Happy Birthday Ryan!

On this day, December 11 in...

1282 - Llywelyn (Llewelyn ap Gruffydd) was killed in Cilmeri, central Wales.

1719 - The first recorded sighting of the Aurora Borealis was in New England.

1769 - Edward Beran of London patented venetian blinds.

1792 - France's King Louis XVI went before the Convention, which had replaced the National Assembly, to face charges of treason. He was convicted and condemned and was sent to the guillotine the following January.

1816 - Indiana was admitted to the Union as the 19th American state.

1844 - Dr. Horace Wells became the first person to have a tooth extracted after receiving an anesthetic for the dental procedure. Nitrous Oxide, or laughing gas, was the anesthetic.

1872 - Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback became America's first black governor when he took office as acting governor of Louisiana.

1882 - Boston's Bijou Theater had its first performance. It was the first American playhouse lit exclusively by electricity.

1894 - The world's first motor show opened in Paris with nine exhibitors.

1928 - In Buenos Aires, police thwarted an attempt on the life of President-elect Herbert Hoover.

1930 - The Bank of the United States in New York failed.

1936 - Britain's King Edward VIII abdicated in order to marry American Wallis Warfield Simpson. He became the Duke of Windsor.

1937 - The Fascist Council in Rome, withdrew Italy from the League of Nations.

1941 - Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The U.S in turn declared war on the two countries.

1943 - The City Center of Music and Drama was dedicated in New York by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established by the U.N. General Assembly. The fund provides relief to children in countries devastated by war.

1951 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) announced his retirement from major league baseball. DiMaggio only played for the Yankees during his 13-year career.

1961 - The first direct American military support for South Vietnam occurred when a U.S. aircraft carrier carrying Army helicopters arrived in Saigon.

1967 - The prototype of the Concorde was shown for the first time in Toulouse, France.

1973 - West German Chancellor Willy Brandt and Czech Prime Minister Lubomir Strougal formally nullified the 1938 Munich pact when they signed a treaty sanctioning Hitler's seizure of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland.

1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed into law legislation creating $1.6 billion environmental "superfund" that would be used to pay for cleaning up chemical spills and toxic waste dumps.

1981 - Muhammad Ali fought his last fight. He lost his 61st fight to Trevor Berbick.

1982 - Ryan Jahir Ricks was born in Fairfax Hospital and weighed a little over 8 lbs.

1985 - The U.S. House of Representatives joined the U.S. Senate by giving final congressional approval to the Gramm-Rudman deficit-reduction law.

1985 - General Electric Company agreed to buy RCA Corporation for $6.3 billion. Also included in the deal was NBC Radio and Television.

1986 - The government of South Africa expanded its media restrictions by imposing prior censorship and banning coverage of a wide range of peaceful anti-apartheid protests.

1987 - Charlie Chaplin's trademark cane and bowler hat were sold at Christie's for £82,500. 1988 - 62 people were killed in a Mexico City marketplace when tons of illegal fireworks exploded.

1990 - Ivana Trump was divorced from Donald Trump after 12 years of marriage.

1991 - Salman Rushdie, under an Islamic death sentence for blasphemy, made his first public appearance since

1989 in New York, at a dinner marking the 200th anniversary of the First Amendment (which guarantees freedom of speech in the U.S.).

1994 - Thousands of Russian troops, armored columns and jets entered Chechnya. The move by Moscow was an effort to restore control the breakaway republic.

1994 - The world's largest free trade zone was created when leaders of 34 Western Hemisphere nations signed a free-trade declaration known as "The Miami Process."

1996 - In Crystal City, VA, "The Art of the Toy" opened. The exhibit was at the Patent and Trademark Office Museum.

1997 - Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams became the first political ally of the IRA to meet a British leader in 76 years. He conferred with Prime Minister Tony Blair in London.

1997 - More than 270 Tutsi refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo were killed by Juto guerillas in Mudende, Rwanda.

