The Life of Ryan

Foot Recovery Update (10/23)

2011-10-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

I had another doctor's appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon last Friday (10/21) and it was a rather short visit, which means this will be a rather short post. Xrays were taken again, and I let the doctor know that I hated walking around with this screw in my foot (for obvious reasons). Most of you don't see or know this, but when I'm at home, I walk around freely without the annoying Aircast boot on my foot. I can be a little more careful walking around the house than I can out in public, so I'm required to wear the boot. The doctor said there is a real threat of the screw actually snapping in two inside my foot (PS: that would be BAD), so that's the need for the boot - to keep the stresses on the screw to a minimum when I'm walking to decrease the risk of it snapping. He did say that he feel's it's been long enough that if the screw is bothering me enough it is the right time to remove it.

So here's the good news: the surgery has been scheduled for Thursday the 27th of October (that's in 4 days!!!). I will have the screw removed early in the morning and be discharged from the hospital probably sometime around noon. The doctor tells me I will be able to walk around normally (and hopefully feeling a lot better in the foot) that same day. For those who know me well enough and know where I live, you are invited to come visit me at home later that day. All the visits people are willing to muster are helpful in such situations!

As a side note, I have set a goal to run in the Ragnar del Sol relay race (from Wickenburg to Tempe) the last weekend of February. I believe the goal is completely achievable as the doctor tells me I should be able to start running again by late November to early December. I believe that it is by setting such goals that one ultimately achieves success above and beyond expected results. For those who don't know, the Ragnar race is about a 75 mile race that is run in a relay-style by up to 12 members of a team. Most runners run an average of 4 mile segments at a time. For more information on the Ragnar del Sol, please click here. Participating in such a relay race just under 8 months after an injury such as a Lisfranc fracture would be a serious feat - which is why I want to do it :)

Who says Mormons aren't Christians?

2011-10-17T23:12:00.002-07:00

I grew up in Mesa, Arizona. I recently graduated college. I'm a Mormon.

Do you know a Mormon? Are you a Mormon? The worldwide membership of Mormons (whom are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is quickly approaching 15 million. For a religion that was officially organized in a small log cabin in New York in 1830 consisting of six original members, the Church has advanced and continues to do so at astronomical rates. With so many members the world over, chances are that if you aren't a Mormon, you probably know someone who is.

Often times, those who are not well-learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (we'll call it the LDS Church from here on out) are somewhat misinformed about the beliefs and practices of its' members. For instance, many people still associate "the Mormons" with polygamy (the practice of many women marrying the same man), even though the LDS Church officially denounced and discontinued the practice over 120 years ago. Even more astounding is the fact that many are (falsely) led to believe that Mormons are not Christian. The very name of the LDS Church connotes some sort of belief in Jesus Christ - after all, it wasn't named after Joseph Smith, but after Jesus Christ. One can read this article to find out just what Mormons do believe about Jesus Christ and how He relates to the divine Godhead.

Why did I author this little article? Frankly, I'm annoyed by the fact that someone who is not a member of the LDS Church claims to instruct us what we do and do not believe in. The Reverend Robert Jeffress is falsely trying to convince as many people as possible that Mitt Romney (a presidential GOP hopeful who is a Mormon) is not a Christian. I don't want to get into a political debate here, as politics is not my point. But the Reverend Jeffress is dragging the faith of millions of members of the LDS Church through the mud to further his motives - and that is wrong.

One of my good friends showed me this quote:
"It is not for us to say who is or is not close to the Spirit of Christ. We do not see into men's hearts. We cannot judge...it would be wicked arrogance for us to say that a man is, or is not, a Christian." - C.S. Lewis

What is Christianity? Caring, compassion, love of thy neighbor and love of God more than of thyself? What Robert Jeffress is saying is that because someone doesn't agree with him, they don't meet his definition of a Christian. They aren't good enough for him. They are going to hell because they don't worship exactly the way he does. This man is sorely misguided and needs to return to his Sunday school lesson on what being a Christian really is about. Compassion, love, hope, and charity.

*To read the story about how I became a member of the LDS Church, please click here.

How to Recover Your Stolen Laptop With Ease

2011-09-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone – I’ve found something completely awesome thanks to Gizmodo.com and it is called Prey. Have you ever had a laptop or desktop computer stolen? Have you ever wanted it back? Well, with Prey, it’s not only possible, but extremely likely that you will recover your lost goods. Think of all the important junk you store on your laptop – financial records, passwords, school work, work work, and that video of you singing in the bathroom to the Backstreet Boys that you never wanted anyone to see (but never wanted to delete either). When it comes down to it, your laptop has some pretty important junk on it – maybe not very important to others, but to you – priceless.

Prey is a program that installs on your Mac, PC, Linux, Ubuntu and there’s a few others that I don’t know about. It works on either laptops or desktops and runs in the background, unknown to the user. After you install the program, you’ll never know it’s there until you need to use it. If you ever need to remove the program, you can simply re-download the installer, and choose the option to uninstall. Prey allows you, once you know your laptop is stolen, to activate its service via their online dashboard. Once Prey is activated, you need only to allow it some time to begin working it’s magic – 20 minutes is the maximum time between reports that are generated. Prey reports back location data, webcam snapshots, screenshots, etc… The first thing you should do when you know your laptop is stolen is to notify the police and file a police report. You can then let them know that you have tracking software installed on your computer that will generate location-based data, and also provide images from the camera. This will allow you to make a positive identification of the thief, aid in their capture, and the return of your precious computer.

I recently “reported my laptop stolen” on the Prey dashboard to see how the reports would work. Below are some of the screen shots.

This first shot is an overview of the dashboard. You’ll see that it identifies my device, some of the network information (the wireless network my laptop is currently connected to – including the IP address). It shows how long ago the report was generated. The coolest part? A nice map that shows exactly where my computer is, based off of wifi data. (NOTE: In order to protect my privacy and the location of my home from people who I would rather not know where I live, this map is arbitrary and does not represent my home – if you want to stalk me, please do not go to the area indicated on the map as I don’t live there. I’m pretty sure the people who do live there wouldn’t like it either). In other words – I have cut and pasted a Google Map into this image – but the image is representative of what you would see if you reported your laptop or desktop stolen, only particular to the actual location of your hardware.

The next image is perhaps the most important of them all. It shows a screen shot of what is going on with my desktop. In this particular instance, I was lucky enough to nab a screen shot of the “perpetrator” (me) on his own Facebook page. I know it’s his Facebook page, because the next image clearly shows a webcam screenshot of him from my laptop’s webcam. I can cross reference the image with the name I’ve found on Facebook to positively identify the dirty rotten thief.

Big Brother? Absolutely. The possibilities with this are endless, but I’m just grateful that I can stop a thief in their tracks if they are ever dumb enough to steal my laptop from me. As a side note, if you decide to use Prey, you will need to activate the Guest Account on your laptop or desktop. This will allow the thief to get on the computer without accessing your sensitive data. How are you going to catch them using it if they can’t get on their wireless network, access Facebook, etc..? If you do not allow this, then the computer will not be able to connect to the internet when the thief opens it up and tries to use it. If you don’t have the guest account activated, when the thief tries to use your computer, Prey will still try to connect to an unprotected wireless network, but we all know those are few and far between these days.

How much does it cost? Prey is free from www.preyproject.com. If you are a privacy freak, they have made their software open-source so you can see the code for yourself and make sure they aren’t sending any Big Brother data back to their servers. They have a paid service as well that provides on-demand reports, or you can settle for a report every 20 minutes for free.

If you need help or would like more information, let me know, and I’d be glad to help you out.

September 21 Foot Update

2011-09-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

Here's the update that should have happened about three weeks ago that never did. Yeah, that's the update that should have happend after my last doctor's appointment on September 2nd. This was the much-anticipated appointment where the doctor was to tell me whether or not I could ditch the crutches. For those of you that have seen me in the last three weeks, you'll already know that this is the case - I no longer need the assistance of crutches to walk. After two long months of depending on them to get around to go ANYWHERE, it is a great relief to no longer need them. I never felt better shoving them in the closet, hopefully to never be seen again.

The doctor said that I was able to bear 100% weight on my left foot, so long as I was wearing my Aircast. Many people have thought that the cast I've been wearing is a new cast - it's not. It's the same cast I was wearing since I got the hard cast off back in August. I just wasn't able to walk on it until the September 2nd appointment. Some further freedoms that I have are that I am allowed to bear 25 - 50% weight on the foot without the Aircast on - so long as I take it easy and be careful. This includes walking around the house and doing light therapy. I can also ride a stationary bike wearing a normal shoe on the foot. The loss of the crutches has made significant improvements in my ability to return to the gym - I now can go regularly like before. Thanks to my good lifting friend Eric Barber, I have been getting some good upper body and core workouts in, along with cardio workouts coming from the stationary bike. He never gives me a break and is putting me to work (I do have 2 months of sedentary time to make up for). I can already see significant improvements in just 3 weeks (since September 2nd).

