March and Ash

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Last Friday I had a new experience. I went into a Canabis dispensary. It is not something I ever thought I would do and I especially didn’t think I would be doing it with one of my grandchildren. Life can be very unpredictable. But let me go back to the beginning.

Back in April when mom and I went to Texas for the wedding/eclipse/baptism/reunion trip I had my first experience with narcolepsy. Ally’s oldest son, Griffin, has narcolepsy and he had a fairly severe episode while we were there.

I guess there is virtually no treatment for narcolepsy and so far the only thing that seems to help is methamphetamine. That is not somehting that the FDA is willing to approve so they are left with little resource. In the absence of anything else, Brandon and Ally have been trying everything they can, and the one thing that seems to help is CBD from marijuana. He has been taking one CBD gummy every day at five oclock since April and he hasn’t had a single episode. Ally insisted on controlling what and when he takes them so one time when Brandon and Ally were out of town for a week, he went without his gummys and had a fairly scary episode.

He is a bit happy during the evening but all through the next day he is fully functional. It seems to be a good alternative to an otherwise nonfunctional life. It is odd that both methamphetamine and CBD help because one is a stimulant and the other is a depressant. CBD is a recognized treatment for seisures however so it isn’t surprising that it helps.

Last week Griffin flew out to San Diego for a Twitch Convention. He flew in Monday so he could spend a few days with us. For obvious reasons he left his gumies in Texas. They’re still illegal in Texas and I’m pretty sure he would have problems at the airport should the drug dogs come around. That means that he was without his gummies for several days before his first day at the convention on Friday.

Sure enough, around noon on Friday I got a call that Griffin had a narcoleptic event at the convention. I drove down there and picked him up and on the way home we decided to pick him up some CBD gummies. The dispensary was a surreal experience. Outside the door we were scanned for fire arms, we then stip inside an anti chamber where we had to show ID and then we were let inside the store where they had nearly one attendent for every customer. The store looked very classy and quite profitable.

--------------------trivia--------------------

Dinosaur footprints have been found in Brazil and footprints made by the exact same dinasur have been found in Africa. These footprints were made 120 million years ago before the continents separated.

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Dad, Tell Me About the Time (40)

Monday, September 16, 2024

What is the best gift you ever received?

Several years ago, Lisa and I received a Christmas gift from our kids. It was a photo album with several random pictures taken when the kids were young, and the pictures were reenacted by them as adults. We both absolutely love it. It sits on our coffee table in the front room, and it is the first thing we show visitors who come to visit us. Some day I will scan the pictures properly but just so you can get an idea of the book, here are pictures I took of the pages.

Amir

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Last night I went with the missionaries to teach a young man named Amir. Amir was a great example of everything I love the most about the gospel. 

He is very affected by all the evil in the world. He can’t understand why we have wars. Why would one nation attack another nation and what do they hope to gain by doing so? Why is there so much hunger and poverty in the world? He is grateful that he lives in what is possibly the safest and most affluent country in the world, but he is convinced that all the politicians are corrupt and stealing money from the masses to build up their own power and influence. He loves technology but he is convinced that great technology is being hidden from us. It was difficult to teach him anything because he would continually interrupt us to share one more fear he has. It was endless. The poor guy was tormented.

We agreed with him that there is great confusion and evil in the world and we agreed that without some outside help it would be impossible to know what to believe or to find any peace. We testified to him that there is only one source of truth and peace. He needed to pray to Heavenly Father to learn what he should believe and what not to believe.

He told us that there is a man who preaches that to pray is to give someone else control over your life. He said he believes him. We asked him why he would believe that man but not believe anyone else? We assured him that anyone who tells you that praying is evil, is wrong and we taught him how to pray and why it is important to pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

We challenged him to avoid the internet for a week to keep the confusing voices out of his life and to find a peaceful quiet place where he could go to pray vocally, privately and uninterrupted. We challenged him to give thanks for everything he loves about his life and to ask God for peace, ask if the book of Mormon is the word of God and if the missionaries are sent to him by God. He said he would do that for a month.

We promised him that if he would study and pray with an open mind and a sincere desire to know what is true, then God would answer his prayer, and the Holy Spirit would witness to him the truth of what he was asking. We promised him that he would feel the influence of the Holy Spirit in his heart, and he would have peace.

