Christmas in July?

Okay so I'm trying to be more like Emily, and actually plan ahead for Christmas this year. Last year I was sad that it was Mom and Dad's first Christmas home and we didn't get to spend it with them. So this year I am determined to spend my Christmas with my mom and dad. Hopefully they want to spend it with me! Anyway I was thinking it would be nice to go to Utah and maybe rent a place like the one in Heber, only this time there might be snow, and fun snowy stuff to do. Would anyone else be interested? I thought I'd put out some feelers and see if anyone else felt the same way. Becky was worried about having to take Christmas somewhere else and the complications of that, so if that is a big worry, then maybe we could go a day or two after Christmas (I still want to spend the actual holiday with mom and dad myself though). So who's interested? Let me know so we can get cracking!

The Gold

One day when we were at a show, we were taking a break -- well, everybody was -- and Isaac wanted to buy something. And Mom said, "Do you have any money?" And Isaac said, "Well, I have my gold." And he pulled some fake treasure out of his pocket and surprised us. And it was a little cute!

From Aaron

Celebrity "Go" sighting

I just got back from my first business trip to LA. I met and signed on with a major sales rep. They do all the big shows. LA, Atlanta, SF, NY. I am really excited about this relationship. Hopefully now I won't have to deal with sales and can focus on my brand and new products. They have the best show room. They are the perfect fit. They have a very clean, modern, studio. I was drawn to them when I heard they carry blabla. They have been with them since the begining and have gotten them where they are today. Like Barney's NY, Neiman Marcus, Giggle, and just about every kids boutique in the US. And, while I was meeting with them they got a call from Pottery Barn, one of their accounts. Not that I think Pottery Barn will carry the sling, but Becky and I were talking about PB and how they don't make all their products. Well, turns out they get some of their products through my sales rep.

I stayed with Liz Rutter. She has a beautiful home in Riverside and was a gracious host. The menu while I was there for you inquiring Craig minds: A large bowl of berries with granola and yogurt for breakfast. Fresh guacamole and pita chips as a snack. And these very good chicken and vegie kaboba. She marinated the chicken in "Jamaica Mistake" (you can find it at your local G. store) It was all very fabulous. Thanks Liz!

I also met up with Brian Petersen. We now have our first official celebrity wearing the sling. Of course Brian just happened to have a prop of some kid. He was kind enough to show us what not to do while wearing the sling. We also went to brunch at a very southern place: "Rosco's Chicken and Waffles" And that 's exactly what we both got. A battered and fried chkn breast and a most delicious waffle. Very good and very fun. I think my favorite was the sunrise drink which was fresh lemonade with fresh orange juice. There is just no substitue for real juice. This drink was amazing. You citrus tree owners must try this with your fresh juice.

Now that I have the sales rep, my job is going to be to inform the magazines and blogs about PUJ. If you have a magazine you think I need to write let me know.

Nancy, I'm sure you'll have a good list for me.

Progress and the Pursuit of Things Bright and Shiny

I bought a solar oven. Several months ago Richard told me that his parents regularly used one. I was impressed. It sounded so new world to me. So I did some research and I came across the Global Sun Oven, "Rated as the top solar appliance in the world." It looked like just the thing; but it was pricey. Of coarse part of that price goes to help provide the same product to the underprivileged chefs of underdeveloped countries. But still, we do have a budget.

Luckily, the firm settled a mega million dollar case, and I got a little bonus. I'm a careful spender, so I thought and thought about what to dispose my discretionary cash on. I bought Emily a dress, and there was still some money left over. I went back to the Sun Oven website and read that, "Purchasing a SUN OVEN® may well prove to be one the best investments you ever make." It rang true to me. I went to ebay and found a brand new one for about $50 below normal retail. I thought some more, and then I committed to the transaction.

We had our second meal out of it today. I wish I hadn't waited so long. Just picture it -- the rays of that hot Arizona sun, concentrated into the black box, off of the shiny reflectors, ramping the chamber up to as high as 350 degrees -- causing steam to wisp up from my pork roast, brown rice, peppers, and quinoa. The kitchen stays nice and cool. Don't have to pay for the energy. Cooks while we're at church, ad no danger of burning the house down.