Physical therapy is going well. We've added some calf raise exercises, and stim therapy to my calf to prevent any further atrophy. Also, I've been working on "the Wave," which is kind of like a treadmill, but it more simulates the motion of rollerblading. More accurately put, it feels like you're treading through sand without lifting your feet. It is a zero impact cardio workout, which will help to strengthen my left ankle and foot, without putting an impact force on them. With the newfound use of my left leg to walk, the stim therapy, and the exercises I'm doing both at the gym and in physical therapy, I can see that my left calf is beginning to come back to normal size.

The last bit of good news is that the doctor said that sometime in November or December, I would be able to return to running as before. This is such awesome news and I'm so stoked for it. Once I can run again, I will really feel like things are beginning to return to normal. The most important part of everything that was learned in my last doctor's appointment was that he wants to see me again on October 14th...back on the 2nd this felt like forever away, but now it's much closer. The great thing about this appointment is that he said he will most likely decide then (depending on what the xrays show) to remove the screw from my foot (most likely the following week). There couldn't be better news. I'm glad the screw is there and is helping to provide support while my torn ligament heals, but it really is uncomfortable - especially when walking without the boot. I know my foot will be weaker when the screw is removed, but I'd rather not have it in my foot. As obvious as this statement sounds, it really does feel like there is a screw holding my foot tight together - it will be a great relief when it's gone.

Below is probably the last photo I'll post of my foot, as I don't anticipate it changing much more. I will provide another update after my next appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon on the 14th of October.

Foot Recovery Update (8/30)

2011-08-30T17:23:00.001-07:00

Alright, so I wanted to wait until Friday to post an update, as I'll be seeing my orthopaedic surgeon that day, but so many people have asked, I figured I would post an interim update until then. That being said, I'll let you know the outcome of my visit with the doc on Friday when that day comes, but for now, here's an updated picture of the foot:

I'm sorry the foot is not the most attractive part of the body, and it's still a little swollen, so it looks like the foot of a 300 pound man. As you can see, the incisions have healed well, and there is only a small sign remaining of any scabbing. Other than that, they are completely sealed up (surgery date was 7/19).

As for how the foot heals, I still am forbidden to weight-bear. I was told at my last doctor appointment (when the hard cast was removed and replaced with an air-cast walking boot) that I would be able to walk without crutches on 9/2/2011 (this Friday) using the air-cast walking boot. I am totally stoked for that day, as I'm more ready than ever to lose these dang crutches.

I've been attending physical therapy each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday doing basic stretching exercises, along with putting marbles in a cup with my toes. They soak the foot in warm water to start, and I get a little massage to work out some of the swelling. My range of motion is significantly diminished, as compared with my right foot. For instance, in trying to curl the foot/toes upward (ankle pivot) toward my leg, I can only reach about 50% as compared to my right foot. In trying to extend downward, I have a little bit more range, reaching about 75% of the capacity of my right foot. When trying to curl my toes downward, I only reach about 10% the capacity of my right foot - upward is about 50%. I hate to sound like a smart alec in saying this, but it literally feels like there is a screw in my foot (which there is) that is making everything tight. At this point, after the ability to walk with the boot, my next milestone to look forward to will be the removal of the screw - hopefully sometime in November or December.

Lisfranc Dislocation Update (8/13)

2011-08-13T09:38:00.002-07:00

If you are following this story, thanks for your time spent in trying to understand the happenings in my life. I wanted to give a little update, because I went to visit the doctor yesterday about my foot. It was an appointment that I have been looking forward to since my last visit with the doctor two and a half weeks ago. The main reason why was because my hard cast was removed! I was scared to death of the cutting machine. While the image to the right is not the actual cutting machine that was used to remove my cast, it looked almost identical to it.

Once the cast was removed (it took some work as water apparently got into the cast and caused some of the gauze to stick to my skin) I began to remove a lot of the dead skin that was trapped for the 2 1/2 weeks. The biggest thing I noticed was the massive loss of muscle in my left calf and leg. There is nothing left in my leg, as I can't even flex it. After this doctor's appointment, I went right to physical therapy where they did a stimulus shock treatment on my leg, which Dr. Farnsworth said will more than likely prevent any further atrophy of what muscles might be left. You can see a definite difference in the picture to the left. The left leg is considerably skinnier than my right leg. Fortunately, once I can walk again, these muscles should come back rather quickly. The difficult part to swallow is the fact that I am going to have to essentially re-train my left leg to walk again. It's going to be difficult, but I know it'll be possible.

The doctor came in and looked at the foot. He decided that it was time to remove the stitches (which I was also scared of doing) and that he would place me in a full leg walking boot. I am to wear the boot for the next three weeks (until our next appointment) at which point he will make the decision on whether or not I can bear weight on it at that time. The good news is that most likely, in three weeks, just 1 1/2 months after surgery, I'll be able to walk again (albeit with the assistance of the walking boot). I am excited as heck to ditch the crutches. At that point, It'll feel as if some sense of normalcy has returned to my life. In the photo to the right (sorry to those with weak stomachs), you'll see the three incisions he made. The one on the side of my foot was where the screw was placed. The top two incisions were so that he could see the bones as he inserted the screw to ensure proper alignment. The doctor informed me that when he removes the screw (probably before the year ends), he will only make one incision in the same spot where he cut to put the screw in.

Some of you might be asking why the screw is coming out. The screw was only placed in the foot to hold my bones together while my ligament re-grows and heals itself. I also learned yesterday that swelling is a good thing. It means the body is sending blood cells to the affected area, which aids in regeneration and healing. Swelling is a good sign, you just don't want too much swelling. The screw will provide me with discomfort as I walk (when I can), because it is un-naturally holding my bones together. Naturally, the bones have some play to move around, so my foot is going to feel stiff until the screw is removed - which is why I am already looking forward to it. Below I've attached some of the x-rays so you can see just what happened on the inside of the foot...

In this x-ray, you can see the foot from the top with the screw inserted. It begins in the Lisfranc complex of bones (the bone just below my first metatarsal) and screws into my second metatarsal. If you compare this to the next picture (below) which was pre-surgery, you'll notice the gap between the Lisfranc bone has decreased significantly, to look more like my right foot.

This x-ray shows both of my feet prior to surgery. You'll notice the big gap on the left foot between the first and second metatarsal, while there is no gap on the right foot.

Here is a side view of the foot with the screw inserted.

Again, I will keep you updated as this progresses, because I know this is going to turn into a positive outcome Lisfranc dislocation story. I've read far too many negative stories on the internet, and I'm confident that my story will not turn out to be one of those. I know that my foot is going to heal stronger than it was before the injury.

I Hate Anne Frank's Evil Sister

2011-07-27T00:45:00.002-07:00

What do I have against Anne Frank's sister, you ask? Well, nothing really. I'm willing to bet the poor girl didn't even have a sister, but I could be wrong (it's been far too many years since I've read her diary). The reason I've gone off on this Anne Frank tangent before even beginning my story is because I recently added some new terminology to my dictionary: Lisfranc. Um, what? So the reference to Anne Frank is because if I tell someone about Lisfranc, it sounds like I'm talking about a girl with the given name of Liz and the surname of Frank. Quite the contrary. Lisfranc refers to a war surgeon named Jacques Lisfranc. "The Lisfranc joint, or tarsometatarsal articulation of the foot, is named for Jacques Lisfranc (1790-1847), a field surgeon in Napoleon's army. Lisfranc described an amputation performed through this joint because of gangrene that developed after an injury incurred when a soldier fell off a horse with his foot caught in the stirrup" (quote taken from here). So why is this important, you ask? Well, On July 4, 2011, I was (un)fortunate enough to receive a Lisfranc fracture to my left foot.

Let me give you the breakdown:

The Lisfranc fracture accounts for less than 1% of all fractures. Good job Ryan, you must be so proud of yourself.
It is commonly seen in FOOTBALL PLAYERS. In other words, this is a high energy break, and I might as well have been tackled during the Super Bowl (would have made for a better story anyway).
To explain the break in simple terms: My first metatarsal (aka the bone connected to my big toe) has become detached by 3 mm (2 mm is the maximum allowable before operative surgery is required) from the rest of the metatarsals. The only way to get the bone back in the correct position, and allow the torn ligament to heal, is to surgically insert a screw.
Surgery is required, or else my whole foot will collapse. Nice.
Recovery time: 6 months to a year with a high chance of later developing arthritis. This bundle of joy is here to stay.

How it happened:

How did this happen, you ask? On July 4th, 2011, I was invited to play Ultimate Frisbee with some friends at Poston Junior High School in Mesa, AZ. "Wow, this is going to be a cool, heat of the moment, he hurt his foot while doing some cool move" type of story. Wrong. As I pulled into the area I had planned on parking in, I decided I wanted a shady place to leave my truck (it's REALLY hot in Arizona in July - a good parking spot is determined by the amount of shade, not the distance one must walk). There was plenty of parking near an open gate that would lead me to the field where we were to play Ultimate, but no shade. I drove up about 100 feet or so and found my prime parking estate, right under a huge tree. It was sure to stay shady for the duration of my time there. I decided the open gate was too far away to walk to (in hindsight, it wasn't...) and chose instead to hop a chain link fence that was no taller than 4 or 5 feet. As I went over, the right leg of the shorts I was wearing got caught on a piece of the chain link at the top of the fence and caused me to lose my balance. I made it over the fence, but not the way I had intended. Since my right leg was still stuck at the top of the fence, and the laws of gravity didn't take a break at that precise moment, my left foot took the brunt of the 245-pound force that was destined to return to earth. I immediately felt a sharp pain, as if I had sprained or broken my ankle. The area toward the outside top of my foot began to develop a huge blue spot (blood that had been released by the torn ligament). I was unable to walk at that point, and the rest of the day kept the foot elevated.

