Taxes and Gardens

Something happened this year that has never happened before – I filed for an extension of time on taxes.  Yes, I know what some of you are thinking, why are you talking about taxes in October – that shouldn’t be until April!  Thanks to Uncle Sam, you get a six month extension if you file, and suddenly, they aren’t due until October 15^th.  And, just as every year I vow to get my taxes done by the middle of February, yet actually get them done just before or on April 15^th, so I fully intended to get my extended taxes done by June, and actually got them done on October 15^th.  I was waiting for a key bit of information, which ended up coming from a simple phone call, on October 15^th (which, btw, could have been answered in the Spring). 

All of this means that I had THAT tax burden weighing me down for the past eight month – my initially intended deadline.  And the thing about this burden, is that you think it’s not there but it is and it grows heavier each day it’s not taken care of.  That’s not to say that you are always aware of the burden – like when you're on vacation, it’s easy to not think about – yet, as my family will attest, I got grumpier and grumpier as time wore on and the burden wasn’t unloaded.

So, on Thursday, October 15^th, at about 4:10 PM, my burden was finally unloaded, or actually, uploaded to my Uncle Sam.  By 4:12, I was on the back patio, sitting in a chair – looking at the clouds, my roses and the vegetable garden – all without a hint of guilt that I had not taken care of THAT burden.  I felt light, I smiled, I even laughed out loud, and I trimmed the spent blossoms off my long neglected roses.  While trimming I started to think about all the things I had put off until after I had unloaded THAT burden.  Projects were put off, my mind wasn’t focused, or some ideas were abandoned altogether.  I don’t think I will ever fully know the cost of opportunities lost.

Then this afternoon, October 16^th, I attended the service for the wife of a former co-worker who passed away two days ago, after a seven and a half year battle with ovarian cancer, her name was Laura Kelman.  It was the first Jewish service I had attended.  Eulogies were given by her husband – my friend - and by her two sons-in-law.  I had only met Laura, very briefly, once or twice, so I didn’t really know her – the over arching element of the eulogies was her love of laughter and friends.  One of the things her husband quoted, speaking of when we die is, “Let it not be said that life was good to us, but that we were good to life.”  He went on to say, that it is not about the lives who touched us, but about lives we have touched.  It was told by these three men and by the Rabbi, that when people came to visit her, even near the end, Laura’s focus was on them and what was happening in their lives.  The Rabbi used the analogy that each life is like a quilt, only the many pieces of fabric are not our life’s experiences, but they represent those who we have touched, and so, they become a part of our life.

So on the way home I was thinking about that analogy, and the gardener in me surfaced – our lives are like a garden and those who lives we have touched become the plants in our ever expanding garden.  The plants are of many kinds of varieties and each has a unique shape, size and effect on our garden, but they all add to the beauty of it.  Some are fragrant, some provide shade, some are showy, some are subtle.  The more plants we have, the greater the beauty of our garden and the more inviting it becomes.  Think about it, if we were the only plant in our garden, it wouldn’t be a very appealing place.  And, if our life is self-focused, it’s not very inviting either.

Now, combining taxes and the garden – just like a garden overrun with weeds, it is difficult to really enjoy the garden unless we get rid of the weeds.  If we take care of them early on, weeding regularly, they are easy to get rid of and don’t take up a lot of our attention – though it does require consistent attention to check for and remove the small weeds.  If however, we let them grow, the weeds become larger and larger and the effort to remove them becomes greater, more time consuming and can even seem overwhelming.  And left long enough, the weeds can impact the plants of our garden – causing them to become stunted, to compete for nourishment and possibly even to die.  This year, I chose to let the weeds grow and, though not utterly devastating, it caused me to neglect my plants and even kept me from planting more of my garden.  But with those overgrown weeds removed, I can focus on pruning and tending to the plants of my garden.

I wish I could say that I will always have my taxes done by the middle of February each year – but I don’t know if that will be the case.  But, I hope my garden analogy will stick with me and at times when I’m thinking about letting the weeds grow, I will pick up my bucket and head the garden to pull them out before they become a burden that grows larger each day.  I want to tend my garden with care and hope that I can be a plant growing in others gardens – in a spot that suits them and will add to the peace and beauty of their garden.

PS - I have been sitting in my garden this afternoon, while writing this and thinking about each of you.

