simplifriend.com | Nate Hunter | Activity

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 04:42:18 +0000

Day one Fall Break 2026 and it sure doesn’t feel like fall here. 🙂

Nate Hunter posted an update

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 18:42:35 +0000

Dakota’s rappelling homecoming activity and Kyson’s first time rappelling ever.

Nate Hunter posted an update: Learning to ride :) https://youtu.be/LF8di2P7FZA

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 18:02:14 +0000

Learning to ride 🙂

Nate Hunter posted an update in the group Interesting Tidbits

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 19:40:51 +0000

Today is Marathon day in St George, so I thought I’d do a couple fun facts about it. Fun Fact #1: The marathon is NOT 26.2 miles because that is the distance from Marathon to Athens. That is a lie told over and over. That original run was about 25 miles. It is 26.2 miles because for the first modern Olympics in 1908, the British queen (Alexandra) requested that the race start on the lawn of Windsor Castle so the royal children could watch because apparently they couldn’t be bothered to move off their royal duffs to the original start line. She also requested that it finish in front of the royal box at White City Stadium. This distance just happened to be 26.2 miles and was adopted officially throughout the world thereafter.
(less) Fun Fact #2: We are constantly told that the St George Marathon and similar events bring in so much money that it keeps taxes low for residents. That is a lie told over and over. The reality is that my property taxes have more than doubled since I’ve lived here in spite of the fact that we have many tens of thousands more people paying them because of all the growth. The St George City council tried to pass a property tax increase “for police/fire/emergency etc.” (definitely not because they couldn’t trim B.S. spending in other areas). We were told there was NO WAY they could function without raping the citizens of more property taxes, and then, somehow, life continued without the property tax increase when the council voted against it after tremendous public outcry. Then, instead of doing what we must all do (live within our means and cut unnecessary spending) the city council members of Dannielle Larkin, Steve Kemp and Natalie Larsen successfully voted to increase sales tax for essentially the same B.S. reason as they tried to raise taxes last time. Michelle Tanner and Austin Anderson voted AGAINST the measure BTW (good on them).
So, just like those in power made marathon runners work a little longer and a little harder just because they refused to do something a little uncomfortable, we have some city council members who are making us all work a little longer and a little harder because they refuse to do something a little uncomfortable.
For 2025, St George budget/spending was $523 Million for about 36,490 households. This means that someway, somehow, on average, each household already has to cough up $14,332 per year to St George, but it’s not enough…. and it will never be enough because as long as those in power can make us work a little harder/longer so they don’t have to be bothered to cut spending, that is what will happen.

27fe5a18-95c5-473e-b3b6-aa03c2547a55

Nate Hunter posted an update in the group Things my wife calls ”Novels”

