For those in my family that have been asking for this list, here it is. I hate doing this, but I also recognize how challenging it is to shop for me and want to make it a little easier if I can. So, here it is, in NO particular order, my Christmas list for 2014.
Sunglasses
Dress Shirt and Tie (sizes: neck 17.5, sleeves 32-34). I wont wear pink or brown and am very picky about greens. White, blue, and lavender are safe.
Calendar of Temples to hang in my office at work
Painting of the Savior
Wonderful artwork from Nieces or Nephews
Homemade cookies
Not a huge list this year (it never is) but maybe there is an idea or two in there for you.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
A Time For Being Thankful
More and more we see Thanksgiving being pushed to the background by Christmas. Not the Christ centered Christmas, but the retail oriented one. No sooner had Halloween ended than department stores began decking their floors with reds and greens, reindeer and snowmen, ribbons and bows. To a degree I can understand this; Christmas represents an enormous portion of the revenue for businesses. Black Friday isn't a term meant to describe the color of bruises people get during the sales, but rather the change on the books many retail stores experience of going from being in the "red" to being in the "black" (operating at a loss vs operating in the positive). Understanding the reason for the push on Christmas doesn't make me like it however. I feel each holiday should be given its due and not rushed. I love Christmas music, but not before Thanksgiving. I find it subtly important to celebrate a season of being Thankful before we celebrate the greatest gift ever given to mankind.
With this in mind I was more than willing to take Thanksgiving off this year when I learned most of my Brothers and Sisters were planning on having Thanksgiving with my parents this year. I quickly arranged to have 2 weeks off and purchased my tickets home ready to relax and enjoy the special time with Family and Friends. The past two weeks were definitely filled with lots of both Family and Friends and special memories. I did even manage to relax a bit after the first few days (I need to remember to not check my work emails when on vacation, I am not so good at letting them go unanswered it would seem). Unfortunately part of my "relaxation" came in the form of a not-so-fun head cold that pushed its way into my sinuses causing me to spend far more time laying in bed feeling miserable than I wanted it to. Fortunately I had scheduled two weeks in Utah so I was able to get over the cold before the main events unfolded and was still able to spend lots of time with everyone I had hoped to see while back home. This year I actually took some pictures! Thanks to a good friend of mine who gave me several assignments for the trip home I can actually post something other than words. So for those few who read my blog a special Thanks goes to Bethany for her photograph assignments.
Here they are in not particular order (I did fail at getting someone in each photo that made the area "special", for some reason I missed that part of the assignment so I guess I wont be getting a passing grade on all of these).
First off my Elementary and High school pictures. These were a trip down memory lane for me. It was fun to see how much they had both changed and not changed. Both have grown over the decades along with the population of this city I call home.
Next is my home. The place I grew up in. Also the place I received my mission call in and where I was when I first learned about the events of 9/11. This home has also changed a bit on the outside and inside, it is still under construction on the inside as my parents are working on finishing up the living room modifications, so I am limiting this to one picture with an outside view. I suppose I should note I was alone when I got my mission call and opened it by myself. No big party as I have seen some families do, that just wasn't me (and still isn't). I wasn't all that excited initially about where I had been called to serve so I guess it was a good thing there wasn't a big party going on at the same time.
I was also asked to take a picture of the place in Utah that had the most bizarre story behind it. I had to think about this one a bit, but then I remember a fateful golf outing experience during my college days. The picture is of Tri-City Golf Course, approximately where the events transpired. Me, Bill, and my friend Loren were golfing together on that day. Bill was having a particularly challenging experience and swung his club around in frustration. It hit the golf cart's roof support beam, bent around and shot back into his hand cutting and possibly breaking some bones in the process (I don't think he ever went to a doctor to find out). I have always had a hard time with blood. It tends to make me pass out, but Bill was on the Ambulance crew and seemed to be Okay, he took off in his cart to take care of his hand and Loren and I continued with the hole. For a brief moment that is. I looked up and saw Bill's cart had stopped and Bill was laying on the ground. I immediately rushed to my cart and drove up to where he was (leaving Loren behind). He told me he was fine, just experiencing some shock and needed to lay down. I don't remember what happened after that as my body decided to rebel against me at that point and I promptly passed out. Loren arrived on the seen to have both me and Bill laying on the ground in various states of distress and not able to really do anything for either of us. Fun golfing trip for Loren. I had many good memories of this golf course, this one however will be hard to forget (no matter how hard I try).
