2011 Year In Review: Lamberts

Happy New Year everyone! As we conclude 2011 and begin 2012, I wanted to share some of the blessings our family has received over the past year.

In January, I decided it was time to get in shape for good. Over the course of the year, I trained for an ran my first marathon (the Utah Valley Marathon in June), participated in the Wasatch Back Ragnar relay race (one week after the marathon) and completed P90X (technically I still have a couple of weeks left). I went on several hikes and golfed a number of times. I’ve found that while I am not passionate about sports like most people, I am passionate about being active and enjoying the outdoors. During my marathon training and hikes, I discovered multiple trails and interesting paths. Over the last three months, my dog Buddy and I have been joined by my neighbor, Bob Freeze, as a jogging companion. I enjoy his company a lot as he’s a better conversationalist than Buddy.

I achieved the goal of losing 40 pounds of fat this year and have been working diligently to maintain that weight loss. And while exercise is an important part, cutting out/down on food that makes me fat (you know, the stuff that tastes good) is essential. My brothers Aaron and Nate and I made a pact to keep it off or pay severe penalties. Each Friday morning for the past year, we’ve reported our weigh, body fat percentage and waist measurement. It’s been a great system to keep us from going back. Collectively, we’ve lost 150 pounds and we’re determined not to find them again.

My work at US Bank continues to go well. In April, I will have been there for four years as a business banking officer. It’s a challenging, rewarding job that I both love and hate. As a business development guy (read: salesman), I am constantly having to court new business clients. When I get them to move their relationship to US Bank and/or do a building loan or line of credit for them, it feels great. When I get rejected or when I can’t get the bank’s credit analysts to approve a loan, it feels terrible. It’s all part of the job, I guess and I try to balance the highs with the lows.

In March, I was called to serve as the ward clerk of the newly formed Traverse Mountain 9th Ward with Bishop Robert Phelps. It’s been a great blessing for me to be able to serve in that capacity and I’ve learned a lot. And while I’m not as passionate about paperwork and statistical reports as I am about teaching, leading and working with the youth (as I’ve done for many years), I am enjoying learning this side of church administration. It has been a blessing to watch a new ward form and a new bishopric grow together in unity and love.

I’ve been blessed to be able to continue my pursuit of the arts. My acapella group, BLEND, gave 16 performances throughout the year and we’ve distributed a few hundred of our CDs, which we released last year. If you’d like to listen to any of the nine tracks, visit www.blendsingers.com.

Early in the year, I auditioned for Lehi Arts Council’s production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” and landed the role of Jack. We performed the show in a little theater in downtown Lehi during the last week in April. I loved being a part of this show and really enjoyed working with my fellow actors. The part was difficult as I had to memorize nearly 30 minutes of just my dialogue. If you’re interested in watching a couple of minutes from the closing scene to hear my British accent, I’ve posted a clip on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnseib5jFxo. You can also read more about it on my blog. Just scroll down for pictures and video.

My family is doing great. Robin and I agreed that it was time for her to pursue a second degree in addition to her English degree from BYU. So she began studying Interior Design at LDS Business College. It has created some challenges with scheduling, but with James in pre-school now and the older kids all in school all day, we felt like now is the right time. She’ll be going part time for the next few years with classes in downtown Salt Lake 2 or 3 days/evenings per week. She’s really enjoying the subject matter and looks forward to being able to channel her passion for beautifying things in a profitable way. She’s extremely artistic and talented, and I know she’ll do great! She also was recently called as a counselor in the primary presidency and that has created new opportunities for her to grow and to serve.

My oldest son Parley turned 12 in May and was ordained a deacon. He’s only two inches shorter than me now (he’s already passed up Robin) and his voice has changed. He’s dealing with middle school challenges like girls and acne, and he’s loving this new era of his life. He enjoys karate (he’s testing for his yellow belt this week), band and drama. He’s improved a lot in the piano this year and plans to start composing music.

 

Brianna (10) is now in 5^th grade and always seems to busy herself with some art project or other. She’s more quiet and reserved than our other children and always seems to be reading a Harry Potter book, playing a computer game or drawing a picture. Brianna recently began taking ballroom dance classes offered at Traverse Mountain Elementary, and it has been fun to watch her progress socially and artistically.

Lily (7) continues to be our fireball with lots of energy and passio. She is very sociable, very curious, very enthusiastic and often exasperating. She loves to write stories and enjoys playing with her brother James, who is our brown-eyed caboose that we all just adore. He is constantly saying the cutest things. He’s had to adjust in some ways to Robin’s school schedule and being shuffled around from pre-school to babysitters, but for the most part he’s done well.

As a family, we’re now fully settled into our new house. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here for 18 months now. We’re slowly making improvements to the house to make it more like a home. Robin sewed curtains for two of our rooms (the rest are still bare) and painted one room a cheerful shade of yellow. We upgraded the furniture in our great room with the purchase of a large entertainment center and some new sofas. We also worked hard on the landscaping around our house by re-doing our rock wall, installing a stone staircase to more easily access the upper level and planting nearly 40 shrubs and a few trees. Little by little, our house on the hill feels more like home. We love the neighborhood and have made many great new friends here.

Finally, we took our first out-of-state vacation in three years just last week. On the day after Christmas, we drove to Palm Springs and enjoyed 70 degree weather. After a couple of days, we drove to Long Beach to play on the beach and visit the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary. We ended the trip with a visit to Hollywood and a stop in Las Vegas. We drove 1,750 miles (25-30 hours) over five days, but we had a great time.

We feel extremely blessed by our Heavenly Father at this time of year. We’ve had our share of challenges too, but we try to focus on the positive and remember what’s most important. We count ourselves blessed to have so many friends and family members that support us. We love you and wish you a very happy and prosperous 2012.

 

Run Forrest Run!

My two big races are over and I feel a great sense of accomplishment and relief. Back in January as I commenced my diet that resulted in 30 pounds of weight loss, I decided I needed a fitness goal that really challenged me. I have been running with my dog Buddy for the past 7 years consistently (6 days per week, 30 minutes a day), but had never pushed myself to something greater. As I talked to a few friends who had run marathons, I concluded that if they could do it, why not me?

Training
I began training in February, but the cold and windy mornings made it difficult, not to mention that my serious calorie and carb restriction left me with insufficient energy to properly train. I decided to take a few weeks off of marathon training to wait for better weather and focus on losing weight. By the first part of April, I hit my initial goal of 30 pounds lost (roughly the weight of my three-year-old son) and I resumed my training. I remember after running my first 7-miler, I was sore for days and injured my Achilles tendon. I couldn’t imagine being  able to run 26.2 miles!

But I was told that if I just logged the miles, I’d be able to do it. Over the course of 10 weeks, I went on 20 runs over 7 miles (with several in the 14-19 mile range). I ran mostly along trails such as the Jordan River Parkway (by Saratoga Springs, Thanksgiving Point and in Bluffdale/Riverton area), the Porter Rockwell Trail on Draper’s bench from the Point of the Mountain to Draper Park, and the Lehi trail from my house in Traverse Mountain to downtown Lehi. Since my training pace was about 11:30 per mile, these long runs took a great deal of my free time. But I really enjoyed the training, especially when the weather was good. I got the “runner’s high” also known as natural Prozac, and I got to see some beautiful scenery while contemplating my life (and memorizing my lines for my play by listening to a recording I had made of the lines on my iPhone).

During the training, I often had pains in my left knee, right ankle and right groin, but I pushed through the pain and my body strengthened. By the time I ran my longest pre-marathon run of 19 miles, my body was used to the distances and my recovery time was a fraction of what it had been after my first long run.

First Marathon
On Saturday, June 11, after 10 weeks of serious training, I felt ready for the Utah Valley Marathon, my first.  I was so nervous. Could I really run 26.2 miles? Would I be sore for weeks afterwards? Would I be injured? Could I make it to the finish line in less than five hours?

That morning, I got up at 3:00 a.m., showered and put on my marathon gear, including my racing bib with timing chip and my $100 running shoes. I drove to downtown Provo and caught a marathon bus to Wallsburg, a tiny town Southeast of Deer Creek Reservoir. We arrived at 4:45 and huddled around campfires for an hour before beginning at 6:00. I started out with a 9:30 pace and I felt really good. The first section was gorgeous, the weather was ideal and it felt exciting to be running with all of those other racers.

