Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Ten Things That Made Me Smile Last Week

 In no particular order, here are 10 things that made me smile this past week...

10.  A "dam" surprise!   One morning I was taking a drink out of my water bottle when the kids started making snarky comments about it.   I was confused until I looked down and found a  sticker with strong Lara-humor-vibes sticking to it.   It took me a second to figure out how it had gotten there overnight, then I remembered a visit from my sister, Heather, the night before and I didn't have to wonder any longer!   πŸ˜€


9 . The sun started shining again!    We went through a couple weeks of very un-Utah-like  days of endless clouds.   It was cold and dreary and every day it would rain or snow a bit more.    It's still cloudier than usual for Utah, but  we've definitely seen the sun a bit more this week and it's made me very happy!  

8.  Letters from our missionary.  We take great pride at making sure our missionaries are the mail receiving  champions of their missions, but we know missionary life means they don't have time to actually write back all that often.   This week we were surprised with snail mail letters from Adam....something that made us all smile big!  


7. A full row of girls {+Glen} at church!   Emma had to run to her ward after sacrament meeting, but I loved having the whole G Girl crew for the first hour of church.   I miss people knowing my older kids.    

6. Lucie snuggles.  She's not actually much of a snuggler normally, but there were a few times when I happened to be taking care of her when she was a bit on the tired side, that I got to enjoy some sleepy snuggly moments!  I loved every second of it. 

5.  Finding a way to share!     I started making the Come, Follow Me activity sheets again this year and worried because I didn't really have a good forum for sharing them, since my FHE blog isn't all that well-used anymore and our current ward doesn't do paper programs.   Then I remembered that I had an email list from a few years ago.  I sent out a note and got about 15 people who indicated they were interested in receiving them by email once a month.   I was very excited, because I enjoy making them and I enjoy the opportunity it gives me to dive in and study each week's reading with more purpose and depth, but I also like knowing that they're being appreciated. 


4. Lucie dances!   Lucie is a girl who can dance before she can walk!   She's got rhythm and moves and it's hard not to get in on the dancing with Lucie leading the way. This week we introduced her to "Baby Shark" and, much to Cami's chagrin, she's now a fan!   She even figured out a way to ask for it by signing, "more," and then saying "dance" or doing the baby shark action.   {sorry, I can't figure out how to embed it, but here's the link if you want to watch a video of her dancing, though now I need to video her dancing to Baby Shark}

3.  Healing well!  I went to my post-op doctor appointment and was declared to be healing well!    I can start introducing more intense  physical activities in about 2 weeks. 

2. A nice comment on my FHE blog.  I know that my blogging habits (and the reasons why I have spent so much time on them over the years) is inexplicable to most people, but suffice it to say, it was NOT to garner attention or feedback.   Having said that though, there really isn't anything more satisfying than  when I get a nice comment on something I spent many hours on.  The particular blogpost {that I got a comment on} was one that I put a lot of thought, prayer, and heart into several years ago.   In real life, it was completely ignored and got zero feedback,  so getting the occasional pat on the back, a handful of times in the 7 years since sharing it, is extremely heartwarming to me.   I'll be honest, it feels like I was led to create that blogpost more for the online world than for my own ward.    

1.  Cami and Lucie being here   It's been an absolute delight to have Cami and Lucie here for the last week and it's going to feel awfully lonely around here now.    



Honorable mentions.  To close off this blogpost, here are a few honorable mentions that are making me smile this week...


We ordered some caramel apples from our favorite ice cream shop in Pennsylvania!   We would have loved to have ordered ice cream as well, but we'll take what we can get! 

I taught Lucie how to say, "Baaaaa," when asked what a sheep says and I am very excited!   

 

We got Lucie this little puffer suit for Christmas and it made me smile to have her try it out on a walk the other day.  

Emma is fully entrenched in her life at BYU, so she's only been able to come home a couple times while Cami's been here, but I love that she's close enough that Cami and her can still hang out while she's here.  

What's making you smile this week?   





Friday, January 20, 2023

Lucie-isms and Life Update

life update as taken from a letter to our missionary written:   1/15/23
*******************************************************

Dear Elder G. (aka "Our Favorite Missionary in the World"),

First off, I'll start off with the barrage of questions.....
{boring, boring, boring}

Second off, I'm a little upset that you haven't called back your Portland weather yet!   Seriously, it's been raining/snowing every day for weeks and I am officially ready for Spring (only 2 months and 2 days according to Alexa).   😞  Next time someone here talks about a drought I'm going to loudly guffaw and say, "Drought.  Shprout.  Have you been outside lately, you little lout?"   I think it's going to go over very well and win me lots of friends.   

