Campbell's Soup for Four

First Day of School

2011-08-22T19:19:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's hard to believe it's been a whole year, and it's time for school to start again! Here's a picture of Ethan (age 13!!!) and Tristan (age 8!!!) this morning before we braved the carpool and drop-off lines at Anderson Elementary where Tristan's a 3rd grader and Curtis Middle School where Ethan's the big man on campus as an 8th grader.

We've had a huge year with many roller coaster ups and downs, and we're so happy that things are looking up for us. We promise updates with pictures and news soon. For now, celebrate the new school year with us and our rapidly growing children!!!

Persistence

2011-07-19T17:14:00.003-05:00

One of the mental quandaries that I find myself cycling through is the issue of persistence on the Internet. The digital medium is no longer expensive or fragile as it used to be. It's just common practice to just transfer all of our electronic records from one hard drive to another, creating a perpetual transfer of information as time goes on. The Cloud is going to make this easier and more transparent to the end-user; your data is just always magically there when you need it. An invisible world-wide data repository encompassing everything.

So what's the problem with that? Inherently, nothing. It's actually a pretty cool concept, like the Library of Alexandria without the worry about fire. My hangup is that humanity has been pretty poor about choosing what to keep forever. Rather than choose, it's just easier to keep everything and why not? Storage is cheap and there seems to be no limit to what we can store.

Since we're keeping everything (and that includes corporations) we're saving all of our memories and actions -- both the good and the bad. We're human, we make mistakes and we eventually forget about them. The Internet will always remember them.

Case in point, as I was looking for a new job for the past few months I knew that employers were going to be looking at me. Not just the typical criminal background check (of which I don't have one), but beyond that... much beyond. There are certain things that I have to authorize for an employer to check or at the very least they will tell me that they will be looking into. Anyone getting a security clearance knows the drill. They'll interview friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. That only gets you so far to knowing who you are as a person and as a potential employee.

Thanks to the Internet and the vast data that's being kept, there's all sorts of information on me... posted by me! And it goes back... way back. Try this for an exercise. Find the earliest post you made on the Internet. There's an interview online with me when I worked at Ensemble Studios in '97.

I happen to pre-date the World Wide Web by a few years. I was dialing up BBS' back in 1985. (Rent "Wargames" sometime and you'll get a good idea of my nerdness.) On a whim, I did a search for posts written by my old BBS SYSOP, Malcolm Petcher. He died many years ago, but I'm was able to find posts written by him as far back as March 27, 1986... just when I first met him! (Note: having my twenty year high school reunion and finding these posts are overloading my nostalgia brain centers.) I know he wouldn't mind me using one of his messages to make a quick point.

This particular post he said "I can see the benefit of having the British MoD allowed to validate compilers, but I see no reason for them to establish their own validation suite. That's
courting disaster." If Malcolm were alive today and looking for a new job in the Defense Industry, could a potential employer find this statement? If so, what would he think? Would he consider the context and the date? How would this impact his chances for employment?

Anything you say or write can be brought back against you if you're not careful. I know. I've done computer forensics for companies. People are always surprised that the email they thought was private was always being stored on the server. I think I learned a healthy sense of paranoia from my cousin, who I always considered to be a fairly elite hacker in the 80's. I've always had a healthy respect for "The Man" and had an emergency plan in case a black paneled van pulled up outside of my house.

I know what and what not to post. I actually have people in my industry "listen" to what I say, so I have to be careful on not just what I post but how I post it. I can't go out and rant "All users of Software Brand X are idiots!" Especially if one day the only people hiring is the people that make Software Brand X. Innocuous things on Facebook like promoting a political candidate or taking a stance on a particular issue could affect you.

It's a delicate balance to maintain. You have to be accountable for what you write. I actually prefer that over anonymous posts. (That'll be another blog post for later.) We shouldn't be afraid to use free speech, but what we say does come at some sort of price. It's something I'm teaching the kids to use now so it won't potentially come back to haunt them later.

Brushing off the dust

2011-07-19T17:06:00.002-05:00

Erlynne and I were talking about getting the blog going again this morning, so I'm going to take the first crack at getting things going again. Don't expect anything amazing from me. I'm probably just going to do some rambling on whatever pops in my head. I expect Erlynne will do more of the historical stuff, mostly because she can remember events and I can't.

With that in mind, I'm off to craft what I'm sure is going to be a (gasp) breathtaking blog post... /sarcasm.

First Day of School

2010-08-23T07:41:00.002-05:00

Happy First Day of School, Ethan & Tristan! Tristan is headed off to second grade this morning, while Ethan starts his first day of middle school as a seventh grader! We are so proud of them! We have had an incredible summer, and pictures and posts with all of our adventures will be coming soon!

Love you, boys! You're going to have an incredible school year!!!

Erlynne's MRI Results

2010-04-21T16:02:00.002-05:00

I had an MRI on my knee on Monday and met with my orthopedic doctor to follow up today.

Thankfully I do not have any major tears in my ligaments. WHEW!!! I did tear several muscles which are healing nicely. He said I have "chronic cartilage damage" in my knee really close to the joint, so when I pulled the muscles it aggravated everything, causing swelling inside and outside the knee joint.

I have been on crutches for 3 1/2 weeks (since the injury) and I'm still unable to put full weight on the leg or lock my knee without LOTS of pain. So he made me a path to follow. Today, he gave me a Cortizone shot in the knee to bring down the swelling so I have more motion and less pain. He wants me to continue with physical therapy, and he's telling them to "ramp it up and push it a little" from now on.

If I am still having pain in 3 weeks, he'll give me a series of 3 more injections. Joy!

If all those shots and PT workouts don't do the trick, then he's going to go in with a scope and fix the cartilage damage.

I think that's a fair path to follow, and I love him for not jumping straight to the surgery option! I'll just keep up the hard work at physical therapy sessions and at home, think positive, and have faith and hope.

I have incentive... Chris and I are flying to Boston on May 7th to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. He's got a conference to attend there, and we'll stay with Clark & Guinievere & Ben & Cash. Neither of us have ever been there, so we are going to explore and have all sorts of adventures. I certainly don't want to be hobbling around on crutches for that!

Update from Leg Land

2010-03-31T19:33:00.002-05:00

Well, our achy breaky legs over here at the Campbell's wanted me to send out a blog update.

Chris' foot is feeling much better, and he has already stopped wearing his protective boot. Hopefully he'll continue to improve, and the nerve pain from the bottom of his foot won't come back. Yay for him!

Ethan has been rocking the physical therapy like a pro! His first physical therapy session was last Thursday, March 25. He's done his at-home exercises daily, and he really works hard at the sessions to do exactly what they ask him to do. As a result, his knee pain has decreased drastically, he's completely off crutches, and he barely even limps anymore. Hurray for the magical healing powers of the 11 year old body. Yay for Ethan!

I went to my orthopedic surgeon appointment today to get an X-ray and find out what the heck I have done to myself. Thank goodness I don't have any broken bones, but according to the doctor, I have torn a number of muscles behind my right knee and the physical therapist added that he thinks I have a meniscus tear as well. Lovely.

So I have to be on evil crutches for at least a week, and up to 3 weeks. I can't actually straighten my knee at all, and he says that if I come back for my followup appointment in 3 weeks and that's still a problem, he'll order an MRI and "look at our options," which sounded a whole lot like "surgery."

He scheduled me for 4 weeks of physical therapy, so I stopped by the physical therapist's office on my crutchy way out and scheduled myself for the same appointments that Ethan has. Misery loves company, after all! We did our first joint appointment today, and it was excruciating for me and refreshing for Ethan. And exhilarating for Tristan, who has fallen in love with physical therapy offices - there are so many fun "toys" to play on, like 1 legged stair machines, weights, bands, and stuff to step and balance on.

