Puppy Power

Austen and my brother David have a relationship that is deep, abiding, and based on the fact that David thinks almost everything Austen does is cute. Additionally, David is willing to play with Austen for a lot longer and a lot rougher than I am.

Hence this:



That little red blur is Austen.

In the end I'd have to say that the current tally is

Austen: 1 David: 0

An Anchor to the Souls of Men

I must admit, I've felt a lot of anxiety and fear about the future over the past couple of weeks. Living in Las Vegas right now it feels like you can't go a day without hearing about someone who's lost or is losing their home or job. We had meetings last week about how we will cut millions from my school district's budget, and of course the cuts made will impact the kids more than anything. It's easy to be worried and depressed all of the time.

All of this made me think of a fireside I attended at BYU where President Howard W. Hunter, at the time the President of the Twelve Apostles was the speaker. At this fireside, a mentally ill young man decided he would hold President Hunter and the thousands in attendance hostage until President Hunter read the man's declaration. President Hunter was very old and so frail that he'd needed help to get to the podium, and yet as the man yelled at him he simply held on and repeatedly shook his head, "No." When the man had been subdued President Hunter collapsed to the floor and the Stake President in charge of the meeting told us, "We're going to sing a hymn and then we'll all go home." President Hunter tugged on his pant leg to tell him that, no, we would continue. After singing a hymn he was once again helped to the podium where he gave one of the most incredible talks I've ever heard.

Whenever I start to despair I remember the words that prophet shared with us that day. I thought I'd share a few with you today.





An Anchor to the Souls of Men
-President Howard W. Hunter
Given at BYU, February 7, 1993

"I am here tonight to tell you that Despair, Doom, and Discouragement are not an acceptable view of life for a Latter-day Saint. However high on the charts they are on the hit parade of contemporary news, we must not walk on our lower lip every time a few difficult moments happen to confront us.

I am just a couple of years older than most of you, and in those few extra months I have seen a bit more of life than you have. I want you to know that there have always been some difficulties in mortal life and there always will be. But knowing what we know, and living as we are supposed to live, there really is no place, no excuse, for pessimism and despair.

In my lifetime I have seen two world wars plus Korea plus Vietnam and all that you are currently witnessing. I have worked my way through the depression and managed to go to law school while starting a young family at the same time. I have seen stock markets and world economics go crazy and have seen a few despots and tyrants go crazy, all of which causes quite a bit of trouble around the world in the process.

So I am frank to say tonight that I hope you won't believe all the world's difficulties have been wedged into your decade, or that things have never been worse than they are for you personally, or that they will never get better. I reassure you that things have been worse and they will always get better. They always do--especially when we live and love the gospel of Jesus Christ and give it a chance to flourish in our lives."

"I want to say to all within the sound of my voice tonight that you have every reason in this world to be happy and to be optimistic and to be confident. Every generation since time began has had some things to overcome and some problems to work out. Furthermore, every individual person has a particular set of challenges that sometimes seem to be earmarked for us individually. We understood that in our premortal existence.

Prophets and apostles of the Church have faced some of those personal difficulties. I acknowledge that I have faced a few, and you will undoubtedly face some of your own now and later in your life. When these experiences humble us and refine us and teach us and bless us, they can be powerful instruments in the hands of God to make us better people, to make us more grateful and more loving, to make us more considerate of other people in their own times of difficulty."

"This faith and hope of which I speak is not a Pollyanna-like approach to significant personal and public problems. I don't believe we can wake up in the morning and simply by drawing a big "happy face" on the chalkboard believe that is going to take care of the world's difficulties. But if our faith and hope is anchored in Christ, and in his teachings, commandments, and promises, then we are able to count on something truly remarkable, genuinely miraculous, that can part the Red Sea and lead modern Israel to a place "where none shall come to hurt or make afraid" ("Come, Come, Ye Saints," Hymns, 1985, no. 30). Fear, which can come upon people in difficult days, is a principal weapon in the arsenal that Satan uses to make mankind unhappy. He who fears loses strength for the combat of life in the fight against evil. Therefore, the power of the evil one always tries to generate fear in human hearts. In every age and in every era fear has faced mankind.

