I know I am beginning to like country when ...

1. I get Country songs stuck in your head .

2. I have 200+ country songs on your IPOD.

3. I only listened to country on my 4 hour drive home for Thanksgiving.

4. Country music is basically the only thing I listen to in the last 2 months.

So I guess it is time to admit my feelings towards country music has changed. So I have several friends who love country music. I have never really been much of fan. That is partly because I judged the entire country song genre by a few country songs that I didn't like. So a couple months ago I decided to give country music a another chance.

This time I would truly try listening to it and not let those country songs I don't like taint my feelings towards the entire genre. So I found two country stations 99.5 and 105.5 and began to listen to it on the radio while driving to work. I found two radio stations that way whenever songs like Rockin' the beer gut or Summer Nights or others songs that I didn't like came on I could switch to another station.

There was several songs I really didn't like but to my surprise I started to find country songs I enjoyed listening too. I started listening to it more and more. I even began listening to country radio stations while I worked. Some of the songs got stuck in my head. Then I decided to goto iTunes and browse the country music section. I bought a few albums from Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Lady Antebellum and George Strait that I had heard on the radio. I began to listen to them on my IPOD.

I have found that I only really listen to country music. The number of country songs in my IPOD has grown. I have found more and more country artists I like.

These are my favorite country music artists so far:

1. Brooks & Dunn

2. Keith Urban

3. Lady Antebellum

4. Alan Jackson

5. Reba McEntire

These are some of my favorite songs:

1. Days go By

2. Cowgirls Don't Cry

3. Red Dirt Road

4. Neon Moon

5. Sissy's Song

So it seems that thanks to friends I have learned I am country fan. I never expected that to happen.

New York Trip

So at the end of June me, my grandma, my mom and possibly my sister are going to New York for two weeks. I will drive over to Boise and fly out to Buffalo New York with my bom on Tuesday June 23. Then we will go see Niagara Falls near Buffalo. Then we will be staying near Perry a small town south of Rochester. This is where my grandma grew up. We will visit with her sister and other relatives until Sunday. Also while we are there we will visit Rochester and see where my bom was born and lived till she was about 12 when her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

Then since we will be only about 60 miles southwest of Palmyra. I am going to visit the church sites around Palmyra and hopefully I can get others to come along. We will see what happens. I am so excited to see the Sacred Grove and Hill Cumorah and other sites around Palmyra.

Since we are only 6 hours from New York City, then on Monday me, my bom and maybe my sister will drive to New York City. Along the way to New York City we probably see the battlefield of Sarotoga outside of Albany, New York. Then we will stay just outside of New York City and take train or bus into New York City and see the main attractions. We probably spend about a day visiting sites like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Central Park, Times Square and other places. Then we will drive and see things between New York City and Philly. We will then see Indepence Hall, Valley Forge outside of Philly. Then we will fly back July 3 to Boise. This trip should be fun!

I Love the Temple

The temple has always been an important place since I was baptized. I remember getting a picture of the Boise Temple from the missionaries when I was first baptized. I remember enjoying the first time going there to do Baptisms for the Dead.

Also shortly after being baptized I was able to watch the dedication of the Palmyra Temple. Then in college I was able to watch the dedication of the Winter Quarters Temple in the Marriott Center.

Then a tender mercy occurred in my life when me and my friend submitted our papers to go on a mission at the same time. And in fact we would report to the MTC the same day. Since we were leaving on a mission at the same time we planned to take our Endowments out at the Boise Temple on the same day. Also before we left on our mission we got to go down to Salt Lake Temple and see a live session together.



During my mission I didn't think I would see a temple after I left the MTC. A miracle did occur I was able to touch the doors of the Bern Switzerland Temple. The reason was that while I was on my mission the Nauvoo Temple was dedicated. And at the time I was serving in the eastern part of my mission in Switzerland. It happened that the Stake center by the Bern Switzerland Temple was closer than the Geneva Switzerland Stake Center. So after the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple we got to touch the doors of the temple and take pictures of the temple.


While I was at college I would attend regularly the Provo Temple. In a ward at BYU, it was decided that it would be fun to go to a session at the other temples in Utah each month. It unfortunately didn’t last long but we did go to Mount Timpanogos, Salt Lake and Manti. The trip to Manti temple to do a session was my favorite.


Then I had an opportunity to be called as Temple & Family History Chair in the Elders Quorum. I probably shouldn’t favorite callings but other than my mission this probably has been the most enjoyable calling I have ever had. I had this calling for almost a year. As a committee we were able to organize some fun activities around the temple. One of my favorite activities that we planned was to go to the Manti Pageant as a Ward.


Then at Christmas the predecessor to me had setup to go do Baptism for the Dead in the Salt Lake Temple during December. There was over 40 sisters who went to do Baptisms and then we met in the Salt Lake Temple cafeteria with the others that had done a session and had dinner as a Ward. Then we toured the lights on Temple Square. It was most enjoyable.

Also as a committee we setup once a month to do Baptisms for the Dead and then another night to do a session. It was most enjoyable to go do temple work each month. It was hard when the time had finally come for me to be released from this calling. I had loved helping setup up temple nights and other activities around the temple. It had been very enjoyable to plan activities that edified others and which also helped those that had died without the gospel.


Then here in Idaho Falls this trend has followed. As a branch we attend the temple each month and have a free dinner in the Temple cafeteria. Then I was able to take a tour of the Rexburg temple before it was dedicated. I had never before taken a tour of a temple before it was dedicated which was enjoyable. Also I got to watch the Rexburg and Twin Falls temple be dedicated. Just recently a group of friends have started a Temple of the Month trip club. We have already visited Rexburg Temple and the Logan Temple. Next month we are planning to attend a session at the Mount Timpanogos Temple.


I love the temple so much. It gives me such peace when I am able to attend. It helps me to focus on what is important in life. I am so glad that I can attend the temple often and that is the center of my life.