Me and Miss California

I've been asked a lot this last week about what I thought about Miss California and her answer at the Miss USA pageant. I guess I am considered the local expert on the topic... Anyhow, the biggest question I am asked is did she do the right thing by answering with her real opinion or should she have been more diplomatic and tried to make everyone happy to win the crown... Well let's just say right now you won't ever make everyone happy, so you might as well make sure you make the one person happy that you CAN control: yourself. If someone would have told me back when I was at the Miss USA that I would win if I wore a bikini like everyone else instead of the hideous one-piece they handed me to replace it, it wouldn't have changed my decision. (And if there was ever a time in my life I could have worn a bikini and looked good it was that year!) I knew it didn't represent who I was. I can only hope when posed with the same question, Miss California has a similar response. Winning Miss USA isn't worth it if you have to lie about who you are to get it. (Contractually there are some things you can't control about your Miss USA experience, so you have to hold on to the things you can.)

Now on to a little ranting on the subject.

I'm especially frustrated that in years past, the bible and predominant dictionaries have been used to support the definition of marriage in the courtroom, and for that reason editors of such dictionaries have decided to take things into their own hands and change the definition of the word marriage. It now reads in Webster's Dicitonary:

1 a (1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage marriage>

Who are they to change the meaning of a word that has been around since the beginning of time? They added the new definition (2) in 2003 and now it's being used on the other side of the court room for their purposes. (Shar, Webster is now on my list!) Who's in charge of the English language here? Webster?

And here's an interesting look at the past. In Webster's 1828 dictionary defined marriage as "instituted by God himself for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, for promoting domestic felicity, and for securing the maintenance and education of children."

How far have we gotten away from what marriage is supposed to be. Adam and Eve are probably hitting themselves in the forehead saying, "What in the world? Didn't we show them how this all worked?" Now in saying all this, I understand that there are same-sex relationships out there that are probably more stable and healthy than some traditional marriages. Good for you. But you can't go changing the definition of one of the oldest words in the world to fit your lifestyle. Make up a new word to fit your needs and we'll go from there.

I wish sometimes people would listen to what they're saying before they spout off their misdirected morals. I loved it when people said Miss California alienated half of America with her answer and therefore shouldn't be able to represent America as Miss USA. Okay so she alienated half of America... but supported the other half. Had she answered the question with the opposing opinion she would have alienated the other "half of America." So you really can't win here. To those of you out there who are of the first "half of America": You need to realize there are at least two sides to an issue and just because someone doesn't have your opinion doesn't mean they are bigots, racist, prejudice, or hateful people. It means they have a different OPINION. Look up that definition, it's a great word! And did you know it's possible to not agree with someone AND not hate them? Do you really agree with everything that the people you associate with believe? Or do you hate everyone who has a different opinion than you? (Abortion, guns, smoking, seatbelt laws, school uniforms... all things that deal with others' rights and personal decisions.) I would hope not, although with the reaction to this silly pageant question, I'm starting to wonder... Maybe that's why you think people of a different opinion are filled with so much hate, because you are. I'm not entirely sure why you're reaction is filled with so much hate toward someone you're saying is wrong for being filled with hate. Are you not treating her with the same disrespect you are accusing her of having? Why do you insist on making people bad and hateful if they don't agree with you? And since when is it people with morals, standards and values are the bad guys? And to the people in the audience who booed her and the unprofessional judge who later bad-mouthed Miss California because her answer wasn't what he wanted to hear: Grow up and become American. We are allowed to believe as we want according to our morals. Thank heavens there are still some people who have them! So she thinks marriage is between a man and a woman. At least she has an opinion and could express it with poise and dignity. (Dignity, there's anther good word to look up unless they've changed the definition of that one too.) What is this world coming to? Even if you don't have the same political views, here in America we're mostly Christian and it's hard to mess up the interpretation of Isaiah 5:20 "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" We are told in the last days people will call evil things good and good things evil. I hate to say it, but Miss California just fulfilled a prophecy written thousands of years ago. Way to go Miss C!

