David Archuleta in conference choir

I just heard that David Archuleta entered the MTC a few weeks ago, and the camera showed him in the missionary choir that sang today in Conference.  He was sitting in the first row second one in from the left of elders.  (I heard that from someone else, I didn't see him myself.)

People of Walmart video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvxNgdFeWqM&feature=player_embedded

Watch this before Conference, not after, so you might be able to keep the Spirit with you.  Absolutely do NOT watch it during Conference!

A Prophet quoting a Prophet

Here is one of my favorite quotes from President Ezra Taft Benson.  (He actually said a similar thing in a couple of different talks.)

"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the second coming of the Lord....That is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God."

(Ezra Taft Benson, CES Devotional, Feb 1987)

"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not. True, there will be some individuals who will fall away; but the kingdom of God will remain intact to welcome the return of its head--even Jesus Christ. While our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a major difference this time. It is that God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God. 
All through the ages the prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it--you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been as well organized. Now is the great day of the devil's power, with the greatest mass murderers of all time living among us. But now is also the great day of the Lord's power, with the greatest number ever of priesthood holders on the earth. And the showdown is fast approaching.  

Ezra Taft Benson, In His Steps, Brigham Young University on 4 March 1979.

Since many LDS members don't seem to give BYU talks as much credence as they give to talks given in General Conference, isn't it interesting that last Conference, our prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson, chose to repeat that quote from President Benson.

Quote: "Lest we at any time feel inadequate for the tasks ahead for us, brethren, may I share with you a statement made in 1987 by then-Church President Ezra Taft Benson as he addressed a large group of members in California. Said President Benson: “In all ages, prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it—you are a marked generation. … “For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the second coming of the Lord. Some individuals will fall away, but the kingdom of God will remain intact to welcome the return of its Head—even Jesus Christ. “While this generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a major difference this time: [it is that] God has saved for the final inning some of His strongest … children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly.”4 Footnote 4: Ezra Taft Benson, “In His Steps” (Church Educational System fireside, Feb. 8, 1987); see also “In His Steps,” in 1979 Devotional Speeches of the Year: BYU Devotional and Fireside Addresses (1980), 59. Thomas S. Monson, "Dare to Stand Alone", Nov. 2011 Ensign http://www.lds.org/ensign/2011/11/da...alone?lang=eng Then if you cross-reference that with Pres. Eyring saying to pay special attention when one prophet quotes another prophet, this quote is pretty important to ponder right now. Quote: In our own time we have been warned with counsel on where to find safety from sin and from sorrow. One of the keys to recognizing those warnings is that they are repeated. For instance, more than once in general conferences, you have heard our prophet say that he would quote a preceding prophet and would therefore be a second witness and sometimes even a third. One of the ways we may know that the warning is from the Lord is that the law of witnesses, authorized witnesses, has been invoked. When the words of prophets seem repetitive, that should rivet our attention and fill our hearts with gratitude to live in such a blessed time. Henry B. Eyring, “Safety in Counsel,” Ensign, Jun 2008, pp. 4–9.

I can hardly wait to hear what the prophets, apostles, and auxiliary leaders say in General Conference this weekend!!!  I love General Conference!

My other blog

My bishop asked me to put together a year's worth of emergency preparedness challenges for our ward.  I have been busily doing them for a couple of months, but I don't know if I have mentioned them very much on this (my personal) blog.  So go to my other blog
http://gottawannaneedagettaprepared.blogspot.com/
if you want to read about those.

I am offering Food Storage Classes at the MV ward building in April

Our April Ward Challenge is: 

“Learn about Food Storage, and Plan Menus using your Family's Favorite Foods.  Begin buying food from your plan.”

Goals:  

Each family will plan a three month's supply of food.

Each family will begin obtaining a three month's supply of food.

Each family will learn the importance of obtaining their one year's supply.

Read “Family Home Storage: A New Message”,  Ensign March 2009. http://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/03/family-home-storage-a-new-message?lang=eng

Family home evening:  Make a list with your family of all their favorite meals and snacks.  These will become the basis for your three months supply of food.  

Figure out a way to buy all the ingredients for a  few of these meals, to make that meal 13 times (equals once a week for three months.)  Make these purchases over the next few weeks.

Food Storage Classes this month

To help you achieve the April goal, I will be offering small group presentations about Food Storage the entire month of April.  I have the following five dates reserved at our MV ward building. 

