The Heavens

I share a deep passion with my father, astronomy. He developed a love for the stars from his father. I hope to pass along my knowledge to my children, for it is a science that is easy to find, explain and understand. While the stars and planets do move across the sky through the night and throughout the seasons, they are unchanging in their course. They are predictable, steady and simply beautiful to behold.

The past two nights I have talked of the sky with my dad on the phone. I told him how on a cold and foggy morning last week while driving the boys to school, there in the west was the large lovely moon full, round and bright. Directly across the sky in the east was the fiery orange sun, shiny boldly through the mist. It made me think of Star Wars when they show planets that have more than one moon. How exquisite that would be. My dad laughed and said, if he were to ever create a planet he would certainly make at least two moons. I agreed.

My dad then inquired if I had been watching Venus move closer to Jupiter. I had seen Jupiter glowing bright always near one of my favorite constellations Sagittarius (south near the horizon, shaped like a teapot) and was eager to witness for myself the next day.Alas, tonight we had an unforeseen snow storm arrive in Lexington putting a halt to my star gazing plans. But as I put the kids to bed the phone rang and it was my dad on the line wondering if I saw the planets. It made me smile and the hundreds of miles between us seemed to disappear knowing I can look out and see the same sky, the same stars, the same planets every single night, just as he can in Utah. It made me feel like I was home. And like I wrote before, there is nothing better than that.VenusJupiter While I love the actual act of star gazing, I also think you can look at astronomy on a much deeper, more personal level.

I love the passage in the Book of Mormon when Alma is speaking to Korihor about signs. Alma Chapter 30:43 reads: "And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words."

In verse 44 Alma gives his reply. "But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

Not only do I love to discuss the heavens with my earthly father, but when I gaze upon the wonders of the universe I, like Alma, know that I have a Heavenly Father as well. I know without a doubt that He is our Supreme Creator. He had the plan and he saw it through. The big bang theory just simply does not add up. Modern space discoveries alone prove there is order in creation and that new planets and stars are constantly being born. Life continues on.

I think of how our own universe, earth and man were created. We can read in Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis Chapter 2:7 it reads , "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

Heavenly Father not only created the world, but he created my spirit and I am his child. We all are his children. I love standing with the young women each week and reciting the theme: "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him.”

I am humbled to know that a being so great and powerful knows ME and cares about ME and wants ME to be happy and succeed his this mortal earth life. My testimony is strengthened and I have more resolve to make good choices, to love and cherish my husband and children because I know why I am here, where I came from and what I have to do to get back home. And that truly is the place we all want to be. For eternity.

Since the earliest days of astronomy, since the time of Galileo, astronomers have shared a single goal — to see more, see farther, see deeper. The Hubble Space Telescope's launch in 1990 sped humanity to one of its greatest advances in that journey. Every breathtaking photo in this post was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. It has beamed hundreds of thousands of images back to Earth, shedding light on many of the great mysteries of astronomy. Its gaze has helped determine the age of the universe, the identity of quasars, and the existence of dark energy. Hubble's discoveries have transformed the way scientists look at the universe. And how I look at it as well. So tonight take a moment to stop and look up and enjoy the heavens above. They truly are a gift from our Heavenly Father.

Fall

Every year, when the air gets a bit of chill, the sun has a different slant, the flip flops are put away and the boots and sweaters are ready for wear, the soup is hot on the stove top, pumpkin and spice scents fill my home, football crowds tailgate and cheer for their beloved team and the tree tops become full of brilliant hues of orange, red and yellow, I fall in love all over again. I love autumn. I love the change it brings. The holidays are near. It means family, being thankful, giving service and of course good food.

When I think of fall, the perfect mental image that makes my heart fill with joy takes me back to my high school days riding in the Tracker. I see myself in my little red car, the top down, the air cool, a jacket keeping me warm while driving down a small tree lined road in Springville headed to the office. There were bursts of rust and gold in the trees and in my rear view mirror I could see the leaves rustle and scatter as my car sped past. Ahead a few leaves gently floated in the air gliding toward the ground. Halloween, Thanksgiving and soon Christmas are on my mind. Beauty. Happiness. Peace. I love recalling those fall days.

I am certainly not a poet, but I love the feeling these written words can convey so I searched to find the perfect one. I was surprised to discover all the gloomy poems that appeared while I looked. Then I read a piece by Paul Laurence Dunbar (who just happens to have a high school named after him here in Lexington) that captured my feelings of this lovely, beautiful time of year.
Merry Autumn by Paul Laurence Dunbar

It's all a farce,—these tales they tell
About the breezes sighing,
And moans astir o'er field and dell,
Because the year is dying.

Such principles are most absurd,—
I care not who first taught 'em;
There's nothing known to beast or bird
To make a solemn autumn.

In solemn times, when grief holds sway
With countenance distressing,
You'll note the more of black and gray
Will then be used in dressing.

Now purple tints are all around;
The sky is blue and mellow;
And e'en the grasses turn the ground
From modest green to yellow.

