quote of the day

the man who publicly besmirches his wife's name, besmirches still more his own, and proves that he is not, was not, and never will be a gentleman. --emily post

quote of the day

the height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions. --william f. scolavino

quote of the day

you sir, are woefully outnumbered. --olive garden waiter to my dad

graham cracker goodness. on christmas even.

nicole making the graham representation of hogwarts school of witchcraft & wizardry

me, probably about to eat that entire handful of candy.

tami still coming up with ideas for her secret garden.


michelle, fashioning the most beautiful candy stained glass window i have ever seen.
from this...

to this: my graham cracker slice of suburbia.

and the little candy family and dog that live there.

hogwarts by nicole

candy house by mom

zen garden by tami

candy church by michelle

noah's ark by kristin

Merry Christmas from the Booth Girls

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

quote of the day

hey, michael buble is a looker. --michelle

and

and the grinch, with his grinch-feet ice cold in the snow stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? (Christmas) came without ribbons. it came without tags. it came without packages, boes or bags. and he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. then the grinch thought of something he hadn't before. what if christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. what is christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. --dr. seuss

it gets me every time...

sigh. oh how i love this movie.

it never, ever, ever gets old.

quotes i love from this movie:

is he sick? no worse. discouraged.
george bailey ill love you til the day i die.
you lay a hand on me ill hit you with this broom
boys and girls and music. why they need gin?
you were born older.
oh why don't you stop annoying people
you may kiss my hand.
you want the moon? just say the word, mary, and ill lasso it down for you.
youth is wasted on the wrong people.
ill show you kissing that will put hair back on your head.
who's here? george bailey. what does he want? he's making violent love to me, mother. you tell him to go home.
could i have 17.50?
remember the night we broke windows in this old house? THIS is what i wished for.
i didn't want to marry anyone else in town. i want my baby to look like you.
i want to give my flower a drink.
merry christmas you old building and loan!
i savin this money for a divorce if ever i get a husband.
remember no man is a failure who has friends.

quotes of the day

im gon punch you in the babymaker. --nicole

and

hello. damsel in distress, locked in her tower. --text message from nicole. (her doorknob is a little tricky)

quotes of the day

and tell her that TMMY sounds better with a I in between the T and M instead of an A. ok nevermind that sounds dumb. --timmy

and

never does the human soul appear so strong and noble as when it forgoes revenge and dares to forgive and injury. --reverend E.H. Chapin

quote of the day

dangerous minds is on MTV. you are michelle pfifer. or however the freak you spell it. --my sister kristin via text

and

well, its been real.--my union rep upon leaving in a very tense evaluation meeting

quote of the day

i claim squishing the trash.

and

ms. booth, who is presentating today?

this weekend i...

This weekend I successfully…

Woke up 1 hour before my flight departure time & STILL made it. (thanks she)
magazine flipped & question gamed with my mom for hours during chemo #3.
Drove to Logan to pick up little sis #3.
Developed a love for Jon & Kate plus 8
Emptied, cleaned and reorganized the pantry.
Finished a time intensive Christmas project.
Wrapped Christmas presents.
Watched my dad sing in the choir. And was proud.
Helped my dad move furniture.
Stayed in my pajamas all day saturday and slept in them again saturday night. (dont judge me.)
Proved that I could fit into my mom’s wedding dress. (despite the fact I am 5 inches taller and a few Christmas hams heavier than she was.)
Lost my phone charger.
Bought a new phone charger.
Did not slip on the iced over sidewalks & parking lots. (trust me. this is a big deal.)
Loved snow.

