I celebrated number 51 last Sunday. Usually, I don't say much about birthdays since . . . well, it's 51 . . . nuff said. But this was a nice day. I went to church. I gave the lesson in Relief Society and there were lots of good thoughts and ideas shared. Several people wished me Happy Birthday. I was told I didn't look 51. Is it okay to lie in church? Sacrament Meeting was particularly spiritual. I went home and got on the internet while I ate a quiet dinner. My mom stopped by and gave me a book for my birthday, always a welcome gift. My daughter called and we chatted for a long time. She's such a sweetie. Then my son called and gave me a great present. . . I'm going to be a grandma in September! What a fantastic birthday.
*I thought it was time to just do an update on my life. I'm a month into 2007 and approa  ching the big 51. That's seem so much older than 50. According to my brother who turns 60 next month, I shouldn't be complaining. It continues to be bone-chillingly cold although we are getting above zero during the day. Apparently, this is the colder winter in 34 years. I'm hating life and haven't even got the gas bill yet. My brother from Virginia visited this weekend and the family gathered at Mom's for dinner and birthday cake. We sang for my sister-in-law and me. And yes, we blew out all the candles. She's 58 but looks much younger than me. Today, some of the family drove to Salt Lake for a farewell lunch with Wayne. I know  Mom and Steve went but I'm not sure about the Weber's. I had to stay behind for a much needed root canal. Just after Christmas, I hurt my tooth eating candied popcorn and finally got around to getting it fixed. It's has been quite painful lately. The endodontist said the tooth is cracked and I'd better get a crown as soon as possible. That would be the 14th, the soonest my dentist can get me in. Sounds like I'm on soup and jello for a couple of weeks. At least this year's Valentine's  Day will be eventful. Tonight, we reviewed "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale in a Relief Society activity. I suggested it since I thought it was such a wonderful book. I know one family in which the grandmother, mother and 8-year-old daughter have all read it since we picked it the first of December. Actually, the daughter has read it two times along with a couple of Hale's other books. I think she will be a great book blogger someday. The book was a huge success with all ten ladies who attended. One had even visited Shannon Hale's website and printed off a quiz about this book. It's alarming how many details I'd forgotten since I read it in November. Next month we are reviewing "The Five Love Languages" and "Where the Heart Leads." (LDS Fiction) I went to Amazon to get used copies of each. There are several different "Love Languages", so I got the one for singles. Who knows where that may lead. Here's hoping things warm up in February. It's hard to turn the page when you're mummified in blankets.
I have seen this meme on a few other blogs so I asked to be assigned a letter. Thank heavens it wasn't "X", but "T" was great. Here we go in no particular order: T*T*T*T*T*T*T*T
1. Technology -- I don't always understand how to work everything, but I love my computer, my car, TV, DVD, cell phone, medical advances, etc. I would make a lousy pioneer.
2. Time -- I sure wish I had an endless supply of this. I remember watching the movie, "Groundhog Day", and feeling so antsy at first, but later thinking how wonderful it would be to do all the things he was able to do by repeating the same day over and over. Just think how many books I could get read.
3. James Taylor -- I love to listen to James sing.
4. "Trinity" -- This book was written by Leon Uris and, along with "Exodus," is my favorite of his works. (I've read most of them) Conor Larkin is one of the most romantic male characters I've ever read. I think I fell in love with him when I read this in my early 20's. I may have to read it again although I've read it a few times already and it is a big book. Maybe when I'm in the mood for a good cry.
5. Trees -- What a barren waste the world would be without big, tall, leafy trees. I love to sit under one, listen to the breeze move through the leaves, and watch them turn bright, gorgeous colors in the fall.
6. Temples -- I love the feeling of peace I achieve each time I visit an LDS temple.
7. Thanksgiving -- My favorite holiday is the time I get to eat wonderful food and spend quality time with the family.
8. Theater -- There's nothing like attending a live production.
9. Tolerance -- Not of crime or cruelty, but of cultures and ideas. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we just tried to accept others who are different than we are?
10. Tolkien -- "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy have been among my favorites since I first read them in 8th grade. I sure wish I could get my set back from my daughter or daughter-in-law, whoever has them.
I actually came across a few "T" words of things that I hate that deserve a mention: trash, traffic, tempers, tambourines, and toupees.
