Top Five: Best of 2008

Everyone else is doing it, why don't I ? Here are my top five highly personalized best things of 2008.

5. Economics I. The company I work for, Novell, continued to do well enough to keep me employed, God bless 'em.

4. Economics II. The real estate investment we went into in 2005 went south this year, and we sold it in November for a loss. But, we avoided a bone-crushing loss and feel light as feathers now!

3. Family I. Our oldest son was able to resume a relationship with his son, which brought joy all around.

2. Family II. Another son and his family moved back to Utah from Houston. More joy all around!

1. Cyber-communication. I started a blog and a Facebook account this year. I can express my thoughts in this blog, to myself and a few dedicated readers, and on Facebook I can keep in touch with family and friends, sharing moments, photos, events and more.

This was the hardest entry to limit to five. A growing relationship with and love for my wife, joy in church service, new family history adventures, and interesting and loving extended family relationships are also treasures I'll look back on with happiness for 2008.

Top Five: Sorenson success tips

James Sorenson, successful businessman and philanthropist, was the richest person in Utah when he died earlier this year. Here are his five tips to success in life and business.

5. No. 1, decide and find out who you are. And what you want.

4. Focus on your most important goals. List six things you really want in life, then pare the list to three. Most of us have too many goals and all with the same value.

3. Have enthusiasm for the task. Avoid procrastination, get underway! It's easy to get off-track with distractions like television, shopping, and surfing the Internet.

2. Avoid negativism, the biggest enemy of success. People who seek the world darkly tend not to set goals. Watch out for the blame factor--it's easy to blame, easier than taking control.

1. Keep trying. Instead of saying 'I can't do it,' say, 'I can't do it yet.' Edison must have said 'yet' an awful lot.

Sorenson's final, general tip is "Recognize the limits of your control. We cannnot control everything, but we can steer our own course."

Top Five: Articles on humanitarian services, God, and the Mormons

In case you ever wondered what the LDS church is doing in humanitarian services, or whether it helps... Titles are also links to the original stories.

5. An atheist says Africa needs God. In this column, Mathew Parris argues that in spite of his personal atheism, God--specifically the Christian God--is good for Africa.

4. LDS Church aids in reducing measles. Incidents of measles worldwide have been reduced by 74% in the last eight years, in part due to efforts by the LDS church.

3. LDS Charities donates 750 wheechairs in Ghana. A third of them are "Rough Rider" models, suited for use in rural areas.

2. Islamic, Mormon groups unite in aid to Africa. High level TV report from a couple of years ago.

1. Lucky 13. Links to 13 articles about humanitarian activities the LDS church is doing all over the world.

And if you want to go to the source, visit the LDS Philanthropies Web site, and learn about their primary programs in clean water, emergency response, neo-natal resuscitation training, vision treatment training, and wheelchair distribution. Contribute, even!

Top Five: Inspiring lines from Christmas carols

Here are some lines that deeply affect me from a range of Christmas carols. If you know the tunes, let them roll around in your heart as you read the words. The titles link to video performances of each song.

5. Some Children See Him

The Children in each different place
will see the baby Jesus' face
like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace,
and filled with holy light.

O lay aside each earthly thing
and with thy heart as offering
come worship now the infant King,
'Tis love that's born tonight!

4. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.

Another arrangement of I Heard the Bells

3. O Holy Night

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new a glorious morn.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials, born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger.

2. In the Bleak Midwinter

What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb.

If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can, I give him,
Give, give my heart.

1. O Come, O Come Emmanuel

O come, desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel.


Have a merry and blessed Christmas!

Top Five: Ways to become a Utahn

Just read a nice post from Garrison Keillor on things to do to become a Minnesotan. He focused on 'getting in tune with the land' kind of stuff, but it got me thinking: What should a new transplant do to become a real Utahn? First thing of course is, never spell it Utahan. But here are my real top five, from my perspective as a transplant (1995):

5. Get in tune with the land. Visit the many places that speak to the varied beauty that makes up Utah. Visit Moab/Arches/slip over to Mesa Verde. And Zions/Bryce/Cedar Breaks. Golf in St. George and Salt Lake. Drive the Alpine Loop. Hike Timp. Ask around for other places.

