Christmas is upon us

Oh, boy! Did last month go by too quickly for anyone else besides me? It's already well into December, and we're getting closer to Christmas time. Melanie and I will be moving up north to Layton next week, and we will probably live there for two years or so. This summer we've decided to go to the curious land of Mini-appleless in Minnesota for Living Scriptures. Until then, I'll be growing my PPL Business as usual. It's been a blessing to be able to take 3 to 4 months away from business without it affecting our income or jeopardizing my ability to come back and still work for the company after the summer. (I could take years off if I really wanted to) I'm also thinking of taking up a part-time sales position at a car dealership or something, whatever will fit my time frame. So that's the plan for the Youngs, what's new for you guys?

Requesting Comments

I started a poll of sorts on my blog please visit and give feedback.  Comical or serious I don't mind.

Quaker Oats

So Jane and I got a really good deal a couple of months or granola bars and other quaker oats stuff and I am slowly whittling away the supply but we still have a lot in our house.  If anyone wants some quaker oats stuff you could probably drop by and grab a box.  Life is going pretty well I am getting to the end to the semester and I am glad for it.  Mostly glad for it, because then I am going to have to decide the next step in life.  Well, I guess that is what life is about choices and different paths we can take.  Good luck to all of you.

So if I make it part of my routine

I have been thinking and if I decide to make blogging a part of my daily routine I may just have a chance at making regular contributions. Things have been going pretty well lately although the fiasco of this last week was quite obnoxious.  I was supposed to take the GRE Physics test last Saturday, but lo and behold the proctors did not show.  I don't need the test exactly so I figured I would just ask for a refund and now I am seeing what happens with that.  I still get to take the GRE General test and we will see how that goes but I do feel a lot more comfortable with that.  Well that is my fun adventure for the last week.  Hope everyone is doing alright catch you later.

I am requesting Nerd help! Stat!

Ok, my dear brothers. Please do not go overboard with the following questions and/or statements.

I know this is a bit personal, but I am in need of some information if you would like to provide it. One of you has answered this question for me before and I still appreciate his words.

How did you know or decide that she was right?
Can you describe the feeling you had when you had finalized you decision to ask her?

Once again---do not go reading into this too far. And don't spread any rumors please. I have merely had some events happen that lead me to question certain ideas, feelings, and the whole process in general.

The situation is complicated. It always has been for me. That's about all I can say safely for now.

If you feel that this information is to sacred, then by all means do not share it.

Thank you brothers. I'll be communicating with you again sometime soon. But don't expect any announcements.

Ked :>)

The Progression of Ked

Boy, it seems like the last three years have been some of the longest years of my life. And somehow I wonder how three years have already passed. Strange isn't it?

I stand now at a peak of perspective. My view is showing me personal progression that I was often not aware was taking place. Ked has changed, grown, evolved.
In reaching this new vista I see many more of the challenges that lie ahead. I am excited to take them on. My courage is building so that I may take some of the most daring leaps of my life of my life. These are leaps of faith, daring, and sometimes random spontaneity.
I feel that the future is taking shape before my eyes. Like the wax I was molding in my sculpture class, visions are becoming realities. Yes, there is still much to do.
I hope you all are well and you find life adventurous. It may be taxing, but the journey is better that way.

Stress, life, dumb things, and all that!

I don't know if I've ever had a stronger desire to re-start Ked's Poetry Corner. But I won't at this time, because I don't have the time.

But boy is life tough.
The end

Still Standing

Well I am still here although sometimes I wish I didn't have to be. My brain is spent I ran through some GRE practice sections today and have been fighting with a Physics lecture I get to give tomorrow. Luckily work was slow so I could work on the lecture a little tonight I just hope I can get some notes written for tomorrow and survive it. Next week I take the Math exit exam to see if they are going to let me graduate. I haven't done much about preparing for it so I hope I get through without too much stress. After that I have the GRE Subject test and then the General one as well coming up in November. After all of that stuff I guess it is off to graduation and then a glimpse of real life before grad school next fall. Fun, fun, fun. I have been getting through the semester okay except for some of the lectures in Physics II like the one tomorrow, thermodynamics just isn't cooperating with my brain. I will be happy to get to electricity and light and things. The other class that I give lectures in is Physics I and it is more of the good solid classical physics moving blocks, pulleys, and stuff I enjoy that and understand it quite a bit more. Well that is where I'm at in a nutshell I guess. Good luck to everyone else in their endeavors.

Nerd Halloween Pumpkin Bash?

(Kind of a neat ring to it, don't you think?) Is anyone else iching to get together this month as a Herd again? Maybe a movie, some games, or whatever is decided upon. It's likely that we won't be able to have all of us in one place at the same time, but maybe we can get the few that can together one of these nights. Is Splashboy going to be dropping by sometime this month? If so, maybe we can plan around that. We might end up not being able to do anything, and that's okay. People are busy. But if we can, it would be great to spend time with you guys again as a group. Good luck in all you're doing! Make it worth it!

New Blog

I've finally created a Blog. Come one, come all! Visit That Young Fellow today!

