The Results of Feel-Good-ism

Here is a fascinating article, applicable to my generation, where self-esteem education has taken precedence over academics.

“[S]elf-esteem is important to healthy development . . . But empty praise – the kind showered on many kids years ago in the name of self-esteem – did more harm than good.”

Examples: Every kid gets a trophy, regardless of their sports performance. Teachers are taught the evils of using red ink, because it will allegedly hurt kids’ feelings. (Some also say grammar and spelling errors should be overlooked for the same reason.)

This, according to the article, has resulted in these kids growing up with an inflated sense of self, and also an inability to cope with the real world (i.e., college and the work force) where at first moment of constructive criticism, they crumble.

Scatter-Brained

Since all of you, I’m sure, want to know every single detail of my pregnant life (ha!), I will chronicle for you the latest episode: Experiencing Symptoms of Absentmindedness.

As I said yesterday, it was an interesting day, full of unexpected negative things. As a result, I became very flustered. They say that pregnant women tend to be absentminded anyway, but I think the day’s events triggered this symptom even more so. Lately I’ve been doing really scary things. On my way to a friend’s house last night for a “spa” party (kind of like a Pampered Chef party, but even better ‘cuz you get a foot-soak and a facial, which I really needed last night), I got lost . . . twice. The funny thing is that I’ve been to this friend’s house a hundred times before! I kept getting mixed up and forgot all the names of the streets. On my way home, I felt like things were under control. Suddenly I noticed that the landmarks on the side of the road didn’t look very familiar. I glanced up at the street sign at a stop light and realized I was on the wrong street, many miles away from where I was supposed to be. A twenty-minute drive home ended up taking forty minutes! (My driving is already bad, without adding any absentmindedness to the equation.) If this weren’t bad enough, I also feel like I’ve been spilling things more often lately. And I’ve been forgetting basic, elementary information – like the names of people I should know. Ugh. This is one symptom of pregnancy that I absolutely didn’t expect.

One of those days . . .

It’s been one of those dramatic days where I want to go out and do something drastic. Like sky dive or get a tattoo. Maybe I’ll just settle for a new hair-do instead.

We did have a lovely weekend, though. Our friends, the Fears, came up from Fresno to stay with us for a few days. Peter and Kevin attended the state GOP convention and Debra and I hung out with their two little kids, Hannah and Daniel. Hannah just turned two. She is very adorable. (Understatement.) She is also very smart. She can identify shapes like parallelograms, trapezoids, and pentagons. Apparently, her mom said, she got bored with ordinary shapes, like triangles and squares, and needed a new challenge. She also knows exactly who her governor is. It was funny to hear her say "Arnold Schwarzenegger!"

This past weekend I got a snapshot of just how dramatically my life is going to change in just five short months. All you young moms out there are going to groan at my ignorance . . . but I forgot all about the fact that little kids need so many naps! At this current stage in life, Kevin and I have absolutely no set schedule. We pick up and go whenever we want and we often take day trips or weekend trips. Will all of this come to a complete halt next July? I realize that parenthood doesn’t leave room for selfishness. But I’m now understanding just how selfless I’m going to have to be.

Some of you reading the above paragraph probably think I’m a very myopic person. I guess I could pretend to be an extremely godly person and just shut up and not reveal my true thoughts. Or, perhaps, lie to you and say that I’m looking forward to leading a quieter life. If I said that, you’d probably think more highly of me; but it wouldn’t be an accurate picture of who I am. So, instead, I’ll just be honest and reveal that one aspect of parenthood I’m dreading is the fact that we won’t be able to be as spontaneous or to whimsically chase after every possible adventure. But, in the end, I know it will be worth it – please don’t get me wrong.
___________

Valentines was fun. We opted to eat a nice, candlelit dinner at home (instead of fighting the restaurant crowds) and I had a lot of fun preparing it. We grilled a steak and I cut out little heart-shaped pieces of bread to make cheese toast. I also dyed the sour cream (for the potatoes) a pretty shade of pink. After dinner, Kevin went on a treasure hunt I’d prepared for him. I had cut out red hearts with clues listing “reasons why I love you.” (e.g., I love you because you’re a financial whiz, hiding the clue in the checkbook; or I love you because you’re a musician, hiding the clue in the CD rack). Amazingly, I made all the clues rhyme. This was a big feat, considering the fact I’m not that great of a poet. I suppose it’s evidence that a woman in love will go to drastic measures to please her man. After the treasure hunt we watched a chick flick we hadn’t seen before and both of us cried. It was such a wonderfully sappy evening.

Kevin finding more clues on the Valentines Treasure Hunt I prepared for him.

Spring is in the air in California; some blossoming trees down the street from where we live.

A Good Day to Propose

I know some gals think that Valentines Day isn’t a good day for a man to propose marriage to his sweetheart (probably because lots of guys do it on that day). But I happen to disagree. Maybe it’s because yesterday (Valentines) was our third-year engagement anniversary and, every year since Kevin asked me to marry him, it’s made Valentines day very memorable and special to us. Not only do we celebrate love-in-general on Valentines Day, but we also commemorate our engagement.

