Blogging blues/ life update

Recently I've been having the bloggy blues, where I want to read blogs, but just don't feel like blogging myself. I feel just kind of blah. It's not that I don't have things to write about, because I do, I just can't get into a blogging mood. Here's my list of things I should be telling you about:

-What it was like to visit Disneyland with 22 people, including 1 breastfeeding infant, 2 toddlers, three children under 8, 5 senior citizens, 4 electric scooters (Oh , the Jazzy! Oh, the Rascal!), 3 strollers, and no Johnny! A little different than my last experience there, which was on my honeymoon in the middle of January- just the two of us and we walked on every ride. (These are three of the four rascals on Rascals...)




-Sam's (John's little brother) Madrigals concert at good old East High. It made me feel old because it's been a long time since I was a senior in that high school.



-Hanging out with Allison and Steve, seeing their cute house, playing the Wii, and admiring Al's incredible baby-quilting skills. (Pop quiz- which girl in this picture is 7 months pregnant? If you guessed me, bugger off.)





-Receiving my cute swap package from Katie (loved it! It was PINK! It had CHOCOLATE!)



-The return of my favorite TV shows- The Office! 30 Rock! BONES!! (*Drool* David Boreanaz *drool*)




-Going to the Jordan River Temple with John's family and running into his mentor/favorite institute teacher ever, Brother Christensen

The Secret to Flat Abs

Via Mormon Mommy Wars

Check it out!

Hilarious Finslippy post today about the communication breakdown between parents and children. "Delicious soul, nom nom."

I'm also loving Natalie Hill's blog. She's a Mormon in Manhattan who writes about the ups and downs of dating (check out the terminology she uses), her job performing on Broadway, her stylish finds, and life in NYC.

Janet, over at Feminist Mormon Housewives, has a very thoughtful debate (Tabs on Texas) going on about the recent removal of hundreds of children from a Texas *FLDS compound.


There's also a great giveaway on the Oneity blog, go check it out!


*Just a note, the FLDS or Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the LDS or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also known as "Mormons" are entirely different organizations despite the very similar names. I have linked to some sites that may help explain the differences.

Cutest DIY project

I saw this cute DIY Silhouette project on Design*Sponge today. How fun would this be to make? (I'm thinking for Mother's Day, baby shower, or birthday present!)

David Archuleta-Angels

Another great performance from David Archuleta. I was trying to figure out why I like him so much- am I just biased because he's from Utah? I don't think that's it. I like his voice, I think he's talented, he chooses great songs, the crowd loves him... but most of all, I really think he just has that "it" factor that makes him likable. He'll be a star!

Oh my lawsie goodness sakes!

Guess who just won the Pioneer Woman's "Give That Photo a Name Contest?"

Out of 1470 entries, guess who made Ree laugh and giggle?

Guess who she chose to caption a hilarious photo of her dog, Charlie, with his eyes droopin' and tongue a-waggin'?

If you haven't guessed me by now, then you must be asleep at the keyboard! IT'S ME! Not only am I beyond thrilled and honored to have been chosen (she likes me!! And thinks I'm funny!!!!), I've been getting delightful new visitors to my blog all night! And I won a very generous prize to Amazon.com! (Hello new camera... oh, hello Nintendo Wii... oh, the things I could buy!!!)

Most of all, I feel legitimized as a blogger. I have arrived, people! I even got Mr. Computer Scientist next to me on the couch to finally get on creating me my own custom website!! Internetz, here I come!

Here's a picture of my goofy grin! (And yes, that is my bathrobe).

I *do* have friends!

I've been spending my (ample) free time meeting up with good friends. Wednesday, I visited Emily for lunch at the Capitol. She's the Speaker of the House's assistant and is one of the very few employed year-round at the House of Representatives. We ate lunch together every day while the legislature was in session and became great friends. The Capitol was a stark contrast to what I was used to- where are the dozens of lobbyist puppy-guarding the entrance to the House (their laptops perched precariously on their knees)? Where were all the green-coat wearing Sergeant-at-Arms (retired police officers who handle security for the legislature)? Where were the interns, pages, and staff? It was very quiet except for the tour of fifth-graders in the rotunda and it freaked me out! This is me and Emily the last night of the session.



