David Peter Hall

Holidays!

2011-12-01T19:22:00.001-08:00

I was home last week to be with mom and dad for Thanksgiving. I don't have many pictures but here are a couple. You might have already seen this first one on Dad's blog. I put the smiley face on the pie... but you couldn't have planned the cherry filling bubbling out any better if you tried.

While I was there we spent a day at Bodega Bay. Dad and I both went boogie boarding and caught some good waves. We also got a good nap in, there is no better place to nap than on the beach.

THEN tonight my roommate and I went and bought a Christmas tree! We had a good time decorating it and the rest of the room while we listened to Mannheim Steamroller.

HO HO HO!

Happy Birthday

2011-11-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I turned 27 last Friday (Nov. 4). It was a great day, I thought I would just share a few pictures. This first one is what welcomed me when I arrived at work that morning; a present from my friend (and coworker) Tanner, some balloons, and two apple fritters the size of a small child. Not only were they HUGE, but I can confidently say they were the best tasting apple fritters I have ever had. My manager said he bought them at a place called Madbrook Donut Co.

Here is me next to the fritters, to give you some comparison.

After work I went out to dinner with some friends from BYU-Idaho. We went to Biaggi's, an Italian place in downtown Salt Lake. Excellent food.

And that is about it. Thanks for tuning in!

Why don't I...

2011-08-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Do things like this more often?

The Family

2011-06-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about the family a lot this week and decided to share a few of my thoughts. Sometimes I hear leaders of the Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints) speak about the doctrine of the family, and many say we need to defend the doctrine of the family. My first question was "what is the doctrine of the family?", and here is at least a partial answer:

• We all lived as members in God’s family before we came to this earth. We had a Father, Mother, brothers, and sisters. We are still spirit sons and daughters on this earth.
• Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the Priesthood of God, our family relationships can be perpetuated beyond the grave.
• Gender is an eternal characteristic; males and females are the two required part, which compliment and complete each other.
• Parents will be held accountable before God for their responsibilities as a spouse and parent.
• God’s plan for His children is carried out in and through families (premortal, mortal, postmortal).

Elder Hales said "The doctrine of the family begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them."(“The Eternal Family,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 64–65)

I realized that the family theme can be seen through every step in the plan of happiness. We lived in a family before we were born, we came to earth into a family, have the opportunity to start our own family while here, we seal ourselves to our family (past, present and future family members), we are held accountable for our conduct in our families, and if we have been faithful and true, we keep our family for eternity, which family continues to grow and become exalted.

But it doesn't stop there. The family is not simply a thread that is woven throughout God's plan, it is the very fabric of that plan. Sister Julie B. Beck said "Without the family, there is no plan; there is no reason for mortal life." (Teaching the Doctrine of the Family, August 4, 2009). Those are strong words, but not as strong as the Lord's words when he said the earth would be "utterly wasted" at His coming if it were not for families being sealed together through the Priesthood.

Being a young single adult, I don't really have a family of "my own" per se. Inspite of this, or possibly because of this, I have been able to recognize in some degree the power that comes only from being in a family. Family provides the substance, the joy, the sorrow, the feeling, the progression, the love, the compassion, the strength and the happiness of the plan.

So what? Well, we have been asked to defend the doctrine of the family. My invitation is that however or wherever, or in whatever circumstances you find yourself, defend the family.

Moving Day

2011-05-30T15:16:00.001-07:00

“We need 5-10 brethren to help move furniture in the temple tomorrow morning from eight to noon.” This was among one of the many announcements and a dozen or so sustainings that were read yesterday morning in my ward. Move furniture in the Temple? Why not? Sounds like a good way to spend Memorial Day morning. So my friend Nate and I get to the Salt Lake Temple this morning at 8:00 AM sharp, the temple workers give us some white jumpsuits to change into, and we sit in the baptistery chapel to await instructions. There were twenty nine of us total, representing a few different YSA wards in the new Holladay YSA stake.

The brother in charge comes in and begins to explain what we will be doing. We will be going to the fifth floor and handling some very old furniture, even some of the furniture that was originally placed in the East Towers when it was built. Really? And all they can get is us? When we got up to the fifth floor we started in the Solemn Assembly room and moved some furniture from the rooms above and behind the pulpits down onto the floor. That was my first time in that room, and it is incredible. We also moved some things into this storage area under the pulpits. There is more storage in the Salt Lake temple than you would ever believe.

We also went up to the seventh floor to get more miscellaneous furniture and some very large murals (which they weren’t sure would fit down the spiral staircase because the frames were built up there) from different rooms in the towers. One room was used as the First Presidency’s office when the temple was first built. But the neatest part for me was when we went into the “Talmage room”. As you probably know or guessed, it is the room that James E. Talmage wrote Jesus the Christ. We moved his desk down to the basement. Very carefully. There was also this VERY large and old dictionary, which the brother in charge said Talmage had used to write Jesus the Christ. Apparently, he would look up every word, even if he felt he already knew the meaning, because he wanted to make positive that he was expressing exactly what he felt and meant with every word. We moved the dictionary too.

Overall it was a priceless experience. It just isn’t every day that you get to handle furniture that old, or go into rooms that relatively few ever get to enter. My testimony of the temple has grown as well. The temple is a place where the Spirit of God dwells, even as you move furniture.

Moab

2011-05-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

My exploration of southern Utah continues. This weekend we had a multi-YSA ward camping trip to Moab. I drove down Friday night with some friends and right when we got there, around 10pm, we took a hike up to Delicate Arch. It is the arch that you see on Utah license plates, if you have ever seen one. This is a picture a friend of mine took.

This is a group of friends I went hiking with on Saturday. We went up to Landscape Arch and to a little water hole in the afternoon.

Here is landscape Arch, as well as Wilford Arch below it. Wilford Arch is not quite as old, or sturdy, but I thought it was picture worthy as well.

Manti

2011-05-01T09:41:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we had a ward temple trip to the Manti temple. It was my first time going and I love every minute of it. From what I understand, it was a trip to the Manti temple that helped my mom and dad get together, so it was a fun for me. The visit reminded me how much I love small towns and old buildings. Here are a few pictures of the trip.

This is a picture of a couple that was called to serve as advisors to our YSA ward, the Gregory's. They are a wonderful couple. Brother Gregory was a barber professionally, and even cut the hair of the real Rain Man (Kim Peek) for years.

This is just a picture of our ward. You might notice that the majority of the people that came are sisters. It's true, the sisters in our ward are the strength of the ward.

