Jackson Hole Wyoming

This last weekend I took my family to Jackson Hole Wyoming.  We spent three nights there and really had a good time.  There is so much to do in Jackson Hole.  If you like to bike or hike it is a dream land.  If you like to do anything related to the outdoors you would love Jackson Hole.  On the snake river close to Jackson, you can go white water rafting, where you will encounter some really amazing rapids two of which are, Lunch Counter and Big Kahuna.  If you like to shop then you are in luck because they have many great stores surrounding the town square, and some amazing restaurants. 

I always make it a point to eat at Billy's Burgers.  It is a small little burger place.  If you don't pay attention you might miss it.  Billy's is located in the town square next to the Cadillac Grill.  If you are looking for a great burger in Jackson Hole it is the only place to go.  The staff work very hard and the place is usually packed.  Billy's is tiny I think it can hold maybe 20 people on bar stools surrounding the grill and food prep area.  I have had to wait for a seat every time I've eaten there.  They play classic rock and the chef usually sings along.  You can get the same burger if you sit in the Cadillac Grill, but part of the experience is sitting in Billy's.  If you are looking for a big, juicy, incredible burger, with a fun, simple, almost 50's diner atmosphere Billy's is the place.  A must try if you are in Jackson Hole.

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Help

In life there are many times when we need a little help.  Maybe your car is having trouble and you need a mechanic, or perhaps your moving and you need some muscle to haul the piano down from the third floor to the moving truck(I have had to help do this before), or maybe your just having a lousy day and need a shoulder to cry on. 

There are also opportunities for all of us to offer some help.  I was able to help out at a local free clinic the other day, which is something I do regularly.  I treated a woman there a month or so ago and she was so appreciative that she stood up and gave me a big hug when we were done.  I have often heard it said that God answers our prayers through other people.  It was in that moment when she hugged me I caught a small glimpse of the true meaning of that phrase. 

My point today is simple.  Look for opportunities to help, look at your neighbors and I can almost guarantee you will see some way to help.  I promise you that if you do help others when you can you will catch the vision that I believe God has for us.

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Help me sleep

Last night the planets aligned, and the stars moved into the right quadrants of the sky, and as a result, my kids were in bed at a reasonable hour.  I was so excited to get a little extra sleep.  I fell asleep right around 10:30.  I just knew I was going to get some great shut eye.  Then at 10:45 my wife gets a text message that startled me out of my blissful slumber.  CRAP!!!!!!!  Now I am up, because I got that adrenaline rush and was wide awake.  So I toss and turn until about midnight.  Still not too bad can get a solid 6 hours.  Then at 2:32 am my oldest daughter comes into my room and says she is hearing thumping noises coming from down stairs, and she is convinced that some one is down there.  GRUMBLE, MUTTER, almost CURSE.  I go down stairs and of course there is no psychotic killer, no rampaging ghost, no one at all except my two youngest kids asleep in their beds.  Walk back upstairs muttering incoherent sentences, about wishing someone was down there to kill me because then at least I would get some rest, knowing that I will want to die when the alarm goes off.  The alarm goes off and sure enough I want to die.  I am so tired when I touch the screen on my phone to silence the alarm it isn't working so I keep tapping it, finally it shuts off.  Then I hear voices coming from my phone.  I had dialed a phone number in my contact list, not exactly a butt dial but you get the picture. UGH!!!!

Affordable Dental Plans

Dental insurance is, in my opinion, one of the biggest scams ever unleashed on the American people.  Dental insurance for the insurance companies is a cash cow.  I am convinced that dental insurance is used to subsidize health insurance for many of the big companies out there.  If you get dental insurance through a job great, it is definitely much better than having none at all.  If you are looking to buy a private plan for your family, save your money. 

You will never get more out of the insurance company than you pay in.  The way dental insurance is set up today is almost the exact same way it was set up in the 1960's when it was first introduced.  Back then you had $1000.00 maximum to spend on your teeth every year.  Back in 1960 that went a very long way towards fixing a mouth.  Today most plans still only give you $1000.00 to spend on your mouth each year, in today's numbers that may pay for only one tooth to be fixed.  The dental insurance companies know to the exact penny how much their out of pocket expense could be each year.  In other words if they have 2000 people on the plan they know that all they have to do is charge enough in premiums to cover the worst case scenario of every person using all their insurance, which amounts to 2 million dollars.  But they also know many people wont use more than a couple hundred because they wont need any work done.

In my office we are actually developing a dental plan for our patients.  It isn't insurance because a third party wont be involved, but our patients who sign up for the plan will have far more control over their treatment. I am hopeful that this will help bridge the gap for all those who don't have dental insurance through a job.  The moral of the story, if you have dental insurance through your job be grateful and use it.  If you don't have insurance through your job find out what an insurance premium would cost and put that aside each month in a savings account and then you will essentially have dental coverage that works better than most dental insurance plans.  Just a little rant.

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Weight Loss Pills. Which ones do I use?