As I approached the halfway mark in Provo Canyon, I realized I was on pace to finish in 4 hours and 21 minutes, or just about a 10-minute mile. That energized me and I pushed hard for the rest of the race. However, the last six miles on University Avenue in Provo were brutal. I was tired and wanted to slow down. But my goal of finishing with an average pace of less than 10-minutes per mile propelled me onward. And I thought I was on track to hit that goal until I realized that a marathon isn’t 26 miles, it’s 26.2. Realizing that I had to make up about 2 minutes over the last six miles was disheartening. It would mean I’d have to run each of the last six miles about 20 seconds faster than normal at a time when I wanted to slow down, not speed up.

At mile 24, I realized I wasn’t going to make it so I slowed down a bit. But at mile 25, I decided I would forever regret not making the final push. So I ran as fast as I could. I remembered the scripture from the Bible that I had read that morning:

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

I began whispering to myself the phrase, “Run and not be weary, walk and not faint.” Over the next several minutes, the whisper grew into a loud chant that helped me create a cadence for my faster pace. It energized me, so that when I saw the finish line, sprinted to it. My older kids ran out to join me in the last 200 yards and we finished the race together. My time was 4:20:57 with an official pace of 9:58 per mile. Just about one minute more total time, and I would have missed my goal. My last mile was my fastest, and I realized that the difference between hitting my goal and missing it happened in that last mile. That little additional effort made all the difference. What a great feeling I had that morning as I crossed the finish line and celebrated with members of my family. That afternoon, I treated myself to a full-body massage and a swim at Alta Canyon with the kids.

By Tuesday I had completely recovered from the soreness. I thought I would be sore for weeks, but since I had trained so well, I bounced back quickly. And that was good, since I had another serious fitness challenge awaiting me…

Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay
A friend of mine invited me to participate on his 12-person relay team in the Ragnar Relay Race just one week after my marathon. The entry fee is usually about $100 per person, but his company was covering most of those costs and they had a last-minute drop-out. He asked if I wanted to join and I agreed, not knowing fully what I was getting into. I didn’t run for five days, allowing my body time to recover. I did go swimming twice, played racquetball and golfed 36 holes, but no running!

The race began in Logan on Friday morning, June 17, but I was part of the second shift, so my race began at Liberty Park in thte town of Liberty in Odgen Valley. I was runner #11, so my leg of the 192-mile relay race wasn’t until about 6:30 that night. It was a brutal run on Trapper’s Loop on the road from Pineview Reservoir to Snow Basin Ski Resort. It was uphill the entire way with a 935 foot elevation gain over 3.2 miles. But I got it done and it felt great.

We arrived at Morgan High School at about 8:00 that night and laid out our sleeping bags on the grass by a nearby river. I attempted to get some sleep, but didn’t get much. At 11:00, it was time to load up for the next van exchange at East Canyon State Park. My next leg began at 4:50 a.m. Saturday morning and was 5.5 miles of relatively flat terrain around Rockport Lake, which I completed in a 10-minute per mile pace. This was after having sat in a truck for 4 hours while waiting for my teammates to complete their portions of the run.

We arrived at South Summit High School at 7:00 a.m. and I dragged my sleeping bag and pad into the dark and silent gymnasium where dozens of exhausted runners were slumbering. I slept hard for two hours and then woke up, showered in the locker room and ate breakfast. It was the best sleep and the most welcome shower I had had for a very long time.

My final run began that afternoon at 2:17, from the top of Wasatch Mountain State Park down into Deer Valley Resort. It was a 1735 foot elevation drop over 7.3 miles. It was a leg killer, but oh so fun because it was fast. I pushed hard and finished this extreme downhill leg in less than 9 minutes per mile. We then made our way as a team to the finish line at Park City High School where we all crossed the finish line together and got our medals. It was a great feeling!

We had a great team of really cool people. The scenery and weather were excellent. The only downside is that we didn’t get a lot of sleep and there was way too much time sitting in a van waiting for my turn to run (10 hours in between runs), but it was a blast.

And now I’m going to rest…

Nine of our 12 teammates on the Atlas Title team at the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay.

Me at the Ragnar finish line.

 

Counting Blessings

This year has been a great one so far. We’ve really been blessed as a family. Robin has been busy making curtains for our house, planting flowers and trying her best to keep our children fed and clothed. The kids have been enjoying their school work along with their other activities (Parley – band and scouts; Brianna – drawing class; Lily – gymnastics; James – being cute.) And I’ve been trying hard to support them by working hard at the bank.

In February, we bought a great 2004 Honda Odyssey to replace our 1994 Mercury Villager and we’ve loved it. We were able to sell our old car without too much trouble.

I’m still driving my 1995 Toyota Camry with 250,000+ miles on it. The pain job is fading and the interior is pretty ugly, but it still gets me from Point A to Point B, and I love not having a car payment. I’m hoping it will just keep plugging along.

At the end of March, our ward was divided and I was called to serve as Ward Clerk for the newly created ward. It’s been a fun challenge to work to get everything established for the Traverse Mountain 9th Ward, and I’ve enjoyed it. 

From January 1 to April 1, I lost 30 pounds and have kept it off for the last six weeks. To help me never revert back to my former weight, (I’ve gained and lost this same 30 pounds four times before), I have donated most of my clothes to the DI and gotten new ones, which is expensive. None of my suits fit anymore so I’ve either given them to the DI, or taken them into the tailor to be altered. Unfortunately, even after the alterations, they don’t look as good as the two new suits I recently got from Pierre Phillipe, a tailor in Lehi. Here’s an one of my two new suits for my new body.

A few months back, I began training for a the Utah Valley Marathon on June 11, 2011. While training for a big race like that is time-consuming, I have really enjoyed it. There’s nothing like running through nature (trails, parks, canyons, etc.) and having all that time to think about life or listen to interesting podcasts. Yesterday, I ran almost 17 miles down Provo Canyon to get a feel from what the course would be like for me in just four weeks. It capped of a very agressive training week in which I ran almost 50 miles over five sessions with rest days on Sunday and Wednesday.

Finally, on Saturday night, I had the cast of “The Importance of Being Earnest” come over to watch a DVD of our final performance. It was so much fun to see all those dear friends two weeks after the show closed on April 30. It was a short run (just five performances) and a small venue (seating 100 or so), but it was so much fun to tackle the challenge of brining the character of Jack to life. My fellow castmembers did a great job and we really enjoyed it. The rehearsal schedule was just two nights a week in February and March. April, however, was quite intense and time-consuming. So I’m glad it’s over, but I’m so glad I had the chance to be involved. Here’s a little clip of the conclusion of the play, in which my character (Jack Worthing) discovers his true origins, his relationship to the other characters on stage and his real name.

Here are a few photos from the show. For more pictures, scroll down to my earlier post about the play.

 

“The Importance of Being Earnest”

In early February, I auditioned for Oscar Wilde’s hilarious play, “The Importance of Being Earnest” and I was offered the lead role of Jack Worthing (a.k.a Ernest). This romantic comedy is full of extremely witty dialogue as it satirizes the English aristocracy in 1890s London. The story centers around two proper gentlemen (Jack and Algernon) who use the same pseudonym (Ernest) to escape social obligations by pretending to be someone they’re not. 

 

My character, Jack Worthing, pretends to have a younger brother named Ernest who constantly gets into trouble, giving Jack the excuse to leave his country estate and enjoy the pleasures of London while using a fake  identity. During his visits to town, he meets and falls in love with Gwendolyn, who informs him she has always dreamed of marrying someone named Ernest. When Jack’s secret is discovered by his friend Algernon, a series of hilarious events ensues.

 

My involvement in this play has been so much fun for me. It has also been a challenge as I’ve had to memorize many pages of dialogue and tried to perfect my English accent. We had our final dress rehearsal last night and I’m pleased to say that the show is going to be highly entertaining.

 
We only have five performances from April 25 to April 30 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at 685 North Center Street in Lehi. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at http://www.lehiarts.com/Buy-It-Here.html.

 

Below are some photos taken during one of our first dress rehearsals. Costumes have been improved since these photos were taken. 

Jack learns that Gwendolyn has always dreamed of loving someone named Ernest -- and she detests the name Jack.

 

Algernon tries to reconcile with his friend Jack.

 

Jack Worthing is in mourning due to the “death” of his fake brother Ernest.

