Mille Bornes!

There were two big milestones in our family today ...

Darin is 11111 years old today (that's 31 if you're not expressing it in binary numbers).  Sarah made him a yummy lasagna dinner, complete with really nice cheese bread, green beans, and a three layer German chocolate cake.  I thought the two toothpicks along with the 29 candles was fun ... left a nice pine scent in the air.  But a warning for those of you who want to try this at home ... toothpicks burn much quicker than candles, so light them last, and blow them out fast!

Willyne reached 250,000.0 miles in her still beautiful, dependable GMC Yukon Denali this evening, right on our own quiet streets near our home.  It is a wonderful, dependable car, and she is hoping for many more comfortable miles to come!

PS - Mille Bornes is a French term referring to a thousand of the mile stones found on many of their highways.  It is also a game I have many fun memories playing.  You can learn more about it here:  http://boardgames.lovetoknow.com/Mille_Bornes.

Let me know if you'd like to play it with me some time (but give me notice so I can find a copy of it, I had this game in a "previous lifetime"!)

Happy El Cinco De Mayo!

Here is the day with family in a few pictures ...

Ethan and the rest of the Fire Dragons

Ethan in action on the soccer field

Kate loves Uncle Benjamin!

Roo can keep up with the best of them!

The smiling tortoise enjoys relaxing in the hammock!

 If you want a couple more pictures and descriptions of the food part of the day, you can visit Terreeeblay at http://terreeeblay.blogspot.com/2012/05/3-5.html

Wahoo!

 Yes, I was hungry tonight.  I had a good breakfast, then no time for lunch.  My last appointment was late, started at 7:30 and went until close to 10.  But the late start let me have a moment to pause for two carnitas tacos with brown rice and black beans at the Chino Hills Wahoo's.  There are as many stickers on the walls as ever, and the food is still good too!

Just thought I would share ...

Benjamin ... this is for you

I started relistening to last week's General Conference while doing this walk.  Two Tabernacle Choir songs, President Monson's opening address, and President Packer's talk.  

Today was a very ordinary April 10.  I worked on a couple dozen things, met with a client, had a cancellation but plenty to do with the time that freed up.  By evening, I was ready for a boost.  I didn't feel like walking, but I did it anyway.  Listening to conference made it so much better!

The 7:20 to San Bernardino

View from my seat upstairs in the "quiet car".  It was an amazingly quiet ride!

Nearing dusk, the train pulls out of Union Station.  There's a little water in the LA River!

I keep trying new ways to travel.  I worked in Hurricane in the morning, then began the trek to California to begin a four day trip by going to St. George a little before 3.  I did three quick errands there, then left Bluff Street to continue to the airport a few minutes before 4.  There was no line at security, one of the things I like about flying out of St. George.  The plane left on time at 4:53, and I was on my way to Los Angeles International.

I was really on my way to Ontario airport, which meant I would be headed 55 miles back towards home as soon as I arrived.  If this sounds backwards, help me evaluate my choices ...

1.  I could have driven directly from St. George to Ontario, about 345 miles.  At the current going rate of 55.5 cents per mile, this would cost me $191, if you factor in things like needing oil changes, new tires, and eventually a replacement vehicle just a little bit sooner.  Obviously if all you consider is gasoline, the number is much lower.  The trip would have taken about 5 1/2 hours, including an estimated 30 minutes lost in Las Vegas rush hour traffic, and I wouldn't be able to do much else during that time but drive.

2.  I could drive from St. George to the Las Vegas airport, about 130 miles, then park and go through security -- which can take anywhere from 5 minutes to over an hour, you never know for sure what you will get at that airport.  As for the flight itself, it takes an hour and generally costs $100-$115 one way, even booking 3 weeks in advance.  Occasionally there are specials, this time if I waited for the 9:30 pm departure I could go for $60 one way.  You have to be careful though.  Choosing the 4:45 pm departure this day would have cost $190, even with the 3 week advance booking.  Total travel time from Bluff Street, including driving, parking, security, boarding, and flying ... takes about 5 hours if everything goes right.  They have free wireless internet at the Vegas airport.  Some of the boarding and flying time can be used to return calls, texts, e-mails, read, write, ... or just close my eyes for a minute.

3.  I could take the St. George shuttle to the Las Vegas airport.  The time is about the same 5 hours, and the $30 cost is a better value than driving and parking ... plus I have more time I can utilize while in motion.

