Christmas Eve 2010

I thought I would post two Christmas video's for tonight. The first is in honor of what I was doing last year at Christmas time. As a family we went on a trip to "The Merriest Place on Earth"... Disneyland! They have a pretty cool Christmas firework spectacular.

And while the majority of the show sticks with Christmas music and songs that don't really have "religious" ties, but halfway through the show they have a few moments referencing the Star over Bethlehem, Joy to the World and the song Silent Night. It's pretty cool to see the effect those songs drenched with eternal truth have on a crowd filled with people from all different backgrounds and walks of life.

(This video will likely mean nothing to you if you haven't been there in person, but if you want to see the moments focused on the true meaning of Christmas speed ahead to 5:20... And the rest is good too.)

And one more video talking about the Light of the World, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!
Much Love,
Eric D.

Really?

So recently there have been several things that have made me shake my head and say “really?”. So I thought I would share a couple of them and if you think I’m way off base feel free to let me know.

#1 I recently read an article about how scientists in China have been dressing up like panda bears to return baby pandas into the wild, “the scientists believe the costumes help captive-born panda cubs transition to life in the wild.”
Really? Do these scientists really feel like putting on the panda costume, sticking the baby panda in a large Tupperware, loading it into a jeep, driving into the jungle, caring the baby panda out a little bit, walking on two legs the entire time, and then opening up the Tupperware container to return the panda to the wild is fooling anyone? (Meanwhile another guy in a panda costume snaps a picture with a digital camera.) Really?

My only wish is that baby panda would have used it’s secret sneezing power to teach those scientists a lesson. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzRH3iTQPrk)

#2 We all know I love Tony Horton of P90X fame, so I was excited to receive a email that said it had an article from Tony revealing the 5 things you should cut out of your diet to get into the best shape of your life. Here is the list with my commentary in italics.

1.Processed Sugars – Ok I can somewhat agree with that one but I’m not giving up cookies.

2. Alcohol – No worries there.

3. Caffeine – Good here too.

4. Anything with a Face – What? Tony continues… "It used to be that you could find some decent lean meat sources, but in the last few decades, the hormones, antibiotics, and chemicals that have been used to process meat and fish make them pretty worthless as a source of protein." Really? No Chicken. No Fish. No Beef. No pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouses Face either? Sorry Tony, not doing this.

5. Gluten – And why should I sacrifice the joys of hot rolls, waffles, noodles, etc? Because Tony say’s the word gluten “comes from the Latin word for "glue." You don't need to eat glue.” Once again sorry Tony… I’m sticking with the glue.

#3 I recently became aware of the number of products that are USB compatible… Including USB heated slippers!

The product description happily proclaims, “ A great gift for winter! Just slide these slippers on your freezing feet, plug them into a USB port on your computer, and your feet will suddenly become super nice and toasty! The cord is nice and long, so you'll still be able to dance around your work area, and the front of the slippers can even become detached so you can run to the bathroom or get a snack without removing your feet from these wonderful heated cocoons!”

I could explain why I think these are more than a little ridiculous. But instead I’ll just end it with saying… Really?

Much Love,

Eric D.

Conference Talks Killed the Radio Star

Each morning my drive to work takes about 20 – 25 minutes. So the question is what do I do with those 20 – 25 minutes? To avoid traffic it might be a good idea to listen to one of the talk/news radio stations. But since I’m headed north when most of the traffic is headed south that really isn’t a concern. For the first few weeks of the job I listened to the same CD over and over again. One of the gifts I have been blessed with is the ability to hear the same song over and over again and be totally fine with it. (But it was a Jonas Brother’s CD so I’m guessing everyone could listen to that time and time again.) After a few weeks of the CD I decided to listen to a radio station. Each day I was able to listen to the same 6 songs every day (in that they were the most requested) and as a bonus I usually got 8 minutes or so of commercials! In all truth I was fine with all of those scenarios… But the past few weeks I have been listening to Conference talks and BYU Devotionals as I drive into work. This simple addition/change in my schedule has enlightened my mind and helped me be more pleasant throughout the day.

True… In the afternoon you will usually still find me blasting the Jonas Brothers for the drive home. (Sometimes I’m a little tired in the afternoon and I need a little help staying awake… And listening to 3 guys who are younger than me share their knowledge about love and romance through the medium of music seems to do the job.)

So what? Why would I take the time to write this? And why would I think it might be of any value to anyone else? Making a small adjustment in our schedule, even if it is only for a few minutes, to listen to the words of Prophets, Apostles and other inspired individuals will be of more benefit to us than being up-to-date on what is topping the billboard charts or hearing about the latest celebrity feud.

