The Long Commute

As I sit here writing this my shoes are drip-drying on the vent and my damp socks are keeping my feet cold under my desk.  My commute to work did not go as planned.  Last night, +Aaron told me he couldn't carpool today.  I decided today would be the day I would try using Frontrunner to get to work.  It was storming in Salt Lake anyway, so that would keep me off the roads.  After swimming this morning, I asked Aaron to just drop me off at Trax in Murray since I wasn't ready to brave the morning crowd on Frontrunner.  I figured the one attempt in the afternoon would be enough.

We traveled on some slick roads and slowed down a couple of times, but the trip to Murray was pretty uneventful.  Once he dropped me off, I had to work my way through the slush that was created from a major bus depot and lots of passengers.  I missed the train by 20 seconds.  I figured it wasn't a big deal since another one would be along shortly.  My thoughts deceived me as I was there waiting for 25 minutes.  The train finally arrived, but we were told it could only go to 2100 South and we would have to get off the train to take a shuttle to 1300 South due to an accident.  Since the train was late, it was extremely overcrowded.  I was standing in the stairwell, right by the sign that said, “No Standing on the Stairs.”  They then announced that we would have some stops as each train that got to 21^st South had to come back down the track as there was no way to go.

I looked at the news on KSL.com to see that a person had been hit by the train.  I felt bad for my frustrations and hoped he was OK.  We made a couple of stops and then I thought we were approaching 21^st South.  Well, the approach resulted in 3 stops in the middle of nowhere as the other trains switched tracks.  A moment of claustrophobia set in as I looked inside the train car to see every spot filled with people from the seats to the ceiling.  I looked outside and saw old warehouses lining the tracks.  I knew the train could not get through and there was really no place to go.  I quickly relaxed and decided to just be patient.  Despite the pedestrian’s tragedy, my predicament was kind of funny.

We eventually arrived at 21^st South, and found that several trains had arrived before us.  There were crowds of people.  I texted my boss and explained my situation.  He wished me luck and said he’d see me at noon.  My guess is there were over 500 people standing there.  We could see the accident and all the fire trucks and medical personnel.  The man was stuck under the train.  We watched as they were finally able to pull him out.  Last I heard he’s still breathing, but in critical condition.  He slipped in the snow and ice and yelled for help, but was too late.

We stood there waiting for the promised shuttles.  And we waited and waited.  There was a lady in a wheelchair who had positioned herself for the wheelchair ramp on the bus anticipating it’s arrival.  As more trains arrived delivering more people, she started yelling at everyone to get out of the driveway as the bus can’t get through.  She zoomed around in her chair ordering everyone to get out of the way.  She was kind of annoying about it.  Then, this 25 year old woman yells to her, “Lady, shut up, leave everyone alone.  There is no bus.  We’ve been waiting for 45 minutes and there is no bus coming.”  I had to laugh.  I agreed completely, no bus coming, but it’s humorous to watch people in situations like that.  After another 20 minutes we were told 4 busses were coming in 4 minutes.  Once they arrived the madness began with people shoving and running over snow banks to get to the other part of the parking lot where the buses opted to stop.  It was a stampede.  I decided to hold back and wait for another option. 

No sooner had the busses been filled to capacity and beyond, then the fire trucks pulled out and the train involved in the accident was on its way.  They then kicked everyone off the shuttle buses and we all ran towards the platform being careful not to nudge anyone onto the tracks.  As the first train arrived it was beyond crowded, but people wedged themselves onto it.  The same with train number 2.  I saw an empty train heading south and decided to try my luck with going backwards to get on a different train.  I don’t know if it was the best choice, but eventually I was headed north again on a crowded train.

We arrived downtown and found that the streets had not been plowed, so I enjoyed trudging across South Temple with the same nasty brown slush.  Once I got to my office I realized how cold me feet were, so my shoes came off.  I’m grateful that it wasn't too cold out otherwise and hoping that the ride home will be better.  At the same time I realize why I prefer driving, and I thought it was just for the conversation with my carpool buddy.

Room With a View

I love change.  At the same time there are many things in my life that I want to hold on forever and never let change.  Those are mostly people, both family and friends that I want to continue to have a great time with.  The changes I'm talking about are changes in what I do everyday.  I love when Rheanna or I get new callings.  I love the new school year, but also love summer vacation.  I've worked for the Church for 3 years and have done pretty much the same thing the whole time.  Starting this month I'm being given some completely new assignments.  I don't want to bore you with the details, but I'm pretty excited.

