New Ride!

So as many of you know, I loved my Bimmer.....but. It had some issues and the warranty was about to be up. I didn't want to be sitting there with the bill when something happened to that thing. So after almost a 1.5 year relationship, we have separated. I was able to make money on it and put that as a down payment for my next ride. My monthly payments went up about $20 but I have a brand new vehicle, and my insurance went down $5 a month!

I have bought a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. It's White, with a hardtop, cloth seats, and lots of goodies my previous Jeep's never had. I've taken it off road twice now and it only has 450 miles on it. Needless to say, the kids all love it especially with the top and doors off. I will post pics soon.

Welcome To The Shaklee Kiosk

This is where when you visit you will here updates on what is going on with Madsen Associated and also this is where we will be posting Specials. So keep an eye on this blog and it could save you some money!

Celebrate Earth Day!!

TOXIN FREE LIVING

KIND TO YOUR BODY, KIND TO OUR EARTH

Come and join us for a celebration!!

Demonstrations, Discussions, Giveaways and more...

Saturday April 16th, 2011

11am - 3pm

3300 South 970 East #5

Salt Lake City UT 84106

******KIDS ACTIVITIES WILL BE FUN, SO DON'T FORGET THEM!*********

This Watch Rocks!!! Literally!!

So I went out and bought a new iPod Nano with two watch bands. This is by far the coolest iPod that I have had to date! The watch is sweet looking and is nice and light, plus you get the benefit of always having your tunes at your fingertips. Check it out!!

Emergency Preparedness

Thought I would share. After the devastation that recently happened in Japan, I decided it was time to have a discussion on preparedness. For our family home evening tonight we had a talk with the kids about earthquakes. Then we went from room to room and had the kids act as though there was an earthquake and show us where they would go and what they would do. They seemed to catch on pretty quick, and now we have gone over every room in the house and what they should do. Next week we will go over it again, and talk about food storage and probably get involved in straightening the food storage up. I feel that it is important for the kids to understand that an earthquake is something we have been preparing for since I was a kid. I want them to know the seriousness of earthquakes and all I had to do was show them some pictures from the recent devastation in Japan. This is something that has been in the forefront of my mind for a long while, but now I have decided to act on it and get our family a little bit more prepared.

Here is something that I ordered today for our home. Water storage is something that I was having struggles with and I figure this should be good for our family for about 2 months of water. Lots of good stuff to be found online, it's our job to teach our family how to use that information to protect our lives.

A.I. "The Answer"

Thought I'd give A.I. some love!! He is downright amazing. Hate on haters! Now I need to find somebody else to cheer for in the NBA, or coming into the NBA. Hmmmm, any thoughts out there?

Joy's Of Aging!

I thought I would put something up that pretty much all of us can relate too....getting older! As most of you know I love basketball. Well, we took 1st in our Stake and made it to regions. The final game in stake play a guy lowered his shoulder and ran full speed into the center of my chest. I didn't notice anything until about an hour later when it felt like somebody was stabbing me in my chest. It is almost better, but it still hurts. So this last Saturday was our region game, and the injury wasn't gone but I had to play. I popped a couple of Ibuprophens, and went and played. Man I felt great, and played at 110% to come up short and our region play was over. Well yesterday once I had no pain pills in my system, it was a day of realization that I had over done it. Now my legs, chest, back and calfs are aching.
I guess what I am trying to get at, is that I kind of miss the olden days when I was in shape! When I could play basketball for hours and not be achy, but the harsh reality is it will only get worse as I age. Hmmm, time to get myself back in shape and try to fend off aging as quickly as I can.
Those are my thoughts today, enjoy another day of getting older everyone!!

My Sunday Talk!

I thought I would post my talk that I gave in Church 2 weeks ago. It turned out to be one of the best talks I've ever given. Enjoy, and feel free to comment.

