Christams

For Christmas this year we were able to go down to Salt Lake to visit and spend Christmas Eve and day with my mom and brother. It was such a fun time because we got to play a lot of games together. I realize I will always give up on Monopoly when people start buying hotels, I love Scattegories, and Chris will always complain if we play Scrabble. On Christmas day we were able to sleep in : ) and have a great breakfast together. We were planning on driving back up to Logan that night but the snow kept us in Salt Lake a little longer. The drive up on the 26th was an adventure to say the least, but we made it up okay and were able to make it in time to help the neighbors shovel a car out of the snow the plows buried it in.

Now we are able to spend a little more Christmas cheer with the Merkets who drove to Logan to drop of Larry for school and spend some time with old friends and family. Sadly they will be headed back up on Wednesday and our time together is dwindling by. School starts soon and that is very, very, very sad news because the break did nothing to build my academic morale... I'm going to have to somehow find the courage to go on. I'd never just quit but a very long break sounds appealling. But the day I great a break will be the day I die (wahahahaha--> evil laugh).

Anyways, I am finally finishing a book that I have been reading sporadically for the past year and a half. I included it in a blog earlier this year. Its Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. I love her style of writing because she describes everything in a manner that strikes the reader and makes the most ordinary scene profound in some way. This novel is about the ability of man's mind to produce. In the society setting America is starting to believe that man deserves things based on his needs. This however, creates unproductive citizens who simply wish to take advantage of all the systems in place to get more than his or her neighbors. In the end the productivity of a nation is screwed because no one wants to show their real ability and get targeted to work harder for the needs of others. Every single sentence that I read brings a new spiritual insight to my opinions and I see her messages in everyday life. I am glad that I have been able to finish this novel during the Christmas break because it makes even the most tedious jobs bearable. I can't wait for my 15 minute break to read more of her powerful words. She is also the founder of a philosophy known as objectivism. If you are ever in need of a few powerful words look it up and you will be motivated to read her work.

The picture above is from our traditional activity of visiting the Temple Square lights for Christmas. The reflection pool was beautiful this year and we couldn't really take a good picture : )