Reminded of Courage While"Thelma and Louising" with Kaz, Marsha, and Tiffany!

I think that Courage is the most baffling and amazing quality. The kind of Courage that I am thinking of is the kind that is used to prove Devotion-True Belief. It is quite Polarizing for someone to use this kind of Courage, because it often must be used outside the "normal" realm of reason. It doesn't Help win any Popularity contests, that is for sure. Anyway...........I was really happy to go on a trip-a road trip-back East with My Dear Friend Karen and Wonderful, Newly-Made Friends Tiffany and Marsha; and this trip is what inspired these thoughts about Courage.

Here they are:


Courage to Show Faith and Devotion : JOSEPH SMITH

The Prophet Joseph Smith is an Exemplar and an Enigma to Me. I know that He is a Prophet. Why would anyone do all that He did unless they are TRULY convinced? Still, all that He did for the Church and His Belief in God took SUPREME Courage; But I also want to talk of His bravery all along, and how this is The Quality of His Person-The Courage He has always Showed in ALL instances . I think of Joseph Getting Bone hacked out of His leg as a Boy-Refusing Spirits for Relief, and Trusting that His father was comfort Enough-Both His Heavenly Father and Joseph Sr. as Joseph Sr. held and comforted Young Joseph through the surgery. I think of Him trying to deal with the daily stress that He dealt with When He was filled with anxiety about the Sacred Plates that He was entrusted with. Hiding Places. Getting Help. Rude, Lashing Comments-and Horrific acts against Him by Evil disposed Mobs, and on top of that- Stress that In-Laws weren't warmed up to Him at First. Family Hardships, Betrayals, .... Joseph is AMAZING.

Here is the Kirtland Temple that Joseph asked the Saints to Help Build. Courageous work and Sacrifice went into this building!

Here are More Cool sites in Church History that We Visited including the Temples that We saw!!!

A First Edition Copy of the Book of Mormon at the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. :-)

The Historic Johnson Residence Where the 76th Section of the D&C was Received By Joseph.
This one is SO important to Church History-The Newell K. Whitney Store!

The St. Louis Temple

Palmyra, NY Temple

Columbus, OH Temple

Nauvoo Temple

COURAGE AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS BATTLE: JOHN F. KENNEDY

Me Where Kennedy Resided-TOO COOL!!!!! Wish I could Have toured inside!!!!!! :-/

Yes. It is true. Many have tried to defame, but that is what the Courageous deal with. Kennedy is not given the credit that He deserves for his Brave and Unyielding Stance on Civil Rights. He is the FIRST President to Issue a study on the status of Women's Rights and the Equal Pay issue! Further, In an interview He stated that He was "Delighted" to have Daughter Caroline, and said that Women's abilities to serve their countries were equal to Men, and that Equally Great things could be expected of Women. He believed a Woman would one day be President.

These were NOT popular views, but Kennedy Stood Fast in support for Progressive Civil Rights Legislation and Voting Rights. Without Him, these things would not gone ahead as they did.


Here is an awesome Pic of the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. King gave his "I Have A Dream" Speech.

I am SO glad to Have been able to take this Pic! Thanks, Kaz For Letting Me Go! :-)

And FINALLY...............

Courage in the face of Snoring!!!!

Dear Marsha....She is Not addressing the Snoring issue as this Pic is taken, but I can tell You that the body language in this Photo is Pretty close to what it would be if She expressed Her feelings about the Snoring -My Snoring. :-/

*All Photos are Taken By Me in this Blog Entry Except, of Course, The Pictures of The Prophet Joseph Smith and President Kennedy with Dr. King.

Happy Father's Day, Dad! ♥

I thought I would Post these Pictures to wish My Dear Dad a Happy Father's Day! The bottom pic, of course, is of Me as a Tot with Dad.

FAMILY HOME EVENING WITH GWEN STEFANI-EXCEEDING ALL EXPECTATIONS!!!!!

THERE'S "No DOUBT" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was one of the Best and Most Surreal experiences EVER!
Gwen Gracing a Screen!

Gwen in Awesome form. I was so EXCITED to film this vid!!!!! WATCH THIS!!!!! :-D I think I did a good job!