Last night we had good times rehashing memories. When Kev picked me up for dinner on Valentines Day 2002, I had no idea he was going to propose that night. We went to Gatsby’s Tavern in Alexandria, Virginia. Kevin was so nervous, he could hardly talk to me at dinner. (That’s when I got my first clue he was going to propose.) During dinner, a man playing a fiddle in the corner shouted out, “May your sweethearts become your wives, and may your wives always be your sweethearts!” After dinner I wanted to walk around and look at the shops. Kevin, who ordinarily goes along with my suggestions, emphatically stated that, no, we should instead “go somewhere with a view of D.C.” (That’s when I got my second clue.) We then went to the National Cathedral gardens, which is a lovely place when you can actually see it (when we arrived it was pitch dark). Eventually we wound up in the gazebo where Kevin and I sat down on a bench. Because of the chill, he was wearing a large wool coat. Unbeknownst to me, the ring was in his pocket and when I sat next to him, I sat right on top of the ring. After several minutes, Kevin asked me to get up so he could take my picture. I thought this was an odd request since, again, it was pitch dark and I knew my eyes would look like a zombie’s in the photo. In reality, he wanted to take my picture to get me off the ring so he could access it and pop the question! After taking my picture, he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. And, of course, I said yes. Actually, as Kevin reminded me last night, my first response was, “Oh my goodness!”

People Watching

I love to people watch. This is one reason I particularly like airports; there are all sorts of people of all different types and personalities, all in one place. And I can sit and watch them all I want until the loudspeaker announces my flight.

Yesterday I had two very different opportunities to people watch. In the afternoon, I sat in a crowded board room with a bunch of political nerds (I really like these people but, yes, they are nerds). Later on in the day I went to another open-night gym basketball game to watch Kevin play.

You know how they say, if you’re nervous while making a speech, you should just imagine everyone sitting in the audience in their underwear? Well, I can’t say that I’ve ever done that, but I do often imagine people as they might have looked in their childhood . . . without the gray hair and wrinkles, with innocent young faces. It’s quite amusing for me to do this. So, yesterday, I was picturing all these political people as little boys, on their respective playgrounds, and wondering what they were like as children. It was fun for me to think about. (It makes these types of meetings SO much more interesting.) And then . . . the basketball game – same thing. These guys playing ball are so funny to me. (Maybe it’s just that I’ve developed a better sense of humor over the years? Not sure – but I’ve never been so amused by basketball games in all my life!) I can picture the players as young boys, with the same temperaments, antics, and personalities. And it really makes me laugh! Aloud, even.

Maybe it’s just that I feel like I can learn more about people when I see them in a different light and think of them as previous children. After all, when you strip away all the seriousness, responsibility, and pride, adults and children are really very much alike.

Basketball Etiquette

Recently I’ve been enamored by basketball etiquette. I’ve been trying to learn what I can by observation but, when there are holes in my understanding, Kevin helps to fill them. Recently he was telling me about the phrase “you got next.” Apparently there’s an unspoken rule in basketball that the guys watching will be next in playing the winner of the current game – and then they’ll all take turns and be happy-campers. (Or is it happy-dribblers?)

One of the reasons I’m fascinated by basketball etiquette is the fact that I’ve never seen a group of complete strangers behave so nicely or be so friendly to each other in any other setting. It’s like they’re all part of a common brotherhood. And, even though they’re vying against each other to win the game, they continue to pat each other on the backs (or sometimes buttocks!) and always seem to thoroughly enjoy each other. Maybe it’s the fact that they just love to play basketball and it’s all part of the fun.

Another thing that intrigues me is how much “touching” is involved (aside from the touching required to play the game, obviously). Although I know lots of girls who are touchy-feely and like to give lots of physical pats, I don’t know many guys who are this way. But in basketball it’s different – everybody is touching everyone else (both on and off the court!). It’s all part of the game and part of the basketball experience.

Horrified . . . but not surprised.

Many Christians say that we shouldn’t work to change the laws but, rather, we should work to change the hearts of people and good laws will be a natural consequence. The problem with this statement is that the law acts as a schoolmaster to teach people what is right and wrong. This is why we must work to change people’s hearts (evangelism, discipleship, etc.) and we must also work to change the laws (public policy). Laws enacted by men guide the overall feelings and convictions of the general population, for better or worse. After the Roe v. Wade decision, many people who were opposed to abortion began to support it. The law was their schoolmaster; it influenced their decisions on the appropriateness of abortion.

Since it’s legal for women to kill their children minutes before they’re due to be born (in many states), why should women value the life of their child minutes after they’re born? The AP today reported about a woman who threw her child out of her car, abandoning him to a possible death, shortly after his birth. Stories like this one really horrify me, but unfortunately they don’t surprise me. Trends in the law have “taught” this woman a few things about how little society values human life.

A letter from a liberal sister who is very "tolerant" of me.

