Do I really look like him?

So I keep hearing from people all the time (my Sisiter and Brother In Laws mostly) that I look like this guy from the HBO TV Show "Sex and the City". I have never seen the show but I hear it all the time, sometimes from complete strangers. So I found some comparison pics and you tell me.....










So tell me what you think. Again, I don't know anything about him, except he did play "Dave" Hurley's imaginary friend on LOST.....

Don't forget to vote on the poll in the upper right hand corner of the page!

Grateful

So if you have read the most recent blog of mine (see "impossible scenario") you will see quite the blow out of humor and responses to an outlandish hypothetical situation....but you know, it speaks volumes about the friends Catey and I have. Both on the blog and off the blog people have been pulling me aside and giving their thoughts be it funny or serious or whatever and it makes me feel good. Despite the fact the my wife ends up pregnant with Matt Damon's kid and I am left to fend for myself on the "LOST" island, it is/was a lot of fun to throw that around.

It sounds strange, but I am grateful for friends that we (Catey and I) have. When something like this comes up, humor is the first to come out. I actually wrote the blog being serious, trying to see what people would think about a tough situation and was bugged that right after the first few that humor started to reign, but the more I looked at it I thought, "This is very telling about Catey and I and the friends we have."

We like to have fun, we like to make life lighter, we like to not be so serious all the time and I think we help others "take a break" as it were and find some humor and fun in life.

So this post is just saying thanks for having fun.
Thanks for being our friends.
Thanks for caring enough to make others laugh.


P.S.
Thanks for setting Catey up with Matt Damon while I am "LOST", he would be nice and have enough money for all the kids to do whatever....but when I get home I will go all "Bourne Identity" on his tail.

Impossible Scenario

Impossible Scenario

I was talking with some buddies about impossible scenario's and what someone could / would / or should do in them. Of course they are hypothetical, its just a test to see what people say about morals and life and what to do. I am interested to see what the responses are and remember this is impossible and just for fun.....ready?

If you have seen the movie CASTAWAY with Tom Hanks, you will better understand this scenario, but here goes.....I am on a trip that takes me overseas (business trip) and my plane crashes in the middle of the Pacific, I am adrift for days finally washing up on shore of some uncharted island. I try and try but cannot find a way off the island. Fast Forward 4 years. Malia is now 14, Taylor 12, Alaina 10, Jacob 9, Dallin 7, Lincoln 5, New baby is 4 and Catey is remarried and expecting a baby. I have not been found for four years and presumed dead but found ways to stay alive, then one day (somehow) I find a way off the island and am able to return home.

So here comes the impossible solution....what do I do? What does Catey do? What about the 4 year old that knows this other guy as "daddy?" What about the baby that is due?

Again, this is impossible, and just for fun, but stretch your brain, what should / would you do?

NOTE!!!!!
If you are going to post, play along....don't be dumb.

Training in CT

I was in training last week in Wallingford Connecticut.....it was ok, the training was done well and I learned a lot that I can teach others, but the best part of the trip was the opportunity to go to New York City. CRAZY!!! I could not believe how crazy that city is. I have been there once before and been to the top of the Empire State Building....no, not the observation deck, but the actual top of the spire.....yeah, that little red light that blinks at the top....I have put my hands on that thing. Long story, maybe another time, but Mike (guy from work) and I went into the city Wednesday and Thursday and it was worth the 4 hour round trip both times.....here is a rundown of the non-work stuff we got to do while there:

Monday - Travel from SLC to CT. We got a Chrysler 300 to drive, it was fun but I was not that impressed overall.


Tuesday - Work, then we went to Iron Man....I have to say it was the best Super-Hero movie ever made. I used to think Spiderman was the best, but then they made Batman Begins and it was the best, then this one came out and I must say it was awesome. My complaint has always been that they need to make superhero movies at least SOMEWHAT believable. This one they got right. The reason it beat Batman was because Batman was too dark. Granted, I know it is supposed to be that way, but I like cheering on my superheros and this one gave me that. I loved it. After the show was over Mike wanted to go to the beach, so we took off without directions to find the coast.....we knew where we wanted to be but not sure how to get there. When we got close, I got off the freeway. I should not have done that. We found ourselves in a really bad part of town. I didn't think it was that bad until we told people in the office the next day where we were and they were actually quite shocked that we were there and that we made it out alive......and not joking all that much. Great. I should have taken pictures to prove it, but I was not really wanting to whip out the camera just then. We did make it back onto the freeway and found the beach. After all that we went back home and crashed, grateful to still be alive.


