Category: Personal

Memory over the Memorial, originally uploaded by shaycam.

Just got back from vacation to D.C. I will post some photos and a blog soon.. stay tuned..

We See Things Upside Down, originally uploaded by shaycam.

You should definitely head over to http://shayandbethany.com right now and see what’s up with us!

Not only am I always online, but my friends are too! Here’s a review of some recent happenings from my frends via twitter (click on any one of their names if you want to see where I took these from):

Zach watched water polo:

“I like water polo. It’s the water version of soccer.”

Jonny asked for a raise:

“Asking for a raise is one of the most awkward things to do… ”

Megan made her daughter laugh:

“I got my kid to laugh at me today. There are few things that have brought more joy to my heart.”

Josh Z. was taking care of some business:

“In nashville doing meetings. Top 10 favorites. Sarcasm is hard too portray in just words on paper.”

Josh has too much time on his hands:

“watching a seagull try to land on our skylight and being humored by his inability to stand on a slick surface.”

Steve’s feet hurt:

“my feet hurt.”

Abe lives in L.A. and still likes it:

“Traffic at 10 o’clock at night. Got to love LA.”

Christian was doing ministry:

“At the sixth grade graduation for the kids i started with two years ago, and praying they will still love jesus in jr high and high school.”

Gary was frustrated:

“Nurse at Dr.’s office: “I am sorry Mr. Edwards we cannot remove your stitches today because we don’t have HMO approval.” Seriously, what?!?!”

And I was enjoying my birthday presents:

“Completely amazed by my new Mute Math DVD.”

This is just a sample, a taste if you will, of the great things that can be done with internet gizmos like twitter. Be sure and check out my twitter if you get some time as every now and then life just has some funny things that happen :).

Happy first day of summer everyone.

I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (3) over the weekend. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil the ending for you right now. But I left the theater with something on my mind: What would Walt think?

By Walt I hope none of you are thinking about some uncle or grandpa in your family, but none other than Walt Disney: The creator and original “imagineer” of the Disney company. A man with a true vision to enlighten the hearts of children and bring quality family entertainment into the world. His company, the Disney Company, has produced hundreds of great, classic family films. Most of these films have won awards for the music, writing, and even animation and many hold places in all of our hearts as to our own childhood memories. Yet when I left Pirates on Saturday night, I couldn’t help but wonder what he would say if he were around today.

*warning… I’m going to talk a little bit about the film. I’ll won’t spoil it, but I figured I would at least give you the opportunity to quit now if you want :).
Honestly, I was surprised about how dark the film really was. I understand that it’s dealing with pirates and mysticism and whatnot, but even the opening scene was a far cry from something I would bring a family to. Footage of people being hanged to death (even small children) started the film off with a bad vibe. Futhermore, I believe the film to be a lot more suggestive in it’s nature this time around. Jokes about the main female character in the film or just the occasional “suggestion” of something sexual just didn’t seem to fit in with the “Disney magic” that we all know. I guess it really just surprised me to see the Disney name on this film. Disney (the company) has always been known for being pretty conservative with their films. Historically they have chosen not to purchase films or scripts based on the nature of the film and the content. They have grown as a family oriented company by keeping in with this model, but I wonder how this film slipped through the cracks. Even comparing Pirates 1 and 2 to the third, number 3 just simply took everything to the next level, and not always in a good way.

So what wold Walt think? Would he of even allowed the first film to be made? Honestly, I doubt it. I don’t think Walt Disney’s vision for the Pirates of Caribbean included hanging people and nightmares for children. I understand that our culture has changed and kids are seeing more violence and disturbing behavior then ever be fore and be a bit desensitized to it. But let Warner Bros. buy those films or let Universal create that big blockbuster. Call me old fashioned, but is there any morality left in companies any more? Walt Disney created films and themeparks aimed at kids and if adults had a good time too, then that was a bonus. He was a kid at heart. Honestly, I think if Walt was alive he would’ve taken the hit at the box office (if it led to that) to make a movie for the whole family.

So C’mon Disney Co., have you forgotten how you got to where you are today?

