The Wilderness Journey

Disregard the red line in the picture. In my institute manual it says that: "The distance from Jerusalem to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aqaba) is about 180 miles through hot, barren country infested anciently by many marauders (i.e. thieves). Lehi and his family [had] traveled 3 days' journey beyond this point (see 1 NE 2:5-6). This meant at least a 12-14 day trip one way, which gives added meaning to Nephi's response in 1 NE 3:7 (I will go and do...)"

On a side note (Jacob's commentary),when Lehi asks them to go back to Jerusalem the third time to get Ishmael's family, their future wives, you don't read about any complaints that time do you?!?

Back To School

"Back to school...back to school...to prove to Dad I'm not a fool"-What movie is this quote from?

Sunny & I had our first day back to school. Sunny is in her last semester before she can sit for the board exams, and I am in my last semester before I graduate from UNLV! Whoopee!

Note: We did not try to match shoe color at all. Total married coincidence.

Were the “Golden” Plates Gold?

What were the gold plates like? If we had “hefted” and examined the plates for ourselves, as the Eight Witnesses did in 1829, what would we have learned about them?

Joseph Smith said that the set of plates was 8 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 6 inches thick. That makes about .1666 cubic foot, which would weigh about 200 pounds if made of pure 24K gold. That is a lot for Joseph Smith to have carried.

The plates may have weighed less and still have been gold. Metallurgist-blacksmith Reed Putnam has shown that hammered plates of 24K gold would weigh only half as much as a solid block the same size. That would make the plates about 100 pounds, a more reasonable weight for Joseph to have carried.

However, Putnam also points out that if the plates were made of a common Central American alloy called Tumbaga, made of 8K gold and copper, they would have weighed around 53 pounds. Interestingly enough, William Smith, brother of the Prophet, lifted the plates while they were in a pillowcase and estimated that they weighed 60 pounds, and Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses, said that they weighed 40 to 50 pounds. William also said the plates were a mixture of gold and copper.

Pure gold would be too soft to make useful plates. But Tumbaga is remarkably tough and resilient, even in sheets as thin as the gold plates are described as being (like thick paper, Emma said, or “not quite as thick as common tin,” according to Joseph, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer). In ancient America, Tumbaga was commonly treated with a simple acid (such as citric acid), making it easy to engrave and turning it from its natural red to a “golden” color.

Whether the plates were made of Tumbaga or some other alloy, reasonable sense can be made of the physical description of the plates and of their possible metallurgical composition.

Information supplied by the Foundation for Ancient Research & Mormon Studies (P.O. Box 7113, University Station, Provo, UT 84602, (800) 327-6715

New Years Resolutions!

I have decided to set a new years resolution to improve my study of the Book of Mormon. I went down to Deseret Book and bought a BOM reader that follows along chapter by chapter with your reading and has cool quotes from Prophets, etc. David has his "Mulletudes", Ryan has "Pretty Ryan", so I'm going to have a new weekly edition myself called "The Mormon Scoop". I might also talk about ice cream, but just on rare occasion.

Sunny & I Hit Our First Year Mark!

Sunny & I stayed at the Mt Charleston Lodge Sunday and Monday night in a quaint but beautiful log cabin in snowy mountains surrounding Las Vegas...

Jacob flying down the hill on a tractor tire intertube...

Jacob's Wedding Vows


Sunny's Wedding Vows

Christmas Eve Talent Show

Annalise Sings "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" for the Christmas Eve Talent Show

The Extended Family Portrays The Nativity Scene


Annalise Shakes As She Does Her Impression of Mr. T

NEW YEARS EVE PARTY!

Grandfather has a meaningful talk with his grandson about his drinking problem and offers him a ride home.
Grandfather then gets a little too much to drink himself and the next thing you know, Grandfather is kissing Grandmother in public!
Dave & Jacob compete in a "Chug" contest to rally in the new year.

The New Year Strikes and Annalise reaches for the first thing she can get her hands on just in time to plant a great big KISS