Halloween

I find October to be a most perplexing month. What should I be for Halloween? The only years that I haven't asked this question were the two that I served the Lord. Wait...the one year when there was no Halloween party. I wore a mustache and pith helmet in one area.
So, I have an excellent idea for a large, eerie costume. It would require a lot of time and effort. Midterms are coming up and I'm currently weighing the fun and the grades on my scale.
I also have a small costume that I'm putting together. I found some little kids lino and bear costumes that I'm altering to fit. The lion head already fits well. The bear body--not so well. Reminds me of Spiderman's comment in the second movie. Anyway--it is hilarious looking.
I mainly came to apologize for not writing. I don't find a whole lot to write about. I have no kids on the way, no weird throat pictures, no bridge pictures, no wedding announcement, no organizational tactics, etc.
I do have ten cognitive distortions that I think are fairly applicable to a lot of people. Maybe I'll post those tomorrow. That is copyrighted material though...Hmm. Oh well.
'Til next time. (Cue cheesy music)
"Butterfly in the sky,
I can fly twice as high.
Just take a look.
It's in a book.
Reading Rainbow."

My Scruff

FYI - If you see me looking extra scruffy these next three weeks, it's for good reason. I don't like me with facial hair, but for Halloween this year I need a beard. I could make a fake one, but i didn't want to wear any glue on my face this year. When I asked Melanie what she thought about this on a scale from 1 to 10 - 10 being totally okay with it - she was an 8.

So, yeah. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Coin for Tawa

Mr. Tawa is having me build a large 20 inch diameter Indian head penny. "Why?" you ask? Well, it's because Mr. Tawa has betrayed us, and his daughter is on Cedar High's drill team. :) As soon as she said that they needed a big coin for one of their prop routines, Mr. Tawa imidiately tracked me down, and started throwing cash at me. I gave in. (I'll post pictures once it's completed.)

Make today a great one, guys!

Success Tracking

I've been reading Bach's blog and the comments, and I've been doing something everyday for the last year that I think some of you may find useful. This is my own, personal way of keeping track of every single measurable action I take toward my goals in the growth of my business every single day. I've assigned a point value for each one of these activities to help me gauge my efficiency aswell. The following are the things I track daily:

Personal Development: (Always work on yourself more than your business)
1 pt. - Goals I set (Daily/Weekly)
1 pt. - Each 1/2 hour of Self-Help, Audio Training, etc. (This also includes Scripture Reading)

Personal Activity: (Important things that don't neccessarily move me forward.)
1 pt. - Phone Calls (Simply making the call)
1 pt. - Voice Messages
1 pt. - New Contacts
2 pts. - Place a "Tool" (Paphlet, DVD, CD, or something to inform my Prospect)
3 pts. - Long distance Packages (Info. via Mail to someone >100 miles away.)
1 pt. - On Conference Calls (with business partners and Executives to stay informed)
1 pt. - Contact my "Work-out" partner (to hold each other accountable for our actions and stay motivated)

Personal Productivity: (These are the things that lead to results!)
1 pt. - Phone Contact (Actually being able to reach the person you called)
2 pts.- Set an appointment
2 pts. - 3-way call (for prospect to speak to an expert, or a satisfied customer)
3 pts. - Presentations
4 pts. - Membership Sales
4 pts. - New Associate/Business Partner
5 pts. - Host a Private Business Reception / Attend a Weekly Business Briefing
5 pts. - Plan with new Associate / Help them earn 1st Paycheck.

Now, I obviously don't do all of these things every day, some I only do once or twice a week. Sometimes I only sell one membership a month. It doesn't matter. The thing that matters is that I'm working on my business and setting goals daily. (I normally get 20 points a day. These last couple of days, however, have been in the 50s) I actually graph it out every day in Excel and then depending on my daily total of points I know If I'm just going through the motions of owning a business (staying busy) or if I'm actually getting somewhere. Some think this approach is too complicated and will just use their income as their measuring stick. That's usually what most people do, and that's fine, but with business - like everything in life - you can't expect to harvest in the same season you plant. This is the reason 98% of all businesses shut down in their first 15 years: They aren't persistent, they let their emotions, friends, and family deceive them, and they give up too early. There must be time to cultivate. If you see it, others will too. Some will, some wont, so what. Don't give up on yourself or your ideas.

If you want to actually see how these charts work, get a hold of me personally and I'd be more than happy to show you. I just thought it might help someone the way it's helped me.

New York Backyard

Presenting my latest creations, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty... out of card board and paper.

I'm actually the Project Manager for D&T Entertainment here in Southern Utah, and last week I put together some decorations we needed for a private event in someone's back yard. The customer only gave us two days notice, and this is proof to me that - in many cases - desperation leads to inspiration. D&T was put together by Devin Brooks and Terry Meeds, and we're the ones that will be doing many of the major high school dances and university events from here on out. Our first major event will be the "Cedar Sheek" hair show/competition held in November. (Keep your eyes open for details two to three weeks prior.) Anyway, just keeping you guys up with where my creativity is going. See you guys later!

Latest from the Natest

Hail friends! With school up and running again it's obvious that everyone has little time to dilly-dally around with lesser priorities. I've had a to-do list on my white board that has only grown over the last two weeks! So, today I've decided to check off some of those items. One of which is this post.

