California Raines

7 months

2011-11-19T20:01:00.001-08:00

We'll be putting his swing away soon........

Ryan is such a happy, opinionated little boy. He is generally really easy going but when he wants something he lets you know.

5 teeth - 3 on bottom & 2 on top
trying to crawl
can move/scrim all around the floor
great a sitting up - can't pull self up yet
loves his peas and carrots, tolerates green beans, disgusted by avocado (we'll try again later), trying butternut squash next!!
loves faces and people
great at pulling hair and is starting to bite

1st Pumpkin

2011-11-19T19:49:00.001-08:00

We went pumpkin looking on Halloween. Good thing we only wanted a little one!!

Allen found out that morning that he had his third business trip in 3 weeks and had to be at the airport by noon the next day. He worked late on Halloween Night to finish his presentation for the next day.

I put our candy bowl on the porch and let kids choose what they wanted until Allen got home. It was too hard to keep getting up while putting Ryan to bed. Unfortunately, Allen got home home after Ryan went to bed, so Allen held him for about 20 minutes while Ryan slept. Allen asked, "Does Ryan know I;m holding him?". Allen was so glad he got his Ryan fix prior to not seeing him for a couple of days.

Next year will be our first trick or treating experience.

Making the food

2011-11-19T19:12:00.001-08:00

Ryan has been such a great eater. I've been making his food from frozen vegetables and it has been so easy. I've made peas, peas with carrots and green beans so far.

Yummy peas!!

I bought these containers specifically for baby food, there top won't come off in your bag.

I now use a hand blender which makes it one smaller thing to clean.

I love having ice cubes of food to defrost later as needed.

Defrosting the cubes is so easy. It only takes 30 - 60 seconds to defrost in the microwave.

We now have a high chair. My sister recommended getting one that reclines and we love it.

Great Grandma Chambers

2011-11-19T14:54:00.001-08:00

My grandma loves playing and talking to Ryan. I love this picture of them looking at each other.

Halloween Party

2011-11-19T14:16:00.001-08:00

My sister has an annual Halloween Party that is so much fun. She even gets her neighbors involved by giving them treats to handout to the kids so they can go trick or treating.

some pre-party pictures

California Cousins

Ryan was exhausted from all the excitement and took a little nap upstairs before we left.

6 month stats

2011-11-19T13:52:00.001-08:00

He's already 7 1/2 months old but thought I would post.

Head - can't remember or find the exact size 67%
Weight - 16 lbs 7.7 oz 30%
Length - 28.25 in 95%

Slumber Party

2011-11-19T13:30:00.001-08:00

My oldest niece was able to spend the night again and loved it!! She is such a trooper, she fell at school a week in a half prior to spending the night. Her dark circles were a huge improvement from the two black eyes she was sporting. She went to church with us and was so glad that none of the primary children asked about her eyes.

She brought the robe from her Build a Bear for Ryan to wear before he got a bath.

playing together

reading together

teaching ryan how to use the itouch

so sweet!!

Aunt Lisa

We love you Emily and can't wait for you to spend the night again!!

Dodger Game

2011-11-19T13:22:00.001-08:00

Ryan is such an easy going baby. We take advantage of only having one child and we still go to a lot of the same places we did prior to him, just not as often. Our first and only game of the season.

I love his different faces and so I posted them all!!

Buddies

2011-11-19T13:19:00.001-08:00

Drew and Ryan's first car ride together, going to the beach of course. Love these boys!!

Taken Sept 7, 2011

Ronald Reagan Library

2011-11-19T13:04:00.001-08:00

I'm really late and slow updating my blog. I love reading everyone else's blog first then I never update mine.

A special NASCAR exhibit made my husband even happier!!

I loved visiting Berlin in 2009 and a little bit of the wall here in Simi.

A room without a view....

2011-10-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

Ryan's view in the morning while I get ready (picture taken Aug 10th, 5 months old).

Our little guy is now 6 months old.....so much has changed. He still sleeps great at night and will sleep in with me in the morning. He loves people and interacting with everyone, while keeping eyes on mom or dad. He continues to drool like crazy, which his older cousins tolerate even though they think it is gross. He loves being held during his daytime naps, if I hold him he'll sleep for 1-2 hours otherwise it's a quick 20 minutes or 20 second nap. He loves being in the car and sleeping in the car. He makes sounds and noises, including a whine that he has perfected when he wants more attention or needs something.

He'll get his shots and measurement taken on Friday.

Apple Butter

2011-09-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

My Aunt shared with me a crock pot recipe for Apple Butter. We love it!! I may need to purchase an apple peeler and corer. I'm thinking about the one from Williams - Sonoma, any suggestions?

5.5 c of apple, cored and peeled
4 c sugar
2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt

cook one hour on high then 9-11 hours on low

pour mixture in the blender to puree

cook 1 hour with lid off to firm up

pour into containers and enjoy!!

5 months or 22 weeks

2011-09-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

Ryan has grown and changed so much!!

still loves sucking his hands
great at sucking his thumb (unfortunately), really likes to stick his aden and anais blanket on his thumb then put it in his mouth for better sucking
making lots of noises and sounds, especially in the afternoon and evening
still is a great sleeper, usually 11-12 hours with no wake-ups & is still great at coming to bed with me, in the morning, when I need some extra sleep
love it while nursing he pauses to smile at me then continues nursing
likes to kick, his crib bumpers, his play mat bars, even your legs if you sit on the floor next to him
still loves sleeping on his side and moves around in his crib a lot
laughs and smiles a lot
loves holding our fingers
we love our regular beach trips with Drew and Eva!!

Arizona

2011-09-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

We went to AZ to visit with Allen's family and I got to see some friends too!!! We met Christin for lunch and we had a blast catching up. It's been a long time since the two of us have been able to chat.

We then visited Becky in the hospital after giving birth the day before to 5 lbs 11 oz Deborah Nicole. Deborah was so precious and tiny.

We had to visit bahama bucks, my favorite shave ice outside of Hawaii!! (I should of taken a picture.)

We stayed with Allen's parents (who flew in from Houston) in a two bedroom/bath condo in Scottsdale. We walked around Old Town Scottsdale, not recommended in 110 degree weather. Allen's grandparents came over and met Ryan.

Allen, Ryan and I went swimming in the evening. It was great going swimming in the evening and the water was a warm bath tub and getting out it was still a warm 90 degrees, no getting cold in AZ!!

On Sunday Allen was ordained as a High Priest by his dad, so he can get set apart as part of our High Council for our stake (the main reason for the trip).

Ryan did great during the car trip. He was a little fussy coming home in the evening but once Allen climbed in the back to sit next to him, he was a happy passenger.

Flying High

2011-09-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant, we purchased a travel zoo groupon for a 40 minute instructional flight plus one passenger for $89. We decided it was a great deal for Allen to fly the plane while I rode with them. We dropped Ryan off with one of my favorite young women, Alyssa, that was home for the summer from BYU (plus she lives 10 minutes from the Van Nuys airport). Ryan did great with his first paid babysitter and Allen is hoping that we have lots of extra cash in the future to pay for his pilot license!!

Ronald Regan Library - Can you find the F-14??

Allen got to fly for an hour because they were filming a commercial (camera men in the other plane).

Avila Beach

2011-09-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

My brother's family came to CA from my grandma's 90th birthday. We were able to visit with them in Avila Beach and enjoy my sister Lisa's family too.

I wasn't very good at taking pictures of everything we did but we enjoyed the Avila Farm, Pismo Beach Park, The Paso Fair, the beach, Morro Bay (including the shell shop, aquarium, and giovanni's) and the last night bonfire on the beach. We had a blast with everyone; Allen's highlight was going squirrel shooting with my crazy brother and dad.

Buddies

2011-09-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Drew are exactly one month apart. We have a lot of fun getting together and going to the beach.

Cousins

2011-09-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ryan meeting his cousin Lauren, she was born last October. My son is hair growing challenged and 5 1/2 months young than Lauren. Babies in diapers are precious!!

