Index

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1.3 Billion Wind Turbines Needed to Replace CoalIn the United States in 2007 coal was responsible for generating 2,016,456 gigawatts of power. As 1 gigawatt equals 1,000 megawatts you would need 1.3 billion (2,016,456,000 megawatts / 1.5) wind turbines to replace coal. And coal only accounts for 48% of electricity production.
12 Beautiful Mongolian Landscape PhotographsHere are some landscapes most of us will never see. As you can see from the photographs, Mongolia is a very beautiful and varied country.
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5K Fun RunThe Kaysville South Stake 8th Annual 5K "Family Run/Walk". Jill, my brother Mike, and I participated.
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A Balanced Budget Amendment Will Cut Federal Deficit SpendingIf two more additional states were to petition, then the required two-thirds majority of states would be reached (34 out of 50 states) and Congress would be required to call a convention to propose a Balanced Budget Amendment.
A Banner StoryThe story behind the banners I display on my rickety blog. All the photographs were taking either by my wife or myself and if you click on the banners in the post you will see the photographs from which they were derived.
A Banner Story ContinuedHere are the last 18 banners and the photographs from which they are derived.
A Fishstick FableHow to turn four Trident Seafoods Ultimate Fish Sticks made with whole fillets of wild Alaskan pollock into a fast snack.
A Property Tax Alternative: The Home Consumption Tax Points out that the quickest way to reduce the cost of taxation is to cut out the overhead and/or simplify the process. The taxes must be collected so the key is to use an existing system of collection. The tax should be related to the property. In addition the tax should fall a little heavier on those able to pay.
About
Adelaide Gives Birth to a Baby GirlToday at exactly 11am Adelaide gave birth to a 7lb 11oz, 21 inch baby girl. The new arrival hasn't got a name yet (how rickety) so she is known as Baby 4110 for now, named after the number of the hospital room where Adelaide is recovering.
Adelaide GraduatesAdelaide received a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Technical Writing. Adelaide wore the traditional cap and gown as did 2-month old daughter Aurora.
All Things Bright And BeautifulA photo slide video of Aurora to the tune of All Things Bright And Beautiful.
Americans for American Energy ActRob Bishop is the representative of the district in which I live. I have reproduced here a simplified list of his energy act, H.R. 6384, which has already been co-sponsored by more than two dozen other lawmakers and runs some 215 pages long.
An X in The Road of HistoryI have for you this evening a small puzzle. In the photograph I took today you see some feet and a large X in the road. The feet are mine and the X marks a significant event in history. The puzzle is to tell me what the event was.
And The Moon Into BloodOf course there are more items we can add to the list as we search through the scriptures. But what is the most important thing to remember in all of this? "That whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered." It seems to me to be that simple. One may ask, "Will not the wicked therefore call upon the Lord?"
Antelope Island Balloon and Kite StampedeLast Saturday morning Jill and I drove the 21 miles to attend the Antelope Island Balloon and Kite Stampede. However, uncooperative winds dictated that no hot air balloons would launch that day.
Antelope Island Balloon StampedeGoing to watch balloons at Antelope Island. However, a rickety wind of 18 knots dictated that no hot air balloons would launch. So we traveled further south to the Garr Ranch and then back to look at the visitors center.
Archive
Are You Really Driving On The Cheap?Are you really driving on the cheap? That's the question an owner of a NGV may be asked occasionally. The only monetary disavantage of a NGV is the initial cost which can be alleviated by buying used
Arkansas Bank Charges 82,563% Overdraft InterestThe fuss lately over bank fees has left me mostly disinterested. After all, fees are what other people pay -- those folks who don't know how to manage their money. Wrong. When it happens to you then it isn't carelessness any more. It's just the law of averages -- sooner or later the fee devil will get you.
Ask Rickety: What is the Global Warming Petition Project?The purpose of the Petition Project is to demonstrate that the claim of “settled science” and an overwhelming “consensus” in favor of the hypothesis of human-caused global warming and consequent climatological damage is wrong. No such consensus or settled science exists.
Assassination on Elm StreetThe X is located on Elm Street in Dallas and marks the location where President Kennedy was shot. Just before 12:30 p.m., Kennedy’s limousine entered Dealey Plaza and slowly approached the Texas School Book Depository. When the Presidential limousine turned and passed the Depository and continued down Elm Street, shots were fired at Kennedy.
Aurora Eliminates Paparazzi CameraAurora, my granddaughter, endures her grandparents taking photograph after photograph and the occasional video. Aurora finally got sick of me videoing her.
Aurora Eliminates Paparazzi Camera AgainI still haven't learned to keep my distance when using my camera around Aurora. As you can see, she still knows how to take care of the grandpaparazzi.
Aurora Is BlessedToday family gathered to the Pleasant Valley 6th Ward for the blessing of Aurora Willoughby. With all the babies being blessed and extended family in attendance it was virtually standing room only in the chapel.
Aurora Turns OneMy granddaughter Aurora turned one this month and the family gathered for a celebration. Aurora very quickly demolished her birthday cake.
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Baby Bryson Is BlessedToday we headed over to the Kaysville 12th. Ward for Bryson's blessing. Bryson's relatives were there in large numbers on this happy day.
Baby Bryson: Six Days OldDerek and Sarah brought Bryson, who was born last Monday, along and I took the opportunity to take a few photographs.
Ballot Measures For Traditional MarriageThe results of the state ballot measures in favor of traditional marriage. All the measures passed which demonstrates a broad based support for traditional marriage. The Florida amendment 2 had to get 60% of the vote and it still passed. This post has an Update.
Bank Rewards Checking
Bear Lake TripAfter a pleasant night’s sleep Shauna took off at 7:30am to the beach to throw down some blankets to reserve a spot. We launched the jet skis and each of us took a turn riding them.
Birthday Celebration: AdelaideReed Sprague graciously invited us to join in celebrating Adelaide’s 24th birthday with their extended family. We congregated at the Barnes Park Bowery on Saturday afternoon. Before we ate, the younger elements played an obscure rickety ball game that they seemed to enjoy. They worked up an appetite for the great potluck meal.
Birthday Celebration: StevenOn Monday we celebrated Steven’s birthday at our rickety Family Home Evening. Jill, Paul, Jake, Steven, Adelaide, Sarah, Derek, Bryson, and myself were there. After the Family Home Evening we blew up balloons, tossed them in the air, and then burst them.
Bjarne Stroustrup on ManagementAn organization that treats its programmers as morons will soon have programmers that are willing and able to act like morons only. (page 382)
Blog
Blog MakeoverYesterday I made the switch from my old rickety blog to a new location and a new theme. I took the blog out of www.rickety.us and exported my posts to a new database.
Bountiful Cheap GasI filled up my gas tank today with regular for $1.29 a gallon at an Exxon station in Bountiful, Utah. It looks like I filled up for 10 cents a gallon less than what the the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report lists as the average gas price for my area. I last filled the tank at the beginning of December.
Bountiful Handcart DaysThere were a lot of marching bands in the parade and of course the biggest and best is the Davis High School Band. There were the usual cars and even though some were old there were none that were rickety. The governor and his wife were in the parade as well as Rob Bishop in a car that could barely hold him.
Bountiful Utah TempleThe endowment rooms are large and the spacious celestial room has a high ceiling and is one of the most beautiful of all the Utah temples. The room reminds me of a cathedral, the way it sweeps upward. We live 13 miles from the temple and we can see it high on the mountainside from our home.
Brigham City Peach DaysPeach days takes place the weekend after Labor day weekend. Much of the main street in the city is closed off to cars, and the festival is celebrated by a parade, a car show, a carnival, and other activities including the famous “Scuba Burger” which many Peach Day goers enjoy.
Brigham City Utah Temple Artist's ConceptionWhile eating dinner at Lone Star Steakhouse last night with family and friends we wondered what the new Brigham City temple will look like. One of the party suggested that we create our own artist's conception and post it on the blog. I received in my email today the results you see above.
Brigham City Utah Temple LotIn the photograph you can see the Brigham City tabernacle through the trees. Main Street is between the tabernacle and the grassless vacant land where the new temple will be built. The grass and the paved area are also part of the temple lot.
Bryson Crawls to First Place at Davis County FairFriday found me at the Davis County Fair with my two grandchildren Bryson and Aurora. Adelaide entered Aurora in the baby contest as did Sarah with Bryson. No winners there.
Bryson Picture Book of Fort Worth Water GardensWe are headed to the south end of downtown Fort Worth. Next to the Fort Worth Convention Center are the 4.3 acres of the Water Gardens, built in 1974.
Bryson Tries CerealBefore Sarah left for Texas she fed cereal to Bryson for the first time. We sat him in his rickety stroller because his high chair was already in Texas.
Budget Shortfall Smaller in UtahIt's important to understand that Utah, though in a difficult economic situation, certainly is in a better place than many other states throughout the country.
Build an Arc Welder from Microwave OvensI came home from work to be greeted by Paul, "Hey dad, do you want to see my latest project?" He showed me his purchase of 33 microwave ovens that he will turn into an arc welder.
Build an Arc Welder from Microwave Ovens: Part 2To power the arc welder Paul needs six transformers. At a cost of $5 for 33 microwaves, one transformer sets him back 15 cents. He dismantled his first microwave oven and extracted the transformer.
Build an Arc Welder from Microwave Ovens: Part 3Paul obtained his microwave ovens, wired the garage for 220 volts, and extracted the first transformer. In this segment he replaces the old secondary windings with new, thicker wire.
Build an Arc Welder from Microwave Ovens: Part 4Paul decided before he used his homebrew arc-welder (not yet built) he would practice with a factory built arc-welder. He borrowed his grandfather's arc-welder and tried it out today. He needed a suitable piece of scrap metal which he found in the middle of the road while driving home.
Byron at the Bountiful TempleByron's endowment at the Bountiful temple. An endowment is a sacred ordinance. Endowments take place in a dedicated House of the Lord, or temple. Temples were centers of religious worship anciently and Mormons build temples today to administer the ancient ordinances of salvation that have been restored to the earth.
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California Should Promptly Balance Its BudgetAs for California, both Repuplicans and Democrats are right. There should be deep cuts and tax hikes. Get on with it so the good people of California can go about their business.
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Caption Competition
Caption Competition #2Test your caption writing skills on this photograph of me with my granddaughter Aurora.
Caption Competition #3Test your caption writing skills on this photograph of Steven and Adelaide eating corn.
Caption Competition #3 WinnerSean is this week's caption winner. All were really funny so thank you for the entries.
Caption Competition #4This photograph was taken in Choibalsan, Mongolia. There are a lot of possible captions that come to mind but Judge Jill says for me to let the readers submit their captions first.
