2019 in Review: Greatest Hits, from Month to Month

 Not going to get wordy here. Just some pictures/videos with brief captions. The year 2019 had its definite downs with the ups, but the ups were incredible. In chronological order:

JANUARY

Alison gets a journal edition of the Book of Mormon, and has enjoyed it thoroughly ever since.

FEBRUARY

Alison's uncle marries her childhood friend's grandma!

MARCH


Alison spends a weekend with her nephew at his house. So fun to get to know him even better than I did before, on a one-on-one basis!

APRIL






This month gets three pictures, because it was extra-ridiculously good. My friend Nancy and I met some characters from "The Office" (i.e. Kevin, Oscar, and Angela). THEN I had a birthday, shout hoo-ray. And THEN my darling youngest brother Austin graduated from college and became a professional engineer.

MAY


Some of my amazing Tabernacle Choir friends and I performed a song I wrote (arranged) for a worldwide, live-streamed broadcast. "It Is Well with My Soul."

JUNE


Wrote an original hymn (music and lyrics) to be considered to be put into the upcoming new hymnal for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wrote it because I want to be able to tell my future children that, when the opportunity arose, I did not throw away my chance.

JULY


My favorite podcast hosts in the whole wide world READ MY EMAIL for their regular "Listener Mail" segment. SYSK forever, baby!

AUGUST

I attended the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom for a week, studying under and singing with the magnificent King's Singers! Made dozens and dozens of new, fantastic friends from across the globe. Making music with them constantly for seven straight days was unforgettable and precious.

SEPTEMBER

Totally ran a full, 26-mile marathon for the first time and it was exhausting as heck but I enjoyed it a lot. Planning to do another one, probably in 2021 (if not sooner)!

OCTOBER

Ran some more! This time, my parents joined me for a race! I had never run with the both of them before! A great 5k, for which I actually sang the National Anthem! And then I brought Mom and Dad with me to my favorite spot in the city: the local silent movie theatre!

NOVEMBER

I expanded my horizons and I actually PAINTED a thing! Never had really done that before. This is a representation of me and the way I live with my synesthetic neurological condition. (Look it up if you don't know what that is.)

DECEMBER

Spent some very sweet time with my friends from the FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention and the beloved, classic children's television program "Animaniacs." Complete with Pinky, The Brain, and Wakko Warner.

Alison's Favorite Quote from Each April 2019 General Conference Talk

Photo of the Conference Center ceiling, taken from my seat in the choir loft.

The next General Conference (189th semiannual, to be

exact) is upon us! Which means Alison did her thing where she revisited all the talks from the previous Conference, day by day, and selected her favorite quote from each one. In chronological order:

SATURDAY MORNING

“...our actions must reflect what we learn and teach. We need to show our beliefs through the way we live. The best teacher is a good role model.”

Elder Ulisses Soares

"How Can I Understand?"

“There is a careful way and a casual way to do everything, including living the gospel. As we consider our commitment to the Savior, are we careful or casual?”

Sister Becky Craven

"Careful versus Casual"

“I know that as an all-knowing, loving Father, He answers our prayers perfectly, according to His infinite wisdom, and in ways that will be to our ultimate benefit and blessing.”

Elder Brook P. Hales

"Answers to Prayer"

“Talking with others about your faith will become normal and natural. In fact, the gospel will be such an essential, precious part of your lives that it would feel unnatural not to talk about it with others.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"Missionary Work: Sharing What Is in Your Heart"

“John was first a friend, providing frequent encouragement and support—but his ministering didn’t stop at friendly visits. John knew that a minister is more than a friend and that friendship is magnified as we minister.”

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell

"Just as He Did"

“Because none of us is perfect and feelings are easily hurt, families can become sacred sanctuaries only as we repent early and sincerely... Harsh words or unkind thoughts can be repented of quickly and sincerely.”

President Henry B. Eyring

"A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells"

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

“As we keep our testimonies simple and focused on the gospel of Christ, He will provide spiritual renewal as we share our testimonies with one another.”

President M. Russell Ballard

"The True, Pure, and Simple Gospel of Jesus Christ"

“...if we rely only on our rational mind and deny or neglect the spiritual understanding we can receive through the whisperings and impressions of the Holy Ghost, it is as if we were going through life with only one eye.”

