Merry Christmas

Isaiah 58

2 They take delight in approaching God
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?
4 Behold ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him?

9 Then shalt thou call , and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

13 And thou shalt call the sabbath a delight, and shalt honour the Lord, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.

Calvin & Hobbes

Merry Christmas

Love kt

Quote of the Day

tra il dire e il fare, c’è di mezzo il mare

An ocean lies between saying and doing

1 Kings 3:7

I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing by Richard G. Scott

Even if you exercise your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you. He loves you to a depth and completeness you cannot conceive of in your mortal state. Indeed, were you to know His entire plan, you would never ask for that which is contrary to it even though your feelings tempt you to do so. Sincere faith gives understanding and strength to accept the will of our Heavenly Father when it differs from our own. We can accept His will with peace and assurance, confident that His infinite wisdom surpasses our own ability to comprehend fully His plan as it unfolds a piece at a time.

Read the full talk here.

Reprise

Here.

Ecclesiastes 7:3

By the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

Seattle Report: Pike Place Market

Friday morning I flew to Seattle for Strawbs' wedding. My first time in Washington State!

Strawbs and (now) Mrs. Strawbs!

Pike Place Market

I went with my Nielson cousins in a bus to Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. Strawbs has 10 siblings (one is on a mission right now) and they and their spouses and I all piled in the bus. It was a nice bus. We crossed the water and had a great time listening to Strawbs give us a tour as we went downtown.

kt, delighted to be on the bus:

Lizzy's husband:

At Pike Place, we all piled out of the bus (at Pike & Pine) and split up. About half of us ate cheese together at Beecher's; cheese and mac & cheese (made with penne), and grilled cheese. My aunt Mary bought No Woman cheese. "A nutty Jamaican cheese with cloves and brown sugar." Yum.

Then, Strawbs & soon-to-be-Mrs. Strawbs took me to the fruit market, where I bought dried strawberries (wow!) and a comice pear. We also sampled white truffle oil, pumpkin butter, and lavendar raspberry jam.

The fruit was too beautiful:

We then went back to Pike & Pine and got hot chocolate and ginger snap cookies (giant three dollar cookies). They were so soft and good, I kept thinking about them all weekend and have not stopped thinking about them since.

Quote of the Day

Some look at the overwhelming need in the world and think, What can I do that could possibly make a difference?

I will tell you plainly one thing you can do. You can live the law of the fast and contribute a generous fast offering.

Joseph B. Wirthlin

BRB: gone to Seattle

for Strawbs' wedding!

Psalms 37:7

...fret not because another prospereth in the journey.

Joy: Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream and Sprinkles

This is the original, found only at Southern Kitchen. I make my own at Melville, of course =)

Gordon, Stu, Whitney, and I all went last Saturday ('s tradition). Here is the documented proof of our enjoyment:


Whitney:
Stuart:

Life is good.

Quote of the Day

The right way, like the wrong way, must be paid for.

The difference is that for the right way we pay in advance while for the wrong way we pay afterwards - a much higher and more painful price.

C.G. Jung

Quote of the Day

Cherish your spiritual burdens because God will converse with you through them and will use you to do his work if you carry them well.

Jeffrey R. Holland

Press Release: New Phone

What I mean is, I bought a new phone. Please, please, please email me your phone number (if you haven't already).

This picture is newly taken with the new camera phone:

Love

kt

p.s.

and I lost my cell phone. yep. I'm cool. Please email me your cell phone number....

love
kt

brb

I'm in the city that I love.

Be back on Monday!

Fasting & Prayer

"And they did pray for that which they most desired." - 3 Nephi 19:9

This summer I started fasting and praying more fervently. I think I always approached fasting and prayer more pragmatically in the past; I thought that fasting made sense in terms of paying offerings, as well as supporting the principles of health and sacrifice. Also, prayer, in my mind, was intended to unite my will with God's will.

While I still think that uniting my will with God's is the primary purpose of prayer - or at least that is the firstfruit of it, I learned this summer that perhaps I was missing something through my pragmatic assumptions.

I was reading about Alma (the younger) and his experience with receiving the visitation of an angel. I have always thought it was really interesting that he received an angel, when so many other waywards with potential do not. However, one of the things I noted is that Alma's father and the church had done much fasting and prayer for Alma - and that the angel was a result of their faith and prayers on his behalf. It was still up to Alma to receive the words of the Angel, but it was sent because of the prayers & fasting of those who loved him with the strength of faith.

"Pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." - James 5:16

This has changed the way I pray. I realize that now I can pray for the Holy Ghost to be sent to those I love. It is still up to them to receive the Holy Ghost, but if I increase my faith, I can be a blessing to those I pray for. I love this idea. Especially because I do not always know what to pray for when I am worried about my loved ones - sometimes I worry I am asking amiss. But with this, I know that the Holy Ghost will teach that person everything he or she needs - if he or she is willing to receive it. My faith and spiritual power is not great enough to send an angel (nor sure I would want to send one...), but I know that what I have, I can offer it to God and the Holy Ghost can use it to minister to me and those for whom I pray according to our individual needs. Whether that is comfort, feeling the love of God, repentance, forgiveness, bringing to their remembrance things they already know or believe to be true, the Spirit can teach it. It is a beautiful thing to consider that just as the Spirit teaches when we speak, it can bless when we pray. We can rely on the Holy Ghost to do what we cannot, where others are willing to receive it.

Fasting

I love this passage by Elder McConkie about the spiritual and physical components of fasting. It really helps me to apply the principles of prayer that I have learned to fasting:

Since the soul consists of both body and spirit (see D&C 88:15), we offer our whole souls when we place the desires of both body and spirit in subjection to the will of our Heavenly Father. Fasting and prayer help us to learn to control our appetites; they also help us to "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).

We should all give some attention to the matter of fasting. We haven't really called on the Lord so much that we can reach him intimately if we don't fast occasionally, and pray often. Many of our personal problems can be solved by so doing. Do you remember what the Savior said to his disciples who couldn't cast out the evil spirit, after they asked why they couldn't do it when Jesus had done it so easily? He replied, "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:21)

I have been fasting more regularly for the help and the spiritual strength that I need - as well as for those that I love and have been on my mind. I have seen firsthand that fasting and prayer does indeed send the spirit to those we pray for. And in this way, we really can be a blessing to them.

Blessings

Isaiah 58 teaches us that after we have fasted and taken care of the poor, that "The Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not."

We need to grow and increase in spiritual power and in the power of prayer and fasting. I know that as we do so we will be able to bless each other, grow and change, and also claim great spiritual gifts.

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ, that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure." - Moroni 7:47-48

Basically, life is good

Doctrine & Covenants 44:2

Inasmuch as they are faithful, and exercise faith in me, I will pour out my Spirit upon them.

Doctrine & Covenants 81:5

Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.

Speaking of Gordon

Isn't he delightful?

Stella's Wedding

Gordon and I went to our friend Stella's wedding in October. Gordon officiated and I simply helped out and had a good time :)

It was a really lovely wedding. I will post more pictures as they come, but here is a picture of the spread of cakes... aren't they lovely? I love the cake stands.

Halloween

I went to my family's ward Halloween party - and I got to show off Brady (who was a tiger). He is the cutest most definitely.

Here we are just walking around...
p.s.

The Great Commandment by Joseph B. Wirthlin

The measure of our love is the measure of the greatness of our souls... The most cherished and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit of love. The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy. In the end, the development of such love is the true measure of success in life.

Read the full talk here.

chocolate cake for breakfast

Anyone else thinking of Bill Cosby right now?

James 5:16

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

This Ottoman is 10 times better than you!

Because it's been too long...


enjoy!

Boldness

I wrote this in February, but just found it. I've been thinking a lot about Visiting Teaching lately - well, for years now - I love it!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was talking with a very dear friend of mine about what I've learned through visiting teaching in 2006/2007 - how while we sometimes make being "buddy buddy" our primary goal with those who we are trying to encourage, it is in fact the doctrine and the witness of the Holy Ghost which will really change hearts. There was a specific quote in the VTing message in February 2007 about the difference between being "convinced" and being "converted" - so it all reminded me of this.

We discussed that when we are fellowshipping, YES we need to build friendships, but MOST importantly we have a responsibility to testify boldly and to teach/discuss doctrine. I think sometimes we are self-conscious or think that boldness would be inappropriate or overbearing, but I know that we can be bold and sensitive at the same time - and in fact boldness is EVERYWHERE in the New Testament.

Below are some examples. I did a search on boldness and these were the results that stood out to me:

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/acts/4/13#13
I think sometimes we feel inadequate to testify, so this is comforting.

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/eph/6/19#19

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/philip/1/20#20
I REALLY LOVE this scripture, and I don't remember having noticed it before.

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/8/16#16
It occurred to me, as I read this, that if we have perfect love for those we are testifying to, then we shouldn't be self-conscious / fear having boldness.

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/38/12#12
The same idea, about not being bold, yet not overbearing.

Link to the search: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/search?search=boldness&do=Search

Truth Restored

mormon.org

what you will find...

Press Release: kt quits facebook

"I feel good about it," commented kt.

2 Samuel 22: 36

Thy gentleness hath made me great.

------------------------------------------------

This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Les Miserables and something else I've been thinking a lot about.

