SNAP Around the World

Every year, my family participates in the SNAP program and I try to attend at least one of the two performances. This year, I was able to nab some pretty sweet shots with my new phone!

Birthday, Anniversary, and Eclipse

Happy birthday to my dad, happy work anniversary to me (I started my job this very day five years ago), and of course, happy Solar Eclipse!

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday!

Happy Easter, everybody! Hope you all had a nice one!

And happy birthday to Grandpa Dahl, who would have been 96 today.

Who is the old and handsome dog?
Grandpa’s the old and handsome dog
Who’s very handsome, but not a frog?
Grandpa’s very handsome but not a frog
Handsome dog
Not a frog
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa, Grandpa Dahl!

Who gives out gifts of Andes Mints?
Grandpa gives gifts of Andes Mints
Who’s always handy with helpful hints?
Grandpa’s so handy with helpful hints
Andes Mints
Helpful hints
Handsome dog
Not a frog
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa, Grandpa Dahl!

Who’s always very warm and huggy?
Grandpa’s so very warm and huggy
Who’s always saying, “Stay in the buggy”?
Grandpa always says, “Stay in the buggy!”
Very huggy
Stay in the buggy
Andes Mints
Helpful hints
Handsome dog
Not a frog
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa, Grandpa Dahl!

Who’s got the cozy fireplace?
It’s Grandpa’s cozy fireplace
Who’s got that big smile on his face?
Grandpa wears a big smile on his face
Fireplace
Smile on face
Very huggy
Stay in the buggy
Andes Mints
Helpful hints
Handsome dog
Not a frog
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa, Grandpa Dahl!

Who’s ready to fish in the stream?
Grandpa just loves his fishing stream
Who feeds us cookies with cool ice cream?
Grandpa’s got lots of cool ice cream
Fishing stream
Cool ice cream
Fireplace
Smile on face
Very huggy
Stay in the buggy
Andes Mints
Helpful hints
Handsome dog
Not a frog
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa
Must be Grandpa, Grandpa Dahl!

(END OF SONG)

2024 New Phone

Or, more accurately, a more updated version of my previous phone. My uncle got one for me and one for my mom, which is super-duper nice of him.

Then I had a lot of fun picking out a new case. The hard part was deciding what color and design I wanted. 

2024 Leap Year

Today's the day that comes around almost every four years. According to Wikipedia: "Every year that is exactly divisible by four is a leap year, except for years that are exactly divisible by 100, but these centurial years are leap years if they are exactly divisible by 400. For example, the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 are not leap years, but the years 1600 and 2000 are."

I had a Creative Writing teacher in high school who was born on Leap Day. I wonder whether the people born on Leap Day celebrate their birthday on February 28 or March 1.

In any case, hope this day will be a good day for all of you. These are the same frogs I drew for FanX; I put them on button pins and fridge magnets, and they sold moderately well.

Scripture Journals: The Book of Mormon: 1 Nephi 7-22

Wow, it’s been a while since my last entry. I never was very good at maintaining a steady journal or regular scripture study, and my New Year’s resolution was to (try to) be more of a finisher, so there you are.

But for the first time in the longest time, I’ve completed the entire First Book of Nephi, starting with chapter 7. Usually I stop by the time I finish the story of the Brass Plates or the Tree of Life, and I’ll bet more people read Nephi’s story than all the other stories in the Book of Mormon. I think it’s safe to say he holds the record. 

Anyway, as I said in my previous entry, I have a little more sympathy for Laman and Lemuel than I did when I was younger. That being said, I only pity them to a certain extent. There’s still a line I draw and refuse to move. After a time, I start frowning on them more, though I try to refrain from passing final judgment.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned throughout 1 Nephi, it’s that attitude makes all the difference. When bad things happen, all Laman and Lemuel (and most of the others) do is sit around and pout, whereas Nephi actually does something about it. Every time Nephi gets knocked facefirst into the dirt, he just climbs back to his feet, dusts himself off, and tries again.

If anything, Nephi has more cause to complain than the whole bunch of them put together. He can wallow in plenty of self-pity, but he chooses not to. And that’s why I sympathize with him and admire him the most.

For that matter, it may come as a bit of a shock to hear Nephi actually criticize himself in the next book: “Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.”

That was enough to make me do a double take the first time I seriously read that passage. “Wait a minute, this is Nephi we’re talking about here? Nephi, of all people, a man guilty of many sins? Am I reading this right? Is that even possible?”

It’s also quite an unpleasant surprise when Lehi gets to the point of murmuring, enough to where the Lord rebukes him personally.

In hindsight, however, I appreciate both these moments because they show that Nephi and Lehi were still human like the rest of us. They both had a long way to go, so it’s only natural they would stumble more than once along the way, like a child learning to walk for the first time. It’s not like a baby can just jump up and start running like the wind, right?

One of my most favorite movies of all time is The Prince of Egypt. I’ve also seen The Ten Commandments and I like that one well enough by itself, but on a personal level, I say The Prince of Egypt told the story of Moses much better. 

In The Ten Commandments, Moses is pretty much an infallible Superman from beginning to end. Absolutely nothing can stand in his way, and there’s nothing wrong with that portrayal of him by any means. But in The Prince of Egypt, Moses feels a whole lot more relatable. He shows a greater emotional vulnerability, his relationship with Pharaoh pulls on your heartstrings much harder, he makes plenty of mistakes but learns well from them, and overall, he goes through phenomenal character growth. He’s an ordinary man who becomes extraordinary, and that’s what I love.

To be fair to Nephi, there’s only so much of his story we can gather in just a few chapters, since this story alone spans at least thirty years. As a result, a boatload of details are left out, so it’s all too easy to overlook Nephi’s mistakes and place him on a little too high a pedestal. But Nephi knows what he’s done and he could be as hard on himself as we all too often are on ourselves.

Lehi wasn’t a perfect man by any means, either. They mean it when they say nobody is perfect. He had an understandable lapse of judgment after a long, hard journey in the wilderness, but the important thing is he acknowledged his mistake and repented of it. There’s something to be said for someone who honestly owns up to their mistakes; even in our day, far too many people will go to incredible lengths to avoid a modicum of responsibility. It’s a weird form of self-preservation.

Which makes that famous scene from The Lion King that much more applicable: “Oh, yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” 

Everybody in Nephi’s family was hurt to some degree or another. There was no way in the world any of them were getting out of this voyage unscathed. Laman and Lemuel chose to dwell on their pain and make a useless effort to run from their problems, and once again, that’s where I stop feeling sorry for them. But Nephi and Lehi, as well as Sam and Zoram, chose to learn from their problems and that’s what got them through said problems.

When Nephi was putting the ship together, Laman and Lemuel just said, “We always knew you were crazy, little brother, but this time, you’ve really lost your marbles!”

Nephi, upon receiving instruction to build a ship, didn’t moan to the Lord, “What are you asking me to do? I can’t build a ship! That’s impossible!” Instead, he asked, “Where can I find ore to make the necessary tools for such a construction?” Already, he was rolling back his sleeves and ready to get going.

And that, I think, is why Nephi stands out among the greatest Book of Mormon heroes and most ideal role models. No, he wasn’t perfect, but in due time, practice did indeed make perfect.

Happy (Un)Birthday, Corie!

I'm a little late for this, but better late than never. A very happy birthday to my baby sister, Corie! Hard to believe she's 27 already. Where do the years go?