As I See It...

Warning: this is a VERY long post. You may want to pack a lunch to eat while you read this, because you're going to be her for a while.

The events of 2009 have given me much to think about and much to be grateful for. I also realized that November was the 10 year anniversary of the beginning of my mission, which has given me even more to think about, despite making me feel rather old. Perhaps you are now thinking that I'm not that old, but I reject your reality and substitute my own. Anyway, it's customary at this time of year to do a 'year in review', so along that vein, here are some things I've been thinking about, important and not. I'll start with the 'not so important' category and go from there.

Christmas Songs:

Perhaps this first thing should be in the 'serious' category-the most depressing Christmas song I've ever seen. It's called "The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot". I found it so hard to believe that this is a Christmas 'classic' that it's slightly funny to me. Here are the lyrics:

He's the little boy
that Santa Clause forgot,
And goodness knows,
he didn't want a lot.

He sent a note to Santa
For some soldiers and a drum,
It broke his little heart
When he found Santa hadn't come.

In the street he envies
all those lucky boys,
Then wanders home
to last year's broken toys.
I'm so sorry for that laddie,
He hasn't got a daddy,
The little boy
that Santa Clause forgot.

Spoken:
(You know,
Christmas comes but once a year
for every girl and boy,
The laughter and the joy
they find in each brand new toy.
I'll tell you of a little boy
that lives across the way...
This little fella's
Christmas is just another day.
He's the little boy
that Santa Claus forgot,
And goodness knows,
he didn't want a lot.)

In the street
he envies all those lucky boys,
Then wanders home
to last year's broken toys.
I'm so sorry for that laddie,
He hasn't got a daddy,
The little boy
that Santa Clause forgot.

Oh my. Can you imagine the widespread appeal? I think not. This next bit is a clip from youtube.com. It's men's a capella group called Straight No Chaser singing their version if "The 12 Days of Christmas". It's worth a listen, especially if you are familiar with the band "Toto".



Not too shabby. It cracks me up, too. One last bit about Christmas music-I love Mannheim Steamroller's "A Fresh Aire Christmas" album because of the memories it always brings to mind. I can't listen to it without thinking of going to get the Christmas tree as a family, or decorating the house, or putting puzzles together at Christmas-time. Some of the music is a bit cheezy, but I listen to it for the wonderful memories that are attached. In fact, I'm listening to it right now.

With regard to music in general, I still really like "Soul Meets Body" and a new one I've found by Owl City called "Fireflies". It makes me think of the band Postal Service. There may be a musical theme developing here.

OK. Now on to other things which are more important, and back to my original point.

My "I'm Grateful" List:
(These are some of the things that make me feel thankful)

The Gospel and all that it entails
A good up-bringing in a loving and happy home
Family
A house to live in
Food to eat
Family
A life of relative ease and comfort
Safety and security
The opportunity to gain an education
Love
Friends
Music
Family
Favorable circumstances

This list is a reflection of the experiences I've had this year as well as the events that I've seen transpire in the lives of those around me and those I've heard about on the news. 2009 has been tumultuous in so many ways, and I am grateful to have all of the above, because those things have made all the difference.

Regarding the last 10 years, much has happened to add enrichment to our lives.

We've had a few additions to the family, which make it even better:
Jon
Steve
Lorie
Doug
Isaac
Claire
Kate
Eli

The great thing about our additions is that they're not temporary additions. What a blessing. I suppose we should also add birds and cats to the list, just to be thorough.

Also in the last 10 years, all the kids got married, 3 of the 4 went on missions and the 4th got to study in Nauvoo. Each of the kids moved at 4 times and each couple had one spouse or the other in school and sometimes both at once. 4 nieces and nephews were born and may there be more to come. Luckily, Mom and Dad haven't moved and home is still home. We'll see where the next 10 years take us and I have a feeling they'll be great years too.

Well, this post didn't turn out to be as long as I thought. Maybe you only got to eat half of your lunch. I am inexpert at expressing my thoughts in text form when those thoughts are sentimental. I had much more on my mind than what is here, but this is a good summation. Just a few last thoughts to wrap up:

Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!

