With elections less than a week away you wouldn't expect anything less than a post from me on politics now would you? Actually, I urge you all to take a look at the following video if you haven't already. It's John Stossel's Politically Incorrect Guide to Politics. It aired a couple of weeks ago on 20/20. So, if you have just 10 minutes, take a peek. If you have 45 minutes, you can watch all 6 parts (I've put in hyperlinks for the remaining parts under the initial video). I think it makes some interesting points, things worth considering before going to the polls next Tuesday. Who doesn't a love a good John Stossel piece every once in a while anyway?
More importantly, even if you don't take the time to watch this, please research before you vote. Please know why you're voting the way you're voting. Don't just go off hearsay. Know what issues matter to you and what solutions you think will work best to take care of those issues. Know where the candidates stand on these issues, how they have voted in the past on similar issues and then vote your conscience!
This is not a popularity contest. This is our future and our children's future. I think that's why I am so passionate about this. I really dislike the path we are going down and I don't want to see us making the future harder for those we love. You and I may not agree on the right way to "fix" our current problems, but the more informed people there are out there who do care the more we'll figure out ways to solve these issues. Apathy and laziness rarely bring about progress. We have so many resources out there now so we can each be informed voters. I really believe we will end up with a safer, freer country if we all do our part to be educated and informed and get involved, where we can, in our communities. You've still got a few days to educate yourself for this election if you haven't already so get to it!
Part 1:
Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
One Word
It's been a busy month. Sorry, Erin, for taking so long to respond to your tag. I graciously accept it...
Give one word answers with no explanation... 1. Where is you cell phone...washer 2. Where is your significant other... sleeping 3. Your hair color... fake 4. Your mother... loves 5. Your father... laughs 6. Your favorite thing... people 7. Your dream last night... forgotten 8. Your dream goal... joy 9. Room you're in... living 10. Your hobby... politics 11. Your fear... unprepared 12. Where do you want to be in 6 years... asia 13. Where were you last night... gym 14. What you're not... worried 15. One of your wish-list items... house 16. Where you grew up... utah 17. The last thing you ate... toast 18. What are you wearing... pjs 19. Your TV... broken 20. Your pet... hopefully 21. Your computer... awesome 22. Your mood... satisfied 23. Missing someone... everyone 24. Your car... reliable 25. Something you"re not wearing... watch 26. Favorite store... Costco 27. Your summer... busy 28. Love someone...definitely 29. Your favorite color... green 30. Last time you laughed... now 31. Last time you cried... past I am tagging ... no one, unless you want to do it! | |
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Long time no post
So I admit, it's been a while since we posted. And it's been an even longer while since took a trip to California (Labor Day weekend) So, because we're so nice, we're giving lots of pictures of the trip.
This picture is just outside our hotel. We stayed in Monterey.
Adie wasn't too fond of the ocean the first day we took her to see it.
The ocean was awesome.
Adie learned to appreciate the ocean a little more. This is on Pier 39 in San Fransisco
This is watching the sea lions in San Fransisco. Adie like it a lot.
Adie in San Fransisco.
Adie LOVED Ghiradelli Square, especially deseret there.
This is Adie perusing the Ghiradelli Square Menu.
Adie by the bay. (Alcatraz in the background)
Again Adie.
And more Adie. (We promise were on this trip too).
This picture is just outside our hotel. We stayed in Monterey.
Adie wasn't too fond of the ocean the first day we took her to see it.
The ocean was awesome.
Adie learned to appreciate the ocean a little more. This is on Pier 39 in San Fransisco
This is watching the sea lions in San Fransisco. Adie like it a lot.
Adie in San Fransisco.
Adie LOVED Ghiradelli Square, especially deseret there.
This is Adie perusing the Ghiradelli Square Menu.
Adie by the bay. (Alcatraz in the background)
Again Adie.
And more Adie. (We promise were on this trip too).Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Update
So all, just a quick update. Low and behold my temporary security clearance came through. Good news for me. I'm really quite sure I have nothing in my background which would have prevented me from getting a clearance, but I've been paranoid that something would go wrong and throw a wrench in our plans. The relocation company called me today and we're starting the process of arranging the move. Last night and today it really struck me that this is it. We're finishing up and moving out. It's actually rather bitter sweet.
