Logan's Story

Who am I?

The answer to that question has changed over the past few years. If you were to ask me now I would say, first and foremost, that I am a husband and a father. I love my family very much and caring for them has become my primary ambition in life. As an extension of that, I am a dentist and a student. I think that I am a part of one of the greatest professions out there and I thoroughly enjoy every aspect of my job, from the business to the clinical to the academic.

I would also call myself, for lack of a better word, a fun-lover. I think that life has so much to offer and I want to get out and experience all of it. In the scriptures we learn that “man is that he might have joy.” I like that. If life is what you make it then I am determined to make my life a good one.

Finally, I would give you the Primary answer that I am a child of a loving heavenly father who wants what is best for me. I feel that my relationship with my father in heaven has been strengthened greatly as I have become a father myself, and He has taken a very important part of my life. I have learned through experience that I am happiest when I follow the guidelines he has set for this life and I find joy in striving to live by them.

And if you put all of this together I could condense it into one very succinct answer.

I am a Hazard.

So there you have it. That is what I would say. But in the context that I am writing this, I think that there is a more relevant question to be asked.

Who was I in 2004? Before The Hazard Chronicles began. Before I even knew who Rachel Almond was.

And while my answer would be similar, I think that my priorities were a little bit different back in those days. In those days I had no real responsibilities except for to myself and I enjoyed the spontaneity and novelties that life presented. I was very much a rock climber and a kayaker. Ever since I was in high school I have carried a list with me in my wallet that contains my life “to-do list”. I think it is relevant that at this time over half of my list was comprised of climbs to do and rivers to run.

The summer before I went to BYU I spent three months living out of a pick-up truck with Donny. Every day we were either kayaking a river or climbing a mountain. We slept on the road and then woke up only to do more of the same. It was a fun lifestyle. I had practiced hard to become a very good climber and kayaker and the level that I was participating in these activities was far beyond what would be considered “normal.” It was a lifestyle that I enjoyed and these activities really did help to define who I was.

There is also a story behind my being at BYU.

I returned home from my LDS mission in 2003. The two years I spent in Brazil allowed me to really develop into the person I would become. Free from any preconceived ideals or attitudes from family or friends I was able to truly grow into myself. When I arrived at home these people interpreted this growth as change. And in a way it was, but I see it more as a development of what was already there.

As I lived at home again I noticed myself becoming more and more the person that “they” wanted me to be (or at least the person they thought I was)- and it wasn’t me. Also, while I had always been an independent person, I had truly learned to embrace this independence while living on my own for two years in another country. These things together made it very difficult for me to live at home. They didn’t know it, but my existing friends and family were crushing me. I had to leave.

So I applied to BYU. They didn’t want me.

So I applied again. They still didn’t want me.

So I went there as a “visiting student.” It is a program they had set up where I could go for a summer semester and take classes that would transfer back up to BYU-Idaho when I was through. It was a way to get out of the house and allow me to stretch a little bit. Once I was down there I did very well in my classes. When I went to transfer my records back to BYU-Idaho the councilor noticed this and invited me, on the spot, to stay as a permanent student at BYU. And I, on the spot, accepted his invitation. The new semester would start in two weeks and I would have to find a job and housing and register for classes, but that was okay because I was in.

I like to think that there was some divine intervention involved with this chain of events. By that time I had already met Rachel and our relationship had started to form, but we were both hesitant to take it to the next level because of the fact that I would be leaving. If this had happened then I am sure my life would be very different today.

So that is the back-story on who I was, and these are the circumstances that led up to the most significant moment of my life.

The moment I met Rachel.

-Here are some pictures of the kayaking trip I did earlier that summer before I went to BYU

Rachel's Story

Flash back with me to the summer of 2004. I had my life completely planned out. These were my plans:

1. I was currently working on my practicum at Brigham Young University with Val Sturn. We occasionally checked out apartments while we were down there because Val’s daughter was planning on moving there in the Summer.
2. As soon as I finished my practicum I would get my associates degree in sign language interpreting.
3. I was finishing up my mission papers to send in as soon as I received my degree. I had my doctor’s letter, my dentist letter, the forms filled out, and even my mission photos taken and developed.
4. Work at Chili’s to earn as much money as I could before going on my mission.
5. I was offered a position as a full time interpreter at BYU, but I politely declined due to the fact that I would shortly be sending out my mission papers. A perfectly reasonable response for this institution.