And a wish for upcoming year:

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”

-Irish Benediction

Time Marches On

When I looked on Hoffblog earlier today, I realized just how long it has been since I posted anything new-two and a half months, to be exact. Then it occurred to me just how much can happen in such a seemingly short amount of time. At least, this past two and a half months have been eventful. The long version would bore most people to death, even close family members, especially because they know the details already. But for the sake of documentation, I figured I should 'reconstruct the events as they happened' (if anyone ever watched the TV show "Rescue 911", that phrase would be, for good or ill, burned into the recesses of memory). Anyway, back to the present and recent past. Well, it all started in July. The day was the 22nd, to be precise, and the 'it' that I'm referring to was the shutting down of my job. Yes, like many of my fellow Americans, I found myself unemployed. It's not entirely accurate to say that it started in July, because all of us a the company had inklings in January that the business would be closing and all of us were surprised to have made it that far into the year. Well, that certainly changed things. My first thought was that I could extend my visit to Utah, which was coming up in July 29th and I was willing to pay up to $50 to extend my trip. As luck would have it, I received a credit of $1.40 to extend my trip by one week, which gave me 3 weeks in Utah to visit my family--HOORAY!!! So I flew to visit my family and Jon and 2 of his brothers came by car about a week later, owing to the fact that another Hoffman brother, Ben, was getting married. Jon and the 2 brothers, now joined by the only sister, had to return to New Jersey to help prepare for the open house for Ben and his wife, Kaylee. On a side note, congratulations to Ben and Kaylee, and to Kayle, welcome to the family. Anyway, it was a wonderful visit. I got to see Nicholas and Lorie's and Em and Steve's new houses. I got reacquainted with Isaac and Claire, and I got to meet Eli and Kate. Well worth the trip in and of itself. In short (a bit too late for that, I'm afraid), I had a great time and I think that every other month should be spent visiting my family for at least three weeks at a time.

While I was there, I learned that a cousin of mine is in school to become a medical coder. I was intrigued by the idea and after hearing Steph and Doug's point of view on employment prospects, etc, I began to consider Medical Coding as a new option. I have been looking for a change of employment scenery and this seemed like an option with merit. So after being home from Utah for 2 days, I discovered the AHIMA website, which is the accrediting body for Medical Coding and other Health Information Technology/Management careers. I also discovered that there are only 2 schools in New Jersey that are accredited by AHIMA and I was pleased to discover further that one of them was within 30 minutes of where I live. The other is in North Jersey where we used to live, which is about 2 1/2 hours from here. So, I arrived home on a Tuesday night and by Thursday evening I had applied for financial aid and applied to school. By the following Thursday, I had visited the school, been determined eligible for financial aid, registered for my classes, and was officially a college student again. What a change in such a short period of time. Now classes have started and I'm in the beginning stages of becoming a medical coder. Film at 11.

In other news, Jon, at the same time as I was working out school, got a job at a photography studio. His Job started on Monday and he has survived his first week. We also made a 1600 mile trip to North and South Carolina last week to check out 3 more grad schools. As Mom pointed out, Jon probably couldn't wait to make another long trip after having very recently having driven to Utah and back and logging over 4,400 miles in about a 9 day period. It was definitely time for another road trip. However, the trip was a fruitful venture. We decided that 2 of the 3 schools were worth pursuing, and especially the school in South Carolina. In fact, if we could just pick a school and ask them to let us in, Winthrop would be the one. Including the school near Erie that we visited in the Spring, that gives us 3 viable options. Hopefully we should know by this coming May, or sooner, where our wandering will take us next. South Carolina or bust.

Despite what it seems, this is the short version of events. I'm trying to get used to a school mindset again and having much more time on my hands than I'm used to. I haven't had this much free time since before my mission and it's definitely throwing me off. I'm not complaining, just adjusting to a totally different pace. Jon too. So, we'll see how things progress and hope that they do.