Here is the text of an e-mail I just got from a very happy, tolerant, liberal friend. She writes in response to an article I wrote for an e-newsletter on the issue of fetal pain and California legislation that would require pregnant women seeking abortions in their third-trimester to receive information on fetal pain and be offered anesthesia for the unborn child before it is killed (i.e., burned by painful saline chemicals or dismembered by a pair of sharp metal forceps).

“You are very unhealthy people with a very demented view of modern medicine. Your ploy of deception is one that you use to allow men to govern the behavior and life choices of women; plain and simple. It is primitive, puritanical thinking that binds you, and it is uncivilized and it is UnAmerican. Keep your insane laws off the bodies of others who do NOT share your view. If you don't understand and oppose abortion, don't have one. If you want a government that takes all rights away from individual citizens and dictates the religious laws of the land, move to a communistic or totalitarianistic (sic) country where you belong - but please, leave our civil rights and the democracy in America alone. Let me guess - but... you SUPPORT the death penalty, no doubt. AND the War in Iraq? Yes... kill the ones you don't like, keep the ones you think you can convert - and make sure that YOU decide who is good and who is not. All is right in the world as long as YOU control the killing... and the bodies and behavior of the women. Ahhhhh.... Jesus must weep as he watches you judge, lie, cheat, deceive, threaten, terrorize and ultimately pass judgement (sic) on your fellow human beings. Keep casting your stones of hate. Your Jesus is watching even though YOU are blind, and if you're lucky, he may forgive you for doing exactly what he asked you NOT to do... judge, control, hate, and oppress your fellow humans.

DO NOT E-MAIL ME ANY MORE OR I WILL REPORT YOU TO AOL, YAHOO, AND HOTMAIL FOR INVASION OF PRIVACY and THE DISTRIBUTION OF THREATENING PROPAGANDA.”

I love it when illogical people chew me out. It’s good fodder for laughter. In case you want to know, I didn’t reply. The Bible says to not cast your pearls before . . .

The best part of her letter is that she says I "terrorize." In other words she equates me with the 9-11 hijackers and beheading maniacs. Actually, she probably thinks I'm worse than them! Ha.
__________

In other news . . . I’m now four months pregnant and have been feeling my baby move and kick around inside me every day for about a month now. This morning Kevin felt it kick for the first time. I’m very proud to be a defender of human life. And I’m very glad that God’s grace has allowed me to see that eight inches of birth canal shouldn’t determine a person’s humanity, unlike my pro-abortion sisters.

I’m starting to wear maternity clothes now because I’m at the point where, if I don’t, I look like I’ve gained ten pounds. Since I’d rather look pregnant than fat, I’ve resigned myself to maternity attire and, actually, am starting to enjoy that glowing, pregnant look.

Okay, gotta go now. Bye.

It's about time!

The slutty look is now out. If it’s not out of vogue, it’s definitely now out of the bounds of the law in the Commonwealth of Virginia (if it passes the Senate too). And all I can say is thank goodness!

I realize that there’s a quandary here if you believe in both a person’s right to autonomy, including choosing what type of clothing they will wear, and also in public decency. This is where the libertarian part of me clashes with the conservative part of me. And in the end, the conservative part of me wins.

If a person is to be restricted (the liberals love to do this by mandating seat belts, bike helmets, prohibiting smoking in restaurants, etc.), I’m glad that this time around, it’s for something I could truly appreciate – not having to be constantly subjected to the sight of girls’ thongs and guys’ boxers hanging out of their pants.

On second thought, I can also appreciate not having to inhale someone else’s cigarette smoke while dining in a California restaurant. (It’s illegal to smoke in any restaurant in California – so, here’s a tip, never ask for a “non-smoking table” in California or they’ll look at you like you’re from outer space.) Take note: this is probably the only time I will admit that liberalism, in a small way, has actually benefited my life.

Fat Tuesday

Today is Mardi Gras, or so I heard on the news this morning. This prompted a brief internet search on the history behind Mardi Gras. Last year I finally figured out why some Christians choose to commemorate Lent. So, this year, I figure it’s time for me to broaden my horizons and try to make sense of the hoopla that takes place prior to Lent.

One website said that Mardi Gras “is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday as a last ‘fling’ prior to the 40 days of Lent which precede Easter. . . . Festivals like Mardi Gras sprang up throughout parts of Europe as a means to prepare for the coming times of self-denial . . . and is celebrated by eating of rich food, that won't be used during Lent.”

All this research has left me with more questions than before I began. What’s the point of having a period of self-denial if you’re just going to live in revelry leading up to your supposed “denial”? Is there anything redeeming or God-glorifying about Mardi Gras? How can a Christian who participates in Mardi Gras suppose that God is pleased with extreme gluttony preceding a period of fasting? And, lastly, I wonder how much Mardi Gras has become secularized, i.e., other than innocent family celebrations, how can a true Christian actually participate in Mardi Gras with a clear conscience? Has Mardi Gras (almost) exclusively become a time merely for pagans to revel in food and sex? How many people celebrate Mardi Gras and ignore Lent?

