Welcome Home and Catch-up

Welcome home to my boys!! That's how I think about you all even though I realize you are mostly grown up men now. But in my head, you are still my boys. To clarify- I mean my freshmen year boys, the Carroll Hall boys, the men of the 55th ward. 78 guys who have gone to all corners of the globe serving missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From right here in Utah to California, England, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, all the way to Russia, Korea and New Zealand- and everywhere in between. I can't wait to catch-up with all of you!

Us girls haven't been idly waiting around while you were gone however. Rather- eagerly preparing : ) We've traveled too- from Hawaii and Jerusalem, to Spain, Germany, Italy, India, Ghana, and China. 29 of the girls are married with 4 more engaged. We have 2, almost 3, children born while you were away. 6 girls are away serving missions, with 2 more having received their calls recently. But more than that- we've been studying hard and working hard. Sometimes working full time and taking a full load just trying to make everything work. Even changing our majors and careers completely. We've moved apartments, probably several times for some of us. We've gone to new wards and made new friends, but stayed in touch with old friends too. We've been on blind dates and horrible dates, first dates, and the last first dates too. We've fallen in love and some of us have had our hearts broken. But we've picked ourselves up and moved on . We've thrown bridal showers, even baby showers, and we've cried and laughed together. We've been to weddings and mission farewells and homecomings. We've been in hospitals and doctor's offices, sick and tired, sometimes alone, other times surrounded. We have gotten phone calls that made us cry- sometimes because everything was crashing down and other times because life was wonderful. We've gotten in fights and been to funerals. We've lost people we love and gained strength and hope in the journey. We've become stronger, deeper, more faithful, better communicators, and experienced students. We've discovered a lot of things about life, about growing up and responsibility, about family, about enjoying the little things, and about ourselves. And through it all- we're still your girls!

Depending on your mission, you might have missed some things that happened over the past two years. Just a sampling. . .
Death of Michael Jackson
Death of Polish President, his wife, most of the cabinet and members of parliament in plane crash
H1N1 flu virus
Ms. Sotomayor -first Latin on Supreme Court
Wiki Leaks
Haiti Earthquake, Chile earthquake
Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico
New Healthcare reform
Justin Bieber
The Republican Congress in 2010
Winter Olympics in Vancouver
World Cup in South Africa- Spain wins
Shooting at Fort Hood- 13 dead
Osama bin Laden killed

Some good movies you missed:
Animated- Toy Story 3, The Princess and the Frog, Despicable Me, Megamind, Tangled, **How To Train Your Dragon, Cars 2

Chick Flicks- Time Traveler's Wife, Letters To Juliet, Water for Elephants (And others, but I'll spare you)

Action Movies- Prince of Persia, Iron Man 2, Red, Unstoppable, Sherlock Holmes, Inception

Other Good Ones-Invictus, The Karate Kid, The King's Speech, Tron Legacy, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, The Blind Side

Welcome Home and I hope to see you all soon!

Technology Race

The presidential election is in full force and more people than ever are getting involved, which warms the bottom of my heart. However, they aren't necessarily getting involved by donating money to a particular campaign or attending the rallies and speeches. Facebook, texting, IPhone apps, and Twitter are the foremost tools of the modern political campaign. In fact, I receive update texts from the Obama campaign and emails from the Romney committee, I found out about Huntsman's campaign announcement via my phone's newsfeed, and encouraged people to do some political research via this very blog.

Even since the 2008 election, technology has increased by leaps and bounds. Technology is being integrated into education and communication, changing the way we interact with our friends, co-workers, employers, even celebrities and is also changing how we see ourselves. I mean, look at me- I'm blogging for heaven's sake!(But I am still avoiding Twitter) I started this blog on assignment for a college class and in that same class worked on a project for improving support group websites. Nowdays, when I hear something clever or have an opinion on a world event, I join the discussion. People like Obama, Romney, Huntsman, and other world leaders are starting these discussions, even leading them in Congress, in the White House, in debates and rallies. But we, my fellow Americans, are joining them via Facebook, Twitter, text, Hulu, YouTube, blogs and other social media outlets.

Will technology set the curve for this race? Will the candidate who is the most "plugged-in" win through the reach of their technology?

Taking a Stand on the Issues

In honor of the first debate of the presidential election campaign, I thought I should briefly explore where I stand on some of these issues. Please be aware that I am not an expert on all of these topics and reserve the right to research some more and change my mind. Not to worry- I will tie in technology in my next post : ) And the best one is saved for last, so try to read the whole thing or at least skim til you get to the bottom ; )

• Health Care- I support a universal health care mandate, but not at the federal level. If operated at the state level, each state would have more control over the revenue and be able to dictate state tax cuts. Also, by localizing the health care and insurance within each state it will create jobs that cannot be outsourced and help build the economy.
• Peanut Butter- Crunchy or Smooth? This debate has been raging for decades with casualties on both sides, people debating in the condiment aisle of grocery stores and even all out peanut butter wars. But in considering the merits of each camp, I've found that both are solid contenders for the top spot. So I must go with moderation in all things- smooth pb on my crackers or celery with crunchy pb on my sandwiches.
  
