Tis The Season

I started this post with the desire to share this incredible song with you, now it has become a bit more, I hope it all makes sense, and I hope you enjoy.
Before starting the video, you should first, scroll to the bottom of the page and pause that "playlist" player so you will not have 2 songs going at once.


(Turn it up, man!!!)

If you have managed to spend any time around Melinda or me during Christmas, you would more than likely have heard this song. It has become one of our Christmas Anthems. This arrangement-- The Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Orchestra at Temple Square-- gives me chills every time I hear it. We first noticed it a few years ago on the end of Mr. Kruger's Christmas (one of the extra components of the DVD), then we bought the CD and have been wearing it out every Christmas since... the whole CD is great, but MAN! This one just does it for me. Having played in symphonies, I love the dynamics and instrumentation of this arrangement, not to mention the Angelic voices of the MoTab. The message of the lyrics really hit home as well. What shall we give to the babe in the manger? The best that we can give is our all, ourselves.

I really dig this passage of scripture, found in the New Testament, it (to me, in a round-about way)answers the question of "What shall we give?"... our lives.

Matthew 16 (King James Version of course)
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
...
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

OK, While I'm at it, here's one more for ya! “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” is a proclamation, a statement, a testimony, where modern-day prophets and apostles bear witness of the divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ. I just figured it's fitting, especially this time of year, so I will cut/paste it for you and there's really nothing that I feel I can add to it except "Amen".

The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles

As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.

We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.

He rose from the grave to “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among His “other sheep” (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Ephesians 1:10).

Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:3–4).

Of Him the Prophet also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).

We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth—“built upon the foundation of … apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).

We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.



I agree with the above statement whole-heartedly. Again, all I can add to that is Amen.
Merry Christmas.
Scott





Here is a link to the actual performance(the video above), it will not let me embed it so you'll have to click the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGULr3NGhRs

I just have to say:

I just have to say these few things, then I'm done for tonight:

-- I'm stoked for my little sis, Jessica, and her family for their newest addition to the family, Peter Sands Mag. (last name abbreviated for alleged identity protection). This is their 3rd, the "Family"'s 13th (grandchild... oldest being 12 y/o... 10 boys, 3 girls). They live in Walmart-ville, Arkansas and we haven't been up to visit yet (they moved up there around the same time we moved up here). Anyway I'm very happy for Jessie and Ryan, I'm really wanting to make a trip to Clinton-land soon.

-- University of Alabama Football ROCKS!!!! yeah, bummer that we lost Saturday!!! I really thought we could pull it off against Florida... I knew it would be an "edge-of-your-seat" match-up, and it was, but I really thought we could take 'em. At the end of the 3rd quarter, I knew we had 'em, but we definitely didn't hold up through the 4th quarter and ultimately lost the game, the SEC championship, and our chance @ the National Championship... Dang good run though, and I'm hoping for at least as good of a year next year!!!
Looks like we'll be schooling some Mormons at the Sugar Bowl down in Katrina-ville. Can I just say that I don't like the whole BCS thing??? I'm all for changing it to a legitimate play-off championship thing... I mean come-on!!! Don't get me wrong, I think that the Florida-Oklahoma matchup will be much more intense than our bowl game, and probably more entertaining than the Texas-Ohio State game, I also think that we could take Oklahoma if we could've scooted by Florida. So there you go... yes, I just predicted Florida to beat Oklahoma to be BCS National Champs. Whoopee... I still feel that we had one heck of a year. Nick Saban is the man, J.P. Wilson is a dang good QB and a talented leader (not unlike Tebow), and you can be looking for some big plays out of our freshman from Foley, AL (Julio Jones) in the years to come!!! That being said, let me just say: ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

-- Being sick sucks!!! I've had some kind of crud for more than a month now. It's been mutating into different incarnations each week... started off with sinus drainage, sore throat and head ache... Stanton had similar stuff going on so we went to the doc to knock it out early... we were negative for strep and flu, he got better, but the next week I no longer had the sore throat and head ache but instead had inflamed and congested sinuses, and my ears were stopped up... the really annoying kind where you can't equalize them, one is open the other closed type of thing and it swaps sides as you try to "pop" them... The following week I lost the ear thing and picked up a phlegm cough, intermittent lethargy, and maintained the sinus inflammation/congestion... but no drainage. Well, this past week I lost everything except the sinus thing, but it still sucks, in fact, I've been draining the thick, greenish, junk from my nose... still somewhat lethargic while still feeling the pressure/ache/pain in my sinuses... so I went back to the doc this past Friday and she decides it's time to try some anti-biotics... today is day #4 on antibiotics and not much change!!! Still green junk, still achy... yeah, I know... boo hoo, wah-wah... I'm just sayin', it sucks!!! I'd rather have earned my sickness from riding my mountainbike in the freezing cold and rain or something sick-worthy like that!

-- It's cool to hear from old (or long-lost) friends. Kelly Booth (now Bird I think) popped up on our radar today from whichever part of the universe she's living in. If you're reading this then "Hey Kelly". No, I'm not some weirdo (the only non-gay, male "family style" blogger around). I just picked up this whole blogging thing from my sisters as a way to communicate without having to use the phone... my family is not known for their phone and written letter tendencies, but blogging is a pretty easy and painless process that seems to fit the bill. Melinda (my wife) likes to read blogs, likes the concept, intends on blogging, but usually just gives me things to blog about or adds to my blogs in the form of creative and/or constructive suggestions, but seldomly gets around to actually blogging herself. So there you have it, somehow I got off of the original segment which is: hearing from old friends, namely Kelly.
About Kelly. She was always one of those cool "older sisters" of one of your friends, ya know. Her younger brother, Joel is about a year or so older than me and we were in Mutual (young men/young women's program) together as teenagers. We went to different high schools so we usually only hung out on Wednesday nights or weekends and usually with activities centered around church, but we did manage to get into some "typical" mischief associated with adolescence and not necessarily associated with church... that's all I'll say about that... anyway, remember how awkward you felt in your early/mid teens when you got around older teenagers? Remember how you wanted to be accepted, but really didn't know what to say or how to act the further away you got from your nucleus of similar age and like minded friends/peers? Well, Kelly and her friend Sheila, never made me feel that way... come to think of it, there was a whole gang in their age group, including Jeff (Kelly and Joel's older brother), Terry (Sheila's older brother), Skip (aka Kalvin) and Holley Johnson who were cool like that. I'm not sure that teenagers act like that towards each other anymore, you know... civil? It wasn't like I was trying to hang with the older kids either, but in our church, you tend to see a lot of each other at different events and Kelly was always one of those who would talk to me when she saw me... not one of those who would act like you weren't in the room. I always thought she was cool for that. Anyway, Kelly, thanks for being cool back then, even if you may not be anymore... just kiddin', you could've easily saw our blog, scanned through it, and kept on surfing, but you didn't, you kept true to form and said "hey"... well I think that's pretty cool. I hope all is well with your family and hope to hear from you again sometime.

