Food for thought

If you ever want a fresh donut at 7:30 pm on a Thursday evening, just know that they aren't available. At least not around these parts. Unbelievable considering the popularity of Dunkin Donuts, but even they only bake once a day.

Another one for the dogs!

Please read this fantastic article about how dogs help children learn to read.

There are so many benefits beyond just reading such as increased attendance, increased participation in class, and an escape from peer pressure. It is quite inspiring. Here are two quotes from the article, but please read the whole thing.

The philosophy is simple. Children who are just learning to read often feel judged or intimidated by classmates and adults. But reading to a dog isn't so scary. It won't judge, it won't get impatient, it won't laugh or correct if the child makes a mistake. In a nutshell, dogs are simply excellent listeners. And for shy kids or slow readers, that can make all the difference.

"It sounds a little kooky when people first hear the idea," she admits. "But if they know dogs at all, and the way people relate to dogs, it quickly starts to make sense. But you don't quite ever grasp how really lovely it is until you see it happen and you see the kids light up and you see how excited they are. You see all these changes in them that they just weren't able to make."

WOW--Look at that!

What you don't see anything?

Still nothing?

How about now?

Ta-da!

Stas and I are expecting a bouncing little bundle of joy the end of March. And we're having a boy!

Tips for preventing H1N1 infection

Green Smoothie Girl, aka my awesome MCOMM teacher Sister Openshaw, posted a few tips on her blog on how to prevent H1N1 infection. I thought they were helpful, straightforward, and easy. Here they are:

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official
communications)

2. Hands-off-the-face approach. Resist all temptations to touch any
part of face

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t
trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal
cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents
proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a
healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this
simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with
warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good
Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and
swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very
effective in bringing down viral population. [Robyn’s note: we have a neti pot
that you can get at health food stores, and my kids use it for occasional head
congestion without my telling them to, because it is so effective: use warm salt
water.)

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C
(Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C
tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (herbal tea, etc.) as you can.
Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse
direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach
where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

These are taken from Dr. Vinay Goyal, who has 20 years of clinical
experience in hospitals.

I hope this helps keep you all healthy this Fall!

Ruff, ruff!

From this article on the health benefits of pets:

“The human-animal bond bypasses the intellect and goes straight to the
heart and emotions and nurtures us in ways that nothing else can.”

-Karin Winegar

i'm sick; now give me all your sympathy

Tuesday I was running errands after work and "it" hit me like a ton of bricks. By the time I got home all I could do was lay on the floor. (Don't think it's weird, that's just how I express my extreme exhaustion.) The exhaustion along with little things like sore throat and headache created a nice little trio to torment me. I thought I could cure it with an early bedtime. Stas told me to just stay home the next day. But I am stubborn.

So Wednesday morning I drug (dragged?) myself out of bed and make it to work. It only took about an hour to realize how truly miserable I was and admit defeat. I headed home.

I went ahead and made a doctor's appointment for that afternoon. I just wanted to be sure that I didn't have strep or the swine flu. Excuse me, H1N1 virus. Well without a fever, both were ruled out and I was sent home without any drugs to help and $15 poorer. Oh well.

I am the type of person that hates pills, medicine, and avoids them at all costs. Well I was begging for anything for the next three days. Thankfully, my husband talked me out of taking anything, and I feel better about that. But really, I haven't felt that awful since April 2006 when I had to go to the ER for non-stop vomiting and other symptoms. Anyway, I felt bad.

The best--or only good thing--about being sick and in bed all day long was the great companionship! Buster was by my side the whole time. I tried really hard to capture all of his cuteness, but with a camera phone and no energy, this is what you're stuck with:




Well after the best night's sleep that I've had in a long time (longer than I've been sick), I feel so much better. Still weak, but better. And I made it to the computer for the first time in four days.

My sweet Dad sent me the following link to try and cheer me up. I hope you enjoy it. If you think it's weird then you just don't love your dog as much as I love mine. Just kidding. But really. Or just go watch Marley and Me. Then maybe you'll have a better idea of where I'm coming from.

the splint

Stas broke his hand. Okay technically he fractured a bone in the non-finger part of his hand.

This morning as I was getting dressed, my normally asleep-at-this-time husband rolls over and asks who our doctor is. That was odd. But he had some intensely sore muscles (probably torn) after last week's football game. Oh yeah, he's playing intermural football this fall at school.

Well turns out it was his hand and not his legs that were causing him pain. So he got x-rays and saw the bone doctor (aka the orthopedist) and now has a sweet splint that he gets to wear for the next three weeks.

At least he sacked the quarterback in the process of busting his hand. Too bad his team still lost. But he's still got the heart of a competitor.

This is awesome.

In case you didn't hear yet, Kim Clijsters won the US Open. For a sport where mid-twenties retirement is the norm, this is a truly inspiring story. I love it.

Clijsters, the 26-year-old, unseeded wild-card entry from Belgium, who was
a former No. 1 player, left the game two years ago to start a family and
returned to tennis just one month ago.

