Fredrik Gustaf Turns 2!

Our Superstar Fredrik's Goo Ma (that's me, by the way, Grandfather's Sister) is a little late in celebrating Fred's 2nd birthday.  You'd think these pictures had to come via slow boat from China...  Okay, bad joke.

Looks like our little guy celebrated his "terrible twos" in grand style.

First, his mommy made some really cute invitations for all his little playmates:

She even decorated the apartment and made balloon animals!

 Lots of big folks showed up:

 ... and some little ones, too!

 This lovely cake was gi-normous!

 But it went pretty fast!

Looks like one happy two-year old to me!  Here Fredrik sits amongst the spoils.  Fred's new train set looks like a lot of fun.  Sure wish I could have been there.

Happy Birthday, little fellow. 

Still Here

Still waiting for my ship to come in...
Oslo Harbor, 1992

Last week, I had one of those weeks - you know the ones, where nothing goes right and you just wonder what it's all about or if anything will ever get any better.  One challenge after another after another and you feel like saying, Hey, wait a minute! Time out! Just let me catch my breath! 

And then, of course, something  else happens. 

Last night my washing machine died.   It was a watery, sad death, but at least he went quietly, surrounded by his closest friends - my underwear.  May he rest in peace.

I came across a scripture yesterday that was very comforting.  I'd been reading in Alma, in the Book of Mormon, where Alma is couselling his sons and he says this:

...I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions..                                                                                    Alma 38:5

Now, I ask you, isn't that a great promise?

It's hard to remember that, sometimes, when the world just doesn't seem to be going your way.  However, I'm thankful for the comfort that God can bring at times when things in my life seem hopelessly messed up. 

So, it's up and at 'em.  And maybe that ship will show up any day now!

WCT's 90th Season Starts September 9th

Whittier Community Theatre begins its 90th season on Friday, September 9th with an opening night gala "meet and greet" with the cast of "Good News", the opening musical, and refreshments.  It's not too late to reserve a seat, or even purchase season tickets (see contact information below).

"Good News" is an exuberant musical set in the 1920s. It should be a lot of fun.  Cast members include:

Tom Marlowe -- Gabriel Borjon

Connie Lane -- Natalie Miller

Bobby Randall -- Jay Miramontes

Babe O'Day -- Heather Neinast

Prof. Kenyon -- Veronique Merrill Warner

Coach Johnson -- Greg Stokes

Pooch Kearney -- Jerry Marble

Pat Bingham -- Katherine Gutierrez

Sylvester -- Ben Otis

Millie -- Emily Turner

Flo -- Rebecca Schroeder

Lucy -- Jennifer Perez

Corda -- Jaimelynn Lake

Agatha -- Summer Shippy

Betty -- Samantha Salazar

Beef Saunders -- Landon Pikkel

Windy -- Mark Berglund

Slats -- Ruben Renteria

Lefty -- Ryan Miramontes

Grubs -- Robert Dominguez

Adult chorus -- John Francis, Pat Williams, Richard DeVicariis, Brigitta Weger, and John Warner Roberts

"Good News" will be playing September 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, September 18 at 2:30 p.m.

If you've never been to Whittier Community Theatre, you are missing out on one of the best bargains in local entertainment.  For a paltry $42 a season, you get 4 shows, and an excuse for a night out with your spouse, sweetheart, or your besties.  Such a deal!
 
I love community theatre - it gives ordinary folks a chance to develop and expand their talents, and have some fun, too.  I also happen to think that the WCT has some of the nicest folks in Whittier affiliated with it.  [Anyone can audition for a show, but they can always use volunteers in many different areas behind the scenes as well. ]
 
This up-coming season has some real gems.  In addition to "Good News", the WCT players will be delighting audiences with "A Nice Family Gathering", "Office Hours" and Noel Coward's unforgettable, "Blithe Spirit".
 
A Nice Family Gathering: It's Thanksgiving Day and the first family gathering at the Lundeen household since Dad died.  At the gathering, Dad comes back as a ghost with a mission: to tell his wife of 35 years that he loved her, soemthing he neglected to tell her while he was alive.  The problem is, she can't hear or see him.  The trouble begins when Mom invites a date for dinner.
 
Office Hours: Six different story lines connected by a few common events which has been described as a "laff-a-minit riot".
 
Blithe Spirit:  Well, if you don't know the plot to Blithe Spirit - you really need to come see it in person!  This is one of my absolute favorite plays!
 
Season tickets are $42.00.  Single tickets for Good News, the musical, are $18.  All other shows are $12.00 each.   These prices are such a bargain!
 
