Here we are on Sunday morning working our Blogs. M has chosen to break up her posts into a couple of posts as she has been gone for a week. Typically, she is god an publishing a new post every other day or so. I am happy to write when I can.
What is the good life. A question that we all ponder to varying degrees. My life is full of great things, and yet, sometimes I wonder if the activity is taking me in the right the direction. A better question is how do I make sure the activities in which I participate take me the right direction? If the activities of my life bring me closer to M and our 7 kids then it is probably a pretty indication.
Last week our Sr. team participated in the "Ragnar Wasatch Back". The race itself is 188 miles long. It starts in Logan and ended in Park city. The race is run continuously, or participated in around the clock. It is designed to be a 24 hour, round the clock, race.
M and I and three of our kids, J age 18, L age 15, and C and 14, were all on the team. It was a lot of fun/work/change of pace. M and I were in one car with 4 other friends. Three of our kids were in the other car and our Jr. Team (4 of them) were with grandma following the race from granny's truck. Why do we do it!? For fun of course. Each runner takes three turns and end up running between 13 and 18 miles total. This is the first year for Team Smile Adventures and the second year that M and I have participated.
A team is comprised of 12 participants. Then the team in divided into 2 groups of 6 each. While the first car load of people are running the second car is resting and then they switch. This year we used V's truck for the second team car. What an inspiration M had on that one. It was great to have the bed of the truck to work and cheer out of. We were not cramped and for space which I think made everyone a little happier.
I was runner 8. That means that I had one of the easier routes. 3.5 miles around Pineview reservoir in Eden, 7 miles down the back side of east canyon (in the dark), and then 6 miles from Charleston to Wasatch State Park on Saturday morning. It is kind of funny, when I was running, I want to be done. Yet, while one the run it is a great time to clear my mind and change a change of pace. Life gets so full of schedules, obligations, and the base facts of living (i.e. making a living or other obligations) that we forget to move forward in a meaningful way.
I am not a great runner, but I like to participate. I win every race I enter simply by finishing. Earl Nightingale once said that there is not real competition in this world unless we create it for ourselves. Further, a success is a man or woman moving forward toward a worthy ideal or goal. The race therefore, is not against the other teams, but to move forward toward better health, better relationships with family or friends, and feeling better about the effort we put forth to become a success. M is a success because she is constantly moving toward her goals and also re-evaluating and making new goals that will continue to cause her to stretch. I am a success because am making progress toward my goals. The Ragnar is not about finishing first, but finishing and taking home something from the race. Maybe it is finishing a leg faster than the last time; maybe it is about running harder each time; and maybe it is about celebrating the fact I can run and leave with the knowledge that I may be a little big to run a race like that; but when our team runs across the line, we know that together we can accomplish amazing things.
So what is the "ggod life?" I have it. I have the knowledge that I can be better. My family works hard to work together and be close. Thanks M and familty. I still have goals to achieve, some of which have not even been set. As the new day begins, I get to begin again and create a GOOD LIFE.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Valentines day is coming.
Another holiday is upon us. How can it be another holiday. There are still a few remnants of Christmas lingering around waiting to be put away. Valentines day is kind of strange. It seems most of the world focuses on the having an evening with your sweetheart, be it a candle light dinner, weekend getaway or other mini excursion. For our family the day and the days leading up to Valentines include making treats and delivering them anonymously. We tell our children to not get caught delivering because if the people answer their doors, chase, and catch you they may kiss you! That's incentive to run fast.
I don't know. When Marta and I have tried to go out for a Valentines date the restaurants are full, the flowers are more expensive than usual and my sweetheart does not like chocolate hearts anyway. By the time we make the deliveries to friends there is no time left, so the question remains, what is Valentines all about anyway? The history channel tried to track down the origins.
The idea of a priest falling in love with his jailer's daughter and sending notes as described in the link is probably the most quaint. it appears that commercialism has taken over, again, and we really don't know why we celebrate, it is just a good excuse to send a note to family and friends letting them know we they are in our thoughts and that we care.