Mornings:  Tuesdays April 3 or April 24.  Tentatively 10am-11am unless the attendees want a different time.

Evenings:  Wednesdays, April 4, 18, 25.  Tentatively 7pm-8pm unless the attendees want a different time.

What will I teach?  I will be giving a powerpoint presentation which I originally gave at the March 2011 Stake Women’s Day, called “One Thousand Pages of Food Storage Information in 30 minutes”.  I will be going through the contents of the CD which I will give to the attendees.  The CD contains all the documents you might need to help you plan your food storage.

I am also eager to answer any questions you might have.  Please email me with items you want me to cover in the class, and I will try to bring information geared to your interests.  (If you have already attended this powerpoint presentation, but still want to learn more about food storage, we can arrange something different.)

 If I can get at least three people to attend, I will hold the class.  Couples may attend, or one adult from a family is also welcome.  MV Ward members: Please email me if you want to attend.  (This invitation is also open to surrounding wards.)

If I cancel the class because of no one signing up, I will announce that on the MV ward  RS google group.  Please phone me if you want to attend at the last minute, to see if the class is happening.

Signs of the times from Jan-March 2012

This 24 minute video shows SO MANY natural disasters and natural phenomena which have happened in the first 3 months of this year, including dead birds, dead fish, earthquakes, wildfires, and strange noises coming from the sky.  Most are taken from TV news stories from around the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgGWrX3jxJo&feature=player_embedded

Music video, Matt Zeher

Matt Zeher did the camera and lighting in this music video.  He is the son of one of my good friends.

http://vimeo.com/32122062

Jeffrey R. Holland speaks to Law School, 3-20-2012

This is an excellent 16 min. talk.  I especially love the way he explains how members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are Christians, but "not 4th century Christians, not Athenasian Christians, not creedal Christians of the brand that arose hundreds of years after Christ."  We are not the "Greek influenced,  council convening, philosophy flavored Christianity of post-apostolic times".  He said "we are not THAT kind of Christians."

We are Christians as the New Testament defined them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7Clk_JNw1o&feature=player_embedded

Valentine's Bacon Roses

Tara bought some silk roses at the dollar store and tore off the flowers.

She rolled up bacon and fried it in that shape.  When the bacon was done, she put a toothpick in the middle of the bacon roll and stabbed it down through the plastic base of the flower.

Here she is giving the roses to Andrew.

Elizabeth and I Sewed Barbie Accessories

Elizabeth collaborated with me on these projects.  I showed her the options, she told me what she wanted them to look like, I sewed them, and she turned them right side out.

$300 Rebate

We got a new HVAC unit and a new water heater last week, which cost us a fortune.

However, we were happy to find out that we could receive a $300 rebate, if we would fill out this form and send it in.

Our 5 year old granddaughter was visiting, and after she left we discovered she had filled out the whole lower section for us.

She filled out every box, including "Work Not Completed According to Program Standards and Procedures".   (It took a lot of WhiteOut to clean it up.)

Change of topic:

Politics:  "Birthermania" from American Thinker.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/03/birthermania.html

How do you know if you have the Holy Spirit?

Here is a list by Elder John H. Groberg, April 1986 Ensign.

http://www.lds.org/ensign/1986/04/investing-for-eternity?lang=eng

When You Have the Spirit  When You Do Not Have the Spirit  1. You generally feel happy and calm. You may feel unhappy, depressed, confused, frustrated most of the time. 2. You feel full of light. You may feel heavy, full of darkness. 3. Your mind is clear. Your mind may be muddled. 4. You feel love for the Lord and others. You may feel empty, hollow, cold inside. 5. You feel generous. You may feel selfish, possessive, self-centered. 6. Nobody can offend you. You may be offended easily. 7. You are very forgiving and kind. You may usually be on the defensive. 8. You feel confident in what you do. You may become discouraged easily. 9. You don’t mind others seeing what you are doing. You may become secretive, evasive. 10. You want to be with those who love you—especially family members. You may want to be alone most of the time. You avoid others—especially family members. 11. You are glad when others succeed. You may be envious almost constantly of what others do and what they have. 12. You want to help others be happy, even those opposed to you. You may want to get even and show others up. 13. You willingly perform Church work. You may feel hesitant, unworthy, and unwilling to perform Church ordinances. 14. You feel like praying and reading the scriptures. You may not want to pray or read scriptures. 15. You wish you could keep all the Lord’s commandments. You may find the commandments of God and rules of the family bothersome, restricting, or senseless. 16. You usually control your appetites and emotions. You are calm and control your speech; you feel no anger. You may be a slave to your appetites. You give way to strong anger and outspokenness. 17. You generally feel a deep desire to help others—usually in a way no one else will know about. When you help others, your main desire may be to have your actions noticed. 18. You speak and think good about others. You are critical of others, especially family members and those in authority. 19. You feel sorrow when others have problems and sincerely desire to help them. You may often question others’ motives and secretly delight in others’ problems. 20. You realize that your thoughts and your actions are open to God. You may feel that what you do and think is only your business and no one else knows or cares.

