Weight Loss Ads

So, I decided to put some Google Ads back on my blog.

But, I've noticed that each ad is about weight loss.

Come on, how does Google know I need to lose weight? I've hardly written about it.

And, now that I am, the ad is sure to pop up below this post.

I am trying and weight is slowly coming off, but if I were to show you a before and after picture you'd be searching to see what looked different and so I may go down to the Goodwill and find some really large pants to provide a demonstration.

For now, you'll just have to look at the picture of the ad that appears - which ironically doesn't show any before or after pictures.

P.S. Haaaa. So, I posted this post and the ad that came up was for the Salt Lake City temple. Well, at least Google knows that I am Mormon and that I need to lose weight. Perhaps this will become my daily fortune cookie.

Temple Geckos - Orlando

If you look closely on this wall, you will see some little creatures. Some very cute little creatures.

Luckily, I was able to get a little closer to one of them before he scampered away. These things are all over the place in Orlando, but not so prevelant as at the Orlando Temple.

Who would have thought that geckos would be so smart to find a beautiful living space at the temple?

Plus, even more exciting than geckos in general is the fact that I came across the GEICO gecko right there on the grounds.

I asked him if I could save 15% in 10 minutes on my car insurance and then realized that I already use his service and so he couldn't help me much.

Seriously, I half expected the little green friend to talk back to me. Such a cute little fellow.

Last, but not least, here's the actual temple. The last time I visited the Orlando Temple was in 2002 with a few friends, but we didn't take the time to go inside. This time I did and was grateful for the break from all the "typical" Orlando stuff and from the conference I was attending. Such a beautiful place and peaceful grounds. I went there twice and both times I had the entire grounds to myself. That happens frequently to me - being the only person actually walking the grounds.

But, it was nice. Just me, the geckos, water fountains, and reflection time.

Faith is not a feeling, it is a decision

This weekend I watched the worldwide conference for my church. Luckily, I live in a place where someone local has some influence on these matters and it happened to be on TV. Pretty cool considering that I'm on the east coast far away from the influences of the Rocky Mountain west.

Only the audio files are available at this time, but here's the link - http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-947,00.html

I only remember one phrase from the conference and it continues to stick in my mind:

"Faith is not a feeling, it is a decision." (I'll put who said it later because I honestly can't remember)

Perhaps it is because I go from having a lot of faith right now to feelings of despair rather quickly. Something will be said, a life event will happen or I watch the 401k start to go down by five digits instead of the usual three or four. I'll admit that it's been even harder during a time where I've made extra efforts to refocus life, study the good word, visit the temple A LOT, try to help others even when it's hard, and plan for an important upcoming event in my life.

Sometimes the going gets tough and that's why this quote seemed to penetrate my heart. It is a decision. I've made the decision before. A few months ago I decided this and the confidence that accompanied it was invigorating. However, when things don't fall into place after deciding to decide...hope does dwindle and faith truly reverts to the size of a mustard seed.

Where does this leave me now? Well, I will do what I always do. Write about it, cry about it, think about it and complain about it. Go to bed. Get up the next day and decide once again to have faith and move forward.

Somehow I, like everyone else, can look back a year (or more) later and say "Wow, I forgot even going through all that" or "I can't believe I was so worried." At that point, perhaps faith does have a feeling. A confirmation that a trial was overcome (or at least "gone through") and quite possibly the next challenge will be manageable.

Until then, it's another day and another decision.

Surrender Dorothy

This week I was speaking with one of my co-workers that commutes from Maryland into Virginia everyday. We started talking about the "Mormon Temple" because I was telling him I had gone up that way last week.

He said that there was a "Surrender Dorothy" graffiti written in huge letters for many years on an overpass prior to driving toward the temple. I had never heard of this before, but apparently it was quite the popular item in Maryland, especially since they tried to cover it with a different color paint to hide the lettering.

Anyway, I jokingly said I would "google it" to find out more info.

Much to my surprise (I don't know why), there is actually a wiki entry about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_Dorothy . Even more surprising, it says that "all the Mormons" have talked about it and it shows up in our newsletters? I had no idea I should be receiving a newsletter let alone the "fact" that this is a supposed common entry in the newsletter.

Ah, the joys of web 2.0. Actually, and I will have to look into this more, wikipedia is rapidly becoming more reliable than the encyclopedia contrary to public opinion.

The wisdom of the crowds comes into play here I guess. I have been in conferences where they have entered bogus information into it at the beginning of the session and by the end it's been corrected by an anonymous expert/person surfing the internet.

Well, more about Dorothy later. I'm late for a meeting that I didn't want to attend anyway.