The Hypnotist's Love Story

 

The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fiction Physical Book
This is my second Liane Moriarty and I think I’m a fan. I like her stories and her writing. This books gets you inside the head of a stalker. It’s way different in there than I thought from looking from the outside. It’s a good story that ends well. 4 stars from me.


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Camino Island

 

Camino Island by John Grisham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fiction Audiobook
Grisham knows how to write a story that captures you from the first page to the last. My husband and I listened to this on a recent road trip. We liked the characters and the plot. It was very entertaining. 3 ½ stars.


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Black Beauty The Autobiography of a Horse

 

Classic Literature    Physical book

I don’t know how I missed reading this in my youth because I was a horse lover.  But I am so glad I read it now.  Set in pre-car time when horses were an essential part of life, Black Beauty tells his life story beautifully this in book. His life starts in a very happy place, but as he is sold from owner to owner, he experiences ill treatment and pain.  Everyone should read this sweet classic.  5 stars

Mexican Cruise 2026

January 3-10 we enjoyed our usually annual Mexican Riviera Cruise on Princess Cruises.  It was an enjoyable, relaxing week.   We flew to Las Angeles on Friday, the 2nd and spent the night in a hotel before boarding the ship on Saturday.

Port in Las Angeles

Our first stop on Monday was Cabo San Lucas.  It is such a beautiful approach.  We saw whales as we approached.  That is always exciting.

It's hard to distinguish in this picture, but the boats are surrounding a whale.

Our steward created a dog out of washrags for us and I found a rubber duck in the library.  Duck hiding is a thing on cruises.

Our cabin was on the uppermost deck.  We so enjoyed our balcony and the beautiful views.

We spent a lot of time out there enjoying the views and reading.

Because the ship didn't leave Cabo until 8 pm, the dining room was not very busy that evening.  So, our waiter created a little Mexican man for us.  Both he and his assistant were from the Philipines.

Cabo at night.  So pretty.

On Tuesday we were in Mazatlan

I was on the deck when I saw this ship coming right at our ship.  They turned just in time.  They were just trying to get out of the harbor, and the pilot boat guided them out perfectly.  It sure looked like a crash was imminent.

Wednesday we were in Puerta Vallarta

Ken spent the morning at Area Natural Protegida Estero El Saledo- a local nature preserve.  He was so thrilled to add two new birds to his life list which now numbers 1,188 different species of bird.

Rufus- Bellied Chachalaca

Sinaloa Crow

The food, as always, was delicious and beautifully presented.

This was one of Ken's favorite dinners of the cruise.  Beef tenderloin.  He also loved the prime rib.

We know from doing this cruise so many times that the first day lunch serves this delicious lemon salmon.  We are always anxious to get on the ship and head to the dining room.  It is one of our two favorite meals.  So yummy!

This is my other favorite meal: Chioppino.  It is a delicious seafood soup.  It has a delicious tomato base and, as you can see, is full of seafood.

Oh, and the Beef Wellington is delicious.

One evening we went out on the main deck to watch the fountain show (and get some delicious ice cream.)

It was a lovely, relaxing cruise with lots of beautiful views, good food, reading, and sleeping.  We are already looking forward to next year.

Man on the Moon

 

A New Driver in the Family

 Our grandson Caleb turned 16 this month and got his driver's license.  Because his dad nearly always rides his bike to work, he is driving his dad's truck.  A few days after getting his license, he commented, "I just realized I've got a dog, a truck, and a bike.  My life just peaked at 16!!  It's all downhill from here!"

A New Acting President

 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf has been called to be the new Acting President of the Quorum of the  12 Apostles.

An Historic Photo

 For only about one month, this was the quorum of the 12 apostles.  Because of the short time before Elder Holland passed away, this becomes a very historic photo.  I wanted to include it on our blog.

Can you name them?

Jeffrey R. Holland Passes Away

 President Jeffrey R. Holland passed away on Dec. 27, 2025.  Oh how we will miss him.  His funeral was so inspiring.  All three of his children gave beautiful, inspiring talks.

I loved this story his son Matthew told at the funeral:

" As many know, two and a half years ago, my father was in a month-long fight for his life and in an intensive care unit.  One morning we awoke at 4:00 am because of thirst and asked for some juice.  A young nurse on duty responded with promptness.  My father took the juice and then, there in the darkness before dawn and barely conscious and burdened by pain and weakness, began to ask the nurse about his origin and his life.  After a few minutes, I felt something important and personal was developing so I excused myself from the room.  A time later, the nurse came out of the room, crying.  I asked him if everything was okay.  He looked me in the eyes and said, "I have to get back to church.  After an experience like that, how could I not?"

President Holland came from St. George and was buried here the day after the funeral.  The members of the 1st presidency and the quorum of the 12 apostles came to pay their respects.  Many St. George and Washington county residents lined the streets to do the same.  I copied many pictures from the internet to post here.  

The procession traveled by places near and dear to President Holland.  They started at the historic St. George Tabernacle, where President Holland rededicated the building after a major renovation.  They drove in front of the St. George Temple where over 200 missionaries serving in the Utah/St. George Mission were gathered to sing, "The Spirit of God", for the Holland family, the first presidency and apostles to hear.  President Holland also rededicated the St. George temple after its recent renovation.  The procession drove east on Tabernacle to 500 east where they turned north to drive by Holland's childhood home.  They drove by the building that bears his name at the school he loves, Dixie State University.  He was buried by his wife, Patricia, who was by his side until the summer of 2023.  The plan of salvation teaches that families can be together forever.  He is now reunited with his recently departed sister, family, and friends, and of course his eternal mate, Patricia.

Until We Meet Again, President Holland.