Thankfulness & Gratitude

Earlier this year, I felt as if my life was an old "Hee Haw" song -

"Gloom, despair, and agony on me;

deep, dark depression, excessive misery.

If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

Gloom, despair, and agony on me."

I was asked to speak on gratitude in church last Sunday, and in that talk I mentioned the post from earlier this month, which has made such a difference in my life:

As some of you may know, earlier this year I was falling victim to a debilitating illness known as depression. I was depressed over many things for a long time, and it was getting the best of me. Medication helped with some of the symptoms, such as insomnia and over eating, but even my doctor had told me, the pills will not be a cure. Losing my job only made things worse, as I focused so much on what I didn't have or couldn't do. Things did begin to change, however, first, as I provided comfort to a dear friend who had recently lost her mother. I also was able to be more active in assisting my parents, and by doing so, had less time to worry about my own problems. But the real road to recovery for me began when I was asked this question : "What if tomorrow morning, you woke up with only those things you thanked Heavenly Father for last night?" Each morning as I think back on that moment, I am amazed at just how blessed I really am! As we sing, "When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done." Recognizing those blessings, and expressing gratitude for them, has led me to an incredible feeling of peace, comfort, and joy!

Magnifying My Calling

“God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability.” - Neal A. Maxwell

This is how someone like myself, with no musical ability or training, can stand in front of the congregation each Sunday and lead the hymns. I am so thankful for my calling, and for the assistance from above that I receive!

PadreRitaVille

The 18th Annual World's Championship Shrimp Cook-Off was held on Sunday, November 6th, in Port Isabel, Texas. I attended this event last year, and was very impressed with the entry by PadreRitaVille, a new restaurant on South Padre Island. They were offering "Shrimp Diablo" - shrimp stuffed with cream cheese and jalapeno, and wrapped in bacon. They took home first place in presentation, and second place in taste, and I couldn't wait to visit their restaurant for more! I've been there 4 times in the last year, and have yet to be disappointed. This year's Shrimp Fest was no exception, where owners J. Michael & Cathy Laferty were serving up a crab-stuffed, bacon wrapped shrimp, drizzled with pineapple butter. A very unique & tasty creation!

If you enjoy shrimp, then you must give PadreRitaVille a try! Shrimp Diablo is now featured on the all-you-can-eat Prime Rib buffet, available for $23.95 on Friday & Saturday nights. You also won't want to miss South Padre Island's own Jimmy Buffet (J. Michael), singing in the evenings from Wed. to Sun.

And don't forget to say Hi to his wife Cathy, as she stops by your table to make sure your visit is an enjoyable one!

You may also visit PadreRitaVille on Facebook!

Papa Joe

46 years as head coach at Penn State and this is how it ends???

Joe Paterno being fired yesterday is pretty dramatic. Yes, what happened is sick, twisted, and disgusting. Those kids that were abused is what people should be concerned about. What happened to them was terrible. Joe Paterno had been associated with Penn State longer than a lot of people have been alive and then head coach for four decades, and certainly deserves better than this. His job was to win football games, and should not be the scapegoat for the failure to act of the entire university.

What'cha Gonna Do

Check out the latest from the Oak Ridge Boys!

The Oak Ridge Boys - What'cha Gonna Do

- Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

R.I.P. Elder Strong & Elder Walker

2 LDS Missionaries killed in Hit and Run accident in Donna, Texas

It is always sad to hear of tragedies like this. When the accident was first reported, and I saw McAllen Texas Mission, I knew that it hit too close to home. Even before their names were released, I was sure I probably knew them. My heart aches for the families of Elder Strong and Elder Walker. Both fine young men, who gave their lives in service to the Lord.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement that reads in part: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the missionaries involved in this tragic incident. We pray that they will be comforted as they mourn the loss of their loved ones, who served others selflessly as missionaries."

Dear Herman Cain,

To be honest, I wasn't all that concerned when the news first broke about possible sexual harrassment claims against you. Nor was I bothered when you denied that such claims existed. Typical mudslinging that you see in any political campaign. But when more details came forward, and I heard you say there were no settlements, then later the same day "started to remember details of a settlement", I began to worry about your credibility.

