And where to from here…

So Courtney and I talked a lot last night about where we go now. We had hoped that grandfathering the house as a duplex would help push things along for us, but now that that is an impossibility, we’re not quite sure what to do.

Well, we weren’t quite sure what to do, but I think I know.

See, the Lord often seems to work in a “step into the darkness” kind of pattern where the first steps are ours alone to take as a measure of faith. Much like allowing for the few moments it takes for our eyes to adjust to the darkness, we seem to need to step into that darkness before we can actually see.

So here’s our plan:

• Sod the front yard–We’ve been slowly finishing our front yard for three years now. We’re all done except for grass on one side. Everything is done. We had planned on doing seed over the course of the entire summer, but now, I think that we’ll sod it. It’ll be done in a day, and we’ll finally have that portion of the house ready to go.
• Paint–Our house is in sore need of a good painting. We’re going to go with a creamy yellow for the main color and light green and cream for the two trim colors. We were thinking about hiring someone to do this, but I think I’m going to have to do it myself to really get the value out of it. That’s fine.

It’s a step into the dark for us. Honestly, it’s the last thing we can think of to do as well. We just don’t know how else to move this all forward at this point, so we’ll keep doing those little things that will, hopefully, make it possible for the Lord to work miracles.

The thought came to me, and I think it was a question once asked by one of the Quorum of the Twelve, but just how far into the water did Moses have to step before the waves were parted? If we’re not even willing to get the soles of our feet wet, how can we ever expect the truly incredible miracles to take place?

Much as spiritual safety is a matter of placing yourself in the appropriate situations and places so too are the invitations to participate in miracles. If you would experience the Lord’s power, you must put yourself in a place where that power is active.

Another helping, please

Courtney and I have been debating the third child thing for a little while. I’ve always wanted a large family (5 or 6 kids), but I recognize that not only would Courtney struggle with that physically, she’d struggle with that emotionally and mentally. Not to say she’s not a strong woman but rather that some mothers handle children well and lots of them. Others do not, and there is incredible wisdom in recognizing your own limits and abilities.

But a third… Yes, I think we could do a third and maybe even a fourth. It all depends on how life turns out, I guess.

And speaking of life, we made the mistake of mentioning to the Lord that our current home cannot handle a third child and that a larger house would be required to make that little adventure work. And then the heavens parted, the thunder cracked, and the voice from on high said, “SO LET IT BE WRITTEN, SO LET IT BE DONE!!!!” And we just kind of sat and… well, a little too late to take that back now.

But even that is exciting. We’ve spent the last two, three weeks trying to figure out how to make it all work, and having arrived at the end of an intense and prayerful search, we cannot see how it’ll happen. First, we’d have to find a way to sell our home, and frankly there is no way to sell it for what we’d need to get out of it. There just isn’t. So we looked at trying to grandfather the home as legal duplex, but a search of the Polk and Cole directories going back 40+ years shows that our home only recently added the accessory apartment. No can do in other words. It’s fine to rent while the house is owner occupied, but the real value in the property would be as a duplex, which is no longer an option.

So now what? Courtney feels fairly strongly that the change/move/house/whatever will happen in the next three to four months. I try not to be disbelieving, but I just don’t know how that can happen. I like to think that I believe that that isn’t a lack of faith but rather a questioning of how such a thing can happen. Ah, but the Lord sees into my heart….

I keep mentioning that Ed McMahon could drop by…. Or the lottery? True, I’d have to buy a lottery ticket.

I’m not complaining of course. (No, really, I’m not.) I’m merely stating that seeing this through–both a third child and a new home–will require another helping of faith, one that I don’t necessarily have. Honestly, if the house were to sell, it’d “solve” the issue immediately, but I don’t know how to get it sold in this environment. And there is also the matter that every real estate agent I talk to shakes their head and says “no way” when I tell them what needs to happen. They say it’s impossible.

But He wouldn’t be God if it were merely possible, no would He?

So another helping, please. And while You’re at, please pass the over-sized Ed McMahon check…. (just kidding.)

Movie Review: Julie & Julia

I saw this on a preview a few weeks back and have kept my eyes open for it since then. I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed.

