SirDavid, family, friends and experiences!

Call me!

2010-08-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

Give me a call by clicking here.

Give me a ring!

2009-07-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! My last post seeems appropriate!

2009-05-09T14:53:00.002-07:00

Wow! I just glanced onto my blog and noticed my last posting was done almost a year ago! Where have a I been?!

Penguins is doing well, and I am working a second job as well. I've started carrying my laptop with me to stay in better touch. But a year???

Well, hopefully I can get caught back up soon. Best wishes to all! Dave

Where on Earth is Dave Christensen?

2008-05-26T23:29:00.002-07:00

I feel like that cartoon, Where on Earth is Carmen San Diego?"

I will admite that since I bought this store I have been busier than I have ever known.

People always say that they're busy, but wow I really believe it now. For a while I was working 100 plus hour weeks. Sadly, my body decided to inform me of what all of my friends had been telling me...TAKE IT EASY! I ended up with a situation that resembled the makings of a stroke or of bells palsy. The entire left side of my face had collapsed and could not move. I played it off for as long as I could, but finally friends convinced me that it was more than just a freak coincidence.

I'm happy to say all is well though.

I enjoy working here, I am still finishing my MBA at The University of Phoenix, and then plan on going through the Entreprenuership Program at the U of A (Eller College). That is really exciting.

My life is changing rapidly, and it's good. I wish I had more time to say things, but I have to go. BEst to all of you. Dave

Back to work! Is that good?

2008-03-18T23:16:00.005-07:00

Well, here it is the 18th of March, although this post can't be viewed by anyone until the 20th of March due to contractual agreements. I've got a job! Woo hoo! So, is that a good thing? Overall it is, I've found myself getting a little crabby with the kids lately. I know that is only because I'm with them more than I have been. Working the 50-60 hour week took me away from all of the family for a long time.

So here I am with a new job...a new career...a new life?

This is going to be very different from what I've been doing for the last half of my life. I've bought a business. I, with my wife, own Penguin's Frozen Yogurt on the corner of Campbell and Fort Lowell in Tucson Arizona.

It is amazing the feeling. I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be, and certainly not as nervous as I was when we bought our house, or the one before it. It's interesting though because this is our livlihood on the line. I certainly hope I can make it happen.

This is a much different thing from what I've been doing. Over the past month and a half people have been asking me left and right what I'm doing now. I've had to keep my lips sealed for the most part because this was one of two business transactions I was working on. The other was car audio related. It really felt like it was time for a change though, in this case a big change. Not only am I jumping from one type of career to a whole other, I am now the employer instead of the employee. Yikes!

I think it will be good though. I officially take posession of the company on Thursday @ 3PM. This post won't be up until that day though, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Well there will be 9 employees plus myself, I meet all of them on Thursday at 5pm. A few of them are going to really be in for a suprise as I have just been a regular customer for the last month or so. Now I'm in the place owning and operating it.

Why frozen yogurt & Gelato? Well after some serious investigation into a variety of companies that I was interested in purchasing it came doen to a final round of two. Penguin's and another, a car audio store. Well I'll tell you this much, the annual revenue is about the same, and honestly, how long have I been talking about walking away from car audio? Too many years. I felt like if I went the other way I was tying my own neuce. I was getting into something that I was going to hate, and never be able to get away from it. So, that's why frozen yogurt and gelato!

So, that's him, Pete the Penguin. The cartoon character of the shop. As of now he's earning more money than me.

My hopes are to make this as successful of a business as I can. I hope you'll all keep me and the family in your thoughts and prayers. If your around, come by and grab some frozen yogurt!

Stimulus Package

2008-03-17T00:49:00.003-07:00

Since there has been so much talk about the stimulus package I wanted to look into it and see what was really going on. Here is what I found and it helped me considerably. Some of you may already know this, and others may not care, but here it is either way.

Eager for Stimulus Rebate? Check out These Myths and Facts

RISMEDIA, March 4, 2008-(MCT)-The Internal Revenue Service has gone into myth-busting mode. Just weeks after Congress passed an economic stimulus package that includes so-called “rebate” payments for about 130 million taxpayers, rumors and misconceptions abound over who is eligible and how to get the money.

The IRS has been busy releasing notices to clarify what’s going on, with plans to send out letters this week reminding people to file 2007 tax returns in order to receive their economic stimulus payments.

Here are some other morsels you might need to chew on when it comes to your stimulus payment.

Myth: You have to report the stimulus payment you receive this year as income and pay tax on it.
Fact: The payments are not taxable and will not negatively affect the 2008 tax return you file in 2009.

Myth: Economic stimulus payments will reduce your refund when you file your taxes next year.
Fact: Not only will the payment not reduce your refund, but if you receive less than the maximum amount, you could receive an additional credit amount, up to the maximum, on your return next year. If your stimulus payment is more than the credit calculated on your return next year, you do not have to repay the difference. (The maximum amount is up to $600 for individuals or $1,200 for married couples filing jointly, plus up to $300 for each qualifying child.)

Myth: Filing taxes is so hard, you can’t possibly do them yourself, and professionals are too expensive.
Fact: People not normally required to file can use a special, simple version of Form 1040A to qualify for the payment, only needing to fill out a few lines of the form. And there are dozens of free tax preparation sites in the Tucson area for low-income and elderly taxpayers. To locate such a site, call 1-800-906-9887 or 1-800-352-3792.

Myth: Payments are automatic for everyone. You don’t need to do anything but keep checking your mail in anticipation of its arrival.
Fact: You must file a federal tax return in order to receive it. If you are one of millions of people who don’t normally file a tax return, but got at least $3,000 in Social Security, railroad retirement or certain veterans’ benefits, or if you have a small amount of earned income, you need to file a Form 1040A to receive a minimum payment of $300 for individuals or $600 for married couples.

Myth: Payments won’t be mailed until July or later, which doesn’t help when you need your money now.
Fact: Payments will begin going out starting in early May and will continue through the summer.

