Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen

Fantasy. I found this book while browsing the books at my daughter’s home. Both my daughter and son-in-law recommended it to me and since I’m a sucker for dragon books I happily took it home. It immediately throws you into intense action as three men from London are fleeing for their lives. The action is compelling until about half way through and then it stalls with lots of back story explanations. I got a bit frustrated and nearly decided not to finish but my daughter said the ending was worth it so I pushed through and it picked up quickly. An author’s ability to end a story well is key for me to recommend a book. The ending was not only surprising but satisfying and tied together everything that happened perfectly! Bravo Mr. Owen, bravo!

Recommend: Yes!

Diving Lucy and my Wyoming friends!

 My wonderful Wyoming friends were able to donate to the Giving Machines yesterday! My good friend, Candace Cottrell, teaches seminary in Worland and wanted her kids to participate in the Giving Machines. I drove to Crown Center and facetimed her class while they told me what they wanted to purchase and then sent me the money via Venmo. They got to watch all the items fall down as they were purchased and I got to chat with them for a few minutes. It was great!  I'm so happy I got to share that with them even though we are nearly a thousand miles apart!

Lucy had the best diving meet so far last night!  She received 6's for this dive which is her best score yet!

The Best Laid Plans by Sarah M. Eden AND Charming Artemis by Sarah M. Eden

 Regency Romances. Why does cold weather bring me to settle in with a quick regency romance? These were two enjoyable reads. I have read many of Eden's books and she develops her characters quite well. Many of her books have the same families of characters in them and these two were some of those. As you get to know the families better it adds to the enjoyment of each story. There is always a social obstacle to overcome before the couples can attain their happily ever after as well as strengthening resolve in each other. A good recipe on a cold winter's day. 

Recommend: Yes. 

The Giving Machines -- serving, freezing, and having fun (with a little bit of wrestling thrown in!)

 The Giving Machines are in full swing here in Kansas City. Brian and I get to be at the machines every Sunday from 3-6 to answer questions and offer assistance to those who stop by. It's a lot of fun and we get to meet some amazing people. This winter has been colder than last year so we are definitely feeling that midwestern humid cold as we are standing outside for 3 hours!  

Three machines are located at Crown Center in Downtown Kansas City. You can see the ice skating rink just above the machines. 

Some of the amazing people I got to meet and work with. Val on the left is an amazing selfless volunteer in our community. She is the go to photographer for all events like these and I'm happy to call her my friend! The woman in the middle is Sister Camille Johnson, the General Relief Society President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She was a delight to meet and very down to earth. 

Free Crumbl cookies were given out on the launch day of the Giving Machines. These two beautiful people are the owners of many of the Crumbl stores in the area and good friends. I handed out carrot sticks to combat all the sugar being eaten!

Lucy, Brian, Me, and Peter at the evening event, it was slightly cold!

Brian chatting with people at the Giving Machines

Beautiful lights at Hallmark's Crown Center--some of the Hallmark movies were filmed here at the national headquarters.

The fountain dances to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy music that plays over the loud speakers. 

And here is a wrestling highlight! Peter is a freshman at Liberty North High School and on the wrestling team. He had his first dual meet against Park Hill High School. He did a great job! Here is the last part of his match: 

Click here to view Peter's match

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

 Young Adult fiction. This is a re-read for me. I really enjoy all of Shannon Hale's books and this is one of my favorites. A young motherless girl gets assigned as a lady's maid to a princess that is about to be shut up in a tower for seven years because she refuses to marry the ruler of a neighboring kingdom. Thus starts Dashti's adventure with the Princess Saren, who is petulant and sad and stubborn. 

Dashti is resilient through situations that seem daunting and hard, which is a favorite attribute of heroines in the books I read. This is a book I will be re-reading again and again. 

