The Murdock Times

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T18:10:00.002-07:00

The Children in the order they appear are Garrett (12), Jenna (11), Rebekah (10), Kyle (8), Megan (6), Logan (3).

Enjoy!

Our Own Christmas Miracle

2011-12-22T09:31:00.003-07:00

Okay this is a little long but I think its a story worth sharing.

Last Sunday my oldest Daughter Jenna discovered her bunny Scruffy (he belongs to both her and Rebekah) was missing. She went out to feed her and the cage was open and the bunny was gone. We have a large open field behind our house, and the whole family spent a good portion of that night and the next few days combing through looking for her it with no luck. The family prayers began to include pleas to keep her safe and to somehow bring her home to us.

Fast forward 4 days later, still no Scruffy.

We were all worried and I couldn't help but fear the worst. There are so many bad things that can happen to a pet bunny in the wild in the middle of winter. However my wife and my girls seemed resolute in their faith. I was beginning to wonder how long I will have to wait before I sit down with them and have them face the fact that she was gone.

Then today a random knock on the door. My wife answered and found two small children holding Scruffy in their arms.

"Is this your bunny?" they asked.

"Yes" my wife almost shouted, practically jumping up and down.

The little girl began to beam and the older boy handed her over to my wife.

"We have been taking care of her since Sunday. We found her hopping down the road"

A little speechless my wife thanked them and they ran off.

A few moments later they came and dropped off some food they had bought for her during her stay. A few moments after that, they came back again with the water bottles they had purchased for her as well. Over the course of these three visits, we found out that these blessed children had indeed been taking good care of our bunny. From almost the minute she had escaped she had been safe, warm and fed.

This morning their mother had encouraged them to release the bunny, "maybe it will go back to its home" she said to them.

But the children decided to go and try their luck and knock on a few doors to see if they could find the bunny's owner. Even though they live a block down the road, and even though we had never met these children before, and even though they passed as least 4-5 houses to get to us, ours was the first house they knocked on. Scruffy is home, and our prayers have been answered.

In a time when our political, economic and educational systems seem to be failing all around us, it is nice to be reminded that the God in Heaven, the Grand Creator, the Savior of the World, born over 2000 years ago, still cares about his children, even the least of these, enough to answer the prayers of two little girls who lost their bunny!

Merry Christmas!

Piano recital

2011-03-20T22:06:00.003-06:00

So here is Garrett, Jenna, and Rebekah in their piano recital they had on Friday. They practiced hard, but to my surprise weren't too worried about perfection. Which I though was good. Its hard to be prefect in real life so I thought it was great that they were ok messing up in front of people. They each had a flaw here or there, but did great over all! Poor Garrett actually memorized his songs, but took the music up just in case. He gets terrible stage fright, so when he went to play his second song he had the tune of the first song stuck in his head- it took a minute to get the right tune goin. I was proud of the way he recovered and wasn't terribly embarrassed. They are all getting quite good in their piano playing, I love that they are now playing fun songs- much better to listen to than the 3-4 note songs they start out with.

New Photos

2010-09-29T11:44:00.002-06:00

Here is a slide show of our family created by a good friend and one of the greatest photographers I know.

If you would like to see more of her work you can go to her website at http://brookesnow.com/

enjoy!

Jenna's service club

2010-04-19T12:42:00.002-06:00

So my over achieving, example setting, nearly perfect daughter Jenna (common, those of you who know her well know I'm not bragging, just stating the facts) has decided to start a club- a service club. She and I were watching a video on the church web sight last night about a 15 year old girl who did this very thing. So naturally, Jenna wants to do one too. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have been my natural response as a 9 year old girl, nor was it as a 30 year old adult for that matter, but for Jenna it was a natural response. I learn from her amazingly sweet spirit every day! I now have been asked by her to help her find things for her soon to be formed club to do. I am writing this post to all of you in hopes you will help me think of things they can do. I have gone to the churches humanitarian web sight and printed off all the kits they can put together- guess they'll request donations from neighbors and friends for that.... what other things can her service club do??????? Any suggestions would be very welcomed!

Putting Credit Where Credit is Due

2010-01-17T13:45:00.002-07:00

About six months ago Tiff and I made the heart wrenching decision to leave our family and friends in beautiful Colorado and come to Utah so I could chase a dream I've had for over a decade. Although most people would probably not consider going back to school again, a dreamy thing to do, it has been part of the landscape of my career objectives for a long time. Right after we got married, Tiffani and I had a conversation about where we would like to be in 10 yrs. Admittedly as we projected the path our future lives would take it appeared nothing like the reality of the past decade, and in fact it has taken longer than we hoped. Nonetheless we are here and here looks promising as we plug along. This process has taught me a couple things about fulfilling our dreams.

1. Dreaming your dreams and living your dreams are not always the same thing.

In other words somtimes the dream in your mind is played out on a Blu-ray DVD player with surround sound and a high definition plasma 60" wide screen television. In reality sometimes those same dreams end up looking more a 19" black and white TV with tin foil hanging off the rabbit ears on top. You might be able to watch the same show in both situations but the overall experience can be very different.

Dont get me wrong. I am not complaining. I couldn't be more grateful to be here, but I guess if following your dreams was always as glamorous as we imagined it would be, we would spend less time dreaming and more time doing.

2. The Lord helps us fulfill our dreams despite our weaknesses.

Going into this application I felt pretty confident that I had the necessary skills to be admitted. I had worked in higher ed admissions for years and so felt I even had the extra advantage of knowing how the system works and what they would be looking for. As I went through the checklist of the application requirements I couldn't see anything that would be any major issue. That was until I took the GRE and absolutely bombed the quantitative part. Not just messed up...BOMBED IT! There was a 40 pt difference in my percentile score between my quantitative and my analytical. 65% of all grad students did better on that portion than I did. It wasn't even high enough to meet the minimum requirements for the department. So there I was, knowing I had a hole the size of Texas in my application and they had every right to deny me admissions.

That is when the gravity of the situation hit me full force. I had already moved my family. The kids were in school and making friends. We were finally getting settled, and I had told everyone that I was planning on attending school in January. If I didn't get in I was in serious trouble. (Mostly because my wife would KILL ME!)

That is the point where I did the only thing I could. I got on my knees and begged the Lord for help. Every way I could spin it, I did. I felt more vulnerable and more dependent on His intervention than any point in recent memory. During the next 3 months while I waited for a response from the school and labored with what felt like a terrible burden to me, something interesting began to happen. I began to feel the weight of the burden become lighter and my confidence in God's awareness of my situation increase. Nothing had changed in the nature of my circumstances, but everything began to change in the way that I reacted to it. Through that long sustained state of suspense I learned in a way nothing else could have taught me.

When the final decision came it was almost anticlimactic. To some degree I felt the most important part of that process had already occurred. In retrospect I realized if I had done really well on all parts of that test, I might have made the mistake of assuming that I was admitted based on my own merit alone. What a mistake that would have been.

As I attend my classes now and begin this process of checking off all the boxes to acquire those three magical letters - PhD, I do it with a bit more respect for the very real challenges connected to our dreams and the assistance we can receive along the way.

Kids and Christmas

2009-12-29T12:26:00.006-07:00

I know I already said that music was my favorite part of Christmas but I am officially retracting my statement. Not that I feel any different about the music, its just that I have realized that if you truly want to experience all the magic of the Christmas season children are an essential ingredient. Watching Children on Christmas morning is my favorite thing about Christmas, especially if they are my children. I have included some photos as proof. These photos are not necessarily impressive for any particular reason. but if one simply focuses on the expressions in each picture there is a good possibility you will find a smile coming over you. There may be many reasons you smile but one of those reasons could be the sense of joy associated with giving something that you know will be meaningful to someone you love, and then watching them. These pictures are a small sampling of that joy that was experienced in the Murdock home this year.

Perhaps there is a natural tendency to feel a connection with children around Christmas regardless of whether they are your own or not. Again there could be many reasons for this but I cannot help but recognize that the entire season was established around a child, the most precious child ever brought into this dreary world. The one most critical to the joy we all seek and the only one willing and able to give the gift we all desperately seek. A gift given to his children in the same spirit we all give. The Spirit of love, the Spirit of joy, The Spirit of Christ.

Merry Christmas and may the coming year be filled with giving and joy for all of you!

