Happy Birthday Paige

We celebrated Paige's first birthday last Sunday (10 days early) so that her daddy could attend. We had the party at the Heber House and besides the usual Sunday dinner guests (McEuens and Johnsons), Grandma Honey and Great-Grandpa Miller were there; Chelsea, Eddie and Andrew drove up all the way from Vegas; the Hribars and Oehlers came, as well as Kendra and Miles, Jill, Tim and Quinn, and Michelle and Noah. Thanks for making it so fun everyone! I must thank my mom especially for taking a detour on her way home from Aspen to be there and for all her hard work in the kitchen (even with an aching shoulder). Thanks Mom!!!
Paige was a very happy birthday girl. She LOVED the balloons, patiently sat through opening the presents, and throughly enjoyed her birthday cupcake. I can't believe we've already passed that milestone!

Tired

This was Paige today, 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave for Sacrament meeting. We didn't make it. Nap time was WAY overdue.

Angry

Over the last several months I have become very interested in politics. I'd never been too political before, but I knew what I valued and which party reflected my values and that's how I voted. Last summer I read "A Mormon in the White House" and became intrigued. I really liked what I read about Mitt Romney, but I realized I needed to know about the other candidates before I could decide Mitt was the one. And what I learned is that I really can't stand McCain (or Obama or Hillary), and the more I listened to Romney, the more I liked him (maybe even loved him). So I was upset to hear when he dropped out of the race. Upset is probably an understatement. I realize this post isn't exactly timely, but I wasn't planning to post about this at all until today when I read the full transcript of Mitt's CPAC speech. Read it. What I can't understand is how conservatives couldn't rally behind this man? Especially considering the options! And you know what? I kind of hate to say it, but I think it comes down to religion. I'm pretty sure there was a political alliance between McCain and Huckabee that definitely did damage, but I think the problem true conservatives had with Romney was that he's a Mormon. The political pundits will continue to ignore this issue, because it would be unseemly to bring it up in this "tolerant" day and age, but there is nothing else that I can think of to explain how any conservative could watch and pay attention to the CNN debate or listen to and compare McCain's speeches to Romney's and still go out and vote for McCain. Not only is a large part of the conservative base comprised of evangelicals, who are known to not like Mormons (to put it mildly), but also - I'm sure there are other Mormon's out there who know what I'm talking about when I say that (outside of Utah) - no matter what you do, you're not good enough if you're a Mormon.
As I read Romney's speech today, it made me really sad and angry (all over again) that America missed it's opportunity to elect this great man as president. I truly hope that Mitt decides to come back in 4 years and try again. Maybe by then, after the person America elects this November royally screws things up, we'll be ready to elect the best candidate - despite the fact that he's a Mormon (and not black or a woman).

All About Me

I was tagged by my sister, so now I have to do this...Thanks Amber!!!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning. B. Each player answers the questions about themselves. C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago.... I was 17 and a junior in high school. I was getting ready to take the ACT for the first time, a varsity cheerleader, writing for the school newspaper, singing in a couple of choirs at school, working at the Gap, and doing poorly in honors english with Mr. Kelly.

Five things on my to do list today.....get dressed, go grocery shopping, make and send Paige's birthday party invitations, vote, and go to BYU to get on the computer I used there during my graduate studies to try and recover a very important program that Ben deleted off our laptop.

Snacks I enjoy... Dubliner cheese with reduced fat wheat thins, fudgsicle brand 100 calorie fudge bars, sliced fresh pear, pirouline hazelnut cookies (the long cylinder ones), string cheese.

If i suddenly became a bilionaire... I don't know . . . buy a nice house somewhere warm, a couple of new cars, travel to Australia, get a new wardrobe, have 5 more kids, save.

5 bad habits.....I pick my face and the back of my arms, I tend to nag, I often think my way is the best way or only way, I procrastinate, I talk on the phone while driving.

5 jobs I have had... nanny to Anna, registered dietitan counseling outpatients at BYU's student health center, research assistant, teaching assistant for sports nutrition, Sugar & Spice (food service) employee.

5 things most people don't know about me....1) I think it would be cool to have a doctorate, 2) I HATE to exercise, 3) I have a stubby thumb, 4) I really don't cook as healthy as people might expect, 5) I don't know if I'd be good at it, but if I could do it all over again, I might choose something in photography or design. I love nutrition and I'm glad I studied it, but if I were to do something else . . .

i tag
Ashley Preston
Heidi Edwards
Emily Winslow
Meagan Becker
Marci Evans

Preparing for Deployment

Ben came home from training in Arizona on Friday night. We are SO happy to have him back for a few weeks before he goes to Washington for more training. Paige was afraid of him for about 60 seconds when we met him at the airport, and then it was like a light went on and she knew who he was. She hasn't left him alone since (it's kind of a nice break for me). Last night as Ben went through a bunch of his Army gear, Paige was right there with him, inspecting all his camo.

How Many of Me?

I found this on my friend Ashley's blog. I can't believe there are that many other Bridget Reeds in the U.S. I knew of one other girl with my name at BYU while I was there. I didn't know her personally but her name always popped up on Route Y and in medical records at the Student Health Center. Her middle name even started with L!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 83 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

There are a lot of Benjamin Reeds!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 501 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

And even a handful of Paige Reeds

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 35 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?