This has been a great weekend. I had the opportunity to attend a stake priesthood leadership meeting on Saturday for 109 stakes in the Salt Lake Valley at the Conference Center near Temple Square. To be honest, I didn’t want to go. Not because I didn’t want to take in the words of a living prophet and other church leaders, but because I missed my boy’s soccer games last week for work, and will miss them again next week because of work. I didn’t want to do that three weeks in a row. I struggled with what decision would be the correct one all day on Friday. I need to do all in my power to be there for my sons and Amber and I think I do a good job at that. But, I also need to fulfill my responsibilities as a member of our stake’s high council. I felt a prompting that I needed to be at the Conference Center. It ended up working out in the end. I missed Neal’s game, but I made it back for Riley’s.
To me, the meeting was special in many ways. I needed to be there. I needed to be able to see the prophet, Thomas S. Monson, walk in the room and feel of his spirit. He said something that was really poignant to me. In talking about a verse of scripture (1 Peter 2:9) He said: “Brethren, be loyal to the royal within you.” I appreciate the constant reminders from the leaders in our church about how we as priesthood holders need to step it up and be the best we can be. We need to be on top of our game every day.
The messages shared in the meeting on Saturday, then in the general session today was just what I needed to hear. I feel so blessed to be able to hear from church leaders twice within one month. What a blessing. I also feel very blessed to have four temples in the Salt Lake Valley. We need to be better about attending. I think we take for granted all that we have, so close to home. It’s time to step it up. I have three great examples that help remind me daily that I need to step it up. Thanks Amber, Neal and Riley.
On another note: we sustained a new member of our stake high council today. A friend of ours in the neighborhood, Donny, was put in. I am so excited for him. I’ve always looked up to him and his example. He is a great guy (with an even better wife!). I know what he’s going through right now. He’s probably feeling very inadequate and nervous. A multitude of thoughts and emotions are flooding his mind. I felt the same feelings 13 months ago when I was called to be on the high council and I still feel from time to time today. I’ve learned a lot over the last year and I wouldn’t trade this experience. I feel like my testimony has grown. I’m looking forward to working with Donny in this capacity. Good luck!
Here’s a sweet message from President Monson. Enjoy.
The latest video on Mormon Messages was something I needed to see. President Eyring’s testimony brought back a lot of memories of someone special in my life who challenged many of us to “choose this day… whom ye will serve…” This verse of scripture from Joshua 24:15 was my Grandpa Packer’s thing. Everytime he spoke in church, he shared his testimony about this scripture. I found the message motivational. I hope you do too.
Filed under: Whatever
Life has been so busy lately. Sorry for the lack of postings on the blog. I’m sure all of you have been sitting around waiting for me to post something… right? Whatever. Anyway, we’ve had a lot going on in our life since I posted last. For example: the boys started a new soccer season — Riley’s first; Neal started 3rd grade, and Riley started preschool; Amber has been on Good Things Utah a few more times; the Utes started a new football season; and our PR team completed one hospital’s ribbon cutting and public open house and we have one more hospital to go; plus so much more. It’s been busy, that’s for sure. I’ll be sure to post more soon. We’ve got birthday’s coming up (me and Riley, plus others), races to run in, football to watch, plus so much. Check back soon for more updates.
Filed under: Family
14 years ago today, I married my best friend. I’m amazed at how fast the years go by. I’m so thankful I met you in the drive-thru at the bank back in the fall of 1994. I saw you and was immediately in love! Thank you for the support you give me. Thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for loving me. Happy anniversary, Babe! I love you very much.
Being from Utah you’d think I would have heard the music of Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband before now. Well, I can honestly say I’ve never heard any of their music until tonight. I stumbled on one of their videos on YouTube – Dream Big. The message from the lyrics immediately hit me. This message is the hope I have for my boys and my wife. My hope is that they will know they can accomplish whatever they want. We all have dreams. Some come to pass, others don’t. The important thing is that we understand what it takes to work on accomplishing those dreams. Sometimes I lose that vision. We all have times in our lives when some of those dreams don’t quite come to pass. I had one this week. I worked hard to accomplish this dream and came up short for whatever reason. We need to remember that there’s a reason for some of our dreams not coming to pass. The big guy has something else in store for us. He wants us to learn something else. In my case, he may have wanted me to understand – again – that I am blessed. When you’re having a hard time, remember the lines from this verse. Keep dreaming big.
When you laugh be sure to laugh out loud
‘Cause it will carry all your cares away
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself
And it’ll help you feel okay
And when you pray, pray for strength
To help you carry on
When the troubles come your way
Update: I had the video embedded in my blog, but it’s been disabled by the record company. Check out the video here: Dream Big.
Today, the boys and I participated in the Murray Fun Days 5K and Kids Race. Neal came to me a few months ago and said he wanted to run the 5K this year. I was worried that he would struggle since a 5K is 3.1 miles. He really wanted to do it. So, we trained 2-3 times a week. His training runs were pretty good for an 8-year old. I was excited to be able to run with him. I wanted to stay with him and run at his pace. I figured it might take us about 40-45 minutes to run the 5K. I usually run them in about 27-28 minutes. Neal surprised me! He ran the whole time and ran at a pretty good pace. We finished the 5K in 33:25! The only time he stopped was about 2.5 miles into the race to get a drink from some cute grandma’s on Vine Street who were handing out water to the runners. Neal pushed it hard at the finish. The family was cheering him on and Amber said he had such a proud look on his face.
