Damn sick!! (pardon the language)

Caution - I am very angry right now and since I have no one to vent to, except a couple of toddlers, I choose you, my dear blogging friends. Because I can hardly take it anymore. So if you don't want to hear me rant, or you don't agree with my rant... just pass on by and I am sure I will feel better tomorrow.

I am getting DAMN SICK of being treated like a bigot, intolerant, discriminative, prejudice, person who is trying to take peoples rights away. I have people getting fired in my community for donating to YES on 8, I have people protesting at my temple telling me I am prejudice and hateful, I have my favorite talk shows having people like Ellen DeGeneres on voicing why the YES on 8 people lied to get votes, and I have a freaking news story on every night about how the Mormons promote HATE, not LOVE, since they came together on YES on 8. I have a few points I would like to make:

1. Everyone SHOULD have the same rights. I personally believe that gay couples SHOULD have the same rights as a married couple. Just don't call it marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman. You are husband and wife. A gay couple is different. They ARE NOT husband and wife. I'm not sure how they identify each other... partners maybe... But it is DIFFERENT. Just like a gay individual is not called a heterosexual. They are called a homosexual individual. There is no "second class citizen" about it. IT IS DIFFERENT!!!! If domestic partnership does not offer the same rights as a marriage, then go fight that! I don't have a problem with that. (I have no idea what the church supports). Visitation rights, inheritance rights, taxes, health care, etc... I think they should all be available for gay couples as well. But I do have a problem with changing the definition of the word marriage.

2. It's all the MORMONS! Why is the Mormon church the only group that is being held responsible for Prop 8 passing? Although it is nice to think that perhaps our time and energy could make that big of an impact. Credit should be made to all other sects and religious groups of people that donated lots of time, energy, and money, as well. Did you know that LDS people make up about 2.5% - 3% of California voters? That means even if all the LDS people decided not to vote, Prop 8 STILL WOULD HAVE PASSED!

3. The upper hand. I also love how "the Mormon church" donated "absurd" amounts of money. First of all, "the Mormon church" didn't donate ANY money. The members of the church made personal donations. And hello? And forgive me if these numbers are a little off, but I am pretty sure it was something like YES on 8 donated 29 million, NO on 8 had 40 million. Not only did No on 8 have 11 million more in donations, they had Hollywood all over the place, doing celebrity ads and endorsements. I think YOU had the upper hand, not us.

4. A double standard. Since when did having different moral beliefs become such a crime? Don't No on 8 supporters believe in ALL tolerance? Why then do I feel like I am being attacked for believing marriage should be between a man and a woman, to pro-create, which is a fundamental belief of my religion? I LOVE my gay friends. I have many. I do not want to hurt them, and I certainly don't think of them as "second class citizens", (which I am being accused of doing). I believe most YES on 8 supporters were very respectful. No one was yelling out words such as "sin" or "abomination". Supporters respectfully passed out fliers, donated money, made phone calls, held signs on the sides of streets. We did not picket outside a church where gay marriages are performed. We did not hold signs up and yell outside predominately gay neighborhoods or hangouts. But NO on 8 supporters have no problem calling ME names on signs and yelling and protesting outside MY temple. Can you imagine what the headlines would be if it were the other way around? Aaron has had people at work approach him about his views, (since they know he is LDS). They strike up a spirited discussion against his beliefs. Aaron would be FIRED in a second if he EVER brought up anything like that in the work place. I am not the one who is persecuting people for their beliefs. I AM the one being persecuted.

5. City Hall? Why are NO on 8 supporters protesting outside MY temple? There is nothing the LDS church can do now. Do they want the church to come out and say "Okay, your right, lets re-define the word marriage. All LDS people change their votes". Shouldn't you be protesting at the Capitol Building or City Hall Buildings? Just a thought.

Lastly, I just want to say I have no animosity for anyone individually. But can you understand my frustration? While NO on 8 supporters are trying to protect their supposed rights, they are stomping ALL OVER mine. Please don't hate me or call me names because I think marriage is ordained of God and that its purpose is to procreate and raise God's children. I do not hate you or call you names for your beliefs. We just disagree on this moral issue.