Now What?

So a week went by and I decided just to ice it and keep it elevated. In that amount of time, no noticeable improvement was made. At the time, I thought I didn't have insurance, and was starting to get nervous about my predicament (I later found out that I did have insurance, but that's a whole other story you don't care to hear). For the time being, I went to my old physical therapist and asked him to look at it for me (in a pro bono sort of way). Since I developed a good rapport with Dr. Thomas Farnsworth during the time he was working on a back injury, he had no problem pushing a favor my way. He worked on it and strongly recommended I see a doctor. Upon a doctor's visit, and after some X-rays were taken, he had a strong inkling that this was a Lisfranc fracture (THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HAUNCH - the earlier this injury is detected and corrected, the higher probability of complete recovery, we're talking hours up to a maximum number of days). To confirm, the doctor ordered an MRI, which was performed the following day. The MRI radiologist confirmed the suspicion of a Lisfranc fracture, in which case I was immediately referred to Dr. John Nassar, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon (one of the best, the hospital staff told me).

Confirmed Lisfranc diagnosis and next steps

Dr. Nassar informed me that he was going to put a screw into my foot to correct to problem, and allow for the ligament I tore to grow back properly. The surgery would be the following Tuesday (this appointment was on Friday). This would be my first major surgery. Let me just put a plug here and affirm that I still have not broken a bone in my body. This injury is a torn ligament - no broken bones (glad I still hold that record). The surgery went smoothly and happened on July 19. It lasted about an hour and I woke up about an hour after it was over. I had a giant elephant cast on my left foot for a week until my follow-up visit.

Today (or rather yesterday, since midnight passed), the elephant cast was removed and my permanent cast was put on. The doctor gave me the choice to leave with just a boot, but I told him I would do whatever he thought was most prudent. He casted my foot and promised that it would be removed at my follow-up appointment in two weeks (not bad, considering some people have to wear hard casts for many more weeks).

Over time, I will continue to document my journey on the Lisfranc fracture path. I know it's going to be long and difficult, and sometimes depressing. Prior to my injury, I enjoyed hiking, swimming, playing Ultimate Frisbee, and most importantly, running 3 miles about 3 times a week, regularly. At this point, I'm extremely worried that my foot will never be the same. I'm worried that the things I love will be difficult, even painful for the rest of my life. But I remain optomistic that I can work through this and have a positive outcome. I've read multitudes of stories on the Internet about Lisfranc, and not too many of them have a positive outcome. I'm hoping that my blog can be host to a success story...

The Shpack FUSRAP Superfund Site

2011-03-01T19:53:00.002-07:00

Well, I promised you that I'd devote an entire blog post just to this project - the one that has brought me to Boston. Just to give a little background, this site was a private residence that had a lot of space, so the owner one day decided to turn it into a landfill. This was back in the 30's or 40's. Eventually, the owner started to see the lucrativeness in accepting illegal dumps. Therefore, companies that were helping the government in the nuclear arms race started to dump rejected waste there. The major contaminants that we deal with are the four types of enriched uranium (U234, U235, and U238), radium (Ra226), and thorium (Th221). Before Conti got to this site back in 2005, any neighborhood kid could have just walked on-site and been exposed to these radioactive elements.

The basic process is as follows. The entire site has been broken down into a grid system. We begin by excavating a particular grid all the way down until we reach native soil, or peat. This is a dark to rich brown color (the typical contaminated soil is filled with industrial waste, and black, oil-laden soil). Once the entire bottom of the grid area has been excavated down to this clean soil, our on-site environmental subcontractor scans every square inch of the bottom of the hole to detect any forms of the known radioactive contaminants of concern. If they find any traces, we excavate that area even deeper until clean soil is reached. This project is run and financed by The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). They employ a third-party quality assurance subcontractor that also checks the depth to make sure it really is clean. Since they work for the Corps, there is no way for us to influence them to say a hole is clean when it really isn't. Not that Conti would do this, but you could think of it as a sort of protection for the Corps. It gives them assurance that every excavation had had 100% of the contamination removed.

Once it has been verified that the hole is clean, orange construction fence is laid down to cover the entire bottom. This is so that if anyone ever digs on the site again, they will know to what depth we went. The hole is then backfilled with clean sand, which is trucked in from the cranberry bogs in Cape Cod (about 45 minutes away). Once that is done, you have a clean site, right? Wait a second...what happens to all that dirty soil we excavated out? Well, that soil is taken to a large stockpile where it is eventually screened. What is screening? It is the process of segregating dirt and rocks by their diameter. On our site, the screener sorts the dirt into 1" minus, 1" to 4", and 4" plus, for a total of 3 different pile types. The corresponding piles are then segregated into waste lots. That environmental subcontractor I was talking about earlier then comes in and takes random samples of each of these stockpiles to test for the radioactive contaminants.

It usually takes about three weeks to get all the test results back, and when that happens, we proceed to bag the soil into huge white lift-liner bags. They are about the size of your typical "behind a grocery store" dumpster. These bags are taken via tractor trailers to a rail yard where they are loaded onto intermodal cars (trains) and shipped across the country to Clive, UT, where EnergySolutions is located. The soil will be stored there for the rest of time (probably). Clive is a nowhere area (which is only home to EnergySolutions) about 40 to 50 miles west of the last inhabited area of West Valley City (a suburb of Salt Lake City). Here, the naturally occurring levels of radiation (due to the breakdown of rocks in the desert) is higher than the maximum levels of radiation that EnergySolutions accepts. Because of this, we know that the storage of radioactive dirt does not negatively impact the environment or surrounding life.

The early months of 2010

2010-12-06T21:52:00.002-07:00

Well, what can I say? It seems every six to eight months, I end up starting a post just the way I’m starting this one. Absconding myself for not being a better blogger - for not documenting my life as often as I should. The funny thing about blogging is that I don’t even know how many people actually read my blog! I then follow up this self-reprimanding with some empty promise to blog more. The thing is, I think this is the best way to inform people about what is happening in my life – even those who are closest to me. As you may have read in previous posts, I’m working on the East coast, so I don’t get to see those whom I love and care for nearly as often as I’d like. I should provide a brief recap. (This picture is of the water treatment plant during a massive snow storm!)

I write this blog while flying above the ground at about 30,000 feet on a flight from Boston, MA to Phoenix, AZ. “Why is he flying from Boston to Phoenix?” you ask. Well, the reason is quite simple. I travel home one weekend in every three weeks, paid for by my company, The Conti Group (http://www.conticorp.com). It’s part of a very generous travel policy that has both its perks and its drawbacks. Yes, I get a great job that pays well and that I love, but I have to perform my job over 2,000 miles away from home. Let me start from the beginning, which will be somewhere close to February 2010.

My first real jobsite was in Howell, NJ from February until about the end of March of this year. At the time, we were building a water treatment plant on a site that had contaminated soil. The original owner of the property decided to allow anyone and everyone to dispose of anything and everything imaginable under the sun. This included a wide array of contaminants, chemicals, and other semi-volatile organic compounds. Conti was contracted to install extraction wells that would be connected to the water treatment plant that would also be built by Conti. By the time I arrived on the site, the plant was built for the most part. I mainly worked on submittals, documentation, project photos, and the like. For those who don’t know, submittals are documents that are prepared by a construction company to present to the client (the person who wants something built). They contain product specifications. The best example I can think of to help you understand what submittals are is that of doors. If you want a house built, what kind of doors do you want in it? Do you want wood or metal? If wood, do you want hollow (cheap) or solid wood (expensive)? If you want solid wood, what type? Do you want mahogany, oak, or pine? Do you want the doors painted? If so, what color? What kind of door handles, hinges, and doorstops do you want? With this example, you can see where details really come into play. A submittal will contain all of this information, including specific product names, with all applicable options. This data will be submitted for every door in the house (just think – your front door is a different door than you use for your room. What about the pantry door? What about closet and garage doors? Thus you can see how this can get very complicated, very quickly.

I realize all of this must bore people who aren’t avid construction fans (and I’m willing to bet that the few people who will actually read this blog have no interest in construction whatsoever). If you do though, I give you props. If you know me well, you know that I am adamant about the passions in my life, and construction is definitely one of them. Even if you don’t understand construction, you can understand why I love it so much. It was engrained in me by my father – although not purposely on his part. He’s a constructor, just like me. From the time I could work, I’ve worked for him on projects and grew to love it. Now, I get a true sense of accomplishment when I get to see something built that people will occupy and/or use. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than to participate as part of a team on a construction project to see it through to completion.

Anyways, I will end this blog post here because I feel that it has carried on long enough. I realize that this project only takes us through to the beginning of April, and we have many months to cover from April until the present. The reason is because I was assigned to a new, bigger, and more complex project in April, and I’d rather dedicate an entire blog post to describe that project. Just as a little hint – my next project is what brought me to Massachusetts.

