Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Have yourself a "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" still rang true for me in 2008.

Christmas, for me, was very wonderful, but maybe a little too short. I ate to much, sang to little,
did to much and not enough shopping, at the same time, but still enjoyed it all.

It maybe redundant to say it, but the best of times were (are) time spent with family. When my
extended family shows up, it is a double treat for me. Next year, no one needs to get me anything. Just throw a party with everyone who can possibly make it.

Back to work at the store, New Years day, I heard from a lot of customers, how they hoped 2009
would be better than 2008. So I did a little quick review of what happened in 08' and was kind of
surprised by all the good things that happened to me, last Year.

Here is just a few of the highlights;

I had two vacations last year, both with my extended family.

I took a cut in pay last year, but not a cut in life style. Facing new challenges, I grow closer to my
Father in Heaven.

I watched Amy repair her life, even more, with a trip to Italy and other great things.

Justin got his generals in college out of the way. And he got a nice new camera, something he
needs for his degree. I love the fact that he ask me all these questions about photography (I just
wish I could remember the answers).

I watched Matt go to school (Salt Lake Community College) with out playing hooky.

Michelle grows in so many little ways, I can't put words to it, other than to say I am very proud of
her.

A year were I get to hold my grandson, Jackson, can never be considered a bad year. Thank You, Melissa for being a partner with your Heavenly Father and brining him into this world. And for being a great mother.

Me and Sharlene have had our ups and downs this year, but I feel closer to my beautiful bride,
with each passing day.

Like I said, these are just some of the highlights of what made 2008 a great year. I don't want to
end with out saying a couple of special thanks to some of those who made my years so great.

Thanks too Doug, Stacey and the rest of the Tate family, for always opening up there home and
always spending time, being a great example to my family. And Stacey for your blog, thank you.

Thank You Mom, for going on vacation with us, and making the trips even more enjoyable.

Thanks to my brother, Steve, who calls on every birthday and holiday. And for opening up your
house to us, even when we are just passing through. Thank You, Tara, for marrying Steve.

Thanks to my sister, Reva, her daughter, Heather and Heathers boyfriend Paul, for coming to
Thanksgiving breakfast and the Christmas party and adding to the fun.

Thank you, Matt Brooksbee (the spelling is wrong, I am sure), for being Amy's boyfriend and for
being a friend to my family.

I am sure that I am leaving out some great people (not on purpose), but let me say thank you one more time, to my Father in Heaven, for being blessed with such great friends and family. Come to think of it, my friends are my family and my family are my friends.

Love to all, Boyd

I'm Talking the Old and the New of Chritmas.

I am not a normal person. And I don't mean that in a self deprecating way. I just know that I look at things, differently.

So what are my thoughts of Christmas? I love Christmas!

That is not to say that there are a few things about our "modern day Christmas", that I don't like. I can not stand the song Christmas shoes. I know, I know, everyone reading this is now screaming, "thats one of my favorites". And I can not tell you how many times I have heard, "that song is what Christmas is all about".

For those twelve people on the entire planet, who don't know this song, here is the tenure of the song; A man is doing some last minute shopping on Christmas Eve, when he finds himself in the check out line, with a little boy. The little boy is trying to by shoes for his Mother, because She is deathly ill and the little boy wants His Mother to look good when She Meets Jesus. The poor child doesn't have enough money, so the man reaches into his own pocket, to make up the difference.

OK, lets have a show of hands, how many think that Christmas is about feeling guilt-ed into doing something for others? And can I only get the Christmas spirit, if I happen to run into a little boy, who's Mother is about to die, on Christmas Eve?

If anyone has ever run into such a sad set of circumstance, I have never heard of it. So does that mean that very few get the Christmas spirit?

I don't know about you, but my guilt would not have been lifted by tossing out a few bucks. I would feel the need to race the Child home, to be with his Mother so they could share there last moments on this earth, together.

What makes Christmas special is different for each individual. It is a combination of memories and understanding of what Joy filled the Heavens and a few here on earth, to know that the most High, was willing to go beneath it all, for us.

In my own life, as a child, I can only remember four Christmas' that stood out. Two, I have mentioned before. The year me and my brother Steve got a mini bike and the year that me and Steve got a motorcycle. Worldly gifts to be sure. But they also represented sacrifice on my parents part and brought a lot of joy to our lives for years to come (not just on Christmas morning, like a lot of gifts).

If only because it was unique, the year we had a crow fly into our house, and hide in our Christmas tree. Now that year has stuck in my mind. How can you forget a thing like Blacky the Christmas bird?

Then there was the year that my Mother bought a lot of gifts from a mail order catalog. What makes that year different was when She got the big boxes with the little boxes inside, there was no way to hide them on the way to her room. I waited a minute or two, and then peaked to see if I could catch a glimpse of what was for me. What I did catch, was a big smile on my Mothers face, as she shut the door, tightly.

