Life is Good!!!!!

Spring Break Cruise 2009

2009-04-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

We went on a family cruise in March for spring break. It was the kids first cruise. I think they had a good time. I thought it was a great time and great to have the kids with me on the cruise. We are at Ensenada, Mexico here. It was pretty hot and not my favorite place in the world. We went to see a big blow hole, 45 min. drive to get there, and it did not blow at all. Oh well.

Here is our beautiful 186 square foot room. We had bunk beds that would pull down. It was not bad. The kids did not like to keep it too clean also. I was on vacation so I did not worry too much about it. I would once everyday pile the clothes in a corner to give me some sanity and organization. I am sure the steward hated cleaning our place.

Ethan and Emily on Catalina Island, contemplating going in the cold Pacific ocean water. It was warm weather though.

The Carnival ship, Elation. Our home for 4 days.

The Catalina beach. I love the beach. The kids had a blast in the water and the sand. I had to change Emily's clothes 3 times. She liked getting wet, but did not like staying wet. Luckily I brought spare clothes for her.

Catalina, Ca. It was a nice place. It was warm and scenic. I miss Maui and Cancun beaches though. They are the best. I need a nice warm vacation again.

Best ski day ever!

2009-03-15T13:06:00.001-07:00

I went to The Canyons last Monday. It was the best ski day I have had in as long as I could remember. The snow was deep and fluffy. My friends and I went on the expert only lift(Ninety Nine Ninety) most of the day. It was fantastic. You could ski crazy and fall and not get hurt at all. I did fall on one steep part and slid half way down the mountain on my face but I was laughing the whole way down. It was hilarious to watch I am sure. I wish it would snow more so I could have a few more days. It is not looking like it though. It is pretty warm. I wish I have had my camera when I have been snowshoeing lately. I have had some beautiful walks. The other night I did a moonlight walk with a friend and the moon was so bright. It was like snowshoeing during the day. So fun!!!!

Kids visit in March

2009-03-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

A week ago my kids were with me for 3 days and it was a blast. We did a ton of fun things. I am showing just a few of the fun activities we did. Of course, I usually do not have a camera with me most of the time so I did not get much of the fun. I need to start. This picture is of Isaac in the theatre room. He loved playing xbox on the big screen. The kids slept in the theater room the first night and stayed up until 1 a.m. Nice!

Emily with her crazy hair because her Dad does not know how to do girl hair. I need help!!!!! She is a beautiful girl. I love her eyes.

The Super Pipe championships were at Park City the weekend my kids were here. They loved it! Here is Shawn White going so high. Nobody even came close to how high he went. Wow!

Isaac getting his coat signed by Shawn White. It made their day and probably their whole week. Shawn White was so nice to sign so many signatures. He said at one time he needed to get up the mountain for one more run so he could only do 4 more autographs. He did at least 15 more than the 4 he said he would do. Very Cool!

The gang at the Super Pipe championships. It was a great day. My next time with the kids will be their Spring Break. We are going on a cruise out of San Diego to Baja Mexico. It will be a great time and it looks like the weather will be good. I will post the pics later.

Favorite Quotes

2009-02-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

Everything happens for a reason.
Life

Forget your head and follow your heart.
Meet Joe Black

In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life... IT GOES ON.
Robert Frost

The only people you need in your life are the ones who need you in theirs.
Anonymous

That which does not kill you makes you stronger.
Neitzsche

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Always make sure the juice is worth the squeeze.
The Girl Next Door

Never leave the one you love for the one you like... because the one you like will leave you for the one they love.
Anonymous

If you never take it seriously, then you never get hurt. And if you never get hurt, then you always have fun.
Penny Lane

Never miss anyone from your past. There is a reason they didn't make it into your future.
Anonymous

Turns out not where, but who you're with that really matters.
Dave Matthews Band

Never measure yourself on someone else's yardstick.
Anonymous

Love is a leap. You just have to be inspired to jump.
Anonymous

Love is passion, obsession... Someone you can't live without.
Meet Joe Black

Life is a storm. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, and be shadowed on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes.
Edmond Dantes

Be the flame, not the moth.
Cassanova

Never say words you don't feel. Love is complicated enough without adding deception to the mix. Anonymous

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true.
Richard Bach

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances... If there is any reaction, both are transformed.
Carl Jung

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.
David Viscott

Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, it always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Corinthians 13:4

My New Place in Midway.

