I'm a Mormon

I've been seeing several of the new "I'm a Mormon" profile pictures showing up on Facebook. Last year I wrote a brief post about how I never change my profile picture to anything beyond a photo of me. Heck, I won't even use group shots as my profile picture, and I have never used a logo or other graphic. It's not to 'hate' on those who decided to (both my sisters have decided to) or look down; no, it's just a preference. I figure, at this point, if you don't already know I'm a Mormon (i.e. a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also referred to as Latter-day Saints or LDS), you probably don't know me very well at all or haven't been paying attention. Seeing as my Facebook profile is restricted mostly to people I know outside the cyber world (and the few on there I haven't met in person I have interacted with to some degree beyond Facebook), using it on Facebook for me isn't necessary.  That said, I thought it would be a good idea to to a "Yes and No" blog post about being Mormon using some common questions I get, not only for those of who who may not know me as well, but even those of you I know a little better! (See my Mormon.org profile too!)

Were you raised Mormon?

As early Latter-day Saint
Parley Pratt in 2012

Yes. My parents both joined the Church about a year apart before getting married. I was baptized the day after my 8th birthday.

Do you have a problem being called "Mormon"?
No. It's a very common nickname and I find nothing derogatory about it. I usually use the terms (Mormon and LDS/Latter-day Saint) interchangeably. What's surprising is that a lot of people still don't know that Mormon and Latter-day Saint are synonymous or even that the term "Mormon Church" is a nickname for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Is your family originally from Utah?
No. I actually get that as much from members of the church as I do from those not in the church. I've always said I'm never quite sure who is more surprised that I was raised LDS in Ohio: Latter-day Saints from out west or non-LDS from Ohio. I do have extended family in Utah, but my family history is in Ohio and the eastern US. My aunt moved to Utah around 1980 and subsequently started her family there. My sister lived in Utah from 2008-12 with her husband and first two kids, but she grew up and went to college here in Ohio and has since relocated to Indiana.

Did you serve a mission?

As a full-time missionary in
Safford, Arizona, June 2002

Yes. I served in the Arizona Tucson Mission from December 2001-November 2003. While there I served in the cities of Oro Valley, Safford, and Sierra Vista in Arizona and the cities of Animas, Las Cruces, Alamogordo, and Ruidoso in New Mexico.

Isn't that a mission trip?
No, though there are some obvious similarities. A mission trip tends to be shorter and as much for sightseeing as it is for missionary work and service. A mission is pretty much putting your life on hold for two years while you focus on teaching people about the Gospel and doing service. We have limited contact with home life (call home on Christmas and Mother's Day) and while we do sight-see sometimes, it's not very often. I'd say it's much more intense than a typical mission trip.

Did you feel pressured to serve a mission?
No, but I did feel like I would've disappointed many people if I hadn't gone.

Was it the best two years of your life?
No. I actually dislike that phrase. If the best two years are around age 19, what do I have to look forward to? My mission, up to this point, was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also one of the best decisions I made. I consider it a huge accomplishment, something I am proud of, and am glad I did. While I can't say I'd do it all over again, I have never regretted going on a mission and it still affects me in many ways both directly and indirectly!

Do you drink alcohol and/or smoke?
No for both. Never really wanted to either. Guess I'm in the right church!

Do you drink caffeine?

Oh blessed Vanilla Coke!!

Yes, but not on a regular basis. I really don't drink pop/soda very much out of habit. If I have a caffeinated beverage, it's in the form of Dr. Pepper, Coke, Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke, Pepsi, or Cherry Pepsi. The Word of Wisdom (the health code most Mormons follow) actually doesn't prohibit caffeine, though many LDS either believe it does or interpret it to mean that.

Did you go to BYU?
No, but I did attend sister school (not a branch or satellite campus) BYU-Idaho for three academic years. I had no desire to attend BYU. Not the environment I was looking for. My bachelor's and master's degrees are both from Kent State University.

Did you like BYU-Idaho?

After taking my last final ever at BYU-Idaho in 2007!