Christmas Tree

2009-12-13T20:20:00.003-07:00

I see beautiful pictures of all my friends trees on their blogs, so I thought I'd show ya all up. Here's ours, Don't be jealous! We like to call ourselves "yuppie-trash" a little bit yuppie (we do drive a honda odyssey) a little bit white trash (broken tree leaned against the couch) This set up has really helped Logan reach candy canes and other ornaments he wouldn't have been able to reach before- hens the 5 ornaments left on the tree. Merry Christmas to all!

Tiff
New post below too

Snow Days

2009-12-13T14:38:00.005-07:00

I think we got a foot of snow in the past two days. Here is some proof.

A Visual Thanksgiving Feast

2009-11-29T13:32:00.003-07:00

Makes my mouth water just looking at the pictures. Nothing like a good meal with good people to remind you how good life is.

The blessings are abundant indeed!

Christmas Music

2009-11-15T17:37:00.003-07:00

I know that we haven't even got to Thanksgiving yet and some people may feel it annoying to rush into Christmas when we still have so much time but if you ask me it is never too soon to begin thinking about Christmas. I have been working at a church bookstore for the past 2 months and from the looks of it you would think Christmas is next week. We are stocked from floor to roof with all things Christmas; ornaments, chocolates, books, red, green and gold things are everywhere. From silver bells and wrapping paper to angels and evergreen trees there is nothing related to the season that you couldn't find there. Some may think this is overkill but again I will have to admit - I absolutely love it. I can't think of anything better right now than to be surrounded all day with the signs and symbols of Christmas.

With all of that being said there is one aspect of Christmas that totally does it for me. It is a total make or break. With it the holiday comes alive, without it there is an irreconcilable void. The one thing for me that has made the most memories, filled me with the most awe, and represents the elements of peace on earth and good will toward men more than any other is the music.

Aaaaahhhhhh the sounds of Christmas.

In general there is not much on this earth that can cause me to stop, clear my mind from the distractions of life, and focus on the things that matter most, more effectively than good music can. Combine that with the inherit divine nature of the Christmas season and it becomes a deep and compelling formula for something truly significant to me.

To me, the fact that Angels sang at the birth of our Savior is not merely mentioned for the sake of emphasizing a happy day, but a medium of vocalizing joy that words alone cannot approach. The Angels sang because music does something words cannot do, and what better subject to sing about than the birth that prophets had been foretelling for thousands of years?

At times I have wondered if any of us were there, among that angelic choir, expressing our own testimonies in song to those humble shepherds. If not, I certainly would have wanted front row seats. (That is more likely. If earthly talent is any indication I would never made the first cut). Either way I cannot help but believe we were all involved somehow, expressing our praise in whatever form we could. What a day in heaven that must have been.

However it happened I am grateful for the music the Lord has given us for this season, grateful for the talent of those that share their gifts with us all, and grateful for the chance to worship through song. Truly the song of the righteous is a prayer unto him.

Rebekahisms

2009-11-09T07:51:00.002-07:00

A while ago I posted a story about Rebekah's accusation that I had an "eyebrwow growing out of my nose." Well Yesterday she proved once again that I am quickly sliding down the path of old age and it is taking its toll.
Yesterday was the primary program and Rebekah had not one, but two speaking parts as one of the other families had sick children and she got to take over their parts. After the meeting she came screaming off the stand beaming with pride from a job well done. As she gave me the biggest hug (Rebekah is great at giving enthusiastic hugs) I congratulated her. Then she suddenly says,

"mmmm hot dogs sound really good right now."

I thought that a strange comment considering the circumstances so I asked, "what made you think of hot dogs right here in church?"

"Oh" she responds, "your breath smells like hot dogs."

Feeling a little sheepish the only thing I could think to say in response was, "Well that's kind of gross."

In a very matter of fact tone she finished with, "Oh no no no no dad its okay. Hot dogs smell good."

So I will apologize in advance if I approach you some day and you suddenly get a craving for hot dogs. I will do my best to keep my breath fresh but on the other hand, to some hot dog breath is a good thing.

Jenna's Poetry

2009-11-01T21:11:00.004-07:00

Some how one of Jenna's old science notebooks ended up on my desk. I opened it up and found this poem she had wrote. A while back she did some research on the Asian Black Bear. I thought it was worth posting.

The Big Asian Black Bear
by Jenna Murdock

The big black bear eats berries
But not ferries
He has a white diamond on his chest
And he builds nests
Wings are things they lack
And on its back it's all black.

For some reason I just love this poem.

Fall has Fallen

2009-10-21T20:16:00.002-06:00

Newest Members of the Family

2009-10-16T20:47:00.001-06:00

I am not sure whether its the fact that we now live in farm country or if we are just gluttons for punishment, but we decided to add two additional complica...I mean opportunities for our children to learn responsibility. You know, you get them pets to teach them how to care for something, something that can't just be thrown in the closet or under their bed and be forgotten. Well here they are. I know, I know I can hear it from here, "ANOTHER DOG??" And not just any other dog ANOTHER BORDER COLLIE. Actually there is some logic behind it. Charlie is more for the other dog than for the kids.You see we have made a rather risky wager that if the dog has a companion who can actually keep up with her, who has a similar energy level, than maybe both dogs will be happier. If this doesn't work out my next post just may be two border collies for sale!

As for the bunny, well turns out bunnies are some of the lowest maintenance pets around. So Scruffy was adopted and the girls couldn't be happier

Now as long as we can keep these two separated everything may just work out.

Just a Few Pictures

2009-08-31T18:19:00.006-06:00

I Got Your Back...

2009-08-23T17:17:00.003-06:00

Deep conversation between Garrett and I about the second coming.

Garrett: "I hope I am on my mission when Jesus Comes again"

Me: "Why is that?"

Garrett: "Cause I'd be like teaching someone, and then all of a sudden Jesus would be there totally backing me up!"

Can't argue with that!

moving

2009-08-23T16:00:00.000-06:00

There are three things I encounter regularly that push my buttons and make me absolutely crazy. The first is when I lose something, especially something I use every day, or that I need and have to find right then like my car keys or my shoes, stuff like that. The second is when I or someone else makes a mess. Not just an everyday mess but those accidental messes that create enormous work and end up ruining things or costing significant labor and/or cost to fix. The third is when I waste money. Especially if I waste money thinking I am getting one thing and end up getting something else and even more especially when it turns out to be a large amount of money.

As I think about these three things that I hate, it occurs to me that moving is inherently all three of these things crammed into one enormous organized disaster. For the last couple of weeks I have felt like my entire life was lost in the mysterious box buried somewhere deep in the back of the moving truck. This while witnessing the inevitable chaos that ensues from attempting to move the belongings of one home into another and shelling out cash right and left with reckless abandon to accomplish it with as little damage as possible, knowing all along it is not enough...it will never be enough. Regardless of how well you plan, organize, or schedule, everything is eventually going to end up in a large, lost heap, by the time you are done. Your mind and body ache as you go about packing, loading, driving, unloading and unpacking.

Moving from Colorado to Utah was no exception in any of these cases

With this being said I must include two elements of this particular move that will cause me to always cherish and appreciate the last week despite its challenges.

The first is an overwhelming realization of the influence of good friends and how much appreciation I have for the people in my life. I cannot begin to describe the number of people that offered some kind of assistance over the past month. It was constant and relentless. Even when I was not sure what help I needed others would think of things and offer them selflessly, and even though there were a few moments of concern I can honestly say we never lacked for anything. Thank you. What more can I say? Thank you for the physical, spiritual, financial and emotional support. Most of it was given in a way that could never be repaid, and so all I can do is say “thank you” once again!