You said whatever settlement there may have been was an "insignificant" amount. Herman, I'm sorry, but $35,000 is pretty darn significant to me! And I'm sure I can find many unemployed or underemployed people to agree with me. Not to mention that you've obviously been lying to us! Add to that at least 2 more claimants coming forward, and I see a man unfit for public office.

In Memory Of Andy

Today, I am saddened by the loss of an idol, and a hero - Andy Rooney.

I grew up wanting to go into journalism - not the best seller's list kind, but the reporting the news in my own way and with my own opinions kind. In fact, some of you may remember my 1 copy "newspaper" that I ran for over 2 years in high school. That dream stayed alive, until my fascination with computers came along. Would I ever have been a success at writing? I guess we'll never know. Andy once said "I obviously have a knack for getting on paper what a lot of people have thought and didn't realize they thought,"And they say, `Hey, yeah!' And they like that."

When I graduated, Gary Laubach, one of my English and writing teachers, had this to say about my "newspaper" - "How will we fill the void? Where will we go for the news, the sports, the goings on of punchbuggies, our weekly French lessons, the zany photographs. Who will devote as much time to informing us about ourselves? No one, I suppose. And thus 'parting is such sweet sorrow'. He has entertained us, brought us to anger, to tears, to laughter; he has captured our inner feelings; our outer facade. None could take his place."

I wish to renew that legacy. So that is the direction I am taking my blog - in memory of Andy Rooney, whenever my creative mind feels up to it, or just feels the need to speak up on an issue, I will do so here.

Six Blind Mice

I know that fans of the St. Louis Cardinals will disagree with me, so they can stop reading now if they choose... And no, I am not a disgruntled, sore loser Rangers fan. But as a true fan of baseball, I must say, the Rangers didn't lose the World Series.
First, the Cardinals needed a lot of help to even be in the Fall Classic. Help from the Phillies, who quit playing after clinching home-field advantage. Help from the Braves, who collapsed in epic fashion. And help from the schedule makers, who gave the Cards the hapless Astros on the season's last weekend. So, I may be bitter that my Phillies lost in the first round. But hats off to St. Louis - they were the better team in that series. And, I developed a true admiration & respect for Albert Pujols in the series against the Brewers. They beat Milwaukee, to arrive in the World Series, with home-field advantage. Not something they earned, mind you, but a gift handed to them by the American League losing the All-Star game. In any other sport, home field is determined by winning percentage.
That brings us to the greatest gift of all from the baseball Gods - blind & incompetent umpires.

The Cardinals needed this gift, and partook of it in grand fashion! If Tim McCarver, a mediocre announcer at best, can see that someone is out from 200 feet away, you'd think that the umpires on the field (chosen as the best in their profession to call the game) would be able to see that as well. Not to mention the highly inconsistent calls on balls & strikes. There can't be a different strike zone for each team! Calling a ball on the first pitch, instead of a strike, changes the game completely. A third strike pitch & runner caught stealing for an inning ending double play ends up as ball four, and 2 men on base. Simply put, the Cardinals were handed this World Series on a silver platter!

And it's not just the World Series that has me aggravated. Remember last year, when Armando Gallaraga of the Detroit Tigers had a perfect game through 8 2/3 innings, made the 3rd out at 1st base, only to have the umpire call the runner safe?
Point being, forget about all the talk about destroying the integrity of the game. It is past time for the National past-it's-time to institute instant replay, and at least have some sort of accountability for home plate umpires.

Until that happens, Jimmy Dugan may be heard yelling at Evelyn Gardner, "There's no integrity in baseball!"

Google Announces Plans To Kill Millions Of Pets!

Just months after being promised that SuperPoke Pets would continue, Google released the following today:

We wanted to give you all advance notice that in the coming months, a number of Slide’s products and applications will be retired. This includes Slide’s products such as Slideshow and SuperPoke! Pets, as well as more recent products such as Photovine, Video Inbox and Pool Party. We created products with the goal of providing a fun way for people to connect, communicate and share. While we are incredibly grateful to our users and for all of the wonderful feedback over the years, many of these products are no longer as active or haven’t caught on as we originally hoped.