I was a little annoyed with the link on the main page of the official site to the Miss California USA pageant. The link said, "Official statement regarding miss ca usa 2009 final answer controversy" What's the controversy? That she had an opinion or that she had an opinion different than yours? Really?? So is that the new definition of controversy? An opinion different than your own? (Only one of the many definitions you're trying to change...) Then the world is up for a lot more frivolous controversies. For your information here's what the statement says:

I am proud of Carrie Prejean’s beauty and placement at the 2009 MISS USA pageant. I support Carrie’s right to express her personal beliefs even if they do not coincide with my own. I believe the subject of gay marriage deserves a great deal more conversation in order to heal the divide it has created.

No more of a divide than any heated political issue that has two or more sides. Again, welcome to America.



Okay so I went way off on this one. But I need your help with one more thing. After my year at the Miss USA, it was amazing the amount of attention I got for being the only one in a one-piece swimsuit. Who would have thought that would be a controversy that year? Boy the world has really changed.

(Thank heavens you-tube wasn't around back then!) But I got so many letters from people all over the United States saying how cool they thought it was and thanking me for being a good example. Those letters meant the world to me even though I had no idea who they were from. So all of you who were disturbed by the hate-media Miss California received because she actually has beliefs and stood up for them, I ask you to join with me in writing her a letter and letting her know there are more people out there that are proud of her than despise her. We just don't make the noise the others do. Send your letters to:

Carrie Prejean
c/o K2 Productions
P.O. Box 691700
Los Angeles, CA 90069

or it's even easier to write an email to her through

http://www.sdcc.edu/Email.aspx?emp=carrie_prejean

We may not make it on the Today show or MSNBC (where Nora O'Donnell let Judge Hilton trash her) but we can let her know we are on her side and that she has greater things in life to accomplish than just the Miss USA pageant.

Cardboard Boxcar Derby

On Saturday we had a church activity that was a picnic and boxcar derby race. The boys decided they wanted a Corvette, so that's what we made for them.

It turned out pretty well! The way the race worked is Rockwell started out in the car, did part of the race, had to pull into a "pitstop", change drivers to Rhett, drink water, take off the wheels and put them back on, then they could get back on the track to finish the race. Rockwell was one of the first into the pitstop, and thanks to velcro, our tires were off and back on again in no time.

Rhett was the first one back on the track with no one behind him for some time. Let's just say that the boys did a great job, and Rhett had one of the best nature walks in his life...
Later the men decided they wanted to race because even a boxcar victory can boost a male ego. The race for Brad went the same way. He started out in first place but somewhere after the pitstop dropped down to forth. But he would not go down without a fight! Go Brad! He ran his little heart right up to second place!

Brad is the one second from the right. He couldn't fit the car around his waist so he just ran with it on his shoulders. Needless to say, it was pretty funny!

London finally decided to crawl. We had to strategically place certain items all around the room so she had motivation to crawl in all directions. The apple ended up being her most favorite goal. We had really hoped she would start crawling in Utah last week so her Grandparents could see it, but she waited until the day after we got home, Easter, to make her move. She was so excited when she realized she could move!

Here is a picture of London in Utah wearing an outfit from her wild aunts. Thanks Amy and Mandy. She got a lot of attention this day with these leggins... and not just fashionable, but also utilitarian since they kept her little legs warm in the Utah weather.


We "lost" Drake for a minute only to find him tucked away in a semi-empty newspaper stand.



The boys got to ride the commuter train in Salt Lake, they loved it!