Life was simple. Everything was planned out. I was finishing up my degree and then I was going on a mission. I was living life right and I believed that I was doing what I should be doing. Live was good.

As I systematically checked off items on my list a very unexpected thing happened… I had an amazingly strong impression that I was NOT supposed to go on a mission, but that I was to immediately move to Provo and figure things out from there. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Lord wanted me in Provo.

Hold on just a minute. Provo? Are you kidding me? Provo is full of crazy Mormon’s (my opinion of Provo and of BYU wasn’t very good at this point).

Here I would like to take a moment and talk a little bit about my testimony at this time. I have always had a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and the truth of the gospel. Deep down I have always just known that the gospel was true. At this point I was just testing the waters for my own personal testimony. This impression was the first impression I have ever had that was so strong and so specific. I didn’t take any time at all to question the truth of it. I knew what I had felt, and I knew where I needed to be.

One week later I had moved into the apartment that I checked out with Val (Amber later became my roommate). I transferred to the Orem Chili’s and I accepted the position as a full time interpreter at BYU. I also applied to BYU (later to find out that they didn’t want me either), and registered as a visiting student for Spring semester.

In order to really understand my background we need to flash back again to the summer of 2003.

My life seemed like it was in perfect order and that everything should be perfect. Yet I had a feeling lurking below the surface that I couldn’t quite get a handle on.

I was engaged to be married to Jeremy Anderson. I had the wedding gown purchased, the date set, and the down payment paid for the reception hall. Looking back it almost seems as if I was just ‘playing house.’ I had met someone that I liked and he liked me. The obvious next step was to get married right?

At the end of June my aunt Sonnie died. I did not know her very well, but Jeremy and I went with my family to the funeral in Hurricane. During the course of the weekend I had Deanna, Jalynne, and Loralee all approach me at different times and ask me if I was happy. They seemed to sense that something was wrong (they later told me that this wasn’t planned and all of them had noticed separately). We decided to plan a girls day in St. George to spend some time together and to talk. As I was talking to them I came to the long awaited conclusion that there were many red flags with Jeremy and that I needed to end my relationship. My aunts really didn’t need to do any convincing. I just needed some time to think and put my thoughts together that I had been suppressing for some time.

That night Deanna approached me and asked me if I would like to come and live with her in Texas for a while and attend classes for a semester at Kingwood College. The decision to do this was one of the major turning points in my life.

As soon as I make a decision there is no stopping me. The night we returned I went out with Jeremy and broke off the engagement. This was very difficult for me to do and I was dreading doing it, but I knew that it was the right thing.

We went to get ice cream and then we took a walk around the strip mall. We sat down on the bench and I broke up with him. I felt pretty calm about it, but I could see that he was devastated. This was very difficult for me to see because I cared about him a lot. I tried to explain myself, but he didn’t seem to understand (to this day I don’t think he understands). The exact reasons for the break up are not important to this story, but it was a difficult break up.

A very strange thing happened to me on the way home from this date. I had a palpable feeling that a very large weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt free. I felt as though over the last couple of months a weight had been gradually descending on me so slowly that I didn’t notice, but now that it was lifted I felt completely different. I don’t know how to explain this, except to say that this isn’t a metaphor but a real feeling on my shoulders. This assured me that I was doing the right thing even though it was difficult.

I then made the decision to move to Kingwood Texas to live with Deanna, Dave, Ashton, and Savannah. Within a week I had everything packed and I was with Brandon on my way to Texas. Remember my whole decision making process?

Here are a few important highlights from my trip to Texas.

My first week there I went out in search of a job. I decided that I would enjoy being a server at a restaurant and decided to start there. I was hired at the first place I interviewed, TGI Fridays. I had a feeling that I should keep looking. The next day I interviewed at Chili’s. After three separate interviews I was hired. I loved it and would go on to work there for four years. I worked there in Humble Texas, then I transferred to Sandy, Utah, then on to Orem.

