Pandora's Hope Chest Trouble

A little while ago I had some trouble with Pandora's Hope Chest. (I explained the program in my last blog post.)   Every time I came into familysearch, it would reset and ask me to do the tutorial again.  It would find one hundred names and then the next time, the slate would be wiped clean and I'd have to start over.

I looked all over the internet for a solution for my problem under "hope chest trouble," "Pandora's Hope trouble shooting"  and "Help my Pandora's Hope Chest keeps resetting and I don't know how to fix it, is there anyone who does?" (Okay not the last one) There was surprisingly little to be found and none of it helpful.

So for those experiencing similar troubles, this is what I did.  I uninstalled and re-installed Google Chrome.  It didn't change anything else, but resetting it reset the extension and got it working again.

Pandora's Hope Chest

I find it sort of ironic that an icon used to store evil in myths is now helping the good work of genealogy. Now on familysearch.org you can sift through all the records for people ready to have their temple work done at the click of a mouse.

Pandora's Hope Chest is an extension of Google Chrome. (Click on the link to go to the free download page.) You download it, restart your browser and then click the icon and follow the tutorial on familysearch. 

It can run in the background of whatever you are doing and you can even have several going at once.  It will compile all the work it finds.  Later you can go through it and see what work needs to be done.

It's a tool that makes family history so much easier.

Tiny Buddha Says Journal

I was looking through journaling ideas and I got some great ideas off of tinybudda.com.  I thought I would share tiny buddha's 10 journaling tips.
1. Write about where you are today.
Write what is happening in your world, your relationships, your work, your learning and your self discovery.
2. Write like a brainstorm is pouring on the page.
Don't edit or sensor just write.
3.Channel the child within by writing with your less dominant hand.
What difficulties come up?
4.Cultivate Thanks Giving by writing gratitude lists.
Write about things you are grateful for including motivational messages.  That way when you read through and you're feeling down you get a boost of gratitude.
5. Start a self portrait journal.
(I really like this one) Take pictures, draw, paint, create a word picture, learn to love you as you are in this moment.
6. Keep a nature journal
Record what you see around you in the great out doors.  There are so many wonderful things out there.
7. Keep a success journal
Write down the successes you remember and then continue it by continually writing down little successes during the week.  Your list will grow and inspire you.
8.Keep a log or playlist of your favorite songs.
Write about memories you connect with these songs and the emotions they evoke.
9. When you struggle with something or face on obstacle or challenge.
Write about what's going on in third person.  This will give you distance, new perspective and hopefully more clarity.
10. Develop Intuition (also known as a spiritual journal).
Write down questions and then let the impressions come.  Write them.  You will find your inner light.

American Slave

 My mother then turned to him and cried, "Oh, master, do not take me from my child!" Without making any reply, he gave her two or three heavy blows on the shoulders with his raw-hide, snatched me from her arms, handed me to my master, and seizing her by one arm, dragged her back towards the place of sale. My master then quickened the pace of his horse; and as we advanced, the cries of my poor parent became more and more indistinct - at length they died away in the distance, and I never again heard the voice of my poor mother. Young as I was, the horrors of that day sank deeply into my heart, and even at this time, though half a century has elapsed, the terrors of the scene return with painful vividness upon my memory. Frightened at the sight of the cruelties inflicted upon my poor mother, I forgot my own sorrows at parting from her and clung to my new master, as an angel and a saviour, when compared with the hardened fiend into whose power she had fallen. She had been a kind and good mother to me; had warmed me in her bosom in the cold nights of winter; and had often divided the scanty pittance of food allowed her by her mistress, between my brothers, and sisters, and me, and gone supperless to bed herself. 

This heart wrenching tale evokes such emotion and poses such a powerful question to bigotry.  It is entirely unusual, not the experience, but the fact that it was recorded. This young slave learned to read and write and was able to record his experience.  He wasn't out to change the world, all he did was record his seemingly insignificant life.  Little did he know that his life and his words would ring so significantly in the ears of those who read his account.  It reminds us that we all share a bond of human nature.  It calls the reader to take a look at their life and their family and to take a step in someone else's life.

Reality is What You Make of It

Depend on the Lord

He that doeth the will...

