Okay..  I've never thought of this before, but, how convenient do you think it was for Samuel to climb up on a wall, built around a city most likely to keep people out?  Yeah, I don't think it could have been that easy.  How often do we find any reason at all to get out of doing what God wants us to do?  Well, God told Samuel he...

So two days ago, I found myself on the same stage with the same band I've been with for the past 5 (or so) years, playing pretty much the same songs. Except, this time, something was different.  As I walked around looking at all of the awesome vehicles on the grounds, there was just something wonderful.  I have no idea how to describe i...

Anyone who knows what Helaman 12 is all about is probably wondering how in the world I could label this chapter as "Happiness".  hehe... Yesterday, I was having a very interesting conversation about happiness with a dear friend of mine, and oddly enough, today's chapter was Helaman 12, which of course, talks all about the frailties...

Amazing...  It's almost unbelievable that in the space of less than 13 years, a whole nation can go from being wicked, to almost dying of hunger, to becoming incredibly righteous and prosperous, and then coming back to being so wicked that the combined armies of the Nephites and Lamanites can't defeat the wicked part of the people. I've bee...

So, a few weeks ago, the studio acquired a Jackson electric guitar and didn't really have any experience with it.  So a good friend and client of the studio came in and messed around a bit with it, and using a great dual-mic technique to get the most out of the amp, we managed to get a very, very nice guitar tone out of it. Soon, it will be ...

So, due to the success we've been having with the studio, we were able to upgrade our two in-studio guitars.  We bought a new black Crafter acoustic guitar, which sounds just awesome.  One of the new Herod The Fink tunes will feature the Crafter, and we're excited to get a final mix to see how it sits within the music. We also bought a ...

Amazing.  A couple of chapters ago, I was commenting on the sad state which Nephi found himself in, and the amazing faith he must have had to remain in a state of faithfulness to God, when everyone around him was wicked. I guess that's the way it goes.  God tries us to our breaking point, careful not to give us trials beyond our capabil...

Seems that the testimony of Nephi against the people of Zarahemlah was centered around their disbelief in Christ.  Interesting that, as soon a Satan has control over a people, Christ is the first doctrine which is attacked. Also the story of the finding of the murderer of Seezoram is interesting through the eyes of the foreknowledge of God.&...

Hey Guys, Okay so its been a really really long time since I last wrote anything.  I just recently remembered my password and that is a really big part of my reason for not writing.  I know this is suppose to be like a diary (right or wrong?), but I would perfer to think that its more of a letter to a best friend (hope that don't sound ...

So...  I remember Nephi coming back to his own people and seeing them in a state of wickedness, but I didn't remember that he had just been on a mission where everyone in the land northward rejected his word, too.  That would be an incredible test of faith in an of itself.  Only the most stalwart followers of God, in my view, could t...

 I am SO glad that Moroni kept writing.  Can you imagine the Book of mormon without the last 4 chapters of Moroni?  The depth of explanation of faith, hope, and charity?  The blessing of Babies?  The promise and invitation to read the Book of Mormon, used by all missionaries?  Yeah...  There are some gems here in ...

I actually read this yesterday while I was about ready to fall asleep, so, I didn't write anything.  However, I did make a goal last year to read through the entire Book of Mormon and write about each and every chapter, so here's what I remember about Alma 5. Within the first 3 verses, Alma makes it apparent that he is talking to the people ...

Yesterday, my wife spent some time setting up her "my space page", which I absolutely refuse to do for myself, and when she got it done, she was pretty happy with herself.  I helped her with some images and that was that. Later on in the evening, she mentioned that she had received an email from Annie (my sister-in-law who I love)...

Very interesting that they took the time to tell us that Ammon not only rehearsed what King Benjamin said to the Nephites, but that he then explained it to them that they might understand it.  Not sure why that struck me this time, but it did. (verse 3) According to verse 13, a man who can look into and see (and translate), is a seer.  ...

So, a little over a week ago, I made a phone call on an offer I simply couldn't refuse...  A person online was claiming to be selling a MXL V77 tube microphone brand-new in-the-box for incredibly cheap.  This microphone didn't mean much to me at the time, but something intrigued me about it.  After 20 minutes or so with google, I kne...