I've been able to stay in good contact with most of my close college buddies so far. I've keep in contact with a few high school friends. While I know that moving on is great and all, I'm actually surprised at how much I'll miss some of the people I've gotten to know and trust lately. In life what makes me sentimental is knowing that I'm not going to have any more opportunities. I mean honestly, my two friends from high school and my half a dozen college roommates that I'm still in good contact with I'll probably continue to see as time goes by. When I was on my mission, it actually wasn't all that hard to say goodbye to companions and friends that were going home. Mainly because I knew I had a high likelihood of seeing them again. Now, I'm not so sure. Anyway, I didn't mean to diverge into a sentimental ramble. Blogs will of course help keep us in contact with everyone. Just now it's less probable that we'll see anyone. That is, unless people decide that they want to leave Utah when it's freezing cold and come visit us in Tucson.
I've been able to stay in good contact with most of my close college buddies so far. I've keep in contact with a few high school friends. While I know that moving on is great and all, I'm actually surprised at how much I'll miss some of the people I've gotten to know and trust lately. In life what makes me sentimental is knowing that I'm not going to have any more opportunities. I mean honestly, my two friends from high school and my half a dozen college roommates that I'm still in good contact with I'll probably continue to see as time goes by. When I was on my mission, it actually wasn't all that hard to say goodbye to companions and friends that were going home. Mainly because I knew I had a high likelihood of seeing them again. Now, I'm not so sure. Anyway, I didn't mean to diverge into a sentimental ramble. Blogs will of course help keep us in contact with everyone. Just now it's less probable that we'll see anyone. That is, unless people decide that they want to leave Utah when it's freezing cold and come visit us in Tucson.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Football
So, New Mexico.
First of all, if I were a New Mexico fan, I admit I'd probably be saying all the things that some New Mexico fans are saying. Mainly that the block in the back penalty really shifted momentum in the game. I think that it was a pretty weak penalty. Granted that the NM lineman did have his hand on the BYU player's back as the BYU player was falling to the ground. The ref might not have had a good angle and could only call it as they saw it. Or the MWC really has ordered the officials to make sure BYU and Utah win every game until they meet.
Also, New Mexico had a wide open reciever on the next play that would have easily had a touchdown if the quarterback could have thrown a good pass.
Overall this was a good game on BYU's part. New Mexico had a good scheme for the game in that they didn't blitz. While that might sound funny, anyone who knows how you would normally prepare to play New Mexico would instantly recognize that by not blitzing, New Mexico threw off BYU's game plan for them.
I think most BYU fans wanted to see more points. I know I expected it. I actually don't mind though that the game turned out as it did. I think they're in a bit of a funk. They tend to play to the level of their competition. Hopefully that means they'll step up for TCU this Thursday.
First of all, if I were a New Mexico fan, I admit I'd probably be saying all the things that some New Mexico fans are saying. Mainly that the block in the back penalty really shifted momentum in the game. I think that it was a pretty weak penalty. Granted that the NM lineman did have his hand on the BYU player's back as the BYU player was falling to the ground. The ref might not have had a good angle and could only call it as they saw it. Or the MWC really has ordered the officials to make sure BYU and Utah win every game until they meet.
Also, New Mexico had a wide open reciever on the next play that would have easily had a touchdown if the quarterback could have thrown a good pass.
Overall this was a good game on BYU's part. New Mexico had a good scheme for the game in that they didn't blitz. While that might sound funny, anyone who knows how you would normally prepare to play New Mexico would instantly recognize that by not blitzing, New Mexico threw off BYU's game plan for them.
I think most BYU fans wanted to see more points. I know I expected it. I actually don't mind though that the game turned out as it did. I think they're in a bit of a funk. They tend to play to the level of their competition. Hopefully that means they'll step up for TCU this Thursday.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Phone a friend
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the game show "Who wants to be a millionaire?", this is a way for contestants to ask a friend about a question that has come up while playing. So, on to my question:
Actually, lies, I'm going to give some background first. I've submitted my information for my security clearance. I'm waiting on that and will hopefully hear back in the next couple of days. At that point, the HR department at my new job can set Sabrina and I up with a relocation specialist who will be able to help us move to Tucson. Sabrina and I have been discussing buying a home, and would like to immediately if possible. We'll definitely attempt to get prequalified, but don't want to start initiating anything until we know when we're actually going to be looking. The question comes down to this:
We've heard that you should have a minimum of 2 years working at the same place in order to qualify for a home loan. Obviously we won't have that luxury. Provided we can scrape together a decent down payment, and that our credit scores are in the excellent range, do mortgage companies lend to people who are just starting a new job straight out of college? Or are we most likely stuck renting for a period? We'd love to hear from anyone who has experience with this, though we recognize that the latest mortgage crisis might have changed the way lenders are willing to lend.
