Ellie's trip to Europe

Ellie has spent the last month in Europe with her friend (Meghane), her friend's mother (Christine) and brother (Michael). It has been a huge adventure for her. It has been wonderful and epic for her, but at times very difficult. I have asked Ellie to take notes about her days so that when she gets home she can write up an account of her experience. She'll be home in about a week. This is from the morning they left Logan. Here is Ellie in Vienna:

Lately Been Listening To:

BYU Kennedy Center podcasts speeches from guest lecturers (free on iTunes). I just listened to Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth speak on the past and future of Sudan.

I highly recommend the lecture.

Lately Been Listening To:

Just finished the audiobook Hidden Empire by Orson Scott Card. (downloaded from Audible)

It has everything I like about OSC's writing, but how it ended disturbed me. I was fine with the twist, and the ideas the conclusion is based on is interesting to consider. I just hated HOW things happened between Cole and his Jeesh at the end.

That story was definitely built for a videogame.

Here are some recent ride reports of trips I've been on:

The Tour of Idaho

Moab in November 09

After visiting Bodyworlds in SLC we took the girls to build-a-bear workshop.


Watch Build a Bear Workshop in Family Videos  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Here are the girls and Ellie's friends at Ellie's birthday party this summer.


Watch Ellie's Birthday Party 08 1 in Family Videos  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

From Jeffrey Holland:

"Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change — and improve," he said. "It that faith? Yes! It is hope? Yes! Is it charity? Yes! Above all it is charity, the pure love of Christ."

Here is the news article it came from

Hear the voice of a man who personally knew Joseph Smith! Wilford Woodruff knew him in the 1840s, and here he is talking about him in the 1890s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUU9CqrtFiU&feature=related

From the Weekly Standard's blog:

The Los Angeles Times reports today that Canadian Dr. Andre Lalonde, executive vice president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Ottawa, is worried that more women might choose to keep rather than abort their Down syndrome babies when they see Sarah Palin with Trig.

READ THE WHO THING HERE by scrolling down to Safe, Legal and Frequent:

From Orson Scott Card:

"We are what Sozhenitsyn accused us of being. Unwilling to listen to and learn from him, we are acting out the tragicomedy of national decline. Is there still greatness in us? Just as the dying British Empire . . ."

Read the entire article here