Favorite Things From This Winter

1. Yoga (December and January)

Yoga amazes me. It's good for strengthening, balancing, flexibility and I think it's perfect for those who need some peaceful-getaway-productive time. Pictured above is the "Pigeon Pose." It's a nice stretch that eases the tension in the hip joint. It's my favorite and I'm always sad when the instructor moves on to the next pose.

2. Birthdays (January and February)

When it's cold out and the days are shorter, family birthday gatherings seem to be even more pleasant. Here are a couple birthday celebrations without their own blog entry...

Daryl's Birthday
&
Addy's Birthday

3. Ugly-Sweater-Cousin-Curry Fest (January 16, 2009)


80's-cool-cousins with sweet sweaters and Masamen curry - does an evening get better than this?

4. First Black President (January 20, 2009)

America has come a long way! Four decades after the civil rights movement we have an African American holding the highest office in the land. That is something worth celebrating whether of not one agrees with his policies.


5. The Theater (February 7, 2009)

Hurray for the fine arts! And hurray for a nearby university with great performances. We took the kids to see a theatrical production of "Go, Dog! Go!" Camen, Naomi and Savannah are familiar with the book and laughed and laughed at the creator's interpretation.


6. Volleyball (February and March)

I should begin with a little history on this subject. I went out for the volleyball team in 7th grade and 8th grade and I didn't make the team. Who gets rejected at such an early age? Well... um... me. I played intermurals instead and secretly hoped that the coach would referee one of my games and then my impressive skill would earn me a spot. It never happened. Then I moved out of state and never tried out again. I think I was partially afraid of rejection and part of it was that I moved to a gargantuan school in Texas where students were strongly encouraged to pick one only sport or activity and excel at it. I choose basketball. I've always enjoyed volleyball and never miss an opportunity to play. One summer, at BYU, my roommate Charis and I played several times a week and I loved it!

This winter I signed up to play in a women's league. Not knowing anyone who was interested I signed up by myself. The same was true for my teammates, and since we were the only team that didn't register together we dubbed ourselves the "Eclecticats." My teammates had all played in high school and one played in college. Wow! It is so cool to play with that kind of skill! Nice sets, killer hits, steady serves and the just the right amount of a competitive drive. We did pretty well in most of our games and they helped me grow with some nice pointers and a little coaching. (Thankfully, they were patient with my unreliable serve.)

We entered the final tournament in the top tier. We played at 5:30 and lost, we played at 7:45 and won, we played again at 8:50 and won, by 10:00 p.m. we were exhausted but very excited to begin play in the championship game. The better (and younger) team won. We didn't get the championship t-shirt, but 2nd place and a few extra hours of fun on the court was a great consolation prize.


7. Family Bike Rides (February 21, 2009)

Utah winters can chill you to the bone, and then two weeks later the snow can all nearly melt and you can go for a bike ride in a light weight jacket. So we did.


8. Girl's Gymnastics! (January, February, March and April)

Naomi and Savannah had an encouraging teacher, new friends, games, mats, beams, and trampolines to look forward to once a week. It's a great way to burn energy when the wind is blowing and the ground is covered with snow.

We had one unregistered participant that also had a great time.


The teacher insisted that I allow Mason to play on the apparatus. I guess she knew that I wasn't going to be able to keep him on a chair in the corner. Savannah was put into a class with kids two years older than her and she needed (or wanted) a lot of help. I got a great workout running back and forth between chasing Mason and keeping him out of the other kid's way and helping Savannah do her cartwheels, somersaults and handstands.

9. New Haircut (March)

I have been ready for a new haircut for about four years. Finally my little sister, Kristina, helped me out. Ahh, something different!


10. Snow (March 10, 2009)

Election Day 2008

I'm having a hard time concentrating today. I'm rather emotionally wrapped up in this election and I thought blogging might help me get this out of my system.

First, I think I owe an apology to some of my friends and family. Over the past 18 months I've sent a few unsolicited-politically-charged emails and more recently I've used facebook to express my opinions. These actions may have rubbed some people the wrong way and for that I am truly sorry. I recognize that this is a subject that many people are passionate about and I hope that in expressing my views I haven't been offensive.

Also, I hope that I haven't been too negative about our current situation. I want to express how much I love this country and I'm so grateful that we can disagree with each other and the government and work for our different causes. I have tremendous respect and appreciation for opposing viewpoints. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. Some have complained that this election has cost too much money and that it has all been a waste. I don't think so at all, freedom is priceless and worth every effort and penny.

(That being said, please stop reading here if you find opposition to Obama offensive.)