That to be gentle is to be godly - and how Jesus Christ really is the perfect example of love and gentleness. When he said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," he really understood that they in fact didn't know what they were doing. And that none of us really know. We're clumsy and negligent and simply do our "sawdust best."

And the opposite of clumsiness - that is to be gentle, to be kind, loving, and careful. And that is godliness, that is greatness.

1 Kings 3:5-14

5 In ^aGibeon the LORD ^bappeared to Solomon in a ^cdream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a ^alittle child: I know not how to go out or come in.

8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a ^agreat people, that cannot be ^bnumbered nor counted for multitude.

9 Give therefore thy servant an ^aunderstanding ^bheart to judge thy people, that I may ^cdiscern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked ^ariches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine ^benemies; but hast asked for thyself ^cunderstanding to discern judgment;

12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have ^agiven thee a ^bwise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both ^ariches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my ^acommandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

----------

I love this passage because again and again I see in the scriptures how much the Lord values a pure heart and humility. He is so pleased that Solomon is humbly asking for discernment and wisdom that he may judge righteously. The Lord is anxious to bless us and pour His Spirit upon our heads: he looks only to see if we will turn our hearts to Him and if we will come be His people. He gives every good gift that we seek.

Quote of the Day

Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but rather when there is nothing more to take away.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I love this quote because it makes me think of purification - goodness is not so much a matter of "collecting" good qualities, so much as purifying what we are. I think many of our strengths are also our weaknesses simply because they are not pure. For example, someone may be outgoing and friendly with some self-centeredness. It's not a matter of changing one's personality, but perhaps simply purifying it. I want to do this!

Quote of the Day

Let's face it a good heart burst is nice.
RM

iTunes Playlist

October, First Account (Be Your Own Pet)
No I in Threesome (Interpol)
If You're Wondering (Eisley)
Give a Little Love (Rilo Kiley)
The Heart's a Lonely Hunter (Thievery Corporation)
Little Flowers (Denison Witmer)

Quote of the Day

It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required.
Winston Churchill

Quote of the Day

We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today, our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever.
Joseph B. Wirthlin

Quote of the Day

The reward of one duty is the power to fulfill another.
George Eliot

Quote of the Day

Men are all worms. But I do believe that I am a glow-worm.
Winston Churchill

Galatians 6:7-8

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Just so you know

I am already booked for weddings on these dates in 2008:
August 29
August 30

So don't even think about getting married on either of those dates if you want me to be there.

I'm just saying.

i am a little church(no great cathedral) by E. E. Cummings

i am a little church(no great cathedral)
far from the splendor and squalor of hurrying cities
-i do not worry if briefer days grow briefest,
i am not sorry when sun and rain make april

my life is the life of the reaper and the sower;
my prayers are prayers of earth's own clumsily striving
(finding and losing and laughing and crying)children
whose any sadness or joy is my grief or my gladness

around me surges a miracle of unceasing
birth and glory and death and resurrection:
over my sleeping self float flaming symbols
of hope,and i wake to a perfect patience of mountains

i am a little church(far from the frantic
world with its rapture and anguish)at peace with nature
-i do not worry if longer nights grow longest;
i am not sorry when silence becomes singing

winter by spring,i lift my diminutive spire to
merciful Him Whose only now is forever:
standing erect in the deathless truth of His presence
(welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness)

Quote of the Day

Daily hope is vital, since the 'Winter Quarters' of our lives are not immediately adjacent to our promised land. ...An arduous trek still awaits, but hope spurs weary disciples on. Those with true hope often see their personal circumstances shaken, like kaleidoscopes, again and again. Yet with the 'eye of faith,' they still see divine pattern and purpose.
Neal A. Maxwell

LOLCAT of the day

Press Release: kt's new church calling -or- life's tender mercies (or jokes)

...as discussed via email

Subject: Fascinating
So, I just realized, you are RSP and B [ex-boyfriend] is EQP... how do you feel about that? Is everyone asking you that question?
M

my reply:

hahaha. well, I have gotten some funny smiles :)

First of all, I'm delighted that the Lord has such a great sense of humor. And as I think about it, I think I would have done the same thing in His position. I feel like the tender mercies in my life are often little "jokes" and ironies - the Lord must know that I dearly love to laugh and that I love to have stories to share... so from that perspective, I'm delighted.

Secondly, I mean, we've talked a bit about my experience with getting called - sometime we should talk more about that, because this actually makes it even more miraculous - the context, I mean.

Thirdly, I think B is fabulous and so I'm way excited that I get to be real friends with him again. Whereas we often "archive" our past relationships, I look at this one as simply "overwriting" what was before into something different.

And so, I say,
life unfolds
the Lord is wise
and hooray for good stories!

K

Doctrine & Covenants 42:61

If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.

