Mitt for President

Okay, I don't care whether or not you believe in what President Bush is doing in the White House, but I greatly respect him for two reasons:

1. He doesn't make decisions based on what the polls say. He makes decisions on what he thinks is right and then he goes forward whether or not it is popular. I felt like Clinton couldn't do this during his ENTIRE presidency -- he had to take an opinion poll before making any decisions.

2. He seems to seek inspiration from above.

It is exactly for this these reasons that I believe Mitt Romney is the best candidate running for office right now. He is an honest man who seeks to do what is right, not what is popular.

So, when I heard that Mitt was running for president, I figured he didn't have a chance in the world. However, as I have watched the preliminaries, I have been impressed at how many people are touched by a man with a business mind who has brought much-needed change to various situations and governments (namely, the SLC Olympics and Massachuttes).

However, it was just last week that I realized something else: I should be praying for him! We are asked to put good people into office who will do what is in our best interest. Why not pray that people will see Mitt Romney as that person? So, I've repented and am praying that the nation sees what a sincere, honest business man he is.

I look forward to seeing what happens and would love to call him my president.

Now onto a lighter note, those of you who are LDS may get a kick out of the following (thanks for forwarding them, Barbara).

These are questions that I've been wondering about if Mitt becomes president:

- What Ward would he be in?

If you are his new Bishop, here are your top questions:

- Will you allow an inaugural ball to be held in the cultural hall? Do you mount security cameras on top of each basketball rim and have a secret service detail stationed on the stage?

- Can you REALLY call Mitt and Ann as the Nursery Leaders ... even if you really feel inspired?

- Who is going to home teach them? Will you call someone who needs activation but may not pass the national security screening?

- If Harry Reid and Mitt Romney are in the same High Priest group, will you need to be there to keep order?

- Exactly how will tithing settlement work? Will the Secretary of the Treasury come too?

- Will you be inviting the new Romney family to speak in Sacrament Meeting ... and if they go a little over at what point do you ask them to sit down?

- Will the Secret Service do a sweep of the build ing before each meeting? And if the Romneys always leave before Sunday School, will the Sunday School president need to interview them? If they stay, where will you hold the class?

- Can you call the Secret Service agents to help out in Primary?

- If you give Mitt a calling and the two Democrats in the Ward raise their hand AGAINST sustaining him - partly out of habit - does the Supreme Court need to be involved?

- If you can't give them a calling, and they don't attend very often (for presidential stuff) will that mean they're "inactive"? If they're not active, can you give them a Temple Recommend? And if you do, can they go? Will the Secret Service have to screen the temple too?

- If the President wants to hold Sacrament Meeting at Camp David or the White House for security reasons, is that a conflict of Church and State?

If you're assigned to be the Romney's home teacher:

- Can you just drop by, no appointment?

- Can you even call them for an appointment or do you have to go through the Chief of Staff?

- Can you bring by Christmas sweets and cookies? Will they be analyzed? And for how many people - family, secret service details?

- If you don't come can the IRS do an audit on you?

- Will they want to do a national security background check?

- Do you have to have a permanent companion who has been vetted? Can you just grab any teacher or priest to come to you? And what if that priest has been a little wayward. Do you need to search him first?

- Do you have to help him move in and out of the White House?

- If Ann Romney gets sick, are you allowed to bring in meals or at least tell the Relief Society about it?

- What can you share with the Bishop about the Romneys?

- Do you have to ask them about their year's supply?

- If you get a late night call for a blessing will reporters follow you around wanting to know what was wrong and what you said?

If Mitt Romney is assigned to be YOUR home teacher:

- Is telling the group leader you haven't been home taught a national security breech?

- If he wants to come at the end of the month, do you accept his reason "I've been out of town"?

- Will he drop by unannounced or will the media crews give him away?

In any case, MITT FOR PRESIDENT!!!

Love to Gordon B. Hinckley

Last night I received the news that our beloved prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley had passed away. I knew that I loved this man, but I still was surprised at how emotional the news made me. This man was our prophet -- a man of God. However, he was so down-to-earth that he made me feel like I could do almost anything.

I felt a great love for President Hinckley for many reasons. However, I felt a personal connection to him for two: First, he signed my mission call on his second day of being prophet. Mine was one of the first calls to be signed by this wonderful man. I'm sure over his 13 years as prophet he signed thousands and thousands of mission calls calling missionaries to everywhere around the world. However, my call to the Georgia Macon Mission was one of his first. Awesome!

