Last Weekend

This weekend we took a trip to El Paso, Texas for the marriage of my sister Amanda to David Munoz.


It was a great trip and a great thing to see my sister get married. She is so happy and her wedding was unique and beautiful.

My parents and ALL of my siblings together--a rare thing indeed.


Aunt Kerami (my sister) dancing with Dallin and his cousins Iris, Madeline, and Savannah.


Dallin pinning a dollar on Amanda for the dollar dance.


Here is a photo of Adam's short appearance at the wedding reception. There is a long story here, in which Mark is the hero, but I will leave it to Mark to tell since he deserves to tell it--blood, vomit, poop, and all. At the end of the day at least there were some great wedding nachos for Adam to enjoy.



Our family and my sister Dawn's family got connecting rooms at the hotel and enjoyed bouncing from one room to the other while the kids played together. I loved seeing my kids playing with their cousins, especially their older cousins. Jack and Wyatt are 10 and 12 and yet they still had a fun time playing with my two and four year olds. There is something heart-warming about that.


On the way home we stopped by my Aunt and Uncle, Lisa and Jason's farm in New Mexico. They had a large greenhouse with tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries. The tomatoes grow around a wire that is connected to the ceiling.
I thought the cherry tomatoes were especially cool. Notice how neat they grow in two nice rows and how they ripen from the top, fading from a ripe red to a bright green.

The small greenhouse grows mainly lettuce, cabbage, and spices. Notice how these styrofoam pots stack to the heavens around a pole and the plants peak out the exposed triangles.

The Table is Set

Thursday, December 4th.


Mark comes home in the evening and is wondering what is going on. Ribs? And not the cheap kind? The good kind that we've never ever bought before? Something must be up.

The menu:

Parmesan potatoes

Carrots

Spinach salad with poppyseed dressing

BBQ ribs

Throughout the course of the meal I take the opportunity to announce each portion of the meal. Interspersed with our evening commentary of "How was your day?" and "You fired another temp?" were questions and phrases somewhat like this:

Marily: Do you want some baby potatoes, Adam?

Marily: Look, Dallin, baby carrots.

Mark: Wow, we have a few baby things for dinner tonight.

Marily: Dallin, did you know that's baby spinach in that salad?

Mark: Is it really baby spinach?

Dallin: Can I have some more chicken?

Marily: Sure, but it's not chicken. They're baby back ribs.

And then he gets it. Or at least Mark gets it. And he laughs. And still we get through that whole announcement dinner without even clueing in the little guys as to what was going on. Dallin might not have even cared at that point. He was too busy enjoying his chicken.

'Tis the Season

Here are our pictures that are very similar to your pictures that many of you have already posted. Different kids though.

Our simple tree. And I prefer kids decorating trees in pajamas. Better photo opportunities.

Adam preferred the grouping technique for decorating the tree's limbs.

He would carefully place another bulb on the same one or two branches and then smile wide and do a little happy dance that he managed to get another one on without knocking the others off. It reminded me of a game like Jenga or Don't Break the Ice.

These two photos are from the Christmas party at church. Somehow I missed taking my own picture of Adam with Santa. I think it was because I was trying to take Adam's sucker away for the photographer to take a picture.

The morning before the activity I kept asking Dallin what he was going to ask Santa for--a mom's got to know these things. He'd simply whisper, "It's a secret." I was worried that I would have to ask Santa himself, but fortunately I caught Dallin as he was running off after sitting with Santa to ask him what he asked for. "Airplane roller coaster" was his whispered reply before he ran away.

Christmas crafting

So what's a mom to do when she actually planned ahead this year and already bought her kids gifts and how was she suppose to know that if you leave Target ads lying around the house your kid is bound to come up with something to ask for that is NOT what was already purchased? Really, I need some advice. Mark could care less whether Dallin got what he asked for. Me, I'm feeling a little guilty for not buying this:

Our Joy School and a couple of extra two-year-olds (mine included) went to a care facility and sang and performed a reenactment of the nativity for a few ladies there. Dallin's the one with the crown over his eyes in both pictures. My kids were two wise men (hopefully reminiscent of things to come).

How's that for spreading some Christmas joy?

What's on my camera that I can turn into a Thankful Post?

