Approaching Zion I

In the past I have used our blog to capture pictures of the family.  Due to the craziness of our schedule right now, I have not taken the time to post the pictures and write the narratives.  I was talking with Tim W about the latest book that I have been reading, Hugh Nibley's Approaching Zion.  He suggested that I write some thoughts about the book.  I liked the idea.  So here goes.

The book has generated many thoughts. My view of the theme of his book is that it is about understanding Zion so that we can better prepare ourselves to live there, to become a Zion people. Zion and its antithesis, Babylon, are continually compared and contrasted to help us better understand the differences of the two societies. We need to compare the principles of Zion to the principles that we live by each day.  This can be a very sobering experience.

Zion is a place of peace, of consecration, and of pure love, e.g. there is no money in Zion, everything is free. On the other hand, Babylon is a very competitive place, where the question is what is in it for me.  You can buy anything in this world for money.   One must work endlessly to obtain the money that in reality never satisfies; for you cannot get enough of what does not satisfy.

The question that I have been asking myself, is what do I need to learn before I leave this frail existence, to prepare Sally and me to become part of a Zion people in the highest degree in the Celestial Kingdom. I repeatedly come away with the thought that I need to trust and look much more to Heavenly Father; apply the atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, is my life more fully; and be totally responsive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

More thoughts later.

Modern Display

Modern Display has been a favorite spot of my wife, since our days at University of Utah in the 1960s. They begin Christmas displays the day after Labor Day. They have a series of pre-decorated designer trees that are available for a modest $2K-$6K. Our favorite one is below. It is the perfect tree for Tim and Rindy's home in Minnesota

Off to Utah and General Conference

In October, it was off to see our two children who live in Utah. Both are in school, one at BYU and one at Utah State University. Sally had left about 10 days before me to help Jen with the new baby. She had a great time visiting with friends and relatives and also helping with Alex and being with Morgan and Tara.





We had a wonderful weekend listening to General Conference and being with the grandchildren. It is a good thing that they print the transcript, and you can download the audio from conference to your iPhone and iPod. We so enjoyed being with our children, their wives, and their children. Oliver hosted a between session luncheon for the relatives in the area. Many cousins and their families came. It was a great get together.

The highlight of General Conference for me was to go to General Priesthood Meeting with Oliver, Eric, and their cousin Brigham. A friend gave me the tickets and we had a wonderful time. Afterwards, we meet Sally for dinner at Noodles and Company.

Amazing

I have often wondered how gas prices are determined. With reports from across the country that people are paying $4-$7/gallon, I was sure that gas prices would continue to rise.

Our area of the country traditionally has gas prices that are lower than the national average. While I was across the state this week, gas prices were 3.79, 3.69, 3.59, and then 3.53 today. As I drove home tonight, I called a neighbor to get the latest gas prices so that I could fill up at the lowest price. The pictures below tell the tale.

The Gas Prices


The fill up cost was under $40, and I cannot remember the last time that I paid so little to fill my car when it was below an 1/8th of a tank.

Final Stop

Our final stop as we left Boston was to visit Robert's grave. It is always a sobering yet peaceful experience. I felt his presence near.

We took a couple of pictures that turned out great.

Corrupting the Grandchildren

Grace and Caleb love the iPhone and now the iPod. In order to have them both listen to music, I got out the iPod.



I think that they are enjoying grandpa's toys.

Mike' Pastry

Yesterday on the way home from the Aquarium, we stopped by Mike's Pastry.



It had started to rain, so it was not as busy as usual. There were only about 30-40 people in the store. It is a good thing that we do not live near the North End. I would be visiting Mike's too regularly.



It was good eating last night. We surely enjoyed the cannollis and the eclairs. We will sample the cookies tonight.

I wish that I could take cannollis home to Independence to share with our neighbors.

The New England Aquarium

Today we went to visit the New England Aquarium.

Caleb and Grace holding the starfishes



There was a special jellyfish exhibit. It was awesome. There are pictures of two of the jellyfish.

First Days of School

Grace and Caleb had their first days at school this week.

Grace's First Day of School picture:


Caleb's First Day of School:

Whole Maine Lobster

On Labor Day, it was off to Kittery Maine to eat lobster and shop the outlet stores. The lobster was good eating.





Even Grace got in on the good eating.

Biggest Hit with the Grandchildren

During my stay here in Boston, the biggest hit with the grandchildren (and their father) has been the iPhone. I have taken over 100 pictures and they love to see the pictures. It is so easy to switch between pictures with a flick of their finger.