I recently attended an international convention for my company, Pre-Paid Legal, two weekends ago in Las Vegas. One of the truly amazing things about a home-based business convention is that you meet so many people who are less capable than you are (as far as circumstances and skills), achieving great success by simply applying proven systems and "doing the thing". It proves that after finding a solid company with a solid product, if you stick and stay you'll get your pay. Something you don't see too often is a network marketing company that is supported by attorney generals and the president of the National Chamber of Commerce. In fact, on Saturday Sep. 29th a documentary (not an infomercial) put together by many of the U.S. attorneys general about PPL will air Nationally on Court TV. It is the first of an educational series to better inform U.S. citizens about the changes in our legal system, and what our company is doing to help average-income americans obtain access to it. This is really big for me, guys. Please tune in Saturday morning (the 29th) at 9:00 if you can, so you can know a little bit more about the credibility of what it is I'm so proud to be a part of.

You guys are great! Things are going well, I'll talk to you guys later!

Fun Searches

I was playing on my computer for a moment yesterday and thought "is there anyone I would like to try and contact" and I tried to remember the name of a friend who moved away after 7th grade, but didn't have much luck. Then I said to myself "self, how about Carlin Walser" then I googled "Carlin Walser" and what do you know but the first entry is someone in Oklahoma and I send an email and there you have it he is one and the same. I also ran a search on "Abraham C. Hunt" and got a chuckle. Well, I am surprised and glad that when I searched for my name without the " " that I am not that popular on the web I didn't show up much at all so I am a little less well know on the internet than I might have thought. Well, talk to you all later and for those of us in school good luck with classes and for the rest good luck with your work and such.

Mi casa, es Picasa

Okay, so I've uploaded the throat pictures for all to look on. Take a look if you wish. See you in church Sunday.

Harnessing a Creative Power

I've always been fascinated with how and why we dream what we dream. I don't understand it, but some people have very vivid and lengthy dreams every single night (like me), while others never seem to remember anything except for the nightmare they had last year. I've always believed that dreams can be special, and that there must be some way to develop the mind's capacity for dreaming in a way that would be a benefit to us. One way I discovered on my mission is to keep a dream journal next to your bed and write down as much as you can remember first thing each morning. (This also gave me a couple minutes to full wake up so I didn't fall right back asleep while trying to say my morning prayer.) The more I bring those dreams to my conscious mind, I more vivid and lengthy my dreams become. Two nights ago I was watching Ocean's Eleven, and all night long - in my dream - I was planning out a major heist, and organizing a team to pull it off. Lots of action and spy stuff, it was really cool. I'd wake up periodically and invite my brother to join me, or ask Jensen (one of my sales reps) if he wanted me to turn the noise down from my dreams a bit so he could sleep. ...yea, it's kind of funny how real my dreams are sometimes even after I realize it was just a dream. Last night as a part of my dream I was struggling to make a breakfast burrito, and when I woke up I went into the kitchen to finish it only to realize it was just a dream. I dream every night, all night long sometimes.

As I was mentioning earlier, I think there must be a way to harness this creative power of the brain into something more productive. I thoroughly enjoy the ability to be part of such great adventures while I sleep, but I'd much rather use that creativity to solve business problems, receive spiritual guidance, and improve my creativity. Knowing that time is one of our most valuable assets, and that we spend roughly 1/3 of this life asleep, I wonder to what ends can these curious powers lead us to? - Just a random thought I've be regularly thinking about this last week or so, and intersted in any insights or comments you may have.

Grand Illusions

I had a dream last night where I ran into Superguy unexpectedly. "Wow, how are you!?" I asked excitedly. ...I don't remember his immediate response, but we discussed this blog and how important it was that I post something new. This is strange because I've been meaning to post what follows for about 5 days now. Anyway, I hope this will be as interesting to some of you as it is to me.

Of all the things in this world that interest me, I have to say that puzzles and illusions are among my favorites. There are some clever Brits that have put together a pretty nerdy website that I've been visiting off and on for a while now. They explain many mysteries through articles and links to valuable research, and have come up with some of their own through fascinating gadgets and toys (all of which can be purchased through their website). One such illusion I thought Bach would find particularly interesting is their explanation of "The Moon Illusion". While Superguy may want to add this unusual math technique to his bag math skills. I'm sure everyone will enjoy the seemingly endless variety of stuff this site has to offer.

I made a visit to the doctor yesterday to find out why my throat was still red, swollen and full of canker sores, and didn't clear up after all the antibiotics and stuff. (I'm going on day 17 now.) He took a look, recoiled in surprise and said "Ooh, ow ow ow!" He explained that my "canker sores" had actually become ulcers; one covering my entire Uvula (the dangly thing in the back of the throat", one next to it, and the other two off to the sides where my jaw meets my throat. And the cause of all this: Stress. That's why the anibiotics didn't work, nor will they work. The Doc gave me a piece of paper with a formula I could whip up at home that coats the sores and sooths the pain, but it's just going to have to run it's course. I've debated about whether or not to post a picture of my throat. Leave your votes in the form of comments. See you guys later, enjoy the website!