As we were teaching Amir, I couldn’t imagine living a life of fear and confusion like he is doing. I worry about everything Amir worries about but because of the gospel I can live a life of peace with confidence in the future. I am grateful for the peace that the gospel gives me. For the companionship of the Holy Ghost that helps us discern truth from error.

I testified to him that the gospel is a source of great joy to me and that he could have that same peace and joy in his life. It was obvious that he wants that so dearly, I only hope that he is able to block out the negative voices in his life long enough to find that peace.

--------------------trivia--------------------

In prehistoric times 3 out of 4 people died from hunger

Today about 1 in 20 people die from hunger

In mideaval times 1 out of 4 people died at the hands of another human being

Today about 1 in 300 people die at the hands of another human being

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Dad, Tell Me About the Time (39)

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

What have you grown to appreciate most about your spouse?

Her devotion to her children.

What is the best way your spouse shows you they love you?

Doing things for you.

Where is your favorite place to spend time together?

It seems like there should be a better answer to this, but at this point in our lives, I think being home alone with each other is what we like the best.

There is one thing that we love to do together and that is to take short outings together. Whether it is a trip to the beach, to Sea World, the Midway Museum, or a short trip up the coast. We love doing things together.

I guess to answer the question of “where is our favorite place to spend time together” the answer would be… Our favorite place is with our kids. We love doing things with our kids and grandkids. We loved the Disney Cruise, visiting the Martin Handcart memorial, visiting the Fort Worth Stockyards, Magnolia, running Ragnars, the Snow Canyon Half, the Wyoming half, the Spartan, hikes into Snow Canyon and around Phoenix, floating the Salt River, touring Germany and the WWII battle sights. We love doing anything with our kids and grandkids.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (38)

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

What is the key to being happy in a marriage?

If you are more concerned about the welfare of your spouse than you are about your own welfare then you will always be happy. Every marriage will have its ups and downs and if both partners in the marriage are worried about themselves then they will often feel like they are getting the short end of the deal. If both partners are more worried about their spouse then even if their spouse is having a bad day they are being cared for. It might get rough if both partners are having a bad day but hopefully that doesn’t happen too often.

What do you wish you had known before you got married?

I’m not sure what I wish I had known, but the one thing I have struggled with my whole life is listening. I am much better at it than I was forty years ago but I have a tendency to worry more about what I’m going to say next than I am about what the other person is saying to me. What I need to do is listen intently to what the other person is saying and after they have said their piece then think about what they said before I respond.

By doing this you not only hear what the other person is saying, but they can tell that you are listening. I have often thought it would be cool to be able to read other peoples minds but truly listening to them is almost as good. This is the best way to know what they are thinking. A good listener can eventually learn to read between the lines and know what the other guy is truly feeling.

Being a good listner is always good but it is truly amazing with your own family members.

When you first met your spouse, what did you think?

In the following order I thought:

1) This girl is cute
2) This girl is friendly
3) This girl makes my heart speed up
4) Too bad this girl isn’t older
5) Who cares how old she is

Who initiated your first kiss? How and where did it happen?

Didn’t I already talk about this? Fine, I will talk about it again.

It was in Lethbridge after one of our very first dates. We had parked in front of Lisa’s grandma Ahmeads house and we were talking. I leaned in for a kiss and she did respond and it was a nice kiss but then she hit me.

After she hit me she was kind of embarassed and then she kissed me. I think it was very confusing for both of us.

What feature of your spouse were you attracted to initially?

The thing that I love most about mom, even today, is the thing that attracted me to her the moment I met her. It is also a “skill” that I am not very good at. While it is still one of the things I love most about mom, it is at the same time one of the things that can be most frustrating.

Mom can be anywhere and with anyone and she instantly strikes up a conversation and in a short time, she can know everything about them and about their family. I think that is amazing. It happens in lines, at parties and at work functions. I will stand in that line for hours and not say a word. Mom will be their new best friend.

While I think it is amazing, it can be frustrating. We can be at some meeting and at the end of the meeting mom gets talking to some complete stranger and an hour after the meeting is over, she is still talking. Meanwhile I’m about ready to fall asleep on my feet.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (37)

Thursday, August 30, 2024

How long was it from the time you met until you were married?