I feel like that is something most of us know… But sometimes we don’t take the time or put in the effort to follow through with what we “know”… But in this case, I’m glad that I am trying a little harder to be a little better!

Thanksgiving Day Parade 2010

It is Thanksgiving Day 2010! And that can only mean one thing… The EricDStokes.com Thanksgiving Day Parade is back! This parade not only delights children of all ages but it also highlights some of the most exciting moments of my 2010! The parade is about to start its two and a half mile journey so hopefully you’re all bundled up and ready to cheer!

This year the grand marshal of the parade is… Jack Shepherds eye!



That’s right after six confusing seasons LOST has finally come to an end. You will remember the series opened and closed with the image of Jack’s eye, and within that “blink” we were introduced to a Smoke Monster, polar bears, and a giant four toed statue. LOST you will be missed.

Next in the lineup appears to be Mark Monson and Brett Andrews fast asleep.



This entry commemorates the Spring Break trip I took with the roommates to Disneyland. And what did we learn on this trip? Roommates get tired when traveling with Me because I like to speed walk from one ride to the next… And wake up early to hit the park first thing… The only time I wasn’t speeding during this trip happened to be on the 10 hour drive down to California and back.

Making its way down the street is a HUGE diploma!



This year I graduated from Utah State University with a Masters degree in Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences. And what do you do with a degree in Instructional Technology and what is Instructional Design in general? Well our next two entries should help explain…

It’s a giant balloon explaining the definition of Instructional Design!




If there is one thing I have learned this year it is that no one knows what my job title means. It usually takes 5 – 10 minutes of explaining for people to even begin to give a faint nod of the head signaling they might have an idea about what I do. (Which is somewhat concerning in that I’m supposed to be able to teach effectively… And yet I struggle to explain my job title. And sadly it looks as if this balloon even has some typos... So maybe this won't help the situation.) Following the Instructional Design definition balloon is another entry that requires some explaining… SwRI is the wonderful company that hired me on full time right after graduation. The full name of the company is Southwest Research Institute…. I could go on but it looks like the crowd is getting a little restless. Hopefully the next few entries will liven things up.



Coming to us from our friends at YouTube are two of my favorite characters from random viral videos. We have the classic Antoine Dodson and Marcel the Shell with Shoes on. If you haven’t seen the clips these two balloons are based off of do yourself a favor and check them out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF9-sEbqDvU and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw

And our last entry officially signals the start of the Christmas Season…



That’s right it is the return of Christmas Fedora! Out of all the Fedora’s I own this is the one most rarely seen! So be glad you were here today to witness this moment!

Well it looks like that is the end of today’s EricDStokes.com Thanksgiving Day Parade. Hopefully ya’ll enjoyed it! And hopefully you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I personally have a endless list of things to be grateful for… From family to friends to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ… I’ve got it all!

Much Love,
Eric D. Stokes

Not your regularly scheduled program…

Most days after work I do some type of workout… And during those workouts I usually watch a number of different news programs that are on. One good thing about this schedule is that often the news stories that I watch for the hour or so are frequently “bad”… Now that is not the good part, the good part is those reports get my adrenaline going. Thus because I’m not happy with the news I put that energy into the workout. And for a brief period of time I feel like a tough guy.

But yesterday during my one hour workout I watched as three of the miners in Chile were rescued. I was honestly smiling during the entire workout.



I loved how each of the three guys that were rescued during that hour approach the President of Chile in the same way. After hugging family and other random rescue workers they each put out their hand to formally and respectfully greet the President. But with each of those three the President threw his arms around them and hugged them for an extended period of time. So good!

While I didn’t get my usual adrenaline rush from negative news reports throughout the workout I got something much more motivating… Watching good people being reunited with friends and loved ones. News like that not only makes you feel good inside, but it also makes you want to be a little bit better!

Much Love,
Eric

Sweet Home...

So a week or so ago I attended a reunion for the Alabama Birmingham Mission and I feel like I’ve been smiling ever since. You might wonder why going to a reunion would make me so happy… Often reunions (whether we are talking about missions, high school, or family reunions) can remind us of our shortcomings more than remind us of what the reunion is really about. Whether it is comparing ourselves to a seemingly perfect relative, or worrying about getting to our ideal weight in hopes of proving something to our graduating class, or still being single after you have been home from the mission for years. Whatever the case, reunions can be twisted into a form of self torture.