The Whittier Community Theatre has brought quality live theatre to our little community for 89 years. For tickets or questions, call (562) 696-0600.

Norwegian Bunads



Me and Solveig in our summer Bunads circa 1963

 Norwegians have unique costumes that are worn on special occasions called bunads (boo-nods).  There are elaborate formal versions of them, and simple "summer" versions of them, such as you see above, and the designs vary from region to region around Norway.

The two dresses shown above are different as Solveig's bunad is an "Oslo" bunad, while mine is from the area of northern Norway known as Trøndelag.  My mother had spent her summers up there, in a town called Levanger, when she was young.  I was lucky to have this bunad made for me by the same lady who had made my mother's bunad so many years before.  The Trønder bunad that I'm wearing has the traditional blue from the area.  The pewter clasp at the waist is also authentic. 

Although these dresses are usually worn with brooches, known as sølje, you will note that they are worn in different ways.  According to tradition, the Trønder bunad has the brooch placed at the top of the bodice, while the Oslo bunad has the brooch on the middle part of the bodice.

The shoes are pure 1960s, though! 


There was a recent study done in Norway that discovered a huge percentage of Norwegian women (more than 80 percent), owned a bunad and wore it on special occasions.  I think it's a fun tradition.

America has a similar tradition of dressing - but I think it's called tee-shirts and jeans.  We've become a nation of sloppy dressers, even, I've noticed lately, when attending church.

Here's a quote from Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

We used to speak of “best dress” or “Sunday dress,” and maybe we should do so again. In any case, from ancient times to modern we have always been invited to present our best selves inside and out when entering the house of the Lord—and a dedicated LDS chapel is a “house of the Lord.” Our clothing or footwear need never be expensive, indeed should not be expensive, but neither should it appear that we are on our way to the beach. When we come to worship the God and Father of us all and to partake of the sacrament symbolizing the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we should be as comely and respectful, as dignified and appropriate as we can be. We should be recognizable in appearance as well as in behavior that we truly are disciples of Christ, that in a spirit of worship we are meek and lowly of heart, that we truly desire the Savior’s Spirit to be with us always.

A lot has changed in the world since the early 1960s, but standards of modesty and care in dressing shouldn't be among them.  Fashions may change, but let's hold on to the things that are good. 

Like those old-fashioned bunads, they can bring something of value into our lives.

Christian Lit

I have to preface this post by stating that I have a Kindle.  To be honest.  I never thought I'd get a Kindle.  But I did.

I have always been a voracious reader, since that day of epiphany in second grade when I realized I could read my Nancy Drew mysteries by myself.  In the past I've always thought my book addiction had something to do with the smell of paper and ink.

My mother bought me my first Nancy Drew mystery novel.  We were walking down a small street in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and passed a little bookshop called The Book Nook.  There in the window was a Nancy Drew Mystery.  I remember hearing my mother exclaim, "Frøken Detektiv!" and dash into the store.  It only took her a few moments to double check before she explained to me that these were books she had read as a child in her native Norwegian.  She read the first book to me, and I read the next 50-something myself.  That's how it goes when you are a bibliophile. 

Yup, the smell of paper and ink is beguiling.

So, I never thought I'd succumb to the delights of the digital book world, but I did, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it, in spite of the total lack of paper feel and ink smell.

That's the long way around for introducing a little book I discovered by chance one day in the Amazon Kindle bookstore.  [I love virtual stores.  You can shop to your heart's content and never have to worry about sore feet!]  The book was listed as "Christian".  Having never delved into the Christian genres of books before, I had no idea what to expect.  I mean, I am a Christian, but I wasn't sure what a Christian mystery was.  I remember downloading it out of curiosity and the low cost.  "What the heck," I told myself, seeing the price.  "I'll give it a try."

Author Lorena McCourtney

I'm positive that was way before Christmas, so it shows you how far down the priority list it went. However, the other day I was looking for something to read, and went through the list of unread books on my Kindle. There among the many titles I had carelessly downloaded was listed, "Invisible". At the time I didn't remember it as the Christian mystery book, I just started reading.

Well, to my delight, I really enjoyed this little book. 

Ivy Malone is a delightful heroine, who calls herself an LOL (a little old lady).  She is very engaging and fearless.  The most "Christian" part of the book is that the heroine attends church regularly, believes in God, and spends a lot of time convincing people they need to pray and read the scriptures and go to church themselves. 

In other words, she was pretty much like me, well, except for the hanging around cemeteries and investigating a murder part!

The Ivy Malone character, despite her age, also seems to share some Nancy Drew-like qualities.  Perhaps that's why I responded as I did to the story of her feisty sleuthing abilities.

