Orchestra is amazing

Dear family,

Got to hit send and go to sleep. Love to all!

Dad

Wednesday, April 28, 2021
10:00 pm

During family prayer tonight, Spencer expressed appreciation for the fact that tomorrow is Friday. Sad for him, that is not the case. This week has gone really fast. Quick recap:

Monday – I met with another contractor we are considering for our Springville building. FHE ran late, as usual. Nathaniel went to sleep well.

Tuesday – Had a frustrating conversation with a vendor that isn't doing a very good job for us. I'm actively looking at changing providers. Most of the day at work felt frustrating. The boys joined the newly restarted Primary Activity program. I had several interviews and then bishopric meeting. It was uplifting.

Today – Better day at work. Joined the annual business meeting for the Utah Credit Union Association. Sam Crane, a friend and CEO in Grand County, is growing his hair for a part he has in the Book of Mormon videos.  Filming was delayed due to COVID, so he has been growing his hair and beard for over a year. He looks the part now! Met with the final contractor we are considering; I think I may have liked them the best. All three contractors are quality companies and would do a good job. The hard part is deciding which one to work with and which two to say "no" to.

Tonight Abbie had an orchestra concert at the art museum. They did a great job. The soloists were incredible. Amazing that they are high school students and that accomplished.

Nathaniel was challenging last night. He was up past midnight, shouting whenever I tried to put him down. Finally Julie brought him downstairs with her while she fed Hazel. He was awake again before 6:00 am and messed up my morning routine. He didn't want to go to sleep again tonight, but I think he was too exhausted to stay awake. But it still took until nearly 10:30 to get him down!

Snack, then bed.

More later…

From the archives because it makes me smile.

Serving with Christlike love

Dear family,

I sure love you all. Jessie, I try not to brag about you too much when people ask what you're doing now that your mission is over. It's not easy when people see the painting you gave me for Christmas. I go into full "proud dad" mode. And Mark, the same goes for you when people ask about your mission. Similarly with Abbie, Spencer, Neil, Isaac, Emma, Camilla, Nathaniel, Hazel, and my wonderful wife. You're all amazing and wonderful.

Enjoy a quick recap of the last 48 hours!

Love,

Dad

Sunday, April 25, 2021
10:19 pm

Yesterday was project day:

·        Change winter tires for regular on Bertha

·        Oil change for Bertha

·        Tried to fix leaky washer. Discovered that the problem is not what I thought. That took two hours to tear into and put back together. Fortunately the problem is a quick fix. Part is ordered, should be here Wednesday, and will only take about 15 minutes. (Assuming I can turn off the water at the inlet… that may be a problem.)

·        Mowed the lawn with Nathaniel on my back.

·        Scrubbed our shower.

·        Went on a date with Julie. That was a bummer. ☹

Today was a full Sunday. Church was nice. Meetings before Church were effective. Ward Youth Council this month was better than last, although we still had a fair amount of screen time on the part of some of the youth. My initial thought after the meeting was to ask them next time to put their phones away, but the Spirit prompted otherwise. Get to know them and let them get to know me. That's going to be much more effective than "nagging." We'll see.

Had a 2½ hour training meeting with the Stake Presidency. It was long, but I love spending time with those men. There is a brotherhood among Bishops that I had heard about but never understood. I try very hard to keep my mouth closed so I can learn from them and from the Holy Ghost.

Dinner tonight at Dad and Mom's was delicious. Typical Sunday dinner with berries and cream for dessert. I would have loved to eat more, but I was full! Read scriptures together after, then put the kids in bed. They went to sleep reasonably well. Spencer and I went on a drive, then journal and bed.

Ministering: I hope my service to our ward is effective and helps them draw closer to the Savior. I was asked to lead the discussion in YW today, and really enjoyed that. We discussed the following scriptures, with a very brief summary of what I learn:

·       Matthew 14:13–21 With Jesus' help, what we have is enough.

·       John 9:1–11 Sometimes hard things are just part of life. We can serve others without judging.

·       John 13:4–5, 12–17 No one is too good to serve another person.

·       3 Nephi 17:5–10  Jesus met people's needs one by one.