Last February, I celebrated my 50th birthday and a friend at work gave me a copy of this e-mail. I just ran across it and laughed again. So in honor of my upcoming 51st (gasp) birthday, I am sharing these profound sentiments with all of my blogging fans. SOME OF THE ARTISTS OF THE 60'S ARE REVISING THE HITS WITH NEW LYRICS TO ACCOMMODATE US BABY BOOMERS. THEY INCLUDE: 1. Herman's Hermits - Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker Wasn't Herman the cutest thing? Major crush 2, Bee Gees - How Can You Mend a Broken Hip? 3. Bobby Darin - Splish, Splash, I Was Having a Flash 4. Ringo Starr - I Get By With A Little Help From Depends 5. Roberta Flack - The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face 6. Johnny Nash - I Can't See Clearly Now 7. Paul Simon - Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver 8. Commodores - Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom 9. Marvin Gaye - Heard It Through the Grape Nuts I love Grape Nuts 10. Proco Harem - A Whiter Shade of Hair Only my hairdresser knows for sure 11. Leo Sayer - You Make Me Feel Like Nappping 12. The Temptations - Papa's Got a Kidney Stone 13. Abba - Denture Queen 14. Helen Reddy - I an Woman, Hear Me Snore Does anyone watch Gray's Anatomy? 15. Tony Orlando - Knock 3 Times on the Ceiling if You Hear Me Fall 16. Willie Nelson - On the Commode Again 17. Leslie Gore - It's My Procedure and I'll Cry if I Want To It had a good beat and you could really dance to it. WE ARE GETTING OLDER, BUT ALSO BETTER, hopefully.
 It is soooo cold. I know, I know, I live in Utah, what do I expect?? Still, we haven't been this cold for a long time. Friday, it snowed and snowed and snowed and snow....well, you get the picture. The storm was moving so slow that it just stayed right over Vernal and dumped its load all day. And the wind blew. That is not a normal weather phenomenon for this area. The wind blows a lot in the spring and summer but winter usually is breeze-free. After work, I braved the wind and went to Walmart for groceries. Then I had to plow through a drift to get into the carport. In the morning, I checked the themometer and saw a brisk ten degrees F. But the wind had died and the sun was shining. It was so pretty. Out I went to do my duty to the driveway. The drifts were hard to move, but luckily there were large patches the wind had blown clean. About halfway through, a neighborly neighbor stopped by to say he would come over to plow the snow, but I was in the groove and quite enjoying myself. Two hours later, I was finished and very warm. I can't believe it took that long, but I did a really good job and slowed down a  lot at the end. When I went to bed that night, it was nine degrees F below 0. Brrrrrrr. But I have a nice down comforter and stayed toasty all night. I woke up to a cold (-11) foggy morning. I like the fog even when it is so cold. I love the way t coats the trees with frost and makes everything so quiet. Two hours later, the fog was gone but the frost still sparkled on the trees  and bushes, sparkling in that cold winter sunshine. I liked to say that the cold snap has passed on. Unfortunately, today it was -21 first thing in the morning. What????? I'm staying inside playing with my warm computer and doing warm-up chores around the house. Tomorrow, it's back to work if I can get my car started. I've always thought living in Phoenix was over-rated, now I'm not so sure. The weatherman says it will be warming up this week to a balmy 4 degrees, so I'll try not to get too hasty and just enjoy the view while sitting in front of the window wrapped up in a cozy blanket with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Cheers!
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A new blogger friend, TB , had this interesting website on her blog. I find my title to be quite fitting. BTW, Lush is short for lucious, not what some of you may mistakenly think.