As Clijsters laughed at her 18-month-old daughter hamming it up around 11 p.m.,
she told the crowd of the plan that she and her husband, Brian Lynch, left, had:
“We tried to plan her nap time a little bit later. It’s the greatest feeling in
the world being a mother.”

Please read the full article here. Clijsters is truly a classy lady with proper priorities. Her opponent, Wozniacki, is also a classy lady:

“I’m so excited that she came back, but unfortunately she beat me today,”
Wozniacki said of Clijsters. “She played a great match, and she deserved
it.”
And then, to prove her poise, Wozniacki took the time to thank her fans
and friends in English, Danish and Polish.

Not classy: Serena Williams. I have no tolerance to unsportsmanlike conduct from professional athletes who are suppose to be role models. Shame on them. What kind of example are they setting for our youth?

Tennis not your thing? Here's an example from last night's VMAs that I heard on the radio this morning.

Classy: Taylor Swift & Beyonce

Not Classy: Kanye West

But back to Clijster's, who really deserves a post all her own. Here is an article written before her big win giving more background on her, her tennis career, her choice to start a family, and her return.

Clijsters, 26, turned professional at 14 and ascended to No. 1 six years later. But by her early 20s, tennis no longer captivated her. “I had other things in my mind that I wanted to achieve as a woman and as a person,” she said.
So she retired, married Brian Lynch, an American whom she met while he was playing pro basketball in her native Belgium, and gave birth to their first child in February 2008.
Motherhood was going to be her full-time job for the foreseeable future. That was her assumption, anyway. She was like many elite female athletes, convinced that the
beginning of her childbearing years meant the end of her competitive career.
But a funny thing happened to Clijsters on her way to sleep-deprived nights and activity-filled days. Her life became at once busier and more balanced. Parenthood, she said, “definitely made me a more complete person.”

I applaud this women. If I ever have a daughter, and she wants to play tennis, I am excited that she will have this story to inspire her.

Lacoste polos & tennis skirts

This Saturday while my alma mater (and associated community) are watching BYU take on OU in the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium (sorry Monica, I'm sure this will be a tough game for you and Matthew), Stas and I will be hob-knobbing with the tennis elite.

To be more specific, we will be attending Session 12 of the US Open. And by hob-knobbing with the tennis elite, I mean sitting in the nose bleeds of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Saturday can't get here soon enough!

Happy Birthday Stanislav-er!

Last year I listed 26+ reason's why I love Stas in honor of his 26th birthday. Well this year someone is a little bummed about becoming one year older (and wiser, too), so I am going to list 27 things to look forward to in his 27th year. Ready? Let's go!

1. Getting an at-home carbonation system (hoorah for carbonated juice & water)
2. No more Moot Court!!
3. Last year of law school
4. Start of a new NBA season (with cable!!)
5. Fantasy Basketball
6. Getting published
7. Buster turning 1
8. Our three-year anniversary
9. His parents visiting for Thanksgiving
10. Thanksgiving Feast
11. My birthday!
12. Christmas in Texas
13. 2010!
14. Intermural basketball
15. Winter Olympics!!
16. Spring Break
18. Another awesome Russian Victory Day Parade where I make you watch all four hours of coverage with me :)
19. Graduation!!!
20. Another visit from his parents (twice in one year!)
21. Passing the Bar
22. Getting a job (and a paycheck!)
23. Becoming a real-deal attorney
24. Up-grading from the one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment
25. The 2010 FIFA World Cup
26. Another Vest Family Vacation
27. Celebrating 28!

Happy Birthday, Stas!!

I love you!!!

Skinny Jeans

I really wish there was a local version of this class available. I'd totally go.

Generally, I like the idea and find it simultaneously hilarious and practical.

Missing

Have you seen this 4 pound, playful and uncoordinated ball of fur?

Yeah me neither!

Well after 7 months, 14 additional pounds, some serious strength, and 2 haircuts you get this guy:

Yeah, where'd our puppy go? I can't tell you, he's been gone for a while. But we do love our new Buster. He's learned lots of new commands: sit, lay, rollover, stand, shake, down, and jump. We are still working on "come here." There seems to be some serious resistence with this one. Some of Buster's other skills include: getting up on the kitchen table, the coffee table, the bed, and all laps; he is always developing his "jaws of life" death-grip on, well, pretty much anything that looks like it might be fun to get his mouth on. Regardless, we sure do love this little guy!

Dear Vehicular Transport Gods-

Please stop picking on us. It's just mean. We'll give you whatever you want (except, of course, Buster), if you will just leave us alone.

Respectfully,
J+S

Keller, TX

Way to pick 'em Plipper & Shayne! Keller, TX comes in at #7 on CNN's Best Places to Live.

Randy J

Yesterday my dad completed another decade. And I have decided to veer from my traditional impersonal posts. Allow me to get a little reflective.

