Wyoming - Day of Clean Up

Shantel's Grandpa passed away last August and her Dad inherited the Ranch House and about 1/4 of the ranch including the barns etc. Since then Scott has been in Wyoming a lot to take care of the cows and Ranch. He and his siblings have also been working to clean out the house and go through their parents things. Verla collected bells from all over the world and they have a lot of meaning to the family. We went to Morgan this weekend (and then up to the ranch, more on that later). Each of the kids and grandkids got the opportunity to pick out a bell that they wanted to keep/inherit. It was really special for Shantel and the kids to pick out bells that had meaning to them or that they thought looked good or fun. 

Friday night it was fun to just sit around and chat with the family. 

On Saturday morning we went up early to Wyoming for a big work day around the house. As Ramon got older he always took care of the cows and the ranch, but a few things around the house needed some care. We all went up to the house to help Scott and Lori. We were trimming trees, clearing out brush and getting the yard looking really great. It was a lot of hard work, but felt so good and was so awesome to see how much fun that backyard will continue to be. 

The kids had fun helping and working hard. Scott even took them for a ride as they raked out the ditch. 

When it was all said and done we had hauled a huge pile of old tree branches and brush to the burn pile. 

Next up was to work on taking some of the good tree branches to use them as starts to plant some new trees along the back of the property. The kids loved helping. We would punch a whole in the ground and then shove the branch in the ground to serve as the tree start. 

Last thing was to go out and help Scott feed the cows. The kids had fun and we were so glad to work hard and help at the ranch. 

Shantel loves it up on the ranch and it is so wonderful that our kids get the chance to have experiences on the ranch. We have always been welcome at the ranch. However, now that it belongs to Scott and Lori, we are spending even more time up there and it is really such a great thing for our kids and for us. 

Dear Austin (the Magnificent)

Dear Austin, 

I wanted to share with you an experience that happened to me relating to your name. It was a tender experience and I'm just so surprised and amazed. 

Let me start by reminding you about something that happened the day you were born, the moment you were born. Your birth story was a little wild and crazy, only making it to the hospital about 6 minutes before you made your grand entrance into the world. I had planned to have an epidural but obviously, there wasn't enough time - there wasn't even enough time for the doctor to arrive! You were delivered by one of the Nurses, Leslie Haynes.  

I wrote this in our blog about your birth: 

"Shantel: As soon as I saw my baby appear, I reached out my arms for him and the nurse handed him right to me. I pulled him up to my chest as tears filled my eyes and love filled my heart. I was still in a bit of shock because everything had happened so quickly, but I knew that he was my baby and I was filled with gratitude that he had arrived safely. He wasn't crying and I quickly asked the nurse if he was okay, if he was breathing, and she responded that he was perfect and was doing great. I just held him and thought over and over that he was magnificent. That's the exact word that kept going through my mind. It repeated over and over. Magnificent. (i.e. spectacular, majestic, awe-inspiring, or breathtaking.) My baby boy was here, and it was magnificent. He was magnificent. Even after our specialist appointment with Maternal Fetal Medicine at 22 weeks clearing him of any echogenic focuses, I still worried/wondered if something would manifest itself after his birth. Many, many prayers had been said on behalf of this tiny baby, and seeing him there - absolutely perfect was such a huge blessing."

https://thepeadenlife.blogspot.com/2014/10/austins-birth-story.html

We had come to the hospital without a pre-determined name. We had three names that were top contenders from about 34 weeks on: Austin, Samuel, Owen. By 36 weeks, I noted that my favorite name was Austin but at 37 weeks I admitted that although we were closer to a name we hadn't picked "the one" yet. We took all three names to the hospital but after the birth experience I was ready to throw them all out the window. I remember googling on my (2014 technology) phone looking for names meaning "Magnificent" but couldn't find anything that seemed like a reasonable baby name. I was so disappointed. I don't remember writing any of this down - and can't find a record of why we ended up choosing Austin, but I do remember how stressful it was to not have a name and how we kept going back and forth until the last minute. (We took a name to the hospital with the rest of the kids because of how stressful it was to "bring a couple names to the hospital and see what felt right".) 

