A Day in the Life of Spencer

New Blog

2010-01-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

It's official: I've chosen Better than Lime Jell-O for the title of my new blog. Go ahead and check it out!

Rethinking the title of my blog

2009-12-17T13:12:00.002-07:00

A funny little thing just occurred to me: The title of my blog is "A Day in the Life of Spencer," but I've rarely posted anything. Maybe I should call it "A Year in the Life of Spencer."

What do you think?

Perhaps I'll just call it "Spencer's Bloggy Thingy"? Cast your vote in the poll at the top-left of this page.

Hasta....luego. :)

Blogs are for posting...

2009-12-08T01:10:00.001-07:00

I can't tell you how many times I have looked at my blog in the past year and said, "I need to post something."

Well, here's something.

Ok. I guess I should really post something of consequence. How about a list of cool events from the last 12 months?

December 2008: I graduated from Utah Valley University with undergrad in Accounting. Can you say monkey of my back? What a sweet accomplishment!

January 2009: Working for my first employer, Contexo Media, just out of college. Emma turned 12! Wow! We went to the Temple after she obtained her limited-use recommend. :) Kellan turned 7, too. He's already reading Isaiah! Also, got myself a reliable, stylish set of wheels. I am glad that mini-vans are manufactured, particularly by Toyota, but I am sooooo glad that I don't drive one all the time now. :D

February: Scott turned 10...finally in the double digits. :) I was still geeking out about not having to do homework!!!

March: Baptized and confirmed Eliza a member of the Church. What a happy day!!!

April: Went to St. George with Jess, Aidan, Kellan, and Jocey. I swam with the boys in the middle of a rain storm. Jess thought we were crazy. I plead the 5th.

May: Commencement exercises at UVU. I thought this would be an anti-climactic day, but I had tears in my eyes more than I'd care to admit. Jess was majorly instrumental in bringing about this long-awaited day. Thank you, Jessi! (Dang it! I'm crying again!) Also, Jocey turned one! Holy crap she's a cutie! :) Lastly, we moved out of Wymount and into a comfy townhome. We forgot what space was like.

June: This time we went to St. George with the all six kids and Jessica's family. Very good time! We ended up taking a little mini-trip down to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. At this location, I confirmed my fear of heights quite resoundingly. Yup. We also celebrated Jess's 29th ;-) birthday.

July: Jess and I got away to Park City for a free, romantic overnight stay. It was so much danged fun! We walked Main Street and enjoyed many of the shops and restaurants, plus we had a blast on the alpine slide. We did this two days after I got laid off. What a great way to get our minds off of it. :) (I won't mention my birthday here.)

(I'm listening to Stanton Moore right now. He's a gnarly jazz drummer. [Can I use such a word these days? Yikes!] He's a product of New Orleans and a lot fun to listen to. Try listening to some of his stuff on my playlist toward the bottom of this blog.)

August: Jess and I celebrated our third anniversary! Time has flown by. I can hardly believe we've been married this long. :) Time flies when you're having fun, eh? I feel guilty for not doing a big blog post about how awesome Jess is. She's really good about building me up and making me feel loved. She is so awesome! Couldn't ask for a better wife!!!

September: Jess started her last semester of school. YEEEEEEEHAWWWW!!!! What a sweet thing! Also, we invested in a couple of BYU all-sports passes and haven't regretted it a bit (except for the Florida State and TCU games!). :) Aidan turned 11. One more year and he'll receive the Aaronic Priesthood. Wow!!! I really excited for that!

October: We had the best Halloween costumes this year! Jess and I decided to make this a year to remember. Check it out on Jess's blog! We'll be talking about the good times for years to come. :)

November: Can you say BYU football rocks?!!! The BYU-Utah game was amazing. The score was 13 to 6 at the half, but it felt like we'd cheered BYU to a 90 to nothing lead. I need to get in shape, because I was exhausted after that game. :) Hall to George for the TD.... Oh yeah...I got a new job at VanCrete, but it didn't last long. Read on to find out why.