1997 - More than 150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to control the Earth's "greenhouse gases."

1998 - Scientists announced that they had deciphered the entire genetic blueprint of a tiny worm.

1998 - The Mars Climate Orbiter blasted off on a nine-month journey to the Red Planet. However, the probe disappeared in September of 1999, apparently destroyed because scientists had failed to convert English measures to metric values.

1998 - Majority Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee pushed through three articles of impeachment against U.S. President Clinton.

2000 - Mario Lemeiux, owner of Pittsburgh Penquins, announced that he would end his three-plus year retirement and become an active National Hockey League (NHL) player again. When Lemieux returned officially he became the first owner/player in NHL history.

2001 - U.S. Attorney General Ashcroft announced the first federal indictment directly related to the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Zacarias Moussaoui was charged with six conspiracy charges. Moussaoui was in custody at the time of the attacks.

2001 - Ted Turner purchased 12,000 acres in Nebraska for Bison ranches.

2001 - It was announced that U.S. President George W. Bush would withdraw the U.S. from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.

2001 - Federal agents seized computers in 27 U.S. cities as part of "Operation Buccaneer." The raids were used to gain evidence against an international software piracy ring.

So unbelievably Proud!

Jasmine takes a bow after an 'unofficial' performance in public at the Manassas tree lighting! She sang Jingle Bells for anyone caring to listen!

Well, Jasmine debuted as a singer this past Sunday in public! I was asked to do a special musical number for church and also asked to do one next week also so I didn't want to do anything elaborate. I decided it would be fun to see if Jasmine would perform in public. Lorne and I discussed it and we set out to teach her Away in a Manger. Well, she learned the first verse and the Asleep chorus. Lorne played the piano for us so it was a whole Campbell family effort.
Sunday came and she was ready. I had decided that I would not force her. If she came up and the music started and I was singing alone, that would be fine. I prepped her by asking her if she was going to sing with Mommy and she gave me an enthusiastic YES! When it was our turn I asked her if she was ready (as we were getting out of our pew) and she said very loudly, "I'm ready!" as she bounced up to the stand.
They put a stool in front of the microphone that she could stand on and I stood next to her. She was perfect. The music started and she wanted to begin singing during the into but I whispered to her not yet. Then when it was time, we sang the song together. She didn't fidget, she didn't grab the mic or yell into it, she didn't freeze up. She was so amazing and a very sweet Spirit filled the room. You could tell by looking out at the congregation that they were touched by her sweet little voice.
As we walked back to our seats, Jasmine exclaimed loudly, "Mommy, I did it! I did it by myself!" and people chuckled. I was happy she didn't try to take a bow!
We got so many compliments afterwards. Everyone told us that Jasmine was a born performer and that she was like her Mommy - they were amazed that a 2 year old girl could learn the song so quickly and sing it so tunefully well and didn't have any fright!
Yes, we bubbled over with awe and admiration for our little girl. I can't believe that Heavenly Father entrusted me with this precious little spirit that brings us so much joy, laughter and love. She makes life worth it and her success and happiness is all I can ever ask for!

More Jasmine Anecdotes!

So, Jasmine has yet again said some funny things that I have to post because I want to remember them and share the laughs with you.

About a week ago, I was sitting at my desk trying to get some work done and Jasmine comes marching into the office and puts her hands on her hips and says in a loud tone, "Don't upset me Mommy!" and then turned and walked out of the office. I sat there stunned and chuckling!

It has begun - and a bit early I might add. A few weeks ago, Lorne was telling Jasmine that she needed to sit still and finish her food, and he was being stern with her. She looked at him with her wide eyes and said, "Why?"

