We're Going Public!

Recently I have noticed an influx in blogs going private. Maybe it's because of a recent report on KSL (a Utah radio show) about a man who was allegedly being "stalked," through his family blog and personal e-mail. I felt that the story was extremely one sided and left out many details, such as: Did he know the stalker? (even if it was just through the internet,) What was he blogging about? And what kind of comments did he leave in response?

Now I understand that people want their privacy, but it seems like too many people are living in a culture of fear. Especially if they think that some random person is going to start stalking them through their blog. Studies have shown that most stalkers, child molesters and kidnappers know their victims. The sad reality is if you have a student loan, home loan, credit card or debit card-your personal information is out there, regardless if your blog is private or not.

What I find a shame however, is that by limiting your blog to friends and family only, you never have the opportunity to share with others-yes even strangers-your thoughts, beliefs, and values. For example, a family friend recently lost their one year old daughter in a drowning accident. Their family has shared their tragic experiences through their blog, and not only have they touched the lives of hundreds of people all around the world (most of whom are strangers,) but they have had the opportunity to share their testimonies of the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation. My brother-in-law has a brutally honest blog, with a big cult following, and he has made many friends in the process. Lastly, my sister-in-law has a link on her blog to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints-what a great missionary tool! And none of this would even be important if their blog was private.

"The internet can be used to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and can just as easily be used to market the filth and sleaze of pornography...Social networks on the Web can be used to expand healthy friendships as easily as they can be used by predators trying to trap the unwary. That is no different from how people choose to use television or movies or even the library. Satan is always quick to exploit the negative power of new inventions, to spoil and degrade, and to neutralize any effect for good. Make sure that the choices you make in the use of new media are choices that expand your mind, increase your opportunities, and feed your soul."

"Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration. Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true...You speak as one member-but you testify of the truths you have come to know."

-Elder M. Russell Ballard
Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet, Ensign July 2008

Why Is Compassion Frowned Upon?

Heidi became a vegetarian for health reasons, Dan did for religious reasons and they both did for ethical reasons. Please, oh, please watch this short film. The first two and a half minutes are disturbing as they are about corporate farming, where most meat in America is produced. At least have the decency to watch this film to gain a better understanding of how and where most meat in America is being produced. The last two and a half minutes are a glimpse of what farming used to resemble and there are a couple images that will make you smile.



When people show kindness and compassion towards humans, it is praised. But when you become compassionate towards animals you are looked at as a weirdo. Why is that? Don't animals deserve respect too? We hope that you take a second look at your consumption of meat, and hope that you try to be more compassionate in your daily decisions.

"May you find solace in the awareness that no animal need be killed so that we may live."

-Collen Patrick Goudreau

Please Give A Crap And Volunteer!

I like my new job. My days are spent recruiting, training, and managing hospice volunteers for Odyssey Healthcare. Not only is it a good job that provides me with desperate freedom and flexibility but I feel good about what I do. Not only does the work of volunteers brighten out patients' days but the volunteers feel good about it as well. My days are spent helping others help those that are dying. Can't go wrong with that. This got me thinking about volunteer work in general and has made me realize there is so much more we could do.


Heidi and I have been fortunate to do volunteer work. Heidi gave four months of her life to an orphanage in Ecuador and while living in Vegas I was able to do some volunteer work for the homeless.


Together we returned to the Ecuadorian orphanages and we gave a couple hours a week two times a month to a Weimaraner dog rescue. I was hoping to volunteer for the American Cancer Society by driving patients to and from chemotherapy but by time they got back to me I was too deep in grad school...sorry, that is just a lame excuse.

But what about mandatory volunteer work? Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama recently said he would be interested in instituting mandatory community service including 50 hours a year for high school students and 100 hours a year for college students. I have a friend from Sweden who explained to me that when most West European men and women finish high school they have a choice, they can give two years to the military or two years in civil service by working for the postal service, nursing facilities, state run hospitals, or other such fields. My friend chose to work for Sweden's national parks service.


That makes sense, why don't we implement something similar? Volunteer work has slipped the past few years according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Last year volunteer work went down 0.5% and the year before that it went down 2.1%. Something tells me this year with a cruddy economy, awful housing market, and outrageous gas prices volunteer work will continue to slide. Last year 60.8 million Americans volunteered for at least one organization, were you one of those 60.8 and what is it going to take for more people to start participating in their communities?

