Camping at Nunn's Park

One really great cheap summer/fall activity is camping.

I think we pulled off this excursion

for the price of $15 for the site (group rate)

and $20 in groceries.

(It helps a lot to combine efforts with other families.

We didn't share our smores though.)

If you don't have the gear just borrow some.

I love living in the state of Utah

with all its camping abundance.

I LOVE CAMPING!

I can't wait until all of our kids get old enough

to start backpacking.

There is something so relaxing about

leaving the rush of the world

and entering God's country.

Nunn's Park is so close,

we took full advantage

when a bunch of our neighbors

planned a great excursion.

This is how we do camping in Utah.

Warning:

Picture overload.

My Body is A Temple

I had the most profound experience last week.
I was sitting at the temple waiting to witness a friend's wedding.
In rolled an elderly woman sitting in her wheelchair.
Her body had disintegrated.
All that was left was skin on bones.

The week before I had attended a funeral of a good friend.
He was normally a big jolly fellow, not fat, but tall and built.
Cancer had stole his life too soon,
and left his wife and three daughters weeping.
The final pictures of him were skinny.
The funeral weighed heavily on my mind this day,
as I was also simultaneously overjoyed for our dear friend
starting his life with his new wife.

I was contemplative,
and seeing this sweet little old lady,
effected me to the core.
My heart ached for her to be healthier.
I wished I could have seen her at her prime.
I wanted her to have a little meat on her bones,
so she could get up and walk without fear.

Toilet Time

Great.
My hubby is now going
to really have a great excuse
as to why he spends
so much time on the toilet.
Am I the only woman with this complaint?

Michael's Meds and the House of Blues

Michael McLean is a personal hero of mine.

I love his music.

Here is one of my favorite songs,

for those of you unfamiliar with his work.

(not his video, but the best I could find)

I am always grateful when people choose to talk publicly

about how their psychiatric medications help them.

U T Lady of the Year

Even in Utah,
we love Pat Summit.

Let's just pretend that the UT stands for

The University of Tennesssee.

And let's also pretend 

that the car is orange,

that way Pat will know that we love her.

If anyone is going to beat

Alzheimer's,

why not the woman with the most wins

ever?

Game Night Treats

August is almost over.

We've had some boggle fun this month.

Thanks to all you smarties.

If you think you've got brains,

make sure you've checked it out.

The game is over on the 31st.

I'm making these treats for game night tonight.

I hope two peas and their pod

won't mind me using their photo

if I share with you the link.

Easiest treats ever.

And how cute!

What are your favorite easy treats for game night?

Please share your links.

Please, Not A Jack Mormon for President

I have been working on this post for some time,

and had to get it up after 

reading this article about
Jon Huntsman this morning.

I am here to tell you that any Mormon who says

that his religious tenets "are tough to define"

is a Jack Mormon.

Jack Mormons are people 

who are Mormon in name only.

They don't believe
or aren't interested
in living all the tenants of the faith.

A Jack anything is a disgrace.

Hasta luego social media.

I think I am going to scale back on the blogging,

which means better quality posts less often.

Hopefully, more posts that aren't like this one.

I just wanted to give you fair warning.

Be Still, My Soul

Be Still My Soul is one of my favorite hymns.

Ever since the day I got home from my mission.
I went to the temple because I didn't know
what else to do with myself.
I threw up all over the lawn.
Leaving my missionary service behind,
made me sad, empty, scared, and confused
about my future.
I had given 18 months of my life to the Lord
and I had found myself by losing myself
and I found greater purpose in serving others.
I didn't want to have to live my life for me.

I got inside the temple and sat down in the chapel.
On the organ played
Be Still My Soul.

Family Feud

Do you remember this post about my family's appearance on The Family Feud?

Well, LG and I were at a Radio Shack the other day and it reminded me of my brother's terrible answer in the final round. He will never live it down. What would you buy (other than a radio) at Radio Shack? A wire. I think one other person had actually picked that answer. So funny and fun.

We didn't win the $20,000 but we did make some great memories.

Go to my brother Adam's facebook page to watch the video.
And come back and tell me how terrible my hair was.

Girls can play football too.

On Sunday, my hubby, LG got up to give a talk.
He was as cute as usual; I love hearing him speak.
He never does it publicly unless he is assigned.
Following, our three girls, me,
and the ward's Young Women's choir,
he got a little choked up as he said that good women are a theme in his life.

After all, he is the dad of four beautiful daughters
and the husband of a pretty hard to handle wife.

He then told a funny story.
Hit the read more. You don't want to miss this one.
It's about the kid shown above. And football.

If fashion can make me laugh: I'm in.

Fashion: I don't get it.
I have a friend who runs this fashion blog.
Every day it astounds me that people
actually put clothes on and take pictures of themselves.
Sometimes multiple shots from different angles.
I guess it's the wardrobe equivalent of me
blogging every detail about my life on this little thing we call the blog.

Well this morning Sheila turned me on to a post
that is funny and fashionable.
Go and check it out.
You will never look at your accessories the same.
Thanks Sheila.

Music to my ears.

This funny video came to me as an e-mail forward from a great friend.
Valerie Ader is old enough to be my mother
so naturally she is really good at e-mail forwards.
I miss you Valerie. I need a walking partner. Move to Utah.

Anyway, it's good for a laugh and some inspiration simultaneously.
I am sure you are going to love it.
And thanks Val.
You always come through for me when I don't feel like writing!

Remind me

Why do I blog?