This, then, is happiness

Deuteronomy 30:11-14

For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not ^ahidden from thee, neither is it far off.

It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy ^aheart, that thou mayest do it.

The Sweetest Thing

My baby sister with my baby nephew. *love*

LOLCAT of the day

Alma 34:26-27

But this is not all; ye must ^apour out your souls in your ^bclosets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.

Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your ^ahearts be ^bfull, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your ^cwelfare, and also for the welfare of ^dthose who are around you.

Quote of the Day

Why has your moral agency been given to you? Only to live a pleasurable life and to make choices to do the things you want to do? Or is there a more fundamental reason—to be able to make the choices that will lead you to fully implement your purpose for being here on earth and to establish priorities in your life that will assure the development and happiness the Lord wants you to receive.
Richard G. Scott

Read the talk here.

Quote of the Day

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
Einstein

Thanks, Gordon :)

People are good

When I worked at eBay they had recently come out with this Ad Campaign. I love it.

Why?Because people ARE good !

one shall sow, another shall reap

Over Labor Day weekend, I was visiting my grandfather in Arizona, and in discussing the concept of "one shall sow, and another shall reap," he pulled out this excerpt about one of his contacts when he served his mission in Argentina. He let me keep a copy :)

Reginald Dorff served a mission to Argentina in the early 1950s when baptisms were few.

In 1950, Venado Tuerto, Argentina, there were no latter-day saints, except the missionaries who had established a beautiful nucleus of more than 60 friends and investigators. Sunday worship services were held, with all prayers, music, sermons, presented byt he elder missionaries. During that time, la Senorita Paulina Quiriquino, previously taught by Elder Rodney Bradshaw and his companion, requested baptism on October 19, 1950.

District meetings in Rosario saw Paulina and Elders Robert Reese and Reginald Dorff in that city, December, 23, 1950, where her baptism was approved. Elders Reese and Dorff were detained and unable to reach the river-side baptism on time, and President Lyman Wilson performed his first and only baptism. He traveled much on behalf of mission president Harold Brown. President Lyman was soon to complete his mission, and early in his mission Elder Dorff had baptized another missionary's candidate. This was his only baptism in 35 months, so the Lord has ways to 'balance the books.'

In 1978, the Dorff family drove 40,000 miles from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires and had a wonderful reunion with Hermana Quiriquino. She had just been released from a stake mission in which she brought 150 converts to baptism.

What great influence we can have in simply teaching each other who we are and the love that Heavenly Father has for us. The aim is to serve and love each other truly and sincerely - regardless of what the results are.

Job 27:3-6

All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. ... My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

To My Valentine by Ogden Nash

More than a catbird hates a cat,
Or a criminal hates a clue,
Or the Axis hates the United States,
That's how much I love you.

I love you more than a duck can swim,
And more than a grapefruit squirts,
I love you more than a gin rummy is a bore,
And more than a toothache hurts.

As a shipwrecked sailor hates the sea,
Or a juggler hates a shove,
As a hostess detests unexpected guests,
That's how much you I love.

I love you more than a wasp can sting,
And more than the subway jerks,
I love you as much as a beggar needs a crutch,
And more than a hangnail irks.

I swear to you by the stars above,
And below, if such there be,
As the High Court loathes perjurious oathes,
That's how you're loved by me.

Quote of the Day

I will give out divers schedules of my beauty. It shall be inventoried; and every particle and utensil labeled to my will: as, item, two lips indifferent red; item, two grey eyes, with lids to them; item, one neck, one shin, and so forth.
- Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare

I'm back!

I had so much fun on my trip to Arizona last year, that I went for Labor Day again this year.

This time I spent the entire time in Mesa & Tempe. I did see the ASU/SJSU football game. 30 Yard Line. Second Row. Thank you, Davey J :)

And I missed the heat wave in California, so now I'm back to a cool 70 degrees and I'm ready for Fall!

Flashback

Remember this?

I still think it's true. I'm just saying.

Golden Birthday!!!

Today is my favorite older brother's birthday!

30 on the 30th :)

Happy Birthday, golden boy! (now get yourself a wife!)

Quote of the Day

Once you realize life is hard, it gets easier.
- some guy who called into the Dennis Prager Show

Book Club Voting

So I am hypothetically part of a book club and today I am presenting books for the club to choose from for September's read. These are their options:

The Woman Warrior
Maxine Hong Kingston
Length: 209 pages
Probably best compared to The Joy Luck Club, although I was not fond of that at all, and I really love this book. It is fictionalized Chinese memoirs interspersed with the myth of Fa Mulan. Really, really great to read and to analyse. Some great prose and imagery.

Franny & Zooey
JD Salinger
Length: 202 pages
VERY different from Catcher in the Rye – actually reminds me very much of the Royal Tenenbaums in terms of tone/style. Lots of cursing (like Catcher in the Rye), but one of my favorite books. Quick read.

