Double Whammy

Two days after Thanksgiving, my grandpa died. Last night my grandmother joined him. I'm too stunned right now to be grateful for what I know is true: that she has rejoined her husband and that she is beyond the grasp of the dementia. I'm sure if I could see them together now I would stunned at their glory.

In a way, that is such sad news for Christmas Eve. On the other hand, it makes so real my gratitude for my Savior, for His Atonement and Resurrection. Thank you Jesus for all the gifts you constantly give me. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday.

Twilight Before Christmas

Okay, my last Twilight post was serious, so I'll try to make it up to you by leading you to a great spoof! I already forwarded this link to some of you, and you enjoyed it so much I had to share it with everyone else.

Twilight Before Christmas

Anyone else have a good spoof link to share?

Pride Goes Before the Fall at the Y

No, I'm not actually referring to the poor Bowl performance after the BYU Cougars' otherwise great football season. This post is actually about me at the YMCA.

I tried out a stability ball class this morning. When the first 2 people I saw were 70-year old men, I rolled my eyes and thought, "This will be a waste of an hour!" The teacher and the other class members came in and I was the youngest by at least 15 years. As we began, the teacher said to me, "I know it's your first time so just do the best you can." "Right," I thought, in a sarcastic tone of voice. "Bring it on!" But 15 minutes later those 70-year olds were kicking my heiny! At one point I was literally clutching my hamstring and mentally screaming, "Cramp! Cramp!" At this moment my legs are still feeling quivery and my abs are still tight (but from the class or snitching Christmas cookies, I don't know). At least I didn't literally fall off the ball (although another lady in the class did), but there were some very narrow escapes. Good class!

**Here's something else funny that happened today but has nothing to do with my title. I walked outside this morning and thought, "Wow! It is really not that cold today! The wind's not blowing at all! Well, my chin is getting a little cold..." I passed one of those time & temp marquees: current temperature -1 F. But it sure beat the socks off of yesterday's -30 F windchill!! Practically tropical!

Why We're All in Love With Edward

An interesting article that says it better than I can.

What Girls Want: An Edward

The Barbies and the Bees

First, let's start with the Barbies. My Couscous wants one for Christmas. Not unusual for little girls. But I am not the usual mama. I have an anti-Barbie mentality. The kids have worn me down a little. They do have Barbie scooters (better than the Bratz alternative), a Barbie Magnadoodle, watch Barbie movies and sing Barbie songs. I like the personality characteristics Barbie shows in her movies. But I can't get past the Barbie DOLL. It's the whole triple D bust, 14" waist, Amazon length legs. I just hate having that be the model my little girl has for what a beautiful woman looks like. It's so unrealistic! And so non-age-appropriate. I try to guide my Avandra to read books that are about kids her age. I'd like Couscous to play with dolls that look like kids her age. And maybe I was just a naughty little girl, but I remember "acting out" some TV love scenes with Barbie and Ken. We have a big enough problem these days with girls and women thinking their bodies have to look a certain (sexualized) way. I get so sick of the ads about plastic surgery to "tighten" this or "augment" that. I hate that I see padded bras in the girls' section in the department stores. I love the focus on what our bodies can DO, rather than what they look like. When Couscous complained about her hair today (which most people agree is absolutely gorgeous), I asked her Who gave it to her. Why are we so ungrateful about how God has created us? When I give someone a gift, it disappoints me if they don't like it. I'm sure God feels the same way when we are dissatisfied with the gift of our bodies and we feel we can "improve" upon how he made us. I remember a discussion in high school seminary class about resurrection and how we would be resurrected into a perfect state. I remember hoping against hope that my perfect resurrection would include long legs! I think I understand now that our definition of beauty is mostly drawn by our culture. There will be no long legs for me, because long legs won't matter. Nor will we care about big busts or skinny thighs. The resurrection will make us perfect in what our bodies can DO, because we are already beautiful in how we LOOK. We just have to reject the false beauty template society has shoved down our throats.

Now for the Bees. I need to give a little background on this. My dear Mom was one of those who sat my 12-year old self down for "THE TALK". I was horribly embarrassed, covered my ears, closed my eyes, and ran from the room. I think she ended up just handing me a book later. I promised myself that I would never do that to my children. So the way I deal with it is that I always answer my children's questions honestly and clearly. When my kids ask about body parts, I tell them their true names. When my toddler got into the feminine hygiene products and my girls asked what they were for, I told them. I don't tell them more than they ask for, but I always answer their questions. Having family members in the healthcare field has also brought some interesting body books into our home, and since Avandra loves to read and loves science, she probably knows more than most children her age. I should add, she knows more facts and fewer societal interpretations. To my knowledge she has never seen any sex scenes on TV or in movies, but she knows that an egg comes from a mom and sperm comes from a dad and that you need both to make a baby. That was as far as she got, but I knew my days were numbered until she came to the next step. Last night was her night:

We were sitting in the dark as I tucked her in and she said, "I love you Mom more than anyone in the world. Well, you and Dad tie."

"That makes sense. (I totally walked into it here:) You wouldn't be here without both of us."

"I know an egg comes from a Mom and that sperm comes from Dad. But how do they get together to make a baby?"

Gulp. Silence. Gratitude for Darkness.

"Well, the Mom and the Dad have to get close enough together for the egg and sperm to touch."

"Do they come up through the mouth when they kiss on the lips?"

(Do you know how much I wanted to say, "YES!" and change the subject? This was a huge test to my decision to always be honest.)

Long Pause. Silence. Prayer in Heart.

"Actually, no. They come from our private parts. That's actually why we don't let other people touch them and why we don't touch them ourselves."

"Why can't we touch our own private parts?"

"God created those parts so we can create other people. He is the Great Creator but He shares with us some of His power. It's a very sacred power so that's how we show respect for that power."

"That means I also need to show you more respect Mom, since you created me."

Whew! She changed the subject herself. But wasn't that a sweet conclusion she came to?

(I'm sure Freud would have a heyday with this post.)

Loving

I never seem to have one-second epiphanies. It seems to take me weeks of various experiences that all come together into an "Aha!" moment:

1. This Thanksgiving was the best I can remember! My sister's family is here, my mom flew in from out of state, and my brother and his family drove into town. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!! Friday night we got together after all the kids were asleep and we laughed so hard that our abs hurt the next day. We laughed so hard that some of us were literally on the floor. We laughed so hard that those of us with poor post-partum bladder control ratings had very close calls. (And to think this was a completely natural high!) With whom else can you be so uninhibited and share so much to laugh at? I am converted. Family is one of God's greatest gifts. Especially when you compare Friday evening with Saturday. Saturday evening is when we found out that our Grandpa had passed on. He had been sick for awhile, and he was 87 years old. But still in some ways he seemed immortal. That man had had how many heart surgeries and come out fighting? But again, to be able to mourn with my family. I felt so much love.

