Sweeping your own porch

Let me preface this by saying I hope this comes of as humorous because I think it’s pretty funny.
A while back I was having breakfast with my family at a cute breakfast place in Burlingame. I ordered the Raspberry Crepe. It sounded so yummy and I was really looking forward to it. About 10 minutes later everyone received their breakfast except me. The waitress then came over to me and said, “we are all out of Raspberry sauce so what can I get you instead?” I then repeated “oh, you are out of Raspberry sauce hm…” with a bit of disappointment to my tone, to which she replied, “Yes, it’s probably for the best, you don’t need the sugar anyway.”
I thought it was really inappropriate but at the same time really funny; things like this happen to me all the time. People parent me everywhere I go.
The other day I was on the phone in my car without a Bluetooth which, in the great state of California, is illegal (no excuses I know better). When I came to a stop light, still chatting on my phone, and all of the sudden the man in the car in front of me throws his car into park, gets out of his car and walks up to my window and motions for me to roll my window down. He then yells at me, “IT IS ILLEGAL FOR YOU TO BE ON YOUR PHONE WHILE DRIVING”. To which I calmly replied, “it is also illegal to vacate your vehicle in the road while driving”. From the look on his face, this was the last response this man expected. Flustered he then yells, “NO IT ISN’T.” I smiled and rolled my window up and then quickly got off of the phone. And yes, it is illegal to exit your car while driving which probably went into effect around the time Chinese Fire Drills were gaining popularity.
My reason for this post is to share with you my mother’s saying which I love and try to live by, “Sweep Your Own Porch.” My mom has several pearls of wisdom but this one pops into my head most often. Thanks mom.

Spring Summer resolution

I hear by resolve to take more photos of all of the fun things we do. Sam takes me to do all kinds of fun things and I haven't taken any pictures at all. I am terrible. Last weekend we spent 4 amazing days in Napa. The weather was perfect, the place where we stayed was incredible. The food was delicious. But you'll have to take my word for it because I didn't take a single snapshot. We're spending next weekend at the beach and you better bet I will have my camera in hand! You can hold me to it.

Here are the only 2 photos I have taken since Christmas, they were from Steve and Becky's wedding. I didn't get a single photo of the venue, decorations, the happy couple or the ceremony, but I have one of Sam and I and one of Am and I. I'll get better. I couldn't get any worse.

...and just like the movies, we'll play out our last sceen

I was chatting with my father the other day when he wished me a happy Friday the 13th. I quickly told him I was not a fan of the day, as it reminded me of the the Friday the 13th when I was 8 years old. I'd taken my late great grandmother's necklace to school for show-and-tell. It was a rather long necklace and while riding home on my sister's banana seat bike I leaned down and then sat up and the necklace got caught under the seat and broke all over the middle of the street. Ambyr and I tried to pick up the scattered jewelery but as the pieces were in the middle of the street it wasn't long before cars came along and crushed anything that may have been salvageable.
My dad said he'd completely forgotten all about that, but asked if I could somehow find a little humor in it? He said replace 8 year old Heather with some generic actress and think of the story again, wasn't it a little amusing? And I did just that, and you know he was right; It was pretty funny. He then suggested I try the same exercise in various situations in my current life. And you know something, I think it is pretty great advice, so great I wanted to pass it along. I have been trying this the last little while and I have found that although it allows me to have a fresh perspective, it is really tough to follow the advice I am shouting at the main character (me). Anyway we still don't have the internet so I have to post when I can.

I have been "tagged"

25 unremarkable things about me:

1. I don't like when people say "clearly", I think it sounds condescending.
2. I like to practice my handwriting, and I LOVE when people compliment me on it.
3. I lose things (and think I lose things) all the time, it drives me nuts!
Yesterday I freaked out on my way home from work thinking I'd left my purse on the roof of my car; it was in the back seat.
4. I only buy stuff on sale, even at Nordstrom Rack. I refuse to pay full retail.
5. I am a stickler on the following pronunciations:
Supposedly, there are no B's in this word people
Height, this word does not end in a TH sound
Clothes, I pronounce the TH
Saying "I couldn't care less" as opposed to the incorrect yet more popular "I could care less" (which I realize is
not a pronunciation thing but I still see relevance).
6. My pajamas have to match.
7. I only believe 15% of what people tell me.
8. I still think of myself as a blond, but I have had brown hair for 2 months.
9. I feel guilty when I don't talk to my friends at least once every other week, even if I haven't seen them in months or years.
10. I text while driving but I never speed.
11. I try to be a really considerate driver, well minus the texting.
12. I have good parking luck and usually get front spots, even in December.
13. Ambyr thinks my mind works like a guy's.
14. I know more about professional sports than I let on, but I don't care about them.
15. I do not have Cable or the Internet (which explains my blogging absence). Sam and I get movies from the library twice a week for entertainment.
16. I like to buy the same things I have already had.
For example I lost my wallet (see #3) I'd had for 2 years and Sam found me the exact same one and I was sooo happy I nearly cried.
17. I drive an 88 Honda Civic Hatchback and I am not ashamed of it.
18. I LOVE sauerkraut, even though I hardly ever eat it.
19. My favorite thing to do is go camping at the lake with my cousins (and aunt and unlce of course!).
20. I am a height snob, if my friend is dating a new guy, the first thing I say is, "how tall is he?" I have always been this way. Sam is 6 ft 7.
21. I am really good at telling you what movie/tv show actors have been in. Unfortunately I do this most often with Sam while watching shows and he couldn't care less.
22. I am obsessed with music.
I sometimes think about how if Kurt Cobane hadn't … er died we may not have the Foo Fighters and then I feel really conflicted.
23. I constantly bounce my leg. Most of you know this.
24. I sometimes wonder why you are supposed to use a question mark when phrasing "Guess What?"
25. I have felt REALLY guilty about not updating my blog which has made it even harder to write a new post.

An attitude of gratitude

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!

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!

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.