Best Extreme Sport

Snowmobiling is the best extreme sport of all. Think about it if you are doubting or are complaining in your mind after reading my first sentence. The area to ride is entire mountains. The only thing you can’t climb is when it’s so steep it will avalanche on you for touching it. They have more horse power then any single person crafts. And the only places to ride are more secluded then any others. Not even trails are limitations.

Every year the technology is getting better. This last season an 1100cc engine sled was released. That thing with turbo has over 200 horse powers. What makes a vehicle move forward is what is touching the ground. Dirt bikes will have about a 5 by 5 area on the ground. Four wheelers 8 by 6 about depending on the model. But a snowmobile will have 17 by 162 inches of grip. That I a lot of torque. Just imagine the power at your finger tips and what you could climb with that.

With all that on an 800cc engine; that is what I ride is an 800. You can see the most beautiful snow colored areas in the world. It is for the most extreme junkies like me. Or casual riders out for an enjoyable ride. Snowmobiling is the best extreme sport far all.

How Can I Change?

Desire is one of the core functions of how you work. Desires can take many different forms. We can want things, events, acceptance, accomplishments, family, love… There is more than can be numbered. This is something important for us to know. Because the desires of our hearts will be the outcome of whom we are in life.

When someone has a desire for something they often work towards it. They make it a goal or a purpose in life. It can take the span of a few seconds to fulfill it or a lifetime. Truly our desires shape us our whole life. People often think of the word destiny as a preplanned set of events that we will do in our life. Some think that we have no choice in these matters and God already chose what we do. That is wrong. Our destiny is what we make of it.

When someone wants something that will hurt them, drugs for example. We would surround ourselves with it. What we do to when we do drugs. How we act and who we associate. Your whole life reflects it. Or with family, from picking a spouse to where you live to raise your family. Your life is reflected from your desires.

20 years down the road our choices will have sculpted us. And we will be what we have decided to do and what we choose to work for. When we learn to control the desires of our heart we control our lives.

Killer Bees

I have had some of the craziest experiences of anyone you have ever met. I am a reformed adrenaline junkie to start. But I would like to tell of the time I got swarmed by Killer Bees. That is right Killer Bees. This happened when I was on my mission in Tucson Arizona. I was living in a small town in New Mexico called Verden. I lived in the side house on a cotton and corn farm.

The week before Brother Lunt was on his tractor spraying the corn for bugs. And in an old fallen oak tree bee’s had made their home in the trunk. All bees in Arizona are Africanized. When the tractor drove by the vibrations it was letting off disturbed them and they went and swarmed him. Brother Lunt is 83; he almost died and was hospitalized for a few days, and almost died. A week later when her recovered. He got in a bee suit then climbed into his Bobcat.

I and my mission companion just got home for lunch. We parked out by the machine shop and walked about 150 feet. I heard the Bobcat and tuned to wave to Brother Lunt. He had the log with the bee hive in its arms and the bees were mad.

He says, “Boys, there is bee’s all around me.” I always thought I could keep my cool in any situation. Well bee’s swarming you will always make you freak out. I started running in circles while waving my hands in the air. I was screaming while more bees were swarming around me. After about 20 seconds of this I then realized I needed to get cover. I looked at my house and thought that is it. Its closer then the irrigation ditch. So I ran for the front door.

Right as I took my first step a bee stung me on the forehead. I ran inside and shut the door. I got a couple of cards out and pulled out the stinger. My companion sat in the truck for a minute tell the bees went away. We thought it was all fine because I have no reaction to the bees and no swelling happened.

Well the next day I was speaking at church. With all the facial movements the venom started to react to my face. So as I was speaking me eye swelled shut. It took like 2 minutes. So everyone was looking at me and thought me and my companion had gotten in a fight. I could take him. But I had to clear that up because I didn’t want everyone to think we fought when we were actually best friends.

If you get swarmed by bee’s remember you will freak out.

Especially For Youth

Especially For Youth is amazing! I was a councilor for it last summer. I have never had more fun in my life. EFY has been around for decades. The best way I can describe it is Bible camp for Mormon’s. It is all Gospel centered and its purpose is to bring youth closer to Christ.