 

Jack and Algernon discuss the tricky situation they’ve gotten themselves into.

Jack is overjoyed when he learns more about his mysterious origins.

 

Jack finally discovers his true identity.

 

Is a marathon really 26.2 miles?

I’ve been jogging off and on for exercise for the past decade. My regular daily running habit began in the spring of 2004 when we adopted a six-month-old Border Collie who we named Buddy. This black and white dog has been my running motivation and inspiration for the last seven years. (Isn’t he handsome, dignified and almost regal-looking in this picture taken last fall.)

 Together, Buddy and I have jogged more than 5,000 miles. We both love it (except on cold dark mornings in December, January and February). And yet, even with ice and snow, or rain and sleet, we somehow manage to get out six days per week and jog for 30 minutes. Our pace isn’t impressive: about 2.5 miles per day or about a 12-minute mile. On days when I don’t really feel like going and want to blog, email, Facebook or reconcile my finances instead, Buddy kind of hangs around me and any time I shift positions, he thinks that maybe that means I’m getting ready to get on my jogging suit (which is black and white to match the dog — coincidentally) and grab the leash for our next jogging excursion. He’s not push or obnoxious, he just subtly lets me know that it would mean a great deal to him if we went out jogging together. And those kind and hopeful brown eyes really get the to me. So we’re pretty consistent.

However, while our leisurely daily jogs are nice, I’ve decided that it’s time for a stretch fitness goal; one that will really push me to the limit; one that will give me a chance to cross something off of my bucket list. A full marathon. Not a 5K, a 10K or even a half marathon. I’ve decided that I may as well go for the whole thing.

I started training in January and did four “long runs,” but for the past few weeks, I’ve stopped doing the long runs and focused on losing weight that will slow me down. That fat loss required some serious calorie restriction, so I haven’t had the energy to go on long runs. I’ve lost 25 pounds since January 1, reduced my gut size by 7 inches and lowered my body fat from 25.6% to 19.6%. I’m now ready to resume my marathon training in earnest. Yesterday, I committed myself financially by paying my entry fee to the Utah Valley Marathon on Saturday, June 11, 2011.

There’s a great video on the marathon at http://www.utahvalleymarathon.com/

I chose this particular course because it’s mostly downhill, but not too steep (from Wallsburg past Deer Creek Reservoir down Provo Canyon and ending in downtown Provo). So it’s a relatively easy marathon at a great time of the year. The race is 12 weeks from today. My goal is to finish, and do it under five hours. Sure, it’s not a particularly lofty time goal, but I’m starting to realize that just finishing is going to be pretty hard.

A few weeks ago, I ran 7.5 miles. It was hard and I was pretty sore afterwards. A marathon is more than three times that amount: 26.2 miles. I believe the name comes from Greek history in which a messenger ran 26.2 miles to deliver a message to Athens during the Battle of Marathon. According to the story I heard, the messenger ran that long distance, delivered the important information and then he keeled over and died. I hope that won’t be the case for me. I’m certain that the way to avoid injury and death is to do the proper training and nutrition. I’ve also been told I need the right shoes (which are not going to be cheap.)

So if any of you long-distance runners have any advice for me as a novice, please feel free to share.

 

The Battle for Middle Earth

 I’m fat.

I’m at risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer. I want to change. But I can’t seem to make it stick.  Here’s a quick summary of my major diets over the past several years:

• May-Aug 1996 – Lost 35 pounds (from 201 to 166) – Low calorie, low fat, TONS of exercise
• Jan-June 2004 – Lost 33 pounds (from 204 to 171) – Low carb
• Jan-May 2007 – Lost 20 pounds (from 198 to 178 ) – Low carb
• Aug-Sep 2007 – Lost 11 pounds (from 196 to 185) – Low carb
• May-Oct 2008 – Lost 30 pounds (from 197 to 167) – Low carb

I lost between 6-10 pounds twice in 2009 doing a low carb diet. In 2010, I lost weight 7-10 pounds two times doing the HCG diet. But the weight came back when I went back to “eating as usual.” Unfortunately, I started 2011 at 194.

I am happy to report than since January 1, 2011, I’ve lost nearly 11 pounds and three inches off my middle. I’m down to 183, but my ideal weight is in the 160 range with at least 4-5 more inches off my middle.

So what am I doing wrong? Why can’t I get it off and keep it off? Exercise hasn’t been a problem. I jog six days a week for 30 minutes each day quite consistently, and have been doing that for nearly seven years. I suppose I need to do some strength training and that will help, but I hate gyms and I don’t like pain… 

I’ve decided that one major reason I can’t seem to keep my belly fat off is because I haven’t fundamentally changed the way I approach food.

I need to lose the fat and then monitor my food intake carefully for the rest of my life. I can’t keep going off and on diets. I have to change my lifestyle permanently. Maybe you do too?

Obesity is an epidemic. Diabetes is becoming such a major medical problem that it could easily bankrupt our health care system in the coming years. Forty years ago, obesity rates were 13% of Americans. Ten years ago, obesity rates had jumped to 23%. Today, American obesity rates have climbed to 33%! Why? I think it has a lot to do with our increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

However, I am convinced it has a lot to do with the USDA food pyramid’s focus on grains and other simple carbs. In the decades that the food pyramid has been emphasizing this plan of a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, obesity rates have skyrocketed. This can certainly be attributed to the availability of processed foods. Corn and associated products (subsidized by the government) are in everything. Our grandparents’ generation knew that breads, pastas and starches (like potatoes) were foods that pack on the pounds. Why do you think cattle at feed lots are fed a corn and grain instead of grass to fatten them up? It’s because simple carbohydrates are quickly converted into glycogen and, in turn, into fat stores. What’s more, they spike our insulin levels and make it that much more difficult to release the fat our body stores.
 
Our current American eating patterns are totally contradictory to thousands of years of human evolution. We’ve evolved eating a high protein diet rich in nutrients and healthy vegetables. Only in the past few decades when the agricultural industrial complex came to power have all these high-carbohydrate foods become staples of our diet. They are so available because they are cheap and subsidized by the government. But they are contrary to our body’s natural way to process food. Thus the dramatic spike in obesity rates in recent years. It’s killing us as a nation.
 
Some suggest that it’s all about “calories in” and “calories out.” I am certain that it’s not that simple. It’s not just a will power issue. Often naturally skinny people say that it’s just a person’s lack of self-control that causes them to be fat. And while I’m sure there’s some truth to that, there are a lot of complexities in the body’s chemistry and the way insulin regulates the body’s fat reserves that makes it extremely difficult for many people to lose weight.

Many studies have shown that people on a low-calorie, low-fat diet experienced less fat loss than those on a low-carb diet that did not have a specific calorie restriction. That’s because dietary protein and fat satiates us much more than carbs, so we naturally reduce calories because we’re not hungry. (Eating eggs for breakfast vs. a bowl of cereal is the perfect example of this — you get hungry more quickly with the bowl of cereal, even though the calorie input is the same.)  
 
So is the credibility of what I’m saying compromised by my confessions above? That low carb living isn’t a viable long-term solution since it’s not a realistic lifestyle? I’ve been on a yo-yo because I’ve allowed myself to get in “diet” mode and then get OUT of diet mode. Long-term health and weight maintenance REQUIRE a lifestyle shift, and that’s where I have failed. I work hard to lose some pounds and then go back to “eating as usual.” This simply doesn’t work. I am a living example of that. I’ve lost the same 30 pounds three times now. I’ve lost the same 10 pounds at least five times now.

This current weight loss I’m engaged in is the last time for me. I’m not going back. That’s because besides being ugly, belly fat is SOOO detrimental to my health. It significantly increases my risk for heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

My brother Aaron is a fitness guru, and he’s helping me design a plan to lose the belly fat and then do what I’ve never been able to do before — find a realistic maintenance plan in which I can slowly add back carbs and find that perfect nutrition balance that allows me to stay trim. I’m not getting any younger, so now’s the time to make the change. Permanently this time.

 

The Lambert Family Year in Review

Here’s an update that Robin wrote about our family adventures this year.

Merry Christmas, Everyone! 

2010 has been a very eventful year for our family. The biggest, of course, has been our change of address. After only one month, we were able to sell our dear Riverton home of ten years, and almost immediately found a great location to build a brand new home. We had visited Traverse Mountain several times in the past and fallen in love with it, but never thought we would be able to live here. However, thanks to some changes in the market, we were able to get into a much bigger and more beautiful home. We enjoyed the building process immensely, and were excited to create our dream house.

