Jacob S. Paulsen.com

One year ago today I ran my first 1/2 marathon. Yesterday I competed in a Triathlon relay with my Father and my Brother. One year from now… who knows.

The BAM triathlon takes place in Midway UT. My 35 yr old brother Jeff swam 1500 meters in the Deer Creek Reservoir to start off the morning. While he swims on a regular basis he still had to face his first ever swim in open water and having to wear a wet suit which constricts movement and breathing to a certain extent. He did fantastic and finished in about 15 minutes less than he had expected.

My almost 62 year old Dad biked for 22 miles! This is the first time he has ever gone that distance and we were all very impressed when he finished about 30 minutes faster than he had expected! This was shaping up to be a wonderful day.

I ran the last leg of the relay. A 10K run on the 2002 Olympic Cross Country Ski trail at Soldier’s Hollow. I faced some obstacles as well since I been fighting a Sinus infection all week, having not run since Tuesday. It was the longest run I’ve been on all year and perhaps the highest elevation I’ve run at in 10 years. It was also tremendously hilly and really beat me up bad.

All said and done though Team Paulsen finished the race and we are very proud to have done so. There is a certain new bond that was formed between the three of us. A type of bond that I’m guessing can only be formed when you are part of a team that has accomplished something great! What a wonderful family experience.

Thank you Ami and all the other family who came to bear the hot sun whilst cheering us on.

I had a great trip to Boston a few weeks ago. Boston is in every way the classic American city. Since I was in town for business I was only able to do any sight seeing in the evenings. My first evening there I walked around Harvard square, and drove through and past MIT, Harvard, & Boston College. What wonderful culture and history!

On my second evening in Boston I took the train to Boston Commons and walked the Freedom Trail. The Freedom trail is a 2 1/2 mile “red brick road” that takes you through the city of Boston, passing by the most historic sites. Because I had no tour guide I downloaded an app for my cell phone that walked me through the sites with an audio and visual tour. Technology still amazes me. I walked the entire trail and saw some of the most awe inspiring history in America. Sites include Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere’s house, The Old North Church, Site of the Boston Massacre, Bunker Hill and more. It would be difficult to call out which were my very favorite sites but the most emotional moment was atop Bunker Hill. I was there at 9:30pm on a Tuesday night during a slight rain shower. Not a single soul in sight. As far as I could see or hear I was the only person around. Super intense to consider how many people died on that hill and for what cause they were willing to die.

On my last night in town I was blessed with a gift of a ticket to a Red Sox vs Texas Rangers game. For all you non-baseball fans out there you should know that Fenway Park is labeled “America’s Most Beloved Ball Park” for a reason. With maybe the exception of Wrigley field in Chicago, Fenway is prized as a site and tourist attraction above all other ball parks. Sadly the Red Sox lost but I had a grand time watching the game in perfect weather.

I’ve been blessed this year to visit some amazing places. Sometimes we think we have to go to Theme Parks and Foreign countries when the very best vacations spots are just around the corner!

Jacob S Paulsen

July 4th is perhaps my favorite of holidays. The last several years I’ve been on a bit of a US history kick reading all the books I can on founding fathers and the revolutionary war. Thinking about the miracle that surrounds our nation’s independence is truly awe inspiring. The founding fathers often referred to “providence” when referring to the many miracles that brought our country into existence. Referring to Providence was their way of saying it was God’s Hand that saw it done. Our nation was very much so founded not only on principles of freedom of religion but even more so on principles of faith in God and the Bible.

I am reflecting today upon a few of the specific stories of 1776 in which Providence saved our nation.

There is the time in the beginning of the year when George Washington’s troops first laid siege upon the British in Boston. For the greater part of 1775 and the beginning of 1776 it was a stand off. The British waited eagerly for re-enforcements before attacking the “rebel’s” perfect fortifications and General Washington also lacked the power to launch a successful attack. Fates turned in March when Henry Knox returned from Canada with almost 80 cannons which had been abandoned. His success in bringing them to Boston is the story of a miracle of its own. Now with artillery General Washington put together a plan to build fortifications armed with cannons on Dorchester heights; a group of higher hills overlooking both the city and the water. In a single night the continental army raised fortifications, timbers, barrels, and hay stacks to the top of Dorchester heights along with artillery. The secret movement was covered by the noise of cannon fire on either side of the front line. When the British woke on March 5th to see cannons and fortifications over looking them General Howe was reported to have said that the rebels had done in one night that which would have taken his army 3 weeks to do. With a fierce wind preventing his ships from moving inland the British were forced to abandon Boston and retreat for a time.

