Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Happy Birthday, Mommy
I hope that I look as fabulous as you in 30 years. I'm really glad you're my mom.
The Pork-laden Farm Bill
I read political papers while at work and this really bothered me...
Last week congress passed a $307 billion farm bill that continues traditional farm subsidies and for the first time is including fruit and vegetable growers to the cotton and grain growers...so not only are we going to continue to pay people to not grow the food that we don't have, we're going to pay more people to not grow food. These congress-folk have apparently not gone to the grocery store lately to see how much we're paying for some of the staples of life.
And just because they always throw in random crap...$10 billion to protect some woodpecker in Georgia, and a tax break to race horse owners. That's just a stupid waste of money. Way to go congress, most people are feeling the hurt when going to the grocery store and gas station. Their really representing.
I understand that Pres. Bush vetoed this bill. And you all thought he was useless.
Last week congress passed a $307 billion farm bill that continues traditional farm subsidies and for the first time is including fruit and vegetable growers to the cotton and grain growers...so not only are we going to continue to pay people to not grow the food that we don't have, we're going to pay more people to not grow food. These congress-folk have apparently not gone to the grocery store lately to see how much we're paying for some of the staples of life.
And just because they always throw in random crap...$10 billion to protect some woodpecker in Georgia, and a tax break to race horse owners. That's just a stupid waste of money. Way to go congress, most people are feeling the hurt when going to the grocery store and gas station. Their really representing.
I understand that Pres. Bush vetoed this bill. And you all thought he was useless.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Do you agree?
I saw this quiz on a friend's post, so I took it because I love Jane Austen. But I don't know if I agree. I've always viewed Emma as a meddler. I don't know maybe I'm a meddler. Then again I'm surprised to have any Jane Bennet at all. She's way nicer than I could ever dream to be. And Erin I'm sorry for criticizing you for having any Lady Catherine, I guess I'm a bigger jerk than you.
http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=41259
Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!!
You scored as a Emma Woodhouse
Emma is possibly one of the most loyal characters of Austen, always wanting better for those around her and doing all she possibly can to make it happen. Her motives sometimes get in the way of her good intentions and her own opinions can end up ruling her actions, but she has a good heart. She loves to be social and is welcoming to most, unless they are too silly to tolerate. While she sometimes changes her behavior to make others feel comfortable, she knows who she is and is always bettering herself.
Emma Woodhouse 78%
Elizabeth Bennet 50%
Marianne Dashwood 50%
Elinor Dashwood 44%
Jane Bennet 41%
Lady Catherine 34%
Charlotte Lucas 28%
http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=41259
Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!!
You scored as a Emma Woodhouse
Emma is possibly one of the most loyal characters of Austen, always wanting better for those around her and doing all she possibly can to make it happen. Her motives sometimes get in the way of her good intentions and her own opinions can end up ruling her actions, but she has a good heart. She loves to be social and is welcoming to most, unless they are too silly to tolerate. While she sometimes changes her behavior to make others feel comfortable, she knows who she is and is always bettering herself.
Emma Woodhouse 78%
Elizabeth Bennet 50%
Marianne Dashwood 50%
Elinor Dashwood 44%
Jane Bennet 41%
Lady Catherine 34%
Charlotte Lucas 28%
Boy or Girl?
Does anyone else feel that their child innately looks like the sex they are? Or are there people out there who think their kids look homogeneous? Kinda like they could go either way? Dylan was in the sling the other day and someone asked me "boy or girl?" And I just thought, "Isn't it obvious?"
On the other hand I took my niece out to dinner with us once and she was wearing pink pants and a flower shirt, and the server still referred to her as a boy (sorry Missy). I don't live in the world of The Office where I dress my boy up in pink because it's his favorite color. OK, but I like pink and I would put him in pink because I think that his masculinity would shine through. Now I'm just spinning circles.
I just think that my boy has looked like a boy from the beginning.
On the other hand I took my niece out to dinner with us once and she was wearing pink pants and a flower shirt, and the server still referred to her as a boy (sorry Missy). I don't live in the world of The Office where I dress my boy up in pink because it's his favorite color. OK, but I like pink and I would put him in pink because I think that his masculinity would shine through. Now I'm just spinning circles.
I just think that my boy has looked like a boy from the beginning.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Miscellaneous Stories
AZ trip
We (my brother, Dylan and I, Wes went to CA) went to Scottsdale, AZ for Memorial Day to see our sister(s). Which was kind of a moot point because they had been up here the whole week before for our grandma's funeral.
We went to a party at my cousin DeDee's house, Dylan met his cousin Kira. 
