Memorial Day in Portland

The Bennion Family Builders congregated at John and Wendy's to construct a 3rd generation play structure. The photo above is taken Saturday evening after the concrete posts were poured and set.

The bottom photo is Monday afternoon after the neighborhood kids had discovered the newest community toy. Please notice the following features:
*Dual swing (visible in foreground)
*2nd swing in distance next to fence
*Dowel totem pole steps on farthest upright post
*2 steering wheels on walkway
*rope assisted climbing wall (with plastic climbing rocks to be added:)

I'm Having Thesis Dreams

So, I was reading a chapter in The Network Society yesterday for my introduction, and had the funniest dream when I fell asleep right after. It started off with Brian going to a football game with his face painted blue (I think this is because the chapter talked about how informationalism is like neurology). After the game he said he had to work on his 80 page biology paper. I said I felt his pain, and that I would be happy to look over it if he wanted. And then suddenly I was talking to my thesis chair on the phone (which in and of itself is bizarre because I hate talking on the dang phone--family members excluded), but we got cut off, and then I was talking to one of my readers who was watching the Jazz game, and his whole family showed up. And then I went into my room (in the dream) and stared at the computer screen, unable to come up with anything to write. And then I woke up, and wanted to go back to sleep. My subconscious is going crazy, I think.

Found It!!

I found and photographed John Alexander Clark's grave in Haifa. I will post photos tonight of the grave. It is located in the Templer (sic) cemetery in downtown Haifa northwest of the intersection of Jaffa and Rothschild streets. The grave is beautiful. It has a large square base roughly 2 ft tall. On top of the base sits a round pillar that rises to about 5-5.5 ft in the air that has been roughly cut symbolizing a life cut short. The grave gives his birth, death in 1894, names the parents and that he was a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. Nearby is an identical gave for another missionary Adolf Haag. Ezra Clark (great-great grandfather to my generation) purchased both headstones. The grave has a beautiful tree growing on it. Apparently, these graves were used by the church to show the Israeli government that the church had before had a presence in what is now present day Israel, and this helped secure permission for the BYU Jerusalem Center.

St. Joe

As you all probably know, I've been working on my thesis. Saturday I took my laptop up to campus to continue writing one of my chapters. I was sitting in the JFSB, minding my own business, when my mother board fried and my computer crashed. Although I had backed up my files the week before, I had not backed up my latest notes on my reading, nor the chapter I was writing (this was even round 2 for the chapter). I called HP, and they said they could offer me a new computer. I cried to Mom. But then Joe came to the rescue!! I talked to him when he got off work, and he promptly went to the store to buy some software, and magically recovered all my files and put them on an external hardrive for me. What a gem!! Thanks a million trillion, Joe! You saved my sanity!! Three cheers!


Also, I signed up for classes at USCarolina. I'm taking English novel pre 1800, Victorian Poetry, and teaching pedagogy. Pretty exciting!

Movie Recommendation

Elisabeth (my friend from the grad program) and I went to see the movie "Amazing Grace" this evening. It was really good! It's PG, and has many solid British actors (Albert Finney, Rufus Sewell, Nicholas Farell, Cirian Hinds, Michael Gambon (dumbledore)). It's all about Wilberforce and the abolishment of slavery in the British Parliament. 19C Great Britain is such an interesting time I think, and I thought the movie did a good job not being too emotional about a very emotional topic. It's worth seeing. :)

JBB Family

These didn't make it somehow in the Dunlap Family section so I'm "reposting". Great looking family!

Dunlap Family Get Together April 2007

Go ahead and say it... we're the new blog hogs! We had such a great time in Wenatchee with Grandma and Grandpa Dunlap, Max, Burke and Chantelle. We took over 300 pictures so, believe it or not, this is just a small sample. Much Love!!

Dunlap Family Cont'd

Dunlap Family Cont'd

Dunlap Family Cont'd

Dunlap Family Cont'd

Dunlap Family Get Together April 2007

Anger Management

I love this commercial. It reminds me of parenting like when Nathan put his appendage in his dirty diaper while I was changing it and I punched the floor so hard I sprained my hand. "AAAAAAHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

So you think you have probems

Frontline Special

Did anyone catch "The Mormons" on Frontline?

How was it? Thoughts?