Speaking of friends, I Facebook stalked your companion and see that he's friends with my cousin's daughter.   Is he from Pleasant Grove?   Or does he know her from college?  And if you haven't answered me yet....how is everything going with your comp?

Speaking of comps, I am very happy to have a couple extra comps hanging out with us this week.  It's been so fun to have Cami and Lucie here.   Lucie has been a little on the grumpy side the last couple of days, but you will not be surprised to learn that she's still an adorable companion, even when she's grumpy.   This picture includes Jack K. (Katy's son, who is about 9 months old).


For your information, Lucie says exactly three words:
1. "Hi," which she uses with a wave whenever she sees someone/something with a face (including stuffed animals, dogs, snowmen ornaments, and people sitting behind us at church).  
2. "Doggy," which sounds like doodoo.   She is quite enamored with both Rocky and Denali and loves to softly pet them or beep their noses.  We are keeping her away from Kiwi, but she loves to wave at her from a distance (usually through the closed gate which we got for the top of the stairs).
3. "No," which she actually doesn't use super often, but also usually shakes her head to show that she means it. 

She also signs, "more," "water," "thank you," all done," "hot," and "milk."   In other words, she's quite good at communicating what she wants and quite good at wrapping the whole world around her fingers with her adorableness.😍  

She still isn't quite walking yet, though she can walk along furniture and crawl up the stairs now.  We've been working on teaching her to go DOWN the stairs safely and she's starting to get it! 

 Speaking of Lucie,  you've probably noticed that ALL the pictures for this week will include her!  πŸ˜†




We took Lucie over to meet Denali's siblings today. 


There are 8 of them and she wasn't quite sure what she thought of them and their up-close-and-personal greetings.   
Sadly, most of the family was gone and we didn't get our dose of Natalie love while we were there. 
Puppy love was nice though...until one nibbled Lucie's ear.  

Here's hoping she sleeps well tonight, because the construction zone behind us seems to keep her up during the day.   Speaking of construction zones, the house behind us is going up warpspeed now that they've hired people to come work on it.  Every once in a while, we'll see the owner out there hobbling around (last week he was hobbling ON THE ROOF without a rope)😱, but we are glad there's action finally starting to happen there and have hopes that it will actually be completed before 2030 now. 

Alright, I guess I've sent you like 47 gigs of photos and told you all about Lucie.  What else is happening?  

Precious little.  

I'm still mostly staying home and trying to spend as much time as possible with Cam and the Goose (which is what Cami calls Lucie).  I've also finally found a way to share the Come Follow Me activity pages.   It's not very many people, but at least they won't be sitting there doing  nothing anymore.  

I hope the transition to Beaverton and your new comp is going well!  I can't wait to be able to talk to you later.   I LOVE YOU and am so proud of you!!!

Love,
Mom

PS  Here's a spiritual thought that came from Elder Christofferson's talk, "The Doctrine of Belonging."  "Thus, the doctrine of belonging comes down to this—each one of us can affirm: Jesus Christ died for me; He thought me worthy of His blood. He loves me and can make all the difference in my life. As I repent, His grace will transform me. I am one with Him in the gospel covenant; I belong in His Church and kingdom; and I belong in His cause to bring redemption to all of God’s children."

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Lara's Book Reviews 2022

I am an avid reader and have been my whole life.  I have always enjoyed the act of sitting down to read and, as such, have always preferred reading paper versions  over e-books and audiobooks.   The last couple of years though, I have realized that I enjoy the knowledge and perspective reading imparts on me even more than I do being able to sit down to read, which has made me more open to the idea of other reading options.   I was slower than a lot of my friends to embrace audiobooks, but, reflecting back on my reading journey, I have to say that audiobooks have transformed the way I read and have given me the opportunity to dive into much meatier books than I would have ever tackled otherwise. I simply have more time to read, when I can do it while I'm doing other things-- like when I'm chopping veggies, doing dishes, driving by myself, or walking on the treadmill.   I still enjoy the opportunity to curl up with a paper version of a book when I can, but I've stopped feeling like I'm cheating when I listen to audiobooks, because ultimately I still achieve my overarching goals for reading when I gain knowledge and broaden my perspective.  

