I Heart Faces~ Beach Pictures

This week at I HEART FACES it is beach week! This one was taken in Jan. 2007 in Oceanside CA. They were in the midst of a 'cold' snap. Got all the way down to 40 Degrees I think. Of course back here at home it was -10 for 10 days in a row...so we weren't complaining. We had some beautiful sunset lighting for Ethan's first visit to the Ocean.

Sweet Deal

I finally did it! I scored a sweet deal at the D.I. My sister in law is legendary in her great finds at the D.I. At first I blamed 'our D.I.' for the poor deals, then I blamed my bad luck in timing. But lo and behold, I visited 'her' D.I. last week and scored a deal.

Snow Skis in July 5 Bucks
Boots that fit 8 Bucks
Poles that will work 5 Bucks
Entire skiing set up 18 Bucks
An actual D.I. score--PRICELESS!

*Picture may contain ski tricks not attainable by said owner of D.I. skis.

Getting back on the bike...

I have proven to myself that I do NOT exercise well without a goal so join me if you like on August 29 on the Legacy Parkway. Hey 20 miles sounds like a walk in the park NOW.

13 Years and 1 Day ago...

I was sitting in the park by Mueller Jr High, (I think that's the name of the school) trying to not be 'too' uncomfortable with the ever increasing quantity of abdomen tightening otherwise known as contractions, when...the sprinklers and the fireworks started at the same moment. I along with the rest of the firework watchers leaped up grabbed our chairs and raced to the parking lot. From there it was only down hill. After a very long night and an even longer day--Miss Emily Annette graced this world at 6:50 pm on Pioneer Day--with her presence. Yep...I have a 13 year old. Yikes!

Happy Birthday Emily!

And word to the wise. When you are given pickles as a gift...look for the catch. ;)

Utah Rocks

I feel sorry for all those outside of Utah. Why? July 24th. Sure they have the day, but they don't get to celebrate it like here. How sad would July be with only one holiday in the month?



Go Pioneers, Go Fireworks, Go Utah!

Welcome to my little corner of Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photowalk!

We walked around downtown Logan Utah for two hours. Take a look at some of my favorites from today.

Due to my blog and its many limitations, my planned picture sharing today has been thwarted. So you get a short little slideshow instead. If you would like to view the pictures larger...because they really do look better bigger, Follow the link at the end of the slideshow.

Suffice it to say, the photowalk was fun, a great learning experience and exhausting...well the whole day was exhausting. Enjoy the pictures and if you are bored you can see if you can figure out what captions meet up.

Levi--our fearless leader
Some photowalkers talkin' the lingo
Summer Loganites having breakfast on the street.
The famous Bluebird Restaurant
Skylight in the Coppermill Building
Red Fire Hydrant (Bet you don't get THIS one right. ;) )
Lone tulips in the Logan Tabernacle
A portrait.
A panorama of the Logan Tabernacle.

Sports in Action

Welcome to Sierra's world of sports. It was hard choosing a submission for Sports in Action contest this week. Sierra's a tough competitor and I love the looks of concentration she gives. You can check out other submissions here: I heart faces.

Random Bloggy Things to Blog About

Ethan was out of bed...again. The conversation went something like this:

ME: "Go, get in bed."
Ethan: "I need to talk to you first"
ME: "No, go to bed."
Ethan: "No we need to say words first"
ME: "The words I said were GO TO BED."
Ethan: "Those are weird words. Mom."

What can I say...I laughed. How incredibly cute is he. Yes, yes...Full on Mommy Goggles.

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Painting update...Yes I painted. {Correction: YES I planned and coordinated and helped paint. BIG THANK YOUS to Joan, Tara & Amylinn. Couldn't have done it without you.} Yes it looks somewhat fabulous. Yes I'm lame and didn't take a before pictures and Yes I'm lame and haven't taken an after picture. Maybe you will just have to come visit. Sorry I'm lame that way. Please do not notice that you have to wade through my front entry if you want to get to my kitchen. There is a door in the back.

