While laying in bed...

I decided to sleep in a little today, a gift to myself. I have no meetings, it's Friday, I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow, and I have been working my butt off lately.

While lying there, I listened to my family getting ready. I love to hear the hustle and bustle, and even with my eyes closed I can visualize what everyone's doing.

As I listened to Maddie I realized two things.

1) She talks about every 20 seconds. She's always talking, asking questions, interacting, making stuff up, being creative. She's a huge talker and has a serious gift of gab. And honestly she has a lot to say for being so small. She's very excited about her world, and that's really really fun to witness.

2) She laughs a lot. That makes me happy, because it means she's got a great sense of humor - a must have in this world. It's also one of the things that I like about myself (that is, that little things make me giggle). I try to take a lighter look at the world, and I really hope she is able to maintain a great, silly, up beat outlook on life too.

Thanks Maddie, for reminding me that there's a lot to laugh at and many reasons for us to be happy.

Family vacation

Had a really nice time with the family this last week as we spent a week in Orlando. I love spending time with my girls, and really enjoyed playing with them and spending good quality time together. Swimming, playing, shopping, laughing - really good time.

Some highlights:

Spending time with Mel. We both work a lot of hours, and it was nice to not think about work and to spend some nice time with Mel. She loves vacations, and plans them so nicely. And for me it was really really great to spend time with the love of my life.

Abby and Peter got to fight Darth Vader in the Jedi Academy - they both gave him a good fight, and didn't go to the dark side! Maddie said she wanted to fight him too, but called him Dark Gator.

We love swimming in the OKW pool, and Maddie is making real strides being comfortable in the water. She's still very scared, but is getting a little braver. We also had fun with a new game called "Don't wake the gator" - where I close my eyes and listen for Abby to splash and then try and tag her.

It was great seeing Jake and his family too. Although I only got to spend a few days with them, it was awesome to see how Cody, Ella, Sam, Peter, and Kipp were growing and developing. It makes me so happy to know that all of my siblings have really really great families who are just really great people. I really enjoyed trick or treating with Cody through the Magic Kingdom, going around and around at each stop to get as much candy as possible.

Sleeping. I got to work late every night, and slept in the morning. It's fun for me to stay up late, and wake up late and a vacation where I'm getting up too early or going to bed at a set time just doesn't feel right.

Musings

Today I met with my VP to share the plans around a marketing campaign I'm building. He's a super sharp, super direct fellow who likes to drill deeply on anything and who can take the conversation anywhere. So the advice that we were given was "be prepared and know your stuff". True to form, he spent the first hour talking business and marketing strategy - no slides, no charts - just pure understanding of the business from every angle. It all flowed easily - the man knows our business, and sitting there he pushed me and my partner in ways that were terribly uncomfortable, but insightful.

It reminds me that MS is a great place to work for a number of reasons, but as I approach my first year anniversary I think it's amazing how much I've grown and how being around really REALLY smart people helps to sharpen you. If and when I leave, I don't imagine there will be any challenges that I can't solve or work through. That doesn't mean that I know everything - far from it. But I do think that I have more confidence to attack problems, collaborate, and get things done. When you're pushed and pulled and asked continually to do new and different things enough, you realize that you're up to the challenge. That's one of the great things that will come from this experience. It's hard, and frustrating, and challenging. And so many times I wish I were in a simple job doing simple things. But if this is the right place for me, and I think it is, then at the end of this adventure I'm going to be wicked sharp. Looking forward to that!

The creativity of a 7 year old

I wanted to post this fun video of a laptop that Abby built herself. When I came home from work one night she had this cool paper laptop that was really well thought out and creative. Here's the video. I was very proud of Abby for being so creative on this.

Born to dance

Tonight I was listening to some fun music on the computer (Pop Goes the World, by Men Without Hats to be exact). Maddie was standing there next to me, listening quite intently to the fun sounds and beats, when she said:

"This music is making my body dance".

The girl's a dancer, let me just say that. Her two favorite songs to dance to are 1) Taylor Swift's "Love Story" and 2) Spotlight from the Twilight soundtrack. We put those songs on (or any, really) and she just dances and dances and dances. She is quite the little dancer, with her moves totally in synch with the music. It's adorable, and funny to watch her so into it.

