Anne, Atticus, Ramona, and Evelyn

Did you know that Anne Frank wrote: “It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” I just recently read that and wondered to myself whether she felt the same way after she went into the concentration camp. I hope so.

Ahhh, To Kill a Mockingbird. I must have read the book and seen the movie at least half a dozen times. It had been a while, though, so a few days ago, while I was holding my baby on the couch and drinking my juice box and eating my peanut butter crackers (these are luxuries you get to enjoy for days on end after labor), I decided to watch the movie again. The funny thing is, as I watched the movie this time, I expected the jury to find Tom Robinson "not guilty."

Granted, my sister Laurel will tell you that I have a funny memory when it comes to books that have been made into movies. My imagination gets away with me and I have been known to be positive that certain scenes in the book are in the movie when in all reality those scenes were not included in the movie. But this time, it was really disconcerting. I watched the court scene, heard all of the witnesses, listened enraptured to Atticus's closing statement--and when that jury came out, I was positive that they were going to find the defendant "not guilty." I was, in fact, shocked when they did not. Having read the book and seen the movie multiple times before, how on earth did I forget that rather significant fact that Tom Robinson is found guilty, he goes a bit crazy and tries to escape and ends up dead? I was mortified.

After thinking through it, I decided that this time, my belief in humanity--in the good and light that is in each and every human being--somehow shut out any prior knowledge of the book. I believed that those jury members were going to do what was right because it was very evident that Tom Robinson was not guilty and that Bob Ewell was. Everyone in the court room could see that, just by having Atticus Finch and all he represents as a father and community member standing within a few feet of Bob Ewell and all he represents as a father and community member. Anyone in their right mind would believe in the person that Atticus Finch was defending. What on earth was that jury thinking?

After thinking about it some more, I decided I was glad that I was surprised at the jury's verdict. I decided that naive though it may seem, I would much rather expect people to act according to that goodness and light inside of them than otherwise. And I'd like to believe that usually they do. Another scene in the movie (which I did remember accurately) reflects this.

So yes, I'm going to join Anne and continue on in my idealistic mindset and say that people are basically good. As hard as we try not to be sometimes, we are basically good. And I don't think it is wrong to expect it in people either. More often than not, they won't disappoint you. 

A couple of examples: While working at a restaurant one summer, an elderly couple ordered a cherry pie on an especially busy Friday night. As I was supposed to do, I went back to the kitchen, asked them to heat up a cherry pie, and then forgot all about it in the rush of everything else. When I passed the couple again, they asked about the pie and I apologized and hurried back to the kitchen. Another waitress had already taken my pie out to a different table. So I ordered a pie again and again forgot about it. This happened a couple of times before I finally got that pie out to the couple, 30 minutes later. By that time, they were understandably extremely agitated and all I could do was apologize, pay for the pie out of my own pocket, and apologize again. Naturally, tears welled up in my eyes while I apologized, and though the old man and woman wanted to be very angry at me and probably disparage me to my manager and leave the restaurant in a huff, they instead, saw my tears and visibly softened and felt bad for me, the harried, exhausted waitress rather than rightfully putting me in my place. I have never forgotten it. 

The second experience was in college. I was taking an 8 am class (never a good idea for me) and was often a few minutes late to it. It was an English class and it was pretty small, no more than 15 or 20 people in it, and I was thoroughly enjoying the material and I really liked the professor. I just had a hard time getting up and getting to class before the bell rang. Much to my surprise, one morning after class, my professor stopped me on my way out and said something to the effect of "I have noticed that you have been late the last few days." I probably noticeably cringed, expecting a lecture on how the professor's time was important or something to that effect (I have heard professors say it to a classroom of people before....) What he said next floored me. He said, "Is anything wrong? Is there anything I can do to help you get here on time?" I was shocked. He probably was well aware that I was just one of those lazy people who didn't get out of bed when the alarm went off, but instead of lecturing me, he showed concern and kindness. And you know what?  I was on time to that class the rest of the semester. Strange what a big of goodness and kindness can do for a person.