I went to school at Kingwood College and this was the time that I figured out how to be a student. It took me long enough, but from this point on until I graduated at UVU I maintained a 4.0 average.

I began living a healthier lifestyle and as a result I lost 35 lbs in my short stay. I attribute this to eating at home and having such high humidity that I didn’t even want to eat! When all was said and done I lost a total of 57 lbs.

I had a wonderful time with Ashton and Savannah and I will always have wonderful memories of them.

I had many long talks with Deanna about the importance of education. It was there that I decided to continue my education and get a bachelor degree. I wasn’t sure what I would major in, but I knew I would do it.

Deanna told me something I will never forget and that I apply to many things in my life. We were talking about education and she said, “In four years you are going to be four years older. Why not have a bachelors degree.” She told me that no matter what happens in your life you are going to get older. It is important to make goals and work toward them because in time you could accomplish a lot, or you could just have time pass you by. In __ years I will be __ year older why not __? Many things are applicable in this statement.

I believe that it is due to her that I will be getting my masters degree.

During this time I also wrecked my first car. May my Prizm rest in peace. I was also taught a lesson in humility when I also had a run in with a pole in a parking lot at Chilis. Unfortunately, this was in Deanna and Dave’s car.

I loved living in Texas. I really had a chance to branch out and figure out who I am. I can’t tell you exactly when the transformation took place, but I gained a lot of confidence in my short time there. This was important because I knew what I wanted to do and I knew that Jeremy was not in my plans. This was important because in his mind I was in Texas to figure things out so that I could come back and be ready to marry him. I knew what I wanted and I knew where I was going. I was finishing my degree and going on a mission.

Flash forward to my move to Provo. I was in Provo loving life and enjoying college living when I decided to register for a dance class.

Our Story: The Prologue

The idea for The Hazard Chronicles actually developed over time, and didn’t even start until a year after we were married. In short though, it all began with a blog.

In 2007 Rachel and I were planning on moving to Cleveland for me to attend dental school. We were excited about the move and about the chance to live in the East for a while, but we also realized that we were cutting ourselves off from extended family by living so far away, and that they would have very little personal interaction with us for four years.

Around this same time the concept of blogging was becoming a big deal on the internet (just as a side note, it didn’t take long for most personal blogs to be replaced by social media like Myspace and Facebook). And so I created a blog and on a whim dubbed it “The Hazard Chronicles.” I figured this would be a good way for friends and family to stay connected with us as we lived out our own adventures in Cleveland.

When I created that blog I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. It soon took on a life of its own and started to demand more attention than I could give to it. If too much time went by without a post I would start getting phone calls asking for more pictures and updates. In truth, it became a little bit stressful.

It became obvious that a set routine was needed. After a while it was established that we would update the blog once (and only once) every week, usually on Sundays. This was a little more doable, but still took a lot of time and I was losing motivation.

In 2008 we “published” our first printed version of The Hazard Chronicles. Basically, we printed off all of the text from the blog and then had all of the pictures developed at Wal-Mart and glued them in the correct locations in a big three-ring binder. It was a large undertaking but we were proud of the final product. More importantly, I now had the motivation I needed to continue to update the blog each week because instead of merely filling people in on our lives I was now preserving these thoughts for years down the road. In other words, The Hazard Chronicles became our family journal.

With time the rudimentary three-ring binder was replaced by a nicer hard-cover printed version of The Chronicles, but it is still the same thing. And now, every Sunday I look forward to sharing some of my thoughts about my family and the things that happen to us. And I have found it to be a good exercise each week to look back and realize what things actually did happen. It’s really made me realize that there is no such thing as a “normal” week, or even a normal day, that there is always something extraordinary that stands out, and that daily family life truly is the most exciting adventure one can live.

In the current edition of The Hazard Chronicles (Our Story) we are writing in retrospect. Unlike other editions, this one is not dated. All of the stories in here come only from memories that, sadly, are starting to become hazy with time. Our aim is to record these important years before we forget any more- for this truly is the beginning of something that is truly remarkable- The Hazard Family. This is our story.