front, it's a great feeling to get these off my list!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Matthew, Mark, Luke & John go to Yankees Stadium
I've learned that Josh's obsession with the Yankees can provide a fun backdrop for learning more spiritual things. For example, I've had him memorize some mastery scriptures by using the jersey numbers of players to remember the references. ("Alma A-Rod, Jeter" would be Alma 13:2, as an example).
I came up with another application the other night when tucking him in and he asked about the Gospels in the New Testament. He asked why there are four books that essentially tell the same story.
I explained to him about Matthew, Mark and Luke being the synoptic gospels, meaning those three books contain a lot of very similar material, whereas John has a lot of unique material.
I then said: "Imagine that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John went to Yankees Stadium to see a game. Matthew, Mark and Luke all sat together in the upper deck where we normally sit. Then, they each had to write a report for school."
"For analogy purposes only, pretend that Matthew thinks pitching and defense are the most important elements of the game. And pretend that Mark thinks hits represent all the highlights of the game. And let's say that Luke is a big fan of Jeter and A-Rod. Their reports are all going to say the same thing -- that the Yankees won 6 to 4 -- but they'll focus on different details with the game. Matthew will explain the pitching match-ups, Mark will talk about the home runs and doubles, and Luke will focus on the stats of Jeter and A-Rod. But in the end, their message was the same: The Yankees won."
To explain why some of the three include some elements and others skipped it, I suggested that you imagine each writer went out for a hot dog at different points during the game and each missed a half inning or so.
And what about John, who gives a much better eye-witness account? He was sitting in the dug-out for the game!
The analogies could be taken further, based on real content within the scriptures. For example, Luke covers more early stuff like the birth of Jesus, whereas Mark doesn't. So it could be said that Luke got to the stadium for batting practice whereas Mark didn't arrive until after the National Anthem.
Or, based on stories of the resurrection and such, it could be said that one writer went to the post-game press conferences and locker room interviews, while the others listened to those reports on the car radio on the way home.
This isn't anything earth shattering, but I thought this is kind of clever and fun, and worth passing along. Teaching our kids is all about customizing it to their frame of reference.
I came up with another application the other night when tucking him in and he asked about the Gospels in the New Testament. He asked why there are four books that essentially tell the same story.
I explained to him about Matthew, Mark and Luke being the synoptic gospels, meaning those three books contain a lot of very similar material, whereas John has a lot of unique material.
I then said: "Imagine that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John went to Yankees Stadium to see a game. Matthew, Mark and Luke all sat together in the upper deck where we normally sit. Then, they each had to write a report for school."
"For analogy purposes only, pretend that Matthew thinks pitching and defense are the most important elements of the game. And pretend that Mark thinks hits represent all the highlights of the game. And let's say that Luke is a big fan of Jeter and A-Rod. Their reports are all going to say the same thing -- that the Yankees won 6 to 4 -- but they'll focus on different details with the game. Matthew will explain the pitching match-ups, Mark will talk about the home runs and doubles, and Luke will focus on the stats of Jeter and A-Rod. But in the end, their message was the same: The Yankees won."
To explain why some of the three include some elements and others skipped it, I suggested that you imagine each writer went out for a hot dog at different points during the game and each missed a half inning or so.
And what about John, who gives a much better eye-witness account? He was sitting in the dug-out for the game!
The analogies could be taken further, based on real content within the scriptures. For example, Luke covers more early stuff like the birth of Jesus, whereas Mark doesn't. So it could be said that Luke got to the stadium for batting practice whereas Mark didn't arrive until after the National Anthem.
Or, based on stories of the resurrection and such, it could be said that one writer went to the post-game press conferences and locker room interviews, while the others listened to those reports on the car radio on the way home.
This isn't anything earth shattering, but I thought this is kind of clever and fun, and worth passing along. Teaching our kids is all about customizing it to their frame of reference.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Two Ideas for Instructing Kids
1. My daughter's Primary teacher has a great idea for encouraging three slightly rowdy boys to sit still during the class time. It's kind of a new twist on Musical Chairs. He sets his watch alarm to go off in random intervals. Any kid who got his/her seat on their seat and feet on floor when the alarm goes off gets a piece of candy. If it goes off and they aren't sitting down -- no candy. He does it a few times throughout the lesson. If the boys get crazy, he just says "I'd sure hate to see the alarm go off right now." Pure genius!
2. I had a random thought last week at FHE. Would it be such a bad idea to have a "Jr" and "Sr" FHE? The older two kids are at a completely different levels than the younger ones in terms of comprehending lessons. Why not have a break-out class for the younger two so the older two are given a 'deeper' lesson. We could start as a whole family for prayer, song, scripture, etc., then have each parent teach two of the kids. Divide and Conquer!