Like Father, Like Son

Here is Adam in a little onesie that I sewed in 1982.  He was 3 1/2 months old.

Here is his son, Anson, yesterday, in that same little outfit.  He is also 3 1/2 months old.

Happy Birthday to my Mother

L to R:  Larry, my mom, Cindy, Cheryl, about 1957

Here is my mom with her first 3 children.  It is astonishing that she had the courage to have a fourth one (me) or the next two after that.

Back row L to R:  Cheryl, my dad, baby Jamey, my mom, Cindy
Front row:  Larry, Carla, me wearing large flowers.  1968

She got no help from my dad in anything she did (household, automotive, childcare, church activity, children's schooling) so she was an amazing woman to bring us all up so well.

Thank you, Mother!

And I'll throw in some politics here at the bottom of the post:

It makes you wonder what else is going to come out about him.

http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/postman-ayers-family-put-foreigner-obama-through-school/

"180"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI&feature=player_embedded#!
33 minutes long.
Absolutely amazing.
We watched this for Family Home Evening this week.

Wayne in 1973

You've got to click on this to make it bigger.  Look at it and tell me who Wayne looks like.  And I think you will say "Zac."

Zac says "no way."  But I say "Way."

(Wayne did wear white pants.  But he didn't carry a purse.  He is holding his sister Marilu's diaper bag.) 

I should also point out Brian's huge hairstyle.  Wow.  He inherited his grandpa Luther Murkins Winsor's hair.

Extremely scary executive order signed by Pres. Obama Friday

President Obama just signed this on March 16, 2012.  Why? and Why now?  What is the point of this?  Why does the government need all these new powers?

Here is the document.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/16/executive-order-national-defense-resources-preparedness

Here are some of the most troubling new powers of the government, signed into law BY EXECUTIVE ORDER.  No one voted on this.


Section 201 sounds like they can force a business to quit what they are doing and only do what the government tells them "to promote the national defense".

Sec. 201. Priorities and Allocations Authorities. (a) The authority of the President conferred by section 101 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2071, to require acceptance and priority performance of contracts or orders (other than contracts of employment) to promote the national defense over performance of any other contracts or orders, and to allocate materials, services, and facilities as deemed necessary or appropriate to promote the national defense, is delegated to the following agency heads:

Section 308 sounds like they can install government owned equipment into a privately owned company.

Sec. 308. Government-Owned Equipment. The head of each agency engaged in procurement for the national defense is delegated the authority of the President under section 303(e) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2093(e), to: (a) procure and install additional equipment, facilities, processes, or improvements to plants, factories, and other industrial facilities owned by the Federal Government and to procure and install Government owned equipment in plants, factories, or other industrial facilities owned by private persons; (b) provide for the modification or expansion of privately owned facilities, including the modification or improvement of production processes, when taking actions under sections 301, 302, or 303 of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2091, 2092, 2093; and

Sec. 502 sounds like slave labor.  I am very concerned about this.  Why is our president passing executive orders like this?

Sec. 502. Consultants. The head of each agency otherwise delegated functions under this order is delegated the authority of the President under sections 710(b) and (c) of the Act, 50 U.S.C. App. 2160(b), (c), to employ persons of outstanding experience and ability without compensation and to employ experts, consultants, or organizations. The authority delegated by this section may not be redelegated.

1974 Wayne

I was going through a bunch of scanned photos that Wayne's sister gave us, and saw this one, of Cleston and Wayne in June 1974.  I said, "Wayne, your hair is SO LONG!"  He said, "No, it isn't, those are the leaves behind me."

Dig those striped pants.

Who decided this was okay?

This makes me feel very sick.  I can't imagine deciding to put the face of a president that I love (such as Reagan) on a flag, it would never have occurred to me.

First of all, I would have known that it would offend the people who didn't like him.

 Second, the flag is a symbol of our nation, not a way to show our political party.