4.  I like supporting the St. George airport, and I really don't much care for the Vegas airport.  I feel like I'm flying out of a giant casino, maybe because in many ways I am.  It isn't that it is a big airport.  I passed through San Francisco last month.  They've figured out how to humanize that one much more than Vegas has, just to give you an example.  Same with Boston when I returned from the trip with Becca last January.  The choices of food are much more inviting, including such things as the San Francisco Soup Company and Legals Sea Food (!)  Even the colors in those airports are more soothing, thanks to recent remodel jobs in both cities.  And did I mention there aren't all those rows of gaming machines and all the racket?  I think I did.

You can actually fly from St. George to Ontario.  If you hit the connections just right you can do it in 3 1/2 hours, but more likely it will take you 4 to 5.  You fly to Salt Lake, then change planes to fly to Ontario.  You have to be careful when you do this not to get sent to Phoenix or San Francisco, or gasp, Las Vegas, on your way to Ontario.  If that happens it could take 8 hours to make the trip.  Not good.  The best the cost ever gets is about $210, and if you aren't careful it often costs $300 one way.  Can't afford that on a monthly basis.

This leads me to what I tried this time.  I paid $110 for a one-way ticket to LAX.  I was off the plane and in the terminal headed for ground transportation at 5:50 pm LA time.  The walk to the street took 10 minutes, where I waited about 20 minutes for the FlyAWay bus to Union Station (cost $7).  That ride took 40 minutes, including 15 lost to traffic when we reached downtown.  Those 15 minutes cost me a chance to grab a snack at Union Station to eat on the train, by now I'm past hungry and moving to an unpleasant world beyond that.  Travel, jostling, and fuel fumes do that to me, more so than when I made trips like this half a lifetime ago.  Still, magical mystery tours are one of the ways I stay young at heart.  I just have to work at it harder and plan in advance a little more.  (Note to self:  remember that peanut butter sandwich next time, you need more than Kirtland trail mix).

So now we are up to 7:00 pm, or 4 hours since I left Bluff Street, including the time change.  I cross the street and enter Union Station, noticing the ticket machine where I pay $9.75 for a one-way to Rancho Cucamonga.  Then I start passing platforms.  12, 11, 10 ... no sign of Metrolink yet, just the various other services sharing the station.  Then I see it.  The 7:20 is leaving on platform 7B, or I can wait for the 8:20 which will depart from platform 8A.  I look for platform 9 3/4 but I guess I'm not feeling the magic tonight.  Sorry, Harry and Becca!  If I get the 8:20 I would have time to walk to Phillipe's and get a french dip sandwich and some good potato salad, and see if that $5 gas has dropped any yet.  But my research before I left indicates the last bus at the other end meets the 7:20 when it arrives at 8:30.  And I'm not crazy about walking 4 miles to my hotel with my backpack and carry-on clothing bag.  So no dinner yet.  Let's get on the 7:20 to San Bernardino, with stops at Cal State LA, El Monte, Baldwin Park, Covina, Pomona North, Claremont, Montclair, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga (where I plan to get off), Fontana, and Rialto along the way.

The ride is amazingly quiet, and I get a thrill when we are going along the side of the San Bernardino (I-10) freeway in Rosemead and we are passing cars that appear to be going full freeway speeds.  I wasn't expecting this combination of speed with approaching zero noise!

We arrive in Rancho Cucamonga exactly on schedule, and the Omnitrans number 81 bus, which runs once an hour and is timed to arrive when the train does, pulls up just as I'm walking up the stairs from the station.  I show my Metrolink ticket, which includes the ride on this bus.  The station is near 7th and Milliken.  The bus heads south on Milliken and turns into the parking lot for the Ontario Mills parking lot, then leaves again and heads west on Concours past the relatively new Citizens Business Bank Arena (couldn't they have come up with a catchier name, say the Epicenter?) where the Ontario Reign ECHL hockey team plays (the parking lot is full tonight).  At Haven the bus turns left and crosses the bridge over Interstate 10.  I get off at the next stop, Guasti.  For those of you who have missed Terreeeblay, here is what comes next ...

Find more Walk in Ontario, CA

I arrived at 8:57, pretty much right on 6 hours from when I left Bluff Street.  I did close my eyes some.  I also wrote some planning notes as I thought of them, which I have been meaning to do for awhile.  Oh, and I checked in the hotel, then within 10 minutes I was in a seat next door at Panda Inn, a nice Chinese restaurant, where I had broccoli, steamed chicken and shrimp, with some of the best steamed brown rice I've had in some time.  I was ready to eat that!

So you tell me, please.  Which way would you choose to go from St. George to Ontario, and what do you like about your recommendation?  As for me, after 20 years of regularly making this trip, I'm still chasing the moving cheese.  Plane fares just went up again, next time I want to book the flight from St. George to LA, it will be $136 for the best advanced booking fare, not $110.  Does that news change your recommendation? Give me your take! I'm out!

