If you know me well, you know that I hate improper usage and bad grammar. I also hate improper pronunciations. Now, I never use the word "hate" lightly, so you know that I have strong opinions if I'm using that word.
I was driving to work this morning and I heard a song come on the radio that I don't like, but I was too distracted by something going on in the lane next to me to turn the station. The song became background noise, but then I started listening to the words and I got road rage just from listening. First of all, the singer sang "was" where "were" should have been used. Common mistake, I know, but who says that grammar rules should be thrown out the window just because it's a pop song.
I know I'm right on my way to being a senior citizen. I might as well start popping the Geritol right now!
My other pet peeve is mispronunciation. I had a roommate who would say "asuage" as "a-sewage." It drove me nuts. My other pet peeve is when people sing the word "angel, " they say "an-gel" instead of "an-gul." Aaargh!
Anyway, I just had to rant about it.
Happy Halloween!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Best. Costume. EVER!
This is my cousin's little boy dressed as... the Travelocity Gnome. Awesome, huh?
Friday, October 24, 2008
Scott Stoddard! Scott Stoddard!
OK, so this post will only be funny to 1 person... maybe 2. Back in my single days - way back - I lived in a tiny duplex on 9th East in Provo. Me and the roomie, Chit Chatt, didn't spend a whole lot of time at our house, but instead hung out across the street at a group of houses known as "the courtyard." There was a house of guys, one of them being Scott Stoddard, and we went over there a lot... mostly because they had a TV.
I am hooked now! I want to eat a B&C burrito from Beto's every single day! Maybe that's what happened to Russ/Ross/Randy with the sausage and cheese diet. I just don't want Rob to say, when someone asks how 'being married' is, "being married is great, except Jen's diet consists entirely of bean and cheese burritos from Beto's." To which someone might say, "what does that mean?" And Rob would say "there's a certain smell to her." So, I have resolved not to eat B&C burritos from Beto's every day... just on the 4th Friday of every month.
We had a lot of good times with these guys, and were really sad when one of them moved out. We missed Bob, but the guy who took his place seemed like he'd be alright. Shortly after Russ... or Ross... or Randy moved in, Chit Chatt and I asked Scott what he was like and whether the guys liked him as a rommmate. This was Scott's response: "His diet consists mostly of sausage and cheese. I don't think that's very healthy." I said, "what does that mean?" Scott said, "he has a certain smell." Nuff said, Scott Stoddard. Chit Chatt and I moved shortly after this, so we never really got a chance to know Russ/Ross/Randy. I do remember him having a certain smell.
So flash forward to 2008. Right before the hubs and I got married, I started craving bean and cheese burritos from Beto's/Rancherito's/Whatever the heck it's called these days. I told Rob this and he touched my forehead and asked if I was doing alright. I know, I know. Beto's is hardly the pinnacle of culinary quality, but I was always needing a bean and cheese burrito real bad. I craved them daily. I hadn't indulged that craving until today. See, I went home for lunch and smelled some Mexican goodness coming from the ghetto Tesoro/Taco Shop/Smoke Shop next door and it must have triggered my Beto's reflex. Maybe that's why I've been craving the B&C burrito every day since I moved into our condo. Anyway, I couldn't take it any longer. I had to indulge my Beto's craving.
I am hooked now! I want to eat a B&C burrito from Beto's every single day! Maybe that's what happened to Russ/Ross/Randy with the sausage and cheese diet. I just don't want Rob to say, when someone asks how 'being married' is, "being married is great, except Jen's diet consists entirely of bean and cheese burritos from Beto's." To which someone might say, "what does that mean?" And Rob would say "there's a certain smell to her." So, I have resolved not to eat B&C burritos from Beto's every day... just on the 4th Friday of every month.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A Great Prop 8 Article
Orson Scott Card wrote a great article in support of Prop 8. You should read it.
http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/orson_scott_card/?id=4740
http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/orson_scott_card/?id=4740
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
What My Bed Says About Me
So here's what some dumb quiz says that my bed says about me. Can you tell it's a slow day in the blogging world for me? Since I have nothing else to blog about, I've added my comments in parenthesis. BTW - the bed to the right really is my bed. I have excellent taste, I know. Well, it's not actually my bed. Just the bedding is the same.Outward appearances are a concern of yours, but not your primary concern. (True)
You try to take care of yourself and your home, but it's not an obsession. (True)
You are an organized and disciplined person. You do the right thing because you want to, not because people expect you to. (Sort of true. I like to cook well and throw awesome parties because people expect it.)
You are not very high maintenance in general, but you are high maintenance about a few things. (True)
In relationships, you tend to be quite dominant. You enjoy taking charge. (Not True. Sort of.)
You tend to be a dreamy, head in the clouds type of person. You think in terms of possibilities. (So not true. I am pragmatic.)
You are a total homebody. You are happiest when you're at home. (Sometimes)
To find out what your bed says about you, go to http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbedsayaboutyouquiz/.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Your Tax Dollars at Work
The hubs and I got our property tax bill/whatever it's called in the mail yesterday and I said to him, "because we pay this, some little kiddies will be able to go to school and learn." He replied, "not our kiddies." And I said, "not yet." How interesting that I should see this yesterday. It's rich... and not in a chocolate/Donald Trump sort of way. My friend, Chit Chatt, got this from her sister. Apparently, this flyer was sent home from school with one of the kids. I just don't know what to say other than "OMG'ness!" I sure hope that this isn't a reflection of the edumacation that our children are getting in the public school system.