So now we just need to pray that my leg will heal up nicely with the help of the exercises and my willpower and the Lord's blessings. We're going to the temple for the first time in quite a while on Friday. I'm going - crutches and pain medication and all. I can't think of a better healing remedy in the universe than the balm of the Spirit and losing the cares of the world in the service of my Father in Heaven.

Three's a crowd, aka You've got to be kidding me, aka Chris got the boot

2010-03-28T10:42:00.002-05:00

Yeah. So, this is just ridiculous.

At Christmastime, Chris broke his middle toe on his left foot. It hurt a lot but he didn't go to the doctor because there's not much the doc can do with a broken toe. It got better pretty quick, but the ball of his foot started hurting a couple of weeks later.

About 5 weeks ago, I did something weird with my right hamstring and it started hurting mildly. It felt like I had hyperextended it, but I didn't freak out or go to the doctor or anything.

On March 10, Ethan was running on the playground at recess and he said it suddenly felt like he couldn't feel his knee anymore, so he stopped running. We found out the next day after 2 doctor visits, an X-ray and an MRI that he had badly strained his ACL and torn his meniscus in his left knee. He didn't have to have surgery, but he did have a lot of swelling so they had to take fluid out of his joint (OWWW!). He's been on crutches until just today, and now he's working out with 4 weeks of physical therapy. He's a trooper, but it's been extremely hard on him and on the rest of us. Nobody likes to be in pain and on crutches, especially for 3 weeks!

So then I went to the Muse concert with Dallin and stood 1.5 people from the FRONT of the crowd on the floor. Never been that close at a concert before, and it totally ROCKED!! We screamed and danced and jumped and sang and had the time of our lives! I was just so glad I felt well enough to go to the show. But I really shouldn't have jumped. I damaged the hamstring even more, so I've been limping ever since.

On Friday 3/26, Chris finally went to the orthopedic doctor for his foot, and they told him he's got a pinched nerve. They gave him a Cortizone shot (ow!) and put him in a walking boot for 3 weeks. So he's limping too!

Yesterday was a painful leg day for me. I've been up and doing for everyone else, picking up everyone else's slack because they couldn't do much. Whenever I spend a lot of time walking (limping, I should say), I end up in agony. I had gone and done some Saturday things, and when I got home Chris was moving out our old washer and dryer and moving in the newer models we got from my friend Cherri's parents. I didn't want him to roll the old washer and dryer over my brand new living room rug, so I got up to move it. I was walking backwards as I rolled it up, and BAM! I slipped on the medicine ball Ethan had been using for his physical therapy exercises and forgotten to put away. OWWW!!!! I know I didn't completely break the hamstring, but I am constantly in pain. I could barely sleep last night because I couldn't find a position that didn't burn or pinch or hate me.

So now 3 out of the 4 people in our family are dealing with ortho injuries! THREE!!!!! WHAT?!?!? Seriously!!!?!?!

Not only is there the pain and inconvenience to contend with, there's also the fact that our health insurance has a $2000 deductible for EACH covered family member before they pay a dime for anything. On top of the repairs we've recently done to the house, and the fact that I no longer have a full-time income.... looks like I'll be dragging out those credit cards again. You know... the ones we had paid off.

I am really, really trying to keep a positive outlook, but this is the most "stuff" we've ever had piled on us at once, ever. I think I'm going to go bury myself in the covers for a while. That will help, right?

Service comes in mysterious ways

2010-03-24T12:10:00.002-05:00

It's amazing to me how opportunities to help others come in the most unexpected and surprising ways. In the last hour and a half today I've had 2 neat opportunities to serve. The first call I got was from a friend in my ward with several young children, the youngest being a 2 year old adorable little girl. She asked me if we would be willing to let her little one come to our house and sleep in a pack-n-play while they take their older kids to Disney On Ice. Not many people ask me to babysit their kids, so it was a delightful surprise. Apparently she's going to sleep the ENTIRE time she's here. A 2 year old who's absolutely no trouble? Yeah, I can totally do that!!

The second one came shortly afterwards, in the form of an email to our Relief Society email list asking for someone to volunteer freezer space. We have a full size freezer in our garage that isn't currently chock full, so I called & offered mine. I was delighted to find out what a great service it would be! We have a family in our ward who were pregnant with twin boys. They already have two young daughters, both of whom were premature because mom went into labor with them very early and had to be hospitalized to prolong the pregnancy. This time, her labor started even earlier than with each of her girls, so she was put on bedrest, medication, and eventually was hospitalized full time to save the pregnancy and the boys. Sadly, one of the twins did not make it, passing away before he was delivered. The remaining twin was delivered at 21 weeks! They call him a micro-preemie. As you can imagine, we have had fasts, prayers, and endless service opportunities as we have reached out to support this incredible family. He is doing extremely well, with all of his organs functioning properly. He is to be in the hospital through the end of April, which is his natural due date.

The mom's best friend has been storing all her milk for her, but her freezer went out suddenly. So now all this precious, priceless breast milk for this little miracle baby is in MY freezer, kept safe and sound until it finds its home again. I know it's silly, but it feels SO special to me to safeguard their baby's nutrients for them!

I love how the Lord blesses me to be able to serve in ways that are possible for me, even with all the other tumult going on. He sure knows our needs!

Back!

2010-03-22T23:11:00.003-05:00

Hi everybody!

I am back! It is spring, it is gorgeous and flowery and sunny and beautiful outside (except for the 1 weird day of snow), and it has been time for rebirth and renewal here in our household.

It's a long, involved, depressing story to tell why I haven't been motivated to do... welllll... ANYTHING. In short, 2008 was really tough for me, and I couldn't find "the happy." So I sought counseling and they supported my decision to try an antidepressant. I did, and since November 2008 I have been ASLEEP! I realized, after a year and a half of "meh" and "I can't be bothered," that I had more than just stepped back and relaxed, I had lost the vitality and joy that make me who I am. The medicines had forced me to be so sleepy and worn down and relaxed that they depressed me!

So when I realized that I had accidentally signed up for Opposite Day in my brain, I decided to break OUT of that cycle ASAP! I wanted to find Erlynne again! Now that I'm done with the pills, I finally remember who I am.

So begins my journey of discovery. First 3 things on my to-do list:

1. Lose the weight I gained while on the accursed antidepressants. I didn't undergo weight loss surgery in 2004 just to get fat again in 2009!!! I'm getting my Lap Band filled tomorrow morning and starting a daily exercise regimen. I found out today that I have a partially torn hamstring in my right leg, so the ortho doc said to bike, not walk. I can do that - I've got a bike in my back yard and gorgeous sunny days to play in! Celebration Park, HERE I COME!!!! My first goal is to lose 10 pounds by Easter Sunday.

2. Figure out the money. I, who bookkeep for a LIVING, haven't reconciled a single credit card or bank statement for our personal accounts in exactly 1 year. I know how much money we have, but I don't know where it's been, or where it's going. That makes me crazy as a loon, and it stops NOW. I am going to whip that budget into shape!

3. Return and report. I need to write the stories of what our family has done, become, experienced, and seen. If I don't write them (with pictures, of course), then I will forget them, and that is unacceptable! Plus, I need to reach out to those I love. I feel like I've been an ostrich hiding with my head in the sand. That's not me!

I can gratefully and truly say that I have leaned on the arm of the Lord for support during these past many months. I didn't know WHY I couldn't be "a normal person," but I know He blessed me to feel His presence and His love for me and for my family. I can't wait to repay that love by word and deed. :)

Yes, they're really moving!

2009-10-21T14:58:00.004-05:00

A little over a month ago my dad sent an email to Dallin and I, his Dallas area kids, with the subject line "Don't Panic Yet." Of course, I immediately panicked. Turns out, he was in Las Vegas for an airplane convention and had finished up with a day to spare before his flight back to Dallas. He stopped in at a real estate office and browsed some listings, then looked at a property.

