Nadine turned 4. And Halloween.

Grandparents, I am so so so so sorry for the lateness of this post. I suck, and I kept forgetting.

Nadine's birthday is the end of October, and then we also had Halloween. Pictures are on the Nani blog. Our Family Costume is nerdy and fantastic and worth a look.

Also, I made Nadine a minion cake for her birthday. It turned out AWESOME. Seriously;
best. cake. ever.

It was surprisingly easy, but very time-consuming (they had me harden the frosting in the fridge, between layers/colors. SUCH a good tip). If you follow the link, you'll be amazed at what are all those edible parts of the cake.

Girls in engineering

I was never really into feminism, Girl Power, etc. I didn't pay it much attention, I figured women had made significant headway, and it wasn't an issue in my life.

Then I became the mother of a daughter.

Now, I am all about female empowerment.

I'm not anti-pink, anti-princess (we watch, and enjoy, a SIGNIFICANT amount of Disney in this household). But I am definitely anti- 'girls-should-be-cute-but-not-heard', and anti- 'a-female's-only-roles-are-teacher-and-mother' (disclaimer: I am a fortunate stay-at-home mom).

Enter GoldieBlox. These are engineering toys for girls. Designed by a female engineer. Sweet!

The company is a finalist to have a commercial in the Super Bowl. Watch the below video, which is hilarious and awesome (I love the line that says,"You like to buy us pink toys...and everything else is for boys.").

Vote for GoldieBlox to win an ad in the Super Bowl.

Vote daily and on multiple platforms, so this great company will get even more exposure.

And tell others!

A rant. A rant-rant-rant-itty rant, Ranty McRants A Lot.

I am calling for an anti-boycott.

If you liked the book "Ender's Game", you should see the movie in theaters this weekend. And you should spend as much money as possible on the movie (IMAX, late-night, 3-D combo). Actually, if you haven't read the book, (1) shame on you, and (2) see the movie anyway, because the entire story will be new to you.

Why should you spend your hard-earned cash on expensive movie add-ons?

Because Orson Scott Card, the author of "Ender's Game," has come under fire for his personal views, none of which are reflected in either his book or this movie. There have been calls to boycott the movie. Boycotts because of the personal views of an artist. Outrageous. It is especially galling because the book is about an outsider who rises to his own potential in his own way.

In response to the issue over Card's views on traditional marriage, the studio has been distancing itself from the author of what I believe is one of the best books ever written. The author of the movie they're producing. Ugh.

I understand about not agreeing with others' personal views and ideas.

• Angelina Jolie is a homewrecker (yup, still an issue), but I watch her movies because she's generally a phenomenal actress.
• James Cameron has environmental views with which I don't agree and find quite kooky. But I still sometimes watch his movies.
• I don't share Joss Whedon's religious views (though I support his right to have those views), but I admire, enjoy, and support his shows and movies because his work is great and because he specifically creates strong female characters. 
• Tom Cruise questioned the merits of depression meds for post-partum women(!!!!!!!!)! But he's still allowed to make movies, and "Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol" was quite good.
• Giselle Bundchen makes some of the most indulged, out-of-touch, high-society, rich-know-it-all-celebrity, douchey comments of any woman in the news, but she's still a great model who should continue to receive jobs.
• I strongly disagree with the political views of the CEO of Amazon, but Amazon is the best online retailer and I enjoy the level and quality of service I receive from them. Also, it is the right of the Amazon CEO, just as it is the right of all citizens of the USA, to use his private funds in whatever way he sees fit.

Just as it is the right of Orson Scott Card to express his personal views and not be lambasted for it. I am especially upset because he is being lambasted by groups that always, always, always call for "tolerance" of their lifestyles. Apparently that is not a two-way street for them; you only receive tolerance if you share their views. Which is despicable.

When a boycott* of Chick-fil-A was planned (which, again, was called because of the PERSONAL views of its President, not because of how the company treated individuals), I began frequenting the restaurant to show support.

Along those lines, we are going to see Ender's Game opening weekend and we're going to spend as much money as possible to give the movie a boost in the box office. An anti-boycott, if you will.

We are doing this to show we support the right of free speech, no matter the views of the speaker. Which I believe was espoused somewhere important by some fairly influential people.

I think my rant is over. In conclusion, if you support free speech and despise hypocrisy, see "Ender's Game" this weekend. And tell others!


* I was quite pleased to read in the July 26, 2013, issue of Entertainment Weekly that after the boycott of Chick-fil-A, "(s)ales for the chain climbed 14 percent in 2012." Hooray for the anti-boycott!

"Two hearts beating wildly..."

I was 12 when my youngest sister was born. She was the 5th of five girls, and I was the mother hen. I love the special connection that comes with sisters, and Kelsey and I had a great bond because of all the time I spent mothering her.

She was six when I went to college. I graduated college and moved back home for a bit, but I haven't lived at home in more than 10 years. And I spent all of my twenties enjoying friends and being gone a lot. Which means, I didn't get to really know Kelsey, and she was stuck in a time-warp as a tween.

This summer, Kelsey graciously volunteered to drive across the country with me and Nadine. That's right, my busy senior-year-in-college sister, who spent the summer on two (two!) foreign music internships, gave up two weeks of her life for me and my family. To help her frantic sister pack frantically. To drive from Maryland to Las Vegas. To help with a 3-year-old. Driving mostly sitting in the passenger seat.

She is a champ.

I very much enjoyed those two weeks with Kelsey, and I especially enjoyed our four days in the car. She is a remarkably good traveling buddy. I loved getting to connect with her as adults; I know she has felt separated from us other siblings. Whitney, my next youngest sibling, is five years older than Kelsey. It can't have been a fun position to hold, to watch all your siblings grow and not be at that point yet; then to reach that point, and have your siblings (or at least Jen) think you're still 12.

To make a long story short (too late), I am very grateful for our four long days stuck in a car, driving eight or nine or 14 hours a day. I feel it cemented my bond with my sister Kelsey.

(Non sequitur) And now she's getting married! I am so excited for her and Daniel. Truth be told, I have been secretly hoping for this event for five years. Kelsey and Daniel were friends in high school, then dated the last bit of high school and their first year of college. Daniel was gone for two years serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; he recently returned and they're getting married in December.

I began this post with my recollections of young Kelsey, because I was blown away how old (in all the good ways) she looks in these pictures. And how happy they both are. I love watching the interactions of couples in love.

Kelsey asked me to take their engagement pictures, and I was excited to use them as guinea pigs. I am not a terrific photographer, but it's a hobby I greatly enjoy, and I have a nice camera and good photo editing software (that I can't fully comprehend yet...). I am really proud of these pictures, though their success is largely due to the subjects.

We took the pictures at my parents' cabin in southern Utah, which is my Happy Place (I think that goes for all my siblings as well). It has many wonderful places for pictures.

They're such a great couple.

Our mom designed the railings. I've always thought that was cool.

Aren't they cute?!

She's beautiful.

Have you ever been photo-bombed by a horse? I have. (There's a horse butt behind Kelsey's shoulder. It cracked me up. I was distracting.)

 Ahhhhhhhh, love.

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I also made my family guinea pigs for my photography. We found a great place for family pictures, so I decided to experiment. The lighting wasn't great (curse you, shadows! Though also, hooray for shadow-creating-sun in Washington!) but I am happy with the result. We could re-do the pictures, but I am lazy and I don't want to get dressed up and drive out there again. LAZY.

I do love this picture. Hellooooo, Puget Sound!

The rest of the pictures are on the Nani blog.

That's all. Whew.