2. I love listening to Christmas music, especially romantic tunes like "Let It Snow." Listening to those songs and seeing the "Twilight" movie make me remember and appreciate young, new love. I remember a certain walk on a snowy January evening that ended up being 5 miles long because we couldn't stop talking with one another. It was the first night we even held hands, and yet I prophetically wrote in my journal that night that I would one day marry that boy. I did.

3. But as wonderful as new love is, I've got to admit that 10-year old love is even better. New love is the "hope". Our love is the beginning of fulfillment. To live with a man who works hard for us each day, does our dishes each night, agonizes and rejoices with me about our children, gives me a safe haven where I can be goofy, loves and respects me so completely, and somehow thinks I'm still hot after having 3 children! I couldn't ask for more.

4. Although then I think about my Grandpa and Grandma. Grandma has had dementia for about a decade and my Grandpa had taken care of her in their home. Although physically aged and emotionally tired, he would not hear of putting her in a care center. My uncle cared for her too, but there was no hired help. Grandpa was her ears and her eyes, her cues, and her warm body of comfort. Many years ago my Grandpa wrote in poem:

I count as blessings in my life
A family and a loving wife....
Throughout the years our lives have grown
Impossible to view alone;
But twined together as a vine
All closer grown with passing time.

From each to each we freely give
And freely take, and though we live
In threatening world--we still can see
Our love transcend adversity.
If such great blessings should depart
And I be left with aching heart,
If fault be mine, let it be such:
I loved not little, but too much.

Grandpa loved much, and his happy countenance and quiet sacrifice day in and day out showed it.

I couldn't make it to the funeral, but I heard how my Grandma reacted. She is not lucid at all, but she seemed to realize something was going on. During the viewing she said to my sister, "I'm crying, I'm crying," but no tears could escape. When I heard that I cried for her. My sister responded to my Grandmother who cannot see, cannot hear, and cannot understand, by putting her warm hands on Grandma's face. Grandma closed her eyes as if the touch was pleasant.

5. Yesterday I saw a link to http://www.joytoeveryone.com/ and watched the short movie clip. (YES! Take a moment and go there!) I was awed by the pictures portraying the beauty and dignity of God's children throughout the world. Many of the pictures showed relationships of family love. And I finally reached my epiphany: The world is filled with love! Parents who love children, children who love parents, spouses who love each other, siblings who love each other! My family experience is not unique, but part of a beautiful fabric of love covering the entire earth! A fabric of laughter and sacrifice and sorrow and joy. I guess I'm really slow but I just had no idea! I know that there are many who don't feel that love and I don't want anyone to feel left out! "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son..." We are the human family, all of us God's children and we have so much love to give and share with one another. Thanks to all of you who share your love with me. Merry Christmas!! I hope we can find a way to share that love with others. I hope I just shared some of it with you.

"Wicked", H8, Heartsick, but Hopeful

Okay, Erin, this is for you. You want to know what's going through my head so here it is:

First of all, I can't stop singing the songs for "Wicked". It's haunting! The show was very fun, very impressive, a good date with T. I was pleasantly surprised about the ending since I only knew the music, not the complete story. SPOILER ALERT: I was so happy that Elpheba never did turn wicked, that she didn't die, and that she had a happily ever after with Fiyero. I suspected the Wizard was her father. I thought that the show might explore some of the deeper concepts hinted in the music, but it was really just fun. Then a friend lent me her CD and Couscous has been playing it nonstop. The music is now running through my head every moment so I'll have to ban the CD from her before I go crazy.

Second. Gosh I am just stunned by the post-election reaction to the passage of Prop 8. For at least a week, in every media source I turned to, I heard about the hateful, bigoted people who had passed it, about the hateful "Mormons" who made it all happen. Now of course I couldn't vote for it, but if I could have, I would have. But those "hateful" descriptions don't ring true to me at all. I know myself. Hate was never the motive for me. My friends in California who voted for Prop 8 didn't do it out of hate either. So I've been just feeling so stunned by the media being unable to come up with another explanation of why the proposition passed. Like maybe people just believe in their hearts that it's right, regardless of what is PC. It's weird to hear and see a lie accepted as truth everywhere I turn.

To add to the accusations of hate, have come the hateful behavior aimed toward some who supported Prop 8. ""It's easier to attack a minority religion, especially one that frankly isn't very well understood, than to protest because 70 percent of African American voters also supported Proposition 8," says Mike Ottermeyer, a somewhat exasperated LDS church spokesman. "It's a tactical thing. It makes it easier for them to vent their anger and frustration. But to vandalize chapels, vandalize temples, put graffiti on our buildings, protest outside our temples ... It's completely unreasonable. People have the right to protest. But this is way over the top." The illegal protests without a permit to harrass worshippers and the stories of individuals who because of their personal opinions are being forced out of their jobs. A rash of graffiti, arsons, vandalism, the anthrax scare at Catholic Buildings and LDS Temples. There is no evidence at this point that there is a link between Prop 8 and the arsons, vandalism, and anthrax scare ("Correlation is not Causation") but it is quite a coincidence. All these things have been disturbing, sickening, and extremely ironic.

For awhile I kept looking to different media sources to see what the latest attack was, but that didn't help my peace of mind. I finally realized that this is a case of the Iron Rod and the Great and Spacious Building. In the story, those holding to the Iron Rod are trying to go forward to eat of the sweet fruit representing the love of Christ, and they are using the word of God as their guide As they go forward, they hear very smart and beautiful people mocking them from the Great and Spacious Building. The Great and Spacious Building is the world with it's pride and wisdom. Ezra Taft Benson said about scriptural pride, "The central feature of pride is enmity -enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen....We pit our will against God's....The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives."

As I think about the media--entertainment media with it's fashion and beauty, and news media with it's human intellect--I see the Great and Spacious Building. And yes they are mocking aren't they? But here's where I found the answer for peace: "And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not....For as many as heeded them, had fallen away."

So, *poof*, off goes NPR. Entertainment media that supports the ideal of gay marriage? Nada. Delete goes the email forwards meant to enrage. I'm not listening.

And I have found amazing comfort in reading the most recent General Conference talks. They are almost all about being peaceful and optimistic in times of trial. It's almost as if they were... prophetic!

California Heroes: Could I Do That?

