You've got to get into Reggae Cowboy

One of the perks of my job is that once or twice a year they give me free tickets to concerts that no one else wants to see. One of the drawbacks of my job is that I get paid in meatballs.

Anyway…Last year as you may remember, we were given tickets to see the man, the legend, Hal Ketchem. This year we saw,…wait for it…wait for it…..The Bellamy Brothers!

I’m not going to lie, I loved it. They were very good. All of their songs were fun and pleasant to hear. We sang along and danced (and when I say we, I mean just me, not so much Steve).
There is nothing like watching men who are in their seventies sing country hits from the 1970’s and 1980’s. We took our kids with us because we didn’t want them miss out on this cultural event. Alyssa and Sunny seemed to really enjoy it even though it was way past their bed-time.
Alyssa arranged and re-arranged the blanket we brought to sit on the grass with. We ended up finding some open seats (imagine that) so we used them instead, freeing up the blanket for Alyssa’s enjoyment.
Sunny bopped around, but then got tired and laid on my shoulder while I danced, got sick of that and laid on Steve’s shoulder. It was late. She was a real sport not to cry and fuss.

All I wanted to hear them sing was Reggae Cowboy and Redneck Girl. Even though we showed up almost an hour late, we heard both songs. What a rush. If you don’t know those songs, get them off I-Tunes, they will make you smile and laugh.

They also sang a hit from 1976 call, Let Your Love Show. We recognized and particularly enjoyed it. I always thought it was Kenny Rodgers song, but I guess I was wrong.

Anyway, we had a great time. Thanks Valley Journals for making it happen, we really enjoyed our selves.

Watch out athletes, club HAM has arrived on the scene

I ran a 5-K race this weekend with my club HAM (Herriman Athletic Moms). We did the Wasatch Woman Magazine’s Love Your Body Race.

It was probably the worst organized race I have ever been a part of, but despite the confusion and frustration we had a good time.

Even though it was only a 5-K, it was one of the harder runs I have done in a long time. I didn’t start until after 8 am on the hottest day of the year. It was really really hot. I have always said running is a winter sport, and I remembered why I said that during the race. Thankfully I had a bandana with me which I wet in the sprinklers and cooled my face while I ran.

(self portrait while I was running, I was faking the smile)
It was at Sugar House park. We ran around the park 2.5 times. It is a very hilly park. So we basically ran hills on the hottest day of the year. It’s hard to run up hills, and it’s uncomfortable to run down (especially when you have shotty knees). But, I did it. I did it in 35 minutes to be exact. With a chest cold, so I am not complaining about my time. I coughed up a lung after it was over. I think I might have given myself a hernia coughing hard after it was over. Not fun.

I got some really great pics though, so it was all worth it. I carried my camera with me while I ran.
(Missy, co-founder of club HAM, looking dead sexy right before the race.)

Emily making her way through the crowd of 1500 runners.


Jen S. in the lead of Club HAM, she went on to be our top finisher, congratulations Jen S.

Brittany (in the pink)crosses the finish line!


Here I am crossing the finish line, finally!


We (members of club HAM)have a great time doing our runs, biking, swimming and weight watchers meetings. Its great adult conversation gets me out of bed early and my legs have never been this slim or muscular. Let’s hear it for Club Ham. Next stop….Daybreak Triathlon. Go HAM go! Thanks for keeping me motivated girls of Club HAM.

POST NOTE:
Club HAM is open to any women who have a little extra pork they are trying to get rid of who live near us and are willing to train (swim, bike, run) at 6am 4-5 days a week. The focus of Club HAM is athleticism, not weight loss. Weight loss however has been found by Club HAM to be a byproduct of early morning athletic training.

Steve and me sort of at the Temple dedication

Steve and I went to the Temple Dedication, but not at the Temple. We attended at my parents church (while they watched our kids) but we rushed over to the Temple just after it ended.

Aren’t we a cute couple.
I know.

We met the Prophet. I got to shake his hand. Actually he reached out and I shook his fingers.


He was super friendly. He bopped around and practiced his Spanish vocabulary words on the crowds. I’m not sure why he was doing that, but it was fun and people seemed to like it. He must be learning spanish in his spare time.


It was great to be on the Temple grounds and participate in the dedication, even if it wasn’t in that order.

Move Over Meredith Vierra

In case no one cares anymore, including me…the school board voted to only increase our property taxes 20 percent instead of they 40 the originally wanted. I personally think they were planning 20 percent the whole time, but whatever.

During the meeting they explained that they really appreciated all the feedback from the angry towns-people, but that it was too late to really have any of it make a difference this year. Perhaps next year they could implement useful cost cutting measures.

Knowing very little about education, but a moderate amount about administration and governmental fiscal budgeting, I know there are at least 50 ways to leave your lover and 100 ways to cut costs without impacting the classroom.

Why the school board didn’t implement any of these cuts when they could have is beyond me. Maybe they wanted to stir up a fuss I don’t know.

After the meeting I was interviewed by the local new station about my reaction. If you care to watch the story and my television debut, here it is:

 

So there you have it. We’ll see you again soon School Administration, this ain’t over! Newbold, why aren’t you more useful. I’m coming for you!

The Day I Knew Would Never Come

I lived out the day I knew would never come exactly five years ago today. The prequel to that day came when I was 23 it was obvious that my future included serving a mission, something I had tried to hide from for several years.

One of the main reasons I didn’t want to go was because of the unfavorable way my brothers and their friends spoke about sister missionaries. Why would I want to voluntarily be that?