Lamb of God

2011-04-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine posted this on his Blog, and I loved it and wanted to share. I would highly recommend checking out their site and seeing if they are performing near you.

Park City

2011-03-06T13:35:00.002-08:00

Here is just a few pictures from a snowboarding trip I went on yesterday. A friend of mine was able to get $25 lift tickets to Park City (usually $90) so we took advantage. We had a slow start to the day with people losing passes, breaking bindings, losing goggles and losing boards (thank goodness for ski patrol) but it turned out to be a great day. The snow was perfect and the weather was great.

This next one is just a picture of my friends brother taker her picture with her niece. I just tried to capture the background. Beautiful isn't it?

This last one is a picture of me in the half pipe doing a backside 720. Okay... maybe it's not really me. But wouldn't that be amazing?

A Plug for The Last Lecture

2011-03-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

I have been reading a book titled The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and I have loved it so much I thought I would put in a plug for it, if anyone is looking for a great book to read.

Here is a little something to whet your appetite:

"After my father passed away in 2006, we went through his things... My dad had also saved a stack of papers... buried in the stack, we found a citation issued in 1945, when my father was in the army. The citation for 'heroic achievement' came from the commanding general of the 75th Infantry Division... According to the citation: 'With complete disregard for his own safety, Private Pausch leaped from a covered position and commenced treating the wounded men while shells continued to fall in the immediate vicinity. So Successfully did this soldier administer medical attention that all the wounded were evacuated successfully.' In recognition of this, my dad, then twenty-two years old, was issued the Bronze Star for valor. In fifty years my parents were married, in the thousands of conversations my dad had with me, it had just never come up. And so there I was, weeks after his death, getting another lesson from him about the meaning of sacrifice - and about the power of humility." -The Last Lecture

A Day in the Life of David Peter Hall

2010-12-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what an average day in the life of David Peter Hall is like? If not, then don't worry, you are completely normal. For you who have, the moment has arrived. I got up this morning at 6:00am, a little after my usual time. My alarm went off to the sound of an old EFY CD and I jumped out of bed to turn it off.

After getting ready for the day I came back into my room and made my bed. You will notice a very nice quilt made (with love) by my mother.

After that it was time to get some breakfast. I am a big breakfast person. For some reason I just get so hungry during the night. So this morning I had some granola and yogurt. One of my favorites. You can see in the left of the picture my lunch for the day as well. There is an orange and a Tupperware container with some chicken and rice in it. The chicken is actually a recipe Lorna gave me, it has Apricot preserves and Ranch seasoning, it is super tasty.

As I leave my room for the day and switch off my light, there is a sign a friend of mine gave me which reads "Don't forget to have an adventure today." Good advice for us all.

This is my view as I walk out my front door. You will see it again later.

Here I am at work! This is the main entrance. Sometimes I take the side door, but for the Blog's sake I came this way today. My camera makes a "bark" when I take pictures, and right after I took this I wondered what the lady in front of me was thinking. Hmm.

When I get to work this is what I see. My Desk. A phone, two monitors, some pictures of my sisters families they gave me for Christmas, a gift from BYU-Idaho, some papers, and my "England Logistics" cup. I go through about three of those full of water per day. I spent a lot of my day working on a program for a department. The software is called Qlikview and has been fun to learn. It has a tremendous ability to drill down on data quickly. Much easier for users than something like Access or Excel. I also was able to attend a certain meeting for the first time with some of the senior managers. That was quite an interesting experience.

This is Andy Macdonald. No, the "d" is not capitalized. According to him that would place him in another clan. You might think this is a strange pose for a picture… and you would be right.

Next is Sam and Tevita (left to right). They are the two main IT guys. We all go play pool regularly (there is a pool table in our break room), which I am a little sad I forgot to get a picture of. Tevita jokes about taking us "to school". So now instead of asking if we want to play pool he simply asks if we want a lesson today or not. They are great guys.

And this is Merrill. He started a few weeks before me and graduated in economics as well, from Utah State.

After a good day of work I leave. And this is what it looks like sometimes.

On this particular day I was going to get my windshield replaced… but the weather had other plans for me. It took me almost an hour and a half to get home, and needless to say, I missed my appointment with the glass people.

When I did make it home I warmed up some left-overs for dinner. This is one of my new favorite meals- it is chicken and vegetables with stuffing on top. Yum. I unloaded the dishwasher and talked to some friends on the phone for a while as well.

Then I said hi to my roommate Kevin and we talked about budgeting. Because he was on his way to spend the evening budgeting with a friend of his. I think he was really happy that I wanted to take a picture of him.

This is what my driveway looks like now as compared to this morning. And it is still coming down.

Now I am going to go to bed, but first I will probably spend some time reading this book I got for Christmas. It is an extremely interesting book so far. His quotes about the agency of man have always impressed me.

So there you have it. An average day in the life of David Peter Hall.

It's been a long time...

2010-10-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

My life is a little different than two months ago, it has been a roller-coaster. I started a job with England Logistics at the beginning of September as an analyst. What do I do? The company is very much into reports and numbers, so my main responsibility is to create reports and and manipulate data. Microsoft Access and Excel have become my two best friends. I have learned a surprisingly great deal about Access, which is cool I think, because it is a very powerful tool. England Logistics is a subsidiary of C.R. England, the trucking company. No relation to the country. It is a good job, and I am so grateful to have a job, though I have not forgotten that my real desire is to teach at a university. I see this as another step my education.

I also moved into my new home this weekend, in the Sugar House area. My roommates are great guys, really I have been blessed. I love living near the mountains, especially driving down the 215 in the evening or night because you have a great view of the valley. My ward is great as well, I have already met a few BYU-I Alumni.

I went on a hike last weekend with Sandy, so here are a couple pictures, it is a place called the wind cave, up Darby Canyon just east of Driggs.

This is the cave behind us, it starts out huge but you don't have to go very far before you are crawling through some tight spots.

There is a waterfall that comes out of the cave, which is huge in the early spring, so big it can make it impossible to get into the cave. Since we were there so late in the year it was nothing more than a trickle. The cave is just above and behind the edge you see the water coming over.

Table Rock

2010-08-22T15:21:00.001-07:00

There is a little mountain top called Table Rock, situated about 2,000 ft below and to the West of the Grand Teton. It looks like a table from everywhere in the valley, but once you are on it, it looks more like a bench. Yesterday a few friends and I hiked it. It is a great hike, six miles and about 5,000 ft. in elevation one way. The Grand Teton is a little over 13,000 ft. so we were about 11,000 ft. on the top of Table Rock. We had great weather, and even thought it looks a little cold in the pictures it wasn't, just windy.

