Just some random thoughts

Well, I finally did it - 10 months later. In high school I weighed between 125 and 130 pounds. I was about 130 when I got married and a little over 3 years later when I got pregnant with Zachary I weighed 170. Sad, I know. I didn't look over weight because I hid it well, but I felt it. I was so sick with Zach that I lost 10 pounds and when I weighed myself after having him I was 150. Over the years and 2 more kids later I was back up to 170. Actually in December I weighed around 173. I didn't like it. I felt awful and not good about myself. I didn't feel pretty either.

Janna and I had this goal to lose 21 pounds by the end of May and I almost made it. My real goal, however, was to get down to 145 pounds. The past 10 months I've been exercising and trying to eat better and wouldn't you know it, today when I got on the scale I saw the pointer stop at the blessed 145 pound mark. So now that I did it I'm going to stop exercising and eat whatever the heck I want to. LOL!!! The cardio has worked and now it's time to tone. I've been doing 3 cardio workouts a week and trying to do a little more toning so my jelly belly and thighs don't jiggle quite so much. I'm just so happy and I feel better about myself and how I look.


I've been noticing that the Prop 8 debate is getting more and more heated. Now that's there's only 9 more days until election day people are getting more and more worked up about it. Not yesterday, but the Saturday before, Dan and I held signs on the street corner. It was a busy corner right in front of the mall. Dan held his with other people from our ward and I was to take his place. I came early and him and Clint were glad because they wondered how many people thought they were gay. The signs we held were misleading with some reading: Prop 8=freedom of speech or Prop 8=parental rights. Those could be taken either way. Clint said that the next week he was going to wear a sign that read: "I'm not gay!" on it. I took Dan's place and Janna took Clint's. We swapped her sign to read Yes on Prop 8 and mine was the parental rights.

When Dan was holding his we got some rude gestures and some no's, but lots of honks and thumbs up. The same happened to me. Janna and I were standing on the side of the street that faced all the cars stopped at the stop light. At one point there were about 20-30 cars stopped and some guy who looked to be about 18 or 19 asked me, in a rude tone, what Prop 8 had to do with parental rights. He was the second lane in. I informed him that if Prop 8 fails my kids will by taught in school that gay marriage is ok and that I'm not ok with that. He promptly said that they wouldn't and I responded that he needed to study the issue some more. Then he yelled out his window "No on 8."

I'm just amazed at how many people don't understand the implications of a no or yes vote. I wish that California voters would study about it and see just how we as a people would be effected if Prop 8 fails. My kids are starting to notice what's going on. They hear us talking about it. It's talked about at church. There are commercials on T.V. and we make phone calls and hold signs. Dan had "the talk" with Zach back in September. He told him about growning up for a boy and girl and all that that involves. He also told him about homosexuality. Aubrey on the other hand hasn't been talked to, but we've had to say things about it so that she will sort of understand. Even today at lunch she asked about it because she saw the commercial on T.V. recently about how 2nd graders in Boston were read a book about a King marrying a King. We reminded her that if Prop 8 fails that could happen, but that doesn't make it true. She knows and is taught what our Father in Heaven expects of her and wants for her.

I recently got 2 good links from our friend Cristina about Prop 8. One is Elder Bednar of the Quorum of 12 Apostles addressing some young single adults. The other is a video explaining Prop 8. They are both awesome.

www.viddler.com/explore/AwakeAndAriseOr/videos/111/
www.viddler.com/explore/AwakeAndAriseOr/videos/108

On Friday night we went out with Janna and Justin. I just love dates with my hubby. The corner of Stockdale Hwy and California Ave has always been a lively place to go during election times. It's full of some sort of protestors. Usually those opposing war or for war. Janna said that earlier in the night one corner was full of No on Prop 8 protestors while the opposite corner had Yes on Prop 8 protestors. They were battling back on forth with the NO group much larger than the YES group. When we went by the NO group was in full force and the YES group was down to one lone man. Janna and I wanted to get out and join him. He still stood there holding that sign. I was reminded of Samuel the Lamanite seeing him there. We rolled down the windows and I yelled in support. Janna honked. The group on the opposite corner were as loud as ever. Janna informed me later that the leader of the NO campaign admitted that some of her protestors from other city corners left to join that group to contend with the YES group. How sad is that?!!!!

We have 2 YES on Prop 8 yard signs. One is in our yard and the other is on the very edge of our yard which just so happens to be what everyone sees when they come down our cul-de-sac. There are 2 other houses on our street with signs. Dan came in earlier tonight to say that someone had taken our sign down and thrown it in the street. He picked it up, dusted it off, and put it right back where it belongs. A guy from church said that he knows a man who lives on a street with 8 different YES on Prop 8 signs in yards. They were all stolen.

I got an email today from a woman at church about a woman who was attending the Oakland Temple. She described how protestors were outside the temple and on the street leading to the temple yelling at temple patrons and getting in their way. She said how she was reminded of Lehi's dream. The people in the Great and Spacious Building laughed at those who were clinging to the iron rod. In today's times I feel like we have to cling to that rod. We have to fastened our hands to it however we can to keep from letting go. The Adversary is doing everything he can to get us to let go and that scares me. I'm scared for my kids and all that they go through and will have to go through in times to come and I'm reminded at how often we're told that Heavenly Father saved his strongest spirits for these times. At least I know that when I face the Savior again I can say that I did my best to hold to the iron rod and that I taught my kids what they need to know to do likewise.