Headed home!

Ems got much happier when we got home.

Lots of hair!

Brand new

I'm running out of cute titles for blog posts

3 generations

Awww

Maddie set up this photo op

Teensy kid

Happy sisters

Sorry Gma Candis for inadvertently cutting off your head!

Content kid

Youtube

A few baby vids are on our youtube channel now...

Final baby update

Hey there everyone on both sides of the family-letting everyone know that I'll post pictures and details as soon as I can tomorrow. Important thing is to make sure Jan and the baby are both stable, which can take some time, so I'll take care of that first. I might not answer if called, won't be placing calls for a bit, etc. so don't worry that things have gone wrong or anything like that-I'll send updates as soon as I can.

Baby

Stay tuned to this spot tomorrow for all your baby news extravaganza. Coverage begins tomorrow morning!

TS

They say that the best weapon is the one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how Dad did it, that's how America does it...and it's worked out pretty well so far.

-Tony Stark

JS

Socialism never took root in America because the poor there see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

-John Steinbeck

h/t Bill Whittle

PF

Beckhem: I'm terribly gobsmacked!
Phineas: Yeah, I guess I could smack a little gob, myself.

-Phineas

FF

Behold evil wizard Millifishmirtz, I hold the sword Excaliferb! This mystical vorpal blade was given to me by The Lady of the Puddle. Get a good look at it, for it is the instrument of your demise! (the blade of the sword falls off the hilt) Well, uh, okay. So big deal, the end comes off.

-Ferb

LVW

A society that chooses between capitalism and socialism does not choose between two social systems; it chooses between social cooperation and the disintegration of society. Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an alternative to any system under which men can live as human beings.

-Ludwig von Mises 

CF

Will you stop squirming? You're a platypus. It's not like you have somewhere to be.

-Candace Flynn

Ha

I think this is the best name for a children's book ever.

HD

If I had a nickel every time I was doomed by a puppet, I'd have two nickels.

-Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz

MJA

God will never stop helping us to become quality people. I promise you this. He will constantly help us to be our best when we walk in the light of truth, hope, and appreciation. Make yours a quality life, for you are important to the Lord.

-Marvin J. Ashton

Baby sister

As depicted by the best artist in the family, Madeleine.

ETB

Now, we have not been using the Book of Mormon as we should. Our homes are not as strong unless we are using it to bring our children to Christ. Our families may be corrupted by worldy trends and teaching unless we know how to use the book to expose and combat the falsehoods in socialism, organic evolution, rationalism, humanism, and so forth.

Our nation will continue to degenerate unless we read and heed the words of the God of this land, Jesus Christ, and quit building up and upholding the secret combinations which the Book of Mormon tells us proved the downfall of both previous American civilizations.

-Ezra Taft Benson

RMN

Anyone who studies the workings of the human body has surely “seen God moving in his majesty and power.” Because the body is governed by divine law, any healing comes by obedience to the law upon which that blessing is predicated.Yet some people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere. Ask yourself, “Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary?” The likelihood is most remote. But if so, it could never heal its own torn pages or reproduce its own newer editions!

-Russell M Nelson

The Pee Wee Knight

The funniest thing I've seen all afternoon.

Brief update

We had some great news today in that the SC company will now allow us to start a few weeks later than we planned, allowing me to stay with Jan and the kids during the recovery time. This saves on a huge headache and saves quite a bit of time and money too. So now we're set for an 8/14 move. MUCHHHHH better!

South Carolina, or The Silver Skates

Sorry, I couldn't resist. That's from my favorite book title ever, 'Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates.' Apparently the author couldn't make up his mind and just wanted it both ways. It would be nice if you could name children that way. "Hans Brinker, or Larry Morris."


Where was I? Oh yeah, how our lives are about to change again. We're almost definitely moving to Greenville, South Carolina. I say almost definitely because there's a small chance another job may be making an offer. But it's just a small chance, and in any case we're going full speed ahead on SC unless the stars align perfectly.


How did we get here? It started last December when I got a new boss, and she made it clear from the start that she and I didn't see eye to eye. Ever since then, my life has been a Kevin Spacey movie poster.

Specifically, this one.

It's been rough, and I've tried very very hard to find something else. I got very close on a few occasions. I had a good opportunity in Florence, SC that didn't pan out, and I had something in Oklahoma City and San Diego that were 95% sure things except the pay didn't work in SD and we really didn't want to live in Oklahoma City. 

Every morning has the same. I wake up early and review literally 20-25 emails with dozens of jobs each on them from job sites. This year I have sent out approximately 25 resumes, which doesn't sound like much except I wrote a very detailed cover letter with each one and customized my resume to emphasize different things depending on the job. I only heard back on a small hand full of them. It was difficult.

Fortunately, with no formal ties to Texas, we had the luxury of looking at jobs in the whole country. That was nice, and it opened up the possibilities a lot more. 

In May, a friend at the COB arranged interviews with two department heads there. I spent 50% of my vacation meeting with them. It was valuable time, and both gentlemen were very friendly, but the more interested one of the two said "I might have something for you soon. Possibly in as little as 2-3 years or so." 

That week I went to a job interview on Wednesday and Thursday, a wedding on Friday, flew home to Texas on Saturday, hopped on a plane to Pittsburgh for a job interview on Sunday,  interviewed on Monday, and flew back Monday night. What a week.

Pittsburgh was gorgeous. It was like Middle Earth-that's an odd description but you'd have to see it to understand. I've never seen so many hills and mountains and cool valleys and bridges. I've really never been anywhere like it before. I really liked it. The company I interviewed with is the one that is the 'remote possibility' one I mentioned at the beginning. They have offices in Pittsburgh and Fort Worth, and just today expressed potential interest in 'talking to me.' It's remote; I'm not counting on it, but conceivably something could occur.

