Horray for the Color Red!

I just Love the color Red and I thought that this exciting Smile did the color some justice.
Red represents LOVE in most people's eyes, but it also represents Hate and Anger in the eyes of another. Red Represents the Kiss of Death but it also represents a sweet baby's birth. Red represents strength in battle and it also represents happiness in Peace. Red represents saying YES, to eradicating Aids, It represents saying NO to drugs. Red Means Stop while in commute. Red Means Go... directly to Jail while playing our favorite board game. Red means Hot! Don't touch that plate, Red means cold after being rejected on a date.

Red is a Primary Color, without it the color spectrum would be lost. Perhaps Passion as we know it would be changed forever.

So... Next time you see red, stop and smile cause it means so many great things, I'm sure you can find something to attribute a smile towards that is red. Until then my friends...

-Keep on Smiling- (Till your Red in the face)

Honest... It's Abe

Okay, so Angel and I rented National Tresure 2 this evening and watched it. It was a great show. It's all based on the Assassination of President Lincoln and a conspiracy theory getting proven wrong. But this blog is not about Movies, it's about Smiles. Great flick though.

So, All growing up, I have always had a great respect for Abraham Lincoln and all that he stood for. I really first began to learn about him as a person in the book "How to win friends and influence people". If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. But Abe was not a quitter. He was a noble man, but in his younger years there was a fire that burned within him. He ran for the Presidency several times before he actually became the president. But, Like I said, He was not a quitter.

I am so grateful that we have had great men and women before us, that understood the power of a smile. Lincoln knew this and shared his smile in diplomacy and friendship. It was under his watch that the Civil war was won, and tragically only 5 days after the end of the war he was shot and killed.

So as you go about today and you see a penny, immediately pass along a smile to the nearest person and pass on the legacy that this great American President started so many years ago.

-Keep on Smiling-

Diverse in Da Universe

What an Powerful thing a smile is. I have never seen something that could breakup fights, save lives, go around the world, inspire, uplift, change the unchangeable, strengthen, teach, make new friends and open new doors and a thousand other positive verbs...Like a smile can

It is so interesting to me that in a world that is so diverse and where hundreds of languages are spoken the universal language is a smile. So next time you find yourself in a predicament... Smile! The strenght you will draw from it will be incredible. If there are other parties involved smile at them too... They might be annoyed at first, but if you give them a true and genuine smile, and draw from the internal strength it gives you to resolve the issue, I promise you, it will resolve the issue.

A smile says I love you, I care about you, and you are welcome in my presence. What could be more inviting than a smile? Nothing... Because in order to be inviting one must be greeted with just that, and if you are not, surely a warm welcome feeling is not emulated.

So show those Pearly Whites, heck... Show us your Yellow Coffee Stained Broken Smile with one Blackend dead tooth! We don't care (Well maybe a little bit, but I'll happily buy you a tooth brush and give you a free lesson on how to use it!). But if we show up to your place ya best be smilin, lest you leave us feelin like we wasn't welcome or somethin'.

I love you all my friends and I appreciate you coming and reading my blog. You guys rock!

-Keep on Smiling-

I love Smiling Dogs

This is a GREAT smile from a cute Red Nose Pit Bull. I love it when you can tell a Dog is happy. It makes my day! Dogs are so awesome. If you don't have a dog and you have the means... I highly recommend picking one up.

I think that the next Dog Angel and I get will be a Bull Dog. They are lazy, pretty good to train and they have about 5 minutes worth of high energy, which is about all I have to play with Nali these days. The problem there is that she has about 5 Hours worth of High Energy. Thank Goodness for Little Girls and Laser Pointers.

Speaking of High Energy, Angel and I are Starting the P90X Workout system. It's supposed to get you ripped in 90 Days if you stick to it. So we are all geared up and ready to rock... We'll keep you posted on the progress. We are so excited!!!

-Keep On Smiling-

Outta This World Smile!

This is a crater on Mars...even little green men know happiness. (Even if it is from kidnapping people from earth and making them eternal slaves in the mines deep below the surface of Mars... Or maybe UT??? The world may never know.
-Keep on Smiling-

Sweet Smile

I know that I am majorly slackin this week and I am so sorry to all of you who rely upon my constant cunning wit, to help you make it through the week. To all the rest of you...you'll just have to deal with it. :)

I still do not have my Mothers Day completed, and I wish I could say it was because of how awesome it is turning out, but truth be told, I am slammed right now, and I keep running out of day before I run out of things to do.
(And This is a HUGE priority for me!!!)

So here is a Pretty smile, which most people appreciate a little creativity and I thought this photo did a great job catching that.

You assignment for the day... Do something creative and let us all know what it was. I look forward to hearing from you!

-Keep on Smiling-

Mother's Day Swap

Hey Guys,

I'm working on a post for my mom, but I'll put it up tomorrow cause I haven't finished it yet. I went camping Friday and I haven't put a post up since, so... here is a quick smile for ya'll to appease the need to grin. I'll have some good ones up this week.

As Always feel free to send me any smiles that you encounter and give me a little history on them, so I can share it with the world!