Second, he was Mr. PR for the church. Any of you who know me well enough know that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE public relations. I'd still be working in it today if I wasn't home with my kids, and I look forward to the day I can do it again. I mostly loved doing public relations for the church in Seattle. What better thing to do public relations for than something you love and know to be true -- the church with the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ?!? President Hinckley got to do that everyday as his full-time job, and he did wonders as a General Authority and Prophet of the church.

President Hinckley will be missed by millions around the world, but I'm sure there was a party in heaven last night. When I heard the news, all I could think was, "I bet he's dancing with Marjorie right now!" We love you President Hinckley -- thank you for wearing out your life (all 97 1/2 years of it) in service to people like me.

We love Cosmo

There is nothing more exciting than seeing Cosmo. Okay, maybe a few things, but very few. Seems like any time you're at a game, the best part is finding the mascot. I've been looking for Cosmo at BYU games for, well, 33 years now. And while we're on the topic, what an awesome name! It's not something like "The Utah Jazz bear" -- Cosmo is a COOL name!

Yesterday we went to a BYU basketball game. It was a lot of fun, except for the traffic jam getting out of the parking lot. :) But up until that time, we enjoyed watching the game and being there with family and friends. We went with my sister Rachel and her kids with us, my dad, Hilary and her kids, and my friend Autumn's family. We'd been wanting to take our kids to a game for a while, so when we got a good sale we made a party of it.

So, during the slow parts of the game (time-outs and such) we looked for Cosmo. At one point he was in the stands only a few portals over from ours. I kept trying to point out to Zachary where he was, but he wasn't finding him. I tried over and over to explain where to look. I think the guy in front of us got a little sick of me trying to explain, so finally he turned around and said, "I'll just go get him and bring him over here."

Now, being the skeptics we are, Hilary and I didn't really believe he would bring Cosmo over to us. However, being the optimists we are, we got our cameras ready just in case. Then we got back into the game and forgot about it ... until Cosmo showed up next to our seats. Mind you, we were in a section filled with kids, so as soon as Cosmo appeared he was swamped!

My sister had taken Shayla out for a little bit, so I was afraid she'd miss the whole thing. And then she came back just in time to see Cosmo. So, I got a picture of all of my kids with Cosmo.



My camera wasn't fast enough to get more than about three pictures, but that's three more than we would have had without him coming over. I thanked the man in front of us for getting Cosmo over. He said, "No problem. I just told him it was your son's birthday!" Oops ...

So, now my kids can't say we never have any fun. If so I'll just pull out the pictures of them with Cosmo and ask what they mean. :) Go Cougs!!!

Valentine's Day ...

... just isn't the same when your husband isn't trying to "woo" you. I've heard that romance dies with marriage, but I couldn't believe how fast Paul "lost" it. We were married in November, so our first Valentine's Day was as newlyweds. Nothing more romantic than that, huh? Well, leave it to a man to kill the romance! ;) When I asked if he wanted to plan something or have me plan it, he seriously looked at me and said, "What do married people DO for Valentine's Day?"

Oh, how sad is that? Of course, I've laughed about it every year and reminded him of his comment ... which he now realizes was a huge mistake! Of course, he claims I just misunderstood what he meant, but of course he can't explain anything more than what his question asked ...

I thought because I had given him such a hard time about it for, well, 7 years now, that he would have Valentine's Day ideas ready and waiting. When he just read my previous blog that hints to him to be creative, he said, "When is Valentine's Day, anyway?" Oh, my! I reminded him that it is on February 14 the same as every other year. How quickly the romance dies ...

(Okay, he really meant what day of the week is it on, but I think I'll give him a hard time about this for years as well ...)

Creativity

So, I think I've mentioned several times that my boys have awesome artistic skills. I believe it's the creativity of the Brown side. Most of Paul's family (if not all of them) are very creative. So, fortunately my kids have gotten those genes. Becca designs cute scrapbook pages and is starting into creative writing. She's always written poetry, following in her mother's footsteps. And my boys' art? Well, just look for yourself at a few of their creations (first two are Zachary's, next is Tyler's):
Paul is a whitty, creative guy, too. One year he gave me a very creative gift -- a Snickers candy bar. You say, "What is creative about a Snickers?" Well, it wasn't just a Snickers (which, by the way, is my favorite candy bar). He also included the following:

"The Perfect Christmas Gift for Denise

I searched through the stores high and low,
Looking for the perfect gift for you.