My 1 complaint was that it wasn't very warm, which quashed my plans of hanging out by the pool.
Horse
We picked up our loaner horse on Saturday. If you want to know more of that story take a look at Wes' blog. http://ptsoft.blogspot.com/2008/05/dealers-in-horse-flesh.html
So, initially my grandpa wanted to drive because we've never pulled his horse trailer. I was nervous about that because I've seen him hit 2 parked cars in as many minutes. Luckily, my dad talked him out of it, but in the end he still wanted to go along for the ride. She was up in Farmington and by the time we got her home she had scraped her chest up against the manger in the trailer enough to take off a bit of skin. This only added to her already ragged look. She apparently once had a long, beautiful tail, but we were told that she laid down in some water up in Idaho and didn't stand up until it had frozen. Thereby tearing off her tail up to the bone. And another horse had picked on her so she's a little beat up. She has cloudy eye and her hooves have seen better days. Hopefully she'll start looking better with a little love. Anyway, my grandma's horse Joe was really excited to have a new friend. He's a pretty good prancer for a 24 y/o with a lame leg. He gets very anxious if she goes too far from the fence that's separating them, and calls her back.
Today I went over to spend some time with Muffins (our loaner mare). I groomed her, walked and talked with her, led her around on the halter and even lunged her a little just on the lead rope to see how obedient she was. Hypothetically this horse is broke and trained and I was told I could ride her. So I saddled her up and got on. That was quite a bit of air that horse was getting between raring and bucking. Needless to say, I ended up on the ground. I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about getting on her again. So I put her on the lunge line with all of her tack still on her, and we worked for probably an hour before she was even kind of listening to my commands. Even then she freaked out and got away from me twice. She let me catch her again really easy after running to the other end of the pasture. The rope burn on my hand from her getting away, hurts more than my possibly sprained elbow. I'm just glad I didn't fall on a sprinkler or in a cow pie.
Wake boarding
I'm back on it for wake boarding. We got some good water on Saturday. Smooth enough that my dad got in. My brother tells me that if I cut just a little faster I would get the wake, but otherwise I was getting big air. I'm only good for 1 crash, and I was feeling that on Sunday. Dylan took his first nap in the cubby under the steering wheel. When he woke up my dad held him while he drove. Because we got perfect pass on our boat, you don't' have to do much with the throttle. So my dad just mostly hung out with Dylan, leaning him against the steering wheel until his arms could reach it and letting him drive. Sometimes though, my dad forgot about the person he was towing and needed to be reminded to go back and get them. It was an awesome day on the lake. I wish I had pictures of so many of these things, but the batteries on my camera are dead and I haven't recharged them yet.
Dylan
Dylan recently discovered his feet (the nerdy side of me says, "Yeah, now he'll finish stretching out his hamstrings!") So I found some cute socks that he was given when he was born. One pair has duckies on them and the other are frogs with rattles. He has lots of fun. He giggles more and more each day.
And he'll look at a book while he sits in his high-chair, that makes Wes and I feel like he's smart. He does a fair job sitting on his own though too. Only 1 more month until he starts eating!! I'm selfishly very excited.
We (my brother, Dylan and I, Wes went to CA) went to Scottsdale, AZ for Memorial Day to see our sister(s). Which was kind of a moot point because they had been up here the whole week before for our grandma's funeral.
We went to a party at my cousin DeDee's house, Dylan met his cousin Kira. My 1 complaint was that it wasn't very warm, which quashed my plans of hanging out by the pool.Horse
We picked up our loaner horse on Saturday. If you want to know more of that story take a look at Wes' blog. http://ptsoft.blogspot.com/2008/05/dealers-in-horse-flesh.html
So, initially my grandpa wanted to drive because we've never pulled his horse trailer. I was nervous about that because I've seen him hit 2 parked cars in as many minutes. Luckily, my dad talked him out of it, but in the end he still wanted to go along for the ride. She was up in Farmington and by the time we got her home she had scraped her chest up against the manger in the trailer enough to take off a bit of skin. This only added to her already ragged look. She apparently once had a long, beautiful tail, but we were told that she laid down in some water up in Idaho and didn't stand up until it had frozen. Thereby tearing off her tail up to the bone. And another horse had picked on her so she's a little beat up. She has cloudy eye and her hooves have seen better days. Hopefully she'll start looking better with a little love. Anyway, my grandma's horse Joe was really excited to have a new friend. He's a pretty good prancer for a 24 y/o with a lame leg. He gets very anxious if she goes too far from the fence that's separating them, and calls her back.
