I am not a very politically minded person. I have never gotten too involved with it beyond the surface. Therefore, I feel a little inept during political conversations. I find it fascinating that people that ARE politically minded know so much about the process as well as the people involved.
So, for my personal education ONLY - not to start any political debate, I ask the following questions:
1) Are you a repulican, democrat, liberal, or some other party? Have you always affiliated with this party?
2) Do you tend to stay in your decided party when you are voting? Or does it depend on the candidate?
3) What are the traits that you look at to decide what party you want to affliate with?
4) Tell me 3 positive things about your party.
RULES:
1) You do not have to answer all of the questions
2) Post your answers in the guestbook
3) This is a FRIENDLY survey - for my education only, and possibly to educate others
4) Please only tell me positives about your party - do NOT say negatives or bash any other party or any person that does not agree with you and yours
If there is one thing that I have learned over the years is that there is always more to learn. I don't believe in being so closed minded that nothing else can come into my brain, nor do I believe in being so open minded that my brains fall out. No matter what my stand is on something, I do like to hear opinions that vary from mine. More times than not, I find myself seeing that there are things that I did not know or did not understand that make me more understanding of how others think and why they think the way that they do.
I hope that this does not turn into an ugly discussion, please keep it friendly.
I will start and answer the questions myself.
I am a Republican because they tend to be a little more conservative in the areas that I am a little more conservative. I tend to stay within my party when I vote, but am willing to look at the individual candidate - there are things I agree with on each party. As I stated, I don't normally get too involved with politics, so I tend to look at just a few things when deciding on a candidate. The stand on abortion is a big one for me because I see that as an indicator on how their view is on human life. Is that a foolproof way to decide? No, it is not. Could someone believe in abortion and still value the unborn child? I suppose that they could. My point is that MY PERSONAL BELIEFS on abortion tend to mesh better with the Republican party. However, my stand on Stem Cell studies tends to mesh better with the Democrat party. This may seem like an oxymoron to many. I feel that embryos that ARE ALREADY ON THE WAY TO BEING DESTROYED THROUGH THE DECISION OF THE PARENTS can be used to hopefully find ways to cure other children of terminal genetic diseases. From what I have learned from my research, embryonic stem cells come only from parents wishing to destroy remaining embryos that they may have - NOT from wanted embryos.
So, I can see positives for each party. I would like to learn more though. I tend to learn more by hearing from other people - not the politicians themselves.
(BTW - just because I am a Repulican does not mean that I support 100 percent everything Bush did and everything the McCain planned. NOR does it mean that I am totally against Obama. I believe both candidates had a lot to bring to the table, but I was not completely comfortable with either one of them. Does that make any sense?)
Anyway, I look forward to hearing from everyone - hopefully from all party affiliations.
If you have never posted in the guestbook before, it is easy. Just click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post. Then, on the screen that pops up, type your comments in the box. Underneath, pick your ID - if you are not a blogger, do not have open ID or a URL of your own, click "Anonymous." If you do click anonymous, be sure to sign your post so that I know who you are. :-)
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Challenges - For Me AND For You
** As always, my posts are wordy. Sorry. If you just want to see the challenge I am issuing to YOU - scroll down and look for the next set of asterisks. **
Here it is the week of my last birthday in my 30’s. As is every birthday, it causes me to reflect on where I am, where I've been, and where I want to be.
I have decided that I am going to show the depression monster that would normally show up at a time like this that I, indeed, am stronger than it is through Christ which strengthens me.
I could focus on the fact that we always seem to be short on money, but instead, I choose to focus on the fact that we always seem to have enough to cover our needs. We may not get paid a lot at any of our jobs, but we have 3 jobs between the two of us when there are those out there that do not know if they will have a job tomorrow. Our girls have learned to differentiate between needs and wants through us having to really think through our purchases.
I could focus on the fact that our girls’ school and gymnastics tuition is a stretch to cover. I choose to focus on the fact that we are blessed enough that I am able to work at both the school and the gym to help offset those bills. This also allows me an insight to my daughters’ lives that most parents don’t have the privilege of seeing. I get to see my daughters at any time of the day if I need to. I see their friends and know their teachers and coaches.
I could lament the fact that we do not have much family time together due to our gym schedule. However, I choose to see that my family is strong enough to survive the hectic schedule that we have. I rejoice in the fact that both of my daughters love the same sport and that we don’t have different sports for different seasons. Our schedule stays the same for the entire school year. I love the fact that because my kids put a lot of time into their sport, that they appreciate hard work and discipline. They have learned to be good sports and have developed an intense work ethic. Not many kids can put in the hours that they do and still have the grades that they do. They are more discerning about what they do with their free time since they have so little of it. They still enjoy spending time with the rest of the family because it is such a novelty.
