We got "Facebook"! How about you? ;-)

We both joined Facebook recently, I joined in an effort to network for a new job and Mirinda did mostly did after she saw all of the old friends I was reconnecting with.
I have been doing my best to network on Facebook, but it hasn't gone too well.
It's a really cool networking site, I have reconnected with a lot old acquaintances and even some family, I have also made some new friends and as well as keep up with current friends.
I was surprised to find as many people as I have on Facebook, there are a lot of people I have met on other forums that I am also friends with on Facebook now.
There's a lot on Facebook, so much in fact that you could waste a lot of time on it, there are games, groups of many kinds to name a few things. You can also post pics and comment on them too. One of the funniest things I like doing is making witty status updates. The default on it is "Brian is", but you an change the verb, it's really corny sometimes, writing in the third person, but that's where the fun can be had.
Some of my recent status updates have been, "Brian has an interview tomorrow! YES!"
"Brian is ready to begin a new chapter in his life. Who or where will it be with?", " Brian is fishing today! Salmo trutta watch out", Edit
Brian is stimulated by stimulators..... As in flies for fishing." and "Brian is fiddling with his website, while speaking in the third person."
Some people make minute by minute status changes, but I think that's too much, I usually make a few a week, Mirinda does a little less.

So if you are on Facebook, look us up! We'll be your friend... ;-)

This old mug...

I have had this coffee mug for eight years or so now, I got it sometime just after I started working full time with the Guard. For the most part it has been back and forth to work with me over the span of those eight years. I drank the hot sweet coffee from it on my early morning drive to work; pouring coffee into it, along with the milk and sugar is usually the last thing I do before I head out the door.
When I am in the truck or the car, I put it right in the center console with the handle turned to the right, so I can easily grab it and take a long slow drink.
Over the many trips to work I have drank from it thousands of times, and several gallons of coffee in it, I usually listen to KUER FM 90 (the local NPR affiliate) and have heard many wonderful news stories as I driven to work. I can't begin to remember how many stories I have heard that involved Soldiers. Soldiers leaving their families, Soldiers preparing to go to war, Soldiers at war, Soldiers on leave from war, Soldiers who have been injured, families dealing with things back home while their Soldier is at war. There have been other stories of course, but it those stories that I will remember the most.
I am in my last days of being a Soldier, and in the last days of working at the job I had before I was mobilized. I have only been there a few weeks now and as you probably know will only be there for a few more. I am grateful that I have something to come back, even it if is only for a very brief time, at least I have a job, even though I wish was at a new job, but that will happen soon though!
On my commute to my new job, I won't be using this old mug anymore; it will be time for a new one, just like it's time for a new job for me.
Mirinda got me a new one, the one hiding behind this old mug, but I want to wait until to use it for that first commute to that new job...

Cool Stuff

5 weeks and counting- that is 5 weeks that Brian will be employed with no sign of a job thereafter. I am going back and forth between peace and panic. Mostly I am just trying to think carefully about every dollar we spend. No we don’t need to get the windshield fixed. Yes we do need to go out to dinner this weekend. Yup, priorities are in place.

So I have found some cool ways to save/spend money and I wanted to pass them along

· Free seeds! On December 31st the Peoples Market is sponsoring a seed swap. These are not commercially produced seeds and many are heirloom varieties. 5:00 p.m. at Sorensen Unity Center 1307 South 900 West. You don’t need to bring seeds to leave with seeds.
· Cheep dinner! The Old Spaghetti Factory is turning 40. The next three Monday and Tuesdays they are offering 40% off. This makes my favorite half mizithra and half meet sauce dinner only $5.99 and that includes bread, salad, iced tea, and spumoni. Yummy! http://www.osf.com/menu/annv-40Off-menu.pdf
· Free Warm. I have to thank Marnie for this one. We just had insulation installed in the crawl space of our previously completely un-insulated 1962 home. What a huge difference. You can go to the kitchen in the morning without slippers! Just call Jake Warner at 808-3270. It is a win-win as the rebate from the gas company covers the cost for the company, plus a little, and the company gets to keep their guys busy.
· Free stuff. Reuse-reduce-recycle or give it to someone who can. Both Craig’s List http://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/zip/ and KSL Classifieds http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=231&cat=272 offer a place to pick up stuff for free. It is hit and miss and you have to be fast to get the good stuff, but I have found lots of things I want. Landscape rocks, firewood, canning jars, there was a picnic table we missed out on once. Just ignore the sob stories. At least half of them are fake.

Let me know if you have something to add to my list.

Happy 2009

This year I resolve to not make any resolutions. My plate is full, not overflowing, but filled with things I want on it. Carefully chosen items from the buffet available in this amazing time and place. I know from experience, that as with an actual buffet, my tendency is to overfill my plate, and then I get sick. I want to take on too much and overstuff my life. Experience has taught me that when I overstuff, my head and heart explode and then I don’t enjoy anything. Ok, so it took me several explosions to learn this, but I hope that finally I have the lesson down.

There are lots of things I would like to add, but they will have to wait. For now I will enjoy my marriage, my church, my friends, my family, my job, my home, my garden, the adoption process, the fight for chickens in my city, etc. etc. etc.

2008 had its ups and downs.

The best:
1. The process of deciding to add to our family
2. Our 24th of July party
3. Brian’s last year on active duty
4. Our garden
5. The election

The worst:
1. The process of deciding to add to our family
2. Having our house broken into and loosing the sense of security in our sanctuary.
3. Another year living with war (such a miserable dinner companion)
4. The election

May 2009 be more joyful, peaceful, and loving for all of us.

