A Competition Between Two Cards

 Ken has two cards in his wallet that he uses most frequently.  He always puts the one he just used in front of the other.  He recently confided that his goal is to have the temple recommend in front of the credit card most often.  

The temple recommend wins most weeks!

In Harm's Way

 

This was a really good movie.  We watched it on Prime.

Grace

 "Everything you'll ever need to know about grace can be learned in the following way:  hold a baby in your arms.  (Perhaps while the family is out.  Perhaps in a chair.  Perhaps your own son or daughter.)  What do you feel?  An absolute love.  What has the baby done to deserve your love?  Nothing.  What would you sacrifice for the baby?  Everything."

This is God.

This is grace.

                       Stephen Robinson in the book Original Grace by Adam S. Miller

This is the Way My Life Was Meant to Be!

 
A friend that I work with at the temple recently gave me one of these delicious Werther's Caramel Apple Filled candies.  I loved it and bought some at the store.  They are so good.  When we were tending our grandchildren, we gave them each one.  Nine-year-old Gabe put it in his mouth and declared, "This is the way my life was meant to be."

They are that good!

The House of My Mother

Non-fiction   Audiobook

I think mostly because the arrest happened in my county, I was very interested in the Ruby Franke child abuse case. It is appalling that a mother could do that to her children.  This book was written by her daughter, Shari.  First of all, she (or maybe a ghost writer?) is an excellent writer.  She tells her story.  It is a very sad story, but very well told.  She is respectful of her family, but speaks out against mommy vlogging and the damaging effects.  But her mother was abusive long before she started the vlog.  She is a classic narcissist and Jodie Hildebrandt is the devil incarnate.  I am so glad they are both behind bars and hope they both stay there for a long, long time.

Nathan's Mission "Farewell"

 On Sunday morning, we all loaded in the Cameron's van and drove up to Idaho Falls to attend Nathan's mission "farewell."

Nathan has been called to serve in the Columbus, Ohio mission.  He spent the summer working full time earning all of the money to support himself on his mission.  He is a hard and valuable worker and rises to leadership positions wherever he works.  He will be a hard-working, loving missionary.

All of our family came to support him except for Shonna and Blake who were still on their biking adventure.

I had to snap a few pictures before the meeting began.  Proud grandmas can do that.

Nathan gave a wonderful talk.  He is prepared.  We are so very proud of him.

I took this opportunity to get a picture with all 14 of our grandchildren.  Who knows when that will happen again?  How we love each of these precious souls! (Only one got changed before I could gather them for the picture after church!)

After the church meetings, the Mackrorys hosted us all in their home for a delicious rib dinner.  It was SO hard to get back in the van and leave so many people that we love.  The Cameron kids were so reluctant to leave- they love their cousins- but we needed to get back to Logan before dark.

We love you Nathan and support you on your mission.  Give 'em heaven!

Chilling with the Cameron Kids

 Shonna and Blake recently had a marvelous wedding anniversary trip.  They did a bike trip from Montreal, Canada to Quebec City, Quebec.  They biked a total of 211 miles.

Blake's parents stayed with the kids from Saturday to Wednesday morning.  We drove up after Keynotes on Wednesday (arriving there about 6:30pm) and stayed with them Wednesday evening through Sunday night.  We had such a wonderful time with these great kids.  We love them so much.

Shonna and Blake sent pictures while on their adventure.

Nine year old Gabe.  What a kid.  He is a character.  These kids all have chores to do each day.  If they do them, they get a treat in the evenings.  He decided that to be fair, we needed to do chores, too.  So he wrote us each a list of chores to do each day and posted it on the fridge.

Ken had to read his scriptures, read for 20 minutes, do 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups.

I had to read my scriptures, practice the piano, and "since you can't do push-ups Grandma, you have to read for 30 minutes!"  "Oh, no!  Don't make me read 30 minutes," (Don't throw me in the briar patch!)  I protested.  But he wouldn't relent.  

Each day, he read through the list and followed up with us. We get such a kick out of him.

During a huge percentage of their downtime, this is what we saw.  These kids are all readers and fill their spare time with books, books, books.  They have stacks of library books piled in the living room and they work their way through them.  They also borrow books on Libby and read on the Ipad.