Thankful: I don't mean this to sound arrogant in any way, but I am thankful that I have been spared so much of the heartache that comes from sin. Discussing the needs of the members of our Stake, how to counsel with various problems, membership counsels, etc. made me remember how naïve I really am, and I am thankful for that.

Off to sleep. More later…

Some of my favorite people:

Uneventful

Dear family,

Not much to say about today. But I sure love you all!

Love,

Dad

Friday, April 23, 2021
8:53 pm

Today was slow at work, which was nice I guess because two employees had the day off. But that's not great for growth.

I met with one of the contractors we are considering for our Springville branch. It was a good meeting and I think I learned a few things.

I changed the snow tires on the Odyssey; tomorrow I do the same to Bertha. Tonight we had homemade pizza for dinner. I debated with kids about why we don't get to sleep together. Now it's time to give Nathaniel a bottle and rock him to sleep.

Wow, what an exciting day.

More later…

Caption contest! Send me your best caption.

Wanna Mac?

Dear family,

I'm going to get more than six hours of sleep tonight. But I have to hurry. Love you all!

Dad

Thursday, April 22, 2021
9:20 pm

I saw a scary headline recently. A study finds that middle-aged adults who get 6 hours or less of sleep per night have a 30% increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Great. That's just wonderful news. So in a demonstration of true maturity, I didn't read the article. 🤣

I had several meetings today and spent a lot of time working on marketing. I think I used my day pretty well, but feel like I need to get better at focusing more of my time developing my employees. I've got several new employees. Since hiring them I feel like I have been sequestered in my office doing important things, but not helping them learn and become better. I'm also getting ready to promote two other employees when they graduate from UVU next month. I need to spend time helping them develop.

I went to Costco after work to put gas in Bertha and get a couple things. While there I saw that they carry the Mac Book Air, and Jessie needs one to be able to do her graphic design work. So… I went to Costco to buy gas and a container of yogurt and walked away with a new computer. It seems like it is working great, which is wonderful. Jessie is working as an independent contractor and needs a computer that doesn't crash every time she tries to edit a graphic design file. I'm glad she was able to get a machine that will work for her.

Thankful: I feel so grateful that I have the resources to provide for my children's needs. When Jessie needs a new computer but doesn't have the cashflow to handle that expense immediately, I can help. That just makes me feel very grateful.

Ministering: Doug Huntsman is the CEO of Utah Federal Credit Union. We use the same computer system. He asked me the other day if I could help him build a query to extract some data he needed. This morning we spent about 45 minutes on a Zoom call and I showed him how to use the tools I am familiar with to accomplish what he needed. I suspect there are better ways to do what we did, but my way is effective. It felt good to spend some time helping someone else. Suzanne joined the call so she could learn it too.

More later…

Hard at work on Abbie's dress last week.

Two meetings successfully completed

Dear family,

I hope you all had a really nice day today! I'm happy with how my day went, and glad that our annual meeting met the minimum requirements. Hopefully next year will be back to normal.

Love everyone!

Dad

Wednesday, April 21, 2021
9:22 pm

Today was effective. We got initial bids for our Springville building, and they came in roughly where I expected – about $2 million. Gulp. Now I need to review our projections and make sure this will work.

I joined Paul Atkinson, Dale Phelps, and Steve Clayson for lunch today; they are the CEO's of Aline, Nebo, and Pacific Horizon Credit Unions. We talked business for a while then Church. Dale served as bishop of his ward and Paul is currently his ward's bishop.

I had Board meeting this afternoon, and it went very well. Then we had the CU annual meeting in the evening. We needed 15 people to form a quorum and had 18. Good enough. I hope next spring we an serve pancakes again.

Tonight for YM we learned about coding web pages. That is Bro. Zabriskie's career and he did a good job introducing some basic concepts to the kids. Spencer totally ate it up and was eager to keep working.

Ministering:  Hmmm. I'm not sure I can think of anyone I ministered to today. Does giving some of the youth a ride home after mutual count? I'm afraid that's the best I've got.

Thankful: I'm grateful that mom came over tonight to help Julie and the kids since I was only home for about 15 minutes between the CU annual meeting and YM tonight. It was a full day.

More later...

Dinner on Saturday. Delicious!

