Moving on

I decided this week that I am finally ready to move on....that means it's time to get the ugly stuff over with and file those pesky divorce papers.  So yesterday I went to the courthouse and signed up for the divorce workshop which is actually a great deal, for $40 they'll help me get the papers all ready to go, much cheaper than the $3500 retainer most of the attorney's in town are asking for.

Sometime in the near future (about 2 months from now) I should be single for the first time in 20 years....do you have any idea how scary that is???  Yikes!  I don't even know how to date anymore and I really don't want to!  However, since I also don't want to be single the rest of my life I've got to go into this with a plan...so I started thinking about what I've learned from my marriage and what I want in a future husband (I feel like an awkward teenager again).

I'm a little excited actually at the opportunity to start fresh and to maybe find someone wonderful to share the rest of my life with.  I used to think that single men my age were all losers, but I've met some recently that give me hope!

Breaking up is hard to do...

Ugh...really hard to do.  In fact it sucks.  It means letting go of the future we've been planning for nearly 20 years.  It means that my family is broken.  My heart is broken too.  It feels like failure.  I always thought that people got divorced because they didn't love each other anymore...guess what? Sometimes people who get divorced still love each other, it's just time to cut your losses and go your separate ways because it will never work.  That's where we are now.  and it sucks.  just in case you forgot.  It means that sometimes I pretend that my heart isn't breaking just so that he will keep walking away, because in the long run it's better that way.  It means that sometimes I have to be cold and heartless...to protect both of us...because being nice just prolongs the agony. Sometimes I cry unexpectedly.  Like now.  I've been thinking about this post for weeks now, so I didn't expect to cry while typing it.  SUCKY.  I hate crying, it gives me a headache.  So, I will be filing the papers the first week of January.  I don't think the worst is over yet, so please be patient with me.  :)

Crown Me

I went to the dentist today for a tiny little filling (that's what the receptionist said), but I knew I was in trouble when the doctor greeted me in the hallway and put his arm around me...never a good sign, unless maybe he's your dad or husband or brother or something.  So he got me all comfy in the chair and then showed me a picture of my sad little tooth with two big old cracks in it and a cavity under the filling causing it to crumble....yep, no such thing as a tiny little filling for me. 

So I said "CROWN ME!".  Well maybe not exactly like that.  I actually said, "I'd rather have blood drawn" and if you know me, you know that's saying a lot. So my kind dentist said "I can do that"...yeah...just what I wanted to hear.  So to make a long story short, they prepped my tooth for a crown and now I have a temporary in place.  I think I'll have the permanent one made with a skull and crossbones in honor of "talk like a pirate day"...won't that be purty?

Sitting in the chair with my mouth full of metal and plastic and stranger's hands, left me time to contemplate on the experience.  First there is ALL that equipment!  I have learned to keep my eyes closed.  The next thing I noticed is that when they are drilling there is occasionally a burning smell like the electric bug zapper my mom and dad had outside my bedroom window while I was growing up...you know what burning bugs smell like?  Then you get the smell of burning plastic, like when a lid falls down on the heating element in the dishwasher.  Then the dentist took this loopy gauge thingy and made me bite down on it so he could try to pull my teeth out, I mean so he could gauge something...I don't really know what he does with that thing, but it always makes me feel like the dog in a game of tug of war. 

Then there's the lingo...I asked the doc which tooth it was, funny guy said "29"....oh yeah, sure, I know good old 29...never given me a day's trouble before!  Lingual, mesial (forgive my spelling, it's a foreign language), core plaster, diamonds...I did recognize that, but really, who wants to use diamonds to grind their teeth? 

So in the end I walked out with half my face numb and my daughters and even my dad were laughing at my lisp and my attempt to pucker up and torture my girls with old lady drooly kisses! 

I made pickles!

With the help of the ever-fabulous Lilly, who sang "Paparazzi" while we worked.  My mom canned a lot of fruit while I was growing up and I have to say I hated pretty much the whole process...the only part I liked was eating the finished product.  Especially pears...yum!  and pickles...yum!  So, when I became a grown up I never considered canning anything...I'll buy it already made, thank you very much.  BUT...my mother suckered my daughter into helping her make pickles a couple of years ago, who in turned suckered me into it...and guess what?  Turns out that making pickles is super easy...much easier than canning peaches and pears and cherries and apricots, and canning in Idaho is much more pleasant than canning in California's hot summers, I don't think we got over 90 degrees here this year. 