So I recently rewatched one of my favorite movies in the world, Ramona and Beezus. (And yes, I'm serious about it being one of my favorite movies in the world. And yes, it does have a 70% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes if that sort of thing matters to you.) And I cried at three different spots in the movie. I cried because they were moments where people were just being good and kind and it made me happy....and I cried because I am hormonal.  At the end of the movie, Aunt Bea leans out the window, takes Ramona's face in her hands and says, "Ramona, you are extraordinary" and she meant it. And I started crying, because if you've watched the whole movie like I had, you knew that it was just what Ramona needed to hear. It is just what we all need to hear now and then. And yes, I know that if we are all extraordinary then doesn't that mean that none of us are extraordinary. Maybe so. But instead of looking at it that way, let's look at it as none of us are always extraordinary, so let's admire it in people in the moments where they are. Let's make those moments count and it will carry us all through the non-extraordinary moments.

Now that I am done with my tangent, here are some pictures of Evelyn (or Evie), whichever you prefer.

Yes, she is adorable.

Evelyn Grace

We feel so lucky to have her. I don't know what else to say really. She is a great sleeper, eater, and pooper. Not so great burper. She is over 8 lbs now and getting longer, of course. And she is a strong little thing. She already has strong neck muscles and will grip your fingers with her little fists. 

But here is the good stuff: 

Bouncer Chair

On her way to her 2-week check-up.

You can kind of see how she fit inside of me...kind of...

I wonder if she wants to go back...

Lounging with her daddy.

Swaddled.

Swaddled and sleepy.

Swaddled and asleep.

The cat refuses to be replaced. She doesn't necessarily love Evelyn, but she hasn't tried to attack her yet either...

She always puts her little fist on her cheek. It is adorable.

I like this one.

Her favorite unswaddled sleeping position. Born to be a champion.

And here is a little video Forrest took in the hospital where you actually get to see her with her eyes open.

One last thing. My Grandma Grace passed away a few days after Evelyn Grace came to us. I was lucky enough to be able to go to the funeral which was a beautiful experience for me. I never knew my Grandma Farnsworth very well. My mom is the youngest in her family so by the time I was old enough to really know Grandma, she was already fading. But being at the funeral and hearing about her life made me realize how much of what is good and worthwhile in me, I owe to her and to my other 3 grandparents. She was a kind, loving, faithful, Christ-like wife and mother. She appreciated beautiful things and created them but she never sought the limelight or the attention of others. She painted, played the piano, sang, arranged flowers, cooked amazing food, and wrote. I never realized how much I wanted to be like her until now. On the funeral program, they printed the following poem which is the piece of her that I want to share with you:

A Prayer for Christmas Eve

It snowed tonight, and down our country lane

The stately pines are wearing crowns of snow

That glitter where the blue-white, icy flakes

Reflect the frosty moon.

Their overladen branches bending sketch

Self images upon the stark expanse

Of hanging farmhouse eves.

Below the ice-fringed ridges of the roof

A single window sheds a golden gleam

Across a stretch of newly fallen snow.

Framed there a Christmas tree

And night-clad children, waiting Santa Claus,

A fireplace wherein a crackling blaze

Defies the winter’s cold.

God, let it snow on battle fronts tonight,

Great swirling flakes of blinding, stinging sleet

That falling, drift and pile near barrack doors,

On landing fields and tank sheds too, on roads

And where machine guns nest, where ruin lurks

And war-wrought scars deface.

For while the snow falls fast and thick and deep

The Storm Troops mayhap rest and think of home

And loved ones there, and fun, and Christmas Eve

And in unguarded moments, He

Whose day the morrow brings.

God, let it snow on fear-sick cities too.

Soft floating flakes that fall so deeply heaped

The eagled steel must rest.

Disguise the wretched wrecks of gutted streets

Beneath a blanket soft and white and still,

No air raid signals need disturb at all

The stillness. Men there too

May dream of Christmas Eve.

So let it snow both here and there tonight

And grant this world on evening of respite.

It’s Christmas.

Grace Bateman, December 1941

Ode to Stella



It isn't officially an ode to Stella, because I am not sure exactly what an ode is. But it is a post dedicated to Stella. You might be thinking "Wait. Didn't they just have a baby? Shouldn't this post be about the baby, with many pictures?" That is forthcoming. This is about Stella because her life, as of 8/13, is never going to be the same. Now that we have a baby, we are going to have to put her down. Just kidding! But seriously, Stella will have to take the back seat to Evelyn from now on. And so, this post is dedicated to her.

Stella has been a source of joy and annoyance for about a year now, thanks to Ben and Ryanne. One of Elin's cousins told her that a good way to get a baby to come is by drinking whole milk and having a cat. So we had been drinking whole milk for awhile, and then Stella came in September, and by November a baby was on the way. Who knew? We really owe Stella a lot.