Family Vacation

August 9-16, 2009

It is so nice to get away and have time with our family.  We left in the late morning on Saturday, August 9th and drove to Bountiful.  Along the way, we stopped in Provo to get Albania wrist bands and Sub Zero Ice Cream – treats are a very important family activity for us!  After arriving in Bountiful, we had some time to visit with Grandma and Grandpa before bed.

Sunday morning Grandma went with us to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast – it was really neat!  Afterward we looked at the art in the International Art Competition – it is absolutely wonderful – check it out if you can – it is at the Conference Center and ends on October 11, 2009.  We visited family, attended Sacrament Meeting and spent more time with family visiting us!

Monday morning we headed for Yellowstone, with some stops along the way: in Brigham City to see the hospital where Laurie worked and where Katie and Rebecca were born!  In Logan we drove by the apartment we had lived in and Willow Park and Zoo, where we took the children often.  We stopped for pictures at the Logan Temple and at Ricks Springs in Logan Canyon.  At the top of the mountain we got a good view of the turquoise blue water of 21 mile long, 7 mile wide, Bear Lake.  And since Bear Lake is famous for raspberries, we had to stop in Garden City and get a raspberry shake for Laurie and me – the kids got some other flavors (we don’t always agree on treats, just that they’re important).

A couple of hours later we stopped for lunch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and then headed north into Grand Teton National Park, where we stopped, for pictures with the Tetons and to skip stones on Jackson Lake!  

Next stop was Old Faithful!  We watched Old Faithful geyser “geys” and then walked on a trail near the Firehole River to see other geysers and hot pools.  On our way back to the van, we saw Old Faithful again and then after being delayed by a slow walking buffalo in the middle of the road, arrived in West Yellowstone, with a few minutes to spare in order to check in at Al’s Westward Ho by 9 PM – a very nice room and great rate (our “suite” had a bedroom with 2 double beds and a bedroom with one queen bed for $85 per night!).

Tuesday morning we went back into Yellowstone, where, just a few miles from the entrance, it took us about 1.5 hours to go about 2 miles due to people stopping to take pictures of a bald eagle in it’s nest near the road – the park had put up a sign for people not to stop in the bald eagle management area, which is exactly why they stopped.  We were also detail another 30 minutes by road construction, so after stopping at Artist Paint Pots, we just made a brief stop at Norris Geyser Basin and walked the Porcelain Trail.  From there to Mammoth Hot Springs – both Laurie and I were disappointed because most of it was dry.  We finally saw a few of the terraces with flowing water before we headed for Tower Falls. 

After lunch at Tower Falls, we got pictures at the falls overlook and then hiked down the trail that would take us to the base of the falls.  When we got down to the Yellowstone River, the Falls Creek side canyon portion of the trail to the base of Towers Falls was closed – big bummer.  Once back at the top of the falls we had ice cream cones – mine was Mountain Berry ice cream – yum!

Next, we stopped at a couple of overlooks on the one-way road on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – but chose the ones without the greatest views of the falls, but being pretty tired at that point we opted not to go back to the beginning of the one-way road, but headed for the Firehole River swimming area!  We had a blast jumping in the river and being carried by the current through the narrow portion of the cliffs and out into the wider swim area.  After a couple of times doing this, the kids and Laurie headed for some rocks to jump into the river – at this point, Katie told Sam she would pay him $5 to belly flop from a rock that was about 8 feet above the river.  Not being one to pass up money, he took her up on the challenge.  Everyone in the area groaned as his body slapped the water, but he came up smiling – he was $5 richer.  However, Sam quietly said of the flop, “I hurt myself,” so he didn’t swim or jump anymore.  We played in the river for just over an hour, until sunset.  That night, after checking into the Madison Hotel (Al’s was not available) we went to dinner, which was ended with Laurie having ice cream; Sam, a fudge nut brownie al a mode (on a brownie 6” X 6”); and the girls splitting apple pie with ice cream.  I, oddly, didn’t have dessert.

