Happy Easter!

I know I'm a day late, but yesterday I was busy spending time with the fam! Which I hope you were doing too! I went over to my Oma and Opa's for dinner and we made and ate dinner together, had an easter egg hunt, and played Chicken Foot. It was definitely a good day. I took a quick moment during all the commotion to look around and realize how lucky I am to have my family. 

(How cute is this little guy?! I can't get enough of him! Note his shirt ;))

It's a nice feeling when you don't even have to be talking to anyone to feel a part of something great. I love my family.

It's helps when my aunt makes tasty cupcakes!

Plus the Easter Bunny came in the morning and dropped some treats off!

But anyway....

Candy and family are great! But they aren't the thing we should be focusing on the most during Easter. I have to admit that I was kind of a butt, and didn't really think about the real significance of Easter until I got to church. And then I kind of forgot about it when I was with my family. But when I got home, it was so nice to scroll through my Facebook news feed and see so many posts about Jesus Christ and his atonement and sacrifice for everyone. 

The reason we celebrate Easter is because of Jesus Christ's death. As part of God's plan for us, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to come down to Earth, as an example for us, and then ultimately take upon him our sins in Gethsemane (so He knows EVERYTHING we have ever or will ever go through), and die on the cross as a sacrifice, so that we don't have to live in sin forever. Because of Him, we can be forgiven for our sins. Because of Him, we can live with our families after we die. Because of Him, there is no "till death do us part". I am so grateful for Jesus Christ's sacrifice, and to God for letting his beloved Son do this for us.

Here's a great video explaining the last days of Jesus' life and his atonement for us.

 

And since you're already here, why don't you watch this quick one too?!

Because of Him, guilt becomes peace, regret becomes relief, despair becomes hope. Because of Him, there is no end.

Happy Easter my friends.

Love,

Lo

Try a Little Something New: Understanding Art.

'Tis the season for new beginnings, fresh starts and kicking off new goals, so why not try something new! Something that I have recently developed a budding love for, it art. I went to Europe in High School, where I spent my time walking amongst the beautiful ruins, enjoying the sweet taste of gelato, wishing in the Fontana di Trevi, and contemplating art. 

Now, before that makes me sound too cultured, I need to explain that when I say "contemplating", it really means that I had no clue what I was looking at. I went to the Musei Vaticani for about 7 hours. I'll be honest, by the fifth hour I was ready to get the heck out of there! I was tired, wanted to sit down, and frankly, I was a little hangry (Hungry+Angry). Plus quite a bit of the art didn't resonate with me. I also went to the Louvre, but we were only there for 2-3 hours (and there's so much to see!) I got a picture of the Mona Lisa (who knew it's so small?!) This is pretty much what it looked like.

Them people love Mona Lisa...it's like she's famous or something!

Luckily I had a little help from my background with Religion, and my Art History-major sister. I was able to appreciate a few bits of art, such as this:

This, I'm sure you can see, is of Adam and Eve - called Adam and Eve in the Earthy Paradise, by Peter Wenzel. I liked this one so much that I got a poster of it to take home. What I liked about it was the use of vibrant colour and the beautiful depiction of the animals. And that was about it. I was in grade 11, and I knew the story of Adam and Eve, and nothing about art. And that's okay! So what - I didn't understand some deeper meaning or symbolism. I believe you can appreciate art for reasons other than that.

What I'm trying to say is that just because you don't think you understand art, doesn't mean you shouldn't go view it! Maybe don't go and do it for a solid 7 hours (unless you're determined, then by all means go and enjoy), but take baby steps to enjoy art! 

I always hope that in the future I'll raise my kids to be all cute and cultured, taking them to look at art, and encouraging them to make it. But I think it's important for us adults to do it as well! Don't get set in your ways and think that you know enough or that art isn't fun or interesting. You're never too old to learn, and you can always ask questions! It's the best way to learn and to feel a connection and appreciate what you're looking at.

So, since it's Try-It-Tuesday, I'm encouraging YOU to go to your local art gallery! Just google where it is. And if you don't understand what's happening, they have these wonderful people who work there, whose job is to help you!! Just ask someone who works there for some background on the art. Or ask for their perspective. They are more than happy to help in my experience.

