Show and Tell

My friend Jade asked me to make a blog header for her and I was thrilled- I love digital scrapping, it’s such a creative outlet for me. So I started, then I thought maybe I should give her choices, so I made three. I thought they turned out pretty cute so I wanted to share…



(Isn’t her baby ridiculously cute!?)

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Last weekend the weather was amazing so we headed to Hawk Island with some friends. Michigan has the most amazing parks, lakes, rivers, trees…it’s beautiful. I took some great pictures (mostly of our friends’ cute kids) and we brought lunch and soaked up the sun. I was telling my mom it was like the scene from Twilight where it’s sunny for a day and everyone is laying out like they had never seen the sun before. Saturday Brandon and I walked around Old Town, down to the dock by the river and checked out the fish ladder. For all the complaining about winter, I have to say that spring and summer make up for it tenfold. This weekend it rained non stop just to give us a reality check!

I’m trying to get a huge dose of Brandon to gear up for finals. It’s not my favorite time of year, but I know it’s necessary and luckily I’m not the only one going through it. His first final is Friday- good luck babe!

I can’t believe April is almost over. Time feels like it literally flies. We’ll be out of here in like, 2 ½ weeks. I’ve been busy making lists, trying to figure out what we can vs. can’t live without for 3 months, what will survive in the freezer, what all we can unplug to pay for as little electricity as possible. It’s kinda sad to leave all the people that have made this place so much fun. Some are graduating and never coming back, some are staying through the summer, most are going home or somewhere for an internship. We’ll miss you guys! We haven’t seen our families since Christmas and just as sad as we are to leave, we’re SO excited to go home to the desert sun.

I’m feeling pretty grateful for the people we love right now.

Just a Little Bit Proud

of Miss California. I think it was pretty brave to say what she really believed (and to wear that tiny white bikini on stage).

A great article on CNN says what I would say if I were as eloquent...

(CNN) -- A lot of folks are always saying they like to keep it real, that they want authenticity and straight talk. Yet when someone actually does it, there is hell to pay. Welcome to the world of Miss California, Carrie Prejean, who, since she answered a question regarding same-sex marriage in Sunday's Miss USA pageant, has been savagely attacked by those who oppose what she had to say.

Leading the burn-her-at-the-stake parade is media opportunist Perez Hilton, the self-described gossip queen, and the individual who kick-started this controversy by asking the initial question as to whether the issue of same-sex marriage should be left up to the states.

It seems that Hilton, who is gay, was none too pleased that Prejean chose to actually give her personal opinion on the issue, and ripped her on his blog after the show, using crude obscenities as he continued to attack her at every turn on his media blitz.

Hey, Hilton, from a real journalist to a wanna-be who traffics in gossip: Never ask a question if you're unprepared for the answer!

Frankly, this whole story is pretty stupid. Isn't the whole point of asking a question to get someone's true feelings, rather than the plastic and superficial answers we are all used to receiving?

Sure, Prejean could have gone the safe route and given one of those answers that reveal nothing and is hard to decipher -- you know, the ones politicians give all the time -- but no! She actually gave her real opinion, and is now being torn to shreds for it.

She opposes same-sex marriage. OK, fine. So what if she had said, "Hey, I'm in full support of same-sex marriage." Would she now be celebrated on gay-focused blogs, magazines and Web sites? Would her detractors actually be saying how open she is and that she's a great person?

Same-sex marriage is undoubtedly a hot button issue. And being from California, the site of Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that voters approved outlawing same-sex marriage, Prejean has surely had to hear the debate go back and forth. But her remark isn't outside the mainstream. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll shows that 55 percent of Americans are against same-sex marriage, and Proposition 8 did pass in her state 52-48 percent.

What's interesting about this is that many of the same folks who are slamming her for her remark voted for President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, who both have the same belief: that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear that she has the same view, and it was her husband, President Bill Clinton, who signed the In Defense of Marriage Act, the federal law that forbids states from having to recognize gay marriage in other states.