4. Ski at least once. You have many choices: Alta Brighton Snowbird from the Salt Lake side, Canyons Park City Deer Valley from the Park City side. And Utah County's own Sundance. All less than an hour from where you live. Or do the other kind of skiing (see #3).

3. Get in tune with the water. Get to learn about water facts here, like how does the Wasatch Front avoid being a desert? What are 'water rights'? Get a friend with a boat and water ski or wakeboard at a reservoir or lake: Utah, Bear, Willard Bay, Jordanelle, Deer Creek. Float or canoe the Provo River--or for more adventure, the Colorado. Take a dip in the Great Salt Lake, out by Saltair (not many Utahns under 40 have done this). Learn about xeriscaping.

2. Check out our human attractions. Go out to eat and more, at places like the Red Rock Brewing Company or The Roof restaurant. See sports, like the Utah Jazz (pro basketball), the Grizzlies (hockey), the Bees (baseball), and University of Utah or Brigham Young University football. Go to plays and performances at The Capitol, Abravanel Hall, Kingsbury Hall, and the Hale Centre Theatre. Visit museums like the Children's Museum and the Clark Planetarium. Walk the open air Gateway mall. Stroll the gardens at Thanksgiving Point or Red Butte (that's pronounced beaut, not butt). To feel small, visit the open air Kennecott copper mine.

1. Get in tune with the Mormons. You don't have to be one to do this. If you are Mormon, well God bless you. Keep working on things, serving, and inviting Christ into your life. Things will turn out OK. If you're not Mormon, here's a few suggestions:

Visit the Squares (Temple Square and Welfare Square) in Salt Lake. Go to a Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast (9:30 am Sundays, Conference Center). Attend a Fast and Testimony meeting (first Sunday each month, ask your neighbors about time and place). Read something honest but kind that introduces Mormons/Mormonism (like Richard Bushman's Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction). Go to the Family History library and look up ancestors. As a sample of Mormon scripture, read Joseph Smith's account of the 'First Vision', to learn something about our thoughts about God, revelation, the miraculous, religion, and thinking. And go from there, if you want.

There you go. #1 started to get away from me, I can see I'll have think about making that a subject of its own. In the mean time, welcome to Utah!

Top One: Reason I haven't blogged lately

Lots going on, and I find myself in this guy's situation:

Top Five: Great reasons to be in Utah

Specifically for Kevin and Kaylene and their boys, who will be moving back to Utah from Houston later this month!

5. Kaylene's business. Not so much here for quinceaneros, but tons of weddings and families dying for a great photographer.

4. Nice summers. OK, winters maybe not so nice, but Michael did really want to build a snowman. Just think "April's coming!"

3. Kevin gains experience. To go with that upcoming degree, setting his career path way ahead.

2. No more hurricanes! Earthquakes at some point maybe, but no hurricanes.

1. Access to family and friends. Cousins, friends, aunts, uncles, and YES grandparents!

Can't wait till you get here!

Top Five: Most Embarrassing Moments

Sort of like true confessions, but at least most of these happened when I was a kid.

5. Squawk! When I was ten our family moved to Rossmoor, in Orange County just east of Long Beach. The LDS church was still building up in this area, so for a year or so we met in the Masonic Temple in Long Beach. One Sunday our Primary was singing "I Know that my Redeemer Lives", and I had a solo for the second verse. When it came time for my big part, I gave a squawk that was an octave or so off the intended note. Everything ground to a halt, and the pianist gave me my note--with the second chance, I got it right and we finished the song. I have a good voice, but have done this sort of thing a couple more times--maybe that's why they don't ask me to do solos in church anymore.

4. Caught in the act. At about this same time, I did some nasty experimentation with shoplifting. Fortunately, one day in the grocery store a friend and I got caught. They let me cool my heels in a side room and threatened to call my parents. I promised to never do it again, and they let me off with a warning. I was mortified, but grateful for the second chance, and never did it again. I've often wanted to return money to the grocery store as compensation, but they long ago went out of business.