I braved the crowds and walked up and down the aisles,
I wondered, 'Which gift is just right?'

I walked past boxes of chocolates,
I thought of how sweet you are and all the things you do for me.

Next I saw fancy Christmas nuts,
I remembered all the fun we have and your great sense of humor.

Across the aisle were chewy caramels,
Your wonderful personality came to mind and how much I love being stuck with you.

I saw creamy nougat candies on the shelf below,
I wondered if this could be the gift to tell you how much I love you?

I then saw the perfect gift right under my nose,
It seemed so simple that I almost missed it.

I snickered to myself as I picked up a nutty and caramel candy,
Held together with nougat and covered in milk chocolate.

Mery Christmas
I love you,
Paul"

I already loved Snickers, but now I love them even more. :) Hopefully he'll keep that creativity in mind as he remembers the upcoming Valentine's Day. (Hint, hint. :)

And you are?

Yesterday I went to a class at Gold's Gym where the instructor looked SO MUCH like my niece Arianne. In fact, several times during the class I would just look at her and laugh, because it was unlike my niece to be peppy while leading an exercise class. The resemblance was crazy.

So, that makes me think of all the times I think someone looks familiar. My brain so full (must be that wisdom that comes with age ;) that a lot of it just keeps falling out. Even when I do see someone familiar, I don't know if they just look like someone or if they are someone I've once met or known.

And then I've got the dilemma of placing them: Are you from my high school? From a ward at one point in my life? From my mission in Georgia? From my days at BYU? From my single years in Seattle? From my married years in Seattle? Or are you anyone I know at all?!?

I've come to the decision that it's just easier to remember people if you live in the same place for years and years. I've had two or three people stop me to say hi since we moved back to Utah, and a couple of them I didn't even remember. That's a little embarrassing. In fact, there is a girl in my ward who I went to high school with, and I can't remember her AT ALL. I mean, I don't even remember seeing her ever at school. The good news is that I don't think she remembers me, either. It wasn't until we found out we happened to both go to Springville High School the same years that we even realized we went to school together.

Good news is that as I get older people expect me to forget ... so should I even try to remember? ;) Oh, and by the way, what's your name again???

Random Happenings

I thought I'd post a few pictures of random happenings of our family, some of which you may never know unless you lived with us. So, to save the hassle of actually having you live with us, I'll just show you some behind-the-scenes photos of what we do when "nobody" is looking ...

Most of the pictures involve Shayla. She is so active these days and such a doll that we take lots of pictures. This first one goes to show how "stylish" she is. (Maybe she's learning the ropes from Becca. :) Anyway, she thinks that anytime she has a headband on she looks great. So, whenever she finds one around the house, she sticks it on me or has me put it on her. Obviously it looks fabulous on me :) but I decided a picture of her would show how glamorous any of you can look with the headband, '80s style ... not to mention left-over lunch on your face:
The next thing she LOVES to do is watch Baby Einstein. I've always wanted to go to Costco and buy the set for my kids, but it's something like $150. So, instead I've never really seen them. Last summer I found two on VHS at a yard sale for 25 cents. So, I snatched them up, and Shayla LOVES them. Needless to say, she watches them often at 5 p.m. while I make dinner. She laughs and points and gets such a kick that it tempts me to go buy more. Maybe next baby ...
Shayla is also very into cleaning. It's really cute. I just can't wait for her to get old enough to actually be helpful!!! Anyway, when we had some friends over, I guess she decided their baby Savannah needed a cleaner scalp. I mean, what else do you do with a bald head? So, she found a dish towel and started cleaning. Savannah was a good sport, even though you can tell she's not very amused. (Watch out, Lee! :)
And speaking of dish towels, she apparently thinks they are the greatest blankets for her new babies. Unfortunately she found the bottom drawer where I keep them, so I found her yesterday covering her baby with all the clean dish towels in the house. Too bad her baby has to sleep on the hard kitchen floor, though:

And the last picture of Shayla is actually a problem we're all having here these days. Can you believe the static electricity in the air?
As for Zachary, he's drawing up a storm as usual. This picture is of some characters he drew yesterday. The top four are superheroes: Stretchy Boy, Lightning Lad, Bouncy Boy and Superman. The bottom three are bad guys: Captain Bad Guy's bird (he has no name), Jellyfish man, who can sting you, and Conno. His creativity is awesome:
Last week at school Tyler was the star of the week. (Of course, he missed two days with strep, so it was a short week to be the star. :) Anyway, he got to decorate a star to tell about himself. We had each "leg" of the star give some details. As you can see, the top one is about his love of piggies. It has a cute picture of him with Silky (his favorite) on his head. The top right has a picture of him with each member of the family. The top left highlights some of the things he likes to play: PBSkids.org, legos, Pikmin and Star Wars Legos II (Game Cube), and soccer. The bottom has things he likes to watch: Cyberchase, Cars, Herbie movies, and BYU football. We were able to make all of the things on the star into stickers to attach thanks to a sticker machine we got from Grandma Brown the week before the star was due. Thank you!
And of course, Becca is into looking her best for the boys in Junior High school. (She insists she's not nearly as boy crazy as she used to be ...) Anyway, she decided that curlers would look great in her hair. So, we got her some and have been rolling them up. Since I don't have a picture of the "after" you get to see the "before." Shayla wanted in on the action since I'm sure it looked girly, so we put one in her hair, too. As you can also see, our camera has severe red-eye issues. We don't like the red-eye reducer since it slows down the camera, so we just fix them manually, which I didn't do on this picture.
And that's about it for now. I'll make sure to keep the silly pictures of me at home instead of on the blog. My kids don't have such luxury ... :)

Strange Symptoms

Last weekend Tyler started complaining about his leg hurting. He cried about having to walk on it and was dramatically limping around the house. I figured he was just tired and needing attention. When asked what he did to it, he said nothing.

Monday morning he woke up and said that his leg still hurt. Okay. I said to just get ready for school and it would be okay. He kept limping around, but I figured he'd forget about it once we picked up his friend Duncan to go to school. Then when they ran into the school when I dropped them off I noticed Tyler still limping. That's when I knew he had been serious.

So, that night he got a fever. I figured I better take him in. Hilary called and said that Aly's son had a leg pain and a fever, and that he had to get a bunch of tests done. Turns out it was strep for her son. (She said to get an antibiotic and save hundreds of dollars.) I guess leg pains are a symptom of strep, although not necessarily a common symptom.

I took Tyler in, and sure enough, he had strep. Oops, I guess the leg pain was real. Last time Tyler had strep he also had unusual symptoms -- the skin started peeling off of his face. The first time I noticed it I figured he had just been playing around and had rug burn. Then he woke up the next morning with more spots, so I took him in. Again, strep. What a strange thing to have so many strange, different symptoms. Here's a picture of Tyler when he had it last year:



It looked even worse when these spots scabbed over. We didn't get any pictures of that, I guess. We had scheduled our family pictures for that week, so we definitely re-scheduled. (By the way, the black eye has nothing to do with the strep. That has to do with running around the corner the same time as your cousin coming the other way ...) Hopefully next time he gets strep (should he get it again), he will just say, "Hey, mom, my throat hurts ..."

Rude people!

This morning I had to make an unfortunate call to a government agency. I usually avoid doing that, because I don't like to be on hold forever. Well, I thought my luck was in today when I called ORS (I think it stands for Office of Recovery Services -- they collect child support) and they answered pretty quickly.

When the man answered and asked for my case number, I said I didn't know. (For goodness sake, I've not called them before. Although I'm assigned a case number and probably have it somewhere, I figured it wasn't THAT important.) He asked for my social, which I gave him. He then "explained" that their new system requires a case number and a pin and that I needed to have a pencil handy to write them down. As soon as he found my case he gave me the number, along with my pin, and asked me to repeat it. He then commanded me to keep it in a safe place, because he was going to make note in my file that he had told it to me. Okay ...

So, then he asked why I was calling. I told him that I had never used ORS before and was wondering how it works. I also said that I didn't even know how much child support we were supposed to be receiving. He snapped at me that he wasn't in the system yet and to stop asking questions until he was in and that it would take at least a minute. Again, okay ... (I made the mistake of assuming that since he had my case number he had accessed the case. My bad.) I said I understood that sometimes computers took a while, especially when we need them and kind of laughed to try to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

So, then he asked me if I had legal custody of Becca. We don't. So then he told me I wasn't entitled to child support. I asked if this was right, because I was under the impression that whoever had possession of the child received child support (that's how Washington does it). He said he would check. He got back on the phone after a minute and said I wasn't entitled to a penny because I didn't have legal custody.

