Also...

I forgot to mention.

I ate TURKEY on Thanksgiving.

Like...an ANIMAL.

It was not as monumental as I thought it would be.

I am proud of myself for making it a WHOLE MONTH without meat!

I have learned that I don't really need meat a lot

AND

I will DEFINITELY be eating meat SPARINGLY in the future.

I like eating other stuff instead.

Well...after I finish leftovers that is...

What A Week

Well... this has been an interesting week to say the least. I really just have no idea where to start. It really has been a test of my temper and patience. While I believe I have a pretty good hold on my temper patience is not something that has been easy for me.

This week I have come to realize why it was that I hated people in the first place. People are selfish, unkind, and cruel. I felt I did a great job this week in keeping a smiling face when all I wanted to do was hit someone. I have also come to realize it is that time when I need to start weeding people out of my life again. I had a really interesting experience Thursday night and I realized that even when people pretend to be your "friends" they aren't. If they have no courtesy or respect for me then I really have no desire for them to be in my life. Plain and simple. No hard feelings.

However, actual Thanksgiving was nice. I basically spent 24 hours in the kitchen between Wednesday and Thursday but it was nice to have a nice meal. We had a lot of people over at my house and it was all out of state people who had no where to go. I was grateful for the opportunity to make other people's day & Thanksgiving better when they did not really have anywhere else to go. It was nice being with other out of staters who had no family near. Even though Thursday night was horrible, Thursday during the day was awesome.

Friday was a little up and down as well. I had to work that morning and I was feeling awful. My stomach decided to turn in knots and not behave. When I got home I laid in bed for a bit. Even though I realized the night before I needed to weed people out of my life I was exceptionally grateful for the true quality friends I have Friday night. Several people came over to say hi or drop off gifts and I got a total of 3 birthday cakes. My friends Raquel and Diana knew I didn't really have plans and they had decided to do something for my birthday. I went to the spa and did some girly stuff for which Raquel paid for part. We then went downtown to walk around temple square because they were turning on the lights for Christmas!! I LOVE Christmas time! It was cold and the lights were so beautiful and it made me fall in love with winter all over again.

After lights we headed to sushi where I was treated to absolute heaven. I think Tsunami is my new favorite sushi place. It was just as good as Mikado(now Naked Fish) but the sunshine roll was amazing! Mmmmm. We headed to the local McDonalds to rent a movie from Red Box and then went back to Raquel's and just vegged out. Afterwards we had cake (red velvet- a new favorite as well) and sparkling cider. Raquel and her sister Rita are pretty into wine so it was cute that they bought me sparkling cider. I honestly felt so special that night and I was glad to be surrounded by such quality people. Having my sister Marie there interacting with my friends was awesome as well. She usually decides to not talk to people and usually feels out of her element but she was able to come and have a great time and I was glad she had come in town for Thanksgiving/my birthday.

Anyway, thanks so much to everyone who made my day special! ( I will upload pictures soon)

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year!

OK OK so I am not talking about Christmas....

Thanksgiving and my birthday!

I bought a Turkey today! And $74 worth of food just for Thanksgiving! arg!

But tomorrow I get to go to SHANNA'S house and make PIE.

I have NEVER, EVER, made pie. I am excited!

I opened my birthday present early because it had been a bad day.

I almost cried.

Ex-Boyfriends who were jerks back in the day really can be very sweet when they have been missing you nearly every day for the past three years.

I really want THESE for Christmas, or my birthday.



AND these too.


I tried to convince my roommates to get matching pajamas and then we could take cute pictures together in the snow or something and send them out as christmas cards.... hmm.... I might have a lot more convincing to do! :-)

I think I am getting myself those booties this weekend! I will be super excited if that is the case!

I get to wear jeans tomorrow to work, Thursday is Thanksgiving and we are having a party, and Friday is my birthday and MORE partying, and Saturday I have to make food for Kens' bridal shower and it is EMILY'S birthday and basically....this is going to be a fun filled week with tons of friends and partying! I am excited!

Hug It Out

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love HUGS!

A hug can make you feel so much better in half a second.

And I fully believe the human race has lost physical contact and replaced it with blogs and texting.

I encourage more touching, more physical expression of friendship, love, and admiration....

So many people when they see you try and just high five you.

I stop dead in my tracks and say, "I don't high five. I hug."

And they give me a hug.

And it makes me even more happy to see them!

Before I leave I must give everyone a hug.

Well today while celebrating my birthday at the Smith Household everyone went around and said something really nice.