Today I went over to spend some time with Muffins (our loaner mare). I groomed her, walked and talked with her, led her around on the halter and even lunged her a little just on the lead rope to see how obedient she was. Hypothetically this horse is broke and trained and I was told I could ride her. So I saddled her up and got on. That was quite a bit of air that horse was getting between raring and bucking. Needless to say, I ended up on the ground. I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous about getting on her again. So I put her on the lunge line with all of her tack still on her, and we worked for probably an hour before she was even kind of listening to my commands. Even then she freaked out and got away from me twice. She let me catch her again really easy after running to the other end of the pasture. The rope burn on my hand from her getting away, hurts more than my possibly sprained elbow. I'm just glad I didn't fall on a sprinkler or in a cow pie.
Wake boarding
I'm back on it for wake boarding. We got some good water on Saturday. Smooth enough that my dad got in. My brother tells me that if I cut just a little faster I would get the wake, but otherwise I was getting big air. I'm only good for 1 crash, and I was feeling that on Sunday. Dylan took his first nap in the cubby under the steering wheel. When he woke up my dad held him while he drove. Because we got perfect pass on our boat, you don't' have to do much with the throttle. So my dad just mostly hung out with Dylan, leaning him against the steering wheel until his arms could reach it and letting him drive. Sometimes though, my dad forgot about the person he was towing and needed to be reminded to go back and get them. It was an awesome day on the lake. I wish I had pictures of so many of these things, but the batteries on my camera are dead and I haven't recharged them yet.
Dylan
Dylan recently discovered his feet (the nerdy side of me says, "Yeah, now he'll finish stretching out his hamstrings!") So I found some cute socks that he was given when he was born. One pair has duckies on them and the other are frogs with rattles. He has lots of fun. He giggles more and more each day.
And he'll look at a book while he sits in his high-chair, that makes Wes and I feel like he's smart. He does a fair job sitting on his own though too. Only 1 more month until he starts eating!! I'm selfishly very excited.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Grandma
My grandma died Sunday morning, and after the best funeral I have ever been to (truly it was a beautiful, positive event), I would like to share some of my favorite things about my Grandma Udy.
My 2 favorite memories are going shopping with my grandma, my mom, and my sister at the ZCMI center and going to the Tiffin Room for lunch. That's where all the old ladies ate, and I thought it was a pretty classy place for being in a mall. But I always thought that was cool because it felt like a legacy of moms and daughters (my mom's her only daughter). At some point in these shopping trips we would get chocolate, but not just any chocolate: seafoam. It's fabulous. If you've never had it, go to a chocolate shop and try it.
My second favorite memory is jumping off her porch and getting grounded. I think I have about 40 cousins who would nod and smile at this. We'd end up lined up on the porch all grounded for 15 minutes for jumping off. For some reason this is a fond memory.(?)
But some of the other really great things about my grandma is that she always made dinner for the elderly, even when she was in this classification. She was always well mannered, but felt entitled to cuss in her old age. She didn't judge, but loved you for who you are. And my was she a proud woman. I had the privilege of doing exercises with her in her last year of life to help with balance and general strength and endurance. And no matter how many times I told her to use her walker, the very next time she'd come to the door without it. She said it made her look old.
I love my grandma and I'm so happy that she's with my grandpa and the rest of her family. I'm also greatful for the plan of salvation. So many of my many cousins were raised away from the gospel and have difficulty taking comfort in the passing of a loved one. I only pray that they listened to what was said today and know that everything is truly ok for grandma now.
My 2 favorite memories are going shopping with my grandma, my mom, and my sister at the ZCMI center and going to the Tiffin Room for lunch. That's where all the old ladies ate, and I thought it was a pretty classy place for being in a mall. But I always thought that was cool because it felt like a legacy of moms and daughters (my mom's her only daughter). At some point in these shopping trips we would get chocolate, but not just any chocolate: seafoam. It's fabulous. If you've never had it, go to a chocolate shop and try it.
My second favorite memory is jumping off her porch and getting grounded. I think I have about 40 cousins who would nod and smile at this. We'd end up lined up on the porch all grounded for 15 minutes for jumping off. For some reason this is a fond memory.(?)
But some of the other really great things about my grandma is that she always made dinner for the elderly, even when she was in this classification. She was always well mannered, but felt entitled to cuss in her old age. She didn't judge, but loved you for who you are. And my was she a proud woman. I had the privilege of doing exercises with her in her last year of life to help with balance and general strength and endurance. And no matter how many times I told her to use her walker, the very next time she'd come to the door without it. She said it made her look old.