I was asked to take a photo of my favorite temple in Utah. Fortunately I didn't have to drive far to do so. This next picture is of the Mount Timpanogos Temple. It will always be special to me as I was blessed with the privilege of being a Security Guard during its construction and Open House phase. I got to walk through all areas of the temple, and see it change from being a very nice building to being the House of God. Jason Libberton is owed a big Thanks for this as he somehow got me included on the Security detail. Still not sure who he talked to... but Thanks all the same Jason.
I have a tradition when I come home to Utah of taking a good friend of mine (and his family) out to eat. We usually go to a Korean restaurant as he is Half Korean and the food is good. I wasn't asked to take a picture of this, but am throwing it in anyway. Loren is missing from this shot, he was home sick this day with the same head cold that seemed to be everywhere in Lehi this November.
Finally I was asked to take candid pictures of my family at the Thanksgiving dinner. The next pictures are of many different people all present at the meal. I will try to add captions with names and such. I enlisted the aid of my nephews and nieces for some of the pictures, getting us adults to stand still for a picture is so much easier when a cute kid is trying to take the shot verses another adult. I am very Thankful for a loving family. Brothers, Sisters, In-Laws, Parents, Grand Parents, Nieces and Nephews. All of us together under one roof enjoying the wonderful food and company. This is what makes Thanksgiving special. No gifts are exchanged aside from the gift of time and the sharing of food, decorations are limited and there aren't many songs for this holiday. It really comes down to spending time with loved ones and taking a moment out of our crazy lives to be thankful for those around us. I do also need to mention I have deleted many of the pictures taken by the nieces and nephews that were of... less than flattering angles. It was fun to see the world as they see it.
I suspect I missed someone on this post, but I tried. Some of the pictures I could have posted would have gotten me in a bit of trouble with my brothers and sisters (and sister-in-laws). Candid shots aren't always the most flattering and the world view of a 5 yr old is filled with... well.. buts.
It was a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday for me, even with the cold. I love this family and am thankful to be a part of it.
With this in mind I was more than willing to take Thanksgiving off this year when I learned most of my Brothers and Sisters were planning on having Thanksgiving with my parents this year. I quickly arranged to have 2 weeks off and purchased my tickets home ready to relax and enjoy the special time with Family and Friends. The past two weeks were definitely filled with lots of both Family and Friends and special memories. I did even manage to relax a bit after the first few days (I need to remember to not check my work emails when on vacation, I am not so good at letting them go unanswered it would seem). Unfortunately part of my "relaxation" came in the form of a not-so-fun head cold that pushed its way into my sinuses causing me to spend far more time laying in bed feeling miserable than I wanted it to. Fortunately I had scheduled two weeks in Utah so I was able to get over the cold before the main events unfolded and was still able to spend lots of time with everyone I had hoped to see while back home. This year I actually took some pictures! Thanks to a good friend of mine who gave me several assignments for the trip home I can actually post something other than words. So for those few who read my blog a special Thanks goes to Bethany for her photograph assignments.
Here they are in not particular order (I did fail at getting someone in each photo that made the area "special", for some reason I missed that part of the assignment so I guess I wont be getting a passing grade on all of these).
First off my Elementary and High school pictures. These were a trip down memory lane for me. It was fun to see how much they had both changed and not changed. Both have grown over the decades along with the population of this city I call home.
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| Lehi Elementary, the place my formal education began. It has changed a bit from so long ago, but the core of it remains. |
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| Finding a picture of my High School that actually resembled the High School as I remember it took some effort. I had to circle the building till I was able to find the back of the Gym which hasn't changed, the rest of the building seems to be encased by new additions effectively hiding the original buildings behind them. |
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| Home. Different porch, different door, same love and warmth inside. |
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| Tri-City Golf Course |
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| Mount Timpanogos Temple on a Rainy Day |
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| Tyler, Nikki, Rachel, Kari, and Becca |
Finally I was asked to take candid pictures of my family at the Thanksgiving dinner. The next pictures are of many different people all present at the meal. I will try to add captions with names and such. I enlisted the aid of my nephews and nieces for some of the pictures, getting us adults to stand still for a picture is so much easier when a cute kid is trying to take the shot verses another adult. I am very Thankful for a loving family. Brothers, Sisters, In-Laws, Parents, Grand Parents, Nieces and Nephews. All of us together under one roof enjoying the wonderful food and company. This is what makes Thanksgiving special. No gifts are exchanged aside from the gift of time and the sharing of food, decorations are limited and there aren't many songs for this holiday. It really comes down to spending time with loved ones and taking a moment out of our crazy lives to be thankful for those around us. I do also need to mention I have deleted many of the pictures taken by the nieces and nephews that were of... less than flattering angles. It was fun to see the world as they see it.