The Democrat party leaders in Lake County, Florida seem to have no understanding of how public opinion works.

the chairwoman of the Lake County Democratic Party took down the "Obama flag" after a group of veterans protested, but she also said that she is not promising that she will not put it back up and that she is going to consult an attorney about all of this.http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/the-obama-flag-who-decided-that-it-was-okay-to-replace-the-stars-on-the-american-flag-with-the-face-of-barack-obama?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-obama-flag-who-decided-that-it-was-okay-to-replace-the-stars-on-the-american-flag-with-the-face-of-barack-obama

They must be unbelievably socially inept, or, more likely, just wanting to ram their political preferences down our throats and challenging us to do something about it so they can claim we are "intolerant" or "racist".  I would feel the same disgust if they put Jimmy Carter on it.

And to repeat, I would not even want Reagan or Calvin Coolidge on it.  The face of a president on the flag is against all my principles.

Another thought:

Doesn't this remind you of the other countries that plaster pictures of their leaders all over the place?  I thought we were different here in America.

Gasoline to go to Pilot Mountain and Back

Wayne went with the scout troop to Pilot Mountain. The gas was paid for with scout troop money.  Here is a math story problem for you:

 The Mustang held 4 people and no gear.  The gasoline (at $3.90 a gallon) was $37.  How much did it cost to haul each person?  (Answer:  averaged $9.25 each)

Our 15-passenger van took 14 people, plus pulled the scout trailer behind with all the gear.  The gasoline was $105.  Not counting the "stuff", how much did it cost to haul each person?  (Answer: averaged $7.50 each).

Of course, if you add in all the gear in the trailer and all the gear stuffed around the people inside the van,  the van hauled a lot more proportionately to the Mustang.  But I don't know how to write that story problem.

The moral of the story:  our 15 passenger van is AWESOME!

J.P. Morgan whistle blower

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/cftc-pulls-public-comments-from-jp-morgan-whistle-blower-we-are-fearful-of-a-cascading-credit-event-wide-scale-market-collapse_03162012

Articles about Carla's conference "Time to Blossom"

My sister Carla and her friend are in charge of these conferences in Arizona for young girls.

Both of these articles used the same photo, but one story is a pre-story, and the next is a post-story.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705390190/Time-to-Blossom-conference-for-young-women-focuses-on-service-and-spiritual-growth.html 

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865551015/Popular-speakers-service-projects-highlight-2012-Time-to-Blossom-young-womens-conference.html

Here is their website:
http://timetoblossom.com/

Time to Blossom - Young Women's Conference

Session 1: Young women stay overnight
Tuesday, May 29 - Friday, June 1, 2012

Location: Legado Hotel & Conference Center
1800 S. San Tan Village Pkwy
Gilbert, AZ 85295

Tuition: $450 (Registration closes April 30, 2012)
Includes food, housing, programs, supplies, workbooks, tote, Time to Blossom t-shirt, and gifts, etc. Airfare is not included.

Who: Time to Blossom Young Women's Conference has been expertly designed to help girls "bloom and grow." In order to register, young women must be entering junior high school by the conference and not yet graduated from high school.

News man says...

New HVAC unit, new water heater, other news

HVAC AND WATER HEATER

I have workmen all over my house today.  We have had a leaky water heater for a few months, but it is in our garage so I just put a bucket under the overflow pipe.

Then yesterday we found out our furnace/air conditioner unit needed repair, and I wanted to just let it limp along all summer and get it fixed next year.  I did NOT want to buy a new one.

The guy that came to give the estimate could see that I wasn't that interested in replacing it, so he kept phoning back and forth to his company to see if he could give me a better deal.  When it finally came down to it, he had lowered the price on both of them so much that we basically got the water heater for free.

That just goes to show that if you truly don't care if you get the deal or not, they keep going lower and lower until sometimes it is worth it.


POWDERED MILK AND EGGS
Also, today I finally got to the bottom of my #10 can of powdered eggs.  I use them all the time for baking, I only use fresh eggs for doing scrambled eggs, etc.  It is interesting to keep track of how long a food storage item lasts.  I have started writing when I opened the can on the outside of each can.  This one took 9 months to use up.

I can see on my can of powdered milk (that I use for all my baking, but I never use it for drinking) that it only takes us about 3 months to use it all.

