Started 17 day dejunking challenge- so far we have thrown away 100 plus things.

Had our first non-family babysitters (a big important step) and picked Sushi for our date.
Liam started crawling and the fun has increased exponentially.

Went Ice Climbing in Ouray- improved from being really bad to not being really bad.

Turned 30 years old

Started doing a healthy lifestyle challenge and have been choking down several fruits and veggies every day.

House issues and repairs- pipe broke nearly flooding basement and sink started leaking all the same week. (not necessarily highlights)
Now riding the bike trainer 2 times/week for 30 minutes resulting in very sore bottom.
Swimming 2 times/week- moved up in the swim world, and now I am  starting to compete with the 65 year old women in lane 2. Boo-Yah!
Dropped iPad and shattered the screen- later repaired it- learned it is easy to live without
Enjoyed Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocal

So in no particular order (chronological or importance) here we go:

Life Events

Liam was Born
Gave Liam a name and a blessing
Bought an iPad
Went to the Masters
Ran a Marathon in Dublin, Ireland
Spoke at a Funeral
17th place in Suncrest Half Marathon

Fun

Went to Disneyworld with the family
Ran the Epic Relay Race with awesome team in beautiful Jackson Hole
Full Week of Scout Camp- created and played Spotlights and Ninjas
Drove the Mustangs at Miller Sports Park
Played Promontory Point
Played Glenwild
Played Salt Lake Country Club
Played Valhalla Golf course
Walked the San Antonio Boardwalk with my wife and family
Went to the Nickelcade to help my wife induce labor
Won 3 point contest by some miracle
Asked and went to Prom with Michelle

Random

Learned the game Dominion
Thought that it would be genius to invent Tattoos that disappear after 3 years
Started mbahack.org which I haven’t maintained
Started Parental Ponderings blog
1st experiment with crowdsourcing
Bought an iPhone 4S- quickly fell in and out of love with Siri-
Started early rise routine for one month
Ended Early rise routine
Bumper Sticker Call Campaign idea
Caught a fly out of the air
Memorized Proclamation to the Word: The Family

Travel

Grand Teton NP
Glacier National Park
Zion National Park
Idea to do an International Marathon entered into my thoughts and never left
9/11 Memorial in NYC
Walked through Occupy Wall Street demonstrations
Visited Stonehenge
Visited Salisbury Cathedral
Toured the Roman Baths in Bath England
Visited Blenheim Castle
Went to Preston, England Temple
Visited York
Visited London Temple
Saw the London Bridge
Toured Tower of London
Visited Churchill Museum in London
Drove the Ring of Kerry
Visited Killarney National Park in Ireland
Toured Trinity College- saw the Book of Kells
Miracle of the returning of our passports
Fulfilled lifelong dream of going to Four Corners

Movies Watched

Knight and Day
Bobby Fischer at Sundance
Unstoppable
Social Network
Source Code
Killers
X-Men First Class
Season 4 of 24
How to train your dragon
True Grit
Regretfully watched “Limitless”
Regretfully watched “Green Hornet”
Harry Potter- Last one
Pay it Forward
Sherlock Holmes (1st one)
Made it through Fiddler on the Roof for the 1st time
2nd Sherlock Holmes

Books Listened to or Read

Listened to “Lone Survivor”
Read “Seal Target Geranimo”
Listened to “The Hunger Games”
Listened to “The Last Lecture”
Listened to “How to Master Your Time” by Brian Tracy
Listened to “Million Dollar Habits” by Brian Tracy

Many of you know that I have a chronic problem of losing pens and any writing utensil. In fact, when I got married and Michelle started going through my closet she found a large shoe box full of pens. She thought and then asked ” This is crazy, why would somebody need all of these pens?” I simply replied that those pens wouldn’t last a year now that my stash was found and available for use and loss, explaining that if I lost an average of 1 per day, they wouldn’t even last a year. Anyway, you get the idea- I have a problem.