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| Grandparents Hansen. I was able to drive up to Idaho to bring them down to Lehi for this special day. |
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| Me and Lexi |
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| Grandma Loveridge with Tonya's family in the background |
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| Takes many hands to prepare a meal for this many people |
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| Heather in the front, Dad in the back (playing with a grand kid) |
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| Lexi |
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| Madi |
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| Mike and Mom |
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| Grandparents Hansen being entertained by Ashlyn |
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| Grandma and Grandpa Hansen |
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| Ashlyn |
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| Kamryn |
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| Jack |
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| Kinz, Steph, and Bill |
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| Lilly |
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| Karsyn and Maddy (Karsyn wanted me to take this picture) |
It was a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday for me, even with the cold. I love this family and am thankful to be a part of it.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Movie Review
It has been a long time since I last saw a "Mormon" movie in a movie theatre. My last experience was so bad I actually walked out of the theatre and asked for my money back and have deliberately steered clear of any such movie since. This being said, when I received an email from the Stake Presidency regarding the recently released "Meet the Mormons" movie I paid little attention to it. Then I got a call from the missionaries, seems I had signed up to feed them on Friday night (I need to pay more attention to the sheets being passed around for signatures during sharing time so I don't forget about my commitments!), so while treating the Elders to some Texas Roadhouse I figured I would ask their opinion of the movie. They were adamant it was a great movie and worth my time to go see it.
And so it was I found myself at a movie theatre a bit farther from my house than normal to watch a movie about a people I am fairly familiar with. If you haven't seen the movie, are planning on seeing it, and don't want to know what it is about... stop reading now, while there aren't any real surprises/spoilers to share I figure I should at least warn the select few who read my occasional posts.
The movie is a documentary, so don't go expecting heart pumping chase scenes, mind blowing special effects, or fancy costumes. It is precisely what the title claims it to be; namely an introduction to 5 different "Mormon" families in different parts of the world. I was a bit worried the movie would be dull and would feel like an hour long church commercial, and while there was a bit of the commercial feeling at the start of it, after the second family I found myself enjoying the show. There was a very subtle spirit about this movie, the families were (I believe) very carefully selected to show how truly diverse the church is while also adding in a bit of the every day challenges most members face trying to live in this world without compromising on our standards. There are some inspiring examples presented and some heart touching scenes, and by the end of the movie I had to admit I enjoyed it. The movie would make a great family home evening event I think, although probably not as much for the little kids (it is a documentary after all) and I do recommend it. I have to admit is probably one of the best movies I have seen this year if you weigh it on spiritual scales.
And so it was I found myself at a movie theatre a bit farther from my house than normal to watch a movie about a people I am fairly familiar with. If you haven't seen the movie, are planning on seeing it, and don't want to know what it is about... stop reading now, while there aren't any real surprises/spoilers to share I figure I should at least warn the select few who read my occasional posts.
The movie is a documentary, so don't go expecting heart pumping chase scenes, mind blowing special effects, or fancy costumes. It is precisely what the title claims it to be; namely an introduction to 5 different "Mormon" families in different parts of the world. I was a bit worried the movie would be dull and would feel like an hour long church commercial, and while there was a bit of the commercial feeling at the start of it, after the second family I found myself enjoying the show. There was a very subtle spirit about this movie, the families were (I believe) very carefully selected to show how truly diverse the church is while also adding in a bit of the every day challenges most members face trying to live in this world without compromising on our standards. There are some inspiring examples presented and some heart touching scenes, and by the end of the movie I had to admit I enjoyed it. The movie would make a great family home evening event I think, although probably not as much for the little kids (it is a documentary after all) and I do recommend it. I have to admit is probably one of the best movies I have seen this year if you weigh it on spiritual scales.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
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I have had trouble coming up with a title for this post, and ultimately decided titles aren't always important in a personal blog that is visited by only a handful of people who are predominantly members of my family so instead of spending time on the title, I am spending time writing out this lengthy explanation of why my title is lacking.
Many years ago, after having moved to AZ and while early on in my Career, I met a wonderful Woman. We dated a bit and developed a good friendship but the relationship didn't progress beyond the date stage and ultimately we went our separate ways. I bring her up now because she shared with me once a bit about myself that is probably not much of a surprise to anyone who knows me but at the time made me think. She was talking about "languages of love", ways that different people will communicate their feelings of love and affection. Not everyone writes poems, not everyone remembers to send cards on each and every special event. Truth be told I am probably very bad at most of the languages of love she mentioned, but one in particular has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and that is the giving of gifts.