2012 Wake Co. Library Book Sale

There are THOUSANDS of books there!  You can get such good deals. There are big sections of children's books, cookbooks, nonfiction, etc. I always go on Saturday, since books are cheaper then.  (I wish I could go on Sunday, that's when books are the cheapest.) I can easily spend 3-4 hours looking at everything, so if you are a bookaholic, give yourself plenty of time.  --Amy The annual Wake County Public Libraries Booksale and Festival of Reading will occur March 29-April 1, 2012 in the Jim Graham Building on the NC State Fairgrounds campus. The Graham Building is adjacent to last year’s Exposition Center and is nearly twice the size. The larger space will better accommodate the festival programs occurring during the event and the large number of Booksale customers. Hours Thursday, 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., Opening Day Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., Musical entertainment Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., Family friendly entertainment Sunday, 10:00 a.m. till 6:00 p.m., Bargain Day Prices Thursday & Friday: $4.00 hardbound books; $2.00 paperbacks and children’s books Saturday: Half Price Day with $2.00 hardbound books; $1.00 paperbacks and children’s books Sunday: Bargain Day with a bag of books $2.00 and a box of books $5.00 Cash and checks only---no credit or debit cards are accepted. Customers may bring carts and/or book trucks as none will be provided on site. http://www.wakegov.com/libraries/about/booksale.htm

Beatrice Snow Winsor with relatives

 Top row:  Polly Winsor Myers and her daughter Jan Myers
Bottom row:  Emily Henrietta Eyring Snow Romney with Beatrice Snow Winsor

This is a four-generation shot.  Emily with her daughter Beatrice, granddaughter Polly, great granddaughter Jan.

Sarah Alydia Terry Winsor and her father Thomas Sirls Terry II.
Beatrice Snow Winsor is Alydia Winsor's daughter-in-law.
Beatrice is holding her firstborn, Polly Winsor.
This is almost a four-generation shot, although its the daughter-in-law instead of the son.

Luther Murkins Winsor and Beatrice Snow Winsor as parents

Left to right, top row:  Beatrice, Pauline (Polly), Luther Murkins

Bottom row:  Muriel (Mip), Bea, Luther Snow

Taken in Berkley, California in 1926.

Christmas 1933, Logan, Utah.

L to R:  Luther Snow, William Kenneth (Ken), Beatrice Snow, Luther Murkins holding Patricia, Pauline (Polly), Beatrice, Muriel (Mip).

Luther M. Winsor and Beatrice Snow as newlyweds, young parents

 I believe this is their wedding portrait.

Their oldest daughter was Pauline (Polly).

Next daughter, Beatrice (Bea)

Baby:  Luther Snow Winsor, Wayne's dad.

Luther Murkins Winsor and Beatrice Snow Winsor when they were young

 Young Beatrice Snow

 Beatrice Snow and Luther Murkins Winsor in a play together at college in Logan, Utah.

Young Luther Murkins Winsor

Mormonism 101: FAQ

A new press release from the Church:

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-101


I liked this paragraph:

  

What Are the Core Beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

The founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith, wrote, “The fundamental principles of our religion are … concerning Jesus Christ that He died was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

In addition to the above, Latter-day Saints believe unequivocally that:

1.    Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and the Son of our loving Heavenly Father.

2.    Christ’s Atonement allows mankind to be saved from their sins and return to live with God and their families forever.

3.    Christ’s original Church as described in the New Testament has been restored in modern times.

Luther Murkins Winsor and Beatrice Snow when they were children

 The Anson Perry Winsor II family.  Wife:  Sarah Alydia Terry.  Luther Murkins Winsor is the little boy in front.  The father, Anson Perry Winsor II, was called "Perry".  The boy in back was Anson Perry Winsor III, he was called "Andy".

Emily Henrietta Eyring Snow with her two daughters, Beatrice and Theresa. Beatrice is the younger one, holding her mother's hand. 

Their dad, William Snow, died young.  Then the young widow Emily married into a polygamous family, her husband was a Romney, and they lived in Colonia Juarez, Mexico.  Beatrice's best cousin was Camilla Eyring Kimball.  Spencer W. Kimball spoke at Beatrice's funeral.

I have heard relatives talk about Aunt Theresa, and they pronounced her name very strangely.  "Theresa" is pronounced   "tha"as in "thud" and "ress" as in dress and "a" as in uh.

Another interview with Wall Street Insider

http://theulstermanreport.com/2012/03/09/wall-street-insider-my-god-my-god-what-has-become-of-america/

Ulsterman reports about his most recent interview with the Wall Street Insider.  The man, a Jew, tells what went on between Obama and Netanyahu this week.  If this is true, judge for yourself.

