The little things

This past week was my daughter's first birthday. It was a busy week as my family traveled back to Arizona to celebrate June's first birthday with our family and friends. Amiss all the stress of the party coming together, getting things ready, and decorating for the party I lost sight of the "little things" I normally do so that my love and affection is shown towards my wife. I've been married four years now, and I'd like to think I know a thing or two about marriage. So I'm going to share some advice on the subject of those "little things" in a marriage.

• Don't ever go a day without saying "I love you."
• Don't loose sight of what's most important, your wife. 
• When you are tired, and don't want to help decorate anymore, do it anyways, your wife will appreciate it and take notice. 
• After a long day, give your wife a foot rub, (this will go a long way!)
• Offer to change the babies diaper, without being asked. 
• Cook a meal, without being asked. 
• Take out the trash, without being asked. 
• Pretty much anything you do without being asked, will go a long way!

While this list isn't all encompassing, these are a few things I noticed this last week that I could have done better, and it would have gone a long way. Learn from my mistakes, by doing these "little things" you will have a happy wife and happy life!

-huntingoutdoorsguy

Video Conference Meeting

This past week I experienced video conferencing for the first time. It was an eye opening experience. I was able to meet with my consulting group members without having to travel and without having to meet in a central location. The ability to meet with whomever you'd like just with the touch of a button is a very powerful tool.

I did learn that this new tool can be a very keen asset in a professional setting. No longer is there just a phone call or email to communicate with customers, now there is another avenue available, video conferencing. It was an ah-ha moment making this realization, and I hope to continue using this style of video meeting in the future. The convenience for all involved make it an essential option for all businesses to have for there customers and employees, and I'm surprised it isn't used more often.

What is your experience with video conferencing? Are you a believer in this new mode of communication for businesses?

-huntingoutdoorsguy

5 minute presentation

This past week for a class assignment, I created a 5 minute presentation on tips for an effective blog. I've learned that being able to take a lot of information and synthesize and condense it so that it's relatable to the audience and applicable, is a very valuable skill to have.

When I started my research on tips for an effective blog, there was so much information available, I didn't know how to organize it. What helped was making the information applicable to my audience which would be other fellow BYU students from the class. With this in mind, I was able to focus and narrow the topic and how these tips could benefit future careers and create possible promotions from having diverse skills in the blogosphere.

In my marketing class this week we learned that, "creativity loves constraints". Meaning, creativity will flow with having a constraint. For example, if you were asked to think of a new product idea? Or, think of a new type of chair? Which would be easier? The latter because, the additional constraint focused on a new type of chair makes creating new ideas easier. By having a constraint we are more likely to come up with very creative ideas. This applies to other aspects in life, like creating a project.

Give it a try next time you want to create a presentation or come up with a new idea, add a constraint and let the creativity flow.

-huntingoutdoorsguy

Family

What makes family, family? Is it those who you are related to through marriage and bloodlines? Or is it more than that? Up here in Utah, my little family doesn't have the support of all of our extended family back in Arizona. However, a close friend of mine, family was here in Provo this past week visiting there son and daughter that attend BYU. Their family has twelve children and we have grown so close to this family that we now consider them our own family as they do to us.

Today was the second youngest's baptism. It was an experience to be able to share this special moment with the family. I know that because of the relationship that has formed between our two families through love and example through actions are creating lasting ties. We can depend on them, and they can depend on us for anything that might come our way. It's an awesome experience to see this happen and grow so close to another family.

Here is a picture of us at Rock Canyon park today after a family soccer game and frisbee. We had loads of fun on this awesome Saturday.

By being open and accepting to another family our love has grown so much for others outside of our regular "family". This openness to change and difference in this life can really make a huge impact to the way we interact and view others around us. I'm so glad for the love and support of our new family.

-huntingoutdoorsguy

Studying

Oh that dreaded studying. It's a tough, tedious task all college students have to do. I know everyone does it, but I'm curious about how others study. I feel that sometimes my studying techniques aren't adequate. Here's a blog that talked about an effective way to study and how we can think about studying.

After reading this post, I have some new insights on a more effective way to study. In the past there have been times where I feel that breaking up the study sessions for an upcoming midterm should be dispersed throughout the day and sitting down straight for a couple of hours wouldn't be effective. This study showed that those that did put their full efforts into practicing for a couple hours straight performed better than those that disperses the practice throughout the day. As well, those that did the couple of hours straight through were less "busy"and tired because they on average slept an hour longer than those that dispersed the practicing throughout the day.

I really liked this statement from the blog "if your goal is to build a remarkable life, then busyness and exhaustion should be your enemy." Wow, that is deep, real and needs to be said. This summed up the findings, and I love this statement: "Do less. But do what you do with complete and hard focus. Then when you’re done be done, and go enjoy the rest of the day."