December: Here we are...the day before I start my new job as a financial analyst for Headwaters Resources, Inc. I had interviewed with them for a senior accountant position, but they changed their minds about what type of position they wanted to hire for. So, I took the VanCrete job since it was the best opportunity available. But about two weeks into my employment, I received a call from Headwaters to interview for the financial analyst position. Things went very well and now I'm heading into what I consider a VERY good career move.

Ok. So how's that for a post? Wait! Are you still reading this? Reward yourself with a quick listen to "Between Something and Nothing" by The Ocean Blue on my playlist below.

Sledding at Rock Canyon Park

2008-12-22T00:00:00.021-07:00

By the time we actually got to Rock Canyon Park to do the much anticipated sledding, I think we had collectively sweat a gallon. Not only was the air thick with the smell of perspiration, but it was also thick with anticipation. We were stoked for the fun that lie ahead, except that we were missing was Mom and Jocey. Jess would've loved it, but Jocey was napping and keeping her warm in the cold weather would've been tricky. If Jocey can't come next year, I'll take my turn at home with her so Jess can let her wild side see the light of day. ;-)

We began our afternoon of blistering fun on the east rim of the Rock Canyon "bowl" and promptly migrated to the south rim. Emma burned up the slopes over there with more than just the sleds. This gorgeous smile was on display for the entire afternoon. She and I enjoyed a lot of trips down the hill together.

Here's Aidan on one of his solo rides. He was frequently trying innovative ways of getting down the hill. My favorite was him getting dragged down the hill behind the sled. One time he made it all the way down the hill but managed to get five pounds of snow down his front.

Scottie was also an innovator: This sled had been broken in a couple of spots but figured out that he could stand on the rudders and steer himself successfully down the hill. Nine times out of ten he was successful, but every now and again he'd manage a painful wipeout.

Eliza is a lot like me in that she's timid at first and reluctantly makes her first solo run down the hill. But then she enjoys the rush of adrenaline so much that she can't get enough...speed and runs. I overheard her talking to Kellan as they were walking up the hill toward the end of the afternoon, and she said this was one of the best days of her life. :-) I think many of us felt that way...except that we missed Mom and Jocey.

Kellan and Scott are kindred spirits: They're daredevils and they love it! I didn't get a shot of him going off his jumps because he was usually taking off before I could catch my breath. He loved flying down the hill and was usually pretty quick about getting back to the top.

Jess is a true sweetheart, because she wanted us to call as we were heading home so she could put some hot chocolate on the stove. When we got home, she was pouring us each a steaming mug that met with icy lips. Thank you, Jess! That hot chocolate made the day!

One preview of pictures from our sealing day

2008-12-05T00:09:00.003-07:00

Check out this photo! This was sent to us by our photographer as a preview of her work. I love this photo!!! More will follow...

Getting Sealed!!!!!!!!

2008-11-28T14:50:00.001-07:00

Can I tell you how happy Jessi and I are?!!! We received a letter from the First Presidency last week granting our family's request to get sealed. Immediately we went into full operations mode to get all the details worked out with the Temple, our local Priesthood leaders, our families, a photographer, and the Olive Garden Restaurant. The day of all days is tomorrow, Saturday, November 29, 2008.

The day we received the letter, I had gone out to the mailbox to check for new mail. Over the last month or so, Jess and I have been vigilantly looking for that special envelope from the First Presidency. Well, on this day, I saw it in there and freaked out! I hurried back to the apartment and woke up Jess from her nap without any reservation, because I knew she would be absolutely ecstatic. I was right. :-)

Generally, people's reactions have included, "It's finally happened!" We have been through one heck of a "process" to get to this point. I don't want to go into any details, but we had significant opposition from outside sources (in addition to the adversary and his minions), and we are very grateful that we have overcome everything that's come our way. The Lord has answered our prayers, and our family is more than ready to enjoy the blessings of the Holy Temple.

We Miss You, Blondes!!!