Maddie is an amazing girl who simply loves to sing and dance. She constantly makes up her own songs - I can't always understand the words, but I hear "Jesus", "Holy Spirit" and other words spread throughout. But she puts so much emotion and emphasis into her performances, it's impossible to not just sit there amazed. I wonder where she gets it...neither Melanie or I are terribly dramatic or musical. But she's just programmed that way.

Speaking of, I have an old Christmas CD in my car and she asks me to play "Where are you Christmas" from the Grinch movie. And the cool thing is that she knows the words, and sings the right notes. Maybe that's what we'll send out as video Christmas card.

Anyway, that's what this post is about - to celebrate a 3 year old who loves music and performance. I love to watch every little thing she does with pure joy and amazement. That's the joy of being a Dad.

The manipulation of a 3-year-old

A summer walk...

Tonight we went on a nice long summer night walk. There are a bunch of blackberries along the walk, so we brought a bowl and picked and picked and picked. Mel, Abby, and I got a lot of pricks from the thorns but were able to gather a whole big bowl so that Mel can hopefully make some jelly sometime soon. Maddie sat in her stroller the whole time eating "literally" the fruits of our labors (except for teh time I took her to tinkle behind the stumps). As the CSO (Chief Safety Officer) of the family I kept one eye out for the bears - you never know when one might mistake Abby for a little jack rabbit.

As we walked home, the sliver of the moon was so pretty between the trees. Maddie said "the moon looks so pretty...but it looks like a piece fell off". Very cute, as always.

I gave this talk on Sunday

The title of my talk today is Waiting Patiently on the Lord.

My daughter Maddie is a tremendously sweet, smart, creative girl. But like most 3 year olds, she lacks patience. Many evenings she might say “I want to go to the park.” I must be very careful how I respond, because if I say “sure, we can go to the park” she will immediately interpret that to mean we can go to the park now. And if I say “we’ll go in a few minutes” she will say “I want to go now”. And she’ll say it again and again until I can’t take it anymore. She’s very persistent, but not very patient.

Part of her lack of patience is that she really loves to play and really wants to go to the park. It’s a good desire, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But the other part is that she doesn’t have a good sense of time, so if I say “we’ll go in a few minutes” that doesn’t mean as much to her. She wants it NOW.

In the eternal scheme of things I think sometimes we must seem like 3 year olds to Heavenly Father. We look up to him and ask:

When will I get married?
When will I get a job?
When will I have a family?
When will my health improve?
When will my children return to the Church?

These are all righteous desires. But they all have the component of time associated with them, and it’s in the waiting that we become frustrated. And it’s this reason that we need patience so much - because sometimes God’s answer to us is “wait.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said “Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His”.

Patience is closely related to many Christ-like attributes, but especially to hope and faith – because sometimes we are required to wait for the promised blessings of the Lord to be fulfilled. President Monson said, “Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required”.

I know that I’ve questioned Heavenly Father and his timing before, when my patience was tried and tested. Let me share one personal example.

When Melanie and I were first married, we looked forward to having children. That’s a righteous blessing, and our patriarchal blessings told us we would have children. So we had faith. And we waited. But year after year, nothing but frustration and hopelessness as we wondered what God’s plan was for us and our family. We were frustrated when people would say things to us or ask us when we were going to have kids. Of the many challenges that our family has undergone, I think this test challenged our faith and patience in God’s plan more than any other thing.

More than 7 years ago, during this time of great frustration and test of patience we were having a particularly troubling stretch. My sweet wife Melanie was diagnosed with cancer, and underwent a series of treatments. Shortly after her second surgery we received a surprising call. Through the blessing of LDS Family Services we were selected to adopt a beautiful little girl. In the middle of this tremendously difficult time, the blessing that we had hoped and waited for was finally about to come to pass. The timing couldn’t have been worse, or better. A few weeks later, and in the most unexpected way and time, our little Abby came into our home.

If we had it our way, and on our timeline, it’s possible that Abby might never have come to our home. A million things had to happen to us, and to others, to orchestrate that miracle. I think it’s safe to assume that had we been able to have children when we wanted to, we never ever would have had Abby. It wouldn’t have been part of the plan. That experience really helped us understand that God has a plan, and that when we are patient we will be blessed more than we could ever know.

