Outdated

Does this look familiar to any of you? This is the computer of my childhood. Green screen, floppy discs, Oregon Trail. The Apple II E. I remember the first time I used a mouse, around 4th or 5th grade. My 3 year old uses a mouse quite well. How about cell phones? I had one in high school, for checking in with the parents, but most of my friends didn't have them. I would mow the lawn with my walkman and run with my discman. My 3 year old thinks its fun to walk around the house with her 'pod'. I remember sitting in a lecture hall my junior or senior year of college wondering what this 'facebook' my professor was talking about was. What does Wifi stand for? Gasp! I am 25 years old and I am supposed to be part of Generation X who is 'with it' when it comes to technology, but I personally already feel like an outdated model. Granted, I don't really remember ditto paper and 8 tracs were out before I even knew what they were, but come on! How can I be falling behind already?! Is there any future for this mother of two in corporate America? I don't text, I just barely got facebook! I DID figure out what Wifi was, and we DO have a terabyte hard drive which I think is pretty cool, but I hardly ever use my i-pod and I don't have much interest in cell phones beyond their use in emergency situations. I feel like the kid who had a few too many spins on the merry-go-round. Things keep moving faster and faster and its fun, but its so fast that my head is spinning. But, I suppose I am better off than my parents. They have seen even more change than I have. They are figuring it out, though they still haven't figured out how to comment to my posts. Keep at it Mom.

Read-In

As I said, I've been reading a lot lately, This can also be translated to the kids have been watching a lot of cartoons lately. I love it though, getting lost in someone's story. I was always the kid at school who anticipated a read-in like Christmas! I do like a good gospel book, or a self help book every once in awhile, but I really just love a riveting story. My favorite genre is historical fiction because I learn something and am entertained at the same time. I find that anymore, TV really bothers me. It's noisy and so crude and often, pointless. Yet aren't there books like that? Pointless? Books with 'scenes'? Should we read the books with 'language'? We can skip pages, just like we can fast forward a movie. For example, I think Nicolas Sparks is a talented author. Perhaps sappy, but talented. Many of his novels will have a 'scene'. Should you not read the book at all? What about 'Gone with the Wind'? I mentioned before that I just read that book and loved it, but heavens, that book must have been so scandalous when it came out! Scarlett marrying her sisters fiance for money, Rhett and his mistress's. And of course that book swears. It's what the movie is famous for anymore!. "Frankly my dear . . . " Do we sensor books in schools? Should Harry Potter be banned for all its talk of witchcraft? Another example, if you aren't already bored out of your mind with this post. I also just finished reading the Hunger Games. This book is found in the young adult section, which shocked me because of the violence in the book. Yet, come to think of it, there was no swearing, no real sexual references. References that seem to be a must in any book written in the last 15 years. But still, I don't know that I would want my teenager reading it. So should I even be reading it? Sorry for all these questions. I just don't have answers to them. Where visual media is concerned, I feel like I know where to draw the line, but when it comes to the written word, I don't know. How about you?

Holy Cow. If you want to see some WAY AWESOME snowboarding, watch the master! Shawn White is awesome! If you want to see the "Double McTwist" Go here:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/news/newsid=425101.html#double+mctwist+gold

In other news, Lydia was running into the library today with her hands in her pockets. She tripped and skid marked the whole right side of her face. Poor girl. Colton's accomplishment of the day was saying, "Barbie." Mike is on a campout tonight with the boy scouts. Oh so cold! When I talked to him last he said at least the snow would be soft to sleep on. My accomplishment as of late has been reading like a maniac. In the last three weeks I have read 3 and a half books, about 2,000 pages. (Gone with the Wind, The Hunger Games, and Catching Fire. I am now reading Last of the Breed.) I'm sure I will have more to blog about reading later. Now I'm off to watch Eclipse since Mike isn't here.

L-O-V-E

Dear Cupid,
I used to think you were stupid.
Valentines day would come each year,
And I would have this great fear:
I didn't have a boyfriend, which was fine by me,
But seeing all the other girls get gifts was hard to see.
And I tried each year to keep at bay,
the awfulness of Singles Awareness Day.
Now I am married and do not cringe,
When I see couples giving hearts laced with trim.
But even with my sweetheart by my side,
I have something I must confide.
I see flowers and chocolates and balloons at the store,
but this are things I no longer adore.
Sure these things are very sweet,
but the purpose of Valentine's has seen defeat.
We say we celebrate love on Valentine's Day,
but I didn't think love was something for which you had to pay.
And so my dear cupid,
All these years later, I still think you are stupid.

Alright, kind of cheesy I know, but really, WHY do we celebrate Valentine's Day? I think commercialism has pushed us a little far from the mark. My own perception of love has changed greatly since I've been married. Love used to be infatuation, a feeling of happiness or giddiness, though I was told it was much more. After 5 years of marriage, I am not giddy like I once was, but I can say that I am even more in love now than I was 5 years ago, because now, love is an action. Love is when you make a selfless decision. Love is overlooking faults and mistakes. Love is biting your tongue. It is trying to understand even if you don't. Love is when a father gives his daughter away. Love is when you forgive even if you want to stay mad. I wish THIS was what we celebrate on Valentine's day, but I don't think there are many people who even know of this love any more. That's why we celebrate stuffed animals and chocolates on February 14th.

I get the shivers

I cannot wait to watch the snowboarders in the olympics! It just gives me the chills to even look at the photos on nbc.com. Though I do enjoy reading and sewing, there is nothing that gives me more of a thrill than snowboarding, wakeboarding and basketball. I just wish my current lifestyle allowed a lot more of these physical activities. Oh, to catch big air! (Well, I never REALLY have, though I have tried) Hope you all enjoy the Olympics as well!

Crafty

I wouldn't consider myself crafty. Though creative, I lack patience in the little details. However, I do enjoy an occasional sewing project. Recently a friend taught me how to do the decorative crochet stitching for blankets, so I made my first baby blanket for my friend Khosi who is expecting her first girl. It was really fun and I actually remembered to snap a photo before I gave it away.

Prayin' for MICE?

Some of you may squirm at this picture. (That's you Mom) Others may be unaffected, but please, whatever you do, please do not get too attached to these mice. These are Mike's lab mice and we love them at our house. Many prayers have been sent Heavenward on their behalf. You see, Mike has been running tests on these mice for the last 4 months, measuring their blood glucose levels, to see if the drug that he has developed is dropping these levels. A drop in blood glucose levels means his drug is working and that Mike may have found a drug that could be a savior for those with Diabetes.
A few weeks ago, Mike's mentor told him to scrap the experiment because no results were found. Circumstances didn't let Mike 'sacrifice' the mice immediately, but when the time came, Mike thought he would check the blood glucose levels one more time, just to see. Well, the levels dropped! Perhaps just a fluke? After a week of praying for the creatures and another round of testing, the levels have stayed down. If they continue to stay down, a drug will be developed and sent to the FDA. This however, does not mean that Mike will become rich and famous. It means that he will have a project to write his thesis on and that we might actually be able to start counting down the conclusion of graduate school. We are very excited, and continue to pray for these mice, along with about 24 others. I do not think any mouse has had more prayers extended in their behalf!

To All You Mothers Out There

This is to all those mothers out there, who answer the door wearing this:It seems as if I get my fashion sense from my 3 year old, who was pulling this look off like a diva:And if you want a real stallion . . . He'll be available in 20 years.As it is, I am glad I found my prince charming, because in our home, plaid and penguins DO match, especially when the alternative is puke covered jeans. So this post goes out to not only the fashionista mothers, but those who have been thrown up on as well. Happy Motherhood! It's all worth it!