North Dakota Update

Dad and I we used a total of 7 shells for our 6 bird limit today. We are typically really bad shots and that is why we drive twelve hours to hunt in an area with hundreds of pheasants, we need lots of opportunity. We started hunting at about 10 and we were finished by 12. We started passing up roosters and only shot birds that Lady pointed.

Here is a pic taken from my dad's Blackberry.

Sunrise and Doves

Yesterday I spent the day chasing doves with my uncle Dan! We had a fantastic time! We were three short of a limit, but we weren't in it for the the numbers.

The dogs worked great! Lady did a fantastic job retrieving, better than she has in years past. It never ceases to amaze me how she improves every year.

My dad started feeding a cup of Eukanuba mixed with Iams this week, so I guess that means it is officially my favorite time of year. I believe Eukanuba helps Lady's scenting ability in amazing ways. Even though it was hot and dry she found all my downed doves.


The dogs taking a dip in a watering trough and enjoying a mud bath.


This is the sweetest girl in the world helping me carry my gear inside after the hunt. I could get used to seeing her with a gun in hand and an orange vest. I really am the luckiest guy on earth.

Self Timer

We all have one, we've all tried to use one, and we've all laughed while trying.

I'm talking about the self-timer function on my camera. Yesterday afternoon I was out in the hills with Lady when the thought came to me, "I need more pictures of us." So I found a nice rock with another nice rock behind it to balance my camera on.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words! Here is our story.

"Lady don't eat the camera"

"Lady get over here."

"Oops"

Getting closer

Finally, perfection!


I will be taking a few days off from blogging. Spring Break for USU started and I'm headed to Costa Rica. Costa Rica had the cheapest plane tickets to somewhere warmer than Logan, Utah. I'll take lots of photos and I'm sure i'll have plenty of funny stories to blog when I get back. Adios freezing temperatures!

I'm Rich

Times are constantly changing and the America of today is a scary one to be a college student in. I will be graduating in the next twelve months and the job outlook freaks me out. I've attended job fairs at my University in past years and they were vibrant with exciting companies looking for future employees. This year on the other hand it was slim pickings to say the least.

On the bright side, as a college student I'm doing great. I still have a job that I make decent money at. I was able to save enough money to buy a plane ticket to Costa Rica for spring break. Driving has become a lot easier since gas prices have dropped. In reality as a college student things have just become more affordable, so long as I keep my job.

It is the future that college students worry about. CNN and other news media don't help either. The woes just seem to keep coming. On Monday I was busy with school and work, but the future was on my mind causing stress.


I did what I always do to get over my depression, Lady and I went on a jaunt through the hills. Nothing clears my mind of troubles faster than watching in pure amazement as Lady races across the sagebrush hillsides. That is when it hit me, wealth isn't about money it is about relationships and the pure enjoyment of life.

I believe a man could have all the money on earth and still be completely unhappy.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be”


One my favorite people, the late Joseph B. Wirthlin said this about happiness in a talk titled Lessons Learned in the Journey of Life.

"It is a terrible thing always to be waiting for tomorrow, always depending on tomorrow, always excusing our todays because we are sure that only in the future will we possess the things that will fulfill us. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Don’t wait for the right job, the right house, the right salary, the right dress size. Be happy today. Be happy now...Make up your mind to be happy—even when you don’t have money, even when you don’t have a clear complexion, even when you don’t have the Nobel Prize. Some of the happiest people I know have none of these things the world insists are necessary for satisfaction and joy. Why are they happy? I suppose it is because they don’t listen very well. Or they listen too well—to the things their hearts tell them. They glory in the beauty of the earth. They glory in the rivers and the canyons and the call of the meadowlark. They glory in the love of their families, the stumbling steps of a toddler, the wise and tender smile of the elderly."

I'm sick of these economic blues. Today I decided that I am the richest man alive. Not because I have money, I live paycheck to paycheck, but because I have everything I need to be happy today.