Soon there after our armies were stationed in New York foolishly thinking they could somehow retain the territory when it was surrounded by water. The fleet of the British arrived and without any issues passed by Fort Washington which was hoped would be able to fire down on the fleet. It anchored for a time and had it been able to sail up the river it would have surrounded the continental army and ended the war. On August 27th the British army engaged the Americans and out maneuvered our armies. The battle of Long Island was a bitter defeat for our country and General Washington knew he had to leave NY before the British managed to finish us off entirely. On Aug 29th Washington managed to withdraw all 9000 troops and supplies across the river during the night. This top secret move was masterfully executed and was also saved by providence. On one hand fierce winds kept the fleet out of the river while General Washington executed the retreat. More strange and miraculous still was the heavy fog that sat down on New York the following morning when the sun came up to reveal to the British what was happening.

Perhaps the most famous of George Washington paintings is that of him standing in a boat as it crossed the Delaware river into New Jersey. It was Christmas Day and the river was frozen over with ice. The wind howled with such fierceness that men could not hear their own voices. Three different units of men were staged to cross the river at different points and enter into Trenton NJ from different directions first thing in the morning. In the darkness of the winter evening only one of the 3 units were able to break the ice and cross. It was the group entrusted to General Washington that managed to transport men, cannons, and horses across the frozen river. They marched from the river for hours into town. Many of the men didn’t have shoes or coats. In the first light of Christmas morning the stormed the town and took it. They captured 900 of the enemy soldiers and the only deaths among the continental army were two men who died from exposure during the morning march.

In May I was able to travel to our Nation’s capital on a business trip. Since I was working during business hours I wasn’t able to really go into any of the sites. All of the museums and other attractions close around 5:30. Just the same I was able to visit many of the sites and see them from the outside. Truly our nation was inspired and I pray that the leaders in our government can make wise decisions that will continue to ensure our liberty and freedom!

Jacob S Paulsen

One of the biggest steps of personal development is self discovery. Self discovery includes the search for one’s own strengths, weaknesses, inspirations, motivations, and more. The better you understand yourself the greater chance you have at improving the core.

One of the things I have been doing recently to understand myself better is in searching my past to find the source of my own personality and character attributes. This is a long and difficult process.

For example, why do I run? When did I begin running and why did I continue for so long? My general ability and desire to run has to be rooted somewhere. Running around on playgrounds at recess couldn’t be the source since most children at that age did that. If I can discover this little thing about me I will be able to perhaps instill in my own children a habit of exercise.

So here it goes:

My first memory of doing any running outside of what any other kids would have done stems back to elementary school. After grade 3 I stopped packing a lunch every day and started going home for lunch. One of the best things of going home for lunch everyday was the potential for a longer recess. The faster I got home and got back, the more time I got to play before going back in. This was motivation enough for me to run home for lunch and then run back to school. Even at a run it took me 7 or 8 minutes maybe to get home. Come to think of it this would probably explain why I eat so fast too.

Next memory of extra running comes from my paper route: I delivered the Green River Star paper every Tuesday. Mostly I walked the route because of the heavy load of papers on my shoulders but toward the end I would finish at a run to get home faster.

Around 6th or 7th grade I also picked up a daily paper route for the Daily Rocket Miner. My dad would drive me to the delivery area and drop me off at the top of each street. I would take an armful of papers and run the street throwing papers back and forth meeting my Dad at the end of the street where he delivered the last few homes while waiting. This was good for 30 minutes of running 6 days a week for 6 years.

In Junior High I joined the track team and ran distance. Mostly this decision came from the desire to be in a sport but not having skill at anything else. I figured I could do this and there was the least amount of competition at the longer distances so I decided to compete in the mile and 1/2 mile.  This continued through the end of high school where I also was on the cross country team.

Its not just about running. Why are we the way we are. If we wish to improve ourselves we must first understand who we are, thus enabling us to measure improvement. Changes are most easily made when we can identify how habits were formed in the first place.