2009-02-19T20:16:00.001-08:00

Here is my new apartment in Midway. I love it! This is the hallway outside the main part of the apartment. There are antiques everywhere. I am scared when Emily is roaming around this apartment. I have couches that are $8000 each. Oh my!
My favorite part of the apartment. The theater room. It is a blast. I also have very cool people who live up-stairs who will hang with me down here. They are all single LDS people. Very cool!

My antique bathroom. Not my style, but pretty cool anyway.

I have another king size bed which I love. The bedspread and the pillows will need to go. I hate putting the pillows on the bed after I make it everyday.

The kitchen is so nice. It has granite counter-tops. Bosch appliances and everything. Nice!

Living room with one of the $8000 couches. Why?

Another view of the living room. I also have mood lighting in the molded ceiling.

Winter in Park City

2009-02-19T20:04:00.001-08:00

These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago, but the snow is deep around where I live. I love snow! The deeper the better. I just bought snowshoes the other day, so I can enjoy the snow even more. I have also had a few great days skiing with some nice powder. I get to go skiing next week. Yipee!!

This was directly in front of my apartment by Park City. I am going to miss this apartment. I just moved a little bit more south in Midway just this last week. I have a great new place that is so nice and very cool. I am going to show pictures of the new apartment next.

Isaac's Baptism

2009-02-18T22:03:00.001-08:00

I had the opportunity to baptize my son, Isaac, in late November. It was fun to be with my little family and great to have this special opportunity.

My Boys:)

The water was only a little over a foot high and it was colder than cold. Poor Isaac was freezing when he got out and was still chattering when he was dressed. I love my kids. They are the greatest! I miss them!

Crazy Times in Cancun!

2009-02-18T21:38:00.000-08:00

I have not posted in a long time. I have had so much going on in my life. I have done so much and have had so much fun. I am going to show you a little of what has happened in my life in the last couple months. First, I went to Cancun in the middle of November. It was a blast. The above picture is from my hotel looking down. It was sunny for only a couple of days but the warmth was what I needed and the beach.

This is a place where I love. It is on the beach behind Tulum. It is a beautiful beach with great sand and clear water. It was not the nicest day but it was still beautiful to me. I could stay there all day. We actually got kicked out because it was closing.

We went to Chichen Itza. It was a great day and we saw so much more than I saw the first time I came to Cancun. It was sunny and hot.

This picture is in front of Tulum. It is one of the coolest temple ruins because it is so lush and green. I love it because I am sure it was an ancient resort town back in the day.

We went to the Croco-zoo on the way to Tulum. You get to hang out with all sorts of animals. Most of the animals you could pet. I was not about to pet this guy. He did not look too happy that I was near him. I had a blast on this trip. It was well needed in my life. We just hung out and had tons of fun. No work! No worries! It was great! I am ready for the next trip by the beach.

Utah Symphony Beethoven's no. 9/Ode to Joy

2008-09-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

I went to the symphony on Saturday and I had the best time. It was the first concert of this season for the Utah Symphony. I had not been to the symphony for a while. I went to a great Italian restaurant, Biaggis, before the concert. It was very delicious and had a very nice ambiance. The actual symphony was very moving. Their was a piano virtuoso who played Beethoven's no. 4 piano minuet for the first part. The pianist was lightning fast on the piano keys. The second part was Beethoven's no. 9/Ode to Joy and was incredibly uplifting. The performance had a choir and soloists that did an outstanding job. It is nice having a cultural mecca, SLC, so close that I can see such a variety of shows.

The whatever it is sculpture in the lobby of the symphony hall.

My camera was being difficult for me, so the pictures were not in focus a lot of the time. I probably think it was the person who was taking the shot who had a problem, me. My friend who I was with took much better pictures than I did. Thank You! You can tell I took this picture. I will be getting a Canon Xsi in the future and hopefully I will take better pictures because it will have image stabilization on the lens. Thank heavens, I am not a surgeon.

Fall in Park City

2008-09-15T15:54:00.001-07:00

Let me tell you that it is so beautiful in Park City right now. The colors are just starting to get really vibrant. It is too bad it only lasts for a couple of weeks. I am going up to Sundance(right below Mt. Timpanogas) this week and will take more photos of the fall colors there. They will be amazing right now. I will post those pictures also.

These pictures are taken just from the West of my Condo. It is great too walk around the complex and have such a view. It is so relaxing.