The IRS has yet to release the 2008 stimulus payment direct deposit and mail-out schedule. The fastest way to get your payment is to electronically file your taxes and have the money directly deposited into your bank account.

Myth: Everyone is eligible for a stimulus payment.
Fact: Lots of people aren’t going to get it. People who have less than $3,000 in qualifying income who wouldn’t otherwise file a return, “nonresident aliens,” people who don’t have a valid Social Security number, those who can be claimed as dependents on someone else’s return, and anyone who files a Form 1040NR, Form 1040PR or Form 1040SS are not eligible. Also, anyone with an income above the level at which the stimulus payment gradually reduces until it is phased out will not get a stimulus payment. Phase-out income levels begin at $75,000 for a single head of household or $150,000 for married filing jointly.

Although the purpose of the stimulus payments, or “rebates” as some people call them, is ostensibly to encourage consumers to continue spending in a weakened economy, the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies suggests people first evaluate whether they are in a “personal recession.”

http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-03-03/eager-for-stimulus-rebate-check-out-these-myths-and-facts

Oh Roosevelt Lake, How I Hate Thee!

2008-03-15T23:55:00.004-07:00

So I have been to Arizona's glamorous (not so much) Roosevelt Lake now twice in my life.

Once when I was much younger, which turned out to be a bad experience. I got violently ill, vomitted everywhere you can imagine, then the second day my cousins banned me to sleep in the car. Why? Apparently I spread out in the tent so widely that no one else could sleep in the tent. My award winning snoring was a close second to the tent hogging. Anyway, it was a fair at best experience.

Now, today we went to Roosevelt Lake. Allow me to start off from yesterday when the fun really began (Friday). I made a simple left turn in my car and immediately heard a noise coming from the front left fender, since the car is under warranty I took it to the dealer. Knowing that we were going to Roosevelt I let the service guy know I would be back for it today (Saturday). Now in the midst of all of this I am dealing with my third sinus infection since February. Argh! So needless to say I don't feel well. Remember this is all happening Friday the day before the trip to Roosevelt.

So, I get home for the night around 10:30PM, go to bed about 11:00PM. I lay there relaxing waiting to fall asleep. Around 2AM I am beginning to think somehting is not working because I'm still wide awake. I get up for a few minutes move around and go back to bed. It is now 3:15, and I'm not getting any closer to falling asleep. This is a problem as I know I have to be up early to drive to Roosevelt. Well at 5AM I began thinking that I'd be better off just getting up and loading the car so we can leave when the rest of the family wakes up. Well right around 6AM I must have fallen asleep, Steph woke me up at 7:30. Ouch!

Well we all were awake and on the road far later than we should have been, but regardless we were on our way. Unfortunately I didn't feel well, but was feeling okay, just extremely tired.

For those of you who don't know where Tucson is in relation to Roosevelt Lake allow me to show you. Click here to see the map.

Anyway the drive is about 2.5 - 3.0 hours. About 2/3 of the way there I realize that I am so tired that if I plan to participate with the family at all I need to rest now instead of in the car once we get there. So, I pull over and trade seats with Stephanie and let her drive. Well the XUV (isn't that the dumbest thing you've ever seen XUV, Crossover Utility Vehicle) we drive is a Ford Edge, now we both REALLY like it a lot, but the one thing we now both know we would change is the headrests notice how they angle forward? Well that is the most uncomfortable thing in the world when trying to take an in car/road trip nap.

I ended up tossing and turning in the truck and just couldn't get comfortable, now in the mean time I tend to get car sick if I'm not driving, so as you can imagine it hit me with a force. I asked Steph to pull over when she could, not the easiest thing in the world as we are driving up a mountain on a curvy, windy road. Anyway, she gets pulled over and I exit the truck quickly for a fairly obvious reason. After a minute or two of standing there I realized that there is a rest area at the bottom of a steep hill, so we drive down and go to the restroom to splash a little water on my face. Whoops! It's Arizona! There's no running water in the rest area. So I take a couple minutes to get some fresh air, and then went back to driving and believe me I wasn't in the best of shape to be driving but it was better then the other option.

Finally we are close to civilization, the plan was to stop at the first crappy hotel we could find and I was going to sleep while the family was at the lake. Well as we got closer I started to feel a little better so we pushed on and headed for the lake. Well we got there and cell phone service was back, so we called my in-laws to let them know where we were. They said we were about 20 minutes from them. So we headed to the predesignated meeting place. It took about 40 minutes to get there. So we go to the meeting place, it is closed and deserted to say the least. So, we go to the location where we were told they were going to launch the boat. Strike Two! Closed and deserted.

We no longer have cell phone service, and I'm not driving 40 minutes back to get it. We drive up and down looking for the in-laws but can't find them anywhere. In the middle of all this we see my brother in law who was about 35 minutes behind us. We connect with him and his wife and finally frind the "true" launch point. We go there but no one is there from our group. We all drive to the edge of the lake where the boats are launched. We are looking around and not seeing anyone, so I decide now is the perfect time to grab a nap. This way I won't be upset that we can't find the family and they won't be upset about me napping.

Well didn't that sound like a great plan? Yeah I think so too. Anyway it didn't work! Everyone including my brother-in-law/sister-inlaw, wife and kids kept opening and closing the doors to retrieve things from the truck. It was maddening, but I dealt with it. Finally the door opening stops, and I am just about asleep, I mean if there is a stage between asleep and awake I was moving into fully asleep. Then my brother in law opens the door on my side to tell me that they tracked down his parents. I DON'T CARE! I just want to rest for like 15 minutes. No chance of sleeping after that.

We all load up and go back to one of the deserted meeting points.

We get there and everyone unloads and we go down by the beach to sit, have lunch and relax. We get everyone down there and things are going pretty good but my body is cooking from being in the sun for so long. So I went back to the truck to rest. Next thing I know everyone is packing and prepping to leave. So, all in all we have been there almost two hours. Did I really just drive, in misery, for the last four hours to spend two hours like this? Apparently.