Then, for reasons I still can't even guess, he asked how we came into custody of Becca. I told him we don't have legal custody. He responded as if talking to a child, "I mean PHYSICAL custody." Uh, what relevance is this? If I had kidnapped her I think the government would have figured out a long time before now since they send us assistance for having her! Sorry to burst your bubble on this one, ORS employee, but no reward money is coming your way. I didn't know what he wanted, so I just said, "We just did." When he didn't answer, I said, "She asked if she could live with us and we said yes."

Then he started rebuking me! "Why haven't you sought legal custody?" I'm sorry, what business is that of yours?!?? I said, "Well, there hasn't been a need to. Besides, doesn't that cost thousands of dollars?" He said he didn't know. I said, "Well, as far as I've learned, it does cost thousands of dollars, and we don't just have that lying around, especially since we have an extra mouth to feed!" Where do these people come from? Rebuke me about something you know nothing about?!?

I asked, "So, if I don't get assistance from the state anymore, the dad doesn't have to pay a penny?" He said that was right. I think he's totally and utterly wrong, but I was too tired and annoyed to go up the line to demand that the child support be sent to me.

In the meantime, we will still receive state assistance, although it is half of what Becca's dad is supposed to pay in child support. We were hoping to use the extra money to actually build a savings account for her, but I guess she'll have to start adulthood poor like Paul and I did. :)

So, next time you call ORS in Utah, don't worry about having to hold for a long time -- turns out people get off the phone with them as quickly as possible since they are so rude! (I'm just trying to see the silver lining in everyday rudeness ... :)

Dangerous Whale Watching

I've always wanted to see Orca whales in the wild. One day I think I'll have Lee fly me over some that are migrating. (I guess I should mention that part of his future to him ...) Anyway, I guess really any kind of huge whale would be cool to see.

My mom and sister just returned from a cruise where they went on a whale-watching expedition. Their pictures are phenomenal!!! So much so that I had to share them here. You'll have to excuse the vicarious living -- I'm not going to be going on a cruise anytime soon, so I figure I'll get excitement from someone else's fun. :)

I think had I known they were going to get this close to whales, I would have been worried the whole time. (What is it about becoming a mom that makes us women worry-warts?!?) Anyway, I was nervous about it even when they were home and safe and I realized that nothing HAD happened.

So, if you're going to get THIS close to whales, especially during mating season, please don't let me know until you're safely home. But once you are home, share the pics! These ones are just incredible. I almost can't stop looking at them ...

This is a tail, if you weren't sure:


And here is one jumping out of the water ... look how close it is ...


... but not nearly as high as this one! No zoom on this -- the guy's head in the picture is right in front of my loved ones!

I guess the whales also kept putting their fins up out of the water and then would slap them down. Look how huge that is!


I'm glad none of them jumped on, slapped (with fin or tail) or ate my loved ones since they sure were close enough!

By the way, Mom, isn't getting that close illegal? I let you leave the country for one week and already you're a criminal ... sigh ... I better start reigning you back in, I suppose ... In any case, WELCOME HOME!

Are you going to the Celestial Kingdom?

Last week at church a neighbor shared an experience her husband had at work. He works for the church and had a General Authority come into a meeting there and ask, “How many of you are going to the Celestial Kingdom?” People all just kind of looked around at each other and said, “Well, we hope so.”

The General Authority responded, “If you’re going there, then you know it.” He expanded by talking about how when we have a deeply personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, then we can know that we are going to go to the Celestial Kingdom after this life. That got me thinking of lots of things I need to do more of or better.

That same evening I heard a story on the news of a man who shot his wife as she got out of the car with her mom to attend church. The story made me sad, but I was even more troubled when I found out that he is a cousin of one of my friends.

My friend said this cousin was a good person who nobody ever imagined would do this. In fact, it put my friend into quite a shock that I know I just can’t imagine. How does one who had a testimony and made good decisions at one point get to the point of now being a murderer? I’d like to think there is just one thing that we can do to prevent ourselves from personal apostasy, but I’m sure it’s a slow, gradual process. I once heard that you fall out of the church the same way you fall out of bed – you weren’t in it far enough.

So, how do I make sure that I stay in church “far enough”? I like to think my family is doing enough, but really I would like to do so much more. We have Family Home Evening, but have we put enough prayer and planning into them? Is my scripture study really studying and pondering or just reading? Are my prayers conversations instead of just lists and requests? And how is it that I forget to teach my children gospel doctrine and stories everyday??? I hope to improve on a few of them (at least!) this year so that I don’t experience any type of personal apostasy, even if it’s just complacency in doing "the basics."

