Thanks to everyone who came and supported us the day of graduation and those countless others who supported us in the years it took us to get to graduation.

Joe receiving his diploma cover.

Me with the dean of my college, whom I’d never met.

We made it!

We were so glad Joe’s mom was able to make it to graduation.

Couldn’t have ever made it without these people!

We were pleased that a grandparent from each side of my family was able to come.

I was also able to walk at the same time as my former roommate who is finishing up her Masters degree.

All in all it was a good day and a great feeling to have finished something that has been a goal for so long.

All photos were taken by my mother Cindy McConkie.

I was able to use some of the scrap fabric I’ve had laying around into fabric flowers….I don’t know what I’ll do with them, but they are there waiting for another project someday.

I was also able to finish this wreath that I started at a Relief Society activity.

Hopefully the effects of this straining semester will wear off quickly and we can feel human again. Joe has been especially tried with his grueling 70 hour work week (with only 30 hours paid). So if you haven’t seen much of us in the last four months, try us again sometime soon. We are alive

I have had friends from different times of my life. I have my Jackson friends; I have my friends from my freshman year at Utah State University; I have my friends from my LDS mission in Mexico; Although small in number I have close friends from living here in Salt Lake City. Now I have my wife as a friend. The Lord has blessed me with good friends for different stages of life.

To sum it all up, I want you to know that of all the things that truly makes me really happy, spending quality time with old friends I have not seen in a while, is at the top of the list, if not close to it.

As a group we threw colors every two hours. It became a cloud of color and we could not see or even breath for a couple of minutes. We could only handle two before we decided to leave. They were expecting about eighty thousand people this year, and I was glad we came early because traffic was terrible when we left. I feel all cool now that I have Festival of Colors pictures on Facebook. That was such a great experience and I recommend it to everyone.

Before.

During. Hope didn't jump in time.

After.

I did it. I finally received my certification as a Wilderness First Responder. That means I can administer first aid to others in a wilderness setting. So feel free to invite me on your next adventure, I would not mind at all. Having my wilderness first responder, or WFR for short, has given me the skills, and with the skills comes confidence in the sometimes wacky adventures I choose to pursue. Those of you who know me can name some sketchy situations, such as the avalanche incident Teewinot. Therefore, being a WFR is a huge milestone for me.

Some things I learned this past week during class that were important for me personally:

• There is not much you can do about snakebites in the wilderness. Just clean the wound and evacuate. Only about 15% of people who are bitten by snakes actually die. That was sort of a relief.
• Carbon monoxide from using personal cooking stoves inside an enclosed space, such as a tent, is a high cause of death in mountaineers. I used my stove in my car once…
• Dehydration can cause muscle spasms which could possibly explain why my knees cramped up towards the end of my marathons.

The most important thing I learned was how to deliver a baby in the wilderness, no joke. Hopefully I will never have to be in that situation, but if I am, I will know what to do!

However, there is something to be said about being unplugged. Those times when I am able to completely let go of technology (of my own free will, not when it is taken from me). I find new freedom. I am more in tune with my thoughts and feelings, my Heavenly Father, and the world around me. I am better able to connect with the people in front of me, rather than those on my cyber network who aren’t physically present. I also, surprisingly, have more free time.

As with all things, there is a balance that needs to be found and my balance is sometimes overthrown by an overindulgence in technology.  Maybe when my technology fails, it is really a sign to me that I need to reconnect to something else.

My golden tickets seem to consist of a rather expensive wish list of gear and other cool gadgets I all too often think will help me feel efficient, prepared, and way cool. I feel that I need an Apple computer or any new Apple product to replace my small, humble net book and outdated iPod. In order to be fully prepared for the outdoors and/or emergency situations, I think it would be so technologically advanced to own portable solar energy from Goal Zero. I will not even mention the backpacks, climbing gear, boating equipment and other things I have spent so much time drooling over.

The forget-me-nots I overlook include having stuff that works. Sure, it would be cool to have all new stuff, but I should consider myself fortunate to own what I already have. That being said, I would not refuse a gift off of my wish list, wink, wink. More importantly, I have a place to sleep comfortably at night, and I have food to eat always, even though I may sometimes burn it or ruin the mashed potatoes! And I have someone to love and spend forever with. Truth is, I am a lucky man and I am grateful for messages such as this one to remind me of that. If it does not ruin this post, I will throw in a link to the country song I am thinking of this moment.