We begin the trip home, I am feeling considerably better so I figure it's all good. We start driving and I eventually catch up to a Chrysler PT Cruiser, this of course would be my Mother in law. I am now stuck driving whatever speed she is traveling. Why? Because if I drive the speed I want to drive I'll never hear the end of it. Fortunately they had to pull of for something so I got to zoom past them.

We stopped in Mammoth Arizona, which is a hole to say the best! Eat dinner, and head back out. My mother in law informs me that she would be more comfortable with me being the lead car since I have a radar detector. So I told her to go ahead and I would catch up them.

Well while driving to catch up to them I am passing as many people as I can in the passing lanes that this particular state highway allow. Well while zooming past some of the slower traffic we start up a fairly steep hill that has a passing lane so I floored it and the truck was taking this hill with no trouble at all.

Then the radar detector went crazy! I had just gotten hit with radar, and have no idea from where, but I slam on the brakes and downshift to get slowed down. Now the radar detector logged me at 101mph. The Department of Public Safety (Highway Patrol) Officer clocked me at 105mph, and 92mph on the deceleration. Needless to say I just looked for a safe place to stop while he took the time to catch up to me. He's coming up behind me and finally hits the lights.

Now I am pretty much freaked out big time here okay. I know that I am busted for alleged speeding. I also know that when traveling (allegedly) at this speed you are probably going to jail. He approaches the car and asks me the basics. "Do you know how fast you were going?" A piece of advice, NEVER ADMIT THIS! Which is exactly what I did, I really couldn't say, I was in the passing lane and moving past slower traffic, but not sure how fast..." Needless to say two things happened, first as always I asked if he would let me out of the ticket. NO. Secondly, I got a ticket. He was willing to drop it to 75mph in a 60mph for my alleged speeding violation.

Why do I keep saying "alleged" because I have not been to court yet and have not been found guilty of this alleged charge. :)

I traveled home considerably more slowly the rest of the way home.

Then we get home, all is well, but you'll never believe this...I couldn't fall asleep. Sometime around 5AM I dozed off though. I am quite happy to say I have finally gotten a fair amount of rest today.

Oh Roosevelt Lake, How I Hate Thee! DC

Out of work, but not out of things to do...

2008-03-05T01:01:00.002-07:00

It's amazing to me that I have been out of work for the past month, technically six weeks if you include the two weeks I was on vacation prior to my boss replacing me while I was away. I won't call him a scumbag though, you can make that assumption on your own. At least his son in law is the one that took my place.

It's amazing that I've been out for a month, but I have had so much to do! My Mom's old house has been a real task.

We have textured, painted, cleaned the grout joints of the tile so we can lay grout. We've installed a toilet, replaced windows, put in new cabinets, replaced walls, plumbing, tiled the shower, and have started to prepare for the rest. Which is removing the asbestos tile, finishing the rewiring of the electrical, installing ceiling fans, countertop, sinks, and landscaping. Yikes! To say the least I am hemmoraging money as we speak. What a good time for me to be doing this, huh? When the housing market is almost as bad as in the 80's.

It's okay though, once it's finished I'll have accomplished alot. I wish I could have done this for my folks while they were still alive. I imagine the two of them are on the other side, my Dad saying why couldn't we get him to do this while we were alive, and my Mom saying shut up at least he's doing it now.

I have been very blessed to have friends that have helped me with this task. Some of them I have had to pay as they are low on money and very skilled labor. Some have been kind enough to simply donate their time to assist me. One in paticular has done more than I could ever ask for to help me. He knows who he is, and if I said his name he'd only be embarrassed by it. He's a good man.

Well, tomorrow is another day of paying to work, but I really don't mind. It has been fun watching this house transform from a old, out of date home, to a modern and up to date home.

I can't say I know what I am going to do with the place. Probably put up a for sale sign as well as a for rent sign, and whoever gets it first is the winner. Of course of I rent it, I'll probably leave it up for sale as I think it's time for me to walk away.

It's funny, I have grieved my Mom's death so much, I went to the cemetary on Sunday to look at the headstone. It had just been installed. It was beautiful it matches the one that the Army provided for my Dad. It almost seemed as if the headstone helped me to realize that chapter of my life is getting further and further away. I still shed tears, but not like I have in the past. I suppose time will tell me if that is truly the case.

I love these things. I know most people hate em' though.

2008-03-01T15:38:00.001-07:00

You Will Die at Age 79

You're pretty average when it comes to how you live...

And how you'll die as well.

What Age Will You Die?

You Are 90% Boyish and 10% Girlish

You have a tough exterior - and usually a tough interior to match it.
You're no nonsense, logical, and very assertive.
Sometimes you can't understand women at all, even if you're a woman yourself.
You see things rationally, and don't like to let your emotions get the best of you.

http://www.blogthings.com/howboyishorgirlishareyouquiz/">How Boyish or Girlish Are You?

Your Star Wars Name And Title

Your Star Wars Name: Davch Elwau

Your Star Wars Title: Nesstr of Einahpets

http://www.blogthings.com/starwarsnameandtitlegenerator/">What Is Your Star Wars Name and Title?

Back in the saddle again!

2008-03-01T02:22:00.002-07:00

Well there are probably very few people who will read this blog, but I plan to my best to stick to it. Work hard at showing everyone what's happening here with me and the family.

I'll try to catch you all up, we just returned from Chicago (January). I know what you're thinking Chiacago in January! Well we did it so the kids could play and have a good time in the snow. Boy did they ever!

The coldest it got was -24 degrees with the wind chill factor. Yikes! The only time the cold was brutal was when the wind was blowing...hmmm Windy City, only cold when the wind was blowing, yeah it was pretty much cold all of the time. It was great seeing all of my family though.