I learned that Jackson Hole was formed by sinking down into the earth, and that this is partly what formed the Tetons. The earth underneath Jackson was displaced and turned into the Tetons. Although geologists say it is a lot more complicated, and they don't fully understand how it all happened. when you are on Table Rock you feel like you can reach out and touch the Tetons, the pictures don'e really do it justice. But I hope you enjoy them.

Some of you might recognize one of the girls in the picture as a sister missionary that served in our ward back home, Hillary Clemens.

This is hiking along the rim leading up to Table Rock. You can see Table Rock in the upper left corner of the picture. This is my friend Nikki Mendenhall leading the way.

This is a picture of all of us on the top. From me to the right it is Brynne, Hillary, and Nikki. The mountains behind us are (again from left to right) Mt. Owen, the Grand Teton, the Middle Teton, and the South Teton.

Another picture of all of us.

These next two are of Hillary teaching me some Yoga. I was trying to become one with the Tetons.

What do you think?

Graduation

2010-07-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

I graduated from Brigham Young University Idaho on Friday with a BS Economics. I don't really know what to say, it was a great four years and I will be forever grateful for the experiences, the people, and the lessons that have come into my life because of this University. When I came home from my mission I was dead set on going to ASU to study architecture, but the Lord had a better plan for me. I had no idea back then how large of an impact the decision to come here would have on my life. As Elder Bednar put it, this University is a "Disciple Preparation Center, or a DPC"- similar to an MTC in many ways. I feel much more prepared to be both a disciple and a leader, two ideas that I have learned are inseparably connected.

There are pictures below, and I have also tried to identify some lessons I have learned here as well, if you are interested.

Lessons:

1) In today’s world, you can learn anything if you have four things:
• A question
• The faith to step into the dark; to ask, seek, and knock
• The companionship of the Spirit
• A humble heart and open mind

2) Going to bed early and getting up early really does keep your mind sharp.

3) Being involved and engaged is the only way to develop yourself. Don’t simply float through life.

4) Leadership has more to do with your private life than your public life.

5) Friends bring color and joy into life if you open your heart to them.

6) With God, nothing is impossible.

7) Everything worthwhile in life is going to require hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.

8) There is a difference between fun and happiness. Fun is going to a rope swing on a hot summer evening after studying all day. Happiness is knowing you put the study before the play.

9) Learning is not necessarily fun, but brings happiness.

10) Teaching others will almost always help you more than it helps those you teach.

11) Do your dishes.

12) You are responsible for your learning. Blaming it on the teacher, the textbook, or the material won’t get you anywhere. If the class is a failure, then you have failed.

I Love to See the Temple

2010-06-06T18:37:00.001-07:00

I thought this was really cool. I am going to be in Salt Lake this week so maybe I will get the chance to stop by and see it. It doesn't look all that big in the video, but they say it is 88 inches tall! What an amazing blessing it is to have so many temples worldwide now. I really do love to see, and go to, the temple.

Friends Falls and Fries

2010-05-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

We had a day off of school for Memorial Day so on Saturday I went with a group of friends to Mesa Falls. It was a blast, even though it rained half the time we were there. We also fed fish at Warm River. It is illegal to fish there and there are dozens of huge fish, it is really fun. Afterward we went to this burger place that had the BEST fries and shakes ever. I also had a great chicken burger. But really, the shakes are amazing. It is called the Frostop I think, and is in Ashton. I have some pictures here for you, enjoy.

Here is a shot of the upper falls. My favorite part is the sound of the rushing water.

This is my friend Jenny and I jumping and clicking our heals... just havin' fun.

This is my roommate Dan, our friend Amy, and I. We are all graduating this semester and I feel a special bond with them.

This is the whole group. Amy and Jenny are sisters, Dan and I are roommates, then there is another Dan from Chicago that was visiting, and Stacie and Brittany. Stacie teaches on campus here and Brittany was visiting from Salt Lake. All of the were a joy to be around.

Last is just Amy and I laughing at something, I don't remember what. You cans see the rain in this one.

Job Search

2010-05-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

I graduate in July from BYU-Idaho in economics. That means that I need to find a job. So far, no luck. The great thing about graduating with a degree in economics is that when I can't find a job, at least I understand WHY.

Well if networking and online searches don't do it, then I might resort to this:

Pepsi Max Job Interview Funny Commercial - Free videos are just a click away

Once there was a snowman

2010-04-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a video and some pictures of an igloo that some guys in my ward built this winter. I didn't get these pictures until late in the semester so it had already started to melt, but it was really well done.

Utah

2010-02-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

This weekend Natalie and I took a quick trip to Utah to see the newest Hall, Emmett. It was short, but we had a good time. We ate ice cream, watched the Olympics, and ate donuts. Not exactly in that order, but close. Natalie and I also went to the new church history library in Salt Lake and learned about how to use it what not. It was really cool, and I am excited to take some names there and search for them. Here are some pictures of us Saturday morning.

The Oak Tree

2010-01-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

Elder M. Russel Ballard spoke to the students at BYU-Idaho on Saturday and he read this poem. The point Elder Ballard made was that we each have a responsibility to broaden our knowledge of the gospel and maybe more importantly to deepen our testimony of it. It raised the questions in my mind "How much time do I spend trying to learn the gospel with my head, and how much time to I spend trying to learn it with my heart? How much effort do I put into the depth of my testimony?"

This poem makes the point that we need to have deep roots. But how, you ask? My thought was that a single root is pretty weak by itself, but having multiple levels of roots fortify the tree. I think that making daily sacrifices to study, pray, serve, attend the temple, and so on all act as individual roots. Reading the scriptures once or twice a week does not offer much of a foundation when the winds blow. And if you don't think the winds are blowing, then it is probably because you are being carried around by them. But daily consistent effort can deepen our roots and prepare us for the future.

I hope you like the poem, and its implications in our lives.

A mighty wind blew night and day.
It stole the Oak Tree's leaves away.
Then snapped its boughs
and pulled its bark
until the Oak was tired and stark.

But still the Oak Tree held its ground
while other trees fell all around.
The weary wind gave up and spoke,
"How can you still be standing Oak?"

The Oak Tree said, I know that you
can break each branch of mine in two,
carry every leaf away,
shake my limbs and make me sway.

