Pay It Forward!!!

East Canyon Reservoir

Hello all! Since I'm in summer school (which is not fun), I am hosting a Summer Fun giveaway! I will pick a winner randomly from the comments and he/she will receive a package of all my favorite summer things! I haven't created my package yet (it will be customized based on who the winner is) but it will probably include some treats, a paperback to read at the pool/beach, and other summer necessities!

Enter the contest by answering this question: What is your favorite summer outing? The one that you must have to make summer complete? Mine is going camping- I have to go at least once every summer!

You have until Friday, July 4th at 11:59 p.m. to enter this contest. And don't forget to head over to Swistle's blog for the complete list of all the giveaways!!

Pay It Forward Giveaway Contest!!

Swistle, one of the coolest ladies I know on the internet, is hosting a huge Pay It Forward giveaway contest. She is asking for everyone interested in hosting a giveaway (big or small- you can determine the prize) to write a post about it on Monday or Tuesday and email her (swistle at gmail dot com) the link. Then she will have a giant list of giveaways that we can all enter! The fun doesn't stop there, though! Every person that wins a giveaway has to host one of their own! That's why it's called a "Pay It Forward" giveaway- because it keeps going and going!

Because I wasn't sure what a Pay It Forward Giveaway entailed, I asked Swistle. (Turns out it has very little to do with Haley Joel Osment). Here's Swistle's explanation.

So! Pay it Forward contests! They have kind of a dumb name, but it is what they are called and we are too late to vote on it. The way they work is that a blogger says he or she is having a Pay it Forward contest, and a bunch of people enter by commenting on that post (I like to give a lightweight optional question to answer; last time I asked if your skin was dry, oily, or combination). The blogger uses a random number generator (or scraps of paper in a hat) to select a random commenter, and sends that commenter a surprise box (contents completely up to the blogger) in the mail. The recipient of the surprise box must then post a Pay it Forward contest on his or her OWN blog, and choose a random commenter to win it, and send a surprise box to that commenter. Then THAT winner....and so on.

You can visit Swistle to learn more about the contest or head over to Melessa's blog, who won Swistle's last Pay It Forward package, to see a PIF example.

And be sure to check back here on Monday to enter my Pay It Forward Giveaway Contest!!

If you are a Red Utahn, you'd better vote tomorrow!!

I have been very involved in politics the past two years. So involved that I barely had a life outside of them. This year, I am not a professional campaigner. Rather, I am a concerned, civic-minded, active citizen.

In Utah, the Republican primary is tomorrow. It is also "closed", which means you must be a member of that registered party to participate. So this is for my readers that fit in that mold. (That's where I find myself for now, but I SERIOUSLY doubt I will be a registered Republican beyond tomorrow.)

So many races this year will come down to a few votes!! Your vote will really make a difference! The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you are unsure of your polling location, visit the Lt. Governor's website or for those of you in Salt Lake County the Salt Lake County Clerk's website.

The one race that I am passionate about it that for State Treasurer. The candidate I am supporting is Richard Ellis. He is honest, dependable, and has 22 years of experience- traits I value highly in an office that deals with my tax money!! He is currently the Chief Deputy Treasurer, so he understands the job well.

He is endorsed by Ed Alter, current State Treasurer, Governor Olene Walker, and Governor Norm Bangerter. He is also endorsed by Representative Gordon Snow, Majority Whip of the House of Representatives. When I was working for the Majority Caucus this past legislative session, I was very impressed by Representative Snow's integrity. He often was the voice of reason and his endorsement speaks very loudly to me of Ellis' qualifications for this office.


I hope you will all exercise your right to vote tomorrow! Please don't take this right for granted! There is nothing sadder than living in this wonderful country and NOT using every advantage we have available to us!! GO VOTE! The lines will be short tomorrow because the primary is (sadly) under attended. Even if you have little kids at home, and it is hell to pack everyone up and drag yourself there, I promise you will earn blessings in heaven or good karma or whatever you believe in if you make the effort!!

Reading, writing, 'rithmatic

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
~ Joseph Addison ~

Even though I'm back in school and it's KILLING me (I am out of school shape, apparently), I am enjoying reading A LOT again. I've found that when I read for school, it makes me want to read everything! I make time for extra curricular reading, too. So, here's some of the great books I've been enjoying already this summer.

