Temple Embroidery Project #PittsburghTemple

I had a time to relax on Sunday, so I decided to make a little embroidery of the coming Pittsburgh Temple.  

I planned to do this as an activity for our Primary children at Activity Days, so I wanted to try it out first to see if it was on their skill level.  

Here's how you can create a simple embroidery pattern out of any temple picture:

First, print out a photo of your temple in the correct size.  It does not need to be in color.

Next, tape it to a window and trace the simplest outlines of the temple onto a plain white paper using a thin black marker.

Then place muslin cut to size over your pattern.  Trace the pattern onto your muslin (again trace it on a window creating a lightbox effect).  I started to trace using a disappearing fabric marker, but mine wasn't exact enough, so I switched a pencil, which I could easily cover with my stiches.

Back your muslin with quilt batting and put your work in an embroidery hoop.  Mine is a 4 inch wooden hoop.

Using 3 strands of embroidery floss, stitch the outlines in a color of your choice.  I did the "shading" with random/free-hand stitches, but the rest of the piece is sewn using a "back-stitch". (Here's how to back-stitch.)

When finished, trim the excess fabric a bit and secure to the back, using your hoop as a frame.  I used masking tape to secure the fabric as a short-cut.  

You can loop a thin ribbon through the metal part to hang and display.

(As you can see in this last photo, my disappearing marker is still showing in blue.  You just rinse that off, if that's the type of marker you used.  I'd recommend just using pencil since it blends in so easily and does not need to be erased when finished.)

I really like the way this turned out!  And I enjoyed it for like two days before I gave this one away in a "favorite things" Relief Society activity.  

Now I need to make a new one!

Continue reading... »

a Time to Prepare

 

We were just doing a little scripture study this evening and we started talking about Joseph Smith's story, how he received the amazing vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, but then had to wait three whole years to receive another heavenly messenger.

Three years is a long time to a 14 year old.  And three years is a long time when you don't know just how long you will wait for further instructions.  Three years is also a long time to wait while being harassed and persecuted by your neighbors and community. (And it would actually be seven years before he received the plates.)

In that "First Vision", Joseph Smith was given a glimpse of the future that would be full of revealed truth that would bless all of the earth, but then he was given years to wait, to learn, to be tested, and to prepare for that future to come to pass.

In our family, we're waiting for blessings to come to pass too.

Last year, we were told in General Conference that we would be getting a temple in Pittsburgh.  And right now, we're waiting.  Waiting for further instruction.  Waiting to know just where the temple will be built. And while we wait, we know that this time is a gift.  It is our time to prepare for the glorious blessings and responsibilities that await.

We decided to ask each member of our family to write down one thing they will do to prepare for the temple. (And then we acted out what we wrote for the rest of the family to guess.)

Here's what we wrote down:

We will prepare for the Pittsburgh Temple by:

Going to church nicely (that was 4 year old Val's, as you can see he drew his as a picture, which is a great comment, because he has been cranky about going to church since the shut-down!)

Reading Scriptures Daily  & Studying the Gospel

Picking up trash by the side of the road.  This was a funny one because our family adopted the road leading up to our house and have been picking up litter there for two years now (which was one of Scarlett's YW Good Works Projects).  If the temple ends up being near our house, it will certainly be like we've been picking up trash from the temple site unknowingly all that time.

Making our Guest Room look nice  & Preparing it for Visitors.  Ever since the announcement, we've been excited to think of a future where we get to put our friends up for the night so they can attend the temple.  After all of these years of having to drive far enough that we needed to either get a hotel or make a long, long day of it.  This bring us a lot of joy.

As I sat in church today, my mind was all over the future temple.

Here are some things I thought about:

1.  I need to carve out time each week to index and do Family History so that WHEN temples open again, or when our temple is ready, I will already have that pattern in my schedule and it can become my temple time.

2. I thought about service I can provide watching other people's children while they attend.

3. I thought about what it might be like to drive by the temple EVERY DAY, which made me reflect on the "drives to church" that I've had through my life.  

As a kid, we drove to church through kind of depressed town and the feeling of peace we had driving home after taking the sacrament really contrasted with our surroundings.  We passed my preschool, crossed a drawbridge, and a lovely park, always in full view of Lake Erie.

While we live in central Pennsylvania, we drove through beautiful countryside, which also took about 20 minutes each way.  I made my kids memorize the landmarks we passed on the way, because it made it seem like not as long of a drive. 