But I have roots stretched in the earth,
growing stronger since my birth.
You'll never touch them, for you see
they are the deepest part of me.

Until today, I wasn't sure
of just how much I could endure.
But now I've found with thanks to you,
I'm stronger than I ever knew.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

More from Milton

2009-12-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a quote I think really like from Milton Friedman:

"The essence of human freedom as of a free private market, is freedom of people to make their own decisions so long as they do not prevent anybody else from doing the same thing. That makes clear, I think, why free private markets are so closely related to human freedom. It is the only mechanism that permits a complex interrelated society to be organized from the bottom up rather than the top down. However, it also makes clear why free societies are so rare. Free societies restrain power. They make it very hard for bad people to do harm, but they also make it very hard for good people to do good. Implicitly or explicitly, most opponents of freedom believe that they know what is good for other people better than other people know for themselves, and they want the power to make people do what is really good for them."

One of these days I am going to say something profound like that. Until then, I am afraid you will just get quotes.

Milton Friedman

2009-12-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

This morning in my History of Economic Thought class we began learning about Milton Friedman. For any of you who actually know who that is, you might be asking, "In a history class?" He died in 2006, and my professor had begun teaching about him while he was still alive, but he has made tremendous contributions to the world of economic thought.

He taught at the University of Chicago, a very conservative school of thought, and was a great arguer. Somebody once said that everyone loves to argue with Milton, as long as he is not there. Anyway, we watched this clip of him arguing for capitalism and free markets, and I loved it. So I am sharing it with all of you. I doubt many of you get involved with these types of discussions, but just in case anyone begins complaining about greed in capitalism, you now an authoritative source to pull from.

Thanksgiving in Rexburg

2009-11-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post some pictures from my Thanksgiving so you can get a feel of how great it was. Enjoy!

My roommate Jordan made us huckleberry pancakes for breakfast, what a guy. I believe that he handpicked these himself in Oregon.

These are a few friends that I spent the day with. We worked on a puzzle (if you can call it work... it was mostly just dabbling) while we watch Lord of the Rings.

The meal was great! We had all kinds of good things to eat. If you look close you can tell that the sparkling cider got a little out of hand...

And this is the view from the apartment that we had dinner at. It was a very beautiful day in Rexburg.

So now that Thanksgiving is over we have begun preparations for Christmas in our apartment. I decided to wrap all of our bedroom doors in wrapping paper. This is Tom Jenkins poking his head through. Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

If you haven't watched this video on Youtube yet, you gotta see it.

My favorite person is the college age looking guy in the red shirt with shaggy hair. I think he is funny, and I love how they keep going back to him. I also like the big guy that says he is thankful for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I hope you all have a great thanksgiving!

I love you guys

2009-10-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

This blog is for my family. I was just looking through pictures and found these, I think you all have them, some of them were posted by Michelle recently. I love you guys, thank you for the good memories growing up and all the good examples that you have set. I know I was a punk kid sometimes (some of you are thinking "was"?), thanks for loving me anyway.

Our lesson in Priesthood today was on eternal families. Remember when our whole family was in the temple together? That was a great feeling. Enjoy the pictures.

I chose this picture because if you look in the top right corner you can see why all of the children in our family learned good work ethics. SOMEONE had to vacuum while dad was reading the newspaper... Just kidding. Our parents really did teach the importance of work though, and I am grateful for that.

This is still my favorite Halloween costume of all time, Jack. Way to go dad.

My favorite part of this picture is the one of Chris waving goodbye. I believe this is when he was leaving for his mission. I am grateful that Chris chose to serve a mission, it had a major impact on decisions I made when I was approaching that time in my life. Thanks Chris.

This last one is just such a good picture of Mom and Dad. One of the greatest things they did for us was love each other and love us. Thank you!

Obedience

2009-09-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a thought I had about obedience. It begins with that well known verse by Nephi, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded," (1 Nephi 3:7) Nephi is committed to be obedient and voices his desire to be obedient. Even when it gets tough and his brothers want to turn back, he replies, "As the Lord liveth, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us."

So now we get the picture, Nephi is serious about this obedience thing. But so far, it is all talk. He has not actually obtained the plates yet. Now the Lord tells us he will prove us and try us in all things, and we see that in the next chapter. In chapter 4 verse 10 Nephi is constrained, or commanded, by the Spirit to kill Laban. This is obviously NOT what Nephi had in mind when he covenanted with the Lord to be obedient and not return without the plates. The Lord is testing him. The covenant came first, now the test. Will he obey?

He does, but listen to his words, "I shrunk and would that I might not". This was a real test to see if he would obey. Now go to D&C 19:16-18, another example of Someone that had covenanted to be obedient in all things. The Savior had a similar experience to Nephi. He had covenanted and promised to be obedient to the end, and the Father wanted to let Him show that. When the Savior realized what it was going to require, He, like Nephi, comments that He "would that [He] might not . . . and shrink".

But, of course, he obeyed. And the first thing he tells the people in ancient America about Himself is that he "suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning." He wanted them to know he was obedient.

I learned that Obedience is not about me. It is not about what I want.

Now, think about this and watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz1mK5mLxu0

Adjusting to Change

2009-08-30T14:48:00.001-07:00

Today I gave a talk on adjusting to change. It has been a great week studying that topic and preparing and I have learned a lot. I love this subject because it applies to everyone, everywhere. Since it applies to everyone I thought, why not share it with everyone? So here is the readers digest version of what I learned:

The Problem? Change can be hard.
Why? For me I believe it is one of three things-
1. It means being separated from something or someone I love.
2. It means doing something I have never done before. This can require stretching, pain, and humility.
3. I am afraid, doubtful, uncertain, or downright scared of the unknown.

There is no such thing as "Never Never Land". We cannot avoid change.

Why must there be change? This was the Plan of Salvation from the beginning, a plan that would change us to become more like our Father. Listen to this by President Eyring, "The purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to change you so that you're not trying to resist change. You're trying to have change take you where the Lord wants you to go."

2 Nephi 2:22-25- if things had not changed, there would have been no change. Everything would have stayed the same, forever. But, change did come, and the reason? That men might have joy.

The purpose for change is growth, and the purpose for growth is joy.

So what do we do about it? What is the solution?
1. Keep your eye and heart fixed on that which is unchangeable.
2. Turn change into an opportunity for growth and happiness.