-- I'm pretty much a weirdo. I can never just throw a few words on the blog and be done with it, I always end up doing this kind of thing. I really wanted to go to bed a bit earlier tonight, but screwed that up... oh well, I'm sure that there are many other husbands out there who seem a lot less weird than me who are looking at porn or something equally degrading, they probably bash guys who "blog"... ahhh, who cares? Since when did something like keeping a journal (which is kinda how I see blogging)become abnormal and being addicted to porn or "fantacy football" become accepted as "just what men do"? I'm just sayin'


Well that does it for now... I just saw Melinda quickly walk by and not even glance over at me... which translates from married sign-language to 1 or 2 things: 1. "you've angered me and now you'll have to guess how (and/or why)" or 2. "I'm trying to slip by you because I'm eating/drinking/or doing something that I don't want to share with you.... and now you'll have to guess what it is". So, I'm off for the night. We'll get back to addressing my weirdness soon... I promise.
Scott

Long time no post. Here's a cop-out.

It's been a while, I know, a lot has happened. I'll post soon with updates. BTW, Congratulations, Jessie, for giving birth to the 10th healthy grandson (out of now 13 grandkids)for Mom and Dad. We're glad everything went well with the delivery and that you guys are doing fine. Can't wait to come visit.
There's a lot more to report in regards to the NW Georgia Bedwells, but I'll do that soon, but for now, here's a cut-n-post for you to "get to know me better"
Later,
Scott

I got this from a friend's blog. I've never posted one of these things, but figured what the heck. You are supposed to copy the list and bold any of them that you have done. I couldn't let some go without comments (italicized)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars Many, many times in many different states. My favorite was with Melinda hidden between some sand dunes on the Florida side of Alabama Point in Orange Beach on the beach. We were awakened somewhere around 3 a.m. by some "do good" cops who warned us of people being kidnapped and even killed by doing the same thing... I figured our error was leaving the car in the parking lot instead of having someone drop us off... there's no way they could've seen us from the road, parking lot or even the beach... (yes we were married then!)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland /world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo two weeks ago in the Ward Choir... My first such
11. Bungee jumped Off of a bridge in a canyon in Idaho
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (seems like this one should be a "yes" but I can't really think of what it should be)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables we grew small gardens when living in Orange Beach
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight Long time ago... really
22. Hitch hiked from Big Sky Ski Resort, MT to many places including but not limited to: Bozeman, Missoula, Rexburg, Jackson Hole, Salt Lake City
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill some of my best surfing trips were when I was "Sick"
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping Duhhhh!!!
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset Many, Many, Many times
31. Hit a home run Do "In Park" HR's Count?
32. Been on a cruise It was a "Dinner Cruise" in Mobile Bay for a Prom Dinner, does that count?
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke Not something that I want to admit
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business does Amway/Quixtar count? they want you to think that it's your business anyway
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle can't wait to do it again!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person got struck by lightning IN the canyon, down near the Colorado river
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating do fish count?
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life Many times... it's what I get paid to do.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous Ted Turner and Jane (when she was his wife), and many football celebrities including Bob Baumhower, Gene Stallings, Shaun Alexander, Kenny Stabler, also Wayne Rogers (BJ Honeycutt from M.A.S.H.) and some more I can't remember off the top of my head
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (made a couple... does that count?)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (walked ankle deep in it... when seeing Widespread Panic play at the "Salt Air Arena" on my 22 birthday... 1994)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Happy Birthday Ginger!

As the title may suggest, yes, it's another Birthday in the Bedwell clan! Happy Birthday Ginger!
Ginger is the middle child in or group of 5. We have had her convinced since she was old enough to comprehend English, that she was adopted. So Ginger, for your birthday present, I just wanted to let you know that "SURPRISE!!!!", you're not adopted!!!
Wow, now you finally know who your birth-parents are!!! (not that you could ever be mistaken for someone other than a Bedwell).
Of course I'm joking... we let her know a long time ago that she was not adopted... wink/wink...
Here's a picture of Ginger and a couple of her offspring:

We hope you have a great birthday and we look forward to seeing you next week for turkey day festivities @ Lake Martin!!!


By the way, I'm 36 y/o now and Ginger was born 4 years after me... so if you really want to, you can do the math and figure out how young she is.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland visits for my Birthday

Wow, what an unexpected birthday present! Well, first, let me back up. Yesterday was my birthday, somewhat uneventful, we had thought to go see a concert (Matisyahu was playing in Atlanta), but we decided that we needed to go shopping and to dinner instead, the kids had an overnight birthday party to attend, so it worked out nicely.
Melinda got some new Danskos and we both got some new Smartwools. Woooo-hoooo!!!!! Right? Yeah, I know, we really get crazy when we go out for a birthday (actually, Melinda's birthday was last week and our 12th anniversary was in between our birthdays, so we were kinda celebrating all of the above)... we had dinner @ Ted's Montana Grill ( www.tedsmontanagrill.com ) it was actually way more casual, and way more enjoyable than expected. My Bison pot roast was great, but looking back, I wish I would've tried the Bison Filet or prime rib/ribeye. Melinda had cow (beef tenderloin) for dinner and it was good too. It was an enjoyable night with exceptional company and conversation.
So, back to Elder Holland, (click on the video to hear and see Elder Holland's testimony, for more about the living Twelve Apostles, go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.org or ask an LDS friend)
Well, we were to have an "impromptu" Stake Conference of sorts this weekend... again, if you're a non-member friend, just ask, I'll fill you in... Stake (like stakes of a tent) Conference is a meeting of the congregations of many local LDS churches under a local presiding presidency, it happens twice yearly...
So anyway, our Stake (the Cartersville Stake), is relatively new and we have yet to build a Stake Center to meet in, so we have borrowed our neighboring Stake Center in Powder Springs in the past for the purpose of our Stake Conferences. We have also utilized the larger of our buildings in our stake, Mars Hill (Acworth/Dallas-ish) for this purpose as well. The funny thing about this is that coming from Cartersville, you typically drive to both buildings in the same route, on the same road, only Mars Hill is about 6 or so miles North of the Powder Springs building and it's off the main road a little. The reason this is funny today is because neither Melinda nor I could remember which building we were to meet in. We knew that Elder D. Todd Christofferson (another Apostle) was supposed to be presiding over our meeting, so we figured that it would be big, so we just drove past the turn for Mars Hill building and went on down to the larger Powder Springs building, where we saw folks filling the parking lot of the high school football stadium just up the street and figured we were there. I dropped Melinda and the boys at the church, then went and parked the car where I was picked up by the shuttle service that was being provided by the ushers.
When I got inside, I realized that I had missed the opening prayer and the opening song and Stake business. The first speaker was already speaking, then song, followed by the out-going Mission President (apparently we have a new Mission Pres.), then a song, then the "Stake President"... only it wasn't OUR Stake President... (BTW, we were now sitting in an overflow room watching on a monitor), so I'm turning to Melinda asking... "Did President Giddens get released?" She just shrugs, so we sit and listen.
It IS a very spiritual meeting at this point, but it did seem to be moving right along and not quite a typical Stake Conference, and no other affiliated meetings on Saturday and whatnot. So, the next speaker turns out to be Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and there's no sign of Christofferson, come to think of it, we had yet to see a familiar face from our Stake either.
Elder Holland's talk was awesome! He was very candid and informal to start, he made some jokes and seemed very personable. He explained that this "impromptu" visit was not to "announce the date of the coming of the Lord, or anything great and marvelous as that", but was an attempt of the General Authorities to get out and see the Saints and be seen by them... (turns out that he was traveling with Elder Chistofferson, Elder Snow-- Quorum of Seventy, and maybe some others)... So, the visiting G.A.'s met on Saturday with all of the Atlanta and surrounding area Stake Presidents and Bishops/Branch Presidents. And Each met with a different Stake or two today... (Ah,Ha!!!)... Turns out that Christofferson was, in fact, at the Mars Hill building meeting with OUR (Cartersville) Stake and WE (Bedwells) were, in fact, attending the Powder Springs' "impromptu" Stake Conference and Elder Snow would be at another Stake holding a similar meeting... They were in Canada just a couple weeks ago, and will be in New York next week, and so on and so forth, going about the country (and assumingly other GA's doing the same thing), until after General Conference in April, then they will be going out of the States doing the same...