The best part about Mardi Gras, I think, is that it means there’s only 47 more days ‘til Easter. Easter is my favorite holiday. (But Kevin would tell you: “Every holiday is her favorite holiday.” I just told him last week that Valentine’s is my favorite holiday. So, go figure.)

Cliff-Hanger

Kevin has a friend at work, Braiden, who burned a copy of Shawshank Redemption for us to watch. Apparently Braiden felt like we just had to see this movie. After catching the very tail end of the Super Bowl yesterday, we decided to watch it. It was completely mesmerizing. When I heard it was about a bunch of guys in prison, I thought it would be depressing. (I don’t tend to like prison movies.) But while it had its dark moments, I was surprised at how good and enjoyably suspenseful it was. The character development was excellent and the plot twists were surprising. We were on the edge of our seats . . . until, toward the very end of the movie, the burned copy suddenly wouldn’t play anymore. Apparently the movie either hadn’t been burned all the way on the DVD or there was a flaw in the DVD that wouldn’t let us watch the rest of the film. And, would you know it, it quit working at the pinnacle of excitement and suspense. After trying for several minutes, unsuccessfully, to get the DVD to work, we gave up. It was SO frustrating to quit a movie at the most exciting part. I had all these unanswered questions swirling through my head:

Where did Andy go?
What is under the brick, where he proposed to his wife?
Did he ever get to Mexico?
Did his friend Red ever get out of prison?
Was the corrupt warden ever punished?
Was Andy ever proved innocent?

Sigh . . . so many loose ends. Hopefully Braiden can pull through for us so we can watch the rest of it tonight or tomorrow. I hate that cliff-hanger feeling. I don’t think I’ve had that feeling since my Nancy Drew days. :-/

We weren’t total couch-potatoes yesterday, though. After church (and lunch) we went hiking up in Auburn (about 15 miles east of us). It was a gorgeous, sunny day – perfect for hiking. This time of the year in California is really beautiful – the grass is bright green and all of the buds are starting to come out on the trees and bushes.

On the way back, Kevin veered onto another road to take an alternate route home through some rolling hills. It was fun to take a scenic Sunday-afternoon drive. He then veered a second time when he saw a tunnel: “Ooh, a tunnel!” he exclaimed. “Let’s drive underneath it.” I love it when he’s spontaneous like that. I also love the fact that we can enjoy simple things together; like driving under tunnels. (Of course, I always like to honk the horn whenever I drive under a tunnel, too. Kevin, being the extra-considerate one, obliges me only whenever there are no other cars around.) :-)

Public School Reflections

Saturday I had to attend an Eagle Forum conference with my job. Although I’ve been to jillions of these types of conferences, I actually enjoyed going to this one. I felt like I learned a few things – which is sometimes hard when you’ve been in the movement for a while. (Not that I claim to know it all, of course. It’s just that, after a while, most things at these conferences are fairly familiar.)

One of the most interesting speakers was a pastor from Long Beach, my hometown. He had something interesting to say about public education that I hadn’t thought about before. He said that, although Christians are mostly opposed to public school because of things taught in the classroom, such as homosexuality, sex education in general, theories of evolution taught as factual, etc., the thing that we should be most concerned about is something very subtle: “public schools teach children to succeed without God.” I thought this was an interesting statement because it’s so simple yet so profound. As a pastor, he observed how hard it is to combat the lies and distorted philosophies children are taught in the public schools. “Kids spend 35 hours a week in school and we (the churches) get them for maybe 3 hours a week, at best,” he said. “Add to that all the time kids spend with their peers, watching television, playing video games, etc. This is why we feel like we’re fighting a losing battle for the minds and hearts of our kids.” His solution to the problem: “Take your kids out of public school. And do it now.”

Before I end this post, I would like to say that I’m not the type of person who judges all parents for placing their kids in public schools. I believe that parents have to do what they think is best for their kids, with a pure conscience before God. And I also know that the public schools in California are much worse than elsewhere. But I hope that all Christian parents seriously consider the potential costs before placing their kids in public school.

Death as a Salesman

It’s going to be one of those weird workdays. In a few short moments I’m going to a hearing on “Perspectives on Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill.” In other words, euthanasia. I’m not sure what to expect. I’ve never really been involved in the euthanasia debate. Today I’m just going to take a bunch of notes. I’ll plan to actually testify when it comes before the legislature. I think “right to die” advocates want to use this hearing to convince the various disability groups to come on board with them. From what I’ve heard, disability groups are typically against euthanasia. Duh . . . It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

The biggest problem I have with “voluntary” assisted suicide is that it forces a judgment call on the worth of someone’s life. And when someone is afforded the “right” to decide the value of their own life (and a physician is sanctioned to help to end their life), it won’t be long before society as a whole begins to make judgment calls on the value of other people’s lives. And when you think about how subjective people can be in making judgment calls, it’s rather scary. Shall we bump-off grandma because she’s draining all of our resources (e.g., costing too much money to sustain)?

Or, equally bad, shall we embrace the trend in the Netherlands and euthanize terminally ill infants?

