You Don't Know Dixie

I saw an advertisement for "You Don't Know Dixie" on the History Channel so I recorded it. My husband and I watched it this morning and it was very informative. While it did gloss over a few dark moments in the name of Southern Pride, it was very fair to all aspects of Southern life and of Southern people. One of the segments was on religion and its importance in the South, also known as the Bible Belt. Of the 10 most religious states in America, nine of these states are in the Bible Belt. The term "religious state" is determined by the percentage of the state's population who attend religious services at least once per week. Only one state in the top 10 is not located in the Bible Belt - Utah. I found the survey results in an article at Live Science and Utah is number two on the list, second only to Mississippi. While it is not surprising to me, I think that it might be surprising to most Southerners.

What is a Beetdigger?

Discussing high school memories with our favorite server at Village Inn this morning and my husband asked her about Beetdiggers. We have driven by Jordan High School several times since we moved to Utah. Every time we passed, one of us would always remind the other that we needed to find out "what is a beetdigger?". As it so happens, our favorite server says she and many of her family members attended Jordan High School and she gave us the scoop on beetdiggers.

The school was founded in 1907. At that time, there was a large sugar beet industry in Utah and the district for Jordan High School was largely rural. Therefore, when it was sugar beet harvesting time, the kids were out of school for two weeks in the fall to dig up beets. Thus, the Beetdiggers became the mascot for the school. Mystery solved.

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

The local PBS stations air the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas performances. As a non-Mormon, I am not eligible for the ticket lottery so I would never be able to see them live. If it were not for living here in Utah, I would have to purchase the DVDs in order to see these fabulous Christmas concerts. You do not get to see the current year's concert as I think they air them with a one or two year delay to allow for fund raising with the DVDs.

I really enjoy the concerts. One thing that most religions have in common is expressing joy through song and dance (exceptions are oppressive cults such as Islam). While I am not a religious person, I can appreciate the beauty of the hymns and dance performances. 

Athleta

I have continued my workouts on the treadmill in the garage instead of purchasing winter running gear. It is boring but considering all of the yummy, highly caloric holiday food I have been consuming, it is a necessity. Just because an item is vegan does not always ensure it is healthy. It is "healthier".

I do continue to search for reasonably priced winter running gear. I saw a segment on Fresh Living this week for a new store at CCC. It is Athleta, a clothing store for women. I did not want to go downtown to check it out so I looked at their website. Great selection of athletic wear. Very cute. However, the prices are on the high end and not budget friendly, despite being owned by the same company as Gap and Old Navy.

Cold Weather Running

Today is the first snow up in the upper elevations. It is time to make a decision. Spend the money on cold weather gear or stop training until spring? My first choice is continue training. The wicking fabric gear at Salt Lake Running Company seemed pricey but I have not done my research with regards to local pricing. One of the biggest issues I will face, however, is sizing. While I have shed 135 lbs., I am still not a small person. Sometimes I can wear XL and sometimes not. It just depends upon the manufacturer. Based upon past experience, sports gear for women tends to be sized for small, athletic women and the items that I find do not fit me. If I cannot find anything in my size, the decision is made for me. If I do, then it will just be a matter of the best deal. My husband and I have been discussing the idea of checking out the new Scheels store in Sandy to see what they have available in Nike's Hyperwarm line. I am hopeful.

MapMyRun

An app that I have found very useful for tracking my progress is MapMyRun. There is a version for iPhone and Android. I downloaded the free version. You can track your route in real time and log your training. (NOTE: You should make sure your phone is fully charged before you take off.) I do not use the social networking option as I keep all stats private but you could post your routes and/or pacing, etc. to your Facebook account or Twitter. I think there may be a way to post to a blog as well but not really certain. There are other useful features but I have a FitBit Ultra and FitBit app for tracking exercise other than running as well as food logging.

Endurance

Despite the challenges of the last two weeks, my 30 minute power walk today was surprisingly easy. Definitely a big change from the first time that I began the challenge. One factor could be the cooler weather.

Reboot

I am rebooting the challenge. The first week I had awful shin splints, which the new shoes have corrected. The second week I had viral gastroenteritis for three days and I only got in one workout before it hit. So today is now Week 1 of the challenge. I am excited to get started again, especially with the new shoes as they are fabulous. The great fall weather will also make it more comfortable to run. Wish me luck!

