When there is nothing else to say...

Average American Woman

I consider myself to be an Average American Woman. I believe in God and Country, work hard to meet the needs of my family, and pay taxes. I worry about my child, my waistline, my bills, and the state of my Country. I would rather spend time with family and friends than watch the news.

I have a college degree but refuse to call it a higher education as those words imply that I am better educated than those that do not. I know some incredibly smart people who have dropped out of high school or do not have a college education but can run circles around me with their knowledge.

I am a registered voter. I am neither a republican nor a democrat. I cast my vote based on who I think has my best interest at heart. I am not bound by mascot or color – red or blue. I admit though, that I tend to lean to the right.

I respect the Constitution of the United States. I carry a gun from time to time as the second amendment allows and I respect those who use their first amendment rights to voice their opinion against the second, though I do not always agree.

I support the military. I may not always believe in their battles but have the utmost respect for the men and women who are willing to leave their families to go where they are asked. One day these brave people will be asked to fight on American soil and I want to believe that when they fight for me and my rights, I am deserving of that sacrifice.

I did not vote for the current President of the United States nor do particulary trust him or believe in his agenda. Maybe in time that will change. Many Obama supporters would label me a racist based on that comment alone. I am not. I fully supported Collin Powell’s run for President against Clinton, and had he stayed in the race Powell would have had my full support. Are those the words or views of a racist?

Although I have my own views about President Obama, I respect my friends who have different views. I appreciate when we can share our views without criticism for the other. I was also annoyed when my school district chose not to air his speech to the students and was pleased when they decided to allow them to watch it a few days afterward.

I worry about health care reform. Not because I don’t think some sort of reform is needed, but because I want it done in a non-partisan way. I want the Citizen’s concerns to be heard not dismissed as uneducated, and I do not want to see an increase to spending or taxes which are both too high. I also want any reform bill to be well thought out and not given a dead line for passing in order for the President to say he was able to accomplish this in his first year. I want no provision or loop hole that allows healthcare for ILLEGAL immigrants.

I am for LEGAL immigration and immigration reform. I do not hold ill will to anyone who legally enters this country and becomes a US Citizen. We are all immigrants, and yes I do understand that by today’s standard the immigration of our forefathers would be considered illegal. I believe if you want to live in the United Stated of America you need to respect the laws, language, and people. You do not need to give up your identity to become a Citizen but you do need to learn the English language and use it. I should not have to learn yours. My taxes should not pay for healthcare, food, or any other benefit our government currently provides to ILLEGAL immigrants.

I think Americans do not have a place to go where they can get un-biased answers about issues that concern them. Everyone has an agenda. Every news network and program has a degree of bias, some more than others. I realized this during the election and had to stop watching the 24 hour news networks. They specialize in stirring up controversy, are high on opinions, and low on facts.

I want a place where all of the bills passed by Government are fully laid out in layman’s terms. If someone knows of such a place dealing in facts and not opinion, I would like to know how to find it. I believe transparency in government is needed now more than ever. Obama used this in his campaign but I have yet to see any such thing.

I believe politics have become too divisive and blame our so-called leaders for their lack of leadership and the bandying about of words such as “reconciliation”, which in Congress basically means (as per my understanding) “we get want we want even though it isn’t what you want”.

I believe in term limits for Congress and that each Representative needs to send an annual accountability statement (not using taxpayer money) to their constituents. This should outline what they voted on, why, and how it impacts them. Constituents shouldn’t have to dig through all of the minutia on websites to get this information.

I think the voters should have the final say on whether or not Congress gets pay increases. Congress should not determine this one on their own – the majority of them will say yes every time. I don’t get to decide whether or not I get a raise and neither should they.

I think there is no reason why a member of Congress should not be there to vote on every bill. This is what they signed on for and have been tasked with by their constituents. I also believe a sitting member of Congress should not be able to run for another office unless they have resigned. Constituents are not well represented by a member of Congress who is running around the country seeking votes for President.

I believe every Citizen has a voice regardless of political affiliation, religion, race, and ethnicity, social or economic background and that many of those voices are ignored because they are not those of the majority.

Finally, I will end my post with this: It is your right to disagree with me and my right to disagree with you. If you disagree with me I will assume it is because you have valid reasons behind those disagreements. I will not label you as an uneducated racist or any other derogatory term, as long as you do not label me as such.

Last vacation of summer..

Some friends of mine have a timeshare on a houseboat at Lake Powell and set up an adults only trip for Labor Day weekend. Having never been, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to visit this place that I have heard so much about. We left on Thursday morning and other than listening to sister's boyfriend talk 98% of the time, the four hour drive was relatively uneventful.

Arriving at Powell we unloaded the truck, the car, and the boat. The beach at Bullfrog quickly became a dumping ground for the Clampets. Food and supplies for 15 adults and luggage for 7 quickly piled up. After loading the houseboat, the womenfolk took the smaller boat out to seek a spot to "camp" the following night.

