Utah

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The usual

A short entry in update of the events of the days.  I continue to be fortunate to see and run into the most fascinating people.  I visited with a lady today whose husband is a 3 star general.  She invited me to dinner and said she would like her husband to give me a tour of the Pentagon (I gave her a tour of the Capitol).  That will be something I look forward to cashing in as a great learning experience.
Judge John Roberts paid a visit to the office today.  I had run some things to the Senator’s car for him and was returning his keys to him.  As I was walking from his office, Judge Roberts was ushered in.  He shook my hand, I stood aside, and he went into the offices.  I did not even know he was coming, but nevertheless, I was more than happy to shake his hand.  I felt fortunate to shake the hand of the future Supreme Court Chief Justice.  What an honor.  I feel his power, I can sense a certain awe at the intellect and goodness of this man.  I do not sense this with most others I meet, they just don’t radiate power.  I sense the power of their office, but as individuals I don’t sense it.  This man though, I feel the power of his person.  I can only imagine what he could do for the highest court of the land.  I am completely comfortable with him and his person.  After some of my experiences lately, he gives me strength that some things are working for the benefit of our government.
Walking through the tunnels to get to Capital South Metro stop, I was walking through the basement of Cannon with Gavin, my fellow intern.  We were walking behind a man who seemed familiar.  I then said in a distinct voice, Mr Bishop.  He turned around and it was indeed Mr. Representative Rob Bishop from northern Utah.  I was pleased to walk and visit with him for a few hundred feet.  Nothing really interesting.  He seemed tired or down.  I hope he is well.  It was good to visit and meet him and shake his hand.  What I would not give to sit down with one of these individuals and pick their brain for a while.  I sensed a good man, but downtrodden.  I wish him all well, especially in the House of Representatives, one can get lost in there.  Such confusion!
I love the opportunities to meet and visit with these people.  I am impressed with the amount of power these people hold.  I am impressed with the strength and ability of Washington.  I only wish and pray I felt more individuals who held this power within.  Bishop seemed like one who could, but was tired or down.  Roberts is a moving individual.  Well, I close another entry.  The little run ins are great, but I wish I could learn more!
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Goodbye Boise, Be Good

Yep, the time has finally come for my disappearance from the scene of Boise.  I have never been one who has been terribly sentimental.  After all, time marches on, and nothing I can do about it.  The old saying, “The only thing that is constant is change itself.”  So I just accept that, move on, and keep trying to enjoy what is happening now.  There are always opportunities now, so take them.  Don’t worry about opportunities missed otherwise you just end up thinking about yesterday and accomplishing nothing today.  Besides, if I am faithful and all those about me are faithful, we shall all meet and associate again.  What is more, the bond we feel will always continue as long as we have the Spirit.
I will be sad to be leaving Boise.  It has really grown on me.  As a kid it was always a dirty city with old run down buildings and where everyone smoked.  The downtown has definitely rejuvenated since those times.  I have enjoyed walking around downtown and getting to know the city.  Plus much of it has been replaced, rebuilt, or has been cleaned up.  Plus I like the intimate closeness of the streets and people.  Salt Lake has always seemed so open and cold in many ways.  I guess Logan is laid out the same way, but is much more intimate, personal.  However, they could use some training as well.
Anyhow, I have said most of my good byes in town.  I visited with Gary and Diane Spackman for a spell last night.  Diane said she had really enjoyed having me.  I enjoyed it as well.  The quietness, the great air conditioning, my own room, wireless, yep it was quite the cushy situation.  It was a bit of a ways away, but it was worth the drive.  I will forever be able to say I lived in Eagle, Idaho.
Tom and Erika Kunzler were always so good to offer me meals at their home.  I was so glad when I finished my online summer course.  I did not have to be constantly reading and doing the papers.  I would always go to Tom and Erika’s because I liked the company, plus they helped with the expectations to do my homework.  At home, I have this bad compulsion to procrastinate.  Settle down and read what I want rather than Managing Human Relationships.  Erika one of the weekends I took her down home with me told me how much I had affected their lives.  I am so glad I am a blessing to some people.  Sometimes I feel like such a burden.  Good thing I like to go traveling and visiting people.  They were so good to me.  Feeding me every evening I was there.  Always making sure their home was open and welcoming to me.  They gave me a going away breakfast yesterday.  It was my favorite, biscuits and gravy!  Yep, I know, I am spoiled rotten!
Marc Johnson and Lyn Darrington took me to lunch the other day.  I enjoy listening to them discuss the topics at which the firm is currently occupied.  It is always so interesting and I love it.  I could do this type of thing the rest of my life.  They asked for my take on being an intern and what I suggested they do in the future.  They also gave me some great insight and encouragement for the rest of my life.  I really like them.  This morning Cecil Andrus (addressing him as Governor Andrus just seems to formal!) wished me well and sent his hellos to a few individuals.  He asked me to make sure I send an announcement and all that jazz.  I have enjoyed his perspective as well.  Marc made me promise if I ever make it to Boise with Amanda, I am to pay them a visit.  All three of them said they would be more than willing to provide references for me in the future.  That I really appreciate.  Will in DC asked me to come visit.  I look forward with more association with the firm.
I was chatting with Paula today in the office.  She told me all the bones that she had with my being an intern here.  I am glad we were able to resolve these issues.  Too bad it was on the last day I was here.  I did not know there was a bit of a struggle over this internship before I got here and some bitter feelings still existing.  Plus in some ways I guess I made Paula look bad.  It all seems better though.  I hope so.  She wished me well.
Anyhow, I am headed out of town.  I am headed home to unpack, pack for DC, and Tuesday I fly out.  So long to the west for 4 months.  Good bye my blessed Amanda.  Good bye my beloved Idaho.  Good bye my coveted desert.  Good bye my cherished mountains.  Good bye Boise, Be Good!  Hello Washington D.C.  Hello humidity.  Hello life in the political center of the world.
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Hiroshima

