“The Peacegiver” by James L. Ferrellby Angie
29 Jan 2008
11:01 am0
Justin Bradley offered to lend us this book on Friday, with a very high recommendation. Both Jim and I read the whole thing over the weekend: it’s a quick read, and rather hard to put down. I loved it – It was profound and insightful, but in a very real and familiar way. The protagonist is invited to understand forgiveness and mercy through visions faintly reminiscent of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” except that the scenes he witnesses are from the scriptures, rather than his own life. As the story unfolds, it teaches about the Savior’s Atonement and the role of healing it can play in our relationships.
As a side note, I found it ironic that one of the complimentary comments on the back cover was from C. Terry Warner, which called it, “An invaluable, compelling book of hope and discovery – about Christ, about others, and about ourselves – unlike, I think, any other book you have ever read.” Though I agree with almost his entire statement, it actually did remind me of another book I have read: C. Terry Warner’s very own “The Bonds that Make Us Free.” Brother Warner’s volume, while not written in narrative form like “The Peacegiver,” taught similar concepts in its message of humility, forgiveness, and peace. If you were touched by one, I think you will very likely enjoy the other as well. Not surprisingly, Brother Warner and Brother Ferrell both work for the Arbinger Institute, a foundation based on principles of peace and individual accountability.
Congratulations to Rebecca Carlson!by Angie
27 Jan 2008
9:01 pm2
As promised (though, rather later than promised), Rebecca finally receives her prize for successfully identifying the song and album that are the source of our very appropriate blog tag-line. What is the amazing prize? Why, a post on our fascinating and exiting new blog, with readers across the country, dedicated entirely to my amazing sister-in-law! So, here goes…
Rebecca J. Carlson is the oldest of six children born to Roger and Kathy Hoffman. With an airline pilot and a marine biologist turned super-mom for parents, Becka had adventure and creativity stamped on her destiny in bold type. She spent her childhood in Utah, Arizona, and Texas. Later, she pursued scientific studies at Brigham Young University, where she met a brilliant mathematician named Russel Carlson. It didn’t take long for Physics and Math to notice each other and, during Becka’s Senior year at BYU, they were married in the Portland LDS Temple. Together, they’ve taught ballroom dance classes, written and published The Journal of Extraneous Scientific Topics (JEST), and moved from Utah to Oregon, back to Utah, then to Arizona, and finally to their current home in Nevada.
Rebecca & Russel spend a significant portion of their time raising their five children. This generally includes a conglomeration of homeschooling, music lessons, science projects, family prayers, various pets, and wholesome recreational activities. Becka keeps a running commentary of these adventures on her blog, “And Now, For My Next Trick…“. She plays the harp, and has even built several of them herself. She is an avid reader, and often takes the time to write insightful reviews on what she reads. Her literary interests have prompted her to experiment with her own authorship, and she is currently attempting to publish a young adult novel titled, “Society of Peregrines, Book One: The Key to the Corridor.”
Here are a few things her family members have said about her:
“I could not have hand-picked anyone better than this remarkable young woman to be the “ring-leader” of my children! She has been a constant source of inspiration, creativity, and fun to our whole family.” – kathy
“Rebecca is amazingly creative, a problem-solver and a natural leader. She’s intelligent yet sensitive, scientific yet spiritual, talented yet humble.” – russel
“She is a brilliant person – a genius when it comes to science and physics and all that. She’s an inspiration to me artistically, and has been the trail-blazer in my family.” – jon
“(intelligence / n(projects)) + (courage (action + vision)) + (mom-of-the-year x 5) = Rebecca”
We love you, Rebecca! Hope you like your prize 🙂
New Bookshelfby Jim
21 Jan 2008
4:01 pm0
Today we borrowed the Dozier’s Excursion and made a trip to Costco. We’ve been wanting a new bookshelf for some time now, and I keep telling myself that the clutter in my office is because we don’t have enough shelf-space. So, today we bought a new bookshelf. Jon was kind enough to help me assemble it. I’ve posted some pictures for your enjoyment. Jon’s sculptures look pretty good under the light.
Monterey Bay Aquariumby Angie
19 Jan 2008
6:01 pm2
Yesterday was amazing! Since Jim and Justin had the day off (they’re both on a 9/80 schedule at work, so they get every other Friday off), we spent the day with the Bradleys at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It’s a long drive – about two hours each way – but it was quite a treat to make the trip together. First, we watched a diver feeding fish in a kelp forest and learned about making seafood choices that are friendly to the environment. We saw two giant octopuses, huge crabs, jellyfish, sea otters, sting rays, different kinds of birds, snakes, frogs, and – of course – amazing varieties of fish! They have some fun “Touch Pools” where kids (and grown-ups!) can actually reach in and safely poke around at kelp, sea urchins, abalone, starfish, and more. Maddie was patient and peaceful in her stroller the entire time, and attracted lots of admiration from passers-by. Emily was just a whirlwind of interest and energy all day. Thank goodness for the kids’ play areas! The slide was, apparently, Emily’s favorite.
When we were all sufficiently exhausted, we headed over to the wharf and had dinner at the Old Fisherman’s Grotto, which won over the other options with the promise of deep-fried cheesecake. For the first time in my life, I had fresh steamed crab. It tasted good, but I really couldn’t get over having to crack open the stiff, spiky legs and scooping the meat out from the crevices inside. The fact that Jim demonstrated tugging the remaining tendons to make the leg joints move and claw pinch didn’t help my appetite for the dish. We also had delicious deep-fried asparagus hearts, which were so good that Jim and I looked at each other in delight and – of course – said, “What a great idea! We should make these at home!” The meal ended with the aforementioned deep-fried cheesecake with strawberry sauce, and a scoop of birthday ice cream for Kristyn.
P.S. Rebecca won the contest for identifying the source of our tag line – check back tomorrow to see her prize!
Curious about our tag line?by Angie
17 Jan 2008
8:01 am8
Several people have asked me where the quote below our blog title comes from. Here are a few hints, and if anyone knows the answer, you win a prize! Ok, well, the first person to submit the correct answer in the comments of to this post will win the prize 🙂 Good luck!
It’s from an album of music that (I believe) is widely available to the LDS community. The little interview is intermingled with a very popular song. Here is a little more of the conversation:
“I think…California.”
“Why California?” “Because, it’s sort of a cheerful place.”
“Do you know where California is?” “Sort of. Under Utah? …a little? I know where Maine is!”
Haircutby Angie
15 Jan 2008
12:01 pm1
Ok, don’t tell my sisters, but… I cut my own hair today. Just a trim, mind you. I bought some shears recently because I’ve been stewing about whether to spend a bunch of money having my hair cut professionally, but it seemed pointless since I just needed the ends trimmed. I figured that, no matter how badly I botched it (as long as I didn’t cut too much), I could always go to a stylist after all to fix it. Well, today I got up the courage to do it and, amazingly, I think my dignity is still intact!
I’m not sure if this is a life lesson learned or just an example of very good luck, but at least I can check one more thing off my “to do someday soon eventually” list! 🙂
Looking back on 2007by Angie
13 Jan 2008
8:01 pm0
Many families have a wonderful tradition of sending Christmas cards to friends and relatives each December with a fun letter describing what has happened to them over the course of the year. Now that we’ve moved to California, we’d like to start a similar tradition by posting our happenings letter on our blog. We hope you’ll visit our new page, “2007,” and read about our amazing year!