Facts About Mormons and Prop 8

A friend sent me this, and it I thought it was interesting. So I thought I'd share it here.

Due to the backlash on Prop 8 centered on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a member has put together facts and statistics to show what actually happened with this vote. The anger of the No on 8 people is misdirected and inappropriate, given the facts.

1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.

2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.

4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.

5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.

6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.

7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.

8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).

9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims – all supported Yes on 8.

8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.

10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.

11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church has always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.

12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do – we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.

Proposition 8

I feel that I need to write something about this Proposition 8 thing. It has been much on my mind lately. As I have been reading in the news and on the internet about protests outside of our temples in LA and Oakland I am so greatly surprised, saddened, and shocked at what I've read and seen. I feel I need to speak up for my beliefs and I hope and pray that it will come out in the spirit that it was meant. I'm not going to explain what Prop 8 is or what's been going on in detail, only my reaction to the events. But you should Google it if you don't know or read the news. Also a really great website where a lawyer who has done a lot of research explains the consequences of the Supreme Court's decision in detail. You can find it here. To understand what this measure means, I suggest you go there and read.

My church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or LDS or Mormon Church as it's known was a heavy supporter on passing Proposition 8 to overturn the Supreme Court's ruling that legalized same sex marriage in the state of California. It is our belief that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. And that this bond is a highly sacred one.

Now, this issue is one close to my own heart and was a very hard decision for me, until I researched more closely what it would mean for me and my family. (Again, the above link is great to help you understand.) It was hard for me because my sister is gay. And has been for more than ten years. And I love her dearly. She is one of the smartest, most generous people I know. She is thoughtful and kind. Anyone should want to be like her. And I don't fault her for her choices or her lifestyle. I refuse to judge her. I don't know what it's like to be her, but I do know our Heavenly Father loves each of us. Everyone. Whether they want to except that love or not. So it is not my place to judge those around me unfairly. As I hope I will not be unfairly judged. I hope I will not hurt her with my comments here.

Now, I don't like hurting people's feelings and I am not one to tell other people how to live their lives. I only know how I want to live mine. And if you know me you know I'd rather cut off my own finger before having a confrontation with someone. But there comes a time when you have to draw a line in the sand. And you are either on one side or the other. If I still lived in California (where I grew up until I came to Utah for college and stayed) I would have voted Yes on 8. And not because I don't respect gay and lesbian couples or because I don't think that they should get married. If it was just about marriage I might have voted No. But it was about more than that. If the Supreme Court's ruling had stayed the government would have had the right to teach in schools doctrines that are opposite to what I believe. And as a parent I would have had no right to pull my child from school during this time or have any prior notice of when these things would be taught. And if I did try, I would have been arrested.

In my opinion, it doesn't matter what these doctrines are, though you obviously know what I'm referring to. I hope you'll read more about it in the link above. But I just wanted to share a little of why I would've had to vote yes. Because more than just about marriage, this is about religious freedom. And if we are going to trade one freedom for another, then that is not progress. And this is in part why I am so gravely saddened by the reaction to the passage of Prop 8.

Now, outside our temples, which are greatly sacred to us, people are protesting and waving signs, and climbing the fences, and writing things on the outside of the buildings. An LDS LAPD officer wrote an article about what went on outside the LA temple. It is heartbreaking to me. You can read it here. But basically no one is really stopping them. I can't help but think...if we were Jewish, or Muslim, or even Catholic people being treated like this no one would stand for it. Can you imagine people vandalizing the Vatican? I just can't see it. But there are so many misconceptions about us Mormon's people find it easy to pass judgement. And find it easy to dimiss us as crazy people who "Worship Joseph Smith"(We don't. We believe him to be a Prophet and the founder of our religion, but we worship Jesus Christ and God, the Father and them alone.) Or they dismiss us as polygamists (We are not. We ended that practice 150 years ago. And no...the people on "Big Love" aren't Mormon.) The things that are going on are clearly hate crimes, yet no one cares because we are apparently "biggots", because we stood up for our beliefs.

