Idaho Again

 Just a couple of unaltered pics of the amazing skies over Rexburg, Idaho. These don't do it justice at all.

Some things affect you like Scripture.

Out of the night that covers me,

   Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

   For my Unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

   I have not winced nor cried aloud,

Under the bludgeonings of chance

   My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

   Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

   Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

   How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
-William Henley

Family is Absolutely Everything

For those of you not from my family this may seem rather an odd statement. Let me explain. "Gumper" is the affectionate (and sometimes not affectionate) term for when things just go wrong, or they don't go right. It downpours when your camping. It snows when you are moving. Its cloudy when you go to the beach. A light will be green right up until you get to the intersection. Etc.  This past weekend was spent moving my grandparents, on my mom's side, to Modesto to live with us. The reason for this is because my grandma is not able to care for herself because of health issues, and has been relying on my grandpa for everything for the last 6 years. Caring for my grandma is complicated by her having dementia, a mental condition where she is no longer herself and her reality can be skewed. My grandpa, who is in poor health himself, has been caring for her and attending to her every need even when his strength is gone or he is having a dizzy spell. He has been a spiritual giant and example to me my entire life. His quiet and unfailing love for his wife, family, and the gospel, has been a hallmark of a man that "doesn't want to be a burden" on anyone.

Despite his physical frailness and tending to grandma, he has continued to perform his duties of Patriarch right up until we moved him here. If I can love my future wife as he has loved grandma and if I can be the example of discipleship that he is, then I will have lived a life of happiness. As I came home this evening from church I noticed that grandpa was reading something out loud. As I sat down to eat dinner I saw that he had a small microphone in his hand and that grandma had earphones on. My grandpa was tenderly reading a story to my grandma even though she may not have been even paying attention or understanding it. He was doing it because he loves her. The little embroidery is a memento that will remind me of one of my biggest heroes, my grandpa.

The Undaunted

Ever since the Ensign edition that covered the pioneers who went through hole-in-the-rock I have been rather obsessed with it. It turns out that I have direct ancestors on both sides that went on that incredible passage through the deserts of southern Utah. Even if my mom or dad told me about it before (im sure they did) but it didn't hit home until this past month or so. I went on a trip with school to southern Utah and to the grand canyon. The landscape down there is beautiful and majestic but as formidable a landscape as I can imagine to try to cross in wagons and on foot. Gerald Lund, author of The Work and the Glory, wrote a historical novel about these first saints that forged and carved the road that many would follow to the San Juan mission. Its aptly titled, "The Undaunted."

While the main character is completely fictional, the events of the trip actually occurred and the author cited his sources at the end of each chapter. The Undaunted did more than provide entertainment and a good story, it helped me come to know of the bravery and the faith of those that went before me. It drew me to my fathers and the indomitable spirit that they possessed in following a prophetic call and assignment all the way to the end. I am overwhelmed with the gratitude that I feel. Along the route that the saints took and right next to San Juan hill (it wasn't so much a hill as an incredibly steep ascent near the end of their journey) someone carved into the sandstone, "We thank thee, O God." If men and women who have been pushed beyond anything that I can comprehend can say that then who am I to ever utter a word of compliant? I am humbled by the example of these faithful,willing saints. I thank my God that I have these amazing examples to inspire me to live to a higher call. The Kingdom of God is on the earth and His work is rolling forward.

Who says Idaho is ugly?

One of my favorite ways to unwind after a long day of school/work up in Rexburg is to go for a drive. Like tonight. Granted, I have no money so the drives are rather short, but a 10 mile trip out into the fields does me a lot of good. Here are some shots that I think didn't turn out too badly.

 Rexburg from the top of the northern Menan Butte

 Sunset over a wheatfield.

 I liked the sunshine on the cloud. Sad, i know.

 More wheat.

 Moon rise over the silo. Same silo as moon pic.

 Nearly got the car stuck for this pic.

 A bit of water next to the road.

 Made for a nice reflection.

Another attempt at being "artsy." The end.

