Picture from http://calgarytemple.blogspot.com/

President Monson spoke on the importance of temples in his Sunday morning address at General Conference.  He asked us to make whatever sacrifices necessary to have the temple as our goal, in our hearts and in our homes. " Each temple stands as a beacon, an expression of testimony that God lives, that He desires to bless us and all generations." I'm looking forward to attending the temple in two weeks as Tanner goes through for the first time in preparation for his mission.  On the same weekend, I'll be with our youth as they do baptisms and will be doing some for my family.  And just around the corner  - in 2012 - this structure up on the hill of Royal Oak with the majestic mountains beyond it will be dedicated as a House of the Lord for us to serve within. It was announced at the Saturday morning session of the October 2009 conference as I sat in the congregation in the Conference Center and completely missed the announcement of the Rome Italy temple becuase we were too busy reacting to the announcement of the Calgary, Alberta temple.   I love the temples of the Lord and am excited for the opportunity to serve more often and have the temple within our city.

Calgary, Alberta Temple - 2012

LDS Conference Center, originally uploaded by whistlepunch.

It's Conference weekend again. I miss being able to watch it on TV and my computer doesn't like streaming video these days, so I've only been able to listen so far. This year, in addition to Twitter being a great resource of quotes and thoughts throughout the sessions, there is a shared note-taking document on Google docs. So in addition to listening, I am keeping watch using these collaborative means. Easy to just stop and listen when I want to or to review what was just said - think about the quote a bit more. Just like Elder Richard Scott's advice in October 2009 conference, I have a notepad and pen close so that when inspiration comes, I can follow the ideas further and be open to specific guidance and inspiration meant just for me. I don't even mind such a wintery day when I can be warmed by the great messages and music of General Conference.

Brigham's Table 2.egg on Aviary.

Made this while playing around with an image/effects editing tool on the web - Aviary.

Too True!

Super Moon and Mow Cop, originally uploaded by peterjbailey.

Here's what Super Moon looked like in Staffordshire. Did anyone see it here? I missed seeing it when it was near the horizon - it's up over my house now and looking somewhat less than super at the moment. Although I do feel like having cheese and crackers right now... Wensleydale anyone?

Cirque de la Symphonie

An amazing show and wonderful concert tonight. Music from Dvorak, Bizet, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and even a John Williams piece from Star Wars: Episode II. The final number of the evening was Ravel's Bolero with an act of strength and balance with two men from Poland. Stunning! Loved the beauty and grace of the gymnast, "Lady in White" and fantastic work by both female and male aerialists. The mime/juggler added some whimsy to the night. So glad to have gone and enjoyed this treat with my friend Jill.

Because of St. Patrick's Day... a post from my family history blog with pics of the Irish relatives

Rhodes Family History: Sam and Jenny Muirhead: "Until now, I'd only seen one picture of Sam and Jenny Muirhead. Sam 'the butcher' - with his wife Jane sitting in front of their home..."

When life gets you down...
"It's okay if your shoes aren't doing it"
Advice to remember

Do you know how many days old you are?  I do - and it just hit a certain number in the thousands. I know thanks to that unexpected call from a certain "rainman" that keeps track of this and other auspicious numbers in the lives of those he knows. 

And to think I get to celebrate on Pi Day! 

Okay - just found this and he is in Lethbridge in April. I feel a road trip coming on.

Just set up a blog for my nephew's two years of service in the Guatemala City Central Mission. He will be reporting to the MTC on April 25. The blog is still in development - I will be seeing Tanner tomorrow and I'm sure he'll want some input on the look and content of the blog but the address will remain the same in case anyone wants to follow along.

Elder Tanner Hopkins: Saying Goodbye: "Hola! As some of you may know, I have been called to serve a mission in Guatemala for 2 years. I will be giving my farewell talk on April 1..."

a little look, originally uploaded by uppercaseyyc.

This little 'plan for future happiness' is scheduled to arrive in my mailbox sometime in April.

What are you celebrating?  Maybe it is Valentine's Day, but I am choosing to celebrate the anniversary of the B-52's first gig in 1977.   Rock Lobster! Down, Down, Down, .....

Latest post on my Book Blog - Follow the link to read the entire post.

Page Turners II: Canada Reads Winner: The Best Laid Plans by Terry...: "The Winner for 2011 I just finished listening to the final session of debate for Canada Reads online. This is a great series that ..."

Valentine's Tulips, originally uploaded by whistlepunch.

Triple Treat!