She slept like this for a few days. Apparently cats don't need to breathe sometimes.

She loves yogurt.

While in Houston I taught her to climb trees. That was fun for a bit, until I wanted her to come down and she wouldn't. Then I had to climb up and get her. Once, she fell out of the tree but caught some other branches about 10 feet below. That was exciting.

She loves baths.

Trying to catch me (Spiderman) on the tv.

She jumped into this drawer and got stuck in Elin's bloomers.

She and I were doing battle here, but you can't really tell. If the video came through, below, it will make mores sense.

She likes to snuggle up against Elin's legs. Elin likes Stella the best when she is snuggling.

She recently has started burrowing. That lump is her under the bedspread. I don't know why she does it, but it is funny.

You can see her if you look closely.

She is a mighty hunter. I always wanted to get a picture or video of her hunting down the little roaches we had in Houston, but couldn't. I had to settle for this one, which is still pretty good.

Sisters Are Joined at the Heart

In the house in which I spent those delightful years of teenagedom, there hung in the downstairs bathroom a fancy piece of needlework that read, "Sisters are Joined at the Heart." It was actually quite a pretty little thing. I just never understood why it was hanging in the bathroom. Delys, Laurel, and I often quoted it to each other, half in jest, when wisdom needed to be imparted. 

Though I'm not exactly sure what it means to be "joined at the heart," what I will say is my sisters are my best friends, my confidantes, and examples that I constantly look up to. And this last weekend, my little sister, Laurel Jenson became Laurel Hendricks in the Dallas, TX temple. So here we are, the three of us. Some things never change.

Yes, I do look like a purple marshmallow next to my 2 beautiful sisters. And yes, I am  9 months pregnant in this picture. And yes, I had been crying and that is why my face is so puffy.

"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things..."

"Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--of cabbages--and kings--And why the sea is boiling hot--And whether pigs have wings." I memorized some of that in the 5th grade, but I only remember that much of it. One might think at this point that Elin is writing another post, but nay, it is I, Forrest. The reason I used that piece of the Lewis Carroll poem is because this post is going to be a post of many things. And because I am talking about it, and I look something like a walrus these days. Bald, with some whiskers, and yes, fat. Fortunately Mom and Dad decided many years ago that I should get braces, otherwise my teeth would be yet another similarity I'd have with the walrus.

Today I participated in a seminar at Baker Hughes, a drill bit manufacturer and drill operator. While some of it was boring and I fell asleep, the tour towards the end was interesting. Turns out the Hughes part of the company was started by Howard Hughes Sr., a long time ago. He invented a better bit which revolutionized the oil industry, really. Then he died and left his company to his son, Howard Hughes Jr., most commonly known these days as the Aviator (played be Leo DiCaprio). Anyway, they make a bit that is tungsten carbide with manufactured diamonds for the teeth. It costs $500,000.


I have meant to post about a field trip the interns went on earlier this summer. We toured an oil field, looked at the process to draw it oil and gas out of the ground and then get it ready to ship to a refinery. It has been long enough now that I don't remember a lot of the facts, but I came to the realization that we should all be grateful we only pay what we do for a gallon of gas. Really grateful. The equipment necessary to get the stuff out of the ground is ridiculously expensive. Plus I have to get paid somehow.

I can't remember exactly what these things do, but  I remember they cost $20,000 a piece, and there are three here. Just a small portion of the expensive equipment I saw.

Well B-150R. This well is in the area I have worked this summer. That worker is filling up our bottles (see below).

This is my bottle of oil from the field trip. The oil is about .5 inch thick, sitting on top of  a few inches of saltwater. That is how it is produced, too.

So back to the walrus thing momentarily. I started a diet and lost some weight, but decided it was too difficult to keep up at the time. When we get back to Austin I will start it again. The pictures below are what made it so hard to do. I originally took these pictures to show what I was withstanding, but since then I have succumbed. Just a small sampling. So any weight I lost I have gained back, no surprise. If I had a lot of money I would take care of this surgically. Because I am lazy.