Last night I performed some concerts at the Visitor's Center (post on that later). Jasmine and Lorne arrived and Jasmine was mesmerized by the 450,000 lights that were displayed on the temple grounds. She looked up at Daddy and said, "Daddy, are we going to see Santa?" Lorne replied, "No sweetie, we are going to the Visitor's Center" (think of how he says it with an Australian accent Center pronounced "senta"). Jasmine instantly got excited and said, "Oh! We are going to Visitasanta?"

I had a stark realization that my little girl was growing up today. I took her to a local library because they were doing a story time and activity for children 2-3 years old called Gingerbread Tales. As we were sitting there, a mom and a cute little girl walks in and Jasmine gets all excited and says, "Mommy look! It's my friend Gracie!". I looked but didn't recognize the girl and thought she was mistaken. I asked Jasmine where her friend was and she again pointed to this little girl. So I thought a minute and realized that maybe the girl was in Jasmine's preschool class. During a break, I asked the mom if her daughter went to Epiphany and she said yes and that her daughter was in the 2 year old class - just like Jasmine. I then explained to her that Jasmine had recognized Gracie when she walked in and the mother said that it cleared up a mystery she had too because apparently Gracie was telling her mom, "Mom, there's my friend." The realization is that my daughter now knows people I don't know. It made me a bit sad but it was bound to happen sooner or later - I just wish it was later.

After my concert last night that Jasmine attended, Lorne brought her down to the stage to see me and she threw herself at me and gave the biggest hug and kiss and said, "It was so beautiful Mommy!" I melted.

My favorite Jasmine line lately is when she feels loving. She will put her hands on my cheeks and pat them and say, Mommy, you're my sweet!"

Decorating the House

Before we began to decorate!

We decided to setup our tree last Sunday night as a family. This year, Jasmine is the perfect age for this! We have 2 trees in the house, one in the basement and one in the living room. The living room tree is mine, it is the fancy tree with all the matching ornaments. The downstairs tree is the family tree which has all the special ornaments we have collected thus far in our marriage and as a family.

Jasmine and the first ornament placed on the tree - this year's Mount Vernon Ornament!

Jasmine was so excited to set up the tree as she has been exclaiming everytime she goes into someone's house that is already decorated, "It's Christmastime in here!". She was totally into it and she was such a great helper. Daddy also helped which is special because when Lorne was growing up, he saw putting the tree up as a punishment. They didn't do it together a family with the soft lights and the Christmas music playing in the background. In my family it was always something we did as a family and so I am stressing that and trying to make it fun and painless for Lorne. I think he actually enjoyed it this year. He made sure that the tree wasn't bogged down in the front by spreading out the ornaments. He was also instrumental in helping Jasmine put the tree topper on top!

When we were done, we lit it and Jasmine was so mesmerized. She has also learned to leave the tree alone once it is up and hasn't been taking off the ornaments like she did last year. It is amazing to see her and how she views the holidays - it makes me young at heart and brings back the purity of the spirit of the holidays as I gaze into the beautiful eyes of my lovely daughter. Her excitement and wonder and joy fills my heart and makes me want to do everything I can to give her all the magic of the season.

Hanging the stockings by the chimney with care - in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there!

Phew! We are done!

The finished product - we did great!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Mom - We love you and are so happy that we can be around to celebrate these special days with you! You are the best!

On this day, December 6 in...

1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev under Danylo of Halych and Voivode Dmytro falls to the Mongols under Batu Khan.
1534 - The city of Quito in Ecuador is founded by Spanish settlers led by Sebastián de Belalcázar. 1768 - The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica is published.
1790 - The U.S. Congress moves from New York City to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1845 - Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity is founded at Yale College.
1849 - American abolitionist Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery.
1865 - The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, banning slavery.
1877 - The first edition of the Washington Post is published.
1884 - The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. is completed.
1897 - London becomes the world's first city to host licenced taxicabs.
1907 - A coal mine explosion at Monongah, West Virginia kills 362 workers.
1916 - World War I: The Central Powers capture Bucharest.
1917 - Finland declares independence from Russia.
1917 - Halifax Explosion: In Canada, a munitions explosion kills more than 1900 people and destroys part of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1921 - The Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed in London by British and Irish representatives.
1922 - One year to the day after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the Irish Free State comes into existence.
1933 - U.S. federal judge John M. Woolsey rules that the James Joyce's novel Ulysses is not obscene.
1947 - The Everglades National Park in Florida is dedicated.