Caption Competition #4 WinnerJanay is this week's caption winner.
Caption Competition #5Rachel agreed to model the Turkish Delight. After eating one bar she wanted to also eat the bar that has been reserved for first prize. Perhaps these Turkish Delights are addictive after all. Well now, write a caption at your own risk.
Central Bank Gold ReservesWith China and India acquiring gold it is interesting to see that the United States still holds almost eight times the gold that China does and more than fourteen times India's reserves. Of note is that the United States has 78% of its foreign reserves in gold.
Chiastic SnackOne jar of pickled onions. Two slices of wheat bread. Three slices of cheese. Two cut pickled onions. One big mouth.
Christmas HolidaysThis blog is closed for the CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.
Christmas Letter 2008Instead of doing a Christmas letter, we decided to do something different this year.
Christmas Letter 2009Here is our second Christmas blog post. We will send to friends and family the URL to this page with their Christmas cards. It has been a very busy year and here are a few highlights...
Church is Helping with the Mongolian DzudMoney has been contributed to government programs to help deliver food, clothing, medicine, candles, fuel and hygiene items for herder families. With other government programs meat has been purchased and heating systems repaired.
ClearPlay, Movies, and the Academy AwardsClearPlay is a special DVD player that enables your family to enjoy all of the great Hollywood movies you’ve always wanted to watch -- without all of the junk you don't want.
Come Thou Fount of Every BlessingIn 1985, the Church issued a new hymn book containing 341 hymns entitled Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some new hymns appeared, which had not been published by the Church before, such as How Great Thou Art. Others were left out of the book such as Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.
Comics
Comments Policy
Comparing Lending Club with ProsperEven though Prosper has the higher earnings its losses are greater. Bear in mind the loans on Prosper have been running twice as long as my Lending Club loans, hence more opportunity for loans to fall behind.L
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Convert Journeys of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsThis book will give you an opportunity to bear your testimony to many, and to help lifelong members of the church better understand what it is like to be a convert.
Copyright
Cove FortCove Fort is located on Cove Creek a mile northeast of the I-15 and I-70 junction in Millard County, Utah. It was founded on 29 April 1867 by Ira Hinckley at the request of Brigham Young.
Credit Karma CheckupThe first thing I came across when I logged in was my credit score represented as a graph. The was a credit snapshot which among other things told me my score could improve by obtaining more premium bankcard accounts and having more accounts in good standing.
CU Rewards Checking
Cumbres and ToltecThe trip objective was to ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.
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Dan at the Bountiful TempleYesterday Daniel, my youngest son, went to the Bountiful temple to receive his endowments. For my readers that are not familiar with temple endowments I will give a short overview.
Daniel Enters The Missionary Training CenterWe took Daniel to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) today. All the family came along so we needed two vehicles. Daniel had his parents, siblings, in-laws, and nephew to say good-bye to him at the MTC. Well, Bryson didn’t say anything, he was asleep.
Daniel is Set Apart as a Missionary Daniel was set apart as a missionary by his stake president. While Daniel sat on a chair in the Relief Society room President Thredgold laid his hand on Daniel’s head followed by the Melchizedek Priesthood holders in the room.
Daniel Prepares To Leave MongoliaDaniel arrived in Ulaanbataar after a 13 hour drive. He leaves for Korea tomorrow. Here are three of the people being baptized this Saturday. Left to right: Baatarsvkh, Daniel, Thogtbayar, and Bayarcaikhan.
Daniel Speaks in Sacrament MeetingToday Daniel spoke in sacrament meeting on the subject of the Holy Ghost. He leaves for his mission this month and family and friends were in attendance.
Daniel's GraduationDaniel received his Davis High School diploma on Friday 30th May 2008. The family was there to celebrate the day.
Davis County Early VotingI am accustomed to voting early. I don't feel as rushed because I can pick a day and time that better suits my schedule. Today my wife and I went to Kaysville City town hall to early vote at 2:30 pm. and found there was no waiting. If you wish to early vote then you are too late -- today was the last day.
Days Inn Makes My DayA mistake in a motel reservation is forgiven.
DebtLet us avoid debt as we would avoid a plague; where we are now in debt let us get out of debt; if not today, then tomorrow. Let us straitly and strictly live within our incomes, and save a little.
Defense Spending by CountryThe United States, with a budget of $535.9 billion, spends more on defense than the next fourteen nations combined.
Derek, Sarah, and BrysonIt was a happy day as Bryson Henry Moss came into the world. Finally you can call me Grandpa Rickety.
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DoFollow
Dow Ten Largest Daily Point and Percentage LossesAs a percentage loss, 2008 only appears in ninth place but takes first place in point losses. Further, the last ten years have claimed the first nine highest point losses with half of the top ten taking place in September and October of this year — and the month isn’t over yet.
Draper Utah TempleI didn't attend the open house so I have never seen the inside of the temple. There is a great view of the valley below and you can see the Jordan River temple in the distance. You feel like you are at the top of the mountain at the temple site. Situated in a quiet residential area, the grounds are peaceful and calm.
Driving On The CheapHow much cheaper is this Civic for me to drive? Well this is Utah and this Civic is a Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV). With Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) at a subsidized 93 cents GGE throughout the state I really am driving on the cheap.
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Early Voting in Davis County, UtahI am accustomed to voting early. The process is not at all rickety and is rather simple.
Electricity Generation and the Obama-Biden PlanElectricity generation is generally not one's first priority when it comes to reading. However, hoping not to appear rickety, I admit that I found it interesting when perusing Change.gov to find, among many, three energy/environmental goals.
Email #2 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaAfter a long wait the “January Group” of foreign missionaries have arrived in Mongolia.
Epic Excerpts: Gordon B. HinckleyGordon Bitner Hinckley, born 23 June 1910 was the fifteenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 12 march 1995 until his death.
Epic Excerpts: Horatio NelsonVice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, born in 1758, was a British flag officer made famous in the Battle of Trafalgar. In this decisive British victory he lost his life.
Epic Excerpts: Winston ChurchillSir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II, saving the world from Nazi domination in the dark days of 1940.
Estimates are not DeadlinesThis very rough estimate became a deadline almost immediately and caused a great deal of pressure to come my way.
Eye of the Bighorn SheepIt wasn’t until I got home and looked at the photograph that I noticed the reflection of the car in the sheep’s eye.
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Family Home Evening With Teenagers: Just Wing ItMy advice for Family Home Evening with teenagers is to just wing it. If you get to fussing about it you may never start. Just get up and go and make it up as you go along. If you can plan ahead then that is great but don’t let lack of structure hold you back.
Family PhotographsDaniel will soon be gone on his mission so we have to get the photographs before the end of the month otherwise it will be another Photoshop job. Not pretty.
FAQ
Farewell MongoliaWe had a dinner and testimony meeting with the missionaries on the night of their departure. We celebrated the wonderful work they did in Mongolia. They put on a happy face.
Farmington FrontrunnerI had an opportunity to take a few photographs of Frontrunner when I went to pick Jill up at the Farmington Station.
Fathers DayKent and Susan invited all the fathers in the family for a meal of salmon, hamburgers, chicken, and hot dogs. Here is Susan and Jill at the grill.
Feedback
Fish and Chips at Little Taste of BritainI was ready for fish and chips with mushy peas and maybe a drink of Vimto. The meal didn't disappoint, the fish and chips were authentic -- the large fillet of cod was battered and a deep-fried golden.
Five 2009 PredictionsI am joining in the fun and releasing my rather rickety predictions for 2009. See you back here at the end of 2009 to see how I fared.
Five 2010 Predictions2010 predictions about the DOW, gas, the House, gold, and unemployment.
Five Missionaries, Five Flags, Five CountriesNo rickety young men here, all strong priesthood holders. These are my four sons and son-in-law (far right) and the flags of the countries where they served.
Foreign Holders of Treasury SecuritiesEven with a scenario that is not quite as bad as the news would have us believe, the U.S. still needs to work vigorously at reducing its debt. The supposed agent of change, Barack Obama, is carrying on the same old policy of borrow and spend, except in much larger quantities. How sad.
Four New Features from Lending ClubWell, we spend around $50 attracting a new customer anyway so instead of making an ad agency richer, we thought it would make more sense to let you invite your friends and deposit $50 in their account, make them $50 richer and make you look good in the process!
Four Simple Ideas For Keeping A Daily JournalKeeping a short journal makes it easy to start a daily habit of writing. Even with simple entries, insights into past events allows you to see progress and receive strength.
FrontRunner versus LegacyFrontRunner made a slight dent in congestion by removing a small percentage of the traffic from the 140,000 daily car trips along I-15. Legacy Parkway cleared I-15 congestion on its first weekday in operation.
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General Conference QuizThere are quotes from conference talks below, sometimes just a few words, for you to see if you can identify the speaker.
Giving Thanks The Pilgrims LeftOccasionally I am asked if we have Thanksgiving in England. My stock answer is always is the same: We do have Thanksgiving in England. We give thanks those annoying pilgrims left.
Google Plots Fertility RateGoogle recently added the World Bank's World Development Indicators to their existing US unemployment and US population data sets. The World Development Indicators consist of 17 data sets that Google plots as an interactive graph using their public data search.
Grandpa Rickety Twice OverOn 29th June Adelaide and Steven announced that their first baby is due in February. We do not know the gender yet.
Green Jell-O Filled Orange WedgesAt the last YSA party Paul put bacon in his Jell-O jigglers. Fortunately for about everyone concerned Paul is out of bacon and so instead he is making Jell-O filled orange wedges.
Guests
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Happy Birthday Grandpa!It was my birthday this week and in the email from Texas came a message from Bryson.
Happy New Year!Happy New Year from Kaysville, Utah.
He will be a boyJust thought you might like to know that I’m going to have a boy!
How Many Toys Does It Take To Entertain Aurora?This evening 6 month old Aurora came to visit her grandparents. So we got out a few toys to occupy her.
How Many Toys Does It Take To Entertain Bryson?This evening 24 days old Bryson came to visit his grandparents. So we got out a few rickety toys to occupy him.
How to Create An Index For Your Wordpress BlogEnhance your WordPress blog by creating multiple, three-level alphabetical indexes of your posts based on any combination of post title, author, extract, or custom fields of your choice.
How to Get a LifeIt was suggested by one of my children that I write a post that outlines my advice to the groom who is about to be married. Here is my counsel encapsulated into one sentence: Provide physically and spiritually for your family.
How to Keep Attentive in Sacrament MeetingAs a convert to the Church I was always attentive in sacrament meetings and listened carefully to what was said. Until two years ago. It was about then that I noticed I was not always focused on what the speakers were saying and my mind would become rickety and wandering. It was time to introduce some simple methods to help focus on what was important.
