What it is all about.

Yesterday we traveled down to Manti to witness the sealing of Troy and Linda. It was great to see them kneel across the altar and be sealed together. It reminded me of the first sealing that I was able to witness. I remember being overwhelmed by the reality of Priesthood power that was there. I have had many chances since to feel that same power over the years. Yesterday was no exception. They then had their daughters sealed to them. It was wonderful to share this with them.

24th..

Yesterday we celebrated Pioneer Day. It was great to get up and watch the parade on TV. They played a message from President Monson before the parade started. It was nice to be reminded what this day is all about. Everything we have and enjoy we can trace back to the sacrifice of those who have gone before. We then went to Grammys for a BBQ. It was a low key day, which was nice for a change.

Don't stand so close to me!

This weekend I attended the Police concert with my son and son in law. It was truly amazing. The last time I saw them in concert was 1982 during the Ghost in the Machine tour. It was in the old Salt Palace and was no where near sold out. This time is was at the USANA amphitheater and it was close to a sell out. They have not slowed down a bit. The interaction with the audience was great and the music was fantastic. It was clear to see what amazing musicians they really are. It was a night to remember.

A few things that always go with the concert experience are the interesting people. I told Scott, I can't imagine where all these weird people come from. The beer flowed like wine, and of course by the end, there was some drunk who made the evening complete, when I really had that "Please don't stand so close to me" feeling.

I Declare..

When in the course of world events, it becomes necessary for one people to wake up and realize that they no longer control their own destiny, and that they have sold their very future to market and political forces who’s interests are in direct opposition to their growth and stability, the Laws of Nature and of the Nature’s God, they should declare the causes which will lead them back to freedom.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are, electricity, mobility and the pursuit of energy. That to secure these rights they will lay a foundation on principles and organizations as they shall seem most likely to affect their ability to control their own energy. That they will no longer be held hostage by powers who loath them, and by groups who are convinced that the rights of the dung beetle are more important than the future of man.
We, therefore, the Americans who want our children to live in a country that continues to grow and where the future continues to be bright, do solemnly publish and declare, that these United States are, and of the Right ought to be Free and Independent in the matter of energy. That we will use all means at our disposable to harness the energy we need today and in the future. We will marshal the resources that are under our feet, we will use the power of the atom, we will invest in renewable technology. We will return to a nation where we can stand on our own, where our future is insured, where we are no longer controled by foreign powers.

The little squirrel that can..

There are squirrels that have been living in Grammy's yard for several years. They have had a home in the old wood pile and a supply of walnuts from the trees next door. We have enjoyed watching them over the years. This year their world was turned upside down. First the walnut trees were taken out. Second the wood pile was removed. We wondered what would become of them. Well, it seems that they are they kind of creatures that just make the best of things. We see at least one hanging around the yard as much if not more than before. It doesn't look like they are starving or really having any problems to speak of. It looks as though they simply took a look at their new world and got to work to make due. Wow, no poor me, no where is my FEMA trailer, no where is my government supplied nuts. I'm impressed.

No vacation

This morning was another example to me of the fact that you can never get away. As I walked out of the hotel in Cedar City this morning I ran into some neighbors from the street just to the north. Even in Hawaii I saw someone that I know from work. My point is, living as we know we should can't be something that we take a vacation from. No matter where we are most likely there is someone that know who we are what we claim to believe.

Last Hawaii Entry

I wanted to talk about one more place that we visited in Hawaii. It is the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. More commonly know as the Punchbowl Crater. This is a cemetery inside of an extinct crater. It is solemn and sacred place. It is comprised of two main things. One is of course the cemetery. It is full of rows and rows of the standard military headstones. Then you have the Memorial, it consists of two rows of walls covered with the names of over 28,000 who's body's were never recovered. Here and there you will see a name with a star by it. This notes a Medal of Honor recipient. Then at the top of the stairs is another wall with details of each of the major battles of the pacific. It includes a small chapel. We could feel the spirit of this place. Just as with Pearl Harbor, my gratitude for the freedom that we enjoy was increased. I sometimes worry that many Americans today do not understand or appreciate the price that has been paid for them.

North Again..

We returned to the north side of the island for more activities. We stopped at the Waimea Valley to see the flora and the falls. We were surprised to learn that due to lack of rain, the falls were dry. We did make the hike up to the falls and enjoyed the view and the exotic plants. It is a beautiful place. We then took advantage of our free return ticket to the PCC. We visited some of the shows that we had not made it to the first time and also watched the IMAX movie that they have running there. This was my first IMAX experience and I loved it. The PCC is a great destination. While on the north shore I had twice driven past some stands selling shrimp, so I decided to give one a try. My wife was less than excited. She said that I should at least stop at one that was busy. We stopped at an old delivery van converted into a shrimp stand. They have three choices on the menu. Shrimp scampi, spicy shrimp or lemon butter shrimp. They are are are $12 a plate. I selected the scampi. Next to the "stand" were an odd assortment of picnic tables. The smell of the place was too much for Jane, she just sat in the car. I took my plate of shrimp and sat down at one of the tables and dug in. The shrimp was great, but is was immersed in garlic. (Next time I stop I will get the lemon butter.) When I returned to the car she said that I had to get some gum or something. So we stopped at a gas station where I bought a pack of orbit gum.