Okay... It's been awhile since I've typed in here, and LOTS has happened, so... let's get started. First off, I've had a chat with my bishop and I think I'm ready to go back to the Temple. It's been tough, but I think I'm ready to go back. I could chat about that subject for a LONG time, but there's so much to say, I've gotta get it out in lit...

Last week was a week of upgrades! The studio was able to finally get serious (well, at least semi-serious) about the way we look. Previously, the studio "rack" was nothing more than a cut-out backwards bookshelf bought at Walmart, and with all the stuff we were able to upgrade last week, it was finally time to buy a real rack. We...

 I'm not quite sure why I chose the title, "Sunday Miracles", but it seems to suit what happens when one chooses to follow the Spirit.  In any capacity. Nothing too earth-shattering for today, but I felt inspired to come down and write.  I personally believe the Holy Ghost is far more active in our lives (even if we choos...

I'm beyond exhausted right now, so I'll do my best to blog.  Not sure how it'll turn out, but... I woke up this morning around 4:45am to travel in a minivan full of family members to Denver Colorado to visit Owen, the newest member of the Craig and Annie Young family.  Our family, along with Chloe, Brandon, and Jovie made the trip. Th...

Although I've got quite good at it, I've been in web development for too long.  My passion has always been in music, and it's about time I did something about it. Knowing that I need to keep my family safe, and having been bitten some by risky endeavors, I'm taking baby steps at first, but it's now official. Advanced Budget Studios is offi...

Last Saturday, I woke up much earlier than I should have in order to go down and help my good friend Scott wash his cars, in preparation for his selling them. After washing his other two cars, we decided to wash my car, and to be honest, I was a bit skeptical as to how this "great new car washing" system would work.  Well...  ...

"Some are lost because they are different. They feel as though they don’t belong. Perhaps because they are different, they find themselves slipping away from the flock. They may look, act, think, and speak differently than those around them and that sometimes causes them to assume they don’t fit in. They conclude that they are not...

I don't even know where to start.  Let's start at the beginning... So, 10 years ago, I got a hair-brained idea to buy a keyboard and start writing and recording music.  Seven years ago I thought it'd be a good idea to get a mic kit for my drums to learn how to record drums better.  Three years ago the studio had its first paying c...

Three things stood out at me during tonight's study session: 1. I wonder where the translation of the plates of Lehi are right now?  I've never read the history of the Chuch, so I don't know if it's documented there, but Joseph Smith had them, and had them returned to him after he lost them.  Did he destroy them?  Are they somewhe...

Growing up, I'd have to say that I was a bit of a pious punk religiously, but I was so due, in large amount, to my being incredibly naive. To demonstrate my naive-ness, I really thought that being emotional was pretty much the same as being spiritual.  Yes...  Believe it.  I was naive. One other bit of heretical doctrine I beli...

Quite a few people have been wondering how they can get RSS feeds which are specific to the individual users of ILoveMyJournal.com.  Until now, they couldn't. ILoveMyJournal.com now has feeds which will contain public posts from only the user you're interested in! To get it, you simply click on the RSS feed logo found within the user's blo...

The new lamp for my projector arrived today and much rejoicing was heard among the land. Since our lamp burned out 5-8 months ago, we've been using a TV to entertain our kids, providing them with movies and TV cartoons and all the other goodness with which MythTV blesses our lives. With the return of our lamp, I wanted a way to extend the life ...

Ya know...  I've told many people this, but I'm not sure I've told you.  If I have, suck it up and listen to it again. When I got married almost 6 years ago, I was preparing for the worst.  People told me that marriage was a jar to the system, the knock-out punch, the "learning" experience, and many other metaphors basica...

Just in case you haven't heard the latest about Tiny Boats' debut album release, a good friend of the studio, Matt Mylroie, a music producer in Florida, had these good words to say about The Broken Vessels. A portion is quoted below, where the full review can be found here. "This album is hard to describe, but it is a fantastic blend of ...

Where do I even begin?  Well...  The craziness began on Thursday of last week, so I'll start there. *THURSDAY: Every year, my uncle Cloy and Evelyn Jones have a family reunion intended for their family.  I'm not entirely sure why, but my parent's family has been invited to this reunion for a long time.  Some years we go, som...