At church a few weeks ago, a woman spoke in sacrament meeting and mentioned this neat about counting your blessings. You take “kleenex on a roll” aka toilet paper and list blessing on it until the roll is gone. Then you decorate the cardboard insert, pick a word that your family decides describes that year best and then hang in on your Christmas tree. I LOVED the idea so we did it a couple weeks before Christmas. It was eye-opening, humbling and a great reminder of all the blessings in our lives. We’ve had a ton of bumps along the road that were out of our control for the most part, but we are still a family and still.so.blessed. I can’t imagine living my life and not realizing that there is a God, he loves me. He loves me enough to NOT control every aspect of my life. He loves me enough to let me hurt and then grow stronger- just like our earthly parents. Bad things in the world does not mean there is not a God. Discounting my PERSONAL testimony because there is no “proof” doesn’t make it any less true.
After an hour and a half of listing blessings in our lives the kids chose this word to describe our 2011:
2011- AMAZING
I have great kids, a beautiful husband who loves me… and I am blessed.
Count your blessings...
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Warning: Post contains curse words.
When I signed up for Facebook a year or so ago I never knew it would blow up like this. It was fun to reconnect with old friends, see where everyone ended up, etc… It was easier than reading blogs and leaving comments. I find myself wishing that blog posts had a “Like” button because I’ve become lazy. I don’t even post as much on MY blog because I post pics on FB and update my status. But lately the fun has been sucked out of it.
A few examples:
1) My 15 yr old nephew wrote something on his status and included a bad word. It wasn’t a major thing, but still… Well, his great aunt took it upon herself to preach via comment to him about the inappropriateness. THEN she took it one step further and messaged his mom to tell her that my nephew is on a self-destructive path and would end up losing his church membership. Really? I’m not trying to sound like an uncaring parent, and if my son wrote that word on his FB page he’d be done with FB for a while, but I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that he is headed straight to hell. But you know, that aunty has no kids, so she knows!!
2) My sis-in-law posted a political status and “friends” ripped her a new one- on her own wall. Um, no. You can have a civilized political discussion, but when you start attacking that’s not right. I have a few friends that love Obama. (*cough Cheryl* *cough Omar*) but we aren’t hateful to each other because WHAT GOOD WOULD THAT DO?? I can state my opinion without being a bitch and others should be able to do the same.
3) Last year there was this silly status thing going around supposedly to raise awareness for breast cancer and to “empower women.” Ok, we all know that’s a load of crap. Let me repeat: If you think that posting your bra color will raise breast cancer awareness IT WON’T. How is posting my bra color gonna empower anyone? IT’S NOT. But I still did it because no men knew why I put “green and purple” as my status. It was just silly fun, in my eyes. And last time I checked it was MY Facebook wall… This year you’re suppose to put the place you set your purse. I guess you’re suppose to put “I like it…” in front of the place. I didn’t. I put “On the entry way floor and sometimes the kitchen the counter.” Obviously it can lead to people thinking about sex. Maybe I’m immature or totally inappropriate or whatever, but I thought the answers were funny. I saw one friend put “I like it on the hook.” That cracked me up. But now statuses are popping up all over totally reprimanding friends for putting things like that in their status and “Would you say that in public?” Um, hi, did I not just say it “in public”? That’s one thing I can say- if you read my blog and then meet me in person, my humor doesn’t change. My personality doesn’t change- although I’m probably more quiet in person. Not shy, just quiet. I don’t change who I am “just in case” a particular person reads my status. If you don’t like my posts block them or unfriend me. I actually have other things to worry about. I’ve definitely seen things on “friends” pages that piss me off. There’s one friend who’s friends always talk about how cops suck. That makes me so mad and I want to comment with a big middle finger- but it’s not my wall. As long as they aren’t writing “F**k the Police” on MY wall, then it’s not my problem. I just don’t look at that wall very often. And before someone says, “Well, they can reprimand on THEIR wall if they want to…” Yes they can. And I can write a post about how you need to chill out. Who are you? My mom? Here’s a thought: Just don’t post where you like your purse. I guess I’m just tired of feeling judged or “in trouble” all the time.
If you look in the groups I’ve joined I am a part of “I hate bullshitters” and “I’m not a bitch. I just have a low tolerance for bullshit.” You know why? Because it’s true. Could I have found a group that didn’t cuss? Maybe, but it may not have gotten my point across as well. My top activity on my FB profile is “Making out with my husband” because that is an activity I enjoy. I also joined “Remove the group F**k the Police from Facebook” except it spells out the F word. I feel STRONGLY about that cause and you know what- we got it removed because it promoted violence against police.