I have always found a joy in giving to others. I don't need gifts myself, often times I would rather not receive them. But I give them and enjoy giving them. I will sacrifice my own needs so that I can give gifts to others. For me it has never been about status, or trying to be "better" than someone else. It is simply one of the ways I express my love for others. So it was that, while attending the funeral for my Grandfather Loveridge I had an idea pop into my head of a way I could quietly express my love for my grieving Grandmother even though I live far away. A couple phone calls, some sharing of information and instructions, and my plan was put into place and the first of my weekly gifts arrived. It was my intention for this to remain anonymous, I didn't want anyone to know what I was doing as some acts of Love don't need to be publicized and so on each card accompanying my small gifts was the signature A Nony Mouse (play on anonymous and mouse given Grandpa's love of Disney World).
Week after week my gifts would arrive, and each week my Grandma would ask who was sending them but the delivery company followed my instructions and politely declined sharing this information. I even lied to my Mom when she asked me if I was the one sending them (I did discuss my dishonesty with my Bishop already and have since repented of it). My subterfuge came to an end a few weeks ago when a new delivery person failed to keep my information secret and suddenly I got a phone call from my Grandma expressing her gratitude for what I had been doing and insisting I don't (and shouldn't) need to keep doing it.
I have since had the thought pop into my head that others may want to share in my gift giving. I may be wrong in this, after all I know of several other acts of love that have been regularly carried out by different members of my great family, but if anyone would like to take over a week from me from time to time I will not be upset or offended or anything like that. I have a standing order with Haw's Floral in Lehi, Utah. You can call them at (801) 768-8306, let them know you want to pay for the delivery in place of me (Daniel Loveridge) for that particular week and make any changes to the order you want. Just be sure she knows who sent them, apparently my a nony mouse signature had her a little worried about who it might be.
And what better way to end a post than with a picture.
Many years ago, after having moved to AZ and while early on in my Career, I met a wonderful Woman. We dated a bit and developed a good friendship but the relationship didn't progress beyond the date stage and ultimately we went our separate ways. I bring her up now because she shared with me once a bit about myself that is probably not much of a surprise to anyone who knows me but at the time made me think. She was talking about "languages of love", ways that different people will communicate their feelings of love and affection. Not everyone writes poems, not everyone remembers to send cards on each and every special event. Truth be told I am probably very bad at most of the languages of love she mentioned, but one in particular has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and that is the giving of gifts.
I have always found a joy in giving to others. I don't need gifts myself, often times I would rather not receive them. But I give them and enjoy giving them. I will sacrifice my own needs so that I can give gifts to others. For me it has never been about status, or trying to be "better" than someone else. It is simply one of the ways I express my love for others. So it was that, while attending the funeral for my Grandfather Loveridge I had an idea pop into my head of a way I could quietly express my love for my grieving Grandmother even though I live far away. A couple phone calls, some sharing of information and instructions, and my plan was put into place and the first of my weekly gifts arrived. It was my intention for this to remain anonymous, I didn't want anyone to know what I was doing as some acts of Love don't need to be publicized and so on each card accompanying my small gifts was the signature A Nony Mouse (play on anonymous and mouse given Grandpa's love of Disney World).
Week after week my gifts would arrive, and each week my Grandma would ask who was sending them but the delivery company followed my instructions and politely declined sharing this information. I even lied to my Mom when she asked me if I was the one sending them (I did discuss my dishonesty with my Bishop already and have since repented of it). My subterfuge came to an end a few weeks ago when a new delivery person failed to keep my information secret and suddenly I got a phone call from my Grandma expressing her gratitude for what I had been doing and insisting I don't (and shouldn't) need to keep doing it.
I have since had the thought pop into my head that others may want to share in my gift giving. I may be wrong in this, after all I know of several other acts of love that have been regularly carried out by different members of my great family, but if anyone would like to take over a week from me from time to time I will not be upset or offended or anything like that. I have a standing order with Haw's Floral in Lehi, Utah. You can call them at (801) 768-8306, let them know you want to pay for the delivery in place of me (Daniel Loveridge) for that particular week and make any changes to the order you want. Just be sure she knows who sent them, apparently my a nony mouse signature had her a little worried about who it might be.
And what better way to end a post than with a picture.
