Best Day Ever.

Mark and I went up to Salt Lake today to take my brother, Shawn, and his companion out to lunch. It was so nice to spend some time with Shawn and to hear all of his wonderful mission stories. He is working so hard and touching the lives of so many people. I'll be honest, if I were interested in the church, I would want a missionary just like Shawn. I'm so lucky to have him only 45 minutes away!

Shawn bought a suit and loafers at the local DI. What a stud!

But when he extends his arms, it's clear the suit doesn't really fit. Nice.

This is Shawn's planner. Japanese stuff and a photo of my Dad. (???)

All smiles with his big knot on his tie. In honor of our visit, he wore his ugliest tie (it had brown cranes on it).

Shawn laid out all of his ties for us to see. He has 55 of them and is always looking for more.

He showed us his ugly boots and of course had to do the notorious kick that we all love so much.

The Notebook.

For starters, I hate "chick flicks." I certainly don't watch them often and when I do, I find them to be predictable and corny. But, one of my favorite films (and book for that matter) is The Notebook. I've always found the story to be so touching and every time I see the it I catch something new that touches me.

Tonight Mark and I watched The Notebook. I've seen the film so many times, but this was the first time I've seen it since I've been married. When the film ended, I was an absolute blubbering mess (which almost never happens!) and Mark's shirt was soaked with my tears. Mark was like, "Are you going to be okay?" I think this was the first time that I've watched the film where I have felt an absolute deep connection and understanding of that kind of dramatic and passionate true love. I guess when we personalize things they hit us deeper.

With that said, I just really love my Mark. And I'm grateful that he loves me too -- even when I cry and make a mess out of his shirt.

Piece vs. Peace

See Scotty's latest blog about Piece vs. Peace. Let me know what you think.

http://sdspjut.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/a-most-enlightening-moment/

It's not easy being Dr. Lund.

It's not easy being Dr. Lund, who is the only conservative professor in a liberal sea of blue (the liberal sea of blue being the German department). With so many boisterous opinions from professors with Ivy League degrees, usually involving anti-Bush claims or Republican jabs, Dr. Lund keeps to himself and maintains his composure. Usually he expresses his small voice via cartoons or quotes that he quietly posts outside his door.

This was his quiet argument today. And I love it.

** Note: he made this himself and was delighted to send me the JPEG to post on my blog. In the four years I have worked here, I don't think I've ever seen this ex-military man smile before. EVER.

This is me smiling.

It was so wonderful to come home to this. Thank you, Mark.

Rantings about Prop 8 and my pluralist thinking

My Problem with Proposition 8:

Civil marriage is man-made. Civil unions are man-made. Both are government creations made to organize us into tax/insurance/social brackets. Most importantly, civil marriages and civil unions end at "'till death do us part." We've been asked not to support same-sex marriage, however we've been told that we do support same-sex unions. What is the difference? The only difference is the word, "marriage." But, both marriage and unions provide the exact same rights to same-sex, different-sex, no-sex couples (okay, I added the last one in there). But, if a union and a marriage provide the exact same rights, then what is the difference? The word is the only difference. But words are man-made!! "Marriage" is a man-made word and the word is different in every language around the world. Isn't "union" just another way to say "marriage"? Is this an issue of semantics? Are we arguing over a word here?

Enough.

My Final Solution: Remember Your Pluralist Values

Dr. McFarland, who stands exactly where I do on this issue, talked me through this yesterday. He told me that you can support the other side, even if you don't understand or agree. You can support their dedication and passion to an issue, just as you support your own. You don't have to work against their efforts or find ways to prove them wrong. We can live peacefully with varying view points.

Why can't we all just be pluralists? We can agree to disagree and enjoy our peaceful coexistence. I support "yes" voters and their desire for this proposition to pass. But, I don't have to agree with them. I don't understand why my church is for this proposition, but I will support the church's efforts to pass this proposition (even if I don't agree). Isn't the beauty of a democracy the fact that we all come from diverse backgrounds and still have a voice? My fear is becoming a dogmatic monist. I never want to make anyone feel that life is "my way or the highway" because surely the tables will turn and that motto will be used against me one day.

I'm starting to love this country again. Democracy is a wonderful thing (but, not for everyone though...remember pluralist values) and I have been enjoying the political dialogue and banter during this election period. So, to McCain voters, Obama voters and even those wacky libertarians...best of luck to you in this election and may we all live in peace!

Californiaaaa, Californiaaaa..Here we coooooome!

I really miss the OC...not the actual place, but the show. Those were good TV watching days.

The following is a pictoral account of our trip to Disneyland a few weeks ago. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Adrien and I almost got the sword out...

These guys weren't even close...

