"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch

I've been listening to more books on tape and CD lately...maybe because I've been doing so much traveling. And since it takes about 15 minutes to get into town, anytime I go to town I can get at least 30 minutes in.

My latest book I listened to was "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. I highly recommend this book. Randy was a university teacher and his "last lecture" (really titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams") was given at Carnegie Mellon Unversity in Pennsylvania. It was given after he knew he was going to die from pancreatic cancer. He was my age. His lecture can be found on the internet (it's over 1 hour long). It's very funny and thought provoking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Anyway, he also wrote a book, which covers a lot of the same stuff, but has even more good stuff...and I don't know what else to say besides it's really, really wonderful. I'm going to recommend it for my book club. It is so inspiring...he's amazing. So, check it out if you can. It's "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. Our local library has a copy...

Utah

Once again, I messed up on the order of the photos...top photo is Wednesday morning before we dropped Andrew off at the MTC.

Middle photo is Tuesday afternoon after Andrew, Eric, Ryan, Glen, and I saw the Church's movie Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration.

Bottom photo is Tuesday morning after Teresa, Andrew, Glen and I attended a session at the Salt Lake Temple.

Elder Perazzo

Our Stake President, Pres. Egbert, came over to our house this evening and set Andrew apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will enter the Training Center on Wednesday. After thinking about this event for 19 years, it's amazing to think the time has finally come for his mission to begin. We are very excited for him and know he will be a great missionary.


Andrew, me, Glen, Eric, Ryan, Alex, and Hannah

David, Alan, Grandpa, Gary, Andrew, Jacob, Pres. Egbert, and Glen

Andrew's talk in Church

I knew Andrew would do a great job in his talk in church on Sunday, but it was better than great (even if I do say so myself...it was outstanding). Anyway, he spoke with the high councilman (Brother Austin) and his Uncle Alan (who is in the Stake Presidency and one of the Presidency always speaks when a missionary is going out).

His assigned topic was charity and service. To end his talk, he read a story form Richard G. Moore's book called 12 Keys to Developing Spiritual Maturity. I will now paraphrase:

Brother Moore wrote that when he was first married they had little money. His parents lived about 30 minutes away and they would go to visit and eat at his parents house. During one of these visits, his dad asked Bro. Moore to do him a favor. His father had recently bought an extra case of soup by accident and they didn't have room for it. Could Bro. Moore take it? Yes, he was happy to help.

This went on for 6-8 months, where the dad would over-shop and ask Bro. Moore to help him out by taking home the surplus. He started to worry about his father and wondered if his mother should do the shopping instead.

Finally around Easter his dad had "accidentally" bought too many hams. The light bulb finally went on in Bro. Moore's head and he took the ham, but then he tried to reimburse his dad for it. The dad wouldn't accept any payment. Then his dad taught him something very important.

He told his son that he could never be paid back. The father explained that it wasn't just the money for the food, but it wast he sacrifice, time, energy, and worries as well as the money that was involved.

His father said that one reason why he helps out his children is because he loves them and wants to help; however, it was also meant to be a payback to his dad's own parents for everything they had done for him.

He then told Bro. Moore that there actually was a way for payback to occur. That way was for Bro. Moore to do the exact same thing for his own children (when he had them). That's the way it works.

Bro. Moore then related that lesson to our situation with our Heavenly Father. We can never pay Him back for all He has done for us. If we can't do that, what do we do? We serve Him by serving His children. Matthew 25:40 Inasmuch as ye do it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye do it unto me.

We serve God by serving our family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. Mosiah 2:17 ...when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.

Anyway, it was a wonderful talk and Andrew is a wonderful young man. Eight days and counting.

flower photos from vacation

I love taking pictures...and flowers are one of my favorite themes. Here are 4 photos taken at the beach.

my parents

Photography is one of my Dad's hobbies. My picture of him didn't turn out so well, but here he is playing with his camera.

My Mom takes pictures, too. Her pictures are used for ideas in her watercolor paintings.

photos of our vacation

Hannah and Ryan climbing the rocks...we climbed
just about every rock in sight













Glen and Alex relaxing













Andrew is reading ("First Meetings in Ender's
Universe") and Eric is designing a paper spaceship model













Alex took this photo of Glen and me

beach photos from Brookings, Oregon

it is often misty at the beach


an anemone and a brittle star in a tide pool

rocks abound (since posting my mother has informed me they are called sea stacks)

Eric, Alex, Ryan, Hannah, Andrew and Glen enjoying the harbor

A VACATION IS...

A VACATION IS...having nothing to do and all day to do it in. --Robert Orben.

We are in Brookings, Oregon this week visiting my parents. We started the day by going to the tide pool area at Harris Beach. When I get home I'll post some pictures. We've been watching movies, playing games, going to the beach, and just enjoying one another's company.

Today my mom and I went to some shops I visit everytime I'm here. At the rubber stamp store I bought a book of quotes dealing with summertime. Here are some of my favorites:

Summer afternoon--to me those have always been the two most beautiful works in the English Language. --Henry James

REST is not idleness, and to lie on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. --John Lubbock

There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; THE FUN IS having lots to do and NOT DOING IT. --Mary Wilson Little

To plant seeds and watch their renewal of life--this is thecommonest delight of the race, the most satisfactory thing a man can do. --Charles Dudley Warner

Just living is not enough...One must have SUNSHINE, FREEDOM, and a LITTLE FLOWER. --Hans Christian Andersen

If you never did, YOU SHOULD. Thses things are fun, & FUN IS GOOD. --Dr. Seuss

Imagination is as good as many voyages--and much cheaper. --George William Curtis

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. --Sam Keen

and last but not least:

If it's not fun, you're not doing it right. --Bob Basso

Glen and Kathy as John and Nellie Oats

I was happy that my trip to Vegas prevented me from having to play Nellie Oats in the Museum's 3rd annual Ghost Walk (sorry Glen!). Luckily for me, Glen's sister Kathy stepped in for me. Andrew and I stopped by the park on our way back from Vegas and caught one of their presentations. They did a great job!

Trip to Vegas to surprise my sister

It had been in the works for over a month and in my mind for a few months, and last Thursday it finally happened.

First thing Thursday morning (my sister's birthday), Andrew and I hoped into my car and drove to Vegas. When we reached the test site, we called my brother-in-law Pat. He took Deni to the store...and it didn't take them long enough, so they got back before we arrived! But that was OK as we arrived just after they did and Pat said if I entered, Denise would just think I was Pat coming in. He was right.

I entered and could see Denise at the table (25 feet? away) not paying any attention to me at all. I hopped through the kitchen and was right next to her before she turned to look at me. Her face was blank for a second, and then it registered. Wish I had Andrew taking pictures with my camera! She was very surprised and happy to have us there.

That night we went to see "Star Trek" at the theater and had ice cream cake. Loved both.

Friday morning, Deni, Pat, Andrew and I took in a session at the Las Vegas temple (pictured above). Then we spent the rest of the day and evening playing games: the Mexican train version of dominoes and "Out of Sight" by Mattel (you roll the dice to try and get certain numbers, but you need to yell "stop" before the hidden timer goes off) were games Deni got for her birthday. We also played "Blokus" and "Harry Potter Clue," which Andrew and I had brought with us. We had a wonderful time.

Saturday morning we played one more game of Clue and then we headed home. It was a short but very wonderful visit.

So, it looks like Deni had a wonderful birthday...we didn't give her a chance to be depressed!