Today I uploaded my first youtube video: 

This evening we had Chilis (the restaurant) for dinner (my parents sent us a gift card) and watched Horton Hears a Who! for our date night (we got the food to go and watched the movie at home with the kids). Then I went to Frank's house with the missionaries and we talked about the sacrament and prophets. He has really prepared himself for baptism; quit smoking being the major thing, but lots of other little things too; he is a great example of someone who has had a change of heart. 

I received my GRE scores (from the second time I took it). Well, I probably should have gotten a wii (the test costs 1/2 a wii). I did better on the math, 60th percentile to 80th, but I did worse on the verbal. And as if it was possible, even worse on the writing! I dropped 5%, so, yes a grand total of 3 percent of the people, yes 3 in 100 did worse than I. I guess I should have practiced. Not that my spelling could be helped, but I know there was a form that they wanted you to use for constructing your arguments... I wonder if there's a reason I avoid writing classes?

Ethan has been saying "uh-oh" (after throwing his food off of the table) for some time. I've also heard him say "ma-ma." But I didn't know he could say "baby" and "bath." This video was taken after dinner when I asked Ethan if we wanted to take a bath:

We went to the Temple today, which was really nice. I also managed to do a little work, and a very small part of an assignment that is due tomorrow; it's going to be really late :( Here's a couple of squares I had to make as part of the assignment. We had to do this using two different API's (powertools as I tell Rachel) and then discuss the differences in more detail than I know...

I wonder if we are at the beginning of a 'great' depression. I was thinking about an interview Rachel and I did with my grandparents, in which we asked them about what it was like living through some of the 'great' events of world history. I wonder if a grandchild will one day ask us "what was it like at the beginning of 2009, what were your hopes and dreams" etc., or will this pass almost unnoticed, like how I think of the '73 fuel shortage: "oh, yes, I do remember hearing something about that" but not really caring enough to pursue further information. 

Anyway, "what was it like," they might ask: I'd say that Rachel and I felt really blessed. She was able to be a stay at home mom, I was able to go to school and had work, and was looking forward to a couple more years of schooling before I set out (feeling confident that I would be able to get a job when the time came). Our children were beautiful and healthy, smart, and so funny. We couldn't imagine things getting better, in fact, we didn't dare ask for anything more fearing we would appear ungrateful to our benevolent benefactor (God). Perhaps we might add that a minivan was at the top of our 'wants' list (ok maybe Rachel's list, a wii would be at the top of mine). 

So where does our story go from here? Is there something significant in the making? My own thoughts are probably not going to be very popular, but I'll share them here. I hope so. Why? Well, to be honest, I think it'll be good for the church. Our favorite cycle is the pride cycle after all. 

pride -> destruction (of some kind) -> humility -> prosperity (both temporal and spiritual) -> pride -> ...

In recent years (all my life?) we have only seen prosperity and pride. Now, don't get me wrong, the growth of the church is still impressive, but it has slowed (many debate the reasons), but from what I've heard (second/third hand) is that the US is the main source of the decline. Hugh Nibley talks extensively about how civilization after civilization has been wiped out in the new world (with dinner on the table, literally), while the civilizations of the old world can date themselves thousands of years. 

So are we faced with two options: Repent or be destroyed? I would guess not, at least not in such absolute terms. Remember Abraham's conversation with God, "If I find in Sodom X righteous within the city"(Gen. ch. 18); so no, I don't think it's all or nothing, but I do feel like a little humility could go a long way.  

I dispise my literature class. I think this is the worst book, maybe ever (like anyone could prove that). On a happier note, I've met up with a couple of old companions from my mission on facebook!