it's working wonders

On September 23rd the biopsy results from the my mom’s tumor came back. My mom had cancer. WHAT?? I have not blogged about it until this time because I’ve learned I am somewhat of an avoider. I would rather not talk about things, because in some ways, maybe subconsciously, if I don’t talk about them I feel they don’t REALLY exist. Its almost like a part of me believed that if there was no public recognition of such sucky awful things, they would just somehow cease to occur or progress. News flash. It doesn’t work. The news of the initial results were very surreal. The idea that cancer (bleh) had been growing inside my mom made me absolutely crazy. Then to understand it had also settled into a few of her lymph nodes was paralyzing. WHO DOES CANCER THINK IT IS??? THIS IS MY MOM FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! Eight months ago I remember the only thing I understood about the function of a lymph node was that if you get cancer in them, it’s a death sentence. (Which, by the way, I have learned through this experience, is not entirely true.) Then there were more tests. It seemed that every test that came back was more bad news. Awaiting the results of every test I kept telling myself, OK, it won’t have such and such results, because that would be really bad. And then, those dreaded results would confirm my fears. This could be really bad. There were a few moments that I was inconsolable. Luckily I had a few good people to hold me and just let me cry, because that’s all that seemed to make me feel better. Who does cancer think it is? Seriously. My mom’s got weddings to plan and grandbabies to snuggle. Then there were the tests to see if what had started as breast cancer had spread to any other organs, and then to see if it was in her bones. Both of which would not be ideal. That week, the minutes seemed only to crawl by. Torture in some ways. It was extremely unfun and difficult for me, and so I can’t even imagine what my mom must have been going through. Luckily, that’s when the good news started. That sick nasty cancer hadn’t spread anywhere else. So even though it had settled into a few of her lymph nodes and filtered through her blood, the cells had not attached and begun the stupid, nasty, rapid growth anywhere else. Thank heavens. My mom & I texted & emailed a lot during all this, and one exchange particular really stands out in my mind, “Who would be grateful they ONLY have to get a mastectomy, chemo and radiation?” “Someone who just found out they don’t have bone cancer.” My perspective changed a lot as all of this was transpiring. I’ve always been a wisher. I always wished on stars and birthday candles, when the clock reads 11:11 and have even prayed for silly or trivial things to satisfy the longings of my inner 13 year old. Somewhat believing that I just HAD to have whatever it was that most recently meandered around across stage of my mind. Mostly, the things I used to wish for & dream about could easily be found among the topics covered in the game of MASH, dream boys, homes, future plans, etc. But all of that changed in an instant. From the moment the first test results came back I only wanted one thing. I began to understand what it meant to be tempted to bargain with our Heavenly Father. Not that I did, but so quickly, I understood what it was like to want something more than anything else in the world. To know what it was like to think that I could be truly honestly happy and content for the rest of my life if I could just be granted one wish at that very moment…for my mom to be healed.

So, we are in the middle of it. She had her third chemotherapy treatment of six on Friday, and is doing well. Chemo is no walk in the park, but then again my mom isn’t just any woman. She normally feels bad (I won’t go into detail) for about a week, starts to regain energy & strength during the second week, feels great & back to normal during the third week and then its time for another treatment. She is handling it all so well. She is such an example to me.

So why write about all this now? I’m not sure. I think I’ve come to grip with the fact that not writing about it won’t make it go away, but I’ve also seen so much good in the face of so much scariness. So much strength in my mom. So concern in my family. So much service in my ward. (Sidenote: There is a sister in my parents ward who also had breast cancer and just finished her last chemo treatment. She has been such an angel…While going through chemo herself, she has brought over little care packages of things that have helped her deal with the side effects of the chemo. She brought over a few bottles of sprite to help with the nausea with a little card that read something like, “3 down, 3 to go. You’re halfway there! Hang in there.” REALLY? People like that exist? Holy smokes. I think I need to be doing more.) So much kindness in my friends, and some of them, concern for someone they’ve never even met. So much goodness from our Heavenly Father. I’ve been at 2 of the 3 chemo appointments so far, and I can’t help but just adore the medical professionals that have been working with my mom. (PS. Thank you Mr. Huntsman for donating such a beautiful facility. You are a rock star) The nurses are so friendly, upbeat and attentive. And her oncologist, well, after listening to him talk with my mom, and chat with me for a little bit, I kinda just wanted to hug him. I abstained, of course, but I kinda wanted to.