No wonder we hadn't seen a familiar face yet (well, we recognized the Mission Pres, and of course, Elder Holland). I've yet to find out the message of Elder Christofferson, but let me get back to Elder Holland's Talk. As I mentioned, he started out on a light note, but soon became very serious and began to address the youth specifically. He requested the attention of young men and young women from the ages of 12 to 22 and spoke directly to them. He relayed some experiences which he had to be near Presidents Hinkley and Hunter in the latter parts of their lives and he spoke of President Monson as well. He mentioned that the Thursday before Pres. Hinkley died, he conducted meetings in a typical fashion, ALL DAY LONG (as usual) with members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of Twelve in the 4th floor of the Salt Lake Temple. He emphasized that not only was this a few days before his death, but that it was also a few months before his 98th birthday. He really drove the point that President Hinkley and the Prophets before him as well as the "young" President Monson (81 y/o) had more or less lived their lives to the fullest, and had for decades, dedicated their lives to the Lord's work and on some level had possibly/assumingly secured their places in Heaven. (He kinda apologized for saying such and stated that none of the Prophets would agree or actually feel that way, it just was the point that he was leading up to)... His point was that these men, in the twilight of their lives, were still working as hard or harder for the building up of the Lord's Kingdom on Earth. "There is no 'Palm Springs' for Prophets" he said. Speaking of President Hinkley he said that if you were to give him a Golf Club, he wouldn't know what to do with it. "He would probably think it was some kind of device to beat a missionary upside the head with... you know, motivation" ...
His point was that these leaders could've and can easily justify "retiring" at this time in there lives and that their counterparts in the world, in business and otherwise, were typically well on their way to their "Palm Springs" by this age. He asked "Why".(regarding the Prophets). Why would they feel the need to press on? His answer was: (and if you see a quote on my blog, please note that it is STRICTLY a paraphrase), his answer was: "Not for themselves, it was never about themselves, it's always been for you." (speaking to the youth, which involves us all, obviously, but specifically the youth). He continued to drive the point that they were doing a selfless work and their dedication was without measure. He called this work and dedication an "investment". And that he wished to talk to the youth about a return on this investment. He mentioned some statistics about what age people fall away from the Church and that, overwhelmingly, it has always been sons and, more recently, daughters of members who fall away in their teens and early 20's. Those who return, usually don't return until later in life.
After some expounding on things mentioned above, Elder Holland asked the youth ages 12 to 22 and those who would soon be 12 to commit to paying a return on their leaders' investments. The investments of all their leaders, the young women's president, the Sunday school teacher, the Bishops and Stake Presidents, and so on. He explained that this "return" or "interest" would be in the form of tithing. He said "not 'Tithing' tithing, you pay that to your bishop, he can deal with that", but the tithing he was talking about was 1/10th of the youth's life. "Let's say you live to 100, then 1/10th would be 10 years." That's why he said that he was talking to the 12-22 y/o's. Because that's the age of the biggest falling away. He asked the youth of Powder Springs to fully commit to living the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to commit this day, to pay the spiritual tithing for the next 10 years of their lives. "Go on a mission, uphold the standards, read and learn the scriptures, cherish virtue and morality, share the gospel..."
It was one of the more spiritual experiences that I've had in a while. I would call it inspiring and invigorating. Elder Holland went on to promise the blessings of the Lord if they(we) would but do this. He had a lot more to say, and it was very spiritual, but I'm sure that you're about tired of reading this so I'll have to tell you about it in another post.
Anyways, living in the South, it's not often that you get to attend a meeting with an ordained Apostle of the Lord, a Living Prophet. I'm pretty stoked right now and have decided that it's definitely one of my favorite Birthday Presents.
We stood in line for a while in hopes to shake hands and thank Elder Holland for the visit, but it looked to be a very long wait and we did get close enough to see him, but we figured that we'd come on home, so we did.
The messages we heard today were definitely needed, I feel like I've been fed and led. I'm sure I would feel the same way if we had attended our own Stake's meeting with Elder Christofferson and I'm anxious to hear what messages were shared in that meeting, but as of now, I'm just glad that I didn't sleep in like my body wanted me to.
BTW, I know that Elder Holland, Christofferson and the gang are truly Apostles and Prophets of the living Lord Jesus Christ. I also know that Thomas S. Monson is not only the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but he is also a Prophet, Seer and Revelator with all the keys and authority like unto Moses, Noah, Alma, Nephi, Isaiah,Joseph Smith all those mentioned in the Scriptures. That is my testimony to you, the reader, which I bare in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Oh yeah, just in case you didn't click on it, go back up and click on the embedded video of Elder Holland's Testimony of Jesus Christ. It's good.
That's all for now, and thanks for reading.
Scott

Sorry, I just Had to!!!

Disclaimer: This is NOT an endorsement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a sad truth!!!!!!!!!

Click on the Picture for bigger image.

Here's to new Beginnings!!!

