Adventures in dating...

I love nothing more than to go out and about. I don't much care what we are doing, usually, I just love going out with Steve! Over the years, he has turned me into a bit of a home body and we don't actually get out much for dates and such! At my most recent job I received a couple of Carmike movie passes along with Goodwood BBQ certificates. In October, I tried to give these away to my cousin-in-law to take my cousin out for her birthday and he refused them basically ordering me and Steve to go out and use them! Hmmm...so I wonder, can I blame him for all this now?! Read on...

We finally got around to going out this last weekend. With only 3 Carmike theaters left in the state of Utah, we chose to go to the one in West Jordan and therefore go to the Goodwood BBQ in Draper. When we left the house, we went to my friend, Lorilee, house. We exchanged Christmas gifts and to give her a birthday gift (a month late)...and to help her with her Christmas presents from other family members. I got her hooked up on some of the same websites I use a lot on her new laptop, it is wonderful to have her on email now and will be great as she learns more and more about the internet and the great blessings that can be found by doing things like genealogy! Steve also helped her learn a tiny bit about her mp3 player and loaded a cd to get her started. She got some great toys to play with! After leaving Lorilee's, we checked our PO Box and took a gift to my mom's friend, Judy in West Valley.

Ok, so now on to our date....we decided to go out to Draper and eat at Goodwood BBQ next. This was our first visit to Goodwood BBQ and we enjoyed the food and the service. You see, the gift certificates I had were technically expired...but there is a little known thing about GCs not supposed to have expiration dates because the company has received the money for them. The manager was very accomodating! Steve had the bacon cheddar burger and I had the smoked turkey sandwich. We laughed at there not being salt at any of the tables, even though it was not needed. We thought the food was delicious, including the BBQ sauce, both of us preffered the sassy over the spicy BBQ sauce.

After leaving there, he had me drive to the Christmas Utah house in Murray. If you have not seen this, you have until this Saturday to check it out in person! It is really cool. For more info: http://www.christmasutah.com/ If you happen to watch some of the videos, they are from past years, but are similar to what they had this year.

Ok, next, we headed back to West Jordan to see Tale of Despereaux. We had seen a couple of reviews from friends about this movie and they said they would NOT recommend it, so, of course, this is the movie Steve chose to see! As I was driving us there, we got off I-15 at 9000s. As you head west towards West Jordan, you go up this hill where the speed limit drops from 50mph to 40mph. I specifically looked at the sign and lowered my speed, this is about 900w. By the time we got to Redwood Road (1700w), a cop was behind us and pulled me over as we turned south on Redwood. He said that at 1400w he clocked me going 51, 52, 53. I told him that I had just slowed down to the 40mph speed limit. In any case, he wrote me a ticket and because you know the cops are just so very nice and do us such favors, he wrote the ticket as me going 45 in a 40. I asked him if he knew about how much this was going to be, he said that it is usually about $90 for every 10 over the speed limit....so I'm guessing $90 will be coming due to the courts in a matter of weeks. I don't agree with him that I was speeding, but I don't have the energy to fight it, so I'm hoping that I can just pay it and not waste my time by making yet another court appearance this year!

Oh, we did make it to the movie and on time, even...Tale of Despereaux! I have seen the commercials and really didn't care one way or the other how soon I saw it, but as it started, I was impressed with the list of well known actors doing the voices: Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracy Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H Macy, Robbie Coltrane, Christopher Lloyd, Charles Shaughnessy, Sigourney Weaver, Bronson Pinchot, etc... I have not read the book, shocking, I know...in fact, I had never even heard of the book before this movie came along. I also usually try not to see a movie without having read the book beforehand. I liked the show. It is a cute story of courage, desires, and luck, imo. I think it is an ok movie for families. I, personally, think that I would not have paid to see this movie, but rather waited until I had read the book and the DVD came out, which is estimated for April 2009, like Twilight. As a matter of response to one of the friends who had previously reviewed this movie, I picked up this trivia on imdb.com: The man made out of fruit and vegetables is a tribute to the artworks of Giuseppe Arcimboldo

So, this adventure in dating had it all, for our boring lives, that is...and turned out way more expensive than any date using free movie passes and gift certificates should have been....but, yes, we did have fun...and I hope to start going out more often!!! Oh and I know I can't blame my cousin-in-law for this night, but a scapegoat would be nice!

16 things about me...