 This was only my second trip on the annual shopping trip. My sisters and mother have been doing this for about four years, but I jumped on the bandwagon, never to be left behind again. It is kind of mushrooming into a family-type reunion. (Last year, we spent three hours at Target's food court, trying to decide where to go for dinner) So this year, one sister and Mom missed the trip. We really missed them. But I got to drive my "new" used car to the big city for the first time. I've had it a week. I really enjoyed the ride. Plus my 17-year-old niece went with me. She was great company, and I liked her music. I'm not sure she was all that thrilled at spending three hours with her old aunt, but she hid it well. (By the way, I forgot to get my key back.) During the course of the weekend, I got to visit with my daughter, son and daughter-in-law and brother and his son, another brother and his girlfriend who all live in Salt Lake, my niece from Layton, my sister and another niece from Cedar City, another nephew from Cedar City who is currently living and working in Vernal, Katie, who rode out with me, and another niece and her husband and two kids who also drove out from Vernal. We managed to see two movies--"The Holiday" with Cameron Diaz and Jude Law, and "Stranger than Fiction" with Will Ferrell. I recommend both, but I liked "The Holiday" best. It was funnier and more light-hearted, and Jude Law is hot. We tried out a new restaurant called Cafe Med, with Mediterranean and Greek food. Really good. The last day, we ate at IHOP. A nd we even managed to get in a little shopping. May I just say that I love Tai Pan? I could shop there for hours. I bought a few things for the Christmas tree which is looking extremely lovely, I must add. The tree topper is growing on me. A few of us even managed to go to Temple Square to see the lights. It is quite spectacular as you can see from the picture. I passed this year but I try to go down there every few years to soak up the Christmas spirit. I got most of my shopping done, spend quality time with the fam, and spent too much and ate too much. All in all, a very succesful trip.
 1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both, of course. 2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?I grew up with pinning my stocking to a place on the couch and all my Santa gifts would be displayed there the next morning. So I followed that tradition with my kids. Of course, they laid awake in bed until I went to sleep and snuck out and saw everything. I learned this a couple of years ago. What a relief when they told me Santa wasn't real so I told them he would not be visiting anymore. Now I can sleep through the night. 3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? It depends on my decorations. Most years the lights are white. Lots and lots of lights. 4. Do you hang mistletoe? Why would I do this? 5. When do you put your decorations up? Probably the first weekend in December unless there is something better to do. Never before December 1. That's sacreligious. 7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Our Christmas Eve family home evening. We would read Christmas stories and poems, A Visit from St. Nick and act out the nativity. And really bad Christmas caroling. 8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Some mean kid told me in 2nd grade. I was devastated. I'm sure he's in prison now. 9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Growing up we could open one present on Christmas eve after the our family Christmas program. It was always a new pair of pajamas from Mom and Dad. I've carried the tradition on with my children. We still go to Mom's on Christmas eve and have a special program. Afterwards we open our presents from "Grandma" and she opens ours to her. We also do an exchange present with one of the siblings in the family and we open that while all the families are gathered on Christmas eve. (This is straight from Booklogged) 10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I love coming up with new themes for my Christmas tree. It started with an angel tree with white lights and lots of different angel ornaments that I either made or bought. It now includes gold curly ribbon and gold beads. Very pretty. Next I got into snowmen. It also has white lights and lots of different kinds of snowmen and snowflakes. I like lots of different sizes of ornaments on my trees so some snowmen are small and some are 8 or 9 inches tall. I also have little mittens and red berry sprays. When I got bored with those two, I ventured into the Santa market. This may be my favorite tree. I usually use colored lights and tons of Santas and reindeer and elves and toy ornaments. I have a Ho-Ho-Ho garland that I put in the middle. Then I fell in love with those huge multi-colored light bulbs and came up with color tree. I use the little colored lights and those big lights and jewel-toned ornaments. It's not my favorite tree but those lights put me in mind of Dr. Seuss. I know I have lots of Chirstmas decorations, so I am ashamed to say that this year I will unveil a new tree theme. I hope it turns out well. If so, I will post a picture later, but I won't it describe it yet. 11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? In a perfect world, it would start snowing just after dark on Christmas Eve. You know the kind of snowing I'm talking about. You go outside and it's so quiet you can almost hear the snow falling. You truly understand the meaning of Peace on Earth. Christmas morning you wake up to a Winter Wonderland. The next day, it melts away. 12. Can you ice skate? Useta could. 