-A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl
-Extras by Scott Westerfield
-Disgrace by JM Coetzee (this one was for school)
-Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda George


I have loved using Goodreads, as well. It's an online tool to keep track of the books you have read, are currently reading, and want to read. You can add me as a friend and we can share books and reviews with each other!

What are you reading this summer?

Accomplishing Something

I read a very moving post today over on Segullah called Accomplishing Something by Emily Watts. She writes of her mother-in-law who died thinking she never accomplished anything, despite raising 10 children, one of whom had special needs.

It got me thinking about how sometimes I get down on myself for things I haven't accomplished or that I haven't accomplished in a certain time frame. I have a terrible habit of comparing myself to others and it often makes me feel like I am not living up to my potential. And I often hear the same things from some of my friends. Whether it's school or kids or marriage or professional accomplishments, let's just give ourselves a break!

I love when Watts says, "... let’s not overlook the quiet work of the world just because some achievements seem to shine brighter."

The Underminer

Seen on Design Mom.

I'm excited!

The Dark Knight Trailer

Introducing...

... The Pink Pomegranate Floral and Design!




In my opinion, the one thing that always makes an event is the flowers. A baby shower is so much nicer with a simple bouquet. A wedding is more memorable and elegant with luscious and lovely flowers! I have been impressed with Chelsea's floral design work since before she became my sister-in-law. She has a new blog to showcase her floral business, The Pink Pomegranate, and you should all check it out! She specializes in weddings, but I have also seen her create refreshingly pretty arrangements for every occasion!

Here are a few examples of her beautiful work! Check out her blog to see more!

Loving...

...The new Coldplay single, Viva La Vida



...Mercy, by Duffy (like Amy Winehouse, but with a shower and not on crack)

I don't know how to feel about this

42 As a 1930s wife, I am Average Take the test!

Found over at K's blog

Hurray!

Found this article through FMH. Large internet providers, such as Time Warner Cable, Sprint, and Verizon, have agreed to block sites that have child pornography. This is a huge step in the war against internet pornography and sexual abuse against children!

Another one bites the dust! ;)

I'm pleased to announce that Liz has now joined the married ranks!! Congratulations, Liz and Eric!

Feeling fragile

John called me at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. I was a cabin, finishing up the last few activities for the 18 people attending Girls Camp. It was loud and chaotic and he said, "Just so you know..." then he stopped himself. "Never mind, I'll tell you when you get home."

Knowing that "Just so you know" is John-speak for, "Don't be alarmed, but I'm about to tell you something unpleasant," I made him tell me.

Early Saturday morning at 3:40 a.m., John received a phone call from his brother, Mark. Their dad, Rick, (who I just call, "Dad") was on his way to the hospital suffering from symptoms of a heart attack. My father-in-law, who knelt on one knee the night John proposed to ask me to be his daughter-in-law, had a heart attack.

He's doing really well, the doctors and nurses and EMTs have taken great care of him and he's going to be fine. I'm so grateful that he will recover, but seeing a man that I love and admire as my second father in a hospital bed has me feeling a little fragile.

I am full of gratitude that his wife, Sue, was able to recognize the symptoms and call 911. I am grateful that Sam (age 18) was home to help them both and call the siblings. I am beyond grateful that Mark and John as worthy priesthood holders could administer to their dad and give him a blessing of healing. I am amazed that these events unfolded the way they did. Rick and Sue were supposed to be on a plane to France tomorrow; I can only imagine the outcome would have been much worse if Rick's heart attack had happened on the plane or while they were traveling.

I am reminded again of how fragile and temporary this life is. I am so happy to know that our family is eternal and the ties that bind us now will bind us forever. I am thankful that Heavenly Father has spared Rick's life and allowed us to have him for a while longer.

So while I'm feeling fragile, I will cherish the tender feelings that fragility uncovers.

Food for Thought

Check out this great post over at Momocrats about when we will see another viable female presidential candidate? Definitely something to think about.