However, we were not the only church that supported this measure. Catholics, Protestant churches and many other faiths support this belief as well and supported Prop 8 alongside us. And I feel we are being unfairly criticized and condemned as close. Just because someone doesn't believe what you do and you are upset or angry that something did not go your way does not give you the right to physically harm that person or their church or break the law. Last time I checked we as a faith have not vandalized or tried to beat up people who did not share our beliefs. (Even though an extremely slanderous commerical was shown on TV that missionaries do bust in peoples doors and take things. I guarantee that never happened and never will.) I'm not asking for gays and lesbians to stop believing what they believe or even practicing their lifestyle, that is their personal choice. I'm just asking them to allow others to have their beliefs as well.

I guess I'm just disappointed in the people in California right now. Because for all their shouting about equality and tolerance, they're not being very tolerant of us, of our faith or of our sacred places of worship. And I'm shocked that no one seems to see that. I guess I feel like a gay person would feel if they were in high school and someone wrote "faggot" or "queer" or something else worse on their locker or their car. That's not who they are inside and it's hurtful and unnecessary. Essentially that is what's happening to Mormons because we won't appologize for who we are or what we believe. People have defaced our temple and wrote "Liars" and carried signs with "Mormon Scum" or "Joseph Smith Polygamist Pedophile" written on them. All this hatred because people voted for what they believed to be true? We didn't strong arm people. Mormons didn't accompany people to the polls and make sure they voted Yes. We presented the facts. And if you know us, you'd know we wouldn't lie just to get this passed. We didn't need to. And we didn't do it out of malice or out of prejudice.

People are angry and upset and this is a very emotional issue. But this country prides itself on tolerance and acceptance of other cultures, ethnicities, religions. I didn't see that tolerance in any of the articles I've read. So are we going to trade one freedom for another? I worry for this country if we are taking steps in the direction of not allowing our people to practice their religion freely. When bad things happen, like after the Twin Towers were struck down, people seem to turn to God and say how could he have allowed this to happen to us? Well if you keep pushing him away, out of your schools, out of your homes, how can you be upset when he finally takes the hint?

All I can say is that if you're feelings have been hurt by this issue, I'm sorry. So have mine. I would never write anything on someone else's place of worship, no matter their beliefs. And I think that is the main thing that has bothered me. That essentially hate crimes have been tolerated, because those weird Mormon's aren't really people. But we have rights too. Gay people aren't the only people with rights. But if we are to be persecuted for standing up for our principles I will endure it. It is a small price to pay for what I believe. I still believe in this country and in democracy. People voted. The majority won. I'm sorry the majority has made the minority angry. But that is the beauty of democracy. Decisions are made by the people themselves. Maybe in a few years we will be overuled and a similar measure to Prop 8 will allow gay and lesbian couples to marry again. And if that day comes I will not defile their places of worship or hold signs outside the places that they hold dear. But I will pray for them and for our country.

Crazy Lady

So I was working at the hospital the other day. I'm a dietitian at a hospital here in the Salt Lake Valley. And I was up on TCC. Which is a floor that is technically not part of the hospital. Patients move there when they are done with Hospital care but still need hospital care. Doesn't make sense? For example if they had knee surgery and they still need therapy on their knee and nurses to take care of them, but they don't need full hospital benefits and costs.

So anyways, I was talking to this lady and she was clearly crazy. She was telling me how she hadn't gotten any Coumadin since she was at the hospital. Let me just tell you that people on Coumadin need a certain amount every day depending on how much is in their system. The doctor usually test their PT/INR to determine the dosage. So Coumadin is an anticoagulant. It is also known by its generic name, warfarin. Coumadin is, simply put, a "blood thinner". It thins your blood to prevent blood clots from forming. There are several uses that warrant it's use, such as Pulmonary Embolism, Deep Venous Thrombosis, and Atrial Fibrillation to name a few. So this lady was scared that becaues she hadn't had the same dosage every day or because her dose was lower that she was going to have a stroke. (Now let me just tell you that the doctors at the hospital are not imcompetent. The patients get labs everyday and the doctor can easily see how much Coumadin she would need on any given day.) So let me continue with the story.