So to make a long story short....Lilly and I made pickles in my own kitchen, with my own canning equipment for the very first time.  Take a peek at the photographic evidence!

Why I am a Mormon

Dear Becky,

I have been thinking about your comment on my last post and rolling over and over in my head the appropriate response.  I hope this is the best way to answer.

I want to tell you about my spiritual journey and why I choose to be a Mormon.  When I was a little girl our Mom and Dad taught me that God loves me and wants me to be happy, that He will always be there for me even when no one else can be.  That I can talk to Him whenever I need to.  I believed them because I was a child.  However, because I believed them, I talked to God when I needed comfort or help, and found that He really was there, He really did provide me with the comfort and strength I needed. 

One day when you were about three or four we couldn't find you anywhere, the whole family spread out searching the neighborhood looking for you.  I remember wandering the hills and searching the brush near our house and calling your name, so terrified that I would never see you again.  I prayed that day to find you.  For some reason I went home and found you asleep on the floor in the little space between the wall and the bed in my bedroom.  Some people will call that a lucky coincidence, but I'm certain God led me there that day.  All my life I've talked to God and He has given me comfort and strength.  He doesn't always give me what I ask for, but He has always been there for me. 

I have developed a relationship with God and that is the basis of all my religious beliefs.  I know Him.  Sometimes I don't like what He has to say, sometimes I get mad at Him.  But I love Him and I know that He loves me.  As a teenager I was annoyed by the number of people who told me that I was only a Mormon because it was what my parents told me to believe, and I had to take a good look at myself and ask if that really was the reason.  I decided that to some extent it was true that I had just accepted it blindly so I began to really study it so that I could make my own informed decision.  It was at that time that I read the Book of Mormon by myself all the way through and felt that confirmation from God that it was truly His word.

When I got married and left home, life became more complicated, and I began to think that I didn't necessarily need to live my life the way that Mom and Dad and the church had taught me.  I felt that it was a very conservative lifestyle and that I had found a nice balance.  I attended church when it was convenient, but I also spent time in bars with my husband and our friends.  It felt pretty comfortable.  I remember telling my father-in-law one day about this nice balance I had found between the way my parents lived and the way the rest of the world lives. 

I've always thought religion was fascinating so during this time I explored and studied other religions, kind of looking to see if there might be another church that felt right to me.  I never considered not be a member of a church because of my relationship with God.  I have never doubted that God exists.  What I found was that with every church I studied I was able to fairly quickly find doctrine that just didn't make sense to me, things I just couldn't agree with.  The more I studied other religions the more convinced I became that Mormonism was the most correct religion out there.  I found that nearly every church had something beautiful about it, but none fit me quite like Mormonism did. 

Life was not going well for us, Tom and I had seperated briefly, we had our third baby, Tom lost his job, we had to move into a smaller apartment, we were living on welfare, our phone was shut off, I was looking for a job, we were generally pretty unhappy...but I was especially unhappy.  So I tried to remember the happiest times in my life and what those times had in common.  I decided the common denominator was that I was closer to God.  So I started reading the scriptures, praying, and going to church again...and believe me, it was hard to take three toddlers to church by myself.   One Sunday I set my alarm to get up for church and I got up, looked at Tom laying in bed, and crawled back into bed with him.  After a few minutes he asked me if I was going to church, I told him I'd decided to sleep in instead.  He asked me two or three times in about 20 minutes if I was going, finally I asked him if he wanted me to go for some reason, he said, "yes, I like you better when you go to church."  I didn't realize that it made that much of a difference, so I got up and went.  I've been going ever since and the more I go, the more I love it.

I know that you feel like the church doesn't allow free thought somehow, but I'm here to tell you that I make my own choices.  I wouldn't be a member if I hadn't studied it carefully and given it a lot of thought and prayer.  Certainly there are times when I think it would be easier to live a little more like the rest of the world, but really when it comes right down to it, life isn't about easy, it really is true that the best things in life have to be worked for.  You know what they say, "no pain, no gain!", and honestly, knowing that what I'm doing is right makes it fairly easy.  Now if I could just convince myself that not eating junk food is right I'd be all set!