Sometimes Life is Perfect

Last weekend was pretty much spectacular. I lead a very spoiled life, but I am very grateful for it. So being spoiled isn't such a bad thing if you recognize that you are spoiled, right? Anyhoo, I went on a geology field trip to the grand canyon. We started off stopping at the place where lake Bonneville drained. Its in Idaho. Yep. We examined the channel it carved through some basalt, and I took my very first picture of my rock hammer. The holes in the rock are vesicles (bubbles) that formed from the gaseous basalt as it flowed as lava.

Don't worry if you aren't impressed or interested by this statement. It just proves how nerdy I am. Following the stop in Inkom, Idaho, we went to a gas station in Utah. No joke. There we examined the different water levels of the body of water that is currently the great salt lake. Also we discussed how the "bench" along the mountain is actually a fault and that everything built on it is located on a seismically unsafe region. Memo to self: don't live on the bench. From there we hopped, skipped, and jumped (or maybe just drove) to the Bingham  copper mine. It was big, as always.

Following the mine we headed to BYU's museum of Paleontology and got to watch as dinosaur bones were removed from rock and were prepped to be put on display or shipped off to other museums. It turns out that dinosaur bones are like legos and you can use someone else's legos to complete your own skeleton?

And I want Ben to hunt an Elk of THIS size. 

After that we went the long haul to St. George with the periodic spotting of cinder cones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinder_cone) and in-depth discussions of fault-lines and geologic forces at work in central/southern utah. We camped just outside of St. George next to some petrified sand dunes. We called it the "no fun" zone because the rules included: no fire, no climbing on rocks, no sleeping on the grass, and no smiling. That last one might be made up... 

The next day we drove to Colorado city to look at all the polygamists. No joke, look carefully at the name of this gas station. The ladies we met inside were super friendly and all of them wore long dresses and some of them wore bonnets. Plus the houses around there were pretty massive, but not mansion-like. 

We went to a part of the grand canyon that very few people see. And seeing how my little pamphlet is all the way on the other side of the room, the name will remain a mystery. We had to off road a bit to get there, and I was impressed with those 12 seater Chevy vans that we rode in. No wonder why the BYU-I fleet coordinators don't like the geology department... So we continued on until we were met with a view like this-

Thats a 2000 foot vertical cliff right under them. Then after a "bounce" its another 1000 feet to the river.

My frozen, terrified position is due to that incredibly long way down. Manly, no?

To reinstate my dominance over the multimillion year old landscape I flexed at it. Manhood restored. 

And here are some pictures that I snapped of the group while we were there. I preferred taking pictures of others rather than having my picture taken. So if you are bored by this part, just skip. 

View from the cinder cone, looking at the other cinder cone. The two vans are scale.

 The campground facing the valley.

 This pavilion was put up some 40 years ago. You can see how much soil erosion has occurred in the last 40 years. Pretty neat, yeah? Now just wait another 10,000 years and we'll have another arm to the canyon! By the way, the rock hammer is used to provide scale for the picture. Its a point of reference. Or perhaps I have an obsession with that hammer. Who knows.

 After we broke camp we headed off to see some dinosaur tracks in southern Utah. The landscape was pretty amazing.

 Here is one of the sets. My professor was being a "dinosaur." He was a terribly serious man who never goofed around.

 Another set. This sucker was much bigger. My paleontology skills tells me it was an allosaurus. Or maybe its impossible for anyone to tell what made the tracks. But it doesn't stop me from making up stuff. It was way cool.

 The view as we walked back to the car. So GREEN!

 On Sunday we stopped by the St. George temple for about an hour to walk around the grounds and to go inside the visitor center. It was a very nice way to end the week. I just wish we could have done a session.

After that we drove back home. The ride home wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and we had good conversation the entire time. It was a very wonderful experience, and my favorite part would have to be having a temple experience while surrounded by God's creations. Its pretty amazing that we have this beautiful world to live in, and this experience just helped me remember some of the Lord's tender mercies in my life. This is the truncated version of my adventures, and we stopped about a million more places, but it was much less picturesque and had more to do with the technical analysis of the landscape and how it formed. Next on the list of adventures is Latin dancing and then Mesa Falls. I love life! 