This is a tag from a very good friend from Washington....she passed it to me awhile back, I just felt the need to post it now, as I've been doing some pondering about myself:

1. I'm a genealogist...looking forward to starting a business, hopefully in January 2009!
2. I have always been and will always be a daddy's girl! I miss him terribly! (yes, still!)
3. I loved living in Mesquite, especially this time of year!
4. I love trains and am very happy living near the tracks!
5. My first job was at Lagoon (games and merchandising - great first job, loads of fun, but not much money)!
6. My favorite job was at the Mesquite Library!
7. I love to read...my current favorites are any Sisterchick book (http://www.sisterchicks.com/) and The Heir Series (http://www.cindachima.com/)!
8. I have been selling PartyLite for well over 9 years! (www.partylite.biz/chainoflove)
9. I will write books someday!
10. I always have too much to do...and yet never seem to get anything done! (yes, Pamela, this habit will give you a run for your gold medal on procrastination!)
11. I love hooking up with old friends on facebook, myspace, linkedin, myyearbook, etc...isn't modern technology such a blessing?!
12. I love to travel and look forward to doing more and more as time goes on...
13. My first real concert (not state fairs, etc) was Celine Deon opening for Michael Bolton!
14. I have no sense of smell.
15. I have met a few Olympic Gold Medal winners, Dave Ramsey, Zig Ziglar, Amanda Dickson, as well as many very successful people in PartyLite!
16. I would do about anything to meet Shirley Temple Black, Clay Walker, John Schnieder among many other well known people!

Things I Have Done...

To participate just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept over night on a train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23.Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone Deep Sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling Both
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class The emphasis being on A class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100 Blogged while lying sick in bed.

WOW, my life is boring. Oh well, there are a few of these I'm working on and a few I would like to accomplish in the future. Thanks, Dirk, for sharing this with us...

Mom's 60th birthday party...

After a stressful day before the party when the catering fell through....my sister came to the rescue...again...she is quite the little hostess with great a looking spread of delicious foods for everyone to eat, although the cake was from Sam's club where the decorators loved working on it so much, they didn't want to give it up...The party was a success, we had about 35 people here giving us a full house and loads of fun! Here are a few pictures that my sister took:

SURPRISE 60th bday party...

Amber is turning 60

Of that she is aware

But we want to surprise her

With all of you there

So the party is a secret

She doesn't it know yet

And if you keep it quiet

A surprise she will get...

Please join us if you can, I know she would love to have everyone she loves there. If you have any question please email or call Tonuah or Rebecca. Please arrive early, we are planning on the big surprise at 5p. Hope to see you there!

WHO: Amber Trujillo

WHAT: SURPRISE Bday Party Open House

HERE:

WHEN: 20 Dec 2008...she is expected about 5pm, so if you want to be here for the SURPRISE, please arrive by 4:30pm and park on 1900 W or west of there on 1835 N.

***PLEASE INVITE ANYONE ELSE YOU KNOW THAT KNOWS AMBER***

(the link on the title of this post leads to the official evite, thank you for keeping this a surprise!!! - good thing my mom stays OFF the computer, huh?!)

twilight

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

I have seen the show twice, so far, and love it! I tried this quiz a few days ago and it didn't want to work, so here it is now...funny thing is, as I was answering the questions, on several of them, I was thinking that it sounded like Alice!

Mars, Cars and Bars....

SIGH, wow...I finally caught up on all my friends' craziness...good, bad AND ugly! Now, I guess it is my turn to catch all of you up...

As you can tell this was posted relatively early in the morning (for me), considering I have NOT been asleep yet this last night, it is very early for my body. I won't be getting any sleep just yet, either, as we are headed to West Jordan for my moms Dr appt. Hopefully, I can find a way to take a nap after that and before heading out to the Festival of Trees. My sister and her friend did get their tree done. For anyone who is going, it is located at N7 and is the NFL Tree. Then, I will get to play Bunko, again! I love that...I'm still willing to get a group going, if we can get enough interest! Who's game?!!!

Ok, now to my title...forgive me for going out of order, but I will start with CARS: This post has been long in coming, I'm just now getting a chance to get it done. We have two cars in our household, a Ford Taurus belonging to my mom and a Dodge Neon belonging to my husband. The Taurus has been out of service since July and through a string of events, we finally got some work done on it during November. There are still a few questionable things that will hopefully turn out to be nothing to worry about, but we are so grateful to have this car back in running condition! Because the day before this car was done, sort of, the Neon died...we thought we had the Taurus fixed, but Murphy had other plans for us, still. So, we took the Taurus back to our wonderful neighbors to take another look at...basically trading it for the Neon, which we also thought was fixed. I think you get the idea, I think it was the next day, the Neon died AGAIN and really died this time. Luckily Steve was able to coast into a parking spot at a gas station about 15 min drive away from where we live! It was something like 1am, so by lucky circumstance a Draper police officer brought him home, leaving the car there until we could figure out how to get it towed to our neighbors! A day and a half later, we finally got it down and now after it being fixed some more, it does seem to run better than it has in two years! Oh ya, we got the Taurus back while the Neon was down and overall, it runs ok, too. So, I've had my fill of car problems, for a long while!!! Mostly, we are more than very grateful to have such wonderful neighbors to give us such service and help us out with our vehicles!!!!!