I love you Becky, and I appreciate your concern for your LDS family and friends, but really, we are OK.  I'm sorry that you were unhappy as a member of the church, I don't know why that was, but I want you to be happy regardless of what religion you are or aren't.  I know many people of many different faiths who are very happy and the thing they all have in common is that they have developed a relationship with God.  However, if you decide that you don't believe in God and that makes you happy, then I will support you in that decision too.  Nobody knows better than you what is right for you.  The same is also true of me. No one knows better than I do, what is right for me.  I have given it careful thought and come to an educated decision.  I hope that you can support me and respect my decision. 

independent thinking

One of my pet peeves is when people tell me that I don't think for myself. It's like Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movies when someone calls him chicken...remember that? He gets all wound up and acts kind of crazy? Yep, I'm a little like that. So recently one of my cousins and one of my sisters both told me that I don't make my own decisions that I let the church tell me what to do and think!!! ARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH! I admit, it makes me see red. Those who know me well know that isn't true. But, I decided I would post an excerpt from my personality profile ordered by my completely non-religious employer. Here it is:

"Once she has arrived at a decision, she can be tough-minded and unbending. She has made her decision after gathering much data, and she probably won't want to repeat the process."

So there.

Vegetarian?

Oh my! My sweet daughter asked me one day about how cattle are killed for food, and I knew I was treading on dangerous ground....how can you not be when a 16 year old girl asks something like that? But it is one of my personal "Mom Rules" to always answer the question, even when it's a loaded one. So I explained it to the best of my knowledge (I admit that it's limited knowledge), and my precious girl promptly announced that she was going to be a vegetarian. Hmmm...I wondered how long her committment would last. Well, that was almost two months ago and she remains very committed to her new lifestyle. Even in the face (poor word choice?) of her Dad's famous grilled steaks which she has LOVED since she was old enough to chew.

I am amazed at how many people have given her a lot of crap about it...really? In the year 2011 people still get buggy about vegetarianism? What is up with that? Granted, we do live in Idaho, but still...I thought the world was a little more enlightened. Why can't a teenage girl try out a lifestyle choice like this without cringing everytime someone finds out? My aunt and uncle came to visit and she didn't want them to know because she was afraid they'd give her the same crap she's gotten from her uncles and grandpa and various other adults. SIGH. She may give it up tomorrow, or she may never give it up. No matter what she decides, she has my support. I just need to find some new recipes and learn some new habits to accomodate her.

A laundry story

So the other day my husband decided to do some laundry. He went downstairs with his laundry basket and hollered up the stairs about how much detergent to use, I answered. A few minutes later he started asking about how to turn the washing machine on, this time I went down to show him (much easier than yelling). I got into the laundry room and noticed that the washing machine was empty, so I asked him if he'd put his laundry in the washing machine. He was a little annoyed and said he had. I looked in the washing machine again and asked him if he was sure...he was a little more annoyed and assured me he had. So I pointed to the empty washing machine and said, "this is the washing machine". HAHAHAHAHA!

He had put all his dirty laundry and a scoop of detergent in the dryer!!!!

It's a hard knocked life...

Recently someone told Lilly that I have a hard life just like she does (like "someone", not like Lilly), this was part of a little "tell-your-mom-hello" conversation, so Lilly passed the whole thing on to me. I have to say that it kind of annoyed me. Really? Do people go around saying "Marie's got a hard life"?? I sure hope not...but just in case let me set the record straight.

I have a beautiful life with a fair number of opportunities to stretch and grow. Nothing I can't learn from and turn into a lovely pitcher of lemonade. Just so you know.

Life is lovely, and challenges are what make us strong, now if you want to walk around saying things like, "Marie is a strong woman"...that's totally OK! I am strong and I am strong because I've had opportunities to become strong. Strength doesn't come from sitting around eating bon bons and watching tv...believe me, I know!

Changes

Well, nothing stays the same forever, and it seems like a lot of times lots of things change at once. At least, that's what it's been like around here lately!

In May Thomas turned 18 and graduated from high school, Erin completed middle school, and I was released from my calling as the Young Women secretary. In June, Thomas headed off to Scout Camp again, Lilly got accepted back into Bel Cantos, and I got called to teach Primary again!