Shin Splints

After two days on the beginning runner challenge, I had shin splints. Not the "I am uncomfortable because it has been awhile" shin splints but holy moley "I can barely walk up the stairs" shin splints. Rest, ice, stretching and ibuprofen fixed me right up. I thought it might be my shoes so I went to the Salt Lake Running Company (Draper location) store. My husband and I had been there before and purchased shoes for him. They offer a 30-day return policy, even if you have worn the shoes, which is why I was willing to pay more for my shoes than I would have at Dick's or some other sporting goods store. Through discussions with the employee, I discovered that the shoes I was wearing were great for walking on the treadmill but may be over-correcting me on pavement, thus shin splints. The employees are trained on how to do an evaluation of your running style. You run on the treadmill and they use an iPad to record you. They analyze the video to determine what type of shoes you need. He selected several pair and I tried each one on. They even allow customers to run back and forth on the sidewalk outside of the store.

Another great thing about Salt Lake Running Company is that the employees are familiar with the products in the store.  I was surprised that the guy who helped me was also able to knowledgeably discuss the sports bras they had available. He was also not put off by the fact that I am just getting back into running after more than 20 years and had questions. He recommended using a foam roller to help with stretching. I have seen them before and this will be on my list to pick up later.

I wore the shoes this weekend and had no shin splints. If this continues to be the case, the shoes were worth the $110 price tag. If you need running shoes, I highly recommend Salt Lake Running Company and the person who assisted me in the Draper store was Zac.

Training for a 5K

We have moved from Sandy to the Daybreak area of South Jordan. The access to walking trails is fabulous. So in keeping with an active lifestyle, I have begun the training for a 5K. I have had knee surgery so this project may not be completed but I am giving it a go even if I have to do it walk/jog to complete it.

I have a friend in the Phoenix area who is doing this challenge along with me. She is in considerably better shape though. The challenge that I am following is from the Running Planet website.  It is the 8-week program for beginning runners developed by Rick Morris. In 8 weeks, I should be able to run 2 miles without stopping. After that, my goal is to add a quarter mile to each week until I can run 3 miles. Once I can run 3 miles without stopping, I will work on speed. If my knee just cannot tolerate the running, I will purchase a bike. If everything is ok, I will sign up for a 5K.

I do not have insurance so hopefully I do not seriously injure myself in this endeavor.

Not in Utah

I saw a commercial for a CNBC special on Costco - "The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant". I am a Costco fan so I recorded it on the DVR. When my husband and I watched it, we learned something new about Utah. This was not because Utah was mentioned in the special but a segment that alerted us to the fact that Utah Costco stores are different from the other Costco stores in the U.S. This difference is that none of the nine Costco stores offer wine. The segment in question discussed the fact that because of Costco's buying power, the buyer for the Kirkland wine label is one of the most powerful wine buyers in the world. My husband and I do not drink alcohol so we had never noticed that our Costco did not have a section for wine or that it should have it.

09/26/2012 UPDATE: Due to a law change, the Utah Costco stores are now selling alcohol. So far, we have seen beer. Still no wine section.

Mini-Tour of SLC Metro with Kids

My brother-in-law, his wife and two children visited Utah this weekend. They were here for one day and then went on to Big Sky, Montana and Yellowstone National Park. So, we needed to come up with a mini-tour of SLC metro that included fun for kids as well as adults.  I had sent my sister-in-law a list of activity ideas in advance of their arrival.

The first stop was breakfast. SLC Metro just does not have many choices for table service breakfast restaurants. After experimenting over the last year, my husband and I frequent The Village Inn on 106th & I-15 for Saturday breakfast dates. Everyone enjoyed the food, service and atmosphere.

Next stop was the The Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. My niece and nephew (9 and 11 years old) enjoyed the entire experience. Their favorites were the River Otters, the Penguin Encounter, the Touch Pool with the sting rays and the Animal Superheroes! exhibits. We all hit the gift shop at the end. My nephew chose a "Harry Otter" t-shirt. My niece chose a blue snake, which she named Lotus, who added quite the entertainment for the remainder of the day. There was also an opportunity for a photo purchase (of the group which was taken at the entrance) and we bought one copy.

Our third stop was Temple Square and finding parking downtown was quite an adventure. Streets were blocked off for the Salt Lake City Marathon. There were large crowds due to several other events as well - the Democratic Party of Utah convention, the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, Clinton Kelly at Macy's, etc. At the Temple Square, we toured the South Visitor's Center. (We had previously toured the North Visitor's Center and now realize they are different. North has information/history on the history of the Temple Square and the South has information/history on the Temple itself.) The kids really liked the model of the Temple. It was nice to have the Sisters on hand to answer questions. We also toured the Tabernacle and were able to catch the sound amplification presentation.