Actually, lies, I'm going to give some background first. I've submitted my information for my security clearance. I'm waiting on that and will hopefully hear back in the next couple of days. At that point, the HR department at my new job can set Sabrina and I up with a relocation specialist who will be able to help us move to Tucson. Sabrina and I have been discussing buying a home, and would like to immediately if possible. We'll definitely attempt to get prequalified, but don't want to start initiating anything until we know when we're actually going to be looking. The question comes down to this:
We've heard that you should have a minimum of 2 years working at the same place in order to qualify for a home loan. Obviously we won't have that luxury. Provided we can scrape together a decent down payment, and that our credit scores are in the excellent range, do mortgage companies lend to people who are just starting a new job straight out of college? Or are we most likely stuck renting for a period? We'd love to hear from anyone who has experience with this, though we recognize that the latest mortgage crisis might have changed the way lenders are willing to lend.
Thou Shalt Not Covet...
Ahhhh! It's 3:15 am and I have not yet gotten to sleep. Ugh. You've all heard about my sleep problems before, so I won't bore you with them. Lucky for me, Adie seems to have similar ones right now, so she's up keeping me company :D I bet you know how thrilled I am about that.
It's just been one of those weeks, you know, those weeks where you aren't motivated to do anything and you feel kind of blah. Yeah, it's one of those. I've tried all week to be productive, but I've had a hard time really getting off my read end to get anything of substance done. It's during those days / weeks when I start to get covetous. Mostly I get covetous of others' abilities. Yes, it's a dangerous game when you start playing the compare game, so I really try to avoid it most of the time, but sometimes it just creeps up on you when you aren't getting anything else productive done. So, in the interest of getting things out of my mind and hopefully shutting it off to get some sleep, I present to you a list of talents / traits in others that I covet.
One caveat before I begin...the purpose of this is not to throw a pity party for myself or receive high praise from my blog-reading friends about all my wonderful traits and abilities. I realize we are all blessed with different abilities for a reason, and I know I have my share. I am, therefore, not looking for comments or emails telling me why I shouldn't worry about this or that. I promise I am not depressed. I am writing this more for introspective purposes, mostly so I can shut off that racing brain of mine for a few hours and get some much-needed rest. Lucky for you, reader, you get to come along for my introspective ride.
So, without further ado, my list of traits I covet...
~Being a morning person - How I wish I felt good when I woke up early. I am told by my parents that I was never a morning person, even as a baby. I have always liked to stay up late and sleep in, and it isn't even so much a like as I feel physically and emotionally better when I stay up a little later and sleep in a bit. While a missionary, I did my best to follow the go to bed at 10:30 pm and wake up at 6:30 am rule. I got into that routine, but even after a year and a half of doing it, I felt fairly terrible for the first hour or so of the day. Before my mission, I was lucky to get 5 hours of a sleep a night. You'd think I'd feel great getting 8 hours a night, but it was that waking up at 6:30 am that killed me. My ideal would be to go to bed somewhere around 12:30 am and wake up around 9 am. There can be a few later variations as well, but earlier than that is much harder for me. I think my best sleep occurs from about 5 - 9 am, so I feel just about as good sleeping for those 4 hours as I would sleeping an entire 8 hours between 10 pm and 6 am. Unfortunately, productive society doesn't run on the hours that are optimal for me, so I have to adjust as best I can.