2008-10-10T23:59:00.012-06:00

Our family spent Conference weekend in the Salt Lake Valley--all eight of us! :) Otherwise, we would've spent a total of six hours driving between Provo & Salt Lake--two hours on Friday, two on Saturday, and two on Sunday. So, to make the stay fun, and to make it palatable for our parents, we stayed in an inexpensive hotel for one night in Draper. The night before that, we sent Aidan, Scott, and Kellan up to Mom & Dad Schone's for a sleepover. (Actually, you could've called it a "stay-up-all-night-over". Those turkeys hardly got a wink of sleep.) While the boys enjoyed their thing, the rest of us went to Mom & Dad Anderson's for the night.

We did a lot of fun things, but after all was said and done, on Sunday evening we still had to take Emma, Scott, and Eliza home. That is NEVER a fun thing. Jess commented to me that that weekend was especially tough to take them back. Since Jess and I got married a couple of years ago, Jess and the Blondes (as we affectionately call them!) have developed a great relationship. I don't think I've ever seen anyone talk Scottie out of being ticked off or sad like Jess has. And Eliza and Jess were buddies before our wedding day. Emma talks with Jess like an adult, and Jess really appreciates Emma's willingness to help with whatever needs to be done. (Thanks, Emma!) Anyway...back to the issue of missing the crap out of the Blondes.

We miss Scotties stories and his prowess in Lego/Bionnicle building. We miss Eliza's sweet disposition that can turn into serious feistiness when her brothers push her buttons. We miss Emma's smile and warm personality. We miss their hugs and the love in their eyes. We miss the utter silliness that erupts into wild (and sometimes annoying) laughter when Emma and Aidan talk and play. We miss their hugs...oh, wait...I already said that...but I don't care, because we REALLY miss their hugs! I miss the silly and serious discussions I have with Emma before she stays up until midnight reading a book. We miss taking walks with Scottie and talking about the bazillions of ideas he has. We miss Eliza's dancing and singing. We miss having them sit at the breakfast table chowing down my awesome pancakes or waffles or Jess's amazing sausage and egg skillet. We miss having Scott and Eliza volunteer to read a verse or two from the Scriptures before bedtime. We miss playing baseball and basketball and riding bikes and scooters. We miss painting rocks with metallic gold spray paint and then selling them to the kids in the quad. We miss paying them to help distribute the stupid monthly Wymount newsletter once a month. (It's not stupid. It just seems like it when you have to put it on 66 doors. :-| ) We miss going up to Squaw Peak and cooking dinner over the fire. I miss telling Emma my stupid jokes and making her laugh until she almost wets her pants. (Thank you for validating my silly/stupid sense of humor, Em! "My name is Ethelinda. What's it to ya?!")

Leaving you guys in Riverton is NEVER a fun thing to do. And so we pray that you remember us with happy thoughts until we scoup you up in our arms again. Family can be a real piece of Heaven, and you Blondes are living proof of that...just like Aidan, Kellan, Jocey, and Jessi! Aidan and Kellan are already counting down the days until you come again, and so are Mom and I. :-) And I think I can speak for Jocey when I say that she can't wait to see you again, too. Until then...

Aidan & Kellan ANDERSON

2008-09-10T23:59:00.004-06:00

Lately I've been thinking about really special times from the past 2 1/2 years since Jessica and I first met. A few days ago I was driving home from school and I saw the Village Inn restaurant on University Parkway. That's where Jessica, Aidan, Kellan, and I celebrated after I officially adopted the boys.

The day was December 19, 2007, and it was a bit rainy. The court appointment was early, and we were all kind of nervous. But Judge Stott made us feel at ease. Not only that, but he made us feel special. He was very pleased with this step we were taking and assured us that it would be a special day that we'd remember for a long time. I'm not sure why, but the way the judge spoke about the adoption pleasantly surprised me. I guess I was expecting a cold, business-as-usual feeling.

Not only was the judge pleased, but it was quite obvious that his secretary and the bailiff were happy as well. They were practically beaming! Since then, I've tried looking at ourselves through those people's eyes. What they saw were two wonderful boys that needed a dad to love them and be with them. They saw a husband and wife that loved each other and would love the boys. Sure they were happy for Jess and me, but they were happier for Aidan and Kellan, because their future was now bright and full of promise!

