Bring the BoM All the Way Up Here

This week felt quite long but we did do a lot of good work. Missionaries always say the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days, which I've generally found to be true, but this week the days felt like weeks and the week felt like weeks. But even at the end of a long week I can look back and just feel good about it. I love my job.

We had a miracle find this week. Cristina waved us down while we were walking to district council which was in another area of the zone. So we started talking with her assuming she would be part of that area, but she turns out to live in ours! She lives in Altamira, which is far enough away from the church that no one there has ever come. But when we commented something about her living far, she was like, "it's not that far" and wants to come to church! We had a fire first lesson with her in which she told us that Joseph Smith received an answer to his prayer because he prayed in faith, before we even told her what happened!

Another cool thing. My comp got a prompting to bring a Libro de Mormón to stake conference yesterday. Speaking of which, that was amazing. It was so cool to see so many faithful members of the restored church of Jesus Christ just pouring into the chapel.

Anyway though, near the end, our mission president, who was sitting on the stand, texted us asking if we had a Libro de Mormón and asked us to address it to Mari and write our testimonies in the front and bring it up to him during the closing song. So we did. We were sitting in the very back row of the overflow so it was kind of a long walk all the way up to the stand and all the way back with lots of questioning looks (especially from the missionaries), but Presidente gave Mari her LdM so all is good. The mission president is the only person (other than the prophet) with the keys to receive revelation for everyone in this mission, and he felt like that moment was the moment to give her a LdM. He gave us a ride back to our apartment after and told us he was prompted to ask us if we had that Libro de Mormón, so promptings all around.

And we put Jostin on date! His mom is an inactive member and she has a strong testimony so literally no idea why she's inactive. I think she moved and just fell out of the habit or something? Triste. But now she's ready to be a solid active member again and told us over like 18 texts that she would never ever miss church again ever for any reason. It was the most solid commitment I've ever seen. And her son Jostin is so excited about getting baptized! It's awesome.

Also guess who just called us as I was writing this?? Mari!! The lady who Presidente gave our LdM to! She said thanks and that she started reading it! Holy cow this work is so awesome!!!

I got pooped on again by a bird (the luck is just overflowing). Oh, and one time we missed the last guagua to get home and walked 40 minutes in the dark three feet away from the freeway the whole time. Mildly sketchy but the worst part was that we had to miss two lessons because of it.

Hasta la próxima!

Hermana Cazier

pics!

1-2. we're slightly banana obsessed

3. another seflie

4. classic pica pollo

5. it rained so much this week and it was so awesome! I love the rain so much. The umbrella in that picture has since decided it was done functioning and attempting to use a broken umbrella for most of the week was fun.

Chalk the Block 2022

(Aug 27th, 2022)

It has been a really long time since we've been to Chalk the Block. Did they stop for Covid? Who knows? The last time we went was in 2016. And we would have missed it this year, but I happened to see a friend on Facebook who was one of the artists. 

So we got everyone who was available on Saturday and went to walk around. The weather was so nice. (Looking back at the blog, it says Chalk the Block is normally in September. Maybe they moved it earlier to get the nicer weather?) It was super fun to see all the art. 

There seemed to be a theme. They probably have one every time, but I didn't notice until now. The theme was the Great Outdoors. Some are very obvious and others seem to merit their own interpretation. I didn't take pictures of every piece, but I took pictures of plenty since there were SO MANY cool ones. Good job artists.

There were a couple where you needed to stand in the right place to get the right perspective. I couldn't even see the butterflies correctly until I took a picture.

This next one (Westley and Buttercup) was done by my friend Amy Moore. She is amazing. And I've never been to Fish Lake in Utah, but many people recognized it. 

So amazing, right? Do you have a favorite? 

Pearl was my buddy. We walked around together, so you get extra pictures of her.

I got the other two to take a selfie in the car. Looks like they nailed it. 