1951 - Susan Ruth Barolin is born and weighs a whopping 13 lbs!!!
1956 - A water polo match between Hungary and the USSR takes place during the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, against the backdrop of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
1957 - Project Vanguard: A launchpad explosion of Vanguard TV3 thwarts the first United States attempt to launch a satellite into Earth orbit.
1965 - Pakistan's Islamic Ideology Advisory Committee recommends that Islamic Studies be made a compulsory subject for Muslim students from primary to graduate level.
1969 - Meredith Hunter is killed by the Hells Angels during a The Rolling Stones's concert at the Altamont Speedway in California.
1971 - Pakistan severs diplomatic relations with India following New Delhi's recognition of Bangladesh.
1973 - The Twenty-fifth Amendment: The United States House of Representatives votes 387 to 35 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States (on November 27, the Senate confirmed him 92 to 3).
1975 - Balcombe Street Siege: An IRA Active Service Unit takes a couple hostage in Balcombe Street, London.
1977 - South Africa grants independence to Bophuthatswana, although it is not recognized by any other country.
1978 - Spain approves its latest constitution in a referendum.
1989 - The École Polytechnique Massacre (or Montreal Massacre): Marc Lépine, an anti-feminist gunman, murders 14 young women at the École Polytechnique in Montreal.
1991 - In Croatia, forces of the Yugoslav People's Army bombard Dubrovnik after laying siege to the city since May.
1992 - Extremist Hindu activists demolish Babri Masjid - a 16th century mosque in Ayodhya, India which had been used as temple since 1949. Hindus believe this structure was built on the site of the birthplace of Lord Rama.
1997 - A Russian Antonov An-124 transport cargo plane crashes into an apartment complex near Irkutsk, Siberia, killing 67.
2001 - The Canadian province of Newfoundland is renamed Newfoundland and Labrador.
2005 - Several villagers are shot dead during protests in Dongzhou, China.
2006 - NASA reveals photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.

Santa Arrives in Manassas

The holidays this year have been super fun because Jasmine has an awareness of them now. Beginning with Halloween, where she kissed all the pumpkin decorations and loved getting dressed up, to Thanksgiving where she had lots of fun with turkeys and family. We have so much fun explaining these things to her and it is a joy to watch her little spirit light up when she catches on to something else that she loves. She has discovered Santa this year.

We have a family tradition where we turn on Christmas music (usually tuning in the radio to 97.1 - they play Christmas 24/7 until Christmas) the day after Thanksgiving and leave it constantly playing in the background all day and all night. No one is allowed to turn it off, it helps to bring in the spirit of Christmas. Well, we turned on the Christmas music in the car on our drive back from North Carolina and at first, Jasmine wasn't thrilled. She didn't like the music because she couldn't sing along with it. She didn't know the words. But we persisted and taught her a few.

Well, she learned the song Santa Claus is coming to Town and she loves it. We also started telling her about Santa and how magical he is. She expressed interest in wanting to see him so we made a plan. We found out from my uncle that Santa would be arriving in Manassas Friday November 30 - on the VRE train. They were also having a tree lighting ceremony and a lot of other activities for the kiddies.