Another crazy weekend.  However, I am proud to announce I received 8 hours of sleep on Sunday!  It was the first time in what must have been months.  I woke up with a hang over though from something.  Perhaps the body was not used to having so much rest.  Who knows.  Made my way down to Richmond again on Friday night.  I took Erika to Twin Falls this time, rather than dropping her at Jerome or Burley.  I stopped in Logan to pick up some books I ordered online.  The autobiography of Burton K Wheeler and Huey P Long, also a biography of Frank Church.  I am looking forward to reading them, although the one stenches of BO.
Amanda was able to come up and meet me in Logan so we went out for some World Famous Aggie Ice Cream.  The line proved that there were plenty of people desiring ice cream that late at night.  It must have been 9:30 and the place was crammed full of people.  Then to top it off, this lady stood and chatted with everyone at the cash register.  I had partially eaten my toffee crunch ice cream cone before she finally departed the store.  If somebody wants to get rich, they should invent an ice cream scoop that puts the ice cream clear to the bottom of the cone.  Unless of course, you like your cooled air inside the cone, slightly condensed with diary moisture.
Out to Richmond, moved in for the nocturnal visit, and spent some quality time together.  The Lundgreen’s had already gone to bed!  I had to get to bed early so that I could rise and be ready for Brad to arrive at 6:15 for work.  It seems I didn’t even fall to sleep the night went by so quickly and the alarm clock was off.  Up, breakfast, and off we go to Preston.  Sprayed lawns in Malad again.  A great day.  Visited St Johns, Pleasantview, and Malad in our spraying adventures.  This lady up on the hill had a cool horse drawn buggy in her garage.  We sat and visited with her about Grass Valley, California for a while.  It was pretty interesting.
Now, I have to tell one of the highlights of the day.  Lunch at the Dude Ranch Restaurant, Main Street, Malad, Idaho.  By the look of things, it looked a bit dingy and run down, but good friendly hospitality  Brad and I took our seat in a booth which was probably one of the originals from 1945.  Definitely enjoyed the old bottle bottom glass separating the booths, which seems to have faded since the 70’s.  We ordered a bacon cheese burger and I added a nice pineapple shake to my order.  I had to get my fruit somehow and didn’t think the potatoes in the fries counted other than as a vegetable!  They hand cut their fries.  I had a curly fry that when I picked it up must have stretched out over a foot in length!  Oh, they were delicious.  The burger, home made patty, with everything freshly cut was so good.  Oh yes, I have a new favorite in dining.  Too bad it is so far off of my normal routes of travel.  Eddies in Smithfield, Utah has some pretty darn good fries too!  Not to mention their Bar-b-Que.  Anyhow, Brad and I departed happy individuals from a good down home meal.  Sometimes I get so darn tired of the other foods.
Made our way back to Preston discussing the problems of the world.  Faith, diligence, and decision making in our lives.  We discussed politics, Supreme Court, Presidential Appointment, Idaho, Franklin County, Utah, and the role of law.  It was interesting.  We discussed other things, but due to my age, have now slipped from memory.
In Richmond, I completed my online class, visited with the family for a bit, and headed out for the Jonas family reunion in small Mantua, Utah.  Pulled in, drove around in circles at the Fish Haven Campground, and finally settled the car on a nice piece of grass.  Thought to myself, “Self, visit a few, catch up, get some e-mails, and get the heck out of dodge.”  Well, I appeared and various people came up and said hi and next thing I knew everyone was asking about Amanda and the rest of the year.  I never knew I was in the loop with the Jonas clan.  I thought I was descendant of a long dead brother whose family had fallen from the planet.  Trying to gain some information and knowledge of the family had been difficult in the past.  Now somehow, I was the center of attention and did not even come prepared.  Well, I went and located my car (it was not where I swear I had just parked it!) and pulled out my computer.  Sat down at the picnic table and started showing photos of the beloved Amanda.  