As I've thought about these events and about Aidan and Kellan, considerable emotion has welled up inside me. And whenever we drive by the courthouse, I point it out to the family and ask them what is so special about it. The boys are now used to that routine, and I hope they tell their kids about it.

Next up . . . The Temple!

Golfing Hobble Creek with Dan

2008-08-11T23:30:00.001-06:00

Today Dan took me golfing at Hobble Creek Golf Course in Springville, Utah, to celebrate my birthday. We try to play a round of 18 holes once or twice a year at least, and many times we'll have Dave or Trent with us. With Richard up in Pleasant View now, it is rare that I get to play a round with him anymore. (He was really nice to take me many times when I was junior high age. Back then, it wasn't uncommon for me to completely miss the ball. :) ) Anyway...here I am just before tee-ing off sometime on the front nine.

Here's Dan getting ready to sink a put or something on the front nine. :)

Dan and I didn't get to warm up at all, and so the first nine holes were a bit funny/frustrating. But then things got interesting on the back nine. I knocked in a birdy put, Dan chipped in from the edge of the green to save par, and I nailed my 3 wood almost 300 yards. The shot I hit in this picture got me on the back edge of the green.

If only we could've played another nine holes, because Dan was hitting the ball very well on the back nine and I wasn't that far behind. In fact, Dan stated unequivocally that he is just plain good. Of course, I immediately agreed with him. And just so you know, I'm way good, too. ;-)

Computer Networking with Kellan

2008-08-11T11:14:00.005-06:00

Lately Kellan has been rather enamored with my rusty knowledge of computers and networking. This has translated into him wanting to become an engineer...not just any engineer, though. He wants to build and repair robots and all sorts of stuff that will require him to be a mechanical, electrical, and computer hardware & software engineer all wrapped up in one. I guess he better get started on things right away! :) I don't doubt that he could do it, because he has already helped us read from the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi. He has no fear...except for going off the diving board at the Helaman Halls pool. :D So, today Kellan and I are going to get our network put together so all our computers can enjoy a speedy internet connection. He's stoked to help, and Jessica excited for a reliable internet connection. Good-bye crappy internet!!!

Something to Ponder This Week (2008 08 04)

2008-08-07T12:18:00.000-06:00

As I was pondering upon what to recommend for pondering this week ;-) , a passage from the Book of Mormon came to mind. It reads like this: "...for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both in the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon" (see 2 Nephi 2:14, emphasis added). Ever since I was about 16 years old, this concept of acting or being acted upon has caused me to reflect upon the way I live my life. Do I choose the current of my life or does the current of life choose me? Certainly you and I cannot control everything that happens, but we do hold the rudder...or at least we can.

Something to Ponder this Week (2008 07 28)

2008-07-28T08:49:00.001-06:00

This week the power of prayer was underscored for me again. My two-month-old daughter Jocelyn was admitted to the hospital with an extremely high fever, and it turns out that she has a full-fledged case of the flu. How miserable she is feeling! As I held her there at the hospital, I felt helpless. As quickly as that feeling came it was replaced with thoughts that reminded me of God's power to answer prayers. I felt like I was being taught something very significant. Did I not know this before? Yes, I did know it, but for some reason, Heavenly Father likes to give me little reminders that feel like a fresh revelation. Jocelyn will get better, and I feel a quiet--yet powerful--assurance that my prayers will play a part in that process.

Something to Ponder This Week (2008 07 14)

2008-07-14T12:51:00.001-06:00

My wife is hot!

Something to Ponder This Week (2008 07 07)

2008-07-07T15:05:00.000-06:00

I remember a few years back when Vicente Fox, president of Mexico at the time, was basically asking for the U.S./Mexico border to remain open. Energetically, I wrote a letter to Senator Orin Hatch urging him to do something about the situation. I said, "If the federal government is so serious about protecting us from terrorists, why are our nation's borders so porous? President Fox is essentially asking President Bush to commit treason." The federal government's actions are not matching up with the doctrine it preaches. De Tocqueville's criticisms of democracy seem to be more valid than ever, because we as a people are too busy making a living to guard our liberties.

