BOSTON!!!

Brett's work is so awesome. Each year they'll pay for him to go to a medical conference and I can go along, too! We just pay my flight and food. This year Brett chose to go to Boston. It was so much fun. One of the main reasons it was so much fun was thanks to our good friends, the Holley's. The Holley's were some of our closest friends in the University Village. After graduation, they moved to Boston to go to Harvard for an MBA. They just left Boston to go to Orlando, so we just missed them, but Andrea had a booklet; literally a pamphlet that she sent to me with all the best places to see, best places to eat, best places to go, you name it. If it was great and in Boston, it was on that list! A few locals even asked us where we got our list because it covered pretty much everything! Anyway, that booklet was a gold-mine!! And I am convinced we hit all the best places! So, thanks to the Holley's!! And, if anyone is going to Boston, let me know, because I have something you want!!

One of the funnest parts about our trip was the eating. Seriously. Boston has got some AWESOME restaurants. Among our favorites were:

Figs:
The freshest, most healthy, tastiest pizza I've ever had. So good! The atmosphere was very cool and the food was so yummy. I didn't feel gross or like my arteries were clogged after eating a few slices of this pizza. If any of you have heard of Todd English on the Food Channel, this is one of his restaurants and it was so, so good. I am so glad we went here.

Chili Duck:
This place was great! The main course was pretty comparable to the excellent Thai food I've had here in Utah. Believe it or not, down in Utah county there are a couple of really good, authentic Thai places. We consider ourselves lucky! But the thing that was incredible was the mango sticky rice. OH MY GOODNESS! I ordered our main dish and the mango sticky rice at the same time. I thought the sticky rice was more like a side. Well, when our waitress brought out our food, there was no sticky rice. I thought she must have forgot. As we ate our main dish, we became stuffed and I thought, "Oh well. We're totally full anyway." Then as I thought she was bringing us our check, she brought out the rice. We at least had to taste it, right? IT WAS DIVINE! The whole visit to that restaurant was worth it just for the rice! I am serious. It was that good. (An added bonus--my good friend here know how to make this authentically!!! Can't wait to have it again!)

Mike's Pastry Shop:
This place is famous for it's Cannoli's. I wasn't even sure what a cannoli was before I arrived at the shop, but boy, these guys have so many different varieties! There were so many choices, I had to idea where to start. Plus, EVERYTHING looked so good. I wasn't sure that I wanted to try a cannoli, not knowing if they were really worth the calories, if you know what I mean. They all looked so good! I decided to get the Florentine Cannoli and it was super, super YUM! After trying Brett's, I know with absolute certainty that I made the right choice. Don't get me wrong, his was good. But mine was excellent! I could have eaten one or two more, but I refrained.

Giacomo's:

This, by far, was the crowned-jewel! Where do I start. I wish I could describe these foods to you the way a professional food critic would. The flavors were just so, so incredible. Aaaaahhhh. Yum! I could have eaten at this place every day we were in Boston, for lunch and dinner! IT WAS THAT GOOD! But, it was a totally different kind of restaurant that this Utah girl has ever eaten at. First of all, the restaurant is tiny, tiny! Probably 10 tables that seat 4 each. You sit back to back with your neighbors and don't hardly have room to stretch out! But, the food makes all your worries about claustrophobia go away. 2nd of all, there is a line out side the restaurant of people waiting to be seated. We only had to wait for about 1/2 hour. Apparently, that is pretty good. The food was indescribable. Brett had a pumpkin tortellini and I had a butternut squash ravioli. Just writing about it now is making my mouth water.

The weather in Boston was fabulous-- unseasonably warm for that time of year. In fact, the day we decided to walk around the city, it was 90* with 80% humidity. It was pretty miserable. But, how can you be miserable from the heat when you are surrounded by such history and awesome architecture? We had a wonderful time walking the Freedom Trail. The freedom trail is a trail that is about 3 miles long and winds all through the city of Boston. It really is a trail-- in the middle of the sidewalk is a red-brick road. You follow it and it takes you to 16 historical sites like: the Old North Church (think: Paul Revere and "1 if by land, 2 if by sea"), Paul Revers home, the Battle of Bunker Hill monument and museum, the Old Granary Burial Ground, Boston massacre site and the USS Constitution.

