Little Destiny. Her body was found in the basement of a home just a few houses away from where she lived. The officials have arrested a man, the single resident of the house.

I ache inside when I read this. Her family has had many struggles it seems. And it seems as if the struggles will continue as the family figures a way to reconcile themselves with this tragic event. I pray for justice. I pray for peace and comfort to come to this family.

I am so very grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that provides a way for us to continue in our families for eternity. May that hope carry these grieving dear ones through these next few weeks and buoy them up through the coming years.

FIND DESTINY NOW!

This post will stay at the top of my blog until July 30. Please scroll down for daily posts.

FIND DESTINY!!! <-----please click on this link now!

Destiny Norton

5 years old, 3’6”, 45-50 lbs., strawberry blond hair with green streaks,
last seen wearing a black and gray striped adult T-shirt.
However, her hair may have been cut and/or dyed another color.
Destiny's bottom row of teeth are COMPLETELY SILVER-CAPPED.
Destiny may be in the company of an adult male.
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO RETURN DESTINY SAFELY HOME!
If you have seen Destiny, please call the Salt Lake City
Police Department at 801-799-3000.

A cash reward has been offered for information leading to a resolution for the case.
Please call the TIPS FOR CASH hotline at 801-799-INFO (801-799-4636).

www.FindDestiny.net

MEME-OLOGY
I found this at Lisa's and thought it was pretty cool... so here's to more navel gazing!

GRUB-OLOGY
What is your salad dressing of choice? very little (almost dry), on the side, varies with the salad
What is your favorite fast food restaurant? lately, El Pollo Loco
What is your favorite sit down restaurant? with money-Ruth Chris, with normal money-Olive Garden, but that can change too.
On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? Thor insists on at least 20%, more if the service is good.
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Currently El Pollo chicken. But in the past I actually ate a Caesar Salad every day for three months and never tired of it.
Name three foods you detest above all others. Organ meats, poi, Bugles (when just saying "bugles" can start my gag reflex, and a wave of nausea ensues)
What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant? Mongolian Chicken
What are your pizza toppings of choice? cashews, red onion, sausage (the old "Pizza Chalet Special")
What do you like to put on your toast? I prefer it burnt with real butter and a side of hot cocoa to dip it in.
What is your favorite type of gum? wintergreen

TECH-OLOGY
Number of contacts in your cell phone? 130 (once had the entire ward list and then some on it, but got released...so there you go.
Number of contacts in your email address book? 86
What is your wallpaper on your computer? A photo I took of a sunset on Oahu.
What is your screensaver on your computer? none, it goes to sleep.
Are there naked pictures saved on your computer? I sincerely hope not!
How many land line phones do you have in your house? one
How many televisions are in your house? 3. 1 isn't hooked up to anything, just sits there. The other two are on the small side with very limited channels.
What kitchen appliance do you use the least? Bread Maker
What is the format of the radio station you listen to the most? mainly rely on c.d.s but when the radio is on it's usually, NPR/PRI, classic, rock, and some talk -in that order

BI-OLOGY
What do you consider to be your best physical attribute? I have great skin and I absolutely adore my hair colour.
Are you right handed or left handed? right handed, but a tad ambidextrous
Do you like your smile? Yes
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Tonsils, appendix (while pregnant-that's great timing), wisdom teeth, one molar, girl parts, something I won't admit too, a couple of nasty little biopsies here, here, and there, children, and a nail that was impaled just right of my spine.
Do you prefer to read when you go to the bathroom? No, and I do not see what the attraction is in that. Get in, get out. If I want to linger someplace it sure isn't the bathroom.
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? scence of smell
When was the last time you had a cavity? about three years ago, however I probably have one currently
What is the heaviest item you lift regularly? I can move a piano with relative ease if I use my legs. If I have to lift with my arms alone...hmm, probably not much more than a gallon of milk. Yup I have NOOOOoooooo upper body strength, never have.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? not sure