As I write this, official results have not been released, but I am feeling "cautiously optimistic" about the passage of Prop 8. I've been thinking alot about the people in California who have been standing on corners, donating money, and enduring personal attacks in order to "stand for truth and righteousness." At playgroup yesterday we were wondering if we could do that if we were asked, regardless of the outcome, and here are the thoughts that have come to my mind since.

1. If we ever consecrate our time, talents, money, or any other God-given gift in order to defend His truth, we will be blessed personally, regardless of the immediate external outcome.

2. There may come a time when the difference between winning and losing a stand for truth is determined by whether we are willing to give all, or whether we held back a little. (I wish I would have thought about that before I decided to donate less than I could have to this cause.)

3. I would rather be on the side of righteousness, losing a temporary battle, than on the side of wrong winning a temporary gain.

4. When Christ comes again he talks about dividing the "goats and sheep" and "wheat and tares." I don't remember reading the part about any sidelining spectators. There will come to each of a us a time when we will have to make a choice of where we will stand.

5. I need to be very careful to remember the fight is to sustain truth and righteousness. It is not a fight against people. If I take personally the tactics of those who are confused and oppose truth and righteousness, than I am allowing myself into an emotional place where I am tempted to villify and feel negatively towards people. That is just as surely a victory for Satan as is passivity towards the cause of truth. It is a very narrow path. But the two great commandments are to love God (ie. loyal to Him and His way) and love our neighbor (regardless of their behavior).

6. I will make a stand to defend God's truth. I find the truth about families in the Scriptures, in the Proclamation to the World, and in the words of modern prophets and apostles. Of course I've already gone through the effort of establishing my own testimony. That testimony gives me faith to listen and learn. "Now we have a world where people are confused, if you don't believe me, go and watch the news." My life experience has taught me that when I follow the word of God, even if I don't understand why, I will always live to be grateful. My same life experience has taught me that every time I disobey the Lord, I always live to regret it. No exceptions.

7. In reading the scriptures I have realized that it is not unusual for people to be mocked, derided, persecuted (even killed) for speaking and defending the truth. What is unique is the experiences most of us in the USA have had in our lives of being able to speak and worship freely. Californians possibly feel that those freedoms are waning. If we do see the day when we are persecuted on a broad scale for standing for truth and righteousness, we shouldn't be too surprised.

"The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."

Thank you California Heroes for setting a great example and choosing the right, regardless of the consequences!!

Prop 8: Acting with Love in Our Hearts

Sarah gave me a lead to a blog that carried this short and sweet video about Prop 8. It really resonates with me. Please take a few minutes and enjoy!
http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com/2008/10/simple-and-short-video-to-explain-prop.html

Why YES for Proposition 8

***If you feel strongly about supporting Prop 8, we only have 5 more days. "Yes On 8" still needs funding for ads. The "No" campaign is very well funded and are running 2-3 ads for every one that "Yes On 8" can run. Click here for more details.***

I've been thinking a lot about the issue of gay marriage. The battleground of California's Proposition 8 has bled over into other states, as I think we all recognize that it will be a pivotal decision. Between my last post about Obama's stance on this issue, an email conversation with my in-laws, and the visiting teaching lesson being about gender as a characteristic of our eternal nature and purpose, I've been trying to formulate my thoughts clearly. I still want to do it for my own benefit. But if you read nothing else from this post, please read this insightful interview by Elder Dallin H. Oaks on the Lord's view of issues surrounding Same Gender Attraction. It is compassionate, compelling, and clarifying.

I wanted to create a better written post, but time is gone. Californians vote in 6 days. Here's where I'm at so far:

1. A distinction must be made...I can love all of God's children, all my brothers and sisters, without approving of everything they do. God loves me even when I do things that are wrong. I still love my children even when they are making disappointing choices. "All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

2. The Word of God makes clear the Lord's view on marriage and homosexual behavior. Faith in His word makes our defense of His way a no-brainer.

Genesis 2:24--The pattern of marriage is set with the creation of husband and wife
Leviticus 18:22 --The rest of these scriptures indicate clearly the Lord's opinion of homosexual activities. Thankfully He will in His wisdom, justice, and mercy take care of the consequences. This does however enlighten us on His take on the matter.
Leviticus 20:13
Isaiah 3:9 (very interesting viewed in the context of today's world)
Romans 1:26-27
1 Corinthians 6:9
1 Timothy 1:8-10
Family: The Proclamation to the World

3. Comparing gay rights to civil rights is misleading, although it's a seductive method often used to confuse. This issue of gay marriage is about behaviors, not about people.This is about choices, not tendancies. We have the gift of agency. We are not predetermined. We are not simply animals that must act upon whatever urge we may get. We are all given challenges and various tempations. Why or how we got those challenges doesn't matter. Nature vs. Nurture doesn't matter. What matters is what we do with them. It doesn't matter if I inherited my temper or learned it. What matters is how I choose to handle the temptation when something irritates me. I struggle against that temper each day. But in the end, I'm the one who chooses whether I win, or whether my temper wins. And I'm accountable for the outcome. If I yell at my children, they don't say,"It's okay Mom. I know your temper is just who you are." My behavior hurts them, is wrong and it negatively affects our household. Likewise, gay behaviors have negative consequences, and not just for the person doing the acting.

4. The issue of whether or not there should be gay marriage does effect me, my family, our community and our nation. This is not just a matter of "live and let live". I'm not trying to persecute or cause harm. Giving gay marriage legal status is akin to socially condoning gay behavior. The behavior is wrong. Last I checked Heavenly Father doesn't change his commandments to appease His children. Could you imagine if my children voted on whether or not they should be able to run into the street? Should I change my rule based on the popular opinion? If I did, what a foolish parent I would be, for I know that the possible result of death or serious harm continues. Wrong is wrong, regardless of how many people espouse it.

Giving social acceptance to wrong-doing increases the incidence of that behavior. Giving gay marriage legal status ensures that my children will be taught in school that it is an equally acceptable alternative to traditional marriage. Already a first grade class in San Francisco has taken an official fieldtrip to a lesbian wedding. Also here's a link about how Massachusetts parents and worshipers have had their rights removed. The parents aren't even allowed to opt-out of the 5-year old "diversity" training. And can you explain to me why the California Teacher's Association has used 1.3 million dollars to oppose this measure? That I don't understand. story here.

Additionally, can you imagine the identity crisis teens must go through now? It's already a time of confusion and definition. Now they have to ask themselves about their gender orientation too? It's entirely possible that normal emotional intimacy between 2 same gender friends could be confused for romantic intimacy in this world of "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It". I was thinking of a high school acquaintance the other day. He was rather effeminate in voice and action, involved in theater and music. My HS experience didn't involve gay couples walking down the hall and I never had any reason to think he was gay. I was wondering the other day about if he could make it in this current social landscape without the expectation that he be gay. Maybe those effeminate characteristics are somehow linked to gay tendencies, I don't know. But what if he didn't want to act on the gay tendancies? Could he not be gay in this social landscape? I found his blog soon after my wonderings. He's now living with a boyfriend.