Yep, I started my Mon-thru-Friday day job today in PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit... Aka: Recovery Room)... I had to take an extra dose of Melatonin last night just to get to sleep by midnight (my goal is to have the kids in bed by 8:30-9:00 and for me to be in bed by 10-10:30... we'll see how that goes)...
So, it was a new experience for me... Got the kids up by 0630 and off to school(I mean, the bus stop) by 0655, got myself ready while Melinda packed my lunch and made our breakfast smoothie, was in the car and on the road by 0715 and clocked in by 0750, funny thing: it is almost 10 minutes quicker to get to work in the a.m. than it is going to work @ 6 p.m. (who would've guessed?... even with school zones and all)
I like PACU so far, the pace starts off kinda slow, crescendos to a peak somewhere between 12 and 2 p.m., then starts winding down... it's got a rhythm and right in the middle of the crescendo, guess what? You get to go to lunch!!!! a 45 minute, away from your work station lunch!!!! one of the charge nurses or a "floater" nurse takes over your beds while you eat... what a novel idea. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've actually walked away, sat down and had a civilized meal in the middle of my work day (er, uh, night). I've probably spent more 12.5-13 hour shifts without taking a real break than I have actually taken a lunch or a break period!!!
By the way... I figured it out, I have not had a day job (the Monday-thru-Friday kind) since I was 19 years old (I'm 36 this coming Saturday)... yeah, my last Monday-Friday 9-5'er was when I pulled cable for my uncle Mike @ Coastal Computer Connections back before I moved out west! Since then it's been hotel/restaurant hours until nursing school, then it became the 7pm-7am torture that my family and I have had to endure for the last 4.5 years.
So, I "shadowed" someone before lunch, then after lunch I had my own patients with someone "shadowing" me... on the average, the work is easy compared to ICU, it's really just going to be a matter of me getting my routine down, learning the paperwork, and learning doctors and their specific preferences (procedure specifics)... But I'm digging it now and everyone who works in PACU seems to be pretty cool (it's an interesting mix: a few O.R. nurses, a few floor nurses, a few ICU nurses, and a few E.R. nurses... oh yeah, and one CCU nurse) each with his or her strengths to contribute. Excellent teamwork and attitudes.
You want to know a crazy thing? When I clocked out 4:30 p.m., there was still a couple hours of daylight... I got home just after 5:00 p.m. where I was greeted by a sexy young lady whom I've had a crush on for more than 12 years now... then we commenced to get down and dirty for an hour or so!!!!





Yeah, we got down and dirty!!! you heard me right!!!




We put on our riding clothes, went out to the trails in the woods behind our house and rode our bikes and worked on the trails for a while!!!! That's what I call down and dirty!!!! You might not see how this can be so exciting to me, but here's the deal, usually when I get home from work @ 0800, I have just enough energy to get a shower and crash into bed, just to wake up in time to eat a little something, hang out with the family for 20 or 30 minutes (or tend to whatever kind of business that needs attention), then head off to work just to do it all again the next day. So the excitement comes in here: I actually have enough time in the day to do something other than work and sleep!!!!! Look out world, once I'm acclimated to my new environment (I figure 2 weeks or so), I'm gonna be one tough customer!!!!

Hey look, it's only 6:40 pm and I'm gonna go have "Family Home Evening" with my family on an actual Monday evening!!!!! Who would've thought? It's almost like I'm a REAL person... suddenly!!!!

Birthday time!

Today is April's birthday! Happy Birthday April! She's a couple years younger than me and a couple years older than Ginger.... that's all I have to say about that. Oh yeah, she's about 10 years younger than Melinda which brings me to mention that Melinda's birthday is tomorrow... I'll wish her happy B-day then.

Our new(ish) computer recently crashed and we lost every photo and music file that was on it so I'm digging through online storage places to find a pic to post. Here's one of April from the July 4 weekend of '07 when we camped @ Ft. Mountain in Chatsworth, GA. She's giving someone "one of her looks"... wink/wink
picture deleted per Melinda's request. Sorry
When I get a chance, I'll scan or upload a newer/nicer picture...
Anyway, Happy Birthday April, we miss you and hope to see you and your family again soon.

Love,
Scott

(FWIW, I'm very sleep deprived and will likely re post this Birthday wish when I have my wits about me)

Job Update

1 week and counting!
4 more 7p-7a shifts in the ICU before I start my 8a-4p monday-friday job in the PACU (recovery room)!!! after I orientate for a few weeks, I'll be working 10a-6p mon-fri with some night time call and every 8th weekend on call. Hey, I'll take the good with the bad and right now, I'm stoked about it!!!!
That's all for now.
Stanton's got a 1st grade Chorus concert tonight, I'll shoot some pictures and post them when I can.
Later,
Scott

COPE with it!

Hey y'all, I hope everyone's been doing well. I haven't posted lately due to the whole work/sleep thing, but had a moment to zone out on the computer, so I figured I'd share one of my and Melinda's passions. Music. All kinds of music. Live, studio, acoustic, electric, vocal, metal, blue grass, hip hop, folk, blues, rock,... we love it. The only exception would be most of the crap they play on the radio and oh, yeah, recorded opera. I didn't mind playing in the orchestra for an opera (when I was playing bassoon in college), and I would go to an opera, but can't stand to hear it on the radio/tv. And as far as radio... well regardless of whether it's top 40, country, "alternative", or whatever, Most of it boils down to mediocrity. I'm not saying that those musicians are not talented, but I am saying that the stuff they're putting on the radio tends to be fabricated on some sort of "American Idol" like assembly line. BTW, the best part of American Idol is the auditions!!! I would like American idol IF the contestants were only allowed 1 or 2 covers for the whole show, the rest of the shows they had to sing/play their OWN songs which they had written themselves or in collaboration with each other. Then, it might be impressive. Again, I'm not saying that those folks aren't talented or can't sing, I just think it's lame that they get sucked into the whole "sellout" mentality and become another generic "Pop Sensation" for a year or two then gone.

Speaking of sellouts (just kidding!), one of our FAVORITE musicians for going on 7 or so years now is Citizen Cope (aka Clarence Greenwood). You might recognize some of his tunes on recent tv commercial (hence the "sellout" I was alluding to... I really don't think he's sold out, I think the man is just trying to make a living... and probably has a promoter who elbowed his way into some kind of "commercial" contract... that's all). Anyways, we usually go to a big concert or two per year and we saw Citizen Cope in a small-ish venue in Atlanta last year called "Center Stage" and it was greaat... we just missed him last week (bummer), but we'd already been to our big show this year (G. Love & Special Sauce with John Butler Trio opening... JBT took the show by the way)...
Anyways, Cope is an incredible songwriter and is good to listen to anytime, even with the kids (not his debut album though, unless you can get a censored copy). I just thought I'd put a link or two for you folks to check out... he's got a new acoustic album coming out in December... would make a pretty good Christmas gift!
Hope you enjoy it!

Preserve Family! Politics affect you!

Please watch this video and pass it on.

Yeah, I know it's California, but there's a mindset that California sets the pressadent.

Family Weekend Update.

