How the Las Vegas shooting unfolded for me.

"A date which will live in infamy "  - President Franklin D. Roosevelt

   Last night a lone gunman opened fire on a crowd of people killing at least 50 and injuring over 400 at a Las Vegas concert. I want to first send my condolences to those people who lost loved ones in the worst mass shooting in American history. As I watched the scene unfold it was hard to figure what was real and what wasn't. There were reports of several gunmen, bombs set at other casinos, and other misinformation going out. I remember the hardest part for me was we thought the death count was only at 2. then one of our reporters tweeted someone saying it was 20+, since it was the only report of that I hoped that was among the misinformation. Then the sad truth came at the first update. At least 20 people were dead. That's when it became a little more somber at work.

   

   I remember earlier that night reporting on 2 separate terror attacks in Canada and France with a total of 2 civilians killed. While sad it no longer seems to be a huge issue. I commented on this with my co worker who mentioned we would probably have a slow night and just re cap the LDS General Conference meeting. That's when this happened. Some sites say ISIS has claimed responsibility for this attack, but I will wait a little before giving them credit. Either way this is a tragic incident to happen on American soil.

   So my question is this. What do we do about it? Do we ban AR rifles again? I think that would be nearly impossible in this day and age with 3D printing capabilities and the fact it there are so many untraceable rifles. Everyone quotes Australia's way how they banned all the guns and there hasn't been a mass shooting since. Both false there have been a few shootings resulting in several deaths since the 1996, granted not as bad as the Port Arthur Massacre that prompted the ban. And they only banned semi automatic rifles, not all firearms. you can check out the law here: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/firearms-control/australia.php

For those looking for a great resource on where to get some information check out the podcast "Science vs" They just put facts against all the stories you hear. they have 2 different episodes on guns which I think most people looking at it with an open mind will learn something. 

I'm wanting people to answer this question of how to make America safer with ideas and suggestions on how to change the gun culture in America where people can still practice there second amendment rights and those that don't won't live in fear of being killed. 

Dutch Oven Cooking: Monkey Bread

"Good Food is always sweeter when shared with Good Friends"

-Boy Scout Trail

   One of the presents we got for our wedding was a Dutch Oven. Now I've always wanted one and thought they would be a wonderful, but I didn't want to have to haul one around all the time. Well after taking one on our recent camping trip to Goblin Valley and cooking most of our meals on it I've loved it. Now we have been trying different recipes and let me tell you this Monkey Bread is a wonderful dessert for after dinner. We made it on a recent family trip and everybody loved it!

What you need:

• 2 cans of Jumbo buttermilk biscuits
• 1 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cup of sugar
• 3ish tsbp of cinnamon 
• one stick of butter
• aluminium foil 
• cooking spray
• 1 gallon ziplock bag

   Throw the sugars and cinnamon in a bag. mix it all together. Open up the biscuit cans and tear each biscuit in four pieces. mix those pieces in the bag with the sugars. next take your foil to line your dutch oven spray it down with cooking spray. Then put in all the mixed up biscuit pieces. Melt the butter and pour over the top. Spread remaining sugar from bag over melted butter. Set it on the coals for about 20 minutes. We did a charcoal chimney worth and put about 2/3 on bottom and the rest on the lid. If anything I would put a few less on the bottom, but it still turned out alright.

   After 20 minutes check it to make sure they are done and not raw on the inside. You may have to sample one to be sure. you can make icing to put on top.

Very simple all you need to mix together is:

BUTTER (very important to use actual butter)

Milk

Powder Sugar

Vanilla 

   Pour it on top or dunk it in as you pull it apart to enjoy. Next Time I do this I want to use homemade biscuit dough so we will see how that compares.

   Like the quote at the top says it is always better to be around friends and family to share these good meals. I feel one of the ways to bring people together is through food. It's easy too, just throw on a couple extra burgers, make a little more stew, mash up a couple extra potatoes and invite someone over. It doesn't need to be fancy, it is a good excuse to share.

   I'm hoping to try out more recipes that bring people together. I've got a few but I'm happy to try any out that anyone has. 

I feel that Storm a comin'

"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm" - Willa Cather

-ABC News

   This Week's weekend recap focuses on hurricane Harvey. A storm so bad the meteorologist in my newsroom said we have no idea what this is going to do because we've never seen anything like this. Harvey made landfall at Rockport Texas a place dear to my heart since serving there for about 4 months on my mission. It sounds like all my friends were able to make it out safe and their homes and businesses may have only had slight damage.