Our fourth stop was City Creek Center. The kids enjoyed the fountains. My sister-in-law, my niece and I browsed the Swarovski boutique.  It was a new experience for them.There is a location at Westport Plaza in KCMO but that area is not really safe anymore. Everyone was getting tired and hungry so we perused the mall map to find a place to eat.

The final stop in our mini-tour was Hagermann's Bakehouse Cafe. It was new for all of us. Everyone enjoyed their meal and there were positive comments about the bread. It is definitely a place to go on "the list" of veg friendly restaurants that are great for both omnivores and veg/vegans.

Hopefully next time they visit, it will be for longer than one day and we can explore (and blog about) more kid friendly activities.

When a Scone is Not a Scone

I read a conversation on FB today regarding scones. It reminded me of a local restaurant commercial that was somewhat shocking the first time that I saw it. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant but there is a little girl talking about how her favorite item is the scone. It is NOT a scone. It is frybread. In the FB conversation, there was a photo of a Utah "scone" and a real scone and people were asked to weigh in on which was a "real" scone. Apparently many native Utahns believe that the frybread is a scone but transplants know that what a real scone is and can identify it.

For clarification on scones:

A scone is a small British quick bread and very similar to what most Americans would identify as a biscuit. Scones are usually triangular in shape and biscuits are round. Scones also tend to be more dry (crumbly) than a biscuit (flaky).


A Utah "scone" is an Indian fry bread.

While this controversy may seem really odd to me (and others who are not native to Utah), it can be compared to tea in the US by region. When you order tea in the south, it is sweet tea.  You say "tea" and you are served "sweet tea". If you do not want sweet tea, you must specifically ask for it to be unsweetened. Thus, if you move or travel out of the south, you can assume that when you order tea, it is indeed NOT sweet tea.

Daylight Savings Time

Most of the United States switches over to Daylight Savings Time (DST) tonight. It originated to make better use of daylight during the summer months because we were largely an agrarian society. This is no longer the case.  The need for DST has long since disappeared. We have electricity and indoor lighting. DST creates havoc for families with autistic children.  Emergency rooms report an uptick in patients with strokes and heart attacks following the time change. There is an uptick in vehicle accidents during the week following the spring change ("spring forward") because people are tired due to the sleep pattern changes.

We currently have a few states that currently do not recognize DST - Hawaii and Arizona, except for the Navajo Indian Reservation, which does. Our US Territories do not recognize it either. Rep. Jim Nielson, R-Bountiful, sponsored HB-199 in this legislature that would eliminate DST observance for Utah.  Unfortunately, this bill was killed in committee. So, we still have to contend with DST in 2012.  It is my hope that the bill is reintroduced in the next session.

As you can see, I am NOT a fan of DST.  I dread it every year.

Rediscovered a Gem

Honore' Willsie Morrow (On to Oregon)

As a child, I had an appreciation for the Little House books. The stories of independence and living in the areas of the country that were undeveloped were inspiring.  My father has a love of western novels, which he calls "cowboy books", and I was exposed to many western movies growing up.  In 1974, I saw a movie that cemented my love of the west, "Seven Alone".  It was the "disneyized" adaption of the book "On to Oregon" by Honore' Willsie Morrow. The book is the true story of the real-life adventures of the Sager family. The parents die along the way and the seven children, led by the eldest child John, make their way along the Oregon Trail to their final destination in Oregon.

For years, I have been trying to remember the title of the movie "Seven Alone". I asked others if they remembered it and while it sounded familiar to some, none could remember the title either. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a segment on Studio 5 that had to do with your teen crush. One of the people interviewed said "Stewart Petersen" and his photo flashed onscreen.  She described him as the kid from "Where the Red Fern Grows" but I knew he was from the movie I was trying to identify. I used IMDB to find him which linked me to the movie.

Now that I had the name of the movie, I was able to find the book and the author's name.  I am a Kindle owner so I searched Amazon's Kindle database.  "On to Oregon" is not available in a Kindle version.  This was surprising to me as Google searches yielded many websites that indicated to me the book is popular in some of the Christian homeschooling curriculum programs. I was, however, able to find another book by the author, "The Forbidden Trail", which I downloaded. On the next trip to the library, I am definitely going to see if there is a copy of "On to Oregon" available for borrowing.

City Creek Center

SLC's City Creek Center opens on March 22nd. It is highly anticipated by Utahns and I am really looking forward to sharing it with visiting family and friends. CCC will add 700,000 sq. ft. of shopping and restaurants to the downtown area with a retractable roof and pedestrian skybridge.  There is also a residential area of the center that is owned by the LDS church. The three stores that I am most looking forward to are Zagg, LUSH and Restoration Hardware. For a list of stores, dining and entertainment, check out the the CCC website.