 

Going to bed on time!

Dear family,

Mark, both people I visited tonight asked about you. Sis. Tilley said she hopes you come work for BYU Broadcasting again after your mission. :)

Love to all,

Dad

 Tuesday, April 20, 2021

10:44 pm

Full days. Yesterday I spent a lot of time migrating our calendars at work from Google to Microsoft. Almost done. I think it will help our efficiency, especially once Springville is open. FHE was nice. Julie did a lesson on heroes from the scriptures, and how the things that we admire in our heroes are all Christlike attributes.

Today I was in my office with the door closed most of the day getting ready for Board meeting tomorrow afternoon and the annual meeting in the evening. I think everything is ready.

Tonight Reid and I visited the Mortimers and Alana Tilley. Nice visits both places.

More later…

I love Sundays

Dear family,

Sunday's are so full. I am home only for a few hours, and the challenges I help others deal with are so very real. But God in his mercy makes it possible and sustains those he calls. Thank you for sustaining me in my efforts to serve.

I got to make dinner today and enjoyed it. (Turned out delicious, too!) Mark, I thought of you and our Spanish-languge dinner prep. It was fun to remember.

Sleeping time. I hope you all remember how much I love you!

Love,

Dad

Sunday, April 18, 2021
11:03 pm

Bread is in the oven. Journal entry while it finishes. Today was full and good. Started early with a screaming Nathaniel who refused to be comforted. Or reasonable. Finally ended up in bed with us. Julie and kids made it to Church at noon with the 10^th ward. Bishop Reed said they were welcome, so we took him up on that.

I had several meaningful interviews today, including my monthly visit with Pres. Brinkerhoff. I sure love him and look forward to my interviews with him.

I was directed by the Spirit this week. While reading Elder Renlund's talk, I followed footnotes. Ended up in Hebrews 4:16 and Isaiah 41:10 speaking about the hope and confidence with which we can approach the throne of God when we need his grace. Those scriptures really impressed me and I tagged them to make them easy to find again. Today while visiting with someone I used them to encourage and reassure of God's love. The person with whom I was visiting commented that my counsel and these scriptures sounded very merciful. I teared up as I assured them that the Jesus I know is full of mercy and anxious to forgive. I think sometimes we forget that.

Tonight Reid Heiss (my 1^st counselor) joined us for dinner. He held Hazel, ate "scary vegetables," and interacted with each of the kids. I think they all enjoyed having him with us and asked if we can invite him back again. His wife passed away a couple years ago and he has only one daughter living close that he can visit with. I think we are going to issue a standing invitation (or expectation) for Sunday dinner each week that we aren't with dad and mom.

Thankful: I am so grateful for God's mercy, his forgiveness, and his grace. I am not worthy of it, but none of us is and yet he offers it. I desire more than anything to know and follow my Savior, and lead my family and others to him.

Ministering: Sunday's feel easy to minister. See above.

More later…

I took some photos today, but none have uploaded yet to my sharing site. So here is another from our trip to Thanksgiving Point last week.

Prom day



Good night family, I love you all!

Saturday, April 17, 2021
10:50 pm

Writing fast. Yesterday finished prepping financial statements and sent to the board. Also organized scholarship applications and sent them to our review committee.

Julie has been working all week on Abbie's prom dress and finished it this afternoon. It looks amazing. Abbie is at prom now, and looked wonderful. I hope she has a great time.

Started today at a Sunday School training meeting. I came away with some ideas on how we can enhance the home-centered nature of our worship. Parents model for their children finding ways to apply what they learned in Church. Middle children serve as role models for their younger siblings. The younger children leave their classes with specific suggestions they can share with their families.

Yesterday Spencer and I made a late run to the store. Got ice cream, chips and salsa. Took a carton of ice cream to Curt Kent to thank him for serving so well, most recently working until 2 am with Peter Jordan to get a home he has built ready for its final inspection. Took the chips and salsa to the Swenson's who are quarantining with COVID now. Sent Andy a text that if the sister has been involved it would have had a card, ribbon, and looked cute. But since it was from me, he got it in a plastic grocery bag. Fortunately the Lord can use our srenghts and compensate for our shortcomings.