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:31:37 +0000

Why do I post about financial stuff? Because there’s only one Dave Ramsey out there and there’s apparently about 167 MILLION people in the U.S. living paycheck to paycheck (or worse) according to reports. If I can help remind even one person that you can turn this around, I think it’s worth it…. and once upon a time, I too was in ridiculous amounts of debt.
In my business I see credit reports all the time. This redacted one is actually much better than the average one I see. In fact, this person has a “VERY GOOD” credit score which puts them one point away from “EXCELLENT” rating. These people have four jobs between them, make a lot of money and pay all their bills, but this just seems like a huge and unnecessary burden to carry to me. Maybe they’re arbitraging it and it all makes sense somehow, but with the amount of time these people spend working, I doubt they have time to use things like an RV very often anyway and it’s hard to imagine nearly 100 grand in auto loans making sense. Also, that is just the amount owed. I guarantee one of these vehicles was at least 50k and the other was at least 85k. The craziest thing to me is that these are not impressive vehicles…. like to anyone. If you have cars that wouldn’t impress ANYONE anyway, why not drive something reliable and inexpensive, take care of it and make it last?
I’d rather have a couple used, paid off Toyotas for 10-35K each that will easily last ten years and hold their value than 150k worth of other makes which aren’t known to be reliable or hold their value at all. On top of that, being in the storage business, I see what people are willing to pay for storage all the time. The payment on an RV is far from the only cost. RV and boat storage can range easily from about 50 bucks a month to $500 or more for nice, climate controlled enclosed spaces…. plus there’s a million things that break on them all the time… plus insurance, gas, passes and fees to actually use them etc. My opinion: If you can pay cash for cars and toys and vacations, AND save enough to reasonably fund your retirement and emergency needs, knock yourself out. If not, embrace the fact that inexpensive things and experiences can be just as fun as the fancy crap. I had some of the best, most memorable times in a beat up old yellow van with the door falling off and no heater or AC (and a slew of other unimpressive vehicles) because I was with fun people. Money gives you options to have different experiences and doing different things keeps life interesting, but without good, fun friends and family, I think any amount of money, things or experiences would feel pretty hollow. I can tell you from experience that I’ve had more fun with a reliable Toyota, one good friend and a tank of gas than I ever had with a Ferrari, Bentley or anything else. In fact, it’s one of several reasons I got rid of them….and here’s the crazy part: You may look richer with fancy things, but it sure isn’t any indication of real wealth. I sold my Ferrari and Bentley about this time of year in 2023 and our net worth has grown by more than two and a half times in just three years in spite of a flat to slightly falling real estate market.
I had been spending a fair amount of time and resources maintaining, insuring and using exotic cars on events and drives and frankly, after three years of it I was getting bored. I missed the activities and other non-car friends I used to hang out with more. Plus, I was busying myself with “car stuff” instead of building my businesses and investing. Essentially I traded a Ferrari and a Bentley for a used 12K Nissan Sentra which I used to start doing rideshare just for fun. I made about double what I paid for that car doing rideshare and invested ALL the money in the stock market. I ended up selling it for about 11K after putting a lot of miles on it. I then bought a Model 3 for about 26K and made about double that using it for the two years I had it and then traded it in for about 21K.. again investing ALL the rideshare money in the stock market and land. My current Model Y was also about 26K and I’m on track to continue the same trend of earning about that much each year off of it and investing it all.
You may LOOK richer driving around in a Ferrari, but it doesn’t mean anything. I was lucky with that car and made about 35 grand after all expenses on it when I sold it, but that was after three years of ownership with zero investable income coming in from it and lots of expenses going out over that timeframe. Also, it mostly sat there and took up space in the garage. My rideshare car gets used every single day and I meet thousands of interesting people and invest/save money every single week. I don’t regret owning exotic cars one bit and plan to get more again some day, but I’m just not feeling it yet. As long as I’d rather go fishing, canyoneering, camping, biking, hiking, shooting or rideshare for practically free, I figure I may as well just do those things.
Summary of this particular credit profile:
$97,383 in auto loans
$21,441 for an RV
$35,625 in unsecured loans

Nate Hunter posted an update in the group Things my wife calls ”Novels”: FROM A TALE OF WOE TO A TALE OF WOAH! Some may remember my […]

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 21:25:18 +0000

FROM A TALE OF WOE TO A TALE OF WOAH!

Some may remember my previous two-part “tale of woe” involving a TON of stolen money, multiple financial institutions, and lawsuits I had to file.

It all started when a certain large bank that started with a four letter name that started with a “C” allowed a TON of money to be stolen from our account in a very obviously fraudulent way I might add. (I can’t say their name now because of the terms of the settlement) When we reported it, they refused to honor our claim in a timely manner and fought us every step of the way. Eventually, I was forced to file a lawsuit against them and to see it through. Because another large investment firm was involved in receiving the stolen money (again, in a very obviously fraudulent way), I sued them too. Needless to say, that experience changed the way I handle our finances. Since then, I have become MUCH more diligent about watching every single penny. I set up alerts, regularly review our transactions, check our credit reports, and froze our credit with Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. I also went back through old transactions looking for anything suspicious. I HIGHLY recommend that everyone do the same.

Just weeks after that incident, a TON of money mysteriously disappeared from our credit union account too. Fortunately, I caught it immediately and called them. They had no idea what had happened and assumed it was fraud. They made us complete an affidavit and jump through several other hoops, which we did. After all of that, I asked them a very simple question: “When this is determined to be fraud, or otherwise not our fault, we WILL get this money back, right?” The response was essentially, “Maybe. It depends.” Ummm… NO. Those are NOT the words you want to hear when a large amount of your money has disappeared, especially when you’re already dealing with another bank that is fighting you over stolen money.

