January 08 Movie

An Update on the Kiddos

I haven't written about my chillins in a while, so here is a brief catch up on each of them.

Elijah took his very first real steps on Christmas day ... and then didn't walk again for many, many days. He can take 10 or so steps in a row, but doesn't. He'll take about three and then just drop to his knees (even though he's got great balance. He just quits). So he still crawls all day long. I used to take comfort in his late walking from all the other kids his age that weren't walking yet. Unfortunately, all four of those kids now walk. No comfort for me! :) I'm not really worried, I'm just anxious for him to have more freedom. And for me to have more freedom from him. Okay, so my wanting him to walk is selfish. Can you blame me? He says lots of little words, my favorite being, "uh-oh!" He's really good at knowing exactly when to say it, too. When I hear it I always know that something is wrong!

Seara is now obsessed with the Leap Frog Alphabet Factory movie. I don't mind it either, since one of my greatest fears about having children is having to teach them how to read. This movie is really helping me out! Seara walks around the house all day singing, "the F says fffff" and "the Y says yuh" and any other letter & sound that pops into her head. Man I am a good mom! :) Seara is also learning how to share. She is actually really good about it and we haven't had a problem yet. Okay, except when she shares things that make messes. Like the other day she was eating the French Silk Chocolate pie I made, and Lije was standing at the her stool asking for some, so she scooped up a huge amount of the chocolate cream stuff, and then handed him the spoon. What a mess! (But how could I get mad, it was so sweet of her!) My favorite thing she says lately is this: "[quizzical look] What? [light bulb look] Oh, duh!" Hmmmm... I wonder who she got that from? Oh the things you don't realize you say until your kids repeat them!

Return and Report

(Click on each comic to get it enlarged.)



I'm hoping I'll be better about my New Years resolutions if I have someone to account to (ie. the entire blogosphere). So I've been at it for a month and here's how I'm doing:

1) Run six races - Okay, I can't do this until the weather is nice. My first race will be the Rex Lee Run at BYU, held in March. I really ought to start training for it, but its cold outside. I'll start later. :)

2) Stretch six minutes before bed - I've done it every night but two, which I count as a major success!

3) Read the BOM six times - Okay, I just might be as dumb as a box of rocks. When I made this goal I was in the middle of Alma right? The problem was, that I was reading the BOM in chronological order (Ether first, then the main block, and then Words of Mormon & all of Mormon/Moroni writings very last). So, I wanted to finish what I was doing. Which means that I had to finish that before I even started my new goal. (It didn't seem right to finish it and count that as a whole read.) Needless to say, I have been reading a massive amount in the BOM lately. BUT the good news is, I'm right on schedule to finish the first full read by February 29th. Phew!

4) Read six church books - Haven't even started. I'll have to get on the ball soon!

5) Go to the temple each month - We did it for January!

6) Read a book each month - I never finished our book club book, so yesterday Samuel asked how I was going to read a book this month and I freaked (I completely forgot about my goal!) So now I'm cheating and reading this 100 page, large print Newbery Medal book. Hey, its short, but its a book. I'm counting it!


ps. I need advice. My goal with the Book of Mormon was to read it twice each in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Now I'm thinking I'll read it in English in Jan/Feb and Nov/Dec, and do Spanish and Portuguese in between. So the question is, should I do Span-Port-Span-Port or do Span-Span-Port-Port? Do you think switching back and forth would help me separate the two languages, or just confuse me?

I am such a Geek!

Okay, I know this is silly, but thats how life gets when you get old. Ever since we moved into our very first apartment I have wanted a coat rack soooooo much. Well, about a month ago I found this coat rack that I fell in love with (until now I haven't liked any of the ones I've seen all that much). And, to make matters better, it was about half as expensive as any other coat rack I've seen! Still, I just couldn't convince myself to spend money on something so frivolous. But then a couple weeks ago I happened to find a coupon for 25% any item at the store the coat rack is at. And THEN on Friday I got our 2007 tax refund (probably info for another post, but I waited and anticipated for Jan 11th to come - which is the first day you can file taxes - and filed our taxes immediately, so yes, I actually have received my refund). Sooooo, I went out this last week and got the coat rack!! Here it is:


Okay, and I immediately put it in the pre-designated place and decked it out. Aren't I a geek for being so excited?! :)

Every Bit His Equal

Perhaps its because I'm a woman, but my favorite article ever about President Hinckley was actually about his wife, Marjorie. This article was printed on April 5, 2003, in the Deseret Morning News. I have a printed copy that I read at least once a year, mostly for a good laugh. :)


Marjorie Hinckley -- 'Every bit his equal'
The low-profile woman behind the high-profile man


Maybe all you need to know about Marjorie Pay Hinckley is that her favorite sound is the sound of the screen door slamming. To her, that door sounds like summer, like children playing, like family.