After I made the decision, several of my brothers clearly communicated that if I served a mission, no one would ever marry me (just one of the many ways my brothers damaged me while growing up).

With that in mind I served my mission, made the most of it, and came home. I wouldn’t trade it.

What I didn’t expect was to find someone to marry so quickly after I got home.


August 13, 2004 Steve and I defied all odds and married each other (take that you nasty brothers who made me sick worrying about nothing for years).

Steve and I met on LDS Singles.com that’s right, on line. We met on-line back when it was still very taboo. He lived in Orange County CA, and I lived in exotic Ogden.

We e-mailed each other for a few weeks and then the stars perfectly aligned and we met. We had a very awkward first encounter (thanks to my charming brothers and their friends), followed by a magical first date the very next day.

He took me to Santa Monica where we walked and talked on the beach for hours. He took me to a fancy Italian restaurant for lunch and then went to the pier for the evening. I knew it was him that day.

Since we lived in different states, he flew me back and forth to California many times during our courtship and made frequent trips to Utah himself. In between, we spent hours on end talking on the phone.

Our courtship was expensive and very short as was our engagement. Six months and one day after we met, we were married in the Jordan River Temple. I wouldn’t recommend others follow our speed dating and courtship pattern, because it is risky, but in our case it really worked.


We had what I considered a dream wedding thanks to our parents who funded it, followed by a dream Cancun honeymoon thanks to Steve who funded it.

But the real dream started after we got home and started out lives together.

I’ll put it this way. I never dreamed my life would be so good. I think Steve lives to make my life easy and to make me happy. He does a bang up job of it too. I’ve never been so happy.

Five years and two beautiful daughters later, we still want to sit right next to each other and hold hands when we walk. I still don’t like to be without him.

The long and short of it is….I adore him more today than I did five years ago. He supports me in all the crazy things I do and has pushed me to achieve more than I ever thought I was capable. He makes my joy full. Thanks for the best five years of my life. I look forward to million more.

Angry towns-people come together to make a difference

Because I know you are all terribly interested, the meeting with the school board last night was overwhelming. I have been attending these kinds of meetings for three years and I have never seen anything even close to the turnout we had last night. There were 200 people who signed up to address the school board and close to 2000 who attended the meeting.

Fortunately I was the 5th person to speak to the school board which was very exciting, what a rush! Although the meeting lasted until after 1 am, we were able to say our piece and get home at a decent hour and put the kids to bed.

I am hopeful that the turnout will make a huge difference and save us all a lot of money. They didn't make a decision last night like they intended. They will hold another meeting again Aug 11th to make the decision.

It was apparent last night that the school board have not made the hard decisions and have not had the hard conversations before coming to the taxpayer to ask for more money.

It was clear that the tone at the top, meaning Superintendent Newbold, who is appointed by the school board,who makes more than $237,000 a year, is a big part of the reason we are in this mess in the first place. For $237,000 a year, I expect a lot more. For that kind of money he should have crafted a way to avoid this whole mess in the first place. I don't mind paying effective leaders what they are worth, but clearly, he is not worth what we have been paying him.

For your information, he makes more than double what most other superintendents in our state make, more than Peter Coroon who runs the entire county and more than the Governor of our state. Something is very wrong with that. The JSD administration needs to be drastically cut before they ask us for any more money.

Superintendent Newbold stated last night that he has no intentions of taking a pay cut. So....I don't know what planet he is living on but it's time for a reality check. I propose he be fired or take a drastic 50 percent pay cut. That's what would happen/is happening in the real world. His 20 year reign should be over right about now.

I appreciate the school board for stepping up to serve at a very difficult time, but I don’t think they realized what they have gotten themselves into until last night. I wish them well in their most difficult endeavor and am keeping them in my prayers.

I am certain that we will have a tax increase, but my fingers are crossed that it will be much more modest than the 40 percent they originally proposed.

To be continued...August 11th.

$$$ Listen Neighbors $$$

Did any of you notice your property tax bill that came in the mail recently? Did you notice that your house value dropped like $50,000 but somehow your tax bill hugely increased? That would be the new school district bill.

You will be paying $50-$60 more a month on top of what you were already paying to fund the school district. Here is the scary part. Next year they already have a $30 million dollar budget short fall. So your property tax bill has the potential to go much much much higher.

If that scares you a little than you should come TONIGHT to the TRUTH IN TAXATION hearing at the Riverton High School at 7:00 PM.

I will be voicing my concerns at the podium and will be happy to represent you. If you would like to speak as well, I will encourage you although it is not required.

Ideally, I would like to have a group of people behind me when I speak who would raise their hands saying I am not alone and that they agree with what I am saying. Special thanks to the Mortens, Daws and Jorgensens who have supported me in the fashion in the past.

I will ask them to find a way to provide better education with less money. Historically there is a lot of waste in government and education is not exempt from that. This is a chance to revolutionize education through technology and using best business practices which have not been well utilized in the past. We could be one of the premiere school districts in the nation if we can get our school board to look into new models in education and find better ways to teach and utilize the resources we all pay for.

We all know it’s true that when we have a lot to do and a short time to do it, somehow we make every minute count and we get it all done. When we have all day to do a very few things, sometimes we fall short. I am asking them to make the most of what they have and create a better education without taxing some of us right out of our homes by increasing taxes even more next year.

This is serious and could cost all of us A LOT of money if we don’t raise our voice now. Please come 7 PM Riverton High School. Tell your friends.