The first time I spoke to Lisa was in late August 1979 and we were married July 11, 1981. That makes it one month shy of two years.

How long were you engaged?

I proposed Dec 24, 1980 and we were married July 11, 1981. So, six months and seventeen days.

How did you propose to your spouse or how did your spouse propose to you?

My proposal was nothing too romantic. It was December so everything was frozen and we didn’t want to go for a walk in sub zero weather so I pulled into a parking spot that had a beautiful view of Henderson lake and asked her if she would marry me. She said yes. It isn’t like this was a surprise or anything. We had talked about marriage for some time. She even did help me pick out the ring. This is a picture of Henderson Lake. 

I guess when Mom and I were there it probably looked more like this.

Describe your wedding day.

My wedding day is a bit of blur. The wedding was in the morning and Lisa was staying at our house and we had a ton of friends who came down from Edmonton with us. There wasn’t much for the groom to do but Lisa was surrounded by a swarm of women making her even prettier than she normally is.

After the wedding we held a lunch at our house. The lunch was mostly for the older relatives who were reluctant to travel to Coalhurst where the reception would be that evening. The weather was perfect and we were all enjoying outselves and visiting each other. I remember that Uncle Lloyed came up to Lisa and told her that they were the only smart ones there because they were the only ones wearing hats. Uncle Lloyd always wore a big cowboy hat where ever he went.

We held our reception in the Coalhurst School because Lisa’s family needed their coffee and that wouldn’t have been allowed in a church building but we chose not to serve alcohol. That was mostly because we had been to many weddings on Lisa’s side and they all end up drunk and very crude. We decided to keep them sober. The school didn’t allow alcohol anyway so it worked out well. Plus, alcohol is very expensive. It was a good idea but in the end Lisa’s uncle Murry ended up serving alcohol out of their trucks in the school parking lot. It didn’t become a problem.

We served a full on roast beef dinner and it was a perfect evening. We also had a program with various family members singing songs or telling embarassing stories. At several times during the program, Gregs oldest son Michael, was dressed up as a robot and would walk across the stage holding various parts from my car such as my air filter cover, my distributor cap, a hub cap. You get the idea. I was getting nervous because I was the last one in my family to get married and at every single wedding except Gregs and Dixies we had hotwired their car. We didn’t hot wire Dixies car because Mark is the one who taught us how to hot wire a car and Greg got married before I met Mark.

After the reception I was certain that they had hot wired our car but I couldn’t find a wire anywhere. I finally just decided to take my chances and we started the car without getting electrocuted. I was quite surprised however when I pulled out of the parking lot and as I tapped my brake the horn went off. They had wired the horn to the brake lights.

A couple of weeks later we had a second reception in Edmonton for Lisa’s family and friends who couldn’t make it to Southern Alberta. It was held at the 5th ward chapel and was very similar to the reception in Coalhurst.

I think we had about 300 people at each reception. We were very loved.

For The Strength of Youth

Monday, September 2, 2024

In the Bishopric, the member of the bishopric who is conducting will be the first to bear his testimony on that fast Sunday. For me, it is probably the scariest part of being in the bishopric. Yesterday was Fast Sunday and I could not come up with anything to talk about in my testimony. The meeting had already started and all during the sacrament I was saying a prayer asking for some guidance of what I could talk about. Suddenly I knew exactly what I should say.

A couple of weeks ago was Stake Conference and the visiting area authority was Elder Marin. His first comment in the leadership session was, “Are you enjoying your callings”? I remember when he said that my first thought was, “yes”. I am enjoying my calling. And a big part of that is because I work with the youth.

I shared that in my testimony and then went on to talk about how great the youth in our ward are. I shared some specific examples and then mentioned how I was able to go with the youth on a baptism trip on Saturday morning. We had to get up before 5:00 am and we had at least twenty five kids there and maybe more. The spirit was strong during the baptisms and the kids were amazing. It is great to see the youth actually performing the baptisms and being witnesses. It was a great trip. I then bore my testimony about the reality of God and Jesus Christ and the atonement.

