NeedleinA

My crystal ball sees a church history tour for you and Lady Gator coming up for about a month or so...
(Is that still in the works by the way?)

You could always reverse the question...
"Yah, kids might come some day, but on a different note how is your diet going these days Bro./Sister__________?"

Geeezzz, 10 years and no kids! What's wrong with your spirituality Gator?          ----joking
I find that most people bring up repetitive subjects sometimes not so much because of the subject, but because they can't or don't have anything else to talk about with you. Most members don't know a whole lot about me, except my family size and I own a small business. So... every time they see me, it is "how is business, you staying busy? etc." My actual friends know not to ask me about work. When I'm at work it is game face, but after work it is the last thing I want to talk about
I think when it comes to "kids", people just fall back to what they consider an easy topic... though if they thought it through better they might zip their lips. 
My brother and his wife either can't or can't easily have kids. Many tried and failed attempts. Super hard subject for them. Along with other bigger reasons he doesn't go to church any longer but always uses "people bothering me about kids" as an excuse. 
 

I've got a few vintage books, like a 1920 Book of Mormon and an 1832 Bible (beat up pretty bad)
Useful to have around when critics claim the BoM is constantly being revised. 

That was a total bait question Lehi, Anatess was weeding out the geeks in the crowd...snag, she caught you!
This would be similar to asking about that show from the 80' with that one detective guy with the mustache who lived in Hawaii?

I hope it actually made its way to the Church.
I also remembered this after @NeuroTypical shared his coin. This is a coin from ZCMI (Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution). If I was told correctly, this coin was given to employees like wages, that they in turn could use for in-store credit purchases?? (fyi: it looks exactly the same on both sides)

There is something I've never seen before. Looks like an creepy Olympic medal with Transylvania in the background. At least it doesn't have Lee's signature on it. Thanks NT for sharing.
Thinking about Lee... I was looking around on the connection between Laminate to Native American and came across this picture from Church History. Picture owned by the Church labeled as:
Baptism of Shivwits Indians - 1875 - View of baptism in stream near St. George, Utah

I'm not sure of talk but this is a great start that I think sums up the general idea of what the Church thinks of these groups.
Handbook 2 21.3.9
Self-Awareness Groups
Many private groups and commercial organizations have programs that purport to increase self-awareness, self-esteem, and spirituality. Some groups promise to enhance individual agency or improve family relationships. Some offer “experiential” or “empowerment” training.
Some of these groups falsely claim or imply that the Church or individual General Authorities have endorsed their programs. However, the Church has not endorsed any such enterprise, and members are warned against believing such claims. The fact that the Church has not formally challenged such an enterprise should not be perceived as a tacit endorsement or approval.
Church members are also warned that some of these groups advocate concepts and use methods that can be harmful. In addition, many such groups charge exorbitant fees and encourage long-term commitments. Some intermingle worldly concepts with gospel principles in ways that can undermine spirituality and faith.
These groups tend to promise quick solutions to problems that normally require time and personal effort to resolve. Although participants may experience temporary emotional relief or exhilaration, old problems often return, leading to added disappointment and despair.
Church leaders are not to pay for, encourage participation in, or promote such groups or practices. Also, Church facilities may not be used for these activities.
Leaders should counsel members that true self-improvement comes through living gospel principles. Members who have social or emotional problems may consult with priesthood leaders for guidance in identifying sources of help that are in harmony with gospel principles.

Thanks.  It was very difficult as I knew the value of the book. 

You are a good man Mirkwood. Someone else might have taken it home and put it up on Ebay. 

Inherited this giant copper coin medallion thing from grandparents.  Here's something that everybody immediately stopped talking about and immediately forgot ever existed, shortly after George P. Lee got excommunicated and it turned out he was a pedophile.
 

Do any of you have any kind of fun Church History items/artifacts hanging around your homes? 
1. We came across the $10 bill at a coin show we stumbled upon. It is from 1929. Kind of different, Utah State National Bank. Also has the signature of Heber J. Grant printed on it. 

2. We also have this very real very authentic reproduction of the Book of Mormon, minus all current formatting. Purchased it for fun from the RLDS Church while out at Nauvoo. Fun little item only.

What do you have?

I stood in Deseret Industries one day with a second edition BoM in my hands.  I took it to the manager and told her to send it to the church history department instead of buying it.  That is the closest to having anything church history artifact related in my house.

Lehi

That counts Lehi! Thanks for sharing

I'm not sure if this qualifies as "fun", but I'm definitely a Church historical artifact hanging around my home. I've lived during the ministries of more than half of the Presidents of the Church, from George Albert Smith through Thomas S. Monson. Even "met" David O. McKay when his body guard nearly ran his wheelchair over my toes one afternoon at the Hotel Utah.
Lehi

The dictionary definition of "modesty" is: freedom from conceit or vanity.
You speak very highly of your daughter and her athletic abilities.  Has she won some event?  Let's say hypothetically she had won the 100 meter track race.  Yes, she would rightly be proud of that achievement, but it would be silly vain for her to wear the trophy around as a hat 24/7.  Likewise is would be silly vain for her write it on her shirt she wore everywhere, or to bring it up first thing in every conversation.  Instead of vanity, she should be modest about her achievements: not hiding them, but neither using them vainly as a false sense of self esteem.  
Likewise it is with our physical beauty: we don't have to hide it our beauty, but neither should we use it to vainly to generate a false sense of self-esteem by bragging.

Look through Heaven's eyes!
We humans are often so small minded in our thoughts: we expect things to happen how we expect them when we expect them.  And then like toddlers we pout when they don't go exactly according to *our* plan.  
God doesn't work that way: He see the large picture and the larger purpose.  A patriartical blessing is God's plan for you, not yours, and you must come to understand Him.
Using one of your examples: someone's blessing says they will go on a mission, but then at ~18 they get a horrible disease and can't go.  Does this mean that their blessing was unfulfilled?  No!  It means that God wasn't planning on you going right then.  Maybe that person serves a full-time mission in their retirement years.  Or maybe they serve as a mighty part-time missionary throughout their life.  Or maybe their mighty ministry is not of this world, but to the spirits whom have passed on.  God is almighty- He sees this grand purpose and grand design, and if He says you will be a mighty missionary, then you will be... just maybe not in the way/when/how you expect.  

My thoughts:
1) Are they still alive?  If yes, there's still time.
2) These are blessings, and all blessings are predicated on obedience to the predicate law.  (They are not "fixed in stone prophecies of a person's future".  They are blessings which will be theirs, as long as they don't screw up in a way which prevents that blessing from happening.
3) I think the person to whom the blessing was given is entitled (through faith and obedience) to revelation to help them understand their own blessing.
4) There's always the next life, proxy work, missions in the spirit world, etc.  Whatever else is true, one day we'll understand (unless, I suppose, we refuse to).
Personally, I think the more important part of a patriarchal blessing is the responsibilities it gives you - at least, mine is as full of obligations as it is of blessings.
FWIW.

In additon to my own, I have read the seven blessings of our children, my wife's. and both of my parents'. All of them include a sentence that says something like "… according to your faith and worthiness."
Lehi

"Duck magnet" is what you yell at a wrecking yard.

 

I loved Taylor, but I'm more of a Brigham Young/Wilford Woodruff man myself.

Pharaoh's snakes
 
 

Ohhh... too old for me... I have John Taylor all over my wall.

You are 100% correct!!
The Magnum PI reference was my bait to see which female here had a Tom Selleck poster taped to the back of their bedroom door growing up = "snag" caught you!