Ryan's 1st Sleepover

2011-08-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

My adorable niece spent the night (last month). She loves to cook so we bought the cupcake mix for Sprinkles Cupcakes from Williams and Sonoma. She loves watching the Food Network and dreams about having her own cupcake shop. She told me about using an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcakes and it worked perfect.

We had so much fun together!!

4 months old

2011-08-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

and posting a week late.....Four Letters for Four Months

sleeping through night!!
very alert and loves people watching
lots of cooing and sounds
doesn't cry during his bath anymore
has an opinion and expresses it (gets mad when I change his diaper in the morning instead of nurse him right away; also lets you know how he wants to be held, lately wants to be sitting up instead of lying down)
can sit up with balance assistance
knows mom and dad; watches us while others are holding him
cutest smile, especially when daddy comes home!!

4 month stats:

head - 67%

height - 26.5 - 95%

weight - 13 lb 11.2oz - 30 %

We have a tall skinny baby with big brains!!

Nights 101 and 102

2011-07-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ryan slept through the night!!!

Tuesday night he feel asleep during our walk, I topped him off and put him in his crib by 7:30. When Allen's alarm went off at 6am, I was feeling engorged. I went into his room and he was playing in his crib. When he saw me he cried and I gladly fed him.

Wednesday night I had a baby shower and Allen had a church meeting. After bath and feeding I put him in his car seat and he feel asleep at 6:45pm. He slept through the whole shower and only woke for a moment when I laid him down in his crib. When I got up at 6:20am to go the bathroom, Ryan was playing and I gladly fed him.

I'm in shock that he is sleeping through the night!! I love it and I'm hoping that the two night pattern will continue!!!

3 Month Pictures

2011-07-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

100 days

2011-07-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

101 days ago my water broke at work and I was planning on working one more week before maternity leave. Wow, has my life changed. I have a lovely scar as a souvenir from child birth and lots of extra weight I'm wanting to lose.

I have enjoyed being a mother more than I thought I would. I love seeing the changes in Ryan and how much more he can do and enjoy.

Ryan Highlights:

Holds up his head.
I can hold his hands and pull him to a standing position.
Smiles, even though it is hard to get on camera.
Loves the car, unless trying to fall asleep and there's stops because of lights, signs or traffic.
Lots of cooing and noises.
Starting to tell me when he doesn't like things.
Enjoys his bath (used to cry every time but now relaxes and keeps his feet in the water).
Doesn't cry every time I change his diaper!!
Loves stroller rides, especially on bumpy dirt roads.
Weighs 12 lbs 11oz
26 1/4 inches

Ryan's Blessing

2011-07-15T02:18:00.000-07:00

Awesome friends and family!!

Chambers four generations (I think we need a better one!!)

Night after 4th of July fireworks with Allen's parents.

Allen's mom with Ryan

Blessing clothes made by Allen's mom.

Allen's Dad and Ryan

Drew and Ryan

Oldest Cousin Emily

Father and Son look a like picture

Cousin Mia and Ryan

3 weeks

2011-06-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

We took Ryan's newborn pictures at JcPenny and we were pleased with how they turned out. I'm just a little late posting pictures, he'll be 11 weeks on Saturday.

Surprise

2011-06-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

My husband loves his legos, (yes we have legos stored under our bed). We told my sister Lisa, that we would take her two kids to legoland (buy an adult ticket and kids get in for free) sometime later in the summer or fall. My sister called me the Thursday before Father's Day and we made plans to go on Saturday, a surprise to her kids and Allen. It was hard to keep the secret from Allen and not talk about it. Friday night I didn't sleep well because I was so excited to surprise Allen and I was so nervous about being away from Ryan. I knew Ryan would be in excellent hands but I still got a little upset the night before.

It was great when the kids arrived at our house and told Allen where we were going. It was a perfect day and everything went smoothly.

My sister even showed us a nail clipping trick for Ryan before she left. I win for planning the best Father's Day weekend!!

Cousins

2011-06-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

My two oldest niece and nephew adore Ryan.

The two youngest cousins!!

Double Digits

2011-06-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Ryan is in the double digits for weight at his two month appointment.

10 lbs 1 oz - weight - 25%

23 1/2 inches - length - 75%

15 inches - Head Circumference - 15%

so we have a a tall, skinny baby with a small head!!

We love him and he is perfect to us!!

He did great with his shots and is sleeping right now.

Buddies

2011-06-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ryan already has two buddies that are close in age. His cousin Mia is two months older and his buddy Drew is exactly one month younger.

Ryan is the crybaby while Drew is just chilling.

I promise Ryan doesn't cry all the time!!

Visitors

2011-05-28T02:33:00.000-07:00

It was nice having our baby born on the weekend, making it easier for family to visit. My favorite picture is my nephew and his huge missing tooth grin!!

My mom was so cute, holding him any chance she got!!

6 weeks

2011-05-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Ryan turned 6 weeks old last Saturday. Today 6 weeks ago I was told he had jaundice and would need to go in the NICU. Kaiser in West LA doesn't have a nursery (all babies are roomed with their mommies) and he needed the lights for jaundice so the only place for him to get treatment was in the NICU. I cried so hard when the doctor told us he was leaving our room. I knew that jaundice wasn't serious (both of our brothers had it as well as several of my nieces and nephews) but I was a bit hormonal and emotional. It was so sad walking him down the hallway to the NICU and having to scrub up to visit our son. It was so sad to see him hooked up to all the monitors. The NICU staff was very supportive of me breastfeeding during the day and pumping at night. We would supplement the breast milk with formula.

On Tuesday the NICU doctor on duty was concerned about a possible infection on his head. During delivery monitors were connected to his scalp and they left marks, especially because the doctor tried a vacuum.

Ryan's jaundice count was good by Wednesday evening but they need to keep him until Friday because they need the test results from his scalp.

The doctors were nice and we stayed at the hospital until Thursday and we walked out to our car after the 5pm feeding. We returned on Friday morning and were so relieved when they said he could come home that day, healthy, with no infection, and with only ointment to apply to his head. It was such a relief and incredible to nurse our baby with no cords attached to him. It didn't know how I would survive another night without him home with us. I know that we are so blessed because he didn't qualify to be in a NICU, it was just that our hospital didn't have a nursery to treat him. I have so much more compassion for parents that have children in the NICU for extended periods of time.

just out of the womb!!

working on my summer tan!!

Grandma Chambers feeding her youngest grandson.

Our First Child

2011-05-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

Friday morning April 8th, I woke up and told Allen that today may be a good day to have a child, I guessed a day early. My water broke at work around noon. I finished teaching my classes, tried to finish my lesson plans for my maternity leave and try to come up with lesson plans for the following week (since I was planning on teaching one more week prior to starting my leave). I wasn't very successful at completing my lesson plans and writing everything up but I left a lot of materials on my desk for the sub to use.

We got to the hospital around 7pm, my contractions weren't technically close enough to go but my contractions were becoming more painful and my water already broke, so they had to keep me. I was glad that when they offered my an epidural I said yes because by the time my blood tests came back and they were ready to give it to me it was 3 hours later and my contractions were bad.

We slept all night, woke up the next morning and I was fully dilated by the afternoon. We waited for him to drop lower prior to starting the pushing. Once he dropped I experienced the uncomfortable experience of pushing. At Kaiser in West LA, the private labor room you are assigned when you check in, is also the same large room you deliver in. The nurses asked Allen to hold one leg, while he was in his Dodger shirt and jeans while another nurse helped hold the other.

After an hour and a half of the nurses working with me, doing an ultra sound they then called the doctor in to explain our options to us. He said that Ryan was face up and we can try pushing for another 2-3 hours with no guarantee they I would be able to push him out, use a vacuum to help pull, or have a cesarean section. I immediately said that pushing for 2-3 more hours is not an option so lets do a c-section. The doctor said let's try the vacuum with three more contractions first. It didn't work and the vacuum even came off his head.