Times have changed, of course. She is 91, and there is no screen door and no children under foot. She and her husband — Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — live in an apartment in downtown Salt Lake City, which is a strange place to end up for two people who raised their family in what was then the country and love nothing more than working in the yard and the sunshine. They don't get out much these days, partly because of age and partly because they are virtual prisoners of his fame. So it is just the two of them at home, with frequent visits from their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is a simple, practical woman with simple wants for a good husband, a good family and a good book, and a love of God and church work. He saw her pleasantness and her basic goodness early on. (He saw Marjorie Pay for the first time more than 80 years ago when they were children attending the same ward.) As a teen she told her mother that young Gordon Hinckley was going places in life. They will celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary at the end of the month.

Recently, while standing at the pulpit together in a church area conference, President Hinckley discussed the years they had been together and began to weep.

"Has it been that bad?" asked Sister Hinckley.

Which is typical. Among the many traits she shares with her husband, humor is one of them, and it has served their marriage well over the years.

I met the Hinckleys for an interview in the Church Administration Building, which was no small feat. It is easier to contact Elvis than arrange an interview with the Hinckleys, because of his demanding schedule and because of her discomfort with interviews. As always, one of her daughters was by her side for the interview — in this case, Kathy Barnes, their oldest child. As the interview approached, President Hinckley reminded Kathy, "You're going to be there for your mother, aren't you?"

Marjorie Hinckley wears a necklace with her grandmother's ring on it.

Sister Hinckley was patient and humorous throughout the interview, but her answers were brief, with almost no elaboration. At one point, recognizing her discomfort, I jokingly asked her how she liked the interview so far.

"Well, I'm not having any fun at all," she said brightly.

When I told her she acted as if she were in a dentist's chair, she said, "I am."

"You can't wait to get out of here, can you?"

"I can't," she said. "I like you, but I can't wait." Even in her moment of discomfiture, she tried to make me feel betterby saying it wasn't personal.

As the interview progressed, I began to feel like I was Ed McMahon to their Johnny Carson. I was their straight man, setting them up for one-liners, some spontaneous, some old ones they had used previously. They are funny and playful together, and they play off one another, not to mention their interviewer.


When President Hinckley noted that he remembered Marjorie as a little girl, she mumbled to him, "I was really cute. Tell him that."

"Oh, yeah, she was a cute little girl," he said without missing a beat.

When she was reminded of the long months that her husband used to be away from home on church business, leaving her to tend their household and five children, she said, "Then he'd come home and think he was in charge."

Their feet have slowed, but not their wit. In the preface of Sister Hinckley's biography, "Glimpses," Sheri Dew recalls a meeting in which President Hinckley began to address a group of missionaries by announcing, "I am going to exercise my prerogative and call on Sister Hinckley to talk with you. This is something for which I will pay a dear price, but so be it." Never at a loss for words, Sister Hinckley stepped to the microphone and said, "I like this man a lot, but I like him sometimes a lot more than others."

In another meeting, President Hinckley again began his talk by saying, "Sister Hinckley and I have been all over the world speaking to missionaries, and I don't know anyone who does a better job at this than she does. So I think I'd like for her to speak for a few minutes." Sister Hinckley leaned into the microphone and said, "I'll tell you exactly why I'm speaking. President Hinckley hasn't decided yet what he wants to say and he's stalling."


In my brief interview with Sister Hinckley, this was my impression: Maybe she is 91 years old, stands 5-foot nothing at best, has gray hair and is as sweet as the Relief Society president's Jell-O, but she is a strong personality. She is independent, knows what she wants, and she can take care of herself. Ask her if it was difficult during her husband's long absences early in their marriage, and she says matter-of-factly, "No, I liked to be in charge." She also added, "Then he'd come home and start running things, and I'd say, 'Wait a minute; I'm in charge here."'