Mark is cute. And he loved Autopia.

This photo was taken after what was possibly the greatest moment of my life. Let's just say that things got a little "wild" on the Mr. Toads Wild Ride. The boys were nice enough to let Adrien and I ride in our own wagon for creepy time.

Oceanside Pier. No pelicans though. Boo.

These two would never cooperative for a photo...


Us on the other hand...pure beauty...

Happiest Place on Earth! (Also, the most expensive)

This is just the kind of weirdness that took place nearly every second on our vacation to Disneyland...

I'm in love.

This is how my baby left for school today. Aside from the beard, I'm so proud of him!

Thanks to Becki's father, we now have new Obama t-shirts. Supposedly Becki read one of my scathing blogs to her father and he replied "buy that girl an Obama t-shirt!" ...and then Mark was lucky to get one too (afterall, his name is on the blog). Thank you!

Health care is a right.

Tom Brokaw recently asked our two presidential candidates if they think health care is a privilege or a right.

My friend, John McCain, responded that health care is a responsibility. WRONG! (Didn't answer the question in fear of losing votes!)

My hero, Barack Obama, responded that indeed health care is a right. RIGHT!

I believe that everyone is entitled to a proper health care plan. An ignorant girl that I know from high school argued with me about this topic. She told me that only children are entitled to health care because they can't help the situation they are in. Apparently, this girl needs to have a loved one get a serious disease in order for her to understand the importance of health care.

As one of the greatest countries in the world (besides Germany, of course), I believe that we owe our citizens some kind of a health care plan. Despite what Ms. Ignorant says, children are not the only people who cannot help their situation. No one asks for bad health. Sure, some people have health problems due to their own poor life habits, but others are plagued with disease that simply came with the gene pool. Either way, every American deserves proper health care.

We're the last standing westernized country to hang on to third-world beliefs. Canada and most of Europe apparently got the memo that health care is a right, not a privilege. Even Cuba somehow managed to muster up a bit of decency to treat their people to this right.

I'm not even asking for socialized health care, I just want our politicians and leaders to admit that health care is a right and that they are willing to fight to give this right to every American.

I miss Europe. I guess I'll just have to start planning for the next trip...

I will post a few of my favorite things here. Too many favorites in Germany, so expect it's own entry in the near future. I think it's time to plan another trip...

Rome, Italy

Salzburg, Austria

Dorfgastein, Austria

Howth, Ireland

Finland

London, England

Barcelona, Spain

Please vote and watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhDRVKDcXQo#

Palin Bingo

This Palin Bingo game was created by a good friend, Mr. Scotty Spjut. Thank you for sharing Scotty!

Thank You.

Thank you to everyone who posted below about their thoughts on the gay marriage issue in California. I love hearing all of your opinions, although I'm saddened because I think I'm more confused than I was prior. I'll have to hash that out in some other way.

In other news, Adrien, Kirstin and I will be watching the VP debate at my house tonight. I'm expecting Biden to rip Palin into shreds. I thought the first presidential debate was about 50/50 (this is my fair side speaking), but given that the topics were not Obama's strong suit and he still did well, I declare Obama the winner (this is my biased side speaking).

Apparently, Palin has been at McCain's ranch in Arizona studying up for the debates. She seems to feel confident in her abilities, but I doubt in three days she was able to gain a comprehensive understanding of foreign policies and international politics. Well...maybe her stance will at least be more thought out than "I can see Russia from my house!"

Can't wait!

Breakthrough.

The following breakthrough is attributed directly to Mark, as he was the brain behind these thoughts:

So, the other night we visited for the evening with some new friends in the ward, Karim and Chris. They are very politically minded and tend to think identically to us on various issues. It's really a good match. As we were talking politics, the topic of Proposition 8 in California came up. The Church issued a letter to all members in California asking them for their support (money, time, etc) to help pass Proposition 8. As a group, we discussed that we would have a difficult time participating as our beliefs don't coincide.

I don't see why same-sex couples can't enjoy the freedoms and opportunities of marriage as the rest of us do. Although I religiously do not agree with the homosexual lifestyle, I don't understand why the power is in my hands to tell them they can't marry. This country was founded on the ideals that equality will be offered to all and by not allowing same-sex couples to marry, we are denying them the equality they have been promised.

So my question is: why did our Church have to get involved?

This was a stickler for Mark and myself. We researched online, read the letter addressed to California residents and discussed possible reasons why the Church would feel inclined to encourage members to vote on this issue. In our Church, we emphasize love and compassion at all times. This just doesn't seem to be loving or compassionate. And as a people, who have been mocked and persecuted, why are we joining a group of people who believe that free agency should be limited. If we're not careful, the tide will eventually turn on us. And we will be the ones who face the destruction of our freedoms.

