Birds just wanna have fun (like girls and quakers)

'ello.

So this past week...one of the parakeets died. Lil' ol' Blueberry. (she was blue). It wasn't altogether unexpected. But it was still a little sad.

Over the years...I believe we've had a total of 6 different parakeets (well, technically, they're budgerigars). They're wonderful little birds, very small, very fun, and pretty easy to teach. The first four we got when I was like...four. There was a green one (which we named Lettuce/Leafy, depending on the day), a white one (Frosty), a yellow one (Sunny), and a blue one (Blueberry). Blueberry didn't like us. But they all seemed to enjoy themselves, and climbed around on rope toys, and pecked at themselves in mirrors, and whatever else budgies do.

Good ol' Leafy was a wonderful bird. He always would climb up and down your arm, chirp softly, and just do good birdy things. And then he died, because he was rather old when we got him.

Frosty was a good bird too. Always doing the finger-ladder and stuff. When I was around ten, my younger sister Sara, friend Mitch, and I all "married" Frosty to Blueberry. We had a toy car and a red "carpet" made of red construction paper (apparently in our young minds, good weddings had red carpets), and a whole lot of willpower, because Blueberry bit each of us several times.

The first Blueberry, as aforementioned, was never that nice to us. And someone put a strange plant on top of the cage, which she nibbled, and then she died. We got another blue bird and named her Blueberry as well. And she was prettier but even more feisty. And now she's dead. (not as a direct cause. We don't kill birds...)

The first Sunny was great, too. And then she flew into a wall and died. We buried her in a box in the back yard. And we got a new yellow bird, also named Sunny, who is the only one alive today. Since she's all alone, I like to turn on a classical music station on pandora for her during the day when nobody's home, so it's not too deathly quiet around, and she chirps seemingly happily.

So that would be all I've got for you now. I've made a whole list of things I wanna post about though. So...stay tuned? I mean...few people probably actually read this, and I don't always tend to write very interestingly or have anything good to say, but neither do most bloggers, so whateva.

Adios

Support your alliances.

Hey, a post in a somewhat timely manner. I'm on a roll!

First, an explanation. You may be wondering about this blog's title. Well, it's somewhat punny in 3 ways. First, seeing as my name is Kaden, my sisters like to call me "'den". Second, I've also been called a "piano ninja" by at least two people, and I quite like it :) and thirdly, I'm white...which is not a racial slur, but rather an observation that most ninjas you hear about are Asian. So, there you go. It's at least a little creative, no?

Anyway...on to the point of the post.
Recently, I came across this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po7k5O9LtBo&feature=player_embedded
(watch it if you want to know what I'm talking about).
...and it got me thinking a little bit (shocker, there). What is it about our country that we love so much? Is it the freedom, and the principles that it's built upon, that we love? Surely, we enjoy these blessings...though we probably don't appreciate them as we should. But what about people who live in those countries that don't ensure the freedoms we have? National pride is not just an American phenomenon, after all. Perhaps...we, as human beings, just feel more comfortable when we know that there are others around us who will work with us, side with us, protect us.
But it isn't just our country that we support. We may have school pride, or team pride, or even just good ol' hometown pride. These are all things that help contribute to one's identity. But what's the point of it all?
Without support, an institution cannot stand. And allow me to quote Lincoln; a house divided cannot stand. (70% of all people think of Abraham Lincoln during an awkward silence...not really, but now you will. The statistic is growing!!)
So you may ask, why should an institution remain standing? There are some that should probably go away...because they do harm to others. But the majority of important institutions are somewhat beneficial, no? A country should protect the rights of its citizens from those who are ill-intentioned. A town can bring friends and neighbors. A school should educate. A team should provide fellowship. A family should provide a loving home. We are socially-oriented beings, are we not? We get enjoyment from the companionship of others. So what's to stop us from supporting those around us so they can get a bit of enjoyment out of life, too?
And though we may not actually know everyone in a group to which we belong...it doesn't mean we can't be influential to them.
I commend that little boy in the video for standing up and supporting his country. If only everyone had that sort of dedication, I think we could make some social progress.
And you may not disagree with something, but it doesn't mean you're right. It doesn't mean they're right either. However, there is always some degree of coexistence to be found with those we differ from. Don't just support something because you want the other side to lose; support it because it's what you believe in.
Uphold your standards. Cherish your country. Get to know those new neighbors. Strengthen your family. And root for your team :) because without companionship...without brotherhood...without integrity, life almost just isn't worth it. And you are just another mouth to feed.

Adjö.
[Swedish is a cool language]


p.s. go BYU!

Introductions and Promises

Hi!

I've decided to actually justify the existence of this blog, and make a commitment to update it. So I'll just start telling you a little about myself...and we'll go from there.

Let's see...well, I'm a high school student who's lived his whole life in Utah. I've always identified myself among the "nerds" or whatever you wanna call em, and I've loved every single moment of it. I'm an Eagle Scout, have a 4.0 gpa, and I'm very happy to say that I'm LDS. I love reading, skiing, and making music.

My family (+ some extensions...):



So what else do I do with my life? Well...I spend a lot of time practicing piano. What kind of music? Classical all the way...yeah boii. You might say I'm a little bit of a concert pianist in training. I like it a lot.
Our family also loves to go boating during the summer...and it is a guarantee that nobody can hang onto the tube when Dad's driving.
We live on our "little farm" with 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 parakeets, some chickens, some ducks, and even a couple rabbits. It's great fun :)


Louie (who is very smart) and Timmy (who is a fatty).


A couple of the chickens and a plump, juicy rabbit.



That's Lexi in the back (she's my favorite), and Lucy is the one going "heeeey!"



So...that's a little bit of a start. I'm going to be thinking of ideas for new posts. Meanwhile, why don't you consider your own life? How did you get to where you are today?


Until next time...bai.