Two Truths and a Lie

I know that everyone loves this game, so I am giving you the chance to play. I will list three things about myself and you must identify the lie. If you get it right I will buy you a new car, so take your time and don't guess. Ok, here we go...

1. I once aspired to be an NFL kicker, but that fell thorough because of an injury to my right big toe. I mean how is a man suppose to kick with a jacked up toe.

2. I prefer a fresh bucket of strawberries over a fresh, juicy peach.

3. I believe in the existence of a very rare mammal called the floating squirrel. It may have legs, but they are too small to see so when it walks it appears to float across the ground much like a hovercraft. Although it has not been recognized as a real animal in the scientific world, I believe in it because I encountered one a long time ago.

Ok remember, the winner wins a new car so choose wisely...   

Tag it Up

I was tagged about a month ago and have done nothing about it, but have finally gotten around to it. So here we go, a peak into the wild life of the Little Guzy Guy.

Five Jobs I have had:
1. My first job was when I was 15 years old. It was the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of high school. I worked at Samurai Sams, a fast food Japanese restaurant. I loved it because we were allowed to eat as much free food as we wanted along with all the free pop that we could drink. It didn’t pay very well, but I didn’t know any better. I think I made about $6.00 an hour, but with all the benefits mentioned above I made more like $12.00 buck an hour. I ate a lot.
2.I worked for 2 summers as a construction man for brother John Sheffield. A great job that paid 10 dollars an hour and wasn’t all that hard. I didn’t do a bit of skilled work, mostly digging and moving trash all day. Not to bad.
3.Before my freshman year at BYU I worked as a copy boy at a law firm in downtown Denver. Not too hard of a job, but I was treated like, well a copy boy by all the lawyers who I didn’t like very much. Also, I had to travel about 45 minutes to an hour everyday to get there so that wasn’t very fun. I became an expert on how to use a copy machine though, a skill I still utilize today. This is also where I honed in on my foosball skills because every Friday afternoon all the lawyers would gather in the “foosball room” where they would break out the beers and play. They allowed the copy boy to play every once in a while.
4.Right after I got back from the mission I worked 11-hour days digging pools for brother Reardon. By far the hardest job I have ever had. After about a week I had trouble opening my hands every morning. I shoveled more dirt than your average man does in a lifetime. It was a very satisfying job because I felt like I was actually doing something important and I learned a lot. Also, to see a giant hole that I dug made me feel quite manly.
5.The last job I had was a janitor at the hospital here in Provo. I cleaned for an hour every night the Urology clinic. It stunk. Need more be said?

Places I have lived:
1.Born in Jefferson City, Missouri and lived there until I was 4.
2.Lived in Littleton, Colorado for most of my life.
3.Lived in Provo, Utah for a total of almost 3 years now.
4.Lived in Boston, Massachusetts for a month waiting for my visa to Ghana.
5.Lived in Ghana, Africa for 14 months.
6.Lived in Bo, Sierra Leone for about 9 months.

Favorite Foods
1.A beef meximelt from Taco Bell.
2.Dad’s BBQ glazed pork steaks.
3.Mom’s mashed potatoes.
4.Kristen's Beef Enchiladas.
5.Fufu with katenkuin.
6.Tomatoes (this is for Dad so he will finally know)
7.Anything else besides olives. I am a human trash can!!!


Top Five Movies
1.Signs
2.Hotel Rwanda
3.The Fugitive
4.Clear and Present Danger
5.Jurassic Park 3!!!!!!

Top Five Shows
1.Seinfeld
2.Charles in Charge
3.The Office
4.Batman (the cartoon)
5.Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader (For Real)

Four Weird Things about Me
1.I love mustard. One of my favorite snacks is a Lays Potato chip dipped in mustard. I also like mustard and mayonnaise sandwich’s but that is a different story.
2.My name Andrew Foster literally means “Manly Forrester.” Well I guess that isn’t too weirdJ
3.One of my toes is bent over so it give my feet the appearance that they are webbed. So far there have been no adverse effects, but who know. Ty would know all about this defect of mine.
4. I have started to make some transitions in my preferences for foods which are making me more and more like my dad. I used to enjoy Ranch dressing on my salads, but then moved to Caesar. But in the past few months I finally made the switch to Blue Cheese. I am now stuck on Blue Cheese. Another example is I use to like sweet pickles, but I now enjoy only Dill (I’m not sure what kind of pickle you like dad). Anyway, I think I am becoming more and more like my dad and there is nothing I can do about it. At least in what I eat.