Lincoln Papers

This is the first draft of Lincoln's Emancipation proclamation.  Abe Lincoln is rumored to have kept his papers in his hat.  Sometimes you need an unconventional way to go about things.  However you choose to do it it's important to leave a record.  Who knows what will be important in the future, and who will be inspired by your story.  In Lincoln's Gettysburg address, he says "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here."  It just goes to show you never know what will be important to the future.

John Quincy Adams

This is a page from the diary of John Quincy Adams.  He was working on the senate.  Great men recorded their thoughts in journals.  John Quincy Adams was a "red personality" which means he is wired to be a leader/promoter.  You can tell this from his journal because he wrote short, to the point sentences.  It is always fascinating to look at the handwriting of the time, especially when comparing it to the handwriting of today.  It was more of an important skill, because they didn't have typewriters or computers to do it if they couldn't.  It was a mark of a successful and intelligent man to be able to write well.

Find out what your personality type is and what it means.

Family Tree

Grandma Taylor

Grandma Taylor was a special lady.  She was not a member of the church.  She was born May 1, 1910 in Vardiman, Chickasaw, Mississippi.  

Her parents were John Rueben Taylor and Lou Dorothy Doss.  They were born in the 1880's

Even though my Grandma Simmons was not her daughter (her grandaugher) she took her in because Grandma’s mom could not take care of her.  Mom says that she probably saved Grandma's life.  She was married several times.  She stuck with the last one. 

My mom talks about how she used to cook bacon on fast Sunday, not knowing what she was doing to the poor kids.  She was diabetic so she could not fast anyway.

She lived to meet my older brother Tyler.  She died 27 May 1983.  She was buried in our family cemetery in Provo Utah. 

My Grandpa Simmons

My Grandpa Ralph D Simmons is an amazing man.  I admire him a lot.  My mom said that if I find someone like him to marry I will be very lucky.  I believe that.  He was born on September 18, 1921 in Lakeshore Utah.  He learned to use a rifle before enlisting in the army in WWII.  Mom says that she would come home sometimes to a deer on the table.  They lived in Wyoming so it isn’t all that surprising.  Grandpa grew up in the Great Depression.  I think he told me when I asked that he never went without. Things were tight and he learned not to be wasteful.  A lesson I learned from his example. 

My Aunt Nan says that he used to call their dog in by whistling.  He was very handy.  He was in to carpentry.  He worked in a steel mill.  My mom said that she remembers his lunch pail.  When they saw his lunch pail around the house, that meant he was home. 

He married Grandma Ruth Irene Woodson Simmons in 1945.  Grandma was a spunky woman.  I think the story went that Grandpa got home from the war and she knew she wanted to marry him, but when he didn’t ask, she started going on dates and he realized he didn’t want her dating other men so he married her.  Good call on Grandpa’s part.

Grandpa told me that all his kids have always been kind of industrious.  They knew they had to work for what they wanted so they did.  I can see that in my mom.  She values hard work.  In the stories they tell about different things they did to get what they wanted as children are amusing.  “Industrious” doesn’t always cover it. 

I like the story of how my Grandma and Grandpa joined (rejoined for my Grandpa) the church.  They took the lessons and then they got to talking.  Grandma told him that she thought it was the true church, but they had to make the decision as a couple to join or not join.  It shows how they valued their marriage and each other’s opinion.  Luckily they’re both pretty smart and they joined the church together

Me and My Family

Life Goals

I want to live in Europe for a while, preferably when I’m young.

I want to get married in the temple have a lasting and happy marriage and have children.

I want to be a stay at home mom.

I want to learn Spanish fluently.

I want to learn new types of dance.

I want to dye my hair funky colors.

I want to build a home that is pleasant to be in and pretty to look at.

Personal History 2013

My birth was an exciting event.  I was a high risk child.  The day I was induced they had my mom hooked to heart monitors and all sorts of measuring equipment.  At one point my heart tones went below 28 beats a minute.  Sirens went off and nurses started running around frantically.  One nurse was attending to my mother and kept telling her to breathe deeper.  Finally my mom shouted “I am breathing deeper!” and the lady responded “I know!” expressing that she did not know what else to say.  I came ready to hang with the chord wrapped around my neck and one of my arms, but thanks to skilled and attentive doctors and promptings listened to I arrived safely.  There were a lot of people living in my house.  My Aunt Chris lived along with us and my family already included 9 people, including my parents. I was an adorable child with ringlets in my short dark blonde hair. 

