Sunburn update..

Still blistering and still popping. My legs are the worst right now, swollen and icky.

My sunburn..

Yes, I know I was stupid. Yes, I'm aware of the dangers of sun damage. These pictures were a couple of days ago and just of my arms. I'm still blistering and now my legs are nasty looking too. No sign of infection. It just hurts.

My holiday weekend...

The 24th of July is pioneer day. The anniversary of the day that Brigham Young and the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley, in 1847 and declared it the place to build. So it's a state holiday. I had a rough start on the morning of the 23rd because I felt so sick in the morning. A migraine on top of the relentless creature that lives in my skull.
We went tubing down the river and it was SOOOOO fun but traumatic. My daughter fell off of her tube in the worst part of the rapids and I went into hysterics, everyone was telling me that she was okay but I need to hear it from her and it took about 10 minutes to catch up . She was okay but it's always been my worst nightmare.
I have to say the best part of the day was hanging out with my sister. I kept getting severely injured, hitting branches and rocks and there could be piranhas because there was something in my shorts biting me. But the worst part was that I couldn't deal with the obstacales because my sister kept squawking and I was laughing so hard that I couldn't contain myself. If I could, I'd push her tube to send her in the right direction until I discovered that she was shoving ME to save herself.. yeah.. It was so much fun and I haven't laughed that hard in years. I would say I laughed so hard that I peed my pants, but what happens in the river, stays in the river :P
I'll post pictures of my sunburn as soon as I can. It's so gross. The wprst i've ever had.

I just found a cool site!!!

I like the Modern Renaissance galleries best and there are definitely some that are better than others. They are photoshopped and some still look too photo-ish.
*WARNING* Renaissance artists did appreciate the nude form*

Check it out!

Here's some of my faves:







The main site is www.worth1000.com

President Monson and President Obama

WASHINGTON 20 July 2009 President Barack Obama was presented with five large leather-bound volumes today by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that detail his family history going back multiple generations covering hundreds of years. The presentation was made by Church President Thomas S. Monson and Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They were accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who is also a member of the Church. President Monson said: “President Obama’s heritage is rich with examples of leadership, sacrifice and service. We were very pleased to research his family history and are honored to present it to him today.”

Elder Oaks, who oversees the Church’s family history program, said, “The Church has great resources and experience in genealogy work, and we are proud to have researched such a unique and impressive family history.”

“I thank President Monson and Elder Oaks for sharing our religion’s tradition of genealogical research with the president and his family,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “I am also glad that President Obama and Elder Oaks had an opportunity to discuss their shared passion of the law. Recognizing the president and first lady's deep regard for family, I am honored that our church can have any part in documenting their family history.”

The Church has also presented personal histories to other U.S. presidents, including Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

LDS.org


Statement from the President after meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and leaders of the LDS Church

The President issued the following statement after meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and leaders of the LDS Church at the White House today:

"I enjoyed my meeting with President Monson and Elder Oaks. I'm grateful for the genealogical records that they brought with them and am looking forward to reading through the materials with my daughters. It's something our family will treasure for years to come."
WhiteHouse.gov

Poor Alaska... And I mean that in BOTH senses of the word.

So in the event that a Governor doesn't fulfill their term for whatever reason (gets pulled into the Obama Administration, runs off with a chick from Argentina, falls out of a plane and get's eaten by the wolves that she was shooting at, or just up and quits) the Lt. Governor steps up to finish the term. In Alaska that man is Sean Parnell. There's a chain of command that moves into place after that, but Palin has (of course) disrupted that.

Palin announced she will turn power over to Lt. Gov Sean Parnell July 26, then unexpectedly offered a new name to take on the second-in-command job.

She said Lt. Gen. Craig Campbell, commissioner of military and veterans affairs, will fill the lieutenant governor’s job — but Campbell is subject to legislative confirmation, something that may not happen before the change of command later this month.

Meanwhile, the current successor, Corrections Commissioner Joe Schmidt, said he doesn’t want to be lieutenant governor, and has asked the governor for approval to resign as her designee.

-Renee Delbridge

So what the heck?? Everyone just quits?? Did it not occur to people that this could happen?? (BTW keep in mind what will happen if anything happens to President Obama, God forbid. Yikes.)

This is seriously messed up and to have this special session to patch up this mess is going to cost the Alaskan taxpayers... how much??? What a nightmare. When will she step down as Drama Queen?
Don't bother blaming her. Here's all the reasons why: It's Not Sarah's Fault...Just Ask Her. By Shannyn Moore (who happens to be a proud Alaskan native)

OHHHHH This is going to be cool!!!!

Obama to Meet With Mormon Leader
By Michael A. Fletcher

President Obama is scheduled to hold an Oval Office meeting Monday with Thomas S. Monson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Monson, who has headed the church since last year, will be joined at the afternoon meeting by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), himself a Mormon.

The LDS Church does NOT hate people who are gay. The fact is that some of these people who were kissing on church property is private property, not public which is trespassing. For example, people who advocate eating Pork and munching BBQ pork sandwiches on the grounds of a Jewish Tabernacle is considered trespassing, but they are free to voice their beliefs on any public property or places adjoining with the Tabernacle's property. Respect people and religious boundaries. Furthermore, the Church is not against gays working in the workplace, housing, restaurants because of their sexual orientation. We even teach bashing against gays is a sin. We acknowledge some members who are gay but if they live the worthy standards of the church, they can go forth or progress like any other member as long as anyone does not participate in homosexual behavior in word, thought and deed. I have good friends who smoke, and I don't, and don't reject them because they smoke. I have some gay friends and they know my beliefs but we don't make a great deal of it, just like a Democrat and Republican thing.