Now A Professional

2010-01-31T04:19:00.003-07:00

This is it – I’m graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management. This is the real world. 10 hour days – and a salary to merit the time spent. High expectations. Tough deadlines. Responsibility. It’s crazy to think that I’ve reached this point in my life, and I’m excited for the future.

The first three weeks at The Conti Group have been flush with new experiences and new friendships. I don’t know how else I can explain the company but by saying that the people are just downright friendly. Walking down the halls, people say hello to you. I’m new and it seems everyone that I pass knows my name (even though I don’t know theirs). This is pretty amazing to me since there’s about 150 people that work in the office I’m working in.

For the time being, I’ve been placed on a team of people who are working to close out a project that has been completed for quite some time now. It is called the Pelham Former MGP Site and the customer was ConEdison, which is a utility provider for the greater New York City area. The scope of the project was simple – environmental remediation and cleanup. What is that, you ask? Back in the day, when we really had no regard for what we were dumping into our lakes, rivers, and land, ConEdison maintained a sort of oil refinery on the site of what is now consistent of a former Kmart, a CitiBank branch, and a few other stores. They constantly dumped waste into the ground in that area, and over the years the earth and surrounding water table became extremely toxic. The job of Conti was to remove the contaminated dirt and replace it with clean fill. The project was complicated by the fact that buildings now exist on the site. We completely excavated around these buildings and set up a sort of containment system that will collect any contaminants from soil still under the buildings. The water treatment plant we also built on-site will continue to clean out contaminants for the next 30 to 40 years.

To make a long story short, ConEdison is not the best customer to work for (and I'm glad I don't depend on them to provide my utilities). They constantly changed the scope of work and made things difficult for Conti. We are, therefore, going to claim them for cost overruns, excess project management costs, and other things. I was tasked to specifically work on the fuel escalation claim. For those who will remember, fuel prices spiked in the early part of 2008 – right when we were full blaze in this project. We were using multiple thousands of gallons of fuel during that time, and the cost impact was enormous. While this is still an open case and I cannot discuss details, I will say that just the fuel claim is worth a few hundred thousand dollars. I did the research and compiled spreadsheets to show just how we were impacted, and what we think that the utility owes us.

I have had a few opportunities to see New York City, including my first week on the job. My supervisor decided to take me to see the Pelham jobsite (even though we’re done now, and all that is really visible is just a parking lot). Afterwards, he took me to see a few other projects in the New York City area and gave me a first-timers tour of the city. It was awesome to finally see the Statue of Liberty for the first time. I had the opportunity to see the site of the World Trade Center again as well.

As I wrap up this post, I sit on an airplane on my way back home for the first time in three weeks. That is, perhaps the major reason I chose to accept this position. I have the opportunity to return home once every three weeks to see family and friends (paid for by the company). I look forward to seeing my loved ones in little more than an hour. I also look forward to what the future beholds for me.

Job Offers

2010-01-05T18:08:00.001-07:00

It definitely has been some time since I’ve written in here, but the important thing is that I keep on adding to this record of my life. I hope there are those of you out there who know me and follow my happenings. In this digital age when life blazes by at superfast speeds, sometimes this is the easiest way to keep up. As most of you who read this know, I have recently completed my undergraduate studies at Arizona State University. Graduating on December 17th, 2009 with a B.S. in Construction Management Cum Laude from the Del E. Webb School of Construction in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, I feel more ready than ever to commence my career and tackle the world.

I was fortunate enough to graduate with not one, but two job offers. They are outlined below as followed:

1. The Conti Group (http://www.conticorp.com): With the home office in South Plainfield, New Jersey, The Conti Group is a large-scale national infrastructure construction company. A majority of their work takes place in the tri-state area. The offer is most attractive to me because the salary is extremely competitive. My position with the company would be a Field Engineer. I would have the responsibility to be on the jobsite every morning before the commencement of operations until the last crew goes home for the day. I would be charged with updating the schedule, dealing with subcontractors, and materials procurement. My home base would still be considered Arizona. Therefore, all per diem, travel expenses (flight home once a month), company vehicle, and housing are covered by the company. The offer includes a sign-on bonus, generous 401k matching program, 85% coverage of health insurance, and enough vacation / sick / holidays to take a full month off work. I believe this will be a challenging position which will help me to grow in the best way possible.

2. MDC Holdings (Richmond American Homes): I was contacted by a recruiter for MDC Holdings seeking a recent ASU Graduate. They interviewed me in the Phoenix office on Christmas Eve, and decided to fly me to Las Vegas the following Wednesday. The position was for a trade agent for the Las Vegas office. Yes, Richmond American Homes is still building houses and procuring land, even in this tough economy. They are preparing for the inevitable comeback. I would be responsible for procurement, materials research, scheduling, bidding, and contract management. While the salary did not stand up to that offered by The Conti Group, this was expected due to cost of living differentials.

After receiving both offers, considering them, and pondering on which one best suited me, I was able to attend the Mesa temple for a session on Saturday the 2nd and present what I believed the correct answer to the Lord while sitting in the Celestial Room (for more information about temples and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints, please click here). I was answered that I had chosen wisely. It was then decided that I would be heading to New Jersey, accepting the offer from The Conti Group.

I am grateful for the knowledge that we as members of the Church believe that we have direct access to Heavenly Father through personal revelation. I know that the answer I have received is the correct one. I look forward to the experiences I will face. I will keep a record of my adventures, trials, and successes on this blog. Stay tuned for more…

Did Anyone Run The Numbers???

2009-09-10T21:02:00.002-07:00

Technorati Tags: Health care,Barack Obama,Cash for Clunkers

I guess I must be on the wrong page…

A vehicle at 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons a year of gasoline.
A vehicle at 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons a year.
So, the average "Cash for Clunkers" transaction will reduce US
gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per year.
They claim 700,000 vehicles – so that's 224 million gallons / year.
That equates to a bit over 5 million barrels of oil.
5 million barrels of oil is about ¼ of one day's US consumption.
And, 5 million barrels of oil costs about $350 million dollars at $70 / barrel.
So, we all contributed to spending $3 billion to save $350 million.
I guess I must be on the wrong page…
How good a deal was that ???

They'll probably do a great job with health care though!!

So I got LASIK…did I turn out blind?

