The constant in life...change.

I am no longer a Body Shop Consultant. Unfortunatly, the Body Shop decided that the Home Party divison wasn't profittable enough for them so they stopped that. I am very sad because I love the product and was fun doing it.

However, no fear, I found something else that Craig and I are very excited about. It is called doTerra (Latin or Spanish for "of the earth" or "gift of the earth". Something like that.)

doTerra is an essential oils company. We are amazed to find out all the things essential oils can do for us. We sleep so much better using the Lavender, headaches disapper with Peppermint, and my personal favorite - Frankensense. I use that to ease the pain caused from inflammation on my joints.

If you are interested in checking it out, the website is http://www.doterra.com/.

A New Year, A New Venture

A couple of months ago I was introduced to a company called The Body Shop At Home. It is one of those home party, direct sales companies. They specialize in products that are designed to pamper women. Flavored body butters, lotions, shower gels, makeup, etc. The products are all natural and smell heavenly. I fell in love with it! So, I decided to become a consultant for them. This way I can get the products for myself as well as meet lots of new people and share with them these great things. My website is www.thebodyshopathome.com/web/cbentley. Check it out. I would love to come to you and do a party. (Sorry if this sounds like a commercial but I wanted you all to know what I was doing now.)

Citius, Altius, Fortius, Faster, Higher, Stronger

It happens every 2 years. I think I can avoid it but I always get reeled in, and, after a few minutes I'm hooked. I get home from work and turn on the tv and the next thing I know its midnight and I've accomplished nothing! And I have to get up at 6am the next morning.

Of course, I'm talking about the Olympics. The summer and winter Olympics alternate every 2 years, as you know, and we get to see the best athletes from around the world compete against each other. We sometimes see super-human achievements by athletes from The United States of America like Michael Phelps, Dara Torres and Shawn Johnson. But, in the light of true Olympic Spirit, I can enjoy the same effort and excellence from athletes from any country. Tell me what Usain Bolt did was not incredible! Or that extremely vain chick from France (yes, that could be redundant) in the Pole Vault. She may love the attention (and drive me nuts!) but at least she can back it up on the pitch.

A phrase I hate because it is so overused that it has become almost meaningless is, "Like no other." Well, if you want to know what it really means, watch the Olympics. These are athletes whose preparation and effort are truly "Like no other." They embody the real meaning behind the Olympic Motto from which I titled this post. And, as Baron Pierre de Coubertin said, it is "a motto for people who dare to try to break records."

I've been alive for a long time and one of my favorite memories from watching the Olympics you've all seen in a commercial. It is watching the marathon runner staggering into the stadium after hours of running. Exhausted, overcome by the effort, he falls. And, out of the stands runs a man who comes over, helps the marathoner to his feet and holds him up while they walk together to the finish line. It is the runners father.

There are so many messages in this image. We all need someone to help us at times in our life. Sometimes our strength isn't enough and we need a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on. Sometimes we just need to feel we aren't alone. And that's the purpose of family. And friends. We're here to help each other. Sometimes I really do need you. And I hope I am able to return the favor when you are in need.

I finish this post with The Olympic Creed because it defines our purpose here:

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

Dogs, dogs, and more dogs!

As many of you know, I (Carla) started a new job a few weeks ago. For those of you that don't know, I am now a receptionist at a Veterinary Hospital. As a receptionist I do more than just answer the phones and greet people. I also prepare files for a patient's visit, weigh all animals that come in, do errands for the doctors, clean the rooms and waiting room, etc.

It has taken a while to get used to it because it is so different from anything I have done before. I am much more active, sitting still for only a few minutes at a time. I'm used to spending hours in front of a computer not moving. Being so active keeps me from stiffening up or falling asleep. This is a definate plus.

The worst part of this job is the Euthenasias. It is so hard to see a beloved pet die. Having been through it, I know how hard it is on the family. I just have to remember that it is for the best and the pet doesn't have to suffer anymore. That sounds like a cliche but it is true. Sometimes I wish we could do this for people.

The best part of this job is the puppies. Everyday puppies come in and I get to hold them and play with them. It can turn the worst of days into a great day. Can't be sad, angry, or bummed out when there is a puppy around.

Of course there are cats, too. The more I work with them, the more I am convinced cats were never meant to be pets. They are too independant and are full of attitude. Give me a dog any day!

We are a full service hospital for cats and dogs so that includes surgery. Not only do I get to watch but I am encouraged to watch so I can learn the procedures and explain to people what their pet will be going through. I used to think that I wanted to be a Veterinarian but after watching surgeries, I am glad I am not.

Three Cheers for our National Parks

It must be summer. I say that because we are finally in the 90's for an extended time and we will be close to triple digits this weekend. Hope you're enjoying this, Ry. Summer is finally here!

And that makes me think of vacations. Of course, the fact that some of my favorite people are in Hawaii right now (and I'm not!) also makes me think of vacations. Many of my favorite vacations have been at National Parks.