It's a beautiful 4500 square foot 6 bedroom 5 bathroom home on the edge of the mountains. It's 200 yards from a Stake Center, and just 1 stoplight away from the Las Vegas LDS Temple. The real estate market in Las Vegas has been suffering for a while, and the asking price for the house was hundreds of thousands of dollars below its appraised value. They couldn't have asked for a better deal, and the location is simply perfect for them. He called my mom, who was in Boston helping Clark and Guinevere with Benjamin and their new baby Cassius. Together, they made the decision to make an offer for the home. Theirs was the first of several offers on the home submitted that day and the next day, and since they were first, they were accepted!

They closed on their new home the first week of October, just 3 short weeks after their offer was accepted. It's a done deal! They've listed their home in Plano for sale by owner on MLS and Craigslist, and they plan to move to Las Vegas on November 30, whether the Plano home is sold or not.

I'm still reverberating with shock!

We moved to Plano from Provo, UT in 1980 when I was 7 years old. I grew up in that house, only moving away for 3 years to go to college. When I married Chris, we moved to an apartment just 7 minutes away, and when we bought our home in Allen we were glad that it was still just a 20 minute drive from them. We've always had them nearby! I feel like a native Texan, but they never really have. They've always wanted to move back west to be closer to both sides of their family, who almost all live in Idaho, Utah, and Oregon.

They're thrilled, I can tell. They are going to be a 5 hour drive from Staci and Eric AND Lana and Porter, and they're going to love having so much room for people to come and visit. We'll have wonderful family reunions there and there's so much to do in Las Vegas and the surrounding areas. It's a fantastic financial move for them, because their home value is only going to go up, and that provides great stability.

Though I'm really happy for them, I can't put into words exactly how I feel about their move. We've celebrated together for nearly every holiday, big or small. They have been right there for every joy and every sorrow, and their support, love and presence is of immeasurable value in our lives. They are part of the heartbeat of our family, and we will miss them so much!!!. I know we will be warmly enveloped in love and hospitality when we get the chance to fly to Las Vegas every once in a while, but I will always be wistful of "the old days" when I could just drive a few minutes, pull up to my childhood home, run up the walk, and see them anytime.

I love you, Mom & Dad!

From Cub Scout to Boy Scout

2009-09-22T21:25:00.003-05:00

It seems like just a few weeks ago that Ethan turned 8 years old and entered Cub Scouts, but time has flown! He turned 11 on August 10th and began going to 11-year-old Boy Scouts on Wednesday nights. Tonight was the Pack Meeting where he received his Arrow of Light and crossed over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. Yay!

Ethan has been such a fantastic Cub Scout. He earned so many belt loops that they go all the way around his waist on his belt. As a Webelo, he actually earned all 20 available badges. That means he earned the "Webelo Super Achiever" award! I didn't even know they gave that award, but it sure was neat to see his delight at receiving it!

As a girl, I didn't much get into scouts as a kid (lol). So I wasn't sure about how to do the whole "scout" thing when we started, but it has proven to be an incredible experience for Ethan. He has learned so many new skills, made lasting friendships with his fellow scouts, and he and I have had some great bonding experiences as we've worked on his achievements together.

Now that he's in Boy Scouts, almost of my responsibility to help him achieve his badges has been transferred over to his Boy Scout leaders. I can encourage and support him, but they do all the teaching and projects. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'll actually miss scouting with him!

Now, just 20 months until Tristan enters Cub Scouts. I suppose I can wait. :)

20 Years

2009-09-15T21:03:00.003-05:00

It's hard for me to believe, but 20 years ago today I fell off the hood of a car and my life changed forever in the blink of an eye.

I was 16 years old. That summer I had gotten my driver's license, started dating, and I had just returned from a trip touring Europe with my Sophomore year's Humanities class. I was about 2 weeks into my Junior year at Plano Senior High School, so I was meeting many new friends and experiencing a brand new school. I had a pretty heavy class load of honors and AP classes, but I wasn't worried because I'd always done pretty well in school.

The rest of the events from the evening of September 15, 1989 have been related to me by other people. I don't remember anything at all from that entire day, nor from several weeks afteward.

A group of my friends had come to our house to carpool to the Plano football game that Friday evening. We were talking and playing and listening to music from the car radios. A few of us, including myself, were relaxing on the hoods of the cars. I was leaning with my back on the windshield of a friend's car. The girl who owned that car decided it was time to go to the game, so she got behind the wheel and started the engine. I don't know if I was just playing around or if I didn't believe she was going to start driving, but I didn't get off hercar. She began moving forward, and the momentum nearly knocked me sideways off the hood. I flipped over onto my stomach and grabbed the windshield wipers. I think a friend in her car told her to stop because they saw me slipping, so she hit her brakes to slow down from the 10-15 miles an hour she was driving.

The stop caused me to fly off the car backwards about 15 feet. I landed first on my heels, then my backside, then elbows, then my head hit the pavement and bounced. When my friend James reached me after the fall, I was muttering gibberish. He picked me up off the pavement and carried me down the street and laid me on my back in the grass in the front yard of our home. I turned over onto my stomach and began mumbling and pulling grass from the yard and rubbing it on the back of my head. I think this action caused enough alarm among the surprised teenagers that they decided to get my mom.

They told her that they thought I might need to go to the hospital because I was dizzy from doing cartwheels on the lawn. I still don't know why they told her that. I don't think anyone understood the situation at that point. My mom put me in the car and drove me the short distance to Plano Medical Center, where they put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me into the hospital. I was having seizures while slumped over in the wheelchair as my mom told the admissions nurse that I was dizzy from cartwheels. That was when my friend Kara mentioned to her that my situation *could* have been caused when I fell off the hood of the car. Needless to say, my mom was pretty upset with my friends!

I was admitted to the ICU because I was quickly slipping into a semi-comatose state, where I stayed for 3 days. The impact from my head hitting the pavement had thrown my brain forward and caused a subdural hematoma. My brain was bleeding, and the swelling was threatening my life. They tried several treatments to decrease the swelling, but after 3 days it was getting pretty serious. I would either need brain surgery to reduce the fluid, or they could try a fluid-reducing diuretic first, as a last-ditch effort. My parents chose the diuretic, praying with all their faith that I could recover from this without undergoing traumatic brain surgery. I was given a priesthood blessing by my dear wonderful father and then they administered the medicine.

Within 1 hour, the swelling decreased dramatically and I came out of the coma. It was a miracle! Years later, I discovered from a neurologist who examined to my case that mine was the only non-surgical recovery he's ever heard of after a brain injury like mine. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was given a second chance at life, and that it was a result of great prayer, faith, and fasting on my behalf.

I had lost my short-term memory in the injury, and it took three weeks for it to come back. They told me that I would look around me in puzzlement, turn to whoever was nearby, and ask "Where am I?" every few minutes. Mom and Dad patiently told me the story of what had happened over and over again. In all, I was in the ICU for 3 days and in the CCU for 10 days (I believe), and at least one of my parents was by my side every step of the way. I have tiny fragments of memory from that time. I remember several visits from friends. I know that Mom spent her 39th birthday in the hospital with me. I know that she was Relief Society President at the time, and had the 4 other children at home to care for, from Dallin at age 14 down to Staci, who turned 4 shortly after I came home from the hospital. I even remember bits of time when my Daddy sat next to my hospital bed and read aloud The Scarlet Letter, which was required reading for my Honors English class. Later, when I took the test on that book, I got 100%!

The outpouring of love and support for us was overwhelming. I had many, many visitors while I was in the hospital. My hospital room and bedroom at home were covered in gifts and flowers and balloons for months as I recovered. I will always treasure the service and charity that so many provided to my family!

It was a long, slow process of recovery, but I made it. I am extremely fortunate that I do not have any permanent brain damage from the accident. I did lose most of my sense of smell, and I had seizures for about 2 years. I have struggled with physical weakness since the accident, and I will always be sensitive to extreme temperatures. I wonder often if my infertility and metabolic issues have stemmed from the injury. I will never know how things would have turned out had I not sat on that car, because I can't go back and change the past. All I can do is learn from it.

