Friends & Family in Salt Lake City

In early February I flew to Salt Lake City for the annual RootsTech Conference. The days were filled with wonderful learning, friends, and family. Thanks to our son David for coming to Kirkland to keep Joe company while I was gone.

 This was my first experience with Alaska Airlines. It was a a good one. 

Alaska Airlines paints their planes with interesting designs. This one had a plane-long salmon. I saw others decorated with Mickey Mouse and one with dogs pulling a sled. 

a reminder that we live on the edge of the Ring of Fire, an arc that includes more than 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes. (Didn't think to check that out before we moved :))

 I haven't felt temperatures like this and this much snow in a long, long time. 

There were tall piles of snow but I didn't venture out to photograph them :) 

RootsTech is the largest genealogy conference in the world. As you can guess from the name, the conference focuses on how to use technology to do family history. More than 26,000 people came from all 50 states and 37 countries. Around the world thousands more watched live-streamed classes. 

Sometimes the halls were crowded, but the Salt Palace Convention Center is huge. Most of the time it didn't feel crowded at all. Somehow in amongst those thousands of people, I managed to run into two acquaintances from Ohio, one from Mansfield and one from Marysville. And, to close one small world loop, at breakfast one morning I was talking with a couple from Utah? and they said their son was in our church's congregation in Marysville. Our Marysville friend knows him!

260 classes over 4 days 

Very difficult to decide which presentations to attend

Then there was the exhibit hall 

360 exhibitors including this company 

which boasted the biggest family tree chart in the world

 Every morning there was a general session – intimate :) setting for 12,000 people! These events were very high energy. All the keynote presenters talked about the importance of collecting and sharing people’s stories. Some but not all of the ones I heard - Stan Ellsworth, host of the TV history show American Ride drove his Harley though the room and onto the stage. Steve Rockwood referred to genealogists as “heart specialists,” people who put others in touch with family through stories, pictures, and other ways that touch hearts. Paula Williams Madison had a fascinating story. She grew up in Harlem. Her mother’s parents were Jamaican and Chinese. Paula has written a book and produced a documentary about her search for her Chinese family. You may have heard of Bruce Feiler. I've read a few of his books including "Walking the Bible." Several years ago, after a cancer diagnosis and successful treatment, he turned his focus to families and the importance of telling stories. I missed Saturday morning's keynoters because I was with grandchildren.

Everyone in this room has a story!

 Josh & Naomi Davis talked about why and how they share their life experiences in their blog about living in and raising their children in New York City. Check them out at lovetaza.com

Paula Williams Madison & Bruce Feiler are interviewed by media after their keynote presentations

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I spent a wonderful evening with dear Ohio friends who moved to the Salt Lake City area a few years ago to be closer to family.

Sunday morning I  walked to Temple Square to attend Music and the Spoken Word. 

They were just finishing the rehearsal and singing "On A Clear Day" when I walked in. As happens so often when I attend the Spoken Word, I had a soul-filling experience. My whole being filled with light, love, joy, and surety that God exists and there is truth. It was one of those experiences that can’t really be put into words. The feelings fill my body and spill out my eyes. I’m sure anyone watching me wondered what in the world was going on. I pulled myself together and enjoyed the music and the message that was on “choosing to act” and not just react. Then the closing song was “Praise to the Lord, The Almighty” and my whole being filled up again. There is a God. He knows us individually and loves us. 

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I've always enjoyed RootsTech. I come away with so many ideas about things I could (and should) do to help our family get excited about our ancestors and their stories. I enjoy learning about new techniques, being reminded of old but still useful methods of research and sharing, talking with exhibitors about their products, meeting new people, and being totally enveloped in something I find fascinating, worthwhile, and which I enjoy.

“We inherit from our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains within us this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise." – Edward Sellner 

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Covenants

Making covenants with God calls forth the divine within us. 

Keeping covenants with God allows Him 

to pour His divine power into us. 

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Making promises to God, God making promises or covenants with us; the idea of the divinity in us and being able to receive the divine power of God - it's all very awesome and very possible - and true!

Wendy Watson Nelson 

Girl With A Curl

Mary Floyd Holton

my mother

Mom wrote next to this picture "c 2"

I love the curl!

I wonder if this was regular winter gear or 

if she was visiting someone & this was a makeshift winter outfit? 

Turning Words Into Treasures

“We treasure the word of God not only by reading the words of the scriptures but by studying them. We may be nourished more by pondering a few words, allowing the Holy Ghost to make them treasures to us, than by passing quickly and superficially over whole chapters of scripture”  Henry B. Eyring 

I like the idea of turning words in the scriptures into treasures. It takes time, study, pondering, and listening to the Spirit. 

Wear Red

Wear Red - National Go Red Day

Kirkland's sculptures were decorated to promote awareness 

of stroke and heart disease in women

Cow and Coyote by Brad Rude

They get decorated for every occasion

Puddle Jumpers by Glenna Goodacre

Mountain Comrades by Dan Ostermiller

Betty Lou by Lisa Sheets

modeled after resident of Kirkland who liked to sit out in the sun

These are just a few of the decorated sculptures. All of these are within two blocks of our place. Many more throughout the city were dressed for the day. 