Ethan's Bday

2008-09-02T09:56:00.001-07:00

Ethan, with one his birthday presents. He got his first long board. He has wanted one forever. It is a Never Summer board.(So I hear from everybody who knows long boards that it is the best) I think he loves it. Too bad he only can ride it 7 months out of the year in Idaho, but then he will start riding his favorite board, his Burton snowboard. He hopes it is very soon that he gets to snowboard. I text him yesterday, that there was snow on the top of The Canyons. He was very excited. Ethan is now 14, as of the 30th of August. It is amazing how time flies. I was privileged to ordain him a teacher on Sunday, the 31st. It was a great experience! I love him and miss him immenseley. I hope he had a great birthday.

I am sorry I have been so out of commission. I have been so busy with work. Back to school time is one of my busiest seasons. It is even busier than Christmas if you can believe that. I also have done some very fun things with my family and with friends. I just came back from Bozeman and had a great time with my friend, Brad. We had a blast golfing. I don't think I could stop laughing on the golf course. We had some amazing meals at his favorite dining places. Overall it was a great weekend with little stress which I needed greatly.

I did two pictures of us because the top one Emily was finally looking at the camera. I also liked this picture because we were all out of the sun. I love my family! They are so cute and fun to be around. Sorry again for my absence. I will try to post more frequently. Bye!!!!

I was bored today at work.

2008-08-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I was bored today? I had to work today because none of my assistants could work today. The I-80 freeway was closed for bridge repair. Therefore, you all get my wonderful musings. Thanks:)

What Do You Drink Your Hot Chocolate From?

2008-08-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.
Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups --porcelain, glass, crystal; some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.
After all of them had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said; "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones”. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...And then, you began eyeing each others cups.
Now consider this; Life is the hot chocolate -- your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate.
The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly... and enjoy your hot chocolate.

Dreams become a reality.

2008-08-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” Anonymous

"Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true” Lyman Frank Baum

"There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.” Douglas H. Everett

Then indecision brings its own delays,And days are lost lamenting o'er lost days.Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute;What you can do, or dream you can, begin it;Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I think I am somewhat of a dreamer or an eternal optimist. I like looking toward the future and thinking it is going to be great. I do try to make my present the best it can possibly be. I have been put into a new life(Not by my choice, but I have been dealing with it well.) and I want to make it as good as it can get. I have a few dreams or goals in my life I want to accomplish. I have achieved a few dreams in my young days, but I have many more to accomplish. I am positioning myself to have great success in achieving these future goals. I have been held back in the last few years by someone or something. I will tell you I just achieved a dream yesterday that I have wanted for a long time. (You will need to e-mail me to find out what that dream was because I will not divulge it on this site.) I will have another dream come to fruition in the next month or two. (I will only divulge this to a select few.) I am excited for my prospects to a dream or goal fulfilling future. Life is good and it is getting better all the time!!! I am excited;)

Being Positive!!! 7 things to ponder

2008-08-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

1. A Respect for people and their contributions, especially yours.

2. A belief that things happen for a reason, and that reason serves you, whatever it is.

3. A conviction that no matter how good or how bad things may be, they are going to get better - and you can help make them become so.

4. A knowledge that positive people are the ones who make the difference in life.

5. A dedication to living a positive life, no matter what.

6. An understanding that good things happen - repeatedly - to those who look out for them.

7. A commitment to form and foster positive habits, and decrease negative ones.

Positivity is contagious. Negativity is also. We choose each and every day which way we will be. Why would we want to be negative? Does it not feel so much better to think positive thoughts and make positive actions to define our life? Is it not better to be around positive people that make us smile and feel better? I want to live a positive life and live without negativity.

Two things for the day!!

2008-08-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been very exhausting. I have worked straight for 4 days and long hours because of a corporate visit today with Dick Neff, Senior Vice President for Staples inc. He is in charge of the whole western United States. Yes, and that is what he uses for his first name. I did not change the connotation of Richard for him. Although, he does have issues that make him sometimes not very charming. I wanted to update you all because of your concern for my health and welfare for the last few days. Sorry I have been so out of commission. So here is the happy part, Life is good and I did not get fired. So that is the jist of the first part of this blog today. It was a good visit and he was very impressed. I will get to be part of the great empire of corporate America for at least a few more days.

The best part of my day was my wonderful grocery trip to Whole Foods. I really like that place, but the money you can spend is simply astounding. I bought some wonderful meat and fish for my dinners. Yes, I did buy vegetables and fruit for my well rounded meal. Thank you for your concern for my health again. It is tough being single and maintain good nutrition because of course you want to just eat junk food. Just Kidding. I actually eat really healthy. That is probably why I just go to whole foods because I cannot get into too much trouble with junk food there. Have you ever tried soy ice cream? It is not so appetizing. Ice cream is a guilty pleasure that I can get in trouble with.

