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."
For more than 19 years my parents have had a cat by the name of Velcro. Velcro got its name because it would stick to us like "velcro" and made the sound of it when we pulled him off.
Velcro was born in 1987. We cannot remember exactly when he was born, but we know that it was between summer of 1987 and Thanksgiving of the same year.
Velcro died today, April 23, 2007. He had lived longer than any other cat they had owned and his health was deteriorating to the point that the only humane thing to do was to have him put to sleep.
Velcro was an interesting cat.
In his younger days he would make himself "available" to the grandkids in exchange for the good cat food.
One of his favorite places to perch was on my sister's head--or anyone's head--but hers was his favorite. He loved to run his paws through human hair.
Velcro sat on my son's head one day watching him eat a bowl of cereal.
He had learned to say "Hello." It was sort of a "yewo."
In his later years he thought he was on an equal with my youngest brother of about the same age. In fact my brother is just slightly younger than this cat. Velcro and my brother had a rather interesting sibling rivalry. My brother would complain that the cat would not stay out of his room. "Mom," he would say, "would you tell Velcro to stay out of my room while I am at school." In turn, Velcro would sneak into the room any chance he got, just because he could.
I am sure there are many stories that will be told about this cat for years to come. He will be missed.
Okay, so I like to take the occasional silly quiz. This one perked my interest because I like to play Dungeons and Dragons. In this game it is very important to know ones alignment--not talking about tire alignment here.
You scored as Lawful Good. A lawful good person acts as a good person is expected or required to act. They are dedicated to upholding both what is right and what is set down in law.
In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom...
Whether you believe the Book of Mormon or not there is a great story in there that can be compared to what is happening in our country today.
Here is the setting: There are two basic groups (or nations) of people who fight against each other from time to time—the Nephites [nee-fites] and the Lamanites [lay-man-ites]. The Nephites have a chief judge and judges who make up their government. Prior to this they had had a king for their leader.
For the first few years of the ‘reign of the judges’ there is relative peace. This story takes place 30 years into the reign of these judges. There are many dissenters who want to go back to the days when they had a king.
At this same time there is a war going on between the two nations. The leader of the Nephite army is asking for supplies from Zarahemla (the capital of the Nephite Nation). He is becoming frustrated that those much needed supplies are not coming. In a fit of anger he writes to Pahoran, the chief judge, and warns him that they will storm the capital if they don’t get the supplies they need.
As it turns out, the “king-men” as they call themselves, have taken the Capital and Pahoran is in hiding. Not only have these king-men taken over Zarahemla, but they are in league with the enemy (the Lamanites).
Prior to this war Captain Moroni (the leader of the Nephite army) had already had to deal with the dissenters. In doing so he had inspired many to join him in his fight.
And now it came to pass that when Moroni, [who was the chief commander of the armies of the Nephites], had heard of these dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah.
And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole. Italics inserted.
I wish we could do as they did in this story. The leader of the Nephite army, with the permission of the chief judge storm the Capital, take the king-men captive, and return Pahoran to the judgment seat. The king-men who will not give up their fight are put to death.
At this time in our own country we have dissenters who are trying to usurp our leaders. They appear to be in league with the enemy. They are traitors. They are undermining our sovereignty by weakening our ability to defend ourselves against our enemy.
I was looking for a little light, comic relief, sort of thing today and found this little pass-a-long quiz. I have always said that I am a Realist. I can be optimistic if the situation calls for it. But I also see the down side of things with open eyes.
With all the talk of blame we have been hearing regarding the massacre at Va Tech I was encouraged by the story of Professor Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, sacrificed his own life for those of his students. (Monday, April 16, 2007, was Holocaust Remembrance Day.)
As Jews worldwide honored on Monday the memory of those who were murdered in the Holocaust, a 76-year-old survivor sacrificed his life to save his students in Monday's shooting at Virginia Tech College that left 33 dead and over two dozen wounded. Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, threw himself in front of the shooter when the man attempted to enter his classroom. The Israeli mechanics and engineering lecturer was shot to death, "but all the students lived - because of him," Virginia Tech student Asael Arad - also an Israeli - told Army Radio. More of the story...
