Sketchbook: Shh!

It was probably more my parents saying that rather than the chapel doors!

That's what siblings are for

This may or may not have been suggested by my brother.

Higher learning

Just remember: everyone takes the final exam.

The gift of knowledge

Teachers who made a difference

Those really are some of my former teachers. And yes, Miss Jarvis really did wear hot pants to school.

Back to school

As we get ready to go back to school, I'm reminded of the time in Good Heavens when Jack wanted to further his education.

The routine

Sis. Kerry Jo shares more of her memories of the MTC:

Sketchbook: School's (still) out for summer!

So many of our friends and cousins have already started school — some have been in session for several weeks! We still have almost two weeks left of summer vacation. Sure, it's fun now, but next spring...!

Please plan accordingly

Sometimes the counselors get overwhelmed when the bishop leaves.

Lunch!

 This is from an old sketchbook, and inspired by my padawan.

Identity crisis

Do not let it stay

And that's the difference between "literally" and "figuratively!"

See this I must

That was a new term I heard from our missionaries when we visited with them the other night, "Post-mission Bucket List" — the stuff they want to do when they get back home. 

A Farewell to Feet

The best part of summer is not having to wear shoes!

Sketchbook: Taken

Although diligence and perseverance are good qualities to have, this potential gag didn't quite capture the right spirit of missionary work, so it stayed in the sketchbook.

Healthy choices

Been there, done that!

Fashion that fits

And what about Trig?

Getting ready for the return

It's just not the same shopping online.

Dinner preparation

Our local missionaries, Elder Boyd from Florida and Elder Winder from Utah, asked if I'd put them in a cartoon. Since they're never sure what they're going to get when they come to a dinner appointment at our house, I thought this would be appropriate for them.

And just in case their moms are reading this, they're awesome elders!

The alphabet strikes back

It's been about four years since the last of the alphabet gags. Maybe we should hope that it's another four before we see them again!

The return of the alphabet

 Every now and then somebody says, "Oh! I haven't seen such and such-type cartoon lately." Usually it's something like Good Heavens or Sister Kerry Jo. But just the other day, one of my faithful readers mentioned that he hadn't seen any alphabet gags for quite a while. So here are a couple more to add to the collection.

I'm sorry!

Sketchbook: And why are they not burned?

Perhaps you've heard of the Worldwide Indexing Event. It's a great way to get involved in family history. Here's how the event is described on Facebook: 

"Join volunteers from around the world to help “Fuel the Find” August 7-14 (wherever you are). You will have one week to participate by indexing at least one batch in the language of your choice. If you are fluent in French, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish—our focus languages for 2015—please help index records in one of those languages. Special training will soon be available to help you prepare!
"Here are some suggestions to avoid a possible system slowdown: download indexing batches ahead of time and work offline, avoid Sunday and Monday evenings, and invite new indexers to install the program before the event starts. 
"Invite a friend and join us for this record breaking event!"https://familysearch.org/indexingevent2015

Keep it clean

One benefit of having members participate in the maintenance of their local church buildings is that it gives them a little more ownership. Maybe a little too much, in some cases.

The Sequel

We've just released part II of our OReGO videos, this one explaining how the tax credits work. Fascinating stuff, I know. But it's fun to do, AND I get paid to do it!

Casting stones?

Ever since the Church released the photos of the "seer stone," there have been a lot of opinions expressed on all sides of the issue: supporters, detractors, apologists. I think the bottom line is, it's about the record and the message, not so much about the mechanics.

If ye are not prepared, ye oughta fear

There are few things worse than writer's block on the first day of school.

Almost paradise

...and then they went to the Apple store!

Fire extinguishers

We had fire restrictions at camp a couple of years ago — and they have them again this year. That means no fires, no matches, nothing that will make a fire. We could only cook with propane stoves. Yet somehow, all the scouts managed to come home smelling like scout camp anyway!

Sketchbook: The face

Sometimes I work on an idea and suddenly it starts to seem familiar, like I've read it somewhere before. This one feels like one of those, so I'm leaving it in the sketchbook!

The last days

Yep, it's the beginning of the end!

It's a big, hairy deal