Yes and No. I liked the teachers I had there and I am still in touch with many of the friends I made while there. I learned so much about myself, the church, the culture, and music (my field of study). I strongly disliked the overall culture there, however, particularly in relation to marriage. I could go on forever, but suffice it to say, I was glad when my time there was done. I don't miss the school at all and I really don't associate with it all that much, but I do miss the many people I got to know there (which is true pretty much everywhere I go). I don't consider going there a mistake, though.

Are you a BYU fan?
NO. Absolutely not! The only time I pull for BYU is when they play Notre Dame or Michigan. BYU-Idaho doesn't have intercollegiate sports, but I mainly follow my hometown and alma mater Kent State as well as the Ohio State Buckeyes. I almost attended the University of Utah twice, so I have a soft spot for the Utes too.

Have you ever felt like you didn't want to be Mormon anymore?

Temple Square in 2010

Yes. That's a normal part of figuring it all out and dealing not only with the doctrinal issues, but the cultural issues too. In the end, I am LDS because I want to be, not simply because I was raised that way.

Have you ever been offended at church?
Yes. As the old saying goes, "if you haven't been offended in church, be patient." The members of the church are imperfect human beings just like anyone else. You'll inevitably run into insensitive, rude, and sometimes downright mean people, but at the same time, you'll also run into some incredibly awesome, wonderful, and Christ-like people. I think a lot of people assume because I'm active in the church and really always have been that I've never really had a bad experience or even doubt or questions. That, of course, is nonsense as I've had plenty, many of which I would've been perfectly justified to most in just not going to church anymore. The difference is how I have chosen to deal with bad experiences and separating the Gospel from the people.

Do you ever question authority and/or doctrine?
YES. Sustaining a church authority doesn't mean blindly following them. In turn, questioning doesn't mean openly rebelling or being overly critical either. Good leaders always have logical rationales behind every decision and will be happy to explain them. If a leader doesn't, I'm going to be looking for one if something they said doesn't sound right to me. In matters of doctrine, I'm always striving to learn it better. Being open minded doesn't mean never coming to a conclusion, but recognizing that there may be additional information that could alter or enhance my opinion and being ready to do so if needed. I've also been learning what doctrine actually is. I've come to find that many things both members and outsiders think are doctrines of the church actually aren't (the use of caffeine is a very obvious one). Instead, many are simply cultural traditions.

Is being Mormon hard?

Cleaning the chapel can be hard, but being
LDS? Naaaaaah! 

No, at least not for me. For me it's something that I've always been, so I have never viewed it as hard, even living in an area where we are a very small minority (I think that makes it more fun!). That said, for people who convert to the church, I have total respect for them because I think many of our customs and norms might be hard for people who aren't used to them to adjust to (particularly the prohibition of alcohol and coffee).

Have you seen the Book of Mormon musical?
No. To be honest, it's not that I don't want to see it for any religious reasons, but more economic. If I see a Broadway-level musical (usually at Playhouse Square in Cleveland), it's because someone invites me. I'd go if invited, but I'not going to drop a bunch of money on a ticket (I want to see Wicked before I see anything else anyway!). I went on an actual mission and have read the real book...both are far more entertaining and meaningful than any musical could ever hope to be! I do think, overall, the publicity it's generating is good and the church has done well taking advantage of that publicity.

I'm sure I could go on for some time about all sorts of things I am asked on a fairly regular basis. I'm not claiming that my views and opinions represent "mainstream" LDS by any stretch; these are my opinions and mine only. And hey, if you have some questions of your own, feel free to ask in the comments or on Facebook if we're connected there, provided they're genuine and not seeking some kind of doctrinal debate or other kind of argument. Been there, done that!

The end...of 2012

Another year has come and gone, so as seems to be tradition for my blog, I think I'll do another "year in review" post.  I've often thought about the change to a new year and how it's, in reality, rather arbitrary, but at the same time, you have to start somewhere, so why not there?  From an astronomical standpoint, the new  year typically falls right near the Earth's closest approach to the Sun, known as perihelion (which occurred late on January 1st for those of us in the US), so I guess it's not totally arbitrary.  In any case, it's a good time to reflect and organize the events that happened over a period of time.  2012, of course, had some of the build up to the belief that the apocalypse was coming based on a reading of the ancient Mayan calendar (and no, I never thought for a second that 2012 was "the end"), but it had its share of fun times and drama.  All in all, it wasn't a whole lot different for me than 2011, 2010, or even 2009.  I'm still waiting for that good job to come around and set things into motion.  Coming into a new year there's always some kind of optimism and hope that during this next 365-day period things will happen that change things for the better here.  That's how I went into 2012.  Can't say I'm overly optimistic for 2013, but that's not to say I'm just being negative; just more realistic and cautious in my optimism.  Even so, there were still lots of wonderful events that happened in 2012.  Here are some of the highlights:

New faces!