I think each of you have had many similar experiences. The characters have changed, and the challenges are different. Some are bigger, others smaller. But each of us will face challenges or mortality. And when we patiently endure, we will be redeemed.

In God’s eyes, he sees us on an eternal journey. This leg, called mortality, is important, but it’s part of a long eternal journey. And when we patiently and faithfully endure the trials of mortality, we grow closer and closer to becoming more like our Father.

C.S. Lewis put it in a way that I love. He asked us to imagine that you are a living house. We invite God into our life, and ask him to rebuild that house. But like most things, this takes time and is harder than we thought it would be. At first, perhaps, we understand what He is doing. He is fixing the plumbing and repairing the roof – things you knew needed to have done and so we’re not surprised. But then He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts too much, and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to?

The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself. And he is patient in this pursuit. God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy and he will continue to work on us, here and there, patiently building little perfect beings.

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said this: “[The Lord] gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.”

With patience we gain a better perspective. We realize that time is something that is only measured to man, not to God. We understand that the difficulties and challenges that we undergo in this life are only a small thing, and that if we endure it well we will be exalter.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said “unearned suffering is redemptive”. I think part of what that means is that when we go through challenges, when we patiently endure suffering, we are changed. Our faith is tested, but not broken. And patience is the attribute that makes that possible.

Patience is a lost virtue in today’s society. We demand things immediately, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So much is so easily gained, that we forget that every good thing that ever comes does so line upon line, precept on precept. My prayer today is that we will each step back and patiently wait on the Lord’s blessings. One thing is sure…it will certainly be worth it.

Yes, I play Barbies...

So yesterday was just a perfect summer day here in Seattle. The girls were outside playing Barbies, and I was inside for some reason until it dawned on me...I should go play with them. So for about an hour we played Barbies outside on the grass. It was so fun!

The King and Queen sent our little rag tag team to hunt for the "Book of Magic". So we found a little square piece of wood and drew lines on it so it looked a book and hid it in a bush. And we found some little pieces of flower that were yellow and made them into the campfire. We made sleeping bags out of leaves, and Abby made little a backpack out of little strings. Maddie picked some little strawberries and we cooked them over the fire. We just laughed, and talked, and created stuff, and were creative. It was so much fun.

Lately I've really wanted to do something fun and creative. I've been writing down the good stories that I tell the girls, and maybe I'll publish a little book outside of the one I'm currently working on. Maybe a complition of little stories for the girls. Maybe something more. I think in general it's good to do something totally different for your brain, and since I'm no good at music or art, I think I might have found a hobby. Stayed tuned!

Highlights from Maddie's prayer tonight

Thank you for Mom and Dad and Abby's shirt.

Thank you for the tables.

Thank you for flowers and trees that grow.

Thank you for Minnie Mouse.

Bless me and Abby when we get married.

Thank you that Abby and me can go to Neverland.

Bless the dogs that grow and turn into people.

My tribute to Melanie...

I have not done justice praising Melanie on this blog. Melanie has been my truest confidant, supporter, and advocate since we met and is the most amazing woman and wife in the world. Recently we celebrated our lucky 13th wedding anniversary. In honor of this occasion, I want to spend a few minutes honoring my good, sweet wife.

I guess the first way I think about her is how I'm different and better because of our life together. She has always believed in me, has helped me through the hard times, and been there to celebrate the good times. We've built our lives together, step by step. I know that I'm a better person because of her. Her encouragement and counsel have helped me to become a better husband, father, and person. Having her in my life is a blessing - and a miracle.

When we first met, she was a graduating Michigan Wolverine - one of the smartest, most talented students at one of the best academic institutions in the world. She could have gone to any school she was just that talented. She had planned for years on getting into a great college and had lots of choices. But fortunately for me she felt like Michigan was the place for her so she went there. For four years she studied, worked, dated, and did normal college stuff. And then we met...