3. Gross! In the eighth grade I got a lead part in a (junior) high school musical, HRH Miss Jones. I played Lance Penbroke, publicist for the La Raquita resort. During one of our after school rehearsals I got an attack of diarrhea and pooped in my pants (sorry if I just lost family status for this blog!). No one seemed to notice, and I gritted out the remainder of the rehearsal, then rode my bike the 3 or 4 miles back to my house. When I got home, I immediately walked (stiff legged) into the bathroom and took a shower, clothes and all, to wash off. I'm not sure I told my mom why my clothes were all wet. So no one actually found out, but the potential for embarrassment was HUGE!

2. And you thought you were being cool. In 1980 I was teaching ESL students at US International University in San Diego, CA. The consul for the Saudi Arabian consulate in LA sponsored a dinner for their students and their teachers at USIU. There was rice, lamb, and other traditional foods. I noticed the students were eating with their hands, so I decided to be all culturally sensitive and eat with my hands too. While I was eating, a student with limited English skills said something to me about eating, bad, and religion. I thought he was asking if there was anything there that was against my Mormon religion (they knew I didn't drink or smoke), so I said there was no problem. A few minutes later, another student with better language skills told me that it was against their religion to eat with the left hand (I'm left handed, so was putting the food in my mouth with my left hand), that it was considered dirty. So there was a double whammy--not only was I doing something offensive to them, I was thinking I was the cultural sensitivity king while doing it!

1. There must be some way out of here. Ninth grade, still at Oak Junior High, I was selected to be on my class's College Bowl team, to compete against other ninth grade social studies classes. Tony Speck was our capitals specialist, two other team members were friends, Jeff Bartow and Deebett Steinberg. We would compete after school, and we mowed steadily through our competition, and got to the finals, which would be held before school.

So one morning I got off the bus just before school started, and noticed there were a bunch of students in the cafeteria. OH NO! I'd forgotten to come early, and they were holding the finals without me! I went in, and there were just a few minutes left in the competition. I watched in agony as my team won anyway--without me. I was so deeply embarrassed, I told everyone I'd tried to bike to school, but my bike got a flat tire and I had to go back and take the bus. I did get a trophy, along with the rest of the team. For causing such depths of mortification that I would be willing to lie to preserve my credibility, this moments gets #1.

Top Five: Scriptures

Here are my favorite scriptures today. Does this selection tell you more about the scriptures, or about me?

5. 2 Timothy 2:6 "The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits."

I was in the Language Training Mission preparing for a mission in Germany when I read this. I understood this to mean that I as a missionary needed to experience the fruits of the Spirit and of testimony before I tried to teach it to others. It prompted my first explicit effort to gain a firm testimony of my own.

4. Doctrine and Covenants 6: 22-23 "If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?"

I'd received a witness to my efforts to gain a testimony, but didn't know how to describe the experience. Nine months later, while sitting on a bus in Munich, I read these words and felt the rush of familiarity--God had spoken peace to my mind, as well as Oliver Cowdery's.

3. Matthew 20:25-28 "Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give his life..."
D&C 93:45-46 "I will call you friends, for you are my friends, and ye shall have an inheritance with me--I called you servants for the world's sake, and ye are their servants for my sake."

Companion scriptures, powerful messages on how to 'rule' in God's kingdom.

2. Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

This gives me hope, even in the face of my own weakness and weaknesses. Humility and grace.

1. D&C 93:1 "Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am."

The path and the reward.

Top Three: Tribute Videos to Those Who've Gone On

Don't know why, but this morning I've been thinking about parents and grandparents who've 'gone on'. So click on these three tribute videos (special discount from my normal five), to help you remember them

3. Remember, Josh Groban. I know, the song was written for Achilles, pleading for us to remember what a heroic guy he was. But I've adopted this song for family history, each of our ancestors saying to us, "I will still be here, as long as you hold me in your memory."


2. I Still Can't Say Goodbye, Chet Atkins. Sung for his dad, but for me it applies just as well to mom.


1. Grow Old With Me, Mary Chapin Carpenter. A few years ago I paired this song with some home video from the late 80's featuring my parents, and others who have since died--Grandma Henderson, Uncle Gene, Aunt Georgia... A tribute to those who handled the thick and thin of life to demonstrate their eternal love for each other and for family, and a glance back for siblings, children, and nephews/nieces at who we were twenty years ago.