While our house was being built, we imposed upon the hospitality of Andrew’s mother, Vicki, and lived in her home for ten weeks. For six of those weeks we also shared her home with Andrew’s brother Aaron and his family! It was a fun experience, but I think we were all relieved when we were able to move into our new home in June.

It has been wonderful having the mountain as our backyard. While it’s mostly rocks and grass, it has its own wild beauty. We have no neighbors behind us, and have enjoyed seeing some wildlife from time to time!  Parley and some friends saw a porcupine up by the small caves behind our house, and there is a large herd of deer that has been wandering around the hills ever since the first snowfall. I love seeing the gorgeous view of Utah Valley and Utah Lake every time I drive to the store.

Our neighborhood is full of young families, and all of us have been able to make some friends pretty quickly. Andrew wasted no time in getting not one, but three new callings: Building Clean-Up Coordinator, Stake Sunday School Presidency, and a committee to help families protect themselves against pornography. However, the time requirements for these assignments are much less than his former calling in the bishopric, so we’re not complaining! I have been called to be the Music Chairperson, and have enjoyed mining the musical talent of our ward by scheduling musical numbers, organizing the Christmas program, and, of course, playing the piano whenever needed.

Andrew continues to work at U.S. Bank as a Business Banking Officer. In October, he was transferred from the Salt Lake area to almost single-handedly handling the Utah Country market. It’s technically a shorter drive, but thanks to I-15 construction, not much of a shorter commute. In May, Andrew and I were lucky enough to go on a memorable vacation to Hawaii, courtesy of US Bank. Andrew has won this incentive trip because of his hard work in the fourth quarter of 2009. We spent a couple of days on the main island of Oahu, visiting some college friends in Honolulu, climbing the Diamond Head volcano, and going to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Then we took an inter-island flight to Maui to join up with the other U.S. Bank BBOs at a beautiful resort on the beach. It was an amazing experience, and we are grateful to our family for helping us with the babysitting so we could go!

Our kids are all doing well. Parley, our oldest, is eleven and a half, and growing rapidly. He already wears a size 8 shoe—only one size smaller than Andrew! He is ruling the school as a sixth grader, and recently performed an awesome karaoke-style duet in their class concert of the song “Fireflies” by Owl City, complete with choreography. He is looking forward to playing the trumpet again when our school band gets started in January, and just earned his Tenderfoot in scouts.

Brianna is nine this year and just had her first official sleepover with a friend! She continues to love anything art-related and has been taking art lessons from a neighbor’s sister for the past few months. She and her friend Lexi both love animals, especially horses and cats, and both plan on being veterinarians when they grow up.  Brianna has enjoyed having her own room in the new house, and has carefully decorated it with stuffed animals, her artwork, and a large pile of rocks and pinecones.

Six-year-old Lily is our little drama queen. Her sunny, outgoing personality is a joy to be around, however, that sunshine can turn stormy at the drop of a hat, and she can throw a temper tantrum like you’ve never seen! After months of her begging, we finally signed her up for gymnastics, and she is already moving up to the next level. She is incredibly flexible, and I wonder sometimes if she doesn’t have a career ahead of her as a contortionist.

Sweet baby James is still the baby of the family, and everyone adores him. But at three years old, he’s really not much of a baby anymore. With all the kids in school full time this year, it’s just him and me most of the time, and that has taken some getting used to for both of us. There’s no one else around to entertain him when I need to get something done, but on the other hand, we’ve both really enjoyed the one on one time together. After focusing mostly on the older kids for so long, it’s been fun going back the world of a preschooler. I’ve enjoyed pulling out the “Blue’s Clues” and “Bob the Builder” videos, and remembering what it’s like to explain the idea of trick-or-treating or the story of Santa to someone who’s just old enough to “get it”!

We hope you all had a great year as well and look forward to 2011 and the wonderful new things it will bring! Love you all!

Picture of our family taken at Robin's sister Amber's wedding.

Family portrait taken in Murray Park, October 2010.

 

BLEND

It’s a simple word and a simple concept. Blend. It connotes unity and oneness of purpose. For our singing group, it means that whetn we’re all singing together, we sound much better than any of us sounds individually. So we chose the name BLEND for our album, and ultimately, for our group.

We’ve just posted links to the album tracks on our website so you can listen to our work. The first our eight sessions with Clive Romney, our first-rate recording engineer, was way back in July, so it’s been a long process. As a group, we would rehearse the pieces we were going to record. Then we’d go to Clive’s studio and we’d record each part individually to get it just right. We used headphones to listen to the beated guide tracks that Clive had prepared for each song — it felt pretty official.

Clive would then mix and edit the pieces the individual tracks so that they could sound as good as possible. It’s amazing what his auto-tuning software tools can do…

Studio recording and editing time isn’t cheap, especially when done by a seasoned professional and gifted musician like Clive. Thankfully, the album was financed by a generous contribution from a lady in my mom’s ward. She and her husband had heard us sing in their ward and he mentioned to her that we really should record an album. Unfortunately, he died suddenly in the summer of 2009 and we were invited to sing at his funeral. She was so grateful for our music that she wanted to give us a gift that would last. We were dumfounded when we received her gift last Christmas, and we no longer had an excuse not to get this album done. It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort.

Go to http://blendsingers.wordpress.com/album/ to listen and order a copy of the CD, which will be released this week.

Below is the artwork, designed by my friend and fellow group member Mike Peterson. Pretty cool, eh? Do you see the visual elements of BLEND?

 

Family Trip to Arches National Park

Since we didn’t do a family road trip this summer because of our move, Robin and I decided to pack up the kids and head for Arches National Park on Thursday through Saturday of this week. We had a fantastic time together. The drive on Thursday morning took about four and a half hours, including a stop for breakfast at the McDonald’s in Price, Utah. We arrived at the Arches National Park Visitor Center about 1:00 and were eating lunch by “Balanced Rock” by 2:30. The temperature was in the 40s for most of the time, which wasn’t bad when the sun was shining. (Although when the sun went behind the clouds and the wind was blowing, it was quite uncomfortable.) Thankfully, the sun was shining for most of the day on Friday and Saturday and the park wasn’t too crowded since we’re in the “off-season.” I grateful that I listened to Robin’s advice and didn’t try to do too much sightseeing and hiking on any given day so the kids wouldn’t be worn out. We were also careful to keep the kids well fed, watered and pottied so that spirits remain high. And it seemed to work very well. We hiked about 10 miles total over the three days and saw pretty much everything we wanted to see.

On Thursday we visited Balanced Rock, the Windows, Turret Arch, and we hiked to a viewpoint for Delicate Arch in the distance. On Friday morning we hike around the Devil’s Garden area and saw Sand Dune Arch, Broken Arch, Skyline Arch, Tunnel Arch, Pine Tree Arch and Landscape Arch (this one is as long as a football field; very impressive.) We then drove out to Dead Horse Point (about 45 minutes away) and saw some pretty amazing views at the edge of the canyon. Saturday morning we hiked up to Delicate Arch and really enjoyed the views. We then drove west along I-70 in a three hour trip to Manti, where Robin’s grandfather and grandmother were celebrating their 90th and 89th birthdays respectively. By 7:30, we arrived back in our Lehi home after having driven nearly 700 miles in our old minivan.

The Moab hotel where we stayed had a hot tub, so each of the two nights we were there, we soaked in the jacuzzi for a while, which was welcome after hiking throughout each day. The hotel offered a free hot breakfast each morning and we did picnic lunches in the park each day, followed by dinner in a restaurant each evening. Friday night’s dinner was particularly interesting at the Sunset Cafe, in an old mansion on top of the hill overlooking the city. Built in the 1950s by Charlie Steen, a prospector who found a vien of much-sought-after uranium, this old home, now restaurant, has a very interesting history. The food was decent, although pricey enough that I just got the soup!

Anyway, we had a great time. Here are a few pictures from our trip. Just click on the picture for a better view.

Parley and Brianna in front of Turret Arch.

Lily May in front of North Window Arch.

Kids at the base of Balanced Rock.

Andrew admiring the breathtaking scenery.

Parley and Brianna in front of Turrett Arch.

Robin and James all bundled up for our hike.

Robin and kids in front of Sand Dune Arch.

