Movies

We have seen four movies over the last months.  While they were completely different types of movies,  I enjoyed them and would recommend them all.

First was "The Martian".  I didn't think I'd like this movie but since Matt and Scott were visiting  and they wanted to see it, I went along.  It is a fantastic movie.   Matt Damon is outstanding.  I did decide that if I am ever stranded on Mars, I want George along.  I'm a scientific dummy!

 

Next was the long awaited "Star Wars - The Force Awakens".  Unfortunately in a 'completely unrelated to the movie' article, I had read a comment that spoiled the big shocking event.   I sat there for the entire movie thinking ,"That can't happen. It can't. It won't" but it DID!  Still was so fun to see old movie star friends from years ago when we, and they, were young.  The plot is basically the same as the first movie but it made for an entertaining evening and a bit of nostalgia!  Oh, and it is worth paying more to see in 3D!

 

George and I have seen all "The Hunger Games" movies so we had to see the last one.  Good movie and fitting ending to the series.

A total change of pace was "Bridge of Spies" with the always wonderful Tom Hanks. Mark Rylance, who plays the spy, is a great actor too, plus I have always loved Alan Alda.  Fantastic acting all around and a very interesting true story! We both loved it.




Unusual for me, I've seen two of the Oscar Nominees for Best Picture!  Now I want to see "Brooklyn" and I will have seen all 3 non-R rated nominees!

January Seminary

Seminary pretty much consumes my life!  A 4:45 a.m. alarm means an early bedtime! The lack of sleep is one challenge but the biggest one for me is coming up with a 50 minutes lesson everyday.  I try to present a lesson that has the students reading the scriptures, applying what they read to their lives and learning good scripture study skills that will benefit them throughout their lives....plus I have to do my best to make it interesting and entertaining enough to keep the attention of 22 teenagers.  It is a daunting task. Some days are just so so and others are great.  Today was one of those great days. 

We are studying the book of Judges and today's lesson was on Samson.  After a bit of an introduction, I put them in groups, gave them a scripture block to read and asked them to draw a picture to tell the class their part of the story.  Plus they needed to explain what motivated Samson to do what he did in their section.  We had already learned that an angel had visited his mother to let her know that her son would "begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines."  His super human strength was given him to help with that deliverance.

First they intently read their assigned verses

Then there was lots of discussion between the partners.

 

And finally they started drawing.

 

Their clever illustrations and insightful comments brought the story to life. What motivated Samson to use the foxes to burn the fields of the Philistines?  Anger and a desire for revenge.

Why take the gate of the city and the posts?  To show how strong and powerful he was!

Why lie to Delilah about the true source of his power?  His own conceit.

 

And why after taking his strength did the Lord allow him to use it once again to bring down the temple of Dagon?  To show the true power of the Lord, God.

 

Principles from the story of Samson to apply to our lives:

• Anger and vengeance can lead us to make choices that hurt others and ourselves.
• If we break our covenants with the Lord, then He will withdraw His Spirit from us.
• If we place our own desires ahead of the Lord's will, then we will not reach our divine potential.
• We must make careful use of our own spiritual gifts.

 Days like this make me remember why teaching seminary is the best calling in the church!

 

 

 

 

January

Here it is the 18th of January and I haven't posted a thing on my blog.  I just read a Facebook post from a high school friend who was recently laid off from her job.  Reading her story reminded me of almost 7 years ago when George also had that experience.  I commented to her that I thought life's little detours kept us young.  We've loved our time in Portland with new adventures, new friends, new challenges.  One of those new friends (Ane Hornibrook) shared this brilliant drawing with us recently.  It came from a Stake Presidency meeting.  I take no credit for drawing it....only sharing it! 

Isn't it so true? 

Random Memories

Here are a few random photos of things I want to remember about Christmas 2016

Three of my handsome boys - Scott, Jackson and Matt

 

Isabella having a 'spa day' in the sink!

 

We took a drive to Newport and decided to see if there were any seals on the pier! There were lots of them. We could hear them long before we saw them.  Super noisy and and hilarious to watch!

 

A gift from friends that we unwrapped was a funny little stuffed fox with a hard round head.  We couldn't figure out what it was to be used for...a cell phone holder, a hot chocolate topper to keep the drink warm?????  We had many guesses.  Jackson however took one sniff and knew exactly what it was.....a dog toy.  Inside the head is a tennis ball.  Jackson smelled that scent right away!  And he waited patiently for the rest of us to figure it out!

 

I'm sure I'll never forget this Christmas - our first as Grandparents! 

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning is always such a great time!  While I know that gifts should not be the focus of Christmas, watching the people I love enjoy what I have bought for them is a joy!

 

 

Ok, maybe we did go a bit overboard with Isabella this year....

 

Her shirt says, "Who needs Santa when you have Grandma." 

 

Baby clothes are just so darn cute!

Oregon Coast 2015

We love the Oregon coast!  It is spectacularly beautiful.

 

I think Isabella will enjoy it more in the years to come!

 

I love my family and love to share good times with them in such a beautiful place.

Argentine Dinner

And speaking of Monica, she is a great cook!  John is a lucky man!  One night she made us a typical Argentine dinner.

 Handmade gnocchi

Delicious but a lot of work!

Chicken Milanese which is breaded chicken served with a tomato sauce and melted cheese.  Yummy!

 

Very fun to taste a bit of her Argentine culture! Thanks Monica for sharing with us!