The Machine that is Mormonism....

Yesterday at church, a really funny thing happened. The more I have thought about it, the more I have discovered that we, as human beings, as possibly more specifically as members of the church, have been trained to do what we are told... even if it doesnt necessarily make sense. We follow the rules set out by our superiors, even if they seem a bit unordinary.


So here is the story... I was sitting next to my friend Matt in Sunday School yesterday. On the seat next to him was a bright orange paper with "Please pass to all ward members" written in Sharpee. Matt, being his goofy self, handed it to me. I just handed it to my friend Jade, who was sitting next to me. She then flipped the paper over to see what it was that was supposed to be passed to all ward members. It was, of course, just one piece of paper with nothing on the back.

As soon as Jade did this, I realized, "Oh.... this could be funny...." and told her to continue to pass it on.... this was the most entertaining Sunday School I have ever sat through. The looks on people's faces as they continued to pass the paper on was priceless. They would look, dumfounded, at the person who had just handed it to them and typically would say "what is this for?" the person next to them would shrug, looking confused, and so instead of just keeping the paper, he/she would once again, pass it on.

Really though, did they just pass it on because they, like me, did not want to hold an extra piece of paper? Or did they pass it on because the paper said to? Are we really that programmed that when we are in church, we just do as we are told? Just an interesting thought...

Washington D.C.? Two days after the election? Perfect....

So one of my best friends, Donelle, just moved out to DC to teach. Well when she moved I was super, super bummed, so we decided that I needed to just take a trip out there.... So last night I booked my flights! Nov 6-9. Short but sweet. I am so so so excited!!!

Wedding Presents...

On Friday, two of my very close friends got married... to each other! Since I am so close with both of them, I decided that a crock pot or iron was just not good enough, so I turned to my very creative sister Jen. She has a craft business and has so many ideas that are just awesome! needless to say, my gift was definitely the cutest one on the table... if I do say so myself ;)

Worker's Comp Anyone??

Today was a VERY rough day for me. in the 3 years I have worked at Gilbert & Stewart CPA I have never been injured. A few paper cuts here and there, but no big. Today I made up for all those years of no injuries.

While I was at work today, I ran in to show my dad's assistant, Kaye, the business cards, logo, and order forms I designed for my sister's craft business she is starting. When I was turning the corner around her desk, all of the sudden I was thrown forward as my lower body stopped due to my toe being jammed at a rapid pace into a huge box filled with audits, etc. The pain was bad but after a minute it went numb. Then it swelled up. No bueno..... I don't think it's actually broken because it isnt very bruised but it's nasty.

Well a few hours later AT WORK, I was putting some of the audits that are old enough to go to storage in a box to be transported. Well as I was shoving the audits into the box, my hand slipped, so my finger hit a very thin piece of metal (used to bind the audits ) and it sliced clear through my finger. After a LOT of blood was lost, I finally gave in and ran over to provo OB/GYN (I used to work there) to have one of the docs look at it.

The Brilliant Dr. Jacob (who really is incredibly brilliant) figured out a way to stitch it up, and so after a VERY long rough day, I have a partially broken toe, and a sliced open finger and stitches. :( Rough day for me- tomorrow better be better! I don't think my body can handle any more ibuprofen....

Jack Johnson

So last night I went to the Jack Johnson concert with my best friend, Spencer. Back in February I heard that Jack was coming to concert- Spencer was still on his mission in Sweden, but I was so excited to realize that he'd be home by the time the concert came around. So I emailed Spencer and asked him if he wanted me to get him a ticket. i believe his exact response was "fetch yes!!"

So for his birthday/christmas/valentines day/mother and fathers day/thanksgivings/every other holiday for the last 2 years, I took him to Jack Johnson. It was so much fun! We met up with a bunch of people from our various friend groups and just had a blast. Jack was incredible.

My favorite part of the night was when Jack came back out for his encore. We were all feeling a bit tipsy (due to all of the mary-jane that was being smoked all around us... we were some of the only clean people in the crowd). So we decided to sit down and just enjoy the music. We laid down and looked at the stars and just relaxed to Jack Johnson! I don't think it could've been any better unless we were on a beach somewhere.