The last way gay marriage affects me is because as Elder Oaks explains in his aforementioned treatise, it changes the definition of my marriage.

P.S. I have been thinking about these things for awhile and working on this post for a few days. However, last night 2 different people sent me interesting emails concerning their personal experiences trying to go to the Oakland Temple. In order to get there they had to pass through Prop 8 protesters screaming insults and obsenities. An newspaper reported it here. Of course I feel for the people who must go through that disturbing situation in order to worship. I'm also sorry that the protestors feel so much anger and hurt. I wish that those who protest Prop 8 could understand that it is not a personal attack on them. This isn't bigotry. If people want to live homosexual lives, that's their choice. But we can't socially approve or condone that behavior just to make them feel better about their choices.

Presidential Concerns

Wow, what a debate last night. At least it didn't give me a headache like the 2nd debate did. But I think I'm more confused than ever. I wonder if I can even vote this election with a clear conscience.

McCain unfortunately spent most of his time attacking Obama and sounding flustered. I really wish he would have just stood his ground and expressed clearly what his plans are. I feel like he hasn't been very specific about anything except his $5000 health care rebate, which would hurt us personally since right now our employee-based health insurance is tax-free, and $5000 isn't enough to actually help people who don't have any health insurance.

I was so impressed with Obama's ability to express himself clearly and articulately. He has made lots of specific plans, many of which would help those who need it. As I was watching I thought, "Wow, he's tromping on McCain," and I felt like he'd be the better leader. But then came the question about choosing a judge who may or may not support Roe v. Wade. I knew that Obama was pro-choice so most of his answer didn't surprise me. But then he said something that scared the daylights out of me.

Barak Obama said (taken from the transcript printed from CBS news):

"It is true that this is going to be, I think, one of the most consequential decisions of the next president. It is very likely that one of us will be making at least one and probably more than one appointments and Roe versus Wade probably hangs in the balance. Now I would not provide a litmus test. But I am somebody who believes that Roe versus Wade was rightly decided. I think that abortion is a very difficult issue and it is a moral issue and one that I think good people on both sides can disagree on. But what ultimately I believe is that women in consultation with their families, their doctors, their religious advisers, are in the best position to make this decision. And I think that the Constitution has a right to privacy in it that shouldn't be subject to state referendum, any more than our First Amendment rights are subject to state referendum, any more than many of the other rights that we have should be subject to popular vote. "

When I heard those words, I just thought of the state referendums that are going on in Arizona and California to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Although Obama did not refer to homosexual marriage at all in the debate, that statement made me very nervous that he was speaking against such state referendums. So I decided to check out Obama's official website. And I found that Obama absolutely opposes state referendums that allow the people to decide how to define marriage! (see http://obama.3cdn.net/9bbadf2e4222f1de03_5humvyu4s.pdf. (This page can be found by going to his official website, clicking on the "People" tab, "LGBT", and then "Comparisons of Obama and McCain on LGBT issues" under "Resources".)

He doesn't think it should up to the people! I guess in my heart I really do believe that people and states should be able to speak out about what is acceptable to them, and that one person should not be able to take away our ability to say, "no, that's not okay, and that's not the kind of world I want for my children."

In addition, factcheck.org reports a somewhat different story of Obama and his vote against the Infant Protection Act in Illinois, than the one that Obama told last night. http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/obama_and_infanticide.html

I do believe that Obama would be a better, more natural, more charismatic, more articulate leader, but maybe that's even more dangerous if he's leading in the opposite direction than I want to go. That's where I am right now. There are my two cents. Feel free to enlighten me further in any direction.

Feeling "Wicked"

Oh, my cousin Heidi inspired me and I've just blown buku bucks so that T & I can go see "Wicked"! As T says, we've got to do what we can to keep the economy afloat. But I'm just excited to go! I've been thinking about it for years and now that the nearby show is closing in January, I just can't put it off anymore. Plus now that Carrie's here I have someone who will watch my kiddos!So it will be an early Happy Birthday to me, and I'm sure I'll tell you all about it. I'm not going til mid-November, but we've got front row center seats on the balcony. Those should be good--right?

Politically Speaking

I've been wanting to draft a political blog post to get everyone's thoughts since the VP debate, but I've been too confused and unmotivated (especially after the last debate which was pretty much, "Vote for me because the other guy's a lying loser."). So I never actually wrote anything. But then I get tickets to Wicked and can't wait to blurt the news. So much for being a "contemplating" mama. Whatever.

The way I see it politically:
Yes, every media outlet is biased in one direction or another. My plan was to listen to the debates and then go to factcheck.org afterwards. That's pretty helpful--except when it's not. But here's what I've gathered in my little mind.

Pros for McCain/Palin:
Pro-life
More likely to support traditional family & choose judges who will too
More likely to be fiscally responsible, although factcheck.org analysts believe both candidates are proposing more than they can fund without deficit spending.
More likely to end the war in Iraq responsibly

Pros for Obama/Biden:
More likely to help with funding for college educations
More likely to help with better health care coverage
More likely to support and promote alternative energy sources
More likely to tackle the Taliban in Afganistan

Cons for McCain/Palin:
Their health insurance plan is completely inadequate.
They lack specific plans in other areas.
Republicans have done a lousy job the last 8 years and continuing in that vein makes me ill.
They lie.

Cons for Obama/Biden:
They have plans for every aspect of our lives and how they can stick their fingers into it.
They are excessively pro-choice.
They lie.

I don't mean to sound cynical, but I know I do. I really DO want to figure out who to vote for and I really DON'T know what to do. My last 2 votes I voted strictly on the pro-life/traditional family issue, and frankly I don't think we're any better off in those areas than we were before. AND I also think we're way worse off in almost every other aspect. I feel like I need to extend my decision beyond those issues.

Any help out there? Please, I really do welcome any ideas into this forum. What are your thoughts right now and which direction are you headed? (Yes, I know at least 97% of my readers are Republican, but I'd like to know WHY you are voting the way you are.) THANKS!

Ireland Adventure, Part 2, Counties Kerry, Cork and back to Co. Clare

NOTE: Please participate in my Irish Centered Quiz this week--it's at the right!