The second element is the awareness we felt of another friend, our Eternal friend, the one that can help in ways no mortal can. As an example I must share an experience of how we were looked after even in our smallest need. We had arrived in Tremonton and were extremely tired. The only thought on every one's mind was getting something to eat and climbing into bed. In this attitude my wife asked me where the key to the front door was. I told her they were in her purse...except they weren't. I checked the whole car and couldn't find them anywhere. Everyone was getting a little restless. 15-20 minutes of searching was fruitless. I knew I had put them somewhere but was almost ready to scream (remember that comment at the beginning about how crazy I get when I can't find my keys? Add that to three days of living in the same clothes because EVERYTHING WAS LOST!!!) I said a silent prayer (as had my wife and children...mostly for their own protection). Finally I opened the back of the truck with the phrase "needle in a haystack" ringing in my head. I had no idea where to even start. I reached up and moved something, this caused a series of other items to shift, resulting in a burgundy Rubbermaid container to fall from the top of the pile. As it fell it tipped upside down. As it tipped water began to gush out of it. I was dumbfounded for a couple of seconds as I watched a newly formed waterfall drench all of the contents below it. Realizing I didn't want everything wet I reached up and pulled the container from its spot. Curiosity played just as much a part of my reaction as anything else. I wanted to know why we had packed a container full of water (I had always thought taking the kitchen sink was just a metaphor) I opened the container and remembered I had put two water bottle in it , one of which was mostly full. Then I saw them. My car keys! I had no recollection of putting them in that Rubbermaid container but there they were. In a 27 foot moving van with at least a hundred thousand places to look it literally fell, or more like poured, into my lap. Someone was surely watching out for us.

We will keep you posted on the craziness we call our lives here in Utah!

Again thank you for all the help and support.

We love and miss you all!

Family Reunion

2009-07-03T16:56:00.003-06:00

Here are a few pictures of the family reunion. Good Times!!!
(We missed you Mom and Dad!)

Just Messing Around

2009-06-21T12:13:00.010-06:00

We got a new webcam that has a fun "distortions" feature. Here are some pictures I took with the kids while we were messing around with it.

A Family Walk

2009-05-19T20:38:00.008-06:00

Yesterday we decided to go on a family walk. This is one of those things that you think will be a fairly painless way to get some good ole fashion family bonding time, while enjoying the beautiful weather and even getting a little exercise. About 5 minutes into it I realized, again, that nothing is easy when you are trying to get 6 people under the age of 10 to all do the same thing. It gets even more complicated when you throw the dog into the mix.

If you don't know anything about Koda (the dog) let me just say this. She is the smartest dumb dog that has ever lived. Maybe you think your dog is, but I promise, you are wrong, that title belongs to our dog. Let me give you a little background.

If you are one of those that has sworn to never get a dog, here is a little experiment to see how strong your resolve is. Find a neighbor who has 8, six week old border collies and go over for just a visit. Make sure you take your children with you and then just sit back and watch those dogs work their magic. They wag their cute little tails, they lick you with their tiny little sandpaper tongue, they roll around and yap a little, they sit down and whine at you, and then they snuggle up and fall asleep in your hand. If this isn't enough to take down your defenses then be sure you are prepared for the second offensive from your kids. They start with the aaaahhhhs and the ooohhhhs and then they give you those sad eyes. Then you see them having so much fun playing with those adorable puppies. If you have resisted up to that point they know exactly how to clinch the deal. One of the children will walk over to you, hang on your arm, look you in the eye and ask, "can we pleeeeaase take one home?" At this point something weird happens, they start making promises to you and for one brief moment of delirium you actual believe them. "I will take care of it mom I promise. I will feed it every day Dad and even clean up after it." Anyway needless to say the magic spell worked. About 4 days later Tiffani and I both sat up in the middle of the night and said "What have we done?!?" Its not that we don't like the dog...well its not that I don't like the dog, its just seems that taking care of one more "child" wasn't necessary. However she does offer opportunities to laugh on almost a daily basis, and there is certainly value in that.

So here we are on our walk. Tiffani is pushing the double stroller, and the other children are running (not walking) in front of, and in back of us. What am I doing? I have the dog at the end of the leash. Regardless of how many times we put Koda on a leash she cannot suppress her irresistible urge to sprint the entire time. If I could run 40 mph this would be a match made in heaven, en light of the fact that I cannot run 40 mph I am holding onto the leash with all my strength yelling ridiculous words like "heel" and "down" and "@#!*." While Koda does not listen to me, the one thing that does slow here down is the fact that she gags every 10 seconds. Why is she gagging you ask, because she is choking herself on the leash that cannot possibly go as fast as she wants to. Buts its okay as soon as she stops gagging she quickly runs to the end of the leash and chokes herself again! I am worn out and frustrated. (We are 45 feet from our front porch at this point) but we go on. We are going on a family walk!

Then I get the brilliant idea to tie the leash onto the front of the stroller. We were going up hill and the dog wants to pull me so maybe she will pull the stroller. What a brilliant idea. For the first 3 steps it works great, then the leash gets caught in the wheel - we fix it, we fix it again, we fix it again, we fix it again. The sidewalk has dips for every driveway, and at every driveway dip the dog wants to pull the stroller into either the street or the lawn.

I am pushing the stroller now. (How did this happen?)

At one particularly poignant moment Kyle is running beside the stroller watching intently as the dog seems to be on a streak of successful pulling when WHAM Kyle crashes head first into a mail box in the middle of the sidewalk. He then falls not back, but into the stroller which then runs over his foot and brings the whole operation to a screeching halt (perhaps the dog was gagging at that very moment because for some providential reason she stopped pulling). The person living inside the house is staring at us through the window as 8 people, a stroller with a leashed dog attached to it and two concerned parents are all huddled around a screaming child.

I am thinking "What a sight we are."

Tiffani is now holding the leash, I am pushing the double stroller up the hill, and the kids are all looking forward intently as they walk. (Have any of you had discussions with your children about how it's important to look forward when you walk? Should I be concerned?)

The rest of the walk was actually quite enjoyable. (Koda eventually got to the point where she only gagged herself when she saw other dogs.) We got to the half way point at the top of the hill and turned around to make our final descent when the last event of note occurred. This was something truly dramatic for me and the children. Jenna, who had taken the leash, accidentally let it slip from her hand and Koda was off. She wanted to go 40 mph and she was now going 40 mph. She was gone in seconds and Jenna began to cry. (I wasn't worried. Koda is also a smart dog. I am confident we could let her go in any part of town, drive off and she would still find her way home). Jenna chased her for several minutes and eventually caught up with her and grabbed the leash. All was right again. At this point Garrett, Jenna and Rebekah all declared, with triumph in their eyes, that Koda's recovery was an answer to their prayers. They had all independently said a silent prayer for help, and God had clearly responded to that plea. How touched I was that something that seemed so trivial to me could be a faith promoting experience to the pure and simple testimony of a child.

At the end of it all I felt blessed to be able to watch my children experience, in a small way, the ups and downs of life. The lessons learned from our family walk last night include the following:

Face forward when you walk
Don't try to run too fast or you might gag yourself
If the leash is too far out of reach God can help, even if you are chasing the dog!

From a Parent's Perspective...

2009-02-01T20:24:00.011-07:00

There is nothing more surreal than watching the experiences of childhood through the lens of a parent. At times parenting almost feels like I am watching reruns of my own life. When I was a child everything that happened to me was so fresh and original, I was sure there was no way my parents could understand my situation. In my mind, it was the first time this had ever happened...to anyone. It never occurred to me that I was just having the normal run of childhood expereinces.

As I dejavu my way through this stage of life, I see from the actions of my children, where I made mistakes, I see where I could have been wiser, smarter, better, I see what my parents were trying to tell me all those years. And now I find myself repeating the same counsel they gave to me. In many ways it is absolutely terrifying. I am constantly asking -

Will they be strong enough?

Have I done enough to help them?

Will they remember what's important when they really need too?

Is he going to make the basketball team...?

Has a parent ever lived who did not ask these same questions? I doubt it...

At the Elementary school Garrett attends, they have a basketball team for the 3rd, 4th & 5th graders. On the day they were posting the results of the tryouts, Garrett was nervous, I was a complete wreck. From my own experience, I remembered so clearly the knot that would form in my belly after school as I approached the roster posted outside the locker room. Did I make the team...did I not make the team. I would punish myself - "If only I hadn't missed that one shot", or "Maybe I should have ran harder during conditioning." My imagination was relentless with the number of scenarios I conjured up as to why I should or should not be on that roster. It was the longest most torturous day of the year. In fact I am surprised the Obama administration has not declared this process unconstitutional, as I am sure it is comparable to sleep deprivation and water boarding.

Anyway, Garrett did not make the team. I am not sure who cried harder that night. All those memories came flooding back. I wasn't sad for him I was sad for me. So like any good father would do, we put him in a YMCA league and started training for next year. (In his defense, only two 4th graders made the team. The rest were all 5th graders.)