Wednesday, at the suggestion of Rebecca, we went back across Yellowstone to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon – it was a wonderful decision.  We first stopped at Uncle Tom’s Trail to hike 500 feet below the rim of the canyon to view the Lower Falls.  The trail zigzags and includes 300 stairs – as we kept going down, down, down, I was getting more and more anxious about the return up, up, up – however, the views were spectacular and the ascent wasn’t nearly as difficult as anticipated (even with being a mile higher in elevation than where our bodies are acclimatized for oxygen).  We also saw the Upper Falls at that stop before heading to Artist Point for another gorgeous view of the canyon and Lower Falls.  With optimism, we went back to the one-way road on the North Rim and hiked down to the brink of the Lower Falls – another amazing look at the canyon. 

As we went back toward West Yellowstone, we listened to the last of the audio book “Three Weeks with My Brother” by Nicholas Sparks.  Though the idea of listening to a book met with resisted when we started on the first day of our trip, every time we had any distance to drive, the kids asked to listen to the book.  We all thoroughly enjoyed the book – Laurie and me for the second time.

After a late lunch and stop at, are you ready – Dairy Queen – in West Yellowstone, we drove to Quake Lake and saw the enormous landslide and dam created by an earthquake 50 years ago.  Then we headed south with a stop at Big Springs in Island Park, Idaho.  Though there are not nearly the number of fish there were when I was a kid (during a winter about 3 decades ago, people went in a fished out hundreds of the enormous fish).  There was a muskrat that swam up the river created by the springs and caught the Ritz Crackers we were feeding the fish and held it in its paws and munched while floating in the current before swimming upstream for more. 

That evening we arrived near Rigby, Idaho at Laurie’s sister’s family’s new place – the Brownings.  They have about 2 acres, a portion of which is pasture.  Just before our arrival, 2 horses were brought to board in the pasture.  The kids topped the day with rootbeer floats!

Thursday morning we slept in and laid around until the afternoon, then went looking for the Rexburg Ice Caves.  Once we got to the dirt road, all 13 of us piled into the Brownings 4X4 Tundra and spent over an hour looking, but to no avail.  (We later learned we were close, but turn off one road too soon.)  So, we went to the St. Anthony sandbar, ate our picnic lunch and some of the kids went in the river!  That evening, the horse owners showed Katherine and the adults how to saddle the horses – and some of them rode until it was dark.

Friday was another sleep in day.  Laurie helped Katherine saddle Jessie and Pilgrim – then Laurie and I went riding, followed by Katie and Sam, Nelson and Sam, Megan and Rebecca, then Katherine and Sherry.  The Brownings’ cousins, Tanner and Brooks, came over – with Jeren and Nelson, they are the band, “Forgotten Rest.”  They performed a private concert for us! 

We got packed up and all of us went to dinner at Bambinos in Rigby – basically deep fried personal pizzas, with the crust surrounding the other ingredients.  And they have dessert Bambinos – Laurie and I shared raspberry cream – yum.  Our family said goodbye and drove to Bountiful, arriving about 10:30.

Saturday morning, Laurie and I took mom and Ralph with us to the baptism of Stephen LeFors – my niece, Shaylynn’s husband!  It was a very spiritual meeting and lots of tears surfaced, off and on.  I picked up the kids to go to the luncheon after the baptism and then in the afternoon we visited with family and went with Sam to a bicycle shop.

That evening, all of mom’s children and spouses, with the exception of Dennis and Cindy, took mom and Ralph to dinner at Marie Calendar’s.  Shay and Stephen also joined us.  Our children, their cousin Kira and Shay’s little boys went to Arctic Circle for dinner.  We all got together afterwards and eventually had cake and choice of 5 flavors of ice cream!!!

Sunday morning we attended an early Sacrament Meeting, got packed, said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and drove home.  Penny was very excited to have someone home to throw the ball for her!

It was an absolutely wonderful week – to spend time with our children and enjoy some of God’s magnificent creations!

Mayan Riviera

June 27 to July 4, 2009

For our Snow Family Reunion this year, we all got together on the Mayan Riviera at a place called Taninah Private Jungle Retreat.  It is south of Cancun about an hour and a half, near the town of  Puerto Aventuras.  Taninah is built on about 5 acres of land.  It is only rented to one group at a time and includes a number of bungalows, fitness room, game room, library, kitchen and gathering area, swimming pool, miniature golf course, zip line, playground equipment, and hammocks scattered throughout.  There is a staff of about 10 Mayan men who maintain the grounds, prepare and serve the meals and will tromp you in volleyball, if you ask them to play.  It is about a mile and a half inland from the shore of the Caribbean Sea.  There is also a cenote (pronounced “sa no ta”) on the property – which is an underground cave you descend into and has a natural pool of water for swimming.  They have added a waterslide.  There are stalactites and stalagmites and what look like very large spiders with spindly legs that span about 10 inches, but they don’t spin webs – we later learned they are Tailless Yucatan Whip Scorpions.