The biggest events of 2012 were the arrivals of a new nephew Ryan, born in January, and a new niece, Evelyn, born in August.  Not only were their respective arrivals exciting occasions for me, even being far distant from them when they were born, but I've had several opportunities to spend time with them this year (and my nephew Nate, born in 2009) both here in Kent and where they live.  As much as I look forward to the day I have my own family, I am perfectly happy in my role as uncle to three beautiful and healthy kids.  I have enjoyed getting to know them so much in 2012 and look forward to being a part of their lives!!

Nate and Ryan during my September visit to Indiana

Meeting Evelyn in September when she
was about 2-3 weeks old

New places!

I certainly haven't gone anywhere as far as a new address, but I was pretty excited when my sister and brother-in-law moved to Indiana this past spring from Utah.  I spent last Christmas in Utah at their house and while it was nice to visit, I maybe saw them once a year if that.  Now that they're only about 5 hours away via car, I have visited them in Indiana twice and they have come to Kent twice.  My trip there in September was particularly fun as I got to tour Wrigley Field in Chicago, something I've always wanted to do, along with finally touring Progressive Field in Cleveland in July.  The Wrigley Field tour was my first time actually going into Chicago beyond the southern suburbs (passing through on I-80) or the airport.  Of course I also made a few trips to Nashville, which I always enjoy.  During my trip there in March, I took a trip to visit friends in Texas and Louisiana, my first time driving in Texas since my mission and first time ever in eastern Texas.  Other than that, after some rather extensive travels in 2011 (New York City and Utah among others), I really didn't go all that many places in 2012, though the year did begin with me in Utah before I traveled home.

Wrigley Field press box

Cubs locker room at Wrigley

Progressive Field press box in July, just a tad larger (and nicer) than Wrigley's, HA!!

Here in Kent there's also been a lot of "new places" as construction was completed on several new buildings in downtown Kent.  2013 will see the completion of even more new buildings and the start of a few more as Kent continues quite the renaissance in the downtown area and on campus.  I've been doing my best to document the progress via regular photography of the area.  On top of that, Kent State athletics went to "new places" in 2012 as the baseball team made its first appearance in the College World Series after beating Kentucky twice in the regional round (along with beating Purdue), Oregon 2 out of 3 in the super-regional (at Oregon no less!), and then beating #1 Florida in the CWS itself to finish tied for 5th nationally.  On top of that, the men's golf team finished in the top 10 at NCAA national tournament and then football had their best season ever in terms of wins (11) and advanced to their first bowl game in my lifetime (last one was 1972).

Celebrating Kent State's win at Bowling Green back in November!

Some of the new development downtown Kent

Professionally, I ended my time subbing for the Kent City School District, choosing to not renew my contract at the conclusion of the 2011-12 school year for a variety of personal and professional reasons.  Instead, I added two neighboring districts, Tallmadge and Stow-Munroe Falls, and continued with Maplewood Career Center in Ravenna.  I have enjoyed my continued association with Maplewood and have enjoyed my new associations with Tallmadge and Stow.  I have subbed quite a bit in Tallmadge, at the high school in particular, and have really enjoyed my time there so far.  They have wonderful students and a great staff.  I have enjoyed my time in Stow too, though I haven't been there a whole lot yet.

I also attended my first Major League Soccer game this year when I went to a Columbus Crew game in September.  I had a lot of fun!

New roles!

A summer just wouldn't be complete without another stint in This is Kirtland!, my 7th time in the show.  In 2012 I played the role of Parley P. Pratt, which I ended up really enjoying, and had a wonderful time as I usually do.  Later in the year, I was asked to be the director for the 2013 show, which will be TIK's 10th season.  That will certainly change things up for me and prove quite a challenge, but one I am ready and excited to take on.

