Seventeen Magazine Photo Shoot

     When I was fifteen I bought a little camera and talked someone into doing a photo shoot of me in the best model poses I could think of. It must have been a friend because I would have been too embarrassed to have a family member take them. That might be called vanity.  My husband found these pictures in the attic last week and showed them around to the grandkids to prove that Grandma was a teenager once. It dawned on me that there is history in the background of each of these pictures. This one shows 900 East and 4600 South in SLC and look how barren it is behind me. You can actually see the mountain from the road. Now there are condos in every direction.

Here I am sitting on the little couch my father built into the porch just off the sliding doors from the living room. Behind me is the porch swing where everyone sat watching the cars go by on 900 East.

 Looking at this picture brings back the smell of the Russian Olive Trees. They grew around the ditch. I remember how my father lined the ditch with granite slabs.

   The porch had colorful plastic siding on the roof. We had some colored lights along the edges of the roof which made the front patio a party place. Behind me you can see to Murray. No K-Mart, no condos, just open fields to dream about.

This picture displays my father's stone work so well. He lined the outside walls and patio with rock.

More Russian Olive trees and ironically at this time I had never tried olives. They were not found in our German cuisine.

Here is a great view of my house, from below in the yard. It felt so spacious then, set in a rural pasture land.

 And lastly, another look from the porch. How has almost fifty years passed so fast? The young woman was very innocent but she has lived a good life and has had many dreams come true.

                                                          Did you ever want to be a model?

Notable Events

Alex turned eight and was baptized. What a radiant smile he wore all day!

    This day turned out so warm and fun, thanks to his parents. Grandma and Papa accepted the request to speak and we reminded Alex of the name he carries and the new name he is willingly to carry as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

         Grace invited us to attend her first ballet recital. She was so very excited and felt so beautiful dressed up in her costume.

    Flowers given are rewards for the effort to be part of an ensemble and fulfill her part in the ballet.

    These two sisters are the talk of the town lately because they are moving here with their parents. We are very thrilled to have another family close by us.

  The Mama Daughter celebrated with Emma and all the family by going to Disneyland Paris. Their travels around Europe are such an opportunity for education and insight. These are the perks of being stationed in the Army overseas.

Book of Mormon Summer

I just can't let those morning hours get swallowed up by the mundane. I am having a Book of Mormon Summer. 

   As My Early Morning Guests illustrated the Book of Revelations I saw how powerful doodling can be and I can't stop the desire to sketch as I read. My first realization was how smoothly we can go from the New Testament into the Book of Mormon. We leave with the vision of John and his consumption of a book given to him in heaven and we open with the vision of Lehi. An angel bids him to read a book. The message of the book is clear; a messiah will come and redeem the world.

   Amidst the visions of Lehi and Nephi we have the plot of leaving for the wilderness, Laman and Lemuel's dissatisfactions, and obtaining the precious plates. What action and adventure!

The vision of Nephi is so close to the vision of John and I marvel how Nephi, 600 years earlier, can lead us right along the pathway set up by John the Beloved and even mention him as a future writer who will tell the same story.
    1 Nephi 14:19 "And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe. And the angel said unto me: Behold one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also many things which have been. And he shall also write concerning the end of the world. Wherefore, the things which he shall write are just and true; and behold they are written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew; and at the time they proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written were plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men."

    I can't help picking up the recurring number 2. The duality theme is a thread winding through the whole Book of Mormon. I, jokingly, want to know if there isn't a third way, my way?

    Here are some more of my thoughts on this scripture block.
    Here are 8X5 versions of my illustrations to copy.

To be Bar Mitzvah- Son of the Commandment

I was honored to attend the Bar Mitzvah of my piano student, Sasha, this weekend. It inspired me and brought added commitment to supporting youth around me to step up and act for themselves to find deeper meaning in their lives. As an added plus I was asked to read at the ceremony. What lovely words they chose for his piano teacher.

Music: God's Universal Language

If we can feel that

It is not our voice,

Not our fingers,

But some reality deep inside our heart

Which is expressing itself,

Then we will know that it is

The soul's music.