More later…

Rain is lovely

Dear family,

It rained a fair amount today, which was lovely. Praying that continues.

Jessie's website officially began selling her artwork yesterday, and it is off to a fabulous start. I think she sold $800 worth of prints her first day. (Jessie, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.) So proud of her good work and the difference she is making.

Love to all!

Dad

Thursday, April 15, 2021
10:00 pm

Writing earlier to get to sleep earlier. Yesterday we had pizza and planning for YM. Bro. Zabriskie ran the meeting and did a good job, starting with the boys' interests. I had a bunch of meetings for work.

Today was the first day of the Utah Credit Union Association convention. Normally in person, it was cancelled last year and held virtually today and tomorrow for 3 hours each day. It wasn't nearly as good as meeting in person. I spent a couple hours working on our calendars to get them integrated better with our Microsoft subscription. I think we made good progress. Tomorrow I might tackle my To Do list. Tonight I had an interview with one of our youth in preparation for seminary graduation.

Have a couple emails still to write so I'm wrapping up.

More later…

Abbie, masked up and enjoying the tulips.

Light of the World at Thanksgiving Point

Tuesday, April 13, 2021
11:22 pm

I may never get to sleep on time again, but it is worth it. One time to work this morning, read scriptures first. I love learning about the Lord's blessings to his children and his plan for us. Nothing surprises him. Enjoyed lunch with dad today. Learned that he has been called as the new EQP in his ward. What a joy that will be. He wanted my input as one who has served in that calling recently and who is now a Bishop.

I left work early today to join the family at the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point. I'm glad I did that; there was lots of work still to do, but I felt like family time was more important. And I was right. The work will still be there in the morning. The gardens were nice, and will be even better in another week or so. We're hoping to go back. There is a new exhibit on Jesus Christ that is spectacular. Bronze statues in gardens with natural stone incorporated. Truly loved it. Lost the kids for a while, but all made it home safely.

Had some appointments lined up that fell through due to COVID. Seriously ready for this microscopic pest to be gone. Had good bishopric meeting. So grateful to work with good men. Came home, ate a snack, put Nathaniel to bed, now time to sleep.

More later…

Jesus calling Lazarus from the tomb.

Sleep? Who needs sleep?

Good night family! I love you all.

Monday, April 12, 2021
9:05 pm

Same day, new journal entry. Nathaniel did not sleep well last night. He finally went to sleep around 2:15 am, and I was up less than four hours later to pack lunches for school. Fortunately, I've felt quite good all day and accomplished a lot at work. God is kind.

Had a nice visit with Mark at lunch today. He is not a fan of Facebook finding, but that is the direction they have been given to use much of their time.

Thankful: I'm thankful that today was a productive day in spite of getting little sleep. I'm also thankful that Jessie spent time this morning here so Julie could take a nap.

Ministering: I spent a fair amount of time on the phone today discussing a couple different issues in the ward.

More later…

From last Saturday. This is what Emma looks like when she's not tired and watching a movie she doesn't like. 🙄

Blessing Hazel, Camilla's birthday

Dear family,

I love you all!

Monday, April 12, 2021
12:35 pm

Blessed Hazel "today." (How did it get to be past midnight?) Key points I remember:

·        Blessed with a believing heart

·        Blessed with a spirit of kindness

·        Blessed to develop good relationships with her siblings, regardless of the age differences

·        Blessed to love and keep covenants

Dad said he always keeps his eyes open and watches the baby while blessing. He said Hazel had a smile on her face as we finished. So sweet.

Had some difficult but encouraging conversations with ward members struggling with sin. Had a meeting with the Stake Presidency to discuss plans to resume in-person church for 2^nd hour. Can't wait for that.

Wonderful dinner tonight with family to celebrate Camilla's birthday. Nice drive with Spencer after that. Extended conversations with Pres. Kent, my sister Stephanie, and Julie tonight. Now it is tomorrow. Nuts.

More later…

Photo

Boys and fire. Some things never change!

Ken

Sent from my mobile device

Please forgive any strange auto-corrections! 

Following Jesus

Dear family,

I sure love you all. Tonight's email runs a little long and is a bit more introspective than usual. But this is what is important to me. Thank you for helping me be the best me I can. You're the best!

