Some Get To Buy "Coach." Some Get To Fly Coach.

Andie is our Coach Buyer of the week! She found a winner "Mary Poppins" bag this week that is big enough to hold running gear, school books, lunch, laptop, etc. It's huge! It's colorful! And it was marked down from the sale price. A real find! A great bag!

But I have the dubious distinction of being the Coach Flyer of the week! I had to sink a little lower on the travel front this year....I couldn't get the frequent flyer miles to work so I actually bought a ticket to Nice, France. Which meant no Business or 1st Class! I'm much too cheap to go high end if I actually have to pay for it!

And I've learned that on an international trip your airline seat makes a big difference! I've been spoiled by getting a few flights in luxury so it's hard to go back to the riff-raff coach section!

But The Traveling Gals (Susan, Julie, Ann, Carole, Kathryn) have all arrived in France! So, even if I had to travel coach, it will definitely be a 1st Class Week of Adventures! Stay Tuned!

Look Who Else Is Going To France!

Elizabeth Smart has been called to serve in the France Paris Mission! How Cool Is That!

While Andie was the most vocal about her obsession with the Elizabeth Smart Drama in 2002, our whole family followed the story pretty closely! I'll never forget how thrilled I felt when she was found alive 9 months after her abduction!

On Friday, Elizabeth Smart testified in court against Brian Mitchell. From what I read she was incredible! Poised and articulate, she did not mince words calling Mitchell "a master manipulator who used religion as a front to get sex, drugs, and alcohol." At the end of her testimony, when she was asked to describe Mitchell the adjectives she rattled off included evil, wicked, sneaky, slimy, selfish, not spiritual, not religious, and not close to God.

One thing I love about Elizabeth Smart's decision to serve a mission; it is another example of Smart not being defined by the tragic experience! She has refused to be a "victim." Both Smart and her family have carried on with their lives with class and dignity! Instead of letting the horrific event scar them emotionally they've coped by moving on. They haven't wasted time dwelling on the past. I admire them all!

Elizabeth Smart is a great example of someone who has suffered terrible things and come out stronger! Amazing Resiliency! She will be a great representative for the church in France!

There's An APP for that! (?)

"If you are open and receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit in your lives, you will understand the lessons of the past, and they will be burned into your souls by the power of your testimonies.

And how do you get such a testimony? Well, there's no new technology for that, nor will there ever be. You cannot do a GOOGLE SEARCH to gain a testimony. You can't TEXT MESSAGE faith.

You gain a vibrant, life-changing testimony today the same way it has always been done. The process hasn't changed. It comes through desire, study, prayer, obedience, and service. That is why the teachings of prophets and apostles, past and present, are as relevant to your life today as they ever have been." -Elder Russell Ballard (April '09 GC)

With General Conference this weekend we're reminding the Seminary youth to "Listen Up!" I'm a little hypocritical because I'm flying to France later today and with the time change I'll miss the Saturday sessions. But I'll watch on Sunday.

I was thinking of the Apple "There's An APP For That" advertisements when I read the quote above. I like the juxtaposition; there is NO "Google Search to gain a testimony, you can't Text Message faith" and you won't find an Apple App that rivals the feeling we get from living the gospel! It can't be duplicated on any computer either! Technology is great and the meteoric rise of Apple's Apps are amazing, but neither App's nor technical prowess can feed the "things of the soul."

Elder Ballard suggests that a testimony comes from Desire, Study, Prayer, Obedience, and Service. And until someone develops ALL that in an Apple APP, we should probably keep listening to our leaders at General Conference!

The World Offers Itself To Your Imagination...

"Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

"Centenarians I Have Known!" or "What Is A Good Age To Retire?"

"My feeling is that people who stop working die. Coming to the office daily keeps me interested, it keeps me alive, and that's why I continue to do it." -Richard Bird, from a Deseret News article that appeared on Mr. Bird's 100th Birthday (April 13th, 2007)

Mr. Bird passed away over a year ago but his life is a marvelous example to our family! He was active and vibrant to the end! My Dad and Mr. Bird were law partners so I knew him my whole life and I'm really glad my children were able to enjoy this darling man through our annual summer trips to Sun Valley.