So to all you father and mothers, wives and husbands, sons and daughters who see this, God bless you and keep giving your best, your loved ones will remember.

Top Five: My Kids

So here's one thing I like about each of my five kids. No numbers today, since I'm not ranking them (!), I'll just talk about them from youngest to oldest.

Dallin. He is great working with people, and has an interesting range of friends at school and at work. Quick with a smile and a joke, he can charm the socks off a snake. I like his loyalty, too. He won't let you run roughshod over him, but if you are kind to him, expect an intensely loyal friend back. Now if he'd just stop reminding how much taller than me he is...

Shelly. Shelly is a thinkerwoman, and is passionate about her life and the world of ideas. I enjoy our discussions and explorations, whether, it's politics, religion, society, interpersonal relationships, or any other topic that makes your heart skip a beat. We keep each other honest in what we believe, whether we agree or disagree.

Kevin. Kevin is a great pacemaker, making sure everyone's hearts are beating in sync. Wait, I meant peacemaker! He is great at getting people together, soothing over rough spots, and ensuring each feels welcome and loved. He brings that quality with him everywhere, whether he's at home, at work, on vacation, or on the net. So in a way I guess he does get people's hearts beating together...in love.

Afton. She has an eye for design, that brings beauty to everything around her. For example, in her apartment she decorates, simply but effectively, for every season that comes along. Winter, she'll hang snowflakes from the ceiling, till you think you're walking in a warm snowstorm. St. Patrick's Day, shamrocks from the same heights. She knows just where to put pictures, accents, plants, and everything else. The apartment building she's in is very unprepossessing, but once you walk through her door, you're in another, better world.

Sam. He's willing to keep trying till he succeeds. I've seen this many times in his life, the most recent is when he applied to work as a policeman. He didn't score high enough on his exam once, though he was over 90%. And earlier this year he didn't pass the mile run portion of the testing. At that point I might have given up, saying "Forget them" or something similar... but Sam kept at it, passed the whole deal, and is just finishing up the process to become a sheriff.

Top Five: First LDS Converts

Here are the five earliest of my ancestor families to join the LDS church. It's worth noting that through the Buchanan, Hatch, and Curtis lines, my grandchildren are tenth generation Mormons.

5. Aldura Sumner Hatch, February 1840. Taught and baptized in Lincoln, Vermont by Elders Sisson Chase and Peltiah Brown. "The ice was a foot deep; and before they could be baptized, a hole had to be cut through the ice." A son and a couple of other relatives were baptized the same day; her husband Hezekiah, parents-in-law, and most of her children were baptized by the end of the year. In April of 1842, just before the family was to leave for Nauvoo, Aldura caught 'the black tongue' and died. The heartbroken family buried their wife and mother, then began the journey west to Illinois.

4. Richard Steele, January 1840. Taught and baptized by Henry Glover in Burslem (now Stoke on Trent), England just before his 22nd birthday. Unemployed after completing his apprenticeship in pottery-making, he took to Mormonism quickly. After baptism he hung out with the missionaries and was called on a mission later that year. Emigrated to Nauvoo in 1842, helped settle American Fork, Utah.

3. Samuel Miles, March 1834. Baptized by Orson Pratt in Freedom, New York. Was a brother-in-law to Warren Cowdery and lived next to him, so heard about the church early on--proof sheets as the Book of Mormon was being printed, perhaps a visit with Oliver Cowdery, meetings with friends all crescendoed into many baptisms when Pratt visited the community. Lived in Missouri and Nauvoo, died in St. Louis in 1847. His son Samuel was in the Mormon Battalion, and his wife Prudence and most of his children settled in Utah and Idaho.

2. Emeline Buchanan, February 1834. Living with her parents in central Illinois (Tazewell County), she joined the church at age 14. Her parents John and Nancy joined a year later. Years later, she remembered lying under a hickory tree and looking across the Mississippi River and watching parts of Nauvoo burn. Settled in Springville, Utah.