This year, I hope you have fun and realize that if a token of friendship and appreciation is left on your door, that you will have fun, and run after the cute little buggers that left a treat. Good luck catching them though, because they want to give treat and just leave it at that.
Happy Valentines Week.
I don't know. When Marta and I have tried to go out for a Valentines date the restaurants are full, the flowers are more expensive than usual and my sweetheart does not like chocolate hearts anyway. By the time we make the deliveries to friends there is no time left, so the question remains, what is Valentines all about anyway? The history channel tried to track down the origins.
The idea of a priest falling in love with his jailer's daughter and sending notes as described in the link is probably the most quaint. it appears that commercialism has taken over, again, and we really don't know why we celebrate, it is just a good excuse to send a note to family and friends letting them know we they are in our thoughts and that we care.
This year, I hope you have fun and realize that if a token of friendship and appreciation is left on your door, that you will have fun, and run after the cute little buggers that left a treat. Good luck catching them though, because they want to give treat and just leave it at that.
Happy Valentines Week.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Triathlon? Marathon? What fun!
It is Sunday afternoon and we are here listening to conference. It has been a packed month. Where to begin. On of my daughters, Liesl, and I were sure that we were a little to heavy so we decided to do something about. We started on a nutrition plan called Isagenix. Yes it is a multi-level marketing product. No, we are are not trying to sale it to anyone.
Anyway, we have had pretty good success with it as we have both lost approximately 25 pounds in the last month. On Liesl's blog she posts that she never felt better, or been happier. Comments like that bring a smile. She is active on her blog and writes often. Marta and Liesl do the best with keeping their blogs current.
A couple of weeks ago we competed in the Kokopeeli triathlon. I like the tri because we have so many participants from our family and friends. This fall our team included:
Marta, Jed, Liesl, Chandler, Val, Kathryn, D. Lee and me.
It was a beautiful day for a tri. I told Marta it was my best swim ever. I didn't rest by hanging onto a boey, dog paddling, puking, or back stroking. I even passed a couple of people on the swim, and I can't recall that ever happening in the past. Even though it was my best swim, it did not set any water records. Both of my boys came in from their swims before I started the bike leg. I can honestly say I enjoyed it.
At the end of the day we had some pretty good results. jed took first in the 19 and under category. I won the over 40 fat man division, and Dawn won her division. More importantly, all had a good time and were smiling as the crossed the line. Really, if everyone feels they did their best you can't ask for anything else.
Yesterday was the Marathon. As has become customary, Marta waited for me. She is patient and kind. There was a little twist as, for the second time in history, it rained on the St. George Marathon. It was a little strange to run in the rain for about 25 of 26.2 miles. I had a pretty good run. It was good to lose the weight before the run, but I didn't have the reserves to maintain for the whole run. I was dizzy and feeling faint at mile 15 and had a couple of other problems along the way. I was able to have a slight kick at the end, a very slight kick and we crossed the line with a time of 4:48 something.
I have never been this stiff after any of the previous races in which we participated. My right leg is the most stiff. It will get better in a few days, the pain and fatigue will fade and we will be ready for the next adventure, whatever that turns out to be. I will promise to do better with my training for next year, and I am sincere in that goal, though life seems to get in the way.
President Uchtdorff said in the Priesthood session of our Church's conference that tomorrow will not provide more time to get the things done we want to accomplish. We have to make the memories along the way. Marta got teary this morning with President Monson said that before you know it the endless piles of children's laundry will not be endless and we will wish that little hand prints once again marred a freshly cleaned wall. Marta and I have teenagers to a two year old and are loving the journey. Marta is my best friend, thank you for all you do.
Next year you won't have to . . .
Anyway, we have had pretty good success with it as we have both lost approximately 25 pounds in the last month. On Liesl's blog she posts that she never felt better, or been happier. Comments like that bring a smile. She is active on her blog and writes often. Marta and Liesl do the best with keeping their blogs current.