I am getting so domesticated. I will tell you that I have been pampered for the last 2 years by some great friends that I stayed with in Kamas, Utah. They fed me, mothered me, and sheltered me. Thanks!! Ronn and Donna. I do miss their tender care with me. This is a new beginning of taking care of myself and not taking care of others. I have been taken care of or took care of someone for 16 years now. Wow! It is a good feeling of taking care of myself. Tonight, for example, I had a great dinner. I had steak, green beans(fresh), and mushrooms(sauteed). It was so good. I was completely fulfilled in my cooking abilities. It is so much better than fast food. I have many more great dinners coming up. Maybe I will keep you posted, but you might be too jealous. Maybe you can all give me good tips for dinners also. I am a little rusty from not cooking dinner for anyone for a very long time.

Tommorrow is my day off and have tons planned. That is a good thing! The temple will be priority number one tommorrow because of the great peace it gives me. I hope all is well for all of you. Peace out.

Happiness begins within oneself and ends there.

2008-08-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

"Happiness, not in another place,but this place...not for another hour, but this hour." -Walt Whitman

Happiness is the object and design of our existence, and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God."Joseph Smith

The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Allan Chalmers

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more. David Steindl-Rost

The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy. Dalai Lama

Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves. Helen Keller

Is it a trick to be happy? I don't think so. There probably is a lot in this life to be unhappy about, but it is definitely how we perceive those things in life. I could be sitting in my little apartment without my kids and not be enjoying life at all. Although, I am perfectly content and happy with my life. I am feeling very blessed in my life. Why is this so? It is how I personally choose to interact with my life and how I choose to feel happiness within myself. That is all that I want to feel always. I think I am doing a great job at being happy. I do have my days but overall I am fully happy and I love being were I am at. I do have many wonderful things in store in my future and I will relish them also, but this is the place and the hour to be happy. The future will take care of itself and will be a time of happiness as long as I am happy within myself.

Going to the Temple is amazing!!!!

2008-08-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

I just had to say that. I went today to my usual temple, Bountiful, and had the best experience I have had in a long time. The Bountiful temple was closed for 2 weeks so this was my first time back since it closed. I was on a spiritual high for the whole session and it culminated in the celestial room. I am so blessed to have temples so close. It makes my week so much better when I get to go to the temple. It was truly amazing!! That is all I have to say for now. Bye:)

Emily's stay at Primary Children's Hospital

2008-08-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

Emily bright eyed and bushy tailed on her last day in the hospital. Sorry about the red eye on the pictures.

The last part of the weekend with the kids was an eventful one, at least for Emily and I. Ethan and Isaac were not so thrilled with it. Emily went into the hospital for some type of respiratory order(pneumonia or other ailment). I took her to the Park City Health Clinic on Friday and she was breathing over 60 breaths per a minute and her oxygenation was at 82%. That is not good or so the doctors say. They wanted me to get her to Primarys as quick as I could. They really wanted her to go in an ambulance, but I knew I could get her there quicker. She was there from Park City to Primary Children's in less than 20 minutes. She was in the hospital 3 nights and finally was out on Monday night. We are blessed that we got her in to the hospital because she would of had serious problems if I did not take her to the doctor on Friday. She is back with her mother in Idaho Falls and I hope she is doing better. Thankfully, Amy did come up to relieve me from staying at the hospital 24 hours a day and that I could hang out with the kids more. I took the night shift because I can tolerate no sleep and she took the day shift. It was very difficult to sleep when you have nurses and doctors come in every hour at night to take vitals.

My precious Emily sleeping. She would not go to bed most nights until almost 1 a.m. I think it was because of the inhaler treatments would wind her up. So we would watch Disney movies until she was tired. During the day, she would take long naps.

Cherry Hill Waterpark

2008-07-31T21:09:00.001-07:00

We went to Cherry Hill Water park today. It was so much fun. Most of the time I was in the lazy river. Emily was super tired, so she just hung out with me and mostly slept. Yes, she is asleep in this picture. Ethan and Isaac played in the lazy river, but most of their time was trying to dunk each other. They were having a blast. They also went down the rapids part of the park 4 times. I went down once and was always stuck behind little girls in trains of four. It was impossible to get around them. They went so very slow. The lines were huge for the rapids so I decided not to go again. Issac stayed the night before at his friend, Luke Priest, and he had a lot of fun there. He did not get much sleep staying with Luke though. Hopefully, he will go to bed earlier than the rest of the nights.