"She's really tough and independent," says Virginia Pearce, another of the couple's three daughters. "But it's not a selfish independence. She was always willing to make herself available to Dad."


During the 1998 Governor's Marriage Enrichment Conference, Sister Hinckley told an audience, "I am very grateful for a husband who always lets me do my own thing. ... He never insists that I do anything his way, or any way for that matter. From the very beginning he gave me space and let me fly.

"What a man!"

There were times, of course, when they had differences of opinion, and she put her foot down and prevailed. He was always, for instance, tearing up the house with remodeling projects. When it got to be too much, she would say enough and stand her ground. He'd laugh or leave the room and let it go.

General authorities of the LDS Church have been heard to say, "She is every bit his equal intellectually, spiritually and socially."

But they are different. As Virginia notes, "They have complementary qualities, which makes them a good team."

The way Virginia describes it, her father is "focused, disciplined, overloaded. And she just had this remarkable ability not to push life. It made home a refuge for him."

President Hinckley tends to be in a hurry while his wife has always taken things slower, even when she was a young woman. He walks as fast as he can go while Sister Hinckley moseys along. "Hurry up, Marge," he'll say.

"Oh, slow down," she'll say pleasantly. She doesn't get upset, but she doesn't walk faster either. Once, when she was asked what she considered to be a good birthday present, she said, "Just to be alive, to be able to put my shoes on and go."

Sister Hinckley describes life with her husband these days this way: "We just get up in the morning, put on our shoes and go to work." He goes to work every morning, at the age of 92, coming home for lunch and dinner with his wife. She has frequent visitors: her siblings, children, grandkids.

Most of her longtime friends have either died or can't get out. Ask her what she does each day, she says, "That's not a problem. I'm just busy all day." Sister Hinckley has the normal aches and pains of her age, but any discussion of them doesn't get far. A conversation with her daughters will go something like this:

Daughters: "Do your knees hurt?"

Sister Hinckley: "Well, I'm old."

Daughters: "You never say anything."

Sister Hinckley: "What good would it do?"

Marjorie Pay in 1937, the year she got married in Salt Lake Temple.

Her advice for living a long life is about what you'd expect from her: "If you're happy, you live longer than if you're unhappy." And she has always been happy and content with the world. In 1937, when a young Gordon Hinckley told her he wasn't sure they could be married because he had only $150 in the bank in those Depression-era days, she replied, "You mean I get $150 and a husband?!"

Her position in a worldwide church has changed nothing. She is still a sensible-shoes woman, ever practical. Once one of their daughters saw her getting dressed in a pleated skirt and white cotton blouse for a reception.

Her daughter protested, "The reception is in honor of Dad and you. He's probably going to wear a tux. Every woman there will have on sequins and diamonds." As she continued to dress, Sister Hinckley said, "I don't have any sequins in my closet, but this skirt is black and the blouse does have a lace collar and, besides that, if we're the guests of honor, whatever I wear will have to be right."

Acquaintances like to say that Sister Hinckley has always just tried to be herself, to which she likes to say, "I couldn't think of anyone else to be."

It has been the great surprise of her life for this simple woman to find herself married to the famous, beloved leader of the LDS Church. "How did a nice girl like me get in a mess like this?" she says frequently.

Says Kathy, "She comes from simple, hard-working stock. I don't think to this day she completely comprehends where life has taken her. She still lives her life, and he has his church job. She wouldn't be any different if he were the chorister in Sunday School."

Marjorie Pay Hinckley, with four generations of her family: clockwise from top, daughter Virginia Pearce, granddaughter Amy Bingham and great-granddaughter Hannah Bingham in December 2002. Hannah is wearing a dress that Marjorie wore as a baby; Marjorie's mother made the dress.

She grew up in a salt-of-the-earth family and lived in the Salt Lake Valley virtually her entire life. She never learned to swim or ride a bike and never went to college, which was a big regret for a woman who loves learning and books and took classes when she could manage it. One morning during the Depression years she registered for classes at the University of Utah. Later that day she learned her father had lost his job. That afternoon she took a job in downtown Salt Lake City, and that was the end of college.

