Another Shout Out For the Word of Wisdom

Lets not forget the importance of these (see above picture) just because the image below is more vocal!

As I've explored the food we eat and the ramifications it has on our health and the health of our environment, (not to mention the serious ethical issues related to some of the things we eat which, imho, are really relevant for anyone who takes the command to be a good steward seriously), I have become more and more convinced that we are pretty much missing the boat when it comes to the word of wisdom.  Church culture currently emphasizes the alcohol and tobacco and coffee issues pretty much to the exclusion of all the amazing advice given in the other half of the section. I'm not saying we should ignore that first portion, but I think if we paid more attention to the second half we would be doing ourselves and the planet a big healthful favor.  I'll be honest, I have yet to hear any meaningful discussion of the Word of Wisdom beyond the toxic substances mentioned in the first half of the section in a church setting.  Anyway, as I've delved deeper and deeper into the politics of food in a quest to know what to feed my family, I keep on being amazed at the depth and wisdom found in Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants. ("Duh," you all may be saying, "thats why they  call it the Word of Wisdom.")   There are many reasons to pay particular attention to verse 11: "Every herb in the season therof..."  Here is one more reason we should pay more attention to eating fruits and vegetables in their proper seasons (if you are interested I could give you several more reasons to heed that advice).  Read this article: Did Your Shopping List Kill A Songbird? (just read it! It will take you 3 minutes, tops, and make sure you get to the last paragraph to see the relevance of the D&C)
Now I need to try and conquer the altogether ignored verses 12-15.  Yummm, meat!

Anyway, it is quite an amazing bit of scripture, and I am finding more and more hidden treasures (see vs. 19) as I explore the crazy and incredibly politically loaded (see verse 4) world of food.  

Seattle

Rob and I had a great time in Seattle. The weather was pretty dang chilly, but we braved it and wandered and wandered and wandered. And we also ate and ate and ate. Some of the highlights:
Ivar's clam chowder.
The great view from our downtown hotel room (we sat in the window and watched an arrest one night.)
The fabulously touristy Pikes Market...oh the produce!
The SAM (Seattle Art Museum) where we got to see some panels from the newly cleaned Ghiberti gates of paradise doors from the Duomo, and a fantastic Roman sculpture exhibit on loan from the Louvre, along with the not so shabby permanent collection.
A sculpture park near the waterfront (another one thanks to SAM).
The Frank Gehry Experience the Music Project Building. Very cool.
No responsibility.
The anime convention that was in town and brought all sorts of amazingly costumed fanatics to Seattle.
Going to movies and eating out at the most delicious restuarants.
Anyway, we had a terrific time and really liked Seattle and we are eternally indebted to Todd and Court for taking such good care of the kids for us so we could enjoy our kid-free week without any worries.

A Little Late

I know Easter is ancient history but I wanted to record the day for posterity. New Easter clothes, chocolate, egg hunting with cousins, yummy dinner courtesy Emily....it was a great day and the weather was perfect!

Happiest of Birthdays

Happy birthday Maren! And to Dad on Thursday.  Big hugs and kisses to you both.  Love you lots and lots.  I wish we could have a giant party, altogether, with lots of delicious food to celebrate, because if there is one thing we do best it is eat delicious food! Hope you both have a terrific day and get a cake that tastes as delicious as this one looks to me!

A Great Day

We've had a bit of a rough week.  The kids had some fevery, cough, tired icky virus.  They have been lounging around, sleeping, and being sort of grumpy this week.  This week has also been spring break, but Rob is doing an ER rotation and has been sleeping during the days. Also the pay check went way faster than I could have imagined, which always sucks. Anyway, there has been a lot of this going on:

However we have had some really great weather and my green thumb has been getting busy. I planted some peas and bought some wall o'waters so I can plant my tomatoes earlier. I also planted a few more strawberries, mucked around with the compost heaps (yikes that was a project and then some, and it isn't near complete), dug up a really weedy strip between our yard and the neighbors and planted some shrubbery (I will never be able to keep a straight face when I say shrubbery thanks to Monty Python), and Rob planted an Autumn Blaze maple to replace the tree that blew over in the fall.

So spring break has basically consisted of the kids moping around and me digging in the mud.  I did take the kids to see Horton Hears a Who, which was very cute.  Anyway, to make a short story way longer than it needs to be, today we got out of the house.  The kids felt way better and we drove down to Provo.  We went with Pop-pop and the dog Winnie to Kiwanis park.  The kids had fun on the playgrounds:

Then it was back to Grammy and Pop-pops for dying Easter eggs with the cousins:

Whilst we dyed Clara fritzed out and finally got a quick nap on Aunt Katy's shoulder:

After that we ate dinner and then headed to the Trammells for an open house. One of the twins (Jake or Jordan, not sure) is heading to Omaha NE for his mission! It was so fun to see the Trammells and catch up with them. And I got to see other 13th ward people too. It was a lot of fun. Today was a great mood restorative after our mediocre week.
Bonus video: Clara and this vibrating ball were hilarious. She was entertained for a LONG time!

Did You Know

Did you know that Americans spent around 15 billion dollars on bottled water last year?  Did you know that the majority of bottled water is made with municipal tap water, which incidentally is treated and tested to assure its safety.  If you are afraid of municipal water you should try a Brita or Pur filter as the water will be purer and safer than what you get in bottled water.  Did you know that as the population grows and our power usage needs grow our water sources are growing scant (water is a key ingredient in most manufacturing processes and especially in non-renewable energy production,  nuclear and coal in particular).  Did you know that they are starting to have to drill much deeper wells and instead of the pure good stuff we are used to, draw up brakish salt water which makes the process of providing clean municipal water much, much more expensive.  Did you know that in a time when water conservation should be something we all think about, water bottle manufacturing takes about 3 bottles of water to produce 1?  Did you know that 50 billion water bottles are used a year in this country but that they are only recycled at a rate of 23%? Did you know that they are discovering many toxic side affects regarding plastic.  One of them is they secrete a sort of hormone like substance which seeps into groundwater and into streams and river and seems to be altering the hormones/genetics of fish?  Did you know that toxic substances from the plastic seep into your bottled water as it sits on the shelf and is transported across the country? Why don't we just stop with the bottled water?

Seattle

Next week Rob has a conference in Seattle and I am going to tag along.  He is going to be in meetings most of the time, and I will be free and on my own.  I have no idea what there is to do in Seattle (besides a little bit of googling I haven't done much research).  Anyone have any suggestions on how I should keep myself entertained?  I would love to have some good travel tips, so please, I beg you, share your Seattle favorites with me.  I can tell you one thing I plan on doing: sleeping in!!!!

A Local McMansion

Exterior

Entry Gate

Entry Hall and Stair

Kitchen

Kitchen

Great Room

TV Room

Labeled: Great Room

Great Room

Theater

Soda Fountain

Master Bedroom

His Closet

Her Closet

Vanities

Dining Room

Spare Kitchen

Ballroom

Family Room

Library

Library

Hot Tub

Pantry

Sitting Room

Music Room

Pool Room and Bar

Pool (empty)

Laundry