First we drove through our small downtown and crossed the Susquehanna River.  Then we passed the road with big dots painted on the road to make drivers slow down. (My kids' job was to count them.) We passed the sunflower farm, then the sheep out to pasture, and a big tree that looked like a dinosaur high on the ridge.  Then we drove by the little white church set close to the road, then the gun club, and we were almost there, but always watch out for deer!  

Driving to church then was a 20 minute exit from the world and my worries, and I really came to love it.  By the time I got to church, I was calmed by those natural surroundings.

Thinking about the possibility that a temple could be built just minutes away from my house, puts me in awe of a Great God, who can make dreams happen, where I never even imagined such a thing becoming a reality in my life.  Whatever happens, I am completely in awe of Him.  And I hope I can prepare for whatever happens next.

Continue reading... »

She's Growing Up Unto the Lord

With the recent policy changes, my oldest daughter was able to enter the Young Women's program about five months early.  She was also able to enter the temple.

I was so excited for her when I heard the news, and I was also excited to share the news with her.  Since she was home sick from school that day, it was fun to bring home lunch and talk about it.

She is so ready.

She has been growing her testimony and been growing in all the different ways. And it has been a beautiful time for us together as mother and daughter to share the exciting and wonderful experiences of growing together.

The picture at the top of this post was taken on the Wednesday night when she came home with her new temple recommend.  She was so pleased and wanted to talk all about it.

Scarlett is a girl who by and large makes good choices...and because she makes good choices, she feels good about herself, and this is a cycle that has really been quite an advantage for her.  She is confident in the Lord, He blesses her, she acts in faith, and she just grows and GLOWS!

It was really a special and happy day in the temple last Saturday when I took her for the first time to do baptisms.  Guy was there too and so were my parents. 

Scarlett was asked to be baptized for one of my friend's close relatives, so that was neat to see the connection that we all had in the temple.

But the thing I will remember most is the feeling of total JOY I felt as soon as Scarlett entered the font.

And it actually taught me something I had not previously considered.

Scarlett is joy personified.  Before she was even born, I got a glimpse into her personality and she is just a spritely, happy, playful, energetic spirit.  And those were the feelings I felt from the Holy Ghost while I watched her do baptisms in the temple.  It was a different type of spiritual joy than I felt when I watched Guy do baptisms in the temple for the first time exactly a year ago.  This spirit really matched Scarlett's spirit.  And I thought that was so very interesting!  I will definitely be thinking more about that.

Anyway, I am happy about and excited for all of these changes that the Lord through President Nelson is instituting...and I'm grateful for the many ways that they will surely bless our children!

Continue reading... »

Our Weekend In Palmyra

How is it possible that life can be so stressful and so rewarding at the same time?  That pretty much sums up the weekend we just had in Palmyra.  But I suppose traveling with a family of six kids (two of them babies) is basically going to be stressful in one way or another no matter what we're doing.

We went to the temple first.  And boy, did I need that.  I haven't been in quite a while, so the moment I stepped on temple grounds I got a little emotional.  I have a lot of good memories from visiting the Palmyra Temple in my young single adult years, so it was a bit like the feeling you get coming home.

I enjoyed my time in the temple, but had to hurry out at the end in order to allow my son and husband to come in and do baptisms.  

One question I had while in the temple was "Why does the Lord want me in the temple today?"  As I was quickly leaving, I caught a glimpse of myself in my temple clothes in the dressing room, and in that moment I caught a glimpse of myself as God sees me, of the person he wants me to remember that I am.  When I am outside of the temple for long periods of time, I start to forget the person Heavenly Father wants me to be and knows that I can become.  So it was good to see that person in the mirror that day, and I think it will give me strength to move more confidently in that direction.

In the Visitor's Center later that day, we stopped to admire this statue of the Savior.  And my five year old, Honor just was enamored with it.  She told me later that she kept creeping in to touch Christ's feet and to pray.  She has such beautiful, unmarred faith.  I admire it.

We visited the church history sites and the Sacred Grove.  I was super weirded out by the fact that the (non-church owned) bookstore was selling patches of the Sacred Grove!  But I was happy to hear that the Church has started renovating the space to the right of the Book of Mormon publication site/The Grandin Building to include a Distribution Center!  Thank goodness! 

Some other fun highlights of our trip included visiting with two dear friends of mine.  One, from where we used to live and another friend of mine from my single ward days in DC.  Coincidentally, they both attend the same ward.