The Good

Uh… Two words: Meryl Streep. If I could say anyone thing about this movie, it is that Meryl Streep put in an Oscar-worthy performance. She plays Julia Child in the movie, and by the end of the film, I’m a Julia Child fan through and through based only on Meryl Streep’s performance. Classic.

The other lead was also incredibly believable and enjoyable. I felt a very strong connection with her because, as a writer, I often feel the same way she does about life in general. Oddly enough, we’re even pretty much the same age and same stage in life.

The story itself was entertaining, hilarious, and entirely enjoyable. The relationship between Julia and her husband was probably one of the most believable relationships I’ve ever seen on film, and I found myself smiling each time they appeared on screen together.

Sigh… truly, an easy front runner for my favorite film of the year so far, and it’ll take a lot to knock it off the podium.

The Bad

Language. Not a lot, but the language there was was just too much and too vile. If anything takes away the full four stars from this film, it’ll be this.

Other than that, I think I can say that it was admirable in most other ways.

Conclusion

Sadly, it’s not going to get that top rating because of the language, but if you are a true fan of acting and dialog over action, this is an easy MUST SEE film for the year. It’s one of the few films I could see myself actually buying and watching on a fairly regular basis.

The kids will be bored because there is no action, but its light-hearted comedy mixed in with infectious happiness and witty dialog makes it a joy for a cozy evening with a loved one.

3.5 out of 4 stars with the drop coming only because of language.

Recipe: Tilapia and roasted veggies

I know so many people who don’t really appreciate fish. Believe me, I’m with you. I personally don’t much care for fishy fish, particularly salmon and I COME FROM ALASKA!!!

I’m much more into the white, mild fish like halibut and tilapia as well as shrimp. If you’ve never done tilapia and are a fish hater, do give it a try. It’s generally extremely mild, flaky, and very tender.

The other night, I prepared a new recipe that was originally written for salmon, but with some quick modifications, it turned into probably my second-favorite dish with tilapia. My first would be my pesto tilapia and rice. Yum yum.

Tilapia with Roasted Veggies

Ingredients

• 1 bag/can of green beans
• 1 bag/can of corn
• 1 tilapia fillet per person
• 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
• 1/4  cup mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• onion powder
• garlic powder

Grease a large baking dish with some olive oil. Dump the green beans into the pan and spread them out. Cover them with a light drizzle of olive oil, and sprinkle some salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder on top. Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked through (canned tends to be done faster).

After they are done cooking, pull the beans out and add the corn. Mix it all well and push the veggies to one side of the pan. On the other side of the pan, lay out the tilapia fillets. Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder over the tilapia and then add a light covering of the mozzarella. On top of the mozzarella sprinkle the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle any remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the veggies and fire the whole thing back into the oven for 12 to 15 minutes at 450. Serve.

I think my favorite part of this dish is that the corn starts to seep some of its sugars, and those caramelize nicely in the pan adding a sweet tang to the veggies that contrasts really well with the garlic and onion flavors. The fish, on the other hand, is nice and moist and extremely flaky. Added bonus: Only one pan to clean.

Like I said, if you’re not a fish person, you might give this a try.

All about Myron

I shaved him bald again last night WITH Courtney’s permission. Or maybe it wasn’t permission, but when I announced my intentions, she didn’t complain. That’s sort of like permission, right?

I just think little boys look better with shaved heads, and there is something about Myron that makes him look especially adorable with the shaved head. I don’t mean to brag, but Myron is one of the cutest babies/toddlers I’ve seen. I just might be slightly biased though.

On other news, we found out that Myron has a slightly lazy eye. I actually noticed about 7 or 8 months ago that his eyes didn’t track together, but I assumed that Courtney would bring it up. Since she didn’t, I didn’t. Turns out, though, that she just hadn’t noticed.

We found out from doing family portraits a few weeks back. Last night, our friend who did the portraits brought over a bunch of proofs to go through and happened to mention Myron’s eye. I think he picked it out because he has a lazy eye himself. Once he pointed it out, Courtney readily saw it.

I’m not sure what you do to treat a lazy eye or if it is something to even worry about. It’s not pronounced enough to cause him social problems, but we think it does answer some of the questions we’ve had about him. He’s just now started to pick things up using the pincer grasp, and we think that may be related to impaired depth perception.

But like I said, we’re not really worried or concerned. He’s still the cutest 1-year-old on the block.