I don't know what I feel about Thomas becoming all adult on me...somedays it makes me sad and other days I am just proud of raising a child all the way to adulthood!!! wooohooo! Mission accomplished, one down, two to go!

Being released from YW was sad...I've always loved the young women program and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was great to spend that time with my daughters and to get to know the teenage girls, I was a little afraid of them at first but discovered they are a great group of girls! However, I do love Primary, I love the innocence of little children, everything is so new to them and they are so inquisitive, and they haven't been beaten down by life yet, so they'll tell you pretty much whatever is on their minds. Not to mention that the music in Primary is more fun and we get to do more singing!

Photo Card

Contempo Grad Forest Graduation

Shutterfly graduation announcements and gifts.

View the entire collection of cards.

Flashback...

Friday was Thomas's final ballroom performance of his high school career. The tradition is to spotlight each senior by having them stand in the middle of the stage with an escort of their choosing while they tell the audience about the soon-to-be-graduate. Seniors choose their escorts and I think most choose their Mom or Dad, but some choose a small child or a grandparent or a girlfriend or boyfriend...anyway, Thomas asked me to do it. And I forgot. Until they asked all the escorts to go backstage...HOLY HECK I'VE GOT TO GO ON STAGE! That was my thought...good thing I was still dressed for work, but it was a Friday so I was wearing jeans...Oh well...it wasn't too terrible....So we did it and I survived, although at one point I realized I was making a weird face on stage...so had to quickly adjust.

Thomas has improved his dancing skills a bazillion since he started dancing last year so it was really fun to watch him shake his booty on stage!

So by now you're probably wondering why I titled this post "Flashback"....Yeah, I'm getting to it, I promise.

When the show was done I gave my sweaty boy a hug and some money to go to the after party at Perkins, told him to buy his sister something to eat too, and he said "bye Mom, I'll see ya later"....And that was my flashback...to his first day of preschool. On that first day of preschool I was totally prepared to stay with my firstborn until he was ready to let go of his Mama and lo and behold, he was ready the minute he walked through the door, "Bye Mom, I'll see ya later". I cried that day and teared up when he said it again on Friday night.

Jesus the Christ: Chapters 11-13

I am SO far behind! Well, chapters 11 to 13 are about the ministry of Christ and while it was all interesting it wasn't really new information to me so I don't have a lot to share on these chapters. A couple of thought provoking items were the time Jesus turned water to wine at a wedding and when he told the people of his home synagogue that he was the Messiah.

The wedding story makes me wonder a little...I think there's something missing in this story, or maybe it's just something I'm missing. Mary asks him to do it, and he sort of puts her off, but then he does it anyway. Was he annoyed that she asked? Did he do it just to make her happy? Was there some greater reason that he did it? If he was going to do it anyway why did he say no at first? I don't know, there's something to this one that I just haven't quite wrapped my head around yet.

At the synagogue, isn't it interesting that the people wanted to throw him off a cliff? Really? Doesn't that seem a bit harsh? Wow! So glad I don't live among people like that! I'd have been killed several times over by now! The other interesting thing about this story is that he just walked away from it...how did he do that? Was it just because he was really good at calming people down? Was it a miracle? How did he do that? Really, I want to know. :)

So there you have it. My thoughts on three chapters of reading. Have a great week!

funny!

Spring

Erin and I took Spot (aka "Crazypants") for a nice leisurely walk along the Snake River yesterday, here's some of the pictures...

Jesus the Christ: Chapter 10

Chapter 10: In the Wilderness of Judea

I liked this chapter too! I love that John the Baptist was kind of a non-conformist, living in the wilderness, eating locusts and honey, and wearing "rough desert garb". I can see him now, looking a little like a wild man and preaching with energy and enthusiasm, he must have been quite a sight! He was clearly a very effective preacher, there were those who thought he was the Messiah. He called for repentance and charity and prophesied of Christ.

Jesus came to John to be baptized and John tried to turn him away, saying "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?". Jesus answered, "suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness". What must it have been like to be there? to witness this conversation?

The next part of the story is after Jesus is baptized and the Spirit of God descends like a dove while God speaks from above. We believe this is evidence of the separateness of the Godhead. We believe they are separate physical beings, but one in purpose. Our belief that the Godhead is made up of three separate individuals is one of the reasons that many people do not believe Mormons are Christians.

