Making Decisions

"It’s important to make good decisions. But I spend much less time and energy worrying about 'making the right decision' and much more time and energy ensuring that any decision I make turns out right."

                                                                                            - Ed Batista

The Stories That Bind Us

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal recently called "The Stories That Bind Us". I highly recommend reading it. Our stake has had a goal for the past six months that every member of the stake would find an ancestor to perform temple work for before our next stake conference at the end of October, so family history has been on my mind.

This article tells about some really interesting research done on the impact family stories have on children. What is interesting is that they found children who were raised hearing stories about their family are actually more resilient, happier, healthier and have higher self-esteem. I think this principle of story telling applies to more than just families as well. Think about the stories we tell in the Church and the stories that have been told throughout the history of mankind:

• The fall of Adam and Eve (which is a story we are still taught today in the temple) and the Plan of Salvation. This is a story that binds us to the entire human family. The fall is something we can all relate to and definitely can help us be more resilient in times of trial.
• The many stories that have been told within the House of Israel throughout time. The story of Joseph in Egypt, the story of Moses leading them out of Egypt and delivering them, the story of a Messiah that would come to redeem Israel. These are stories that are all part of our family history.
• The stories of our more recent and direct ancestors, such as Samuel Lorenzo Adams getting married at the drop of a hat and sailing to America. I shared this in our ward recently and the sisters seem to be a little stand-offish now. I don't understand why.
• Then there are stories about the Peter and Melody Hall family. Wages Creek, Bodega Bay, breaking down on the way to Idaho, and Vanilla Ice come to mind. 

I have to say that I am grateful for the stories that bind us together as a family. I've listed below some memories, some are more story-like than others.

From my family members, including any cousins that have memories of our families interacting, I want to solicit stories in order to document our "family narrative" for our children and our grandchildren. Feel free to give as much or as little detail as possible. If you can think of any stories just comment on this post. Thanks!

• Swiss Colony, little smokies, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
• Bodega Bay  - "Yo Vanilla, kick it one more time, boooyyyy!"
• Breaking down on the way to Idaho (x15)
• Wages Creek. Getting up early to go out and collect shells when the tide was out. Watching grandpa Hall play horseshoes. Michelle making friends with just about anyone and everyone Michelle boogie boarding without a wetsuite. Waking up and hearing dad starting the fire, then getting up and having hot chocolate and pop tarts.
• Digging out half of the pool to make a "deep end".
• Kim realizing that her bike was green.
• Popcorn and cranberries on the Christmas tree.
• Doorbell ditching plates of cookies at Christmas.
• Mom making clothes for us.
• Having extra money left over after the garage was built and getting a trampoline!
• That time Michelle got here appendix out the hard way.
• That time Chris got his appendix out after the worst camping trip ever.
• Having "the cousins" come over to swim.
• Coming home from trips to Idaho and seeing that the deck around the pool had been painted by "the cousins".
• Dad trying to be good and have family home evening even though there was a Giants game on, and somehow successfully getting both done.
• The "little blue car" that Pam drove in high school. You could hear it coming from a mile away.

Chalk the Block

Last weekend Becca and I went to an event called "Chalk the Block". It is held at an outdoor mall in Provo called the Riverwoods. Each artist takes a parking stall and they probably had 50+ pieces. Here are a few that I especially liked:

Faster than a speeding train.

Its time to start the show.

Great memories with Max.

Scooooby-doo!

This one was so cool because the artist intentionally drew it for people to take pictures with. Doesn't it look like we are actually in the drawing? Mary Poppins comes to mind.

I'm feeling so mel-onc-oly. 

Idaho 2013

Last week a few of my friends and I took a trip up to Idaho to do some hiking and camping. Here are some highlights.

The "Blue Hole" in Rigby, ID. Best rope swing around. This is me halfway through a backflip.

The Darby Wind Caves, a must see if you are ever near Driggs, ID. Its a really neat cave with a waterfall coming out of it. Its only 5 miles round trip, pretty accessible for just about anyone.

Inside the cave (from left to right): Jerika Terry, Philip Stewart (not sure why his sunglasses are on, there wasn't an ounce of light), Jarom Bridges, and Nate Llewellyn.

Me and Becca Pike on our way out of the cave, at the mouth of the waterfall (it is a spring that comes out at the mouth of the cave).