Here are a few pictures of me and Hansy... aka Spencer.

All Torn Up...

Nastia Liukin, Alisha Saramone, and Shawn Johnson

For those of you who don't know- I am a little obsessed with the olympics! Ok, a LOT obsessed. I am mainly obsessed with women's gymnastics. I did gymnastics growing up and have always been fascinated by the sport. Well, tonight the US women competed for Gold in the Beijing Olympics. We came up short after a shotty, at best, performance. We (meaning Team USA) rocked the vault- Sloan coming up HUGE on her first really major international competition. We did incredibly well on the Uneven Bars- led by the incredible Nastia Liuken. It all went down hill from there, however.

I thought we had a shot on beam after Team China struggled greatly. That thought was crushed immediately when team captain, Alecia Sacramone fell on her mount onto the beam. She also fell on the floor. Nastia Liuken and Shawn Johnson both, uncharitaristically stepped out of bounds on floor. Both of them nailed their beam routines though. Nearly everybody in America is currently in shock over the results and is mostly likely now having a bad night. I, however, have found myself incredibly torn.

As I am sure most of you are aware, I have been very fortunate to travel extensively to Asia. I have been to China multiple times, including a visit to Beijing. I have seen how incredibly oppressed the people are, and this is after such an immense reform by the government. I have seen the children begging in the streets. The "homes" which are shared by many families and are about the size of my bedroom. I cannot describe to you the scenes I have seen in my travels. This is why I am torn.

I am torn because tonight I saw Team China being cheered on with so much energy by their countrymen. These men, women, and children who were in the crowd could probably not believe they were there, watching an incredible international competition, with their country on top. These girls, most of whom were taken from their homes at 3 years old and entered into the "machine" that is Chinese Gymnastics.

I was in awe as I watched them perform their little hearts out (some debatably smaller and YOUNGER than others but that's a whole different topic). I was insanely touched. Yes, I was so sad that Team USA did not win, but watching these young (once again highly debatable) girls compete gave me chills. Seeing their smiles as they performed on the floor, knowing all they had to do was make it through and they would win gold, was priceless.

I hope, more than anything, that having China win the olympic Gold will help the country in a few ways: #1: I hope it helps them develop more pride in their country. #2- I hope that it breaks the "Machine" #3- I hope Chinese Gymnastics finds themselves in more of the limelight, therefore requiring them to stick to all IOC and FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) guidelines that they are currently able to get away with (no help to the still semi-corrupt government). I truly hope and pray that the children in China look up to these girls, as I did to Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, and the rest of the Mag 7 of the 1996 games. I hope they realize that they can achieve their goals if they work hard enough. And I truly hope and pray that they realize they do not need to become part of the "machine" in order to achieve these goals.

Here are a few pictures of us in Beijing a few years ago. it truly is an incredible (albeit very dirty city). It has been so much fun for me to watch the olympics and see places that I have been and how they have received a huge "face lift."


At the Forbidden City in Beijing, right across the street from Tiananmen Square.



At Tiananmen Square in Beijing- just a side note- check out the "smog." It really was horrible. When we flew out of Beijing and we got above the smog we were all like "Oh wow! There's the sun!"


Mom and I at the Great Wall in front of the Olympic Theme in Badaling, China (just outside of Beijing). I apologize for my gross appearance but that's what I look like after 2 weeks in China with no flat iron or blow dryer (I blew both of them out... my bad)


This man has created one memory I will never forget. As you can see he is chipping away at the marble, creating a beautiful picture. As we walked up we were looking at what he had created. All but one were of the Great Wall. The other was of the Savior... IN BEIJING CHINA!!! We were SHOCKED! Mom got teary eyed and said, "oh look it's the Savior!" and he looked at mom and said "Jesus.. Jesus" and touched his heart. Needless to say, we bought it immediately and it sits in with our most prized possessions (mainly family heirlooms) in our Curio Cabinet in our home.