I wholeheartedly agree with Alan Keyes: “When we deny the sanctity of human life at any level, we deny it at all levels.”

Hangin' with the Hood

Last night Kevin was bemoaning the fact that he’s been getting precious little exercise lately. In an effort to mend that predicament, we drove over to the local sports complex so he could play basketball in the gym. I sat in the bleachers to watch. And I think I had more fun than he did. It was hysterical. It seemed like all the guys from the Hood had come out to play. There were all sorts of colors, shapes, and sizes. The smallest guy was a little kid! (But he was, actually, better than some of the adults.) Some of the guys’ moves were so predictable. This one guy on Kevin’s team always (only) shot from the three-pointer line. The funny thing was that he never made a single shot! Watching all these funny guys made me laugh constantly – throughout the entire game!!

I later told Kevin that I enjoy watching amateur basketball so much better than the NBA because amateurs take things so much more personally. “Okay,” he said, “You’re weird.” But I think we both already know that.

A Woman's Work Is Never Done

The rotten thing about working full time and having a house is that things like laundry and general housework have to be done in the evenings or on the weekends. Although I’ve made my choice to work full time until the baby comes, and then I plan to work (write) part time from home, I still envy women who can stay home more often during the day. I wish I could just relax with Kevin in the evenings instead of feeling like there’s always things to do (boring things, like scrubbing the floors). And that’s what I did last night after dinner and dishes: I swept and vigorously mopped the entire downstairs (all our flooring downstairs is tile and wood laminate). While I did this, Kevin worked on our taxes. But I did interrupt him once to help me with the chicken.

Okay, I have a confession to make. I’ve always been grossed-out to touch raw meat. I know that sounds really immature and childish, but it’s true. (At least I’m an honest person!) Since being married, I’ve greatly overcome my grossed-out-ness (is that a word?). I don’t even use rubber gloves anymore, which is a major accomplishment.

Last night I prepared a whole chicken to place in the crock pot for dinner tonight. This is the first time I’ve bought a whole chicken. Usually I buy one already cut up or (most often) boneless, skinless chicken breast. After unwrapping the chicken, I realized that I would have to reach inside of it to pull out the giblets. Suddenly the room started to spin about me. It was too much for me to handle. So I called Kevin to come to my rescue. He rolled his eyes, reached in the chicken with his bare hand, and did the job. [Sigh of relief!] It’s so nice to have a husband who doesn’t share my weaknesses.

Later on in the evening, I started feeling a lot of pain in my lower abdomen (probably from all the vigorous mopping!). Kevin told me to lay down with the remote control and he would finish the ironing, which was my last project for the night. After some channel surfing, I went back and forth between the Food Network and the home decorating/ home improvement shows.

A: “This will be my downfall, when I’m home more often. I’m afraid I’ll become addicted to these shows and watch them all the time.”
K: “It’s better than soap operas, I guess.”
A: “Maybe I can make a rule for myself: I will allow myself to watch these shows only when I’m doing the ironing. That’s a great idea, isn’t it? [snicker] Then you’ll always have your shirts pressed.”
K: “Yeah, I’ll probably always have everything pressed. My underwear too!”

"There are so few true surprises in life."

On Sunday this cute gal (Michelle), who attends my parents’ church, came up to congratulate me on my pregnancy. Although I don’t know her very well, she’s always been very warm and friendly toward me whenever I’ve visited my parents’ home church. (Interesting fact: She also used to be a nanny for the Seinfields. As in Jerry Seinfield.) Anyway . . . the first question that people always ask me, almost without fail, when they discover I’m pregnant is whether or not we’ll find out the gender of the child via ultrasound. When Michelle asked this question, I told her that, yes, we probably would. “Oh, don’t!” she exclaimed. When I asked her why she felt so strongly, she said, “You know, there are so few true surprises in life and this is one of them.”

As I type this blog entry, two days later, I can still see Michelle’s blonde head shaking, her little brow wrinkling, and her bright eyes shining, as she gave me her opinion.

The reasons I thought we’d find out the gender in advance are probably due to the fact that I’ve been enamored by the thought of this child and, being impatient, want to find out as much as possible – and as soon as possible. But in the past few days, since giving Michelle’s words further thought, I think I’m inclined to agree with her. Why spoil the surprise? Ultimately, who really cares if it’s a boy or a girl? We certainly don’t. We’ll love it regardless of its gender. (Later on I found out that Kevin never really wanted to find out the gender – but he didn’t tell me this because he didn’t want to disappoint me or make it an issue. So, now we’re both happy!)

Speaking of which . . . I’ve heard of some guys who just want to have a son, a “junior,” who will be like them, play ball with them, and carry on the family name. While I can understand some of this sentiment, I think guys should be careful to not make their girls feel unloved. My dad was always so good to reassure his three daughters (now four) that he’d rather have us than a dozen sons. (Maybe this was due to the fact that my sister Betsy enjoys working on cars, mowing lawns, and playing ice hockey? After all, who needs a son when you have Betsy!) When, after ten years of not having children, my parents discovered my mom was pregnant again, my dad sat us down and told us: “You know, a lot of people are saying to me, ‘Gregg, this time you just might get a son.’ But I just want to let you girls know that I’d be the happiest man in the world if I had another daughter just like you.” That really meant a lot to me. And one of the reasons that, today, I have a healthy respect for men in general is that God gave me the most wonderful dad in the world. I think this world would be significantly improved if every little girl had a loving dad.