Then, Mark got it. He came to a conclusion that, at least for now, as helped calm my mind on this issue. Our Church is not involved to play the moral police, but our Church is involved because if/when same-sex marriage is allowed then Bishops will be required to perform same-sex marriages in our churches. This would make things very complicated. I'm all for same-sex marriage, but I do not believe that it belongs in our Church. Suddenly everything that we believe to be true would turned upside down and the Lord's plan would be re-routed.

I know this breakthrough doesn't solve anything. But it certainly put Mark and I at ease. I value other people's opinions and believe the Church has every right to participate in Proposition 8. It just makes it a little easier to have a better idea of why the stance is such -- even if I don't fully agree with it.

But either way, if it were on my ballot I would just opt out of voting.

It's really time to grow up.

While some of my friends are buying homes and making babies, I'm egging things in Provo canyon with my husband and our good friends.

As my friend, the joker, would say "WHY SO SERIOUS!??!?!"

Post pulled from June 2007

I've been feeling this way recently and instead of writing a new piece showing my wrath, I thought I'd just repost my thoughts from over a year ago...

Everyone who knows me knows that I love pop culture/news. I spend a good chunk of my day checking my favorite news sites for updates on anything from politics, local news or Britney's new haircut. Slate.com, CNN and The Onion are probably up there in my top favorites, and in that order too. I also like to buy US Weekly or People magazine every once in a while (to be brutally honest, I would probably buy them more often but I don't have $3 to just throw around like that).

Anyway, I logged onto my work computer this morning and immediately tuned into the news. Overall, the two top news stories that really stuck out were the G8 Summit in Germany and Paris Hilton's early release from prison. And I had full intentions on reading up about both stories. I first read the news about the G8 meeting and shook my head, as usual, at President Bush and his remarks. Then I spent a minute or two admiring Angela Merkel and the fact that of the group of people who represent the world's richest countries, she stood in the middle, in a lime green shirt as the only woman president of the group. Impressive. I may not be in total agreement with her politics, but I admire her as a woman. Actually scratch that, I admire her as a person.

When I was finished reading news about the meeting in Germany I started reading about Paris Hilton and her early release from prison for "medical reasons." I became so curious with this breaking news and wanted to research more about the medical problems; what they are, if they are real, and what she will be doing during her new sentence: house arrest. I spent about 15 minute doodling around online finding information about this subject. Then I caught myself. What am I doing? Why did Angela Merkel get one minute of my time and Paris Hilton get fifteen minutes of my time? Why do I care about Paris Hilton and her problems with the law? Why does the world care about Paris Hilton, Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan? I worry about our culture, or more importantly myself. Most girls my age could easily give you an update on Paris, Britney or Lindsay. Even if they don't read the news, they probably know whats going on from reading headlines at the supermarket. Our obsession with famous people is damaging to the stars, but I am not so worried about this because they knew what they were getting into when they signed up. When I make millions of dollars for just showing up to parties, the paparazzi can follow me around all day long. What I am bothered about is the fact that I spent one minute reading about Angela Merkel and fifteen minutes reading about Paris Hilton. Most girls my age probably don't even know who Angela Merkel is! And I only know because I am obsessed with Germany! Something has to change in our culture. We need to be more concerned with the arts in our communities, politics that so strongly affect us or famous people who are doing good things for good reasons. We don't get a newsflash everytime someone donates a lot of money to a charity. We hear a lot about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and we know that they are doing good things (maybe), but we never hear the details. The media brushes over the details of their charity and focuses on their marriage, her eating problems and drama revolving around adoption.

But am I hoping for a world that will never exist? Or even worse, am I denouncing a world that I will miss if it is gone? YES! Life couldn't possibly be serious all the time or we would go crazy! In this ideal world I would truly miss People magazine or gossip columns with pictures of the stars. So what is the solution here? Maybe we can just expand our minds and spend a little time reading about people who are making differences or about world news that affects our daily lives. Then we can spend all the time in the world googling for pictures of Britney and her shaved head.

Twenty reasons why I am excited to go to California next week...

Next week I'm taking a trip to Fallbrook, California with Mark, Eric and Adrien. The following are reasons (in no particular order) why I am excited.