My favorite came from 4 year old Easton.

" I love Mandi because she loves giving me hugs."

Maybe it is because I was already feeling overcome with gratitude for this wonderful family but as the very last person to give their reason of appreciation for me, little Easton really touched my heart.

I do love giving Easton hugs!!

but... I Can't think of a single hug I didn't like.

1234 Plain White T's

<3

Birthday Birthday

I got two pieces of birthday mail today!

One was a card from my bestest friend in the whole entire world (besides my mom and sisters and my dad and brother and candice marie) hahaha.

The OTHER was a PACKAGE from my EX boyfriend! I know he never really got over me (who does? ;-) ) and we talk here and there. (it's been three years) He had one of my friends get my address to him. HaHa.
I have not opened either one of them.

I am not expecting my birthday to be even remotely good this year

(expect the worst. everything else will then pleasantly surprise you.)

so I am saving them.

I love mail.

TWO... in one day.

Maybe my birthday is already better than I thought it would be.

Rock Climbing

Man... I need to go rock climbing. I haven't done it since I was about the tender age of 16 at girls camp.

Anyone want to go? text me.


(& yes I mean INdoors....although I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to try outdoors come summer when my coworker Diana goes again. How killer would that be?)

Romeo Save Me, I feel So Alone, I Keep Waiting but You Never Come

I love that song.

Happy Birthday to my niece Paige! 7 years old today! Yay!

My birthday is in ten days.


I keep secretly hoping for a birthday miracle.


Something good needs to happen.

Something really good.

I guess one thing that keeps me going is the hope that one day it will be my turn.

I feel like I give so much of myself to everyone else and sometimes I feel I am left on empty.

One day someone will give back.

Here is to good Karma.

I mean I have saved at least 3 animals by not eating meat.

That has to count for something right?

Good karma, good karma, good karma.

Something good will happen....

one day.

Sick Tofu

Sick. While I have always loved tofu I was quickly put in my place tonight. I guess I don't know how to make it. I might throw it all out...

It was BBQ too....

Sorry tofu

someone needs to professionally make you

A Love Note

Dear Old Blue,

I cannot begin to express the the surge of excitement that went through my body as I saw you today.
I went inside to retrieve my keys from those wily old men at the Dr’s office.
The evil that shone through their eyes let me know they were up to no good. You were just a weekend fling to them.
They didn’t even have the decency to call you by your name.
The Contour…pffft… I put them in their place and told them how you liked to be called Old Blue.
They said they would write it down for the next time you came to visit but I let them know there would be no next time.
I don’t know why you like them so much.
Why must you always insist on visiting them?
I forgive you.
I am the one that loves you.
I just don't know how I could get around without you.
Those…those greasy old men….they think just because they know which buttons to press to get you purring and revved up that you will betray me.
I know better.
I know that while they may excite you and get you running again that you will always come home with ME. You drop me off at work every morning and you are right there waiting in that parking garage full of Lexus and beamers and other fancy cars every evening.
I think you like hanging out with them all day. Everyone likes to hang with the big boys.
While they may be sparkling white, pearl, or black with fancy personalized license plates you know you are a true blue and your Texas license plates show loyalty.
Thank you for always being loyal to me.
I am sorry I thought about sending you to a farm to roam free. I know I can't live without you and I don't want to.
Old Blue....
I Love You.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

So... I have a ton of videos and pictures on my computer that I wanted to post. It was so much fun going through these old pictures. The oldest can't be more than four years old but I feel like I have gone through a lot of different phases since then. You judge. They aren't in chronological order or anything. I guess these pictures are a lot more fun for me to look at because I know the story behind all of them. Great times...great times!


The only true love of my life. Bentley Tyson Jackson III.


The day I bought Bentley.

Around my 21st birthday.

May 2006

August 2004?
Summer 2006
Summer 2006
Aug 2004
March 2006
Me & Marissa

Zac & I in a limo from San Marcos to Austin a few weeks before I moved to Utah
River trip. Being dorks and taking the most unattractive pictures we could think of.
Kevin!!
A little cooking party.
My First & Probably last experience with Karaoke.
Last Fall. @ Jade's house for a fondue party.
Martiza's 22nd birthday.
Travis & I days before I moved up here.