Amazing! ... Grace

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I had an unusual opportunity to have a little quiet time Easter Sunday morning, so I listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir station that Becca created for me on our magical mystery tcur earlier this year while doing some contemplating.

When they got to "Amazing Grace" I was just amazed.  The song just sounds different and extra special the way they do it!  Give it a listen and tell me how it touched you ... by the way, the music video version is also very moving!

The Overcoat

In the spring of 1976, I took Organizational Behavior 321 from Stephen Covey in the old auditorium of BYU's Joseph Smith Building with Jerry Sparks, a friend I had met in Intercollegiate Knights shortly after returning from my mission.  In IK's we mostly did service projects, but also had fun lighting the Y and selling programs at football and basketball games (for which we got seating by the marching band which was great fun).

Jerry was dating Marilyn Anderson.   I met her when she came to Covey's class with Jerry.  They got engaged as the semester progressed, and when they both graduated that summer they were married.  We did what most students seem to do, went our separate ways after graduation.  We have exchanged Christmas letters over the years but haven't had much other contact.  

As part of their recent job search, I was contacted to see if I could provide any leads.  In the course of that, this comment was made:

"Whenever I see a young man in an overcoat I think of you Doug as your education was far more important than getting a different coat after your mission.  You had your priorities right!"

I am humbled, and very surprised.  I had no idea that my well worn English wool overcoat meant anything to anyone, especially thirty-six years later.  One more reminder to me, that you never know who is looking at you, and what the seemingly meaningless things you do mean to others.

Why I'm Excited About Elder Holland Going To Harvard Law

Please click here to read about it on my "I Believe" blog:   http://j.mp/GPyNFJ


Thanks!

The Highlight of My Day, Week, ...

Today was the final day of an eight day trip.  I've done over 20 tax returns and done a lot of consulting and counseling too.  Twice I got up at 3:30 am to catch flights.  It is "go time" for sure.

Willyne came to northern Utah this morning for our nephew's blessing of his son.  It was one of those many "divide and conquer" moments we have had in our lives together.  We honestly didn't think our paths would cross ...

So, I am driving south from an appointment in Clinton (near Ogden) to another one in Orem.  As I approach
the 2600 South exit in Bountiful/Woods Cross, I notice that it is 11:53 am and that Willyne is scheduled to have lunch with Danielle at Kneaders at noon.  So I get off the freeway and park the car just in time to watch Willyne drive into the parking lot.  I had just enough time for hugs, then had to continue to my appointment.

That two minutes was the best thing I've done all week (thank you, Willyne)!

Here I am with Danielle and Marissa ... big smiles all around!

20 Years Travelling To Northern Nevada

I've been working with Jim and Val Prather since we both lived in the same Alta Loma, CA ward in 1990.  A couple years later, we both moved, us to Utah, them to Gardnerville, Nevada.  Since it's been 20 years, I thought you would enjoy some pictures ...

Jim and Val

If all you've seen of Nevada is Vegas and surroundings, their home and 5 acres of horse pasture might not be what you had pictured.  Yes, there is some green in Nevada.  :)

Cowboy art is big in this area, this is pretty descriptive of it.

Dinner at Philippe's and Unbelievable Sights Around Union Station

I have three clients on the fifth floor of a building on Wilshire Blvd. a couple miles west of downtown L.A.  I visited with two of them today.  I thought I would get dinner before attempting to drive out to Ontario for the night to be ready for appointments there tomorrow ... and realized I was only two miles from one of Sarah and Darin's favorite places, Philippe's.  On my way in for a yummy french dipped beef sandwich and some potato salad, I noticed something amazing across the street ...

I did not photoshop this.  The station was open, and people were buying their gasoline.  The going price all over southern California is in the $4.35 to $4.45 range for regular, which is certainly high enough, but these guys have decided if the price is that high anyway, they might as well make a little profit on the deal ...

"It Never Rains In California"

That was a great song!

Well, it did rain in California, and hard, pretty much all day Saturday and Sunday.

This is the view I got while waiting for a signal light to change near the Ontario airport on my way to my first appointment this morning.  It probably should rain here more ... look how well the place cleans up when it rains!  Love the blue skies and the snow on Ontario and Cucamonga peaks!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Thanks to Willyne for giving me this great tie.  Gave me smiles all day while meeting with clients and doing tax returns!

Blue Angels Come To St. George

After working in Hurricane this morning and Mesquite this afternoon, I headed to the airport to catch the one daily (OK, six days a week once a day) flight to Los Angeles to start a trip to see clients there.

