Camp Name

I've been called to be a leader for the YCL's (Youth Camp Leaders) at Girls Camp this year. I'm excited--I love Girl's Camp, and this stake seems to have a really good one!

I have to come up with a camp name for myself, though, and I don't have a clue. Any suggestions? Others have names like Oreo, Sparkle, Uno, etc.

So don't be shy. Let's have a brainstorm!

Here's to Good Days

Acted Sweet; Lots of Loving Words and Hugs

No Tantrums

Brad Traveled Safely to and from Houston for Work

Found Some Good Deals at the Supermarket

Made Arrangements for Date Night
(thank you Spencer & Sara!)

What a Beautiful Day!
(And still dry here in San Antonio.

Brad said it was pretty humid in Houston. )

Life is Good!

A Break

Sometimes it's good to switch gears. I've been (and still am!) in political gear right now, and I'm sure it's annoying to some of you who read my blog. So sorry about that, it's just that for the first time in my life I'm asking myself what I really think about these issues, not just what the party I was born into says I should think! It's quite interesting. And confusing. And I'm finding that there aren't a lot of cut and dried answers out there.

Anyway...in an effort to take a little time out, here's a clip of Tyler at the Obama rally. I'm not sure if he's making up a new dance move, or pretending to sing, but hey, it kept him occupied for a little bit of the three hours we were out in the sun.

What a Difference!

My face has been through a lot today. Between the marks left on it from being taped and glued to a bunch of wires for a sleep study last night (how anyone can sleep with that many wires, I don't have a clue) and getting sunburned today, (yes, I think it's my first ever February sunburn) I'm feeling a bit splotchy.







You know who's not splotchy? (Yes, I know, not my best segue ever, but here's a hint: he's standing behind me in the picture) Barack Obama!


For our second installment of the Presidential Hopefuls Series, Sara (I mean my anonymous companion) and I pulled some Grandpa Lake maneuvers and found ourselves on the fifth row front and center at Obama's Town Hall Meeting in San Antonio today. (In case you're not familiar with Grandpa Lake's ways, let's just say he wasn't always the best at waiting in lines )


I don't know how our two experiences could have been more different! While Hillary's rally was exciting, it seemed strained at times. Obama's rally had a genuine undercurrent to it that wasn't forced; it was calm and confident.

So was Obama. He was smart, and real, and funny! He didn't do the fake "point and smile" like Hillary, he didn't just give lofty intentions. He spent well over an hour talking real issues and taking questions from the audience. I found myself really wanting to believe him, hoping that he really could accomplish all that he has set out to do.

I know I don't agree with him on all the issues, but I do agree with him more than I thought. I also like that he seems to be a uniter, and that he won't mess around with all the lobbyists and corruption that Washington is so famous for.

I was also happy that The Star Spangled Banner was sung, and an invocation was given. Both of those things were missing at Hillary's party.


So...we saw him, we heard him, and we had NUMEROUS eye contact moments, being on the fifth row and all. :)

Final Judgement: Pretty Darn Impressed!

Look--it's too early for me to be decided on the November election. I'm not a democrat, so I have no say in Texas' primary. But if it turns out to be a McCain/Obama race in the national election, McCain's gonna have to have something pretty special up his sleeve to impress me as much as I was impressed today. Game on!

A Big Adventure

In an effort to educate ourselves and be a part of history in the making, a "companion" and I braved the westside streets of San Antonio, uncomfortably drove through a throng of protesters with pictures of aborted babies, strutted our stuff by the press hoping to get interviewed, and cut in line in front of a fraternity of college kids that were just happy not to be carrying a baby--all to see Hillary Clinton in person.

We did feel a little like we were crossing over to the dark side. I wondered if this is how non-members feel when they visit our church for the first time. I tried to blend in, and merely said I was undecided as the 50ish Latina sitting next to me carried on about how Hillary is a "woman of the people." My companion, on the other hand, (who wishes to remain anonymous lest her family think she has turned into a pot-smoking, granola-eating, tie-dye wearing liberal) cheered wildly-- to the consternation of all around her--when one of the pre-Hillary speakers asked if there were any Republicans in the house!