I have to think there is a better way to go about all this. And the way it is going right now... isn't working for ANYONE.

*Here is a link to the article regarding the Sacramento theater artistic director who had "resigned" a.k.a (pushed to resign before being fired)

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1387273.html#comments

Baby Bologna?

I know this may be disgusting, but lately I cannot get enough Bologna! I am not talking about all the BS I hear on CNN or KRON 4 News, I am talking about the fatty, salty, you-don't-want-to-know-whats-in-it meat. I have had a Bologna sandwich at least every other day for the past week. When I am pregnant I CRAVE Bologna sandwiches like CRAZY!!!! But I am not pregnant. Really. I can say with a surety I am not pregnant. So what does this mean? Is someone trying to tell me I should try to get pregnant? I know you all think I am crazy but after interpreting this the past few days, I feel like that's what the Bologna is trying to tell me. hmm...... I am going to have to think this one through. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!

We had a fun and busy Halloween. Big Brother was our favorite college mascot... can you guess? COSMO! Mama's Boy was a little fireman. They were so cute! We went to a Halloween party with The Boss' family, carved pumpkins, went to the homecoming parade (totally lame) and finished things off at Grandma P's Halloween party. It may have sprinkled rain, but that didn't stop us! We had lots of fun and look forward to next year. Here are some pictures from our fun-filled Halloween celebration.

The Boys in their costumes!!

Carving Pumpkins. Mama's Boy liked chewing on the pumpkin scooper.

Trick or Treating!

Party time and TOO MUCH CANDY!!

Crash and Burn - Sugar high has run off!

The CUTEST boys in the WHOLE WORLD!!

Focus please

When we attempt to do family home evening or scripture study, this is how my boys pay attention.
When I am having a teaching moment about animals, body parts, or food, this is how they watch me.
When I want to get some cute photos of them together, they both simultaneously look my way and listen to every direction I give them.
And when they have done something naughty, I sit them down and talk to them about their behavior and this is how they respond and take in my words of wisdom.

I have the BEST boys ever!!

Okay--- I lied. They're watching Elmo's World.

HELLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't get them to focus on me for one second. But once the red, furry, high-pitched voice, puppet comes on the big screen.... the eyes don't move.

I have a feeling these moments will be taking place for years to come. ugh.

Viva Las Vegas for the BIG 3-0

Well, we just got back from Vegas after celebrating the big 3-0. Not my 3-0... I'm not THAT old! Just kidding. The Boss turned 30 on Saturday, October 18. I surprised him on Saturday morning with a trip for TWO (kid-less of course. We love Grandmas!) He was surprised to say the least. I gave him one hour to get packed and we were off! We spent 4 days and 3 nights staying at the Venetian Hotel & Resort. The boss said it was BY FAR, the best birthday EVER! It was SO MUCH FUN!! The Hotel was PERFECT (and worth every penny). We ate, slept, went to a show, laid out by the pool, went shopping, cruised casinos and of course, there was TONS of ... ... ... making out! (to keep it G rated) Here are some pictures from our trip:

As I said, the Hotel was fabulous. It was 5-star top-of-the-line. We had a TV in front of the bed, one in the family room (which we watched a movie on one of the nights) and one in the bathroom. All the window coverings were remote controlled, the bed was to-die-for-comfortable, and the bathroom and a separate private "chick" area for me to do my hair and make-up. We gave it 2-thumbs up!

We truly do love Vegas, but one of the main reasons we like going, is that it's the only other place out side of Utah where we can enjoy our FAVORITE place to eat... CAFE RIO!! And yes, we ate there 3 times in four days. It was worth the extra pounds gained when we got home. We LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVED it! It's good every time. We always left our plates bare. We also treated ourselves to Cold Stone after all 3 times to Cafe Rio. That could have had something to do with the weight gain.

We HAD to do a buffet. Even though they are over-priced and over-rated. It's not Vegas if you don't do a buffet. We went to the Treasure Island Buffet. It was... okay. We won't go again, we'll try a different one next time. The Boss was hilarious. He would take ONE bite of everything then toss it. I kept saying... "your wasting food!" His response was... "it's a buffet, that's what you do." No - its people like you that make it so expensive!

