So, I was trying to plan out Activity Days for the girls this summer and realized that there were only three Fridays available for me this summer. How did this happen? I ask myself again. I think it all goes back to kids.
We had the grandparents up for Mother's Day and as we were reviewing what our children were doing we realized that they all have something momentous happening in their lives this summer. Jon graduated from college and will be starting Medical School down at Southwestern in Dallas. He and Nicole have moved to Dallas and she will be starting nursing school.
Dan is getting married in July and has decided he wants major in Economics and Russian so he has been busy trying to get his 2 year class schedule figured out along with planning a wedding.
Matthew will be coming home from his mission and really becoming a student now.
Amy is graduating from high school and has definitely decided to go out to Southern Virginia University; a liberal arts school run on LDS standards.
So I will be spending the summer at graduations, hosting missionary homecomings and wedding receptions, helping a daughter move to the east coast and, last but not least, doing one of my favorite things by spending 3 weeks in Europe and a week at Hebgen.
It should be fun. I ask myself again; how can so much craziness be so much fun? I think it all goes back to kids.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Amy is Going Under the Knife
I better get used to it. Matt will probably have to have one done when he gets back. His poor companions have probably cursed us at times - his snoring is atrocious! To be fair, he did have one done a few years ago but it didn't seem to accomplish much. Hopefully this time will be better.
His broken nose was due to getting kicked in the face by a soccer teammate. We think Amy got hers broken when a soccer ball hit her full force in the nose a few years back. I had no idea that soccer could be so dangerous and expensive.
Here are some better photos of Amy. Her friend wants to be a photographer so she did Amy's senior pictures. Her parents were too cheap to pay for them.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Jon and Nicole's Day
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Are you a locovore?
So I came across an article written in Salt Lake Magazine last June. It wasn't really about eating all local ingredients. It was just talking about all the good unique food that you can find here in Utah. Now it makes me want to go out and try them all. I was amazed to find that I had only tried a few, considering that I grew up here in Utah.
Now I'm thinking I need to try the Moles at Red Iguana. Of course I've heard about it for years so maybe I can make that a goal for this year. At least that is a goal that would be fun and easy to keep. I've also heard about the Belgian waffles at Bruges. Made by a real belgian. I think that is another goal I should work towards.
I love bread pudding so now that I've heard that Tin Angel makes a different kind each day I think I might have to go there a few times. I'm also wondering what the Log Haven s'mores are like. I think I will go there too.
Well, I have my work set out for me. anyone who wants to join me is welcome. I mentioned it to Bryan and he didn't get to excited. Just like when we dated, he still doesn't like to eat out. Something about a waste of money. I say money well spent. You can tell I do the cooking and he earns the money.
The magazine had 100 foods. We better get started!
Now I'm thinking I need to try the Moles at Red Iguana. Of course I've heard about it for years so maybe I can make that a goal for this year. At least that is a goal that would be fun and easy to keep. I've also heard about the Belgian waffles at Bruges. Made by a real belgian. I think that is another goal I should work towards.
I love bread pudding so now that I've heard that Tin Angel makes a different kind each day I think I might have to go there a few times. I'm also wondering what the Log Haven s'mores are like. I think I will go there too.
Well, I have my work set out for me. anyone who wants to join me is welcome. I mentioned it to Bryan and he didn't get to excited. Just like when we dated, he still doesn't like to eat out. Something about a waste of money. I say money well spent. You can tell I do the cooking and he earns the money.
The magazine had 100 foods. We better get started!
Friday, April 9, 2010
So, my middle son is getting married and I'm not sure I'm ready. I don't know if it is because it means I'm getting older, or if I just don't like change. The girl, Alyssa Brown, is lovely, nice, talented, smart. I can see why he loves her and I will too. I just can't get excited about planning the wedding. Maybe it is just that it means added stress and planning and I just don't want to take on anything more. I do feel a little sandwiched between aging parents and kids in the busy part of their life although I am happy that I am not driving to all those sports practices and lessons anymore.
I like this poem about this time in my life:
In the Middle by Heidi Cornwall
I am at the middle.
Of life, of love,
of career and education.
of childrearing and parenting
And teaching right from wrong.
When I was at the beginning
the years looked longer and
the days were filled with what ifs.
Now many of those what ifs
have been answered and fulfilled.
Goals have changed or dropped away.
Challenges have arisen and been conquered
or set aside.
Life is more settled, but yet less so.
The middle is less fresh, but more comfortable.
More self-assured but less confident.
More hopeful but less able to dream.
Many more days are still to come.
Days of new question, new dreams,
New joys, new challeges, new ends.