This was refreshing and I really enjoyed reading this blog. If you need some insight on other techniques of studying, take a look at this blog and see what it can do for you.

-Huntingoutdoorsguy

What's important?

Well, it's now past the halfway point of the semester, and if you are overwhelmed with all the projects, midterms, and added stress, you are not alone! Lately school has been rough, and I have so much to do, however today (Saturday) I could have done some of my long to do list of school work, instead I made the decision to spend it with my family having fun. I know that my school work is important, and I will find time to get it done, except I felt that more importantly I needed to spend quality time with my two girls today, my wife and daughter.

So we planned to go bowling, then go to the BYU Men's volleyball game. We had so much fun bowling with our daughter June, she had a blast hearing the music and dancing! Also when we were at the volleyball game June would mimic others clapping and dancing to the music there too! It was a fun filled, non-stressful day.

These kinds of days are definitely needed, they give a break from the day to day grind of BYU. Give it a try if you are needing a break. Have fun!

-Huntingoutdoorsguy

Dirty Dishes

Do you hate doing dishes? If you're like me, they are the worst! We don't have a dishwasher and the dishes can really pile up sometimes. 

My wife is constantly in a full out battle with these dishes everyday. I took the time today, to help her out. So how can the constant build up of a pile of dishes be avoided? The answer is consistency. By taking the small amount of time to wash the dish right after its used, can avoid a long tedious battle with the dishes. This same concept can be applied to our lives daily. Such as taking the small amount of time to do the daily necessities, we can avoid a build up of stress or negativity. 

I know I can do better in this, and maybe we won't have pile of dishes anymore. Win the battle with those dishes! Never give up, never surrender!

-Huntingoutdoorsguy

Best chocolate chip cookies EVER!

Do you love homemade chocolate chip cookies? My family sure does. We love to bake and cook in the kitchen together. Well, here is a recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies we've ever made! Brace yourself for joy in the form of a cookie! The recipe can be found Here, or below.

Ingredients 

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

The cookies were fantastic! Crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. When you are a busy college student, it's nice to know what you take the time to bake will turn out awesome. Take it from me and try these cookies!

Have fun, 

Huntingoutdoorsguy

You win some, and lose some.

This past week was my first losing week at BYU. First I tanked it on my Business communications grammar exam, then came time for my first Accounting midterm. It would suffice to say that I could have and should have done much better on both exams. However, I did do quite well on my first Marketing midterm. I'm proud of myself, except I'm sure it was an easy exam for most of the students in the class. While I was thinking about what I could have done differently this past week to have got a better score, I made the realization that i did as much as I possibly could have, to prepare for all the exams. I just didn't have the bandwidth to do well on every exam this past week. I gave it my all and came up short. So you win some and lose some, big deal. I know what kind of student I am and will continue to succeed. This last week was difficult and hard but I'm going to press on and do better.

Here's a cool quote on progressing.

Be prosperous,
-Huntingoutdoorguy

Book of Mormon evidence videos

I came across these Book of Mormon evidence videos from the Book of Mormon class I’m taking. This is such an interesting video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bztOlbUU2Uw&list=PLE1EE7A0AD9C5EAB6 

What really stuck out to me most is the following:

First of all, the city of Nahom is where Ismael was buried as said in 1 Nephi 16. What is so convincing of the historical truth of the Book of Mormon is that Joseph Smith translated the book in the 1800’s and the discovery of this city in 2002 with the exact name of Nahom, during the exact time Lehi and his family would have traveled through it during there journey to the promise land and that there was burial grounds on the way is a undisputable proof that things do match up historically with the Book of Mormon. Additionally there is a temple at Nahom that has the word Nahom in scripted on it in multiple places providing additional evidence of the Book of Mormon.

Another point of evidence is that of the land of Bountiful. How could have Joseph Smith known of this sliver of lush green land on the coast of Arabia back in the 1800s? It’s impossible that he could have known of this. And yet we have proof today of this area known as Dofar Southern Oman.

While these are significant points of evidence proving historically the Book of Mormon is true, no matter the evidence that comes forth those that read it still need to do so from a stand point of faith. Just like the Bible, the Book of Mormon needs to remain as an avenue to become closer to God and Jesus Christ and the only way to do so is through reading the stories and praying to know if it is true.

-huntingoutdoorsguy

By Small Acts, Big Changes are Made

I'm taking a Book of Mormon class this semester, and my life has been blessed in such incredible ways, in such a short amount of time.  Before starting this class I rarely read my scriptures outside of what was needed for church lessons and for my Doctrine and Covenants class last semester.  As a family my wife and I rarely read scriptures together and scarecely held Family Home Evening. From the start of the first day of class thanks to Brother Sacket, I’ve been inspired to “put god first.” I really have taken this statement to heart and already see the blessings of following his counsel and challenge to do so.