DAY5: Well, the luck o' the Irish wasn't with us today. We called the boater to make sure the trip to Skellig Michael was a go, and it was! (Our original plan was to go the day before, but weather made it impossible.) So we hurriedly ate our breakfast, checked out, got cash from the ATM, headed out the wrong side of town, quickly turned around and got going the right way towards Portmagee. We knew time was going to be tight, but we were confident things would work out. And then we got behind an over sized truck going only half the speed limit. Why not pass him, you say? Well if you've been to Ireland, you know why not. Because except for the rare dual-carriageway (I totally thought Tom and Jackie were calling them Jewel-carriageways), the roads are so tight! There are no shoulders and often the roads are truly only passable for one vehicle at a time. For example, every time a car was approaching this over sized truck from the opposite direction, they slowed to a complete stop and drove into the side bushes to avoid being taken out by this guy. So we were stuck. FINALLY the truck turned off and we gunned it as fast as we could. The clock was ticking but we were making excellent time. And we pulled onto the dock of Portmagee at 11:02...just in time to see them shove off into the water. I've got to give credit to my husband, who chased them, yelling all the way down the pier. But no cigar. I was disappointed to the point of tears. This was the ONE thing that T had really wanted to do. To be so close, and then not have it happen. And then to find out that 12 boats had taken off between 10-11am! Why did our guidebook only tell us about the last one?

Our plans were ruined, but sometimes spontaneity brings rewards too. I let T call the plans for the entire day, and he suggested we take a hike to a lookout point towards the Skelligs. We had a picnic up there and it was absolutely gorgeous...some of the best cliff scenes we'd seen.

I looked at the sheep and cattle grazing with this kind of view and thought, "You don't know how lucky you are. You could be in Nebraska."

It's funny because we spent so much time in the country, I kept smelling odors that made me want to check my shoes. Also, the sheep all have different colors painted on them. My first theory was to save time; this wool will all become blue sweaters. Then T almost ran over a few escaped sheep hanging in the roads, so we thought maybe the colors are to make them more eye-catching. I'm sure it's just the same as branding, but I like our theories better.

And speaking of smells, I really wish there was some way to document them. I really grew to love the sweet smoky smell of burning peat turf bricks. Mmmm.

Some of my favorite sights were of the endangered Irish older man. I love the caps they wear and their jackets or sweaters. I'm afraid they are a dying breed.

The second part of our spontaneous day was to get off and hike near the Gap of Dunloe and we continued around the Ring of Kerry. Wow. Wow. Wow. Breathtaking. T swears this is where the JRR Tolkien's books take place; the water is so black.

And then we ended our spontaneous day by eating at the best restaurant of our vacation, as we drove to Cork for the night. So, it ended up being a fine day, although I am disappointed about missing Skellig Michael.


DAY 6: We visited the famed Blarney Castle today!

Isn't it austere?

T and I each kissed the Blarney Stone, although my smootch was not properly documented:

But I have a question: did people used to LICK the Blarney Stone? I didn't want to ask before I kissed it, but some of the historical quotes say "lick" not "kiss". UGH. And Maggie, I'm now ready to hear the stories you were hinting at before. I didn't want to lose my stomach before I kissed it. And I'm still waiting for the gift to take root.

The Rock Close around the Blarney Castle was truly a magical place. There is the Witch's Rock--can you see why it's called that?

Apparently she gets locked in the rock all day, but can come out at night. Scary! The rest of the day was spent wandering around Cork--the odoriferous English Market, University of County Cork, and Fitzgerald Park. I guess after all the amazing natural and historical sights, modern city sights didn't strike us as very photo worthy (Sorry Roisin!)

DAY 7: Our final day was spent back near Shannon Airport, in County Clare, at a place called Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. By now I am ready to go home. It's been fun but I miss my kiddos and I really miss my bed! Make a note: Orthopedic mattresses = hard as a board and mighty uncomfortable.

This Castle was the only one we'd seen that was actually furnished. Of course not the original furnishings, it was supposed to be furnished in period pieces. I saw at least one anachronism, but I'll assume the rest was accurate. The coolest part about this castle was that it was an important one for my progenitors--the O'Briens!! They were one of the main ruling families 1000 years ago. When my dad told me we were descended from Brian Boru, the first High King of Ireland, I remember telling my grade school peers that I could have been a princess in Ireland. It seems I got the gift of Blarney a long time ago. Is this the throne I would have sat on?

Hope you don't have a problem with vertigo going up and down the tower steps:

The rest of the Folk Park was kind of like an Irish Village Nauvoo--with furnished homes and working shops. It was pretty cool though. We did bump into some Irish dancers there:

Oh, wait the real Irish dancers were at the Traditional Irish Night that we went to that evening. The food was only adequate for the price, but there's something about Irish music and the quickness of the Irish dancing feet that accelerates my heart and makes me so excited! If you are like me, here's some footage (no pun intended):

Ireland Adventure, Part 1, Counties Clare, Limerick, and Kerry

Yes! We made it to Ireland!! How does it feel to have a dream come true? To me it feels completely unreal. I just can't believe it! We have been here 4 remarkably busy days--every day is so unlike the rest.

DAY ONE: We flew into Shannon airport and cruised right on up to County Clare. We saw our first castle overlooking Doolin Point. And can you believe the sun? Neither can the Irish! Apparently it's been raining all summer long, and just started being sunny. The forecast says it will be good all week. How's that for amazing?

We saw the Cliffs of Moher first thing. Aren't they absolutely breathtaking? The other 3000 tourists that day thought so too.

After the cliffs we headed to our B&B in Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare. It was Berry Lodge, a wonderful place to stay and an even better place to eat. Everything was delectable and straight from the garden. I had an apple & pear crumble (crisp) that was to die for and the pears came right off her tree. This view of the Atlantic I found right down the street from where we were staying.

DAY TWO: We went to the Limerick Branch for church on Sunday, and met the nicest people. Tom & Jackie Kelly invited us for a delicious Sunday dinner that brought back wonderful memories of my times as a missionary in England. And I discovered that I love parsnips. The day before I discovered that I love fresh beets. I still haven't had the courage to try black or white pudding. The black is blood sausage and I don't know what the white is, but ...Ick! Not that the Kelly's served that. We had a delicious plate of roast and roasted veggies with gravy over the whole plate. Mmm! And as if that wasn't enough, they then took us on a tour of Lough Gur, a lake surrounded by ancient sites, among them: an old church ruin, a communal grave from 2500BC, and the Grange Stone Circle which is 4000 years old and is the largest stone circle in Ireland (think Stonehenge). Interesting that we actually went on the Autumnal equinox too. So here are the Kelly's (minus their Eogan who was asleep in the car) in front of the Stone Circle:

I hope if they come to Chicago (he's doing an MBA through Northwestern) that we'll get a chance to meet again. (FYI Deb: She's originally from Queensland.)