1. Enos Curtis, 1831. Learned about the church from his son in law, Elial Strong, and was baptized in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. In 1832, went with the group of missionaries from the Columbia Township branch up to Mendon NY and helped teach Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball. Settled in Springville, Utah and became a patriarch. His son Simmons married Emeline Buchanan (see #2).

Top Five: US Presidents I like the least

From a mix of personal experience and a reading of history. Look here for another, well-written list.

5. Andrew Johnson, 1865-1869. Elected as an afterthought to Lincoln, took over upon his assassination. Vetoed the first civil rights bill, saying "this is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men.” Nasty nature ensured that the deep wounds of the Civil War would stay open.

4. US Grant 1869-77 and Warren Harding 1921-23. Tied for this spot because they both draped the White House in corruption. They probably didn't personally benefit, but allowed their friends to in Black Friday, the Whiskey Ring, and Teapot Dome. Harding spoke for both of them when he wrote “I have no trouble with my enemies, but my . . . friends . . . keep me walking the floor nights!”

3. Richard Nixon, 1969-1974. I liked several things that Nixon did, including reopening contacts with China, and thought his climb back to the Presidency was, well, inspiring. But his paranoia and fierce devotion to himself turned a minor burglary into a national crisis and brought down his presidency, deservedly so.

2. Jimmy Carter, 1977-1981. Judged as a man, he's tops: earnest, honorable, committed. But he's the Eeyore of presidents. Economy in a slump, home interest rates over 15%? Oh no, we're in a national malaise, nothing really we can do. Competition with the USSR as hot as ever? Oh no, they're human too, we can't expect to win out, let's just hunker down. Iran takes our embassy staff hostage? Oh no, maybe we should launch a rescue effort, but I'm concerned about public opinion so I'll meddle with the logistics and ensure failure. Makes my blood boil, just thinking about those years again. Maybe I should have made Jimmy #1...

1. James Buchanan, 1857-1861. Yeah, the world disrespects him because he fiddled while America burned over slavery. Wishy washy to a fault about dealing with the slavery question and the right to secede, the nation was already torn in half by the time he turned over the reins to Lincoln. But with Buchanan it starts to get personal, since he listened to bad advice and sent that huge military expedition to bring those pesky Mormons into submission. Shot the fear factor through the roof, drove the paranoia that caused the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and poisoned Mormon/US Government relations for decades, maybe with after effects even today. Good job, Jimmy.

What's ironic is that James Buchanan is a relative. My sixth great-grandfather, John Buchanan, who emigrated from Ireland around 1800 and joined the Mormon church in 1835, is a first cousin to James (their fathers were brothers). Maybe that's what ticked him off enough to bring in the troops.

Top Five: Favorite Ancestors

Mostly ones that passed on before I came along. I have a fascination with ancestors that were among the first of their lines to join the church--four of the five here meet that criteria.

5. William Marks Miles, 1828-1897. Just six when his family joined the church in Freedom, NY. His father recently dead, he was bartending and figuring whether to go west with his family and the saints. Saw a dove flying west, took that as a sign, and the rest is history. I've wondered how he felt having his uncle William Marks' name. WM rose to prominence in the early church, was Nauvoo Stake President, but was against polygamy, didn't join the trek to the west, and during WMM's life, his uncle's name was a hiss and a byword in Utah. Third great grandfather, mother's side.

4. Abram Hatch, 1861-1957. I'm named for him (middle name), and remember meeting him just once, shortly before he died. Shrunken sick man in a bed, an unfortunate memory for such a vibrant man. His mother died when he was just eight, and he was raised by other relatives. A real cowboy, ran mail, killed a cougar that was leaping at him. Inactive and a smoker, he was a trail guide for a visiting mission president (Spencer W. Kimball's father Andrew) and was promised if he wanted it, he would lose all desire for tobacco. Most of his life after, he was a great contributor to the ward he lived in. Like WMM above, he helped settle Moreland, Idaho. Second great-grandfather, mother's side.