How to not NoFollowWhen you comment on a blog and leave your own blog address you will get a backlink that search engines will pick up that will help you to increase your ranking. However, many blogs use the NoFollow attribute to make your link so rickety it ceases to be a backlink.
How To Recognize PropagandaTransfer is a device by which the propagandist carries over the authority, sanction, and prestige of something we respect and revere to something he would have us accept. If the propagandist succeeds in getting church or nation to approve a campaign in behalf of some program, he thereby transfers its authority, sanction, and prestige to that program.
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I Refuse To Participate In This RecessionFollowing their lead I have patterned my post title after their excellently phrased recession refusal. You may well ask, "So big deal, what have you done to show your non-participation?"
If Utah Was A CountryIf Utah was a country it would have a GDP of $105.7 billion. This would place Utah above Qatar's GDP of $102.3 billion but below 32 other states and 55 other nations.
Index
India GateIn England where I was raised, war memorials were prominent in almost every town. These monuments were often located in quiet places where one could relax and reflect on life (or death). I was often struck by the large numbers of soldiers killed in their prime.
Installing a PermaStone Modular Vinyl Tile Floor
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Jake Skydives in OgdenThe instructor pulled the ripcord and we quickly jerked to a slow fall. After a few seconds he gave me the ropes and showed me how to control the chute. It was a blast going left then right and diving -- I could even feel some G's as I make the chute turn as tight as possible.
Jake's Missionary MeetingI had a companion who didn’t want to work and wanted to sleep in. I hadn’t learned how to tell people they are wrong. So I kicked a soccer ball against the wall by his bed to wake him up.
Jesus Christ Teaches About MoneyMy Easter Sunday talk that includes four parables about money and the application of the principles found therein.
Jill Harvests Zucchini Bread Jill has been growing a garden this year and she has done well with peas, zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers. I wanted to tear out our rickety swing set and plant corn but that was vetoed. What will I run my car on now? Gasoline?!
Jill Speaking on Mother's DayIn 2005, a magazine published a listing of the world's 100 most powerful women. All the women were included because of their political, business or entertainment prominence. Motherhood was almost entirely ignored or at the very least devalued.
Jill's birthdayToday is Jill’s birthday. We celebrated with the family on Memorial Day so there was only one gift today (from me).
Jobs
Jordan River Utah TempleThis is the first time I have been inside the temple. The temple seemed to me to be a super-sized version of the Ogden temple. There were more rooms and they were bigger except for the celestial room which was smaller compared to the cathedral-like Bountiful temple celestial room.
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Kaysville 14th Ward Christmas DinnerJill and I went to the ward Christmas dinner this evening. Jill signed up to cook some turkey breasts. She was given the meat and we took it along with us. We assembled in two lines that each split to allow four rows to get their food at the same time. That way we were soon served.
Kaysville 4th July ParadeOne of the floats won a prize which wasn’t too difficult as there were only two in the whole parade.
Kaysville City Council Thanks Mayor Neka RoundyNext up was a citizen who was quite irate about his cul-de-sac not being plowed after the last snow storm. He wanted the council to have a snow policy. They said they responded to each storm depending on several factors. So the citizen became more irate.
Kaysville City Elections Early Voting Results
Kaysville City Fire Station OpenhouseAn Intermountain Life Flight helicopter landed on the road to the rear of the station and some of the children got to climb inside. I was surprised how strong the wind was from the rotors as the helicopter landed.
Kaysville Independence Day ParadeYesterday we watched the Kaysville / Fruit Heights Independence Day Parade. The weather was perfect, so cool. There were ominous dark clouds overhead but they didn't rain on our parade. Just before the parade started four F-16s from Hill Air Force Base flew low overhead to loud applause from the large crowd.
Kaysville SnowWith all the snow lately it has been a lot of work to keep the driveway and sidewalk clear. Fortunately there is still good help available. My grandson Bryson was happy to assist me in clearing the sidewalk.
Kaysville to KellerToday Jill, Paul, and myself left Kaysville, Utah at 5:25am for Keller, Texas. We went with a longer route (1,379 miles) that is supposedly faster (19 hours 55 mins). Except for a few miles, the whole route is entirely freeway -- that would explain the faster.
Kaysville Utah South Stake ConferenceThose 18 and over are invited to attend and the stake president mentioned at the start of his talk that many members tell him it is their favorite meeting of stake conference. He thought that maybe it was because the children are with baby sitters.
KivaKiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. I started using Kiva last year.
Kiva Lending Team: Kiva MormonsI have made several loans and they have been repaid within 6 months to a year. It is a lot of fun to pick where you want the loan to go and also to lend your money again and again to help someone.
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Labor Day BreakfastThis morning Jill and I ate out. The Kaysville 14th Ward’s annual Labor Day Breakfast was in progress. There was only one menu but was it ever good.
Layton Utah Temple LikelyAccording to Matt Martinich, one of the next temples to be announced will probably be built in Layton, Utah.
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Legacy Highway First DriveParallel to the road was a bicycle trail for the whole route. There were places especially to park your car if you wanted to walk, run, or ride your rickety bicycle.
Lending Club Open for Loans, Prosper in Quiet Period Lending Club opened up to lenders again at just the right time now that lending at Prosper is temporarily closed. According to the Lending Club blog, Utah, where I live, has already been added.
Life Expectancy and Health Care PlansExamining the CIA World Factbook 2008 estimates we find that in the United Kingdom life expectancy at birth is 78.7 years. For the U.S. the number is 78.06 years. Less than eight months difference.
Logan Utah TempleMy wife's parents were married in the Logan temple. I have visited the grounds before but this is the first time I have been inside the temple. On my last visit in October I arrived in the early morning and you can’t miss the temple in the dark. It is on a hill and well lit.
Lose Weight With The Simpleton DietThe Simpleton Diet is so simple that even I can use it. Just enter the starting information and weigh yourself each week.
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Mail CallWell see for yourself, the big white one. Yes it is Daniel’s mission call (yippee!).
Make a Halloween Costume from a Microwave OvenIt was as simple as cutting a hole in the base of the microwave, bending back the metal, covering the edges with duct tape, and padding the interior with quilt batting. Stick two eyes and a mouth on the front to form a smiley face and you have one hot costume.
Manti Utah TempleThis is an awesome temple. Every room is big. The celestial room is the largest of all the Utah temples. This is a real pioneer structure with ornate ceilings and wooden bench seating. A temple worker showed us the sealing rooms. Very beautiful. There is a spiral staircase that goes to the top of the tower.
Melissa's Bridal ShowerWe celebrated with a Hawaiian luncheon and 25 relatives came to join in the fun. We had Hawaiian haystacks with all the trimmings and Connie made a lovely cake. There is an Update to this post.
Memorial Day 2008Memorial Day found our family in Brigham City ready to work in my father-in-law’s yard. It was rainy heavily when we arrived so we sat in the living room thinking we wouldn’t be able to tackle the yard.
Memories of ChildhoodMy brothers and I used to cycle the country lanes in the summer, our goal being to reach the old church. Not for any religious reason but just because it was a convenient landmark. The grounds around the church were quiet and we liked to feed the ducks in the nearby pond.
Milford Wind Project: Utah Power For CaliforniaThe first phase of the Milford Wind Corridor Project was completed and is the largest wind facility in Utah and one of the largest in the West. The electricity generated is bound for California to help achieve the Los Angeles goal of 20 percent renewables by 2010.
Mission Reflexiones: ComienzosI remember calmly opening the envelope with the cameras rolling and reading the letter that extended my call to serve in the Mexico, Mexico City North Mission.
Missionary Dan Email #1 from Atlanta, Georgia I made it to Georgia and the plane ride was great. We had the transfer meeting today and I met my trainer. It is his preparation day today so I am able to email. The mission president is really nice and I sent a letter to you that should come soon.
Missionary Dan Email #1 from Choibalsan, MongoliaThis Saturday was transfers. I am heading out to the countryside today to Choibolsan. I get to travel by plane because it is so far away. It is near China I think.
Missionary Dan Email #1 from Hermiston, OregonI've been very shocked to be back here. Everything is huge and there is stuff everywhere. I'm quite in the culture shock.
Missionary Dan Email #1 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaI made it to Mongolia perfectly fine. We are all safe and sound. I don't have time right now to write more, we are talking to Mongolian people.
Missionary Dan Email #10 from Choibalsan, MongoliaOne is a cow head and the other is cow stomach. Believe it or not we eat stomach almost every day. It doesn’t taste that good, but its not too bad.
Missionary Dan Email #10 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaI always enjoy Dad’s sense of humor. I need to learn how to translate it into Mongolian. :) You did well on your talk Dad. Not bad for such an old man.
Missionary Dan Email #11 from Choibalsan, MongoliaAfter about an hour my companion had calmed him down somewhat to the point where he said he’d meet us at the church tomorrow. He said he was going to kill us etc etc.
Missionary Dan Email #11 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThere were about 37 people who attended the baptism meeting. There were two others baptized from the other branch. We travel to a different building to baptize since the font in our building is broken.
Missionary Dan Email #12 from Choibalsan, MongoliaThis week wasn’t quite the adventure week like last one. I got a snap shot of my frozen eye lash. It really isn't as cold as it looks like. Well maybe it is, I can't tell because my body has adjusted to the cold.
Missionary Dan Email #12 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThis week we did our best to continue teaching. Since our investigators are starting to be baptized we have increased our efforts to find more investigators. The Lord has continued to bless Altangerel and I with prepared people to hear the gospel. We are grateful for His kindness towards us.
Missionary Dan Email #13 from Choibalsan, MongoliaThis week I started teaching at a new location. It is called The Extra Ordinary Peoples or something like that. The name is really fitting for who they were. I think their job is fire fighting.
Missionary Dan Email #13 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaHergu was baptized as well as Totdox. It was a good experience for her to be baptized. She has had a lot of opposition to overcome. Her husband doesn’t mind the church but a lot of her relatives are opposed to it.
Missionary Dan Email #14 from Choibalsan, MongoliaThe picture below with all the youth is from a question and answer competition they had. They asked questions about church doctrine and things. The winners were recently baptized members (within the last month), and another who had been a member a little over a year. Thats cool.
Missionary Dan Email #14 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThis week we supported the members more and did a lot of service and activities with them. We are doing our best to strengthen the members as well and bring more into the church.
Missionary Dan Email #15 from Choibalsan, MongoliaThe people prepare by making a lot of buuz. By a lot I mean some of them make 5,000 or so. Most people though I think make around 1,000 to 2,000. That is so much! Then during the holiday everyone one says, “Eat buuz, eat eat eat.”
