living a balanced life

Highlights of this week: Nate took me golfing at Cascade (a repeat of our first date with Bob and Jacobie). He kept hitting those balls out of the park! He knows how to impress me and win my heart all over again. He has quite a swing. He is teaching me some important golf skills as well. I enjoyed that a lot! Mason is learning more walking skills, and we've discovered that he seems to like the piano as well! Nate and I spoke in Sacrament meeting yesterday about service and sacrifice. We couldn't help but think so much of our parents as we prepared. Nate has been studying a lot the last week! I'm so proud of him! Mason also got a little cold :(. Hearing him cough just makes my heart sad! He is such a sweet sweet boy!

memorable pictures from last week

Here are just a few more pictures that I wanted to save for our family memories. Enjoy!

practicing my new photography skills in class

getting warmed up for fall

Riverwoods

Timpanogas

Turkey Family close to the 'Freeman Cottage'

sweet little boy!

Come to Zion, Come to Zion

We've enjoyed a pleasant General Conference weekend from the comfort of our couch.  I'm ashamed I didn't get out my pajama onesie to wear...I really need to find that beloved relic of my past.  Anyways, conference was great, and one of the themes throughout the conference was discipleship and becoming converted to Christ.  Trying to follow his example is the ultimate endeavor of a lifetime, and I hope to follow in His footsteps, as clumsy as those footsteps are.  Of course, the other big news from Conference was the change in the missionary age.  That has definitely been the top item of conversation in town since yesterday.  We've told Mason he'll need to start selling snowcones to save up for his mission.  I will be very interested to see how many more sisters will choose to serve missions.  I bet the numbers will skyrocket.  The other data I'm dying to know is how many 19 and 20 year-olds get proposed to in the next month.  It could get interesting :)  Mason has finally fallen asleep after being awake for almost 12 hours straight, so let's recap the week that was.

Hurray for the sisters!

On Monday, Joanna took up my brother Jason's offer to teach her how to fish up Hobble Creek.  Jason has been an avid fisherman since he was a little boy, while I've never been an avid fisherman, so I was glad Joanna got the opportunity to learn from Jason so she can teach Mason someday.  Jason said that Joanna is a natural.  I know she did a great job of catching me...jk I caught her...clearly off her guard :)  While Joanna honed her predator skills, I took Mason on a gorgeous walk up the canyon with all the radiant colors of fall.  What a lovely time of year!  I dread the thought of winter, but I'm grateful to have fall for now.  That same day, we enjoyed FHE with Ike, Angie, Shirley, and Steve up Provo Canyon where we had a picnic and enjoyed the sites and smells.  This is the time of year when it's a crime to stay inside.

While we got in touch with our inner tree-hugging selves, we also went high tech in the past couple weeks: we finally got smartphones.  For me, I love having educational podcasts, accessible e-mail/Internet when I need it, music on demand, etc.  We decided to go with the Galaxy S III on the minimum data plan.  I think the key, as President Uchtdorf mentioned, is not to allow it to become a replacement for personal time with loved ones.  Overall, I'm a big fan of social media/Skype, etc. because it allows me to stay in touch with people who are far away, like Mom and Dad in the Philippines, and my friends from Europe who I see every couple years at most.  However, all things in moderation.

Needless to say, Joanna and I went with blue and white

Wednesday was an exciting day because of the presidential debate.  I agree with the common sentiment that Mitt Romney dominated the debate.  When fellow Democrats were theorizing that Obama had a tough time with the Colorado altitude, you know it was a rough night for them.  Not only did Obama underperform, but Romney was clear, concise, and confident.  Joanna was at her photography class for most of the debate, where she has learned a lot of things that will help with family/friend photos, but she made sure to watch the rerun of the debate.  It's fun to be married to someone who cares about politics!  She's seriously contemplating the idea of campaigning for Romney in Nevada to help in the final days.  I'm pretty much campaigning for her to campaign :)  I think it would be a neat experience.