Still alive and in crisis

I am still here and kicking for the most part. I made a post on my site about the crisis in my title. I found a poem that gives me some hope. Here is a piece of it

Turn to the Father

He is the one, that we can turn to
He is the one always there for you
Turn to the Father
All ye who hurt
He will help you
He will raise you up from the dirt
There is light when he is near
No more darkness left to fear
Turn to the Father and to his Son
Receive of their peace for Redemption is come

Marcus Richards

Unofficial Plans

The end of the summer is nigh, and my time and effort have proved rewarding. Difficult and stressful, yet worthwhile. Melanie and I are moving back to Cedar for the fall to attend school, then to northern Utah in December to be closer to her OB/GYN. We will live there for a while (maybe a year or two) while we figure out our next step. That next step might be a move to Washington or Oregon, or we may decide to stay close to the Salt Lake valley. We are pretty much done with school after the fall semester, me graduating with a GE degree and Melanie with a degree in PE. We spend a lot of time together making family plans, discussing financial challenges, and making sketches and designs for our dream home. (We're young and realize it may be decades before that dream is realized, but it's our way of having fun together: building it first on paper.)
This is a humbling experience, being an un-insured young-and-broke married couple with a baby on the way who may not have a place to stay by the end of the month, but this is also a very fun time to be alive. We've been blessed with so much, and we've had so many good experiences so far. We're so thankful to have friends like you guys, and be able to be a part of all that we are. Being uncomfortable while stretching to achieve difficult goals has been bringing us happiness and helped us grow. ...that's an intersting thought: If character had appearence, whould it have stretch-marks? Anyway, that's the up and up with Melanie and I for the next while. Have a good week everyone!

Booklist

I'm kind of in the same spot as antares, do I make my posts here or at my own blog? I've just created a book list at benjaminhowe.com which contains books that I have read or would like to read. I'm looking for suggestions for additions to the "to read" part of the list. I suppose I'm in Superguy's shoes too, asking for contributions. Gee... it's no wonder we all get along. On that note, thanks for all your comments on my idea which I posted on my blog. I shall consider all that was said and hopefully put a killer plan into action before too long.

Idea Shout Out

Hey guys I am tracking traffic on my finance blog now and I want to get the word out so I can see the numbers climb and feel like I am sharing some information that might be helpful to people. I wanted to ask you guys for questions that you might have or others might have that I can respond to. Also, if you visit my site drop a comment or two so I know people are not just visiting but maybe getting something from my posts. I would also appreciate it if you let people know about the site and tell them to leave comments especially if they have questions on specific topics. I know that there is a "market" for these topics among young adults and especially among couples. So let me know what you think. Thanks

Life and everything

Well summer has been interesting just taking time off and having some fun with my laptop and the internet. I can't wait to get back to school and work so I can be putting money back in the bank again. Gwen is crawling and climbing now and I wouldn't be surprised to see her walking in the next few months. Jane is doing well and we are set for another year in our apartment. I am not sure if I have said most of this before and if I have I apologize. I added a new post to my blog I don't get it that often, but my finance blog is growing and I am enjoying adding to that. Just thought I would check in, I am still around and frequently check the blog so thanks for everyone's contributions.

Down for Days

Last Saturday afternoon I had a sore throat, by Monday it was a major Infection. I went to the Doctor, he gave me some stuff, and for the last Three Days I haven't been able to swallow food, talk, blow my nose, cough, yawn, burp, or any other functions that require the use of your throat! It's the most Painful experience I've had in my entire life! I've been able to drink fluids, but only with extreme pain. After a Priesthood blessing, and taking the last three days off of work to rest, I can now do mostly everything a normal person can do. (Most importantly, I am back to work!) I'm still on Pain-killers to keep me concious, but I'm doing so much better now.

I'm happy to see Ked's joined us! I should be heading back to Cedar around the 24th or 25th. We'll just have to see how my team is doing and if they need to work an extra day or two. Either way we'll be back in our own ward that Sunday, and ready for classes Monday. (yipee.) Ta-Ta for now!
-Sickman in WY

CyberCorps

Ben and I just went over to Cedar High to get some free pizza with a CyberCorps thing that was happening today. It was fun to go see that the program has grown quite a bit from our high school days and it is interesting to look back so far in time and think about the way things were. It was fun and who knows maybe I will sneak off tomorrow as well.

Splashboy Arrives!!

Well, I had another one of those rare experiences where you hit the back button when you don't mean to and lose all your previous work.
But I am here! I have decided to join the blur of words and photos on the Nerd Blog. And I won't try to delete myself...I promise.
I am currently working full time up here in Provo. But I am also trying to play a lot. I went hiking and camping with some friends down in Zion a few weeks ago. I've been water skiing, swimming, hiking, mountain biking, rafting, spelunking, and numerous other things. We're currently planning a trip to either Mesa Verde or Yellowstone.
My plans are continually forming but as of now I am on track to graduate in Communications with an emphasis in print journalism. I am also contemplating an english minor. A bit of a change, I know. However, it will fit in with some of my goals, dreams, and plans for the future.
Because I have changed my major a few times I'll most likely graduate in a year and a half. However, my time here has been well worth it. When I graduate I plan to live in Thailand for a least one year. I may work in my comms field or I may teach english. But I have some projects I'd like to work on there, as well as boost my Thai skills.
I am currently dating the lovely Sarah M. Hall from Iowa City, Iowa. She loves the outdoors, traveling, sports, musicals, and a bunch of other stuff. She served her mission in South Africa and is currently working on an MPA here at the Y. She has gone with several internship groups to other countries and has even spent time in my greenie area in Thailand.
Sufficeth to say, life is great and I am content. I have to go but I will return with more exciting adventures from the life of Splashboy. Chow!

