Our Crazy Little Girly Girl!

Isn’t it amazing how these special spirits come into our lives? Where do they come from? Our little Abigail truly amazes me. She has such a STRONG personality. She is so determined, very insistent and full of spite that you just have to love her even more! Watching her amazes me how quickly she learns, adapts and then reacts to her environments. Her older brother was much more docile and carefree. Tonight Benjamin and Mitzi found some old sunglasses and apparently Abby had to have them. A picture moment appeared and here are the results.

A long walk in the cold night with a good friend

On Monday Abby came down with croup. Abby’s Doctor advised us that the most effective thing we could do for her would be to take a 30 plus minute walk in the evening just before putting her down to bed. From what I understand of croup now; Abby is experiencing the swelling of the trachea caused by a viral ailment - I originally though croup dealt more with the lungs. Apparently the cold air will help reduce the swelling of the trachea and having her sleep at an angle will help as well.

As I was following the Doc’s orders this evening, I decided to stop by a friend’s house as their real-estate sign had been moved. In our brief exchange my friend could tell I could use some company during my walk and offered to join.

I don’t think I have ever had 30 minutes fly by as fast as it did this evening. In fact, when we had reached our 30 minutes, I really wanted to keep going. Our conversation was very simple – everyday sort of stuff, but it was such a great close of the evening. I am so thankful to this friend of mine for seeing my need and taking the time to leave his warm house and go walking in the middle of the cold night with a sick child.

I owe him big time! Thanks N!

What has a friend done for you recently that you are grateful for?

Dad - I need a tie on...

Saturday is a special day; it’s the day we get ready for Sunday! Or something like that…. This primary song often comes to my mind whenever I help dress my kids Sunday morning for church. Well this morning Benjamin was determined that he was going to wear a tie. Typically, Benjamin wears a very nice sweater. “Sorry Benjamin, you can’t wear a tie with your sweater – you need a button up shirt.” was my response to my dressed son. I should have known this was not going to be enough. After realizing he was going to wear a tie to church today whether I was ok with it or not; we began digging through his closet and found a suit for him to wear that was passed down from family. Of course we had to now take pictures – So enjoy!

We had to take one of the two together as well!

Friendship - the value, the love, the benefits!

There have been many times that I have wanted to start this post but stopped because I wanted to make sure I hit this one right. So here it goes, thank goodness one can edit a post or just delete in general!

I have been doing a little soul searching, researching, and situational evaluation to bring my thoughts together on this subject. I have come to a simple conclusion that a friend and friendship do not mean the same to everyone. In fact, throughout life our own definition can change overtime. We should be constantly nurturing our thought processes and how we interact with one another; however I wonder if overtime that is always the case.

In order to put my thoughts into perspective, I thought I would define just a few things I feel deal with friendship.

Time: Friendship takes time, time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth.

Trust: I feel that we all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations with. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone; without worrying that those secrets will end up on the Internet (Facebook comes to mind) down the road.

Acceptance: Best friends don't analyze each other; they don't have to. They accept each other with their positive and negative qualities. They may not always agree, but that’s ok!

Levels of friendship: There are different levels of friendships that are developed over time. Stages or different friendships I have seen identified are: true friends, best friends, good friends, kindred spirits, casual friends, work friends, social friends, church friends, and friendly acquaintances.

I found an interesting aspect the other day about friendship. Unlike other more formal relationships, friendships do not need to be identified by kinship, legal ties or formal social obligations. There are no ceremonies surrounding the formation of a friendship at least in my book. Rather, friendships are developed over time and once formed they should be free from expectations.

The lists of benefits that friends bring to us are many. Friends listen, encourage, give advice, help with everyday life crap, and have fun. Some friendships exchange trivia, share information in general, and simply "are there" for one another.

I am very grateful for the friendships that I have developed over my life, sadly I have lost some; and they are missed. But because I knew them, I have been changed for good! (Sorry just a little wicked – the musical from which “for good” is one of my favorite songs about friendship. Now go listen to it!)

Many people will walk in and out of our lives, but if we allow a friendship to fully develop; friends will leave footprints in our souls. They can make a difference, they can change our lives. Thank you my friends for changing my life!

So tell me your thoughts about friendship – I would love to know!

25 Random things about Duston

Ok, so I know these lists are corny, but I did this for my facebook profile and thought I should post it here as well.

1. I have a tendency to procrastinate things because I tend to be a perfectionist – it’s horrible, my poor wife. This is why I have prolonged doing this list…


2. I finished my MBA this year thanks to a great support at home and my team/group.


3. I take much pride in the things I do and get much satisfaction when everything turns our perfectly – refer to number 1.


4. I like to brainstorm, plan, organize, energize and oversee; but I struggle with getting bored at the end of a project and then I burn out.


5. I am very nervous about the state of our economy. I know our family needs a vacation but I hesitate because I feel the need to save.


6. I love Café Rio. I really do! And yet I know how horrible that is… What am I talking about, I love food in general.


7. I loved taking pottery classes when I was younger and would love to take this hobby up again but I just can’t.


8. I LOVE people – I love serving people, and go out of my way too much for others.


9. I am working on losing weight and I’m already down 12 lbs. I have sooo much more to lose because of number 5.


10. I love my father in heaven and elder brother Jesus Christ and I am so, so grateful for my membership in the church.


11. I think Facebook is one of the greatest websites… I have found old friends, new friends, stayed in contact with friends and (I guess you could say) my long lost half brother found me on FB just on a whim – it’s a great story.


12. I am a very passionate individual that will tell you how it is. If I don’t argue/disagree/or express my opinions with you; we’re not close enough yet.


13. I am also a very emotional individual.


14. I can feel peoples pain – and it is very hard for me as I care sooo much.


15. I LOVE to entertain, have people over for dinner and always have friends and family around me. I love going above and beyond expectations – I LOVE parties! I love my neighborhood.


16. I love my family very much. My little girl cracks me up – she’s got a ton of attitude. You can see it in her. My son is amazing, he brings me such joy. My poor wife deals with me and for that I am grateful – I love you! My mother was a single parent; she did the best she could do which is more than I could ever ask for. She taught me to love and sacrifice everything.


17. I have worked for WF for over 8 years and I think the corporation is GREAT! I am a believer!


18. For some reason, 30 was a hard one for me to hit… I don’t know why.


19. I love to laugh, and love funny people even more.


20. I want an entertainment system so bad… The 47" Flat screen TV, sound system, blueray, and the programming - but still can’t justify the cost.


21. I want to design my dream home and build it someday.


22. I love driving, cleaning etc my Pilot!


23. I have many heroes, people I look up to and love associating with them.


24. I have many imperfections and I realize that. Thank goodness for this life and repentance.


25. I want to read everyone else’s list to get to know them better – number 8!