Learning from being the patient

I recently had a little bit of surgery. While going to the hospital is rarely fun, each of us can learn empathy while being a patient. How often are you totally at the mercy of another? Think about it, when you are under the influence of general anesthetic, you are totally at the mercy of the doctors, nurses and technicians in the operating room. So how much do you trust your doctor? How many people do you know at the hospital or surgical center, and is that a problem?

I will say that, at least while I was awake, I had a good experience at Coral Desert Surgical Center. The intake nurse and staff did their best to put me at ease, if that is possible. I knew the anesthesiologist and there were no jokes about giving me any "Jackson Juice". No kidding, a few years ago when I re-arranged my nose, jokes about anesthetic being Jackson Juice was the last comment I remember. Upon waking up, I did my best to not make a scene so as not to embarrass myself or my wife. Today as I write this post, I am doing well, and really don't think I should have to sit or lay down all day.

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, being an attorney, my clients look to me to give them great advice, something all attorney's strive to do. At times, giving great advice is daunting because there are so many unknowns. When a doctor operates, there are generally protocols in place; to an outsider, it looks like an if then statement. You know, "If this is found then the correct answer is Y". When trusting a doctor you are hoping your case falls into the known formula's for success. In the legal arena the laws are in place for most situations, but those dang attorney's keep twisting them and arguing them in a different way. When a jury decides a case, they are often wondering, what am I missing? When advising a client, an attorney is trying to look into the spectre of the future give the best advice possible to their clients so the client can make a reasoned decision.

So these rambling thoughts are an attempt to say "Thank you" to all of you who do your best to serve those who trust you enough to hire you. Thank you to all of my clients to who trust me. I hope we can all remember to treat people as you would want to be treated.

2011 The year of Miracles

2011 has been quite a year!

We have had many miracles. Let's see if I can list a few of them.

1) Completed our 5 year plan at the office - in five years;
2) Participated in a wonderful trek;
3) Helped throw a great 50th wedding celebration for my Mom and Dad;
4) Participated with the young men on a great high adventure;
5) Help put on the Bloomington 4th of July; and
6) 16 and 15 year old to Hawaii for BYU EFY.

Whew! That sounds like a pretty good, action packed, first half of the year.

Completed our 5 year plan at the office - in five years

Yeah, we complete some goals. When I first broke out from the law office I worked for, for 14 years, Marta and I set some goals. We wanted to expand our space, and purchase our equipment with cash and grow our case load, not be the traditional advertising firm, and purchase our own building in 5 years. We opened Bradley C. Harr PC on June 1, 2006. We moved Bradley C. Harr & Associates into a building owned by Smile-Adv llc in June 2011 and had our official open house on July 1, 2011. five years later.

We had a lot of help along the way. Val and Kathryn, Marta's parents, of VPC Construction helped in every phase of construction. Marta and my kids provided a lot of labor and 6 months after starting deconstruction we were ready to move in. The remodel was extensive. The building went from a 11,000 sq ft blue roof structure that looked like a house boat to a very modern comfortable office. I am sure that we were inspired to make the right moves a long the way and that the new location will be a benefit to my family, our employees and the people that we serve.

The goal of our office is to take care of people first and the worldly necessities will fall into place.

Thanks to everyone who helped. Marta and I acknowledge the hand of God in blessing our undertaking. Many obstacles were solved easily, which I ascribe to divine influence.

Laus Deo!

Marta and I also participated in a wonderful trek

The first week of June was our Bloomingtion Stake Trek. There were about 240 young men and young women and about 100 adult volunteers that participated. It is impossible to have a pioneer trek and not have a number of miracles along the way. no one broke a leg, although there were a few IV's administered. The rattle snakes were not played with and the program and food was fantastic.

I wonder why we do trek's. Really, we are going to take modern air conditioned kids and send them out on the mountain for three days and have them push and pull a handcart?! The answer is a resounding absolutely. A lot of character was built, friends made and relationships with god established or strengthened.

