Oh, say, does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave...

This morning, we ventured out early to go to the first day of the Downtown Farmers Market in Salt Lake. As we drove down the hill, the street was lined with flags that the Scouts had put out. Oh, yeah, it's Flag Day-June 14. I can't think of Flag Day without thinking of visiting Ft. McHenry, near Baltimore, Maryland, when we took our kids for an American History trip to Washington, D.C. and other historic places back East. At the Fort, we watched a movie about Fort McHenry and the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The movie told about Francis Scott Key writing the "Star Spangled Banner" and the song was played at the end of the movie. To my great surprise, the huge black-out drapes were opened to show a gigantic American flag waving in the breeze. It was a spectacular sight and the National Anthem playing brought tears to my eyes. What a great memory! Oh yeah, it was Flag Day that day, as well.

Opinions, Platelets, and Fighting Tarantulas...

The other night, I was listening to a talk show on the radio and people were calling in sharing ways they are making extra money to make ends meet or pay for gas. There were some pretty creative money-making schemes. Here are some of the best- completing on-line surveys (you can make money for that?), doing online tutoring (math and science are in demand but tutors in other subjects are needed, too), selling platelets (pays more than plasma), participating in drug trials or medical trials (remember doing an allergy drug trial, Emily?), parents charging room and board for teen-age kids who have jobs, and the most creative one, raising fighting tarantulas for pet stores. It was all pretty interesting!

It made me think about the whole economic situation in the U.S., as well as throughout the world. So many people are scratching their heads and wondering what is going on. (They're doing the same for all the natural disasters and conflicts throughout the world.) As members of the Church, we quietly acknowledge and understand exactly what is going on. We have ancient guidebooks that have given us insight as well as modern-day insight from prophets, apostles, and other leaders. How grateful I am for prophets of God and Church leaders who have been giving us counsel and guidance for just such a day. We’ve heard for years and years about being prepared financially, avoiding debt, using a budget, building a reserve, and, first and most important of all, paying our tithing and offerings. We are so blessed to have had watchmen on the towers preparing us for these latter days.

Even though there may be big money in raising fighting tarantulas, I think I’ll follow the Prophet on this one.

Life is Not Supposed to be a Collection of Travelogues

Life is not supposed to be just a collection of travelogues, but lately it seems that my life has been exactly that- a trip to help Amy and family with new baby, Gideon, a credit union trip to Washington, D.C. for an update on Governmental Affairs, a trip to California for Gideon’s blessing and other adventures, and in the past few days, a trip to St. George- thank you Smedley Plumbing, Heating, and Air!

Likewise, testimonies are not supposed to be a travelogue. But as I sat in
Testimony Meeting last Sunday, I was seriously tempted to tell about our St. George experiences as a part of my testimony. I had a number of

spiritual impressions as we spent 4 days in Utah's "Color Country." As we hiked and traveled around warm and radiant Southern Utah, we rejoiced in the beauty and the awesome nature of Heavenly Father’s creations.
Though we live in this telestial world, breathtaking beauty is there to be found and savored, sometimes around every bend, and it feels like a little piece of heaven on earth.

As we traveled down to St. George, we took a detour, knowing that

sometimes detours bring us to places where we learn lessons that can

not be found along the freeways of life. After following a dirt road to the middle of nowhere, we found ourselves standing before an abandoned gigantic beehive-shaped oven, crumbling foundations, and a brick smokestack-chimney. Here, we came to understand the sacrifice, hardship, and faith of Saintly pioneers, called by a prophet of the Lord

to a mission to make iron- a necessary building block of settling the

challenging frontier of Utah’s Dixie.

A little farther down the road, we overlooked a beautiful mountain meadow where we were impressed with the necessity of being guided by the Spirit. When local Church leaders engaged in suspicions, distrust, and rivalries, rather than making decisions by the Spirit of the Lord, it led to a terribly tragic situation which has been deeply mourned as a major scar on pioneer and Church history. With emotion, we also visited a sacred mound, hallowed and dedicated by the Church to honor those who were murdered in this beautiful valley.

More lessons in faith, obedience, hard work, and enduring through extreme trials were learned at each of the historic sites of the Church in the St. George area. At the Jacob Hamblin Home, we learned about listening to the Spirit, the blessings of being a peacemaker, and the great worth of a man’s word.

