cram 2012

(electronic) inauguration day



i watched history unfold today as barack obama was sworn is as the 44th president of the united states. i listened to the fanfare on NPR while driving to work and barely made it to the parking lot when obama started his speech. i made my way up to our offices and aimee had her computer on msypace, streaming the event through hulu. i sat behind her and watched, while one-by-one our coworkers filed in and joined us. i snapped the pic above with my iPhone to capture how millions of americans (and the world) viewed this historic moment.

perfectly simple yet simply perfect

february 20 - march 7

i finally booked a ticket to manila. it'll be my first time back in 19 years. i never ever say this, but time DOES fly. i'm curious to see how much has changed and what stayed the same, how much "smaller" everything is now compared to when i was 10 years old (crossing my street seemed like a big deal then), and just the way of life. plus, the sightseeing, the nightlife, and the shopping. good times.

snow day

i've driven through the 118 freeway practically everyday for the past 19 years. this is the first time i've ever seen snow from this view. so pretty.

red velvet day

i've never baked anything in my life until yesterday. i bought two packs of sprinkles red velvet cupcake mix from williams sonoma a few days ago and decided to bake the fam a batch of unnecessary holiday carbs. plus, my sister and i watched dean for a couple of hours so it made for a good kid-entertaining activity...that is until he got upset that i put one dot of sprinkles decorating dot on his cupcake (i forgot how kids expect bazillion little sprinkles on their cupcakes and that the "modern dot" sprinkles is known for was all lost on the little guy). we explained to him that this is what they're supposed to look like - he didn't care - and so we put two dots on his cupcake. a second later, dean decided he didn't want said confectionery dot nor frosting on his cake. i mean, this kid will eat bowls of white rice plain, so i wasn't surprised. it's just another reason i love him. the cupcakes came out really well, considering we don't have an electric mixer and my arms got a good workout from all the mixing. i've got another package to make sometime before christmas, but even though it was a success, i don't think i'm adding baking to my list of hobbies anytime soon.

slow tides turning

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The strong backlash against the LDS Church over Proposition 8 is taking a new twist. LDS members - sometimes whole LDS families - say they are now leaving the Church because of its opposition to same-sex marriage.

On just one anti-prop 8 website, they reportedly number in the hundreds. Some say they've already resigned; others are apparently about to.

Linda Stay from St. George is one of those resigning from the LDS Church, and is doing so because the Church opposes gay marriage, like the one her son Tyler is in.

Andrew Callahan, a LDS member who has been very vocal speaking out against Prop 8, told ABC 4, "It's very clear to me that many, many people are resigning over this gay marriage issue and the Church's involvement in it."

Now, the last time Utah saw Andrew Callahan, he was delivering anti-Prop 8 petitions to the LDS Church in October, but now, on Callahan's website, “Signing for Something,” there is a new section.

It's reserved for those resigning from or leaving the LDS Church.

And Callahan tells the story of one heartbroken LDS woman in California.

"She doesn't want to be associated with the bigotry and she doesn't want, in any way, to be responsible for teaching the young children to be bigots," said Callahan.

Callahan estimates on his website he's heard from hundreds of resigned or resigning LDS members.

This includes not just Linda Stay but also nine other members of her family.

Callahan also says it includes his 16-year-old daughter but not yet him.

He says, "I am disgusted as everyone else, but, because they asked me to resign, I don't want them to feel they got what they wanted."

And Callahan's website also includes a link to something called mormonnomore.com.

This site includes step by step instructions for leaving the LDS faith.

Now, perhaps, some of the LDS members leaving the church would have done so anyway, but Callahan says since the Salt Lake Temple protest Friday, more than 200 LDS members on his website have made it clear they're now resigning as well.