I've only been tracking my books for the last couple of years, but I've discovered that I really enjoy having a record of my reading escapades. It not only makes it easier to give people recommendations when they ask what I've read recently, but it's also motivating to me to keep up with myself.   For instance, this year I realized I was averaging about 3 books a month and there were totally months when I pushed myself to read "one more" to keep up my average.   And for December, it's what kept me reading at all.   I was so busy leading up to my surgery and I thought I would have lots and lots of free time to read while I was recovering, but, alas, I found that all my time got taken up by Christmas prep and online shopping.  And, because of my surgery restrictions,  I didn't have my normal time of doing dishes, cooking dinners, and driving like I normally did to at least get some good listening in.   I had to remind myself to take time to read, because I didn't want to mess up my reading streak.   I finished both of my December books on New Year's Eve.  :) 

So, I thought I'd share the list of the books I read this year with all of you and share a bit about each book.   These are affiliate links, which basically means that if you happen to buy any of the books I've linked to, I will earn a very small fee.   It doesn't cost anything extra for you, but I wanted you to know. 

For the record, 16 of the 33 books I've read this year are NONFICTION.   11/33 are HISTORICAL FICTION.   The remaining 6 are a hodgepodge of different genres.  For three of the books, I know the author in person.    I clearly really enjoy reading nonfiction books, but next year I want to mix in a few more fun relaxing reads along with the books that make me feel smarter.   

Let me know which of these are your favorites and if you have any recommendations.   

JANUARY 2022

"The Girl with Seven Names: Escape from North Korea"
by Hyeonseo Lee (NF)
This is a nonfiction book about a girl who escapes North Korea.  It's a fascinating glimpse into life in North Korea and I highly recommend it.  

 "The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek" by Kim Michele Richardson (HF)
I was drawn to read this book after reading, "The Giver of Stars," by Jojo Moyes, which is also about the packhorse librarians traveling around small towns through Kentucky.   This book focuses more on the perspective of the  blue people of Kentucky and I enjoyed reading both.  

"Yellow Crocus"
by Laila Ibrahim  (HF)
This book is about a young girl in the South who is raised by a slave.   I didn't find the characters very relatable or the  story all that believable, but it was an interesting look at racial issues in the South.  

February 2022
"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig (for the 2nd time) (F)
This book definitely isn't in my normal wheelhouse, but it was thought provoking enough to suggest it for my new book group here in Utah.  It's a quick read and though my new book group found it a little edgy, I was glad for the excuse to read it again.   

"The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West" by David McCullough (NF)
I enjoy David McCullough's ability to help history come to life and this glimpse into how Ohio was settled was very interesting to me.   Having mostly heard  pioneer stories told from the Mormon perspective, I enjoyed learning about different people and places in this book.

 

"The River of Doubt:  Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" by Candice Millard (NF)
Candice Millard's, "Destiny of the Republic" (review later on) was one of the first nonfictions I read and really truly enjoyed, so I was excited to read another book by the same author.  I wasn't quite as engaged with this story about Teddy Roosevelt as I'd been with James Garfield's, but it definitely was still an interesting glimpse at complicated historical figure.  


MARCH 2022


"A Woman of No Importance:  The Untold Story of  the  American Spy Who Helped Win WWII" 
by Sonia Purnell  (NF)
Totally not the best written book out there, but still a fascinating glimpse at a very brave woman who became a spy during WWII.   Even with a significant disability, she leads a fearless life that seems like it could have been the storyline of a movie.   So many unbelievable events and characters (sometimes written about in an overly dramatic way)  and yet the whole thing is true.  If you like a good WWII book, I definitely recommend it.  


"All Our Shimmering Skies"
by Trent Dalton (F)
This was yet another WWII book (I seem to read a lot of them), but told from the perspective of a young girl living in Australia.  For someone who reads mostly nonfiction and historical fiction, it  was a  little too fantastical (bordering on fantasy) for me, and I was really "meh" on the whole story.     
>

APRIL 2022
 

"Never Split the Difference:  Negotiating as if Your Life Depended On It" by Chris Voss (NF)
I am a terrible negotiater and freely admit it, so I was prepared to feel uncomfortable as I read this book.   However, that admission alone is a good indicator that I needed to read a book like this.   Instead of focusing on the contentious part of negotiating that makes me want to run for the hills, he gave a lot of tips for listening, forming tactical empathy,  and honing in on what's most important to each party of the negotiation.  It's not so much about contention as it is about understanding.  


"My Prayer:  His Miracles" by Janina Cobar (NF)
This book was written by a neighbor of mine and I really enjoyed reading about her life and the lessons she's learned along the way.  

MAY 2022
"A Woman is No Man" by Etaf Rum (HF)
This story is heavy, emotional,  and often hard to read, but it was also eye-opening and perspective changing.  It's the story of a few generations of Arab women and the terrible challenges they face.  
 

