Master Ryan!

After six long, exhausting years, Ryan finally graduated for the last time! He finished his Bachelor's degree two years ago and just this past Friday graduated with his Master of Science in Information Systems! It feels so great to have him finally be done - and he is more thane excited to be finished as well.  He is, however, still hoping to continue his life long learning persuits in one way or another.

One thing I have always loved about him is his desire to never stop learning. I hope our son (and any future children we may have) also inherit that trait.

The day of graduation was a bit chaotic for us. My parents went with to share in his big day and we are ever so grateful! We decided to take Lincoln along which was probably not the wisest choice. I was so busy running around trying to take pictures that my darling mother ended up taking care of Lincoln. I guess at one point he was so fussy and crying so hard that she was at her wits end because she couldn't figure out how to calm him and I couldn't find her to get a bottle to her.  In the mist of all that, I nearly missed Ryan having his name read! I never was able to get a picture because I was running across the Hunstman Center at a frantic pace and they wouldn't let me go down the set of stairs I wanted to go down. By time I actually got to him he was already back in his seat and I was in tears.  But everything worked out in the end and it was still a great day!

I am so proud of Ryan and I congratulate him on his achievement! I love you!!

The World's Most Powerful People...

This morning when I got into work and logged onto my computer, I was privileged to read this article on who Forbes considers the 68 most powerful people in the world. The article clearly states the four factors they used in determining what constitutes a powerful person:

1) Do they have influence over a lot of people?
2) Do they have significant financial resources relative to their peers?
3) Are they powerful in a multiple of spheres?
4) Do they actively wield their power?

According to those four factors, this list therefore contains names of individuals who use their power for good or evil (#57 is Osama Bin Laden and #60 is a drug trafficker in Mexico).

I found this quite interesting. Interesting because of the way the world defines "power". I haven't heard of most of the people on this list and those I have heard of, I hardly like (#2 Obama, #20 Hillary Clinton). Those who wrote this article are correct in that all of these people are powerful according to the four factors used. But this is exactly why I am turned off by them. Most of them seek power. They seek glory. All they are after is fame and fortune and some of them will do anything to get it. I am not saying all on the list are this way, but some of them are. Some really do use their power for good, like the Pope.

If anyone were to ask me who I consider to be the most "powerful" person on earth, I wouldn't have listed any of the 68 people in this article. I don't define "powerful" by the same standards that were used to create this list. The person I consider to be the most powerful person on earth doesn't make a lot of money. He doesn't seek after riches or glory. He didn't even seek after his current position. He does have influence over a lot of people but that influence is always for good and never for evil. And most importantly, I consider him to be the most powerful person in the world because he holds the most important power there is: the priesthood of God. And the best part is, he can't use this power for his own personal gain. He can only use it in the service of others. He has been called by God Himself, to be His chosen leader on this earth and to act on His behalf in all spiritual and temporal matters. His name will never appear on any list containing the world's most powerful leaders. But truthfully, he wouldn't want that anyway.

The man of whom I speak is Thomas S. Monson. His title is President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Prophet of God. He currently leads nearly 14 million people on this earth, teaching them how to be a more Christlike people, full of faith and charity. His power and influence can be felt in the lives of each, and it can also be felt in the lives of many others if they choose to listen. If any of you wish to learn more about this remarkable man, I highly recommend this book:


I just started reading this book the other night. It is amazing! You will not find a more genuine, loving and thoughtful person on the earth right now than this man. He truly is a man of God.

My Apologies...

For the last few weeks I have been reading this book:


I am not finished reading the entire book yet but I still felt the need to blog about it. As I have been reading the last few days, I have felt completely inspired to improve on many aspects of my life, one of which being the way I treat people. The more I read, the worse I feel about all the mean/negative things I say about people, even if I do sometimes say them facetiously. I know I am a very direct and opinionated person. I also know that many people find this trait of mine to be quite distasteful. Even though I may continue to be direct in my communication (I feel it is always best to get to the point and not beat around the bush), I will strive to improve on the way my directness is relayed to others...perhaps in a more kind and tactful way.

With that said, I would just like to say to all the smokers, bicyclists, skateboarders, and ditzy girls of the world (and anyone else who I may have offended in the past) that I am truly sorry. In the future, I will try to refrain from making such blanket statements about people and try to be a little more understanding and a little less judgemental.

It's not very easy for me to point out my flaws, but I am grateful that I am at least able to recognize them and improve upon them. It is my hope that in blogging about this, you all will now be able to help me out by holding me accountable for the things I say and calling me out on them the next time I post or say something brash.

I'd also like to thank President Hinckley for helping me see the error of my ways. This book has really opened my eyes to the person I am and the person I can become. I'm starting to think I should have read this book in 2000 when it first came out. Maybe then I wouldn't be 10 years late on starting my path to self-improvement.