When my old best friend Matthias came to visit me. November 2005.
The famous, " It looks like you just got pulled over" picture.
My best friend Candice Marie -Christmas 2005
Iris and I at Chili's in 2004
A few weeks after moving to Utah. My first official Utah Utes T-shirt!
Day 1 of being in Utah. In my dorm room.
All Academy Military Ball

The following four videos are from when I lived in Texas City. One of them is of my baby Bentley Tyson Jackson III, the sweetest purebred pitbull you ever did see and then three of them are of a very weird night with the girl I have been friends with the longest, Amy. I love her and I don't care what our ages are we will always act so immature and silly when we are together!

Old Blue

Well, I obviously have been doing a horrible job at updating everyday but in my defense....it's not my fault!hahaha. I have been so busy lately and I have hardly been home! Today after church I came home and crashed for several hours. I have felt so sleep deprived my brain felt like it was going to explode. I really got absolutely NOTHING done this weekend which is a horrible thing because I had a million things to do!! :( I hope I don't get too behind.

So... I have some bad news.

Old Blue is getting just as tired and sleepy as me. The other night I went on a late night grocery run with her on my way home from a friend's house. I ran in to get some soy milk (an essential) and five minutes later I was back outside. She just wouldn't wake up. I poked her and shook her and demanded that she wake up this very instant but she was out cold. Poor girl. A five minute nap turned into a 12 hour nap. I left her at the grocery store and decided she deserved a good nap. I called some friends to come get me and managed to get to work somehow the next day.

Kens came and got me from work and I went to go wake Old Blue up. She woke up but I decided to take her to the Dr. The Dr. said she had a sleeping disorder and that he was going to have to give her some medicine so that she will always wake up when I ask her to. I am glad she is getting some attention but sad that it is going to cost so much. My medical insurance just charges a copay and I was wondering why it couldn't be used this time. I would much rather pay $25 instead of $500+. Oh well.... I think she may have to go to a family that lives on a farm and has a huge yard for her to play in soon. She has been very good to me for the past ten or so years and I her. I change her oil EVERY 3,000 miles or 3 months depending on which comes first. I have NEVER let her run out of gas. I did scrape her on the side of the garage just a few months ago but other than the time that tricky concrete block of a sidewalk came out of nowhere when I was 17 I have never scraped or dented her. I mean I know I have let her been going with only 3 shoes for the past two years or so and when her inside light came off I never replaced it. Sometimes she gets tempermental with the rear doors and doesn't always open them and about a year ago her knobs to roll down the windows came off but that is just old age. I still love her. She always jams out with me and she met TONS of cute boys in my early years. Granted, she hasn't met one in quite some time but really, I have dated guys that have cars the past few years. (The joys of being out of high school) I even took her with me to Vegas just a few months ago and she has been there for me all the times I have cried while with her. I really hate to see her go...

shh....don't tell her but the thought of a new blue(black) (as opposed to old blue) really excites me! However, I would feel like I am cheating on her. I have never been with another blue, or any color really (besides my one year stint with that honda civic hatchback...but that was before I knew her!). She has been my main squeeze and I feel I should be loyal to her. I really don't know what to do. She will definitely be with me for the next few months but I don't know what to do after that. The thought of not having her in my life is sad. She is far from the prettiest blue on the block but she has a great personality!

One thing is for certain. It will be a great reunion tomorrow when I pick her up from the Dr's office. I might bring her flowers and I hope she is ready for some lovin!

And Another one Bites The Dust

So... I am doing this veggie thing all by myself now. Bethany are you still doing it? My brother dropped out yesterday. What a wimp. I am still going strong.

I feel so alone sometimes. In more ways than one.

Happy Birthday!

I was born on Veterans Day
I'm not a veteran, is that OK?

...(something something something-I don't remember). and cake
all these veterans do we forsake.

...(more stuff I don't remember)

I was born on Veterans Day.
I'm not a veteran. I think that's OK.
- Jade Ozawa

Her 21st birthday last year. @ Ken's house.

Today is my best friend Jade's birthday! She is spending it in Taiwan doing missionary work. I wish I was there to sing her happy birthday and make her a cake and lay in bed listening to music and watching random movies. I miss her terribly. Everytime I have a bad day or need boy advice I wish she were here. She would tell me the most perfect story and give me the weirdest advice. I probably wouldn't take it but at least she would know what is going on. She has been gone for ten months now and it seems like seventeen years. Not being able to call her is horrible! I can't wait till she gets back! Only eight more months to go!


@ our joint birthday party. November '07.