At the Brigham Young Winter Home, our testimonies were strengthened concerning the vision of a prophet of God, whether he is directing the settlement of a territory, building temples, or leading the Church in these latter days.

At the Tabernacle, we learned of great miracles, listening to the Spirit, prophetic pronouncements and promises, and the blessings of absolute obedience to the counsel of a prophet of God.

Lorenzo Snow stood at this very pulpit, was instructed as he was speaking and, in the name of the Lord, taught a powerful principle with a promise to the Saints. The principle and the promised blessing tested their faith and patience, but the Lord did pour out blessings upon those faithful Saints and he continues to pour out blessings upon all faithful Saints.

Elder Doug Hansen gave us a wonderful tour of the Tabernacle and then Sister Linda Hansen joined us for a photo-op and some "catching up" on our kids and grandkids and sharing missionary experiences.

At the St. George Temple Visitors Center, we were exceedingly touched by the magnificent sculptures of “The Healing Power of Jesus Christ.” Opera singer turned sculptor, Angela Johnson found her truest gift in portraying our Savior in healing the leper, raising Lazarus, refusing to condemn the woman taken in sin, teaching about priorities and choosing that "better part," and in other stunning bronzes. This one depicts Jesus walking on the water in the Sea of Galilee.

In the St. George Temple, we reflected on the awesome faith, dedication, sacrifice, and hard work of those pioneers who gave who gave their all to build a temple of God in the red sand wilderness, providing an opportunity for saving ordinances for the living and the dead.

Our final lessons came as we detoured on our way home, visiting

Cove Fort. Once again, we learned of faith, hard work, obedience

and the value of a man’s word. We learned why Cove Fort was so beloved by President Hinckley. His roots were firmly planted in the sandy soil of the this barren plain, where his grandfather raised a righteous family, spread good will among his neighbors both near and far, and infused the lightof the gospel into his family and posterity. And, we saw first-hand, evidence of a miracle, surely by the hand of the Lord, in saving Cove Fort from the ravages of last summer’s wildfire that burned within 12 feet of the barn and Fort. The historic site was safe, while grassland, crops, trees, structures, and animals all around were devastated.

We did have a memorable St. George experience. We had lots of fun times, as you can see.

(These pictures brought back memories of travels with our kids-

fun in the dunes at White Sands, wading in the river at the beginning of the Zion Narrows, and the classic statement of

teenage boredom, "If you've seen one red rock, you've seen them all.")

Yes, this is another travelogue- but it is one that’s filled with gratitude for the awesome beauty of Heavenly Father’s creations, for many life lessons learned, and for joyful spiritual experiences- a time for our eyes to truly see and our hearts to truly understand the power and glory of God.

Goodbye 70's!

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch today, hosting David's parents, his brothers Gary and Don, and Don's wife, Kris. The occasion?. . . a dreaded letter from the IRS saying that they were auditing a tax return and the resulting necessity of consulting with the "family CPA." But, it gave us a great excuse to "party." After all, it was Don's BD yesterday (in addition to Trevor's!) and it was a belated Mother's Day gift for David's mom. I fixed a lunch that I usually never get because I always grab a PB&J, a bowl of cereal, or whatever is handy. So, we enjoyed Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, tossed salad with a "melange" of fruit, hot blueberry muffins, a fruit plate of gigantic blackberries, blueberries, watermelon, and fresh pineapple, and soda cracker pie. YUM!!

It was such a treat to have Kris join us, because she has been so sick for so long, with a still undiagnosed condition. But, she is doing better and it was great to see her!! Another bonus was that Kris, a once aspiring interior designer with a wonderful flair and eye for decorating, told David that we had to get rid of the 70's tables, lamps, and chandelier if we were getting new furniture. Wahoo! It took an "expert" to help David see the light! After everyone left, he said, "Well, chandeliers are not that expensive [at Lowe's or Home Depot] and I can get one hooked up." Double wahoo!!

Thank you, Kris! . . . Goodbye 70's!

It's The Real Deal!

So here's the scoop. . . this awesome living room set can currently be seen at http://www.ksl.com/ To check it out, you click on "Classified". . . "Furniture". . . "Couches, Loveseats, and Sectionals." It actually looks pretty good. In fact, it made me a little wistful, but only for about a couple seconds. Make way for the new room!