Big Surprise...

So I was checking MSNBC.com tonight (I always check it before I go to bed at night to make sure there is nothing big going on before I sleep. Weird I know.). And I was reading a story about John McCain's running mate quest and stuff and as I was about to close it, at the top of the page where there are always advertisements I saw a picture of Christ and it caught my eye. Look at what is being advertised on MSNBC.com.... I thought it was pretty interesting!



and if you clicked on the link this is what it went to: Although it actually went to a slightly different page saying something like "Our gift to you- a Book of Mormon." or something like that. But, it went to this site.

Mormon.org

Anyway, I just thought that was interesting and that I should share it. I guess growing up in Utah I am used to seeing "Family, isn't it about.... time?" commercials and commercials for "The Living Scriptures" but it just shocked me to see it on MSNBC and I thought I'd share it.

Rodeo Time

Well this week we obviously celebrated the 24th of July. In my family, the 24th has always been a BIG deal because all of our cousins would always come into town. we would typically meet up with Allen's family up at Lagoon on the 23rd or so and play up there with them. On the 24th we all went to Grandma Roach's house. We would walk over to the Parade in Spanish Fork, go to the carnival, eat lunch, play games at her house, and just have fun as a family. The best part of the day, however, was the rodeo. This year we went on the 23rd (so not as fun as the 24th) but it was a blast all the same!


"Bop" and Landon in their matching Longhorns shirts that Aunt Becca got them in Texas


Me and my friend Katelyn on the drive to SF


Katelyn and I after eating Glades in our cowgirl get-ups


Katelyn and I at the Rodeo.


Miss Erika Lynn and I at the rodeo

Scanned Letters

Today I spent all day trying to get Grandpa's letters scanned in and photoshopped. It has been a HUGE project! I will keep you all updated on the progress!

Today I literally sat on my mom's living room floor, reading his letters as I scanned them, with tears streaming down my cheeks. What an incredible person he is! He was so loving and so kind! You cousins will appreciate this- in nearly every letter (all but one I believe) he asked about Grandma. He said many times how he has the most amazing wife and how he is the luckiest man alive. I will attach one of my favorite letters. This one talks about how Uncle Dale loves the farm and Grandpa says he'll have to live on a farm the rest of his life with how much "Dale likes the stock." At the end of page 1 it also is really cute- Grandpa is saying what an amazing wife he has. He is just such a sweet man!

Written: August 31, 1944 He was in Italy.

ww2soldier Blog

Once again, another post about the Lost Battalion. I am shocked at the interest all of the cousins have had in learning more about Grandpa and what he went through. I really feel as though all of us are being touched by the spirit of Elijah and that we all need to learn as much as we can about this man. I can tell you that in the past week my respect for Grandpa has skyrocketed. I am beginning to see a glimpse into who this man is, and how great it will be to understand him more and more.

Curt Huff, Cilla's son, has set up a blog that I recently found. It is http://ww2soldier.blogspot.com/ Curt has posted some of Grandpa's letters that you can zoom in on and read. His handwriting is a bit sloppy, but it is so great to be able to read his stories and see how much he was worried about Grandma back here in the states. Also, he has posted a few pictures of Grandpa as well. So if any of you are interested, check it out!

A View of The Lost Battalion.

This is from a website I found yesterday that tells the story of the 141st infantry from the beginning til the end of the war. Here are a few excerpts from the site that I thought you'd all enjoy. It tells the story of the Lost Battalion from the viewpoint of actually being trapped behind enemy lines. It was put together by a group of brilliant historians at the Texas Armed Forces Museum.

"According to the operational maps, progress was unbearably slow during our first few weeks in the Vosges. Yet our tired, blistering feet and aching backs told us another story. For every precious mile that we advanced, countless miles were hiked on foot up and down the circuitous mountain trails. They were wearisome marches with heavy equipment through the dense forests and crag-covered mountains. Even when the enemy was not immediately to our front, there were always the Schu mines and the tree bursts. Casualties mounted.