The contrast between where Mel was and where I was is laughable. When we met I was a humble waiter by night, sophomore college student by day (at lowly Washtenaw Community College no less). I was driving a piece of crud Toyota Tercel, had a scant savings, but lots of hope and potential. What she saw in me I will never know. Her parents must have really wondered what she was thinking when she told them who she was dating. Her ex-boyfriend asked how she could date someone from "Ypsi-tucky". But we both believe in magic, and have felt it throughout our lives together.

Dating Melanie was like seeing light through the darkness. It was like living hope. It was all laughter, fun, teasing, flirting, kissing...there was none of the bad stuff, and all of the good stuff. We could spend days and days together doing nothing - doing homework, talking, walking, holding hands. It was magical. I remember early on before we told anyone we were dating we would run around the Institute holding hands in private so that no one would know we were dating. There's nothing like holding hands when you're young and in love. The newness of the touch. The thrill of new love.

We did a lot of talking too in those early days (still do). I'm not a huge talker, but I could sit with her for hours and hours and talk with her. It was so easy...it just flowed. And while we talked I would look into her eyes and see forever, in those beautiful green and hazel eyes. That Spring in Ann Arbor was bursting with life, hope, and of course, love. Three months after we started dating we were engaged.

One day after we were engaged I went down to have lunch with her in this super formal dining room in her dorm. There were all of these super elite women, but so we sat with them and ate like normal. When we told them we were recently engaged, they must have thought we were nuts. 23 and 22...so young to be getting married, but for us it was true love and so we made preparations for our wedding.

I have to say that those six months - the time from when we met to when we got married was absolutely magical in every. We both felt it, and still think and talk about it. All of these years later we both know that our marriage was meant to be, that it was something special, and that if we did things the right way we could have those feelings forever.

The fun thing is that the magic still exists. We might not have those exact same feelings, but we have new ones. The newness is gone, but each season brings a new experience that we can share together. We absolutely love being parents together. We are absolutely in synch in so many things. We are able to sit together, as equals, to plan and think about the future. Sometimes we have the most spiritual conversations, and other times we simply laugh our heads off. Today it's not new, but it's still magical and special all the same.

Anyway, I wanted to simply say that I love you Mel, and am so blessed to have you in my life.

Comic Con 2009...Wow

Comic Con is my favorite time of the year, and this year rocked. I've been so geeked out about it for the last couple of months and it didn't disappoint. Ok, maybe it wasn't as perfect as last year, but I had twice as much time to enjoy it and that made up for it in a huge way.


I geek out over the movie premieres and think if you like big, fun movies than there is no place to be other than Comic Con. Unfortunately, due to the "Twilight issue" we were unable to see any really great screenings like Avatar, Tron 2, New Moon, Alice in Wonderland, etc. We missed all of the really great stuff on day 1 but we did catch a cool panel with Sigorney Weaver, Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse), and Zoe Saldana (Star Trek). That was the highlight for day 1.

Day 2 offered much better fare. I saw the following:

• The Book of Eli: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman
• Nightmare on Elm Street: the dude who is going to play freddy.
• Where the Wild Things Are: saw the little dude who's the main character in the show, and got my picture taken with him.
• The Box: Cameron Diaz,
• Jonah Hex: Megan Fox, Josh Brolin
• Sherlock Holmes: Robert Downey, Rachel McAdams
• Pixar, Disney Animation Studios: lot's of great previews and updates, including 3D versions of Toy Story 1, 2, and Beauty and the Beast. Heard from John Lassater and Hayao Mizayaki.

The toys, prints, artists...all of it was really amazing this year.

My week in New Orleans...

So I've been in New Orleans all week. This place is an absolute den of iniquity...I've never really seen anyplace like it. The style and architecture of the place is really pretty, but at the root it's really about drinking, partying, and totall sleezy stuff (I will spare the details, but it's been totally over the top in the worst way - worst than Vegas to me).

Anyway, these events always mean the following has happened a lot: I go to parties to network and socialize because that's what we do in business. And of course, since I don't drink, I always look a little out of place. Happened again tonight when we went to a really interesting, yummy local place for dinner and of course everyone was ordering shots, beers, etc and asking me what I wanted. Then, I went to a "casino night" where booze was flowing like the River Jordan (they even had booze flavored Icee's). When I mentioned at the bar that I wanted a Diet Coke, the two guys I was with said in unison "what, are you LDS?" To which I always say "absolutely I am". I think people are always a little surprised but respectful. And I am always proud for who and what I am.