   When it made landfall it was a category 4 before moving up to Houston flooding the city. Google before and after pictures of Houston to see how much the water rose. Around 50 inches of rain came from the storm. With Texas being flat, that means there is no place for it to go. All the routes which would have been used are flooded so the city is soaked in water.

   And as of right now 9 people are dead. Many are injured and hundreds of thousands are displaced. To help you can donate to the Red Cross, the LDS Church has a great humanitarian fund for things such as this, but those are just the little things to replace it. 

   To really make a difference we can prepare for future storms, by volunteering our time to be train for emergency situations. Programs like CERT are great ways to learn what to do in all types of natural disasters. Yes manual labor will be great and very much needed, but that won't be until the water recedes and people need help immediately. Join a emergency preparedness program designed to help others for when the next storm comes we can rise up and help our fellow brothers and sisters.

For more inspiration check out what this reporter did to save a life. http://www.thedailybeast.com/watch-houston-tv-crew-saves-truck-drivers-life

Weekend Recap

"There must be a happy medium somewhere between being totally informed and blissfully unaware" 
-Doug Larson

Goblin Valley State Park

   In my job of journalism you would think I would be more aware of what goes on in the world.. but really I'm not. People need to take charge and get informed themselves and what will affect their lives. In that regard I've decided to try and do a recap of what people may have missed over the weekend. Yes I know it is Tuesday, but my weekend just finished so there. Here are a few stories you should know about.


1) The Great American Eclipse Happened
              For those that didn't bother looking up into the sky yesterday, the moon did something it hasn't done in nearly a hundred years. It got between the Earth and the sun for the Sun's entire journey across the United States. But what you didn't know is that if you tried to look at the sun for longer than 15 seconds or so even behind the safety of the moon you may need to go to the eye doctor.

             Apparently it still isn't safe to look at the sun even with it being covered, so if your vision gets blurry in the next few days go see your doctor. You may be fine and your eyes could take a while to heal. You could also have damaged your retinas which don't heal back.

Great American Eclipse

2) President Trump Announces plan for Afghanistan
              Following an attack which killed one National guardsmen and wounded 11 others President Trump took to the podium to declare his plan for the country we've had troops in for over 16 years. Trump originally said he would pull all soldiers out of the country, but then the recent surge of attacks as prompted the idea of more troops sent to fight.

                He didn't give a definitive answer on how many or when the rest would be brought back. It looks like there will be some addition troops added to the 8000 already there to help advise and train Afghan soldiers.

3. Spain Tracked down Driver of Deadly car Crash
                Officers in Spain not only found and located the subject they thought had fled to France in a small village outside of Barcelona. The man wanted for driving a vehicle into a crowd killing 13 and wounding more. The suspected ISIS terrorist was killed in the process as capturing.

              Officers believe they have dismantled this cell but are investigating to see how they form.
              they also say they hope this brings some comfort to the families killed in the crash.

there you go. 5 minutes of your day well spent getting a little more informed and much better opinion on different topics.

Picking the Right Carry Gun

"God Created man, Samuel Colt made them equal" - Old West Adage

   This is a very dear concept to me. The right to bear arms and how to pick the right one to bear. The hard part about this question is there isn't a right answer. There are a few guidelines and tools I would use to help pick, but there is no checklist. The decision to conceal carry is a very personal one and should not be impulsive.

    First some general guidelines when choosing a gun. Just because your best friend loves it doesn't mean it is right for you.  Second you might not need a $2000 gun, but maybe a cheaper gun and more practice. And an important, but hard to define one is it will just "feel right". Your carry gun will just fit and feel natural.

   So where does this leave us in the process. It's always good to get advice see what people like and what they avoid. Don't base your purchase of these alone, but it's a good jumping off point. Do some research on your own. What can you afford, pros and cons of different firearms, and most importantly what would you be willing to carry everyday. why is that important? Here is why.

   Just because a 1911 shooting a .45 round will leave the biggest hole doesn't do you any good if you never carry it due to its size. So before you laugh at the person who says they carry a .22 as a defensive handgun realize they probably have it on them. Take a look at what Matt Best says about his Top 5 conceal carry choices with Rated Red.

Check out Rated Red for more great videos

   So you have all your information and have narrowed down your list. What's next? It's time to get our hands dirty. Go to your local gun shop and hold as many of the guns on your list as possible. Get the feel of the ones you've looked up and see what feels good.