Aaron also had Dunkin Donuts for the first time. He LOVES donuts, and Dunkin Donuts lived up to his expectations.

The most amazing thing we did is see Phantom of the Opera. It was absolutely amazing. The stage was custom built at the Venetian for the Phantom production and it was truly beautiful. I have seen Phantom two other times and this one was BY FAR the most amazing. The cast, the special affects, the orchestra, everything was PERFECT. If you go to Vegas, this is SO worth the money to see. Really.
This was the Red Bug we rented. So COOL! We called it our "Lou-Bug". (That was for you Alyssa) The Boss said it was a total "chick" car, but it was fun to drive around and REALLY easy to park!

We did a lot of hanging out at the Hotel.

Thanks for the memories honey. It was a BLAST! Happy 30th!!!

Packing tape anyone?

We are moving this week. Do you know how much I hate moving? Thats why I haven't made any posts and probably wont for the next week. I hate moving so much I am writing this post when I SHOULD be packing. I don't even really have anything to write about... except I hate moving. I guess this is what happens when you rent. I also hate renting. Why don't I just burn my money with a match and then let them kick me out whenever they want... Oh... that's pretty much what they did. The guy we are renting from has declared bankruptcy (big surprise). We have known this for a few months and have been looking for another place. We finally found something else we like but reality is setting in and I forgot how much I HATE MOVING!! Good thing we signed that 1-year lease... right? At least we went through a real estate company and got our whole deposit back. BIG DEAL- I still hate moving. However, I have used this opportunity to clean all my decor. I found two pacifiers and a sippy cup with moldy milk. Luckily the sippy cup had only been there a few days... but it was still foul. I guess I better get back to packing. I so HATE this. HATE is not strong enough, I need a better word. Abhorrence, detestation, hatred, odium, revulsion, disgust, extreme dis-like. This is what the thesaurus gave me. Any others?

Fingerprints, Laundry, and Toys

Conference was so wonderful. I laughed, I cried, I felt inspired, I felt guilty, I pondered, I sang, I listened and I watched. The Boss gave me a detailed report of the Priesthood session, which he always argues is the best. I always end the weekend feeling uplifted and motivated to "DO" more good.
As I was putting both boys down for their morning naps, I looked around at everything I had to do. This is what I found:

Fingerprints - All over the fireplace, fridge, oven, sliding glass door, and yes, the stainless steel trash can. (I know that's gross).

Laundry - Overflowing all over the house. Mine and The Boss' laundry basket is literally exploding, with clothes cascading over the top. The boy's laundry is overflowing with dirty, slobbered on blankets, stained clothes, and bath towels.

Toys - Dragged all over the family room and the house. This also includes kitchen utensils, which are taken from drawers and cupboards and plopped in various rooms downstairs, as well as sippy cups, pacifiers, my bathroom things such as curling iron, brush, curlers, lotions, and towels.

I looked with an overwhelming smile on my face. The conference talk given on Sunday regarding the fingerprints, piled laundry, and scattered toys, being a time of joy that we will one day wish we had back, brought tears to my eyes. I love the fingerprints on my glass. I rarely clean them off, because they return again moments later. To me it says, "I have kids, and its okay if your kids put their hands on the glass too". The scattered toys will get picked up during nap time, taken out again later, then picked up again once bedtime has arrived. To me it says, "My kids have fun playing, and yes I let them drag their toys through the house, get into my kitchen drawers and cupboards, and play in my bedroom and bathroom closets". The laundry may take a day or two to complete, because it wont be a priority and I will forget I have clothes in there. Ironing may not get done for a few days, but it will get done and we will have nice clean, ironed, clothes. To me it says, "we have too many clothes".

I love my family and I love my life. There are no sweeter faces than these two. While I may have some hard days where I feel like pulling my hair out, I am mostly grateful that I can stay home and enjoy the everyday-ness of my sweetest blessings. So bring on the Fingerprints, the Laundry, and the Toys -

I LOVE them, and I will MISS them when they're gone.