My Talk

Good afternoon brother’s and sisters. As much as I’d love to say that I am glad to be hear speaking to you today, I don’t won’t to tell a lie from the pulpit. Last week, I was sitting next to Brother Tolley and we had a little discussion about Sacrament Meeting talks. We came to the conclusion that as a speaker, you shouldn’t be nervous because the reality is most of us don’t remember the talks shortly after sacrament meeting anyway. Well I’m sorry to say, it doesn’t work I’m still nervous.

I was given a topic that is in my opinion, one of the most important topics there is. The topic is “Finding peace in the Savior.” In my studies and moments……I mean moments of deep thought I can’t think of many things more important than finding peace in the Savior. Obviously you need to have some sort of testimony of the gospel in order to do so, but as an everyday action it is of extreme importance to be able to have that peace and comfort. Why do I think that it is so important? Well here is an example of what I mean. For those of you that know me pretty well, sometimes I think that I am the center of the universe and that I am in my own words “Awesome.” Now before you start clapping or giving me thumbs up, let me tell you what conclusion I came to about my sheer awesomeness. I was sitting in my basement surrounded by my friends and family two weeks ago when I witnessed something that took my breath away….the Green Bay Packers had successfully beat my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. But it wasn’t the loss that took my breath away, it was the realization that filled my mind while I sat there. I wasn’t overly upset, mad, or even dejected. I was at peace. Why? What was wrong with me? Well, it all came down to a moment of deep thought. I had been thinking about how many people have come before us, and how many are still too come. With that thought in my mind I started to think how really small we individually really are. I mean I might be something awesome in my house, maybe on my street, or possibly even neighborhood but in the spectrum of life…..I’m a speck in time. I started to think of some of the big names in our society right now after I came to this realization, and here are a few I thought of. Donald Trump, Bill Gates, & Jay-Z, and Oprah. These four people, are at the top of their games, but in 100-200 years will anyone even know who they were? What does this have to do with Finding peace you ask? It boils down to a few things.

First of all, when you look at life like that, it really humbles you quickly. This is what we need to begin the journey to having peace in our Savior. When we realize that life is a gift that has been given to us from our Heavenly Father, and that it isn’t just fun and games; but as one of the Primary Children put it last Sunday it’s a Test. We have an allotted amount of time in this test, but we don’t know how long we each have, so time is of the essence. We need to focus on why we are really here, and put our efforts into earning an A+ in this test. How do we keep from being overwhelmed by the task at hand? We need to study the scriptures, attend our meetings, attend the Temple, and do as we have been commanded. That will certainly help us find some peace. But I think there is more to it than just that. We need to find a way to have what I would consider a personal relationship with our Savior. Everyone will have a different way of accomplishing that, but for me it is during my moments of deep thought. While I am in deep thought, it might seem that I am “tuning out” the world, or day dreaming. But in reality I feel I am for a moment really in tune with the spirit. Now, don’t get me wrong it kind of freaks me out a little bit. I’m not used to being what I would call an extremely spiritual person, so having that kind of connection is a bit out of my comfort zone. It is also, why I remember these moments more so then something I experience on a regular basis. These are the experiences that help keep us on the straight and narrow, and act as a reminder of the reality of why we are here.

So first off we must be humble, in order to have peace in our Savior. Second of all, I feel we must understand the sheer magnitude of what our Savior has done and continues to do for each and every one of us. We all know the story about the war in heaven and how we have all followed Christ’s plan, in order to be here. So by following Christ in the initial test, we earned the opportunity to be here to prove ourselves worthy of all our Heavenly Father has for us. Now as I mentioned before this is a test where we don’t get a day off, or summer break, but day in and day out we are being tested. Satan bombards us on a consistent basis to try and sway us from righteousness and peace. This is why finding Peace in the Savior is so important. We will battle daily with Satan, and even the people that we see as extremely spiritual have battles too. In fact sometimes their battles are even more challenging then the battles that some of us that feel spiritually weak, will face. We are bound to fail and fall to temptation, because we have weaknesses and faults, that Satan knows and will exploit. But knowing that the Savior came to earth and endured all things, we can have peace. We hear that saying a lot, that he endured all things, but have we really thought deeply about what that carries in itself? When we think of what the Savior did for us, we usually think of him suffering for our sins, and allowing us to repent so we can return to our Heavenly family. But, it isn’t just sin that he endured. It is everything that any of us will encounter in life. Be it sorrow, pain, sadness, depression, love, happiness, hurt, insecurity, and the list goes on. When you look at it that way, how can we not have the peace that is offered to us from our Savior? If we have a testimony of the atonement, then we know that any challenge thrown our way is for our benefit and spiritual growth. We are bound to waiver sometimes, but through repentance we can become clean again. That knowledge is something each and every one of us has to come to understand and really truly have a testimony of in order for us to have peace in this life.

