Today and yesterday we had conference with Elder Coleman of the Seventy. He gave some good talks about the Family. He stressed that the Family is the core of society and that we need to strengthen our families and guide them. The world is becoming more and more lax when it comes to family values and if people had an eternal perspective about Heavenly Father's plan more people would strive for stronger family ties. I am grateful that Lindsay and I can start a family together and have this great direction in our lives.
Elder Coleman also talked about how Jesus Christ taught by many different ways when he was on Earth. He knew that many people learned different ways so you have to teach different. One example of this was the way he healed the blind. For one man he took spittle and placed it on his eyes. For another he told to go and see and for another he touched his eyes. This is a great lesson that there is no cookie cutter way to do things. Sometimes you have to pray to find the best way to help people unique to their situation.
Today ours Stake President Pugmire gave a good lesson on his testimony of the gospel. He said that he was glad that the Gospel embraces all truth no matter where it is and that is all that is important in life that we seek after truth and embrace it.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
April Fools
I think God gives each of us certain talents and gifts for us to bless our lives and the lives of others. I know one gift that he may not have given me was the mind to build things. I am not gifted when it comes to building the simplest things. I think it comes from me not spending enough time with the Lincoln logs as a small child.
I have had struggles with home projects in the past. In having a new home and having to add amenities I have tested my limited knowledge of home repair. I spent 3 hours trying to build a TV stand that should have taken like an hour only to finish and realize that the doors didn't shut flush. I stripped a few bolts in the process so I had to go back to IKEA to get some knew ones.
My most recent project was a wall cabinet for our Baby's bathroom. This is only a 2.5 foot by 2.5 foot cabinet and should have only taken about 2 hours to build. I spent 3 hours and still have tomorrow to finish it. The doors on it are not closing correctly so I am not sure what to do.
I am not sure where to learn these home handy-man things. I think I am going to start watching Bob Vila shows if he is even on the air anymore.
I have had struggles with home projects in the past. In having a new home and having to add amenities I have tested my limited knowledge of home repair. I spent 3 hours trying to build a TV stand that should have taken like an hour only to finish and realize that the doors didn't shut flush. I stripped a few bolts in the process so I had to go back to IKEA to get some knew ones.
My most recent project was a wall cabinet for our Baby's bathroom. This is only a 2.5 foot by 2.5 foot cabinet and should have only taken about 2 hours to build. I spent 3 hours and still have tomorrow to finish it. The doors on it are not closing correctly so I am not sure what to do.
I am not sure where to learn these home handy-man things. I think I am going to start watching Bob Vila shows if he is even on the air anymore.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Year of the Golden Pig
I went to Vegas last week and went to the Electronic Transaction Association Conference for two days. I was going to drive there because I was trying to talk Lindsay or Dean into coming with me but that didn't work out. So, literally, at the last moment I decided to fly. Tickets are not always the cheapest at the last minute for some reason so I had to pay $250 for a round trip to Vegas. I stayed in our Timeshare off of Las Vegas Blvd.
In the morning I played in a golf tournament with Gary Rutledge, the COO of North American Bancard. Two years ago Gary and I won this 4 man scramble in Las Vegas so we wanted to give it a whirl again. It was a beautiful day and we teed off at 8 am. We only had 3 players because our fourth guy dislocated his shoulder the day before when he was water skiing. This was unfortunate because he was a scratch golfer. We still had a good team, and a great chance at winning. I was hitting my driver well all day but the rest of my game was less than desirable. Because the course was short we only had the 50-100 yard shots to the greens. Unfortunately, none of use could get those too close, so we had a lot of long birdie putts. Gary made some long putts for us, and I had a couple of great par-3 shots that actually won me closest to the pin on one hole. We finished at 11 under and in third place. Not bad for playing mediocre and we had a fun day.
The conference was very educational; I am glad that I went. In this business and in my world it is fun to rub shoulders with people that do the same thing you do because day in and day out I usually don't deal with people that know more than me about the industry. This is because I am always dealing with potential merchants that don't know much about the card processing industry.
Towards the end of the trip, I met a cool Korean couple that are sales reps for North American Bancard and they were fun to talk with. We chit-chatted with Rita Feldman and went to lunch together before I flew out of Vegas. They said that our baby is going to be very special because in the Oriental culture this is the "Year of the Golden Pig". Now you may ask yourself - Why is this special? Who wants there child to be born in the year named after a animal that is killed for bacon? Well, let me tell you... The Year of the Golden Pig only happens every 600 years. According to Chinese Folklore, this is an event that occurs once in every 600 years and will insure that a baby born on this year will experience a prosperous and wealthy life.
