Americas Dependency: Part 1

Last week the price of oil was up to $135 per barrel. Not a good prospect for the impending holiday weekend. Car travel is down across the nation as travelers resign themselves to use more public transportation and give up the American dream of their own automobile. Since the first car was made by Ford and the advent of the mass production line was invented Americans have always seen the automobile as a status symbol and a must have item. Now don’t get me wrong, not everyone has or uses a car but millions of people do everyday. The question is when and where will increased gas prices start to hit your bottom line? Will you notice that you have less disposable income; will your errands be completed closer to home? Or will you not go on a vacation this year because the cost of doing so is becoming increasingly more expensive. Who do you go to seek help in reducing our oil dependency and search out for alternative uses to run our cars and heat our homes? Is the government or private enterprise the right direction to help our energy needs to improve our way of life and decrease the amount we spend at the pump?

I think that many everyday Americans do not realize how much they are yet spending at the pump each time they fill up, sure you might complain that you had to spend a little bit more, but what changes are you making to adjust for the increase in the price of fuel? Have you noticed other items increasing that you spend your money on as well? While the price of fuel continues to increase, so will the end products that consumers have to purchase on a daily or weekly basis. Food, clothing and general necessities all across the board continue to go up in price partly due to the cost of shipping goods and how far those goods have to travel before they reach your local store.

It’s just business and business’s are out their to make money, as stated by on Exxon Mobile rep at the shareholder’s meeting held this week, in Dallas, Texas. Exxon is not a charity and should not be thought of as such and they should have every right to make a buck or a billion plus. Right? But to what cost to the end consumer, when will people stand up and say enough, is enough.

Water Fun

Memorial Day fun in the clouds. That does not sound right but alas the weather in Utah has been very unreliable. No spring, oh well. We can move to Texas and move right into summer. Well the weather did not stop the kids from playing in the water. We went to a pool party where they played in the pool until they were told to get out for the hundredth time and then were splashed after their other clothes had dried enough to bring them home without any issues. They had lots of fun playing with the water and their friend Gia. It was a good time all around.

Camping Out??

I have found one more way that the human race is not as intelligent as we previously thought. People were camping out by the Chick-fil-a that is about to open. Upon opening the first one hundred people will receive one free chicken sandwich per week for a year. I’m pretty sure that is not enough reason to camp out in the rain, after all it’s just a chicken sandwich.

John Deer Dress

I was at the fabric store yesterday, to pick up some presmocked fabric for Isabelle when I saw the most adorable stuff ever. And to top it all off, it had to have been the easiest dress to make ever. I think it took all of five minutes. Isabelle just loved it and she looks so cute. (Where does she get her smile from? I think it is from Ben's side of the family).

Indiana Jones

At last the movie gods have decided to make yet another Indiana Jones movie. I am so excited; I think that for a lot of people in my generation this is almost like a cult classic. Now don’t get me wrong this movie will reach out to hundreds of thousands of people of all ages, I can hardly wait. But I guess I will have to until Ben come home again. Maybe we’ll be able to see it together at the drive thru. The question is are you ready for the next installment of Indiana Jones? In theaters nation wide on Friday, May 23, 2008.

I fell asleep where. . .

You know you have had a hard day, when you fall asleep on the stairs. I thought that Bear was going to make his way down the stairs to us but instead he stopped at the top to take a rest and ended up asleep. Isabelle was nice enough to yell down at us that he fell asleep and could we please get Bear off the stairs.

Summer Fun??

Ah the joys of warmer weather and just being a kid. While Ben was home this weekend we got a lot of stuff completed. Of course one of the tasks was to make sure all the sprinklers were working. We had to replace a couple of the heads but managed to get it all to work fairly well. The front set stays on the whole time, no telling why. While the sprinklers were being fixed Isabelle and Barrett enjoyed the water party. Isabelle was a little braver about running in the water, and Bear was just not sure about the sprayand tried to hit the water with the bat. Either way, they both had fun and cooled off on a rather warm day. Even Ben said the water felt good.

Animals Everywhere

After Isabelle’s performance and around lunch time, we made our way down to one the kid’s favorite places to go, The Farm, at Thanksgiving Point. They truly enjoy looking at the animals, and petting the few they feel brave enough to approach, and spending time with their friends. It’s always nice when they can play well with others without causing any harm, which of course is not what happened, but fortunately nobody was hurt badly, just more shaken up than anything, sorry Anjie. But injuries not included the kids had lots of fun, and Bear was so excited to ride the ponies. Once he caught sight of them, he really had a one track mind, and kept trying to drag us over there. Too Cute!

Spring Show

It is every parents pride and joy to see their child perform in front of family, friends and other parents. Twice a year Isabelle’s school does a nice little performance for the parents so that we know they are doing more than just learning. It was so much fun to see all the kids and hear their little voices sing as they entertained up for fifteen (15) minutes. Some of the kids are shy, while others are very boisterous. Isabelle ironically is somewhere in between. I know when she is at home, she sings her little heart out, but when she is in a group up in front of people, she is a little more quite. I think my favorite part was when they did a rendition of the Where the Wild Things Are, the kids “acted” out the parts of the wild things. At one point they all walked in a circle, and in true Isabelle fashion she moved the entire circle to the middle. It’s amazing how kids will move when they are attached to one another. It was a lot of fun, and I was sad that Ben missed it live and in person, but he’ll get a chance to watch it on video.

Dinner Conversation

This is a conversation that Isabelle and I just had, as she sits on the arm rest of the couch looking at me while I read:

Mom: "Are you going to eat dinner or what?

Isabelle: "Or What!"

Mom: laughs hesterically, becuase of the three year old response.

This is kid too smart for her own good. But she keeps me going everyday and is a never ending suprise at what she says and does.