;-)

Kay. First of all, this has been the BEST CONCERT EVER. As the title of this entry says, The No Doubt concert EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS. What a night. This will always be a treasured Experience-FOREVER! Before I recount the fabulous happenings, I need to thank People for this Experience. MOM...THANKS! :'-D WOW. The best thing ever. CLIFF And JENNA, thanks for letting Me and Mom use Your PayPal!!! You two give new meaning to the term "PayPal"!!!!! :-D KATE......THANKS FOR THE RIDE!!!!!!!! It could NOT have happened without You! I OWE YA! EM.................THANKS FOR JUMPING UP AND DOWN IN PLACE LIKE A MANIAC WITH ME!

Me and Em inside the E Center-Excitement palpable!!!!! I think that Paramore was still performing.

O.K. Here are Pics and Highlights!!!!!! :


Excitement could NEVER more palpable at any concert for Me than this. A really nice tall Lady that was Dressed as Gwen stood By Me and Em for a while, and took this pic for Me. When the sihlouettes first showed as Gwen and the Boys were announced, THINGS WERE HAPPY BEDLAM! We were all "out of control". X-D

AWESOME HAIR, HUH?????????

Ohhhhhhhhhh Man. How COOL IS SHE?????????????????????? AMAZING ENERGY!

Things that happened at the concert that were AWESOME: (ERRR...The WHOLE THING WAS AWESOME!)

1. The audience sang "Happy Birthday" to Gwen's darling son Kingston James. :-D What a cool thing! That kid is ADORABLE!!!!!♥ Gwen brought him on stage and Held him as we all sang! Too bad My batteries ran out of juice before this happened! X'-(

2. I was hit on the shoulder by a water bottle that Gwen threw-(YES, GWEN HERSELF!) into the audience along with t-shirts and stuff. The sad thing is that I didn't get the momento.

:-( Some lady snatched it before I could grab it right as it hit Me! X-( Needless to say this was not at all dangerously done or painful-Welll.....It actually is painful -There's the memory of the bottle that Gwen threw and hit Me with that got away!!!!!! UGH!

x'-/

3. The Drummer Guy Adrian Young wore a TUTU! LOL! Sorry-I didn't get a pic :-P LOL. I prefer guys to be in stuff other than Tutus, but Adrian is ALWAYS ENTERTAINING.
He has rather a Punkish look that exceeds all others in ND-Here is a pic of darling Adrian that shows that he is one to dress to the HILT. This Picture is a post from the official No Doubt Site taken before a TV appearance-of course it isn't by Me. This is the only pic I didn't take (Well, there were the tall People that Helped Me)besides the official pic of the group that I posted at the top-that, too is from the official site and ND Web FanClub, of course.

4. Gwen is so kind to People. There was a darling little girl that she called out of the audience to come up on stage. The girl was dressed to the hilt as Gwen Herself. The girl had the thrill that will never leave her as Gwen hugged her and made her feel FAB meeting her fave singer and fashionista, ........GWEN, OF COURSE. Awwwwww, Man. :-)

5. I will always fondly think of the moment when Gwen asked only the Men in the audience to sing "I'm just a Girl" along with her! LOL
That was beyond awesome-especially when she went in Riot-Girl mode after and all the Ladies sang it!!!!!!! :-D AHHHHHHHHH....SISTAHHOOD!

Finally.......Stuff For the Scrapbook, etc!!!!!!!

My ticket, wristband,and the cool shirt My Buddy Em bought for ME!!!! EM, YOU ROCK!!!! The two pics below that: Back view of my shirt, and a better front view pic.

Happy Mother's Day-Mother's Day Special

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS!!!!!! ♥ :-D



Ms. Holm wishes all Mothers a Happy Mother's Day. Here is a Special link I would like to share in honor of all "Mums". :-) http://www.twotuttles.com/scarlet.html PLEASE take time to look at it. I think it is sweet-and very moving! It is almost hard to look at, but Look at it and You will know Why I posted this link.



Here is a Pic of My own Mom. :-) It is of her (and Me as a Baby).