Our travel day to Mexico was also Katie’s 16th Birthday, so it was evening when we all arrived (23 attended the reunion).  We celebrated with a very yummy Tres Leche cake – very moist and delicious.

In the middle of the night it started to rain really hard.  All the bungalows have thatch roofs and they didn’t leak, but in our bungalow, where the thatch roof structure met the cement roof of the adjoining closet/bathroom, we had a waterfall pouring onto Laurie’s clothes she had just hung up and the head of the girl’s bed was being splashed on.  We pulled the beds away from the screen walls and the staff was there before long and adjusted the thatch to stop the waterfall, but we were wondering what we had gotten ourselves into.

The next morning, the manager told us that the intensity of the rain was very unusual and they took all of Laurie’s hanging clothes to be laundered.  We laid around in hammocks because the rain continued off and on.  Then in the afternoon, we had a wonderful Sacrament meeting in one of the bungalows and felt the Spirit very strong.  After that, the rain let up and never really bothered us again.  That night, because of all the rain, a wide variety of frogs started making LOTS of NOISE.  Even with ear plugs, it was SO LOUD.

On Monday, the ducks helped take care of the frog problem and we hung out and played at Taninah.  In the afternoon we went to Yal Ku – a cove on the Caribbean Sea that is protected from big waves – and snorkeled!  It was really fun and even Grandpa Snow was able to snorkel with Mike Snow’s assistance.

Tuesday we hung around Taninah and played volleyball, board games, etc.  It was Mike and Gareth Snow’s last full day before they left for a wedding.  We learned how to play Battle Croquet – a fun variety of croquet, which is not as violent as it sounds.

Wednesday morning was volleyball against the staff – the tallest of whom was maybe 5 foot 7 inches.  The tall Snow family lost all three games – but it was fun.  Mike and Gareth left for the airport and the rest of us went to the ruins at Tulum, which is a site right on the shore of the Caribbean – very picturesque.  We hired a guide who came running to us offering his services.  He was wearing a baseball cap with a “Y” on it and his name was Mosiah.  Needless to say we got his interpretation on the site from his own LDS perspective.  All over the ruins are stone carvings of the Descending God and on the main temple are 3 panels at the top, which Mosiah referred to as representing Heavenly Father, Christ and the Holy Ghost.

That evening we had another Tres Leche cake to celebrate Rebecca’s 14th Birthday!

Thursday afternoon found us at Xpu Ha Beach (pronounced “Spoo Ha”).  Beautiful white sands and a great time body surfing.  Steve Browning cut the bottom of his foot pretty badly on some coral though.

On Friday, most of the family went to Puerto Aventuras to shop and swim with the dolphins.  Laurie, Sam and Katie from our family chose to swim with them.

That day, the three sons-in-law, Steve Browning, Mike Forkey and me, went on a tour to Chichen Itza – Tres Amigos!!!  We were on a tour bus with about 20 people.  It was three hours away, three hours there, lunch and stops going and coming.  Chichen Itza was very neat, though the Toltec influence was very evident, with lots of depictions of human sacrifice.  I wish we had had more time to look around.

That night we had a piñata, played games and packed.

Most of the group left about 7 am the next morning.  We didn’t leave until about 11.  We were flying into Las Vegas just after dark on July 4th and could see literally thousands of illegal fireworks bursting in the air all across the valley.

Though the week started out very wet and we were damp from the humidity the rest of the time (no AC), and we had to communicate with the staff with our limited Spanish, and it was so nice to be back on US soil, where you don’t have to tip everyone or barter to get a descent price – we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, spending time with family and getting to know the Mayan staff.  The slower pace of life was rejuvenating and our stay on the Mayan Riviera, at Taninah, will always hold a special place in our hearts.