My younger brother was born when I was the age of three and we have been best friends ever since.  People say I used to look out for him and make sure he would not get into too much trouble.  I became a sort of second mother to him at one point until my mother had to tell me, “He doesn’t need two mothers.”  I remember Saturday chores being a tradition in my family.  I most remember doing my best to avoid my chores. I was successful on occasion.  There was nothing that could get my dad so angry as shirking chores. 

My mom started me on a journal at a very young age.  I may have only been two.  She would ask me about my experience I would tell her about it and she would write it down.  That is something I continued with my entire life. 

At the age of eight I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I remember expecting to feel different having heard so many people tell me it was such an amazing experience, that they were washed clean, that it was the best day of their life.  I did not.  So when my mom asked me how I felt afterward, I lied and said it was amazing.  “I feel clean.”  I had not been baptized ten minutes and I had already sinned. 

Growing up my best friend was Justin Hein.  We were the same age and the same grade in school.  His dad was my doctor up until the time that his parents got divorced. 

I was a good student, if unorganized.  My parents had instilled in me a testimony of the importance of a good education.  I never questioned that I would go to college.  In elementary school my friends and I were talking about what colleges we would want to go to. I was always good at making good goals and following through.  By fifth grade I had decided that I was going to a BYU school.  That choice guided many of my educational choices.

I looked up most to my sister Michelle and my brother Tyler.  Both are exceptional human beings.  Michelle often took time out of her busy schedule to play with me and give me one on one attention.  We would “do necklaces.” And play dolls.

For a blip in the time of my life we had a foster kid staying in our home.  Mother says that he damaged our home, but I think it was important to have him there just the same.  It feels like God’s will, and it is the past anyway, so it is not as if it is to be changed.

I did not have a lot of friends in elementary school or middle school.  I spent of my fifth grade playing alone at recess and lunch.  In middle school I felt alone most of the time.  I did not have friends at church and felt like I was looking through a window when I went to activities.

Then we went to youth conference when I was almost 14 and I roomed with Jennifer Blanchard (later Jennifer Maybe). She was excited to be my roommate. She had a lot of friends.  I felt included and noticed by people my age.

In eighth grade I met a girl who I became really good friends with.  Kristine Port, who was a Jehovah’s Witness and taught me to admire their fortitude.  After a couple years though, we lost contact.

When I started high school, they were doing a program that split freshmen from other people at lunch.  It was an effort to unify the freshmen and prevent bullying.  This forced me to find people my own age to sit with.  I sat with Justin Hein, Geneva Burlack and Becca Joccums and the other people became my friends and the core group stayed together.

I took AP classes, because I could not get an education in the lower classes because the students did not care and neither did the teachers.

I was a part of the choir all four years of high school. I did improvisational comedy all four years as well.  I continued doing that in college. 

In my junior year, I dated Trevian Austin.  It lasted 3 months. I knew going into it, it would not last, but it was a great experience just the same.

I graduated in 2010. That year was one of the best.  My classes were educational and fun.  Toward the end I spent a lot of time just messing around with my friends.

I completed the Personal Progress program at that same time.

I started school in the fall at BYUI. I went not knowing any friends or having any roommates I was already friends with.  I started completely from scratch.  That was my first time moving.  Some of my roommates ended up being people I would stay friends with and continue to room with.  I roomed with Michaela McMormack, or McCormack (later Oniones) until she married Dan Oniones in 2012 in the Portland Oregon temple.  Her name story is interesting.  Her family’s name is McCormack, but the nurse spelled it wrong as McMormack on her birth certificate and no one caught it till she was 16.  I roomed with Amanda Southwick every semester until the spring semester in 2013.

Justin Hein came out of the closet in 2011-2012.  I was pretty much the last person to know.  I would not believe anyone but Justin to say it.  It was hard at first because we had different beliefs about it, but our deep friendship conquered the differences.  We came to understand that even though we disagreed we could still be friends because we valued the friendship.

I met Jonathan Behymer in the beginning of August in 2012 at a YSA conference.  He caught my attention and we started dating the 7^th of September 2012.  The first 3 months were long distance. I stayed home and took classes online for the spring so that we could be together and to continue my paid internship at JBEI. When that internship ended I continued classes.  We officially started dating exclusively the day before I left for school.  The time crunch rushed the relationship and we spent our first evening as a couple kissing. 