Upon return Steph and I had to buy a new vehicle because her van was stolen from the Church parking lot during Sunday services. That's bad, but what makes it worse is the fact that I've spent the past 16 years working in the car audio and security industry. Ouch! No alarm! Lesson learned for sure.

Well I went to see a friend and we bought a new Ford Edge. Everyone loves it. So lets see that was on Friday that we bought the Edge. I was supposed to have a meeting with two of the three owners of the company I was working for, but instead I got a call from my boss - the third owner telling me that the meeting was cancelled. No big deal...I let him know that I'd be back to work on Monday as scheduled.

Monday comes and I go into work bright and early. It was weird though, as I drove to work I called Steph and told her that if she saw me at home in a few hours she would know that I quit my job.

Well, my boss was there as always. He and I checked in all of the morning customers barely saying a word to one another (as usual, and to my preference), well at about 9AM when the sales staff started to arrive he asked me to the woodshed (my nickname for his office) so I went upstairs to meet with him.

While upstairs he asked me a few basic questions about various customers and I gave him the answers to the best of my ability.

Then he laid it on me, "it's time for us to part ways."

I said "okay, when would you like that to take place?"

"Immediately, right now."

I truly think that he was stunned that I took it so well. Lets face it though I have hated working with this man for the past four years. I think he's an alright person, but a terrible employer. He's the kind of guy that steps over dollars to pick up quarters. Not a big deal. He was lucky enough to have his son in law there to immediately fill my position, and for his son in laws best friend to fill the assistant manager position. What a relief, lol!

So for the past few weeks I have been applying for various jobs as well as looking at the possibility of buying my own business. Who knows I may go out on a limb and do what I never thought I would, own my own business. Not necessarily car audio, but possibly.

I'm working with a broker right now to see what's out there as well as interviewing for various positions. I plan to travel a bit and see if there is work elsewhere. It'll be a hardship for me to move the family, but we can get through it. The biggest problem is going to be selling both houses. If it's right it'll happen.

Let's see now. So at about the three week mark of me being out of work I was laying on the couch taking a nap because I was trying to resolve a migraine. Next thing I know Steph wakes me up, and says "David, I'm pregnant." Hmm. Alrighty then. Of course I'm excited and honestly I had a very strong feeling that we should have another child. Of course this thought was in September of last year when I had a job!

I'm not too worried about it though. Heavenly Father clearly has a sense of humor, but also knows what is right and so I'll trust him and try to stay faithful to whatever he brings me.

Well, it's coming up on 3AM and I think that means it's time for me to go to bed.

I hope to hear from some of you, and once I get pictures up and running I'll post some of the kids and other things we've had happening. DC

Two years and it was harder than ever

2006-11-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

I have to say I often wonder if anyone even reads this blog. I sometimes have my doubts. That is why I rarely post here, but I feel on some certain occassions I should post just to say how I am feeling.

Yesterday, the 22nd of November is the 2nd anniversary of my Dad dying. It was hard this year, harder than last year. With losing my Mom it was devastating this year. I have few people to talk to it seems. I can always talk to my wife, but I hate to burden her with my feelings of loss in this time. I have had friends tell me that the fist year is the "hardest" first Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday, and so on. Last year was hard but my Mom and I had each other to lean on. This year she is not here. I could barely speak of my Dad's death these past few days. I don't even know who I would talk to if I could talk about it. I have been thinking a lot lately. I am a popular person, there are people who I know that I can't even think of, but I feel a lot like I have lost my "friends." The people who you can be deep with, tell your deepest darkest secrets to. I feel like when I am sad, now that I have lost my Mom I have no one that I can talk to on a regular basis about nothingness...or to be deep with or whatever I want to talk about. I can talk to my wife but I hate to burden her with my inner darkness. I just miss my parents and my friends more than anything.

I suppose it's up to me to change that, but right now with as tired and depressed as I am lately I don't know that I can manage it. I am barely sliding by with the responsibilities I have now. Believe me if I had less on my plate it would be the worst thing for me because I would only sleep more and spend more time feeling sorry for myself.

Well, on a lighter side of life I had the wonderful opportunity to speak in Church, Stake Conference actually. My topic was building on a strong foundation. Wow. Why on earth did they want me to talk about that. Wouldn't they prefer someone who has their life together? It was a great opportunity for me to learn about myself and how we build on our foundations. It starts from within ourselves, that is the message Jesus is trying get across to us with the parable of the foolish man who built his house on the sand and the wise man who built his house upon the rock. At least part of the parable, our foundation must be strong, to do that we must build our own strong foundations.

Enough of me today. Allow me to share this short lesson with you before I close though. If you learn anything from me learn this: Never take for granted the people around you. You never know when they will not be there for you to talk to.

The man that knows...

2006-10-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

I was riding to work yesterday when I observed a female driver, who cut right in front of a pickup truck, causing the driver to drive onto the shoulder to avoid hitting her.

This evidently angered the driver enough that he hung his arm out thewindow and gave the woman the finger.

"Man, that guy is stupid," I thought to myself. I ALWAYS smile nicely and wave in a sheepish
manner whenever a female does anything to me in traffic, and here's why:

I drive 48 miles each way every day to work.

That's 96 miles each day.

Of these, 16 miles each way is bumper-to-bumper.

Most of the bumper-to-bumper is on an 8 lane highway.

There are 7 cars every 40 feet for 32 miles.

That works out to 982 cars every mile, or 31,424 cars.

Even though the rest of the 32 miles is not bumper-to-bumper, I figure I pass at least another 4000 cars.

That brings the number to something like 36,000 cars that I pass every day.

Statistically, females drive half of these.

That's 18,000 women drivers!

In any given group of females, 1 in 28 has PMS.

That's 642.

According to Cosmopolitan, 70% describe their love life as dissatisfying or unrewarding.

That's 449.

According to the National Institute of Health, 22% of all females have seriously considered suicide or homicide.