They rolled me down the hallway for the c-section. By now the epidural had worn off a lot and I'm in a lot of pain. I was laying on the operating table for what felt like 10-15 minutes and everyone was waiting around. When the anesthesiologist finished with the emergency patient, it was my turn and I finally got to see Allen. Allen sat on a chair next to my head behind the blue curtain. We chatted about something and I wasn't stressed at all. Allen would stand up every once in a while and take pictures then went to cut the cord and take pictures of the weight. I was very surprised how relaxed I was during the whole procedure.

Last Childless Weekend

2011-05-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Lori and Natalie decided to make a last minute trip to CA. We has a great weekend relaxing and enjoying friends. We went to Venice for First Fridays and introduced them to the world of gourmet food trucks. Saturday night we went to the Old Town Music Hall and watched a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie called Follow the Fleet. The theater has an old pipe organ that had been outlined by glow in the dark paint. It was bizarre when they first raised the curtains but it was cool seeing all the keys on the organ move.

and a little craft project.....

furniture changes

2011-02-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

Allen had an older 70's dresser that he wanted to keep and thought his wife was crazy when I suggested painting it. He now likes it even more and it looks updated in black with satin nickel knobs!!

Our next project almost done!!

The best part was two weeks later going shopping for home decor with my good friend Michelle. Allen had a little bit of shopping bag/bill shock. He didn't realize how many things "we needed" but was an awesome sport hanging things in difficult to reach places and adding his own touch!!

New Year's

2011-02-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

We celebrate New Year's Eve according to Eastern Standard Time, since we had an early morning wake up on New Year's Day.

We went out to dinner then to the Santa Monica Pier, where we had our first kiss a year ago!! Then ended the evening with an amazing brownie sundae from Cafe 50's and called it an early night.

We woke up by 5am on Saturday morning to meet friends at the Union Station to take the Gold Line to Pasadena for the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl game!! Allen was really excited about going to a Bowl Game (he's from TX and has football in the blood). He was impressed with the parade and enjoyed it a lot more than he thought he would, except the tight bleachers.

I was really glad that our seats in the stadium had backs, opposed to the bleacher game seats we had two years ago. I only had some back pain for about an hour until the Tylenol kicked in. I was exhausted the next day but so glad we went. When I told my brother that we're pregnant he said to take advantage of having no kids and go out and do everything you want. He just had his third and realizes how much harder it to go out with kids.

I knew it would be a long and tiring day for me but we ended the day with Roast Beef Sandwiches from Phillipes and we were both in bed by 8pm.

I've been told that we'll be back at the Rose Bowl on Sept 17th when the Texas Longhorns beat UCLA.

Monterey

2011-01-31T19:06:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at my parents house. It was Allen's first time celebrating Christmas with the Chambers; he was shocked at how busy and loud my family can be. He was able to escape to the garage to experience some quietness and talk to his family.

My parents live in Central CA and we decided to go to Monterey as a side trip. My cousin gave us tickets to the Monterey Aquarium as part of our wedding gift. We had a great time and really enjoyed having an extra day together.

We had an amazing view of the ocean when we sat down to dinner!!

Pizza Pizza Pizza

2010-12-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

When your husband suggest taking a picture of the pizza we've made; I have to blog it!! We use the Trader Joe's refrigerated crust, along with their Trader Giotto's (TJ brand??)pizza sauce. We've made calzones with the same dough in the past.

One of the best things about making pizza, Allen loves rolling out the dough and adding the sauce. It's fun when he's excited to come home and help with dinner.

It was so yummy we might of made another the next night!!

It's a BOY!!

2010-12-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

I'm 4 1/2 months pregnant and due on May 2nd!!!

It took us less than 30 days to get pregnant. We had no idea that we're as fertile as 20 year olds when we look a lot older!! We took a home pregnancy test and it said positive. The Monday prior to the test I noticed our dog, Hobo, was acting extra protective of me. I went to Kaiser to take the pregnancy test a week after I missed my period the test came back negative. We were shocked but the same thing happened to a friend from work that is due in January. We returned the following week and it was positive.

I was shocked to find out that once I'm pregnant they add several weeks to my pregnancy. It has gone by so fast. I've had about three weeks when I would get extra exhausted, nauseated and sick in the evening. I only threw up once. Most of the time I feel good and I go to bed a lot earlier than normal. Some nights I fall asleep as early as 8:30 otherwise my normal bedtime is 9:30. I'm feeling better now in my second trimester but I still get sick, just less nausea.

I've been sick several times with nausea and with two UTI's. I've never have been as sick as I am now being pregnant. I'm normally really healthy with lots of energy but with this pregnancy. I've learned to depend on my husband a lot to get things done and to help me.

I have no idea which baby products we need to get, so if you have any suggestions, let us know.

Life is Good

2010-11-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

Life has been great!! It has been an easier adjustment to married life than I originally thought. Both of us have lived by ourselves for several years and I thought it would be more difficult. It has been having someone else do some of the chores!!

We were able to see Phantom of Opera before it left LA. It was my favorite show when I was in high school and it is still one of my favorite shows, many years later.

Two of my favorite little people.

My mom and grandma wearing the same shirt!! My mom bought the shirt for her and they both wore it on the same day. So cute, little twins, only a couple of years apart.

We're off to Texas for Turkey Week; Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

Havasupai/Grand Canyon

2010-10-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Last April my good friend Lori asked if we wanted to backpack down to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. I asked Allen and he agreed. We bought a backpacking tent, boots and a backpack for myself. I enjoyed the first 8 miles to the Indian Village, called Havasupai. The last two miles to the campground was brutal. The trail wasn't any harder, I was just mentally and physically done. I think stopping in the village for a cold gatorade and an ice cream sandwich might have helped with the being done attitude.

Our campsite was gorgeous and close to the stream. The water was aqua blue and beautiful. It was very refreshing to soak our feet and legs in the cool stream after hiking. We spent the next two days enjoying the beautiful waterfalls and day hikes.

Allen has a new perspective about camping and hiking with girls, or at least my friends and I. He was a surprised at our willingness to climb down cliffs with chains and ladders. Allen demonstrated great restraint by not petting and playing with every dog that came by our campsite or we encountered on hikes. I was not in favor of dogs following us around or hanging out in our camp once you played with or fed them. I really appreciated my husband's self control.

Since we didn't enjoy the last two miles hiking in; we probably would only enjoy two miles hiking out, so we took a helicopter ride to the top. It was a short trip to the parking lot but so worth it!!

It was an awesome trip that was really worthwhile and enjoyable for everyone!!

PS There's lots of pictures and I don't care that they are out of order!!

Wedding Wagon

2010-10-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

Maid of Honor Assistant or Maid of Dishonor

Wonderful Friends

Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles

My Brain - I had to write down everything otherwise I would forget.

I was saved by two great friends that came from UT. They drove into town on a flat tire and I met them at Costco around 8pm on the Thursday before we got married. I greeted them with tears in my eyes and they quickly told me to pull it together. Lori and I have been friends since being roommates at BYU in the summer of 1995. I met Natalie through Lori and I've known her for about the past 3-4 years.

They were such a big support and helped me stay sane over the next couple of days. They helped with decoration on Friday and drove me every place on Saturday. I was planning on driving myself around to get hair and make up done but they insisted on driving; which I'm so thankful.

We started Saturday morning going to get my hair done in Pasadena by my normal guy and then to lunch. It was awesome having them there to see the best way to do my veil. I kept my veil on the whole reception because it never feel off or became loose.

It doesn't get better than chicken and waffles on your wedding day!!

After lunch we went to my friend Melissa's house for makeup and my maids got ready. We then went straight to the temple for me to change and get married. Natalie was the expert at making everything just right, especially my veil.

I'm so appreciate to my maid of honor and maid of dishonor for making my day so much fun and relaxing!!

Weird Al & the Fair

2010-09-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

The food at the fair is always entertaining and yummy if you don't count calories!! We enjoyed the Alaskan Jumping Pig Races.