Once last, but unrelated thought--fall is in the air. It's my favorite time of year. My favorite season used to be winter, but I like fall because it's cool, but there's more daylight. I don't have anything against the cold, and if fact, I prefer it to warm weather. I'm always happy when the weather has turned cool by the time my birthday rolls around and this year it seems like that might actually be the case. I may have mentioned this before, but I feel that I should have cool weather for my birthday because it's my birthday and I love cool weather. Anyway, I suppose if I got everything I wanted, life would be easy and fabulous, I mean, I wouldn't learn anything and my growth would be stagnated. Anyway, "Happy Fall" everyone, and 'life it what happens to you when you're making other plans'.

Jersey Life....

The next post was supposed to be Jon's recent art show, but it's still in the works. So, because I'm trying not to be a blog abandoner (blog abondoner: 1. One who has a blog but never posts 2. One who has abandoned his/her blog due to lack of ideas, time, or a combination therof), here's some funny, random, and perhaps interesting stuff about New Jersey as well as some of my sentiments about the state:

Sentiments first-my 3 favorite things about New Jersey are the fireflies, the smell of honeysuckle on the air at night, and the lightning. The funny thing about this is that all 3 of these things happen in the summer, and I hate Jersey summers. I hate summer as a rule because it's hot, but I hate Jersey summers even more because it's also humid and the bugs, fireflies excluded, are disgusting. In the summer I feel like I might as well be living outdoors.

Anyway....on to the funny stuff about New Jersey, with some added comments by me.

* New Jersey is a peninsula.

* Highlands, New Jersey has the highest elevation along the entire eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida.

* New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as metropolitan areas.

* New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky.

* New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi.) than Havana, Cuba

* New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US.

* New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance.

* New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation.

* New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the "Diner Capital of the World."

* New Jersey is home to the original Mystery Pork Parts Club (no, not Spam): Taylor Ham or Pork Roll. (I've never eaten any of these mystery meats.)

* Home to the less mysterious but the best Italian hot dogs and Italian sausage w/peppers and onions.

* North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile radius.

* New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

* The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine ride by inventor John P. Holland.

* New Jersey has 50+ resort cities & towns; some of the nation's most famous: Asbury Park, Wildwood, Atlantic City, Seaside Heights, Long Branch, Cape May.

* New Jersey has the most stringent testing along our coastline for water quality control than any other seaboard state in the entire country.

* New Jersey is a leading technology & industrial state and is the largest chemical producing state in the nation when you include pharmaceuticals.

* Jersey tomatoes are known the world over as being the best you can buy. I've never bought Jersey tomatoes.

* New Jersey is the world leader in blueberry and cranberry production, and here you thought it was Massachusetts. (Maybe Martha Stewart should come visit.)

* New Jersey rocks! The famous Les Paul invented the first solid body electric guitar in Mahwah, in 1940.

* New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest seaport in the US , located in Elizabeth. Nearly 80% of what our nation imports comes through Elizabeth Seaport first.

* New Jersey is home to one of the nation's busiest airports (in Newark), Liberty International.

* George Washington slept here. Several important Revolutionary War battles were fought on New Jersey soil, led by General George Washington.

* The light bulb, phonograph, and motion picture projector, were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park, NJ, laboratory.

* New Jersey also boasts the first town ever lit by incandescent bulbs.

* The first seaplane was built in Keyport, NJ. What is a seaplane?

* The first airmail (to Chicago ) was started from Keyport, NJ.

* The first phonograph records were made in Camden, NJ.

* New Jersey was home to the Miss America Pageant held in Atlantic City.

* The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named the streets on its playing board after the actual streets in Atlantic City.

* And, Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world, not to mention salt water taffy. (I love saltwater taffy!!!)

* New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area outside of the Middle East countries.

* The first Indian reservation was in New Jersey , in the Watchung Mountains. (New Jersey has mountains?!?!)

* New Jersey has the tallest water-tower in the world in Union, NJ.

* New Jersey had the first medical center, in Jersey City.

* The Pulaski SkyWay, from Jersey City to Newark , was the first skyway highway. I've been lost here-big shock, right?

* NJ built the first tunnel under a river, the Hudson-the Holland Tunnel.