Now fast forward to 2024. You are nine years old now (will be 10 this year!). You love to hear me tell the story of the night you were born and I love to tell you how dramatic it was and how amazing it was to hold you as a tiny baby in my arms. I usually just tell the parts about getting pulled over by the police officer and being worried that the nurses were going to send me home - only to be holding you six minutes later. But this time we were driving in the car headed to a baseball practice. You had been a little worried about a few things and I ended up telling you the story again - but this time I included the part about how strongly I felt the word "Magnificent" as you were coming into the world. I told you about how I felt such an incredible connection to your spirit and how the only word that could describe the greatness of your soul was "magnificent". At the time I felt a little twinge of sadness that I hadn't been able to find a name that meant magnificent, even though your spirit clearly is "impressively beautiful, or great (late Middle English: via Old French from Latin magnificent- ‘making great’, based on magnus ‘great’.)"

Later that very same week I was at a Mothers of Influence meeting (a group of homeschooling mothers who gather together to learn, support, and create goodness) and the topic turned to the importance of names. We talked about the names of Christ and the power of our individual names in our lives. Mosiah 5:12 says "I would that we should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts." We know that in scripture, the name of God signifies his titles, his attributes, his will or purpose, his honor and glory, his word, his grace, his wistom power, and goodness (Exodus 20:7). We also know that God uses symbolism in the names of his followers (Jacob-Israel, Eve, and so many others). The bible is full of symbolic names and we discussed how we can gain power from learning about our name and how that relates to our divine natures. It was a really neat discussion and I felt again that I wished I had been able to find a name with that meaning. So I googled it again, right there during the meeting (now using 2024 phone technology) and somehow, after nine years of not knowing this - I found your name as the second one down. "Austin." Baby name website Nameberry confirmed that Austin means great and magnificent.

I am in awe of the fact that your spirit was so magnificent that there was no other name that could be given you - other than the name Austin. Even though we didn't know exactly - the Lord knew and guided us to find the right name for you. There is power in your name Austin and I feel so strongly that you have a great work ahead of you that you have been prepared for before you were even born. Your spirit is great and is up to whatever task is asked of you in this life. 

In the last General Conference (April 2024) Elder Steven R. Bangerter of the Seventy gave a talk titled "Foreordained to Serve". He quotes President Russell M Nelson saying "Your Heavenly Father has known you for a very long time. You, as His son or daughter, were chosen by Him to come to earth at this precise time, to be a leader in His great work on earth." 

He goes on to say "When He created you spiritually, He loved you as His spirit sons and daughters and embedded within each of you a divine nature and eternal destiny. During your premortal life you developed your identity and increased your spiritual capabilities." ... "Before you were born, God appointed each of you to fulfill specific missions during your mortal life upon the earth." ..."Those premortal promises and blessings are called your foreordination" ... "Knowing who you are being with understanding God's foreordained blessings bestowed upon you before you were ever born on this earth. Our Heavenly Father desires to reveal to you your personal foreordination, and He will do so as you seek to learn and follow His will."  

Austin, I know that your spirit was great before it was even born. I was the first one to hold you in my arms and even as a tiny baby I felt such an incredible power and glory surrounding you. 

You are magnificent. I am so grateful that I am your mother and I get to watch you learn and grow into the divine destiny ahead of you. 

Promotion to Partner

 It is interesting that our blog includes very very little about my job considering how much time I spend, because the true focus of my life is my family and my belief in God and following him. However, I do spend a ton of time at work and now is a great time for a work update. 

When I was graduating from college all the firms came on campus to interview students and I was really fortunate to have 3 different job offers. One from Deloitte and Touche, one from Jones Simpkins (local firm in Logan) and one from Hansen, Barnett and Maxwell (local firm in Salt Lake City). As I interviewed one of my goals was to find somewhere that I could work and still make sure I was able to spend time with my family and have that be the focus of my life. I also really wanted somewhere that I felt like I could be happy my whole career. That did not mean that I would work there forever, but I did not want to start somewhere I knew I would not want to stay. Shantel and I really considered living in Logan and working at Jones Simpkins, but we decided that was not the right firm and not to stay in Logan. Deloitte made the most sense and was the most prestigious (Big 4 firm), we didn't really feel like it was the right fit compared to Hansen, Barnett and Maxwell (HBM). Shantel and I both felt like HBM was the best fit and the best place to start my career. One interesting thing is that initially received a rejection from HBM. Paul Skeen had interviewed me and let me know I was not selected for the second round of interviews. He sent a separate note to let me know it was really a timing issue because they were not planning to hire anyone with a January 1st start date (when I needed to start). However, a week or so later, I got an e-mail that they had decided to invite me for a 2nd interview. I then got a job offer after that and one of the main reasons was Doug Hawkes who really thought they needed to hire me. He ended up taking Shantel and I to dinner to try and convince us to work for HBM. After much prayer and contemplation, we decided that was the best thing for our family. 