Unknown to me, was that the youth had all agreed together that they would all share their testimonys in yesterdays meeting. Immediatley after I sat down, about seven young men got up and bore their testimonies, when they were done several more of the youth got up and that is how it went until we were ten minutes overtime. When I tell this story it comes across as a prank but these testimonies were sincere and the spirit was strong. I think only three adults were able to get to the pulpit. It was an amazing meeting.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (36)

Thursday, August 29, 2024

When did you know you wanted to get married?

This is a weird one because there wasn’t a moment that I knew I wanted to marry Lisa but rather, as we dated, we just started talking more and more about the family we would have. There was a point however when I decided that I should ask my Heavenly Father if Lisa was the right person for me to marry. I found a quiet and secluded spot, knelt in prayer, and asked my Father in Heaven if I was supposed to marry Lisa. The answer was a very powerful and warm feeling that overcame my entire body. I knew she was the one for me.

The funny thing is, that we both knew that the time was not right to get married right away and that we needed to wait at least another year. Lisa was still quite young and in high school and my family was having a hard time coming up to speed with me “robbing the cradle”, so we waited another year. My patriarchal blessing actually points out that we would have to wait to get married. The exact words are, “when the time is right, you and this young lady, you will know when the right one has come into your life, through your humble prayers and the promptings of the Holy Ghost…when the time comes for you, you will be married in the temple for time and for all eternity…”.

To try and help things, we decided that during that summer Lisa would go to Cardston and work in our families Steadmans store and I would stay in Edmonton and work at the City of Edmonton Police Department. I was their quarter master in the supply room.

Of course my family fell in love with Lisa and although they had their reservations, no one gave us any more grief. Well, Gaylia didn’t give us grief but she made sure that everyone else knew that she was dead set against us getting married and that our marriage wouldn’t last. Years later we found out that she actually told her young womens class that we wouldn’t make it. Well, forty three years later here we are. It was during this time period that I wrote my dandelion poem.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (35)

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Where did you go on your first date?

It is impossible to know when our first date was because Lisa and I started out as friends. We did a lot of stuff together which was easy because we were actually living together. I was living with Greg and Gaylia while going to school, paying them room and board and because Lisa was having a rough time at home with her mother, Greg and Gaylia invited her to stay with them for a while.

I remember we would go on shopping trips and I would invite her to the young adult activities and we spent a lot of time together. Two things happened that made it clear to me that our friendship was growing into something more than just a friendship.

The first thing happened at church. At that time, church was done in two separate one blocks. We would meet once in the morning and have an hour of Sunday School followed by an hour of Priesthood Meeting and Relief Society and then we’d come back in the afternoon for Sacrament Meeting. The Sacrament was passed in both Sunday School and again later in Sacrament Meeting. While the adults were having Sunday School, the younger kids, under twelve, were having Primary. They had an hour of sharing time together and then split to classes for another hour. The Primary would have their own little Sacrament in their sharing time.

The young adults were often asked to bless the sacrament in Primary so that the Priests could attend Sunday School. Lisa taught a primary class and one Sunday Dave Butler and I were blessing the Sacrament. He was checking out Lisa and commented to me how cute she was and maybe he should ask here out. Lisa was only sixteen and while I liked her a lot, I’d never thought of her as more than a friend. When Dave expressed an interest in her I was instantly jealous and I wondered why I couldn’t take her on a date.

The second thing happened at home. My bedroom was upstairs in Gregs house and Lisa’s bedroom was in the basement. I remember one time I was down in her bedroom and we were both just talking. The next thing I knew, Gaylia came storming into the room yelling and screaming and I realized that it was 3:00am. It was not long after that, that Lisa moved back home and I moved into an apartment with some friends. It was no longer appropriate for us to live in the same house.

In reality, Lisa and I had already been on several dates by the time we became an item, but I guess our first “official” date would have been during that first Christmas when she was at her Grandma Ashmeads in Lethbridge and I was in Cardston at home. I think that might have been our first trip skiing in Fernie. I don’t remember the exact date but it would have been Christmas 1979. It was that night that I first kissed her and she promptly responded by hitting me.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time (34)

Thursday, August 22, 2024

What is one word that describes your first kiss?

Scary

How did you and your spouse meet?