But what if the CHILDREN see any of those??!?!? I’m sure they’ve seen worse in high school. And just a thought- you shouldn’t be letting your kids “friend” adults anyway. Also, I don’t hide crap from my kids. I talk to them about things and they know I hate bullshitters and that I set my purse on the counter. lol Get a grip people.
We’re planning a trip this summer that will take us thru Arizona. I told my husband from the very beginning that we will be staying in Arizona at least one nite and buying souvenirs as well. I’m on a BUYcott for Az., rather than a BOYcott. I feel strongly about a lot of things: littering, bullies, being honest with your kids, etc… but I rarely get involved in political things. I mean, I’ll post about them, but that’s about it. NOT this time. I am ALL FOR S.B. 1070. You may have gathered that from the other posts I’ve written. I am not against people looking for a better way of life. That’s fine. But you do it THE RIGHT WAY. This would not be the right way:
Examples of THE RIGHT WAY:
You work hard.
You pay taxes.
You follow the laws.
You are self-reliant- don’t come looking for a handout.
You don’t trash our country.
You respect the land you are in and the country you so want to be a part of.
And you write your freakin’ rally signs in ENGLISH and you wave an AMERICAN flag.
I am not racist. This isn’t a RACE issue. (In fact, people often confuse RACE and ETHNICITY, but that’s another post.) My 3 oldest children’s race is Caucasian, but for arguments sake they are 1/2 whatever. Their bio-dad is of “Hispanic origin”- but he, his parents, his grandparents and GREAT- grandparents were all born in the USA. Not that that is saying much since his siblings and himself are the only ones that speak correct (and that’s an exaggeration) English. But that’s not the point. My kids are 1/2 and my 2 youngest are 1/4 Samoan. My man is 1/2 . My SIL is Hispanic. BIL is from Mexico. His brother, who is married to an American and has been here forever working legally and being a great person, was deported because of a screw up with his visa. He was actually at the immigration office to make sure his visa was all good and they realized there was a clerical error and held him right then and there. He was separated from his pregnant (with twins) wife and missed the birth of his daughters. After the birth, his American wife and daugters had to move to Mexico to be with him until the paper mess was worked out. They are back now. 
I was so pissed and frustrated with that whole situation because here was a good guy, working hard, speaking English better than some people born and raised here, being a productive person and he gets deported because paperwork got messed up. Yet, there are others here, not even trying to GET paperwork, breaking the law, waving not USA flags, etc… and they are still here. That’s wrong. I also have several friends who have become US citizens in the last 10 years or so who are more American than a lot of natural born citizens. My point is that I’m not walking around pointing at people, “He’s brown. Kick him out. She said ‘eh. Kick her out.” And that’s not what SB 1070 says to do either.
Moving on. This picture pissed me off.
You know why? The sign that says, “We are all immigrants.”
Then I saw this shirt:
Um, REALLY?? I know I didn’t come over on a boat. No one in the last 10 generations on my mom’s side and 6 generations on my dad’s side has come over on a boat. We were all born here. 10 generations y’all. It’s been 300 years since someone on my mom’s side immigrated to America. His name was Daniel McDaniel and he came over from Scotland. But I am not Scottish-American. I am American by birth… and Texan by the grace of God. 
I would never in a million years think to introduce myself as “Scottish-American.” Why would I? I’ve never even been to Scotland. And you know what? NONE of my family says they are Scottish-American. We don’t wave Scottish flags. We don’t celebrate made up Scottish holidays and get offended when others wave US flags on “our” day. My ancestor, Martin Anthony, came from Germany about 200 years ago. I’m not German-American. I don’t like Dirk because he’s German so we have so much in common. I AM AN AMERICAN. Period. So, unless you actually immigrated here stop saying “we are all immigrants” because it’s an ignorant argument. By definition an immigrant is one who comes from another country to take up permanent residence. Because we have immigration laws in our country, coming here without following the law makes you an ILLEGAL immigrant- I don’t care what country you came from. You know why we have immigration laws? Because the Indians didn’t. Yeah, I like the shirt I saw that said: Ask an Indian what happens when you don’t control immigration. Oh, and just FYI: the “Native Americans” weren’t the 1st people here either. People have been coming in and out for 1000 years. Just sayin’. Vikings need love too. 