Places I Would Rather Be
1.Anywhere where my beautiful wife is!!!!
2.I West Africa with the most wonderful people on earth.
3.At Taco Bell enjoying a Meximelt with some Hot Sauce.
4.With the whole family winning some kind of competition. (like the most manly man)

New Category: Funniest Foster
1.Mark, everyone knows he is the funniest.
2.Ty, a surprising yet deserving finish.
3.Kristen, when she is on a roll she is on a roll.
4.Adam, there is just something about the man.

The list could go on, but I will stop there.

I am tagging Mom, Adam, and Ty.

The Name

We have finally decided what the name of the car will be. After many minutes of deliberation and countless seconds of thought, we have now decided on... Although we were leaning towards one name, the people have spoken and change our hearts to the name of...With that in mind we knew that we had to deliver to our fans...Ok enough wait, the name of the car, the name that it will be called for the rest of its existence is.........

Jenkins!!!!!!!!! 

The Final Vote

Both Kristen and I would like to thank all of you for your ideas about the name of the new car. After many sleepless nights, we have narrowed the field to 5 names. Everyone has one vote. After the votes have been counted, we will choose the name we like the most, but your votes could help us a lot. We want to know what the people want. So here are the finalists (they are in no particular order)...

1. Blade (Submitted by Kristen)

2. Darth Vader-Darth for short (submitted by Dad)

3. The Black Panther (submitted by Liz)

4. Black Jack (Submitted by Mark)

5. Jenkins (submitted by Adam)

There were others that we really liked, but these are the top five. Please cast your votes so our car can finally be free.

The New Car

Kristen and I just finished a 3 weeklong road trip where we went almost 3000 miles to 5 different states. It was a lot of fun, but we realized that our car (named Black Ninja) just ain’t going to cut it anymore. Maybe it was the fact that it maxed out at 40 miles an hour up vail pass, or maybe it was the strange noises it began to make with the endless dashboard lights that began to light up everyday. I don’t really know what it was, but both Kristen and I had the feeling that “Ninja’s” time was running short, so we began looking at cars. We wanted a new or almost new car with very low mileage on it so that it could last 5 years or so. We also wanted a big enough car so as to be able to handle a baby seat somewhere down the line (not yet, but sometime in the next five yearsJ). As I began looking I realized that cars like that don’t grow on trees, in other words, they ain’t cheap. I went to probably 6 different dealerships and spent a good 4 hours researching different cars on the internet. We finally found a car (it was actually at the first dealership that we went to) that fit the description. It was a 2006 Kia Soreto. It had only 14,500 miles on it and had been a dealership car, which means the title of the car had never been owned by anyone. I saw that Kristen fell in love with it after we test drove it. It is a 4X4, automatic with an engine over twice the size as Ninja’s. Kristen loved the car but I loved the price more. It was a little more than we wanted to pay, but it was a much better car than we expected to get. After a few more days of shopping and bargaining(which I dislike very much) we finally bought it on Friday of this week at $16, 300. We are really happy and hope that it will be the car we expect it to be.

Now we have a real dilemma. What are we to name the car? I will post a few picture of the car so that you can see it, deliberate, and decide on the perfect name. The winner will get $1000 dollars in the form of Benjamins. But that is only if I really love it. If I just really like it then I will give you a high five with some popcorn and pop in the morning the next time I see you. So let the naming begin!

Also, a few names have already been suggested.

Adam…………………….The Black Widow (According to him this would require a red hourglass painted on the car. That’s ok with me if he pays)
Drew…………………….The Black Plague or if that is too scary Fred

Note-black does not have to be included in the name, Adam and I just think alike.

The sun was really bright and we timed the picture poorly, but look at the space in the trunck.

Our camping trip to Diamond Fork

The wife and I decided to go on a little camping trip the other day and here is a little inside peak onto our expereince.

This is just after we set up camp. Just a man, his grill, and his tent. Ain't nothing manlier than that.

Kristen must of had a little rumble in the old tummy when we saw this cute little rabbit because...

She tried to kill it and eat it!!!!!!!!!!

This is Kristen while eating the bunny. Just joking, this is her demonstrating her famous talent, stuffing grapes under your upper lip and holding them there with no hands for as long as you can. I love that trick, it's a classic and I am proud to say that MY WIFE is the the best in the west!!

A man in his element, need I say more.

We took a little hike up a nearby hill. You can see our campsite if you look close. The hike was actually a lot harder than anticipated because it was a very steep and rocky hill.

