Campbell Soup and the PTA

So at the beginning of the school year I was asked to sell popcorn at the schools annual "skate night". I said sure, how hard can it be to sell popcorn. That night I was asked to help count Campbell Soup Labels for the school fundraiser, I was told that it only takes an hour every couple of months and if there were a couple of moms helping it would take even less time. So again I said that I would be happy to help, and the nice PTA lady said that she would get back to me on a time to meet and show me how to count and enter the info into the computer. A few weeks have gone by since then and I was just thinking to myself one night that they must not have needed my help after all.
So this morning while getting Riley ready for school, the nice PTA lady called and asked if we could meet this afternoon if I was still interested. I told her that I was still happy to help and said I would be there. So I get to the school and walk into the teacher lounge where she asked me to meet her and I see her and the PTA Pres. and the Principal and 2 other ladies I don't know sitting around a table getting ready to start their big important PTA meeting. They had there palm pilots, agendas and Diet Coke out and ready for and afternoon of serious PTA planning for this school year. I felt way out of my comfort zone (our elementary boundaries cover the wealthiest and poorest communities of our town, and as you can imagine the PTA board comes from the money side of the line. I however don't, our first time home buyer fixer upper is in the poor side of the school boundaries, so I felt way under "blinged") and sat through the whole meeting wondering if they gave me an agenda just to be nice or should I be taking mad notes like the rest of them for a reason I didn't know about. At the end of the meeting I was introduced and asked for all my phone numbers, e-mail, etc. so they would all know how to get in touch with me. The meeting ended and I was handed a big fat 3 ring binder, taken on a tour of the PTA room and shown where they keep everything. Then the nice PTA lady looked at me and said WELCOME TO THE PTA BOARD!!! I was so shocked I didn't know what to say, then she turned and said that she better get back to the classroom she was helping in and walked away. PTA BOARD? Counting a few Campbell Soup labels welcomes you to the PTA BOARD? I now have meetings to attend, activities to plan and not to mention, Campbell soup labels to count!

Team Hoyt

As we drive to Salt Lake and home again I think we pass about 10 billboards with this father and son team on them. The billboard says something like "His father has been behind him for 65 marathons!" Then has a word such as DEDICATION or LOVE or INSPIRATION written in big bold letters. Every time we pass this billboard I think to myself wow what a cool dad! I have always assumed that Dick Hoyt was an athletic man who just decided to have his son, Rick, compete with him. But it was Rick who asked his dad to help him compete! If one on my kids asked me to compete in anything more than a 5k I think I would tell them to dream on. My friend Jill posted this video on her blog (thanks Jill!) with the warning of grabbing a tissue box before you hit play, I thought whatever I can handle watching this little video with out really crying. But I am now repeating Jill's advice GET SOME TISSUES!! I cried during the whole video! Later that night when I had Eric watch the video I thought I have already seen it I won't cry this time, well I was wrong! I eventually had to leave the room because I was crying so much as Eric kept hitting play on every youtube video about this father and son team.
On a different youtube video (a clip from the Today Show honoring todays real life heros.) we watched Dick Hoyt was talking about when Rick was born with cerebral palsy, the doctors told him and his wife that Rick would not be able to live a normal life, that he would be a vegatable his whole life and a burden to their family and the best thing that they could do would be to put Rick in an Institution. They didn't take the suggestion and they took Rick home and raised him with all the love they could offer. With the help of a computer that allows Rick to communicate he told his dad that racing helps him for that moment to forget his disablity and feel free. And from that day on a father lost himself in the service of his son competing in every race possible, not just marathons but ironman competitions! Rick has also graduated from college! I love the joy on Ricks face as he crosses each finish line and recieves each diploma, all because of the unselfish love of his father!
All I can say is the LOVE and DEDICATION this father has to bring joy to his son is AMAZING and they both are not only an ISPIRATION to me, but have become an inspiration to people around the world! They truly have inspired me to be the best mom that I can be, and I hope that I can bring the love and joy into my children's lives that Dick Hoyt has brought to his son!

This is a link to a story on the TODAY show about the Hoyts...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyiApzjIuzw

Now grab the tissues...
A Father's Amazing Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGRyYKF5jVY

Jeff and Olivia Family Photos

This is a collage of my favorite photos I took this past weekend of my brother Jeff and soon to be sister in law Olivia and Jeff's two sons Joey and TJ. If you want to see a larger image click on this one to make it bigger! I can't figure out how to post individual photos off Picasa to blog in the same post, and I can't figure out how to save them to "my pictures" on my computer to load them that way... so if anyone knows how PLEASE tell me! I made this by accident and realized I could post it to my blog... so here it is!
It was so much fun taking these photos and I am pretty happy with the way they turned out since it has been years since I have tried to take photos! Photography has always been a love of mine. I have wanted to pursue a Photography business since Riley was a baby but we have never made the investment in a nice camera... so I keep dreaming of the day when I will be able to buy the new latest and greatest professional camera on the market.

Disney Princess Quiz

So I took this quiz last night after seeing it on a lot of my friends blogs, I thought it would be fun to see what princess I am. When I was done with the quiz and told Eric that I was Snow White he replied "Hey, no fare, I want to know what princess I am too!" (being totally sarcastic of course!) So tonight I made him take the quiz and here are his results...Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Pretty good results for my husbands inner princess! At least thats what I thought, but he was a little upset that he was Pocahantas! Who did he want to be, Sleeping Beauty?

This is me...Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Do our Princess Personalities really define who we are? Or what princess should we have been?

If you havn't already taken this fun little quiz go to www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354