Emily is also asleep here, but she just was sprayed by one of the water features. She did not like that much at all.

My New Condo!!! Finally!!!!

2008-07-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here is my new condo. I am finally in a place of my own. My kids are so excited also. It is such a great place that is stocked with everything. All I had to buy was food for the refrigerator. It had all the cleaning supplies and utensils. All the utensils and pans are Kitchen Aid brand also. They spared no expense in outfitting this place. Everything that was put in it was brand new last week. I am truly lucky or blessed to find such a great place for my kids and I. I even got a great deal on the place. It also has a washer and dryer. So no going to the laudromat. Yea!! I have a two car garage also.

A Great Day!

2008-07-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

I had a great day the other day with some of my friends. It started out at one of my favorite restaurants.(Do not ask me why. I do not know.) We went to the Spaghetti factory and it was great. I was so hungry because I did not have enough time for breakfast. I know, it is very bad to skip breakfast. It was also so late in the afternoon when we finally ate lunch. So I got the hearty meal and all my friends thought I was crazy. They did not think I could finish it. Guess what? I finished it and I also finished first.(Probably not something to be proud of) I also could not leave without having the spumoni ice cream. Yum! Yum!

After the spaghetti factory we went golfing at an amazing course. It was the Jeremy Country Club course. It was simply amazing in design and beauty. It was one of the hardest courses I have been on. I lost 13 golf balls on the 15 holes we played. It was to late in the evening to finish all the 18 holes. It was the first time I played since last year and I was just messing around the whole time. I was the comic relief for my friends I am sure. I do not think I drove them too crazy with my antics. I hope not because I really want them to invite me to play golf again. I did not keep score because it would definitely be an all time high score.

What beautiful holes at this course. There was one hole that there was the tee box I drove from and then I had to get on the green or lose my ball. There was no fairway! It was crazy, but I did manage to get on the green with my drive. I did not lose a ball on that hole and it amazed my friends because it was one of the only holes I did not lose a golf ball. After golf, we went to the house and had amazing fajitas for dinner. It was a great day! I now have the kids for this week and we are having fun shopping for school clothes and other various activities. Tonight I get the keys to my new condo. Yea! I am so excited. I did love being at my friend's house for so long, but it is time to move on. My next post will be pictures of the new condo. It will be a great place to live. I think my kids will love it. It has a lot of fun things to do there. See Ya!

How cool was The Dark Knight?

2008-07-22T19:21:00.001-07:00

This show was the coolest!!!!! I would love to see it again, but not at 12 midnight. If anybody is interested, please contact me;) It was not much fun to get home at almost 3 a.m. and work the next morning at 9 a.m. I was very tired the next day and the next picture is what I thought about that day at work.
I should just insert my picture(minus the coffee cup).

John Mayer/Colbie Calliet concert

2008-07-22T08:28:00.001-07:00

John Mayer was amazing as a guitarist and singer. I was really surprised how much I liked the concert. He told stories about the songs and was comical when he talked to the audience. The sound of the concert was great. Every song you could hear what he was saying and it was the first concert that I could hear after. I would recommend seeing him if he is in concert again. It was a great time!

Ronnie was so excited to be at the concert. She was in La La land while watching John Mayer. She really liked the concert and especially John and his moves. We also went with Whitney Sorenson and she had a blast also.

John Mayer doing what he does best.

Colbie Calliet playing Bubbly. Colbie was who I wanted to see the most, but she was kind of boring compared to John Mayer. There was not a lot of energy from her show. John Mayer was definitely high energy. All in all it was a great time.

What do you beleive?

2008-07-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

" Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good. That honour, courage and virtue mean everything ; that power and money ... money and power mean nothing. That good always triumphs over evil. And I want you to remember this.... that love....true love never dies ! Remember that boy ... remember that. Doesn't matter if it is true or not, a man should believe in those things , because those are the things worth believing in...... got that ? " Robert Duvall acting as Uncle Hub in Secondhand Lions telling all young men what they should believe.

Here is a story without an author but is similar to the quote above. They both have wisdom in them that we must take with us everyday and instill them in our hearts to what is the best way to live life.

