Y In The Middle Of The Lane

Hello, my name is Layne and I am a worshipping member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was sitting in sacrament this morning and sang O Ye Mountains High. "O Zion! dear Zion! land of the free, Now my own mountain home, unto thee I have come;  All my fond hopes are centered in thee." I listened to this chorus, and it spurred my thoughts. This song depicts the gratitude of the pioneers coming to the Utah Valley and having a place to be free to live their lives in the way God restored to the earth. We tend to think of the pioneers coming to an unclaimed land, but a quick look at a map from that time, that is often included in our standard LDS scriptures, shows that land was Mexico, and before that Indigenous territory. You could say a wagon train (alternatively, could be called a caravan) entered another country illegally. You might say, "But Layne, that was different!  God provided the Utah Valley as a promised land for his people."  ...

      So, what is evil? People often assign it to individuals, but are people in themselves evil?     If I were to take a poll, I think the person hands down for an example would be Adolf Hitler.  But is he evil?  Now before you get red-faced, keep reading, this is not an article about glorifying Nazi Germany.     Mother Theresa comes to mind as an example of the universal icon for good.  In her life, she has done a lot of good, but she is still a human being.  I don't know a lot about her but as a fellow human being, I can guarantee she had human failings just like the rest of us.     I remember once hearing that when Adolf Hitler was a boy he wanted to be a priest. A priest.  One of the most passive occupations in the world.  So how does a little boy with ambitions to become a priest end up one of the most hated men in world history?  Did he become evil, or did he listen to evil?     Lately, I ke...

Here I account my tale of woe . . . Just kidding, all is well at my house.  Being that my seasonal job is off during winter, the quarantine life has been my daily for four and a half months previous to the Sick.  (Note: I will refer to Corona/Covid as the Sick for my own pleasure)  I consider Fri. March 13 th  the official beginning of our family's quarantine journey.  That day, or perhaps the Thursday before, my mother and I went to the store to get the essentials we didn't have.  We have a good amount of food storage to live on, but we still wanted a few fresh things while we could get them. We were given a blessing of help in being able to afford our groceries with the help of a friend who is more financially stable.  In that way, God has helped us, this is only one example.  I've been trying to pass along hope when I can on social media, keep the positive news circulating while letting the negative get buried.  I made a list of e...

Hi there.  I decided to think back on what happened in January for this post.  I kept wanting to post but not being very inspired on what to write. However,there have been some memorable things that happened that I will attempt to remember. Last Wednesday Evening to Friday I stayed with my Aunt Joy.  I feel we are a type of kindred spirits that can fall back into place with each other no matter how long it's been since we last saw each other. I finished three books this month, started four.  Currently reading Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien.  It's nice to see this progress, when I feel like I've been in a little reading slump. A friend of mine has been in and out of the hospital.  I have this feeling this might be the moment I've been preparing myself for, where we may have to say our goodbyes soon.  His condition is life shortening and I have never had someone I knew as a friend die before.  I don't know how I should feel. I don't know what Fe...

So with this new year brought my thoughts back to this blog.  As you can see, it as been a year since I last wrote here.  I tried to be a book blogger for a while, I tried to market my photography.  But I don't think that is how I roll, and so now this place is merely going to be a journal from now on.  Follow along if you wish, but know that I will let myself write here at my own pace, sporadically. Also I changed the name of this place again, because I can. Happy 2015!

My Favorites of 2013 Shades of Earth by Beth Revis A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan Prodigy by Marie Lu Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund A Million Suns by Beth Revis Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale Share book reviews and ratings with Layne, and even join a book club on Goodreads. To view all the books I have read in 2013, follow this link .

The face of the Lunar queen cresting the moon, placed to make the "L" in Lunar. Marissa Meyer is doing a contest on her website to design the Lunar Insignia for her book series, Lunar Chronoicles .  I love creating things in photoshop and was very eager to make this design.

So I've been ruminating about putting up a list of "resolutions" on my blog, and reading a friends list helped encourage me to take the plunge.  I managed to make some significant life changes last year, and this year i want to make more.  So I will now begin my hopes for 2013. Goals for the Year 2013: Choose and finish a whole novel's first draft I have a bad habit of losing interest in a story idea at the point when it becomes hard.  So this year I'm going to force myself to write through the writer's block. Learn new photography techniques and practice the one I already know Last year wasn't a great year in photography for me, but this year i can drive!  So I'm hoping to visit some fun locations and broaden my portfolio. Brush my teeth more regularly Laugh it up, but I truly have lost this habit.  I do brushing my teeth before leaving the house and the times I actually remember, but I could really improve my hygiene in this area. ...

Share book reviews and ratings with Layne, and even join a book club on Goodreads.

  Can you believe that 2012 is almost over?  It just seems like every year is shorter, I feel like 2012 had a lot of great things happen.  For one, I read a lot of great books this years, and I'll be sharing my list later next month.  I saw some awesome movies, listened to great music, and just in the nick of time, I got my license!   I know, you must be dreaming, but it's true.   As fun and exciting as 2012 has been, I can see 2013 bringing us even more fun .  So I decided to make a fun list of things I'm excited about happening next year : Getting a job Buy this with my savings: Watch Downton Abbey Season 3 Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

For nearly a month, Enna Isilee has been celebrating her birthday by interviewing a TON of authors, and having a TON of giveaways. You can click here for all there is to know about the birthday bash. But here's the sad news: it's almost over!! You only have until 10:01pm MST on 9/21/12 to enter to win all of these amazing books. What are you waiting for?! Click on the the book you want to win to be taken to an interview with the author where you can enter to win that book! While you're there, stop by and say hi to the author and wish Enna Isilee a happy birthday. It's the party of the year! And it's almost over. Don't miss out!