The last thing this chapter talks about is the temptations of Christ. This is a part of Christ's life that I really haven't given much thought to before now...of course, I'm familiar with the basics, that he went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days and then Satan tempted him...but that's about it. So this was a good refresher and went into it in more depth than I remember studying it before.

I never thought about why Jesus spent 40 days fasting in solitude in the wilderness, but Talmage points out that he had a lot to think about...duh...I should have thought of that! Of course he had a lot to think about, he had some major events ahead of him. I'm sure he needed to mentally prepare for what he was sent here to do - to atone for the sins of the world. No small task and definitely not an easy one. Then, to be tempted...

Jesus the Christ: Chapters 8 & 9

Wow! I am way behind! Good thing I didn't really commit to regular blogging, I just said I would TRY to post once a week!

Chapter 8: The Babe of Bethlehem

Who doesn't love the Christmas story? I mean seriously! I love it start to finish and that's really what this chapter is all about. I love that angels announced His birth to shepherds, they didn't go into churches, they didn't go to important politicians to make their announcement, they went to shepherds in the fields tending their sheep. Christ often spoke of sheep and shepherds throughout His earthly ministry and really, isn't it lovely imagery?

I also love the story of Simeon who was promised that he would live long enough to see Christ. Oh, and the story of Anna who knew the Christ child when she saw him for who he really was! How would it feel to be Anna? or to be Mary? Honestly, I don't even really want to imagine what it would be like to be Mary...way too much responsibility!

How about the wise men? Isn't it fun to imagine them following a star for who knows how long, weeks or months maybe, to see the promised Messiah...and that leads to King Herod....how evil do you have to be to kill thousands of babies? That's something else I don't want to know. Did you know that this is the reason Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate Christmas?

Chapter 9: The Boy of Nazareth

"And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him." Luke 2:40

There isn't much more than this written about his childhood, but Talmage points out that historically Jewish children were well educated in the law and the scriptures and that Joseph and Mary we devout and faithful in all observances of the law. So we can conclude that Jesus was well educated. The Bible tells about him at 12 going to the temple and sitting with the learned men and impressing them all with his knowledge and understanding. As a mother I see it from Mary's point of view, she suddenly discovers her child is missing (haven't we all had that moment of panic when your heart sinks into your shoes?) when she finds him he doesn't even have the decency to realize that his poor mother is worried sick! Oh the humanity! And then he reminds her of who he really is, and I can totally see how she might have forgotten that, she probably had several small children and a household to run...she was a busy woman! To her, he was just her child and she was scared to death that she'd lost him in the big city.

This book just keeps getting better and better! I better get reading, I'm falling way behind!

Grandma-isms

Grandma mentioned yesterday that her driver's license is going to expire soon, but that she isn't going to drive anymore so maybe it didn't matter much. I said something about there's a time and a season for everything. She replied, "This isn't my season to drive, but I have seasoning at home!"

Private Square

Last night I was passing through the kitchen and Lilly was standing in front of the refrigerator, so as I passed by I smacked her on the butt. She turned around and sang (with hand gestures):

Stop! Don't touch me there,

That's my private square!

Somedays that child cracks me up! AND now that song is stuck in my head!

Dreams are weird...

Last night I dreamed that I went to my old job to work the front desk over the lunch hour. Why would I do that? In the five years I worked there I think I worked the front desk a total of 2 hours! But it gets better...not only did I go over there to work I went dressed in a bear costume, and while I was there another former employee showed up wearing brown fleece footie pajamas and sat down to visit with me. What on earth does this mean?? I don't know, but I woke up laughing at it!

Jesus the Christ, Chapter 7

I read chapter 7 today and I have to say it was the most interesting chapter so far! Chapter 7 is "Gabriel's Annunciation of John and Jesus" and tells the story of Gabriel announcing to Zacharias that he and his wife would be having a baby...I really have to laugh at the idea that Zacharias is talking to an angel and doesn't believe what the angel is telling him. Really? He's a priest, standing in the Holy of Holies, talking to an angel, and he doesn't believe him? Wow. So he asks for a sign and gets one...he can't talk til the baby is named! I love it, some days I wish my husband would get the same sign...oops...did I just say that in a public forum? =)

Then Gabriel goes to Mary and tells her she's going to have a baby, and she's pretty cool about it. She didn't ask for a sign! What really stood out to me though, was Joseph's reaction. For some reason when I read this I suddenly wondered about what it must have been like to be in his shoes. The woman he loves tells him she's having a baby that's not his, in fact, it's God's baby, the promised Messiah. I think he believed her, but I think he didn't feel worthy to be the stepfather of the Son of God. Can you imagine the responsibility of that? Wow.