Brianna in front of Broken Arch.

Lily in front of Landscape Arch. It's amazing.

Lily, Parley and Brianna at Dead Horse Point.

James hanging out near Delicate Arch.

Fearless Lily ready to hike over to the base of Delicate Arch.

Someone's thumb and our family near Delicate Arch.

 

Upcoming Acapella Album

It’s been a dream of mine for a long time and it’s finally happening. Through the generous contribution of a friend, our acapella group has been able to fund the professional recording of an album of some of our favorite music. Our final recording session is next week so we can have the CD ready for our Christmas concert season. We plan to include nine tracks on the album with a mix of sacred and secular music (mostly 50s doo-wop). Selections will include:

Amazing Grace
I Love the Lord (set to Finlandia / Be Still My Soul)
Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy
Come, Come Ye Saints
I Know That My Redeemer Lives
O Danny Boy
In the Still of the Night
Two Silhouettes on the Shade
Goodnight Sweetheart

We’re five guys who starting singing together in the early 1990s as students at Hillcrest High School in Midvale, Utah. We all have regular jobs and have no aspirations (or sufficient talent) to become professional musicians. We don’t intend to make money from this album, except to fund future recordings. We just love singing together. And we love the messages of hope and inspiration that we can share with our music. Here’s a sample of one of our tracks. Enjoy!

 

Beware of Pride

For the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking a lot about the sin of pride and how it has manifested itself in my life. I’ve been pondering the damaging effects of pride in various areas of my life. And while it’s difficult to be honest in confessing some of my weaknesses in a blog like this, I suppose I just need to “swallow my pride” and share some ways pride has hurt me:

• Minimizing others’ contributions to make my contributions seem more important. I sometimes find myself doing this with those that I love most, like my wife Robin. I think so much about my own activites at work and church that I tend to minimize her important contribution in managing our household and raising our children. Pride makes me think my contribution is better than hers, which it isn’t. It’s just different.
• Mentally tearing down others to build myself up, especially those whose successes make me envious. I have a couple of friends that have been very successful, and my pride has allowed me to compare my success to theirs. When I come up short, pride has led me to envy, which is certainly an un-Christlike feeling.
• Feeling that my viewpoint and way of doing things is best, therefore if others see things or do things differently, it is inferior. This manifestation of pride causes me to lose out on new ideas and new perspectives that have significant value. It also results in a lack of tolerance which can damage relationships. 
• Desiring the praise of the world and the glory of men; craving the approbation of others and a feeling of importance for my own sake.

President Uchtdorf of the First Presidency of the LDS Church recently gave a very powerful talk on this subject. I’d like to quote him (in italics) and then make a few comments. He said:

“Pride is sinful because it breeds hatred or hostility and places us in opposition to God and our fellowmen. At its core, pride is a sin of comparison, for though it usually begins with ‘Look how wonderful I am and what great things I have done,’ it always seems to end with ‘Therefore, I am better than you.’ When our hearts are filled with pride, we commit a grave sin, for we violate the two great commandments. Instead of worshipping God and loving our neighbor, we reveal the real object of our worship and love—the image we see in the mirror. Pride is the great sin of self-elevation.”

So what’s so bad about elevating ourselves? Doesn’t our culture prize those who excel and those who work hard to be successful? The problem is that when I seek to elevate myself, I inherently diminish others and that creates enmity. More damaging is the fact that when I give in to pride, I become the object of my love and worship; I care more about myself and my own interests than I care about loving God and serving my fellowman. It’s a natural human tendency to seek after our own happiness; however, I believe the great irony is that only when I seek for others’ happiness have I truly found my own.

President Uchtdorf goes on: “For others, pride turns to envy: they look bitterly at those who have better positions, more talents, or greater possessions than they do. They seek to hurt, diminish, and tear down others in a misguided and unworthy attempt at self-elevation. When those they envy stumble or suffer, they secretly cheer.”

I don’t like feeling envious, do you? It’s a nasty feeling. It creates in me a sense of injustice and sometimes even bitterness. And when I feel envious, I seek to diminish the accomplishments of others. I sometimes secretly feel that they don’t deserve what they have or that their success is because of luck (while always crediting my own success to my own hard work and drive).

What’s the antidote to envy brought on by pride? For me, it’s gratitude. I believe that recognizing God’s hand in my life and in the lives of others is crucial. I recently started counting my blessings and trying hard to be more genuinely happy for those whose successes I envied. And my heart changed for the better.

President Uchtdorf says: “We can be grateful for our health, wealth, possessions, or positions, but when we begin to inhale it—when we become obsessed with our status; when we focus on our own importance, power, or reputation; when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings—that’s when the trouble begins; that’s when pride begins to corrupt.”

Isn’t this true? The minute I start feeling like my own genius and efforts have made me  better than others, I begin to “inhale” and to “believe my own press clippings.” Pride really can corrupt people if they are not careful and self-aware.  What’s the best way to overcome pride and envy in addition to developing gratitude? Again, to President Uchtdorf:

“It is almost impossible to be lifted up in pride when our hearts are filled with charity. ‘No one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love (D&C 12:8).’ When we see the world around us through the lens of the pure love of Christ, we begin to understand humility.”

I love that. Filling my heart with charity will cast out of prideful feelings. Cultivating the pure love of Christ is so fundamental to overcoming sinful pride. Pure love and enmity cannot co-exist.

Finally, President Uchtdorf sums up what humility really is by saying: “Some suppose that humility is about beating ourselves up. Humility does not mean convincing ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless, or of little value. Nor does it mean denying or withholding the talents God has given us. We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellowman.”

Isn’t that great? I don’t have to think poorly of myself to be humble. Indeed, I am a child of God with divine potential, and I can and should feel great about that. God loves me. He loves you. So we should love ourselves. We just need to remember the source of our strength is Him, and not us. And as we think less ABOUT ourselves and more about serving others, we’ll find true humility and pure love.

To read President Uchtdorf’s full text, go to http://new.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/pride-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng#22

 

Influential Book on Relationships

I recently read an article regarding the classic Dale Carnegie book called “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” I first read that book at the urging of my mother, when I was a young teenager, and I can honestly say that it changed my life. I started to apply the principles in that book and I noticed that my interactions with those around me were much improved. The title of the book seems pretty self-serving and potentially manipulative. But I believe Carnegie’s basic points, when applied appropriately, are sound:

• Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
• Give honest and sincere appreciation.
• Become genuinely interested in other people.
• Smile.
• Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
• Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

So I’ve decided to share some of these principles with my kids around the dinner table. Each week, I intend to focus on a different principle and hopefully it will have an affect on their lives.

What books have influenced your life?

 

Being a Better Dad

On Saturday I hiked to the top of Mt. Timpanogos for the fourth time in my life. As always, it was a thrilling experience to reach the second highest peak in Utah and look out over the valleys below. It’s about a 16-mile round trip, so my brother Aaron and I had lots of time to talk as we hiked. We talked about our life experiences that had led us to where we are today. We also talked about the importance of fatherhood. We both have learned some very important lessons from our own late father’s example (both positive and negative), and many things from our own experiences as fathers of young children. Here’s a summary of my thoughts on “principles for effective fatherhood.” 

Quality and Quantity Time
Develop a strong personal relationship with each individual child. This sounds extremely basic, but I think it’s crucial to spend good quality time with my kids as a group and individually. When I spend time with my children, undistracted by work, hobbies or other concerns, I know I’m communicating that they are the most important part of my lives. When I don’t, I’m sending the opposite message.

I try to find time for recreational experiences on a regular basis. I like to take my kids on some fun activity once a week and we love the time we spend together. Throw a football. Watch a TV show together. Go swimming or go on a hike. Play hide and seek. Go to a museum. Create memories together for “time flies of wings of lightning and you cannot call it back.”

When I was a young boy, my dad took me and my siblings on a handful dates – time that he would spend one-on-one with us doing something fun. We loved these moments together and I still remember those experiences from three decades ago. Over the past five years, I’ve tried to take a different child on a date each week so that each child gets one date per month. (It certainly doesn’t always happen that way because, well, life happens.) When I ask my kids what they like the most about our relationship, they always talk about the fun dates we’ve done. It doesn’t have to cost much or any money. But the one-on-one time has been crucial to developing a strong relationship.