I am over it today.
I haven't been in a writing mood.
It's quite possible I go through this very mood
every last week of summer.
The kids are going to be back in school very soon
and maybe I will have more of a regular schedule
and maybe I will get a real nap time
to sit at the computer without being interrupted.

Or maybe I will find the job that I need to get.
Either way, my blogging future isn't looking so hot.
And I am sad.

July's Contest Winner!

Valerie Shedley won for the funniest joke in July's contest.

Sorry it has taken me so long to formerly announce it.
I've been enjoying our last few days of summer.

Valerie as soon as you tell me what kind of gift card you want
and you message me your address your $20 gift will be on its way.

Here is Valerie's winning joke. She was right when she said that fart jokes are always funny. The girls, LG and I, and four of my grown-up in-laws were all cracking up. Even if we had heard it before.

Sharing Fortune

LeGrand took me for the yummy Chinese lunch buffet today.

He ordered me an additional dish
of my favorite walnut shrimp.
On top of the all you can eat buffet.
Just because it's my favorite
and it wasn't part of the buffet.
Now, that's true love.

When it came time to pick a fortune, 

I felt equally drawn to both.

And when we opened and read, I realized why.

They applied universally.

We are all Pioneers

Who is your favorite pioneer?

Mine is my mother,

who at 16 started searching for the true church.

Cafe Rio Pork

Being back in Utah has reunited us

with a lot of our most loved foods.

Fry Sauce for one.

mmm mmm.

Cafe Rio for two.

I thought I would help those of you out that aren't close to a Cafe Rio.

Here is a recipe that I recently tried and loved.

Homemade Cafe Rio Pork.

It is made in a crockpot, so it's perfect for Sundays.

Your Klout on Social Media

Recently I found myself writing up a ditty for a blog service.
The question was how can your readers connect with you?

I answered
Comment on my blog at  imsofunny.blogspot
Find me on my facebook  page, imsofunnyblog.
They can get me on my pinterest, imsofunny.
On my neglected twitter, imsofunnyblog,
On my blogfrog community, funny.
Are you following the funny theme?

Or they can e-mail me at alice.w.gold@gmail.com.
I thought I really should get an e-mail with the word funny in the address.
Oh well. Maybe later.

I got thinking about how much I use social media.

Movie Review: The Help

The book The Help by Kathryn Stockett was life changing for me. 

The movie was a great review for why it was life changing.

I am not usually one to compare the movies to the books.

I like to read books first because I then get to imagine them unfolding 

untainted by another's interpretation.

I then like to take in the movie as a whole different experience.

However open-minded I tried to go into this movie experience, 

I have to say that The Help was more like what I imagined 

while reading than any other book/movie experience.

My hat is off to the producers, directors, and actors.

You nailed it.

Head on.

Bravo.

Mommy wasn't giggling

When the toddling tornado wreaked havoc.

But apparently, other moms get it, so they featured one of Caroline's photos on their blog.

I love mommy giggles.

Go over and give them a photo that makes you chuckle.

You could win $25 every month.

And we all know, every mom needs two things:
more giggles, and more money?

Of course I wasn't going to say more kids.
We've got plenty of those.

Deep-fried Kool-Aid

Sometimes, you can find the perfect reason to smile.
Today it was in the form of a culinary delicacy.
From California of all places.
I love it when all three of my universes collide.

What's all the excitement

Life is short.

Taylor Lautner

I don't know how anyone could ever choose skinny Edward over Werewolf Jacob.

Taylor is such a cutie and he always seems so down to earth.

I wish they would make this a real movie.
I think it has potential.
I loved the original Field of Dreams.

And I love me some Taylor Lautner. In a "I like to pretend I am still in high school when I dream" way.

Sesame Street Greats

I have been a loyal fan of Sesame Street,
almost since it's inception in 1969.

Sesame Street is 4 years older than me,
which means that I have never known a life without it.

Oh how glad I am.
And oh how happy it makes me that Caroline loves it too.
She's just like the rest of my girls.

How could anyone not love Sesame Street?

Book Review - All That Was Promised

All That Was Promised. by Vickie Hall 

3.5 stars out of 5.

I traveled to Wales last week. I also time-traveled back to the 1800's. It was the best of times and the worst of times. The Church of Jesus Christ was just being established, which means the church and all of its new members were also being severely persecuted.

This book is a piece of LDS fiction that will make any of its readers, wherever they may be or whatever they be, grateful for freedom of worship. How many times have you walked into your church without a second thought of mobs forming, or atrocities being calculated against you and your family? Yeah, me too. I have never once had to worry about physical injury. I'll take the intellectual prejudices any day, over the physical prejudices so many before me have endured.

School Lunches - Easy as Ants on a Log

This great post got me thinking about school lunches.

A young mom will be sending her first child to kindergarten and her mom suggested that they practice having school lunches at home so he would be prepared when on his own. If every kindergarten teacher could be as lucky to get her kid.

August's Challenge

Whoever can find the longest word first
in any one of these Boggle boards, wins.
You have to post the word in a comment here.
And make sure you do it first.

Words that can't be entered are:

This is

a blog

post.


Of course why would you want to enter one of those words?
They would never be long enough to win you anything.

My favorite readers

 I am sure you have all been waiting all month for my write-up about

my two favorite reader. Please don't feel chided, 
you could be my favorite too if you would just comment 
on almost every single post I write, no matter how bad.

I believe Holly beat Sheila by one in June's contest,

but I decided that I should write about Sheila too.