And yet she has seen the world at the side of her husband, visiting more countries than she can count. Sometimes, she says, she has to pinch herself to see if this is really her wonderful life, one that she never saw coming.


She says she knew from the beginning that she would never be No. 1 in Gordon Hinckley's life — God held that position — but she took comfort in that. He went to work for the church following his mission and has worked there ever since.

While he was busy opening missions in the Orient and traveling abroad, she was taking care of the house and yard, putting the kids through their chores, driving the boys on their paper routes, picking fruit from the backyard trees. It was a job she loved. When the kids went back to school at the end of the summer, she cried. She hoarded every minute she could with them.Once, when one of her children was required to stay after school for disciplinary reasons, she marched into the school and told the teacher, "You can do anything you want with this boy all day long, but after 3 p.m. he's mine"

"I'm grateful to say our family's turned out amazingly well in my judgment," says President Hinckley, "and I give all the credit to this little lady."

Perhaps it is revealing that all five children live in the same corner of the Salt Lake Valley. Sister Hinckley no longer hears the screen door slamming, but she is surrounded by her children and their children and standing at her husband's side, and she's still putting on her shoes every morning to go to workand is thankful just for all of that.

"Well, it turned out better than I expected," she says. "It's been a good life."

The Best Night Ever

Last night was a great night! So Samuel comes walking in the door from work and I'm standing right in front of him, looking at him, right? So I start talking to him: "Hey! Good news! Dinner is late so you have just enough time to shovel the driv...." and a good way into the sentence I see this in his hands:


"What are those for?" "For you." "Why?" "Because I love you." How cute is that? And isn't just like a girl to be suspicious?! What movie is it that has that in it ... oh, Sliding Doors. The main character overhears a couple arguing because the woman is saying that the man only gets her flowers when he is hiding something, and then the main character goes home to her guy and finds him holding flowers for her. Its really funny. And I have an edited copy (the editing is necessary) if you ever want to borrow it. Anyway. So not only did I get beautiful flowers, but we had some amazing pizza thanks to my sister Cara's fantastic dough recipe (you can find it on her blog at the bottom of the left column).

(This one is half pepperoni; half red pepper, onions, and tomatoes.)


After dinner we had homemade French Silk Chocolate Pie, also thanks to Cara (that recipe is right above the pizza one). I think I must be part male, because if my tummy is happy, everything else is happy too. :)


Okay, so a fabulous night. I mean flowers, good food, how could it get better? I'll tell you how. So we're in bed, right? And I'm cuddled up behind Samuel, who promptly falls asleep. Well, I stay in that position for a while, but I couldn't sleep without rolling over. Unfortunately, when I tried to move, I couldn't get my arm and leg untangled from Sam's because he is out like a light and his body is just dead weight. So I pull and pull, and finally break free to roll over. About ten seconds later I hear Samuel reach his arm over to his desk (which is right next to the bed) and start rummaging through his pencil bag. (I must interject here that Samuel is an artist and his 'pencil bag' is like 18 inches long and could fit a number of full sized cups inside.) After about a minute of him rummaging I finally ask him,

"Sam, what are you doing?" Silence ...
"Sam ..."
"Sam! What are you doing?"

Suddenly he kinda shakes himself and mutters,

"I just woke up ..." Now he's feeling around the desk ...
"Here, I got this for you."

And he drops his watch on top of me. Um, okay. So I try to hand him his watch (which he won't take back) and I keep telling him,

"Sam, put your watch back on your desk."
"Samuel, I don't need your watch. Put it back on the desk."
"Sam, put it back."

At this point he is finally awake enough to be confused and ask me what happened. Lets just say that I laughed in bed for nearly 30 minutes. That was hilarious!!! That was the topper. Can life get better? I submit that it cannot! :)

The Strangest News Story

This is the latest and greatest of Utah news ... is that not the weirdest thing you've ever heard?!


(If the music starts up automatically, go down to the bottom of the page where the player is and pause it.)

The 411 on My Man

I got tagged by Elizabeth, so here goes ...

What is his name?
Samuel Hancock Ricks. Hancock is his mom's maiden name. They are related to Levi Ward Hancock (from the D&C) and to John Hancock (the signer of the Declaration of Independence). Actually, their direct-line ancestor is John Hancock's brother. Or so I'm told.

