President Nelson
On Sunday morning my alarm rang at 7 am. I looked at my phone. The very first thing I saw was that President Nelson had passed away in the night. I was surprised at how...
Read The Rest of the StoryAndrea
Five Things History of Us My Favorite Things The Women Things That I Think About
True Grit
True Grit: A Story about my 5th Great Grandmother, Tamson Parshley Egan. Tamson was born in Barnstead, New Hampshire on July 27, 1825. She married Howard Egan in December, 1838. She was just thirteen and...
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Some Other Beginning’s End
We’re closing a chapter on our lives – and I’m not ignorant of the fact that it may have been the most beautiful chapter of our entire lives. Tomorrow we’ll start moving to our new...
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One of the times I completely and utterly failed at life
When I was at BYU I worked at the Mechanical shop. Lest you’re like me and think the mechanical shop means I worked on cars, let me correct you. The mechanical shop was the term...
Read The Rest of the StoryThe Books We Read
I thought I should start a list of all the books I’ve read to the kids over the years (chapter books) – but then I realized I couldn’t remember them all. But I’m going to...
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My Own Miracle of Healing
I went to see “Ephraim’s Rescue” at the theaters tonight with Wyatt. In the movie there is a touching scene where a young man in the Martin Handcart Company was given a blessing of healing...
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Scatter the Sunshine
Grandma Brock passed away last night. It was both expected and sudden. She has been struggling with Alzheimers for almost ten years. Three weeks ago when I was in Arizona I received an email from...
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I Love to See the Temple
If I back-date it to Tuesday, then it count’s as a Tale for Tuesday, right? When I was sixteen I spent one wild adventurous semester living with my aunt in St. George. Activities included...
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A Christmas Tale for Tuesday
Since Christmas is falling on a Tuesday this year, I thought it befitting to have a “Tale for Tuesday” be a Christmas story . . . When I was in eleventh grade I wrote a...
Read The Rest of the StoryThis Week in 2008
Cal ganked a tomato off the Smith’s back porch, and devoured it before anyone could stop him.
Read The Rest of the StoryThis Week in 2006
We celebrated our 5 year anniversary.
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This Week in 2007
We blessed baby Calvin. Not the greatest picture of any of us, but it’s the only one we have.
Read The Rest of the StoryIt was Bad Luck
One weekend, the summer after our freshman year of college, I was invited to go camping with Andi and her family. I grew up going camping with the Kierst’s. Chris, a geologist for the state...
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When I was five my grandpa Brock died. And since my parents were hauling us all to southern Callifornia for a funeral anyway, I guess they decided to make a big deal out of it....
Read The Rest of the StoryOklahoma!
The spring of fifth grade we decided to ride our bikes to Oklahoma. I don’t remember how this decision came about, but it was as real, and we were as determined, as could be! Andi...
Read The Rest of the StoryUncle Terry
This special edition of “Tales for Tuesday” is printed on Sunday, especially for Uncle Terry. Where do you even start when you’re talking about Uncle Terry? In my family he was known as “Terry 1”...
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Painting the Roses Red, Or, dying the towels pink
When I was nineteen I spent a semester living in Moscow. And one time we went on a grand trip through northern Russia, across the border to Helsinki, Finland where this story begins, and then...
Read The Rest of the StoryOur Very First Valentines Day
tonight i am typing on my laptop – something i try to avoid ever since calvin got a hold of it last spring and busted some keys – including the all important ‘shift’ – there...
Read The Rest of the StoryWednesday was Andi’s Birthday
So I was going to write a “Tales for Tuesday” for her, and publish it on Wednesday. But Wednesday I forgot, I was participating in an online protest. So today she shall have her story....
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Estonian Honey
When I was nineteen I spent a semester living in Moscow, teaching English as a second language to ten year olds. But that’s another story. While there we went on a trip where we...
Read The Rest of the StoryTwo Travel Tales
Today I will feature two Tales for Tuesday – because they’re both short. One: The Time I was Smooshed By a Large Lady while Crash Landing in a Hot Air Balloon When I was in...