Secondly, I feel a need to explain myself. Almost two years ago word spread that Mitt Romney would be running for president. This made me very nervous, as a fellow Latter-day Saint I was very concerned about the mudslinging in politics and worried that it was going to come in my general direction. I started reading a lot about politics.

In the spring of 2007 I was pregnant and miserably sick during the first trimester. I read incessantly to distract me from the awful nausea. I learned a few things during that time, the first is that journalists have an agenda and by and large they are liberally minded. (I know, I'm a little slow on that one.) After pouring over articles daily I was appalled that so many writers would twist and contort things to fit to their liking. I knew that most Americans weren't reading political news for 8-10 hours a day like I was and they weren't getting a complete picture of the candidates, their positions, their records and the full context of all those variables. Instead America read headlines on MSNBC or Yahoo and heard sound bites on CNN that consistently leaned to the left and most assuredly reinforced the shortcomings of the GOP candidates, particularly the ones they felt would be most difficult to defeat.

After much deliberation I sided with Ron Paul. Even though he was never considered a top-tier candidate I agreed with everything on his platform and I felt passionate about promoting his campaign. For months I watched in disbelief as the media did everything possible to squelch his campaign. He was a threat to Republicans and Democrats because he had an entirely consistent record, no history of backscratching, he opposed the war and most importantly he defended the Constitution unfailingly. Those with power and money don't want a man in office that can't be bought or persuaded for their own special interests. His campaign was first ignored and then ridiculed.

I did what I could. I donated money, joined political forums, I put a sign in our yard, talked with friends and neighbors, I made phone calls, and sent emails. Unfortunately, it was like trying to dam a river with a toothpick. The power and the influence of the media is overwhelming. I'm sure it's great for Obama fans, it's probably a lot like setting up a sail and letting the wind carry the boat.

Here we are almost two years later, though it feels like decades, Romney is out, Clinton was trampled on, Huckabee is missing in action with Chuck Norris, and Ron Paul's campaign is a memory. Some will only remember Ron Paul in terms of a name spray-painted on a bed sheet, hanging from the overpass on the freeway. To others, like me, Ron Paul is a quiet hero that stood his ground in defending the Constitution - no matter what!

Who do we have left? McCain and Obama, two people I disagree with. I honestly can't support either of them, so I voted third party. It's depressing and frustrating. With Obama and McCain on the ballot I feel a deep sense of hopelessness.

I'm looking down Obama's path and I see a dead end. Socialism (I'm not trying to be offensive here, I'm just calling it what it is) demands taking liberty from the people and giving more control and power to the government. Many are fine with Obama having that control, but what about the presidents that follow? Could there be another Bush in our future that will have even more power and influence? Is socialism going to be limited to the banking and health care industries? What else will the government "have to" control?

Sometimes I wish I could get caught up in the hysteria. I would love to be in the middle of the excitement of dawning a new era, leaving all the negative behind and pioneering a new path. That would be refreshing and exhilarating. And at other times I wish I didn't care at all. Apathy seems like an easy and amiable course.

However, I do care and I am alarmed that at this moment America stands at the crossroads and appears ready to move towards bigger government with the "hope" that that will cure our problems. Obama recently called those who oppose his proposals "selfish." That's really hard for me to swallow. I've been called many things and some deservedly, but I know that I am not selfish. This is about more than just money, the price for his new government is our liberty. Liberty lost is never easily regained. Yes, Senator Obama, I am selfish with liberty. You can add it to the list of things stubborn Americans cling to.



I disagree with the campaign's promoted philosophy of "Yes we can!" because what follows is, "... vote for a man that will change our country." With the loss of liberty the power of the people is being handed to the government.

I believe that America's greatness lies in the hearts and minds of the people. Undoubtably we face challenges. The question lies in how we are going to address them. Are we going to have more government or less? Will we create a system of learned helplessness and a nanny-state or will we nurture self-reliance and personal accountability? We could embrace changing the country by ourselves. Why do we need the government to have greater control? Do we need more social programs to fight poverty? Is the government going to handle Universal Health care the same way they've mismanaged Social Security? Do we need the government to hand over alternative energy sources or can we innovate that ourselves? The government can not do this as well as the people can. Americans give more time and money than any nation on earth. We are industrious, creative and very capable. We have resources and we have people that care.

We will see presidents come and go in our lifetime. I hope that at election time will embrace sound principles that cherish freedom and liberty above all else. I hope that when we face problems we won't point a blaming finger towards Washington, rather we can look within ourselves for the solution. Working collectively, without coercion, we can care for ourselves, each other and the world.

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
- George Washington