• Stem-Cell Research- Being a scientist myself, I have researched and studied about the processes and uses of stem cell research. I even attended a conference on the subject back in 07. I was surprised to discover that most members of Congress, when asked to describe their understanding of the definition of stem cell research, had little to no correct assumptions or conceptions about such research. Stem-cell research does not destroy life, but rather is working to find cures for medical conditions of every sort so I support stem-cell research wholeheartedly. However, in tangent, I do not agree with cloning for recreational science.
• Pepsi vs Coca-Cola- Like you even need to ask. Pepsi, hands down, no question. The patriotic colors, the superior taste, the family tradition, everything points to the right answer of Pepsi.
• Education- An issue close to my heart to be sure. While many presidents have lauded young students as the future of America, they have left primary and secondary schools out in the cold as far as the budget goes. Among the top industrialized nations, America has the lowest literacy rate. Maybe because we pay people who run around with balls or who pretend to be other people more than we pay our teachers. I support the idea behind "No Child Left Behind", but I have seen some of the errors in implementation. There needs to be more funds allotted with greater flexibility in order to meet the financial needs of the schools as well as the individual needs of students for attention and resources. I agree with alternative educational methods including home school and vocational training as well as the necessity of involving the community and family in the education of children.
• Dogs or Cats? I'll make this one perfectly clear. I am a dog person. It's not that I specifically hate cats, but given the choice I will take almost any dog over a cat (except the little yappy purse dogs or a pit bull). Cats are antisocial and sleepy all the time and when the whole point of me getting a pet is companionship the dog is usually alert, playful, loving, loyal, and intelligent. A dog can be with me in many situations from watching TV to going for a run, taking a trip, or doing projects around the house. While a cat may purr next to me while I watch t.v., look at me like I'm crazy if I tried to get her to run with me, puke all over the car on road trips, and sleep right on top of my craft project on the table. Dog person.
• National Security- Many of the national security issues on the table right now are the wire taps on incoming Muslims to the US and the threat of terrorists from within our country, and nuclear proliferation particularly in connection to North Korea and Iraq. I'm against wiretaps on any immigrants or visitors to America on principle, but rather suggest a more thorough screening process to allow for both security and privacy issues, not to mention tolerance to be maintained. I'm still undecided about Guantanamo and will continue to research. I agree that nuclear conditions need to be regulated, but not just on a national scale but on an international one. We had the opportunity to do so with Poland and the Czech Republic and backed out, which was probably right for the time. However, whether in NATO or another Summit, global consensus needs to be sought after.
• And finally...
• Edward vs. Jacob? ( Disregard the resolution reached in the fourth book of the series for the purpose of this debate) Upon my first reading, I was unequivocally in the Edward Cullen camp. I mean, there is something to be said for being absolutely drawn to someone and falling head over fangs in love. And maybe it's because we all want to believe that kind of love can exist--the unshakable, all-powerful, can overcome any obstacle, changes everything, consuming love. And I'm not saying it doesn't, the jury is still out. BUT, I've had more experience in dating, love, and relationships since I first read the series. You got to admit upon reflection- why would you love someone who always pushes you away and keeps you at arms length, who makes you feel like you're never good enough? It makes me think Bella is a bit stupid and blind, not to mention a glutton for pain. Instead, I would rather be with someone who allows me to be myself around him, all the time, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Someone who is full of light and happiness and warmth and joy. Someone who holds me close instead of pushing me away. Someone I'm friends with first and grow to love. Someone who knows how to apologize and keeps his promises. Someone who will defend me with his last breath but can also tell me when I've made a mistake. Someone like Jacob Black. So, all fiction and fantasy aside, I pick Jacob.

If you'd like to explore the issues a bit more or the candidate's stance on them check out this website. Please leave a comment or share your own view on hot-topics of the day.

American Ideals vs. Perceptions

The mid 19th century found the fledgling American nation searching for an identity. Instead of being English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Irish, etc, the idea began to emerge that the people of the American continent were a completely new thing altogether. But what? Many suggested the beloved values of their mother countries, only for many philosophers to disregard the very thought. No way were we going to be a "hack" (to use our new lingo)- a clever imitation of something already done. No. We were the pioneers, the independents, the free-thinkers, the rebellious, and the mavericks. Tocqueville and many others set out to define the "American"- some through values and others through events/actions.

So what did they think was American?
- "Conquest"
- Discovery
- Individual development
- Freedom from government and social constraints
- Democracy
- Right to Rise
- Freedom of Speech and Religion
- Courage
- *Progress

Of their entire list, the word "progress" stood out to me. Though many things, ok- everything, has changed since the mid 19th century, change is constant. And I feel that America is a part of that. Now, I understand that we are not the center of most inventions or even all the best ideas. But there is a huge part of our culture that leads right into change; we strive for the next, better thing, the chance to revolutionize a field or market. As I was researching the American frontier and Manifest Destiny, I found it interesting to see how the perception of Americans abroad has also changed. In the beginning, many saw America as the upstart newbies. Who knows if they will last, but they have some great ideas and inexhaustable enthusiasm! Unfortunately, the majority opinion abroad today is very negative. I looked through European blogs and discussion boards and was saddened by the opinions and stereotypes that so many people have of America.

Here are just a few (the more articulate intelligent ones beyond hollywood and cheeseburgers).

* That the US is a nation in the process of killing itself through food.
* That many Americans are controlled entirely by greed and the need for personal materalistic gain.
* That most Americans are only concerned about economy, completely ignoring nature, and not caring about how many species they eradicate.
* That they've got the whole gun and weapons debate completely wrong.
* That the American election campaigns are nothing but one big idol-worshipping and mud wrestling PR show, instead of debates about actual politics.
* That religion plays way too big a role in administrative decisions and affects the American laws way too much.
* That the American economic philosophies are too one sided to cope with the current problems (more or less refusing to adopt a contractionary monetary policy in order to reduce inflation)

I am an American. Proud to be one. However, I admit that we have our faults and failings. America has an ego and a control issue; it is more than just our government too. The American people as individuals are developing those bad habits and traits. Can we save ourselves? What do we need to do to correct our behavior and the world's perception of us?

What does it truly mean to be American?