He has proved himself quickly to his new coach by working hard, and being one of the few kids on the team that has not tripped on his shoelaces. He also tries not to pick his nose or lay on the ground and make barking noises like some of his teammates. (It's a very elite group of young men). On a serious note he has scored several points, has proven to be quite proficient at stealing the ball and can even hit a free throw every now and then. Overall he really loves the game and has shown great promise.

So no matter how much time and energy it takes, next year we will show 5th graders around the world the strength that comes from dedicated parents and the power of the YMCA noncompetitive 9-10 year old coed basketball league, and WE WILL make the team...
...even if I have to do something unconstitutional!

Gift Giving

2009-01-27T21:02:00.004-07:00

There are few things in life that compare to the joy of giving someone you care about the perfect gift. The anticipation of them receiving it, watching the expressions when they realize what they have, and their genuine appreciation expressed, all combine to provide one of life's most supreme satisfactions. The perfect gift has no specific price tag, size or shape. It doesn't have to take a lot of effort or be overly complicated, but it can be a difficult undertaking.
To me there are two elements that must align themselves to provide the giver the chance to give the perfect gift. For me it has only happened a few times, but the reward was worth the effort.

The first element is that we must care about the person enough to perceive an unspoken need. We must be able to know what will fill their life with greater joy, even if they do not know themselves. The gift must express, without reservation, that we know the individual so well we detected a significant need that others would have never seen. In short it must say "I will care for you in ways that no one else even knows you need caring for."

The second element is the trickiest part. As we identify this subtle need, we must be uniquely qualified to give the gift, or to service the want. If just anyone can help, the gift may still be appreciated, but it does not have the same influence or power over the giver or the receiver.
As we identify the gifts we have been uniquely endowed with, we can in turn use this knowledge to bless the lives of many around us.

This last Christmas I received two of the most perfect gifts I can ever remember receiving. My wife, and a friend of ours, collaborated their talents to give me a beautifully framed copy of "The Book of Mormon Timeline" It is a illustration of the events throughout the history of the Book of Mormon. As it hangs on the wall above my desk right now, I marvel at the effort that was put into it, but more significantly, their accurate perception of how much this gift would mean to me. Surely it is a prize I will cherish for years to come.
Another gift I received was one I cannot even express proper appreciation for, because the giver could have been Santa Clause himself for all I know. The package was delivered on Christmas Eve to my door step, with no evidence of the giver. Perhaps it was an angel. What I do know is that as much as I value the contents of that package, (and believe me I am completely awe struck) my heart was touched as much by the perfectness of the gift, and the generosity of the giver than by the objects themselves.

In the aftermath of the season, I've had time to ponder on the impact of these two gifts. While doing so, it was again emphasized to me that perhaps the most significant example of the perfect gift, and the perfect giver, would be to consider the life of our Savior. If ever there was a situation where someone loved us, knew our needs, and was uniquely qualified to give the gift, the atonement would be the ultimate illustration. Knowing us as he does through the atonement, we can continue to receive the perfect gifts we need from Heavenly Father, to lead us back to Him into Eternal Life.

With this fresh new insight, it occurred to me that if giving the perfect gift was this important to our Heavenly Father and the Savior, it would be well worth our time to follow that example and strive to better learn the beautiful art of gift giving.

Travels and Travails

2009-01-06T20:46:00.004-07:00

Okay so I am back.

I know I have been completely slacking off on this, but my creative energies were being utilized in a different capacity for the past 4 months.

Over Christmas and New Years we traveled to Queen Creek AZ to celebrate Tiffani's grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. If you have ever tried to travel in a space that is only 6X4 with 8 people, 6 of which are 9 or under, for any amount of time, you can appreciate what this endeavor truly meant. As we were preparing to leave, we received a phone call from Tiff's Dad Christmas night (we were planning to leave the next morning Dec 26th) telling us a storm was coming in, and we had to leave that night. After a long debate about the life threatening experience we had on December 26th 2001 (we left really early, I was tired and fell asleep at the wheel, drove off the road, rolled the car several times and almost killed our whole family) and the possibilities of repeating this debacle, we decided to brave the storm instead of the perilous effects of fatigue, and leave the next morning according to our original plan.
So we did
For the whole first part of the trip we were racing against nature, with storms on all sides of us. Miraculously the roads remained dry. We were told that Flagstaff was getting hammered, so we decided to go south at Holbrook and go through Show Low, Snowflake, Globe and then into Mesa from the east side. As we drove between Snowflake and Show Low the weather finally caught up with us and we were white-knuckle driving through the longest 14 miles of my life (actually it wasn't as long as the 22 mile stretch I am about to get to). It was near whiteout, the road was covered in ice and it was dark! I felt the back end of my van fish-tail a couple time, but we kept up with a 4 wheel drive in front of us, and finally made it. After having been told our projected route would be more of that, we decided to back track and go through Heber and Payson which was supposed to be a better drive.
It was...
So we are cruising along down Hwy 87, only an hour from our destination, when all of a sudden the cops were blocking the road and we couldn't go any further. Luckily there was a detour down Hwy 188. So we got out our trusty road map and could see plain as day that Hwy 188 would get us to Globe. So again, we are cruising along and I'll be darned if we didn't find a shortcut!

ALERT - ALERT - Short cuts are BAD!!!!

Sure, the map labeled it as a scenic route but that didn't bother us.

ALERT -ALERT - Scenic routes are BAD!!!!

So we go whipping onto this scenic route. The road was a little narrow so I asked Tiffani if the road was drawn different on the map than the other roads. She said, “Well it has this other line next to it but that just means it a scenic route.”

ALERT - ALERT - A different road on the map is a different road in real life!!!!

So then we hit the dirt road. Next we see a sign that says "Dirt Road next 22 miles" This is the longest 22 miles ON THE PLANET!!!
We are hitting pot holes and washboard ruts and ditches, going around hair pin switch-backs on a one lane dirt road, with a cliff on one side that goes who knows how far down, In the dark at 10:30 at night, trying to stay close to the left side so we didn't become tomorrows headline. I could just imagine it.
"STUPID MAN KILLS FAMILY OF 8 ON INSANE SHORTCUT"
After 65 minutes, Tiffani is ready to loose her Roast Beef sandwich she ate 2 hours ago, I am ready to just drive off the cliff and get it over with, and the kids are in the back cheering because "this is sooo cool"
Then it happened, somehow we ended up at the banks of the Mississippi river. Now you might be thinking that the Mississippi doesn't run through Arizona, but apparently it was that night. We had a RIVER running over the road at least 50 yards across! Why??? Why is there a river running over this road? Who builds a road that is in the path of a river? At this point we have 2 choices. Ford the river or back track. Well I was not about to back track, but I couldn't get myself to drive my van into a river either.
After a line of around 9 cars backed up behind me, one finally got the courage to brave the rapids and risk being victim to Arizona's "stupid driver law" (maybe it should be called Arizona's "stupid road-builders law"). He made it okay so I put it in drive and we plowed on through.

The rest of the trip took about an hour and we were at our destination by midnight. In a short 17 hours we managed to rob fate from duplicating the disaster that happened on the same day 7 years ago.

Here is the interesting part. As we debriefed to Tiffani’s parents we found out that all the roads to Globe we also closed, and that the only way we could have gotten where we were going that night was to take exactly the route we did.

Moral of the story – Sometime the path that looks the ugliest is the only way to get where you’re going.

(With that being said, for the record...I will never drive on December 26th again!!)

Headstands

2008-09-16T21:10:00.013-06:00

Hey Mom, Look I can do a headstand!

Look I can do it too!

Okay maybe not

Let me try it!

OOPS!

Not quite...

Try that again...

AAAAGGGHHHH!!

Okay so maybe I can't do a headstand

but can you do pushups with your feet in the air??

Rebekah's Tribute - "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

2008-09-11T18:43:00.013-06:00

Exactly seven years ago today was the most significant day of this country's history that I have have ever personally witnessed. The day this country was attacked on American soil. The day thousands of people died when the World Trade Center collapsed. The day anyone old enough to remember will never forget what they were doing when they got the news. It's also the day my little Rebekah Brooks was born.

September 11, 2001

Tiffani was scheduled to be induced that day so we were awake early getting the last few details taken care of. Grandma Dees was on her way to watch the other two while we were in the hospital. She called around 7:00 am and told us that a plane had flown into one of the Twin Towers. I was so distracted I gave it very little thought, thinking some little private plane had simply lost control. When she got to our house she told us a second plane had flown into the other building. I turned on the television. All I saw was black smoke billowing out of those two burning buildings. It began to sink in that this was not an accident. Then, as I was about to leave for the hospital, the first building collapsed right before my eyes. I had a strange numb feeling as I went to my car...I remember thinking this is a very bad day to be having a baby!