Enter iPad, enter new problem. Of course, all my 100 pens wouldn’t work on my iPad to take notes for meetings (I use an awesome app called Notes Plus) and to draw and doodle and think with- I needed a “capacitive” stylus. So I bought a few of those expensive suckers that are about 5-20 times more expensive than the 100 pens stashed away in my closet. After about a week of blissful use, they were nowhere to be found, and although our son is now starting to eat solids, he is not quite old enough to start blaming for little lost items that inexplicably disappear.

After struggling with my dilemma for a few hours, I knew what I needed- the solution- a key chain stylus. A stylus that would easily connect and disconnect from my key chain and prevent loss. I tried to find a good one on Amazon.com or other stores, but to no avail. I tried connecting a mini stylus with a string to my key chain- after a few attempts of untangling my keys from the string, I gave up. I took apart my Inka Pen (key chain pen) and super glued and cut and drilled, and in the end, it didn’t work well and I ironically lost my several prototypes. I didn’t give up.

After a few weeks of constantly thinking and talking and developing a better keychain stylus, to the point where I’ve been asked not to talk about it for four hours a day, I finally created a workable, sell-able iPad keychain stylus that I haven’t lost and that works well. After a few more weeks of risky wire transfers to other parts of the world and receiving hundreds of imported styli (or styluses), manufacturing the GoDash Stylus, becoming an Amazon reseller, and selling my first units to loving and caring family members (including my wife) who feel bad for the thousands of stupid ideas I have come up throughout my life, I finally have a product that has been sold to non-family members (as of yesterday) through Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055CQ106.

So don’t hesitate, I suggest you order soon because the supply really is limited. Note: this also works on smart phones and other devices that require a capacitive stylus, and is great for the cold winters when you are wearing gloves and need to navigate your device.

Side note: I guess that writing and sharing about something is a good way to help ones self achieve a goal. Extra pressure to do what you said you were going to do.

So the challenge is over, I hope it has been helpful and I invite you to make a goal to continue writing in your journals daily.

I hope the habit has been formed and that we are all able to continue reaping the benefits and blessings that come from journal writing.

“Thoughts are created in the act of writing. [It is a myth that] you must have something to say in order to write. Reality: You often need to write in order to have anything to say. Thought comes with writing, and writing may never come if it is postponed until we are satisfied that we have something to say. … The assertion of write first, see what you had to say later applies to all manifestations of written language, to letters … as well as to diaries and journals” (Frank Smith, “Myths of Writing,” Language Arts58, no. 7 [1981]: 793, 795)

It makes me think about what President Packer said about bearing a testimony- he said-
“Oh, if I could teach you this one principle. A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it! Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that “leap of faith,” as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and stepped into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two. “The spirit of man,” is as the scripture says, indeed “is the candle of the Lord.” (Prov. 20:27.)(http://lds.org/ensign/1983/01/the-candle-of-the-lord?lang=eng)

I think that journal writing does help us develop our innermost thoughts and feelings and helps us figure things out. I’ve made it a goal for the next 10 days to write more in my journal and make it more thoughtful rather than just writing the simple happenings of the day.

“The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.”  ~Norbet Platt

Throughout my life I have gone through spurts of journal writing. In 8th grade I made a pact with a friend and the 1st person to miss a day had to give the other a $.50 candy bar. I wrote for one year straight without missing a day, I can’t remember who won, or if he ever paid up, but I did learn that it is important to write every day. There is power in the consistency of writing every day, of being in the habit of writing something no matter how mundane and simple the entries seem. Even the little events after the passage of time, spark memories and help to piece together the puzzle of forgotten life.

Here is the challenge to anybody who wants to participate. Starting today, for 17 consecutive days write something, anything in your journal. Let me know if you are going to join me for this 17 day challenge. I’ll be posting some thoughts about journal writing.

Well, I was inspired with a great solution: one idea at a time, for 17 days.  (They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, but I like to think you only need 17 days to decide if it’s a habit worth developing.)  I think anyone can do just about anything for 17 days.  And, 17 happens to be my favorite number.  So here goes nothing, or hopefully something for 17 days.