Do You Ever Think, When Your All Alone...Where This Thing Could Lead

Tonight was such a blast! I got asked to go on a group date to a hockey game. I had never been to a hockey game before. Before we went to the game we went to Pat's BAR-B-QUE!! Ugh.... ribs, brisket, chicken, and meat galore surrounded me and sent my olfactory nerves racing. I however ate red beans and rice with a side of cornbread. Well...red beans and rice were a side dish but it surprisingly filled me up. I was so proud of myself for not caving and my date didn't even judge me. He was glad I wasn't breaking this silly promise I have to myself to not eat meat until Thanksgiving.

(Side note....did you hear that Hugh Hefner is now on the market again!??! Remember that dream I had back in April/May? Yeah... weird.)

Anyway.... we went to the game where I fit in like a natural. Let's face it, I can be more obnoxious than anyone there and trash talk with the best of them. It just comes naturally I guess you don't even have to really know about the sport.

After the game we decided to go to this gilatto place my friend Andrew loves. I have been here serveral times with him but this one was the best. I shared some gilatto with a cute boy and the 8 of us were really the only ones in the place. It closes at eleven and closing time was quickly approaching. About ten minutes to I see two girls and a guy walk in. I looked at them but didn't really think anything of it until someone recognized him. Sure enough I recognized his voice. He and his friends ordered and then talked to the ladies behind the counter for quite some time. Finally after about 15 minutes we wanted to leave but I decided to get a picture first. What a cute little adorbale kid he is. I felt bad disturbing him and he seemed very uneasy still about people wanting pictures with him. I am not the star struck person but I NEEDED it to post on here. I mean... after that crazy dream I needed to post this picture. I have seen much bigger celebrities and never been phased and I wasn't this time either. I just felt silly asking for a picture. Here you go.




Me.... and David Archuleta.

It wouldn't let me post the video here. Embedding was diabled but here is a link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yff9nCctMkg



(This was not the best part of my night though. Just a fun part.)

Seperation Between Church & State

By now we should all know I am a centrist. I like to listen to both sides. I hardly ever use the words always or never. I try to be rational in thinking and I love to hear both sides of the story. I love to be swayed by the best argument. That being said there is a lot of talk about proposition 8 lately. I live in a state that is 62%* LDS. So...statistically that means I am in a state that is 31% active "Mormons" and probably 85% at one time or another in their life "was/is mormon." I am one of them. I hardly ever blog about the fact that this is my denomination of choice. I feel it is so unimportant to my decisions in life. It is definitely a factor but I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because they fit in line with what I believe, not the other way around. I have agency, I choose to live my life, and I choose to belong to that church. No one at any point in my life has ever MADE me be a certain way. Not my parents and least of all my church. If you would like to dispute this fact please take it up with John & Mirtia. They would be MORE than willing to attest to my stuborness and that I have always done what I wanted and voiced my opinion whether it got me in trouble or not. They were some pretty strict parents and I never let that stop me from saying what I wanted. Thankfully they allowed my free speech. I got in trouble but at least I was allowed to say what I wanted.Needless to say, I got in trouble A LOT. OK that is a long disclaimer. Here is what I want to talk about.

I really feel for you people who voted to redefine marriage. I try to be understanding of all people and I understand they want to be married. I could have a post in and of itself on "marriage." What is a piece of paper? Marriage is so much more than that. It is a committment. I suppose however, if someone told me I couldn't get married one day I might be really sad. Today I could care less because I have no desire to get married. I ran away from it once and I might be running for a long time but I digress. I do understand that people want to be validated and they want people to recognize their union. Freak, when my sisters got married at 19 that was in thier eyes a reason to be respected. Supposedly they knew more and I had to listen to them becuase " I am married!!" Well shoot...any 16 year old with permission can get married. I don't feel like you are special. But now... there are people who love each other and want to get married and can't because they are of the same gender. I understand that.

But where does the seperation of church and state come into play. I know church's can't control the government but its members are citizens of the nation and THEY DO control the government. Where do you draw the line and say hey, I morally believe one thing but I am going to vote for something else because I don't want to hurt someone's feelings? I want them to feel validated in their love.

One argument I am hearing is that it is similar to the civil right's movement. Word on the web is that there are a lot of African Americans or furthermore, just black Americans that feel put off by this comparision. Back in the day people with black skin were being persecuted by the color of their skin, not on their choices or their being, but on something they had no control over. I am not homosexual so I don't know how it goes. The only thing I could write would be speculation. I assume however that to an extent people have agency about their sexuality. If you have agency then I believe sexuality to be a behavior and not comparable to the civil rights. In fact, I had no clue that they kept track of your race and voting but 7 out of 10 black people in the state of California voted to keep the definition of marriage between a man and a woman. The same state that had the highest turnout for Mr. Obama voted to keep marriage the way it is.