Just wanted to express how grateful I was today for three happy surprises. A Mavis Staples CD in my mailbox at work, a shared ticket to Theatre Calgary's upcoming show "Much Ado about Nothing" and a beautiful bouquet of pink and purple tulips. All three for very different reasons but all appreciated so much! Another day with unexpected smiles.

Dinner and a show with a sitting ovation

Okay - not dinner, it was lunch but I've never heard "lunch and a show". A bunch of us from work went out for lunch on Monday ...through the very deep snow. I drove and barely made it into the parking lot of the restaurant on 17th Ave after snow plows built up a barrier in the driveway. Luckily, made it through after gunning it.  Lunch was delicious - Vietnamese - yum!  The restaurant is called Cochichine if you want to try it out.  Halfway through lunch another group was seated on our side of the restaurant. My back was to them but after a few minutes, this is what I turned around to see.

(Thanks to Audrey for discreetly getting this picture for me!)  After lunch, as we drove back to the office, we turned up a side road and in front of us was a city van stopped in the middle of the road and six people out behind a truck pushing it away from the curb.  It took a bit of effort but the good Samaritans managed to finally get him over the ruts and on his way.  As they turned around to climb back in the van, our carload were all applauding with our mittens on. One saw us, pointed it out to the others and they curtsied and bowed as we continued to show our appreciation.  A good laugh and smiles all around on a very wintery day!  Hope everyone made it out and about safely!

Chatsworth - The Veiled Vestal Virgin, originally uploaded by whistlepunch.

I love Flickr. I really wish my photos were more deserving of an audience but someday I hope to rectify that with some instruction. Until then, I am a very happy amateur just taking snapshots of things I find interesting to look at. Last week my photos had very nearly 4000 views - in one week. And this is by far my most "popular" photo in the collection. If you saw the Keira Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice, you saw this statue at Mr. Darcy's house. I saw it at Chatsworth - the home that could have been the inspiration for Jane Austen when writing about Pemberley. It truly is a magnificent work of art - you want to pull back the veil and even standing next to it you can't believe it is made of marble and not a thin fabric covering her face.

If you click on the photo, you can go to its page on Flickr and find a closeup as well on the right side of the page. And if you were one of the 4000 views, thanks for stopping by.

Calgary, Alberta Temple Construction: February 5, 2011

I follow this blog with pictures of the construction going on in Calgary's north west. Check out the progress!

Page Turners II: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: "The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America  World's Columbian Exposition: Court of Honor, ..."

Did you know I have another blog just for books? The link above will take you to the latest post.  I have neglected it for a long time but decided to start it up again so that all my reading/book related activity is in one blog. No longer in the bookclub that it was started for but I still love a good book!


Okay - I have other blogs as well - one for ESL students and one for ESL teachers... but they aren't ones that I'd ever update on Facebook. Twitter? sure - that I use for ESL and Edtech mostly. And then the wikis. And now I'm playing with other things like Prezis and Voicethreads. Is it too much? Should I turn off the computer once in a while? Well, I do and then I read a BOOK!!

Happy Year of the Rabbit!, originally uploaded by maralina!.

Okay - a day late - we celebrated some of the Korean students returning home with a cake decorated with a rabbit - but it wasn't a "Year of the Rabbit" cake as much as it was a map of Korea shaped like a rabbit cake. Our manager did a great job making it - tasted great and so moist - a carrot cake but with pineapple as well. From Canadian Living.  You can find the recipe here.
Canada's Best Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing recipe - Food - Canadian Living

The students enjoyed it and I was called on to wish them Happy New Year Korean style:

새해 복 많이 받으세요

(seh heh bok mahn ee bahd euh sae yo)

 - they applauded - it was funny. My Korean is sadly lacking. I found myself pulling out my language books later to look up words I couldn't remember. Like delicious and what to say when you serve food or accept food.  I have great Korean language books.  I could make that a project when all my other many projects are ticked off.
 
I felt like I was in a fishbowl though because of my temporary lenses, new lenses have come in twice with flaws so I'm still waiting to be able to see at all distances. I'll be so glad to get the correct ones. I hope so. Cross your fingers for me.
 
I topped the night off by breaking a tooth on popcorn. You know the crunch that doesn't feel like a popcorn kernel and you stop mid bite to feel around - well  - I found a big hole where half of my tooth used to be.  Happy Lunar New Years to me!
 
By the way,  now that we've had the Lunar New Year does that mean my Christmas tree should come down now??