Okay, so she didn't get any Coumadin for the first two days, then they only gave her .5 and then 1.0 and she needs 2.5 a day! All this according to her. And she is very exasperated telling me this, leaning into my face off her bed. (Where when I walked in she was sitting on the edge of it with her bum cheeks hanging out of her gown. Nice.) And how she told her doctor but all he did was smile, at which point she plasters a joker like grin on her face to show me what the doctor looked like, which was pretty unerving in and of itself. So she's telling me that she needs a new doctor and this one is going to give her a stroke and how she wants me to go check her labs and then figure out how much Coumadin she needs and then tell the doctor to give it to her. The whole time I am pretending to write this down on my paper, but instead am writing...this lady is crazy! And what I'm really trying to do is get out of her is if she's eaten anything. So after the 10 minute Coumading detour I finally get around to asking how the food is to which she replies grumpily..."It's hospital food." (Now for hospital food ours is supposedly very good, we get compliments all the time.) To which I reply...How much of your tray have you been able to get down would you say? To which she tells me, "Less than half." All in a huff with her arms folded like a ten year old. The whole time I'm thinking I gotta get away from this belligerent patient. Then she launches into a story about how the other day they served stew that was really good and the meat was tender but the day before that the meat was all rubbery and she couldn't chew and she does a demonstration chomping her teeth all loud. (Another unerving demonstration.) So I say, well do you like it well done? And she says..."Well I don't like it raw!" I'm thinking, "So there is no pleasing you." So I offer some Ensure to which she also refuses to try because "she's never had it and doesn't know if she'll like it." So ask if she likes chocolate since she has some chocolate cookies on the table. And she says again, "I don't know I've never had it." I'm like..okay have you had chocolate..I see cookies here. Do you like the flavor in general? At his point I'm getting kinda annoyed. Not that you could tell. Then she goes back to the Coumadin thing. That's when I threw in the towel. I said.."Okay, well I will go talk to your doctor right now and then I will work things out in my office if I can. I will be back later." Did I come back? No...why? Because she was crazy. And because I cannot change a dosage of medicine that her doctor is giving her! I'm a dietitian not a pharmacist! Anyhow...it's always a different day at the hospital.

Like one time I went into this other room and the guy in there had been having diarrhea. He was an 85 year old that had been constipated so he gave himself a salt water enema and had been diarrhea-ing ever since! So I asked how he was doing, if he still had any nausea or vomiting. He said no... but then all of a sudden he was like.."oohhhhh..my butt hurts!" like he was passing a stool right there. And then he says excuse me and grabs a tissue and starts to go under the blanket. Faster than you can say "GROSS!" I was like "I'll come back later!" and was out the door. So it's always glamorous at the hospital. But I like doing it. It never gets old and it's always fun to have the crazies it makes your day interesting.

BEAR Necessities

So today, John and I are in the car on our way to show our townhome to some potential renters and in the car there's an ad on the radio. It's some grocery store ad, but it sounds like they've taken some old song clips from somewhere and inserted them into the ad. To me it sounded exactly like Johnny Cash, like one of his old CD's I have. I knew that I knew the song from somewhere, and it sounded exactly like him, and usually you can't mistake his deep voice and twangy songs. Just to say now, though that I was wrong and I'm lame, the song was "Bare Necessities." Maybe you know where that's from.

So, to John, I say, "Oh, that's Johnny Cash, funny."

And he looks at me like I'm kinda crazy and is like..."No it's not," very matter of factly.

And I won't relent, because I always have to be right. (Ya I can admit it, I'm a know it all.)
So I persist, "Ya it is, it's an old Johnny Cash song, I know it."

To which he replies with an even more annoyed tone and a look that says you're retarded, "No it's not, it's THE JUNGLE BOOK!"