Back to Business

I saw a segment on Studio 5 about a meet and greet for Utah Bloggers on Wednesday, February 22nd. It was hosted by Soel Boutique and See Jane Blog. I did not attend but it did give me inspiration to get back to business. I often have those moments of "that would make a great blog post" and then I forget when I get busy with something else.  I just need to get into the habit of blogging at least 3-4 times per week.

GOP Primary - Romney vs. Huntsman

There is a buzz of excitement here in Utah regarding the GOP primaries.  Two of the candidates, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, Jr., are LDS.  Huntsman served as Governor of Utah for four years and left office with an 80% approval rate. 

Huntsman is well liked in Utah as he was a very good governor.  However, Mitt Romney is the savior of the 2002 Olympics. Saving the Olympics brought (and continues to bring) millions of dollars to Utah. The U.S. economy is a disaster, due to the statist approach of the current administration and Washington's seeming inability or unwillingness to roll up their sleeves and fix the problem with capitalist solutions and reduction of the behemoth that is our bloated government. Whether LDS or not, Utahns have seen first hand his ability to turn around disasters so they are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Social Issues

Both men state they are "pro-life".  However, the LDS church reaffirmed abortion as a permissible choice in 1999 under the following qualifications: life of the mother is seriously endangered, good health of the mother is seriously endangered, pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, the fetus has severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. So when they say they are "pro-life", this is for the benefit of the evangelicals in the Republican primaries.  Mormons allow exceptions but many other Christians do not.  (Unless said person is Rick Santorum and then there is only an exception for his wife but no one else on the planet.)

They are split on same-sex marriage.  Romney is against it personally but believes that it is up to each state to determine the rules for recognition of marriage.  He does not see it as a federal issue.  Huntsman does not want the current definition of marriage to change but wholeheartedly believes in civil unions. He supported bills for civil unions but none ever came across his desk for signature.  This is why Huntsman was so popular in SLC, the Gayest City in America.  Many Mormons do not have an issue with homosexuality and the right of marriage for them.  The LDS church has an issue with changing the definition of marriage from one man/one woman.  It invites an uproar from the polygamists to have their "celestial marriages" recognized by the state.  This is a very sensitive issue in Utah.

Here's where things get tricky for Utahns.  Both men are LDS.  However, Romney has served as a local lay clergy (in Massachusetts, not Utah) and tithed, sending millions of dollars to the church.  Huntsman states he is "spiritual" and draws from "an array of sources for inspiration".  Therefore, the LDS leadership issued a "temple recommend" for Mitt Romney.

I do not think that Huntsman will remain in the race much longer so all of this may be a moot point.

UPDATE: Governor Huntsman dropped out of the race on January 16, 2012.

Ski Utah

Utah's ski community markets the ski resorts as having "The Greatest Snow on Earth".  Not having seen all of the snow on earth, I am not sure how this was determined but it certainly seems as though we really do have great powder.  Ski Utah and the Utah Ski & Snowboard Association were founded in 1975. They promote the resorts to both skiers and snowboarders.  January is National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month and Ski Utah is promoting deals for learning how to ski or snowboard this winter which can be found here <http://www.skiutah.com/winter/locals/lssm>

If you are not a local, Ski and Snowboard Month's website has a contest where you can win a 4-day trip to Utah to check out our gorgeous snow and have a great time at the ski resorts.

Grocery Shopping Like a Mormon

Because of the availability of items for food storage, I have learned to grocery shop like a Mormon. Mormons believe that they are commanded by God to keep one year of food storage.  This is calculated at three meals per day per person in the household.  They also supposed to have a 72-hour emergency kit.  There are 11 Costco stores and 9 Sam's Club stores in Utah. There is also a bulk product store chain - Macey's. Often times, regular grocery stores (and Walmart) have bulk sales where they line the larger aisles with 20-lb.+ bags of items that keep for a long time and massive stacks of canned goods.  In addition, Utah has several companies that produce dehydrated and freeze-dried foods for storage kits. The upside to bulk purchases is that price per portion for our meals has gone done significantly.  I eat a vegan diet so most of the foods for our meals can be purchased in bulk.  The downside is that we do not have a significant amount of space in which to house the items.  I also have to make sure that Skip is available to accompany me when I purchase certain items, such as the bags of beans and rice, which are 20-lbs. each.

The Mormon culture of food storage has definitely changed my grocery shopping habits and meal choices, despite not being a member of the Mormon faith.