Allen is a huge Weird Al fan, so we went to the OC Fair!! I'm not a fan and I was really worried about attending on Saturday afternoon when Allen was playing Weird Al on the way to the fair.

It was one of the most entertaining concerts I've attended. He had the most costume changes and crazy antics for every song. I was one of the few not singing along but I had a blast.

If he's playing in your area; I recommend you go. Tickets are really cheap and it is very entertaining, even for a non fan.

New Car

2010-08-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

I bought my first brand new car in 2002, a VW Passat and it lasted until this past month. About a month before I got married my car was having difficulties, especially the transmission. We left on our honeymoon and came home to a dead battery. We got it jump started and my mechanic originally that maybe the low battery was causing the transmission problems, WRONG. He then cleaned it, nothing looked wrong and put in new oil (he didn't charge and said it was a wedding gift). It still had problems, once not shifting above 3rd gear until I turned off and restarted my car.

We test drove cars for about 2 weeks and we chose a Honda CR-V. I was surprised that I liked as much as I do. We would of bought a VW Tijuan because it handled awesome but had a really small cargo space which would make basic shopping difficult.

We love our new car!!!

The Reception

2010-08-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

Only half of the candy bar!! A big hit with the young and old!! It sent my nephew Jack into chocolate heaven and complete sugar shock.

Some Wedding Pictures

2010-08-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

I downloaded some photos that have been posted on Facebook . We bought the rights to our photos but we haven't met with our photographer and edited our wedding album; so I'll have a lot more pictures to share.

Right after we took this picture it started raining really hard for about 10 minutes. We quickly took cover, let it pass then took picture for about 10 more minutes than we walked over to the reception.

Yes, I have a lot of bridesmaids!! I couldn't decide to have my 4 sisters/sisters in law or friends; so I had both.

Head Banging

2010-07-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

We spent our first two night before flying to Maui, at the Renaissance near LAX. On Sunday, we went to our house to open gifts with Allen's family and his mom dropped us off at the hotel and we took the hotel shuttle to the airport on Monday morning.

Sunday night I got up from bed to use the restroom around 11:30pm. I had a really bad pain in my stomach and I passed out on the toilet. On the way to the floor I hit my head on the sink counter and then on the floor. I screamed after hitting my head and woke up on the floor with my underwear pulled down staring at my husband.

We didn't know what caused me to pass out but I didn't want to go the ER because we had a flight in the morning to catch!!! I slept all night with an ice pack on my head so the instant bump that developed wouldn't get larger.

Monday evening in Maui I was still concerned about my head and what caused me to pass out. I called the Kaiser Ask a Nurse and she told me to go to the hospital that night, don't wait for tomorrow to go. We drove to Maui Memorial and we were in and out in 1 1/2 hours with a CT Scan. I have a brain (with butterflies) and nothing wrong. Your body has vagus nerves and one near my butt was triggered that caused me to pass out (this is all probably too much information but it's funny too me, btw I wasn't constipated).

Bathroom at the Marriott:

Me with my ice pack, made from a zip lock and wrapped in a wash cloth (with blue taffy for comfort):

My brain:

I requested a copy of my CT Scan and when we got home Allen explained the different images and saw what an angel I am!!!

We're Married

2010-07-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

Our wedding and reception was amazing. I was annoyed that we the workers in the temple were so slow and we had to wait for them even though we were the last and only couple getting married at 2:30pm. We didn't get married until after 3pm and it kept people waiting outside for an extra long time.

I haven't met with our photographer but some people emailed and posted pictures. Our reception was a dream reception with incredible decorations, yummy tri tip & chicken, Porto's wedding cake and an incredible candy bar.

Here are some pictures my sisters took after we got married. I'll share more pictures and honeymoon details later.

Yes, a lot of bridesmaids but half of them are sisters!!

LA Flower Mart

2010-06-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

On my furlough day I went the Flower Mart. It's in Dowtown LA between maple and wall & 7th and 8th. It costs $2 to get in but then you can shop. I loved see all the beautiful flowers and the low prices. I went shopping for table centerpiece flowers. I'm doing orchids submerged in water and using the incredible vases from my friend, Emily. I loved all the flowers and colors.

We then went to the fabric mart and purchased one 100 yard roll for 75cents a yard!! I only took a picture of a chaotic store but they have lots and lots of fabric. (Some stores are more organized.)

I can't believe only one more month!!!

P.S. Thanks to all those who've RSVPed.
If you haven't, here's the site: http://www.mywedding.com/saraandallen/

no more excuses

2010-05-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday will be 6 weeks until I get married. I haven't worked out or been very active for a month plus. I have no time left to procrastinate!! Please share your ideas and suggestions for workouts as well as eating healthy.

I already cancelled our plans to go out tonight and I'll cook instead. We're going to the Dodger game on Monday and no dodger dogs for me!!

Got Postage??

2010-05-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Eva along with others have made comments about blogging more. I said people don't want to know about wedding planning and baseball games. She assured me they do!! So here is my first wedding planning post!!

Things have gone really smoothly and we've done all of our taste testing!! I've gotten really good ideas from friends and family as well as lots of help, especially the days before!!

I'm really annoyed at the Post Office. I went to buy all the stamps for the invitations, we were told 61 cents per invitation. We took the invitations stuffed, labeled and stamped to the post office for mailing. We were told that it was $1.05 to mail an invitation to Canada, no problem paid and sent.

Two days later we went back to buy a couple more stamps and send last minute addresses and were told it was a $1.05 for U.S. addresses....what?? We just mailed 200+ invitations with only 61 cents!! Most people seem to have gotten their invitations with no problem but a few people have postage due.....very frustrating when we did everything correctly.

Let me know if you received your invitation with or without postage due.

We got some help stuffing the envelopes!!

I'm so embarrassed to make people pay for postage with our wedding invitations.

Denmark - football & friends

2010-05-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last August I went to Europe for a month and visited my friend Line in Denmark for a few days. Line and I met about 14 years ago when I was in Arizona and she was an exchange student.

It was great meeting her husband and adorable daughter Anna. I went to my first European soccer game and ate the best sausages. Danes are better sports fans than most Angelenos. They clapped and said it was okay when a player had a bad play where as here in LA fans boo when a player makes a mistake.

Jens was so excited to see his favorite team play and it was an incredibly high scoring game.

The BEST Sausages!!

Convenient drink holder, so much better than the cardboard trays with a high spillage rate we have in LA.

Incredible fans, they stood and cheered waving their flags the entire game.

A great Danish soft/sport drink.

Precious Anna and Line

I have a lot more pictures to post about Denmark but I started with my favorites!! I had a great time and would love to return with Allen, especially since he served his mission there.

Breast Cancer

2010-05-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

We did the Revlon 5k at the Coliseum Mother's Day weekend. It's the fourth time my mom and I have done it, second time for Lisa and Emily as well as the first time for my cousin Tori. Tori was the rock star fundraiser this year!! Rumor has it that more will be joining us next year. Let me know if you want to come, it's early but worth it!!

Emily and I ran the first mile and she did great!! Last year she struggled a little bit to finish but no hesitation this year. Hopefully, next year we can run the 5k together!!!

Changes

2010-05-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

My life has changed drastically in the past several months. I've changed from wanting to teach school overseas for the Department of Defense to getting married this summer.

One corner of my apartment is now dedicated to wedding reception decorations, favors, and invitations. It has been a lot of fun planning everything and getting ideas from friends.

I'll try posting more often but no promises. I won't attempt to update my blog about everything that has happened during the past several months. Hopefully, at some point, I'll post all my Europe pictures (or at least some of them).

To see more pictures: http://imagesbyaida.blogspot.com/

Berlin

2009-11-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

Leftover Soviet light signals (only found in East Berlin.)

Brandenburg gate, which was behind the wall until 1989.

Halloween

2009-11-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law wanted to see Halloween Pictures of my niece and nephew.