The most incredible impact from the entire accident, though, is the change in my heart and mind. I took so many things for granted before. My parents, my siblings, my friends, my health and strength, my intelligence, my happiness, my belief in Heavenly Father and Jesus, and even my life. I had the indestructibility of youth and naivete on my side, and I believed nothing could ever go wrong! As I recovered, I discovered an indescribable passion for life. I knew I had been allowed to stay here on earth to accomplish something, though I didn't know what it was. I had a new lease on life, and I was brimming with love and overwhelmed with humility that it was granted to me.

I have carried that feeling with me ever since. I am so grateful for the blessings in my life. My amazing, incredible parents, who carried me through my trials for years and years and years. My dear brothers and sisters (and brothers- and sisters-in-law), who strengthen and uplift me always. My dear husband, who constantly supports and encourages me, and fills in the gaps when I can't always be super-Erlynne. My gorgeous boys, who challenge and delight me every day. My beloved friends, who give me unconditional love and acceptance and without whom I couldn't remain sane. My Savior, whom I love with all my heart and who gave the greatest gift to all mankind, the gift of Eternal Life.

It has been the most incredible 20 years I could imagine. Thanks for the second chance at my life, Heavenly Father! I am honored to have the opportunity to live it!

Ethan Won The Science Fair!!!!!

2009-01-23T15:44:00.005-06:00

We are so excited!!! Ethan's had one of the best weeks EVER!

Being a 5th grader, he was required to enter the science fair this year. We tossed around quite a few ideas before we settled on the perfect one for his project. He built a roller coaster from foam pipe insulation and ran a marble through it to see if the marble would loop the loop in the coaster. Here's a diagram of the coaster:

The question he was to answer was: In a foam roller coaster with one loop, how high does the starting point have to be in order for the marble to loop the loop?

His hypothesis was that the starting point should be 150 cm high. So Chris and Ethan built the roller coaster and tested the hypothesis by running the marble down the coaster 10 times for each starting point. Turns out, that hypothesis was "not supported" because the intial height needed was only 57 cm.

He did such a great job with the project! We typed his lab journal and made sure we followed all the science fair rules and had plenty of information. In fact, the display board at the end was SO PACKED we nearly didn't have room to fit everything on! He worked on this project from November until Jan 22, when it was due. Here's the finished display board:

The judging was today, and the judges even had Ethan come down and answer some questions about his project. He was so nervous! He thought he was in trouble or that he had done something wrong!

They announced the winners this afternoon a few minutes before the end of school. They named the 3 Honorable Mentions, then went through the winners of 3rd, 2nd and 1st place. Ethan had missed the fact that they were having a Grand Prize winner, so he was bummed that he hadn't gotten notice. And then they called his name as Grand Prize winner of the 4th and 5th grade! He told me he shouted and jumped out of his chair! He said he felt a million emotions all at once, and that he didn't even have the words to describe how he felt.

Tristan has been home with strep throat for 3 days, so he was with me when I picked Ethan up from school today. Ethan bolted to the car, threw the door open, and hollered "I WON!!!!" Tristan and I were so delighted for him! His 4th grade science teacher, Mrs. Fox, came to the door of my car and shared her enthusiasm and pride in him. She said, "Someday, he's going to be a famous scientist, and he'll say, I want to thank my 4th grade science teacher!" She's such a great lady, and she was truly thrilled for him, as are we all. :)

Not only did he have the science fair project due this week, he also competed in the 5th and 6th grade Spelling Bee as the representative for his class. He did a great job, kept his cool, and even though he didn't win, he put in a great effort.

Plus, he got his report card today and got straight A's for the six weeks and for the semester!

We couldn't be more pleased for him. He's worked so hard to do his best, and the efforts he's put in to be a good student have helped him mature and grow into a fine young man.

Now, we get to find out how he does in future competitions with his project, because we're pretty sure he's going to compete at the Allen ISD level! We'll keep you posted!

August 2008

2008-08-31T22:36:00.000-05:00

We continued the fun of summer all the way through this month. Since Ethan was off his ADHD medication this summer, he gained a whole 15 POUNDS since June! We were tickled pink! Just in time for back-to-school shopping, we bought him a whole new wardrobe. Tristan was delighted to get his own back-to-school clothes, lunchbox, and new tennis shoes. Frankly, he was just delighted to think about anything having to do with "big school!"

Ethan turned 10 on August 10. He got money, Denver Bronco's shirts, and his very own set of engraved scriptures for his birthday. He's absolutely growing up into a young man right before our eyes, and it's nearly impossible for us to believe that it's already been 10 years since we welcomed our first bundle of joy into our home! What an adventure it's been!

Chris, Dallin and I got our own little present for Ethan's birthday - we went to a Weird Al Yankovic concert! Having grown up listening to Weird Al, all 3 of us were totally psyched to see Weird Al live! Of course Dallin's a big concert goer, so he'd already seen Weird Al, but this was our first time. We started off by buying concert T-shirts & hats - White & Nerdy, of course! The concert itself was literally 2.5 hours of hysterical laughter therapy! He played every song we wanted to hear - all his hits, including "Fat," "Yoda," his Star Wars American Pie parody, "Amish Paradise," "All About the Pentiums," "White & Nerdy" and even more - all in costume! At one point, he even sang a love song to the audience members, and went out into the second section of the audience singing to people! Between songs while he was changing costumes, he showed clips of "Al TV", which were all pretend interviews with celebrities. He skewered Madonna, Eminem, Michael Stipe, and even Kevin Federline. It was completely hilarious! His encore was to perform "Albuquerque", his 20 minute song - and he did an extended version! Every time he comes back in concert, I want to go! I highly recommend it to any Weird Al fan!

Thanks to Kathy, I discovered Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Yes, I know, I'm extremely late to the dance. Many of the readers of this blog have probably been fans since her first book, but I just didn't pay attention to the latest info. I have repented, though. I read every book of the Twilight series plus The Host in the first half of August. I went sleepless some nights, because I simply couldn't put the books down! I bought the series for myself, because I know I'll need to read them again. I haven't experienced a voice like Meyer's before, and she was refreshing and enthralling.

And then, August 25, 2008, there was school. My big guy is in 5th grade, and that is just amazing, but even more so, my BABY is in full day kindergarten! He was lucky enough to get Ethan's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Parman, as his teacher too. She's an angel with those children - so patient, so loving, and so perfect to help usher them from toddlerhood into elementary school. We know he will be in excellent hands. We met Ethan's teacher Mrs. McDaniel, and she is a lovely, sweet, intelligent woman who will help Ethan navigate through his school year quite effectively. He already loves her.

The night before, Chris gave each of the boys a father's blessing. The strength of the words he spoke moved us all. Every time the boys receive priesthood blessings, I feel the strength of their incredible spirits. It's always emotional and humbling for me to know that we have been entrusted with such remarkable children. What gifts!

Chris took off work for the first day of school, and we walked to school together. We dropped Ethan off first, and after a brief hug and a quick word with his teacher, he sent us on our way. When we took Tristan to class, we were surrounded by tearful parents and tearful children. Everywhere we turned there were camera flashes and videos being taken. Mrs. Parman kindly posed for all the pictures and comforted the crying children and adults. The Campbells were all smiles, though. Tristan was so ready & excited, and we knew he would be delighted with this new experience. I knew I would miss him, but I was more excited for him to experience this new phase of his life.

Chris and I did enjoy that first day of school together. We went shopping, went to lunch, and even went to the tech support department at the Apple store to have my iPhone replaced because it was malfunctioning. It was remarkable that at the end of the excursion, we didn't have to write a check for a babysitter!