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So, here's the question: Is the "g" in stanger a hard or soft "g?" Actually, I have several questions. Is a "Parent" better than a "parent?" If there's a "last," where's the "first?" I didn't know that "toss" was in. Now it's "out." My friend Becky pointed out that any kids who are of the age to be Trick-or-Treating probably don't know what the word "tamper" means. My assessment is that the person who wrote this, judging by their spelling, punctuation and grammar, probably doesn't know what the word "tamper" means, either. I thought that with the advent of spell check that egregious errors like this couldn't exist anymore. I mean, really................. I think it's better to be safe then sorry and use spell check. Yep, you read correctly. If you're safe, then you're sorry. In that case, I think it's probably better to throw caution, and this flyer, to the wind. OK, I'm going to stop because all of this "proofreading" is making my brain hurt.
Disclaimer: I know several teachers, a few of whom read this blog. You guys are doing a great job! I can't vouch for any of the others out there, but you guys are awesome............................
Monday, October 20, 2008
Nasty Smells
I work in a small office. Very small. So small that you hear every conversation and smell every smell eminating from a neighboring cube, the break room, bathroom... you catch my drift. There have been many days when a co-worker has heated up their lunch in the breakroom and then brought it out to their cube to eat it and I have wanted to vomit in my cup (but remember how the cleaning lady likes to take my cup and wash it? Sometimes when I feel like vomiting, it's not there). Anyhoo, there is one particular co-worker who likes to cook the same thing several times a week, and that smell is the most atrocious of all. I won't say who it is or what they're cooking because I don't know who it is or what it is. Seriously. I have yet to figure it out.
One day, I thought to myself "I'm glad that I never eat offensive smelling food at work."
I had an optometry appointment today during my lunch, so I didn't have time to go home to eat. Instead, I stopped at a very sinful eating establishment, a.k.a. Burgers Supreme, and got me a Gyro (pronounced "year-o"). I got back just in time for a meeting, so I left my Gyro on the desk and headed to the conference room. When I came back to my desk after the meeting, I could smell it. And it didn't smell all that good. I mean, it smelled good, but it smelled strongly of onions. Nobody likes to smell onions at work. I was really hungry by this point, so I unwrapped it and started snarfing it down. I could smell it, and I knew that everyone else could, and then I started to feel a little like Dwight Schrute in the episode of The Office where he says he isn't a time thief and Jim gets the stopwatch to prove him wrong. I am a "smell thief," and by that I mean that I stole the good, clean smelling air from my co-workers and replaced it with foul, gyro air.
Do I feel bad? Not really. Afterall, it was a dang good Gyro!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Oy vey!
I just bought 100 of these for an upcoming ward activity. I feel weird. I also feel like watching Yentil. "Papa, can you hear me?" Or maybe even Fiddler on the Roof.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Whatchoo Talkin 'Bout, Willis? These boots totally go with this outfit.
OK. I just had to post this. I couldn't copy the picture, so go to the link and check out the outfit. He's not helping his cause. I mean, really, if he wants people to stop patting him on the head and calling him "Arnold," he should stop dressing like a 5 year old playing cowboys and indians.
Daily Herald - Gary Coleman pleads not guilty
Daily Herald - Gary Coleman pleads not guilty
Thursday, October 9, 2008
It's a wise husband who will buy his wife such fine china that she won't trust him to wash the dishes
Well, in my case that won't work because Rob is better at doing dishes and less clumsy than I am, but I thought the quote was funny.
A few days later, Rob mentioned that he thought we should get a china hutch to put the china and some of our other plates and platters and such in. I thought that was a great idea, and that of course, we could get one at IKEA. The other night we got online and looked at their site and saw that they didn't really have any such thing. I guess they're not that fashionable anymore because we didn't see a lot on any of the sites we looked at, except for RC Willey, and RC Willey charges an arm, a leg, and your firstborn for them. I got so depressed because as soon as we would see one that we liked and in a price range we liked, we would see that it was only for one of the pieces of the buffet/hutch. I didn't even know they were separate. I went to bed that night feeling depressed that we would probably not get a china cabinet and that we would have to store our dishes under the dining room table in cardboard boxes.
The next day, I had a stroke of genius and thought about looking on Craig's List for a china cabinet. I looked through and saw some china cabinets but, again, they were way out of our price range and/or ugly as sin. I almost stopped looking but I thought I'd scroll through a few more pages when I came upon a listing that seemed pretty good. I clicked on the link and there was more information plus a picture. It looked good and it was definitely within our budget. We figured we didn't want to spend any more than $500. I emailed Rob the link and he said that we should look into it. When I saw the date the listing was made, I figured that it must already be gone, or if it wasn't, that it must be a piece of junk and no one wanted to buy it. I called the guy and, to my surprise, it was still available. The owner said there was a blemish on it from the last move, but that it could easily be repaired. We had to drive up to Midway, which is kind of far, but we thought that we'd take a chance and go check it out since the price was super awesome!
I was feeling a little apprehensive as we drove up to the house, but when the lady opened the garage and I saw it sitting there, I knew we were going to get it. It looked great. I started looking for the "blemish," expecting a chunk of wood to be missing or broken glass, but I didn't see anything. The lady pointed out what she thought the blemish was, and it was just some varnish that had been rubbed off. It could easily be fixed, but it was so small that no one would notice unless it was pointed out. We opened the drawers and the cabinets and everything looked great. It is definitely not something that you'd find in a store today, but it is built well, in good shape, and the price was right. We shook hands on the deal and packed our china hutch up in the truck and smiled all the way back to Provo.
Wanna know how much we threw down for it?
$75.00
Awesome!
When Rob and I got engaged and were registering for gifts, we were told to pick out a china pattern at Bed Bath and Beyond. We looked through a book and chose something, but neither of us were super excited about it and didn't think anyone would buy us the china. We were right. No one bought us any china. I felt stupid having it on the registry because it made us look like pretentious social climbers, so I took it off and we instead elected to register for a more modestly priced set of "fine dishware" at JC Penney. The cost of the entire set equaled the cost of one place setting at BBB. We decided that if, after our receptions, no one bought the "fine dishware" that we would buy the set for ourselves. We didn't get it at any of our receptions, so we went online and got it for ourselves. It arrived last week, and after opening up the box, we realized we had no room - absolutely no room - to store the fine dishware.