3. William Butler, 1825-1905. Left Ireland as a young man, some say under duress because of a debt. Found himself with some Mormons heading west and joined the church. Successful in life, had a fiery disposition that appears to have alienated many. His polygamous wife (our ancestor) Ellen Close Butler was attacked by a railroad worker in 1869 with an axe. William tracked down the man and killed him, thinking his wife was dead, then returned and gave her a blessing the next day that knit together her shattered head. Turned himself into the sherriff, who said go home, you've done nothing wrong. Different times. Third great-grandfather, mother's side.

2. Mary Ross Henderson, 1823-1896. Scottish, noted for her forthrightness. For example, she liked the spirit of the Mormon missionaries, but her husband Robert forbade her to be in the same room with them. So she and a friend went to their meetings and stood outside an open window. She and Robert joined the church, and came west in 1863. Some men in their wagon train didn't want to follow the wagon leaders's admonition to cross the river once more that day, so she tied up her skirts and led their wagon across. The shamefaced men followed suit. Late in life she read her first novel, and told her daughter "Ah Mary, 'tis better than the Bible!" Third great-grandmother, mother's side.



1. Richard Steele, 1818-1881. Joined the church as a young man in Stoke on Trent, England. Served a two year mission in England and Wales before emigrating to the US. Potter, farmer, proponent of literacy, tenor. I know him and love him best because he left a journal of the key years after he joined the LDS church. I'm still impressed with the time he met with his former Wesleyan Chapel minister and forthrightly defended Mormon doctrine. He told the man, "I was not going to believe him or anyone else before the word of God. For said I, I was for having God true though all men were found liars. Then said he, "You was not so bold when you was amongst the Wesleyans." Third great-grandfather, father's side.

Top Five: Doh--what about the world tour!

After getting all the vacations down that were my top five, my wife asked, "What about the round the world trip we took in 1985?" Oh yeah--a once in a lifetime venture for sure! So here are the top five things we experienced on that trip--me, Peggy, Sam, Afton, and Kevin. We started off from Saudi Arabia, visiting these places:

5. Hong Kong. Skyscrapers, ferries, the tram to Victoria Peak, the Chinese Carnival, being the only Americans at the Nathan Hotel, buying a new wedding ring (sapphires!) for Peggy and a new-fangled video camera to record all of our fabulous trip! Whole lot of people milling around--to keep our kids (8, 7, and 6) safe when we were walking, I'd be in the front, the kids in single file behind me, and Peggy at the end, making sure no ducklings get lost!

4. New Zealand. We rented a motor home and toured the northern half of North Island. The New Zealand temple (where we broke the new video camera...), Rotorua crafts and geysers, caves, sheep galore, a series of KOA type campgrounds, visiting our friends the Middletons from our years in Samoa. What a great, green country!

3. Samoa. Got there just in time (after a day's stopover in Fiji) for the annual Independence Celebration, and got to show Sam and Afton a little of their heritage. Interesting to see old haunts from a seven-years-later perspective. We enjoyed nights at Aggie Grey's and the Tusitala.

2. Hawaii. My parents were sponsoring an extended Steele family reunion, to mark my dad's retirement, so we went to Hawaii for that. Polynesian Cultural Center, condos at Turtle Bay, the beach, tour of the island, family times, and the highlight of baptizing Sam, Tom2, and Jeff in the ocean just down from the Laie temple.


1. Salt Lake City. During the reunion, my Grandpa Eral Henderson died, so at the end of the reunion everyone flew to Salt Lake and attended his funeral. Grandma Ruby Henderson had not told us till the end of the reunion, so as not to spoil our time together.


And then we flew back home to Saudi Arabia via Europe. Niiiice trip!

Top Five: Vacations

5. Cross Country to New York, 1965. My parents, brother Tom, and I drove from LA to NY to pick up my oldest brother Dick from his mission in New York. I was 14, and it is the first big road trip I remember going on. The mountains in Wyoming, historical sites like the Abraham Lincoln site in Springfield, the NY world's fair, the Cumorah Pageant, and an unending parade of Best Western's are all highlights from the trip. And my brother's dry commentary all the way out and back. We went in a station wagon, so I spent a good portion of the trip lying out in the back--this was pre seat belt era.