The first one, keeping our eye and heart fixed on the unchangeable, includes three things- The Word of God, Prayer (and coming to know our unchanging Father in Heaven), and our covenants. These have been very constant in my life, and I know they will always be there. Again from President Eyring, “We can follow a steady upward course in a world of change without fear, welcoming the opportunities. The way is a simple one, clearly marked. It is to keep our eyes and hearts fixed on that which is unchangeable."

The second one, turning changes into opportunities for growth and happiness, includes seven points.
1. Recognize what you can control- your attitude. Victor Frankl said,""...We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way..." You can always choose your attitude.

2. Have the faith to try. If you are in a new situation, you might just need to do something new. President Hinckley said, “The faith to try leads to direction by the spirit, and the fruits that flow therefrom are marvelous to behold and experience.” Have the faith to try.

3. Keep moving forward. For this part, see the talk given in the last general conference titled, "Get On with Our Lives."

4. Be of good cheer. John 16:33

5. Have courage. Joshua was facing some major changes when he was commanded to take Israel accross the Jordan to the land of Canaan. The Lord told him to be of a good courage. See Deuteronomy 31:6.

6. Forget yourself. Elder Bednar said, “Character is revealed, for example, in the power to discern the suffering of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress. Thus, character is demonstrated by looking and reaching outward when the natural and instinctive response is to be self-absorbed and turn inward.” Forget yourself and go to work. This will really bring happiness in times of change.

7. Accept help. We can't do it alone, and we shouldn't try. For this principle see Elder Hollands talk last Conference titled "None Were with Him."

Remember, the purpose of change is growth, and the purpose of growth is joy.

We have the power in us to turn changes into opportunities for growth and happiness. This was the Plan of Happiness from the beginning.

Summer in Rexburg

2009-08-23T19:18:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to Yellowstone and saw Old Faithful, as well as President Obama! It's true, we were at Old Faithful at the exact same time as Mr. President. He was on the other side of the geyser so we didn't see him all that well, but it was him for sure. It was exciting to be in the same place as him. There was a lot of security of course, and you could pick out the secret service men with their ear pieces. There were also men on top of the buildings (I assume they were snipers) and many other soldiers and security people. He flew in on a helicopter, there were 5 big ones. Anyway, here are some pictures, and a video of a rope swing I went to on Saturday with a few friends.

Debt

2009-08-12T08:49:00.001-07:00

Throughout college I have volunteered a lot with a program that is very similar to the Church welfare program in many of ways. It is called the Heber J. Grant Program. It offers a scholarship to people from disadvantaged backgrounds, a class to teach them life skills, and other opportunities to serve in leadership roles, develop skills, and grow as individuals. The point of the program, the scholarship, and giving in general is to help people help themselves and become self reliant. I believe that in many cases this program has broken a chain of generations that have perpetuated bad lifestyles.

I am working on the curriculum for the class right now and wanted to share a video on debt. The things this class teaches, by the way, are not just for "disadvantaged" people. I do not consider myslef "disadvanatged" but have learned principles that have changed the way I live. If anyone is interested in learning more about it, let me know!

Enjoy the video-

California

2009-08-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

Last week was spent in California with family. I went to Peter-O's wedding, went kayaking down the Yuba River, and went to the beach. I made a video of our trip to the beach, enjoy!

Christmas in July

2009-07-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

Picture this: Christmas tree's, stockings hung by the fire with care, lights, caroling, wreaths, Mannheim Steamroller playing in the background, hot chocolate, pajamas, presents, ham, potatoes, green beans, corn, and hot apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to top it off.

All on the 19th of July.

Last Sunday our apartment had a end of the semester celebration and two of my roommates decided that we should make it a Christmas theme. We had a blast. I am going to miss some of my roommates a lot (the others are staying ;) Michael and Peter are getting married and Taylor will be back in CA for the fall.

The celebration was thought out really well, every detail was covered. Except maybe what it was going to be like eating a hot meal with the oven on wearing flannel pajamas in the summer with no AC. Oh well. It was worth it.

Enjoy the pictures.

Attack of the UFO's!

2009-06-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend my roommates and I all went to a cabin in Island Park. Dan's family owns two cabins up there, so his family stayed in one and we took the other one across the road. His family was great to us, mostly his mother, who cooked dinner, breakfast, and lunch for everyone. Not a small feat with eight grown (and growing) men. The cabin we stayed in was right next to a lake and we spent some time swimming and canoing.

One highlight I failed to get a picture of was a game called "Attack of the UFO's" Dan had told us about this game all semester, and it was well worth the wait. If you want to know more about it then give me a call.

Here are some pictures from our adventures-

How Did You Die?

2009-05-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Did you tackle that trouble that came your way
With a resolute heart and cheerful?
Or hide your face from the light of day
With a craven soul and fearful?
Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it.
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
But only how did you take it?

You are beaten to earth? Well,well, what's that?
Come up with a smiling face.
It's nothing against you to fall down flat,
But to lie there- that's disgrace.
The harder you're thrown, why the higher you bounce;
Be proud of your blackened eye!
It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts;
It's how did you fight and why?

And though you be done to death, what then?
If you battled the best you could;
If you played your part in the world of men,
Why, the Critic will call it good.
Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,
And whether he's slow or spry,
It isn't the fact that you're dead that counts,
But only, how did you die?

- Edmund Vance Cooke

I love this poem.

Utah

2009-05-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to Utah for a friends wedding reception and to visit Chris's family and Kim. I had a blast, here are some pictures from the trip.

This is me, Kayla and Ian. I don't know why but Ian was so excited about the rock. Someone must have showed it to him before because when he picked it up he pointed inside and said "quartz".

On Sunday we had a dinner and Chris cooked some bratwursts on the grill. They were delicious. Then we had root beer floats for desert after visiting their new home. It is a really nice home and a great looking neighborhood.

These last two are from a hike I went on with Kim, Jesse, and Amanda on Saturday. We went up to the Timpanogos caves, but didn't go inside. The hike was worth it though and I plan on going back because the map they had of the caves looked like a really fun hike. The rangers take you through the caves on a tour that takes about an hour, but if you want to go I recommend buying tickets in advance.

Creeds, Careers, and Cars

2009-05-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

Creeds
I have had some discretionary time lately and have begun reading two books: One is by President Eyring, To Draw Closer to God and the other is by Todd G. Buchholz, New Ideas From Dead Economists.

