Tonight, we had a Family Home Evening lesson on strengthening our family.
"In clever and carefully camouflaged ways, he [the devil] is attacking commitment to family life throughout the world . . . . Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and important responsibility." - Elder L. Tom Perry
Karen and I discussed how increasingly selfish the world is becoming and how it is therefore increasingly important to spend time as a family and to build, as Elder Perry says, our own family culture. Being so busy this past year has made me appreciate so much more the time I have to spend with my family, whenever I can get the chance.
Showing posts with label family time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family time. Show all posts
Monday, November 26, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving, a.k.a. Independence Day
In taking time to study for Exam P last week, I had to sacrifice precious time to do homework. Hence, I started an important stats assignment yesterday and worked on it all yesterday and today. It was due by 11:59 tonight, and I think I finished my online submission just after 11:30. Close call, I know. I had to call it quits on a few things that I wasn’t too certain of, but hopefully I can just do my best.
Oh, and I should mention. I’m free! As soon as I submitted my assignment this evening, I became a free man. I have the entire Thanksgiving break with my family now. Every day, I work hard so that I can spend some ounce of time with them, and now I can spend time with them for several days. We are all very excited.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
The algebra lion
Miracle of miracles, I spent time with my family this morning and early afternoon. I've been so busy that posting on my blog—which usually consists of copying and pasting from my journal—has been challenging. This semester is crazygonuts.
The definite upside? I scored 100% on my first probability exam and 79% on my first linear regression exam! Linear regression is a very difficult course—easily the most brain-demanding course I've ever taken—but I'm getting through and making sense of it. Right now, my overall grade stands at a 93%, which I'm very happy about.
Guifang, my linear regression professor, commented on the results of the first exam yesterday. She told a story about her first semester in America, how she hardly understood the language and struggled through her abstract algebra course. She didn't perform well at first, but, she said "I have a strong heart." She worked hard and got through it. And now she's teaching! I think her first semester in America was six years ago or something like that. Pretty incredible.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
A troubling tale of vengeance and conspiracy
We did an FHE activity this week with McKay and McKenna. Karen came up with this brilliant idea to write a story together! So, we wrote a three-sentence paragraph, blacked out the first two sentences, and let McKay and McKenna write the second paragraph. This went on for a while, each couple blacking out the first two sentences and only showing the third. This way, we never knew what the full story was. Ultimately, here is the disturbing story we wrote together after all was revealed (we are odd numbered paragraphs, McKay and McKenna are even numbered paragraphs):
[1] It was a cold, dark, stormy, vengeful night. Snaps and Kenna the Bad had just exited Utah, leaving behind a curse on the good people of Logan—most particularly on the spectacular duo Bonesy and The Wren. But unbeknownst to Snaps and Kenna, Bonesy and The Wren had a dastardly plan up their own sleeves.
[2] But not as dastardly as the one the genius minds of Snaps and Kenna had waiting for the two unsuspecting Loganians. The rockets were in place, the alligators were alert and the spikes were soon to drop. Little did Wren and Bonesy know until they read this sentence that the masterminds had blown their cover and their plan.
[3] It was true; the masterminds had yet again proven themselves a thorn in the side—a thorn that had to be plucked! Bonesy and The Wren called the only person they knew they could trust to eliminate the masterminds. It was time for THE MASTERMASTERMIND!!
[4] With each throw of their pick axes Wren and Bonesy lifted their weary and weak bodies one step closer to the throne of the MASTERMASTERMIND. Suddenly S&K swooped down turning the gas on their jet packs just low enough to reach the weary travelers and their tiny pick axes and throw them mercilessly from the mountainside. The ever popular S&K pressed onward towards the MASTERMASTERMIND and his golden throne of power.
[5] The MASTERMASTERMIND waited patiently for their arrival, fingering the secret button beneath his armrest. Just as S&K approached, the MASTERMASTERMIND cackled and said, “They’ll...never...make...it...in...TIME...BWAHAHAHABWAHA!!” He pushed the button.
[6] Having unbelievably good foresight S&K had planned for such a button and sent a tiny sparrow to gnaw away the cables connecting the button to its devious purpose. With dismay W&B realized they had been outdone and had nothing to show for their plan but a broken button and broken hearts. And this is where we leave the wee W&B sorrowing over the loss of their precious button and with it the entirety of their small minded plan.
[7] Or so they thought. Suddenly, as S&K were chortling over their seemingly good success in thwarting the pillars of awesomeness called W&B, S choked on some spittle and promptly died. At the loss of her beloved, K sobbed bitterly, fell to the ground in despair, flung back her golden locks and cried, “I’ll never love as profusely again! Wooga wooga—I am now the ENCHANTRESS!!”
