The Spirituality of the Oakland Temple

Last Friday me and my family went to visit the Oakland temple.  The first thing we did when we got there was to walk around the outside of the temple.  We went up on the roof garden and saw an amazing view of San Francisco Bay.  My mom showed me the exact place where my dad proposed to her.  We went back down to the parking lot where we found the visitor’s center.  When we went inside there was a big statue of Christ in the lobby.  Then we went into a theater made up of several connecting rooms.  The first room was decorated with big red rocks to make feel like you were in a canyon in southern Utah.  A video started on a flat screen tv.  It was about a family hiking on the rocks.  At the end of the video they reach the top and the son got too close to the edge and fell.  Fortunately, he landed on a ledge.  The parents were very relieved.  When the family got back home the parents sat on the porch talking about how they almost lost their son.  When the video was over the screen turned off and the screen in the next room came on and we moved into that area.  This room was decorated as a baby’s room.  The video showed the parents thinking back to the time when their first baby daughter was born.  The next room was decorated as the front of a house under construction.  In this video the dad was working on the house while the children were playing baseball.  The children were begging him to come play so he did.  The next room was decorated like a room inside the house.  The video showed the grand daughter and the grandma talked and laughing in that room as the grandfather worked outside.  The last room was decorated like a living room with a fireplace.  In this video they were all sad because the grandfather had died.  The final room had a 3D model of the Oakland temple.  This was my favorite video.  The family was growing up.  The daughter got married and was very happy and so was the rest of the family but they still missed their grandpa.  This taught me that families are special and they can be forever.  I felt very spiritual when I was there.  That day at the Oakland temple was one of the most special days I have ever had.  Since then I have been trying harder to be better and respect my family.  It was wonderful. – Brayden

Exploring Science

Last Friday we went to the Exploritorium in San Francisco.  The Exploritorium is where you learn about science by watching it happen.  There you can watch science in action.  One favorite exhibits is the pendulum drawing.  This is where you push a platform that is hanging by chains with a paper on it and then a marker is clipped in to a holder and dropped down on to the paper.  This creates a cool shape.  I have done this before with my grandma but not this time because we didn’t have enough time.  Another of my favorite exhibits was the echo tube.  It was a metal tube that went almost all the way across the building.  If you talk into it it would echo.  Another favorite of mine was the animation station.  There were a whole bunch of props that you could use to take pictures of.  You could move them slightly and take more pictures.  You have to take a lot pictures to make even a short film.  I made a short movie of a ball rolling across the screen. Brayden made one about hitting a bird with a rock.  I didn’t think that was very nice but it was fun to watch.  The last thing I would like to share about is a video about focusing.  It asked me to count how times the white team bounced the basketball.   I focused on the basketball bouncing so well that I got the right answer.  The answer was 12 bounces.  Then it asked me if I had noticed anything strange about the video.  I had not seen anything unusual.  As I watched the second time I saw a crazy gorilla walk across the screen.  I was so surprise that I had not even noticed it the first time.  I learned that when we are focusing on one thing we don’t really focus on other things.  I would like to go back to the Exploritorium again.  I learned many things there and there is still more to learn. – Gracie

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln that is. George Washington was the first president of the United States of America.  Washington was a great and brave leader.  He led the US to victory in the Revolutionary war and helped write the Constitution, creating this wonderful nation we live in today.   While Washington was riding his horse in the war, it got shot and died. Meanwhile, Washington found two bullet holes in his coat and one in his hat.  This is a miracle and shows that Washington was called of God to bring forth this nation making it possible for us to practice our religion of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the USA.  Lincoln freed the slaves with the emancipation proclamation.  Lincoln died and left his two sons and his beloved wife.  To celebrate these two great men we didn’t have school, except for learning about them, and we had apple cinnamon cupcakes, Washington’s favorite!  We even blew out candles for them.  Happy Birthday George and Abraham, and thank you for everything you did for us!

-Gracie

The Day Of DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course

Last Saturday i went to DeLaveaga Disc Golf Course with my brother and two cousins.  When we got to the disc golf course, we started on the first whole. I got a bogey, disappointing but i decided to pursue this top rated course.  My favorite whole on this disc golf course was the “kitchen”, or whole number 14.  You start on top of a pretty big hill and have to throw downwards across what seamed to be the grand canyon 🙂  There were 29 holes on the course, but the most difficult and most famous hole was whole 27, aka ” Top of the World”.  This is the highest point on the course overlooking all of Monterrey Bay and Santa Cruz.  Unfortunately, my main driver went straight into the trees far to the right.  We looked everywhere for a half hour but could not find my disc!  I was really upset, but when we got home i remembered that my disc had my moms phone number and my name on it and at that moment i  got a call from a guy who found my disc!  How was i supposed to get it back from him?  Well believe it or not, he lives right here in Grass Valley!  I am so excited that i am going to get my best disc back.  That day at DeLaveaga with my brother and cousins made me want to keep playing disc golf and be like my brother one day, it was the coolest disc golf experience i have ever had and probably will have.

