New.FamilySearch.org

The Other Bolyn Girl: wow, what a bunch of ugliness. True or not, it was distasteful.

Becoming Jane: yeah, good to know some background of Ms. Austen.

Miss Potter: sweet story, predictable but safe. Sometimes I need to see a safe movie.

Soda called to say he is on the new.FamilySearch.org and inputting the links for our family history. It is good that he can find names to take to the temple now without having to wait for me to get myself to the family history center and print some off or make him a disc. He said he called mom to get her data to make those links. He's got the fire. Flame On! Go, brother!!!

I found a book online that was written by a long lost relative of mine. The book is about some of the history of my family and the land they owned and worked for generations. I'm excited to get it and read all about it. It is a novel, but it is based on factual accounts of events surrounding the time of the novel in that part of the country.

Some of the stories I've encountered about our ancestors and their families have been so interesting to me that I long to find more. I've even found news articles and some sketches of people and their homesteads, etc. The old maps I find show the land ownerships and the lay of the land in the old days. The accounts I have found have been of some wonderful people doing amazing things and leaving powerful legacies of kindness and philanthropy. They are stories of people who survive and even thrive despite obstacles and oppositions. It surprises me that with all of these great souls doing good in that part of the U.S., not one ever encountered the Church. My family was the first to embrace the Gospel. Makes me wonder why. That is to say, why did they live right there in the heart of the restoration territory with no connection to it at all.

What else. Oh yea. My dog keeps running off. When he did it again tonight I was resolved to letting the thing spend the night outside in the cold in an effort to demonstrate that staying close to home = warmth. But my son was beside himself with worry and even upset that I let the dog out without standing vigil over him. So, I told AJ to do what he felt prompted to do and to make sure the dog understood our displeasure once he was found. AJ bundled up and set out in the dark, whistling his distinct tone for the dog to hear at a distance. Soon they returned and the dog fled to his corner spot. As AJ tried to take the dog to another location the dog bit AJ on the arm. We think it was because AJ had ahold of one of the dog's ears and was in pain. Nevertheless, AJ's skin wasn't broken and he's okay. The dog, on the other hand, is one step away from becoming homeless. He will spend the night alone in the bathroom. The dog is clueless but this makes us feel like he is being punished.

School again tomorrow. Too much math, not enough help. I prayed for help and for a clear mind to be able to understand the material and make sense of the formulas that I have to commit to memory. The prompting came that I should get myself to the local thrift store and purchase a desk lamp (the type that clamps on and the neck can be bent to point the light). I went straight out and found exactly that! A perfect light for $5. It's even got a blue shade which is my school's color! Anyway, I came home, cleared off a small table, moved it into my room and set up a desk for myself with my new lamp on it. On the walls surrounding it I mounted my favorite photo of myself and my kidlets when they were toddlers. I also put up a frame with sayings that inspire me to keep going. Then I put up a 5x7 of the Savior and beneath this I hung the deadline pages of my class syllabi. Soon, I was back at my studies and making headway. Stunningly enough, I was able to think clearly and make some sense of the work. Faith precedes the miracle.

Time to heat the water for the hot water bottle. It's cold in here tonight. Cya.