To which I realize that he's totally right and burst out laughing, because I knew that I knew the song from somewhere! I totally used to watch that cartoon when I was little with the fat bear singing the "BEAR Necessities!" LOL. I just thought it was so funny, I had to share it. I was sure it was Johnny Cash, like I know everything. And then John goes and pin points exactly what it is. And the way he said it was so just rude and hilarious. But of course he knew what it was, it was a cartoon! His area of expertise! hahahahaha.

Anyways...that's all. Have a magical day. So the next time you think you're TFC like I did, hopefully you have someone to tell you that...you're not.

Weird Ads...Sorry

By the way...sorry about some of the ads on my page. I was trying out Adsense with Google, and I need to figure out how to not allow some less than stellar ads, namely Dirty Girls, Picture Women, Cute Women...supposedly they're tailored to your audience and I assume they got some of this stuff from my subject matter. But it has definitely been misconstrued. So my apologies. I am not in favor of gross stuff like that.

Walmart, Heavyset Older Women and Vampire Love Stories

So I go to Walmart the other day...which I basically try to avoid, because here in Utah all you find there are really cheap people, who basically annoy the crap out of me. And there's usually a ton of people there even at like three in the afternoon. And I hate waiting in line. No let me rephrase...I loathe waiting in line. Especially when I have only one thing to buy. So, back to being at Walmart. I roll in there in the 100 degree heat, heft the baby's two ton car seat out of the car into the shopping cart, roll into Walmart and get my book.

Let me just interject for a second. I was there to purchase the fourth book in the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, who went to BYU. Yes she's mormon. A mormon wrote a love story about vampires...actually four books worth of one. And I'd just like to say that I basically was super hooked and I read the first three books in like a week. That's like 4200 pages, give or take. (Yes...I know what you're thinking...and yes, I am a gifted reader...okay, okay AND writer...now stop flattering me.) So I go to pick up this fourth book, which I have now finished, in a day and a half...and it was really good. But I'd just like to say that the second two books were pretty much crap. They were a means to an end, a way to make a little more money for herself. Kind of drawn out in my opinion. And let's face it...New Moon was painful...there's really no other word to describe it, besides well...painstaking...torturous really. The only good part was like the last two chapters. But I will say that everything comes together quite well in the fourth book and I have to say Meyer is a better writer than I thought. But she's no J.K. Rowling, or J.R.R Tolkien. That's all I'll say.

Back to Walmart. So I roll in, pick up my book off the table under the canopy where the night before they had a huge party for this thing to come out. Team Jacob...Team Edward...all that crap, with cakes and face painting and people dressed up. It really brought out the crazies. (We happened to be there getting a high chair with John's parents...but I digress.) So I grab my book, and get in line...but the line is way way long in the express...so I decide to try another one. I end up down at the very far end by all the food, where I see a really short line at the checkout. One person, almost done! So I start making a bee line for it. And this is where my annoyance with Walmart customers gets justified. Out of the corner of my eye I see an older lady, coming out of the clothes section just a few feet in front of me. I know instinctively that she's ready to go to the check out. So I step up the pace, as nonchalantly as possible, edging just in front of her, but subtly. But she doesn't give up! She's coming on fast and hard! I peer back to the left and she's still there, gaining. We both knew we wanted that checkout. I slide in behind the lady that's already there and she's beat! But then she found one with no one at the check out in front of mine and she was checking out before me! I was so annoyed. I felt like we were little kids racing our go carts, except I am a 24 year old mom and she was a heavyset sixty something year old lady, just giving it our all to get to the check out first. Now I will readily admit that I was acting like a lame Walmart customer that I hate. But that's why I hate Walmart! Because it turns me into that shovey, cheap person that I can't stand. I feel like I'm Utah County all over again for crying out loud! I get infected with the bad attitude. But in that second, I just had to get to the checkout first! I had stuff to do, and being in line for a minute more would have killed me, wouldn't it? And for the split second that I thought that I won, I felt pretty good...that I beat a sixty year old fat lady to the checkout. But in my defense, I had a baby carrier in my cart. That adds like 20 pounds, and not to mention much less maneuverability.