Wednesday - Work, then we took off and went into New York City, with little more than one guy from work giving us verbal directions on how to get to the train. Thanks to my impeccable sense of direction and a little help from some friendly New Yorkers we made it to Grand Central Station. We climbed out of GCS and headed off to see the sights. We had tickets for 'Wicked' the next night and I didn't want to be guessing on how to get there so we found the theater and then grabbed dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe' on Times Square. It was the best New York Strip steak I have ever had, cooked to perfection with mashed potatoes and broccoli.....fantastic. It was almost Mikes birthday so I told our waiters that I wanted to surprise him and they did. Had the entire restaurant screaming happy birthday to Mike. It was great.

I tried to get Mike up in the Empire State Building but he is deathly afraid of heights and said there is no way I could get him to go up there. I tried to trick him but it was $20 to go and I was not about to pay for him and I couldn't swindle him into buying a ticket to go somewhere where he really didn't want to go in the first place, so we kept our feet on the ground. We made it back home around 12:30....long day.

Thursday - Work, then we got out early and headed off for the city again. Since we got there early this time and knew where we were going we decided that if dinner was that good once, it should be a repeat, so we took off to the Hard Rock again, and again, it didn't disappoint. We then headed off to see WICKED!!! Stopped along the way to buy Catey a Kate Spade knock off off of one of the street vendors, then on to the show. It was fantastic, awesome, wonderful, emotional and kept us going the whole time. I love this show. To anyone reading, do yourself a favor and get tickets when it comes touring to UT next year. It will not disappoint. If you don't know the story, I will give you a taste....it is the backstory and the story behind the witches of the Wizard of Oz. The Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) and Glinda were roommates in college and were /are good friends through the whole thing. It is done much like the movie Lion King 1 1/2 which I thought was also very funny and done well for a Disney straight to video. Anyhow, it was worth the trip. We headed home and found our car locked up in the garage with no way in. We found a security guard and he was nice enough to let us in to get our car out and then made it home by about 2:00 am. It was a long day.

Friday - Travel home.

It was a great trip, but I was glad to get back home.

Mothers Day

I'm not even sure how to start. I thought I would write a note to Catey if my readers will indulge me a bit.


To the mother of my children,

Catey, I love you.

I say that, and even when I say it or think it the words are almost offensive to how I really feel. So many say "I love you" and it means so many different things, that in the attempt of expressing how I feel about you I would like to find something but there are no words to describe the thoughts or emotions that surround me when you are near, but since there are no words, I am forced by default to use the term.


Thank you for coming into my life.
Thank you for being patient.
Thank you for seeing the "diamond in the rough" because it is pretty rough still.
Thank you for who you are and what you represent.
Thank you for making me a dad.
Thank you for all the "little" things like your laugh, the way you pull the hair behind your ear and flashing your eyes at me from time to time.
Thank you for Malia.
Thank you for Taylor.
Thank you for Alaina.
Thank you for Jacob.
Thank you for Dallin.
Thank you for Lincoln.
Thank you for (to be named later)

You are the epitome of what every husband and child should have in their home.

I love you more than I can express, you truly are "Incredible"

-Aaron

Something fun

So Malia's watch that she has had for about 2 years finally broke. She was complaining that she didn't have a watch and didn't have money for one either. I told her to trust me and that I would find a way for her to get a watch.

I found a watch that I thought would would be fun for her.....and of course she fell in love with it and decided that she would all but sell her soul to have it right as soon as I brought it home, however, I had an idea of a life lesson to teach my 9 year old.

Malia: Give it give it give it give it.....PLEEEEEEEEEase.

Dad: OK, OK, OK but there are some rules, things I want to teach you with this. You don't have the money, so I am going to teach you about borrowing and interest and payments, late fees, down payments, the whole works....