Herd Map

I made a quick herd map for the fun of it, it is here.

Historical Account

I am here to establish a historical account of the phrase "Ked's Poetry Corner" and the cause of the phrase's conception. As Nearly as I can establish from period accounts contained in the archive of the Nerd yahoo group the phrase was coined on October 19, 2001 by nathanscissorhands in post 108 entitled "Another Yesterday, Today". The reference would most likely have been understood as a reference to post 104 of the previous day authored by hunt_bob and entitled "The ode of Ked". The rest of the archive is in my public albums. Good luck everyone and have fun going down memory lane.

I am finding it hard to know what to post sometimes, and when I do think of something to write, I can't decide whether to post it here or on my own blog at blog.jameswarrick.com. I just got done with a nice post, but I ended up putting it up on my page. So, those who really want to keep up might want to check both places...

I was thinking, can we have a new category for this blog called "Keds Poetry Corner"? I think it would be great to relive the olden days.

That being said, are there any talks of a get-together happening any time soon? I have not had a lot of direct contact with many of you for a while.

This is a short rambling post... just wanted to make my appearance again.

How Bach started on his prodigious Journey

It all started with pyramid people. :D

Team member survey

While reading the book I'm reading, I came upon an interesting tool for building effective teams: a test that tells you what role you would most efficiently fill in a team. I'm curious to see what the rest of you all rank as so I'll post the link here and await your results:
http://oneminutemillionaire.com/tools/hots.asp

I'm not a huge believer in all of those color personality tests and whatnot, but I thought this one was interesting. Thanks for trying it out!

Added some pictures

Picassa isn't exactly like webatography and yours sets up the nice looking albums quite a bit better. I added some photos to my albums if anyone wants to look at them. Also, I set up a neat thing for my family on google maps. It is going to be something we are going to use to locate different family members. It still needs more work but it looks like it should work out quite well.

More Memories

I've carried this one for a while now. It would have been extra spiffy if I were the Sterling Scholar for Social Science, but I remember watching all of you go through all of that telling me how lucky I was to not have to worry about it! Wasn't Charie a Sterling Scholar, too? Abe, are there TWO medallions around your neck? These are questions I could never answer over the years. Maybe someone could clue me in here.

I can't remember too much about this one other than I lost the mechanical watch I was wearing in this picture the following week, and that the matching piano theme was purely coincidental!

And of course, if there is any single image in all my High School experiences that contributed to sore abs and falling downs, this is probably it.

I still get a kick out of it!

Hey, this brings up an interesting idea. Could we use Webatography to make a photo album for this blog instead of posting all of our pictures here?

And More Memories

I uploaded a "few" more that I had to an online album. It was quite cool I was able to find some of my old Mavica photos. I have more on my computer as well in case anyone ever wants to see them. If you guys don't know there are a lot of things you can do with a google id like setting up your own online albums. Check out the google more list if you want to know more or let me know I have actually tried out quite a few things.

Ahh the memories

And there are more where they came from (namely from my hard drive).

Professionalism

I've had a lot of people look at some of the projects I've done for people in the past and say "Gee, you really should do something with that!" And ever since the scissorhands costume, I've tried to take pictures along the way to include in a portfolio for future opportunities.

While getting my hair cut recently, the barber advised me "next time you do ANYTHING, take the step as a professional and hire a professional photographer to take those pictures for you. It gives them a sense of surrealism, and will make all the difference." That's true. I see a lot of professional pictures that make some pretty junky stuff look like true works of art. So from now on, whenever I do a project for someone, I'm going to hire Gemini Digital Media to do the photography for me.

Could you work up a couple package options, and price estimates for me. (I'm not going to be pinching pennies here, I plan to pay you like professionals.) I wouldn't be working on anything until September/early October. But if you find something that works well for me, I'll be a loyal costumer for several years to come. How 'bout it?

This battle station is fully operational

I'm announcing that my own blog at benjaminhowe.com is now up and running. The first real post is mostly what I've already posted here, but I invite you all to read up on it and make comments.

On another note, I'm looking for ideas on how to promote Webatography.com. Any input is greatly appreciated. Do any of you know somebody who is big on selling stuff on e-bay? Send 'em over! Real estate agents? People who make and sell crafts and have websites? Underwater basketweavers?

Thanks for your help, and have a happy day.

Nerd Gathering Anyone?

I've been wondering these last few months when we will see each other again. I acutally carry pictures around with me to show families as I visit them. Two of those pictures I've carried with me since graduation! The first is the picture of all of us at graduation in our robes. The second is a picture of us in the St. George airport dressed in our missionary suits ties and badges. "What a great group of friends!" Everyone says. Imagine, your best friends from school - most of which were sterling scholars - all going on missions across the world, and we still keep in touch with each other! How exciting it is be part of such a wonderful clan. We each vary in talents and skills, and regardless of where we go from here I firmly believe that our friendship will stay alive for decades to come. I just finished reading Abe's commentaries from his other blogs, and I think he's done a pretty good job at opening to us some good information.

