Oh where oh where has my little blog gone?

It's been quite some time since I have paid any attention to my blog so here is the update January 2009 edition. (Reader's digest version).
November 2008- Thanksgiving was spent at my favorite family (The Porter's) house. I love them. They are like my 2nd family.

After the Porter's in Vegas I headed out to my dear friend Kathy's wedding. Kathy and James are the PERFECT couple. It was such an honor to be at their temple sealing.
Christmas was spent in Arkansas with my Mom, and Brother and Sister-in-law and my favorite little girl (my niece Calie). It was a great visit. I also got to meet my mom's significant other, Bob. He's a great guy. While I was there, I also got to see my friend Courtney who lives there with her adorable family. Her son Noah is sooooooo cute. That was a fun bonus.


























After some technical difficulties involving air travel, I came home to Utah on Dec. 26th. My friend Kris and I ran an Elderhostel ski program for grandparents and their families that came to Utah to ski over the holiday. We had a good time. Some of the highlights included snowboarding for the first time, spending time with a good friend, meeting new people and seeing families interact, and playing Family Feud one night at the hotel. We rang in the new year with the Grandparents and families. They had a lot of fun.






My friend Jorge came to visit from Puerto Rico. It was so good to see him. We went snowshoeing one day and toured temple square in the freezing cold.








My mom got engaged this past weekend! I'm happy for her.


I bought a plane ticket to Guatemala. I got a really good deal. I am joining up with Singular Humanitarian on a Humanitarian project in August. I am so excited!

This week I learned to cross country ski while working for Elderhostel. I love grandparents!

Happy Belated Halloween

This was too cute not to post. Every week I give my class a new poem to memorize. This is one of my students, Emily, performing the poem "Fraidy Cat," by Matthew M. Fredricks. She is such a doll.

More Prop 8

Here is an NPR article on some of the consequences of redefining the definition of marriage. If you live in California, vote yes on prop 8!

When Gay Rights and Religious Liberties Clash : NPR

Yes on 8 video

Proposition 8

It's not very often that I get involved with political things, however this is something that I feel strongly about.

www.protectmarriage.com

If you live in California, you should Vote Yes on Proposition 8 to keep marriage only between a man and a woman. If you do not live in California, encourage your California friends to vote yes on Prop 8.

I'd like to make it clear that, for me, this is not about discrimination. I don't deny that people have agency to make choices for their life. This is about legally preserving the definition of marriage as it is in God's eyes and as it has been since the beginning of time.

Most of the following information I got from a website I read and from a conference on the subject.

Six Consequences if Proposition 8 Fails

1. Children in public schools will be taught that both traditional marriage and same-sex marriage are okay. This will cause serious problems for parents that want to pass on their heritage, beliefs, and values to their children. This would also include changing the way that sex-education is taught in schools.

2. Churches will be sued if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings that are open to the public. Do you want your Church to change their religious beliefs because of a law? True doctrines that were right yesterday can’t be changed and made right to day, because God in never changing. God was always perfect and will be always perfect.

3. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston has already closed its doors because of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Preventing the Catholic Church and others from acting as they see morally right will cost the tax payers millions more to do the same job. Not to mention, think of all the children that could have been placed in good Christian homes and would be denied the opportunity.

4. Religions that sponsor private schools and which provide housing for married students will be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if it runs counter to church doctrine, or lose tax exemptions and benefits.

5. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages will be sued for hate speech and could be fined by the government. It has already happened in Canada, one of six countries that have legalized gay marriage.

6. It will cost you money. A change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits. Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today's activist judges), think of the money – your money, your church contributions – that will have to be spent on legal fees.

If we don’t act by Voting Yes on Proposition 8 then millions of people and their descendents will lose core religious beliefs and priceless heritage.

Vote YES on Prop 8

Roomies

Here is a shout out to my current room mates, Vicki and MaryAnn. They are the best. I love them, and I love where we live.

The other night we got to talking about how many room mates we have had since we graduated. We decided to see if we could remember all the ladies we have shared a home with throughout the years.

I left everyone else hanging in the dust in this contest. I'm not sure I should post such things here, but counting my mission companions and the 12 girls I shared a room with when I was on my Freshman study abroad program, I have had a grand total of...drum roll please.....

64 room mates!!! (22 of which I had as a Freshman!) So, for all of you who have had the privilege of living with me, I say thank you. Without you, I might not have the collection of random mugs that I have today. ;-) J/K Love you girls!

Forever Young

Since I've already updated briefly, I figured I can now bore you with silly little details from my every day life. Recently my friend Kathy moved out of my apartment, and my friend Vicki moved in. With the move, we've been making some home improvements. I bought a new desk and put it together myself (with the help of my trusty assistant). My roommate, MaryAnn, informed me that it is a rule that you wear the hardhat anytime you use a tool kit. So, here you have it.... my home office construction gear, documented.

I can't decide if I look more like one of the village people or a bobble head gone awry. Ha.


One of the other home improvements we made was having our carpets cleaned last Saturday. We moved all of our furniture into the kitchen (which made it sound like a sound proof recording studio). While the carpets were getting cleaned, the roomies and I hit the pool for the last time this summer. After they were all clean, we waited for the carpets to dry; and waited, and waited, and waited. When the night came they were still wet and we could not move the furniture back into the bedrooms. Because of this, Vicki and I got the privilege of sleeping in the kitchen and dining room. My mattress ended up underneath the kitchen table. So, I decided that if I had to sleep under the kitchen table, I was going to do something I hadn't done since I was 10.....BUILD A FORT. So along the theme of forever young, I repeated one of my favorite childhood past times and I built a fort out of the kitchen table to sleep under. Here's the proof:


Moral of the story: When life forces you to sleep under the kitchen table, build a fort.

Summer Days Slippin' Away...

Well, my friends, I am finally writing an update of the summer. Summer has come and gone and I am back to teaching. Highlights from this summer:

1. Going with my best friend Vicki as she went to the temple for the first time. This was so special to me. 2. Visiting my family in Arkansas. My Niece Calie is getting so big! As an added bonus, I got to go to the Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban concert. (June 2008)







2. Working for Elderhostel for 7 weeks this summer. (June-August) What an INCREDIBLE experience. I met the most wonderful people from all over. Each week we lead a group of 26-50 people around Utah doing activities such as: Ropes course, Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point, hiking Timponogos caves, 7-Peaks Water park, hot air ballooning in park City, Olympic Park, Park City Mountain Resort, Stewart Falls, Sundance, Temple square (We had some awesome experiences here, Heber Creeper, and Floating the Provo River.


























3. Going to the Stadium of Fire in Provo for the 4th of July. This was such a patriotic experience. I'm proud to be an American. (And to top it all off, the blue man group and Miley Cyrus came and performed with Glenn Beck as the MC).





4. Visiting my friend Amanda and meeting her baby Savana for the first time (out of the womb). Amanda and I were friends in Highschool when I lived in Idaho. We were also room mates at Ricks College our Freshman year. She just moved back to Utah from Hawaii this summer.


5. Brian Regan show at Thanksgiving Point


6. Jack Johnson concert at USANA amphitheater.





7. Boyz II Men concert and the Scera outdoor shell in Orem (August 28, 2008). This was probably the best concert I have ever been to. I was not expecting just how fun it would be. Talk about a blast from the past. I am a born again Boyz II Men fan!