[8] As B&W walked away smugly K knew she would have her revenge and it would be sweet. K grinned to herself for she knew that at this very moment snaps was alive and hidden in the belly of a geniously positioned alligator. As she mused the first of the spikes began to drop like rain.
[9] K’s soulless eyes watched coldly at first, but her stony heart began to fill with warmth and light as she remembered the dying words of her departed lover. Unable to control her powers, the destructive spikes suddenly became life-giving drops of love. Before her eyes she now saw her dear S resurrected as...A HUNCHBACK ZOMBIE...with B&W and the rest of humanity lifeless upon the earth—”An eye for an eye,” she howled.
[10] Little did they know the belly of the alligator was filled with not only her beloved in the resurrected form of a hunchback zombie but also with the sweet nectar of a life resuming concoction. But instead of using this concotion she threw it to the ground kissing her love and turning into a zombie herself and joining the pair and her sweet in zombie bliss. The Mastermastermind sat back on his golden throne and reminisced on the strange happenings of the two pairs and how the only successful plan had been his own. DUM DUM DUM
[1] It was a cold, dark, stormy, vengeful night. Snaps and Kenna the Bad had just exited Utah, leaving behind a curse on the good people of Logan—most particularly on the spectacular duo Bonesy and The Wren. But unbeknownst to Snaps and Kenna, Bonesy and The Wren had a dastardly plan up their own sleeves.
[2] But not as dastardly as the one the genius minds of Snaps and Kenna had waiting for the two unsuspecting Loganians. The rockets were in place, the alligators were alert and the spikes were soon to drop. Little did Wren and Bonesy know until they read this sentence that the masterminds had blown their cover and their plan.
[3] It was true; the masterminds had yet again proven themselves a thorn in the side—a thorn that had to be plucked! Bonesy and The Wren called the only person they knew they could trust to eliminate the masterminds. It was time for THE MASTERMASTERMIND!!
[4] With each throw of their pick axes Wren and Bonesy lifted their weary and weak bodies one step closer to the throne of the MASTERMASTERMIND. Suddenly S&K swooped down turning the gas on their jet packs just low enough to reach the weary travelers and their tiny pick axes and throw them mercilessly from the mountainside. The ever popular S&K pressed onward towards the MASTERMASTERMIND and his golden throne of power.
[5] The MASTERMASTERMIND waited patiently for their arrival, fingering the secret button beneath his armrest. Just as S&K approached, the MASTERMASTERMIND cackled and said, “They’ll...never...make...it...in...TIME...BWAHAHAHABWAHA!!” He pushed the button.
[6] Having unbelievably good foresight S&K had planned for such a button and sent a tiny sparrow to gnaw away the cables connecting the button to its devious purpose. With dismay W&B realized they had been outdone and had nothing to show for their plan but a broken button and broken hearts. And this is where we leave the wee W&B sorrowing over the loss of their precious button and with it the entirety of their small minded plan.
[7] Or so they thought. Suddenly, as S&K were chortling over their seemingly good success in thwarting the pillars of awesomeness called W&B, S choked on some spittle and promptly died. At the loss of her beloved, K sobbed bitterly, fell to the ground in despair, flung back her golden locks and cried, “I’ll never love as profusely again! Wooga wooga—I am now the ENCHANTRESS!!”
[8] As B&W walked away smugly K knew she would have her revenge and it would be sweet. K grinned to herself for she knew that at this very moment snaps was alive and hidden in the belly of a geniously positioned alligator. As she mused the first of the spikes began to drop like rain.
[9] K’s soulless eyes watched coldly at first, but her stony heart began to fill with warmth and light as she remembered the dying words of her departed lover. Unable to control her powers, the destructive spikes suddenly became life-giving drops of love. Before her eyes she now saw her dear S resurrected as...A HUNCHBACK ZOMBIE...with B&W and the rest of humanity lifeless upon the earth—”An eye for an eye,” she howled.
[10] Little did they know the belly of the alligator was filled with not only her beloved in the resurrected form of a hunchback zombie but also with the sweet nectar of a life resuming concoction. But instead of using this concotion she threw it to the ground kissing her love and turning into a zombie herself and joining the pair and her sweet in zombie bliss. The Mastermastermind sat back on his golden throne and reminisced on the strange happenings of the two pairs and how the only successful plan had been his own. DUM DUM DUM
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