I had forgotten all about the gum when we arrived at the airport. I went through the metal detector and it went off three times. They they pulled me out of line for the "full body" scan. I had to stand with my legs apart, arms out with palms to the celling. They then proceed to wand me and pat me down. The pocket in my cargo shorts set the wand off. I then hear "sir, what do you have in this pocket?". I said I don't know and reached in and pulled out the pack of gum. They told me that the foil in the packet is a great way to set things off. All this time Jane is having her bag re-xrayed and trying gather all the little containers from my pocket contents. Some how we got all our stuff back and were on our way. Oh well, traveling is always exciting.

Under the Sea

As a boy I loved to watch nature shows. But my favorite was the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. I loved to travel around the world with him and his ship the Calypso. They would dive in their little submarines and see amazing things.

In Hawaii there is a company called Atlantis Submarine. We had heard different reports regarding this experience, but decided to give it a try. We loved every part of this attraction from the boat ride out to the dive site to the view on the bottom of the ocean. You start out on a dock boarding a large boat. We went up to the top deck and enjoyed the view, the blue water and the sea spray. We reached the dive site and tied up to the sub. We were soon climbing down a ladder into the submarine. We got to sit right up front by the pilot. We could see out his big window and out our own big window. The ride was as smooth as silk and the view was great. Color starts to be filtered out as you descend and at 100 feet my red shirt looked purple. We saw a reef shark, sea turtles and of course lots of fish. On the boat ride back to the dock we were joined by some spinner dolphins. Seeing them jumping out of the water and spinning was the perfect closer to a great experience.

Finally the little boy who dreamed of traveling with Jacques got a chance to dive in a submarine. This is a day that I will remember for a long time.

Our day at Laie

Day two we headed up to Laie. First we headed to the temple to attend a session. It was great to attend such a laid back session. The workers were of course very nice and we had a wonderful time. We were both surprised at how little this temple is. The missionaries working on the temple grounds were great. We took advantage of the restrooms in the visitors center to change. We then headed over to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Of course the the first thing we did there was shop. I had no idea that they have a jewelry shop there. We found ourselves confronted by a great sales lady. Within a few minutes we were leaving with a receipt for a black Tahitian pearl ring. They have sized it and it is now on it way to us via Fed-Ex.

It took us a little while to figure out how everything works in the PCC. We started making the rounds to the villages to see the shows. We visited Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji and Hawaii that afternoon. We also caught the Canoe Pageant. We didn't get there soon enough to get a great seat but still enjoyed it. Jane found a quilt shop as we were going around, but we didn't have time to really shop there since it was time for the Luau. They put on the number one rated Luau in Hawaii and I learned two things. 1. The family in our ward that served this food for a ward dinner does a great job. 2. I now know that I just don't like luau food. (I usually like everything) But the Luau was fun. It was then time for the big night show. It was really good and I did get one of the pineapple delight deserts at intermission.

This was a really full day. We left our hotel at 8 in the morning and didn't get back till about 10:30 at night. Overall it was a great day.

Freedom isn't Free

I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I have not been posting due to the fact that my wife and I have been gone on a trip to Hawaii. For the next few days I will be taking you through our trip. (You can see our pictures on the picture link)

I wanted to start today on the 4th of July by talking about our visit to Pearl Harbor. We got to the Battleship Arizona Memorial and found a long line for tickets to get on a tour to visit the memorial. As the line moved forward we realized that it was going to be a long wait, but when we got to the ticket counter they had two tickets left for the next tour. We only had to wait about 15 minutes. The tour starts with a movie outlining the events of December 7th 1941. We then took the ferry out the the memorial. It was a solem reminder of the price that has been paid to maintain our freedom. It is truly a hallowed place.

We then took the tour of the Bowfin submarine and the Battleship Missouri. It is a great way to start on the Arizona Memorial where it all began and end on the the Missouri where it offically came to a close. This was a trip that I will always remember.

As I reflect back on how America came together to defend our freedom I am grateful for their commitment and willingness to pay the price. I wonder how America of today would respond in a situation like this. I have often heard the WWII generation called the greatest generation and that may indeed be true. I hope that we all will take time today to remember that our freedom had been bought at a great price and that we must do our part to maintain it.

Post via PS3

Just a quick note to celebrate the fact that we now have Linux running on the PS3 and I am entering this post therewith. The technical term would be WOOHOO!!!