A couple of weeks ago we competed in the Kokopeeli triathlon. I like the tri because we have so many participants from our family and friends. This fall our team included:
Marta, Jed, Liesl, Chandler, Val, Kathryn, D. Lee and me.
It was a beautiful day for a tri. I told Marta it was my best swim ever. I didn't rest by hanging onto a boey, dog paddling, puking, or back stroking. I even passed a couple of people on the swim, and I can't recall that ever happening in the past. Even though it was my best swim, it did not set any water records. Both of my boys came in from their swims before I started the bike leg. I can honestly say I enjoyed it.
At the end of the day we had some pretty good results. jed took first in the 19 and under category. I won the over 40 fat man division, and Dawn won her division. More importantly, all had a good time and were smiling as the crossed the line. Really, if everyone feels they did their best you can't ask for anything else.
Yesterday was the Marathon. As has become customary, Marta waited for me. She is patient and kind. There was a little twist as, for the second time in history, it rained on the St. George Marathon. It was a little strange to run in the rain for about 25 of 26.2 miles. I had a pretty good run. It was good to lose the weight before the run, but I didn't have the reserves to maintain for the whole run. I was dizzy and feeling faint at mile 15 and had a couple of other problems along the way. I was able to have a slight kick at the end, a very slight kick and we crossed the line with a time of 4:48 something.
I have never been this stiff after any of the previous races in which we participated. My right leg is the most stiff. It will get better in a few days, the pain and fatigue will fade and we will be ready for the next adventure, whatever that turns out to be. I will promise to do better with my training for next year, and I am sincere in that goal, though life seems to get in the way.
President Uchtdorff said in the Priesthood session of our Church's conference that tomorrow will not provide more time to get the things done we want to accomplish. We have to make the memories along the way. Marta got teary this morning with President Monson said that before you know it the endless piles of children's laundry will not be endless and we will wish that little hand prints once again marred a freshly cleaned wall. Marta and I have teenagers to a two year old and are loving the journey. Marta is my best friend, thank you for all you do.
Next year you won't have to . . .
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Noth'in will keep you runnin' like summer!
Summer is over and I am not entirely sure where it went. As a family, I am pretty sure that we spent more time apart than any other summer I can recall. I wonder if we had a "Good, Better or Best" summer. I am sure that our activites were not only good but that they at least made the "Better" category. How many were the Best, I am not so sure.
In June I attended Timberline youth leadership training with Chander and Jed. Timberline was a week long event that was held at Thunderidge Boy Scout Camp up Parowan Canyon. Jed was the Senior Patrol Leader and Chander was a participant. I must say that it was in the Best category.
I also took the time to go to Girls Camp for three days. Liesl was there and I chaparoned. In the past I have taken a lot of time to spend camping with the boyscouts, wether my kids were on the camp or not. Girls camp was quite a bit different than boyscouts. We had a good time. I became the jester of the camp. We had a nice little prank ring going. The girls, led by Kia, toilet papered my tent, so I duct taped their thent closed. They, in turn, simply stole my tent altogether. I found it and made them do a dance for leaving it out of place. (If someone left there gear out, we made them sing a little song to get it back.) It was all in good taste and in good fun. The camp ended on a spiritual high with President Hal Anderson giving a fireside on the restoration, and of the prophet Joseph Smith. I was able to provide support and it was good to spend the time with Liesl.
We also ran the "Ragnar" which is a 180 mile race that is completed in about 28 hours. Our team was "Ford - the Best never rest" for Marta's uncle who has cancer. We enjoyed the race, even if it was hard. I ran three legs of it which totalled about 17 miles. It was fun to watch Marta and Chander run. Both were determied to make up time and pass people on the hill, which they did, and did well. When it was over, our time was 29:43:09.5. We already signed up for next year. COOL :)
Then of course was our regular scout camp at Camp Frontier. It is located high in the Uintah's. We took 6 boys and 5 leaders. That is a pretty good ratio if you ask me. We won the most improved award for the John Coulter run. John Coulter was a mountain man who was captured by indians. They gave him a head start and then began to hunt him down for fun. In this race the scouts raced against the clock. The race included canoing, swimming, running, archery, hatchet throwing, shooting and more running. Our Troops Court of Honor is August 26, 2008.