It's also nice to be in places like this because it reinforces my beliefs and commitments. I mean, if I wanted to I could go and do anything and no one would ever know. My friends even asked if I wanted to go to a strip club the other night. But it's so easy to say no and I'm glad that I have no desire whatsoever in these things. And when I'm surrounded by people whose idea of the perfect party is an open bar, I'm happy that the only place I want to be is at home with my beautiful girls doing nothing at all. Right now I think my head is in a good place - not perfect, but I have some parts of the puzzle in line.

The one thing I really hate about travelling is of course being away from the girls. I'm busy, and their life goes on whether I'm there or not. So we end up having brief little chats on the phone - but nothing meaningful. It's always a little "how's your day", "whatcha doing", etc. It's not like being home, which I really hate.

It made me think a little bit about prayer. I think a lot of times my prayers are light conversations...not the really good, deep, meaningful relationships type stuff that Heavenly Father wants. It made me think that he probably really wants these chats to be more personal, and that's something I need to work on.

Witch, Witch, Wizard

On Friday night when I came home from work there was an invitation from Abby to join her in her room at 6:30 that night for a Wizard party. It said to come dressed up.

When we entered, she had planned a really elaborate party agenda. Some of the highlights:

• Witch, Witch, Wizard - the Wizard version of Duck, Duck, Goose. Maddie and Abby could have played all night...Mel and I were good for a couple of rounds before we go very dizzy and tired from running in very small circles.
• Pin the bristles on the broom - Abby had drawn a very cute witch on a stick, and had cut out the bristles and we had to do our best to pin them on the broom. Whoever was closet won (Maddie, good job).
• Treasure hunt - Abby had drawn and hid different things from the world of wizards and hid them throughout her room for us to find.

It was the best party that I can remember, and I loved that she took the initiative and had the creativity to pull it off. I was really, really proud of her and thought in general how very lucky I am to have such amazing girls. I'm the luckiest Dad in the world.

Confession time...

I have the worst guilty pleasures...they really make poor Melanie's eyes roll. Two guilty pleasures that have this effect that I've re-discovered lately are Saturday's Warriors and My Turn on Earth. I've recently downloaded them on my iPod, and have been introducing the girls to these favorite stories and am so glad that they too are catching the bug.

I know why I love these two musicals. I remember seeing My Turn on Earth when I was a little kid, gosh I have no idea how young I was. There was a touring company or something that made its way to Michigan for some reason and my parents decided to take us. And I just really loved the music and the story for some reason, it just really appealed to me. Even today when I hear the music I just really enjoy it. And there's some great Gospel messages in there - if you can bear to sit through some of the cheese. Let me simply say I get really happy to hear the girls singing "My Turn on Earth".

In fact, as we were driving to Utah last week I put on My Turn on Earth and as I was listening I think I relearned something that I think is a real truth that I knew, but hadn't thought about for a while. In the song where Jesus and Satan are presenting their plans, and Satan is saying how he wants people to follow him, I think it really jumped out to me that God wants to create little gods, not little followers. If he simply wanted a bunch of mindless children he would have picked Satan's plan because on its face value it makes some sense and is the safe approach. But I think Satan had it wrong - God was willing to put us all through this mortal existence and the tremendous risk associated with it if it meant that we would receive the opportunity to be like God himself. It also made me wonder what kind of glory and power come with being like God that made him willing to risk so much.

I think Saturday's Warrior is a Kennedy favorite across the board. Again, I think I must've seen it when I was little because we all knew the story and music when one of us spied the VHS video on the Huron Valley Ward library shelf. So we took it home and watched it so much...and I don't think we ever returned that video. We would watch it, and sing it, and simply enjoy it. Again, the show is really cheesy and has a low production value to it. But when I think about the messages - the importance of an eternal family, the challenges and temptations of mortality, the great joy when those who are lost are found - it's a beautiful telling of the Plan of Salvation.

So there you have it...I've confessed that I just really love these shows. : > )

Tribute to my dad

Father's Day was Sunday, and I wanted to write a little bit about my Dad.