After an investigation, we eventually found out what had happened. A credit union teller at a branch hundreds of miles away had accidentally taken a BUNCH of money from our account while processing a wire transfer. They had simply used the wrong account because it had a vaguely similar name. Ooooopsies! Thankfully, I eventually got the money refunded. But here’s the scary part: if I hadn’t noticed it, I’m not convinced anyone would have. There are also important deadlines for reporting unauthorized electronic transactions, so don’t assume you have unlimited time to catch something like this. The sooner you identify and report a problem, the better. And despite the fact that this particular mistake was 100% on their end, we never received anything resembling a meaningful apology for the stress, time, and trouble it caused. As I continued going through our transactions, I started noticing other charges that made us scratch our heads. The latest was a $7 monthly fee on our checking account. Apparently, at the end of 2022, our credit union had switched us from a free checking account to a different account that carried a monthly fee. We never knowingly or actively agreed to make that change. When we questioned it, they agreed to move us back to the free checking account and refund SOME of the fees. Again… really? I understand that mistakes happen. People make mistakes. Computers make mistakes. Companies make mistakes. But when the “mistakes” repeatedly seem to involve YOUR money disappearing from YOUR account, you start asking questions. At time of this writing/revision, these events happened about three years ago in 2023, but guess what, the credit union was up to it again. Just a couple weeks ago I caught them doing a monthly charge on a business account out of nowhere. After 15-20 minutes on the phone, they refunded the money and said it wouldn’t happen again…..AGAIN.

At this point, I don’t have a tremendous amount of trust in the credit union, but honestly, after everything we’ve experienced, I’m not sure I’d trust any other bank either. The lesson I’ve taken from all of this is pretty simple: WATCH YOUR MONEY. Don’t assume your bank will catch every mistake. Don’t assume unauthorized transactions will automatically be reversed. Don’t assume a huge financial institution will immediately do the right thing when something goes wrong. Check your accounts. Set up alerts. Review your transactions. Check your credit reports. Freeze your credit if appropriate. Keep records. And perhaps most importantly, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Make sure you have enough accessible money to cover your bills and basic expenses for at least a month or two if something goes catastrophically wrong. Without access to online banking of some form, it is nearly impossible to live in this modern world, but at least if you have cash, you can give it to friends or family so they can help you pay your bills online. Once there is massive fraud, any account with it will be frozen and if it is widespread enough, you will want all the rest frozen as well until you can get to the bottom of things. If someone empties your account, you may not get that money back immediately, and depending on the circumstances, there are reporting deadlines that can affect your protections. If you want to understand the rules surrounding unauthorized electronic transactions, look up “Regulation E” and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act.

That’s the first sad part of the story but I thought it was worth combining that with the follow-up because the ending of this story is something I honestly never expected when all of this started.

The one thing I would tell anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation is DON’T GIVE UP. This was an extremely distressing and depressing situation. There were mistakes, setbacks, an enormous amount of frustration, and a lot of time spent trying to get answers from companies that had far more resources than I did. There were also moments when I genuinely wondered whether continuing to fight was worth it. I spent MANY, MANY hours learning how to navigate the legal system and figuring out which bureaucratic hoops I needed to jump through. I learned how to file complaints with the appropriate agencies to exert pressure and how to properly write and submit demand letters, how to file lawsuits, how to fill out summonses and subpoenas, and even how to serve companies in other states. I spent hundreds of dollars on filing fees, service fees, postage, and other expenses, and there were plenty of times when it felt like I was throwing good money after bad. I didn’t really expect to recover all of our money, if I’m being completely honest. I mostly wanted to make sure these companies couldn’t simply take our money, tell us “too bad,” and move on as if nothing had happened.

But guess what?

I now have ALL of our money back and then some. I actually ended up MAKING a pretty significant amount of money on this nightmare. After the stolen money, the mistakes, the hours of research, the paperwork, the legal expenses, the frustration, and all the times I wanted to give up, we actually got to the other side of this thing. Being the little guy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re powerless. When you’re dealing with a giant corporation and legal departments, it is very easy to feel like you have no chance. They have lawyers. They have departments dedicated to handling complaints. They have systems designed to make you wait, transfer you around, fill out forms, and jump through hoops and the government entities that are supposed to help, have even more. You have a job, a family, bills, and only so many hours in the day. They know that most people aren’t going to spend dozens or hundreds of hours fighting over a problem, and I suspect that companies understand that many people will eventually get discouraged and walk away.

That’s why, if you ever find yourself in a serious dispute, my advice is to document EVERYTHING. Keep detailed records. Save emails, letters, statements, screenshots, receipts, and anything else related to the situation. Write down dates, times, names, and exactly what was said. Get responses in writing whenever possible. If someone won’t communicate by email, use registered or certified mail when appropriate. If you record phone calls, make sure you understand and follow the applicable recording and disclosure laws. Learn which government agencies, regulators, consumer protection organizations, or other entities have jurisdiction over your particular problem, and be thorough, factual, reasonable, and organized when you file complaints. Don’t make threats you can’t back up and don’t exaggerate your claims. Just keep documenting the facts and keep moving forward.