Love,

Dad

Wednesday, April 7, 2021
11:22 pm

I've had the last two days off for spring break, taking tomorrow off too.  Yesterday I wanted to use some very old bananas to make banana muffins, but Emma wanted banana bread.  I ended up using my muffin recipe for bread, and it worked great. In the afternoon we went to the BYU Museum of Art and made up a scavenger hunt for each other.  Divided into three teams. I worked with Isaac; that was just fun. He's such a good boy. Nathaniel and I spent time climbing stairs once he was done riding in the stroller. It was a nice break after spending much of the morning folding laundry. In the evening I had an interview at Church, made a visit to the Robinsons, and had bishopric meeting.

Today I tried to make a quick trip to Costco. There's no such thing. Started when I got in line to fill Bertha with gas. The old gentleman in front of me was having trouble figuring out the cards to turn the pump on. I was done filling my 30 gallon tank before he started filling his. Fortunately that was the extent of my problems today.

We had a hot dog roast for lunch today. I got pineapple, strawberries, and raspberries at Costco and they were delicious. I put Nathaniel down for a nap while Julie and Grandma took the kids on a scooter excursion. While Nathaniel slept I plowed through 100+ emails so I won't have to face them all when I go back to the office on Friday.

Jessie was released as a missionary tonight. The entire family joined her with Pres. Brinkerhoff at the stake center. It was a little chaotic, but was so nice to be there. I am so grateful for her service. It did not look like we expected, but has been a blessing to her. I am in awe of how God can use our experiences – the good ones, the hard ones, the planned ones, and the unexpected – and use them to teach and mold us. Jessie's art talent has blossomed and her vision for college and career has changed. Although she would have been a fine chemist, I think her artistic focus will tap into her passion and allow her to make a much bigger contribution in the world.

Jessie isn't the only one who has grown and been changed by her mission. My eyes have been opened and my heart has been softened in ways I never would have imagined because of what I have experienced. I hope I am a better man, more gentle husband and father, and compassionate bishop.

Speaking of such things, I have really been thinking since General Conference this past weekend – I'm ready for a change. I'm done doing things my way. For roughly three decades I have served in Jesus Christ's church the way I thought I should. And I think I've made a positive impact and blessed lives. But too much of it has been me doing things for Jesus. I want to move to a higher, holier way of service.  I want to intentionally do things with Jesus for my brothers and sisters. I really want to be guided by Him and do whatever he says to do. That's not worded quite right, but it's close enough. I think the next step is getting better at hearing his voice through the Holy Ghost and acting promptly.

Where does he want me to start this practice? I think at home with my family. They are the most important to me, and fortunately they love me and are patient with me and can help me figure this out.

More later…

Quick note

Sorry this doesn't have much of interest in it. But I'm sure interested in making sure you know how much I love you!

Love,

Dad

Monday, April 5, 2021
10:07 pm

Today was a blur. My two newest tellers started today, and I spent time working to get them the info they need to begin learning their responsibilities. Suzanne was off and the office was busy much of the day. Phones were ringing, people in the lobby and at the drive-thru, and I was trying to get enough done to take the next three days off while the kids have spring break. I think I got there, but I'm worried about how the next few days will go. I hope things are not chaotic.

Tonight we had FHE, and I sat on guard duty for far too long. Now I'm going to sleep.

More later…

Spencer helped someone (Nathaniel?) write names on the porch yesterday.

Twenty new temples

Dear family,

It was wonderful to spend this weekend with you.  Mark, I enjoyed our brief visit tonight and look forward to visiting again tomorrow.

Love to all,

Dad

Sunday, April 4, 2021
9:35 pm

Happy Easter!  This has been a very pleasant weekend.  General Conference was wonderful.  We ate good food.  We enjoyed visits with family and friends.  I feel challenged, humbled, and meekly optimistic that with the Lord's help, I can do the things God wants me to do.  Pres. Nelson talked about removing the debris from our lives as we become more like the Savior.  Elder Cook talked about and to Bishops; I've listened to the talk once and need to study it several more times.