DAY THREE: Monday morning we looked around Adare for a bit and then headed to the Dingle Peninsula. Can you say this 10 times fast?

Dingle Peninsula is serious Gaeltacht territory, so most of the signs were in Gaelic. While there we walked along Ventry Beach and found some nice shells.

One thing we wanted to do was go swimming with Fungie the local dolphin that lives in Dingle Bay. No such luck. The season is over so we had to settle with taking a dolphin watching boat.

We saw him!!! He was playing tag with our boat and coming up for breath every so often. I am sure I was as excited as any of the kids who were on that boat! I love watching dolphins so much. Next time I'll swim for sure!

That night we stayed in a gorgeous out-of-the-way B&B called The Shores in Castlegregory, Co. Kerry. The hostess, Annette, met us in a black evening gown. I'm not kidding. We must have been a disappointment in our jeans and what-not. It was so well-decorated and comfortable. And at a bargain price too. (Trivia: Apparently Dire Straits stayed there and so did the cast of Melrose Place.) Annette told us about little group of locals that got together to play music, sing, dance, and tell stories every Monday night, so we went to check it out. It was in this little cottage with white washed walls, low light, and a smoky fireplace The lady played the harp, 2 people played accordions, a few children played tin whistles and so did a dad, some different people sang various old songs. One little girl did an Irish reel (without a fancy dress and curly wig by the way). I just closed my eyes and felt myself go back through the generations of my ancestry. It brought tears to my eyes. I felt like I was extremely lucky to experience such an authentic piece of their culture. I'm sure it was only because we were staying so far out in the boonies, away from big cities and "progress". We were the only foreigners there. Anyway, here's the cottage of our "culture night":

DAY FOUR: Today we came down to start exploring the Ring of Kerry. We walked through some of the Killarney National Park, hiked up and around Torc Waterfall, visited Ross Castle, and here is the Muckross House:

Built in the 1840s and having about 20 chimneys, think of what it would have cost to heat that thing?? But other than that, it's my dream home. Gorgeous, isn't it? And here's the view from the front windows:

Hiking up and around Torc Waterfall, I didn't catch any leprechauns, but I found some shamrocks!

What other remarkable adventures to come? Hopefully Skellig Michael, Cork and the Blarney Stone, and Bunratty Castle. Stay tuned...

Clean, Good Literature Ratings!!

I am so excited!! I have wondered and wondered how to find a ratings guide for modern literature. I'm too afraid to pick something random off of the shelf at the library. Who knows what it might contain? I have wished that there was a rating system like for movies, so that I would know what I was getting into. Well, my day has come!! I just became aware of www.ratedreads.com. This is a woman who has been a literary editor for a newspaper, but is also an active, returned-missionary member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her mission is to help people know what's out there that is well-written and clean too. I hope avid readers are just as excited as I am!

Glory, Glory, Back to School!

Two years ago Avandra started preschool. She was so excited to start school and with her academic mind, I knew she was coming into her own. We arrived at school the first day with some time to spare. Enough time for her to look around at all the children she didn't know, all standing in line waiting for the door to open. Enough time for her to allow all the inner fears of the unknown to come out. So when the teacher opened the door and all the other children went through, my daughter freaked out. She grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I tried to encourage her to go in, but she would not. Then the preschool teacher physically grabbed Avandra and started pulling her into the classroom. Avandra responded by wedging her body into the door frame with her arms and legs, crying out, "Mom! No!"

I was completely floored by the teacher's response, but knowing that chewing out the teacher right then wasn't going to help Avandra, I just put on this fake cheery smile and said, "Goodbye Avandra! Have a fun time! I love you!" And then I went around the corner and burst into tears. Needless to say, it was one of the most horrific moments of motherhood I have experienced.

Between that first experience with the teacher, and some subsequent ones, I requested that Couscous get a different teacher for her turn this year. Everything was going as planned until...a million new kids moved into the school district and they had to rearrange everything. When Couscous ended up in that same class I wasn't excited, but I figured things would be better. For starters, I was pretty confident that the teacher would remember our post-traumatic discussion following that first day of school for Avandra. I was sure I could count on the teacher not repeating that opening performance. But Couscous? She's more of a mama's girl than Avandra ever was. She's just the sort to become a cling-on at the exact wrong moment.

Nervous as ever, I took her to the school that first day. I timed it perfectly--just in time to watch the kids go into the classroom. No time to wait and worry. I gave my Couscous a goodbye hug...and she didn't let go. She grabbed me so tight. I wasn't sure what to say so I didn't say anything, I just held onto her too. The teacher assistant came over and said, "It's time to go inside." Couscous just kept holding onto me...and then finally said, "Goodbye Mom. See you later," and walked into the classroom. Hooray! Victory!! I guess she just needed the time to pull out her confidence from the safety of our embrace, and then she made the decision to be brave. I'm so proud of her!!

So here's a picture of her on her first day with some buddies:















As for Avandra, she hopped onto the bus taking her to 2nd grade without any hesitation. When I told her teacher that she loved to read to the point of neglecting everything else, she said, "What a teacher's dream!" I had my doubts about that, which have been justified by Avandra already having been reprimanded--for reading while the teacher is talking, for reading while the other children are at their lockers, for reading during math review. [She even skipped class in 1st grade once. She told the teacher that she had to go to the bathroom and took her book into the hall and read. ] I hope she never tries anything really dangerous because I am sure she's prone to addiction.

August Rush

At the recommendation of Carrie, T & I rented "August Rush" last night. I loved it so much. It's definitely an addition to my "Mostly Clean Movies that Don't Insult My Intelligence" list. Yes, my analytical side obviously doesn't agree with some choices that were made, or know how the next 30 minutes of the story would continue post-movie, but overall I found it so beautiful and enjoyable--the music especially. I hadn't heard of the movie before--was I just out of the loop or did it sneak in and out of the theaters?

August Re-Cap

We have had so much fun lately, but haven't had a chance to share. So here is the condensed version.

First and foremost...my sister's family is here!! Woo-hoo! We are loving having them here. If you live near here and haven't met them, you really need to. They are so cool!

Second, we continued our family tradition of going to State Fair, where everyone tried a new ride:

Third, we went to Utah for Kari & Erik's wedding (those are my kids in the picture, not theirs! We still believe in "First comes love, Then comes marriage, Then comes baby in the baby carriage.")

There was lots of fun with cousins and the girls loved spending the morning with their very cool Uncle John and Aunt Danielle up on Temple Square. (Danielle, I don't think you wanted me to post the only pictures that I have of you, sorry. The girls took them so they aren't really in focus.)