Sure, this country was founded by immigrants. Of course it was- most countries were! People have immigrated in and out forever. But to say you’re an immigrant when you aren’t one is ignorant. My dad’s a CPA. Does that make me one? I have a lot of school teachers in my family, so… I’m one too? 6 and 10 generations ago my brave ancestors left their home, traveled to America and EMBRACED this great country. I feel to piggy-back on their courage and desire for a better life in this “new world” is wrong. They blessed my family by coming here and I will live as a PROUD AMERICAN to honor their bravery and sacrifice.
Immigration laws were created to protect us- the people LEGALLY living in the USA. They are designed to help protect us from disease, from job loss, increase our personal safety and national security. They don’t trample on anyone’s “rights” because if you are here illegally you don’t have those rights. Federal law since 1940 has said if you are an immigrant you need to carry your papers with you. And if you’re here legally then there is nothing to worry about. If you are here illegally, well then “ILLEGALLY’ would be the key word….
And… I’m done… for now. I have so much to say but this post could go on and on forever. I love America. I am a PROUD American . I am thankful for our troops. I am thankful for my ancestors. God bless America.
I have had a special place in my heart for Arizona since I was 15 years old and spent 2 months living in the mountains… And now my awesome AZ is under attack because of the new immigration law.
Here’s my thoughts on that:
1st of all- get the facts. Cops can’t pull you over for being brown or talking with an accent or even for having this on your car window:
Although I think it would be hilarious if they pulled you over for having your vision obstructed. But whatever…
Anyway, this is my point: As a cop’s wife… the cops aren’t thrilled with it either because it puts them in an awkward position and now people are gonna yell “Racial profiling!” even more than they already do. However, there has been A LOT of incorrect assumptions and exaggerations about the law. http://24ahead.com/faq-arizonas-immigration-law-corrects-misconceptions-kobach
(PLEASE READ THIS LINK!!!!)
For example, cops can’t pull someone over for being brown or because they hear them talking with an accent while in line at the store. They can just legally ask for documentation if they already have them pulled over or detained for another reason and have reason to believe they may be illegal (acting extra nervous along with no English skills and no identification, etc…). It’s not suppose to be a witch hunt. Cops are busy enough without chasing around people with an accent. If you are behaving responsibly and not breaking the law, you should be good. Although, coming into our country w/o documentation is… illegal. And it’s been a FEDERAL crime since 1940 for immigrants to fail to keep their registration documents with them. Kinda like you need to have your passport with you in other countries… If you carry your drivers license, no matter what color you are or accent you have, they won’t ask for documentation. Or, if you are illegal, don’t break the law- anymore than you already have just by being in our country without documentation. Duh.
And maybe I’m weird, but why is everyone so up in arms about AZ wanting to secure their borders or stopping something that’s illegal? I don’t get that. And why *aren’t* people pissed about how cops were getting pummeled with water bottles and whatever else just for trying to keep a rally peaceful- which wasn’t peaceful at all. Am I the only one that saw something really freakin’ wrong with that? I worry for the police officers even more now that this law is passed.
All I ask is that you get the facts before you spout crap about cops being racist and boycotting AZ. Oh and while we’re on the subject, boycotting Arizona is just about *the* dumbest idea ever. I found this interesting info:
For those of you who do not know; Human smugglers (Coyotes) are caught
weekly in Arizona. These smugglers bring Illegals into the Phoenix area and
store their human cargo (Pollos) in drop houses until they get paid a ransom
by family members or those contractors needing cheap labor. Some of these
Pollos are used to carry drugs as part of their payment to be smuggled into
the U.S.. The Pollos kept in these drop house are under armed guard and are
sometimes physically and sexually abused. Some gangs are kidnapping young
women from Latin America and bringing them here as slaves in the sex trade.
In the newspaper there are weekly stories of bodies that are found in the
desert. These bodies are those of illegal immigrants. If a Pollo gets sick
or injured while traveling across the desert the Coyote abandons them
because they cannot afford to be slowed down and captured by I.N.S. The
people I know are not opposed to immigration, we just want to retain our
rights as a sovereign nation. Mexico has very stringent laws about illegal
immigration and when an American citizen visits there we must carry proper
papers.
So, if you’re ok with all that- sex slaves, ransom, murder, etc…, then yeah, BOYCOTT ARIZONA. I’m NOT ok with that. Why do we have laws if we don’t want them enforced?
First of all… let me remind y’all to go enter my giveaway for a new blog header by Stitchblade Designs. Go on… I’ll wait…
….