Someone got this candid shot of Becca and I eating lunch at the base of the waterfall. 

We visited Jackson for an evening.

Our campsite. The highlight (for me, others may have their own opinion) was reading "The Cremation of Sam McGee".

Saturday morning we woke up to blue skies, but they didn't last long. Just as we finished cooking breakfast a dark thunderstorm rolled in. Within minutes lightning was cracking overhead (directly overhead once, which got our hearts beating) and the rain was pouring. So, we quickly threw everything into cars, except breakfast, which ended up in the bear box. So we took turns putting our breakfast burritos together under the tarp, then getting in the cars to eat. 

Due to the inclement weather, we decided to bag our Table Rock hike. We went west and found a great hike to a bridge in the middle of nowhere. In this picture you can see the storm we escaped, and the beautiful alternative we enjoyed. 

I know there are a lot of these, but it was really incredibly beautiful. 

After the hike to the bridge, we had some milkshakes at one of my favorite places, the Frostop, in Ashton.

That evening we headed back to Rexburg and showered and relaxed. Some of our company had never been to Rexburg, so we decided to treat them to the well known "Taco Truck", which has been upgraded to a bus since I left Idaho.

Sunday we attended a student ward on BYU-Idaho's campus. As we were about to go we decided we needed to grab a bite to eat first, and it turned into some kind of tailgate party. We had some strange looks but it was fun.

David vs. Goliath

Two months ago I started studying a stack of books six cubits and a span high. Each morning I would grab my backpack and drive to the Tanner building on the BYU campus. I would climb the stairs to my locker on the third floor and enter the combination. And there they were. In total there were 12 books. One Princeton Review, one Kaplan, one Offical GMAT Guide, one Official GMAT Quantitative Review, and eight Manhattan GMAT books. On a typical day I would take 2-3 books with me and find a quiet study room down the hall.

I'd spend anywhere from 3 to 6 hours reading about tips and strategies, doing practice problems, and memorizing important information such as prime numbers and standard triangles (I told you it was important information).

The day I knew the studying had started to sink in I was at a ward activity. We had a picture scavenger hunt, and each team received a certain number of points based on the difficulty of the pictures. When our team got back I heard someone say we had 121 points. I immediately thought "the prime factors of 121 are 7, 3, 2, and 5".

On Wednesday night I would attend class from 5-9, and again Saturday morning from 8am-noon. All in all I spent about 200 hours studying for this 4 hour test.  I downloaded a GMAT app on my phone and would do practice problems in my head when I had a few minutes of waiting. As the test approached, I began preparing in other ways for the test. I knew I was in a habit of eating lunch around noon each day, but my test was from 10-2 so I wouldn't be able to eat lunch. Not wanting to be hungry during the test, I started eating a later breakfast and not eating lunch until after 2 so my body was used to it. I took 10 practice tests, and most of them between 10 and 2, so I could simulate the actual test as much as possible. I visited the testing center, twice. I wanted to be as familiar with it as I could so I felt comfortable on the day of the test. I met the nice lady that would check me in and had a good conversation with her. I bought blueberries and almonds for snacks during the test. I even asked a friend to give me a massage the night before to help me relax.

The night before the test I didn't sleep all that much. But thankfully, I had slept well the few nights before. I got up around 6:00 and showered and read the scriptures. Then I realized I was exhausted and laid back down for about 30 minutes. Around 7:30 I got up and ate eggs and toast for breakfast, then spent some time doing practice problems and reviewing flash cards. At 9am I went out to my car to find two notes and a Snickers on my windshield from some friends, then headed off to Draper to the testing center. As I drove, I thought about all the friends and family who had been praying for me. I thought about all that I had done to prepare. I had done everything I could think of. I said a prayer and explained that I had done all I could, and that I was leaving the rest up to the Lord. When I first sat down my mind was a little slow and groggy. But instead of getting more tired as the test wore on, surprisingly, I felt more and more energized.

There is a moment at the end of the GMAT when you are asked if you want to report your scores or not. If you say yes, the score is on your permanent record. If you say no, then it is as if you were never there. I wasn't even slightly tempted by that option. I hit "Report Score" and braced myself.

710.