Creating Something from Nothing...

Is it truly possible to create something from nothing? If I want to create a masterpiece on the piano can I do it from nothing? No. I need the piano. If I want to create a masterpiece on canvas can I do it from nothing? No. I need a canvas. And paint. Basically, I would need the materials necessary to create these masterpieces. That seems logical, right? Well, I'm not sure I completely follow this logic:

"Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going."

That's a quote by the physicist Stephen Hawking from his new book. So, let's see if I understand him... Oh, who am I kidding. I don't understand him. Do any of you understand him? I kind of feel like he's just running his mouth in circles. He says the universe can create itself from nothing but then in the next breath says spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing. What?

I really don't believe any of us can create something from nothing. So if we can't, then how could a universe create itself? Aren't we more intelligent than a bunch of stars and planets? And where did we even come from? Did we just appear out of thin air...from nothing? To me it just seems more logical that a higher power would be involved in this process.

But, that's just me.

I talked about this with a friend who tried to explain all these different theories to me. Even though I understood what he was saying, I still could not understand the concept. It just doesn't make sense to me at all. Isn't it easier to believe in something that does make sense? Take this explanation for instance.

Ultimately, I guess it depends on whether one puts more faith in man or in God. I believe in God. Therefore, I believe that God created all things - including man. And to me, that means God is way more intelligent than man. From that, I can only conclude that His explanation makes more sense.

But, that's just me. Again.

Anyway, I'm curious to know your thoughts! Do you believe the universe spontaneously created itself from nothing and that, therefore, is why we exist?* Sound off below!


*I can't even seem to pose the question in a way that makes sense. That's how confusing it is to me.

No Apology...

Oh, you better believe I bought it.

Now I just have to wait 4-7 days until I can read it.

The Freedom Factor...

I borrowed this book from my mom last weekend and on Friday night, having nothing better to do, I decided to start reading it. I read and I read. Pretty soon, I realized that I couldn't put the book down. I eventually did go to bed, but the minute I woke up Saturday morning I picked it back up. Aside from a brief jaunt to the grocery store and checking out a few Olympic updates on TV, I read all day. I finished it around 8:00pm.

I had never heard of this book, but the premise of the book intrigued me when I saw it at my mom's. It's about a young politician who works as a senior aide to a US Senator. The two of them draft a proposal for a new ammendment to the US constitution that would basically take away the entire checks and balances system. The ammendment is passed in both the House and the Senate and now just needs to be ratified by 3/4 of the States.

The story takes a turn when Nathaniel Gorham, an original founding father of the Constitution, appears to Bryce Sherwood (the young aide to the US Senator). He tries to explain what this new ammendment will do to the Constitution he and so many others literally gave their lives for. Young Sherwood refuses to change his position on the issue and therefore, he is transported to another time where the Constiution of the United States of America was never ratified.

The story really opened my eyes to the importance of the Constitution and just how blessed we really are in America to have the freedoms we have. I take so much for granted. This book helped me to better understand how much the founding fathers really gave for the cause of freedom and liberty. They were murdered, their homes were burned to the ground, they had to go into hiding and live in caves while their families were taken from them. All because they believed in what they were doing and because they believed in the United States of America.

I am so blessed to live in this great country, a land where so many fought and died to give me a better way of life. I don't take enough time to appreciate what they did for me, and what they gave me. The Constitution is probably the greatest document to have ever been written and this country will fall apart if it is ever changed.

The Verdict...

Well, I got to work today and started in on my "work" when a few minutes later the fire alarm went off. Knowing I'd probably be sitting outside for quite awhile while we waited for the fire dept. to show up and do a sweep of the building, I decided to grab Breaking Dawn and haul it outside with me. I was so close to being done that I thought it would be a great opportunity to finally finish it. And it was.

So here is my verdict on the book. It was decent. Despite struggling through the first 200 pages, the story eventually began to pick up, the romance subsided (I can't stand all the gooshy romance crap) and I was able to read it with a little more enjoyment. But it wasn't like the other books in that I found myself more than willing to set this one down and do other things. I could have finished the book last night had I wanted to, but by 8:30pm I was bored of reading it so I tossed it aside and moved on to other stuff.

I think part of my problem was that the book held no surprises for me. I figured everything out before it happened. It all just seemed too predictable and because of that, I felt bored. It just didn't seem to have the same excitement that the other books had; the kind of suspense and intrigue that has one sitting on the edge of their seat or feeling the urge to flip a few pages ahead to make sure nobody died. That was the biggest disappointment for me.

I would go into more specifics of what I did and did not like, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. I'll just say that overall, it was a decent finish. I did think everything tied up nicely at the end. But if I had to pick a favorite book of the series, this one would not be it.