Ok, I'll share a little bit about what I'll now be doing.  I will be a Policy Mediator.  Basically, I'm looking for people that are abusing the system, disregarding policy and others that just need to be educated.  My focus will be concerning Holocaust victims and famous people.  Which means I have to fill my head with celebrity gossip, at least those that are dying.  It really will be a good change of pace for me.

The other change that came with this is that they had me move cubicles.  I used to stare at the other wing of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building with a slight glimpse of the Church Office Building.  I now sit on the west side and have a perfect view of the Salt Lake Temple.  Seriously breathtaking whenever I look at it.  The view alone lifts me up each day and reminds me of who I am and what I need to be doing each day.

Phishing Test Failure

I get to work this morning and check my email.  Mixed in with all my work email is one from [email protected].  I haven't ordered anything from newegg in a very long time and certainly did not use my work email to do it.  My thought was maybe it was a mistake, but if I'm the winner, I'll take it.  As soon as I click on the link I get a notification from the Church's ICS Department saying this was a training test and I failed and clicked on the link.  At least it was just a test and no one phished real data from me.  This taught me two things.  1) It's easy to fall prey to phishers.  2) The Church is extremely clever.  Add a third in there - I'm gullible :)

In Search of Sleep

This week has gone by so fast. Sure it's been as busy as any other, but I think it's all from sleep deprivation. Sunday night we went to the Conference Center for the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. We got back at a decent time, but I still had to recover from a long day before I could go to bed. Monday night was the roughest night I remember. I could not sleep for the life of me. I remember seeing the clock at 2:30 in the morning and I had not been to sleep. Add to that a text from a friend that he was taking his son to the hospital at 11 pm. I seriously hope I don't have another stressful night like that.


Moving on to Tuesday. Newspaper day. Normally there is only one insert to stuff, but this week we had 2. Rheanna was gone for the evening so I worked on papers until midnight, only to get up at 4:15 for the gym.

Wednesday was almost a repeat, but Rheanna was there to help with the papers. I crashed at 11, excited that my sleep time had increased to 5 hours.

Last night was stake meetings. By the time I got in bed it was 11:30. This morning I couldn't even finish my thoughts. My brain would stop working mid-conversation. I'm hoping for a restful weekend. In the last 5 nights I should have had 40 hours of sleep, I'm guessing I got about 22. Again, not sure how the week flew by when I was awake an extra 18 hours. I don't want to overachieve, so my goal for next week is to get at least 6 hours a night. Wish me luck!

The Boys are Back

I've ended the debate on the gym.  +Aaron Ball and I both joined the Legacy Center in Lehi.  Today was our first day.  We swam and it felt great for the first couple of laps.  Then nausea set in and I realized I'm am so far from being in shape.  Daily exercise should help me overcome that.  At least that's the goal, right?

I can't believe it's been 3 1/2 years since we carpooled and did the gym together.  I've really missed it.  It is great to have a friend that inspires me to try harder in all aspects of my life.  I hope I can return the favor.

Tomorrow my goal is to go with more than 4 hours of sleep, something tells me that will help my endurance too :)

Time to Get Motivated

You’d think the long Thanksgiving weekend would have been adequate, but I’m so ready for a vacation. Not in the mood to spend any money, but would love some time to just relax and have fun. I think overall, I’m just feeling lazy.

 I’ve made little attempts over the years to get back into working out. I need to lose some weight, lower my cholesterol and just feel better overall. I just can’t seem to keep up with the motivation. It’s either too cold, too early or some other excuse. The only time I had a consistent workout was when I was carpooling and we’d go on the way to work each day. I’ve recently started carpooling again, so the possibility is there. Can’t decide if I should pursue that or attempt doing my own thing again.

 If I could figure out a way to work out while sitting in the clerk’s office while the stake president meets with people, I’d be all set :)

Refocus

Believe it or not, you are actually seeing a post on my blog. I recently broke down and got an iPhone (one of the greatest inventions ever). In order to justify the purchase I try to find new ways to use it each day to make my time more productive, better organize my life, and communicate more frequently with more people. My life got so hectic over the past couple of years with a longer commute, part time jobs, etc. My goal is to now use my blogger app and actually begin my "journal" again.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I have much to be thankful for. First off I am so thankful for my fabulous wife. She helps me everyday to be a better person. She makes my life so enjoyable. She is raising terrific kids that I am also extremely thankful for. I have been blessed with the best friends I could possibly wish for. So many to turn to whenever I have a need and one that I can even bug constantly and he still puts up with me. I'm thankful for my extended family that puts up with my long conversations. I'm thankful that our family is all healthy. Thankful for an inviting home, my job, transportation and all the stuff we use each day.