* The first baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ, which is also the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.

* The first intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick in 1889 when Rutgers College played Princeton.

* The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden , NJ.

* New Jersey is home to BOTH of " NEW YORK'S" pro football teams! (We used to live 10 minutes from the stadium in North Jersey.)

* The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson , NJ.

* The first FM radio broadcast was made from Alpine, NJ, by Maj. Thomas Armstrong.

* All New Jersey natives: Sal Martorano, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi

* The Great Falls in Paterson, on the Passaic River, is the second highest waterfall on the East Coast of the US.

You know you're from Jersey when...

* You don't think of fruit when people mention "The Oranges." (they are a set of cities in North Jersey)

* You know that it's called Great Adventure, not Six Flags. (an amusement park)

* A good, quick breakfast is a hard roll with butter.

* You've known the way to Seaside Heights since you were seven.

* You've eaten at a diner, when you were stoned or drunk, at 3 A.M. (apparently this is pretty common here)

* You know that the state isn't one big oil refinery.

* At least three people in your family still love Bruce Springsteen, and you know the town Jon Bon Jovi is from.

* You know what a "jug handle" is.

* You know how to properly negotiate a circle. (I had to learn, but I'm good at them now-I use one two times a day when I go to and from work)

* You knew that the last 2 sentences have to do with driving.

* You know that WaWa is a convenience store.

* You know that the state isn't all farmland. (I doubt anyone ever really thought that)

* You know that there are no "beaches" in New Jersey --there's the shore--and you don't go "to the shore," you go "down the shore." And when you are there, you're not "at the shore"; you are "down the shore." (This is SO true and SO funny)

* You know that this is the only "New" state that doesn't require "New" to identify it--try . . . Mexico, York, or Hampshire.

* You know that a "White Castle" is the name of BOTH a fast food chain AND a fast food sandwich. (the term 'belly bomber' says it all-gross, gross, gross)

* You consider putting mayo on a corned beef sandwich a sacrilege.

* You don't think "What exit?" is very funny. (there are bumper stickers now that have exit numbers on them, and that's all. It seems some people do think it's funny)

* You live within 20 minutes of at least three different malls. (What could be better?)

* You refer to all highways and interstates by their numbers.

* Every year you have at least one kid in your class named Tony.

* You know the location of every clip shown in the Sopranos opening credits. (I've never seen the Sopranos)

* You've gotten on the wrong highway trying to get out of the mall. (Again, a great shock-I've done this)

* You know that people from North Jersey go to Seaside Heights , and people from Central Jersey go to Belmar, and people from South Jersey go to Wildwood. It can be no other way.

* You weren't raised in New Jersey --you were raised in either North Jersey, Central Jersey or South Jersey.

* You don't consider Newark or Camden to actually be part of the state.

* You've had a boardwalk cheese steak and vinegar fries.

* You start planning for Memorial Day weekend in February.

* And finally, you've NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER pumped your own gas. (When we lived in PA and I had to leave the house at 5 am in the winter, I'd get gas on the Jersey side because I didn't have to get out of my car in the below zero temperatures)

Well, that's it-I got these from my friend and found them to quite funny and interesting, considering that I've lived here and been to most of these places...

A funny thing happened on the way to...

Well, some funny things happen in life. I've decided to write about a couple of these things. In the first story, the names have been withheld because that's what one does when posting stories about other people, or something.