MISC-OLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? no
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? I actually had the opportunity to do this once and passed. I really really have come to like my name. Now, with that, you must know I have a name that has a peculiarity to it and have rarely found anyone who doesn't comment, nickname me, or at least joke about it. hmmm.
How do you express your artistic side? Every way I can!
What color do you think you look best in? red and lately baby turquoise
How long do you think you could last in a medium security prison? not long
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? oh my heck yes, GAG! (never smile while riding your bike!)
If we weren't bound by society's conventions, do you have a relative you would make a pass at? no
How often do you go to church? Every Sunday, and at least twice during the week, plus all sorts of church related jobs, chores and assignments almost everyday.
Have you ever saved someone's life? Yes.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Little Man has competition

Thursday afternoon, this little guy decided enough was enough and came into the world. Weighing in at 7 pounds and 1 ounce he stretched himself out to a whopping 18.5 inches long. All ten toes, all ten fingers and two enormous lungs that seem to work just fine.

Little Man adores him; as do all of his family members. Speaking of family members -it brings up traits. He is who he is and that said, he hasn't stopped eating since arrival. Good luck momma!

procrastinating...

A while back I -like years ago- I was called to be in the Relief Society Presidency (asked by our church leaders to be in the Woman's Organization presidency). That particular calling lasted 32 days. I understood all the why-s and how-s, and the limited time working with the group. It was all very clear once it was all over.

I just recently held another position in that same organization for about 11 months or so. (for those of you who may be unfamiliar, usually a woman is asked to serve in this capacity for about 5 or so years.)

After a month or so I was called to be in the "Stake" Relief Society Presidency. LDS lingo check: ward = congregation. A "stake" refers to the tent stakes that supported Solomon's Temple. LDS folk use this term for a group of congregations in one geographic area, usually about 10 or so wards/congregations per stake. (ours currently has 14 wards and a "branch" at the local prisons for folks who want to attend services there and receive visits from the local leadership.) Our local area, meaning where we live we have access to 3 stakes, serve not only the "family wards", but also a Single Adult Ward (18-32 years), and a Spanish Ward, for Spanish language dependant members. We had a Deaf Branch at one time, but most of our deaf members moved from the area; so now we use interpretors when needed in meetings, etc. Stake leaders are called to positions to aide, instruct, and assist leaders in the wards, so that all members within the stakes are cared for, and led according to Gospel Principles.

We received the confirmation of rumor mills on Sunday. The stake will be divided (membership has risen: lots o' members) in September. Our stake, along with a neighboring stake will be re-aligned to form 3 new stakes. (ideal numbers in a stake: 3,000 members) This means the dissolvement of Presidencies. People in positions will have a release from their duties and new folks will get a crack at leadership. This is so that leadership is always close geographically to the members. It's really quite amazing how it all works.

So, with that in mind, I can look forward to another very short term in Relief Society, about 4 months. That makes me laugh.

Heavenly Father uses me in very specific ways. This helps me understand that He does indeed know me, my character and qualities, talents and how effective (or otherwise) I can be. I know that the church is truly directed by Him. I am excited to see where the local church will go, grow and just how we will all fit in the buildings we currently have!

One Word Meme...Impossible!

From Chronicler. This actually will be very difficult for me, I tend to ramble, I have been known to be a tad verbose. So on that happy little note, I bring you the "one word meme".

1. Yourself: conflicted
2. Your partner: love
3. Your hair: disobedient
4. Your mother: confused
5. Your father: puzzled
6. Your favorite item: access
7. Your dream last night: vivid
8. Your favorite drink: milk
9. Your dream home: secure
10. The room you are in: front
11. Your pleasure: beach
12. Your fear: loneliness
13. Where you want to be in 10 years: mission
14. Who you hung out with last night: sisters
15. What you're not: impressed
16. Your best friend: Thor
17. One of your wish list items: time
18. Your gender: female
19. The last thing you did: paint
20. What you are wearing: comfort
21. Your favorite weather: 78
22. Your favorite book: Abraham
23. Last thing you ate: salad
24. Your life: passionate
25. Your mood: content
26. The last person you talked to on the phone: sis
27. Who/what are you thinking about right now: Thor

Your turn!