Luckily, the baby saved the day. Many oohed and aahed as she danced along to the theme song, "Taking Care of Business," while it played over and over to dull the pain of waiting for "her majesty" to show. Some people must not have heard the "I'm a Republican" cheer, because a lot of them kept looking at the baby, saying things like, "Oh, we have the youngest Clinton supporter right here!" We just smiled a bit and tried to change the subject.

My anonymous partner in crime and the dancing baby.

The whole evening was targeted toward the Latino community (acually the majority in San Antonio), so naturally there was a mariachi band. Of course Hillary had to mention that it was here that she got her "passion for Mexican Food" back in 1972 as a person that went door to door signing up Hispanics to vote.

Apparently, Hillary missed going door-to-door, because that's what she did in the neighborhood around the arena before coming to see us. Only no one else knew that, so the leaders would get everyone excited and cheering, so as to let Hillary know that "Texas is Clinton Country," and then nothing would happen. After about 23 times of the roaring excitement ending in disillusionment, her real entrance was a bit anti-climatic.

We saw her, heard her, and my companion swears they made eye contact.

Final judgement: Not all that impressed.

If fact, we were more impressed with the process and just thankful that as Americans, we have the freedom to rally and support whoever we think will do the best job. We were impressed with how hard she works, and that she has led the way for other women to follow. But I don't see myself voting for her if she makes it past Obama.

TV Chat

The writer's strike didn't really affect me that much, because the only scripted show I watch is The Office, and that's so great I don't mind watching reruns! But I do like other shows like Amazing Race, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, House Hunters, 20/20, 60 Minutes, and Rachael Ray. (I know I've written about it before, but I can't say it enough: Gotta love DVR!)

Since the latest Amazing Race ended, I've felt a void because that and The Office are the only ones Brad and I like to sit down and watch together. (Well, he'll watch an occasional House Hunters, but I wouldn't say it's his favorite)

Well, we found another one that's pretty funny, especially if you like country music like we do (another confession Brad probably wouldn't like me mentioning)! The show is called Gone Country, and it's on CMT (Country Music Television).

The premise is that John Rich, of the band Big & Rich, invites seven formerly-famous singers in different genres to turn country. They all do activities that will help them get in touch with country music, and then they will have to write and perform a country song. At the end, one will be chosen to record and release their song to country music fans and radio.

The contestants are

• Julio Iglesias Jr. (latin singer, son of Julio Iglesias)
• Carnie Wilson (lead singer of Wilson Phillips, daughter of Beach Boy Brian Wilson)
• Dee Snider (lead singer of 80's rock band Twisted Sister)
• Sisqo (African American Rapper)
• Diana DiGarmo (came in 2nd on American Idol)
• Maureen McCormick (Marsha Brady--who knew she could sing?!)
• Bobby Brown (80's pop star and famous drug-doing abusive former husband of Whitney Houston.
  

So far, it's been hilarious at moments, and a bit scary, too. (Disclaimer: I would use parental caution and probably not show this in front of kids--it's not really bad, just bleeped out words and some crude moments)

Bobby Brown actually seemed nice at first, until he got drunk one night and you could see his true colors. And who knew he had a sleepwalking problem?

Marsha Brady seems stuck at age 12, she's a star-struck screamer, and we thinks she needs therapy.

I wasn't really a fan of hers on Idol, but she actually sounded good on her first performance. Could be a contender.

Still don't know much about him, or whether he can sing instead of rap.

Seems nice, and I hope he does well. A latin country star could be interesting.


Obnoxious. Nothing more to say.



She's really nice and obviously talented, but insecure and a little co-dependent.

They're still showing all three shows on CMT, so if you do have DVR you could still record it. Let me know what you think if you do watch it!

The Future of America?

Buckle your seatbelts, America. I think we're in for a ride.