Thankfully that wasn’t the case with this reunion… It wasn’t huge and a number of people I love dearly weren’t there… Nevertheless getting to interact with a few of my friends from the mission, and seeing President and Sister Peterson again made me think about so many great memories…








I’m sure those pictures don’t make you feel the same way they make me feel… (and that is probably a good thing.)

Attending the reunion reminded me how grateful I am that I was able to serve a mission for two years… And even today the memories, people and experiences from the mission make me want to try a little harder to be a little better.

I find it crazy that even after all these years I’m still being blessed by serving a mission.

Much Love,
Eric D.

10/10/10

I felt like I should give at least a little shout out for today's date...
So there ya go!

-Eric

The past 5 months…

So I have been ever so slothful in keeping this blog up-to-date and for that I apologize. I have numerous “Lessons Learned”, thoughts, humorous stories, etc. all written out… But I always find myself being overly wordy and I really like to refine things before I post them. So every so often you will still be seeing one of those fatty posts pop up on my blog. But hopefully you will see many more little random thoughts here and there… Today’s little post will simply be an update on what I’ve been up to the past few months.

-I graduated from school (again) and this time got a “hood” with my diploma. That’s right I received a Masters Degree in “Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences”.

-Moved back to Bountiful.

-I began to check the internet daily for more than peoples status updates and sales on American Eagle… Yes I was searching for a job.

-I watched LOST come to an end. And LOVED it! (Yes it did take me some time to understand, but it was way good!)

-Began to attend a University ward in Salt Lake City.

-Went on a family trip to Disneyland.

-I applied at Southwest Research Institute (Swri), got a call for an interview, went to the interview, was offered a job, accepted the job, flew down to Texas for training, flew back to Utah to start working, currently working up at Hill Air Force Base and loving it.

And those are the “big” things that have happened over the past few months… I’ve been very blessed and things have turned out even better than I would have guessed as my time at USU was coming to a close. Makes me excited for what is still ahead!

Much Love,

Eric D.

Disneyland SnickerDoodles

So when I walked out the door this morning this is what I saw…

Yuck… After spending a week in California and having a decent week of weather in Logan I wasn’t prepared for the return of winter. So I thought today would be the perfect day to debut one of the new features on EricDStokes.com… That’s right every so often I will be sharing some of my favorite recipes. (You never know what you will get with my blog posts… random thoughts, entertainment news, some of my deeper thoughts, and now thoughts on food.)

This recipe comes courtesy of the bakery at Disneyland. Back in Critter Country they make some delicious Snicker Doodles.

Disneyland Snickerdoodles

Dough
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. For the dough: In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the dry ingredients.
3. Form the dough into 1 inch balls. Place on a greased baking sheet and flatten.

For the topping:. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the top of the cookie before baking.

Bake 8 minutes or until cooked through. (8-9 minutes seems to work for me.)

I’ve made the recipe twice and both times they turned out great! One of the best things about this recipe is that it makes 60 cookies… So not only do you have enough to take them around to the neighbors but you have plenty to “test” as your making them and plenty more to have the next day or two.

So ya... Try this out sometime soon, you will be glad you did!

Spring Break 2010

Each of us interprets, predicts, identifies with, and likens our own lives to what we know. This doesn’t always mean our expectations will be correct, for example… Being the oldest child in my family, much of what I learned to expect from “The High School Experience” came from a little show that took place at Bayside High… Yes I’m referring to “Saved by the Bell”. Despite the brilliantly written episodes, the life like sets with real lockers and lots of neon, and the outstanding performances by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez and Dennis Haskin (Oh Mr. Belding, your ability to be an authority figure one minute and a friend on first name basis with each student the next minute is still an example for current and future school administrators everywhere!) I really don’t feel I got a very true vision of what high school would really like. (Or perhaps it was Woods Cross High that had the problem and every other High School followed the “Saved by the Bell” format by having the breaks between classes last longer than the actual classes.)

Needless to say Hollywood is often not a very good standard to use when we are trying to understand what our lives are really going to be like… Even though there are plenty of instances we are grateful don’t play out like television shows or movies depict, there are some moments from movies that would be enjoyable to experience. Becoming the prettiest person in school by simply removing your glasses and losing your bangs, having all the hard work it takes to accomplish a giant goal only take a few minutes via a montage with an epic soundtrack playing in the background, ect. While I think those scenarios are fun, because of my past experiences with Hollywood not necessarily equaling real life, I’m not holding my breath waiting for them to happen…

Much of what the entertainment industry has produced depicting what “College Life is like” I have found to be suspect. Yet during my last year of formal schooling, after MANY years of college I experienced a very classic Hollywood stereotype actually taking place… The stereotype: A group of roommates coming together at the start of the year, each from a different background, each with various goals and aspirations, the friendships grow, then they hit the road for Spring Break, driving across several states, and coming back better friends then before.