The Libertarian Party

First, any true understanding of any party should be found from the source. If you really want to know more about the Libertarians, go here.

I’ve been more and more attracted to the Libertarian party for some time. I think much of that has come from two key principles espoused by that party:

1. Live and let live
2. Smaller, local government

There is, of course, much more to this party, but those two principles are things I believe in.

Live and let live is a generally sound principle, but I wonder sometimes if the Libertarians go too far. I know that the party itself has come out against any kind of legislation regarding the practice of marriage. That is something that my religious beliefs contradict with, and I feel a particularly strong desire to stand by prophetic counsel guarding the sanctity of marriage.

That action would defy that live and let live principle, but I find relief in knowing that that kind of attitude is still acceptable within the party. I think the defining moment for me was when I realized that both pro-life and pro-abortion people do exist in the Libertarian party and do so at ease knowing that their opinions are mutually respected. They don’t necessarily agree, but as a principle, the party allows for personal decisions and intentions to co-exist.

I like that.

The second principle is something I strongly agree with as well. Our current  government is an ungainly behemoth lumbering through history. I would much rather have a trim local government acting directly on my behalf with broader coordination on the federal level. In short, my local issues are best handled by my local leaders.

To put this in another perspective, I like the way the church works. Local leadership is most directly involved with our lives with general leadership providing broad, inspired counsel and specific guidance where required. It’s a system that works well partly because there is no aspiration to rise up the ranks, but primarily because we as a people have learned to rely on local leadership before general leadership.

How improved our nation would be if we each took our issues to our local city councils and mayors instead of national leadership.

The actual platform of the party goes on to list a host of other thoughts and ideas that, in general, I find to have a broad personal level of acceptance. Before declaring allegiance here, however, I still need the party to develop candidates that are justifiably worthy of my vote. I think this is the one critical failing of the party, to tell the truth. And honestly, most of the candidates I have seen from this party tend to appear so fringe that they are recognizable as nothing except extreme or possible even insane. (Sorry, but you know that has a measure of truth for any third party candidate.)

Ah, to dream of the perfect candidate…. I’ve long told Jeffrey, the person who really got me looking at the Libertarian party, that I’d vote for him. And frankly, I’ve long intended on someday running for local office. But I just might be insane, too, for all you know.

***

And thus closes my political missives for a while. These past two days with Obama’s budget farce, the State of the Union address and the associated rebuttals, and other things has left me frustrated with our government. To borrow quite loosely from Lincoln, I’ve written my angry letters. Now it’s best to sit on them and let the frustration dissipate.

See you on the other side.

State of the Union address 2010: Libertarian Rebuttal

I made a choice yesterday. Obama’s idiotic budget made me so frustrated that I think I’m going to step aside from political discussions for a brief time (maybe as short as a week and maybe as long as a few months). But before I do that, I wanted to complete two fast posts: the Libertarian rebuttal to the State of the Union address and my general feelings about the Libertarian party.

As always, I’ve copied excerpts from the address followed by my comments.

State of the Union address, Libertarian rebuttal given by Chairman William Redpath, Chairman of the Libertarian Party

Tonight’s speech was a reminder that, for decades, the policies of Republicans and Democrats alike have failed. Libertarians are asking people to take matters into their own hands. Instead of just complaining, we’re encouraging ordinary Americans to step up and run for Congress on the Libertarian Party ballot line.

I think many people agree that there has been a general failure by the major parties in recent years, and I strongly agree with the idea of “taking matters into their own hands.” I’ve always appreciated the idea that the Libertarian party is an active party. They want you in politics and doing your part. The other parties are more passive, and I’ve heard numerous people state that they’ll never vote because it’s not necessary. Wrong. All votes are essential. If nothing else, you should make your voice heard.

Tonight’s State of the Union address went much as expected. Instead of calling for a more limited role of the federal government in American society, the President laid out plans that would only increase the government’s intervention into the realm of economics, health care, education and foreign policy.

Again, a very strong Libertarian point of view (small, hands-off government), and I agree. I like the idea of the government letting me and mine and you and yours live within the confines of our own dictates where said dictates don’t adversely affect another.

