Family Trip

Matt and I recently went on a family trip to the Dominican Republic. I was worried about spending two weeks straight with my family but I was willing to take the risk. Surprisingly, everything turned out well. We had our few squabbles but all in all it was good.

We stayed at an awesome resort in Punta Cana called Barcelo. It was the nicest resort I have ever stayed at. It had pools for all the kids and a beautiful white sand beach. The resort was all inclusive. They offered wind surfing, paddle boats, snorkeling, and food for free. Usually, when you hear all inclusive it means just food, but this resort offered so much.

Matt and I went scuba diving but we were disappointed. The visibility was so bad we could not see a foot in front of us.

After the resort Matt and I went to stay with my sister in-laws family in La Vega.  We wanted to get the real Dominican experience. It was disappointing. We rented a car we did not really get to use and spent way too much money on food we did not eat. We thought we were going to experience the country but we ended up just sitting around all day. In the end it was a waste of our money to stay the few extra days.

The bonus to staying was interacting with Rosy's family. They were awesome and so accommodating. They made us feel so comfortable.

If I had to do it again I would probably not go back to the DR. It was a great experience but not what I expected.

Matthew's 2nd Birthday

Matthews birthday was so stressful for me. Matt and I decided to make it a tradition to take Little Matt to Texas Road House for dinner on his birthday. We did it the first year he was born and just thought it would be a fun thing to keep going.


Afterward we went home to let him open his presents. He are the pictures of him enjoying his birthday.

Pure joy!!!

He has learned to pose for pictures.

So spoiled.

We have already lost all the darts.

Pumpkin Patch

We took Matthew to the pumpkin patch to pick out his own pumpkin this year. He had a blast. Here are the pictures of the adventure.

Trying to pick the first pumpkin he saw.

He was not so sure about these.

We had to find our way through the corn maze to get to the pumpkin patch.

Posing with the scarecrow.

Matthews fist time in a bouncy castle.

Playing in the tunnel.

He found the perfect pumpkin for himself.

Last Day at The Walton Group Inc.

I can not believe today is my last day of work at The Walton Group (TWG). I have been here a year already and it has gone by so fast. Working here has definitely helped me narrowed the field of where I want to work. I now know I do not want to work in an agency.



I do have to give thanks to my boss Linda Walton. She took me under her wing and trusted me to work on projects and create campaigns for clients. When I first came to TWG I was an intern. I had  been done with school for about a year and I was ready to jump in with both feet. I had taken a year off to care for my son but I learned quick that I am a working girl. I admire those stay at home moms but it is not the life for me.

I have been blessed to be able to hone my skills of writing press releases, networking, advertising, and even a little graphic design . I have learned how important doing charity work is. I have learned a tremendous amount in my year here but I feel like it is my time try something new.

The new place I will be working is called Sundesa. They are the inventors of the Blender Bottle. At first I will a sales administrator, but they said I will be doing some PR too. I really want to learn about corporate/in-house PR. I am still young and want to explore all of my options. I do not want to get stuck in job right out of college I end up hating 10 years down the road.

Sundesa is a very laid back atmosphere. The people I have met are very friendly and seem like they would be fun to work around. When I went in for my first interview the employees we talking about eating 100 day old eggs from China. I instantly knew I would fit in. I really hope this job works out and becomes a career for me (It also means Matt will get to stay in Happy Valley). It seems very promising. The President of the company said there is lots of room for advancement in their company. The only down side is they are not very community oriented. I think it is really important for a company to be involved with the community and show the people they care.

Well, wish me luck!

Reconnecting

I love reconnecting with people from my mission. Facebook is such a blessing in my life. It has been hard for me to stay in close contact with people because I never knew their real names. We only knew people by their nick name.

Today I was able to get in touch with a man I met in one of my favorite areas. He is a refugee from the Congo. From what I know of his story he was a boxer. I am not one hundred percent sure what happened but I think he lost and his country told him not to come back. He had to leave his family behind and go to Thailand. When he came to Thailand he met a Thai lady and had a baby with her. He is very cute. Unfortunately after he joined the church his girlfriend left and took their son. He is still living as a faithful member of the church in Thailand. Having faith and hope that one day their will be peace in his country so he can return home.

