Card Catalogue - #1

For my Young Adult Lit. class we're supposed to read 30 young adult books, and keep a card catalogue. Since there is so much interest in books amongst my blogging friends and relatives, I decided I would include the card catalogue on here. I know you're all adults, but some of these books I think everyone should read and would thoroughly enjoy. Also, at least in Mum's situation, trying to have a good repetoir of book titles ready for Kait is a task the whole family needs to be a part of. (I'm sure she can find them at the library, but don't let her read The Looking Glass Wars because it's coming to her sometime soon here.)

Slumming - By Kristen D. Randle

Sam, Nikki, and Alicia, the only three LDS seniors in their high school, decide to take on a "human experiment" as a way to make a difference in their last few weeks in school. They each choose one person to help "release" their inner glory, and then in three weeks they'll take them to prom. They soon realize their "lost souls" hold much more in store than the friends ever imagined. The stresses of their projects begin to take a toll on their own friendship, but the three do learn much about who they are and what they are capable of. They find within themselves new depths of understanding, bravery, and trust. (Kristen D. Randle is an LDS author, but don't worry, the book doesn't suck.) 

Other books by Kristen D. Randle: The Only Alien on the Planet, Breaking Rank, On the side of the angels, and Why Did Grandma Have to Die?

Incantation - By Alice Hoffman

Estrella de Madrigal is a young woman living in Spain when the Spanish Inquisition breaks into her small village. In the beginning, she thought she was only a spectator - simply looking on and pitying the misfortune of those who were so deeply affected by the horrible decree of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Suddenly, Estrella discovers secrets about her family and their past that will change her life forever.

Other books by Alice Hoffman: Green Angel, Aquamarine, Skylight, Confessions, and Practical Magic

The Looking Glass Wars - By Frank Beddor   

Alice Liddle's tales of Wonderland and the queendom she is meant to rule are just too far-fetched to believe. Finally, she finds a man who is willing to listen - Reverend Charles Dodgeson, who becomes youn Alice's friend. He tells her he will write her stories down in a book, and it will be their story. Alice is so excited to have finally found someone to believe her. Her heart is broken when she realizes it's not her story at all, but a twisted, bizarre fairytale for children. 

Follow Alyss Heart as she is rushed out of Wonderland into the world of Earth. Here she must trive to remember her true self and the throne that is rightfully hers, until she can find a way to return and overthrow her evil aunt, Queen Redd. (It's the first book in the series. I haven't read the other two yet, but this book was SO MUCH FUN! I loved it! I'm not sure that the last book has been published, I can't find the title. If anyone knows, let me in on that secret!)

The cult-like following of The Looking Glass Wars: Seeing Redd (book 2), Hatter M. (a limited comic book series), Princess Alyss of Wonderland. Also visit www.lookingglasswars.com. It's pretty crazy. People love this book.

The Moves Make the Man - By Bruce Brooks

Jerome Foxworthy - aka: Jayfox, is tough enough to take anything, just as long as he can play basketball. But when the schools decide to integrate, and Jerome is the one and only black kid in his high school, playing ball is no longer an option. He has no friends, no fun, and no team to work with. Until he meets Bix Rivers that is. No two friends were more different, but their differences allow Jerome to help his new-found friend through the toughest times of high school. **NEWBERY HONOR BOOK**

More by Bruce Brooks: Boys Will Be

Mal's Moments of Madness

So, I've finally started going back to the gym. Good grief, it's taken me long enough! I was amazing at it last Fall, I went at least three times a week with Angela. Then I went to Saipan for Christmas, and when I got back in January, I was down to three times a semester, and the occasional game of basketball. I've been meaning to get back, but it wasn't until last Sunday, when I showed them this ad in a magazine of mine.



"By the end of Fall semester, guys. Fall semester." Kenneth and Anton scoffed, as did Amber and Jamie, but Kyle said,
"Hey, if you can do that by the end of Fall, I'll do handstand push-ups. Those can be our goals."

Typical Kyle answer to something like that. I'm pretty sure he really thinks I can do anything. I mean, I'm fairly certain that I can actually do this - whether or not it's on a Pyrex 2-cup measure, we'll see when the time comes.


The following Monday I thought to myself, it's been a while since I've even attempted a handstand. I guess I should start out with that. Yeah... after four or five tries I finally got my legs up high enough and straight enough, and tight enough so that I was actually in a real handstand. It lasted for about 3 seconds.


This may be a little harder than I thought.


I've been doing handstands in my room every day since. I'm still not holding them much longer than 7 seconds. Not to mention in order to do the pose above I'm going to have to move slowly, which means there going to be some major expectations on just my upper-body strength alone. In all reality, I'll probably have to start in something like a headstand and push up into a handstand from there. (You can mount headstands slower, that's the perk. Con: I've tried it before, even back when I was a gymnast. If I can pull it off, I'll be the next Xena.) However I do it, it'll take some real figuring out and a whole lot of strength.


Anyway, so I decided that the best thing to do would be to start going back to the gym and doing some real workouts, not any of this dilly-dallying I've been doing since January. My arms, shoulders, and back are so sore. I've been running the track too. It'd be kind of nice to get my mile back down to 6 minutes, and I figured I might as well work on that while I'm being rediculous anyways. We can just clump it all in together in what I like to call, "The Fall of Amazing Feats."