In case you wondered about our favorites:

Dad: Perspective with Crocodile
Mom: Mando
Robyn: Mando (I showed her my favorite first, then she walked me in a circle, right back to Mando, since that was her favorite too. :)
Ivory: Mountains/Hummingbird
Daisy: Nature Flower (I wish I got a better picture. Every petal had an awesome drawing inside. You can't see it very well from farther away.)
Pearl: Nature Flower/Queen Frog

Art Show 2021

(Aug 9th, 2021)

Honestly, this is one of those really daunting posts since it has SO MANY PICTURES. But it's an art show, what do you expect?

We did the art show last year. We had a good number of participants (some the same, some new) and since it was coming out of COVID times, people had less time to art, so we had fewer entries, but I still loved all the stuff we got. 

There was still a different theme each week, but we didn't check in every week. We just let people go at their own pace and turn everything in at the end. There wasn't enough stuff to use Beth's studio again, so we just did the show at home. And Tyler had just finished doing the lights and painting in Carnegie Hall, so that worked out very well.

I'm thinking the best way to show off the art is by putting the category and then pictures. Let's start at the beginning. I did blog about the first few art themes, but after that I gave up knowing we would get more of the entries at the end of summer. 

CHILDHOOD

Roar, Clay, Annalise Kinsey
Stories Around the Campfire, Magic Clay, Camille Kinsey (magic clay is super cool and REALLY light)
Catching Butterflies, Paint on canvas, Keri Scoresby
Feelin' Like a Kid Again, Photography, Ivory Cazier
Bubbles and Giggles, Photography, Robyn Cazier
Oopsie Daisy, Photography, Daisy Cazier
Bring Home Something Cool, Screen Printing, Maleen Cazier (I literally love this shirt and I wear it all the time and get lots of comments)
Parcheesi Promise, Marker and Colored Pencil, Pearl Cazier
Pop, Marker and Crayon, Pearl Cazier
Handprint Flower, Gelli Printing and Acrylic Paint, Mila Billings
Girl with Umbrella, Gel Pen, Mila Billings
Childhood Stories, Pencil, Maggie Hulse

SUBTERRANEAN

Always Busy, Magic Clay, Annalise Kinsey
Almost, Photography, Ivory Cazier
Death Shrooms, Henna, Robyn Cazier
Subterranean Colors, Thread, Daisy Cazier
Professional Digger, Fabric, Maleen Cazier
Brain Coral, Watercolor, Daisy Cazier
Cutest Dwellers, Marker and colored pencil, Pearl Cazier
Where the Ants Go, Marker, Lilly Francis
Adolescence, Ink, Rebecca Francis (I think this piece is amazing and it might be my favorite.)

CHAOS

Chaos, Robyn Cazier
Sonic Boom, Paint on canvas, Pearl Cazier
Planet Chaos, Mixed Media, Maleen Cazier
Loki Ruins the Internet, Digital, Daisy Cazier
Chaos, Paper and Googly eyes, Maya Francis
My Room, Digital,  Lilly Francis
Evil Eye, Oil Pastel, Annalise Kinsey
Against Desolation, Pencil, Gabriel Mendenhall

NAME ART

Washed Away, Photography, Maleen Cazier
Annalise, Leather Impressions, Annalise Kinsey
MILA, Gelli Printing, Mila Billings
Lilly Fly, Pencil and Marker, Lilly Francis
Maya Bug, Marker, Maya Francis
Jane, Photography, Jane Hulse
Beth, Photography, Beth Hulse
El, Photography, Eleanor Hulse

SPIRIT ANIMALS

The Guardian, Colored Pencil, Preston Schollenberger (Preston was a new participant and he only entered the two pieces but they were epic.)
The Tiger in the Sky, Colored Pencil, Preston Schollenberger
Owl, Paint on Canvas, Camille Kinsey
Watching and Waiting, Paint on Canvas, Keri Scoresby
Mama Whale, Crosstitch, Maleen Cazier
Curiosity, Mixed Media, Annalise Kinsey
Fluff Butt, Paint on Canvas, Pearl Cazier
Slytherin Soul, Marker, June and Maleen Cazier
Elephant, Watercolor, Maya Francis