~Along those same lines, I wish I could live off of 5 - 6 hours of sleep a night. One of Brett's sisters routinely gets this much sleep and functions much better than I do when I get enough sleep. I can handle about 2 nights in a row of not enough sleep, but if I don't get a nap in or start getting some more sleep at night, I get very affected. This is difficult when I can't fall asleep at night and my daughter wakes me up early. I used to be able to handle less sleep better, but after getting married and then having a child, I seem to be more affected by lack of sleep. I notice my chemicals start to get pretty imbalanced. I had a really hard time with the newborn thing because of this, and it's one reason I am fearful to have another child. Those first 6 - 8 weeks of Adie's life were so hard for me.
~I wish I enjoyed being crafty. Ok, I am not crafty anyway, but I don't even like attempting to make crafts most of the time. I have many family and friends who really enjoy all things crafty. I like the finished products of many crafty projects, but I don't particularly like doing them (unless it's a super Saturday and I don't have to think of ideas, I can just copy them while talking to others) I have a goal of making a photobook for every year of Adie's life (and subsequent children) until she's 18. She is 4.5 months from turning 2 and I have made the cover page for the first year of her life (which I only made 2 days ago). Every time I sit down to do it I really dread it. I want it to be all cute and crafty, but I really don't like thinking of ideas to make that happen. And, ultimately, I'd rather use my time reading something about current events or politics (I know, what's wrong with me!). I think it's important for our children to have this kind of personal history about them, so I am trying to force myself to do it, but it really isn't fun for me. Isn't it supposed to be fun? Why can't I just like to be cute and crafy?
~Ok, and along those lines, I wish I had a better eye for fashion / design. I know when I see something I like or think is cute, but for some reason I can't quite get it to come together for me. For instance, we went to the park today and there was this cute mother of two there who was dressed in a super cute, but simple outfit. I know I would just never think to put it together like that, but I liked what I saw. I wish I just had an eye for that sort of thing.
~I wish I was one of those people that everyone was drawn to, you know those people who just have fun, unforgettable personalities. Please don't misunderstand me. I have wonderful friends and I appreciate them accepting and loving me for who I am. However, sometimes I just wish I was one of those people who everyone wants to invite somewhere because they are the life of the party and are so interesting. I have some friends like that and growing up I always wanted to be more like them. I have accepted my role as a nice, dependable person, and I like being that kind of person, but once in a while, I want to stand out from the crowd.
~Finally, I wish I had a more tangible gift, like a prodigious ability for music, athletics, art - something everyone can put their finger on and say, yeah, Sabrina, she does THIS really well. I do realize people who are very talented at these things put in a ton of time and effort to become so good at what they do, but many times, they started out with a little extra something in that particular area to begin with which pushed them to work harder on it. Maybe I should just work on being less lazy and I'd have more ability in those areas too, but I know I'm not the natural athlete my brother is, or the musicians that some of my friends are. They started out with considerably more talent in those areas than I did.
Anyway, it's 4 am and Adie is driving me nuts at this point, so it's time to end. I know my life is good, and I think if I am lucky I may yet get a few hours of sleep. Maybe I'll wake up less covetous and feeling more motivated to be productive. In the mean time, do any of you readers want to share any traits you wish you had? That would make feel better about being so covetous myself ;)
It's just been one of those weeks, you know, those weeks where you aren't motivated to do anything and you feel kind of blah. Yeah, it's one of those. I've tried all week to be productive, but I've had a hard time really getting off my read end to get anything of substance done. It's during those days / weeks when I start to get covetous. Mostly I get covetous of others' abilities. Yes, it's a dangerous game when you start playing the compare game, so I really try to avoid it most of the time, but sometimes it just creeps up on you when you aren't getting anything else productive done. So, in the interest of getting things out of my mind and hopefully shutting it off to get some sleep, I present to you a list of talents / traits in others that I covet.
One caveat before I begin...the purpose of this is not to throw a pity party for myself or receive high praise from my blog-reading friends about all my wonderful traits and abilities. I realize we are all blessed with different abilities for a reason, and I know I have my share. I am, therefore, not looking for comments or emails telling me why I shouldn't worry about this or that. I promise I am not depressed. I am writing this more for introspective purposes, mostly so I can shut off that racing brain of mine for a few hours and get some much-needed rest. Lucky for you, reader, you get to come along for my introspective ride.
So, without further ado, my list of traits I covet...
