THE ONE AND ONLY

I need to just go one time to a movie, by myself.
If I can do it just once, I'd probably do it again.

I rarely go to a movie.

I wait to be invited.

It's weird, cuz I go to soooo many things alone!

2017, not one single movie.

2016, I went to "Sully" with Renae and Rob,

 and "Moana" with some of my family.

I used to go to 2 or 3 movies a year

with my team while teaching.

At the time, we were all single.

My favorite movie time was the year Renae

was being an aide on the bus
(her career for about 5 years after retirement

from teaching) and while Rob was still working.

We swam everyday during her morning break from

the bus, and went to a few movies.

Well, here is my  one and only movie for 2018:

Yup.

"The Greatest Showman."

I went with Renae & Rob on January 24
for Renae's birthday.

Everybody was talking about it on social media.

They all RAVED about it!!!

So many school faculties performed this at their

dance festival, with the principal as the "Showman."

Many people went several times to see it!

I could hardly wait!

The movie is about "Circus Man", P.T. Barnum,

and how he began his circus.

Renae cried almost all the way through the movie.

She was soooo touched!

I did not get it!

Because of all the hype on social media,

I was expecting this fabulously phenomenal,
earth shattering movie!

I was sooooo disappointed!
I definitely didn't feel all the vibes that
everyone else did.

I did, however, purchase the album on iTunes,

and downloaded it to my phone.

And, there you have my one movie review for

2018.

But, I could not count how many

movies on the Hallmark Channel that I watched!!!

TWENTY EIGHT IS GREAT

CJ is 28 today!

Now, he and Katie are the same age.

Katie

10-3-90

CJ

12-30-90

Katie and CJ have now known each

other longer than thy haven't!

CJ is our basketball player.

He has played:

 4 years at Pleasant Grove High School

4 years at the University of Washington

Drafted #28 in the NBA 1st Round

2 years at LA Clippers

1 year at Orlando Magic

1 year at Portland Trailblazers

Various G-League Teams

CJ started the year with the Indiana Pacers

First day of practice, torn achilles heal!

Season ending injury.

Had surgery in September, rehabbing in Indianapolis.

WINTER BREAK LUXURIES FOR TEACHERS

SOOOO TRUE!

EXCEPT, I WOULD TAKE OUT #3, 

AND REPLACE IT WITH

"DRINKING A DIET COKE BEFORE IT GOES FLAT!"

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL

The BYU football team qualified to participate in a bowl game!
It was great, especially after missing last year's!

Which bowl game???

Yup.  That bowl game!

BYU beat Western Michigan

49-18

Freshman quarterback, Zach Wilson, was

PERFECT!

16 for 16 passes!

When Tanner Mangum came in to finish up the game,

he too, was perfect!  

2 for 2

AMAZING!!!
(Doesn't he look like he's in jr high?)

And what kind of trophy do you get for winning???

DEAR SANTA . . .

THE BOOK OF MORMON CHALLENGE

The prophet of my Church,

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

President Russell M. Nelson

(he did my dad's open heart surgery in 1979),

gave the women of the Church a challenge.

To read the Book of Mormon by the end of 2018.

The challenge?

He gave this at the Women's Conference on October 6!

Of course, a chart breaking down the Book of Mormon

so you could see how much you needed to read each day

to finish by the end of the year, magically appeared on social media.

I had to have it!  

I kept track of my daily reading.  I used a color pen every

time that I finished a square.

I put the date when I finished a row, and a date in the box

when I finished a "book" of the Book of Mormon,

along with a temple sticker.

Here is my breakdown by rows, and books.

Row 1:  October 7 - October 11

Row 2:  October 11 - October 15

Row 3:  October 16 - October 18

Row 4:  October 18 - October 24

Row 5:  October 24 - October 29

Row 6:  October 30 - November 6

Row 7:  November 7 - November 18

Row 8:  November 19 - November 27

Row 9:  November 28 - December 6

Row 10:  December 7 - December 12

Row 11:  December 13 - December 15

Row 12:  December 15 - December 17 + 1

My longest row was Row 7 . . . 11 days:  November 7 - November 18  

(Alma 22 - Alma 41)

Books in the Book of Mormon

1 Nephi:  October 7 - October 11

2 Nephi:  October 11 - October 17

Jacob:  October 17 - October 20

Enos:  October 20

Jarom:  October 20

Omni:  October 20

Words of Mormon:  October 20

Mosiah:  October 20 - October 28

Alma:  October 29 - December 2

Helaman:  December 2 - 10

3 Nephi:  December 10 - December 13

4 Nephi:  December 13

Mormon:  December 13 - December 15

Ether:  December 16 - December 17

Moroni:  December 17

I finished 6 books in one day each:  Enos, Jarom, Omni.

Words of Mormon, 4 Nephi, and Moroni

The longest book?  Alma: 35 days (63 chapters)

Here's my chart:

I read all of the Book of Mormon on my phone.

About 1/3 of it was read with the audio on the phone.
(It's nice to hear how some words and names are REALLY pronounced!)

The last time I read it on a timeline, was a challenge from

2 prophets ago . . . President Gordon B. Hinckley.

It was from August 1 - December 31, 2 months longer than this one.