I sometimes see that same smile on my wife's face, when she shows me what she has brought home for our kids (even if my youngest kid is twenty two). And it is the same smile she gets when she buys something for Jackson, our grandson.

Hey, maybe there is enough material to write a book. The title could be- The Bike, The Bird and The Christmas Smile. Nah.

Monday, me and the kids went to see the Christmas lights at Thanksgiving point (if you don't know what Thanksgiving Point is, you best Google it, because I can't describe it), instead of Temple square. Even though we had a good time, I don't know if we will go again next year. The fun was in our being together and the little things that go with it.

Part of the fun, for me, was having Jontey (Amy's little sister, from the Little Sister program) take pictures. When She wasn't taking pictures of the lights, She was telling us how badly she wanted to see the live Reindeer at the end of the light show. There was also picture taking with Santa. Poor Jackson just screamed, but Jontey looked really cute. Booth picture's turned out really cute, even with Jackson's tears. I will put them on my blog, later, when I get a copy.

Dinner that evening, was in honor of Justin's graduation with an associates degree. He let that fact that he was graduating sneak up on us, so we were not even aware of it til the week end before. I'm not sure if we are done celebrating this event.

Well, here is my point. Memories are made of a lot of things. Some of them are worldly, like a motorcycle. Some are have no price tag, like letting some one go crazy with a digital camera.

If you still like to bring a tear to your eye, every time you here Christmas Shoes, I say enjoy. Me I puffer Joy To The World, because I know, The Lord has come.

Thanks to all who have giving me so many good memories.

Love Boyd

Is it to late to do a little Thanks Giving?

I hope to make this short and sweet, just to let everyone know I am still alive and blogging.

I had a great Thanksgiving, but have been spending to much time, writing a single e-mail of such importance, that I have re-written it five times and counting. I can not say a thing about this e-mail because of the sensitive nature. Sorry to peak your interest and then not spill the beans, but I couldn't think of an excuse, so I went with a little of the truth.

There are many things that I am thankful for that are so easily forgotten. Take HDTV for instance. After about three months you forget about how wonderful the picture is, until you watch a show in non HD.

One of my favorite gifts from our Father in Heaven is a the hot shower. Before the shower was invented, humans would take a bath once a week. Now I don't wake up with out a hot shower. It's only in the last fifty years or so, that "unwashed of our society" have had a shower available to them.

I know that I have received so many so many blessings I can not begin to mention them all. Let me just speak of what I hold closes to my heart. I have a wonderful family. I have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I have a roof over my head, with a bathroom and in that bath room, there is a shower.

The Irish have a saying, "I'm blessed with work". And so am I.

I have vehicles that not only get you to were you want to go but play music and control the temperature.

I also have the blessing of many trials, tailor made to make sure that I grow as much as I possibly can.

And did I mention, I love a hot shower.

Love Boyd

I am happy to announce.........I have a brand new Blog Link!

Maybe it is true, that most blogs have a feminine touch. If this is my feminine side, I'm OK with that.

Looking over to my right (is that your left. Just kidding), you can see that I have a new link. Jake and Amanda Zornes are my niece and nephew, from my wifes side of the family. And I think that they have a wonderful blog (and ya, it's feminine).

Link up and then scroll down to see there movie, were you can see how they made there announcement to there family.

OK, maybe I have more than one feminine trait. I like new baby's, in the family.

Only one thing wrong with there blog. No place to leave a comment. Maybe they are more secure, in there blogging and don't need comments to show that some one is reading. They may not, but I do.

Love Boyd

Incredible Story's of Grandma Case, #1

Grandma Case was a woman with few faults. Telling story's about her past, was not one of them. I loved that she had a new story every time I came to visit.

One story was about me and my two sisters, Stacey and Reva, and my brother Steve. The short version, as best as I can recall, goes like this.

Growing up in Southern California, we always thought it a treat to head north and visit Grandma and Grandpa Case, in Kainsville, Utah. One year, around Christmas, the tip was on. On the way up. all we kids could talk about was snow and how cool (pun not attended) it would be to slide down a hill on a sled.

After ariving, Grandma and Grandpa wpent hours rounding up warm coats hats and a few winter toys to set out on our little adventure. About an hour up the mountian side, we found ourself on the tubing hill.

Not one of us got further than twenty feet from the car, because of the cold. At least thats the way Grandma tells it.

I never remembered any of these events, but Grandma remembered everything, twenty years after it happened.

I will try to tell as many of these story's as I can, If I can remember some.

Let me know if you have a Grandma Case story, or a story about any other Grandma.