(Thanks to my friend Nettie, for posting this pic on her site)

You Fought a Good Fight, Mitt

But now what do we do?

Embarrassment

Okay, I'm really embarrassed to post this, and I wouldn't, except that I thought Brad was so cute, that I have to share.

Since we moved into this house, it seems I've had a harder time than normal remembering to flush the toilet! It's not like I forget all the time, but it happens enought that I admit, I have a problem. I don't know why, I've never had this problem before! Very gross and very embarrassing! So after yet another forgetful trip yesterday, I came into the bathroom before bed and saw this sign on the door that faces the toilet.

Isn't that so sweet that really, he could justifiably be mad or at the very least, naggy. But instead of embarrassing me, or making me feel horrible, he just wants to remind me in a friendly way to flush? And he even tried to make the sign all cute with bubble letters and music notes! Thanks for the good example, Brad.

What's for Dinner?

My mom's three least favorite words in the English language: What's for Dinner? I have to agree--not my favorite question either. But I've had a pretty good week of meals, so I thought I'd share them with you.

Kill Two Birds With One Stone:
My favorite has to be this 2 day meal plan from Rachael Ray. I made a pork tenderloin roast with gravy and vegetables one day. Then I simply saved half the pork and gravy for the next day's Black Bean Chili . It turned out really well. I actually only got one bowl because Brad ate all the leftovers up so fast!

Different, but Good:
I tried this one because Brad likes stuffing a lot, and this isn't just the same old tired stuffing recipe. It's called Tangy Pork Chop Stuffing Bake, and I actually liked it!

Creamy Tortellini
Because I know that Brad doesn't love tortellini, I made this last night when he was gone on a business trip. I didn't have bacon, so I just substituted ham instead. I added some chopped onion, too, that I sauteed up with the ham. It was yummy.

Tomorrow night:
We got a call from the missionaries tonight reminding us that we'd signed up to feed them tomorrow. (Heads up, Sara: I think you signed up for the day after us!) Luckily, I've got the ingredients to make this Shepherd's Pie. I'm usually not a great fan of Shepherd's pie, but Rachael Ray usually knows how to spice things up a bit, so I think it'll be good.

Do you have any favorite recipes to share?

Words

One of my favorite things about this stage in Ty's development is figuring out what's in his head and listening to his budding vocabulary.

He learned a new word today, as he looked out the window and realized there really wasn't a chair on the outside. He said, "Hey! It's not a chair outside! It's a shadow! And now it's discompeared!" I said, "Yes, it's a reflection, and when you move around, it disappears!" You could just see the wheels cranking as he repeated reflection over and over again, as well as disappear.

Later, we were listening to one of his favorite CD's, Superstar Kids, and I had to smile when I heard him yelling out these words:

• To the song, Sk8er Boi, he sings, "They had a problem cause the baggie was closed" instead of "They had a problem with his baggy clothes."


• To the song Allstar, instead of "Hey now, you're an allstar" he sings, "Hang out, you're an arm spa."

Isn't it such fun to see children start to make sense of their world? I love it!

Top Ten Reasons We Love Grandma and Grandpa Visits

10. Experiencing snakebites and hurricanes at the Texas State Museum--catching the Spirit of Texas!

9. Finding out of the way places to eat, like the Old Bakery in Austin and Texas Grill and Deli in Bulverde. Yum! (And let's not forget their first tastes of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla)

8. Telling Ty not to listen to what Grandpa says, because it's all teasing.

7. Grandma and Ty making up songs in the backseat: "Tyler is a little (whoops!) girl (whoops!) Big Boy!

6. FHE with Spencer and Sara, sharing testimony and family stories.

5. Harmonizing with Mom at choir practice.

4. Part of a Catholic mass in a Cathedral, the Alamo, a boat ride on the River, BBQ sandwiches, stale cookies, and a drive by the temple on Saturday.

3. Comfort, TX: not what it's cracked up to be!

2. Reading old letters, talking, laughing.

And last but not least:
1. Grandma and Grandpa kisses. "What time is it?" "It's half past kissin' time, time to kiss again!"