The goal the first day was to wear the youth out. Well, by the end of the day they were worn out, but when they awoke, they were rearing to go again. many pioneers lost their husbands in the original treks due to exposure, illness, cold, and other reasons. Their wives were left to pull handcarts alone. On our trek we had a silent women's pull in their honor. The youngmen were told told they could not push the handcarts, so they simply took stuff off the carts and lightened the load. It was an amazing sight.

We also had pioneer games, a square dance, a fireside from the Stake President, motivational speakers and Brigham Young even welcomed them into the valley. Heavenly Father blessed me as I was out of the office for three days, work was done and a problematic case involving 5 injured people was resolved while on a cell phone in the shade of a Juniper tree. Miracles.

50th wedding celebration for my Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad had their 50th wedding anniversary and June 9, 2011. I was a tag along on this one. Marta and Liesl started preparations back in January. We did not tell mom and dad until late in the game. I told dad about a month before so that he would not plan a trip or something over the top of it. Then we sent mom an invitation so she got notified the same time as the invited guests. When she did find out it was a complete surprise.

The night went really smoothly. The party was held a Thanksgiving Point and there was an ice cream bar with cookie and drinks. There was a photographer who took a picture of each family or person that came. Marta and Liesl had materials there for a scrap book and then they edited the photo's and gave them to mom so she can complete the book.

I was able to get a hold of their picture books from their wedding and events that happened since. The photo's were scanned and decorations were made out of the 50 years worth of snapshots and placed around the room. People enjoyed seeing the photo's.

I think about 200 people came through the night and it was a nice event for Mom and Dad. Happy Anniversary.

Participated with the young men on a great high adventure

All neighborhoods go through phases. Ours is no exception. Our neighborhood is aging and there are not as many young people in our immediate area as there once was. As a result, it is a little harder to get the same participation. My sixteen year old wanted to have a cool trip and build some unity. So we put together a trip to help build unity and have some fun.

Here is our agenda:

Wednesday 5:00 p.m. - leave

9:00 - Manti Miracle Pageant

Thursday 9:00 - Golf at Soldier Hollow

1:00 - Lunch

2:00 - Boating, canoeing, swimming

6:00 - dinner and clean up

9:00 - Astronomer

Friday 7:00 - Lake activities at Deer Creek

2:00 - Salt Lake - visit the Conference Center, Tabernacle, Temple Square, Art History museum

6:00 - Dinner at the Gold Room in the Joseph Smith Memorial building

7:00 - Jim and Marci Duke - Motivational speakers

8:00 - Temple visitor center

Saturday 10:00 Depart for St. George

noon Gold in Filmore

As you can see, there was a lot of activity. All had a really good time. Thank you to Jim and Marci for coming to share some thoughts with us. I thought that when the speaker was done, everyone would want to go back to Heber for Smores. I was wrong, they wanted to stay on Temple Square. We sat by the "Christus" and did not leave until 9:00, when the visitor center closed.

We had a great trip and hope that now we have something to build upon with this group of young men. Hopefully, the BSA Ranger program can be implemented for the next year. All young men need some direction. It is helpful if they have an activity based program that gets them involved in learning and even excelling in something wholesome and positive.

I will help in any way I can.

Bloomington 4th of July

Our 4^th was a success. It started on Sunday night with a non denominational firside a the LDS Stake center. The United Methodist choir came and sang and Val Langston, a Viet Nam vet, was the speaker. The Dalley's and a duet from the Sun River area also came and sang. It was awesome and well attended.

In the morning, there was a flag raising ceremony at 7:00 a.m. My family hosted the 5k. We had about 125 runners, including people from California. One couple was touring the country and happened to stop in Bloomington and joined us. They were complimentary and said they really enjoyed the morning. This year, as it was a community event, we served coffee. That was a little unusual for our community but perfect as it helped create a sense of community. Our community is American and Christian, but not exclusively Mormon.

