Current Events... Everyone's Checking Out

Mosi Tatupu died. It's not like we were close, but really, I drove past the guy's house every Sunday on my way home from church. He played for the Patriots forEVER, and then went on to coach at a local high school. You probably know that his son now plays for the Seahawks, which is crazy because he was just a little kid wearing a "Mosi's Mooses" tshirt with the rest of the fans. Anyway. He wasn't a huge name in the NFL, but he was really huge where I grew up. My house was about 15 minutes from Foxboro Stadium, and as you probably know already, soxceltspats is like one word to me.
Sad. Plus, 54 is really young. I'll be interested to hear the cause of death. He died in the hospital where my brother was born. Oooooh... spooky.



And what the heck...? SeaWorld. The whale just pretty much followed its natural instincts to... um... KILL, and we are stunned by it. Why do we think that we should put animals in tanks and cages and then expect them to play nice? I am truly sad for the loss of this woman; I imagine her family must be devastated. But holy smokes! The claustrophobia must be overwhelming for these animals. Make no mistake, I love a nice trip to the zoo or the aquarium. But I'd have to say I wouldn't be opposed to shutting them all down. I realize that seems hypocritical. Whatever. I'm just sayin here.


And lastly. Another one bites the dust. Maybe. Did you watch Growing Pains when you were a tween? I did. I had the obligatory Kirk Cameron crush. Remember his best friend? THE GUY'S NAME WAS BONER. Did we not see that ending in a trainwreck of some kind? At the very best, this guy was destined for reality tv, probably based on addiction or obesity. At the very worst... he disappears without a trace during the Olympics.


If he turns up dead, I will be sold on the "comes in threes" theory. Although Michael, Farrah and Patrick was a pretty convincing trio for that one.

Go HERE for the family update.

Tunesday: I Love My Job

It is entirely possible that I have the best job in the world. I teach special ed in the 4th, 5th and 6th grade. I love it. Really, every morning I wake up and I am happy about where I will be spending my day. It is satisfying, rewarding, enjoyable, and still challenging enough to keep me motivated.

One of the side perks of my job is that we have an amazing school district, heavily influenced by the nearby university. Right now, the university is gearing up to host its annual international jazz festival. As part of that, we have a program titled "Jazz in the Schools." Today, this guy came and hosted an assembly for our students:

He had those kids so involved in music totally beyond their era. They were singing... on tune... stomping, clapping, hollering, and learning so much in the process. And I got paid to sit and enjoy it all. Tell me... can it get any better than that?

Today's Tunesday challenge: Go find some jazz, and just try not to move your body. You can't. You totally can't. So give up, and just get your groove on.

Valentines Day... The YumYum Edition

My husband's love language is red meat. Mine... not so much. So because I shop for the groceries and cook most of the meals, hablamos "white meat" most of the time. I decided this year for Valentines Day, rather than buying a gift just for the sake of having something tangible to give, I would make the man the best meal of his life.
*Note: He prefers to do the grilling. I offer to do it, but it's his thing. So don't act like I made him slave for his own gift. Firing up the grill in February was part of the gift.

Got some bone-in ribeyes for us and New York strip steaks for the kids. Want a fool-proof marinade? Try this:

Put some Wooostashiya Sauce on one side. Flip the steak over and spread some mustard on the other side. Then, in a bowl, make a dry rub by mixing brown sugar and your favorite seasoned steak salt/pepper blend. I buy mine from the bulk bin at WinCo. Rub the mixture over the meat. Let it sit for a few hours. I'm telling you... it is unbelievable.


He LOVES strawberry lemonade. I juiced lemons for like... ever...

I think I did 17 lemons. Then you add some water and sugar, and some pureed strawberries. I forgot the Sprite, which was my love language screaming out over his. Oops. I had good intentions, I just forgot. I hate soda anyway, but I wanted it to be just how he likes it. Next time.



Keola and Mika helped me with the salad. I put some snow peas in it, which apparently some people do not like. "Some people" being everyone except me. Oops. Another VDay faux pas. But the feta was a nice save.





I made loaded mashed potatoes, with bacon and cheddar and butter and cream. Also, a three-cheese Texas toast was a big hit with everyone.


Of course, all that really matters is the dessert. I'm not a huge sweets person, but I recently tried this Hershey's Special Dark Triple Layer Chocolate Cheesecake, and, um, wow. Yeah. Let's just say this is one universal language. Mine doesn't look as pretty as the picture in the recipe book, but it tastes better than the picture in the book. I know, because when I first saw the picture in the book, I was licking it. It's that good.