Most importantly, be patient and persistent. There were MANY times during this process when I thought, “This isn’t worth it.” There were times when I was angry, exhausted, discouraged, and completely sick of dealing with it. But every time I got close to giving up, I reminded myself that walking away guaranteed one outcome: we would lose the money forever. Continuing to fight at least gave us a chance that turned into a reality with time.

I have little doubt that huge companies do the math. They know most people don’t have the time, money, knowledge, or energy to pursue a dispute all the way to the end. They know some people will eventually get discouraged and walk away. If only a small percentage of people fight back, it may still make financial sense for a company to deal with those few cases rather than change an entire system. I’m sure there are plenty of perfectly legitimate reasons for some of the things that happened to us, and I’m not claiming that every mistake is intentional. But regardless of whether something happens because of fraud, negligence, incompetence, an innocent mistake, or some combination of circumstances, consumers have to be willing to hold companies accountable when something goes wrong.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation, don’t automatically assume you’re going to lose just because you’re going up against a giant company. Sometimes the little guy really CAN win. And when consumers take the time to document problems and pursue legitimate complaints, it doesn’t just potentially help the individual involved. It can also create consequences for companies when they fail to take care of their customers.

Although I won by any reasonable measure even after all the time and money invested, would I choose to go through this again for the gain? Absolutely not. Would I wish this experience on anyone else? Absolutely not. But would I do it again if I had to? Yep. In a heartbeat. Because giving up and letting the turds prevail wasn’t something I could live with.

Finally, there were definitely a LOT of prayers said throughout this whole ordeal. I believe those prayers were answered. But I’ve also come to believe that God helps those who help themselves. Sometimes the miracle doesn’t arrive as a check in the mail. Sometimes it looks like having the strength to make one more phone call, file one more complaint, write one more letter, learn one more thing, or take one more step when you’re absolutely exhausted and wondering if any of it is going to matter.
Do what you can to help your miracle manifest.

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 04:59:52 +0000

Packed this summer with so many activities that we didn’t get a chance to go up to Panguitch until now. The weeds were 3-4 ft high all over the lot but we got them under control and found a little time to go riding and fishing too.

Nate Hunter posted an update

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 21:05:25 +0000

Nate Hunter posted an update

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 01:55:00 +0000

Santa Monica Beach time

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 22:08:49 +0000

Kids helping build furniture for LA Missionaries etc. 🙂

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 21:55:14 +0000

Fun bike ride through Beverly Hills that turned into an extended walk when 3 of the bikes stopped working and one malfunctioned and worked forever for free LOL.

https://youtu.be/pBVeTkG2rSs

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 21:26:07 +0000

Motorcycle ride with kids

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 21:24:45 +0000

Bike Ride with Mckay

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 21:22:43 +0000

The great rainstorm of 8-31-26 🙂

The Great Rainstorm of 8-31-26 (1)

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 21:18:15 +0000

Evening bike ride with McKay

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 21:09:50 +0000

The great power outage of 2026 🙂 8/27/2026

https://youtu.be/WZnY_cBXcc8

The great power outage of 2026 (2)

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 21:06:23 +0000

YM Lake activity at Sand Hollow 8.26.26

SAND HOLLOW LAKE YM ACTIVITY 8-26-26 (1)

Nate Hunter posted an update in the group Things my wife calls ”Novels”

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 23:01:53 +0000

Saturday morning, the wife asked with eager anticipation what I had planned for the day. As I lay there in bed, I said “you’re looking at it”. 😄. Then, I got up, got ready and went to leave and she asked “Where are you going?” I said “It’s a surprise”. Well, I took Dakota and bought the first motorcycle I’ve probably had in fifteen years. He just turned 17 and hasn’t learned to ride a real motorcycle yet and I’ve been feeling like a crappy father for not teaching my boys how to ride. As I rode the bike home, I gotta say, I felt 20 years younger again. There’s just something about motorcycles, jetskis and the like that will do that. Anyway, it felt great. Well, as soon as I got home, McKay decides to drop a weight on the tile and shatter it. Then, later that same day, he was dinking around with the new motorcycle, drops it and breaks the brake lever off. So, a fine Saturday started with no plans, then buying a motorcycle, then breaking the floor, then fixing the floor then breaking the motorcycle and ordering parts to fix it. When I was younger, I would have gotten super-pissed, but I’m a veteran at this point. We make a show to discourage the kids from doing crap like this, but the truth is, we expect them to destroy everything. You expect wrecking balls to wreck. It’s their nature. I really wish that he had shattered a tile that was already cracked because we have two of them already, but instead we replaced a perfectly good one. You have to laugh at this crap after a while. I love my kids. I wish they were more careful, but they’re not. Fatherhood ain’t for the faint of heart and it’s pretty expensive and time consuming but NEVER once have I wished I didn’t have kids. I think that sums fatherhood up pretty well.