He definitely makes my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ so much stronger. He lives with nothing and yet still lives a happy life. I feel so spoiled to have a nice place to live and food to eat every day. He has a great support system in Thailand. I admire his courage and his faith. He is a great man and will someday be a great contribution to his country as a member of the church.

Dream for the Future

Why does it always see like our dreams/goals in life are so far away? I have been think about where I thought I would be by this time in my life and this is not it. I have a great life but I have not accomplished all I wish I had. I always thought that I would be married (check) and have two kids (half check) and have a well paying job with benefits (kinda check). I thought I would be graduated from the University of Texas (graduated but not from Texas). I really wish the economy was better because I feel like it has been holding me back. I am a college graduate and have work experience but can not find a job that will pay enough to support our family. But at least I am working.

By this time in my life I thought my husband would be graduated from college and have a good job. I thought we would be living on our own and have a nice little starter home. I always thought I would have the option of working or being a stay at home mom because my husband would be making enough to support us with out me working.

Even though not all of my expectations have been fulfilled I am so blessed. I have a great husband who supports me in any of my adventures (except yoga and Zumba). I have the best son in the world who loves me unconditionally. I have great in-laws that let me live in their basement apartment for free. They babysit whenever we are in a bind and even if Matt and I just need a break. I have a great boss who would do anything to accommodate my situation. She lets me take off when Little Matt is sick or when our babysitter has to cancel. We have hardly any dept (have to drive something). I live in one of the cleanest cities in America. I can go to the temple whenever I want because it is five minutes from my house.  I never have to worry about second had smoke or being overrun by liberals. I am free to practice my religion and not be persecuted for it. 

General Conference- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

I feel in past few conferences I have not made a great effort to pay attention. I would watch or listen to parts of the conference but never made it a priority.

With in the last month someone in my ward gave a talk about discussing the church with a non-member. While he was speaking with this non-member they had starting talking about prophets and how we still receive revelation today during General Conference. The non-member asked him about going to conference and if he attended/watched. This member said he usually watched the Sunday sessions. The one thing that really stood out to me about his talk was when the non-member asked him how if he knew he was receiving direct revelation from God how could he not make it more of a priority in his life. WOW!

I really started thinking about this and my testimony of the gospel. So, this conference I have made it a priority to listen and take what the Prophet and Apostle say and apply it to my life. The talks this October have been so amazing.

I remember as a missionary we could not wait to get the General Conference issue of the Ensign and be able to read it in English. We really do learn so much more when we listen in our own language.

Another Rant

I saw this on the Blaze this morning and thought I would share. I love when people say we need to accept everyone and their beliefs but yet we do not accept them if they do not believe in what we believe.

Wyoming

This past weekend we took some friends of ours to Wyoming to visit my family with us. My home town has changed so much over the years. I have only been gone for 5 years and it seems as though Cody is a whole different world. Maybe it is just that I am so used to being in Utah that Cody is foreign to me.

Saturday morning we took out some of my dads "toys" (Polaris RZR and Joiner) to Red Lake and went off "roadin". As we were driving down the road we passed a bar and saw a few people sitting out side smoking cigarettes. I turned to my brother and said, "only in Cody will you see people sitting out side of the bar at 10:00 in the morning." That I do not miss.

We spent a few days in Cody and then came home through Yellowstone on Monday. I forgot how long it actually takes to get home. It was fun but we did not make it home until 2:00am. We did all the tourist stuff in the Park because our friends have never been there. We went and saw the hot pots and Old Faithful (not so faithful). We wanted to see wild life but there was very few animals. The dang wolf population has decimated all the herds. We saw one herd of bison, 3 elk and a ton of crows. It was disappointing.

We decided to stop in Jackson Hole for a bite to eat before we headed all the way home. We agreed on Thai food so, we looked up the Thai places and headed to our first one. It was called Thai Me Up and it was sad because how can you have a Thai restaurant without any Thai people? The cooks were not even Thai. There was no way we would pay those kind of prices for a place with no real Thai influence. The next place we went was called Bon Appe Thai. All the cooks were Thai and even some of the waiters. It turned out well.

The worst part of the trip was from Jackson to Provo because it was 9:30p.m. when we left and still five hours to go.

We all made it safe and sound and we did not kill each other. I call that success.

I am only 26!

I read an article about this list today and thought I should share. I am only 26 and it makes me feel old. 