It seems you may not be aware there are very many minorities in the church, you're invited to visit a local congregation. Keep in mind large cities mostly have congregations who are minorities but you will surely still find a couple of minorities in some areas that may have larger homogeneous populations. I remember a great ward who had a wonderful bishop who was black and the only black member in a white congregation. We all loved him because he was a compassionate man and leadership, nothing about the color of his skin.

From the beginning of the restoration of our church our Prophets from Joseph Smith on down to the present time and we are not looking for a hand out. We want to help. No matter how tight things are in the world and in our church, the President of our Country can always count on our church to be involved in any humanitarian effort no matter where it is. We are always prepared to help.

Ummm..

My mom hurts me. I don't know if she doesn't realize she's insensitive sometimes or not, but it hurts.

Okay Snarky Mc SnarkSnark is back..

Mark Sanford SHUT UP!

When Governors are voted into office that implies that the people in their state trusts them, in good times and bad, sickness and health, until death or electing someone better do us part.

Now Mark Sanford broke that trust with his state and his wife. He should step down. He refuses. Here's a sample of his latest verbal diarrhea:

"(W)hile none of us has the chance to attend our own funeral, in many ways I feel like I was at my own in the past weeks, and surprisingly I am thankful for the perspective it has afforded..."

Not really in the best of taste considering the high funeral toll of genuine American icons recently, but since he went there, can we trade and get one of them back?
Then he did the blah blah blah thing and played the God card, which we learned early on that he's clearly not been listening in Sunday School (he probably just pretended devotion as he read and reread the Song of Solomon).
In my opinion he should step down and shut up. He owes quiet and genuine amends to his family and probably should find a new state.
Meanwhile while all seems quiet on The Last Frontier as we wait to hear why their quit, version 5.0.
Can't complain about living in Utah. Our Governor seems to have gotten a brain transplant when no one was looking...

And that's the way it was...

Yesterday "America's Most Trusted Man" died at age 92. I've been searching the internet far and wide to find the name of the news break that came on in the middle of Saturday morning cartoons. I remember the sound and the little spinning globe and I will never forget Walter Cronkite. He interrupted my cartoon watching!!! But I eventually began to pay attention to what he said and how he said it. It never occurred to me that he could be wrong. As I look back at his amazing career he rarely was.

A decade after he retired he kept the crown of America's Most Trusted Man, maybe even beyond. His career as a news anchor spanned some of the most historic events our nation has ever seen. His written news career began in 1939, but in 1944 he TAKES part in the Normandy assaults with the allied troops in South Africa. Post WWII he works to establish posts for the United Press in various places overseas. 1950 he came onboard CBS broadcasting company to help establish the television news department in Washington D.C and eventually made his mark on the CBS Evening News.

He saw Presidents of the US and other countries come and go. He covers political conventions and missions to space. He lost composure enough to exclaim "Whew, boy!" as he reported on the moon landing and again as words fail him and tears take over as he announced the death of John F. Kennedy (and it was real, Glenn Beck, no need for Mentholatum to summon tears). He later apologized for the show of emotion as unbecoming a news anchorman. In '65 he went into Vietnam as a war correspondent. His report of what he saw was personal and profound:

"We have been too often disappointed by the optimism of the American leaders, both in Vietnam and Washington, to have faith any longer in the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds," he said, and concluded, "We are mired in stalemate."
After the broadcast, President Lyndon B. Johnson reportedly said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America."

He reported on the death of Martin Luther King and race riots and war riots. Spiro Agnew called him biased and Archie Bunker called him a "pinko" (which was probably among the best praise a man could get considering the sources!) He never lost his childlike fascination with space and the missions he reported to us. He reported on Watergate and Reganomics. He came back after retirement to anchor John Glenn's second space flight in '98 (he reported the first in '62) He won numerous awards but one that had to be dear to him was NASA's Ambassador of Exploration Award in 2006. The first non-astronaut to win the award.
In 2004 he offered a commentary in the movie OUTFOXED on the overtly political and alleged unethical practices of Fox news (that we still SOOOOOO enjoy *sarcasm*)
In 2005 he lost his wife of nearly 65 years but he lived to see the historic day that America elected it's first black President into office. President Barack Obama who had this to say about his passing:

For decades, Walter Cronkite was the most trusted voice in America. His rich baritone reached millions of living rooms every night, and in an industry of icons, Walter set the standard by which all others have been judged.

He was there through wars and riots, marches and milestones, calmly telling us what we needed to know. And through it all, he never lost the integrity he gained growing up in the heartland.

But Walter was always more than just an anchor. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down.

This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed.

In a world of 24 hour news, where people the likes of Perez Hilton, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh can make or break people and be paid millions of dollars to do so. Where tears come cheap and news is reported from a lazy boy recliner. We've lost sight of the integrity of the press. It's freedom abused and twisted into a mockery. Racism and hatred is manipulated and it's victims are often self serving. Never having fought for their rights as a soldier of our country. We have so few Rosa Parks, Bobby Kennedys, Martin Luther Kings. We are spoiled, indulged and lazy.
No, the news didn't die yesterday. The news died when the anchor on the screen no longer could say "And that's the way it is".
Walter Cronkite ended each report with those words and we knew we could trust him because he'd been there. The greatest newsman of all time died yesterday, and those who remember him mourn. The newsman that can be trusted died a long time ago.
Rest in Peace Walter Cronkite.


For a complete time line of his career visit: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/walter-cronkite/career-timeline/562/

*I found the PBS show he created called 'Why In The World?' but I don't remember if that is what the Saturday morning news breaks were called. It doesn't sound right, though.