   The reason for doing this after your research I believe is simple. If you get in the Audi when you know can only afford the Toyota you'll get your gun, but always think it wasn't quite the one you wanted. Same with guns, higher price tag can mean extra features and a lack of satisfaction with your choice in firearm.

   Now after you have narrowed down your list to ones that feel good, are in your price range, let's go shoot some targets. If possible this is a step everyone should take before the buy a gun. Maybe you like how the gun feels empty, but add bullet weight and recoil to different calibers may influence your decision. Some guns even come in the same size with different calibers so try them out. I helped one person who was adamant they wanted a .40 caliber handgun until they shot the .45 and realized it just felt better. So try it out if you can.

   So there you go do your research, hold all the ones you can in that list, shoot off the ones that make it through and find that one which feels "just right". If you have any advice on what else to look for when buying a gun a conceal share it with everyone.

Gun Board

Stresses of Life and Adapting to them

(Canyonlands National Park)

 "Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative." H. G. Wells

     It's been a long time since I posted anything so here is a little catch up. Since my last post, I have met the woman of my dreams, asked her to marry, and will be married to her shortly and I couldn't be happier. That being said, I'm more stressed out now then ever before with life. With work, wedding planning, and getting a new apartment ready to move into life has been crazy, but exciting.
   
      One thing I've learned is no matter what life is never going to give you a breather. So you might as well get use to it and enjoy it when you can. Since there isn't a lot I can change about the world around me I can just change myself to adapt better to my circumstances.

     One point of this is I decided to make a change for myself in the better. That being I was just graduated from the college where it is almost a sin to be older and single without any chance for a wedding in my near future. Instead of moping about it I decided I should improve myself and do what I need to for when the time comes I will be ready. Heavenly Father blessed me and as soon as I started making changes the most wonderful came into my life and I have been happy ever since. Now I'm not in La La Land where everything is peachy, but overall my outlook on life is more positive and it is easier to find joy in the world.

(Just a funny thought)

    So how did I do it. Well it had been a rough little period and I decided to take a hard look in the mirror to figure what was wrong in my life and why I wasn't happy. After some very deep introspection and goal setting I got on my knees and prayed to God above to help me with the decisions I made and if he would so kindly offer me the strength I would need to get started and would need later on to continue. Then I went out to do it.
 
   This is a key aspect in the process. You can talk all you want about doing something, but if you never take the steps nothing will happen. I knew the first steps would be tough, but as soon as I made the effort I was blessed with the encouragement and strength I needed to keep going. There are rough days that I need support and I'm so lucky to not only have family, friends, and Heavenly Father around me, but also a loving companion that is nothing short of a miracle and pillar of strength I can rely on.

   You need to surround yourself with these positive influences. The are more help than you can imagine. People are generally good and want to help others, the problem for a lot of people is they don't want to be burdens on others. That will be a whole different topic of discussing how to be a pleasant burden on others.

   This is just one aspect of my life that has improved and I'm working on others. Life is a continual journey towards perfection, we won't get there in this life, but the path is a lot more rewarding the harder you work at.

   One thing I want to address is adapting is not giving up on your principles and beliefs, but taking them and using them to shape yourself into something able to handle what life throws at you. If you can't adapt to change you will be left behind by it.

    I hope anyone that struggling that needs some support knows that I am here and am happy to help anyone I can. Your Father in Heaven also loves and is there to give you help if you talk to him everyday or if you have never talk to him once it is a blessed easy way to get a little extra help.

Week 2 Down

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference" - Winston Churchill

   So the second week is done for and the reason I'm a day late on the post is because the scale was broken at the gym so i couldn't get an accurate measurement until today. So here we go I dropped another pound down to 213 and cut my body fat by another .5%. So what did I learn from this week where I stuck more to the meal plan and worked out harder?
 
   I learned that the first week was kind of just shocking my body and burning off the easy layer of fat. If I can get consistent results of losing a .5-1% of body fat a week I will be happy. Yes dropping weight is good, but replacing it with muscle is better. So in the end if I still weigh 210 but have a healthy body fat percentage it's a success.

   One big thing is the eating healthy at work is usually the hardest but if I try and space out my meals and drink more water in between it helps out a lot. The end result of this will be benefit for those that work and live odd hours because having chicken and rice at 2 in the morning would be frowned upon, but that is my dinner time so deal with it.