So now, as I write this, they've completed their first week. Ethan's still happy about school, although the homework and projects have already started. He will take a bit of adjustment to get back into the swing of things, but he'll do just fine. This is the first year we've walked to & from school instead of driving, so that's a bit much for ALL of us right now, since it's still in the high 90's, humid & muggy outside. We'll enjoy the walk much better when we're not miserable with the heat! Tristan's had a bit more adjustment to make. Before school started, he was a bit standoffish from me, and unwilling to sit for even a moment. He was full of energy all the time. Now, when he gets home from school, he curls up right next to me and rests his head, content to just sit, or to do something calm. He's worn out! He's been a bit more emotional in the afternoons, too. I think he just wasn't expecting it to be so much! But he's doing very well. He's excited to show us that he's able to read some of the words he sees as we read books & signs and such. I predict he'll be reading within a month. We're a family of bookworms - he can't escape it!

So that's August! Who knows what September will bring! Can't wait to find out!

July 2008

2008-08-31T20:34:00.000-05:00

There is no other way to put this. July 2008 was the party month. We partied so often, we got used to it. Now, there really is no other way of life for us except to party as often as we can.

It started with Independence Day. Mom & Dad were in Framingham, MA with Clark & Guinevere helping them remodel and move into their new home near Clark's new job at Bose. So we had Dallin and my good friend and bookkeeping client Susan over for a cookout, games, and to go in search of fireworks. Susan brought her dog Socks, who is the dearest dog ever. He is huge - 100 lbs - and is part German Shepherd and part wolf. Sounds intimidating, but he's actually the most intelligent, kind and loving animal I've ever had the pleasure to know.

The food was awesome, the company was excellent, and fun was had by all. We introduced Susan to Apples to Apples, our favorite family game. We drove to Plano to see the fireworks display from a nearby parking lot, and Susan and I got stuck in some eeeevil traffic on the way back to Allen. We enjoyed ourselves, though, jamming out to some awesome tunes and laughing the whole time.

Two days later, I turned the devastating age of 35. I don't know why I've had such a hard time reconciling myself with this age, but it just seems so.... milestone-ish. Like, "old" being the milestone. We decided that the only solution for feeling blue about getting older is to go have a heck of a good time, so that's exactly what we did.

On Saturday, July 5, we took the boys to Main Event and ate pizza and played video games for a couple of hours. That place is great for us, because it has something for everyone in our family to enjoy. Once we got home, Chris and I got all gussied up for a night on the town. We drove to Addison, TX to make our dinner reservation at The Melting Pot, which is one of my favorite restaurants in the world. We always get the Big Night Out when we go there, which starts us off with a cheese fondue of our choice, accompanied by different breads, vegetables and apples to dip into the fondue. Then we go to the salad course, and they feature scrumptious specialty salads to choose from. Then our main course is a selection of meats, chicken, seafood and vegetables which we cook in the boiling herb-infused broth. The food is so tender, moist and flavorful when it's cooked in that broth, and they bring out a selection of about 10 different dipping sauces to really kick it up a notch. Then we finish with the crowning glory of the night - the dessert fondue. They have several different chocolate fondue selections to choose from, and they bring out the items to dip into the fondue - cheesecake, marshmallows, strawberries, bananas, rice crispy treats, and pound cake. Even describing it makes my mouth water, and I'm not even hungry right now! So that was just incredible, and I felt totally spoiled. We then zipped over to a local movie theater and giggled our way through Get Smart. So fun!

Sunday July 6, my actual birthday, we had Bob & Kathy over for dinner, birthday brownies, and ice cream. I got a couple of delightful surprises: Bob & Kathy gave me a jewelry box and an iTunes gift card for my gift, and I found out that Chris' gift to me was the reason for the iTunes card: I'm finally getting an iPhone! The new generation of iPhone would be released that Friday, and I'd get to go camp out for it! LOL! Then I got a phone call from Boston. Mom started out singing the first line of Happy Birthday, Clark joined her in harmony on the next phrase, Guinevere joined on the third phrase, and Dad finished out the last phrase. It was absolutely the most beautiful Happy Birthday serenade I'd ever had, and I was moved to tears. I have the best family ever!

Chris took the next day, Monday July 7, as a vacation day, so we extended the fun and partying even further. He and I went to Hancock (my second time to see it) with Bob, and then we just had a great, relaxing, fun day with the boys. I know I've mentioned this before, but I simply love having a birthday around Independence Day, because it seems like everyone's in the relaxed, fun mode that makes them a blast to be around, and everyone gets time off to celebrate all the good things in life, including freedom, independence, and getting older!

The fun didn't stop there. Friday, I woke up before 4:00 am to get to my nearest AT&T store to buy the new iPhone. I was so glad I got there as early as I did, because I was 23rd in a line of over 300 people by the time they opened at 8:00. It was SO worth it. I was deeply in love within minutes of activating my phone.

The love didn't stop there! Once I got my phone all situated, I packed my bags and hightailed it out of town! I went to Chicago, Illinois for the Pampered Chef National Conference July 16-19. I'd never been to Chicago, but I absolutely fell in love with the town! I was delighted to have regained contacted with a good friend and former college roommate of mine, Tara Ford, who is also a Pampered Chef Consultant. So we roomed together at the conference, and hung around with my group most of the time. Our first night there, we were fortunate to take an evening cruise along the Chicago River and into Lake Michigan. I was absolutely floored at the beautiful bridges, landscaping and gorgeous skyscrapers. We traveled up and down the river listening to the tour guide explain the history of the buildings and of the city, and then we sailed out into the Lake and were treated to the most phenomenal fireworks display I've ever seen, just 50 yards or so from our boat!

The conference itself was really great. We laughed and were inspired, and we also got to see all the new products being introduced in September. I love Pampered Chef! Tara and I really bonded, and I even got to meet her wonderful sister in law, who took us to a lovely steakhouse in Lincoln Park for dinner one evening we were there. What a great trip! I'm sure thankful to Mom & Chris, who covered the bases for me with the kids while I was away. They were sure glad to have me back!

Ethan received a cool piece of mail shortly after I returned. Because of his performance in his math classes over the past few years as well as his grades on the math portion of the Texas standardized test - the TAKS - he was invited into the Advanced Math course, which he will participate in during 5th and 6th grades at Anderson Elementary. This course actually accelerates their math so that they are finished with 7th grade level math by the end of 6th grade, and therefore able to take Algebra early. He doesn't usually say he enjoys math, but I think it may be because it's not challenging enough for him. This year of school will certainly help us find out if that's true!

So, just in case that month of partying and celebration wasn't enough, we decided to add even MORE! Mom had hired her brother Len to come down and remodel her kitchen during the month of July, and he was just finishing up toward the end of the month. Once they had everything nearly complete, they invited Dallin and our family over for dinner to see the work. It was certainly amazing to see the changes! It's a different kitchen from the one I grew up in! They replaced the linoleum with tile, the countertops with granite, the sinks with deeper ones of much better quality construction, replaced the vent hood over the stovetop with a built-in microwave (I think they replaced the stovetop too, I must check again next time I'm there!). Len designed and cut a beautiful tile backsplash that really makes all the colors pop. It's a truly beautiful kitchen, and Len does excellent work!

After dinner and the detailed inspection, we were idly talking, and I shared my plan. See, one of my favorite birthdays of all time was the year I turned 10 years old. My dad took me to Six Flags Over Texas for the first time - just he and I. It was a big deal to me because with 2 younger brothers and 1 sister (at the time), there wasn't much time for us to get one on one time with our parents. Sure it was hot, and the lines were long, but I felt so special and loved, because I knew he'd really tried to create a special day for me. I REALLY wanted to recreate that day for Ethan for his own 10th birthday. It turns out that Len had really wanted to go to Six Flags while he was here. So we went the next day, July 28, just the 3 of us!