I knew the Blue Angels were coming to town for an air show this weekend.  The crowds were already starting to line up at the airport for their practice runs this afternoon.

These are amazing planes and even more amazing pilots.  They are going fast.  Very, very fast.  The ground shakes as they fly overhead.  They fly straight up, then straight down, and so close together you can't imagine how they don't crash into each other.

Just look at that picture.  Do you feel the need for speed?  It was an amazing and fun experience watching them for a few minutes from the parking lot.

Grass Roots Government at Work!

Willyne and I attended our neighborhood caucus to choose delegates to the county and state conventions where those delegates will choose our candidates for Congress, Governor, State Legislature, and various county and district offices.  I volunteered to be the scribe for the evening ... and enjoyed the experience!

I was one of five candidates for state delegate and was really hoping to be chosen.  Jed Stout and Wade Beatty were our choices, with Josh Melessa as alternate.  They will do a good job!

So will my sweetheart as a county delegate and precinct secretary!  I'm excited for her ... go Willyne!

Notes from Stake Conference, Part 2

Notes from the Sunday morning session of our Stake Conference held 11 Mar 2012

Willyne noted to me later this was one of the best sessions of any conference she has ever attended.  That sums it up right there!

 President DeMille

 Talked about America as a place where with hard work and sacrifice we can still accomplish our dreams.

 Described life of Dr. Russel M. Nelson how he accomplished his dreams to become and be a great doctor.

 In 1984 he was called by President Kimball to be an apostle. He has dedicated his life to promote a higher dream...of the tree of life. 1 nephi 8 Three groups of people in this dream, besides the 4 th group that go straight to the great and spacious building. Where do we find ourselves in this dream? We can lose the desire to be close to God quickly by being casual about prayers, reading scriptures, etc. We must then hold steadfast to the rod by living the teachings we read about in the scriptures. Asked us to look at scriptures that talk about entering into the rest of the Lord. It is possible to change our path towards the tree. We cannot give up on ourselves or anyone else. We should daily look at ourselves and evaluate where we are on the path towards the tree. We cannot be ashamed for who we are, just the opposite! This Church is true! We ARE guided by a prophet! Leave the American dream life to pursue the Tree Of Life dream life.

Brother Ryan Smith, recently returned missionary, and ward mission leader in Springdale

 Gave his testimony that there is no joy greater than helping a person find their testimony of the Savior! 

Sister Martha Gubler, LaVerkin 3rd Ward

 Jesus loves us and wants to help us in our imperfections. We all struggle, don't let that overcome you!

 Heavenly Father doesn't expect perfection, just progression.

 Sister Madrid, a full time missionary currently serving in our mission

 I thought my mission would be something spectacular, and it has been because I have learned the plain and simple truths!

 She bore a very sweet and heartfelt testimony.

 Sister Colleen Lund

 Live your life so carefully that the youth would say I want to be just like you.

 Elder Stephen Lund

 Testified of importance of listening to your wife.

Told several personal stories

His ancestors conversions

His son Tanner's 3 year battle with bone cancer

Of taking his son and son in law to Lazarus's tomb just before he, his wife and his son all began missionary service in 2003.

Jesus makes it not only possible but mandatory that we will be resurrected and live again. The only question s how we will live!

Notes from Stake Conference

Notes I took at the Saturday evening session of our Stake Conference held 10 Mar 2012

President Eves

We are on Jesus's team, not Satan's. Takes sacrifice and effort to be on Jesus's team.

D & C 37: Take name of Christ and have determination to serve him.

Mosiah 18:9 Stand as witness of God in all places and times! We might be nervous about this, do it anyway!

Joshua 1:9 Be strong and of courage. Lord will be with us.

Gideon was an amazing man.  Judges 6:14-15. Gideon was visited by an angel. Go forth, save Israel, you can do this. Gideon got a witness, was strong, and obeyed. May we have the faith of Gideon, who did not know what to do save what the Lord commanded. Think of one individual, wherever they may be. Commit yourself to share your witness and testimony with them.

Sister Carolyn Eves

Reminded us of President DeMille's call to have a daily devotional.
Understand demands of motherhood and life. Easy to set devotionals aside, log in to heaven first each day, Lord will bless us with the rest of what we do.

 If we heed personal revelation we cannot fail!

Ephesians 6:12 Alma 56:47 Teaching in our day require vigilance!

Esther in the Bible is a wonderful example.

Sister Laurie Gifford, Stake Primary President

Quoted Elder Nelson, "The church exists to exalt the family."

Ask our children what they learned in church. We can look up our children's lessons on lds.org, then reinforce in home evening.