A highlight from yesterday was having the Young family over for dinner after the second session of Conference.  Cheyenne is Abbie's age and they are good friends.  They have younger children who line up very well with the ages of our younger kids.  Next school year we will be moving the kids back to Sage Creek Elementary, which is the school we are supposed to attend.  They have been nervous about making this change since they've been at Maple Ridge for so long and don't know anyone in Sage Creek.  It took almost no time for friendships to be made; hopefully this will help ease that transition.  They stayed for several hours and we enjoyed it very much.

Today was delightful.  Julie had several activities planned for the different sessions and talks.  My favorite was bringing my extensive tie collection downstairs and trying to find ties that we thought matched the tie of the speaker.  It was a lot of fun.  Dad, Mom and Randy joined us for the morning session.  It was probably more chaotic than they are used to watching Conference from home.  They came back for dinner after the last session, and David, Lisa and their children joined us too.  Dinner was terrific.  I tried adding a few pinches of fennel seed to the roast, and it certainly didn't hurt anything!

We finished the day with an Easter egg hunt.  The eggs were paper eggs with scriptures written on them, not plastic eggs filled with candy.  The scriptures took us through the Easter story and was a tender and appropriate way to end the day.

Ministering: I hope I was able to minister to my family today and this weekend.  I tried to focus on the needs of my family and be present for them.

Thankful: I am so thankful for prophets, for Jesus Christ, and for my testimony.  I (partly) recognize how very far I am from where I want to be, and I rely on the grace of Jesus Christ to sustain me.  And I am amazed by the fact that Pres. Nelson announced twenty new temples in the concluding session of Conference.  It is inspiring to see the Lord hastening His work, and I pray that I will magnify the role He has given me as a husband, father, and Bishop.

More later…

Someone found her thumb

Five ties!

(Sort of) matching ties!

Prom, Deacons, and new employees

Dear family,

The weather today was wonderful.  I'm glad I was able to get out and do a little yard work in the evening after work.  I love you all!

Love,

Dad

Friday, April 2, 2021
10:19 pm

It's been a couple fast days.  Wednesday I woke up not feeling great – tummy issues and kind of achy.  Abbie got Spencer to seminary and I went back to sleep until 10:00 am.  I checked with the pharmacist and he said as long as I didn't have any specific COVID symptoms I could still get the vaccine.  I worked in the afternoon, but wasn't feeling awesome.  I went to bed early Wednesday night and didn't get up terribly early on Thursday.

Yesterday was a full day at work, then we watched Abbie's orchestra concert via livestream.  Sadly, she jammed a finger at school while playing ultimate Frisbee with friends at lunch.  She didn't break it, but bruised it pretty badly. It's in a splint now. Also on Thursday Abbie was asked to prom. So exciting!

Today was busy.  Suzanne and I interviewed three people for part-time teller positions and extended two offers which were accepted.  I got a preliminary estimate of our income for the month… it looks very good.  Too good in fact.  I need to check the numbers in greater detail on Monday to make sure something didn't get missed.

In the middle of the day I joined Neil at his school for the fifth grade maturation program.  Always an adventure.  The kids handled it well; no silliness.  (Of course, each boy was sitting next to his dad or another adult, so I'm not sure they dared be silly.)

Tonight we started our annual "turn off the lights for Easter" event.  Julie thought of this several years ago, and we really like it.  We turn off the lights on Good Friday and (mostly) leave them off until Resurrection Sunday.  It helps us remember Jesus, the Light of the World, in a different way.

Thankful: I'm really thankful to be feeling better.  Good health is such a wonderful blessing.  And the fact that we have ten children and almost no health problems is truly miraculous.

Ministering: The Deacons have really struggled to pass the sacrament in a way that didn't feel a little chaotic.  They have been doing their best to do it just right, but it's been challenging.  Two weeks ago we had the Deacons all sit on the stand and watch as the more experienced Teachers and Priests took care of passing.  Berkley Clements (my 2^nd Assistant) also reviewed the process with them again.  It made a big difference.  Last week was much better.  Yesterday I mailed a quick note to each of the Deacons who passed the sacrament last Sunday to let them know that I noticed and to thank them.

More later…

Abbie's Prom invite showed up after bedtime,which means everyone had to come downstairs to see!