Veteran's Weekend in Nauvoo and Carthage Illinois

 Here in Liberty, Missouri area we are among so many historically significant sites, both from the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and U.S. History-namely the Civil War. Our family has visited nearly all of them. Another historical site, Nauvoo, Illinois, is a short 4 hour drive for us. The last time Brian and I were there was in the 1980s and things have changed much since then and we wanted to go see the updated visitor's center and surrounding buildings. So since Friday was Veteran's Day and our son-in-law, John, had the day off we decided to load up two cars and go for the weekend. 

We picked a great weekend to visit--it was extremely cold and started to snow as we were there. That meant Nauvoo was very empty which was nice to miss the crowds, but the cold felt like it went right through you and the wind coming off the Mississippi River was frigid. It really helped me understand what those early Saints went through as they were forced out of their beloved Nauvoo and crossed the river in the cold winter. 

Our first stop was the Nauvoo temple. Brian and I and Audrey and John were able to go while Eric, Lucy, and Peter stayed with Ollie. The temple is incredibly beautiful and I felt such calm and peace while I was there. When we were done Audrey and John took Ollie and went to the Airbnb to make dinner and Eric, Lucy, and Peter were able to come in and do baptisms. 

We spent a fun night playing games and enjoyed being with each other. The next morning we headed down the street to the city of Nauvoo. The Visitor's Center is large and has so many things to look at and do. Our first stop was at the Lands and Records desk. Both Brian and I and John have ancestors who were born, lived, and died in Nauvoo. The senior missionary (who is from Tooele, Utah which is where my mom grew up and knows my cousin well!) looked up their names on a database and was able to print out a map of where they lived. We found out that Brian's 2nd great grandfather and my 4th great grandfather lived right next door to each other in Nauvoo!

We drove around and saw the land they lived on. Brian and my ancestor's land is mostly under the Mississippi River now, but it was still amazing to walk where they may have walked. 

With the cold and wind we didn't see everything there was to see--we definitely need to go back! We did see the oxen since my grandson Ollie loves cows!  They were so gentle and were named Jim and Joe. The missionary couple yoked them for us and took us on a small ox cart ride, which, have I mentioned, was SO cold!  They were from Star Valley, Wyoming and Brian and the husband knew some of the same people which was a great connection!  Even these seasoned Wyomingites thought it was cold!  

We stopped at a small café for lunch and then drove 30 minutes to Carthage, Illinois, where the prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed. It was a lovely peaceful sacred place. 

We then headed back home. It was a wonderful two days and we are definitely planning on going back when it's warmer!!

Giving Machines in Kansas City

 A little break from my book review posts. I'm actually not reading any fiction right now because I'm involved in the Giving Machines again this year. My experience on this committee has been incredibly wonderful and I've loved every busy minute. It's amazing to see things fall into place, other obstacles arise, and then solutions come. I love seeing God's hand in this work of relieving suffering here locally and across the globe. 

There are 8 charities that will benefit from people's donations this year, 6 are local charities and 2 are global: 

Mayor’s Christmas Tree Association

Veterans Community Project

Reconciliation Services

Children’s Mercy Kansas City

Jewish Vocational Services

KC Shepherd’s Center

African Girls Hope Foundation

UN Refugee Agency

This year we have some local celebrities that will be at the Grand Unwrapping of the Giving Machines. Kansas City Chiefs' football coach's wife, Tammy Reid, and the wife of the owner, Tavia Hunt. They will emcee the event. The KC mayor will also be there along with Sister Camille Johnson, the General Relief Society President from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There will be a gospel choir from Kansas City which also performed last year and they are fabulous and so fun. And to top if all off KC wolf will be there (mascot for the KC Chiefs) and the KC Chiefs' drumline. It should be a fantastic event!  

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

 Junior realistic fiction. This is the second book by this author that I have read and enjoyed. She also wrote A Tangle of Knots which I highly recommend. Albie is growing up in the middle of New York City and is in 5th grade. His life isn't always easy. He has family issues, friend issues, school issues. Really he is a pretty typical kid growing up in the world today. What makes Albie stand out is his ability to continue to live his life amid the imperfections. He does this with the help of friends and family members. These people are not perfect and make mistakes, but they also make life better for Albie and he in turn makes life better for others. I especially loved how his family dynamics were able to grow and change and that we don't ever have to accept that our current situation is permanent. We can change. 