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So many things going on...so little written about them. Here they are in a nutshell for that infamous day when I bind the blog of mine.

Emily went to girls camp...survived (actually more than survived...thrived I'd say)...was self-proclaimed loopy and led the screaming when a spider was spotted. Herd mentality?? Maybe just staying up till 2:00 each night. :)

Tim stayed with cousins Zack & Alex {Thanks Ken & Sondra} and went to Lagoon...it was wicked. In a good way.

Mike went to scout camp...the drive home was wicked...in a bad way. The other leader's truck blew out his drive shaft on the freeway. Had to be towed.

Sierra, Savanna & Ethan had sleep overs with Peggy. They love Peggy. :) First time Ethan has stayed away from me and not been unhappy about it. {Thanks Peggy!}

Me....stayed home to paint...all by myself. First time I stayed alone in my house...ever. It is weird. And quiet. Painted (see above) Lost a 3 week old tire at 6:05 pm on July 3rd. No spare...got heckled and helped by brothers in law (Richard & Mike) & Dad. {THANK YOU!} However, had to leave the car for the night and be grateful that Sam's Club is open on Federal Holidays. Now I've paid twice as much as for the tires as I started out, but once again have a spare. Mike informs me the spare was mysteriously taken ...the cord cut and everything...at some unknown time.

Summer is nearly half over...we have not half accomplished our goals so I hope next week is better.

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And to leave you on a lighter note...more Ethan funnies.

I have to record these so I don't forget. :)


It was raining...hard...the other morning. Ethan came running into our bedroom and yelled to Mike.

'Dad! You left the rain on! Get your tools, QUICK!'
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The other day, Mike asked Ethan if he was his buddy.

His reply was, 'No, Mom's my buddy, I sleep on you.' Then he threw himself on Mike and started fake snoring. 'Konk shoo, konk shoo, konk shoo.'

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A chance to win...

This is a chance to WIN AN SLR LENS: Brand New Tamron Lens – 18-270mm or 28-300mm.

To facilitate my chance to win I'm letting you in on the way that you can win. Follow the link above to MCP Actions and enter yourself. I'm loving my new 50 mm 1.8 lens I received for my birthday, but I could always use new lens options! :) Go check out the fun.

How Lincoln Learned To Read by Daniel Wolff

I've had this book for more than my allotted 3 weeks from the library. It is one that I have enjoyed from the very beginning but have read it slow because it has made me think. I like to think. To summarize, it is an examination of 12 great Americans from Benjamin Franklin to Elvis and how they were educated. In between are interesting people like Abigail Adams (I just mentioned last post how I like her) W.E.B Du Bois, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, Helen Keller, Rachel Carson and JFK. Obviously a very varied list of individuals but all with fascinating stories. I'm not sure if the author has a specific bent on where education in America should be going forward, but a look backward tells us some very interesting things. Mainly, in all the cases he looked at, the traditional education of the time did not meet the needs of each individual. This is not to say that traditional education did not make an impact or was not of import to each person, but more (to me at least) saying that these individuals had to forge their own way through the educational maze. It makes me ponder whether Henry Ford was right like the author said in the epilogue, that "great men are born and that most people don't want to think". I personally don't think that is true, though I do believe we need more of Rachel Carson's philosophy that "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder,...he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." I have always felt that as a parent it is my duty/privilege (depending on my mood and how much sleep I've had) :) to make sure my kids received the education I feel they need. Interestingly, it is often shown in this book that some of the most important education received by these Americans was also from their mothers.

I give this book 5 stars ***** and a hearty go out and read recommendation. As I said I checked it out of the library, and must take it back before the overdue fines overtake me, but I do think I will go and buy this one anyway.

Hope your Independence Day was such...

“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

~John Adams~

*Note: John Adams wrote this in a letter to his wife Abigail after the vote in the continental congress for independence on July 2. The date, that was formalized and recognized early on in the country, as Independence day was July 4th.