I love my grandma and I'm so happy that she's with my grandpa and the rest of her family. I'm also greatful for the plan of salvation. So many of my many cousins were raised away from the gospel and have difficulty taking comfort in the passing of a loved one. I only pray that they listened to what was said today and know that everything is truly ok for grandma now.
Monday, May 19, 2008
First Day at the Lake
Today was my first time H2Oskiing in over a year, and Dylan's first time on the boat. I should clarify, his first time in the boat in the water. (Grandpa and Uncle Evan have taken him out to sit in it plenty.) Grandpa was showing him how to drive the boat.
He's a natural; no complaints about his life jacket that is too long so he can't even sit in it, or the bumps, or the sun in his eyes, or the occasional cold spray. 
All in all though it was a nice afternoon. Mid-80's for the air and about 70 for the water. It was a little cold when you first jumped in naturally, but truly not the worst I've ever been in (Alayna didn't get in. )
I thought that something about being a mom made you tougher, but I think it had the opposite effect on me. I was so excited (I put sunblock on this AM instead of lotion and drove around with swimsuits and lifejackets all day just incase we left early) until it came time to jump in. Then I could barely jump on the wakeboard. Evan can still do it though. In my defense, there was little more that could be done to make the water worse. It was insanely choppy. (Layna's a better photographer than Evan, he's full of shenanigans)
Regardless of choppiness, I had to slalom. It's my true passion. But due to the turbulent waters and the wind, I couldn't see where I was going at all. When I was cutting back into the wake, sometimes it surprised me just how soon it came up.
My hands have lost all of their wonderful callouses. While I still claim that they look like man-hands, they no longer function like man-hands. They started to hurt from gripping the rope, I guess mowing the lawn a handful of times this spring hasn't quite brought them up to snuff. And I hope that I never hear the excuse of someone not being strong enough or too out of shape to waterski, because I've never been in worse shape. Months of inactivity and I can still get up on the first try despite a complete lack of muscle tone. (yes I am tooting my own horn)
Getting into my shorty wetsuit, now that was a trick. I thought we were going to have to pull out the duckbutter to squeeze me in. While my swimsuit doesn't fit well into my shorty, it's more flattering than the wetsuit. I think the wetsuit is the look that should be most avoided after having a baby. As well as letting your brother take pictures of you.
My dad bought Perfect Pass for the boat this year. It's pretty much like cruise control for a boat which is really awesome if you know how hard it is to keep a motor at the 17mph most people prefer to wakeboard. What I love is watching my dad and Evan play with their new toys.
Thanks Mom (who couldn't make it) and Dad for always fronting the money and taking us boating. We love it.
He's a natural; no complaints about his life jacket that is too long so he can't even sit in it, or the bumps, or the sun in his eyes, or the occasional cold spray. All in all though it was a nice afternoon. Mid-80's for the air and about 70 for the water. It was a little cold when you first jumped in naturally, but truly not the worst I've ever been in (Alayna didn't get in. )I thought that something about being a mom made you tougher, but I think it had the opposite effect on me. I was so excited (I put sunblock on this AM instead of lotion and drove around with swimsuits and lifejackets all day just incase we left early) until it came time to jump in. Then I could barely jump on the wakeboard. Evan can still do it though. In my defense, there was little more that could be done to make the water worse. It was insanely choppy. (Layna's a better photographer than Evan, he's full of shenanigans)Regardless of choppiness, I had to slalom. It's my true passion. But due to the turbulent waters and the wind, I couldn't see where I was going at all. When I was cutting back into the wake, sometimes it surprised me just how soon it came up.My hands have lost all of their wonderful callouses. While I still claim that they look like man-hands, they no longer function like man-hands. They started to hurt from gripping the rope, I guess mowing the lawn a handful of times this spring hasn't quite brought them up to snuff. And I hope that I never hear the excuse of someone not being strong enough or too out of shape to waterski, because I've never been in worse shape. Months of inactivity and I can still get up on the first try despite a complete lack of muscle tone. (yes I am tooting my own horn)Getting into my shorty wetsuit, now that was a trick. I thought we were going to have to pull out the duckbutter to squeeze me in. While my swimsuit doesn't fit well into my shorty, it's more flattering than the wetsuit. I think the wetsuit is the look that should be most avoided after having a baby. As well as letting your brother take pictures of you.My dad bought Perfect Pass for the boat this year. It's pretty much like cruise control for a boat which is really awesome if you know how hard it is to keep a motor at the 17mph most people prefer to wakeboard. What I love is watching my dad and Evan play with their new toys.Thanks Mom (who couldn't make it) and Dad for always fronting the money and taking us boating. We love it.
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