Jesus the Christ: Chapters 5 & 6

It's getting interesting!

Chapter 5: Earthly Advent of the Christ Predicted

So, chapter 5 talks about the prophecies regarding the Messiah. Talmage points out that the Bible says the serpent should have the power to bruise the heel of Adam's, but through the seed of the woman should come the power to bruse the adversary's head. It doesn't say through Adam or through man or through Adam AND Eve, it says through the seed of the woman. The only instance of a woman having a child dissociated from mortal fatherhood is Jesus Christ. I thought that was very interesting. So it appears there are prophecies that I have not previously recognized, this being one of them.

Chapter 6: The Meridian of Time

This chapter was probably the most interesting so far (in my opinion anyway) because it explains the Pharisees and Saducees...they have always been a bit of a mystery to me. I have to admit though, that even when they are explained to me, it's still hard to really get it. I think what it boils down to is that they were two groups who interpreted the scriptures differently, and were very opinionated about it! This chapter also explained some of the reasons that the Jews held themselves apart from other people, and explains the reasons they hated the Samaritans.

an evening at home...

Tonight I sat down with my two older kids to watch the movie "RED", which, by the way, I learned stands for Retired, Extremely Dangerous. hahahaha! About a fourth of the way in Lilly suddenly asked Thomas if he knew what his facebook status was....what was it, you ask?

"I love my little Sister Erin! This is a poem I wrote for Her!

E is for energetic

R is for randomly Awesome

I is for interestingly enough my favorite person too! :)

N is for Naturally beautiful"

I laughed so hard I cried! He ran upstairs and deleted it, no sense of humor somedays! Thomas is a huge fan of Morgan Freeman so when the movie ended he was completely shocked that they had actually killed off his character. Then Thomas wondered aloud if Morgan Freeman might have a 17 year old granddaughter...the mental image in my head was not very pretty!

Anyway, it was a fun movie, I love the cast!

By the way, now that I am posting blogs I realize just how much I do not remember of the rules of grammar...yikes!

Jesus the Christ, chapters 3&4

Aaaahhhhhh! It gets easier to read! I wonder if it's like Shakespeare, you just have to get familiar with the style of language used in order to read it? I took a Shakespeare class in college and really enjoyed reading it, so a couple of years ago I picked up my old Shakespeare book for a little light reading and found that it was very difficult to read...just like Jesus the Christ was difficult at first.

Chapter 3: "The Need of a Redeemer"

In order for us to progress spiritually we needed to be able to make our own choices, the Eternal Father knew that we would sin. "It was not His design that the souls of mankind be lost; on the contrary it was and is His work and glory, 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)'". So it was decided that we would need a Savior, an atonement.

Chapter 4: "The Antemortal Godship of Christ"

I liked this chapter the best so far. First of all I had to laugh when I looked up the word "antediluvial", which means before the great flood, or before Noah (paraphrased of course). I think "before the flood" would have worked just as well.

Anyway, this chapter talks about the Holy Trinity, or as we more commonly call it in our church, the Godhead. We believe that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are one in spirit and purpose, but separate physical beings and this chapter lays out the scriptural reasons for this belief. It also talks about the names of Jesus and the meaning of them. Very interesting information in this chapter.

Jesus the Christ, Chapters 1 & 2

Our ward had New Beginnings Tuesday night and challenged the young women (and us leaders) to read the book "Jesus the Christ" by December 13th. Tonight I read chapters 1 and 2. I've decided that it's an interesting challenge and I'd like to share the journey with whoever might happen upon my blog. So I'm not promising anything except that I will try to report here once a week...please note that I used the word TRY.

The first thing I noticed about this book is that James E. Talmage liked big words, and lots of words! I remember hearing somewhere that the length of the sentences a person uses is an indication of their intelligence, so Brother Talmage must have been a GENIUS. I think this book is challenging for many readers just because the words used and the way they are used will be overwhelming. I hope that the girls will be persistent and keep chipping away at it!