26. Children. I love the innocence and utter cuteness of youth. These little guys of mine fill my life with joy. A while back I was reading "Touch and Feel Kittens" with Adam. There were two kittens on a particular page we were reading. Adam pointed to the larger of the two and said, "Momma cat." Then he pointed to the smaller cat and said, "Adam cat." Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I pretty much think that is his way of saying he loves me.

27. Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving--it's one of the few big holidays I can think of that is completely innocent and non-commercialized. It's all about spending time eating good food with the people you love and of course being grateful. Sweet.

Our friends the Jennings hosted a Thanksgiving Day parade in their neighborhood and were kind enough to invite us along.

Makes you wish you had a neighborhood like that? Well, I suppose you can if you host your own Thanksgiving Day parade.

28. My husband. Man, I sure did a good job when I chose to marry Mark. How could I have known then that he was even greater than I thought he was? Good thing I didn't mess that one up. He is an example to me of hard work and dedication. He is supportive of me and my goals and interests. He is a loving dad who makes sure to enjoy his children and give them the attention and love that they need. And he does the dishes. And he rubs my shoulders whenever I ask him to. Wow.


Dallin took this picture. And I bet you wouldn't have been able to help yourself either. "Daddy, say CHEESE!"

29. Life. I am grateful to be alive. I am grateful for the joyful moments that add depth to my life.

30. Work. I am thankful for work and the ability to work. It's satisfying to finish a hard job and see the results of your labor. Today we got in the car and this sense of peace and satisfaction came over me....We'd cleaned the car out yesterday. Complete with a thorough vacuuming and scrubbing the upholstery. Nice.

Gotta love how Dallin is posing for a glamour shot while wedged down in there.

I am also thankful that Mark has a good job and is able to provide for our family. He works hard. Lately it is not uncommon for me to wake up with the boys in the wee hours of the morning an hour before the sun has come up and Mark has already left for work. I am also thankful that his friend Coy who has been working off and on at his office will be back "on" tomorrow. Mark is grateful when Coy is at work with him. And that makes for a happier husband.

Thankful Day Twenty-Five: Color

I am grateful that there are so many various things in this beautiful world to enjoy. For instance, there are an innumerable amount of colors, no purpose for them at all, except for our viewing pleasure. Wasn't that nice? Well, maybe street signs and stuff are another good purpose for color. And certain animals that have colors to warn you they're poisionous. Another good one.

Pictures.

1)Boys painting fish

2) Dallin learned about mixing colors today.

I'm Thankful For Lists

18. I'm thankful for the simple things in life. My boys playing in the dirt. Clean water to wash them off in. Commercialism and batteries are overrated.

19. A wise and all-knowing Father in Heaven. In college, he led me towards a degree in mathematics. Who would have thought? And because of that, my brain is wired differently than it was years ago. And now instead of being so extremely and solely right-brained I've got my left brain working now too. Cool, huh? But don't ask me to prove it because I might not be able to on the spot like that--too much pressure.

20. Goals. I am a goal-oriented person. I have learned that I can do amazing things (YOU can too!) if I write it down and stick to a goal. Mark and I have this paper stuck to the inside of our bathroom door. (What? Did you really want to actually read them?)We reevaluate our goals every six months. It has been awesome to decide together on an area that needed improvement. We set a goal and then six months later we are so proud that we have accomplished it--some of them aren't quite so easy. But it really seems like we are improving. Cool, huh?

21. Scriptures. Probably about a year ago in one of our goal-evaluations Mark and I decided that Dallin was old enough and it was high-time we started involving him in our family scripture studies. We decided every night he'd get to hear a "scripture hero" story (Dallin's words) or we'd read straight from the scriptures. He loves these stories, and why not? I love them too.

22. In-laws. I am SO grateful that I married into such an amazing family. My mother-in-law has taught me so much and I am grateful for her example of a welcoming home, a devoted service-oriented attitude, and the simple way she lives and loves her family. My father-in-law is always interested in learning new things and he is such a sweet man--caring, kind, and full of love--and I am sure that is a major reason why Mark is as caring and compassionate as he is. Mark's siblings are of course also awesome and I am so grateful that they have welcomed me with open arms and made me one of them. Look, Courtney and Stacey even took the boys to the Veteran's Day parade. What cool aunts. Girls, next time get some pictures of yourselves-- the best I have is a few shots of Courtney's hair. And thanks for taking them--the boys had a great time. I'm thankful they have such awesome aunts and uncles.