A few days later, Rob mentioned that he thought we should get a china hutch to put the china and some of our other plates and platters and such in. I thought that was a great idea, and that of course, we could get one at IKEA. The other night we got online and looked at their site and saw that they didn't really have any such thing. I guess they're not that fashionable anymore because we didn't see a lot on any of the sites we looked at, except for RC Willey, and RC Willey charges an arm, a leg, and your firstborn for them. I got so depressed because as soon as we would see one that we liked and in a price range we liked, we would see that it was only for one of the pieces of the buffet/hutch. I didn't even know they were separate. I went to bed that night feeling depressed that we would probably not get a china cabinet and that we would have to store our dishes under the dining room table in cardboard boxes.
The next day, I had a stroke of genius and thought about looking on Craig's List for a china cabinet. I looked through and saw some china cabinets but, again, they were way out of our price range and/or ugly as sin. I almost stopped looking but I thought I'd scroll through a few more pages when I came upon a listing that seemed pretty good. I clicked on the link and there was more information plus a picture. It looked good and it was definitely within our budget. We figured we didn't want to spend any more than $500. I emailed Rob the link and he said that we should look into it. When I saw the date the listing was made, I figured that it must already be gone, or if it wasn't, that it must be a piece of junk and no one wanted to buy it. I called the guy and, to my surprise, it was still available. The owner said there was a blemish on it from the last move, but that it could easily be repaired. We had to drive up to Midway, which is kind of far, but we thought that we'd take a chance and go check it out since the price was super awesome!
I was feeling a little apprehensive as we drove up to the house, but when the lady opened the garage and I saw it sitting there, I knew we were going to get it. It looked great. I started looking for the "blemish," expecting a chunk of wood to be missing or broken glass, but I didn't see anything. The lady pointed out what she thought the blemish was, and it was just some varnish that had been rubbed off. It could easily be fixed, but it was so small that no one would notice unless it was pointed out. We opened the drawers and the cabinets and everything looked great. It is definitely not something that you'd find in a store today, but it is built well, in good shape, and the price was right. We shook hands on the deal and packed our china hutch up in the truck and smiled all the way back to Provo.
Wanna see what it looks like?
Wanna know how much we threw down for it?
$75.00
Awesome!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Crazy Eights!
I got tagged one more time...
Eight TV Shows I Love to Watch (in no particular order)
1. Dawg the Bounty Hunter
2. Gilmore Girls
3. SYTYCD
4. The Office
5. Barefoot Contessa
6. Lost
7. CSI
8. Anything on the E! Channel
Eight Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Went to the doctor and got some antibiotics for my sinus infection
2. Went to work
3. Ran out of Kleenex
4. Did the dishes
5. Drove up the canyon with Rob to look at the leaves
6. Helped Rob bring his old bed over to the Deckers
7. Visited with the Deckers
8. Went to bed early ;)
Eight Favorite Places to Eat (in no particular order)
1. Red Robin
2. Gloria's Little Italy
3. Magleby's Fresh
4. Zupa's
5. Mimi's Cafe
6. Bombay House
7. Thai Village
8. Kneader's
Eight Things I'm Looking Forward To
1. Going to Disneyland at Thanksgiving
2. Getting my hair cut
3. Getting my brows waxed
4. My husband coming home from work and school late tonight
5. Getting laundry done
6. Getting all of the presents put away and the house cleaned
7. Robyn and Jane coming back from St. George
8. Heidi, Allison, and Krystal getting married (I've put all of you on my prayer roll for people I want to have awesome things happen to)
Eight Things on My Wish List
1. A new couch
2. A dishwasher
3. More cabinet and counter space
4. A full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep
5. A temple sealing for my parents
6. A good hair day
7. Harsher punishment for parole violators
8. World peace
People I tag
1. Karen
2. Becca
3. Stormy
4. Krystal
Eight TV Shows I Love to Watch (in no particular order)
1. Dawg the Bounty Hunter
2. Gilmore Girls
3. SYTYCD
4. The Office
5. Barefoot Contessa
6. Lost
7. CSI
8. Anything on the E! Channel
Eight Things That Happened Yesterday
1. Went to the doctor and got some antibiotics for my sinus infection
2. Went to work
3. Ran out of Kleenex
4. Did the dishes
5. Drove up the canyon with Rob to look at the leaves
6. Helped Rob bring his old bed over to the Deckers
7. Visited with the Deckers
8. Went to bed early ;)
Eight Favorite Places to Eat (in no particular order)
1. Red Robin
2. Gloria's Little Italy
3. Magleby's Fresh
4. Zupa's
5. Mimi's Cafe
6. Bombay House
7. Thai Village
8. Kneader's
Eight Things I'm Looking Forward To
1. Going to Disneyland at Thanksgiving
2. Getting my hair cut
3. Getting my brows waxed
4. My husband coming home from work and school late tonight
5. Getting laundry done
6. Getting all of the presents put away and the house cleaned
7. Robyn and Jane coming back from St. George
8. Heidi, Allison, and Krystal getting married (I've put all of you on my prayer roll for people I want to have awesome things happen to)
Eight Things on My Wish List
1. A new couch
2. A dishwasher
3. More cabinet and counter space
4. A full 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep
5. A temple sealing for my parents
6. A good hair day
7. Harsher punishment for parole violators
8. World peace
People I tag
1. Karen
2. Becca
3. Stormy
4. Krystal
Monday, October 6, 2008
Thank Goodness!