In the morning I played in a golf tournament with Gary Rutledge, the COO of North American Bancard. Two years ago Gary and I won this 4 man scramble in Las Vegas so we wanted to give it a whirl again. It was a beautiful day and we teed off at 8 am. We only had 3 players because our fourth guy dislocated his shoulder the day before when he was water skiing. This was unfortunate because he was a scratch golfer. We still had a good team, and a great chance at winning. I was hitting my driver well all day but the rest of my game was less than desirable. Because the course was short we only had the 50-100 yard shots to the greens. Unfortunately, none of use could get those too close, so we had a lot of long birdie putts. Gary made some long putts for us, and I had a couple of great par-3 shots that actually won me closest to the pin on one hole. We finished at 11 under and in third place. Not bad for playing mediocre and we had a fun day.
The conference was very educational; I am glad that I went. In this business and in my world it is fun to rub shoulders with people that do the same thing you do because day in and day out I usually don't deal with people that know more than me about the industry. This is because I am always dealing with potential merchants that don't know much about the card processing industry.
Towards the end of the trip, I met a cool Korean couple that are sales reps for North American Bancard and they were fun to talk with. We chit-chatted with Rita Feldman and went to lunch together before I flew out of Vegas. They said that our baby is going to be very special because in the Oriental culture this is the "Year of the Golden Pig". Now you may ask yourself - Why is this special? Who wants there child to be born in the year named after a animal that is killed for bacon? Well, let me tell you... The Year of the Golden Pig only happens every 600 years. According to Chinese Folklore, this is an event that occurs once in every 600 years and will insure that a baby born on this year will experience a prosperous and wealthy life.
This legend is so popular, that Korea is expected to have a 10% increase in birth rate this year, which is apparently much needed as its birth rate is extremely low.
I am, in the words of Lindsay, "stoked" to be a Dad.
What I miss about Finland
I found a paper of with some things written about Finnish people that I miss.
1) The way Finns can talk by breathing in and talking at the same time. This rare phenomenon is only possible by Finnish blood. If you don't believe me try it. The older Grandmas are excellent at this.
2)Sauna and Makara. Sauna is such a culture in Finland that they get mad if you interfere with their Sauna night they get really upset. There are few things in life that are better than going in the Sauna and jumping into a cool Finnish lake. After doing this a few times your body is totally relaxed and cleaned.
3) Quiet Buses. Finns are pretty quiet on their own and when they are in public transportation. They don't communicate with others unless they have to. BUT on the bus if they do get a cell phone call they are pretty loud and not afraid to speak about every detail that happened Friday night while they were on a date.
4) Quietness - You have never known the peace nature has to offer you until you go to Finland. Even in the cities the Finnish people have a great respect for the peace of the beautiful forest that surrounds them.
1) The way Finns can talk by breathing in and talking at the same time. This rare phenomenon is only possible by Finnish blood. If you don't believe me try it. The older Grandmas are excellent at this.
2)Sauna and Makara. Sauna is such a culture in Finland that they get mad if you interfere with their Sauna night they get really upset. There are few things in life that are better than going in the Sauna and jumping into a cool Finnish lake. After doing this a few times your body is totally relaxed and cleaned.
3) Quiet Buses. Finns are pretty quiet on their own and when they are in public transportation. They don't communicate with others unless they have to. BUT on the bus if they do get a cell phone call they are pretty loud and not afraid to speak about every detail that happened Friday night while they were on a date.
4) Quietness - You have never known the peace nature has to offer you until you go to Finland. Even in the cities the Finnish people have a great respect for the peace of the beautiful forest that surrounds them.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Golf Stats
Josh Crockett introduced me to the coolest Golf website www.freegolfinfo.com
This site tracks all of the scores and courses that you have ever played for free. I had a ton of score cards that I entered in here and now I don't have to pack the cards around.
This site tracks all of the scores and courses that you have ever played for free. I had a ton of score cards that I entered in here and now I don't have to pack the cards around.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
10 Year Highland High School Reunion Life Update
I wanted to post this because I wrote it for my 10 year year-book.