I also want to thank my Savior for all that He has blessed me with. I continue to marvel at the strength He continues to give me. There really is no trial too small for Him to care about. People often tell me I'm too optimistic, but I have found that my moments of despair and doubt are quickly diminished by His constant comfort.

Not sure I have any followers anymore after my complete absence from the blogging world, but if someone is reading this, I hope you have a truly Happy Thanksgiving.

Sometimes The Money Just Isn't Worth It!

This past weekend I reached my limit.  I was trying to hold down a full-time job, deliver pizza, be a mystery shopper and deliver papers.  After just one week of the paper route I had to throw in the towel, it was killing me.  I had a couple of nights that I only got 3 hours of sleep.  I decided I would give my 30 day notice and quit my route.  After talking to lots of people on Sunday I decided that I would just quit immediately.  The contract said I had to give 30 days notice or pay a fee.  I realized that paying a fee was still fulfilling the contract so I went with that and enjoyed sleeping in Monday morning.  I love learning when my stupid decisions are behind me.

I will say that I have a whole new respect for those willing to deliver papers with the changes that have taken place.  I have delivered papers for 8 years of my life, but it’s always been a simple walking route or an occasional motor route.  This time it was pure insanity.  I had to be up at 1:30 am.  I then had to fold all of the papers and put each flyer and set of coupon in them.  Don’t they have machines that can do this?  They used to.  I then had to bag each paper according to its type.  I delivered the Daily Herald, Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and the El Observador.  It was insane to do all those papers at once.  On Sunday mornings, some people would get 5 copies of the Daily Herald, 2 Deseret News and 1 Tribune.  Talk about a nightmare to keep straight.  Seriously, I have no desire to have a paper delivered again.  I would rather go to the store and buy it than have some poor soul bring it to me that is probably making far less than minimum wage after their gas expense.  If you do get the paper, please give a generous tip from time to time.

After delivering pizza for the last couple of months I’ve learned a lot about tipping.  Sometimes I’ll deliver one and get absolutely nothing.  Other times I’ll get one that is extremely generous.  I would say my average is around $4.  The other night we were eating at a restaurant for a mystery shop and I decided we should be generous in our tip.  The 15-20% is kind of expected, but when you go beyond that, you really make someone’s day.  It’s amazing how it feels to give good tips.  I look back on my life and think about all of the times that I should have given more to the valet, the bellhop, the waiter, the barber, the delivery man, etc.  Giving is wonderful.  I speak from experience in saying that when you just add $1 or $2 to your tip it makes all the difference to the service provider. 

I've had a Total Money Makeover!

I know Rheanna has posted some about our Total Money Makeover, but I thought I would share my thoughts as well.  Most Americans have heard of Dave Ramsey in some capacity.  I was one of the skeptics that doubted he had any knowledge that I didn’t have.  I’m an accounting major after all, so how could someone tell me how to better manage my money?  I’ve read through his seven baby steps a few times over the years.  They make sense, but I didn’t really understand why they should be a priority.  Doing the baby steps would require discipline and lots of hard work.  I just wasn’t sure I was up for it all.

Well, we borrowed the Total Money Makeover book from the Hackings and I decided to read it.  I read it in a day or two and finally “got it.”  It wasn’t just telling me to get out of debt.  It showed me and motivated me to do it quickly.  Once that is accomplished you can truly “live like no one else.”  I used to think we’d “get there eventually,” but now I don’t think we ever would have.

We have more debt that I care to discuss, but most of it is wrapped up in student loans and in mortgages.  When we set down and added it all up we were sickened.  We have cut back on almost everything and found lots of extra money we were wasting.  Paying too much for cell phone features, trying to keep low deductibles, having full coverage on a car more than 7 years old, and the list went on.  After we trimmed up our waste we found an extra $200.  Yay!  We were so excited, but knew it wouldn’t be enough to truly crush this debt and be done.