A unique Elder Maxwell quote

"Our perfect Father does not expect us to be perfect children yet. He had only one such Child. Meanwhile, therefore, sometimes with smudges on our cheeks, dirt on our hands, and shoes untied, stammeringly but smilingly we present God with a dandelion--as if it were an orchid or a rose! If for now the dandelion is the best we have to offer, He receives it, knowing what we may later place on the altar. It is good to remember how young we are spiritually."-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Happiness is a Pursuit

Happiness can come from unexpected places. Sometimes we have to look for it or search it out to find it. Today, in anticipation of my geology field trip as well as the rest of my career, I purchased a rock hammer. Now my list of geologic tools consist of a hammer and an eye piece. I"m pretty much a professional. Now the purchase of a tool is not a significant thing, in fact all I could think about was how much food that hammer is worth to me, but it made me rather happy. It became symbolic of my future--of future adventures and exploits where growth and development will occur. Of a future where I can provide a modest lifestyle for my future family. It became a symbol of my talents and abilities and potential. Yeah, I probably was losing it by looking that much into a piece of steel and rubber but that is that. In a life where it seems like my best laid plans or ideas don't come to fruition always, its comforting to know that my future looks bright. And the picture of the temple is also symbolic of the turmoil and uncertainty of the world with the immovable gospel standing in the face of it. I feel artsy and thoughtful tonight? Or maybe I should just go to bed... oh well. Summary- I love life and finding happiness. 

I only blog when I'm happy?

Looking back at my blogs in recent history, I have found that I am generally in a good mood or have had a good day when I blog. Not that its a bad thing, mind you, but it sure helps me appreciate how good my life is when I'm all stressed out about little, stupid stuff. Last week was rather intense, but very good. Two tests, one research project, one Russian violinist, one cold, one group assignment, some 7 hours of additional study, one girl, eight rail road ties, one Paul Cardall, one new bishop, two birthdays, one very full, grateful heart.

My life is just packed full of tender mercies that surround me constantly. It takes me a minute to see them, or more accurately, to recognize them for what they are. I have a habit of getting caught up in the bustle of things but thankfully days like today allow me to see things as they really are, and not merely just as they seem. President Henry J. Eyring (Henry B.'s son) presided over our ward conference where we sustained our new bishopric. Its rather interesting how much I have grown to love my previous bishop and his counselors. I have only known them for a month, but they have made a pretty significant impact on me in that month. The gospel can unite people faster than anything else in the world. Well, I feel like a nice long walk, so I believe I'll end here. Life is pretty amazing :)

The Attitude of Gratitude

Right now I just feel really grateful. Really grateful. I had a few challenges this past week, but they were really nothing. I had some pretty awesome spiritual experiences, the most memorable of which occurred in the temple on Saturday. I preformed sealings and witnessed as many of my own ancestors and distant relatives received the crowning ordinances of exhalation. It was a very tender moment and made me realize how much I have to be grateful for. I have a wonderful (and crazy) family that supports me in my crazy antics and has always given me a path to follow that results in personal growth and betterment. Today, being Easter Sunday, was especially nice because it was an opportunity to remember something that my elder brother did out of complete selflessness. I have been pondering a lot about where my life is headed, and what things await me in the future. While I don't have all the answers that I would like, I have enough to know that my future looks amazing, and that I can't wait to continue living a truly blessed life. I know that my Savior lives, and because He lives, everything matters. Life is wonderful :)

Change is Constant

Well, its that time of year again; school time. Normally I would balk at the idea of school or approach it in a somewhat begrudging attitude, but not anymore. Not that I haven't enjoyed my time here at home, and there are people that I am going to miss a lot, but I am ready to go back. I am not going to be living with any old buddies, or guys from my old apartment complex. I also won't be in my old ward. I decided that it was time for a fresh start. Something about this season gets me thinking about new beginnings, new life and new opportunities. I am pretty excited about this upcoming semester, actually. I feel like a lot of personal growth is on its way and a lot of challenging, yet rewarding, experiences. I was in Germany for the beginning of spring here (i know, I have a rough life) and I'm excited to be able to watch it start in Idaho. They are, after all, still experiencing snow and winter-like conditions. But that doesn't bother me! Im all for the challenge, experience, and joy that this semester has to offer. Bring it on!