We decided to take Jasmine to meet Santa and braved rush hour traffic going south on a Friday to make it happen. We arrived with enough time to stop by The City Square Cafe and say hello to my uncle and aunt (who also happen to own the restaurant - for those of you who may not know!). When we walked in, Jasmine was not pleased. She tugged on my hand and said, "No Mommy, I want to see Santa". I told her to be patient. We had a small chat and then off we went to see him arrive.And see him we did! We had front row standing positions on the train platform as the train rolled up and Santa waved at us from the conductor's window. It was really neat and Jasmine was super excited to see him. Alas, we weren't standing close to where he got off the train so he quickly disappeared into the crowd. Jasmine got upset and I promised her that we would see him that night. She said she wanted to give Santa a big hug and kiss! She also said she wanted to ask Santa to bring her a train and a hat and a toy. We walked over to the lawn of the Manassas museum and enjoyed the tree lighting festivities. They announced that Santa would be sitting in the gazebo across the street for all the children to sit on is lap. Jasmine and I hurried over to stand in line. The line was not short.We waited in line for an hour and a half. Jasmine was so patient. She had managed to make friends with a newspaper photographer for the Manassas Journal Messenger and she took many pictures of Jasmine. Much to our joy, she was in the paper the next day and I have bought a copy of the picture to frame. I will post it below!
As we got closer to Santa, Jasmine grew a bit nervous and I was afraid we would have a repeat performance of last year when she went hysterical when she sat on his lap. Luckily, Santa had his missus with him so when it was Jasmine's turn she began to get upset and I suggested that she sit on Mrs. Claus's lap first. She did and she warmed up to Santa and eventually sat on his lap and gave him a big hug and kiss. She was even more excited when she got candy from Mrs. Claus.We went over to the restaurant afterwards and had dinner. It was so nice because Tio & Tia were able to sit down and eat with us. We had the most lovely time. The food was delicious, the conversation was great and we were all smiles. It was the nicest night and Jasmine went home asking when she could see Santa again!

Washington DC Temple Lighting Ceremony

I had the amazing opportunity to sing and play the flute in the lighting ceremony for the Washington DC temple lights this year. The Mormon Choir of Washington (of which I am a member) was asked to sing at this special even on Wednesday and Thursday (Nov. 28 & 29). They didn't tell us who the guests would be, although we did find out that it was by invitation only.

We rehearsed there on Tuesday night and then arrived on Wednesday night ready to sing. I also accompany the choir occasionally on the flute and in this concert I was not only playing the flute, but the piccolo also. They told us while we were warming up that we would be performing for President Boyd K. Packer, Elder Dallin H. Oaks (both one of the 12 apostles of the church) and Elder J.W. Marriott Jr. (area authority) and also the guest of honor would be the Ambassador of Indonesia.

President Boyd. K. Packer
Elder Dallin H. Oaks

It was an amazingly spiritual night. I was so humbled to be able to share my talent for apostles of the Lord. I was seated directly behind Elder Oaks and was singing in his ear (he was about 6 inches away). I prayed that my voice was OK and that I wouldn't make any mistakes so he wouldn't wonder who that soprano was behind him! President Packer made some remarks that touched my soul in particular. He said that many people don't know the meaning of the word Father. When we are young, we think we know or that we will find out when we are parents, but that isn't so. When we do have a child, we begin to understand a bit more about what it means to be a father but it isn't until we hold a precious child in our arms and Heavenly Father whispers to us that we cannot keep this child that we truly understand what it is like and what it means to be a father. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much and wants us to be happy and to return to live with Him but many times we stray and don't do those things and He feels pain at the thought of losing us, and He has lost many of His children. This made me think of my role as a mother and the deep love I feel for Jasmine. I would be utterly heartbroken if I were to lose her. It only gives me a glimpse of how our Heavenly Father feels about the love He has for us. Well, the music went well, and the other remarks were great too, and I left with a light feeling that I was in the right place that night. They were there on Thursday night as well, and the remarks were nice, but different. I knew that I had heard what I was meant to hear the previous night. I played well and I hoped that my music touched the audience.

Marcia and I got pictures by a few of the Christmas trees that they had decorated in the Visitor's Center in our choir dresses! What a priviledge it is for us to sing in this choir!