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| Thanks Mom for sending this beautiful picture to me |
Friday, September 19, 2014
Quick Catch Up
So the last several weeks have gone by very quickly for me and while my life is generally rather dull and uneventful as I take a brief moment to think back on it there was a bit that did happen outside of my normal wake up, go to work, go home and to bed routine. So... here is a quick recap of the last 3 weeks... or was it 4 or 5, I am not quite sure... you see I turned 40 on August 24th and ever since then things have been crazy busy!
In the past 4 weeks I have had my boss visit my hotel 3 different times. I have had a visit from the President of the company purchasing my hotel. I have had a visit from the current owner's of my hotel. I have had a visit from a Senior VP over focused service sales as well. During all of these visits I have been scrambling to prepare my hotel for a Quality Assurance inspection (Q.A. for short) that will happen any day now, I have also switched leased labor companies (not the employees, just the company, boss said to do it so I said OK). I have survived yet another head cold, survived my first 2 cub scout meetings, a pack meeting, and a roundtable meeting. I have taught 2 times in Primary (love that calling!) and even survived my own cooking!
I have also had visits from 2 friends: Eve, my friend who currently lives in Texas stopped by and did a bit of decorating in my apartment. I even left some of what she did alone (some of it got rearranged the day she flew out). Jason Libberton, a friend from my Elementary School days stopped by for a week with one of his daughters to visit the Chicago area. I was busy with work so didn't get to spend a ton of time with them, but it was nice to have someone to talk to at night and play the occasional game with.
This week the craziness continued with another visit from my boss (I seriously thought he was joking when he said he was coming back out). After the craziness of the previous visits he decided this time we should do something fun and so we all went to a Cubs game on Wednesday night. I even took some pictures! They aren't of the highest quality, but since my posts so rarely have pictures I will post them anyway. And that will wrap up my catch up.
In the past 4 weeks I have had my boss visit my hotel 3 different times. I have had a visit from the President of the company purchasing my hotel. I have had a visit from the current owner's of my hotel. I have had a visit from a Senior VP over focused service sales as well. During all of these visits I have been scrambling to prepare my hotel for a Quality Assurance inspection (Q.A. for short) that will happen any day now, I have also switched leased labor companies (not the employees, just the company, boss said to do it so I said OK). I have survived yet another head cold, survived my first 2 cub scout meetings, a pack meeting, and a roundtable meeting. I have taught 2 times in Primary (love that calling!) and even survived my own cooking!
I have also had visits from 2 friends: Eve, my friend who currently lives in Texas stopped by and did a bit of decorating in my apartment. I even left some of what she did alone (some of it got rearranged the day she flew out). Jason Libberton, a friend from my Elementary School days stopped by for a week with one of his daughters to visit the Chicago area. I was busy with work so didn't get to spend a ton of time with them, but it was nice to have someone to talk to at night and play the occasional game with.
This week the craziness continued with another visit from my boss (I seriously thought he was joking when he said he was coming back out). After the craziness of the previous visits he decided this time we should do something fun and so we all went to a Cubs game on Wednesday night. I even took some pictures! They aren't of the highest quality, but since my posts so rarely have pictures I will post them anyway. And that will wrap up my catch up.
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| Wrigley Stadium on our way to the game |
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| Great Seats, and better yet... they didn't cost me anything! |
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| Chicago Dog, had to have one while there. They are messy, but soooo tasty! I still prefer Fenway Franks though. |
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Callings
I have been in the Chicago area now for just over a month and a half now, not counting the 3 months of Task Force work I did here before the official move. I suppose it shouldn't have been a surprise when the Bishop called me to see if he could meet with me last Thursday. He had already visited me once to welcome me to the ward so I figured there could only be one reason he would be stopping by... to extend a calling.
I have had lots of callings throughout my near 40 years, but since moving out of Utah I have discovered most wards tend to hold off extending one to me. It took over 2 years in Pickwick before I was extended a calling, over a year in Branson too. I kind of expected this ward to be the same, after all they have lots more members than my previous two wards. I was wrong (not the first time). We couldn't meet on Thursday (Bishop's schedules can be difficult) so we met this morning instead. That gave me three whole days to contemplate all the potential callings that I could be asked to fill. For some reason I had the ominous feeling it had to do with Scouts. I don't have anything against Scouting... I earned my Eagle in my youth and remember the camping trips and events as being fun. But I must admit... I don't particularly want to go camping now that I am older and find beds to be so comfortable. Especially when you realize I can get a nice hotel room for really cheap just about anywhere in this country. So for three days I dreaded meeting with the Bishop. Silly, I know, worrying about what calling I was going to be asked to fill, but when you are single you do silly things because there isn't anyone around to remind you of how silly you are being.