BARS....bet you are really wondering where I'm going to go with this one, huh?! Come on, be honest, you are really curious, what could I possibly have to say about BARS?!!! Ok, ok, I'm talking about Cell Phone BARS that represent how much battery power you have left...During all of the above issues with the cars, my already problematic cell phone gave me even more stress, one night having my battery run very low trying to find rides for everyone and change other things around to be able to function with the limited to no use of our cars! One day that we had no cars at all, my battery died, I was left to use my moms phone for texting, at least. Then, I got it all charged up, only to have ME leave it in the Taurus while Steve went to work...so, again, I had to use my mom's phone for texting, at least. I was so lost without my phone. This was the same day that we managed to get the Neon down to the neighbors! Good thing, we have a phone for my mom!!! My phone is still giving me grief, but I hope to be able to replace it very soon, as I am using more and more often in my 'jobs/yobs' and in taking so many pictures. If I don't diligently charge it every night, the battery runs low faster. It has been dropped several times, so the camera takes fuzzy pics at best. Ok, I'm rambling about this now, suffice it to say, we need new phones, too, and with Steve working again, I hope to be able to resolve this issue in the next few months!

MARS: ok, seriously, I didn't know how else to put this one, but with just the above stress alone, I sure could use some CHOCOLATE!!! No, Mars is not on any of my top favorites lists, that would be the RPC, but that is beside the point, especially since it doesn't rhyme with cars or bars!

Right after most of the above, but before I could take a moment to vent about it on here, I got sick with a cold....I'm over that, except a little coughing and my voice can't seem to make up its mind if I can have it back or not! I'm rambling really bad and my heading keeps bobbing, so I need to run upstairs and get stuff together so I can get cleaned up at my sisters place later and hopefully throw in a power nap, for now, before leaving for mom's Dr Appt...confused yet?!

DARN, I didn't do a good enough job....

Christmas Jars BY Jason F Wright

I absolutely loved this book, as did everyone I know that has read it. I think it would be very hard to find someone who didn't just love this book. I would recommend to everyone, all year round! This is the absolute example of pay it forward or blessings that come from generosity! For those that have read it, I knew the ending would happen, but until that particular door of opportunity opened, I had not put the two together. Life is funny way, continually going in circles, in the good way...it truly is a small world! I would encourage some kind of Christmas Jar action. That may not mean an actual jar somewhere in your home that you then pass on to someone else in need. To me, it means sharing of yourself, using the talents you were blessed with, to bless the lives of all around, strangers, family and friends alike! This book came at a perfect time for me, as usual...see my last blog regarding 15 Nov. As I strive to follow the good examples of my life while leaving the bad things behind, I challenge all of us to look for the good in everyone, it really is there! The harder challenge then often becomes focusing on that good and letting go of the fear or nervousness you may have and just give. The act of giving does not have to include a financial cost. Just as in this book the act of giving the jars full of money was helpful to those receiving, I think the great gift received, for most of them, was the hope they needed and a restoration of faith in the goodness of mankind! Ok, there were a few quotes:

pg 55: "Genuinely batty? I concur." Those that know me, know how true this statement rings in my life!

pg 95: "...no one can rush the process of perfection." No matter what is being talked about, a thing or a person, this statement is a great reminder to us all!

pg 110: "I guess some people just need to learn how to give..." I think that speaks for itself and I challenge each of us to learn how to give, share of ourselves with others and I promise that we will each be the better for it!

15 Nov 1934...2000

I finished reading the book Christmas Jars early this morning. I will review that one in a day or two. I missed a book club meeting for this book, but had only started it the night before the meeting and wasn't finished with it by then...but the reason I missed the club meeting was because of yet another car crisis, which I will probably get around to blogging about soon, too. You see, I have all these events/ideas of things to blog about, but don't take the time to just sit down and DO IT!