After two pictures, I caught them all by surprise by moving it to the Jonas and Coley pictures.  Yep, had them then within my grasp.  They were chatting and talking about old times.  Laughing and identifying people in the pictures which I had given up hope on finding out who they were.  After a good half hour of changing the subject from me to the Jonas pictures, I opened Personal Ancestral File and started showing what I had.  They oohed and awed and started lining up to make sure I had the information correct, and gave me more.  Well, by the end of my 4 hour stint, I had gathered the contact information for 8 separate families, and loaded into PAF 6 entire new families!  I was pretty excited.  So over the next months, via e-mail, those names and families will be fleshed out with dates and places.  It turned out to be more productive than I though.  I had thought the Jonas family was not interested in their genealogy and I was a lone sentinel trying to amass information.  Alas, they are already lining up for me to put together a book and have it at the family reunion next year.  The best part, the bond increased amongst us and for once, I felt a part of the extended Jonas Clan.
The moment arrived when I had to depart from Mantua.  Off to Tremonton, I met Brad Hales again and we headed up to the Kasota home of the Ross’.  We crashed the night there and Sunday morning arose for our final leg to Nampa.  Brad was kind enough to prepare me a bowl of rolled oats.  I love rolled oats, don’t get me wrong, but the amount of so much I could not place any milk into my already oversized bowl was a bit much.  I felt like I had eaten too much afterwards.  The honey in it was really good though!  Hey, I lowered my cholesterol today!
We then made the trek to Nampa, and then Kuna, Idaho.  On the route, we discussed Brigham Young, being led and inspired of heaven, recognizing that guidance, and Oliver Cowdery.  Interspersed with our personal adventures, experiences, and stories.  It was interesting.
Nampa we arrived at the Hales Homestead and enjoyed some quality family time.  Really good Jello, and seared chicken too!  Then off to church for the baby blessing, of which I was even invited to stand in!  That was exciting.  No relation whatsoever, but I got to stand in for the baby blessing.  A very good testimony meeting, and then it was good bye.  Brad and siblings all headed back to Utah, and I headed to Parma.  Oh, I must comment, Brad’s sister, Amy agreed to go to Eastern Germany with me sometime to travel and do family history work.  I am excited!  Now just have to find that buried box of money…
Parma, Idaho was an experience finding.  I thought it was just one of the next towns from Nampa.  Nope.  A few miles to Caldwell, then to Notus, then to Parma.  It was like 30+ miles.  Oh well, it was a beautiful Sunday drive.  I was tempted just to go to Nyssa, Oregon too, but decided against it later.  I found Parma, and took a stroll around the Roswell and Parma cemeteries for the Ross Clan.  I don’t have a direct link to them, probably don’t but feel so compelled to assemble their family history.  Hopefully the future will reveal why.  I found 4 in Roswell, and 10 in Parma, including Charles Benjamin Ross.  That I was excited about.  Took a good drive around the area.  They must be raising something like grapes or something.  I have never seen the vines growing like that.  The Roswell Cemetery was surrounded by them.  There were also plenty of onion fields.  I swear I could smell spearmint too, but never got out to go into the fields to see if I could find a field of spearmint.  I also never realized Parma was the home of Parma farming implement.  Learn something new every day!
Headed back to Eagle, and crashed for the rest of the afternoon.  Did some catching up on the family history from Mantua, and visited on the phone.
On a sad note, I found out my 3rd Grade teacher, Ella Suhr passed away in June.  I was hoping to at least write her and say thank you for the influence she had on my life.  I suppose I will have to wait a while now.
Well, I will close.  Hope it was not too long and tedious of an entry.  It was a fascinating weekend, even though I am exhausted.  The usual state I am in as of late.  It is all worth it though.  I only hope my body will endure it for a very long time.
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The low down on Miss AH

