slc

Last summer Dave went to Peru. It was cool. He had a good time. He got to be good friends with one of the doctors that also went on the expedition. She works at Maliheh Free Clinic in Salt Lake City. Yesterday Dave went down to volunteer at the clinic and meet some of the other docs that work there. He loves that place. It is awesome!


I decided to take the kids to the zoo while he was there. I had never been to Hogle Zoo. It was a fun time. Although, being there with 2 kids, by myself, having never been there before, I didn't take very many pictures.




I really love Salt Lake. I love Temple Square and the Conference Center and the Church museums. Maybe its because we were married there, or maybe we were married there because I love it. But I can't believe how much it is changing!

On our honeymoon (2005). I know its a little different angle, but you can still tell how much the city (and we) have changed.

Hanging out on Temple Square:

monkeys

You'd think I raised monkeys.

And don't tell me its just because he's a boy.

Ana did it too.

espanol y mi

When I was young, I planned on taking French in high school. This was mostly because my oldest sister took French and I wanted to be just like her. So, when I started high school, I signed up for French. But it didn't work in my schedule.

So I signed up for Spanish.

I don't remember learning much besides the alphabet and a few simple words and phrases. But I loved the language.

Over the next few years several of my friends served Spanish-speaking missions and I became obsessed with the language and the culture.

I vowed to marry a Spanish-speaker.

My second semester of college I took beginning Spanish. I was so into that class. My teacher told me at the end that I was one of the best speakers in the class.

I met Dave at the beginning of the next fall semester. The first thing that caught my attention was that he spoke Spanish.

(I'm not kidding. I walked into our apartment after running one day, and he was there talking to my roommates and I said, "I don't know you." He said, "I'm Dave" and then I don't remember much else until he said he served his mission in Santiago, Chile. "Oh, so you speak Spanish," I said. And I remembered that about him, even though we didn't start dating until 4 months later.)

Anyway, when I was pregnant with Ana, I took a class called "Language and Literacy." One day we talked about bilingual children and I came bopping home from school one day and told Dave all about it.

"You have to teach our children Spanish. From the very first day, you've gotta talk to them in Spanish." I said. Now, we'd had this discussion before. I knew that our children had to learn Spanish and I was just trying to convince Dave to go along with it.

"Erin," he said in his very calm, non-confrontational way, "if you want me to teach Spanish to our kids, you have to learn it, too. I'm don't want to talk to our kids all day if you don't know what I'm saying."

Well, needless to say, our kids don't speak Spanish. (Well, Ana does say "Abre" when she wants me to open the door, but she learned that from Dora, not me or Dave...)

On and off since my last Spanish class, I've studied my Spanish. I can read quite a bit, and understand a lot of what I read. I can speak it all right, but I make a lot of mistakes and it takes me FOREVER to form even a sentence. I can't really understand others when they talk.

Finally the other night I started a Spanish class.

Dave is the teacher.

I am the only student.

I am so excited! Dave checked out a book from the library to use as a sort of text. He has lesson plans and quizzes prepared. I actually am feeling motivated to study because I am accountable for what I learn. Its cool.

Me gusta el espanol.

melt my heart

This little smile melts my heart. Every time I see it, it brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart. He's quite a sensitive little kid. He's so quick to smile, but he gets his feelings hurt, too.

Every evening the kids play outside while I make dinner. He loves dirt. He usually just sits in the dirt and he's not satisfied until he's completely dirty. About 15 minutes 'til dinner I bring the kids in and put them in the bath.




I love being a mom!

President Obama's 9-9-9 speech

I just read the text of the president's speech on health care he gave today. HERE is a link to it directly from the white house website. I chose to read instead of watch - except for the part where he was interrupted by someone in the audience. I am not a fan of actually watching speeches that are constantly interrupted by lots of applause. I just want to hear the speech.

Anyway, I read the whole thing and I am glad I took the time. It was good to get straightforward information on what the president is really trying to accomplish whether you agree with it all or not. I encourage you to dedicate some time and read it. I really would like to know what you think of it.

Here are some quotes that caught my attention:

"And that's why under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance -- just as most states require you to carry auto insurance."

"And insurance companies will be required to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventive care, like mammograms and colonoscopies -- (applause) -- because there's no reason we shouldn't be catching diseases like breast cancer and colon cancer before they get worse. That makes sense, it saves money, and it saves lives. (Applause.)"

"We'll do this by creating a new insurance exchange -- a marketplace where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for health insurance at competitive prices. This is how large companies and government employees get affordable insurance. It's how everyone in this Congress gets affordable insurance. And it's time to give every American the same opportunity that we give ourselves."

