Almost there

Here is Glenn Beck's take on marriage. Brilliant!

Going Viral

I am not sure if my blog gets enough visits to make a difference but this blog post is long overdue. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we were encouraged to use social media to educate others on Proposition 8. 

This is something that is near and dear to my heart and to my beliefs. Here are 6 reasons why voting yes on Prop 8 is so important for our generation:

1) Children in public schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage. The California Education Code already requiresthat health education classes instruct children about marriage. (§51890) Therefore, unless Proposition 8 passes, children will be taught that marriage between any two adults is of the same worth, regardless of gender. There will be serious clashes between the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children their own values and beliefs. 2) Churches may be sued over their tax exempt status if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public. Ask whether your pastor, priest, minister, bishop, or rabbi is ready to perform such marriages in your chapels and sanctuaries. 3) Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston already had to stop providing adoption services in Massachusetts because courts legalized same-sex marriage there.  4) Religions that sponsor private schools with married student housing may be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if counter to church doctrine, or risk lawsuits over tax exemptions and related benefits. 5) Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages may be sued for hate speech and risk government fines. It already happened in Canada, a country that legalized gay marriage. A recent California court held that municipal employees may not say: "traditional marriage," or "family values" because, after the same-sex marriage case, it is "hate speech."  6) It will cost you money. This change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits, including some already lost (e.g., photographers cannot now refuse to photograph gay marriages; doctors cannot now refuse to perform artificial insemination of gays even given other willing doctors). Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today's activist judges), think of the money – your money – that will be spent on such legal battles. The following reasons were blatantly copied from the website:  http://www.whatisprop8.com/ For me personally, I will feel as my right to have religious freedom will be affected if Prop 8 does not pass. I had forwarded emails to many people explaining what Prop 8 is, and have received hurtful and outrageous accusations that are filled with hate. Hate is not the issue here. Not in the least. I can LOVE people who are gay. That does not mean that I agree with their lifestyles. I don't. I don't believe in many things that are becoming more tolerant in our world (pornagraphy, drugs, alcohol) but that doesn't mean that I hate people who have a lifestyle that tolerates them. Quite the opposite. I truly believe that every person is a loved son and a daughter of our Heavenly Father. What has surprised me is that amount of angst that comes from the opposition. The opposition demands tolerance but is unwilling to show any towards our views.

Please take the time to review what voting on this Proposition means. You have a voice, you have the ability to choose. The following sites have a great deal of information regarding Prop 8: 

http://www.preservingmarriage.org

http://www.whatisprop8.com/

Please pass the link along and encourage your friends to vote! Every vote matters. 

One year???!!!!

We made it to one year. If you want to be more accurate, one year snuck up on us. Life still hasn't slowed down, but let's be honest - will it ever? Tonight our celebration will be simple. Take out from Pei Wei, Baskin Robbins ice cream (hand packed) and we are going to watch our new Mary Poppins DVD (my choice, not Darren's) and go to bed early. Lovely. 

PS - this what we looked like a year ago. Nothing has really changed except a slight weight gain :) Dang that ice cream!

Broken ribs are a pain (in every sense)...

Things got a little more complicated for Dad at the hospital today. The staff are still struggling to find a vein for Dad to get his antibiotics, so he may get a central line. His pneumonia has gotten worse, so his stay at the hospital will be extended. And last but not least, those darn broken ribs caused some more problems!

His doctors think that during a coughing spasm, one of his broken ribs tore a hole in his left lung (OUCH). They inserted a chest tube to help repair the damage, but this is a discouraging set-back. His pain level is back up and he is discouraged about this new complication. 

Please keep Dad in your prayers.  We want him home as soon as possible. 

Newest Dad Development

Let me give you the latest Dad update:

He finished his radiation about 2 weeks ago. Over the last few weeks, he has suffered a few set-backs unrelated to his multiple myeloma (ie- broken ribs, yeast infection in the throat) but we were hopeful that he would return to the joke-telling, easy going, paperback-book-reading Grandpa Brown in no time.