 Our biggest joys in life will be our children!

 Sister Colleen Lund

 We are learning about George Albert Smith. His life goals are so magnificent! He honored his priesthood by loving and doing, in spite of serious health issues.

 Elder Stephen Lund

 Both he and his wife noted the beauty of this area we live in.

Heavenly Father never fails to reward sacrifice.

 "The Lord wants us to be on the front lines of his rescue efforts." (quoted President Uchtdorf) When we go about the work of rescue we are never alone.

Welcome to Connect Five!

Ethan was introduced to Connect Four by his Uncle Doug (aka Chief), and let me tell you, he is a shrewd player!

Willyne and I found out he didn't have his own set, so we went to get one...lo and behold, the closest you can come is Connect Five, which is the traditional game with two bonus rows and six ways to play.

His smile and excitement warm my heart!

And yes, we played, and he won!

In other excitement at our home today, Josh and Darin ventured into 56 degree water to clean out the rocks the girls "donated to the cause".   Cooooooold to the bone!

Oscar Hits A Sweet Spot

Jacob and Hilary were wonderful hosts as always!  Yea for 10 terrific years, we all had a really "sweet" time!

Clean Living ... Life Does Go In Circles

I've been gone from home a week.  I started by attending a friend's funeral, in between I have seen a couple dozen other friends, mostly doing tax returns, but a surprising number of other things as well.  I ended this evening by having dinner with Benjamin in Taylorsville.  I had a wonderful conversation with him, which kept coming back to his Clean Living vision.  Apparently it's not just his vision.  He has been talking about this extensively with Josh, he also had lots of information about land options from Jacob and the possibility that olive trees will grow in southern Utah from Darin.  Clearly I've missed even more than I thought I had being gone a week!

This is all very exciting, but it also reminded me that life goes in circles.  After listening to how he needs ample room, doesn't want neighbors too close, wants to be totally self-sufficient, wants to grow trees, wants his own supply of water, and more (He and Josh both have their own blogs, I'll leave the major details for them to describe more fully) I mentioned to him that I was listening to my father's grandson.  Not to mention he is the descendant of more generations of Beechers who definitely liked their space and the clean living experience.

I also found him a copy of Elder Ezra Taft Benson's talk "Prepare Ye", given in the Saturday afternoon session of the October 1973 General Conference when he was serving in the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  You can read it in its entirety here:  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1973/10/prepare-ye?lang=eng.  He loved it and instantly adopted it as his motto.

(Clean Living can still utilize the blessings of accessing the Internet in the parking lot at Texas Roadhouse)

Here are a few of Elder Benson's key points:

• "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" (D&C 38:30)

• We are to prepare for calamities to come (D &C 1:12, 17), including a great crop destroying hailstorm (D&C 29:16), desolating sickness covering the land (D&C 45:31), wars upon the face of the earth (D&C 63:33), famines, pestilences, and earthquakes (Matt 24:7).  These calamities will occur ... "Prophecy is but history in reverse--a divine disclosure of future events".

• How we are to prepare:  Search the commandments (D&C 1:17-18,37), follow his prophets and apostles (D&C 1:14,38).  Elder Benson also quoted President J. Reuben Clark, Jr's counsel on how to prepare, including living righteously, avoiding debt as we would avoid a plague, putting high priority on getting out of debt at the earliest possible opportunity, live within our incomes while saving a little, have enough food, clothing, and where possible, fuel also for at least a year, own your own home free from mortgage, have a garden or farm, and more.

• Then Elder Benson goes into details that are the result of his unique combination of testimony and life experiences.  He tells of paying 6,000,000,000 German marks (worth 15 U.S. cents) for breakfast in Cologne in the 1920s.  He was an accomplished agriculture expert, serving the Church's food relief efforts in Europe following World War II and in President Eisenhower's Cabinet as Agriculture Secretary.  He advises storing the food that will sustain life .. that is affordable and families can do it.

• "The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah."

• He tells of "blessings in being close to the soil, in raising your own food, even if it is only a garden and/or a fruit tree or two."

• "Healthful foods, proper rest, adequate exercise, and a clean conscience can prepare us to tackle the trials that lie ahead."

• He quotes President Woodruff, "we shall all see the necessity of making our own shoes and clothing and raising our own food"

• "Wood, coal, gas, oil, kerosene, and even candles are among those items which could be reserved as fuel for warmth, cooking, and light or power. ... stored and handled cautiously."

• "It would be well to have on hand some basic medical supplies to last for at least a year.

There is much, much, more.  I know Benjamin will read this over and over.  It is his new motto.  As for me, well the tortoise is smiling!  I like what I see.