So this morning I went in fully prepared to hear the bad news. The Bishop and I talked for about 30 minutes before he asked me to be a Primary Teacher. All that worry for naught right?... wrong. Five seconds after I accepted this calling he then said "and that's not all..." the primary class I will be teaching is the 11 year olds and he thought it would be a perfect fit for me to also be the Webelos leader. And so after some more talking, and a fair amount of prodding from the Bishop (and some poking from the Holy Ghost) I accepted this additional calling as well. I don't know why I have an aversion to Scouting now, after all my family has been so heavily involved with it you would think I would be excited to get back in. Perhaps it has to do with the time involved... I know how quickly Scouting can overwhelm your "free time". I guess, ultimately, I am just a little bit selfish. But in the end, as I always do, I said yes and as is usually the case with the callings I have had over the decades I will get over the bad thoughts/fears/whatever and do my best in that calling.
At least I get to help teach Primary again, my all time favorite calling without a doubt. One I didn't expect to get again seeing as how I am single and male and therefore a menace to society. My co-teacher also works in the hotel industry and, if I am told correctly, may even be part of the same management company (although with the full service division) so we will have something in common at the start.
I have had lots of callings throughout my near 40 years, but since moving out of Utah I have discovered most wards tend to hold off extending one to me. It took over 2 years in Pickwick before I was extended a calling, over a year in Branson too. I kind of expected this ward to be the same, after all they have lots more members than my previous two wards. I was wrong (not the first time). We couldn't meet on Thursday (Bishop's schedules can be difficult) so we met this morning instead. That gave me three whole days to contemplate all the potential callings that I could be asked to fill. For some reason I had the ominous feeling it had to do with Scouts. I don't have anything against Scouting... I earned my Eagle in my youth and remember the camping trips and events as being fun. But I must admit... I don't particularly want to go camping now that I am older and find beds to be so comfortable. Especially when you realize I can get a nice hotel room for really cheap just about anywhere in this country. So for three days I dreaded meeting with the Bishop. Silly, I know, worrying about what calling I was going to be asked to fill, but when you are single you do silly things because there isn't anyone around to remind you of how silly you are being.
So this morning I went in fully prepared to hear the bad news. The Bishop and I talked for about 30 minutes before he asked me to be a Primary Teacher. All that worry for naught right?... wrong. Five seconds after I accepted this calling he then said "and that's not all..." the primary class I will be teaching is the 11 year olds and he thought it would be a perfect fit for me to also be the Webelos leader. And so after some more talking, and a fair amount of prodding from the Bishop (and some poking from the Holy Ghost) I accepted this additional calling as well. I don't know why I have an aversion to Scouting now, after all my family has been so heavily involved with it you would think I would be excited to get back in. Perhaps it has to do with the time involved... I know how quickly Scouting can overwhelm your "free time". I guess, ultimately, I am just a little bit selfish. But in the end, as I always do, I said yes and as is usually the case with the callings I have had over the decades I will get over the bad thoughts/fears/whatever and do my best in that calling.
At least I get to help teach Primary again, my all time favorite calling without a doubt. One I didn't expect to get again seeing as how I am single and male and therefore a menace to society. My co-teacher also works in the hotel industry and, if I am told correctly, may even be part of the same management company (although with the full service division) so we will have something in common at the start.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Of Fireworks, Man, and God
Not sure if my title makes much sense... but perhaps by the end of my post it will.
2 days ago this nation celebrated the 4th of July, our Independence Day. I haven't celebrated this holiday in many years as I have been living too far away from friends and family and have opted to work since lighting off fireworks by yourself is sort of... well.. lonely. This year, having just moved to Chicago, my plans were to continue unpacking initially but then my Cousin who lives an hour away invited me to join his family as they celebrated with some of his work/church friends. Hard decision... I know... keep unpacking or go enjoy some good food and company followed by a fireworks show. I readily agreed and pushed off the final unpacking for later (I will get to it... one of these days... honest I will).
So, off I went and the celebration was a fun, relaxing, and family oriented event. We met with the Christiansen (sp?) family around 3:30, watched the kids run around while we mostly sat and talked. I being the new guy did a lot of listening and a very small amount of talking, not that I would have done much different if I wasn't the new guy. Partway through the afternoon Seth showed off all the fireworks he had obtained. It was quite the hall and I admit to feeling some excitement akin to what I felt as a child. There were plenty of smoke bombs, snakes, and snappers for the kids to play with. Some sparklers and firecrackers as well. But the excitement for me came from the big "mortars". These are the fireworks that shoot up in the air and explode in beautiful displays of color. There were several of them with the grand finale being a mortar that would shoot off 19 different blasts in short order. Yep, this was going to be a night to remember and yes, there is some foreshadowing intended.