Also on Wednesday, I headed over to Dana's house to hear all about her beautiful and exotic Hawaiian wedding! She and I became friends while working on the Dave Buhler campaign. She showed me some of her gorgeous wedding pictures (and these are just the snapshots!) What a great idea, I almost wish I had done it- she and Ben married in the Laie temple, had a wedding dinner at Turtle Bay resort on O'ahu with 45 family members and friends, then honeymooned on Kaua'i. What a dream! (I totally swiped this picture off of Facebook... here's Dana with her sisters and sisters-in-law).


And here we are on Election night (lookin' pretty good, I think, considering the all-nighter we had pulled.)

Yesterday, I met up with Casey (you know, from Moosh in Indy?) She and I used to form elaborate pet shows for the neighborhood animals when we were tykes and recently reconnected through blogging. She's a super funny blogger, patient law school wife, excellent mama, and quite the baker. She also thinks John and I are sickening newlyweds. She's in town for a while, so she and I took the Moosh to Ikea for some good times. It wasn't quite the same good times we had last time she was in town, but it was still fun. It's always fun to hang with Casey and the Moosh, especially when you add in some affordable Swedish design and lunch from the cafeteria! I stupidly didn't take any pictures of our girls-day-out, but here's a cute one of the Moosh and Johnny from when we saw them last at Christmas.



It's fun to catch up with friends... what have you been up to lately?

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?

Good deed of the day

I came across this touching movement in the blogging community to reach out to a blogger mommy who is expecting her 2nd baby and really going through a difficult time.

I was touched by the support she is receiving from bloggers, some of whom are complete strangers! I bought her a Target gift card, thinking that she could use it to buy groceries, diapers, or something for the baby, whatever what she needs!

I encourage you to consider if you can participate in this. I'm not rich by any means, but I decided I'd rather pinch in another place in order to be able to help. Many of you probably have gently used baby items that you could donate, too!



Lizarita here. I’ll get right to it:

My good friend Liz and her family are going through some hard times (as we ALL have) and I got to thinking…”What can I do to help???” And then I read her comments and talked to her and came up with a solution: Liz’s Virtual Baby Shower. This baby shower will function in two parts: I’ll be heading up one side of the shower and Julie will take up the other side (see: below).

Since so many of you have graciously offered to pass along your gently used baby items, I was thinking that I could administrate this effort and make sure all the items are delivered safely and soundly to the house of h.

And for those of you that know me, you know that being bossy is what I do best so this is the PERFECT job for me. Ahem.

The Details:
If you have any gently used baby items that you would like to contribute, please send me an email to lizaritablogs AT gmail DOT com and I will tell you where to send your package.

In order to get the word out to as many of the good people on the Interweb as possible, there is a little contest involved. Create a post on your blog about the collection efforts and link to this post. Please let me know via email if you are participating. And feel free to grab a little blog bling while you’re at it! Please be sure to mention this contest in your post so others can join in the fun! A winner will be chosen at random.

The prize? Liz’s baby! (Kidding). I’m not sure what the prize is yet, but I can assure you that it will be FABULOUS!

Please keep in mind that Liz is having a GIRL so even though she would appreciate those navy blue corduroy overalls with the trains and planes on the front, her daughter would look kinda funny in them, so please refrain from sending them.

Thank you in advance for your kindness.

BUT WAIT!!! That’s not all! Some of you are thinking “Liz needs to get some NEW stuff, too!” and we thought the same thing…

And this is the second part of Liz’s Virtual Baby Shower:

Hi all—Julie from the calm before the stork here, and I’m helping to host the Brand New Baby Things side of Liz’s Virtual Baby Shower for those of you that want to hook a sister up with some new things.After I read her recent post about money, or the lack thereof, I thought my awesome internet friend Liz—who so completely propped me up with her encouragement around the time of my baby boy’s birth not so long ago—could use a little mirth in advance of the birth of her daughter, Alice. So here’s my extra little somethin’ offer as co-host of this interweb-wide giftie event. Not only will you pick up some sex-ay blog bling, but you’ll be entered to win one of my mugs. If you would like to purchase a little somethin’ somethin’, please check out her Babies R Us or Target registries, and be sure to drop by my place and leave me a comment letting me know that you’re in. I’ll draw a winner at random in early May, so stay tuned!