1. Two whole days at Disneyland (off-season!)
2. Dinner reservations at the Blue Bayou (restaurant inside the Pirates ride at Disneyland)
3. Dinner at In-n-Out in Las Vegas (and maybe another wedding ceremony at a walk-in chapel)
4. Road trip with my favorite people
5. I get to meet Adrien's cats (finally)
6. BBQ at Adrien's house
7. Palm trees
8. First vacation (other than honeymoon) with my new husband
9. A free place to stay (Thank you to the Wood family!)
10. Beach time
11. I get to see where my best friend grew up (she's been to Beaverton three times and I've never visited Fallbrook!!)
12. Creepiness (much against Mark and Eric's wishes)
13. The following rides: Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Peter Pan, Thunder Mountain and Pirates
14. California Adventure
15. Good weather
16. I get to use my adorable pink polka-dot luggage
17. Fresh avacados from Fallbrook (best avacados in the world)
18. Llama sightings
19. Four whole days away from Provo
20. Disneyland gift shop (so touristy)

**To Grandma and Grandpa -- although I would have LOVED to come visit, there just won't be enough time. We're driving down, going to Disneyland and driving back. But we promise that next time we will make a stop!

Why I love the new Windows ad.

First and foremost, because I love Windows.

Second, because the new commercial is hilarious. Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld discuss shoes, showering with clothes on and Gates even flashes his Clown Shoes membership card which features his legit mug shot from the 1970s. Oh - and not to mention we get to see Gates wiggle his butt in the parking lot when Seinfeld asks him if Windows will one day be delicious.

Essentially the commercial is about nothing -- just like Seinfeld's show. Brilliant.

Why is it brilliant? Because I'm talking about it. What a perfect ad campaign. No one gets it. Which means bloggers, journalists and critics are discussing it like crazy all across the nation. That's the perfect way to get the word out that Windows is brewing up something new.

I can't wait until we see the next piece coming out at the end of the month.

Check out the commercial below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afR5J7eskno

Here go the republicans with their scare tactics again.

Terrorism. Terrorism. Terrorism.

No mention of the middle class. No mention of health care. No mention of getting people to college. No mention of how we're going to get out of the mess that Bush has so kindly created for us. Although I agree that safety and security are crucial in these times, I do not think it should be the constant, overriding topic in Washington. I'd like to see dedication to the home front and to fixing our wounds here instead of abroad.

I really gave Governor Palin a chance. I did. I was impressed with her story. She was a stay-at-home mother who decided to make a difference. Republican or Democrat, that's an impressive story. But other than being impressed with her leap for women, there is nothing about Sarah Palin's politics that I find particularly impressive. She hit below the belt last night and fronted herself as an elitist. I think someone should remind Sarah Palin that she comes from the rugged, low-populated state of Alaska. There is nothing elitist, or classy, about her love for guns or mounting moose heads. I expected Giuliani to have no class. Afterall, he has had how many affairs and sexual escapades while married to his wife? But, I was disappointed with how nasty Palin spoke of Barack Obama. Sure, the Democratic National Convention displayed a few zingers toward Republicans. I expect that kind of stuff in the political field, but the Republicans took it too far last night.

I'm bothered by the fact that Giuliani and Palin described Obama's work as a "community organizer" with so much blatant disrespect. If anyone EVER even showed the slightest hint of sarcasm toward McCain's service in the military, the Republicans would be floored. Apparently you're only qualified to be president if you're a war monger. Nice.

Luckily, I belong to the party that has showed class and respect in this election. I got an e-mail this morning from the Obama campaign and feel inspired to share this quote,

"Both Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin specifically mocked Barack's experience as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago more than two decades ago, where he worked with people who had lost jobs and been left behind when the local steel plants closed.

Let's clarify something for them right now.

Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies."

How dare they imply that Obama's experience in Chicago was something silly or made up. He helped a lot of people and no matter what his title was during the project, it was noteworthy work. Just like McCain's experience in the military was noteworthy. It's just class-less to mock or demean someone's experiences.

Tonight I will watch McCain speak. And I will do it with an open mind. I hope he can refrain from inappropriate attacks and focus on the real issues of what he plans to do in Washington.

...Actually, who am I kidding, I don't really care what the hell he has to say. My vote is for Obama. End of story.

I can be a woman who is crafy and wears a power suit.

After weaving through the aisles yesterday at Michaels, Adrien and I finally decided on a craft to make. We made wreaths from scratch! Surprisingly, they turned out very well! I'm actually quite proud of my craftiness displayed through my new wreath.

So I got to thinking about how there is a stigma in the church about women with careers. I really resent that. I think it is entirely possible for a woman to be a professional while being crafty, or a good wife, mother, cook, etc. In fact, I plan on being that woman.

I'm so proud of my own mother for having such an established career and being the world's best mom at the same time. She's the top in her business and I challenge anyone to find someone better than her at what she does. It's been an honor to have her as the leading example in my life. What a smart, beautiful and creative woman!

Anyway, here is my wreath. I think it's beautiful. Maybe Adrien will post hers too, because it's equally as wonderful.