Poking around on-line, I discovered that there are more of these books, featuring the Ivy Malone character, and felt the need to talk about it here.  It was so refreshing to find a non-LDS marketed book whose author shares my values.    "Invisible" was written with humor and a little splash of romance. This isn't great literature, but it was a fun read and I would heartily recommend it.

Ms. McCourtney, thanks!  You have a new fan.

Come Follow Me...

There's a hymn that begins:

"Come Follow Me," the Saviour said, then let us in His footsteps tread..



Sabrina with Elder Smith and Elder Stout, two of my favorite guys

A lovely young woman named Sabrina did exactly that - follow in Christ's footsteps - this evening.  She was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by someone who had the proper authority from God to do so.  It was a big step for this courageous and truly choice young woman.

I'm so glad I was there.   Many of our ward members, and a large group of our ward Young Women were there too.  The young women even sang a special number.

Bishop Rodriguez greets Sabrina's family

The Rosales family

An "action" shot of Sabrina and Sister Boren, the YW President

There were lots of big hugs

Sister Rex with Sabrina and her mother

I should have gotten a better picture of Sabrina with not just Sister Rex, but the whole Rex family.  Sabrina is a good friend of their daughter, and they are the ones who introduced her to the Gospel.  Brother Rex performed the baptism. 

I know I have said it before in this blog, but to me there are no sweeter words in the English language than these: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ.. I've been to countless baptisms in my life and those words never fail to touch my heart.


Sabrina is truly loved by the young women of our ward. You could just see it in their faces as they took turns hugging her...

...and hugging her...

..and hugging her!  Even the Bishop's wife gave her a hug.

Welcome to our ward, Sabrina!  You have an exciting adventure ahead of you.

Happy 90th Gene!

Star Trek Creator, Eugene Wesley Roddenberry
(1921-1991)

When we were small, my brother served as the remote control of the TV set in our family living room.  That was in the days before such things were invented and as ubiquitous as they are now.  I got to see Star Trek a few times - first run - and I liked it, but it was usually my father who asked my brother to please change the channel - to a mystery show called Checkmate!, if I remember correctly, that warred for what was then, prime TV viewing time on Friday nights. 

At college, there was a group that religiously met in the TV room in the basement of our dorm to watch Star Trek, already in syndication.  I remember being in Scotland in the 70s, turning on a TV and seeing Star Trek reruns still happily airing in Edinburgh.

When the first Star Trek movie came out, one we were later to jokingly refer to as "Star Trek: The Motion Sickness", I remember waiting in line for hours to get into the old Cine-Capri theatre in Phoenix.  Accompanying me were a large group of my friends, mostly my own age, but including one 16 yr-old boy, and my dear friend Amy, who at that time was in her 70s.  We were all big fans, and joked about how fun Trek was, and how it had brought us all together.

Last night, many years later, as I sat watching the Vulcan, Mr. Spock, mind meld with a Horta, on late night TV, I contemplated the fact that Star Trek has been a part of my life for a very long while. 

And, despite its age, Star Trek is still a nice world that I enjoy spending time in.

So, I felt that it was only fitting that I pay a small tribute to Mr. Roddenberry, the show's creator, on his 90th birthday.  I think it's great that years after his death, he was one of the first humans to have his ashes sent into outer space.  And that the Star Trek franchise he started so many years ago is still going strong.

I asked some friends if they had anything to add to this little tribute, and here are a couple of responses:

Donna in Connecticut:
"..I loved that Gene was able to get his TV show on the air, a Scifi vehicle for discussing timely topics and the human condition in an intelligent and creative way.  I loved his casting savvy, and I loved that he fought to keep the character of Mr. Spock over that of his own wife [Majel Barrett, who appeared as Nurse Christine Chapel in the series]!  I loved how they created alien settings and costumes on a shoestring (often using nothing more than a shoestring!), and yet somehow everything came together in a way that it was easy to suspend disbelief and want to live in that universe."

Patricia in Washington:
"I greatly admire Gene Roddenberry for his message of hope for mankind's future when we needed it most during the Cold War and civil unrest. His optimistic future included true integration (rather than for political expediency) of human races and aliens, deliverance from nuclear devastation, and elimination of diseases and poverty. What a bright spot in the TV lineup in the 1960s!"

So, Happy Birthday to the Great Bird of the Galaxy!  And also to all those other great folks who share this day [including Jonathan Frakes, Commander William T. Riker of Star Trek: Next Gen], but especially to my dear friend Patricia, who lives way too far away from me. 

It makes me wish we really did have the technology to "beam up" .  Wouldn't that be great?