Jaron's 3rd Birthday

August 8th was Jaron's birthday and he was soooo excited. When we asked him what kind of party he wanted he replied, "A Mario Party!" Being the good parents that we are (-: we created the mushroom kingdom for his birthday. I designed and had printed and die-cut a couple of 38" Mario and Luigi's from foam core. Jessica took care of the cupcakes by making them look like toadstools and a Mario face. Overall the party was great fun and we appreciate the family and friends that traveled to St. George to celebrate with us. Jaron LOVED all of the trucks, animals, puzzles and other toys that he got. Below are a few select photos from the Birthday Bash!

Idiocracy Part 1

I realize that growing up on a farm in a small town may have given me an advantage in the following story I'm about to share with you, but do people ever research any marketing claims? First of all, let me preface this by saying that whoever had the idea to market the "Pure Angus Beef" angle is brilliant. Now for my experience.

Matt and I decided we wanted to get some McDonalds in our bellies for lunch the other day. As we were pulling up I saw they had banners all over the restaurant advertising their new 1/3 lb Pure Angus Beef burgers. Now Matt already knows how I feel about the Angus Beef marketing that started a few years back. It's not that I dislike Angus beef (or any other beef for that matter). It's the fact that there is no fundamental difference between an all Angus beef patty from any other patty, yet the general public has been duped into thinking it is somehow superior in quality and flavor. I'm sure in a blind taste test they couldn't tell the difference, but dang if it doesn't sound a lot better!

I decided I was going to ask the clerk what the difference was between the Angus Beef and the beef they use in their other burgers. The answer I received was pretty funny and I had a hard time keeping a straight face. I can't remember what the clerks name was so we'll just call her Sally. This is how the conversation went:

Jake- "Hey, what is the difference between the Angus burgers and the other burgers?"
Sally- "Well, they are made from 100% pure Angus Beef."
Jake- "What are the other burgers made from then?"
Sally- "...Umm...quarter-pounder meat?"

There it is, All "Full of flavor" and stuff

I couldn't make this stuff up. Maybe it's always been this way, but society in general seems to be out of touch with reality much of the time. Are we really so susceptible to whatever the Television and Magazines tell us that we will believe it all? Will we continue to be the marionette puppets of effective advertising and viral marketing individuals? Are we truly headed for an idiocracy in a matter of a few generations. Probably not, but incidents like these keep me smiling. Einstein was quoted as saying (and I'm paraphrasing) that "even though we consider ourselves to be superior to primitive man in every way, there are some things we are not superior in. How many people have any knowledge about the nature and origin of the things they use everyday? Primitive man knew how to create a bow, how to hunt, how to make clothing, grow food and all of the basic items for survival."