Missionary Dan Email #15 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaOur investigator Erdenmohx passed her baptismal interview and will be baptized this Friday. Yesterday I was talking to her about her interview she would be having today. I asked, “Do you have to work tomorrow?” She said jokingly, “Work doesn’t matter, Church is first.”
Missionary Dan Email #16 from Choibalsan, MongoliaThe holiday is great. We’ve been visiting members etc. It has been lots of fun. So far my stomach has handled the increase of meat intake. Some of the buuz tasted really great.
Missionary Dan Email #16 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaWe were very excited for ErdenMuhx to be baptized this Friday. The branch also was excited too. Our branch president baptized her and the relief society president welcomed her. I was happy to see her fit in with the ward members so well.
Missionary Dan Email #17 from Choibalsan, MongoliaDaniel (left) and companion wearing SpongeBob Square Pants candy rings sent for Valentines Day.
Missionary Dan Email #17 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThis week was definitely different from last week. It has been good to get to know my new companion. We celebrated his birthday in our apartment (see picture).
Missionary Dan Email #18 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaIt was history in the making for Mongolia. The first stake was formed yesterday. I was happy to see how many members were there.
Missionary Dan Email #19 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaStrange as it sounds hiking in Mongolia is like hiking in Utah. You start at the bottom of the mountain and walk up it. The faster you hike, the more exhausting it becomes and stopping to rest is always an option.
Missionary Dan Email #2 from Atlanta, GeorgiaI am in Lenett in Alabama and I have no idea what our address is. It's on that letter that the mission home had us write when we first got here. Maybe they didn't send it yet. My companion is really good and is working hard to become a good missionary. He is from Ghana which is really cool.
Missionary Dan Email #2 from Choibalsan, MongoliaWhile walking, I felt like some burden had been lifted off my back. I was so relaxed and felt so good. I thought about why I felt that way the entire day. I couldn’t accept that just because I came here some burden would be gone from my back.
Missionary Dan Email #20 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaWe keep on working here. Yesterday some people in the ward were called to stake callings. I was able to talk to a member about patriarchal blessings. They all seem to be really excited to be able to get them.
Missionary Dan Email #21 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaEhx gerel was baptized and it went well. She asked me to confirm the Holy Ghost for her. It was good for me to learn how to do it my first time in Mongolian and also first time ever. It went well and I felt the Spirit. She is a good new member with lots of friends.
Missionary Dan Email #22 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaLooks like the parade was cool -- we had our own little one at the American embassy. We went there on the fourth of July and had a party.
Missionary Dan Email #23 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaIt was Naadam holiday in Mongolia and in fact today it still is. We went to the opening ceremonies on Saturday and that was a good experience. They had lots of people in Mongolian traditional clothing doing dances etc. Then they had a bunch of horses come out and do a show. It was exciting and fun to watch.
Missionary Dan Email #24 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThis week I got to build my first ger. That was fun to see how it was done and stuff. It is way cool to see how they put their houses together and how they can move the entire thing in about 3 to 4 hours.
Missionary Dan Email #25 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThis week was quite an adventure. There was a huge rainstorm on Tuesday that flooded all the streets etc. We were teaching a lesson and the rain on the roof was so loud that we had to stop teaching for about 30 minutes.
Missionary Dan Email #26 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaSunday was similar, many of our less actives came and over half of the new members in our area came as well. It was a great fast and testimony meeting and I was glad that so many of the people we'd been serving were able to be there. The Lord has greatly blessed us in our efforts and I know He always gives us help when we ask.
Missionary Dan Email #27 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThe food was good but my companion and I unfortunately got food poisoning. So last night was quite the adventure with our stomach’s discarding the food as it felt it needed to. We originally planned to go to the country side today, but instead did our best to recover. We are both doing good now, just a little tired.
Missionary Dan Email #28 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaElder Henson, my companion got transferred Saturday. I stayed in the area and Od Bayar is my new companion. He is in the same group, which is cool.
Missionary Dan Email #29 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaIt is somewhat discouraging to have so many people say they are busy but in time we’ll find success. Also people always go to the countryside. It is way cool that they can move in one day their entire house and have no one know where they went, but when missionary work is concerned it isn’t that cool.
Missionary Dan Email #3 from Atlanta, GeorgiaYesterday we heard we are leaving. On Thursday at 3:00 our plane leaves, that's all I've heard. It is exciting to be leaving but I've also learned to love these people. They are great and I'm sad I couldn't spend more time here. I am called to Mongolia and I'm more than excited to get to work there!
Missionary Dan Email #3 from Choibalsan, MongoliaWell I had this brilliant idea came to me so I decided to do it. I took out the money in my savings account and exchanged it into Mongolian bills. I figure that when the exchange rate is better I can then exchange it back and get some good profit. Good idea eh?
Missionary Dan Email #3 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaWow! Mongolia is truly incredible! The plane ride was really short -- I was able to study a lot and also sleep.
Missionary Dan Email #30 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaI said we were missionaries and told where, what time, and what my church is. I asked her if we could meet later and she said, “I can meet right now.” I was again surprised but very happy for the opportunity. We were able again share about the restoration and our testimonies.
Missionary Dan Email #31 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaIt was the worst week missionary work wise this week in my entire mission. We taught very few lessons but we were still able to meet standard of excellence with talking to people on the street. We’ll get back to work and do the best we can this week.
Missionary Dan Email #32 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaWe went to work this last week and it turned out to be a great week. We did a lot better than last week. It was good for us to be able to have a little success.
Missionary Dan Email #33 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThis week was great! My birthday was awesome. It was also my old companion’s birthday, Ganbileg. The whole zone came in the morning and we had cake.
Missionary Dan Email #34 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaI am still in the same area. I’ve been here for 3 months now. It doesn’t seem quite that long. Maybe next transfer I’ll get to leave the city, since I haven’t left it yet. Lots of missionaries like the country-side, so it would be fun to be able to see what it is like.
Missionary Dan Email #35 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaMy companion and I went home and then to sleep and I woke up at about 3 o’ clock with my stomach hurting. I threw up all the food I ate that day.
Missionary Dan Email #36 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaGeneral Conference was great! It went by extremely fast. We were sad when it was over. It was so exciting to watch. Waiting for it to start was like going to a midnight showing of a movie that just came out. Luckily I didn’t read any spoilers. Ha ha.
Missionary Dan Email #37 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaIt was a very eventful week. I don’t have much time to write about it, but I’ll do the best I can. I went on an exchange with my district leader. That day went great and we got a lot of good work done. He told me I was doing good and to keep going.
Missionary Dan Email #38 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaSo I told the story of when we had a special fast for one of my investigators that hadn’t been able to be baptized for 4 years. She passed her interview this Saturday and we are happy to see her baptized this Friday.
Missionary Dan Email #4 from Choibalsan, MongoliaThe church is closed for another two weeks. So yesterday we took the sacrament around to all the members. We basically followed the same route as last week. It went by really fast and was still a good opportunity.
Missionary Dan Email #4 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaI am doing great! I feel like I've learned a month's time of information in one week. Has it really been one week? This mission is absolutely amazing. I am in Ulaanbataar Central area.
Missionary Dan Email #5 from Choibalsan, MongoliaWe had a wonderful Thanksgiving. All the missionaries went to Elder and Sister Anderson's house to the dinner. They are the couple that is assigned to our area. We had chicken instead of turkey.
Missionary Dan Email #5 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThis week was very busy. English class was great. My class are all about 16. They all stand up when I come in and I say, "Sit." :) They show good respect. The Lord blessed me with an idea to get them involved and they were speaking a lot of English. This next week I have been given three more classes.
Missionary Dan Email #6 from Choibalsan, MongoliaChurch was really great; my other new member who is 60 years old received the Priesthood. That was a really good thing that happened and it made me happy.
Missionary Dan Email #6 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThis week has been crazy busy. If I didn't have the Lord's help it would have been very hard to do. My English classes have increased to 10 hours a week. On Tuesday I teach for 4 hours. We have to run sometimes in order to be on time. I taught probably 6 different classes this week.
Missionary Dan Email #7 from Choibalsan, MongoliaMy thermometer won’t be able to measure the temperature here in a bit but that’s OK, it is cool to see when it is below -20 degrees C.
Missionary Dan Email #7 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaOn Saturday they were asking me if the material they had for 6th graders was hard enough. I searched deep into my mind and tried to remember what English grammar I was learning in 6th grade but not much to my surprise I couldn't remember. I said, "I don't know... looks good..."

Missionary Dan Email #8 from Choibalsan, MongoliaMy new companion is my old companion Od Bayar. I was really surprised that I’d be with him again. He is full of energy. We worked well together so I figure president wants us together again.
Missionary Dan Email #8 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaMy English class taught me how to be a better English teacher this week. They told me things they want me to do for them. The funny thing is I am just here to get them to speak English, not teach them. So, when they are telling me what they want to learn, it is a good way to get them speaking English.
Missionary Dan Email #9 from Choibalsan, MongoliaThis week was a little harder to do missionary work. Everyone is busy getting ready for the new year. Elder Od Bayar and I still did alright on our work though. We found three new investigators which was quite an accomplishment.
Missionary Dan Email #9 from Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaThe food here is actually really good. They eat many noodles, rice, and meat. Most of the time I have meat mixed with rice and potatoes. My companion and I cook most days before we head out and then eat when we come home. Occasionally we eat at investigator’s houses or at restaurants. I really like this pasta kind of thing they eat.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #1The computers are really handy. They are just in the laundry room so on Thursday, my pday, we do laundry and write email.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #10As for our visa delays I am not exactly sure what it means that we are going to be recognized as ministers. As you know, we've been allowed into the country on the fact that we are just English teachers. With the little change, I think all it is, is that we are recognized that we are from The LDS Church.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #11So everyone knows I am temporally assigned to Atlanta, Georgia. It's so exciting to be able to go out and do missionary work! I know I am called to go to Mongolia so I am not worried about getting there soon. All I truly want to do is show Heavenly Father how much I love Him by doing all I can to help His children.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #2I am doing great! I am loving being a missionary. We always get a General Authority to come on Sunday and most Tuesdays too. Last Sunday Elder Holland spoke to us. He was very passionate and spoke from his heart.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #3Yes, I've taught in Mongolian. Like I said before the Mongolians have special permission to teach early since the only resources to talk to Mongolians would be our teachers. But with teaching in Mongolian we get the chance to talk to others. Clay Frandsen came last Friday.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #4The Missionary Training Center is truly amazing! I am really enjoying my time here. Spencer Anderson came yesterday and I was able to talk to him for awhile. That was fun. Also yesterday I had a great experience in the Referral Center.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #5I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season. It is really amazing here. We have Christmas lights and many things to remind us of Christ. I've learned a lot about my Savior here. I strive to follow his perfect example.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #6It is cold here in Provo, but we rarely are outside. My cold weather things are coming in handy. We've heard some cool stories about how cold Mongolia is. When you're outside and you breathe your breath will freeze and turn into ice crystals. Then the sun shines through it and it sparkles. The sun is always up usually in the winter but its freezing. Very cold -30 degrees F. Its exciting though!