Wayne's grandparents

 Beatrice Snow Winsor
Wife of a water expert.  She was an artist, and used oil paints and watercolors.
Mother of six children:  Polly, Bea, Lu, Mip, Ken, and Pat.
(Their correct names are Pauline, Beatrice, Luther Snow, Muriel, William Kenneth, and Patricia.)

Luther Murkins Winsor

Irrigation and Flood Control Engineer
Father of six

Helped Persia/Iran to design its irrigation and waterways, and got stuck there through the duration of World War II.

Studied where mudslides would happen in Utah mountains.  (Later, neighborhoods were built in Bountiful, or maybe Farmington, where he said not to build, and the mudslides wiped them out.)

(Added later)
Information I just received from Wickie (their daughter-in-law):

"Luther Murkins Winsor graduated from Utah State College with a degree as an irrigation and flood control engineer.  I think that it was a very new kind of degree at the time.
I believe that his early career was as a county agent for the government.  He later designed and supervised the building of flood control dams and structures to control the runoff from the canyons and ravines, also waterfowl refuges, including the Bear River Refuge, near Brigham City and one in North or South Dakota."
 

Reunion at Bryce Canyon

Wayne thinks this reunion was held in 1961.

At the bottom left corner of this picture, six-year-old Wayne is kneeling on the ground. 

On the back row, you can see Wayne's grandparents, Beatrice Snow Winsor and Luther Murkins Winsor.

Wayne's brother Mark is standing, wearing a cowboy hat.   Marilu is standing next to Mark.  

Wayne's brother Brian is the other boy kneeling in the front row wearing a striped shirt.

The rest of the children are Wayne's first cousins.

I wanted to show Wayne with his grandparents, so that in the coming days when I show pictures of those same grandparents, you will have a reference point.

My brother, the cowboy

Larry sent me this photo, a few years ago.  He was so proud that he had won the championship saddle.

He competes in steer ropings.  He used to rope me when I was little, and I hated it.

He can also do rope tricks, like Will Rogers.  It is pretty awesome.

When did some Lamanites go to Georgia?

I just love trying to figure out where and when the Nephites and Lamanites and their descendants went.  Here is an article with a lot of great clues.


http://www.examiner.com/architecture-design-in-national/massive-1-100-year-old-maya-site-discovered-georgia-s-mountains

DECEMBER 21, 2011

Ruins in Georgia mountains show evidence of Maya connection

Continue reading on Examiner.com Ruins in Georgia mountains show evidence of Maya connection - National Architecture & Design | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/architecture-design-in-national/massive-1-100-year-old-maya-site-discovered-georgia-s-mountains#ixzz1oIj2YNxj

Another look at Obama's passport

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/03/time_for_new_look_at_2008_obama_passport_breach.html

What made the trip controversial was not so much what Obama did once he got to Pakistan, but how he got there. In 1981, Pakistan was not an easy or likely destination for an American tourist.

The article discusses the likelihood that he was using a NON-U.S. passport, which would indicate he was not a U.S. citizen at the time.

All my mother's descendants, minus Adam

Here is the family portrait we had taken at the Clarkson Family reunion in 1996.  This is the first and last time all of my mother's six children and all her grandchildren were ever together in a photo.  I think the only grandchild not born yet is Spencer.

Notice the T-shirts:  they were all adult sizes, even for the kids.

And notice Adam, at the left side of the picture.  He was 14 years old, and could not be persuaded to stay long enough for the photo.

If you want to know where my immediate family is:
Wayne is near the top at the right side, leaning on the railing.
I am standing in the front, near the right, holding Zac.
Isaac is standing next to me, with his hands on Tara's shoulders.  I don't know why she is wearing a pioneer sunbonnet.
Adam is off to the left.
Seth is at the left of the group, near the corner of the building.  Bryce is next to Seth.  Most of Bryce's face is covered by his cousin's head.

Best Cousins: Amy and Debi

My granddad was very sick (he died in February 1963), and my mother took me with her on the train to Arizona when she went to see him.

While we were there, I had my portrait taken with my best cousin, Debi.  I was 3 years, 10 months old.

Here we are in 2009, trying to re-enact the portrait 46 years later.

 We didn't ever quite get posed correctly.

Our wedding announcement

Who in the world are these people?  They certainly don't look like anyone we know.
This photo was taken in March or April 1980, for our wedding invitation.  We got married June 21, 1980.