Ride for the Brand

     Hello all.  I want to apologize in the beginning because this is going to be a long post.  If you're up for it and actually get to the end, hopefully there's something in here to help you or someone you care about if they're having a hard time.      This time of year is kind of a difficult one at times.  It's also a very busy time for us.  Before I get to the reasons behind the challenges, let me give you some background:      So for the first 25 years of my life there was someone that I had the privilege of knowing.  Even though that might seem like a long time, I really was only close with this person for maybe the first 12 years of that 25.  We were best friends.  We would play in the sandbox together, with LEGOs, sports, and whatever other things were around.  Even if they weren't play things we'd play with them.      I remember playing outside and pretending to be this or tha...

To start off, I know this isn't a well-written article, none of these are, but thank you for giving me a small audience to speak to and for your patience in my ramblings.     Well, after taking a short sabbatical, I figured it was time to get back on.  Hopefully everyone had a good Christmas and New Year.  I know we did.      I've been thinking about some things and one of the things that always enters my mind is common decency.  Nowadays that seems to be an oxymoron because decency seems to be anything but common.  As recent as 20-30 years ago society had a code.  That code said that if something was defamatory, degrading, or just plain rude then you avoided those topics.  If something was private, it was private.  With the advent of social media there's been an influx of, in my opinion, could be called moral degradation.      Back then when someone had an embarrassing moment, it was limited to the people tha...

I'll try to make this one short so you don't have to get bored of reading my rants.  I've been thinking lately about the world and about things people say.  One of the subjects that gives me great concern but also great amusement is all the hatred the LDS church gets.  It's sad to see some people be so vehemently opposed to an organization that does so much good, yet comical to hear people's reasons.  I've yet to hear one good reason for someone leaving the church.  Sure there are people who have issues with Bishops, Stake Presidents, someone said or did something and made you mad.  But those are people.  Nobody has been able to tell me how the church has hurt them. "Well, they tore my family apart!"  Did the LDS church really tear your family apart or was it the individual choices you were all making?  "Well, I just don't agree with the doctrine."  What don't you agree with?  That Jesus is the Son of God and Savior of the world? ...

     Hello all.  Since it's been a month since my last rant, I figured I was due.  Things have been going well in our household.  A new baby has changed things.  Kind of different when it's been four years since you had a newborn.  It was a decision we made a while ago to have another one, but not one that we took lightly.  We weighed the pros and cons, talked finances, and ultimately prayed about it.  So now we're a family of 5, and we love it.      As for my rant, there's something that's always been frustrating and annoying to me and that is the idea of Christianity as it's seen from a world view.  Now, let me start off by saying that I am 100% Christian.  I believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.  There are many things that have helped me come to this conclusion, but that's for another time.  You might be asking, "Well, that's nothing special.  There are millions of Christians in...

     I just wanted to jot down a few thoughts I've been having.  With all the cool things happening with medicine, Mars, space, and other scientific breakthroughs there's one thing that always amuses me:  people assume that science and religion can't exist together.      As a member of the LDS church I have been taught and believe that we are not the only living things in the universe.  Scientifically speaking it can't be possible, either.  With the billions of stars and planets, especially all those in the "hospitable zone", there is no chance we are the only life.  It's ridiculous to think that.      Another issue I have is that people think things are random.  Why couldn't a being that is supreme use science to create or put things together?  Why can't God use science?  The laws of the universe are His laws.  He is a God of science.  He doesn't do magic, he uses the principles of chemistr...

Well, this one is just going to be some fun.  No rants, no soap box.  We came in 5th at the State Fair Dutch Oven Cook Off.  It was fun.  Hope you enjoy these as much as I do/did. http://hereistoday.com/ http://htwins.net/scale2/ http://www.artofmanliness.com http://www.stevespanglerscience.com http://soundsjustlike.com/ http://www.vat19.com http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3A2mPYq670CY3FLB9qOwLQ http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHCph-_jLba_9atyCZJPLQQ http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRijo3ddMTht_IHyNSNXpNQ If you find any others that are appropriate you'd like to add, just put the link int he comments.  Enjoy! BJ

     Well, here it is another week.  Liz is ready to be done with this pregnancy.  Brinley is loving school.  Wyatt is Wyatt and is always fun and curious.      This post is going to be a little more on the serious side again.  I've been doing a lot of thinking about life and the things that happen.  With so much going on in the world that seems horrible how can there be any hope?  How can we have anything to look forward to?  The answer that I've found that seems to fit the best and help the most is pretty simple on the face but extremely complex underneath.  There is one thing that encompasses all.  The cool thing about it is that it applies to everyone whether they want to accept it or not.  Whether they believe in it or not.  That's the cool thing.  The sad thing is that there are those that haven't ever had the chance to learn about it.  The most disappointing and frustrating thing is th...

      Hello everyone.  This post will be more on the serious and hopefully informative side.  There's been a lot of talk lately about women and the priesthood.  Lots of women apparently feel that they are being discriminated against or denied blessings because they can't "hold" the priesthood.  I'd like to address this and help everyone maybe gain a more broad yet defined perspective.      First, the idea that men hold the priesthood and are in charge is ridiculous.  Men are ordained to the priesthood and called to offices in the priesthood to help the church run smoothly, but women hold just as important if not more important positions in the church.  While there may not be a female President of the Church in the near future, that doesn't mean women don't help run the church and can't receive important revelation.  In the Old and New Testaments there were women prophets.  There can be today.  But there will alw...