Nate Hunter posted an update

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:46:24 +0000

Les Miserables with the parents.

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 15:03:46 +0000

Three Ponds canyon. Fun little canyon with more than three ponds and one that was pretty stinky 😄

Nate Hunter posted an update: Today Dakota accomplished something that frankly, I thought […]

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 20:31:39 +0000

Today Dakota accomplished something that frankly, I thought he had little to no chance at. I wished him well, but I told him the same thing I tell anyone: Hope and try for the best but be prepared for the worst, or at least something different. He has ZERO acting experience but got it in his head that he was going to try out for one of the leading roles (Eric) in “The Little Mermaid” production this year. Just for reference, this is not a typical little school production either. Judging from last year’s performance of Mary Poppins, this will be a very expensive, professional, polished production. Even Dakota told us that there were much safer and more likely choices than him, but he’s been practicing for months anyway. This will be a MAJOR time commitment for him so I made no secret that I wasn’t going to be heartbroken if he didn’t get the part. Neither his mother nor myself are performers to say the least. My wife is an accountant and I’m an owner/operator of multiple boring small businesses. We gave all our kids piano lessons and that’s about where the song-and-dance encouragement ended. At some point, Dakota decided he wanted to sing. He loved music from a VERY young age (like months old) and would kind of dance to it in his car seat. On every cruise he spends hours with new friends at Karaoke and takes every opportunity to sing in school and at church in front of hundreds of people. I don’t think us as parents can relate to his personality much less. I once thought it would be cool if I built a business that my kids could take over, but it was actually this exact movie scene which always stuck with me which prepared me for the fact that kids taking over a business they didn’t choose was not likely to happen and may not even be a great thing even if they did go along. I expect all my kids will go their own way and I’m not sad about it. I’d be even less sad about it if I were a mafia boss haha. Congrats Dakota Hunter!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqmy-b8k6-0

Nate Hunter posted an update: While I am thinking of singing... funny story: Dakota Hunter […]

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 20:30:48 +0000

While I am thinking of singing… funny story: Dakota Hunter has asked me to sing with him at Karaoke for the last few cruises we’ve gone on and I never wanted anything to do with it, but it seemed important to him and we’ve only likely got him for this last year, so I told him that I would do it on this Alaska Cruise if we could practice a little bit. We settled on “Country Roads” months before the cruise because it seemed like a good choice for the likely crowd of an Alaska Cruise on Princess (older crowd)…. plus it’s a great song in a good register for me haha. Well, the cruise came and the first few days, he didn’t really mention it so I thought I could get away with not singing. Well, one night I was in the hot tub and a bunch of random young people from Philadelphia got in and we were talking a bit and then, of all songs, Country Roads comes on over the speakers and these young hipster sorts all start singing along and saying how great the song was. I took it as a sign and told Dakota we’d better get it over with asap before I lose my nerve haha. Possibly the one and only time I will ever sing in public… and if you watch, you will see he didn’t get the “public performance gene” from me. 😂 Still glad he made me do it though. Conquering a fear felt pretty good. Incidentally, that song KEPT coming up on that cruise. At a performance in the main theater, this professional singer did an impromptu crowd join-along and it just happened to be this son, so of course Dakota got up in front of a couple thousand people and sang his part. The dude was shocked someone so young would even be aware of the song, let alone know the words haha. Turns out that was kind of the theme of the US team in the FIFA world cup too I heard. Quite the year for that song I guess.

Nate Hunter posted an update in the group Things my wife calls ”Novels”: My brother worked at this plant for many years and only just […]

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 07:59:01 +0000

My brother worked at this plant for many years and only just over a month ago, he got an opportunity that he heard of from a friend to move to a completely different company in Kansas City with a significant raise. This was very opportune timing on one hand because he had just had a brand new baby which would make three for he and his wife, and who couldn’t use a raise with a new baby? On the other hand, it was a huge move with two young kids, an infant, and a wife still recovering from child birth. He would have to quit his good current job at Tyson, move farther away from family than he ever had. This involved driving half way across the country twice with a U-Haul in the middle of the summer, rentimg a new home, listing his current home and hoping it would sell ASAP to avoid making payments on two properties and a lot of other logistics. I think the move went as well as could be expected under the circumstances. His house closed in just a few weeks total, selling to a cash buyer for a fair price and then at nearly the same time as his home sells, he finds out about the closure of his old plant.