We also swam in Lake Canandaigua and Lake Erie and came home with bright red (totally worth it) sunburns as souvenirs!

Continue reading... »

The Covenant Path

We experienced a spiritual milestone on the covenant path yesterday as we participated with our son Guy by doing baptisms in the temple for the first time.

As with all temple service, it took sacrifice to be able to be in the temple together.  The whole family drove down to Columbus together--a three-hour drive--nothing compared to the eight-hour drive we made as kids to the DC temple, but a sacrifice still.

And it was totally worth it.  Thanks to my Mom for sitting with the other children so Steve, Guy, and I could have this brief moment together in temple service...the first of many, I hope.  Guy was baptized for a family member, a relation of my great uncle, but in addition to that, the temple worker there asked Guy if he would be baptized for three of her close family members--her father, grandfather, and an uncle.

It was a sweet and special moment to do this work for her and to watch Guy embark on his own temple journey.

I have had many special moments in the Columbus Temple.  It's where I took out my own endowments, where I went to learn and grow in my early 20's as a young single adult, and where with my family I witnessed President Hinckley's dedication of the first temple in The Ohio again after the Kirtland temple.

So I'm really an Ohio girl at heart, and it is amazing that no matter how long you're away from a place, you can always see a familiar face at the temple...and yesterday, in addition to my family, I saw two familiar faces--sisters and friends I knew in two different singles wards.

Guy enjoyed his time there and is anxious to return...next time with lots more family names!

Continue reading... »

Holy Hamburger, Batman!

Our family is in a bit of a tight spot here this summer as my husband's job went away semi-suddenly.  He's been with the same company for nearly a decade, and we've been so blessed during that time. Now he's job hunting, but there is a lot of uncertainty about what this will mean for our family in the coming months.  

Needless to say, with a new baby and the job situation, things are stressful for us.

So, our day to serve in the new Philadelphia Temple open house finally came last weekend.  I was signed up to serve Friday night, which meant leaving my husband to fend for, feed and get our five kids settled in our downtown hotel all on his own.  Let me just say that given the conditions of the downtown area where the temple is located, this was a BIG ASK.  

Anyway, my shift was from 5-10pm, and the last time I had eaten was 2pm, so midway though my volunteer time I started to get hungry. 

While I was standing there waiting for another group to come through my thoughts turned to food.  I found myself wishing I could have a hamburger for dinner...and wishing I could tell my husband to pick one up for me before he came to pick me up (which would be well after 10pm that night.) 

I couldn't text my husband though, because our cell phones and purses were being kept in the meeting house next door.  So, without thinking about the impropriety of my request, I said a prayer in my head, "Heavenly Father, please ask Steve to pick up a hamburger for me before he picks me up from my shift tonight."

I caught myself and thought...um, that seems like an inappropriate request to ask God for a hamburger!  What am I thinking?  But I had already thought the prayer!  So, again in my head, I tried to soften the request with, "A salad would be ok too...but a Burger would really hit the spot."  Man, I thought, God must think I have some nerve!

When my husband picked me up, he told me how difficult it was with all the children and the circumstances at the hotel...then trying to secure dinner for them all.

I asked, "You didn't happen to pick up any food for me, did you?"

Of course, his answer was yes.

It wasn't until we made it to the hotel that I discovered he had indeed bought me a hamburger!!!  (Which is not at all a usual request for me!)

He said he was all set to pick up Panera for the kids.  He had even taken their orders.  But when he walked downstairs to get dinner, he walked by a burger joint and he suddenly thought, "Hmmmm, a burger sounds good."  He scrapped his plans and bought hamburgers for dinner instead.

I don't know why the Lord saw fit to get me a burger that evening.  I am well-aware that the most powerful-being in the Universe does not need, nor should be expected to fulfill such a silly request...and yet He did and He does....all. the. time.  Because He can.  And because He loves us.

Because of the physical demands and changes of having a baby and the stress of not having a job, I have felt spiritually distant lately.  But through this experience, I felt the Lord reaching out to me, pulling me back in, and showing me, once again, that there is nothing He can't do...no request too great or too small...and that if I will just lean on Him a little more, He can help me with anything.

The temple is beautiful.  Life is beautiful...and strange sometimes.

And that burger was DELICIOUS!

(Burger Fi brands their name on their burgers as you can see.  We had never even heard of Burger Fi, but even re-heated, this burger was smashingly good.  So for our ward Linger Longer this week, Steve made his own branded Temple burgers!)