Being my first time to Lake Powell, I was in awe and wonder at the beautiful scenery. By the time we found our camping spot, my neck was stiff from looking up. It amazes me that these cliffs were over a hundred feet high while there was almost 300 feet of water below us (I really shouldn't have told my mom about that part, she hates the water).

The first night we stayed at the beach in Bullfrog and had dinner at the Anasazi Lodge. After dinner we went out on the deck where a couple of park rangers gave presentation on astronomy and the similarities between Mars and the Glen Canyon area. Comparing pictures from the Mars rover to those of Glen Canyon.

The next day the rest of the gang joined us and we headed to Moki Canyon for our first night of fun at the lake. Each night had a different theme and this one was Pirate night complete with a treasure hunt.

Part of Moki Canyon

"Aargh!"

The next day we moved to another part of the lake called Hansen Creek. On the way we went down Forgotten Canyon where they have restored some Anasazi Indian ruins. We were unable to hike to the ruins but did get picture of the petroglyphs above the ruins.

Forgotten Canyon

The Houseboat at Hansen Creek

We stayed at Hansen Creek for 2 nights. We had an 80's night and beach night. Also, while at Hansen Creek we took the smaller boat out for some water skiing and tubing. Several of us hiked around and explored. Of course, I had to collect rocks, shells, and sand. I am almost as bad as a little kid.

Beach Night

I finally caught a fish the last night of the trip. It was an ugly catfish but at least I can say I caught a fish at Lake Powell.

I would love to visit again and explore more of this 100 plus mile long lake. Our few days were just a small glimpse of this beautiful place. As we traveled along the lake I couldn't help but wonder at the history that lay beneath the water's surface; the Indian ruins and artifacts that no longer exist. At the same time I know that I would not have been in this beautiful place, enjoying the landscape and admiring how the wild Colorado River created these majestic canyons had it not been for the creation of Lake Powell. For more information about Lake Powell please visit http://www.utah.com/nationalsites/glen_canyon.htm.

Just for fun...

A friend posted this on Facebook. Because I haven't updated my blog lately AND this too hilarious not to share, I thought I would post it. Who comes up with this stuff? I laughed so hard I was crying and my son came in from the other room to make sure I was okay. Enjoy.

• I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
• More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.
• Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
• I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?
• Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
• I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
• The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.
• Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.
• There is a great need for sarcasm font.
• Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.
• I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.
• How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
• I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
• I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
• The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
• A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
• Was learning cursive really necessary?
• Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
• I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
• Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
• My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.
• Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".
• How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
• Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"
• What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
• While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.
• MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
• Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
• I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
• Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
• I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
• Bad decisions make good stories.
• Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!
• Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?
• If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
• Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....
• You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
• Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.
• There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
• I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
• "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.
• I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'
• I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
• I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
• When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
• I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
• Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...
• As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
• Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
• It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
• I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
• I think that if, years down the road when I'm trying to have a kid, I find out that I'm sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.
• Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.
• Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my a$s everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time...
• My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?
• It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
• I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
• I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
• I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
• The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, I saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat bastard before dinner.

Lord love a duck!

About a week ago I looked out of the window in the room I loosely call “the office” to find two ducks on my lawn, standing in the water from the sprinkler. I grabbed the camera and took a couple of pictures because seriously, at the time, ducks in my yard was not a regular occurrence. The ducks were obviously domesticated and as far as I knew none of my neighbors had ducks. Thinking I was being a good citizen and not wanting anything bad to happen to these ducks, I called animal control. Maybe the local officer knew who had ducks and could take them home.

While waiting for the officer, the ducks tried to run into the neighbor’s yard. I kept herding them back into my yard. When the officer arrived the ducks continued to try and run into the neighboring yard. We followed and discovered that this was indeed their home. The officer told me to just herd them back home whenever they show up unless they start eating the garden. I must say I felt rather stupid having called animal control about the ducks; although, the officer was quite friendly and told me that in the past week he caught 4 goats and a pig within a couple of blocks of my house. Now you know just how rural my little town is.

The ducks are now a permanent fixture around my yard and the yard of the neighbor on the other side. They rarely spend time in their own yard. I tried to herd them back home one day and touched the white one. My mistake. The white and black one, which I think is male, ran at me and pecked at my leg. Not a bite just a warning. Since then when they see me the male starts towards me with an evil glint in its beady little eye and tries to bite me. The last time this happened I was getting into the car and out of the blue I felt a pinch on the top of my foot. That darn duck had tried to take another bite out of me. A couple of evenings ago I was walking from the back yard and both charged at me. I am not proud. I will admit that I ran.

While it is fun to say I have ducks wandering around in my yard, the ducks themselves are not fun. They may be cute but they are kind of mean.