I'm Awake! Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to take a quick moment and thank all of you for the blessing it is to know you (and be related to most of you). I have the greatest friends ever. I also truly have a spectacular family and can not express how grateful I am to be a part of it. Not just my immediate family; my extended family through genetics and marriage...all of you are wonderful. Thank you.
I am also grateful for the Gospel in my life. I really have no idea where I may have ended up without it to guide me. I am grateful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost and the knowledge of my Savior. I am grateful for the scriptures and the things I learn from them. I am also grateful for church leaders and prophets who guide us today.
This was supposed to be a short entry for Turkey day, but I can't finish it without a special expression of gratitude for my parents. My Mom and Dad are truly one of the greatest blessings in my life. If I can some day be even half the parent that they each are, then I will have done very well for myself.
I hope all of you enjoy your Thanksgiving day wherever you may be. Don't forget where all blessings come from, and be sure to let Him know that you appreciate it.
As a final note, I want to give a shout out to my cousin Daren who is spending this Holiday in the hospital. Our prayers are with you big D! I hope that you get back on your feet soon. Love you man!

For those keeping score at home, I have added Daren's blog link to the side. I have also added Cousin Craig! Welcome to the Blogging world boys!

Home...Time For Sleep

In the last 11 days I have stayed in and/or gave a 2-3 hour long presentation in the following cities: Portland, Seattle, Oakland, Carlsbad, Costa Mesa, Victorville, Arcadia, Fresno, San Jose, Sacramento, and Roseville.
I'm home...now if you will excuse me, I am going to sleep for the next three days.

On The Road...Still

So I am still out on the road. I do have a lot of pictures, but I left my cord to download them back home...so you will have to wait until next week for more pictures of me. So far, this gallimaufry collection of pictures come courteous of Google Images. But you can look forward with great anticipation (as I aggrandize this trip) to such tales as: Eating at the Hole-In-The-Wall joint that sells the world's largest burrito (2 feet long...and REALLY good), A lifesize Monopoly board, Our Mascot Roudy driving a van, and of course...big words. For now though...we are about to trek across the Bay Area of California. It really is an amazing area. California isn't that bad. But I still prefer Utah.

Who is that? Oh..my friend Danny

This is going to be really short...but I am on the road again for the second half of my trip. Today we drove up to Arcadia in North LA. Along the way, we stopped at a place called "Philippe's". "Why did we stop there" you ask? Because this is the place that invented the original French Dip Sandwich. Ask yourself, "Self, How often do I really get the chance to go to an eating establishment that actually created a food item that is now mainstream?"
I submit to you that it doesn't happen very often. However, today, we were able to eat at the first restaurant to ever serve a French Dip Sandwich. The story goes that as a waiter was preparing a sandwich for a police officer, he dropped it into a pot of beef broth while carrying it over. The police officer was so hungry at the time, that he asked for the sandwich anyway. The next day he returned with several of his buddies, all asking for the "dipped" sandwich...and that is how a legend began. No one knows for sure if the sandwich derived its name from the French ancestry of the waiter, the fact that the sandwich was on a French roll, or the fact that the officer's last name was "French". No matter what the true story...the sandwich was AWESOME! They also had their own homemade hot mustard that was delicious! I highly recommend it. Here is the website: Click Here.
As a final note...besides the fact that we are driving in a huge cargo van chock full of product, we had a training meeting tonight with a very special guest. I call him Danny.

Nieces and Nephews

For several years I have had as my computer screen wallpaper, a black and white photo of Gabby and Paige...who were my only nieces at the time.Last night, after finally getting home from the first half of my two week "tour of duty" for work, (second half starts Monday morning), I realized I was too tired to sleep. So I put together a new picture for my computer wallpaper. I have the cutest nieces and nephews in the world. And I will fight anyone who says they aren't cute.I realize there are some biases out there about the "in the world" part. To each his/her own.

San Diego!

So yesterday morning I flew into Orange County from Oakland. Last night I drove down to San Diego for another meeting. Today we did another meeting back in Orange County. Sadly...that is about all I have in me for blogging today.

You stay Classy San Diego!

Oakland...I Think

Yesterday was a lot of fun. We made the drive from Portland to Seattle in just under 4 hours, (including lunch). I honestly thought it would have taken longer...but then I remembered that not all states are as long as California or Utah. It was an awesome drive with some fantastic scenery. The highlight of it all though was lunch. We stopped at a roadside diner called "Farmer Boy Diner".All of the employees, except for one, were very large burly men wearing overalls and plaid shirts. Any one of them could have easily squeezed all the juice out of an orange with just one hand.Obviously I went with the chili dog...which really wasn't that great. The chili was rather bland and the only redeeming factor was the Tabasco Sauce. I only hope and pray that those farm boys don't have the Internet, and never find this blog. If so, my name is Noah and I live in Orem Utah.
So I honestly have no idea what day it is, what day of the week it is, and I thank the kind TSA employees who made sure that it was in fact me getting onto the plane this morning. I don't know if it is a good sign that when I got to the rental car place, they said, "Oh Zachary! Welcome back!" I really didn't get much sleep last night as my insomnia seems to have returned, settling itself in the humble routine that is my life. I did get a lot of thinking done last night though. Speaking of thinking...I think I am in Oakland.