2009-08-27T00:13:00.002-07:00

Wow, it’s been nearly forever since I’ve posted to my blog, and for that I’m sorry. Of course, no one sends me nasty emails asking me to post an update, so I figure not too many people really care. With that being said, I had a rather life-changing procedure performed on me in early July that I would love to share with the rest of you. I had LASIK done on both of my eyes at Southwest Eye Center. Let me start from the beginning…
Many moons ago, I had perfect vision. I could see anything at any distance fine and without any assistance (from either contacts or glasses). As I started to age and gradually make it through high school, it became increasingly difficult so see objects at a distance (I believe this means that I was farsighted – although I could be wrong). When I was just about ready to leave for my mission, I was tricked into believing that I needed to get a pair of glasses (since 2 years is a long time to be gone, especially without any glasses!). I grudgingly got a pair of glasses and was sure to pack them at the bottom of my suitcase.
As the mission progressed, so my need to utilize glasses did as well. I hated it. I hated wearing glasses. They were just downright ANNOYING! I eventually decided that I wanted to give contacts a shot, and so I made an appointment with a local optometrist in Virginia Beach, VA (my mom’s insurance, which still covered me on the mission, paid for any expenses). I went in, was fitted, and was asked to try on a pair. I remember the day was dark, cold and rainy (as it was November). I entered a large room with high floor to ceiling windows that looked out at the main street, and in the more distant background, a huge empty parking lot, riddled with puddles. I vividly remember looking out at the puddles and seeing each individual raindrop. I was floored. I couldn’t believe what I had been missing the whole time. The next few weeks, I’m sure I annoyed the death out of my companion, Elder Gavilanes, but he bore it well. I eventually became dependent on my contacts and never left the house without them.
I decided in July to start investigating LASIK facilities to find the best deal, but more importantly, a competent firm that I felt comfortable with. After all, these people were going to be entrusted with my eyes – these are the only things on my body which give my brain visual access to the world. I settled on Southwest because they are a large company, well known (meaning they’ll probably be around in 20 years), and they offered a lifetime enhancements option (if my LASIK ever loses its touch).
I went in for the consultation exam on a Friday afternoon early in July and was told that I was an excellent candidate for the procedure (proper thickness of the cornea, very light prescription, etc…). I looked at the pricing and decided that it was well worth the cost to make an investment in myself. I decided to have the procedure done the following day.
The Procedure (not for the weak)
Here’s how the story goes. You are not allowed to wear contacts three days prior to the consultation exam. This is to ensure that your eyes are in their most natural state before you have the procedure done. Little did I know the Tuesday prior that that would be the last time I would ever wear contacts again. I arrived on Saturday morning (with my parents in tow – to drive me home) and was taken to a back room that was FREEZING cold. There, I was given instructions for eye drops that would be put into my eyes in the subsequent weeks (a steroid to reduce any pain, an antibiotic to ensure proper healing of the flap, and artificial tears to keep my eyes moist). I was also given a cool doctor hairnet sort of hat contraption and pads to cover my ears (so no extraneous liquids had opportunity to enter during the procedure).
I waited for about an hour while two people ahead of me had the procedure done. After each was finished, they informed me that it was painless and they could already see better. For my procedure, I was taken back to the surgery area and asked to lie back in what I can only describe as a sort of dentist chair. I looked up into a machine hovering overhead where there were flashing green and red lights. The procedure began almost immediately. The doctor began by inserting collagen plugs into my tear ducts. Your tear duct is visible in the very corner of your eye toward your nose on the bottom flap. It is a VERY tiny hole that acts as a sort of drainage system for your eyes. Excess tears are drained away from the eye via this duct. The tear duct is plugged for the LASIK procedure because the procedure requires the temporary severing of the nerves that allow you to cry. Therefore, the drainage system is plugged to prevent what little tears you produce for the weeks after the procedure from draining away from your eye. This was painless (as is the entire procedure). The collagen naturally degrades away within a few weeks and is completely gone.
The doctor proceeded to begin the procedure with my right eye. Therefore, he placed and taped gauze over my left eye and then the assistant added a numbing drop to my right eye. Next, my eyelids were taped open so that I did not blink. At this point, the doctor inserted tongs that held the eyelids open. You may think it impossible to go without blinking, but during this time, the urge ceases as the eye is held open by the tongs. This next part is rather graphic and not for the weak of heart! A sort of suction instrument lifts the eyeball out of the socket. This is done to make the surface more accessible so that the doctor can make a proper flap. During this time, your vision begins to leave you and you are then blind. Everything goes black, and then the blackness changes to stars as if you are in space. At this point, you begin to see the flashing green and red lights above your head. The doctor then begins to make the incision (the creation of the flap). While you are thinking that a doctor cutting your eye open would be quite painful, it actually isn’t. I will not lie, however – it was VERY uncomfortable. Imagine someone running a rubber-tipped instrument around the surface of your eyeball in a circular motion. This is what the creation of the flap felt like. He then lifted the flap and everything went blurry, as if I had just removed a contact (which technically, the equivalent to this was just done).
The next part is where the miracle of the laser takes place. You are instructed to look at the green and red flashing lights and not move at all. The laser starts to zap your eye (it sounds like a bug lantern zapping repeatedly). You also see ultra-violet blue light flashing in your eye. At this point, you can see the flashing blue in the shape and image of an eyeball (I know, it’s weird). Also, it smells like burning flesh. Gross as it sounds, this is the unadulterated truth. When the correct number is reached (the assistant is reading numbers as the laser is going), the laser stops, and the doctor begins to put your eye back together. He places the flap back where it belongs and applies some sort of gluing agent (organic). He paints it on with a sort of eyeball paintbrush. The other assistant applies some more drops of the numbing agent, and the whole thing is done all over again in the other eye.
After the procedure is complete and you exit the chair (in my case, at least), everything is blurry and foggy and hazy at the same time. However, at this point, I could see better than I could before with uncorrected vision. I placed my glasses on my face and left the facility with my parents. During the procedure, my parents had their eyes checked and my mom decided to have LASIK done as well. Throughout the rest of that Saturday, my vision continually improved and by night time, I was watching Forever Strong with a group of friends in perfect clarity. At my 1 day and 1 week follow-up I had 20/20 vision. On my one month follow up, I was officially given a rating of 20/15 vision (which is better than perfect). I am glad I had the procedure done and I would NEVER go back to contacts!!!

A SoCal Vacation with the parents

2009-04-13T22:54:00.002-07:00

So my recent competition participation (see previous post) afforded me and my parents an opportunity to take some well-needed vacation time in San Diego and Reno, NV. While I forgot my digital camera for the trip to Reno, I made sure and brought it to California. We had an amazing opportunity to visit the San Diego Temple and do an endowment session. The temple is amazing – and it reminds me of a funny story. My parents and I were vacationing in San Diego probably about 10 or 12 years ago and we were staying in a hotel close to the San Diego Temple. At the time, we were not members of the Church, but I remember seeing the temple from the rooftop garden of our hotel. I remember thinking to myself that the building looked like something that had just been brought down out of heaven. If you’ve ever been to the SD Temple, or seen a picture of it, then youknow exactly what I’m talking about.

So the next day, we’re driving along the freeway and suddenly I wonder to myself, “It would be really funny if we stumble upon the cancer treatment center that McCarthy built and that our Reno problem statement was based upon (see previouspost) – for I knew that the building had been built in southern California. They also showed us pictures, so I knew I would recognize it if I saw it. About a minute later, I did see it and I told my parents we had to stop so that I could get a picture, for a good memory.

I couldn’t believe that I had found it – The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment – St. Joseph Hospital. This building was the reason I was in San Diego, and was the cause of much grief and stress in the Reno Competition. After this, we made our way to Knott’s Berry Farm, because they had the cheapest tickets – 2 for $25 for my parents, and then my ticket was $25. A whole day’s worth of adventure for only $50! You can’t beat that! If my mom knew I was posting this picture she would kill me. Maybe she won’t read this blog post…

And finally, our favorite ride of the whole park – La Revolución – and not only because it’s in Spanish – this ride ROCKS!! I mean, just look at the picture. You know you’re jealous.

The Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Reno Competition & The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) National Student Championship 2009

2009-04-13T22:35:00.001-07:00

I would like to take up a post on my blog to explain (probably in more detail that most of you want to read) a series of events that have happened recently in my educational life. As referenced in the title, I will explain my involvement with the ASC Reno Competition and the subsequent AGC National Student Championship. For the time being, we’ll put aside the AGC National Student Championship and focus solely on the Reno Competition. Throughout my education in the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University, I had heard of this Reno Competition (referred to as “Reno” from here on out), and always wondered what it really took to compete. Last year in about April, I finally made the decision that I would get more involved with school functions, so I went to the initial Reno meeting. The school sends about nine or ten teams every year – each team having to do with a different aspect of the construction field. Some examples of teams are design/build, commercial, Building Information Modeling, LEED, Electrical, Mechanical, Residential, and so forth. I decided that I would head up the design/build team since it had no team members. The process to get on the team was a tough one in which one had to be interviewed by the team captains. I figured the easiest way to get to Reno would just to become the team captain and do the interviews myself.

I compiled a team and we began meeting throughout the fall 2008 semester. We formed a made-up company called Helix Building Corp and established a company history and a list of prior projects our made-up company and designed and then built. The design/build delivery method of construction occurs when a client knows they need a building but have no idea what the building will look like. They ask a construction company to deliver an entire package – design, plans, construction, and sometimes even maintenance after the building is completed. In the case of our team, we decided that our made-up company would partner up or “Joint Venture,” as it’s referred to in the construction industry, with an outside design firm known as iNNOVAR Design (Innovation in Architecture). Thus, we built an entire program around the Helix + iNNOVAR Joint Venture.

Our team worked tirelessly to prepare and develop our company. We enlisted the help of a student in the School of Design majoring in Architecture to assist with the design portions of the requirements for the problem. Essentially, the Reno Competition as pertaining to the design/build problem is as follows:

A pre-problem statement is released in October of the year before the competition (the competition is held in February, thus we received our problem in October 2008
- This pre-problem statement gives vague instructions as to what will be required in the competition and also points the team in the direction of what the client wants built – in our case, they told us they wanted a cancer treatment center with the latest and greatest equipment
- A real-life construction company sponsors, or provides the problem statement and the judging. In our case, the company was McCarthy. In all cases, the company has to have built the project they are requesting in real life
The team works to prepare a Request for Qualification. The requirements for this RFQ are outlined in the pre-problem statement. This must be a professional-quality company portfolio and snapshot. It offers a brief company history, previous projects, your project team organization chart, resumes, and sometimes made-up financial data
- The RFQ is due to the judges (McCarthy) when you arrive in Reno, usually at the beginning of the day in which the competition actually starts
Finally, after hours of preparation and team meetings, we flew to Reno, Nevada with the rest of the teams competing for Arizona State University. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and participated in an opening banquet (the food was good)
The next morning at 6:00 AM, we reported to the room where the McCarthy judges held a pre-proposal conference with us and the other teams we were competing against (I believe there were nine total). In this meeting, we handed in our RFQ and were given a detailed booklet outlining specifications for the building they wanted built, along with site plans, showing the physical space we were provided to design our building
We left this meeting and headed up to the hotel room we designated as our office. The afternoon we arrived, we cleared all the furniture out of the room and moved in large tables that the competition sponsors gave us. We essentially set up a mini-office in this hotel room (don’t worry – we put all the furniture back exactly as we found it at the end of the competition)
We were given from the time we started until 11:59:59 to completely develop a feasible design, a budget, a schedule, and a request for proposal (RFP). The RFP contained all things pertaining to the design, budget and schedule. The day had few breaks, if any, and we worked tirelessly. When it got to the late evening, we were scrambling to get all our information compiled.
In what seemed like eternity, we had successfully worked as a team and compiled the necessary information and turned in our RFP a whopping 15 minutes early at 11:45 PM. That wasn’t the end of the night either! We had to prepare for a presentation the next day!
We all took about an hour break and met back in the office to begin compiling our presentation. The file containing the presentation had to be turned into the judges by 7:00 AM the next morning. We got a rough outline and decided to call it quits at 3:00 AM.
At 6:00 AM, we met in our office and placed the finishing touches on our presentation. We got it turned in just in time. We found out at that time that we were not assigned to present until 4:10 PM! The last group! We wanted to go first and get it out of the way, but hey, last always leaves the most impression
We decided to take the rest of the day off until about 1:00 PM when we met back up in the office and ran though our presentation a couple more times
We finally presented (this was actually easier than I thought – the hardest part was the previous day when we spent 18+ hours working through the problem) and found out the next afternoon that we won 1st place. For being a team that had no members that had ever competed in the Reno Competition, we were pretty dang proud of ourselves

