Pneumonochrome

So, today we’re at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.  This is a pretty cool place, it’s like a zoo with huge animal pens.  We spent all day walking around looking at different animals and got to see a number of cool animals.  We saw Cheetahs, White Rhinos, Hippos, Lions, Tigers, Buzzards, Macaws, Andean Condors, Okapi, Giant Elands, Dik-Diks, Duikers, Meerkats, Hawks, Harpy Eagles, Eagle Owls, Bald Eagles, and we finished off the day by visiting the California Condors.  These animals have a really cool history, and were a fun way to end the day.

Messy likes to take pictures, lots of pictures, so I understand wanting pictures, especially of an animal that was almost extinct 20 years ago.  So, anyhow, we got there and there was this woman standing there with her camera in one hand, talking to the Condor in this kind of high-pitched voice that just grated on my nerves anyway, saying things like, “Come on, man, turn around.”

She was saying this because the bird was sitting on a branch 6 feet from the balcony we were on, facing to our left, with his head tucked behind his body, preening the outside of that wing, and taking his sweet time about it.

The woman kept whining at the bird, and snapping her fingers over and over and over and over until I wanted to take her camera and throw it off the balcony just to get her to shut up.

Messy, on the other hand just stood there, patiently holding her camera up, and occasionally taking a picture anyway.

Finally, after 15 or 20 minutes of the snap-whine fest, the Condor pulled his head around to the other side of his wing, and we all shot pictures really quick.  I said, “Nice, what a good picture.”

And this lady says, “I’ve been waiting for so long to get that picture!”

And the Condor takes a rather forceful dook, shooting a stream of bird dung feet behind it as soon as she had finished talking.

And Messy, without missing a beat, says to this lady, “Did you get a picture of that?”

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

Today was a nice, relaxing day.  We got up just in time to eat breakfast and get to church on time, enjoyed a nice, uplifting morning at church, came home and ate lunch, put Benjie down for a nap, and chilled for a little while.  Then Messy took a nap and I played with Benjie for a bit while dinner cooked away in the slow-cooker.  Pork roast, yams and cranberries.  Just got Benjie out of the bath, and I think I’m going to go soak my legs in some hot water to help with my sore muscles, ankles and knees.

I think I’ll be okay going back to school tomorrow after all, because today was such a nice day.

I am grateful for so many things in my life:

• My wife
• My son
• Our coming daughter
• The opportunity to go to medical school
• My inlaws
• My own extended family
• The Bare Naked Ladies, and music in general
• That I can still hear music well enough to enjoy it
• Turkey
• Food in general
• The Lord Jesus Christ
• My faith

The list could go on forever, but I need to get out of here and go visit all those people I’m grateful for.

I read this today, and it touched me, so I thought I’d share it:

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation.  It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities.

The means of this refinement is our Christlike love.  There is no pain it cannot soften, no bitterness it cannot remove, no hatred it cannot alter. . . The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy.  In the end, the development of such love is the true measure of success in life.

Do you love the Lord?

Spend time with Him.  Meditate on His words.  Take His yoke upon you.  Seek to understand and obey, because “this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3) Whe nwe love the Lord, obedience ceases to be a burden.  Obedience becomes a delight.  When we love the Lord, we seek less for things that benefit us and turn our hearts toward things that will bless and uplift others.–Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

I’m not very good at practicing this advice, to be honest.  It’s something I struggle with in many ways, but the more I try to live in love for God, the happier I am, and the more meaningful my relationships with my family.  The more I try to practice love for God, and Love for my neighbor, the easier it is to maintain peace and happiness in my life, and avoid frustration and anger.

It’s amazing to me that the thing that God requires of us more than any other thing, loving Him, is also the source of some of the greatest gifts He gives to us.

We went over to a friend’s house tonight and learned a new game.  The game was called St. Petersburg, and was an enjoyable board game.  You use your money to buy cards that get you victory points, which win you the game.  Kind of fun.  The friend was one of my classmates from the Med School, and it was nice to hang out with someone from class outside of school itself.

Also cool: the Yodeling Pickle.  You can never have enough yodeling pickles, I don’t mind telling you.  If that won’t win the heart of th egirl of your dreams, I don’t know what will.