Sketchbook: Story time!

Not everything in the sketchbook is a bad or tasteless joke. Sometimes little thoughts get in there, too. I kind of liked this one. 
 

Lines of authority

To tell the truth, I think most bishops would prefer to get a phone call like that over some of the messages they get. Besides that, any good Relief Society president would make sure you ate your vegetables. Oh, there would still be dessert, but you’d have to down the veggies first!

En passant

That's not exactly true. We all know that most moves are handled by the Elders Quorum.
 

Shameless self promotion!

It's here! The new missionary cartoon collection, The Great Missionary Bake Off! 

This follow-up volume to the award-winning That's One Small Step for a Mom, One Giant Leap for Missionarykind has more than a 125 new cartoons that cover all aspects of missionary work. From knocking on doors to companion inventory to working with members to dealing with dogs, it's all in there!

This volume makes a perfect gift for someone who is preparing for a mission, someone who is serving on a mission, someone who just got back from a mission, or even someone who knows a missionary! It's not too early to grab a few as stocking stuffers before the holiday rush.

Available exclusively on Amazon, it comes as a paperback, or there's a Kindle edition too! If you order now, you can have it ready for your Sunday lesson! Check it out today!

 

Above average

We have an average Primary class, too. And that's how statistics can get you!
 

Another shining moment

Funny, it seems like I've been writing bathroom jokes ever since it was our turn to help clean the church a couple of weeks ago. Coincidence?
 

Sketchbook: Emergency response

I think almost every parent who has taken a toddler to church has made this run.
 

A first time for everything

There's one way to guarantee your missionary will enter the MTC as fast as he possibly can!
 

Knowing beforehand

Ours chokes up on dog hair. But we've got a hairy, sheddy dog.
 

Sing your way home

I'll just leave this right here.
 

Those darn kids!

Still awaiting word on the Disney collection. Here’s one that I enjoyed drawing. 
 

Sketchbook: Something new

The first draft of this had a new bishop, but they don't come with warranties. 

 

Hooked on you

Since we're coming up on the death of summer...
 

If you feed them, they will come

A good, long lesson over lunch, dinner, breakfast, second breakfast. Elevenses. Seems like a good idea!
 

Now that's just sick

Sorry, I've been sick today. Here's a rerun explaining how I feel.

 

In memory

Is it back to school where you are?
 

Sketchbook: What's up, boss?

I know the preferred term is "premortal life" (since we did exist before we came here), but it doesn't have the same sort of rhythm.
 

A warning voice

Always check your pockets before you do laundry. A lot of vegetables can fit into a little shirt pocket!

 

Learning wisdom in his youth

Great leaders get often show promise at an early age.
 

I see your true colors

From what I can tell, being in the bishop's chair will make your hair turn gray. What would be the opposite of that?
 

Speak their language

What do you think? Would it be easier to confess over text message? Considering that all electronic messages should be regarded as permanent, that would certainly be ponder. 

Maybe the old-fashioned way is better!

 

Sketchbook: Green as the mountains around us

It’s not unusual for seasoned missionaries to punk the new ones. I’m pretty certain that sometimes the tables get turned. I know my greenie tried to pull a few on me!
 

Making adjustments

I'm sure that I am not the only missionary who had a little trouble adjusting to the cuisine in the mission field. 
 

You got the beat

There was a missionary I knew who did marching band in high school. Not only was a drum major, he also played the quads. He would drum on anything, all the time. In the MTC they taped him and his companion while they were teaching, and he saw just how much he was drumming and how distracting it was in the lesson. 

To his credit, he learned to control his drumming and became a focused and effective missionary. And he is still an awesome musician!
 

Isn't that every day?

We had five kids — all boys — so we spent a lot of time, surprisingly, with callings in Primary, youth Sunday School and Young Men. I guess you do what you know.
 

As one

I served in Busan, South Korea. My brother served in Seoul. Our missionary service overlapped by a couple of months. About six months after my brother went home, our missionaries went up to a conference in Seoul. There were so many members from Seoul who were convinced that I was my brother! They thought I was lying when I said I was from Busan rather than Seoul.

But for some reason, they never mistook me for Korean. Hmm.
 

Sketchbook: Words get in the way

This is the first and only time you will find the words “skibidi toilet” on this site. The way to eliminate use of popular slang is to have the older generations use it. This is my hope.