Thanks for the fun and the memories, Dad and Mom. Come again soon!

He's Okay

I know his life really wasn't in danger. He had a blessing that promised he'd be fine and that the surgery would go well. But I let my mind wander today as I kissed him goodbye and watched him being wheeled away to the operating room.

Note to self: don't read WebMD's list of possible complications for any particular surgery anyone you love might be having soon.

Possible complications for sinus surgery:

Infection

Bleeding

Voice Change (huh?)

Blindness

Brain Damage

DEATH!

We decided worse things could happen than one eyed blindness, plus we could probably get a nice settlement if the doctor somehow missed the sinus and hit the eye, so that was off the worry list, but brain damage and death? Come on!

I made him promise to haunt me (we've talked about this before, but needed a refresher course), and we decided on some "signs" that he could cause to happen, so I'd know he was there.

My favorite moment was in Pre-op, when the doctor asked if he had any questions, and with complete sincerity he asks, "So, how are YOU doing today? Did you have a good night's sleep? Your hands feeling steady?" She just laughed, started shaking, and said, "I'm doing great!"

After the surgery, he took a little more time than usual waking up from the anesthesia, and after he did he was NAUSEATED! Just kind of weird, this man who does such a great job taking care of me and Ty (we're spoiled, really) in a flimsy hospital gown with tubes all over, his coloring off, goo in his eyes, not able to stay awake.

He's doing just fine now, and hopefully I'll do as good a job taking care of him as he has for me the past eight years. Sometimes a little scare is a good thing.

Brutal

I'll never forget my cousin Lauri telling about a time that she, her parents, and siblings sang in Church. Apparently they hadn't practiced all that much and the parts were a bit complicated, and it was a struggling performance. In fact, in the middle of the sloppy note-finding nightmare, one of them muttered "This is Brutal!" As she recounts, after the meeting few people made eye contact with her, and the ones who did had looks of sympathy on their faces!

I had a "brutal" moment today in Sacrament Meeting myself! Let's face it: I love to sing, but I know I'm not a great soloist. I prefer to melt into a nice alto part, finding harmony. So I was fine when the music director asked me to sing a duet. Give me an alto part and I'll be okay. Only problem: the other person she asked me to sing with is also an alto with an even lower voice than my own. Yikes! We compromised on a song where there were two solos and then a duet at the end.

As I sang my too-high-for-me melody solo, I looked at our ward choir director in the audience--also a vocal coach--and wanted to hide. Only you can't hide when you're singing a solo. I ran out of breath before the end of the phrase and everyone could hear it. I sang the wrong word on one part, and I couldn't even really hit the C nicely. I felt naked. It was brutal. After the meeting I tried to leave as soon as I could to avoid the "pity" compliments.

Thankfully, there is one fact I know to be a Universal Truth: people don't think about you as much as you think about yourself. In other words, I am not the center of the world. While I may analyze every note and breath, most everyone else has already forgotten all about it. So I didn't sing so well. So what? I can still sing my alto part and enjoy how music makes me feel.

But please don't be asking me to sing another solo any time soon!

A Vay-Cay for Mitt

Here's a fun little video of the Romneys on a summer vacation

My favorite part is the end where they're doing fireworks and he calls his son a moron!

Autism Speaks

Another forward? What's going on?!? I couldn't resist this one from my SIL June, though. I've checked out the website and it seems legit.

Click HERE to see a short 3 min video about a sweet little girl with autism, and approximately 94 cents will be directly donated to Austism Speaks.

What gets me all teared up is that this website has hundreds of videos like the one above, all from desperate parents trying to get help for their children that seem to be slipping away by the minute. As one quote from the comments on that site says, "There is nothing more fierce than a parent fighting for their child."


A little bit about Austism Speaks:
(http://www.autismspeaks.org/)

"At Autism Speaks, our goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.

We are dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder. We are committed to raising the funds necessary to support these goals.