I can count Courtney's hair in four pictures. Can you?

23. A home. I am grateful that we have a home of our own. We don't live luxuriously but we have what we need and even things that many would consider luxuries. And now that we own our home we can do with it what we want. We like having some blank walls right now because it seems uncluttered and simple. That's the way life should be, isn't it?

24. Cousins. I am grateful that my boys have cousins. They had a new one just a couple of weeks ago. Heidi Louise Lamoreaux was born on Nov 11th. This is up there as one of the cutest pictures I've ever seen. My sister Bethany, Daniel, and Heidi in case you're wondering.

And that pretty much catches me up and also gets me a day ahead. Go me.

Thankful Day Seventeen: Sacrifice

I have not had to sacrifice much in my life. A large part of the blessings I have come because OTHERS have sacrificed for me. I am spoiled. Here is a story from President Uchtdorf's recent talk in General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

The Example of John Rowe Moyle
This year marks the 200th
anniversary of the birth of John Rowe Moyle. John was a convert to the Church
who left his home in England and traveled to the Salt Lake Valley as part of a
handcart company. He built a home for his family in a small town a valley away
from Salt Lake City. John was an accomplished stonecutter and, because of this
skill, was asked to work on the Salt Lake Temple.

Every Monday John left home at two o’clock in the morning and walked
six hours in order to be at his post on time. On Friday he would leave his work
at five o’clock in the evening and walk almost until midnight before arriving
home. He did this year after year.

One day, while he was doing his chores at home, a cow kicked him in the
leg, causing a compound fracture. With limited medical resources, the only
option was to amputate the broken leg. So John’s family and friends strapped him
onto a door and, with a bucksaw, cut off his leg a few inches from the knee.

In spite of the crude surgery, the leg started to heal. Once John could sit
up in bed, he began carving a wooden leg with an ingenious joint that served as
an ankle to an artificial foot. Walking on this device was extremely painful,
but John did not give up, building up his endurance until he could make the
22-mile (35-km) journey to the Salt Lake Temple each week, where he continued
his work.

His hands carved the words “Holiness to the Lord” that stand today as a
golden marker to all who visit the Salt Lake Temple.5
John did not do this for the praise of man. Neither did he shirk his duty,
even though he had every reason to do so. He knew what the Lord expected him to
do.

Years later, John’s grandson Henry D. Moyle was called as a member of the
Quorum of the Twelve and, eventually, served in the First Presidency of the
Church. President Moyle’s service in these callings was honorable, but his
grandfather John’s service, though somewhat less public, is just as pleasing to
the Lord. John’s character, his legacy of sacrifice, serves as a banner of
faithfulness and an ensign of duty to his family and to the Church.

I am grateful for those of my faith who sacrificed for those who followed after them. I am also similarly grateful for those who sacrificied for the freedoms of this country.

Thankful Day Sixteen: Good People

Through our efforts in passing Prop 102 Mark and I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from many people of different backgrounds and from different faiths. It was an incredible thing to see these people unite for a common cause, put aside their differences, and work together. Many of us are use to associating with people inside of a certain circle, or even who belong to the same church we do. But it is becoming more and more obvious that those of us of faith who want to preserve the traditional values that brought about this country by a once God-fearing people we must band together. I am encouraged, strengthened, and definitely thankful for the good people in this world wherever they can be found.

Thankful Day Fifteen: Good Friends

Saturday night I hosted a reunion of sorts for my friends from high school. I should have taken pictures :(

I am SO grateful for these awesome ladies. I pray that my children will have such high-quality friends when they are growing up. We supported and helped each other, we encouraged and strengthened each other. And we had LOTS of fun. I have some GREAT stories. But, maybe you'll have to ask me personally. Man, we were pretty bold back then.

Thankful Day Fourteen

I am thankful for my three handsome guys. And for cute little black suits. And for boys who take formal pictures with cars in their hands.