This man, who was a living memory of the horror of the Holocaust, is now a hero to many of those who survived Monday's tragedy at Va Tech.
We should take care not to place blame on those who have come to this country from other parts of the world. Yes, the gunman was a foreigner, but so was one of the heros.
As the talk continues the day after the massacre at Va Tech many people are looking for reasons and something to blame. I was over at Eeps, Meeps and Ipes blog. I read something I have heard before following tragedies like this.
I work in an office environment and this case was all the talk of the office after lunch. Sadly one of my coworkers immediately launched into a tirade about how all of these school shootings and violence in our youth is directly related to "those violent video games". If it weren't for video games you know that no one in the highly civilized United States would lash out and try to injure their fellow beings. I, of course, jumped in and told him there was no proof that violent video games caused such behaviors any more than playing cops and robbers with fake guns or fingers did. His comment, "I don't need proof, we all know these things."Excuse me? We all know this? What -we-?"
So often we jump to conclusions about the cause of the world's ills. We want quick fixes. Getting rid of video games might be a quick fix--or not. But it certainly would not solve the problem. The problem is much more complex. There are many things that have lead up to a decision by the young 23 year old Va Tech student to gather some ammunition and open fire.
We all want to know why. That is human nature. We want to know how to prevent this from happening in the future. But we would best be served by learning the facts rather than jumping to conclusions based on our pet peeves--whether they be video games or something else that gets our goat.
Virginia Tech brings back memories for me. The campus is in the small town of Blacksburg in Montgomery County, Virginia. I spent the summer and fall of 1988 living in neighboring Giles County. We would occasionally spend our off days on the tennis courts on campus.
Word just reached me of the horrible news at this beautiful campus.
BLACKSBURG, Va. — "A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, in a classroom across campus Monday, killing at least 30 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history, government officials told The Associated Press. The gunman was killed, bringing the death toll to 31.
"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said Virginia Tech president Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified." It was not immediately clear whether the gunman was shot by police or took his own life. Investigators offered no motive for the attack. The gunman's name was not immediately released, and it was not known if he was a student.
My heart and prayers go out to the families and those who witnessed this tragedy.
ADDENDUM:
I want to reference what Patrck Conlon said about this tragedy on his blog at Born Again Redneck Yogi.
"The really ironic tragedy is that VA Tech is a "gun-free campus" and a subcommittee of the Virginia Assembly killed a bill which would have changed that." Read More...
"When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns."
In February 2005 US Senator Larry Craig (Idaho) opined:
"To most people, it makes sense that General Motors can't be held responsible for the actions of drunk drivers, or that Louisville Slugger shouldn't be sued if a criminal uses one of their bats to assault someone. To some trial lawyers and social activists, however, this logic does not apply to firearms dealers and manufacturers."
I recently joked about the Swiss Army and their inability to keep their own borders straight. Nanc commented on that post about why the Swiss would even need an army since they are a neutral nation. Think about this. If Switzerland had no army at all would they even remain a country at all? Would the United States be able to remain sovereign if it was unable to defend itself. The right to defend oneself is intrinsic whether they are a great nation or an individual.
On May 13, 1857 my husband's 3rd Great Grandfather, Parley Parker Pratt, was killed near Van Buren, Arkansas.
While on his mission, Parley sensed his approaching death. He wrote home, “I long to do my duty while here and then go to rest in the paradise of God.” Indeed, Parley stated, “I neither dread nor fear death, but I anticipate changing worlds with joy inexhaustible.” In May 1857, shortly after his 50th birthday, Parley was murdered outside the small town of Van Buren, Arkansas.
As he lay dying, Parley testified to those who had come to help: “I die a firm believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. … I know that the Gospel is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God, I am dying a martyr to the faith.”