ELIZABETH CADY STANTON-FIREBRAND---CHERRANNE'S GREAT WOMEN SERIES

****CHERRANNE'S GREAT WOMEN SERIES****

Elizabeth Cady Stanton-Hero and Firebrand

I have always felt that there are as many brands of feminism as there are feminists. The world over, Women's lots have been SO varied especially compared to men. There are a few great women in history, however, who have had the vision to bring women together in a common cause despite the diametric differences among them-Elizabeth Cady Stanton is foremost among them. The only problem is that when a woman claims that furthering women's rights and opportunities benefits all humanity, She is immediately under scrutiny and criticism if she seems to put all emphasis on the issue of feminism as opposed to other social issues. This is the problem that Stanton faced when Frederick Douglas and other suffragettes of her age thought it more important to emancipate African-Americans rather than put effort into the cause of women (which at that time was basically the issue of the right for Women to vote). Stanton is a Hero of mine. Her writings and speeches are among the greatest(and most underappreciated) stuff ever written. If You haven't read Stanton's "Solitude of Self", read it NOW!!! She lays out her philosophies about human rights and Women's rights in astounding clarity with the astuteness of a Seasoned Lawyer. Here is a link that will take You to it: http://www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/resources/index.html?body=solitude_self.html -it is sublime. Before that, She drafted the Declaration of Sentiments numbering the injustices that women faced and declaring a bill of rights at the 1848 Women's Rights Convention-The link: http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/seneca3.html .

Stanton, a mother to seven children is known as a "girly-girl" type in manner and dress, but intellectually is without peer. Her writings are the foundation of Modern Woman's suffrage. She dealt with gross treatment and disrespect. The bravery She is famous for has paved a smoother road for Women in this country. She also was involved in the Emancipation movement for African-American slaves, and the Temperance Movement. I honor Stanton. She is without a doubt one of the Greatest People in History; and for sure one of the most underrated. I highly recommend that anyone and everyone watch the Ken Burns film Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. It is SO well researched and fabulously well-done (as are all Burns films). It is gratifying to see this kind of tribute.

Treasures Found Stored in a Cardboard Box- Pictures of Dad on His Mission

DAD went on his mission to Taiwan. His Cardboard box revealed these treasures from his mission-rolls of film!!!!!!!! :-D Pictures are beyond precious and then some to Me...and that's just any good photo-but these.............................

My Dad called his Mission a great adventure. Here he displays talent as a troubadour! :-D I am sure he was called on often to sing and play on his mission.




Dad is on the left. :-) Wish I could name the others offhand!

Cool Dude, Dedicated Missionary!

Dad and a companion
.

Love Dad in this. He is, of course, on the right.

The Lord, I know, is pleased with this missionary. Dad's deep Love for the People of Taiwan is legendary. I Love his stories, his Chinese handbooks, his funny way of Speaking Mandarin and the funny poems he learned in Mandarin. He has always been Studious and Dedicated. I Love You, Dad. Your Example has been so important to Me. You have always viewed service as a privilege. We all need to do that. :-) ♥ Thanks.

Honoring Bill Orton

I get a wistful, idealistic feeling when I think of My experience Volunteer Campaigning for Bill Orton. I was in High School and met Orton at Gene Faux's home. He spoke for a while to us, (campaign volunteers) and I was kind of starstruck. Orton's enthusiasm, gentlemanliness, and utter brilliance stuck Me deeply. There was no pettiness or dirty Political Down-talking of the other guy. He sent us on our way to hand out literature and make a personal connection with potential voters. All positive and can-do. Very cool and business-like with a head for facts; he was equally engaging and personable. I was really impressed.

Before John McCain became famous for coining himself as a "maverick", Bill Orton was the original maverick. He voted against Party lines routinely and voted his conscience. When I wrote him to encourage him to keep funding for PBS safe, he replied and assured me of his commitment to that important issue. He never used idealistic rhetoric to cloud issues. He worked with sweat to make ideal things happen. His reputation as one of the smartest guys in congress was unquestioned. His courage as a Gubernatorial Canidate was added to with grace, reason, and conviction. His brilliance in Law impresses Me to no end.

I am honored to have seen him at a Political Convention followed around busily in the halls between speeches by many people who obviously knew Orton knew his stuff. A Brilliant Doer, Mover, Shaker; He is a legend of Utah politics. I will never forget his win to congress the first time He ran. What a beautiful moment for Utah.

Bill is A Beloved Husband, Father, asset to his Faith and community-beyond reproach in the eyes of his colleagues. Thanks, Bill Orton-for everything! Bless You and Your Family.