Author: Richard Himmer

Author, PhD in Organizational Psychology.

The Birth of Abigail

An Evening with Estrogen

On June 13, 1984 my life changed forever. My lovely bride, Cheri, presented me with a son. This was before the day of ultra-sounds and i-pods. Back then, were we excited to hear the pitter-patter of a tiny heart beating. The doctors and specialists would listen and then caveat their opining with the ever careful; there is no proof, BUT…prologue.


Nowadays we not only get their gender but their attitude as well, for example: see how she’s tilting her head? Oh look at his hands, he’s a basketball player, boy the apple won’t fall far from this tree…and on it goes.

Seattle To Portland 2008

Seattle To Portland

2008

What a great ride we had this year. I can’t remember a ride that had so many variables, accidents, flat tires, chain derailments, heat, great people, rides, congestion, pain, etc. Our cast of heroes this year had a few additions, but it was our largest team, which also meant the most variables possible. Our team this year was:

From Manhatten, NY Bryant Blanchard

From Sacramento, CA Mark O’Guinn

From Seattle, WA Lisa Petersen

From Gig Harbor, WA Timothy Holmes, Kyle Gomm, Bradford Van Duker, Mark Van Duker, & me

Jesus Christ: The Cornerstone of America

Jesus Christ: The Cornerstone of America
October 24, 1999


Thomas Jefferson said: “Those who expect to be ignorant and to be free, expect something that never was and never will be.”

Everyone within this room has an innate desire to be free. But free from what? Free from pain, free from hunger, free from fatigue, free from fat, free from pimples, free from finding a date every weekend, free from homework, free from finding a job when school is finished. Free from political correctness, (the anti-thesis of the 1st amendment), free from government, free from sin, free from crime, free from a menacing lack of self-esteem. Free from big thighs, skinny legs, that guy in your math class who won’t leave you alone. Free from the past! Free from the present and even free from the future.

Stuart to the MTC

Yesterday was a big day for the Himmer Family as we delivered Stuart into the MTC in Provo, UT. This is our 3rd son to serve a mission. He will spend 3 weeks in the Provo MTC learning Spanish and then fly to Madrid Spain where he will spend another 6 weeks in intensive study learning ‘Spain’ Spanish along with the concepts of Preach My Gospel. (He will return speaking Spanish with a lisp.)

We landed in Salt Lake on Tuesday and headed to Temple Square only to learn that the Temple was closed. So we picked up some things at the Distribution Center and ate lunch.

The Ice Cream Experience

Last night we conducted another edition of the ‘Ice Cream Experience’ in our home. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, it was originally called the Ice Cream Game, but participants felt the word game gave off the feeling of lightheartedness and frivolity, which is not part of the ‘Experience.’

The purpose of the ‘Experience’ is to own 100% of our communication. The ‘Experience’ teaches us how to own 11 different emotional spaces. This is a Marshall Thurber invention.

The ‘Experience’ is played with a conductor who directs the proceedings and is responsible for the interventions.

Are You A Religious Bureaucrat or Entrepreneur

Yesterday we got into a very lively discussion on the topic of Religious Bureaucrats versus Religious Entrepreneurs around the dinner table.   It’s been fun watching the facial reactions when I pose the question and even more enjoyable listening to the responses.

Let’s use these definitions as the basis of the discussion:

Bureaucrat: An administrator concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of the people’s needs. Someone who wants to perpetuate the status quo with the motive of safety and security.

Entrepreneur: someone who has a set of principles and is willing to take risks on behalf of those principles.

A Father’s Day Tribute

God The Father
Father’s Day 2008

I don’t remember the exact details, but this is what I’ve put together so far. The spirits were innumerable, but we all felt we had front row seats. The Father presented His plan, we would take on a mortal body, different from the spiritual one we currently have. We were all excited, but we didn’t know exactly what that meant.

He taught us that we would be in a fallen state, sin would be rampant and people would make poor choices that would directly and indirectly lead to a lot of suffering and pain. We learned that when we made a poor choice, He would allow the natural consequences to happen, which was another way of saying we would be punished for our own sins.

Issaquah Triathalon

Cheri in the transition area

This year we celebrated our 3rd Annual Issaquah Triathalon.

The team members are Brandi Clark (our Polynesian fish)

Jamie Gomm (our long legged Gazelle) &

Cheri (the Lance Armstrong of the team)

The girls wanted a PB this year. (PB stands for Personal Best and not Peanut Butter for those of you outside the vernacular of sports enthusiasts.)

Just before the start Jamie knew she was ready for a great performance. Her time trials were all better than the previous two years.

Cheri trained hard this year and after last year ride knew she could improve. (Last year Cheri had just returned from Israel and was sick on race day.)

Bowling, I remember when…

For Cheri’s birthday in July of last year, I performed less than stellar for my part and felt a need to make it up to her. So we had a Wah-half birthday party because she wah’d about her lack of a birthday and I felt very guilty. For the experience we put together some “I Remember When” stories. Here is one of my first memories of Cheri back in 1981 when we were just dating.

The picture is with Cheri in Salzburg.

I Remember When…
December 28, 2007
Cheri’s Wah-Birthday party

The Hope Island Adventure

The Himmer High Adventure
The Hope Island Saga
September 2006

And so it was, that after I had committed to my family that we would schedule our lives around family events instead of my work, we planned a kayak trip to Hope Island that would include all the human members of our family. These plans were set weeks in advance, yea, perhaps even months. Winston Churchill was fond of saying that the plan is insignificant compared to the planning; in fact, it’s all about the planning.

Swimming with Samuel

My Mood Board

Yesterday on the way home from work, Charles and I were lamenting about how tired we were. Monday was memorial day and we packed two days worth of activities into the one. In the midst of our lament, my phone rings, Samuel, my 6-year old is calling his father. “Dad, where are you?” he asks. I told him I was in the car driving home. “Oh good,” he exclaims, “I want you to take me swimming at the Y!”

The Science of Scripture Study

The Middoni Principle
&
The Science of Scripture Study

Here is an excerpt from Ammon’s missionary journal; in particular the conversion stories of King Lamoni and his father King Laman. At the end of the stories are 5 steps that greatly enhance the study process. The brethren have exhorted us to move from a reading church to a studying church. These steps are instrumental in helping to position your mind so the scriptures come alive. As James Ferrill notes in his new book: “The Holy Secret,” studying the scriptures should be a dialogue and not a monologue. The 5 steps cited are also taken from his book.

Power and Gift of Agency

The Power and Gift of Agency
April 6, 2008

As spirit children of God, we engaged in a bitter war while in the Pre-mortal existence. During that battle, we defended the Word with the word. Our Leader was Jehovah, who stood on the right hand of His Father and was designated as the only conduit back to the presence of the Father.

We were taught that whenever we heard, saw, or felt the presence of Jehovah, it was the same as though it came from our Father. This doctrine is called the “Divine Investiture of Authority.” Jehovah became the singular Agent of His Father. He has total authority to act in behalf of the Father with the express purpose of bringing all souls back His presence.