This is from Beloit College

"Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List, providing a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. The creation of Beloit’s former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief and Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride, it was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, and quickly became a catalog of the rapidly changing worldview of each new generation. Mindset List websites at Beloit College and at mindsetmoment.com, the media site webcast and their Facebook page receive more than a million hits annually."

The Mindset List for the Class of 2015

Andre the Giant, River Phoenix, Frank Zappa, Arthur Ashe and the Commodore 64 have always been dead.
Their classmates could include Taylor Momsen, Angus Jones, Howard Stern's daughter Ashley, and the Dilley Sextuplets.

1. There has always been an Internet ramp onto the information highway.
2. Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could be their parents.
3. States and Velcro parents have always been requiring that they wear their bike helmets.
4. The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports.
5. There have nearly always been at least two women on the Supreme Court, and women have always commanded U.S. Navy ships.
6. They “swipe” cards, not merchandise.
7. As they’ve grown up on websites and cell phones, adult experts have constantly fretted about their alleged deficits of empathy and concentration.
8. Their school’s “blackboards” have always been getting smarter.
9. “Don’t touch that dial!”….what dial?
10. American tax forms have always been available in Spanish.
11. More Americans have always traveled to Latin America than to Europe.
12. Amazon has never been just a river in South America.
13. Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you're talking about LeBron James.
14. All their lives, Whitney Houston has always been declaring “I Will Always Love You.”
15. O.J. Simpson has always been looking for the killers of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
16. Women have never been too old to have children.
17. Japan has always been importing rice.
18. Jim Carrey has always been bigger than a pet detective.
19. We have never asked, and they have never had to tell.
20. Life has always been like a box of chocolates.
21. They’ve always gone to school with Mohammed and Jesus.
22. John Wayne Bobbitt has always slept with one eye open.
23. The Communist Party has never been the official political party in Russia.
24. “Yadda, yadda, yadda” has always come in handy to make long stories short.
25. Video games have always had ratings.
26. Chicken soup has always been soul food.
27. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has always been available on TV.
28. Jimmy Carter has always been a smiling elderly man who shows up on TV to promote fair elections and disaster relief.
29. Arnold Palmer has always been a drink.
30. Dial-up is soooooooooo last century!
31. Women have always been kissing women on television.
32. Their older siblings have told them about the days when Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera were Mouseketeers.
33. Faux Christmas trees have always outsold real ones.
34. They’ve always been able to dismiss boring old ideas with “been there, done that, gotten the T-shirt.”
35. The bloody conflict between the government and a religious cult has always made Waco sound a little whacko.
36. Unlike their older siblings, they spent bedtime on their backs until they learned to roll over.
37. Music has always been available via free downloads.
38. Grown-ups have always been arguing about health care policy.
39. Moderate amounts of red wine and baby aspirin have always been thought good for the heart.
40. Sears has never sold anything out of a Big Book that could also serve as a doorstop.
41. The United States has always been shedding fur.
42. Electric cars have always been humming in relative silence on the road.
43. No longer known for just gambling and quickie divorces, Nevada has always been one of the fastest growing states in the Union.
44. They’re the first generation to grow up hearing about the dangerous overuse of antibiotics.
45. They pressured their parents to take them to Taco Bell or Burger King to get free pogs.
46. Russian courts have always had juries.
47. No state has ever failed to observe Martin Luther King Day.
48. While they’ve been playing outside, their parents have always worried about nasty new bugs borne by birds and mosquitoes.
49. Public schools have always made space available for advertising.
50. Some of them have been inspired to actually cook by watching the Food Channel.
51. Fidel Castro’s daughter and granddaughter have always lived in the United States.
52. Their parents have always been able to create a will and other legal documents online.
53. Charter schools have always been an alternative.
54. They’ve grown up with George Stephanopoulos as the Dick Clark of political analysts.
55. New Kids have always been known as NKOTB.
56. They’ve always wanted to be like Shaq or Kobe: Michael Who?
57. They’ve often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace.
58. Their parents sort of remember Woolworths as this store that used to be downtown. 
59. Kim Jong-il has always been bluffing, but the West has always had to take him seriously.
60. Frasier, Sam, Woody and Rebecca have never Cheerfully frequented a bar in Boston during primetime.
61. Major League Baseball has never had fewer than three divisions and never lacked a wild card entry in the playoffs.
62. Nurses have always been in short supply.
63. They won’t go near a retailer that lacks a website.
64. Altar girls have never been a big deal.
65. When they were 3, their parents may have battled other parents in toy stores to buy them a Tickle Me Elmo while they lasted.
66. It seems the United States has always been looking for an acceptable means of capital execution.
67. Folks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have always been able to energize with Pepsi Cola.
68. Andy Warhol is a museum in Pittsburgh.
69. They’ve grown up hearing about suspiciously vanishing frogs.
70. They’ve always had the privilege of talking with a chatterbot.
71. Refugees and prisoners have always been housed by the U.S. government at Guantanamo.
72. Women have always been Venusians; men, Martians.
73. McDonalds coffee has always been just a little too hot to handle.
74. “PC” has come to mean Personal Computer, not Political Correctness.
75. The New York Times and the Boston Globe have never been rival newspapers.

