So I posted a blog a couple years ago when we named our daughter Claire, explaining why we picked the name we did and had planned on doing the same this time around...but it was far harder to choose this time. We had thought that Johanna Rose was it, then we she got here we held her and just weren't sure that was going to be the "right" choice.
It's interesting to think that their could be a right or wrong choice in picking a child's name. I also think it's interesting that other people's opinions matter so greatly. When pitching a name around to friends and family, it always surprises that the teasing and tauntings begins...the facial expressions and "she'll be called..." starts right then. Now, many may think, isn't it better to know then what people will say than after she's in school and the kids start to make fun. My thought to that is, isn't it sad that we as a society expect that our children will be teased because of their name.
Ok, enough of my rant. We have decided to name our daughter Johanna Rose. Johanna is my wife's middle name, which was actually her reason for not wanting to use it. I think the name is beautiful and not very common. My mom's name is Joni which comes from the same root as Johanna which means "God is Gracious." The name Rose is a family name, it is my grandmother's name on my birth father's side. I don't know her and I have never been close to that side of the family but, I want to encourage the link between past and present, as even the worst family histories are part of the trip to where we are.
Other considerations were Ava Jane and Sophia Rose, but we have a beautiful niece with the middle name Sophia already and though it would be easy to share, there was so many other options.
Now that we picked the name, it is my hope that the world will be kind and accepting of it. We officially welcome you Johanna Rose Hipol.
I am so tired...at the moment I am waiting for my boys soccer jersey to wash so I can move it to the dryer for a 9AM game. Yeah, it's 2AM.
I got to go to girls camp as a chaperone, my two oldest were there together this year. I have to say girl camping is night and day different than boy camping. It was a totally different experience and an absolute blast. The whole purpose of girls camp has escaped me for so many years as I am not a girl and had no idea of the goings on. But I have been enlightened. I am so impressed with the girls and leaders that I truly wish I could be more of a participant. Alas, I was born with a Y chromosome so I will just have to experience it vicariously.
So, the major difference between guys camping and girls camping is that girls camp requires so much more preparation. For guys, as was discussed many times during my stay, only need a place to go, something to eat and a backpack...it doesn't matter what's in the backpack, just that you have one. For girls, it's totally different I have put together a short list of what you need:
- A Menu
- A fleece blanket for wrapping around you.
- Centerpieces
- Decorations for benches and awnings.
- Pink table cloths
- Water Repellent
- Bug Repellent
- More Bug Repellent
- Christmas lights
- A number of creative cheers
- And secret gifts to give away
- A welcome basket
- Very uniquely marked toothpaste and sunscreen.
So, as many of you may know...I had the opportunity to take my two oldes to see Taylor Swift at the Energy Solutions Arena. Let me just say, I was impressed, not just with her talent but her ability to put on a show for my girls.
I think that too many performers and people in general get consumed in themselves and don't realize how important others are. I think Taylor has a great grasp of the importance of her fans and who she would be without them. At a couple points in the sho she actually walked through the audience giving out hugs and handshake to pretty much anyone that was in her path. I honestly think with the time and energy she would have hugged every single person in that Arena.
What I was also impressed with was her message. Hey girls, I am just like you and because I am just like you, you can someday be just like me. I know my girls left the concert thinking that they could do anything they put their mind to...I also think they found themselves in a lot of her songs.
It was also a great opportunity to see a different side of my girls. I could tell which songs/subjects they could relate to by their participation and in some cases even deeper by how loud they screamed the songs. As my girls get older, it is my hope that opportunities like last night will continue to increase...but I guess I will have to wait and see.
So yesterday, I got to take four of my daughters out on a date together. The soon-to-be-two-year-old stayed with mom and the boy. The rest of us GOT TO GO see the Hannah Montana movie. Now, I would try to convince people that it wasn't my idea but really, I know that my girls are just as caught up in her hype as most tweeners so suggesting it first wins my brownie points. Now, in no way am i doing a review of the movie...lol...I mean really who would care what a 36-year-old father of six thought of it.
Disclaimers out of the way, I was caught off guard by it's daddy-daughter sentimentality. I sat next to my oldest, who is closer to growing up than being my little girl, which was basically the plot of the movie. Ironically, it hit me there while watching, that my daughters will someday all grow up and become their own person. I can only hope that in someway, I have become a value to them and that they will want to continue to have me as part of it. I mean, I think every dad feels that way to a certain extent, but I think I may have it a little too deeply embedded.
At one point, in the movie, Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray sing a duet called, "Butterfly Fly Away". I sat there and thought about all the experiences that I have shared with my girls, boogie-mans scared away, scratched knees kissed and carrying them to their beds fast asleep...and right there while thinking all those pleasant thoughts, something flew right into my eye and caused it to start tearing up...ruined the whole experience.
Stupid movie! ;-P
So today I discovered that the article that I wrote for the Ensign, "Fighting Internet Filth," is apparently being used in a class somewhere. For what I can gleen it asks the student to read the article and give their feedback, what they learned, how they can use it, etc. It was actually quite surprising.