I couldn't believe it. I mean, I could, but I couldn't. I knew it was possible. But it was the highest score I had  ever gotten, even out of all 10 practice tests. I realize it isn't really that exceptional of a score. It is decent, but nothing to make a big deal about. But for me it was more than a score. It represented more than my best effort. I knew I hadn't done it by myself. It was a witness to me that God does hear and answer our prayers. It was a confirmation that anything is possible with hard work, sacrifice, and the blessings of heaven. I knew going into it that I might fail. Failure is a normal part of life. But, as Theodore Roosevelt observed,“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” 

I have to say that this has been a most unique and incredible experience. In sum, it is a perfect example of the scripture I keep at the top of my blog, “Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation God, and for his arm to be revealed.” Doctrine and Covenants 123:17

Thanks for reading. Now go out and conquer the world. You can do it. If you don't believe me, just ask my friend Jessica:

The Santa Clause

Its on Kim.

So, my friend has an app that you can use to make yourself look overweight. In case anyone was wondering what I would look like with another 70-80 pounds and another chin...

It reminded me of the movie "The Santa Clause", without the beard. 

Christmas Meadows

I had no idea I had so much influence over Kim's blog. So here is another post, we will see if it works again :)

This Friday I went with my roommates and a few girls in our ward up to my roommates cabin in Christmas Meadows. It is about an hour and a half east of Heber. We had such a blast. We saw a moose, had a campfire, hiked, crossed logs in rivers, played board games, ate great food, played horseshoes, shot BB guns, split firewood, took naps, recited poetry, and enjoyed nature.

Here are a few pictures of our adventure.

Jason (left) and Phil (right) making breakfast.

Ashley (left) and Jerika (right) waiting for breakfast.

Breakfast. We forgot the eggs. So, we sauteed apples and put them on the English muffins with ham and cheese. They were so good!

The cabin was on a hill that overlooked a little valley with a river. 

From left to right: Jessica, Ashley, Jerika, Jason, Phil, me. 

Conquering the Mountain

About a week ago I hiked the mountain by my house in Provo.

I had no map.

I had no GPS.

I had no trail.

I had no knowledge other than what I could see.

Just me and the mountain.

It was awesome.

What did I learn?

Well, this is how I got up the mountain: I would look around me, and based on what I could see I would take what looked like the easiest and best path up. That put me in some precarious situations. At one point, as I was literally pulling myself up by grabbing roots and what not, I realized "this hill is so vertical that if I were to lay down, I would just slide all the way down!"

Eventually I made it up the mountain, but I realized later that it was definitely not the most effective way that I could have made it up the mountain (which was actually fine with me; I did this purely to feel like a man and conquer the mountain). In fact, someone told me that there is a trail on the other side that I could have used to get about halfway up. 

I realized on my way up that there are a lot of parallels between climbing a mountain and life. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us all the things I was missing. It teaches us about the entire plan, and provides a map of where we came from, where we are, and where we are going. The Holy Ghost is like a GPS that can  beep at us and tell us (in an English accent?) that we need to turn around. It even recalculates our course when we make a wrong turn, and tells us how to get back on track. We have a trail, a path to walk, outlined by the example of the life of Christ. He showed us how to live and where to make our daily walk. Through faith we can know much more than we can see. Our knowledge is not limited to our sight. We can know spiritual truths as well. And finally, it is not just me and the mountain. I have a companion, a Savior, every step of the way. And when (not if) I do fall, He is there to pick me up and help me keep moving upward. 

Here are a few pictures. 

This is right before the final ascent. 

This is a view of Springville from the top. It was a beautiful day. 

Found this cave on the way down. Yes I looked for wild animals. No I didn't find any. 

Here is a view of my neighborhood from the top. The red line outlines my ward, and the star is where my house is. 

Carlos Sanchez

Hi everyone, I know this is the second post in a row that I am asking for help, so I promise to give you some really good material this summer.

A good friend of mine has a roommate that recently found out he has a large brain tumor. They scheduled a surgery immediately, but he needs help paying for it. As you can imagine, it is not cheap. Please take a look at this GiveForward page to find out more. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Class Project Survey

Hey family and friends, I am working on a project for one of my classes right now and need a little help. If you have a few minutes, would you mind filling out this short survey?

Class Project Survey

Thanks!