How long have you been together?
Almost four years, if you count from the time we started dating.

How long did you date?
Ooooh, not long. We met on May 2nd and were married on August 6th. Of the same year. And actually, our first date was on May 7th, so we dated for just under three months. If my parents hadn't known and trusted him (my dad was Samuel's mission President - although we actually just met because we were in the same ward), they would have killed me. Sam's parents couldn't say much because they too met in May and married in August!

How old is he?
He'll be 26 in March. He's only three months and a bit older than me. I know, I know, we are sooo young. But I know the truth when people say that. They don't mean that I am so young, they mean that Samuel is so young. They expect the husband to be at least a couple years older than the wife, and since I've served a mission and have two kids, I must be at least 25 or 26, so Samuel must be like 28. Au contraire.

Who eats more?
He does, except when I'm hugely pregnant. Then I beat all. But that might actually be because last time I was pregnant I was eating for three. I nursed Seara until she was 1 - which means I was 6 months pregnant with Elijah when I weaned her. When I was both nursing and big-pregnant, I ate a TON.

Who said I love you first?
Samuel did, and it freaked me out. I was not ready for any kind of commitment at that point! (We had only been dating for two weeks!!)

Who is taller?
Samuel is, but only by two inches. I had to kiss my heels goodbye when we got married. :( Oh, and for those of you who say you would never do it, thats only because you are short and married a short person. Sam is 5'11'' and I'm 5'9'' - so when I wear heals I'm 6' or taller. Thats intimidating.

Who can sing better?
Oh, Samuel, hands down. His mom has this fantastic Broadway voice (she was the lead in like every BYU or community or whatever play she ever did, and now she is a choir teacher) and his paternal Grandma was an amazing opera singer when she was young. He got the genes end of it. I don't make babies cry when I sing, so I must not be too bad. Blast! Strike that. I just remembered that I often make Seara scream when I sing. I might be worse than I realized!

Who is smarter?
Samuel, are you kidding? I have the whole logic/math smart thing going for me, and thats about it. He struggles there, but has the other fifty kinds of smart down pat.

Who does the laundry?
Me. Remember? I'm the stupid one. :) No, seriously, when we were both working and in school, we did it about evenly. But now that I stay home with the kids I need something to keep me busy.

Who pays the bills?
Okay, here is where my smarts kick in. Math and numbers. I do the money thing.

Who sleeps in the right side?
If you are looking at the bed, me. If you are in it, him. But thats just right now. We switch quite regularly depending on the location of the nearest bathroom and whether or not I'm pregnant.

Who mows the lawn?
Usually I do. Samuel is so laid back that he doesn't really care if or when it gets done. I, on the other hand, care a lot. I want it done every single week. Which means I do it. But once I mow, Samuel usually feels so bad that he'll go out and weed-wack and edge everything (which takes twice as long as mowing).

Who cooks dinner?
Me. At least most of the time. Although if Samuel comes home and I haven't cooked anything, he'll walk right into the kitchen and make dinner. But that only happens once or twice a month.

Who drives?
Samuel, unless we are reading a book. We like to read together, but I can't read in the car because I get car sick. Then I drive so he can read aloud to the both of us.

Who is more stubborn?
Outside of our marriage, most definitely me. But I don't think either of us is stubborn in the marriage. We never really butt heads, mostly because Samuel doesn't usually care about most things. So I get my way. If he does care about something, he always gets his way, since that is so rare.

Who kissed who first?
Well, he kissed me. But I told him to do it. I'm not forward enough to kiss someone first, but I am forward enough to tell them to kiss me. :)

Who asked who out first?
He did. But he insists it was because I told him that "we should really hang out some time" in a very flirty way. I think I was just being polite and I would say the same thing in the same way to any girl or guy I met that was nice.

Who proposed?
He did. On accident. Sort of. He got the ring and was so excited that he walked around with it in his backpack or pocket all day, and then he proposed when he couldn't handle it any longer.

Who has more friends?
Me. Samuel isn't all that in to the social scene, and he's not too fab with keeping contact, so I'm pretty much his only close friend. I try to make all my friends couple friends - where we hang out as couples and he likes the guy equally as much as I like the girl. I don't usually see my girl friends without Sam, although I will sometimes for a play date with kids.