Copyright© 2011 Beloit College
Mindset List is a registered trademark

Utah in a Nut Shell

I saw this video the other day and laughed so hard. I wanted to share it with you.

Another Anniversary Come and Gone.

Matt and I just celebrated our three year anniversary on August 16. This year we decided to go back to Midway and stay at The Homestead Resort and scuba dive at the crater. It was a nice get away. We only took one night off but but it was wonderful. Matt was so cute and took me to dinner at the place we ate at on our honeymoon. He was even going to try and get the same table but someone was already sitting there. After dinner we just watched movies and relaxed in the room.

People always say the first few years are the hardest but it has been great. Luckily I am married to a man who avoids confrontation at all cost and still treats me like a queen. Matt is still the man I married three years ago. I am so grateful to have found such a great man. He really is the only man that could put up with all the crap I put out.

Love you honey.

Bill Maher is an Idiot.

Wow! The title really says it all. I know some people do not think we (Mormons) are Christians but that fact that he thinks we worship Joseph Smith is so off base. I do not pray to Joseph Smith and do not think Joseph Smith atoned for my sins.He was a prophet of God. He was a mortal man that we see as restoring truth back to the earth through the hand of God. Jesus, on the other hand, is not just a prophet but the Son of God and our Savior.

Watch the clip below: (This is another reason why I do not watch MSNBC)

Dominican Republic

I am so excited to go back to the Dominican Republic. I went when I was 19 or so and have always wished to go back. My parents are taking the whole family to Punta Cana this December for Christmas vacation. I am so excited to show Matt the beautiful country my sister in-law comes from. Thailand will always be my number one country to visit but the DR and the people that live there are so fun. Matt is excited to go and eat crazy food but I think he will be disappointed. Not that the food is bad but it will not be weird enough for him. I do not think they can top eating bugs and lizards. 

We are planning on staying at a resort for 5 days and then go stay with Rosy's family for a few days. Matt and I want to experience the true Dominican experience. We just hope the language barrier will not deter us.This will be the first time Little Matt will leave the country. I am just sad he will never remember it. I guess we will just have to go back when he is older.

Here is a taste of Dominican music. I do not know Spanish so if there is any bad language sorry.

Crawdads, crawfish, or crayfish?

Last night we took some of our friends fishing for crawdads. This is not your typical fishing expedition with fishing poles and lures. We did take our poles but did not use them the same way as regular fishing. We walked off the boat ramp dock at Strawberry Reservoir, put a chunk of elk meet tied to a rope and threw it in the water. We wait for five minutes and then slowly pull the rope up and net the little crustaceans. We also put a piece of meet on a large hook and cast our lines in the water and waited for one to latch on and then we would pull them up. We caught 10 to 20 lbs of crawdads! Since I do not eat "sea food" we gave them to our Thai friend and her husband who went with us.  

I have to tell you a short story. When I was a kid we lived in Houston and thought catching and eating crawdads was such a blast. One night our neighbors took us (my friends and I) to the driving range close to our house to eat crawdads. This place would sell them by the bucket full. We would order two or three 5-gallon buckets of these things and chow down. Back in the day, we thought it was fun to pop the eyes out of the head and suck the juice out. Now I will not even touch the disgusting little creatures.

Pay Freeze=Pay Raise

Obama does it again. He keeps saying his people have not had a pay raise in the 2.5 years he has been in office but the numbers do not add up. Here is an article from PR Daily that suggests otherwise. Here are the names of the Obama communication department that received raises.

