Salem City Champs

Isaac's team, the Salem Longhorns, were Salem city champions with an 8-0 record. They played their last game of the regular season on Saturday.  Well officially the other team forfeit with only 3 players for their final game but the Longhorns decided to give the other team two of their players and still played it out. It wasn't much of a game but. . good practice I guess. Their coach invited a friend to give the team their tournament pep talk. Former BYU football player Ross Apo.  Their first championship game is Monday at the Mapleton Jr High School.

Walk in the Light

What a beautiful week it turned out to be.  The weather has been fabulous!  I even got out and cleaned my grow boxes and strawberry patch.  Dennis also helped me work on my green house. I just need to put the plastic up. Before I got outside though, I brought a little spring inside by working on some spring decor. This project was a real boost to my morale. I printed out some banners and glued them to some fun string.  I love the color and the spring pictures.  Flowers, nests, bunnies and ducks!  I can't wait for spring!!

Ponderism: 2 Nephi 12:5 ". . . walk in the light of the Lord"

Finder Of Lost Things

I was reminded this week of one time when I was about primary age taking a walk around the land by our house. I remember thinking that it was a really long walk and it took a long time.  On this walk my cat followed me all over, however, by the time I made it home she wasn't with me anymore.  I remember thinking that she was lost. . that she wouldn't make it home on her own.  I was very upset and sad. I remember praying to my Heavenly Father telling him my concerns and asking him to please help me find my cat.  I went back out along the trail that I had been walking and eventually found her.  This is my first memory of praying to Heavenly Father for help. It was my first experience with a specific prayer being answered. It is the first time that I can remember understanding that God is a finder of lost things.

I still understand today that he answers prayers. That he is still helping me to find lost things.. . . my smile, my laugh, my keys on occasion, or my motivation to walk and walk and walk. He answers my prayers.

Autochrome

I went on a little field trip at the BYU library special collections for my photography history class.  It was so cool.  They had a lot of really neat pictures there.  Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter (photographed Glenn Canyon before it was flooded), and many others, some that were almost 100 years old specifically an old tintype of Brigham Young.  I was very taken with an Autochrome photograph, a very early color process(1903), that we were able to look at under a microscope. This process, invented by Louis Lumiere, creates unique one of a kind prints. Each print has its own color scheme although there is a similar feel and look to them. The colors are produced with the use of microscopic dyed potato starches of red-orange, green and violet.  Its so cool! This is what the plate looked like under magnification.

All these tiny little colored starches brushed onto glass plate 'film' act as a filter. Blue only letting in blue light, green only letting in green. . .etc. . . they create a beautifully vibrant color image. Really the first of their kind. 

Sometimes I recognize that all I can see of my life are the little colored dots. It doesn't look appealing at all, just very dull and uninteresting. But because "I know in whom I have trusted"(2 Nephi 4:19) I believe that there is a bigger picture and that one day I may be able to catch a glimpse of it. Some day I will be able to make sense of it all. 

Luminary #1 Lumiere Brothers

lu·mi·nar·y

ˈlo͞oməˌnerē/

noun

noun: luminary; plural noun: luminaries

1. 1.

   a person who inspires or influences others, especially one prominent in a particular sphere.

   "one of the luminaries of child psychiatry"

   synonyms:

   leading light, guiding light, inspiration, role model, hero, heroine,leader, expert, master;

I thought it would be fun to focus on a few of my own personal luminary's. I think the discovery of them is the best part.  Its like finding treasure!

This semester at school I am taking a History of Photography class. It has been so enlightening.  (hehe). What more fitting place to find those who inspire or influences others than those within the realm of capturing light.  

#1  Lumiere Brothers

Can you imagine a better name to have in the photography business than Lumiere!  Its fabulous. Louis Lumière and his brother, Auguste Lumière, invented the Cinematograph motion picture camera as well as Autochrome color photography.  Autochrome is fascinating!

Wonderland

I took the girls to BYU to see the ballet Alice in Wonderland. Bonnie has been looking forward to it all week. It's been the subject to the "How many days until . . ." question. It did not disappoint. It was so good. The costumes were amazing!  My favorite was the Caterpillar and the Cheshire cat!  It has to be good when all three girls sat through the whole thing. Bonnie - who ultimately sat on my lap through most of it- told me that she wanted to be in ballet and be the queen of hearts. Guess I better get her going on that.

16 Birthday Wishes

Can't believe this kid is 16! He is an amazingly talented, athletic, smart, cute kid. He's a great friend and good example to those around him. So glad he's a part of our family. Man I just love that kid! He didn't get his drivers licence on his birthday (He technically can't get it until February because he has to have his learners for at least 6 months and he still has to take drivers ed. which he is planning to do next month. ) I hoped that it would still be a great day for him.  We ordered his favorite pizza, pepperoni with olives and had cake and ice cream.

Friday Dennis took Jacob and a bunch of his friends to Get Out Games in Provo. This facility has what they call "live escape rooms". Jacob picked the room called Intensity on a Chain.

Intensity on a Chain is a fun and thrilling experience unlike anything you've ever done before. You need to solve the fun puzzles, find the key and escape, but there's a catch: chained to the wall in the room is a ravenous zombie...and he wants to eat you! Did we mention that his chain extends a little longer every 5 minutes?!!  Don't worry, our zombie is not the gory blood and guts kind. This is also not a "spooky" experience and the room is fully lit. Admittedly, our zombie does have anger management issues, but he is not the brightest light on the Christmas tree, and you may just find yourself chuckling at his antics.

He worked for 3 hours on Saturday which he was pretty excited about.  Love to get that paycheck. Sunday he was ordained a priest. It was a good day for him.  Both grandpa's and grandma's came and stayed for dinner, including Grandma Rundell.  He is looking forward to getting his drivers licence and . . dating.  He also will get to bless the sacrament on Sunday.