Mr. Bird graduated from Harvard Law School in 1933 and practiced law in Salt Lake City for over 75 years! When asked the secret to his longevity he said he wasn't really sure but thought that exercise helped and added: "I have a good diet. I don't drink. I don't smoke. And I've done a lot of church work and community work." (Deseret News article)

One of the highlights of past Sun Valley vacations was Mr. Bird. We loved to ask him questions like: "Did he drive up? (it's a 5 hour drive) "Was he going to Golf this year?" (at age 100) "Does he still come into work every day?" Answers: "Yes," "Yes," and "Yes!" Remarkable! Webb loved to check out Mr. Bird's pants annually (see photo). It's the fashion polar opposite of sagging jeans! The waistband nearly reaches his shirt pocket! What is it about elderly men and their high rise pants?

Whenever my Dad (age 80) was asked about retiring from his law practice he would joke that his two senior partners, Mr. Richards and Mr. Bird, were both still practicing in their 90's and beyond, so retirement didn't look like it was an option in their law firm! But, seriously, how lucky my Dad was to have men who kept working because they enjoyed staying active, busy, and learning their entire lives! Now, Mr. Richards and Mr. Bird are gone but my Dad has continued the legacy. My Mom likes to joke that "slowing down" for Gramps is working six days a week instead of seven!

"Retirement kills more people than hard work ever did." -Malcolm Forbes

The Disposition of Truth....

"Boiling Water Hardens Eggs but Softens Carrots!"

In teaching the Book of Mormon I'm suddenly reading verses that jump out at me with new meaning! I'm fortunate to be assigned to prepare lessons since it forces me to spend more time reading scriptures!

There is a verse in 1st Nephi 16:2 that ends with this statement: "...wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center."

A comment I read about this verse was the quote above; that while boiling water HARDENS eggs, it SOFTENS carrots! It sounds silly but if you think about it, the TRUTH is going to either cause people to "soften their heart" (and listen) or "harden their heart" (and turn away). As a teacher I can almost "sense" the countenance of a student and which way they feel when they encounter truth.

The challenge for me lies in helping the students have a DESIRE to be softened. It all starts with an honest desire. It's hard to explain to teenagers that I KNOW that a moral life will bring them greater happiness than seeking worldly pleasures. My class age range is 14-18 years and I realize that life looks different from their vantage point. But, there is something to be said of time plus experience (equals Wisdom... at times).

Perspective comes when we can look back over our life and the lives of friends and family. 50 years of hindsight does give some dimension and insight to life's events! And from where I'm sitting, living what we know to be TRUE brings PEACE while fighting it brings a restless, empty, and unsettled existence! Unfortunately, many people discover this too late - hopefully none of my Seminary Youth!

"Getting Off My High Horse!" ..or... "Practicing A Little Humility"

"You shouldn't gloat about anything you've done; you ought to keep going and find something better to do." -David Packard (as in, Hewlett and Packard)

I'm a little embarrassed about tooting my own horn in yesterdays blog! I got a little carried away by the thrill of actually winning my age group. I didn't mean to give myself a Shout Out! Or did I?

I'd be better off to learn from President Lincoln who is credited with saying that "what kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself."

I've heard people criticize Bloggers calling them/us "Narcissists" so maybe it was inevitable that the Me-Me-Me Talk would takeover at some point!

Well, in the interest of full disclosure....the 5K alum run was subtitled a "Fun Run" which is code for this is not the elite running crowd! Before the starting gun the announcer went over the rules and the course. And I have NEVER in any race in my life heard a race official define the route using words like "....after a few jigs and some jogs you'll curve to the left....." Jigs and Jogs? See what I mean! This was not a hard core crowd; no one even flinched when he said jigs and jogs at least 3 times in his course description! In other words, serious runners don't do Jigs and Jogs; they Run!

But all's well that ends well! And Paige won 1st female fair and square and she had a great run! So, I'll try to tone it down a notch on the self promotion but as a Mother I still reserve the right to brag about my children!

"Humility is like underwear, essential, but indecent if it shows." -Helen Nielsen

It's A Clean Sweep!

There's a popular saying that you "Learn More From Losing Than Winning." So it looks like the Knudsen contingency representing the family at Parents Weekend didn't learn much yesterday!

Here are a few stats from the "BYU Alum Run" (which we happened to run the inaugural run in 2000 when Andie was a freshman). The race is in it's 10th year and has gained some momentum and a reasonable following.

The 1st Place OVERALL Female Runner was (druuuuum rolllllll) - Paige Knudsen!