With his birthday around the corner I've been thinking about my dad a lot this past week, and I can't help but realize how truly blest I am. And then I realize that it's not just me who has been blest, but our whole family, our extended family, the members of the stake, his associates at work, and everyone who has had the privilege to spend even a half hour with him. He is truly the greatest man I know. I am not sure words exist to describe the love and admiration that I feel towards him, so I will just leave it at that for this post. But I do want my dear friends who read my blog to know how much I honor and love my father. But then again, who doesn't love Member Randy? (After my dad was released as Stake President some family friends started to refer to him as "Member Randy" because, after all, he's not "President Vest" anymore!)

As part of the birthday celebration my sister compiled a list of reasons why we love Pops. Here are my ten items:

1. We can talk Hyperion together, and it makes me feel cool.

2. He always answers the phone in a super-excited voice when I call. This always brightens my day and really picks me up when I'm feeling blue.

3. He taught me how to take pride in everything I do, how no job is too small to be done right, and to be sure that my work is worthy of the Vest name. I will always keep my home, specifically my kitchen, as though it were in a Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

4. His grammatical education has not been wasted! I always try to be sure to use "anyway" instead of "anyways" and answer the phone with "this is she" and not "this is her." Oh yeah, and I try to make sure that I modify my verbs with adverbs and not with adjectives. We are both nerds. But that's alright. I love Dad because he taught me that nerds are, in actuality, the most fun to be around.

5. He pumps up the jams and dances around to the music while doing the Taxes.

6. He has taught me more on how to be a successful human being (at work, at home, and in the world in general) than I could ever learn in any textbook or classroom.

7. He would come dance with me at stake dances.

8. Of his skewed sense of what is a real sports car. Sentra vs. TT

9. When he thinks something is really funny his face squishes up really tight. Reference the "That's what she said" photo to the right.

10. He has instilled in me the values and priorities that I am the most proud of (in myself). He is a man to be admired, and a man to aspire to.

And here are a few more, as I am no longer limited to ten items:

11. Even with all of his travels around the world I always knew that he'd rather be at home with his family.

12. He would tell my mother how beautiful she is all the time. No seriously, all the time. It use to be annoying when I was a teenager (kind of like I get the point already), but now that I'm older and maybe a little bit more mature I realize how awesome it is and what a comfort it brings children when they know that their father loves their mother.

13. He refers to his cell phone as his "hand-held device" and uses it to take a million photos at every family gathering.

14. He may be Conservative, but he sure isn't boring!!

[Update on the usage of "blest" b/c I get a kick out of these sort of things.]

When typing up the post I was concerned about which word to use: blest or blessed. Because word choice is important to me I wanted to make sure I got it right. I preferred the sound of "blest" but didn't want to be making up words or sound uneducated. Well the spell-checker in Blogger considers "blest" a misspelled word, while the spell check function in Microsoft Word leaves it alone. So I consulted my "official" source: TFD.com. Survey says:

Baby Center

So it's no big secret that I spend a little time (okay, a lot) at BabyCenter.com. Okay, so maybe it is a bit of a secret. But hey, when you can get "All the bark of celebrity parenting gossip - without the bite" on the FameBaby Blog, I'm there. And trust me, they stretch that "parenting" definition pretty far. Anyway.

I was pretty surprised while visiting today I stumbled across the following advertisements:

What do ya know -- the church is getting into online advertising!

Knowing how much time I spend there (and I'm not even a parent!) and noticing how much time others spend there (like insane-go out and get a life-amounts of time), I'd say this is a good investment for the Church.

Your thoughts--?

Remember when

Hey, remember when I use to blog?
Yeah, me too.

I'll see what I can come up with for you guys,
but don't get your hopes up.

And if you get desperate, you can check out our SmugMug site.
But then again you won't get any of my witty commentary.

Zack Attack

I am so, so, SO glad that my sister told me about this little gem:



because it's pretty much the funniest thing in the world. Ever.

Another day, another 5k

This weekend was pretty chill. We managed to fit in:

Homemade waffles with fresh strawberries and bananas............three times

Watching all three Back to the Future movies

I did another race, Randi's Race: A 5k run/walk for Hope and Courage. Stas was the bomb again and came out bright and early to support me. Buster made friends with Thunder the Boxer. Thunder actually ran the race with his owner. He's a little more hard core than the B-man. By the time we headed home Buster was pretty wiped out, and he decided that my foot/shoe made a nice pillow. He normally doesn't get this much excitement in before noon.


In honor of Mother's Day I decided to showcase a talent that my mother-dearest had taught me--the french braid. I've been curious as to whether I could bull this off, I figured what the heck and just went for it. So here she is:

Really, a braid at 25 is totally acceptable. When I asked Stas what he thought he told me that I look like the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. You decide:

In other news, Stas has finished his finals!!! So the cable man came on Saturday and hooked us up. We are excited for the endless amount of junk we can now watch. I am already embarrassed for how much time I've wasted. Oh well.