"Obama doesn't do drugs"

Back at the start of October I mentioned to Nathan that we had better hurry up and register to vote. Since the last election,I've gotten married,changed my name and moved. Nathan informed me that he had already looked in to it, and we had missed the deadline by just a few days. I felt terrible.

I had voted for John Kerry four years ago as a college student. I remember paying a little bit of attention to the debates and trying my best (at the time) to make what I thought was the right decision... I wish more people had agreed with my presidential pick. Oh well.

This election I watched every debate. If I missed it, I would watch it on youtube. I was one of those "undecideds". Initially I thought for sure I'd vote for the Democratic nominee (whoever that turned out to be). As the candidates were chosen, I felt sure I would be voting for "change [I] can believe in." As time passed however, my surety started to erode. I don't care to go into any detail about the reasons why, as I don't really care to hear anyone else's opinions or rebuttals on the matters.

Election day finally arrived. I was still bummed that I couldn't vote but I'd already gotten over most of the disappointment. However, as my students repeatedly asked me who I was voting for, I felt like a total fraud. Here I am, educating and setting the example for our country's future voters- and I'm not voting. I slyly maneuvered my way out of their interrogation by shifting the focus to who they would vote for.

I had the class close their eyes. Then by show of hands they indicated their choice for president. Obama won by a landslide. I did not reveal the results of our impromptu election. However we did discuss the pros and cons that each candidate had.

Pros for Obama: He is a nice guy. He cares about people. He doesn't do drugs. (???)
Cons for Obama: He is not a nice guy. He hangs out with evil people.

Pros for McCain: He cares about people. He is a nice guy. He is a hero.
Cons for McCain: He only cares about rich people. He wants to have a war forever.

(It was so interesting to hear how these 9 year olds digest the information they hear from their parents)

Well I ended our little discussion by threatening them. :) I pointed out to them that during our talk about pros and cons each of them prefaced their opinions by saying "Well I've heard that..." I told them that if I ever run into them when I'm an old lady and they are voting based on who their friends are voting for, I would whack them on the head. They enjoyed that. Not to mention, when I said the part about me being a little old lady they said "eww". I don't know how I feel about that.

Anyway I finally made it home. I turned on the t.v. Oprah was on. She was doing a pre-election special. The part that I saw featured several new citizens of the U.S. talking about what a tremendous feeling it was to be able to vote for the first time ever in their lives. It went on and on, and as it did I felt worse and worse about not being able to have a say in the election.

If there is one thing I've learned in life, it's that when you are feeling bad, work to see if you can change what is making you feel bad. So I got online and went to the county voter's registration site. Then I made a phone call to the office (only 20mins before they closed for the day.) I explained how I had voted in Travis county four years ago but that since then I lived in a different house with a new name. She informed me that all I had to do was take proof of my name change to the precinct I had voted in last time. What?? Are you telling me I CAN actually vote? I jumped in the car and went on my way. When I got there- an hour and a half before the polls were to close- they didn't even ask to see my name change documents. I was so glad that I had double checked my ability to vote!

And I'm pretty sure that the guy I voted for doesn't do drugs either. :)

More fun than you can shake a stick at!

I could've titled this post about a million ways; "the hooter hider and other phenomena" "the never ending scandal" "the bet" or "the trip of dreams". Those were just a few contenders.

Titles aside, it has been about a month since my reunion trip to Utah so I am now ready to write about it. Some background. Let's travel back in time to the summer of 2004. To my best girlfriends (Erin, Rebekah and Stephanie) and I, this would come to be known as the "summer of dreams". We were each in our final stretches of college at UT. Our biggest worries were what to wear out on a Friday night. Despite being involved in the social scene and having a lot to do, our best times were when it was just us, eating smores, cookies (insert assorted junk food here)and discussing the previous week's exploits.

The summer came to an end. Another semester started, our friendship grew. In a matter of months I got engaged, we each graduated and got moving on with life still keeping in touch. Erin and Stephanie moved to Utah, Rebekah to Virginia. Eventually Rebekah decided to serve a mission and got called to the Mesa AZ visitors center. And so for about 1.5-2 years communication between the four of us pretty much got cut down to emails, letters, facebook messages and occasional phone calls.

When Rebekah got off her mission she told me she thought she'd go to her mission reunion in Salt Lake at the beginning of October. A plan was hatched. I would go with her to Utah and the four of us would be REUNITED!

I was a little nervous after we got our flights. Reason being that Rebekah said this trip would determine if I would be a good travel buddy for future trips. :) I felt it went pretty well, aside from the fact that I kept abandoning her so that I could get in line in the proper number order.

Steph picked us up from the SLC airport around midnight. A lot of screaming and hugging ensued. It was good to see the chemistry was still there (can you say that about friends?) and we picked up where we left off. We met her baby, Bella, when we got to her house. So cute!

