Spokes for Hope - 50 miles

Spokes for Hope in St. George was my first official road bike race - and it was a great one! I couldn't have asked for better weather and it was a women only race - which was so nice. I would say only about 50 people rode, so it was nice and small. The roads were so quiet that morning. It really, really, really made me wished I lived in St. George!!

I'm smiling at the finish - barely. I definitely hit a wall around mile 45 (or as cyclists call it - bonked). The last five miles was the longest five miles of my life. My shoulders hurt and my knee ached a little, but I felt so great afterwards! Brian got in his mountain bike ride and then watched me finish. It was an awesome weekend!

Fun Fun Fun

Mow Mow loves Kaia's Princess chair almost more than Kaia!

Kaia's beautiful skirt Grandma Castro made - TC helped pick out the fabric.

Aquarium! Kaia loved the fish, but wasn't too sure about the sting rays that dad was touching...

Caden & Kaia

Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. Very cool - although a bit too intangible for a 2-year-old. Maybe next year it will hold her attention a little more.

Kaia making a dam with dad. The girl is not afraid to get dirty - much to the dismay of her OCD mom!

Wo - scary!

Swimming - Kaia is a fish. She loves the water so much. The indoor pool is just a bit too cold for mom and dad - but Kaia will stay in until her lips are a dark shade of purple!

Law Day Run

I recruited my whole family to run the 2010 Law Day Run this year. It was a great time! Brian finished 1st in the Baby Stroller division, except he didn't actually end up pushing the stroller. My mom walked with Caden, pushing Kaia, and they finished the whole race! My dad, Chris, Sarah and Jeremy all finished with awesome times as well. We celebrated at The Pancake House, the best place in Utah for breakfast.

The Zoo

Easter Weekend

Grandpa M.'s 60th birthday

Easter! Favorite Kaia saying of the holiday, "Oh my gosh" in reaction to the "hidden" eggs the Easter Bunny left. Who taught this kid how to speak?

Super excited! Candy? Without even going potty for it? Kaia's kind of holiday.

Max! Angie, Eric and Max came out over Easter to ski. It was so much fun and we had a great spring storm that weekend so the skiing was spectacular!

Max and Kaia. They learned how to fight with each other for toys really quickly.

Kaia's easter dress from Grandma M.

A Voice of Reason

Guest column written for The Standard Examiner by Lynn M. Hansen, a former Ronald Reagan-appointed ambassador and LDS mission president in Germany.

I did not vote for Obama but we, the American people, did.

As an American and a resident of Weber County, I salute President Obama, Sen. Harry Reid, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi for pushing the health care reform bill through the legislative process. Until the administration of George W. Bush, I was an avid Republican and served in the Reagan and Bush (senior) administrations as a political appointee. But I will not allow Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh to define conservatism for me, nor will I accept the half-truths and invectives with which they pollute the airways.

Those who listen to these hate-mongers should realize that they have become millionaires by peddling the views they do. I recall Limbaugh frequently stating that he hoped Obama would fail. That is tantamount to wishing America would fail for Obama is our freely elected president.

What has happened to civility in this country? I did not vote for Obama but we, the American people, did. I consider myself an American, not a Utahn. I served 23 years in the United States Air Force and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance to one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

For as long as he is president, I will respect the office of president and the person who occupies it.

It is pure hypocrisy or worse for those who legislate (many, if not most of whom are millionaires) to try to deny basic insurance coverage to middle- and lower-class Americans. We must understand that each member of the House of Representatives and each senator — Republican and Democrat — has health insurance with the major portion of their premiums being paid by the taxpayer. I know because I, having worked in the government, also have such a policy. Where is the “justice for all” in this?

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the legislation would extend coverage to 32 million Americans who lack it and cut deficits by an estimated $138 billion over a decade. If realized, the expansion of coverage would include 95 percent of all eligible individuals under age 65.

For the first 10 years, it will cost about $100 billion a year. This is about the yearly cost of the Iraq War.

Why is providing health care to Americans less desirable than invading and fighting a protracted war in a country far away that did not threaten us?

Republicans constantly assert that we will pay more taxes. Wait a minute. Who will pay more taxes? Not people in my income bracket! In fact, we may well see tax relief. Those who will be taxed more are families whose income exceeds $250,000 annually or singles whose income is at $200,000. Why do those who claim we will pay more taxes never mention these details?

The insurance industry, which spent millions on advertising trying to block the bill, would come under new federal regulation. They would be forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions and from canceling policies when a policyholder becomes ill. Does the ordinary citizen understand that CEOs of insurance companies make millions of dollars every year? Some make as much as $24 million a year. Is this what we mean by free enterprise?

Never in the more than 15 years that I have resided in Europe have I met a person who wanted to trade their health care system for ours. I had a hip replacement performed in Germany. The procedure was no different or the care less than that I received for a like operation at McKay-Dee in Ogden.

It is disingenuous to say that we will receive inferior care under the legislation that Obama has signed. It is equally devious to cite horror cases from England or Canada. We have enough of our own. And it is simply wrong to call this socialized medicine knowing that people tend to associate socialism with communism.

Finally, my religious faith believes that governments are instituted of God for the good of the people — all people, not just the rich and privileged! We are often reminded of our duty to care for the less fortunate. I therefore find it odd that the residents of this state are so anti-Obama.

West Haven resident Lynn M. Hansen received a B.A. from Utah State University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Utah. Appointed ambassador by President Reagan, he served as head of the U.S. Delegation to the Geneva Conference on Disarmament and later with the CIA as vice-chairman of the National Intelligence Council. He recently returned from Hamburg, Germany, where he served as LDS mission president.

Kaia's First Stitches

Yes, I said "first" stitches. I know our lives will be filled with many more accidents - partially based on Kaia's no fear personality, and partially based on the fact her parents also have a history of stitches. Brian and I say to each other every night, "Wow, she was a real handful tonight." Okay, we probably don't say it that politely, but you get the drift. She's a wild one! She fell and hit her head on the couch at the babysitters house. It was actually a padded leather couch, but she hit the base just hard enough to split open the skin. I'm really not sure who was more traumatized by the stitches - Kaia or me. She screamed bloody murder and I almost fainted when they started with the needle and thread. It was quite the ordeal, but I guess we're officially parents now that we've made a claim on our accident insurance. After the whole thing was over she was happy to chat with the doctor about how her lamb had an owie too (she bled on it) and we went for ice cream. It was quite a day!