A funny thing happened on the way to the SPCA
This is a true story as told to us by a friend of ours. She has a sister who went to college in Manhattan and that's where the story begins. She was asked to dog-sit for a family while they went out of town to Florida. During the course of her dog-sitting stint, the dog passed away. The girl was mortified (fitting) and she called the owners of the dog in a slight panic. They told her it was OK and that they had been expecting the dog to pass away at any time. However, they also told her that she needed to take care of the situation, meaning that she needed to dispose of the dog in an appropriate manner. She hung up the phone and was overcome by a total lack of what one should do with a deceased canine in Manhattan. It wasn't like she could bury the dog in Central Park or put it out with the trash, so she called the SPCA. The SPCA said they could help her, but she needed to get the dog to them. Hmm. Problem. She was a student and she didn't have a car. Her only means of transportation was the subway. Yep, the subway. So, with this as her option, she began looking around the apartment for a way to inconspicuously transport the dog while on public transit. After searching for a bit she found a suitcase, and not just any suitcase, a Burberry. Perfect. She then put the dog in the Burberry and proceeded to the subway station. The dog, it should be mentioned, wasn't too big, but there's a lot of walking to do when you are in Manhattan and I imagine the suitcase was getting heavy. Anyway, she 'clunked' her way down the subway stairs and onto the train. The actual train ride went without incident, but when the girl went to get off the subway, the suitcase became stuck in the doors. She began to pull, and she kept pulling, and still more pulling, but she couldn't dislodge the dog/suitcase from the subway doors. When it seemed all hope was lost, a man that had been standing on the platform approached her and asked if she would like some help. She gratefully accepted and he was able to get the suitcase out of the subway doors. Once all 3 were on the platform, the man asked if she would like help getting the suitcase up the stairs. She agreed gratefully and followed him up to the ground level. When they got to the street, the man gave her a quick glance and took off running with the suitcase. She protested for a moment, but then realized that all of her troubles were solved. The family was unhappy to lose the Burberry, but probably nothing in comparison to how the thief felt.

A funny thing happened on the way to the parking lot
This story is a bit more personal, in that it happened to me. Last night. Jon and I had gone to the grocery store and we did our shopping, paid for our groceries, and headed for the exit. In the place that I don't know the name of where all the shopping carts are kept, there was a woman struggling to get a shopping cart free. I'm the type of person that likes to help, so in a loud voice (much louder than I intended), I shouted "Ma'am". This exchange doesn't seem to harmless and I had her attention. I called out to her with the intention of giving her our shopping cart. The problem was that we didn't have a shopping cart. Hmm. Just as I shouted "Ma'am", this realization came to me, but it was too late to pretend I wasn't talking to her. So, with a feeling of impending doom, and as one who has embarrassed herself in public on many occasions, I did the only thing I could do-I asked if she needed help getting a cart free. She turned and thanked me for offering and muttered something about how men and store employees had walked by without offering and she said that I was very kind. I suppose that's partly true, but my offer to help was just a cover-up for my obvious lack of shopping cart. Not that I wasn't trying to help, but the 'save' was much nicer than my first intent. So, with that, when you shout to someone and offer them your shopping cart, make sure you actually have one.

THE END

"Life, the Universe, and Everything"...

Right now I'm reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-a very funny collection of books, and a short story all rolled into one. One of the books is called "Life, the Universe, and Everything". This particular book discusses the meaning of life and gives the answer to the Ultimate question, as determined by a super computer--the answer is 42. However, another super computer is then required to figure out the Ultimate Question.

When life gets complicated, I sometimes think "Wouldn't it be great if the answer to everything was 42?" Of course, this makes no sense, but "42" would certainly keep things interesting, in an unforeseeable way. Anyway, as I ramble about life, the universe, and everything, I'm listening to the rain and thunder outside, which was the inspiration for the the lightening background. I absolutely LOVE lightening. Although, I'm not a fan of the cold rain we've been having lately. I try to consider that the green foliage for which the East coast is famous would not be quite so green without the rain. And with that, I must remember the fact that we must all go through things we don't like in order to appreciate the good that happens to us and the things with which we are blessed. This leads me to contemplate the events of the last few months. In December, I posted a small bit about the fact that Jon graduated with his Bachelors in Art. We then began the process of looking for and applying to jobs, but with no success. It's only recently that we have been considering the prospect of Jon attending graduate school. This has been the result of zero positive response to Jon's job hunt and the current economic situation, which are directly related, we feel. So, this weekend, we visited a couple of grad schools and we've decided upon one that feels right. Now the challenge will be for Jon to get in. We think it's doable, but it will definitely require hard work and sacrifice. But we figure that most things that are 'worth it' are easy. In the famous words of a missionary companion of a friend of a sister and her husband, we're "just going to do it" and we shall see where this journey takes us. As President James E. Faust once said in an Ensign article from October 2002, "Let us not take counsel from our fears. May we remember always to be of good cheer, put our faith in God, and live worthy for Him to direct us. We are each entitled to receive personal inspiration to guide us through our mortal probation. May we so live that our hearts are open at all times to the whisperings and comfort of the Spirit." So with hopeful hearts and a leap of faith, we're going for it and we will be better for the experience, no matter what happens in the end.