Wish me luck.

Read This to Your Boys!!

Okay, so, last May there was a prance (prom/dance) held in the Saipan Branch cultural hall. Let me tell you the story real quick and I'll get on to why it's a little annoying to me.

So, the youth wanted an LDS-standards formal dance; so they set up a prom committee. They were not using Church funds, which meant the kids would have to buy the tickets themselves in order to pay for the dance. They reserved a room in one of the hotels, and started making plans. Tickets cost somewhere around $25. (I know. It's ridiculously cheap. In fact, thinking about the rest of the story makes me almost sick because of the cheapness of these tickets. Couple's tickets for my senior prom were $60.) Boys started picking out girls, and far more importantly girls started picking out dresses.

A few months into this whole affair, and they almost had to cancel it all. The tickets weren't selling. TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS and they weren't selling! You can make that much in a day, without a steady job, even in Saipan. The committee quickly decided that the only way to save the dance was to move it to the cultural hall in the church building. Not the most elegant of places, but they could spruce it up. The boys confirmed their dates and the dance turned out to be a success.

So here's what gets to me: the utter tackiness and lack of appreciation boys EVERYWHERE show for the girls they seem so keen on dating. Do these guys realize how much an event like this costs for a girl, or do they really just not care enough to spend a little cash? My gown was right around $100, and I still had to get it altered. I didn't even buy the shoes I really wanted 'cause they were another $60, so I just settled on a black, rinestone-encrusted pair of highheels from Payless for about $25. There's jewlery, which they have to buy to match the dress, which I've heard of going anywhere from $15-$90 for a prom. Then there's the hair, which takes time and for most girls, another $20-$40. If they also have their makeup done for them, which probably about half of the girls in the world do for prom and other very formal events, that's another $20-$60. That brings the total to between $160 (saying they get the cheap shoes) and $290, if they do their own makeup.

Renting a tux can cost anywhere from $45 to $90. But boys in high school - nix that, boys in general - are obviously not too concerned with how nice the tuxedo is, and will get the cheapest one they can find, unless they can get by in a nice suit and tie. They cough up $15-$30 for a corsage and call it an evening! So, they spend AT MOST for a prom, including a $60 ticket (which is a little high for a lot of schools), $180. That's at the very most.

This isn't even all of it. I have had boys come to pick me up for a date in Burmuda shorts and a questionably clean tee-shirt. If we were very close friends I would accept something like this for a picnic on the beach, or a hike or a bonfire. (Actually, no, the tee shirt would definitely have to be clean for any of these.) These were guys trying to make first impressions, or trying to plan something really romantic. Men have escorted me to dances or church in wrinkled khakis, or poorly knotted ties. What is it with guys?! If I ever bring it up, his excuse is, "Well, I'm paying for the date." (Guys, this line is so tacky and rude that after saying it you can be pretty sure you will never date that girl again.) Or if it's free, it's something like, "It doesn't really matter. It's not a formal thing." Excuse me, but if you're going anywhere alone it should at least matter, but if you're going to be with me, or anyone else that has put any effort AT ALL into their attire, the least you can do is think it out a little. I'm not saying you should be entirely wrapped up in vainity, but just have the courtesy of putting a little thought into it.

And no, being a friend I date regularly or my boyfriend, or even my husband does not mean you can start dressing shabby on our dates. I dress nicely 'cause I want people to be able to look at us and think, "Man, that guy is lucky! Look at the chic on his arm!" (Whether anyone actually thinks that or not in my case is irrelavent.) Why can't the guy have enough courtesy to dress well enough for the girls around us to think, "Mmm-hmm! Look at that FINE piece of eye-candy! That girl knows how to pick her accessories!"

Anyway, that's my pet peeve for now. I hope you read this boys, so it'll start to sink in. I know the majority or you think that you are perhaps too old to save, but I have faith in anyone under the age of 50. Mothers, get your boys started young.

Pictures from the Saipan Prance can be found on my mum's blog. www.thethinks.blogspot.com.

Conversion to More than the Gospel

I just got back from a ward FHE about being thankful. President Christiansen and his wife asked that we focus on the thanks we feel for others and experiences. After they spoke they asked that we share any thanks we felt for others or for experiences in our lives. I couldn't really think of one that involved others. After hearing a couple of other people share theirs, I thought of a great one! (The following is the extended version of what I shared.)

I was 19, had been away from home for a over a year, and had finished my first semester of school. I was back in Maine working for the summer at Jordan Pond House Restaurant & Gift Shop. My schedule was beyond hectic, bringing in over 66 crazy hours a week, which gave me only Sundays and late nights to keep for myself. I lived in the dorms provided by the company, which sat about 2 minutes away from the restaurant, walking ... slowly. I looked forward to Sunday when I would be able to relax and hang out with friends that I didn't work, eat, or sleep with. I was the second counselor in the Primary, and was put in charge of sharing time. It was a lot of fun, but required a lot of enthusiasm. Those late nights to myself were often spent at least partially in coming up with some lesson/activity that would keep the more energetic portion of the church's membership entertained.