The 1st Place 50-59 Male Runner was Brent Knudsen!

And (yes, this is the shocker), the 1st Place 50-59 Female Runner was Kathryn Knudsen! Okay, so the competition wasn't that challenging. I was 51st overall and the #2 woman in my age group placed 110 overall. Gotta love this new age group!

There is more: The 1st Place Father/Daughter Team Division (you could only enter as 1 team and we thought our chances were highest in this configuration) went to Brent and Paige!

So the BYU Alum Run was A Clean Sweep! 3 Knudsens entered and 3 Knudsens WIN first place medals! WooHoo! In fact, Paige got so excited she heard the wrong number for one of the raffle prizes and went up to accept another prize! Whoops! I guess since we've been embarrassing Paige all weekend it was okay if she embarrassed us!

I was thinking this might be our last Parents Weekend but now we might have to return in 2010 to defend our titles!

In other (slightly more important) winning statistics of the day: BYU beat Colorado State 43-23. Overall, a winning day for the Cougars and Knudsens in Provo, Utah! Rise and Shout!

BYU Parents Weekend! The Happening Place for Cool Parents!

"It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't." -Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

Looks like Paige can't quite get rid of us! She tried the "I've-Got-an- Anatomy-Midterm, Lots-to-Study" Excuse to see if we'd bow out of our scheduled visit to Provo this weekend! ....Not a chance!

We arrived Friday with our Cougar Blue duds to cheer on the football team and join the other Hovering Helicopter Moms and Dad in town for BYU Parents Weekend!

Paige may as well resign herself to the fact that as the last child we will happily "Be There" for any & all events! I still remember when it occurred to Paige that while Andie and Webb were in high school we had to "divide and conquer" events but by her time we could BOTH show up at meets, school functions, etc.! This undivided attention wasn't exactly what she had in mind!

Now I feel like an endangered species! At risk of possible parenting extinction! This may well be our very last college parents weekend! Although Paige will have to admit that there are perks to hanging with the rents on a Friday night. Perks like fur-lined Sanuks and a Dakine backpack! Yeah, Paige knows how to work the system!

With parenting power and control steadily slipping away who can I boss around? Maybe I should actually consider Webb's (strong and oft repeated) suggestions that we replace Kona! A new puppy to train!? Hmmmm?.....that might be more Parenting Responsibility than I'm up for. Besides, I don't think they have "Parent's Weekend" for Dog Obedience Schools! And what fun is parenting without weekends like this!

"Primary, Seminary, Institute" or "Good, Better, Best"

"Good, Better, Best!

Always Do Your Best,

Till Your Good Gets Better,

And Your Better's Best!"

Jacque Hegstrom, my Seminary co-teacher, gets the credit for inspiring thought and discussion among the Seminary youth about the following topic:

In Seminary we get a lot of tired kids who gives us the 1-2 words answers to questions. So, on the whiteboard, Jacque wrote "Primary Answers" "Seminary Answers" and "Institute Answers" and asked the class for a few definitions.

Of course, the youth know the difference: Primary answers are the very basics. The scriptures. Pray. Go to Church. Listen to the Prophet. The Seminary answers are a little more developed and thought out (hopefully). Then, with Institute Answers, Jacque explained that students would have read/studied the material and be able to give a "for instance" or a relevant question to clarify what they've been pondering.

Jacque encouraged the youth to at least aim for Seminary answers and if they want to shoot really high, to go for the "Institute Answers." I think it's a good template!

Listening to Jacque share her presentation with me, I realized how much I can learn from her (even though I've taught longer). Experience doesn't mean that we can't learn new tricks of the trade! It wasn't exactly "new" information for me but I do like the way Jacque got the youth thinking about their responses (and which category their answers fall under). And then she "Raised the Bar" encouraging them to give Institute Answers while still on the Seminary Level! Not bad for a 1st year Instructor!

21 miles on Paige's 21st Birthday! Sweet! (or Sweat!)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And MILES to go before I sleep,

And MILES to go before I sleep."

-Robert Frost

On Paige's 21st birthday I looked back at her 1st birthday celebrating (a 20 year stroll down memory lane). So, I wanted to update (or give a shout out) about the Knudsen Girls Adventures for this year's birthday!

Andie flew to Utah as the family courier delivering birthday presents for Paige! And, in the spirit of their marathon training, they'd planned a 21 mile run up Provo Canyon to celebrate 21 years for Paigey!