Well, I certainly let that get away from me...      So, in the last 2 years we've done quite a bit.  First off, we bought a little house across the freeway and moved in on Christmas Eve 2011.  Then my parents moved up to Plain City.  Brinley started kindergarten last year and is in first grade this year.  I lost my job, then got another job, then got my job back.  We are having a baby girl in October.  Wyatt turned 4.  I also started school this year.  Finally, huh?  It's about time.       Life has a funny way of keeping you sober, doesn't it?  Not only has all of that happened in the last couple years, but Grandma Cheever passed away last August, my Aunt Karen passed away just before Thanksgiving, and Grandpa Redford passed away in July.  Yet the world still turns.  I went to Scout Camp last year and this year to help some boys become men.  Hopefully they will.      One of my...

  Where to begin.  After a few changes, things have stayed the same.  BJ is working at Marketstar in Ogden for a new Google campaign, Liz is doing nails still, and Brinley and Wyatt are rotten as ever.  For any interested, we were coerced into entering the dutch oven competition at the Davis County Fair August 20th, so go ahead and stop by to make us a little nervous.  It's our first one.   We're moving closer and closer to being able to get a home of our own, that's pretty exciting.  As far as everything else, about the same, but like the Man In Black said, I guess things happen that way.  We were able to go to the amazing U2 concert in May.  We were 20 feet from the stage and they walked over us on the bridge a few times.  Great experience.   Our wonderful sister Erin let us take care of her house while she and Ryan were gone, now that's what I call trust.  They and so many others do so much for us.   At times I feel ...

     One of the most important things in life is doing what you think you should be doing.  It's also one of the hardest things to learn.  When you think that you've done all you can, you find that you still have  good way to go.  Or you find that all you've done has been for the benefit of someone who needed you when you were there, and you don't realize what you've done before it's too late to thank them for allowing you the opportunity to help.  In life there are two choices that ultimately decide the direction you go for a little while.  You can choose to go by what will keep you in your comfortable bubble with the illusion of safety, or you can choose to take a chance on something with no guarantees and break that bubble, risking the safety you imagine is yours.  Either way, you reap what you sow.  You either end up with what you thought you always wanted, mediocrity and the thrill of being average and ordinary, or the sat...

Wheew, talk about a lapse in post's! A couple years ago, I (Liz) made a plaque that says: "Ride for the Brand". And we had a few people ask what it meant, I have been thinking about it lately so I'm going to tell you where I got it from and what it means... Because I can :)   The history of the American West is filled with these kinds of phrases that reveal the nature of the men and women who came west.  "Ride for the brand" in the words of the western writer, Louis L'Amour, was "an expression of loyalty to a man's employer or the particular outfit he rode for.  It was considered a compliment of the highest order in an almost feudal society.  If a man did not like a ranch or the way they conducted their affairs he was free to quit, and many did, but if he stayed on, he gave loyalty and expected it."  I like to think about this phrase, in the terms of F...

Have you ever been in a place where everything seems to be against you, but you don't feel pressured or scared because the Lord knows you and what you need? Have you ever found you can endure more than you thought or when you stopped to think about something, it really wasn't that big a deal? I have finally, after 7 LONG years at the same horrible place, freed myself and burned the bridges of captivity. Liz is going to be starting work as a nail instructor, our kids are healthy and growing. Everything now feels right. As bad as life gets sometimes, there is never enough bad that can justify a loss of faith in God. "Armies may assemble, calumny may defame..." He is always there for us, and we need to "Become as a little child...willing to submit to whatsoever the Lord sees fit to inflict upon him." Just because life can get VERY hard and frustrating doesn't mean we have permission to give up and stop what we're doing. I learned an interesting...

This is it, the time has come for all those who believe in high morals and standards to stand up and stop letting those with less care and low morals take control. We have a voice and we need to use it. The world isn't getting any better by just sitting around doing nothing. Anybody that wants to fight, lets fight! Participate in local government affairs. How many politicians have been in trouble for sexual indiscretion and alcohol abuse? Don't let the bad overshadow the good! I know we get tired of hearing it, but we can do it together! Let's stand up and make some noise! Movies, TV, the Internet and even public schools are breaking down the barriers of good and bad and calling it "acceptance." There's a reason that those things were frowned upon for so long. Who's with me?

Fun with Cousins! Liz's sister Charlotte and her Daughter Tami, came down from Washington for a few days. All the girls (and Wyatt) went to the dinosaur park to have some fun. It was great because Tami has never met Brinley and Wyatt before and had not seen the rest of the fam. for a few years. It was good to be able to spend some time together.

Brinley is 3!! I would like to take just a minute and tell you about Brinley; She has got to be one of the smartest little girls you could ever meet. She is a very independent, caring, sweet and funny little girl, she loves to play with her cousins and going for rides in "the jeep" We are so blessed to have her in our lives and love watching her grow and learn every day.

The Cake I know this is a little late, but here you go... Brinley had been asking for a princess cake for about two months before her birthday, so this is the attempt at a castle..

More Birthday pics. So excited!

It never ceases to amaze, how fast time flies! Brinley is turning 3 next week! She has been such a blessing in our lives and has brought us so much happiness. She is such a sweetheart and loves her vegtables! She is super excited about her "princess birthday" and talks about it alot :) I will post picks in a few weeks of my attempt to deliver her castle cake she requested... Hope it works!!