Sucker Lovers

Regan says that I am the only person he knows that will walk in to a gas station for the sole purpose of purchasing a sucker. However, I no longer stand alone in my love for that sweet confectioners treat...

...for we now have another sucker lover in the family (sucker as in the candy as well as Regan). Although, it should be noted that I am not the individual who created this sucker stealing monster.

We live with my grandma who's favorite saying is "if Mom says no, just ask Grandma!" Here, Brooklyn is enjoying a healthy strawberry tootsie pop for breakfast before her Halloween festivities began.

Poor Brooklyn was really confused by both her Grandma and Great Grandma Duckworth. Both of them got her good. Brooklyn knew the voice coming from the witch pictured above was her grandmother, but she could not figure out what had happened to her face. It took her a while, but Brooklyn finally warmed up to Grandma.

Brooklyn also did not appreciate Great Grandma Dorothy's mask. She screamed and wiggled right out of those loving arms...

...and ran right to the safety of her father's embrace.

Brooklyn's breakfast sucker didn't hold her over very long. She was starting to get hungry. Lucky for her, there was a whole hallway full of the gracefully aged who were handing out her favorite treat.
Brooklyn quickly figured out that she was the star of the show. Her hands were so full of candy. Grandma's everywhere were doubting her ability to load on more. Just when we thought she was done, her little pinkie would appear from under the mass of candy and would snatch on to a dum dum like it was the last one ever made.

What? It's dinner time? How about a sucker. Or 2, maybe 3.

Play Time

Brooklyn played in the leafs for the first time yesterday. While doing so, she was introduced to a few new phenomenas.She witnessed a flock of geese flying in a perfectly symmetrical V, as well as a little Cessna 172 soaring directly overhead.

She also made many darling, yet unsuccessful, attempts to blow the fluffy white seeds off of a dandelion.

Say Cheese

You might have guessed that I've really been having a lot of fun taking pictures. Many of you have asked what I charge, so I thought I'd post an answer to that question.

For a family of up to 6 people, I charge $75. For a family of 6 or more, I charge $100. These prices include the session fee and at least 30 edited photos and the raw image files.

Wanting to do an extended family picture? The extended family photo fee is $100 for the group and $35 per individual family photo session.

If you're interested or have questions, leave a comment or email me at annie.duckworth@gmail.com.

Hi.

My name is Jax.
I am two.
I really like rocks.This is my family.
See how I can smile big?
I like to look in windows...
...and jump in puddles.
My mom sure is the best.
I think my dad is funny.
I laugh at anything he does.
My name is Jax and I am 2.

I like rocks.

What's Next?

The journey of Law School was nothing more than a detour to our more comprehensive path known as life. This side road was full of all sorts of stops along the way.
Most people think that graduation as the final destination. Although it is a great accomplishment, it is only one stop along the way.The interview process was also one of those stops. I am sure glad to be done with that. Here is Regan all ready for his first day of work. Oh, he is grinning on the outside, but deep down his thoughts are consumed with passing the bar exam. You see, being hired on as an attorney is contingent upon finding a "PASS" next to your name.
Here Regan is enjoying a pit stop at Braza grill after finding out the he had indeed passed the Utah State Bar Exam. Next stop, the swearing in ceremony.
While I do love being back in Utah, I miss being surrounded by similarly situated people, people who understood what our family was experiencing because they themselves were in the same situation.

For a brief moment, while sitting in a room full law school graduates, soon to be attorneys and their supporters, I felt a common understanding once again.
Brooklyn was indeed proud of her father, but she was too involved in her sucker to care what was going on around her. Here we are, proud as can be. We did it.
Next stop, transition from serf to landowner.

Brooklyn The Vampire

While the Duckworth boys enjoyed the Utah/UNLV game a couple weekends ago, the girls had some bonding time in sunny St. George.
This is the crazy bunch (minus Helen and Courtney).
Musicals are right up Brooklyn's ally. Although she did not sit still the entire time, she danced her little heart out. She loved Annie.
Here is Brooklyn and her cousin Bella. Grandma bought them matching Halloween pj's. Did you notice that Brooklyn accessorized her new pj's with a scarf?

I pulled out my camera to take a picture and tried to take her scarf (a shirt) away and she freaked. When I gave it back to her she put it right back around her neck and cheesed it big time. We did this three times. Fearing for Bella's safety, I gave in and let her wear it for the picture.

You see, Brooklyn came away from this trip a changed girl. We went into St. George with a baby, and left with a full blown crazy toddler. She has 4 teeth and knows how to use them. Just ask her cousin Julia. Poor Julia (pictured below in the yellow shirt) was Brooklyn's first victim. She was bitten on her cheek and had bruises to prove it.
Brooklyn also likes to pull hair now. Notice Julia's long locks? Brooklyn used them as reigns to lead Julia forcefully down to the ground and then push her away like she owned her time and time again.

I must point out that Brooklyn did not learn these things from hanging out with her cousins. They are well mannered children who adore Brooklyn. She was tired (slept 6 hours in a 2 day period) and overwhelmed with all of the attention she was getting. Either that or she was so excited for New Moon to come out.

Through Thick & Thin

How many of you are still friends with people you went to Jr. High with? Well, I have been lucky enough to stay in close contact with a a few I danced with at Granite Park Jr. High.