Recommend: Yes. 

Duet by Elise Broach

 Junior Fiction. The subtitle on the book jacket explains perfectly the plot of this book: A bird. A boy. A musical mystery. This was not only a musical adventure for me as I read about one of my favorite composers, Frederick Chopin, but it was a lovely story about how music touches all of us, both human and animal. The story is told from the viewpoint of a goldfinch named Mirabelle who lives in the garden of a retired pianist. He is old and his health is wavering, but he decides to take on one student in his retirement and what a student this young boy is. Thus the melody of this story unfolds, painfully, beautifully, poignantly, and triumphantly. 

Recommend: Yes

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

 Junior realistic fiction. A good friend of mine, who is also a talented musician, recommended this book to me. In it, a young girl, Zoe, wants nothing more than to learn to play the piano and she feels that just maybe she could be a prodigy and play at Carnegie Hall just like the famous Russian pianist, Vladimir Horowitz. Her problem is that her family does not own a piano. They decide, instead, to buy an organ for her because it's cheaper and comes with free lessons. 

I loved this quick read that is divided into very short chapters. The author has the ability to create in depth characters in an economy of words. Zoe's family and friends have obstacles that seem to mar their dreams, but press forward anyway. A sweet story of perseverance and determination and love. 

Recommend: Yes. 

A Vacation to Die For (Tourist Trap Mystery #14) by Lynn Cahoon

 Mystery. Yet another installment of the Tourist Trap mysteries that I've enjoyed. I have to admit, however, that they are getting a little formulaic. And I found several editing errors in this kindle edition book. I still enjoyed it, but I may be seeing my time ending with the characters in South Cove, California. 

Recommend: probably

And the rest of the Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen

 There are 17 total books in the Sammy Keyes series and I just finished #17. I had probably read a little over half of them before and decided to just go for it and read them all. They are all delightful as Sammy is real and unique and brave and flawed. She makes mistakes and does incredibly courageous things at the same time. She overcomes obstacles in messy ways and is just so relatable. She makes enemies and friends and enemies that eventually become friends. These books have been uplifting to my soul these past few weeks and I'm sad to close the chapter on the last book. And just one more plug Wendelin Van Draanen ends the series in an amazingly satisfying way which makes reading them all the more fun. 

Recommend: Of course, all of them!

Jack & Louisa Act 1 by Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead

 Junior fiction. I was looking for some fun easy reads at the library and this looked like it would fit the bill. Jack and Louisa are obsessed with musical theater, in fact Jack has actually performed on Broadway. He moves down the street from Louisa, far away from New York City. Their friendship has a rocky start, but they end up helping each other do the thing they love-perform on stage. 

I enjoyed this quick little read. It's the first in the series, the other two books being Act II and Act III. 

Recommend: Yes. 

Sammy Keyes series

 Sammy Keyes is a series written by Wendelin Van Draanen. Sammy is a 7th grader who lives with her grandma in her seniors only high rise. Her mother is off being an actress in Hollywood and Sammy has to pretend to only be visiting her grandmother since no children are allowed to live in her grandmother's building. Sammy is one of my favorite fictional characters. She's brave and vulnerable, sassy and kind, smart and resourceful. She solves mysteries with the help of her varied friends. These books are short and wonderful. I've read them all before, but these revisits have made my soul happy. There is one book for every month of her 7th grade year. So far I've reread the first 4. 

Recommend: Very much!

The Grey King by Susan Cooper

 Junior Fantasy Fiction. Fulfills "Newbery winner or honor" category in the Pioneer Book Challenge.