Baby Alice is due June 13th and Liz is registered at Babies R Us under first name “Hilarities” and last name “Ensue” (registry# 86825422) and at Target as first name “Liz” and last name “Hilarities Ensue” (registry# 011003997423613).

And don’t forget to to post your blog bling (designed by the Always Fabulous, Carly)!

Funny Friday

First saw this video on Milk Breath and Margaritas. Possibly the funniest baby video I have ever seen!!

Suddenly, I'm a 13-year-old girl again...

I am a fair-weather American Idol fan to be sure, but I have never been as excited about a contestant until David Archuleta! His performance last night (which I just barely saw tonight) of Imagine was INCREDIBLE!!! I think he is the perfect American Idol- young, good-looking, wholesome, humble and SUPER DUPER TALENTED. Plus, he's a little Mormon kid from Murray, Utah, so I just have to support him!

Blogs I've Noticed...

Politics For Moms is a non-partisan, neutral, informational blog. Check out this great post about why women won't get behind Hilary.

The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks makes fun of annoying (and hilarious) grammatical errors in print. Check out this goodie.

My church now has a blog, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Newsroom. How cool is that?


Jessica McDougall injects a little bit of fashion and glamour into my day.

Twins Chelsea and Amanda married brothers, are both artists and started this incredible blog devoted to "collecting good ideas and passing them along," and they called it Two Tumbleweeds. And I know them in real life, aren't I lucky?

Thanks goes to Daring Young Mom via Boo for this great little gem.

The quest for (less) stuff

The past few days, John and I have been rearranging furniture and reorganizing our little apartment (different couch, moved the table, etc.). This means that right now we have a TON of stuff in disarray. As many of my friends know, I am messy. (I'm trying to be better every day, but most days its a losing battle). John is messy, too. To compound this problem, we are both "savers" as opposed to "purgers". We tend to hang onto stuff FOREVER. So we live in a one bedroom apartment and we have probably 4x as much stuff that could comfortably and cleanly fit into our space. Pretty much every weekend recently has been spent trying to purge. We systematically get out some of our boxes of stuff (that we store in my parent's basement- thanks, guys!) and try to eliminate it. We have trash piles, D.I. piles, Ebay piles, put away piles... it's pretty funny to see some of the stuff we have kept. Then, we run out of steam and we are left with *fewer* boxes but boxes of stuff nonetheless. This battle for a simpler, more organized life has led me to have STUFF on the brain. I came across two great posts that kind of touch on consumerism (which is a big part of it all.) C Jane from C Jane Run writes about the vortex of online shopping and the case of "I want" that it gives you. Quimby at Feminist Mormon Housewives writes about her Year of Non-Consumerism. I've also been reading some organizational blogs for ideas...

Mostly, I want to be more mindful of what I buy and bring into my home. I can feel the tide starting to turn... now that our life is in a more normal schedule (no more campaigning) we have been able to really organize and use our small space efficiently. The kitchen, bathroom and bedroom have been completely reorganized. I feel that we will be able to pare down to the essentials soon. I feel like we need to get OUR stuff together before we even think about adding a baby and all of THAT stuff to the mix.

Anyway, long post, but what are your thoughts on conquering clutter and organizing stuff? What's your biggest challenge in staying tidy? (Mine for sure is laundry and papers!)

Fashion from the Oscars

My picks for best dressed... except I didn't care for Cameron Diaz or Amy Adams- I thought they both looked unfinished and not very glamorous. I LOVED everyone else in this slideshow... and I can't choose which red dress I liked the best. What do you think?

Birthdays again!

I probably shouldn't get into this habit, because I would feel horrible if I missed someone's birthday... however, I'm just inspired to do this because my dear little Amy is so far away and the internet is the only connection we have these days!!

Tomorrow is Amy's Birthday, and I just have to give my girl a shout-out! Amy is fun to be around, for sure, but that's not the only reason I value her friendship. She is a loyal, supportive friend; she is a good example to me; she loves her family so fiercely; and she really inspires me to be a better person! I will always remember racing to the H Rock with her on any given evening to watch the sunset, getting loopy at 11:00 p.m., picking up Wendy's fries at 10 in the morning on our way to institute, and watching "the Wonder Years" in our Adolescent Psychology class. I just love this girl! Happy Birthday!!