Joshua and His Bears

Joshua loves his panda bear and his polar bear. When we travelled, they always came with.



Here is taking them for a ride in the Radio Flyer wagon

Ben and Jerry's Factory Tour

From the Teddy Bear Factory, we headed to the Ben and Jerry's Factory Tour. On the way in to the parking lot, we saw this motorcycle and trailer.



The tour was interesting, but not worth a second trip.

A couple of family pictures by the Ben and Jerry Mobile:

Vermont Teddy Bear Factory

After our visit to the Camp Joseph and the Joseph Smith Birthplace, we headed north to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory. Some pictures follow:

Two cute teddy bears: Grace and Caleb


The Papa and Mommy Bear


The tour was terrific, and here is a small sampling of the more than 150 possible bears.

Joseph Smith's Birthplace

We left Camp Joseph and went to the Joseph Smith Birthplace.

At the Monument


Jared and Family At the Monument


All At the Monument

Camping at Camp Joseph

Jared, Mary, Grace, Caleb, Josh, Sally and I headed to Sharon VT to camp overnight. We had a great time. Some of the fun pictures follow.

Caleb Bringing Wood


The real reason that Grandma (also Grandpa, Jared, Mary and Caleb) wanted to go camping.


Working the Fire


Cooking the Dogs


Sally Hauling the Trash

Decide, Fix Up, Rent, Sell, Distribute, and Move

In early June, Sally's dad decided that it was time to sell the home and move into Assisted Living. We hustled and with the help of the many of the children, grandchildren and spouses, we fixed the drainage in one of the window wells, painted the basement bedroom, the basement walls (9 gallons of Paint), the basement floor,the den, the family room, the kitchen and the dining rooms. Sally organized and with her brothers decided on the distributed of things. We spent much time in MN, in fact we spent 9 hours in our house during July. That was an unscheduled overnight on the way to the temple.

There were many late nights, especially for Sally, as the apartment was organized and decorated.

Grandma and Grandpa W are adjusting to live in Assisted Living.

Beans' Visit

Oliver, Kristin, and Clara (Beans) visited us in early August. Here are some of the pictures.

The View from the Living Room


On the Settee



On the Counter


There visit was too short, but we had a great time together.

iPhone Adventure

I have wanted an iPhone since they were launched last year, but I wanted one that worked with the 3G network. When I saw the ads for the iPhone 3g, I decided that i wanted a 16GB, white iPhone. So on Launch Day, Friday, July 11th, I went to the Apple Store at the Ridgedale Mall in Minneapolis. The line was long and at least a 5-6 hour wait. I decided to come back later. Later in the day, I ran some errands and stopped by a local AT&T store near the mall. I waited 30 minutes and I was able to buy the last iPhone in the store, a white one. I set up the phone, and after a short learning curve, have loved it ever since. It is so easy to use. It is also very fast.

Birthday and Anniversary Week (Updated)

It was an outstanding week. It started with wonderful Sabbath services and then dinner with our neighbors and a trip to see the movie on the Prophet Joseph Smith. We left on Monday for St. Louis. We served three days in the temple, including my birthday. I married a couple for time and all eternity on Tuesday. It is truly a glorious thing.

On Thursday afternoon we drove to Branson for a few days. We stayed at the Clarion Inn at the Palace. We had a King suite with a jacuzzi. The accommodations were wonderful. We saw three shows and attended a travel club pitch. The travel club pitch was interesting, but it was not for us. It's benefits were resort condominium focused.

The shows were really great, and I enjoyed them all. We went to the Shoji Tabuchi show. He is a violinist, who came to America from Japan, when he was in his late teens. He is very much a showman and played a very wide variety of music. His wife is the producer and is very detailed oriented. We were told to make sure that we see the bathrooms. They were incredible, roomy, extremely clean, and very ornate.

We also saw Lost in the 50s with the Platters. It was super. There were lots of songs and lots of wonderful memories. Sally and I even danced a slow dance in the aisle of the theater (along with many other couples).

We also saw Broadway A Star Spangled Celebration. It was very good. It was a Broadway review with songs from many of the Broadway musicals.

I liked Shoji Tabuchi the best. There was a little bit of everything in his show and it was extremely well done.

We returned to Independence on Saturday evening. We drove up the west side of the state. It was very peaceful with almost no traffic until we got close to Kansas City.

Sally gave me a paper weight for my desk for my birthday present. It is a replica of a door knob from the Salt Lake Temple. It is awesome.