It was super duper hot and humid that day. I think the high was actually 104! We drank tons of water, used tons of sunscreen, and went on every ride we wanted to! Since we were there on a weekday, the lines weren't too bad, and it was awesome to be able to go on all the rides we wanted. Ethan is a roller coaster junkie! His favorite ride is the Titan, which is the tallest and fastest ride at Six Flags. He even got to go on the Batman and Mr. Freeze, which he wasn't tall enough to ride the last time we'd been as a family. After we had gotten our fill of Six Flags, Len suggested we find a Johnny Carino's restaurant to have dinner. We were able to locate one a few miles away from Six Flags, and we are SO glad we did. We had the most incredible Italian meal there! We don't have a Carino's near our house, so now Ethan and I are plotting on when we can take Chris and Tristan on a road trip to experience the incredible food. What a TOTALLY FANTASTIC day!

To top it all off, Chris got a raise and a bonus at work in July! He hasn't even been with First Command Financial Planning for a full year, but they are really happy with his work for them, and they showed it in his paycheck. Hooray!!!!

Yay for an awesome July!!

June 2008

2008-08-31T20:09:00.000-05:00

The biggest thing that happened to our family in June 2008 was that SCHOOL LET OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!! No more reports, projects, reading logs, homework, or studying. No more 6:45 am alarm, no more grind! Ethan ROCKED his grades this year, getting straight A's for the semester. Yay smarty pants! First thing on the summer agenda?

TAKE IT EASY!!!!!

For 2 weeks, all we did was sleep in, eat, play video games, swim, watch cartoons, and play together. We took Ethan off of his ADHD medicine since it restricts his appetite and he really needed to put on some weight. We completely decompressed, and it was awesome! It charged the kids' batteries for their fun times this summer. There's something to be said for just "drifting" every once in a while!

The first big thing they did was to attend a Messy Fun Summer Camp at the home of a member of Allen 4th Ward. Monday through Friday from 9 am to noon one week out of each month of June, July, and August, the kids went to the Thomson's home to do all sorts of fun, messy, incredible activities. They put on a play, made costumes, clay sculptures, presents for Father's Day, painted, glued, cooked, jumped on the trampoline, played tag and hide and seek, and had entire days devoted to getting soaking wet with water games. They came home completely filthy and absolutely exhausted every day, and they loved every minute of it. Even if they had charged double the tuition for registration, it would have been completely worth it.

Then Ethan got to attend his second Cub Scout Twilight Camp. They went to Erwin Park in McKinney from 4:30 to about 9:00 pm every day for a week. It was very hot & humid, but they all wore hats, drank lots of water, and tried to find shade wherever they could. Ethan got to bond with his friends, shoot BB guns and arrows, build stuff, and be a really good Cub Scout. He loved it!

May 2008

2008-08-31T19:18:00.001-05:00

To kick off May, Ethan had the most fantastic of awesome field trips. On May 2, he got to school at 6:00 am to board a tour bus with the rest of his 4th grade class. They drove 3 hours to Austin and had a special tour guide to educate them all about Austin, our State Capitol, the Governor, and other awesome Texas History details. He took 2 disposable cameras with him, and took most of his pictures of his friends & teachers on the bus. They arrived home about 8:30 pm that evening, triumphant and exhausted. Hooray for the best field trip EVER!

Then, Clark and Guinevere had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Paris, France on an International Business scholarship awarded to Clark. They were gone for a week, and they flew to Dallas to drop Benjamin off for Mom to look after while they were away. We were so excited to spend time with our little cousin/nephew! Ben was about 16 months old, and was so adorable! We went to Mom's house as often as our schedule permitted, playing outside and inside with toys and bubbles and frisbees and basketballs and climbing trees, and of course cooing at Dallin's doves which are staying at Mom & Dad's for the time being. Ben's little personality is so endearing. He absolutely LOVED Ethan and Tristan, giving them hugs all the time, playing with them endlessly, and always smiling pleasantly. We hardly even saw him cry the entire time we spent with him. When he had to leave, we wished we could spend more time with ALL our cousins and get to know each one of them better!

I've already written about a few other things that happened to us in May, including Tristan turning 5 (yay, 5!), our wedding anniversary (Yay 13!), getting a Wii Fit (which I still love & use all the time - Yay fitness!), and my appearance on Good Morning Texas (Yay TV!)!

We got a call from Ethan's Cub Scout leader at the end of May, inviting Ethan to join Webelos 3 months early. Apparently they have so many boys in the age group younger than Ethan, they needed some of the older boys to move up early to even out the numbers. This was the COOLEST for us, because we absolutely love to work on Scouts together, and this would give us all summer long to work on new Webelo achievements!

Also at the end of May, we celebrated the end of Tristan's first and Ethan's 10th soccer season. Tristan learned a whole lot about being a team player and going after the ball, and Ethan continued to develop his skills as a defender. They didn't win every game, but they both did their best and we couldn't be prouder of their efforts.

April 2008

2008-08-31T17:41:00.000-05:00

So in April 2008, we had some pretty fun things happen!

Ethan participated in his second Pinewood Derby as a Cub Scout. 2007 was Ethan's first year to participate, and Ethan & Dad built a camouflage-painted battle tank (complete with gun turret). It was so much heavier than the other cars, it simply flew down the track. He came in 2nd place! Due to being over-allocated with school and work projects this year, we decided to race the tank again instead of creating a new derby car. We raced over to the competition after Ethan and Tristan had each played their soccer games in the chilly weather, so they were both wearing their warm sweats topped with their soccer gear. Ethan didn't win the race this year, but we did have a ton of fun watching the race!

On April 19, Dad hosted a really cool event called a Fly-In at Best AeroNet's hangar located at Grayson County Airport. Chris, Ethan, Tristan and I drove up to Sherman with Mom that morning to attend the event, dropping in quickly on Kate and Roger's garage sale in Anna to say goodbye to her, as they were moving all of their belongings to their new home in Florida.

We arrived at the Fly-In just as the airplane race was concluding, so we saw the winners zooming in to collect their prizes. The hangar was covered with airplanes of all shapes, sizes and ages. Many people had brought their planes to display and to sell, and it was fascinating to see them. There were a few military planes on display, including some GIANT ones that I can't name. There were lots of different types of exhibitors, helicopter rides, a bounce house, real military jeeps (with loaded guns included!!!), and an incredibly delicious catered lunch. It was incredible, and next year we're going to invite our Cub Scout troop to attend, because it was SO educational. I often reflect on how many unique experiences our family has because our dad is a pilot with an airplane hangar and a fuel company. You're so cool, Steve!

So we were barely finished with that fun when the next experience happened. Both Clark, my brother in the MBA program at BYU and our sister Staci, in the Psychology program at BYU, were graduating! Of course, Mom & Dad would go up to Utah to see them, but we siblings who WEREN'T graduating decided that it would be fun to plot with Mom & Dad to plan a surprise for them.

Individually, Dallin, Lana and I all spoke to Clark and Staci and gave our sincere regrets... we simply couldn't make it up to Utah for graduation. Too many other commitments, couldn't get time off work, couldn't get babysitters, etc. We shared our legitimate reasons for missing their walk across the stage. Chris and I even sent emails to the family expressing our regret that we couldn't be there in person to celebrate their accomplishments. But see, Dallin, Lana and I ALL had our airline tickets to Utah purchased & ready to go! We weren't going to miss this for the world!

Mom & Dad flew from DFW to SLC the morning of April 23, and Chris' mom Kathy gave Dallin and I a ride to the airport that afternoon. Our flight was supposed to take off around 5:00 pm, landing us in SLC a couple of hours later and giving us plenty of time to get to Provo that evening to surprise both Clark and Staci. However, our flight was delayed before we arrived at the airport, and delayed again once we checked in. When we finally boarded the plane it was after 8:00 pm and there was a thunderstorm approaching. They came over the intercom system at the gate and asked everyone to board as quickly as possible so we could beat the storm. I have NEVER seen people so efficiently board an airplane! We were ready and willing once we were in our seats, and then the pilot told us that our flight couldn't take off right away because they had discovered a mechanical problem in the pre-flight check. We all stared at the rain starting to pound the windows of the plane and knew this wasn't going to be good. About an hour later, every single American Airlines staff member on the plane got off and were replaced by an entirely new and fresh crew. Somehow, we knew this foreboded a long wait. They finished the work on the plane, but the thunderstorm had stationed itself directly over the airport. We couldn't go anywhere until the lightning had stopped.