1) High School activities - I played 3 years on the Highland Golf team - I was just an average player and didn't play well my senior year at the State Championship at our home course. I had a few honors classes but didn't ever get college credit for them. I wish I would have spent a little more time studying and a little less time watching TV. I also played soccer and loved the competitiveness of High School soccer. Randy Bosh was a great coach.
2) Since High School I went to a year at ISU and then left to serve a two-year Church mission for the LDS church. I went to Finland and spoke Finnish for two years. It was more of a blessing to my life than I could write in pages of material so I won't try, but I never regret my decision to teach people about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
After that, I went to ISU and graduated in Marketing. I walked on to the ISU Golf team and played for 3 years. Out of ISU, I started working for myself as a card processor. I am the guy that you talk to if you want to take cards from clients, both online and in a store. Currently I am getting into a system where you can pay via your cell phone with an encrypted card in your phone.
3) I think my Greatest Accomplishment since High School has been getting married. It took me a while but I did it almost 2 years ago. I met Lindsay in Mesa, Arizona at a Monday night church activity playing soccer. At first I thought that she was a girl that I met the night before and got her phone number. After being followed by multiple guys I convinced her to go to Applebees w/ me and my friends. The cliche "the rest is history" fits. We dated for 3 months and got married in Hawaii on the beach.
4) Something you may not know about me is that I love technology. I am always interested in the latest piece of tech and I want to be a computer nerd someday.
5) My favorite memory of High School was skipping class and going bowling with Corey Sherman and Brand Novosel. Just Kidding... That wasn't my favorite memory. I don't know if there was one event that I think of as my favorite, but I thought our school always had excellent sports programs and it was fun watching football and basketball win championships.
1) High School activities - I played 3 years on the Highland Golf team - I was just an average player and didn't play well my senior year at the State Championship at our home course. I had a few honors classes but didn't ever get college credit for them. I wish I would have spent a little more time studying and a little less time watching TV. I also played soccer and loved the competitiveness of High School soccer. Randy Bosh was a great coach.
2) Since High School I went to a year at ISU and then left to serve a two-year Church mission for the LDS church. I went to Finland and spoke Finnish for two years. It was more of a blessing to my life than I could write in pages of material so I won't try, but I never regret my decision to teach people about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
After that, I went to ISU and graduated in Marketing. I walked on to the ISU Golf team and played for 3 years. Out of ISU, I started working for myself as a card processor. I am the guy that you talk to if you want to take cards from clients, both online and in a store. Currently I am getting into a system where you can pay via your cell phone with an encrypted card in your phone.
3) I think my Greatest Accomplishment since High School has been getting married. It took me a while but I did it almost 2 years ago. I met Lindsay in Mesa, Arizona at a Monday night church activity playing soccer. At first I thought that she was a girl that I met the night before and got her phone number. After being followed by multiple guys I convinced her to go to Applebees w/ me and my friends. The cliche "the rest is history" fits. We dated for 3 months and got married in Hawaii on the beach.
4) Something you may not know about me is that I love technology. I am always interested in the latest piece of tech and I want to be a computer nerd someday.
5) My favorite memory of High School was skipping class and going bowling with Corey Sherman and Brand Novosel. Just Kidding... That wasn't my favorite memory. I don't know if there was one event that I think of as my favorite, but I thought our school always had excellent sports programs and it was fun watching football and basketball win championships.
Wedding on the Beach
I thought this was a neat article about getting married on the beach. Ok... I am biased
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070404/lf_nm/weddings_travel_dc
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070404/lf_nm/weddings_travel_dc
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Funny Home Remedies
1. If you are choking on an ice cube simply pour a cup of >boiling water> >down your throat. Presto! The blockage will instantly remove >itself.> >> >
2. Avoid cutting yourself slicing vegetables by getting someone >else to> >hold while you chop.>
3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat >by using> >the sink
4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and >bleed for> >a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember >to use a> >timer
5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will >prevent you> >from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze >button.>
6. If you have a ba d cough, take a large dose of laxatives, >then you> >will be afraid to cough.> 7. You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it >doesn't> >move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use >the duct> >tape
8. Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.> >> > Daily Thought: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. NOT REALLY GOOD >FOR> >ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE >STAIRS
1. If you are choking on an ice cube simply pour a cup of >boiling water> >down your throat. Presto! The blockage will instantly remove >itself.> >> >
2. Avoid cutting yourself slicing vegetables by getting someone >else to> >hold while you chop.>
3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat >by using> >the sink
4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and >bleed for> >a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember >to use a> >timer
5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will >prevent you> >from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze >button.>
6. If you have a ba d cough, take a large dose of laxatives, >then you> >will be afraid to cough.> 7. You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it >doesn't> >move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use >the duct> >tape
8. Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.> >> > Daily Thought: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. NOT REALLY GOOD >FOR> >ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE >STAIRS
Monday, April 9, 2007
I love Finland
This is a pretty awesome video that aired between conferences last weekend. It shows the history of the members of the church of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia and Finland. The video shows that culture and faith of the people of these countries. It also shows of the blessings of the temple in Finland. This temple was announced the end of my mission in 2000 but was not "Finnished" until last October because of diffuculty getting government approval.