It just makes me feel happy. It just makes me feel confident in human progress and the pursuit of things bright and shiny.

As it turns out, solar cooking isn't new world at all. One of those websites in my research stated unequivocally that people have used the sun to cook for thousands of years.

Thanks for the tip, Rich.

To Pam and Laurie

Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary
Happy anniversary
Hap-py anniversary!

(That was a song!)

Here's to 35 more!

Go

Let's "Go" people!

(Hope you're ready for a rocket ride!)

I am sure I am not doing this right. It took me a half hour on the phone to figure out how to get the pictures on here and now I don't have anyplace to write. I guess that is the next lesson Nancy. Anyway, here are some pictures from our long weekend. The purpose of the trip was to go to the wedding reception for Hermana sellers and her husband, Shane Larsen of Rexburg. She is from California where they got married and he is from Rexburg. One of the other Sisters that we served with had come to her wedding but she had gone back to D.C. However, her parents were there and it was fun to meet and visit with them. None of the bride's family came to the reception - a cousin getting married this weekend and Hermana Seller's sister is getting married the following weekend. It was an outside reception at the Church with cake and green punch with ice cream in it. Afterwards we went out to dinner, but found no restaurants in Rexburg (a big business opportunity for any of you who want to be in the restaurant business). The only place we could find to sit down and eat dinner was J.B.'s but after an hour of waiting no food so we got up and left (after I explained to them fairly nicely that their service, or lack their of was abysmal. They blamed it on lack of grill space because they were so busy but there were less than a dozen people in the restaurant designed to hold 100 at least. If this is your competition, a good restaurant should do well there. I must have calmed down in my old age - I wasn't nearly as vocal as that time in Chili's that I am sure you remember, but I was pretty disgusted with them. One picture is from the barbecue at Angela and Brian's to celebrate Mom's becoming a U.S. citizen. The other pictures were taken in Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks which are right next door to each other. Unfortunately I did not bring my elk gun with me so no elk meat for those of you who acquired a taste for that delicacy when Stephen took the big one. Last night on the history channel they were showing the same smoking caldera in Yellowstone and saying that it is the largest in the world. There was another about this same size that went some many thousands of years ago and nearly wiped out all living things from the face of the earth. Fortunately, it did not go off while we were there. The new temple is in Rexburg - It sits on the top of a large hill right next to the BYU Idsaho campus and is going to be very impressive. It looks like they are about done with the exterior anyway - even Moroni is in place. The drive through the area was very pleasant - beautiful scenery the whole way. Lots of fields of wheat and potatoes, lots of rivers and streams, and just beautiful mountain scenery. We went looking for a nice cabin that we could buy and rent out when not in use. I figured a couple of million but the ones we liked were in the 10 million dollar range. I am not sure what the weekly rental would be but I am sure I could not afford too many payments on the 10 million loan if we failed to rent it out, so maybe I'll have to do a restaurant in Rexburg instead. It was a fun trip and we decided we needed to do more of those kinds of things. Love to all, Dad and Mom

All the Buzz

I just found this the other day. I was looking at a film teachers blog where he mentioned a ringtone that only young ears can hear. A bit like the high pitched dog deterrent Dad got one year for his birthday or fathers' day. I guess NPR did a story on it.

Can you hear it?

I'll bet your kids can.

I played it at work. I could hear it. The 19 year old receptionist could hear it. But my 27 year old manager, the 29 year old sales rep, and even a 26 year old sales associate all couldn't hear it AT ALL. Not even a little bit. Wow. That is fascinating.

Honest, get your kids around and try this out. They'll be able to hear it from the next room, you might not be able to hear it even if you put your ear up to the speaker.

PUJ in Utah!