(this is open ended discussion for anyone who would want to comment with their own opinions)

Never before today have I had a reason to share this story with my blogging friends. That is until now…

About nine months ago I took a job with a company called Amp’d Mobile. They hired me as a designer for their web department. Though the job was really only 30 miles away, the traffic in the Los Angeles and surrounding areas made it an hour and forty-five minute commute, one way. But the pay was fantastic for a guy my age and with the little experience I had, so I took the plunge as a commuter on the 405 freeway and went to work faithfully every day. My job was very cool. I worked with bands/artists material and created the specific branding for those artists on the Amp’d web pages. The people I worked with were some of the best designers I have met and were all very gifted. Though the hours at work were longer than I expected and the three hour commute wasn’t my idea of a good time, I worked hard because I wanted to provide for my family and honor the Lord.

A few days into my job I was asked to make a few edits on some photos. Of course, my first reaction was to say “sure, no problem,” but my producer followed his question with “oh… it’s just some girls in bikini’s.. you don’t have a problem with that do you?” This new knowledge changed my response rapidly and I replied, “actually, I do.” I think at first he was surprised that I wouldn’t work on that kind of material, but he said “ok, no problem… I’ll take care of it.” There wasn’t another conversation with him about it and so I figured it was no big deal. A few days later that guy was fired for reasons that are still unknown to me, but they had something to do with his previous performance and nothing to do with me. So the web department was joined with the print department and we were all one happy family. That is until about three weeks into my new job.

Quite literally as I was sitting at my desk working hard on a new motocross ad, the art director said “Shay, come in to my office.” At first it kind of scared me because not only was he behind me and I didn’t see him, but he never really said that to anyone before. Yet I was sure I had done nothing wrong, so I went in like he asked, and that’s when things got serious. He told me that he had heard about my unwillingness to work on the “mature content” (as they called it). He continued by adding that if I wouldn’t work on that material that basically I wouldn’t be doing the job they hired me for and therefore could lose my job. (This is kind of like the point where your little “shoulder angels” pop up). My stance was firm. I would not work on their adult material even if it cost me my job, and I made that clear to him right there in his office. He said he understood and followed that by “let’s go,” and we walked straight from his office to the HR office where they were waiting for me to sign paperwork and cut me my last check. HR apologized and said, “we are learning to.” They said as well that they were going to start telling people about this material in the interview process in hopes of thwarting any other “Shay’s” that might work there. Furthermore, HR stated that they were working on some bigger deals with some adult entertainment companies and there would only be more of this kind of thing. They cut me a handwritten check right there, I signed some paperwork, packed my stuff, and I left the office at noon that day for the shortest drive home in history.

I have spared some of the details for sake of your time and mine, but that’s the gist of the story. I left work that day without knowing what the Lord would do with me or where he might lead me next. Yes, it was scary, and yes, it was difficult. I definitely shed some tears on my drive home, but I knew I couldn’t compromise my faith for a paycheck. Now fast forward to today. I’m currently employed full-time at a company I probably couldn’t even dream up. I have a sweet job that’s only 10 minutes from home, they feed me lunch every day, and I will never have to work on anything remotely close to adult material.

Finally, I read this article just yesterday. Amp’d Mobile declared bankruptcy. Apparently if your customers stop paying their bills, it’s a bad thing for business. You might call it poetic justice for wrongfully firing me, but I honestly see it as the sovereignty of God. Now, let me be clear. I don’t want to laugh and scoff at them because of their unfortunate business circumstance. As I stated earlier, the people who worked there were very talented, and I hope they don’t lose their jobs. But it does make me see the Lord’s hand upon my own life. How he can make things happen and grow my faith so I can see more of who He is. I couldn’t be in a better workplace then where I am right now, and had it not been for Amp’d Mobile, I probably would’ve never gotten my new job. Everyday the Lord allows evil to continue on this Earth, but every now and then he has to stop it. I don’t know the future for Amp’d Mobile, maybe they’ll get back on their feet. But what I do know is that God has His hand upon his children, and when they seek to obey him, He will honor them. I hope that you understand that I am not saying this in a prideful way to exalt myself with this story. I am sharing with you some things I am learning about my great God and how much he loves His kids.