Prisons and Temples

In institute this week we studied the prison chapters (sections 121-123) of the Doctrine and Covenants. To set the stage for this lesson President Meiners (teacher) had us sit on the ground for the entirety of the lesson while he sat on a bucket. It was to help us understand what Joseph and his brethren endured for several months. While this was a dark and terrible time for the Prophet, it was also one of the greatest seasons of growth and revelation. Elder Holland refers to Liberty Jail as being a prison temple, a place where sacred, heaven-sent messages were recorded and had profound effect on the life of the prophet and every individual who has read those passages with the Spirit.

I do not pretend to have suffered, in the least degree, anything that those early saints endured nearly every day, but those passages of scripture have been of tremendous relief and comfort in some of my moments of despair. I have had some thoughts on my mind about this subject since Tuesday, and I just felt like writing them down. I think this is more for myself than anyone else, but if it helps lift another, then all the better.

"Oh God, where are thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?" Josephs prayer causes my heart to ache as I can hear the pain in his words. While the words we use today are slightly different, the plea is the same. The plea of someone that is in darkness and feels completely forsaken and forgotten. The Father's response is the same for everyone "My son,(daughter) peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment..."

I can almost picture the face of Him and he says in the most tender and loving voices that everything is going to be okay. Even though we can't see it right in the moment, everything will be okay. My mind is drawn to Elder Wirthlins remarks in October 2006. He spoke of the Friday of the crucification- how it was the darkest Friday in the history of the world but it was followed by the most glorious event on the Sunday, after. Of our own "Fridays," Elder Wirthlin had this to say:

Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays. But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come.

I love that. I love how no matter how dark the night is, Sunday morning will come and everything will be worth it. One thing that has taken me my life and will take my lifetime to learn is that it is through suffering and trial that I come to know my Savior and become more like him. Im sure that this is a principle that I will have to learn time and time again but its true. At least its true for me. Some of my most sacred moments have come after enduring something that I did not have the strength or the capacity to endure, alone. This is what I have learned from Liberty Jail. It is that the trials and tribulations are what will allow us to become more like our Savior than if we had an "easy" life devoid of struggle and heartbreak. "...know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for they good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?"

Sprechen Sie... uh..... American?

A tale of intrigue, suspense, betrayal, revenge, family, and chocolate. Okay, Maybe not so much about the other stuff--just family and chocolate. So for the first two weeks in March I was in Germany. It was all thanks to a sister who used her hubby's frequent flyer miles and some mula to get me there. This is just a little summary of my adventure.

I have decided that the best reason for living in Germany of Europe in general is the food. Yes, this is a chocolate bar, but what isn't shown is the fresh pastries and bread from the bakery, the CHEESE and a bunch of other stuff. I gained about 2 pounds in two weeks (or maybe I was this fat before I left for Germany, who knows) due to the food. Mostly the chocolate. And in particular, the Belgian chocolate. We drove to Belgium so I could see it and get chocolate. Not even kidding. Oh, and we did see the memorial rock, which made it SO worth it. Ask my sister or brother in law, I ate me some chocolate! It was worth the extra weight even if it means less dates up in Idaho. Worth it.The kids (my nephews and nieces) were in school while I was there so after the kids went off to school, Joy and I plus a 4 year old Noah jumped in the car and drove to awesome sights. Now I had this idea in my head of what the autobon would look like- Ferraris and Lamborghinis zooming past at incredible speed while everyone was going 150+ mph. Actually, the autobon is like America's interstate system, only with better paving and stretches of road that had no speed limit. The suggested speed for these areas is 130 kph (80mph) but you seriously can go as fast as you want. We usually cruised around 95 or so for the most part. Oh, this is Joy driving the minivan.