 "Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of an American President" by Candice Millard (for the 3rd time) (NF)
Yes, you read that right.   This was the 3rd time I've read this book and I enjoyed it just as much this time around as the other two times.   As I mentioned in the review of "River of Doubt" above, this book was one of the first nonfiction books I read and really truly enjoyed.   I consider this book to be what got me hooked on reading nonfiction books in the first place and I definitely recommend it.    It's the story of James Garfield with some Alexander Graham Bell, Joseph Lister, and Charles Guiteau mixed in.   I hadn't known much about James Garfield before reading this book and I firmly feel that our modern world could use a lot more politicians like him in the mix!  

“The Murmur of Bees” by Sofia Segovia  (F)
I couldn't decided what genre to give this book.  It's partially historical fiction and you'll learn a lot about Mexico in the early 1900's when you read it, but it's also got an element of magical realism that imparted a sense of fantasy to the story.  In the end, I chose straight fiction, but it really is a delightful mix of genres.    Translated into English from Spanish, I found the characters in this book lovable and the story well-written and engaging.    I highly recommend.  

JUNE 2022

"Cured:  The Life-Changing Science of Spontaneous Healing"
by Jeffrey Rediger
  (NF)
I read this book right when my Dad was moved in to hospice care and I was feeling helpless and sad.   The author is a doctor who is on the staff at Harvard Medical School and who's devoted much of his career to studying the phenomenon of "spontaneous healing" from illnesses where being cured is not expected or  considered viable.  What I learned is that there is no "magic bullet" for healing (something I already knew), but over his years of research he has discovered that  in all those cases of spontaneous healing, there was something broken in the person's life that was addressed in consistent and life-changing ways.  In some cases it was radical changes to the way they ate, in other cases it was removing themselves from a toxic  situation and finding a place of peace, sometimes it was addressing holistically the inflammation that was at the root of so many of their issues, often it was finding forgiveness for a wrong that had been committed against them, and in still other cases it was healing broken relationships.  The common thread was a deep desire to be healed and the fortitude to make big changes in how they approached life and to stick with those changes.   I appreciated that the author doesn't try to dissuade people from seeking medical treatment, but offers that, for best results, we can do other things to help our bodies to heal.   It was definitely interesting and,  I felt like a good guidebook for better physical and mental health (even without a serious illness).   

“City of Tranquil Light” by Bo Caldwell (HF)
This was one of those books that I was totally convinced was a true story right until the very end, when I started to realize a couple things didn't fit.   Because of that, it disappointed me. It's the story of young Christian Americans who go to China to become missionaries for their church, end up getting married, and staying for many years.  Because I thought it was real, I was more forgiving of some of the imperfections of the book, then was disappointed to realize that it was a work of fiction.  Having said that though, my book group really enjoyed this book and I feel like I perhaps had my experience jaded by my misunderstanding about the veracity of it (my fault, not theirs).  

“Tending Roses”
by Lisa Wingate (F) 
Meh, I didn't love this one.  The story was too predictable and simple for me, however the message was sound, so it could be worth a read if you're looking for something easy to digest.   Once again, members of my book group really enjoyed it and I have a diet of mostly heavy historical and nonfiction, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!  

JULY 2022

"The Book of Longings: A Novel" by Sue Monk Kidd  (HF)
I didn't know what to expect when I started this book and I frankly was a little worried when I realized that the protagonist in the book was the wife of Jesus lost to history.   I am open-minded enough to consider that it's not outside the realm of possibility that Jesus could have had a wife, so it was an interesting premise to me, but, as a Christian,  I worried about it feeling blasphemous.  I decided to read it with an open mind and found that it was well-written and that most of my fears were misplaced.   I was instantly drawn into the story and overall ended up enjoying reading a feminine perspective of those familiar biblical stories.  I did feel like in the author's efforts to humanize Jesus, that she stripped him of his divinity and I finished the book with a sense of disappointment that she missed the most important part of the story.   

“Ordinary Grace”
by William Kent Krueger  (HF)
This book was a powerful look at love and loss in a young boy's life in the 1960's.   It turned out to be a murder mystery (definitely not my usual genre of book), but it was well-written and I found myself sucked into the story.   

"The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild"
by Lawrence Anthony (NF)
 Ever since reading, "Elephant Company" a few years ago and then visiting Masai Mara and seeing elephants in the wild, I have been intrigued by these intelligent, deep-feeling creatures, so when my friend recommended this one to me, I put it at the top of my list to read.     The true story of a man who works on a wildlife preserve in Southern Africa and gets handed a herd of "problem" elephants that are set to be put-down because of all the issues they're causing at another preserve.   Apparently elephants do not  live in that part of Africa natively, so the author/wildlife preserve owner had never worked with elephants before and had a steep learning curve to figure out how to create a safe environment for them.   It takes time, but eventually he is able to help the elephants get over their damaged relationship with humans and develops a rapport with them.   I learned a lot about these amazing creatures and it made me want to go on another safari someday!  