I am grateful I am not a resident of the State of California. I realize that sooner or later (probably sooner) all states will probably have to vote on something like this and that it will be my turn. I didn't vote and I don't know for sure how I would vote but I have a sneaky suspicion. But, at what point do I have to give up my beliefs? Is that not the brilliancy of the democratic process? Is that not why voting was created? Is that not why we have secret ballots and we dont' walk around with t-shirts that are printed after we leave the booth showing exactly who and what we voted for? I roll with the punches and if it had passed I can honestly say it would not have changed my life in the least. I don't think anyway. I still would have been able to get married and life would continue to go on and the Earth would continue to revolve. However, when you bring it up to be voted on people get to choose. They chose. I don't see why a big deal is being made because not everyone thinks the same and they voted to reject the redefining of marriage.

I believe in diety. I believe that we have a creator, that we existed before we came to this earth and that we will continue to exist long after. To quote The Postal Service in their song "Such Great Heights" (check out the cover by Iron & Wine)

I am thinking it's a sign That the freckles in our eyes
Are mirror images and when we kiss
They're perfectly aligned
And I have to speculate
That God himself did make us
Into corresponding shapes
Like puzzle pieces from the clay

I do believe we were created this way and I don't think it is coinsidence that the human body happens to be this perfectly functionaly amazing machine type body. I think the power of procreation is a miracle. The way the male and female body were made to procreate seems so amazing and awesome to me. I know you can hardly ever make a blanket statement and be right but for the most part I find it amazing how men and women are inherently different. While it is true that there are men out there who are compassionate and nuturing and women out there who are ...not, for the most part it isn't just a way we were taught, it is the way we ARE. I don't believe it is nurture. I believe by nature women and men are different and together make a really neat pair.

Because I believe this I don't believe we were intended to spend our lives with someone of the opposite sex. If we were I would think we would have been created to procreate by ourselves, or with anyone. I wasn't asked to vote on this and no one asked my opinion but I am trying to form it so I am prepared when someone does.

Please don't get me wrong. When I lived in Texas I worked with a group of girls that I became to absolutely adore. They were so much fun to be around and they were really spunky. They definitely weren't the type of people I was used to hanging around but I just assumed they had been nerds in school. I soon discovered they were all homosexual or bisexual. To this day they are still some of my most favorite people and we keep in touch. They absolutely adore me and I them. When I go home for visits they make sure to all get together again and we go to starbucks and they get their fancy coffee and I get a hot chocolate and we talk about dating and life and the stresses of work. I don't judge them. Thankfully they don't judge ME for being straight! HaHa. We have had discussions and they know I don't agree with it but that it doesn't change how I feel about them at all. Like I said, I don't personally have to deal with this so all I can say would be speculation. If you ask me to vote, at what point do I vote for what I believe in and at what point do I give up my rights to voice my opinion so that people's feelings don't get hurt. This isn't me being arrogant. It really is a confusing question to me.

What I find to be dissapointing is that people who voted to keep marriage the way it is are being accused of trying to take away civil rights. At what point do you realize that maybe the whole world isn't evil and realize, hey, maybe they were just standing up for what they believe in. At what point do you think hey, they believe marriage is between a man and a woman. California, you asked them to vote and they did. Please don't complain because they didn't vote the way you wanted them to. For better or for worse the democratic process took place.

What I would love is for those of you who have an interest or an opposing view to post your own blog about this. If you want to leave a comment please do, but I would honestly love to read your blogs about how you feel.

Thanks for reading mine.

Displaced Anger?

You know when you hear about the proverbial man who had a bad day at work then goes home and kicks his cat? Well... it is a classic example of displaced anger. You are mad at one person and you take it out on someone/something else. I really think that is silly. If you are upset about something then take it out on the correct person. I know it isn't always easy or black and white but this is my blog and so I want to blog about something that is bothering me right now, mostly because I can't wrap my head around it.

Recently the State of California and it's citizens voted to keep the definition of marriage traditional...being only being between a man and a woman, in a nutshell. I mean I think unless you have been hiding in a cave for the past little while I am sure you know more about prop 8 than I do. Here is where I would like to voice my confusion and those of you that can answer what I am about to ask please feel free to explain. I am not asking your opinion on prop 8 JUST YET but I would like an answer to this displaced anger... hopefully I will have a well formed thought about prop 8 later tonight or tomorrow but for right now here is my question, or at least an intro to it.