Yosemite and Half Dome

2009-10-04T22:16:00.001-07:00

My long time friend and college roommate Lori Szendre came to visit me and conquer Half Dome. She drove down from SLC, UT and arrived in time to attend the Hollywood Italian Feast sponsored by Jimmy Kimmel and watch him tape a segment of his show.

It was a hard long hike that was awesome. I hated the stairs on quarter dome but the cables gave me a full body workout.

Just one of many adventures this year with Lori.

PS I will post Europe pictures soon.

Norway and now Sweden

2009-08-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

Norway was very beautiful and expensive. It was so much fun riding bikes, hiking and walking around town. I loved the fresh air and the beautiful scenery.

I`m in Sweden for the next two nights then off to Denmark and a futball game.

Scandanvia

2009-08-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

I´m going to Norway, Sweden and then Denmark. I´m excited to mountain biking and hiking in Norway. Norway and Sweden are suppose to be beautiful but expensive.

I can`t believe that my trip is almost over. I´ve had so much fun visiting new places and meeting new people.

Austria

2009-08-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed Austria and the Alps. I loved my 22 mile bike along the Danube River and the really friendly people.

I would love to go back and spend more time in Salzburg and smaller towns. I hiked from Austria to Germany to visit the castles and had an amaying time.

I only stayed in Munich for one night and their is so much more to see next time. I am in Köln and crusing the Rhine Revier tomorrow.

Then off to Beligum.....for some waffles and fries.

fast fast fast

2009-08-05T20:40:00.001-07:00

I'm staying in a different hotel everynight so I won't be able to update as much. I'm in Austria, then up to Germany, Belgium then Paris.....

A day in Prague

2009-08-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

I went to the castle square this morning and loved the inside of St Vitus Cathedral. They were having mass in the front of the church and it was nice to hear the organ.

I did the free tour guide of the city, which was awesome. I gave an overview of the city and we walked through old town, new town and the Jewish Quarter. She had a lot of details and history to share.

I've released that as Americans we are very stable. I haven't had a new government (just different presidents), new boundaries, or new currency. Czechs have experienced several different governments within the last 20-40 years. We don't have other countries invading our land and trying to conquer our people. Pearl harbor was attacked but our government was threaten or overthrown.

It started raining tonight and I hope that it stops by the morning. I've had wonderful weather so far, I can't complain to much.

Prague with a stop in Dresden

2009-08-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

I left early this morning to catch the train to Prague. I stopped half way in Dresden. Dresden was an amazing city. The city was bombed by the allies in 1945, destroying their palaces, opera houses and churches. They have reconstructed most of the buildings and have done an amazing job with the aesthetics. I've enjoyed the extra leg workout walking on the cobblestone streets.

When I arrived in Prague I was surprised that the train station was closed even though it as only 5:30pm....but it is a Saturday. It took me extra long to figure out how to get a ticket for the metro and to my hotel. I withdrew money from the ATM and then went to McDonalds for coins to buy a ticket (the ticket machines don't accept bills). I made it to my hotel, which is really nice!! (I booked it as a special deal I saw on travelzoo.com; they charged my credit card in June and I was hoping that it is nice.)

I walked around the castle and bridge to get a feel of the city. The castle is gorgeous at night; I love it all lit up!!

Last Day in Berlin

2009-07-31T12:37:00.001-07:00

Today the Reichstag opened the Dome for viewing. The view was incredible. You can see most of the city. The Dome was added to the original building and allows viewers to walk up the ramp and look over the shoulders of their parliament members. The capitol of Germany was changed from Bonn to Berlin in 1999.

The victory tower was impressive and had an incredible view of the Brandenberg gate, Reichstag and the TV Tower.

I spent most of the day in Potsdam at the Sanssouci Palace, which was massive. The palace had an amazing garden including water fountains and statues.

I've been enjoying the cheap eating including the bratwursts and the snacks I brought with me.

Walling It

2009-07-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did the wall sites, including Checkpoint Charlie, the Museum and Topography of Terror. Only a small segment of the wall is left, which which was blocked off because of the construction on the Topography of Terror. The wall has lots of holes with rebar showing through. It was amaying learning how quickly the wall went up and the creative ways people used to try to escape.

I also went to Jewish Museum and learned that the Jews have were kicked out of most European countries were persecuted during most of European History. Most of the Jews settled in Eastern and Northern Europe where they were harrassed a lot less.

I took the train out to the Olympic Stadium, which was cool to see.

One my first day I had a currywurst which is like spiced wieners, a ketchup sauce with curry spice.

First Day in Berlin

2009-07-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

My spelling is going to be even worst because of the different keyboards, at least I now have an excuse!! I can't upload pictures because there isn't a USB port. I visited the Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island, German History Muesum with lots of walking!!

They have cobblestones marking the spot were the wall once stood. It's so bizzare to see the huge difference between the east and west sides of Berlin.

I enjoyed the Memorial to the Murdered Jews with huge column blocks symbolizing all the Jews that were killed. I learned the the Roma's (Gypsy's) along with another group were also targeted. Jews from as far away as Greece were taken to concentration camps.

I'll tour the Reichstag Parilment Building this morning and do a lot of the wall sites including Checkpoint Charlie.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-07-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

My carry on and purse are packed and I'm ready to go. No extra baggage on this trip!!

Thank you for all the nice phone calls and messages from friends and family. I'll try to update my blog as much as possible, but no promises.

I'm excited and a little nervous right now. It seems so unreal.

Planning

2009-07-13T00:45:00.000-07:00

I finally updated my blog!!!

I'm leaving July 28th to tour Europe for a month!! It's my first time in Europe and I'm excited for my adventure.

Let me know if you have any tips for my trip!!

Berlin
Prague
Vienna
Salzburg
Munich
Rhine Valley
Brugge
Paris
Amsterdam
Copenhagen
Oslo
Bergen
Stockholm
Copenhagen
Berlin

Last Minute Trip to Big Bear

2009-07-13T00:18:00.000-07:00

I had a 45 minutes to eat breakfast, pack, and leave.....we had a lot of fun. We went kayaking, hiking, 4 wheeling (in a rental mini-van, we didn't want to ruin our car) with a little mine exploring.

I screamed the loudest ever Monday night. We were roasting marshmellows behind the cabin, Sommer thought she saw shadows and I heard noises. They discovered the raccoon and I wouldn't leave the patio porch (we roasted marshmellows while it was light outside the second night.)

Utah

2009-06-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

I went to Utah for my niece's baby blessing. I had a lot of fun using the Salt Lake City Pass with my family. Once they left I was able to go and visit friends and go hiking. Lori and I went near Brighton. It was beautiful and I love that it doesn't get dark until late in UT.

Revlon 5K

2009-05-09T23:43:00.000-07:00

My fourth year participating in the Revlon Breast Cancer Run/Walk. It was the first time for my 7 year old niece (almost 8) and she did an awesome job. My sister and niece spent the night at my house.

Half Marathon

2009-03-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

I did my first half marathon. I trained with my friend Eva and we started together for the first 3 miles. We planned on running hills during our training but it rained or things came up on those days....I regretted it since it was mostly a trail run up a canyon. Within the first miles I realized that I never want to do a marathon!! I would like to train more and do the half marathon next year.

Dolpins

2009-03-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

My friends Eva and Jared recommended that we swim with the dolphins. It was so much fun. We had an awesome doplhin traner, it was just the four od us in our group and we got to do the foot push twice because we are faster swimmers than the other group across the facitlity!!

We brought my underwater camera, took our own pictures and used our masks/snorkels to watch the dolphins underwater!!

Palancar Horsehoe Reef

2009-02-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

I was going to wait and post all my pictures in order, then I realized no one cares. I did six different dives, four in Cozumel and two near Tulum and Playa del Carmen. the Palancar Horshoe was my favorite dive. It was really colorful and beautiful similar in Bali.

Dean and Andrea were celebrating their 8th wedding anniversary the following week. I introduced them to each other while we were at BYU. Andrea was one of my freshman roommates!!

overdue

2009-02-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a log time because I haven't uploaded pictures.