We try to eat dinner together each night and I often lead the conversation so that each person gets a chance to share and feel valued. Each night, we take a few minutes to allow everyone to share one good thing and one bad thing that happened during the day. We usually don’t get through everyone, but it’s nice to be able to hear about each other’s successes and struggles.

Communication
This is one of the areas that I think is most crucial in parenting. I want to develop a relationship with my children which is so open and honest that they can come to me with any challenge or concern. Now I realize I haven’t quite gotten to the teenage years yet, so this will only get more difficult, but I’m hopeful that by setting a pattern in the early years, the children will be willing to talk with me and allow me to help them. Here are a few items I think are extremely important.

Listen intently to what they have to say and resist the urge to give advice and solve problems. A parent who immediately judges and criticizes a child’s choices and experiences as he/she shares them will find that the child is much more reluctant to share his/her thoughts and feelings.

Have regular talks with children. For me most often this means pulling them aside to sit on the porch swing or taking them on an errand with me and talking with them about their lives. Regular one-on-one visits are so important. About once per quarter, I do formal interviews with my kids in my home office on a Sunday afternoon. I sit across from them and we talk about their joys and struggles, their hopes and dreams, and the development of their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We start and end these “interviews” with a prayer. It’s a great time to share my feelings about the gospel and let them know how much they are loved.

A mentor friend of mine once taught me three questions he would often ask his children in conversations to elicit feedback that would help him be a better father. They were simple and straightforward, but helped the kids think of specific things. He would ask:

“What am I currently doing that you’d like me to continue doing?”
“What am I currently doing that you’d like me to stop doing?”
“What am I not currently doing that you’d like me start doing?” 

Now, my kids are fairly young and so usually they don’t have many answers to these questions, except for something like “Buy me that video game I want!” But the very fact that I try to ask these questions shows them that I really desire their input on how I can be a better father. Of course, if you ask for and receive feedback, you’d better be prepared to act on the input you get!

Consistent Devotions
Daily scripture study. Morning and evening family prayer. Weekly church services. Weekly family home evening. All of these activities, when done consistently and in the right spirit, should strengthen the family and increase harmony and peace in the home. I am hopeful that this is true, although a spirit of contention often creeps in as we try to do these things. I remember my dad dragging us all out of bed at 5:45 each weekday morning to gather in the family room to read scriptures. It made a strong impression on me, even though at the time I often resisted.

Other Items

• Teach my children how to work and set high expectations for them. When those expectations aren’t met, instead of criticizing, take the time to teach. 
• Resist the urge to shout and snarl.
• Get to know my children’s friends and make them feel welcome in our home.
• Be patient.
• Praise good behavior regularly.
• Express love and show it.

Obviously these principles are not comprehensive. What do you have to add? I’d love to read your thoughts on how to be a successful parent.

 

Tour of Traverse Mountain Home

We’ve been in our new home in Traverse Mountain (Lehi) for the past three months, and we’ve loving it. It’s such a great neighborhood and the home meets our needs very well. It’s so nice to have a brand new home. Nothing quite like it. I’ve had a few people tell me they’d like to see pics of the inside, so here they are. Please give us a call if you’d like to come and visit!

Brianna hangs out in the study on the main floor.

 

Summer Fun – Part 2

Labor Day weekend always feels like the end of summer to me. Hopefully we’ll have a few more weeks of summer-like weather, but once all of the public outdoor swimming pools close down, I know the season is ending. And I always get a little bit sad about that.

I enjoy all of the seasons (although I wish winter would end mid-January). Fall is a great time of year and I love the holidays, but I’m usually not quite ready to have summer end. I love the long days when you can play outside until 9:30 before it gets dark. I love being able to take walks wearing sandals, a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. I love swimming, playing tennis and hiking, none of which I did enough this year. I love the smell of freshly cut grass and  BBQ grills cooking up delicious treats. All good things must come to an end, I guess.

We did have a very fun summer, and here are a few pictures from Pioneer Day through Labor Day. (Just click on the thumbnails to see larger versions of the pictures.)

On Pioneer Day, the Lehi City Fire Department sponsored a foam activity where they squirted kids with foam at a local park. Kind of strange, but the kids loved it.

We bought a pass to Thanksgiving Point and visited the gardens almost every Monday for their family night activities. We’ve definitely gotten our money’s worth and we still have another 9 months left to use the pass.

Parley and his friends Josh and Yeager at 11-year-old scout camp, which I attended with him.

Nearing the end of our five-mile hike with the 11-year old scouts up Hobble Creek Canyon.

James eating breakfast just before going to church.

Lily and James on a Sunday morning.

My baby sister Holly’s baby sister Eliza. Born August 2, 2010. So cute!

Parley and his brand new cousin Eliza.

Andrew holding his adorable niece, Eliza Marie.

James at Bear Lake during a brief stop there on the way home from Logan.

Parley and Brianna wading in Bear Lake.

We decided to go ahead and finish our backyard. It’s so nice to have grass!

We put in a nice stamped/colored concrete patio and got some decent patio furniture from Walmart. Now we’re out of money…

Robin’s cousins on the Call side.

Kids on our back patio with some masks they made.

Lily and James at the Draper Pool.

Self portrait at the Highland Splash Pad.

Parley getting drenched at the Highland Splash Pad.

Parley playing at the Highland Splash Pad.

Lily at Thanksgiving Gardens.

Kids at Thanksgiving Gardens.

Lily and Robin at Thanksgiving Gardens.

Robin and Lily at Discovery Gateway near the helicopter.

Lily and James sitting in the helicopter at Discovery Gateway.

James washing his car.

Parley, Brianna, Lily and James all bought candy at the East Canyon Country Store with dollars given to them by Granny Vicki. We had a fun weekend up there over Labor Day.

Sweet baby James and I took Buddy on a walk the other day. Yes, he picked out this outfit himself and I didn’t stop him. I guess I’m a bad father. :-)

 

Summer Fun – Part 1

Summer is halfway over and we’ve had a lot of fun. I love summer and always try to make the most out of my time. Our big event in June was the completion of our new house in Traverse Mountain. This picture was taken on the day that we got our keys. We were SO excited to move in. We had been staying with my mom for 10 weeks and while we enjoyed being with her very much, we were really happy to get into our new place. Isn’t it beautiful?

They were laying sod on the day we got the keys. The grass is fairly well established now (six weeks later) and all the houses around us are completed as well with landscaping done. It’s so nice!

Here’s a shot from the back of the house up on the hill. Those big windows in our family room are so cool. We love it.

We have some really pretty sunsets that we can watch at the top of the hill.

Brianna, Lily, Buddy and Parley on the top of the mountain behind our house with a view of Cabela’s and Thanksgiving Point below.

This next shot is our family at the Legacy Lake at the LDS-church owned Heber Valley Family Camp during the Lambert Family Reunion. This reunion included descendents of my great grandparents, Alma and Molly Lambert. We had a great time!

Lily and James with cousins Max and Topher on our porch swing at our new house. We’ve enjoyed hosting friends and family at our new home.

Lily and Brianna in Huntsville on July 3, about an hour before fireworks. This is actually in front of a historic saloon that still operates as a bar. We were in Ogden Valley near Pineview Reservoir for a vacation with my mom and siblings’ families. We had a great time. (The iPhone took all these pictures with its 2 MP camera. It doesn’t have a flash or zoom, and as you can see takes much better pictures in sunlight than without.)

Lily and James riding a little train in Liberty, Utah during our Independence Day Celebration. (Great place to be on July 4th, a town called “liberty.”)

Lily, Parley and Brianna participated in the Liberty “chicken catch” and she was the only one that caught one. And the prize for catching the chicken, you ask? You get to keep the chicken. We already have two cats and a dog, we don’t need a chicken, nor do we have a place to keep it. So when we made Lily give it up 15 minutes after she won it (and named it Alice) she cried and cried. It was not a happy couple of hours. At least we have this picture so she can fondly remember Alice, her pet chicken.

During our extended family vacation, several of us went on a hike up a nearby canyon. My baby sister Holly was eight month’s pregnant with her bearded husband Chris Davies. My brother Dan and his daughter Hannah joined us, as well as Nate and his two boys. Good times!

Two-year old James is finally starting to figure out the potty (I’ve always thought that was a goofy, juvenile word. Why not just say “toilet?”) Anyway, he’s very proud of a certain deposit he made moments before this picture was taken.