Yesterday thousands of protesters rallied outside of The Church of Jesus Christs of Latter Day Saints' Los Angelos Temple. I mean, I thought it kind of made sense. They were upset and frustrated and most church goers voted to keep the definition of marriage the way it is. I mean I thought it was silly to just protest that temple and not other places of other denomination's worship (maybe they did I just know it made the news about that one place)but from what I hear this particular church has donated about 75% of the funds that the prop 8 campaign had. So... OK they made a few of the members of that faith know they disapproved of the leadership of that church's donation to the campaign and encouragement that congregation members themselves donate to the campaign, OK great.... what are they supposed to do about it? Should they really be harassed for where they did or did not choose to put their money or how they voted? AND...it got picked up by local and national news so... people know about it. But the only people that were really inconvenienced by it were people that went to go worship at that temple that night I suppose.

So... they decided it was not enough. Protesters decided to meet downtown Salt Lake City today and protest OUTSIDE TEMPLE SQUARE AT SIX PM. Here is my thinking.

Wait. ........What????

I know I voted. I knowI voted on several things, there was the Gov. , a few city officials, some judges I wasn't too knowledgeable about...proposition to renew the zoo, proposition to give money to the Tracy Aviary, I don't remember proposition 8 being on there. I am a resident of Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City where Temple Square is. I live in Utah. I don't remember voting on the definition of marriage. OK...now that I have that clarified. OK....

The Church Headquarters are indeed just east of Temple Square...but... I mean... technically that part of main street is closed off so I guess it is ON Temple Square, but not the part they were protesting. OK. So... 6pm on a Friday night... most people that work in that headquarters office are probably long gone...but protesters aren't right outside there. No...they are protesting the temple. So what this seems to me is that there is a group of people yelling at and being mean to and voicing their opinion to.... LDS people and visitors trying to enjoy their evening on temple square....who had nothing to do with the vote whatsoever. I mean there is always an off chance there was a California resident visiting but...really... who even knows for sure. Basically I feel they are kicking the cat. I mean seriously, protesting is great, the first amendment is GREAT....but come back Monday morning at say.... noon. Come back and protest the financial office which I assume has to be in the headquarters...so protest them during the day when it makes more sense. In the meantime, let us Salt Lake Citians be. We personally had nothing to do with that particular election so why is our peace getting disturbed?

Furthermore, it isn't like this particular church rigged the election! All they did was donate money and encourage people to take place in the democratic process and VOTE. Last time I checked Barack Obama's campaign spent loads more money than John McCain. Sometimes you have to spend money to get the word out there. You have to inform people. Look what it did! Should those of you that voted against him all gather together and protest outside of those people that contributed the most money to his campaign? I mean is this not similar? Should you protest because you didn't get your way? I say sure... you are allowed free speech in this country and you can do whatever you want....just protest to the right people man.

Last Time I SWEAR

Now THIS is a post you HAVE to read. This is how I wish all Americans would react. Not only does Shanna have beauty, she's got brains too!! It is such a humble beautifully written blog. Please please PLEASE read it! For those of you that may not get it, Shanna is quoting a statement from the LDS church that goes back over a hundred years. To be more specific it The Articles of Faith. Instead of the word WE she replaced it with the word I because she was raised LDS and this is what she does believe.

Kudos Shan! Kudos!

On a Serious Note

WOWZERS! Be careful. You better duck! Have you seen what is going on? It is full blown war out there on the internet. I have never seen such a massacre of friendships and a blatant disregard for rational thinking. One of the biggest Obama supporters I know told me today that they did not care if everyone was dirt poor under Obama as long as they could learn to find hope in each other. It was an interesting point of view.

All day long today I have been shouting "OBAMA '08" like it has been going out of style! People at my office think I love him. What is funny is that some of YOU think I love/hate him. I am completely indifferent.I guess you don't know me that well after all and maybe shouldn't judge me if you don't know how I am talking through blog and haven't figured out by now that I am the devil's advocate. Just as I stated earlier I would have written a blog about how I hated McCain had he won too (and am kind of saddened because I had some good witty comments)! I don't like either one of them! I take situations as they come and I am pretty positive none of you will ever know who I voted for. Obama? McCain? Nadar? Barr? You never will know will you? (I like to keep people guessing!!! :-D) It doesn't matter WHO I voted for because I honestly didn't want to see any of those people in office but people died and went through persecution and who knows what so that I could have a right to vote. I did. I voted. I walked down there, punched in my vote (for governor, for judges, for propositions....) and not everyone thought the same way I did. Some of the people/things I voted for won and some didn't. That is OK. I did all that I could do. Now is my time to act. Now is my time to show my support for America. If I support America than I will support it's president. He represents me (all ALL Americans. that is what a president does) and he deserves my support.

