Marriage is what brings us together...today.

Today, the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8.

This is where my dad/mom/family are cringing over what I--the most liberal member of our family--could possibly have to say about Prop 8.

I'm not going to lie. I struggled with Prop 8 and the rabid frenzy with which some conservative members of the LDS church (and other churches, too) used it as a way to villify people who live with same-sex attraction. I thought the way people on both sides of the issue treated each other was horrendous. I was particularly disappointed when Tom Hanks called me and all the members of my church "un-American." Seriously, Tom?!

Here's the heart of the matter for me: I believe in a certain ideal of what a marriage and family should be, and I have a right to that ideal. However, many others don't have the same belief. There are gay people who have built a life and a family together, and they should be able to take care of their families in the same ways everyone else is allowed to. (Can you imagine a frightened child in the hospital who is not allowed to have a visit from one of their parents? Can you imagine that same child being sent to foster care instead of the care of their other parent after the biological parent dies?)

And, guess what? The LDS church feels the same way. From a news release in November: "The Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians. Even more, the Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches."

I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and therefore I am pleased with the California Supreme Court decision. But we (is anyone from our JOKE of a Utah Legislature listening?? Anyone heard of the Common Ground Initiative?) also need to make sure that families--and especially children--who don't fall under that category are taken care of, too.

Milestone

Carter has a big day coming up next week. He will be turning four. For months--ok, pretty much since he turned three--he's been looking forward to this birthday and telling everyone who will listen that he's "almost four."

He hasn't had a "friend" birthday party before, so I decided this was the year to take the plunge. A month or two ago, he was convinced that every day was the day of his party. This went on for about a week, much to my horror, as I had to explain to everyone he talked to (the stylist at Sports Clips, the cashier at Target, random kids in the grocery store) that today was actually not his birthday, that we didn't have 19 kids coming over to party later on, and that no, I'm sorry, we don't invite strangers to our birthday parties.

I am trying to get invitations out this weekend, so this morning I sat down with Carter to make a list of everyone he wants to invite to his party. This is what he came up with:

Katie (the little girl across the street)
Cole (a friend from daycare)
Cecily (Cole's older sister--she's like 12)
Daddy (obviously)
Me (glad I even made the list)
Carter (I LOVE that he saw the need to make sure his own name is on the list.)
"My Backpack" (It's new. He filled it with Hot Wheels and his stuffed pelican from Grandma and has carried it everywhere since I bought it for him two days ago.)
Lauren...and Amber, Amy, Jake, Austin and Steve(the ENTIRE family next door)
Carter (very worried about being left out)
"The Girls" (all of the Young Women I teach at church. There are like 25 of them.)
Dominick (friend from daycare)
Cooper (friend from daycare)
Kimmie (Carter's babysitter, mom of Cole and Cecily. Her name is actually Kim, but he's called her Kimmie ever since he started going there.)
Sister Sperry and Sister Gliattli (his primary teachers from church.)
Brendan and Camryn (his brother and sister)

I was so proud of myself for keeping a straight face during the list-making. But even more than that, I was so happy that Carter loves and feels loved by so many people (and things. I'm talking to you, Backpack). However, I can pretty much guarantee that only five of those people on the list are getting invites since that's all I think I can manage this first time around.

PS--Since this is my first kids' birthday party, does anyone have any ideas for games?

I did it!

I graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Utah on Friday! The culmination of all the hard work of the last 2 and 1/2 years (plus that brutal year in Americorps way back when)! Mom and Dad and Randy and Carter were there to cheer me on, and the commencement ceremony was amazing. David McCullough (author of 1776 and John Adams) gave the commencement address, and if you have a chance you should check out the transcript here. Absolutely inspiring.

Yes, I LOVED school, but it is done with (for now) and I have come to grips with the fact and I'm ready to move on. I will miss the good friends, the amazing professors, and the stimulating discussions. But I'm just so grateful to have had the opportunity to reach my goal in such an enjoyable way.

Steph to Randy: "Hey baby, doesn't this graduation cap look hot?!" (By the way, no.)

Steph thinking,"Hmmm. WHAT am I going to do with all that free time?!"

If they only knew...

And here we have Idaho, winning her way to fame.

(You may have to click on the pic to view it in its entirety.)


see more pwn and owned pictures

I found this picture this morning on failblog. OK, I agree the name is a bit much nowadays, but if only they knew! Good old Beaver Dick--the 19th century fur trapper--is legend around Rexburg! He has a park named after him! (Yup--Beaver Dick Park. No, it is not a statue garden.) The most beautiful lake in the world is named after his Native American wife Jenny. Heck, he even scored the naming rights to a cemetery! Now with a legacy like that, can Beaver Dick really be considered a "fail?" I think not.

Auld Lang Syne

Yesterday was my last day of classes at the University of Utah. It was definitely a bittersweet day, and I'm glad I was really busy yesterday so I wouldn't have to dwell on the following facts:
1) I LOVED going back to school!
2) I am such a geek.
3) I would immerse myself in academia for the rest of my life if I could.
4) I am done with the one thing in which I am most confident and at which I excel. (Those grammar classes came in handy, eh?!) SCARY.
5) I don't know where I'm supposed to go from here.

I am toying with the idea of going back to get a master's degree in ten years or so. (Randy plugs his ears and babbles every time I say that.) But until then, I am looking forward to spending quality time with my kiddo, focusing on home projects that I've put off for far too long, and maybe even meeting my newspaper deadlines once in a while (my editor, Tom, is looking forward to that, too).

The only thing standing between me and graduation is a comprehensive grammar final and two papers. And being the absolute geek that I am, I will savor every moment.

Achilles' Heel

My Achilles' Heel? Dinner rolls. Specifically Rhodes dinner rolls. I know, I know--they make the dough for you and even shape it into little balls! How can that possibly go wrong?? I promise you, it can.

A couple of years ago, in a fond attempt to replicate my mom's "Monkey Bread," I loaded too many rolls into a bundt pan, and by the time they had risen, they were overflowing the pan and rolling down the sides. I decided to cook them anyway. Afterwards, Randy gently suggested that maybe I shouldn't try Monkey Bread anymore unless my mom was standing right next to me.

Today's attempt at dinner rolls turned out like this:

I know what you're thinking, but NO. This is NOT a panful of buttocks. After I bake them, my family will be eating these rolls with their chicken soup tonight. But, dear reader, I would recommend NOT putting your dinner rolls into a black non-stick pan and setting them on the porch in the sun so they will "rise a little faster"--unless, like my family, you want to eat buttocks for dinner.

It's Official.

I'm a soccer mom. And I LOVE it. Carter had his first soccer practice last night, and after we got home he begged me to let him wear his uniform. I had to dash his hopes when he asked to wear it again this morning, though, because it needs to stay clean for his first game tomorrow and I refuse to do an emergency load of laundry just for the sake of his soccer uniform. (This may change in the future, but for right now it's a solid rule. Let's hope I can keep up with the laundry enough to live up to my own standards.)

And by the way, it makes me giggle every time I see "Great Tasting Lunchmeat!" on the back of his shirt. I have no idea why.