Busted

When we lived in Utah, we loved using our Entertainment Book coupons to get buy-one-get-one-free meals. (We have one here in San Antonio, but don't use it as much because the town is much bigger and most of the coupons are for really far away). Anyway, while we loved it, often times we found the places shut down. Sometimes we left feeling like we got a little bit of food poisoning. We would joke that if it wasn't owned and operated by immigrants, they didn't have their children watching TV in a corner, and we weren't the ONLY patrons in the establishment, then it wasn't for us!

Well, I just found a website that would have rocked my Utah world. It's a direct link to all the Salt Lake Valley restaurant inspections. SERIOUSLY! I just quickly checked out some of my old faves...Cafe Rio, for the most part, does okay, but NEVER go to the one on Fourth South. Really bad score. Su Casa on State Street, by our old apartment (TJ, I hate to say this, I know it's one of your faves) not so good, either. Cucina Deli on 2nd Avenue, fairly good.

What's cool is that you can read what each violation is, and how serious it is. What I saw a lot of in my short search is a LOT of dirty ice machines. Ewww....that grosses me out.

Anyway, if you've got a little bit of OCD in you, like me, this will probably not be very good for you. Thank goodness I didn't know about this when I lived there! Hopefully Texas inspections aren't so readily available.

Search here at your own risk!

Inspiration

My friend Caralee posted this inspiring video on her blog, and I've practically been stalking her site as I watch it over and over again. It is so inpsiring and comforting, and it has changed my thoughts and prayers. I liked it so much that I looked up the whole talk it was taken from. Here's the link. Enjoy.

Bugged

Warning: There will be spoilers here. If you want to read this book, don't read this post.

I'm sorry, but I have to vent. I put a good amount of time in this book. It's long--over 350 pages. It started off slow, but I got into it as I met the characters. I felt for the protagonist, a single mom who started her own knitting/yarn shop in Manhattan. I liked the mix of ladies that made up the Friday Night Knitting Club. All was happily rolling along until BAM! The protagonist got cancer. Great, I thought. I don't need this! So I skipped ahead to the back of the book (does anyone else ever do this?), just to make sure she was alive at the end. I didn't want to know all the details, I just wanted to see her saying something on the last page, so I knew she was alive.

Well, guess what? She wasn't! The author killed off the protagonist!!! I HATE THAT!!! I don't read books to learn about death and dying! There's enough gloom and doom in real life. How dare she get you all warm and fuzzy and then just do that to you? Why would I want to read that? I mean, sure--I can handle a supporting character every once in a while biting the bullet. It happens. I don't like it, but I wasn't too invested in them, so it's okay. But the protagonist? COME ON! It's just cruel. I feel manipulated.

I guess I'll just have to stick with Mary Higgins Clark. Her protagonists never die. They always are in some great danger, and always the new romance partner finds her just in time. Love it! Nice and predictable.

Anyone have any favorite books where the main character DOES NOT die?

Super Guests

This last week has been so crazy busy that I didn't get a chance to blog about my sister and her family coming out to visit last weekend. For their spring break they flew out to San Antonio, then left for a Carnival Cruise out of Galveston, TX, and came back for a few days of touring San Antonio. It was great fun! Hopefully next time we'll be able to go on the cruise with them!

SusieQ still with her Mexican braids, with Hank and JJ on the trolley.

The children sitting on the exact cannon Davy Crockett used in the fight at the Alamo.

One day we went to a little amusement park in a town called Seguin. Here Brad, Reed, and JJ are racing to the top of the rock wall.

Even Tyler braved the rock wall!

Uh-oh. I'm afraid this picture could be used as evidence if the Amusement Park knew about it. You see, this is Brad and Hank racing down. You can see Hank lying down on the slide. He's not supposed to do that. At the end of the slide, Hank had a lot of momentum. Although Brad still won the race, Hank didn't actually stop when he got to the end of the slide. He kept going. Over the green carpet, and through the gate. In fact, he shattered the gate. The hinges were blasted to pieces. It was quite amazing to watch. And he was a little famous that day among all the workers.

Ty, Montana, and Hank get ready to go high up in the air and be dropped--over and over again. This was Ty's favorite ride. He loved the butterflies in his stomach.

SusieQ was just happy to bask in the sun. I guess it has been a pretty cloudy spring up in the Northwest.

So Grateful

Is it kinda strange that I actually feel sorry for people who don't have adoption in their lives?

I know it seems strange, but being in an adoption where everyone involved has the best interests of the child in mind cannot be beat!

Look at this happy little boy. He has so many people that love him, and he knows it.

The above picture was taken this morning, just before TJ (Ty's birthmom) and Donn (TJ's awesome husband) had to go. We spent an incredible weekend with them playing, reading, talking, eating, touring, laughing, and loving.

My heart is so full today--grateful for this wonderful young woman and her supportive family who gave us a gift we will never be able to repay, and grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has turned all our sorrows into hope, and pains into joy.