The outer music

Comes from the outer instrument.

The inner music

Comes from the heart.

 The name of this inner music

Is oneness.

      I saw the joy this family felt as they celebrated their son reaching the age of accountability. He was deemed accountable to bring the words of Torah to the world and become a loving, compassionate person. In my spiritual language he was brought under covenant to God to be his child and God promised that he would be His son.

What I've Learned From Teaching Seminary

                                  There Are Only Two Ways: To Act Or Be Acted Upon

What I Learned From Teaching Seminary-

   About Teenagers-

 1. They can be fully engaged one day and have no recollection of your lesson the next day.

 2. They feel incredibly vulnerable.

 3. They want to discuss on a deep level.

 4. They need more connection to their Savior, Jesus Christ.

 5. They need motivation to read the scriptures on their own.

 6. Those who come from homes where spiritual matters are openly discussed have a stronger foundation.

 

   About Teaching-

1. When you are prepared as a teacher you have less to beat yourself up about when things fall apart.

2. Praying is essential.

3. The longer you teach the more there is in your vessel for The Spirit to work with.

4. Plan readiness activities in advance and have them at hand.

5. Don't be afraid to wait when you ask a question.

6. Use journals and make them important by writing in them often during the week, glue-in quotes and pictures, give open journal quizzes to insure they record information correctly, and at the end of the year pass them around to record last testimonies and thoughts from their peers.

7. You can be obsessed with teaching during the year and completely forget how to teach seminary during the summer.

8. Keep yourself focused by reading the whole Book of Mormon every summer.

    About the Holy Ghost

1. He can high- jack your lesson and it is absolutely divine.

2. Sometimes he assists your teaching even when you don't deserve it because your students do.

3. He can connect pieces together when your lesson is dis-jointed.

4. He can teach your students a different lesson that you thought you did.

5. He can flood you with joy and make you feel whole.

Back To Work- The Gnome Saga

True to our word the gnomes went home this morning. I overheard chatter amongst them about being at Thriftway to get Jo Jo's, kite flying at Pt. Robinson, and hanging at the Farmer's Market. They seemed to really enjoy their holiday. Upon returning them to their job site we found a surprise waiting for us. 

     Our kindly German neighbor rewarded us for their safe return. It was hilarious that we nabbed some leprechauns along with the gnomes. We missed those pointy ears.

    One of the ducks, the seriously grouchy one, decided to stay on and become a working duck. Who woulda thunk?

        The other two ducks are back home with a lovely German flag hovering over them, made by our kindly German neighbor.
           Alles Gut!

A Gnoming We Will Go

For many years I invited My Early Morning Guests to go on a field trip with me. I wanted to visit other seminaries on the main land. "It's too early." "We won't get back for school." Excuses, excuses; they would not budge. However, yesterday, on the last day of May, we set out for a silent walk.

    Only the animals heard us coming. We were on a mission to give some overworked garden gnomes a three day weekend. My beloved German neighbor has such a lovely garden but really, she does expect a lot of from her work force.

                    In the spirit of the French, we wanted a respite for her small bearded characters. The garden was freshly kissed with dew. We scoped out the places we would find the gnomes.

      Knowing my neighbor would suspect the identity of the liberationists we offered a peace token, the useful and dandy, garden ducks.

                     Just for the weekend they could offer some slug control and friendly chatter.

     You just can't imagine the joy we saw on the gnome faces when we gathered them all and made a bee line for home.

     A weekend of leisure to read a good book and have a smoke, hmm…we might have to work on that bad habit.

                           I could not help but marvel how perfect they looked in their natural habitat.

    I could tell that there would be hiking and exploring for the more physical in the group. And there was Herbert, a book tucked under his arm in case the forest got boring.

       Little Friedrich was going to have a problem. He isn't one to relax. That wheelbarrow was still going to be busy, I'm sure.

 
   On Monday we will take them back and restore order to the garden, but just now, I delight in the glee of what is in the forest, free at last.