Dr. Buchholz is a professor at Harvard and is very good at explaining economic principles very simply. He goes through some of the greatest economists in history, starting with the father of economics, Adam Smith. Here is a quote from Adam Smith I liked:

there is scarce perhaps a single instant in which any man is so perfectly and completely satisfied with his situation, so as to be without any wish of alteration or improvement of any kind...[there is] a certain propensity in human nature... to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another... it is common to all men.

Reading the Book of Mormon its obvious that when the people are righteous these attributes are exhibited. They begin to be industrious, to buy and to sell and to build and to trade. These are things that bring economic growth, or prosperity, which the Lord promises over and over to us when we keep his commandments.

Another quote I thought I should share is one from President Eyring's book. It really caught my attention. After telling about a Sunday School class held in Central America, in a home that was more like a shack than anything, sitting on boxes, he wondered "Why did I hear so clearly in my heart and mind that day the voice of God speaking to me through that little boy and little girl...in that Sunday School class?" Here is his answer:

Everyone, as he or she spoke...bore testimony. They did not speak of the Savior; they said that they knew he had made it possible for their sins to be washed away. They did not speak about Joseph Smith; they said they knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that he was a Prophet.

Whoa! So what is he saying? To me, he is saying that it is one thing to talk about what the scriptures say about Jesus Christ, and a completely different thing to talk about what I know about Jesus Christ. In other words it doesn't do me nearly as much good to discuss what others (the men in the scriptures) know about Christ as it does for me to discuss what I know about Christ.

He then finishes with this simple statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith "Whenever salvation has been administered, it has been by testimony." How do we save our families, our friends, our flocks? By the word of our testimony.

Careers
Now a little on my current life plans. A few weeks ago I was able to teach release time seminary to a class of 9th graders. It was a great week, and the man that does the hiring for seminary teachers came and observed me the last day. It was a great lesson but I was not hired as a student teacher, so now I am beginning to look for other directions I would like to go. I will probably come back and try again some day, but for now it's obvious that is not where I should be.
One funny story about the class: I had the students draw a picture of a machine that would take anything and turn it into anything else. My example was a machine I could use on hot summer days after mowing the lawn, I would put grass clippings in it and it would spit out a strawberry lemonade. (I promise there was a principle behind this) So one kid, Parker, draws a machine that you put old ladies in and it spits out money! His defense: "nobody likes old ladies." I couldn't help it, I laughed. He is a really good kid and will be a excellent missionary some day. I really gained a stronger love for the youth of the church.

I am doing an internship for the Eastern Idaho Entrepreneurial Center this summer and having a great experience. I manage two consulting projects, one is for the Center for Advanced Energy Studies and the other is for Southern Idaho Tourism, a non profit. We are mostly doing market research and creating business models. I have a team of business students for each project to help with the research. I am also going to get a little experience doing a different type of research, mostly gather data, organizing, and manipulating it for an economist in Washington state. These will be good experiences and help me discover what direction I should take after I graduate next April.

Cars
I bought a car last time I went home, a 2001 Oldsmobile Intrigue. Here are some visuals:

Mormon Messages

2009-03-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

I just saw this link for the first time and I wanted to share it with everyone.

http://www.youtube.com/MormonMessages

I also put it on the top right hand side of my blog. I think it is so cool to see the Brethren using the technology and media we have to spread the gospel. Who would have thought? Anyway, enjoy the video clips, they are great!

What are you doing?

2009-03-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

I realized a powerful principle in my life this morning. There is an old story about a man that comes across a man laying bricks. He asks the man what he is doing and he replies without looking up, "I am laying bricks". The man continues and sees a second man similarly working and asks him what he is doing, the man replies with a smile, "I am building a wall". Eventually the man comes across one last man and asks what he is doing. with a light in his eyes the man enthusiastically says, "I am building a temple for my God".

I go to school every day and have felt lately that I am just laying bricks. My vision and excitement for what I do each day has been almost non existent. To take this a bit further I was reading Nehemiah chapter 6 this morning, here is the setting as far as I understand it: Nehemiah is a governor over Judah and they have just returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile. Nehemiah wants to re-build the walls around Jerusalem and undertakes to do it. There are some of his enemies that entice him to come down and meet them in the plain of Ono and "they thought to do [him] mischief". He wisely replies "why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?"

I believe that the things I do each day are laying a foundation of a great work. Satan is incessant in his attempts to get me to cease the work that I should be doing. One way he does it is by trying to get me to believe that all I am doing is "laying bricks". Later Nehemiah's enemies resort to scare tactics and try to put doubt into his mind, telling him they cannot accomplish building the walls up again. He prays "O God, strengthen my hands." and when it was all done, in exactly 52 days, his enemies "perceived that this work was wrought of [their] God."

Life can be monotonous but the trick is to find joy in the journey. Remember that you are laying a foundation for eternity each day. You are building the Kingdom of God. Don't let Satan distract, doubt, discourage, or derail you from the work that you are doing each day. God will strengthen your hands, and others will see that the work you do is being wrought by God.

Easy to Understand Economics

2009-03-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation.
You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

The late Dr. Adrian Roger

Meet my roommates

2009-01-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of my roommates, minus Danny Bean. He is engaged and we don't see him much. There is Jakob Avery, Taylor Grimes, Peter Hall, and David Jenkins. On this occasion David and Jakob had just been to the grocery store and decided we needed refreshments for our apartment scripture and prayer. I think they are just trying to make me fat. The next picture up was a hike I went on a while ago, up R-mountain. It is a little hike but gives a good view of the valley and is pretty fun. The next one up was just a picture I took of the Rexburg Temple. I just really liked it.

Economic Insights

2009-01-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

Here is another Economic Insight for my loyal readers. President Benson gave this parable in a piece called "The Case for free Markets". It illustrates some important principles in economics:

"Two fathers lived side by side as neighbors. Each had two sons. Each had a good job, a roomy house, and material means to provide the best of life's luxuries. The essential difference between the two fathers was one of philosophy.

Mr. A's objective with his sons was to instill principles that would bring about self-respect, personal responsibility, and independence. His method merits our scrutiny.

When his boys were young, he taught them how to work at simple tasks by his side. When they became more mature, he developed a work-incentive program. The pay scale was commensurate with the quality of the work performed. An "average job," for example, paid fifty cents; "above average," sixty cents; "exceptional," seventy-five cents. A "one-dollar job" was the impossible task, a goal that he soon observed the boys were striving after. He impressed on them that the only limitations to their earnings were their own personal initiative and desire. He emphasized the necessity of postponing wants so they could save for the future. The lessons were well learned over a period of time.