Who is more sensitive?
Sensitive in what way? Samuel is more sensitive to the Spirit and more careful about what he surrounds himself with. I'm more sensitive when it comes to crying about commercials and movies. Samuel doesn't get offended, and I usually don't either. Except for the small handful of people that have crossed me in some way and now anything they do or say (or don't do or say) is liable to anger me. Poor people. Danged if they do, danged if they don't.

Who has more siblings?
Me. Hands down. I almost have twice as many as he does. I have five brothers and two sisters.

Who wears the pants?
Me. But this goes back to the stubborn issue. I wear the pants only because I am a decision-maker and I hate that dawdling-indecision phase. Samuel doesn't usually care about things, so I make a decision and we do it. Once again, if he actually does have an opinion or care, he wins. Hands down.

Lets see ... I tag Lyndi, Asialene, Cara, Lissa, and anyone else who wants to do this!

Sisters Get-Together

I served a mission in Porto, Portugal from May 2002 - November 2003. My mission had about 120-150 missionaries with 10-20 sisters at a time. The greatest part about that is that there were five of us sisters that were in the MTC together and all got to serve with each other at various times in the field. We've all stayed great friends and try to get together regularly (once a month or so). As of right now, four of us are still in Utah Valley, so this last Wednesday we all met for lunch at a little restaurant called Brazil, Brasil. (I call this face 'trying to get my kids to look at the camera and be happy'.)


Me w/ babies & belly, Lacy Collins Forston & baby boy belly, Stephanie Truesdell Campbell w/ Noah, Ian, & baby in belly, Heidi Livingstone Edwards & Mae (we are missing Ruth Donaldson Grey who lives in San Diego with Jonathan & her baby belly).

Yes, you counted correctly, four of the five of us are also pregnant right now. Lacy is due any day now; and Steph, Ruth, and I are all due within a month of each other in late June/early July!

Favorite News of 2007

I love the news. I would say that I am addicted to it. I read articles from various news papers each day - The New York Times, US News & World Report, USA Today, Newsweek, The Boston Globe, and more. And I listen to NPR (National Public Radio - like The New York Times of radio) religiously. I love Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Talk of the Nation. But I really, really love Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!. Wait, Wait is a comedic news quiz broadcast each Saturday that gives a summary of the week's news - both serious and humorous. So I thought I'd make a list of some of my favorite news stories from this last year.

First the boring stuff. I'm leaving out the political stuff (like how on earth Huckabee won the Iowa Caucus and what is going to happen with Pakistan now that Benazir Bhutto has been assasinated?!) and sticking to general world stuff.

Favorite National Geographic Stories of 2007

- Scientists announced the discovery of an extraordinarily preserved "dinosaur mummy" — a 67 million-year-old hadrosaur with much of its tissues and bones still encased in an uncollapsed envelope of skin.

- A major prehistoric village unearthed near Stonehenge likely housed the builders of the famous monument, archaeologists say, and was an important ceremonial site that included 'Cult Houses'.

- Monster-size, deep-sea squid that use their glowing arms to blind and stun their prey have been filmed in the wild for the first time off southeastern Japan, scientists say.



And now, courtesy of Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! and in honor of my little sister Lissa (who is irritated by stupid people), the top ten stupids of 2007. (Some of the stupids are the people themselves, others are the people who actually made the rule/policy/sign/etc.)

Top Ten Stupid People Stories of 2007

10 - A German man got stuck on train tracks when he obeyed his GPS system and turned left when it told him to, even though there was no street there.

9 - After complaints from residential neighborhoods near by, an amusement park in Sacramento, California has implemented a rule that visitors are no longer allowed to scream on the ride 'The Screamer'.

8 - Police had to rescue a 91 year-old German man who accidentally glued himself to his roof. While re-tarring his roof, the man took a misstep, and ended up like an upside-down beetle with his back glued to the roof.

7 - In New Jersey, idiots are now allowed to vote. The constitution, written 150 years ago, used to include a mandate stating that "No idiot ... should enjoy the right of suffrage." But rest easy, as of 2007, idiots are allowed to vote.

6 - Thailand has implemented an overnight curfew after renegade elephants began waiting on a lonely stretch of highway through a wildlife reserve and robbing the produce trucks who were forced to stop because the elephants were in the way.

5 - Confused after a night of drinking, a South Carolina man called police, who found him giving CPR to a bale of straw.

4 - German police attempting to catch a cell phone thief decided to call one of the missing numbers. When the thief answered the cop announced that the man had just won a case of free beer, and where should they bring the case? The man gave his name and address, and was promptly arrested.

3 - With the up-coming Olympics, Beijing has begun cracking down on the bad English translations on signs around the city. Here are some signs that might need correction:






2 - A woman in Canada became sick from the tainted dog food this last year after her terrier had refused to eat the food, and she spent two weeks eating some it in front of the dog to prove that the food was okay.

1 - A woman driving down a highway decided she needed to spit. Rather than rolling down her window, though, she decided to open her door. She leaned out to spit, and rolled right out of the car on to the highway. (Don't worry, she was fine. The car wasn't.)

A Weekend at the Cabin

New Years Weekend was fabulous this year!! We drove up to my parents cabin (just east of Heber in a place called Timberlakes) right after Samuel got off work on Friday, and we stayed there until Tuesday night. This is a picture of the frozen lake with some cabins in the background.

My parents and my brothers Ryan (17) and Liam (15) were there with us the whole time, and we had visits from Lissa & Severin and Davis & Asialene. We ate a ton of good food, played lots of games, and watched a few movies. Samuel and I got our first grab at the pool table, so we played against each other a few times. Neither of us is very good. Our first game I hit in all seven of my balls, plus four of Samuel's, and he still won the game (dang that 8 ball!) He won more often than I did, but I think I hit the pool balls in more often. In one shot I'd get one of mine and two of his in. Kinda defeats the purpose, don't ya think?! The kids had a marvelous time exploring a new place and playing with Grandma's fun games. This is Lije and Samuel with matching Chile hats.

We also did a lot of outdoor stuff. There are some amazing sledding hills (aka the rarely driven road that leads to and from the cabin), and if you get some speed in the beginning, you can go for a good four or five minutes without stopping. It is awesome!! It is just steep enough to get you going fast, but not so bad that I ever had to pray for my life. :) Samuel and I went sledding three times and took the kids one of the times. Elijah did okay, but he mostly laid in the sled and whined. Seara, on the other hand, had a ball. She refused to come in when we were done, she'd just get right back in the sled and tell us "again!" We also went snow shoeing with my parents and Liam (while Ryan stayed back and tended the napping kids). We hiked up to the lake, then down to the river, and had a ball doing it. Here are some pics. Notice that the person on the left changes from Samuel to Liam. I put two pictures so neither would be left out. :)

New Year's Resolutions

First I think there should be some accountability for last year's resolutions. Marjorie Pay Hinckley once told one of her kids, "I have a new project to read one chapter a day from each of the standard works. I've been on it four days and I'm only three days behind." She summed that up by saying, in essence, that it is better to try and fail, than to never try at all. I couldn't agree more. Okay, that is my preface to last year's goals. :)

2007 Goals:
- Wake up at 6am every week day.
FAIL. I did it for probably half the year, on & off, but not the whole year.
- Read the Book of Mormon for thirty minutes every day.
FAIL. I also did this for half the year, the half that I woke up early. :)
- Run a half marathon.
PASS! I was slow, but I did it!
- Get a six-pack (of abdominals, not drinks :).
FAIL. I got really close, a month of crunches would have done it, but ooops.
- Go on a real date with Samuel each month.
PASS! Its amazing how many things you can do for free or cheap if you plan!
- Go to the temple each month.
FAIL. We went every month Jan-Nov, but spaced it in December. So close!

Okay, so I was two for six. But if you count each fail as half done (and they were all that or more), then technically I was four for six. Not bad. I'm actually pleased with the results. I improved some. We'll see if we can't do better this next year.

2008 Goals:
- Run six races (5Ks & 10Ks April-September, no 1/2 because the baby is due July 4th).
- Stretch for six minutes each night before bed.
- Read the Book of Mormon six times (twice each in English, Spanish, & Portuguese).
- Read six church books.
- Go to the temple each month.
- Read a book each month (I do this in my book club, but I'm counting that).