   So how to be healthy on a night shift. Well they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but when you wake up at 2 or 3 in the afternoon my first thought isn't its time to eat. I honestly am not very hungry in the "mornings" any more so I drink 16-24 ounces of water and go work out. Then after the solid workout I do a protein shake which may have helped me this last week not be as sore. but it's a filling meal. Now the rough part is what do I do for the rest of the day, snacks is what can make or break my routine so I try to stay out of the house and away from the food if possible. let's take a break from food and talk about hobbies.

   Hobbies are great benefits to any balanced life. Working out is good and you can spend hours in the gym, but you might as well find other things to do with your time to better yourself. Simple things such as reading a book to more complex like assembling boats in a bottle or something. Maybe even something like writing a blog and throwing your thoughts out there for everyone to read and silently judge whatever floats your boat. The best part is, your mind is distracted which keeps you from boredom eating!!

   Now you've made it to evening when all your friends want to go out and eat what do you do? Just be yourself and either go out and just have a small portion of whatever or politely decline and continue making your brown rice and chicken medley. They will still be your friends. And one bit of advice, just as one salad won't make you suddenly be skinny, one burger isn't going to kill you. We are just trying to develop habits to healthier living.

  You finished dinner number 1 and you are at work what can you do to avoid ordering pizza at 2 am or hitting up the vending machine that costs an arm and a leg for a fruit cup? I found that one meal then fruit spaced out throughout the night really helps. I'm no expert so try out what you want, but sometimes it's just nice to eat an apple to kill off a craving.

   The hardest thing about where I work is there are fountain drink dispensers everywhere. So the temptation to get a caffeine anything is strong, but just focus on why you are doing this and it will help out a lot. Cold water is never bad though.

   After 2 weeks on this plan not drinking soda at work my body has finally adjusted to where I'm not as tired. I don't even get the need to fill up my cup with Coke or Dr. Pepper and it feels great. Overall week 2 was good and it should be a fun week 3. I was able to run a mile in 5:20 so I'm ok with that. We will see if I'm able to get that down throughout the next few months.

   Again I want to say thanks to everyone who has helped me out so far on this process and we will see how it ends up here in a bit. this one was such a ramble, but that's what my thoughts are!

So it begins: Week 1 in the books

     Alright, One week down on this trek to happiness and you know what? Dieting is hard. I've already had to make a few adjustments to the original meal plan, but that is ok because I'm not giving up just refocusing. I also now have protein powder which is a little more essential than I originally planned but am looking forward to the benefits. And I just want to thank everyone helping me out with the hardest part of this last week, What to do with freaking oatmeal!!  That first day was rough but it does make you appreciate protein powder more. Anyway thanks to you guys I have a ton of Oatmeal recipes to try and someday I will write about them all, but for now let's get into week 1.
     Starting stats for week 1: 216.5 lbs and 23% body fat.
     Ending stats for week 1: 214.5 lbs. and 21.5% body fat.

So honestly number wise week 1 was positive, but lets take a closer look.
    Pros of Week 1: Eating smaller meals and being more conscious of what I'm eating. Worked out 1 day. Meal planned for this week.
    Cons of Week 1: Only worked out 1 day, had about 4 cheat meals, 2 were extremely late at night and pointless.

   Overall just the habit of eating smaller portions really helped out so refocusing this week should help out even more but we will see on that. The new goals for this week are to stick with the workout plan. This should be more possible from the protein powder helping recover quicker. Cut back on cheat meals and watch the timing of meals. Lastly plan and prep meals for the next two weeks.

So goals set, I will follow up on them next time. Now to the happiness part of the experiment. Does this change in behavior actually make me happier? Hard to tell since I didn't do so hot sticking to it the first week, but I do feel better. This next week should give me a better perspective after week 2. As an old personal trainer friend of mine would say let's have some fun! (It never was fun, but thats a different story)