Malia: Huh?

Dad: Thats what I thought.

So we sat down and started talking about all those things, and much to my surprise, she got it, understood it and started asking complex questions about it very quickly. She didn't like the idea of paying more than something is worth to just have it now, but was learning the value of waiting and the option to pay someone interest to get what she wanted (and needed) now. She asked if people really do this in the real world and I replied that they do. When I explained how we are buying our house and how much we will have paid for it by the time we are done her eyes got really big and replied "You and mom are getting screwed!"....which tells me two things. 1 - She is starting to get it and 2 - that I need to stop using that term around her.

So I gave her some terms on the $14.00 watch:

Down payment: None

Interest rate: 10% every two weeks

Payment schedule: Monthly

Late Fee: No fee, repossession

Monthly payment: $4.20 (Principle plus interest)

She looked at my terms and suddenly it hit her that the watch may not be worth all that extra money. She also started to figure out that the longer she drags this out the more the watch will cost her and that I would start making money on her. She didn't like that at all. I told her that this is how the world works when lending money. I told her that she didn't need to make any decision that night (Friday) but to think about it until Saturday morning.

The next morning she woke up and told me that she didn't think the terms were worth it and expressed concerns about not having income to cover the payment. I congratulated her on her foresight and thoughtfulness and told her that many people today don't think the way she did. She asked if we could give her an allowance, and I told her no, that we don't pay our kids to be our kids. She then wanted money for doing her chores and I told her that was part of being a family and that I didn't pay for that either. I did tell her that I would come up with things for her to do to make extra cash after her chores were done.

She then still expressed concerns about the terms and I told her then she could go shopping for a better rate. She decided to go 'loner shopping' and I told her that I didn't want to be known as a 'loner' (HA HA) but rather a 'lender'. She asked me who she could go to and I told her Catey or BeBe (Catey's mom) or Grandpa Tal (my dad). She responded "Yeah! Maybe BeBe will just give me the money...." I told her to talk to mom first then call BeBe. She headed out to the garage where Catey was riding her stationary bike and I quickly made a call to BeBe telling her the situation at which she replied:

BeBe: "Sure I will give you the money..."

Dad: "No, no....I don't want that, that is exactly what I am trying to avoid."

I then explained that I wanted her to come up with some terms (any terms) and that Malia would be calling her later and then hung up.

As I hung up the phone, Malia came in from the garage upset, I asked what the problem was and she told me that she explained herself to Catey and asked what her terms as a lender would be. Catey replied (I am sure not wanting to be interrupted) "Business hours on Saturday start at 10:00am, it is 9:30, come back later...".

Malia was less than thrilled.

She did talk to Mom later and here were her terms:

Down payment: 15%

Interest rate: 5% every two weeks

Payment schedule: Monthly

Late Fee: $.50

Monthly payment: $3.36 (Principle plus interest)

She thought parts of that were better and noted that the interest rate was much better than what I had offered but that she had to come up with a down payment and that there was a late fee....pretty smart for a 9 year old!

So she called BeBe and here were her terms:

Down payment: None

Interest rate: None

Payment schedule: None

Late Fee: None

Monthly payment: None

(At this point as Malia is writing all this down, I was thinking, "Aw, cmon...play along Beebs...." but then....)

Length of term: 90 days to repay the loan. If the loan is not paid by 90 days the loan amount doubles.

WOW!!! Who knew Catey's mom was such a loan shark. Malia's eyes got really big and said "That one is DANGEROUS!...I mean, its great if I pay it off in time but if I don't then I am screwed!" (there is that term again.)

So then, disappointed, she said "is there anyone else I could call"?

I told her to call my Dad....here were his terms:

Down payment: None

Interest rate: 4% every month

Payment schedule: Monthly

Late Fee: No fee, but a hug and a kiss

Monthly payment: $1.00

Term: "As long as you need"

So Catey and I are laughing at the late fee, and I mentioned that there are probably plenty of "lenders" that would forgive your late payment or even your debt for a little affection....I don't think that is what my dad had in mind....poor guy.