I came home to find things were not as they seemed.  I had fallen head over heels and he had been casually dating me.  He had been flirting with other girls, because he was not that involved in our relationship.  It helped that my job was in vista now and was close to where he lived.  We talked through our issues and I forgave him and he changed.  He was more interested in me.

Then for a while things were rough.  He was everything but what I needed.  Until I started praying to have the Holy Ghost guide what I say and do around him.  I received divine help and we began to make head way on important issues. 

One day when he would not kiss me before he left for camp the next day for a month, because he did not want to get me sick, I began to pout.  He then told me that “pouting doesn’t work.”  I felt prompted and asked him what did and he said, “Not needing it.” I was stunned and I told him that was ridiculous.  He said, “If you need it then what is it? An addiction.”  I told him it was like being addicted food or water, being loved is a basic need.  We continued to discuss until I said something silly and busted up laughing.  As I giggled he kissed me. 

That was my first experience of him compromising and letting go of his stubborn side in action.

I returned to Idaho in the fall. He did not get his application in for the fall semester and the earliest he could go was winter.  This posed a problem for me.  I was not sure if I should stay in winter to be with him, if I should go home, or if I should not wait for him that long.  After all in winter we would have been dating a year and 3 months I reasoned. 

I graduated in Communications with an emphasis in Advertisement by 2015. 

Fake journal entries that I'm rather proud of.

Family History Research

I have a fetish for self help books and tips.  I figure, life is hard, why not learn what other people have already figured out.  I liked that it was organized and offered advice.  Before your visit it reccommends that you:

Organize Your Materials

See What’s Already Been Done

Decide What You Want to Learn

Identify Available Records

During your visit you should:

Bring Your Information

Visit with a Reference Consultant

Record what you find

Lambs Wrestling With Lions

The other day I had an experience that made me think. 

 My boyfriend is a gentleman and would never do anything to purposefully harm me.  I've been afraid for a long time.  I've felt helpless and wary.  As a woman I've felt vulnerable and scared.  I live in a normal neighborhood, but our house is full of windows and sometimes my imagination gets the better of me.  

The other day we were wrestling.  He had my arms and legs pinned and he said, if you were fighting for your life what would you do.  He didn't realize that that question has been playing in my mind for about a decade. I explained calmly at first that that is a different fight, and I would use my teeth and nails to get free.  He put me in a different hold and tilted his head back out of reach and said now what would you do.  I turned my head and showed him I could bite his arm.  My brain was flipping.  It was like there were two sides arguing, one saying get free no matter what, the other saying, it's okay, it's James (name has been changed) you love him and he wouldn't hurt you, don't kill him.  A few seconds later, he thought he'd tease me (he didn't know what I was thinking or that I would get like that) and started flirting with me.  As he did all of my fears I'd had for years were projected on him.  I struggled free.  I fought like I'd never fought before.  

It took me over three hours to calm down.  Luckily he was understanding and let me come to him.  It's like finding a wild deer.  If you chase it, it will run, but if you sit there and let them come to the conclusion that you're not a threat, it will inch closer.  

In a sense this experience was good for me.  It showed me that I am not as helpless as I used to think.  I also watched a movie today about The Freedom Writers.  They live in tough circumstances and are fighting to survive.  

I feel too, as I've been defining myself and figuring out who I want to be, and becoming more independent that I've felt that struggle to fight.  To fight against what I've always believed to be true about me and about the world.  To fight my boxes of thinking and set ablaze the concepts of my Identity.  It sounds ironic now that I write it out, I'm burning my confines, looking for a bigger box.  Is there a pasture somewhere where I don't need a fence? 

Lines of church hymns fill my thoughts:

"There is a green hill far away with out a city wall..." and "Dear to the heart of the shepherd..." both are filled with the theme that we are lambs in His pasture, with Him we are free, we don't have fences, just loving arms to protect us.

I suppose that is the point.  We find the freedom we crave in His arms.

Testimony

I believe it is every person's journey in this life to find out who they are and who they are going to become.  The journey transforms us for the better as we implement the Savior's atonement in our lives.  I believe that Jesus loves us and that he watches out for us.  I believe our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers.  My mom always says that coincidences stop happening when we stop praying.  I believe in prayer.  It is powerful.  I haven't yet figured out how it works, but I plan to continue experimenting and studying it.