• Kevin Lewis, director of African-American media, went from $42,000 to $78,000.

• Elizabeth Olsen, special assistant to the president and director of presidential correspondence, saw her $76,500 salary boosted to $110,000.

• Thomas Vietor, senior director and national security staff spokesman, is now raking in $105,000 per year—up from $78,000.

• Johanna Maska, deputy director of advance and director of press advance, was making $56,100 a year; she’s now earning $80,000 annually.

• Semonti Stephens, deputy communications director, is now making $75,000—a $21,000 boost from what she had been making.

• Andrea Turk, director of information services, now makes $70,000—up from her previous salary of $50,000.

What a hypocrite! Another thing to add to my list.

Here is a link to the top 20 White House Raises: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/obamas-white-house-staffers-salary-freeze-lie-2/  

Close Minded

I have been called close minded this week by one of the interns in my office, but as I sat and thought about it he was wrong.

I think it's funny how if you do not have the same views as someone else you are considered close minded. The intern and I had been talking about abortion and same sex marriage. I strongly disagree with both. I think abortion is killing an innocent child of God and same sex marriage is not of God. I believe in treating everyone fairly and with respect but that does not mean I have to agree with what they are saying.

I am willing to listen but when I do not change my mind, do not be surprised. I know what I believe. I am a child of God and he loves me and loves all of his children. I do not think God loves his children any less because they make different choices.

A friend of mine is pro gay marriage and that is her choice. Am I closed minded because I do not agree? NO!!! I still like her as a person and we are still friends. We just do not talk about politics or religion.

I hate that people with convictions are persecuted. Yes, I find Glenn Beck interesting and I was reading how his family was mocked in New York. He was trying to spend time with his family and the people around him were spilling wine and calling them names because they do not agree with what he says. Liberals only believe in free speech when they are speaking. Who is really close minded?

Here is the account of what happened to Glenn:

Hoping to enjoy some time together, while taking in a showing of Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps with his wife, Tania, and daughter, Glenn and his family instead experienced an unfriendly and borderline violent scene. At one point, an angry moviegoer kicked a glass of wine into Tania’s back, and as she got up to walk away, a man shouted, “We hate conservatives here.”

If they do not like him then do not listen to his show. That is their choice. I choose not to listen to MSNBC because of its bias but I do not hate their news anchors.

In conclusion, I am not close minded but know what I believe and stand for. I am proud to be conservative and to have high moral standards.

20 Month Pictures

I was a little late on having pictures taken of Matthew but here they are.

Love My Job

My firm and I helped plan this event!!!

My Son

I love to brag about my son and how cute he is. I sometimes think he can not get any more adorable, but he always surprises me. Matthew is starting to talk more and more coherent words (at least Matt and I can understand them) and they just keep getting better. The best word he says right now is bubble. I have never seen a kid who loves bubbles more. He will come up to Matt or I and just say "bubble" until we stop what we are doing and go blow bubbles.

He also says duck and when ever he sees a duck he yells duck and then quacks. The last and kind of disturbing thing he does is hiss when we change his diaper. We are not sure who taught him that but he thinks there is a snake in his pants. We have these a-z flash cards with animals on them and we have been teaching him the names and sounds of all the animals. One day in the tub he was looking down and started hissing. I think it is hilarious but I am sure it will not be funny when he is 15.

Matthew says a lot more words but these are the cutest. I will post some video of him in the near future.

Politics

I have been really frustrated lately with all that is going on in the world. My biggest problem with politics is all the flip flopping going on. If you really believe something then stick with it. If you don't get re-elected; oh well. At least we know what you believe and you will hold strong.

I'm already not an Obama supporter but it seems like everyday he does something to piss me off more. He said a year ago that we (America) are not going to divide the city of Jerusalem and it is the capital of Israel and then a few days later he said we should change the borders back to the way they were in 1967. Is that not dividing the city? I guess he meant we would not divide it with barbed wire.

Watch the two clips below and see what I am talking about!

http://youtu.be/HVGEMpQOW8I

Life Update

I have not posted much about our family life lately so, this will be an update.

Matt and I are doing great. I am officially finished with school and Matt has decided to quit his job and go to school full time. He only has a year left if he goes full time. YAY!!! His last day of work was about a week ago and he has been enjoying his time off. He had not had a Saturday off in over a year! Him and Little Buddy have just been spending quality father/son time.

