Kyra Moon

Today, I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting. After providing a brief intro about our family, here's what I had to say: Before I get too far into the talk, I want to speak to the kids and toddlers first. Let me explain why. Last year I counted how many kids were in the ward and discovered 70 were ages 3 and younger. 70! And then 50 more in Junior Primary! Numbers might have changed, but probably not a ton. So, I think you Primary and nursery kids deserve a good chunk of attention since you make up a good chunk of the ward. So, Jim, and all of Jim's friends, I just want to let you know that I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real, and they love you so much. And we can share their love with everybody, too! I also want you to know that your parents and grandparents and teachers love you so much too. Sometimes you might get mad at your mom or dad. Sometimes they might get mad at you. But because Jesus Christ died for us, we all can change our minds and be kind again! ...

I don't have much to say about Britain's exit from the EU. To me it looks like chaos and recession, but I have done so little research and know so little about international trade that I really don't know what to think. But I just want to talk about the word "Brexit" for a moment because it reminded me of a word I made up once upon a time for a poem when I was 14. Here is the poem: Radio's on with lot's of static There just might be a door ajar Smoothness of the road's erratic When we're driving in the   Cargo's piled up to the ceiling Battle lines are set and crossed "Who cares one bit what sister's feeling?" Peace and love seem to be    Lost again maneuvering exits Nausea threatens to prevail No longer hungry for good ol' MexIts My digestors start to   Failure finding decent rest stops Angry murmur starts to build "Seat belts on! Here come the cops! Quick! Slow down! Or we'll be"    Ki...

Last Friday, Kevin and I put our kids to bed and then headed off to the temple. We were going because it had been a little while, but we were also going to decide for sure about Kevin's postdoc. To tell the truth, I've known in my heart for a long time that we were going to move, so I wasn't going to ask about that. Instead, I went with this question: "What more do we need to do in Ann Arbor?" I wasn't expecting a big, life-changing answer -- for instance, it's hard to start a nonprofit in just three months. And I didn't really get one. Instead, the impression that has stuck with me is to "be a friend." Although that should be an obvious thing to do, in some ways it was sort of hard to do this week. Kevin had a paper due today that he didn't have all the theory worked out for, so he spent most of the week working on it til past 1 or 2 in the morning. It usually took John somewhere between 1-3 hours to actually fall asleep for naps o...

First, He always starts later than you expect. He's busy, after all! He might give you a few hints here and there in March, and He might green up the grass for you, but don't expect much more til April. That's when He washes His hands (He likes to wash His hands a lot, which is why it rains so much) and gets to work. That first rainstorm leaves the trees with a green coating, proving Robert Frost wrong. Nature's first green is not gold but rather moss. But it disappears as quickly as it came, and you spend the next few days squinting, assuring yourself that there really was green there. You might even convince yourself you still can see it. April 6th A few days later, He opens up his latest version of Microsoft Paint and opts for the airbrush. Armed with a gray background, gray-brown trees, and some green spray paint, He gets to work, starting from the ground and working up. April 11th. Those permalinked pine trees in the back don't count as spring ...

Jim and I have enjoyed pointing out "popcorn trees" to each other every time I drive. I feel like there are more this year than the two previous years (probably thanks to a milder winter), and that the colors are more vivid. I've always loved dogwoods and magnolias, but this year has also offered a pretty vibrant selection of magenta blossoms (wish I knew the type of trees!). It's been a cooler spring, at least lately, so I haven't gone on many walks, and it feels unsafe/silly to take pictures while driving, so I don't have tons of pictures. Hopefully that will change before the blossoms all disappear. This time of year just goes too quickly. I've been obsessed with spring for a good chunk of my life, which naturally means I wrote a bit of poetry about it as a teenager. Except . . . this might be the least poetic synopsis of spring that has ever been penned. It's hard to mix flowery language with scientific descriptions. Oh well. I t...

Sometimes people ask how long it takes me to make a mashup for my YouTube channel . I've had a little trouble answering because there are a few steps. I have to come up with the idea of combining two or three songs with the same theme, throw them together, tweak them, practice them, and then find the time to record them. But I think I have a minimum answer now of start to finish: one week. Last week I was thinking about how it would be nice to do a mashup with a nice calm Chopin piece. But then I thought, what if I did it with an upbeat Chopin song instead? So I started playing the Minute Waltz and realized Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam could possibly work with that. But what if there was one that worked better? I opened up my big Chopin book and right on the first page was his Grand Valse Brilliante, better known as the Flamingo song at our house thanks to Sesame Street. And bam! They worked together so well! And Jim and John let me practice! So within a few minutes I had...

A Mormon mother in Ann Arbor, Michigan has found a suitable method of fasting -- abstaining from nutrition but not calories. "There's no question about it -- when I'm nursing, I need all the calories I can get," she said as she fed her 9 month old son, pulling a candy wrapper off with her non-dominant hand and teeth. "But I still wanted to make sure I observed the fast somehow!" Traditionally, Mormons abstain from food for 24 consecutive hours the first Sunday of every month and donate the money they would have spent on food to the poor and needy. Those who are medically unable to do not have to fast, but they are encouraged nonetheless to participate however they can. "If I were to participate in a traditional fast, I would abstain from calories, Vitamin C, calcium, and riboflavin, among other vitamins and minerals" she continued as she put two attached Twizzlers in her mouth. "Since I'm nursing, I can't abstain from calories, b...