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The Roof
The house in which I grew up, which was (and is) referred to as simply, “The Yellow House,” had a very steep roof. This was a simple fact of my childhood, confirmed into impressive reality...
Read The Rest of the StoryFlaming Soccer
Today is Emily Elmer’s Birthday (who is no longer Emily Elmer, but Emily Bowers instead). And so I thought it would be good to write a story about living on the Indian Reservation. While...
Read The Rest of the StoryThe story of how we were attacked by two dobermans while innocently trespassing one day . . .
This story is dedicated to Carrie, because she wanted me to write this one. When I was probably about thirteen or so, we decided to have a grand adventure. Don’t ask me exactly who...
Read The Rest of the StorySinging in the Dark AKA The Time They Called Search & Rescue
When I was about fourteen my cousin, Anna and I decided to go on an evening ride. Our plan was to head up Corner Canyon. When I was growing up, the entire South Mountain was...
Read The Rest of the StoryThe Story of how I was almost hit by a Semi Truck while climbing a tree one fine afternoon
The summer before Junior High was a weird one. Perhaps that’s a bit vague. But I can’t think of any other way to describe it. I was about to start at a new school —...
Read The Rest of the StorySwirling
The sun slanted at the late autumn angle. The horses picked their way over the canal and out into the field, the hay cut low from the farmer’s plow, the fallow littered on the frosty...
Read The Rest of the StoryTell Me A Story
At night, when I go to tuck Olivia in, jammies on, teeth brushed, Daisy curled up beside her, her room awash in the pink of her Ikea daisy night light, Olivia always asks: “Tell me...
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The Places You’ll Go
Dear Olivia, Today you graduated. GRADUATED!! From Preschool. I have heard the snide, the non-parents, and the unimaginative say that pre-school graduation is overkill. To them I say bleh! Preschool graduation is a celebration! A...
Read The Rest of the StoryThe Way It Happened
So there I was, minding my own business . . . Literally. I was in my apartment at BYU, doing homework in my living room. I heard the voices of a couple guys and girl...
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One Time
When I was about thirteen or fourteen, I decided to go on an evening ride with my cousin, Anna. My mom dropped us off at the horses at about four – plenty of time for...
Read The Rest of the StoryThe Rollers
In the basement of my grandpa’s house, there is an old, (old) player piano. It’s nothing fancy – no electric features, it requires brute strength to pump the old pedals through the song. A cabinet...
Read The Rest of the StoryComforts of the Past
I’m having a hard day. Are you surprised? It’s actually a bad day after a series of bad days. But I’m off to the doctor in a half hour. Hopefully that will make me happy....
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The Visit
I’m visiting Andi as I type this. Her house is an eclectic collection of art and memories. There’s the ceramic rhino bust she made, extruding from the top of the fireplace, an art project from...
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Grandpa Turns 91
Among all the other events of fourth of July weekend, I did want to mention that we went to a Herzog family barbeque at the cabin in celebration of Grandpa’s birthday. (Hurray Grandpa). He’s 91....
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Friends of the Uyghurs
This is an article I wrote for my Alumni Newsletter (Waterford) about a year after returning home from China. The marketplace was a living collage of sights, sounds and colors. There were bright costumes and...
Read The Rest of the StoryThe Treasure
Wendy was going to Virginia. She was going to school. She was getting away. She was going to be free. We always talked of the adventures we would have together — sipping hot chocolate in...
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The Last Day of Summer
Henry & Julie are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughterAndreato her best friendWyatt Josephson of Harold & Lois on the Last Day of SummerFriday, September 21st 2005In the Salt Lake TempleOf the Church...
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My Grandma & Grandpa
My Grandma was a spy for the FBI. Most people look at me funny when I tell them this because they know that I like to make up stories, and they wonder if this isn’t...
Read The Rest of the StorySome of My Ancestors – By My Dad
When I gave my talk today, I asked everyone who were converts or decendents of converts to raise their hands. I had borrowed the 1st Edition of the Book of Mormon from a distant cousin...
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