The easiest move this year

Ladies and gentlemen—or, whomever is still coming to this site—my blogging has moved to another location, a Wordpress blog called The Heasleys. (Click the link!)

The original purpose of this blog is fulfilled, in a way. I set out to write of my adventures at Utah State and getting into the actuarial profession. Now, I'm an actuary! For a wonderful company in Portland, Oregon. Karen and I have talked about combining our blogs, so we recently decided the easiest way to do that is to move to something we both like. We hope you will come with us. It's difficult to say how often we'll post, but you will find our names attached to the posts we write so that if you really don't like one of us, you can just look at the posts of the person you do like.

That's all for now.

I can't not talk about this book

If you have talked with me about anything religious anytime in the past month for any length of time, you have likely heard me say something about this:

This is a book that changed my life.

I say "a book" because there are other books—the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and James E. Talmage's Jesus the Christ, to name a few—that have changed my life as well, and in huge ways. But this book...this book has changed my life most recently and in an unpredictable, unforgettable way. I'm not going to waste your time because you should just be picking up this book right now and not reading anymore of this blog post, but let me just say it is the single best resource right now, aside from the words of prophets, for latter-day Saints to learn to be effective missionaries. I love this book so much I finished reading it and then picked it up the next day to start all over again.

If that doesn't convince you, then you should know Clayton Christensen was quoted in general conference this past weekend, and the quote used was in this book! Let that sink in.

When we lived in McKay and McKenna's ward earlier this year for just under two months, I didn't know why we were there. I mean in that particular ward. But while we were there, a brother in the elders quorum couldn't not talk about this book because it is so amazing. All I ever heard come out of his mouth was how inspiring this book is. He was so passionate about it that his words convinced me to pick it up several weeks after we left the ward. If nothing came out of our time in that ward other than my having picked up this book, then it was still a wonderful use of two months.

I have said nothing about the contents of The Power of Everyday Missionaries for a reason. Just pick it up and start reading. Do it right now. It will change your life.

Words of the prophets

"We're home! We did it!"

Rich didn’t sleep before church. The sadder part is that he was in his crib for “nap time” for almost two hours before we finally took him out and fed him lunch. We just kept thinking, “Maybe he’ll fall asleep soon and get some kind of nap, however short.” So lunch it was. And then rush to church it was.

This morning at home and then again during sacrament meeting, Rich asked for “nursery.” I kept telling him nursery was later. On our way down the hall to nursery, he said it again. “Nursery.” He was very happy to be there.

On our way home, Rich and I talked for a bit. I figured I’d say some pretty complicated things to him so he would have to concentrate too hard and would consequently fall asleep. (Weird plan, I admit, but you just never know what will work.) But for the last few minutes of the ride, I said nothing. Neither of us did. On our way up the driveway, I caught a glance back at him. He was drifting, one eye closed, the other eye half-closed. As soon as we pulled into the garage, I looked back to see if he was close enough that he might go down for a nap. Just as I looked, I saw that one half-closed eye, and then those classic words escaped his mouth. Those words he says about one in three times when we return home from something. “We’re hoooooooome. We did iiiiit,” Rich said in an increasingly soft voice, drawing out the “o” and the “i” more than he normally does. As soon as he finished the word “it,” he was gone. His one eye closed all the way, and he rested at last.

I had to keep from laughing. The boy usually says, “We’re home! We did it!”, but this time it was like it was the last thing he needed to do before he could retire. I quietly removed him from his car seat and carried him upstairs for a comfortable nap in his cool bedroom (courtesy of the rainy weather).

Rich's expectations for church

ME: Rich, we’re going to church. You’re going to go to nursery!

RICH: Nursery.

ME: Yeah, you’ll get to be with the other kids.

RICH: Gwan. (said like Grant)

ME: No, Grant’s not going to be there. But there will be all the other kids.

RICH: Kay.

ME: No, McKay’s not going to be there either. But the other kids will be there.

A minute later, I was getting Rich out of his car seat.

RICH: Kenna.

ME: No, McKenna’s not going to be at church, but you’ll get to be with all the other kids in nursery.

Also, this was Rich's first time running up to the stand during sacrament meeting. We spent the last ten minutes of the meeting in a nearby classroom.