-Keep on Smiling-

Important Reminder to Self

Just a reminder for all you forgetters out there... SUNDAY IS MOTHERS DAY! If you haven't purchased something to thank her for bringing you into this world you need to act now. It can be as simple as a card or something inexpensive like a Ferrari, Just get her something...

Oh and this guys smile is to make sure you dont forget, cause everytime you see a smile you will remind your self "SUNDAY IS MOTHERS DAY....SUNDAY IS MOTHERS DAY...SUNDAY IS MOTHERS DAY"

-Keep on Smiling- (Dont forget!!!)

Sweet Jennifer

This is Jennifer Lee Knowles, my little sister. Jennifer is Special. Her Smile is Special, Her ways are Special, And if you've ever gotten to meet her, you know that Her Love is Special. If you haven't had the blessing to meet Jennifer you are missing out. -Jennifer has Cerebral Palsy-

Here's a poem I recently wrote about her:

Perfectly Flawed

If words could capture silence, and paint it for the earth,
If actions captured stillness, and taught you what it's worth.

If you could see what it's like through a blind man's eyes,
Maybe then you'd see how much it means to see the suffering cry.

If smiles expressed all emotions, and Joy came after death,
If choosing someone else's way was the way you always felt was best.

If you could hear what it's like through a deaf man's ears,
Maybe then you'd hear for real, and cherish children's tears.

If Philanthropy could conquer Philosophy, and give to everyone,
If Politics was Cake or brownie mix, well, we'd just about be done.

If you could go a mile twain, without being pushed from behind,
Maybe then you'd come in last, just proud you crossed the line.

So why do we all get caught up over our next trivial trial?
Truth be told it just makes us old, so where's that Big ol' Smile?

If you could theorize life's goals though a special child's thought
Maybe then you'd understand you've lost what you've always sought.

Perhaps their not the slower ones; they just move at heaven's pace,
While the rest of us go flying by, afraid were loosing face.

Just stop and take a moment, retard your Thoughts and slow your Bod,
Then let the spirit show you, truly perfect children, are ones that we call flawed.

-Brad Brockbank-

Jennifer was born about 17 months after me, but during the birth she was deprived of precious oxygen for quite a while, in fact she died. My dad has never prayed like he prayed on July 14th 1981. Few have ever prayed as hard as he did on that day. And God did hear the cries of my father and did grant unto him the desire of his heart, that His daughter might remain with us for a time.

Behind her are three guys that she swore she would come to this earth to protect.

Her battle is not with Bin Laden, or a knife wielding thief, but rather the Adversary. And she is one in a billion of our Heavenly Fathers' Children who can fight him like she can and has all of our lives. We have protected her while on this earth from the Bin Ladens and Thiefs of the world, but even then our battle is futile cause in the end, we all know where she will be.

I love my little sister so much. Growing up she was the joy that helped us forget the Washington rain. I cannot begin to express how blessed I feel to have Jennifer as part of our family. She still continues to bless us, and Her sweet talented husband Raymond is a huge blessing as well.

Jennifer, I love you and can't wait to see you soon! Don't worry, we haven't forgotten that your Birthday is on July 14th! (We'll get you something X-tra special!)

To all the rest of you, Find the special child within ourselves. I'm living proof, that there's a little bit of a slow child in all of us, and that's ooohh-tay!

-Keep on Smiling-

Rock Solid Smile

This is Dewayne Johnson, more commonly known as "The Rock". I liked the Rock the first time I saw him on film... Upto that point I had only heard him referred to in conversations about the WWF.

After I saw him, I wondered how long it would be until he screwed every thing up. It is so sad to see how many great stars mess their lives up by making stupid choices. But not the Rock. It's been over 10 years since I first saw him, and to my knowledge he has not been caught in the midst of some controversy.

So The Rock lives up to his name. He is a Rock in life, he is a Rock in Service, and he seems to have a Rock solid values system.

Now if he could get as tone and defined as me he'll be in good shape.

-Keep on Smiling-

Happy Cinco de Maio!!!

Angel and I have this longstanding tradition every Cinco de Maio that I really think is incredible. Especially considering how long we've been doing it and how well we've executed on somehow remembering it every year tat we've been married.

We rarely have been this consistent at things, but Cinco de Maio is one of those holidays that are just too important on the list to miss out on, especially when it comes to tradition. I know alot of you out there are big traditionalist too and you probably think were old fashioned and all, but call us what you will, we just cant seem to get out of this fun pattern!

So every Cinco de Maio Angel and I get up in the morning and we go about our day as if nothing was different... Then about halfway through our day... (This is the best part) one of us says "Happy Cinco de Maio" then we go about our day and go to bed later that night!

Isn't that CRAZY? It's the best!

I for one just am amazed at how much fun we have.

Aside from all that silliness, this picture is an interesting one. Its actually my eye and that beautiful silhouette you can see is the apple of my eye (No, not the new iPhone silly) its Angel!

I had a HUGE grin on my face when we set this shot up and it always reminds me of how much our smiles include the rest of our face, not just our mouths. You cant see my mouth here, but you can "see" the smile.