Anyhow, thought I would pass that along. She chose my dad's option of course. So now all there is to do it write up the contract. I wish my parents had taught me that at her age, I don't think I would have ever been in debt if I learned that with $14 rather than $14,000 or something like that.

The Gripe #3 - Religion

Everyone take a big breath on this one......

To start this gripe with a quote:
A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13: 34-35)

Unusual way to start a blog list called "The Gripe", but I need to be rational on this one, not emotional.

Religion and Politics.....two big subjects never to bring up among friends because it is something people feel passionately about and get upset easily.....I am no exception. I believe what I believe because of my Savior, my life, my experience, my wife, my faith, my children and my prayers. Nobody else has, can or will influence decisions in my life without my permission, and I don't often give my permission.

Ok, to the point.....so our family has this "friend" that is a "Christian" and is in the mindset of telling us that we worship a different Jesus and that we are not really Christians because of how we believe in or what we believe about the Savior. Nothing offends me more than those who profess to REALLY know what my religion is all about and that I must be in the dark. Oh yeah....thats right, you know more because you read a book, website, talked to a pastor, preacher or bishop that really knows what I am all about.....nothing like asking the plumber about the electrical work or framing job. Why not do the research from the source....it might surprise you.

I have learned from sad experience that "friends", like the one mentioned, suddenly can become so UNfriendly when they come to the "enlightenment" that my eternal soul is in peril because I am not a "Christian" by their standards. Let me lay it on the line for you....save someone else.

Save someone who doesn't read goodnight stories to their kids at night or roll around on the floor and play with them.

Save someone who doesn't devote 20+ hours to their church outside of attending the Sunday meetings.

Save someone who doesn't go to church, rain, snow, wind, or shine every Sunday without fail.

Save someone who didn't give two years of their life to preach in the name of Jesus Christ.

Save someone who does not love their spouse with every ounce of energy possible and tries every day to make their spouses life better and more enjoyable and more comfortable.

Save someone who does not take an active role in the youth in their neighborhood with scouting or other youth affiliations at their own cost and without recognition.

Save someone who does not freely give at least 10% (usually much more) of their gross income to charity for the benefit of others less fortunate than themselves.

Save someone who does not read the scriptures with their spouse and children every night.

Save someone who does not fast and pray and suffer for a family member going through unspeakable trials.

Save someone who was not baptized by immersion in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Save someone who doesn't abstain from Smoking, drinking alcohol, extramarital sex, pornography, and lying.

Save someone who doesn't believe that Jesus of Nazareth suffered in the Garden of Gesthemane pain beyond belief so "they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent" (John 17:3)

Save someone who doesn't "claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privelage, let them worship, how, where or what they may." (Articles of Faith v11)


I don't know what kind of a Jesus would sic people on each other like that. I don't know what kind of a Jesus would spit in the face of friends who profess his name. I don't know what kind of a Jesus would tell a young mother whose baby just died that it is lost for eternity because it was not baptized. I don't know what kind of a Jesus would pit friends one against another on doctrines of the gospel. I don't know what kind of a Jesus would bring spite, hate, anger and frustration....if that is your Jesus, then you are right, I don't believe in that guy.

I believe in God the Father and in his son, Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost.I believe in a Jesus that is kind and loving and very tolerant of his children but intolerant of sin. I believe in Jesus that has taught me about him through the Holy Ghost and scripture study. I believe in a Jesus who would enter a room and as soon as everyone hits their knees (which would happen) he would ask them to rise and be like him because that is what he truly wants for us. I believe in a Jesus who suffered, bled and died and rose again so that I can have eternal life, with him, like him. I believe in a Jesus who's sole purpose in life was to worry about the salvation of my wife, my kids, my family and finally me. I believe in a Jesus who speaks to prophets and apostles. I believe in a Jesus who would rather talk to my children than me because they are more like him and listen better.

And above all else......I believe in a Jesus who would expect me to treat others with respect, dignity and love, regardless of what they profess or believe.

There it is...and "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord", and if others feel differently we feel and teach our children to see them for who they are, children of God and that even though people may not believe as we do, we still love them and act as we know we should.