Somebody call the waahmbulance!

I am not sure why, but my body is rebelling against me this week. Sunday evening I noticed the familiar "Frankenstein walk" that comes with over working muscles that have FMS. SOoooOOoo, why are they achey and weird now? Who knows. Also appearing on Sunday evening was a peculiar red bruise on the lower pad of my dominant thumb. A 50 cent piece sized, painful red bruise. And again, why? Neither over work nor injury to either legs or lower thumb. hmmm. (update: now it seems that the red bruise is also on the 'other side' of my lower thumb at the base where it connects to my wrist... kind of like it goes through my body at that point. weird. ow.)

Then, with Little Man's brudder arriving at any moment (have I mentioned we are expecting another little boy any day now??? I don't think I have. Well, we are. : > Much excitement!) -we decided that after the bunk beds had been removed there wouldn't be any place for Little Man to sleep. With that in mind Thor and I decided to purchase a very cheap 'pretend' captain's bed, you know, the twin bed with three drawers underneath. There are plans for a queen Murphy later, but about 2 years later, so buy the twin now.

The room is still in full redecoration. The bed has to be repainted to match the theme. Tiles need to be set in a window sill.

Thor woke up this morning and left about 6:00, which meant I was up at 6:30 for the day. No biggie, it gave me time before the sun scorched the pavement to prime the bed pieces. They needed (so far) three coats of primer. At about 7:00 a.m. I was standing over the boards in my driveway, being baked by a slow rising sun as I rolled paint. After about an hour I stood up and realized I couldn't. I hobbled into the house and sat directly in front of the water cooler (swamp cooler, alternative to an air conditioner) and let it blow dry the sweat off of me. ICK!

I took out any aggressions I had with a hammer on some really terrific tiles and began to place them in the sill. No photos as yet, but I promise I will soon.

Wah wah wah. Now both legs, my lower back and somehow both shoulders are doing the Frankenstein walk. Fun. I am walking into the walls. It's a good thing actually, always gets a laugh from the kids.

another update. It's now Wednesday morning and the three coats of primer on the bed dried and baked in high heat all day yesterday. However the paint is still just rubbing off. grrrr. I think I may have to sand or refinish the whole of the bed, which is not a happy thought. I am not liking fake furniture at this point and wish I could have lived with the fake wood look stuff that was on it. So, um, put out a call to the expert (#2 is a paint boy-genius) and just waiting for his opinion of what to do next.

Back top the bedroom for s'mee! Hopefully will be able to finish in there and get some stuff moving in by the weekend. Thor is still gone (wah!) and won't be home until late late tamale night, so I am working here today, spending the night at #1's, and going to work with Chronicler tomorrow.

That is all.

explanation

well yesterday was a doozy. First I started a meme, see below. It was only in a draft stage and well, I goofed up some html ///goofy stuff and computer talk ***; P >> and the computer and blogger told me that I couldn't publish it. So I copied what I had written in hopes of finding the miniscule error that was causing it to suspend in cyber world, correct it and then publish it this morning. um, no. That didn't happen.

Instead I woke up this morning with a banger headache. I took a couple of excedrine and headed for the blog to try and fix the blooper. Egads! It was published, and it wasn't finished and o. my. heck.

So after working yesterday from 9:00 a.m. to about 10:30 p.m. this -worst post in history- was out for all to read. Sorry folks.

So here is the new and -hopefully- improved version. I am now off to the temple for the actual sealing/wedding and then off to see a b-i-l who is down from up north. It will be another busy day, but worth it. Nothing beats a weekend that begins in the temple.

Have a great weekend; see y'all soon.

