Sorry for the long delay in posts. I had promised that I would post pictures that my sisters and I donated money for framing that we presented to Mom for her Christmas present. It was a surprise to her that we were able to give them to her this year. A few years ago, I asked a friend of mine, Ann Marie Mowrer, to have her mother paint a portrait of my dad from from pictures that we had. Sherrel Watkins, the artist, went above and beyond anything that I could have imagined and she added an extra portrait of Mom, too. She is very happy with them and here that are in case any of you are curious as to how they turned out.

The photos do not do them justice.

We had a wonderful Christmas and 2009 got here just fine, too. We are so happy to have the blessings we do- and hope you all have a wonderful new year.

PS- for those of you that are reading that might have ties to the Gallup area-- a little update of some of the Church goings on. After many months of prayer and working through details and approvals, today the two Ramah wards were combined into one ward and in Gallup the three wards were put back to two wards. We hope that the desired affect of greater ministering to the people in the area will allow real growth.

My Elder Wirthlin Experience

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin passed away this week after 91 years of service on this earth. He was such a kind and hardworking man. He was not the flashiest of the Brethren and often in his later years struggled with teleprompters and such- but when I took the time to really read his messages that were later published- I found that I was amazed at the depth and power of his messages. I will personally miss him. The last address he gave in conference, however, is one of my favorite from the conference and will be classic reading for anyone wanting to ever quote someone on the subject of dealing with adversity. "Come what may, and love it" is a recipe for happy living.

I had the chance to meet him once when I was a teacher at the MTC. He was training mission presidents along with many of the other Brethren. Since they used the classrooms that I taught in, my job duties during mission president week consituted running errands for the General Authorities and getting to learn what they were teaching the mission presidents. (Always one of my favorite weeks for obvious reasons). I was going to a small copy room to pick up some supplies and was surprised to see Elder Wirthlin with some of his assistants in the room for the same reason. I must have looked like I did not know what to say with an Apostle in the room or maybe he just is the type that likes to put people at ease- but he just stuck out his hand and said with a big smile "I am Elder Wirthlin- what is your name?". I introduced myself and we chatted for a couple of minutes. I know he was very busy- but for a few minutes his black eyes just focused on me and what I had to say, what I was studying in school, what I did at the MTC, etc. It was like he had all the time in the world- and I am sure he made everyone else feel the same way.

I hated to have to fulfil my assignment to get the supplies and leave because it was so great to have someone that I look up to and sustain as a Prophet, Seer and Revelator take the time to put me at ease. He lived what he taught- Concern for the One.

I hate to see any of the Brethren pass away because I learn to love them all so much. However, he is with his beloved wife again and has earned through his acceptance of the Savior of whom he was a Special Witness right to be welcomed home to His presence.

Happy Thanksgiving

I have been thinking lately about this holiday. What a wonderful thing to set aside a day to give thanks. Thank you Abraham Lincoln!
I used to be prone to calling it Turkey Day- a common thing lately. I now regret that, for it is a day of thanks, not just a day for Turkey (although a turkey induced food coma sounds good to me right now, and is one the things that I am truly thankful for- it is not all just about turkey).
Allow me to name some of the things I am thankful for:
-My Mom- She had a rough week last week with blood clots in her lungs and some pretty severe pain. She is much better now- thanks again to Toni and Tyra who gave so much of their time and effort during that period.
-My wife. I do not say enough about Eileen on this blog. Eileen is the most wonderful and loving wife that I could ever hope for. We see how so many families struggle and how people who profess to love eachother seem to not even like eachother. Not Eileen and I- we could literally spend all day every day together and never tire of it. Just being in the same room as Eileen is enough for me to feel perfectly contented. She is the love of my life and loves me despite my glaring and obvious faults.
-My Children. Kayla, Ashley, Joshua and Tyler are everything a parent could hope for in kids. They are loving, love eachother and really try to do what is right. Sometimes I fail to notice what they do right because it is easy to point out what is going wrong. I will try to do better at that.
-My Sisters- not many people can claim the blessing of five sisters. They have each one and collectively helped me more than they ever know in many ways. Thank you Patsy, Kathy, Jody, Tyra and Toni. I love you all
-My extended family- I have many wonderful nephews, nieces, cousins, etc. Love you all
-My country. I get frustrated sometimes with my government, my elected leaders, etc- but when I take a step back and realize what a wonderful country we are all able to live in in the United States- I am grateful for my freedoms.
-Most importantly- My Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ. They give meaning to all of the other things for which I am grateful. Without Their love and sacrifice, all other things have no purpose. I am most thankful for them, the Church they restored in the last days and the gospel that speaks peace to troubled hearts and lives.