Most importantly, we wanted to take this opportunity to reassure you that we’re committed to helping our users preserve their data as easily as possible. We recognize that many of you have stored valuable content with us and want to assure you that, wherever possible, you will have ample time to download that information or transfer it to another service.

For example, on Slide.com, we will enable users to either download their photos or export them to a Picasa account. We are working to release this export feature over the coming weeks and, once added, users will have several months to take advantage of transferring their photos.

The Answer

When I woke up this morning, I asked myself, "What is life about?" I found the answer in my room...the fan said, "Be cool." The roof said, "Aim high." The window said, "See the world!" The clock said, "Every minute is precious." The mirror said, "Reflect before you act." The calendar said, "Be up to date." The door said, "Push hard for your goals." The floor said, "Kneel down and pray"

Justice For Caylee?

Before I start this post, and get everyone riled up, let me state that I am not saying Casey Anthony is innocent. However, all of the posts I am seeing on Facebook about Justice for Caylee, are proving to me the ignorance of many. Ms. Anthony received a NOT GUILTY verdict on July 5th. I'm sorry that so many people are upset, but I have my feelings on this subject too, and here are a few of the thoughts I shared:

So sad, that one day after celebrating America's birthday, and the freedoms we have, including our constitutional right to be INNOCENT until proven guilty, that you would say that America failed today. The defense didn't need to prove Casey innocent. That wasn't their job. If it had been you in that courtroom, unjustly accused - who would you prefer your fate left up to - Nancy Grace & the court of public opinion, or a jury of your peers??? Yes, Casey is a liar, slut, and terrible Mom. But no evidence at all of her being a murderer. If indeed she did kill her daughter, one day she will meet her maker, and pay the penalty. Still, remember, "judge not, lest you be judged..."

The jury did the best they could with the evidence that was presented to them!!!!! Good Job Jury!!!! The scales of justice were tipped today in her favor!!!! It is our system !!! and to all of you screaming and crying no justice, just remember this, people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.... have not heard anything like this when someone gets convicted then proven NOT GUILTY 15 to 20 years later because the state needed a perp and they were available,­,,jeeesh ...go back to your lives and get over it!!!! So sorry for that little child...bu­t people...s­cream louder for the children being killed everyday under the guise of God and needless war!!!!

Justice was served in America. You cannot convict a person without evidence and there was no evidence. Chloroform? Really, did they ever prove who supposedly searched for it? Plus where is the other supposed evidence that ties in the search with actual use of chloroform on the kid. It is just like the people running around stating that the body was found with duct tape over the nose and mouth, when in fact that was a theory posed by the prosecutio­n based upon finding three pieces near the body, and they even stated that. The court of public opinion at its finest, where all rumors become fact, and any real facts, if they don't support your feelings, are discounted­. Evidence is not what Nancy Dis-Grace provided viewers with her character assassinat­ion of Casey Anthony. Nancy thought she could use her MUSCLE MEDIA to THROW a TRIAL! IT DIDN'T WORK! It only works that way in PLACES like RUSSIA and CHINA where they do not believe in a DEMOCRACY!­!! Americans won with this verdict and yet many are upset that the CASEY wasn't STONED TO DEATH like what would happened to her in SAUDI ARABIA! If NANCY doesn't like our SYSTEM OF JUSTICE, let her move to one of those other countries mentioned earlier! Nancy continues to ASASSINATE CASEY'S CHARACTER with no EVIDENCE!!­! I can only IMAGINE the JUSTICE NANCY DIS-GRACE exhibits in her COURTROOM. I think every judgement she has made needs to be reviewed for bias against AMERICAN JUSTICE!!! We DON'T NEED her kind of JUSTICE here!!! I am grateful to the founding fathers for putting the trial by jury system in our Constituti­on, and not leaving it to the supposed fair minded people to determine how to do it. The feigned outrage shown on these boards, proves that Mob mentality can still rule the day in this Country, if allowed the chance.