Another b-day shout-out has to go to my little Susie! (Susie's birthday is on Monday). I LOVE this girl! I'm so lucky that she and Brent are in my ward because I get to see her all the time! She's a stalwart friend who loves me even when I'm wild and crazy! Susie has been a partner-in-crime for late night TP runs, an example of a wonderful wife and mother, and a supportive friend when I need it the most! When I was working on the campaign this fall, Susie invited me and John over for dinner a few times, just to make sure we got a home-cooked meal! She (and Brent) have been such great friends to me and John and I'll never forget some of the heartfelt talks that she and I have had late at night! Love you, Susie! (P.S.- Her baby daughter, Evelyn, may be the most perfect infant on the the face of the planet!)






Also on Monday, is the dynamic Myers duo. I love Heidi to pieces and I think it is so cute that Steve's birthday is the same day! They get to have double the fun!! I remember the good old days of frantically preparing for dances with Heidi and I'll tell you, when you're making a giant balloon arch or decorating until midnight the night before, you find out who your true friends are. Heidi was that kind of friend who stuck it out with you! Since then, she's been so kind and generous to me! I loved being at Heidi and Steve's gorgeous wedding and as I watched their slideshow, I remember thinking how perfectly matched they were! Anytime I get to see Heidi or Steve (or especially Baby Katie, whom I adore!), it is a good day! Happy Birthday, you guys!

Health care reform discussion

First, go read this incredibly articulate post by Emily Anne. Go on, I'll wait.

This is my what I posted in response on her blog. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.


The current health care system needs to borrow free market principles, such as consumer-based responsibility. We all probably did more research about the computers we are using right now than we did about the last medical procedure we underwent. If I had to carry more of the financial burden of my health care, I would research the best possible care for the best possible price. I would think twice about a test that may or not be necessary. If my insurance covers everything, then I'll want everything, regardless of whether or not I NEED it.

The cost of malpractice insurance for doctors is unreasonable and it is primarily because of merit-less lawsuits. The "ambulance chasers" need to have that cost of litigation put back on them to protect the innocent doctors AND the patients that have legitimate lawsuits.

Right now in Utah, there is a Health System Reform movement (the bill involved is HB 133) to address this problem. The solution requires everyone to take a little bit of the responsibility and cost: doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and consumers.

Today is Thursday. But Dwight thinks that it’s Friday…and that’s what I will be working on this afternoon.

Who is Your Ideal TV Boyfriend?

More on Gossip Girl. Created by BuddyTV

Found this great quiz via Jennifer at Playgroups Are No Place for Children who found it on Puntabulous. Leave me a comment or post it on your own blogs- I'm dying to know who your TV match made in heaven is!

Some of the other possible matches are Sawyer from Lost, Chuck Bartowski from Chuck (BTW, if you are not watching this show, you are missing out!), Denny from Grey's Anatomy, Peter Petrelli from Heroes, Dean Winchester from Supernatural, Dan Humphrey from Gossip Girl, Michael Scofield from Prison Break, Derek Shepherd from Grey's Anatomy, Matt Saracen from Friday Night Lights, and Gregory House from House.

For John...who is always mindful of "bat country"

Husband tag

What’s his name? John Howard Thornton (although for the first three weeks of his life he was Peter James Thornton).

How long have you been married? 2 years and almost one month

How long did you date? 3 years. We got engaged on the anniversary of when we first met.

How old is he? 29 and 11 months

Who said I love you first? John did. He wrote it in Hebrew during church, then whispered the translation in my ear. It was hard for me to pay attention after that!


Who kissed who first? He kissed me first.

Who asked out who first? He asked me to "hang out" first, but I asked him on our first official date (to my sorority's Halloween date night.)

Who proposed? John did. He totally surprised me! He took me to Snowbird, where we first met, for our third anniversary. We exchanged gifts and mine was a new digital camera! I was so surprised by such a nice gift that any thoughts of proposals flew out of my head. I opened the camera box to start examining the camera and underneath the camera was a diamond ring!! Then he got on his knee and proposed!