So instead of saying Happy Turkey Day this year- remember that we are setting aside for this day to give THANKS.

Halloween- sorry a week late

Joshua the Soldier

Ashley, the Queen of England (Queen Elizabeth the First)

Tyler the Cowboy

Kids had fun this year. Always too much candy- but it was fun.

Ashley and her friends went "Pumkin Caroling" - Halloween themed words to Christmas Carols. Very cool- I am glad she has friends that are as fun as she is. They did get a few treats, but were mainly in it for the fun and singing.

Kayla was in Bernalillo at the State Soccer Tournament so she missed out on the Halloween fun- which is fine with her- she is feeling too big for the candy day, anyway.

Here at work at the bank- my crew really gets into this holiday for some reason. They do themes and contests and go all out. Here is an example of some of the crew.

General Conference Musings

I am truly thankful for Prohets and Apostles. We are very blessed in troubled times to have watchmen on the tower who can see afar off.

Since I work in the financial industry, these past few weeks have been tumultuous. Gratefully, I work for a bank that did not play the sub-prime game nor did we get entangled to a large degree in what had caused so many problems recently. That does not mean there have not been ripple effects- so many people are nervous that I end up spending much of my day trying to calm the fears of people afraid to lose their nest eggs.

Then comes the weekend of conference. In direct contrast to the weeping, wailing and gnashing of poll numbers that you get as a steady diet on the evening news- you hear the calm and reassuring voice of men we sustain as prophets, seers and revelators.

Did they deny times were tough- no! They acknowledged it and then sent the message that there is a way to peace in this life- by living the gospel of the Prince of Peace.

Very reassuring.

Joshua's first win in Football

Last night was a great night for us. I am sorry I do not have pictures, but this is a blog, right?

Joshua's games are on Thursday nights. Problem for me since I usually have Stake Presidency meetings on Thursdays. I have missed most of the games. At first, Joshua was not playing a lot, but now he was put on the line as a tight end and really started to get into that position. He won a starting position this week and did a good job. Well, his poor little team had not been winning too many games, so we are learning lots of lessons from losing. We would rather not have to learn those lessons too many times, but really it was starting to get on the boys from the team. Joshua continued to say how much he loved it, though.

Well- he got the late game and I got out of meetings early enough to get there in the 2nd quarter. His team was down 6-0 and it was not looking good again as both teams were stopping eachother and it did not look like there would be a way to win it. Joshua's team, the Maulers, really took over in the 2nd half though and actually controlled the ball the entire 3rd quarter. In the 4th, the team drove down to the opponents 20 yard line, only to fumble the ball. The Mauler defense took it to them, however and got that ball back without allowing a 1st down.

With only 2 minutes left, they had to dig deep to get into the endzone. They had only scored one other TD ALL YEAR, so they looked like it could be another disappointing night. Thankfully, they did pull it together and drove to the endzone with 40 seconds left. The converted the extra point try to go up 7-6. They held their ground after the ensuing kickoff and won their first game of the season.

After the game (all of the parents were going nuts, so happy to not have the "let's be good sports, and winning isn't everything' speeches again") we went over to congratulate the team and Joshua- who had contributed to the victory. They won. They tasted victory. They felt what it was like to get a win under their belt and deserve it. Joshua had the most amazing look on his face. It was a mixture of joy, relieved frustration, exhaustion and pride all at the same time. We are very close and I could almost feel what he was feeling. He looked up at me and he just said -"we did it". His eyes welled up with tears and he just cryed for joy. It was definitely one of those moments that I will treasure forever. We connected. We bonded and it was all I could do to keep from crying myself. The history of the world will never remember the night the Maulers beat the Pouncers on a fall evening in Gallup- but we will remember. If it had happened on the first night of the season- it would not have meant as much. If it had happened early in the game, it would not have meant that much. But it was all aligned in such a way to have a great life moment for a 9 year old boy. I love sports for exactly that reason. A little microcosm of life lessons.

Football Time

This is Tyler ready for his first flag football game of the year. He is ready to go, as you can see. He is part of the Paws- and I am happy to be his coach. He is fun and has a great time out there, although he plays so "full blast" that he sometimes forget that he does not wear a helmet or pads when he is going full force out there.

He loves football and is very good on the defensive line "sacking" the QB by grabbing flags before the play of the opposing team really gets going.