Platoon Sergeants and Squad Leaders appeared to be marked men and Privates rose to Sergeants almost overnight as they filled their places. The group of replacements that had come to us at Remiremont disappeared rapidly and our resources became low. We were weary and tired. Morale was ebbing. One topic hung on our lips: "When are we going to get a rest?" was the question in everyone's mind. Latrine rumor visited every foxhole and helped to sustain our morale with its optimistic reports on our long awaited relief. We carried mental calendars around with us and marked off our consecutive days of combat since the Riviera landings: 65, 66, 67 … wouldn't be long now. Still we fought on. Rumors persisted, but the relief never came.

Then on October 23rd we went into the Forêt Domaniale De Champ. The 1st Battalion went forward to take the high ridge and ground overlooking La Houssiere. Late that afternoon a strong enemy force worked its way in between the rifle companies and the battalion command post. That night a coded message from one of the rifle companies was radioed into Regimental Headquarters: "No rations, no water, no communications with Headquarters (battalion) ... four litter cases.,"

Up on top of the thickly wooded hill above La Houssiere 275 men were spread out in an area 300 to 350 yards, preparing positions. No one was making any noise. "We were quiet," a Red Battalion Squad Leader recounted afterwards "because the Germans were all around us. We were quiet because we were a 'Lost Battalion', and we didn't want Jerry (Germans) to know it."

"We pooled our rations," recounted an Able Company rifleman. "We collected everything from Coleman stoves to chewing gum. But our supplies didn't last long. Water soon became even more scarce than food. Fortunately we discovered a small pond near our area, but we couldn't get to it whenever we wanted to. You see, Jerry was using the same water hole." For some of us on the surrounded hill the days dragged and the nights never seemed to end.

We dug our holes a little deeper and tried to improve our circular defense. Patrols were sent out to fight their way back to the rear; several never returned, none got through. Only one solitary workable radio remained in our possession. It was coddled and babied like a child, for it was our only unruptured communication artery. Coded messages were continually sent emphasizing the desperateness of our situation. Word was radioed back that help was on its way. We wondered when — or if — it would arrive.

In the meantime the men of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, together with those of us in the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, had still been trying to break through to our besieged comrades. On the afternoon of the sixth day (October 30th) a 1st Battalion rifleman on outpost saw a figure approaching through the trees. Fearing it might be a Jerry, the rifleman remained in place and strained his eyes to obtain a better view. Then like a crazed person he ran down the hill laughing, crying and yelling at the approaching figure. Pfc. Mutt Sakumoto was at a loss for words as the rifleman ran towards him and hugged him and shouted words of thankfulness. About all he could think of to say was: "Could you use a cigarette?"

We were mighty thankful to the brave little men of the 442nd Infantry. Many of us owed our lives to them."

I just thought you'd enjoy reading this from what, I perceive as being, Grandpa Bingham's viewpoint.

The Lone Star State

WARNING LONG POST- A BIT OF BINGHAM FAMILY HISTORY...

Preface: 45 years ago, when my mom was 4 years old, her "daddy" hadn't been feeling to well. He went to the doctor and never came home. While he was at the doctor's office, he suffered a major heart attack and died instantly. The day my Grandpa Bingham was buried, any talk of him was buried with him. Therefore, my mom has never known anything about her dad.

Grandpa served in the 141st Infantry in WWII, which for any of you who aren't familiar with the 141st infantry, they are known as "The Lost Battalion." They were caught behind enemy lines for 7 days in the Vosges Mountains in France. They were under attack daily from the German troops that surrounded them. Hundreds of men of the 442nd Infantry were killed trying to rescue the 141st. Two pilots were killed trying to drop supplies into the Lost Battalion.


This past Thursday, my mom went to lunch with her two sisters. While at lunch her oldest sister, Priscilla, mentioned that the 141st infantry (Grandpa's infantry) was being inducted into the Texas Armed Forces Hall of Fame the following day. My mom felt an instant urge to go to Austin, TX to attend this symposium and to learn about this vital section of her Dad's life.