I look back at all that has passed
And know that I am in the middle.
But I still have far to go until the end.
I like this poem about this time in my life:
In the Middle by Heidi Cornwall
I am at the middle.
Of life, of love,
of career and education.
of childrearing and parenting
And teaching right from wrong.
When I was at the beginning
the years looked longer and
the days were filled with what ifs.
Now many of those what ifs
have been answered and fulfilled.
Goals have changed or dropped away.
Challenges have arisen and been conquered
or set aside.
Life is more settled, but yet less so.
The middle is less fresh, but more comfortable.
More self-assured but less confident.
More hopeful but less able to dream.
Many more days are still to come.
Days of new question, new dreams,
New joys, new challeges, new ends.
I look back at all that has passed
And know that I am in the middle.
But I still have far to go until the end.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
A Few Thoughts on Healthcare
Since my kids have been asking me about my thoughts on health care and because at BYU they hear mostly one side of the debate I thought I would send you this opinion piece done by a former official in the Reagan and Sr. Bush administration. http://www.
I might add that I don't think our government will get a lot more intrusive. When you fill out a tax return they pretty much have access to all the info already. I have really worried over the last few years about the continued widening of the gap between the rich and poor. I remember Dwight Rigby talking about it when he was in the Stake Presidency. He likened it to times in the Book of Mormon and felt like this was really going to be the downfall of our society in the future.
Jacob laments in the Book of Mormon how great prosperity and wealth have led some to persecute the poor "because (they) suppose that (they) are better than they" (Jacob 2:13). This pride is a regular theme throughout the Book of Mormon and it divides the people.
In 3 Nephi 6:12, the people are distinguished in ranks according to their riches and learning. "And thus there became a great inequality in all the land" (3 Nephi 6:14).
Chris Henrichsen, who teaches political science at BYU, said "Inequality within our society is only acceptable to the extent that it benefits the least well-off. So if we are going to have inequalities, these inequalities should be ones that benefit everyone -- and in particular the most poor, the most disadvantaged within our society. A society that is marked with great inequality can not be democratic. Political power in such a society would be wielded by those with the greatest resources. It cannot survive without some sense of equality. Extreme inequality leads to collapse.The danger is when people who are wealthy believe that they deserve their wealth. In Mosiah 4, King Benjamin warns about believing a beggar deserves his condition. Thinking wealth is deserved and poverty is deserved are two sides of the same coin. "You don't have an absolute claim to that wealth," Henrichsen said, "because you live in a society that makes that possible."
It is a recognition of factors beyond ourselves in our accumulation of wealth. "Once we start to view ourselves as deserving of wealth we have, we soon begin to forget about God," Henrichsen said.
Henrichsen sees Mormonism as a balance between the individual and the community.
"Do Mormons believe in social justice?" he asked. "Essentially, I think the way we have to answer that question is 'yes.'"
With the church adding its fourth mission of taking care of the needy I believe this is certainly true. I wish we didn't have such vitriol going on between the parties because otherwise I don't think this bill would have been such a big deal.
So, even though Dad and I might sometime fall in the bracket where it costs us more money, and he will undoubtedly make less as a result of the new bill, I think it is necessary. Working at the volunteer clinic I can tell you that, yes, there is some abuse, but the majority just find themselves in a temporary bad place, (eg. even some people in our ward who have needed to come in at times). I will be glad when they can get decent heath care because what we give them is just a bare minimum and doesn't really help with long term problems which would be much easier and cheaper to treat if they could just a get a regular check up. People say that it will ration health care. Don't be fooled. We already ration health care in our country but we ration it by income and insurance, not by need, like they do in other countries. In most rankings of health care comparing nations we certainly do not have the best health care outcomes. Comparing infant mortality, life expectancy, access, etc. we usually rank way down the list of industrialized nations. I have always found this embarrassing. The older people seem to complain the most about government health care, and yet they are the ones who already enjoy the benefits of one: Medicare. I don't see this as a lot different then what BYU has decided to do. Everyone has to have insurance so they can get little things taken care of before they become big problems, and requiring everyone to have insurance has brought their rates down lower than the rest of the colleges in Utah. Hooray for them for being enlightened for the past 30 years or so. They required the same thing when I was there.
If anything, I would have liked to have seen the public option. I think that without a public option there is no check on the insurance companies and rates will certainly go up. I would also liked to have seen more checks on the drug companies (I guess that is why all there stock went up- they have good lobbyists). Since I don't think the bill went far enough and many think it went too far maybe that is a good compromise place to start and then we can see what happens and do some fixes. With our family's health history we are so grateful for the pre-existing condition clause. It will give Jon, Amy and Matt more options as they choose what kind of environment they want to work in. Before their choice was 1: some big company with good health insurance.