Marta and I started working on the Bloomington 4th celebration 3 years ago with a goal. The goal was to host a community, patriotic event where all Bloomington residents felt welcome. We also wanted an event where family July 4th celebration traditions could be supplemented. Goals met.

100 Year Celebration of the Boy Scouts of America

This past weekend, the Boy Scouts of America celebrated 100 years in America with a jamboree celebration held at the Washington County Fair Grounds. Bradley C. Harr & Associates was pleased to help sponsor this event and help provide backpacks which each Boy Scout received as part of their participation.
The jamboree started at 1:00 in the afternoon, during which time a video feed was shown of the International Space Station. The video was made earlier in the day as the space station flew over Washington County. Senator Warren Hatch prepared a brief video message which was shown to the Scouts as well as the President of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Thomas S. Monson. Throughout the course of the day, there were Scouting activities and vendor booths for the Boy Scouts to participate in.

On the Cub Scout side, there were over 2,000 Cub Scouts and their leaders who participated in the event. The Cub Scouts are easy to spot as the shirts they received, rather than backpacks, were blue and yellow. They learned about chivalry, made shields and swords, and participated in a mock battle.

Closing ceremonies were held in the outdoor arena of the Washington County Fair Grounds. TMINUS5, a local all vocal group performed for the Scouts. After approximately 45 minutes of entertainment and address on the value of Boy Scouting and this great Country that we live in, there was a huge fireworks display, which was sponsored by local businesses.

Part of the celebration included the Scouts completing 100 good deeds to celbrate the 100th anniversary. If a scout accomplished their 100 good deed they got a commermorative patch. Many hard working scouts accomplished that worthy goal.

Bradley C. Harr & Associates was thrilled to help sponsor an event celebrating a wonderful organization within this great Country we call the United States of America.

Kokopelli Triathlon - September 18, 2010

Bradley C. Harr & Associates was pleased to be one of the local sponsors of the Kokopelli Triathlon which was held on September 18, 2010. The Kokopelli Triathlon was held in the City of Hurricane at Sand Hollow Reservoir and included sprint and Olympic distance events.

Sprint distance triathlon: approximate 800 meter swim → 15 mile bike ride → 5k run

Olympic distance triathlon: approximate 1,500 meter swim → 25 mile bike ride → 10k run

There were around 600 participants in this event, and the weather cooperated beautifully.

Our own St. George Triathlon Club was well represented in the race. Other notable groups include the BYU Triathlon Club, the American Air Force Triathlon Club, and Team Fastlane from Orem to name a few. All in all, it was a great event with very few mishaps.

Bradley C. Harr & Associates is pleased to sponsor local events that not only encourage Washington and Iron County residents to stay healthy and to be fit, but also boosts our local economy.

Great job to the organizers at BBSC Endurance Sports!

Happy Easter everyone! What a great day. It is Easter Sunday and there is a lot going on. It is general conference weekend form members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It makes for a nice day to listen to the speakers in general conference.

Last night was the session for men who are 12 or older. Elder Rasband spoke about missions and how the inspiration comes to call a missionary. The message was close to my heart as Jed is going on a mission in July. He has been called to serve in the Taiwan Taipei mission where he will learn and teach in Mandarin Chinese. What a wonderful opportunity. It is exciting to see him prepare and get ready to spend two years in Taiwan. I am sure that the language will be difficult for him to pick up. Nonetheless, the Lord will help him and he will learn.

Anyway, Elder Rasband spoke about the process. He described how one of the Apostles has a couple of large computer monitors set up in the office. The prospective missionary's picture appears and the Apostle gets to study the picture. He then reviews the application and reviews the comments which have been sent by the missionary, their Bishop and Stake President. On another monitor is a global map which shows all of the missions in the world. The Apostle then prays or continues in prayer until they feel prompted where the missionary should serve. Elder Rasband did not say how long the process took. As he gave his talk I not only felt that Jed's call was correct for him, I had already received that confirmation, but that I received a renewed confirmation of missionary work and their calls.

I am grateful for Jed's opportunity to serve and trust him into the Lord's care.