Thankful Day Thirteen: My favorite part of the day

Bedtime. It's the sweetest time of the day. My boys are eager to sit in my lap and get snuggly with me while we read books.

Dallin asks me to sing him the same song every night (I've stopped asking): "If the Savior Stood Beside Me." I wonder sometimes if it's because he really loves the song and it's message or if it's because he knows it has three verses and is a little long.

Adam blows the sweetest kisses and will repeat goodnight phrases to me: "Yuh you," or "Goo-night, mama."

Thankful Day Twelve: Growing Up

Halloween 2007

I have recently noticed a bit of a change in my behavior. It has not all happened at once, but more like little bursts of insightfulness and epiphany built upon eachother over the last few years. I am growing up. And I know this because in some ways I have gotten back to my real self and in other ways I have found out who my real self really is. Here is one hypothetical way of illustrating someone going through different phases along the path to "growing up."

1. Enjoying the music that your peers listen to

2. Introducing your friends to new music that you know they will enjoy

3. Being confused because you finally realize that you don't even know what YOUR musical tastes really are aside from what your peers like

4. Enjoying the music that the guys you date listen to, and then in turn what your husband listens to.

5. Time goes by and you realize it's okay to have your own completely abnormal conglomeration of all of the above. You are now confident enough to listen to anything you want, maybe even High School Musical songs (just the good ones) and not be embarrassed if someone finds out. And maybe you know some of the dance moves too. Just hypothetically speaking, of course.

Thankful Day 11: Books

I hope that advancements in technology never make the book-as-we-know-it obsolete. Perhaps in a number of years when everyone has switched to reading from their handheld electronic reader and bookstores have gone out of business you may find me in the corner of the antique store searching the shelves for actual tangible copies of books like Robinson Crusoe or Where the Red Fern Grows. It is an amazing thing to have knowledge via the internet at our fingertips. What a blessing it is that we can receive answers to our questions in a few clicks and (just the right) keywords. But it is another thing entirely to actually have that knowledge at our fingertips--flipping through the pages, dusting the crumbs from your snack out from where the pages come together (as best you can). Technology is great, and is most definitely something to be thankful for. But today I am thankful for that flexible way that a book feels in my hand.

Thankful Day Ten: A Foundation

Photo credit

It has been obvious lately to see what the difference is between someone who has a testimony of Jesus Christ as a foundation in their life and someone who is "carried about with every wind of doctrine." I am grateful for my faith because it gives me a foundation. Sadly many are without this faith, or they have a misunderstanding of Jesus Christ. Those who do not have a foundation are easily misguided. They may see a cause as good and struggle passionately for it, but without a foundation there is no reason not to trample on the rights of others or disrespect themselves to get their goals accomplished (i.e. cheating from someone else's test in order to get a good grade). Having a foundation gives a person structure in which to accomplish their objectives. It gives a person not only a "good" to strive towards but more importantly "a Higher Good" to be accountable to and a divine purpose to fulfill.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Romans 8:35, 37

Speaking of foundation, I am also grateful that my Church has a foundation centered on Jesus Christ. Have you checked out the LDS Newsroom lately? Good reading here.

Thankful Day Nine: The Sabbath

Today is only halfway over, but we have had a beautiful Sabbath day so far. I did not think I would like switching church times to 1:30pm but it has been really lovely. We had a really nice morning, although we were up early, 6:00, and I tried my hardest to convince the boys that it was still night time. They didn't buy it. While we were eating breakfast Dallin noticed it was starting to get a little lighter outside so we went out front and scampered to the sidewalk to take notice of the sunrise. It was a bit chilly so we pointed out the colors we could see and how it was still mainly dark outside and we quickly ran back in. This ritual was repeated a good five or six more times every few minutes until Dallin was convinced that it wasn't going to be getting any brighter.

Later, we took a trip down to the Mesa LDS Temple, walked around the buildings, and checked out the great exhibits in the Visitor's Center. Those of you that have never been to the visitor's center or who haven't been in a while it's a welcoming place and very interesting for members of the LDS faith or those who simply come to learn more about what we believe. Currently there is a great presentation about families, a model of Old Jerusalem in the time of Christ, and an art exhibit depicting stories from the Book of Mormon among other things.