I've woke up this morning feeling very grateful for the many blessings that Heavenly Father has bestowed upon me. I've been sick for over a week now, and have been feeling a little grouchy because of it, but something must have happened to me in the middle of the night that made me remember all of the many reasons that I shouldn't be grouchy. In no particular order, these are the things I felt thankful for today:
1) My wonderful, loving husband. One of the first things about Robert that I was attracted to was his kindness and genuineness (is that a word?). Since we met, I have been the recipient of his genuine kindness and love and have seen him express that to others, as well. He selflessly helps and serves his family and friends and since I have been sick he has selflessly served and taken care of me. It is hard for me to let others help, especially when I feel like crud and would like to crawl into a hole and not come out until I am well, but he is so sweet and loving that it was hard to refuse his help. I love him so much!
2) Fall weather. I can't help but think of the magnificence and power of God when I see the leaves change colors and feel the cold snap in the air. It's like it is His reward to us for making it through another nasty, hot summer.
3) Good friends. Being able to spend time with friends, new and old, and share the day's happenings, advice, funny stories, hard times, etc. Thanks for the laughs.
4) Latter-day prophets. One of my friends wanted to make foam fingers to sell outside of the Conference Center during General Conference that say "Latter-day Prophets are #1." Probably not a good idea, but Latter-day prophets are still #1. I am so thankful that we have prophets on the earth today to lead and guide us and convey to us the will of the Lord. Hard times are upon us, but we will be safe if we follow the prophet.
5) Modern medicine. Nancy Reagan says "Just Say No!", and so do I for the most part, but when it comes to anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, I "Just Say Yes!" My husband has been trying to get me to rub and inhale all sorts of homeopathic remedies, which are OK, but I'll take the hard stuff any day. Also, if anyone tells you that sticking a candle in your ear and lighting it will make you better, DON'T DO IT!
6) Funny pets. I get a lot of amusement from our cat, Kaydee. She's weird. I still don't like that she sheds and jumps up onto the bathroom sink, but she makes me laugh and I'm thankful for that.
7) Having relatively good health. Other than my recent illness, I am healthy and strong.
8) Having a home to live in, food to eat, climate control in both the house and vehicle, a job, insurance, Diet Coke, etc. In other words, not living in poverty. My friend, Krystal, and I were talking about some of the things we saw when we went to Mexico and felt so blessed that we have the things we have.
9) The blessings of the temple. I am so thankful that Robert and I have been sealed for time and all eternity. In General Conference yesterday, Elder Nelson gave a talk about families and said that salvation is an individual responsibility, but that exaltation takes a family.
1) My wonderful, loving husband. One of the first things about Robert that I was attracted to was his kindness and genuineness (is that a word?). Since we met, I have been the recipient of his genuine kindness and love and have seen him express that to others, as well. He selflessly helps and serves his family and friends and since I have been sick he has selflessly served and taken care of me. It is hard for me to let others help, especially when I feel like crud and would like to crawl into a hole and not come out until I am well, but he is so sweet and loving that it was hard to refuse his help. I love him so much!
2) Fall weather. I can't help but think of the magnificence and power of God when I see the leaves change colors and feel the cold snap in the air. It's like it is His reward to us for making it through another nasty, hot summer.
3) Good friends. Being able to spend time with friends, new and old, and share the day's happenings, advice, funny stories, hard times, etc. Thanks for the laughs.
4) Latter-day prophets. One of my friends wanted to make foam fingers to sell outside of the Conference Center during General Conference that say "Latter-day Prophets are #1." Probably not a good idea, but Latter-day prophets are still #1. I am so thankful that we have prophets on the earth today to lead and guide us and convey to us the will of the Lord. Hard times are upon us, but we will be safe if we follow the prophet.
5) Modern medicine. Nancy Reagan says "Just Say No!", and so do I for the most part, but when it comes to anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, I "Just Say Yes!" My husband has been trying to get me to rub and inhale all sorts of homeopathic remedies, which are OK, but I'll take the hard stuff any day. Also, if anyone tells you that sticking a candle in your ear and lighting it will make you better, DON'T DO IT!
6) Funny pets. I get a lot of amusement from our cat, Kaydee. She's weird. I still don't like that she sheds and jumps up onto the bathroom sink, but she makes me laugh and I'm thankful for that.
7) Having relatively good health. Other than my recent illness, I am healthy and strong.
8) Having a home to live in, food to eat, climate control in both the house and vehicle, a job, insurance, Diet Coke, etc. In other words, not living in poverty. My friend, Krystal, and I were talking about some of the things we saw when we went to Mexico and felt so blessed that we have the things we have.
9) The blessings of the temple. I am so thankful that Robert and I have been sealed for time and all eternity. In General Conference yesterday, Elder Nelson gave a talk about families and said that salvation is an individual responsibility, but that exaltation takes a family.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I'm a bigot!
And you know what? I'm proud of it. If standing up for what is right is being bigoted, then I am all for it.
I was reading something that a "friend" posted on his Facebook page, when it occurred to me that I was the subject of his writings. In his post, he said that he had an old friend who was getting married and he was looking forward to going to her reception until he noticed on her Facebook profile that she supports Prop. 8. In his words, "how can I recognize and celebrate the marriage of someone who refuses to recognize my marriage?" And that's when he called me a bigot. At first I was shocked that such a word would come from his mouth, and that I would be the one he would call that. Then I felt that maybe I should call him and apologize for offending him. And then I felt at complete and total peace with being called a bigot. I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is the only marriage that is recognized by God and should be recognized by mankind. I will stand up for that and I will do everything within my power to support legislation stating such. And I am not ashamed of that stance.
I will be the first to admit that I do not understand why some people feel attraction towards the same sex. I do not love my friend any less because of the lifestyle he has chosen to live, and I do believe he has chosen it. I feel compassion for him, but not in an 'I feel so sorry for you' sort of way. I feel that he is a son of God and that Heavenly Father loves him very much. I respect his agency in making his choices, but I do not support his choice.
Since getting married, I have come to have a stronger testimony of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World", which states:
"The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
"We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan."
I know that the powers of procreation are sacred and am very mindful of the gravity of the commandment that those powers are only to be employed between husband and wife. I feel grateful for that knowledge.
