Fall Photos

Our friend is starting a photography business and

so we kindly agreed to help him build his portfolio.

It was a beautiful day! Thanks Todd.

Virtuous Women

So I have been thinking a lot about Women lately. I have been the Laurel adviser for the past 8 months and my eyes have really been opened to the challenges they face. A few weeks ago we had a fireside on "Guardians of Virtue" and sexual purity. It really hit home for me...they talked about pornography and I thought of my sweet little boys and the reality that they will some day be tempted to look at naked women! Ahhh!! Then it hit me so strong that as a mother it is up to me to help change the way that women are viewed. Then I realized that some kids start looking at porn as early as 8 years old. I about had a panic attack thinking that I have 4 years to find a solution. In a perfect world google would create a search engine where you simply click--No Porn or View Porn, Walmart would have a door for wholesome attire and half dressed...and we would happily filter out the filth in our lives.

So the problem, I was reflecting back on a lot of talks and lessons I have heard concerning pornography, self-image, etc. It seems like we discuss things but there are rarely ideas on how collectively we do something about it. This bothers me...A LOT. Even though I am a married woman now I constantly feel the pressure of not looking good enough, being good enough. etc. I truly believe a lot of this stems from pornography. I used to think men were the culprit behind this nasty scandal...but the more I think about it I actually think it is women driving this plague. Why do I think this? Because obviously women all over the world offer their bodies to this cause. I think deep down they probably do it for reasons of lack of love, lack of confidence, and self hatred...and because like every woman they want to feel beautiful so they give in. So instead of relying on men to rid the world of this problem I think as women we need to join forces.

The solution, how about we start a clothing line and organization that fights porn, promotes self worth and modesty? So I am a realist and don't have the time to take this beast on by myself...but then I started thinking about everyone I know. I thought about the people that read my blog...aka YOU and then I realized that almost every person I am friends with struggles with this same problem. So you may say to yourself...I really don't have time! My response...you're lying! My friend Mandy Bell and I have a philosophy. We think women can offer a lot more to the world than they do. Think about the olden days and the life without technology and appliances. Many women were up at 6AM milking cows, doing laundry, cutting firewood, and raising children. They had time for all of that and still raised good strong families.

It could be a really simple business model. All T-shirts $10, Long sleeve $15, Jeans $50, Skirts/dresses $30. Accessories $5. We can even try to bring back the darling house dresses that Kristi and I so badly want to sport every day. But seriously, If we can work together I really believe we can create a paradigm shift and make it so men are attracted to modesty instead of being brain burned by porn. I have had too many close friends/family struggle with this problem and I am tired of relying on others to fight this ongoing battle. If you want to head up this idea I can commit to helping raise money and connecting you to factories in China. And if you don't have time... just at least commit to covering your goods!