Hey Folks,
Hope everyone had a good weekend. I know ours was good. The kids got out of school early on Thursday, off Friday and today (Monday) for "Fall Break". So, we went to Eclectic (North of Montgomery,AL just east of Wetumpka) for a family reunion. It was @ Melinda's Sister's house and it was the first big reunion on her side since her parents died in '03. It was just for the Saturday, not one of these all weekend events. We got there our usual 2 (ish) hours late, where we were quickly informed that bets had been placed that we would be the last to get there and what time we would get there. (Melinda's cousin, Holly and her son were only a few minutes earlier than us...) Glad we could provide a bit of conversation and entertainment.
It was good to see everyone. They had invited both families (Melinda's Mom's side and her Dad's). Being that they were all originally from Hokes Bluff (a little Mayberry like town east of Gadsden, AL), and many of them still reside within a 10-15 mile radius, they all are well acquainted with each other and for the most part, mix well in social settings. I think the head count was close to 75 people, but with this group, in contrast with my family, little kids were the minority... though they were well represented. I like Mel's family, and have grown quite fond of them over the years and it's times like these when I regret not being closer to them so the boys can know them too. It seems easier to go to my families events because there are so many cousins their age and they're used to seeing each other, but I hope we can make this a frequent gathering too.
Allison (Mel's sister who hosted the gathering) has 2 or 3 stocked ponds (one is probably big enough to call a lake... not sure of the qualifications though)... we've been fishing there before and of course Ethan caught 12 or 13 fish to mine and Stanton's 1... But not this time!!!! I think he was distracted by his cousins who were cruising around the property on a golf cart...
After lunch, many of the men, a wife or two, Ethan, Stanton, one other little boy and a few of the little girls headed to the water with their tackle boxes in tow... we went to the lake where we had not fished before, but where more folks were and put our hooks in the water. After a couple bites, it had come to our attention that people were catching a bunch of fish in the other pond. So, Everyone but Stanton and I went over to where the fish were biting. As soon as they were out of sight, I felt a couple bumps on my jig, then wham!!! I pulled in a 4 (ish) pound large mouth bass... Stanton pulls up next to me, then he pulls in a little bluegill (bream)... as we worked our way down this grassy shallow of the lake, I started pulling in nice 1 to 3 lb. basses with every other cast... now that's how I like to fish... I put a picture of Stanton's only bass... we were using the same kind of lure, but he mostly caught bluegills. After Stanton's big bass, he was anxious to go tell everybody else so he says: "Daddy, would you be lonely if I go to the other pond to fish?" I chuckled and told him that I'd go over there with him...
When we get over there, only a couple people were catching fish, no bass, only bluegill and a crappie or two... so we told them about what we'd been catching and thanks to the invention of cellphone cameras, we were able to back our story.
Anyways, I posted a picture of the biggest fish that I saw Ethan catch... a nice little bluegill... and I have had the pleasure of finally out-fishing my 10 year/old... I bet that if he weren't so concerned about fishing where everyone could see him (yes, a bit of a show-off)... then he probably would have done what he usually does and out fish me and Stanton.
It was a good time though and I look forward to our next visit.
After we left Allison's, we went to Ginger's house in Pine Level (just about 30 minutes NW of Allison's, and hung out with her 5 young'ns while she and Blake went to their Saturday session of Stake Conference. We stayed with them that night, had breakfast Sunday, they went to church and we went to Pelham (about 1 hour north)to go to Sacrament meeting with April and her family... we were going to stay for the rest of church, Stanton got sick and puked en route to the bathroom so we felt that we better head on home (yes, we cleaned up his mess first)... All-in-all it was a good weekend and nice being able to visit with all our family. I'm glad that we live close enough to visit, but far enough away to make most visits special. Thanks, Ginger for letting us crash there.
I gotta go, I hear some kind of commotion in the boy's room.
Later,
Scott

Letter from Wal-Mart

This is why women should not take men shopping against their will. Recently, Melinda has insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Wal-Mart (to make up for lost "date nights"). Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunately, Melinda is like most women... she loves to browse. Yesterday she received the following letter from the local Wal-Mart.

Dear Mrs. Bedwell,
Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against Mr. Bedwell are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.
1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.
2 . July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3. July 7: Made a trail of apple juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.
4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away.'
5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.
6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.
8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.
10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the anti-depressants were.
11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the ' Mission Impossible' theme.
12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.
13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'
14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'
And last, but not least
15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here!'
Regards,

Tom Richards
Wal-Mart Manager

Just kidding, someone posted this on one of my Mountainbike forums and I thought it was funny. And for the record. We do not shop Wal-Mart (except for gas--- you know, if you use the gas card, you get 3 cents off per gallon... plus it's mostly North American oil as opposed to mid-east and South-American).... anyways, we don't shop wal-mart except for last ditch efforts... we try to buy local 1st, then small buisness, then bigger buisness... you get the picture...

Hope all is well with you guys... oh, and fair warning... I feel a big, smarty-pants political RANT coming soon... so keep an eye out.

Later,

Scott

NON-COMMITAL

Scott has really been at me to write a blog lately (my first) and something he asked me last night stuck. He asked what my favorite movies were- they are not all the same as his. Well, I thought for awhile and have come up with a list but before I blog this it comes with a disclaimer: I have not actually sat through that many movies w/o falling asleep(the usual), getting up and doing something else, or just not being interested enough in a particular film to spend seven bucks to see it. I really hate the 2 hr. commitment required to watch a movie. Give me Law and Order or The Closer any day -1 hr is a commitment even I can handle! I actually slept through most of a Star Wars movie- only woke up during the fight scenes- in a theater with surround sound! I am now being treated for my narcolepsy so that doesn't happen very often but my attention span is rather short (still) and there are lots of things to be doing. Alot of these movies are from a younger age and the ratings and/or content may be questionable but here's what I like/d and in no particular order of preference
Willy Wonka : I loved Gene Wilder in this -sort of creepy, definitely strange, and very honest,at least about human nature.
It's A Wonderful Life : maybe I need to watch it now in light of all the turmoil in the world, it is full of hope.
Harold and Maude: I know the concept of a young, rich, nihilist falls in love w/ a life loving geriatric is weird (and kinda gross) but it really was a positive affirmation about life (even though Maude purposefully o.d.'s on her 80th) and the soundtrack is great--Cat Stevens before he renounced his music and became a Muslim.
Tender Mercies:Robert DuVall in a very understated performance about change and redemption from the perspective of a sober alcoholic country music singer.
Red Rock West: I saw this a long time ago(1992) but I remember really liking it. Nicholas Cage and some crazy identity mix up w/ lots of strange characters.
Short Cuts: speaking of strange characters, this was out around the same time. It probably has some really horrible language and sex in it but I just like all the character developments. Based on the short works of Raymond Carver if I'm not mistaken.
Crash: this was a very powerful movie. So deep and so in your face honest-it was sometimes hard to watch. I would love to recommend it to even younger people but the language- the "f" word in particular prevents that.
Mumford: we just watched this on cable the other night. We both really liked this tale of finding yourself, even when you aren't really who you say you are. It was another one of those ensemble casts I'm so crazy about, also about love, hope and redemption
Raising Arizona, Tootsie, Spinal Tap : I love to laugh.
I really enjoy those football movies like Remember the Titans, Invincible, Rudy, and that new one w/ Ice Cube about the girl football player ;those underdog stories get me every time. There have been other films that I've enjoyed watching w/ the kids: Zorro, Fried Green Tomatoes, A River Runs Through It , and even The Birds:the kids loved these movies.
To Kill A Mockingbird; a classic (both book and film) too bad we don't have more Atticus Fitches in the world today.
So this is a working list and does not include those previously mentioned in our opening profile.
This is dedicated to you, Scott, because I can always talk to you and you'll get what I mean, usually anyway. Next topic please! Love, MOMO

miscellaneous

Yep, here's that random post which combines snips of a lot of things that I've been meaning to "blog" about but haven't made time to do it yet.