Boyd

Hard Truth and Consequences

Let me start by apologizing for this post. It seems I am stuck doing long, lengthy rants that feel like me blowing off steam, more than any thing else. Next post will be a memory, via Grandma Case, I promise.

Saturday night was a wedding, after getting up at 3:00am, working twelve hours and standing in a line at Auto Zone for forty five minutes. Not a chance that I was going to be in a good mood.

Doesn't matter were you are, you can learn lessons, from the many things going on around you. On purpose, I am not going to give you any details about what happened at the wedding, because I am so tired of the innocent people getting hurt and those who cause so much pain. are rewarded. Lets just say that more than one person is perplexed at why I am no longer there friend, because of there actions towards me and my family.

I may have forgiven them (even though no request for forgiveness was made), but what confuses me, is how they don't understand the consequences of there actions.

So my family and my wifes brother's family, snuck out for Chinese food.

Dinner was wonderful.

In all aspects of live, there are consequences to actions. Man can not change that fact. And yet "the world" seems to believe that it can.

In 1998 I made a big mistake that I am willing to admit. I bought a 1992 Chevy s10 Blazer with a bad motor. My brother Steve helped me put a new motor in it, but it never reached it's full potential. That was a bad choice on my part and I lived with the consequences.

The story of the hunk of junk, mention above, doesn't end there. About a year later, this car was stolen.

Four youths were coming home from a party, when they decided that walking was beneath them. My car, seemed to be handy and is less than two minutes, they had wheels.

Then it was decided that the party didn't need to end, so they spent a couple of hours grabbing beer from grocery stores, and running out the front door. They were not worried, because if any one got a license number, they were in my car.

The next morning, after drinking and driving all night long, they went through a school zone, doing forty, in front of an officer of the law. As soon as the lights came on, it was a high speed chase, ending with my Blazer in some one's fence (I think the real reason this truck was bound for the scrap yard, was because of that high speed chase). The four youths scattered and only one was caught.

During questioning of the one youth that was caught, a lawyer had to be present. In the interest of this fourteen year old boy, all pressure was removed, to have the boy point a finger at the other three, for fear of bodily harm, in retaliation.

The full consequences of these actions, for this youth, were as followed; He was made to pay back my deductible and my time lost from work, amounting to about five hundred dollars. And he had to write me a letter of apology. Thats it. No money was ever returned to the insurance company (making every one's rates go up). The other three, were never punished in any way. The hard truth is the consequences didn't fit the crime.

With out consequences there is no remorse. The proof is in the letter of apology, that I received. Past the opening line of "I'm sorry I took your car", was a page and a half of please feel sorry for my because I had to spend a few hours at night after school, working a job (provided by the state), for six months, to pay back the five hundred dollars.

That happened about nine years ago, and that boy should be a man by now. It is obvious that there was no way for me to see how his live turned out. But I do know what happened to some of the boys I grew up with.

The consequences of your actions, good or bad, always catch up to you. The world can only delay, never remove.

Congress has just sent money (out of our pocket) to help people stay in homes, they couldn't afford in the first place. Consequences, delayed. If they couldn't afford the home then, how can they afford it now.

I could go on and on with example after example of situations were people confuse compassion with changing the consequences of ones actions, but it is like talking horsepower to a car nut. You get it, or you don't.

In my own life, I am going to take a slow, hard look at how I handle the consequences of what I do and how it effects others. Slow, because of the need to think things through. I think better when I take my time.

It's true, I love you all. Boyd

A Day of Epiphany

Yesterday, I tried and tried to write a blog about how I think Barock Obama should have been made to answer a few questions before this nation made him the most powerful man in the world. I didn't like a word I wrote, because of the anger I felt. Don't get me wrong, there will be a post in the future dealing with this issue, but it may take a week or two more, before I can write it.

The avoidance mechanism kicked in and I surfed on over to LDS Talk and watched a few Glen Beck video, and gained an epiphany.

http://www.lds.net/videos/id_344/title_an-unlikely-mormon-conversion-story/
http://www.lds.net/videos/id_345/title_an-unlikely-mormon-conversion-story/

I don't always agree with Glen Beck. Maybe if we conservatives could get together on a few more things, we would be winning more elections. What I can agree with Glen on, is the concept of Zion. It was what converted Glen to the Gospel and was my freeing epiphany.

There is only one cure for all the sickness of the world.It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

My sister Stacey did her part, working on prop 8 in California. Steadfastly stating that she (we) love every individual. But changing the meaning of what marriage is, or what a family is, serves no one.

I don't care who you are, I love you. Or I am trying to love you. True charity will save the world. And I may not be perfect at it, but I am trying.

Love ya all, Boyd

P.S.; if you don't get the whole epiphany, it's because words can't say it all.