So this is really cool! My last blog post was about the Aurora, Colorado shootings that took place in a midnight showing of Batman: The  Dark Knight Rises. This was tragic and horrifying news, but as a followup to that post here is something much more happy. :)

    Last Tuesday Cristian Bale (The actor for Batman) visited the hospital the victims of the Aurora shooting where being treated at. There were apparently still 7 people that were being treated and he was able to spend time with all of them. Acording to the York Daily Record article (Found here), Bale spent over 2 hours at the hospital and at least 10 mins with each victim. When he reached the hospital he told the officials he did not want the press around and just wanted to spend time with the victims and the police officers.

    It was also pointed out that Bale was not there representing the studio and was only there for himself.
   
    I have a couple of things to say about this:

    Some may disagree with me on this, but I do not believe Bale was looking for any type of publicity. He informed the officials that he didn't want any cameras and that he just wanted to spend some time with the victims. I love that! I don't know a whole lot about Cristian Bale, but this is impressive to me.
   
    Isn't it a little sad that it had to be pointed out that Bale was there on his own accord and not by the studio? I would not be surprised one little bit that he had to point that out in case there was some sort of lawsuit. Unfortunately, we live in a world were people would take something like this and turn in in for there own gain in a blink of an eye. Would it really suprise you if in a couple days we find out that someone tried to sue Bale for "Disturbing" them or something? I would not be surprised at all. The important thing to take not about this, however, is that although Bale obviously thought this could happen he still showed up and did his part.    I am happy to see that people are still filled with charity and love. Even though much more love is needed in this world, it is nice to see that at least a little is being shown. Cuddos Cristian.

     This is absolutely tragic, and my heart, prayers, and love goes out to all the victims. First, the news before my comments: Early this morning (July 20, 2012) a man opened fire on a sold out theater in Aurora, Colorado that was showing a midnight viewing of The Dark Knight Rises. According to witnesses the gunman was wearing all black and had a bulletproof vest. He got up during one of the gunfire action scenes, dropped a gas grenade and opened fire, shooting anyone that tried to escape. Police were able to capture the man and identified him as James Holmes, a local resident. 12 are presumed dead with more then 40 injured.

       “It was the deadliest mass shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, opened fire at the school in the Denver suburb of Littleton, about 15 miles west of Aurora, killing 12 classmates and a teacher and wounding 26 others before killing themselves in the school's library.” – Taken from MSNBC.com

    For the complete article click here.

    There are plenty of tragic stories of the victims I could share, but honestly, I don’t want to. It saddens me.

    What compels people to do this? What drives a man to the utter brink of sanity then finally pushes them over? Is it the natural psychotic mind of the aggressor, or is it the chaotic environment the man grows up in? To be completely honest, I don’t really care. I have far to much faith in humanity to say that this man, or any others like him, did not have the capacity to overcome any and every obstacle that was placed before him. I have no doubt that this James Holmes had many mental, emotional, and/or environmental problems throughout his life. He may have been beaten as a child, or was born with some ailment, I don’t know, but the fact remains. I honestly believe he could have overcome it.

    Throughout the course of human history tragedy has filled out history books. As we look to the past almost everyone can tell you the hardships and struggles we have had to endure. It is not uncommon at all to turn on the news and learn of tragic and horrific events (Such as this), even happening locally, but there is a subtle truth that lurks behind these events, a truth that should uplift us. These so-called “frequent” events are actually the exception.

    When we look at our everyday life and lifestyle we don’t really see these events much at all. Don’t get me wrong. These events are far too frequent then they should be and can greatly affect those that it does happen to, but think about it. If they were as frequent as we may fear they are then we wouldn’t be surprised if it happened to us, and if we weren’t too surprised then we would not really consider them tragedies. They would just be normal events.

    However, they are not that frequent, and that is a blessing. I have no idea why these things happen. They are wrong and hard to accept that anyone could be pushed to that point. Unfortunately, however, it does. So please keep these people in your prayers.

    I have to share something that unnerved me greatly. I saw this picture posted by someone on Facebook the other day and I have to say it offended me. I am not one to get easily offended so this is a curious case for me and I have to say something.
    I do not intend to sound like I know more then others or that my opinion is better. I am simply offering my viewpoint to such a rude image.
    I am indeed a Mormon. (Which is one of the organizations referred to in this picture.) However, I am not trying to backlash at people who do not believe in the same things I do. I am meirly trying to get people to understand the dynamics of that which they claim to know. Whether you are a Mormon, Catholic, Athiest, or any other form of belief, these simple rules still apply.