I was worried about the heat for both girls. So, like any good Mom I insisted they take the water belt! I also expected the high altitude change to bother Andie. But both the birthday girl and her big sis were in their zone and feeling good! It turned out to be an Excellent Adventure and Memorable Run!

The distance run should give both girls the CONFIDENCE they'll need to run the full 26.2 miles when our Nike Women's Marathon date arrives on October 18th.

Bill Rodgers, American marathon runner said: "Your Training Partners are your key to success, and friendships based on your runs together are strong." (sounds like something you'd read on a fortune cookie!)

Kate Finlayson is Really Struggling! Keep Her in Your Prayers!

"Miracles, in the sense of phenomena we cannot explain, surround us on every hand: life itself is the miracle of miracles." -George Bernard Shaw

Kate Finlayson needs a miracle!

During our Boston years in the 1980's , the Finlayson Family were our dear friends! Kate was born in 1984, very premature, and weighed less than 2 lbs. Her undeveloped lungs required oxygen but that caused hemorrhaging in her brain and left her with hydrocephalus. They inserted a shunt in Kate's brain to drain fluid.

The technology for shunts is amazing but still a work in progress. The shunts are easily infected or they break and need to be replaced; each time requiring Brain Surgery!

Kate has endured major health challenges through her entire life and numerous surgeries. Despite continual hospitalizations she graduated from high school and has been studying nursing at St. Mary's College.

Sadly, Kate's life is in grave danger. Shunt failure caused a stroke which left her in a coma over a month ago. Kate's been battling infection and is partially paralyzed from the stroke. The Finlaysons feel like this is worst they've ever been through with Kate (which is saying a lot - since Kate has had so many close calls).

Pam has been bedside with Kate at an Arizona hospital. Grant and Peter visit Kate on weekends. Sam is serving a mission. The Finlaysons are praying for a MIRACLE and if anyone deserves a miracle, it is Kate!

"The Queen of Romania!" or "That's Life!"

"Oh, Life is a Glorious Cycle of Song,

A Medley of Extemporanea;

And Love is a Thing That Can Never Go Wrong,

And I am the Queen of Romania!"

-Dorothy Parker

This is an great poem! The sarcasm is pure Dorothy Parker. I need to require all of my kids to commit this to memory! I know I get a little obsessed with poems but this is a classic and it's easy to learn and recite!

Even though the poem is intentionally caustic and a little bitter; it has an important message. No one has a life that is an ongoing glorious cycle of joy and everyone has troubles with love (whether it be plutonic, romantic, familial, etc). Opening your heart to love others is instant vulnerability! Somewhere along the line, love of one sort or another is going to come back and bite you/hurt you! Guess this explains Pagie's Tshirt that reads: "Love is a Battlefield!"

In a few clever lines Parker confirms that no one goes through life unscathed! Rabbi Harold Kushner has written several books on this theme. In Overcoming Life's Disappointments, Rabbi Kushner comments that "It may be that instead of giving us a friendly world that would never challenge us and therefore never make us strong, God gave us a world that would inevitably break our hearts, and compensated for that by planting in our souls the gift of resilience." I like that explanation!

Here is Woody Allen's description of what it means to love: "To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore to love it to suffer, not to love is to suffer. To suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy then is to suffer. But suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be unhappy one must love, or love to suffer, or suffer from too much happiness. I hope you're getting this down."

See how confusing this all becomes! You can see why Dorothy Parker had to lament about life and love!

"Tolle Lege" "Take Up and Read"

St. Augustine's conversion to Christianity is a great story that he shares in detail in his book "Confessions." He is sitting in a garden and hears the voice of a child from beyond the wall, "Tolle, lege," (Latin for "Take Up and Read,") and he opens the Bible he had laid aside to a random page. His eyes light on a passage from Romans that reads, "Let us walk honestly, as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, in concupiscence." (Romans 13:13). Augustine's reform and conversion is accomplished at that moment!

In a similar vein, I always remember when our Prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, made the promise that WITHIN the scriptures we can find the answers that speak to our soul! St. Augustine's experience (around 386 AD in Milan) when a child's voice prompted him to "Take up and Read" is a good recommend. I'm amazed at how often the scriptures enlighten my thoughts on topics that are weighing on my mind. It is often uncanny when I "take up and read" how much the message on the page aligns with what I am needing to hear or learn at the moment. There's an old adage that goes: "When all else fails, read the directions" so, my spiritual version might be, "When all else fails, Tolle Lege."

