Double Trouble

I was looking at this old picture of my lil' baby. It made me realize how time flies and how short a time we have here and blah blah blah....yadda yadda yadda. Yeah. All that stuff.

I think one of the difficult things that I have gone through as a parent is wanting my baby to stay a baby. Yes, I love watching her mature. Yes, I love watching her mind develop and personality mold. Yes, I love seeing her learn things she shouldn't do, watch her try to do them, pretend I'm mad at her for doing them, and laughing about it where she can't see me. I love that part of parenting.

But I also loved when she fit perfectly in my forearm, when she just laid on her back and didn't make much noise, and when all her food was free because Shalie breast fed her.

Shalie and I both missed that.....

so we decided to have another one.

We found out that Shalie's pregnant and due sometime in November! We're so excited! Ella doesn't seem to understand, but we're saying that she's excited because that's what parents do: pretend their kids feel the same way they do until they physically say otherwise.

Here's to late nights and early mornings. Constant crying and tons of diapers. Teething and a jealous big sister.

Here's to the best thing about this life. Here's to family and to our newest lil' member!

Picture Vomit!

Here are some pics I need on here for the record.

Some cute pics of Ella and her best buddy.Giving her daddy a "biiiiiiiiig kiss"!
I straightened Ella's hair for the first time the other day. She looked so cute, but I prefer the fro!
My little sis turned 23.She's gorgeous and single!Visiting auntie at work (The Garden Restaurant).

She loves to see the temple.

Our cute nephew Losepeli turned 8!

Sita was lucky enough to get to baptize him!I took Ella and my sister Maggie to Disney On Ice.
If you know Maggie it won't surprise you that she chose the Mater souvenir.
Ella of course chose Tinkerbell. Don't mind the snow cone all over her face.Nikki couldn't resist when I told her we were going.
Ella and I went to the Zoo last week. The weather was PERFECT!
Here we are on the train!The gorilla was sleeping with his butt in the air and Ella just kept saying "stinky poo".The Merry-Go-Round. Ella about choked me to death. She would not let go of my neck.Ella's favorite...the tigers!She loved the real ones, and apparently the fake ones too.She thought she was so brave.

She was mesmerized by the Mommy and Baby Elephants.I LOVE this picture!

A Small Observation

The other day I needed to go out to the car to grab something. As I headed for the door, Ella stopped me and we had this conversation:

Ella: Dad, you going to eBay?
Me: No, honey. I'm just going to the car.
Ella: Ella go to eBay?
No: No honey. I'm just going to the car. I'll be right back.
Ella: oh, no eBay?
Me: No Bear. I'm just going to the car.
Ella: ok...ummm...I wanna...umm...hambuger....and umm...some milk and...umm
Me: Honey, I'm not going to the store. Just to the car.
Ella: Ok. Love you dad
Me: (laugh) Love you too Ella bear.

As I walked to the car and back, I thought about this little conversation. It was funny because it gave me a little window into my funny little girl's mind. More importantly, it reminded me that my actions--whether intended or not--are being monitored at all times.

From that conversation, I learned that my daughter is aware that when I leave, most of the time it's to go to where I work, eBay. I know she doesn't understand why I go to eBay, but she does understand that when I leave her, it's a good chance that eBay's where I'm going. I can also tell that she thinks eBay's somewhere I want to be. She always wants to come with me to eBay. She's come inside a couple times and loves it even though all she's ever done is sit with me at my desk while I grab a couple things.

I also learned that she thinks if I'm not going to eBay, the next most likely place is to get food. For those who might have been confused by what she was saying on the conversation above, let me explain. She was putting in an order. Like I said in the previous post, Shay and I love food. Obviously, by Ella's observation, I go out to get food a lot--whether it be groceries or fast food. Just like when I ask Shalie if she wants anything while I'm out, Ella puts in her order. If I'm not going to eBay, it must be to get food. That's got to be a statistic somewhere at some fat camp: If going to get food is in your top 2 reasons for leaving your house, you're probably fat.