    Such images like this are a true testament to the ignorance of those that make them. They take one simple aspect of something they do not agree with and try to blow it up to outrageous proportions. In this image they make light of the decorations and splendor these organizations use to show their own devotions to God, and assume that these organizations do nothing is the way of helping people. As stated before, this is true ignorance. "The Mormon Church has donated more than $1 billion in cash and material assistance to 167 different countries in need of humanitarian aid since it started keeping track in 1985. Many of these countries have few to no Mormons, but are also non-Christian." (Mormon.org) That is over $37 Million dollars a year that goes to helping others all around the world. I also know that the Catholics give a substantial amount in way of charity. And these numbers do not include things such as time involved in distributing welfare, people who volunteer their time without compensation, or other factors that can not be simply wrote down on a piece of paper. This image is ignorance at it's purest.
    It is very very true that some organizations have not only used God as a means to get rich (Such as the televangelist picture shown), but have even perverted his message for there own gain. This is why you must look deeper then just appearances. If it were that easy then I would assumed every beggar, middle class, or hell, anyone who doesn't wear Armani suits would go straight to Heaven, but that's not how it works, is it? Just look at Charles Manson. The evidence is in their actions. The Mormon and Catholic churches do more for humanitarian aid then any other organizations. Which is good. It is said that those blessed with money should in turn bless others. Which, In this case, they do. This is not to say they don't have their faults, because they do. ( Even if lead by God, man still has the options to screw things up.) So the question is: are the makers of this image assuming that just because these organizations worship God with slender (Just as they did in biblical times) that makes them bad people or that they are doing something wrong? Indeed, I think those that try to tell others how to worship are the ones at fault.
    As I said before, I am not trying to get people to change their beliefs. If you think they should spend more money then they already do on humanitarian aid, then that's fine, but keep it to yourself. Or if you can't do that at least educate yourself so you know what you are talking about.

    Recently, my wife and I have decided that we are going to make a big change in our lives. We currently live in Utah. Like any place, it has it's ups and it's downs. There are some very good things here but at the same time.... We will just say it's not really for us. :) I served an LDS mission in Portland, OR. and found that I absolutely LOVE it there! So in a recent discussion with my wife we decided that we were going to move there! We are extremely excited! The move won't happen until October so we have a while to wait, but I can't wait. :)

    With this recent decision there has been some personal revelations and reminders. One of which being that spontaneity is not, necessarily, a bad thing. We decided to do this in about a weeks time and have been preparing ever since. To some people this may seem like it is rash and not very smart, and to be honest, for those people it probably wouldn't be. However, given our situation and who we are it is actually a great plan.

    I am still going to school for IT and we found that there is a college out there that is more focused on the degree I want. We do not have any children just yet and Neither of us really have a true career yet either, therefor, I doubt we will have a better opportunity to make such a decision. Overall, this is a good thing for us.

    Now, going back to the idea of spontaneity, I remember just a few years ago, before I was married, I was told a simple phrase by someone that was in a similar situation that really effected me. I was working at a call center and more then anything, at the time, I wanted to go and teach English abroad. I have always had a desire to leave the country, but money and just logic itself always seemed to be in my way. I was talking about this dream with a friend of mine there and explaining how I wanted to go. She had been on volunteer trips before and was about my same age. After I had told her how I wanted to go, she simply asked, "Why don't you?"

    I replied with the obvious reply. Something to the effect of "Well, I can't. I have work and I need more money, etc." What she told me, although very simple, effected me greatly and made me realize a simple truth.

    She said, "Well, it's only money. You can always get more."

    I took a step back and thought about it. I had never heard anyone be so nonchalant about money. Did it really not matter as much as I thought? She said it was such surety that it caught me off guard. It was from this simple phrase that I change my way of thinking.

    "It's just money" It's true. What is money really? A peice of paper that we center our entire lives around. And why? Because society tells us to; because we "Have to"; because we know nothing better to do. To all you Christians out there, do you think money is really going to matter when the second coming comes? Is Jesus going to care home much money you have made or have? NO! And to the non-Christians, can you imagine how amazingly fun and wonderful life would be if we didn't have money! Think about it.

    In no way am I saying we need to boycott money. That simply won't work. All we can do is change our way of thinking. Is the money we earn really as important as we make it out to be, or are we just trapped in a frame of mind that we have never even considered breaking? Don't let yourself get trapped by the illusion of money. All it does is cage you. Don't let your dreams or ambitions be halted by obstacles that aren't truly there.

