Robert Mortensen

My heart is full of fond emotion to be directed to this blog and I'm excited to renew the fraternal bonds we had during that wonderful year at BYU in Merrill Hall.

I apologize that I wasn't in good enough communication with all of you to get in on the ground floor of this blog. I've got some catch-up reading to do. I've been blogging for a couple of years about a lot of the same topics. I'll try index my blogs by using the labels. www.robertkmortensen.blogspot.com.

My lovely bride keeps up a family blog at www.ickatoadslilypad.blogspot.com



Here's my background post:

Rosario Argentina Mission Aug 1996 - Sept 1998

Married Jessica (Davenport) from my home town of Nampa, Idaho - 22 Apr 1999

Kyle - Feb 2001 (I was a BYU baby, so I had to have my own)

BYU - Construction Management - Graduated April 2002

Las Vegas - Internship with Pulte Homes summer of 2001

Greenville, South Carolina - May 2002-July 2003 - home building superintendent for America's Home Place (Alvin stopped in at my church building one day Sunday on his way back from college football game I think. What a surprise to run into each other there.)

Anne - July 2002 (our southern belle)

Mesa, Arizona - July 2003 - March 2007 - superintendent and the purchasing manager for SunCor (Doug Larson visited me once here)

Victoria - July 2004 (our AZ baby)

Claire - Feb 2007 (2nd AZ baby, but almost a spud baby)

Star, Idaho - March 2007 - present - purchasing manager for SunCor Idaho - www.avimor.com

Current Calling: Primary Music Leader (I know you are all jealous, but it takes a certain level of celestial living to have this awesome and extremely rewarding calling!)

Having been your EQP, one might expect me to be Stake President by now, but the Lord doesn't always work that way. I served as a bishop's counselor in a BYU married student ward for two years and since then I have served in callings in young mens, sunday school, Elders Quorums, and exec secretary.

Kid wrangling at church often made me wish for inactivity, but I have remained true to the faith. With my youngest now in nursery I have had the privilege of renewing my testimony of the 3-hour block.

Although temptations to seek post-graduate education still come and go I have been too greedy to leave a good job that meets my needs and most of my wants. I hope that my mind will forever remain thirsty for knowledge. I devour books and look forward to being part of the book club. I have a goal to read all the books on the BYU honors Great Works List and I give my book reports on my blog.

I love to read and talk about religion, history, and politics. Politically, I am a Conservative with a big "C". I flirted with Libertarianism while in S.C., but I do believe in legislating morality, so I couldn't support legalizing pot. My disappointment with the Republican party recently sent me looking into the other fringe parties. The Constitutionalists seemed very interesting, but my gut tells me that some of them are the nut-jobs that bomb abortion clinics. I'll just call myself a Conservative from now on.

My secular readings of greatest political influence have been "The Law", by Frederic Bastiat and "Atlas Shrugged", by Ayn Rand. Ezra Taft Benson's "Proper Role of Government" has impressed me and J. Rueben Clark's "Stand Fast by our Constitution" is currently on my desk.

I was a founding member of Red Mountain Swing, a sixteen piece jazz big band in Mesa, AZ (I miss it more than you can imagine and my attempt to start a big band in Star, ID was like diving into a shallow pool of talent.) I play tenor sax and clarinet. We played paid gigs all the time and now they are making tons of money from what I hear. (maybe because I left?)

Birding has become a bit of an obsessive hobby. I've always loved the outdoors, so this new hobby gives me the excuse to get out there and have adventures.

I love BYU Football and I have adopted the BSU Broncos being back on my home turf. When they go head-to-head the next four years, my true loyalty is to the Cougs.