I had never been visit taught. I had been an active member of the Relief Society in three different wards by this time, Saipan, Ellsworth, and the BYU-I 62nd ward. In Saipan they just never gave me anyone to teach or to teach me. In BYU-I, they gave me people, and I would spend the whole first half of each month seeking out my companion and we would finally get together with our girls and teach them, but I only remember being taught maybe once, and it wasn't a private meeting like it's supposed to be, but rather it was my roommate and I (who shared visiting teachers) thrown in together. In Maine, my first summer, although I had asked for a companion I never received one, nor was I taught. My second summer, I asked again, and finally in August I got teachers - no companion, but I did get teachers.

The whole ward knows my family, and of all the kids they probably know me the best. I always figured that the reason I never got home- or visit-taught in Maine was because of two reasons. First of all, I was fine. Everyone knew that I had a testimony, no major problems, and that overall I was a cheerful, active young woman with an extremely busy schedule. The second reason was because I was just so freaking far away from everything. When I say I lived in the woods, that is exactly what I mean. By August, I had moved into the nearest town, Seal Harbor, with a friend's family. They weren't LDS, and neither was anyone else in the village. The closest members were probably 20 - 30 minutes away, and that was if - if the traffic wasn't bad. (I lived on a scenic drive, so it was pretty much always busy with buses, bikers, and tourists who insisted on driving slower than death in order to watch anything from blowing leaves to pesky sea gulls.)

One Sunday, as I was getting ready to leave church with my friend/chauffeur, Carol B. and Anne D. ran up to me.
Carol: "Mallory, Anne and I are your visiting teachers. We were wondering if there was any time that we could come by the dorms and teach you?"
Me, a little surprised: "Uhh, yeah. Yeah, sure! I don't work Sundays at all, or Mondays before 2. Anytime then would be fine with me."
Carol: "OKay, how about we come by next week on Monday?"
Me: "Yeah, that'd be great!" I was shocked! A little surprised, and a little less than faithful that they would actually pull through with it. Anne and Carol are both amazing women, but they are both very busy. Carol is a mother with a daughter very active in her extra-curricular activities still at home. She is also a grandmother. Anne has two boys still at home and two more home for the summer. She and her husband have a small house in Bar Harbor that they let out for tourists in the summer, and have to clean every couple of weeks in order to ready it for the new tenants. I had complete faith in their intentions, but not so much in their capability to find time nor energy to come all the way out to my dorm.

Sure enough, Monday rolled around and they called.
Carol: "Mallory, we actually can't come today. Is there any way that we could come tomorrow? I know you work all day, but we only need 10 minutes."
I had a break between working at the gift shop in the morning and working in the kitchen night shift. It was only about two hours, sometimes less depending on how much prep I had to get done for dinner. I usually spent this time trying to catch up on my already much-deprived sleep schedule in one of the beds upstairs on the girl's floor.
Me: "Yeah, if you want to come about twelve tomorrow, I'm sure it'd work out fine."
Again, I didn't expect them to be able to show. Still, I sat out in the sun reading a book, keeping an eye open for them, just in case.

I was kind of dosing off when I heard a car pull up in the parking lot. Out climbed Carol and Anne. We went inside and had a short meeting upstairs in one of the rooms, away from the few co-workers that were spending their day-off lounging around the dorm. I don't remember what the message was, but I do remember what must have been most important for me to know. Those two sisters helped me to gain a testimony of visiting teaching that I have since taken a little for granted. In fact, it wasn't until last night that I finally realized that it was that meeting that marked my conversion to Relief Society.

Visiting teaching is not for the infirm, the unfaithful, nor the unknown sisters of the church. Rather it is for any and all sisters. I was not going through a rough time spiritually, and there was nothing their visit could have done for me that would have helped me in any physical way. When they left I did not feel immediately closer to either of the women, and in fact barely had time to think on them at all since I had to hurry over to work. Now though I realize just how thankful I am to them for helping me to gain that testimony of RS and of the relationship the women in the church not only should have, but can have. Neither of these women were remotely my age, and aside from knowing each other rather well, we didn't share too much in common. Yet they still made time in their schedules to come and look in on a girl who not only gave the appearance of being fine, but who really was. That is sisterly love.

Wicked Weakness

Chapters 7 and 8 of Helaman are especially interesting to me. They so clearly show the difference between righteous leaders and wicked ones; so clearly in fact that I listed them out while I read. Nephi is a righteous leader, and a prophet among his people, the Nephites. The Gadianton robbers, at this point, have already taken over the judgment seats and now run the government as wicked judges. Nephi is so distraught over wickedness of the Nephites that he is crying (quite literally) unto the Lord. This shows his love for the people. (Point A: Righteous leaders love the people they lead.) The wicked judges on the other hand, were only concerned with two things: their own skins and the easiest way to get gain. (Point B: Wicked leaders don’t care about the people they lead, unless they can make their lives easier. This of course has nothing to do with the well-being of any individuals, but more the people as a whole. If one dies, that’s fine as long as another is there to take his place.) Nephi feared God, while the wicked judges feared the people. (Point C: Wicked leaders are weak. They will do anything to keep their coveted positions. Righteous leaders care about what the people want, but they care more about what the people need.) Nephi understood the power and abilities of God; that they were limitless. The wicked judges took pride in the work of men (which didn’t usually include the work of their own hands directly) and didn’t understand the power of God over the power of men. (Point D: Righteous leaders will call upon the Lord to help them and the people because they understand that He is capable of all things righteous.)