I got in, I got my cheap thirteen dollar hardback of Breaking Dawn, and I got out...sidestepping the lines, and faster than an old lady...okay at the same time. And I only got a little poor on me.

Facebook Stalker

Okay, so I have a confession to make. I am a facebook stalker. Well, maybe stalker is too strong of a word. Let me re-phrase...I am addicted to looking at people's pictures on facebook...and sometimes reading wall posts...and reading picture comments...okay also taking quizzes, adding new applications to my page, changing my mood, commenting on other people's pictures, reading everyone's status, and basically everything else you can do on facebook, including buying my friends for money on Owned! Ya so I don't know if that's more than most people do on facebook, but I can seriously get lost on there for so long!

This is how it starts...I log on. I look at my mini-feed, which usually has a fair amount of stuff on it. For example, the other day mini feed told me that this one friend I have made a certain comment on one of their friends photos. So I check out the photo more closely, because I just happen to have this curiosity for people and their lives...I don't even have to know them. Before I know it ten minutes has gone by and I have looked at all of this person's pictures (this is the person that I don't even know...the friend of a friend...). This person wasn't even like a cool person, it was an older person, married with kids, and it seemed like they had been re-married. So I find myself wondering as I'm looking at these pictures...who are these people? What are their lives like? I wonder if his first wife died or if they got a divorce. I also noticed that his kids were much cuter than the new wife's kids...then I found myself thinking...that must suck for the uglier ones, especially since two of them were in the same grade. And I'm thinking all this just from looking at some random person's photos. Finally I snap out of my facebook stalker trance and realize, who cares about these people. Then I decided I did and I wanted to know more, just because. I still had unanswered questions. Then I decided I was crazy and I needed to look at some pictures of people I knew, to erase the previous weird behavior of looking at some random strangers pictures. I did and it helped me feel normal again.

But I have another confession. I always look at wedding pictures. If anyone ever comments on someone's wedding, I have to look at the pictures. I have to see if my dress was better or my flowers were better, or my bridesmaids had on more tasteful and elegant outfits. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. But for the most part it makes me happy with my nuptials and my photographer. And somehow by ripping on the ugly brides or poor wedding dress choices, I feel a little bit better about myself. (I know, I know...) Mind you, I'm only doing this in my own head. No one ever hears what I think about these pictures, well until now. And most of you probably think I am a total B at this point. But really who cares. You know you do it. I guarantee each and every one of you have looked at people's pictures on facebook that you don't know. And have wondered what their life was like, or been jealous of the fun they were having on that boat, or how great they looked on their wedding day, or how happy they seemed partying with their friends. Don't lie, you know you have.

That's the beauty of Facebook, it lets you look into through the window into other people's lives, which helps you think about what you might be missing, or what you know you can live without, or how glad you are about your present situation. And it's kinda fun to see what those people are doing with their lives. People you used to have real relationships with, or people you still do. It's a connection, real or imaginary with those around you. And I find that when I am home all day with a baby, I like that connection. And I admit that for the most part, those that I've known for a long time, I am usually just happy for them when I see pictures of weddings and engagements and boyfriends and babies. It makes me happy to see the successes in their lives. I save the petty callousness for people that I don't know.

Also, I'm really bad at keeping in touch with people who are far away. I don't know why. Maybe it's due to my fear of confrontation. The longer you don't talk to someone, the longer the convo has to be, and then it might be awkward at first and then you have to talk forever...yada yada yada. I pretty much psych myself out. But with facebook, I can leave a nice wall post, short and sweet or whatever else.

So when you post your pictures or make your comments, I'm most likely watching...and I'm happy for you. Okay and possibly a little jealous, or making fun of you, just a little bit.

Tae Bo...where there's a will there's a way!