I don’t know what is technically a miracle and what isn’t. I guess we’ll never know until the next life, but I suspect a lot of little (or big) things in life will turn out to have been our guardian angels working overtime. I could be wrong, but I choose to believe in minor and major divine intervention and I choose to believe that gratitude and trying to live right may bring more of it on.

https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/utah-county/its-scary-tyson-plant-closure-leaves-700-eagle-mountain-workers-with-uncertain-future?fbclid=IwY2xjawTyQYxwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7aUQ7LPGzGZ0-Va7lm7jtipap86KWxqsaFRZAmghnpJNUdDyEwOevbrKyq-A_aem_fWowQKd2Q-vZqzgW3tqBuQ

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 22:42:45 +0000

Smashed the record number of kids on the tube at once on an absolutely perfect day at Quail 8/15/2026

https://youtu.be/n4rnk7ydrrE

Nate Hunter posted an update

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 22:21:30 +0000

It’s a nice view inside and outside : )

IMG_20260814_204023623_AE

Nate Hunter posted an update: VERY often, when I open this irrigation box at our place in […]

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 22:15:18 +0000

VERY often, when I open this irrigation box at our place in Hurricane, there’s these little guys living in there. I’ve caught a bunch of them, but now I usually just let them be and now there’s a whole family in there haha.

Nate Hunter posted an update

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 02:38:06 +0000

When a friend invites you to take the kids to hunt frogs at sheep’s bridge and there’s nothing stopping you then the correct answer is yes 🙂

Nate Hunter posted an update

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 02:30:33 +0000

Dakota invited some friends for his birthday party to the lake and A LOT showed up. This is towards the end after quite a few had already left. It became apparent that we need a bigger boat 🙂

IMG_20260803_174025162_HDR_AE

Nate Hunter posted an update

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 17:24:24 +0000

This year Dakota’s birthday fell right over summer camp and he brought his cousin Liam along. Dakota was lucky enough to have two cousins born within a week of him and Liam is one of them and the only one that’s another dude who likes backpacking/camping. It was a great trip with all the guys. We saw some really incredible scenery and some of us even caught some beautiful tiger trout. I’d have to let him speak for himself, but I thought it was a great way to spend a birthday

Nate Hunter posted an update

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 17:06:00 +0000

Summer camp departure + Orem Temple and Provo MTC tour

Nate Hunter posted an update

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 17:00:36 +0000

Random July fun 🙂

Nate Hunter posted an update: Boating at Quail 7/18/26 […]

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:16:27 +0000

Boating at Quail 7/18/26

Nate Hunter posted an update

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:08:52 +0000

Garden City Fireworks show and Starship concert

Nate Hunter posted an update

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:07:26 +0000

Montpellier ID

Nate Hunter posted an update

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:06:44 +0000

Nate Hunter posted an update

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 18:03:51 +0000

Nate Hunter posted an update

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 17:48:15 +0000

Bear Lake Fourth of July Weekend Fun

Nate Hunter posted an update

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:36:57 +0000

One of the prettiest parks I’ve ever seen. Lake Olathe Park, KS

Nate Hunter posted an update

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:30:53 +0000

We were wondering why hotels were Soooo expensive in Vancouver when we were just there and it turns out it was because of FIFA world cup games. Then we were wondering why Kansas City hotels were sooooo expensive…. same thing apparently haha. I had no idea that Kansas city is apparently the soccer capital of the US??

Nate Hunter posted an update

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:28:21 +0000

Kansas City, MO temple

Nate Hunter posted an update

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:23:21 +0000

Liberty Jail visitor center in Missouri

Nate Hunter posted an update

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:12:51 +0000

Independence MO videos:

Independence Mo (4)

Nate Hunter posted an update

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 21:06:59 +0000

Checking out some interesting church history sites in Independence, Missouri

Nate Hunter posted an update

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:50:56 +0000

Decided to help Blako and family move to Kansas City area. Sad that it will probably be a little longer than usual before we can see them again, but glad to be able to spend so much time with them over the past few days. Seems like a really nice place and a great work opportunity for him out there 🙂

Nate Hunter posted an update: 6-15-26 Alaska Cruise Videos: […]

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 01:54:16 +0000

6-15-26 Alaska Cruise Videos:

Nate Hunter posted an update

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 01:47:30 +0000

6-15-26 Alaska Cruise Pics – Definitely one of the best cruises ever… and will certainly be repeated 🙂

Nate Hunter posted an update in the group Things my wife calls ”Novels”