I returned from my mission late in August of 1979. I had been at home for one week in Cardston and then I was off to school in Edmonton. I had every intention of going back to BYU but my mom had applied for me to go to the U of A and I was already accepted but I had done nothing about BYU. My choice was to go to Edmonton or skip a semester and stay home. I chose the U of A for two reasons. I was anxious to move on with my life and my Patriarchal Blessing encouraged me to consider my parents advice when it came to my education. My mom wanted to me closer to home so I headed north.

Greg and his family lived in Edmonton and could use some extra money so I paid them room and board and moved into their house which I believe was on Carnarvan Court in North East Edmonton. They were in the Edmonton 5th ward and met in the Londonderry Middle School. I believe it was my first week at church that I was leaving church (the school) and ran across a young sixteen year old girl named Lisa Shaw. I don’t remember what we talked about but I thought she was beautiful and she was very outgoing and friendly. We introduced ourelves, talked for a few minutes and then I left. As far as I remember, that was the first time I saw the girl who would become my wife.

Ouch

Monday, August 19, 2024

A couple of months ago I pulled a tendon in my left knee. I decided to not run to give it a chance to heal but at one point it was feeling good enough that I thought I’d take a chance. Big mistake. I got about a mile out and it was killing me, so I limped back home with the sad realization that I just don’t heal as fast as I used to.

Last Friday I decided that while my knee is healing, I could ride my bike so I got up early and took my bike out for a spin. It was amazing and I’m wondering why I hadn’t done this sooner. I was heading down cardiac hill dreading the climb up the other side when I entered some loose gravel. On instinct I hit the brakes but in the spur of the moment I couldn’t remember which brake was the back brake. I grabbed the wrong brake. The instant I hit the brake my front tire locked up and slid to the left laying me in the gravel on the right.

My first thought was that I was glad no one was around to witness this and my second thought was that it hurt. There was blood all over my right leg but I didn’t want to deal with it there, so I dusted myself off and tried to ride up the hill on the other side. It was just too steep, so I walked.

I rode six wonderful miles and when I got home mom was getting ready to head out on a walk with Linda Bessey. She took a picture of my poor leg and headed out while I showered.

Once I had removed most of the dirt and grime I took a closer look at my knee. Most of it was just scrapes but there was a cut on my knee that was much deeper than I had realized. Because it was on my knee, I knew that it would open up every time I bent my knee so when Lisa got home, I asked if she could put a Steri-Strip on it. She dragged me off to emergency instead.

Nine stiches later we headed home and had a nice lunch on the way. They tell me I need to go back in ten days to get the stitches removed but if the knee is looking good, I think I will just remove them myself.

--------------------trivia--------------------

A 3,100 year old egyption mummy was found to have had sutures but it is believed that people were stitching up their wounds 30,000 years ago. 

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Dad, Tell Me About the Time (33)

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

How Old Were You When You Had Your First Real Girlfriend?

My first “real” girlfriend would probably have been Maurine Webster. She had been a friend since I moved to Cardston at seven years old but I had never thought of her as much more than a friend. After I returned from my first year at BYU in May and before leaving on my mission in August I started dating Maurine. She was going to wait for me and wrote to me regularly on my mission. She wrote every week for the first year and then the letters suddenly stopped. I got two or three letters during my second year.

When I returned from my mission, she had left a box on my back doorstep with every single thing that I had ever given her. I interpreted that to mean that things between us were over. I later found out that she might have meant that there are no commitments so why don’t we see where this goes. I’ve never been good with subtleties. By then Mom and I were a thing, and I never looked back.

Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

My first response was going to be no, but then I did remember a time when I guess I did break someone’s heart. In my first year after my mission, I attended Edmonton 5^th ward. That ward had a large group of young adults, probably fifteen or twenty of us. I believe I was the only student because we did not live close to the University, the rest of the young adults all worked. We all became very close friends.

There were two sisters in the ward from back east (I believe Ontario), one was named Daisy and the other was maybe Julie or something like that. I don’t remember. Daisy and her sister were moving back home and one day she pulled me to the side. She asked me how serious Lisa and I were and if either she or her sister had any chance with me if they were to stay. I had no idea, and I felt really bad telling her that I thought Lisa was the girl I wanted to marry. I think I broke her heart.

Share something embarrassing that happened to you on a date.

That would probably be most of my dates. It was embarrassing when mom hit me after our first kiss.