After a couple of months of looking for various opportunities I think we are settling in on some great ones.  I’ve been delivering pizza for 2 months.  Next week, I’m going to start a paper route and once I’m comfortable with that will start a second route.  You’re probably thinking I’m insane.  Maybe I am, but Rheanna is on the same page as me, so it works.  Even though I’m gone more, I think we are closer in our marriage than ever before.  We see eye to eye on everything and are able to remind and motivate each other all along the way.  The kids are even involved.  We are teaching them the evils and annoyance of credit cards and student loans.  We have paper chains that represent the debt bondage that we are in.  The kids get to break the links in these chains as we pay debt off and feel closer to real freedom.

We’ve paid off 2 credit cards already!  We have just one more to go and then we’ll tackle the student loan and mortgage.  We will be debt free except for the mortgage by the end of next year.  Then I can slow down my working intensity some as we move on to other baby steps.  The mortgage will be paid off before Hyrum is through high school.  I’m sure that all sounds too good to be true.  It truly is realistic though. 

I have had a real awakening to the fact that I’ve been a lousy steward with the money the Lord has blessed me with.  I’ve been completely converted to what we’ve been taught for years, to just stay out of debt and avoid it like a plague.  Very little of this is math, it’s really all motivation.  I can sacrifice for a year or two and then really find happiness and freedom. 

I want everyone to have the same awakening and breakthrough that we’ve had.  I’m almost as excited about this as I am family history.  If you are debt free you can still learn from these principles and build your own wealth.  If you have any debt (car, house, student loan, credit cards) there really is an end in sight and it doesn’t have to take anywhere near 30 years.  It just takes a husband and wife working together.  I love my wife and all that she does to keep our family strong each day!  I’m so thankful for her support in all of our Dave Ramsey “WEIRDNESS.”

Baby Step 1

$1,000 to start an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is for those unexpected events in life that you can’t plan for: the loss of a job, an unexpected pregnancy, a faulty car transmission, and the list goes on and on. It’s not a matter of if these events will happen; it’s simply a matter of when they will happen. 

Baby Step 2

Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball

List your debts, excluding the house, in order. The smallest balance should be your number one priority. Don’t worry about interest rates unless two debts have similar payoffs. If that’s the case, then list the higher interest rate debt first.

Baby Step 3

3 to 6 months of expenses in savings

Once you complete the first two baby steps, you will have built serious momentum. But don’t start throwing all your “extra” money into investments quite yet. It’s time to build your full emergency fund.

Baby Step 4

Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement

When you reach this step, you’ll have no payments—except the house—and a fully funded emergency fund. Now it’s time to get serious about building wealth.

Baby Step 5

College funding for children

By this point, you should have already started Baby Step 4—investing 15% of your income—before saving for college. Whether you are saving for you or your child to go to college, you need to start now.

Baby Step 6

Pay off home early

Now it’s time to begin chunking all of your extra money toward the mortgage. You are getting closer to realizing the dream of a life with no house payments

Baby Step 7

Build wealth and give!

It’s time to build wealth and give like never before. Leave an inheritance for future generations, and bless others now with your excess. It's really the only way to live!

New Church Website for Volunteers!

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” Alma 37:6

 

Visitors to the Church’s new website, Helping in the Vineyard, are greeted by these wise words from Alma to his son Helaman. And by small and simple things are great things still brought to pass. One of these simple things can be as small as five minutes spent on a website translating, indexing, tagging images and videos, or even editing documents.

 

“If you have only five minutes to serve, there is an opportunity for you do that on the Vineyard,” says Joseph Jatip, community development manager of the Church Human Resources Department. “The Church has a lot of data. There is . . . work that, if done by a traditional workforce, could take up to 30 years to do—maybe even more.”

 

The Church continues to grow at an astounding rate, but the workforce cannot do the same. The widening labor gap created by a rapidly growing membership and a finite earthly organization will be increasingly met by volunteers and Church-Service missionaries. Every member’s help is needed.

 

Building a profile and identifying the skills you have takes only a few minutes, so site users can begin helping to build the kingdom in a matter of minutes. “The goal of the Vineyard is to be another way for people to help the Church and to actually help directly with Church operations,” Brother Jatip said. “They can say, ‘I helped work on that [content] so other members can use it and find it on the Web for talks and lessons.’ ”

 

Members can sign up to participate at vineyard.lds.org, and thousands are doing just that. Membership on the site is growing fast, doubling from 2,000 to 4,200 in less than two months. So take a couple of minutes right now to share your time and talents with the Lord. There’s no better way to spend free time than to consecrate it Helping in the Vineyard.