We checked into the hospital and got settled into our room. I mechanically switched on the television not knowing what I would see. The other building was falling. Where once had stood a symbol of commerce and prosperity was now a huge heap of twisted metal and debris. I don't remember what that reporter was saying but I remember hearing the desperation in his voice as he described what was so painfully obvious to anyone watching. All day I had nothing to do but sit and watch the news while my wife slowly progressed through her labor. They showed those planes over and over crashing to their death. The Pentagon and the plane in Pennsylvania was added to the list or horrors. I thought we were on the brink of World War III.

My wife progressed through delivery and by mid afternoon we finally held our sweet baby girl. I do not remember a time when my emotions were more mixed and conflicted. I had spent all day enveloped in the midst of this horrific tragedy and yet in the middle of it all we had witnessed our own private little miracle. As I held this brand new life and contemplated the incomprehensible loss of all those who had been the victim of this day the underlying message was impressed clearly to me. It was spoken to my mind and heart as clearly as if I had heard a voice. To me the impressions were something like this...

God was still God!! His plan would continue to operate! Even with evil and despair raining down around us there was no need to fear. We still have reason to hope! Even in death God's plan cannot be frustrated. There is still life and there is always room for new beginnings!

Rebekah continues to be that light in our home. She is a special person and has a very special set of gifts and talents. As an example of the impact she has on the lives of all of us, here is a humble tribute to her from the rest of her family as we ate hot dogs and celebrated her birth and life. On a day the rest of the country mourns we have an example of God's love even through the dark and the terrible.

We thank God for such tender mercies and we thank Rebekah for the symbol she is of that mercy!

We love you Rebekah!!!

Summer Fun

2008-09-08T21:17:00.017-06:00

So I haven't updated this lately because we have been too busy having fun and taking advantage of the last few days of summer. Sure school started three weeks ago, but it has taken that long for the Murdock family to get everything under control again. So here are a few pictures of some of the fun things we did this summer.

We had a couple Birthday Parties!!

The kids hung out with their cousins

We played with friends at the park

We went camping

(actually we skipped the camping and just went to the breakfast that morning)

We went hiking

...and we saw the big Hot Air Ballon Classic (very cool!!)

We are sorry to see the summer gone but we are glad to get back into the rhythm of school again. (This is where Tiffani gives a big sigh of relief.)

Logan Update

2008-07-20T22:28:00.005-06:00

According to my wife there are people out there screaming for an updated picture of my son Logan. Like most celebrity babies I've had several offers for a $1 million plus for these pictures but out of my generous heart I am posting them here to all of you without charge.

Enjoy...

The Zoo - No I Don't Mean my House!

2008-07-20T22:10:00.011-06:00

They had $1 day for kids this weekend so we took the whole family and braved the crowds. Had a great day and I got some decent photos.

Gray Skys and Happy Times

2008-06-11T22:37:00.004-06:00

Who says rainy days have to be a drag...

A Tribute to Our Youth - We are in Good Hands!

2008-06-11T22:24:00.009-06:00

This year I had the honor and privilege of associating with some of the greatest youth God's green earth has ever had. I taught 17 High school seniors the Old Testament every morning all year long, and it was an experience I will never forget. They are bright, pure and clean, and the truest examples of whom I hope and pray my children become.

Thank you, to all of you for giving me a chance to learn so much from you, and for the way in which you have renewed my faith in the future of this world. Certainly we are all in good hands with young people like you still standing for that which is right and true!

God Bless you!

The Newest Murdock

2008-06-11T21:49:00.007-06:00

As I think about the event of the past few weeks it seems like more has happened than could possibly fit in only a few weeks. As if the days were longer than they should have been and yet it has gone by in a blink.

My family welcomed Logan Micah Murdock (Tiffani insisted on the middle name) into the world on May 26th around 11:00 am. His older brother felt a little ripped off at first since we had to spend that day in the hospital...which so happened to be his birthday as well!

Coming in at 7lbs 3oz he was our smallest baby yet, but this has not effected the enthusiasm of all of his siblings. They love him very much and are constantly asking to hold him. I have found that there is something beautifully touching and yet terribly frightening about having a child hold a newborn. They are so eager and yet the baby always seems to end up in a hunched over position with that "I can't breathe" sort of look on their face.

Regardless it seems Logan has fit in quite well in our home. He sleeps most of the time while his siblings all deal with his arrival in their own little way. Megan(2) hasn't tried to push him off the couch yet although she has certainly noticed that someone smaller than her is taking an awful lot of her mothers time. I can tell she has noticed because she is trying her best to revert back to being the baby in as many ways as she can think of. Kyle(4) has decided that yelling at everything that moves is his best way of coping. Rebekah(6) and Garrett(9) are showing their support by engaging in an all out brawl every 12 minutes and Jenna(8) is content with staying out of the fray while she lovingly suffocates...I mean holds the baby.

Tiffani is doing well. She is already in her pre-Logan pregnancy jeans and is feeling pretty good about gaining her pre-pre pregnancy body back. She will do this by eating the homemade cinnamon rolls she made today and starting her diet and exercise program on "Monday" every single week.

Actually Tiffani really is doing well and we are anxiously looking forward to getting to know Logan and the true contributions he will make to our family.

Nintendo on the Brain

2008-05-05T09:42:00.006-06:00

My youngest son Kyle(4) has Nintendo on the brain.

We got a Wii about 4 months ago. It wasn't a planned purchase. Kyle was with Tiffani on a grocery shopping trip when she passed the Gamestop store. Kyle saw it and excitedly asked if they could go in a look around. As they were browsing she asked one of the store clerks if they happened to have a Wii in stock (in case you didn't know they are impossible to find). They had one left. On a spur of the moment decision she snatched it up and took it home. Ever since then Kyle has had Nintendo on the brain. IT IS ALL HE THINKS ABOUT, every waking moment. Not just the Nintendo in general but Mario and Mario Galaxy to be specific. If you don't believe me let me share a story that proves it.

Sunday I was sitting on the couch and all the kids were sitting in front of me. We were watching The Testament (one of the few movies they can watch on Sundays) and I think they forgot I was in the room (I love it when that happens because I hear all sorts of fun things). Jenna(almost 8) turns to Garrett(almost 9) and asks, "do you think she is pretty?" referring to the main female character in the movie. He quickly nodded!

She then continued, "I think he is really cute too!" referring to the main male character. "It's really weird," she said continuing on, "I always think boys are cute that are way older than I am!" I wasn't sure whether that comment should worry me or not. I hoped to hear more so I could get a better idea of what was really going on inside their little heads, but that was the end of the conversation.

Before I could dwell on it too much Kyle said something that took me by surprise. Out of the blue he turns to Rebekah(6), whose was sitting right next to him, and asked with a most sincere expression, "Do you think Mario is cute?"

NINTENDO ON THE BRAIN...need I say more?!!

She gave him a weird look, but didn't respond. Apparently she is not effected by this same affliction because it didn't appear that she had ever considered whether Mario was cute or not. I suppose if an obsession with Mario is as bad as it ever gets Kyle will be doing pretty good, just as long as that obsession doesn't begin to extend to Princess Peach as well. Now that could be worrisome!

It's All Relative

2008-05-01T09:30:00.004-06:00

Today is May 1st and it is snowing...not just a little bit I mean it is really snowing. If it was any colder we would have accumulated at least a foot by now, and there is no sign of it stopping any time soon. Yesterday it was almost 80 degrees, probably the nicest day of the year so far and today it is snowing. In a nut shell that is the story of my life. I don't know maybe that is the story of everybody's life. Blue skies, a small breeze, the perfect temperature and you start to think this is the perfect day, the perfect time, the perfect...you fill in the blank, and then the next day you can hardly get to your car, traffic is horrible, no one in their right mind would be "out there" and you just watch in amazement from the window reflecting on how good it was yesterday. I have begun to understand that "good days" are about as permanent as the day is long. And then as I am sitting there baffled (but dry and warm) considering how bad it is for me, I look out the window and see someone riding their bike with an inch of snow piled on the top of their hood. Then I start to think of all the people I know who have it worse than me.