Our family has spent a lot of time together but, not in the traditional ways. We have taken kids to Basketball camp, sent them on outings with grandparents, spent a little time (veyr little time) at the lake and tried to keep up on morning exercise.
We will keep on having fun and trying to keep up with our kids.
In June I attended Timberline youth leadership training with Chander and Jed. Timberline was a week long event that was held at Thunderidge Boy Scout Camp up Parowan Canyon. Jed was the Senior Patrol Leader and Chander was a participant. I must say that it was in the Best category.
I also took the time to go to Girls Camp for three days. Liesl was there and I chaparoned. In the past I have taken a lot of time to spend camping with the boyscouts, wether my kids were on the camp or not. Girls camp was quite a bit different than boyscouts. We had a good time. I became the jester of the camp. We had a nice little prank ring going. The girls, led by Kia, toilet papered my tent, so I duct taped their thent closed. They, in turn, simply stole my tent altogether. I found it and made them do a dance for leaving it out of place. (If someone left there gear out, we made them sing a little song to get it back.) It was all in good taste and in good fun. The camp ended on a spiritual high with President Hal Anderson giving a fireside on the restoration, and of the prophet Joseph Smith. I was able to provide support and it was good to spend the time with Liesl.
We also ran the "Ragnar" which is a 180 mile race that is completed in about 28 hours. Our team was "Ford - the Best never rest" for Marta's uncle who has cancer. We enjoyed the race, even if it was hard. I ran three legs of it which totalled about 17 miles. It was fun to watch Marta and Chander run. Both were determied to make up time and pass people on the hill, which they did, and did well. When it was over, our time was 29:43:09.5. We already signed up for next year. COOL :)
Then of course was our regular scout camp at Camp Frontier. It is located high in the Uintah's. We took 6 boys and 5 leaders. That is a pretty good ratio if you ask me. We won the most improved award for the John Coulter run. John Coulter was a mountain man who was captured by indians. They gave him a head start and then began to hunt him down for fun. In this race the scouts raced against the clock. The race included canoing, swimming, running, archery, hatchet throwing, shooting and more running. Our Troops Court of Honor is August 26, 2008.
Our family has spent a lot of time together but, not in the traditional ways. We have taken kids to Basketball camp, sent them on outings with grandparents, spent a little time (veyr little time) at the lake and tried to keep up on morning exercise.
We will keep on having fun and trying to keep up with our kids.
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Crazy Days of Summer are here
The crazy days of summer are here and before you know it they will be gone. I have been gone for the past week as I was on Staff for a Boy Scouts Timberline Course. For those of you who are not familiar with Timberline, it is a leadership training camp where 13 - 15 year old Boy Scouts learn leadership skills for a week. The role of the adults is to help implement and oversee the program while the youth leaders teach skills to the participants. Its purpose is to teach young men communication and leadership skills that will enable them to return their respective troops and help the program run better.
We had 25 participants, 13 youth staff and 6 adult leaders. The camp was held by Brainhead at a formal scout camp called Thunder Ridge. Whe chose a lion theme, and tied in the Biblical story of Daniel and the Lion's den. We had and award called "Dare to be a Daniel" and it was awarded to scouts who were nominated by those at camp for acts of service. Once a scout earned the award, additional awards were beads which were then added to the original award. It was a lot of fun and the camp was a success.