I wanted to write this blog first thing this morning, but one thing after another and I am finally getting to it now. I was determined to do this blog TODAY, though! Finishing the book this morning seemed very appropriate, in my mind. This book reminded me of two very generous men in my own life, both of which happened to be tied to the date of 15 Nov...

15 Nov 1934: Jose Toribio Gilberto Trujillo was born to Ignacio and Eliza Rebecca (yes, I am named after her) in Mora, Mora, New Mexico. This is a little farming community in the mountains above Taos, New Mexico. This is my dad; he lived only 61 years on this earth. I was always very close to my dad. We lost him over 12 years ago. I have my moments of grief just as most anyone would, but usually he is there in the back of my thoughts, just as he was my whole life with him. One of the fondest generous memories I could think of this morning was his love of cleaning the snow in our neighborhood. He loved to shovel snow, I am certain he was nuts...yes, I come by this naturally! One year, he finally got a snow blower, with this; he would do the entire neighborhood. He would do our driveway and sidewalk and work his way around the big 'half circle' that made up most of our neighborhood. He would get half way through one side and run out of gas. Then he would walk home and go down to the gas station, fill up his can and get back to working on the neighborhood. He would do this until he pretty much did what everyone else had missed along the way. I should note that he was forced into a medical retirement around the age of 50, so he had lots of time on his hands. My dad would never take money for doing this; he just loved to clear the snow. He often did receive cookies and other baked goods for his services and yes he did share these with us, of course. He was very generous, remember?! One of the many who would offer goodies was a group of 20something ladies that happened to share the house across the street. When he died in Feb 1996, a day or two after, it started snowing and it snowed pretty good. We fully believed that this snow was from Dad, punishing us for not EVER helping him in cleaning the snow! When we woke up in the morning, we were dreading the need to clean the snow, but when we got around to opening the blinds and such, we found that the girls from across the street were already out there getting it done. We were so grateful and even though the snow provided the opportunity for some in the neighborhood to return dads sweet favor in cleaning snow for us, some of us still like to think it was his way of paying us back. This is just one example of my dads’ great generosity...but I will move on....

15 Nov 2000: Leon John Myrup died from injuries he sustained in a fall a long while before this date. I only had the privilege of knowing this great and generous man for just over 4 years. He is my husbands' great grandfather, granddad, as he was called...This man was in his nineties, but you would never know it! He still mowed his lawn weekly and did his home teaching, faithfully, every month. He went to church every week and did give of himself and what he had to all he could. He took my husband in to live with him in 1988, shortly before losing his wife. Steve lived there and they took care of each other from that time on. When my husband and I got married, in 1997, I moved in with them. This was an easy choice for us and we lived there for 11 months. Moving was a hard choice for us, but Steve got a job in Magna and we wanted to shorten his commute from Orem to somewhere closer in Salt Lake County. I witnessed the kind generosity of this great man in so many ways. He always stood behind Steve in all he chose to do. They truly took care of each other and they were both the better for it! With all the great things that Granddad did for everyone who crossed his path, I am most personally grateful for all he did for Steve and even for myself! I look greatly on his example as one to learn from and follow in striving to be closer to our Savior!

These two wonderful men played very important roles in my life and I miss them both terribly. I was grateful to be reminded of them and the generous things they did with their lives and talents. They have touched my heart and will continue to live on forever. I am grateful for the knowledge of the Saviors gospel that teaches us that families can be together forever. I hope to live so that I will be with them again. Thank you, Dad and Granddad, for ALL you brought to my life, most importantly for bringing me to my husband, Steve! They both played a very important role in us finding each other. That story will come in the future, I am certain. I just want to close by saying that I love you, Dad…Granddad…and Steve so very much!

SLBizzNet...update

Today was the third official meeting of SLBizzNet. This is the official name of our group. Each week has gotten better with more people in attendance. This is as it should be, although I admit that the attendance isn't all my doing. This next week will be a new test, as the powers that be have finally jumped on board relenting it is past time to start calling new contacts and not just the previous members. I will continue on and do even more to get people in the seats at the weekly meeting and hope that the others 'in charge' will be able to do their part and get the visitors to become members. I now wish that I had jumped on board with this venture months ago, but, you know....woulda, coulda, shoulda....live and learn! Anyway, we are here now and if everyone does their part and we keep the energy good and high, this venture will be the great thing it once was 4+ years ago!

