Sunday, May 27, 2007

Jesus is the son of God

I was washing the dishes as Lacie was watching The Testaments (a movie about Christs visit to the Old and New world) when suddenly my understanding was opened and I was taught by the Spirit. I was given an absolute knowledge that Christ lived and that all that has been testified by ancient and modern prophets is verily true. It was though physical matter was added to my mind that contained knowledge of Christ and His ministry, I can hardly explain it. I have known by the Spirit that Christ lived and now lives but it seemed that it was by faith and now I just know because of the pure light given to me.

I have been studying the Joseph Smith, Parley P. Pratt and Lorenzo Snow and have been literally amazed at there absolute knowledge of Christ and have been striving to understand even a portion of what they understand. Now the Lord has answered the prayer of my heart.

I also felt impressed to write this in this blog. I have a Private Blog that I do more of my personal journaling and this is something that normally would go there. I was told that someone needed this testimony of the knowledge of Christ.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

New Callings

We got a call this morning to meet with the President of our branch, Pres. Leadbetter. Kiera got called to be the Primary Chorister and I got called to teach the youth for Sunday School. We are very excited for our callings.

Infinite Bubbles thanks to Janet

For work I was in the home of a very nice lady. I helped her get a security system and she gave me some bubbles that she had bought for her dogs but they just scared them. The cool thing about these bubbles is the design of the bubble wand. It is designed with 4 loops and just tons of bubbles come out and continue to come out. My girls love these bubbles.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Escape from dog attack

Sorry, for not posting recently, but with my new job and trying to finish school I have been tied up. Next week I will be playing catch up. I wanted to write about a quick experience that happened to me two days ago.

I knock door to door and sell home security systems and we were knocking in this lower income area. It seems that every house has a dog of some sort. I was on this street with several houses that had several Pit Bulls. I knocked this house and the nice lady was not interested but right before I left there was a stray Pit Bull that came from around the corner. I felt impressed to stay in that yard. She had a fence and locked us in. She told me how that dog was evil and not a nice dog. I stayed in her yard for a good 5 to 10 mins waiting till he left the street. He went into this yard and stayed there for a while and so I sneaked out and took off the other way. I did not come back to that street until the next day. I ran into the same neighbor that had allowed me to stay in her yard and she told me that that dog had attacked a guy that same night and on that same street. The guy had to get 61 stitches. I felt that the Lord had protected me. I also decided to start to memorize a scripture a day since I had some time between doors. Anyway, I will be sure to remember the Lord more and he will be sure to remember me.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

My girls hullahooping

My girls hullahooping

Today is Sunday and yesterday we packed up the house to move to TN. So now our house is almost entirely empty. They have no toys except for the stuffed animals that Jessica (our friend upstairs) gave the girls and this hullahoop. Debbie taught Lacie how to spin it on her neck. Here is a little video of all my girls hullahoopin.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Moving is never fun

Debbie came down form Idaho (BYU Idaho) and will be staying with Cindy for the summer. She was kind enough to let us steel her for about a week to help us pack. Wow, Kiera and Debbie got so much done while I was at work. We have to be entirely packed and moved out by this coming Monday so we can start our journey to Nashville, TN.

I was excited because my manager at Prosper, Jason Emett, told me about a luggage carrier that attaches to the roof rack of my Dodge Caravan and that his friend bought it at Walmart. Here is a picture of what it looks like.



It is water resistant and I am hoping that we can fit two on top of our van. Well, wish us luck on packing.

Friday, April 06, 2007

LDS Talks: Hope in Christ

I sent out an email letting everyone on the email list know that I had finished a talk titled: Hope in Christ but forgot to post about it here. So please jump over to my LDS Talks Blog by clicking here and if anyone has thoughts about it just make a comment. If you would like to be added to the email list send me an email cconover2@gmail.com.