We moved Dad to his  new room downstairs (which looks great!) and due to fantastic organization on our sisters' part, helping Dad with his medications is a breeze. He has a new flat screen TV, a padded reclining glider, a mini fridge and a fancy smancy new hospital bed to make him comfortable. THe best environment for a recovery and the best way to keep Dad away from the stairs :) 

However, recovery has been slower than expected. His tumors have shrunk, but he developed a blood clot in his calf and in his lung over the weekend. His appetite has decreased, and it is still difficult for him to take a deep breath (not because of his tumor but because of his broken ribs). 

Our newest development? Today Dad checked into the hospital with a bout of pneumonia. The pneumonia is affecting the upper part of his lungs and he needs IV anti-biotic-therapy but he is expected to be home by the weekend. We are hoping there will be no additional complications and a special thanks to Misha who waited at the hospital for 5 hours until they managed to find a vein to give Dad his antibiotics. 5 hours? What type of needle were they using? A straw from McDonalds? Thank you Misha!!! 

Changes for Lexi

Lexi - you get your own post about how I finally connected you to my blog.  I regularly check her blog through bloglines, but she pointed out that there was no direct link to her blog.

This has been fixed. A nice new feature is the family section.  (Lexi - being a sister - you are in the family section).  Let me say how happy I am to have a sister live so close. But since I am older, there is this nagging feeling that I should do all within my power to tease her! Thus the title :) 

I would like to give a shout out to a few newcomers in the blogging world. Welcome Nellie and Angela! You may notice that I typically list all couples with the girl's name first. This is for a few reasons.

1) The girls are typically the ones who actually post on the blog (excepting a few like Kent, Tim, Ryan). 

Okay I lied. That is the only reason. 

Birthday Boy

Here he is in all of his glory. 

Today is Darren's birthday. I felt a little bit of pressure because last year we were here:

No, that is not the zoo. We were in Kenya on safari in the Mara. Last year all Darren wanted for his birthday was to see a leopard. 

Needless to say, a trip to Africa was hard to follow but I think I was able to make a big impression with a little crepe paper, a custom birthday hat and a birthday banner:

This is how our day went. Woke up and made Darren oatmeal pancakes with buttermilk syrup. We did a little church service by knocking on doors for Proposition 8. Then we were destroyed in a tennis game by Casey and Lexi.  Our beating was followed by lunch at Fiesta Grill. Then we settled down and watched the BYU game and finally dinner at Houstons. (Which has the best ribs and hamburgers I have ever tasted!!! Two words - California Burger.)

All in all the perfect day spent doing things that Darren loves. And because he is 31 this year, I will list 31 things that I love about Darren.

1) How sweet he is

2) He is a great cook

3) He is a great example

4) He will watch chick flicks with me (sometimes without me, he watched Enchanted when I wasn't around).

5) I love his sense of style

6) I love his spiritual side

7) I appreciate how hard he works at EVERYTHING

8) I love that he helps out around the house

9) I love how smart he is

10) His tie collection (it is truly amazing)

11) How I can laugh with him all the time.

12) How hard he tries to do what is right

13) How he loves to travel

14) I love how shamelessly he likes me to scratch his back

15) I love how he never gets angry (at least at me)

16) I love how he loves to travel so much he is always planning trips

17) I love how much he loves wearing free t-shirts

18) I love how supportive he is

19) I love that he is the person I want to talk to the most

20)I love that he is obsessed with college football and basketball

21) I love that he is a great athlete (sometimes I don't like the fact that he runs a lot faster than me though)

22) I love how he is always wanting to surprise me. 

23) I love how much he wants to cuddle with me

24) I love his family

25) I love that he loves my family

26) I love his example

27) I love how he helps me simplify things

28) I love how generous he is with everyone

29) I love how willingly he does his callings at church

30) I love how he is a night owl.

31) I love him and am so grateful to spend my life with him. 

I love you Darren!