An old Cherokee was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, "A battle is raging inside me ... it is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The old man fixed the children with a firm stare. "This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."
They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee replied: "The one you feed." Anonymous

Scout Camp 2008

2008-07-18T22:03:00.001-07:00

I went to Ethan's scout camp for 2 days. It was a blast! I hung out with the crew and had yummy food(not!). It was definitely better than last years fare of dehydrated everything. This year it actually looked like food you could possibly stomach. I went with Ethan to his merit badge classes to make sure he did not skip or fall asleep. He was up most nights until 2 a.m. He was having the time of his life trying to cause trouble in a good way. One bad thing happened though, while I was coming back from the camp on the dirt road, a rock hit my oil pan and put a nice sized hole in it. I did not notice until I was at a grocery store in Driggs, Idaho. When I came out of the store there was oil spilled everywhere. It was a lovely site. So I was stuck in Driggs for a few hours until my friend Matt picked me up and hauled me to Idaho Falls with a tow truck. I stayed overnight in Idaho Falls and waited until 2 p.m. the next day for my car to be fixed. I was supposed to be to work by 12, but I did not get there until 5 p.m. oops!! I did meet up with one of my good friends, Brad, when I was in Driggs waiting. We had a great steak dinner and passed the time by chatting for a few hours. I was lucky that he was down from Bozeman, MT for a family reunion. It all worked out in a good way:) I spent time with my son and some great friends. How can it get any better!!

Ethan, looking like all the boys that have not taken a shower for 4 days. They smelled even better than they looked. Wow!!

Music is Life!!

2008-07-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing

Thanks for all the joy they're bringing

Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty

What would life be?

Without a song or a dance, what are we?

So I say thank you for the music

For giving it to me!!!!!!!

-Anonymous

Music I currently like (Most of these bands I like because I went to Vans Warped Tour in SLC with my son on June 28th) It was very cool to be there, minus all the tatoo freaks, but it was so very hot outside:

We the Kings - You need to check these guys out. Their album is so very good. Every song is a story that you want to hear over and over. The band signed autographs for Ethan and he was so excited. They signed a picture for him and his Vans t-shirt.

The Academy is - I have not listened to the album yet, but the band was great. They were very upbeat.

Cobra Starship - Minus the swearing, this band is so very high energy. They were the best at the Warped tour in showmanship. My son loves these guys. I do not blame him.

Others from the tour I like currently are Color Me Fred, and Reel Big Fish.

Bands I am currently listening to a lot are Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin(Something Corporate's lead singer), Secondhand Serenade, and Death Cab for Cuties' new album.

I love music!!!! It puts joy and sunshine in my little life when there is so much gloom and darkness around at times.

I am going to several concerts in the next few weeks. I am very excited. My next concert is going to be the Flobots - July 18th at the Avalon(Yes, I know they are very angry individuals and have so much angst, politically speaking, but they are fun to listen to), John Mayer/Colbie Calliet - July 21st at USANA (Who I am currently living with roped me into this one. I am not a huge fan of either one of the performers, but it will still be a fun time.), and Secondhand Serenade - August 23rd at the Murray Theater(I missed them last time they were here at Thanksgiving Point, but he is coming back. His songs are my life story now and I feel solace listening to him.) I am going to also try to visit the Gallivan Centers concerts when I get a chance. I will not be able to go this week because I am going to Ethan's scout camp in the middle of this week. My next pictures will come from scout camp. How fun!!!!

Things 2008

2008-07-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Someone wanted me to do this little informational blog. So here it goes.

Jobs

1. General Manager for Staples inc. for the last 10 years. 1998 - present Yeah, I know it is a freaking long time.

2. Manager for Pedersen's Ski and Sports - Snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, and roller blading shop. I was actually in the basement of Crossroads Mall working from 1992 to 1998. I miss Crossroads mall in the good old days.

3. Franklin-Covey day planners - I was a tele-sales associate that tried to sell their full day day planning seminars. It was short lived - only 4 months.

4. Lab technician at the University of Utah - Genetic epidemiology. My major, believe it or not, was Human Genetics. Yes it does sound like a bunch of B.S.

Movies to re-watch

1. Anything by John Hughes - Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I am sure there are many more, whatever they are I love them.

2. Any Pixar movie I could watch many times except for wall- E. Emily's current pixar favorite is Finding Nemo.

3. Any Indiana Jones movie.

4. Current movie I have liked this year - Get Smart

Places I have lived

1. Currently live in Park City, Utah from 2006 - present. It is amazing! I love to be outside and breathe the mountain air. It makes me feel so alive.

2. Idaho Falls - 1998- 2000 and 2001 - 2006 (I will need to explain later). A big dust bowl that the wind blows constantly. There is really nothing to do there. You need to drive almost an hour to get to anything worth doing. I lived there for almost 8 years before Park City. why? Now I know why nobody wanted to visit us while we were there.