As the sun began to inch its way toward the horizon the kids went out front to play with the more age appropriate fireworks and I kept relaxing, switching between listening to the conversations and watching the kids have fun. It was truly a relaxing evening with good food and company. I really enjoyed not having to think about work or unpacking and just being able to relax for a time. As the evening moved on it became dark enough for the sparklers and soon the kids were all running around enjoying their beauty. I always loved sparklers as a kid and enjoyed watching the little ones enjoying them. I don't know if I can get these videos to work or not... and they fall short of showing the true dance skills of Seth's son, but maybe you can get a feel for how much excited energy he felt having the sparklers in his hands. He was almost as entertaining to watch as the sparklers were!
Finally came the moments us big kids were waiting for. Seth and I started lighting off the big fireworks and I admit it was exciting to light the fuse and here a dull thump followed by an explosion of colored sparks in the sky. We lit off several of the smaller ones then let some of the teenaged kids light off some, I had moved back towards the families watching the fireworks to enjoy their beauty from a little farther distance and this is when things went wrong. The way a mortar works is fairly straightforward and simple. A group of tubes containing shells are all wrapped together and one by one the shells shoot off into the air where they explode. This is assuming the mortar is pointing straight up as it is intended to be. The problems began when one of the mortars knocked itself on its side after shooting off one or two of its shells and began shooting the shells all over the place, each shot changing its position. The first one went down the street away from everyone and we all thought it was odd, then the shells began firing at us. I mean directly at us, all of us sitting in front of the Garage were in its line of fire. The moment of fun became, in an instant, a moment of panic. Fireworks in the sky are pretty, fireworks right beside you are dangerous. The next several seconds passed by both in slowly and quickly at the same time, I don't know how else to describe it. In reality it only lasted maybe 10 seconds but felt like it was going on forever.
The events that filled up the 10 seconds included lots of scrambling for cover, some kids screaming in fear, and some very close moments. Seth's son was dancing away at the start and had one of the shells fly right between his legs and explode behind everyone. I remember thinking I needed to protect everyone then having a shell impact my leg, I looked down and saw the shell right by me and I had a distinct impression to jump, which I did not a moment too soon as it exploded sideways shooting its sparks underneath me. Seth was hit by a shell and had the hair on his leg burned away. And... that was it. Nobody suffered any serious injuries and after we all regained our composure we went back to shooting off the remaining mortars, albeit with a lot more respect for their true danger (we skipped one that was shaped like the one that fell over).
It could have been worse. It could have been much much worse. The shell that hit me was heading right for where everyone was running to get away from the danger. The shell that hit Seth was heading dangerously close to the remaining fireworks and could have started a chain reaction. There were so many people standing around in the line of fire, the fact nobody got seriously injured is, in my mind, a true miracle and as I look back on the event I am convinced we were protected that night. The shells that hit people did no harm, the shells that exploded by people did so in a way that did not spread fire to the house or onto anyone. A dozen kids running around avoided all injury, Mothers and Fathers and 2 Grandparents came away shaken but intact. By all logical reasoning there should have been at least one injury, statistically speaking it would have been the safe bet. Yet there was none. I am not one to find miracles in every single aspect of daily living... I tend to be a bit skeptical and view events as just being part of life, but there is no doubt in my mind this was an abnormal experience. Why was I instructed to jump? My normal reaction would be to move away, but instead I jumped and suffered no burns. Shells seemed to magically miss people, diving between legs and arms to explode at a safe distance behind. Everyone had a scare to be certain but when you realize what happened and how dangerous the situation truly was, the only possible explanation for me is that of a Loving Father in Heaven who was most definitely watching over us that night.
2 days ago this nation celebrated the 4th of July, our Independence Day. I haven't celebrated this holiday in many years as I have been living too far away from friends and family and have opted to work since lighting off fireworks by yourself is sort of... well.. lonely. This year, having just moved to Chicago, my plans were to continue unpacking initially but then my Cousin who lives an hour away invited me to join his family as they celebrated with some of his work/church friends. Hard decision... I know... keep unpacking or go enjoy some good food and company followed by a fireworks show. I readily agreed and pushed off the final unpacking for later (I will get to it... one of these days... honest I will).