I know that our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. I have seen the benefits and peace in my own family, so if you have offered prayers on my family’s behalf, thank you…and by all means, keep those prayers coming. =) It’s truly working wonders.

ps. i just realized i used appropriate capitalization. without even thinking. go me.

congrats B

my dear friend beana graduated from BYU Hawaii today. please enjoy these darling pictures of her.




she sent me this picture during graduation with this caption,

"graduation talks can get boring."

oh beana, how i love you. we really are kindred spirits.

quotes of the day

we shouldnt be laughing. people have cancer in here. --mom

and


just take that (motioning to the IV rack that holds various chemo bags) with you. no one knows if you have cancer. --mom, on deciding whether or not it is appropriate for me to use the restroom in the treatment facility

quote of the day

jackie, dont step in that. its pee. --sheila

quote of the day

celebrate what's right in the world. by celebrating what's right, we find the energy to fix what's wrong.

quote of the day

"Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten."--B. F. Skinner

quote of the day

character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. only through experience of trial and suffering can the sould be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. - helen keller

jane eyre

i have been hearing about this book since my mom read it cover to cover a few weeks ago. she insisted each of us girls read it before we came home for thanksgiving (so that we could all watch the 4 hour movie together), and proceeded to send us reminder texts that if we didn't read it she would be very =( i failed. i read the first twenty pages so on the plane on the way to kaysville last tuesday, so that i could at least say i started it. we watched the movie anyway. it was fantastic. not the grueling 4 hour depress-fest i thought it would be after the first 20 pages. im a little tempted to name one of my sons mister rochester....


upon jane's return and learning of rochesters impending engagement to blanche. (she is bratty. i didn't like her once.)



seriously, just watch press play. or, click here

my favorite gems from this scene...

jane: if God had given me some beauty and wealth, i would make it as hard for you to leave me as it is now for me to leave you.
rochester: i want you to live with me. to pass through life as my second self. my best earthly companion.
rochester: jane, do you doubt me?
jane: absolutely.
rochester: have you no faith in me?
jane: none, whatsoever.

rochester: let no one meddle with me. i aim to keep her.

yah, they dont end up married as planned.

more random quotes scattered throughout the film...
georgiana: it is a crime against God to deny yourself love.
jane: you have a chance to love someone who loves you with her whole soul. not many people are that lucky.
rochester: i wont tempt you into a life of sin, jane. i wouldn't do that.
jane: i know enough about money to know that shant make me happy.
jane: ive always known myself, but he was the first to recognize me. and i love what he saw.
rochester: i dream of you often and in the morning you're gone.
jane: my uncle left me 20000 pounds. i gave most of it away.

one of the last scenes...
embedding was disabled for this one, so just click here

more gems...
rochester: jane, i want a wife. i want a wife, not a nurse mate to look after me. i want a wife to share my bed every night, all day, if we wish. if i can't have that i'd rather die. we're not the platonic sort, jane.

love it. sigh.

quotes of the day

if the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it. --lucy larcom

and

you dont have the luxury of negative thought right now. --christina applegate

you know, the ushe.

just lizards doing push ups. seriously.

quote of the day

advice is like castor oil, easy enough to give but dreadful uneasy to take.--josh billings

A+ for apple hill

quote of the day

people will hate you less if you just shut up. --dan

thanksgiving feast

i had a traditional thanksgiving feast with my kids at school. it took about a week to prepare and freeze all the food, but it was lovely, and the kids were so proud of themselves. I was proud of them. we made turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, homemade rolls, pomegranate jello, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie ALL without any major malfunction or disaster. yay. go us.


a photo representation of the $375 we spent on groceries. hey, for a homemade thanksgiving dinner for 95 hungry teenagers? i think that is acceptable.