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #7David A. Bednar came yesterday night. He brought his youngest son who is married. They all spoke to us. I enjoyed everything his daughter-in-law and son said.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #8I know that He has restored His truth again. It is the Book of Mormon. I know anyone that reads it will feel God's love and get answers to any concerns or challenges they face. I promise that anyone who seeks out to know Christ and seek to know Him will find out.
Missionary Dan Email from the MTC #9Today has been quite the week. We started ESL training and things. Last week we hadn't done anything yet so I didn't say anything. We learned how to teach English grammar from like three classes then they had us teach the missionaries that are learning English.
Missionary Dan Is Kicked Out Of MongoliaI was in complete shock hearing the news last night. Since we hit our year mark in the country 3 days ago I thought I had a solid 9 months left to work hard. It has been quite the challenge to have to accept I’m very likely leaving in a week.
Missionary Jake - Part 1 of 10I haven’t been up to much during the long wait until my departure date (besides work), and I feel unprepared. It feels like high school—I procrastinated and will get bad grades. I still need to go out and buy a suit, shoes, and get some shots.
Missionary Jake - Part 10a of 10We are also going to baptize a young couple and another small family in the coming weeks. Sometimes we are so tired from climbing all of the department buildings knocking on doors and talking with everyone that we hardly even sleep from the fatigue.
Missionary Jake - Part 2 of 10Mexico is a blast. There is a ton of people to teach and they are a very faithful people. The mission president has told us to always invite people to be baptized in the first lesson, and most of them accept! If they don’t during the first lesson then usually the second.
Missionary Jake - Part 3 of 10Things are good down here in Mexico. The weather is really nice—not too hot and not too cold. It rains sometimes, but never is cold enough to snow. The climate is similar to Utah but more mild. I imagine that the summers will be really hot.
Missionary Jake - Part 4 of 10I am still in Tultepec. The municipal of Tultepec is known for fireworks. All of this week there are going to be a ton of fireworks. They make huge bulls (kinda like the huge mammoth that we made for the Kaysville parade) and they fill them with fireworks.
Missionary Jake - Part 5 of 10Almost of my converts are active. As a mission we have about 70-80% retention. The church as a whole is growing fast, and it depends a lot on Mexico and Brazil for its growth. he ward that I am in was a branch the previous year and now they are going to divide the ward.
Missionary Jake - Part 6 of 10Our mission broke a record of baptisms in the mission (500 something). Our zone broke the record of baptisms in a zone (101). This month we are going to break it again (120). We have a great zone leader with true vision and faith. The rest of the zones have a hard time with 30 baptisms.
Missionary Jake - Part 7 of 10We are still the best zone in the mission. The president is really proud of our work. In November we are going to break another record. There are two wards in my area. One ward is really strong and the other ward is a little weak. We are working hard to keep the attendance high with lots of new converts.
Missionary Jake - Part 8 of 10This week we found two great families. The mom of one family said “I’ve been praying to know which church is the true church.” I said something like “Perfect, we have an answer.” She will be baptized in two weeks along with two of her five children and her mother.
Missionary Jake - Part 9 of 10This month should be records for the mission, the zone, and for my personal mission. Every day we seek to magnify better our calling of establishing the Kingdom by baptizing more and more.
Missionary Jake ReturnsToday Jake was returning from Mexico after two years. We all climbed into our rickety old van and went to the airport to greet him. Parents and siblings were all there along with an aunt and cousin. It is indeed a happy day.
Missionary Paul - Part 1 of 10Paul served in the California Oakland (Spanish speaking) Mission June 2004 to June 2006. He worked to save the entire $9,000 needed for his mission, and also purchased with his own money the necessary attire.
Missionary Paul - Part 10 of 10The card came on my birthday and the package the next day. It was really nice. My companion is doing well. He gets a little frustrated sometimes because he can’t understand anything. We have a young couple Juan and Mayra that are doing really well. Also the Relief Society president’s sister, Marcia, is really good. She will probably be baptized soon.
Missionary Paul - Part 2 of 10My name is Elder Chandler Smoot and I’m your son’s companion. I’m from Provo, Utah and have been out on my mission for about 15 months now. I just wanted to write you and give you my thanks for raising such a wonderful son. It really is a pleasure to work with such a fine man. He has an exceptional desire to learn and studies hard.
Missionary Paul - Part 3 of 10This week it was a little cold in the chapel when we got there. I didn’t think much of it and went to Sunday school. A few minutes later my companion called me out and we went to the heater room. He says to me, "We’ve got to get the some heat in that chapel before everyone leaves." The chapel was 57 degrees.
Missionary Paul - Part 4 of 10We had stake conference here this past Saturday and Sunday. Photo of Paul with convert President Monson and Elder Eyring came to speak as well as some of the seventy. Twenty-seven stakes came to the leadership training, two stakes were invited to the Sunday session which was broadcast to all of northern California.
Missionary Paul - Part 5 of 10It’s too bad to hear that grandpa isn’t doing well. Try not to be too sad. Photo of Wilson Rivas Sanchez One of my little friends, Wilson, died a few weeks ago at five years old. I was there the first time their family came to church and followed their progress until the Mother and her twelve year old were baptized three months later.
Missionary Paul - Part 6 of 10We went to Alcoholicos Anonimos last Thursday with one of our investigators. He is one of the big promoters of the program here. It was fun.
Missionary Paul - Part 7 of 10There are about 110 to 200 people that come every week to the branch here. They all are Spanish speaking although some of the kids don’t speak Spanish very well. Si me amáis, guardad mis mandamientos.
Missionary Paul - Part 8 of 10I am currently serving in the cities of Concord, Clayton, Martinez, and Pleasant Hill California. Many of the Latino people here are receptive to the gospel message and the work is moving forward slowly but surely. Many of the people we meet are from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Peru. The food here is excellent. I think I like Mexican food the best. It is wonderful to be able to learn about many different countries without having to do any traveling and invite everyone to come unto Christ.
Missionary Paul - Part 9 of 10It looks like this transfer will be the last in the mission office. We’ll see what happens. In the office I do lots of things: order all the supplies Books of Mormon, pass along cards, DVDs and so forth. Handle all of the referrals for the mission. If someone calls on a TV commercial for a free DVD the information comes to me and I figure out what missionaries it goes to. Enter all the baptism records into the computer and send them to Salt Lake. Keep all the computers running.
Missionary ReunionI was happy to find out that my blog was helpful in some way this week. Follow the email narrative below to see how it happened. I have changed the name of the person contacting me and the names of the people he was trying to find. Otherwise the account is verbatim.
MongoliaThe Church came recently to Mongolia. In 1984, Monte J. Brough traveled to Mongolia on a hunting trip. In May 1992 Elders Merlin Lybbert and Monte Brough, members of the Asia Area Presidency, traveled to Mongolia to explore the possibility of the Church providing humanitarian aid.
Mongolia SpecificsUlaanbaatar is an interesting city with varied and unusual architecture. The countryside is some of the most beautiful in the world. This land is very special. You will love it all, especially the people. They are sincere, kind and are so ready to receive the blessings of the Gospel in their lives.
Mongolian Moments #1Comic strip featuring Daniel preparing to teach English in Mongolia.
Mongolian Moments #10Comic strip featuring missionaries embracing the culture.
Mongolian Moments #11Comic strip featuring the number of Mormons in Mongolia.
Mongolian Moments #2Comic strip featuring Daniel not wearing his backpack.
Mongolian Moments #3Comic strip featuring Daniel learning Mongolian but then leaving only for Atlanta. He did eventually arrive in Mongolia once he procured his visa.
Mongolian Moments #4Comic strip featuring Daniel dealing with Mongolian food..
Mongolian Moments #5I was raised in socialist England and Santa Claus was mostly referred to as Father Christmas.
Mongolian Moments #6It is interesting that the names all look the same too.
Mongolian Moments #7The horse pizza Daniel and his companion made and consumed themselves without incident. The goat stomach was in the Byyz that Daniel ate at a member's house but didn't hold down. At the time he thought the byyz tasted different.
Mongolian Moments #8
Mongolian Moments #9Comic strip featuring missionaries trying to figure out what a letter does.
Monticello Utah TempleI have never visited the Monticello temple. Half way through the session we relocated to a terrestrial room. The celestial room was smaller than the one at Vernal but still very beautiful and peaceful. A temple worker showed us one of the sealing rooms.
Mormon Church Membership in UtahUtah is the most populous state for Mormons in terms of membership (1,823,613) and percentage of the population (68.94%). Utah also has the most stakes (523) and temples (14).
Mormon Time Magazine Covers"Our whole objective," says Hinckley, "is to make bad men good and good men better, to improve people, to give them an understanding of their godly inheritance and of what they may become." And he intends to do it globally.
Mount Timpanogos Utah TempleThis temple is almost a carbon copy of the Bountiful temple. Only the patron entrances were different with Bountiful facing north and Timpanogos facing west. There are some second floor differences and the Timpanogos cafeteria didn’t allow substitutions.
Mountain Meadows MassacreThere are two monuments. We visit the Mountain Meadows Association Monument first. There were not many visitors, in fact just Jill and I. A short 220 yard walk gets us to the top of Dan Sill Hill where the monument overlooks locations of interest.
Musical TestimonyI love music. I love how closely the spirit is tied to it. I believe in Christ. I know that He died for us and He is risen. I’m grateful for the atonement and I know that His sacrifice makes all things possible. He is the way to return back to our Heavenly Father and He has shown us the way.
Musopen Offers Free Classical Music DownloadsMusopen was founded by Aaron Dunn while attending Skidmore College. The project began as an experiment and has since become one of the most popular public domain music sources on the web. Musopen’s goal is to be the largest online repository of music in the public domain. A good start is the release of the complete recordings of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas, all 32 of them, for free and without any copyrights.
My Experience with Lending ClubWhen I search for loans in which to invest I check A, B, and C which correspond to average interest rates of 8.30%, 10.83%, and 12.41%. I leave the Credit Scores and Debt-to-Income Ratios as is. I check zero delinquencies and all loans that are in funding. After the search I sorted on “Interest Rate”.
My Experience with ProsperOne can join a Prosper group and pick up tips on possible candidates for loans. I have loaned to a business borrower, based on a group tip, who had an E Prosper credit rating. I am rewarded with a return of 30% which bumps up my average return. I recommend you don’t have too many of these in your portfolio because of the risk of default.