A Name and a Blessing... and Other Associated Experiences

What a great blessing it is for a young father, an authorized holder of the Priesthood of God, to take his infant son in his arms, be joined by other worthy priesthood holders, and give his son a name and a special blessing, as directed by the Spirit of the Lord! It was our great blessing to join with Tom and Amy and their family and Tom’s parents, Brad and Sharol, for this significant occasion. Gideon David was the baby so blessed and Jacob and Allison were the proud brother and sister. Though our numbers were few, when compared to the hoards of family and friends that often gather for such occasions in Utah, our joy was multiplied and it filled our hearts as our “little family” shared this event together.

In order to be at the blessing, we drove down to Southern California on Friday, April 11th.

On Saturday, we had the fun of all working together to paint the new master bedroom that Tom has built. It is a beautiful fennel green and will have white trim- very light, airy, and very

classy- and it will be a wonderful “retreat” for Tom and Amy.

Everyone got into the act- Jacob and Allison mopped the floors and Jacob paints a mean wall!
The dynamic Grandma duo painted, fixed meals, and tended Gideon.
Can you tell that David and Tom painted the popcorn ceiling?

Later in the week, David and Jacob painted the baseboards and Tom painted the doors, so by the time we left, it was getting pretty exciting!

There's nothing like a little music and dancing to recover from a hard day of painting! After all, isn't that what the pioneers did?

We had a multitude of experiences during the week we were there. The best part was spending time with Tom, Amy, and family. In the mornings, Amy and I would go for a little jog and Jacob, Allison, and Gideon would snuggle up with Grandpa and read stories- no complaints from the “peanut gallery” and it was a highlight for Grandpa.

David and I had a couple of outings by ourselves during the week. Visiting the Getty Villa in Malibu was an amazing experience. It is a re-creation of an excavated villa in Herculaneum, a city that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, much like Pompeii. It was built to house J. Paul Getty’s collection of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan ancient art, but the villa itself and the grounds were the highlights for us. We took great two tours, as well.

We also went to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. I have to admit that I came out of there understanding what a great President and great person Ronald Reagan was. He was a man of integrity and values, whether he was in Hollywood,

in the Governor’s office, or the White House.

I loved the special exhibition of Nancy Reagan’s gowns and dresses worn

during the White House years. It was a fun afternoon.

Tom was really busy with a big project at work, so the rest of us kept ourselves busy with a shopping and lunch excursion, playing and picnicking at the beach, and experiencing

the fun and fabulous Noah’s Ark at a Jewish Cultural Center and Museum.

Here you can see the animals hanging out!

This elephant roared into life with a little help from Jacob.
And Allison cleaned up after the animals, with a little help from Amy.
It's a bummer of a job, but somebody's got to do it.
While the kids worked and played hard, Grandma and Amy supervised and took pictures, Grandpa and Gideon chilled out on a comfy swing.
As a bonus at the Museum, there was a Bob Dylan exhibit on loan from the Experience Music Project in Seattle- not too much fun for the kids until we ended up in an interactive gallery where we could re-mix Dylan songs, jam on guitars and drums, sing the vocals on hit songs, etc. Jacob and Allison loved it and we discovered that Jacob must have been a drummer in the pre-existence. Nobody had to teach him how to play! He jammed for at least half an hour!
We had a great afternoon at Ventura Beach, even though it was a little chilly.
We found a somewhat sheltered little nook and made castles in the sand.
Allison can't believe Jacob's awesome biceps!

We also had the fun of helping Amy celebrate her 30th birthday while we were there. It was a party for several days and one night, we tended for Tom’s big birthday surprise,
a date-night with Amy to attend “Wicked” in downtown L.A.
On our way home, we visited Death Valley. It was very different from what we had expected and very interesting- such a variety of terrains. I guess we really didn't get an understanding of the reason for Death Valley's notorious name since it was a little cool- even in Furnace Creek. There were dunes. . .

seemingly sculptured vistas. . .

The Devil's Golfcourse (a salty wasteland). . .

and the lowest point on the continent.

We saw Borax Canyon and toured the (mini) Borax Museum, hiked through some pretty great scenery, crunched on the salt flats, and toured Scotty’s Castle, where the guide did not “break character” for the 1 ½ hour tour. We just stepped back into the 1930’s to see the home of a world class con artist and his rich friend, who didn’t give a darn if he was duped.