Certificate of Participation (click on any picture to enlarge):

Team Picture right after we found out we won first place. Yes, this is what we look like running on 3 hours of sleep:

Now I mentioned earlier that we also competed in the AGC National Student Championship. This was because when we won first place at Reno, we won the region 6 championship (of which there are 7 regions). For more information on this visit www.asc67.org. The Associated General Contractors of America sponsors this competition and it took place in San Diego this year. We had to do everything I mentioned above but for an entirely different company (Hensel Phelps), for an entirely different problem (a mixed-use building in Colorado), and in only three weeks (as opposed to several months for Reno). It was difficult and in the end, we didn’t prove to be the best school in the country, but I feel good knowing that we did our best and that we won first place in the regional competition. We did get an additional vacation to beautiful San Diego out of the National Student Championship. Some pictures from the National Championship are below.

The team just before we presented to Hensel Phelps (from left to right: Jason Madison – coach, Gilbane, Tyler Lyons, Me, Bret Burnham, Nico Rochwalik, Blake Dijkman, Joel Smith):

Us after just having enjoyed a nice lunch at the Hard Rock Hotel (it wasn’t the Hard Rock Cafe, but a restaurant at their hotel):

A picture of all of us shortly before we found out that we did not win (the awards banquet):

Both events presented an amazing opportunity for me to learn and grow in the construction field. I was glad to have participated and am grateful for the experiences I gained. I am also glad to have made so many new friends.

The Adament cause – a means behind a name

2009-04-10T22:11:00.001-07:00

For some reason, I haven’t posted to my blog in ages. For those of you who may have been following my posts, I’m sorry for the long night of silence. But that night is over and I am dedicated to writing again. In my sad, single life I’ve noticed that usually the people who have blogs are married couples. Unfortunately, I haven’t attained the status of “married” yet, but maybe one day it will happen (I don’t suppose that me sitting home blogging on a Saturday night is much help toward my cause).

I wanted to take just a short little post to explain the means behind my name, Adament cause. Yes, I know that adament is spelled wrong (correctly spelled as adamant). The name came to existence in my search of an XBOX Live name. I purchased my XBOX toward the end of 2007 and held off paying for Live until about four months later. In my experience, I always noticed names like Killer1049585 or something of the like. Names that were unoriginal, already thought-of. I wanted a name unique to me – and not just some dumb name that applied to only one game that I play. I wanted a name that defined me, and had true meaning.

After months of pondering, I came to the conclusion that Adament cause was the best name for me. You see, when there is a debate or a cause, something to be believed in, I am usually very adamant about it. I usually have a strong opinion one way or another. Those who are close to me can bear witness of that truth. Sometimes my strong opinions work against me, and that is something that I am striving to keep in check as I go about life. I will openly admit that I originally thought that adamant was spelled “adament,” and wasn’t made aware of the error until someone told me. I came to the conclusion that I liked my spelling more, and just kept it (and yes, I’ve added the word to the dictionary on my computer – you should do the same).

Closure is attained

2008-12-15T00:52:00.002-07:00

In early January 2006, I was serving as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the area of Newport News, Virginia. Our stewardship encompassed everything from Williamsburg down the peninsula to Hampton. One night, as me and my companion were preparing for bed, a call came from our leaders confirming that we were in our apartment. They gave us the news that two missionaries were unaccounted for. Phone calls kept coming in from different parts of the Tidewater area (all major cities, including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, etc...) bringing more detailed and grim news. The missionaries in the Deep Creek area in Chesapeake were missing, and rumors were flying that at least one of them was dead. I didn't believe the story at first, but shuffled through papers on the table to find the transfer sheet (it would tell me which missionaries were currently serving in the Deep Creek area).

My heart sank as I discovered the names of the two missionaries - Elders Morgan Young and Joshua Heidbrink. I didn't know Elder Heidbrink, but had spent plenty of time with Elder Young. We served around each other in Virginia Beach a little more than a year before. We once ran into him and his companion tracting. On that occasion, he said he wanted to get permission to have a sleep over on Halloween night. He was the missionary who carried his Book of Mormon everywhere - even into the library to email on preparation day.

As the night continued on, confirmation that Elder Young had, in fact, been murdered came. I called our branch president. His wife, Sister Hamblin, answered the phone. I informed her of what had happened, and politely asked her to call my parents and let them know that I was okay. The last thing I wanted to happen was for my mom to hear on the news the next day that a Mormon missionary in Virginia had been shot and killed and that his companion was also shot, without knowing that her own son was okay.

I later found out that our mission president, President Spencer F. Kirk, was unable to make it to the hospital before Elder Young had died. A cloud of solemnity swept over the mission that night, and the missionaries near to Elder Young were forever changed. The next two days were cold and rainy ones. Happiness and zeal for the work we were effecting left for a time. President Kirk called two special mission devotionals two days after the incident. We made the trip to Virginia Beach where the meeting was to be held. In attendance was President Kirk and his wife, the parents of Elder Young, the parents of Elder Heidbrink, and Elder Heidbrink himself, complete with arm brace to support the arm affected by the gunshot wound. That cold January day, in a land far from home, I had the opportunity to experience perhaps one of the most spiritual meetings in a lifetime. Tears were shed and new friends were made. We said goodbye to a fellow soldier in the army of God. Elder Young was gone, but we as missionaries were to continue on in this great work.

Days went on, seemingly slow, but eventually turned to months and years. Finally, nearly three years later, Elder Heidbrink, and more importantly, the Young family can finally find the closure they have been seeking. The man accused of the murder and attempted murder, has been found guilty of his crimes and will spend the rest of his life in prison. Please click here to see the video concerning the outcome of the trial. My heart goes out to Elder Heidbrink, who has had to make repeated visits to Virginia to have this chapter of his life reopened time and time again.

Why I Voted Yes on 102 and Why You Should Too

2008-10-20T00:32:00.002-07:00

"We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

I have no greater joy than posting to my blog about this topic. For those of you unaware of the current situation in the State of Arizona, there is a marriage amendment that is hopefully going to be passed in November. It is called Proposition 102, or more commonly, "Yes for Marriage." The entire proposition reads: "Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state." This blog post will be more for those of you who are Latter-day Saints who may not be in agreeance with the passage of this proposition. My first words to you are: "Shame on you." The quote in italics at the beginning of this post is from "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," as given by President Hinckley in 1995. The chosen Prophet of the Lord has called upon us, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to promote any measure which maintains the sanctity of the marriage covenant. Furthermore, in a letter from The First Presidency dated 29 June, 2008, the following was read in sacrament meetings across California:

"In March 2000 California voters overwhelmingly approved a state law providing that “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” The California Supreme Court recently reversed this vote of the people. On November 4, 2008, Californians will vote on a proposed amendment to the California state constitution that will now restore the March 2000 definition of marriage approved by the voters.

"The Church’s teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan for His children. Children are entitled to be born within this bond of marriage.

"A broad-based coalition of churches and other organizations placed the proposed amendment on the ballot. The Church will participate with this coalition in seeking its passage. Local Church leaders will provide information about how you may become involved in this important cause.

"We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage."

Please click here to be taken to this letter on the Church website. If you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you sustained the same First Presidency that released this letter in the past October 2008 General Conference. You signified by the raising of the right arm to the square that you truly believe and affirm that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. How is it then, that there is even one active member of the Church that cannot possibly agree with the passage of a marriage amendment? It is spelled out in plain English in this letter and in the Family Proclamation. Those who are against the passage of this amendment, who are willingly rejecting the words of a living prophet are among those to whom the scripture was written:

"That [the rights of the Priesthood] may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man."

-Doctrine and Covenants 121:37

I would like to elaborate on a single statement in the previous scripture: "gratify our pride." Now recognize, here, that I am no saint, and am definitely guilty of being prideful. There are many parts of this talk that apply to me, but those arguments are for a different post. Listen to the words of a prophet; those of Ezra Taft Benson:

"The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means “hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.” It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us...The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives. They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works...The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s."

-Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989, 4 (Read the full talk here)

I don't care what your background is; you may be homosexual, you may have homosexual tendencies, you may be sentimental toward the homosexual cause, however, the words of the Lord, through His chosen and sustained prophets are clear. We love the sinner, but not the sin. We cannot possibly accept what they do, and should provide support wherever possible. However, I will not stand idly by as the adversary slowly works within the hearts of Latter-day Saints. As members of the Church, you should already know how to vote on this issue. In the words of a great prophet of God:

"Where stands the perversion of homosexuality? Clearly it is hostile to God's purpose in that it negates his first and great commandment to "multiply and replenish the earth..."