So, off I went and the celebration was a fun, relaxing, and family oriented event. We met with the Christiansen (sp?) family around 3:30, watched the kids run around while we mostly sat and talked. I being the new guy did a lot of listening and a very small amount of talking, not that I would have done much different if I wasn't the new guy. Partway through the afternoon Seth showed off all the fireworks he had obtained. It was quite the hall and I admit to feeling some excitement akin to what I felt as a child. There were plenty of smoke bombs, snakes, and snappers for the kids to play with. Some sparklers and firecrackers as well. But the excitement for me came from the big "mortars". These are the fireworks that shoot up in the air and explode in beautiful displays of color. There were several of them with the grand finale being a mortar that would shoot off 19 different blasts in short order. Yep, this was going to be a night to remember and yes, there is some foreshadowing intended.
As the sun began to inch its way toward the horizon the kids went out front to play with the more age appropriate fireworks and I kept relaxing, switching between listening to the conversations and watching the kids have fun. It was truly a relaxing evening with good food and company. I really enjoyed not having to think about work or unpacking and just being able to relax for a time. As the evening moved on it became dark enough for the sparklers and soon the kids were all running around enjoying their beauty. I always loved sparklers as a kid and enjoyed watching the little ones enjoying them. I don't know if I can get these videos to work or not... and they fall short of showing the true dance skills of Seth's son, but maybe you can get a feel for how much excited energy he felt having the sparklers in his hands. He was almost as entertaining to watch as the sparklers were!
Finally came the moments us big kids were waiting for. Seth and I started lighting off the big fireworks and I admit it was exciting to light the fuse and here a dull thump followed by an explosion of colored sparks in the sky. We lit off several of the smaller ones then let some of the teenaged kids light off some, I had moved back towards the families watching the fireworks to enjoy their beauty from a little farther distance and this is when things went wrong. The way a mortar works is fairly straightforward and simple. A group of tubes containing shells are all wrapped together and one by one the shells shoot off into the air where they explode. This is assuming the mortar is pointing straight up as it is intended to be. The problems began when one of the mortars knocked itself on its side after shooting off one or two of its shells and began shooting the shells all over the place, each shot changing its position. The first one went down the street away from everyone and we all thought it was odd, then the shells began firing at us. I mean directly at us, all of us sitting in front of the Garage were in its line of fire. The moment of fun became, in an instant, a moment of panic. Fireworks in the sky are pretty, fireworks right beside you are dangerous. The next several seconds passed by both in slowly and quickly at the same time, I don't know how else to describe it. In reality it only lasted maybe 10 seconds but felt like it was going on forever.
The events that filled up the 10 seconds included lots of scrambling for cover, some kids screaming in fear, and some very close moments. Seth's son was dancing away at the start and had one of the shells fly right between his legs and explode behind everyone. I remember thinking I needed to protect everyone then having a shell impact my leg, I looked down and saw the shell right by me and I had a distinct impression to jump, which I did not a moment too soon as it exploded sideways shooting its sparks underneath me. Seth was hit by a shell and had the hair on his leg burned away. And... that was it. Nobody suffered any serious injuries and after we all regained our composure we went back to shooting off the remaining mortars, albeit with a lot more respect for their true danger (we skipped one that was shaped like the one that fell over).
It could have been worse. It could have been much much worse. The shell that hit me was heading right for where everyone was running to get away from the danger. The shell that hit Seth was heading dangerously close to the remaining fireworks and could have started a chain reaction. There were so many people standing around in the line of fire, the fact nobody got seriously injured is, in my mind, a true miracle and as I look back on the event I am convinced we were protected that night. The shells that hit people did no harm, the shells that exploded by people did so in a way that did not spread fire to the house or onto anyone. A dozen kids running around avoided all injury, Mothers and Fathers and 2 Grandparents came away shaken but intact. By all logical reasoning there should have been at least one injury, statistically speaking it would have been the safe bet. Yet there was none. I am not one to find miracles in every single aspect of daily living... I tend to be a bit skeptical and view events as just being part of life, but there is no doubt in my mind this was an abnormal experience. Why was I instructed to jump? My normal reaction would be to move away, but instead I jumped and suffered no burns. Shells seemed to magically miss people, diving between legs and arms to explode at a safe distance behind. Everyone had a scare to be certain but when you realize what happened and how dangerous the situation truly was, the only possible explanation for me is that of a Loving Father in Heaven who was most definitely watching over us that night.
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