Elder Mathias Held

"Seeking Knowledge by the Spirit"

“No choice, no alternative that denies the companionship of the Holy Ghost or the blessings of eternity is worthy of our consideration.”

Elder Neil L. Andersen

"The Eye of Faith"

“Feasting sometimes involves experimenting and tasting. Alma talks about a good seed being planted in our hearts. As we experiment on it, we will realize the seed begins ‘to be delicious.’”

Elder Takashi Wada

"Feasting upon the Words of Christ"

“The more diligently we seek His voice, the easier it becomes to hear. It is not that His voice gets louder but that our ability to hear it has increased.”

Elder David P. Homer

"Hearing His Voice"

“One way to ‘always remember him’ would be to join the Great Physician in His never-ending task of lifting the load from those who are burdened and relieving the pain of those who are distraught.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

"Behold the Lamb of God"

GENERAL PRIESTHOOD SESSION

“Your commitment to hold firmly the iron rod will transform you into the eternal being who you were created to become... God knows and loves you. He will bless you and guide your steps.”

Elder Gary E. Stevenson

"Your Priesthood Playbook"

“Some may have considered me a long shot and an underdog because of my family situation. Maybe I was. But priesthood quorums changed those odds. My quorum rallied around me and blessed my life immeasurably.”

Elder Carl B. Cook

"The Quorum: A Place of Belonging"

“The promises we make to our Heavenly Father become rock-solid commitments, our deepest desires. [His] promises to us fill us with gratitude and joy. Our covenants cease to be rules we follow and become beloved principles that inspire and guide us...”

Elder Kim B. Clark

"Look unto Jesus Christ"

“Almost everything we do in working with people leads us to evaluate them. And in almost every aspect of our lives, we compare ourselves with others. We may do so for many reasons, some of them reasonable, but it often leads us to be critical.”

President Henry B. Eyring

"The Power of Sustaining Faith"

“...we all know persons who are concerned only with the present... Our present and our future will be happier if we are always conscious of the future. As we make current decisions, we should always be asking, ‘Where will this lead?’”

President Dallin H. Oaks

"Where Will This Lead?"

“Because Satan is miserable without a body, he wants us to be miserable because of ours... Your body is your personal temple, created to house your eternal spirit. Your care of that temple is important.”

President Russell M. Nelson

"We Can Do Better and Be Better"

SUNDAY MORNING SESSION

“The immensity of His atoning sacrifice means that the woodpile is infinite; our puny actions approach zero in comparison. But they are not zero... because small acts of faith are required to ignite God’s promises.”

Elder Dale G. Renlund

"Abound with Blessings"

“He sees all your hidden sacrifices and counts them to your good and the good of those you love. Your work is not in vain. You are not alone. His very name, Emmanuel, means ‘God with us.’ He is surely with you.”

Sister Sharon Eubank

"Christ: The Light That Shines in Darkness"

“I promise that lovingly performing ordinances for ancestors will strengthen and protect our youth and families in a world that is becoming increasingly evil.”

Elder Quentin L. Cook

"Great Love for Our Father's Children"

“If you don’t find here a community intent on accomplishing what needs to be accomplished for both the living and the dead to prepare for that day... you won’t find it anywhere.”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

"Preparing for the Lord's Return"

“Unwittingly, they have converted an infinite Atonement to a finite one that somehow falls short of their particular sin or weakness. But it is an infinite Atonement because it encompasses and circumscribes every sin and weakness, as well as every abuse or pain caused by others.”

Brother Tad R. Callister

"The Atonement of Jesus Christ"

“Salvation is an individual matter, but exaltation is a family matter.”

President Russell M. Nelson

"'Come, Follow Me'"

SUNDAY AFTERNOON SESSION

“Our Savior has the power and stands ready to cleanse us from evil. Now is the time to seek His help to repent of our wicked or unseemly desires and thoughts to be clean and prepared to stand before God at the Final Judgment.”

President Dallin H. Oaks

"Cleansed by Repentance"

“Just as reading and learning about muscles is not enough to build muscle, reading and learning about faith without adding action is insufficient to build faith.”