Brianna and Lily are having a “tea party” in our piano room. James eyes the treats and the sugar water they are using as their tea.

Lily and James with beautiful Mt. Timpanogos in the background. We found a camping site in American Fork Canyon in mid-July and had a great time.

Here’s our campsite in the wilderness. No facilities. Lots of fun. (Expect that I forgot my allergy medication, and accidently forgot to pack enough sleeping bags and pillows, and my air mattress wouldn’t inflate because my electric pump didn’t work. It was a long night.)

Andrew, James and Lily during a visit to Cascade Springs the morning after our camp.

My cute family during a hike near Tibble Fork Reservoir. Love those smiles.

Here we’re feeding the coy fish at Thanksgiving Point Gardens. We bought an annual family membership there since we live so close (8 minutes by car) and we’ve been enjoying it. They have activities for the whole family on Monday nights. Last week it was a Jello fight, so the kids wore their swimsuits and threw Jello at other kids before they turned on the sprinklers and washed them off.

My girls in front of a Pioneer Day float on display at the South Town Expo Center. You get to see the floats up close in comfortable air conditioning.

My boys in front of a float commemorating the legendary seagulls and crickets story from Mormon pioneer history.

We’ve had a busy summer. And it’s not over yet. Our goal is to swim in 10 different pools, go on 10 different hikes and go camping at least twice. It’s fun to stay active and give the kids experiences they’ll remember (hopefully).

 

An Enchanted Land

I’ve heard about the beauty of Hawaii all my life. My grandpa was a travel agent and always raved about the beauty of the islands. I’ve watched LOST for the past few years (filmed on Oahu) and have been blown away by the breathtaking scenery of the island. So I had high expectations for my first visit there last week. And I was no disappointed. It really was incredible – so lush, so many exotic plants, flowers, waterfalls, beautiful sandy beaches, craggy volcanic rock clusters, impressive cliffs and huge waves. The weather was perfect, high 70s to low 80s. I especially loved the weather in the morning and at night.

Our accommodations during this trip were top-notch. We had two nights in a penthouse condo in Waikiki beach in Honolulu. Being on the 37th floor was very cool and we had some great views. We got a great deal on the room because our friends Steve and Liz are the owners of Koko Resorts and they manage several rental properties. We had a blast with them and with Robin’s brother Chris and his wife Shannon who we spent time with in Oahu.

During our three nights in Maui, we stayed at the Four Seasons of Maui at Wailea. This property was first-class. It was a five-star resort and everything about it was incredible (including the prices). Fountains, pools, huge columns, marble walkways that opened onto the beach, exceptionally manicured landscaping with grass, huge plants and colorful flowers.

We relaxed a lot and we played a lot. While on Oahu, I walked the beach, swam in the ocean, jogged five miles around the Diamond Head volcano, hiked to the top of Diamond Head for a breathtaking view, visited several beaches, enjoyed excellent entertainment at the Polynesian Cultural Center and got to see BYU Hawaii and the Laiea LDS temple. On Sunday, we attended a Catholic Mass at St. Augustine’s in Waikiki (awesome music with the Hawaiian guitar). Later, we got to see Pearl Harbor and remember the sacrifice of our soldiers in defense of freedom before catching an inter-island flight to Maui.

While in Maui, we walked along the beach every day, went snorkeling twice, sailed on a catamaran, went SCUBA diving (awesome), played in the waves, paddled an outrigger canoe, played volleyball, tennis and croquet, tried doing Tai Chi with an Asian instructor, swam in the various pools, ate excellent meals, explored the surrounding resorts and shopping areas, and I even tried on a Rolex watch and pretended that I might be interested in buying it.

It was a great trip. Much of it was paid for by my company for winning a sales contest and so I feel especially grateful. I hope to be able to take my kids back there someday. Check out the slide show for some cool pics.

http://www.slide.com/r/-Axeo_R_3z8c33A-5xRe4DZMx81Gnf9m?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

 

The Influence of the Holy Ghost

Following is a talk I gave in sacrament meeting in my Sandy ward last week on the help that we can receive from the Holy Ghost.

The Influence of the Holy Ghost
Today I want to focus my thoughts on four roles the Holy Ghost fulfills in our lives and give some examples from the scriptures and from my own life. These four roles include #1 Testifier; #2 Guide; #3 Protector and #4 Comforter. 

Testifier
Let’s start with testifier. The church’s gospel principles manual teaches that “the mission of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and the Son and of the truth of all things. The Holy Ghost will witness to us that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. He will reveal to us that our Heavenly Father is the Father of our spirits. He will help us understand that we can become exalted like our Heavenly Father.”

Without the Holy Ghost, we could not know that Jesus is the Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:3 that “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”

When Jesus asked his apostles “Whom do men say that I am?” Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God,” a response that was likely shocking to some of the other disciples as they had been saying that Jesus was a prophet and a teacher. But after Peter bore his testimony of the divinity of his Master, Jesus replied, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). This precious truth was revealed to Simon Peter by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Moroni’s promise at the end of the Book of Mormon says that “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5).

President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “When a man has the manifestation from the Holy Ghost, it leaves an indelible impression on his soul, one that is not easily erased. It is Spirit speaking to spirit, and it comes with convincing force. A manifestation of an angel, or even of the Son of God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and eventually become dimmed, but the impressions of the Holy Ghost sink deeper into the soul and are more difficult to erase. Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fiber and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten.”

I recall seeing the most frequent power of the Holy Ghost as testifier while I served my mission to Brazil in the early 1990s. People were changed by its powerful impressions, especially as we told them about the prophet Joseph’s experience in the sacred grove where he saw the Father and the Son in 1820. A few months ago, I had the chance to go back to tour my mission 15 years after returning home. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience. The Brazilian saints were so happy to see me and it was a powerful witness to see the flame of testimony still burning bright in their hearts because the Holy Ghost confirmed the words they had been taught.

I will always remember discussion on the restoration of the gospel with Adriana, a woman with three small children who had recently been divorced. She was confused and was looking for the true church. As we taught her the discussion, the spirit was present and then we asked her to pray to know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, if these things were true. She did. And the spirit filled our hearts and minds. It was so powerful, I remember almost fainting during the prayer she offered. It had an indelible impact on all of us. I’ll never forget that experience with the Holy Ghost.

Guide
In Psalms 32:8, the Lord says: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” The Lord uses the power of the Holy Ghost to give us guidance and direction. 

We know the spirit can guide our footsteps. I recall the faith of a young Nephi who twice had tried and failed to obtain the brass plates from Laban. His brothers were ready to turn back, but Nephi knew the Lord’s will was for him to obtain the plates for the profit and learning of his descendants in the New World. So he crept back into Jerusalem. First Nephi 4:6 reads: “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” What faith and trust Nephi must have had! Have you ever been in a situation like that? One where you trust completely in the spirit to guide you. Most of the time the Lord requires us to “study it out in our minds” and then he’ll confirm the decision with a good feeling like a burning in the bosom, or answer no with a stupor of thought. But sometimes, he wants us to show our faith and trust in him and follow his promptings without hesitation.

The Holy Ghost has been a great influence in my life. He’s guided my paths in important decisions such missionary service, marriage, higher education and career decisions. He’s also guided me as I’ve served him in my various callings through the years.

For the past four years, I served as a counselor in our ward’s bishopric in Riverton. A while back, I was out on visits with Bishop Martinsen, who told me that he had the impression that we needed to visit a certain home. He didn’t know why. He didn’t even know what family lived there. When we arrived we were invited into the house and quickly discovered that due to unemployment and sickness, the family had been unable to pay their electric bill and the power company had shut off their power. (It’s amazing how dependent we are on electricity and how difficult life is without it.) The bishop counseled with them and provided some much-needed assistance. With tears of gratitude, the mother in the family asked, “How did you know to come over here when we needed help so much?” The bishop answered that we were led there by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Protector
Many have heard the story of President Willford Woodruff who was told by the Spirit to move his wagon and his team. He obeyed this prompting from the Holy Ghost his family was spared from certain death that would have resulted for a tornado that struck the area shortly after he obeyed.

We’ve all heard dramatic stories like this. And while I believe the Spirit can communicate to us in this way, generally, his influence comes as a still small voice. It comes to us as impressions, feelings and inspired thoughts.