"Despite all this, the insurance companies and their allies don't like this idea. They argue that these private companies can't fairly compete with the government. And they'd be right if taxpayers were subsidizing this public insurance option. But they won't be. I've insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects. But by avoiding some of the overhead that gets eaten up at private companies by profits and excessive administrative costs and executive salaries, it could provide a good deal for consumers, and would also keep pressure on private insurers to keep their policies affordable and treat their customers better, the same way public colleges and universities provide additional choice and competition to students without in any way inhibiting a vibrant system of private colleges and universities."

"Others have proposed a co-op or another non-profit entity to administer the plan. These are all constructive ideas worth exploring. But I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans can't find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice."

"Now, I don't believe malpractice reform is a silver bullet, but I've talked to enough doctors to know that defensive medicine may be contributing to unnecessary costs."

"Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan. (Applause.) Now, much of the rest would be paid for with revenues from the very same drug and insurance companies that stand to benefit from tens of millions of new customers."

Here is that clip of him getting interrupted - crazy

"dancing class"

Today was Ana's first day of dance. She loved it. She was sad to leave. She was also sad that she didn't have tap shoes like everyone else. (We ordered hers from ebay and they haven't arrived yet.) She came running up to me and said, "Mom, my shoes don't make any noise." She was pretty distressed about it. She can't wait until next week.

I have to admit, I never thought I would put a daughter of mine in dance. I always thought I'd have "sporty" girls. But this girl LOVES to dance. It was a lot of fun to watch her.

Deathwatch - or - I really shouldn't read books for 7th graders

So, I just finished reading the book you see in the picture above. I heard the first half of it being read in a class at school recently while I was at work. Since then, I wanted to hear the rest of the story. I am glad I got to the end but...

*** Spoiler alert ***
I will tell you the end.
I didn't like it too much.

HERE is a link to the wikipedia page about the book with a brief synopsis.

Basically, there is a bad guy who plots and lies and tries to kill the good guy in the desert. They finally get back to the sherrif at the end. No one believed the good guy for a while until finally someone comes and proves what he was saying was true.

Also, in the desert the bad guy "accidentaly" killed an old guy in the desert.

So, the sherrif says to Ben, the good one, "He tried to kill kill you. You need to press charges - murder, assault?"

Ben says - the last sentence in the book - "No, I just came here to report an accident."

What a horrible ending. Really. I don't care who you are - if someone tries to kill you and they get caught, you press charges.

Maybe he figures the state will do it or something like that but I was very unsatisfied. Anyway, anyone ever read that book?

PS - a made for TV movie was made in 1974 based on this book. Here is a link to purchase a copy of it for a lot of money. Andy Griffith was THE BAD GUY. If you can find a place on the internets for me to watch it I will give you a million dollars. And I will love you forever. Please find it.

anticipation

a few things we are looking forward to around here:

*Dave's 3 interviews that he has at the end of the month. We just bought a new suit for Dave today that looks really sharp. He's gonna knock 'em dead.

*Ana starts dancing class next week. She is so excited. She loves to put on her dancing clothes and listen to music. Her most requested songs: "fast ones" by Ben Folds, and Good Day Sunshine by the Beatles.

*And this.

here is a preview:

copycat jack

Jack wants to do everything his older sister does.

If she is playing with babies, he wants to play with babies.



If she is dancing he wants to dance. He even wants to put on a dancing dress, but we decided we'd just let him wear Dave's old superman cape instead.



For the most part, they really love each other. In a few more months it will be really fun to watch them play together.

Ana really wanted me to post this picture, too:

connections

I've had this post floating around my brain for a few days, and though its not quite ready yet, I just need to get Jack Bauer off of the top of my blog, no matter how awesome he is.

While at my parents this weekend, I started flipping through Letters by Majorie Pay Hinckley - a collection of letters she wrote over the years. She wrote about her struggles, her testimonies, everyday life, her little joys. She wrote to her husband, her children, and her family. These letters are treasured by her family, and now can be treasured by the world. I was touched.

I have been thinking for a while at how much communication has changed, even in my life. When I was about 12, I had a pen pal that lived in Ireland. We wrote back and forth for quite a while. I don't remember her name, or even much of what we wrote about, but for a small moment, I felt connected to someone half a world away.

In some ways, we are even more connected now. I can contact people around the world in minutes. I get updates of everyday moments of a lot of people, some of whom I had lost touch with before we "found" each other again. That is cool.

But there is something missing. Through all of the "stuff" we hear about all the people we know, we miss what they are really trying to say. With facebook and email and twitter and texting - all of this "surface communication" we lose the ability (or maybe just forget) to see past the surface to the soul of a person. How many of my "friends" could I call if I were really in trouble? Or just want to go out to the movie?

Sometimes I just want to sit back with a pen and paper and write a letter. It is a lost art. And I think its leaving a gap. We are connected, and that is cool. But part of me would leave it behind for a stack of letters, yellowing with age and tied with twine, from people who knew my soul. That is what it means to be connected.