13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My daughter is a gift-giving wonder. She puts so much thought into it and I always love what she gets me. I really enjoyed the year we all got my mother the Willow Tree Nativity set and she had already bought herself one. I was so disgusted with her for buying her own at Christmas time. You can imagine my surprise when I opened my daughter's gift and there was that Nativity Set. She was pretty disgusted with me since I had bought myself one when I bought one for my mom. Last year she gave me presents with an exercise theme, a nativity theme (Jim Shore with the hanging angel: I love angels) and a relaxation theme. She really overspent. 14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with my family. My family has so much fun together during the holidays and it's aways so wonderful to get to see those who don't live close. They really are my best friends. Next is listening to Christmas music. I probably own 30 Christmas CD's and I try to listen to them all. My two favorites, this year anyway: Michael Crawford's "A Christmas Album" and Amy Grant's "A Christmas to Remember." Honorable mention to Celine Dion, Alan Jackson, and Mannheim Steamroller. 15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Something I don't have to make. At Thanksgiving, I would have to say lemon meringue or apple pie. At Christmas, it's all about the candy: peanut brittle, fudge, caramel popcorn. 16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I love our progressive dinner. One night some time before Christmas, we visit each family member's home in our town to see their Christmas decorations and eat a different course of a meal. We've been doing this for six years and it's fun to look at the pictures we take each year of the families in front of their tree. On Christmas Eve, I like to watch my younger brother read "A Visit from St. Nick" at the speed of light. It's hilarious. 17. What tops your tree? The angle tree used to have a big angel but I now have a star. The snowman tree has a sign that says, "Let it snow." The Santa tree either has a big Santa or a sign that says, "Dear Santa, Define good." The color tree has a great big bow. (That may be why I don't like it as well.) I don't know what I'm putting on this year's tree. 18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I love giving except it is so stressful trying to find good gifts. And my daughter's presents are so thoughtful that I love getting them and seeing the pleasure she gets from it. (Cassie, I don't expect you to do this every year so don't pressure yourself.) 19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I love the way Andy Williams sang "O Holy Night". I love "Ave Maria." I can't sing either of those very well but I like to sing "Silent Night" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." I dislike "Away in the Manger", "Little Drummer Boy" and "I Heard the Bells." 20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?? Yuck.
 "THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. " The above quote was written by Thomas Paine at Valley Forge on the top of a drum as there was no paper. Washington was so moved when he read it, that he immediately shared it with the troops who were suffering there. ~~Today in church, we had a couple of talks given on the Atonement. They really hit home. The lady talked about how rough her life was as she grew up; both parents were drug users and physically and verbally abusive. She was living on her own at the age of 16 and made all kinds of wrong choices. By 18, she was an unwed mother. She talked about reaching the depths of despair and finally turning to God for a way to help herself and her son. It was through this prayer that she begin to apply the Atonement to herself and talked about the hope and strength it gave her to change her life. Her husband shared some quotes from church leaders and the story, "He Took My Beating for Me." I've heard it several times and it always gets to me. Because there was additional time left after the two speakers, a high councilman was asked to speak. He shared the above quote from Thomas Paine and applied it to the Atonement. With a little artistic license, we can apply the term summer soldier and sunshine patriot to ourselves. . . how we shrink from doing what is right when it's hard. Or we don't make needed changes because, even with the Atonement, it's so difficult. We need to remember, "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value." Finally, exchange the word FORGIVENESS for FREEDOM, and consider that for a minute. ~~I was very moved by all the speakers today and wrote this blog so, hopefully, I can remember the feelings I had. I'm so thankful that my life has been relatively blessed and easy, but I hope I will not take my blessings for granted and that I won't take that monumental gift of the Atonement for granted. Certainly, I can apply it to myself in a much greater degree.
 A friend of mine who has MS sent me this email. I decided to share this with all my blogger friends and hope it makes you take a good look at what's important. It reminded me of the friends and family that I am so grateful for and all the possibilities that are open to us.
*Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
*I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible. How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you? How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television? I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about goingto lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
*Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect! We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college. Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit." When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord. My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
*Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you. Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"? When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over. *It's National Friendship and FAMILY WEEK Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all you do. "Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!"