Ok thanks. Today I am stepping back up on my SOAPBOX to discuss something. I’ve been SUPAH bugged all week because of a few groups I found on Facebook. But they deserve a lot more than a Tad Award, so I’m just gonna gripe about them. The groups are called “F**k the Police.” Except it didn’t have the **. 
Ok, seriously?? These groups are all about how police suck and how they should all die, etc… And what made me laugh is that most of the people commented where whining about getting a ticket. Um… Ok?? But the groups alone aren’t what got me. There were links people had posted to youtube to videos of police brutality. Some of the videos were bad. I admit it: There are some total jacka$$es that are cops and they are on a total power trip. There are others that get caught up in the moment of getting a total BAD GUY off the street and they don’t follow correct procedures. Yes- crap like 
that happens. BUT IT IS RARE. More often than not you are only seeing one side of the story. But whatev. There was a comment a $&#^@*&^ on one of these videos that had me in tears. I’m sure y’all have noticed, but I LOVE my husband. I do. He is awesome. He’s my hero. So when I read this comment, I lost it. This loser said, “Hey kids, do something with your life: KILL A COP. Oh, and make sure it’s one with a family.” Speech.less. I know the person who wrote that was an absolute idiot, but still. SERIOUSLY!!?!??? Sei told me “Don’t let it get to you.” Um, ok. So… I’ve done what I can. I joined a few groups on FB like “Remove F**k the Police from Facebook” and reported a few of those bad pages, etc… Idk if it’ll do anything, but atleast I feel like I did something. “Don’t let it get to you.” PFFT! Too late.
I am now stepping off my SOAPBOX and opening the floor to you. What has REALLY been bugging you lately?? Step on up on the soapbox and get it off your chest.
Something happened last nite that I think has changed me forever. It happened down the street from me. Those living in Utah probably heard about it on the news last nite and this morning. About 8pm we saw police cars pull up in front of our house. We saw a police man get out his shotgun and walk down the street instructing people to go in their homes. About 20 minutes later we saw an ambulance leave. 1/2 an hour passed and the cops slowly started to leave. We found out from a neighbor that a woman had been shot in her back by her live-in boyfriend as she and her 2 boys tried to run from him. The 2 boys (age 8 and 11) are friends of my children. They come up a few times a week to play flag football in the front yard. The oldest son is in Tristan’s class at school and he is the one who called 911, hysterical, saying his mom had been shot. My heart is just breaking for these boys. I have seriously been crying since last nite. Everytime I picture these kids running for their lives, seeing their mom shot by a man who I’ve seen outside playing with them…
Oh it makes me so sick. I have so many mixed emotions right now. I feel guilty. Why? Because I felt these boys weren’t from the best family setting (obviously) so I wasn’t thrilled when they were the only kids coming to play with my kids. Sei and I let them play though, but instructed our children not to go to their home. I’m not sure why… I feel horrible for feeling a little bugged that of all the kids in the neighborhood “those boys” were the ones playing with my kids. They showed up every time my kids went out in the front yard- like they were waiting for them. They probably were. Maybe they liked to leave their home because they felt safe here. Or maybe I just suck for judging when I know nothing about them.
I feel scared. I mean, we live in a safe neighborhood and a murder happened a few house away from us. Our city ranks 38th on CNN “Best Places to Live” list. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere. (That was made obvious by the shootings in the Amish school.)
I’m pissed. I don’t want my kids to actually know someone who was murdered. I don’t want my kids to know that people murder people they supposely love. I don’t want my kids to know that moms die. I mean, I know these are all facts of life, but to have it hit so close to home. I want to go visit that man or write him a letter telling him thank you so much for making my 7 year old daughter so scared she wouldn’t sleep in her room last nite. Freakin’ loser.
I feel so much pressure. I feel like I need to teach my kids everything, right now, because life is short. I don’t know when I’m going to die. It could be tonite. I want them to know how much I love them. I want them to know how important the gospel is to me. I want them to know that it really wasn’t a big deal that they got all their shoes soaking wet and muddy yesterday. I’m sorry I yelled at them.
Ugh. I am so upset right now. This just totally woke me up. I need to be less judgemental. I need to realize that getting dirty is ok- they were entertained for hours and playing without fighting!! I need to quit whining. I need to be more patient. I need to be a better mom, wife and person in general. I wonder if the mom killed last nite ever had all these same thoughts I’m having? She doesn’t get a chance to fix her imperfections. I do. I vow to do better. Everyday I will improve myself. I’m so sad it took this tragedy to make me feel this way.