First of all let me just start off by saying that I am not an expert in the field of weight loss pills, (if such a thing even exists).  That being said I have tried a few different ones all with similar results. 

Those of you who have read my post entitled the Diet Coke heart ache know that I have issues with too much caffeine.  With out getting into details suffice it to say my heart doesn't like a ton caffeine.  I have been trying to lose weight, but I am kind of lazy when it comes to exercise, mostly due to the fact that I am so tired when I get home I really don't feel like doing it. 

So naturally I have bent to temptation and tried a variety of weight loss pills.  The effects were almost instant.  I started to have a strange sensation in my head that I don't like at all.  I felt like I was almost in a dream state.  My head felt foggy and yet more clear at the same time, (I know how that sounds I am writing it) it was as if I wasn't myself anymore.  My mouth and nose and eyes felt dry.  But worst of all my heart was racing.  I could hear my heart beat in my head, not a pleasant effect.  I don't like the way I feel on those pills at all!!! 

Now the first time it happened I just assumed it must be the type of pill I was taking.  So when the opportunity to take another kind presented itself I took them.  Same result foggy but clear, heart pounding in my ears.  Now this is the point at which most of you probably would just stay clear of all diet pills.  NOT ME, no siree,  I decided to take yet another kind with the same results.  I am sure your thinking he has done taking those things now, wrong,  in a last ditch attempt to lose weight the lazy mans way I tried one more type of pill.  Same result only this time I finally got it through my thick head that diet pills and my body are not a good combination at all.  I would love to say that I was trying all these types of pills for science and or research, but alas it was just sheer stupidity.  If your looking for an example of what not to do with weight loss I am the guy to mimic.  But if you are looking to lose weight the right way I suggest you talk to your physician.  I would use diet pills with caution and keep in mind that there is no such thing as a magic silver bullet to lose weight.  As far as the pills are concerned, my experience says pick the cheap ones and give them a whirl unless your doctor recommends a specific kind.

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The Civility Experiment

I was just watching a mormon message called the Civility Experiment.  It was a very eye opening couple of minutes for me.  It really made me stop and think for about how we as human beings, and even more important, how I react in a given situation.  This message really moved me.  It is so easy in life to judge a book by its cover, but how often are we terribly wrong?  I had to wonder what the world would be like if we were all a little less judgmental.  I have included the video here for you to enjoy and I truly hope you do enjoy it.  I absolutely loved the quote at the end from Thomas S. Monson.

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Why wont you take my money?

I don't know if my experiences are different from yours, but I really don't understand why I have to chase people down to purchase their product.  We have a white vinyl fence that surrounds our back yard.  About a month ago the neighbor boy threw a rock at it and broke one of the panels.  I also have a gate that doesn't work very well.  I naturally called the company who originally did my fence.  I talked to who I assumed is the owner of the company and he said he would stop by to give me a bid the next day.  He never showed or called.  I called again, left a message, no response.  My wife called, left a message, no response yet again.  I know it isn't a huge job but I also understand very well the concept of keeping the customer happy so they will refer new people to you. 

I have had similar experiences in my professional life as well.  I am interested in a certain dental implant system and I have requested information several times to no avail.  I don't think I will ever understand why some businesses don't want to take my money.  But what can you do? 

As far as my fence goes I am calling a different company to come and take care of it.  I won't ever recommend the previous company to anyone.  Will the loss of my patronage hurt them?  I doubt that losing my business alone won't hurt them, but if they make enough people angry with their poor customer service they could go under.  As far as the implant system goes, they have the corner on the market so I guess I will have to just put up with it for now.  Frustrating.

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Conscious sedation in the dental office

If you have been paying attention to the radio lately, you have most likely heard a dental commercial offering conscious sedation.  Some may refer to it as sleep dentistry although this is illegal to say in my state. 

Sedation dentistry is quite simple.  You must have a consult with your TRAINED dentist and review your diet and any medications you are taking.  Wait a minute did I just say diet?  Yep your diet can effect the medications we use.  Once it has been determined that it is safe to sedate you in office an appointment will be made. 

The night before your appointment you may be asked to take one small pill this is typically a valium.  We have you take a valium the night before to kick start the sedation process, also about an hour before you will take another small pill.  Morning appointments are nice because you shouldn't  have anything to eat or drink for about 6 hours prior to your appointment. 

Once you arrive for your appointment, you will be escorted to the room where you will have your treatment done.  The dentist will come in and determine how sedated you are, and most likely give you some more medicine.  Now all you have to do is just lay back and drift off to la la land.  It usually takes about an hour or so to sedate a person enough to begin the work.  The nice thing about sedation for you the patient is that before you know it the appointment is over and your on the way home, or you may just "wake up at home". 

The other beautiful effect of the medicine is that it causes amnesia so you will remember very little if any of your appointment even if your not "sleeping".  There have been many times when my patient has sworn to me that they would remember everything from the appointment, but when they return for a follow up they never remember very much.

If you are terrified of the dentist, sedation dentistry might be for you. 

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