"Let it therefore be clearly stated that the seriousness of the sin of homosexuality is equal to or greater than that of fornication or adultery; and that the Lord's Church will as readily take action to disfellowship or exommunicate the unrepentant practicing homosexual as it will the unrepentant fornicator or adulterer..."

"Next in seriousness to nonrecognition of the sin is the attempt to justify oneself in this perversion. Many have been misinformed that they are powerless in the matter, not responsible for the tendency, and that "God made them that way." This is as untrue as any other of the diabolical lies Satan has concocted. It is blasphemy. Man is made in the image of God. Does the pervert think God to be "that way?"

-Spencer W. Kimball, "The Miracle of Forgiveness, 1969, pp. 81, 85

The perversion of homosexuality is just that, a perversion of nature. It is the great and abominable sin against nature because it goes against the very plan of the Creator. With that being said, I field the question: why do we, as Latter-day Saints, care how marriage is defined? The government should have no say in who can be together, right? The answer is simple: if we approve homosexual marriage relations, then we confirm that homosexual relations are an acceptable institution of society. Those who believe that allowing homosexual marriages will not affect anyone, only allow such couples to be happy together, are led away into a perverted world of tolerance for "that which is evil." This won't affect the Church, right? Wrong. Lawsuits are already coming to pass against churches that do not perform same-sex marriages in states such as Massachusetts and California, where gay marriage is allowed. The Church will be forced, in future days, to cease temple marriages, or face tax penalties, and risk of disbandment by the government. Classrooms will teach that being homosexual is O.K. - giving birth to a generation that will be more tolerant. The plans and designs of the adversary are easily being carried out, with great help from members of the Church who are too stubborn and prideful to listen to and heed the council of the Prophet. These are reasons we should care. Read an article here about the divine institution of marriage. I hope that some are offended by the words I have presented in this blog post. If you are offended, then this scripture applies perfectly to you:

"And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center."

-1 Nephi 16:2

If you are offended by my words, then you choose so to be. I have no remorse for the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I am not sorry for defending the cause of truth and righteousness. Those who would sit idly by as the homosexual rite attempt to make us accept their lifestyle are lulled into a carnal sense of complacency.

The Lord Speaks Peace

2008-09-22T22:31:00.002-07:00

At times, the trials we face are difficult to understand

Throughout the history of my blog, I've written stories that were cynical, joking, perhaps funny, but this one will definitely be on the serious side. This entire thought process came about because of the fireside that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a few weeks ago. The overall feeling of the fireside was that of peace and comfort, especially as it pertains to young single adults. This is a difficult period of our lives (if any of you reading this are in the same "single" boat as I am, you can well understand this). At times, we can feel as if the Lord has tossed us to the side, altogether forgotten us.

I don't know where I can go with this subject, but to say that Elder Holland's talk was directed towards me. I know thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands were watching it, but he prepared his remarks especially for me. I can be honest in saying that I have never felt so alone in my life, as I do right now. In being forced to develop my own financial independence and furthermore, facing the decision to move away from what I considered to be "home," things have not turned out the way I envisioned them. Through the storm, however, there is a hope for something glorious. To quote the words of someone far greater than me:

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."
--Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8

Why is it, through all things and in all times, this scripture can bring such comfort to the troubled soul? The Lord promises us exaltation, if we just bear our burdens well. At the close of the fireside following Elder Holland's remarks, the choir closed with one of my favorite works of Church music. The song is entitled "My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee," written and composed by Rob Gardner. It follows the words of Isaiah:

"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer...For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee..."
--Isaiah 54:7-8, 10

If you do not have a copy of the song, email me, and I'll send it to you. It's well worth it. My hope in publishing this blog post is not to bring sympathy or to breed feelings of remorse. It is more of my testimony to those who read it that we truly are blessed to have inspired men leading and guiding the Lord's Church under His direction. I'm thankful that we have access to that revelation to lead and guide our lives. For those who haven't yet done it, I invite you to heed the words of Elder Holland, read Doctrine and Covenants sections 121-123 - the revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith while held captive (on false charges, I might add) in the incorrectly named "Liberty" Jail.

¡Voy a Mexico!

2008-08-03T23:31:00.003-07:00

In the long course of my largely uneventful life, I have never managed to leave the country until the end of July 2008. This is just days before my twenty-third birthday. A group of friends decided it would be beneficial to us all to take a weekend excursion to the country just to the south of us - Mexico.

I have to state, before I continue, that I have a deep and abiding love for Hispanics. I had the opportunity to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a specific call to preach in the Spanish language in the Virginia Richmond Mission. Through the course of two years, I came to know many Hispancis from different parts of the world - ranging from Spain, Argentina, Mexico, and every country in between. I love them to the end of eternity and beyond.

I learned, however, that there is a vast difference between LDS Hispanics and regular Hispanics (duh). Mexico is not a very welcoming place; in fact, one sometimes forgets that they are no longer within the borders of the United States when in this country. Upon entering, and not more than a mile into Mexico, we were stopped by La Policia Federal (The Federal Police). They had no cause or reason to stop us. I was asked (in Spanish) where we were going, what I did for work, and to see my insurance documentation. I believe this was a test to see if anyone spoke Spanish and if we could be taken advantage of. Luckily, I was the only one in the car that is fluent in the language and was able to handle the situation efficiently. We were not ticketed and we did not have to pay them off.

I can think of a few civil rights violation in that one "traffic stop." There was no reason to do so (we weren't speeding, trafficking, loitering, etc...). Furthermore, I was asked what I did for work. No police officer in the United States would be able to get away with a routine traffic stop such as this. In this instance, I fully understood what it means to be "racially profiled."

Mexico is a country without bounds or limits, foundations, or anything us Americans are used to. There is no order to things. Now, I must state that Rocky Point (more appropriately named Puerto Peñasco, pronounced pwhere-toe pen-yeah-skoe) is just a small sampling of Mexico, however, the experience didn't feel like much of a vacation. Most of the time (besides the good food - which, I'm sure would not meet Federal FDA standards), the trip seemed like an inconvenience. However, at the end of everything, I was happy to have gone, especially with good friends. Thanks Zac, Pasha, and Jordan for a great time.

The Student Recreation Complex

2008-07-22T00:13:00.004-07:00

I love friends. They show you new things and help you along in life. Abraham Kashiwagi (that's pronounced CASH-IH-WOGGY - haha) is just one of those good friends. For a couple of weeks, we had planned to go to the Student Recreation Complex (hereinafter referred to as the SRC) at ASU. You see, every semester for the past 3 years or so, I've been paying a nice $25 SRC fee tacked onto my tuition. I decided to finally benefit from this for the first time on Saturday.

Holy amazing. I love that this is a supreme gym membership. Indoor racquetball courts, treadmills (each has its own TV with full cable lineup), stair-steppers, bicycles, weght rooms, swimming pool. Where have I been? Obviously not in this building improving my physical health (as if you didn't notice). We spent upwards of 4 hours there playing racquetball, lifting, running, etc...

As a sidenote about weightlifting. I did back squats, bench press, and some curls and stuff for the first time since football was over in high school MORE THAN 5 YEARS AGO. Needless to say, all of Sunday and today my upper body muscles have been sore as heck. I can barely move them. I feel so week and dumb. I wish I would have never quit weightlifting when football was over.

I went today after work and "rode" a bike 10 miles mostly uphill. I also watched "It Takes a Thief" on my own personal TV that was attached to my bike. This is the next best thing since sliced bread.

The Joys of School

2008-07-18T08:42:00.003-07:00

With July coming to a close and August shortly behind that, my mind is caused to ponder on school, and the overwhelming mess that is about to begin on August 25th. Welcome to a time when time itself seems to shorten, and there's never enough of it. Homework, tests, studying - it makes me wonder how us students even do it all. I especially think about the impossibleness of it during the summer, when it still seems as if I'm busier than ever, yet I don't have to worry about any aspect of school at all!

Amid all of this "joy" over school, I do have to say that I am actually seriously excited to go back to school in the fall. Before you ask what I've been smoking and where I purchase my goods, let me explain my position.

I believe there comes a time, in one's academic career, that the student begins to overjoy at the prospect of another semester starting because it gets you one step closer to being done. I felt this same way as my senior year of high school started. In a sense, I feel as if I'm in the senior year of my college career. I will be classified as a senior at Arizona State University this semester and my graduation date is still set to be December 2009. With that being said, there is a clear sight and a HOPE for the end of college. That's right, graduation, high pay, perfect job (haha, so we hope). Being this close to the end, I am overjoyed for school to begin - for the faster it does, the faster one more semester will be over with, and the less tuition I have to pay.

