Thanksgiving in Arizona

We hadn't planned on going anywhere for Thanksgiving, but at the last minute my family decided to make the drive down to my grandparents in Arizona and we decided to join them.  Jason couldn't take any extra time off work so we drove as far as Page after he got off Wednesday.  Then, after a sleepless night with baby, we got up before dawn so that we could make it to Eden before the big Thanksgiving meal.  We made it just in time and added to the gathered crowd.  The McKinleys had also driven down so most of the cousins slept out in the garage.  Leila loved being out of the car and ran around constantly.  She also liked looking out the window at their two dogs.  On Friday we drove into Safford for lunch and did a little bit of shopping.  We hit Pima Freeze for some treats and then stopped by the cotton gin for a tour given by the manager (Grandpa Steve).  We stayed in Eden until Saturday morning when we headed into Phoenix to visit with the Perkins and Sorensens.

We got there Saturday afternoon and had a great time visiting (when we weren't chasing down Leila) until the girls wanted to go swim in our hotel's pool.  So we all got our gear on and hung out by the pool for a little while.  Unfortunately the pool was already in the shade by the time we got there so it was a little chilly, but the hot tub was nice!  Leila on the other hand loved kicking her feet in the pool but wanted nothing to do with the hot tub.  She would curl her legs up under her every time I tried to dip her feet in.  When we got back to their house, we made and thoroughly enjoyed some yummy kabobs on their back patio.  The night only ended when Leila was walking around like a zombie child but wouldn't fall asleep.

It was a rough car ride for Leila this time around, but I'm glad we made the effort!

Snow Play

This weekend we've been staying at my parents' house to help housesit/be with Annie while they went to Florida for an early anniversary trip.  And they left just in time too because we got our first big snow storm of the year with a final tally of about 9 inches.  Leila looked out the window at the falling snow and exclaimed, "Wo!  Wo!  Wo!  Wow!"

So I decided to go buy her a snowsuit so that I could take her out for a bit.  Only I didn't want to spend money on one just for this year since I know we won't be going out much.  So I got one big enough to fit next year too and rolled up the sleeves and pant legs.  She looked (and walked) like the kid from A Christmas Story!

She only lasted in 10 minute intervals (and it took three times that long to get her dressed with 3 of us working on it), but she had a blast.  She liked face planting into the snow so that she could eat it (I had trapped her hands with gloves so that was the only way she could get to it).

A (Not-so) Brief Pause for Politics

Yesterday was the day I have anticipated for over 3 years.  Yesterday was the day Decision 2012 FINALLY came to an end!  I am not a politically minded person and this presidential campaign has driven me particularly insane.  All of the mudslinging and bad mouthing had me longing for a candidate like George Washington who was reluctant to serve in office and yet ran unopposed because he was so widely admired.  Don't get me wrong.  I proudly cast my vote last night and am extremely grateful that I live in a country that allows me that privilege.  BUT I strongly feel that the presidential election is way too over hyped  and becoming more so all of the time (chances are good that I'll start hearing about 2016 far sooner than I deem tasteful).

And yet, I am disappointed with yesterday's results.  Yes , I voted for Romney.  However, I am not as disappointed with the fact that he didn't win as I am with the flood of negativity, pessimism, and hostility that swarmed my Facebook newsfeed this morning (obviously the majority of my friends tend towards the same side of the political spectrum as I do).  Everyone is throwing their hands up in the air and exclaiming that Americans just killed the Constitution  and we are all doomed.  There were two statuses that rang true with how I feel:

Wise friend #1-"My proposal: nobody can proclaim on Facebook how our country is ruined unless they can identify their congressional representative and at least one senator.  Calm down the melodrama, take a deep breath, take a look at the Constitution, and realize that a president you disagree with is not enough to destroy the republic or the economy."

The president is just a man.  A man with power?  Sure.  But a man with the power to single-handedly destroy everything that America stands for?  Hardly.  I remember from back in the days of elementary school and School House Rock that the American government is a three-ring circus and "No one part can be more powerful than any other is.  Each controls the other you see, and that's what we call checks and balances."  And yet there are two branches of government that are sadly neglected by the vast majority of American voters.

Wise friend #2- "One of my least favorite parts of political opinion is the extreme hyperbole that so many people take it to-so I don't think one candidate over another would have saved or doomed America.  I think they both want to do what they think is best for the nation, they just both have very different ideas of what that best is.  I know that it was my duty to vote for who I felt best represented my own idea of what is best for us-but the real determination of whether we face damnation or redemption is more completely controlled in how each of us as citizens live our daily lives.  How we contribute for good or evil in our homes, communities and relationships both with people we know and citizens we share this world with makes all the difference.  So I vote to be a positive, responsible and considerate contributor to society in the best way I know how."

No president is, was, or ever will be perfect if only because people aren't perfect.  And the people in the nation they represent certainly aren't perfect.  For example, one of the major points of this election was the national debt.  I will not deny that Obama has substantially added to that deficit, but it's not like he started with an account that was in the black either.  America has been overspending for decades.  I feel that the recent rate of increase reflects the way many individual Americans are spending their money--the amount of individual credit card debt has also risen substantially in the last four years.  Many Americans have adopted a philosophy of "play now, pay later" in their personal finances, doesn't it stand to reason that that would also leak over into government spending?

I also feel that it is important to note that drastic change takes time--often much longer than 4 years.  Abraham Lincoln has gone down in history as the president that freed the slaves and yet it wasn't until decades later that the descendants of that group were granted their civil rights.  More than just laws had to change.  The mentality of the people had to change.  So, if you are unhappy with the way this country is headed, take a look inward and see what you can do to become more like the ideal person you would like to see in the White House.  I have.  And now I've gotten a two-month head start on my New Year's Resolutions!

God Bless the USA!