In a larger sense I had to take a minute and think about what we are trying to accomplish. I hear so mauch about the bad things that happen in the world, and the problems without youth, and yet, the young men that participated were generally good young men who are trying to figure out who they are and how they can be better. They wanted to learn and grow. We had a flag ceremony each day and they got progressivley better through the week. We retired a flag during the week on the top of a knoll and spoke about our duty to God, Family and Country. After the ceremony was over they walk down an Honor trail where they were instructed on the points of the Scout Law. It was was a great night. If we all lived the scout law our country would not have anything to fear.
Let's all remember A Scout is:
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean and Reverent
What a great set of values/virtues for all of us.
The summer will come and go as we each make a few memories. I hope to make an difference, in my away from the office time, by working side by side with my wife, Marta, and kids. Hopefully, the we can influence the scouts I work with, or whomever I come in contact.
Let's make the most of this summer and make a great memory.
Brad
We had 25 participants, 13 youth staff and 6 adult leaders. The camp was held by Brainhead at a formal scout camp called Thunder Ridge. Whe chose a lion theme, and tied in the Biblical story of Daniel and the Lion's den. We had and award called "Dare to be a Daniel" and it was awarded to scouts who were nominated by those at camp for acts of service. Once a scout earned the award, additional awards were beads which were then added to the original award. It was a lot of fun and the camp was a success.
In a larger sense I had to take a minute and think about what we are trying to accomplish. I hear so mauch about the bad things that happen in the world, and the problems without youth, and yet, the young men that participated were generally good young men who are trying to figure out who they are and how they can be better. They wanted to learn and grow. We had a flag ceremony each day and they got progressivley better through the week. We retired a flag during the week on the top of a knoll and spoke about our duty to God, Family and Country. After the ceremony was over they walk down an Honor trail where they were instructed on the points of the Scout Law. It was was a great night. If we all lived the scout law our country would not have anything to fear.
Let's all remember A Scout is:
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean and Reverent
What a great set of values/virtues for all of us.
The summer will come and go as we each make a few memories. I hope to make an difference, in my away from the office time, by working side by side with my wife, Marta, and kids. Hopefully, the we can influence the scouts I work with, or whomever I come in contact.
Let's make the most of this summer and make a great memory.
Brad
Sunday, June 1, 2008
What do you do in the Summer Time?
Summer is here and there are lots of great things going on. Marta and I have 7 children and three of them are teenagers. School has been out for a week and already one has gone to EFY or "Especially for Youth" and two others have gone to mountain bike trail building school hosted by IMBA. As a family we went to Salt Lake this past weekend and helped work on a mountain bike trail up Killyon's Canyon. It was nice to work with a dozen or so other people on a trail that had been overused.
Marta and I enjoyed the time in the mountains and took the time to smell the crisp mountian air. We hiked up a mile or so and then went to work for a couple of hours. The area where the trail was diverted was all washed out and cupped. Overall there were about fourteen people clearing brush and smoothing the trail. Chandler (13) was not too impressed with the new trail as it was so smooth you could have ridden a road bike on it, and he want a little more adventure. We enjoyed the time together.
Tonight, Sunday, we had a planning meeting. We all had a lot to contribute to the week. Marta commented that rather than get an overview of the week, we had to plan each hour. Monday, there is basketball camp for the boys, not to mention the plumber and electrician coming over, Scouts on Tuesday, and meetings for the Timberline Camp next week, the two oldest have Youth Conference at the end of the week and Jed (17) has a basketball tournament in Payson, Utah simultaneously with Youth Confrence. As we wiped the sweat off of our forheads after wrinting all of that down, we looked at the next week. It looks pretty much the same. So the crazy not lazy days of summer begin to scream by.
Life is crazy and wonderful, and I am glad to share it with Marta. Marta is truly graceful. I have heard a lot of defintions of grace, but the one I like the best is simple and yet challenging. I define grace as the ability to undertake something, which is very difficult, and make it look simple. Marta does that every week. She accomplishes so much every week with such seeming fluidity that it is mind boggling.