My FaithMy mother was Catholic and my stepfather never mentioned religion but was a hard worker and was a good influence. If I asked him to do something that he thought I could do for myself he would say, “Use your own initiative”. We never went to church as a family but when I was very young I recall my mother telling me that there was “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost”.
My Faith continuedI wrote to the Bishop of the Macclesfield Ward and asked him about the Church and that I wanted to know more. He replied to my letter, inviting me to travel to Macclesfield and meet with the missionaries.
My Work at the Department of DefenseBack in 1995 drug runners were getting the upper hand. They even had navigational charts with the current locations of United States Navy and Coast Guard patrol boats. The Department of Defense decided a new approach was needed. A secret program to inject a little terror into the drug runners and disrupt their operations was begun. I was chosen to lead the program because as a federal civilian employee with a lot of “use or lose” annual leave it would just be assumed that I was on vacation if I was not at my desk.
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Nativity Scene at Temple SquareMy brother Mike took part in the Holiday Light Clinic and Temple Square Photowalk last night. His photograph is of the largest of several nativity scenes that sits beneath a star directly east of the Salt Lake Temple.
Nephi OvernighterThere were bats flying nearby and if you shielded your eyes from the bright camp light you could see them catch a big fat juicy moth. Now I never did see any bats but I did see plenty of moths. Whether they were juicy or not I’m not able to say.
New Home In LaytonSteven and Adelaide have purchased a foreclosed home in Layton. Jill and I helped them move in today a few hours after closing. Two of Steven's brothers and two of his cousins were also heavily involved in the move.
News From The Mongolia Ulaanbataar MissionPerhaps we should stop more often to recognize the significant accomplishments already accomplished, that we might have faith to continue to improve.
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Ogden Utah TempleI lived in the Ogden temple district for several years. The temple used to have escalators to take you to the upper floors. They were removed and replaced with stairs. The celestial room seems very small and plain compared with other large temples. I am very fond of the Ogden temple and always enjoy a visit there.
Old Iron Town State ParkIron Town, founded by Ebenezer Hanks, was Iron County’s second attempt at mining iron. The town had an iron furnace with a 2,500 pound capacity and was operated from June 1868 to 1877. There was a brick schoolhouse, machine shop, blacksmith shop, pattern shop, molding shop, erastra (grinding device), and two charcoal kilns.
One Nation Under GodIn some American schools the Pledge of Allegiance is recited complete with the 1954 addition of “under God.” In some quarters this is seen as very distasteful. But to me the addition seems to be more of a correction, an alignment with history. Consider the lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key.
Open Thread Week: Valentines DayDo you enjoy Valentines Day? What have you given for Valentines in the past? What have you received?
Oquirrh Mountain TempleI was traveling back from a vacation in Zion National Park with my brother Mike taking him home along Bangerter Highway. I saw the Oquirrh Mountain temple under construction so I exited and took this photograph.
Oquirrh Mountain Temple RevisitedThe temple has 63-foot high walls and a single spire reaching 193 feet, topped by the angel Moroni. South Jordan is the only city in the world with two LDS temples (the other being the Jordan River Utah Temple, located approximately 3½ miles to the northeast).
Oquirrh Mountain Utah TempleI saw the Oquirrh Mountain temple under construction so I exited and took the photographs. It didn't look much like a temple except that it was on a hill. If the yellow material is insulation, I wonder why the spire has to be insulated? By October all the yellow material was gone.
OrdinationToday Daniel was ordained an elder. This was done by those with priesthood authority to lay their hands on his head and receive this ordinance.
Our Home Storage CenterOur home storage center assists my family with longer-term food storage like wheat, white rice, dry beans, oats, dried milk, and other basic food items. Our stake welfare specialist tells us when times are available at the center and we pack the food ourselves and purchase the items to take home that day. We go as a group and work together on everybody’s orders.
Our Visit to the Dallas Texas TempleAn endowment is a sacred ordinance. Endowments take place in a dedicated House of the Lord, or temple just like the Dallas temple. Temples were centers of religious worship anciently and Mormons build temples today to administer the ancient ordinances of salvation that have been restored to the earth.
Overnight at Echo Island Ranch CamperworldLast weekend found us at Echo Island Ranch Camperworld. Jill's sister, Susan, invited us to stay over Friday night at the camp ground.
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Past Pictures - Who's the Dame?Twenty-eight years ago, when I took this picture with my rickety old camera, I was traveling with Jill and her parents and her sister and husband. We were married a few weeks later.
Past Pictures: 15 Free Dual Screen WallpapersYesterday I was downloading a number of free dual screen wallpapers. It occurred to me to make some of my own.
Past Pictures: A Double BlessingMy wife Jill and sister-in-law Susan were both pregnant and due in the same month. We all liked the name of David so we agreed that whichever child was born first would take the name David.
Past Pictures: Daniel Campaigns for Student Body OfficerDaniel's 2007 Student Body Officer campaign video.
Past Pictures: Hill Aerospace MuseumThe admission was free and along with the planes there were a number of displays that taught us about events in history like the Doolittle Raid.
Past Pictures: My ParentsPictured is me with my stepfather Geoffrey Morris and my mother Sadie. Jake, my #3 son, takes Geoffrey’s name as his middle name. Sadie is a nickname for Sarah which was my honor to name my daughter.
Past Pictures: Richard at EightIt is in the backyard of my home in Weston Estate where I lived for fourteen years. Our family rented a Council House like most everyone else. It was a pleasant home.
Past Pictures: Temple SiteThe most fascinating spot is the Temple Lot, mostly because of its history. There is nothing on the two-acre site except grass with a church building on it and the sign you see me standing by.
Patrick Henry Caucus Supports Lawsuit Against FedsThe Patrick Henry Caucus is calling on the leaders from all States to join in the effort to file a lawsuit against the federal government in order to stop the federal health care bill. The Patrick Henry Caucus says the national health care bill is unconstitutional on two counts.
Paul Brushes With Skippy ToothpastePaul has a lot of choices of toothpaste to brush his teeth.
Paul on Politics: How to Reduce the Federal DeficitHow to reduce the Federal deficit? Lopping off a percentage across the board is one strategy and used most of the time. I don’t prefer that type of approach because it may reduce programs that are performing for us.
Paul on Politics: Market versus Government EconomyThere is no easy way out. Wealth is not finite. Economies grow by adding work to the product. No government can grow an economy by taking the work of others and giving it to those that don’t earn it. Can you say we plan to pay off the enormous debt being incurred by the so-called stimulus plan?
Paul on Politics: The Worth of Third PartiesThird parties always decide an election. For that matter, minor groups decide elections. The percentage difference in an election is usually quite close. Consequently, that condition causes the minimal number of voters plus one to decide the election.
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Pot Luck Dinner and The Beaux' StratagemI waited a long time to direct this play. The time period, the early 1700s, is a particular interest of mine for many reasons, not the least of which is the central position of the theater in London society.
Preparing A Missionary"I hope they call me on a mission, when I have shrunk an inch or two. I hope by then I will be ready to teach and preach and work as missionaries do." -- Jill
Privacy Policy
Problems with Checking Finder Identity CheckPotential problems applying through Checking Finder in proving your identity. Recommendations on how to pass the security question test.
Proposition 8 and the Digital Network ArmyUsing tools such as Emails, Blogs, Twitter, YouTube, and social networking sites like My Space and Facebook, information about the battle for Family Values travels at the speed of light and can become viral if enough people act together.
Proposition 8 and the LDS ChurchPeople are giving to the “Yes on 8″ campaign who have never given to any political campaign. This is a homegrown, grassroots effort attracting people who believe marriage should be between a man and a woman.
Proposition 8 and the Mormon Church: The Aftermath We all saw the demonstrations against the Church after the passage of Proposition 8. We read about the Church members who lost their livelihoods simply because they donated to a worthy cause. So was Proposition 8 involvement really a P.R. fiasco for the Church?
Proposition 8 Television AdFor the past two months, California voters have been presented with twisted, inaccurate and false information about the same-sex marriage issue. Wealthy gay activists and Hollywood liberals like Brad Pitt have spent $5 million on an 8 week media buy airing an issue advertisement designed to create public support for gay marriage.
Proposition 8: Politics and ReligionWhenever The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints takes a stand on a moral issue the n’er do wells crawl out of the woodwork. The cry rises, “The Church should lose its tax exempt status!”
Proposition 8: Where Do Rights Come From?Marriage between a man and a woman is a natural law. It is approved by God, is universal, and has been practiced from the beginning.
Protect Marriage CampaigniProtectMarriage.com targets teenagers and young adults both from secular and faith backgrounds. Miles McPherson, one of Proposition 8’s key supporters and senior pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego, says the site aims to reach out to all young voters, especially those who support same-sex marriage for the wrong reasons.
Protect Marriage NewsThe Proposition 8 Campaign reacted strongly to the California Supreme Court’s ruling that California doctors who have religious objections to artificially inseminating same-sex couples can no longer refuse to treat them.
Protect Marriage StatusThe state-by-state study looked at the same-sex marriage issue in 26 states where it has appeared on the ballot, dating back to the first campaign of its kind in Hawaii in 1998. Surveys published by news media outlets prior to an election under-estimated support for traditional marriage by an average of seven points.
Protect Marriage Update We know that everyday our opponents are busy raising millions of dollars that will be used to mislead our voters. Just recently, we heard of the ACLU’s $1.2 million donation to defeat Proposition 8 — the largest single donation to our opponents in this campaign.
Provo Utah TempleI have seen the temple several times but this visit was the first time that I entered. Bringing four missionaries to the MTC ensures that I am quite familiar with the temple's exterior. The temple really looks majestic with the mountains as a backdrop.This is a sister temple to the Ogden temple.
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Raise it SlowMany people are adjusting to rising gas (the petroleum kind) prices. So long as prices rise relatively slowly, or at least not in big jumps overnight (I’m talking dollar increases) then a majority of us can explore alternatives like public transport, alternative fuels, telecommuting, emigrating to Saudi Arabia, and compressed work weeks.
Reagan and Obama: Contrasting Views of Governmentn this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people.
Real Salt Lake v. New York Red Bulls As we neared the stadium we followed ten other people as they cut through a private parking lot. We walked along a dirt trail and came to a stream. It looked like we might have to try to jump over it but it turned out to be dry. We clambered down the bank in the dark and up the other side. Before us now was a eight foot high rickety chain link fence with barbed wire on top.
Retiling the BathroomPaul’s shirt says, “You couldn’t pay me to do this.” Correct, you won’t be paid. Daniel’s shirt says, “I hear voices and they don’t like you.” My shirt says, “Get back to work!”