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 01:05:21 +0000

Today my youngest son came through the front door in tears so I asked him what was wrong. Apparently he had been looking for his wallet all over our house and then had just come back from looking at a friends’ house to no avail. I felt bad for him so I asked him all the usual questions and helped him look around for about 15 minutes….also to no avail. I told him I had to get back to work, and then suggested what I should have to begin with. I told him maybe he should just say a prayer. He said he was going to and I got back to work. Thirty seconds later he told me he found it and I told him to not forget to say another one to say thanks and he said he already had. It reminded me of a similar situation about a year ago when he lost his phone (dead or off of course) at the park at dusk. He was with friends and they were all looking well into the dark when he decided to say a prayer then as well and wouldn’t you know, they found it shortly thereafter. I was also reminded of a literal nightmare scenario last year when I lost my wallet the night before I was supposed to lead a group to fly out to Paris. I am pretty organized and don’t often lose things…particularly important things and was super irritated that this, of all times was when I was going to lose my wallet/ID when I couldn’t even remember the last time I had lost it. I knew I had it within an hour of when I noticed it was gone and knew it could only be in a select few places which I had checked many, many times. I had looked for a long time and was getting more and more pissed by the moment, but I decided to give up on my own efforts and just say a prayer. Well, I got the feeling to look in the stupid crack between the driver’s seat and center console… for probably the fifth time, but this time it was there. Pretty sure I had looked there exactly the same as I had before, but apparently not, because this time I found it.

Maybe all of that is a coincidence. After all, many a prayer hasn’t been answered at all or not answered the way I hoped or expected. If I’m honest though, many, many more have been answered than not and sometimes seemingly miraculously. One wonders why seemingly insignificant prayers are answered and others which are “important” are not, but I can tell you that to my son, his wallet being lost was not insignificant, and to me on the eve of an international flight where others were depending on me, mine did not seem insignificant either. Even when prayers are not answered, I’ve had the very uncanny feeling that someone was indeed listening at the very least. Once, having been inspired by similar past experiences I had the thought to say a prayer that my left eye be healed. I mean, what do I have to lose? I have a condition called Central Serous Chorioretinopathy which is an extreme impairment to the vision in my left eye. This condition is so rare that you could easily go your whole life and never meet another person with it. I was in between rides doing Uber at the time and seconds after I said that prayer, I got a ping to pick a guy up at the airport. As usual, I asked him where he was from and what he did and he said he was a retina surgeon. I have done several thousands of rides at least over the years, and to this day I’ve never before or since picked up another retina doctor unless it was him. We’ve since become friends as I’ve picked him up many times as he travels for surgeries. Anyway, on this first encounter I told him about my eye and of course, he knew the condition well. I asked if there had been any breakthroughs for correcting it and he said that there hadn’t been, but if I could get him my last eye angiogram, he’d have a look. It sounded like the chances of correction were pretty bleak, and I haven’t put much effort into tracking down the angiogram or getting another one. I get the impression that the eye thing is here to stay, but I also got the distinct, unmistakable impression that someone was indeed listening and wanted me know they were. A coincidence again? Maybe. I could go on and on with many, many, many coincidences like that. I posted another story a while ago about a miraculous trip back from a cruise ship excursion which we should have missed by well over an hour by all rights, but a prayer was said by friends and somehow we made it back.

The fact is that many things could be coincidences. If they are, it brings me no comfort to think they are and great comfort to believe they are not. If they aren’t coincidences, then maybe you need to have enough humility to ask to in order to receive sometimes. Maybe it doesn’t hurt to express gratitude for all the things that go right when they could just as easily go wrong or continue to go wrong. It seems that it could be hugely beneficial to operate under the assumption that prayers are answered. If they are coincidences, then I can’t imagine what harm is done by believing they aren’t. Greater humility and gratitude probably never hurt anyone, but greater arrogance and ingratitude surely has.

Again, I couldn’t say why some prayers are answered and some are not, but I suspect plenty of valid reasons. One can’t expect a wishing well after all. If there is a plan, surely some lessons have to be learned and require experiences that aren’t easy or pleasant. As we’re all interdependent, maybe an answer to your prayer could be in conflict with someone else’s. Maybe it’s like the Garth Brooks song about unanswered prayers…. Maybe we don’t know what’s for our greater good (likely). I think about when my kids ask me for things every day. The answer is often yes, but it can be NO a lot more than they would like. They ask me for many things that simply wouldn’t be good for them, but they’re too ignorant and inexperienced to know it or acknowledge it. They may whine and cry, but the answer is still no. On the other hand, because I’m mortal, sometimes it’s a matter of time or resources and sometimes I’m just capricious. For better, I like to believe there’s someone who is all-wise and not limited by time or resources and who is never capricious. If you have an issue you can’t solve despite your best efforts, give prayer a try. I don’t believe there’s any wrong way to do it or that there is any prerequisites at all. I think someone is listening to anyone who believes enough to ask.