One of them, Rachel, needed some pictures taken for a life altering project she is working on. Here is what we came up with.

3+1=4

When I was in high school I pictured myself at my five year reunion with 3 kids and 1 on the way. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it to my five year reunion and I didn't even have 1 child at the time.

This is my friend Angie and her family. She is where I pictured myself; 3 kids and 1 on the way. Her youngest is 10 months old and she is due in 2 months. She is one brave woman.

The Perfect Shave

Before you get half way through the post and wonder why Annie needs to shave her face, I felt that I should tell you that this is Regan. This post is for the two dudes that read our blog. After reading this post and applying its teaching, I promise you a better shave.

I've been meaning to publish this for a long time. Last night we went to Costco and, even earlier than usual, they had already placed some of their Christmas merchandise. Not only is big business disrespecting Thanksgiving, but its now waged war against Halloween. If I turn on the radio this month and hear classic Christmas carols instead of traditional Halloween music I just might loose it.

Anyway, seeing the Christmas goods reminded me of my idea for this post. The first time I shaved was for the Homecoming dance my senior year of High School. Pathetic? Maybe. Controllable? Only by Mother Nature. I don’t think I really even need to, but I lathered up my face and put the Bic to the peach fuzz. With that uninformed decision, I started down a miserable road of nicks, cuts, and razor burn. From then on, I thought that skin irritation, redness, and the accompanying burning sensation was all part of the process of shaving. However, a couple of years ago I learned that proper shaving had become a lost art.

The art was lost somewhere between "let's give the customer a great product that is affordable and will provide him with a great shave" and "let's make the customer buy an expensive product that doesn't last that long so he'll have to buy more of it." Like other industries before it (e.g. auto industry), the razor companies moved away from what was working in order to increase their bottom line (I'm currently producing a documentary entitled "Who Killed the Shaving Industry"). The "Man" set the art of shaving back by convincing the consuming public that dull disposable razors paired with cheap foam or gel could do a better job than much finer products.

Fed up with the burn and irritation associated with these products, I decided to do a little research. My initial intent was to research electric razors. I came across an article entitled How to Get the Perfect Shave (click here to read). The article outlined the steps of wetshaving, many of which I was doing to some degree. However, a few of the important parts of the shaving conundrum were missing.

There are a few basic tools that you need for wetshaving: 1) a good DE razor; 2) a good brush; 3) glycerin-based shaving cream; 4) hot water; and 5) non-alcoholic after-shave (don’t worry, it’s not a Mormon thing). The article above details the process and the importance of each of these elements; read it. However, I thought that I would also add a little personal perspective. 1) A good DE razor – If you have a razor that you like, it works for you without leaving razor burn, and you don’t mind paying its associated costs (e.g. cartridges), then stick with it. If you are looking for something to work for you, or are looking for an economically friendly alternative to cartridge razors, go with a DE razor. The handle on my razor is short, but you can find ones with longer handles. The initial investment is $30.00 for the razor and another $10 for a pack of blades.

2) A good brush – These can range in price from $10.00 for a synthetic hair brush at Wal-Mart to $550.00 for a brush that must cure cancer for that price. I went with a $30.00 badger hair brush and couldn’t be happier. It’s still in good shape and works as promised.

3) Glycerin-based shaving cream – This stuff is magical. Hate Europe all you want, but they make some great shave cream. My father in-law likes the British stuff, while I prefer the Italian brand (Proraso Classic Shaving Cream with Eucalyptus Oil & Menthol). Best part of all, a pea-sized portion is all you need for a complete shave.

4) Hot water – This was my biggest problem in my adolescences. No, I didn’t grow up in a house without hot water, but I didn’t incoporate it effectively into my shaving routine. Hot water opens up the pores for a closer shave.

5) Non-alcoholic after-shave - Alcohol based stuff just dried out my skin. I’ve found that applying the remainder of the shave cream in my brush to my skin after I shave and then washing it off with extremely cold water does a much better job (the cold water closes the pores as to avert razor burn and ingrown hairs). After-shave really isn’t necessary with the shave cream I use (the Eucalyptus Oil & Menthol seems to do the trick). Nevertheless, if you want to use it, find a product without alcohol in it.

In conclusion, THIS IS ALL I’VE SPENT ON SHAVING FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS:

$30.00 (razor) + $10.00 (20 blades) + $22.00 (shaving cream; 2 tubes) + $30.00 (badger hair brush) = $92.00/3 years = $2.55 a month

This is a lot less than I was spending before, and I have much better results. Plus, I still have 4 more blades left from the original 20 and 3/4 of a tube of shaving cream (the stuff goes a long way). All I have to buy in the future are more blades and shave cream. In the interest of full disclosure, my blades probably lasted a little longer because of the lack of hair on my face. Men of a bushier lot may require more blades in a shorter period.

I bought most of my stuff from either amazon.com or classicshaving.com. Do your due diligence and I’m sure you can find a better deal. And, even though I guess I'm adding to the above mentioned holiday confusion/premature promotion by posting this now, this would make a great Christmas gift for any man in your life. Just wait until December to buy it please.

Nathan James

My cousin Nathan needed some head shots to take with him to an audition. I did a few and then had some fun experimenting with him. He is going to be in a production soon at Hale Center Theater called Curtains. It runs from October 5th-November 21st so go check it out.