Saturday Is a Cleaning Day

This week I've been helping my husband transcribe interviews from his month in Jordan. It is how I put myself through college and while I really hate it, there is always someone who needs it done and I've found myself doing lots of transcription since graduation more then five years ago. There is high demand for the skill and the pay is usually good but when you are doing it as a favor for you husband the monetary pay might not be good but the fringe benefits are excellent. Dr. J decided to keep me motivated he'd offer me a dinner out for every tape I finish. He also stays home and keeps a loose eye on the kids. He transcribes downstairs while they run around him like little banshees and I transcribe four times as fast upstairs. Finally there is the household chores. This week we've really gotten behind. When you are working, your husband is transcribing and trying to finish his proposal, and your kids are being "loosely" watched well your house starts to look unloved pretty fast. Yesterday Dr. J said tomorrow is going to be a cleaning day. And just like he called it today was a cleaning day and Dr. J was leading the charge. Let's just say I like cleaning the house when my husband is helping.

7 Years Today...

As November begins I have to prepare myself for the rush of emotion I feel during all of our "winter anniversaries". Today is the 7 year anniversary of Dr. J and my first date*. Dr. J claims I'm overly sentimental which is why I remember these dates, but the truth is it is so easy to remember because it was exactly 15 days before his birthday the anniversary of our first kiss. Let's just say we had a birthday kiss that went a little too long. What did we do on this momentous occasion...we watched videos on campus my roommates and I had made with our entire ward and then we watched a movie on my couch and held hands. It was all very awkward in the way these things always are. It wasn't the speed of course, I'll be honest, fast was my style**. The awkwardness was just meeting someone new and seeing how you fit. The surprise came when I realized I actually really liked my hubby and I wasn't just getting a kick out of the fact that someone new liked me***, in fact I liked my hubby a lot, and that feeling never went away. Here is to awkward moments on the couch, that led to more awkward moments, that eventually led to true love and eternal bliss!

*When I say date I mean that in a very open sense of the word. It was more just hanging out since let's face it, Dr. J was dating many ladies at the time and he had to make his small cash pile go as far as it could.

**In fact there was an apartment of boys who once made a bet on how many WEEKS they thought my latest fling (not with my hubby) would last.

***Dr. J claims I was in love with him even before I realized I liked him. He's probably right. The only time he came over to my house to study before we had our first date, I kept rubbing his foot with my own foot under the counter. It was really embarrassing because I swear I didn't mean to do it. It just sort of kept happening. Another one of those awkward moments. The same day we got in an argument and I sent him a card to say I was sorry. I've read it. It is puke-o-rific. He still has it tucked away and he calls me the sentimental one. Also that same day I told my roommate I was going to marry him one day to bug her because she thought he was too serious.

The King is Home...

The Queen is Happy.

Clean Room

I've had it. How do you get a four year old to clean his room. I feel like I'm in a constant power struggle over that piece of land. Right now he is suppose to be getting dressed but he is to busy emptying all his tubs of toys. I need help!

Election Time

Well election time has come and gone and I took G with me to the polls to fulfill my civic duty. We went at eight thirty and it only took about ten minutes total to make it through the line, vote, and turn in our ballot. President wise it really didn't matter who I voted for, I mean for crying out loud I live in Illinois. I could vote for the person who was definitely going to win the state, or the one who wasn't. The choice was mine but to be honest it didn't matter one single bit. I often wonder how the United States would change if electoral votes went proportionate to the number of people voting for each candidate in a state. I mean on this election it wouldn't have mattered. Eight years with W pretty much made the democratic candidate a shew in but in other elections it might. If you were a republican living in my state I'm sure it would encourage you to vote...or a democrat in Arizona. I mean sure there are some swing states but all the rest of us are stuck by the party that rules our state. Speaking of the party that rules my state...have I ever mentioned how ridiculous my state government is. You want to talk about people who can't get anything done...sheesh. We are basically always in a fight between Springfield who is the capital and Chicago who thinks because of it 's much greater population it should be the capital. We have had more former governors linked with corruption then any place I've ever lived. We have a current governor who besides growing hair seems totally inept and unable to be a team player. We are completely broke and even though our schools are falling apart we are completely incapable of getting people to pass a tax bill to help eduction out. This week they attempted to pass a 1% sales tax increase for education on everything but food, farm equipment, and cars. I know a lot of people are anti tax but it seemed like a decent idea, moving taxes for education away from property tax. It was going to take some of the burden off of property tax and raise a lot of money for our schools, including the money to build in a school in my neighborhood a needed blessing because I live in a state of school of choice, which means you rank your schools and then depending on how close you live to a school and your race you get placed at a school. Basically the way it works out is kids that live closest to schools get a point to go there and kids that are not white get a point to go there. If you are white and don't live close to a school well then good luck. The problem is the kids in my neighborhood don't live close enough to any schools...or I guess I should say the school they live closest to is brand new, but we don't live close enough to get the close to it point so if you are white your chance of getting in are pretty much nil. So you better believe I'm going to put little E's Mexican heritage on the paper but the sad thing is that most kids in my neighborhood end up going to different schools. Which means six buses pick up in my neighborhood everyday and none of the kids know each other very well. What a waste of money. So they proposed this tax and part of the deal was they were going to use the money to build a school in my neighborhood. The land has already been donated they were just waiting for the funding to build. They tried passing a bond to build this school three years ago and of course the voters said no because they didn't want an increase in property tax so they tried something new this year and guess what...IT LOST BY 300 VOTES! Interestingly enough I think quite a few of my friends voted no. I think the rule is if you are republican you just automatically vote no on new taxes :) So who knows my church could be entirely responsible for the failing of this tax. I guess to them it probably doesn't matter either way since most of them will be out of here before their kids start school, but some of us will be here, and for those of us that are we are bummed out. The thing is people always complain about a lack of money for education, but when it comes time to show the money, well few people but the ones who actually have kids in school are willing to do it. There is a reason that in Arizona if they want to pass a bound for a new school they always wait until summer when the snow birds are vacationing else where :)