So with humility, and understanding of the atonement we can come closer to our Heavenly Father and have the peace that is offered to us by our Savior. This becomes even more important as you progress in life. What I mean by that is that once you get married and have children, you want to know that there is a plan in place that offers us the ability to be with them forever. Speaking of children, it is amazing the feeling that overcomes you when they finally arrive. They truly are blessings from our Heavenly Father, but even the process of having a child can have it’s ups and downs. A year and a half ago, we had some tests thrown our way in the form of a miscarriage, and a tubal pregnancy. It sometimes feels that we are thrown more challenges then we think we can handle. It is during those times, that we turn to our Savior for peace, and ask for his help in getting us through. We are all different, and the Savior knows how to comfort us in times of trial. Speaking of being different, our children are no exception, right from the beginning. For example, Kyler is daring and really into sports, Addie is Funny, and Wild, and Stella….well right now she is super cute, but also wants people around and if you’re not, she will let you know what she thinks. Our Heavenly Father has created us all with different likes, dislikes, and challenges. This is what makes life such an adventure, and keeps it fresh. Imagine if we were all alike, and we all were programmed to only do what is right. It would be a very stale and I’d imagine pretty boring life. So even though we are here with a small knowledge of where we came from and the plan for us, life is worth every challenge that it throws at us. I find happiness and peace in the fact that we are here to rise above adversity, and prove our eternal worth. It’s not only my job to accomplish that for myself, but it is important that we teach our children to grab hold of the iron rod and press forward in faith so we can be together as a family forever. I look at my parents/grandparents, and they are now in their 80’s. Their health seems to be staying pretty even, but both of them have memory loss and can’t think straight. It’s a struggle sometimes to go and visit them because they don’t always remember who we are, or what’s going on for that matter. But through the plan of salvation I know that they will be restored to their full capacity and I can find comfort in that knowledge. What greater gift is there then living eternally with our Heavenly Father, and our Heavenly Family.

In this day and age, we are blessed with so many advances in our society. We have greater knowledge of medicine, that can help people overcome illness. We have the ability to keep in touch with our families regardless of where in the world they are. We also can buy just about anything and have it delivered to our door. The list of accomplishments that have been made in the last 100 years is amazing, and each achievement big or small affects our society in some way. One of the main things that has happened in my life is the internet. Back in the olden days when I was a youngster, we didn’t have internet. Now it has become a social lifeline for our society. I mean, now days even missionaries can send an email home instead of having to write on paper, put it in an envelope, lick the gross sticky goo and send it home, taking days or even weeks to get home to their families. Now it’s instant, regardless of where they are. An example of how powerful these things are, comes from a video I have posted on my blog. 80% of companies use some form of social media for recruitment. 24 of the 25 major newspapers are experiencing record declines in circulation. Here is a kicker, 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. met by social media. Facebook added over 200 million users in less than a year. iPod app downloads hit 1 billion in 9 months. These are just a few examples of how the internet has changed our lives. Now, as powerful as the internet is for allowing us to keep in contact with family and friends, get the news, or in my case order car parts, etc. there is also a danger involved. Satan knows how to use things to his benefit and the internet is no different. But we can also use this powerful tool to strengthen our testimonies and come closer to our Heavenly Father. There are so many spiritual resources to be found online, and the amount of information grows daily. I really enjoy being able to find information that I need by using the computer or my phone instead of reading a book. I’m not much of a bookworm, Christie would tell you that. But to my rescue, cell phones have become so integrated into our society and lives that grabbing my phone feels just as important as putting on a shirt. I’m sure you are asking yourselves right now, what does this have to do with anything? Well, with the amazing Scriptures App on my phone I now have my scriptures, hymn book, manuals for teaching, and General Conference talks all at my fingertips, and since my phone is pretty much always with me….so are my scriptures. Isn’t that amazing? Imagine me walking around all the time with all of those books in tow. That would be crazy; but with the advances in technology I can just carry my little phone and they’re all there. Now that I have gone off on a tangent, mainly to take up more time! On to the point I’m trying to make. We have so many options now days on how we choose to grow spiritually and I feel, that is a blessing that has been given to us. We have the tools to help us grow in the gospel, it’s just a matter of finding what ones work best for our own personalities.