    So, the other day I go to 7 Peaks, a local water park, with my Sister and her 3 boys. We had a lot of fun. The boys where having a blast and Alisa and I were too, but there were a few things that I realized that day and I thought I would share them with you.

1. A jam packed wave pool can only be described with two words, "Mosh Pit." I kid you not I was bumping into people with every wave that passed by! I was going up and down, bumping and rubbing against people I didn't know! It was just like a concert! Luckily, I had an inner-tube and was at least able to stay afloat. The people beside me where not so lucky and while the waves where going had to hold on to my tube and yelled to me, "I'm sorry! I just need to catch my breath!" ... Yeah, wasn't that fun.
2. All water parks in the world need to invest in plastic or rubber walkways because my feet where burning up!
3. I can't wait to have kids.

    I am very excited to have kids of my own one day. I have been around children for most of my life and I love them. I know just how difficult they can be and how loving as well. I feel like I have been blessed to be able to already have gone through some of the things a new parent has with my nieces and nephews. By no means am I saying that I am a pro or that I will not face challenges because, believe me, I know I will! I am just very happy that the Lord has prepared me so much as it is.
    As I was watching my nephews play in the water I could not help but smile and think of what it will be like to have children with my beautiful wife. I know it will be hard and there will be things we will both have to work out, but I also know that the blessings that will come from it are much greater. I'm excited. :)
    Hannah and I also had our second Independence day as well. We didn't do much. (Especially with all the wild-fires that are going on around us.) All we did was light some sparklers and one fountain. I love fountains. They are my Favorite. :)

What does it mean to dream? When I say "Dream" do you think of the inconsistent and sometimes strange images and thoughts you see when you are asleep in your bed? Or do your thoughts turn to the aspirations and fantasies of your heart and what you wish to accomplish? Today I speak of the latter.

We all have dreams and aspirations; of thoughts and desires for a better future of happiness. This is something we all share, but the true wonder of it all is that each and every individual has a completely separate dream than you. Every person you share a passing glance at is on there way to fulfilling their dream. And yes, I mean fulfilling.

There are those of us who have sought out and tried their hardest to obtain their dream only to be met with disaster and heartache. I dare say that every one of us have experienced this to some degree, and we must understand that that is part of the journey. But I do not write this to focus on the bad times.


I wish to reference a film that I find uplifting, passionate, and beautiful. It is an anime called Whisper of the Heart by Hayao Miyazaki. This is an absolutely beautiful story of a child's realization of life and searching out her dreams. there are several amazing lessons to be learned in this film including the message in the Quote "When the afternoon currents mix we can even touch the stars without fear." What a beautiful sentiment. We must remember that our dreams are what fuel us. It is our wishing for a better future that prepares us for the rough patches that are destined to come. We all have a purpose and we must realize that this purpose may not be to be something rich and powerful. It may just be to live a full life with the one you love.

In Whisper of the Heart the young girl Shizuku finds herself slacking off in her studies and always wants to read her stories of fantasy and write her own. She is constantly being ridiculed by her sister and feels the pressure for her to do as she is suppose to. Upon meeting with Seiji, a boy she starts to fall in love with, she realizes that he is already on his way to achieving his dreams and she feels very inadequate; using the phrase "I am just not good enough" often. (which I have caught myself saying as well.) It is obvious that he loves her back, but she is not convinced and is determined to follow her dream and write a story while he is away.

She ends up finishing her story and even shrugs off her schooling even more because she realizes that not everyone has to follow the same guidelines. Unfortunately for her she finds out that her story is no master piece and still needs a lot of work. It isn't until her 'Fall' that she realizes she needs more schooling in order for her to be better at what she wants to do.

Upon Seiji's return she finds out that he is completely ready and willing to help her or even carry her through her struggles if he has to. In one scene Seiji is riding up a steep hill on a bike with Shizuku on the back. When she asks him if she should get off he says "No, I decided I was going to ride up this steep hill carrying you with me."

At which point she reply's "Who said you could decide that? I don't want to be a burden for you. If I'm going with you, I'm going to help you." Then she jumps off the bike and helps push him up.

What a delightful analogy! This is exactly how we should view our relationship with those around us, and especially our spouses! It doesn't matter if it is the man or the woman riding the bike or pushing it up the hill, all that matters is that you are pushing and trying together!

Let us all remember that we are not meant or should face our trials alone. And in the process of achieving our dreams we will face many hard and powerful trials. So with the help of the one you love you can literally achieve anything.

Basically, I don't want to send over all of the post I have made in the past. So if you are looking for some of my older posts please go to http://ronsoccasionalthoughts.blogspot.com/ I will be posting a few of my old, more popular posts, however.