A run on the freeway

2008-07-17T22:45:00.019-07:00

In traditional settings, walking, running or driving the wrong way on the freeway (especially in the far left lane) would be something crazy and unheard of. However, in the great state of Arizona, we like to do things a little different. Before I go into the specifics of the event which inspired this post, I'd like to give you a little detail on Arizona freeways (mainly because I love construction, and my company works a lot with ADOT - The Arizona Department of Transportation - which is charged with the construction and maintenance of Arizona freeways):

Our Valley Freeway System is part of the 2004 voter-approved Regional Transportation Plan. This plan was an extension of the original plan called Proposition 300. The proposition was passed by voters in 1985 and approved a half-cent sales tax for 137 miles of freeway construction.
The new and final leg of the valley freeway system will open Monday, July 21st, 2008. This more than 5 mile stretch cost $195 million to build and is expected to carry 1 million cars a year. Our freeways cost more than $24 million per mile to build.
Because of this massive construction project and its unlimited supply of funding, the Phoenix metro valley enjoys the most advanced and efficient freeway system in the world. This includes 3 to 7 lane-wide freeways (in either direction) on all freeways, consistent on and off ramps (for example, you don't have to drive 10 miles to the next major road exit - I've experienced the frustration of this in many other cities), rubberized asphalt - which decreases significantly the noise produced by tires driving on the road, and cool designs on bridges and walls surrounding the freeway.

With those facts being introduced, and me bragging, at least a little bit, about our awesome freeway system, I'd like to expound on the recent events surrounding the opening celebration for the Loop 202. This event was called "Roundin' out the 202," and took place on Tuesday, July 15th. Basically, in classic Arizona fashion, ADOT allows community members to go to a new opening section of the freeway an walk, bike, ride, skateboard, etc... on it before it opens to traffic. I went to this event, not ever previously having participated in such an event. I parked in the center median area and waited for some friends to show up. I was pleasantly surprised when my home teaching companion, Brendan Rowley, found me. He convinced me to participate in the 5K run, only because there was a free T-shirt involved.

Here's the funny part, and where I'd like to make fun of the entire situation. Here in the Mojave Desert, we love to run on our freeways in 100+ degree scorching heat. I was wearing three shirts as well. We jogged and ran off and on, using overpasses and freeway exit signs as significant markers determining where we would start to run again.

After about throwing up, and 40.35 minutes later (when I finished the 5K), I was able to walk down the other stretch of the freeway and enjoy free ice cold bottled water, Tom's BBQ (YUM!!), and some grilled sirloin steaks. Overall the event was great and I'm glad I participated. At the end, upon leaving, in order to avoid traffic exiting the freeway, I drove the wrong way on the freeway for about 100 feet and exited at the off-ramp right by where I parked. It was fun to think about all the different things we got to do on the freeway that you can't traditionally do.

If you've never been to Arizona before to enjoy our freeway system, and to be teased about how you wish your city had a similar one, I invite you to do so. I truly am proud to have such an awesome system which allows such great efficiency.

She's an 8, she's a 9, she's a 10 I know...

2008-06-19T20:52:00.003-07:00

Well, today'e eye-opening experience happened this morning when my boss (for whom I'm interning) decided to take me and another intern in the office on a sort of, well, "field trip."

We went to RitchieBros autction house, which is just a couple of blocks away from our office. There, heavy construction machinery is sold auction style. Hearing the auction man speak that crazy auction man language was definitely an experience. I felt it noteworthy to blog about.

First of all, it was awesome to be able to walk around out in the yard and see all the huge construction equipment. I walked by a water tanker that had tires taller than I am. Another cool feature: KEYS. I like keys...they give you the power to effect a work (and this relates to multiple things). You see, in the yard full of heavy equipment, the which I should not be trusted around, every single tractor, truck, tanker, crane, forklift, etc... was fully loaded...with KEYS. I bet you can see where this story is going...

Well, it's not going very far...I didn't touch a single one of those keys. I just thought it was cool/interesting/crazy that all these keys were in all this equipment. If a huge flash mob decided to appear at the place and take over, they'd be able to make off with tons of equipment.

Anyways, in my mode of thought, I asked myself, how much damage could I possibly do with one of these water tankers, the size of which dwarfs my house? I could go down in history as the kid who snapped and suddenly made off with a freaking water tanker! The keys were there, in the cab, staring me in the eyes (with the eyes that keys do not have). I then thought about my job and how my boss would probably kill me if I stole this large piece of equipment.

Thinking about how important my job is to me, and this being the only thing keeping me from commiting a seriously greusome crime, I decided against this grand endeavour (is it endeavor or endeavour?).

We returned to the auction area where I heard more of the auctioneer's jibberish. I have dubbed the name of this post after the country song. I don't know who its sung by or the name of it, but its about a guy at an auction bidding on a girl that's an 8, or maybe a 9, in fact, she's a 10 I know...

Cha Cha???

2008-06-15T16:22:00.003-07:00

Have you ever had a good friend tell you something, or show you something that made you think, "Where the heck was I when this came out?" Well, such an event occured last night when a good friend of mine, who shall remain nameless (although you can probably figure out who), told me about a free mobile service called "ChaCha."
Now, we're not talking about the dance or anything like that - this is an answer service, which will provide answers to just about any question you could think to ask. I didn't believe it when I was told about this amazing device, so I tried it out for myself. I was instructed to simply text any question to the number 242242 (which spells ChaCha).
My first question went something like this:

"What color is pluto (the planet)?"

The parenthisis in my question followed by "the planet" was to make fun of the sad fact that our poor and lonely friend out there at the end of the chain of planets was recently downgraded. As if it were not already bad enough to be the furthest guy away from everything, Pluto lost its title. Anyways, in repsonse to my question, my eyes were opened and my mind enlightened on the subject. ChaCha's response follows:

"Pluto appears to have a yellowish color. But technically Pluto is no longer considered a planet!"

How sad, even this answer service had to rub in Pluto's sad demise. However, this is proof that ChaCha could very well be the authority on answers to every question imaginable.

Upon returning home that evening, I informed my roommate Jim of this marvelous knowledge I had gained. He told me to text them asking who the four sons of Mosiah are in the Book of Mormon. In classic ChaCha response, I received more than I bargained for - the answer AND the reference!

"Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni (Mosiah 27:34)."

This is basically the most fantastic thing ever conceived by man...
No, really, it is...

So they thought it was good enough...

2008-06-15T10:37:00.003-07:00

Click on the name of this post to be taken to the article published on the Church's website.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints thought my conversion story good enough to share with the entire population of the Church. The Church publishes a series of magazines, one of which is called The New Era. This magazine is intended for an audience of 12 to 17 year olds.
In October of 2005, while serving in Newport News, Virginia as a missionary for the Church, I felt an urge to completely recount the story of how I became a member of the Church (how I converted). Over the course of the next couple of preparation days, during my email tme at the library, I would type portions of it (as I had written it on paper during the week). When completed, I had my companion proofread it and check it for errors. When it was all done, I felt it a work of art, and even translated it into Spanish.
Finally, my companion encouraged me to send it off to the Church to see if they would publish it in a magazine. Anyone who knows me knows that I love attention, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my story in the spotlight. I sent it off and continued about my missionary labors.
In March of 2006, after going to do our preparation day activities and playing some tennis, we checked the mail and there was a letter from the Church Magazines department. I opened it and found a contract inside, informing me that they would like to publish my story and have me sign over the rights of it to the Church. I signed the contract and sent it back in to the Church.
Another year passed, and I returned from my mission in July of 2006. I finally received an email one day from someone that worked at The New Era asking me for an update of the end of my conversion story. I emailed him the update and he told me it would be published in the August 2007 edition of the magazine - almost a year later. After August came and went, and the story was not published, I called back asking what had happened. They informed me that the story didn't fit well with that issue, but that it would be published eventually.
Finally, I opened my magazine in June of 2008 to find the story published. So, it took almost three years from conception of the story to publication in the magazine. The link to the story on http://www.lds.org/ is attached to this post.

Scrapbooking?

2008-06-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I didn't quite make a scrap book, okay, well I didn't actually do any of the assembling, but I thought it would be nice to create my own cards for my dad for Father's Day and for my grandma for her birthday (on Flag Day - June 14th). I figured this would be much better and more thoughtful than buying one of those cheezy cards fromthe store. Luckily, I have a friend named Hailee Rasmussen who was willing to help out with this. She created the actual cards and I was introduced to one litte stitch (no pun intended) of scrapbooking.
There's a book of little letters that you can choose what letters you want and press them onto the actual card to create words. It's pretty nifty and I probably had more fun with it than I should have. The end results of my two cards was awesome and I think they will go well with my intended presents. Thanks Hailee!!!

What am I doing here?

2008-06-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is me entering the world of blogging. What is blogging? I don't exactly know, but I do know that tons of my friends have blogs and so, in my nature, I have to do what all my friends are doing. I felt kind of left out. From what I gather, a blog is a way to keep a sort of public journal, so all of your friends can tell what you're up to. Let's compare it to, say, the "creeper" feed (as I've dubbed it - the "News Feed") on Facebook.
Hopefully I can keep my life interesting enough to actually have things to post on here. I also think it will be nice to have this since my stake president, President Ostler, has requested that I take part in a meeting this evening concerning new media and The Church. In that fashion, its only fitting that I have my own blog.
Speaking of which, if you'd like to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its teachings, visit www.lds.org.