Then it hits me there are kids out there (mine included) who are probably wishing they could be "out there" building snowmen or throwing snowballs or sledding or building forts, then I think of all the skier and snowboarders that are thinking maybe there is one more run left before the season is over. Then I look at the tree by my window and notice how beautiful the snow is thats piling up on the tiny new little leaves that thought it was all clear to come out because it's May!!

Where am I going with all this? It's all relative. Life is what it is and it is so easy to get caught up into thinking that one particular scenario can only mean one particular thing. And interestingly enough in just the few minutes that it has taken me to write these words the snow has stopped, the sun is out, and I already see it melting away. Ten minutes ago I would have never guessed it was going to be such a short snow storm.

Hawaii Travels

2008-04-02T10:38:00.018-06:00

Here are a few of the pics I took while I was in Honolulu this past week for a business convention.

- It was tough work but someone has to do it!

Jenna's Encouragement (Part II)

2008-03-17T16:27:00.007-06:00

So I re-committed to learning the piano and I told that really touching story with Jenna telling me how good I was doing and everything. Well She was so enthusiastic about it she told her piano teacher. Her piano teacher was so enthusiastic about it she decided to...assign Jenna a duet so we could perform together!...In a real recital...

Yikes!

So I practice a little and we get our parts down, and here comes recital day faster than I wanted it to. We get there, I walked into the recital hall and unexpectedly I was taken back in time. I was a 10 year old boy again. I was at the public library down in the lower level where we had all our concerts back then. Me and my brothers would go early to help my mom set up what seemed like a zillion chairs for all the other students and their parents. I remember sitting there waiting for my turn wishing it was over not just because I had to perform but also because of all those delicious refreshments people would bring. I remembered seeing one girl mess up so bad she came off the stage in tears and thinking, hoping, begging that I wouldn't be that person. I remembered that pit in my stomach because I was feeling it again.

A hundred other things came to mind but before I got too overwhelmed I had to remind myself that I only had to play the bottom hand. MY PART WAS ONLY 2 CHORDS PLAYED OVER AND OVER!!! I CAN HANDLE IT!!! So when our turn came we walked up to the piano, we sat down, we played our parts and...it was flawless! Jenna was amazing.

So I can now officially play the piano, because obviously anyone who has perform in front of an audience has to be considered a "real" performer. The only problem is that now that I have a fan club (one of the other parents complimented me on my stellar form and poise as I pounded out my 2 chords over and over again) what if I am asked to perform again? I will have to be a little more cautions about who I tell about my new found skills.

There's Nothing Pretty About That

2008-02-25T13:51:00.002-07:00

As you grow older most of the times it happens with very little perception of how it is effecting you, but then there are those times when you just get blindsided. This is one of those times

Several months ago my 6 year old daughter Rebekah (she was 5 at the time) was sitting on my lap telling me a story about what had happened at school that day. As she spoke she looked up at me and suddenly cocked her head back and gave me a rather strange look. I was paying attention quite closely to her story so I was surprised by her sudden look of dismay. She then pulled in very close to me, her face only a couple inches from my face, then she cocked her head back once again and looked at me with an even more confused face. At this point I began to panic thinking I obviously had something horribly wrong with my face.

I finally broke the silence with a slightly alarmed, "What??!"

She then replied in her pretty little I-can't-quite-say-my-r's-yet voice

"Why is there an eyebwow gwowing out of yo nose?"

For a split second I was torn between being offended and amused. Fortunately my amusement won out and it turned into a hearty laugh. At that, poor Rebekah who had asked a perfectly good question, couldn't tell what I was laughing at and thought my response was rather odd. As I tried to justify my reaction I realized explaining why I have hair growing out of my nose is a more difficult thing than you would think.

After my futile explanation my daughter seemed totally satisfied and continued on with the rest of her story. Little did she know how much pain that conversation caused me...not just from my bruised ego but mostly from pulling those little hairs out. Man that hurts!!!

A Promise Bound to be Broken

2008-02-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I had a short conversation with Jenna that I will never forget, unfortunately I am sure she will. It went like this.

"Daddy, I love you more than any other boy in the whole world!"

" Wow Jenna thank you. I hope that lasts a long time."

"It will. I will never love anyone else more than you."

I looked disbelieving at her and said "That's not true. Someday you will marry some lucky boy and you will love him more than you love me."

She paused for a moment and then came up with the best idea of all. "Maybe I could marry you!"

After I explained that I was already married she came up with this final declaration of her loyalty. "I promise I will never leave. I will always love you the most."

I let it rest at that. A dad can always hope.

Coach Brooks - A Giant Among Men

2008-02-06T10:42:00.001-07:00

"Walter S Brooks is a native of St. George, Utah. Walt graduated from Dixie College and Brigham Young University, where he starred in basketball and track. While at BYU he was nicknamed Tarzan. His coaching career began at Hurricane High School in 1936, where he coached baseball for three undefeated seasons, and six-man football until 1945 when he was asked by President Glenn E. Snow to coach at Dixie High School and Dixie College. Walt's combined coaching record in high school football was 320 - 36 - 4. His football teams won six state championships in six-man football and five championships in eleven-man football. During the 1957-1958 school year, Walt coached the Dixie Flyers to state championships in both football and basketball.

His coaching and teaching career of 41 years was spent entirely in the Washington County School System. He has served as President of the Utah Association for Health Physical Education and Recreation, and he received the Distinguished Coach Award from the Old Time Athlete's Association. With a career winning percentage over 90%, he was often named Coach of the Year by fellow coaches and sports writers. Walt received the Dixie College Distinguished Service Award in 1991, and was inducted into the Utah High School Activities Association's Circle of Fire in 1992. He is also a Southern Utah Honors recipient. He has served as a St. George City Councilman and in numerous civic and LDS church positions. Walt served as Bishop of the first Dixie College LDS student ward.

In October of 1993, less than two months after being weakened by a stroke, he earned two gold medals at the Huntsman World Senior Games in the shot-putt and javelin events. In addition to serving an LDS mission to Mexico in 1932, Walt and his wife, Irene Cox, have completed four Spanish-speaking missions. They are the parents of eight children including two sets of twin daughters. At the present time they have 49 grandchildren and 75 great-grandchildren."

After having read all this you would think enough has been said, but even with all of these amazing facts and figures I am not sure the man that was my Grandfather has been truly described. The last time I saw him alive says it all though. I was with my wife traveling through St George. My Grandmother had already passed away and he would often sit in kitchen in front of the big window. He had suffered from a stroke and so his speech was limited at best, but his mind was still very sharp, an insufferable position to be in for a man of such influence and stature. I can only imagine what he must have spent his time pondering on during those last few quite years of life. When my wife and I came in he stood up and immediately gave us both a huge hug and began to speak. I could only understand some of what he said, but knowing this he began to show me around. He brought me into his living room and began to show me all of the medals that he had won as a senior Olympian. I saw the torch he carried as the Olympic flame made its way to Salt Lake prior to the Salt Lake Olympic games. He showed me wedding invitations of people I had never met (he and his wife were invited to every wedding in the entire western half of the United States) and then began to say something. As I struggled to understand he could tell I was not following him, but it seemed important so he tried again and again. After many attempts I confessed I did not know what he said and he hung his head in frustration. Not knowing what else to do I simply told him of my admiration and love for him. Then for just a moment he transformed into the Grandpa I had always known as a child and he stood upright, gave me his famous sideways smile and a quick wink. That wink was his signature gesture and I knew that was his way of telling me he understood and he felt the same way toward me. A few months later he passed away. What a blessing that was for him and what a loss for the rest of us.

For Christmas my parents gave me a copy of his biography written by my Aunt. I am anxious to revisit the life of one of my heroes.

My Little Girls

2008-02-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Watching my children grow up has been one of the greatest sources of satisfaction of my life. I love all five of them more than I can express, but for some reason there is a different place in a father’s heart for his girls. The phrase “Daddy’s Little Girl” has a very real meaning to me, I just happen to have three of them. I could not have asked for three more passionate, talented, beautiful girls in all the world. Jenna Rebekah and Megan have been all that I could want and have reciprocated that feeling in ways that have occasionally caused emotions that are so strong I have been caught off guard. They have such a keen sense of purity and innocence about them yet they posses such strength and zeal that I only hope I can keep up as they mature and go out into the world.