It does make me sad that I don’t get to see the rest of my family more than I do. But, I have 2 parents that have been married for almost 50 years. I have a sister that has devoted her life to being a good mom, sister, aunt, and grand-ma. She works gazillions of hours without ever taking a day off so that she can take care of whatever is needed. She has 3 kids who are all very different, but all very wonderful. I know that they all love me and my kids and hope that they know that we love all of them very much. I have great in-laws that I get along with. I have a husband who loves his in-laws and who is loved by them. We are blessed to have that.
I could be sad about getting older, but I am rejoicing that I am still alive and healthy.
I could be sad that I/we still don’t “have it together” like I envisioned 10 years ago, but I am rejoicing that we have provided a loving, stable family for our girls and that our marriage is still going strong.
** So, my challenge for you is this: I want you to sign the guestbook and tell me either some bits of wisdom you have learned over the years, your favorite birthday present or your favorite birthday memory, or something that you are thankful for that may not at first have seemed like a blessing. My birthday present for myself will be to see how many comments that I can get from you guys answering these questions. I don’t want birthday wishes for myself, but insight into you guys out there and hopefully to gain some wisdom for myself. **
Thank you for stopping by and reading my always wordy posts.
Here it is the week of my last birthday in my 30’s. As is every birthday, it causes me to reflect on where I am, where I've been, and where I want to be.
I have decided that I am going to show the depression monster that would normally show up at a time like this that I, indeed, am stronger than it is through Christ which strengthens me.
I could focus on the fact that we always seem to be short on money, but instead, I choose to focus on the fact that we always seem to have enough to cover our needs. We may not get paid a lot at any of our jobs, but we have 3 jobs between the two of us when there are those out there that do not know if they will have a job tomorrow. Our girls have learned to differentiate between needs and wants through us having to really think through our purchases.
I could focus on the fact that our girls’ school and gymnastics tuition is a stretch to cover. I choose to focus on the fact that we are blessed enough that I am able to work at both the school and the gym to help offset those bills. This also allows me an insight to my daughters’ lives that most parents don’t have the privilege of seeing. I get to see my daughters at any time of the day if I need to. I see their friends and know their teachers and coaches.
I could lament the fact that we do not have much family time together due to our gym schedule. However, I choose to see that my family is strong enough to survive the hectic schedule that we have. I rejoice in the fact that both of my daughters love the same sport and that we don’t have different sports for different seasons. Our schedule stays the same for the entire school year. I love the fact that because my kids put a lot of time into their sport, that they appreciate hard work and discipline. They have learned to be good sports and have developed an intense work ethic. Not many kids can put in the hours that they do and still have the grades that they do. They are more discerning about what they do with their free time since they have so little of it. They still enjoy spending time with the rest of the family because it is such a novelty.
It does make me sad that I don’t get to see the rest of my family more than I do. But, I have 2 parents that have been married for almost 50 years. I have a sister that has devoted her life to being a good mom, sister, aunt, and grand-ma. She works gazillions of hours without ever taking a day off so that she can take care of whatever is needed. She has 3 kids who are all very different, but all very wonderful. I know that they all love me and my kids and hope that they know that we love all of them very much. I have great in-laws that I get along with. I have a husband who loves his in-laws and who is loved by them. We are blessed to have that.
I could be sad about getting older, but I am rejoicing that I am still alive and healthy.
I could be sad that I/we still don’t “have it together” like I envisioned 10 years ago, but I am rejoicing that we have provided a loving, stable family for our girls and that our marriage is still going strong.
** So, my challenge for you is this: I want you to sign the guestbook and tell me either some bits of wisdom you have learned over the years, your favorite birthday present or your favorite birthday memory, or something that you are thankful for that may not at first have seemed like a blessing. My birthday present for myself will be to see how many comments that I can get from you guys answering these questions. I don’t want birthday wishes for myself, but insight into you guys out there and hopefully to gain some wisdom for myself. **
Thank you for stopping by and reading my always wordy posts.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
I can't believe it happened . . . .
Alas! Woe is me! You will never guess what has happened in the very short time frame of 2 ½ weeks. I became spoiled. Life will never be the same again. I will long for the the “spoiling era” for weeks to come. For months. For years.
Let me explain. For those of you that know me personally, this will not be news to you, but look below at my normal weekly schedule when it is NOT Christmas break:)
Monday
6:00 a.m. – wake up
7:00 a.m. – leave for work/school
7:30 a.m. – arrive at work/school – work straight through until 3:05
3:10 p.m. – leave to come home
3:30 p.m. – arrive home
3:30 – 4:10 p.m. – eat dinner, change clothes, check homework that was done in the car, and leave for gymnastics (coaching for me, practice for the girls)
4:20 p.m. – clock in at the gym
4:30 p.m. – 8:00 – coach
8:00 – 9:00p.m. – wait on daughter to get done with practice
9:30 p.m. – whenever - arrive home, grade more homework, clean up dinner dishes from earlier, do a load of laundry, say hi to hubby. Go to bed
Tuesday – Friday
Lather, rinse, repeat with only slight changes of a half hour or so here or there
Saturday
7:45 – take J. to gym
10:00 – clock in at gym
12:45 – clock out at gym
1:30 – leave gym with J.