Quote of the Day

Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.
Marvin J. Ashton

My Nephew: Brady

LOLCAT of the day

Quote of the Day

Help us, O Lord, to remember thy love for us and help us to be fortified by thy strength when our eyes are blurred with tears of sorrow and our vision is limited.
Marvin J. Ashton

A Vision of Service by V. Dallas Merrell

Service is one evidence of Christ’s true and living Church, even His holy mark upon us as a people.

Charity is not just works or gift giving, but a condition of the soul, a quality of our character. The gift of charity flows from God as He reveals His love for us, and from our reciprocating—feeling love for God, His work, and His children.

We serve according to the circumstances and seasons of our lives, even as we speak well of others, teach a class, express gratitude, share good thoughts, bear testimony, refuse gossip, remember people’s names, and pray for others. These are the essence of authentic charity.

Devoted service and discipleship are the same.

Once we have the gift of charity, once we have received all ordinances, and once we have claim on all blessings and all things from the Father, our only possible work and glory is to serve and bless others. To serve is our ultimate and eternal destiny.

In speaking of Jesus Christ, President Gordon B. Hinckley focused on the quality of our own lives—what we who profess to follow the Savior should be: “As His followers, we cannot do a mean or shoddy or ungracious thing without tarnishing His image. Nor can we do a good and gracious and generous act without burnishing more brightly the symbol of Him whose name we have taken upon ourselves.

“Our lives must become a symbol of meaningful expression, the symbol of our declaration of our testimony of the living Christ, the Eternal Son of the living God.

“It is that simple, my brethren and sisters. It is that profound, and we should never forget it” (Ensign, Apr. 1994, 5).

Read the full talk here.

A Weekend for the Ages

This weekend was a very special one. One to always remember...

Allison isn't pictured here because she and Brady were having some qt down in lg. But I was surrounded by family and friends and it was a beautiful day.

Quote of the Day

Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of wonder and awe—rather than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance.
Neal A. Maxwell

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19, 21

^aRejoice evermore.

^aPray without ceasing.

In every thing give ^athanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

^aQuench not the ^bSpirit.

^aProve all things; hold fast that which is good.

James 1:27

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

LOLCAT of the day

Quote of the Day

You do not need everything that you might wish. And the very struggle of your younger years will bring a sweetness and security to your later life.
Gordon B. Hinckley

Read the talk here.

Galations 5:22

But the ^afruit of the ^bSpirit is ^clove, ^djoy, ^epeace, ^flongsuffering, ^ggentleness, goodness, ^hfaith,

Doctrine & Covenants 42:61

If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive ^arevelation upon revelation, ^bknowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the ^cmysteries and ^dpeaceable things—that which bringeth ^ejoy, that which bringeth life eternal.

Quote of the Day

The gift of the Holy Ghost . . . quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.
Parley P. Pratt

Isaiah 43:25-26

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
Put me in remembrance: let us plead together

LOLCAT of the day

each unhappy client is unhappy in its own way

And that's the quote of the day. I believe Tolstoy said "family" but client fits better...

He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by William Butler Yeats

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

This poem was quoted at the wedding I went to on Wednesday. I love the imagery of the cloths of heaven.

Touched by an Angel by Maya Angelou

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

iTunes Playlist

Pioneer to the Falls (Interpol)
RebellionLies (Arcade Fire)
Stolen (Dashboard Confessional)
I Feel it All (Feist)
Here (In Your Arms) (Hellogoodbye)
Starlight (Muse)
Sleep Lessons (The Shins)

1 Click Award (Japan)

My friend sent this to me today.

hehehe

To My Wife - with a Copy of My Poems by Oscar Wilde

I can write no stately proem
As a prelude to my lay;
From a poet to a poem
I would dare to say.

For if of these fallen petals
One to you seem fair,
Love will waft it till it settles
On your hair.

And when wind and winter harden
All the loveless land,
It will whisper of the garden,
You will understand.

Romans 4:20-21

20 He ^astaggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had ^apromised, he was able also to perform.

Short Hiatus

I apologize, but I have been slightly distracted, hence no posts...

Reasons (Excuses)

• catching up at work
  
• planning my ward campout this Friday
  
• hanging out with my brother who is in town
• cooking for the missionaries

I really, really want to read HP7 - even more than I want to blog... Hopefully I'll get to do both later this week... stay tuned!

Alma 37: 17

For he will fulfill all his promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers.

My Birthday (revisited)

My camera has been broken for a long while, which is why I rarely have any pictures on here, but now and again I snake pictures from my friends.