Continue reading... »

Finally, a Temple in Pennsylvania!

Oh, I know it's been a while.  I've been enjoying precious, sweet, personal time with my new baby.  I wouldn't trade it for the world...or for the blogging-world.  Sorry guys!

But if there's anything that would be a strong enough pull to bring be back to blogland, it would be the completion of the first ever temple in my beloved home-state of Pennsylvania.

Our family has waited 8 long years, since the announcement, to see this temple come to fruition.  (My grandpa who was born here and who has passed on has waited much longer!) Two years ago on our way to the airport, we visited the temple under construction, and it was thrilling even to see a shell of a house of the Lord gracing this beautiful land we have come to love so much.

So, yeah, we're excited to go serve in the temple open house this weekend and to take our children through on a tour.

Although, our family has a lot of big things going on at the moment, I was reminded at church this morning not to let this once-in-a-lifetime, much anticipated season of life pass me by...so we're making every effort to follow the admonishment of our Stake leaders to try to serve in the temple as open house volunteers 3-5 times before its dedication.

With 5 kids and a nursing baby, this seems like a lot (seeing as the temple is 2.5 hours from our house!)  But we want to be a part of the miracles that will undoubtedly accompany the dedication of such a beautiful house of God.

I'm pretty sure I can't even begin to describe what this temple means to me personally as a proud-Pennsylvania saint living in one of the smallest and most spread out stakes in North America...but I'm sure you can imagine.

If you're a reader anywhere on the East coast, please think about coming over to tour this temple built in the heart of the birthplace of America.  You can book a tour here.

Continue reading... »

I love being a Latter-day Saint

I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

That's just all I kept thinking about while I was in the temple today...how much I love being a member of this church, how happy it makes me to know what I know, and how many blessings flow into my life because of the temple.

And for the record, I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way.

I have a feeling that these guys really like being Mormons too.

Cute. Cute. Cute.

I discovered this photo in my inbox last Sunday.  I was thrilled to hear from a reader and to make a new friend in Mike, the Dad in this shot.  (Hi Mike!)  I just love the joy that exudes from this photo, so I wanted to spread that feeling on to you.

I kinda feel like seeing more pictures like this...So if you have a photo to share where you're being all shiny and happy-ish, in that LDS-type way, you know where to find me.  

jocelyn.christensen@gmail.com

Continue reading... »

Reading the Book of Mormon Backwards

On Sunday, I received a lovely email from a reader named Tessa, expressing her interest in joining The Book of Mormon Forum.  She said this:

"I just wanted to share with you a little bit about me and my story, and the tender mercies I have received in the last two days since I started this Book of Mormon "challenge".

For the past year I have been questioning the gospel--the past six months have been serious.

I was at the point where I was going to leave and never come back, or I was going to commit my life to it.  I didn't want to sit on the fence anymore.  I was leaning towards leaving, but by the grace of God, my husband took me to the temple where I received a special confirmation that I knew the church was true. 

I was really frustrated at this, because I knew that I would have to work really hard at building my testimony from scratch.  I didn't want the church to be true, and I knew that that confirmation meant that I needed to commit myself to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I haven't read my scriptures on a regular basis in three years, and I haven't read The Book of Mormon in six.  I began reading the Book of Mormon for the first time last night. 

I decided on a whim to read Moroni chapter 10 and go backwards from there, because normally, one might start with the introduction and the testimonies of the witnesses. 

I read four verses and came across Moroni's promise, and I instantly felt the spirit. 

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ^aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not ^btrue; and if ye shall ask with a ^csincere heart, with ^dreal intent, having ^efaith in Christ, he will ^fmanifest the ^gtruthof it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

My mind was taken back to the time the missionaries came into my home and challenged me as a teenager to take Moroni's promise. I took their challenge and I remember the feelings I had as I knelt down in my bedroom to ask the Lord if the Book of Mormon was true. 

That day, I received a confirming witness and the sweetest of feelings about the Book of Mormon.  As I read it again last night, I remembered this experience, and could feel the love of my Savior pouring out over me. 

This memory was a most special gift and it had come at a most needed time.  I can build on the testimony I had then, because I know that those feelings came from my Heavenly Father.

It blew me away that today, in Elder Henry B. Eyring's talk, he quoted from Moroni chapter 10.  This was a sweet feeling that came to my heart, to know that the Lord was preparing me to listen to his Apostles by inspiring me to start the Book of Mormon Backwards!"

