SLR

I'm not sure if I can convince Brandon that an awesome camera is a wise purchase, but just in case I'm doing a little research into it. Does anyone have recommendations on an SLR? Things you like/ dislike about yours?
The Canon Rebel seems to be the cheapest out there, and I'm guessing it would serve my purposes for having quality pictures and the ability to expand my photography abilities a little. I don't plan on getting more lenses, but maybe down the road?
Tell me what you know... brands? features to look for? books that will help me with all the aperture/ shutter speed stuff I can't remember... etc. etc.

It's about time

I've always wondered why no one ever came out of a copy of Girl Scout's Samoas cookie. I wouldn't say these are to the quality level of the originals, but at least it's something to get you by until next year's order. Thanks Keebler, it was an exciting moment in my trip to the grocery store to discover Coconut Dreams.

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The baby is...

A GIRL! The top pic is of her buff arm and a little clenched fist, and the bottom picture is of her spine. She is healthy and growing (as is my belly) and kicking and we couldn't be happier. Now to work on that naming part...

Happy 4th weekend

We had a good time celebrating the fourth (and the 2nd, 3rd & 5th). Calvin had his first experience with sparklers. But first, he had his first lesson on proper sparkler safety:Here is Calvin when he chose gardening over swimming at a family BBQ. I was a little disappointed in him:He used his cuteness powers, combined with his cousin's, to get sled rides from Uncle Paul:I would say it has been a very successful weekend. We also had some fun family bike rides, trips to the park, and a great time at Provo's Freedom Days. I am worried Calvin is going to think this coming week is really boring.

My Gay Sister

Over the past ten years since my little sister told me she was gay I have tried to understand what she is going through and help her deal with life. It's a rough road to grow up in an LDS family and have such strong same gender feelings. It's easy to feel evil and depressed. Although she has gotten past that stage in her life, it's still difficult to deal with. Since she is being more open with everyone, I thought I'd share what I've learned in case it can help anyone else relate better to someone in a similar situation. I'm not an expert at all, but at least I'm less clueless than I used to be. (And to those of you that know Heather, she is happy to talk more about it)
As her big sister who has all the answers (ha!) I've gone through different phases of trying to find solutions for her to be happy. Pray and it will go away. Fall in love with a boy and then you can just focus on him. Be single and be happy about it the rest of your life, just like straight people who can't find their match. Really none of those are solutions though because she has tried them all with no success.
When people are straight and single they at least have that hope that someday they will meet the perfect person for them. When you don't want to be in a gay relationship, but that is who you are attracted to, you feel hopeless and alone. It makes friendships difficult too. You want to have close friendships, but not too close that it's unhealthy for you. It's never fun to fall in love with someone you can't be with.
I guess some people are attracted to the same gender and then later are able to have healthy heterosexual relationships, but that isn't always how it works. I read the book, "No More Good-byes" and it talked about a scale from 1-6. People that are a 1 are completely straight, no sexual feelings towards same sex at all. 6 is homosexual. In between are people that are bisexual, or people that have a little more option in choosing gay or straight. If you are a 2 or 3 and want to live a heterosexual lifestyle, it's not that drastic to find someone to fall in love with and make a marriage work. But if you're a 5 or 6, that's just not realistic, as in Heather's case.
There are a lot of strong active people in the church that are gay, but don't act on their feelings. I'm sure it is very difficult, but what do you do when you love God and the church and are gay? Some people can't take it anymore and commit suicide. Even if God commands people to not have same gender relationships, I don't think He sees suicide as a better alternative.
I worry about the youth out there realizing how they feel and struggling to know what to do about it. I hope they will have understanding people to help them feel loved by God and everyone around them.
I'm sure it effects people in different levels of intensity. Heather is a very emotional person who puts so much into the relationships of her life. Being homosexual effects her everyday. I wish I had a solution for Heather. She has told me she knows she needs to live her values to be happy. The conflict comes because she has a value of having her needs met, by being loved and cared about in a relationship with a woman. However, she also has a value of following God and living the gospel.
I know she does all she can to reach out to others feeling the same way and help support them. She is an amazing person who deserves to have a happy life and I hope she finds a way to live all her values, even though right now the path is unclear.

Family time

We have been wanting to do some bike riding together, especially since we live by so many awesome paths. We put Brandon's old bike back together, bought me a bike and even found a nice used trailer for Calvin to cruise behind us in. We are all loving it!