On The Road Again!

So once again I am traveling for work. Over the next two weeks, I am going to be visiting and/or staying in 11 different towns and cities.
The first stop is beautiful Portland Oregon!
Portland is a fantastic city. It was one of the first ones that I was ever able to visit for work when I first took this job. The back ground of Mt. Hood is amazing to see in person. The people are very nice, and there is a large Russian population that is fun to work with, (despite my Russian being rusty as a sunken ship.) There are also some really cool places to shop at, such as Voodoo Donuts (which my paltry words could never adequately describe...and Powell's Bookstore, (the largest bookstore I have ever seen...the picture is very deceptive).

Finally though, I decided to wax maudlin and visited a little shop that sells "All Things Oregon". Last year I bought an Oregon Ducks Scarf there...but not for me. It was weird to be there again.
Next stop...SEATTLE!

I've Crossed Over

There is a very fine line that each of us must some day cross. Scattered throughout our lives, through periods of growth and development, we reach new stages in life where we can officially tout that we have stepped into a new arena. We are ready to face the new challenges that are set before us. We have accepted that life continues forward and in that moment of realization, we accept what we can not change and make the most out whatever it is that life has dealt our hand.
One of these lines that are crossed, comes when we realize we are no longer young. Maturity has made its mark on our bodies, and reaches a point where it just pushes our body and allows it to start gathering momentum down the other side of the aging hill.
You never know when that line will be crossed. It may sneak up on you, like a thief in the night. It may come at you boldly in the full light of day. However it decides to come, it will come...and when it does, you will know it.
Today I was getting my haircut. I had a sweet Asian woman that didn't speak English very well. When I first sat down, she ran her fingers through my hair and said, "You no have much here." I had already accepted that my hair had decided to make a retreat in a most rapid movement...however, it wasn't until halfway through the haircut, as she ever so gently trimmed the hair around and in my ear, that I finally realized...
I had crossed the line.

What the Heck DO I Do?

So following the jerkwater notation of my conversation with a celebrity, I received several inquiries as to what it is that I do exactly. To appease the masses, and the fact that I have a few moments with nothing to do, I figured I would delve into the wonderful world that is my current career.
Because of a certain denigrate incident that happened to my dear cousin Rachael, I am going to dodge the wrath of Web Trolls and not name the company that I work for specifically. I will, however, tell you that a vast majority of our consumers are impecunious valetudinarians and our flagship product is centered around this salubrious fruit:
Now for those of you keep score at home, you will know that I have been working the corporate side of the network marketing world for about 10 years now. Some refer to it as multi-level marketing, others lean towards the less dubious term of Direct Sales. Personally, I like to refer to it as Vertically Aligned, Peer-to-Peer, Retail Cooperatives.
Basically, you know all those companies like Avon and Herbalife? Where distributors sell product to their friends and family, and they in turn sell it to others, and everyone gets paid a commission? Well, I work for the corporate side of one of those companies. I know...I am the devil. I encourage those people. But on the bright side...if any of you ever need an "Out" when someone approaches you about "a business opportunity", you can simply tell them that your family works for a company and he could lose his job if you were to sign up. (Not really...but it is an easy excuse if you need one.)
With all such companies, you will find two distinct bevies of people: Those who have simply fallen in love with the product and can't live another day without it and those who are purely driven by the fiscal side of things.
Now...what it is that I do specifically is business development. I meet with all of these distributors and train them, teach them, encourage them, and show them how to make the most out of their business. Basically, I help them move from whatever position they are currently in, analyze their business, and help them move to the next level, whatever it may be.

Now, I don't want to rodomontade, but I am really good at what I do. Over the last several years, I have had the chance to play a sententious role in helping several people and businesses achieve new levels of success. I can only take a small portion of the credit, but I really do enjoy helping people, no matter what their licit business, to reach new heights.
So the reason that I was able to speak with Mr. Glover yesterday is because he has recently expressed an interest in looking at the business side of things. Because he lives in my region, I have the pleasure of being able to work with him.
So there you go...that is what I do for a living. For the time being anyway. My ultimate dream is to become a true campanologist!

Oh...and as an update, my favorite youngest sister recently changed her blog address and has actually been keeping it relatively up-to-date. I have subsequently amended her link.

Perks of the Job

I love my job. It does have its drawbacks, (such as living in this Heck-Hole Southern California) (Just kidding...I really love So Cal). Honestly though, the only bad part about my job is that I live so far away from my family. Other than that, it is awesome. I enjoy what I do. I get lots of free product and t-shirts. I have a Nerf Basketball hoop in my office, and I get to work with some fantastic people. Today though, I enjoyed a new perk of the job. I just got off of a conference call with Danny Glover. We talked business.
He asked me if he could call me, "Zach". I told him he could.