Some have asked exactly what SLBizzNet is...it is a networking leads group. This is a group of small business owners (or sales reps) who meet for lunch once a week. At this meeting we each take about 60 seconds to talk about our business and who/what would be a good lead for us that week. Leads are passed to each other, thus helping grow each others businesses. As small business people we are also there to be supportive in the understanding of what it is like to be in business for yourself. I have been networking since about 2001 and love it! Not only have I made some great business contacts, I met my bestest friend ever, and a few other friends, because of a networking group! It is a great way to build a business via the best form of marketing our there, word of mouth advertising! So, with all this in mind, anyone you know who has their own business in anything or is in sales, directly responsible for their own commission income...pass their info along to me and "Discover the power of networking"!

Photo Tag....

I was 'tagged' for this from my Sister in Laws' blog. Basically, what you do is open the folder or disk where your pictures are kept and open the 4th folder then post the 4th picture.

I know that this is small, but that is the size I had it saved. I don't really know any story behind this pic, but I do know that it is a picture of my sisters coffee stand, Red E Espresso, in Tacoma, WA. It was obviously taken in the dead of winter with rare 'big snow' accumulation in WA. It had to have been taken winter 2003/2004. Although the stand still exists, as far as I know, she sold it long ago and moved on to another coffee shop and even beyond from there to another career altogether. She did very well with Red E in the long run and I know she would not trade the experience of that time for most anything!

Ok, now it is your turn, and make sure you post me a comment so I can see what you find!

BizzNet

I am feeling quite anxious tonight and felt the need to blog about it. I figured it would help ease my anxiousness, if nothing else....I hope! Many of you are aware of the struggles we have had this year. Now, I am working with a former client and friend from my networking days, which were among the best of my businesses. We have teamed up with another friend we made via the old BizzNet group and are restarting BizzNet! BizzNet is a leads group. We meet for lunch once a week and learn about each other and each others' businesses, then we help support and grow each others businesses. We are very excited at the opportunity this affords us and our businesses. We look forward to the many friends we have yet to meet and keep. Our first meeting is today (technically, if you look at the time, it is officially Wednesday...yes, I'm a nerd and I know it!) and I am very excited but also nervous. This meeting alone could make or break this venture being a success, in a way. I have no doubts the great help and importance networking plays in the bottom line of small business. I have done all I can, at this point, to make this first meeting a success. I just hope it is enough. The end results rely on others, who I know are very capable of doing their jobs, but the nerves are there anyway. Given all that has happened this year, one of the lessons I have learned is that sometimes we can work our behinds off and it still comes down to what others choose to do or not do that can make all the difference between success and failure OR positive and negative results. Anyway, I could ramble on all night about this, but suppose it is time to get some rest before the big day officially starts! Send all your good thoughts, prayers, karma, etc, etc my way, k?! I know you will....have a great day, I will too!

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TERRILYN!!!

Fahrenheit 451 BY Ray Bradbury

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I guess I can now officially say I have read this book. I have heard a lot of hype about this book for years and finally decided to give a try. I am glad that I read it, but don't necessarily see what all the hype has been about. The title, for one thing, always confused me, but now in just the introduction I understand that this is the temperature at which book paper burns. Ok, I guess that makes sense for this title to a book where the main topic is books.

The futuristic world that Ray Bradbury has created is one where books are bad and, in fact, if caught with books your house is burned to nothingness. The firefighters start these fired instead of putting fires out. I guess in the end we all have to decide if we are like Montag, Beatty, Clarisse, Faber, Mildred or even the Hound, how do books fit into our life and the lives of those around us?! I think everyone should read this book, once, unless you really really like, then be my guest to read it over and over. My challenge, in any case, is to keep books alive in whatever way we can. That, in my opinion, should be everyone's desire!

Now for the quotes, with a few thoughts, too:
pg 90: "If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none." hmmm....sound like something that COULD be applied today?! Yes, I'm glad it isn't, but it COULD be!

pg 158: "You'd better head for the river if you can, follow along it, and if you can hit the old railroad lines going out into the country, follow them." Sounds like good advice to me, on so many levels!

pg 180: "Don't judge a book by its cover," someone said. And they all laughed quietly, moving downstream." This could make sense to all of us, but in the context of this book, it is an amusing statement.

pg 181: "...when he died, I suddenly realized I wasn't crying for him at all, but for all the things he did. I cried because he would never do them again...He was part of us and when he died, all the actions stopped dead and there was no one to do them just the way he did. He was individual. He was an important man. I've never gotten over his death." see below

pg 182: "Everyone must leave something behind when he dies...It doesn't matter what you do...so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away." see below

I had a really hard time getting into this book, but as I said before I am glad that I read it. Not only does it challenge me to continue my love for reading and soaking up all the information I can, it left me thinking about what kind of legacy I hope to leave behind. Not just in the monetary or famous way, if even that, but in the basic personal one on one connections in my life. Yes, it reminds of the whole message of my all time favorite movie, It's A Wonderful Life, we do touch the lives of others, hopefully for good, even if we can't see it now. At least, that is my hope!