So remember when you smile, do it like ya mean it and use all 36 muscles of facial expression:

Auricularis anterior (2)
Auricularis posterior (2)
Auricularis superior (2)
Buccinator (2)
Corrugator supercilii (2)
Depressor anguli oris (2)
Depressor labii inferioris (2)
Depressor septi nasi (1)
Frontalis (1)
Levator anguli oris (2)
Levator labii superioris (2)
Levator labii superioris alaeque nasi (2)
Mentalis (1)
Nasalis (2)
Orbicularis oculi (2)
Orbicularis oris (1)
Platysma (1)
Procerus (1)
Risorius (2)
Zygomaticus major (2)
Zygomaticus minor (2)

(Thank you Dr. Brad Wright from University of Utah)
(http://anatomynotes.blogspot.com/2006/01/muscles-to-smile-muscles-to-frown.html)

To show your smile!

-Keep on Smiling-
-Subsistencia en sonreír- Probably wrong Thanks Babel Fish:p

He's Got IT!

You know how sometimes you can just look at someone and tell through their smile that they've got it? This is my brother Justin, and He is one of those people.

I called him yesterday cause I haven't talked to him for a while and I realized how much I miss Utah. Now, don't ya'll go gettin upset in Texas, we're not goin' anywhere... I just miss all my dear family and friends, just like in Washington, and Brazil. I really do miss "Jun". Jun and I spent the Last 7 years chasing each other around the country getting in and out of trouble and teaching each other to "balance" from our extremes.

I was very laid back, disorganized and didn't plan much...Justin was a bit to preplanned, not very sporadic and never ate sugar. -Enter Brad-

We'll I couldn't convince him of the great joy that sugar brings (truth be told, he's allergic), but he has become more laid back to change and I have been able to plan things out in advance and get things in my life much more organized.

Aside from things like this, Justin introduced me to the world of Extreme Sports. Aside from Snowboarding I really didn't do many other sports. Justin changed that... Mtn. Biking, Snowmobiling, Street Biking (Motorcycles), Cruising (Motorcycles), Downhill Mtn. Biking, ATV's, and Powertools (Yes it's a sport...at least to me) To name a few.

So This is Jun... If you don't know him, I hope that you will someday have the opportunity to get to know him. If you do know him, I hope that you can get to know him better. And if your married to him, well... you a lucky gal (Love ya Steph!)

The lesson in smiles that we can all take from Justin is to look ahead in life. take a little time and plan some goals out. Write them down, spend time listening to others and when your looking over the edge of a huge cliff thinking your might possibly die, you'll never know until you jump.


-Keep on Smiling-

President Monson, What a Great Smile!

As I sit here at my computer this evening listening to a fight amongst some college kids outside, and hearing more cuss words than a ... than a movie with lots of cuss words in it... I find myself ever more grateful that I have a man like Thomas S. Monson to look to for guidance.

For those of you who visit my blog and are not of my faith, I am a Mormon. I am proud of my heritage and I have indeed researched practically every major religion and faith out there. How have I been able to find such exposure to so many faiths you might ask... Well, my father's chosen profession was a funeral director. Through this medium, I was able to meet, see, and study various Religious practices.

As you can see I am still a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I declare my witness that I have received the comforting assurance of my Father in Heaven that this is the true and everlasting church established upon the face of the land, restored from the apostasy which occurred after Christ's Crucifixion when the apostles were all martyred and the Priesthood was removed from off the face of the land.

The gospel as taught by the church holds the answers to questions so frequently sought in the world today. It is able to answer questions where others can only encourage faith due to a lack of scriptural evidence, or scriptural contradiction.

The man you see above is a man who lives by God's law, and serves on this earth as God's Living and true prophet upon the earth.

I testify to you, that these things are true. I invite each of you to investigate a bit more. If you are curious about how your family can be together forever, then find out... Ask about Heavenly Father's Plan for our happiness on this earth.

And PLEASE please please do not take my word alone, or think that I would ever expect anyone to do so. Rather, I encourage you to truly seek guidance from our Loving Heavenly Father. He hears our prayers and answers them, and I promise as you ask in faith, believing that he will answer as he promises over and over again, you will receive guidance as to what he would have you to do.

Perhaps you have been praying, maybe this is an answer for that which you have been seeking. I know that the spirit will testify to your heart, and if that be the case, please feel free to ask me anything. I am not here to convert others. But rather to share with them the joy I have found through this Gospel which I live.

My testimony stands to invite thru love. I hope that you know my desire to share this with you, is founded in "Love" and not an ounce of contention. I am only reaching to those who are seeking. The churches across this great nation have incredible people who lead and guide in them. I am humbled by the service they render in our communities and the counsel they share to so many.

I know that they are serving God to the fullest they know how, and I honor them for it. I merely know that my Heavenly Father has spoken directly to my heart as I have knelt in earnest prayer asking his guidance, and have been overwhelmed by the clearness of the response. My life is happier, my marriage stronger, and my joy fuller, and I cannot deny what I know. Of these truths I testify and seal it unto heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ, -Amen-

-Keep on Smiling-