The next day the four of us (3 adults, 1 baby) headed down to meet up with Erin and her new baby,Sophie, at Cafe Rio. So I may have been the only one who wanted to go to Cafe Rio, but I figured since I paid all that money to fly up there, I might as well be able to eat some of that delicious tortilla soup. Though I had intentions of getting hundreds of pictures over the weekend, I only got a couple while at Cafe Rio and even some of these are donated from Rebekah.

The highlight was probably Saturday because that's when the four of us were able to spend the most time together. I think that when we all meet in the after life, it will be very much similar...minus the occasional scandalous conversation quips.

All in all it was fabulous. I even won a bet, the details of which could probably be it's own post. It's good to see everyone growing up. Steph and Erin are great moms. It is still weird to think that I have a friend who drives a mini-van... and enjoys it! :) Rebekah and I are moving on in the working world, contemplating what our next steps will be.

A few things I learned: Rebekah is a great travel buddy but does not like being abandoned in line. Babies eat a lot. There's a contraption called a "hooter hider"- i think that's weird. And finally, the "Reunion Trip" 2009 can't come soon enough!

Things that have changed my life

I was just thinking of an experience I had recently that I feel has changed my life. It's probably too personal of an experience to go into a ton of detail here in the blog. Anyway it just got me to thinking about experiences that have changed my life. Here's a few in no particular order.

1. My dogs. I have written about these two, Kya and Pepper, before. I suppose I've always had a soft heart especially towards animals. However in our time as dog owners it has gotten to be almost ridiculous. Anytime I hear or see any news story or movie about dogs I only imagine my sweet dogs in their place. For example, a while ago Oprah did a show about puppy mills. I didn't see all of it, but every horrible story on the show about the cruelty to these animals in my mind was a story about cruelty to my dogs.

2. Third grade. I learned how to write in cursive, it was the first year I got a love note from a boy (which I tore up and threw away. I was into older men like Tom Cruise and Kevin Costner... don't judge.) and I began my many works as a writer, which still continue to this day. My teacher was amazing and aside from the curriculum, she taught me about being kind and fair to everyone. Now that I myself am teaching third grade, I feel some pressure to make my students' experience in my class as positive as my own was.

3. Clinique make up. When I was a junior in high school my Christmas present from my parents that year was a makeover (complete with the purchase of all the makeup and skin care products) from the Clinique counter at the mall. I had only ever gotten my make up at the grocery store. In fact I think my mom at that point probably only got her make up from the grocery store too. I felt so special to go to a department store and get pampered. It was a totally foreign experience, but one that I had envied other girls for having. I thought maybe we'd buy some lip gloss and call it good. I was SO excited (and shocked) when my mom said we would take all the products we had used. She said maybe we shouldn't mention to my dad how much we spent. Your secret is safe with me mom!

4. Family road trips/reunions. I always came back feeling like I was a survivor and if I could make it through those trips, I could make it through anything! (I'm only slightly exaggerating.) :)

5.Nathan. My husband has forever changed my life. I fell in love with him almost seven years ago. From him I have learned many things: a)Love is not just a word. b)If at first you don't succeed, try try again. The man pursued me for 3.5 years. The first time he asked me out I said no. I'm glad he didn't give up. c) If you ever break into an old Spanish mission that is "haunted", make sure there are no alarms throughout the building. If there are and you happen to set it off... RUN! d)A pizza cooked with the cardboard still underneath it is still edible and attains an "interesting" texture.

6.Eggs. I hate them. They hate me. I have never been able to enjoy a true breakfast taco because of them. They are gross. However I do appreciate how fluffy they make brownies and other assorted food items.

7. My girlfriends. I have been so blessed with great friends. Among the best are my girl friends. They have been with me through all levels of schooling and education. They have spiced up my life with our late night talks and confessions,shopping excursions and cross country trips. They have consoled me through heart ache. They have given thoughtful insight into the mind of boys and other perplexing phenomena, and we have celebrated many occasions and milestones together. They are awesome and I wouldn't be who I am without their friendship.

8.Prayer and revelation. This is the one I won't go into too much detail about. I suppose in everyone's life we must all go through our own Gethsemane. The funny thing is that you may have an experience that at the time you think is the hardest thing you've had to go through. Then a while later something else comes your way that made the first experience look like a cake walk. In the midst of one such struggle I questioned some particular points of my faith. It wasn't until about eight months later that I got the answer to my prayers on those particular matters. It came via a church broadcast intended for young single adults. A friend was telling me about the talk Elder Holland recently gave. I felt impressed to go online and watch it. It's message not only answered my queries but enabled me to feel the love of Heavenly Father in a way I never have before. That experience has changed my life in the profoundest of ways.

9. Austin,TX. The most wonderful city ever. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you've never been. You should change that.

10. Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley. Obviously there are thousands of experiences that go under this heading. I feel like growing up in the valley is like being a member of a club. There are certain things about that place that cannot be explained,only those who have lived there can understand.

These are only a few and I've probably missed some big ones. If you know of any, let me know!

Blue jean baby, L.A lady...

The title has nothing to do with this post, but it is the song currently stuck in my head. (There is a great scene in the movie Almost Famous with this song.)

So it's been a little while and my last real post was about a trip I'd been on. Same ol same ol I guess. I just recently got back from a trip to North Carolina where I'd been for a little over a week. It went down something like this. My brother Aaron, a N.C. resident, gave me a call. Can I fly there to help his wife Melissa with the kids while he goes to San Diego on business? I say sure. We set the dates and the ticket was purchased. I'd been to North Carolina just one other time before and I had really enjoyed it. So naturally I wanted Nathan to go with me too. Turns out that a pretty big client of his is based in N.C. so not only is he able to join me for part of the trip, but he's able to schedule a visit to said client and fly out on his company's dollar!

In short, I had a great time! It was so much fun to get to know my niece and nephews better. Tyler is super busy so I didn't see as much of him. Grace is a precocious little bundle of energy and HUMOR. There was one night before she had to go to bed where she was sitting next to me on the couch making the funniest faces and then laughing like crazy after she did so. This in turn made me laugh. A real laugh too where it hurt my stomach.

Noah is the fastest one year old child I've ever known. He can climb anything in about 2 seconds. His favorite word is "off" but it can also mean on. He has a lot to say but sadly, he doesn't have real words down just yet (other than off like I said). He's a cutie!

Writing about the whole trip could take up quite a while so I'll share some
- Pretend birthday parties with Grace. Good times!
-Playing Rockband!!
-Listening to Grace sing "Roxanne" and "Wanted Dead or Alive" because she'd heard it so much on the afore mentioned Rockband.
- Having the car battery die on us on 2 occasions in parking lots. I took it all in stride since I used to have a car that gave me problems all the time. Anyone out there remember "One eyed Jack"? He was a good car while he lasted.
-Kernal Kustard... vanilla with raspberries.AMAZING.
-Seeing how far I could go without getting car sick while Aaron was driving :)
-Melissa's birthday party: There are a few notables here. Margaret(Melissa's mom) made a wonderful Sunday lunch for us. Delicious. Also, Grace took a nasty tumble down the stairs. There were 2 groups. Those who actually saw it and nearly had a heart attack. And those of us who did not see it, but nearly had a heart attack based on the reaction of those who actually did see it. Luckily Grace escaped with only a bruise. It could have been much worse.
-Trips to Boone and Tweetsie. The trip to Boone was nice because Nathan was there for that part and it was nice to be in a cute little town like that.
Tweetsie was a trip that my parents were there for. It is a small, western themed amusement park. We got to ride on a real steam train,take the kids on rides and
look for "gold"!

There were a lot of other great parts. Needless to say I had a great time. Thanks Aaron and Melissa for making it work! If you want to see the full collection of my pictures click on these links:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2501059&l=d9909&id=7904112

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2501001&l=e9fde&id=7904112

Love Story

Minnesota

Well, I guess I did say that I would write more about our trip to Minnesota. I'll keep it brief though.

We arrived on a Saturday. After getting a car we were headed off to a graduation party for one of Nathan's cousins. They live in this little town. We figured out how to get to the town but we weren't sure how to get to the house specifically. Nathan called his mom to find out. She literally said that there would be signs leading us there. We were baffled. "Oh really. There'll be signs saying this way to the party throughout the town?" She said yes. We were shocked to find that she wasn't pulling our leg. I bet if we ever had to send a letter to those members in the family we could just put their name and the name of the town and the letter would still get to the right place. Crazy.

Anyway it was freezing that first day. I had not envisioned that I would be shivering during my summer vacation but that's what happened. After the party was over we headed up to Grandma Joanne's cabin by the lake. We didn't get there until 9 p.m but it was still light outside... weird. I forgot that little detail about living up north.

The rest of the week went by like a blur. Luckily the weather warmed up nicely so we spent most of our days outside. We went on boat rides, swam, skiied, played volleyball,bar-b-qued,rode on 4 wheelers and relaxed in the hot tub. All in all we had a GREAT time with the family. Each night we sat by the fire on our camping chairs (or a swing if we got there in time) and enjoyed smores and the surroundings we were in.

Three cheers for Minnesota!

A vacation from my vacation

Life is finally back to normal! Nathan and I just spent about 10 days in Minnesota for a family reunion on Nathan's side of the family. We spent practically every day in the lake, whether it was swimming or going out on the boat. Nathan water skiied and tried his hand and wake boarding too. The videos below are short but pretty much sum up his wake boarding experiences.



Anyway here is a link to look at some of the pictures from the trip. I'll write more later when I've got time.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2483522&l=efdfd&id=7904112