A man thinking about the long road ahead of him in life. All I got to say is "Life is a highway, I want to ride it all night long." Yeah baby.

Who would win?

I only have one question for you. It has been boggling my mind for I don't know how many years. There are so many variables that it is hard to come to any real conclusion, but I have finally decided to put it to you. If you can put my mind at ease, then I will be most grateful, but I need an answer that will really satisfy me. Only an answer that is deep, logical, and thorough will truly put my mind at ease. Here it is. Who would win in a fight

Spiderman


or Batman?


Please Help Me!!!!!

Competition--Good or Bad?

I think that most of you have read the talk by President Benson entitled “Beware of Pride.” Certainly a good one to review on a regualr basis. He gave it in general conference in 1989 and I remember spending a whole day on it in seminary. I would like to quote from it.

“Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition...Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s." Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled.”

I remember when I heard that in high school. I thought to myself, “That kind of pride can’t be applied to competitive sports because that is the reason I run track or play basketball…I love to win and that can’t be a sin.” When I came home from my mission I didn’t have much of a desire to run because I didn’t like what competition did to me. It makes me more conceited, self-centered, and plus, track is real hard. I have thought about this lately, because to play a competitive sport and be successful takes a lot of effort, both mental and physical, and if not checked can be damaging to a person’s spiritual well-being.

I would be interested to hear what others had to say, but I believe that my naïve reaction to the quote above is not true. It is very easy for a talented athlete to slip down the path of pride, simply because he/she likes to win. It happens at BYU, and anywhere else you can think of. It even happens at Wednesday night basketball (although you would be hard pressed to convince me that is competitive). I think that the key is this—an athlete’s goal should be to win, not to beat others. Often the two go hand-in-hand, but they are different in their focus. To win is to focus on the outcome of the competition, where as to beat others is to focus on your standing in relation to someone else. The latter of the two, slowly begins to change you, from a desire to magnify your God-given talents, to being remembered or praised. I have seen myself fall into the trap many times, even this year. It begins to turn your whole life into a game, where you have to be better than all others in all things. Emnity begins to creep into your heart; first with man, then with God. I believe that true humility does not exempt someone from being the best, but it does take serious effort and a balance of ones self, a recognition of where talent comes from and that no one has it all (just a lot of it in a particular place, whether it be running, math, basketball, etc.).

The prime example of this is myself.

J/K but really it is my coach. He holds the second fastest time in NCAA history in the 10K. He is 1 of only 3 people to every win the triple crown in colligate running, which is cross-country, 5K, and 10K. He is a 2-time Olympian and arguably one of the best American long distance runners to ever run, and yet he is the most down to earth and humble man you could ever meet. I have never heard him talk about beating a particular runner when he describes his races, but just about the race and what went on. His focus in life is not his achievements, but his family and helping others reach their potential. I could think of others like Dean and Judy or Chris Crosby. Anyway, it is important to me to be able to define the fine line between pride and competition in sports, and then to stay on the right side. With that said, it looks like all ye all are going down this reunion in three things—basketball, ping-pong, and nertz. Bring it fools, I own all ye all's world!!!!!

A little something to think about

(I put this picture here to give you a visual of what "fulfilling the measure of our creation" means. It is hard to do without eternal families. This is after my race in Washington a few weeks ago.)

I wrote this paper for a D&C class this last week. I hope that you enjoy it. It is a little long for a post so if you get bored of reading it you can stop. I won't be offended. But I will never talk to you again. The paper was suppose to be about a doctrine found in the the second half of D&C. I chose the doctrine "fulfilling the measure of our creation." It could only be 4 pages so I left out some thoughts about it(Celestial law for example). I hope that y'all will be able to enlighten me a little. Just a little please. Here it is...

