Yes On Prop. 102!

If you're in Arizona, make sure you're registered to vote (we all know how I feel about the presidental race, but this is much more important! :)). The deadline is coming up - Oct 6. Then, hopefully you'll join with us and vote Yes on 102 in the Nov election. You can go to http://yesformarriage.com/ to get more information. If you click on churches and then click on LDS, you can see what I believe.

I've never worked on getting anything voted on before (yes or no!), and it's very interesting how it works! I'm sure you'll hear more from me in the future as I'll be sure to have more to post about the inner workings of campaigning!

How *do* we survive? ;)

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today and came across this post....

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/09/guest-post-cutt.html

Hey! We're not as weird as I thought we were! As of right now - there are 150 other people over there who have posted how they don't do TV either.

Now, don't get me wrong. We've had our days of TV. There was a time when I worked my life around CSI, Law and Order, and all the different varieties of all of them. We saw the first couple of seasons of Survivor, Big Brother, and have caught a couple of American Idol episodes. There were lots of sitcoms I was there for as well. I hated the days when we would have to miss one of them. And, then somehow all of that changed. I don't know if we just became busier, or the shows seemed to have the same story just rehashed differently, but, slowly, somehow, we've just gotten out of the TV habit. Now if you come to our house on an evening that there is "nothing going on", you will find our family all there in the family room, each of us with a book or magazine. I often think how "unfair" it is when they have Turn Off the TV week at school. It's not something we have to try at. ;) We still have a Netflix account to see the occasional movie, but it's not something we plan our lives around anymore.

I read a newspaper editorial once in which the author wrote that he wished more people would turn off the TV. Watching TV, he thought, showed that you thought that someone else's life is more interesting than yours. You are not out going and doing. You only have one life to live and why spend it watching someone else?

So, when people at work, church, or where ever start talking about the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars, I just have to sit back and listen quietly. I don't have a lot to add to the conversation. It doesn't bother me a bit. I wouldn't trade all the extra stuff I get done around here in the evenings for TV shows that are a one hit wonder. Since school has started, I've made 2 skirts, 1 top, 1 pair of pants, read several books, made some cards, plus all the regular laundry/dishes/running kids around that normally goes on in the evenings. I think our lives are more peaceful now as well. There is still the usual noise that is around, but not the constant background noise to contend with.

I don't know why we didn't do this years ago!

Why didn't *I* think of this????

I'm sitting here recovering from being sick this week (finally food is sounding good again!) and am able to catch up on a lot of magazine reading. I came across this...Isn't this the coolest thing? I'm going to try it on my own I think. Their prices are a little steep - but what a GREAT idea! Probably the hardest part is finding a frame/mat for the whole thing.

I really love these skirts...

They send me a catalog on a regular basis and I drool. And drool. It's not fair. Why can't I have them? Not just one, but ALL of them? I'm just a sucker for a cute skirt I suppose!





Of course, I can't post them all... go to www.downeastbasics.com if you want to see them all. I don't actually own any, I've talked myself out of them a dozen times - after all - it's not like I don't have a skirt to wear - in fact, I have several skirts to wear! I probably have too many in fact - just ask Rik. The poor guy puts up with my side of the closet slowly encroaching upon his! The kids better hurry up, grow up, and move out so that I can have the closet space! ;)

Are you a Philip Phan?

We loved this commercial during the Olympics - so - when Philip came home with the news that he is running for Student Council secretary - it seemed the perfect campaign slogan to adopt - "Philip Phan"! He has spent this weekend making stickers that say "Philip Phan". It is labor intensive because all campaign items must be handmade. Elections are on Thursday - I hope all the Philip Phans come out and vote!

Labor Day run...

Again...

This year I did it with a friend from work. I wasn't planning on doing it as I wasn't really working hard to do it. I was *planning* on it, but all of my fun adventures this summer seriously sidetracked any thoughts of really training for it. I wasn't even planning on doing it until the week before when Andrea decided she was going to. I was about 1 min slower than last year - but on the serious upside - I am not very sore today - a tiny bit - like you can tell that I did something yesterday - but not like last year when it *hurt to walk* for two days afterwards! So, even though I wasn't totally ready for this, I must be doing a little better since I'm not popping Advil like candy and wondering if it's worth it to get up to go to the bathroom!

Why does this race hurt like no other? Let's see... you spend the first 4 miles going down a hill (pictured here), then one very long mile going back up, so long that you just know you've missed the 5th mile marker, and then the last 3 miles are rolling hills. It is beautiful. Totally worth the views you get as the sun is rising over the mountains!

Points to whoever can see me - I can't! I'm wearing a white shirt and black shorts! Andrea is wearing a green tank top and black shorts! ;P Silly newpaper people not taking pictures of just me!