That's 98 and 34% describe men as their biggest problem.

According to the National Rifle Association, 5% of all females carry weapons and this number is increasing.

That means that EVERY SINGLE DAY, I drive past at least one female that has a lousy love life, thinks men are her biggest problem, has seriously considered suicide or homicide, has PMS, and is armed.

Give her the finger? I don't think so.

Mom's Funeral

2006-08-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

I am more exhausted than I have ever been. I sleep constantly. I don't want to go to work, school, anywhere. I am having so much trouble getting motivated. This has to be the most difficult thing I have ever experienced.

No one seems to understand the loss of two parents at 30. It is devastating. I have an overwhleming amount of work to get done, but little to no motivation to do it.

I miss my Mom so much. I never realized what a value she is in my life. I must have called her anywhere from 3 to 10 times a day, for advice, jokes, chit chat, whatever. It never mattered she was always willing to just chat with me for no reason. I keep picking up the phone to call her, but there is just no use. She is no longer there. I still "talk" to her in my mind and when I am alone, but the trusted voice of experience can no longer answer. I miss her dearly.

I am reassured by my faith in the Church that we will be able to be together forever and for that I am grateful. The pain I know will pass with time, but that does not make right now any less difficult.

As I Prepare

2006-08-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

As I prepare for the fineral service of my Mom tomorrow I am saddened by the memory of the events that took place the day she died.

I met with President Rasmussen tonight, he is our local Stake President, he and I will be speaking tomorrow at my Mom's funeral. The topic of our discussion is irrelevant to this post, but I can stand before all and know that it is alright. My Mom is alright, my family will be alright and in general it is okay.

Many of you have contacted me with condolences...thank you. For those who have not I wish the bond of our friendship was stronger. I lay the blame of that weakness squarely on my shoulders. I should have been a better friend. I should be a better lot of things, but I am who I am and I can only continue to do my best. I love you all, I truly do. It is a hard statement to make and to have people believe. I will treasure every moment I have with my friends and family, close or far is irrelevant. Thank you all for being here for me emotionally and in some cases physically.

And then it was my Mom

2006-08-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

I have had the most truly worst experiences of my life. Yesterday I spent the day running a few errands, nothing important. I decided to drive across town to go see a customer. As I was driving I was near my Mom's home. I got the feeling " I should go check on her." You see I hadn't been able to reach her all day. I thought little of it and kept driving.

Then it happened, I was directed clearly to go to my Mom's house and to go now!

I arrived at her home and could see inside (because her front door was open but her metal door was locked) that she was laying back on the loveseat. I knocked loudly but got no response, then I knocked loudly enough that it should have woken anyone and everyone up. I ran to the back door, couldn't find a spare key, and couldn't get in the house. I called 911, broke a window, asked a neighbor to go through the window (too small for me), he let me in and my worst fears were confirmed. My Mom has died and I am crushed by it. I loved my Mom so much. I called her everyday just to talk to her, just to see how she was doing. I love her and am so sad by this. I can't believe I have just lost both of my parents in less than two years.

I have to tell you all. I have learned that nothing, NOTHING! Is important enough to get mad at someone you love about. You never know when they will pass. I feel fortunate that my Mom and I had a wonderful relationship. We had our little tiffs here and there, but nothing recent. I know that she loved me and I know that she knows that I loved her.

Love everyone, love them with all your heart. Never stay mad. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the relationship that I had with my Mom. I love her so much and miss her more now then I knew that I ever would.

Reconnecting

2006-06-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

I am usually pretty bad about blogging. Let's face it right I post like once every two months. I am bad at it. I have to say though I do usually post something I feel is funny or important when I do post. I have been sifting around on MySpace.com and found an old friend. I couldn;t believe it. I am so happy to be reconnecting with an old friend. So I guess what I am trying to say is I hope I am able to reconnect with more of my old friends like Janette.

In celebration of my 30th Birthday

2006-04-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

When I was your age...

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning... uphill both ways through year 'round blizzards... carrying their younger siblings on their backs... to their one-room schoolhouse, where they maintained a Straight-A average despite their full-time, after-school job at the local textile mill... where they worked for 35 cents an hour just to help keep their family from starving to death!

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids... about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But...

Now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!
And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet ...we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves!

There was no email! We had to actually write somebody a letter....with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3s or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to go to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and f@#! it all up!

You want to hear about hardship? You couldn't just download porn! You had to bribe some homeless dude to buy you a copy of "Hustler" at the 7- 11! Those were your options!

We didn't have fancy shit like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal! And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your boss, your mom, a collections agent, your drug dealer, you didn't know!!! You just had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Play station videogames with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like "Space Invaders" and "Asteroids" and the graphics sucked ass! Your guy was a little square! You had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could never win, the game just kept getting harder and faster until you died!... Just like LIFE!

When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy sat in front of you and you couldn't see you were just screwed!

Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 20 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network!

You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning... D'ya hear what I'm saying?!? We had to wait ALL WEEK, you spoiled little bastards!

We didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up... we had to use the stove... imagine that! If we wanted popcorn... we had to use that stupid jiffy pop and shake it over the stove like an idiot forever.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980.

Doree the Betta (Our fish)

2006-04-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

We have three pets here at our house. One dog, Sassi, one cat, Max, and one fish Doree.

Doree is a beautiful blue Betta. She is our second Betta, Doree number one had a little accident with the bathroom sink one morning. Whoops, slippery little bugger.

Our new Doree has grown considerably over the past few months. We got her a new bowl the other night, and I look at this fish I think of how lonely a Betta must be. They have to be kept seperated from other Betta's because they will fight to the death. All this fish does is swim around its bowl and wait for me to feed it. There is nothing fancy in the bowl, just a few rocks. Is Doree happy? I imagine the answer is yes. Why is Doree happy though? Is it because she is not in a tiny bowl at a petstore? Is it because she has not met the same demise as Doree number one? Is it because she knows no better life than the one we have offered?

