Take Raquel to Work Day

For President's Day I went with Randy to work. On Mondays we have to get up at 5:15ish to get Randy on the road by 6. He works at the Swanson's Lakes Wildlife Area, which is about a 2 hour drive from our house. After we got the office, we unloaded the truck, picked up the equipment, and loaded everything up into the work truck. We then headed off to the first possible location for Sage Grouse.

 The picture to the right is one of the areas we found Sharp Tailed Grouse.


The first location we drove up on the Sage Grouse. They were just hanging out in the middle of the road. (if you can call what we were driving on a road) Because we saw them, Randy did not have to triangulate the birds. Triangulation is used to find the location of wildlife. So basically, the birds you are tracking are wearing radio collars that transmit a signal. This signal is picked up by an antenna, the antenna then transmits the signal to the receiver. The receiver then puts out a beeping noise. When you triangulate an animal, you make a triangle around the area you believe the animal is located. You take a bearing and a GPS point at three different locations (these are the points on your triangle). You later record these data points into a computer system that generates where the birds actually were.

By the end of the day we had found 12 different birds.

Here you can see the antenna (this particular model is called a yagi). The lunch box looking thing is the receiver, and the little black box with the pink tag on top is the GPS.

 The drive from place to place was interesting... the tires on the truck are quite bald, and road conditions of the wide dirt trails were slippery. Often I was reminded of roller coaster rides at Disney Land the way we were slipping around.


I had a wonderful time with my husband!  It was great to be able to spend a day together, be outside, and learning what he is doing.







Just for fun- in the picture to the left can you see the pheasant?









Oh and Randy is waiting to hear back from two different jobs. Both jobs are temporary and in the near area, so we would not have to relocate. One is a job as a wolf technician. This is the job he is hoping for. It will give him experience with carnivores, which would help him get a better job the next time around. The second job is a Wildlife Biologist 1 working in the Swanson's Lakes area. That job is basically the exact same thing is he doing now, with better pay and a better title. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Life is Designed to be Joyful

A while ago I was looking around the LDS.org website when I came across this talk entitled "The Atonement can Secure your Peace and Happiness".  I found this at a time when I was perplexed about the direction my life needed to go and why my life seemed to be difficult when my fellow peers seemed to have all of their ducks in a neat little row. After reading this I was reminded that my Heavenly Father knows me, is aware of me, and loves me. Challenges are for my benefit and growth and should be embraced instead of shunned. Finding joy is the main course of life, not just a small side dish. The excerpt that I choose from the address really honed in on this principle.  

“The challenges you face, the growth experiences you encounter, are intended to be temporary scenes played out on the stage of a life of continuing peace and happiness. Sadness, heartache, and disappointment are events in life. It is not intended that they be the substance of life. I do not minimize how hard some of these events can be. When the lesson you are to learn is very important, trials can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining focus of everything you do. Your life can and should be wondrously rewarding. It is your understanding and application of the laws of God that will give your life glorious purpose as you ascend and conquer the difficulties of life. That perspective keeps challenges confined to their proper place—stepping-stones to further growth and attainment.”

               -Elder Richard G. Scott (2006 General Conference)  

Our New Addition

This is Mitch. He is a black lab and border collie cross who is about 4 years old. He currently belongs to a family friend, but he has been living here for the last year and a half. He came to stay here with another dog named Belle, and 7 Nubian goats because his owners had to move for about a year to a location that they could not take their animals with them. Their owners will be moving back within the next month, but Mitch will not be leaving us. Randy and I are going to adopt him and take him with us to Pullman!!! He and Belle are both good dogs, but they are not the best for each other. They do not fight, but they feed off each other's energy until they are both over the top with excitement.

A little of Mitch's background- He was put in an animal shelter when he was about a year old or so. From there he was taken to a prison in Wyoming for training. He was put in one of the programs where the prisoners train dogs in order to help the dogs be more adoptable. After he finished his training he was adopted by his current owners.

Since we decided to adopt Mitch, I have been trying to take him on a walk every day to begin to build a relationship with him. He is very smart and eager to please. He did learn all kinds of tricks at the prison. He knows "bang, bang you're dead" where he lays down and rolls on his back in a very dramatic fashion. He also knows 'search". He will put his front paws on a wall and you pat him down like a cop would after arresting someone. He also knows how to "Sit Pretty" where he sits up on his hind legs and begs.