These chapters made me think of the weakness of the wicked. Weakness is something I can easily say I have always abhorred. It is important to be careful not to get weakness confused with humility. Humility is a Godly trait, and so is strength. Humility is almost always a sign of strength and confidence, while wicked pride is so often due to a person’s weakness. The wicked show their weakness in the fear they have towards other people. They are so easily swayed from on idea to another, as long as it’s not the one right idea, even if they’re off by only a little, it’s still wrong. They are “blown about by every wind of doctrine.”

Taken from my most recent journal for my Book of Mormon 122 class.

Noble People Keep Their Word

In chapter 1 of Helaman, verse 33, comes one of my favorite examples of the Godly attribute of covenants. It says, "And it came to pass that Moronihah took possession of the city of Zarahemla again, and cuase that the Lamanites who had been taken prisoners should depart out of the land in peace." This is taking place right after the Lamanites had attacked and destroyed many Nephite homes, in multiple cities. I thought to myself, why would anyone take compassion on the Lamanite prisoners? Why not just keep them there, and then they would have that many fewer people to put on their armies. I decided to look at the crossreference to Alma 44:15 and find out. I remembered that the Lamanites and Nephites had entered into a covenent with one another not to attack the other ever again. However, wouldn't the Lamanites breaking that covenent break it on behalf of the Nephites too? (I scratch your back, you scratch mine type of deal.) It was then that I realized the nobility that Moronihah has by keeping his side of the covenent.

I have always felt that keeping a promise - no matter how casually made - is a God-like attribute. God is always keeping His side of the bargain, even when we screw up, over and over and over again. You word should be a serious thing. People should be able to trust you at no more than that.

Taken from my most recent journal entry for my Book of Mormon 122 class.

How Environment Effects Theory-Theories

The following is a journal entry for Sister Edwards' Child Development class.

Eden is seven years old, and has lived on the Micronesian island of Saipan since she was about eighteen months old. Her family is from an island off the coast of Maine, a place of which she has no recollection. Her seven older brothers and sisters, for the most part, remember things such as altering seasons, Atlantic wildlife, and pine trees. To watch Eden's cognitive development has always been amazing to me because of the very differen experiences we have had thus far. She and I are very much alike in personality and looks, and yet her understanding of certain concepts during the preoperational period (between the ages of two and six) were relatively different from my own during that stage.

Allow me to use the concept of celestial orbits as an example for the cognitive development of Eden and I. Growing up with television, I can only imagine that my understanding of sunrise and sunset at the age of four was based off of what Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood portrayed - something about personifying the sun with sensations such as sleepiness. Eden on the other hand has never had television in her childhood, and therefore took what she knew of the environment in which she lived (continual summer, Pacific wildlife, and palm trees) and ran with it.

When my younger brother asked my dad what happened to the sun when it went down (he was, at the time, about six years old) Eden (four) piped in with this answer: "At nighttime the sun falls into the water and in the morning the dolphins push it back up into the sky again." Simple, to the point, and completely irrational. Although Eden had, what was in her mind a very clear theory of the sun's ratation, there really was no support whatsoever for her to thing the way she did on the topic. I never would have thought of dolphins simply because although I knew what dolphins were, they were not in my immediate environment as they are in hers.

Now when Eden is asked about how the sun works, she uses a much more reasonable explanation. (It is interesting to note that, even though she's a great deal closer to the truth, she is much less sure of herself.) The interview follows:

Me: "Can you tell me how the sun works?"
Eden: "What do you mean?"
Me: "At night, when the sun goes away, where does it go?"
Eden: "I know it stays in one place, and it shinies."
Me: "That's excellent! But where does it go when it's dark outside?"
Eden: "Well, the moon goes around the earth."
Me: "The moon goes around the earth, okay. That's good. Now what does the earth do?"
Eden: "It, uhhh... I think it goes around the sun. Or something like that."
Me: "You're right! Does that make it dark?"
Eden: "It's dark, uhhh, because, uhhh, I think because the earth goes away from the sun."

Even though Eden doesn't fully comprehend the spinning motions of the earth, she does know orbits take place and even which bodies orbit around which. In three years, and very little formal schooling, she has been able to readjust her thinking in a more logical way.

How I Feel About Laziness

You know what kind of baffles me? How some people just have no motivation to work, like, whatsoever. I don't get it! I mean, really, how can you just not work and totally, completely expect to to be paid. I mean, seriously, there are some people here that just kind of dally around and wait to be told every little thing they do, and when to do it (step by step) and yet, they seem to think that this is entirely normal. It seems to be especially prevalent among Eastern-European men who are here working for the first time. (None of them return for their second year.) I've seen it in a few Americans and a couple of women, but not quite as much. I just don't get it! There is this one guy that just drives me nuts! He is so lazy and so easily distracted that he just drives me up a wall at work. The supervisor that works on Friday's doesn't care what he does as long as everything gets done. The regular night-time supervisor, Barb, she would've whooped him if she'd seen what he was doing. (Or not doing.) She would've been on his hide faster than a bee to honey! Luckily for him, and me ('cause I'm pretty sure I'd die if I had to work with him on a regular basis) he only works on Friday's, which is Barb's day off.