The Heir Series BY Cinda Williams Chima

I have read a lot of books this year, good ones even, but this series is the best I have read all year. Yes, it was even better than the new Sisterchicks book and you all KNOW how I love them! After I read all three of these heir books, I had the absolute pleasure to meet Cinda herself. I look forward to her future works! Here are my reviews for all to enjoy, i hope...

THE WARRIOR HEIR

I absolutely loved this book! Upon reading the description, I thought here we go with another Harry Potter type story. You know what I mean, young boy finds out he has abilities and there is a whole other world out there that needs him to use those abilities, etc. I started reading this and was immediately hooked. Of course, the genealogical direction it took had everything to do with my fascination. I did find the book a little bit predictable. I think every teenager would love to have an Aunt Linda in their lives! I loved how even the genealogical aspect was brought full circle. My favorite quotes: pg 60: "Weird is good, strange is bad," Fitch always said. Jack felt better. pg 254: "Just remember who you are, Jack, the old man said. "The world will try to change you into someone else. Don't let them. That's the best advice anyone can give you." pg 420: "More and more, there were no revelations, but simply the uncovering truths long known but dimly remembered. Everything had been written long ago. There was nothing truly new in the world, but only the slow, circular march of time that revealed the old things once again."

THE WIZARD HEIR:
I felt the first in the series ended in a way that didn't leave a ton open for a sequel. As I started this one, I did find that is continued from the first one beautifully. There was not as much focus on genealogy, and no research really involved. This one focused on "weirbooks" which is ones Weir genealogy, so it was still interesting in that way. I loved the storyline following private schools. I think the author did a wonderful job of capturing the teenage struggles and views. Especially given the added stress of being 'orphaned'! It kept me very intrigued the entire time. Also, I love the nickname of "Seph" as I had not heard that one before. I did find one funny quote given a recent popular series....pg. 395: "What were you thinking...taking up with a vampire who sucks magic from innocent wizards?" You will have to read the book to find out what that comment is all about!

THE DRAGON HEIR:

The Wizard Heir left huge openings for this sequel, and (for now) final installment of The Heir Series! Again, no genealogical research and not even a big focus on weirbooks and such. BUT this one did focus on relationships as they are, now and in the past! With multiple generations playing their part in trying to save the Weir World, EVERYONE had something to do. Most of the responsibility fell upon the youngest generation to fight this great battle. You will have to read it to find out how it all ends and exactly who survives on ALL sides of the battle! I think the author did a wonderful job of letting the reader know and remember that although there is this whole Weir World with all of its powers, the characters are just human with all that entails. I do feel that the book ended well with slight openings and possibilities for future additions to this great series! For more information on this author and her works, visit her website: www.cindachima.com! A couple of quotes that caught my attention: pg 297: "Bats fluttered like black handkerchiefs among the trees at the edge of the clearing." AND pg 444:"There he hung silently like a bat in a cave..." It should be obvious why I like these quotes, but if you must, you can ask me.

The Camel Bookmobile BY Masha Hamilton

I really enjoyed this book; it combined my love of libraries with a culture that honors its ancestry. Fiona Sweeney is a librarian in New York City who desires more than her world. She applies for and is accepted to be a consultant in a new venture in Africa, the camel bookmobile. I really liked that this book didn't linger too long on the African culture itself as some books I have read in the past. It did discuss it, but in just the right amount to not lose the readers attention. As Fiona continues on, the village of Mididima embeds itself on her heart. Specifically three people, Taban, Kanika and Matani are deeply affected by the Camel Bookmobile. This story carries with it the good, bad and possibly considered ugly effects of having change brought to peoples lives. Most people on this planet are happy in their own world, some would say ignorantly happy because they don't know anything different. Some don't want change in their lives because of this happiness and some just fear the unknown. And, in the end, sometimes we try to go back for what we once had only to find it is no longer there OR it is never the same. I would challenge each of us to look back on our lives at the changes we have experienced, the ones we have chosen and the ones placed upon us by others whose intention is only to improve our lives. Then take it a step further and look back at the lives of your parents, grandparents and beyond, what differences do you see, are they all for the better? Most specifically to the storyline of this book, what books have changed your life?