Everyone, at one point or another during their existence, has asked a few basic questions. Maybe you have asked these yourself: Where did I come from before this earth, why am I here, and where am I going when I die? While searching for the answers myself I have come across two groups of people. One group being filled with those who find it easy to brush off the uncertainty of not knowing the answers to these questions with ease, and another group being those who have search and struggled their entire lives to unearth the answers. The first group will live out their lives with a hole, maybe covered with materialistic ease or filled in with instant gratification, yet a hole nonetheless, which will surly led their lives in a direction of unattained potential. The latter group, while maybe not finding all the answers, will most definitely push their limits and achieve what they term to be their “purpose in life”. Throughout my life I have met many different kinds of “groups ones”, and much fewer “group twos”. The individuals of both, while coming from many different cultures and backgrounds, can be classified as follows—those who seek to “fulfill the measure of their creation” (D&C 88:19) and those who don’t. In this paper I will try to explain this doctrine, to fulfill the measure of our creation, and what it means to me.
The reference that I gave above is given in mention to those of a celestial glory. When I say celestial glory I am referring to the heaven where we can live with God our Heavenly Father and our brother Jesus Christ after this life. This celestial glory is given to only the righteous who follows all of the commandments of God and is a place of no sickness, age, pain, or any other bad or hurtful thing that can be thought of. It is a place of perfect, splendid happiness. Yet we learn that keeping the commandments of God is not the only prerequisite for entering His glory. Reading from D&C 88: 18-19, “Therefore, it [we] must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it [we] may be prepared for the celestial glory; for after it [we] hath filled the measure of its creation, it [we] shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father;” Notice that in this reference it teaches us that we can only be crowned with the presence of the Father after we have fulfilled the measure of our creation. To understand this phrase now becomes a very important task not only for our happiness on this earth but for our eternal salvation after this life also.
The Savior made reference to this doctrine many times when he ministered upon the earth. I would like to indicate one of these places in detail and explain it, but hope that you will look at it more closely in this context the next time you read this place. I will also include some other references at the end of this writing for further study of the topic. Matthew 25: 14-30 is a parable that Christ spoke that is often times referred to as “The Parable of the Unprofitable Servant.” In this parable, Christ compares himself to a man who is beginning a journey to a far away land. Before going this man gives to three of his servants talents (something like a dollar). He doesn’t give each the same though, as he gives the first servant five talents, the second two talents, and the third one talent respectively. While the man is gone, the first servant uses his talents wisely and ends up with ten by the time the master returns. The second also uses his talents well and doubles his amount to four. The third servant however, is scared of losing his talent so he buries his in the ground. Upon the return of the man, the master inquires as to the talents that he left his servants. The first two servants are proud to announce their achievements and the Lord issues this praise to them, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:21-23). When the third servant gives his account the Lord pronounces this rebuke, “Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25: 26-30). The contrast of the two responses is telling. Notice how the reward for both servants who increased their “talents”, although varying amounts of increase, was exactly the same. Why do you suppose that the master would reward the two wise servants the same? It our world it is common to give the greatest reward to those who bring in the greatest amount. In this parable the first servant who brought in five talents as profit would be greater than that of the second servant who brought in two talents as profit, but here in lies the lesson. We are all put on this earth with varying talents and abilities. Some can use words to paint pictures in the forms of poems and novels, while others who can barely spell a word (me) are blessed with mathematical minds (not me), and still others who find no solace in learning from books develop a strong arm for throwing a football or healthy muscles for running a race. To the Lord it doesn’t matter what “talents” we have been given all that matters to him is that we learn these talents and increase them, make them a profit, so that when we sit in front of Him at the last day we can give Him His profit. To me, this is what “filling the measure of our creation” is. It is to push the limits of our existence. It is to increase in knowledge, stature, ability, or whatever else it may be. It is never being satisfied with who we are, but striving to become better everyday. And on top of all of this, keeping ourselves in line with the commandments that God has given to us. The problem of the unprofitable servant was not his undersized amount of talents, nor was it his complete neglect of the commandments (he was probably a good man) but it was his total lack of faith that he could improve upon what the Lord had given him. His sin was his lack of development and progress that hindered him from ever achieving total perfection—for if you don’t start down the path of perfection, than you can never reach the destination. To me that is what D&C 88:18-19 teaches. Since coming across those simple, few words to “fulfill the measure of its creation” I have seen where I can improve and hopefully achieve my purpose on this earth. To all “group ones” who may read this, it may mean very little, but to those “group twos” who wish to seek and find more of what I have talked about, here are a few more references that I have found while studying that relate. (Matthew 5: 6, Matthew 7:7, 2 Nephi 28: 29-31, Moses 5:10-12, Moses 4: 25)

How I learned that the Lord really does know our every thought

What a day. Here I am cuddling with my beautiful wife on a Sunday morning in our home. She will never have to travel back to Greeley again for classes and she will start her student teaching this week. On top of all this, we arrived in Provo last night and found out that the Bishop wanted to see us on Sunday (today) at 10:30. My first thought was one of responsibility, I mean we have only been in the ward for a few weeks and I am already EQP (Elders Quorum President). My wife then reminded me that we don’t know that yet.