I am shocked at the rate at which time passes and the pace at which they are hurling toward that alarming day when they will go out on their own. As any Father would be, I am concerned that they will make correct choices and follow the paths that will lead to fulfillment and happiness, but I am as equally concerned for the pain I will feel as I come to terms with their need to experience all that life has to offer. I am dreading the thought of seeing them leave the safety of our home, the sting I will experience deep in my gut when I realize I am no longer the only important male in their life, the ultimate horror of knowing they are looking at a boy without first thinking they should stick their tongue out at them and run away. How I am ever going to get through that?!! I guess fathers have been doing it for a long time so it must be possible, but for now I hope only to bask in every admiring look, jump at every request to tuck them in and dwell on every “I love you daddy” I can get! At least I am lucky enough to know that they are mine forever!

Geese in the Winter

2008-01-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Everyday on my way to work I pass a sight that will forever stick out in my mind. A park full of geese. This is not such an unusual sight until you factor in that these geese are here in the middle of January. Why are they still here? Why have they not flown to a warmer climate to hang out with all of their other fellow geese? Isn't that what geese are supposed to do in the winter? I can't tell you the answer to these questions, but whatever the reason, it has prompted me to consider how this situation can relate to life.

How often we find ourselves in a place that just doesn't fit, or that just doesn't seem consistent with how we expected our life to turn out. Like these geese, sometimes I look around and I just say, "What am I doing here?!" Whether it relates to where I am living, a circumstance I am in, or a moment in my life, I have often been baffled by the unexpected twists and turns that have come together resulting in my life. Now mind you not all of these events are bad, in fact there have been many unanticipated ways that my life has been enriched and more complete because of something crazy that happened, often against my will or my better judgment. During those times when I have found myself thinking "I should be flying south for the winter right now" I have discovered that these unexpected layovers in unattractive situations have often provided a greater appreciation for the sun when it does come out, and at times it has also caused me to look around, and draw closer to those around me, so we could provide a collective warmth that I would not have experienced on my own.

I heard a quote once that said, "if you would like to make God laugh tell him your plans." How true that has been for me and my family. We have made so many attempts to plan out our life and to predict where we want to be 3 years, 5 years, 10 years down the road, but if I looked back 5 years there is no way I would have even approached anything near what my life looks like today. So for all the winters we spend at the park picking through the snow, just remember that seasons change and sometimes feeling out of place is exactly where we belong.

Still Setting the Pace

2008-01-22T16:09:00.001-07:00

There are very few people in my life that have so unfailingly shown what it means to live with integrity more than my parents have. A very recent example of this was the 2 years they spent in on the island of Pohnpei in the south Pacific sharing their faith and serving these humble people in whatever way they could. There had access to few of the modern amenities that we all take for granted (like electricity) and faced many challenges that I have never encountered in my life (like hoping the contents of this egg I am about to crack open doesn't walk out of the pan). Despite the unexpected events of any given day they did what was expected and much more.

As they tell the stories about the people they met, the places they saw, and the things they did, my admiration continues to grow. While most at their age are filling their life with comfort, leisure and ease they voluntarily gave this all up (including the grand kids), to sacrifice and serve. I value their example more than I think they understand. As much as I have tried, I still struggle to keep up with their relentless of giving and service. Maybe someday...

A Boy and His Dog

2008-01-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures today of Garrett and our border collie Koda. I couldn't help but think about how much my dog played a part of my life when I was a kid. His name was Mickey. I didn't realize it at the time but he was the type of dog that was not only irreplaceable but he was a dog that set an unfair expectation for every other dog in the world. He was a great dog! Amidst all the memorable times I spent with him the most notable was his companionship with me every morning on the neighborhood paper route. All of my older siblings had the exact same paper route before me, so Mickey made rounds more than any of us. For years between 5:30 and 6:00 every morning we would wake up, rubber band or bag the papers, stuff them in our shoulder bag and trudge around throwing papers at peoples porches on Belmont and Saratoga Rd. Every morning he would be waiting by the back door with his whole body wagging in eager anticipation of our morning ritual.

In the summers he would attack as many sprinklers as he could find, in the winter he would bound through the snow. He would sniff out every nook and cranny, pee on every bush and tree and chase anything that moved (even an occasional deer or rabbit). Not only did he go with me during the delivery but also as I would wander the neighborhood collecting the money every month. Often times, while collecting, he would get as many tips as I did, in the form of dog treats or left over dinner scraps.

Mickey was strictly as outside dog, but the whole neighborhood seemed to like our dog as much as we did. In fact he developed his own network of sympathetics that would let him in their home, let him sleep on their bed and hang out as long as he wanted. This was mostly while we were at school. Whenever we got home he would come running from wherever he had spent the morning and greet us by zipping figure-eights around the two trees in our front yard.

Mickey loved water and would be in it every chance he got. He would chase squirrels up a tree or a light pole and spend hours sitting there waiting for the squirrel to get the guts to come down. In the winter he would grow a really shaggy coat, and every summer we would have him shaved. Each time he would come back from the groomer with the renewed energy of a young puppy. We hardly ever had him chained or locked, but because the whole neighborhood loved him no one cared if he wandered around.

His only nemeses was the dog catcher who would show up on occasion but he never had any luck. Mickey would just go to the nearest member of his fan-club network, scratch on the door and be let in until the dog catcher left. What a great dog!

We miss you Mickey and even though no dog will ever compare, we are glad to have had the time with you then, and the memories now.

Headaches and Tickle Wars

2008-01-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Garrett, Jenna and I were right in the middle of a very intense tickle war when they noticed that I was leveraging one of the major advantages I have in such a battle. I am ticklish in only one spot and that is the bottom of my feet...I still had my shoes on. So in between fits and spasms of extreme giggling and, at times, inability to draw a breath, they complained about the unfairness of this situation, and finally arrived at a question that was just made for one of those great fatherly explanations that leave kids not sure whether to believe or not. The conversation went something like this.

"Dad how come your not ticklish?"
"Because I know the secret of how to make yourself not ticklish anymore."
"You doooo?" With widening eyes.
"Would you like to know it?" My wife was beginning to sprout one of her ‘This ought to be a good one,’ smiles
"Tel us, tell us, tells us..." They are of course chanting this by now.
"First you have to hold your breath until your face turns purple with red spots..." their faces clouded with a wrinkled brow that landed somewhere between confused and not wanting to totally disbelieve, mixed with a ‘how do you get spots on your face?’ sideways smirk.
I continued "...Then you have to drink water through your nose while you hang upside down." I sat back and held my most confident ‘I am completely serious’ looks. You know, the one you use when you are telling your friends a ghost story that is so unbelievable you have to end it with an expression that at least makes them think you believe it. There was silence for a good 3 seconds.

Right then Rebekah came and immediately sensed she had just missed something very important so she asked, "What’s the matter?" Jenna then repeated the secret formula to her younger sister with all the sincerity and enthusiasm I had just put into it. Rebekah looked at me and was only more shocked at my nodding head confirming what she had just heard. I followed it up with an even more convincing twist.
"Mom is still a little ticklish because she didn't drink the water through her nose, see..." I then poked her in the ribs and the way she jumped put the perfect exclamation on the validity of this formula and its requirement for exact execution.

Eventually our conversation drifted in other directions and that was the last time I thought about it, that is until tonight just before dinner. I overheard Jenna telling my wife that Garrett had a headache from holding his breath for so long, however, he swears he is no longer ticklish. I wonder how he fared with the water up his nose bit. I haven't tested him yet to see, but who knows maybe I have really stumbled onto something. Although I can't help but think how sad that would be if it did work. No more tickle wars? I guess the only way to respond to that would be to come up with a really good antidote.

Jenna's Encouragement

2007-12-31T10:49:00.000-07:00

When I was younger my Mother taught piano. This meant, of course, all of her children had no excuse to not be accomplished pianists and all of them are...well almost all of them. They all should have been, but I never appreciated the blessings of having such a skill. To me practicing the piano was nothing short of torture. I would hide my books, hide myself, complain, cry and squander my time any way I could as that timer took an eternity to reach the evasive 30 minute mark. After years of torture (for my good mother more than for me I'm sure) she finally gave me the green light to practice "if you want to" and that meant to me it was finally one less thing to worry about.

