Beneath the Wraps

           Some people have told me “ Oh, you ’ ve got to see this site! ”   “ You ’ ll have to visit that place! ” I don ’ t like crowds of people.   I can view things through books and/or video and probably be happier with it than going there in person – not to rule out visiting said destination if I happen to be in the area – but I don ’ t necessarily have to visit said sites in person and I ’ m okay with it.   On February 4 I took a virtual tour of Palmyra in New York ( here ).   Today I took a virtual tour of the Mormon Battalion Historical site in San Diego, California.   It was GREAT!!!!   I didn ’ t have to stand.   I didn ’ t have to get up and move.   There was no crowd of people – not even online. The tour was my personal tour.   I feel so blessed for having had the opportunity as I had the missionaries to myself. Who knew that acting might be a requirement of missionary service?   No...

            When Roland’s oldest two girls were ten and eight, we were finally granted overnight visitation.   At the time – though our visits weren’t as often as the courts had assigned – I fully believe that I knew those girls better than either of their biological parents – and I really didn’t know either that well.         Frances, at the time, claimed she loved school.   She loved to paint and draw.   Her artwork was actually quite good.   She was easily amused, had quite an annoying laugh, and was very loud.   She often repeated catch phrases or tag lines – I think more to help herself understand them.   She had learned the shark song and sang it often as she moved her hands for each family member. “Grandpa Shark” was her favorite.         Jenna is ten.   She used to love school.   She currently likes ...

If anything can go wrong, it will – Murphy’s Law Okay, this post may be a bit long and a bit drawn out especially if I put it in verse style.   You don’t have to read it. Just after we moved to West Valley and   attended church, I was called to be on the committee for  the activities for  the Relief Society.   Kristen was the activities’ director  (or enrichment hostess or homemaking guide or whatever they called it then) I was grateful to be and enjoyed my calling on the committee but not as the chief. It couldn’t have been more than five months (or so it felt) before Kristen was called to be the primary president and Loretta was handed the reigns of  RS activity director.   She did not seem to want a committee.   I thought she was bananas. When Loretta moved out of the ward, Hannah was asked to do the calling.     Enthusiastic Hannah who always p...

         “Stepmom” was released in theatres December 1998.   The movie is put out by Columbia Pictures and stars Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon.    I enjoyed the movie the first time I watched it. I hadn’t considered being able to identify with any of the characters personally, though I did know of actual people that were real life characters.   I thought Jena Malone’s character was a brat.   Great actress.   I had seen her in a Hallmark production only two years earlier.   Ellen Foster and Anna Harrison – though played by the same actress – were two entire different people.   I did not even realize it was the same actress until only moments ago.          Julia Roberts plays Isabel Kelly – the current love of Luke Harrison (played by Ed Harris) who’d been married to Jackie (played by Susan Sarandon) – and finds herself in a situatio...