Breaking Dawn....

Stephenie Meyer's new book Breaking Dawn, which is the 4th book in the Twilight Series, is being released at midnight tonight. I can't wait to read it, but I want you all to know that you will not catch me standing in line at midnight to buy it. I am not that much of a fanatic....even though I did already buy tickets for the opening night of Twilight when it comes out December 12th.

UPDATE: My colleague at work finished reading this over the weekend so yesterday she brought it to work and let me borrow it. I took it home and spent last night reading. I'm only a couple hundred pages into it so far, but my initial reaction is that this book is a huge disappointment. The plot drove me crazy, the dialogue drove me crazy. The characters drove me crazy. Every time I turned the page I was saying to myself "this is so stupid!". I kept putting it down and picking it back up. It might take me longer to get through this book than it did the others, but I will save further judgement until I have finished reading it. If anyone else has read (or is reading) this book, let me know what you think (without telling me what happens). Maybe I am just way out in left field.

A Word of Caution...

I finally finished the Twilight series and I have already mentioned the all-consuming pull those books had on me. The books were very good and I recommend them to anyone who likes to read romance/suspense stories. But I give a word of caution first: Don't pick them up if you have important things to attend to, unless you know for sure that you will remember those things and will be able to put the book down! Last night as I was sitting on the couch watching '24', I realized three things: 1) I forgot about my roommate's wedding reception on Friday night; 2) I forgot about my other roommate's birthday; and 3) I forgot about a friend's wedding shower.

I can't say for sure that my obsession with reading these books is the only reason I forgot these events, but I do know that every spare second I had in the past 1 1/2 weeks was dedicated to those books: on the train in the mornings, my morning breaks, my lunch, my afternoon breaks, on the train in the evenings and at home. During work I was constantly thinking about what was going to happen next in the story and wishing I could pick it up and read. At night I barely gave myself time to make dinner before I had the book in my hands. I was even dreaming about the characters in the story! My life for 1 1/2 weeks was entirely about those books. I honestly didn't think about anything else and I am so embarrassed to even admit it.

This is what I always saw happening in my friends when they read Harry Potter. This is why I have never read those books. I didn't want to become that person. But I did. I won't tell anyone not to read the books because I think they are worth reading. But I caution you all to read them only when you are sure you have the time to spare. And even then, try not to let them consume your life.

An Obsession...

Okay, so I have this thing with "popular" books....I can't stand the obsession people have with them. To this day I have not read one Harry Potter book. It's not that I have anything against poor Harry, but I got so sick and tired of hearing about Harry Potter 24/7. By the time book 3 came out I simply had enough! My friends at college were so caught up in it that I couldn't even carry on a normal conversation with them. One of them even told me that she stood in line at midnight to get the new book, read all night, and then stayed home from work to finish reading it. To me, there was something completely wrong with that picture. I had this belief that no book should ever completely consume your life.

But then along came the Twilight Series. I had a friend who recommended that I read Twilight. A year ago I had never heard of this book and I had no idea that it was even a series. I decided to go check it out from the library and I was shocked to see that it had about 100 holds. So, I put it off for a year. Finally, this past Christmas I decided to put it on my Christmas list and I got it.

Last week I picked it up. I really had no idea what to expect, so I opened to the first page and I read. And I continued to read. I could not put the book down! You know when you go to a theatre and you are watching this movie that is so intense that you are literally on the edge of your seat? That is how this book was. Sometimes I found myself flipping forward a few pages just to make sure nobody died because I couldn't stand the suspense. I finished the book in three days.

Then I came to a dilemma. I didn't have books 2 or 3. I thought about buying them, but they aren't available in paperback yet and I didn't want to spend the money for the hardback copies considering I have the first book in paperback. I told my supervisor at work about my dilemma. She owns all three of the books so she was kind enough to let me borrow 2 & 3. I started reading book 2 (New Moon) on Tuesday at lunchtime. I finished it Thursday morning. I would have finished it Wednesday night had I not gone to Institute. And I really need to thank my friend for making me put the book down and go to class. All I wanted to do was READ THE BOOK!

I am in the process of finishing the 3rd book (Eclipse). I'm not going to give a review of the books, but I will say this much: the story is a teenage romance, and there were so many vivid descriptions about the romance that sometimes I felt weird reading it (a grown adult reading about two teenagers making out...yeah, weird). But the rest of it was so intertwined with suspense and intrigue that it was nearly impossible to put down! If you don't believe me, just pick the book up and see what happens.

Needless to say, I have found myself being one of those obsessed people that I can't stand. And quite honestly, I was upset with myself over it. And even though those books are fantastic, I still don't plan on reading Harry Potter anytime soon. I think it's best for me to stay away from it or I may never eat, sleep, or work again.