Well, that is my rant but it does come from a pharmacist helped by a physician. We are two that will definitely be effected but are in the business because we care for people, not about money. That is why AMA supported the plan. Most doctors hate what has happened to their profession over the years because of insurance. We will probably see more GP's instead of specialists because they will be reimbursed better. Illnesses will hopefully be caught sooner and preventive medicine will become more of the standard. I think it is a good thing.
I might add that I don't think our government will get a lot more intrusive. When you fill out a tax return they pretty much have access to all the info already. I have really worried over the last few years about the continued widening of the gap between the rich and poor. I remember Dwight Rigby talking about it when he was in the Stake Presidency. He likened it to times in the Book of Mormon and felt like this was really going to be the downfall of our society in the future.
Jacob laments in the Book of Mormon how great prosperity and wealth have led some to persecute the poor "because (they) suppose that (they) are better than they" (Jacob 2:13). This pride is a regular theme throughout the Book of Mormon and it divides the people.
In 3 Nephi 6:12, the people are distinguished in ranks according to their riches and learning. "And thus there became a great inequality in all the land" (3 Nephi 6:14).
Chris Henrichsen, who teaches political science at BYU, said "Inequality within our society is only acceptable to the extent that it benefits the least well-off. So if we are going to have inequalities, these inequalities should be ones that benefit everyone -- and in particular the most poor, the most disadvantaged within our society. A society that is marked with great inequality can not be democratic. Political power in such a society would be wielded by those with the greatest resources. It cannot survive without some sense of equality. Extreme inequality leads to collapse.The danger is when people who are wealthy believe that they deserve their wealth. In Mosiah 4, King Benjamin warns about believing a beggar deserves his condition. Thinking wealth is deserved and poverty is deserved are two sides of the same coin. "You don't have an absolute claim to that wealth," Henrichsen said, "because you live in a society that makes that possible."
It is a recognition of factors beyond ourselves in our accumulation of wealth. "Once we start to view ourselves as deserving of wealth we have, we soon begin to forget about God," Henrichsen said.
Henrichsen sees Mormonism as a balance between the individual and the community.
"Do Mormons believe in social justice?" he asked. "Essentially, I think the way we have to answer that question is 'yes.'"
With the church adding its fourth mission of taking care of the needy I believe this is certainly true. I wish we didn't have such vitriol going on between the parties because otherwise I don't think this bill would have been such a big deal.
So, even though Dad and I might sometime fall in the bracket where it costs us more money, and he will undoubtedly make less as a result of the new bill, I think it is necessary. Working at the volunteer clinic I can tell you that, yes, there is some abuse, but the majority just find themselves in a temporary bad place, (eg. even some people in our ward who have needed to come in at times). I will be glad when they can get decent heath care because what we give them is just a bare minimum and doesn't really help with long term problems which would be much easier and cheaper to treat if they could just a get a regular check up. People say that it will ration health care. Don't be fooled. We already ration health care in our country but we ration it by income and insurance, not by need, like they do in other countries. In most rankings of health care comparing nations we certainly do not have the best health care outcomes. Comparing infant mortality, life expectancy, access, etc. we usually rank way down the list of industrialized nations. I have always found this embarrassing. The older people seem to complain the most about government health care, and yet they are the ones who already enjoy the benefits of one: Medicare. I don't see this as a lot different then what BYU has decided to do. Everyone has to have insurance so they can get little things taken care of before they become big problems, and requiring everyone to have insurance has brought their rates down lower than the rest of the colleges in Utah. Hooray for them for being enlightened for the past 30 years or so. They required the same thing when I was there.
If anything, I would have liked to have seen the public option. I think that without a public option there is no check on the insurance companies and rates will certainly go up. I would also liked to have seen more checks on the drug companies (I guess that is why all there stock went up- they have good lobbyists). Since I don't think the bill went far enough and many think it went too far maybe that is a good compromise place to start and then we can see what happens and do some fixes. With our family's health history we are so grateful for the pre-existing condition clause. It will give Jon, Amy and Matt more options as they choose what kind of environment they want to work in. Before their choice was 1: some big company with good health insurance.
Well, that is my rant but it does come from a pharmacist helped by a physician. We are two that will definitely be effected but are in the business because we care for people, not about money. That is why AMA supported the plan. Most doctors hate what has happened to their profession over the years because of insurance. We will probably see more GP's instead of specialists because they will be reimbursed better. Illnesses will hopefully be caught sooner and preventive medicine will become more of the standard. I think it is a good thing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)