2. I had a random thought last week at FHE. Would it be such a bad idea to have a "Jr" and "Sr" FHE? The older two kids are at a completely different levels than the younger ones in terms of comprehending lessons. Why not have a break-out class for the younger two so the older two are given a 'deeper' lesson. We could start as a whole family for prayer, song, scripture, etc., then have each parent teach two of the kids. Divide and Conquer!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Don't Buy This Album!
If you ever see "Forever 80s" -- a three-disc set with 10 songs each for an amazing $10 -- in your local music store, resist the urge to purchase.
I rarely splurge and buy something for me...and when I did, I got janked!
A couple of weeks ago, I went to Radio City Music Hall to buy tickets for family members coming to NYC for Christmas. I had a few minutes before I'd have to head to Grand Central to catch my train, so I went to FYE, looking for the new Fresh Aire/Mannheim Christmas Album (which I'm told is out, but haven't been able to find yet).
Unable to buy my desired CD, I was lured into a display with the above-mentioned 80s CD boxed set. I checked out the back and saw several great songs that I have yet to purchase from i-Tunes or have on CD. I thought I'd hit a gold mine.
On the train, when I opened the set, I read something in the insert that surprised me. After describing the songs and their iconic value, a sentence started with the simple phrase: "While these songs are not sung by the original artists..."
Then who are they sung by?
I had failed to see the phrase: "The Countdown Singers" on the cover.
In other words: "Songs you know...performed by artists you don't"
Or "All your favorite songs....by a non-familiar group"
Maybe: "You've heard the songs for years....though you've never heard this artist"
What about: "You love the songs...but will hate the singers."
"Jump" by Van Halen is just enough off to be comical. Instead of a guitar doing the riffs, it's a keyboard. "Amanda" just doesn't have that tone of sincerity like Boston. And I don't know if they really spit out all the lyrics in "End of the World" before the music catches up to them.
Then again, I've gotten more than $10 worth of humor and laughter out of this, so I suppose it's worth it. And it's taken me down memory road.
It's kind of like being back at my high school proms when no-name bands performed the hits of the day -- so it's a high school Prom album (sans a Forever Young rendition...a staple of any good Utah HS dance)
So now I have a great 3 CD set of 'cover band' music. I'm not feeling any 'power of love' on this.
Mark
I rarely splurge and buy something for me...and when I did, I got janked!
A couple of weeks ago, I went to Radio City Music Hall to buy tickets for family members coming to NYC for Christmas. I had a few minutes before I'd have to head to Grand Central to catch my train, so I went to FYE, looking for the new Fresh Aire/Mannheim Christmas Album (which I'm told is out, but haven't been able to find yet).
Unable to buy my desired CD, I was lured into a display with the above-mentioned 80s CD boxed set. I checked out the back and saw several great songs that I have yet to purchase from i-Tunes or have on CD. I thought I'd hit a gold mine.
On the train, when I opened the set, I read something in the insert that surprised me. After describing the songs and their iconic value, a sentence started with the simple phrase: "While these songs are not sung by the original artists..."
Then who are they sung by?
I had failed to see the phrase: "The Countdown Singers" on the cover.
In other words: "Songs you know...performed by artists you don't"
Or "All your favorite songs....by a non-familiar group"
Maybe: "You've heard the songs for years....though you've never heard this artist"
What about: "You love the songs...but will hate the singers."
"Jump" by Van Halen is just enough off to be comical. Instead of a guitar doing the riffs, it's a keyboard. "Amanda" just doesn't have that tone of sincerity like Boston. And I don't know if they really spit out all the lyrics in "End of the World" before the music catches up to them.
Then again, I've gotten more than $10 worth of humor and laughter out of this, so I suppose it's worth it. And it's taken me down memory road.
It's kind of like being back at my high school proms when no-name bands performed the hits of the day -- so it's a high school Prom album (sans a Forever Young rendition...a staple of any good Utah HS dance)
So now I have a great 3 CD set of 'cover band' music. I'm not feeling any 'power of love' on this.
Mark
Sunday, October 7, 2007
It was a Corolla, not a Ram
October 7, 2007
I've been wanting to write this for a while, but it's been a bit crazy.
As a member of the High Council, I speak in wards and branches throughout our stake. We've adopted a new procedure that results in our giving two talks on one Sunday, but then getting the next month off. (In the long run, we give the same amount of talks, but prepare only 6 instead of 12, and have only 6 Sunday tied up with speaking assignments instead of 12).