I recall feeling a warning prompting as a young boy who had been newly baptized. I had been invited to attend the circus at the old Salt Palace with a friend’s family. I was really excited to go, but then I got this feeling of foreboding, a spiritual impression that I should not go. I fought it for a long time, but finally decided to follow it and I told my friend that I couldn’t go. He didn’t understand, nor did I. Part of me wishes I could say that I found out later that an elephant got loose and caused serious damage and that had I gone, I would have been hurt or killed. But my friend later reported to me that the circus was great and that I had really missed out. Who knows what would have happened? Perhaps I was spared a kidnapping, an accident or harm of some kind. Or perhaps, and more likely, the Lord was simply testing my willingness to follow.

I know from experience that when promptings come, we need to follow. And if we’re unsure if it’s a prompting from the Holy Ghost or our imagination, I recommend following the impression. The Lord won’t fault us for demonstrating our faith and willingness to follow in every circumstance.

Comforter
One of the most common references to the Holy Ghost in the Doctrine and Covenants is made using the title of Comforter. It shows up more than 70 times in this book of sacred revelations. His role as comforter may be the one with which most of us have had the most first-hand experience. 

Several years ago, I dealt with a situation in which I greatly needed the comfort of the spirit. I had lost my job due to budget cuts and the right job seemed elusive. Unemployment is extremely difficult not only due to the loss of income, but also because of the loss of one’s sense of identity and purpose, especially as a man who in this culture is expected to be the breadwinner and provider.

During this difficult time, the Comforter helped me keep a positive attitude. I was led to a scripture in Alma 58:11, which described an experience that the worn-torn Nephites had. It reads: “Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.” The assurances of deliverance and the peace, hope and faith spoken to their souls came from the Comforter. And the Holy Ghost will do the same for all who diligently seek him.

D&C 42:17 teaches us that “the Comforter knoweth all things, and beareth record of the Father and of the Son.” Since he knows all things as a member of the Godhead, he has the ability to help us answer those questions of what we need to learn from our trials. He can provide us with strength and hope in dark times.

My father Kent Lambert was, in my estimation, a great man with a righteous heart. His death five years ago was the most difficult trial I’ve ever faced. A few years before he passed away, I attended the funeral of a dear friend’s mother who had suffered and died from pancreatic cancer. I said silent prayers during the funeral, thanking Heavenly Father that our family had been spared from this deadly disease. I then looked over to see my mother attending the funeral as well, but without my dad. I approached her after the funeral and asked “Where’s dad?” She told me he was having a biopsy. I didn’t even know what a biopsy was. She assured me that it would probably be nothing and not to worry. A few days later, both Mom and Dad called and said they had some news they needed to give us in person, so we drove over, knowing that news that needed to be delivered in person couldn’t be good. And it wasn’t. It was stage-three, very aggressive prostate cancer.

I remember taking my wife Robin over to Flat Iron Mesa park that cold January afternoon and walking around the track, tears streaming down my face. I couldn’t bear the thought that my kids wouldn’t know him. It was very painful. At that time, I was hopeful that he’d live long enough to see my son Parley go on his mission at age 19. Later, as the cancer progressed and treatment after treatment failed, I revised that down to seeing Parley receive the priesthood at the age of 12. Then I revised it down to seeing Parley get baptized when he was 8. However, it was not to be. Healing blessings, earnest prayers and faith exercised by many did not save his physical life. I’m sure his life was prolonged, but he was not spared. Why not? Why didn’t the Lord spare him? He was righteous. His family needed him. Plenty of faith and prayers were exercised on his behalf.

I testify that the Holy Ghost has comforted me on many occasions related to his passing. It was taught me to focus less on “why” dad passed away, and more on what the Lord wants our family to learn from it. We’re sealed together and have eternity to be a family. The Holy Ghost has born witness of that truth to me. But we still miss him.

However, because of this experience and the comforting power of the Holy Ghost, I have felt a greater closeness with my siblings and my good mother. We’ve had many tender and sweet experiences that have shaped me into a better person. I’ve been comforted not so much with the answer to the question “Why?” but more of an assurance that God is in control. That his righteous will is being done. 

Constant Companionship
The last phrase of one of the sacrament prayers is a plea “that they may always have His spirit to be with them.” What a blessing this would be! To always have his spirit to be with us. This is a tall order and quite difficult to achieve. Three ways to achieve this: strive to live worthily, pray earnestly and create an environment where the spirit can dwell. 

The scriptures teach us that we must live worthily for this blessing. It doesn’t mean we’re perfect. It means that we’re striving earnestly to discover the Lord’s will and live it.

Prayer is an essential ingredient in cultivating the Spirit. The Lord has encouraged us to pour out our souls to Him in our closets. He has taught us to cry over the flocks of our fields daily. The more heartfelt, sincere and earnest our prayers are, the more we’ll enjoy the influence of the spirit in our lives.

Finally, we must create an environment where we can feel the spirit of the Lord. The temple is the perfect example of this type of environment. With four young, energetic children at home, recreating a temple-like environment in my home just isn’t practical. But we can make an effort. Music has always been a great way to bring in the spirit of the Lord in my life. From singing in huge choirs in the tabernacle to sharing primary songs at bedtime in a child’s room, I have felt the spirit stronger through music than perhaps any other way.

Each year at Christmas time, we decided as a bishopric in Riverton to go caroling to every household in our ward and give them a Christmas card. It generally took us 5-6 hours over three nights to complete. Yes, there were a few slammed doors, but mostly people were receptive. As we sang these beautiful anthems about the savior’s birth, hearts were softened and tears were shed, not because we were such great singers, but because the spirit testified to the people that we knew the Savior lives. The message of peace on earth and good will toward men permeated many hearts through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Brothers and sisters, the Holy Ghost can have an incredibly powerful influence on us for good. He testifies of our divine heritage and helps us to teach others about the saving truths of the gospel. He guides our footsteps and helps us with the decisions we make. He protects us from physical dangers, evil temptations and unworthy choices if we will only listen to his promptings. He comforts us in our afflictions, eases our burdens and buoys us up when we’re disheartened. He strengthens our resolve to trust in the Lord, come what may. By living worthily, praying earnestly and seeking to create appropriate environments (as the scriptures say, standing in holy place) we can enjoy his influence more abundantly and more consistently, which will lead us back into the Lord’s presence. We will have become what the Lord wants us to become. I pray that we will do so, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

One More Month!

Our house is progressing nicely and will be finished on schedule. Our closing date is June 11 and we hope to move in on Saturday, June 12. We’re so excited. Here are a few pics of the new place.

My wife, mother, sister and brother-in-law during our visit last weekend.

View of the master bedroom.

View of family room from second floor.

Robin’s new kitchen!

View from living room to the front entrance.

Photo taken from the hill behind our new house in Traverse Mountain.

Brick and stucco work begin this week.

 

Anticipation

My daughter Lily turns six on Monday and for the past few weeks, she’s had a paper chain that she made to help her count down the days. Isn’t that cute? I do the same thing. Three weeks from yesterday, Robin and I leave on a trip to Hawaii. I’m counting down the days. Eight weeks from now (give or take a week), we’ll close on our new house and move in. I’m counting the days. And while I don’t have a paper chain, I do have an iPhone app called “Days Until” that I can enter important dates and know how many days until that event. It’s kind of fun and less messy than a paper chain.

I think anticipation makes life more exciting and enjoyable. It’s so fun to have something to look forward to, whether it’s a vacation, the arrival of a new baby or some other important event. A few events that I can remember counting down the days include:

• My mission call to Brazil in 1993 (I had to wait 24 hours from when it first came in the mail because my dad and brothers were on a scout camp; those were the longest 24 hours of my life)
• Our wedding day (and night) in 1997 
• The birth of our first child in 1999 (he was late, as were all our children so our anticipation was heightened)
• The release of the final Lord of the Rings movie (saw it opening day)
• The release of the final Harry Potter book (I was there at midnight wearing a black robe – seems kind of silly now)

And now we’re anxiously waiting for our house to be completed. We’re counting the days and trying not to get too impatient. We’ve wanted this for a few years now, and it’s finally becoming a reality. Thankfully, our builder is very good and work on the house has been progressing steadily. There’s something new every time we visit and it’s amazing to think that just one month ago, it was just a foundation. Now the drywall and mudding/taping is done, the roof and windows are on and they will begin flooring and cabinets next week. Work on the exterior (brick and stucco) should begin soon as well. Just 56 more days!!