Recently a friend from my youth posted a thing on facebook, found below:

Elin saw it on there and said something about it not being quite right. I decided to comment on it. There is some truth to it, of course. We don't like people taking away our rights, and they shouldn't. Even God thinks so. But this goes a little too far, doesn't it? Anyway, my comment was basically that even though our rights are ours, they only extend to the extent that they interfere with someone else's rights. Most everything in that list quickly interferes with others' rights. But discussing the errors with this list wasn't my point in including it in here. I tried not to be harsh at all in my comment, just voicing a different opinion. But I was kind of standing up for something I believed. And that is what I wanted to talk about here. I rarely speak up and I am realizing, or rather just accepting, that I should. If I don't, if we don't, we will be crushed! Even though I mentioned this to Logan (my oldest brother) already, I am going to do it publicly here so that everybody will support me. Logan, it is time for you to start blogging again! Your opinions are good, almost always right, and certainly more accurate than the opinions you are speaking against. And really this is true for most if not all of everybody who reads this blog.

P.S. 14 people "liked" the list above on facebook. 2 "liked" my comment--Mom and Rachell.
P.P.S. Also, if I had really said what I believe, I would have said that almost all of those things are contrary to God's commandments. So I still have a ways to go.

The topic of weddings has been talked about a lot recently in our home, because dear sister Laurel is getting married this weekend*. While listening to this end of a phone conversation, I heard Elin say something like "this is your party/celebration/day." As I reflected on this and another conversation I participated in a few weeks ago, I decided that this is a falsehood. It's true that the wedding has become the bride's party in essentially every way, so I guess it isn't a falsehood, but it should be. Oh for the days when the spouse was just handed over! A month and a half should be plenty of preparation time for an LDS wedding. Outside of having to reserve a location for a reception, nothing should take more time than that. And frankly, even that shouldn't take so long. There is nothing wrong with a reception at the church! A girl I have classes with got engaged at the end of the semester, and told me she would probably get married in October or so. Of 2013. Ok, outside of the Church, makes more sense, but is it right? All of this is strictly opinion of course, and I don't doubt that people reading this are disagreeing at this very moment. But, in the words of Adrian Monk, "I could be wrong, but, you know, I'm not." If it should be a party for anyone, it should be for the parents who have successfully raised a child to the point of marriage, and maybe even a temple marriage. People should be giving them gifts.

*I am now making an editor's note. It is a very special day for the bride, and having just gone through a wedding and luncheon and awaiting the reception I would like to say that when you love a member of the marrying party, you do want the day to be about them. So I was a little overboard with my above comments. Not as overboard as weddings generally have become, though.

Anyway, those are all the things that this walrus wanted to talk about. Sometimes it feels nice to be vocally opinionated.

The Future is as Bright as your Faith

I've been trying to understand the principle of faith better--been studying it for the last few years actually. Still not quite where I want to be yet, so I am still studying it and working on it. Anywho, I came across this the other day and loved it:

There will be times when it appears there is no light at the end of our tunnel or no dawn to a night of darkness, President Monson says. “We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea, ‘Is there no balm in Gilead?’  We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone.”

To those in despair, President Monson reminds that the Savior can lift us up.
“Yes, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is our Exemplar and our strength. He is the light that shineth in darkness. He is the Good Shepherd. Though engaged in His majestic ministry, He embraced the opportunity to lift burdens, provide hope, mend bodies, and restore life.”

“Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments,” he encourages. “There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us. My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.”

I love that. "There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us" and "The future is as bright as your faith." It seems so simple, right? It doesn't seem like it could possibly be that simple though...at least not to me. But I am learning, from experience, that it is. Faith in Jesus Christ literally allows him to lift us up in our lowest moments-- allows him to replace feelings of loneliness or sadness with love and peace. I don't know how it is done. But it is.

If you are interested in reading more of what President Monson has to say on this particular topic, you can click here!

Independence Day In Houston

Since all of you were wondering how we spent our 4th of July, here it is in pictures: First, I was determined to make some type of festive food. Paula and Logan are always good about doing that (like making a green breakfast for their kids for St. Patrick's day)- so I am trying to get into the habit now. Being festive is fun, right? So I just dumped a bunch of delicious fruit in a pie plate, covered it with whipped cream, and made a semblance of the flag using blueberries and strawberries. But we were trying not to eat too many sweets or fatty foods so it was the best I could come up with. I'm not quite up to Paula and Logan caliber yet, I know. But baby steps...

Festive Food

Then, we headed to Sugarland, Texas for their Red, White, and Bluefest. We had a few options to choose from. Houston actually has a huge festival with reportedly the best fireworks show in the nation. And this year, Sara Evans and Billy Currington were going to be singing there. Downsides: you have to pay and work your way through crowds of people. Another option was going to an outdoor Houston symphony concert accompanied by fireworks. Downside: It just didn't sound as exciting as a Red, White, and Bluefest.