I have decided to enroll both Mitch and I in a Rally class. Rally is an obedience class but is more fun and relaxed than a traditional obedience class. I haven't done a rally class, but I am really looking forward to it and learning how to work with my new dog.

I wanted to share part of Mitch and mine's walk from today. There is a large hill on the property that lies behind the house. This first picture is a view from the top of the hill. We call this area "Lookout Point".

After we stopped to catch our breath (well it was more I needed to catch my breath) we continued across the top of the hill. We then came across these.

These are from a Whitetail Deer. Most likely from two different bucks from two different years. The one on the left has been gnawed on by squirrels or other little critters. They chew on the antlers for their mineral content.

This is where we found the antlers. It was shear luck that we stopped and I happened to look directly at them.

Week 1 Report :)

Week 1 will officially ended today! I was able to make my goal of getting all of my points and was even able to loose a few pounds!!!  So far the most difficult thing for me (well actually there are two things) is first - eating 3 serving of veggies. Don't get me wrong- I like veggies! but as it is winter time there is a shortage of cheap quality veggies and I am not a fan of salad every day. However I am learning to like it, and have found that variety is the key. Anyone have any really yummy healthy veggie recipes out there?
The other challenge I have faced is dinner time. At this house the parents like to have the big meal of the day at lunch time. This is healthier but different from what I am used to. I am used to a light lunch and a heavier dinner and now I am having to swap my mentality. Randy and I both have to eat a dinner of some sort. I am trying to keep dinners light and simple. My favorite dinner was wheat crackers with ham and cheese, carrots, cucumbers, and blueberries! YUM!

Poor People?

This circulated on Facebook for a while, but I wanted to share it again. 

POOR PEOPLE ? One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the trip?' 'It was great, Dad.' 'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked. 'Oh yeah,' said the son. 'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father. The son answered: 'I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.' The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.' Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have. Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends! Refresh their perspective and appreciation. 'Life is too short and friends are too few.' 

:D :D :D AAHH!!

I'M GOING TO VET SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got an email today from the school congratulating me and offering admission. I screamed... and had to call Randy (he is out deer trapping again and I wanted him to be the first to know) and then called parents etc. Later today I got a letter of admission, making it OFFICIAL!!!!

I am soo excited I can hardly stand it!!!!!

Flecks of Gold

I heard a story once of a young man who travelled out west to pan for gold. 


"Oftentimes we are like the young merchant from Boston, who in 1849, as the story goes, was caught up in the fervor of the California gold rush. He sold all of his possessions to seek his fortune in the California rivers, which he was told were filled with gold nuggets so big that one could hardly carry them.


Day after endless day, the young man dipped his pan into the river and came up empty. His only reward was a growing pile of rocks. Discouraged and broke, he was ready to quit until one day an old, experienced prospector said to him, “That’s quite a pile of rocks you are getting there, my boy.”


The young man replied, “There’s no gold here. I’m going back home.”


Walking over to the pile of rocks, the old prospector said, “Oh, there is gold all right. You just have to know where to find it.” He picked two rocks up in his hands and crashed them together. One of the rocks split open revealing several flecks of gold sparkling in the sunlight.


Noticing a bulging leather pouch fastened to the prospector’s waist, the young man said, “I’m looking for nuggets like the ones in your pouch, not just tiny flecks.” The old prospector extended his pouch toward the young man, who looked inside, expecting to see several large nuggets. He was stunned to see that the pouch was filled with thousands of flecks of gold.


The old prospector said, “Son, it seems to me you are so busy looking for large nuggets that you’re missing filling your pouch with these precious flecks of gold. The patient accumulation of these little flecks has brought me great wealth.” - Elder M. Russell Ballard 


I wanted to have a place to share inspirational quotes, ideas, and media. As I was thinking about what to call this section of the blog, this story of the young man and his search for gold came to mind. This will be my collection of flecks of gold that I find.


Yesterday I found this quote -"I am aware that life presents many challenges, but with the help of the Lord, we need not fear. If our lives are centered on Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, nothing can ever go permanently wrong"- President Howard W. Hunter 


So far in my life I have found this to be true. As long as I am trusting in God everything ALWAYS eventually works out, and it usually turns out better then I could have imagined. 










 -President Howard W. Hunter