Scene in This is Kirtland! Photo by Rendell Ashton

Scene in This is Kirtland! Photo by Rendell Ashton

I also took on the project of planning and presenting a history program for the Kent Historical Society.  In September, the society celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Davey Elementary School building being dedicated in 1922 as Theodore Roosevelt High School.  The evening included a presentation with lots of photos and open tours of the building.  It was months in planning (like a year) and I felt it went very well.  After that program, KHS asked me to put together a display about the Kent City Schools, which I finished in early December.  I have decided, at some point, I need to write a book about the history of the schools.  It's something I obviously have a lot of interest in and know a lot about.

After my presentation at Davey Elementary School.  Photo by Brad Bolton

No year summary would be complete without mentioning my singing for the Cleveland Indians this past season.  While it certainly wasn't the first time I'd sung for them I sang far more than I ever thought possible.  After singing twice in 2011, I sent in a resume of past performances and the link to my Youtube page, hoping to get a chance to sing in 2012.  It wasn't 2 days later that I got called by the Indians to sing at the end of April.  What was interesting was that my game in April ended up being cold and rainy, so we had a 2 1/2 hour rain delay (I thought for sure it would get canceled) before I could sing.  That ended up being a blessing in disguise because while I waited, I let those in charge know that I could sing on relatively short notice, so they could give me a call if needed.  I didn't think anything of it at the time.  I thought, at best, I'd get one more chance later in the season, similar to what happened in 2011.  Well, I sang at that cold April game and did a decent job.  I got my first call less than a month later in May and ended up singing a total of five times during the season.  I sang almost once a month (April 28, May 22, June 16, August 6, and September 16th) and usually had about 10 days notice.  I was happy not only for the opportunity, but also that nothing in my schedule prevented me from being able to take advantage of each opportunity.  I love singing the National Anthem and it never gets old, but being able to do it for a Major League Baseball game was something else. I hope to continue that in 2013 as well as at Kent State and at other sporting events.  I tried out for the Cavs, but never heard a thing from them.

April 28th game

June 16 game...and yes, my first name is spelled wrong here

Other highlights!

In addition to all the above, some other things that just didn't seem to fit here that I wanted to mention.  First, was a wonderful visit from my aunt Brenda and uncle Rick from Utah!

My aunt Brenda and uncle Rick visited from Utah in September, in between my trip to Nashville for Evelyn's baby blessing and my trip to Indiana to visit Becky and the boys.  It was my aunt's first time in Kent in about 20 years, so we took her and Rick to see the sites in Kirtland and then showed them around all the new stuff downtown Kent

Grandpa showing Brenda and Rick Acorn Alley

I also got to visit my friend Michelle a few times, one of which included a trip to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan to see the Titanic exhibit on my way back from Indiana in September.  After that we went to the Toledo-Bowling Green football game at the Glass Bowl in Toledo.  I also went to the Kent State-Bowling Green football game (pictured above with Katie) in Bowling Green with Michelle.

Titanic exhibit...no pictures allowed inside (unless you wanted to buy one of you on the Grand Staircase replica!)

At the Toledo-Bowling Green game!

I saw some pretty cool fireworks shows during the year too!

Progressive Field in July

This was a cool fireworks show at Kent State's home opener in August.  They let fans watch it from the field

 And to top the year off, I got to spend it with ALL of my siblings and their spouses and kids right here in Kent!  Who knows when we'll all be together in the same room again, but it was a wonderful way to end the year and celebrate Christmas!

The first photo with the entire family together.  From left to right, back row: my dad Rick, brother Andy, Me, brother-in-law David, and my mom Linda.  Front row left to right: sister-in-law Heather (holding Eveyln), sister Katie (holding Nathan), and sister Becky (holding Ryan).  

Church history extravaganza!