I think when I was younger, like most kids, I didn't really understand my Dad. I think kids look at their parents as heroes and as being bigger than life. This also means that we tend to view them in an unfair light I think, and I think I might have done that. Like most kids, I thought he should be perfect; I looked up to him so much. And unfortunately when he made mistakes I think it was disappointing and I felt like maybe I lost out on having that really amazing Dad that you see on TV.

But my view of my Dad has changed a lot of the last several years. I think it's because I'm more mature now, and because I am now a Dad myself. I think I've become far more understanding to the condition of my own Dad and this has allowed me to appreciate him all the more. And as I've been able to look at him differently, with a different lens, I think it makes my Dad seem far more human. I also have come to really appreciate him and what he gave to me.

One thing I really respect about Dad is that he is a man of many, many talents. If he wants to learn or do something, he does it. He is fiercely determined and when he sets his mind to something he just does it and he does it well. He has a belief in his own ability and self, and has made him the man he is on his own with little help from others. He's so independent! I really respect that.

My Dad is the reason we have the Gospel in our life. When he heard of the Restored Gospel, he seized on it and became a rock in the Church. Mom used to tell us how passionate and enthusiastic he was about it, and I give him a lot of the credit for taking that first step and being a pioneer for our family in the Gospel.

He also taught me and my siblings the love of family. Look, he has had 10 kids...the man loves kids. He might not be the most involved Dad, but when you aggregate the sum of years that he has devoted to his children you can see that he is a very committed, loving, dedicated Father. I really respect that, and attribute that own dedication to my own affinity for my children.

I remember many things about my Dad, but there are a couple of things that really stand out to me for some reason. One is that when he worked in downtown Ann Arbor he worked kind of close to a toy store. For a time period I would call this toy store to ask them if they had a GI Joe figure...they'd go a search and if they had one I asked the to hold it for me. Then I would call my Dad and ask him to pick it up for me. And he did, and that really meant a lot to me. He would also make the coolest grappling hooks for my GI Joe guys out of paperclips, and also carved little guns for me out of popsicle sticks. I wish I had those today, just to look at them.

Being a Dad is about sacrifices. In the movie Peter Pan Wendy and John are talking to their mother about their father. They are complaining that he isn't brave - almost like their embarrassed of him. The Mother wisely says that while their father might not have fought in wars or battles, he is nonetheless brave. She says that he has put aside his dreams and his desires for his family, and that some nights he takes them out and looks at them, but he always puts them back for his family. It's said much better in the movie, but I think it's very true and is a sentiment that I share about my Dad.

So on this Father's Day I'm choosing to forget the weaknesses or mistakes of my Dad. I'm so glad he's alive, well, and that I can talk to him every couple of weeks. I love my Dad very much, and am so grateful to have him, and for the part of me that came from him.

Do you think fear is a genetic attribute?

I'm starting to think it is...I've been fearful of all sorts of things my whole life, just like my mom. And it turns out that Maddie, who kind of is a lot like me, has lot's of similar fears. Just made me wonder...what do you think?

Superpowers

I've always wanted a super power...when I was a kid I used to flick my wrists like Wolverine in the hopes that I would someday have adamantium claws of my own. I would pretend I had Spidey's webslingers. I can still imagine what it would feel like to fly like Superman. Even to this day when I walk through an automatic door I pretend I'm a Jedi opening the door with the Force. (what can I say, I'm an big kid in many many ways).

Lately though I've been thinking about what Superpowers I actually might have. Some people call them talents. Others strengths. But when I think of what my superpowers are I'm truly grateful for them.

It's taken me a while to be able to recognize my strengths. Being a Kennedy, I'm naturally kind of self-deprecating. As a family we don't like to recognize our strengths. On the other hand, we celebrate when others recognize us and I think deep down we know that there's something special there. But it's still hard to come out and admit that we have some goodness going on there.

I think the Gospel has something to do with it - we're taught to not to be prideful. Also, our humble upbringing combined with our genetic makeup make us resistant to boasting. At least that's what I think.

But I've been thinking about what my superpowers are, I think they are the following:

1. I think people like me quite easily - almost instantaneously. I don't mean that I'm so cool or anything. But I think I must put people at ease or something.