ELEMENTS

Written in Stone, Magic Clay, Annalise Kinsey
Life Can Be Zen, Paint on canvas, Keri Scoresby
Baby, You're a Firework, Paint on canvas, Pearl Cazier
The Elements of Life, Gelli Printing, Brooks Billings
On the Road, Colored Pencil on Coloring Page, Camille Kinsey
The Shape of the Elements, Digital, Daisy Cazier
Earth In Bloom, Paint on canvas, Pearl Cazier

MANDALA ART

Super Natural Sight, Marker and Pen, Annalise Kinsey
Mandala Color Art, Collected Materials, Brooks Billings (I never would have thought of making mandalas from collected materials, but I think these photos are brilliant and beautiful and now I want to try it.)
Mandala, Collected Materials, Mila Billings
Color Me Mandala, Collected Materials, Stephanie Billings
Mandala Hedgehog, Crosstitch, Maleen Cazier
Sundala, Colored Pencil, Daisy Cazier

INTERNATIONAL/COUNTRIES

Ancestral Cranes, Printed Rice Paper, Stephanie Billings (This piece was so cool. Stephanie made her own origami paper using the colors from the flags of her ancestral countries. Then she made them into cranes. Very cool and probably the most intentional piece we had.)
Panda, Marker and gel pen, Mila Billings
Carnival, Scratch Board, Annalise Kinsey
Patriotic Sky, Paint on canvas, Maleen Cazier
Have Some Noodles, Washi Tape, Pearl Cazier
Wannabe Geisha, Colored Pencil, Ivory Cazier

COMICS

You Are What You Eat, Crosstitch, June and Maleen Cazier
Legacy, Pencil, Gabriel Mendenhall
Please Pick Me, Colored Pencil and Sharpie, Pearl Cazier
Mando, Paint on Canvas, Tyler and Maleen Cazier (Yes, Tyler and I did this art earlier in the year, but that is allowed and mainly I wanted more pieces in the Comics category. I didn't realize it would win overall.)

TINY ART

Flag, Rocks and Paint, Brooks Billings (I never even thought about using rocks. Genius.)
Heart, Rocks and Paint, Brooks Billings
Yellow Flower, Rocks and Paint, Mila Billings
Ladybug, Rocks and Paint, Mila Billings
Dandelion Wish, Rocks and Paint, Stephanie Billings
Catch a Wave, Rocks and Paint, Stephanie Billings
Dragonfly, Rocks and Paint, Stephanie Billings
Read the Skies, Paint on canvas, Daisy Cazier
Baby Balloons, Marker and Paint, Maleen Cazier (I actually used a baby's finger to make the balloons.)
Don't Catch Me, Paint on canvas, Pearl Cazier
Pop, Paint and Paper, Annalise Kinsey (This was really cool, since Annalise's piece folded out to reveal many small squares of art. It was very interactive.)

We had Camie Call come judge for us. That would be the hardest part for me, so I'm glad that I don't have to do it. I can barely chose one for people's choice. Each category had a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and some honorable mentions. (I'm not going to list them, but you can see many of the ribbons in the pictures.) The overall large ribbons went to:
1st place - Mando
2nd place - Mandala Hedgehog (this one also got the most people's choice votes)
3rd place - Life Can Be Zen

I believe we had 85 people's choice votes. That doesn't mean 85 people came through, because sometimes people voted for more than one, but that was still a good showing for it being a bit smaller this year. 

I made sure to give out a bookmark to every piece that got a vote. I think it's cool when there are 80 pieces of art and someone liked your piece the most. That means something. Our family came away with plenty of ribbons and bookmarks.

It was fun as always. We didn't do art this summer. Our focus was on other things. Stephanie almost took the torch and ran with it, but she was busier than I was. Perhaps there will be art again some year. We'll have to see.