They thought they’d never see the day . . .

My only regret about being gone this weekend (on a stretch of lonely road in California with bad radio reception to boot) is the fact that we were unable to watch the smiling Iraqi faces as they cast their ballots for freedom and peace. Just looking at the photos on the Internet is amazing, enough. Thank God for the brave Iraqis who overcame the fear of terrorists and boldly went out to make their voices heard.

Land of Aquatic Adventures

I didn’t realize until this past weekend that Kevin had never been to SeaWorld. (I think he had just as much fun as the kids!) We all had such a great time. And, to top it off, it was one of those picture-perfect San Diego days . . . bright, sunshiny, and 62 degrees. Mmm . . . beautiful.

With a bit of advance planning, we managed to do just about everything in the park. The dolphin and Shamu shows were indescribably incredible. It’s amazing what they can do with those animals. The trainers must have a lot of confidence to work with the killer whales especially. One of the trainers stood on the nose of Shamu as it launched the trainer eight stories into the air. Another trainer ran in place on top of the whale as it rolled around in the water. In addition to the surprise tricks, a lot of humor was interjected into the shows.

We also really enjoyed interacting with the many different sea animals. There were different “petting zoos” at the park, including a tank with a bunch of rays (obviously with their stingers disabled). The rays would come up to the surface and curl their “wings.” To my surprise, they felt very slimy and mushy. We also got to “pet” three or four different dolphins. By contrast, their skin was very slick, smooth, and rubbery. In order to touch and interact with the dolphins, we had to buy a tray of fish to feed them. Kevin bought two trays saying, “I paid enough money to get into this blasted park, I’m not going to leave without feeding the dolphins!” I don’t know which was more fun: watching the dolphins or watching Kevin.

Kevin & His New Friends (a.k.a.: "Who said dogs are a man's best friend?")

Lone, happy dolphin.

Bein' Silly.

Warning: You Will Get Wet; You May Get Soaked. (This is a picture of K, D & M in the raft.)

The brave (and very drenched) crew.

In the shark tunnel.

Making Good On A Promise

Well, I made the “mistake” of telling my little brother and sister, David (10) and Melissa (8), maybe 8-9 months ago that we would take them to SeaWorld sometime soon. Since then, we’ve been reminded umpteen times that we need to fulfill my obligation. For instance, last August I got this sweet note from my brother saying “I’m glad you got a new house. I love you and miss you. I hope I can see you soon. David.” Then I opened the letter from my little sister and it said: “WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE US TO SEAWORLD? Love, Melissa.” So . . . the short version of the story is, we’re going to take them this weekend. It’ll be a rush-rush trip to San Diego and back. But it should be fun.

It was a last-minute decision (as of yesterday) to make this trip this weekend. We were originally planning on going next weekend but something had unexpectedly come up on my calendar for next weekend. And then we realized, much to Kevin’s chagrin and dismay, that every single one of our weekends are booked from now until April, except for one. “At least we have a life,” I said, trying to console him. “Yes,” he replied. “But it would be nice if we could have a slower-paced life!”

Introducing Barbara

I don’t think I’ve ever “introduced” another blog on my site, but, hey, there’s always a first time for everything. Right?

Barbara Curtis, although she’s an experienced author and speaker, has only just recently joined the blogging world. And I’ve really appreciated reading her posts. Not only does she have a wealth of experience to draw from, she’s down-to-earth, endearing, humorous, and “real.” I like that.

So, anyway, because I’ve enjoyed reading her blog so much recently, I thought I’d share it with you. (But, gee, it’s getting harder to find the time to read all the cool blogs out there!)

Oscars

Okay, one more link and I promise I'll log a "real" post next time. :)

This is an incredible article by Michael Medved, a Jewish man who was once a liberal activist but is now a conservative talk show host and one of the most brilliant thinkers of our day:

"Oscar Bids Reflect Industry's Discomfort With Religion"

What makes people happy?

This essay, on measuring happiness in light of economic growth, is interesting. The study shows that despite our economic growth and increase in our standard of living, people are less happy. In determining happiness, the common factor among the reportedly "most happy" people is marriage (or at least a monogamous sexual relationship). Although the study interprets the data as "happy people are people who have lots of sex," I think it's interesting that marriage and happiness go hand in hand, while marriage is one of the primary social building blocks under attack today. No wonder our nation's overall happiness is receding.

Don't Drink Water; Drink Pepsi Instead

One of Kevin’s mantras is that you don’t have to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to be healthy – and if anyone tries to convince you otherwise, it’s a hoax. He says that your body will tell you when you need more hydration by making you thirsty.

