Kelly is the mother of 5 adorable kids--4 boys and a girl. The girl came in a package with a boy (twins).
Kelly is married to a charming young man who lives and breathes computers. They are also guardians for three nieces and a nephew.
She is active in the community having served as PTA President of a local elementary school,
on the board of the Salt Lake Mothers of Twins, as a district round-table trainer with the Cub Scouts, as a volunteer for Sidelines (a support network for Women on bed rest during pregnancy) and she and her husband are active in the LDS Church.
Salt Lake LDS Temple Centennial with a full 3D model of the building in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.
This Single Image Stereogram was done at the 100 year anniversary of the building's completion.
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer,
who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea,
his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to
drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation,
a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
Tis the season for Christmas music once again. People know right away whether a song is a Christmas song or not. So, what is it that is different?
Some of the music has jingle bells ringing in the background. That is almost always a give away. But not all of it has jingle bells. Most of the Santa Claus, 'secular'/holiday' music tends to lean that way.
When one hears 'O Holy Night' or 'Silent Night' it is quite obvious that they are Christmas songs just because we have heard them all our lives. Is it because we reserve those songs for this time of year. It isn't just because they are about Christ. Mercy Me has come out with some very moving Christian music that wouldn't qualify as Christmas music...though their music is very stirring.
One would argue that Christmas music must be about the birth of Jesus. But not all religious Christmas music is about His birth.
It just seems that there is something magical about the music.
In my previous entry I talked about Parley P. Pratt's quest for the truth. People may question the veracity of the claim that the Book of Mormon is truth and not made up. That is up to each person to find out for themselves. The Book of Mormon contains a promise toward the end of the book. Ask God. Find out for your selves. Moroni 10:3-5
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
Joseph Smith said that he had translated the book from ancient gold plates by way of direction from above. Either Joseph's claim is true or it is not. There is only one way to find out.
On a book shelf in my parents' home while growing up there was a book called the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt. I had never really known who he was other than that he had been an early LDS (Mormon) leader.
While serving as an LDS missionary we had a video we would show people called, "How Rare A Possession". In this video Parley Pratt sells all his land and other possessions and he and his wife set out on a quest for the truth. He comes across a copy of the Book of Mormon and reads it almost without stopping. He says that eating and sleeping became a burden to him.
I would later read this good man's autobiography and found that he had indeed sold all his possessions in search of truth and that when he found that book he would not set it down. I had picked up my own copy of his autobiography when I learned that my husband is a direct descendant of this Parley. Parley, I learned, eventually worked very closely with Joseph Smith. With his own limited resources he travelled to England to spread the word of the Book of Mormon. He sailed to Chile to do the same. He would serve many missions for the LDS Church. When he was 50 years old he was sent to head back to the Eastern United States from Utah to spread the word in the Southern States. He got as far as Arkansas before he was hunted down and killed.
Among his many contributions was his poetry. I grew up hearing the words to a hymn we often sang in church. I had never paid much attention to it because it just wasn't one of my favorites. But one day I noticed who wrote the words to that hymn...Parley P. Pratt. This time I read through the words without singing.
Jesus, once of humble birth, Now in glory comes to earth. Once he suffered grief and pain; Now he comes on earth to reign. Now he comes on earth to reign.
Once a meek and lowly Lamb, Now the Lord, the great I Am. Once upon the cross he bowed; Now his chariot is the cloud. Now his chariot is the cloud.
Once he groaned in blood and tears; Now in glory he appears. Once rejected by his own, Now their King he shall be known. Now their King he shall be known.
Once forsaken, left alone, Now exalted to a throne. Once all things he meekly bore, But he now will bear no more. But he now will bear no more.
I have always found the Christmas song, "O Holy Night" to be a very pretty song. But when Josh Groban sings that beautiful song I am swept away by it.
O holy night The stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Savior's birth Long lay the world in sin and error pining 'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees O hear the angel voices O night divine O night when Christ was born O night divine O night, O night divine
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we Let all within us praise His holy name
Christ is the Lord Let ever, ever praise we Noel, Noel Oh night, oh night divine Noel, Noel Oh night, oh night divine Noel, Noel Oh night, oh night divine
I was looking through some pictures I had taken from a recent trip I took across the country. Among them was a picture I had taken of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I started to realize just how many great landmarks and monuments I had seen with my own eyes over the years.
I have stood near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. I have viewed Seattle from the top of the Space Needle. I have snapped a picture of the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial from a moving car. I have seen the Wright Brothers Memorial near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina from a passing car. I have stood on top of the World Trade Center. I have viewed with awe the Gateway Arch by the Mississippi River. I have walked atop the Four Corners Monument where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet. I have stood at the base of the Statue of Liberty. I have wandered on the beach of the Puget Sound near Seattle and the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. I have swam in the Great Salt Lake. I have been inside the McLean House in the old town of Appomattox Court House and stood at the edge of Saylor's Creek Battlefield--the last major battlefield of the Civil War--preceding the surrender of Lee to Grant. I have also seen the wonder of Rocky Mountain National Park, Zions National Park and Arches National Park.
I have crossed the Columbia River, the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, the Kanawha River, the New River, the Ohio River, the Kansas River, the Platte River, the Des Moines River, the Wabash River, the James River, the Patomac River and I have been under the Hudson River. I have seen the rocky coast line of Oregon and the sandy beaches of southern California and Long Beach Island NJ. I have rafted down the Green River and the Snake River and I have dipped my feet into the Colorado River.
I have been in Seattle, Portland, San Fransicso, San Diego, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City (where I was born), Denver, Kansas City (both of them), Des Moines, Indianapolis, Columbus, Charleston WV, Richmond VA, Washington DC, Louisville KY, New York City, St. Louis and a lot of other small towns in between.
And I have been in 26 States (Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentuky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, New York) and Washington, DC.
What a beautiful country!!
PS: I have yet to see the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, or the Alamo. I have also never been to Disneyland nor set foot outside this country.
A dear friend one day to me did say You have so many friends today Why you can pick and choose to see The one with which you will decree That friend who will be upper most Upon the very tip top post
So why is it, my friend did query That you would opt to be so very Keen to have so near Each and every one so dear
Thus to this matter I reply Lacking would my heart decry For all the friends in the human race If I would be without your face Hence each one of you is upper most Upon the very tip top post
Well, here I am. A good friend of mine just informed me that I am WAYYY behind on my blog. So, here I am.
Today I went to parent teacher conferences for 5 of the 9 kids in my care. I would have had 6 of them today but one of the teachers got sick and couldn't make it. I am also the new Cub Master for a local Cub Scout unit. I have enough boys in my house to keep a pack going for some time. My husband and I are finishing our basement. We are doing this ourselves. We have enlisted our teen-age boys in this endeaver and are beginning to see the end of this projoect. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
On the side I have picked up a new game I sometimes play late at night. I was introduced to the game by one of my husband's friends. And my dear hubby doesn't even play it. It's called Kingdom of Loathing (or KoL for short). It is such a blast to play, which is totally odd considering it has no fancy graphics. In fact, the graphics are just stick figures and other crudely drawn images. For some strange reason this game is appealing to a lot of people. If you are walking down the street and hear people talking about Pasta Mancers or beating the Naughty Sorceress you are seeing the results of this craze.