Growing up in LA, you'd think that I would have been persecuted for my beliefs before. I was not. Most of my friends respected my beliefs and many looked to me as an example. How strange is it that the first religous persecution I have received happened in a state where the majority of the people hold the same beliefs as I do? Wow!
An old bishop of mine frequently talked about how there can be no fence-sitting when it comes to living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The right choice isn't always the popular one, but it's still the right choice. I mourn the loss of a friend, but rejoice in living the Gospel and following the Living Prophet.
So yes, I support Prop. 8. If I didn't, I'd be a coward and a hypocrite. And I'd rather be called a bigot any day over a coward or a hypocrite.
I was reading something that a "friend" posted on his Facebook page, when it occurred to me that I was the subject of his writings. In his post, he said that he had an old friend who was getting married and he was looking forward to going to her reception until he noticed on her Facebook profile that she supports Prop. 8. In his words, "how can I recognize and celebrate the marriage of someone who refuses to recognize my marriage?" And that's when he called me a bigot. At first I was shocked that such a word would come from his mouth, and that I would be the one he would call that. Then I felt that maybe I should call him and apologize for offending him. And then I felt at complete and total peace with being called a bigot. I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is the only marriage that is recognized by God and should be recognized by mankind. I will stand up for that and I will do everything within my power to support legislation stating such. And I am not ashamed of that stance.
I will be the first to admit that I do not understand why some people feel attraction towards the same sex. I do not love my friend any less because of the lifestyle he has chosen to live, and I do believe he has chosen it. I feel compassion for him, but not in an 'I feel so sorry for you' sort of way. I feel that he is a son of God and that Heavenly Father loves him very much. I respect his agency in making his choices, but I do not support his choice.
Since getting married, I have come to have a stronger testimony of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World", which states:
"The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
"We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan."
I know that the powers of procreation are sacred and am very mindful of the gravity of the commandment that those powers are only to be employed between husband and wife. I feel grateful for that knowledge.
Growing up in LA, you'd think that I would have been persecuted for my beliefs before. I was not. Most of my friends respected my beliefs and many looked to me as an example. How strange is it that the first religous persecution I have received happened in a state where the majority of the people hold the same beliefs as I do? Wow!
An old bishop of mine frequently talked about how there can be no fence-sitting when it comes to living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The right choice isn't always the popular one, but it's still the right choice. I mourn the loss of a friend, but rejoice in living the Gospel and following the Living Prophet.
So yes, I support Prop. 8. If I didn't, I'd be a coward and a hypocrite. And I'd rather be called a bigot any day over a coward or a hypocrite.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Being Creative
I didn't go to the General Relief Society meeting on Saturday because a) I just got off the plane from my honeymoon and b) I didn't want to be away from my honey just yet. Thanks to my sister-in-law Karen for telling me to listen to Pres. Uchtdorf's talk as soon as I could.I like Pres. Uchtdorf. A lot. I believe he is possibly the best-looking member of any First Presidency... EVER! I guess I shouldn't say that I have a favorite apostle or prophet, because they're all called of God and speak on His behalf, but there are some whose words resonate within me more than others. Pres. Uchtdorf is one whose words touch me to the very core.
So let me go back to why I am thanking Karen for telling me to listen to his talk as soon as I could. Karen is a scrapbooker. I am not a scrapbooker. Karen has tried on numerous occassions to get me to come to an all-day scrapping shindig, and on numerous occassions I have declined. My lack of scrapping stemmed from an occassion at Pebbles in my Pocket with Robyn and Heather, where the nice lady who worked there told me that they had plenty of extra materials if I wanted to start my page over again. And I thought I had done a good job. Ever since that day, I've thought that I lacked the creativity to produce anything nice to look at.
Enter Pres. Uchtdorf. The gist of his talk was that being creative was creating something that didn't exist before. If you count creating a mess, then I must be the most creative person ever. He talked about how sisters in the church need to stop worrying about what we aren't or what we lack, and start counting our blessings and rejoicing in who we are and what we have. I have often felt terribly inadequate during my lifetime, and I know that it has been because I have been so terribly blessed that Satan has worked doubly hard on me to make me think that I am not. I don't know if that made any sense, but I am now learning to rejoice in who I am and how to use the tools and gifts that I have been given in this life for the benefit and blessing of others and myself.
I remember thinking when I was single that life would automatically get better once I got married. In a sense, that has been the case. Life is different - wonderfully different - but I am still the same person and I am just as blessed as before. The only thing that is different is that now I have someone to share these blessings with. As mortals, we're always thinking about the next phase and wondering what it will be like. When I was single, I thought that married life is where life really began. Now that I'm married, I'm already thinking that having children will be better. We never seem to be content with our current ciscumstances. I think this is good and bad at the same time. Good because it propels us to progress and move forward in life. Bad because if we aren't moving forward at the pace we would like or the pace that others have set for us, we become discouraged.
Pres. Uchtdorf talked about finding happiness in the things of God. He said that one of the ways we find this happiness is through creating things. The most obvious method of creation is to bring children into this world, but beyond that, using our talents and abilities to create smiles, beautify spaces, teach a child, garden, etc. He admonished us to trust in the Spirit as we go about our daily lives, creating. When we bless the lives of others, we are being creative.
I may not be able to scrapbook or even draw a decent stick figure, but I can lift the hands that hang, I can serve, and I can love.
Monday, September 29, 2008
You've heard of a Velvet Elvis, and maybe even a Velvet Neil Diamond...
But have you heard of a Velvet Joseph Smith? The story I am about to tell is one of the best parts of our honeymoon... in my opinion.