While it may seem like a pretty simple conversation, it really opened my eyes to what those 2 beautiful, little eyes see everyday. It also made me want to be better. While she may not have all the "whys," she does have a great grasp of the "whats." Ella sees me leave everyday and she assumes that where I go is a good place. A place where people want to be. A place where she wants to be. She also assumes that if I'm not going to that place, that I'm going to go get food for our family; to provide for them. Ella assumes that I'm only in good places and doing good things. I'm productive. I'm on the right path. I'm taking advantage of life.

It made me ask myself, " do I live up to those assumptions?"

All I could think of was, "you better."

Must be the universe talking to the Ripley's again. Leave it to a 2 year old to give you a better perspective on yourself. Children are like super clean, empty glasses, vacant of substance but so clean and innocent that all you can see is your own reflection. Life's full of irony.

Anyway, I was comforted by one thing. Then end of the conversation did bear one assumption that I can definitely admit to immediately:

Ella: Ok. Love you Dad

(Laugh)

Love you too Ella bear.

What's For Dinner and Are You Sure You Want to Eat It?

There are two things the Ripley's love: Food and Documentaries. We have seen virtually every documentary at the video store--bar the few rated R films (I'll have to blog about our debate with Rated R movies another time). We also eat out WAY too much.

So when people started to make documentaries about the food industry, naturally, Shay and I were all over it. While we loved these movies, they definitely changed the way we think about our food. Shalie's seriously thinking about becoming a vegetarian and I am seriously thinking about getting diet Dr. Pepper instead of regular to go with my 3 big macs, 2 cherry pies, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Anyway, you may have seen these, but if you haven't, you definitely should check them out:

Super Size Me

This is probably the most famous of the 3 and most of you may have seen it, but it's still a good one. Super Size Me is one man's journey to cardiac arrest by way of a McDonald's diet. His one rule is that everything he eats for 30 days has to be from McDonalds. If he wants breakfast, it has to be off McDonald's menu. If he wants some fruit, it has to be off the McDonalds Menu. If he wants some water, it has to be from McDonalds. It's pretty amazing to see what a Big Mac and fries can do to you. Be sure to check out the special features on this one.

King Corn

This is the story of two young Documentarians who wanted to find out about Americas number one grain and its effect on American Society. The movie demonstrates how much corn we eat and--more specifically--how much of our food is corn. They also go into how much money can be made farming corn, how different "farming" is compared to what it's thought to be, and how much money you can make growing it. It's crop full of information.

Sorry. I know that was corny.

:)

Ok. I'll stop.

Food Inc.

This is probably our favorite of the three movies. Food Inc basically covers what both Super Size Me and King Corn cover, but also adds even more to the crazy situation in our society. It goes over the power of the multi-billion dollar food corporations, their shady practices, and the deadly effects of unregulated food distribution. And, yep, it's directly related to the government (jerks).

These are definitely some great choices and they may even change the way you live your life.

Food for thought.

Life, Liberty, and Property

Some of you may have heard this phrase before. It was actually used in the Declaration of Colonial Rights which was created in 1774 to respond to what Americans called the Intolerable acts which were basically laws that England created to put the Americans further under the crown's control (don't worry this isn't going to be a history lesson).

What makes this phrase interesting is the much more well known phrase that was used 2 years later in our Declaration of Independence: Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness.

It's funny to think that at one time "property" was substituted for happiness. My first reaction to that was, "how materialistic of them."

But then I got thinking.

Shalie and I have recently been looking for a house to buy. Luckily, I recently received a promotion at eBay that put us in a position where we're financially able to get into a house. The best part is we found one! We're extremely excited and can't wait to move in!

This is our new home! It's in West Jordan and you can't tell from this picture, but it's got a gigantic yard. It's perfect for us right now. We got a good deal so that makes it even more exciting.

The entire time we've been married, we've always talked about owning our own home. It's definitely been at the top of our list of goals. For me personally, it's something I've wanted my entire life, mostly because it's actually something I've never had. I've never lived in a house that I or my family owned. We've always had someone on the other side of the wall. I've always been a renter. Never owned any property.