AUGUST 2022


"Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys  (for the 2nd time) (HF)
First off, let me put a HUGE disclaimer here that this book has nothing to do with the scandalous book with a similar sounding name.   This is a WWII novel written for young adults and is devoid of sex and whatever other smut the other book contains.   The main character from this story is a  young girl from Lithuania who is exiled to Siberia during WWII.  It's a work of fiction, but it's dramatic and heart wrenching to read of what so many people at the time and place did go through.  


"The Fountains of Silence" by Ruta Sepetys (HF)
This  historical fiction book takes place in Spain in the 1950's and gives a pretty shocking glimpse of  that time and place.  Having visited Spain a couple of times and been delighted with what we saw there, I was stunned to learn that it was still ruled by a fascist dictator in the late 1950's.   The author is a talented storyteller and I was very much drawn into the story of Daniel (a visiting American) and Ana (the native Spaniard that is forced into silence and compliance by the cultures of being under the rule of a dictator) and enjoyed what I learned about that time in history.   As with most Ruta Sepetys books, I felt like the story wrapped up a little too neat and pretty, but I definitely recommend it for someone interested in a good historical fiction written about a little known period of time in Spain.      

"The Indifferent Stars Above:  The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party" by Daniel James Brown  (NF)
Written by the same author as "The Boys in a Boat", I wasn't surprised that it was a well-written and well-documented look into the story of the Donner Party stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1846.   I enjoyed the author's  ability to tell the story of this horrific event in a riveting way, while also interweaving scientific information about the weather during that period of time, the body's reaction to cold and starvation, and giving an accurate timeline of how things happened.   At times the descriptions of what they endured was a bit much for my 2023 sensibilities, but they lived it and I was amazed that anyone survived what they did.   

SEPTEMBER 2022

"A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles (for the 2nd time) (HF)
I read this book several years ago and recommend it frequently for someone who's looking for a good historical fiction.   I don't reread books super often just for the fun of it. but it was on the list for our book group for September and I thought it would be easier to have a more engaging discussion if I reread it and refreshed my memory about the plot and characters.  Anyway...second time around and I love the character development in this book even more!  Each character has depth and I love the author's metaphors and descriptions of food.   If you get a chance, listen to the audiobook!  The reader is phenomenal and helps the story come to life.   
 

"Gravel Roads:  One Man's Quest Around the World to Heal, and to Live a Life with No Regrets" by Ryan Crain  (NF)
This book was written by my cousin and, sadly, I did not have high expectations when I picked it up, but I ended up pleasantly surprised by it.  He's enough younger than me that I didn't really know him all that well growing up, but again and again I felt a kinship to him as I read through his journey of overcoming grief, depression, and finding healing, in part, by traveling around the world.   He's led a very different life than mine and some of his content was a bit edgy for me, but I think his message was good and I related to this book on many levels.  I look forward to hearing more from him in the future.  

“Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” by Erik Larson (NF)
The sinking of the Lusitania was a story I'd heard of before, but didn't know that much about.  In it, you'll learn about some of the people on board, the historical context, and even about the Germans that sunk it.  The author does a good job of making the story engaging and informative.   I got to impress the tour guide at the Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace National Historical Site in NYC with a piece of information I'd learned while reading the book.    He said that I was the only person he'd ever given the tour to that know that, so I guess reading this book made me a little smarter and helped me understand a little piece of history better!     

OCTOBER 2022

"Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys  (HF)
I didn't realize when I picked up this historical fiction book that it was another shipwreck book, but it was and it was a terrible story I'd never even heard of before.  In Ruta Sepetys style, this book is written in very short chapters, alternating between different characters' perspectives.  Because of the changing perspectives, it takes a while to get a feel for the characters, but ultimately you definitely start to care about them and what they're doing.    The Wilhelm Gustloff was a German ship designed to carry fewer than 2000 people, but when it was sunk by a Russian submarine near the end of WWII, it was stuffed with over 10,000 German citizens fleeing from Prussia.  Some lifeboats were frozen in place and others were destroyed in the sinking and over 9000 passengers  ended up  perishing.   The number of passengers killed far surpasses the number in the Titanic and the Lusitania COMBINED and yet it's a story that most of us have never heard!  
 