Riley and Neal both ran the Kids Race after the 5K. They ran hard, and had fun. Neal finished in about 5 minutes, and Riley came in at 6 minutes. They both were so excited about running. Plus, not only did they get a shirt for running, but they also got a medal. Amber and I were so proud of our boys. It’s great to see them have so much fun running together.
After the 5K and Kids Race, we watched the parade. We had a fun time. Amber and I are proud of the boys. We’re glad they’re choosing to be active while they’re young. Hopefully it will continue to help them develop good, healthy habits which will last throughout their lives. Next up: BBQ and fireworks! Happy Fourth!
This past Wednesday we went with my family to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house in South Jordan. Like all of the temples in the Church, this one is unique and beautiful. One thing that I really liked was the openness of the design. There’s a lot of large windows that allow a lot of natural light in. The woodwork throughout the building was very thought out as well. South Jordan is the only city in the whole world to have more than one temple. That’s a pretty cool fact.
A few weeks back, the statue of the angel, Moroni was struck by lightening. It was interesting to see the darkened results.
It felt good to be there. The temple is the house of the Lord. I feel His love every time I enter it’s doors. I’m thankful to have the blessing of the temple in my life. It blesses the lives of my family. I love Amber and my boys very much. We’re trying hard everyday to live our lives so that after this life we can be an eternal family. The open house runs through August 1. If you live locally, or will be visiting Salt Lake during that time, be sure to drop by. It’s beautiful.
Yesterday, my brother-in-law, Geoff had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show off his goods in a pre-draft workout for the Utah Jazz. They called him up on Sunday night and asked him to come participate. This workout will help Geoff see what he needs to work on. He’s a bit too small for the NBA. But, he’ll have a long career overseas in Europe. Congratulations on getting the call for a workout Geoff. I don’t recall Lee Cummard being asked by the Jazz to workout prior to the 2009 NBA Draft…
Check out his interview after yesteday’s workout (courtesy Utah Jazz):
Here’s a link to a story from KSL-TV - Jazz continue pre-draft auditions Monday
Finally, here’s a link to a story in the Deseret Morning News – Utah Jazz: Payne honored to workout for Jazz
Congratulations Geoff! We’re proud of you.
On another note, my other brother-in-law, Dave, was accepted into the Professional MBA program at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah this past weekend. He’s slated to begin classes in August. Congratulations Dave! Now the hard work begins!
Father’s Day started early since our ward meets at 9 a.m. Amber made sausage and egg muffins for breakfast, and the boys gave me a fun Book of Mormon hero’s animated book that we can use for lessons in Family Home Evening.
Church was fun. I was able to spend Sacrament meeting with Amber and the boys. I had to leave during Sunday School though. It was the third Sunday – High Council speaking assignments. I know, not on Father’s Day! I had to speak at 11 a.m. in one of the other wards in our stake. Typically, we have stake conference on Father’s Day. This year, we’re having a multi-stake conference in October.
After church I took a nap for a little bit. The relay sure took all of the energy I had out of me! We then went to visit my mom and dad, then had dinner with Amber’s parents and Geoff and Jill. It was a fun day. Thanks, Amber, Neal, and Riley for all you did to make it such a special day for me! I love the three of you more than you know.
Filed under: Uncategorized
The 2009 version of the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back has come and gone. Just like my first time last year, I had a blast! This year, I ran on the same team with Geoff and Jill, and Amber’s cousin, Natalie Romrell.
I was in van one this year. I had some pretty tough legs. The first one was a 6.9-mile ankle busting descent down the back side of Avon Pass into Liberty. Friday was a beautiful day to run. The temperature was in the mid-70’s and sunny. The view coming down the pass was breathtaking.
My second leg was a 8-mile climb up to East Canyon Reservoir from the north side. The first 4-5 miles was actually very nice. The climb was gradual and not too bad. The last 3 miles was steep and tough. I started this leg around 9:50 p.m. The temperature was nice and cool. When I got closer to the dam, a pretty decent breeze was blowing, which made it cooler. This leg took me about 15 minutes longer than I wanted it to. Those last few miles were tough.
After the exchange at East Canyon, we drove to Coalville and rested at North Summit High School for the rest of the night. I paid $2 and took a shower, then we went out on the football field, spread out the drop cloth and rolled out the sleeping bags. There was a slight breeze which made it cooler. It was actually very nice. We were able to sleep for about 4 hours before we had to head to the next exchange.
My last leg was a nice, 3.1-mile flat run through Heber. The weather on Saturday morning was overcast and was sprinkling rain from time to time. It was dry during my run. After we handed off to van two on this leg, we were done! Van two got pretty wet during their last six legs. We went into Park City and got some lunch, and ice cream, then rested until it was time to meet the rest of the team and family at the finish line.
Our team – Just Run – finished one hour ahead of the projected finish time at 31 hours and 35 minutes. I had a great time. I’m glad I ran in the relay. What an amazing experience and another goal to check off my list.
