Ninja Mormons

Who knew there were actual Mormon Shadow Warriors?

Mormon DJ tops charts

For some time now I've been a fan of a Techno music DJ named Kaskade (Ryan Raddon). He's had several #1 songs on the techno/house music charts. Recently he was named America's best DJ for 2008. As I read a little bit about him, I found out that he moved from Chicago to Utah, went to school at the Univeristy of Utah, and is infact a very active Mormon.

His music has been used in several commercials including a 2007 superbowl commercial.

Generally speaking, the people who like house music are big partiers and in the the night life scene -- activities that are incompatible with LDS standards. It's pretty cool to see someone who's constantly surrounded by a variety of bad influences, yet stays stalwart in his commitment to his religious beliefs.

When asked by an interviewer, "Do you ever find yourself at odds with a nightclub culture that's so antithetical to the values of LDS?"
Kascade replied, "If I do, then I just remove myself from it."

Have a listen to one of Kaskade's new songs here:

Back to school

The boys were sooooo excited for school today! Gabe was so funny, he said "this is my very first time being TRANSLATED"! What he meant was TRANSFERED (since he is a new student at the school). I think they are going to do great and I really hope they have good teachers.

Malt-O-Meal

Sunday is a special day for me. It's a day when I recharge my spiritual battery. It's a day of rest... And, it's my no-holds-barred, shameless, double-fisted, chocolate dipped, 12,000-calories-here-I-come, uber cheat day! Many fitness professionals speak about the importance of a weekly "re-freed" day where a person refuels their body with a large number of calories. My "re-feed" day ritual may be slightly outside the original intent of their advice, but hey, if a little is good, then a LOT must be all the better. This Sunday was no exception.

Marie recently purchase a variety of breakfast cereals to augment our morning menu with some quick options for the upcoming school days. Among the typical lineup of Raisin Bran, Cheerios, and Mini-Wheats where some unexpected treasures. A virtual cornucopia of sugar laced Malt-O-Meal knock-off candy sacks (a.k.a "part of a complete breakfast") for cheat days. Needless to say, I've been patiently waiting for this weeks glut-fest to commence so I could hunch over my kitchen table in a "Hungry-Hungry Hippo" posture and begin gorging myself with two serving spoons and a punch bowl full of Marshmallow Mateys (tm).

There were three things going for me in this morning's scenario. One - I was able to sink my half-decayed teeth into the only product that scores "infinity" on the glycemic index. Two - I was ensuring that my dental insurance premiums aren't going to waste. And three - I would be eating a completely non-organic breakfast (there's a clear correlation between the increase in the number of girly-men and the rise of organically produced products). However, there was a potential downside to my choice in cheat-day cuisine. The longstanding war Malt-O-Meal has waged on innocent kid's gums everywhere.

I remember the few times that Mom and Dad purchased Malt-O-Meal brand cereal for our family growing up. We never got the real sugary kinds, but we did get to experience the unique reinforced steel texture Malt-O-Meal is famous for. The fragile roofs of our mouths were no match for the gravel-like substance we were obliged to chew. It's been a long time since I've had a Malt-O-Meal brand cereal, but I remember my previous encounters well. It always ended up like so:

Malt-O-Meal: 1
My Gums: 0

Needless to say, I had a real dilemma on my hands today. Do I scarf down my nutritious meal and accept the permanent damage to the soft tissue in my mouth, or do I refrain and just eat a bowl of table sugar?

I'm happy to report that I mustered the courage to eat (and eat, and eat) the Marshmallow Mateys. To my utter astonishment, the Mateys bathed my taste buds with sugar induced bliss, while at the same time SPARING my gums of the torture I was expecting. Holly cow! Malt-O-Meal's hatred of children's mouths must have softened over the years. Not only was my breakfast delicious, but my gums only receive minor lacerations -- nothing a quick gargle of salt-water couldn't disinfect.

I am impressed. Malt-O-Meal has definitely surpassed my expectations. I highly recommend it to you all. If you're looking for a great tasting breakfast that doesn't cost $70 per box like the name brands, and no longer necessitates a visit to the ER, consider Malt-O-Meal.

-Bryan

Saber

We have a new addition to our family. I know, I said I would NEVER have another pet, let alone a dog. But, I succumbed to peer pressure and gave in. When Bryan joined in with the kids I knew I had lost. At first we were going to get a sweet, easy going, loving cat. But we figured, why take the easy route, lets dive in head first. It's sink or swim from this point on!

Saber joined our family last night. He is a pure bred yellow lab, almost 9 weeks old. We made it through our first night with only a little whelping. He's only had one accident on our carpet so far. This will be his last accident on my carpet since he is now confined to our mud room until he is more reliable in the potty area. I've gotta draw the line somewhere... :)

The kids absolutely adore him and if Saber can live through all the attention I will consider this an accomplishment. He is super cute and I have to admit even my cold heart is softening toward him.

Let me know what you think and any advice will be readily consumed!

Marie

2008 Sant family dance off

Dance off 2

Dance off 3

Dance off grand champ is.........Cameron!

Sant's were great in 2008!

Welcome to the Sant Family Blog

Welcome my fellow Sants (or those who are loosely associated with us).

You're reading the first blog entry in our brand-new family blog. Pretty sweet, I know. What can I say? I like technology, and I like the "$0.99 Extra Value" menu at Wendy's. So when Google starts giving away free blog accounts, I consider that a rare win-win oportunity that satifies the inner geek and the inner Gary L. Sant el-cheapo.

So warm up your typing fingers and prepare to frequently post messages, pictures, videos, etc. for the whole clan to enjoy. Do you have some new pictures of your family members? Show them here. Want to complain about the government? Do it here. Do you have a funny story to tell? It's probably not that funny, and we'll likely critisize you for you dopey, low-class, sense of humor (or lack there of), but you should still post it here!

Well, what are you wainting for? Blog away!