Now it is time to shut your mouths and quit harassing others. Now is the time to act. Obama is president. Either congrats if you voted for him or get over it if you didn't. If McCain can congratulate Obama and support him you can too. If you didn't vote (which depressingly I know way too many of you that didn't) you can't talk. You had your chance to voice your opinion. You gave it up. You gave up your voice. Now you need to support Obama like a good American citizen. He hasn't even had a chance to do anything yet! How about we give the guy a break and see what he does or does not do for this country? THEN.... then you can trash talk him all you want. Judge him on his merits as PRESIDENT ok? If you don't like him then fine, four years from now we get to go through the whole process again. UGH! I am so tired of this whole election stuff.... but I am grateful for the opportunity to vote.

But honestly? You aren't that awesome that you can take yourself so seriously and trash talk others because they did/didn't vote for Obama. Get over yourself. Learn that you CAN be friends AND disagree( novel idea I know...). If I ended a friendship or even an ACQUAINTANCE because someone thought differently than me I wouldn't have any friends or acquaintances. Isn't is an awesome thing that everyone thinks differently? And for those 9 comments/texts/emails I got from you Obama fans that thought I was serious on my earlier post....realize I was obviously being stupid and completely exaggerating. In other words, I was trying to be funny. Can you NOT take a joke? If you thought I was serious...take a deep breath and ask yourself the last time I was serious on an issue like that on a blog like this. And seriously people? Follow Michelle's example. Leave a comment. I don't need a private message from you in my inbox, not that I don't love you, I just think you need to leave the comments on the blog...not my email address or my phone.

as lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours,
'we are not enemies, but friends.
though passion may have strained,
it must not break our bonds of affection'...

It is kind of silly I have to justify my own blog. I still love each of you the same though!

We have a new president elect. Face it.

"To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help, and I will be your president too."

-Barack Obama

My Main Concern

So... I forgot to write this. My main concern about Obama being elected was what the markets were going to do. IF Wallstreet truly backed the President then you would see it reflect first thing this morning. My fear , obviously, is that it would not like the results. Well people.... I give you YOUR President Elect Mr. Obama.... and the Dow already down close to 150 points at 10am EST.

I am TRULY TRULY crossing my fingers for a turn around. Mr. Obama....please help us!

HOLY CRAP

Well. You did it America. You voted a socialist into office. I hope you are happy with yourselves. Honestly, I am happy FOR you because you got your butts out and voted. Now, if most of you would have done your reasearch instead of just voting for, "that handsome black man." Well shoot.... I should have voted for Will Smith guess he is the hottest black guy I know but seriously...what do looks or skin color have to do with anything? I do know actually a FEW of you that did your research and actually love Obama so to those of you... congrats.

I on the other hand have spent all night typing up my resignation. I think it looks wonderful. Why quit you ask? Don't you love your job? FLIP YES I DO!! But didn't you hear? Under Obama's plan I can quit and all those hard workers around me will take care of me! YES! No need for American to no longer work any harder!!

I mean don't get me wrong... I would be sitting here complaining if McCain would have won too.... would people just listen to me and vote for Nadar?!?! ;-) No. They wouldn't.

Now if you excuse me I am late for work. Er, um... I am late to put in my resignation.

Thanks OBAMA!! Here is to hoping you can overthrow our government sysytem and find a way to be a ruler until you die. If I never have to work again I will praise you.

Hammer's Inc Art Festival

So remember just the other day when I posted about looking at my friend's pictures & being envious of his adventures? Well... that friend is having his 2nd Annual art festival. I am going to copy and paste straight from Kens' blog. I would trust that you all are going to link to it but let's be honest, you guys are lazy and won't click. So here you go.

The 2nd annual Hammers Inc art festival is
November 15th @ 7:00 pm
3384 South Oakwood Street (SLC, UT)
and it's free!

The theme is finding beauty. (& trust me, they have found it )

Garrett & several other local artists will be showcasing their hard work from the past year and it will be for SALE!