Quotes:

Pg 10: “Books are their future. A link to the modern world.”

Pg 61: “May you never forget what is worth remembering…and never remember what is best forgotten.”

Pg 62: “she felt embraced by those tall, narrow stacks; she felt nurtured in the library and supplied with information”

Besides the link in the title, you can also find more information at the following website: http://www.africanlibraryproject.org/

In looking at information on the internet about the above, I found that there is a similar system in Venezuela using Mules, see picture below:

Festival of Trees

Tonuah is my sister and has given me permission to post the following to spread the word even farther:

We are donating a Christmas tree to the Festival of Trees benefiting the Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. We have chosen an NFL theme for our tree this year. We are asking for donations large or small. We need items such as NFL themed Christmas ornaments and other NFL themed decorations, items to place under the tree (i.e. footballs, blankets etc.) or money is always needed to help purchase any remaining items. Anything would be greatly appreciated.

If you choose to contribute please send your donations by the 15 November. You can mail any donations to:

Tonuah Proudfoot

c/o Festival of Trees

8527 S Cascade Springs Ln #711

West Jordan, UT84088

Any monetary donations please make checks payable to Tonuah Proudfoot and mail to the address above.

Every penny (100%) raised at Festival of Trees goes to provide medical care for children in need at Primary Children's Medical Center.

Thank you for supporting the Festival of Trees, a "Gift of Love" to children at Primary Children's Medical Center.

If you have any questions or concerns please call 801-884-2313 or email us at nflchristmas@q.com

Sincerely,Shaulynda Gines and Tonuah Proudfoot

Angel's going on and on....

Yes, I know, you all expected a blog with my observations of this weekends General Conference....I will get there, but it will probably be a few days.

Right now, we are watching the CALIFORNIA ANGELS (yes, I know they changed their name, but I think it is dumb, so, there you go!) fighting to continue their 2008 season! They had a pretty amazing year, with 100 wins for the season, a first for this ball club! Only to end the season losing and continuing to choke in the first round of the playoffs! So, here Steve and I sit, game 3 vs Boston Red Sox in Boston, in extra innings. Yes, there is a little holding of the breath, on my part, when they let Boston get bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, but luckily managed to get out of it fighting! While I am nervously awaiting the ANGELS to kick it up a notch and play THEIR game, I will tell you how I came to be an ANGELS fan...

I was always a baseball fan, don't know exactly how or why that came to be, but when I was a kid, I liked the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1982, we went to Anaheim for a family vacation, I'm sure you can see where this story is headed, but it is my blog, so I will tell the story how it goes anyway...We went to my Uncle Arvids house, who happens to live near Disneyland, and he had the Dodgers game on TV. The family all went out back to the patio to visit and such. I leaned on his little stairs next to the TV and was watching the game. My uncle came in for something and invited me to go out with them and even offered to change the channel on the TV, after all, I was just 11 years old (on to the 12th inning tonight, whew!) and a girl at that! My mom says Uncle Arvid went out to the patio with his jaw dropped and when asked why he said, "A GIRL that likes baseball?!!!" (yay, the ANGELS score, now to keep the Red Sox scoreless in the bottom half!!!) Needless to say, the next evening they all surprised me and took me to my first Major League Baseball game at Anaheim Stadium! I was hooked and have been a CALIFORNIA ANGELS fan ever since!

Ok, so back to reality, we are 2 outs away from winning this game 3 and continuing the season....1 out away.....AND NOW THEY HAVE DONE IT!!!! WHEW!!! YAY ANGELS!!!

Bunco, Bunko, Bonco, or Bonko

Whatever you call it or however you spell it....

Thursday night was my first ever at Bunko! I had a blast! This was a very last minute event for my mom and I. Early that afternoon, my sister called me and invited us to be subs that night for her group. My mom has played as a sub a few times before and enjoyed it everytime. As said before, this was my first time. I have had several people try to explain how to play this with not much luck, but it was so very simple once I was there. I ended up with the prize for the last bunko of the night. With everything going on this year and this week, I really needed this night out and am very glad I took the time to spend with my mom, sister and her friends!

This group was all women and did dessert during the halftime break. I understand some groups are couples. Also, that some groups do dinner before and dessert at the half OR just dessert at the end. No matter how it is done, I am competitve and had a great time! This group of women were loads of fun, as usual, there was all types of people there from the overly exuberant to the overly inverted and everything in between! This group had 12, I understand some groups to have 16.

Needless to say, now that I've experienced this night of fun, if anyone ever needs a sub, I'll do what I can to be available...OR better yet, let's get our own little group going!