My view at lunch on the interview day.

I kept on applying for things and a few weeks later saw an escrow-related job in Greenville, SC. I applied, and they called right away. I had an interview 1 day later and 4 days later I was on a plane to Greenville.

It was nice. Not Pittsburgh gorgeous but better than Texas, with more trees and hills. Plus the town is 30 minutes from an honest to goodness Tennessee mountain range & forest, and is 2 hours away from Columbus, SC, Charlotte, NC, and Atlanta, GA. And it's 3 1/2 hours away from the Atlantic ocean. 

A pretty park area downtown in Greenville

It's a very small company and the job is a step down in title and salary. But they're growing and I really liked the people I'll be working with. Plus, just to get me, they took the job to the CEO and made it a manager and got much more salary for it than it started out as. To work for people that really want me and are fighting for me rather than with me is something I haven't experienced for a while.

So I'm headed out there at the end of this month. My Sister-in-law and Mother-in-law will both be arriving to help with Jan and the new baby, who is due in just 11 days. It's going to be very difficult to leave my little family for a few weeks, but I will be back quickly to pick them up once Jan is ready.

There are many other logistics of all this but this is the long and short of it. We've been on a real adventure all year, never quite knowing what was next. Lots of prayers and lots of applications finally paid off, and it took a lot of discouragement and disappointment to get here. I'm sorry if I've seemed stressed or not myself this year-my mind has definitely been elsewhere. That should all hopefully resolve soon. We've very blessed to have the families we have-thanks everyone for the love and support.

HE pt 2

Story about Henry Eyring as relayed by Henry B. Eyring:

Dad was the senior high councilor in his stake, and he had the responsibility for the welfare farm. An assignment was given to weed a field of onions, so Dad assigned himself to go work on the farm. He never told me how hard it was, but I have met several people who were with him that day. I talked to one of them on the phone, and he said that he was weeding in the row next to Dad through much of the day. He told me the same thing that others who were there have told me. He said that the pain was so great that Dad was pulling himself along on his stomach for him to kneel. Everyone who has talked to me about that day has remarked how Dad smiled and laughed and talked happily with them as they worked in the field of onions. 

Now, this is the joke Dad told me on himself afterward. He said he was there at the end of the day. After all the work was finished and the onions were all weeded, someone said to him, 'Henry, good heavens! You didn't pull those weeds, did you? Those weeds were sprayed two days ago, and they were going to die anyway." 

Dad just roared. He thought that was the funniest thing. He thought it was a great joke on himself. He had worked through the day on the wrong weeds.  

When Dad told me this story, I knew how tough it was. So I asked him, "Dad, how could you make a joke out of that? How could you take it so pleasantly?" He said something to me that I will never forget, and I hope you won't. He said, "Hal, I wasn't there for the weeds."

-Henry B. Eyring

(In minor blog news, bear with me as I figure out my new Paint program. It has some issues with stuff, and thus my pictures will look even lamer than usual for a time...)

In the baby zone

GBH

Things work out, it isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out, don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in him, if we will pray to him, if we will live worthy of his blessings, he will hear our prayers.

-Gordon B. Hinckley

(And yes, I know this isn't one of my better likenesses. Wrinkles are hard.)

DFU

Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

BF

I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. — I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.

-Benjamin Franklin, 1766 

A Republic, if you can keep it

LF

BOM

I've always wanted to have a really good Book of Mormon movie made-or for that matter, several movies, since it's a long book and many stories/people could easily fill up an entire movie. The Book of Mormon has all the perfect elements for a movie-drama, action, romance, humor, mystery, violence, special effects, redemption-it's all there.

Inspired by this series of posters, I've decided to start up my own series of Book of Mormon teaser posters in the hopes than an eccentric LDS billionaire will stumble across them and be inspired to fund a really good, high budget, tons of CGI, Book of Mormon movie series.

And I know the perfect place to start:

OP

I found out more about the 'Constitution will hang by a thread' prophecy. It's specifically from Joseph Smith, although Orson Hyde, John Taylor, and Orson Pratt clarified it and provided some important details. First up, Elder Pratt [Pictured above, and yes he really looked like that]:

[God] will speedily fulfill the prophecy in relation to the overthrow of this nation, and their destruction. We shall be obliged to have a government to preserve ourselves in unity and peace; for they, through being wasted away, will not have power to govern; for state will be divided against state, city against city, town against town, and the whole country will be in terror and confusion; mobocracy will prevail and their [sic] will be no security, through this great Republic, for the lives or property of the people. 

Next up, Joseph for the original prophecy:

The time will come when the destiny of the nation will hang upon a single thread. At that critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction.

Next, Orson Hyde:

It is said that brother Joseph in his lifetime declared that the Elders of this Church should step forth at a particular time when the Constitution should be in danger, and rescue it, and save it. This may be so; but I do not recollect that he said exactly so. I believe he said something like this - that the time would come when the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an overthrow; and said he, if the Constitution be saved at all, it will be by the Elders of this Church. I believe this is about the language as nearly as I can recollect it. 

The question is whether it will be saved at all, or not. I do not know that it matters to us whether it is or not: the Lord will provide for and take care of his people, if we do every duty, and fear and honour him, and keep his commandments; and he will not leave us without a Constitution.

And finally, President Taylor:

When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States the Elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations. This is part of the program, and as long as we do what is right and fear God, he will help us and stand by us under all circumstances.

Combined with these and some other apostle quotes, the gist of it is that the US will descend into some kind of "Thunderdome" scenario and the Church will be the only safe place in the country. We will govern ourselves and we will do so by the original Constitution, because the rest of the country will have rejected the Constitution and will hold it 'inviolate' or null/invalid. Given this, my original understanding was wrong, and I'm glad for that because this info makes far more sense to me.