Click here for more of Kirkland's public art

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Note - These photos are a bit dark because I took them on a early morning walk.

Ikea

Back in Ohio I heard people rave about Ikea and its products. I remember friends organizing treks to the nearest store which was in Pittsburgh at the time. The Seattle (really Renton) store was my first Ikea store. What an experience! We went several times after moving into our townhouse. 

Recently I made a return trip to get bookcases for our new home.  

According to the app on my phone 

I walked over 2 miles in the store!

Most of you probably know how the system works. You find what you want in the showroom displays. Then you go to the warehouse and locate your packaged product on the shelves. Click here for an interesting article on Ikea's inventory management system (it really is interesting :)

The boxes fit nicely in our Forester. 

Fortunately we didn't have to load anything on top!

Missionaries came over and assembled the bookcases for us. I have to figure out how to take good pictures in the living room. Light streams in the bay window and makes picture taking very challenging - but we love the light!

We appreciate them and their help. 

Bento Dinner

I know we post a lot about food and Kirkland's restaurants. We'll probably do even more now that we're living downtown. It's wonderful to be able to walk a few blocks and have so many choices of food from all over the world. 

Recently we chose Japanese cuisine from Sushi Joa. We aren't sushi fans but we love tempura, teriyaki, and Japanese soups. 

This bento contained rice, salad, vegetable and shrimp tempura, and teriyaki chicken. In addition we had miso soup and vegetable udon soup. 

Bento means "convenient." It usually refers to a meal in a box.

It was tasty. We'll be going back. 

Binder Clip Solutions

Sometimes it's worth clicking on a random video floating around the Internet. Recently I viewed one about about uses for binder clips. I'm using binder clips for computer cables and on toothpaste tubes. There are other uses that I want to remember for future times of need.

Click here, here, and here for great ideas!

Love - Side By Side

We can endure almost anything if we have someone at our side who truly loves us, 

who is easing the burden and lightening the load. Jeffrey R. Holland

What a privilege, blessing, and opportunity it is 

to help a loved one get through difficult times. 

image & quote source

Times Square - Valentine

Our grandson was an integral part of the Valentine's Heart Design his firm did for Times Square. 

Here's an Instagram video of the installation

Check out this live feed from Times Square 

Description of the installation from the press release when John's firm won the competition. "New York - Times Square Arts has announced that Collective–LOK is the winner of this year’s annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design curated by the Center for Architecture. Over the last eight years, the Times Square Alliance has invited architecture and design firms to submit proposals for a romantic public art installation celebrating Valentine’s Day in Times Square. This year’s winning design, Heart of Hearts, will be unveiled on February 9, and remain on view through March 6 at Father Duffy Square, between 46th and 47th Streets a few feet away from TKTS and the Red Steps. ... 

"CLOK’s Heart of Hearts, a faceted ring of twelve golden, mirrored hearts, will create an alternative pavilion that reflects and multiplies the pulsating activity of Times Square, creating a kaleidoscopic interior that dissolves the boundaries between viewing and performing. Within the ring, diamond-shaped spaces inside each heart will create six “kissing booths” where couples will find their activities mirrored, allowing both privacy and publicity in the Heart of Hearts. This room within the room of Times Square is the most site-specific Heart installation to date and will be the first time a Valentine Heart will reach 10 feet." 

John works for William O'Brien, the O in CLOK. 

Well done John!

John with us at Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" house 

July 2003

Glorious!

A glorious sunrise 

what an awesome sight!

The heavens declare the glory of God;

 and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalms 19: 1

"Be still, and know that I am God" Psalms 46: 10

Here & There

We think these are the greatest salt & pepper shaker holders we've ever seen 

- made from spoons & forks. At Couzin's Cafe in Kirkland

above & below - I discovered this sign and statue on a morning walk

The Shumway family built a huge home on the lake in 1908-1910.

This sculpture and condominiums now occupy the site.

The Cow and Coyote were dressed for the Seahawks game with the Carolina Panthers. The getup wasn't good enough for the Seahawks to come out on top. 

Members of the two congregations meeting in our church building are responsible for cleaning the building every Saturday morning. This has been going on for years. It's well organized; people know the drill; and the job can be done in about an hour if enough people show up. Each member has the opportunity to help 2-3 times a year. Recently it was our turn. The morning I was there the cleaning crew was an interesting group including older people like myself, young families with young children, a grandmother with two young grandchildren, and others. 

Many stores in downtown Kirkland have water bowls 

for all the dogs walking around town

Kirkland's Afghan Restaurant

Our little downtown is very global in its eateries. Recently we tried Ariana, an Afghan restaurant. We had some very interesting and delicious food. 

BOLANEECATCHA-LU, turnover pastry stuffed with mashed potato, onion, and herbs, served with a side of homemade garlic yogurt sauce

QABULI PALAU, seasoned rice with tender chunks of lamb under a heaping sweet carrot strips, raisins, almonds, served with a side of qorma sabzi (spinach stew)

RAS MALAI, delicate curd cheese patties served in an almond sweetened milk and cardamom sauce

This building used to be occupied by a high end steak house. Each of the booths had a brass plaque naming a major city. Our booth said - "London!"

We shared a mango lassi in memory of Michael Todd. 

This was one of his favorite drinks.