I really have no idea why I am even thinking about a silly fish. I suppose it has a lot to do with things that are happening in life that I am unable to talk about. Don't get me wrong nothing in my personal family life is troubling me. I love my wife and kids more than I can imagine.

I watched a great deal of conference this weekend. It was more than I have watched in many years. It was probably the best conference I have seen in some time. Not so much because the talks were any better or anymore moving, but because I was more in tune with the talks that were being given. I am truly grateful for conference and the things that were taught. I look forward to reading over the talks I missed due to work.

I feel like I am just rambling so I am going to close this post now. DC

You know what I mean?

2006-03-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since a posting. I am not as good at this as my friend Ryann. Regardless I am back!

Funny thing about Ryann, when she and I were hanging out as friends a lot I use to use the term "you know what I mean?" after everything I said. It drove her crazy. She pointed it out to me by saying things like..."no. what do you mean?" It took me a while to break the habit but I did it. Not an easy habit to break.

Anyway, I started a Marketing class the other night and the instructor says two things after almost EVERYTHING! "You know what I mean?" and "You know?" It is driving the entire class crazy, but especially me. I broke this habit and now have to fight to break it again. It came back almost instantly, I catch myself saying it all the time now! Argh! To give you an idea how often she says it, I counted 22 times in 7 minutes!

I need advice if anyone has it. She is my instructor for this class...do I say something and possibly offend her, or do I keep my mouth shut and crazy?!

The one year anniversary. A hard celebration.

2005-11-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

In memory of:
James Russell Christensen
August 23 1949 - November 22 2004

What a hard week it has been. The memories of the day my dad died have been overwhelming to me. As I am certain they are even harder for my mom.

My dad and I rarely saw eye to eye on things, politics, television, or the way a lot of things should be handled. There was one thing that was never a doubt though. We loved each other, unconditionally regardless of our faults. There were times in my life that I wished I didn;t have to deal with my dad, but I know that because he was hard on me I am who I am today. I don;t agree with everything my dad did and said. Regardless I will always love him.

The day he was rushed to the hospital as I watched him laying there dying we had great opportunities. We told ne another that we loved each other. We apologized for all wrong doings that may have taken place between one another.

I had great opportunities with my dad prior to his dying and after. About two weeks before my dad passed away we sat down and talked. His doctor had informed him that the infection in his foot and leg would soon spread to the rest of his body if he didn;t have his leg amputated. My dad refused to have the procedure done and knew the risks he was to take. He and I sat down and talked about it. He tearfully asked me to take care of my mom. I asked him if he thought he was going. He told me "I sure as hell hope so." My dad was ready to pass through the veil for what was waiting for him on the other side. He had great faith in the love and redemption of the Great Redeemer Jesus Christ.

The Sunday morning my mom called me frantically at around 4 or 5AM I rushed to the hospital to be there with her and my dad. He was in the emergency room surrounded by doctors, it was like something you would have seen on the TV show ER. My mom and I were whisked away to a family room and told to wait patiently. We waited and until the doctor wanted to speak to us. We gave them the instruction as it was to be my dad's wishes. Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) That was unbelievably hard for my mom to pass on to the doctors and crushing for me to hear. We all knew though that my dad had suffered enough pain on this Earth and it was time for him to be relieved of that pain and suffering. Once stable we spoke to him for a short time. I left so that my parents could be alone and together. I am not a big an of hospitals I don't like to be there, I came and went often throughout the day. Some people may think that it heartless but it was my way of dealing with the situation.

At one point in the day I was called to return to the hospital so that my mom and I could speak to the doctor attending to my father. We told her the same things that we told the ER, do not resuscitate. If he was to live it was to be on his own, no heroics were to be performed.

The day was up and down. It was like a true emotional roller coaster. I had the wonderful opportunity to give my dad a blessing accompanied by my friends Lynn Orchard and Parker Fillmore.

It was amazing the blessing clearly stated that there was nothing to worry about, everything would be okay. All of us should be calm and not be worried about the situation at hand. I interpreted that he was going to be fine. That he would pull through. He died about twelve hours later. I struggled with that for a while. Until it hit me that everything was okay, it would be fine, and he was going to be alright. Just not here on Earth. How humbling it was to me to realize that the blessing offered was accurate, only my interpretation of it was wrong.

To help my mom I prepared most of the funeral arrangements. Called a friend who makes caskets for a living and got the process started to make a casket that would be appropriate to my dad. I had a casket made that was pure black, with orange pin striping, chrome handles, two large Harley Davidson emblems, and four small ones across the bottom. My dad was buried in what he wouls have loved a Harley Davidson casket. He rode his Harley and loved it. He loved it so much he even rebuilt it from his wheelchair in the early 80's after a horrific accident and 6 months in the hospital.

I had the opportunity to speak at my dad's funeral, dedicate his grave, be a pallbearer, and when the time came I, along with the remaining pallbearers lowered my dad's casket into the ground.

I remember it like it was yesterday. The love of my friends and family around us for my dad's passing. I remember our Bishop, Bert Dover putting his hand on my shoulder as I lost control as the US Army played Taps on behalf of my dad and his passing.

For the last year, in memory of my dad I have been growing my goatee. It is quite long now, but as I have made clear to everyone it is coming off. At least I believe I am going to shave it, there has been a lot of people telling me I should keep it. Grow it another year and so on. I just don;t know. We'll see about that.

I was honored yesterday to go to the Temple and be baptized for my dad, as his proxy. I also had the honor to confirm him with my good friend Bert Dover as his proxy. It was a great blessing for me to complete all of my dad's work. What a blessing. I am grateful for all that has been able to be done. I can;t wait to see my dad again, whole and complete without even a hair upon his head missing. It will be a truly great day.

In loving memory of my dad. Jim Christensen 23 August - 22 November

Chicago vacation

2005-11-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

I know I am lagging on getting this post done! Here it is once and for all. Check back for pictures as I will add them tomorrow.