Elder Juan Pablo Villar

"Exercising Our Spiritual Muscles"

“...shepherds in Israel must not slumber, nor scatter or cause the sheep to go astray... God’s shepherds are to strengthen, heal, bind up that which is broken, bring again that which was driven away, seek that which was lost.”

Elder Gerrit W. Gong

"Good Shepherd, Lamb of God"

“If all you or I know about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel is what other people teach or tell us, then the foundation of our testimony of Him and His glorious latter-day work is built upon sand.”

Elder David A. Bednar

"Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing"

“Even our sins, though they may separate us from His Spirit for a time, cannot separate us from the constancy and immediacy of His divine paternal love.”

Elder Kyle S. McKay

"The Immediate Goodness of God"

“Seek ‘to be like Jesus’ in all that you do; shun evil and temptations; repent....; be honest in heart; be upright and pure; show compassion and charity; and love the Lord your God with the devotion of a true disciple.”

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

"Build a Fortress of Spirituality and Protection"

“Despite contention all around us, one’s home can become a heavenly place, where study, prayer, and faith can be merged with love. We can truly become disciples of the Lord, standing up and speaking up for Him wherever we are.”

President Russell M. Nelson

"Closing Remarks"

The Cambridge-to-Canterbury Chronicles (Qty: 50)

I've officially been home from an amazing British excursion for almost two weeks. I miss that land of my forefathers so much right now! (Can I please just go back?) I know I need to chronicle the noteworthy events of my time there, so here goes. We'll see how many items I end up listing:

1) Alison's friend back in the States sends her an article. And sure enough, that WAS the exact day that Alison entered the United Kingdom.

2) Alison is trapped inside King's Cross/St. Pancras for plural hours with absolutely no merciful air conditioning, is visibly glistening in great, unfortunate odorousness as she waits at the turnstiles surrounded by the body heat that exudes from the several hundred British humans who are crowding in around her, because they too are desperate to get through the turnstiles and down to the platforms, but sadly the trains are ALL delayed quite badly. But Alison's train is thankfully the first train to finally arrive. This was an adventure, indeed, and a smelly one at that.

King's Cross Station on that freaking hot day. St. Pancras was the place across the street that had all the revolting body heat.

3) Alison completes the 20-hour journey that spanned from her own front door back at home, to the front door of her Cambridge Airbnb. By the time she got to her destination, the record-breaking heat of the day was miraculously dissipating, and sweet, sweet rain started to fall.

4) Alison seeks and finds the headstone of C.E. Brock, the hippest book illustrator during the turn of the 20th century. Look him up, yo.

5) Alison finds the ultimate oldest building in Cambridge: St. Bene't's. It was built exactly at the midpoint between Christ's physical presence on earth and my physical presence on earth. This church building is symbolic of my reaching out to Him, His reaching out to me in return, and Him and me meeting in the middle. Reconciliation.

6) Alison stands outside the very college that Tom Hiddleston attended, daydreaming that he'd actually materialize at her side from right around the corner because he wanted to visit his alma mater, but alas, reality is real. Sadly.

Photo of Tom Hiddleston reciting the digits of pi. Look up that YouTube video. You won't be disappointed.

Okay fine I'll show it to you myself:

7) Alison is surprisingly able to find her own secluded spot for some quiet reflection time. Little St. Mary's Church. She sits down on a pew next to a little statue of the Good Shepherd with a lamb. A tiny candle had been lit immediately adjacent to said statue. Alison picks up hymnal and reads through some of the songs. Alison offers a prayer to Heavenly Father, thanking Him for watching over her on this trip and also throughout all her life.

8) Alison is kicked out of Airbnb two full hours before she is allowed to check in at the Summer School, and it's raining and her once-pretty hair is going insane and she's forced to lug her big fat roller-suitcase (with a broken wheel, mind you) around with her to and fro across town for at least a couple of miles. To kill some of the time, she and all her gear sit peacefully inside a bright, quaint coffee shop wherein she bought orange juice and the European version of BLT.

9) Alison not expecting to get hugged so wholeheartedly by King's Singers Pat and Johnny, as the warmest, kindest greeting that anyone could possibly receive when first checking into the Summer School at the beginning of the week. SWEETHEARTS. Each and every one of those King's Singers is an utter, complete sweetheart, and it was proven time and time again throughout the course of the whole week.