Soon we will attend our church meetings. I am grateful for the Sabbath-- a day set apart from the rest of my week to reflect on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and how I am fulfilling my duty here on this earth. We humans are short-sighted beings. I need this weekly reminder of what the purpose of life really is. It helps to keep me grounded, focused, and gives me a foundation for choosing how to spend the rest of my time.

Thankful Day Eight: Siblings

I am grateful....

• I have five awesome siblings--a brother and four sisters
• We have some great memories growing up together: playing mermaids in the medians of busy streets, filming our own deodorant commercials, taking turns riding in the dryer....
• We all are great friends still
• When Mark and I married I got five more awesome siblings--a brother and four sisters

Notes:

"Five more awesome" as in "an additional five awesome siblings" not "awesome-er" just you know, same amount of awesomeness--got it?

Yes I am the girl with the brown hair and glasses, in case it wasn't obvious.

Thankful Day Seven: Music

I am grateful that my boys will grow up with music in their lives. It is something I wanted for my kids, but is even more a part of Mark's life and for the most part a gift that he will give to them. I love that they go to Grandma and Grandpa's home and that it is filled with instruments. I am grateful that Mark's parents instilled this love for music in Mark so he could in turn give that to our children.

Dallin: 18 months

Thankful Day Six: Sugar and Spice

Today I am thankful for womanhood. I love to be able to create: birth children, meals, and things for my home. This week I got a bit ambitious.


Tip One: Hit up Fresh and Easy for inexpensive pizza dough--white and wheat--to make homemade pizza a breeze.

I made homemade bread for the first time in my new kitchen. Here I used it for egg in a nest with pizazz (I must have chosen that word because I was still thinking pizza).......

After this week's work looking in my freezer makes me happy. I made homemade bread, freezer jam, and finally got to juicing and freezing those lemons and limes into ice cubes.
I bought too many strawberries so there are extras frozen for smoothies.

Being a homemaker and is satisfying. I am grateful to be a wife and mother.

And because I did all of those womanly things today I didn't have time to post, so I am also thankful that I can change the date and time to make it almost seem like I posted on the 6th.

:)

Thankful Day Five: Laughter

There is laughter all around when there's love at home.

Little people make life so darn entertaining, don't they? Here's the latest funniness....

My friend Hannah watched the boys the other night. Her son Ashley and Dallin were playing in the bedroom and Dallin came out of the room to tell Hannah:

"There is something scary happening in there.

Ashley is changing into his pajamas!"

Bedtime, you see, is kind of a scary thing when you're four-years-old.

Thinking big

~Dallin in Flagstaff where we were collecting signatures for petitions in 2006~

Someone once said "Ordinary people have great ideas. Great people follow through with their great ideas."

Okay, well maybe that someone was me. I've been working on that one for a few weeks now, but I don't know if I have quite the perfect wording yet. Any suggestions? :)

Our work on the Marriage Amendment has taught me a few things. Mostly, it has taught me that everyone can make a difference. Anyone can do great things if they work hard enough. I learned that I can work past feelings of inadequacy or fear and still accomplish things that terrify me. You can too, as I know you all have done this.

Thank you all for your help and support. You helped us accomplish some of the most lofty goals we've ever made and you were answers to our prayers.

I have a great teammate! Mark and I work well together and motivate and inspire eachother. I remember moments talking with him about what we could do for this cause we believed so strongly in. I remember coming up with an idea and then getting that nervous feeling which could have squelched our good ideas. But somehow we dismissed those feelings and followed through.

You can do great things too!

My friend Karlie ran a marathon.
Camille decided she had to do something to help her cousin when her husband passed away.
Kathryn thought it would be great if there was a website that talked about what was going on here in Mesa, Arizona.
Rebekah took three kids in a triple stroller to Paris, France for the entire summer.
Becki started her own business.

You are inspiring to me.

I am honestly looking forward to what you all--not just the five mentioned above--will accomplish throughout your lives. I am honored to to know you.

What else will you do?

Feel free to share :)

Thankful Day Four: The Obvious

I tried to think of something else today but I can't help it. I am thankful for the opportunity to voice my opinion and vote. And it only took me three trips to the polling place this morning to do it.