22-pound turkeys for $7.99 each. THANK YOU safeway for your rocking deal.

i wish that i could post pictures of my darling, darling students doing all the prep work and enjoying their feast. but, seeing as how that is illegal i will refrain. but just know, you're missing out.

(sidenote: i had never previously cooked a turkey by myself. i knew that we needed to thaw the turkeys before cooking them, but other than that, it was all new to me. so what was i doing before school on the morning we were going to learn how to cook a turkey? i was furiously searching "about.com" for "how to cook a turkey. nothin like leaving things until the last minute. =)

best movie ending...

ever.

quote of the day

Never wear anything that panics the cat. --P. J. O'Rourke

(RIP louie, RIP.)

quote of the day

we bout to punish this turkey. in the oven. --one of my darling students as he was prepping a 22 lb turkey.

Michaela Garecht

i check out the yahoo local news a few times a week and see whats going on in this crazy area that i live and teach in. this is what i found today.





i remember this. i remember my mom talking to me about this. how this little girl was tossed into the back of someone's car and she was never seen again. it scared the living daylights outta me. but i DID NOT know this happened in hayward. the grocery store she got snatched from is just a few miles from my school. it creeped me out. it also made me very sad to learn that they never found her.

quotes of the day

Dan: how was the drive home?
me: great
me: rocking out with my dorky self. i can't complain
me: how was going to sleep?
Dan: oh fine
Dan: I stayed up and watched Jon and Kate plus 8 (guilty pleasure)

and

walt thizzney presents...

quote of the day

you must look into people as well as at them. -- Lord Chesterfield

quote of the day

smiley: good morning ms booth!
me: good morning! how are you?
smiley: good. livin life to da fullest. doin what i gotta do.

smellogram

i was helping to of my students log into an online account, when he turned his head, ran his nose up my forearm and and smelled me.
student #1: (after a deep breath) you smell good, ms booth.
me: thank you, but please don't smell me anymore.
student #1: well...do you want to smell me, ms booth?
me: no i dont think i do, thank you.
student #2: ms booth! i just had PE!! do you want to smell me?!! (he then lifted up his arm and pointed to his arm pit with one of the brightest smiles i have ever seen.)
me: no, i dont think so.

quote of the day

not to worry. all will be well. --a darling sister at the temple

quote of the day

those who stand for nothing fall for anything. --Alexander Hamilton

veterans day

hearing the national anthem is something that always kind of chokes me up. it is particularly moving when you hear it on veterans day, sung by a choir of veterans, when you are actually WITH a veteran. such was the case this veterans day.


i found some awesome tickets on stubhub, and so cass & i hit the warriors vs. timberwolves game.



this pic is just to give you an idea of how awesome our view was from the 12th row. we only paid $23 for these seats! i guess it pays to be crazy about a team with a less than excellent record. while it was much less embarassing than this game, i was just as excited to be there, maybe even still a little twitterpated. sigh.

quote of the day

bring it on, BART. --cass

disgrace

i'm glad someone said it. sheesh.

quote of the day

live out of your imagination, not your history.--stephen covey

i voted.

go me.



i actually got a little excited feeling when i drove up to the polling place. it was similar to the feeling i used to get at BYU when i was walking up to the testing center before an exam. not the, "oh wait, what test am i taking again?" but more like the, "OK, here we go. lets do this." super dorky, i know, but whatever. that is beside the point. the point is that today i participated in my community, and i liked it. while this has been an extremely difficult and tension filled couple of months, this election required me to practice standing up for something that i believed in, but was entirely unpopular. i voted yes on prop 8, and i'm hoping and praying it will pass. no matter what, im glad to have been a participant.

