Friday, October 31, 2008

YouTube Interview asking about Same Sex Marriage

Think, people, THINK! Proposition helps us Draw the Line!


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DofQsB0f1lM

Other Great Sign Wavers!


We are in good company as we have stood together to wave signs about Prop 8.
Sign Waving is an ancient practice and with the particular sign waver above,there was a great outpouring of support of the people. Hearts were changed for the cause of families, country and God.


(thanks to the talents of my son-in-law, Jonathan Kent, we can visually liken this story of Captian Moroni to what we are going through today).


Thursday, October 30, 2008

African-American Pastors are offended that Same Sex Marriage being called their Civil Right!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dRkHYD-RBcw

I Can Do Hard Things...even Wave Prop 8 Signs at our School!

Well, we had another morning of it.... Hans and John and I started out at the corner of Carmen and Daily for 1/2 hour with a big group of Yes on 8 supporters again and then I went to the school to join Marita who was given the assignment to get a group at some schools.......it is a LOT easier to wave at intersections in a big group. As just the two of us stood there...(she is my hero in this, by the way)........across from the school, we had a lot more personal confrontation. My heart was racing but I kept thinking about those who have gone before us and stood up for the right, despite the opposition.

One young mother that I like, and we see each other at school all the time, came up to us and said, "I respectfully, totally, disagree with you...I'm going to go get my NO on 8 sign." We thanked her for being kind and respectful and said it was great that we live in a country where we are free to speak out for what we believe."
She then got a group of about 4 young mothers and their NO on 8 signs and yelled and cheered across the street from us. Pretty soon, though, after Jonathan and then Ditte with her stroller and little ones saw us, they held up signs with us and we had a couple other women join us, too.Another woman with her granddaughter stopped and talked with us and told us we were promoting ill will and hatred and we calmly told her otherwise. My "favorite" argument from this lady was that if we don't allow homosexuals to get married, they are living in sin and adultery!!!!! Marita and I at the same time said, "they are still living in sin, even if they call it marriage." This woman (and she was a nice woman and probably a very good person) felt God made them that way and they just can't stop or change their lifestyle. I used the argument that we are all given things we must overcome in this life whether it is drug, alcohol, smoking or overeating tendencies, or how about tendencies toward dealing with pornography, gambling etc. We still work at overcoming those things because it is better for us and for society.......we are happier when we don't give into those tendencies. Marita told her that God made her skin brown but he does not make us homosexual. It is different!
It was interesting to talk with someone face to face there on the street corner and I was grateful to have stayed calm and kind and still be able to disagree. We didn't change each others opinions on the subject, but I hope that our being there may have helped someone vote yes on 8 that otherwise wasn't sure which way to vote.
I know without a doubt I am supporting what the Lord wants me to support and that is all that matters. Again, I do not hate anyone and I know God loves all his children, but he gives us commandments to protect us and help us be the happiest we can. I KNOW that the ideal family for a child is to have both a mother and a father. Because of death or divorce that isn't always possible, but a homosexual union is a choice and it should not be called the sacred name "marriage".

I can do hard things, as long as I am on the Lords' side, and I proved it to myself this morning!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Early Morning Sign Wavers in support of Prop 8

John, Hans, Haans and I out early this morning with friends on several corners to greet people on their way to work and school! Lots of support and thumbs up and honks of encouragement here in Camarillo....there are a few confused people who wave other things at us....even had an empty carton of cigarettes thrown at us, but we smile and wish them a good day anyway.
For those who feel we aren't very many....watch this YouTube Video taken along Pacific Coast Highway last Saturday in Orange County...

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

ABC News Coverage of the Camarillo Rally for Prop 8

Here's a link of video coverage of the rally we attended Sunday in favor of Proposition 8.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6471646

I'm glad the "Barot" guy didn't get any attention on this clip.

Yes on Prop 8-Protect Marriage

I don't know who photo shopped this picture of Samuel the Lamanite, but I thought it was great for this cause we are supporting right now!