~Being a morning person - How I wish I felt good when I woke up early. I am told by my parents that I was never a morning person, even as a baby. I have always liked to stay up late and sleep in, and it isn't even so much a like as I feel physically and emotionally better when I stay up a little later and sleep in a bit. While a missionary, I did my best to follow the go to bed at 10:30 pm and wake up at 6:30 am rule. I got into that routine, but even after a year and a half of doing it, I felt fairly terrible for the first hour or so of the day. Before my mission, I was lucky to get 5 hours of a sleep a night. You'd think I'd feel great getting 8 hours a night, but it was that waking up at 6:30 am that killed me. My ideal would be to go to bed somewhere around 12:30 am and wake up around 9 am. There can be a few later variations as well, but earlier than that is much harder for me. I think my best sleep occurs from about 5 - 9 am, so I feel just about as good sleeping for those 4 hours as I would sleeping an entire 8 hours between 10 pm and 6 am. Unfortunately, productive society doesn't run on the hours that are optimal for me, so I have to adjust as best I can.
~Along those same lines, I wish I could live off of 5 - 6 hours of sleep a night. One of Brett's sisters routinely gets this much sleep and functions much better than I do when I get enough sleep. I can handle about 2 nights in a row of not enough sleep, but if I don't get a nap in or start getting some more sleep at night, I get very affected. This is difficult when I can't fall asleep at night and my daughter wakes me up early. I used to be able to handle less sleep better, but after getting married and then having a child, I seem to be more affected by lack of sleep. I notice my chemicals start to get pretty imbalanced. I had a really hard time with the newborn thing because of this, and it's one reason I am fearful to have another child. Those first 6 - 8 weeks of Adie's life were so hard for me.
~I wish I enjoyed being crafty. Ok, I am not crafty anyway, but I don't even like attempting to make crafts most of the time. I have many family and friends who really enjoy all things crafty. I like the finished products of many crafty projects, but I don't particularly like doing them (unless it's a super Saturday and I don't have to think of ideas, I can just copy them while talking to others) I have a goal of making a photobook for every year of Adie's life (and subsequent children) until she's 18. She is 4.5 months from turning 2 and I have made the cover page for the first year of her life (which I only made 2 days ago). Every time I sit down to do it I really dread it. I want it to be all cute and crafty, but I really don't like thinking of ideas to make that happen. And, ultimately, I'd rather use my time reading something about current events or politics (I know, what's wrong with me!). I think it's important for our children to have this kind of personal history about them, so I am trying to force myself to do it, but it really isn't fun for me. Isn't it supposed to be fun? Why can't I just like to be cute and crafy?
~Ok, and along those lines, I wish I had a better eye for fashion / design. I know when I see something I like or think is cute, but for some reason I can't quite get it to come together for me. For instance, we went to the park today and there was this cute mother of two there who was dressed in a super cute, but simple outfit. I know I would just never think to put it together like that, but I liked what I saw. I wish I just had an eye for that sort of thing.
~I wish I was one of those people that everyone was drawn to, you know those people who just have fun, unforgettable personalities. Please don't misunderstand me. I have wonderful friends and I appreciate them accepting and loving me for who I am. However, sometimes I just wish I was one of those people who everyone wants to invite somewhere because they are the life of the party and are so interesting. I have some friends like that and growing up I always wanted to be more like them. I have accepted my role as a nice, dependable person, and I like being that kind of person, but once in a while, I want to stand out from the crowd.
~Finally, I wish I had a more tangible gift, like a prodigious ability for music, athletics, art - something everyone can put their finger on and say, yeah, Sabrina, she does THIS really well. I do realize people who are very talented at these things put in a ton of time and effort to become so good at what they do, but many times, they started out with a little extra something in that particular area to begin with which pushed them to work harder on it. Maybe I should just work on being less lazy and I'd have more ability in those areas too, but I know I'm not the natural athlete my brother is, or the musicians that some of my friends are. They started out with considerably more talent in those areas than I did.
Anyway, it's 4 am and Adie is driving me nuts at this point, so it's time to end. I know my life is good, and I think if I am lucky I may yet get a few hours of sleep. Maybe I'll wake up less covetous and feeling more motivated to be productive. In the mean time, do any of you readers want to share any traits you wish you had? That would make feel better about being so covetous myself ;)
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