Do you want a donut?

Do you want a donut?

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending Seminary in Utah. In this Seminary classes are held during school hours. Brother Christianson taught Seminary at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson’s Seminary class.

Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over.

One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro.
Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, ‘You think you’re pretty tough, don’t you?’

Steve’s answer was, ‘Yeah, I do.’

Then Brother Christianson asked, ‘How many push-ups can you do?’

Steve said, ‘I do about 200 every night.’

’200? That’s pretty good, Steve,’ Brother Christianson said. ‘Do you think you could do 300?’

Steve replied, ‘I don’t know… I’ve never done 300 at a time.’

’Do you think you could?’ Again asked Brother Christianson.

’Well, I can try,’ said Steve.

’Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,’ Brother Christianson said. Steve said, ‘Well… I think I can… yeah, I can do it.’

Brother Christianson said, ‘Good! I need you to do this on Friday.’

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the ro om. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren’t the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited-it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend.

Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, ‘Cynthia, do you want a donut?’

Cynthia said, ‘Yes.’

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, ‘Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?’

Steve said, ‘Sure,’ and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia’s desk.

Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, ‘Joe do you want a donut?’

Joe said, ‘Yes.’ Bro. Christianson asked, ‘Steve would you do ten push- ups so Joe can have a donut?’ Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson came to Scott.

Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. Then Bro. Christianson asked, ‘Scott do you want a donut?’

Scott’s reply was, ‘Well, can I do my own pushups?’

Bro. Christianson said, ‘No, Steve has to do them.’

Then Scott said, ‘Well, I don’t want one then.’

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, ‘Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn’t want?’

Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, ‘HEY! I said I didn’t want one!’
<> Bro. Christianson said, ‘Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.’ And he put a donut on Scott’s desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, ‘Jenny, do you want a donut?’

Jenny said, ‘No.’

Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, ‘Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn’t want?’ Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

By now, the students were beginning to say ‘No’ and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of eff ort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Steve’s work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row.

During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Bro. Christianson, ‘Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?’

Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, ‘Well, they’re your pushups. You can do them any way that you want.’ And Bro. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, ‘NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!’

Jason didn’t know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, ‘No, let him come.’

Bro. Christianson said, ‘You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him.’

Steve said, ‘Yes, let him come in.’

Bro. Christianson said, ‘Okay, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?’

’Yes.’

’Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?’ Steve did ten pushups very slowly an d with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve’s arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, ‘Linda, do you want a doughnut?

Linda said, very sadly, ‘No, thank you.’

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, ‘Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?’

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. ‘Susan, do you want a donut?’

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked , ‘Bro. Christianson , can I help him?’

Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, ‘No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?’

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. ‘And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, ‘Into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.’ .

When everyone in the classroom heard what the teacher meant by it and realized everything. Steve smiled on the ground where he laid in his own sweat and began to cry.

MY FEET HURT!!!

Today after dinner a bunch of people at the Moore's decided to go on a walk. Sebastian really wanted to go and since there was more kids then adults going and they were going to be on a busy road I decided to go also. I was wearing very uncomfortable flip flops so now 2 miles later my feet are killing me! Sebastian was a champ though and walked the whole 2 miles. He has always been a good walker though so I'm not really surprised. Other than that things have been really quite around here. It's been hot humid and rainy so not to much picture taking going on. Oh well, gives Sebastian a good break, he doesn't run from me every time I pick up my camera.

Wild and Crazy....Zoo?

We had a fun time at the zoo today and it was educational to boot.. It started out as just a normal day enjoying the animals and all the zoo has to offer. And then we arrived at the giraffes. Seemed innocent enough. Then the female giraffe started to pee. Ok I can handle this, Sebastian thought it was pretty funny as well. Then the male Giraffe moves a little closer to the female. My mom says oh look how cute their going to cuddle go get a picture. What my mom didn't know was that apparently the action of the female peeing apparently turns the male on. And then...oh no...there not going to......yup he starts to mount her. Sebastian "mommy look he wants a piggy back ride". Me "yeah honey lets go see the elephants" I mean come on...seriously!! Notice the giraffe pictures are censored and cut off at the waste. We had a really good time and Sebastian loved seeing all the animals. Thanks mom and dad for a fun day.

A much needed break!

{Sebastian, myself and my parents are taking a much needed break and heading to the Pittsburgh Zoo tomorrow. We only wish Donald could come with us.}

One Sentence.....

He put Aquaphor all through his hair!
{any ideas on how to get it out, because its been washed ten time and it still looks like he stuck his finger in a socket}

Very, very, very long night!

My child has an extremely over active imagination. Do to said problem he tends to be some what of a fraidy cat and a bit over dramatic. Now this isn't always a bad thing as I love to sneakily watch him play and listen to the situations he comes up with{they can be pretty hilarious}. However when he comes screaming into my bedroom at 3 am and swears there are "jumpy things" in his closet, it ceases to be cute. So I spent the better part of last night{or early this morning depending on how you look at it} convincing him that it was just his cloths and not "jumpy things". I believe I have Kung Fu Panda to blame for this latest fear. Donald said certain parts of the movie freaked him out. Oh well lets hope he gets over it soon, I'm tired!