What's funny is no matter how far we've come, and after all we accomplish, it is built within us to move on to more challenging and difficult things. It's easy to think that we've yet to make that big step, that we are currently facing THE life altering decision. But that's the way we've always felt (at least for me anyway). High School, Senior Year, Graduation, that mysterious gap until the Mission, the Mission itself, and the list goes on. I remember being scared to death of the thought that we'd all be married and having kids someday, dooming our chances of ever interacting as a Herd again! ... It's obvious now that it's actually added something special to our Herd. I think it's safe to say we are all in a pickle right now trying to take "that next step" in our lives, and finding out what that step even is. But I know that greater things are in store for all of us and our families, and that whatever choises we make, the Lord will bless us. Make today a great day! I've got to run.

Decided on a topic for a blog

Well, as I was poking around tonight I decided I did have something to write a bit about on my own blog so I added a link to a personal finance blog. Hagoni

Well here are new pictures

More pictures of my Gwendolyn and a picture of my sweet sweet set up. Including (but not limited to) HD tv, Wii, and Playstation 3.

Things are going well for us and I am glad that the blog is collecting a little bit more traffic now. Remember to let us know what is happening in life. Hope you guys are all doing well.

A little about the Blog

First of all it is nice to see that we are mostly here. I want to reiterate something that I said in my first post that if we want to invite family to participate in this blog please let me know email addresses and such if your wives would like to participate. Also, when creating a new post you have the opportunity to give it a Label at the bottom right corner of the blogging text please try out this feature because it will help organize discussion type entries versus family information entries. Just thought I would say a few things there and thanks again for posting everyone. I made some labels feel free to edit them if you feel they don't capture the true flavor of your post. I also have added a links section to the page for links to personal/other blogs and such things.

Greetings Fellow Nerds!

Well, I guess this makes it 4 out of 5 now...

I was sitting down, going through some of my emails on my spam account, glancing to see if anything important had slipped through, and was led here to this. I must say I was glad to see this, I have had a blog up for a months on blog.jameswarrick.com, and have not gotten past switching themes every 2 days because I don´t like any I have seen :-) I think this will be good fodder for some writing material, but even better it will be a way to personally connect with some of the most important people in my life, who helped me to where I am today.

Anyway, that being said I am going to sign off for now, this keyboard is driving me nuts. (bad xorg.conf file, in case anybody cares ;-)

My philosophy of money

A common thread in all of the personal finance books I've ever read (a list which admittedly includes all of about 3 books) seems to be "All you have to do to be financially independent is _______ and _______ and ________ etc." They make it seem like you can make a to-do list, start checking items off the top and by the time you reach the bottom your net worth will have met or exceeded a million dollars. Can it really be that simple? Isn't a million dollars a lot of money? More than any normal person out to be able to get his hands on?

Think about that point of view though. Do we tell ourselves that we won't ever have much money in our lives because we feel like we don't deserve it or that fate probably won't pick us to be wealthy? Well where's the sense in that? By finding the right investment and putting a mere dollar or two a day into it anybody can retire on a million bucks at 60 or 70. The fact is in our day and age, being a millionaire is easy.

The ease at which a million dollars can be amassed is both exciting and terrifying. In a class system which inevitability forms in a free-market system, the lower ends of the classes seem to look up at the upper ends and, in a form of enmity, tell themselves one of two lies: either that the ones with the money can't be happy for the simple reason that they have money, or "if I only had money I could be happy." To suggest that one's happiness is either conversely or directly related to one's net worth is outrageous. Happiness is absolutely not about money.

What, then, is money about? That depends on the person and his motives. For me it means security and freedom. It's a fact of life that, living in our world, the overwhelming majority of things that sustain life come through the exchange of money (unless you want to completely isolate yourself from the rest of society and farm a few acres of land to keep yourself and your family alive). With that fact in mind, money in the bank to cover your costs is security. During the last 3 weeks or so I got Bell's Palsy, a condition which paralyzes half of the victim's face for at least 2 weeks and Ashley got a throat infection and fever which refused to subside without medical intervention. We did not feel secure knowing that we had no insurance and may not be able to afford a trip to the doctor nor the treatment that might be prescribed. Fortunately, my face came back to life of its own accord and IHC has a financial assistance program which will hopefully cover most of Ashley's treatment.

Also there is the question of freedom: our world is covered from corner to corner, pole to pole with opportunities for growth and education. We all believe that the purpose of life is to learn and progress, so why not seek out these opportunities? Financial resources can provide that freedom. I think of the psychology concept of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (apologies to the theory's author if I've misspelled his name) which says we seek to satisfy our most basic and important needs which all animals have before seeking to satisfy some of the higher needs which define our humanity. Our Pioneer ancestors had to spend most of their time fulfilling the needs of food and shelter, so they didn't have the opportunity to travel the world (not sightseeing anyway), but they did make every effort to refine their humanity when they could by having dances and building opera houses, establishing bands and symphonies, and so on. Think of the sacrifice it would have been for one of them to own a trumpet. Certain of them actually sacrificed the unthinkable amount of weight and space in their wagons to take a piano to the Salt Lake Valley. I think that they would have embraced the opportunities available to us to learn from any avenues possible -- opportunities which we have because of their legacies.

Security and freedom are things I want. A lot. If money is the means by which they come, then I'm going to need some of that, and as long as I'm going to use it to extend freedom and security to people around me, what's wrong with having a lot?

