Reid Weekend!

My darling sister, Kim, and her dear husband, Patrick, came down to visit this past weekend. It was so great to have them stay at our house, play with Julia, and eat turkey with us. It was all too short of a weekend, and we hope they'll come again soon.

And guess what? I actually remembered to take pictures before they left!

Julia looks a little wonky in this picture.

And somehow her flower came out black in this picture. . .

Sandwich Kisses!
Thanks, Reids, for coming to visit. We can't wait to see you again at Thanksgiving!

Bring on Thanksgiving

Clark mentioned that we had Fatten Up for the Feast this weekend (Fatten Up for the Feast is the brainchild of Kimmie K [who now lives far away in TX], I can't take credit for such an awesome idea). It turned out so well! I was somewhat shocked at the fact that nothing went wrong, it was amazing. We had such good food, and even better company.

We took exactly one picture:


I guess you could say that we were having such a good time that we didn't even think to pull out the camera. But, boy howdy, we got a picture of the bird! So tasty.

Oh, and, AND, I made a pumpkin pie. Complete with homemade pie crust. And. It. Was. DELICIOUS! It's a miracle! After all this time, I've finally got a pie crust recipe that I like. And it's a double pie crust recipe, so I've even got some pie crust sitting in the fridge, waiting to be rolled out. Mmmm, I love pie.

And the winner is. . .

The results are in. And first, I must say, 30 votes? There are 30 people who read this blog and care enough to vote? Wow. I'm honored.

OK, so now the results:
Shannon's Shenanigans = 10 votes
Blogburger = 12 votes
Who's a Burger? = 5 votes
The B²s = 1 vote
The B²s +1 = 1 vote
Shanny's Life = 1 vote

So, it looks like Blogburger is the winner. I like it. Thanks for voting!

Weekly Quote 11/17/08

"When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun."

Sabrina was right, this was from Amazing Grace. We watched the movie last week, about the song, William Wilberforce, and the abolition of the slave trade in Britain, and it was excellent, I recommend it. I'll admit, it took us a while to get excited about watching it, but I am so glad we did.

New quote up!

It's Poll Time

Alright, folks, the poll is up and running. Thanks for your suggestions. May the best name win!

Name Me

I need a new blog name, because Shanny's Life? LAME-O. So get in your suggestions now. I'll put up a poll in a few days. Once I come up with a few ideas to put in a poll. (that would be where your suggestions would come in handy)

And That's Why I Don't Talk Politics

Today at the park I was chatting with one of my friends, and the topic of guns came up. Generally, I disagree with most Utahns on this subject, and generally I just keep my mouth shut and nod politely. In fact, this is how I respond to most political conversations, just listen to what the other person has to say and leave it at that. But today I decided to actually voice my opinion. And it was indeed not the same as her opinion.

In the moment, I was proud of myself for speaking up and saying what I think. But ever since, I've been feeling so bad, hoping I didn't offend her, replaying the conversation, hoping my side of it made sense, and really, really feeling bad. I just don't like confrontation, and I want everyone to get along.

And so, my friends, that is why you will never get political posts on this blog. 5 minutes of conversation = 24 hours of stewing. Can you imagine if the conversation was drawn out in blog posts and comments? I'd be a constant little ball of worry.

Poppy Day

Today is Veterans Day. While I don't have any Veterans Day traditions, and nobody gets the day off work, I still think it's an important holiday. I'd wear a poppy if I knew where to buy one. We sang this song, In Flanders Fields, for my choir concert, and I thought the words (written by Dr. John McCrae) were just beautiful. In fact, I don't know if I ever made it through that song without tears coming to my eyes. And so I'm sharing them with you today. Thanks to all our servicemen and women for the sacrifices made so we can enjoy freedom. And even though they don't read blogs, thank you Grandpa H and Papa, for your service in WWII.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.