My brother and his family came down for New Year's Week and we had a blast at Avila Beach (picture stolen from Mary's blog). I really enjoyed my time with family and all the fun we had. It was the first time my family has ever gotten together and there was no TV. I like it a lot without the TV!!

I was sad to leave even though I was going home to attend the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game (friends with hook ups are an added bonus). I almost didn't make it to the parade because my car over heated but I made it to the Metro parking lot and left for the parade and game. A friend met me at the parking lot with coolant and my car is fine (it had a crack that caused it to leak).

I've had several amazing beach days in January. It has been so much fun to go to the beach when it isn't crowded and enjoy the sunshine.

I've been running a lot lately and I'm up to 8 miles........I'm running a half marathon in March, which 13 miles.

I leave this weekend for Cozumel, Mexico and I'm meeting several college friends. It'll be so much fun to snorkel and dive in warm water!! I'm also excited to see Chichen Itza which is one of the new seven wonders of the world!!

Rose Parade Floats

2008-12-29T22:05:00.000-08:00

My beautiful rock stairs that I decorated with poppy seeds, dark lettuce seeds, light lettuce seeds and rice powder.

Gluing plumeria leaves to the windows and then bark around the fence below (not pictured).
The city of Los Angeles Float and the USO float in the background.

Happy Anniversary

2008-12-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

My parents were married 40 years ago today!!

Homemade Christmas

2008-12-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

Homemade can be cool!! Brooke threw an awesome homemade gift Christmas party. Everyone was suppose to bring a homemade gift and we did an elephant gift exchange. I came home with an awesome Christmas Apron that Afton made (pregnant girl in the brown shirt). It was so much fun with yummy food and fun conversation.

I loved seeing all the cool gifts. I wish I had a picture with everyone. Can't wait for next year Brooke!!

PS I made candles in a crockpot!!

Money...Money.....Money

2008-12-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

So, Bernanke and Congress have committed over $7 TRILLION so far on the housing gambler mess. How does that compare? Take a look...

• Marshall Plan: Cost: $12.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $115.3 billion
• Louisiana Purchase: Cost: $15 million, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $217 billion
• Race to the Moon: Cost: $36.4 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $237 billion
• S&L Crisis: Cost: $153 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $256 billion
• Korean War: Cost: $54 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $454 billion
• The New Deal: Cost: $32 billion (Est), Inflation Adjusted Cost: $500 billion (Est)
• Invasion of Iraq: Cost: $551b, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $597 billion
• Vietnam War: Cost: $111 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $698 billion
• NASA: Cost: $416.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $851.2 billion

TOTAL: $3.92 trillion

I haven't seen this movie but I really like the trailer and simple explainations of what is happening in our financial markets and the serious consequences of the fraud.

http://www.iousathemovie.com/

Yes, I am a nerd. Here is a You Tube Video that explains how our monetary system is based on debt.

Wheels to the Sea

2008-11-30T15:53:00.000-08:00

I belong to a group called Mountain Bike Unit, which a volunteer program with the National and CA State Parks along with the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy. The school buses drove the participants to Danielson Ranch and the Kiwanis Club feed them breakfast and then they wheeled about 4.5 miles to the beach at Sycamore Cove. The high school Key Club helped to wheel the participants tackle the trail including the dry river crossings. The Highway Patrol closed the PCH for everyone to wheel across to lunch at the beach.

Cathy

2008-11-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

My cute younger sister showing off her bulge!! She is so excited to be 29 and pregnant.

Beach Mystery

2008-11-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

Eva and I went to the beach to escape the fires a couple of weeks ago. It was really smokey at Zuma so we went to county line.
When we came back from the water a 4 year old kid pointed the paw buried in the sand about 10 feet away from our towels.....it explains the awful smell the wind would blow only near our blankets.
What in the world is this?? What type of animal??

Halloween 2008

2008-11-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a lot of fun with my niece and nephew. It was interesting going trick or treating and having very few kiddies in the neighborhood.....

Tolerance

2008-11-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

Tolerance should be a two way street not a one way tyranny.

What are you protesting? What do you expect to happen from your protesting? Why are you protesting my right to vote? Why do you complain that too many blacks voted? Why are you complaining that LDS people are generous and donated too much money? You can donate just as much us. Why didn't you open your wallets and donate? (The LDS church only donated $2,078.97 to refund expenses. )

LDS members only make up 2% of the state population but you can blame us for Prop 8 passing. We are powerful!!

I would like to ask every person that is protesting outside my temple how much money the donated to the No on 8 campaign? Why didn't they donate more money? Do they protest the mormons that donated to the No campaign, such as the $50,000 Steve Young's wife donated?

Stop fighting my right to vote and my freedom of religion. If you want to protest, go to Compton, Inglewood and Watts, complain that to many blacks voted!!

BTW I didn't plan on saying anything more about Prop 8 but the reaction is ridiculous.

I saw this photo on a news site and I think it looks awesome!!

P.S. Fight to change domestic partnership laws to be equal to marriage, just don't force my church to perform same-sex marriages.

Anacapa Island

2008-11-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

I went hiking on Anacapa Island and it was gorgeous. It is about an hour boat ride each way and we saw a large pod of dolphins on the way back. We also saw the spray from a whale.

Voting

2008-10-31T08:40:00.000-07:00

Any recommendations on how to vote on the Propositions??

Proposition 1A

Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act

NO - It won't be completed until 2030 and we already have airplanes that can get us from LA to San Francisco in less than 3 hours. In my opinion not worth the taxes.

Proposition 2

Standards for Confining Farm Animals. Initiative Statute.

Not Sure - I'm for animals having larger cages but we import our food from all over the world and that don't have the same regulations. I think we might be hurting our own CA farming economy by putting more restrictions on our farmers which will cause higher prices and less demand.

Proposition 3

Children’s Hospital Bond Act. Grant Program. Initiative Statute.

Not Sure - I think it is a worthwhile investment (children) but I'm not sure about the $64 million a year for 30 years. I wish our government could run on a postive cash flow instead of allows going into debt for programs.

Proposition 4

Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

Yes - If parents have to give consent to go on a field trip; they should be notified prior to their daughter getting an abortion. I hate the commercials that make people feel bad for the abused girls that can't tell their parents. I hate that they are talking about the smallest minority (pregnant abused girl) rather than the norm; that most girls are not abused by their family.

Proposition 5

Nonviolent Drug Offenses. Sentencing, Parole and Rehabilitation. Initiative Statute.

NO - because my sister said so......allows drug addicts to get out of jail early and mandate of shorter parole for certain felons

Proposition 6

Police and Law Enforcement Funding. Criminal Penalties and Laws. Initiative Statute.

Not Sure - I like the idea of allocating a set amount to law enforcement but our state is almost bankrupt.

Proposition 7

Renewable Energy Generation. Initiative Statute.

NO - I don't want to pay more for my utilities. If going to renewable energy was best business practice the companies would already do it. I think using renewable resources is an excellent goal but when the government mandates and subsides the movement they cause more damage than good. You can research the effects ethanol fuel has had on the farmers and why wheat and corn cost a lot more.

Proposition 8

Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

YES - already posted my views, an update listed below.

Proposition 9

Criminal Justice System. Victims’ Rights. Parole. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

Yes - Victims should be informed when hearings and releases take place.

Proposition 10

Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy. Bonds. Initiative Statute.

NO - I don't believe in subsidizing ideas/programs that won't be self-sufficient. If you want to buy a hybrid do it because you feel it is the best car for you not because the government will give you additional money.

Proposition 11

Redistricting. Initiative Constitutional Amendment and Statute.

Yes - Changes authority for establishing Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization district boundaries from elected representatives to 14 member commission. I think elected officials are about themselves and don't create fair and impartial boundary lines.

Proposition 12

Veterans’ Bond Act of 2008.