We arrived at church at exactly 10:30 and waited outside the bishop’s office. Within a few minutes he arrived back from ward council and after entering his office for only a moment, he popped his head out of the door and invited us inside. I was ready to tell him that although I was so busy with many things I would accept the calling as 2nd councilor in the bishopric or maybe even 1st if he wanted, but was stopped cold in my preparation. He asked me, “Brother Foster what callings have you had in the church before.” I froze, I knew I needed to impress him with my long list of experience, but nothing was coming to mind. I then realized that I had no experience besides a Sunday School Teacher and Elders Quorum Instructor. After he heard this he turned to Kristen and asked, “Sister Foster how about you, what kind of callings have you had before.” She then proceeded to list off callings like Institute Council (very powerful sounding) and RSP (Relief Society President). A resume like that is quite impressive. Bishop Gibb looked pleased, and then began “We would like to extend a calling to you both, a calling were you two can work together. And that is Sunday School Instructors over zone #3 in the Ward. You will be switching off teaching every week with another couple.”

I was stunned. I was going to be a what!!!!! Not even the first stringers, but over zone #3. Then as the Bishop began to explain the calling to us, I realized just how our Heavenly Father works; I realized that we were having a little taste of our own medicine. Let me explain…

We have only be to our ward a few times, and have really enjoyed it. The only “slow” part of the church service has been Sunday school. I don’t mean that the teachers are bad or that the people in the classes are boring and dry, but just that the very nature and design of Sunday school, especially in singles wards and married student wards, makes for “long” class hours. Maybe it is the fact that the men and women are together in the class and feel shy about asking and answering questions in front of strangers of the opposite sex, or maybe that people are just looking forward to Priesthood and Relief Society classes and don’t want to exhaust all of the spiritual and enlightening insights that they will surely contribute in those classes. But what ever it is, it seems like the teachers of Sunday School have to pry answers out of people by any means necessary. Sometimes by a forced answer, or clever game, or by the most used technique of them all, giving little candies as a reward for the raising of a hand. Now, because of our (mostly just my own) murmurings of how boring Sunday School is, we are to be those very instructors that have to work hard just to keep the class awake. As we left the Bishops office and were making our way to the car, Kristen just started laughing. I guess that we have learned our lesson, now we get to prepare a lesson for next week and one thing is for sure, little chocolate Kit-Kat Bars will be included. That should keep their attention.

Go big or go home

Go big or go home

The iPod Revolution

When I left on my mission I had never heard of an ipod. I don't remember seeing one and I know that I never used one. When I returned home I found most of my family and friends having switched over to them instead of CD's. Actually everyone that could afford the ipod made the switch, and the rest were left wanting and planning when to buy one. Then over Christmas I watched as many people were receiving the ipod. (Not in the Foster Family but in the Petzold family we were the only ones who didn't get one). I had not yet become a beleiver. I mean they are nice, but the annoy me. Let me explain.

I would say 75% of students now at BYU have one kind of iPod or another, and about 50% of BYU students put the headphones in as soon as class is over and take them out when the professor starts talking. That means there are a lot of people on campus who can't hear a thing of what is going on around them because they have an iPod. This presents a problem. Imagine 20,000 deaf people trying to get around on a not so big college campus. Needless to say, there are a lot of "accidents" and bumps while trying to get to class. I got to the point where I became an advacate of The ipod license. That is people must be able to navagate deaf, through a room filled with people without bumping into a single one. If able to do this, a license to "use an iPod while in motion" would be issued. This would make people more responsible for their careless deaf walking. If caught in an "accident" without a license, they could be fined or at lest made fun of. Yes, I was a bitter man.

Then yesterday a teammate let me use an iPod because I had to go on a run alone. I ran for a usual 50 minutes, but this time was very different. I spent half the run crying because of Hootie and the Blowfish and their love-ballad "Hold my Hand", and the other half rocking out to J-5 and AC/DC. What a run!!! I was loving it. When I was back in the locker room reflecting on my run, I realized that I was now a believer in the ipod. And sense coming to the realization, my whole world has changed. When I get hit by an ipod user I can now forgive him/her because I have joined them as a ipod lover. When asking for directions, and I get no response or a blank look followed by a loud "What" because they can't hear me, I can laugh it off because I am one of them. The problem is that I am not an ipod owner becuase of certain finacial problems, but just an ipod lover. But like many of you, I have started planning for the day when I can have my own ipod. And what a day it will be!!!!!!!!!