I suppose that I’m only normal if I find some of my very greatest inspiration in movies, literature, and art. Well maybe I’m a little more nuts than most because I consciously think about these things and the themes and lessons that are being taught. I suspect sometimes that I’m even finding hidden meanings where the writers had no intention of meaning anything.

I’m naturally drawn to the hero/epic tales. I like being reminded that human nature can overcome evil and become much more. Heroes come in many forms and stories teach us what heroes are really made of. Perhaps the inspiring concept is that I too can be heroic.

I love the stories. I love pondering the saga of Anakin Skywalker and how one man’s decisions can change the galaxy… twice. I love the story of a humble Harry Potter who’s love and pure determination destroyed forever the darkest wizard of all time. Or the story of Dumbledore who dedicated his entire life to bringing down Valdemort through Harry. I love the painting that sits on the wall in my bedroom, Singing Butler by Jack Vettriano. It depicts a husband and wife dancing in a rainstorm.

I suppose that more important than where one gets their inspiration, is that they get inspired at all. Inspiration is necessary to help us keep the vision when times are hard. Discipline is giving up momentary pleasures for long term joy. When life gets difficult where do you go for a boost? How do you remind yourself of the greater ideals and values in life?

I for one think we can all be heroes and we all need our inspiration. Please share with us. Leave a comment below to share with the group where you find your inspiration.

I had a recent reality check that came from an unlikely source; my cell phone. The Android smartphone platform has a unique feature. As part of the dialer application there is a favorites list. This favorites list is not a user generated speed dial but instead a list of the contacts you actually talk to the most. Yep, its a quick look at reality and my list is a little scary. I’m happy to report that my wife is currently leading the list in the top spot. Sadly however I have two work associates in the top 4 and my parents are at the bottom of the top 20.

If your phone gave you a list of your “legitimate” favorites what would you see? Would you be happy with the way your loved ones line up?

Go Android

Jacob S Paulsen

I had the chance to spend 5 days in Alaska this past week. This was my first time in the 49th state of the US and I learned a lot about the differences that exist in that state. Mostly these cultural differences come from the climate and the general lack of people (also due to the climate). Here is my short list.

1. Every single car I saw had an engine block heater. The idea is to plug the car in during the night and coldest days to prevent it from freezing so much that it won’t start. Since I grew up in Wyoming I wasn’t foreign to the idea but I was impressed to find that all the parking stalls at the hotel and the businesses I visited had outlets available for the purpose. The rental car came with an extension cord but I was warned that if i lost it there was a $35 fee.
2. While I was there a young boy fell through the ice in the river in front of my hotel. The news story talked about the ice rescue and dive team being on the scene to recover the body. It got me thinking about the search and rescue teams in Alaska vs in my local area. Doubt that we have an ice rescue team here. Two days later when a man called into 911 complaining of extreme chest pain the easiest and quickest way to get aid to his remote cabin was to Parachute in the rescuers.  Another great example of how things change when its that cold.
3. I worked with a local business in Fairbanks who has been delivering water since 1929. Because many of the homes outside of town cannot get water piped in they are left with very few good options. Some try digging wells but the chances of finding water are low and if you do the quality of the water will not be very good. So…. this business (and he has plenty of competitors) installs water tanks on people’s homes and regularly stops by to top them off with water.
4. In the hotel there was an Alaskan TV channel called “The Alaska Channel.” I was there 5 nights and they played the exact same video tape all 5 nights at the exact same time. I guess the producers are struggling to find new material?

5. When I walked out of the airport I also slipped and fell right on the sidewalk because of the ice. I’m no stranger to snow but in Wyoming and Utah most of us shovel the snow and even if we don’t the sun will usually melt the more frequented streets and sidewalks after a few days at most. They shovel and plow in Alaska but its just too cold. All the streets and sidewalks were snow packed. This also accounts for why I thought Alaska drivers were generally so kind. Turns out they just drive slow and defensively because they don’t want to wreck and I can’t blame them.