I thought I was so intelligent. I ordered an early ballot with the thought that I would save it until election day, prancing smartly past the long lines to cast my early vote in front of the jealous on-lookers.

The first time I pulled into the parking lot and realized I'd accidentally brought my sample ballot and not my early ballot. Went home. The second time I got into the polling place and was informed that "Dear, you need to have your early ballot in the envelope with your signature on the front." Ooops. And my envelope was at home. I'm not too big on reading details. Went home. The third time I finally got it turned in. After all that work I made the overly-sarcastic man with the stickers give me an "I Voted Today" sticker because for some reason I wasn't satisfied with the "I Voted Early" one that was mailed to me.

The couple outside with Yes on 102 signs must have wondered about me....

Thankful Day Three: My Babes

Dallin

Adam

I mean, just look at them. My boys bring me more joy than I could have ever imagined. They provide me with a multitude of funny, sweet, and joyful moments every day. They are awesome.

Pictures above both taken by uncle Danny about two-ish years ago.

Vacation Day

Some people take time off work to go to the beach or the golf range. Today Mark took a day off to volunteer for the Marriage Amendment. Yeah, we're nerdy like that. Thanks to Carolyn for watching our guys--she's been swapping babysitting with me so we could each fight the good fight. At the phone banks this morning we just happened to meet up with some good friends. It made it so much more fun to have friends there. And these are stalwart women: Hannah toted her 2-month-old baby and Bekah brought along her 5 or 6-month-old fetus (neither baby is pictured below).



While we were at the phone bank the campaign spokesperson Michelle Baer asked Mark and I if we'd accompany her to KFYI's "smackdown" for her interview with JD Hayworth. She told us to be prepared to speak on the radio, but to our luck that didn't happen. We just waved our signs and smiled happy smiles. Thanks to Hannah and her husband who watched our children so we could go. Sorry boys--tomorrow you will have your parents back. We are doing this for you!

How I Intend To Vote

Good luck! Let's do our part to keep this the greatest nation on God's green earth.

How I Intend To Vote: Federal Offices
How I Intend To Vote: The State Offices
How I Intend To Vote: Maricopa County
How I Intend To Vote: Nonpartisan Races
How I Intend To Vote: Judges
How I Intend To Vote: The Constitutional Amendments
How I Intend To Vote: The Statute Propositions
How I Intend To Vote: The Mesa Questions

How I Intend To Vote: Federal Offices

President
John McCain.
He's pro-life, supports marriage, understands foreign affairs, knows defense, and before the recent Wall Street bailout, usually promoted good economic policies. He understands that in our current economic situation higher taxes could very possibly bring on an economic depression. And none of his close friends are terrorists or anti-American racists.

U.S. Representative in Congress
District 5
David Schweikert.
Now is the time where we need representatives who understand the importance of lower taxes, limited government, Social Security reform, free market economics, and are pro-life and pro-family. Put that all together and you get David Schweikert.

And Mitchell, enough of the nonsense already. We know there's a problem when your TV ads try to portray you as more conservative than your Republican opponent. He wants higher taxes and you don't? Right...

Notice that during elections liberal Democrats often try to portray themselves as moderates or even conservatives (Harry Mitchell), but I've yet to see a conservative Republican try to portray himself as a liberal to get elected.

U.S. Representative in Congress
District 6
Jeff Flake.
Yes, he needs to be set straight on the importance of defending marriage and keeping homosexual radicals from disrupting business and our schools. Still, he is a proponent of free market and limited government.

How I Intend To Vote: State Offices

State Senator District 18
Russell Pearce.
Here's what I said about Pearce for the primary: "Pearce has a rock-solid record of advocating lower taxes, reducing government waste, and fighting illegal immigration. He also understands economics, and has been a supporter of legislative measures that would reduce health care costs and improve conditions in hospital emergency rooms (without increasing taxes)."

State Representative District 18
Cecil Ash.
Steve Court.
Ash: "has the right position on all the big issues of the day, and because he has been a volunteer for United Families International he's an obvious choice."

Court: see this intro paragraph for explanation.

Corporation Commissioner
Either:

1. Vote for all three Republicans, or
2. Just cast one vote for Bob Stump, who has a conservative record in the state legislature.