We had a great Valentines Day. B loves to give gifts, and he got me the Gary Fong Lightsphere diffuser. I've been experimenting with it all day. I think he wants me to start to love giving gifts, so he can get some too. Because you can't really wrap strawberry lemonade, ribeyes or cheesecake. Although if I tried to, it would count as a gift, right??

And A Time To Every Purpose

In April of 1995, I was a missionary in Africa. I remember a young boy telling me one day that there had been a big bomb in America; in Oklahoma. Did I know about it?
Of course, I did not. I had no idea. He described it a bit, but I really didn't pay much attention. I assumed it probably wasn't a big deal, although in retrospect, if they were hearing about it in a tiny third world African country, that should've triggered the "big deal" cue for me.

I lived in Oklahoma at the start of the new millenium. I didn't really like the state, but there were some nice people. While there, I watched the construction of the OKC bombing memorial. I moved away, and moved back again a few years later. The memorial was complete, and was pretty amazing.

I was happy to leave Oklahoma when I married Skip. We have had to go back a couple of times under somewhat stressful circumstances. We returned this morning from yet another trip. It was a colossal waste of time (minus the three days without kids and the uninterrupted time together), and we will have to go back again next month.

There are so many lessons to be learned during our go in mortality. God forbid our opportunity should be cut short before our learning is enough. I rely on faith and hope; they are powerful forces. And at the end of the day, it's me and this guy, and our five amazing children, trying our best to do what what God would have us do. I feel good about that.

Current Events

If you know me at all, you know I tend to have opinions on things. I'm not necessarily a confrontational person, but I do enjoy throwing my two cents in. Two cents... seriously, when was the last time you held two pennies in your hand? Haven't they gotten rid of the penny yet? Can I throw two cents in using my debit card?
Anyway.

First headline: US BAPTISTS CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING HAITIAN CHILDREN
There are a lot of things that really bug me about this, not the least of which is this: is it really necessary to harp on the fact that they are BAPTISTS? It's like when those zany polygamists act up, and suddenly the LDS church's name is smeared all over the place. COME ON! Why must we always have a whipping boy? While I am not at all swayed by the "good intentions" of these people trying to provide better lives for these poor children, by, um TAKING THEM, I don't actually see the point in beating the Baptist horse to death. Why not just call them "Idahoans" or "Americans" or "slightly crazed religious zealots"? I feel it's unfair to make the entire Baptist population look bad because a few of their congregation went a biiiiiiiiit too far.


Next up: SKIERS MAGAZINE PHOTO SPARKS DEBATE
Lindsey Vonn will be repping us in the Olympics this year. And HEY, GUESS WHAT? She, as a woman, made the cover of Sports Illustrated. And she is not wearing a "swimsuit". (By "swimsuit" I mean "scanty shard of fabric covering only her fundamental genitalia.") But people are up in arms because of her "provocative" pose on the cover. I'm not making this up. Google it. What a skanky skier... tucking to improve her aerodynamic odds of increased speed. Jeeze.
Let's just celebrate female athleticism and leave the rest of the crazy, over-sexed innuendo to Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears. Oh, wait. No innuendo there...


Third: FIRST LADY DRAGS DAUGHTERS INTO OBESITY CAMPAIGN
As you may or may not know by now, Michelle Obama has launched an anti-obesity campaign. Lord knows we could use it in this country. But she's receiving a TON of criticism (cracking myself up here) because she revealed that her "wake-up call" came when her own daughters started pushing the obesity envelope. In all honesty, I can't quite make up my mind on this one. I mean, don't we as mothers discuss our children's flaws ALL THE TIME in hopes that we can support one another, trade ideas, and just get a few things off our chest? We try to find ways to relate to one another in hopes that we can lighten the load of parenthood. We learn from each others' successes and mistakes, and we swap advice accordingly. I truly believe that's what she was doing. HOWEVER... I tend to agree with the point that this puts a lot of pressure on her daughters, whose hair and J Crew wardrobe are already way over-scrutinized. I think the thing that it boils down to is our media-crazed society (she said, as she typed about current events on her blog...). I think Michelle Obama was well-intentioned in her remarks. I think, however, because we are so obsessed with public figures, that her words were like fresh meat thrown to the wolves; devoured with the intent to satisfy primal appetites. Anyway. We'll see which one ends up all Karen Carpenter first. Some therapist somewhere is already chasing this ambulance.

Lastly: DUGGARS HAVE UMPTEENTH CHILD
Seriously. I'm all for a large family if you can manage it. I can't, but some people can. But this is a freak show at this point. When you cross over into reality TV, your intentions are no longer sincere. You are self-serving. I would like to never hear about them again. Sort of like John and Kate. Make it all go away. Please.