Just FYI

My parents are finally on the blogging network! YAY.
McGuire Family Blog

The Start of Something Big

So-
I've made a new goal.
I'm going to keep up with the scrapbooking and print out a book as an anniversary present to myself every year. This year's gonna be a doozy as it includes the wedding, (bridals, engagements, receptions, etc.) the honeymoon, and the rest of our crazy lives! but so far things are going well. :) Plus, I hate flipping through pictures on a computer and feel a huge rush when I create something I'm satisfied with. :)

Page 1 of the wedding.

Confession

I can't write radio ads to save my life.
It probably has to do with the fact that they're all obnoxious.
I just can't contribute to that.

Love is Remembering

Cameron knew I was giving him his valentine’s day on the 13th because I didn’t want to cramp his plans, so he brought me flowers on the 13th too and totally surprised me! Not only did he surprise me, but he came home with Gerber daisies and roses just like when he proposed to me. The next day, he told me to be ready by 4:30. When he came home, he blindfolded me (just like when we got engaged) and put me in the car. We drove for about an hour. Once we stopped, he got me out of the car, took of my blindfold and kissed me. We were at the Jordan River Temple to do sealings. I had mentioned while we were engaged that if our families weren’t all in Arizona, I would have loved to have been married in the Jordan River temple. Cameron is so sweet! He does little things for me all the time that just show me he listens to what I say, that it is important to him, and that he remembers it.

[Addicted]

Cameron and I have recently fallen in love with the card game NERTS. I’ve played for years and years with my family. Apparently so has he. I’ve never lost in my family and most of the time could play by myself against both my parents on a team and win. The funny thing is, Cameron’s never been very good at it, until now. The first time we played one on one, Cameron whooped me 4 times in a row! I was so shocked I had to call my mom and tell her about it! I honestly didn’t know what to do with myself. All my mom said was “Bless that Man!” I’ve since woken up to the fact that when only 2 people are playing, it’s not about who’s faster, but more of who’s more aware of what’s going on. Cameron really kills me most of the time. It’s infuriating! Couples in our ward have invited us over to play and we’re pretty darn good as a team. :) We’ve made some awesome friends named Brady and Danielle Sanders. They are total NERTS fans too, so our Sunday afternoons consist of good food, good friends, and good competition. I love beating Cameron, almost as much as he loves beating me. It’s hilarious because you get so frustrated but can’t help but laugh at how proud we both get. Most of the time we play until our brains beg us to stop. Upon discovering each others’ infatuation with the card game, we’ve played in various locations, including restaurants while waiting for our food, the city park, and the kitchen floor. We’re absolutely addicted.

I Married A Jedi Episode 3

For our first Valentine’s Day, I decided to skip the pink and red altogether. Since I’ve never seen Star Wars, I decided to throw Cameron a Star Wars party instead. I made Yoda Soda, Wookie Cookies, and chocolate dipped light sabers. I decorated with glow in the dark stars and an awesome Star Wars poster. I let him pick his favorite episode, which we would watch while wearing our Wookie Pants Jessica made us for Christmas this year. I even promised him I wouldn’t kiss him during the entire movie. It made for a very happy hubby!

Let's Play!

So... my cousin has this fun post on her blog that I am posting here. It's kind of a game for us "blogger" types. Here's how it works: the first FIVE people to respond to this post will get something made by me personally. What I make is my choice, but it will be made JUST FOR YOU! My choice. For you. However, like all things that sound too good to be true :), this offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- There is no guarantee that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you personally.
3- It will be completed sometime this year. :)
4- You will receive no clues as to what it's going to be. I'll let you post a request of some sort with your comment, but still... it could be anything!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange if I so desire... it may blow your mind! Or it may not. It may be very simple and predictable... but hopefully you will benefit from it!

And like most things that sound too good to be true, there is a catch. You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same deal to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. Not too bad, huh? In fact, I think it'll be a lot of fun!!

So-- on your mark, get set, GO! The first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they posted this on their blog and want to win a free, FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift from me will receive just that!!! **Remember: You have to tell me in your post that you've posted this on your blog before you can be guaranteed one of the five slots!** Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

(P.S. Still check to see if there are winner spots available... just because it says there are 5 or more comments doesn't mean that there have been 5 winners yet!)

I Belong To The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

There has been a large controversy involving HBO and

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I am a member of this Church and have found much of

the material of this new development

in the series "Big Love" upsetting. I found great comfort

in this press release and wish to share

it in hopes of comforting those who felt similarly.

For those of you who desire to learn more about

the "Mormon" church, I invite you to check out www.mormon.org.