I'll probably just vote for Stump, that way my votes for Wong or McClure wouldn't push Stump out of the way. In any case, the three Democratic candidates are all in favor of arbitrary alternative energy programs that, while not terrible in and of themselves, would make electricity rates more expensive for us ordinary folk.

How I Intend To Vote: Maricopa County

Political party affiliations are really useful in local elections. When it comes to voting for President of the US we know everything about how they voted, their cholesterol levels, and their favorite types of pizza. But what about county treasurer candidates? The information is limited, but knowing their party affiliation tells me a good deal about their basic political philosophies and ideas of good government. Expect me to be voting for Republicans.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
Don Stapley.
See intro paragraph for explanation.

County Assessor
Keith Russell.
See intro paragraph. And he actually has training and experience in property appraisal experience. Here's an endorsement from someone who knows him. It also doesn't hurt that Russell has also contributed to the Yes on 102 campaign.

County Attorney
Andrew Thomas.
Thomas has been firm in not letting crooks get away on easy plea bargains. My understating is that if they don't plead guilty to the highest offense then the case goes to court where they prosecute all the charges. Thomas has been criticized for his enforcement of immigration laws. Considering where these criticisms come from, that really means that Thomas is doing his job.

Besides, Tim Nelson used to work for Napolitano and has represented the ACLU in his legal career. I don't have anything against defense attorneys. They provide a critical service, but the last thing any of us need is a defense attorney like Nelson in charge of prosecuting crime.

County Recorder
Helen Purcell.
See intro paragraph for explanation.

County School Superintendent
Don Covey.
Again, see intro paragraph for explanation.

County Treasurer
Charles Hoskins.
You get it by now.

Sheriff
Joe Arpaio.
I think there are some good arguments that could be made for Dan Saban. From what I understand he's had a good career as a law enforcement professional and is a decent guy. But let me tell what I like about Arpaio:

• He makes jail no fun--he's said repeatedly that he likes to hear the inmates complain.
• Pink underwear.
• Unlike Congress, he is actually doing something to stop illegal immigration.
• He has innovative ways cuts costs--tent city, bologna lunches, etc.
• His ALPHA program is helps inmates overcome substance abuse issues. Inmates who complete the classes and graduate have a very low recidivism rate meaning they rarely come back to jail for breaking the law again.
• Liberals hate him (which usually means he's doing something right).

How I Intend To Vote: Nonpartisan Races

Maricopa County Special Health Care District
Greg Patterson!

Patterson is precisely the type of person who would do a great job at this! He's a former state legislator, has experience working with the Corporation Commission, is a CPA, and is working on a law degree. He understands how local government works--who the players are, how to get things done, etc. Most importantly he is guided by solid principles of good government. A real conservative, he will make sure your tax money is put to good use. Wanna know how and what he thinks? His blog (the top political blog about Arizona politics) http://espressopundit.com/ has a few years of his philosophy and opinions up for public view.

Mesa School Governing Board Members
Unsure.
I really can't find a lot of info on these candidates. And I've made the mistake before of voting for the respected family friend only to later be very disappointed in that person's judgement while in office. Do any of you have the DL on who would really be good at this job? (Am I really cool enough to use texting shorthand like "DL"?) Please share!

What does the school board do? The Mesa Schools website explains it.

I've read the statements from the candidates, but, with the exception of Kate Ali'Varius, the statements are all very general and didn't help me get to the nitty-gritty. I know someone who knows Ben Whiting and says that he's a good guy. I've seen blog comments from Lance Entrekin that indicate his political conservatism. Steven Peterson is endorsed by current board member Lynn Burnham, so that may be enough for me to vote for Peterson.

Thankful Day Two: Food

Sometimes I get excited when I think about all of the great things there are in the world to eat. I mean, think about the variety: orange chicken, raspberry sorbet, pesto sauce, enchiladas.... There are really more things to eat than I could ever even try in my lifetime.

Hungry?

Dynamic

Their real identities will remain a secret.





If I told you this was them visiting their grandma and grandpa Smith (and Courtney here) am I giving too much away? Well, at least they have Robo-Dog here to protect them if anyone figures out who they really are.