3. Olympia, Washington - 2000 - 2001 It was a beautiful place to live. We were there for only a short time, but it was so green and an hour from the Pacific Ocean, Seattle, and Portland.

4. I forgot Twin Falls, Idaho. Twin Falls is my hometown. I lived there until I was 18, then I went to U of U for school. I lived back in Twin Falls between 1996 and 1998. This is where I first owned my own house. It was short lived because Pedersen's ski and sports went out of business in the Idaho stores. Therefore, I needed to find a new job which brought me to Staples in Idaho Falls.

5. Salt Lake City - while going to school at the University of Utah. 1992-1996

6. Provo - I went to BYU after my mission for one year to get residency.

7. Oklahoma for 2 years on my mission

TV shows

1. Gossip Girl - I know kind of girlie, but it is actually good.
2. One Tree Hill - I love Peyton!
3. Lost - Intriguing
4. Scrubs - very funny!

Places I have been

1. Cancun
2. Maui
3. Victoria
4. On a cruise - Matzalan, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas
5. I have not been there yet but I really want to go to the Mediterranean :) Maybe this October. I need to use my new passport.

Favorite Food

1. Chunky Monkey Ice Cream

2. Jalapeno cream cheese poppers

3. Anything Mexican

4. A good salad or soup from Whole Foods - I go there almost everyday.

Favorite Drinks

1. Rockstar Juiced - unfortunately I am addicted

2. Izzie sodas - any flavors - they are pretty healthy - no caffeine and 70% fruit juice - 2 whole servings of fruit in every bottle. My kids love them!

3. Water only in a bottle

Places I'd rather be

1. On a beach anywhere in the world

2. Anywhere but work

3. The outlet malls in Park City especially Bannana Republic

4. At the temple - I go every week and that is almost not enough. It is an amazing place that keeps me focused on what is right and true.

I hope you enjoyed this :)

July 4th Weekend

2008-07-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here are the cousins playing together. They had a blast playing ball and playing on the trampoline. We also went to Kung Fu Panda, which was suprisingly funny. It was a lot better than Wall - E.
Just don't tell Emily I said that. She loves Wall-E. I hope your 4th was as enjoyable as ours.
Here is a video of sky jumpers coming down into the stadium during the opening ceremonies. 5 jets from the Air Force also flew over the stadium during the opening. Emily loved the jets.
We went to the Stadium of Fire at the BYU Stadium for the 4th of July. We had a great time with Maria, Ed, Noah, Taya, and Ian. The Blue Man group and Miley Cyrus performed for the show. Isaac was in awe the whole time watching Miley. We could not hear very well because of all the girls screaming, "We love Miley". She has quite a fan club. Glenn Beck was also the announcer for the show. He was very patriotic. He made me proud of being an American. The fireworks were amazing. It was like it was a finale every minute for the entire 40 minutes of the fireworks. I thought Idaho Falls fireworks were good, but this beat them hands down. It was great except for all the ashes of the bombs falling on us. Emily did not like the big bombs sounds either. She was hiding her head most of the show. She was hilarious when she was dancing to Miley though. I wish I had a video of her dancing.

Capitol Reef July 2008

2008-07-04T07:29:00.001-07:00

Emily hanging out in the shade.

Bryan and Isaac under the arch.

Here is what I was doing on hikes. Emily was not into walking on the hike much. If she was on the ground, she wanted to play with dirt and rocks.

Kids resting in the middle of our hike.

We are finally back from the national park tour. We had a blast seeing all the beautiful parks. We had some great hikes that left my calves so very sore. The kids were very tired when it was all done but they thought it was worth it. I am going to share with you the last of the trip pictures. We hope you enjoy them.

Bryce Canyon July 2008

2008-07-02T21:37:00.001-07:00

Part of the Bryce Canyon Ampitheatre.

A natural bridge at Bryce.

A beautiful part of our hike at Bryce Canyon.

Bryan, Ethan, and Isaac at 9,000 feet at Bryce Canyon.

Kids on a hike at Bryce Canyon. It was an amazing site.

Zion's National Park pt. 3

2008-07-01T21:12:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Zions
More of Zions
or My beautiful little girl and boy!

Zion's National Park pt. 2

2008-07-01T21:01:00.001-07:00

The gang hanging out.
The kids looking for lizards at Zions
Emily's bed for the night because she was snoring.