We also stopped over in Las Vegas for a couple of nights. We had never seen all the big new resorts and attractions, so we thought it would be a fun diversion. I was pretty blown away by the Bellagio- especially the atrium (or conservatory).

We also enjoyed the Venetian- a little deja vous with its canals, gondolas, singing gondoliers,

and a mini St. Mark’s Square- minus the pigeons!

It was a little slice of heaven- enjoying the Bellagio fountains and Italian gelato.

Pretty amazing- Paris is in the background.

We stayed at the Orleans Resort, about a mile from the Strip. I found it for $55.00 a night on the internet, so we really wondered what it would be like. It was fabulous- a huge plush room, a wonderful fitness center, hot tub and pool, and a delicious, expansive, and inexpensive buffet. In addition, I had gotten some family names ready and we did an endowment session at the Las Vegas Temple and then were asked to stay and do a sealing session.

It was a great ending for a wonderful trip with lots of fun and meaningful experiences, lots of loving, and even some learning thrown in for good measure.

Wonderful Washington (D.C.)

David and I had the great opportunity of attending a credit union Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C. in March. It was a time of learning, politicizing, sightseeing, and many awesome experiences.

We started things off with a visit to the Chevy Chase Ward bright and early Sunday morning. A girl from our neighborhood is serving as a Page in the U.S. Senate and we had arranged to meet her on the Metro and ride out with her to Church.

Descending into Middle Earth? No, just the D.C. Metro

What a great experience this turned out to be. It was Testimony Meeting and the greater theme seemed to be about sharing the Gospel. Allie stood and shared how her testimony has grown as she has had to answer questions about the Church from her fellow Pages. She told about studying and praying in her closet at night after “lights out” to be able to answer her friends’ questions. We were very proud of her! And, a bonus for me was that when she came back to sit down beside me, I gave her a hug and then she snuggled up next to me. Obviously, this cute16 year-old, away from home for the first time and her family for 2 months, was in need of a mom figure and I was only too happy to fill in. David’s highlight was sitting and chatting with Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, in Priesthood Meeting. David commented that Harry was just a regular guy, a fellow High Priest participating in his Sunday meetings with no hoopla.

In this election year, it was an interesting time to be in the Nation’s Capitol. David was in meetings most of each day and was treated to addresses by wonderful speakers such as Colin Powell (who impressed David greatly), Senator Joseph Lieberman, and Dave Barry, and many other Senators and Representatives. A big important part of the week was visiting Capitol Hill. David was a part of the Utah delegation that visited all of our Utah Congressmen and Senators to keep credit unions on their “radar screens.” During one of his visits, I borrowed David’s conference badge and went to hear Chris Matthews, of MSN’s Hardball show. For being a very liberal Democratic commentator, he impressed me with his frank assessment of the current political campaigns and the leading contenders. One other highlight of the conference was a concert by the legendary band, America. It was a party!

David and I did have a little time for sightseeing. Sunday afternoon, we visited all the monuments, several of which were new to me.

A beautiful Sunday afternoon on the Mall

David with FDR

Later during the week, we had a late night tour of Washington with the “head hauncho” of the Utah League of Credit Unions. He previously worked in Senator Orrin Hatch’s office, so he really knew his way around and shared a lot of experiences with us.

Mr. Lincoln in his magnificent home

And so spectacular up close!

The Washington Monument and Capitol from the Lincoln Memorial

We also visited the National Indian Museum, the Phillips Collection (art gallery by all the embassies), and we loved the National Botanical Gardens, which we had never seen before.

The Orchid Festival at the National Botanical Gardens

I toured the National Gallery of Art on my own and a few other Smithsonian museums with the wives of other delegates from our credit union.

The magnificent Library of Congress

A Degas Ballerina at the National Gallery of Art

David was able to get tickets to the Senate Gallery for me and another wife, so we went through all the security and enjoyed sitting in the Gallery, watching Allie working as a Page. She came up to sit with us for a few minutes and gave a running commentary on what was going on and pointed out some highlights of the Senate Chamber. Then she got permission to take us on a tour of the Capitol.

The spectacular Capitol Rotunda

Me and Brigham in Statuary Hall

What a wonderful experience to have Alllie share her knowledge and love of this building!

Allie, Senate Page and Capitol Tour Guide Extraordinaire!

Bonus- we did not have to wait 6 months for a tour pass nor wait in a long line that day! Gotta love having friends in high places!