I've finally decided that I'm not afraid of money, that I'm ready to be in control of my life, my security, and my freedom. I'm ready to invest my talents and work to grow them. This week I'm going to be starting a blog at benjaminhowe.com which will serve as my journal on my road to a bountiful life. I'm inviting you all to be part of a "dream team." I believe there is nothing wrong with money and I hope that we can work together to build freedom for us and many others.

Who's game?

I just need a goal

I find myself looking at these posts and I think to myself good for those guys that are working on something. I dabble here and there but I am at a turning point of decision in the next couple of months. It seems that you guys are a little more organized and have a bit more vision of where you want to be in the future and I am just examining my options still. Still I have had a little more of a feeling of some things I want to accomplish and I doubt I will be a "wealthy" person when all is said and done at least I won't get there by having big paychecks that is. I am happy for you guys that at least have some idea of where you want to be and are working towards it. If you ever need help I am willing to help.

A Slight Edge

I must admit that I know how to build an organization, and network properly. I could shed some light on the subject, and I'd be happy to help. However, I'm not the best person to turn to. (After all, I've only been networking for two years now, and still have much to learn.) Ask me all you want, I'll help out all I can. But I've learned something CRUCIAL over the last two years about success and people:

First, a disclaimer: This is a touchy subject. Nothing in this blog is meant to demean, belittle, or ridicule any one's beliefs, opinions, or feelings. I love you guys, and you're my best of friends. We may have differences in opinion and our goals in life will vary, but I KNOW that one thing we all want in this life is to be successful (however you define it) in one or more areas of this wonderful experience called life. Okay, with that said...

There is far too much to talk about, and I'm not going to say it. There are countless books out there written by people who have greater minds and more experience. Unfortunately some will make the mistake of not reading those books because of one discomfort or another. ONE that I recommend (understanding Ben's concern) is "THE SLIGHT EDGE" by Jeff Olson. It is THE book to read before you read any other how-to or wealth book. It is the book you need to read, highlight and reread along with your classes, your career planning, your exercise routine and pursuit of new skills. The book to keep with you as you set out to grow and pursue greater accomplishment, achievement and fulfillment in any area of your life. I've read it a couple times now, and if you don't get it soon you can expect a copy from me under your Christmas tree this year.

The more "success" or "get rich" books you read, the more you'll notice that it points to YOU as the only major variable. The greatest gift you could ever give yourself is also the wisest business investment you could ever make. It is also the most critical step in accomplishing any challenging task, and is the one step without which all other success strategies, no matter how smart or time-tested, are doomed to fail. This gift is your own personal development. Abraham Lincoln said "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe." Obviously a good philosophy on personal development and preparation. Your success and income can only grow to the extent that you do. If you come into big money (or a big organization) when you're not ready for it on the inside, your success will be short lived and you could lose it. (Just look at the latest lotto winner.) I had to learn this lesson the hard way last year. I was building an organization, things were going great, and I was making money. But I didn't know how to manage my business or lead that organization, or at least I hadn't developed those leadership muscles well enough yet. I didn't fit into those shoes... yet. Most people give up at that point thinking to themselves "I guess I'm just not cut out for this." or "this will never work for me." But the past doesn't have to equal the future! Sure, I wasn't who I needed to be then, but I've sure come a long way, and I know that I'm getting there. We can all get there, wherever that end is for you. Ben was right, accumulating wealth carries responsibilities. It aids good men in blessing those around them, and bad men in cut-throat ambitions for personal gratification. If money is your means to a righteous end, you will be blessed in your efforts to acquire that money.

People everywhere want "the secret", the path, the formula. "Tell me how you did this, so I can do it too." Millions of people keep asking HOW, but how to do it is not the issue. Why? Because the answer is only the answer - it isn't actually doing the thing. It isn't applying the answer and living the answer. Ben obviously pointed this out, as I'm sure Abe knows too. You can only build your dream by building it. Something else I think we all agree to is that your life isn't just about you. It's also about contributing to others. It's about living true to your mission and reasons for being on the Earth at this time. Being rich (in the truest sense of the word) includes adding value to other people's lives. Getting rich (or being successful, if "rich" is another four-letter-word to you) is not easy. Anyone who tells you it is is a little out of integrity. It takes focus, knowledge, courage, expertise, 100% of your effort, a never-give-up attitude, and of course a "rich" mind set. It also requires you forget about results, and put your hand to the plow for a season. It is easy to be seduced by the promise of results. We live in a results-oriented world, but there's a problem: You can't judge the course of action you're taking by its results, when its results com last. Remember: Plant, cultivate, then harvest. We can't plant expecting to harvest in the same season. It takes faith, patience, and the ability to withstand criticism from those we sometimes love most.

I could go on forever, but I know this is getting long. I'm going to post my recommended books later on. Best of success to you in achieving your success, and becoming the men needed to carry out such great work. Thanks for being my friends!

Young Stuff

Hey Everyone! Here we are at Lagoon on one of our days off. There's me, Melanie, Jensen Prestwich, Jake, and down below is Jessica Howard. These characters are my sales team. Good looking group, eh?