That's what made me think of this phrase. When the owner of the house accepted our offer, it felt like property and happiness were the same thing. No more need to turn down the game because of the neighbors. No more shoveling someone else's driveway. No more working to pay for someone else's property. No more lost dollars for someone else's responsibility.

In a sense, it's freedom. Freedom that I've dreamed about my entire life.

I know it sounds crazy, but I've always wanted to take care of my own yard. I hear a lot of people moan and groan about having to mow the lawn. Well, when you've never had one, you kind of feel left out. Shalie thinks I'm crazy( especially because our back yard is HUGE), but I honestly can't wait to take care of it: and the main reason is because it's mine. My property.

Now, I do want to clarify that I don't think property is happiness. It's still just material. Still temporary. What I am saying is that this particular property is a major landmark on The Ripley Family's pursuit to happiness. I can, to a point, see why they used the "property" phrase. I mean, in the end the pursuit of happiness is always about property--ownership of something. Whether you're trying to find who you are, the purpose of life, or your mansion in the sky, you're looking for property.

Maybe they weren't so far off.

The Bachelor: Making Booty-Call-Fairy Tales Happen

"I don't know what it is, but something just doesn't feel right."

That was Jake's answer to Tenely.

Hmmm...

What didn't feel right?

Maybe we don't want to know.

The finale (which I didn't watch) apparently ended up with our Prince Charming choosing his princess Vienna.

"I have never had this much heat in a relationship," Jake said of Vienna. "It's like a fairy tale every day."

I mean, he does have a point. Fairly tales are about how passionate the bedroom is. Ariel would be some shriveled up vegetable thingy in Ursula's house if she hadn't been so forward trying to get Eric to kiss her all the time (He took like 3 days before he put out...whatev). I mean, Rapunzel let her prince pull her hair the first time he met her. Is this really what we're telling our children? If you want to end up like sleeping beauty, your booty needs to be on duty?

Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't sound right.

Anyway, I'm really happy the show ended this way. Mostly because it proves I'm right. What's funny is homeboy didn't even try to pretend why he chose her. He just said it.

With that said, I hope they live happily ever after...

for the next 8 months or so.

The Bachelor: On The Wings of Brain Washing

The Bachelor. Simple concept. 1 eligible, good-looking bachelor. 25 women, who are looking for "true" love, compete to win him over. Only one can survive. Only one can remain on the island. It's an amazing race to see...um...what happens when you take 26 people and put them in one house...who will be the biggest loser?

err...something like that.

I guess if you've ever seen reality TV, you don't really need to know what the concept is as long as you know what the contestants are competing for.

While it may seem like this monotonous, played-out format would be to the Bachelor's disadvantage, it's actually (amazingly) one of the very root causes to its success. If women were to actually take a look at the show, they'd see that it's not really about love at all. It's actually fairly contradictory to what is generally told to be "love."

Don't believe me? Well, let's take a look.

Let's talk about the contestants; the people our audience is living vicariously through. Unsurprisingly, they're all relatively beautiful. I say "relatively beautiful" to emphasize a major attraction to the show: choosing who you like and don't like. I've seen many a facebook status update, read a blog post about, and listened to tons of conversations about "who really deserves it" and how "what's-her-face isn't even that pretty," as well as "she's just a better person." Everyone loves to be an expert and The Bachelor, like all reality TV, gives you an opportunity to make a judgment on who you think should win. You get little interviews mixed with collaged clips of their happenings in the show. This is supposed to give you the "real" them. You see how they "really" are, right? You see the real them. You know what they deserve. Right?

Back to the ladies. Many of them are successful business women who just haven't met that certain someone. Others are up and coming models or entertainers of some sort. Some do have basic jobs like secretary or waitress, but they all have one thing in common: they're hot! Now you may disagree for whatever reason, but they have to have a certain body type and their general appearance has to be of a specific quality. It's hard to know where they found all of these successful, beautiful women. Maybe this is where all of those strippers who were earning their way through college went? Maybe. The women definitely make the show. They are what's interesting. They cause all the action and the drama. Enough said.