Zion'sNational Park July 2008 pt. 1

2008-07-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today was an amazing day. We went to one of the most beautiful places in the nation. This was my kids and my first time to see Zion's National Park. The day started at Cedar City, where we stayed last night. We had a great breakfast at the hotel. It was actually a full breakfast which does not happen too much in this day and age. Then we started our way to Zions. I am just going to share a few of our pictures with you.

Coming to closure

2008-06-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

The phrase "coming to closure" suggests a process. In the mentoring relationship, good closure is synonymous with learning and development. Good closure should catapult you forward into a new stage. Lack of closure or poor closure can impede growth.

Although individual, a need for closure varies, closure is essential for growth. Whether closure is unanticipated or planned, dealing with it together and directly is critical for a successful mentoring relationship. The importance of the "closure conversation" cannot be over emphasized. It is during this conversation that learning takes place, that appreciation gets articulated, and the celebration occurs. It is also the occasion for renegotiation: to determine if this relationship might continue, and if so, on what basis.(Friends :) Mentoring and Protege Vol. 9 No. 4 Fall 1999

Why look back?Chapman: If you move out of a relationship without resolving past relationship hurts, disappointments and failures, you may hamper your ability to be open, to trust, to engage or to be close and honest. The moment you get into another relationship, these issues tend to arise. In fact, most of the problems that people have in relationships come from "unfinished business" from prior relationships.

I finally realized I am coming to closure myself. I was catapulted forward this last week with the
help of my last relationship. I think closure is a good thing. If you cannot forget the last relationship but celebrate it for what it is, then you will never grow. I am looking for a wonderful and new relationship that will bring great happiness for my future. There will be no unfinished business.

I am looking for someone who comes internally happy and it will not be my job to make that person happy with material or emotional products. I found out myself, to have a good relationship, each one of us has to create our own happiness first. I have found what makes me happy is working out a couple of times a week, seeing my children as much as possible, going to the temple, and of course, good food and fun with friends. I am working on myself to make the best possible me. I am internally happy right now and will stay that way if I do not forget myself.

Monday Aghhhhh!!!

2008-06-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

I am trying to find something positive about Monday. I really can't figure out what I can say about it. I only want to have positive things on this blog. So I need to say something nice about my Monday. What could it be? I did not have a great lunch. I had an awfully boring conference call for 2 Hours. I woke up at the end of it slobbering on my desk from falling into too deep of sleep. I hope they did not call on me why I was asleep. I always can get out of it though when I tell them I was helping a customer who only wants to talk to the general manager. I guess I could say the positive of having a very good nap is that it took me back to kindergarten days.

I did have a pretty good workout this morning. On the elliptical machine I hit my high of almost 400 calories burned. I was on it for 45 minutes at level 15 and it was kicking my butt. I would not suggest going that long and at that level. The positive of this workout is that now I can drink my Rockstar Juiced drink with relatively no guilt. ;-)

I am going to the temple tomorrow so that I can find peace and serenity again. I lost it last night for some reason and slept a total of 4 hours. I think I might of got up to the million mark on the sheep count. That is probably why I had such a good slobber fest on my desk this afternoon. Life is still good even with Mondays in our lives. It makes us enjoy the rest of the week so much more.

Park City is so beautiful and green right now. It just makes me want to be outside at all times. I want to go hiking. Well my time is done. Peace Out!!!!

Weekly Temple Visit

2008-06-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

I love going to the temple. I went to the Bountiful temple today. It is the temple I usually go to because there are not that many people that are in the sessions. It is very efficient getting through the session. Not that I want to leave the temple fast but I am usually in a hurry because of my life being so busy.

I was contemplating life and how many stops and curves you go through to get to the place where you want to be at. I have a great life, but it has thrown me some curves. I would not say I have met any stops yet in life. I have been very fortunate. I have a great life with great kids and a great job!

My World Today and The Future

2008-06-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

I am starting this blog for my own sanity, I guess. I am moving on with my life and feel good about the future. I will not worry about the past because it does not matter. I think of the past as being beautiful and having meaning that has changed my life for the better. I have many great and wonderful things that have happened to me. Above all, my children are the most important thing in my life. I love them!!! I hope they have a wonderful and fulfilling life with great meaning as my life has had. I wish I could see them everyday, but that is an impossibility. They are always in my heart at all times and that makes me smile.

I hope I will be able to share my present and future and never dwell on the past because it is gone and cannot be changed. I am looking forward to a wonderful life full of love and excitement. Love will always find a way.