This is the I'm-going-to-debate-you-into-oblivion smile

On Thursday, I brought Joanna and Mason to a presentation by a few BYU alumni who are studying law at the University of Chicago and the University of Virginia.  They showcased the advantages of their respective schools and provided advice for the admissions process.  University of Virginia is one of my dream schools, and we wouldn't mind living in Virginia for a while, so hopefully I'll perform well enough on the LSAT to get accepted there.  It would be a great opportunity to attend UVA not only because of its academic reputation, but also because of the LDS community at the school.  Currently, there are about 50 LDS students at the law school, two of which are friends of mine, and they all support each other in accomplishing their goals.  Another advantage is that the JAG school is on campus, and I want to apply to become a JAG.  I'd be thrilled to get anywhere in the top-15, but UVA is definitely towards the top of the list.

Isn't is grand?

I'm currently cursing our computer recharger.  We bought a replacement recharger a couple months ago and it broke, so we bought another one, and it looks like this one is going out as well.  Boohoo.  I'd better sleep on it.  Here's to another great week!

our debut on Dutch National Television

Nate and I stayed up until one in the morning the other night, talking about all of the great memories we made together in Salt Lake. It was one of the moments of nostalgia. We talked about the great people there that we really came to love (old and young), our friends whom we exchanged babysitting with, and who I got to run with, an older couple - both professors who we really emulate and love, the incredibly intellectual yet humble/fun ward, the great restaurants, our classy little apartment, the closeness of Temple Square, taking runs and walks in our lovely Avenue streets, and how much fun it was to live close to my sisters. I love the memories we made there. They are...unforgettable. But I also love the memories we are making here in Orem. For me, one of the most rewarding parts of life is looking back and seeing how God has blessed and directed our lives together. Nate is really good at finding the best things around, and taking me to see and experience them! I LOVE that about him!

The following pics have nothing to do with anything...except they are some recent pics I took. I'll try to do better at taking pictures in the moments of our lives that I record!

love my crazy boys!

a practice picture I took for my photography class

Mason snuggling up with his little lamb and bear

This week we made some more memories.
Tuesday: We attended Dutch comedian Dr VanRossem at a Restaurant called 'Dave and Cranky Chucky's'. A weird name for a Restaurant, I know, but the food was really good! I got a salad, and Nate got a burger. But they weren't ordinary...they were stylin'! :) The BYU 'Humor U' students started the night out with humor, and then Dr Van Rossem took over. Nate was excited to take me, since he is Dutch, and I love the Dutch. Some of what he said was funny, but I think his comments were mainly meant for Dutch television (which he was airing for in Provo - since Mitt Romney attended BYU, and he wanted to see if Mormons have any humor). I loved my time in Holland! When I lived there as a music student at the conservatory, the people (especially in the ward) there were unbelievably kind to me, and treated me with such respect. The fact that Dr VanRossem came all the way to America to shoot for his show, and takes such an interest in us, says something I guess. I take it as a compliment to America and everything it stands for.

Wednesday night - I attended my photography class, and loved it! Why don't I have any pictures here!????

Friday night we went to the BYU v Hawaii football game, where we beat them 47-0. It was a perfect night for football....beautiful sunset, and incredible weather. We drove down with my sister and brother, and watched it with our matchmakers, Bob & Jacobie. It was a great night!

Saturday (last night) I attended RS General Conference with Jen, and loved that! Nate and I are both looking forward to General Conference next weekend!

Today we spent time with Nate's family. LOVE them!

That's all for this week!

Politically Correct

Hurray for peaceful Sundays.  We went to the Brigham City temple dedication this morning and it was inspiring.  It is the 139th temple to be dedicated, and the 14th in Utah.  What a wonderful thing to have so many temples close to us, and to know that wherever we are, there will likely be a temple that's not too far away.

This last week was relatively uneventful, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Essentially, I've locked myself into the Batcave (aka library) from morning until evening in recent days as I focus my efforts on the LSAT.  It's a mentally consuming process, but it's the kind of test that requires hundreds of hours of study to do well.  I'm grateful I have the time to devote to it, and that my angel wife is helpful while I do so.  Despite the studying demands last week, I surfaced once in a while so we could participate in a few notable educational gatherings.  It's easier for me to justify taking a break from my studies if I'm taking a break so I can learn something else.  We decided to have our FHE on the Constitution because Monday was Constitution Day.  We learned that David McCullough would be giving a speech for the opening of the Constitution Center at UVU that evening, so we decided to go and listen to one of the eminent historians of our time.  