I've read this dozens of times in my life time, it won the Newbery award in 1976. It's the 4th book in the 5 book series, The Dark is Rising. I read this out loud to my boys and they enjoyed it immensely. It takes place in Wales and is based in Arthurian mythology. The entire series is wonderful!

Recommend: Yes

Worth the Wrestle by Sheri Dew

 Non-Fiction. Fulfills the "Self Help" category in the Pioneer Book Challenge.

I have always loved to listen to Sheri Dew speak. She has a way with words and can express difficult concepts in a relatable way. Brian and I read this book together and it has helped us think about gaining answers to difficult questions. Asking questions is never a negative exercise, but it is one filled with effort and can be considered a wrestle. The biggest takeaway for me was that perhaps answers are not the most important thing in asking questions, but the closeness and love that I feel from my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ as I ask and act. 

Recommend: Yes. 

Messiah: The Little-Known Story of Handel's Beloved Oratorio by Tim Slover

 Non-Fiction. Fulfills "New Arrival Downstairs" category in the Pioneer Book Challenge

When I was in Provo a few months back I stopped by the Pioneer Bookstore. As part of this book challenge I'm doing, some of the categories need to be purchased at their store. Side note: if you ever have a chance to visit the Pioneer Bookstore in Provo, GO!  It's a used bookstore and has wonderful nooks and crannies to discover and sit and read. I saw this one on the New Arrival table and picked it up. The fact that it included a CD in the back of the Tabernacle Choir singing the Messiah sealed the deal for me and I bought it. 

It's a short book that covers the social environment around the time that Handel composed The Messiah. Even though I know the music well, I had not known about the situation surrounding the singers Handel chose to sing and how the public reacted. It's easy to look back on music history and assume that all these masterpieces were received with many accolades. This was an interesting look into Handel's life and how he navigated the performers he worked with and the public's reaction. 

Recommend: yes

Girls Day Out in KC

 With the "men" gone on a campout this week, Lucy and I got to spend some girl time together. Today we picked up Audrey and baby Ollie and headed to the Nelson Atkins Museum. We spent a few hours there and didn't get to see everything, but loved what we did see. 

I didn't take any photos inside the museum, but my favorite was the famous Degas painting, Rehearsal of the Ballet. The huge sculpture garden that is outside was Lucy's favorite. It was quite hot, so we didn't spend as much time outside as we would have wanted. Little Ollie had a good time tooling around though!

Ollie crawling up to see his Aunt Lucy

These large badminton birdies are my favorite-there are several of them.

Just chillin' in the shade

Can you sleep through a tornado?

 One of the things people think of when the Midwest is mentioned is tornadoes. Even though Missouri is not technically in "tornado alley" there are still numerous tornado warnings throughout the summer. Early Wednesday morning the first of the summer warnings hit the Kansas City area. In Liberty we have a very loud tornado warning alarm that goes off that is about one mile from us and our phones will go off when the National Weather Service sends out a tornado warning that tells you to get to a safe place away from windows and preferably in the basement. Those alarms went off around 2:00am. Everyone in our house slept right through them!  (To be fair, our phones were plugged in the kitchen and not next to our beds.) But the wind and the rain were really loud and intense. Even that didn't wake me up. We lost power sometime in the night and it was off for about 12 hours. When I walked out my front door to go on a walk Wednesday morning this is what met my eyes:

We have 8 large trees in our yard and one of the large branches many feet up sheared right off and landed within a foot of our roof and front windows. We feel very blessed that it did not hit anything. 

All of us spent the morning breaking the branches down and clearing everything away. We had some very kind neighbors who leant us a chain saw and pruners and came and helped so that it was all cleared up and taken away in a few hours. 

It was garbage pick up day and we were able to get everything bagged and on the curb by the time the compost garbage truck came by. None of our neighbor's trees were touched, but there were several trees down across the city with some having fallen on cars and mailboxes. No tornadoes touched ground near us thankfully. 

In the future I believe we will be placing our phones nearer our bedrooms!