We took a cruise down to San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada, Mexico. San Diego and Catalina were pretty uneventful. We ate some tortillas in Old Town, walked along the harbor in Catalina, and pretty much did normal things. Ensenada was the last stop on the cruise, and one I was especially looking forward to because I wanted to buy some cheap Mexican crap. Once we got into port, there were a few options. We could just stay in the downtown area and explore for ourselves, we could take a guided tour through Ensenada and watch a Folklorico show, or we could take a bus outside of the city to see La Bufadora. We'd heard from friends who'd been there that it wasn't worth it, but when the guy on the bus said "the shopping is better and cheaper" bells went off in my head and I started dreaming about the cheap Mexican crap I was going to buy. I was sold.
We got on the bus and our tour guide, Lili, started off by speaking to us in the espanol. I was all excited because I could understand her, but the other peeps on the bus couldn't so she switched to English. We drove through the city and out to the country to where the blow hole (la bufadora) was. Ensenada isn't very pretty. For the most part, it looked like a mix of the Mojave Desert, East LA, and the beach. There was also this smoggy/foggy mess in the air and it was so humid that I felt like I had wet my pants the entire time we were there. There just seemed to be a lot of dirt floating around in the air. We got to the La Bufadora after about a 30 minute drive through the city past a Home Depot, a Walmart, a Costco, a Mc Donalds, and an Applebee's. No kidding. Above the entrances to Walmart was written "Siempre." I'm glad that "always" translated so well. One thing I'm wondering - do they call it "el Walmart," "la Walmart," or just "Walmart?" I should have asked.
Once we got to La bufadora, our tourguide walked us down through the open market and gave us some pointers for bargaining and ways to make sure we don't get sold fake silver. She also gave us some stickers that would allow us to pee for free in one of the restaurants. I'm so glad that I live in America, where at least I pee for free. Anyway, we ended up down by the actual blow hole, which Lili called a geyser, which is neither a blow hole nor a geyser, and we were told to meet back at the bus in about an hour. There was some guy dressed up in some native attire, beating a drum and dancing and he almost attacked Rob when he tried to take his picture without paying. Obviously, this guy has never heard of zoom lenses and didn't think that people would just walk 15 feet away and get his picture. I'm not sure if Rob got one or not.
Down at La Bufadora, we waited for this amazing natural phenomenon to knock our socks off. It was lame. There's a crevice on the cliffs, and when the waves rush in to the small space, it pushes water up at a very high rate of pressure and sprays all over the place. Our tour guide said that when it happens you will get very wet if you don't run away. Hardly. And it smelled like pee. I'm assuming that because you have to pay to use the bathroom everywhere else that tourists and locals alike use the la bufadora as the el bano. After getting some pictures, we walked back up the street to the open air market. We both had to usar el bano at this point, so we went into the restaurant where we had complimentary peeing priveleges. At least it was clean.
We did the whole bargaining thing, which is just crazy, and got some cool stuff. I didn't get the awesome turquoise necklace that i wanted, but that's a whole 'nother story and I don't have the energy to tell it. It makes me frown. Rob really wanted to get a hammock, so we checked several different places. The last one we went into was where Rob decided to get it. The thing with the shop owners there is that they just don't know how to let you alone. They follow you around there store and try to sell you everthing. This one guy was particularly aggressive. I was staying out of range because I just wasn't in the mood to deal with this guy, but I was close enough that I could hear everything he said to Rob. He was grabbing a hammock down from the ceiling, when he lost his balance and kicked over a ceramic donkey statue that was on the ground. "Ay dios mio, my donkey!" The donkey's hind legs broke off. He was really upset about it. And then, when Rob was closing the deal with him, this conversation took place:
Mexican guy: Are you a Mormon?
Rob: Yeah
Mexican guy: You know how I can tell? I see it in your eyes.
Rob: Um, OK.
Mexican guy: You see those pictures up there? (points to a row of velvet paintings on the wall) I have one of Joseph Smith in the back. You want one?
Rob: No thanks.
I'm standing about 1o feet away and dying inside because I want to see this velvet Joseph Smith so badly. But I didn't want to get something else started, so we just left.
Oh, how I wish we had seen the velvet Joseph Smith. I may have bought it... especially if he had one of Brigham Young, too. Maybe I can find one on eBay.
On the way back to the bus, a guy gave me a free sample of a churro and it was delicioso. I wanted to get one, but I didn't feel like $3.00 was a reasonable price for a churro... especially since the most expensive place on the planet, Disneyland, sells them for $3.50. I'm willing to wait a few months and spend $.50 more for peace of mind and solid bowels.
We also got assailed by people trying to sell us prescription drugs. There was a "farmacia" about every 25 feet throughout the open market, and they run out to you in the street and hand you a flyer listing all of the drugs they offer. Viagra was always in the biggest print and listed at the top. Rob no necesita viagra, so we kept on walking. I did stop into one of the pharmacies in downtown Ensenada because I saw that they had large quantities of heartburn medicine for super cheap. Rob wouldn't let me buy it because he thought it might be made from laundry detergent. Que lastima!
So, in the end, we walked away with some cheap mexican crap, dirt on our faces, and I'm pretty sure a virus of some sort. Best vacation ever!
We took a cruise down to San Diego, Catalina Island, and Ensenada, Mexico. San Diego and Catalina were pretty uneventful. We ate some tortillas in Old Town, walked along the harbor in Catalina, and pretty much did normal things. Ensenada was the last stop on the cruise, and one I was especially looking forward to because I wanted to buy some cheap Mexican crap. Once we got into port, there were a few options. We could just stay in the downtown area and explore for ourselves, we could take a guided tour through Ensenada and watch a Folklorico show, or we could take a bus outside of the city to see La Bufadora. We'd heard from friends who'd been there that it wasn't worth it, but when the guy on the bus said "the shopping is better and cheaper" bells went off in my head and I started dreaming about the cheap Mexican crap I was going to buy. I was sold.
