Merit Badges

Every Saturday all month Jared has been going to Boy Scout merit badge powwow. He finished all four merit badges this past week, and three of them were required for Eagle.  He didn't really want to go that badly, but Chuck bribed him a little and he stuck with it and finished.

FanX

Dressed as the Doctor.

Those that follow me on Facebook have been getting my FanX updates.  Ruth and I spent three days at the FanX Comic con convention. We got to sit on some panels with some of our favorite stars, dress in fun cosplay, and rub elbows with other people that like the same things we like.  A highlight of the convention was seeing some of our favorite Doctor Who actors and hearing their stories from filming.  We also saw Karate Kid and Princess Leia.

I've been working on a cosplay from Doctor Who for the past four months, and was able to finish and wear it on Saturday. I was stopped all day to take pictures and got an amazing amount of positive feedback.  I signed up for the cosplay contest (first place in the beginners division was $300) and the judges told me that my helmet had one of the best paint jobs they'd seen all day.  I did get marked down because I didn't sew all my suit from scratch, and I think that is what kept me from advancing to the final.   But overall it was a fun experience and I got to get a professional photo taken and everything. 

Ruth and her new best friend.

Of course the best part of all of FanX was to be able to share the experience with Ruth. It's  really fun to have a hobby like this that we can share.  On Thursday we dressed as Rapunzel and Gothel, and on Friday we dressed as Doctors from Doctor Who.  On Saturday, Ruth wore a Legolas costume she had made from Lord of the Rings. We had so much fun that on the way home we talked about all the new costumes we want to make together for next time.

If you don't watch Doctor Who this picture will make no sense.

I don't talk about religion so much on this blog but I wanted to share something I've thought about this weekend.  Many of the actors we saw talked about how happy and welcome they feel here in Salt Lake.  I know some of that is just being gracious, but a few of them were very sincere. One actor talked about going over to the Tabernacle to hear the Mormon Tabernacle  Choir and what an amazing experience that was.  Another actor said how she loves the mountains and that she just feels happy here. 

I also had a personal experience with this. While I was waiting to be judged I was sitting alone and a woman approached me. The woman appeared a little world worn, but she smiled kindly and told me that she had been watching me and wanted to tell me that she thought I was strikingly beautiful.  We sat and visited for awhile and I heard about her kids and husband. She needed encouragement and when her name was called I left her with some positive parting words.  After she left, a teenage girl slid closer to me and said she had overheard our conversation and could she ask me some advice.  So for the next 20 minutes or so I talked to this teenager about her boy problems and I gave her advice and tried to build up her self esteem.

It was common for people to ask to take pictures with us.

So what do these all have in common?  I believe that it's God's spirit, or light, that these people were sensing.  Salt Lake is a city centered around a church, literally and figuratively.  A large percentage of the people here are striving every day to be good Christians, and I think that is reflected in our culture here. When these actors talk about feeling happy, or welcome, or at home here, I think they are feeling or sensing a bit of that spirit. It tastes good to them, and while they don't recognize what it is, they feel happy.  I think that was also what attracted those two people to my side that day.  Not to say that I'm not attractive, but I really think it was the light of Christ that was attracting that woman more than my looks, and it was that light that cause that girl to feel like I was a safe person to talk to.