Little Matthew is also doing great. He is getting sooooo big. He is walking and talking and all things boy. He loves being outside but the Utah weather has been so unpredictable lately. We would go to the park but the only nice days come right after a big rain storm. Leaving the ground a big mess.

We took a little family vacation to Arizona this past weekend with some friends of our from Ogden and it was so nice to get away. Our plan was to take the jet ski out and lay on the beach but we had not anticipated the big celebration going on. There were hundreds of boats on lake and it was so choppy. We (Emily and I) did lay on the beach and Matt and our friend Blake went snorkeling/spearfishing. Little Buddy played in the sand and a little in the water. The temperature was a perfect 85 degrees. The wind killed the rest of the trip, as far as jet skiing goes. There were white caps out on the lake that we probably could have went surfing on.

You should be caught up for now. I will keep you posted.

Interns

We had an orientation for the new interns in our office today. They seem to be really good and I hope they work hard. I am ready to relinquish some of my responsibility on to them. We are going to let the interns have more responsibility and manage accounts on their own. I will be supervising of course. Welcome to The Walton Group!

Reverse psychology

This video is so funny. I will have to try it on my son. The fact that it is in Spanish makes it so much better.

Have You Seen This? Reverse psychology

April 20th, 2011 @ 2:30pm

By Graydon Johns

SALT LAKE CITY -- Reverse psychology. Does it really work?

Oh, yes it does... well, at least on unsuspecting children.
In this popular YouTube video a father and son debate (and I use that term lightly) their mode of transportation.

The dad wants to walk; the son wants to take the car.

After a few back-and-forth yeses from the son and no's from the dad about taking the car, the dad quickly switches and says, "yes!" prompting the little boy to say, "no!" The dad concedes and the pair walks away from the car.

I bet the little guy is thinking to himself, "Ha, my dad's such a sucker. What a pushover" and chalking it up as yet another feather in his cap.

Reverse psychology at its finest!

Interesting University of Utah Study

Watch this video and then read the article that follows. It will not work unless you watch the video first.

'The Invisible Gorilla' reveals human brain capacity

April 18th, 2011 @ 6:50pm

By Nkoyo Iyamba

 

SALT LAKE CITY -- University of Utah researchers say about half of us can become so involved in what we're doing that we miss the obvious events that flash in front of our eyes.

That's the foundation behind a new study called 'The Invisible Gorilla' experiment. The study asked 197 students aged 18 to 35 to watch a video where a group of people were passing a basketball to each other. The participants were supposed to count how many passes exchanged between the players wearing white t-shirts. During the sequence of the video, a person wearing a gorilla suit strolls across the scene, stops briefly, pounds his chest and walks off.

The study found that about 58 percent of participants were so intent on counting the passes between the players that they missed the gorilla.

Researchers found that the higher memory capacity you have, the more likely you are to see the gorilla.

"They can do the task and do it well and still have leftover resources to kind of monitor their environment," said Janelle Seegmiller, Lead author, University of Utah doctoral student in the Department of Psychology. "Somebody with lower memory capacity may do the task and may do it really well but it's taking up all of their resources that they have to do that task. And so they miss the gorilla."

What does this mean for those of us not doing an experiment?

"You can think of it as your ability to deal with a lot of information and to process it and make decisions or make responses," said Seegmiller.

She says having skills like these can be especially impactful when we're doing serious tasks like driving.

"If you're driving and you're really focused on driving and you're doing that really, really well," said Seegmiller, "you still might miss unexpected events that can cause accidents."

Even on a rainy day or with inclement weather, researchers don't know yet how our attention is impacted. But they also say that even on a good day, drivers can still miss something dart out right in front of their eyes.

"Because people are so different in how well they can focus their attention, this may influence whether you'll see something you're not expecting," said Seegmiller.

Researchers tried similar tests on pilots.

"Pilots were crashing into planes on the runway because they were so focused on their screen in front of them," Seegmiller said.

Other researchers say because the human brain can only process so much, we need to pick and choose how much information to upload into our brains at a time.

"What are the cognitive costs of a cell phone, the cognitive costs of doing A, B or C in the car while you're driving?" Said study co-author Dr. Jason Watson, University of Utah, Department of Psychology. "This research really tells us that attention is limited, and so what we're really trying to do is explore the range of devices that may exert some sort of impact or cost in terms of our attention."

