Happy 24th of July -- Pioneer Day

Happy 24th of July! For those of you outside of Utah, July 24 is Pioneer Day in Utah and is a state holiday. It is the day we celebrate the pioneers settling in the Salt Lake Valley.

July 24th is a huge holiday full of fireworks, parades, and family celebrations. It's always fun to have an extra holiday during the year.

Read about Pioneer Day

Harry Potter Mania

Well, it is that time of year again. I was visiting a bookstore recently and saw several young sorcerers walking into the store. Ah ha! It must be for the release of the new Harry Potter book. I actually must say that I really enjoy the books (although I'm not a fan of the film versions -- the movies seem take away from using personal imagination in my opinion). J.K. Rowling is a fantastic writer. She has a talent of bring characters to life and engaging the reader into the story. I haven't read this latest version yet, but look forward to where it takes me.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)

Daily Thoughts

There is a great resource online called DailyOM. Every day you can read short articles about self-improvement, healthy living, philosophy, meditation, energy work, relationship and more. Today's article is entitled "Giving the Freedom to Live: Accepting the Journeys of Others". It's a great article. Very thought-provoking.

Stadium of Fire - 4th of July Celebration

On Saturday night I attended a great 4th of July celebration in Provo -- the Stadium of Fire. It was a wonderful event with Lonestar, Mandy Moore, Lucy Lawless, Debbie Reynolds, Louis Gossett Jr., Fred Willard, a 4,000 voice children's choir, F-16 flyovers, and a 25 minute firework presentation. Everything was spectacular. We had a live link with troops in Afghanistan and Iraq -- and some soldiers were able to talk to their families who were in attendance. It was a very powerful event. Great kickoff for the 4th of July and celebrating our freedom. Happy 4th everyone and thanks to all the troops who are fighting to protect freedom around the globe.