I guess the most embarrassing thing I can remember was after a date with Maurine. I had pretty bad acne as a teenager, and I guess I had picked a zit while on the date. As I hugged her goodnight and said goodnight I noticed a spot of blood on the collar of her pretty white shirt. Oops. I said nothing.

Anything special or unique you remember about your love life or relationships that you want to share?

Nothing unique about my love life. Until I met mom there was not much of a love life.

 

FALLING IN LOVE

Spouses Full Name                                      Lisa Gay Shaw

Spouses Birthdate & Birthplace                  July 5, 1963
                                                                     Edmonton, Alberta

Marriage Date                                              July 11, 1981 

Marriage Place                                             Cardston, Alberta

Dad, Tell Me About the Time…(32)

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Who was your first crush?

The first girl who ever caught my attention was Christine Hunter. I would have been about twelve years old, and I was sitting in my Sunday School class and this cute girl sat near me. I thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world. Even as awkward as I was, we became friends and eventually, a little bit more.

How old were you when you had your first crush?

I would have been about twelve.

What attracted her to you?

She was pretty, she was nice, and she was happy.

How old were you when you had your first kiss?

It was probably that same year or maybe the next year when I was thirteen that I first kissed Christine. I had kissed girls on the cheek just in fun but Christine was my first real kiss on the lips.

Who did you share your kiss with and where did it happen?

It was with Chrstine, and it was behind the big pine trees on the north east corner of the temple.

Did your family have dating rules?

I don’t remember being told any rules about dating, but it was always understood that I wouldn’t date until I was sixteen and it was always a rule that I couldn’t drive into Lethbridge without prior permission. It was never an issue though since I only went on about three dates before I went to college.

How old were you when you went on your first date? Who was it with, and what did you do?

My first date was the week I turned sixteen and it was with Debbie Jones. I don’t remember exactly, but I think we went to a movie.

Share one of your most memorable dates. Where did you go and with whom?

So, my life is kind of divided in half by my mission. Thinking back, it was like I was two different people.

My most memorable date before my mission was with Maurine Webster, it was the summer after my freshman year at BYU before I went on my mission. We went to her high school graduation dance but my most memorable date was one time when we drove to Lethbridge and went for dinner and a movie. As we were driving, I hit a cat on the highway. I remember looking in my rear-view mirror and seeing this cat flying a good fifteen feet into the air. She was crying and begged me to stop and help the cat. I just said, “it’s dead” and I drove on. I was so romantic.

After my mission I remember two wonderful dates with Lisa. I loved when I was able to take her to Waterton and show her all of my favorite haunts and another time, we went skiing in Fernie.

Dad, Tell Me About the Time…(31)

Friday, May 31, 2024

Share some stories of adventures you have had with your friends.

This would take a book. Wait, I wrote a book about adventures I had as a kid and most of those adventures included Rick, Tom, and Lester. I think I called it, “Stories from the life of Fred”.

WOULD YOU RATHER…

Always be late OR always be early?

I hate being late, I would rather always be early.

Movies OR Music?

While I love certain kinds of music, I rarely listen to it. I would rather read (or listen to) a good book. I also love a good movie.

Candy OR Cake?

I like cake (who doesn’t) but I actually prefer pie. I would take candy like a chocolate bar over cake but I would take cake over hard candy like Jolly Ranchers. My all time favorite go-to snack is peanuts and mixed nuts.

Unlimited tacos for life OR unlimited sushi?  Taco’s

Save money OR spend money?

That is a weird question, the only reason anyone saves money is so that he can spend it later. If having money later was not an issue then who wouldn’t prefer to spend money?

Set the table for dinner OR clean up after dinner?

Set the table.

Sleep in OR wake up early?

I’m not sure what early is, but on a normal morning I can’t sleep past eight and it is painful to wake up before six.

Have more time OR have more money?

What good is money if you don’t have time to do something with it? I want time to be with those I love and do things that I enjoy. Unfortunately, you need money to do some of my favorite things and we do need to eat and have a place to sleep.

Fiction OR Nonfiction?

Typically, I like fiction the best because if I take time to read, it is usually as an escape or diversion. My absolute favorite books however are nonfiction. I really love historical fiction.

Have World Peace OR Stop World Hunger?

World Peace.