Brinley's Baptism Invite

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Back to School Already

Life is good. Here we are in September and time keeps on going. We have had quite the adventuresome summer. I am the Father and Dad of 7 great kids. This summer was a little different as our oldest is now 18. He plans on an LDS mission and we wondered what he was going to do until his 19th B-day. Should he go to school, work and save, or just play. The latter not an option.

As we came into the M and I spent a lot of time talking with our oldest. Unfortunately, that was not really fair to our other 6 kids. Sooo, we put the brakes on discussions with our oldest and put a plan together with our other kids. We discussed with C that we wanted to know what he wanted to do. After much discussion we decided to go to Salmon ID to a river camp where Kayaking was taught. In order to attend the camp the participants had to be at least 14 years old.

We took our senior team, ages 18, 15, and 14 with Marta and I. The river and canyon and river are spectacular. The plan was to spend three days on the river in a combination of kayaks and rafts. We had a ball. The kids had a really good time. J and C learned how to roll the kayaks. Due to a misunderstanding with a rock under the water I spent some time watching and taking photo's of Marta and the kids. It was good for my kids self esteem to be asked if they wanted to come back next and work at the camp.

Our oldest daughter, L, loves horses. She has her own blog based around horse theme's. Before the summer ended she moved her horses to a stable that has shade for them. I know it is good for the horses, but I am not sure it teaches responsibility in the same way as when they were in a pasture and she had to take care of them 100%. Still she has a job there and is working off the board fees in part. She is up early trying to get the stalls cleaned and working on the other jobs they have her doing. I am sure that she likes that S or C go with her and help. It is always More fun to have someone working with you rather than being alone. I wish she had more interaction with other kids her age. She gets along well with Adults and she really loves the horses.

At the end of the summer J was given the opportunity to play B-Ball at Southern Virginia University or Houghton College in New York. M got him as ready as a mother can and he and I set out to check out the two school schools. We we unable to make a trip where the coaches from both schools could meet with him until the week school started. J and I had a tight schedule and a lot of time in the car. It was good for him to be recruited by a couple of schools and to have a choice.

We first went to SVU. We spent Sunday and Half of Monday there. There are a number of people from St. George who attend SVU or have attended. While there we constantly asked what the bad parts of the school were. Here is the list:

1. Cell phone reception is little spotty;
2. Wal-mart is the mall;
3. Buena Vista (the town where SVU is located) is small.

Not a bad list of "worst" factors. The best features of the school are the faculty and the closeness of the students. I was amazed at how nice everybody was and how east the administration was to work with.

We next drove to Houghton, 500 miles north. It is a non-denominational Christian school South of Buffalo New York. The coaches were great and the facility was physically better than those at SVU. J and I really liked the coach and his concern for J as an individual. After a long night, J decided to go to SVU and become a Knight. When he told the coach of Houghton he said "I knew that." He saw Jed struggle to make the decision and prayed about "what was best for this young man named Jed" and was told he should be in Virginia. WOW, I was so impressed. It made any doubts that J had dissipate.

We went back to Virginia and got J set up in a modular house with 10 other guys, set up his schedule, paid our part of the tuition, bought books, went the the WalMart mall and then left. It was really hard to leave him there. It is 2500 miles from home, no car, he really does not know anyone and he is my oldest and first to leave the nest. It was long ride to the airport. He is doing great.

J is not the only ones back in school. L is enrolled at Dixie as is C. While I was with J Marta helped L and C apply for scholarships at "High Tech High" which is a new charter school co-sponsored by Novell. Both got partial scholarships and are now taking classes. It is a Little early to tell how it is going but they seem to be doing well. I just hope the don't procrastinate their online assignments until the end and it is a push to get everything done.

Our junior team is good as well. S's reading is really coming along well. He takes a turn reading scriptures in the morning and does a great job. B and little S take turns reading the "small" words. They sit on Marta or my lap and follow along. It is a lot of fun.

Back to school already? Well the summer came and went but it was a full one and a good one.