I tried to thank all the students that used the article. I was feeling very flattered.
Anyway, I am sure it showed up on a list to pick from but to even make the list is cool in my book. If by chance any of the students ever find their way to this blog and can tell me what the assignment was, I would be very interested.
Very cool!
In a recent poor experience with an online music company, I emailed them to cancel my service and found they had still billed me for a month of service I had never used. I emailed the to request a refund and they told me that they had a no-refund policy and that I would not receive a refund even though the service was never used. This is the email I sent them:
That is fine...if you don't want to refund my money. I will forward this email to all my friends on facebook and Twitter and make sure that they forward it along, making sure that NONE of the them ever make the mistake of signing up with you.Surprisingly, this is what I got back:
You can see clearly by my account that I have not accrued any charges or made any downloads since the day I signed up. Your music selection choices are horrible.
That being said, word or mouth travels fast. I am disappointed that your desire to service your customers is so impaired and your business model is so poor that you have to keep money you haven't earned. I am sure there are others who would appreciate knowing that.
Cheers.
I also escalated your issue to see what I could do for you. My manager has authorized an exception to our no-refund policy on your behalf. We have issued you a refund in the amount of $24.99.
Please note that your bank can take up 5-7 business days to process your refund once we issue it. If you do not see an adjustment to your account after this time, please contact us so we can research your issue for you.
Apparently, social networking is considered a clear and present danger to the reputation of some online companies. I have omitted the name of the company because they did in fact resolve my issue but I thought I would share the experience.
You are probably familiar with the quote, "Quitting is not an option." It seems to be applicable to so many things in life. The irony is that you never hear it unless you are considering quitting. And it's usually said by someone who recognizes that you have had enough of the situation and are about to walk out.
Now before anyone jumps to conclusions, trying to read between the lines, I am not alluding to my job, my marriage or anything else of that nature. First of all, those things are doing great, and a blog post that is going to be available to everyone I know is not the way to break that kind of news.
I was just thinking that some people trick themselves into believing the cliche and therefore don't quit because they remove it from their option list. My question is, when is quitting and option.
Quitting is always an option...it's important that people realize that in everything we set out to do we can quit. The reality is that there are consequences to making a decision to quit or continue on...and though sometimes those consequences are minor, they are still consequences.
In the end, the person who keeps going because they removed quitting as an option is no where near as impressive as someone who took the situation, carefully considered the repercussions of giving up and continuing on and made their decision intelligently.
Choose wisely my friends...choose wisely.
So, in the last little while I realized something, happiness is always getting to be yourself. I think most of this discovery is related to my overuse of social networking sites. You see, I have friends from all facets of my life. Times when I was up doing what I believed to be right and times when I was down and decisions I was making were less than admirable. Because of this, I have the opportunity for things to surface that could be a surprise to others, both ways. Now, I know there are those that avoid this by simply not acknowledging their old friends or carefully filtering their posts. I have to admit, there was a point in my life that something like that would have worried me but to be honest I am not sure why...
I think it is safe to say that everyone, changes and goes through stages in their life. Now, I am not in any way saying those stages are as drastic or different from one point to another, nor am I somehow excusing any behaviors that I may have had in the past. I am just saying that change is part of growing for good or for bad. I think that the important thing is being to recognize who you really are at each stage of the process.
It has taken years for me to come to accept that everything I have done or said in my life is part of who I am and trying to remove or pretend that things didn't happen is like trying to remove a vital organ and continue living. It just can't be done. Eventually, you have to accept every aspect of who you are...you don't have to be proud of every moment. I certainly am not. But you can't pretend they didn't happen.
Accepting things for what they are, may involve some apologies, both giving and accepting. It may involve being humbled, admitting mistakes and even shedding some tears but for me, it has allowed me to come to terms and be happy with who I NOW am.
I think social networking and media has opened up so many opportunities that I don't think I would have had in making amends with trespasses on both the giving and receiving ends. Now, I know that this may not make any sense, or pertain to everyone but for those few...I encourage you to learn to like who you are...after all, it's the only you, you've got.
I haven't always had the perspective I currently do but in the last year, I have gained much more insight into myself. I need activity. I have been a software developer for over ten years and sat behind a desk in front of a computer screen. I also pounded energy drinks in place of sleep. The result was high blood pressure, stress and multiple prescriptions to keep me functioning. I don't know what I was thinking, but I know I was on a path to an early demise.
In the last year, I have changed all that. It started out slow but has turned into a habit. Everyday for my lunch I hit the gym. It has replaced my fast food habit and dropped my blood pressure and stress levels greatly. It also allows me time to defrag and renew myself, which in turn has made me far more productive. I seem to be able to put a 100% for a more sustainable amount of time.
For me inactivity was my Kryptonite. I encourage anyone who isn't doing so, get up and get moving. You may think you can keep up at the pace you are now, but with a little more balance who knows what you can accomplish.
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