GASP....Politics.

There seems to be a negative connotation associated with politics these days. A practice once seen as an elite's liberty, now is replaced by an apathetic sigh: "well, it doesn't make much of a difference."

I recently learned that my Grandfather had great respect for the office of the President of the United States. If someone openly criticized the position, he would politely put them in their place. He knew something about patriotic responsibility. Since I heard this story, as his grand daughter, I feel a stronger desire to understand what drove my grandfather to hold such passion for this country.

My professor, Dr. Kathleen Kelsey also recently posed the question: "Is America a free country?" After receiving several nods from the classroom she declared: no. America is not a free country, we're a democracy--nothing comes free. Its true. We are a democracy--a country that relies on the virtue of its people to determine justice and equality. What a responsibility. If we fail, I guess we have no one else to blame but ourselves. (Wouldn't this make a great headline on CNN.com?)

So, with my new found patriotism, I stumbled upon a Facebook--the new marketplace of ideas--link leading to an speech Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave on Constitutional Day, Sept 17. in Salt Lake City. Consider this concept:

"A constitution gives the people and their elected leaders the opportunity to make many decisions that are unwise or even reckless. When that happens — when the government or one of its officials engages in some kind of action that we consider to be wrong — we should engage in vigorous public debate about it. But we should not use up a constitution by attempting to strike down every ill-conceived act of government or to discredit every unwise official. A constitution is the ultimate weapon, and we preserve that weapon best by using it sparingly and carefully. If we call some action unconstitutional, we should be prepared to explain what provision or principle of a constitution it violates. In this way, a constitution can be used to stimulate discussion and to seek unity.

This quote resonated with me. It made me think of powerful words--Action. Responsibility. Respect. I think these words stirred up the same passion within me that my grandfather held so many years ago. I encourage all to read the full address here

God Bless America.

Food for Thought

Its not often that I direct someone to another blog to read up on another's happenings. However, today, I am going to ask you to take some effort to read a post recently written by Seth Winterton, an agriculturist in the state of Utah. His post corresponds with many of my personal beliefs--Buy local, Build Local.

Read the post here: Ride the Brand


I'm curious to know the opinions of ya'll--why do we support a cheap food system? Are Mom and Pap shops really destined to be a story in history? Does it buying local matter to you? Why or why not?

To My Achiever Within....

&*^%$#!
%$@!&*!
&%@*^%$#@!#%^&!!!!!

"Stress is when your gut says "NO" but your mouth says, "Of course I will"

I believe I am an achievement addict (not to be confused with a recognition addict). I get a thrill out of processing new ideas, executing new activities and seeing other grow and succeed. Metaphorically speaking I am the baker who loves to select and mix all the ingredients for the perfect tasting cookie.

My problem? Oftentimes I decide to double or quadruple the recipe and before long the dough transforms itself into a Watson Eating Cookie Monster. I give 120 percent of myself for 8 strong weeks....and then:

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! ...
The villain I created comes searching for its next victim...I CRASH.

Someone once said, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

As I am approaching my last semester of graduate school, I find myself searching for my baking hat. I've noticed myself dabbling in all the ingredients. I've even caught myself trying to make someone's cookies.

Then I found these great cooking coaches:

1-A Good Scripture
2-A Good Talk
3-A Good Song
4-A Good Movie
5-A Good Friend

And I figure, all that matters is that I keep baking; the rest will sort itself out in the oven.

My Photos

Creativity Heals the Soul

As you can tell, I've been rather busy. Its been an incredibly good summer full of text book readings, random trips to Utah and photography. In between my crazy schedule I've tried to make some time for horseback riding, fun dinner nights and service. However, this past week was rather stressful wrapping up the final details of summer courses and trying to mentally prepare for Fall Semester.

Honestly, all of us have moments when we think its impossible to go one more step, or have energy to do one more thing required of us. As I've been wrapping up my college education, I've been pondering the attitude demonstrated by Jimmy Morris, the main character of the 2002 Disney Movie, The Rookie. After finding the breaking point working towards his dream, he re-evaluates his motives and discovers joy baseball again. My favorite line happens as he re-enters the locker room after a change in attitude, he says with a big grin: "You know what we get to do today, Brooks? We get to play baseball!"

Today, I had such an Epiphany. I spent the afternoon designing in Adobe Photoshop. After about two hours, I felt my mind relax and I found joy in my work. Then I thought, Wow, Tamra, you know what you get to do for the rest of your life? CREATE!

Here's my favorite creation that brought me joy today: Enjoy :)

Ahem...A public safety announcement:

A good reason one should wear shin guards:

but I still love soccer just the same, go figure.

I admit it, I cried...

Yes, I did...I cried during a recent viewing of Pixar's new movie, Toy Story 3. I've heard many other girls proclaim they did the same thing. So what was it about the new movie that moved us all to tears? I give you my top ten reasons:

10-Excessive dust in the theater?

9-Allergies?

8-An oversensitive nature?

7-Humidity: its so hot my eyes decided to sweat?

6-Too much time reading my thesis material, am I going insane?

5-Too much time working on a website, am I really going insane?

4-Saying Goodbye to Woody and Buzz and all the other Toy Story 3 characters I grew up watching

3-Oozing over priceless memories of Chocolate (my favorite cabbage patch kid) and all my other favorite toys

2-Remembering the power of carefree playful imaginations

1-Recognizing I'm all grown up and there's no turning back.