This one's for you, Mom...

I was driving home the other night when I saw the most awesome sight--a professional Monster Truck. Generally, monster trucks are met with varying degrees of emotion ranging from love to hate and everything in between. However, in the Newbold family, they are met with delight. Granted, it's a strange reaction, but this reaction ties directly into the humor and history behind "Mom's Monster Truck". I'm not even sure how it began, but somewhere along the line, we came to associate monster trucks with Mom, because we always joked that any type of truck that was big, jacked up, and that had huge tires, was her vehicle of choice. Anyone who knows our fabulous mom knows that nothing could be further from the truth. But the joke continues to this day that whenever we see a truck of this type, and especially when accompanied by Mom, we say something along the lines of "Mom, there's your truck!", to which she replies with something like "Oh, my favorite!", or "Wow, that's a nice one!". So, when I saw this monster truck of monster trucks, I immediately thought of Mom. Weird, but true. Then, I determined that I had to have pictures of it, so that I could show her-even though we're 2000+ miles away. So, these are for you, Mom.

P.S. The castle in my last post was Hogwarts. I was in the mood for some HP without being obvious.

It's about time....

....to make a new post. It's been a while. The game is to guess which castle this is. Good luck...

I cried the day I took the tree down (and other random things)

Well, I changed the background on our blog. It was a winter evening scene with a pine tree decked out in beautiful Christmas lights. When I took that background off to put up this one, it sort of felt like taking down a Christmas tree and Christmas decorations. Then I recalled the title of a song called "I Cried the Day I Took the Tree Down". I don't profess to be a fan of this song. In fact, quite the opposite, but I had to chuckle as I copied and pasted the html for this background into the layout page.

On another random note, I vowed that I would never be one of those people who talked about their pet like it was their child. Nor did I ever think I would purchase a Halloween costume or other attire for my pet. Now, as you are about to see, not only have I done the aforementioned things, I'm posting pictures. Here are some pictures of Hugo: Asleep in the Olympic Dive Position, in his necktie and collar, and in his purple wig from Halloween. I even tried my hand at a little Photoshop to crop the pictures and blend some backgrounds-it's a very good thing that there's no option to zoom in because my lack of expertise would be readily apparent to all.

You may notice that he doesn't look happy in the wig pictures and one of the tie pictures, and rightly so! I guess that we justify this by the fact that we feed him and clean up his messes-and he makes many. His worst messes come from the fact that he likes to tip over cups of water, if left out, so that he can drink the water once it has spilled. If the water is high enough in the cup, he just drinks out of it. He also likes to scratch the tops of our books, so we have set out strips of duct tape, sticky side up, so that when he walks on the books to scratch them, he gets the tape stuck to his paws. It has worked quite well and he has learned to stay off the books. He's a good cat and really soft (very important) and we figure that if he were a person, he'd be an older and distinguished British gentleman. OK, enough about Hugo, whom we don't treat like our child, buy crazy things for, or post pictures of on our blog.

On the pictures of Hugo in the collar and tie, he's sitting on one of his favorite things-plastic bags. We were cleaning our room and found the tie, hence all the stuff on the floor around him.

Here's the wig, and he's not happy! Jon had to hold him because he doesn't hold still for a second when he's wearing his wig. And yes, it's a girl cat's wig. We just couldn't resist purple braids, even though Hugo's a boy.

Hmm. Nice bangs.


This is one of his favorite positions to sleep in. It looks like he's about to come out of his tuck after having completed some spectacular dive off the highest diving board. Maybe we can convince him to join the Olympic diving team. Maybe not.