BUT, ask me if i will be extremely relieved when this dirty old election is over. because the answer is yes.

because at the end of the day i would much rather watch one of these than any debate or slanderous political commercials.

so cute.


hilarious. (but please turn down the volume. the photoshopping skills are excellent, but they use some less than respectable language.)

quote of the day

you're d--- lucky. --custodian (referring to my brilliant feat of trying to recharge non-rechargeable batteries, blowing them up and covering my hands in battery acid.)

and

hearing nuns' confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn. --fulton sheen

quote of the day

"can you please hold this for me? i think i 'bout to give myself diabetes." --smiley (as he handed me his haphazardl stapled brown paper sack of halloween candy.)

quote of the day

"Children who have trouble finding God in their fathers often have trouble finding a Father in their God." --my sister Kristin quoting her human development teacher who I think was quoting someone else. (a long drawn out way to say idk)

quote of the day

there is no wealth but life.--john ruskin

Five Love Languages for Singles

so i read this book. it was excellent. its an easy read, i thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone. while reading, i highlighted quotes that jumped out at me for one reason or another. i included them below.


There is one way of knowing that you are on the right track towards success—the track is usually uphill. pg 237

Following the path of least resistance is what makes people and rivers crooked. People seldom drift to success. pg 235

We are relational creatures. All humans live in community, and most people seek social interaction. In western culture, isolation is seen as one of the most stringent of punishments. Even criminals do not aspire to solitary confinement. …positive affirming relationships bring great pleasure, but poor relationships bring deep pain. I would be so bold as to suggest that life’s greatest happiness is found in good relationships, and life’s deepest pain is found in bad relationships. pg 23

Covenant love is a conscious love. It is an intentional love. It is a commitment to love no matter what. It requires thought and action. It does not wait for the encouragement of warm emotions but chooses to look out for the interest of the lover because you are committed to the others well being. pg 29

I am convinced there are only 5 fundamental love languages—5 ways to express love emotionally. Of the five love languages, each of us has a primary language. One of the five speaks more deeply to us emotionally than the other four. We can receive love through all 5, but if we don’t receive love in our primary love language, we will not feel loved even though the person is speaking the other four. However, if they speak our primary love language sufficiently, then the other four provide the icing on the cake. pg 30

Words of affirmation (encouragement, praise, kind words,
Gifts→ “gifts are visual symbols of love. During most wedding ceremonies the bride and groom give and receive rings. The person performing the ceremony says, “these rigns are outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual bond which unite your two hearts in love that has no end. This is not meaningless rhetoric. It is verbalizing a significant truth. Symbols have emotional value. Perhaps it is more graphically displayed near the end of a disintegrating marriage. When the husband or wife stops wearing the wedding ring, it is a visual sign that the marriage is in serious trouble. One husband said, “when tshe threw her wedding rings at me and angrily walked out of the house slamming the door behind her I knew out marriage was in serious trouble. I didn’t pick up her rings for two days. When I finally did, I cried uncontrollably. The rings were a symbol of what should have been, but lying on his hand and not on her finger, they were visual reminders that the marriage was falling apart. “ pg 61

No person should ever be a doormat. We are creatures of emotion, thoughts and desires. We have the ability to make decisions and take action. Allowing oneself to be used or manipulated or used by another is not an act of love. It is, infact, and act of treason. You are allowing the person who is manipulating use to develop inhumane habits. Love says, “I love you too much to let you treat me this way. It is not good for you or me. Love refuses to be manipulated. pg79

Quality time. Quality conversations, quality listening, quality activities

Togetherness has to do with focuses attention. It is giving someone your undivided attention. As humans, we have the fundamental desire to connect with others. pg 93

Almost instinctively in a time of crisis we hug one another. Why? Because physical touch is a powerful communicator of love. . in a time of crisis, more than anything we need to feel loved. We cannot always change events, but we can survive if we feel loved. pg 110