I really wish I could have gone back and seen the dedication and some of my friends from Finland during this time. It would have been awesome. One of my goals is to take Lindsay and my future family to see the temple and the rest of Finland. This video is about 45 minutes but well worth it.... OK .. I am biased because I love Finland. So turn off the TV and check this out
http://www.ldsn.org/fma/page.php?pg_id=15
I really wish I could have gone back and seen the dedication and some of my friends from Finland during this time. It would have been awesome. One of my goals is to take Lindsay and my future family to see the temple and the rest of Finland. This video is about 45 minutes but well worth it.... OK .. I am biased because I love Finland. So turn off the TV and check this out
http://www.ldsn.org/fma/page.php?pg_id=15
My Grandpa Jack
My Grandpa Jack passed away two weeks ago and it was a sad day for all. I am so glad that I got to make it to Idaho 3 weeks ago and see him for the last time. We were talking technology as he explained to me his latest gadget that he had gotten. A PDA that had many functions such as a voice recorder, planner, internet browser and navigator. It seemed to be something good to talk about to keep his mind off of the trouble he had breathing and problems with his heart. In my mind I knew that he didn't have much time on this earth so I was glad that I was in town. I wish that we would have discussed a bit more about life and the times that I enjoyed growing up and coming to visit grandpa's house.
As I departed and said my goodbyes I told him that I loved him and wanted him to get better. I wish that I would have told him more of the things that I appreciated him for. One of the things that I learned from Grandpa Jack was hard work. If working until you are, I don't remember how old, 120 maybe says something. This says that he was never one to sit stagnant. I was surprised that he sold the Jewelry store even though I shouldn't have been because he was like 120 years old.
I also learned from my Grandpa how to wheel and deal. Grandpa Jack was a great business man and always got what he wanted. He never seemed to be dishonest but always worked hard in negotiations. I hope I picked up a little of this up on my own. I think that I picked this up from my mom mainly who can get her money back on a non-refundable airline ticket.
I am also thankful that my Grandpa was supportive in all that I did. He was a big advicate of my mission and wrote me often while I was in Finland. That meant alot to me and I saved all of his letters.
I am going to miss the emails he would always send to me. In the last 2 years since I have been in Arizona I have kept in touch with Grandpa via email. He would always send me 2-3 mass emails a day to let me know he was still ok.. Some were funny, some spiritual, some cheezy and some weird but it was just kind of his thing of passing along what he enjoyed. I know that some of them always made me prove my Christianity because if I didn't forward his email to 10 people within 2 hours I wouldn't be called a Christian. Or If I didn't forward a certain email to 10 people in 5 minutes my great grandson would catch a nasty flu on his 12th birthday.. or something goofy like that.
I am also thankful that my Grandpa taught me to be conserving and not wasteful. He would try to fix things before he threw them out. This is the opposite of the mentality of today's society of if it is broke just throw it away and buy another one. I ended up reprogramming his credit card terminal 2 years ago with my company and he was really concerned that the reciepts printed longer and that more paper was used in the process. He approached me with this concern and I didn't know what to say. I had encountered previous clients with concerns of slow service time, bad pricing, slow terminals, long contracts or slow deposits into their bank accounts but never a reciept that printed a inch to long. So I called my technical support specialists and they were baffled. There was no way to fix it accourding to them so I had to break Grandpa the bad news. I hope that I can have that quality of not being wasteful pass on to me.
I will miss you Grandpa and hope to see you down the road.
As I departed and said my goodbyes I told him that I loved him and wanted him to get better. I wish that I would have told him more of the things that I appreciated him for. One of the things that I learned from Grandpa Jack was hard work. If working until you are, I don't remember how old, 120 maybe says something. This says that he was never one to sit stagnant. I was surprised that he sold the Jewelry store even though I shouldn't have been because he was like 120 years old.