10) Alison learns that her individual group's mentor is KS baritone Chris. That was the first day. On that first night, Alison has a dream and Chris is in it. In the dream, Chris tells Alison, in the nicest way possible, that Alison is a horrible sloucher and has the worst stage presence out of anyone in the whole Summer School. THE VERY NEXT MORNING, Alison and MoTab friend Jenny are at the breakfast table in the buttery, and CHRIS (FROM HER DREAM) SITS DOWN NEXT TO THEM, and Alison can't help but confess this dream to him, and he thinks it's super funny.

11) But then Alison proved to obviously NOT have the worst stage presence out of everyone, because the girlfriend of the OTHER KS baritone, Nick, came up to Alison on the last night and told her that she loves watching Alison sing because she has such a pleasant look on her face all the time. WOW! That was so sweet of her to say!

12) Alison's first real conversation with KS bass Johnny was comprised of him quizzing her on all the presidents' faces on the American dollar bills. An unexpectedly challenging exercise! But she did stump him on the $50 bill. He didn't think it was Ulysses S. Grant, but it totally was. But Alison didn't remember whose face was on the $2 bill, so Johnny whipped out the $2 bill he keeps in his wallet at all times and excitedly showed her while they were standing in line for lunch down in the buttery.

13) The fact that the college I lived in for seven days straight was so gorgeously ancient and looked like Hogwarts everywhere.

There's me.

There's Jenny.

There's where Hagrid, Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Gryffindors, Slytherins, etc. sit.

14) The fact that, after four (going on five) big trips to Europe, I am still culturally ignorant enough to not understand the point of having two flusher buttons for each toilet instead of just one. Is the smaller one for wimpier strength of water?

15) Since we're talking about bathrooms... I looooved how the showers I showered in for two weeks were so so so so tiny and since I am so so so NOT quite as tiny (tall girls ftw), washing hair was interesting with my long, gangly, protruding arms (talk about cramped) and I even shaved my legs once in one of the showers and it was like oh my gosh.

16) Since we're STILL talking about bathrooms... There was that one time when we were on a 15-minute break between classes at the Summer School and I had just done my business with the toilet whose double-buttons you see pictured two listed items ago, and I was attempting to get my hands washed, but I was just standing there at the sink with my hands under the faucet and nothing was happening. Nothing kept on happening. No water was coming out. I had been standing there for probably 15 literal seconds. Then another girl (I think it was Ciara?) enters the bathroom and turns the handle for me and water appears and I suddenly realize that I had been standing there for 15 seconds without ever grasping the concept that the faucet was not automatic. Ay-chi-baba.

17) Gonna get a little bit real here (see below picture below):

For the first couple of days of the Summer School, I really wondered whether people liked me or not. I'm not usually a very outspoken person in classroom settings, or in many settings in general. I get nervous when teachers call my name and ask me to answer a question they asked. I don't often raise my hand to offer an answer to a question. Although it does happen occasionally, I typically don't vocally contribute much to a group academic discussion. I'm largely a strict listener. But this time, during this week, I spoke up and contributed a whole lot more than I ever normally do, because I guess I just had a lot to say about the music topics that got brought up. And so maybe that made it so I didn't feel like my regular self. It may have made me feel unsure as to how people perceived what I was saying. Did people think I was annoying? When I lightly joked or laughed about something, did people "get" me, because much of the time it just seemed like I got a bunch of blank stares and people weren't chuckling at the same things I was. But then maybe a lot of us secretly felt the same way. We were all from different cultures, spoke different languages, and maybe there were some fairly significant unseen barriers there, who knows.

BUT, read on:

18) I think a turning point was the pub quiz night we had in the middle of the week. So much fun. I'd say most of the 100 Summer School participants were down there that night in that cellar which lay underground beneath the college. We all split up into happy, goofy little teams who worked together to try to come up with answers to all the crazy questions that were asked at the front of the room by the King's Singers (I think Nick was the main facilitator?). Anyway. Just being able to let my hair down alongside all these good people and just laugh with them about lighthearted things was healing and patched up lots of the holes I was feeling regarding "do I fit in here or don't I." Friendships were forged here and they became more and more solid from then on.