It wasn't until the last few years that I have begun to realize how badly I wish I could play the piano, the problem now is the lack of time. When I had all the time I needed I wasted it, now that I have the desire, free time is a true rarity. I have tried to accept the idea that I could satisfy this desire by simply focusing on my appreciation of the talents of others. Up until very recently this was sufficient, but ultimately I have become intolerant of the opportunity I lost. So I have committed to find the time to make up for it.

With that being said my oldest daughter Jenna (7) is currently taking piano lessons as well and loves it! However, as you could imagine, it's hard for her to remember to practice and sometimes she gets behind. So to help her not make the same mistake I did, and to help me stay on track we made a deal. She and I are playing practically the same stuff so we keep each other accountable. That was the deal. I thought upon making this deal it would be mostly a way of me just reminding myself that I cannot let things slip. I was wrong. Jenna has taken her role in this deal very seriously.

Yesterday I was practicing, feeling very pleased with myself, but remembering exactly why I fought this so hard as a boy. The piano is HARD! In the middle of one of my many attempts at London Bridges (don't laugh) Jenna can running up the stairs from whatever she was doing, came right up to me, put her hand on my shoulder and said with a sparkle of genuine pride in her eyes, "Dad, I heard you playing all the way downstairs. You are doing a really good job. You sound great!" After I thanked her she turned and ran back downstairs. I sat there amazed at how great it felt to receive such a compliment, even from a 7 year old (who, by-the-way could have probably played the song better than I did). I have gained a greater understanding of the reason we have been told to "be as little children."

I am sure this will be a long slow process but it is good to have a companion to take along with me. Thanks Jenna!

The Ten Years of Marriage

2007-12-30T15:00:00.001-07:00

In reference to our recently celebrated tenth anniversary my wife wrote down some of the significant events we have experienced. The catch is you have to sing these verses to the tune of the twelve days of Christmas. Some of these are probably funnier to her and I than to most everyone else, but I think it tells quite a bit about the ups and downs of our lives together.

(The * signifies the line where you sing the "5 golden rings" tune).

The first year of mariage
My true love gave to me
A love to last an eternity

The second year of mariage
My true love gave to me
A sweet little boy and
Love to last an eternity

The third year of marriage
My true love gave to me
A beautiful baby girl
A growing little boy and
Love to last an eternity

The fourth year of marriage
My true love gave to me
Another baby girl!
2 growing toddlers
More and more stress and
Love to last an eternity

The fifth year of marriage
My true love gave to me
*A real job in Washington
A small town house
3 mouths to feed
Beautiful scenery and
A love to last an eternity

The sixth year of marriage
My true love gave to me
Four mouths to feed
*A ten pound boy
A beautiful state to live in
A job he began to hate
Some friends to last forever and
Love to last an eternity

The Seventh year of marriage
My true love gave to me
A move to Arizona
Hot and Dry weather
*A really long commute
4 messy kids
A house in the boonies
Family nearby and
Love to last an eternity

The eighth year of marriage
My true love gave to me
A precious baby girl
Out of wack hormones
Really HOT weather
*5 kids to care for
A really busy toddler
A dirt filled yard
2 chikens and a dog and
Love to last an eternity

The ninth year of marriage
My true love gave to me
Yet another move
The great state of Colorado
Cousins nearby
A house in 2 states
*Laundry out of control
A house too big to clean
A calling in the Bishopric
A boss that was inept and
Love to last an eternity

The tenth year of marriage
My true love gave to me
A family full of fun
2 jobs to pay the bills
Still that 2nd home in Arizona
2 kids to babysit
A new job where he's the boss
*5 great kids
A sixth one on the way
A broken hand
Memories to last a lifetime and
Love to last an eternity

I told my wife I expect the final two verses to be written over the next two years. We will see what interesting things life has to add to this.

Christmas Letter

2007-12-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a copy of the Christmas letter that we sent out this year, (okay this is actually the letter we have sitting on the counter at home that is going to get sent out this year), but I thought it would be the easiest way me to introduce the rest of the family.

Megan (2), our youngest, spends her day coming up with ever increasing ways to be completely delightful and cute while simultaneously throwing fits and being generally cantankerous. I constantly find myself asking how her efforts to push our patience to the limits can be so adorable. I fear this strange phenomenon may have disastrous results later in life, but for now I just smile and give her another hug.

Kyle (4) continues to trade identities with Superman, Spiderman and his full body Tiger suit. Once I thought he got confused when he began to roar and shoot webs from his wrists at the same time, but never fear, it turns out he had his Spiderman suit underneath his tiger suit. Now that is what I call a real superhero! He is so easy to please and generally cheerful, but then again, wouldn’t you be happy all the time if you could live in your own world 24/7, destroying enemies at will in whatever method you see fit? Apparently that is the secret to happiness.

Rebekah (6) is our most intense child. At any given moment she can personally experience any, and or every, conceivable emotion in as little as 4.5 nanoseconds. 1^st grade has been fun for her. She claims her teacher told her she is the “smartest girl in her class.” While I have a hard time believing her teacher said that, she is doing well and truly enjoys learning. She has many amazing gifts and we are so blessed to have her in our family.

Jenna (7) has begun to discover passions in many areas of her life. She loves to read, play the piano and help her mother with her younger brother and sisters. On many occasions she has come to her mothers rescue with chores around the house. I can’t believe the rate at which she grows out of her clothes on a weekly basis, but I have enjoyed watching her pour her heart into ever endeavor she is involved in.

Garrett (8) has also begun to dabble in some after school activities. He has been playing basketball everyday after school. He demonstrated his commitment to it one day when he declared his need for some new basketball shoes. I don’t have the heart to tell him that his shoes really are not responsible for the speed in which he runs, but they do seem to keep him from falling as much so I will count them as being worth the purchase. He also enjoys Cubscouts, Nintendo, wrestling with Spidey-Tigerman (I mean his brother) and anything else that could be considered a normal boy thing to do.

Tiffani keeps herself busy with juggling the many demands of the afore mentioned brood looking after her needy husband, working with the youth at church and sustaining her health as she carries the child we are expecting to receive in June. As if that weren’t enough she has become licensed and fully trained in many motherly matters of interest. For instance she has a certification in vacuum usage and tile mopping, a license in child wound mending with an emphasis in strategic band-aid placement, 20 semester hours towards her degree in “Ten Minute Culinary Wonders” and 1 million clock hours towards her “Mom’s a Taxi” permit. She is still doing her practicum in laundry and wrinkle preventative practices in the 21^st century, but we are not expecting her to finish any time soon. We will let you know if anything changes though.

As for myself I have found this to be a rather progressive year up until two weeks ago when I performed a unexpected experiment with a 5 foot ladder, our Christmas lights and the laws of physics. Turns out you don’t have to be that far off the ground to break your hand. Don’t be alarmed though. The doctor put enough casting material on my hand to ensure I cannot possibly reinjure myself, unless of course I accidentally club myself in my sleep which would surely result in either my premature death or severe and permanent injury. For those who have not seen my cast and don’t believe the reality of this statement let me assure you I do not jest. A 25 pound cast is a formidable weapon.

Now that the smaller issues have been commented on let me take a moment of sincerity to express our love and appreciation for this time of year and the opportunity we have at this time to reflect upon the birth of him whom we celebrate and the perfect life of him whom we worship. May we all bring the spirit of Christmas into our hearts and the Spirit of Christ into our souls a little more today and throughout the year. May God bless you and Merry Christmas!

The Murdock Family

New to blogging

2007-12-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Since my mission I have never been good about keeping a journal, but I am hoping this will be a more consistent way for me to share my thoughts, and document the events of my life.

My Wife and I recently celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. The past decade has been full of many of the typical trials and joys of family life, and yet to me the journey has been far from typical. Perhaps that is normal. I guess having an original experience is a normal part of life's adventures.

My wife Tiffani is the glue in my life and my family. She has accomplished more at the age of 28 than some women do in a lifetime. If you were to judge her favorite past times by the amount of actual time she spends doing them the list would start first with cleaning the house, second-trying to get the kids to clean the house and third-cleaning up the mess the kids made trying to clean the house. If you went off of the things she really likes to do but has never actually done because she is cleaning the house it would fall closer to decorating a clean house, taking naps, and creating cute little artsy things.

I have five beautiful children and we are all anxiously awaiting a sixth child in June. They have an endless amount of energy and are a handful in both the most positive and sometimes not as positive ways. We would certainly not have it any other way, but there will be plenty more said concerning all of this as time goes on. Happy blogging!