I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and as I was creating my annual list, I decided why not make a post out of it?
1. My temple marriage
2. My testimony
3. Our jobs
4. Family and Friends
5. Our health
6. Our new apartment :)
7. The kindness of others
8. The car we have borrowed from my brother for 4 months, and still counting
9. Living with Dave and Candace for the last 4 months
10. The lady on Muni who gave my train fare when my wallet got stolen on the bus.
11. The prophet and apostles in the church (the local leaders as well)
12. Both of my grandpa's recovering well from their recent afflictions
13. The great weather we've been enjoying in California
14. All of the love in our lives
15. Living so close to the temple
16. Ambyr's bun in the oven :D (in case you didn't know)
17. I am thankful I get to be a "groom's maid" in Ben's wedding (April 25th, 2009)
Really I could go on and on, but this will do for now!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Moving on up... To the Peninsula!
Sam and I finally found the perfect apartment and we will be moving in a week or so. We are both so excited. Since returning to the Bay Area in August we have been staying with Sam’s brother and sister-in-law in Sunnyvale. Dave and Candace have been so kind to take us in, and give us so much more than just a place to stay.
Some may ask, why it took 4 months to find an apartment. Well our criteria was hard to match. We wanted to be in the Burlingame area, pay less than $1000/month, 1 bedroom/1 bath, have a month to month lease, and give a low deposit. Many naysayer’s insisted our standards were too high, and needs too specific, but we managed to find a place that fits all of the above and more. The place we found has history. Coincidentally, Sam and I are moving in to the very same apartment Ambyr and Tyler lived in when they first moved to Burlingame. We feel good about knowing there is a strong family tie to the place. We’ll post photos as soon as we start moving in.
Since many of you (okay really just Ambyr) have requested I give a bit of an update on the latest with our lives here it is:
Sam currently works for Stanford in the cancer research facility. He is well on his way to becoming a doctor, someday far far from now. His title is a Certified Research Associate. He works with cancer patients who are in advanced stages of cancer and have limited options for care. He is learning so much, and he loves the people he works with. Not to mention they feed him well, they cater lunch nearly everyday. Most importantly, Sam is really happy there.
I am working for Levi Strauss Corporate Offices, in inventory management; ensuring Levi stores have the right assortment of women's tops and bottoms. It's a great job and I love what I do. My commute is less than desirable, but when we move it will great!
We are looking forward to Thanksgiving at Mom's Thursday (and seeing Grama and Papa YEAY!), Brittany's wedding on Friday, Kat's visit on December 2nd, Sam's 25th birthday on December 13th, Luke's 3rd birthday on December 24th, visiting Sam's parents for Christmas, Reese's visit in January, and the eventual return of Hannah and Adam (still pending).
We hope all is well with our loved one's this holiday season!
Some may ask, why it took 4 months to find an apartment. Well our criteria was hard to match. We wanted to be in the Burlingame area, pay less than $1000/month, 1 bedroom/1 bath, have a month to month lease, and give a low deposit. Many naysayer’s insisted our standards were too high, and needs too specific, but we managed to find a place that fits all of the above and more. The place we found has history. Coincidentally, Sam and I are moving in to the very same apartment Ambyr and Tyler lived in when they first moved to Burlingame. We feel good about knowing there is a strong family tie to the place. We’ll post photos as soon as we start moving in.
Since many of you (okay really just Ambyr) have requested I give a bit of an update on the latest with our lives here it is:
Sam currently works for Stanford in the cancer research facility. He is well on his way to becoming a doctor, someday far far from now. His title is a Certified Research Associate. He works with cancer patients who are in advanced stages of cancer and have limited options for care. He is learning so much, and he loves the people he works with. Not to mention they feed him well, they cater lunch nearly everyday. Most importantly, Sam is really happy there.
I am working for Levi Strauss Corporate Offices, in inventory management; ensuring Levi stores have the right assortment of women's tops and bottoms. It's a great job and I love what I do. My commute is less than desirable, but when we move it will great!
We are looking forward to Thanksgiving at Mom's Thursday (and seeing Grama and Papa YEAY!), Brittany's wedding on Friday, Kat's visit on December 2nd, Sam's 25th birthday on December 13th, Luke's 3rd birthday on December 24th, visiting Sam's parents for Christmas, Reese's visit in January, and the eventual return of Hannah and Adam (still pending).