We are glad we made the effort; David McCullough was an exceptional speaker and deepened our appreciation of our country's unique history.  He talked about seeing our revolutionary era history through the lenses of everything else that people experienced their lives: the books they read, the music they listened to, the people and ideas they loved, etc.  He talked about the "cathedrals" of culture and learning that will be our country's legacy long after we pass away.  He believed that while they are sometimes more difficult to detect in our modern society, that they are there, and he believed that our world-class universities are part of that legacy.  He said he could not understand how someone can claim a love for our country and not make some effort to know the history of its founding.  I don't make enough efforts to do that myself.  Fortunately, I've married a girl from a family that loves American history, so hopefully I'll catch up.  I thought it was neat that McCullough acknowledged the miraculous conditions in which the Constitution was drafted; that the Founders overcame competing interests, threatening enemies, limited time, and personal flaws to draft a document that serves as a basis of government throughout the world.

We weren't content with just having Constitution Day, so we transformed it into Constitution Days by attending a couple more events on Tuesday.  I attended the BYU devotional by Thomas Griffith, a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit who happens to be an alumnus of BYU.  In the evening, Joanna and Mason joined me on campus to attend a lecture also by Judge Griffith.  One of the overriding themes of his remarks was that he is limited in his capacity as a judge for important reasons.  He said that it is part of his oath not to impose his own values and biases on the laws that he interprets, but rather to interpret the laws strictly based on the text itself and its legal precedents.  In other words, judges are to be neutral so that it is indeed the people that determine the laws.  Otherwise, our democratic system would be compromised.  He also said it is important to see those with whom we disagree not as our enemies, but as our colleagues, and to allow for the possibility that we can be wrong in some of our views.  He quoted Thomas More's character from A Man For All Seasons to allude to the finality of law and the security it provides.  We decided to watch the movie to complement Judge Griffith's lecture.  It has been quite the legal week!

As a lowlight of the week, I watched BYU's defeat at Boise State at my brother's apartment on campus.  I can't remember seeing a defensive performance by BYU as impressive as that one.  It was heartbreaking that we still somehow managed to lose the game.  Needless to say, there are some core issues with BYU's offense, and they seem to have their root in poor offensive line play and poor passing.  I'm excited to see Taysom Hill get a shot at quarterback, but it seems like the offensive line's problems are likely due to inadequate coaching.  Hopefully the team will perform better on Friday against Hawaii because Joanna and I will be there!  We're excited to go to a game together.  Anything is fun when it's with Joanna!  Now if only we were watching it in Hawaii...

Maybe next time...

September 16th

This week it's me writing...Joanna. :). We just wanted to give you an update on our little family. Last Wednesday to Wednesday we were able to help take care of Rich and Jen's children while they took a trip to NYC. That was a lot of fun for us to be in that big beautiful home, and practice being "parents" of many children. Lucky for us they are great kids, and they made it an enjoyable experience for us. They were good to help make dinners, clean up, and to help support each other with school work, practicing, bedtime, etc. We learned a lot from them about family life, and having love and kindness in the family. In exchange Jen gave us a beautiful boquet of flowers, and promised to take care of our kids someday when we go on a couple's trip. Nate's already making plans.

Since Wednesday I have been getting back into the routine of things here.....cleaning, cooking, and taking care of little Mason. He is such a sweetheart! We put him in bed around 6:30 at night, and he sleeps all the way until 6:30 the next morning. He also takes a nap at 9am and 1pm. He is gradually gaining more and more confidence with taking steps, he loves eating pear sauce, bread, and mommy's milk. He still laughs whenever I play "peek a boo", or tickle his tummy. He loves books, and opening up cupboards wherever he can. He loves his Daddy also, and continually says "DaDa" all day long, and lights up when Nate comes home.