Change of plans, Going to TN

Well, last night we (my family and a friend's family that wants to sign as well) went to an APX company party and had lots of fun. Lacie rode a mechanical bull and the whole place went up in an up roar. Everyone loved it. Anyway, my old manager that is going to Nashville, TN called me and we met up to talk. He told me that he was talking to his Regional manager and his regional said that they need to make my decision a lot harder than it was already. The quick breakdown is that Kiera and I both felt better about the team going to TN but were torn because Florida seems like an absolutely fun place to be and the apartments need no introduction except, that they offer a maid service once a week to say the least. Photos are in the post below and so our decision was very hard. Anyway, my TN manager offered me $60 out of his own pocket on top of my commission for every sale I make during the summer. My goal is at least 100 and that would be an additional $6000 and he will front me $2500 up front to help with the moving expenses.

I talked to Kiera and she still wanted to go to Florida. I asked her what it would take and she said $100 per sale and so I told Andy but he could not do that. I went to the river behind my work and prayed. Kiera and I prayed together and then I prayed on my own. I felt strongly that we needed to go to TN and that we always knew our answer (We never felt that good about FL, which is why we signed with TN in the first place but the opportunity was hard to pass up since the apartment were so nice). I also felt that I needed to give Kiera a blessing and that there were reasons that she needed to go to TN. So to sum it up we are now going to TN. I have absolutely been floating because I feel so good about our decision.

I know that the Lord was behind this difficult decision of our and helped us to do this yo-yo decision making because if we had not done that, we would not have $60 per sale added commission. If we stay close to the Lord, he will stay close to us.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Going to Florida to sell Security Systems

We have decided to go to Tampa, FL to sell security systems with APX. Here is a video of the Resort like appartments that we are moving into for the summer. The video starts and sends with our appartment community but in the middle are some things that are coming soon. The parts about the rooms are the appartments as well. It is so cool and we are very excited.

Video: http://www.cayclubs.com/site/assets/video/clearwater.html









Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Man Vs. Machine

I am the trainer for our Salesforce.com software that we use to manage all our of leads. Before I became the trainer this was rolled out very poorly and the entire floor was untrained on this software. So we set up a company party and beat up a truck we bought to take out our frustrations on. It was a lot of fun. Here are some picture of our fun.

Cruising around the lot before getting beat down.


I had the luxury of doing the honors of beating out the front windshield. I used my team leaders bat that he brought and he told me that it is the same bat the he blew out this guys knee with. I told him that I could never bring myself to hit someone with a bat and then he said that if they had just hit you in the back with a chain you could. Anyway, back the the truck beating.


We all got together and flipped it on its side. I cut my finger during this stunt. One of the team leads brought his paint gun and unloaded on the truck and then glass got into the paint and I cut my finger on the glass. Not too bad though.


Everyone that wanted to take a turn on the truck with a sledge hammer could. I took a turn as well.




We then flipped it back onto its wheels went to town again.


One of the businesses called the cops on us and the owner here pretended to turn around and get handcuffed. It was great.


I took this one with my cell phone.


We had a blast. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. In the end Man won over the Machine.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Why Alexa does not speak Spanish.

Amber and Kyle came to visit from Arizona and to go to conference with us (Michelle came also. On Saturday right before Priesthood Session, Lacie asked Amber why Alexa did not speak Spanish? Amber said, "Because her mom and dad does not speak Spanish." She then said, "I thought that Brown people spoke Spanish."

When my wife told that to me I about died. She is a funny girl. She has asked several questions about why she is so much darker than her and Ashlyn.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Lacie memorizing Articles of Faith (1-3)

Lacie is memorizing all of the Articles of Faith for primary and she has to pass them off to us. If she does she will get a framed picture of the Savior and one of her or something like that. She is so excited to memorize them. She passed off the first three with us today and had us call her Primary President to pass them off as well. We are so proud of her. Here is a video of her.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Lacie's First Talk

I am so proud of Lacie, she gave her first talk in Church today. Last week we got a reminder in the mail that she was to give a talk but when Kiera looked closer it was for last Sunday, it had arrived late. We wondered why the Primary President asked Lacie if she wanted to bear her testimony. Kiera called her and explained the situation and said that she was so excited and if there was anyway she could give a talk on Sunday, and she said sure. She was excited for Lacie to talk because she knew she would do so great (Lacie is her favorite).

