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If you have any concerns or questions about COVID-19, please, please for the love, go to the CDC website. They will have the most accurate information you need.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

A PRINCESS STORY by Jaci Wightman Blog tour





Welcome to Jaci Wightman today!! She doing a blog tour for her new book, A PRINCESS STORY. Doesn't that sound awesome?!

In President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s popular Conference talk, “Your Happily Ever After,” he lavished young women with words that I’m sure were music to their ears:

You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your “once upon a time” is now (Ensign, May 2010).

What girl (or woman for that matter) doesn’t love being told she’s a princess? It’s the stuff dreams are made of. After all, our world today is enamored with the idea of being a member of royalty.  Just walk through Walmart and you’ll find princesses plastered on everything from toothbrushes to T-shirts to tennis shoes. And don’t forget all the images of Princess Kate staring back at us while we wait our turn in the checkout line. I believe that’s the reason President Uchtdorf ‘s talk was so beloved—because he took all that princess hoopla and made it real. To think that we as daughters of God are princesses in our own right is pretty heady stuff. 

And yet, as inspiring as that idea may seem, the scriptures actually throw a hitch into all the princess hype. For one thing, the Doctrine and Covenants tells us that Christ “so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons [and daughters] of God” (D&C 34:3, see also 11:30, 35:2, 45:8). And Alma also talks about our need to be “changed…[and] redeemed of God, [thus] becoming his sons and daughters” (Mosiah 27:25). The word become means to be changed or transformed into something, so if we really are princesses like President Uchtdorf said, why would the scriptures say we need to “become” daughters of God? Why the need to be transformed into something we already are? It just doesn’t make any sense.

I wrote A Princess Story to answer that very question. Yes, it’s a wonderful thing to understand our divine, royal heritage, but the truth is that that’s only the beginning of our story. It’s just the first scene. In order to fully comprehend who we are and who we must become, we’ve got to move past that introductory scene and explore the rest of the story. I know many of us think we know the gospel backwards and forwards, but I’d like to introduce you to a whole new way of looking at it. I hope to convince you that, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, each of us has been swept up in a real-life fairy tale, complete with a princess and her prince, an evil villain, an awful monster, an epic battle, and a daring rescue. In other words, all those classic princess movies have jumped right off the movie screen and into our personal lives. All we need to do is open our eyes to see it, and we can embrace the adventure with all the passion and enthusiasm we can possibly muster.  (If all this seems a little too far-fetched for you to swallow, just take a gander at 2 Nephi 9:10 and you’ll get a quick glimpse of the stirring saga I’ve been talking about.)

If you’d like to learn more about your own real-life fairy tale, I invite you to pick up a copy of A Princess Story. As the storyteller, I promise you that this enchanting drama will include some unexpected twists and turns, and a better happily-ever-after than any Disney princess movie you’ve ever seen.

BIO
Jaci Wightman, a wife and fulltime mom of 7, graduated in 2012 from BYU-Idaho with a degree in University Studies. She is the author of A Princess Story: The Real-Life Fairy Tale Found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (2016) and Body Image Breakthrough: Learning to See Your Body and Your Beauty in a Whole New Light (2014). To learn more, visit her website at jaciwightman.com.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

My 2015 book list

RI read over 55 books and 14, 654 pages last year. Not as many as last year (147) but I read and listened to many, many amazing books!

The longest book I read at 538 pages (obviously there is more than one book):



#1 Bestselling Amazon Authors of Christmas in Snow Valley, have teamed up again with six wonderful summer novellas that are sure to make your summer sweet and sassy!





The shortest book (which was super cute):




When you babysit a grandma, if you're lucky . . . it's a sleepover at her house! And with the useful tips found in this book, you're guaranteed to become an expert grandma-sitter in no time. (Be sure to check out the sections on: How to keep a grandma busy; Things to do at the park; Possible places to sleep, and what to do once you're both snugly tucked in for the night.) 






My favorite books of the year, in no particular order:



They told David it was impossible--that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart--invincible, immortal, unconquerable--is dead. And he died by David's hand. 



Eleanor de Lacy is forced into an arranged marriage with her father’s greatest enemy, Brac Goch, the Welsh king. All Eleanor knows of Brac is that he is a ruthless, war hungry man.



Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. 



After 17-year-old Smitha is cursed to be as cold as her heart, Death himself offers her a chance for relief. Unwilling to give up her life, Smitha seeks redemption deep in the savage deserts, where her perpetual winter dares to make her a hero.



Postbellum America makes for a haunting backdrop in this historical and supernatural tale of moonlit cemeteries, masked balls, cunning mediums, and terrifying secrets waiting to be unearthed by an intrepid crime reporter. 



Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. 







About a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.


Millions of people witnessed Emma Taylor’s first kiss—a kiss that needed twelve takes and four camera angles to get right. After spending nearly all of her teen years performing on cue, Emma wonders if any part of her life is real anymore . . . particularly her relationships.







On a hike deep in the Rocky Mountains, Kai Monahan watches as a dozen dragons—actual freaking dragons—battle beneath a fat white moon. When one crashes nearly dead at her feet and transforms into a man, Kai does the only thing a decent person could: she grabs the nearest sword and saves his life.






The SARAH M. EDEN BRITISH ISLES COLLECTION contains two brand new historical romance novellas A FRIEND INDEED and A HAPPY BEGINNING, as well as four hand-picked readers’ and reviewers’ favorites of Sarah’s popular Timeless Romance Anthology novellas.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

LATTER-DAY WARRIORS: Stepping Into Your Spiritual Strength by Brock Richardson

Discover the spiritual warrior in you! Based on the belief that every soul has a spiritual warrior within, author Brock Lance Richardson interviews ten men he met through BYU football. Each reveals what it takes to become physically and spiritually strong, while their wives describe what it means to be a “warrior” for young women. Perfect for youth and young adults, this entertaining and spiritually uplifting read will teach you how to build spiritual stamina and to use your inner warrior for good.



When I first saw the cover for this book I wondered what the book would be about but I was excited about the concept of a latter-day warrior. As I started reading I have to admit I was a little disappointed that it was all about BYU players. Obviously, there are good LDS college football players everywhere, why BYU? But as I read I came to realize a couple of things:

1. The author was a BYU football player and developed relationships as well as deep respect for several players.
2. The players had inspiring stories to tell.

As I read, I too was inspired. What we see on TV is only the barest, minimal glimpse into amazing lives. From players highs to lows and highs again, there is something to learn from these amazing men and women. Yes, wives a definitely included in this book as they too have inspiring stories.

This is a great read for anyone who wants to be inspired to live their lives better. Tips, stories and ideas help carry the message to readers.