Technological tools for tracting

It's all part of the training: classroom exercises, the call center, and this.

Sketchbook: Memorial Day

As I get older, I realize how much more there is to remember. I should have paid more attention when I was younger!

It's not a scam!

Eventually everyone winds up being related to royalty, don't they?

The final countdown

One of my high school friends is just a few weeks away from finishing her three-year stint as Mission Mom in Honduras: Hermana Klein.

She's been very active on social media, documenting her daily dealings on a number of sites — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. It's been fascinating to see how a mission looks from the other side.

One last transfer left, that great transfer from which no man (or Mission Mom) ever returns.

Gracias for the insights, Hermana!

Putting in some service

OK, it may not work for Activity Day girls, but I'm aware of at least a couple of Aaronic Priesthood quorums that have done this for their activity!

Suspicious package

Like the Post Office and Homeland Security say, there are signs that indicate a package could be trouble!

Hey, kids! It's smiting time!

Seems like every quarterly report is followed by a reminder of the importance of home teaching.

I wonder if there's ever been a ward that's been told to back off because they're doing too much home teaching and visiting teaching?

When does your garden grow?

I hate waiting for the tomatoes to ripen. And the strawberries. And the blueberries.

The squash I can wait for.

Sketchbook: All things? Really?

"All things" covers a lot of territory!

Strategic sleeping

It's home teaching Sunday, but we also have a Stake Priesthood meeting. That's going to make for a challenging afternoon!

Blue plate special

We had the missionaries over for dinner the other night. They said that they weren't scared to come to our house because we always give them decent food. There are other members where that isn't always the case. I guess we need to work on that!

Ever learning

Eyes of understanding

One bit at a time, right?

Don't mess with the missionaries

It's not a fair trade.

Planning ahead

It's interesting how some companionships are made up of light eaters and some can really pack it away!

Sketchbook: All dolled up

There's also the Barbie Goes on a Mission set, and the Barbie Gets Ready for the Temple set.

Church history

Family discussions can lead to painful realizations.

You put your left foot in

Trouble

We almost had this conversation at home.

Just a note to say

Those notes mean a lot to teachers — both kinds!

In this you are secure

So many choices!

Sketchbook: Aspirational goals

It's hard to get ahead in church leadership when everybody wears a white shirt and a tie.*





*Female leadership excluded

Treats for mom!

Happy Mother's Day!

No good deed

It takes moms a long time to recover from all the good deeds done on Mother's Day.

Junior High Anxiety

How often has that scripture been purposefully misunderstood?

The Outer Limits

Because, you know, sometimes moms worry.

The Jedi Awakens

I saved my favorites for the official Star Wars Day. Here they are —

Then there's the new hotshot pilot:

It was surprisingly difficult to draw a good Yoda. Jedi masters are like that, I guess.

Mystery girl Rey:

Andy my favorite of this series, Luke. It's subtle. His message goes without saying.

Happy Star Wars Day. And as our message says, Drive Carefully, and May the Force Be With You.

The Work Zone Strikes Back

Star Wars Day (tomorrow, May the Fourth) couldn't go by without including Admiral Ackbar and his most famous line:

We had to choose between R2-D2 and BB-8, since their quotes are fairly similar. We went with the newer droid:

There was also a special request for everyone's favorite Wookiee:

There's actually an explanation of how the Falcon could have made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs (a measure of distance). It involves wormholes and dangerous maneuvers, which makes perfect sense.

It's May, and you know what that means

We interrupt our regularly-scheduled sketchbook for these public service announcements.

As you undoubtedly know, May the Fourth is Star Wars Day (as in "May the Force be with you"). We at the Oregon DOT decided it would be fun to take advantage of that date, because May is also Work Zone Safety Month. So we have about a dozen memes that we're sending out on our social media accounts (@OregonDOT on Twitter and /OregonDOT on Facebook) to reinForce (see what I did there?) the message.

Here are a few samples.

But wait! There's more! Tune in tomorrow for some additional ads — and may the Force be with you!

Another golden opportunity for bonding

Actually, every day is Take Your Kids to Church Day, isn't it?