Seegmiller says it's just humanly impossible to process everything in our environment -- but if we know what causes our selective attention, we can mitigate some of what we miss when it counts.

The study will be published in the May issue of The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition.

GOP Candidates

Who will the GOP pick for the 2012 presidential election? 

I was doing a little research today to see who might be at the top of my list and I was so overwhelmed by how many potential candidates there are. This is not the complete list but you get the idea. I think they want us to be so confused that we do not have a chance to be informed and vote on how handsome or beautiful they are!

Here is the list:

Gov. Mitt Romney 

Rep. Michele Bachmann  

Gov. Mike Huckabee

Sarah Palin
Newt Gingrich

Gov. Chris Christie

Gov. Tim Pawlenty

Gov. Mitch Daniels

Rep. Mike Pence 

Gov. Haley Barbour

Sen. Rick Santorum

Jon Huntsman

Donald Trump

After the Mission

It seems to me that most people do not keep in close contact with mission friends, and I do not know why. I love my mission friends and have become so much more to me than just another acquaintance. This past weekend I was able to travel to Washington State with my dear friend Emily to see one of my favorite mission companions, Kami. We spent four glorious days exploring Seattle and Spokane.

We arrived Thursday night in Seattle and spent the night catching up with each other. Kami's parents were kind enough to let us stay at their house and eat their food. Mark tells the best stories so every time I get a chance I take it. This time he was telling about his new ventures with Sri Lanka travel. Wendy is the biggest sweet heart and would do anything for you. She gave me the cutest bracelet with elephants on it because she know how much I love elephants. Thank Wendy!!!!

We only spent one night in Seattle and had to rise super early to start our journey to Spokane for a wedding. A good friend of mine from the MTC, Tim Odeen, was getting married. It was an interesting experience because Tim's is the only member of the church in his family and for the most part they are Baptist. As we waited out side the Spokane temple for Tim and Amelia, we saw Tim's parents standing outside in the rain. Of course we went and talked with them and let them know they were allowed to wait in the waiting room. It something we members forget to tell people. Most non-Mormons think they have to wait outside but in fact they can go into the waiting room.

The wedding was great and we are so happy for Odeen and his new bride. We stayed the night in Spokane and went "clubbing". It was not our scene obviously but it was still fun to have a girl's night out.

We left Saturday morning and it was so windy  We stopped at a look out point for the Columbia river and the wind was howling. The wind caught my glasses and broke them in half. I was lucky to have my contacts with me.

When we got back to Seattle we ate dinner at this awesome Thai restaurant. The will make anything for you if you just call ahead. It was so delicious.

Then we went on a double date with some of Kami's friends. I was of course the 5th wheel but it was still so much fun. Kami has the most interesting and fun friends. The first on we met was Matt. He is a personal injury lawyer but  you would never know. He was a blast to talk with. The Second friend was Porter. He is a multisport coach (triathlons) but has a degree in naval engineering. I think Kami should date him but who am I to meddle in her love life.

On Sunday we walked around Pike's Place market and went and saw the Fremont Troll.

We flew home Sunday afternoon and thank goodness because I was worn out. I do not remember ever getting exhausted from playing but I guess it comes with age.

Jon Stewart is a Riot

I am glad the President has decided to do take action in Libya and I do not think everything he has said in his recent speech is garbage but I did have a few questions. I am not the only one. Jon Stewart from The Daily Show also felt the way I did. Watch this clip and have a good laugh.

The Daily Show
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

And the award goes to.... Hugo Chavez.

I was reading an article today in the paper about Hugo Chavez (the dictator of Venezuela) winning a journalism award in Argentina. According to the paper he is helping the people be heard through public broadcasting. I think it is an oxymoron because dictators control their people and usually restrict speech.Being in the journalism field, I think this is very sad. Where have our journalistic ethics gone?

Venezuela’s El Nacional newspaper criticized the award Tuesday, saying the journalism school must be ignorant of Chavez’s continuing crackdown on independent media. “That a South American university doesn’t know about this grave situation and dares to honor this military leader with the Rodolfo Walsh Prize says much about the destruction of values that the Kirchners have imposed on the Argentine nation. Walsh was a victim of military repression and his example is now stained absurdly.”