2:00 – get home and eat lunch, enjoying the fact that Hubby and M. did all the grocery shopping
Then, there are several hours of housework, homework, etc.
That evening, I work on the Sunday school lesson that I will be teaching the next morning.
Sunday
8:00 – leave for church
9:45 – teach Sunday school class
Lunch, errands, etc.
5:30 – leave for small groups
6:00 – 7:00 – small groups
7:30 – home, dinner, bags ready for school, etc.
8:30 – panick because I got nothing done this week
Well, since school has been out, here has been my schedule for the last 2 weeks:
Monday – Saturday
Sleep in
Eat late breakfast
Eat lunch
Take a nap
Eat dinner that was cooked by husband (he took 2 weeks off as well.)
Watch a movie or play a game
Go to bed
I coached occasionally during the break, but not near as many hours as normal. Sunday school classes were on break during the holidays as well, so I did not need to prepare a lesson for a few weeks.
Needless to say, I probably gained 850 pounds due to cruddy eating habits and zero activity. And I loved every minute of it. Now I’m back to both jobs. And I miss my cozy couch, squishy pillow, and snuggly blanket. Sniff sniff.
Leave me a comment and let me know how your break was, or if you had one. If you did not get a break, what would you do if you did have 2 weeks off?
Reminder:
(I am not sure if my notifications have worked for my last couple of updates because I would start my updates one day and finish them the next. I think the date would throw the notifier thingy off. So be sure to scroll down and read the last couple of posts. Then, at the end of the post, click on "comments" and let me know you were here. If you do not have a google account, click "anonymous" in the comments section, but be sure to sign your name after your comment. )
Let me explain. For those of you that know me personally, this will not be news to you, but look below at my normal weekly schedule when it is NOT Christmas break:)
Monday
6:00 a.m. – wake up
7:00 a.m. – leave for work/school
7:30 a.m. – arrive at work/school – work straight through until 3:05
3:10 p.m. – leave to come home
3:30 p.m. – arrive home
3:30 – 4:10 p.m. – eat dinner, change clothes, check homework that was done in the car, and leave for gymnastics (coaching for me, practice for the girls)
4:20 p.m. – clock in at the gym
4:30 p.m. – 8:00 – coach
8:00 – 9:00p.m. – wait on daughter to get done with practice
9:30 p.m. – whenever - arrive home, grade more homework, clean up dinner dishes from earlier, do a load of laundry, say hi to hubby. Go to bed
Tuesday – Friday
Lather, rinse, repeat with only slight changes of a half hour or so here or there
Saturday
7:45 – take J. to gym
10:00 – clock in at gym
12:45 – clock out at gym
1:30 – leave gym with J.
2:00 – get home and eat lunch, enjoying the fact that Hubby and M. did all the grocery shopping
Then, there are several hours of housework, homework, etc.
That evening, I work on the Sunday school lesson that I will be teaching the next morning.
Sunday
8:00 – leave for church
9:45 – teach Sunday school class
Lunch, errands, etc.
5:30 – leave for small groups
6:00 – 7:00 – small groups
7:30 – home, dinner, bags ready for school, etc.
8:30 – panick because I got nothing done this week
Well, since school has been out, here has been my schedule for the last 2 weeks:
Monday – Saturday
Sleep in
Eat late breakfast
Eat lunch
Take a nap
Eat dinner that was cooked by husband (he took 2 weeks off as well.)
Watch a movie or play a game
Go to bed
I coached occasionally during the break, but not near as many hours as normal. Sunday school classes were on break during the holidays as well, so I did not need to prepare a lesson for a few weeks.
Needless to say, I probably gained 850 pounds due to cruddy eating habits and zero activity. And I loved every minute of it. Now I’m back to both jobs. And I miss my cozy couch, squishy pillow, and snuggly blanket. Sniff sniff.
Leave me a comment and let me know how your break was, or if you had one. If you did not get a break, what would you do if you did have 2 weeks off?
Reminder:
(I am not sure if my notifications have worked for my last couple of updates because I would start my updates one day and finish them the next. I think the date would throw the notifier thingy off. So be sure to scroll down and read the last couple of posts. Then, at the end of the post, click on "comments" and let me know you were here. If you do not have a google account, click "anonymous" in the comments section, but be sure to sign your name after your comment. )
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