Man, what a whirwind vacation. It was short and meant to be that way. Visitors are like fish, after three days they both start to stink!

I wanted to see everybody and everything. The everybody was pretty easy, the everything was a little tougher. I couldn't take the family into the city on this trip to show them the sites, but we did go to a really neat museum in Milwaukee Wisconsin. We all had a good time there. Camille loved the discovery zone area. It gave all the kids an opportunity to play and learn about how things work, mechanics, electronics, power and electricity. It was great for all of us.

Well let me try to start from the top. We flew into O'Hare Airport where my brother picked us up. He and I can talk for hours and hours so it was good that he picked us up. It gave Steph and the kids some resting time while we yacked in the front seat. He took us to my grandparents house where we worked out the sleeping arrangements! Thank goodness for grandparents...no hotel bill this way! We were also able to borrow one of their cars which was really cool. They had one or two extras in case of a grandkid coming to visit so we were able to borrow one which helped a lot. My grandma Ellis had offered us her car but that would have left her with nothing to drive and I didn't feel like I could do that to her. I would have ended up renting a car to avoid that. So needless to say with as cheap as I am I was glad to borrow rather than rent a car.

It was pretty much a great vacation we did a whole lot of nothing. I had no agenda other than seeing my family. Steph and the kids had lots of fun. Camille and Clayton met more cousins than they are ever going to be able to remember. I got to see my cousins Katie and Kristin which was great. I have not seen them for years! I loved it!

Everyone was great, they treated Steph just like she had always been a part of our family.

I am grateful I got to go back before I had to go back. Meaning I am glad this was not a funeral visit. I am worried however that that type of visit is not too far off. Everyone is getting older and you just never know what is going to happen to poeple.

It was a nice short visit and I was glad to go. Hopefully we can make it up there more often.

Influence and its importance

2005-11-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

This will be a quick blog post. As you all probably know we just went to Chicago, by plane. Now there was a time that I was a very calm flyer and had no troubles at all. Those times have since passed I am now a complete freeaaakkk! The turbulence drives me crazy the landings always make me think we are going to spin out of control and crash. Ahhh! Don't get me wrong I am not afraid of what is to come after this life, but man I am not looking forward to dying!

Enough about my super power called paranoia. The influence I wanted to talk about was what I found myself wearing on the airplane. Way back when I was a normal flyer, I had a friend (this person knows who they are) who had what I considered to be this completely silly routine of what to wear on the plane. As I remember it, it was tennis shoes because they are easy to run in (in case of an emergency), denim or levi jeans because they were a strong fabric that could hold up (in case of an emergency), and I'm not sure but a comfortable shirt. If I remember right the comfortable shirt was for being able to move around with ease, (in case of an emergency). Now I may have hacked my friends theory to pieces. It may be completely different then how she originally told it to me, but this is how I remember it.

It did not hit me until we were delayed in Chicago as to what I was wearing on the plane, subconsciously (spelling?) I was wearing the exact things I had made fun of her for. The influence was astounding to me, it must have been more than 6 years ago she told me this story of wardrobe for flight. I couldn't believe it.

Now for clarification I am not blaming her or anyone for me new found fear of flying (I don;t thnk anyone would think that but just to be PC I want to clarify) I am just pointing out the influence it had on me later in life.

It makes me wonder what a great power of influence we have over people. What things have I said good and bad to influence people. I pray the good has been more than the bad, but I fear it may not be that way. I hope anyone who I've influenced poorly has not followed my direction and will forgive me. For those who I may have influenced positively I hope it's enough to help me remember to always try to be a positive influence.

Something about the windy city

2005-11-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

You know I am actually excited about something. Most of you who know me know that I don;t get real "worked up" (happy excited) over a whole lot, but I am going to Chicago next week with the family. We got the reservations tonight and of we are going. We're only spending a couple of days there, but boy it will be nice to see all the family again. Besides none of them have met my boy Clayton yet.

It'll be nice to go back home again. There is something about that place that just makes me feel good. Don't get me wrong. Tucson is my adopted home, but there is just something about Chicago (Zion) that makes me want to go there as often as possible.

It'll be good. I have told everyone it is most likely our last pleasure visit there for a while. I wanted to go before anyone passes away. I know that sounds a little morbid but it is reality. I'd really kick myself if I missed the opportunity to see my family before anything happened. Besides like I said it will be good for everyone to meet Clayto and Camille.

At first it I began planning all sorts of trips and things to do. museums, the loop, going to Carthage (about 6 hours away) then it hit me we're only going to be there for four days, there will barely be enough time to see the family let alone all the sites. I do plan to take the fam into the city though it will be fun.

I'll throw some pics on of the trip just as soon as we have them.

Camille's Birthday...4 already!

2005-10-31T16:38:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little girl is already four years old! It is amazing, she is turning into such a little lady. They say time flies when you are having fun, well I can't translate how much fun the last four years have been.

She raked it in pretty big this year which is nice for her. I like to see her have lots of neat things to wear and play with. At school she had a little party where a lot of the parents were kind enough to bring her gifts, that's nice because we have given out gifts so we were hoping that it would be recipricated. We made a cake for her to share with all of her little friends at school and they loved it. Nothing like sugaring up the kids before the end of day right?!

At Church she had a little primary (Sunday School) song sung to her and got a birthday pencil. My mom, her Nana Susan got her a baggie full of goodies and she loved it. She got Play-Doh (spelling?) coloring books, colored pencils, and a bucket full of Play-Doh accessories. Unfortunately for us there was no Play-Doh removal tool included, you know from when i am scraping it out of the carpet, her hair, the dogs hair, the cats hair, and the occasional crack or crevice. She's actually really good with it so i'm not too worried.

