Catching up

I have some pictures from our recent trip to Castlewood Canyon where Jared took John and Kitty rock climbing for the first time.  John really enjoyed himself; he did well.  Kitty had a little tumble and got some scrapes and did not enjoy herself.  On the way there, however, she said to Jared, "I have to warn you... I'm pretty good." She was so excited to go, it made me sad when she got hurt.



A little stretching to prepare while daddy went up top to secure the ropes.



 

His goal was to make it to this ledge.



I think I have a Senior picture that looks just like this.



Our Money Food Chain

Today out of the blue John said:

"When I grow up I'm not going to have a job, I'm just going to feed off of your money."

"What makes you think I'll have any money?"

"Because, you feed off of daddy's money and he feeds off of Papa's.  Papa feeds off of Great Grammie and she feeds off of Bompa because really, Bompa has all the money."

 How right he is...

Feeling really awkward

Has this ever happened to you?

I got to the school a few minutes early to pick up my kids so I found a spot out of the wind and waited against the wall.  Within minutes a group of strange moms surrounded me and commenced their daily visitation.  I was right in the middle, standing there, thinking, "do I move? clearly I'm in their way... I was here first, why don't they move away from me?" What's worse is that I was determined not to make eye contact-- so there I stood, all six feet of me, trying to be invisible.

The best part? The conversation.  A little background... it's no secret that we go to the ghetto school of Castle Rock.  We embrace the diversity.  The hardest part for me is not the kids, it's the parents.  And really it's only one type of parent that gets me, the white trash parent.  So when I say I was inadvertently standing in the midst of some moms, I should say I was standing in the midst of some of these kind of trashy parents.  Topics of conversation included:

Getting hemorrhoids from sitting on a cold bench...(is that real? I've never heard that)
Getting a new perm (remember perms?)
Losing yet another job (this story was filled with expletives)...
Needing a smoke
Not having any money for rent but in the same breath talking about getting her nails done that day
Who will be at the bar later

And yes, I stood there and I judged.

Imagine my relief when I spied Kitty's class coming out just a tad early.

My turn on the soapbox

I don't usually like to get all opinionated on this here blog, but for some reason I couldn't sleep this morning and decided I needed to write about this topic.  I guess I feel pretty strongly about it. 

(Oh and forgive the missing capitalizations-- my right shift key just broke).

The honor code at BYU.  I've been thinking about it a lot in light of the basketball player, brandon davies, who got kicked off the team for premarital sex.  I have heard support for the school, "good for them!" and criticism for the school, "how dare they!"

Here's the thing.  we all knew what we were getting ourselves into when we signed on as students at the church university.  No one was holding anyone's feet to the fire forcing us against our will to take on the honor code.  granted, there are always those people who choose not to respect the contract they signed and those individuals often get away with it and don't have to face the consequences of their actions while enrolled at the school.  whatever.  but what good is the honor code with no enforcement? and why is it dumb for someone who chooses to live by the honor code to choose to go to BYU? and do you realize that by saying you think the honor code is stupid you are judging me for thinking it is worthwhile and important?

This brings me to a larger issue. I've decided that many times the people who have an issue with the establishment of rules, commandments, and expectations, don't like accepting consequences or the idea of being personally responsible.  we can be all about "freedom of choice" but when it comes down to accepting the consequences of those choices we feel "judged" and being judged is not fair or cool. 

the blame rests on poor brandon davies' shoulders, and I think he recognizes this.  It's a great analogy for life. we are all team players, whether we want to recognize it or not, and our actions affect the members of our team. some of us don't like the pressure or responsibility and want to do our own thing. but guess what? No matter how hard we try, we will always be part of the team and sometimes our actions dictate whether the team goes on to win or lose.

so give me a break with all this "there's no personal choice at BYU"-- that's stupid.  whether you like it or not, we chose to come to this earth based on the fact that there would be personal choice. everyone gets to choose how to live their lives.  you choose your own lifestyle, that's fine, just don't put me down, or make me feel stupid for the lifestyle I choose. and realize your choices are affecting those closest to you as well.

a little sweaty Kitty to lighten the mood.

it all comes down to this-- If you agree to the rules, you agree to the consequences.  If you don't agree with the rules then get off the bus and stop making fun of the people who are trying to get on.

Phew. that should be enough for at least six months.

P.S. I forgot I wanted to add:  Fire warms.... fire burns.

Season of the witch

I wish I had something good to post.  I don't.  Nothing that has happend in the past week comes to mind.  I've worn the same outfit probably three times, but that's old news.

Even Bogda has left me with hardly anything... it's rough.  She's convinced her sister, who lives nearby, is a witch.  A witch who subscribes to a witch magazine and burns witch candles and uses witch crystals.  But she is also a witch who also attends Catholic Mass weekly.  Bogda has been personally affected by her latest dealing in the craft. You see, Bogda's sister had a problem with bugs in her house. She tried everything to get rid of them, but they were stubborn. Stubborn, that is, until she did some witchcraft and now her house is bug free. 

But guess where they went?  That's right.  Bogda's house. She is convinced her sister is responsible for a minor insect invasion.  Nevermind that they aren't even the same kind of bug that inhabited her sister's house. 

I wonder if she's responsible for the lone housefly I kill daily.

Need I say more?

Diana and Tommy shared this with me this morning... thought it a fitting sequel to my Super Bowl post.