Tower at the Old North Church. Did anyone else learn that song in elementary schoool,

"They saw 2 lanterns in the North Church tower:
Ride, ride!
They knew this was to be the fateful hour:
ride, ride!
He met two regulars face to face
turned about at a lightening pace;
till those men gave up the chase,
it was the ride of Paul Revere."

Inside the Old North Church. The pew's were labeled with names of those who were to sit there.

I was huffing and puffing up all those stairs and Brett took this picture of me without even looking! He just took the camera right out of his pocket and snapped it! I think he wanted to get a picture of me climbing up all those steps!


Here I am taking a breather at the top of the 295 step, Battle of Bunker Hill monument. It was a total workout getting to the top, but offered a nice breeze and great views of the city!





I loved this quote on this plaque: "Blandishments will not fascinate us, nor will threats of a halter intimidate; for under God, we are determined that wheresoever, whensoever, or howsoever we shall be called on to make our exit, we will die free men." So determined for freedom, at whatever cost.



One thing about Boston: It is the most confusing place to try to get around. Even more confusing than Washington D.C. We even had a GPS and we still got lost a ton! One way roads are everywhere! In fact, they are so common, they put up signs for 2 way streets!!

Another thing is the tolls! We were there for 1 week and paid $75 in tolls! NUTS!





In front of the USS Constitution. The line to get on was sooooo long, and it was soooooo hot, we just couldn't make ourselves do it. Maybe next time we go back.

Here I am standing on Hanover Street-- the Italian part of Boston. This is where a lot of the good restaurants we went to were. It looks, feels and sounds just like you imagine a street in Italy. This picture does not do it justice, it was so fun and actually really pretty.

This is the Prudential Center. It is a HUGE building with offices, condos and a giant shopping mall. We went here several times for some fun shopping. Since we were in Boston over my birthday, Brett gave me money for a shopping spree. It was every girls dream come true! It was one of the funnest birthday's I've had!

This is right outside the mall- so beautiful and green! Lots of green space to rest and relax.


We went to visit Walden Pond. This pond is famous because Henry David Thoreau came here to get away from the world. He build a tiny, little one room house here for $28. He spent 2 years here and loved his time here. It is beautiful and peaceful. A few apostles have mentioned Walden Pond in their conference talks recently. There is a trail all the way around the pond. We really connected here and had some great, insightful talks.

I know, he's a hottie! (Pink backpack and all)


Here is a picture of Thoreau's one-room house. The clean-up would be so easy, right?

Boston was a wonderful experience. It is so nice to get out and just be together, husband and wife. It helps you remember who this person was, you fell in love with. We laughed, cried and were crazy. We stayed up late, slept in, ran together and did funny things. What an opportunity to reconnect and just have so much fun.

A HUGE thank you to my parents and to Brett's mom and dad. They had the kids and of course, they had a wonderful time. We feel so blessed to have family close and family who are willing to help with the children and help us strengthen our marriage. We love you!

Ronald Reagan speaks out against Socialized Medicine

Sorry for all the political posts lately, but we are at a very critical time in America. I think many of us (including me) have been apathetic for a long time. We just thought it would take care of itself, and others would fight the battles for us. It's fun to complain about politicians, but who wants to write them, or call them, or protest them? Well, I can sit around no longer. I believe in America and I want my children to have the same (or better) America that I had. I don't want them to be slaves to the government, slaves to the national debt. I feel like I have to spread the word. I am grateful to live in a country where I can express my opposition to the government. I can't imagine living in a place like Iran, where if you protest the lies and corruptness of the government, you are killed. So, I am expressing my views, opinions and thoughts. If you don't like these posts, you don't have to read them. I am trying to educate myself and my family so I can make the best choices possible.

I hope you'll listen to this. It's Ronald Reagan from the 1960's.