No cap.

 

The sealed portion

Let's face it. In middle school, everyone was a dork. We should never speak of it again.
 

Reading does a body good

When I was in middle school, I had a book report due for my English class. I hadn't finished reading any books, but I had read Alma — so I did my report on that. Hey! It was a chapter book, right?!

Our kids were always super excited for the summer reading program at our local library. They offered weekly prizes, and culminated with the coveted free pizza coupons for participants.

I don't remember what grade or feedback I got on my Alma report, but I wish I had kept it. Dang.
 

Word.

There may be a Paris Olympics influence to this.
 

Sketchbook: Bugs

One last pioneer-related gag before July is over. 
 

You only live twice

They say that government agencies like to recruit at BYU. I wonder if the same is true for MI6?
 

New and improved

And then they discovered advertising!
 

Hot times for pioneers

I’ve said it before, and I’ll likely say it again: I hope Brigham Young (and many of the other prophets) has a sense of humor. 

Have an enjoyable Pioneer Day wherever you are!
 

All the amenities

I know what the back of a minivan can look like after a weekend trip to the coast with the kids. Can you imagine the back of a Conestoga after a months-long trip across the plains?
 

Sketchbook: Trail mix

In the Oregon Trail game, you could go hunting if you were hungry (and if you had ammo and weren’t dying of dysentery). But what could they do on the Mormon Trail?
 

Take your time

It's probably good that there weren't a lot of traffic engineers around during the westward migration in the United States.
 

He can get the job, but can he do the job?

I had this idea about a seagull who didn't like crickets, so I played around with a few ideas. I wasn't sure which one I liked best, so I drew them both up. What do you think?

 

The songs they were singing

You know how family stories sometimes take on a life of their own and get modified a bit as they go on? I wonder how often that happened with pioneer stories?
 

Trendhopping

Cricket and seagull jokes just never get old!
 

Sketchbook: Share the trail

One of our axioms in the transportation world is, "Share the road." There's room for cars, pedestrians, bikes, trucks, skaters — whatever. Transportation is for everyone!

The overland trails across the American west were probably much the same. Lots of wide open country with room for horses, oxcarts, Conestogas, handcarts and the occasional stampede of bison. Gotta yield right of way to the bison!
 

Why she had to go, I don't know

There are some days on trek (or camping) that are just plain miserable! But without the misery, how could you know of the fun you're having?

 

Constant peril

Another pioneer game show. I’ll bet they could have had some interesting categories!

On a side note, I think Alex Trebek would have looked good dressed in pioneer garb — which begs the question: how many trek reenactments has Ken Jennings been on?
 

Looking for a few good men

As I was flipping through the channels the other day, I cam across an old game show called Password Plus. The technology was a bit rough around the edges, not nearly as slick as what we see on TV today. 

The rustic technology got me thinking what game shows would have been like back in the pioneer era? Some of those ideas may be showing up during the next couple of weeks. Be prepared.
 

Facing the valley

Beauty will only get you so far. Brigham Young will get you into the Salt Lake Valley.
 

Sketchbook: The natives are restless

Some of the kids we sit near in church get a little restless toward the end of the meeting. That's part of the inspiration behind this one. The other part was the deacon's bench back in the day. There was a time when the Aaronic Priesthood holders stayed at their sacrament positions throughout the entire meeting. One day someone figured they could increase reverence exponentially if they sent the deacons back to sit with their families once the sacrament was over. Good call!

 

Why can't we liken unto them?

What is it they say? Don't compare missions; each one is different. 
 

He who hath ears to hear...

For all you readers in or affiliated with the United States, happy Independence Day! For the rest of you, happy Thursday!

It's time for the annual reminder to protect your pupper's hearing! There are a lot of dogs (and cats, I understand) that get upset at the noises that go along with the firework celebrations on the Fourth. 

I'm lucky. My last few pets have actually liked fireworks! I had one, D'Artagnan, who tried to fetch the ground flowers — not an activity I would recommend for either dogs or humans!

 

Tie food

Some kids chew on their fingers. Some kids chew on their clothes. I saw a kid the other day happily gnawing on his (or her) dad's clothes! Yeah, it may mess up the tie a bit, but you don't have to worry about crawling under the benches to pick up all the spilled cereal snacks!