Who eats more? Johnny.

Who is taller? Johnny is 5'10" and I am 5'6.5".

Who is smarter? I think John is one of the most intelligent people in the world! He really is brilliant! But he always says he thinks I'm super smart, too. John excels at science, math, logic, music, and computer programming (of course). I really only have him beat in writing and other English related fields.

Who does laundry? We both do. We purchased an awesome set of LG washer and dryer and John LOVES to use them!

Who does the dishes? I load the dishwasher and John unloads (in fact, I can hear him doing it right now!)

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I sleep on the left but in our first apartment, I slept on the right.

Who pays the bills? Mostly they're on auto-pay, but I'd say I monitor and pay the miscellaneous bills more often that John does.

Who mows the lawn? John LOVES to mow the lawn!

Who cooks dinner? We both like to cook. John for sure loves experimenting!!

Who drives when you are together? It depends. Often John will drive but I will drive if I'm picking him up or dropping him off.

Who is more stubborn? We are both super stubborn. :)

Who is cleaner? We're both a little messy but John is cleaner than I am!

Who has more siblings? John has five (three brothers and two sisters) and I have two (one brother and one sister).

Who wears the pants in the family? Depends on the situation.

Whose parents do you see more often? Well, we live in my parents' mother-in-law apartment so we see my parents fairly often (probably every other day). But John's parents live three blocks away, so we see them about once a week.

Who has more friends? Again, it depends. I am more social than John is, but everyone who meets John instantly loves him! I had more friends on our wedding invitation list but he's friends with all my friends so it's hard to say.


What a fun tag! I love talking about my Johnny! Thanks for the tag, Mads! I now tag Catherine, Kerry, and Jamie.

How many of us are there?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 461 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Check this cool site out! I found it from K's blog. This site also told me that Barbara is statistically the 15th most popular name in the U.S. and John is the 2nd most popular!

Week Highlights

-Winning the Your Heart Out giveaway from the Oh Sweet Sadie boutique show!

-Visiting the Oh Sweet Sadie boutique and spending some quality sister time with Cat

-Judging the Mr. Leopard pageant at East High School. (Imagine silly teenage boys competing in a goofy beauty pageant... it was hilarious!)

-Welcoming John home from his long trip just in time for Valentine's Day

-Delivering secret valentines to widows/widowers in the neighborhood

-Meeting the families of fallen Utah soldiers as they were honored at the Capitol today. It was so touching to hear them honor their loved ones who died in the line of duty and very moving to see all the legislators wiping away tears.

My funny valentine

John spent most of last week in L.A. and is currently in New York. My jet-setting valentine is recharging his batteries, attending conferences, working and visiting old friends. I am so happy for him but of course, I wish I could go, too! He gets back on Valentine's Day- what a nice present for me!

Mitt Suspends Candidacy

Mitt Romney, GOP candidate for President (and Utah favorite), announced today that he is *suspending his campaign, "for our party and our country."

"In this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror. This is not an easy decision. I hate to lose," the former Massachusetts governor said.

"As of today, more than 4 million people have given me their vote for president, that's of course, less than Senator McCain's 4.7 million, but quite a statement nonetheless. Eleven states have given me their nod, compared to his 13. Of course, because size does matter, he's doing quite a bit better with the number of delegates he's got," Romney said.

"If this were only about me, I'd go on. But it's never been only about me. I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, in this time of war I feel I have to now stand aside for our party and for our country."

Interesting twist to the campaign, I'd say. This has been an interesting election year because there have been a lot of viable candidates along the way (John Edwards, Rudy Guiliani) that for one reason or another, couldn't muster the support they needed to be successful in a bid for the White House. I wonder if Huckabee will continue on? Considering the fact that he earned fewer delegates than Romney did, I think it's unlikely he'll stay in the race much longer.

Here's an interesting editorial written the other day talking about the possibility of a McCain/Romney ticket come November (if they can put aside their differences).



* Suspending a campaign has a different meaning depending on the party.

On the Republican side, decisions on how to allocate delegates is left to the state parties.