Well, when my mom came home on Thursday from the lunch (at about 7 PM) she told me about the symposium. Seeing as that my mom has no memories of her dad, and hardly knows anything about him, I have no knowledge of my Grandpa. When I heard about the Symposium, I felt so strongly this urge to go and learn about him. Within a few hours, dad and I booked flights and hotels and got everything set to go to Austin. We flew out at 8 AM the next day.

At the Symposium, the Texas Armed Forces Museum was introducing new items that they were adding to their museum from the 141st infantry. Two of these items have had such an immense impact on my life. While the troops were trapped, the Allies were trying everything they could to get supplies into them.

Since it was November, in the Vosges Mountains, there was low visibility and therefore, flights were out of the question for the majority of the time. So they launched basically missiles that were filled with medical supplies and food and batteries. Unfortunately this method failed because the artillery would dig so deep into the ground that they couldn't dig it out.

So one day when the weather seemed to be a bit more clear, the air force deployed 12 pilots (after having 3 previously failed attempts) to drop belly tanks full of medical supplies, etc. to the Battalions. Well, two of these belly tanks actually made it to the troops and not into the hands of the Germans. These two tanks, rusted, battered and beaten, were discovered by two brilliant historians and archaeologists, and was transported to Austin to be placed in the Museum.

It was so moving to see these belly tanks and picture my grandpa being one of the men that was pulling out all of the supplies, the supplies that saved their lives.

At the symposium there were 4 speakers. 1: The author of the book "The Lost Battalions" it was very informative and full of historical background. 2: The Forward Artillery leader of the 141st Infrantry, A Company (My grandpa's infantry and company). His speech was all about what it was like to be behind enemy lines. His wife informed mom and I later that day that he hasn't talked about it, but when this symposium came up after 64 years, he pulled out all of his old war stuff and was able to talk about it. It was incredible to hear from somebody who was right there with my Grandpa. It was incredibly. 3: Arch Archilla, he was one of the pilots who dropped supplies in. It was so incredible to shake the hand of a man who helped to save grandpa's life. 4: A member of the 442nd Infantry who, until this weekend, never received credit for all they did because they were Japanese-Americans. Once again, it was so incredible to shake the hand of 4 different men who were on the ground at hand to hand combat fighting to save the lives of the men who were trapped.

I could truly go on for hours, but I won't! :) All in all, it was an incredible weekend! I cannot even describe how it feels to finally be able to get a glimpse into my Grandpa's life and to finally be able to understand what he went through and what an incredible man he is. It was a huge blessing to both mom and I to be able to go down there and I am so grateful. I am so grateful for all the service men/women both past a present who risk their lives daily to protect our freedoms. I am so grateful for those brave men of the 105th Fighter Squadron and the 442nd Infantry for risking their lives, hundreds of lives were lost, in order to rescue the men trapped behind enemy lines.

Tagged by Donelle!!

How to Play This Game of Tag:
Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

JOYS!
1. Rebecca JOY Gilbert (ME!!)
2. Nette JOY Gilbert (My Grandma)
3. Allison JOY Poulson (A friend from Jr. High)

Ok...these are just three people that happen to have JOY as part of their name!

Here are some of my actual JOYS!
1. My family and great friends!
2. Reading
3. Finding something that I really want for ultra cheap while shopping!

FEARS!
1. Heights
2. Being held underwater
3. Plane Crashes

GOALS!
1. Get married in the Temple and be a good mama!
2. Get a good job doing design
3. Do something every day to make another persons' life better.

OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS!
1. So You Think You Can Dance!
2. NUMB3RS (The greatest TV show ever!!!)
3. China

RANDOM/SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT MYSELF!
1. The left side of my body is a lot larger than the right- because my brain is uneven.
2. I am accident prone, but usually don't get hurt doing anything cool!
3. I can make my nose go completely flat. The cartilage is really soft, and really short.