6. Shortly after I got there Fairbanks had a bit of a heat wave. At some times during the day it got as high as 22-25 degrees (yes this counts as a heat wave). I was warned at this point that I should be extra cautious on the roads because as it gets warmer some of the snow loosens up and begins to melt. This makes the roads slippery. In the below zero temperatures the road isn’t really as slick because the ice hardens so much.
7. Most of the people I was working with during my time there had remote start on their vehicle. This took a little of the sting out of getting into the car to warm it up. Along those same lines I of course noted very few 2 wheel drive cars and in fact the Hertz rental car company at the airport told me they don’t have an 2 wheel drive cars in their fleet.
8. The food in Alaska was quite pricey. I asked around about what restaurants I should eat at and on my first day I was recommended a BBQ place that had been featured on the diners and dives show on Food Network. I inquired to the price and I was told it was “quite reasonable.” The cheapest dinner item on the menu was $13.95 I spent the rest of the week trying to downgrade to lower end restaurants only to be consistently thwarted by the prices. The Chinese restaurant in town had a lunch special for $11.95 and the dumpiest (Betos equivalent) fast food Mexican place I could find still ran me over $10 without a drink. The food might have been expensive but it was all very delicious!
9. Only about 15 minutes out of Fairbanks is the town of North Pole Alaska. They really play off of the whole Santa thing and many of the street light poles in town are in the shape and colors of candy canes. Santa does have a house there although I didn’t get a chance to check it out.
10. I was there the week of the Ice Alaska festival. There is an ice park where hundreds of ice sculptures are featured for viewing. AMAZING I have to admit. When I first got into town I noticed right away that a lot of businesses had ice sculptures in front of their buildings and parking lots. I assumed that this had everything to do with the festival but I left with the impression that this is an all winter type of decoration. Why not… its not going to melt until May.

While I was there I was working with the Daily NewsMiner Newspaper. On their building they have a live webcam that can be viewed on their website at: http://newsminer.com/pages/arcticcam Before I left a few guys at work made an arrangement with X96 fm out of Salt Lake City to give us some of their famous Boner t-shirts in exchange for me wearing the shirt in front of the Artic Cam in Alaska. Their is a section of the X96 site (Click Here and select the “Boners Around the World Album) where pictures of people wearing this shirt around the world are displayed. Watch that album for the picture. Meanwhile here is a different picture of me on that cam that Ami took off of her computer:

All in all I had a great time and I hope to go back again in the summer to see the gorgeous country side and spend a little more leisure time with my family and the friends I made there. Alaska, what a wonderful place to visit!

In March of 2009 Ami was very much so wanting to re-decorate our bedroom and she went out looking for bedding at a variety of stores. One particular comforter set stuck out to her and she sent me the following image via text message.

This particular set was marked at almost $300 at that time and she knew we were not prepared to buy it but hey… she can dream right?

Friday night Ami spent at least an hour looking online for a new bed set. We decided the time was right to make a purchase and she had been looking in stores and at a variety of websites for just the right thing (Naturally I was no help).  The bed set in the above picture was out of her mind (or was it) having been 10 months ago that she saw it. Yesterday we decided to go out shopping. Ami requested we stop by the store where she had seen the bed set of her dreams and when we got there…. you guessed it. There it was. We were informed by the store staff that it had been discontinued and discounted. We got the very last one at 20% off and my wife is one happy lady.

Its amazing what good things really do come to those that wait. I learned early in my life to plan ahead for big expenses and to keep from making spontaneous purchases on a whim. This new year set clear goals in each aspect of your life. As to your financial plans write down a budget and set expectations for savings, vacations, and large purchases. Make 2010 the very best year of your life!

What is GeoCaching? It is the fastest growing family friendly global outdoor hobby. What a mouthful. The hobby is basically a GPS treasure hunting game in which players hide hidden containers (caches) in both urban and rural places for other players to find. Players often leave items or trade items between caches.

WHY? Why not? This is awesome fun. Just the mere idea that there are hidden containers with random objects within 100 yards of your home (probably) and you don’t know about it…. that’s cool. It bec0mes even more cool when you do know about it but think you are the only person in your neighborhood who does.

HOW TO START GEOCACHING? I am in the process of creating a site called StartGeocaching.com where people can go to get free information about this hobby. You can visit the site right now and request a free copy of the Start Geocaching electronic guide to be emailed to you. That will get you rolling. As for gear you just need a handheld GPS device and if you have an iPhone or Android phone that will do just fine. There are apps available for download. You will also need an account on Geocaching.com so you can view geocaches near you.

Jacob S. Paulsen

Video of me finding a Geocache in Provo Utah: