I love to dance *sigh*

I am happy to report that I am feeling much better (I am so thankful for Sir Alexander Fleming who discovered antibiotics...bless him.) I felt well enough to attend my new Monday night activity. Tonight, my awesome sister-in-law, Chelsea, and I attended our first tap dancing class. I wore my black leggings and my off-the-shoulder sweatshirt (because that's what dancers wear, you know.) We had so much fun doing combos across the floor! In eight weeks, we're going to be pros! We are totally Lynn and Janey! If you don't know what I am talking about, you have to watch the clip.

Sick... just let me die...

Despite some TLC from Johnny, drinking gallons of water, swallowing handfuls of pills and vitamins, I am still sick. Yucky. I have the worst sore throat, swollen glands, headache, body aches... why am I up writing this? I'm going back to bed. Achoo! I just sneezed on my keyboard...ew. I called the doctor and told them I think I'm dying of mumps and cow pox and the plague and maybe I need a strep test. That was at 9 a.m. and the first time they could squeeze me in was at 6:15 p.m. I hate this health care system. I killed time between doses of Chloraseptic throat spray and Advil by watching back to back reruns of Charmed. Man, Shannen Doherty was a b***h! And Alyssa Milano dresses pretty slutty. I love it! I also love Angie Harmon's smoky, sexy voice on Law and Order. *Groan* I'm dragging myself back to my (boring) bed again.

*Edited to add: I went to the doctor and I have strep. He gave me antibiotics and recommended popsicles and margaritas. Mostly margaritas. I wish.*

When does life begin?

Cjane, one of my favorite bloggers, wrote a post today about when life begins on the Segullah blog, called "The Hourglass Theory". I am not intending to start a firestorm about this issue, but rather to encourage the kind of study and contemplation that CJane shows. I think her experience of wanting to know and understand for herself when life begins is a very good example of how I want to live my life. Here is an excerpt:

Finally, I knew of no other way to satisfy Lucy’s grief and my confusion then to ask my Heavenly Father why?

Why were we supposed to see her baby alive only hours before she lost it?

I wasn’t given an answer, but another question. The same question every mother has ever asked since the beginning of this earth.

When does life begin?

My sister-in-law, Kerry, also wrote on this issue, and won Segullah's Heather Campbell Essay Contest in 2005. Her essay, When Life Begins, is also very touching and thoughtful. She shares her experience with in vitro fertilization and the inevitable loss associated with it.

When does life become life and when can you call the loss of it death?

There are many issues in this world (including this one) that I struggle to fully understand. What I was impressed with today by reading (and re-reading) these poignant stories is that it is possible to gain that understanding. To reconcile what my heart and my head and the world and my church all tell me. I can have a personal witness to help me through these incredibly complex problems that life presents us with. I am also reassured that having faith and having questions are not mutually exclusive.

I welcome your comments on this, however, considering how tender some hearts might be about this issue, please be respectful.

David Archuleta- Heaven

I didn't love David Archuleta's performance tonight (although, I'm a faithful fan and voted for him anyway), so I posted this incredible performance from Hollywood week instead. (Check out the backup singer wiping away her tears... priceless).

Can you guess what I'm excited about?

I am so excited for a new season and to be warm and to see the sun!! There were actually robins hopping around in my yard today. Incredible! (Make your own words here. Thanks to the Nester for the fun idea.)

John is 30!

First- Thanks so much for all of your comments on yesterday's post. We are so lucky to have you in our lives!

Now- Happy Birthday, John! I schemed about taking John away on a romantic trip just the two of us... but he couldn't miss work. I contemplated throwing him a surprise party with all of his friends from all his past lives... but realized I'm much more of a party person than he is. I finally broke down and asked him what he wanted to do for his big birthday and he said simply, "I just want to be with you." At first I resisted his simple request, worrying that if I didn't do something big for his 30th that we would look back and regret missing the opportunity. But then I came to my senses and realized how sweet of a request that is! All he wanted for his birthday was to hang out with his wife. Could he be any more darling? Impossible! So we spent the whole day together and it was perfect.

Growing Pains

Tomorrow is John's 30th birthday. We have so much to celebrate- sure, it's a landmark year, but more than that, I want to recognize John's incredible growth as a person and all that we've overcome since his 29th birthday.

This year John and I have struggled through some pretty huge challenges. The life of an entrepreneur is difficult and stressful. Business partners leave, clients don't pay, and every little task falls to you. That stress, plus the natural ebbs and flows of clinical depression, have led to the worst depression that John has ever experienced. So many people suffer from depression, many of my dear friends and family members, and I am lucky to not have that particular trial in my life. However, being the spouse of someone with depression is a uniquely painful challenge. To see your most cherished friend and partner in so much pain and not be able to fix it is incredibly hard. It's also difficult to find the right balance with everything- How much do I sympathize and empathize and make allowances? How much do I encourage and push? The line between what is helpful and what is hurtful is very, very thin.

I do feel blessed that the social stigma about mental illness is lessening every day. It is REAL and it is serious. But it's still hard for me to admit our struggles publicly sometimes. Why should I be reluctant to talk about it? If my husband had cancer, would I be so reticent to reach out to friends and family for support? It's an ongoing battle in my head- the desire to "save face" and the desire to share openly are dueling. (Sharing openly is winning recently...)

I am so happy to say that he is doing much better now (after lifestyle, business, and medication changes). I feel like Spring is arriving in Utah and in our life simultaneously. We are so blessed and we feel supported by our family and friends and can say we have truly seen the Lord's hand in our lives. After a lot of prayer and contemplation, we decided to move on from Comma Development as a full-time business and for Johnny to seek a new job. Luckily, he's found a company that is just like what he wanted his own company to become- a fun environment of talented individuals working on interesting projects. It's called Code>Greene. We feel so lucky to be associated with them. John and Richard (our incredibly patient and wonderful business partner and brother-in-law) will continue to keep Comma Development as side business.

I'm looking forward to a new year, a new decade of life for us and especially for John.

Inside the Spider-Man mosh pit

A little video from Sam's Spider-Man birthday. I ventured inside the bounce house to get an interview with the birthday boy. It was a little crazy in there (especially since the kids had spent the last twenty minutes tackling Richard.)

Suggestions for John McCain's running mate

Hilarious ideas from Capitol Punishment on who should complete the GOP ticket. I've picked my favorite out of the list of 50.


-WARREN BUFFET: World’s richest man can’t hurt, in case the campaign needs a loan. Or the country.
-JAMES EARL JONES: The most trusted voice in show business.
-DAN QUAYLE: Knows the drill.
-ED MCMAHON: Knows the drill AND he knows the intro, “Here’s Joohhhnyyyyyy!”
-RONALD REAGAN: Quit pussyfooting around. It’s what the base wants. Who cares if he’s dead? How much less animated is that from second term?
-KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON: Takes “woman” thing out of play.
-CINDY MCCAIN: Takes “woman” thing out of play, and keeps it in the family.
-COLIN POWELL: Takes “black” thing out of play.
-CONDOLEEZZA RICE: Takes “woman and black” things out of play.
-JOAN RIVERS: Takes “old” thing out of play. “Woman” thing still in play.
-ANDY ROONEY: Really takes “old” thing out of play. No, really.
-ALAN GREENSPAN: Wasn’t everything a whole lot better when he was in charge? And takes “old” thing out of play.
-MARY CHENEY: Takes “lesbian” and “unwed mother” things out of play.
-DICK CHENEY: What the hell? Something to be said for continuity.
-REGIS PHILBIN: A touch of Hollywood. Old Hollywood, but Hollywood nonetheless.
-MIKE HUCKABEE: Plays popular former “Governor of Arkansas” card.
-RUDI GIULIANI: Sop to huge pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro-gun control wing of the GOP. Not to mention NEW YORK.
-HILLARY CLINTON: Wants it so bad, she’d cross the aisle for death-watch slot.
-MICHAEL BLOOMBERG: Independents? You want independents? We got your independents right here.
-MIA HAMM: Soccer Moms? You want soccer moms? We got your soccer moms right here.
-DALE EARNHARDT JR.: NASCAR dads? You want NASCAR dads? We got your NASCAR dads right here.
-RON PAUL: Two words—Texas, Dammit.
-CHUCK NORRIS: Locks down Huckabee contingent and firms up “Total Kick Ass” Presidential ticket.
-MITT ROMNEY: Just to exploit the incredible chemistry between the two.
-BRETT FAVRE: Terrific name recognition. Needs a job. Sews up Wisconsin and Mississippi.
-KEIFER SUTHERLAND: What right winger doesn’t love Jack Bauer? Torture question becomes moot.
-WILLIE NELSON: Do you have any idea of what percentage of this country smokes pot?
-SNOOP DOGG: Puts the sha-sizzle back in the campaign-izzle.
-STEPHEN HAWKING: Not American born. But who would quibble with smartest man in the world?
-KARL ROVE: Assassination insurance.
-DONALD RUMSFELD: See Karl Rove.
-NEWT GINGRICH: See Karl Rove.
-JACK KEVORKIAN: Looking to enter politics and makes top of the ticket lovable and youthful and animated. Also, see Karl Rove.

David Archuleta's Comeback!

I was seriously worried about my boy, David, after last week's performance where he totally mangled and forgot the words! But, when I tried to vote for him, his line was always busy (that's usually a good sign!) And sure enough, the next night, he wasn't even in the bottom three, despite having the weakest performance of the night.

Well, tonight, he totally redeemed himself! I will be very surprised if he doesn't win! As a reporter for Entertainment Weekly wrote, it is just "inevitable!"

Sam is 4!!

This is a slideshow of my only nephew, Sam, and some of the darling pictures of him from the last 4 years of his life. He has truly been a joy and I love him so much!

Here are some other memorable quotes from Sam.

-While climbing on the Salt Lake Temple, I said, "Sam, that's the temple." And he corrected me, saying, "No, it's a tower!" (age 3)

-One day he was growling and saying, "Rawrr!" while drinking a juice box. Steve (Daddy) asked him to stop growling by saying, "No more roars, Sam." Sam, looking confused, shook his juice box proving that there was in fact still juice left in it and said, "Yes, roars." (age 2)

-I asked him if he wanted me to read him a story and he politely replied, "I'm watching SpongeBob, actually." (age 4)

-When Sam was just learning to talk, he overemphasized his 'R's, so when playing Harry Potter, he would say, "Hrry Pttrr's stuck in a trrrree!" (Translation, Harry Potter's stuck in a tree!)

-Sam used to say, "Um, uh-huh!" or "Um, yeah!" instead of just "Yes."

Funny Friday

Check out this hilarious post by new bloggers, Megan and Tyler, about one of the downsides of HDTV- seeing ugly NBA players up close.

A few friends of mine started a new blog called Complaints from the Cubicle. You can submit your complaints, too! Here's one of my favorites.

If I write you an email explaining, in detail, a complex issue that I have a question on I expect a longer response then the word:

"Yes"

Remember when my friend, Christian Pulfer, won $25,000 in the Turbo Tax Rap contest? Well, here he is with a reply to some of sore loser runners-up.

Chank from Rascal Flatts

The best part of the Rascal Flatts concert was the fiddle solo! The video I took was from the nosebleed seats, so this is from YouTube. It is just a short clip so show how truly talented and amazing this guy is!

My crazy week

Well, I feel like I'm finally coming up for air. :)

The legislature adjourned Wednesday, March 5th at midnight. So Wednesday was a very long work day for me (it was also my last day of work). It began with one of the Legislative interns proposing to his girlfriend on the House floor. I helped coordinate the media for that (including this story on ABC4) and take pictures of the very touching proposal. Then the rest of the day was spent coordinating last minute press questions, running what turned out to be a very heated press conference, and writing the accomplishments of the session in a press release.

Emily, the Speaker's assistant, and my new BFF, was in charge of a last night party which included "roasting" the Majority and Minority leadership playfully. It was a lot of work and I helped write the jokes and think of funny stuff to give the legislators. The funniest thing give that night was from the Democrats, who are the minority in Utah. They poked fun at the fuss over Mitt Romney dropping out of the presidential race by gifting everyone with "What Would Mitt Do?" buttons.

We finally went home that night around 2 a.m. The next morning, I reported for babysitting duty at 7:30 a.m. to tend the W's for 4 days. They have 4 adorable and well-behaved children (ages: 7, 6, 4, and 11 months) but 4 days with 4 kids is still pretty tiring!

I also squeezed some fun nights out which Johnny took full responsibility for all 4 kids so that I could get away. I went to my darling friend, Dana's bridal shower at the most incredible historic mansion in the Avenues right across the street from my elementary school, Lowell. It was so fun to be in this house I'd always imagined about and super fun to be with Dana and all her fun girlfriends. Then Friday night, Catherine and I went to the Rascal Flatts concert! It was amazing!! So much fun! They are so talented, of course, but we were blown away by their fiddler! INCREDIBLE!

So I've had an action packed week, and I'm just now getting my life back together. I have some time on my hands now that my job is over so I'm looking forward to getting my house clean, cooking dinner more often, and getting ready for summer school.

I cannot for the life of me find my camera's mini-USB cord, so hopefully I will soon, so I can download the MONTH's worth of pictures, soon!

Blogging baby names

Check out Swistle answering my question about name incompatibility on her new blog, Swistle: Baby Names.

I'd love to hear how you chose the names of your children, what inspired your name or other name-related topics. I'm obsessed with names and their meanings.

I was the first girl in my family and my mother named me after her twin sister, Barbara. My middle name, Lynn, is my mom's other sister's middle name.

While we are on the subject, have you seen the Baby Name Wizard?? They have this tool called the Name Voyager that is so cool (and Johnny says the programming technology behind it is really cutting edge.) It will tell you how popular a name has been through the past 100 years. Love it.

Amazing swimming baby!

I can hardly believe this! It disturbed me a little, but what I found more disturbing was thinking about a baby that DIDN'T know this! What do you mommies out there think? Would you sign your baby up for this class?