Click on the picture to see details about the course.

"Top of the World"

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-Brayden

Amazing Jellyfish and More!

Last weekend our family went to Monterey Bay Aquarium.  While I was at the aquarium I had to get questions answered for my dolphin research project.  I had to go to several people before finding someone that could answer my questions.  It was hard to find someone knowledgeable about dolphins because they don’t have dolphins at this aquarium.  We went on a behind the scenes tour and got to see above and behind the big tanks and to see where they kept the baby otters.  We also got to see a bird that came from Hawaii that had a hurt wing.  I learned that there are some dolphins in Monterey Bay and we actually got to see some swimming way off in the distance.  My favorite exhibit was the jellyfish.  I really liked the color of the white, pink and orange jellyfish against the blue of the tank.  They do not look very harmful but actually could kill someone.  I also liked the seahorses, especially the leafy sea dragons.  When I first looked at their tank I thought there was nothing in it because they look like plants.  The octopus exhibit also looked empty because the octopus was squished in the corner.  In the Open Sea tank I thought it was funny when the hammerhead sharks would go by the sardines and they would all rush away like they were scared of them.  The turtles  were very large and usually swam near the surface.  Overall, the jellyfish was my favorite thing.  I would love to go back and look at them again.  -Maddy

Handcuffs and Tasers!

On Friday we went on a field trip to the Grass Valley Police Department.  Our tour guide was officer Jim Amaral.  He was friends with our friend Monet and knows my uncle Chris.  He was nice and official.  He showed us a taser.  He told us that when you get hit by a taser 2-25 foot wires with barbs shoot out and stick into someones clothes.   The person is shocked through those wires.  It last for 5 seconds which he says feels like a really long time.  He took out the cartridge so the wires wouldn’t actually come out and he shot it to show us what the electricity looked like.  Each cartridge is only good for one time.  It was different than I thought it woul

d look.  I pictured it looking like a rod but it kind of looked like a gun.  I would not like to be hit by a taser!  He handcuffed our friend Cody and teased him that he didn’t have keys to unlock them:)  We also went outside to see a police car.  We got to sit in it.  The seats in the back were plastic so they are easier to clean.  He turned on the siren and it was so loud I think it would have broke my ear drum if I had not plugged my ears.  We also went into the 911 call center.  It had 3 television screens and two ladies sitting at their desks.  I asked them how many calls they get a day.  They said that sometimes they get a lot of calls and sometimes they just sit there with nothing to do and watch tv.

The last thing we did was see how fingerprinting is done.  Officer Amaral rolled Sophie’sfinger on a stamp pad and lifted it up and put in on a piece of paper in a rolling motion.  I thought it was going to be more complicated but it was not.  Police scare me because I am afraid of getting in trouble but I should not be scared of them because I don’t do anything wrong.  I had a fun time and learned a lot with my friends and family at the police station.

– Gracie –

Meeting Benjamin Franklin

Today Benjamin Franklin came to my house.  It was actually my brother, Carter dressed up.  He had a white puffy wig on.  He asked us to guess how many children his parents had.  I raised my hand and, just guessing, said “17”.  I was surprised that I was correct. He left home when he was 17 to Philadelphia where he met his true love Deborah.  They had three children, William, Francis and Sarah.   Benjamin Franklin’s occupations were fireman, printer, inventor and scientist.  He was friends with Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.  Benjamin Franklin was well educated but only attended 2 years of school.  He got educated by reading and studying books.  He signed and helped author the Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France and the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain.  Some of his accomplishments were the first lending library in America, bifocal lens and discovered that lightening is the same thing as electricity.

He chose 13 virtues to live by:

1. Temperance (Moderation in action, thought or feeling)

2. Silence (speak only to benefit)

3. Order (put things in their place and do things in proper order)

4. Resolution  (do what you should and don’t give up)

5. Frugality (waste nothing)

6. Industry (use time wisely)

7. Sincerity (be honest & fair)

8. Justice (do not wrong others or fail to perform your duties)

9. Moderation (avoid extremes, have balance)

10. Cleanliness  (in body, clothes and home)

11. Tranquility (be calm, don’t let things bother you)

12. Chastity (moral purity)

13. Humility (Imitate Jesus, be humble)

Humility he found as the hardest to live by.  He was important in history.   I learned from him to never give up.  When he was working on the electromagnetic generator he made many mistakes and had many failures but he never gave up.  This inspired me.  Today, Ben Franklin is on the fifty cent piece and the $100 bill.  Today was the best overall social study lesson we have ever had. – Brayden

