Done and Done!

Taxes. Check.

Submissions for Trisha's law school scholarship even-though-"child"-is-now-a-full-grown-adult-and-MARRIED. Check.

YAY! What a relief to have these monkeys off my back and it's still February!

And amazingly, I'm not sure how it happened, but we are getting a refund. A good-sized one. I had some unexpected things last yaer and thought I was really in for it, but I was wrong. WHEW!!! Big sigh of relief there.

Oh, we are also getting the backyard done. Finally. Have only had a patio and dirt and a pool during the summer. So the race is on to get everything in before the hot weather hits. Had trees/plants put in this month. Part of yard pictured here with our human sprinkler.


And, in a totally unrelated note, we had our Cub Scout Blue & Gold dinner last night (Lloyd and I are Cubmasters -- try not to laugh). The Cub Scouts were each supposed to make a cake celebrating Scouts with their parents. Now, I don't know how much the boy actually did on this cake, *I* couldn't even come close to something so nice, but it was awesome and won! (Don't know if you can see this, but those are sleeping bags with pillows with a campfire in the middle and pine trees and "rocks".)

Positive Attitude

A customer of mine sent me this email that just made me giggle.
HOW TO START EACH DAY WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK,
This Really Works!

1. Open a new file in your computer.
2. Name it 'Barack Obama'.
3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
5. Your PC will ask you: 'Do you really want to get rid of 'Barack Obama?'
6. Firmly Click 'Yes.'
7. Feel better...

GOOD! - Tomorrow we'll do Nancy Pelosi, then Harry Reid

Well, it's official. Trisha was accepted into Harvard. Even if she decides to go elsewhere, that's just awesome and I'm so proud of her for following through on going to law school after deciding a master's degree wasn't the end of the road for her. She may choose to go elsewhere based on other factors, but no matter what, we're proud of her and she must be walking on cloud 9!

Everyone can use a lawyer in the family!

I feel impressed to say a few words about my oldest daughter, Trisha. Trisha's been out of the home mostly for many years now, but she's about to embark on something very exciting soon as she has applied to law schools and will soon be choosing one and off to her new adventure next fall.

But, first to go back in time. Trisha was always an amazing kid, but I didn't have anything to compare it with her being my first so didn't really realize it. Before my second daughter was born, Trisha knew her ABCs (and could sing them) and her address and phone number. She was *this.close* to being potty trained, but the demands of a 2nd child -- when Trisha was 16.5 months old -- set that back. She ended up achieving that milestone when she was 20 months old (and that was day, night, everything!). When Trisha was 8, we let her fly across country from the Bay Area -- alone -- to visit my sister in DC. She even had a change of planes. What on earth were we thinking? None of my other kids could have ever done that. The twins will be 10 in a few months and I still can't envision the day I would think they are ready to do that and that's with them having each other, too! That's just how advanced Trisha was in some things (though her learning to drive was a whole other story -- she'd get mad if I shared that here so I won't ....)

We moved around a little during some of the critical years, but Trisha seemed to weather it OK after all. We moved from the Bay Area a few weeks into her freshman year in high school after a sudden military base closure happened (the base had been on a closure list then removed and then suddenly put back on the list with a closure within months). Just before moving, Trisha and her sister were involved in a very tragic auto accident that they were both treated and released for relatively minor injuries the same day, but 3 other occupants (friends) of the car died. We were transferred to the Seattle area where Trisha went back to middle school 9th grade and then on to high school again the next year for 10th grade. After a few months of 10th grade, military retirement was upon us and I was offered a job at a start up back in the Bay Area so the kids settled back into schools there. So just a little background on the curveballs fielded during this time. Trisha also went on Teen Jeopardy her senior year of high school which was a lot of fun. Other parents were all stressed at how their kids would do and I was just having fun letting her experience it all. It was a little sad how hard some parents were on their kids and some of these kids were sent to the best schools, boarding schools, etc. Anyway, 3 girls ended up as finalists and Trisha came in 2nd overall, winning nearly $18K in cash. Not bad!
Trisha applied to 7 colleges in her senior year. She had dreams of becoming a sports agent and would have really liked to go to school on the east coast, but I couldn't see that happening financially, but she went ahead and applied to some east coast schools anyway and was accepted to all 7 colleges she applied to, but ultimately we said she had to stay out west and she ended up at UCLA. Not too long after and while the twins were infants, I went through a divorce. Pretty bad timing for my freshman off to college and all alone! I'm sure that had to have been hard for her and after 2 years at school, she was struggling and I couldn't help financially at that point and we felt it would be best for her to come home. So she did. For a year. Then felt she was ready to go back away to school, but decided to go to ASU. After a year there, her heart was really set on UCLA so she returned there, got her degree, then went on and got a master's degree, as well.

Trisha got married in 2007 and was now a working professional, but she had always really wanted to go to law school and decided she should go for it. She prepared for and took the LSAT and apparently was pretty unphased with the testing process itself (that's a big score right there not being tied up in knots!) and got a terrific score, but decided to retake it to see if she could increase it just a little to give her a more sure chance of getting into a top tier school. The result? She did it. She scored in the 98th percentile with a score of 171.

So now the waiting game begins to see where she is accepted. She's gotten several acceptances already and has some scholarship opportunities in the works. Her top school she's been accepted to so far is UC Berkeley and University of Michigan (I think they are both around #4 & #5). She has also been contacted for an interview with Harvard. So it's a very exciting time, one Trisha probably didn't think she'd be into a few years ago, but by this time next year she'll be deep into her studies and probably at a very cold place. Between Berkeley and Michigan, her choice is Michigan, but not because of the weather!!!! That would be a hard adjustment. But, it's only for 3 years.

