Book Review: Her Good Name

I was naughty last night. Yesterday I received Josi S. Kilpack's novel Her Good Name in the mail (I had won it on the LDS Women's Book Review Blog) and started reading it. I should have gone to bed at 9 pm to get enough sleep and get up early to get my things done before work. But this book was too good to put down. I read it until 11:15 pm (when I finished). And tonight I will likely be rereading it, although I am extra tired this evening.

Here is the description of the book:

"Chrissy is having an identity crisis. As a single woman and convert to the Church, she has always managed to find her place in life — at least until someone else begins using her credit cards, her bank account, and, most important, her name. Now the real Chrissy must prove her innocence against a growing pile of collection notices and unpaid bills. But with no job, no money, a warrant for her arrest, and a closet full of high-heeled shoes, a girl can only get so far.

"When Chrissy meets Micah Heet, the other half of a blind date gone bad, the two discover they are facing the same battle and join forces to find the perpetrators. Little do they know that the small semblance of life they have left will be put on the line in the process."

Here's the list of a few of the things I liked about Her Good Name (since I am too tired and lazy to expound much tonight):

1. The main character has a real body type (not the standard tall, slim, can-eat-like-a-horse-and-never-gain-weight character that seems so common lately). Chrissy is 5'1" and has curves where a woman should have curves. Being a short, curvy woman myself, I thank you, Josi, for this.

2. The ending was happy and well resolved, but not overdone. I don't want to give any spoilers here, but trust me on this--the end is strong and unique.

3. The story reads very true to life. In the acknowledgments Josi says she had assistance from a law enforcement professional to make sure the identity theft plot line was accurate. Not only was it accurate, but it was exciting to read (yep, gun shots are involved!).

4. I learned from this book that I am making some mistakes that might cause problems if my identity was ever stolen. Time to make some changes around my home.

After reading Her Good Name I look forward to delving into more of Kilpack's novels.

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 16:23

La Posada

Yesterday was long. The drive to Winslow was not too bad, but the whole day was basically a 12 hour work day. The interesting thing to see was La Posada, the hotel where the focus groups took place. Here is a picture of the front of it.

Modern day front entrance

It is an historical landmark of sorts. I learned this about it: "Fred Harvey built La Posada in 1929 as the headquarters of the Harveycar Indian Detours, auto tours to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, the Meteor Crater, the Grand Canyon, and the Hopi Pueblo. The Indian Detours were very successful in New Mexico and Harvey held out the same hopes for the Arizona tours" (source).

Original front of the hotel, which is now the back

And this: "La Posada closed in 1957; for the next 40 years, its future remained tenuous. Enter Allan Affeldt and his wife Tina Mion. Affeldt heard about the hotel and purchased it in 1997 after much negotiation, bringing with him a strong vision and commitment for returning La Posada to Colter’s original concept. Restoration started immediately and continues today" (source). (The architect for La Posada was Elizabeth Jane Colter.)

The restaurant in the hotel where I had lunch

La Posada sits right on the train tracks. In days gone by that is how the guests mainly arrived--by train. Now the guests come by car. Hence the change of the front of the hotel to being the back (and vice versa).

Part of the lobby leading to the rooms

La Posada looks like an interesting place to stay if you are traveling along Route 66. The renovations are coming along nicely and they had waitresses in the restaurant dressed like Harvey Girls. The only thing I was not hot on was all the modern art hanging in the lobby (lots of it). The art did not seem to fit the period decor I felt should belong there. But otherwise it is worth a look see.

Scripture of the Day: D&C 89:18

Tomorrow

Tomorrow I am going here:

With this nice guy:

And this talented lady:

To moderate one of these:

And then come all the way home. (By then it will look like this):

Please forgive my lack of comments lately. Life is really hectic right now.

Scripture of the Day: Alma 32:28-29

Making Resolutions

This was on the back of today's sacrament meeting program and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope you do too.

"To a degree, we all understand the gospel and know what we should be doing in our lives. Very likely, we know more than we apply. It may be a little like the young county farm agent who wanted to put his college training to use and said to the farmer, “Sam, you know that now we use something called contour plowing.” He went on to also expound on the benefits of hybrid strains of grain and crop rotation. About the time he got to the benefits of milking the cows three times a day rather than two, the old farmer said, “Hey, sonny, just a minute. I’m not farming half as well as I know how already.”

"Isn’t that the way life is? We seldom perform to the level of our knowledge. This brings me to the subject of resolutions—resolutions to conform our lives more closely to what we already know about the gospel. While many of us take seriously our New Year’s resolutions, some of us may not have made any because of our prior problems in keeping them. We must not overlook the power that making good resolutions can have in helping make our lives happier and more successful—regardless of our past performance.