On Saturday afternoon, Lily and Hannah disappeared downstairs for a couple of hours.  At one point, Hannah came up to get something and I asked her what they were doing down there.  "It's a surprise" she said.  A while later they came back up and presented me with this heart they had made.  That heart touched mine.

The lighting caused a blurry picture, but this is the heart with Hannah and Lily in the background.

Another fun picture of Blake and Shonna.

Caleb is on the high school mountain biking team.  On Saturday, Ken drove him up the mountain to compete in a mountain biking competition.  They were gone all day.

Caleb did really well, improving his time considerably and moving up in his placement.  He was so happy when he got home.

He told me later that he didn't want to be an adult and have all that responsibility.  He just wanted to eat and ride his bike!  

He said that, but he is a very responsible kid.  I watched him take a lot of responsibility with his parents gone.  He had things under control when we arrived on Wednesday night.  Each night he made sure the house was locked up, the dog fed and in his crate, and the lights out.  He is a good kid.

Grandpa was Caleb's cheerleader.  He enjoyed the day on the mountain and getting to know Caleb's biking friends.

That evening, after Caleb and Ken got home, Caleb showered and then he and Lily went to their Chinese teacher's house for a huge Chinese party with all kinds of delicious Chinese food.  I guess she puts on this big party every year.

On Sunday, we all piled in the van and drove two hours to Idaho Falls to attend Nathan's mission "Farewell."  Stay tuned for the post on that.

Habits of a Happy Couple

 Habits of Happy Couples

• They laugh together
• They make sacrifices for each other.
• They keep date nights alive.
• They say "I love you" every day.
• They respect each other's space.
• They never forget a goodnight kiss.
• They openly communicate their feelings.
• They make time, no matter how busy.
• They always protect each other's back.
• They learn and speak each other's love language.

Educating a Mother is Educating a Nation

 Maybe you saw this.  These pictures went viral and traveled around the world.  

Here's the story:

In the middle of a quiet university lecture, Professor Sydney Engelberg was speaking with his usual calm enthusiasm when the sharp cries of a baby broke the stillness.  The sound came from the back of the room- a young mother, one of his students, holding her restless child.  

Embarrassed, she rose from her seat, ready to slip out so the noise wouldn't disrupt the class.

But before she could reach the door, Engelberg paused his lecture, walked over, and-without a word-gently took the baby into his arms.  Then he walked back to the front and continued teaching.  He held the child as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

For the students watching, it was an unforgettable moment.  This was not an isolated moment.  Engelberg was known for welcoming student mothers into his classes, encouraging them to bring their children, breastfeed them when needed, and never make them feel like an inconvenience.

He often summed up his philosophy: "A mother should never have choose between her child and her education.  Educating a mother is educating a nation."

Lonesome Dove

 

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Historical Fiction Physical book
Is this the longest book I have ever read? I think it might be. Westerns are not my genre of choice, but so many people said that this was one of the best books they had ever read, I had to read it. It won the Pulitzer Prize. I see why. It is so well-written. Its outstanding quality is characterization. I feel like I would know these people if I met them on the street. McMurty also is an amazing storyteller.
It is a saga with intrigue. It immerses the reader in the lawless and rough culture of the old west.
It took a long while to read it, but now I’m done, I miss the characters. I miss their rough ways and their fortitude.
Now I have a decision to make. This is one of a series of four books. Will I read the other two? I’m not sure. I do want to know what happens to the characters and what happened before the big cattle drive, but I’m not sure I want to be immersed in their world again.
I will give it some time and decide. In the meantime, I will try to find the movie and watch it. I hope it doesn’t spoil the picture the author has painted in my mind. It is a detailed and vivid picture. I like it the way it is.


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The Most Reluctant Convert

Honestly, I fell asleep during this movie, but I saw most of it.  It was interesting to learn more about C S Lewis.  But I have read his autobiography, "Surprised by Joy" and felt that the movie told things differently than he did in his book.  I think we watched it on Amazon Prime.

Ken's Annual Camping Trip

 Every September, just after Labor Day, Ken likes to go up on Cedar Mountain and camp for a few days. There are few people camping then , and it's just before they close the campground for the season. He enjoys fishing, hiking, reading, and just enjoying the mountains.  