Keep in mind it wasn’t totally like Hollywood depicts… I mean… I was involved and the destination was Disneyland, and while we are all from different backgrounds we are still white and LDS… But the trip still included all of the roommates having a great time. So without any further chatter… Enjoy a few photos from Spring Break 2010.

These little guy's get tired after a full day of fun in the Park.

Mickey dancing his heart out.
Belle loves Brett and Mark
I got to Level 7 on Buzz!

Yes Captain EO is back to save the world once again!

So yeah… While I know I will never experience a number of stereotypical situations that play out in movies… I’m glad I got to experience this one.
Much Love, Eric

The Parable of the Fedora

On March 20^th, 2009 I went into American Eagle to take advantage of the “15% Off” deal they give when it’s the week of your Birthday. As I was looking at the new spring selection of stripped and solid color Polo’s a plaid hat caught my eye. I walked over and stared at the hat, not daring to pick it up, for fear of what the sales associates might think. In my mind I imagined the girl working at the checkout counter warning all the other employees (through those ear pieces they all wear) that someone who wasn’t trendy enough to buy a fedora was getting a little too close for comfort. I then decided that there was no way I could “pull off” that hat. It wasn’t my typical sense of style, I would never actually dare wear it in public and if I did dare wear it people would mock me. I went back to looking at more medium sized polo’s until I found myself back with the fedora.

I decided I would try it on, but there was no way I would try it on out in public (even though this was at the Cache Valley Mall and it is always empty). So I grabbed a medium vintage fit polo and the fedora and headed to the dressing room. After trying the hat on I figured I really couldn’t pull it off in any normal public setting, but perhaps during the summer at efy I could wear it for games night (“Games Night” is the one time during the week Counselors are allowed to wear hats). Still unsure of my ability to “pull it off” I took a picture of myself wearing the hat in the dressing room and sent that picture in a text message to Jill Catts asking for her thoughts. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait in the dress room too long before Jill replied back. After receiving a positive response from Jill and taking into account the fact that at efy I would be the Counselors boss, and since most people would want to be on good terms with their supervisors I didn’t feel Counselors or youth would openly mock me if I wore the hat. As I approached the checkout counter I was sure the cashier would question me about the hat… Strangely she rang it up as if it was completely normal for someone like me to buy a hat like that; perhaps she figured I was buying it for some trendy person who could “pull it off”. I tucked the hat away until its big debut at efy, once again I was pleasantly surprised that no one questioned my ability or right to wear the fedora. Since that time I have purchased several more fedoras and even wear them in normal public settings such as going to the library or shopping. Therefore what? So I can wear a “Fashion Hat” in public and not be overly concerned with what people think…

I think one message that can be gained from my experience with the plaid fedora it that you can “pull off” more than you think… And I’m not just talking about style. Often times in different social settings I remain quite or in the background because I often don’t believe I can “pull off” the happy, outgoing, kind and caring person that I would like to be. I worry that people will think I’m just being fake, or that I’m really “trying too hard”, or that it just isn’t me. Yet whenever I have stepped out of my comfort zone to be the kind, caring and outgoing person I desire to be I never regret it… The only regret I have is not doing it more often. So the next time you hesitate to do something good simply because you are worried that you won’t be able to “pull it off” or you get worried about what others might think… Just think of how great I look in my Fedora… And step out of your comfort zone, not worrying what others might think! (And if you don’t think I look good in my Fedora… Step out of your comfort zone anyway.)

Lost Premiere Party

So I promise to have a more meaningful and thought provoking post in a couple of days… But until then I thought ya’ll might enjoy some pictures of my apartments “Lost Premiere Party”:

Sawyers Fish Biscuits (Also in this picture is one of our cans of Dharma Root Beer... And yes it does say "Root" on the can...)

Sun’s Garden Salad with Hurley's Ranch Dressing

Claire’s “Welcome Back” Peanut Butter Cookies

Juliet’s the Bomb Chocolate Cake

We also had “Locke’s Pulled Boar” and the neighbors brought over some delicious fresh fruit.

We had some special guests make the drive up from Provo and Salt Lake City.
The dinner wasn’t only brilliantly themed but it was really delicious… At least I thought. And the new season of Lost was mind blowing! All in all it was a great night! As far as the food goes "Claire's Welcome Back Peanut Butter Cookies" were a huge hit... You can the recipe here. (And yes... The name we gave to the cookies is better than the name that site lists.)