Every time we got an update from the pilot about how much longer it would be, I called Dad or Mom on my cell phone and delayed our arrival. Poor Schteevie was the one planning on coming to Salt Lake to pick us up, and he was constantly "on call." By the time it neared 11:00 pm in Provo, they decided to have Lana go surprise Clark & Staci on her own, since her flight from Mesa, AZ had arrived with no delays. I was excited to hear all the details of her surprise, but I was so helpless and frustrated and disappointed that we couldn't be there all together. After their third our fourth "delay announcement," I simply bowed my head and sobbed. All in all, Dallin and I waited for over 4.5 hours parked on the tarmac in front of our gate. We finally took off about 1:00 am CST, arriving in Utah at 3:00 am MST. 7.5 hours on the plane! Our heads hit the pillows in Aunt Carol's basement guest room at about 4 am, which was 5 our time. To add insult to injury, it turns out that all of our luggage was left on the tarmac in the rain instead of being loaded on the plane before the thunderstorm hit, so my clothes were literally dripping wet when I pulled them out of my suitcase. *sigh* Thank goodness we weren't staying in a hotel, and Carol & Larry were kind enough to lend their dryer!

It wasn't the best experience to kick off the trip, but we MORE than made up for it over the next few days. We dropped in on Clark and Guinevere the next day, and Clark was appropriately surprised and thrilled to see us. After a bit of time spent with them, we went to BYU campus to surprise Staci at her job in the General Studies counseling department. They were having a reception for the graduates, so she was expecting Mom, Dad & Lana to join her. When she saw Dallin and I with them, she burst into tears and hugged us so tightly. It was the most fun surprise!

We proceeded to party and enjoy ourselves together. We went to Staci's yoga class, we went to dinner at several awesome restaurants, we shopped and went to movies and picnicked in the park and played and laughed and celebrated. Graduation was awesome, and of course being together as family was awesome. I am so grateful to have such darling brothers and sisters and parents! Congratulations again to Clark and Staci. I am thrilled for you!

A Return From BlogAbsence

2008-08-31T17:14:00.000-05:00

I have returned to BlogSanity after a long BlogAbsence, prepared to amend my BlogSlacking ways. My humble apologies for my BlogDisappearance, which can be attributed to many various and sundry factors, including but not limited to exhaustion, overwork, underpay for said overwork, kids being home all summer and needing constant stimulation and entertainment, and general laziness due to ridiculously hot hot heat. Oh, and sleeping late every once in a while, a luxury completely unavailable during the months of September through May.

Prepare yourselves, my dear BlogFollowers, for the onslaught of historical accounts of actual events, as I shall begin the BlogRecovery process of BlogUpdating in chronological order by month, culminating the crowning achievement of my life so far: both of my children are now enrolled and attending SCHOOL!

BlogEnthusiastically yours,

Erlynne

Wii got a Wii!

2008-06-03T09:24:00.000-05:00

While Chris was on his business trip to Las Vegas, I was watching my favorite summer TV show "So You Think You Can Dance?" before going to bed. Since we have a DVR, I usually fast forward through all the commercials. It just happened as I was clicking the button that I caught a flash of a commercial where someone was doing yoga, and I backed up to see what it was advertising.

See, I've been interested in building my yoga skills ever since I went to Utah in April for Staci and Clark's BYU Graduation (my post about that has yet to be written because I'm a blogslacker, but I will do it soon, trust me). Staci is a wonderful yoga instructor, and we got to attend one of her classes while we were there. It was my first try at the poses, but I was very intrigued at how they made my body feel, and I wanted to get better without necessarily joining a yoga studio or trying to catch yoga classes at 24 Hour Fitness. (When I go to classes at 24, I always feel like a total schlub while everyone else is a graceful swan.)

So, back to the commercial. Turns out it was advertising the new Nintendo Wii Fit. Wii Fit is an exercise game designed around the Wii Balance Board, which is the size of two bathroom scales and measures the amout of force applied to its four quadrants.

I had resisted getting a Wii for our family ever since it came out. First of all, we already have too many game systems in our home and always have. Dreamcast, Play Station, Play Station 2, XBox, XBox 360, PS2, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, GameBoy, and probably a couple of other ones I'm not remembering at the moment. Too many! The extra expense for a nifty new technology was something that I didn't see the need for... until now.

I watched the commercial and was fascinated. These people were doing hula hoop, yoga, pushups, all while standing or leaning on the Balance Board and watching the TV show them how to do the exercises! I went online and read up on all the details of the system, and I was completely sold. Here was my perfect solution to the fitness quandary I have struggled with for years! How do I find time to go work out in the midst of a very busy schedule, while staying home with my kids and not having a babysitter immediately available to me whenever I want to go for a walk or run by myself? I could do Wii Fit exercises at home, whenever my schedule and my energy level permit, and the kids would enjoy participating!

I called Chris the next morning and told him that I wanted a Wii, and I nearly had to throw ice on him through the cell phone to revive him from a dead faint. Once he recovered, though, he couldn't get on the plane fast enough to get home to go shopping!

So on Tristan's 5th birthday, May 23, we went Wii hunting! In order to use the Wii Fit, you have to have the Wii itself. Harder to aquire than it sounds, because everybody sells out as soon as they get Wiis in stock! We drove to 5 different stores to find the Wii, the Wii controllers, and the Wii Fit. It was exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time! After we took Tristan for his birthday dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, we spent the evening playing all the fun new Wii games like Bowling, Golf, Baseball, and Boxing (in which Tristan beat the pants off of all of us!).

The next day, I pulled out my precious Wii Fit and began my personal journey toward strength, balance, and fitness. I stepped on the Balance Board for the first time and found out my Wii Fit Age, my exact Center of Balance, my exact weight, and even my BMI (Body Mass Index). I was able to set fitness goals for myself that the software tracks and shows me how I'm doing. I was given my choice of a male or female trainer, and then I begain the Training. The Wii Fit has Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics, and Balance exercises. As I go through the exercises, I earn credits in my Fit Bank, which unlocks more and more exercises for me to try.

I'm hooked. I work out at least 5 days a week for at least an hour. The beauty of the workouts is that they are exactly at the level I need them to be. I never feel overly strained, but it's incredible how comprehensive they are! I can get a good 30 minutes of cardio in, but still serenely finish with some wonderful yoga poses that center me and cool me down. I can build my muscles and my balance one day, and tone and stretch the next. It's all up to me, and it doesn't require any special equipment other than my Wii Fit. The very best part - Ethan and Tristan absolutely love to watch and cheer me on. They've got their very own profiles on the Wii Fit and love the activities as much as I do. Our whole family is on Board together!

I was on TV!

2008-05-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

On May 13, 2008, I had the exciting chance to appear on Good Morning Texas, the Dallas/Fort Worth morning show for ABC.

Here's the link!

I was on the show because I am a Lap-Band patient who has lost 95 pounds, and I got to share my story. Having weight loss surgery was one of the best decisions I've ever made, and having the chance to talk about it on TV was an honor and a very unexpected privilege. I hope you enjoy the clip!

Viva Las Vegas!

2008-05-21T19:47:00.000-05:00

I've found about 15 minutes to grab a public terminal and jot down some thoughts for family on my business trip. I actually got here to Las Vegas to attend the EMC World 2008 conference on Sunday. Don't worry about what that is exactly. It's a bunch of hardware and computer geeks getting together to talk about boring things. Well, it's not quite that boring for me.