A little camp for Christmas.....

I don't know about you, but I like a little camp every now and again, and some of the campiest things I like are movies. I mean there's something funny about a movie or piece of art or whatever, that is just so over the top, artificial and tasteless that I find funny. Which was the case of a movie we saw on TV the day after Christmas, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
It's one of those movies that I am sure the actors in it probably don't list on the resumes, even though you'll see it listed on IMDB.
Although there was one actor I am sure most of you will recognize, Pia Zador, who had a small part as the girl Martian "Girmar", get it? Girl Martian? Other campy Martian names were, Bomar, a male Martian, Dropo, Kimar, Rigna and Hargo.
The costumes in it were hilarious too, I can only imagine that the budget it was was small to say the least. For example, the Martians had what looked like football helmets, from the 60's, on their heads, that didn't have the face guards. Coming out their head's was a piece of flexible copper tubing, that went from one side to the other. The Martians as you can imagine had green faces, which as the movie went on, would less and less green and would show more of the actor's normal flesh color. I am guessing that the movie was shot in one day becasue of this.
Other noteable campy items, includ the descriptive markings and sayings on the Martian space ship, one said "Radar Box" on the radar panel.
The opening song was also very campy, and I am talking 1964 camp for that matter, which was when the movie was released.
Even the plot is campy! The children of Mars are sad and want things like we do here on Earth, they are able to watch television from Earth, so the chief Martian, Kimar devises a plan to kidnap the Santa Claus.
HERE is a listng of what appears to be the entire movie chapter by chapter, all 21 of them.
At the very least check out the link below, it's the opening..
S-A-N-T-Y C-L-A-U-S!

Commencement

Tonight we graduated from the foster care classes and now have only “Packet B” before we can have our home study and be licensed to adopt.

What a rollercoaster this class has been as it prepares us for the real ride we are about to begin. My thoughts and feeling have completely changed over the 32 hours. If I can sum it up in one sentence, there are a lot of kids out there that need to be loved back to happily ever after.

I am no longer resentful of the piles of paperwork, the hours of classes, and the personal examination. If the hoops we have to jump through prevent one kid from being taken from a bad situation to another bad situation it is worth it.

I also feel that if the first child that comes to our home, does not end up being our daughter that I will just be honored for the opportunity to love her and help bring about what is best for her.
I went into this wanting. Wanting to do whatever ridiculous dance I had to do to get my daughter. I just wanted my kid. I was hungry to be a parent.

Now I just feel so full of love and hope for not only the children that need foster and adoptive parents, but for their parents.

Before I felt nothing but negativity, contempt and hatred, for anyone who would dare harm a child, but especially someone who could hurt, or allow to be hurt, their own flesh. Now I have a greater sympathy for those that have their child removed from them. Before the classes I felt nothing but heroism for the opportunity to save a child. Now I feel so sad for the loss the child will suffer at being torn from the only parent they know, no matter what a monster that parent may be.

I am sure this peace will not last. I know I will be annoyed as I learn to live with locks on cupboards and doors. I know I will be impatient as the process continues. I know I will be angry as I learn what someone has done to a child I love. But I am so grateful for this deep, emotional, understanding. I am grateful for this education.

It really is coming to an end...

I was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, just as I thought I would be the other day, how it happened caught me off guard a little bit though. As you may know I am on my final leave from my mobilization, which means I don't have to wear the uniform or shave for that matter. I needed to see the doctor at work, because I needed a form signed by a doctor for the foster care licensing packet so I went in to work. I hadn't shaved and if you have seen me lately you'll know that I am growing a goatee for a bit, and the shirt I was wearing wasn't the cleanest shirt in the world. When I got there it about for the weekly staff brief, which I knew about obviously, but wasn't expecting to stay for, until the first sergeant saw me. He asked me if I could stay for the briefing, because he had an award for me, I kind of had an idea what it was when he pulled out all of the boxes and envelopes from his desk. I was more expecting to receive the Meritorious Service Medal, from what will be my Guard unit and not from this unit, but I think that getting it from this unit makes it more special. Even though I have a short commitment remaining to the Guard, getting this medal really leads to me to believe that my commitment to the military will be coming to an end after all, which is what I want.

The citation reads:
For exceptional meritorious service to the Utah National Guard. You have served faithfully in many positions of great responsibility ad have earned the trust and respect of those whom you served. Your tenure as a mentor, leader and friend of the Guard is seen in the many Soldiers who emulate your leadership qualities. You are a professional who continually sets and enforces high standards. Your actions and professionalism are in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service.

WOW huh!?
If you look at the site for the Meritorious Service Medal, you'll see a small list of some well known recipiants, I know there are many, many more fine men and women who have also been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, it's really a honor to been awarded it and have served our great contry for all these years.

In addition the Meritorious Service Medal, there were a few other documents and what not, but there was one that was equally as important and that was the certificate of appreciation for Mirinda. It's often been said that the second hardest job in the military is that of the spouse, which very true and Mirinda and I have been very fortunate since we've been together that I have been able to come home most every night.
Thanks for being the best wife any service member could ever ask for Mirinda!


Since I am talking about military awards, I want to let you know about 10 soldiers who were awarded the Silver Star recently. These 10 soldiers are the epitomy of what it means to be a Soldier.
Silver Star record for unit in Afghan cliff clash