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Nate Hunter posted an update in the group Interesting Tidbits: I meet a LOT of people, and I say this not to boast, and in […]

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 19:32:24 +0000

I meet a LOT of people, and I say this not to boast, and in fact I find it surprising myself but I get this almost EVERY DAY from passengers as I do rideshare…. and sometimes multiple times a day including twice just yesterday. Sometimes it’s at night, so I write it off to that, but a lot of times it’s in the middle of the day and I’ll even turn around and ask them how old they think I am. This happens when they ask what I’m studying usually…as if they apparently legitimately think I’m a college student LOL. Yesterday I had a guy younger than me tell me during a conversation, that when I’m another decade or so older like him, I’ll understand how tired you get of certain things. I laughed, turned around at a stoplight and asked him how old he was and how old he thought I was. He was three years YOUNGER than me and his number for me was WAY off. Maybe it’s just that I’m really immature?? No idea, and in photos, I think I look every bit as old as I am. I’ve never been photogenic, but apparently in person, I fool strangers like crazy. Maybe they’re just blind or crazy, but if there’s anything to it, I would credit one thing more than any other.
Many of the world’s most successful athletes, entertainers, business leaders, and even political leaders have this thing in common with me. They’ve chosen to live a very sober if not completely sober lifestyle. Cristiano Ronaldo has long been known for avoiding alcohol and smoking, building his career around strict training, recovery, and performance habits. Novak Djokovic follows a similarly disciplined routine and has spoken about avoiding heavy lifestyle habits that could interfere with elite performance. In sports and entertainment, a growing number of people (including some surprising ones) have chosen a sober lifestyle Mike Tyson, Tom Holland, Zac Efron, Robert Downey Jr., Eminem, Elton John, and Anthony Hopkins, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Demi Lovato, Jim Carrey, Anne Hathaway, Blake Lively, Lewis Hamilton, Drew Barrymore, Elle MacPherson, Tyra Banks, Pharrell Williams, Natalie Portman, Nicki Minaj, Calvin Harris, Jessica Simpson, Eva Mendes, Russel Brand and many, many more have all publicly shared their reasons for avoiding alcohol/drugs. Even Joe Rogan has spoken openly about avoiding alcohol to support health and performance and because it “doesn’t support his goals”. He credits quitting with greater health and fitness, more energy, better concentration, faster recovery, and ability have new breakthroughs in everything in life.

In business, figures such as Warren Buffett, Dave Ramsey, Larry Ellison, John Mackey, Steve Jobs, John D Rockefeller, and Jon Huntsman Sr. are often cited for maintaining largely or completely substance-free lifestyles. They all credit a sober lifestyle for clarity and consistency in decision-making. In politics/business, Donald Trump has stated that he does not drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or use recreational drugs, a personal choice he has linked to his family’s experiences with addiction. Several historical U.S. presidents, including Benjamin Harrison and Herbert Hoover, were also known for abstaining from alcohol during their lifetimes as well.

Across sports, entertainment, business, politics and even millions of people living a life of quiet success through stable lives and happy relationships, the reported benefits of a sober lifestyle are remarkably consistent: sharper focus, improved physical health, greater emotional stability, and a stronger self-control. Despite very different backgrounds, many of them converge on the same conclusion: removing alcohol, tobacco, and drugs helps reduce distraction and supports long-term performance.

Recently I’ve seen reports framing a sober lifestyle almost as if it was a new idea and yet, this way of thinking isn’t new at all. In fact, back in 1833, doctors recommended smoking for a healthy throat and a stiff drink for whatever ails you, at least one voice had a word of wisdom for the world to avoid alcohol, avoid tobacco, rely on simple wholesome foods in moderation and build habits that support long-term health and discipline. It was almost….prophetic.

Nearly two centuries later, many of the world’s highest achievers appear to be arriving at a similar conclusion. What is shocking to me is that I see people who have chosen to live a sober lifestyle throw that all out as part of a broader mid-life or faith crisis. I would say, that if you are going to quit your faith/spouse/family or have some other existential crisis, don’t feel like you have abandon every obvious bit of wisdom just because it was tied to X,Y or Z. Correct principles can and do stand on their own.

Nate Hunter posted an update

Wed, 27 May 2026 19:38:02 +0000

Trek 5-27-2026

Nate Hunter posted an update

Wed, 27 May 2026 02:57:36 +0000

Pine Valley Father and Sons camp