We are going strong here in Camarillo with support for Proposition 8 to Protect Marriage. Sunday our family joined hundreds of other people at a rally at a nearby Baptist Church where a bus for Prop 8 was stopping by at noon on its way down through the whole state.
It was patriotic and uplifting. We unfortunately had a guy posing to do a documentary on this issue make his way to the pulpit and he kind of left a bad feeling with us at the end. He posed as a German (his accent was so strong and phony) and they finally had to turn off the microphone on him as we were leaving the rally. He came across in favor of Prop 8 but he was making fun and tried to change the mood to "anti-gay" instead of "pro-marriage". I was glad when the microphone was turned off.
But, for the most part, it was such a wonderful feeling being part of this cause with so many other people who understand that we don't hate the people who choose alternative lifestyles, but we love family and traditional marriage.
This morning we got up at 5:45 am and joined one group of many groups throughout town, on the corner of Carmen and Daily from 7:00 am-8:00 am with big banners and signs and waved and smiled at people as they were on their way to work and school. Hans enjoyed it too, but was cold. Tomorrow and Thursday we'll dress a little warmer!
Before we left home we read our scriptures and sang the hymn, "Who's on the Lords Side, Who?" What an appropriate hymn for such a cause as this. When people who don't understand this isn't about intolerance or bigotry, give us obscene gestures and yell unkind things, it only makes me realize more whose side we are on.

Friday, October 17, 2008

October Getaway Trip


Ever since our first child (Kirsten) graduated from high school, we decided to take our graduates on a little 3-4 day getaway trip for some special one on one time. I took our girls and John took the boys.

Well, Mette graduated in June 2007 and with so many things going on in our lives since then, especially last fall and winter with my mother's illness and passing and other relatives passing away and funerals to attend, we just never got her trip scheduled.

Then she began her Esthestician School program and that has kept her busy since early summer this year.

She just finished her 600-hour program this past Tuesday and she has a little window of time before she takes her State Boards Test for her license on October 29th, so the other evening I got online and looked to see what we could find to go do together next week. We discovered that the 4 day Cruise from Long Beach to Catalina Island to Ensenada and back to Long Beach was really inexpensive right now. So.....we are heading off for a 4 day getaway cruise Monday, October 20-24th.

Hans' school is off next week, also, for a Fall Break and Trine and Larry are letting him "fly" up to Utah and take care of him for me while I go off with Mette. (thank you!)
Hans is excited to be a big boy and fly all by himself. He did ask me the other morning, "what happens if Trine forgets to come pick me up?" I reassured him that I won't leave the airport until I see his plane in the air and I will be on the cell phone with Trine when it's supposed to land and she can let him say hi to me when she gets him from the flight attendant.
LAX......................................................................................................................................SLC
Mette and I will get off the ship on Friday morning in Long Beach pick up Hans at LAX and be home by noon!
Should be a fun Fall Break. And John can just enjoy a quiet, peaceful house all to himself when he's home and not have to worry about having a place for Hans to be when he works at the temple Tuesday night or on his Wednesday car night with Allen!
Hope it all works out for real like it has on paper! We'll let you know when we get back.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

A recent blunder of mine

Since I use my blog as one way to journal, I had to put this blunder in for my own record, because I am already laughing at my stupidity!
Last week, I was boiling some hard boiled eggs and I thought I would be efficient with my time. I put the eggs on to boil, proceeded to get ready to go be of service to a friend by helping her pack some things at her old house for their recent move. You guessed it! I left the house with the eggs on the stove for about 2 hours.
I returned, opened the door and immediately the smell that hit me brought to my remembrance of the boiling eggs!
I turned into the kitchen just in time to see one more of the eggs explode and pop all over the stove as well as join the others in pieces on the floor. Oh what a lovely, smelly mess. The house was full of smoke. I turned off the stove, opened the windows and cranked up our air purifier and the house fans. Then I returned to the mess on the stove. I decided the best thing to help decrease the smell was to take the pan outside and dump out the remaining stuck eggs into the trashcan. After I did that, I "thought" (not a good choice of words...I definitely wasn't thinking!) I should leave the pan outside to cool down.......I didn't even realize that the pan could melt the lid of the recycling trashcan!!! When I returned later to get the pan to begin trying to clean it, this is what I found....





it had melted slowly into the lid and now it's STUCK there.
John just laughed at me when he saw it and he thinks we should leave it in the lid as a nice ornament to the trash can.