There was an undergirding moral element to Mr. A's philosophy, a principle more "caught" than taught. A simple example will suffice. One day the boys, now young men, were working in his plant. Mr. A observed some sloppy work being done on one of the products. He asked to see the product, and removed the label. One of the boys resisted. "Why are you doing that, Dad?" he asked. Mr. A replied, "I'll not have my name attached to a shoddy product. When my name goes on, my customers must know I've given them my best workmanship. Would you want to own this product?" It was an answer that provided a lesson that would last a lifetime. How could the Golden Rule be emphasized more effectively in business!

Mr. B also had a philosophy, albeit one that was reactionary to the early struggles of youth. "I'll not have my kids go through what I did." His philosophy was designed to remove the struggle from life. His method also merits our consideration.

Regularly his sons were provided with generous allowances. Little work was expected in their formative years. In later years the boys were encouraged to work, but now they were too comfortable in their security. After all, they had all their material wants satisfied. At this juncture Mr. B made a profound discovery: wants always exceed needs and are never satisfied unless disciplined. To counteract the lack of self-discipline, Mr. B embarked on a routine of imposed restraints. To his chagrin, he found his sons embittered toward him, ungrateful, and frequently disobedient to rules imposed on them."

Here is what I get out of it:

1. People respond to incentives. I believe that when the Lord says "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise", he is giving us incentive to do our best. We receive wages from him who we list to obey. Mr. A provided incentive for his sons to do their best by giving them a pay scale and saying "I promise to give you what you earn". Critics of free markets say that it is driven by greed and produces greed. Well we do see that around us. This is why we there must be a moral foundation to capitalism of love and concern for others. Even in the gospel we are taught that doing good without being good inside profits us nothing. (maybe the profit that is equal to total revenue minus total cost, but not the eternal profit :)

2. Work is an eternal principle. Without work we become lazy, feel entitled, lose self respect, and are disobedient.

There are a lot of other principles in there and a lot of application. If you see anything else that strikes you I would love to hear it.

Wuv... Twue wuv...

2008-12-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

I had one of the greatest experiences this last weekend attending Tanner's wedding. I am sure most of you reading this blog have heard me talk about him before but for those who haven't, he is a companion I served with on my mission and we have lived together at college since then. He is a true friend in every sense of the word. He married Jennifer Trembley, a girl he has grown up with in Hollister, CA. They look so good together! The reception was completely amazing and they had a beautiful sealing.

Economic Insights

2008-12-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

I meet people occasionally and when we get to talking and they find out that I am an economics major they invariably want to talk about the economy. Unfortunatley I am only a junior in an undergraduate program so I don't have too many profound insights to share with them. If they are members I tell them to follow the Prophet (I guess I should carry pass along cards with me and share it with people that aren't members too) you know, stay out of debt, have a food storage, and so on.

I learned this morning that the root word that economy comes from is 16th century word that means "stewardship of a home" then people began using the term "political economy" and from there it has transformed to mean how we use the resources of the nation.

So what I decided was to share quotes and other things I learn about economics with people on my blog. Adam Smith was a great economist that wrote about capitalism in his book "Wealth of Nations", but before that he write a book titled "Theory of Moral Sentiments". The idea is that there must be a moral foundation for capitalism and free markets to work. Today I have a quote from President Benson (you might see a lot from him) that illustrates this point well.

"In our day, there is much emphasis upon building social and material security. Some believe these can be achieved by legislation; others propose materialistic schemes which invariably weaken or destroy initiative, self-reliance, independence, and moral fiber. Relatively few, it seems, turn their attention to those standards and principles which strengthen moral fiber and which develop spiritual and personal security from within. Yet the history of mankind testifies abundantly that lasting security comes only to people who are spiritually and morally strong. Social and economic security can arise only from such a foundation." Ezra Taft Benson So Shall Ye Reap.

I chose this for two reasons: 1) we are seeing the governement trying to give us material security in exchange for our moral fiber. Hugh Nibley said the economy used to be an important thing, now it is the only thing. I think there are people that feel it is more important to save their wealth than keep their principles. They are inviting people to fail by supporting bad choices. 2) Economic success in your home depends on your own moral foundation and the principles you live by. Self control, hard work, faith, tithing, self-reliance and organization are some that come to mind. You don't have to make much money to achieve economic success. (If you want a good place to help you manage your finances go to mint.com, I love it)

2008-12-23T20:58:00.001-08:00

These are my roommates, from left to right it is Kevin, James, Jared, me, Dan and Michael- also known as "the brotherhood" (coined by Kevin the first week of the semester). I wish you could meet them all: Kevin just returned from a mission in Hungary and loves to be outside hiking, snowboarding, rock climbing etc., James is from Portland OR. and is a lovable guy, he brought a lot of youthfulness and excitement into our apartment. Jared never sleeps, speaks French, and is involved with everything on campus and will be the student body president next semester. And he is single. Dan is a great friend to everyone, always serving other people and listen when they need to talk. He also hides cups. Michael is a wonderful singer and always sings around our apartment, he also served in the same mission as Stacie Johnson. He is a great cook and is good at making fresh apple cider with his juicer. (think of the quality of life!)

This is just a picture of a typical sunset in Rexburg, I took it at our complex. Beautiful huh?

So during finals sometimes you just need something, anything, to get your mind off of school work. I ended up doing this when I would sit down to eat lunch. I felt like it was very therapeutic.

Carryin' the Banner!

2008-11-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Here is a picture of me and three of my roommates, from left to right it is Dan, Kevin, me, and Michael. A bunch of people in our complex trick-or-treated to each other and just went around and visited. We all had a good time. I was a Newsie, no specific one really but when people asked I had to tell them "Davey" of course. Instead of asking for candy I would cough into a paper and say "buy me last pape?" I also went to a party where they had this white chocolate covered popcorn... Great idea for anyone who is thinking of ideas for Christmas treats.

Here is a picture of one of my friends, Tomas. (not Thomas) I loved his costume so I thought i'd share it with you all.

Trick or Treat? I chose the trick more often than not. This as well as holding on to one foot while I jumped through it with my other made the Newsie costume a little better.

Yes on Proposition 8

2008-10-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

In California right now there is a proposition to amend California's constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. This will be a very important step for the citizens in California. I will be forever grateful for my mother and my father and the roles they each played in raising me. I look up to them and love them with all me heart. I believe that God has created men and women as compliments to each other and our purpose here on earth can only be achieved through the sacred relationship that is found in marriage between a man and a woman.
If you don't know about the proposition I have added links to sites that have great resources and information. Please take a few minutes to be informed and decide to vote if you are a resident of California.

