When I was little and I would ask my parents for something, I didn't usually give up after one "no". I would ask again, maybe throw in a "please" or even a "pretty please". Or I would argue my case again. I would usually ask several times and finally, after several "nos", I would give up the cause. I don't think I was alone in this - this is fairly common among kids. I must have driven my parents crazy. But, now that I am an adult, I like to think that I have left such childish tactics behind. And, I would also like to think that other adults have also left such childish tactics behind. Recently, I have learned that there are some adults out there, specifically those who work for charities and call to ask for money, who have actually re-adopted this practice of not giving up after one "no". Note this recent phone conversation that I had with one such charity worker:

"I'm so and so from _________ charity. Would you be able to donate to our cause this year?"

"No, I can't donate this year."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty Please?"

"NO!"

I've had two such conversations in the last week. I've worked in sales and am completely aware of the different tactics they use to try to get you to buy/donate when you've said "no" the first time. And, perhaps there's something to be said for not taking "no" for an answer. But, really, "please"? That's all you got to try to persuade me? As you can see from the above conversation, the persistent asking served only to aggravate me even more. And not only do I not want to donate now, but because you have irritated me so much, there goes any inclination I may have had to donate in the future. I don't know who decided that this was a good sales tactic, but clearly they should have taken a hint from the kids. It never worked then and it's not going to work now. And with that said, I would like to officially apologize to my parents for ever using this annoying tactic because I now realize just how irritating it is. Sorry Mom & Dad!

A Visit from the Sabins

Things have been a little busy around here this last week. My sister came to visit with her 5 kids. She brought her sister-in-law with her, along with her 5 kids. So, we've been busy each day finding things to do with 10 little kids. We started out at the cab (short for the cabin, according to Alyssa, my niece). That was great. We could just relax inside or head to the lake for some water fun.


Tammy fosters my dislike of shoes by carrying me back to the porch so I wouldn't step on pine needles in my bare feet


Tammy and Mr. Frisby work tirelessly to blow up floaties and contribute to the fun factor at the lake


So relaxing!


Not quite as relaxing for my sister and her sister-in-law who had to entertain kids/keep them from drowning

After getting home from the cab, we had a great evening in San Francisco. We ate dinner at Eliza's (the best Chinese food in the city) and I got probably the best fortune of my life in my fortune cookie: An airplane ride is soon in your future sending you to fun! After dinner, we saw Wicked. It was amazing and I keep singing the song "Popular" in my head. Unfortunately, there were no pictures to document it.

The next day, we went to Point Lobos. The weather wasn't great and the wildlife was scarce, but we had fun anyway.


So beautiful, even if it was overcast


My nephew, Max, is the one in the blue hoodie. He's very attached to his mom. We couldn't help but think of Buster (for all you Arrested Development fans) when we saw his mommy-loving antics, so we affectionately started calling him that. He's seldom in a picture without her.


Climbing rocks


Throwing sand (yes, this is Max a.k.a "Buster". Though you can't see my sister in this photo, she is close by)


As we were heading back to the cars, we finally saw a couple of seals


And, of course, we had to stop and gawk at them


This is Ellie. She is my sister's sister-in-law's daughter. I liked taking pictures of Ellie because she was always doing something funny. After we got back from Point Lobos, we ate dinner and enjoyed some popsicles. I think Ellie enjoyed hers the most.

The next day we went to Muir Woods. We ate lunch in Sausalito. I'm going to gloss over the fact the we spent a couple of hours in Sausalito, but no time in San Francisco because I don't really understand why it turned out that way. Muir Woods was fun, though, and the kids had a good time looking at all the cool stuff.


Tall trees


Max, I mean Buster, liked to point out all of the rivers to Ellie

Finally, the day before they left, we went to the beach in Santa Cruz. The weather turned out to be beautiful, but the waves were so high and dangerous that they had to close the water! The lifeguards wouldn't let anyone get in the water.


Huge waves. The biggest I've ever seen there!


Sharon and Becca went in as far as the lifeguard would let them

The Sabins went home yesterday and now we're back to our boring, quiet life. Thanks for visiting, guys!

An Apology

I have a problem. It may have led to some unintended rudeness on my part. I would, therefore, like to issue a general apology to anyone who may have been the recipient of said unintended rudeness. We all know that the Mormon world is a small one and you're bound to run into people that you know every now and again while at the store or cruising around town. And that's where my problem rears its ugly head. You see, when I see people that I know when I'm at the store, my natural instinct is to turn and run before they can see me. Apparently, I develop a bit of social anxiety when unexpectedly confronted with a situation in which I need to be friendly. If I'm not able to escape without notice, my next line of defense is to pretend that I didn't see that person. Then, I pray in my heart that they don't see me. Or that they're exhibiting the same natural defense mechanisms as I am. Then we both pretend not to see each other, nobody is offended, and everyone goes home happy that they narrowly escaped that potentially awkward run-in. But, more often than not, the person sees me or there is no safe means of escape and friendliness is necessary. When that is the case, my last line of defense in order to avoid any awkwardness is to make the encounter as brief as possible. Usually that means that I say hello or have a brief exchange as I pass and then I keep going without looking back. And that is where the unintended rudeness happens. I am fully aware that any normal person would be friendly and stop to chat for a few minutes. I know what the social norms are. But, as I said, I have a problem. My natural, avoid awkward situation tendencies take over and I probably come across as a rude social freak as I try to exit the situation with minimal damage. So, to anyone who has experienced these self-preservation tendencies at the worst, I offer my sincerest apologies. I have no problem with you - as I said, the problem is mine. So, if you have tried to say hello and only received a brief hello as I make a beeline for the next aisle, I'm sorry. If you have seen me in the store and stopped to chat only to have me call out a brief greeting as I dash past you, I'm sorry. And, if you saw me coming toward you one moment and saw only my back as I make a hasty retreat the next, I'm sorry. In those situations, I feel much like a deer caught in the headlights, but in my case, I don't plan to get run over. So I run. I know it's rude. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. And don't expect to have any sort of normal conversation with me in those spontaneous encounters. Just know that, even though I'm an idiot, I like you. Just from far away.

Cupcakeology 2009

A few years ago, some friends and I decided to have a cupcake bake-off. The event was a success and we decided to make it an annual occurrence. The Cupcakeology Contest was born. The event has grown since that first year and this year's contest saw its first out-of-state submission, taking Cupcakeology to the national level. There were four subcategories within the two main categories, taste and presentation. The competition was fierce this year and all manner of cupcake was submitted. Ribbons were awarded for each of the subcategories and a best in show ribbon, along with a prize of silicone cupcake baking cups, were awarded to the best cupcake in each of the main categories.


The Ribbon Winners


Our Esteemed Panel of Judges


Two of our judges, with bellies full of cupcake


Cupcakes, cupcakes all around

This year's event was a smashing success and, amidst all of the cupcake spoils, we are anxious to see to what level we can take next year's contest.

A Shoe Problem

I love shoes. I have a lot of shoes. More than I need, in fact. When I find a good pair of shoes, I have a hard time passing them up. And I am of the opinion that it's very difficult to have too many shoes. So, what's the problem you ask? I don't like to wear shoes. If I could go everywhere barefoot, I would. The first thing I do when I come home is take off my shoes (and socks if I'm wearing any). My feet like to be free and wild. You can imagine that one of the most difficult rules for me to follow at girls' camp was to always have closed-toed shoes on. I was wearing flip-flops when I was out earlier today and I couldn't wait to get them off when I got home.

So, what is a girl to do when she loves shoes and wants everyone to see her beautiful shoes, but she doesn't want to wear them?