Well, the details about Amanda. Since everybody keeps asking. Here we go.

She is a beautful, red head at about 5’6″. She grew up in Kaysville, Utah about 20 minutes north of Salt Lake. She has two parents (duh) Bryan and Jill, and three siblings Derek (16), Scott (12), and Alyssa (6). She is a biology major at Utah State, but after we marry will finish her last semester at BYU. She plans on attending Virginia Commonwealth University and become an Dental Hygienist.

We met at Utah State as we both lived in the same ward. The first month of the school year the Elder’s taught the same apartments they had from the summer. I home taught her apartment the first month and met her then. I don’t remember anything in particular about the incident, other than she struck me as the usual freshman, but cute. There was something that intrigued me, but I never thought twice about it. I would say hello to her at Ward Prayer but otherwise never saw or visited with her.

It was not until the end of January that we had a snow storm that dumped snow on us. We received about a foot and a half overnight. Well, being the dutiful Elder assigned to keep some of the sidewalks cleared, I was out shoveling snow. It was a chore to keep my sidewalks clean. Finally when it slowed down some, I thought, well what is the point of shoveling walks if they have to walk through it to the church. So I started shoveling a walk all the way to the church doors. I had crossed the parking lot and was headed by some trees when I was nailed in the side of the head with a snowball. Looking around, a girl who I could not recognize with her hood and everything was looking very innocent. I walked over to her and told her we needed to chat. Putting my arm around her, I picked her up and did a full body plant with her in the snow and then proceeded to white wash her. (I could full body slam her in a foot and half of snow, so I did) She laughed, I laughed, I helped her up (I now knew who it was), and then went back to shoveling. Only seconds later, I was hit by another snow ball in the side of the head. I turned around and was more shocked by the audacity of the girl, (J Golden Kimball comes to mind, “You damn sons of perdition, have you no respect for the Priesthood!) and thought well, here comes another white washing. Again, she did not attempt to run and I proceeded to dump her again and white wash her. However, when I planted her, she put her elbow down, and I heard it hit the pavement. It visibly hurt her, so I felt really bad. I helped her up, felt really bad, and walked her home. I promised I would make it up to her somehow.

A few weeks later, I finally got up the nerve, and a hole in my schedule to take her out. A married friend (James) of mine was given a turkey at Christmas. His wife (Catherine), hates turkey, so he told me to bring a date to dinner, a hungry one. After being turned down twice, Amanda accepted. I did not tell her we were having dinner with a married couple until on the way there, that way she could not back out. We had dinner and played games afterward and my friend insisted on telling stories of me the whole time. After the date, she seemed to enjoy herself, I was impressed with her demeanor, and decided I wanted to take her out again. A week later I was invited by a family in Richmond to come to dinner and bring a date. I did, another awkward date, but she handled it well. I have been taking her out ever since. She keeps letting me!

She really impressed me with an understanding of astronomy. It was also very impressive how she studied biology and could retain it. She was learning it, not just studying it to pass a test. She is one very smart cookie! That kept my attention and she has taught me many things. A very thoughtful girl, deliberate, and interesting. She has a quiet confidence which is very attractive. That is not to mention that she is really cute too. She loves me, and everything has lined up perfectly. Sometimes I think it is too perfect how everything has turned out.

Anyhow, that is the story from my side of the paradigm. Any other questions, feel free to let me know.

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Entering August

The month of August has finally began and the countdown continues to approach the day I leave Boise to head to DC.  I fly out officially on the 23rd.  My last day of work being the Friday before.  It is approaching quickly and I am anticipating yet dreading that day.  It will start another wonderful learning opportunity.  On the other hand, it removes me far from Amanda.  It is also a date that I have to have finished all my online classes from the summer.  I am mostly up to date on the homework and writing, but I could speed things up a bit so I don’t have anything at the last minute.  I will surely miss the Gallatin Group here in Boise.  It has been a learning experience.  I have caught a glimpse into many fascinating areas of life.  I appreciate the level of independence they have allowed me and the responsibility they have given.  While it has not necessarily taught me much more about government or theory, I did get to learn about some of our clients and their situations.  I wish I could have worked on the day to day information on at least one client and learned what they really do here than just their marketing and some of their research.  Oh well.  Perhaps that day will come in the future.
The month is brought in with a wonderful weekend preceding in Utah.  I was able to sneak down and surprise Miss Hemsley on Thursday rather than Friday.  It also gave me the opportunity to recoup some from the trip down before coming back up.  That was greatly appreciated, even though I did not get as much sleep as I would have liked.  We got to spend some good time together.  A highlight was our date to Murray to see “Harry Podder, Dude where’s my Wand?”  It was very good and I enjoyed it.  More so, I enjoyed the company of the most beautiful girl in the whole world.
Another bit of exciting news, I have the privilege of going to Portland on the 12th to see an Ambassador sworn in.  This will be a very fascinating thing.  I will hopefully get to see my sister as well and spend the weekend with her.  If not, I will just come back the morning after.  I think that is exciting.
I have to comment on what such wonderful friends I have in my life.  I was able to visit with a few people over the weekend in person and on the phone.  My life is truly blessed by such wonderful individuals.  Some of them have been there for decades now, and that I think is nothing short of miraculous.  Especially how I am such a bear to put up with at times.  I thank heaven for them and hope I will find many more such friends.  I hope I may be able to add something to their lives for the better as well.
Think I better close out.  Much to do yet today!