            Starting on the first day of class I began reading the Book of Mormon both personally and with my wife each night. We held our first Family Home Evening last Monday and it was such an incredible experience. I love reading the scriptures together with my wife, it gives us a chance to talk and discuss spiritual things on a regular basis and for me to give her additional insight that I have gained from this class, as well as insight from the spirit. In my eyes, this is the largest blessing I’ve gained so far.

            Additionally, being more spiritually in tuned as a family, I myself have felt a change in the way I use my time and act. Before having the goal to put God first by reading the Book of Mormon every day I had other “important” things to focus on. I always thought that there was something more appealing or more entertaining that I could do, rather than taking the time to read the Book of Mormon. I was robbing myself of added blessings and knowledge so greatly! Because I’m reading the Book of Mormon regularly, I have seen a change in my ability to do the right thing and make better choices throughout the day. Not only in my actions but also the way I act towards others. I can see that I’m kinder, and gentler in the way I talk to those around me. It’s a marvelous experience to see a huge change in myself in such a short amount of time.

            Lastly, by putting God first it has helped me to see changes that can be made towards my time and effort put into schoolwork. For some reason, and I cant say what it is exactly, I have found a way to get my homework done and studying done for all my classes much faster than ever before. I equate this success to reading the Book of Mormon daily. Heavenly Father can see the effort I’m putting into learning and feeding on the scriptures and he helps me with my schoolwork. I truly believe this statement and can see the daily blessings I receive because of my willingness to put God first before anything else. What significant simple truth’s we hear at Church every Sunday, the standard tasks of reading the scriptures, saying family prayer, having family home evening can eternally bless our lives. I’m so thankful for this class and know there is much more to learn and gain from the Book of Mormon this semester.

-Huntingoutdoorsguy

Trade-offs and Time Management

This was my first week back for my second semester at BYU. I've already learned so much since I've adjusted back into the "school" routine. 

Last semester I did pretty well in respect to grades. This semester my goal is to be even better when it comes to grades. 

However, I have something more important to focus on. 

Last semester I felt like the time I put into school was more than the amount of time I put into spending with my family. 

So I have a new resolve this semester, to try and spend the most amount of time with my family, while maintaining the best grades, and staying current with classes and homework. 

It's a big task, and a lot to juggle around. 

But I can do it, and here's how it will be done.

First of all the support of my wife is needed when I am in "steroid mode" as in the words of my Finance 201 professor from last semester, Brother Brau, when I'm studying and doing homework. That's checked off the list. 

Something new I've tried, to better manage the time I put into schoolwork is utilizing the library as my place to study and do homework. 

While at home its easy to get distracted and off focus, with a chunky baby crawling around and learning to walk and my pretty wife doing things around the home, but by being at school there isn't as much to be distracted by. 

This system really has worked wonders already. I was able to finish all homework for four classes in a matter of four hours instead of what use to take all day. 

That means more time for my family and less time taken to do homework and studying.

You should try it sometime and see if it works for you too. 

Stay classy, 

huntingoutdoorsguy

Introduction to me, huntingoutdoorsguy

I'm new to the blogging world. I'd like to begin by introducing myself. I have a wonderful family. My beautiful Wife is Danyell, and we have a nine month old Daughter, her name is June. We are dog lovers and have two golden retrievers. I believe in God and the Savior Jesus Christ. I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.I believe in being your best and progression. I always want to better myself, and be the best person, husband, and father I can be. 

I love the outdoors, to hike, and mountain bike, shoot my bow, to go hunting, spend time with family and friends, play soccer, enjoy cooking, playing with our little June Bug, going camping, traveling with my Wife and Daughter. 

My titles are:

Husband

Father

Son

Elder

Student

Currently I'm Attending BYU and am Majoring in Accounting. BYU has the #1 Accounting program in the country. I will apply for the Accounting program this summer, and am so privileged to attend such a great University.

This blog will focus on things I learn through my journey in life. I'll mainly focus on new things I've learned through the week, and may post other cool things I come across. 

Lastly, If you love the outdoors like I do, and enjoy having good equipment to use while camping like knives, axes, gear, tools etc., than check out the Youtube channel Wranglerstar. It's a great channel that I love. Cody, who is creator of all the videos stands for things that are somewhat not valued anymore in today's society: Believing in God, doing what is right, equipment that is worth your hard earned money, wholesome music and activities, and creating lasting relationships with those around us and strangers, and helping people in need.