So we headed to Sugarland, parked at a football stadium where huge greyhound-style buses were waiting to shuttle us to the park where the fun began. It seemed like the city of Sugarland had a pretty good system worked out. The park was beautiful and nice and bayou-ey. (After visiting Ben and Ry in Gonzales, Louisiana, we realized that Houston is really just an extension of Louisiana. This park was no exception.) Upon entering  the park, you cross a bridge over a river of alligators and turtles. There is a sign that says not to get within 15 feet of a gator. Makes sense to me. The park was pretty crowded with food booths and people. Unfortunately Sara Evans did not stop by Sugarland before heading to the Houston festival. Instead, some crazy band called Thunderpants were trying to sing 80's rock music. One of them was dressed like Beetlejuice. I have no idea what was going on. I'm sure the local talent could have outshone these guys. First of all, why were they singing 80's music at a 4th of July celebration? 2nd of all, who names a band Thunderpants. 3rd of all, why was the guy dressed as Beetlejuice? I'll try not to dwell on that anymore.

We were going to get some classic festival food like hot dogs and funnel cakes but that line was too long. Forrest hates lines. So we got in the shortest line there and were rewarded with some delicious brisket. Then we stopped by the "stage" where we recited the pledge of allegiance and heard a few snippets of the Declaration of Independence. Do you remember how at every 4th of July celebration in the Little House on the Prairie books, the recite the entire thing and everyone already has it memorized? Then Pa always starts singing some patriotic hymn and everyone joins in? And they have fresh lemonade that you can drink by the dipperful. I miss those days. I was jolted back to reality when Thunderpants resumed the stage and started singing some AC/DC song that no one should be singing but AC/DC. We quickly moved away from the stage and ran into this guy:

The HEB Bag Person

In case you were wondering, HEB is a southern grocery store that is actually quite delightful. At least, the one in Austin is delightful. Their fruit selection is usually fabulous and they have much better deals than they ever did at stores in Provo. We got peaches there for like 33 cents a pound once.

It was really hot, so I made Forrest stop by the Ben & Jerry's booth and buy the smallest size of ice cream for us. It was $4 and we only got a tablespoon of ice cream each, which was rather disappointing, but sometimes that is what you have to do in 100% humidity. When the time for fireworks drew near, my belly became heavier and I wanted to sit. So we moved towards the entrance of the park (for a quick getaway) and we found some rocks to sit on by a little pond. Here we are waiting for the show to begin.

I promise I look a lot more pregnant when I'm standing up.

I'm sure Forrest was a lot happier than he looks, despite the 100% humidity.

Taking pictures of fireworks is hard.

The fireworks were really good. The finale was way better than the one they had at the last stadium of fire. But then the show ended and within about 5 seconds, several thousand people surrounded us in an attempt to leave the park. We were seriously only 20 yards from the park exit, but it took us 20 minutes to get over that alligator bridge...and people were seriously right up there against you. Personal space ceased to exist. Once we were over the bridge, things got better until we made it to the spot where the buses picked people up to take them back to their cars at the stadium. You see, there was a line for the bus, which was fine, except most people didn't want to wait in line. So Forrest and I were with the 100 people who got in line to wait...and wait we did, while hundreds of other people walked past us and joined the line closer to the front.

After about an hour of not moving in line, we decided to follow the couple ahead of us who decided to just walk to the stadium. Surely, a distance that only took 5 minutes by bus was walkable in 15 or 20 minutes, right? Wrong. We stopped and asked a friendly cop the way back to the stadium. He told us to turn on this road and that it ran right into the stadium. It took us an hour to make it back to the stadium. By the time we made it there (after singing 'Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked' in my head a million times) our car was one of five left in the parking lot and it was past midnight (the fireworks ended at 9:40).  There was a time when an hour walk would have been okay with me. This was not that time. Forrest, hero that he is, did offer to carry me the rest of the way...On the drive home, we stopped and got us the largest size cherry-sprite possible at Jack-in-the-box. Sprite has never tasted so good. All's well that end's well.

Last but not least, we put together this 1,000 piece patriotic puzzle masterpiece. Forrest devoted many hours to its completion. I helped some, but he definitely deserves most of the credit.

Patriotic Puzzle