Okay, well, I just wanted you to know how annoying I find that trait. Laziness I mean. It just baffles me. I don't understand it in the least!

Okay. Bye.

Can I Just Say...

I love America?! I mean, seriously, it's the coolest place on earth. I was talking to my friend Eric and he's like, "I sometimes feel like I want to travel to foreign countries and see what they're like, but there's just so much to see here in the United States." He drives everywhere he goes and makes sure he has plenty of time to get there so he can get lost and have a good time. For example, he gave himself 5 days to get up here to Maine this summer - he lives in Pennsylvania. I must say, I have to agree. I mean, I would love to travel all over the world and if I have the chance, I will. There is a lot to see however, not only in the United States, but in each individual state, I mean, there's a lot of land out here, and a lot of people, and a lot of things. That's the only thing that kind of makes me wish I had a car.

I was reading today in 1 Nephi 14 about the promise to the gentiles that if they believe in Jesus Christ they will be given the promised land and they will never fall captive to anyone. They will have all their stumblingblocks taken from them. You can see that here in the US; although we are a very young country, we have never been taken captive. (Which is interesting, because we are a very young country.) We really live in the promised land and are a people protected like no other, I'll tell you that much.

I talk to people from Europe (there are a lot of them here) and they say things like, "Well, the food is better in Europe" (which I still find hard to believe, it's just that this food is different; it's really sweet to them, and really only the Polish say that) and I'm just like, "Well, at least you have that much. I mean, your country is being torn apart by war, gas prices are skyrocketing, and, for the most part, you guys spend 60 - 80% of your lives so drunk you aren't entirely sure what's going on, but at least you have excellent food. That's good." The US on the other hand, although it has it's setbacks (name a country that doesn't) is a mighty nation. We are strong, intimidating, and yet charitable. We give aid to places that are in need of it. We accept people from all walks of life. Of course we have the stereotypes and discrimination that are seen in all nations that I know of, but we provide the same priviledges and freedoms to everyone. It's just a great thing.

I'm proud to be from such an awesome country and such a beautiful part of it.

And that I schooled Milan at basketball the other day.

My First Talk of the Summer

Okay, so last week Brother Dalton (okay, let's just call him Greg. Brother Dalton's a little too formal for our relationship. Especially since I'm no longer in Church right now.) asked if I would speak this week on Matthew 6:33. I thought I might just put my notes up here. That's a good Sunday activity.

[It is also important to read Matt. 6:20-21]

"Wherefore seek ye first the kingdom of God..." Or, as the JST puts it: "Wherefore, seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God..."

Both translations are important and should be practiced.

Building up the kingdom of God:

[Missionary work] *Full time missions. *Ward/Branch missionaries. *Couple missionaries. *Every member a missionary. > A very important key to this is to make sure that people are aware that they are welcome to learn about the Church and the Gospel. I find many people just don't realize that we are more than welcoming.

[Raising families in the Gospel] *Sister Mindy Nesbit from the Stake women's conference in May gave a class on The Family: A Proclaimation to the World. This is what she said, "It is important to bring topics of the Gospel into open conversation with out kids." Another good proverb: "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Just a little trivial fact: I call this the kitchen proverb because it's on a little plaque behind the sink in every house we've lived in that I remember doing dishes in. I didn't know until I was about 10 or 11 that it was actually a scripture!)


-Seeking to obtain the kingdom of God:

*We should be in the world, not of it. *Colossians 3:2. *Submit our wills to His. > Seeking to obtain the kingdom is closely related to the call to Come unto Christ. Sister Heidi Swinton spoke at a devotional at BYU-Idaho this last semester, and she said this about submission: "Our personal submission of will is the only possession we have the true right to give." *Obedience to His commandments. > Mosiah 2:41


I know that God will take care of us. We should plan, but what we should wear, eat, drink, or live should not consume our thoughts to the point of distraction from what is most important; namely Christ and His kingdom. I also know that it is not only our duty, but in our best interests to seek and to build the Kingdom of God.

Easter Thoughts

Church today was fantastic! In fact, it was so good, I'm going to transcribe some of my notes and put them on here. I have some good quotes, some excellent points, and some touching stories. The other two speakers were excellent, but I'm going to be focusing on the third speaker.

Brother Ross Baron, a professor of religion here at BYU-Idaho and a high counselman in my stake. (Not to mention my personal goal for a religion teacher for Fall semester!) He gave a fantastic talk!