Coin Flipping Psychology!

A poem I read years ago presents a good trick for anyone who has a hard time Making Decisions! It's by the Danish poet, Piet Hein, and it's titled: "A Psychological Tip."

"Whenever you're called on to make up your mind,

and you're hampered by not having any,

the best way to solve the dilemma, you'll find,

is simply by spinning a penny.

No - not so that chance shall decide the affair

while you're passively standing there moping;

but the moment the penny is up in the air,

you'll suddenly know what you're hoping."

I think there is excellent logic behind Hein's observation that when the penny is in the air, our preference will likely be apparent to us. Even if we didn't THINK that we had one!

Give It A Try!

National Enquirer.: "Horrified Mother Helpless as BABY reaches LEGAL AGE!"

Paigey-Pants is turning Twenty One today! How could this be!? Has it really been 21 years since I our #3 child arrived at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego?Our SoCal Baby!

For a little nostalgia, a recap of Paige's 1st Birthday - celebrated 20 years ago in La Jolla! The photo at right is sporting our Topless Towheaded Daughter receiving instructions (and a little help) from an excited Big Bro on blowing out that 1 candle on her frozen-yogurt-birthday-cake-pie!

Paige's 1st birthday was celebrated with her collection of Fans of ALL ages at the YMCA! Since Andie and Webb were on the "Swim San Diego" team they had daily workouts which meant that Paige was a Poolside Fixture. Which meant that the swimmers who adored babies were constantly asking to hold Paige, and, as she got older to carry her around, and then to play with her. Paige was like the local Torrey Pines YMCA Celebrity!

Another Mom brought her baby with siblings on the team but this baby was a little lacking in good nature and personality (as in, she'd SCREAM if ANYONE tried to hold her). Her fussy nature just aided Paige's popularity as the Friendly, Smiling Baby (whose Mother (Me) was happy to let others enjoy her! Meaning: "this is my 3rd kid... you can return her.....um, whenever....but No Rush!) Even Andie and Webb were pleased with all of Paige's notoriety at the Y - since their status was raised by mere sibling association.

So, today Paige is celebrating 21 years in a new setting (new city, new school, new apartment, new friends). With all the "new" she might not garner all the attention of 20 years ago at the other "Y" (YMCA and the new "Y" - BYU). But the good news is that Paige is still the happy, smiling, good natured, well loved, and adored person! And she's learned a few things in the past 20 years too! Like the etiquette to wear a shirt at the dinner table! Birthday Greetings to our 21 year-old "Baby" Pooge!

Jelly Bellies and Celebrating Imperfection!

"In the process of making Jelly Belly beans some of the beans stick together, are too large or too small, making them not meet the standards of quality. These imperfect beans, rather than being scrapped, are repackaged as BELLY FLOPS!" from Jelly Belly

Early in our move to Northern California we went with the Hatch family to visit the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. The highlight of the field trip was discovering "Belly Flops!" Julia and I bought them by the bag full! Belly Flops spoke to me and all my imperfections!

Perfect Jelly Beans are fine but Belly Flops are so much more endearing! They have more character! They're unique and original!

I think our culture makes us fearful of making mistakes, there is pressure for competence, excellence, and perfection without acknowledging the learning curve while we progress! The expectation that we can't mess up makes me nervous/unwilling to try new things!

Anna Quindlen has a great line on accepting ourselves and thriving. She said: "The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."

Belly Flops represent more than a odd, misshapen Jelly Bean! They can remind us that imperfections can be more interesting! Our imperfections can define us by humanizing us! Trying to appear perfect is far less interesting than acknowledging our shortfalls and doing our best in spite of (or maybe because of) frailties. The sooner we can accept the adage by Salvador Dali when he said "Have No Fear of Perfection - You'll Never Reach It"; the sooner we will discover the beauty in ourselves, others, and yes, even in Belly Flops!

Arts and CRAFTS, CRAFTS, CRAFTS!

No, I am NOT announcing that I am pregnant! Just confirming that my 3 best CRAFTS PROJECTS yet have definitely been My 3 Children!

As far as the Martha Stewarty crafts, I am a little hopeless! Well meaning, though! Still, most of my attempts turn out looking like a Kindergartener's art project! Or Worse!