I guess that really we all want to have our own bit of grace somewhere in our lives. We watch Olympians with awe as the they perform amazing feats of strength, agility, stamina, endurance and balance. Deep inside each one of us we watch with the hope that we will find our niche in life where we feel like we have given our Olympic performance. Most likely we have. Probably, our performance is not of physical grace but along the journey we have the opportunity to share our humanity. Along the way we have been there for someone, or are there day after day, making someone elses life little easier, and hopefully better. I am sure most of these act or deed are done when or where few can see or recognize the good deeds, yet they remain, testaments to the goodness and the humanity lies within each of us.
So what is the relationship between grace and the crazy schedules we hold? Well, it is simply this, we continue to drive ourselves, and often our families, in the hope that our children will have opportunies to realize their own greatness; we hope that by providing them with new wholesome situations, that they remain fully alive. As we watch our children grow, we also grow, inside, and our hearts stay young with them. Someday, when they are grown, we continue to live the principles we tried to instill in them, and when the end comes and we graduate from this life, we look back and know we did our best.
Marta and I enjoyed the time in the mountains and took the time to smell the crisp mountian air. We hiked up a mile or so and then went to work for a couple of hours. The area where the trail was diverted was all washed out and cupped. Overall there were about fourteen people clearing brush and smoothing the trail. Chandler (13) was not too impressed with the new trail as it was so smooth you could have ridden a road bike on it, and he want a little more adventure. We enjoyed the time together.
Tonight, Sunday, we had a planning meeting. We all had a lot to contribute to the week. Marta commented that rather than get an overview of the week, we had to plan each hour. Monday, there is basketball camp for the boys, not to mention the plumber and electrician coming over, Scouts on Tuesday, and meetings for the Timberline Camp next week, the two oldest have Youth Conference at the end of the week and Jed (17) has a basketball tournament in Payson, Utah simultaneously with Youth Confrence. As we wiped the sweat off of our forheads after wrinting all of that down, we looked at the next week. It looks pretty much the same. So the crazy not lazy days of summer begin to scream by.
Life is crazy and wonderful, and I am glad to share it with Marta. Marta is truly graceful. I have heard a lot of defintions of grace, but the one I like the best is simple and yet challenging. I define grace as the ability to undertake something, which is very difficult, and make it look simple. Marta does that every week. She accomplishes so much every week with such seeming fluidity that it is mind boggling.
I guess that really we all want to have our own bit of grace somewhere in our lives. We watch Olympians with awe as the they perform amazing feats of strength, agility, stamina, endurance and balance. Deep inside each one of us we watch with the hope that we will find our niche in life where we feel like we have given our Olympic performance. Most likely we have. Probably, our performance is not of physical grace but along the journey we have the opportunity to share our humanity. Along the way we have been there for someone, or are there day after day, making someone elses life little easier, and hopefully better. I am sure most of these act or deed are done when or where few can see or recognize the good deeds, yet they remain, testaments to the goodness and the humanity lies within each of us.
So what is the relationship between grace and the crazy schedules we hold? Well, it is simply this, we continue to drive ourselves, and often our families, in the hope that our children will have opportunies to realize their own greatness; we hope that by providing them with new wholesome situations, that they remain fully alive. As we watch our children grow, we also grow, inside, and our hearts stay young with them. Someday, when they are grown, we continue to live the principles we tried to instill in them, and when the end comes and we graduate from this life, we look back and know we did our best.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Fresh Start
Here it the new year. I have felt for awhile that I needed to keep a journal of some sort. The question is how, where and when. In this modern era of computers, internet, PDA's, cell phones, e-mail etc. how is a real question. Will I lose all that I write? Can I remember this new password? Alas, for whatever reason I have chosen the route of the blog. Wish me luck.