I just loved Tessa's testimony and was so happy that she shared it with the rest of us in The Forum.  Her experience reminded me of what President Uchtdorf said this weekend.  Her thoughts were further testament to the fact that we are "not invisible to our Heavenly Father."  If you'd like to read more from Tessa as she studies the Book of Mormon "backwards" this month, you can find her at her blog.

Pin It

Continue reading... »

The Sharp Knife of a Short Life

We are going to a funeral of a young friend today.  Christian Cruz-Estrada is a young man from church who was baptized within the last year.  He didn't speak a whole lot of English, but where he lacked in communication skills, he made up for it in his facial expressions.  Every time we ran into him, either at church, at the grocery store, at the park, Christian had a smile as big as the grand canyon waiting for us.  His smile said I love you, I know you, and I am happy and excited to see you and a million other things all at once.  It always delighted me to see it.

The last time we saw Christian was at the swimming pool last week.  Christian was swimming with some of his friends, and I watched him from the deck as he realized Guy was at the pool too.  Now, Christian is entering 7th grade and Guy is entering Kindergarten, but Christian and Guy knew each other from the Fathers and Sons Campout.  

Most boys that age probably would not take time to make a little boy like Guy feel special.  In fact, we see neighbor boys there, and often we can barely get them to acknowledge our presence.  But not Christian.  I watched as this sweet boy poured out that brilliant smile on Guy--a smile that took his entire face to create.  Then he gave Guy an enthusiastic thumbs up and nodded his head.  I couldn't hear their words, but I read "Yes, I know you!  We are swimming, isn't this fun?"  

Guy immediately ran to me to tell me that he saw someone from the campout.  He was thrilled.  This moment really stood out in my mind, even as it was happening.  And now I know why.  It would be the last time we would see that generous smile in this life.

Coincidentally, I recently downloaded the song "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry and have been listening to it a lot lately.  I think that the writer of this song got a lot of things right, but one thought I have to disagree with comes in this line:  "Who would have thought forever could be severed...by the sharp knife of a short life."

That line stands out to me, because I don't think that forever can be severed.  At least it doesn't have to be.  With the blessings of temples, the Lord's intention for families to be forever can be realized by every person who has ever lived and who will ever live on earth.  I am confident that Christian is in good hands now, as I believe that everyone returns to their maker when this life is finished.  He is also in the good hands of his aunt and uncle who will take his name to the temple to have work done for him to ensure that his family ties will not be lost.

At the end of the video above, it shows the family embracing. Some people would interpret this to say that the singer doesn't die, because she says "Gather up your tears, put 'em in your pocket, save 'em for a time when you're really gonna need 'em."  But when I watch it, I see a family that cannot be separated, even by death.

Although we are mourning the death of this sweet and tender young boy today, we rejoice that our Savior Jesus Christ has made it possible for all mankind to return home together.  I don't think it coincidence that Christian embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ before his death. I am confident that he "had just enough time", and I am grateful that we were able to bask in his light, even if for just a short time in mortality.

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh, uh oh

Lord make me a rainbow, I’ll shine down on my mother
She'll know I’m safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and
Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had, just enough time

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had, just enough time

And I’ll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom
I’m as green as the ring on my little, cold finger, I’ve
Never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand, there’s a
Boy here in town says he’ll, love my forever
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had, just enough time

So put on your best boys and I’ll wear my pearls
What I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I’ll sell them for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I’m a goner
And maybe then you’ll hear the words I been singin’
Funny when your dead how people start listenin’

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh (uh, oh)
The ballad of a dove (uh, oh)
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep ‘em in your pocket
Save them for a time when your really gonna need them, oh

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had, just enough time

So put on your best boys and I’ll wear my pearls

Continue reading... »

They Just Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore...

Today, I want to introduce you to my Dad.  My dad is amazing.  Is your dad amazing?  I'm sure he is, but my Dad is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  He is a quiet, unassuming, humble kind of amazing that is rarely found in the world today.  Let me see if I can put it into words.

The pictures that I am sharing in this post are quintessential "My Dad".  