Here is the link to the article if you are interested in reading about it.
http://bit.ly/dG3YH4

Continuing My Education

Last week I went to a disappointing public relations conference in Logan, Utah. The speakers were great and the food was good but I was disappointed in the turn out. They did not promote the event and it was sad to see very few of their own students show up. They were charging 35-40 dollars a student to attend and I think that is just outrageous. Skip the lunch and dinner and offer breakfast. It is cheaper and will last all day.

I was only able to attend one day worth of seminars because I had to get back to my family, but what I did see I enjoyed. The second day may have had a better turn out.

I was speaking with one of my former professors and current department head Ted Pease about teaching at the collegiate level. I was asking him what they look for and what I should do to even be considered for a position at USU or any other college. To even teach at most respectable universities you have to have a Master's Degree and at least 3-5 years real world experience.

This chat inspired me to further my education. I am not going back right away but I am looking into get a second Bachelor's in political science and then applying for a Master's in public relations. The hard thing is I do not think I want to move anywhere to go to school. I did find a program through Montana State University in Billings that is all online. My second choice (to no ones surprise) is University of Texas in Austin. They have one of the best grad programs in the country for pr and advertising, but I would have to mover there. I would not mind moving back for a few years but there is no way in I could convince Matt.

Graduation

Graduation is in sight. If you would like to some see me walk all the information is posted below or you can go to http://www.usu.edu/commencement/.

Commencement Activities

The Graduate Commencement and Hooding Ceremony for master's and doctoral degree candidates is Friday, May 6, 1:30-3:30 p.m. in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Assembly of candidates takes place at 12:30 p.m. in the Nelson Field House for the procession. Candidates will hear their names and degrees formally announced; master's candidates are hooded by members of the Graduate Council while doctoral candidates will be hooded by their major professors and deans.
The Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony is Saturday morning, May 7, in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Undergraduate students assemble on the University Quad with their colleges no later than 8:30 a.m. In the event of rain assemble in the Nelson Field House. The procession will begin at 9:00 a.m. The ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. Degrees will be conferred on candidates for the bachelor's degree. Tassels on caps should be worn on the left side.
Breakfast for Seniors 2011 will be served Wednesday, May 4, 9-11 a.m. at the Taggart Student Center Patio.
Senior Celebration 2011 takes place Thursday, May 5, 7-9 p.m. in the Taggart Student Center. This is a free event for graduating seniors, and $5 for guests. There will be refreshments, giveaways and entertainment. Tickets may be picked up at the David B. Haight Alumni Center starting April 1.

Guest Tickets

Guest tickets are not required for the Commencement Ceremonies in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum or for the College Ceremonies. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors to the Spectrum will be open to the public for Commencement Ceremonies at 12 noon, Friday, May 6, and 8 a.m., Saturday, May 7.

Habitat for Humanity Press Release

Here is a copy of a press release we wrote for Habitat for Humanity. I did not actually write the whole thing but I was able to put my two cents in. 

Methamphetamine Housing Reconstruction              FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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For additional information:                                         Stephen Tagliaferri, 801-263-0136 #3

            (SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH)— Utah Habitat for Humanity affiliates are raising awareness for the Methamphetamine Housing Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Fund, which will rebuild meth exposed houses into safe and affordable homes for families.

They will be hosting a “Check the Box Media Event” on March 16, 2011 at 9am at a Salt Lake City Habitat home on 1077 W. Wenco Circle.

            The Methamphetamine Housing Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Fund will demolish meth contaminated housing and rebuild over the sites.  This will help Habitat for Humanity affiliates, and replace the site with a simple, decent and affordable home.

Donors can check the box under code 10 of line 28 on their 2010 tax form to donate $1 or more.

            Donations need to reach $30,000.00 for the fund to remain on Utah state tax forms.

            Habitats mission seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.

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Utah Habitat for Humanity affiliates are independently run nonprofit organizations.  As an affiliate they are in charge of home building, fundraising, site building selection, and selection of partner families.

Habitat does not simply give away houses, but selects partners from a list of applicants who applied online or in their local office.  They select partners based on the family’s level of need, willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the loan.

            Partner families are required to make a minimum $500 down payment and a contribution of 500 hours of “sweat equity” on the construction of their home or someone else’s house.

            Habitat is a self-described Christian housing ministry, but provides housing opportunities for families regardless of race, religion or ethnic background.

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