Now that we have the base of the show, let's get into the "love" story that they're telling. The Bachelor is telling its audience that these contestants and this Bachelor are all in the search for true love. So what's their formula to find that answer? Again, let's take a look.

They take 25 women normal women of all walks of life and all shapes and sizes at complete random...wait...no. They take 25 women who are specifically chosen for the way they look, personalities, the specifics that the Bachelor gives, and their careers. Basically they are chosen for entertainment purposes. Will they be entertaining enough. Is that how Shakespeare cast Juliet before she met Romeo?

Speaking of Romeo, what about The Bachelor himself? They generally find a good looking, successful man who's a real man's man but knows how to dress and has that sensitive side and really listens while saving children from Africa and rebuilding orphanages in Haiti. I know he sounds too gay to be true, but he's "real" deal. He's that lame cliche of a man whom parents teach their daughters they deserve in life.

So you have your Romeo and your 25 Juliets and the rest is supposed to be a journey of love. The only thing that is confusing is what happens on the show. As all reality TV watchers know, there have to be challenges. On The Bachelor, these challenges are actually dates and are supposed to be ways for him to get to know the ladies. These can sometimes be up to 3 at a time. Doesn't that sound great? Taking 3 women out you've never met, who are competing with each other, and have personalities that scream for attention: specifically for the attention of millions of people? Of course it does. They're hot, right?

What about how many of the women the Bachelor ends up having sex with? There are always a couple womenvwho think that it's going to better the chances if they get in there early. You know, because having sex early in a relationship's totally going to get you more respect and closer to his heart, right? (It will get you closer to one of his body parts) I mean he takes the final 3 on an overnight vacation so he can choose his final 2. I just saw the last one (and I have to admit I've only seen 1 season and a couple of episodes since, but come on it's all the same) and he reads each of them a note that basically says, "I'm giving you one lucky night......to have sex.......with THIS GUY!" Oh and the kicker is all of them act like it's the most romantic moment ever! After he reads it to the 3rd girl and she accepted, they went up to the room and she said, " look how romantic this place is!" I couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking, "you should have seen the other 2 rooms."

This is obviously known by the contestants. I mean, this is the 14th season. They know what's up and they're totally fine with it. If Sleeping Beauty knew that Prince Charming had offered the castle sweet to Snow White and Cinderella, would she have been still singing the same tune? I think she and her animal friends would be keying Charming's horse carriage and then lighting it on fire.

It's just interesting that the love story is so not about love. It's about entertainment. For the fans and, frankly, for the Bachelor. I mean, he's the guy getting all the play! All he has to do is say, "oh, I really do care about her, but I'm so much more in love with these 8 other chicks." We can't blame him. He's just being fair by letting her go now because leading her on wouldn't be fair.

Who doesn't the bachelor lead on? Out of the 13 already finished Bachelors, none of them are still married( and most never got married). None. I think the record marriage length so far is 5 years. On the other hand, a couple of the contestants ended up on some other TV programs (dancing with the stars, the doctors) and even marrying other people who just "happened" to be in the entertainment industry. Oh, none of those worked out either. Maybe, The Bachelor is the American dream of getting to Hollywood?

It's very interesting that the Bachelor's success is based on the idea of the "happily ever after" fairy tale. They find the prince and he tries to place the glass slipper on the right foot. Unfortunately, they give him 25 Cinderellas who all seem to fit that slipper so, like all good princes, he weeds out the boring ones first, and then has sex with the rest to find out which one he'll date for 7-8 months before they realize that the camera's off and nobody is watching. There's nobody to entertain and the "real" people come out. Not so happy after all.

Maybe I'm just a cynic; a hater. I'm just not giving them a chance. Maybe, but after looking at the statistics (0% happily ever after) do you really think they have a chance? I may also just be an elitist. Someone hellbent on proving the classics are the true love story. I don't think so. I mean, I don't think all love stories need to end with Romeo and Juliet killing themselves.

On the other hand, I do think that the show would be way better if the bachelor and his choice ended up killing each other to prove their love. No not really....

ok, maybe.