PS – In a day or two, I will be loading short movie clips of our trip onto Youtube, at the following site: http://www.youtube.com/user/ksmedley78

Hemispheres – or, there and back again

I started mostly right
The way things were thunk
The things that were done
More time in the right than the other

Then on to school
A forced migration
to the other hemisphere

Tasks to be learned
Order to be organized
Processes to follow
to a “T”

Right would interfere
But with grades on the line
the other prevailed

Away from home
still in school
Dwelling in the other
Everything scrutinized
Critical of it all

Analyze it till
it makes no sense
to do it that way
Only the way of order
Only what They will approve

It provides a living
all safe and sane
Just do it Their way
Play at Their game

Still continents shift
But we can migrate


As time goes on
Right invites me back
more and more

Forgotten appointments
Lingering in the garden
Lapses of time
Things once hidden, but not forgotten
begin to emerge during
my time there

Does age take us back?
Loss of worry, lack of fear?
It doesn’t matter what They say anymore?
Well, at least not today

So for me at least
This hemisphere is
Where I spend
More and more of my time

More interest in beauty
Less concern about time
Greater notice of others
Their whims and their quirks

Taking time to listen
And
there is lots to create


Processes and
ordered tasks
linger behind
in the other
They will always be there
And often I have to go back

There, views seem obscured
Focus is on the path
Don’t get distracted
from this task
for the next one is waiting
Though pretty much the same


But the clime in this
hemisphere
is challenging, inviting
A place to explore
A place of growth
A new vista exposed
around every bend
if I'm willing to labor
to climb

This hemisphere is a garden
encompassing all the seasons
sometimes, all at once
A place of toil
of sowing, weeding,
cultivating, reaping
Working hands in the earth

On occasion
standing back to look
at what can be done
Exhilarated
connected in many small ways,
with The Creator of it all

Yet some seem to avoid
even a visit
To purposefully stay away

So I wonder –
is everyone inclined
to spend more time
in this hemisphere
as they get older?
Is that part
of the Grand Design
by the One who created both
and yet, leaves us free to choose?

Solitude

I start my workday,
in a cube
A place to sit and
think, subdued

But, oh the din
One voice can make
Breaking in
for "just talk" sake

To think, to muse,
productive time
Cannot be found
within this clime

Must get away
To a place not still,
A place where
MANY voice trill

Rooms for waiting,
rooms for lunch,
Space where people
Gather, bunch

Many voices
Intermingle
None stand out
None are single

In these sites of
Solitude
I can find an
Interlude

Thoughts flow freely,
Ideas gel
Wits can wander
'long new trails

Notes on paper,
drawn by hand –
These will help me
Take a stand

Keyboard near,
in cubicle now
Notes won’t let
my focus cow

Singular voices
don’t interfere
But if they do,
Solitude is near

title at the end

Biding our time
we sit by the fire
Waiting for
the magical hour

“It’s supposed to be starting,
It’s dark enough now.”

“Come on everybody,
Let’s go.”

“Can’t we stay
by the fire?”

“WHY do we have to go?”

“It’s so dark!”

“What are we doing?”

“Come on,
you’ll see!”

Stumbling along
The path now dark
Under night sky and
trees with white bark

Emerging from a ring of
Aspen, Spruce, Fir and Pine
To a clearing full of
Grass, Phlox, Paintbrush, Lupine

Curling up in blankets
on the grass covered earth
Eyes to the heavens
Orneriness turns to mirth

“I’ve never seen SO many stars!”

“WOW, did you see that?”
”What?”
“A shooting star!”

“Did you see that one?”

“Look over there!”
“Where, I can’t see where you’re pointing.”

“Gee, that one lasted a long time!!”


“They’re coming from every direction.”

“I’m getting cold,
can we go back to camp?”

“Just a while longer,
they say the peak
should be near midnight.”

“WOW, three at once!”

“What is that band of light?”
“The Milky Way.”
“Oooh!”

“I’m getting cold,
can someone go back
to camp with me?”

“That one went across
the whole sky!”

“Wow, there’s been so many,
I’ve lost count.”


“I’m cold,
can I have a flashlight
so I can go back to the fire?”



“There aren’t as many anymore.”

“I’m cold . . .”

“Okay,
let’s got back to the fire.”


“I can’t see the trail,
can I have a flashlight?”



“That was Neat!!!
Thanks mom and dad.”