Summer Break begins

2008-07-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have 7 weeks till school starts again in the fall so I am moving down to Arizona to live with Pam and work for Rob. This last week I was up in Midway Utah with Pam and Rob and their friends. I know between this and the last post you probably wonder if all I do is vacation, but trust me, there were two weeks of school and finals in there two, I just dont have any pictures of my finals. (they made me throw them away). The first picture is the view from the porch of Rob's Family cabin, where Kim and I spent lots of time enjoying the scene and looking through her pictures from her "Big Trip"

This next picture is at the parade in Salt Lake on the 24th, there were a lot of good floats, and the policemen on the motorcycles were doing routines and stuff, Grant really liked that.

This is me and one of my favorite nieces, Lucy!

When we were up in Midway we went to this little nature walk thing, it was nice.

I liked this float of spacemen missionaries because I think most people feel like their mission is out of this world.

Looks like they found a nice family of little green men to teach.

Bear Lake- 4th of July

2008-07-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July weekend I went with a few friends to a condo on Bear Lake (on the border of Utah and Idaho). It was a blast! We watched fireworks, went tubing on the lake, played mini golf, croquette, and played vollyball. It was a great break to get ready for the last two weeks of school. Here are some of the pictures from the trip...

This is Terry Bitton and me out on the lake

This is one of the best pics I took all weekend. It's Dave Jenkins (Big Dave) playing vollyball. He plays basketball the same way. Thats why he is the Sultan of Swat.

This is a picture of Stacey's brother on the tube. The water was really choppy, and when I went I hit a wave and got 5 feet of air! It was the highlight of the weekend for me.

Other pictures...

2008-06-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

This is a good picture of my friend Oliver, jumping off a rope swing head first into a river. Remember when we used to go to the beach in California? That water can't even compare to how cold this water was. The water was runoff from the mountains, and I swear I saw a couple chunks of ice floating along...

Here is just a picture of some of my friends... From left to right it's Austin, Me, Katherine, Tracy, Emily, and Brian. Brian served in my mission.

Sorry this one is sideways... It was my roommates breakfast a few days ago, we are rethinking the Happy meal.

Chris and Lorna let me babysit every once in a while... and Lorna wonders why the house is always so clean when they get back ;)

Recent Highlights

2008-06-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

I went down to Utah last weekend to participate in Johnny Oliver Barnette's blessing (Brian's son). What a great experience!

Today a few of my friends ran the Teton Dam Marathon. This is Tanner and Jennifer right after they finished. You can't see in this picture but Tanner is redder than a lobster, so if anyone reading this is planning on running a marathon soon, make sure to wear sunscreen! This is the marathon I was going to run but when I was training I ran into problems (no pun intended :) So I hope to be able to do it next year.

This is my "Major Award"! I won over 1500 jelly belly's by guessing the closest to the actual number of jelly beans. Everyone in my apartment is enjoying them, except for the coffee ones. GROSS.

A thought on life

2008-04-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

Goethe said "Life, divided by reason, leaves a remainder."

2008-04-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

This is a cool picture I took on top of the Conference Center. Actually it is a bunch of pictures I stitched together. It isn't perfect, but you get the picture. (no pun intended : )
Click on it and you can see it larger, it is better that way.

Last day with Rexburg Housing

2008-04-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

These are a couple pictures from my last day with Rexburg Housing. They are a company here that I have worked for the last year and four months. I have done everything from apartment and landscape maintenance to accounting for them. They bought me a cake with a tool-belt on it, if you can see the picture that is sideways. The other picture is all the maintenance crew, from left to right it is Herman (an old painter that I love to death) Bart (my boss) John, Dale, Joe, and Cody. It was a great job and I will miss them, but I am really excited to start my job in the Economics department this coming Monday.

Home Sweet Home...

2008-04-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

This week has been a blast! First I went to Salt Lake to see two friends from college get married in the Salt Lake temple, then I went home to visit my parents and take a break before another semester. It was one of the best trips home I think I have ever had, we went to In-n-Out, the temple, a Sea Chanters concert (they are the official US Navy's band) and I got to see an old friend that just got off her mission. We went to Old Sacramento and walked around.

General Conference

2008-04-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

So this weekend I went to Salt Lake to attend General Conference. This is a picture of Kim, Andy and I after the Sunday am session. After that we went and had a picnic that Kim prepared for us, probably one of the best I have ever had. The picture below is us eating lunch. Andy was sad there wasn't any juice, but the water with the floaties made up for it :)

Thats about it! It was a quick trip. I am done with my finals now and start school again on April 21st.

Hello from Rexburg!

2007-12-21T14:21:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the semester a bunch of friends and I went to the sand dunes to sled, here is a picture of the train we made. I tried to tell them ladies first but they wouldn't listen...
The sand dunes are an amazing place to sled! They have these huge slopes and if you run first you can get enough speed to go up the other side of the dune.

Here is a great picture of my friends Stacey and Harmony. Stacey is the one trying to catch the snowflakes in her mouth ; )

This is a picture of my roommates (from left to right) David Jenkins, Tanner Dietrich, Zack Rios, and Aaron Camacho. They are all great guys and we have already had a great time this semester. I think there is a really strong bond between all of us, Tanner even gets tucked in at night! I have to say they are the cleanest roommates I have ever had too. David Jenkins and I grew up playing basketball together, Aaron and Tanner grew up together too, and Zack is from Montana. We love him though.

Here is a quick video of some sledding we did on campus. Its me on an inner-tube.

And of course here are some pictures of the newly dedicated temple that is just up the street from my apartment. It is a beautiful thing to have a temple so close. Having the privilege of looking up each day to it is a very inspiring and peaceful thing. It stands on a hill and you can see it from almost anywhere, especially at night. I took the first of the two, the bottom one is a picture that is just floating around Rexburg.

Heber J Grant: Life Skills Course

2007-10-28T16:48:00.001-07:00

This is the group I teach the Heber J Grant class with.
From left to to right its Cathryn, Brittany, Carlos, Heather, Kathrine, and Tanner. Brother Gilbert and his wife are in the back with me. Every Tuesday two of the six instructors teach a large group of about 60 people, then Thursday we break into smaller groups of 20 and I teach with Heather. The class has been great so far, we have taught about financial management, goal setting, peer to peer teaching, and things that go along with those topics.