It's Raining, It's Pouring, I wish I was Snoring!

I love the rain!!! It hasn't rained here in Vegas for a long time. I feel like getting some hot chocolate with Rosemarie and baby, putting on my sweats, get under my sheets and and go straight to sleep with my family...okay, that sounds gay...lol. That would be the ideal situation though, yet I am still at work finishing up some paperwork. I hope it stays like this for awhile.

Proud of you Rich

This past weekend, I went to Long Beach for Richards big day. On Sunday, Richard was ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood. Congratulations bro! It has been awesome to see Richard grow and progress in the gospel. It is crazy how the spirit works. I am glad he is taking the necessary steps to be sealed with his wife in the Temple. I'll be there when it happens. It was a blessing to attend and participate in the ordination.

It was also a wonderful time to inspect and evaluate my own life. The experience made me ponder questions concerning my own salvation. What can I do better to serve the Lord? How can I exercise my Priesthood and magnify my calling more effectively? What bad habits and aspects of my life do I need to fix/improve? How can I be a better father? husband? Is setting a good example to my friends and family enough? Or does the Lord want me to be actively engaged in preaching the gospel by sharing my testimony? I spoke to my brother Milton last night about this subject and he reminded me of my mission. Full time missionaries have a special calling and gift of the spirit to preach and teach effectively. They have the spirit of influence and the Lord works with the investigator more intimately, allowing the truth to marinate in the soul. I believe it. During my tenure as a missionary, it was like no other experience in the world. People that I had doubts about would discern truth, accept it, and change their life.

I still believe as member missionaries, I can have a similar effect to those I come in contact with. I need to be more involved in the gospel. I find myself going through the motions at times. The journey of life is difficult for me but if I constantly utilize the atonement, I can find true peace and happiness. Something that the World can not offer me. I know all of this. I just have to maintain and keep on pushing.

UPDATE ON MY JACKRABBITS

Congratulations to my little cousins, Eli, Wilson, and Ryan Edwards. Long Beach Poly High School is currently ranked #1 in California and #3 in the nation with a 9-0 record. On there first game of the season, the team flew to Florida to play one of there best team: Miami Northwestern and beat them 29-7. Last Friday, we kicked Compton High Schools butt 40-13, who before the lost was undefeated at 8-0. Eli had 8 tackles, a sack(8rd loss) and a safety. Ryan had 6 tackles and Wilson had 2. Eli is one of the leading tacklers in the league starting at defensive end. Wilson and Ryan are starting on Offensive/Defensive Line.Scholarship offers are rolling in for all three. Eli is being looked at by UCLA and several other D-1 programs, he is waiting for USC. Ryan is being looked at by USC and he is still a junior in high school. Wilson, also a junior, is being looked at by Cal and other D-1 programs. One more game left in the season, this friday, against Long Beach Jordan, who are 7-2. I'll be there this weekend. Then the CIF playoffs begin. Good luck with the season boys. I hope you guys get to play in the BOWL game.

ROCK THE VOTE....yessir!!!

Today, I did my patriotic duty and responsibility as an American citizen and VOTED....(second time ever)woohoo!!! At a young age, my pops explained to me the importance of voting and advised me to vote, so that I can express my values and opinions on the issues of today. If I chose not to vote, I shouldn't complain about the decisions our leaders make. Our freedom to choose is a blessing. We should actively be engaged to share and express our opinions through voting. Our thoughts, are our thoughts. What we believe in, is our belief. This is the beauty of democracy. If you think war is best, support the war. If you support the troops but not the war, whatever that means, then do that, however that can be done. If you oppose the war, please say so, in terms that are unchanging and convincing. It is our CHOICE. I never really cared about all this crap until I had a family of my own and the woes of our economy directly affect me (gas prices, rise in food cost, job security). In the past, I never thought that my vote would ever mean anything. That feeling was reaffirmed when Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000 and he still didn't win the election. Why the change of heart? Well, I decided to take a leap of faith and exercise my right to vote. Today I feel that I have made a small yet significant difference in the stability and future of our country.

Will the candidates that I voted for, keep there promises? At what expense? Is our country going to get out of this recession? Did my vote really count? Am I making a difference? How much of a difference? I don't know if any of this will happen but hopefully it will benefit me and my family. The decisions I made today were solely influenced by what was more beneficial to me and mine. At the end of the day, that is all I have. With all the hoopla surrounding this Presidential race, we need to focus on the important issues affecting our country and establish our 'American Values' and 'Family Values'. If we have identified them already, strengthen them. We are more responsible for ourselves than we are - even collectively - for our country. Not only in the end but all along, ethics and moral principle depend on the actions of individuals. We should take responsibility in our own lives and situations, then we will survive during these perilous times. Live within our means(Don't buy a home/car/junk that you can't afford). Save your money. Begin a food storage. Do More With Less. Teach your kids values and principles to live by. They are our future. Regardless of our religious beliefs, these are practical issues we can overcome individually and collectively. All these things are done in the walls of our own home. Dr. Vik says,"We are the King/Queen in our own life". If our kingdom falls, we are responsible.