A human point of view

I came across this incredibly powerful post (via FMH) from Chandelle about the reality of living on welfare with no health insurance. I found her point of view unique because she cannot be summed up by a blanket stereotype of the "resident welfare queen" (her words, not mine.) Below is an excerpt but I encourage you to go read the whole post (it's not very long.)

Six months ago, it seemed really likely that our son had broken his leg. he fell off the play structure at school and didn't walk for three weeks. then he seemed to get better, and then he got worse. we didn't take him to a doctor. this wasn't a period when we had a tax refund laying around, which is the only time we ever have a surplus of cash. this was a period when we couldn't even say that we were living "paycheck to paycheck" because our paychecks didn't cover our needs; every month, we ran out of food, were threatened with eviction and sometimes had our utilities turned off. given a complete absence of up-front cash or credit cards, our only option was the ER. but i was well aware of what an ER visit, plus an x-ray, plus a bone scan, would have cost. it would have crippled us. we wouldn't have been able to touch such a fee for years, and in the meantime we probably would have been sued, had our wages garnished and lost our home. (we've been through this before; this wasn't just speculation.) so, we didn't take him to the doctor. does this compute? are you hearing this? our son may have broken a limb and we didn't take him to the doctor because it would have utterly crushed us financially. do you have any idea how disgusting it is to have to weigh such an issue in your mind? nothing should take priority over a child's health and yet, in this country, it's considered acceptable that we would have been evicted from our home by choosing to take our child's health as a higher priority.

TWSS - Star Wars style

Hello everyone -

I'm JohnnyT, and this is my first post here at Get Up And Play.

Quick background for this clip - I now work at a great company (hooorraayyy for the day job) and the TWSS (That's What She Said!) joke is used - ohhh - at least 30-40 times a day at the office. We (all the developers) just got back from RailsConf where there were plenty and plenty of TWSS lines. It's now to the point where half the time - nobody needs to even say it - we just look at each other and begin to chuckle.

Anyway - a link to the following video was posted in our chat room today. Most of us had our headphones on at the time, and then all proceeded to click on the link. Every one of us started laughing in bursts - like every 2 seconds - after each one of these great lines.

Hope you like it:

Be Still, My Heart

David Archuleta, one of my favorite human beings, let alone singers, volunteered his time to sing at a fireside for a group of troubled teens. He sang a beautiful arrangement of Be Still, My Soul (one of my most favorite hymns.)




Seen at David Archuleta Fan Blast.

Blogging drought

Forgive my absence from the blogosphere. A few things have kept me a little busy.

-Babies. Not my babies (fortunately? Unfortunately? Jury's still out) but those of my dear friends. Three new little ones were born in my ward this month (mommies are Jessica Brinton Alldredge, Allison Okland Varner, and Michelle Middleton Lowe), and my dear friend Al is having one next month. We threw a baby shower for her at my house and had a lot of fun. (Uncharacteristically, I took no photos.)

-Girls Camp. I am Girls Camp Leader for the 5th time and we have camp this weekend. This involves planning meals, certification requirements, crafts, service projects, packing lists, medical releases, games, spiritual themes, and so much more. I am tired just thinking about it. Luckily, Catherine and Kristy are the other camp leaders, so I'm not on my own.

-School. Blech. Summer school is the worst. It's a whole semester's worth of work squeezed into an 6-week mini semester. I have three more weeks left in this semester, then another 6-weeker after that. I'm barely keeping up with all the reading and writing. Luckily, Dana is in the class, too, and we try to keep each other going strong.

-Movies. Iron Man (A), Prince Caspian (A-), Indiana Jones (B-), and Sex and the City* (B-)

-Family. We had 4 birthdays to celebrate, Mother's Day, an Eagle court of honor, a family portrait, re-roofing a sibling's house, gardening for both moms, and some remodeling.

-So You Think You Can Dance. I love it. However, the 2 hour episodes twice a week have turned into quite a time-sucker.

I really think that May is the craziest month of the year, even crazier than December. What's been keeping you crazy busy?

*First R rated movie I have seen in 18 months. It wasn't worth it, WAY too much sex. It really ruined an otherwise great movie.

Best kiss ever

Watched the MTV movie awards tonight. Rachel McAdams + Ryan Gosling + Notebook hysteria = best kiss ever. Prepare to feel like a 13-year-old girl.