The shortest time I read the Book of Mormon was 24 hours.

I was a junior in high school.  

Our Seminary had a Book of Mormon read.a.thon.

We started Friday afternoon at 4:00 and finished

Saturday afternoon at 4:00.  

They played the tape on the building speakers.

They also supplied us with dinner, breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

It was hard, and I'm pretty sure that I slept through some of it.

CHRISTMAS DANCE RECITAL

Saturday, December 15

Another Dance Showcase Company

Christmas Dance Recital

Camille, Ashley, Heidi, and Katie

all took dance lessons here.

Now it's the 2nd generation.

Courtney, Jaycie, and Camry.

(Addie is now taking gymnastics,  Haley and Lily

took clogging, now basketball)

"Miss Janet" worked with me at the temple.

All 3 girls were in the same dance.

Camry & Jaycie

Jaycie, 13   Camry, 13   Courtney, 18

Camry & (Great) Aunt Ann

Courtney & Aunt Ann

Aunt Ann & Jaycie

Aunt Ann & the girls

(Great) Grandma Dixie & Camry

Grandma Dixie & her first great grandchild, Courtney

Grandma Dixie & Jaycie

Grandma Dixie & 3 of her 11 great granddaughters

Jaycie & Ashley

Santa & Addie, 8

Santa & Preston, 11 (on December 28)

Santa & Ryker, 3 1/2

Kelly Family with Santa

Mitchell Kiddos with Santa

"The Gang"

(Minus Grandma Dixie, who was being helped out to

car with Chris and Aunt Ann)

SIX STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS . . . SO FAR

Lone Peak High School has earned

6 state championships so far this year!

SIX!!!

Boys Golf

Girls Soccer

Girls Tennis

Marching Band

Girls Volleyball

Football

#PowertothePeak

ANOTHER REMODEL

I wrote the following post in October, 2014.

It was for the 100th anniversary of the

Alpine Stake Tabernacle.

Not long after, the Tabernacle was closed.  Again.

I thought they were done in 2014 for the centennial!

This time, it was earthquake, roof, and interior upgrades.

Our Stake Conference was held December 9, 2018

at the Tabernacle. 
(Our visiting general authority was Kevin J. Worthen, president of BYU!)
 I have pictures of the newly remodeled interior at the end of this post.

(The bathroom is another story.  We were told you can

now go to the back, and there are new stairs leading down

to the bathrooms.  None upstairs.)

When the first LDS stake was created in Utah County, it was called the

"Utah Stake."

In 1901, the stake was divided in half.  

The southern half from Provo south, became the 

"Nebo Stake."

From Orem north, it was the

"Alpine Stake."

The Alpine Stake Tabernacle construction began in 1909,

and was dedicated in 1914...100 years ago!

The last year and a half, they worked on the exterior of

the building, and getting up to "earthquake code."

They also made the parking lot bigger, and put the

handicap parking next to where you go up the stairs.

The tabernacle is so special to me.

I was baptized there, heard general authorities speak,

went to dances, and graduated from 

LDS Seminary and high school in that building. 

 Stake Conference was always held there.  When I was younger,

it was held quarterly, rather than semi-annually.

I also played the piano for probably over 100 baptisms...between

being Primary pianist, or in the Presidency.

(A little side note.  It was always a goal to graduate from high school

with honors.  The reason?  Honor students got to sit in the choir seats.

The pews, at that time, were hard.)

On October 11, they had an open house where you could tour the tabernacle.

Our stake was in charge, since the building is in our stake boundaries.

The tour started in the baptistry.

Brother and Sister Pratt, as well as the missionaries, taught here.

This is where my dad, Reid, and I were baptized.

I was baptized November 5, 1966, by my dad.

I was confirmed November 6, 1966, in the American Fork 10th Ward building.

(Currently the Northampton House.)

"Uncle Cecil" confirmed me.

Next, we went to the Family History Center.

This used to be a big room, where we had dances and dinners.

There was also a stage.

Bruce Frandsen taught here.

Our next stop was in the choir seats.

President Kane was our teacher.

 These are some of the large photos on display.

 First funeral

Plans for the organ

This was the Tithing Office.

I actually had my Patriarchal Blessing in this building.

The Patriarch was A.B. Allen.

He was one of my dad's high school teacher.

The date was May 4, 1974.

I was 15 1/2, and finishing my sophomore year. 

In 1971, vandals broke in, threw pews over the balcony,

and bashed the organ pipes.

My classmate, Kevin McDonald, was in the group before me.

His dad, Ward McDonald, was the caretaker.

He said they packed the dented pipes...one at a time, to Tri-City Ford.

Their men pounded out the dents! 

This is the amazing ceiling.

Each square was a "tin" square.

When they were first mounted, the squares were all different colors.

Sometime later, they were painted white.

Ceiling and balcony

View from the back

Main door

New sign

 East Entrance

West Entrance

And, now . . . December 2018.

New Carpet

Ceiling

I think this is the most beautiful!

All the lights makes it feel like a 

turn of the century

theater!

I don't know if this photo is an accident,

but, the pews are the same!

The "stand" is much different.

The "show house" cushy seats have been removed.

Instead of the STEEP steps to climb, there is a gradual incline.

Then matching pews have been installed.