19) Speaking of friends, I now have friends from a TON of different countries around the world! Brenda from Singapore was one my very first that I met!

20) Punting on the River Cam was a grand ol' time with even MORE new friends (who apparently thought I was hilarious (haha um what!?))! Oh and also it rained suddenly with much force from the sky at one point... immediately after our guide accidentally (or "accidentally"?) dropped his oar and we had begun drifting majorly off-course bahaha.

21) Yeah, so I have realized that I stopped referring to myself in the third person quite a number of listed items ago. That's because I was in a weird mood on whatever day I started writing this. Or maybe today is the day that I'm in the weird mood. What's my true norm? Anyway, so here's this: The Chapel at King's College is one of the holiest-feeling edifices I've ever set foot in. We sang a private evening service there, mostly in plainchant (um, excuse me? can you say "HEART EYES"???), only for ourselves and nobody from the outside world was admitted to come in and listen. It was even a level beyond "once in a lifetime," because who even gets to do that? It was magical. Everything about that place, inside and out, was magical. Such a special place with all sorts of awesome history. Sat/stood/sang in wooden stalls that were the originals from hundreds and hundreds of years ago. After the service was done, we could stay for however long we wanted and just sit and reflect in silence. I stayed for a pretty long time. I think I was one of the last four people to leave, and I think we all left together. But walked out very, very, very slowly. I didn't want to leave. I wanted someone to retrieve my bedding for me so I could just sleep in there for the night. Would that have been so much to ask? ;)

22) While still on the subject of that night at King's College Chapel... I left the chapel at the same time as my new friend Elena from Spain. She and I walked the brief journey back home together. Still in reverence and awe of what we had just experienced, we discussed it with each other in soft tones, as though we thought that talking about it loudly was going to cause the reverently powerful feeling lingering in our hearts to flee away.

23) Just wanted to bring up a neat KS-baritone Chris memory real quick (my group's mentor). Also has to do with the night at King's College Chapel. I was impressed that he made it a point to stay the entire time, until the very last Summer School participant left the building. Perhaps it was out of duty on his part — mandatory that a designated leader of the group be present until the very end, to help "close up shop." But I was still impressed, the entire week, by how nurturing of a soul he is. A loving human who genuinely cares about everyone and anyone.

24) Okay and can we talk about how much I love John Rutter real quick? He shared a cool presentation with us and even led us in a few of his compositions. Did you know that he is fabulously animated in his speech and hardly ever takes a breath when speaking? What a fun guy! (Not fungi.)

25) That one time I FaceTimed my friends who were all on a cruise together somewhere down in the Caribbean (oh how I wish I could've been on BOTH trips at the same time!), and talked to Mark for a minute, then Mark handed the phone to Kerstin and she talked with me for a minute, and didn't want to hang up yet when it came time for them to get back onto the boat, so she put Mark's phone face-up through the security scanner, and the security guard manning the equipment saw my face (and I saw just a vague, faded light) and he laughed and his day was made!

26) The life-size statue of Confucius I walked by 20 times a day, 7 days in a week.

27) That one time at the gala dinner on our very last night of the Summer School when not only did I eat sushi (that never happens), but also CAVIAR on top of that sushi (NEH-VURRRRRR HAPPENSSSSS). Yep. Caviar went down my throat. Likely the most momentous moment of the whole week for me. Talk about once in a lifetime. No, like literally — that's not going to happen again. (P.S. I'm sad that Tyler's face is not very visible in this pic!)

28) Speaking of "gala," that one time at the lunch table (or breakfast table? the meals blur together for me) when KS Nick and KS Eddie were arguing with me over how to pronounce "gala." Sorry guys, I will never know anybody on my vast American continent who will ever seriously call it a "gall-uh apple."

29) LAST STOP IN CAMBRIDGE: The Perse School, where members of Pink Floyd attended when they were in their youth.

30) Final meaningful moments in Cambridge actually didn't stop at the Perse School, like I thought they would. When I was at the Cambridge train station to head back down to London, I ran into KS tenor Julian and my new friends Michael, Belle, and Tyler, and got to chat with them for a few seconds more, before we all went along on our way down the railroad track. Tyler (a fellow American) and I sat by each other on the train and had a good, in-depth life chat. She's such a treasure and I feel so blessed to have had the privilege to become friends with her.