There will be an auction, free food and drinks, and live music.
It is going to be a blast! If you live in the Salt Lake area you have no excuse to not come! Just park on the street or at the parking lot of the church around the corner.

Dress warm and get ready for an evening of culture.

I hope to see you all there!

Mmmm Mmmmm

3 days down... maybe I will quit counting. I am just as surprised as you that I could go three full days without eating meat OR sugary/candy crap. I don't have a problem with the latter one but normally if i commit to not eat something, regardless of I eat it regularly or not, all I want to do is shove that particular forbidden item in my mouth. Alas, I am free of that desire right now. I actually just got done eating the most delightful veggie patty!! You almost wouldn't know it wasn't meat and it tastes SO much better! Who knew eating healthy could be so delightful?

I am sorry but November is a big month for me and if I am going to blog everyday you might be hearing a lot about this. Sorry!

So... today I was crossing the street and a mom and her little daughter (probably about 3 years old or so) were going to cross my path as we walked to opposite sides of the street. I wasn't really paying attention to them but then I heard this child say something extremely loud and point at me and smile. What did she say you ask? I LOVE your pretty shoes!( i was wearing red high heels) HaHa. I don't know why that touched me so much! I love children and their honesty and their desire to express themselves. I was walking with a co worker and as I turned to smile and wave at the little girl I only envisioned her turning into her mom, or even worse, me. A snarly old woman who tries not to pay attention to those around them because it is not polite. Adults avoid eye contact and conversation at all costs. A chatty elevator with coworkers will get extremely quiet when picking up new riders and everyone looks up, down at their shoes, their watch,very sternly at the numbers....anywhere but at someone else. Heaven forbid we should smile at one another and maybe say, " I LOVE your pretty shoes!" I am grateful for children.

Hmm...

OK so I have a few saved drafts that I haven't posted so I am just making up a quick one because I wanted to keep with the post a day thing. Please note the correction from my last post. Emily is not just a girl. She is the woman!

Today's post is going to be short and sweet. Life has been hard for me to figure out lately. Really hard. I am constantly busy and I often times wonder where I am going or what I am doing. I can't see myself in a few years much less a year from now, six months from now, or six weeks from now. I could go more into depth but I really don't care to give you those details of my life. If you wish to know, please ask me in person. Yesterday I went over to my friend's house who just got back from a 6 week trip to Guatemala. I was looking at his pictures and was just so.... envious. Envious that he was able to just get up and leave for six weeks ( I can't even leave for two days because I don't have the vacation time), envious that he got to see such beautiful parts of the world, envious that he was able to make friends with locals and take their pictures ( I am too shy to just try and take a random person's picture) and the list could go on. When at lunch with my friend Dave about two weeks ago he was telling me that I could do anything with my life, I am just afraid to. He is completely right. I don't know what I would do without my routine. What would I do without a real job and a 401k and health insurance and the safety net of life? There are times I feel like I am not going anywhere or doing anything and I just want to get up and leave. I want to travel, I want to grab life by the horns! (Thanks Dodge!) But... I don't. I am afraid to. What would the consequences be? Ugh... I am so frustrated and I don't know what to do.

Veggie Tales

*Correction* Emily is not just a girl to me. She is the coolest person I know in Japan.


So... today was my first day of being vegetarian. I guess it helps when you "sleep" in until 11 am. (read... lay in bed because you are suffering from insomnia and can't sleep despite desperate pleas and attempts) . Still... I had a good first day and am excited to go for the next 26 days like this. I am currently eating a vegan burger and it is surprisingly GOOD! Not eating meat will be a hard thing for me but I am excited to test myself. I swear I have no self control when it come to eating. I have always eaten whatever I desired so this will be good!

Also, word on the web is that it is national blog posting month or something like that. Basically it means that it is an effort to get those bloggers out there blogging everyday in the month of november. I haven't researched this anywhere... I just saw it on this girl's EMILY'S (the girl that makes me feel like a winner!! and one of my most favorite people to stalk besides Bethany) blog so I am going to try and do it. Man... november is a commitment month for me! Wow... maybe it will convince me that committment isn't such a bad thing afterall and I will find a cute boy to repeatedly hang out with.... most likely not!! haha. Maybe I will add it to the to do list.

November's To Do
Don't eat meat
Blog once a day
Find a boyfriend
Enjoy my birthday

Yes... sounds good. I will even settle for 3 out of 4! :-) OK... well... football calls my name...