Bro. Baron was raised in a Jewish family in southern California. So, naturally, he was raised under Judaism. When he was about 9 he asked his parents what happened to one after death. They said that "your memory lives on, but other than that, we don't really know." When he reached his teen years he began to look into other religions such as Buddism, Hinduism, Taoism, Shinto, and Confucianism. He never considered Christianity because they were those "Sunday morning preachers on T.V. that we'd watch if we got bored one Sunday." However, he did eventually end up looking into it (I can't remember how exactly that came about, but it did, obviously) and he asked a friend about Mormonism. The kid (he was 17 at this time) layed out the Plan of Salvation for him 5 minutes before class, then referred him to his dad (who was a bishop) for all other answers.

So, this is what Bro. Baron said that I loved so much. First of all, he said that "The Plan of Salvation, with Christ and His Atonement at the center gives us life, hope, and a purpose. ... Maybe we don't appreciate the Atonement enough." He also said that he used to feel a little bitter towards Peter, James, and John for falling asleep when Christ asked for them to watch with him one hour. Just one. The only time Christ asked them to do anything for Him, and they let Him down. Until he realized, Christ has asked each of us to "watch with Him 10 minutes" [in Sacrament] every week, and what do we do? "Our minds wander. 'Oh, she's cute.'"

He told a sweet story about a young boy in Primary with Down's syndrome. The teacher gave each of the kids a plastic egg and asked them to go out and find something to put in the egg that reminded them of Christ. The little Down's boy came back with nothing in his egg. The other kids laughed at him, and the teacher asked how that reminded him of Christ. "Because Jesus wasn't in the tomb. It was empty, wasn't it?"

"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!"

The most interesting point Bro. Baron made was about the Fall of Adam and the Triumphant Entry. It says that Christ cursed the fig tree upon entering Jerusalem. The only record we have of Him cursing anything and having it immediatly destroyed. In the Old Testiment, after the Fall of Adam and Eve, it says that they tried to hide their nakedness from the Lord with the help of the serpant. They did this by covering themselves with fig leaves. This is a false covering. When the Lord came, the first thing He did was cover them - but with skins. It was a direct foreshadow to what was to come. They could not cover themselves completely with leaves, an innocent animal had to be sacrificed in order for them to be covered properly for the Lord. The fig tree represents Satan's false covering, and the cursing of it and the killing of the animal for the skins represents Christ's triumph over Satan, and His sacrifice for each of our sins.

Gospel Values Essay

For FA-100, we have to attend the Gospel Values Lecture, given by a Brother Call. Since I put it off until the last one, I also had to write a Gospel Values summary essay. I think it came out pretty good. See for yourself.

It is obvious that te Gospel of Jesus Christ has certain standards we are all expected to live up to. These standards canjust as easily be called values. They are what set us apart from the rest of the world and draw us ever closer to God and Jesus Christ.

God's goal is to keep His Spirit with us at all times. In order to fulfill the goal, He gives us commandments - or His standards - that lead us to live righteously. We renew our baptismal covenants each week as we take the Sacrament. These covenants state that as long as we are consciously striving to live worthily, by keeping our values, than the Lord will keep His Spirit with us. If, at any moment, we are not living righteously, the Spirit withdraws and leaves us vulnerable to Satan's power.

In contrast with the Lord, Satan's main objective is to keep us separated from the Holy Spirit at all times. It is during these separations that he can put into action his specialized plan to destroy each of us individually. It is inevitable that we will once in a while fall victim to his plotting. It may seem at these times that we are left solely at his nonexistent mercy, but we must remember this: we have power over Satan, and by turning back to the standards set for us by the Lord, we may come again into the presence of His Spirit and fully repent.

We, as believers and partakers of this Gospel, have three main principles. First of all, we have the gift of the Holy Ghost. This means that as long as we are maintaining the values, we not only have th privilege of His Spirit, but a right to it as well. In order to keep ourselves as far away from sin as possible, it is important that we learn ways in which we can stay close to the Lord. Constant prayer is of the utmost importance. As long as we are praying, our thoughts are "garnished with virtue." Doctrine and Covenants 10:5 tells us to "pray always that you may come off conqueror; yea that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work."

The next principle is the line. There is a line between good and evil, but it is not easy to see. the extremes, white and black, are clearly decipherable, but the gray is enormous, and its murky darkness ever so subtly bleeds into the white. Brother Call says that "Satan's biggest lie is that the line is somewhere in the middle. I think the line is as a soon as the gray touches the pure white. ... It's easy to distinguish black from white, but it's pretty hard to distinguish off-white from white."

The third principle is that we must judge wisely. These values were given to us not only for the purpose of bringing us closer to His Spirit and to help us to stay on the right side of the line, but also that we may judge where that line is. Every day we are confronted with choices that may contradict our values. If we choose wrong, we commit sin. If we choose right we gain in spirituality. This happens in every decision we make - our spirituality is not standing still, it is either decreasing or increasing. This is why it is so important that we make righteous choices.

Possibly the most common decisions we make are media-based. The mdeia is always in our face; in movies, T.V., music, and magazines. There are two criteria we should take into consideration when making a decision based ont he media. Ifrst is the content. Is the material virtuous? If not, we should choose right then not to have anything to do with it. If so, the second criterion is style. If the style and content are both good, it's certainly worth participation in. It's praiseworthy, lovely, of good report, and virtuous. If the content and style are both bad, there is really no temptation. If the content is good, but the style is mediocre, it's probably not harmful, but also not worth much. The most dangerous zone is when the style is good and praiseworthy, but the content is filth. this can deceive some into believing it is appropriate, interesting, "worth it," and sometimes even as beautiful as that which is truly virtuous.