Okay, you Utah folks. Puj is now in Utah. You can find us at the Flower Basket or Soel in Provo. And also "Expected" in Midvale. Spread the word folks...it's for a good cause :) There is also a link to our site on my friend Kelli's site, www.acheekyblog.blogspot.com If you know anyone else with a blog (nancy, austin) I'd love to give them an image of the logo. I haven't heard back from all of you about the site. Give me some feedback and become my "friend" www.pujbaby.com

Cheeseheads

Anyone who has spent any time at all with Hallie over the last six months knows the nickname that she has given herself: Cheesehead! Not because she or her father are GreenBay Packer fans, but because the girl can't get enough of cheese! So when I went to Wisconsin (see my blog) this past weekend I couldn't resist the little cheesehead for her souvenir, don't worry she already broke it!

The Power of Art

I watched this show last night. It happened to be the one on Rembrandt, and the episode on David is next week, which probably means that the series is almost over. Hopefully (and PBS usually does) there will be re-runs I can catch. I highly recommend it to all of you!

Patio of Fire, 2007

I thought maybe I could get Brian to write this post, but it looks like that's not going to happen. He's not a fan of the word "blog", and so is not interested in anything associated with it. Oh well. We still love him. Mostly because he's our link to the Patio of Fire!

Patio of Fire, 2007 went off smashingly. First there was the fly over with a plane that looks something like this (sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the actual fly-over)

Next up were the Patio of Fire Dancers. Mom had me take a picture, because she said it reminded her of Stars.

The opening act this year was "Merrel Haggard" (aka, my father-in-law, Bruce, singing Merrel Haggard songs), singing "Oakie from Muskogie". I don't know how many of you know this song (I'd never heard it until now), but the opening lines are "We don't smoke marajuana in Muskogie, we don't take our trips on LSD". Woah. Here's a shot of Merrel (with Brian in the back playing the guitar).

Up next was the headlining band....Meelz on Wheelz! They did a great job! Inbetween songs there were give aways of t-shirts, hot dogs, and gift baskets, and they launched t-shirts out of the cannon. Here's some action shots of the band.

My friend, Karla, and her husband, Jeff, came down for the festivities, and they both won a t-shirt!

At the end of the show, was the 20 minute, totally legal, Fireworks Show. This year it was expanded and they were set up on both sides of the stage, featuring songs from the seminary D&C soundtrack, High School Musical, and some rap music (when it started, Mom turned to me and said, "So is this rap music?).

A fun time was had by all. We wish you all could have been there, but hopefully you can come for Patio of Fire, 2008!

As you can see, Sophia Elaine is no longer my little baby. She's growing up, on the move, and lovin her mobility. I wish I had a rewind button so I could revist moments in her past. (If my life were a musical, right now would be the part where they start singing "Sunrise, Sunset.") Pictures will have to suffice.

BBQ Anyone?