Not to be outmatched by the Democrats, the Republican Party conveyed its lack of seriousness in addressing this nation’s government spending problems by having Bob McDonnell, Virginia Governor for eleven (11) days, deliver its rebuttal to the President. If they were really serious about addressing the dire fiscal circumstances of this nation, they would have had Paul Ryan, a six-term congressman from Wisconsin, who has proposed the most serious plan of anyone in the two older parties to keep us from going off a fiscal cliff.

And to this I respond with a profound, eh. Really? You’re going to attack the selection of speaker for the Republican rebuttal? Lame. He’s a governor. He’s more than qualified to speak on the matter.

As Americans lose hope in Obama, we Libertarians are warning voters against running back to the Republicans who got us into such big messes in the first place. Republicans started the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Republicans made the false intellectual case for bailing out banks and car companies. Republicans argued that deficits don’t matter. Republicans gave us the giant Medicare expansion bill.

Now this was interesting, and I think it’s a valid point. The truth of the matter is that a relatively small portion of the United States is actually firmly entrenched as either Democratic or Republican. The majority is the flighty independent (please remember that I am one) who runs back and forth between the two. I’m somewhat reminded of the Biblical “Lo here! Lo there!” when I think about it.

Honestly though, the independent mind, in my opinion, is the back bone of this nation. Or rather, it could be if it would just stand up and make a stand. More often than not, I see this as the true party of No; switching sides over disagreements rather than principles. I think many independents vote against more often than they vote for, and in that case, Redpath’s plea to seek out the Libertarian platform is a welcome invite to stop running in circles and pull up a chair. I finally got around to officially reviewing the Libertarian platform, and that will be the subject of my next post.

The President talked a lot about jobs. Unfortunately, the policies he supports are responsible for most of the unemployment we see today. High taxes, minimum wage laws, hiring regulations, firing regulations, mandatory unemployment benefits, and other government interference make it much more difficult for businesses to hire and keep employees. As expected, the President’s prescription is to increase the dosage of this government poison.

And this I agree with. Earlier he stated something to the effect that a critical problem with our  current government is that it can’t see that other sources have the potential for good and can assist, duplicate, or even do better than the government can. And I agree with that. I don’t want more of the “poison;” I want less. Much less.

While our nation is declining dangerously right now, a turnaround could be straightforward and simple with steps like these: 1. Bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan; 2. Stop rewarding failed companies with bailouts; 3. Cut taxes and spending and let the free market work.

And now the mine field…. The truth is that I think he’s right. I don’t necessarily believe we should return to isolationism nor that we should fully relinquish our international presence, but I grow tired of being the world’s police. Having said that, we should do all we can to assist and help where such assistance is required.

His second point (no more bailouts) garners a strong Hurrah from me.

But his third point…. Yes, I agree with it, but I don’t know that the nation or the world is really prepared for what that means. First, it means a lot more personal responsibility, honesty, and trust, things that are sorely lacking in this world right now. Without that, no amount of change will ever solve anything and a change in this direction would ruin us.

And, I know I’m probably just wasting electrons, but can’t we go back to the days in which the President sent a copy of his speech to Congress and left it at that. The speech last night took 1/7000th of an entire year. I think the vast majority of the American people would agree that we have better ways to spend our time.

And now we disagree, Mr. Redpath. This is where your rebuttal is finally apparent for what it really is: venom. It’s a venomous denunciation offered more in frustration and anger than any sense of true reconciliation or hope.

Personally, I find the opportunity to hear directly from my president and his counterpart a refreshing and enlightening time to actually focus on critical issues. It’s hard sometimes to gauge where and what they are all doing, and this is as good a time as any.

If nothing else, it gave you the chance to publicly offer your political ************. (Sorry, but that really does need asterisks, and it was specifically written for Jeffrey and Nosurfgirl. They’ll know what it is.)

Broken Ribs, Part III

I had meant all along to post an update every few days/weeks on my status, but I forgot. When they don’t hurt, you don’t think about them, right?

And that is why I’m writing now. Last night, while getting into bed, I was not careful about leaping into bed, and I landed stomach down with my fist right on top of the break. Holy Hannah…. It took almost an hour for the screaming pain to die down enough to actually sleep.

