I don’t know where to begin. I always wake up, my mind a boiling stew of worries and ideas about what to write about on the blog. Funny, because I don’t even know if anyone reads this. There were like 250 readers on the old blog, so I assume it’s a few.

I still need to do book reviews on the books by Obama and McCain (hint: I’m going to rip them both, but one more than the other) and I should probably do that soon. I’ve read well over a thousand pages (just from candidates books) and I still blunder when I talk politics. Seems like there’s no end to it.

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Flashback to Friday night. Tamie and I went to the Provo temple. It was sublime and peaceful. But as soon as I left the grounds my worries came back to me like a flock of crows, pecking at my mind. Nothing to do but plow ahead. I have a lot of very positive and very negative things going on right now, none of which I can publish, but may someday soon. I accept these challenges as part of life. I will be glad later for the Wisdom I will learn. I’ll get to know good from evil, and learn by my own experience.

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I don’t like it of course. I would love to just have an endless round of peace and prosperity. I am very frustrated. It seems like every time I make some headway, I’m pushed back

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Here’s an exercise for all you parents. If you could exempt your child from all pain and suffering, would you do it? My answer is no. That would be the worst thing to ever happen to them.

Back to today. In our household, we are ratcheting up our Sabbath observance by limiting the amount and kind of TV we watch. Not quite ready to go cold turkey yet. But it was nice to have some Discovery Planet going instead of cartoons. Oh, and the Muppet Show. That’s wholesome entertainment.

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My youngest son is still having trouble in nursery. I took him home halfway through. He needed a nap so badly. The other kids are doing tremendously. There were two missionary farewells today, so the chapel was packed to the gills. We were in the very back. We even had to create a new row of chairs.

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Tamie made some chicken and bean soup today. As usual, everything she makes is just perfect. I don’t know how she takes regular ingredients and turns it into something amazing.

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I went on a walk with my three-year-old this morning. He trundles around on his little trike like a pro nowadays. He stops every twenty feet in wonderment over some item: a bit of rubber, a dried up flower, a potato-chip bag, a dying wasp; asking me what it’s called and what it’s for. “OK” he pronounces and starts pedaling along again. It’s a magic time. I turn off the clock and just take my time. It turns a five minute walk into a half hour outing.

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Winter is just around the corner and the city is just starting to repair the roads from last year. Well, at least some of that tax money is getting back into our lives.

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We went as a family to a local park and the kids ran around like maniacs, but the experience really set off my (mild) allergies. The Benadryl should be kicking in any second now. Oh, there it is…