Throughout our several years of marriage, he has pointed out different authorities (sometimes even medical professionals and nutritionists) who agree with him. Most recently, he found this factoid on an MSN quiz:

“6. Everyone should drink eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy and properly hydrated. True or False?

The right answer is false. While it's a good idea to drink plenty of water, there is no scientific or medical basis for the specific amount of eight glasses per day. Water intake needs vary from person to person, depending on age, size and amount of physical activity. We can also get water from food and other beverages, so we don't necessarily need to get all of our fluids in the form of drinking water.”

One of the things that attracted me to Kevin is that he thinks independently. If my doctor told me to drink eight glasses of water a day, I would probably determine to just “do it.” Kevin, on the other hand, will find reasons why the doctor might be wrong. Gotta love the guy.

Virtual Hairstylist

Okay, if you want to waste a lot of time (while having lots of fun), you can check out the Virtual Hairstylist. What’s amazing about this website is that you can either upload your own photo – to see how you’d look with a new do – or you can pick a model with a similar face shape and coloring. The appeal of this website, I think, is that it could possibly save you from those infamous tears of dismay at the salon.

Isn’t it wonderful that God made hair grow so we can play with it, do wild things with it – if we want to, and not face long-term repercussions?

Boy or Girl?

Hmmm . . . this is an interesting little guessing game. If any of it’s true, we’re probably having a boy. But I doubt it’s anything more than a compilation of old wives’ tales.

Guess Your Baby's Gender

And, to support my last speculation - here you go.

Our whimsical purchase. And there you have it!

Cabin Congregation

This past weekend we went up to Truckee (in the Sierras, near Tahoe) to spend time with two other married couples at a cabin, nestled quaintly in the snow. (Lots of snow!) It was nice to get away, experience fresh mountain air, and enjoy good conversation with friends. Two of us are expecting our first child. There were several times when I felt badly talking “baby talk” so much with the other mom-to-be (Kristi). It’s amazing how when you get two pregnant women together, that becomes the natural topic of conversation! But, trust me, I tried really, extra hard to be sensitive to the non-pregnant wife and talk about many non-baby things too. Especially when I caught her rolling her eyes whenever the subject of child-rearing, breast feeding, or how-to-decorate-the-nursery would come up.

It didn’t help matters that I brought the book Babywise along with me, thinking I might get a few moments to read it. Kristi had heard about it and was strongly opposed to any idea of scheduling. (Most of her opinions were based on what other young mothers had flippantly said about the book. And, trust me, I know how heated – and defensive – young mothers can be about how they’ve chosen to feed their babies, raise their children, etc.) By the end of Friday evening, however, I convinced Kristi to at least read the book. I told her that if she reads it and still disagrees with it, then she can at least disagree in an educated manner. I also convinced her that, even if she disagrees with 95% of it, there will still probably be a few concepts in there that she does agree with and she’ll be better off learning about them. By the end of the weekend, Kristi had read the entire book and said that she, surprisingly, agreed with nearly everything the author had to say. I was proud of her. Honestly, I can respect someone who disagrees with something as long as they’ve read what the other side has to say and know “for sure” that they disagree. But when someone disagrees with something based on what they think the other side has to say . . . I have a hard time respecting that.
_______________

This post about our Tahoe weekend just wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t include the story of our new glass bowl (or is it a vase?). On Saturday we went to Old Town Truckee to look at some of the specialty gift and antique shops. Although I periodically enjoy browsing through these shops, I’ve never bought anything at one of them. This is partially because I’ve never felt I could afford anything in those shops. But on Saturday, as Kevin and I were browsing through the merchandise at one of the shops, we became captivated by this large, cream-colored glass bowl that stood tall on several wispy, fragile-looking legs. “Isn’t that cool,” said Kevin. “That is so cool,” I replied. Feeling very spontaneous, we asked the saleslady how much it was, expecting it to be $999.95 or some other ridiculous amount. We were shocked that it was much, much less. On a total whim, we bought that stupid, artsy, beautiful, wonderful vase. Even though it wasn’t expensive, it also wasn’t cheap. In fact, I think it’s the most expensive spontaneous, non-useful item we’ve ever purchased!! (Shouldn’t we be thinking about buying baby furniture?!)

Several days later . . . I think we’re still trying to recover from the shock that we actually purchased it. Several times we’ve looked at each other and said, “Can you believe we bought that?!” (I’ve tried repeatedly to justify it by telling Kevin that it can be an early birthday present for me . . . or that we’ll eat out less for the next five years of our marriage . . . or . . . ?)

Anyway . . . Now it sits beautifully on top of our dining room table. (If I get a chance to take a picture, I’ll post it.) I’m sure that, years from now, we’ll laugh over this experience . . . especially when we have a defiant two-year-old who crawls on top of the table and breaks it.

Here's a Radical Thought: Raise Your Own Kids

I’m currently reading a bunch of Universal Preschool garbage that was just introduced as AB 172 in the California legislature. While the bill calls for voluntary preschool, available to all children ages 3-5, it also seeks to incorporate universal preschool with preexisting day care programs and state programs for infants and toddlers. And this, of course, is the first step toward making preschool mandatory – the transcendent liberal dream.