4. Cyprus, 1986. One of our vacations while living in Saudi Arabia. Peggy and Afton were in the US attending Kelly and Julia's wedding, so during an Eid break Sam, Kevin, and I took the short jaunt over to Cyprus. I'd checked in advance and found there were two member families in the whole island. We contacted them both and got together for a Sacrament meeting, the first one in several years there. And the one family, headed by a British peacekeepng soldier, had me teach the missionary lessons to a friend. Too bad I couldn't baptize her, but hope it took later. Beautiful beaches and mountains, fascinating castles and layers of Greek, biblical, Crusader, and Islamic history, tinge of excitement from the political division of the island, all contributed to a great time.

3. Boston/DC, 1998. With Peggy, Shelly, and Dallin. Historical sites galore in hot District of Columbia, Revolutionary sites around Boston, family history and Woods Hole visits in southern MA, and the highlight for me to the Plimoth Plantation, an open air reconstruction of the Plymouth Rock colony, where our Hatch ancestor first came. I loved how the people were trained to be specific inhabitants of 17th century Plymouth. Willing suspension of disbelief brought me quickly to talking with them as if they were residents of a foreign country, not actors. When can I go again?

2. Thailand, 1982. Peggy and I went alone, our first vacation during Saudi Arabian time. Left the three older kids with neighbors (the Alvarez family). Floating market, Buddhist temples, tuk tuks, open markets, LDS chapel, Nana Hotel, train ride down to Hua Hin, cold showers in the cheap rooms at the Railway Inn. Chicken satay from roadside vendors, all so exotic and luxurious to be on our own for the first time in five years.


1. Germany, 1982, 1986, 2007. A collage of three trips, and includes neighboring countries like Benelux, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. American cemetery in Luxembourg, Tivoli garden and Legoland in Denmark, Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, stake conference in Berlin with Elder Wirthlin, Neuschwanstein castle, mission cities and people like Sister Specht, Afton's baptism in the Bern temple, Kevin's injury to his arm, Interlaken! and the Swiss Alps, the lion at Lucerne, Bodies exhibit in Prague, battling porn in the Munich airport, Oktoberfest. Aaaaahhh, wunderbar!

So, what's your favorite trip?

Top Five: Missing a Flight

On the return from a recent business trip to Ireland and the UK, I had a connecting flight to get me to the nonstop Paris-SLC flight (with a 90-minute layover), but Icame perilously close to missing the flight back to Salt Lake. Here are the five steps that nearly got me cooling my heels in the Paris airport:

5. Set up the world's worst check in system for Heathrow airport. Multiple lines, one so massive it snaked back into the next room, with no instructions why you'd go in one line or the other. Incomprehensible check in kiosks. One person out front to guide 200 people wanting to check in. Looked like the worst third world airport I've ever been in. So in the best third world tradition, I insinuated myself into the forward part of the line and got to my gate in time. Only to find...

4. Delay the connecting flight because of fog. The departure of our London-Paris flight was delayed 50 minutes because there was fog at Charles deGaulle airport. Really--planes can't land because of fog? I suppose they stop flights when it gets dark too? Add 50 minutes.

3. Have air traffic control mess up the landing. We were on final approach to Charles deGaulle when the plane suddenly accelerated and continued past the airport. Apparently the plane in front of us hadn't cleared the runway, so we had to loop around and get back in line. Add 10 minutes.

2. Put the ongoing flight at the opposite end of the airport from the incoming flight. We came in at the far left of the long terminal, the ongoing flight was at the far right. Moving sidewalks helped, but I'm not in shape for jogging with suitcases. Add 10 minutes.

1. Ensure the security machines break while you're in line. Got two lines shot out from under me. In desperation, asked for and finally got an ok to you the first class security line, which had nobody in it. Add 20 minutes. Whoops, time's up!

0. Be the last one admitted on the plane by anxious check in crew as you huff and puff up to the departure gate. Aaaaahhhh, made it! (OK, adding zero

is cheating, but it is my blog...)

Top Five: Ice Cream Flavors

5. Alafua College Mango. When we lived in Samoa, the local agricultural college had an ice cream making facility. We'd buy half gallons of a few different flavors. My favorite was the mango, creamy and infused with local mangoes.

