Old Yellow Bike

I was just thinking about the oldness of my bike. A couple weeks ago, I went to get it tuned up because it really needed it. They kind of looked at it funny and said "that's an old bike." This bike is truly an old bike. This bike was my Dad's for five or 6 years and then when he went to get a new bike it became mine. I have had it for about 15 years.

It has been through quite a bit since I have got it. My bike has been in Idaho, Oregon and Utah.
It has been rode down the Oregon Coast twice and the mileage to get prepared for it. It has been on numerous family bike rides. It has been on the greenbelt(a 15+ mile bike path along the river) in Boise numerous times. It has been through numerous crashes.

It is getting to that age where it needs to be retired for good. But maybe it has just has little bit more before I can find a new bike to replace it. Hopefully in the mean time it never falls apart while I am on it.

One year in IF

I have been Idaho Falls for 1 year. I moved up here last May after getting a job at the Idaho National Laboratory. At the time it was only a temporary job lasting through September and I didn't know if wanted or would stay longer. But things all came together and my job turned into a permanent position. I have loved my job. It is a job where I learn every day and it has pushed me in areas I didn't expect like interviewing someone for a job on our project team two weeks ago.

I have loved the area. When I moved here I had only driven through Idaho Falls once during a trip to Yellowstone with a group of friends from BYU. Even though I am from Boise I never spent any time on this side of the state. The closest I came was stopping in Arco on a family trip to Craters of the Moon when I was little.

I love that places like Tetons and Yellowstone are so close. Also it was enjoyable to experience to be around here when the Rexburg Temple was dedicated. It was the first temple I have been able to attend the open house. I also enjoy all the fun activities that are planned in this area.

It is truly a fun place to live.

The Winter that Never Ends

Today I opened my door today, May 1, expecting to see sunshine and today be a beautiful spring morning, but I was shell shocked when I opened my door and see the ground covered in and feel snow blowing in my face. Then I went over to my truck and realized I would have to scrap my windows in the cold snowy wind before going to work. I was not excited.

This has made me wonder if summer will ever comes. What makes this winter even worse is that it is the first winter here in Idaho Falls. Even though I am from Idaho the weather in Boise is nothing like the weather here. I have never been in such cold weather and seen so much snow. Through at first I thought it was really cool seeing all the snow. But this excitement for the snow wore off when I had to begin driving in the snow, day in and day out. I especially didn't like having to drive 25 all the way to work because it was so slick. Also there was that one week where I got stuck several times, that was not fun. Or even scarier was when I did a donut on 17th street. Fortunately no one was around! All these things have made me not like the snow so much. I prefer what it does in Boise where it snows one day and then the snow is all gone in a couple days. That way it is exciting when it snows and not a drudgery when you walk out your door and there is snow on the ground. In Boise, if you really want to see the snow you can drive 30 minutes into the mountains and visit it. One good thing out of this snowy winter has been I have learned how to drive in snow!

I thought it was slightly preposterous when someone told that one 4th of July it snowed. But now I am actually seeing how that could happen. I really hope that this doesn't happen this summer!

Family History

Recently I have taken an interest in my Family History again. In the past through my Church callings I have felt I should do some work on my Family History. But unfortunately in past times I have looked at the magnitude of what needs to be done and have started but I have often given up from being overwhelmed and frustrated and where to even start.

Well recently I decided to try and push forward again and get a litte farther than I have in the past and use some of my free time. The last two weekends I have visited the family history center in Idaho Falls to get some help and I have found some useful tools and techniques that have simplified the work needed to be done. Also over the past year my mom has taken an interest in figuring out her ancestors. Through these two things I am excited that I have started making progress again.

Another thing that has got me excited about family history was I remember a few years ago President Hinckley saying in opening remarks in October 2005 General Conference: "One of the most troublesome aspects of our temple activity is that as we get more and more temples scattered across the earth there is duplication of effort in proxy work. People in various nations simultaneously work on the same family lines and come up with the same names. They do not know that those in other areas are doing the same thing. We, therefore, have been engaged for some time in a very difficult undertaking. To avoid such duplication, the solution lies in complex computer technology. Preliminary indications are that it will work, and if this is so, it will be a truly remarkable thing with worldwide implications."

My techno-nerd curiosity has made me wonder what might be coming in the near future to help do family history. So I decided to Google this quote and I found this blog http://labs.familysearch.org/blog/ which talks about new tool that will simply doing temple work considerably and accomplish what President Hinckley said. This new feature will be added to familyhistory.org over the following year. This new software is being rolled out methodically to all the temple districts one by one. Even though it has not yet been announced for the Idaho Falls temple district it is already used in many other temple districts. So in a matter of time this tool will be available in Idaho Falls. So I am excited for when the announcement comes to this area.

General Conference

I love General Conference. This was an interesting Conference for me. Because it was the first General Conference that is presided with a new president of the Church, President Monson. As I am convert to the Church I have only known President Hinckley as the President and Prophet of the Church. But by watching Conference I could feel that the mantle had moved to President Monson which is a similar feeling I have felt when one of my Bishops was released or when I had received a new Mission President. Through the feelings I felt I could feel that President Monson was the new Prophet and President of the Church.

As always I enjoy hearing all the talks given. I have some favorites that I received inspiration from like listening to our new Prophet President Monson and also the ones given last night at the priesthood session by President Eyring on the Oath and Covenant of the priesthood, President Uchtdorf talk on how being a few degrees off can lead you far from the gospel if a course change is not made.

I can't wait till May when the General Conference Ensign magazine comes out so I can read these talks and feel the spirit of Conference.

Finished Tom Swayer and Huckleberry Finn

It was fun to finish reading two classic books that I haven't read since Junior High. It is fun to re-read a book a second time in a different time period of life and doing not because a teacher told you to read it.

And it was cool when Brother Belnap read this quote from Huckleberry Finn:
"It made me shiver. And I about made up my mind to pray, and see if I couldn't try to quit being the kind of a boy I was and be better. So I kneeled down. But the words wouldn't come. Why wouldn't they? It warn't no use to try and hide it from Him. Nor from ME, neither. I knowed very well why they wouldn't come. It was because my heart warn't right; it was because I warn't square; it was because I was playing double. I was letting ON to give up sin, but away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all. I was trying to make my mouth SAY I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to that nigger's owner and tell where he was; but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed it. You can't pray a lie--I found that out." This quote is certainly true.

Country Drive

On my Friday off I decided to drive over to Jackson Hole and up to the Tetons National Park. It was a fun drive, listening to music and seeing the beautiful scenery. I mostly just saw what I could get to from my truck. And I took several pictures like this one:

Also I did take a small hike up near Jackson Lake and I also visited one of the visitor centers. This was enjoyable trip. I might have to make another visit in a couple months when it warms up and I can take the ferry across Jenny Lake and get a little closer to the Tetons.