Nate is working hard, studying pretty much all day at the BYU Library for the LSAT. I am trying my best to support him, by taking jogs with him in the morning, and having a dinner ready for him when he comes home for about an hour to eat. He's casually looking for part-time work, but I think will become a more serious looker after December 1st, when he takes the actual exam.

I am enjoying teaching, and taking a photography class on Wednesday evenings as part of a three week continuing education program through UVU.

Angie and Isaac have been angels to us. We enjoy trading off with babysitting so we can go on a date or to the Temple. We also have dinners together sometimes. This last Friday Angie and I and our little ones were able to take a tour of the Brigham City Temple, and although it was a long drive to get there, it was well worth the sacrifice, and a wonderful experience for all of us! The Temple contains elements of both the Nauvoo and the Salt Lake Temple (our pioneer Temples), and also has stain-glassed windows with peach blossoms and wheat buds (both common in Brigham City). It is a small, but remarkably beautiful temple. President Packer will dedicate it this Sunday, as Brigham City is his home town.

Today we attended Stake Conference where Elder Oaks spoke to us about helping single people feel a part of their wards and had his wife speak. He also spoke about civil and political issues - being civil about them, trusting in the Lord's timing. It seems his main theme was on focusing on issues we can control. He cautioned against right-winged members of the Church not to become involved in paramilitary groups. It's a good thing, because Nate and Mason were thinking about joining one :). jk.

Those are the most recent adventure of the Freeman Family

To Boldly Go Where No Family Has Gone Before

Much has happened in the past three weeks--indeed, they have brought along a change of scenery, a change of plans, a change of pace, and a change we can believe in.  I like to remind Joanna that summer isn't even close to over--there are 3 whole weeks left!  Hopefully, the sun stays around well after the summer season ends, but for now we're squeezing all the rays out of it that we can.  We even went on a little boating trip with my family, and Joanna laughed as loud as I can remember while we bumped along the waves on the tube.  Good times! 

For me, the main consolation of fall time is that it means the sports season is fully underway.  It looks like the BYU football team is going to have a great season; the victory over WSU was impressive and the team looks as motivated as ever.  We're looking forward to going to a couple games and bringing Mason along for his first opportunity to cheer on his favorite team in person. 

Let's start with the change of scenery.  We have been enjoying our time in the basement of the House of Jacob, where we have a beautiful apartment with lots of room for Mason to crawl around, and access to a garden that is now being harvested.  There are plenty of tomatoes, corn, peaches, apples, grapes, etc. to enjoy and store, and we are looking forward to helping out with that.  The 5 acres that the House of Jacob sits on is probably one of the largest farming properties in Orem, and it's beautiful land that the Jacobs have been taking care of for decades. It really is true that produce tastes so much better when it's fresh from the farm.

It doesn't get more fresh than that.  That's right all you organic, granola-loving hippies!

Not only do we live in a new place, but we have also visited places that we had never seen before (for better or for worse).  One of those places was Timpanogos Cave.  It's hard to believe that after living in Utah for almost 15 years that I had never been there, but that's the truth.  It was a steep hike, but the caves were neat, and Mason was a good trooper most of the time. 

Mason was wise to be very cooperative.

A few weeks ago, we decided to go on a campout with our friends and fellow ward members from SLC, Greg and Shauna Call.  We got a spot in the Squaw Peak campground and had a terrific time--delicious food, fun company, and beautiful surroundings.  Mason enjoyed playing with his girlfriends, too.  It did rain quite a bit during the night, but our mansion of a tent weathered the weather well (thanks for the awesome tent, Rick Dawg!).  Due to his new surroundings, Mason wasn't able to sleep so well during the night, and forced us to go on a march through the forest in the dark, but we forgave him when he provided comic relief by stuffing a flash light in his mouth--he looked just like a jack-o-lantern!  The following morning, Joanna and Shauna headed back to Orem while Greg and I headed to the firing range so I could redeem myself for my lack of shooting skills as a scout.  The last time I had shot a gun was scout camp at Schofield.  While archery came naturally to me, I was terrible with the shotgun.  I was glad to get another shot in Provo (applause for the pun).  Greg gave me a few pointers, then I picked up his SIG handgun and gave it a whirl.  It didn't kick back as badly as I remembered guns kicking when I was a kid, and it was actually a lot of fun.  I gave the rifle a try as well.  The results from 50 yards out:

Zoomed-in for effect.  Don't worry--I wouldn't kill a fly unless it
was threatening to attack my family or my country.  If you find such a fly, please let me know.