Cedar Breaks

A Terrible Kindness

 

A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Historical Fiction Physical Book
In October of 1966, mine sludge came barreling down a mountain in Aberfan, Wales, burying a school full of children. It is a sad and true happening. Many children and adults were killed. This is a fictional story of William who had just graduated from embalming school, volunteering to go and serve as an embalmer at the site. That grueling and traumatic experience haunted him and changed him, causing him to suffer PTSD for the rest of his life. The book is well-written and engrossing. I liked William and his best friend, Martin. I learned from both of them. I loved the musical references and even found some of the pieces referred to online and listened to them. It is a sad story, but sensitively told.


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Don and Ada Return from Their Mission

 Ken's brother Don and Ada just returned from their mission to Manila, Philippines.  We are so glad they are home.  We missed them.  

They arrived at our airport during our temple shift, so we weren't able to be there to greet them, but many family members were there and shared their pictures.

The welcoming committee

Ada and her three daughters

Welcome home and well done, Don and Ada!

Ramona Quimby, Age 8

 

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Modern Fiction Physical book
For years, when people ask me what is your favorite book, I answer, “Ramona Quimby, Age 8.” I’m sort of kidding, but I’m sort of not. I love Beverly Cleary. She really understood children and wrote right to their hearts. There is conflict in every book, but it’s low stress- inducing and so relatable to kids. Yes, this is one of my favorites of all- time and I have to reread it every few years. It makes me happy.


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Absolutely Drenched!

 Well, we prayed for it!  Thursday evening there was a sealers and wives meeting scheduled at the temple.  Ken was out of town, so I got all ready and drove over there.  As I was driving there, the skies opened up and it began to POUR!  I pulled into the parking lot and waited.  It was coming down in sheets and the wind was fierce.  I was puzzled.  I didn't see any of the other sealers and wives going in.  Usually when we have these meetings, it is sweet to watch all of the sealer couples streaming into the temple. Did I get the date wrong?  I opened my phone and the email that informed us of the meeting.  Yes, it said Thursday, September 4th, 7:30pm.   It was 7:22pm.  The meeting was to start at 7:30pm.  I HATE to be late for anything.  I am kind of obsessed with punctuality.  I sat and watched the sheets of rain as I watched the minutes tick.  I can't be late!  What do I do?  At 7:25, I decided I had to brave it.  But I could hardly get out of my car.  Every time I tried the wind blew my door shut before I could get out.  I finally got out.  I had a plastic shopping bag in my car, so I tried to put that over my head, but it didn't work.  It just blew off.  It was me against the elements trying to walk up to the door of the temple.  It was scary. I finally got inside the vestibule.  I was absolutely drenched.  My dress was wringing wet, my hair was every bit as wet as if I had just washed it, my leather shoes were soaked through.  My glasses were so wet, I could barely see.  I tried to wipe my face and walked in.  The greeting sister's jaw literally dropped when she saw me. "Well, we prayed for it," I said.

There is a restroom in the non-patron waiting room just off the front foyer. I went in there and used a mountain of paper towels trying to dry my face, my hair, my dress.  I was a mess.  I brushed my hair, but it was useless.  I realized I couldn't go into a meeting.  For one thing, I would freeze to death. My clothing was so wet.  I went back out into the front foyer and still so no other sealers or wives.  I asked the sister if there was a sealers meeting tonight.  She didn't know.  I was so puzzled as to why I saw no one.  I waited for the rain to subside and went back out into a lighter drizzle and got safely to my car.  I sat in my car and laughed out loud!  Boy, do I have a story to tell!

When I got home I undressed.  I was literally soaked to the skin.  I had to remove everything and got into dry underwear and my nightgown.  Then I opened my phone again and scrolled through the emails from our sealer coordinators.  We get an email every week informing us of announcements and pdfs of that week's updated schedule and live sealing assignments.  Sure enough, I found one that had a list of announcements, including that the September 4th meeting was postponed until October 23rd.  What?  How had I missed that?  I had absorbed all of the announcements before and after that one.  Man, I'm losing it.

When Ken got home, I told him my experience.  He had seen the postponement announcement and assumed I had as well.

I have to say that, despite this experience, we are most grateful for the rain and will continue to pray for more.

I took a selfie in the car of my drenched hair.  I wish I had thought to take one of the storm.