The seed burs all with laughter crack
On featherweed and jimson;
And leaves that should be dressed in black
Are all decked out in crimson.

A butterfly goes winging by;
A singing bird comes after;
And Nature, all from earth to sky,
Is bubbling o'er with laughter.

The ripples wimple on the rills,
Like sparkling little lasses;
The sunlight runs along the hills,
And laughs among the grasses.

The earth is just so full of fun
It really can't contain it;
And streams of mirth so freely run
The heavens seem to rain it.

Don't talk to me of solemn days
In autumn's time of splendor,
Because the sun shows fewer rays,
And these grow slant and slender.

Why, it's the climax of the year,—
The highest time of living!—
Till naturally its bursting cheer
Just melts into thanksgiving.

Most of all I hope I can live by these words on my count down calendar:

Each and every day and teach my children to do the same. This is the true spirit of Thanksgiving. Counting our blessings, each and every one.

Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Fall!

Movie Madness

Today was a historic day for the Jackson clan. We attempted something we have NEVER done before. Ever. We all piled into the van and headed to the movies. All of us. Yup. Every seat in the van was occupied.

Okay, so that opening statement is only partially true. Rich and I have gone to movies together, just not in a very, very, very long time. We have taken the boys to movies when we were home in Utah. And Rich has taken the boys to a number of movies here in Lexington since I consider that precious boy bonding time, but this still was a monumental day. It was the girls very first maiden voyage to the theaters and my first time to watch a show on the big screen in Lexington. Yes, the girls are 2 1/2 and we have lived here just about that long and while I catch every movie that comes out of DVD, watching them when they are released is not my thing. Why? Babies baby. They do not like sitting still, not talking, being awake in a dark room and lets be honest, if they don't like it, then I won't be liking it either. I will surely end up roaming the halls and foyer, but this isn't church folks, so I wouldn't be pleased wasting my time or money while the rest of the group finishes the flick.

In fact all this movie talk got me thinking and I added up in my head and came up with only two shows I have watched in a theater while living in Kentucky these past EIGHT years. Two: Castaway (thanks to Jim and Marcie for watching Trey on my birthday!) and an animated film the boys and I watched at Trevor Underwood's birthday party. So this was a huge day because now I could say three.The weather was perfect for a show- cold, windy and rainy, not happy pleasant fall football weather. I had high hopes.I guess all of us did. And the fact we got a huge popcorn probably increased the smiling a bit too.The girls loved all the lights, posters and people.

Brynn really loved this dog on display and was ready for her close up in front of the camera.

Off to the movie: Madagascar 2. The girls are in love with Enchanted (and I have been humming the music all day until I finally got on iTunes and bought the songs so I could sing along with words!) so I though, maybe, just maybe we could make it through since it was animated and filled with animals.Nope. They were good, I'll give them that. But after 50 minutes no gloriously drawn, hysterical creature on the screen could keep them focused on the film. We could have made it if I had brought more candy and sippy cups and there were less people in the theater to annoy, but when Kaitlyn has boldly told you 'Go Home' loudly at least three times and Brynn is standing in the aisle staring at the poor guy on the back row and telling me she's wants to leave, I'll obey. So we ended up at McDonald's down the way while the boys finished the film. And that was just fine by me. Where else can you get free hamburgers and ice cream cones with your Halloween coupon book? (12 coupons for a dollar. I LOVE those things!)Plus, how can you beat making your own pickle sandwich? Hard to compete with I know. Maybe we'll have better luck next time. But for now, I think I'll just stick to DVDs.

Life

Today was a very rare day- one that didn't have any appointments or lists or places to rush to and from. A true 'free day' in my book.

You see it was one of the first days that I didn't have a sick child home from school

Illness Report Card
Friday:Matt
Saturday/Sunday: Brynn and Kaitlyn
Monday: Trey
Tuesday: Matt

Or didn't have one thing on my schedule

Tuesday: Veterans Day program, science fair project
Wednesday: play group, boy scouts
Thursday: lunch with the boys, Wal-mart, post office, Trey basketball, R.S. Book Group at my house

So it felt to nice to just stay put.

I tackled and completed washing all the bedding in the house and remaking six beds. Not quite fun, but it is so wonderful to sleep in clean sheets.

The highlight of my day was easy to choose. It was just being with my two cuties. Yes, besides laundry, cleaning up the kitchen and making dinner we didn't do much on the job check list, but I think what we did do was FAR more important than any chore, list or event.

We just played and played and played. I dressed no less than 2o Disney princesses, combed at least 8 Barbie's hair, swaddled and fed 4 babies twice, danced and sang along to Enchanted, played a few fierce games of Barnyard Bingo, Hi Ho Cherrio and Oreo mix and match and assisted in some fabulous outfit changes.

And I went to bed happy knowing that my two sweeties knew without a doubt that their Mama loved them. With my whole heart and soul. Outfit selection #4: All by herself!
This photo makes me have flashbacks of the 80's. Yes, the girls put these colorful concoctions together all on their own. I just don't have the talent for matching items like they do.

Brynn's version of Ariel.
Love you crazy girls!