Body Image Part 1: Loving your body

    I know I'm only just starting out and I shouldn't try to do a mini series on anything, but this one has been on my mind recently. I'm not sure how many parts this will have, but at least 3. This is the introductory one to talk about where we are at with body image. Then starting Monday I will be testing at a 28 meal plan along with a workout plan as well. The 3rd part will be the followup at the end of that 28 day challenge to see if I am healthier and more importantly happier. But first let's talk about body image.
    Body image can almost be like political. On one side you have people that are comfortable in their skin no matter the body type. The other extreme are people who are self conscious about their body whether in shape or not. Then there is the middle ground where people can move from one extreme to another. And just like political parties they can change over time as your body and perceptions change. The final bit about this comparison, no one party is completely right. There are bits and pieces from each one that can make something better.
     Let's get into perception. The media portrays beauty in many ways, but it likes to show no or very strategic flaws. So when either a man or woman looks at a magazine and says, "I want to be like that!" Is it possible? Yes anything is possible. That is there job though, they get to focus there complete attention on looking "beautiful". So just remember that next time you are striving to match Chris Pratt or Jennifer Lawrence.
     How do we change perception though? This is hard and can take years. I have had friends that mentioned times in their life where they thought they weren't pretty enough and had eating disorders. These were people in high school, college, and "adult life" that were what society calls beautiful. This is a real thing and I want to take a minute and say this, "I love all of you and want you to know you are and have always been beautiful" Now to overcome negative body image you have to realize there is no one fix all, but a good place to start is by being around people that build you up. Positive support from loved ones is major block. Second taking time to tell yourself you are beautiful is another step. A lot of times we are our worst critics, so take a minute and look in the mirror and say something like, "Whoa, look at that good looking fella." Try that for 2 weeks and see what that will do for your perception.
     Now if you are thinking this is great about loving yourself so we do I need to eat healthy or workout if I love who I am? That is the reason for the challenge. I used to to blow off things by saying it's because I'm fat. Now that I look back I could have been healthier, but I really wasn't that bad. So we will see if after 28 days of doing this challenge to see if being "in shape" means I will be happier.
    Sorry this was a little bit of a long one, but if you have any supportive suggestions for my challenge, thoughts or stories about body image or just want to tell me something feel free to leave me a comment and give the blog a like on Facebook. Have an American day!

Life of the Night Shift

 

   Since November I have been working overnights at my wonderful job at KSL in Salt Lake City. This has been a great experience and when some people say everyone should work in the food service industry I feel the same applies to a night shift. It is such eye opening time. Even if you call yourself a night owl and stay up studying, partying, or exploring there is something different about it being your work shift. Let's start off with some of the great things about working nights shifts.
     Traffic. There is none!! When I do drive into work on the freeway if I have to use my brakes for anything more than catching up to a State Trooper I'm surprised. Coming back there may be a few more cars, but when I look across at the other side of I-15 dead stopped going into the city I'm very grateful. While I'm not a complete fan of Utah they also have a pretty effective public transportation system that gets me to and from work. With the shifts I work the amount of people on the train is few compared to different times of day as well.
     People. You will not meet or see the same type of people on the normal morning commute as you will on an evening trip into town. So if you are into people watching like me you get all types of wonderful stories from these different people each with their own unique story. And I'm not talking about just the ones people think are weird like Steve a punk rocker that loves to paint.. but also a Veteran ended home from staying late at work.
    There is also something about the peace and quiet from walking through empty city streets at night. It gives you sometime to think to yourself about the day and how it went as you get ready to work.
    Now the cons do get you. The hours can kind of mess with you especially if you try to have a normal weekend because then you have to reset your sleep schedule all over again. Yes that was a rough day at work. For my job in particular not a lot happens news wise which makes it tough to do my job , but that challenge also makes it fun.
    While I won't be on night shift forever this is will be a growing experience. I would like to hear other people's thoughts on working overnights as well. Let me know what else you want to talk about. I feel a political post coming along very soon. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to equally offend everyone ;)

A New Beginning

"Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." - John Wayne

     This is one of my favorite quotes and I think it will be a good way to start this blog. I was reminded of this quote when my friends and I went on a trip. Part of this trip included zip lining where they gave us wristbands that had this quote. Right after the quote it said, "no refunds." Now we all got a laugh out of that, but it's pretty true. Life will be scary, crazy, happy, sad, fun, exciting, and so many more emotions. At the end of the ride though there are no refunds. So this blog will be about life. The life of an average american, who works, eats, sleeps, and goes through problems like everyone else. Hopefully someone can learn from my mistakes and stories and learn something or at least get a laugh.

       Any whoo this is just an introductory post to get this started, I will be adding pictures and videos to them as they apply. In fact I will probably add a video of the zip line soonish as well as pictures from St. Thomas where we did it. As for topics I will probably be covering anything that comes to mind from travel to politics, tech, guns, budgeting and cooking. There will definitely be some cooking ones. If there is something someone wants to learn more about comment and we can learn together one happy mistake at a time.

    Other than that. Have a great night!
P.S. Didn't have a picture of the zip line handy, so here is the bar we hung out at after.
P.P.S. Got a short video done. check it out.