A few years after I joined the firm HBM was acquired by Eide Bailly which turned out to be such a great thing for me in my career. After 10 years at the firm, I was able to get the opportunity to do a three year rotation with the National Assurance Office which is an opportunity that I had really wanted. 

Throughout my career and especially after I had been at the firm for 5 or 6 years, I was really trying to figure out if 1) I could make partner. Shantel and I had a lot of conversations and thought into it and even a year and a half ago, were not sure what would happen. 

In September of 2022 I got a call from Jeff Sorensen to tell me they were putting my name up for promotion to partner. As part of the conversation he asked if I would be interested in becoming a permanent member of the National Assurance Office if that was an option. He ended up talking to Scot Phillips and they told me that if I wanted to permanently join the National Assurance Office, that they would offer that to me. If I went that route, instead of being promoted to partner in May of 2023, I would be promoted in May of 2024. If you had asked me 10 years before what I would want, it would be to be a permanent member of the National Assurance Office. Shantel and I were so grateful and decided that would be the best thing for my career. We decided to join the National Office and then wait for promotion in 2024. 

Joining the NAO permanently has been such a good change. Then this May the change to partner came and has been such a fun thing. The other partners and people in my office have been so excited for me and it is a really cool opportunity. 

Effective May 1, 2024, I am a partner at Eide Bailly. I thought it would be fun to share a few statistics since joining the firm. I don't have the actual hours from my first 4 months at HBM, but the total hours I worked those first 4 months was probably around 700 and about 650 billable. So I'll use those amounts, but the other amounts are based on my actual time sheets. 

Total hours work: 32,112

Billable: 17,533

The last 3 years were obviously much lower on billable vs. total because of the change to the NAO. On average I worked about $2,416 hours per year for 13 years before becoming partner. 

I am so grateful to so many people who helped me to make this happen. First is Shantel. She has been such a support to me and helping support me when I was working late, helping to take care of the kids in so many circumstances and being a great partner for me in helping me navigate my career. I also am grateful to Heavenly Father who I feel like helped open up the opportunities in the right places at the right time. There are also so many people I am grateful for at the firm. Doug Hawkes who really pushed to bring my into the firm. Paul Skeen who has been such a good mentor to me. In addition, a lot of the reason that I had the opportunity to be promoted to partner is his willingness to pass jobs to me (even though that won't happen because I'll be in the NAO), that created the opportunity. That also came because I worked so hard to do a good job on the clients that he brought in to take care of them and in return he was able to help me. Also Jeff Sorensen who really helped create the opportunity for me and was a big supporter for me. Also, Scot Phillips who gave me the opportunity with the NAO as well as Brian Bluhm. I also really enjoy working with Ann Glenz, Angie Hillestad, and Sara Kurtz and can't wait to work with them. I also got good news that Kristin O'Connor will be joining the NAO permanently and am glad to get to continue to work with her. Then a few others, Kristin Cornell, Gary Myers, Ted Hill, Ken Jeppesen, Luke Taylor and Mike Michelsen, Hayley Dahlhauser. I'm sure there are others, but I feel like I have had so many others help me along. 

Ted Hill was retiring effective April 30, so they were doing a retirement dinner for Ted and combined that with a welcome dinner for the new Utah Partners (myself and Selina Hansen). 

Shantel and I got to go to a fancy dinner at STK and it was really nice and a fun way to celebrate. I am also so grateful for my kids and am glad to be able to go to work every day for them. 

Here is my first day of work as a new partner picture. 

I can't wait for what is to come with my job.