Geez it's been almost a month...I better blog about this already!  My mom and I were able to take a little road trip to Nauvoo, Illinois and Council Bluffs, Iowa at the end of July, mostly to see the dramatic productions at each location.  Nauvoo does an outdoor production, which is creatively named the "Nauvoo Pageant".  It tells the story of the Church while it was headquartered in Nauvoo, which it was from 1839-1846.  In Council Bluffs is a production called "Come Home to Kanesville", a story of the early Saints who lived in Kanesville (present-day Council Bluffs), a stopover on the Mormon Trail to the Salt Lake Valley.  Across the river from Kanesville in present-day Florence (a northern suburb of Omaha) was another Mormon settlement known as Winter Quarters.  Anyway, history lesson aside, we were able to visit some friends at each location, plus get a another dose of Church History.  On top of our trip to New York in May, This is Kirtland! from May-July, coming out to Nauvoo and Kanesville, and my visit to Utah in April, I've been to pretty much every major Church History site except for the ones in Missouri.  The only other one I missed is one I have never been to: the Priesthood Restoration sites in northwest Pennsylvania.  Our trip took us first to Carthage, Illinois, site of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in 1844.

Statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage Jail with the Jail in the background

Front of Carthage Jail

Mom getting a picture in front of the jail

Mom in the martyrdom room...it was a HOT day that day!

A view of the martyrdom room where Joseph and Hyrum were killed.  John Taylor and Willard Richards were also present when the mob came in.  Joseph fell out the window on the left.

Next we went down the road to Nauvoo, the city where the Saints lived from 1839-1846.  They transformed it from a dismal swamp to a charming little city that rivaled Chicago for size in the 1840s (which was then less than 20,000 people).  Today Nauvoo is a very small town of about 1,100 people but is still a beautiful place right on a bend of the Mississippi River.

Sunstone from the original Nauvoo Temple, which was completed in 1846.  It was eventually destroyed first by an arsonist's fire in 1848 and later by a tornado in the 1850s.  Another Sunstone is at the Smithsonian American History Museum in Washington, DC (right as you walk in on the left).  This one is in a glass case right outside the LDS Visitors' Center.

Christus statue in the LDS Visitors' Center

Nauvoo Temple on the hill overlooking the old town.  The temple was rebuilt to look exactly as the original on the outside (new sunstones visible at top of each column).  

Statue of Joseph and Hyrum across the street from the Nauvoo Temple.  It is in reference to them leaving to go to Carthage and looking back at Nauvoo one more time.  You can see the Mississippi River in the background.

In front of the Nauvoo Temple from the Joseph and Hyrum statue and the little plaza around it

In front of the Joseph and Hyrum statue and the plaza

Mom near the Joseph and Hyrum statue plaza across from the temple

Nauvoo Temple.  Such a cool temple!!

View of the Joseph and Hyrum statue plaza with the Mississippi River in the background

Nauvoo Temple.  When we used to visit Nauvoo in the 1990s I always hoped it would get rebuilt (it used to just be an open area with the original foundation visible).  I never thought I'd get to see it so soon!

Monument at the end of Parley Street at the official beginning of the Mormon Trail along the Mississippi River. 

At Carthage Jail...it was hotter than Hades!

Getting my pictures of Carthage Jail and trying not to melt

In front of the Nauvoo Temple...this picture was quite painful...my eyes could barely stay open!

Checking my pictures at the Nauvoo Temple

TINA!!!  One of my best friends from the mission.  Hard to believe it's been 7 years since I served in her branch in Alamogordo, New Mexico.  She and her family are now in North Dakota and this was the first time I'd seen her or her daughter Melissa (who is camera shy!) since I visited them in England in 2007. 

Classic Tina

LOVE IT

This pretty much sums it up

Waiting for the Nauvoo Pageant to start

Our last part of the trip was to Council Bluffs, Iowa to see a performance of Come Home to Kanesville, an original musical production about the early Mormon settlers in Council Bluffs (originally known as Kanesville) who settled there temporarily while heading west from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley.  We went because our friend Gretchen Brockett Edwards was the costume designer (and a cast member with her family).  She grew up in our home ward, so it was nice to see her again and meet the rest of her family.  She's also been trying to get me to defect from This is Kirtland! 

Meeting with Gretchen Brockett Edwards and her husband after "Come Home to Kanesville" at the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs, Iowa.