Where do you keep your songs?

A few weeks ago when Ryan was interviewing in Seattle, Kallie climbed in bed with me one morning. Because I didn't have to get up and go anywhere, I convinced her to lay in bed with me for a while. That way, I could faux-sleep because I knew where she was and what she was doing. Once the ruse of sleeping in was over, I started singing with her. I'd had a song in my head since the night before, so I kept singing the one line that I actually knew over and over again. When Kallie asked me to sing the rest, I explained that I didn't know the rest, it was just a song in my head. At this point, Kallie looked thoughtful, then asked, "Mom, what song is in your eye?" I laughed so hard I definitely couldn't even consider sleeping anymore!

Check it out! (And a GIVEAWAY!)

You may have noticed that I moved things around a little on my sidebar. I have several friends who have great blogs and/or businesses that deserve some attention. Especially with the holidays approaching, these sites are well worth checking out! Click on the pic to go to the site.

Also, my friend, Jess, who hosts the "Tips and Tricks" blog is currently having a giveaway! This is a newer blog, and I already love it. She has great ideas on there--you'll want to add her to your blogroll. AND--there are a LOT of great prizes with this giveaway, so head on over and check out what she's got to offer! (P.S. Also, when you leave your comment for the giveaway, let Jess know you found her blog through me!)

Red Herrings

Along with almost everyone else in the U.S., (actually, probably everyone in developed countries around the world), I am sick of the political frenzy we've been hearing, seeing, eating, and sleeping for the past several months. It really seems that the closer the election gets, the more frantic anything surrounding the elections becomes. And the more I turn off the T.V., toss the newspaper without even a glance, and put my fingers in my ears and sing when I hear anything political coming. If you are like me in this respect, then I suggest skipping this post...scroll down a few and enjoy something else. However, if you want to hear what I have to say, then keep reading.

This election year, more than any other, I feel that we've seen countless "red herrings" tossed into the political arena. For those who may not remember 9th grade English, according to Wikipedia, "a red herring is a narrative element intended to distract the reader from a more important event in the plot." Meaning that there are many media-focused issues which, in my opinion, are completely non-issues. Red herrings include topics such as how much a candidates clothing cost and where the clothes came from, previous voting records, lack of experience, and too much experience. Race, gender, and even various environmental, fiscal, and tax policies are also red herrings in my opinion. I realize many people won't agree with me on this idea, but that's the beauty of being able to state your own opinion on your own blog.

The election comes down to only two issues for me this year. First of all, I know that one particular candidate supports partial-birth abortion. This stance is in direct conflict with the doctrine of the LDS Church, which doctrine I fully support and know to be true. I cannot support a candidate whose views about the sanctity of life are so opposite what my core beliefs are. Along these same lines, this same candidate is also in favor of same-sex marriage. Never in the history of the LDS Church have the leaders come out so strongly opposed to any issue on the ballot. The LDS Church throughout my life has consistently stated their political neutrality and encourages members of their church to both be informed and participate in the political process. Because of their historical neutrality, taking a firm stand on the issue of same-sex marriage is a major deal. This is the second reason I cannot vote for this particular candidate--once again, it is completely against my core beliefs.

These two issues often seem to be buried under all the red herrings being tossed around--and to me, these are the most important issues because they are directly doctrinally based. Granted, the other issues can, in some cases, be linked to the religious doctrines I espouse. However, no other issues are so black and white when you connect the stated doctrine with the professed policies.

Goin' on a Trip

Well, I have a ton of things to blog about after the weekend. (Our Primary Program being one of them...) But--it's going to have to wait. For some reason, my house suddenly looks caked in dirt. Hmm...maybe it's time to scrub the toilet and mop the floor? That, too, has had to wait today.

I have spent the past few precious, quiet, naptime hours on the phone arranging babysitting, discussing flights, and inquiring about housing. First of all, I found a home that I LOVE in the pics. After speaking with the landlord, it appears the home will still be available when we're able to make our house-hunting trip. I am within inches of snatching it up, sight-unseen, but really feel I need to see it to seal (or unseal, for that matter), the deal. Secondly--you read that right! We're going on a house hunting trip--just Ryan and me--in a little less than 3 weeks! My wonderful mom and dad have agreed to watch the kids for a weekend while Ryan and I head up to Seattle. I don't know what I'm more excited about--finding a house or having a weekend without the kids...

Meanwhile, the kids are starting to stir and my house is still covered in dirt. At least cleaning the stove was crossed of the list this morning! I'd better go try to see what I can do with the rest of this place!

It's a Done Deal!

This morning, Ryan let me know that he had officially accepted the job offer we've been mulling over all week. For those of you who are wondering, we will be moving to Seattle, WA in mid- December (just after finals) and Ryan will start working for Microsoft in January. This all still seems so surreal. This is the point we've been working toward for the past few years and it's hard to imagine that it really is almost over and we really ARE moving on to the post-college phase of life.

I mentioned in my last update that we planned to wait for Ryan to interview with another company in a couple of weeks. Of course, that's not going to happen now. This week, as we have discussed this offer, it has really felt like waiting to interview with someone else was just going to prolong the inevitable. Now, we're looking forward to what the future holds!