AND NOW IT'S TIIIIIIIME FOR LONDON STUFF!!!!

31) Remember that one time that I missed my bus that turned out to be not my bus, and then I missed the bus that was supposed to be my bus, and so I had to wait a billion minutes more to finally catch that proper bus? Shambles. But then a pleasant little miracle happened. I got onto the bus, asked if it headed to the stop I needed it to head to, then the driver said, "You mean the London Temple?" and I said yes, and then I whipped out my debit card to pay the fee and then he said, "Contactless?" and I said nope and then he just smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. Have a seat." Free ride allllll the way down to the temple!

32) And then I had to share a room with a complete stranger in the temple patron housing, but she turned out to be a very kind, dear person, and she shared oats+raspberries with me in the morning, before we both had to leave on our separate, merry ways.

33) Okay, so in the temple (SUCH a wonderful time inside there btw), I came in behind a bunch of people whom I think were from Spain. For several minutes I hadn't said a word. By the time I got to the desk to rent temple clothes, the worker asked, "Preferred language? Spanish?" HAHA NOPE! But wait, there's more... a couple minutes after that, another worker came up to me with language-translation headphones and asked, "Preferred language? Spanish?" Which begs the question, Do I look Spanish to you? I'll let you decide:

34) London Temple is actually quite south of actual London. I did just a few small things in actual London before I met up with friends and went to Canterbury. First off, fish-&-chips in the restaurant that sits in the upper, UPPER level of King's Cross Station. I got an ENTIRE beauuuuuutiful HUGE room ALL to myself (I caps-lock many words here to emphasize how rad this was), and I ate marvelous fish-&-chips all by my blissful lonesome. People don't believe me when I say this, but I'm highly introverted, and just thinking about my miraculous feat of finding a TOTALLY quiet spot devoid of all other human lifeforms IN THE MIDDLE OF LONDON, and being able to purchase and devour very tasty food there just sends super-pleasant shivers up my spine.

35) Helena? Crispin? U been here?

36) The sights and sounds of public transportation. Spent more time using it than I ever had previously in all my lifetime thus far.

37) Proof that I saw the famous "221B Baker Street" from the Benedict Cumberbatch hit television series.

38) Proof that I saw the Globe (Shakespeare is my 1st cousin 12 times removed).

39) Proof that I saw this...

40) Proof that I saw... this... ???

41) Playing in Canterbury with these two sweet sisters for two solid days. They are both 100% delightful, and I'm so deeply grateful that they let me crash with them in their lovely little flat!

42) This very, very, very old tree fascinated me big-time and I wonder how old it really is. (In Westgate Gardens.)

43) Canterbury Cathedral is stunning. Anytime there's an establishment I can be at that is 1,000 years old is a super great time to me. Interesting go into the same room (not pictured) where Thomas Becket was assassinated. He was a beloved man of faith and is a venerated martyr.

44) Alison is able to see an actual family history site that's specifically significant to her heritage. (Yup, it's a different day again, so she feels like switching back to third person.) This clock tower was once attached to a many-centuries-old church that was bombed by German forces during World War II. The clock tower was all that could be saved. My direct ancestors were baptized and buried at that church. So yeah, in this picture, I am standing extremely close to where my family members' bodies are resting underground.

45) Always riding around town in the top-front section of a double-decker bus. Best way to get to your Sunday services. Attending church in Canterbury was a sweet experience. The darling little granny lady who wanted to hug me and my friends every five minutes after church was the cutest human I may have ever seen. Also I shared my testimony of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost at the pulpit during sacrament meeting.

46) Watching "The Aristocats" with my flatmates in our teeny-tiny shared bedroom. This is those sisters' favorite few seconds of the film:

47) Having an FHE with single people my age from the Canterbury Ward. We ate at an Indian restaurant together and talked about holy things (nod to "Nacho Libre").

48) Going to the North Sea on my last day!

49) Getting a GLOWING review written about me by my Cambridge Airbnb host.

50) THAT WAS ONE OF THE ULTIMATE BEST ADVENTURES OF THE FULLNESS OF MY EXISTENCE THUS FAR!