So Lacie started to prepare her talk. She wrote her own talk and Kiera only changed a few words and helped her pick out her pictures. So here is her first talk.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Interview at the last minute

Yesterday I went up to Jeff's Office, HR Manager @ Prosper, to fax the last of my application for BYU. While I was there I asked him if he had heard anything about the position (Mark Butler's position, Sales Operations Manager, since he stepped down to Team lead, and I reported to Mark in a way since I am working part time selling and part time with Sales Operation). Jeff asked me if I had applied and I told him not yet since it did not close till March 5th. Jeff said that it closed last Friday. Anyway he gave me an internal application to try and apply for it. I went down to fill it out and call Kiera to see if she wanted me to apply for it since we had decided to do Security Sales over the summer. She said to apply and we will just see what happens. So I started to fill out the application and I felt prompted to go up stairs and just talk to Dave Ellis, Chief Revenue Officer, since he is the one that was off the position. I went up there and he was free which does not happen that much. Come to find out that not only did it close on Friday but that he was going to send the name in for approval tomorrow. He said that he went in and asked Jeff if he had done it all right and Jeff said, "well who do you have so far." Dave told him three names, which one of them was my manager in sales, Jason Emitt, Ryan Miller, manager over Small End Sales, and I can't remember the third one. And then Jeff said, "what about Craig?" Dave told Jeff that I had shown interest and then nothing. Jeff told him that he knew for sure that I was interested. Dave said that he wanted to meet with me and so we set up a time for 10:30 am tomorrow. Last night I updated my resume and emailed it to him.

This morning Janice and some of her family and Skyler were flying in to take Ty to the MTC. So I had to help Kiera clean up and I was going to take the kids up to Jessica's when Damion Hunter came to pick me up (Kiera had the whole thing planned and my interview messed everything up, but we were able to figure it out).

The interview went well until the end. I showed him several things that I created in Excel for other companies that I worked for and then Dave said, "How can we get more of your time." That took me back because in my mind I was thinking, well just hire me, but I knew that would not have the best results. I just said, "you create it." Then the last sentence he said was, "I have some decisions to make and I have until Friday to make them. If you do not hear from me by Friday you come up and rattle the cage and I will be Ok with it. Just say that I promised to do something and you are not doing it, so fell free to come up and rattle the cage." So between those two comments I am at a loss. I will let you know what come of it.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

"Go to the Temple right now!"

This morning I woke up to go to the bathroom and just before I jump into bed I had a distinct thought come into my mind, "Go to the Temple right now!" In my mind I said, "No, I am too tired. I did not get to bed till 12:30 and I am just too tired." I laid down and laid there thinking that in the Book of Mormon the prophets, like Nephi, were commanded to go up into the mountain. Whether it was a mountain or the temple it matters not, even though I know sometimes it was an actual mountain. I thought that if I can not heed the spirits commands to get in my car and drive a few streets down to the Temple, then there is no way that I would of climbed a high mountain. Also, I was taught by the Spirit that the Lord did not wait until Nephi was awake and excited to make the trip to the top of the mountain but that the commands came in times that would try their obedience and faith. I jumped out of bed and went to the Temple (in my new Temple clothes we bought the other day). It was an outstanding session and I felt good all day.

I called my dad later that day and told him about my experience and he told me that he had prayed for me and also prayed that I would go to the Temple today. Well his prayer was answered. I was in the Temple when my dad was praying.

It is just amazing how the Lord works and is so much a part of our lives.