So...I love my baby. He is precious and magical. But labor and delivery sucked. What's more, the after effects of pregnancy are just downright depressing. Especially right after. I mean you're all puffy, you're in pain, you're tired. It's like you just went through the most traumatizing yet wonderful experience, and then you have to take care of this whole other person. And you're so worried about them. Every little cough and sound they make you worry. And if they don't make any sounds you worry. After 3 months, the worry lessens as they grow and you know they are tougher than before, but still...you worry. I mean, this worrying...I don't think it will every go away. On top of all this...you're body is like wrecked. At least at first. (Happily most things go back to normal, but not at first.) You come home and you still look pregnant but you're not...so basically you're just fat. It's sort of a let down. No clothes fit, except your dreaded maternity clothes, which you are so sick of by now you would fuel your own bonfire with them given the chance.

Now, I love my husband, and I think boys are great. They're sweet. But sometimes you just want to strangle them. I mean, they eat anything they want and they don't change, or retain water, or look any different. And if they want to lose weight, they stop drinking soda for a week and lose like ten pounds. Like my brother...he's like "I think I lost weight this week, I wonder why?" Then he realizes..."Oh it's cause I mixed in some salads." Riiiiight. Or they just stay fat and no one cares, especially not you, because guys can be fat and still be cute. Infuriating. But us women, we have the babies, are required to gain obscene amounts of weight while pregnant and then are expected to shed this weight immediately after we shoot the kid out, and do it while taking care of a new baby. I mean we pressure ourselves really because who doesn't want their husband to be stoked on them still? Not only do we go through all the pains of pregnancy and endure the changing of our bodies, the weight gain, and the water retention, but then we are expected to look hot again as soon as possible, because let's face it, being a girl and being fat will never be cute. Not the way a little pudge around the sides or a tummy is on a boy. I don't know maybe I'm the only person that thinks that's cute. But I digress...my point is I think we have it harder than the men in the body department and they will never really understand. But at the same time, I wouldn't give up the experience of carrying my child for the world. It has made me stronger in ways I can't express and I know I am healthier because of the exercise that I am forcing myself to do. And I don't think I'd like it if roles were reversed...let's be honest...boy parts are kinda weird. I don't think I'd like having one.

Myself, I am doing Tae Bo day in and day out, drinking a vat of water a day, and trying to eat just enough to make the milk I need for my child and nourish me enough to make it through the day. I'm gonna share something...when I'm doing my workout...I cry sometimes. Ya not because I'm sad, but because it's so freaking hard that I have to cry, maybe swear a little, all the while dripping sweat and listening to Billy Blanks tell me that "Where there's a will there's a way...and You gotta give a little to get a little..." Sometimes I pretend I'm punching the people in the video. You know those workout video people...they are soooo annoying aren't they? All peppy and yelling "yah" and jumping around like they are so excited and energetic and not even tired, while you are curled up in the fetal position in front of the TV. I guess when you watch something over and over it starts to seriously grate on your nerves, and coupled with physical pain and suffering you get extremely annoyed. At least I do.

I'm proud to say that despite hating the people on the video I have lost 45 pounds in 3 months and hopefully am losing more as we speak. I am fitting into my jeans again...which is really the only thing that is important to me. That and fixing my now National Geographic boobs (courtesy of breast feeding) some day. So I have ten more pounds to go before I will have lost the 55 that I gained while pregnant. Ya I said 55...look don't judge until you've been there. Where there's a will, there's a way.