Satan is subtle in his snares. It is up to each of us to realize our dependence upon the Lord and grasp hold of the principles He so caringly gives us. Sometimes we will fall, but through the grace-filled Atonement of Christ, we may repent. Through these things and by continuously raising the bar just a little higher for ourselves each time, we will one day become perfect in the Lord and He will welcome us into His home.

To view the Gospel Values Powerpoint Brother Call uses in his lecture, click on www.byui.edu, go to "Students">"Academics">"FA-100"

Hush the Hype!

Really, I don't see what the big deal is about Valentine's Day! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I don't like it; I love it! What I don't get are all those people out there that are just sulking around, feeling sorry for themselves because they don't have a "sweetheart". Who cares?! You didn't have one yesterday, and you made it! You may not have had one over New Years, when everyone is making out as they count down in their heads; you're still alive! For goodness sakes people! Get over it!

I was over at Seth's house yesterday, and on their white board it reads: "Happy (?) Valentine's Day! AKA Single's Awareness Day." I had never even heard of "Single's Awareness Day." My friend said it was probably because I had never been single on Valentine's Day. To tell you the truth, I've never had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day! Not even a date! I'm not trying to get you to feel sorry for me, I'm just stating a fact, and ya know what, I'm alive, happy, and full of love!

I never really realized what a big deal it is for single people on Valentine's Day. I mean, just hanging out with my friends today, they would not stop talking about "how depressing it all is." I just rolled my eyes and tried to explain to them that it is not a holiday designed by the candy and card companies, it is not any more a commercial gimmick than Christmas is. It is rather a day dedicated to the celebration of the love we have for one another. It was never designed to be strictly for couples. I have received a Valentine's Day gift from my parents ever since I can remember. I have always wished all of my beloved friends happy Valentine's Day. I give out more hugs and kisses to my family and friends. Believe it or not, all those relationships are based on love too. Why do we forget them, and focus strictly on the thought of how alone we are? That is not what St. Valentine stood for. Good grief! I know that and I'm not even Catholic!

If You Had Magical Powers, What Would They Be?

There are so many different powers to choose from. For example: flying, being radioactive, unmeasurable strength, tons of them! But I think the coolest, ultimate power would be to change form. To be able to change into anybody or anything I wanted to! That would be so awesome!

If I could change into anything, I could do so many things. Good things and bad things. (But of course, I would only do good things.) I could fly like the birds, run like a horse, climb like a monkey, and even swim like an eel. That would be so amazing. To be able to stay under water fo as long as I wanted and look at all the different types of life that people don't even know exist yet. I could make so many discoveries I would be able to add to the civilizations of today. All of the different contributions I could make would be able to fill a room! New truths (not theories, but truths) about the sky, the sea, the depths of the jungles, woods, and mountains.

Yep, that would definitely change the course that science is taking today, for the better!

(Not to mention, I would be the ultimate spy.)

This is a direct translation from Sophomore English with Mr. Fauls at Kagman High School. I just came across a bunch of old journal entries, read through some of them, and decided I should put a couple on my blog. Some are stupid, some are weird, none are profound.

The Lord Is My Light

As I left Shannon's house, her mom asked, as always, "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes, yes," I reply. "I'm used to walking in the dark." It has been a very long time since I have minded walking alone in the dark. (Ever since Justin, Nathan, and Peter stopped hiding in the jungle and popping out at us girls on our way over to visit with them to be exact.) Not to mention, tonight the moon was especially bright; even for Saipan.

Actually, I kind of like to walk in the dark. As Louis Armstrong put it in What A Wonderful World, "The bright, blessed day; And the dark, sacred night." Night does seem sacred to me. It's so peaceful and quiet; I love to just walk along the road or in the fields and think.

Tonight I thought about something that my very dear friend Leimson Souelian said. It was at a Youth Conference about two years ago. We were hiking to Boy Scout Beach in the dark, where Brother Benson awaited to give us a fireside. The first part of the hike was along a fairly straight path. We all gathered at the beginning of the path, and then walked one-by-one down it in the dark until we reached the other end, where someone with more flashlights would send us off in groups down the more treacherous part... and treacherous is used loosely, it really isn't that bad. (But ya know, in the dark!) At the fireside, Leim was asked what his experience was on the path. (NOTE: The following is not at all word perfect of course, but my recollection of what the story was is very clear.) He said the following:

"I started out on the path, not wanting to face the complete darkness of the jungle alone. Instead of simply looking straight ahead, I continued forward cautiously, the entire time looking over my shoulder at the flashlight my friends held behind me. As long as I looked at the flashlight, I felt comfortable. Finally, the flashlight faded completely and I turned to face the impending darkness. No sooner had I turned my head however, than I saw the flashlight marking the other end. Once again I was comforted and knew that the path through the dark shadows of the trees was coming to an end."