2. People trust me - I think I'm unassuming and approachable, making it easy for people to open up to me. And I'm genuinely interested in people, their lives, and their stories so that I think that comes across in a positive way.

3. I'm smart (enough). It's a good combination of social skills and the right kind of smarts. Still not book smart, and not great at exam situations (couldn't be further from reality). But in day to day life and the right kind of work I think I'm smart.

4. I work hard. Because I have done it all (dishwasher, bus boy, server, retail nerd) since I was a kid I know how to work. I think a lot of people I work with think that certain things are above them. Because I've worked my way up the chain, I'm willing to do what it takes.

5. Friendly. I'm not the most outgoing person in the world, but if I need to be I can be get along with anyone, anytime. I've had some doozy of co-workers and managers and I always get along with all of them.

6. Patient. Few things really ruffle my feathers. Because I had some really horrible experiences as a kid trying to learn things, I think I'm more understanding of others and willing to work with them.

7. Forgiving/empathetic. I can easily put myself in others shoes...I think this helps me be more forgiving and empathetic of others as they travel through life.

8. Funny. It's a certain kind of funny, but I think I do it pretty well.

Anywho, tell me if you agree/disagree. But I've been trying to figure out what I'm good at and I think these are pretty representative. I'm grateful for these superpowers. I sometimes wish I were smart like so and so, or handsome, or had a ton of musical talents or something. But when I think about those that I have I can't help but be grateful for them.

M&Ms

Nothing deep here...but I've been thinking a little lately about my favorite candy, Peanut M&Ms. After a lifetime of eating them, I've learned a few things.

1. Peanut or plain? Always Peanut. Something perfectly satifsying about biting down on the hard coating, hitting that little peanut inside, and the sweet and satisfying combination of flavors.

2. Serving size? One is too few...simply not satisfying. Three, kind of a mouthful. It turns out that two peanut M&Ms are the perfect mouthful.

3. Peanut M&Ms must be served at room tempature. Cold or chilled ruins it.

4. Regardless of what my friend Amy says, M&Ms all taste the same. There is no difference between the colors. I am color blind when it comes to Peanut M&Ms.

5. Where to buy them? The ones from a single serving container (such as you might pick up at a gas station) are good, but the best M&Ms are from a pounder bag (such as the kind that I get on my birthday or in my stocking at Christmas). Must be something in the packaging that makes them taste fresher and better. And avoid Peanut M&Ms that are sold bulk. They end up tasting like the Cinammon Bears in the bin next door.

Thanks for indulging me...send Peanut M&Ms if you want to thank me. And let me know if you agree or not.

Plus Size Love

In Feb 2007 while I worked at McCann they held a Love Song Writing contest to celebrate Valentine's Day. Having written some funny stuff in the past, I thought I would give it a whirl. My inspiration for this song, "Plus Size Love" was from an email that an odd co-worker sent out to the entire company. In it, she asked for a "Plus Size Model" to help model the wedding dress that she was making for her friend who lived in San Fran. She needed to make some tweaks to the dress, and needed someone to help her with the work. To help see if you might be the right size to qualify, she included in the attachment a picture of her friend, taken while at Comic Con.

It seemed like a true love story to me, so I composed a brief song that summed up the feelings of this Plus Size friend, on the eve of her wedding.

Here are the lyrics. Above is the video or here.

Plus-size love

Wookies and storm troopers – trekkers galore
But no love could be found on the Comic-con floor.
‘Til I saw your Spock ears – my heart skipped a beat
And I dropped the swag bag down at my feet.

You were there – in line for Bill Shat.
Looking so fine in your Revenge o’ Sith Hat.
When our eyes met, my heart it beat faster.
Like I was training with Yoda, Jedi master.

So here I am, in my dress that was sewn.
By a friend with a plus-sized model and flown.
For me to wear in our wedding o’ love.
With friends, family, and Picard up above.

And now, as one, we start out our life.
You as the husband, me as the wife.
I can’t help but think, oh how we’ve grown.
As we eat this fried chicken down to the bone.

Chorus

My plus-size love for you will not end.
Like Han and his Leia, lovers and friends.
My world goes warp speed when you touch my soft skin.
Together, as one, through thick and the thin.