Should be an interesting year.

Oil continues to increase in price and predictions are we'll be paying over $4 a gallon by June.

The mortgage crisis will continue with foreclosures at record levels.

The dollar continues to decrease in value.

I've already noticed that patients are opting to extract rather than save a tooth with a root canal and crown. In some areas that could put folks back $2,000. Most need the funds for gasoline.

God will continue to preach his sermons. Watch for continued instability in Pakistan and Afghanistan and our country needs to watch out for China. That country scares me.

President Hinckley will turn 98 in June. His first cousin, Elder Wirthlin will turn 91. With the exception of Bednar, our Prophets, Seers and Revelators are getting up there in years.

If Mitt gets the Republican nomination, look for all hell to break loose. My son has strangers walk up to him as a missionary and tell him they don't care about our Church but that they are voting for Mitt... and this is in liberal Oregon.

Through all of the trouble, tumult and turmoil there is one thing that can remain sure, steadfast and strong and that is how we determine to follow Our Savior and His living prophets.

That's all that really matters anyway.

BTW, as regards dentistry, my Bishop did something interesting on the 24th. He gave absolutely free dental care the whole day.
Now, they're not hurting for money, but they're not rich either. It's a sacrifice for him to do that.

I also think gas prices will rise. Pretty soon we'll be saying, "Remember when it was only $3 or $4 a gallon? And we were griping about it then?" I think the economy in general might be in for at least a recession. People playing with living paycheck to paycheck are really going to be hurting.

I also foresee a future in my life (could be many years) where I might have occasion to tell my young descendants, "Yeah, we used to have Wal-Mart and you wouldn't believe all the stuff we could get there. It's just impossible to imagine if you haven't lived it." That's why I'm taking our camcorder next time the family goes shopping there - let the kids narrate - I would like to see the stores just back from when I was little - how the brands change and stuff, people's clothes and hairstyles... get a little slice of 2008 in my "Wal-Mart trip" video.

Side note-- I just heard my baby in the kitchen - smack..laughing.... smack...laughing I checked on him and he was standing tippy-toed on the laid-down barstools (laid down or he'd be completely up on the counter). He'd knocked over a water bottle and was slapping his hand in the water. It must've slightly splashed him cuz then he'd laugh. Smack... laughing... Quite a cute little guy. 16 months old. So yes, we'd like to have another little angel come to our family in 2008.

Mahonri wrote:

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Oil continues to increase in price and predictions are we'll be paying over $4 a gallon by June.

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Good.  I hope it goes to $8 a gallon.  Maybe then we'll get serious about reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

Maybe Texans will stop buying those obscenely useless giant SUVs and I'll be a bit safer commuting by bicycle.  Maybe others will start commuting by bicycle and get the added health benefits as well.

One can dream...

We live 20+ miles from work. No public transportation to speak of. Three kids but we still drive a small, efficient sedan. We should be punished, too?

Gas is expensive but the sky isn't falling.

Jen wrote:

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Gas is expensive but the sky isn't falling.

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We need to work on your chicken little attitude, Jen. The sky IS falling. Just wait until the helicopters Mirk sent after me come for you. (That's all the info I plan on giving up under torture... your address )

No way I'm riding a bike to work.

With a banana seat and a little bell! And I flowered basket!

We have bicycle officers in Ft. Worth.  They work the downtown assignments with the mounted (as in horse) officers.  We have motorcycle officers, too.  If'n I was gonna be a cop, I'd be a motorcycle cop.

The New Year brought us a major winter storm last night. I think we got about 8 inches of snow.
Cat and I literally had to dig out both of our cars and our driveway in order for me to even attempt to get out of the driveway to get to work today.

Even then, our street wasn't plowed and it was a little tedious trying to get to the main road.

It was absolutely dead at work, unlike last year when it was really busy on New Year's Day.
Except for the last hour and a half of course, then everyone in his brother was coming in to drop off a prescription and wanted to wait for it. Now a couple of them I could understand, because the patients had just gotten out of the hospital. But, the others were scripts that people had for weeks or months and suddenly had to have "right away."

The funniest thing that happened today was some lady was picking up her scripts at the drive-thru and I told her her co-pays. She asked, "Why do I have a co-pay, usually I don't?"
I verified it was the right insurance and I said, "Well, maybe your plan changed and so did your co-pays since it's the first of the year."
It took a second for her to comprehend what I was saying then she said, "Ohhhhh yeaahhhhhh!
It's the first of the year, isn't it? That explains it! I haven't reached my out of pocket yet!
Oooookkkaaaay. Now I understand."

The pharmacist and I were thinking, "DUUUUHHHH!"