"A Woman of No Importance:  The Untold Story of  the  American Spy Who Helped Win WWII" by Sonia Purnell (for the 2nd time)  (NF)
Totally not the best written book out there, but still a fascinating glimpse at a very brave woman who became a spy during WWII.   Even with a significant disability, she leads a fearless life that seems like it could have been the storyline of a movie.   So many unbelievable events and characters (sometimes written about in an overly dramatic way)  and yet the whole thing is true.  If you like a good WWII book, I definitely recommend it.  

"The Woman They Could Not Silence: The Shocking Story of a Woman Who Dared to Fight Back" by Kate Moore (NF)
This is a true story of a woman from the 1860's that will offend your sensibilities and make you very angry. Basically, Elizabeth Packard is an outspoken woman who has her own ideas about religion and the world and her husband doesn't like those ideas.  So he does what's perfectly legal for husbands to do their wives in the 1800's and has her committed to an insane asylum.  Never mind that she is well-spoken, intelligent, and has never shown any true sign of mental illness...she has ideas and expresses them, therefore she must be insane by the misogynist standards of the day.   By sheer will, she is eventually able to be released from the asylum, divorce her husband, and spend the rest of her days changing laws about the treatment of women around the country. 


NOVEMBER 2022

"Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of WWII " by Robert Kurson (NF)
This nonfiction book was a little outside of my normal realm, but it was interesting nonetheless. This book is the story of how a group of fearless deep sea divers discovers a German U-Boat just off the coast of New Jersey in the 1990's and seeks to discover its identity.    The depth and location of the wreckage  makes it particularly dangerous to dive and several divers end up dying in the process, but after several dives over the course of a few years, they eventually  find evidence to  know its name.   It was previously thought to have sunk off the coast of Africa, so finding it so close to the US was unexpected.   If you like a good true adventure tale, it's definitely interesting.  

"Empire of Pain:  The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty"
by Patrick Radden Keefe (NF)
For some inexplicable reason I decided I needed to read this book before I had my surgery.   I'd read a lot about the opioid crisis in the news and knew a little of the Sacklers, but I wanted to understand it better and this book was recommended to me by a friend.   Though I was far from clueless about it all, I found the details of it were shocking all around.   I was surprised to learn that early Sacklers were instrumental in changing the way the pharmaceutical industry marketed and sold drugs in the early 1900's.   They are the reason why you see commercials on television for new drugs.    Some of that marketing reform was good, because  it increased the incentive for drug developers to be  creative and find novel treatments for disease, but it also created a cutthroat industry that is driven by profit.    The first generation of Sacklers could be described as intense, shrewd business people.  They weren't afraid to step on some toes to get what they wanted, but it wasn't really until the second generation when things went downhill fast.   Richard Sackler  was obsessed with building his wealth--no matter the lies he had to tell, the facts he had to ignore, and the damage he was doing to millions of people.    It is a shocking story on its own and even more shocking that these people, despite mounds and mounds of damning evidence,  are still walking free.  Sure, their name is mud and has been ripped off most of the universities and museums they donated to, but they still have their money and, because of the power and influence that money gives them, they will likely never serve time for the lives they have ruined.  

"Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah  (F)
I've really enjoyed other books written by Kristin Hannah, but this one was a huge disappointment and did not do anything for me.  I found every single one of the characters to be unrelatable and unlikable and I really struggled to get over that hurdle to get to the meat of the story.   In the end, it was interesting enough to read about  the siege of Leningrad, but the ending wrapped up so unrealistically happy (especially given how broken all the characters were) that  I would not recommend this book to anyone.   0 out of 5 stars for me.  


DECEMBER 2022
 

"In Search of a Kingdom: Frances Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire" by Laurence Bergreen (NF)
This is a weighty story about world exploration, piracy, and how the British Empire came to be. I wouldn't call it my most engaging read of 2022, but I did find myself drawn into the story of Frances Drake.   I definitely knew his name, but didn't realize that he was actually the first person to circumnavigate the globe without dying (as Magellan had done).   More at home on the sea than on land, he was definitely driven by greed and glory as his travels mostly involved robbing from unprotected Spanish vessels around the world.   I know Frances Drake is a controversial figure in history that at least dabbled in slave trading (though according to this book eventually opposed it) and made his life on essentially being a pirate, but he was also portrayed as a complicated man who helped the British  overcome the Spanish as a world power.  If you like a good historical tale, then this is a good one for increasing your knowledge of the world.  