My Birthday Extravaganza

This was the funnest (I know that not a real word but it fits) birthday I have ever had!  My Grandma took me with her to Disneyland.  We went with My Aunt Nicole and Uncle Mike and my cousins Dalin, Cohen & Brooke.  My favorite ride in Disneyland was Pirates of the Caribbean and my favorite ride in California Adventure was Tower of Terror.  It is really fun to not hold on so that you fly off the seat.  The only bad part about the trip is that everyone got the flu!  The first day we were there it was rainy which ended up being good because there were less people and shorter lines.  The following weekend our family went up to the cabin.  I invited two friends, Brookke and Emma.  We watched a couple of fun movies and played lots of foosball.  On Monday, my real birthday, we went ice skating at Northstar.  The weather was beautiful.  We skated for about 2 hours.  It was so fun that it was hard to stop.  After that we drove to Tahoe City and ate at Bridgetender.  On Wednesday my grandma took me shopping and out to lunch.  I got some cute clothes and enjoyed being with my grandma (like always!).   Just this last Friday, after our filed trip the the radio station, I had another birthday party.  I invited about 15 people over.  We played assassin inside and outside and watched the movie Zookeeper.  We made soda using my new Soda Stream machine and ate popcorn and candy.  Overall, I got a lot of great gifts and had a great time with friends and family! -Maddy

Friday at the Radio Studio

We had a fun day at the radio station on Friday.  We went to Entercom Radio Station in Sacramento and met a young, short man that had a piercing in his eyebrow and spiky hair.  He welcomed us and told us that there are 6 different radio stations that broadcast from their building.   He walked us back down the hall past the 98 Rock studio.  It was dark and empty.  I was wondering when we would see the 107.9 The End studio because I had never heard of 98 Rock.  Then we came to the 107.9 studio.  I was very excited to go in.  We went in.  I didn’t expect it to be such a small room with only 4 microphones.  Our guide told us about the dump button.  If a bad word or something inappropriate is said on the radio they can press the button and it deletes the recording.  What happens in the studio is 8 seconds before it is heard on the radio.  There was no one there that afternoon because it was all running off computers.  Next, we went the the room next door where the audio technician works.  He let us come in and try speaking into the microphone.  He used his computer to change the way our voices sound.  He made them higher and lower and funny.  I learned that what you hear on the radio isn’t always the way a person really sounds.  We walked down the hall to the control room where they had a bunch of wires and gadgets used to transmit the broadcasts.  Further down the hall we went into the green screen studio.  Here they have artists come and perform.  The performances are filmed and used on their websites.  The green screen background can be replaced with any kind of background using computers.  When I was in the room I was thinking about the famous artists that had been in that same room.  The radio station was different than I expected it to be.  I thought it would be like the radio room I had been to on the USS Hornet.  The machines were totally different and a lot of computers were used here.  I was also surprised by how few people were there.  I heard that Selena Gomez had visited there and really wished I could have met her.  I had not wanted to drive all the way to Sacramento but was glad we did because I had a great time and learned a lot! -Brayden

Splish, splash!

On Saturday night I went to Bear River High School to see the play “Singin’ in the Rain”.  The main characters were Lina, Kathy, Don, and Cosmo.  Don and Lina were famous movie stars.  They made a silent movie where there were no voices, only music.  Lina had a very high pitched, squeaky voice.  When movies started being made with voices it became a problem because Lina’s voice was so squeaky.  Don meet Kathy at the trolley station.  Kathy was an actress.  Don and Kathy had a disagreement because Kathy didn’t think silent movies were very good.  She thought a play on a stage was good.  Don was bothered by Kathy’s opinion but he really liked her.  Cosmo was Don’s partner.  Cosmo came up with the idea for Kathy to sing and talk for Lina in the new film they were making.  Lina didn’t like this plan when see heard about it.  She threatened to sue the company.  Don had an idea to let Lina talk to the fans.  The fans asked her to sign a song.  She came back in and said I can’t do this.  So Kathy sang for her behind the curtain.  While she was singing, Don opened the curtain.  He said,” Ladies and gentlemen, that singing was this lady right here she was behind the curtain singing for Lina.  Kathy became a star.  Don and Kathy fell in love.  My favorite part was when Don was singing in the rain and splashing in the puddles.  It was my favorite because I enjoyed the tap dancing, the twirling of the umbrella and that there was real water.  Splish, splash!  Oh, by the way my grandma’s foreign exchange student Bomin was in it too. I had a realy fun time.  You can go see it too! -Gracie