Happy Birthday Brian... Almost 3 Months Late

Last Wednesday, Drew and I went to the Blazers Vs. Bobcats game at the Rosegarden! It was so much fun, and we were able to take Drew's dad with us for his promised birthday game. It was a different experience, becuase we were able to be in a Comcast suite. There were nice padded seats, little binoculars, snacks, drinks, and our own private bathroom! It was very fun, and we won!

Imported Food

Hey! So, this blog is different from my typical ones, but I saw this politcal cartoon, and I thought I would share it with you all! First of all, I apoligize - this is an outdated version of the food pyramid, but it makes an interesting point.

In the beginning of my Science of Foods class, we were discussing the differences between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safely Inspection Service (USDA). They are the two governement agencies that inspect the food in the USA. The USDA inspects meat, poultry, and eggs - overall they inspect 20% of the food supply, and get $930 million in funding. The FDA inspects 80% of the food supply that includes produce, processed food, and seafood. They deal with the majority of imported foods (i.e. China, Mexico, Canda, Chilie, etc) They ONLY get $509 million. Do you see the problem? Because of the FDA's lack of funding for such a large entity, they don't have enough manpower to do enough inspections. The FDA inspects only 1% or less of all imported food! For clarification that means less than 1 in 100.

When I heard that from my professor my heart stopped.. that is crazy scary to me. People are starting to realize the severe dangers in this, and lately there was a huge congressional hearing on it. We have been having huge problems with China, and I hope we step up and protect our health! There is a huge push to eat locally.. and I know it is expensive and I won't always be able to do it, but here is another reason to further pursuade us to!

What a stud. :)

Hey check out this website. I'm so happy that Drew gets to do this! What a blessing. P.S. Drew is Junior standing, not Frosh. :)

Cranium

The Sunday before school started, our friends Matt and Casey came over for snacks and games! We have been trying to get together since September, and were glad that it finally worked out. We played this game called Cranium.. it is fabulous! Everyone needs to own it.

This is the picture Drew sketched when he had to draw the words "King Kong", I love it!

Tongue ABC's

Here is a random video of Randi, Amber, and I when we were waiting for the cabin to warm up. We are dorks, but hey, we were freezing and needed to warm up our tongues!

Lake of the Woods

This year, as part of our Christmas present, my parents arranged to take us up to Uncle Tom's cabin at Lake of the Woods!! It was so much fun. When we got there, about 4 feet of snow lined the white streets. Luckily my dad had rented snow shoes, and after the guys hiked in to start a fire (the power was down), all of the girls followed. It was kinda funny, becuase one of my sisters had to use the bathroom, and she tried to flush it but was unsuccessful. My dad went in a while later to "fix the problem" and found that it was so cold, her pee had frozen in the toilet bowl. haha, we thought that was hilarious. We cooked a premade vegetarian lasagna on the wood stove, and it was delicious. Around 2:00 in the morning the power came on, and started every one of us, as almost every light in the house flickered on. The next day, we hung out and also went cross country skiing. It was so nice to get away, and I definetely hope this becomes a yearly tradition.

Christmas~

This Christmas was so much fun! We got to go home on Christmas Eve, and were down south for a whole week! We started off Christmas morning at Drew's mom and dad's. Taylor and Jenn were able to come also, and we all opened presents and had a wonderful breakfast. I am so frusterated, becuase I forgot to get my camera out until Taylor, Jenn, Drew, and I were leaving... but I got a great one of the guys. I don't know if you notice, but there was snow! A white Christmas to remember.

After a great morning at my in-laws, we went to my Papa and Jessie's for lunch. The food was also good, and it was really nice to see everyone. In the evening we migrated to my parent's house to do our present opening, and my brother got a new wii game. This is a funny video of my mom ... she gets a little into video games.. haha.

All In all, Christmas was so enjoyable, and it was so appreciated to see our families.