Just One More Whine About Pregnancy

So I have to gripe about pregnancy just a bit more. Since what I thought was bad has now graduated to much worse. I thought I was swollen, but that was until my feet started to look like the feet of a cartoon character, or a baby. You know, how the toes come out of the middle of the foot if you look at it from the side, instead of the bottom. And recently I have brought new meaning to the word kankles. Just call me Fred Flinstone. In all honesty, my feet aren't always that swollen, but on the days I eat something mildly salty or don't drink enough water they are. Ya I have to sit down in the shower to shave my legs now. I can't reach down that far...stomach is way too big. And the first showings of stretch marks are rearing their ugly heads down below my belly button. It'll definitely be a while before I can bring sexy back that's for sure. Not to mention I haven't seen my feet or my you know what while standing in a good month or two. And you haven't really lived until you've had the pleasure of waking up every two hours with cotton mouth from having to breath with your mouth open because your nose is clogged. As well as having to pee each time as well. And you can ask John about my snoring. Apparently it's as deafening as his, one time I found him out on the couch because he couldn't fall asleep with my nose symphony playing out next to him. I felt pretty bad but there's really nothing I can do about it. I basically always fall asleep before him now. I never last past the first fifteen to twenty minutes of a movie anymore. But I am excited. And every time I feel the baby squirm around I get a little more ready for him. Even though now I get his butt shoved up into my ribs daily and have a harder and harder time breathing as my lung capacity is compressed. But we have almost finished the nursery and everything is pretty much ready for the little guy to arrive. I find myself going in there just to look around and picture how things will be. The cute thing is, as scared about it as I know John is, just tonight I was in the kitchen and I saw the light go on in the baby's room. I thought John was changing, but then I heard the little lullaby on the mobile turn on and John didn't emerge for a good five minutes. That melted my heart. It's good to know he's excited too and that even though sometimes I feel like I'm going through all the pain and sacrifice, we're in this together. And I'm so happy that I am able to go through these pains and sacrifice to have our baby for me and for John. So I guess I have to remember that the body I will have is that of a mother, and that is a pretty noble thing. Although, let's hope I can turn it into a smokin' hot mom body after this is done. Ya...amen to that.

Guitar Heroes Everywhere I Salute You

So I am about to eat some crow as I write this blog. I should really start at the very beginning. A long time ago when no one really knew what guitar hero was, or I didn't at least, one of my friends had this roomate who was, let's just say it...really weird. I mean the kid acted weird, he looked weird, he was just awkward typical nerdy kid. Well more than just typical nerdy... but anyways, I digress. Anyhow when a bunch of us would come over to watch 24 on Mondays, this kid would sometimes be in the front room playing guitar hero. And we would rip on him mercilessly (not to his face of course), but I mean... along the lines of "what is up with that kid and his little toy guitar and why is he always acting like he's rocking out?" "He's so weird." Sometimes it was all I could do to suppress the laughter upon entrance to the apartment. On that note, we just bought guitar hero. And I have to say it is seriously fun. Basically I have been playing for at least 2 to 3 hours a day. I'm without a doubt addicted to rocking out on my little toy guitar. And I realize those odd jerks of the guitar that I thought so funny when that nerdy kid was playing are actually necessary to get bonus points. And after you do those moves, the crowd roars for you and it actually feels pretty good. It almost makes you feel like...dare I say it...a hero?! The beauty of it is that it never gets old, because you can always up the difficulty level if you find yourself bored. I play on medium now and I have to say my raw talent for this game is awe inspiring. I even beat John. I credit this talent to years of playing the cello and moving my fingers and wrist in odd ways. So as John shakes out his hand, wrist and fingers after each song he plays, I feel no pain. I can play for hours and the satisfaction I get after finishing a song and achieving the high score is almost euphoric. But even more than the score is the pure joy in hitting all the notes and feeling like you're actually playing a real song on your guitar. John is playing as I'm writing this and it's safe to say I'm still better. I know this because my records are in tact. That's basically why I'm down here. To ensure they stay that way. Usually I suck at all video games so I feel no guilt in my triumph over him at this one. Normally I won't even allow myself to play them at all, because they are a waste of time. The only way I can justify this one is that I'm supposed to be laying down as much as possible (because I'm 8 and half months prego..and ya) doctors orders. And I can only study for the RD exam for so long before I go crazy. So this is a nice little release. And the days have never gone by faster. That in and of itself is worth it's weight in gold, since the last month of your pregnancy usually drags pretty hard core. Or so I've noticed. Anyways...I'd just like to say that I am now that nerdy kid, aside from the weird looking face and general lack of social skills. So keep the power ballads coming. And guitar heroes everywhere...I salute you.