In other words, you want to be my friend.

We were also able to visit the crossroads of the west: Promontory Point, Utah!  I told Joanna I would like to go there sometime during the summer, and she was kind enough to indulge my curiosity.  None of us had gone there, and I love visiting historical places.  Four hours later, after an obligatory lunch break at Roy's Burger Bar, we made it to the Promontory Point. 

You want these burgers?  Sorry, they're mine.

That's the really big choo choo.

It really is in the middle of nowhere!  It was cool to see where the continental railroad reached its intersection, but it's one of those places you only need to see once.  In my anxiousness to see another place that you only need to see once, I persuaded Joanna and Mason to drive to the spiral jetty.  This was a bad idea.  The road was rough, it brought us even further into the middle of nowhere, and took a lot more time to get there than I thought.  The view was kind of cool, but Joanna was stuck in the back bouncing around with Mason, with dust flying in our faces, and wild jackrabbits nipping at our tires (that's the way Joanna remembers it).  Anyways, that was my token dumb idea for the day, but Joanna was quick to forgive me.  In the end, we both laughed it off.

Yes, that's it.

As for our change of plans, we've decided it would be best for me just to prepare for the LSAT so I can take it in December, and work part-time so I can have something to do besides studying for the LSAT, and so I can bring home a little bacon.  This seems like the right thing to do at this time, and I'm really excited to get back into study mode.  It's kind of fun to be jumping back into studying right as the school season is beginning.  I did pretty well on the diagnostic test, but there is a long ways to go before I reach my goal.  So, here's to countless hours of tackling arguments and constructing logic diagrams for the infamous games section.  It's nice to know that it all leads to my longterm career goals, and hopefully I'll learn more about my life's mission as I go along.  Joanna actually helped me study the logical reasoning portion and did a really good job at deconstructing arguments--she might be the real Matlock of the family.

It's becoming a change of pace as Mason just took his first steps today.  He started by taking two or three at a time, but as he got more confident he was able to take 5-7.  Soon after that, he began running and hurdling over the couch.  The kid's got skills.  It's an interesting coincidence that Mason took his first steps the same week that Neil Armstrong, who took the first steps on the moon, passed away.  Next stop for Mason: Mars.  We all went through a little change of pace as we ran the Hobbler half marathon!  Because I wasn't in good enough shape to run the whole thing, I decided to do half of a half marathon, and my sister Alissa was kind and willing to do the other half.  Joanna and Alissa ran the first half very well; it seemed like Joanna hadn't broken a sweat!  I joined her at mile 7 with Mason in his jogging stroller, and we finished the rest of the race together.  Even though Joanna had already run 7 miles, and was pushing Mason most of the time, she ran at a faster pace than me.  I've got to catch up with her!  Story of my life!  Anyways, the race was fun, and we ran into our buddy Chris Charles as well (not literally).  We will have to do another race sometime:  Halloween Half, anyone? 

Joanna pretty much dragged me and pushed
Mason the entire way, but I'm sure proud of my medal.

As for change we can believe in, we've greatly enjoyed watching the developments in the election.  The Republican National Convention was good, although as a fan of Ron Paul I was disappoined they didn't count his delegates.  Still, that wasn't unexpected.  The highlights of the convention, in our opinion, were the speeches of Ann Romney and the "testimonies" offered by the members of Mitt's stake in Massachussetts.  It pretty much felt like stake conference, which was kind of cool.  While I don't agree with Mitt on some things, most notably his foreign policy, I do believe in his ability to get our country's balance sheet closer to where it needs to be, so I'm going to throw my hat in with Joanna's and officially endorse Mitt Romney!  Aren't you excited, Mitt?!  I thought so.  Only two months until the election--it's going to be intense!

See how happy he is that I'm endorsing him?

Ready, September?  Here we come!