Another Point

I have recently taken to the habit of reminding myself why it was so important to rack up so much debt to get me through school. I realize there are SO many answers to that question but sometimes, as I think most of us do, I have to have them brought around and placed right in front of me. This will be a short post, but I wanted to throw out two tidbits that together have helped to place things into perspective. The first is of course that the prophets and apostles have for years counseled that education is one of the few things acceptable for large debt. This underscores the importance of education. The second is less main stream. It is a quote from Galileo Galilei - "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." So to anyone reading this who is maybe discouraged at the length of their schooling that is left, or is nail biting over the debt piling up - remember for whom and to what end you began.

Ahhhh the joy of parenting

So you know those times as a parent that you go.....What was I doing??? So we had one of those moments. I was at the computer, and Ginney was in the kitchen making dinner, when Mahala hollered "Lily & Parker are in the bathroom playing with the TOOTHPASTE!" The first reaction is how did they get in the bathroom (we keep forgetting that Parker has figured out how to open the door), and then it hits you as you go towards the bathroom that you can hear them "splashing" in the only regular source of standing water in the bathroom - yup you guessed it THE TOILET! So we just had to grab the camera, and you know we just couldn't stop laughing long enough to get mad at them (she was really enjoying herself!). Later we did have a "serious" talk with Parker about the bathroom not being a place to play, but how do you get that point across to a 2 1/2 year old who sees all kinds of stuff to "play" with in there!! Besides I can't help but see signs of growing artists. I mean LOOK at their use of line and form on the cabinet door! Amazing isn't it? :D

So I have experienced the first hiccup at my pizza delivery job. At the end of the night we turn in our money from deliveries and subtract our tips. The supervisor then asks what we want to claim for our tips, because they have to enter an amount in their records for tax purposes. I have received VERY peculiar looks when I state the full amount of my tips. Several of the drivers have even tried to "talk" me into claiming less because cash tips can't be tracked like check or credit card tips. At first I thought they just wanted to "inform" me that I could keep more money by fudging the system a little, but the more I thought about it they were motivated by other reasons. If they ALL claim ridiculously low tips then the IRS has no ammunition about any one of them in particular not claiming all their tips, but enter element X (me :D ) and they all start freaking out because there is a chance that my claims will stand out amongst theirs. I feel bad because they seem to be concerned about this. Don't get me wrong, I am not tempted in the slightest to NOT claim my tips, it is just frustrating that people seem to base their opinions not on WHAT someone does, but on how that thing effects them personally.

Well anyway I got to looking at this picture of Jesus I drew 13 years ago while serving a full-time mission and it struck me in a completely new way. Over the last few years when I look at it I have only seen the blemishes and aging of the paper. It bothered me because the yellowing of the paper made me think how it didn't look "perfect" like I thought Jesus should. It suddenly hit me that the only time Jesus would not "look" perfect would be when I see my own sins, that he has taken upon himself, reflected back at me. What a wonderful picture this became again! How can I worry about what others say and think? when I have the perfect example in front of me (and I am not talking about the picture this time, as it only serves as a reminder) of how to live my life. As I realize that the people I work with are still "good" people at heart, I can choose to make my own decisions and treat them with the respect that they deserve and that we are all expected to use towards one another. It makes for a much brighter day when I can try my best to see things like this.

What a week!

Ok I have SOOO much more respect for pizza delivery drivers now! And I have been sleeping VERY good now that I am doing something with my time! So the next time you order pizza, be nice to the driver and maybe even consider tipping him/her more than the change from $20.00 spent on a $19.85 order. (This is of course excluding anytime you get BAD customer service, cause there is never an excuse for that!)

So anyway I go today to do the preliminary testing to see if I am "call center material" for my full-time job. Hopefully that will start here on the 25th. Other than that my life right now is......well.......in progress. :D

Speedy Delivery!

I am waiting for the next training class for a call-center job that I have interviewed for (and I THINK I have the job), but my "second" job actually started first. I am now a sharp dressed friendly neighborhood Domino's Pizza delivery driver!

The funny thing is that I was sorta nervous about applying for this job. I guess I had the image that most pizza delivery people were guys still living with their mom in the basement hosting D&D games late Saturday night. (Sorry Amelia, Ginney just reminded me that you delivered pizza's too. ;) ) So anyway, I had a little stereotyping to get over, but after training I think I am really gonna like this job. I get to spend a lot of it in the car (with music blaring!) and a fair percentage of customers tip well, so I should be able to make enough to justify this as a second job. I just hope that I have ANY energy left for Ginney and the kids in the near future.

Hunker Down

Well we are not in the closet with mattresses over our heads, but we did decide not to venture out to church today. Thunderstorms and 60 mile/hr winds are pretty convincing. We were woken up the other night by thunder, and the first thing my wife said was "We are probably going to have all the kids in here tonight." I was very proud of them though, we did not get invaded. (Our oldest did come in towards the morning, but I am glad they feel they can come to us when they are scared.)

I remember staying in my bed and "screaming" for my mom because I was just as afraid to go in their room as I was of the nightmare I had. It's funny - I complain and complain about them not sleeping in their beds as they grow up, but it does make me feel good when they need us enough to come sneaking in at night. I say sneaking because we have used this as a running joke because half the time we don't hear or feel them get into bed. We wake up and "Bing" there they are. We call them our "Ninja Babies".