Thankful Thirty #7 (Election Day)

I watched my 18-year-old neighbor cast his first-ever election ballot today and it nearly made me teary.  Over the years I've known him to be a typical teenager-arguing with his parents a lot of the time, pushing the boundaries they have set, and insisting that he's an adult and can make his own decisions even though he's still in high school.  Seeing him truly come of age and make such a mature decision to exercise the right to make his citizen's voice heard was heartening.  

I myself felt the weight that comes with having my personal choice make a difference on election day.  After trying for years to fully understand the electoral college v. popular vote, I will admit it still is a little shady to me.  BUT, I KNOW it is important to make sure my choice and preferences are heard.

Most people who know me will not be surprised when I say the presidential race did not go the way I had been hoping for.  I want to make it really clear that I am not a straight-ticket republican-I had a real struggle deciding which candidate to support in our national Senate race today, and even as I type shortly before midnight, I'm anxiously awaiting the results for our new congressional district, where my preference is for the Democratic candidate.  But I did believe Mitt Romney had a clearer vision and belief in the America that I want to live in.  

I am not going to be angry,though.  I'm not going to let my fears get in the way of my faith.  Instead, tonight I was reminded by the Holy Ghost that President Thomas S. Monson, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the living prophet of the Lord today, is still valiantly guiding us to live righteously.  The Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are still special witnesses of Jesus Christ and are still striving to spread His message of love and service to all the citizens of the world.  I believe President Dieter F. Uchtdorf when he says,

“Our fate and the fate of our world hinge

 on our hearing and heeding the revealed word of God to His children.”

Whether you voted for Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, whether you exercised your right to vote or stayed at home, whether you woke up this morning with renewed hope or a hesitation over the unknown, I want you to know that my eyes are still firmly looking towards the Lord.  Regardless of which side you are on, know that the Lord has promised great blessings on THIS country.  OUR country.  The United States of America.  Our responsibility?  Our best hope of one day seeing her take her full reward?  Live righteously.  Follow His commandments.  Serve your neighbor more than yourself.  Seek not for riches, but for treasures in Heaven.

I am grateful we can still hope in an America that is great. 

 We, the people, can make it great!

Unfamiliar with 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and it's teachings?

I hope the links I've provided above will help to answer some of your questions.

Thankful Thirty #6 (The Military)

Source: Uploaded by user via Michelle on Pinteres

As the nation focuses today on the election of our commander in chief, let's not forget the men and women who bravely and selflessly put their lives in harm's way to guarantee we will always have the freedoms we now enjoy.  

I'm grateful for the good influence the military has been in the lives of my friends who've served.

A Moment Before Election Day

"I have faith in America...I plead with you not to preach pessimism.  Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world.  This is the favored land.  This is the land of our forefathers.  It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through."

-Harold B. Lee

Please pray before entering your voting booth on Tuesday!

I'm grateful my one vote can make a difference in my local, state, and national election.

Uniquely December: Bill of Rights Day (and In My Heart On Thursday, as well)

Our Bill of Rights...have you read them recently?

A Little Piece of Paper Defines Me

My passport has expired.  I'd lost my driver's license and was hunting for the legal documents I needed to replace it when I came across the well-worn little blue book.  I opened it up to take a mini-trip down memory lane and instantly felt a dagger of pain tear through my traveling soul.  I let out a scream and started to cry.  My husband came running to see what was the matter and then stood in a stupor fearing I'd finally completely lost my mind.  I felt like my life was over.

The truth is that my life has been changing.  I've noticed over the past few months that my travel-planning is more of an afterthought.  The dreams are constantly in my mind, but the opportunities pass and I'm left reflecting on how I let practicality or financial responsibility make the decision for me.  Where in the past I would have spent the last two months spontaneously road-tripping, the farthest I've actually been is 2 hours from home on a Sunday afternoon.  It's a numb feeling inside of me that normally would have me kicking and screaming.  Instead I'm resigning to my current reality.

Which is not to say that all is lost for me!  I've written before about the big plans my family has for traveling. That dream is still alive and well.  And to reawaken the life-breath inside of me, I'm going to share the latest rendition of our plans with you...

I recently discovered that kindergarten is not required in the state of Utah.  This is wonderful news for me!  Our little boy Beck will be old enough to start school  in September 2012, one year from now, and so that has become our target date for packing up and leaving.  Rather than loading up with notebooks and pencils, his backpack will be full of maps and traveling activities (he is adorably in love with reading maps and telling us the way).

We're going to go east first for a stay with my family in the Midwest and a chance for my husband to work and make a little more money before leaving the country.  After that the world is wide open for 9 months of traveling.  Right now we're thinking to spend a month at a time divided between cute comfortable cottage-like rentals and camping;  a temporary home-base where we can get get a feel for community, but also venture out for days at a time and see the most of what there is to see.

More details?  No, not yet.  It's still a year away.  Right now I only have one important job to complete:  Tomorrow's mail will carry my passport renewal form and photos away, along with my 18-month-old son Peyton's first application.  I remember the excitement I felt seeing Beck's photo inside his very own passport, and I know it will be a party the day our mailwoman delivers my travel freedom back to me.

I promise future posts on where we're going to go, how we'll make sure Beck gets his kindergarten education on the road, and many other travel-related topics that get me smiling.  Until then, I'd love to hear anything you have to say!

Happy Independence Day!

“I am certain that, however great the hardships and the trials which loom ahead, 

our America will endure and the cause of human freedom will triumph”

-Cordell Hull, Secretary of State 1933-1944

American and Free

I cry when the flag goes by.  I try to stop, to hold it in, but the tears escape every time.  I still love parades like a little kid, and that is the reason why; a community joined together in reverence to salute the essence of what it is to live in our country.

Sunday I attended the Freedom Festival Patriotic Service in Provo, UT.  My family and 15,000 of our closest friends gathered together for 90-minutes of independence-focused singing and dancing.  One of my favorite songs is the Armed Forces Medley.  I only have one relative that ever served in the military and he never speaks about it.  It is touching beyond description to watch as members of each branch of the service stand proudly to receive the recognition they deserve.  I love to watch the eldest veterans and their wives and their generations of family.  And I especially love to see our current or recently discharged soldiers standing at full salute with all the seriousness upon their faces that that office holds.  If I managed to hold in the waterworks during the presenting of the colors, I guarantee you my mascara is running by the time this song ends.

The entertainment on Sunday was enjoyable, but I will forever remember the more serious event of the evening.  An audience of grateful Americans watched as the flag of the fallen soldier was ceremonially folded and presented to the mother of fallen Army Chief Warrant Office 3 Matthew G. Wagstaff.  She has been dealing with the grief that comes with losing a son for 10 months now, but not a person experiencing that moment with her would have denied the opportunity to take that burden away from her.

I cannot put into words the degree of gratitude and sadness I felt as I watched her stand with composure while tears streamed down her face.  Every American who has not experienced the sacrifice of military life personally owes it to themselves to be in a place where they can witness an event similar to this.  I will never have another day when I get out of bed and take for granted the acts of  courageous selflessness enacted on my behalf each day.

And, so, we move closer and closer to the 2011 celebration of the United States' Independence Day.  If you have a soldier in your midst, please reach out in any way you can to give them a hug and thank them for me, and for my children, and my neighbors, and every person walking free around me.  If you do not have that special privilege, try this week-try hard-to make put yourself in a place that will make the cost of freedom real to you and your family.  You'll never regret that you did!