Meme from Lisa!

Miss Lisatagged folks to do this meme, I am just one of many... so here goes!

1. Do you think that anyone with a desire to create is an artist of sorts?

An artist of sorts, hmmm. I have a desire to be a NASCAR Racer, does that mean I am one? What would I need to do to prove that I am a NASCAR Racer?

Well, I do think that the two -desire and art- can and do go together-at times. I believe the importance or value of a work is in the eyes of the beholder. It is subjective. ( the difference in whether one considers ballet as "artful" as a sunset or Jeff Gordon.) Just because someone claims to be -an artist, or a particular piece as "art", doesn't necessarily mean that it is -to me.

Making something is different than creating something. I am one of those who feels there isn't any real original thought or ideas, just things that become more acutely clear once one is intellectually or emotionally capable of retrieving it and bringing it to a current placement. Life, for me, is a variation of themes already preset. That said, some folks are extremely talented at finding those things and beinging them to fruition...like the folks at GODIVA.

Take for instance Kim. She and about a million other people take tremendous photos, a lot of photos that are terrific. In that regard she is special, a few million folks on this rock can see things and create things that are already there and present them in a way that is unique, beautiful, and with whatever it is that makes her one of those millions as opposed to we Billions who cannot. We take pictures, she makes art. In addition to the "everyday" photos, she is able to tweak the images she captures and create more interesting pieces that tell a story and make one think. She is an artist to me, and you can know her character by what she produces.

I think that the result of creation and art, the actual piece (whether it is a building, driving with extreme skill, literature, fiber, our profession, photography, paper, paint etc. -whatever we do/create) reflects strongly on the character of the "artist". Like Kim. Like the author's of blogs. Like Moms and Dads. Like Oprah. Like the folks at GODIVA or Playb*y. By their fruits ye shall know them. Who are the real artists? Who are just screaming for attention to fill a void cause by lack of Spirit?

2. What frightens you most about getting older?

Knowing that someday I will be completely dependant upon someone else to care for myself. That, and I want to be a happy, funny old koot. Thinking of myself as angry and bitter frightens me. I am not afraid to die. That said, I don't want to jettison the planet just yet, I'm not ready, I have lists of things to do, and the need for self improvement is the longest. So, being independant as long as possible would be a blessing.

I have seen many older folks who seem to be very independant. They accomplish so much during their retirement years. I hope that as I grow older I can gain more control over this body, mind, and especially the words that seem to flow quickly from my mouth. I am my own worse enemy.

"Dear Lord, I have had a pretty good, lesson filled life; thank you so much! You gave me a very nice "house" to live in. I haven't been too wise or very good at maintaining what you gave me. As a result, I am in the process of remodelling and repairing. I might be too late for some of the framing and wiring, the plumbing comes and goes. The attic is pretty clutter with useless boxes filled with silly things I have accumulated along the way. I am trying to declutter and toss out old baggage, dusty containers etc. as we talk today. Hopefully I can fill the library with more, well written books and memorise passages that matter.

I am thinking about when I get older. I need Your help.

Please help me to use my time wisely, fruitfully, and with grace and humour. Help me to be pleasent to be around and stop complaining. Help me to help others. Surround me with positive folks and let me be a source of strength as I become more feeble. If my mind goes first, let my words be more childlike than those of a sailor. (I am working on that right now, any help you can give me now would certainly help, thanks.) If the body falls a part, let my heart stay focused on what is truly important. When the ears go deaf (sometime around 4:00 tomorrow-lol) let my lips speak only sweet words. When the eyes dim, let my hands give warmth and love. I already walk into walls when over worked, so please, as I fall into others, let me give them a laugh, and then stand up to do more good.

When it is time to go, let me go quickly so that I am not a burden. If I need to linger for a time in pain, confusion, or "limbo", impress my family to do what is best for them. I'm o.k. with pulling the plug. I know I will see everyone later anyway, why waste time sitting by a monitor. Help them to find humour in the tube up my nose and to remember I would try to laugh at it also. Let me remember that You know best and to have the wisdom to do what You would have me do.