MY DAD WORKS TO ENCOURAGE GROWTH and UNDERSTANDS THE LAW OF THE HARVEST. - When I was a kid, my dad worked in a steel mill.  He still does actually.  And every day after work, he would quietly go back to his garden and work the soil.  I can remember him putting forth hours of effort every night to turn over the rock hard soil.  He weeded, pruned, and cared for his garden until it produced lots of food for our family:  beans, grapes, tomatoes, peppers.  Over the years, he shaped and molded his yard into a modern-day Garden of Eden.  My Dad understood that growth requires work and that you reap what you sow.  My dad never lectured me on this topic, but his quiet actions in the garden planted seeds of testimony in me that have brought me great happiness in my life.  I now love to garden as well and always think of him when I am happily cultivating my own piece of earth.

MY DAD SPENDS HIS LIFE IN SERVICE TO OTHERS, SEEKING OUT THOSE WHO ARE FORGOTTEN. - This is another very familiar scene - my Dad shoveling snow.  We got a lot of snow in the wintertime in Northern Ohio, and my Dad would often wake up early to clear our driveway, but he didn't ever stop there.  After finishing our driveway, he'd work his way down the sidewalks of our neighborhood shoveling the front walks of widows and elderly living on our street.  And when he was finished there, he'd drive to a woman's house in our ward or someone he home taught and take care of them as well.  He has been a great example to me of quietly going about the work of the Master in daily life.  Since he did much of these acts of service, the shoveling in particular, before anyone else was awake, the recipients of his kindness rarely knew who to thank.

MY DAD SEEKS OUT ALL THAT IS LOVELY AND PRAISEWORTHY AND WORKS TO DEVELOP THESE GIFTS IN HIMSELF. - Here is my Dad practicing the piano with my little sister sitting next to him.  I remember my Dad practicing A LOT when I was little.  I used to "dance ballet" for him while he played.  My Mom was a great pianist.  I always think of my Dad as being self-taught.  He spent many years playing the organ for our ward sacrament meetings, and I know that he spent many hours each week learning the hymns for that Sunday.  Quiet dedication.

Years later, when Ohio finally received a temple, my Dad was invited to play the organ for the temple dedication.  My entire family was able to be in the celestial room of the temple that day to witness the dedication.  Seeing him play the organ for the Prophet, who was seated just three feet away, was sweet reward -in my eyes, anyway- for the years that he spent practicing to make beautiful music for the members of his local ward each Sunday.

At my sister's wedding reception.  I'm pregnant with Guy.

MY DAD LOVES TO LEARN. - Another way that my Dad has cultivated all that is lovely in his life is evident in his love of words.  My Dad has learned a new word in the English language every day for at least the last thirty years.  He started learning words in order to combat the foul language that he heard every day working at the steel mill.  Now he is a word connoisseur, but he does not learn words to show off.  His vast vocabulary is simply a manifestation of his love of learning.

And boy does he love to learn!  My Dad actually has a degree is history.  By now, I'd bet he'd make an amazing history professor at the college level, because of the 100's (1000's?) of books he has devoured to satisfy his appetite about the history of...well...everything.

Who's that baby?  Oh, yeah, that's me!

MY DAD HAS HIS PRIORITIES RIGHT. - There has never been any question in my mind about where my Dad puts his family on his list of priorities in life.  He loves the Lord.  He loves his Family.  He loves his neighbor.  And we love him.  One of my fondest memories of my Dad are when he asked me to hold his flashlight as he worked on our car in the garage.  (He was always fixing one of our cars.)  I loved the one-on-one attention that I got out in that cold, dark garage.  I also remember with fondness the many hours he spent reading the scriptures to my sister and me.  He loved to read certain parts with such animation, "he doth drag them speedily down to HELL!!"  Other times, he was so exhausted from work that he fell asleep mid-sentence.  My sister and I would get a big kick out of that.

I also loved when  he would "tuck us in" to bed.  My younger sister and I shared a room, and we'd often stay up late laughing and talking.  We'd kept my poor, tired folks awake.  After my mom got tired of yelling up the stairs for us to go to sleep, my Dad would come up to "seal our eyes shut".  He'd lick his thumbs and and then apply a generous amount of his magic saliva to our closed eyelids.  This would essentially seal our eyes shut so that we could not - nor would we even want to - open our eyes until morning.  Worked every time!

I love you, Daddy!

Happy Birthday!

PS - As I ran errands today, I kept thinking of things that I left out in this post about my Dad....like how he took troubled kids under his wing, how he always says "Primary is #1" and how he speaks French, because he served his mission there...how he cries easily, and jokingly says to other men "Let's have a female hand-shake" and pulls them in for a hug, and how everyone of his close friends calls him "Robert" but with a French accent!

Continue reading... »