Something to Ponder This Week (2008 06 30)

2008-06-30T23:45:00.000-06:00

Man: "How do you make holy water?"
Priest: "You put it in a bottle and shake the hell out of it."

Something to Ponder This Week (2008 06 23)

2008-06-23T12:17:00.000-06:00

"If the Eiffel Tower were now representing the world's age, the skin of paint on the pinnacle-knob at its summit would represent man's share of that age; and anybody would perceive that that skin was what the tower was built for. I reckon they would, I dunno." - Mark Twain (1835-1910)
(Marshak, Stephen. Essentials of Geology 2e, p. 283.)

Something to Ponder This Week (2008 06 16)

2008-06-16T12:30:00.000-06:00

Who reads FORTUNE magazine? I bought a year's subscription for $10 because I'm a student, but I haven't found anything particularly engaging. I much prefer the Wall Street Journal! My mind is much more engaged when I bury my nose in it, because it's not simple. My Intro to Finance class has repeatedly helped me understand at least the basics of what's being reported. Who said school was a waste of time?!!!

Something to Ponder This Week (2008 06 09)

2008-06-09T13:00:00.001-06:00

I loved my Geology class this winter! Rocks are made out of minerals, and minerals are composed of atoms that stick together by chemical bonds. In the minerals chapter, I learned that diamond and graphite are both made purely of carbon atoms. This amazed me! How could two substances with such different characteristics be made of the same element?! The conditions under which both are made is the beginning of the answer.

My mind got to thinking--which can be a very dangerous thing!--and I realized that there is a life lesson in this whole diamond/graphite thing. The process of forming a diamond involves an enormous amount of pressure. There are so many ways in which each of us is put under life's pressures, and our character is tested. The way we endure these tests will determine if our character will be sturdy and beautiful like diamond or weak and unattractive like graphite.

Staggering Daggers

2008-06-09T12:45:00.000-06:00

This poem was inspired by my first accounting job. :-)

The words come spewing out like daggers.
Feelings are hurt and my soul staggers.
It’s not just her, but it’s him, too.
Symbolic of my feelings, the building is drenched in blue.

Becoming an accountant is one of my dreams,
But working here loses its appeal as she screams.
Where did they learn that anger motivates?
Sometimes the front doors are as hell’s gates.

Staggering daggers: that’s what angry words are.
It matters not whether they come from near or far.
It’s a good thing I don’t drink.
This place would have inspired it long ago, I think.

Who’s to say it’s not rational?!
After all, the problem is international.
Ah, but that is the problem, my friend!
It is to the father of all lies that our knees do bend.

That’s not to say that anger is unnatural in us all.
It is when we are blinded in fury that we fall.
“What is the solution, then?” you ask.
To remember that all are children of God is our first task.

Next, keep your composure, but don’t keep score.
Otherwise, their dignity will be trampled on the floor.
Which one of us is looking to be trampled?!
Love is the thing that needs to be sampled.

Remember that angry words said in fury
Will convict in front of the one-man (or woman) jury.
For such words come forth as staggering daggers.
Now tell me, why is it that she swaggers?

My First Post

2008-06-07T13:08:00.000-06:00

My wife Jessica and I set a goal a few days ago to start a blog this summer. So far so good. :-) I am very excited to do this! I have all sorts of topics I want to blog on, such as God, family, country, and career.

I have tried to maintain an attitude of openness and learning in all aspects of my life. For example, when I was a missionary in Chihuahua, Mexico, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I received a companionship assignment in which I would train a brand new missionary. I told him that I expected to learn a lot from him. We enjoyed a very nice companionship.

While it is important to be openminded, it is also important to stick to what you know to be true. This is so with spiritual things as well as with things in accounting. The roles of accountant and auditor are crucial, because so much of society's economic stability relies upon honest financial reporting.

Well, there will be more to come. I look forward to populating this site with my serious thoughts and my not-so-serious thoughts.