4. Italienischer Eis. Italian ice cream, all kinds of flavors served in small stores in Germany. Maddeningly small portions, but only one Deutschmark, and refreshingly cool after a hot day of tracting. The texture was somewhere between US ice cream and sherbert. OK, I didn't exactly choose a flavor, but it's my list.

3. Pistachio Cashew. A green ice cream, never could tell how the flavor related to pistachios, loaded with chunks of cashews. This is a childhood favorite, found in Thrifty Drug Stores, vanilla 59 cents a half gallon, all other flavors 69 cents. I've seen this flavor in recent times, but it's always the cheaper pistachio peanut...

2. Philadelphia style Vanilla. This is the vanilla ice cream with little flecks of real vanilla bean. Seems to have a deeper flavor, and all those bean flecks have got to be good for you, right?


1. Rocky Road. Has to be the kind with chocolate ice cream, nuts, and marshmallow chunks. Make Dad happy and get him real Rocky Road! And no wimpy small bowls either!

What's your favorite?

Top Five: Latter-day Prophets

5. Heber J. Grant. He makes the top five for one talk he gave, teaching about perseverance and combating the lies that Satan uses to keep us from our potential. President Grant mentioned how he was in debt over $100,000 (an even more enormous sum in the early 20th century), and felt inspired to admit his debt over the pulpit, and proclaim he would have the debt settled within a year. When he sat down, a voice said to him, "You lie, you lie." He knew it was Satan trying to undercut the spirit of revelation. He persevered, and sure enough he was out of debt within a year.

4. Brigham Young. Man of the hour--actually, man of the three decades--when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered, and the church could easily have faded into obscurity. I love him for his drive and for his devotion. As with any strong leader in a crisis, he did plenty of things that draw lightning, irritating many. And some of his views, perhaps prejudices, threaten to overwhelm the good he did, seen from the 21st century. But without his strong leadership, Mormonism would not be a force in people's lives today.

3. Gordon B. Hinckley and David O. McKay. Okay, it's cheating to have two, but I couldn't decide. President Hinckley is the only prophet I've shaken hands with and talked to one on one, as he visited my mission in Germany in 1971 and I had an interview with him. And President McKay was the prophet of my youth--set apart a month before I was born, died when I was a freshman in college. I remember listening to general priesthood meeting in our stake center, and as a deacon or teacher being bored and unattentive, but then President McKay would speak, and there was a difference somehow--an early intimation of the uniqueness of prophets. Their devotion to principle and positive demeanors both did much in their day to present the church in a good light to the world at large--a difficult thing to accomplish.

2. Joseph Smith. The blender approach taken for the church's priesthood/Relief Society study manuals--taking snippets and organizing them into lesson topics--has the unfortunate side effect of making it almost impossible to tell one prophet from another. But not Joseph Smith, his unique voice comes through unmistakably loud and clear. To take the restoration on from your youth, to fight against unremitting enmity from the people around you, to create so much--it's impossible to comprehend how he did it. He should be #1, but I wasn't around when he was, so it puts him at a little distance. So, my number 1 is



1. Spencer W. Kimball. As I entered adulthood, the one thing that concerned me about latter-day prophets was that most of them after Joseph and Brigham seemed to be administrators first and foremost. No new doctrine, just mostly administrivia--where should we put a new stake, should we emphasize missionary work or the Book of Mormon, and so on. Not President Kimball. There were big administrative deals, like the new version of the scriptures, and the reconstitution of the general Quorums of Seventy. But President Kimball went much further. He proposed new scripture (D&C 137-138) to expand our understanding of temple work. In perhaps his crowning achievement, he bucked history and drew the revelation extending the priesthood to all worthy males from God. Without his surprising drive to seek and implement this revelation, who knows how many more years or decades would have gone by with the church still hobbled by racism.

So I love President Kimball for being the most prophet-like of all the prophets in my lifetime. One more example: I admit I was getting tired of the apparent mundaneness of many of his messages: paint your barn, lengthen your stride, don't kill birds for sport, etc. Then suddenly one conference he talked about how little we knew about God's knowledge, for example, what exactly did it take to resurrect a person? I never assumed again that his was a limited mind. God bless him, and God bless all our latter-day prophets.

Who's your number one?