Battle Lines

I know it is silly to wish it would go away, but the issue of gay marriage is here to stay. I have a brother who is gay and I love him dearly. We have even talked about our differing views and still have a good relationship. But as time and the battle for same gender marriage wages on, I don't know how long that will last. People are getting more and more adamant and demanding sides are choosen. To many, if you are not for gay marriage you are a closed minded fool and labeled as a hostile enemy. Having your own opinion is no longer allowed. You must give in to popular belief or be cast off.

Today I found this posting on Facebook from some friends and family.So let me get this STRAIGHT...Kelsey Grammar can end a 15-year marriage by phone, Larry King is on divorce #9, Britney Spears had a 55-hour marriage, Jesse James & Tiger Woods, while married, were having sex with EVERYONE, 53% of Americans get divorced and 30-60% cheat on their spouses. Yet, same-sex marriage is going to destroy the institution of marriage? Really? Repost this if you find ironic

Ouch. Why do they always have to pick the worst examples? In both same gender and opposite gender relationships there are going to be bad examples. But what about all the thousands upon thousands of happily married people out there? Please don't use celebrities as the standard for normal people. They are beyond us every day people and live lives that are often dysfunctional and full of numerous issues. How offensive would it be to someone who is gay to assume because they are gay they MUST be sexually interested in my husband just because he is a man? Totally unfair and stereotyping to the extreme. So please do not assume that heterosexual marriage is going the way of the horse and buggy just because there are some whacked out people who lack intergrity and loyalty and are at the forefront of the media. We're not all sleeping around, okay? And why am I a jerk for not sharing the same beliefs as you? THAT seems pretty close-minded to me.

There is a lot I do not know, but what I do know is that the family is ordained of God and marriage between a man and woman is essential to God's plan. Children have the right to be born within the covenant of marriage and raised by a father and mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. I know this and believe it with all power. Being raised where the above was not the norm, I have seen the disasterous and long reaching effects of a home lacking both a father and mother, who are committed to one another. Anything less than what has been stated in "the Family: A Proclamation to the World" falls short of the happiness and potential God has in store for His children. Try all you want, but there is only one formula that works.

The line concerning same gender marriage was drawn years ago and the sides are becoming more apparent. Now the trenches are being dug and the barbed wire put up for the ugly fight that is commencing and will continue on. People will continue to be viciously in favor of the subject, offering cruel generalizations like the above Facebook find, but those who believe in marraige being ordained for a man and woman cannot give up or give in to the harsh cries of the world.

Fun Friday!

Friday we had the chance to get together with our dear friends from law school who live nearby. We had fun taking our kids to the St. George Temple Visitor's Center, walking around the grounds, and having a picnic at the splash park. It was a fun filled tiring great day!

On the temple steps

At the Cristus at the Visitor's Center

Splash park fun!

Me and my little man. I love his face in this picture!

What I need . . .

You hear it every summer and you will continue to do so. Anyone who has had a Rita's gelati and has any sense would agree. I want a gelati and I want it now! Curse you Utah for not having a Rita's! Perhaps I will have to make a trip to Phoenix, where there is the nearest one. (Yes, I am so desperate that I looked it up.) One cherry gelati please!

All in name of Beauty?

I love being pampered just as much as the next girl. Massage my shoulders, slather on a cleansing facial, give me a pedicure and rub my feet while at it. I love to be spoiled! But I don't make it to the spa very much because I prefer being able to provide for my family rather than perfectly painted soft toes. (Though both would be nice.) I know there are many people who go to extremes to get their weekly, or even daily, beauty treatments. Some women cry abuse or foul if they have to go a minute without their beloved spa visits. (Believe me, I've met a few of them.) It never ceases to amaze me the extent/ insanity people go to for the sake of beauty. I found the following "unique" treatments in a recent article that made my anything, but jealous of these spa customers.

This photo says it all: Guests at Ada Barak's Carnivorous Plant Farm and Spa in Talmei Elazar, Israel (find it on a map) are paying money to have snakes — all nonvenomous, thankfully — crawl on their backs for a special reptilian massage. Slitherers big and small can tackle muscles in need of deep kneading, and people report it’s actually relaxing. People who aren’t terrified of snakes, that is. I love a massage as much as the next person, but snakes? Ewww. I don't care if they are not poisonous, they are still snakes, slithering on my back. And this is supposed to be relaxing? I'm not as bad as Indiana Jones, but I prefer snakes to be kept away from my bod, far, far away..

Kelowna, British Columbia, is famous for its cold winters and award-winning ice wine made from frozen grapes. It seems appropriate that this is also where you can try out a cold sauna, which is exactly as it sounds. At the Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon, guests can sign up for "cryotherapy," which involves spending up to three minutes in a room cooled to -110 degrees Celsius. The experience is said to reduce inflammation and improve joint and muscle function, among other things.Wow. I bet it does wonders for inflammation, but does anything fall off your body during your three minutes in the ice box? I'd like everything to stay intact and not freeze off. Plus why would I voluntarily throw myself into a cold room? I'd be shivering for days to come. I just get cold thinking about it!

If you’re tired of eating caviar, try slathering it on your face for what’s billed as the ultimate anti-aging treatment. Offered at the Lodge at Woodloch in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, among other locations, this special treatment exposes your skin to protein-rich and moisturizing fish eggs. At $250 it’s not cheap — and no, you can’t eat the leftovers, so don’t look for blinis on the spa menu.Not only can I eat fish eggs, but now I can pay a lot of money to have someone smear them all over my face. Oh joy! Yeah, the whole idea just doesn't fly with me. I think caviar is gross. I am sure it smells nasty. But to rub it on my face? No thank you!

Some other favorites included the bird poop facial, using a mask similar to what Kobuchi actors and Geishas use for that pale complexion. I don't care if the stuff is sanitizied beforehand, it is still bird poop. Bird poop, people. Bird poop. Not gonna happen!

Or what about the Russian broom whacking massage? They take these tree branches they use to make brooms and whack your back with them to help loosen muscles. Yes, please sign me up to pay someone to beat me with a stick!

Seriosuly, what is wrong with people? I'll stick with my infrequent pedicure (I've only had two in my life) and muscle massages from my husband. These spas can keep the snakes, bird poop, and fish eggs for themselves!