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.

Doctrine and Covenants 67:13-14

Continue in patience until ye are perfected. Let not your minds turn back; and when ye are worthy, in mine own due time, ye shall see and know that which was conferred upon you

this idea is possibly great !!

If you build it, they will come

This Talk I love because I have been thinking so much about preaching the gospel - and how much we all need to teach and be taught!

Even though I have been taught so much by the scriptures, the prophets, and the efforts of my family and friends, I often struggle to remember and so it is a great gift to have others teach me again and again - to remind me. In fact, that's why we have church, the scriptures, and the prophets - to continually cry repentance to us - so that we can REMEMBER.

Anyway, this specific talk by President Monson presents the idea of building bridges for each other - bridges to the gospel - and that if we build them, they (we!) will come.

I'm so grateful for the people who have built bridges for me and I hope that I can be more diligent and sincere in my efforts to build bridges for others.

p.s. The talk actually references Field of Dreams, so that's why I put the pic of the baseball field. PLUS it's summertime and who isn't in the mood to go to baseball games and watch Field of Dreams?????

p.p.s. My friend directed me to this talk by Elder Holland a few months ago, which is somewhat related.

Isaiah 12:3

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Quote of the Day

A thing will not really live unless it first dies. It is simply no good trying to keep any thrill: that is the very worst thing you can do. Let the thrill go--let it die away--go on through that period of death into the quieter interest and happiness that follow--and you will find you are living in a world of new thrills all the time. But if you decide to make thrills your regular diet and try to prolong them artificially, they will all get weaker and weaker, and fewer and fewer, and you will be a bored, disillusioned old man for the rest of your life.
C. S. Lewis

I really appreciate this quote today because I am feeling that my life is very boring all of the sudden ... and while I am grateful for the lack of drama, I don't see a lot of thrills or life changes coming up. I made so many changes in December/January (6 months ago), and I was so accustomed to the uncertainty of my Chicago traveling days, that this steady state is starting to make me antsy :)

Enter the aforementioned quote. This is a great time for me to put "my house in order" so to speak. Now is the time to work hard, discard old habits, adopt new ones, and invest my time and energy in building great things - because I am not distracted nor encumbered by changes and thrills - and to appreciate the small and simple things, or "thrills," that are all around me.

And, as we know all too well, Change always comes soon enough ...

Recent Resolution: No Soda

Seriously. So great. It's not a hard rule, but I haven't had one for like a month and it's fabulous. Reasons why I might have a soda:

- Work Event with drinks (drinking water can appear ungracious)
- Low Blood Sugar
- Soda Party (ask me about this later)

Quote of the Day

A righteous life requires discipline. Discipline is that characteristic which will give you the strength to avoid giving up what you want most in life for something you think you want now.
Richard G. Scott

Brady

Brady: the cutest picture ever

My nephew is cuter than your nephew (if you even have one)

go big or go home

So, I'm starting the year afresh (yes, I know it's practically June), but I'm feeling rejuvenated, and so it's time for a new motto!

Just a few ways I'm going big:
- golfing
- work
- missionary work
- dating

Quote of the Day

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.
- Atticus Finch ("To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee)

LOLCAT of the Day

A Lady Who Thinks She Is Thirty by Ogden Nash

Unwillingly Miranda wakes,
Feels the sun with terror,
One unwilling step she takes,
Shuddering to the mirror.

Miranda in Miranda's sight
Is old and gray and dirty;
Twenty-nine she was last night;
This morning she is thirty.

Shining like the morning star,
Like the twilight shining,
Haunted by a calendar,
Miranda is a-pining.

Silly girl, silver girl,
Draw the mirror toward you;
Time who makes the years to whirl
Adorned as he adored you.

Time is timelessness for you;
Calendars for the human;
What's a year, or thirty, to
Loveliness made woman?

Oh, Night will not see thirty again,
Yet soft her wing, Miranda;
Pick up your glass and tell me, then--
How old is Spring, Miranda?

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

---Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

iTunes Playlist

So Sorry (Feist)
Your Song (Kate Walsh)
Tiger, My Friend (Psapp)
Sea Legs (The Shins)
Gamble Everything (Ben Lee)
World Spins Madly On (The Weepies)
Fresh Feeling (The Eels)
Please Please Please (The Shout Out Louds)
Rally (Phoenix)
I'm the Man Who Loves You (Wilco)
Your Sweet Voice (The Reindeer Section)
Ice Age (Pete Yorn)
Set Adrift on Memory (PM Dawn)
Bitter (Jill Sobule)
Say it Right (Nelly Furtado)
Sweet Escape (Gwen Stefani)

Mark 10:26-31

26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, ^aWith men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are ^bpossible.

28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.

29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,

30 But he shall receive an ^ahundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

31 ^aBut many that are ^bfirst shall be last; and the last first.

TO DO: May

This is my to-do list for the rest of the month of May:

• Watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3
• Finish Acts (in the New Testament)
• Finish Harry Potter 6
• Clean my room
• Go to the Temple
• Pay my parking ticket...
  

LOLCAT of the day

Acts 2:42

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

I am reading the Acts immediately after having read the four gospels, and it is tremendous to see the power of the association the disciples have with the apostles. And how humbling it is to realize that we can enjoy that same doctrine and fellowship today - through the words of our living prophets and through the opportunity we have to pray and partake of the Sacrament each week.

John 3:30

He must increase, but I must decrease.

Quote of the Day

I see when men love women. They give them but a little of their lives. But women when they love give everything.
Oscar Wilde

LOLCAT of the Day

Aunt-dom continued

Here is a pretty cute picture of Grandpa & Brady:I get to hold him, too:

It's great being an aunt!

