MaeLyn's Musings

Have you ever read a book, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and wanted to share it with other people, but then realized that other people who don't have your same sense of humor might not appreciate it, think it was stupid, and thus think you are stupid for recommending it, and so you don't share it after all? But then did you ever wonder if anyone else you know has read that book as well and enjoyed it as much as you did? We are planning on replacing the carpet in our home next week, and in preparation I've been boxing up the contents of our bookshelves in order to make them easier to move. That has left me with a shortage of reading material, and so I went browsing in my boys' rooms (I haven't packed anything there yet) for something to read. I came across a book that I know John likes, but I had never read before, although I have read other books by the same author. This one was geared for younger readers, however, and I had ignored it. So I decided to read it, an...

Guest post by Steven Hiatt When I started work at my current job my boss was a guy named Kevin. He left the company a little over a year ago but in early January he reached out to me and offered to take me to lunch to "catch up". At that lunch he told me about the new place he is working at and about the people that are working there and in the course of the conversation mentioned that they had a need for someone with my skills and would I even be open to leaving MDC? I have been at my current job for over six years now and for the most part I have liked the job. I liked having Kevin for a boss, but the boss I have now I feel doesn't understand what I do or what my skills are. Plus I work on the other side of town which usually means about 45 minutes to an hour commute each way. The office where Kevin now works? About three miles from my house. So I told him I would at least be interested in hearing what they had to say and so Kevin organized an interview with me and the...

Apparently it can be a difficult thing for a missionary to figure out what to write to their family and friends each week. I thought I would write up a sort of template (Madlib-ish style) of ideas for them to make it a little easier. (Of course they should feel free to elaborate on anything or skip anything that isn't relevant to them.) Dear family and friends, Hello, this is your favorite missionary in     (Mission Name/ Place)    . I'm currently serving in    (area)    with my companion, Elder/Sister    (name)    . He/she is    (adjective)    and we get along     (adverb)    . We struggle with     (verb ending in -ing)     but we are     (verb ending in -ing)     to do better. Something I really like about him/her is that he/she _________________________.    (Name)    was baptized this week!...

Have you ever felt like you jinxed yourself? You thought something was under control, and next thing you know, it's not? Sunday night, due to procrastination in getting a prescription refilled, I only had one of the two anti-seizure pills that I normally take every night. I remember thinking, "It's been over a year since my last seizure. If I can get through the next day or two without a seizure in spite of the half dose tonight, maybe they won't be a problem any more." Monday around noon, my sister who also has seizures called, and again I found myself thinking about how long it had been since I'd had a seizure, and how nice that was. Later that afternoon when I picked up my prescription, the pharmacist told me that my doctor wanted to talk with me. It had been several months since I last saw her, so on Tuesday morning I made an appointment for their first opening, in a few weeks. Wednesday night, as I was falling asleep, I remember having a familiar ...

Last night, Peter got to perform at the Northglenn High School Poetry Slam, held at the City of Northglenn's DL Parsons Theater. He was the only student performer who recited his poem entirely by memory, and he did a fantastic job! Here is "The Poem," the poem that he wrote.

A witness is someone who has seen an event take place or who otherwise has knowledge of something from personal observation or experience. The Lord's policy is that "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." (2 Corinthians 13:1, Matt 18:16, Ether 5:4, D&C 6:28) And yet, many of the first events of the Restoration of the gospel in these latter days appear to have no witnesses. Joseph Smith was alone when he had his first vision of God and his Son. He was alone when he was visited by the angel Moroni. He went through great lengths to keep the plates that contained the record of the Nephites hidden from sight. How can we know that these events actually happened? 1. The first vision. Joseph went alone to the woods to pray. How can we know that this event took place? What witnesses besides Joseph Smith can we turn to? When Joseph returned home after this incredible experience, his mother noticed he had no strength and asked him what the ...

(Steven wrote this description of our adventure for Hannah and John and gave me permission to post it here as well for historical purposes. Enjoy! ) So we were invited to go spend New Years Eve with April and Dean. As you may recall, April and Dean live in Wyoming. Now if I were to ask you what was the first thing you thought of when I mention Wyoming, what would you say? What's the first thing that comes to mind? Well, quite possibly the thing you think about Wyoming is "windy". And you would be correct. I even checked the weather before we went and instead of saying 'Sunny' or 'Partly Cloudy' it said 'Windy'. Now April and Dean live about an hour north of Cheyenne and between Cheyenne and their house is pretty much nothing. When we got to Cheyenne there were flashing signs saying "Trucks, RV's, and anything pulling a trailer, don't even think about driving any farther. For the rest of you, may God have mercy on your souls." or ...