The story is simple, but as I was thinking about it, the concept hit me very hard. The Lord will not leave us in darkness, but we have to have the faith to turn our heads forward. Only then will we be able to see the light that He has been shining on our path.

A Sabbath Thought

Abraham Lincoln is probably my favorite president. Well, I dunno, I really like President Washington too; but that is irrelevant. The point is, I love President Lincoln. (And I plan to follow the example of my Aunt Rinda and name one of my sons after him. What a fabulous thing: to be named for someone so great.)

This is one quote that I've had for quite a while, but have not read for a while. I was looking over my quotes today, and decided that it would be ideal for Sabbath Day ponderings.

“Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.” - Abraham Lincoln; Cooper Institute Address
(February 27,1860)

It is a pretty simple quote, but then again, he had an uncanny way of putting deep ideas simply. (That's a good thing for me!) I probably have more quotes from President Lincoln than from anybody else. It's kind of odd though, that I should have quotes for the Sabbath from Abraham Lincoln, and most of my quotes of Patriotism are from Gordon B. Hinckley. Ha! Both great men. Both very much alike!

Ode to The Mum: Part Two

Where I come from food is a very important part of our culture. Sure, just driving through you'll find Italian and French cuisine scattered among a million fastfood restaurants. But it's the people from Maine ya gotta eat with. Some of us have seafood or "New England Style" diners and such. Others of us, like my family, just make it at home. It's a tradition passed down from mother to daughter (and sometimes to son) for who-knows-how-long! It's a skill. An art. A knowledge to be acquired from only the best. That's who I learned it from; the Best: Mum.

Mum is a picture-perfect traditional homemaker. On first sight, she's a short woman with deep-set eyes the same blue-gray color of the stormy Atlantic. Those eyes peer out from a reddish complexion, adorned by a frame of short, fine, auburn hair. The hair is so fine and smooth that Mum has never bothered with pulling it into a bun or a pony-tail 'cause it just slips right out again.

Mum knows so much about the homey stuff. She can make a room more comfortable just by knowing what to say or how the lights should be or when to turn off the fan. I love all that about her. But what I love most is her cooking. She knows everything from why we bake more in the winter to why kids prefer their sandwiches cut diagonally; from how to make the most heavenly blueberry cheesecake, to knowing that "cassia" is really cinnamon incognito.

The food she conjures up is like ambrosia. And while she cooks, the whole atmosphere is transformed from a raucous household bustling with eight crazy kids and their company, to a quiet home of anticipation as we await the call of "Kids! Come and eat!"

I often love to set the table in the evening. Just Mum and me upstairs while the kids watch a movie or play outdoors. It's the eventide that somehow, almost magically, brings the song into her voice as she cooks. I think it's the closest to bliss I can feel without it being a holiday. The air fill with the sweet aroma of Perfection and mingles with eh silvery, jazzy notes flowing out of Mum. She always sings old songs like Dream a Little Dream of Me", and "Vincent", and a collection of Beatle's songs, and hymns too. And then when I sing the snatches of them that I know (by heart now) she stares at me in disbelief and asks, "How do you know that song?!" as if I haven't been listening for the past eighteen years. The smells and songs together are so lulling that I've often fallen asleep right at the counter stool, waiting for dinner to be served.

Mum has always cooked for the family, and that is no small task. With eight kids and Dad to feed, she manages exceptionally well. But the most amazing thing to see (and taste) is Mum's Thanksgiving dinner. In the morning she lays out a big fruit-basket that we can pick at until dinner, but other than that we're banished from food. She works for two days just on pies; with my help we can turn out 12 to 15 pies. Then for two more days (including Thanksgiving) we cook up the best foods this side of, well, anywhere! And we don't just cook for the 10 members of the family either, no, we always have to invite 8 or 10 more! It's spectacular!

Mum's taught me a lot of useful and trivial things alike. Cooking is definitely one of the more useful ones and it really makes me feel blessed to have a mother that knows so much about it.

Originally written August 11, 2004 for Mr. Thornburgh's English prompt: "Think of a skill you've learned and describe the person who taught it to you." 1/2 - 1 page long. (It came to 4 pages)

What I think Is.....

This is just concerning the Terri Shiavo case. Quite frankly, I think the protesters should bug off and let the woman die with her family and friends in PEACE!!!! Man, are they annoying or what!? I mean, it is sad that the lady has to die, then again it's really, really sad that she's had to "live" for 15 years in a persistent vegetative state and that no one would let her die before this!

But what makes all of this whole thing soooooo much more depressing is the protesters. I mean, this is a poor woman's life on the line here and all they have to do is sit in front of her hospice making lots of noise and political statements! Is that going to fix anything? She's still going to die and even if they put the feeding tube back in, she's still going to be in a vegetative state, and no one will be able to really tell the difference.

Don't these people have families to look after? You know, like, their OWN kids or something. I understand if they want to share their condolences with the parents or something, but it's not like they knew Terri or anything. They don't know anything about her! Sure they know what she's been doing in the last 15 years, but it's not like that has (or is going to) changed a lot. They don't know anything of her personality or sense of humor or what makes her mad or anything. All they know is that she is a being that can be turned into a statement. Good grief. Now that is a depressing way to die.