On the Democratic side, a candidate who "suspends" is technically still a candidate, so he or she keeps both district and statewide delegates won through primaries and caucuses. Superdelegates are always free to support any candidate at any time, whether the candidate drops out, suspends or stays in.

National party rules say that a candidate who "drops out" keeps any district-level delegates he or she has won so far but loses any statewide delegates he or she has won. (Source cnn.com)

Miss Utah 2008

Today at the Capitol, Miss Utah 2008, Sgt. Jill Stevens led the House of Representatives in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was fun to see her in person- she really is as down-to-earth as she seems on TV. She competed in the Miss America pageant and although she didn't make it past the top 16, she was "America's Choice," an award given to the most popular candidate by online voters (including me). She's really very cool- she's a nurse and has served with the National Guard in Afghanistan. She has run 12 marathons and was the only one of the top 16 Miss America candidates to wear a one piece swimsuit. I'm glad that such a well-rounded girl is our Miss Utah this year!

Prophetic Passing by Anna M. Molgard

Prophetic Passing

I imagine he’s running to Marjorie now,
Yes, running, not waving his cane.
I see him embracing his father and mother
While they keep repeating his name.

I see him now meeting his forebears,
Brother Brigham and Joseph are there.
Sweet reunion of prophets, united by service
That only such noble men share.

I see him embraced by the Savior
While Father says, “Good and well done.
So faithful in stalwart endurance, I welcome
My noble, most excellent son.”

I then hear the ripples of laughter
As he says the reception’s just fine,
But he hopes that he’ll get an assignment or two
Since there’s no need to waste any time.

I can hear his clear voice in the stillness
At the close of this sweet Sabbath day,
Have faith and move forward – there’s work to be done.
President Hinckley would want it that way.

Anna M. Molgard
January 27, 2008

Thinking about some goals

-Making an effort to actually SEE my friends (not just read their blogs). John and I have a very comfortable habit of just hanging out alone all the time (which we LOVE) but we need to be more balanced because our friendships enrich our lives, too, and we're going to miss out on those connections!

-Committing to a healthy lifestyle. Not a crash diet, but a true change of mentality to committing to healthy eating and regular exercise. (This includes my new (two days down, 363 to go) commitment to not eating sugar or desserts. It makes me sad.)

-Stepping away from my "caretaker" mode every now and then and doing something that feeds my creativity or imagination.

-Saving my money and paying off debt.

-Work on my personal study habits (reading the scriptures on my own, not just with John, preparing and pondering my lessons in advance, keeping up with the lessons in Relief Society and Sunday School).


Care to share some of your goals??

President Hinckley's cane

I read a touching, smart, insightful tribute to President Hinckley today in the Deseret News, talking about his cane. It's a great article; it draws comparisons to President Hinckley's walking stick and the staffs of biblical prophets. I recommend clicking the link and taking a moment to read this great article!

(Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News)

Jessica's Law

Today was a great day! I organized a press conference for Representative Wimmer's bill, Utah's version of Jessica's Law. The law is named for Jessica Lunsford, a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped from her home, sexually abused, then murdered. The law creates a mandatory minimum sentencing requirement of 25 years to life for the rape of child. The bill would also create a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years to life for the attempted rape of a child. Without this law, perpetrators of these heinous crimes would strike a plea deal and often be out on the street in a few years to attack children again!!

This bill passed the House today unanimously. Now it must be voted on by the Senate and signed by the Governor to become law. It is a huge stride towards protecting our state's children from such predators!

The most touching part of today's press conference was watching Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father, speak passionately in support of this bill. He detailed why it is so important, then with tears in his eyes, recounted one of his last conversations with "Jessie." He said, "We were having a contest to see who loved the other one more. She put her two fingers together and said, "I love you this much, Daddy. There's nothing between us."" He then urged parents to cherish every moment with their children.

It was a very touching moment to be a part of and I feel privileged to have met such a great crusader for children today. (If you watch the news tonight you may see the coverage of the event- all the local news stations were there.)

A new little boy!