The funniest thing about that day was after the beautiful dinner at Thanksgiving Point Gardens. We watched the happy couple leave to go to their very messy, very decorated car. Only, there was a small glitch. The Honda with California plates that had been decorated was not the right Honda with California plates! So, someone later came out of the Gardens, maybe with a date, or maybe married 20 years, and they were greeted with a very messy, very decorated car that said, "Just Married!!" Needless to say, none of us stuck around to watch. Whoops! Hope they have a good sense of humor!

We also had our very own Corrigan Family Adventure! If you are part of my family, you know what that means. It usually involves my dad and lots of things going wrong. In our case, it started by us going to Deer Creek Reservoir to go waterskiing. This was the first time in 8 years that I had skiied, so I was excited. And my dad REALLY didn't want to disappoint us, so he got his boat all ready for us, even though he hadn't used it at all this summer. We should have known when we got it into the water and it wouldn't start. But between my dad (MacGuyver) and my intelligent husband, they jimmyrigged the truck's battery to the boat battery and got it all started. We went out in the lake and after everyone had a chance to get invigorated by the fresh, cool water, I got my chance to ski! I asked T to take pictures, although after 8 years, the shots he could have gotten are numerous:

Me totally biffing it

Me, a few hours later, in a total body cast

Heck, he could've even gotten the one where I'm trying desparately to keep my shorts up because they were causing drag when I forgot to take them off before jumping out of the boat.

But instead he got:


Yes, it's me! The form may not be great and I'm on 2 skiis, but I'm up!!

Immediately after I end this run (in a total wipeout) the boat's engine cuts. For good. And the next hour is spent trying to flag down some help, trying not to get blown onto the rocky beach, and going through 3 ropes trying to get pulled back to dock by some very nice and very inexperienced boaters. I tried not to freak out, since we had to catch our plane a few hours later. But we made it back to Christie's house where T & I threw our luggage together, each took a 5 minute shower, and then raced to the airport. Made it!

Other fun Utah adventures pertaining to my family can be found

here or

here (scroll down a little if you want to see what we look like photoshopped in with the rest of my family. It kind of makes me feel like we're the embarrassing illegitimate children. Not even invited for the real picture, just snuck in after. Interesting piece of trivia: The shirt T is wearing is the same shirt my brother-in-law is wearing. I don't mean from the same rack at the same store, I mean, the exact same shirt. Photoshopping is a modern day miracle, I tell you.)

or here (for a funny story about and cute picture of Avandra)

How's that for an update? Told you we had fun!

Bloody Mess

Congratulations to Avandra, who has gone from looking like this:

To looking like this:

And kudos to T, who was able to stay there coaching ("Twist, push, Did you hear it pop? Wow! It's sticking straight out when you do that! Can you taste the blood?") while I ran, hid, closed my eyes, and covered my ears. Yuck! And how many times do I have to go through this again? Thank goodness for T!! And Avandra is SO proud of herself, since she's one of the latest kids to start losing teeth. So Hooray!

Hooray! Politics is Interesting Again!

Thank you Gov. Sarah Palin, for making me care about this election again!I was so burnt out but she's breathed in new life. I actually WANT to vote now. For who? I don't know yet. But I'm actually motivated to study it out, whereas 1 week ago I couldn't have cared less. I think it's exciting that no matter which party wins, we will be making history in the White House, either with race or gender. And my first impression is that she's a far more acceptable woman for me to vote for than Hilary ever was.

I Should've Known

When I said that I didn't have to worry about Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers again until Februrary, I was sadly mistaken. Grocery shopping last week, I was greeted at the check out line by their "Special Edition Painted On Swimsuit Edition". Oh, Joy. Of course I spoke politely to the manager about removing it or covering up the picture. I got a polite but non-commital response from him. If any of you see that, will you please speak or write a note for the manager? I really appreciate that.

I was talking to my husband's cousin the other day, and she mentioned that their Relief Society is doing an Enrichment activity based on President Hinckley's 6 Be's. The key-note speaker was covering "Be Clean" and it is a therapist who will be speaking on how to keep safe from internet porn. (S--Correct me if I got any of this wrong, okay?) This cousin also mentioned how in her husband's extended family, an 11-year old boy was given a link to a pornographic website from his "friends". He checked into it, started experimenting, and had to be removed from his own home because he was making it an unsafe environment for the other family members. This cousin realized that she needed to start talking to her older boy (is he 10?) about what he was seeing. When she asked if he'd ever seen any inappropriate pictures, he said, "Yes, in the checkout line at Walmart." It's exactly like JoAnn Hibbert Hamilton says in her book, People Speaking Out for Decency:

"Phil Burress, President, Citizens for Community Values, Cincinnati, Ohio, said at Impact America Conference, April 2000, "Ninety-five percent of our children have already been exposed to pornography. Much of this early exposure was in store checkout lanes. ...Of the hundreds of addicts I have spoken to in the last four years, about 95% of them said that their addiction first began with swim suit images, often seen for the first time on or in a magazine. Donna Rice Hughes, Kids On Line, stated that....Often in play [children] act out what they have seen."

This cousin also said that Sister Beck talked in the BYU Women's Conference about needing to do more in the community to protect our children. I haven't been able to find the transcript and I wasn't there, but it sounds good to me!

My Take On Breaking Dawn

I finally finished the book. Wow, that was a bit of a surprise and a bit of slogging through. I'll follow Anne Marie's example and post my thoughts as a comment, so as not to spoil if there's anyone on the earth who hasn't finished it yet. But here's a small spoiler: My comments are not all positive.

Ice Cream Junkie

Those of you who know me, know that Ice Cream is a staple at our house. I come from a long line of ice-cream-o-holics. The kind who consider a serving of ice cream to be less like 1/2 cup and more like 1/2 a house. The kind who say "Do you mind if I polish this off?" as a euphemism for "I'm going to take the final 3/4 of the carton." And it just so happened that I married a man after my own palate. Which is why I am thoroughly devastated that the ice cream conspirators decided to shrink the carton size. Which is also why I was ecstatic the last time I went shopping and scored this coup! Among all the other shrunken cartons, I found one last tall and proud one. And it cost me the same $2.88 as the little ones. Take a good long look below because this may very well be the last full-size ice cream carton you will see in your life.

P.S. This ice cream is already long gone.

A Stephenie Meyer/ JK Rowling Romance

I'm in the middle of re-reading the Twilight series before I launch into Breaking Dawn. So last night, as I was curling up in bed with my warm-blooded husband, I naturally said, "You are my very own werewolf." Obviously a compliment. So I was stunned when he whispered back, "And you are my amoeba."

Pause. Blink, blink.