I also learned from my Grandpa how to wheel and deal. Grandpa Jack was a great business man and always got what he wanted. He never seemed to be dishonest but always worked hard in negotiations. I hope I picked up a little of this up on my own. I think that I picked this up from my mom mainly who can get her money back on a non-refundable airline ticket.
I am also thankful that my Grandpa was supportive in all that I did. He was a big advicate of my mission and wrote me often while I was in Finland. That meant alot to me and I saved all of his letters.
I am going to miss the emails he would always send to me. In the last 2 years since I have been in Arizona I have kept in touch with Grandpa via email. He would always send me 2-3 mass emails a day to let me know he was still ok.. Some were funny, some spiritual, some cheezy and some weird but it was just kind of his thing of passing along what he enjoyed. I know that some of them always made me prove my Christianity because if I didn't forward his email to 10 people within 2 hours I wouldn't be called a Christian. Or If I didn't forward a certain email to 10 people in 5 minutes my great grandson would catch a nasty flu on his 12th birthday.. or something goofy like that.
I am also thankful that my Grandpa taught me to be conserving and not wasteful. He would try to fix things before he threw them out. This is the opposite of the mentality of today's society of if it is broke just throw it away and buy another one. I ended up reprogramming his credit card terminal 2 years ago with my company and he was really concerned that the reciepts printed longer and that more paper was used in the process. He approached me with this concern and I didn't know what to say. I had encountered previous clients with concerns of slow service time, bad pricing, slow terminals, long contracts or slow deposits into their bank accounts but never a reciept that printed a inch to long. So I called my technical support specialists and they were baffled. There was no way to fix it accourding to them so I had to break Grandpa the bad news. I hope that I can have that quality of not being wasteful pass on to me.
I will miss you Grandpa and hope to see you down the road.
Boy on the Way!
I am excited to write more in my Journal. I started writing in my Journal on my mission to Finland in 1998 and was pretty faithful writing for two years. After I got home I have been touch and go and haven't written as much as I wanted to. This may help me a little more because it is easier for me to type. I think it is easier to people to read my handwriting in a Blog journal than in my handwriting. Although it may lose a little personal appeal that comes with handwriting.
My life now gets more and more exciting as it goes on and I am excited to have my first kid here in a few months. The due date of June 28 is coming up fast and I think I am as ready as I can be. I have definitely gained more respect for Lindsay and women in general for the hard time that pregnancy can be..>> Guys have it easy... Just trips to the store is the extent of our tough times in Pregnancy. Pregnancy can be fun because I get to gain sympathy pounds and eat more things that I may not. I have also had allot of cravings for Ice Cream for the last few months.
The first birth I ever saw was my sister giving birth to her first child Jaden and that was an adventure. I arrived towards the end of her labor and found myself peaking inside the door of her room close to the birth. As my sister screamed loud and was "pushing" towards the finish I began to get nauseous and light headed. So I had to leave and head down the hall towards the bathroom because I thought I was going to hurl. With that as a preface I think I will do better this time as Lindsay goes into labor because I know what to expect and will be more prepared.. Hopefully.
I am excited to be a dad and know that it will be the most important responsibility I will ever have. It is a humbling experience taking responsibility for another life but I have had a great examples of a father that I know I will have to follow.
My life now gets more and more exciting as it goes on and I am excited to have my first kid here in a few months. The due date of June 28 is coming up fast and I think I am as ready as I can be. I have definitely gained more respect for Lindsay and women in general for the hard time that pregnancy can be..>> Guys have it easy... Just trips to the store is the extent of our tough times in Pregnancy. Pregnancy can be fun because I get to gain sympathy pounds and eat more things that I may not. I have also had allot of cravings for Ice Cream for the last few months.
The first birth I ever saw was my sister giving birth to her first child Jaden and that was an adventure. I arrived towards the end of her labor and found myself peaking inside the door of her room close to the birth. As my sister screamed loud and was "pushing" towards the finish I began to get nauseous and light headed. So I had to leave and head down the hall towards the bathroom because I thought I was going to hurl. With that as a preface I think I will do better this time as Lindsay goes into labor because I know what to expect and will be more prepared.. Hopefully.
I am excited to be a dad and know that it will be the most important responsibility I will ever have. It is a humbling experience taking responsibility for another life but I have had a great examples of a father that I know I will have to follow.
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