DUCK CREEK METEOR SHOWER

THERE ARE ROSES (In honor of Poetry Month - first poem in ≈ 25 years - inspired by friends in Texas writing everyday in April)

The first half of this month, I have been following a poetic duel between our friends living in Texas. The challenge was thrown down at the beginning of April - "It's Poetry Month, so write a poem everyday." Well, I've sat by and read the wonderful poems that they have posted. Then, the other night as I was getting ready for bed, a poem started to form in my mind and the next day on the way to work, more of it surfaced (the Ouzounian's poems have obviously awoken that long buried part of my brain). However, the last time I spent any time writing poems was as a required assignment in high school, so I'm beginning from that shaky platform. That being said, I hope you EnJoy it - my poem to commemorate the month of Poetry!


THERE ARE ROSES

There are roses
And then,
There are ROSES

What lies in store?

Roses the same
Roses that bore
Roses in color
But roses galore

Raised in a shelter
All tall and stiff
Bred to be uniform
Not for their whiff

We don’t know their names
Nobody can tell
Just red, pink, or white,
Yellow, dusty or pale

They work in a pinch
Or, in times of cold
So buy if you must,
For I will not scold

"A rose is a rose is a rose"
Who coined that plum?
One with no eyes?
A nose that was numb?

What’s in the garden?

ROSES unique
ROSES sublime
Some are compact
Some of them climb

All of them vary
In color and stem
A rainbow of hues
And we can name them

Betty Boop, Angel Face
Burning Desire
Dream Weaver, Joseph’s Coat
Voodoo, The Squire

Butterscotch, Carrot Top
Fisherman’s Friend
Midas Touch, Symphony
Mister Lincoln

Colors like Brandy
Brass, Crimson, and Flame
Apricot, Stainless Steel
Part of their name

What IS that smell?

Some of them sweet
Some of them spicy
Scents on the air
And NONE of them dicey

Get on one knee
Or bend at your waist
Put your nose close,
But don’t be in haste

Draw in the aroma –
Your eyes, they will close,
For nothing on earth
Is quite like the ROSE!

So go to the nursery
Look for a name
Take your friend home
You won’t be the same

Choose the right spot
And with merry and mirth
You’ll get out a spade
And dig in the earth

And as life keeps you busy
There is something I know,
With your ROSES out there –
To the garden you’ll go!

one of my friends, "Miss All American Beauty"

Atkin at the MTC

Wow, what a day - delivering Atkin to the Missionary Training Center - 21 January 2009!  Very emotional and exciting.  It's hard to believe it's already been just over 30 years since I entered these same doors.  Now, I have some understanding of what my parents felt back then.

We spent the night before at Carolyn and Perry's home.  We went to dinner with them, Becki and Paul, and Ross, Shirlene and Kira and had a very nice visit at their home!

The next morning I was able to give Atkin a Father's blessing before we left for Provo - the Spirit was strong and helped me through it.  We spent about an hour at the Cougareat at BYU, with Atkin greeting friends and saying goodbye before we went to the MTC.

It really struck home to Laurie when Atkin handed her his nametag to put on his suit - she sobbed for a few minutes and held him close.  When we were walking down the hallway to the room where for orientation and saying goodbye, we heard at loud, "Elder Smedley" just behind us and there was Atkin's friend and college roommate, Elder Tyson Williams, stepping out from the cafeteria to greet him!  Elder Williams entered the MTC the middle of December on his way to Bogata, Columbia.  Tyson handed Laurie a slip of paper with his mom's phone number and asked her to call and tell his mom that he loves her!

We were sitting on the front row in the orientation room, and they asked the missionary next to us to say the opening prayer.  After they got his name, home town and mission, they came over and asked Atkin to say the closing prayer.  When they started the meeting and told who would be giving the opening prayer, it turned out that he was also going to Albania! 

Atkin gave a very heartfelt, sincere prayer - full of concern and comfort for everyone there and excitement about the future - the Spirit is already working strongly with him.  After Atkin finished the prayer, he greeted the other missionary going to Albania (Elder Fisher from Blackfook, ID) briefly and then came to say goodbye to his two "wonderful" parents!  When we were done saying goodbye, Atkin and Elder Fisher left together through the "Missionary Exit."

As we left the MTC, Laurie and I both commented on the strong feeling that he will be a great missionary!

Here is his mailing address.  He will be in the MTC until April 7th.

Elder Atkin Smedley
MTC Mailbox #114
ALB-TIR 0407
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604-1793