Lastly, thanks for everyone You have surrounded me with while I have been here. Thanks for the lessons. Help me to remember who I am and how much I am really worth. See You soon. I love You. I miss You."

3. When was the first time you traveled by air? Where did you go?

Thor took me to Hawaii with him on a business trip. I am afraid of falling 50,000 feet. Heck, I am afraid of falling 15 feet, so this whole airplane business is a trial for me. The flight left from LAX and we headed straight for the ocean. The first hour out and the last hour in were terribly turblulent and it totally freaked me out. I sat there and cried silently, holding onto Thor's hand for life through the flight. He was so great and just kept telling me all the cool things we would experience. He prayed with and for me. He was great.

The flight was packed. If we fell out of the sky we would have bounced like a cub scout egg project. Thor bought me ear phones so I could watch the movie. It was The Perfect Storm, you know, the story of a ship full of fishermen who find themselves in the mid-Atlantic and all die, swallowed up in the perfect storm (hence the name, clever). Did I mention we were flying over the ocean for -like a bazillion hours? Yeah, great movie choice. The only movie choice that could have been worse would be perhaps, Castaway; where the main character is the only survivor of a plane that crashed, again in a lovely over the ocean storm, and lands himself on an island. Yup, that would have been worse. That lovely crash scene where Tom Hanks is gasping for breathe and struggling to save his sorry little life while the plane is sucking him into the depths of the sea... that was the home flight movie.

The Marine Officer next to me on the flight home had 4 cans of beer before we ever took off. I asked if he was afraid to fly also. "Never with the military. But these commercial flight scare the ^&*#$@#$ out of me." Great, big burly guy is as afraid as I am, Tom Hanks is drowning, and Thor is calmly sleeping. Egads.

The moral of the story is that I am somewhat of a seasoned flyer now. I still become very nervous and very afraid. But I have learned that Heavenly Father LOVES me very much. Prayer does indeed work. And, yes, the Good Lord cares enough for S'mee to stop turbulence and land us all safely wherever we have gone. I am always greatful!

Now, as Lisa did I do also. If you like these questions please let us know where you will write the answers and we'll all run over and add numbers to your stats counter. Thanks for playing!

um, duh

You are Barefoot!

You're a total free spirit, go with the flow girl You can't be restricted by shoes for very long And unsuprisingly, the same goes for men Your match is out there - and he's as carefree as you are

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

Well, everything except that men part... 30+ years with Thor and he's definately Mr. Stable. But they are right on when it comes to shoes; if I can get out of wearing them, I will.

I measure a size five. Yup, a rather small measurement until you consider that all my life those same small tiny feet have been extremely wide. (Mother dear says this is from walking around without shoes. Thanks mom.) I sometimes have to buy shoes 3 sizes up just to get them in a shoe. (ever see an elephant's foot? Small, yet the same size no matter which direction you view it from.) Salesmen have told me to "forget the shoes, just buy the box."

I have been known to take shoes off during social events and hide naked feet under a table for as long as I can. I enjoy the Polynesian cultures more for their perspective on footwear than anything else, well that, and they usually live on an island...

I was famous for teaching seminary every morning in a Sunday suit. But as soon as prayer was said, I kicked off whatever shoes I had on and taught in bare feet. At the end of my first year, there was a "roast" for the teachers. S'mee's part was portrayed quite well by a young person who talked with a very annoying "valley girl", was ridiculously happy happy happy, and barefoot; all at 5:30 in the morning. That's s'mee!

redo update:

O.k. so the paint is dry and I tried to tile/mosaic the window sill with sea glass. Umm. Not. I like the look, but it was just too irregular in depth. So I am going out to look for a different medium, perhaps old plates or such.

But I really liked the sea glass! wah.