Miss America Needs A Reality Check

Okay, so this winter I decided that the only way I was going to make it through the worst time of the year was to try to enjoy and celebrate the little things that seem to bring me joy. Bring on this year's Miss America Pageant. This year the pageant was preceded by a show called "Miss America Reality Check" on TLC where judges tried to replace old materialism that usually accompanies pageants with new materialism that we see every day on E!. It was pretty disgusting. The one highlight of this show I thought was Miss Utah. She was a soldier. Now, I don't really know what a soldier is doing in a beauty pageant (I'm sorry "scholarship" pageant), but nonetheless, she didn't change herself to impress the editor of Us Weekly or stylist to the stars who were the judges. Well, come the day of the pageant, I decided to have my mom, sisters, aunt and cousin over to watch the show. Kind of like a Super Bowl Party for girls. It was a great time (I wish I had taken pictures). I love these ladies. We watched the pageant, and to our surprise, the American public cast their votes for Miss Utah to be a finalist in the pageant. See TLC! See! America doesn't want a Miss America who is a Paris Hilton want to be. They want someone with substance. Someone who has a story to tell. Of course, she didn't make it past the swimsuit competition. Her tasteful one piece didn't stand a chance against some suits that were barely there. Anyway, it was a fun night, and I smell a tradition!

Note: If they are going to continue to insist that it is a scholarship pageant and not a beauty pageant I propose doing away with the swimsuit portion. There are a lot of unhealthy and unnatural ways to look good in a swimsuit. If they insist that being physically fit is a critical attribute for Miss America to have, I think all the contestants should participate in an athletic event. A 10k perhaps. The winner gets the most points and so forth. Now I'm just rambling so I'll stop.

If we all put our efforts together...

We can stop the snow!!! No more praying for moisture people! We have had at least 6 inches of snow on the ground ever since Christmas. It snows at least a little bit every day (and some days a lot!). I am so sick of winter. I have wanted to take down my Christmas lights ever since the 25th of December, but there has never been a day where I wouldn't be marching through about 7 inches of snow. (I don't turn them on... I'm not one of THOSE people!) My students have had inside days with no recess every day for the last two weeks. They are tired of board games and puzzles, and I am tired of them. Paul slid off the road the other day and nearly hit a stop sign. My car is so dirty from the roads and if I wash it, it will snow the next day. And finally, my cute Sabrina slipped on some ice in our driveway and hit her knee today. That was the final straw.

On another note: 22 years ago today, I was dethroned as the baby of the family when Jeff was born. I'll admit it; we had a rough start. Apparently, I was of a jealous nature when I was 4 1/2 years old. A few great Jeff memories: 1. Red Sweats 2.Hot Wheels 3. Vacationing with no one but mom and dad (it's tough to be the youngest!) 4. The day I forced him to wear jeans 5. Our trip to Mexico (this time with mom, dad, and me!) 6. His blond curls (some might call it a mullet) that mom refused to cut 7. Refusing to wear a coat even though it's 7 degrees outside 8. Boggle KING 9. Hobbs, NM 10. Always, always, always staying positive. Happy Birthday Jeff! I hope you have a good one!

The Mormons?

Award goes to the first American Fork-ite to name the unseen narrator of this hilarious clip.

Goodbye My Lover Goodbye!

Growing up, my mom always sang a song to us called "Goodbye, My Lover Goodbye" before we went to bed. Apparently, my great grandpa Alfred Ray Ellison used to sing it to all the kids. The lyrics were slightly changed sometime in the 70s by my ever progressive mom (the old version was a little less PC). I started singing it to Sabrina when she was just a baby every night, and now she sings along in her own funny accent. It is the best part of my day, and I hope that Grandpa is somewhere smiling!

What does it say about your child when the last picture you can find of her sleeping in your arms is when she was 3 weeks old?

Speaking of saying goodbye to our lovers, Paul will be flying out to DC next week for interviews. I HATE it when he leaves, but if he must, I guess he must. Wish him luck!

AH AH AH AH Choo!

Sabrina fake cries, fake laughs (mainly at my jokes), and now she fake sneezes. She thinks it is hilarious to shout, "Ah Ah Ah Choo!" She laughs and laughs then she'll point to her "mose" (her word for nose) and fake want me to wipe it. She also has a strange obsession with brushing her teeth and washing her hands and does both multiple times per day.

Blurb.com

I am copying Tara's post because I think this is a really cool idea. This website allows you to put your blog into a book complete with photos. I think this is a good idea for a family journal. It makes me want to write more meaningful things on this blog (Pres. Eyring's talk from conference comes to mind). I'm thinking that I should go back and delete the post about "The Bachelor" and the "Laker's Bathrobe." We'll suspend some of the realities of our lives for posterity's sake. Who am I kidding... for your sake too!

Back in the swing of things

We are back to school, work, and life after a great and relaxing Christmas break. I am always really critical of January and February because of how cold they are with no breaks in sight, but it almost feels nice to have routines again. Paul had his first day of school today, and you'll never guess what he's doing right now... STUDYING!

Sabrina is growing (more emotionally/socially than physically)a lot. She isn't really a baby anymore. In fact, somehow she managed to get Paul's phone the other day and call our good friend Adrian Thayn. He said the conversation went something like this.."Hi! awa baba dada ma" Click. She hung up on him. We didn't realize she had done this until Thayn called us the next day. Is it a bad sign that she isn't quite 2 and she already calls boys!? She says Hi to almost everyone we pass in the store. Then she gets embarrassed that she has done so and ducks her head and sucks her fingers. She is also a big fan of singing and dancing and already has signature moves. Gosh she's fun!

For the new year, we all made several resolutions. Sabrina's only resolution (and one of mine)... to be potty trained in 2008. I can't believe she is old enough to start thinking about this. I am thinking we'll start in the summer. Wish us luck!