"In an informal survey that I requested be taken among 150 young adults, they were asked to list three resolutions they felt would help them become happier and more successful during the new year. Almost everyone in the survey (98 percent) included resolutions to increase their spirituality. Two out of three (68 percent) indicated they would like to improve their social skills. Half (49 percent) indicated a desire to improve their physical fitness, and half (48 percent) wanted to grow intellectually. Everyone indicated a desire to improve. After all, self-improvement by coming unto Christ is at the heart of why we are here in mortality.

"In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior is recorded as saying, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). In the Joseph Smith Translation, the first part of that sentence is rendered, “Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect” (JST, Matt. 5:50). The translation of the Greek word for perfect means “complete, finished, fully developed.” Some biblical analysts indicate that the suggestion to become perfect is exaggerated idealism or scriptural hyperbole. We as Latter-day Saints believe that the Savior meant what he said and that becoming like our Father in Heaven and the Savior is a commandment, not just a suggestion. We should strive continually to be more like them. After his resurrection, the Savior asked his disciples, “What manner of men ought ye to be?” and then answered, “Even as I am” (3 Ne. 27:27).

"Only one verse of scripture in the entire King James Version of the New Testament suggests what the Savior did to develop himself from age twelve until he began his formal ministry at age thirty: “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52; see JST, Matt. 3:24–26). In other words, the Savior developed in the same areas indicated on the poll: intellectually (in wisdom and knowledge), physically (in stature), socially (in favor with man), and spiritually (in favor with God).

"I am convinced that if we make and keep resolutions in those four areas, we will have a happier and more successful new year this coming year and every year for the rest of our lives. Let’s consider the nature of such resolutions and the benefits that can be ours if our resolve to improve ourselves is firm." (Joe J. Christensen, “Resolutions,” Ensign, Dec 1994, 62–67)

Scripture of the Day: Luke 2:52 (see above for link)

Saturday Morning Cartoons #11

Hope you are having a great weekend! Be sure to get all that Christmas stuff put away today :-).

Scripture of the Day: Mosiah 4:27

New Month, New Theme

This month's theme for the scripture of day is goal setting. Verses selected will highlight areas in which we might try to improve ourselves by setting a goal this year. Enjoy!

Scripture of the Day: D&C 88:119

Resolutions for Spiritual Growth

Everyone wants to grow spiritually in the upcoming year, but resolving exactly how to accomplish that is somewhat elusive. Here are five ideas to help set goals that will result in spiritual growth.

1. Plan out your reading schedule for personal and/or family scripture study.

Is there a book of scripture you have not read for some time? Is there a companion study guide that has looked interesting to you? Have you been meaning to read the general conference talks? Put together a simple plan to follow for your study, but don't be afraid to switch it up every few months. If you get bored you are less likely to stick with your schedule.

2. Revamp your personal prayer space.

Being comfortable during prayers has a big impact on how focused you are during this important exercise. Do your knees hurt during prayers? Does your nose need a tissue while you pray (like mine :-)? Personally, my bed is too tall to kneel next to, so I have taken to kneeling by a couch or padded bench. And I have learned to grab a Kleenex in the morning before I pray. Try putting together a personal prayer space that allows you to truly focus on communicating with Heavenly Father.

3. Plan for meaningful FHE lessons.

In previous years, as well as in my book Family Home Evening Adventures, I have explained how I plan a year of FHE lessons in advance (read more here). In addition to planning topics and sources to use, make your lessons more meaningful by having a lesson planning sheet to use for the person teaching the lesson. Plan to hand out the lesson planning sheet a week ahead of time so the teacher can look up scriptures, hymns, stories, and other aides to enhance their lesson.

4. Schedule regular temple attendance for the year.

Nothing helps to build personal spirituality like going to the temple, but finding time to go can often be a big challenge. Take time now to schedule a regular time to attend the temple. And if you have kids that need tending while you are gone, make arrangements with a sitter now (a monthly trade with another couple works well, or ask a relative to come the first Thursday of every month). Put you plan on the calendar and work hard not to let life get in the way.

5. Stretch yourself through memorization.

Try a goal to commit a scripture, an unfamiliar hymn, or even The Family Proclamation to memory. Memorizing such things forces us to ponder and think about spiritual matters. Additionally, having these in our minds better enables us to keep our minds on virtuous thoughts.

Good luck for a spiritually uplifting year!