It's hard to step foot into a Michael's Store and not go a little cuckoo! Inside Michael's I actually get a little delirious and start to think that I could DO some of the jewelry making, scrapbooking, mod podging, whatever!

It looks so FUN & EASY in the store! So my 1st rule of thumb: Don't be deceived by claims the craft is SIMPLE! Fat chance! Simplicity and Crafts do not belong in the same sentence. 2nd Rule: Recall/Visualize a few of my past (lame and mostly unfinished I should add) attempts at craftiness!

I'll never know the feeling of being a Craft Queen! But given the choice I'd sooner raise three great children than handicraft any fancy quilts or projects anyway! I think I'll always feel more pride in my kids than anything else I produce anyway!

Time Out! Adults Who Act like 2 Year Olds!

"People Who Fly Into a Rage Always Make a Bad Landing!" - Will Rogers

The past week brought three interesting Adult Temper Tantrums! #1. Representative Joe Wilson screaming "You Lie" during President Obama's Health Care Speech! #2. Serena Williams goes loco in a US Open Tennis Match after she's called for a foot fault! #3. Kanye West, yanks the microphone from Taylor Swift accepting her music award and rudely endorses Beyonce Knowles as the best female vocalist! I missed seeing the actual rants in the Sports, Entertainment, and Political arenas. But it appears we are sinking to a new low; no venue is immune to Adult Tirades anymore!

All three of the Angry Celebrities have Apologized! So, I'm certainly not planning to vilify their character (or lack of) any further. Seems like they can handle that on their own! Personally, I think it might behoove Americans to heed President Obama's charge at his Inaugural Address when he quoted Paul's wise counsel to the Corinthians "that when we grow up, we must put away childish things." The current onslaught of Public Temper Tantrums seems to be exactly the kind of Bad Behavior he was referring to!

There used to be a Modicum of Decorum in the Tennis World, in Awards Shows, and especially respect when our United States President is speaking! The outbursts make me wonder where we went wrong that people feel above good manners and polite behavior! Clearly everyone has moments of anger and frustration but when so many adults struggle to keep there emotions in check in public, it might be time to question why! My personal guess is that too many people Never Grow Up in a world that coddles immature antics!

In parenting toddlers thru the "Terrible Two's" we were taught to IGNORE them or put them in "Time Out" to quell a tantrum! Unfortunately, in the Adult World it seems that the media perpetuates the concept that "there is no such thing as bad publicity." By focusing so much attention on Kanye, Serena, and Rep. Wilson I think society might be in for more explosions! As copycats see the endorsements come in for Joe Wilson and watch Kanye and Serena parading the talk show circuit offering yet another "mea culpa" it starts to seem like good business to lose your cool! And I don't think that is very cool!

"Some People Dream of Success...While Others Wake Up and Work Hard At It." -Author Unknown

"The heights by great men reached and kept,

Were not attained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night."

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This is a follow up to yesterdays Gorilla Glue post! Maybe I feel guilty that I dissed my husband's handyman skills! It turns out that Brent posesses something much greater than abilities to doodle on projects around the house (which I did state he IS willing to try). Even better, Brent has an AMAZING Work Ethic! I honestly don't think I know ANYONE who works harder!

I think most people don't realize how hard Brent works! Starting up a company like PCG was no small task and staying at the helm is more than full time! On top of that, his calling as Bishop of the Los Gatos Ward is incredibly time consuming! It amusing to me when people whine about adding an extra church meeting or having to go to an added event. Unless someone has been a Bishop, I don't think they have a clue! As the wife of a Bishop I see the coming, the going, and the willingness to serve and sometimes the exhaustion after a long Sunday of meetings!

In between job and church commitments, Brent ALWAYS finds time for exercise! Mostly running, lifting weights, or swimming; he MAKES TIME for fitness every day! And he makes time to be a great father and husband! Brent is excellent at staying in touch with all the kids. He's connected 24/7; emailing, texting, phoning, etc!

The quotes I share by Edison and Longfellow really do remind me of Brent! He's a great example of a Tireless Work Ethic! I believe that willingness to work hard is better in the long run than a great mind! I've known plenty of smart people whose laziness gets the best of them! While Brent is smart enough, his real gifts are his ENERGY and PERSEVERENCE, hands down. He is a lucky guy but like Thomas Jefferson said: "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."