Democrats and Republicans Unite

I don’t really want to make it a habit of diving into politics on this blog. As I read other blogs that discuss current political topics and read the responses and comments individuals leave it is clear that when hiding behind a computers screen some of us are prone to say things that we would never dare utter to someone in a face-to-face conversation or debate.

Even with a desire to avoid politics the fact of the matter is there is one current political topic that I MUST discuss. President Obama has made a number of tough decisions over the past year. Conservatives complain that he is being far too liberal in his agenda. Liberals may feel that he is not being liberal enough. With unrest on both sides President Obama was recently faced with a choice that would negatively affect Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, every race and religion.

I now quote an article from the January 7th edition of the “Daily News”:

“TV viewers want President Obama to get “Lost” after reports that the State of the Union address may be moved to Feb. 2.

No one seems to have told the White House that the highly anticipated premiere of "Lost’s" last season (according to ABC) is set for the same date.”

(Also check out

this article in the Washington Post)

No matter what your politics may be I think we can agree that having the “State of the Union” air instead of the Lost season premier is “Change” that no one wants to believes in. Upon hearing this news I began writing letters to Congress and buying large amounts of poster board and paint for the rally’s and protests that would surely ensue.

Thankfully before things got out of hand the White House came out with this statement:

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs: "I don't foresee a scenario in which millions people who hope to finally get some conclusion with Lost are preempted by the president… You can quote a senior administration official."

So I for one want to thank the Obama Administration for making this bold and brave bipartisan move! Now I can worry about more important things… Like the whereabouts of Charlie and Boone.

Unnecessary Stress…

A number of television programs, newspaper articles and websites have been devoting time and space to discuss what has changed over the past decade. Yet I haven’t seen any coverage of one change that has caused me to have nightmares… No joke. Years ago basic cable introduced me to “The Learning Channel”. At that time the purpose of “The Learning Channel” was pretty self explanatory, it was to help you learn different things. A number of shows were “How to” shows in which hosts would show viewers how to do home repairs, gardening techniques, craft projects, etc. If you know me AT ALL you realize that I’m not a “Handyman”… Yet even I loved watching how in just a few episodes an entire house could be built or a yard completely landscaped with waterfalls, trees and flowers.

Over the last decade however “The Learning Channel” has chosen to distance itself from the “How to” programming niche, they have even distanced themselves from their original name by only referring to the channel as “TLC”. So why would this cause me to lose sleep? Two words…

The Duggar’s

(This picture was taken several years ago...)

If you aren’t familiar with the Duggar Family, they are the family featured on “18 Kids and Counting” (formally know as “17 Kids and Counting”… That is until they had the 18th kid). In this post I’m not mocking or belittling the Duggar’s for any reason. I feel fine about their very conservative values, their desire to have as many children as they can, etc. Of course I may have a slight issue with giving each child a “J” name (Josh, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn, Josie… It’s now 19 kids since 12/10/09) but that’s just me. In my mind I tend to put myself in whatever situation I’m watching or reading about. And as I watch this show I feel stressed out about constantly being around that many people, the noise, the laundry, food preparation and keeping track of everyone. One would think I could just stop watching this show to relieve this unnecessary stress. Sadly the Duggar’s have begun making appearances in my dreams… And usually our interactions with each other aren’t pleasant (in one recent dream all 18 kids, 2 parents and 1 daughter-in-law cut in front of me as I was waiting in a line).

This isn’t the only TLC program that is causing me to stress out; some of their health specials which focus on individuals with rare or extreme health problems are much more intense. I never even watched the “special” about “The Tree Man” (a man with a rare skin condition that makes it look like he is turning into a tree), but the commercials terrified me so much that on a regular basis I have to sing a song in my head to get rid of the mental images that have been burned into my head. Don’t even get me started about the night I watched the primetime lineup of “Half-Ton Man, followed by Half-Ton Mom, followed by Half-Ton Teen”.

(I was going to include a picture of the half-ton mom and the tree man... But I don't want ya'll to go through what I have been going through)

Yes, as TLC has evolved over the past 10 years there have been some additions that don’t stress me out… “What Not to Wear”, “Little People Big World”, and “Jon and Kate Plus Eight” come to mind... On second thought the Dad on “Little People Big World” often stresses me out with all of his big ideas and plans and the Jon and Kate divorce also made me feel sad. So I’m guessing well over 90% of the things aired on TLC causes me to shake my head or increases my stress at least a little. So what is the point of this post? I’m not really sure… But hopefully getting this off my chest will cause the dream versions of the Duggar family and the Tree Man to leave me alone for a bit.