Must See Mustache Man

:-{D

Who?

Who is an Entist?

 Perhaps Merry and Pippin are!  I wish I were an Entist.

I Promised!

I did promise some pictures from Pioneer Day so here's a teaser (the rest can be found on the Pictures tab).  I didn't take photos of the games because I was busy...busy participating in them!  And I didn't want the camera damaged.  But we definitely had a great time.  :)  Enjoy!

The More You Give, The More You Get

Have you ever heard that phrase?  I have found that the more I give this summer, the more emails I get.  The more people I email, the more they feel the need to respond and email me back.  The more scholarships I apply for, the more notification emails I get about these deadlines.  The more personal contact information I give out, the more spam I get, and so forth.  You get the idea.
So the more I give, the more emails I get!
And isn't everyone happy to look at their inbox and see that they are loved because people sent them an email?
I just discovered a way to fill up my inbox!

The 24th of July

Happy Pioneer Day!

This is the day that Salt Lake City was founded when Brigham Young entered the Valley.  We remember our Pioneer ancestors and celebrate them here in Spanish Fork on this day with a lot of great activities, like pioneer games and lots of other fun stuff.
(pictures coming soon!)

Thneed

The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss, contains a fictional mystical item called a thneed that can become whatever the owner of said thneed wants.  Of course, the Once-ler who invented the thneed tried to convince everyone that a thneed is a need.  Watch the wordplay come in and we can see that a thneed is a need but only a fake one.  Some people believe they need a thneed but it is only in their imagination.

Moving on to more wordplay in this word:  'thneed' is actually an anagram for 'the end'.  This becomes important to the plot of the story as we watch the Once-ler destroy a forest of truffula trees.  The lorax tries in vain to warn the Once-ler of the end that is near, but thneeds are inevitable and once greed comes in, the Once-ler cannot stop.

So why bring it up?  Why should we dwell on the sad parts of children's books and sorry endings?  Merely to share a discovery and compliment the author.  Dr. Seuss is definitely an amazing and unmatchable author with stories and rhymes made very enjoyable.  Who knows if he meant to make both of these plays on words?
Either way, it is a sad ending indeed, matched in part by a story we find in The Book of Mormon, in the book called Ether.  The story of Coriantumr has a similar ring to it, albeit more morbid than cutting down a forest.  Coriantumr wanted the whole kingdom, full of millions of people, to rule over for himself.  And so he fought, and fought, and fought.  He chose the wrong, even when the prophet Ether prophesied of the end.  He was cursed to be the last of his nation alive.  The end was near, but greed drove Coriantumr to compel his people to a war that only ended when Coriantumr alone lived.  Like the Once-ler, he was the only one left.  Like the Once-ler he never gave up until the end ruined his temporal happiness.

Let us learn from the greed for power and money by these two examples and never be like them.  Always listen to the warnings and remember the only thing that gives you true happiness, which is following the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Seedlings

I absolutely love plants! I love especially to grow them, to watch them sprout, to see them bloom and produce. I really love to eat fruits and vegetables that I have grown myself in the garden. They taste especially delectable. The suffering comes in the waiting.

The problem with plants is that when you plant a seed it does not pop up over night. Indeed it takes a week to see green!Then you have to wait weeks more until it is large enough to stop calling it a seedling. But all good things have a measure of sacrifice to them, don't they?

Greenlings, Seedlings, lovely little growing things!

I wish....

It is 11:11
Make a wish!!
Wishing doesn't mean it will happen though.  Remember, dreams only inspire but reality is where it works out.  If you wish and then work, your dreams will come true.

And Here It Is Again!

Ah, yes,
Friday the 13th
What a wonderful day. Can you feel the energy in the air?  Today is an uncommon event with mysterious qualities.  Harness that power and use it for good.  Make today the best day ever!  Smile, cheer the world around you, and make it yours, because when will there be another day like this?

Happy Fourth!

★ Happy Independence Day Everyone!! ★

The Perfect Souvenir

When you visit the ocean you can't leave without some shells and rocks collected at the beach.  These tokens remind the visitor of their wonderful time spent there and the great things they saw and enjoyed.  I recently got to visit the ocean again and carefully selected some flat, circular rocks so I could paint them to keep as a souvenir.  With these rocks in my possession, I shall never forget all the activities I enjoyed at the ocean that I miss dearly.

p.s. Aren't these darlings adorable?

Book Review: Fablehaven

I found some more wisdom from a book, but though this isn't Lord of The Rings it is just as awesome.

"Smart people learn from their mistakes.  But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others."

-Dale, Fablehaven pg. 152

I love the book Fablehaven.  It is such a wonderful adventure!  But don't ever stop at the first book, you have to read the whole series.

I was introduced to this book through my mom.  She related a lesson from it without telling us any of the story.  This is the lesson:  do as you are told by those with more knowledge than you and you won't get into trouble.  If you break the rules, you will cause harm more than you know.  You won't just be in trouble for breaking the rules, you'll get the consequences of your actions as well.  The rules are there to protect you from getting hurt, not to inhibit your freedom.