"Even the Dog Knows" by Jason Wright (F)
This book is a long ways off from my normal genre, but I needed a good light-hearted read for after my surgery, so I picked this up from the bookmobile.   The author lived in our stake in Virginia for a number of years, so that was at least part of the reason I chose it, but I also picked it up because it had a dog in it.   To be totally frank, the story is quite cheesy and wraps up in a nice little happy ending that suspends belief, but it also had some charming qualities that made me smile.   I thought the chapters given from the dog's perspective were humorous and I found myself thoughtful about the relationships between the main characters.   If you're looking for something light, this is a good one.  

So, here's my GoodReads' collage for 2022.   What do YOU think I should add next to my list for this year?   




I'd love to hear your recommendations!  

HAPPY READING!!   

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Lucie is One!

Our grandbaby, Lucie May, turned one on December 7th and we were so happy to be able to celebrate with her.  Technically it was a couple days before her birthday when we were in town for Cami's graduation, but it was close enough to embrace it and make it a full blown party!  

She's the daughter of a baker, but she'd actually only eaten refined sugar a couple of times before, so having a whole little cake to herself was pretty much the most exciting thing in the world for her!    She very much enjoyed herself!   πŸ˜‚ 

Here are a few little details about Lucie at this stage of life:   

*She's a very happy, easy-going baby. 

*She LOVES people and can push through being exhausted to be social.  

*She's got a sense of rhythm and loves to dance.   If she hears music, she'll often break into dancing and if you say the word, "DANCE," (even without music) she'll often break into dancing as well!  

*She's got a lot to say and babbles in her own language all day!  She is very animated and often uses her hands while she talks.   She understands a ton, uses some simple sign language, and can say a few words. (Hi, dog, more) 

*She's big (height and weight) for her age, but doesn't have much hair.  

*She's crawling, pulling herself up and cruising along the furniture, but not quite walking yet.   Cami didn't walk until she was 14 months old, so I'm not surprised at all.  

*She loves to "read" books.   She loves being read to and loves looking at books and "reading" them by herself too.  


We are quite enamored with our Lucie May and hope it's not too long before they make it out here for their belated Christmas trip.  I need me some more Lucie snuggles!    


Speaking of first birthdays, I thought it would be fun to include a little collage of all of our kids at their first birthday.  


Oh my goodness!  I can't believe all these people will be adults within a couple months!  How has time flown that quickly?   

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Monday, January 9, 2023

Life Update via Letter Written to Our Missionary 1/9/2023

As per tradition when I have a child serving a mission for our church, I'm posting a little life update as taken from a letter written to our missionary.  It's a time saver  for me and is motivating to me to write a more interesting letter and to blog more often. 

 Beware:  If you proceed to read this blogpost, you will definitely see the goofier side of Lara (unless you happen to be related to her, in which case, you're fully aware how goofy she is).    

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Hey ho there, Sweet Elder of Mine!
You'll never guess.... I am not only remembering to send you an email today, but I'm actually getting started on it before lunch (which means I'm not in danger of falling asleep in the middle of writing it)! But, beware, my full state of awake-ness does mean that this email may be longer, more random, and/or a lot sillier than usual. Who knows? Time will tell....good luck keeping up with your mother's "woke" brain!   Not that I'm actually woke by the popular definition of the day, but I am awake and I'm sure if you asked Nana or Grandma, they would consider "woke" and "awake" to mean pretty much the same thing, so, yeah, I'm your woke/awake mother who is about to write you an epic letter.    

So, where to start? It's been a month since my surgery and my recovery is still going well. I had a little scare this past weekend, but I called the doctor, who told me not to worry, and  now everything seems to be back on track again. Yay!  πŸ˜†

Okay, so I want you to look at this weather....

IT'S LOOKED LIKE THIS FOR WEEKS!!!! The sun will peek out for a couple hours here and there, but then the clouds will roll in again and it will usually start raining and/or snowing before too long.  It's kind of depressing--especially since, in addition to all the drear,  I don't think we've seen temps out of the 40's since early October or so.   I think you should call your Portland weather and tell it to come home!   

 And lest you think I'm exaggerating, here are the screenshots from the weather app taken a few minutes apart today...   
Anyway,  my surgery recovery forced me to stay home for a couple weeks, then this weather is making hard to break out of that pattern and get outside the house again.  I find myself staying home every chance I can and I've been very few places, other than church, the post office, and the parking lot of Ellie's school the last few weeks. I have even been letting Spence, Dad, and Emma do most of the grocery shopping, however now that Emma's back to school, I may have to buck up and at least do that again.  😢

What else is there?  

Um, I finally made a menu again.   I'm all sorts of exciting, huh?     