No - I appreciate and acknowledge the service veterans provide for my freedoms but I'm against running a government on a deficit. I would be for it if we weren't going bankrupt.

The truth about Prop 8 - Protect Marriage

Claim One: Proposition 8 has nothing to do with schools.

Truth: A few weeks ago children in a 1st grade class attended their teacher’s gay wedding in San Francisco on a school-organized field trip. The principal called it a “teachable moment.” That sure sounds like same-sex marriage instruction in schools.

This week kindergartners at Faith Ringgold School of Arts and Science in Hayward, CA, were asked to sign pledge cards saying they would not use anti-LGBT language. Parents who felt their children were far too young for such a discussion, most at an average age of 5 who are just learning the basics of reading and writing, were not permitted to opt-out, but instead had to keep their children home from school.

As we have clearly demonstrated, California Education Code Section 51933 states schools “shall teach respect for marriage and committed relationships.” According to the California Department of Education website, 96% of schools teach this curriculum. And under the Supreme Court’s ruling, current California law means teaching about marriage includes instruction on gay marriage. Thus, gay marriage is already part of the curriculum. Perhaps because of these simple facts, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell refuses to debate..

Claim Two: Proposition 8 would have no effect on a church’s tax-exempt status.

Truth: The No on 8 campaign used a classic lawyer trick, rolled out a group of lawyers yesterday to falsely state our concern about the impact of same sex marriage on religious freedoms, and then saying our concerns are false. For the record, the Yes on 8 campaign has never said that churches, acting as churches, would be forced to perform gay marriages. However, it is clear that where churches interact with the public square, in providing social services or even conducting business, their tax exempt status is at risk.

In one well publicized case, Catholic Charities in Boston ran adoption facilities that managed 700 cases since 1987, most involving children with special needs. Catholic Charities placed such children into parents in traditional marriages, according to their faith. After gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts, the state told Catholic Charities it had to place children with gay marriage couples as well. Faced with such a decision, Catholic Charities reluctantly decided to stop providing adoption services.

Another religious non-profit, Ocean Grove Campground in New Jersey, lost a portion of its tax-exempt status on a rental pavilion because it refused to rent the facility to a lesbian couple for a civil commitment ceremony.

Claim Three: Proposition 8 discriminates against gays and lesbians.

Truth: Under California’s current domestic partnership law, (Family Code Section 297), gay couples are awarded the same legal rights and privileges as married couples. California has the strongest civil union/domestic partnership law in the nation, and Proposition 8 does not take away any of those rights.

Claim Four: If Proposition 8 passes there will be a brain drain to gay-friendly Massachusetts.

Truth: Gay marriage has been legal in Massachusetts for five years and California still remains the epicenter of technology, biomed and other science-based industries. If a “gay brain-drain” was going to happen, shouldn’t it have started 5 years ago?

“The claims being disseminated by the No on 8 campaign are preposterous,” said White, “and have no basis in fact. We realize the No on 8 has a new team that has to justify their hiring, but cheap campaign stunts and false claims do not serve the public.”

Soccer

2008-10-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

I went to my niece's soccer game. She decided perform for me before we left. We went to breakfast afterwards along with her brother.

Emily Quotes: "If I score a lot of goals my coach will let me play goalie (all the girls want to be goalie)." "I hope someone gets hurt so I can play and not sit out."

Freedom of Religion and Speech

2008-10-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Prop 8 is a hot topic if you live in CA ( my students even talk about it). My friend Emily did a great posting about her feelings. She sited an article by NPR (National Pubic Radio) which stated all the lawsuits pending or decided relating to gay marriage. I was amazed by the effects one proposition could have in CA.

Issues from around the states relating to gay marriage:

Adoption services: Catholic Charities in Massachusetts refused to place children with same-sex couples as required by Massachusetts law. After a legislative struggle — during which the Senate president said he could not support a bill "condoning discrimination" — Catholic Charities pulled out of the adoption business in 2006.

Housing: In New York City, Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a school under Orthodox Jewish auspices, banned same-sex couples from its married dormitory. New York does not recognize same-sex marriage, but in 2001, the state's highest court ruled Yeshiva violated New York City's ban on sexual orientation discrimination. Yeshiva now allows all couples in the dorm.

Parochial schools: California Lutheran High School, a Protestant school in Wildomar, holds that homosexuality is a sin. After the school suspended two girls who were allegedly in a lesbian relationship, the girls' parents sued, saying the school was violating the state's civil rights act protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination. The case is before a state judge.

Medical services: A Christian gynecologist at North Coast Women's Care Medical Group in Vista, Calif., refused to give his patient in vitro fertilization treatment because she is in a lesbian relationship, and he claimed that doing so would violate his religious beliefs. (The doctor referred the patient to his partner, who agreed to do the treatment.) The woman sued under the state's civil rights act. The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments in May 2008, and legal experts believe that the woman's right to medical treatment will trump the doctor's religious beliefs. One justice suggested that the doctors take up a different line of business.

Psychological services: A mental health counselor at North Mississippi Health Services refused therapy for a woman who wanted help in improving her lesbian relationship. The counselor said doing so would violate her religious beliefs. The counselor was fired. In March 2001, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with the employer, ruling that the employee's religious beliefs could not be accommodated without causing undue hardship to the company.

Civil servants: A clerk in Vermont refused to perform a civil union ceremony after the state legalized them. In 2001, in a decision that side-stepped the religious liberties issue, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that he did not need to perform the ceremony because there were other civil servants who would. However, the court did indicate that religious beliefs do not allow employees to discriminate against same-sex couples.

Adoption services: A same-sex couple in California applied to Adoption Profiles, an Internet service in Arizona that matches adoptive parents with newborns. The couple's application was denied based on the religious beliefs of the company's owners. The couple sued in federal district court in San Francisco. The two sides settled after the adoption company said it will no longer do business in California.

Wedding services: A same sex couple in Albuquerque asked a photographer, Elaine Huguenin, to shoot their commitment ceremony. The photographer declined, saying her Christian beliefs prevented her from sanctioning same-sex unions. The couple sued, and the New Mexico Human Rights Commission found the photographer guilty of discrimination. It ordered her to pay the lesbian couple's legal fees ($6,600). The photographer is appealing.

Wedding facilities: Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of New Jersey, a Methodist organization, refused to rent its boardwalk pavilion to a lesbian couple for their civil union ceremony. The couple filed a complaint with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights. The division ruled that the boardwalk property was open for public use, therefore the Methodist group could not discriminate against gay couples using it. In the interim, the state's Department of Environmental Protection revoked a portion of the association's tax benefits. The case is ongoing.

Youth groups: The city of Berkeley, Calif., requested that the Sea Scouts (affiliated with the Boy Scouts) formally agree to not discriminate against gay men in exchange for free use of berths in the city's marina. The Sea Scouts sued, claiming this violated their beliefs and First Amendment right to the freedom to associate with other like-minded people. In 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled against the youth group. In San Diego, the Boy Scouts lost access to the city-owned aquatic center for the same reason. While these cases do not directly involve same-sex unions, they presage future conflicts about whether religiously oriented or parachurch organizations may prohibit, for example, gay couples from teaching at summer camp. In June 2008, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals asked the California Supreme Court to review the Boy Scouts' leases. Meanwhile, the mayor's office in Philadelphia revoked the Boy Scouts' $1-a-year lease for a city building.

PS It annoys me the Yes on Prop 8 signs are getting stolen. What you can only have free speech if your liberal but not conservative!!

On the way to work an Assryian Church has about a dozen new signs out every morning because they keep getting stolen, now only the plastic is being taken and not the wire frames.

Last Game

2008-10-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sad that the Dodgers aren't in the World Series but it was a fun season. It was fun seeing Steve Garvey and Tommy Lasorda get eh stadium excited during the 5th inning even though we were losing.

My friend got pre and post game party passes. Fred "The Hammer" Williamson's Super Bowl I ring. He is a slimy person but it was cool to see the ring with a one!!