Anyway, I'm staying at the Mandalay Bay hotel. It's been pretty nice. I've been so busy attending classes and taking notes, that I haven't had time to do anything "fun"; and yes that includes gambling. It's been pretty fun actually. Lots of networking with other folks, I'm going to see Billy Crystal tonight and I've already been to M&M World. Kids, if you're reading this, yes I did get you something. Remember to be good for mom!

There's a drawing for a XBox360 in a few minutes. I've tried to win a Wii several times over the past few days, but no luck. (My co-worker did get one though... lucky!) After the drawing, I'm going to head to the shark reef aquarium if I have the time. That's all for now. I'll see if I can post tomorrow on more of the details of this trip, otherwise it'll have to wait until I get back late, late Thursday night.

Storm Season Hits Hard This Year

2008-04-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

Spring in Texas is always a roller coaster ride. We never know what the weather will do from one minute to the next!

On March 4, we had a huge snowstorm. Instead of the hard-packed ice we usually get because of freezing rain, the snow came down in giant flakes that we could actually pack into snowballs. It was unheard of for us down here! Here's a picture of Chris and Tristan preparing to build a snowman in our back yard.

After all the snow melted, we experienced giant temperature swings daily from balmy and 80 degrees to frigid and 30 degrees. It made for lots of frosty soccer practices and games while we huddled under blankets, scarves and hats and put 4 layers of sweaters and jackets on the boys under their jerseys!

Then, the biggest storm to ever hit Collin County happened in the wee hours of the morning on April 10, 2008. We always get major thunderstorms here during the spring and fall months, but most of the time the winds max out at around 35-40 miles an hour. There's sometimes hail, sometimes flooding, and sometimes lightning strikes that cause power outages. But not often do we have straight line winds, and it's even rare for us to have actual tornados.

All of the above and more happened that dark and tumultuous Thursday morning. We had experienced an intense set of storms just before midnight, and we went to bed pretty sure there would be a second round. Sure enough, the emergency sirens went off about 4 AM, and in the course of about 20 minutes we were hit by 80 mile an hour straight line winds, hail, horizontal rain, thunder, lightning, green skies, and buckets and buckets of water. The high pitched shrieking sound of the storm literally sounded like a train was hitting our house. Bone-chilling!

We lost power, and it wasn't restored until about 5 hours later. Some areas of the Dallas -Fort Worth Metroplex didn't regain power for 3 days. All over Plano, Allen and McKinney, it looked like a war zone. Trees, fences, shingles, gutters, window screens, power lines and even roofs were strewn in the streets. Our house was not terribly affected by the storm. Our roof remained stable, missing just a few shingles. We lost a few gutters that we'll need to replace. But our trees and bushes remained standing, and so did our fence. When I drove Ethan to school that morning after power was restored, I realized just how blessed we were. At least half of the fences in our neighborhood had been blown over. A third of the trees had been torn apart from the top. It was really sobering to think that while we all slumbered, we were touched by such a storm. It was truly humbling to realize how much worse it could have been! I drove through the neighborhood and took some pictures of the damage. These are all from our neighborhood.

Tonight, we watched another terrible storm sweep the area. This time, footage of grapefruit sized hail was shown on the news. It came down so hard and fast it broke through car windows and built up on the sides of the freeways making for slippery, snow-like conditions. We're still safe here, but it definitely makes me double check our supplies of flashlights, batteries, food storage, propane, and drinking water. It never hurts to be prepared!

Ethan at the Police Station

2008-04-09T17:26:00.000-05:00

Hi! I'm Ethan, just so you know. Today I visited the Police Station with my Bear Den. First, I met the Police officer that showed me around. I can't remember his name. Then, he showed me around. In this order, I went to the C.I.A. offices, (NOT inside) the officers' work station, the juvenile "waiting room", then he showed us his weapons and protective gear, and finally the outside of the prison "containment cells" and the inside of his car. For the rest of the time we played tag. That was the best trip to the police station I've ever had!

PLEASE post comments! :-)

How to feed boys

2008-04-08T15:56:00.001-05:00

In the same vein as Chris' post, I thought I would chime in with my own earth-shaking discovery today.

I've been feeding boys my entire married life, so I thought I knew how to do it and get them to munch happily on the grub. After last night's dinner, I discovered that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing whatsoever, with all my fancy "recipes" and my "balanced meal plans". Pssh. I was a newbie.

I poured 2 cups of pancake batter into my Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan and put it in the oven for 15 minutes. The pancakes came out in one big square of goodness, perfectly cooked. I square cut them with a pizza cutter and served them up. Then I warmed up frozen sausage patties in the microwave and made frozen grape juice. Total prep time: 16 minutes. Total eating time: Chris: 2 minutes, Ethan: 1.5 minutes, Tristan: 4.2 seconds, and then he wanted the last extra sausage, which I swear he ate all in one mouthful.

Gourmet, Schmourmet! Breakfast for dinner is the one meal to rule them all!

How to entertain boys

2008-04-08T11:43:00.000-05:00

If you ever wondered how to entertain a small boy, find a caterpillar. I was walking out to the parking garage when I noticed a small black line moving verrrry slowly. I hadn't seen a caterpillar myself in years, but kept walking. Then I thought, "Wait... the boys are going to LOVE this." I found a empty water bottle and walked back to where the caterpillar was slowly trudging along.

It certainly was ugly. Big black spikes poked out from it's nearly three inch long body. When I touched it with my security card to scoop it into the plastic bottle, it curled up into a ball. It now looked like a black marble with spikes. A black marble that wouldn't fit into the water bottle. No way was I touching it with my bare hands now. (The spikes can irritate the skin.) I managed to pry it open enough for it to fall down into the bottle.

I put in a leaf and put it on my desk until it was time to drive home. I would look over every few minutes to make sure it was fine. I don't think it liked the bottle too much. I would hear it scraping the sides with it's feet trying to figure out it's new invisible prison. As long as it was alive. I didn't want to surprise the kids with a dead caterpillar. They aren't as much fun.

It arrived home alive and still in one spikey piece. The family had dinner first before I announced I had a surprise for the kids. (I almost forgot about it.) Once the boys saw the hideous thing, it was like Paula Abdul and whatever substance she's on: they couldn't get enough and the boys became quickly incoherent.

"Dad!Lookitsmovinganditsreallyneat!Whatdoesiteatdoesiteatcandydoesiteatcookies?canitouchitcanicanicani?"

We spend the rest of the evening with the television turned off, the video games put away as we made a new home for our "pet". We took an old fishbowl, put some dirt in the bottom with a few rocks and twigs in various positions. Then we got a few leaves to put in the bowl for food. We took some time to look up what kind of caterpillar it was (Giant Leopard) and what it would look like after it "transformed". It seems to like the leaves we've given it and the kids are constantly staring at the bowl.

It doesn't have a name yet, but we'll work on that later. It doesn't like to move when people are staring at it for some reason. The kids figured out to tell if it's alive by blowing on it. If it curls up into a ball, then it's alive. Anytime it has moved, Tristan will go around making personal announcements to everyone. "Hey Dad! It mooooved! Ethan! Ethan! It.. it.. the caterpitter! It moooooved! Where's mom? I neeeeed to tell her. Mom! Mom! The caterpitter moved!" It's also fun to pull out the leaves after they have been munched on and show the boys.

I'll post the pictures of it when I get a chance. I highly recommend the caterpillar for a pet to entertain your children. It's quiet, has all the qualities a kid likes and they will stare at it for hours on end.

Edit by Erlynne: Here's Chris' picture of the icky spiky calerpitter!

Soup?

2008-04-06T11:50:00.001-05:00

So many of our friends and family have entertained and educated us via their blogs, we decided (after a bit of peer pressure) to create our own blog to share with friends and family.

Since we share our family name with that of a very large food manufacturing facility, we felt it was only appropriate to name our blog the way we have. Don't be surprised if, as we share our busy goings-on, we occasionally drop in a delicious soup recipe here or there!