Currently at the AGA, there is an exhibit called Of Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian Painting. I'm so excited to go see it! They also have free discussions you can go to in order to understand it more!! (Now you have no excuse). Plus at the AGA, the last Thursday of every month is FREE admission! (Seriously, you have no excuses now!)

Do that, or take a class on art! I took an art history class last semester and LOVED it! I was a little skeptical at first, but I found it so interesting the background to a piece of art or architecture. This makes art mean a wholllleeee lot more to you! I realized that I had seen some of the pieces we talked about in class, and I wish I had understood them more before I went! 

Currently they are in the process of conserving the Winged Victory in the Louvre, but I recommend seeing it once they're done! It's beautiful! 

I can't get over how beautiful Sainte Chapelle is! The stained glass tells the stories of different apostles and biblical stories. 

Now go get yourself cultured! And please let me know if you do! Or let me know what some of your favourite art is! I'd love to hear about it!

UPDATE: 

I went to the art gallery with my mom yesterday, and we saw some seriously cool stuff! All the pieces from the Of Heaven Of Earth exhibit are originals all the way from the Glasgow, Scotland. I heard that they have never left until now.

There is SO much beautiful detail in this painting! I really wish you could see it even more up close. It's huge too! Probably a little taller than me, and I'm 5'10/5'11. Basically it's a painting of Mary Magdalene, who is lamenting of her younger vain ways, now that she is close to Jesus Christ. I loved the shadows, and all the detail of the jewelry on the ground, the tablecloth with it's tassels, and of the architecture.

The Virgin Mary and the Christ child. In this painting, they said that the looks on both their faces is solemn, because they know of the future sacrifice, which Jesus will make (the Atonement). If you could see the amazing folds of Mary's garments, you'd be amazed! I was. They're so crisp and naturally folded. It looks very real.

This is the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Annunciation meaning when the Angel Gabriel came and told her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ. The gold leaf part is light, symbolizing (I think) God's will being sent to Mary (or something about God telling her it was right/supposed to happen). My mom told me that usually artists will put the most important figure in the centre of the painting, to draw the eye there. But, we found it interesting that the pillar was in the middle instead. And again, such beautiful detail!

This was off to the side near another exhibit. I swear, that kitten looked real. I definitely went to didn't touch it to be sure. I was confused at first, but then thought that maybe it had something to do with the saying, "Curiosity Killed the Cat." But who knows! That's what's awesome about art. It's left up to the imagination!

This one's from the Inuit exhibit. It's titled, "Caribou Acting as Men". The artist, Oshoochiak Pudlat (I didn't even try to pronounce it), said that when he first started drawing, he drew animals in imaginary situations, with stories about them. Personally, I thought this one was awesome. 

Just to clarify, just because I had an opinion on these few paintings, doesn't mean I understood everything there. I'd only like to be that smart. ;)

Love,

Lo

What Do Mormon's Believe?

Heyyyy friends!! Hope you're having a nice sunday with your families! That's usually what I like to do on Sunday. Anyway, I just wanted to share something quickly with all of you.

I kind of hesitate to share this because I don't want to offend anyone or push my beliefs on anyone, but I do get asked this occasionally! Sometimes when people ask me, I think "Where do I even start?" There's a lot that we believe. But the missionaries came over today and shared this video with us and I really liked it! It shows our beliefs in a very simple way. So I hope you enjoy!! :)

Have a nice day!!

xoxo,

Lo

Try-It-Tuesday! A New Book

So, for Christmas, my mom Santa got me Elizabeth Smart's book. It's called My Story. My goodness! I could not put it down. I read it in one night. That maybe, might have involved staying up till 4 in the morning. You can read a preview here. You know you want to!

What I really got out of it was that I should be SOOOOOO grateful for all that I have. Elizabeth Smart got taken from her home, abused in so many ways, and forced to do things I wouldn't wish on an enemy.

Source

This poor girl was 14 and was taken from the safest place she knew - her own home! I can't even imagine. But through it all, she ultimately made it her goal to do whatever it took to stay alive and keep her family alive - for Brian Mitchell David was a master manipulator. He made Elizabeth believe that if she ever did anything to get away or tell people who she really was, that he would kill her and her family, and that he had friends who would help him do that. He instilled so much fear into here that when an investigator confronted them directly, she looked away from him and didn't say anything, while Brian Mitchell David deceived the investigator away.