There is a group of all guys with a male councilor in charge of it and a group of all girls with a female councilor over it. These 2 groups together make a company. They can comprise of a group of kids from 16 – 48 kids. It is a challenge to keep control of 48 kids. Even with a co-councilor it seems impossible at times. Most of the kids didn’t know each other before hand. But they all leave friends at the end of the one week adventure.

There is a dance on Tuesday and Friday before the week is over. Every week I would find myself teaching dozens of kids to dance. I country swing so I would teach a basic twirl to spice up a slow song. It’s a very save environment for the kids to be dancing in.

The sessions vary from location. Mostly in colleges with a LDS Institute building. Each location has a 400 kids, give or take. And one adult couple is assigned over the entire week long session. They teach a devotional every morning. They are assigned a topic to speak on. They then teach and inspire the youth.

I won’t be doing EFY this year because I interviewed too late and all the positions I applied for were full. But that is alright, there is next year. EFY is one of the greatest experiences youth who have gone to have ever had. And I am glad to have been a part of it.

Small Steps

I have learned to walk 3 times since the age of 18. One thing that I love is that everyone has a story behind them that is fascinating and motivational. No matter where you are from. I have learned to walk again and again. This has been only a small part of my life.

After shattering my leg the doctor didn’t know if he could save it was so bad. But inspiration hit him and he experimented and saved my leg. They the ball was in my court. I have always wanted to sever a LDS Mission and if you can’t walk you can’t go. So I have an obstacle to get over.

When you have your life stop on a dime. You will always want to get back on track. I would start by just being able to crutch. My leg going below my heart hurt a lot. Then I would without weight put my foot on the ground and fake walk. Over time as my doctor allowed me to put weight on it. I would increase the weight.

You would not believe how much it hurts to be able to take those first part weight steps when you leg is severed and a rod is the only thing supporting you. But you don’t know the joy when you finally take your first step without any crutch or railing. It will mean more than most accomplishments you have previously accomplished.

I went to Physical Therapy a lot. My Therapist Dr, Cox was a huge help to me. After going to Physical Therapy and learning to walk I would have another surgery. One was to get the rod out of my leg and put a bigger one in. the other was to rebuild my foot so I could walk normal. And the last was during my mission. And I had gotten a Staph Infection called Mrsa. This almost killed me and I had to get the second rod out of my leg.

You would not believe how much it hurts to be able to take those first part weight steps when you leg is severed and a rod is the only thing supporting you. But you don’t know the joy when you finally take your first step without any crutch or railing. It will mean more than most accomplishments you have previously accomplished.

Pink Scooter

Pink Scooter

2 days before High School graduation I shattered my leg riding a pink Razor scooter. It’s funny how one sentence can grab all of your attention. Some friends and I were going to celebrate the conclusion of the school year and got to get Sobe's (a fruit drink). We had all finished all our assignments and passed our classes. a couple of us had finished and were on to graduation.

We were deciding which store to go to. Albertsons or Wal-Mart. I was pushing for Albertson's cause my girlfriend; at the time, was on the way. They all wanted to go to Wal-Mart. My gut feeling was telling me to go the other way. My friends finally decided we will go to Albertsons.

In the first mile we were going 25mph. the pavement was new so it was like a sheet of ice. But the stupid scooter can only go so fast. I got speed wobble, then boy meats ground and my leg shatters.

I had a pretty good attitude about life. The first thing I did was laugh, then pulled out my phone and sent out text messages to my brother and girl friend. Then I screamed in pain. My friend stopped after a crashed. "Dude, are you alright!?" "Ya, I think I broke my leg" as I am texting. "You are alright" "AAAHHHH! It hurts now!" then my phone rang "Hey Barry, what’s up" my brother just called when he read the text.

It took 36 minutes for the ambulance to drive 1.2 mile to get me. By that time the initial shock wore off then I felt it all.

As you can tell I have recovered now. But it took a long, long time. So my word of advice to everyone. Don’t go 25 on a Scooter! You will always lose!