After Church we went to my in-laws home, Dave and Karen. They made her the dinner of her choice. Steak, potatoes, and green beans. No coaching required from Dad either. She knows when to pick the good stuff all on her own! Woo hoo! She got a lot of neat gifts there as well. A Leapster game, a new purse, and some other stuff that I can't even remember. We took a bunch of pictures so I'll be adding those later.

It's amazing watching these kids grow up. I love every minute of it.

Trunk or Treating/Work party/Friend's Haloween party

2005-10-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy, busy.

On Saturday night we had our Church's annual "trunk or treating" activity which was a blast. The kids looked adorable and Steph and I dressed up as Black Eyed Peas, email me if you want details on me and Steph. Camille was a very adorable cheerleader and Clayton was a pumpkin. They both loved their costumes! We had a good time it was lots of fun and Camille surprisingly enough filled her pumpkin about a third of the way full and said that was enoguh candy for her. I couldn't believe that me of all people would have a kid that would turn down first candy, and second FREE candy. That's okay though she had a good time and that's what mattered the most.

After the trunk or treating Steph and the kids went home and I went to a work Halloween party, kind of the obligatory visit. Not really my thing. Drunk people from work and drunk friends of my bosses. No thanks. So I hit the road pretty fast from there.

After that party there was one more to go to at a friends house. It was good times. They have an annual Halloween bash and everybody really likes it. It was a lot cooler than the other party since there was no drinking going on and we were all friends from Church.

Lots of fun and busy days and nights.

Survey

2005-10-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

*TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey*
Name:	David
Birthday:	04/18/1976
Birthplace:	Waukegan, Illinois
Current Location:	Tucson, Arizona
Eye Color:	Blue
Hair Color:	Brown
Height:	5'11"
Right Handed or Left Handed:	Right
Your Heritage:	Caucasian
The Shoes You Wore Today:	Skechers
Your Weakness:	Paying attention
Your Fears:	People catching me not paying attention
Your Perfect Pizza:	Pepperoni with extra cheese
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Stop sweating the small stuff
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	brb
Thoughts First Waking Up:	Argh! I hate this!
Your Best Physical Feature:	Face, Goatee
Your Bedtime:	12Midnight - 2AM
Your Most Missed Memory:	My dad
Pepsi or Coke:	Pepsi
MacDonalds or Burger King:	Burger King
Single or Group Dates:	Either
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	No tea
Chocolate or Vanilla:	Chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee:	No coffee
Do you Smoke:	No
Do you Swear:	Too often
Do you Sing:	Not well
Do you Shower Daily:	Yes
Have you Been in Love:	Still am
Do you want to go to College:	In college
Do you want to get Married:	Am married
Do you belive in yourself:	Absolutely!
Do you get Motion Sickness:	Yes
Do you think you are Attractive:	Somewhat
Are you a Health Freak:	Nope
Do you get along with your Parents:	Now I do, took 29 years though.
Do you like Thunderstorms:	Not so much
Do you play an Instrument:	TV Remote
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	Nope, no alcohol
In the past month have you Smoked:	Nope, no smoking
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	Prescription only (from the doctor)
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	Yes, with my wife
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	Actually no
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	Nope
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	Nope
In the past month have you been on Stage:	Yes
In the past month have you been Dumped:	Nope
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	Nope
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	Nope
Ever been Drunk:	Yes
Ever been called a Tease:	Yes
Ever been Beaten up:	Yes
Ever Shoplifted:	Yes
How do you want to Die:	Yes
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	I let you know when I grow up
What country would you most like to Visit:	Africa
*In a Boy/Girl..*
Favourite Eye Color:	Blue
Favourite Hair Color:	Brown or Blonde
Short or Long Hair:	Either
Height:	No matter
Weight:	No matter
Best Clothing Style:	?
Number of Drugs I have taken:	That's up to you.
Number of CDs I own:	That's up to you.
Number of Piercings:	That's up to you.
Number of Tattoos:	That's up to you.
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	That's between you and your conscience
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Happy Kids/Sick Kids

2005-10-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

It's funny to me that just yesterday Camille was having the time of her life at a little pre-birthday party that her school put on for her and tonight she is sick to her stomach and miserable. I feel horrible for her. She looks like she feels awful and the worst part of the whole deal is tomorrow is our Church's "trunk or treating" and the day after that is her real birthday. Argh! I hope she feels better by tomorrow, I really don't want her to miss out on some good trick or treating.

Gotta start somewhere.

2005-10-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well okay. My old friend Ryann emailed me her blog today and I was so moved by it that I couldn't help but start one of my own.

I really don't know what to start with other than some very simple basics. I am currently working as a store manager or a local car audio store. I have been in this general industry for the last twelve years...yikes! It is starting to look a lot like a career. Stephanie and I are selling our house and building a new one. We are bursting at the seams where we are now so it is time for something a little bigger. We figured with the housing boom in Tucson right now if we don't buy a house soon we'll never get another one.

Steph and I are possibly soon to be expecting a new edition to our family. Pamela is the name, Gowns by Pamela that is. We are "looking into" buying an LDS Temple appropriate wedding gown business. It is home based so as long as Steph can handle the dresses I will take of the books and accounting. We'll see what happens. If it is meant to be it will be.

We have two wonderful kids, Camille who is going to be 4 on Sunday and Clayton who is 6 months old. What a tremendous blessing these kids are in our lives we are very lucky parents. Camille absolutely loves her little brother, and Clayton is in awe of her. Other parts of our family include, Sassi (dog), Max (cat), Doree (fish). I think that is all we will be keeping around. We have our hands full with the three of them and the two kids.

School for me is going well. I am in a Psych 425 class right now. Chemical dependency in the workplace. The first night of class I had to leave early because I threw out my back and took a couple of Vicadin and got sick to my stomach. Believe me the instructor had a ball with that. Fortunately I know him so he understood completely.

Well I don't have a lot more to say for now. I will be posting pictures as soon as I can. Best wishes to all who read this. Dave