We got on the bus and our tour guide, Lili, started off by speaking to us in the espanol. I was all excited because I could understand her, but the other peeps on the bus couldn't so she switched to English. We drove through the city and out to the country to where the blow hole (la bufadora) was. Ensenada isn't very pretty. For the most part, it looked like a mix of the Mojave Desert, East LA, and the beach. There was also this smoggy/foggy mess in the air and it was so humid that I felt like I had wet my pants the entire time we were there. There just seemed to be a lot of dirt floating around in the air. We got to the La Bufadora after about a 30 minute drive through the city past a Home Depot, a Walmart, a Costco, a Mc Donalds, and an Applebee's. No kidding. Above the entrances to Walmart was written "Siempre." I'm glad that "always" translated so well. One thing I'm wondering - do they call it "el Walmart," "la Walmart," or just "Walmart?" I should have asked.
Once we got to La bufadora, our tourguide walked us down through the open market and gave us some pointers for bargaining and ways to make sure we don't get sold fake silver. She also gave us some stickers that would allow us to pee for free in one of the restaurants. I'm so glad that I live in America, where at least I pee for free. Anyway, we ended up down by the actual blow hole, which Lili called a geyser, which is neither a blow hole nor a geyser, and we were told to meet back at the bus in about an hour. There was some guy dressed up in some native attire, beating a drum and dancing and he almost attacked Rob when he tried to take his picture without paying. Obviously, this guy has never heard of zoom lenses and didn't think that people would just walk 15 feet away and get his picture. I'm not sure if Rob got one or not.
Down at La Bufadora, we waited for this amazing natural phenomenon to knock our socks off. It was lame. There's a crevice on the cliffs, and when the waves rush in to the small space, it pushes water up at a very high rate of pressure and sprays all over the place. Our tour guide said that when it happens you will get very wet if you don't run away. Hardly. And it smelled like pee. I'm assuming that because you have to pay to use the bathroom everywhere else that tourists and locals alike use the la bufadora as the el bano. After getting some pictures, we walked back up the street to the open air market. We both had to usar el bano at this point, so we went into the restaurant where we had complimentary peeing priveleges. At least it was clean.
We did the whole bargaining thing, which is just crazy, and got some cool stuff. I didn't get the awesome turquoise necklace that i wanted, but that's a whole 'nother story and I don't have the energy to tell it. It makes me frown. Rob really wanted to get a hammock, so we checked several different places. The last one we went into was where Rob decided to get it. The thing with the shop owners there is that they just don't know how to let you alone. They follow you around there store and try to sell you everthing. This one guy was particularly aggressive. I was staying out of range because I just wasn't in the mood to deal with this guy, but I was close enough that I could hear everything he said to Rob. He was grabbing a hammock down from the ceiling, when he lost his balance and kicked over a ceramic donkey statue that was on the ground. "Ay dios mio, my donkey!" The donkey's hind legs broke off. He was really upset about it. And then, when Rob was closing the deal with him, this conversation took place:
Mexican guy: Are you a Mormon?
Rob: Yeah
Mexican guy: You know how I can tell? I see it in your eyes.
Rob: Um, OK.
Mexican guy: You see those pictures up there? (points to a row of velvet paintings on the wall) I have one of Joseph Smith in the back. You want one?
Rob: No thanks.
I'm standing about 1o feet away and dying inside because I want to see this velvet Joseph Smith so badly. But I didn't want to get something else started, so we just left.
Oh, how I wish we had seen the velvet Joseph Smith. I may have bought it... especially if he had one of Brigham Young, too. Maybe I can find one on eBay.
On the way back to the bus, a guy gave me a free sample of a churro and it was delicioso. I wanted to get one, but I didn't feel like $3.00 was a reasonable price for a churro... especially since the most expensive place on the planet, Disneyland, sells them for $3.50. I'm willing to wait a few months and spend $.50 more for peace of mind and solid bowels.
We also got assailed by people trying to sell us prescription drugs. There was a "farmacia" about every 25 feet throughout the open market, and they run out to you in the street and hand you a flyer listing all of the drugs they offer. Viagra was always in the biggest print and listed at the top. Rob no necesita viagra, so we kept on walking. I did stop into one of the pharmacies in downtown Ensenada because I saw that they had large quantities of heartburn medicine for super cheap. Rob wouldn't let me buy it because he thought it might be made from laundry detergent. Que lastima!
So, in the end, we walked away with some cheap mexican crap, dirt on our faces, and I'm pretty sure a virus of some sort. Best vacation ever!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Ghetto Superstar
It's official. I live in the ghetto. There were 2 domestic violence disputes in 1 day. I wasn't around to witness the first one, although I wish I had been because the couple was arguing about shampoo and conditioner and then the police showed up. I was there for the second one, but it wasn't very exciting because this couple was arguing in Espanol and I couldn't understand them. And the police didn't show up. I guess that's just how they roll on the West Side. Peace, I gotta bounce.
Monday, September 15, 2008
It's another hungry mouth to feed in the ghetto...
Thank you Elvis.
I was reading my friend Mal's blog today and she blogged about the lack of common sense and hygiene displayed by the members of her ward. I think my ward members are pretty hygenic. I've never smelled anything funny there, or seen puke in the hallway, so hygiene, or lack thereof in my ward, isn't the subject of which I want to write. I do, however, want to write about the lack of common sense and hygiene of my next door neighbors. They don't go to our ward, so I can talk about them.
Before I moved into Robert's condo, I never really noticed anything sitting outside our neighbors door except for their children's swim trunks drying on the rail. Not my style, but whatev. But after I moved in, I started noticing plastic grocery bags with something in them piling up on the front porch. And then one day, I saw dirty diapers, sans the bag, piled up on the porch. I asked Robert about it and he said that he has seen the door open a crack and a diaper being thrown out and then the door closing. Sometimes they leave these diapers sitting there for days. But the peak of laziness hadn't been reached until this morning when I saw a pile of diapers, with one of them opened and its contents spilling out onto the porch. It made me want to vomitar right there on the porch. I just put my head down and ran past it. When I came home for lunch, the pile o' diapers was gone, but the memory still lingered.