Elizabeth managed to think pretty positively through the whole thing, and she remembered that her Heavenly Father had not left her alone, and that (among a few other things) gave her hope. I believe that she was being looked out for. Now, that idea must be hard to understand, considering all the horrible things that happened to her, but reading her book you understand. She was at times, given little miracles. Tender mercies, you could call them. And she felt her grandpa, who had recently passed away, watching over her and guarding her, so that above all, she wasn't ever killed. Seriously, read the book. You'll see! Elizabeth has an amazing perspective!

After 9 months of captivity, starvation, abuse, and even being forced to drink so much that she woke up in her own vomit, she finally returned home. I have to give the girl credit, she was able to deceive her abductor to decided that they should move back to Utah from San Diego, CA. She was recognized relatively quickly as they returned and eventually had the courage to tell a police officer who she really was. And God bless the man who questioned David Mitchell on the bus and asked Elizabeth who she was. I like to think that he would've called the police or something, to let them know that he saw a girl who looked like Elizabeth with two weirdos.

Source

She returned to her family. That alone is such a blessing! I totally take my family for granted. I love them so much, and I can't imagine life without them. Not even saying goodbye, and not knowing when or if you'll see them again. How horrible! But Elizabeth survived long enough to see them again. And her mother gave her a truly amazing piece of advice when she did finally see them again:

"Elizabeth, what this man has done is terrible. There aren't any words that are strong enough to describe how wicked and evil he is! He has taken nine months of your life that you will never get back again. But the best punishment you could ever give him is to be happy. To move forward with your life. To do exactly what you want. Because, yes, this will probably go to trial and some kind of sentencing will be given to him and that wicked woman. But even is that's true, you may never feel like justice has been served or that true restitution has been made. 

"But you don't need to worry about that. At the end of the day, God is our ultimate judge. He will make up to you every pain and loss that you have suffered. And if it turns out that these wicked people are not punished here on Earth, it doesn't matter. His punishments are just. You don't ever have to worry. You don't ever have to think about them again.

This is the best part -

"You be happy, Elizabeth. Just be happy. If you go on and feel sorry for yourself, or if you dwell on what has happened, if you hold onto your pain, that is allowing him to steal more of your life away. So don't you do that! Don't you let him! There is no way that he deserves that. Not one more second of your life. You keep every second to yourself. You keep them and be happy. God will take care of the rest."

I find it amazing, that Elizabeth didn't need any kind of formal counselling. But she's not the first like that. She did 4 things to help herself. She rode horses. She played the harp. Any time she remembered the bad things that happened to her, she realized that those things made her realize how good she now had it. And fourth, she realized the empathy she now had for those in similar situations. That brought her to start the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. She also helped develop a survivors guide for children in similar situations to never give up and know that there is life after those terrible things have happened.

So go read her book! And become educated about what she has to say! Happy Tuesday and NYE!

Love,

Lo

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Yesterday was great! After church, I went over to my cousin's new house with some of my family and we had a delicious dinner! Luckily my cousin married a Mexican, so he knows great legit Mexican food. Horchata anyone??

This stuff is SO dang good! 

Anyway, we got to spend some time with them and some other family which is always really nice. Then we watched a Christmas Devotional from our church. I whole-heartedly recommend it! I loved how they talked about giving gifts of service and kindness for Christmas!

 We left early though because my Mom wanted us to visit my Lola in the hospital. Fitting reason right? My Mom is such a great example of service. I'm so glad that she wanted us to go visit my Lola since she's really sick. She is the sweetest little old lady!

Then we came home and finally set up our Christmas decorations!! A few weeks ago my parents bought a new tree, so we put that up and planned to do the ornaments when my sister came home for American Thanksgiving....but then she got all engaged and busy, sooo priorities.

This is what it finally looked like! So pretty! I just love the lights.

I've always loved this nativity set!

My parents and I watched White Christmas. Seriously it's adorable! I wish that people still acted like this nowadays. So innocent and charming.

Here's a little taste:

This song is presh.

The one on the right has been probably my favourite ornament since I was a kid!

Happy Christmas everyone!

xoxo,

Lo