The knowledge that we can gain through studying the scriptures, attending meetings, searching talks on LDS.ORG, talking in sacrament meeting, etc. will benefit us throughout our lives. Having moments of reflection and taking a personal inventory helps bring us back in line with what we should really be focusing on. It is so easy to get out of the habit of scripture reading, prayer, and even attending church, but these are necessities in our spiritual progression and we must strive to do all we can to keep us in top spiritual shape. Some of us go to the gym, run or bike to keep our physical bodies in shape, and our spirit is no different. We need to workout spiritually to keep ourselves in shape for the battles that we face on a regular basis. Scripture study is one of those things that I have always struggled with, and continue to struggle with. So is going to the gym or eating right. When I sit down and take a look at myself in my personal inventory, that is bound to come up. How do you think I feel when I am keeping up with my reading and feeding myself spiritually? Or how do I feel when I get a good workout in? I feel AWESOME! Also, I think we should be consistently striving to do a little bit better than we did the day before. I’m not just talking about scriptures, or working out but in general striving daily to be a better follower of Christ. Keeping life in perspective, and always having Christ in the center of it will help us stay on the path to happiness and peace. Our goal is eternal life with our Heavenly Father, Christ, and our Families. Let us keep these things in the forefront of our minds and our lives will be blessed.

Websites that Save U $$$$$$

Hey, I am a member of 2 websites that can save you big money on items we enjoy. One of them is for high end clothing, which I haven't found a lot for me, but I love the stuff they have for kids on there. And the second is for outdoor gear, fantastic!! I love me some Mountain Hardware, Dakine, SOG, etc. If you would like to join them, let me know by shooting me your email address. If you put it as a comment, I have to edit them before they post so I would get your email and erase the post. For everyone that I get to sign up through me I get $10 towards the next purchase. You can do the same for your friends or fam too. Let me know.

Anomia, is Awesome!!

So I bought a friend of mine a game, and while I was at it I decided to buy a new game myself. The game is named Anomia. It is a blast to play and is hilarious, because you never know what someone will shout out. If you are looking for a fun card game to play with some friends look it up, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Music To My Ears

I have updated my music selections in the jukebox below. Some of the music contains "Swears" and may not be appropriate for all listeners. But to those of you who enjoy good new music and great old stuff take a listen. Thought I better post a disclaimer so I don't get in trouble with the non-swear croud. There is a pause button on the player so go hit that. But it is a true shame not to listen to the goodness I have posted!!

Social Media Revolution

Dust Bunnies!

Man, oh man. It has been a long time since I have been on here. Time to get out the duster and get this thing up and running again. Let's see how many times I can post something of worth in a month. I'm aiming really high......like 5 times. LOL. Well, I have to make it achievable right. Here is something that I find extremely interesting. This video was brought to my attention from a friend of mine in Shaklee. It is a peak into the culture shift that we have had and that will continue on and it is absolutely crazy! Take a look and let me know what you think. The video is posted above.