By current count I think there are 58 officially sanctioned National Parks in the United States of America. Also, by current count, I have been lucky enough to visit 24 of them. I have even visited 12 of them a number of times. I've been to Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Yosemite at least 8 or 9 times each in my obviously ancient lifetime. I've been to the Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Bryce Canyon and Zion 5 or 6 times each. I'm not sure if that makes them my favorites or just that they were places my family wanted to go to often while I was growing up. And I'm not tired of them yet.

Double checking the list, I find that Carla and I have visited 12 national parks together in our nearly 17 years of marriage. And, we have been to 3 of Canada's National Parks 4 times each in our married life. We have been very blessed! We've really used those frequent flyer miles, haven't we!

We've camped at Bryce Canyon a couple of times and at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We swam and snorkeled in Virgin Islands National Park. We have stood on ice several hundred feet thick on a glacier in Canada. Twice. We've seen deer, elk, moose, caribou, bison, wolf, coyote, fox, mountain goat, mountain sheep, Dall sheep, squirrel, chipmonk, and rabbit, as well as eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, geese, ducks and a variety of other birds and small game. We have fed wild bears (supervised) and held a sting ray. And we've been very close to 3 different kinds of whales. What an adventure we've had!

And my love for the outdoors has hardly diminished. One of my lifetime goals is to visit all 58 National Parks and several more of Canada's, as long as I can go with my sweetie. I may have to live to be 100 to do it but I'm gonna give it my best. I'll probably also have to be a millionaire to afford the gas. So, I may have to see most of it by motorcycle. Anybody want to come along?

Thoughts of Nascar

The last couple of years Carla and I have added Nascar to our list of hobbies. Yes, I know they just turn left for a couple of hours but somehow we've gotten addicted. Carla worked with a bunch of ladies who were really into it. And, maybe we needed something to take up our "free" time while we are in-between dogs. Carla remembers spending many of her early years laying on the couch with her dad watching racing. She says there were many fond Saturday or Sunday afternoons spent watching cars chase each other around the track, sitting with her dad and cheering them on. Dad was an avid fan, to say the least. He was a great mechanic, worked on all of their cars and was even on a pro pit crew at Rocky Mountain Raceway in his day.

So, Carla got involved in a Nascar Fantasy League. You get to pick four drivers each week and then hope you guessed right when the checkered flag is waved. No money is involved, just pride. Well, she had fun with it and, as she always does when she gets involved with these things, she learned all kinds of stuff about each of the drivers, the owners and the teams. She liked one driver (or several) because he was "cute" and another because he was "aggressive on the track without being dirty". Another one had a nice looking car and another had her favorite number. The biggest problem with the cars was that green is Carla's favorite color and green has always been a bad-luck color in Nascar. No one wants to drive a green car. Then, this year, Jr. changed teams and now he's driving a black and green #88 car. The past few years green has started to sneak onto the track due to some sponsor's trademark colors. And, with his bad guy image it's not surprising green would be on Jr.'s new car. He's come close a couple of times but green hasn't helped him win yet this year.

Well, every time Carla watched a 3 hour+ race I'd try and do something else around the house. Hard to do with all those engines roaring. And, every time there was a "great crash" she'd call me in to see the spectacle. And, I'd sit there through seemingly non-ending replays and then watch the race for another hour or so waiting for the next big crash---which always came, sooner than later. Yup! You guessed it, now I'm hooked too.

We even went to one of our neices' hubby's races at the end of last year out at RMR and got pit passes so we could be close to the cars and see what Carla's dad used to do. It was one of those really hot August nights we're famous for here in the Wasatch Front, but we had so much fun watching up close all the different trucks and cars from all the different categories racing. We got to watch most of it from the pit stands right next to the track. We had a great view of several of the worst crashes of the day. Fortunately, no one we knew was in those crashes.

This year Carla talked me into joining her Fantasy League. It's been fun but now she's ready to kick me out. She's been hovering in the lower end of the standings and (here comes the jinx) with just a 4th place finish the last two weeks I've gathered enough points to climb into the top spot in the league after 14 races. Talk about backing into the lead. Yah, it's beginner's luck. We're just over 1/3 of the way through the season so there is plenty of time for her to catch and/or pass me, and she probably will. If Kyle or Tony have their way, she'll end up in the top spot when the season is over. In the mean time, I've gotta stay out of her's and her friend Gretchen's way if I'm going to live to see the next race.

Update on Grandma Amott

Yesterday Grandma Amott had surgery on her Hammertoe on her right foot. Linda was kind enough to take time off work to get her to and from the doctor. After a short rest Grandma took a tour of southbound I-15 on the way to our house for the rest of her R & R. She will be staying at the Bentley Recuperation Center at least through Sunday so if you want to check in with her call her here. She was feeling remarkably well after surgery and had taken no pain medication as of bedtime. She was able to watch the first Chronicles of Narnia movie with us and then curled up with her stuffed Scooby and went to bed. We all hope her recovery continues to be so pain free and easy.