Just today I discovered that one of my favorite people out here in Palo Alto has a blog... AND she posted pictures of us flying kites (back in March). For those of you who remember the Birthday Waffle Party, she brought me a mermaid kite as a birthday present and this was my first chance to go fly it. As you can see, I was pretty excited:

And here is Jess with her shark kite....

iTunes Playlist

Your Ex-Lover is Dead (Stars)
Fidelity (Regina Spektor)
Faith (George Michael)
Bouncin' Back (Mystikal)
Hole in My Head (Dixie Chicks)
Girlfriend (N*Sync)
Umbrella (Scott Simons)
LDN (Lily Allen)
Where Soul Meets Body (Death Cab for Cutie)
Poison (Bell Biv Devoe)

Patience by Neal A. Maxwell

The seeming flat periods of life give us a blessed chance to reflect upon what is past as well as to be readied for some rather stirring climbs ahead. Instead of grumbling and murmuring, we should be consolidating and reflecting, which would not be possible if life were an uninterrupted sequence of fantastic scenery, confrontive events, and exhilarating conversation.
Patience helps us to use, rather than to protest, these seeming flat periods of life, becoming filled with quiet wonder over the past and with anticipation for that which may lie ahead, instead of demeaning the particular flatness through which we may be passing at the time. We should savor even the seemingly ordinary times, for life cannot be made up all of kettledrums and crashing cymbals. There must be some flutes and violins. Living cannot be all crescendo; there must be some dynamic contrast.

Read the full talk here.

Personality Test

Mouse over the blocks to see the results. The top left-hand corner is a shocker

You can take the test by clicking the link below the blocks...



My full Report

Patience, a Key to Happiness by Joseph B. Wirthlin

We will have genuine joy and happiness only as we learn patience.

Dictionaries define patience in such terms as bearing pain or sorrow calmly or without complaint; not being hasty or impetuous; being steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity.

I believe that a lack of patience is a major cause of the difficulties and unhappiness in the world today. Too often, we are impatient with ourselves, with our family members and friends, and even with the Lord. We seem to demand what we want right now, regardless of whether we have earned it, whether it would be good for us, or whether it is right.

We should not be unduly discouraged nor in despair at any time when we are doing the best we can. Rather, we should be satisfied with our progress even though it may come slowly at times.

We should be patient in developing and strengthening our testimonies. Rather than expecting immediate or spectacular manifestations, though they will come when needed, we should pray for a testimony, study the scriptures, follow the counsel of our prophet and other Church leaders, and live the principles of the gospel. Our testimonies then will grow and mature naturally, perhaps imperceptibly at times, until they become driving forces in our lives.

Read the full talk here.

Quote of the Day

Love is the greatest refreshment in life.
Picasso

LOLCAT of the Day

Quote of the Day

Straightway is a power word. Straightway is an action word. It means immediately, without delay or hesitation. It means at once. Also, it is associated with having no curve or turn—a straight course, track, or path.
Marvin J. Ashton

Read the entire talk here

Out of the Office: Washington, DC

I'm traveling for work this week.

I arrived in DC on Friday night. Saturday was hot and glorious. Activities included:

- Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton
- Shopping in Georgetown (hello, Anthropologie & J. Crew)
- Matinee showing of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (My favorite modern play. Second row seats. Fabulous.)
- Dinner at el pollo rico (made complete with orange Fanta)
- Buying loads of fresh fruit for waffles on Sunday
- A Saturday evening in with Miss Jocelyn and Miss Potter

And now I've checked into the Hay Adams, which "overlooks nothing except the White House."

My room is VERY SMALL, yet very charming and I have a delightful week to look forward to (read: Harry Potter birthday party, not to mention 3 novels I have packed in my bag).

Dearest California, I'll see you Thursday night!

LOLCAT of the Day

Rubber Duckies

This article, sent to me by Gordon today, just delights me.

And the [Rubber Duckies], of course...all the [Rubber Duckies] are free. As [Rubber Duckies] and, maybe, all creatures should be.
Dr. Seuss

LOLCAT of the Day

I know you've missed these...

Psalms 30:5

Weeping may endure for a night, but ^bjoy cometh in the morning.

The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust more dead leaves fall,.
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold and dark and dreary.
It rains and the wind is never weary.
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past.
And youth's fond hopes fall thick in the blast.
And my life is dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart and cease repining
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining
Thy fate is the common fate of all
Into each life some rain must fall
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Chi-Town Kid: Don't be a Me Monster

Greetings from the Chi-Town Kid.

I am that random friend kt has told everyone about that lives in Chicago. If you don't know the story, ask her. She would love to tell it again.

I post today on a phenomenon I like to call the Me Monster.