Oh, Ellie made a quesadilla from corn tortilla yesterday and drew the judgment of Spence, who thinks corn tortilla quesadillas are just wrong.   

It reminded me of the time when Spence put some super hot sauce on all the quesadillas that Cami made one day and made her burst into tears because they were so hot.  As punishment, I had him make a  new batch of quesadillas...


but we were out of tortillas, so he had to make them from scratch.  As you can see...the results were amazing.   πŸ˜‹  
Why did Spence having on opinion on flour vs corn quesadillas remind me of a silly story from 14 years ago?    I have no idea, except your mother is weird and perhaps I think Spence's quesadilla (gluten aside) looks a little more appetizing than Ellie's.  😏

Also, I found this photo on our camera roll.  I think Ellie was perhaps taking pictures of people's shoes to share with you...   Either that or it was a butt dial picture.   You should ask her and find out. πŸ˜†


I know you've been dying to see our Christmas card haul this year, so here you go....

And with that, I think it might be time to share a picture or two of Lucie with you...  
That picture was taken when Cami went to check on her during her nap today. πŸ˜‚  

The  teddy bear she is holding is one we got for Cam for her graduation.  Apparently Lucie has become quite attached to it.  πŸ’• 

Brace yourself for cuteness overload....
Check out that smile! I have no idea what made her smile so big, but you better believe I was smiling equally as big when I caught sight of this photo for the first time.  😁

Look what else made me smile today!    
I got a postcard from Lucie in the mail!   And it's my very favorite type.   Granted, I would have rather been holding Lucie in person,  than them going to New Orleans to send me a postcard, but I'll take what I can get.   

Here are some other notables from our life right now:  

1.  We had stake conference this past weekend.   Our stake president is a wonderful speaker and an all around good guy and the conference was lovely.   A favorite quote from him:  "Heaven isn't panicking; why should we?"   spoken about someone who may not be progressing along the path the way we'd hoped.   

2.  There was a 7 foot man singing with the youth choir at stake conference.   We later learned that he was a professional basketball player from the 1980's and 1990's and he's not actually 7-feet.  He's only 6'10".   I think his name was Fred Roberts or something like that anyway.   He made the boy from our ward, who's about your height, look like a midget.   Elder F. would have come up his shirt pocket....maybe.  
  
3.  We have officially decided to leave the Christmas decor up until after Cami and Lucie finally come to visit.   

4. They're supposed to be coming this weekend, though I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high. #stupidsouthwest

5.  All the rain/snow this winter means that people are no longer praying for moisture, but thanking God for the abundance

6. Just in case you're wondering....the fastest way to kill a cactus is by watering it too much.   Apparently I watered this one too much, because it one day it was fine, then next day it looked like this... #brownthumb
7.  I cheated on Wordle yesterday.   The word was OPERA and I had the a, e, o, and r all in the wrong places and my mind was just blank.  I tried RAZOR, despite it not having an E in it, just so I could narrow down letter placement a bit, but that move was useless and I continued in my stumpedness.   Usually when I get stuck, I can walk away and inspiration will come to me later.   Alas, not so with yesterday's word.   I came back several times and just had to admit I was Madame Stuck-a-roni and I didn't want to waste any more time on it!  Finally, I  gave up and looked online for a clue and then figured it out quickly.  I hadn't done that move in a very long time.   

8.  Lest you think I'm a total loser for killing a cactus and cheating at Wordle, I am also starting fresh with my scripture study and so far (9 days into the year), it's going great.   I was already reading the Bible and Book of Mormon regularly, but I've been really feeling like I need to add more depth to my study, so I'm using the journal edition of the scriptures and some study implements to help the cause.   I've also started recreating my Come, Follow Me activity pages for kids/teens.    I have no one to share them with (since this ward does not want programs) and no one looks at my FHE blog anymore, but I felt inspired to create them again and that's also something that's helping me to dive into the scriptures with more depth.   (I'll attach a few for you, so you can see them) 

9.  I am officially running out of things to tell you.  I guess that's what happens when you don't leave the house much.     πŸ˜‘

So, what do you think?  Should I write your letters during daylight hours more often?   Or do you like the half-asleep late-night versions better?  Either way, I'll be very interested to hear if your missionary life continues to be BORING or if you'll move on to somewhere like ALOHA (I had a roommate from there) or BEAVERTON (land of dams and Nikes) or TIGARD (where the tigers roam free) or SUNNYDALE (the place where all the clouds part and the sun shines 24/7).   

I'm excited to hear from you tomorrow!   Have a stupendously amazing day!   

LOVE YOU!!!! 
Love, 
Mom  πŸ’–πŸ’–πŸ’–

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