Central Park Program - FREE!!

I'm going post-crazy lately! If you haven't checked out the newest ones, scroll down a little and see what you're missing. :)

I wanted to get the word out about the "Central Park" program, which is kind of like preschool for young kids (age 2 or so) on the computer. My brother-in-law has participated in the development of this project and is trying to get the word out for people to try it out starting in January. As I mentioned in the title, this on-line program is completely free and the Waterford Institute will give you six months free for participating in this testing phase.

Just as a personal note on this...Kallie has been using a similar product from the Waterford Institute for the past year and a half, (starting at age 2). She has learned to use a computer mouse, navigate from screen to screen, and has been learning skills like counting, sorting, writing, etc. Kallie BEGS to use this program all the time! It's definitely worth trying out this new product!

Check out the flier below and then head to http://www.waterford.org/ to sign up!

A New Addition

Well, I suppose it's time I made the announcement, since we've known for a while now...we're getting a sister-in-law! My brother, Jesse, recently got engaged to his girlfriend, Kendra! They've only been engaged for about a week, but we've all suspected it was coming for some time longer than that. Jesse and Kendra dated long-distance (Utah-Arizona) after his mission and before hers. Jesse moved down to AZ soon after Kendra left and they kept in contact over the course of the last year and a half. Kendra came home a month ago, and by that point, we all pretty much figured it was going to happen. When they picked right up where they'd left off, it was inevitable! Congrats to the happy couple! :)

Aren't they cute?

10/20/30

Many of you know that I celebrated my 30th birthday this week. I love that I turned 30 on 10/20! I have always loved the even number aspect of my birthday, but tacking the 30 on this year completed the equation.

Many people have asked me how I feel about being 30. To be quite honest, I feel that my current age is a badge of honor. (26 was difficult because I was closer to 30 than to 20...after that, everything else has been cake!) I look back over the past 30 years and see that I have accomplished everything I set out to do, plus some. And, I can't help but think that these 30 years of ups and downs, ins and outs, have brought me to this place. I hope you'll forgive me for indulging (dare I say bragging) for a moment about the things I've accomplished thus far in my life. Hey--it's my birthday AND my blog...I can say what I want, right?

I graduated from high school. This wasn't a major accomplishment--really more of a given--but it was a springboard for other opportunities.

I graduated from BYU. This, to me, was a major accomplishment. With all that goes into a college experience, (much more than book learning), I DID IT!! I graduated with a degree in Family Science and a minor in Management.

I served a mission to the Baltic States. This was the one unplanned goal that I was blessed to accomplish in my life. Looking back now, and even while I was going through all the experiences a mission encompasses, I felt that my mission was more of a blessing than a trial. Sure there were tough times, but those were definitely my bonus years. The amazing thing is that the Lord is still blessing me, I feel, because I chose to accept the blessing of a mission call. I'm still trying to figure out how that works...

I got married in the temple to the most amazing man I have ever known. Really the only accomplishment here was convincing Ryan that I was good enough for him to choose me! I honestly don't know how I got so lucky! (Maybe it was hours of tracting in the snow?) While it happened later than I expected, I am certainly incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful person choose to marry me. This one just keeps getting better and better!

I have had two darling daughters. This accomplishment has probably been the most challenging, yet most fulfilling opportunity of the past 30 years. Some days, I still can't believe I'm a mother--and I can't believe these two darling girls are mine.

There are so many more things I could type here--but the things I have listed are what I feel are the most important accomplishments. I'm happy to be 30 and I'm happy to have the amazing life experiences to prove it!

The Secret Life of Bees

This is one of my favorite books--so, of course, I HAD to see the movie. I'd been telling my friends about it for a couple of weeks now and was actually planning to see if I could get some people to go see it with me this weekend. Turns out I didn't have to wait that long! My visiting teacher, Cary, organized a Girls' Night Out tonight in honor of my 30th birthday, (which was Monday). It was going to be a surprise party, but she had to change the time at the last minute, so she filled me in earlier today. I was still really surprised and SO excited! We met for cake and then went to see the movie.

Some book-inspired movies are a total let-down--this movie was NOT one of those. Granted, it's been a while since I read the book, but everything I remembered from the book was in the movie. And, while a few details were left out, I don't think they changed the general feel of the movie from what the book originally intended. I really loved the movie! Even knowing what was going to happen, I still managed to get choked up at points. (I wasn't the only one--there were sniffles all around the theater.) It is such a poignant story and I feel it was FABULOUSLY portrayed! If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, I highly recommend doing both.

The Offer

Well, Ryan received an offer on Monday. At first, we were a little surprised because it came in a bit lower than we thought. It's always so hard to know what is a good offer because salary is generally a topic people tend to avoid. We have a couple of weeks to let them know--which is good because Ryan has another on-site interview approaching in two weeks. We're planning to see how that one goes, and then evaluate our options at that point. If we do end up accepting this offer, it's possible that we will be moving as soon as the middle of December! The company has an amazing relocation package, so we wouldn't have the stress of doing everything ourselves during the holidays. But--it could possibly be a lot sooner than I originally anticipated!