welcome home, elder farrier!

Monday, February 1, Aaron returned home from his mission in the Monterrey Mexico East Mission. At first, he was scheduled to arrive at 8:15 pm. Then he called to say he'd missed his connecting flight in Portland and would arrive at 11:00 pm. Yikes! Super late. Then he called again to say he'd been rerouted and would arrive at 10:30. Almost on the dot, his plane arrived and he made his way down the stairs.

David made this fun sign to welcome him.
I especially like the little Mexican missionary in the middle.

Some wonderful friends from the ward were there to meet him. Some even beat us to the airport! And they came back when he was delayed. They brought little children. They were so supportive. It was a bit overwhelming for the newly-returned missionary, who wasn't quite sure what to do or to say. But it made him very happy. Thank you, Everyone!

Aaron brought back a sombrero for David,
and belts for David and for Dad.
It's a cool look for them both, don't you think?

More photos are to be seen on my facebook page. Check them out here.

my pioneer son

Last night was the Pioneer Trek Fashion Show. David looked great in his workman's smock!

Here he is with his pioneer buddy, Ryan:

The Denier vs. the Consensus

Galileo was an earth-centered-universe denier. In this year, the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s building of the first powerful astronomical telescope, it is good to look at his life and legacy.

The scientific, political, and religious “consensus” in his day was that the earth stood still and the universe revolved around it. This was Ptolemy’s theory. Because of the things he saw through his telescope, Galileo championed the theory of Copernicus that the earth and all the planets revolve around the sun. Because his views did not match the “consensus,” he was required to recant his views and spend the rest of his life under house arrest.

Scientists of the day had it all worked out: their models explained the motions of the planets and stars as they saw them. It was neat and tidy. There was just one problem:

The “consensus” was wrong.
The “denier” was right.

Thank you, Galileo.

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Want a nice way to support military troops and their families this Christmas? Click on the picture above to go to the American Red Cross website about Holiday Mail for Heroes. The Red Cross and Pitney Bowes have teamed up to help provide some holiday cheer for service members and veterans here and serving abroad. From now through December 7, they are collecting cards and will distribute them in time for Christmas.

(Don't confuse this with those viral email stories about sending mail to Walter Reed Hospital. Those are not for real. This is.)

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preservatives in my cosmetics! Check this out:



Eww!!