Happy 30th Anniversary!

Happy 30th Anniversary to Jerolyn and Todd last week! We had this fabulous cake at a get-together at Grandma's house. Guess who made it? :)

Cafe Rio and Razor Blades

On Saturday, Mandy and I went to Cafe Rio so she could have her last fix before heading off to Africa. We both ordered salads, which should come as no surprise. What should come as a surprise is that I bit into a razor blade while eating mine.

I took the thing up to the staff, and all they did was say sorry. So, I wrote to corporate headquarters this morning. Here's their response:

"Thank you so much for the information about a recent visit to Café Rio. We take this situation very seriously. And I will contact that location and make sure that this does not happen again. Safety and food quality is a main priority here at Café Rio. You can be assured that this will be resolved as quickly as possible.

Thanks again for your time."

At the very least, reimbursement for the price of the meal seems reasonable under the circumstances. Apparently, Cafe Rio thinks otherwise. So, those of you in Utah, spread the word.

Razor blades are deadly. From now on, I think I'll go to Barbacoa.

U of U Olympic Marathoner’s Blog Offers Ringside Seats to Summer Games in Beijing

Thought this might be interesting to some of you U of U alum or fellow runners and hey Kelsey, she's a fellow Linguistics major at the U.


Aug. 6, 2008 -- Sports enthusiasts, Olympic games junkies and armchair travelers just got an insider’s pass to Beijing 2008.

Zuzana Tomas, marathon runner for the Slovakian team and Ph.D. student in linguistics at the University of Utah, is blogging from China about her experiences as part of this year’s summer games.

The web-based journal, www.runzuzanarun.blogspot.com , is up and running. Zuzana will be running in the marathon on Sunday, Aug. 17. Until then, readers can log on anytime to read her observations about traveling 6,000 miles to Beijing, getting acclimatized, continuing to train and prepare for the run, encountering other elite athletes from the world over and experiencing Chinese culture.

Zuzana came to the University of Utah as a graduate student during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Her qualifying race for the Beijing Olympics was the Houston Marathon in Jan., 2008 with a time of 2:39:26.

Log on. It’s the next best thing to being in Beijing.

Kelsey and Garth's slide show!

Hi everyone!

I put together a slide show of our favorite images from Kelsey and Garth's wedding day! Let us know what you think :)

ENJOY everyone! We had a wonderful time with everyone - thank you all again for everything!

xo - Shell

HERE's the LINK to the full res version: http://www.ivystudiosphoto.com/simpsonwedding

And here's the slideshow:

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Garth Simpson

Wow, you plan and plan and then the day comes and goes.

Congratulations Kelsey and Garth! It was a wonderful whirlwind day celebrating your marriage. Welcome to the family Garth! You did well, Kelsey. You did well, Garth.

Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us. It was a wonderful time to come together as family and we appreciated everyone's love and support.

Shelly and Brand0n, the pictures on the computer were incredible. We got so many complements on them. You are such a talent and it was so fun to see the results that night. Thank you, thank you!

Here are a few non-professional pictures of the day for those that were there and for those that weren't. For more pictures and Amy's perspective, be sure to visit her blog.

Thanks again everyone and congratulations to the happy couple.

"Resting" and "relaxing" the night before the big day!

Mr. and Mrs. Garth Simpson are introduced...

At the wedding luncheon...

And the reception...

I can't believe it!

Dear Family,

I can't believe that I just figured out how to post to the family blog.  Just in time for all the new and fun happenings in each family.  Isn't it fun celebrating with each other!  We are certainly a blessed family.  

Yesterday was dad's birthday and I reflected on all the fun we had growing up with such wonderful parents.  Mom and Dad, thank you for laying the ground work.  

It rained in  Phoenix and I remembered the family sitting on the balcony to watch the rain in Bountiful.  It has always been a great experience stopping to look and enjoy each other and the views of the world.  I see more and more the "older" I get that our parents (grandparents and great grandparents for some) have set the most wonderful example.

Anyway, as this month is here there is a celebration in each family.  Congratulations to Shelly and Brandon for their new little edition, Kelsey and Garth who will be off on a wonderful adventure soon, Camber for completing her residency, and Mandy who will be off to lands new and unknown.  What a fun celebration time!

Mostly, each of you light my life on a daily basis.  Thank you to all.  I love you, Brenda :)

Camber's Road

Camber's long road has achieved another milestone. We dropped her off at college 10 years ago. It was difficult to leave her behind in KC. She spent 6 years, year round in getting her BS and MD at the same time. It was a new and exciting time for her. At times she felt it would never end. Before you know it she was married and getting her degree. One picture shows Camber and her father testing driving a sports car, she settled for a Tercel instead. The graduation pictures were the conclusion of her KC road.

It was off to Rochester, NY. It was time for her residentcy. Med school was hard but the 90 hour work weeks were harder in many ways. Shifts that were always changing, it was hard to get a normal sleeping schedule. At times she felt like she was always tired, never quite rested. The 24 hour shifts take their toll at times. She learned much and gain confidence in her abilities. If there was difficult case with a child she was called on many times to handle it because of these skills. While in Rochester they added to the family, Sylvester and Sadie. They are great company. During this time there is always a need to have interests outside of the work, in Camber's case making quilts was one of these.

Congratulation Camber on your perserverance and your accomplishment of getting through it. The page is now turning to the next stage of your life. Congrats and job well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!