We hope all is well with our loved one's this holiday season!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Politically Incorrect
If you are sick of hearing about prop 8 you may want to skip this post.
So I have to say I am very disappointed in the prop 8 backlash. People are acting as if Utahan's have snuck into California and voted to pass prop 8. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints itself supported prop 8 and told the members of the church to be supportive. The members of our church try to follow the council of the church leaders and people ended up donating a great amount of money to the cause. Now activists on the other side did the same thing. A lot of money went in to both sides of the proposition. Hollywood especially campaigned to oppose it. Had prop 8 not passed would the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have rioted in the Castro? Or boycotted tourism in California? Or refused to watch Brad Pitt movies? No, we would not. The state of California voted, not just the Mormons.
The argument that has irritated me the most has to be how people compare prop 8 to the civil rights movement. How offensive to every single African American who's ancestors suffered during those times. Black people were slaves. They were forced spend their days in the fields laboring all day just because of the color of their skin. They were told that they were only three fifths of a person. They were beaten, and abused. It makes me sick to even think about. The very interesting thing is black people supported prop 8! And in fact, more black people turned out to vote to support Barack Obama and because of this turn out, it tipped the scales in favor of prop 8.
I have also heard people say they are being denied their human rights. Since when is getting married a human right? Your human rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No one is telling gay people they cannot be together. That they'll be forced to live a heterosexual life. They can choose how to live their lives. However, marriage is defined, by California law, as being between a man and a woman.
I also want to address the riots in LA, outside the LDS Temple. My religion is used to persecution. Rioting is the least of what has happened to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but what a hateful demonstration. I would again like to reiterate that the entire state voted on proposition 8, not just the Mormons! And it is unacceptable to riot when votes are not in your favor. It's the equivalent of a toddler throwing a temper tantrum when their mother won't let them eat cookies before dinner.
My final disappointment is the commercial CNN and MSNBC showed featuring "Mormon missionaries". I won't go into detail, it was done in very poor taste and it makes me sad that anyone would show such a thing on their network. Need I remind everyone that the Christian and Catholic churches united in supporting prop 8. Had this commercial featured the Pope, no one would have thought it was funny.
So I have to say I am very disappointed in the prop 8 backlash. People are acting as if Utahan's have snuck into California and voted to pass prop 8. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints itself supported prop 8 and told the members of the church to be supportive. The members of our church try to follow the council of the church leaders and people ended up donating a great amount of money to the cause. Now activists on the other side did the same thing. A lot of money went in to both sides of the proposition. Hollywood especially campaigned to oppose it. Had prop 8 not passed would the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have rioted in the Castro? Or boycotted tourism in California? Or refused to watch Brad Pitt movies? No, we would not. The state of California voted, not just the Mormons.
The argument that has irritated me the most has to be how people compare prop 8 to the civil rights movement. How offensive to every single African American who's ancestors suffered during those times. Black people were slaves. They were forced spend their days in the fields laboring all day just because of the color of their skin. They were told that they were only three fifths of a person. They were beaten, and abused. It makes me sick to even think about. The very interesting thing is black people supported prop 8! And in fact, more black people turned out to vote to support Barack Obama and because of this turn out, it tipped the scales in favor of prop 8.
I have also heard people say they are being denied their human rights. Since when is getting married a human right? Your human rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No one is telling gay people they cannot be together. That they'll be forced to live a heterosexual life. They can choose how to live their lives. However, marriage is defined, by California law, as being between a man and a woman.
I also want to address the riots in LA, outside the LDS Temple. My religion is used to persecution. Rioting is the least of what has happened to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but what a hateful demonstration. I would again like to reiterate that the entire state voted on proposition 8, not just the Mormons! And it is unacceptable to riot when votes are not in your favor. It's the equivalent of a toddler throwing a temper tantrum when their mother won't let them eat cookies before dinner.
My final disappointment is the commercial CNN and MSNBC showed featuring "Mormon missionaries". I won't go into detail, it was done in very poor taste and it makes me sad that anyone would show such a thing on their network. Need I remind everyone that the Christian and Catholic churches united in supporting prop 8. Had this commercial featured the Pope, no one would have thought it was funny.
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