Return to a Limited Government, Step 1I, however, place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared ~ Thomas Jefferson
Return to a Limited Government, Step 2The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home ~ James Madison
Return to a Limited Government, Step 3Without industry and frugality, nothing will do; with them, everything ~ Benjamin Franklin
Return to a Limited Government, Step 4While all other sciences have advanced, that of government is at a standstill - little better understood, little better practiced now than three or four thousand years ago ~ John Adams
Return to a Limited Government, Step 5The natural cure for an ill-administration, in a popular or representative constitution, is a change of men ~ Alexander Hamilton
Rewards Checking
Rewards CheckingI identified a few at 6.01% that were out of state. Several had very clunky Internet sign up procedures such that I was unable to sign up online. For example, at one bank my browser would crash. At another bank I was diverted to a PDF form with no instructions on what to do with it. Yet another bank had nowhere to start the sign up process.
Rewards Checking at Deseret First Credit UnionRegular readers of the Rickety blog know that I am a big fan of rewards checking accounts. They have a high interest rate, are FDIC insured, and are very liquid.
Rewards Checking: First Arkansas Bank & TrustFirst Arkansas Bank & Trust offers only 4.4% but with one redeeming quality -- the rate applies up to $50,000.
Rewards Checking: First State BankThe worst part of Rewards Checking is that in many cases you are dealing with a small bank that hasn't figured out how to get potential customers from out of state signed up over the Internet.
Rewards Checking: Lee County Bank and TrustI found that online at the bank there was no way to transfer money and also no internal messaging once I logged in. I sent an email to the bank asking about transfers and mentioned this was an important feature for me because I lived out of state.
Rick Speaking on Mother's DayAfter school my cousin Philip and I would go straight to grandmother's house to eat. We would open a can of stewed tomatoes and eat them with bread that we dipped in the juice. After several weeks we switched to a can of baked beans (pork and beans) and bread.
Rickety Blog StatisticsLooking at the most popular posts you can see that four of the five are about family or friends so it is understandable that they would rise to the top.
Rickety Kiva MapKiva, back on July 23, announced Kiva Maps. To show you what it looks like, consider my own Rickety Kiva Map above. Each of the leaves represents one of my loans all emanating from Kaysville.
Rickety Review #1I am using five widgets on my left sidebar. The first three are the usual Search, Subscribe, and Recent Comments. A text widget allows me to add the image and link to jesuschrist.lds.org. The WP-Stat widget by Lester Chan displays my WordPress blog statistics including general total statistics.
Rickety: Top Ten Blog Posts of 2009There may be one other blogger out there, besides me, who is interested in my top ten posts of 2009. Maybe not. Anyway, here are my top ten from 1 January 2009 to 30 December 2009.
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Saint George Utah TempleI have visited the grounds before but in October was the first time that I entered the temple. This was the first temple built in Utah and is the oldest operating temple. Even though it is in the heart of the city the grounds are quiet. There is no angel Moroni statue atop this temple. The Saint George temple is the first temple where endowments for the dead were performed.
Salt Lake Utah TempleWhen my family lived in Bountiful, before the Bountiful temple was built, we were in the Salt Lake temple district. My son Steven married Adelaide in the Salt Lake temple and we have visited the beautiful grounds many times. When Ezra Taft Benson was the prophet I attended a solemn assembly where he was in attendance.
Sarah and Bryson Leave For TexasIt was a sad day as Sarah and Bryson prepared to leave for Texas. Derek has found work there so it was necessary to move. With Bryson being our first grandchild, and just starting to smile, he will be especially missed.
Scripture LinksStudying from my rickety set of scriptures is a great way to improve my life. I want to know how to quickly get to them online, and it has been useful to me to learn these shortcuts.
Senate Western Caucus Announced by Bennett and Hatch One of the aims of the Senate Western Caucus is to thwart the anti-oil agenda of the Washington elite and their extreme environmentalist allies, while at the same time promoting alternative energy.
Senator Buttars says Homosexuality is a PerversionI believe the whole thing is immoral. What is the morals of a gay person? You can't answer that, because anything goes.
Senior BanquetDaniel graduated from Davis High so the stake feeds the graduates and parents every year. While we are there a slideshow projects current photographs of the seniors and then a baby picture.
Serf DayOnce in a great while it is Serf Day, where I get to go serfing. No, I don't get to go to the beach -- serf as in vassal. Serfing is done with your wife where for a whole day you do whatever she asks. A wife can also be a serf for a day to her husband unless she feels that she already is.
Seven Habits ClassWe spent some time learning about Dependence, Independence, and Interdependence, which is the highest maturity level. We learned about the Emotional Bank Account where it may take up to five deposits to make up for one withdrawal.
She will be a GirlThis afternoon I was in the basement and I heard a-whooping and a-hollerin’ from upstairs. It was my wife reacting to some great news from Adelaide.
Shepherd BloggerMy son Steven sent me a link to this Wondermark Christmas card. Christmas is over and it is way too early to begin this year's celebrations but the card really captures the blogger mindset.
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Snowing in KaysvilleAs always, here in Utah we are grateful for the snow and the water it brings. I'm also glad I won't have to contend with a storm Monday morning.
Snowmobiling at Mantua, UtahOn New Years Day Jill went with some of her family to Mantua to snowmobile. She knows Mantua well for it is only four miles from Brigham City where she grew up. Her father still lives in Brigham City. The few times that I have been snowmobiling I usually manage to get stuck. Which is just what Jill did this time out.
Some American words rendered in EnglishWhen acquaintances learn I am from England one of the first things they talk about are words. Everyone knows that the hood of a car is really a bonnet. Or that gas should be called petrol. But Rickety is Rickety the world over. Over the years I have compiled a list of American words and their counterparts in English.
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Sprawled OutIt has been asked, what are the problems with sprawl? There seems to be a lot of benefit from it and the suburban neighborhoods in which we live are quite desirable. What are the problems associated with our current pattern of growth?
Square MealLast Sunday we went to Steven and Adelaide’s home to celebrate Jill’s birthday with a meal made by Adelaide, our daughter-in-law. It was great food and all served on square plates. It is Paul’s first square meal in quite awhile.
State ChampionshipDaniel leading the third leg of the 4×400 relay, the last race of the Utah State Championships Saturday 17th May 2008.
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Steven Celebrates Birthday At Lone StarIn November Steven celebrated his birthday with a meal at the Layton Lone Star Steakhouse. Well big deal you all may be saying. But for us it was a chance to get together, take some photographs, and eat some great food. Steven loves steak so he came to the right place.
Stimulus or Bailout: Is There any Difference?Now recall the stimulus checks where most of us received $600 from the government. Was there a great outcry against the borrowing of $152 billion to finance this election year bribe? Not that I can recall. All I could muster was, “I cannot think of a more stupider plan!”
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Taking Stock of my Personal FinancesWhere to put one’s petty cash? I have mine earning 6.01% in rewards checking accounts at Coulee Bank and 5.01% in Lee County Bank and Trust (the rate was reduced from 6.01% today). I’ve not understood why more people don’t take advantage of a FDIC insured rewards checking account that pays this high of an interest rate.
Teaching Children Financial PrinciplesThe easiest principles to teach them would be tithes and offerings. When offerings such as for the Fast are made this is being charitable to the poor or those in temporary need.
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Ten Artists Paint Old Testament WomenThe Old Testament is rich in the accounts of courageous, kind, and beautiful women. They shaped history with their influence, spirituality, and yes, their scheming. These ten artists have made the scriptures come alive and added an additional dimension to the Old Testament.
Testing Our APack Ready Meals I assembled a discerning team of eight for the taste testing. If this crew is happy then APacks will go into our 72 hour kits. Click for the long story. The short story is we liked the meals.
Testing Your 72 Hour Kit MREsOne area of preparedness we have neglected over the years is our 72 hour kits. We only have one full kit for one person. As I want to be able to take the kit with me in an emergency I decided long ago that it needed to be based on MREs (Meals Ready to Eat).
Thanksgiving 2008 in PerryThanksgiving this year was at my brother-in-law Randy's home in Perry, Utah. Steven brought an extra turkey to fry. He heated the peanut oil to 350 degrees. When the breast of the turkey reached 170 degrees it was done. It was cooked perfectly. Last year it was burnt.
Thanksgiving In SeptemberDaniel is leaving for the MTC in October and from there to Mongolia for two years. Jill decided to have a Thanksgiving meal for Daniel today because he won’t be with us in November.
The Conquest of Jericho SestinaThe first time I heard of a sestina was when my daughter Sarah received a homework assignment to write one. I helped a little by suggesting a story from the Bible and then by contributing a few lines.
The Day I Met Steve HiattWe need leaders who value trust. We don't have to agree with each other but we should keep communicating. Residents must be able to be heard even if some things cannot be acted upon.
The Divine Institution of Marriage: A SummaryOnly a man and a woman together have the natural biological capacity to conceive children. Marriage and family are vital instruments for rearing children and teaching them to become responsible adults.
The DNA DirectoryOnce I had a few links I decided rather than write a lengthy post this evening I would go the rounds and make a comment on each blog. I skipped the three DNA headquarters sites and began with Beetle Blogger and commented about same-sex marriage not being a natural right.
The Economy Is A Fragile ThingWe have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world.
The Falling Fertility of EuropeNot only in Europe but world-wide there are declining birthrates. The world TFR has fallen to 2.61 in 2008 from 2.80 in 2000.
The Mattress Race Here is a 70 second video that confirms what many of us have already found out by sad experience. You will know what I mean after you see the video. Presented is a race among equity mutual funds, bonds, a balanced fund, and mattress saving.
The Power Of Zero In FinanceZero was that grand guardian against excess. The magical cipher to hold one solvent. Admittedly, I did the work. I was the one who was disciplined to keep myself from falling into the abyss of interest payments. There was nothing to it really.
The Rickety DoctrineTo help out Governor Palin, I have compiled the Rickety Doctrine to illustrate that it is not difficult to assemble your own statement of policy. But first we’ll take a look at previous Doctrines.
The Scarlet Pimpernel at Davis HighThe "League of the Scarlet Pimpernel", made up of 19 English aristocrats, are rescuing their French counterparts from execution. The Scarlet Pimpernel, their leader, takes his nickname from the drawing of a small red flower with which he signs his messages.
The Super Bowl Ad NBC RejectedBy now most of you will have heard about the ad that NBC disallowed from the Super Bowl. I rather like it and I am thrilled to be able to show the ad here at Rickety.
The Vice Presidential Debate: Man in the Street AnswersSuppose you were stopped in the street and asked the same questions that Senator Biden and Governor Palin had to answer last night. How would you answer? Would you be smooth and coherent or so rickety you would be told to be on your way?