According to freud, the full uninhibited satisfaction of all instinctual desires would create mental health and happiness. Pitirim sorokin, another psychologist said, “ The sex obsessed society unhesitatingly breaks both divine and human law and blows to smithereens all all values. Like a tornado, it leaves in its path a legion of corpses, a multitude of wrecked lives , an untold amount of suffering and ugly debris of broken standards. It destroys real freedom of normal love; and in lieu of enriching and ennobling sexual passion it reduces it to mere copulation. pg 112

Learning to speak another person’s primary love language is the key to communicating to them on an emotional level that you care about their well being. pg 138

Purposes of dating? 1. To get to know those of the opposite sex and learn to relate to them as persons. I fi fail to learn the art of building wholesome relationships with “the other half” immediately I have limited my horizons considerably. 162
2. Dating provides and opportunity…to help one learn to see others as persons rather than objects. It is in dating that one discovers names, personalities and philosophies. All of these are discovered not as we stand back and view each other as objects, but as we come close and begin to interact with each other.
3. as we relate to each other in the dating context, we begin to see various personality traits exhibited. This provokes healthy self analysis and brings greater self-understanding. We recognize that some traits are more desirable than others. We come to see our own strengths and weaknesses. The knowledge of a weakness is the first step toward growth. pg 164

dating is always a two way street. Certainly we receive something from the relationship, but we are also to be contributing to the life of the one whom we are dating. Unmeasured good could be accomplished if we could see service as one of the purposes of dating. pg 167

genuine love interfaces with all of the ideas that we have about dating. It is an attitude of love that should motivate one to want to relate to others as persons rather than objects, to develop your own personality so you can reach your potential for good in the world, and to serve your dating partner and seek to encourage that person to reach his/her potential.

if we are too far apart on these fundamental issues (values, morals, spirituality, social interests, vocational visions, etc) we should be wise enough to express appreciation for the contribution made to the other’s life and then go our separate ways. pg 172

the supreme purpose of marriage is the union of a man and woman at the deepest possible level and in all areas of life which in turn brings the greatest possible sense of fulfillment to the couple and at the same time serves best the purposes of God for their lives. pg 184

emotional intimacy is feeling loved, respected and appreciated. pg 188

do your hearts beat together spiritually? Are you encouraging each other in spiritual growth or is one pulling gently but consistently in the opposite direction? pg 189

love it.

quote of the day

all truth, in the long run, is only common sense clarified.--thomas huxley

quote of the day

the surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him. --robert benchley

quote of the day

smiley: how you doin today?
me: im good thank you.
smiley: can i help you with anything?
me: no i think im ok. thank you though.
smiley: is yo stomach empty, cause i could go make you an that other lady a baked potato. i wasn't here earlier and so i didn't get to make you nothin.

quote of the day

we'll be with you in just two shakes of a lambs tail...--darling temple worker

quote of the day

jordan: oh yea im CANCER FREE

and

this one i have to walk you through, word by word, interjected with my panicked response...


i have sunken to a whole new level today. (oh no) i discovered, (NO NO NO) i had been wearing my pants backwards all day. --a text from one of my dear family members. (oh how i miss her)

hear me out...

I have homosexual friends, colleagues and students whom I love dearly. The issue of gay marriage is an extremely divisive, uncomfortable one for me and one that I previously would have preferred to stay quiet about, so as to avoid any confrontation or contention about things which I will not be convinced otherwise. Prior to Prop. 8 making an appearance on the ballot, my thoughts were that if two men or two women who love each other want to commit to one another, fine. That is not going to change MY definition of marriage, or homosexuality for that matter. And while I believe it to be fundamentally wrong and contrary to the plan that our Heavenly Father has for each of his children, I didn't see how legalizing gay marriage would affect me or my actions. My personal beliefs would remain as constant as they always have.



This, however, has changed. Legalizing gay marriage will affect me and my family, and so I will not remain quiet in hopes of avoiding a conflict. I'm sure I will lose the respect and acceptance of some for this, but, here goes.