Willowbrook Condos are small, but not so small that a diaper sitting in the garbage for a night or so will create fumes toxic enough to kill the entire family. I Just don't understand why this family can't get themselves a Diaper Genie and empty it every so often. Or, why they can't walk the 25 feet to the dumpster to toss it. To me, throwing dirty diapers out on the porch is the epitome of white trash... or so I thought.
Last week, I was walking up to the condo from the mailbox and I was stopped by a woman sitting on the grassy knoll outside our living room window. She asked me what my name was, but not in a nice, friendly way. It was more like "Who are you?" I told her my name and she said that her name was Jennifer, too. I noticed she had a child in her lap, but I usually look people in the face while I'm talking to them, so I didn't notice that the 3 year old child in her lap was nursing. She had her entire breast exposed to the world, while she was feeding a 3 year old! On the grassy knoll outside my living room window! Not OK. Now, I don't want people to think that I'm opposed to breastfeeding, because I'm not, but I think that the girls should be covered at all times. And I also think there is a statute of limitations on the age of children to be breastfed. Gums, OK. Teeth, not OK. So, although I was shocked and appalled, I tried to keep my game face on and be a good, friendly neighbor, continuing the conversation. Somewhere between her asking me what my name was and which condo I lived in, the three year old decided that he had gotten his fill, got up, and ran over to play with some other kids. Did she tuck everything back in? Nope. Just let it all hang out. And then she began to put me through the 3rd degree about how she doesn't know my fiance personally, but she knows a girl he dated, and that she was so surprised to hear that he was getting married, and how she actually knew my name was Jennifer and where I lived because she was visiting someone else in the neighborhood that had our wedding announcement on their fridge. If I wasn't officially creeped out by the breastfeeding, the admission of stalking closed the deal.
I never really thought of Willowbrook as the ghetto. There doesn't seem to be any violent crime, except for that one shooting a couple of years ago in Building 1 that happened during the day when no one was around. I haven't heard of any break-ins. I don't see bars on windows or gang bangers flashing signs, but I think I live in the ghetto. The HOA has rules that won't allow people to put a satellite dish on the roof, but there are no rules governing dirty diapers thrown onto the porch or public nudity. What gives?
I've decided that I'm going to appoint myself as the official Willowbrook "Ghetto Blaster," fighting tastelessness and promoting common decency. First order of business: buy a Diaper Genie and a Hooter Hider.
I was reading my friend Mal's blog today and she blogged about the lack of common sense and hygiene displayed by the members of her ward. I think my ward members are pretty hygenic. I've never smelled anything funny there, or seen puke in the hallway, so hygiene, or lack thereof in my ward, isn't the subject of which I want to write. I do, however, want to write about the lack of common sense and hygiene of my next door neighbors. They don't go to our ward, so I can talk about them.
Before I moved into Robert's condo, I never really noticed anything sitting outside our neighbors door except for their children's swim trunks drying on the rail. Not my style, but whatev. But after I moved in, I started noticing plastic grocery bags with something in them piling up on the front porch. And then one day, I saw dirty diapers, sans the bag, piled up on the porch. I asked Robert about it and he said that he has seen the door open a crack and a diaper being thrown out and then the door closing. Sometimes they leave these diapers sitting there for days. But the peak of laziness hadn't been reached until this morning when I saw a pile of diapers, with one of them opened and its contents spilling out onto the porch. It made me want to vomitar right there on the porch. I just put my head down and ran past it. When I came home for lunch, the pile o' diapers was gone, but the memory still lingered.
Willowbrook Condos are small, but not so small that a diaper sitting in the garbage for a night or so will create fumes toxic enough to kill the entire family. I Just don't understand why this family can't get themselves a Diaper Genie and empty it every so often. Or, why they can't walk the 25 feet to the dumpster to toss it. To me, throwing dirty diapers out on the porch is the epitome of white trash... or so I thought.
Last week, I was walking up to the condo from the mailbox and I was stopped by a woman sitting on the grassy knoll outside our living room window. She asked me what my name was, but not in a nice, friendly way. It was more like "Who are you?" I told her my name and she said that her name was Jennifer, too. I noticed she had a child in her lap, but I usually look people in the face while I'm talking to them, so I didn't notice that the 3 year old child in her lap was nursing. She had her entire breast exposed to the world, while she was feeding a 3 year old! On the grassy knoll outside my living room window! Not OK. Now, I don't want people to think that I'm opposed to breastfeeding, because I'm not, but I think that the girls should be covered at all times. And I also think there is a statute of limitations on the age of children to be breastfed. Gums, OK. Teeth, not OK. So, although I was shocked and appalled, I tried to keep my game face on and be a good, friendly neighbor, continuing the conversation. Somewhere between her asking me what my name was and which condo I lived in, the three year old decided that he had gotten his fill, got up, and ran over to play with some other kids. Did she tuck everything back in? Nope. Just let it all hang out. And then she began to put me through the 3rd degree about how she doesn't know my fiance personally, but she knows a girl he dated, and that she was so surprised to hear that he was getting married, and how she actually knew my name was Jennifer and where I lived because she was visiting someone else in the neighborhood that had our wedding announcement on their fridge. If I wasn't officially creeped out by the breastfeeding, the admission of stalking closed the deal.
I never really thought of Willowbrook as the ghetto. There doesn't seem to be any violent crime, except for that one shooting a couple of years ago in Building 1 that happened during the day when no one was around. I haven't heard of any break-ins. I don't see bars on windows or gang bangers flashing signs, but I think I live in the ghetto. The HOA has rules that won't allow people to put a satellite dish on the roof, but there are no rules governing dirty diapers thrown onto the porch or public nudity. What gives?
I've decided that I'm going to appoint myself as the official Willowbrook "Ghetto Blaster," fighting tastelessness and promoting common decency. First order of business: buy a Diaper Genie and a Hooter Hider.
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