Just to let you know, this is only one thing you can pull from the basic plot of the book.  Otherwise, it is totally cool and not even as sappy as it sounds!

Enjoy reading Fablehaven!!

Lighthouse

I love lighthouses.  They are so super-duper cool!  Not only are they gorgeous but they have a great view of the ocean.  And lighthouses can be related to us in many ways.

Point Loma Lighthouse, San Diego CA

"I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse.  They were built only to serve.  They weren't built for any other purpose..."

-George Bernard Shaw

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Portland OR
Panoramio.com

Altruistic means being unselfish and thinking about others.  We can all be like a lighthouse and let our light shine for the world to see our good example.

Matthew 5:14-16

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Leuchtturm
Marieke Jeromin

A lighthouse takes a lot of work and dedication and even some isolation from the world to watch over.  All who sacrifice this for a lighthouse are serving others with every minute of their lives.  We can serve others and be a good example to let our light shine for all to see.  We can be awesome just like a lighthouse!

Un-Digression

Looking back on my blog I realize that the beginning of my blog was A LOT more formal than recent posts have been leaning towards.  Here is my Un-Digression, a new commitment to meaningful and thoughtful blog posts.  Not to say that silliness isn't needed.  I will continue with random and perhaps spontaneous posts, but mixed in with it you can be sure to find something useful to you in your life, perhaps.  I am looking for equipoise.

Gordon B. Hinckley once said:

Cynics do not contribute

Skeptics do not create

Doubters do not achieve

This means we should be people who have optimism and hope, and we should always believe so we can contribute, create, and achieve beautiful and virtuous things.

7300 Days, One Life

I have nearly lived for 7300 days.  Of course, I am approximating, but we like round, even, numbers that are nice to us.
7300 days.  Seven Thousand Three Hundred.  That is a long time, a big number of days.  I wish I had a dollar for every day I've lived.  That would be nice.
I know you've been expecting this, but why don't you look back at each day of your life, like I am with mine, and consider what has been done with each individual day.  How does that change your perspective on the life you have lived so far?  Is it freaky to find that you can't remember but for specific moments of those days?  Do you write in a journal that can help you record how you've grown?
Each day counts, this is true, but it is also futile to scrutinize each day as an individual because you can't see yourself grow if you look at a single day.  Growth and learning take time.  The whole perspective is what you need.  Looking out of that giant window on the seventh floor and seeing it all at the same time.  You can change in one day, but what matters is that the change stuck over time.
7300 days, one life

Bliss in a Bite

My sister made me eat a S'mores crepe yesterday.  Melted marshmallow and chocolate wrapped in a crepe.  She said you take a bite and you feel bliss!  I would have to say that my mouth definitely agreed!

The Subject of Discreet Dealings

Blog Reader,
You have been the subject of discreet dealings and now must pay the consequences.  If you do not comply you will suffer.  Now that we know where you live, you have no choice but to hand yourself over.  There is nothing you can do to stop us; there is no where for you to hide.  We will find you.

Have a nice day,
D.D.A.L.A.M.

 
 Blog Reader,
You are right to ask if you should fear us.  Fear comes from the unknown.  You will be contacted shortly for the consequences to your recent activity.  We will find you, and you will submit.  There is nothing you can do.

Sincerely,
D.D.A.L.A.M.

Wisdom From Lord Of The Rings

Yesterday I posted thoughts on some quotes from Lord of the Rings, a fabulous book indeed.  Gandalf the Wizard, Frodo the Hobbit, and Gildor the Elf.  A good array of people who have wise things to say.
The first time I read the book I perceived these quite life-applicable quotes and loved them and wished to record them somewhere, but was engrossed in the reading and finishing of the book and so quickly lost the location of the wisdom.  As I am reading it again, I decided to actually do what I had planned to three years ago and record the quotes and how I find them applicable to our life.
Please join with me in enjoying the Awesomeness of Lord of the Rings as you take in these thoughts.

The Wide World

"And I warn you that peril is now both before you and behind you, and upon either side...
The wide world is all about you:  you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out."

-Gildor

To be of the world is wrong.  It's true, but hard to do because of how hard the world is pushing.  We are told to be in the world but not to partake of it.  Be the example that is there, shining in the darkness.  So as you feel like keeping the world out of your fence, know that you can live in the world and with it, just remember not to live in harmony with its evil.

The Road

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

He used often to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river:  its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary.  "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say.  "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."

-Frodo

Each of us has a path we can follow.  We must choose the right path and keep on going, no matter how afraid or discouraged or weary we may be.  It will be hard, and we may not know the right way at first, but we can make it.  There is one Correct Road, then there is the wrong road, the one you don't want to follow because it doesn't take you anywhere.  Make sure you're on the right road when you walk out your door and then all that risking the dangers of the world will be worth it.