Autism Speaks aims to bring the autism community together as one strong voice to urge the government and private sector to listen to our concerns and take action to address this urgent global health crisis. It is our firm belief that, working together, we will find the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Autism Speaks. It's time to listen."

Happy Things

I'm not one that usually forwards those emails that say stuff like, "Pass this on to seven friends and you will get a million dollars from Bill Gates! This is real!"

Every once in a while, though, there's one I like. This one is pretty simple: Happy Things.

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke
24. Friends.
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
27. Your first kiss
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
29 Playing with a new puppy.
30. Having someone play with your hair.
31. Sweet dreams.
32. Hot chocolate.
33. Road trips with friends.
34. Swinging on swings.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
36. Making chocolate chip cookies.
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
38 Holding hands with someone you care about.
39. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
40. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
41. Watching the sunrise.
42. Knowing that somebody misses you.
43 Knowing that somebody's praying for you.
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
45. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

Oops!

I'm sure no one else ever does this, but sometimes Brad and I tune out a little bit when Ty just talks and talks and talks. The little guy has been talking since he was eighteen months and he's barely stopped for a breath!

Last night we were driving to the church and Ty, as usual, was chatting away a million words a minute. Both Brad and I were kinda spaced, not really paying attention. By the tone of his voice, we could tell he had asked a question, so Brad just nodded his head and said, uh-huh.

All of a sudden, screams from the back seat! Crying and sobbing, snot and tears flying this way and that. It was then that I tried to recollect what it was that Ty had asked. I know he had been talking about monsters for a while before that, and then at the end of the latest question I know I had heard "at the church?" After Ty calmed down enough to talk, we realized he had asked us if there were monsters waiting for him at the church. And here's Brad nodding, and saying "uh-huh"!

Oops.

No worries, though. We were able to convince Ty that there were no monsters at the church, only nice people. And thankfully, he's a forgiving soul. I guess we should start listening a little more. At least before we say something!

New Year's Eve

Thanks to Sara and Spencer (truly cheapskates after my own heart), we all got an insane deal for a Year's Passport to Six Flags Fiesta Texas here in San Antonio (the same as a one-time entry!) So we spent New Year's Eve riding fun rides and enjoying being together. And also realizing that all too soon we'll be there in the heat and humidity, not in our coats and gloves!

Ty liked meeting Taz, the Tazmanian devil.

His first time driving a car!

Addy + Ty = BFF

Yes, I went on this. It's called Scream. I did. A lot.

Here's Spencer and Brad right after the ride. They're happy and excited. I'm just trying to recover!

Our family in front of the "Tallest Tree in Texas!"

Holy Cow, Texas!

After a perfectly enjoyable evening, we came home just in time for the countdown--which in itself is a pretty funny story. We decided to watch the Downtown San Antonio one instead of Dick Clark's, since Dick was an hour ahead of us, and thus not live. After going on about how great the committee was that put the thing together, and how they went to extensive measures to make sure the clock was exactly on, we watched with excited as the elevator went up the Tower of the Americas. Only someone didn't know when to start the countdown, so this is what was said: "One...Oh...Happy New Year." It was hilarious! Maybe you just had to see it. But talk about taking all the drama out of the New Year's Moment!

So immediately after the New Year, we realized a big difference between Utah and Texas. In Utah, we would probably hear some small fireworks at a couple houses. In Texas, despite the fact that we do live within city limits, thus making it illegal, our entire neighborhood started lighting up firecrackers that are easily worthy of LaVell's Stadium of Fire. To get firecrackers of this magnitude in Utah would have taken some strategic planning and several hours in the car. Here, they were sold at the corner stand. I have no idea how much money these people spent, but it had to be a lot! We were starting to get worried for our house, as teens were irresponsibly lighting these things and they started exploding under cars, in the middle of people, and on another house! And it went on forever. We probably would have gone to bed earlier, but we had to stay up just to make sure we didn't need to hose down some spark.

I know it sounds like I'm overly dramatic about this, but we were both just so awed at how many different firecracker parties there were, and how large they were! It was just crazy.