Into the Fire BY Jeffrey S Savage

rating: 4 of 5 stars

KNOW YOUR ENEMY AND PROTECT THAT WHICH YOU DEEM MOST VALUABLE! what do you deem most valuable?

I have been meaning to read this book since May. I finally got to it this week. The timing was quite interesting as it leaves me with intense mixed emotions. This is a moving fictional story about a man who is left to be tested by Satan himself. This is a modern day story of Job. We are having some major struggles in our household right now and this book left me mixed on feeling like I am being similarly tested yet knowing that our situation really could be so much worse! I have had many dreams over the time that we've been having our major struggles this entire year, but they seemed to intensify while reading this book. Power of suggestion, maybe?! Overall things are gradually getting worse for us, I (as of right now) am still holding strong to my faith! It is one that can't easily be messed with! I will let the following quotes and thoughts from the book speak for themselves:

pg 112: "Fish aren't the only ones with scales. The world can place scales on a child's eyes sometimes, blinding them from seeing what's important in life. And it's not just children that can be blinded either. Nope, no one's immune to scales."

pg 185: "On this earth. You are here to experience, to learn. Somehow your generation has come up with this crazy notion that God is supposed to keep you from experiencing pain. You think that adversity is a punishment, instead of realizing that it is an opportunity. You are so busy trying not to get hurt that you miss the chance to grow ---"

pg 205: "...maybe the real message of the story is...we can't control what happens to us, be we CAN control what we do about it---what we learn from it."

This book openly leaves one to wonder at the reality of just how much those that have gone before come back to help us. Also, if we believe that is possible, do we open ourselves up for that help?! Things that make you go, HMMM....

Do No Harm BY Gregg Luke

A medical thriller, the type of which I would normally never read. As a professional wussy, I scare easy! I saw a guy reading this book last May while I was waiting and reading something else at Jiffy Lube. I was intrigued, so I looked it up and finally got around to reading this book.

I love that the main setting of this book is in a small community. For those from Salt Lake (Utah), especially the Midvale area, it was easy to picture a small old style drugstore, Vincent Drug comes to mind! I really like how the author takes a few storylines and brings them all together in the end. His characters become real and, for most of them, you just hope it works out positively. I was impressed how this author implemented the role of Paul's LDS history, without making the book all about mormonism. I was also impressed at how strongly the author made the reader understand how it is to feel all alone in the world. Gregg Luke captured some basic feelings, too, like most people hate moving more than going to the dentist (pg 151)!

Overall, if no other lesson is learned, I would say always make sure you have friends and loved ones so you won't be the next 'target'! And, above all, decide for yourself who you are going to TRUST!

A couple of other quotes that I felt really applied to certain current events in my life:
pg. 196: "Sure, they had their fair share of hardships and troubles in life, but their faith and commitment to their religion bore them through the tough times." pg 225: "Part of being charitable is allowing others the same privilege, " Paul said smoothly. "If you deny someone the chance to be charitable, they will not be blessed for following through, and the fault will be yours."

Consequences...

There is a lot going on in my life right now...good, bad and even ugly! Ok, not so much of the good, but this is pretty normal, right?! It seems to be for me...the details aren't important to explain my current observation:

Our most recent lesson in Relief Society was The Plan of Salvation. I have been known for telling people "you don't have to DO or NOT DO anything, you just HAVE to suffer the consequences". This thought crossed my mind as we discussed the free agency with which we have been so blessed in this life. We each live our lives the best we have been taught and that should be good enough. We make all kinds of choices at any given moment, some seem to be insignificant and some seem to be monumental. I believe we tend to forget that sometimes our choices don't just affect us, but all those around us, especially in our households. As I look back on the past 12 1/2 years, I can see how my choices have led me down the path to where I am at now. From my observation, my current circumstance is a direct result of my choice to continually trust the same people over and over again. I control only myself and I have to live with the consequences of the choices I have made. Unfortunately, in my current opinion and place in life, most of us have to live with certain consequences of the choices made by those closest to us, as well, especially those in our own households.

I will leave you with the following thoughts from the above lesson: “The devil has no power over us only as we permit him; the moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.” AND "...God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged..." It is my hope that I will continue to work towards obediently enlarging my mind and would encourage all of you out there to strive for the same, in the hope that we will all be able to make better choices therefore having better consequences! We must continually be learning and growing and choose for ourselves the kind of people and lives we want NOW and therefore will have, after all, "you don't have to DO or NOT DO anything, you just HAVE to suffer the consequences"!!!