Now that I am on the other side of the fence I encourage everyone to volunteer. DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING! Trust me there is no excuse, in my agency alone we have volunteers helping out from home 1-2 hours a month yet they are still making a difference. Please, I beg of you (mostly because I now know how frustrating it can be for a volunteer manager like myself) find an agency you think you would enjoy and start right away and be one of the 20% if Americans that care enough to help out.


There is so much one can do. Last year Bill Clinton published "Giving." It is a great book and an easy read that gives so many suggestions and ways one can give back to the community. He provides a very dense list of various charitable organizations and one can easily find something to do. Check it out, it is optimistic and heartening to read about so many organizations and individuals that have made a difference.


Let me finish by giving another suggestion and making a pitch for one of my favorite on-line volunteer organizations. VolunteerMatch.org has helped me locate more than two dozen volunteers and that was using only 1 zip code! It's a good start, check it out and begin volunteering. As for Heidi and I in addition to the hospice work we are both doing I think we will start volunteering at a wild animal rescue. Good times. No regrets people, because something tells me this stuff will come up when we find ourselves at the pearly gates. Please tell me where you have volunteered, how you were recruited, and what went well and what went bad. I need all the suggestions I can get!

P.S. In case you're wondering, I think we should reinstate a draft that offers military or other community service, it's about time we ALL gave back to our country.

Scars

During my palpation/adjustment class this week, my professor saw my back and asked how I got the scar. My mind thought for a second to tell him that I was surfing off the coast of Fiji and was attacked by a great white shark. Why open the cancer can-o-worms?


There was a song that came out a few years ago by Papa Roach with the lyrics,

" And our scars remind us that the past is real,
I tear my heart open just to feel."

I got to thinking, do I really need this 9 inch scar to remind me that the past is real? Sometimes that part of my past consumes me, regardless if I've seen the scars or not. And then there are the scars that we can't see. The emotional scars on our hearts and our minds. We can't see those scars, but they are just as prominent and just as real.

Scars: (also called cicatrices) are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin (or other tissue) after injury. A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process.

So by definition, we have to scar in order to heal. But in doing so, those scars remain a permanent fixture in our lives. We may be healed, but we will always have a constant reminder of our "injury." And sometimes that constant reminder is the hardest part.

Needless to say, I decided to tell my professor the truth; I was attacked by a polar bear while cross country skiing across the North Pole.

We're Voting Republican!

Independance Day Weekend Adventures

To start off our Fourth of July weekend, we took a family trip to the Bayou. The dogs love to chase squirrels, and go swimming (or swamping) in the water.

Pretty Myla Girl

Bentley, wishing he could go swamping in the bayou. Unfortunately we have seen alligators the past two times at the bayou, so Bentley won't be swamping anytime soon.

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Then we went to the Weather Museum (sorry no pictures) and the Fire Station Museum with Dan's sister and kids.

Heidi and the kids in the fire truck.

Look Close:
Maddie, Heidi, Cameron, Ethan, Katrine, and Devin.

Heidi going down the fire pole.
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Then Dan and I took a trip to the Zoo. I got a zoo pass for my birthday!

This is Heidi with a billy goat-a true Shelton

This is Dan with a BIG billy goat.

All the goats want is a little lovin'

How could you say no to a face like this?

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Next we took a trip to the Beach! The dogs love to run and play in the water. It was a beautiful day.

Heidi and the dogs.

Dan and the dogs.

What a fun and exhausting weekend. Happy late Fourth of July everyone!!

Six things about me that no one really cares about...

My friend Megan tagged me a week or so ago, but I have been a slacker, so here's the tag:

Share six unimportant things about yourself.
Tag six random people at the end of your entry.

1. I habitually bit my finger nails until I was in eighth grade. If I never had braces, I would still be biting my nails today.

2. I love cross word puzzles and word searches.

3. I don't really enjoy going to the movies. It can be hard being married to a man who LOVES going to the movies.

4. I almost exclusively sang my way through third grade.

5. My mom glued my birth certificate into my baby book. It was a pain to get a passport because my birth certificate looks fake.

6. I do not like lima beans. No, wait, I hate lima beans.

I tag Rose Anna, Katie, Mariah, Shae Marie, Nicole, and Rachel