Preamble

Have you ever wondered about those kids that talk all the time? I have always been curious as to how an individual could possibly talk for so long. Most of us, after a while, reach a point in a conversation where we're simply done talking. Not necessarily done talking with you, or your friend, or my sister for that matter, just done talking - either because it's your turn to talk or because there is simply nothing else to say. Even if I'm tempted to keep talking, then I might stop and ask myself, "Does any of this even matter?" or "Am I boring you? Well, let me stop then."

I have come to the conclusion that individuals who can ramble on forever and ever and not get tired of hearing themselves speak, and relate mostly boring stories, are Me Monsters.

I would like to point out that allthough these individuals seem to be quite self-centered, the size of the ego is the least disconcerting. The disturbing part of it all is that this creature is boring: the conversation has derailed.

Examples
Let's say you are at a party just chatting away with friends. You start telling a lovely story about how your uncle has a small plane and let you fly last weekend. Next thing you know, some individual (read: "Me Monster") has overheard your conversation, and must outdo you. It turns out this kid has been on a space ship to the moon (!?!). So, you think to yourself, that was awkward, but you shrug it off and just move on to the next story. By this time, however, he has moved in closer. This time you begin telling of the time you went to Anaheim Stadium and got Vlad's autograph. Again, before the period is placed on your last sentence, he comes in with his story about going out to dinner with the entire New York Yankee team. This is where you withdraw - and allow the Me Monster to dominate the conversation.

I'm sure you can see there could be an endless number of scenarios where the Me Monster could rear it's ugly head.

What a sad little party it would be if this little beauty didn't exist. Can you imagine?

<-- Example of Me Monsters attacking your conversation

Doctrine and Covenants 111:11

Therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them.

Flashback: Mr. Men

Did anyone else read books like Mr. Happy and Mr. Messy growing up?

They're almost exclusively in the UK now (I believe they are French originally).

I love 'em.

Quote of the Day

There are flowers everywhere, for those who bother to look.
Henri Matisse

Married by Jack Gilbert

I came back from the funeral and crawled
around the apartment, crying hard,
searching for my wife's hair.
For two months got them from the drain,
from the vacuum cleaner, under the refrigerator,
and off the clothes in the closet.
But after other Japanese women came,
there was no way to be sure which were
hers, and I stopped. A year later,
repotting Michiko's avocado, I find
a long black hair tangled in the dirt.

Moroni 8:25-26

25 And the first fruits of ^arepentance is ^bbaptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth ^cremission of sins;

26 And the remission of sins bringeth ^ameekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the ^bHoly Ghost, which ^cComforter ^dfilleth with hope and perfect ^elove, which love endureth by ^fdiligence unto ^gprayer, until the end shall come, when all the ^hsaints shall dwell with God.

Quote of the Day

I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.
Oscar Wilde

Secularization & Families

Gordon sent me this article today.

It's quite long, but very thought provoking. The article contests the general axiom that religiosity leads to focus on / large families, and suggests that perhaps large families lead to religiosity.

An especially interesting read from a doctrinal perspective, as well as within the context of the The Family: A Proclamation to the World

... not to mention Malachi 4

Alma 32:13

And now, because ye are compelled to be humble, blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.

CTA

My life is governed by the train
The routine of the populus

My life is governed by numbers
7:14
4:39
The train's timetable

As I descend into the tunnel
and climb into my train
I feel a surge of happiness

I am in the company of strangers
Who share my life

Together we enter
Together we exit

And we are each of us a part of something big
and strong
and forceful
and alive

In these moments of secure anonymity
I can look around me
holding my bag
holding my book
with ticket in hand
and gripping the rail
and I can smile with sweet confidence
that I own what I hold

High Flight by John Gillespie Magee Jr.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds—and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle, flew;
And while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high, untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

(My mother sent me this poem this morning along with the following note:)

An American volunteer with the Royal Canadian Air Force, 19-year-old John Magee was killed on December 11, 1941.

This poem was much quoted and remembered right after the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle in the 1980s.

Quote of the Day

I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.
Augusten Burroughs

Helaman 3:35

Nevertheless they did ^afast and ^bpray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their ^chumility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the ^dpurifying and the ^esanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their ^fyielding their hearts unto God.

Prelude by James Russell Lowell

(technically it's Prelude to The Vision of Sir Launfal)

Over his keys the musing organist,
Beginning doubtfully and far away,
First lets his fingers wander as they list,
And builds a bridge from Dreamland for his lay:
Then, as the touch of his loved instrument
Gives hope and fervor, nearer draws his theme,
First guessed by faint auroral flushes sent
Along the wavering vista of his dream.

Not only around our infancy
Doth heaven with all its splendors lie;
Daily, with souls that cringe and plot,
We Sinais climb and know it not.