Many things, both good and ill have been written about Parley Pratt. But there is no doubt that he was not an ordinary man. His legacy lives to this day.
In the mountains to the east of Salt Lake City there is a canyon that bears his name. I-80 East from the Salt Lake Valley climbs through this Parley's Canyon.
"The transportation story of Parleys Canyon is one of development by phases, in which one mode of transportation improves on, or replaces, another. The most recent phase is today's high-speed six-lane limited access freeway which is Interstate 80; but it all began with Parley Parker Pratt's initial exploration of the entire canyon in June 1848." Utah Rails.Net
In November 1849, after suspending work on his road for a season, Pratt was called to head an exploring company of fifty men to southern Utah and to counsel Brigham Young on promising areas for new settlements. Pratt gave to the legislative assembly optimistic forecasts for settling the present sites of Richfield, Marysvale, Parowan, Cedar City, Washington, Santa Clara, Mountain Meadow, Beaver, and Payson. His company brought back samples of iron ore, coal, and other minerals. He provided specific information on weather, soil conditions, water, forestation, and other topographical conditions.
He opened his toll road in 1850, and during its first season of operation collected $1,500 from California-bound gold seekers and others. He left for a mission to Chile the following year, and the road largely fell into disuse. Today, what was then the "Golden Pass Road" is the Interstate 80 freeway through Parleys Canyon, a major scenic route into the valley, and one that services numerous communities east of Salt Lake City. http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/p/PRATT,PARLEY.html
He was a poet, song writer. Seven of his songs are currently included in the LDS Hymn Book.
In the old historic Nauvoo, Illinois there is a street bearing his name. It was along this street which runs west to east toward the Mississippi River that most of the early Mormons last saw their beautiful town. Parley's Street became known as the Trails of Tears (later to be renamed the Trail of Faith). As the Mormons were being driven from their homes in February 1846 they followed this road to the River and on to the west.
Parley Pratt, in his short 50 years, would cross the oceans six times. "Parley provided crucial leadership in the trek to the Salt Lake Valley and in the early exploration of Utah. During the winter of 1849–50, he led a 50-man expedition to investigate possible settlement sites and natural resources in southern Utah. In the 1850s Parley traveled twice to California as president over a mission to “all the islands and coasts of the Pacific.”
In 1851 he sailed from gold rush San Francisco to Valparaiso, Chile, along with his wife and another missionary, making the trio the first missionaries to South America. Unfortunately, civil unrest, restrictive laws against non-Catholic religions, struggles with the language, the death of an infant son, and lack of adequate funds cut short this early effort." The Extraordinary Life of Parley P. Pratt
A Note: Two of his descendents have run for President of the United States. George Romney was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968, losing to Richard Nixon and his son Mitt Romney who is currently in the running for the same nomination.
Power: The ability or official capacity to exercise control; authority.
ABUSE OF POWER
Abuse of power or authority may be the prime source and true essence of moral EVIL - Evil is the ABUSE of power. Moral EVIL begins to exist when someone refuses to accept responsibility for the welfare of others, especially those naturally under his or her direct care. It can be said that someone has POWER, if that someone can decisively influence (the) reality (of others). In this context, AUTHORITY is power that derives from a social accord or convention, such as the laws or customs of a social group such as a state or an organization. So then, what is "abuse of power"?
Most of the country is familiar with the case of the former Durham County DA who illegally held back DNA evidence that would clear Duke Lacrosse players in the case against them. In some discussions on Born Again Redneck Yogi I came into a challenge to "improve" on an already "improved" upon image of the said DA.
"On the photo, I was thinking some pointed ears would do nicely too...possibly some horns...hmm, I have photoshop on my computer...think I will go have some fun. Perhaps not." Kelly
For those who have seen my website you might recognize the new look for my blog. I have integrated them to have the same look. I figured out how to do this while helping a friend redo the look for her blog.