As children of God and descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we must seek to dispel fear from among people. A timid, fearing people cannot do their work well, and they cannot do God's work at all. Latter-day Saints have a divinely assigned mission to fulfill that simply must not be dissipated in fear and anxiety."

A blog posting a day...

Hey Everyone,

I was just checking my friend Meredith's blog and she's taking part in National Blog Posting Month. I looked it up and think it will be a fun challenge to post every day this month. Those of you with blogs, consider joining me, won't you?

I'm like this, only less attractive...

and I want to die.

I am officially old.

Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran turned 50 today.

This is the end of my youth as I've known it. You see, Duran Duran were THE band of my youth. They epitomized the 1980's: big hair, make-up, synthesized music, and image, image, image. These boys made MTV what it was and MTV made them. They had elaborate and expensive videos and they looked gooooooood.



So many of my childhood memories are set to Duran Duran's music, "Girls on Film", "Hungry Like the Wolf" (a song outlawed in the Lowe household due to suggestive moaning and grunting)"The Reflex", "Rio". . . I could go on and on.

So, although I have always been (and remain to this day) a John Taylor girl:



I have a big soft spot in my heart for Mr. Le Bon...even if he is old.

Happy Birthday Simon!!

A dream is a wish your heart makes??

If Walt Disney is to be believed, I think I'm in trouble.

You see, Wednesday night I dreamed that I made out with this guy:




Tony Dovolani, from Dancing with the Stars. This is confusing to me, as I've never found him particularly attractive during my waking hours. But, he came walking right into my dream shirtless, and for some reason, soaking wet. Anyway, we kissed and kissed and kissed, and then for some reason I walked away and met this guy:



Maksim Chmerkovskiy also from Dancing With the Stars. Again, while Maks is a super hottie, I can't say that I'm particularly attracted to him. Anyway, I then immediately started making out with Maks and then Tony caught us and there were distraught tears and pleading (from the guys. I don't beg.).

I woke up and wondered to myself, "Why these two guys?" I mean, I'm totally in fake love with my boyfriend Toby



and I've never made out with him in a dream. Or any of these guys:






These guys, I'd understand. But PROFESSIONAL BALL ROOM DANCERS? What's wrong with me? Again. Don't answer. Because if Disney's right, I'm a cheeZy slut.

The *Poopy Clause

First of all, I'd like to say that I try not to swear on a day to day basis. I do pretty well with this (unless I'm hanging out with Jill on a regular basis. I'm not blaming Jill, we're bad influences on each other.)for the most part, but occasionally I slip.

I don't think that it's ok to use profanity when the mood hits, and I really try to find other ways of expressing myself.

There are, however, times when the only way to truly express your feelings is to use one particular profane word, and in those situations, no other word will do.

So, I'd like to codeify what I'm calling The *Poopy Clause. This clause states that you can say *poopy without any guilt feelings or judgy comments from the non-potty mouths.

Here are the types of conditions under which The Poopy Clause could be enacted:

1. You wake up at the time when you are supposed to be at work. You must run around your house throwing on clothes and trying to accomplish some semblance of your normal appearance and then attempt to break all land speed records in an attempt to make it to work as soon as possible.

2. You realize that you have forgotten a job interview/meeting/class/birthday party/family gathering that you HAVE to attend. The meeting is in 10 minutes and you are 20 minutes away.

3. You respond to an email from a co-worker/friend/partner in crime about a third co-worker/idiot/hell hound. After sending your response in which you refer to said third party as a friend of Dorothy/disco dancing drag queen you realize you sent the email to said disco dancing hell hound rather than your friend. Upon closer inspection you realize said d.d.h.h. has opened and read the email, thus embroiling not only yourself, but also your friend in scandal.

According to The *Poopy Clause you would have the right to repeat the word *poopy in tones ranging from the under-the-breath mutter to the outright scream of terror as many times as you'd like with no judging by yourself or others.

Whattaya think?

I'm sold on the idea, and I enacted the clause this morning at 6:40.

(incidentally, if Austen could vocalize actual words he'd have enacted the clause at approximately 6:45 a.m.)

*Oh, come on, we all know I don't say poopy. I can't write what I really say, my nieces and nephews read this blog. Plus, I'm G rated.