BOOKS Four things you may not have known about me..... (One of my high school friends e-mailed this to me. I've added a few more categories. It was fun making this list. ) Four jobs I have had in my life: 1. Popcorn girl at the movie theater 2. Legal secretary 3. Bartender at a country club 4. Bank manager Four movies I have watched over and over: 1. Meet Me in St. Louis 2. Apollo 13 3. While You Were Sleeping 4. Notting Hill I should list all the movies I watched with my kids until we had them memorized. (He-Man, Last Unicorn, Karate Kid, etc. etc.) Four places I have lived: 1. St. John, Newfoundland, Canada 2. San Francisco, CA 3. Lincoln, Nebraska 4. Utah Four TV shows I love to watch 1. Dancing with the Stars 2. Extreme Makeover - Home Edition 3. Gray's Anatomy 4. Northern Exposure (It counts, I own the DVDs) I could add The Batchelor but that would be too embarrassing. (See embarrassing below) Four places I have been on vacation: 1. Pacific Northwest 2. New England 3. Monterey 4. Disneyland, of course. Maybe someday I will make it out of the country, besides Canada. Four of my favorite foods: 1. Prime Rib 2. Pizza 3. Cheese burgers 4. My mom's roast beef Unfortunately, I can't eat most of these on a regular basis so I like them even better now. Four living people I would like to meet: 1. Sherry Dew 2. David McCullough 3. Katie Couric 4. Gordon B. Hinckley Four non-living people I would like to have met: 1. Abraham Lincoln 2. Theodore Roosevelt 3. Lucy Maude Montgomery 4. Eve There are so many, but I think the conversation would be very interesting with these four. I would like to meet the Savior also, but I will someday. Four places I would rather be right now: 1. Italy 2. Santa Fe 3. New Zealand 4. Peru Four Favorite Holiday Memories: 1. Very early morning breakfasts with my kids and other family on Memorial Day at Steinaker Lake. I don't want to do those again, but I love the memories. 2. Christmas Eve at my mom's, especially when all the kids were younger. 3. New Year's Eve at Booklogged's, especially the first year we played "What if . . . then." 4. The 4th of July we spent on Vancouver Island and how hard we laughed on the ferry ride back that night. Four Embarrassing Moments: 1. I thought I had my church talk memorized but didn't and had to leave the podium and get my paper. I was 10 or 11. 2. Tripping and falling over a cord at work. 3. Tripping and falling on a tile edge during remodeling at work. (There's a theme here.) 4. Slipping and falling down the cement stairs at the Tabernacle after stake conference. The last three were actually quite painful as well, but crying would have just been more embarrassing. Can I add that I am often very embarrassed for those women on the Batchelor? I probably watch it to see people doing more stupid things than I've ever done. Four people who will respond to this meme: 1. Booklogged 2. Cassie 3. Alyson 4. Cardine (Someday, we are going to have to meet in person. I love your comments)
 ***Your Birthdate: February 4*** You have an extraordinary character - moral, responsible, and disciplined.Your sincerity and honesty shine through in almost every situation.Driven and focused, you rarely let your emotions get the better of you.You're level headed and rational. People count on you to look at things objectively. Your strength: Your unwavering loyalty and ethics Your weakness: Your rock solid stubbornness Your power color: Navy blue Your power symbol: Shield Your power month: April What Does Your Birth Date Mean? http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/ Thanks to Write from Karen for this idea. I'm sure I'm all this and more. But what's up with that weakness. I'm not stubborn. Do you think I'm stubborn? Because I can sit on you till the cows come home. Actually, I truly question the disciplined part and being driven and focused. Well, I'm very focused when I'm reading. And I don't look all that great in navy blue . . . now, powder blue, that's a different story. Rrrrrrrr.
 On my first visit to the Book Festival in Salt Lake City, I had such a good time. First, the Salt Lake City Library is amazing. (See the head mobile at right) What a great setting to talk and learn about books and the people who create them, and to share it with my mom, sister, daughter and two nieces. I know my sister and niece have both mentioned this event on their blogs, but maybe I can add another perspective. Here are the sessions that I attended: Ken Jennings Ken really does look like what he calls himself, a trivia nerd. But he has an amazing set of facts at his command in that boyish head, and he is truly funny. I enjoyed his stories about Jeopardy, appearing on QVC, and the research for his book, "Brainiac." I loved some terms he used: trivia nerds are loserish, British quizaholics, and game show contestanthood. He signed his book, "Who is . . . Ken Jennings?" Peter Brown Peter is 27 but looks and acts younger. He's an incredibly talented illustrator. He told great stories of how he grew up drawing. I didn't buy his books and regret that. They would be great additions to my childrens shelf. If you want to learn more about him, his website is www.somebrownstuff.com. Lawrence Yep Even though this was my least favorite session, Lawrence was still entertaining. He read excerpts from several of his stories, while I would have preferred to hear him discuss his writing and feelings. Still, I bought his book, Dragon's Gate, and he was very gracious when he signed it, "To _______, another person with wings." He included a small drawing of a dragon. Peter Rock and Walter Kern This session was moderated by Doug Fabrizzio, a very good-looking local radio