Flight 1976

The flight listed in the title of this Blog was almost a headline... thank heavens it was not. Let me explain. Brad and I had to take two different flights home on two different days because we couldn't all get on the same flight. To try and make things fair I took London, Rock and Rhett, and Brad took Drake with him. It may not sound like it, but trust me, that was the best way to split it. It was going to be a long day with three different planes and two plane changes. We first went to Albuequerque, then headed to Atlanta. This was the flight that was the most frightening experience of my life. Right after take-off we hit some serious turbulence. It was making the plane jerk back and forth really bad. I wasn't nervous at first because I'm okay with flying and understand that turbulence happens. But it kept going and going. The side to side turned into up and down. The kind of ups and downs that makes people gasp. My clueless boys started cheering, "That one felt just like Tower of Terror! So did that one! Mom it's just like we're on Tower of Terror." They were right, that's what it felt like. This had been going on for at least 5 minutes and I could tell there was panic on the plane. The plane then started dropping again and again without stopping. I heard some sobbing and whimpering throughout the plane and knew I wasn't the only one starting to wonderif this is what it felt like... "Mom, did you feel that? That's called Zero Gravity! That means we went DOWN! Did you feel that mom, Doooowwwn, Doooowwn, Doooown! Zero Gravity!" I counted 7 large drops in a row in about 15 seconds. With every drop the boys would cheer, "Dooooowwwn!" They just weren't getting it and I didn't stop them because they were having so much fun that if we were about to die, I'd rather them not know it. I started shaking because this had been going on for almost 10 minutes and was getting worse. I had London clutched to my chest and felt tears come to my eyes, but I kept a big smile on for the boys. Some nervous male college students were sitting next to us and despite their obvious concern, they were entertained by the boys excitement. The panic on the plane became more and more obvious and I couldn't even remember how to pray I was so scared, the only words that would come into my head were, "Heavenly Father, please keep this plane in the air. Please keep this plane in the air..."
"Doooooowwwwnnnn! Wahooo! Tower of Terror!!!"
"Please keep this plane in the air, please keep this plane in the air..."
I bet several of those little white bags in the seat pockets were used that day and some people probably made some serious decisions to change in life if they were to live. I have never had the feeling before that this could be the end, and that my husband and 2-year-old would get such a phone call and have to go on without us. It made me sad, but there is always some peace in knowing what comes next. It helped me realize I do know where we go and the comfort this knowledge brings. It also helped me understand more about my husbands fear of flying, and that he has that feeling of panic everytime he gets on a plane. I haven't been turned off of flying from the 10 minutes on the Flight of Terror, but I will never forget it either.

Snowy Utah for Spring Break

We headed out to cold Utah for what would be the boys Spring Break. Our real reason for going was to take Kimberly, our friend from Gainesville who just became a member of the Church then moved to Phoenix, to General Conference. Elder Hamula, a member of the Seventy had secured some tickets for us for both Saturday sessions. The story is too personal to put on a blog, but anyone who is interested in hearing the fascinating and inspiring events that took place with us, Kimberly and Elder Hamula, please email me and I will send you the story. I will say that Kimberly was able to meet half of the Apostles, recieve a personal wave from the prophet, eat lunch with the General Authorities and make some amazing life changing decisions that continue to make her story and experiences unbelievable.

We were also able to stay with our families and visit our friends. We went out to dinner one night with some of our friends and were reminded how fortunate we are to be surrounded with such magnificent people. These friends are the highest quality of people that I know will continue to inspire us the rest of our lives. Thank you!

Disney Whirled

Yes we finally did it. We made our way down to Disney World. After years of being annual passport holders at Disneyland, we made the almost traitorous transition to becoming annual passport holders at Disney World. I hope all Anaheim faithfuls will forgive us and understand the obvious reason for the change. It is much different than what we are used to and a little daunting. Fortunately our first experience was made much better by the help of my sister and her family from Washington. This sister is the Queen of Disney. She could probably make money by planning people's trips to anything Disney because she knows the ins and outs of how to beat the system. We don't wait in lines and always have plenty of time for food. We were able to go to all the parks and see the best of what they each had to offer.

The kids were thrilled to be with their cousins at a Disneyland-like place. Rhett was finally able to go on Big Thunder and Splash Mountain. There is definitely a love-hate relationship there. He was a big talker about the rides but when asked if he wanted to go on them again he said, "No thank you." Rhett and Rock also both went on Tower of Terror for the first time. Rock had himself so worked up he was already sick just standing in line. I'm proud of them for riding it, but we'll see if they ever go on it again! But their favorite ride was definitely the water rafting ride at Animal Kingdom. We went on it twice in a row and were soaked! I think they enjoyed seeing their mom get drenched by the waves.