Matthew 9:36-38

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

LOLCAT of the Day

Joe Heller by Kurt Vonnegut

True story, Word of Honor:
Joseph Heller, an important and funny writer
now dead,
and I were at a party given by a billionaire
on Shelter Island.
I said, "Joe, how does it make you feel
to know that our host only yesterday
may have made more money
than your novel Catch-22
has earned in its entire history?"
And Joe said, "I've got something he can never have."
And I said, "What on earth could that be, Joe?"
And Joe said, "The knowledge that I've got enough."
Not bad! Rest in Peace!"

The New Yorker, May 16, 2005

Quote of the Day

A true gentleman is one who is never unintentionally rude.
Oscar Wilde

LOLCAT of the Day

Flickrvision

My brother just sent me this site:

http://flickrvision.com/

I find it fascinating!

More pictures of Brady

This is Brady in the nursery. He had to stay on antibiotics for awhile because of the trauma of the birth and because Laura is a carrier of Strep B.

I believe he is coming home today !!!

Isaiah 11:2-3

2 And the ^aspirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of ^bwisdom and ^cunderstanding, the spirit of ^dcounsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not ^ajudge ^bafter the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

David Copperfield (1999)

My parents bought the BBC production of David Copperfield a few years ago, and it has become a family favorite. It features Maggie Smith, Bob Hoskins, Daniel Radcliffe, and Ian McKellen. (Many of the actors/actresses are also in the Harry Potter movies.)

The movie inspired me to read the book, which thus far is my favorite Dickens novel.

It's 185 minutes total (2 episodes).

2 Nephi 9:50-52

Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters;
and he that hath no money, come buy and eat;
yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth,
nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy.
Hearken diligently unto me,
and remember the words which I have spoken;
and come unto the Holy One of Israel,
and feast upon that which perisheth not,
neither can be corrupted,
and let your soul delight in fatness.

Behold, my beloved brethren,
remember the words of your God;
pray unto him continually by day,
and give thanks unto his holy name by night.
Let your hearts rejoice.

Quote of the Day

And the turtles, of course... All the turtles are free - As turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.
Dr. Suess

LOLCAT of the day

There is a curious paradox

There is a curious paradox that no one can explain
Who understands the secret of the reaping of the grain
Who understands why spring is born out of winter's laboring pain
Or why we must all die a bit before we grow again.
I do not know the answer. I only know it's true.
I hurt them for that reason, and myself a little bit, too.
The Fantasticks

A weekend for the Ages

So this last weekend was, in the words of a good friend of mine,

epic

(to say the least.)

1. My friend Christina came into town to visit - we did some sightseeing in San Francisco and we saw Spiderman 3. This is me outside of the theatre, trying to steal Homer's movie candie... without success...
2. Saturday, I got my hair cut. Yes, I know, I'm kind of a big deal.
3. Sunday, I became officially single again :) ... :( .... :)

All this was just the preamble to my aunt-dom, which began on Tuesday!!!

Mary Poppins

I thought this was pretty funny :) I saw this the same day I bought the Mary Poppins DVD...

Quote of the Day

"I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!"
Dr. Suess

2 Nephi 32:9

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

LOLCAT of the Day

Isaiah

"And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not;

I will lead them in paths that they have not known:

I will make darkness light before them,

and crooked things straight.

These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them."

Isaiah 42:16

I love the words of Isaiah. I really cannot express enough the beauty of the Messianic scriptures we can find there. We have a loving Savior and Redeemer and we can know him better through these passages. Sometimes it can be hard to understand or connect with the idea that Jesus Christ and his Atonement are both very real, but in studying Isaiah, I know that I have reached a greater understanding of Jesus Christ's love for me - and have reached a greater threshold of faith.

"And 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."
Isaiah 58:11

Thank you, Trader Joe's!!

Have I mentioned before the great love I have for mochi ice cream?

Trader Joe's is the source of these delightful handheld ice creams. I highly recommend the strawberry :)

One of my favorite FREAKING people brought me the chocolate & the strawberry last night - woop woop!!

I just want to say

That it's good to be back !

Love After Love by Derek Walcott

The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

And say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Anne Taintor

So, I have mixed feelings about Anne Taintor. She is pretty funny, and I like the way she brings some retro pop art back, but the cynical/bitter edge to her humor sometimes turns me off.

but then I think sometimes that she's just expressing what we are "too nice" to say :)

LOLCAT of the Day

I didn't use to think these "lolcats" were that funny. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with pets, or this whole "online-speak" was kind of cryptic, but in the last year, they have started to get REALLY funny to me. As a result, I'm going to post some of my favorite ones periodically :)

And it begins...

My older sister Laura delivered

Bradley David "Brady" Lyle

around 10pm last night (May 8th, 2007)

Both mother and child are healthy.

He has Laura's hair (red), Brock's mouth, a cleft chin, and weighs 8 lbs, 6 oz. He is named for both of his Grandpas, Brad Lyle and David Thomas.

Here is a picture of the new family. My beautiful sister is now a mother - for mother's day:

It so happens

that I'm ba-a-a-ck :) expect some blog posts soon!

How adorable is my little sister?

I always take awkward pictures like these, but she looks adorable!!! I think it captures her personality - in that, the camera can't capture it!!

Here is a more posed, but equally cute, photo:



And here she is singing (or is that laughing?) with a mutual friend, Samantha.


Here's to charming sisters with cute noses and abundant personality!!