My personal belief is that the central goal of our Heavenly Father is to bring his spirit children successfully home to him after this life. Our Father knew he wouldn't be able to be with us every step of the way, and so he prepared a way for his spirit sons and daughters to make it through this earthly life, and that was to allow us to be organized into families. A family, a father and a mother who will seek to teach their children correct principles and live lives governed by the truths taught by our Savior will help those children prepare in a way that if they so choose, they too can go to the temple, marry, can perpetuate this cycle in their own lives with their own families and with their own children.



It is my belief that these types family relationships were instituted by our Father because they can bring out the purest and most Godly form of love that exists in every single one of His children. It is my greatest hope and greatest desire that one day I will marry, and that later, my husband and I will be blessed with children. Every time I think about it I am entirely overwhelmed, but so grateful, that my Heavenly Father might trust me enough to try to raise his children in a way that is pleasing unto him. I do not take such a charge lightly.



I believe in absolute truth and that there are some things that are fundamentally right and some that are wrong, defined as such by God himself. I do not believe in moral relativism, or that "what's right for one could be wrong for another." However, I also believe that every individual, regardless of ANY difference of opinion, decision or lifestyle, is to be treated with kindness, respect and love at all times. That will also remain unchanged, regardless of this outcome of this proposition.



All that being said, and in the research that I've done, I've narrowed it down to 2 reasons why I am voting yes on prop 8:



1. I do not want my children to be taught in the classroom that gay marriage is the same as traditional marriage.



*I see this as a direct assault on my responsibility to raise my children according to the fundamental doctrine & belief of what I know to be true and right. No person, no group, no school and no teacher has the right to take that sacred job from me, or to impose values contrary to what I deem proper and correct, especially not in a classroom setting.



2. Prop 8 does not change or take away the rights of gay or lesbian domestic partnerships as they currently exist in the state of California. "Under California law, "domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections, and benefits" as married spouses. (Family Code § 297.5.) There are NO exceptions. Proposition 8 WILL NOT change this." It all comes down to the word "marriage" and the legal effects of its use in our current law.



If prop 8 passes these are just A FEW of the ways I would be affected:



1. Groups affiliated with my religious organization (for example, LDS family services-adoption placement, counseling, and addiction recovery) could stop operating based their belief that marriage is between a man and a woman and that belief is deemed intolerant and discriminatory.



2. My children would be taught at school that gay marriage is the same as traditional marriage, and that to believe otherwise is bigotry.



3. My religious organization could legally be labeled as discriminatory, and would be unable to operate as they do now. They would be persecuted for supporting and teaching the very doctrine that is at the core of our belief system.



This is why I'm voting yes on Prop 8.

quote of the day

i dont know why they'd wanna go to prison. don't they know there's no girls in prison?? --my department chair on our darling students sometimes delinquent behavior

and

smiley: you are a luxurious woman.
me: um, thank you i think. (thinking how luxurious chucks, jeans & a T-High Class of '08 hoodie must look on casual Friday)
smiley: oh no. its a good thing. trust me.

quote of the day

student: miss. do i look like a serial killer?
me: oh i sure hope not. should i be worried?
student: nah, it aint even like that. i got jesus wit me. (whilst showing me a purple handmade rosary that hung around his neck.)

quote of the day

perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.--Colin Powell

quote of the day

hey yo teacha. we use da book?

quote of the day

Charles M. Schulz - "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."

quote of the day

people will go out of their way to avoid communicating with those they do not trust. Without trust, you are wasting each other's time. --david cottrell

quote of the day

"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."-- Woodrow Wilson

quote of the day

Bones break, organs burst, flesh tears. We can sew the flesh, repair the damage, ease the pain. But when life breaks down, when WE break down. There’s no science. No hard and fast rules. We just have to feel our way through. --meredith grey

quotes of the day

(i'd mentioned they would have a sub because i would be going home to help my mom because she wasn't feeling well.)

smiley: hey miss. i dont know if this confidential, but how your mom?
me: she's doing well. thank you for asking.
smiley: good. i be prayin for her.