My brain was trying to make sense of that comment. Tee was a microbiology major...is there more to being an amoeba than I had previously assumed? Was he unintentionally offended by my werewolf compliment? Has our marriage fallen apart completely without my being aware of it???

"An amoeba?" I repeated in confusion.

Which is when he laughed and said, "No, my veela." OH....Okay. I may be going deaf but at least we still have the fireworks!

Response to Sarah

Sarah asked to see a picture of me in my new black dress. So here are T & I on our lovely anniversary. Sorry that you can't see much of the dress, but I'm sure you can see that time has been very, very good to us, don't you think?



P.S. Actually T has had so many random people tell him he looks like Edward Norton. I didn't even know who he was and had to look him up. And understandably, I've had just billions of people mistake me for Salma Hayak.

It's a Wonderful Life-- 9 Glorious Years Together

Yesterday was busy and wonderful and celebratory!

7 am: I hit the early bird sale at a department store and bought myself a lovely little black dress for our 9th anniversary celebration dinner, as well as for Kari's upcoming wedding. (The dress was 50% off--Sweet!)

8:30 am: Tee-Roy and Avandra go help build a wheelchair ramp for a 90+ year old woman in the ward who has been housebound.

11:30 am: We hit the BK and go as a family to the local water park. We all had fun even though Couscous was a tad grumpy/tired. The bummer was when we found out the rules had changed and Avandra and Couscous couldn't go down the big tube slides on my lap. That had been the highlight last year. I took Avandra and she measured 1/2 inch too short to go by herself, so of course we decided to try it anyway. She got in 3 good runs before a lifeguard measured and booted her. But it was still fun.

3:30 pm: I ran to the grocery store.

4:30 pm: I take Avandra for new shoes.

6:25 pm: I pick up the babysitter 'cuz T and I are going out!

7:15: Tee-Roy and I are 15 minutes late for our 9th anniversary reservation at Zagat's #1 Italian restaurant in town. We were still seated and it was a wonderful 4-course, 2 hour meal...Bruschetta topped with eggplant, melon gazpaucho, artichoke-stuffed tortellini, and some amazing puff pastry & cream desset topped with fresh berries and an orange sauce. We were so tempted to lick the platter clean!! It's amazing how without the kids we can still slip back into just enjoying each other's company. It seems like so often our conversation is "Do you want to change The Ky-Guy's diaper or do the dishes?" It's nice to know that we're still good friends and not just partners in parenting.


I think we have the best anniversary tradition. We don't buy each other gifts. Instead we just go out to eat at the nicest place that we can afford. During dinner we read predictions that we made the previous year. These predictions were about what we thought the next year would bring. This can be about our family, our community, the world, politics, weather, whatever. During dessert we make new predictions to seal in an envelope to open the next year. It's always funny to see what we guessed. And we definitely shouldn't make fortune-telling our income-source. Last year I guessed that we'd be really close to inviting a 4th child into our home. Ha-ha! Now I predict that next year we will still be absolutely thrilled and satisfied with the 3 we already have.

Actually this year we are giving ourselves an anniversary present. It will be a month late, but we are going to Ireland--alone!! Woo-hoo!

So...in celebration of our 9th anniversary, 9 Reasons I'm Glad I Married Tee-Roy
1. When we were dating I felt different than I had when I was with anyone else. I felt like us being together was part of something bigger than ourselves. I have seldom felt the veil to heaven so thin.
2. He has always treated me with respect and calmness. He lets me ride out my emotional waves without feeding into them.
3. He seldom, if ever, criticizes me. He knows that I am aware of my flaws and feel the pain of them enough without him adding to it.
4. He is never sarcastic or uses negative humor.
5. He honors the priesthood of God that he holds. He recognizes it as an opportunity to serve. He is always looking for ways to serve others, and that stretches me into being more kind than I naturally would be.
6. He has unshaken faith. He never doubts and isn't pessimistic.
7. He is a very "hands-on" father and husband. There is nothing that he won't do in our household and with our family. In fact, if he doesn't do the dishes after dinner, they don't get done that night at all.
8. He is an excellent teacher. He teachs our children so well. He helps them learn how to do things independently at comparatively young ages.
9. He is incredibly supportive. If I have ideas of ways we can improve as a couple or a family, he will support me 100%, even if it might mean a sacrifice to him. He doesn't try to talk me down from my personal standards, even when they are stricter than the norm.

I love this boy! I thank God every day for His guidance in bringing us together. I am so, so thankful.

Mothering Moments

Tonight we had such a wonderful family walk. It was pleasant, we got rained on, The Ky-Guy made the girls giggle all night with his silly fun, and they caught loads of fireflies with daddy. It was a one of Elder Ballard's "moments" --

"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."
(Elder M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God")

Being Sarah-esque

My friend Sarah is a wonderful cook. She always finds these delectable recipes and so many of them become my family's favorites. Her blueberry whipped cream pie is just one example. Mmmm! It's not uncommon to see her blog-post about food. Well, I am feeling very Sarah-esque after a wonderful meal that we enjoyed tonight.

Tee-Roy and Avandra came in from the garden with 3 large cukes, a large bowl of green beans, and tomatoes. We enjoyed the bounties of T's hard work like this: Grilled Salmon with Cucumber Salad (the salmon was done on the BBQ and we didn't use quite as many red onions in the salad), fettuccine with pesto, steamed fresh green beans, and fresh tomato slices. We ended it all with Breyer's M&M Cookie Dough Ice Cream. It was a beautiful presentation, delicious food, and the kids totally didn't like it. Oh well, they got their blue box of mac n' chee yesterday with the babysitter. And the caveat, in case you want to try this meal: we were fasting today. And we have noticed that new recipes are quite successful on Fast Sunday, but tend to disappoint the second time around. Food just tastes a whole lot better when you're hungry!

Funny Twilight Link

I found this link on AnneMarie's blog last night and at 11:30pm it was absolutely hilarious! I just re-read it and it wasn't quite as funny as it was last night in my sleep deprivation. But, if you are a Twilight junkie, or even sort of like the books, see what you think: http://mormonhusbands.blogspot.com/2008/02/twilight-series-for-dummies-and-totally.html

She's Going, Going, Gone...

Couscous recently learned how to ride a bike without training wheels!! Yes, she's barely 4 years old. And it took her all of 15 minutes from removal of training wheels to riding solo. I'm not kidding. Last weekend we went on a family bike ride on this gorgeous path surrounded by woody areas and wildflower meadows. It was maybe a mile or two is all, but she did it all by herself the whole way. And she's on this dinky short bike so she had to pedal about 50 revolutions to every one of ours. She was so cute and such a sport! It was so much fun!