1. My folks visited a while back. It was just after school started (I think). I'd been bugging them and bugging them to come up and finally they did (actually Dad had been up a couple times for bike trips or a canoe trip, Mom just hadn't been up in a while... yes, it's way past time for us to pay them a visit... we will, we will.) Well, when they got here, we hung out, ate, went to a movie, did fun "visiting" type stuff. After they acclimated for a day or two, we decided to take them "Out"... you know, to do FUN stuff... so we drove them a little more than an hour away to this real cool place called "Rock Town"... it's on top of Pigeon Mountain which is a mountain plateau that parallels (on the south side) Lookout Mountain-- Chattanooga (but still in Georgia).

It was a nice visit, here's proof:

Oh yeah, we had to hike a mile from the parking lot out to where the rocks were, it wasn't a bad hike though, here's my Mom and the gimp (Dad has a partial knee replacement, jacked up back and he can't raise his right arm due to a pending shoulder replacement... we still love him though and he's one heck of a trouper!) Oh, Yeah!!! My girl got some climbing skillz!!! Not sure why she decided not to smile though.
Here's a shot of one of the part monkey, part mountain goat, part cheetah that we've been raising for about 10 years now... He can climb just about anything.
Just like big brother right?
Funny thing about these cracks in the rocks... some of them only had 20 ft. drops, others dropped for 40, 50, or 60 feet... I'm not particularly afraid of heights, I just get a little nervous when my dad and my son jump back and forth across these things trying to scare me... ask Dad how that turned out for him the next time you see him... (he made it across one that he almost didn't get back across... yup, he almost took a fall... probably would've been his last).
This is a really cool place and no pictures could do it justice. You just have to go there.
Melinda and Mom chill a bit while Macho man flexes for the camera.
After a nice visit with the rocks, it's time to head back to the car. As you can see from this picture, everyone was energized and ready for our next adventure.
It was a good visit and I'm very thankful that my parents are game to so many of my shenanigans. I'm already planning their next visit. Dad says downhill mountain biking is out of the question ever since the incident on the Pinhoti trail (between Ellijay and Fort Mountain) last year. So,..... I guess it's going to have to be hang gliding instead!!

2. Let's see, I already told you about the Canoe trip, so I think next we went to Ginger's for Jonathan's birthday (he turned 12 and was ordained a Deacon). You can catch highlights from this on Ginger's Blog. Here's a couple pics. It was a nice visit... We took the kids on a stroll through the Bamboo Forest in Prattville, AL. (just down the road from the High School that I graduated from--- I only lived there my senior year... it was o.k.)
I learned a valuable lesson on that visit. That lesson is this: If I ever intend to play cards with Dad and Blake (Gingers Husband) again, then I must acquire a prescription for Valium or Xanax for me and/or for them. They figured out how to push my buttons that night... It had been a stressful week and I was sleep deprived as usual... 'Nuff said.

Moving on:
3. Kittens... I may have mentioned that we have kittens... actually we got them mid to late June, but I'm finally posting about them... We had a cat named Spike-tail that we got when Stanton was a baby... he was a cool cat... half Manx/half something else... purely and outside cat... a mouser... Well, long story-short... he got poisoned by the tainted Chinese cat food, ended up with liver failure and died last October (I think)... he's buried in the woods beside our house. Here's a picture of "Spike". Looks thrilled to be held, right?
Yeah, I know I said he was an outside cat, but every once in a while, he'd scram inside while we were fixing him some fresh water, but he lived 98% of his live "Guarding" our home. We'll miss him. So, about these new kittens, they're actually looking more likes cats now. Their names are Bootsie and Aloe. Brothers, but look like they're from different families. These cats are curious!!! They are hilarious too. They've been in/out cats lately, but as soon as we get their family jewels removed, they'll be full blown OUTSIDE cats. Ever hear the phrase "Who let the cat out of the bag?" Bootsie is the one in the bag, Aloe is just guarding the entrance. Here's a little bit of footage of what they do many times a day and every night from 10:45 to 11:45 like clockwork: (the footage is from when they were quite younger ):

No, we're not what I would call "Cat People"... you know, folks who eat, sleep, breath "Cats"... and I don't think that we smell like Cat Pee either.. you know the kind I'm talking about... Stereotypically they are single women in the 40 to 80 year age group who only go out to buy more cat food and kitty litter. Our kittens are DANG CUTE though.... gotta admit it.

4. Stanton's Birthday! Turned out to be a pretty big ordeal. I think we last counted close to 40 people (probably 2/3 kids). We were running our usual 1 1/2 hours late, but with the help of some of our early guests (thanks to the Giles, Yandows, Campbells and anyone else I may have forgotten to mention), it came together nicely. We grilled hot dogs, Conecuh sausage, chicken, and pork shoulder/Boston butt (slow cooked/pulled pork style)... with usual side items and finished it all off with Melinda's Famous Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse filling and Ganache Icing. Stanton and the rest of the kids had a good time, as did the Adults (me too)... before it was all over, I had some of the men on Melinda's and my mountain bikes roaring up and down our trails... I think Todd Campbell and Jorge Bueno even rode on the teeter-totter that we built on the trail (one of our "intermediate" rated stunts)... Maybe for my birthday in November I can have all my friends come over and ride bikes again!!! Here are a few pictures from Stanton's celebration: Yes, that is in our garage... how classy of us.
I think the cats were the only ones who didn't enjoy the evening. Thank you for everyone who came, we enjoyed it... after living here for more than 2 years, we finally had guests over and the house didn't burn down after all. We did miss our friends and relatives who were not able to join us in the festivities... maybe you folks can make the next one.

Well, I'm running out of time and thoughts. See y'all soon (hopefully).

Later,

Scott (and Melinda if she ever decides to "Blog") Bedwell

Happy Birthday Stanton and Jessica!!!

Well, this is a big Birthday Weekend. Stanton (our baby) is turning 7 y/o, and Jessica (my baby sister) is turning um, well, she's um turning ... well, ehhh um, you can ask her through the link on our blog... I can tell you this: I'm turning 36 this November and Jessie is just shy of 7 years younger than me.... ;) So, Happy Birthday Jessie!! We sure do miss you and your family. We hope to come visit sometime this winter (fair warning)... for those who don't know, Jessica and her gang live in Wal-Martland, Arkansas and we live in Euharlee, Georgia (45 minutes from Atlanta and 30 minutes from Rome, 75 minutes from Chattanooga).

