On January 29th, President Obama made a bold move and spoke at a GOP Conference in Baltimore. He made some interesting remarks, including this one on health care reform:

“The component parts of this thing  are pretty similar to what Howard Baker, Bob Dole and Tom Daschle proposed at the beginning of this debate last year. Now, you may not agree with Bob Dole and Howard Baker and Tom — and certainly you don’t agree with Tom Daschle on much …

(LAUGHTER)

… but that’s not a radical bunch. But if you were to listen to the debate, and, frankly, how some of you went after this bill, you’d think that this thing was some Bolshevik plot.

(LAUGHTER)

No, I mean, that’s how you guys — that’s how you guys presented it.

And so I’m thinking to myself, “Well, how is it that a plan that is pretty centrist …”

…I’m not suggesting that we’re going to agree on everything, whether it’s on health care or energy or what have you, but if the way these issues are being presented by the Republicans is that this is some wild-eyed plot to impose huge government in every aspect of our lives, what happens is you guys then don’t have a lot of room to negotiate with me.

I mean, the fact of the matter is is that many of you, if you voted with the administration on something, are politically vulnerable in your own base, in your own party. You’ve given yourselves very little room to work in a bipartisan fashion because what you’ve been telling your constituents is, “This guy’s doing all kinds of crazy stuff that’s going to destroy America.”

And I — I would just say that we have to think about tone.

It’s not just on your side, by the way. It’s — it’s on our side as well. This is part of what’s happened in our politics, where we demonize the other side so much that when it comes to actually getting things done, it becomes tough to do.”

I suppose if you wanted to pick apart what’s wrong with politics today, you could make a list a mile long, but this quote emphasizes a flaw (on both sides) that has really bothered me lately. The more I watch the news, the more I recognize how childish a lot of public figures act. Pride plays a huge part in that. It seems everyone is playing the “blame game” and no one is actually working together to bring about real change.

Now, I understand what it’s like to be stubborn about your ideals. But at what point does that idealistic attitude cross the threshold and turn to pride? How can we recognize the difference between integrity and blind allegiance? Any thoughts?

PS – To read the full text of the President’s Q&A session, click here.

No Comments »

Over the past week, my emotions have hit both sides of the spectrum. My spirit felt smothered by Satan’s dark clouds as I read over a vindictive e-mail against Muslims. Then, as I watched the benefit for Haiti on television, tears of compassion welled up from a spring I didn’t even know existed. For once, my cynicism was hushed long enough for me to truly appreciate the charity being shown by so many, at a time of desperate need. It’s awful to think of all the catastrophes in the world, the hurt and sorrow that will continue to unfold in the days and years ahead, but it brings out goodness in others. I’m grateful for that. Witnessing acts of charity is healing for the soul.

No Comments »

Brian and I drove from Bellevue to Rexburg on December 29th. We also happened to both catch colds shortly after leaving. Moving is hard enough to do anyway, but with a cold and in the snow? NO FUN. I think we’re both almost recovered now though. In spite of the trials of moving and maneuvering my dinky car through the snow, we really have been blessed.

About two hours before our arrival, I called our new landlord (landlady) to let them know we were on our way. Brian had spoken to them several times before and had been told that the office didn’t close until 6. When I called at 4 pm,the story had changed. The landlady told me she stopped doing move-ins at 2 that day. Needless to say, Brian and I were PO’ed… we were exhausted from driving 15 hours in 2 days straight- with colds no less – and not at all happy with the prospect of being homeless for 3 days and paying another $200 in late fees for the rental truck. In the politest tone I could muster, I told the landlady that this was not acceptable. Brian’s mom also called to “talk” to her – and we finally convinced her to stay open until 5pm for us – but not a minute later. Grr. Well, we made it barely in time – at 4:50pm – had a walk-through of our new apartment and finished the paperwork.
There were a few heavy pieces of furniture (like our queen sized bed and TV) that neither Brian nor I had the strength to carry up a flight of stairs and into our new apartment. The only friends I had in town were about to have a baby, so I didn’t want to expose them to our nasty colds. So… what to do? Brian asked me to pick a number. I did. He went to the apartment number I had randomly chosen and knocked on the door. He asked the guy that answered if he’d help us move, and the neighbor agreed. Within minutes, our new neighbor was helping lift heavy furniture up to our apartment! Oh, and it turns out that this neighbor just happens to be the first counselor in our new ward!
We also spoke with the Elder’s Quorum President today and he offered us a free couch! He lives in the apartment building just across from ours, so it was a fairly easy move. Here are a few pictures of our new apartment:

2 Comments »

Sorry for the delay! I wrote this post just after Christmas, but failed to actually publish it because I got so wrapped up in moving:

This was my first Christmas spent with my in-laws… or having in-laws, actually. Around 9 am, Brian’s brother knocked on the door, needing help with Photoshop. We probably spent a good hour milling around the kitchen, where Brian had temporarily set up his computer. After that project wrapped up, Brian and I snuck back into our bedroom to start our own family Christmas tradition.

My aunt in Utah had already sent a “pre-Christmas” gift: the book “When Jesus was Born in Bethlehem”. We read that together, then unwrapped our gifts to each other. I had given Brian two X-box 360 games he really wanted. Brian had given me a warm, merino wool sweater and a sentimental gift too.
When I was about 5 or 6 years old, I had a Snow White tape that my sister destroyed, in typical 3 year old fashion. I had mentioned this to Brian, and recounted how upset I was… well, the gift he gave was a Snow White tape just like the one I had lost, with a digitally remastered CD and its book. Once again, Brian is breaking all the bad stereotypes men get- he actually listens! Really well, actually. He’s much more observant (not hard to do if you know me), and very much in tune with my emotions. He’s almost got me figured out, and we’ve only known each other a little over a year!
I feel like I’ve known him forever though. I also feel like I waited forever today just to get out the door! It was ok though, the time spent with Brian’s family and unwrapping gifts was worth the wait.
My favorite part of the day was when we all gathered in the family room and had our own Christmas concert. Brian’s brother sang a few songs, then Brian joined in on a song, then Steve and Angela’s family sang a capella for us. Towards the end, we all sang along.

No Comments »

When we go to church, we’re taught that we have infinite worth. But in the workplace, your worth is significantly less… Negotiating your worth is a much trickier deal, especially when a little voice in your head urges you to be grateful you even have a job…
And yes, I am grateful. I have been presented with a great opportunity. I can move with my husband to Rexburg and work remotely for my current company. It seems ideal. But even as I write these words, I have a very strong feeling that something just ain’t right.
I know it’s probably not kosher to divulge any details about my work situation, but suffice it to say, I’m in a bit of a dilemma here. I’ve been working my butt off for the past 8 months, going above and beyond my job description, with no complaints. But this doormat is getting tired of wiping mud off her face. If she continues to be a doormat, the compensation she receives won’t be enough to afford health insurance or the quarterly taxes she will have to file herself, let alone the cost of living.
I am not a sales person. Negotiations and confrontations don’t come easy to me. But I have to take a stand, especially since it’s more than my welfare at stake here. I need to be the main “breadwinner” while my husband focuses on school, and failing at that is simply not an option here.
But do I have enough self-confidence to take that stand? Will I succeed in negotiating or lose it all? Stay tuned to find out…

1 Comment »