Greetings from Utah

This Generation...

I awoke at 6am to silence.

Then, I found this...

Oh, what have we done to our children??

(But, I secretly enjoyed the 10 minutes of quiet.)

Real Athletes Wear Pink

I can't contain my excitement.

Elle is about to take the soccer world by storm.

I think I am even more excited about her first pair of soccer cleats than her first pair of ballet slippers.

The Shabby Apple

I love this store.

A few cute dresses for ElleAnd, two flirty dresses for moi'

Happy, Happy Birthday

Today, around 7am, this little man ages one more year.

Exactly 6 years ago, after grueling back labor, you arrived

...all 9 1/2 lbs. of you!

Calvin, what you do to my life...

You make me LAUGH.

You give me the best hugs.

You share my love for animals of all kinds.

You are MOODY.

You love sweets and El Charro as much as I do.

You are practical and LOGICAL.

You have the greatest one-liners ever.

You have a seriously expensive set of teeth.

You rise with the sun every morning.

You scare easily.

You LOVE limeade and blackberries.

You want to be a dentist some day.

You still have the most handsome ears.

And...

Oh, how you make me laugh!

I love you, Cal.
Happy Birthday.

Ethan

Today, my heart goes out to the Skidmore family.

Early this morning, they said goodbye to their sweet little Ethan.

In his short life, this little guy has exemplified such amazing strength and courage.

My thoughts and prayers are with them.

*photo by Faith Bast

I Promise To Do My Duty...

I have been invited to be an assistant scout leader.

I'm looking forward to this...


But,
I'm really looking forward to this...

In The Nest

Grandpa made some little boys' dreams come true today.

The huge grin on that little dirt-smudged face said it all.

Max is ready for football season.

Dressed in Cardinal Red, Max spent the evening rambling gleefully about his exciting day at training camp.

Marathon #2

I've signed up again.

Training starts in about a month.

Anyone want to join me?

School Boy Charm

Back to the grind for these two.

Get ready, Teachers...
These two chatty comedians may need some firm discipline to keep them in check.

Gardening Tips

Help.

I want to plant a garden.

I'm new to this.

Any ideas?

What should I plant?

Got any tips?

Swim Party

Today is my neice Sofia's 4th birthday. We celebrated with a swim party, pizza, and cupcakes! We looove having Fia in our family. She always brings a smile to my face. And...lucky Elle couldn't have a better buddy!

Changes

How long has it been since you've been to a film that ended in a huge round of applause from the audience?

Last weekend, Lance and I drove to my favorite Camelview theater for the newly released Food, Inc.

Food, Inc. is an important movie for...well...anyone who eats. It unveils the corrupt, opportunistic, dark side of the food industry that is conveniently and strategically hidden from the consumer. And... it certainly left me re-thinking my food choices.

The premise of Food, Inc. is that what we eat has been so genetically altered with chemicals and preservatives that it can hardly be considered "food."

The most shocking information unveiled in Food, Inc. is the government involvement in keeping our food cheap and unhealthy. Think "Big Oil" and "Big Tobacco"...profit comes before human regard and human health.

Food, Inc. opens by telling us that there are over 47,000 items in your grocery store, but that 90% of the items contain corn and/or soy products (both of which are subsidised by the government). I left not wanting to buy anything with soy or corn ever again. Difficult, I know.

But, I have swapped this

for this.

The few minutes in the film we spend with a mom whose 2yr old died after eating an E. coli tainted hamburger, is almost more than any mother can take. After an eight year crusade, she has been unable to get congress (under tight control from the beef industry) to pass Kevin's Law, which gives the USDA the power to shut down plants that repeatedly produce contaminated food. Why?

And...did you know that in 2008, the FDA approved the sale of milk and meat from cloned animals? But, you won't know when you purchase them because the FDA feels that labeling these products as cloned would create "confusion in the consumers' minds." Hmmm.

I could go on and on.

I encourage everyone to go see it. It is very interesting, eye-opening, and, yes, entertaining. And, no worries. It isn't preachy or agenda-pushing. It provides you the information and allows you to do with it what you wish.

And...trust me. You will want to make some changes. I already have.

I know it won't always be possible. I've already shopped at 4 different markets over the last 2 days. But, as often as I can, I'll be swapping these...

Happy eating.