Until my next BIG idea, I’m going to be picking various goals and working on them for 17 days at a time.  I think the best ideas may become habits, and the other ideas will just dwindle…

I’m hoping that by writing about these goals, some of you will want to participate as well.  (Who wouldn’t?)  I’ll be trying to write various  thoughts, brainstorming ideas, and status updates throughout the challenge, and I would LOVE any comments or ideas from my massive loyal following.  The more people, the more likely this is to continue for 17 whole days.

In 24 hours…. We/I would…

Eat all the foods that I love, but that are bad for me
Go to the temple (in hopes to be translated first)
Get up early and make it a long day
Write a general apology letter to anybody that I had offended
Listen to my favorite songs and sing them out loud
If still pregnant I would get induced
Wash my burial clothes and make sure I die in clean underwear
Be depressed (one day is not enough time)
Get together with family for a nice dinner
Help plan my funeral
Go through Pictures
Write a letter to my family and friends
Write a will
Dust the house in anticipation for visitors
Gather my family and make a video for Liam with all my wisdom and guidance and whatever I could think of in a day
Die in a cool way- google ideas and then go do the coolest thing (i.e.- skydive, blow up some terrorists, and/or donate all my organs and make sure they are harvest-able)
Wear my favorite outfit
Write Liam birthday letters for every birthday that I had time to write before I die
Watch the sunset and sunrise

….2 Weeks

Make videos everyday with Liam and Ourselves
Go to temple more
Spend a lot of time with family, friends and parents
Write letters to family and friends
Post it on Facebook to get a lot of attention
Read Scriptures and Pray more
Go through journals and rip out embarrassing pages
Quick trip (maybe on a cruise) a new place (i.e. Seattle or San Diego or Hawaii etc.)
Make a “2 weeks to live blog” and see how popular it could get
Go Paragliding
Go through all my journals and make highlights for my posterity
Go with Family on a quick trip and take a lot of pictures- Maybe an Alaskan or Caribbean Cruise
Go fly a kite
Try to get on Oprah

….2 Months

Write longer letters to Friends and family
Go with my family on a trip to Hawaii (extended family too)
Get Lasik and then donate my eyes
World Travel except Africa (maybe 3-4 week trip depending how sad my family acted)
Sell my story to the media to the highest reputable bidder
Cut my hair in a crazy style that I always wanted but too afraid to grow out again
Play racquetball with my brothers
Spend one whole day with each member of my family- especially my mom
Consider a gambling trip early on to allow sufficient time for repentance
Sponsor a missionary
Go golfing
Try and meet the Prophet
Play Ultimate Frisbee Game
Take a helicopter ride to awesome locations
Do all my hometeaching

…6 Months

Interview adoptive parents
Take out more life insurance *
Travel the world and go to every temple possible with our baby (take a babysitter)
Say goodbye to family
Make a bronze statue of family
Finish the Old Testament
Go to Argentina with my Brothers and Dad
Visit India
Go visit best friends and/or fly them to meet us in some cool vacation location
Spend every moment with each other and Liam
If possible- spend time trying to find a cure
Repent
Go visit family in Annapolis and Boston
Have more parties and play more games (Dominion, Settlers, Scrabble) knowing that Michelle couldn’t say no
Go to Wimbledon
Buy an iPad
Have somebody do a really expensive family portrait
Cry
Go to Disneyland
Laugh and tell Jokes
Write a book Randy Pausch style
Pray more
Magnify Callings
Read the Scriptures more
Teach mike how to change diapers
Write a binder full of remarriage guidelines
Interview my parents about their childhood
Go visit my neighbors and tell them about the gospel and how it has made me happy
Teach Liam how to say “Dad” and “Mom” and to talk
Write down my wishes and desires for my family
Quit training for a marathon
Achieve 100 Pushups goal