Check out Benjamin's new home!

I started my day with a nice visit with a former missionary companion, Kelly Smith, his wife Linsey, and their family.  Thanks for a great breakfast and fun conversation!

After a few hours on the road, I stopped to see Benjamin and his new place.  I have included pictures (I wish they were better!) of the entrance and of Benjamin standing in his new living room by his couch.  You deserve the room, I'm really happy for you!  (And thanks for sharing dinner and converstion with me too!)

Checking out Blue Highways with Becca

After seeing clients today, I got to spend the evening with Becca.  It was fun seeing her campus from her eyes -- I especially enjoyed the Gardens.  Very colorful, amazing variety and display.  What a treat!

The campus tour gave us an appetite for dinner, so we headed to one of Becca's favorites, Wingers.  We got full so waited until later for dessert, and instead headed out to see some fun back roads near her -- to the towns of Sugar City, Teton, St. Anthony, and Parker.  There are also some amazing sand dunes we found.  So now she has a visual of some of the places she hears the people she works and studies with talk about.  We had a great time, then were ready for dessert at Cold Stone, followed by a stop across the street to WalMart where we had our capstone of the evening--a license plate that I tried to get a picture of but got bright flash instead as you can see.

What you can't see is the personalized Idaho license plate ... MAXIMUS.

That made us both smile.  A great evening!

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Seeing Cousins

I was in West Valley tonight seeing my cousins Margo, Rachelle, and Jennifer Hoyt after finishing my work with clients for the day. It was a lot of fun seeing them and swapping stories. Doug Jr would have liked dinner--I was initiated to Five Guys Burgers and Fries which along with soft drinks are literally the only items on the menu. Not even milkshakes. I had lettuce, tomato, cheese, grilled onions and mushrooms, and barbeque sauce on mine and it was indeed very good!

Get Out to Push

A little after 7 am today, my phone vibrated with this message,


“When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration.”

 -- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Two Principles for Any Economy,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 56-57

I really appreciate receiving these Daily Gems from The Church of Jesus Christ. 

It is wonderful to me how volumes can be spoken in a single sentence, and I admire those who can do it.

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I dwelled on verses 40-44 of Moroni 7 today.  The LDS Institute Manual, pages 392-3, is a wealth of information on these verses, and they are most encouraging to a soul such as mine, putting one foot in front of the other in faith and hope that I can cling to the rod and make it through the daily challenges of this life better for the experience.

In a non-eloquent sentence chain, it goes like this:  Faith is essential and it is built on hope.  Faith and hope are both built on complete charity, being the pure love of Christ where one finds their self by truly caring about others.  Faith, hope, and charity all require meekness.

Neal Maxwell succinctly explained that "meekness does not translate to weakness, but ‘it is the presentation of self in a posture of kindness and gentleness. It reflects certitude, strength, serenity; it reflects a healthy self-esteem and a genuine self-control’".

 --Neal A. Maxwell, “Meekly Drenched in Destiny,” in Brigham Young

University 1982–83 Fireside and Devotional Speeches [1983]

I hope to keep practicing these principles throughout the rest of my life.  After all, the Lord is much more likely to assist the man who actively works at developing faith, hope, charity, and meekness than "the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration.”

And The Beat Goes On

That was the title of a luncheon speech I heard at the Dixie Regional Medical Center today.  I have been a member of a professional advisory council that meets quarterly there for about two years, and have found the presentations to be interesting.

So why the title "And The Beat Goes On"?  We heard from Dr. Roger Millar, a cardiothoracic surgeon who is the founder of the open-heart surgery program at our local hospital.  He came to St. George six years ago to start the program, and is quite enthusiastic about what they have been able to accomplish.  They don't do heart transplants or artificial hearts here, but valve replacements, bypasses, and much more.  It was very exciting to learn some more about the great resources that have become available here.  My cancer radiation treatments were another example of this.

Dr. Millar was not only an enthusiastic speaker, but has received the American Heart Association's Heart of Gold Award in recognition of his advancements in cardivascular surgery and the field of heart disease.

I enjoyed my lunch (catered by Cafe Rio by the way) and this experience very much!

I Miss This

Smiling Emma!

I had a great day -- but the highlight had to be seeing this in my picture mail today!  Love her sweet contagious smile!  (Yes, grandpa is biased and that's OK!)