I spent quite a bit of time working on my personal goal statement. Over the last month or so my wife, Marta, has the read aloud the book, The Power of Story, by Jim Loher. It has been a pretty easy book to read as we believe that it coincides with what we are working on in our family. Its premise is that we create our life by the story we write for ourself. Said in other words, we live the life we believe we have. It suggests that each of us write a mission statement that, if read at our funeral, we felt our life fulfilled. I will learn how to back up this blog and save it so my thoughts, in a small way are preserved if any of my acquaintances should like to read them. There are those whose lives intersected with mine, who are no longer, that I wish more was available about.
Enough nostalgia. Here is another opportunity to get better at keeping a journal. When I was an LDS missionary I kept a regular journal. When I review it I have to laugh. In the beginning it is really serious, then the unabashed, cocky, young man comes through. While I certainly had my faults I also had a good sense of purpose. I still have a good sense of purpose. I am a husband to Marta and the happy father of seven great kids. It is still a blur how I ended up turning 40. My family also has 2 dogs, a cat, two horses, and a couple of turtles somewhere in the yard. By profession I am an attorney who focuses on injury law. Our church has a lay ministry (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and I work with the 12 & 13 year old young men as an advisor and Scout Master. Life in great.
This past weekend I took the Scouts to Zion National Park for an overnighter. I was able to take two of my sons, Chander and Sam, age 12 and 7. We had 6 boys go. A few of the mothers were worried as a big storm was due. It rained all night long and all morning. Fortunately, our water proof tents were still water proof and all remained dry. When moring came there was no real push to get breakfast, as generally people just wanted to go home. The rain lightened and we set out for a ride. What a great choice. Zion National Park is always beautiful, and the rain with snow on the higher elevations was no exception. We saw buck deer, water falls, and filled our lungs with clean, cool winter air. Attached are a couple of the photographs. What a great time.
It seems a little strange to start by writing about a Scout campout, but I suppose the recency of the event brings it the most easily to mind. There are lots of great things to write about and I commit to write at least twice a week, hopefully it will get easier as we go.
I spent quite a bit of time working on my personal goal statement. Over the last month or so my wife, Marta, has the read aloud the book, The Power of Story, by Jim Loher. It has been a pretty easy book to read as we believe that it coincides with what we are working on in our family. Its premise is that we create our life by the story we write for ourself. Said in other words, we live the life we believe we have. It suggests that each of us write a mission statement that, if read at our funeral, we felt our life fulfilled. I will learn how to back up this blog and save it so my thoughts, in a small way are preserved if any of my acquaintances should like to read them. There are those whose lives intersected with mine, who are no longer, that I wish more was available about.
Enough nostalgia. Here is another opportunity to get better at keeping a journal. When I was an LDS missionary I kept a regular journal. When I review it I have to laugh. In the beginning it is really serious, then the unabashed, cocky, young man comes through. While I certainly had my faults I also had a good sense of purpose. I still have a good sense of purpose. I am a husband to Marta and the happy father of seven great kids. It is still a blur how I ended up turning 40. My family also has 2 dogs, a cat, two horses, and a couple of turtles somewhere in the yard. By profession I am an attorney who focuses on injury law. Our church has a lay ministry (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and I work with the 12 & 13 year old young men as an advisor and Scout Master. Life in great.
This past weekend I took the Scouts to Zion National Park for an overnighter. I was able to take two of my sons, Chander and Sam, age 12 and 7. We had 6 boys go. A few of the mothers were worried as a big storm was due. It rained all night long and all morning. Fortunately, our water proof tents were still water proof and all remained dry. When moring came there was no real push to get breakfast, as generally people just wanted to go home. The rain lightened and we set out for a ride. What a great choice. Zion National Park is always beautiful, and the rain with snow on the higher elevations was no exception. We saw buck deer, water falls, and filled our lungs with clean, cool winter air. Attached are a couple of the photographs. What a great time.
It seems a little strange to start by writing about a Scout campout, but I suppose the recency of the event brings it the most easily to mind. There are lots of great things to write about and I commit to write at least twice a week, hopefully it will get easier as we go.
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