Busy! Things have been very busy lately with house renovations, learning a new side of the business, and trying to keep up in school. I guess I got myself into a mess with all the deadlines and work involved, but I prefer being busy to being bored; truth be told.

I also switched (sort of by accident) to the Google version of the blog and now I can’t get into it while I’m at work – did I say that out loud? OOPS!

Couple of interesting details I am learning in the world of appraisal:

The appraisal is chocked full of details which might seem peculiar to most people… First, since the #1 Rule of Real Estate is LOCATION, the #2 Rule of Real Estate is LOCATION and the #3 Rule of Real Estate is, you guessed it, LOCATION, there’s quite a bit of reading on the history of the county, the first developing entrepreneurs, the major employers in the region, the functionality & accessibility of transportation, etc. Interesting details! Assuming you’re interested, here are some details I’ve seen:

- The County of LA is the most populated county in the nation. As one of the first of 27 counties in the State of California, it was created in 1850 and given the title of “Pueblo del Rio de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula” (“The Town of the River of Our Lady, Queen of Angels”).
- If the County of LA were evaluated as a separate nation, it would rate 14th in terms of Gross National Product.
- No surprise: CA rated #4 in the nation when it comes to expenses related to doing business.
- The City of Long Beach is the second most populated city (after LA, the top).

Okay, enough of that.

A few weeks ago, I ran into an old friend at the chiropractor’s office and he told me about an outreach right up our alley: distribution of a DVD about Joseph Smith, Jr. and Jesus. It was a “gift” on the doorsteps of Mormons throughout the nation. Anyway, so Will and I were distributing the DVD in La Mirada. Great stuff! Those individuals in our paths mostly refused the DVD, but for the most part, there wasn’t a lot of interaction on a Sunday afternoon…. So, I made my way around the neighborhoods and came across this house where a man and a woman were in the garage watching TV, smoking & drinking beer. I offered them a DVD, which they accepted – no contest. Then, as I was walking away, I heard:

Hey brothers and sisters,

Listen to me,

I'm talking to you religiously,

My Mormon Rap will make you see,

That I'm as funky as Donny and Marie.

When I go to church,

I'm in a good mood,

Cause they all treat me

Like a righteous dude.

When I watch tv,

I feel inspired,

Cause I listen to the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

I'm a fine young man,

I'm living clean,

Don't smoke, don't drink,

If you know what I mean.

Don't touch Soda Pop if

It has caffiene,

You might say I'm a good little Sunbeam.

I didn't even date,

Until I turned 16,

I don't even know

The meaning of the word obscene.

Flipp'n, fetch'n, scruddle-dee-me,jimminy cricket,

and fiddledy-dee!

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

Now Brigham Young,

He's my main man,

Cause He brought the

Pioneers to the promised Land.

Brother Brigham might be related to me,

I'll check it out when I do my genealogy.

He didn't want settle just anywhere,

That's why we've got a place called Temple Square

I wish I could've seen old Brigham's Face

When he said "Oh baby, this is the place!"

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

I met a Mormon girl just yesterday,

Who had a real sweet spirit,

In her own choice way.

I said "Hey, I'm on my way to the Dairy Queen,

Would you like to join me for a bowl of Ice Cream"

She said "Sure, why Certainly,

But you're gonna have to wait til after three,

I've gotta give a lesson and a recipe,

To my Relief Society"

I was thinking of another nice place to go,

So I took my baby to the wild road show,

Refreshments look real good to me,

Red punch, white cookies, and mint candy

Then I took her home,

Nice place she had,

That's where I met her mom and dad,

I said "How do ya do? and I'm pleased to meet ya"

And the door bell rang, was the Home Teachers

I looked at my baby and she said with a smile,

"We might be here for a little while"

I said "Come On girl, lets go and ride,

Cause we're gonna be late for the fireside!"

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

My bishop asked if we're going steady,

And we said, "No sir, cause we're not ready,

We've got some important things to do,

Like graduate from BYU --

And sometime later in the fall,

I'm gonna recieve my mission call!

Don't you worry, I'll be flyin'

Right back home to the land of Zion!"

Put Salt Lake City on the map,

When we all do the Mormon Rap!

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

Mormon, Mormon Rap,

Do the Mormon Rap

"Hey Mom, What are we having for dinner?

Green Jello Salad with Shredded Carrots? MY FAVORITE!!"

Come on all you kids get in the Station Wagon,

We're gonna be late for cub scouts!"

http://www.ahfunaki.com/mormonrap.html

What else could I do? LAUGH!!! I asked him where he heard that and he said he owned the tape! I continued to laugh and told him I did too. And I asked him to watch the DVD. Of all the houses I went to, I want to follow up with that one!

And it’s funny how when you’re moving toward doing things, coincidences like running into an old friend that sparks conversation about things like Mormonism come to mean more. An accident? Hardly!

May God bless those individuals BOLD enough to ASK questions and that they would be persistent to SEEK answers. Hey, look at that: ASK, SEEK & FIND. God is good! And He has great compassion!

Now, back to class!