Melanie (Hill) Baker had her little son, Nathan Bronco Baker, on January 28th at 3:07 a.m. He is eight weeks early and weighs in at 3 pounds, 8 ounces, and 16 inches long. Despite being born at 32 weeks, he is getting stronger every day. (The mothers of preemies will want more info: he is breathing on his own and beginning to tolerate larger feedings. He is jaundiced, so he is under the lights. He has a possible heart murmur and may need a blood transfusion at some point.) I'm sure Melanie will be posting more details soon on her blog, and I don't want to steal her thunder, but I wanted to share the news! Congratulations, Melanie and Riley, and my continued prayers and good thoughts for "Baby Bronco" and your family!! Love you guys!

President Hinckley

President Hinckley, our beloved prophet, passed away at 7 p.m. this evening. I am so saddened by this news and know that millions will mourn his passing. His last public appearance was at the Utah State Capitol Re-Dedication, on January 4th, 2008, where he offered the dedicatory prayer. I was blessed to be there on that day to hear our venerable prophet with my own ears and see him with my own eyes. It is a moment I will never forget and treasure always. He was prophet and president of the church for the majority of my life and I will cherish him in my heart as "my" prophet forever.

My job is so cool

Today I shook the hand of a true American Hero. George Wahlen, the last surviving recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in Utah, attended my press conference today and I had the honor of meeting him. Dozens of veterans attended the House floor debate today to hear a UNANIMOUS vote in support of a bill that will appropriate money for another veterans' nursing home in Utah. Currently, there is only one veterans' nursing home and it has a waiting list of 100 people. (The current VA nursing home was named after George Wahlen in 2004.)

TWO YEARS!!!

I can hardly believe that John and I have been married for two years! Time has just flown by! John's kindness, intelligence, sense of humor, and love are all I could ever hope for in a spouse. He always tells me, "At the end of the day, every day, I love my wife." It's his affirmation that no matter what kind of day he's had or I've had or if we're going through a hard time, that there's no where else he'd rather be. I feel the same way! Whatever obstacles life has presented to us, we have tackled them together and come out the other side stronger for it. I know we will continue to grow and learn and struggle and succeed together and I'm looking forward to it!



I love you, Johnny, and I'm so happy that I'm married to you!

It's fun to work at the Capitol!

When I came into work today, there was a cute little customized cream soda waiting for me! All of the staff members and legislators got one. It has the Capitol on it! And my name!! And it was super fun to walk around with a brown bottle all day- all the interns thought I was getting sauced at 9 in the morning...hee hee hee.

Name tag

Normally, I don't respond to "tags" (otherwise known as "meme"s in the blog world, because they're all about me) but I saw this one on Rachel and James' blog and I thought it was pretty fun. So what the heck, here I go (I will also attempt to fill it out for John, and when I don't know the answer I will feel free to make it up.)


YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: [first pet & current car]
Barb: Sheba Sentra
John: Sunflower Element
YOUR GANGSTA NAME: [fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie]-
Barb: Vanilla Gingersnap
John: Cookie Dough Sugar
YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: [first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name]
Barb: B Tho
John: J Tho
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: [favorite color, favorite animal]-
Barb: Chartreuse Penguin (??)
John: Purple Monkey
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: [middle name, city where you were born]-
Barb: Lynn Columbus
John: Howard Holladay
YOUR STAR WARS NAME: [the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first]-
Barb: Thoba
John: Thojo
SUPERHERO NAME: ["The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink]-
Barb: the Pink Crystal (light)
John: the Black Doctor (pepper)
NASCAR NAME: [the first names of your grandfathers]-
Barb: Harold Floyd
John: Loile Wayne
RISQUE NAME: [the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy]-
Barb: Delicious Starburst
John: Burberry Snickers
WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: [mother's & father's middle names]-
Barb: Jean Harold
John: Bailey Howard
TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: [your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter]-
Barb: Bleazard Boston
John: Potter Pittsberg
SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: [your favorite season/holiday, flower]-
Barb: Autumn Tulip
John: Arbor Dogwood
CARTOON NAME: [favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y"]-
Barb: Apple Cardigany
John: Peach Jeansy
HIPPY NAME: [what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree]-
Barb: Oatmeal Willow
John: Enchilada Maple
YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ["The" + your favorite hobby/craft, favorite weather element + "Tour"]-
Barb: the Photography Rain Tour
John: the Music Storm Tour