I can’t imagine how we could have world peace unless the majority of the people get to the point that they love their neighbor. Once that happens, then I believe that every other problem will take care of itself. Besides, most hunger is related to internal conflicts and war.

Be an adult your whole life OR be a kid your whole life?

Adult; I like to understand the big picture and kids don’t have that. What would be fun is to be a kid with an adult mind.

Large crowd OR small group?

Small group

Brand new house OR brand new car?

House – duh

Hot Weather OR Cold Weather?

I always used to say cold weather because you can always put more clothes on, but you can only take so many clothes off. I’ve changed my mind. I hate putting clothes on so I will go with hot weather. Unless I have to work outside. I can lounge around in the heat, but I can’t do physical labor in the heat.

Be a dancer OR a singer?

Singer

Ocean OR Mountains?

Mountains – that’s a tough one

Cheeseburger OR fine dining?

That depends on my mood.

Watch a scary movie OR watch a comedy?

Comedy

Chocolate OR vanilla?

Vanilla

Read a book OR watch TV?

Usually, I would rather read a book, but I do like to watch TV as well.

Barefoot OR Shoes?

Barefoot

Talk OR text?

Talk

Be invisible OR read minds?

I always thought I would love to be invisible, but wouldn’t it be fascinating to be able to read minds? It could end up back firing though.

Rewind time OR pause time?

Rewind time

Shower OR bath?

Shower

Winter OR summer?

Summer (would anyone say winter?)

Rain OR sunshine?

Sunshine

Always lose OR never play?

I do always lose but I still love playing.

Salty OR sweet?

That’s a tough one, maybe salty.

Drive fast OR drive slow?

Fast

Spicy food OR not spicey food?

Spicey

Optimist OR pessimist?

Optimist

Live in the city OR live in the country?

Country but I love t

echnology and that can only be found in the city, so I live in the city.

Clean OR messy?

Clean, but not obsessively so.

Spontaneity OR planned?

Loosely planned. I don’t like a rigorous schedule, but I do like some idea of what is going to happen.

Cats OR dogs?

Cat

Time with others OR time alone?

Time alone, but there are a few people that I would like to hang out with forever.

Walking OR riding a bike?

This is my big dilemma right now. I just bought a bike, and I am very conflicted if I should go for a bike ride or go for a run.

Alex & James

Thursday, August 15, 2024

I flew back from Arizona on Monday morning (August 5) and Alex and James arrived that evening. Princess Lisa was flying to London to celebrate her dad’s birthday, and she took Adelaide, so he figured that he and James should also have some fun. Since he still has a bunch of paternity time he needs to use or lose it, they came to San Diego for ten days. It has been a great time. A great time but also a bit exhausting. I'm getting tired thinking about it.

I don’t even know if I can remember everything we did but let me give it a shot.

Tue Aug 6 - Legoland

Wed Aug 7 – recovery day, mom and Ben both arrived, I worked.

Thu Aug 8 - Everyone went to the beach while I tried to work.

Fri Aug 9 - My sod arrived in the morning, so I laid sod while everyone else went to the beach.

And the cousins got to know each other better.

Sat Aug 10 - Ben and his family went to Legoland while the rest of us hiked Annies’s slot canyon.

Sun Aug 11 - Ben and Sharley headed home but before he went Ben cooked me his famous guacamole toast for my birthday breakfast. It lived up to its reputation.

Mon Aug 12 - I woke up to an Apple Fritter for breakfast on my birthday. Alex got up early to buy it and he had a variety of donuts waiting for me (I shared).

I took the day off work and played, toured the Star of India and the other ships there, joined the Andrews on a beach party and ended the day at the Organ pavilion concert.

James LOVED the priate ship

Tue Aug 13 - Mom was feeling left out because of our boy’s trip to Legoland so she snagged some free tickets and her, James and Alex went back to Legoland.

Wed Aug 14 - I worked during the day while Mom, Alex and James went to the Zoo and then Wednesday night Alex went to visit Frank while Mom and I took James’s back to the zoo to see the nighttime wildlife.

Thu Aug 15 – Had a relaxed morning and then Alex headed home and I headed into work.

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The latest estimates suggest that by 2050 the number of global deaths and births will be the same and the worlds population will start to decline. The global population will peak at a little under 9 billion people.

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