The importance of Dates.

I have found, and was previously counseled, that it is important to continue to have regular dates even after you are married.  I would go so far as to say that it is imperative once children arrive.  So much of our time is spent in loving, teaching, counseling, correcting, and playing with them that we tend to lose our "me" and "us" time that we once had.  And so it should be...to a degree.  I try my best to have regular dates with my wife, and they continue to be wonderful times together, and away from all other worldly headaches!  Sometimes they are dining events, sometimes just short shopping trips, and on occasion the wonderful opportunity to attend the Temple together to re-focus on our eternal goals.

These outtings keep our marriage and love fresh and save us from the insanity of day to day affairs.  There is one other "date" that I've found to be equally important though.  I've started, and hope to continue, one on one time with each of my children.  They, and I, look forward to the chance to be together, without anyone else, and learn about each other.  We may go hunting, working, or even take a short trip to Dairy Queen for some quite "us" time.  I truly believe that these will build into the best memories of their childhood, and, more importantly, into a relationship that will foster trust and eternal family bonds.  They will hopefully know that I love them and that they can approach me with anything that ways on them, or that even excites them!

My family is what brings me the most joy, and this time with them is so short, but important, as it shapes our eternal relationships in the time to come.

Old Journals and Snuggies

So I started reading posts on the blogsite itjustgetsstranger. My brother, David, made me aware of the site, and I thank him for it. Reading the posts have been a blessing of hillarity in the sometimes bleak clouds of daily issues and grinds in the I.T. world. I think some of my staff feel I'm about to crack because they hear me trying to stifle my laughing and chuckles at the down to earth posts that strike a cord because they are all to real.

One series of posts in particular really made be think (and laugh) about how the world sees us as we leave behind our sometimes mindless rambling (kind of like this one!) on pages we call journals. The author would type earlier journal entries from his youth and comment on what he found. It makes you realize that even WE don't fully understand younger selves sometimes.

I'm not so sure I want my kids to read my journal posts. Some of the entries I would swear were written by strangers, aside from my "handwriting" stating otherwise. Other entries I'd rather just have shreded, burned, and then disolved in acid which is then buried with nuclear waste that no one will want to examine for a thousand plus years. Really. What makes us feel compelled to write down some of the random thoughts in our heads? Perhaps we're just tired of having them and hope that by putting them on paper we won't have to think them again!

So, I'm going to think twice about what I write...or type, hopefully...in the future. But, if you want to get a good laugh at someone else's strangeness (allbeit seemingly normal attitude since we all do it) I encourage you to visit the itjustgetsstranger site. It will make you feel better!