As for my friend with the cousin, the only thought I have for you is a favorite scripture of mine in John 16:33. The Savior says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

I hope in a sense we can all overcome the world as we strive to improve our relationships with Heavenly Father so we can have the peace that comes through this relationship. We definitely live in a world of tribulation and strife, but through the Savior we can have peace and comfort as we do what we need to for ourselves and our families. And on that note I say, I hope to see you all in the Celestial Kingdom! Good luck to us all in our missions here on Earth. I’m grateful to have you along for my journey.

Dreyers mistake

Paul and I went to see if there were any more Girl Scout flavors of Dreyers ice cream on Saturday, and the sale was OVER! Actually, it looks like the sale was a mistake. The signs with the sale prices were pulled out and not replaced. On the end-cap there was a display of U of U ice cream for $1.25, and they had written on the sign: "This display only!!!!!"

Macey's loss, our delicious gain. We've finished off our first Samoa-flavored ice cream, and I couldn't be happier! :)

Screamin' good deal ...

Last night Paul found a screamin' good deal on Dreyers ice cream. (For those of you east of the Rockies, I believe it's called Eddy's for you.) Anyway, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that ice cream. If you haven't tasted it, maybe you never should -- if you do then you're stuck buying it from now on, because there is nothing that compares!

So, we made the "unfortunate" discovery years ago, and thus all the ice cream we buy is Dreyers brand. Here is the dilemma -- Dreyers costs more than $5. That is not a price we are willing to pay for ice cream. Our max is $3.50. So we buy Dreyers only when it goes on sale. The most common sale is for $3.50, although once in a while it is sold for $3. Once in a very long time we can get it for $2.50, which is when we stock up.

However, Paul called me from the grocery store last night to tell me of an even better deal. I had told him to check the price of the Dreyers ice cream since I had seen some Girl Scout Cookie Dreyers at Walmart and can price match if Maceys doesn't have it. He called to tell me it was on sale for $1.25. Hello!!! I said, "Is it expired? Are you sure you're looking in the right place?" He checked several times before stocking up with A LOT of Dreyers ice cream.

Sure enough, that was the sale price. We have never seen it that cheap. (The U of U kind of Dreyers was on that sale, too, but we're not about to buy that even if it is delicious.) Anyway, he got mostly the Samoas flavor, which has Samoas Girl Scout Cookies in it. (YUMMY!!!) I think he had four or six of that flavor, and the girl bagging his groceries said, "Is this a good kind?"

Paul answered, "No, actually it is disgusting. We just have a sick sense of humor and give it to our enemies." Okay, he didn't really say that. He just said yes and chuckled to himself.

So now for the real question: Does anyone want to try Samoas Dreyers ice cream? If so, come on over!!!

Gym Meetings

I mentioned before that one of Paul's gifts to me was a gym membership to Gold's Gym. I have never regularly gone to a gym in Utah. I had memberships I used in a couple of different places in Washington, but this is my first Utah gym attempt.

So, what's different? The people!!! I have run into more than 10 people I know in only a couple of weeks of going. My whole time going in Washington I only ever saw 1 person I knew, and that was Hilary, who I went with or met there.

I have to say that the gym is not where you want to run into someone, especially someone you haven't seen for 20 years!!! So, after years of not seeing some people, they get to see me dressed funny, with bad hair, sweaty and red-faced. Oh, the new joys of exercising ... :)

Stink Eye

So, have you ever gotten a REALLY dirty look? (I guess that's a silly question -- if you haven't, then you're just not paying close enough attention.) Anyway, Shayla has started giving them. She did it first at some guests we'd never met on Sunday. My friend and ex-roommate Naoko came to visit from Japan (hooray!!!), and her friends who drove her here got the first stink eye we've ever seen Shayla give.

Now, her dirty looks would be great ... if they weren't so cute! My brother Brandon and his family I think were the ones to coin the phrase "stink eye" in our family. Needless to say, Shayla has a great stink eye. Here are the pictures to prove it ... although she generally is looking down when she does it, so getting a picture proved to be very difficult.

She's not grumpy when she gives them, she just doesn't want that particular person to be talking to her and that's how she shows it. I think it's adorable. And I'd love to hope that she's getting it out of her system so that we don't see it anymore when she's a teenager (as if!). Brandon, are you still getting the stink eye from your teen and tween girls?