SALT LAKE CITY 9 March 2009 Like other large faith groups, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sometimes finds itself on the receiving end of attention from Hollywood or Broadway, television series or books, and the news media. Sometimes depictions of the Church and its people are quite accurate. Sometimes the images are false or play to stereotypes. Occasionally, they are in appallingly bad taste.

As Catholics, Jews and Muslims have known for centuries, such attention is inevitable once an institution or faith group reaches a size or prominence sufficient to attract notice. Yet Latter-day Saints – sometimes known as Mormons - still wonder whether and how they should respond when news or entertainment media insensitively trivialize or misrepresent sacred beliefs or practices.

Church members are about to face that question again. Before the first season of the HBO series Big Love aired more than two years ago, the show’s creators and HBO executives assured the Church that the series wouldn’t be about Mormons. However, Internet references to Big Love indicate that more and more Mormon themes are now being woven into the show and that the characters are often unsympathetic figures who come across as narrow and self-righteous. And according to TV Guide, it now seems the show’s writers are to depict what they understand to be sacred temple ceremonies.

Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding. Last week some Church members began e-mail chains calling for cancellations of subscriptions to AOL, which, like HBO, is owned by Time Warner. Certainly such a boycott by hundreds of thousands of computer-savvy Latter-day Saints could have an economic impact on the company. Individual Latter-day Saints have the right to take such actions if they choose.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series. As Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Robert D. Hales of the Council of the Twelve Apostles have both said recently, Latter-day Saints in the public arena should conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness.

Not only is this the model that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated in his own life, but it also reflects the reality of the strength and maturity of Church members today. As someone recently said, “This isn’t 1830, and there aren’t just six of us anymore.” In other words, with a global membership of thirteen and a half million there is no need to feel defensive when the Church is moving forward so rapidly. The Church’s strength is in its faithful members in 170-plus countries, and there is no evidence that extreme misrepresentations in the media that appeal only to a narrow audience have any long-term negative effect on the Church.

Examples:

• During the Mitt Romney election campaign for the presidency of the United States, commentator Lawrence O’Donnell hurled abuse at the Church in a television moment that became known among many Church members as “the O’Donnell rant.” Today, his statements are remembered only as a testament to intolerance and ignorance. They had no effect on the Church that can be measured.
• When the comedy writers for South Park produced a gross portrayal of Church history, individual Church members no doubt felt uncomfortable. But once again it inflicted no perceptible or lasting damage to a church that is growing by at least a quarter of a million new members every year.
• When an independent film company produced a grossly distorted version of the Mountain Meadows Massacre two years ago, the Church ignored it. Perhaps partly as a result of that refusal to engender the controversy that the producers hoped for, the movie flopped at the box office and lost millions.
• In recent months, some gay activists have barraged the media with accusations about “hateful” attitudes of Latter-day Saints in supporting Proposition 8 in California, which maintained the traditional definition of marriage. They even organized a protest march around the Salt Lake Temple. Again, the Church has refused to be goaded into a Mormons versus gays battle and has simply stated its position in tones that are reasonable and respectful. Meanwhile, missionary work and Church members in California remain as robust and vibrant as ever, and support for the Church has come from many unexpected quarters — including some former critics and other churches.

Now comes another series of Big Love, and despite earlier assurances from HBO it once again blurs the distinctions between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the show’s fictional non-Mormon characters and their practices. Such things say much more about the insensitivities of writers, producers and TV executives than they say about Latter-day Saints.

If the Church allowed critics and opponents to choose the ground on which its battles are fought, it would risk being distracted from the focus and mission it has pursued successfully for nearly 180 years. Instead, the Church itself will determine its own course as it continues to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/

Snowboarding!

Emilee and Kiara took me snowboarding last weekend. I've never been before but I've wanted to learn for a really long time. I'm proud to say I only biffed it off the lift once all day :) and learned how to carve. Not bad for a first timer. It was a blast to have just us girls for a while. I don't think I've had more than 5 hours without Cameron since we got married. I was very ready to see him after we got off the mountain! I should have taken pictures of my battle scars, but I ended up with 2 black knees, a bruised hand, and a tailbone that I wanted to cut out of my body. I've since forgotten exactly how bad it hurt, though, and can't wait to go again! I look pretty awkward when I'm boarding, though, and I don't know that my pride can take Cam seeing me. :) I'm sure I'll get over it. Thanks for a fantastic day, girls!

LIBERATION!

So, I'm doing a bit of a school project. All responses will be kept completely anonymous (you can even post an anonymous comment if you'd like), but I really need to know what you wish you could be liberated from, or an experience where you felt liberated. Everything helps. :) The responses can be as serious or as silly as you'd like. Thanks so much! I really appreciate it!