Apparently we have a home where the buffalo roam, and the skys are not cloudy all day. (We wish there were more clouds though, maybe it would cool off for once!) One of these buffalo beasts started to charge at me when I stopped to take this picture! (He's the mean fella' on the far left.)

This is a neat look at the ground cross-sectioned by a powerfull saw designed to remove concrete sidewalks. It cut so smoothly you can see many of the tunnels created by little pests in the ground!

Well, I just thought I'd share with you some of the amazingnesses of the Great State of Selling. ...er, I mean Wyoming. Make it a great day! Love you guys!

Networking a million dollars

So lately I've been reading a book, one some of you have probably read before, titled "The One Minute Millionaire." This is somewhat significant for me, since in the past I've had my reservations about reading books meant specifically written to show you how to be filthy rich. To be sure, I still have grave reservations about anybody or anything whose singular goal is to put a million bucks in your pocket, because I believe that that much money is very powerful and ought to be earned and the person to whom it belongs ought to know how to use it to the benefit of those around him, lessons he hopefully learned along the way of acquiring said million dollars.

I've always thought that these make-a-pile-of-money books really ought to not be written about money at all, but rather about principles that can be used everywhere in life, including, but not limited to, finances. Take the principle of accountancy for example: you can account for a lot of things -- time, money, physical resources, shelf space, whatever. Wouldn't it be better to teach somebody how to be a good accountant and then have that person extend the principles of accounting to every applicable part of his life instead of stopping at teaching a person to be a good financial accountant only?

Anyway, to get back to the point, this book actually does focus on good principles and habits that improve a person's whole person and emphasizes constructive motives, means, and ends.

About 1/3 the way through the book, when it actually starts getting to talking about how to make a million dollars, they present this analogy of a lever doing the work of moving the million dollar idea where you are the fulcrum and the lever is your resources and the forces pushing down on the lever are things like your network, a mentor, your team, skills & tools, etc.

While talking about networking, they bring out the point that you really only need to find the one "key contact" in your infinite network, or the list of people you know and the people they know, and so on. You don't have to sell a widget to a million people, you just have to sell a million widgets to one person. Or for some other applications, you might just need to find the person that knows a million people who want widgets.

At the moment, I'm working on a photo and album management system called Webatography.com which, like software always is, 80-90% done. I'm looking for ways to promote it and get it in front of people's eyes. What this website does is allow you to organize your photos and build albums out of them that you can post anywhere on the Internet. It has huge application for real estate buyers and sellers as well as eBay sellers and bloggers and such. I'd like to leverage my network to get this thing flying, and that's why I'm writing this post. How can I build a network from the people I know (you guys) which will help me find the people that are going to pay for this service? Word-of-mouth advertising is the best because a) its free and b) it actually works.

I know Nate has quite a pile of expertise in networking, and has a couple of huge networks of his own, so I especially want to hear from you. Abe is bored most of the day, so maybe I'll hire you on (with a salary even?!) as help in this venture. I'm sure my network is full of the skills that will make this succeed, I just have to learn how to find them.

I appreciate your input, and have a nice day.

Insanity of the moment

Well we have gone off the deep end and made spur of the moment purchases. We were thinking of taking out a loan again this year and hadn't decided on how much, when we found something that looked good and bought it. We got a really good deal on a clearance High Definition tv. We also are probably going to get a Playstation 3 because like I said we are going off the deep end. The Playstation prices have dropped just this week and some of the functionality of the thing look really cool. Well I might update on how all this goes talk to you all later.

Hail Friends!

Hail friends, peace be with you! Melanie and I (and the little-one in the oven) are having a wonderful time here in WY. The gospel is true and thriving, and if you place yourself just right you can profit from it! (JUST KIDDING) That's what some people who know very little about Living Scriptures think the company is trying to do: Sell people on their religion. But this has been a wonderful experience, it feels like a second mission. So many people have waited for us to come by it's amazing. The company hasn't sent anyone out to WY for 5 years! Some of these families have told me they've been waiting for years just to get started. The stories I hear from some of these families on how these videos have blessed their kids and grandkids (and non-member husbands) are enough to make you feel as though you'd never want to watch anything else ever again! (except for spiderman and an occasional spy movie of course.) Needless to say, things are great up here. Melanie is healthy and well, and we are now 13 weeks along with ... little ... baby. As soon as we know the gender, we'll let you know the name... and gender. (boy, girl, or lizard) Cast your ballots, every vote counts! Good to hear from you guys!

My Pretty Daughter

Here are some pictures of my Pretty Miss Gwendolyn. They are even a little bit old I will have to get some newer ones up sometime.

Good idea

Good idea. Hopefully we can get a bit of a dialog going on here. Actually, hopefully we can get a bit of a pentalouge going on here :-)

Jump on board, everybody.

Tried in the past but why not one more time

Well this is my attempt to give us a home once again to try and know something about each others lives. Simply put it will be a catch up on life type page with the opportunity to post photos and such if you please. I do this because I honestly don't know much about where, what, and other such questioning words about several of the guys. Also, I think that we can invite our families to participate so that we can keep up together on each others lives. I know I would like hearing from Clarisssa once in awhile :D. Well, I hope others see the possibilities with this site and that we can make a point of keeping our lives up to date. If nothing else you can view it as making journal entries and we are all supposed to be doing that anyway, right? Well I love you all and hope I can get everyone set up on here.