So I'm very proud of Trisha for pursuing her dream and channeling the gifts she was given (she must have a photographic memory -- don't ever play Trivial Pursuit if you expect to win or debate her on sports stats and whatnot -- you will not win!). It will be very interesting to see what comes and will be a wonderful example to the twins.

And, hey, everyone can use a lawyer in the family, right?

Obama's First Decisions

Gee, I hate to talk about Obama stuff two days in a row, but what can I say ... Obama's just had his first full day on the job and this is what's come about thus far:

Obama's Draft Order Calls for Closing Gitmo in One Year, Suspending Military Tribunals
President Obama wants to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay within the year and could put an end to the military tribunals after a four-month review, according to a draft executive order.

A judge has already granted Obama's request to suspend the war crimes trial of a young Canadian for 120 days. Army Col. Stephen Henley issued the ruling Wednesday after a brief hearing at the Guantanamo base.

Obama to Lift Ban on Funding for Groups Providing Abortions Overseas
President Obama will continue the back-and-forth of presidents before him by using the Roe v. Wade anniversary to allow non-governmental organizations working abroad to use U.S. funding to give counseling on or provide abortions.

President Obama will issue an executive order on Thursday reversing the Bush administration policy that bans the use of federal dollars by non-govermental organizations that discuss or provide abortions outside of the United States.

Obama will sign the executive order on the 36th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in all 50 states.

Then there's his spokesperson's word last week that Obama will end the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military. Should be loads of fun for service members in close living and bathroom quarters.


His inauguration speech was a little depressing. Sounded like he was more intent on positioning himself AGAINST anything Bush stood for for the past 8 years. Wanted to make sure our enemies know we're still their "fwends". I mean, was it really necessary to say, in his inauguration speech, "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." Which "Muslim world" is he speaking to? The terrorists? Or the rest of the Muslim world? Because there's no "new way forward" with the terrorists and the rest of the Muslim world wasn't an issue in the first place, certainly nothing that should have warranted top billing ie. been in his inauguration speech. What a dork.

He should have taken a page out of Ronald Reagan's inauguration speech over 20 years ago. It all still applies today and would have more a completely compelling speech. In fact, he should have just repeated the whole darn speech. But, no, he's still playing the hate and negativity card and the oh-so-popular liberal "always diss America first" card.

I am really leaving myself open to what good Obama can do. Even in spite of and maybe even especially because the most despondent and negative people about America's future I know were Obama supporters and I don't carry the same baggage they do and count myself lucky that I have inner peace. But, so far his first actions in office aren't any kind of change I can believe in. I'm not black nor have I made a lifetime of dissing blacks or other minorities so I can't even revel in the new unity that some have found for themselves. I wasn't dis-unified in the first place. Oh well, we will wait and see, but could someone send Obama some tapes from Ronald Reagan. He could sure use them!

And, one last thought ... Obama said:

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.

The question I ask today is why is the federal government in the middle of any of these subjects in the FIRST place?

Oh yes, it IS an important day!

I realize an historic inauguration is about to take place, but I haven't seen or heard of change *I* can believe in ...

Until now ... Lloyd and I have decided to paint our front door red! Because the builder already used 4 paint colors (none of them red), we've been debating how to squeeze in a red door without taking on reducing the other paint colors to 3 (I'm not interested in repainting a 2-year old house already!), but we think we have it figured out. Now we just have to find a red shade to go with our existing colors.

House just before we moved in

A red door (not necessarily the right red)

Our door that's going to be sporting a new paint job soon (with 2 very cute 3rd graders in front of it last year)

If that's not enough to have our mind taken up with change we can believe in, we bought an ironing board cabinet thing that goes into the wall. Lloyd's been wanting one for a very long time -- for me, of course -- and we finally used a Lowe's gift certificate from my mom.



So now we'll have change we can believe in. Whew!

Most Amazingly Wrong Quote of the Day

"... the American government is the greatest force for good in the history of mankind."
~ Sen. Harry Reid, "The Good Fight", 2008

See, this is so odd to me since Senator Reid and I are from the same faith (and he's got a 40-year head start on me), the one that teaches us how families are the building blocks of society, divine institutions, and how much power we have to do good and if not in just our family units, then in our church ward families and in our communities. And, is it too not PC to recognize that the gospel, the true love of Christ is really THE greatest force for good in the history of mankind?!

But, somehow Sen. Reid has gained the wisdom that the American GOVERNMENT is the greatest force for good in the HISTORY of mankind .... Um, OK.

Funny how cartoons like this ring with so much truth, though ....



I also think the Senator lost sight long ago of the roots of American government and the good it did and how government has turned into something now our founding fathers would not recognize as being fruits of their sacrificial labors. Sen. Reid must be equating big, bloated, and usurping individual and states' rights as "the greatest force". Oh, OK, then on that note I would agree with him.

P.S. If you're wondering how I came across this quote, I'm currently reading "The Good Fight". It was a gift from a family member who figured since he was from NV and is Mormon and we like politics, that we'd like this book. Um ... OK so reading it and trying to remember that he can't feel it when I slam the book closed from time to time ... :-) (just kidding -- he does have an interesting life story)