It seems like forever since Jessie was my curly haired little sister who flipped Mom the bird in the bleachers at Neighborhood Park in Saraland, AL during one of Chris's little league games.... a move that led to the accidental Head-Bash against the hard shoulder of the couch... Mom was upset but not THAT upset... I'm not sure if it knocked some sense into Jessica or knocked the sense out of her.... (joking of course)... it definitely shook Mom up...

It also seems forever since she lived with us in Orange Beach, AL for a summer right after Ethan was born... this was where Jessica trained to be a master Chef in the kitchen of Mangos on the Island (a restaurant made famous by uh-um, yours truly).

Now she is mother of 2 (soon to be 3) and wife of 1 (Ryan... who has surprisingly come out of his nerd cave and seems to be developing an addiction to cycling... I knew he'd come around!!) So anyways, Happy Birthday Jessie-Mac!!

OK, moving right along. Stanton, our little Cherubim. It's hard to believe he's turning 7 already. Melinda and I have been blessed beyond comprehension with the two wonderful spirits that the Lord has entrusted us with. Both of our boys are so vibrant, smart, and energetic that it can be tiresome to be around them for extended periods of time without proper preparation and orientation. Not to leave Ethan out, but because it is Stanton's Birthday, I'll come back to Ethan in another post.
Let me just tell you about Stanton Valor Bedwell. He came into this world wide eyed and full of wonder. He hasn't changed a bit. He's excited, inquisitive, passionate, spiritual, and loving. He loves the outdoors. He loves mountain biking, bmx'ing, hiking, camping, canoeing, tubing, climbing trees, climbing rocks, climbing anything actually. He loves playing with his friends (which definitely includes his big brother, Ethan). He love his Family and misses them when he's not around them. He sometimes (just out of the blue) will express his longing to see his cousins, aunts/uncles, or Grandparents who he hasn't seen in a while. He will lovingly inquire of Melinda's parents, who died when he was too young to remember them, and express his desire to have known them. Stanton loves going to church and being in Primary (children's Sunday School). He has an impressive knowledge and understanding of scripture stories and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His favorite scripture story is from Mosiah 12 (found in the Book of Mormon). It's when Abinidi testifies before the wicked King Noah and his priests. (If you are one of my non-LDS Friends, this is not the "Noah's Ark" Noah from the Old Testament... different era, different continent, gimme a call, I'll be glad to chat with you about it... better yet, I'll let Stanton talk to you about it).
Anyways, before I let my ADD get the better of me. Let me tell you about this past Monday morning. Being that we have two vibrant, energetic lads in our home, there is usually a plethora of small toys and pieces of toys (e.g. Lego's...) to step on in the floor. Well, Monday morning was no exception. I came home from work around 8 a.m. and got ready for bed. I had not even started to dream when Melinda woke me up with one of our kittens in her hands and said: "Scott, something's wrong with the cat, look at him!" The cat kept making this yawning motion and would paw at his face. He didn't seem to be in major distress as I could tell that he was breathing and somewhat calm. Melinda was a bit more excited, as she had noticed him doing this for some time and thought that something bad was happening. (the reason why we have these 2 kittens is because we lost "Spike-tail", our 6 year old Manx to the tainted Chinese cat food which caused his liver to fail last year). So being the Nurse that I am, I continued to assess the cat by the usual nursing method, you know: Airway, Breathing, Circulation (in that order)... as I looked in his mouth I saw something lodged between his upper teeth that encompassed his whole upper pallet. With Melinda holding him, I was able to pull this thing out, the cat shook his head a couple times, smacked his lips, then ran off to play with his brother. It turned out to be a round magnet from who knows what (Ethan is in a deconstructive phase where he likes to take things apart, he just hasn't made it to a reconstructive stage yet). So, I wash my hands and go back to bed. Fast-forward to 3 p.m.: The boys come in from school, I hear Melinda telling them about the cat so I get up and go downstairs. I reinforce what Melinda has told them and Stanton says to me something to this effect: "Daddy, during the 'Moment of Silence' this morning (they're not allowed to "pray" in school, so they have a "moment of silence" after their Pledge of Allegiance every morning) during the 'Moment of Silence' this morning, I had a bad feeling in my heart about the cats. It felt like something was wrong, so I said a prayer to Heavenly Father that the cats would be O.K. when I got home from school today." I was taken for a moment because I realized that when Melinda woke me and all that went on right about the same time Stanton would have been in his Moment of Silence. I gave him a hug and thanked him. I asked him if he always prays during the Moment of Silence and he said "Yeah, usually" in a nonchalant kind of way. I then encouraged him to thank his Father in Heaven that the cats were o.k. and for hearing is prayers. It may not seem like much to some of you, but when my kids say or do something like that, it really touches my heart. Being a parent is often very humbling, and when your children prove to be embracing Gospel principles and concepts (like prayer), well that's just plain inspiring!
Please don't think that I'm bragging (which I have no problem doing) about Stanton, but I consider myself beyond fortunate to have him and Ethan as my sons and Melinda as my wife.
Anyways, that's all for "Getting to know Stanton, volume 1". Wish him a Happy Birthday.
Happy Birthday Stanton, I love you buddy!

Update on Change

So, as I mentioned on the last post, it looks like I'm finally going to get off of the NIGHT SHIFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got one of the ICU manager's signature on my transfer request so all that really needs to happen is the ICU manager and the PACU manager have to come to terms on what date will be my actual transfer... based on staffing issues in the ICU, and the fact that someone has to train into my charge nurse position, it looks like they will try to keep me for the maximum amount of time which is 6 weeks... I proposed that we just finish out this schedule (which is through Oct. 18)... I guess we'll see.
Well, tomorrow (Thursday) I will work a shift in the PACU just to check it out. I'm pretty stoked. The work itself will not be as challenging as working in ICU, or at least the acuity level of the patients will not be as sick or demanding as the ICU, but it's different in the PACU... It's like "Turn & Burn" (to borrow from my old restaurant lingo)... you know, "get 'em in--- get 'em out" kind of thing. Anyways, I'll let y'all know how it turns out.
Later,
Scott

Time for change!

Ok folks. Here it is. (If you happen to work with me, do not let this out just yet, I need to make sure it's solid!) I doubt that anyone I work with reads this, but there is a link to our blog on every email I send so, ..... you never know!!!

Well, most of you know that I've been working every night, many weekends, and many many holidays for the last 5 or so years... and before that I worked 'till at least midnight 5, 6 and sometimes 7 days a week; plus just about every weekend and holiday for about 10 years right?