personality which really excited my daughter. She got his autograph, I got Peter Rock's. I really liked the format of prepared questions which drew out some interesting answers from both authors. They were both extremely interesting and humorous. Walter talked about the trance an author can go into when he's really into writing his book, and for the reader when he reads it . . . you forget you're writing or reading. I've experienced that with a good book. I hope I like Rock's book, "The Ambidextrist." "He signed it, With all joy! May this reward you." Ivan Doig This author's current book, "The Whistling Season", is on my TBR list. However, I purchased "English Creek" since it was a paperback, my definite preference. Ivan discussed how important libraries are to all of us. A couple of things he said that I really liked, "There's always the chance online, that ignorance could be shared." and "Childhood is the one story that stands by itself in every soul." Karl and Anne Fleming This married couple are journalists with such a wide range of experiences. He is 79, I believe, and has covered the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement in the south and the riots in Watts. Anne is 22 years younger, has interviewed Truman Capote, and covered the women's movement. Again, this was the question format that I found most informative and interesting. Shannon Hale Shannon is so young and funny. She has very strong opinions about reading for enjoyment (why else would you read?) and why secondary schools should assign books for students to read that will encourage and stimulate them instead of those boring and depressing classics. I know when I was in high school I enjoyed reading everything including classics, but I know so many that hated reading because the books didn't interest them. I was able to get Shannon to sign two of her books, "The Princess Academy" (signed, "I hope you climb to the top of your own mountain") and "The Goose Girl", my next read (signed, "I hope you fall in love with many stories"). This was quite the book-buying weekend. At the Festival, I purchase five books (I already owned The Goose Girl). I also received a free copy of "The Christmas Box" just for answering a survey. We went to Barnes and Noble before Ken Jennings and I bought two books: "The Time Traveler's Wife" and "Blessings". My daughter gave me the cutest Halloween book, "Sheep Trick or Treat", that she got free at the Festival. Then when I got home, I found a box from Deseret Book that had three more books in it: "1776", "Leven Thumbs and the Whispered Secret" and "Christmas in Haggerty." THAT'S 12 BOOKS!!!!! I must be crazy. And just how do those authors sign so many books and write as much as they do? or draw? That is just phenomenal. My hands hurt in sympathy. Besides, they were all so gracious and visited with you while they signed. I was so impressed. I look forward to attenting the Festival next year. Maybe I could travel to similar festivals in other areas. Wow, two pleasures in one. Rating: 10
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last part of Season Two. Finally, the couple I rooted for through the whole thing was named champs: Apollo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough. Is it because she is from Utah? . . . a little. Or because they match each other so well? . . . there is that. How about I loved Apollo when he won the Olympic Gold and even when he didn't. I admired his focus but also the grace with which he handled all the attention. The fact is: these two really look great on the dance floor and Apollo showed improvement every week. Julianne is so cute and so is Apollo. And let's not forget the other contestants this year. Joey Fatone, although a little cocky, really shone from the very beginning. He would try anything and most of the time it worked. He was so fun to watch. Laila Ali surprised me. I couldn't picture a professional boxer being so graceful and what an attitude! I was always impressed with Ian Ziering. I thought he was really good, but the judges didn't seem to see it that way. Maybe he wasn't quite as loose and relaxed as the first three. The most amazing was Heather McCartney. What she was able to do with a prosthetic leg was quite inspirational. Of course, you had to deal with the skimpy costumes, (Yes, Edytta, you're very nicely built, now cover it up!) and the wardrobe malfunctions. (It was a crack-up with Billy Ray's watch got caught in his partner's wig.) As you might imagine, figure skating and gymnastics are my favorite Olympic sports, but with Dancing with the Stars, you get to know the contestants better and see them more often in various performances. The last ten weeks have been a great escape for me. Now it's over and maybe I will get a little yard work done. 
lot at the end. When I we
I like the fog even when it is so cold. I love the way t coats the trees with frost and makes everything so quiet. Two hours later, the fog was gone but the frost still sparkled on the trees 
and bushes, sparkling in that cold winter sunshine. I liked to say that the cold snap has passed on. Unfortunately, today it was -21 first thing in the morning. What????? I'm staying inside playing with my warm computer and doing warm-up chores around the house. Tomorrow, it's back to work if I can get my car started. I've always thought living in Phoenix was over-rated, now I'm not so sure. The weatherman says it will be warming up this week to a balmy 4 degrees, so I'll try not to get too hasty and just enjoy the view while sitting in front of the window wrapped up in a cozy blanket with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Cheers!
