Family, isn't it about time?

In my church we are taught that the family is a central part of God's plan for happiness. We are also encouraged to set Monday night aside as a time for family to be spent together learning Gospel principles and strengthening each other. I haven't been as consistent about this as I would like to be but I'm working at it. We are blessed to have family close by and this weekend we have been able to spend time with my sister and her husband as well as a cookout and pool party later today with my wife's family. I am learning that the things that bring me the most joy in life are family related and I'm grateful for my big crazy family and all the joy they bring

This quote shared by the Prophet of my Church President Thomas S Monson shows how we spend our time can determine our happiness in life:

"Near the end of his life, one father looked back on how he had spent his time on earth. An acclaimed, respected author of numerous scholarly works, he said, ‘I wish I had written one less book and taken my children fishing more often.’ Time passes quickly. Many parents say that it seems like yesterday that their children were born. Now those children are grown, perhaps with children of their own. ‘Where did the years go?’ they ask. We cannot call back time that is past, we cannot stop time that now is, and we cannot experience the future in our present state. Time is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside for the future but to be used wisely in the present.”


I hope that when the time has come for me to account for how my life was spent I will have given the best to those who matter most!  Happy home evening  ; )

All things considered

I love NPR, that's National Public Radio for those of you who don't know. I have loved it since I was a little kid and my hometown's little college had a radio station that broadcast it. There would be classical music sometimes and jazz others and I would listen at night while I was trying to go to sleep. Sometimes it worked, other times I was too interested in what was on to fall asleep. The hosts always sounded so intelligent and cosmopolitan to me as a small town boy.

I will admit, some people think of the Delicious Dish skit from SNL as seen here:

It is pretty funny I will admit, its about the only time I can stand Alec Baldwin, but the ladies really capture the tone of voice and the delivery of the hosts that I love.

One great thing about NPR is that you can tune into it almost anywhere. Having moved back and forth between Idaho and Arizona many times I have found some long lonely stretches of road with no radio to listen to but NPR. About a year ago we moved to Arizona (again), having left some things behind I had to make a solo trip to pick them up. For about four hours I listened to interviews about fonts and typesetting, it was so fascinating. Did you know that Verdana is font created specifically for the Internet? I was totally absorbed. A while later on All Things Considered they talked about the Oh Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack (one of my favorite albums ever) and did an interview with Dr. Ralph Stanley that was awesome. The interviews are part of the appeal of NPR for me. Going behind the scenes with people. I really enjoy getting a better understanding of why artists do what they do or where their inspiration came from on a certain project.

NPR will also expose you a lot of things you may not find on your own. A Prairie Home Companion, for example. It is a spectacular variety show heavy on the comedy and folksy music of the mid-west. The actors and musicians are great and since it is typically presented over the radio they really have to be good at setting a scene and conveying information strictly through sound. I think of the good old days before television and families gathered around the radio in the evening listening and being so involved in the stories being portrayed. I love the imagery it evokes and makes me miss an era that I shouldn't be able to miss since it happened 40 years before I was born.

Maybe this nostalgic feeling that NPR conjures up is why I like it so much. I would love to be a host on NPR. I would love to speak in those dulcet tones and interview interesting people. I would love for people to hear my interviews and think "wow, that was a really intelligent interview." Unfortunately, that probably won't ever happen. You see I am pretty conservative politically and NPR leans to the left. I don't know if they would admit that. Maybe, more likely they would think they are centrist and above something so trivial as political leanings (they are so smart after all) anyway, I probably wouldn't get past an job interview. So for now I'll just have to keep listening and loving from afar. From (not) NPR, this has been All Things Considered.

Aural Fixation

I love music. I know everybody loves music right? I guess that is true, I have never personally met a person that didn't like music. Tastes in music are like taste in food, or clothes, or tv shows. Some people like a very defined style of music and don't care to branch out. Others like to sample the entire spectrum of what is out there. I would say my taste in music falls into the latter category. There are times when I get into one style and listen to it almost exclusively, but one of the joys of ADHD is that I don't stay attached to anyone sound for too long. My wife would beg to differ, and tell you that I definitely like music that gives her headaches. I would counter by saying she could probably not tell you who is singing any song that is on the radio right now AND that she makes up her own lyrics when it suits her. But I digress... The music that I really like the most is the music that draws you in and can make you forget about everything else. I love music that inspires my imagination. I as a young teenager I would jump on the trampoline for hours listening to music and imagine different things. The music was like a soundtrack to a movie that I would create in my mind. I love that. My wife will also tell you that I do not like quiet. She is spot on for this one, if I'm in the car I have music on, even though occasionally I will turn it down to listen. Sometimes I fall asleep to music. When I work out, mow the lawn, wash the car, do anything I like music. It helps drown out the voices in my head. So by way of illustration for all you auditory learners out there I want to share with you some of the songs across different genres that take me away like Calgon. Here they are:

Colder Weather Zac Brown Band, I love this band, and I am a sucker for harmonies. I think country music is the best for really great harmony.

Since the day I come home from the mission field in 1995 Weezer has been one of my favorite bands and this song definitely touches a chord (pun intended):
I was turned on to the Flaming Lips by a co-worker of mine who is 60+ and loved to find new music. This video isn't the best quality but hopefully you get a feel for it... I wish I were a hacker and could get the code for the good quality videos out there... I share this next song because I love it, I heard a group do this song acoustically at BYU-I and it was awesome... and I really want a cowboy to take me away... Not an official video, but a valiant effort from a fan I am man enough to say that I watch so you think you can dance I first heard this song there and think it is haunting and beautiful, cliche description but true... Rather than trying to become Mtv 47 I will end this post now but I hope that you get the idea. Should you feel inclined to comment please let me know if you have any suggestions for me (musical or otherwise)

Chops

My sister in law Tara has been having a hissy fit about her husband Wesley's righteous chops. I think he wears them well, she says she doesn't like them. I love chops and would have them now except my face is too fat and I am too bald. In a show of support to Wes I will post my chop pictures. The camera adds about 55 pounds...

And saving the best for last...