No way! I want it out so that anyone who passes by our house on Mondays doesn't learn what a "smart" woman lives here!

I know one person who can have empathy with me, my daughter-in-law, Em. Last May she had a similar experience with the stove and a melted pan:-} At least she didn't compound her mistake by melting the trash can lid, too!

Monday, October 6, 2008

72-Hour Emergency Kit




Tonight for Family Home Evening we took out our 72-Hour Emergency Kits and replaced all the food, water and perishable medicines and batteries. We've been doing 72-Hour kits with our family for probably 25 years. It's a lot easier now that we are down to 4 kits instead of 10!

Mette wanted to make an extra kit for her car, so she did that tonight. We also have a plastic trash can on wheels that has more water, first aid supplies, food and toiletries. In case of needing to suddenly leave our home (Earthquakes for example) we hopefully would have time to grab these back packs and this rolling trash can and either walk or put them in our cars.
We try to update these emergency kits every 6 months (at General Conference time, for example). This way the food and supplies don't go rancid or bad and when we take them out from the previous 6 months, we can still use them in lunches or for snacks. If we wait too long, we have to toss the food in the trash. Tonight we tried out some beef jerky that was too old and a few other things that hadn't been rotated in time. Last of all, we put a notecard with the backpacks and the rolling 72-hour kit, stating the date we updated everthing.
If anyone wants a good resource of ideas to put in your kits, here's a link 72-Hour Emergency Kit. It sure feels good to do this....the first time is the hardest, but the next time you don't have to rotate as many things, such as toilet paper, plastic ware and plates, can openers, pocket knife, radios, emergency candles and lighters,duct tape, soaps and other non-perishable items.
One new thing we added this time was metal sierra cups (John's idea) and cans of sterno. That way we could heat those microwavable meals in the sierra cup with the sterno underneath. I think this is a good idea.
I hope all you who read this will make it a priority soon to get your kits made.

I love my Yoga classes.....

Warrior II Pose

Last year on my birthday, I asked John for Yoga Classes at the Camarillo Yoga Center here in Camarillo. (it's the gift that keeps on giving). I have begun my 2nd year now and I have to say, I think I have found something really, really good for me and that I hope to stick to for the rest of my life. I have a long way to go in becoming more flexible. I attend 1 1/2 hour class, 3 times a week and I feel so happy after I go.
Today we had a really good yoga session, but it also included one of the hardest poses for me...Pigeon. My yoga instructor calls out the poses and when she tells us to do this one she says, "this one is for you, Debi, because I know how much you love it!"
There are lots of variations to Pigeon, but this is a basic one. I truly have to breath through this pose and try to relax the rest of my body because it is very difficult for me. Once in the pose, we remain there for several minutes and I sure sweat during this one! I told her the other day it is like being in labor for me...it takes all my relaxing and breathing skills to stay in pigeon for 5 minutes each side!
I feel I am getting stronger each week and I enjoy the nice women I meet in my classes. A huge bonus is that my achy lower back from my ruptured lumbar disc surgery 7 years ago, is getting looser and looser. That is a huge benefit. Yoga is definitely strength training and weight bearing. You bear you own body weight as you hold different poses and that isn't easy!
Anyway...I can't take my own camera to the studio so I thought I would post a few poses I do regularly during our routine. The King Pigeon pose I can't even imagine at this point, but if I keep this up...who know in years to come!

Down Dog Pose



Triangle Pose


Pigeon


King Pigeon....maybe in 20 years for me!