Those Mormons Keep On GrowingMy calculations indicate that by the end of 2019, less than ten years, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be the third largest church in the United States.
Top Ten Open Source ApplicationsWhile I was laboring with the rickety Windows OS my son Steven had long since adopted Linux. Now that Ubuntu has won me over, I was curious as to what Steven’s choice in open source software would be.
Trading Loans on Lending ClubAs a trader I can review loan payment history and credit score changes since the date the loan was issued, as well as the original loan listing. I can buy Notes that have a shorter time period to maturity. I may be able to find Notes priced below their fair value. And it is the seller that pays the 1% trading fee.
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U.S. Government Debt as a MortgageBut there is still the outstanding debt of trillions of dollars. Congress tackles this by treating the debt as if it was a 30 year mortgage. In my scenario Congress is able to secure a 3% fixed interest rate for 30 years.
U.S., U.K. and Canadian LDS Church MembershipThe largest LDS populations by percentage are in Utah (68%), Idaho (27%), and Wyoming (11.5%).
Uncle KeithUncle Keith died of cancer last Thursday. He was 75. I remember him as a gracious host and a man who was always happy.
United States Total Fertility Rate IncreasesIn the last year the number of people in Vermont's workforce fell by 2,000. The low birthrate is a component of a much bigger problem. The median age of Vermont's workforce, at 42.3 years old, is the highest in the nation. In the next twenty years the workforce is expected to shrink annually as those wage-earners reach retirement age.
Updated LDS Church Membership StatisticsThe three biggest increases came from the United States (100,633), Brazil (41,403), and Mexico (36,343). Canada had the biggest loss with -502. The largest LDS populations by percentage are in Tonga (45%), Samoa (31%), and American Samoa (22.5%).
Updated LDS Membership StatisticsToday I finished updating the LDS Membership statistics pages on my blog to bring them up to date to the end of 2007. My source was a Deseret News 2009 Church Almanac. This year the detailed country pages were absent but the Membership Statistics summary was still included.
Using the Scriptural Index to the Latter-day ProphetsThis resource is useful when you have a talk to give and have been assigned a topic that revolves around a scripture. You can now very quickly find talks from General Conference that reference your scripture and gain additional quotes to give variety to your talk.
Utah 1st Congressional District SurveyIt appears the survey is a propaganda machine designed to evoke a positive response to question 13. It would help if the survey questions focused on one item at a time rather than lumping several facets of an issue together.
Utah Cigarette Tax Hike ProposedA Utah legislative house committee has proposed H.B. 196 to raise the Utah cigarette tax from 69.5 cents to $1.70 a pack. This will raise $22,500,000 in fiscal year 2011 and by $23,000,000 in 2012.
Utah Gas Tax Hike PossibleState officials in Utah are looking at a tax increase to pay for transportation projects. Instead of a set 24.5 cents per gallon Utahns would pay a percentage of the price at the pump.
Utah Legislators Learn About Falcon Hillhere was a great presentation to the legislators from Davis, Weber, and Cache counties from Falcon Hill, the National Aerospace Research Park at Hill Air Force Base. This is an exciting project with a tremendous economic growth potential for northern Davis County.
Utah Shakespearean Festival: Cyrano de BergeracIn real life Melinda is the wife of Brian. They both have performed at the Shakespearean many times over the years and have become a favorite of festival goers. The fact that as a married couple they are deeply in love will add another layer to this romantic and beautiful play.
Utah Shakespearean Festival: The Two Gentlemen of VeronaThe Two Gentleman of Verona is a free-spirited and engaging comedy. For anyone who has ever been in love, this youthful indulgence is replete with love-smitten (and confused) men, cunning (and disguised) beautiful maidens, and the most likable canine ever to grace the stage.
Utah Shakespearean: OthelloOur last play at the festival is William Shakespeare’s Othello. The play is a tragedy based on the short story Moor of Venice by Cinthio, written around 1603.
Utah Solar Farm Has PotentialThose that own one of the 466 black and gray solar panel units pay no more fees after the initial $6,000 and receive a credit on their monthly power bill. One St. George resident reported last month a solar credit of $3.90. A small amount but as electric rates increase in the future, the value of the energy credit will also increase.
Utah Temples TourUtah has eleven temples with two more under construction. I am planning a road trip to visit all the Utah temples, including those under construction. I am considering going through a session at each temple, except of course those under construction.
Utah Temples Tour DetailsAfter a session we go east 153 miles to the Vernal Temple. We are not done yet as we drive the 272 miles to the Monticello Temple. Once the session is complete we stay over at the Days Inn just a mile away.
Utah Temples Tour UpdateWe will visit 13 temples in 4 days, completing sessions in 11, and traveling 1,526 miles. On checking the session times it was interesting to find that Provo and Vernal have Monday sessions.
Utah Temples Tour: Jordan River, Oquirrh Mountain, Draper, Timpanogos, ProvoThe Jordan River temple is so close to the Oquirrh Mountain temple that I got them crossed in Google Maps. After we figured out that a darkened, half built temple with scaffolding was not the Jordan River temple we looked around for a lit temple. Spencer texted Google and we got the address.
Utah Temples Tour: Logan, Ogden, Bountiful, Salt LakeWe took our photographs of the Salt Lake Temple before going into the 6pm session. Fortunately there was a lull in the storm though it was quite cold. This session made four in all which is a record for me for one day.
Utah Temples Tour: Manti and St GeorgeOn this tour I have enjoyed seeing the interior of eleven Utah temples and working for the dead in all of them. Eight of those temples I have never entered before. Jake and Daniel saw nine new temples. Paul seven new temples. Spencer six new temples. And of course we also visited the construction sites of two temples.
Utah Temples Tour: Vernal, MonticelloThe celestial room was beautiful. It was quite large, bigger than Ogden. It had a high ceiling and a large painting of Jesus Christ — what one would expect in a celestial room.
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Vernal Utah TempleLike the Logan temple we moved to a terrestrial room half way through the session. The celestial room was beautiful. It was quite large, bigger than Ogden. It had a high ceiling and a large painting of Jesus Christ -- what one would expect in a celestial room.
Veterans Day: Remembering a Korean War VeteranOnce we almost got left behind. We were being fired on and they called everyone in but us. The First Sergeant came and got us and we caught the last truck out. There were shells dropping right next to us. We got pushed back aways.
Vice Presidential QuestionsIn the original Constitution there is no provision for selecting a replacement, so the office remained vacant until the beginning of the next presidential term.
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Wallpaper ChangePaul overheard Jill say that she wanted to change the wallpaper on the stairs. So Paul started ripping it off.
Ward Campout 2008They dropped even lower and suddenly the ground around us was alive with miniature volcanoes exploding all in a row. But the noise told me it was machine gun fire and the holes in the back of the empty chair confirmed it.
Waterfall Canyon TrailHardly anyone works on a Friday, including me, so yesterday I went on the Waterfall Canyon hike with family.
Webcam CrawlingToday we saw Bryson crawling for the first time over the webcam. That was a marvelous sight. Jill heavily praised Bryson, which brings a smile to his face. This elicits more praise from Jill which brings forth another smile from Bryson. I rather think this would continue all day long if not for Sarah saying, "OK, time to go."
West Bountiful City Independence Day ParadeLast year I went with family to watch the West Bountiful City Independence Parade. The theme was Our Heritage Past and Present. There were 60 entries but it didn't take very long for the parade to pass by.
West Bountiful ParadeThere were the usually bands, fire engines, and rickety old cars. There were even Star Wars characters entertaining the crowd. With fifty entries the parade was over in less than an hour which is about the right amount of time for me.
What Rick NeedsThe idea is to search on Google with your name first and then "needs", for example "Rick needs".
What to Expect at a Mormon Church Service
Why a Congestion Tax should be BlockedThe Utah Taxpayers Association is calling for congestion pricing on Utah’s freeways. It is supposed to work by electronically monitoring freeway traffic and charging more when freeways are congested. There are a number of problems with such a system.
Why Are You Active?The question “Why Are You Active?” was asked in priesthood meeting in our ward today. A companion question was “Why are some not active?”
Why Blog?
Wiki TablesConsider this sortable wiki table. What is the easiest way to create it and maintain it? Here is how I do it.
Will Coal Power Climate Studies Supercomputer?Will cheap Wyoming coal power the new climate studies supercomputer?
Willard Bay WakeboardingOn Friday, my brother Scott took some extended family members boating at Willard Bay.
Windows to Ubuntu TransitionWhen XP was released it was time to move to Linux. Not that XP was a rickety operating system, I was just growing tired of having to keep buying my operating system over and over.
With My Sons at General Priesthood MeetingElder Uchtdorf had some clever phrases to illustrate his points: "Cease to aspire and cease to retire" in reference to some members that will only serve if they can lead. If they can’t lead they find a cave to hide in. Also: "The Lord is pleased with a noble servant and not with a self-serving noble."
WordCamp Utah 2008I didn’t know what to expect as this was my first time at a blog gathering. As I stood in line to register I felt a little out of place because everyone else had brought their laptops.
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World Total Fertility Rate DeclinesIn the last few decades there have been significant decreases in world fertility rates. To still have more births than deaths amid a fertility decline is easily accounted for in the decades long delay in the deaths of the parents and grandparents of newly born children. Hence even as the birth rate falls the parents who produced offspring are still alive in most cases and so the death rate is lower.
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YadYap Peer-to-Peer Payday LoansThe biggest advantage of YadYap is the almost instant liquidity that comes from offering short term 2-4 week payday loans. Unlike Prosper and Lending Club, no secondary market is needed to achieve liquidity for lenders.
Yes On 1 Stand For Marriage Maine
Yes on Proposition 8 Response to LawsuitMost people know that the right to amend California’s Constitution is not granted to the People, it is reserved by the People. The People’s exercise of their sovereign power has reversed an interpretation of their Constitution through the initiative-amendment process.
Yes to Proposition 8 - No to Same-Sex Marriage InstructionThis is the truth about the calculated efforts to deliver gay marriage into California public school classrooms, against the wishes of the people of that state. Voters may differ about how they feel about gay marriage, but there is no disputing that the organizations funding and leading the No on Proposition 8 campaign have already revealed, in their own words, their desire to impose this subject on children in the public schools — “whether you like it or not.”
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Zerahemnah versus MoroniThere was a nasty piece of work called Zerahemnah. He was a Lamanite commander around 74 B.C., in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges, first appearing in the Book of Mormon record in Alma 43:5.
Zion Vacation 2008We were leaving zion and heading for Zion. We left Kaysville (zion) to stop by West Jordan (not zion) to pick up my brother Mike. Onward then to Zion National Park for some camping and hiking.

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