I TAG... (and please don't feel obligated to do it, but it is kinda fun!)
1. Jen
2. Kelly
3. Necia
4. Stacy
5. Becca Halls

Temple Square Shoot

In order to build my photography portfolio, I went up to Salt Lake to shoot some photos of downtown. Unfortunately, it was incredibly hot, and we didn't plan very well and so we didn't last as long as we thought we would, and went over to the Gateway to eat some lunch which took a bunch of our time. We spent almost the whole afternoon shooting at Temple Square and then ran over to the City Library and the City & County Building for 5 minutes to shoot. Here are my favorite images.

Update???

I think it is about time I update my blog... here we go!

First of all- we just got family pictures taken- here are a few of my favorites...

"Grandma" with Camila and Landon

Eduardo, Mikey, Jen, and I

Dad right after Landon spit up on him- the look on his face is priceless.

The whole crew having fun

The girls

The Men in my life!! :)

I have no idea what happened here, but apparently it was funny!

If I were a celebrity....

So I was bored in class today and my friend, Sharlene told me that I looked like this actress from a long time ago. (That made me feel good... i look like an 80's chick?) Anyway, I did the celebrity look-a-like thing and my results were quite interesting. One of my look-a-likes was Vanna White.... Needless to say I removed her quickly. What do you think?? I don't think I look like most of them.

Although I do feel honored to look like Katie!!

The Beauty of Photoshop!!!

So last week Tiffany, Jen, and I decided we should take new pictures for the ward directory. Instead of doing a boring picture of each of us, we decided to all hop in the picture together! There was one small problem though, J-Lar (our other roommate) was the good one of us who was actually attending Sunday School!



Well, today I woke up with a migraine but decided I should tough it our and go to church! By the time we began to sing the sacrament hymn, I could no longer read the words because my vision was so blurred. It was not fun!!! Tiffany told me "Bec, you don't look good at all," and then we decided that I should probably go home after sacrament. Tiff, Jen Bunney, and J-Lar took a roommate picture.....



Well, we had 2 options: 1. Go do another photo shoot with all 4 of us, or 2. Photoshop J-Lar into the picture of Tiff, Jen, and I, or photoshop me into the one of the other three. I decided photoshopping would just make our lives easier. So I ended up photoshopping Jen Bunney and J-Lar into the picture of Tiff, Jen, and I since Jen's face in the first one was a little goofy! Just thought people would enjoy seeing how easy it is to manipulate photos. It took me about 10 minutes to completely photoshop the image.

Gotta Love Spring Brandings!

Well as I posted earlier- I need to live on a ranch! I had the opportunity last weekend to go up to North Powder, Oregon for my uncle's and cousin's spring branding of their cows. Since I had just had surgery I didn't get to do a whole lot of work, but just being up there is the best! And hey, my uncle's couldn't even tease me for not throwing the calves. Here are just a few of the pictures I took up there.


This is a view from the Truck (F-350 Quad Cab King Ranch Edition... BEAUTIFUL TRUCK! Thanks for letting me take it Uncle Allen) of Talley-Dobbins Lane. We moved the cows from the highway pasture to my cousin Jake's corrals, which is on Talley-Dobbins.


My Uncle Allen on his horse, AJ, dragging a calf over to be branded.


This is probably my favorite- This is my cousin's wife Wendy. She pregnant and Due May 5th... you'd never know it! She was out branding!!! She also made the best enchaladas I have ever had in my life! That lunch was AMAZING!


This is just another picture of my Uncle Allen on AJ- this time he has already drug a calf over and is just making sure it stays there!


This is a picture of my Uncle Dale, cousin's Eli, Wendy, and Jacob. They were making sure the fire pit was getting the branding iron's hot enough. The wind was blowing so bad that we ended up having to dig a fire pit! I think that was a first for me up there!


My cousin Jacob.... Cowboy anyone??? We were working his cows that day.


How cute are these kids?? Roper, Cash, and Megan had a blast being down in the action. Roper is 5 and actually roped his own calf by himself! He's bound to be a cowboy!


This is my Uncle Dale- He is pretty much my hero! He's my mom's oldest brother so I never really got to know him, but the last few times I have gone to Oregon I have gotten to know him so much better and he's just awesome!