and

it was a once in a lifetime mistake. it wont happen again. --lucio

and

don't even trip! --our book room coordinator & supply diva. her response to my apology for bothering her

quote of the day

smiley: you back!
me: hello!
smiley: i missed you.
me: well, i missed you too.
smiley: i got you pop tarts!
me: you did? whats so kind, but why did you do that?
smiley: because i knew you was comin back today.
(hands me the pop tarts)
me: blueberry? wonderful! thank you so much.
smiley: they said they helps brain cells, too.

i am not a grown up.

i am not a grown up. today i had to put my dear cat, louie, to sleep. i cried like a baby at the vets office, and once in the car i cried all the way home. once i got home, i ran up stairs, and despite being 25 years old, i climbed into bed, jeans, hoodie & all, and pulled my sisters hot pink quilt over my head where i continued sob to into her pillow swearing it would NEVER get another pet.



yes this is the same cat that destroyed my leather couches and would keep me up all night by banging on my bedroom door with his back paws. you see, if i let him in, my sweet feline would jump onto my bed and walk across my body and bite at whatever flinched under his weight. the same cat that would grab at my leg if i tried to walk away if he wasn't done being petted. yes this is the same cat that terrorized my family & friends with his psychopathic mood swings.



the same cat that would hang out in between the banisters so that when you walked by the stairs he could swat at you. the same cat that defended me. when i was having a heated discussion/disagreement with someone, he sauntered up to the offender, proceeded to bite him on the face, and then calmly walked away. (ill be honest, while disturbing, i didn't hate it.) and yes, this is the self same cat that burrowed into the underside of the mattress in the spare bedroom downstairs, i believe, so that he could better avoid potential visitors and more fully enjoy his peace and quiet.



but, he could be sweet. hilarious, darling and sweet. he rarely was, but when he was, he was. when would fold laundry and he could come and steal a pair of rolled socks and play catch with himself around the living room. his antics were endless. he hated to be alone and so i had to leave the door unlocked when i would shower so that he could come and go as he pleased, and be able to check make sure i was still there. sometimes he would try and jump into the shower with me. (creepy, yes. but hilarious also) he would splash all the water out of his water dish and then roll around in it. once he jumped up and stole an entire chicken breast off my plate and growled fiercely when i tried to retrieve his newly acquired prize.



he would splash in toilet. (sick, i know. i quickly learned to keep the toilet lid shut.) he would lure anyone he could to the stairs, and then sprint to the bottom and stretch until you petted his tummy to his little kitty hearts content. he loved his naps. both with me, my mom, and alone, wherever he could find available leather furniture to sprawl his enormous 17 pound body across.

but when i had another "i am not a grown up" moment and was laying on the floor in a puddle of my own self pity, and it was that same cat that came and laid next to me and licked my tears and snuggled me, (shockingly without biting) until i felt better. and i think it has been that single act that has caused me to ignore all his other disturbing & destructive behavior. he was troubled. he was the runt, with a broken leg, an eye infection, and a respiratory problem that flared up any time he got stressed out. dear crazy old louie. i miss you.


(out of respect for the deceased, spare me the angela & sprinkles comments.)

flat tire photo shoot

i am not funny. my sisters, and parents, on the other hand, are hilarious. my sister kristin described our weekend shenanigans so well (see link at the bottom), that i will let her do the talking . i will just supply the photos to illustrate such hilarity.

we were taking one of our leisurely sunday drives around here...

when this happened.

the scene.

luckily, we always have blankets in the car.


so that we could properly assess the situation.

whats luckier is that dad knows how to do everything.

so that we could start taking pictures of ourselves...

and our feet


but then, we didn't want to leave dad out...

he was grateful.

we were having fun


mom started getting cold

so we only took a few more...

and then one...


and then headed to logan to drop nicole off. the conversation centered around "the ABC game" is worth the read.