So the answer to the “How’s the ribs?” question is great, when I don’t do stupid on them. And I suppose that’s about where they should be. This Wednesday night marks five weeks since I fell, and that’s what I was told it would take. On the other hand, I’ve heard many offhand stories about how the healing process can take MUCH longer and, in some cases, may never fully heal to the point where they are pain free.

On a somewhat funny note, I was talking to a guy who, when I talked about the break, used words like “so you just fell?” to talk about the injury…. Ah, Anthony. I don’t know if that was your intention, but it made me laugh. I explained it to him this way: See, Anthony isn’t a huge guy. I’d guess 5′10″, 160 to 170 lbs. Or so. I told him to get the effective comparison of him falling and me falling, he’d have to do what I did with a piano strapped to his back (I’m 6′4″, 235). To quote myself, “When I fall, the world stops turning.”

Okay, okay… My world stops turning.

Budget 2010… Really?

I just saw the headline for the Federal Government’s 2010 budget.

…

…

… (wait for it)

…

WHAT IS WRONG WITH OBAMA AND THE REST OF THE FEDS THAT THEY THINK SPENDING JUST SHY OF 4 TRILLION DOLLARS IS GOING TO HELP ANYTHING!?!?!?

There, I said it.

Last year’s deficit was $1.41 TT dollars. Let’s put that in perspective. The current national debt stands at a bit over $12 TT. So, last year’s farce of a spending orgy accounted for 11.75% of the TOTAL national debt this nation has ever had. Now add in this year’s projected deficit of $1.56 TT, and we have another 13% on top of that.

Two years of presidency and Obama will have accounted for 24.75% of the ENTIRE national debt. That would be one in every four dollars that we owe someone else that we can pin on Obama.

Thanks. Really.

Oh, and this doesn’t add in the projected 1 trillion deficit for 2011 either, so….

Honestly, for everyone out there that voted for Obama, I hope you’re happy. The man is a fiscal idiot. Charming, sure, but fiscally incompetent. You keep claiming that such actions were caused by Bush’s eight years, but you own this. This has your stamp and your name on it. Own it.

Bush’s worst will never compare to driving this nation to the brink of bankruptcy. If you think times are hard now, just wait for the work we’ll need to do to recover from this joke of a presidency. And it’s all thanks to the Messianic praise and approval YOU heaped on the community organizer.

I did vote for Bush the second time, and I stood by him the entire time. I didn’t always agree, but I voted for him and I was one of those responsible. If you voted for Obama, you do the same. Own this farce. Own this mess. And when you get around to it, someone please explain to me how you could ever justify voting for him.

GRRRRRR!!!

If you need me, I’ll be counting very slowly from one to 14 trillion with big, deep breaths in between.

Stake Conference

Today was stake conference for us. I always enjoy stake conference, mostly because I’m just waiting to see our stake president translated. He’s such an inspiring and gentle person, and his talks are always heart-felt, rich, and full of genuine love and compassion for everyone. It makes me sad to think that he’ll be released in the next year or two.

We went to the old tabernacle this time as well. Usually we go to overflow in the stake center because it’s easier to handle the kids. This time, though, Katherine was eager to see the tabernacle. She gets a thrill out of going to the “castle.” I’m sure she has dreams of princesses and princes and a huge ball.

The tabernacle, however, while beautiful, is a tragedy waiting to happen. The benches are rock hard and the kids get antsy really fast. To get a seat that allows us to easily care for the kids means we have to come 30 minutes early (which we would do no matter what), but that also means that our kids are DONE by the time conference starts. This time, I think Courtney and I managed to actually hear maybe 15 minutes combined of all the talks. Katherine was NOT going to sit and be still, and Myron made Katherine look like an angel. He did, however, have a great time playing coy and shy with a darling Mexican young woman sitting next to us. He would get these wonderful shy eyes and just grin, she’d play bashful, and then they’d both burst out giggling. It was adorable.

Halfway through, I made the mistake of thinking that a spiritual experience was all but lost this conference. It was at that time that we all stood and sang I am a child of God. Katherine got so excited that she literally shouted the entire song. People five and six rows in front of us kept turning around to smile at her and her wonderful enthusiasm. And that’s when it hit me: My kid has a testimony.

So I may not have heard much of what the speakers said, but I did hear the thunderous testimony of a five-year-old girl belting out her surety and faith in God. It was worth it.