For some time this summer, I had worried about my August speaking assignments, down in a building in our stake that isn't overly accessible by public transportation. We only have one car, and we need that to get my family to our home ward. With all the other buildings and units, I could find a way to make it work, but I knew the August assignment would be a challenge. I could easily handle the morning assignment, then drive home and get my family to church, but getting back to that building for the afternoon assignment wouldn't be easy.
I looked at car rentals, Zip Cars, taxis, buses, etc. The best we could think was that my family would sit in our home ward building for an extra 1 hour 15 minutes after church waiting for me to come fetch them.
But I had prayed off and on for a solution, knowing that "when you're on the Lord's errand, you're entitled to the Lord's help" (a paraphrased Monson quote).
The speaking assignment was on the Sunday after our annual family trek out west. We arrived home late on Saturday evening and had basically figured we'd go with "Plan B" (kids waiting at the chapel). But as we pulled into our driveway, there was a Corolla parked there. Kathryn said "Oh, I forgot. I told one of our friends in the ward that they could park their extra car in our driveway while they were out of town as they couldn't keep it in front of their house due to street cleaning rules".
Though it was a Corolla, it was my "Ram" that the Lord provided at the 11th hour.
When we got inside, we found the car keys (the Corolla had been dropped off when a neighbor was picking up the mail, so they left the keys), and a VM saying "feel free to use the car if you need it."
The perfect solution. Now I could get to my assignment without a problem.
Perhaps this all sounds a bit silly, but it was a major deal to me. Yes, it was nice to have a solution. But more importantly, it made me realize -- again -- that the Lord knows me personally and really will help pull solutions out of a hat, if I will put the problem in his hands. I never would have imagined that solution, so it shows that sometimes we just have to put it in his hands.
To end on a bit of a humorous note, I was thinking about the calling of a new apostle this weekend. The real bugaboo about being called as an apostle is that you know you'll either become the prophet someday.....or die trying!
I'm still pushing for "Popcorn Popping" to be sung as an intermediate hymn at Conference....but I'm not holding out hope.
Mark
I've been wanting to write this for a while, but it's been a bit crazy.
As a member of the High Council, I speak in wards and branches throughout our stake. We've adopted a new procedure that results in our giving two talks on one Sunday, but then getting the next month off. (In the long run, we give the same amount of talks, but prepare only 6 instead of 12, and have only 6 Sunday tied up with speaking assignments instead of 12).
For some time this summer, I had worried about my August speaking assignments, down in a building in our stake that isn't overly accessible by public transportation. We only have one car, and we need that to get my family to our home ward. With all the other buildings and units, I could find a way to make it work, but I knew the August assignment would be a challenge. I could easily handle the morning assignment, then drive home and get my family to church, but getting back to that building for the afternoon assignment wouldn't be easy.
I looked at car rentals, Zip Cars, taxis, buses, etc. The best we could think was that my family would sit in our home ward building for an extra 1 hour 15 minutes after church waiting for me to come fetch them.
But I had prayed off and on for a solution, knowing that "when you're on the Lord's errand, you're entitled to the Lord's help" (a paraphrased Monson quote).
The speaking assignment was on the Sunday after our annual family trek out west. We arrived home late on Saturday evening and had basically figured we'd go with "Plan B" (kids waiting at the chapel). But as we pulled into our driveway, there was a Corolla parked there. Kathryn said "Oh, I forgot. I told one of our friends in the ward that they could park their extra car in our driveway while they were out of town as they couldn't keep it in front of their house due to street cleaning rules".
Though it was a Corolla, it was my "Ram" that the Lord provided at the 11th hour.
When we got inside, we found the car keys (the Corolla had been dropped off when a neighbor was picking up the mail, so they left the keys), and a VM saying "feel free to use the car if you need it."
The perfect solution. Now I could get to my assignment without a problem.
Perhaps this all sounds a bit silly, but it was a major deal to me. Yes, it was nice to have a solution. But more importantly, it made me realize -- again -- that the Lord knows me personally and really will help pull solutions out of a hat, if I will put the problem in his hands. I never would have imagined that solution, so it shows that sometimes we just have to put it in his hands.
To end on a bit of a humorous note, I was thinking about the calling of a new apostle this weekend. The real bugaboo about being called as an apostle is that you know you'll either become the prophet someday.....or die trying!
I'm still pushing for "Popcorn Popping" to be sung as an intermediate hymn at Conference....but I'm not holding out hope.
Mark
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