Orel Hershiser and I (his son was there and he plays for USC)

Steve Garvey and I

Nancy Bea (Dodger Stadium Orgnaist) and I

I can't wait for next season!!

Relay for Life - A Breast Cancer Event

2008-10-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

My family has participated in the Relay for Life for the past several years. The event starts with a Survivor Lap that is very emotional. A teenage girl sang the song and she broke down crying. It was a very emotional event. The lady in the pink hat is battling breast cancer right now with two young children at home. It is a a very emotional event and made me very greatful for good health.

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2001. She had two surgeries, chemptherapy and radiation. She is very diligent about her health and following the doctors orders. I still get a little nervous when she has follow up appointments with her doctor even though she hasn't had any relapses.

My mom's cancer is estrogen recpetive which means she has to avoid all soy products. The estrogen-like substances (isoflavones) in soy may stimulate the estrogen receptors of breast cancer cells and make them grow. It's this potential danger that makes many doctors warn their breast cancer patients against eating soy products. It was surprising to find out how many products have soy added to them.

Protect your Ta Ta's, check them regularly!!

Go Dodgers!!

2008-10-05T21:34:00.000-07:00

The beast game ever!! My friend got tickets to the Dodger Sponser Suite, which was awesome. They gave each of us a gift bag and we got to take pictures with some Dodger greats.

Tommy Lasordo and I

Feranando Valenzuela and Jaime Jarrin

Latimes.com

2008-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo from last Thursday's game when the Dodgers won the division. Notice the girl in the front row with a blue jacket(just left of the spray)!! Hopefully tonight's game is another huge celebration or traffic will be horrible leaving!!
I'm hoping we get Dodger Dugout passes again but I doubt it since we have box seats.

Think Blue

2008-09-26T18:49:00.001-07:00

I went to the game last night and had the best time; even though they lost. We clinched the division title because the Diamond Backs lost in the afternoon.

My friend Kristina gets free tickets and passes to the Dodgers Dug Out Club for the 7th inning. I was able to be in the front row and cheer when they started celebrating. They sprayed the crowds with champagne and beer I tried to avoid it at first but it didn't do any good. They also thew the left over hubba bubba gun and sunflower seed packets. It was so much fun to cheer and celebrate.

The stadium was sold out causing awful traffic that it took twice as long to get there as normal and very few people left during the 9th inning; everyone wanted to stay for the celebration.

Piano Lessons

2008-09-09T11:24:00.001-07:00

I finally committed.....I'm going to take piano lessons again. I took lessons long enough to have my first recital (about four months) and then I quite because I didn't have a piano. I'm still lacking a piano but I bought a keyboard last week. I'm excited and I think it is fun to learn new songs to play. My teacher changed her teaching method to teaching you how to lay now and read music later. I think it will be fun and I'll be learning a new song every week. I already re-learned "Ode to Joy" last week!!

I wish I had a copy of the picture at my piano recital with me and a bunch of 8 year olds!!

Volcano Video

2008-09-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

I used my digital camera for a video camera on my helicopter tour. Unfortunately you can't zoom with the digital camera. The first shots are the lava going into the ocean, then a lava steam and the view of the caldera and main crater, Halema`uma`u from Jagger Museum.

Thoughts

2008-08-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

I finally uploaded pictures to my blog entries from Hawaii (I had over 1,000 pictures; I'm too embarrassed to say the actual number). I had an awesome time meeting people and traveling with no commitments or responsibilities (more on that later). I would definitely do it again. I am so thankful that I had the time, funds and opportunity to go exploring on my own. I really enjoyed the days and times that I had cool people to hang out with and take pictures of me!!

Here is the conversation I had with my niece, Emily who is seven years old:

Em: Why are you wearing a wedding ring?
Me: It's not a wedding ring, just a ring I bought for myself?
Em: Why aren't you married Sara?? Wait, have you graduated from college?
Me: I have graduated from college and I haven't met someone I want to marry.

I then told her that I was 25 years old and she said her dad was a lot older than me. Her dad would be proud of her asking if I graduated from college prior to getting married.

The conversation made me laugh and lately I've been asked why I'm not married. I was asked by someone in Hawaii that is 5 1/2 years younger than me why I haven't gotten married; I'm used to being asked by older divorced guys or married couples but a college kid and my niece!! I really enjoy my life but I might need to consider marriage more seriously. I do want to have kids some day but 3 weeks with no commitments was awesome!!Maybe I just need to be more seriously minded and less nonchalant. Any suggestions?? I definitely won't get married just to be married (getting married is easy, having an awesome relationship and be married takes a lot of work).

Wakiki

2008-08-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

I'm off to the Marriott Waikiki which will be really nice and relaxing. I'm sad that my vacation is coming to an end I could be on vacation for a long time......

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to travel and for all my friends I met along the way. I don't know if I'll see any of then again but they have my trip that much better.

Sharks Cove and PCC

2008-08-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

I got up to early this morning, like most mornings and went snorkeling at Shark's Cove (because of the shape not because of the sharks). It was awesome. I loved snorkelingin the cove because I didn't have to worry about waves or drifting too far out. I loved watching all the fishes interact. Afterwards I tried to go to two beaches were the show Lost is filmed and I decided not to trespass.

I stopped by Ted's Sunset Bakery which is famous for it's chocolate haupia (cocnut) pie, picked up a slice for dinner tonight and a malasada (portugese donut)for then.

I saw turtles at Turtle Beach, they weren't on beach just cruizing the water and rocks. It was fun to watch them swim around and get tossed by the surf. A turtle was killed last week and there was a memorial on the beach.

I enjoyed lunch at one of the many shrimp trucks that are famous on the North Shore. It was delicious and I got a side of the sweet corn that was amazing without butter our seasoning.

In the afternoon and walked through the back security gate at the Polynesian Cultural Center (benifit of being a chick and a polynesian was on guard). I was able to walk around and see the demostrations including the canoe show. I was really excited about watching the IMAX movie about the coral reef. It was an amazing show and I purchased the dvd to share with my students. I was so glad that I was able to go and enjoy the environment.

Hiking and USS Bowfin

2008-08-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

I was able to do two different hikes and USS Bowfin before church. I hiked out to Manikuu Point and Manuwilli Falls (I'll correct the spellings later when I have my pacitures).

I really enjoyed the both hikes, both very different. Manikuu Point was up an old road to above the lighthouse with awesome views of the islands, including Maui.

The falls hike was through the rainforest with several stream crossings and lots of roots to hike/slip over. It shocked me that parents would let there 5/6 year old child hike by himself and have him talk to strangers about being lost.

I crusied over to Pearl Harbor and decided to tour the USS Bowfin since I did the USS Arizona last time. Just the USS Missouri to tour next time......

I attended a singles sacrament meeting because they were having a conference all weekend and it was scheduled for the evening. I really enjoyed the last speaker and his comments about life. He stressed the importance of agency and making the correct decsions in your life. I'm so glad that I've been able to make good decisions most of my life and that I don't ahve any major rejects with anything that I've done.

Spa Day and Waikiki

2008-08-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mom!!

I scheduled a spa treatment today and I was able to take advantage of their facilities which in include a pool, dry suana, steam room, jacuzzi and free parking for Waikiki. It was really nice and relaxing and I spent the rest of the day shopping and cruising the busy streets.

Ridge & Falls Hike, Pali, Luau & Fireworks

2008-08-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

I started the day with a ridge hike that had awesome views of Diamond Head and Waikiki with lots of climbing. I loved the hike and would love to do it again.

I then found the falls near a cemetery that I couldn't find last time. I was disappointed that there was a lot of graffiti and beer cans; just like LA.

I went to the Pali lookout that is known for the views and the wind. It was so much fun. Last time I was here it started raining two minutes after I pulled in teh parking lot.

I found out that the Hilton has a pool luau and fireworks on Firday night. It was fun watching the luau and the fireworks were shot for the beach and really loud. I went next door the the military resort, Hale Koa, and got cheap food with not sales tax.