In other words, four of the biggest liberals in the country have the same belief as Prejean, but a beauty pageant winner is being torn to shreds. Hello, hypocrisy!

Those who criticize Prejean have the same right as she does to express their viewpoints. But enough with all the political correctness, where someone says she should have danced around the issue, smiled and move on.

At the end of the day, we all have to be true to ourselves. Whether it's a gay gossip writer who favors same-sex marriage or a heterosexual women who is against same-sex marriage. The day we condemn folks for speaking honestly is the day we become a bland society.

Maybe we're already there.

Yo Girl...

Blogger was on the fritz last night so this is a day late, but…

Do you get it Kenz? (I think I’m hilarious.)

Happy 18th Birthday McKenzie!

I can’t believe my little baby sister is 18. Holy Cow. I love you so much and I’m so sad I can be there. It’s the first of 18 birthdays I’ve ever had to miss. You are so talented, spunky and beautiful. I hope you have the best birthday.

Good Times

I hate to admit, I don’t actually fully understand Good Friday, but I got the day off work so I was lovin’ it. Friday night we went a saw the Lansing Lugnuts with some friends. It was way fun, but seriously freezing. I think it was in the high 30’s. We stuck it out until the 5th inning; we are hard core cold weather people by now!

Our families rock at celebrating holidays. There is always something going on back home so it’s hard for me when holiday’s come around. They always think to send us something- we seriously feel so loved. Brandon’s mom sent us a gift card for groceries and my mom put together the cutest Easter basket for us. A few pics…

My mom always bought us Easter dresses and I continued the tradition for myself up until this year. I was trying to be good, since as law school costs an arm and a leg, ya know? So instead I bought a headband and when I asked Brandon if liked it, he said he wasn’t really into headbands. I wore it anyway :)

We attempted our own Easter dinner with some friends; I didn't love how everything I made turned out- but all in all, I was pretty proud of us, it was our first attempt.

(I secretly want to be a food photographer, wouldn't that be so much fun!?)

How Do You Title Something So Random?

So since I posted last, Michigan State took down another number 1 seed (UConn) and made it to the National Championships. You’d have to be living under a rock to not know how that turned out, but we seriously could not be prouder of this team. They were completely underrated and it was so exciting to be at a school playing for the National Championship. Go State!

(I love that someone put a jersey on Sparty, we had to get a picture of it.)

The most exciting news of the year, Brandon finished RWA! In case you’re wondering, it’s the most time consuming class that 1L’s have to take. It’s basically the sole reason the first year is so difficult. But he’s done with it forever, so yay! Now we get to look forward to finals.

Since everyone probably has a bundle of hard boiled eggs, I thought I would post this simple, but excellent recipe I found on a new favorite food blog I found called Pinch My Salt. It’s so good!

Easy Egg Salad

4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1/4 - 1/2 C. mayonnaise
1 - 2 t. Coleman’s mustard powder
salt and freshly ground pepper, to
taste

1. Place whole eggs in a bowl and, using a pastry blender, mash eggs until they are finely chopped.
2. Add 1/4 C. mayo and 1 t. mustard powder then stir to blend. Taste and then adjust amounts of mayo and mustard powder to suit your own taste.
3. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Serve on your choice of bread.

The pastry blender idea? Genius!

Guess What? It's April, and this is what I saw out my window Monday and Tuesday...

I've come to terms with the fact that Spring is simply a date on the calender, not something I should look forward to any time soon (or until we're home in sunny Las Vegas of course).

One thing I love about Lansing is that I never have to deal with traffic or road construction, or so I thought. The other day I drove out of my parking lot and I saw this...

It's blocking the only acceptable route to everywhere I go (school, groceries, mall, church). Brandon told me another way I can go but I seriously think I might get shot, or least my chances increase significantly each time I drive through this neighborhood.

I really hope they fill up the ginormous hole and move their sign quickly, in the mean time I'll just aviod eye contact and duck as needed.