After we came home from the mission just a year ago, one of the first things Laurie did was to buy a new BBQ. Travis was here with his dad's truck so off they went to Costco and came home with a big, shiny, stainless steel, impressive looking BBQ that took up most of our small back deck. The main problem was, though, that it didn't work! He tried several times to cook various meats, etc, on it and it never did a good job. The trouble seemed to be that it just didn't get hot enough, so instead of cooking anything, it just kind of dried it out. So Laurie called the company listed on the literature that came with the BBQ and they sent him a new "regulator". So we thought we would be able to cook some decent food on the re-regulated BBQ. But it still didn't work. So when Laurie complained about the no-good BBQ while Nancy was here last month she asked where we got it and when we told her Costco, she said "Take it back, Costco will take anything back!" But we told her we had had it a whole year and it had never worked. So she called Costco and they said they would still take it back. Laurie spent over an hour looking through drawers for the receipt, but couldn' t find it. So she called again and they said we didn't even have to have the receipt. So again Travis helped Laurie and they loaded up the BBQ, this time in the back of Laurie's own truck, and took it off to Costco. They found the purchase in their computer and refunded the money. Then started the search for a new BBQ. It is a very important things to have, you know. So Travis was nice and went with Laurie looking at new BBQ's. They went everywhere in town that they could think of that sold BBQ's. But Laurie was kind of gun shy and couldn't find one he really liked. We kept telling him he could get the new model from Costco because at least we knew they would take it back if it didn't work well. But they came home empty handed and so after Travis went back to Arizona, I knew the task fell upon me to accompany Laurie all over town to try to make up his mind about which BBQ to buy. We looked up all the places in the phone book, but that didn't do much good. Angela even called to say she had seen a pink pig BBQ at a place on State Street and thought we ought to get that one. But we had already seen it and it was charcoal and we wanted gas. Otherwise we might have gotten the pink pig! Brian told us that his parents had recently bought a new BBQ and they had gotten it at R.C.Willey. So we went there. There were a couple that Laurie liked there. One was huge and thats the one he really wanted, but I told him it was too big to fit onto our small back deck and would only let him get the ordinary sized one. But we bought it. The next day he put it together and set it up on the deck, all the while complaining that it was way too small. But it appeared plenty big and shiny, and stainless steel, etc. That night he tried it out. He cooked a couple of steaks and grilled some vegetables and they all turned out great. The BBQ was made in, guess where! CANADA! The Canadians make a much better BBQ than the Chineese. So a couple of days later was July 4 and we planned a great BBQ'ed menu. But for some reason, the old problem seemed to be cropping up and when Laurie went to put the meat on, the BBQ wasn't getting hot like it had done the night before, so we thought we were jinxed. But he decided to change the tank as it appeared to be almost empty. After that, it did a great job. We had Austin and a bunch of his friends, Angela and Brian over to eat and had a real spread--ribs, chicken shish-ka-bobs, sausages, chili, potato salad, jello salad, broccoli salad, cookies and cake. And then afterwards we went to one of Austin's friend's home and watched the fireworks from the side of the mountain exactly east of the Stadium. So all in all we had a great July 4.

Text + Pics = Blog

Granted, this shows how incredibly inexperienced I am in the world of blogging, but I have yet to figure out how to post pictures and text at the same time and in a timely manner. So these posts are the journals to go with the pics. Bear with me.

June Retrospective:

1. Got to hang out with Sting and 18,000 other incredibly happy, screaming fans. I don't think anybody there could have been happier than me! It was a great concert experience for a girl who has loved The Police for the past 20 years.
2. We set up last years swimming pool. It still works and everybody loves it. The swimming pool is a mothers best friend in the summer time. Soooo much fun and oh so relaxing.
3. Babysitting Norah. How fun to have "twin cousins" again! It allows me to reminisce on when I really did have twin baby girls.
4. I've been canning home grown Romas. This is a most satisfying and rewarding activity.

I had several more photos of June to share with you. However, that would require me to have more blogger skills than I currently have. Yes, yes, you all say it is so very easy, but for me more like so very frustrating. I will learn in time. Tutorial anyone?

Fabulous Fourth!:

After hearing the forcasted high for July 4th was to be 117 degrees (is that even allowed? doesn't that break some sort of rule?) the family and I decided to head up to the mountains to enjoy cooler temperatures. We drove down to fossil springs (a ridiculously bumpy 7 mile drive down unpaved roads that should really only be done in a SUV) and found a fantastic, pristine swimming hole with clear blue waters and moderate temperatures (we figure if the roads were paved, the swimming hole would be crowded). The kids enjoyed swimming with the fish and I enjoyed taking their pictures.

We had a wonderful lunch of deli meat sandwiches on Kara's incredibly delectable homemade wheat bread and I made "the best fourth of July dessert ever" (or so Kara designated it). Really, it was delicious: two short bread biscuits sandwiching a layer of cream and mixed berries. So festive and oh so yummy! Thank you Martha.

That night we headed into Payson to check out their Fourth Festivities and Fireworks. They really know how to put on a great show! 45 minutes of great fireworks. We ran into our neighbors from Mesa and sat by them so the kids could play with their friends while we waited for the show. The weather up their was just perfect and the grass felt so soft and inviting. It was really a great day! If you can't spend the fourth in Utah, Payson is the next best thing (and much less driving).

Fabulous Fourth!

June Retrospective