One one of our trips we went to St. Avold, France to see the Lorraine cemetery. Some 15,000 service men and women are laid to rest in this beautiful cemetery. It was a very solemn place, and it humbled me to think of the sacrifice that was made just to preserve freedom. Not many things are worth dying for, but freedom is one of them.I really liked the inscription on this monument, and reminded me of the obligation and responsibility that is mine to uphold the cause that was purchased with blood and tears.
On another day we went to Trier, Germany and walked around the town to check out the historic sites. The top of the city had a amphitheater that was used for a bunch of stuff including gladiator battles. Beneath the floor are rooms and passages where the animals and people were kept.

This is the downtown area of Trier, very quaint and picturesque. Of course the most exciting part to Noah would be the pigeons that he would occasionally get to pursue. It was here that I learned an important lesson: happy children make for a happy parent. Yes, I know all my siblings are saying "DUH" right now but I never claimed that I wasn't a slow learner :POn Saturday we went to a nature park that was up the hill from where Joy and Ben lived. We probably spent most of the time in the playground and goat pen but the kids enjoyed it and it was fun to watch them run around in the human hamster wheel. No way something this fun and dangerous would EVER be in a park in the U.S.
Whoever devised the system of having the park guests purchase food and feed the animals was a business genius. The kids loved it even if some of them got a little worried when the bigger goats came for their share of the snacks.
And this horse nearly ran into us through the fence. He was a little overly-eager and did a spectacular skid-stop in the muddy ground before careening into us. Oh, and in case you were wondering, every horse in the world is a Noah-horse.After we made the rounds at the park and fed most of the animals we hit up the playground again (naturally) and the kids got pretty good at the hamster
And of course they have a trampoline at a nature park...? Oh well, the kids loved it!

So Germany has a million castles. Seriously. This one is near Joy's house and we decided to go there one afternoon to look around. It was pretty cool to see some of the original structures and I was in awe of their engineering capabilities.Some of the rooms and structures were someone odd so far as I could tell, but I'm sure they served a purpose back in the day. I think these were canon-ports.
On our second weekend we went to Rhottenburg, Germany. What did I go to see in Rhottenburg, you ask? Why an Aston Martin Vanquish. Okay, okay, I didn't really go for the cars, but this beauty was just parked by the side of the road. Maybe it was James Bond...

We spent the night in Rhottenburg, and it was awesome. I went for a night stroll by myself to see the town while the kids were in bed. The next day we walked around the city and saw the city.
This is a view from the perimeter wall that encompassed the city. The houses are very German with the steep roofs with tiles covering them.
This is the walkway along the inside of the perimeter wall. It was an artsy picture mostly for myself, but there you go. I found that Pictures take a backseat when you are trying to herd children or prevent little ones from getting too close to edges and whatnot.
I loved the narrow alleyways that connected everything.
At the torture museum in Rhottenburg the kids showed me the child-catcher. Seriously. Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang wasn't even lying!
One of the 15 some-odd cathedrals and churches in the small city of Rhottenburg. It was pretty sweet. And so ended our weekend trip.
On Monday we headed back to Luxembourg to go to the WWII cemetery there. While walking on the path I came across this marker and was touched.
General Patton had requested that he be buried with his men, and his wish was granted. While the man was not without his faults, just like the rest of us, I earned even more respect for him when he forewent a monument or a tomb so he could be buried in the same manner as the men that he lead.

And so ended my adventure. It was a very wonderful experience and turned into a more introspective experience than I had anticipated. The church services there were held with the airmen and their families that were stationed in Germany as well. I kept kicking myself for not packing my own scriptures because I had many wonderful and sweet insights that have had and will have a tremendous effect on my life. I love life :)