Ditto, ditto and....ditto

This is a letter written by a 53 year old woman and she sent it into a radio program I like to listen to. It is, in essence, everything I feel, and have not been able to put into words. This letter is long, but it is awesome! If you have time, I hope you'll read it. Let me know what you all think about it.

"I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when hewill rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming."

Isn't that awesome!? There is also a petition that has been circulated around the web to say, "Hey, I'm with this lady. What she says!!!" Well, it got so much traffic, the serves couldn't sustain it. But, I'll give you the like anyway. Hopefully it will be up soon.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/8/an-open-letter-to-our-nations-leadership

"Hope ya know, we had a hard time"

I loved this video from Mormon Messages on Youtube. So comforting and inspiring.

"We're twins!"

This was so cute, I just had to post about it.

We were at the park today and the kids met some new friends. This was their conversation:

New friends: "How old are you guys?"

McKay and Makenna in unison: "We're 6!"

Makenna: "Ya, we're twins."

New friends: "How come you're taller than your brother?"

Makenna: "Ya, I know. I was born first."

Plain and simple explanation.

Cute.

Birthday's, birthday's, birthdays!

3 birthday's in 3 weeks!!! Life is a little busy around here this time of year! The twins turned 6 and Connor-boy is now 9 years old!!!! Wow!!! I can't believe it!

One of Makenna's favorite presents: lip gloss...right after bubble gum from Connor!

McKay was thrilled to get his very own bird house that he can paint!! It's been painted and assembled and is very much appreciated by the birds!


Later that night we had a party for the kids. They chose to have 2 sets of our "older" neighbors come to the party. I thought this was so cute! They really love these sweet people. They also chose to have 1 same-age-friend over each. Makenna chose to have Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie, and McKay chose to have Rice Krispie Brownies.


CONNOR IS 9!

Bright-eyed and bushy tailed!

Heely's: "the gift of my life!!!"

Practicing in the kitchen.

Heely's are actually a lot harder than they look, but Connor's been practicing and he's really got it down. He can't wait to go to Coscto and try them out in their isles.

Connor's cake. Can you guess what it's supposed to be? If you dare to guess, leave your guess in the comments...don't worry, I won't be offended. Connor liked it and that's all that matters.

Connor invited 2 of his best friends over for the celebration: Joseph and Asher

She's a workin' girl!

Ok.

You just have to know Makenna.

She has not always been the hardest of workers in our family. It wasn't uncommon for her to 'excuse' herself in the middle of a job the kids had been given to complete together. She had to "go to the bathroom" or had to "get a drink." She'd be gone FOREVER! We all know what she was doing, right? We've all done that as kids, I think. So, in hopes to have her turn out better than I did, I usually excuse the boys, and let her finish the job herself, instead of working with everyone. My reasoning is to help her see that sticking it out and doing it together is much better than doing it yourself. And if you try to skimp out on your part of the job, then you're gonna do it yourself. (I know, mean mom....) Anyway, this is not the case, anymore.

Kenna is now our hardest worker. Seriously, it almost happened overnight. She works the hardest and the longest! She even does work with out being asked, and with a smile! She loves to work! She even helps the boys have a good attitude while working.

You may ask, "How did this happen?"

We did too.

We sat down with Makenna and asked reminded her of her days of loathing work and then pointed out how great she's doing now. She said it all goes back to this night:






Brett and Makenna working together, side-by-side. Brett had ordered a TON of little gravel to make a pathway through our garden and to fill up this nasty looking area in the above picture and get it ready to pour some concrete. Brett needed to get it from the driveway to this area. He had been at work for an hour or 2 after dinner one day and it didn't even make a dent in the pile of gravel. It still looked the same to me. The next day, he went out again. This time Makenna decided to go help him. I don't know what inspired her to do that. Neither of the boys went out to help and Brett didn't ask for it, but she went out. They worked until the sun went down and Makenna worked like a horse! Seriously, she didn't take any 'breaks' or quit, they worked till it was done. She must have had a lot of fun with her daddy, because now, she is the hardest worker we have! I am so proud of her! What a good girl! Hopefully some of this rubs off on the boys, too!