Another fun thing we did, or rather I got to do, was at Disney Studios. They have the new attraction called Idol Experience where park-goers get to audition just as if they were real Idol hopefuls, to eventually perform on the Idol stage. I passed the first audition and was sent to the second phase at the "Coke Room" where I was handed an iPod with a list of about 50 songs to choose from for the next audition. I wasn't really comfortable with any of the songs, but oh well, it was fun to just be sitting in the room. I picked an upbeat song so there would be some entertainment value and went in to sing it for the first time in my entire life in front of a "producer".
As the song came of my mouth I kept thinking, boy I wish this song could have come out of my mouth at least one time before now... Anyhow for some unknown reason, no let me rephrase that, I know the reason: for the fact that I didn't sing a boring ballad, that I was dressed like a horrible Disney tourist in lame shorts and non-stage shoes (I had tennis shoes on earlier but they were so ugly my sister traded me for her sandals which were too big but looked better), sang like an obvious old has-been and hadn't washed my hair in two days... they let me on to the next round which was the actual show.

There are 7 shows a day, three people a show. They wanted us to have a quick but "complete" idol experience so we had 10 minutes with a vocal coach, 10 minutes with a hair and makeup artist (poor thing, there was no hope for my hair that day) 10 minutes alone for meditation, 10 minutes to learn the script and staging of the Live Show, and once through with our music on the stage with a mic. This was my second time through with the song, and it did sound a little better. Then they let the crowds of people fill the auditorium and the show started. I went last. I'll just sum up the 3rd and final time I sang the song in one word: Choke. It was horrible. My voice cracked several times and I was trying so hard to read the words on the screen at the back of the auditorium that I forgot to perform and listen to the music. I don't even think I was with the music... But it was so much fun to play the part. Everytime I get on a stage I remember how much I love and miss it, no matter how bad I was, I loved it!!!

We left Disney World Wednesday morning to race home to catch a flight to Utah that evening. More on that to come

Sorry...

My sister informed me after my last post that it sounds like everyone in Florida isn't very nice. I've had several posts about some less-than-positive experiences becuase they were entertaining to write, completely forgetting that maybe I need to balance out the negative, yet entertaining stories with some uplifting and positive ones. So I am going to make a top 10 list (in no particular order) of some of the great things I have learned to love about Florida:

1. The weather is amazing here, snow was the only thing I wasn't going to miss about Utah and boy, we hit the winter weather jackpot ! I have a whole new definition for the phrase "Winter Wonderland". The boys are thrilled to have a pool in the backyard.
2. Trees. I love all the tall green trees. It makes for such a cozy feeling.
3. Our ward is a wonderful collection of people from all over the US, ranging in every age and background. It's been so easy to make friends with the members. We have a fabulous bishop who we love and his family is the greatest! (Thanks Lauren for making this move so much easier on me and my family!) I also work with some great women in the Young Womens program that are not only fun people to be around, but inspiring as well.
4. Publix Key Lime Pie (You may see us in a year and we'll each weigh 50 lbs more because of this delectible little treat we can't get enough of...)
5. Missionary opportunites (If you haven't heard about Kimberly, email me and I'll give you her story. It was a life changing experience for us and all involved.)
6. Frozen, pre-diced onions at the grocery store for the same price as a fresh one, but without the work when you only need a little bit. This has been a huge help!
7. Brad loves his job and has a great business partner, who has a great family that we enjoy hanging out with.
8. The humidity has been a great blessing on my children's skin. They've all had eczema issues since birth and the move has gotten rid of the problem. And it makes my skin softer too!
9. Close to Disney World!!!!!!! (We are now officially anual passport holders.)
10. We know this is where we are supposed to be so we are happy to have been guided by our Heavenly Father to such a marvelous place.

We are happy here and we know there are still great things to come. We may be here a year, we may be here the rest of our lives, who knows? But we will enjoy every minute of it until we feel there is somewhere else we're supposed to be.

Now a little housekeeping: I haven't written in this blog for two weeks because we have been out of town. First to Orlando to go to Disney World with my sister and her family from Washington, then from there straight to Utah. (We are actually still in Utah.) I will slowly, but surely, tell about the last two weeks of our lives, with photos, in the upcoming week. So come back!