just let it be.

after reading the news and being slightly discouraged, I feel a little like giving up.

there are children starving.  mad men murdering. and a whole lot of bombs going off in the Middle East.

let's just let it all tank.

"FIRST, though," i thought,  "i need to go to costco and get my year's supply."

"but then we can let it melt."

however, a little song on the radio reminded me of something important....

Don't get me wrong, the song was depressing, Broken Strings, by James Morrison and Nelly Furtado.  

Oh it tears me up

I tried to hold but it hurts too much

I tried to forgive but it's not enough

to make it all okay

You can't play on broken strings

You can't feel anything

That your heart don't want to feel

I can't tell you something that ain't real

it's the line-I tried to forgive but it's not enough- that really caught my attention and snapped me back into reality.  

because it's wrong.  so completely and utterly wrong.  and all the economy is dead, there is no such thing as goodness, peace is hopeless, and your life will never matter naysayers want you and me to believe that.  

I refuse to believe it.

every one of us has been promised endless treasure, gifts, blessings, and more happiness than we know how to receive by one simple act.

the atonement.

when the world seems to spin out of control, we can be grounded.  when the world seems full of hate, we can see the love.  when the world seems full of trials, we can feel the blessings.  and when loved ones hurt us, we can forgive and love again.  because with God, all things are possible.

So buck up my friends!  put our shoulders to the wheel!  

and remember the incredible love and support we have in a Father in a Heaven, and the sacrifice that has already been made to assure our eternal happiness and joy, 

on this earth and beyond.

a christmas day miracle!

The last time I was at the Louvre with my family I remembered a certain special painter... and I had the goal for us to find him one more time and get pictures to remember him by.  Digital cameras were not available the last time, so the pictures never turned out from our last adventure. I needed documentation.  However, I had no idea where he was.  I knew he was french, I remembered the layout of the wall that his painting was on, and I could picture the little name plaque under his painting.

Well, after running (yes, literally running, slipping and sliding on the marble floors) through the French galleries of the Louvre 30 minutes before closing, I found him.  And not only him, but a whole room of him.

a wall

then the whole room!

Who is it, you ask?

Here's the nameplate....

Yup.  We're related.

to cut or not to cut....

here is my LONG curly hair.(remember-it's curly, so when it's straightened it's way longer than it looks in these picture)

this is what happens to long curly hair in England--

and so this is what happens by the end of EVERY day...

I am feeling frumpyness in my hair. And I'm not old enough to be calling myself frumpy.
So...

Do I cut it? or do I leave it? I'm finding that I often put it up in a bun...in this weather it's the only thing that I can do with it....so maybe i should keep it long for easiness? and can curly hair be short and not be...humongous? what do I do? more layers? bangs? what have you seen other curly haired people doing? what are you doing?

How do I get out of this...hair-rut?

help.

london

Monday we went to London. A short 20 minute train ride from our little town. And what a lively city! We toured some of the National Gallery and saw some rooms inside Buckingham palace.

....And-I have to say it-WHO PAYS FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY'S LIFESTYLE?! It's nuts. I mean, what kind of family has gilded gold dinnerware and utensils? Who keeps a Rembrandt in their personal collection of original art? Let me rephrase that....Who has a collection of original art of persons outside their immediate family?

For a grand finale, in tribute to our English experience, we went to.....Chinatown for dinner. Branden was in heaven seeing all of the goodies imported from the East.

As odd as it sounds, Branden has spoken more Chinese in the last week than he has spoken since returning home from his mission. It is amazing how the Lord works. Case in point- The missionaries have been teaching a group of students from Taiwan (who live across the street from us). The missionaries don't speak Chinese especially well and these students, though wonderful English speakers, don't always understand the gospel vocabulary. Into the picture comes Branden (who has been practically giddy about the whole thing) the Chinese speaker who longs for more interaction in that ancient language. On Sunday we were immediately recruited to go Sunday school with the missionaries and these wonderful young men. Today Branden went with the missionaries over to their home. I think the Lord definitely had a hand in the whole thing.

Anyway, London was lovely. And here are some pictures to prove it.
this is the national gallery and trafalgar square. you might however be distracted by the bird's nest. but don't be fooled, that is only the effects of humidity on my hair.

this is an artistic photo that I took....on accident...but isn't it artistic? branden would be embarrassed if he knew I was posting this. That is parliament behind him.



you might think that this is the exact photo as above...but it's not! it is only your eyes playing tricks on you. this is parliament and part of Big Ben from a bridge over the Thames.


Branden doesn't look Chinese in this picture, which is too bad because it is Chinatown. I should have had him squint a little... hindsight is always 20/20.

FYI- I tried to find a photo of my outfit....because it WAS AWESOME. but I couldn't. So you will have to imagine it. Skinny jeans, orange sweater, and snakeskin flats. it was hot.

ok.

love. till later.

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i am slowly cracking the code of html.... down with all computer confusion! be afraid...be very afraid....