Well, my (and Melinda's) prayers may be answered. I'm just asking that y'all remember us in your prayers too. I have had a couple informal over the phone interviews for a position in the PACU (Post anesthesia care unit... aka: "recovery room") and will have a face-to-face interview on this Wednesday morning. It will be a transfer in the same hospital so there will be no change in pay... in fact, I'll be loosing between $3-$5/hour in shift differentials & etc. but hope to make some of that up in "on call pay". The gig is from 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday-Friday (yeah, that's only 32 hours week, but being on call 1 night a week + coming in early or staying late some days adds up... and I can always pick up a shift or 1/2 shift in the ICU at a moment's notice....they are always in need)... besides, with this schedule, if we find that it's necessary, Melinda can get a part-time job for a while. If Wednesday works out (which in talking on the phone with the manager, it sounds promising) I could be on days within this month!!! That means I can eat and sleep the same time my wife and kids are eating and sleeping, I can function like a real person... You just don't know how bad I need this!!! Hopefully I can lose some weight, lower my blood pressure and cholesterol by having regular sleep patters... and another plus is the fact that there are showers so I can get a bike ride in before work and just lock my bike on the rack. We don't have showers in ICU so I haven't had that luxury... Anyway, we are pretty excited, but are trying not to count our chickens before they hatch. I just wanted to let y'all in on it. BTW, surgeons don't schedule procedures on weekends and holidays, so unless it's emergent and I'm on call (which is every 8th weekend), then no weekend work unless I'm picking it up in the ICU. Pretty cool.
So, the moral to the story: Prayer Works. Please remember us in your prayers.
Later,
Scott

Messy M.E.S.S.

Well, it's Thursday morning, I just got in from work. It wasn't a bad night, my patient was pleasant (my first Muslim patient that I can remember... nice guy)... yes, I did say Patient and not Patients.... that's because in a Cardio-Vascular/Surgical Intensive Care Unit, most post-op open heart and some vascular and neuro patients are 1 on 1 (1 nurse/1 patient) for the 1st 12 to 36 hours +/- depending on acuity... actually, many times the patient may be 2 or 3 on 1 (2 or 3 nurses/ 1 patient) for the first couple hours... until the patient is stable enough to be 1 on 1...
So, enough Nurse talk 101, there will be a quiz next week...

I figured it was time to post again, by the way I fixed the pictures on the "Can you canoe" post... check 'em out. I named this one "Messy M.E.S.S." because looking around the house, I realized that we (M. elinda, E. than, S. tanton, S. cott) are some messy folks... most of the time it's o.k. because we're not Dirty people, we are just unorganized and cluttered enough to be messy. Hey, we don't sweat the little stuff... I have to admit, Melinda does way more than her share of cleaning the kitchen and living room and even the kids rooms, and I probably don't quite do enough (but I take care of the grass cutting, garbage taking out, some cooking, and working... +/- other stuff)... the boys, well, they are a work in progress and I'll report on them later. I'm not posting to complain. I'm just saying that we're a bit messy, that's all. Here's the thing... I've seen folks with twice as many kids as us who keep a spic and span home... I don't get it. I mean, are they like constantly sweeping, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, washing, folding, wiping... or are they just that anal or "O.C.D." that they are super conscious about every little speck, drop, footprint, hair, etc. that nothing gets by them and are their kids the same way?
Frankly, it annoys me. When I walk into someones home and it looks like nobody lives there because everything is so nice and neat and orderly and clutter free... pictures are arranged neatly, no dishes on the table or counters... no shoes, toys, clothes, and papers spread throughout the house... I get kinda nervous. I mean, I'm afraid to walk... "should I take my shoes off?"... "am I allowed in this room?" these are things that go through my mind... if I wanted to go to a museum, then I would have gone to one, but NO! I chose to visit someone in their home, but it appears that I took a wrong turn because there's no sign of life here...(more of my thought process...) All I'm saying is jeez! If you really want to show some hospitality, drop a coke and leave a nice stain in your carpet, leave a load of laundry on your sofa so I can push it aside and sit down, kick your shoes off at the front door so I can stumble on them when I come through... then I'll feel welcome when I visit.
I'm a family kinda guy, my folks were up here this last weekend and yes, we straitened things up before they got here(I actually scrubbed the whole bathroom...yeah, I know), but when they arrived, they KNEW that someone lived here... they knew it was us and I hope they didn't take offense to it but rather felt welcome. Now I know that my sisters may end up reading this and I'm pretty sure that they can and do relate, but to you other readers (if there are others), try mixing it up a little bit... how 'bout helping your kid with a school project and leaving everything in the middle of the dining room table for a few days, then throw a picnic blanket on the living room floor and having dinner in the floor for a couple days. While that's all going on, make sure to invite some of your "Type A" friends over and get them in on the gig too. I think that you may just loosen up a bit and have a better, more rounded outlook on life.
Go on, give it a try.... then report back here and let me know how it went....


:)


(please don't think that people who have "lived in" homes are lazy, we're not lazy, we are just multi-tasking and happen to be on the "multi" part of the "tasking" thing.)

That's all.

Scott

Can you Canoe?

Many of you know that we had our first Grandfather, Fathers, Uncles, Brothers, Bros-In-Laws, Sons, and Cousins' canoe trip up here in NW Georgia last weekend. Dad (Gramps to some) had been planning/hoping to do this for some time now and it finally came to fruition. It was a close call with Mother Nature, but we only had a few sprinkles, some wind here and there and little sun... come to think of it, I'd call it "Pleasantly Overcast". It was a 17 mile Canoe trip on the Etowah River. 5 adults and 5 kids (better make that 10 kids). The put-in point was on hwy 411 half way between Cartersville and Rome, GA and the take-out point was at Grizzard Park on the East Rome Bypass (Hwy 1). There were a few rocky shoal rapids (not real rapids, but more turbulence than your average bathtub) which posed minor challenges as well as opportunities for some to get wet (tipped canoes... no injuries or drownings though)... Fun was had by all and we look forward to doing it again... I had a water proof disposable camera and have developed the pics to a disc and uploaded them to winkflash and photobucket... here are the links: http://sandm96.winkflash.com/ and http://s174.photobucket.com/albums/w106/scottheckles/summer%2008/canoe%20trip/
but in the meantime, here's a few pics for proof: (if I'm not making sense, I'll read this later and edit it... I just got home from work and am in need of sleep)


A view from the Captain's Seat (Ethan and Stanton in front).

Who's the Captain in this picture?



"Where's the TP?"........ ........ ......... ........... Nothing to see here, move along, move along.


Sometimes we made a 4 canoe barge and just hung around.



Other times we stopped and emptied the water from the canoes (they tend to float better when they are IN the water and not with water IN them)


This kinda looks like a "Flood Rescue Picture... a la Hurricane Katrina" (BTW, That's the Birthday boy in the background... Happy Birthday Shane)


There was some kid swapping going on (just to keep things fresh... it was almost 6 hours in a canoe...)



Grizzly Adams was there



It was a dang good time... Maybe some day we'll be good enough sailors that we can bring along some Women-folks.... Sounds like a plan....
There are more pics on Winkflash and photobucket...
I'm tired and am quickly running out of steam.
Thanks for including us in your adventure Dad (if you ever read this)... let's do it again.
Later,
Scott