Over our manhood bend the skies;
Against our fallen and traitor lives
The great winds utter prophecies;
With our faint hearts the mountain strives;
Its arms outstretched, the druid wood
Waits with its benedicite;
And to our age's drowsy blood
Still shouts the inspiring sea.

Earth gets its price for what Earth gives us;
The beggar is taxed for a corner to die in,
The priest hath his fee who comes and shrives us,
We bargain for the graves we lie in;
At the devil's booth are all things sold,
Each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold;
For a cap and bells our lives we pay,
Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking:
'T is heaven alone that is given away,
'T is only God may be had for the asking;
No price is set on the lavish summer;
June may be had by the poorest comer.

And what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days;
Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly her warm ear lays:
Whether we look, or whether we listen,
We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;
Every clod feels a stir of might,
An instinct within it that reaches and towers,
And, groping blindly above it for light,
Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers;
The flush of life may well be seen
Thrilling back over hills and valleys;
The cowslip startles in meadows green,
The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice,
And there's never a leaf nor a blade too mean
To be some happy creature's palace;
The little bird sits at his door in the sun,
Atilt like a blossom among the leaves,
And lets his illumined being o'errun
With the deluge of summer it receives;
His mate feels the eggs beneath her wings,
And the heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings;
He sings to the wide world, and she to her nest,--
In the nice ear of Nature which song is the best?

Now is the high-tide of the year,
And whatever of life hath ebbed away
Comes flooding back with a ripply cheer,
Into every bare inlet and creek and bay;
Now the heart is so full that a drop over-fills it,
We are happy now because God wills it;
No matter how barren the past may have been,
'Tis enough for us now that the leaves are green;
We sit in the warm shade and feel right well
How the sap creeps up and the blossoms swell;
We may shut our eyes, but we cannot help knowing
That skies are clear and grass is growing;
The breeze comes whispering in our ear,
That dandelions are blossoming near,
That maize has sprouted, that streams are flowing,
That the river is bluer than the sky,
That the robin is plastering his house hard by;
And if the breeze kept the good news back,
For other couriers we should not lack;
We could guess it all by yon heifer's lowing, --
And hark! how clear bold chanticleer,
Warmed with the new wine of the year,
Tells all in his lusty crowing!

Joy comes, grief goes, we know not how;
Everything is happy now,
Everything is upward striving;
'T is as easy now for the heart to be true
As for grass to be green or skies to be blue, --
'T is the natural way of living:
Who knows whither the clouds have fled?
In the unscarred heaven they leave no wake;
And the eyes forget the tears they have shed,
The heart forgets its sorrow and ache;
The soul partakes the season's youth,
And the sulphurous rifts of passion and woe
Lie deep 'neath a silence pure and smooth,
Like burnt-out craters healed with snow.

Quote of the Day

Excerpt from Chapter 10 of "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett

One of these nights, when [Sara] came up to the attic cold and hungry, with a tempest raging in her young breast, Emily's stare seemed so vacant, her sawdust legs and arms so inexpressive, that Sara lost all control over herself. There was nobody but Emily-- no one in the world. And there she sat.

"I shall die presently," she said at first.

Emily simply stared.

"I can't bear this," said the poor child, trembling. "I know I shall die. I'm cold; I'm wet; I'm starving to death. I've walked a thousand miles today, and they have done nothing but scold me from morning until night. And because I could not find that last thing the cook sent me for, they would not give me any supper. Some men laughed at me because my old shoes made me slip down in the mud. I'm covered with mud now. And they laughed. Do you hear?"

She looked at the staring glass eyes and complacent face, and suddenly a sort of heartbroken rage seized her. She lifted her little savage hand and knocked Emily off the chair, bursting into a passion of sobbing--Sara who never cried.

"You are nothing but a DOLL!" she cried. "Nothing but a doll-- doll--doll! You care for nothing. You are stuffed with sawdust. You never had a heart. Nothing could ever make you feel. You are a DOLL!"

Emily lay on the floor, with her legs ignominiously doubled up over her head, and a new flat place on the end of her nose; but she was calm, even dignified. Sara hid her face in her arms. The rats in the wall began to fight and bite each other and squeak and scramble. Melchisedec was chastising some of his family.

Sara's sobs gradually quieted themselves. It was so unlike her to break down that she was surprised at herself. After a while she raised her face and looked at Emily, who seemed to be gazing at her round the side of one angle, and, somehow, by this time actually with a kind of glassy-eyed sympathy. Sara bent and picked her up. Remorse overtook her. She even smiled at herself a very little smile.

"You can't help being a doll," she said with a resigned sigh, "any more than Lavinia and Jessie can help not having any sense. We are not all made alike. Perhaps you do your sawdust best." And she kissed her and shook her clothes straight, and put her back upon her chair.