{Sebastian lined up a few of his stuffed animals to watch a movie with him}

Hubby Tag

What is his name? Donald Fred Erickson
How long have you been together? August of 2003
How long did you date? Dated for 5 months--got engaged and were married 4 months later
How old is he? 26
Who eats more? Donald
Who said I love you first? He did...Freaked me out so much I almost broke up with him
Who is taller? He is
Who can sing better? He can...I'm tone deaf!
Who is smarter? He is more street smart
Who does the laundry? Donald, he won't let me go to the laundrymat by myself
Who pays the bills? Me
Who sleeps on the right side? He does
Who mows the lawn? Neither one of us!
Who cooks dinner? I do if we want it to taste good.
Who drives? 99.9% of the time he does
Who is more stubborn? Both of us which makes for some very interesting arguments
Who kissed who first? He kissed me
Who proposed? He did it was cold but very romantic
Who has more friends? I do. But Donald can strike up a conversation with almost anyone
Who is more sensitive? Depends on the situation. I cry during corny movies and he dosen't..HE likes to cuddle, I don't
Who has more siblings? I do by one
Who wears the pants? We share them

Cook Out

Thursday we had a cook out and Melanie and her kids all came over. We had a good time just hanging out. Sebastian loved playing with the boys again and the just ran around all night like a mad man. He got stung for the first time that night. He actually handled it pretty well.

What we have been doing lately

My parents left on Sunday for a week long vacation and Donald, Sebastian and I have been house sitting all week. On Monday Mel came over with the boys and Miaya. The boys had a blast running around in the yard and swimming. It was nice to visit and have adult conversation. Later that night we headed over to the Jim and Leslie Moore home for some fishing and dutch oven cooking for FHE. We had a great time there and of course Sebastian caught his first fish and I didn't bring my camera. Luckily they had one ready and I'm just waiting for a copy of it. Tonight Mel and Jim and Leslie and there kids our coming over for a cook out. It should be a lot of fun! Hopefully the weather will hold out.

{Sebastian all tuckered out from this weeks activities}

Fathers Day Dinner

Ok, sorry it has taken so long to get these up but we've been a little busy around here. Fathers Day at the Moore's was an absolute blast! Donald enjoyed the company and the great food. Sebastian had a great time playing with all the kids, and trying to catch frogs. We had a great time!

Happy Fathers Day!

Today has been a crazy day and now its almost tomorrow. I just wanted to take a quick moment to wish my dad and Donald a happy fathers day. Dad, I'm so proud to be your daughter. You have instilled so many great qualities in me. I hope you and mom are enjoying your much deserved vacation don't worry about the house, its fine! Donald, I couldn't have asked for a better father for Sebastian. You are a great example to him. Thanks to you he will grow up honoring the priesthood of which he will some day hold. He loves you so much. Every morning when he wakes up he goes straight to the window and watches for you. He says " I waiting for my daddy so I won't be sad no more". I hope you had a special day. That's all for now tomorrow I hope to post pictures of our fathers day dinner and catch up on last week. Good night for now!

A nice day at last!

Well today we finally have some nice weather, not to hot not to humid. Sebastian and I decided to take full advantage and headed off to the park early this morning. We are now back at home were I am planing a small feast to celebrate fathers day with Donald and my dad since my parents are leaving for vacation early Sunday. On the menu is inside out bacon cheddar burgers{a Rachele Ray inspired dish} pasta salad, corn on the cob and molten cakes. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Hopefully it will turn out good! It feels so good to just have the windows open and feel the fresh air blowing in the house. Hopefully more of this is on the way!

{every time Sebastian swings like this he says "look mommy I swinging like how Caleb showed me in Arizona"}

Fun with the Grandparents!

Yesterday after we had dinner at the Moore's we headed over to my parents house to hang out for a while. While we were there Sebastian wanted to run through the sprinkler that was watering Papa's garden. So I stripped him down to his underwear and let him have at it. It has just been so hot and muggy lately! The whole time we were back there Sebastian kept telling me and my dad "I in my sprinkle house"! After he was done in the sprinkler my parents gave him these huge feet that make foot prints with sidewalk chalk. They were pretty cool and he loved them. He kept saying he was a dinosaur. There made by Rose Art if anyones interested. All in all it was a fun and relaxing Sunday!

Heat Wave

Today after the sun went down a little Sebastian and I headed over to my Moms so Donald could get his school work done for the weekend. He decided to not go back to YSU and has started The University OF Phoenix{which is done totally online}. He wanted to get all his work done so he could have the weekend to spend with us. Sebastian and I had a good time playing in the back yard and drawing with the side walk chalk. Even though the sun was pretty much down the heat and humidity was crazy hot. Oh well at least its not snowing!

This week I love!!

The gospel because it was 6 years ago this summer that I started to attend church. Never in a million years did I expect it to effect my life the way that it has!!!

Summer and all that goes along with it!!

Air conditioners {especially in 90 degree heat with 90 % humidity}

Good Bye Dorthy

A sad day in the Erickson household, Dorthy Sebastian's pet beta fish died sometime during the night last night{finally} I mean so sad. She made it almost six months in our little home. When I sat Sebastian down to explain to him that Dorthy was no longer with us he didn't really quite understand what I was telling him. But he was very excited to flush her back to the ocean. Were she would be reunited with Nemo and all her fish buddies{his words not mine}. In fact he was so excited that immediately after her burial at sea he asked if he could watch Finding Nemo. Apparently he thought she would now be staring in the movie. Which lead to more explaining and confusing him even more. Ahhh the mind of a three year old!!!

A baby blessing

This past Sunday Melanie and Tony blessed little Miaya. After at her grandmas I was able to take some pictures of here in her beautiful gown. Melanie wore it when she was blessed and so did her younger sister and now Miaya. It was so pretty, Melanie's grandma made it herself {I wish I could sew}. Anyway here a a few pictures.

Sometimes I Wish I Could Stop Time.....

.....Because it's moments like this that I will miss the most when he is old and grown!!!!