Am I really a right-wing radical person to believe that parents should raise their own kids and not dump them into state institutions when they’re practically still in diapers? For me, the bottom line is: “If you’re not planning on raising your own kids, don’t have them.” Get a BMW instead. It’s probably cheaper, too.

This brings up another question. Why do people have children in the first place? Is it to raise them for God? (I hope this is, ultimately, the reason why I'm having children.) Or is it for personal fulfillment?

A new career awaits Kevin . . . if he wants it, that is.

Yesterday we had a frustrating experience when the cable guy came to hook up our modem. (We’re finally exiting the dinosaur age of dial-up at our house!) Ironically, it was cheaper to get both internet cable and basic cable TV, rather that internet cable by itself (you get a steep discount if you already have basic cable). The frustration began when, after being at our house for nearly an hour and a half, the cable guy kept asking me questions and telling me about certain “problems” he was running into. I thought it was very bizarre that he was including me in on his problem-solving sessions. I had a few questions for him too, which remained unasked:

“Do I really look like a techno-nerd who will be able to help you?”
“And, speaking of which, aren’t you the expert?”
“Shouldn’t you be able to solve these problems on your own?”
“Isn’t that why we’re paying you to come to our house?”

Finally I called Kevin at his office and handed the phone to the cable guy, hoping that the two of them could resolve it together. In the end, the cable guy said that the cable modem we’d purchased couldn’t be hooked up and he’d have to install his cable modem instead. Kevin told him, in no uncertain terms, that we are not paying to rent his cable modem. (If we get a bill for it, I think Kevin will go ballistics.)

When Kevin arrived home last night, after bible study, he sat down and read a sheet of directions that were sitting there, left by the cable guy. In less than ten minutes, Kevin had figured out the entire process of hooking up our cable modem, called the cable company to get a hook-up number, and had it installed properly. It’s been running perfectly ever since. Needless to say, I was very proud of him. “Kevin,” I said, “If the law thing ends up not working out for you, a brilliant career awaits you in cable installation.”

“Liberty will come to those who love it.”

I thought the inauguration speech was great. The only thing that left me with a little gnawing question inside was Bush’s statement that liberty will come to those who love it. What if you’ve never known liberty? How can you love something you don’t know?

Apparently there were 21 drafts of Bush’s second inaugural speech. I used to think it would be fun to be a speech writer but now I’m having second thoughts. Not only would the 21-draft thing provoke my patience (or lack thereof), I would also grow weary of constantly creating words to express the ideals and philosophies embraced by other people. It’s much more freeing to be able to express my own opinions. So, for now, I’ll stay in public policy. And, of course, I’ll happily remain a humble blogger.
_________________

As if it were yesterday, I distinctly remember the inauguration of four years ago. My good friend Meredith flew into town to attend the festivities with me. Somehow (through a very well connected co-worker), we got “tickets” to work (hang coats, pass out memorabilia, etc.) at the inaugural ball. We were so excited to be able to go, we didn’t care a lick that we’d have to work to get in. On January 20, 2001, we got up at the crack of dawn, stuffed our “ball gowns” (i.e., prom-like dresses) into bags, and took the metro into D.C. Pretty soon we met up with other friends and were herded like cattle onto the capitol lawn for the ceremony. It was 34 degrees and raining. (For all you Californians who don’t know what that’s like . . . it was pretty miserable.) But we loved every minute of it. The excitement of the moment carried our spirits and soon we were oblivious to the slushy mud beneath our feet, the dampness on our faces, and the numbness of our fingers.

We watched some of the parade, ate lunch at union station (Kevin was there and I think I liked him even then, but was in serious denial), tried to clean the mud off the hems of our pants, and were soon on our way to the D.C. Armory for the inaugural ball. As we got dressed in a cramped bathroom, Meredith and I both vowed that someday we’d come back as U.S. Senators so we could have covered, front row seats for the inauguration, a warm, ritzy hotel room to change clothes in, and tickets to attend the ball – rather than have to work at it. But, hey, when you’re 20 and 21 years old, respectively, (or any age, really) you can endure a lot when you love adventure and have big dreams. So, we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless.

We wore our big, poofy dresses, walked around the ball like we were some bigwig’s daughters, took pictures of John Ashcroft and many other famous people (Meredith knew them all), and of course took lots of pictures of George W. Bush and Laura dancing.

As soon as we took our seats in the metro, I fell soundly asleep from exhaustion and Meredith took pictures of me snoozing with my mouth open. (When I later found out, I wanted to kill her.)

And that was the end of that wonderful, blissful, fatiguing day.

Whatever makes you happy . . .

The good news is . . . I have a new computer at my office. The bad news is . . . I have a new computer at my office. Although I’m overjoyed to finally have a computer that works adequately, it was a pain to be without a computer while it was being set up. (Isn’t it sad how much we rely on technology?)

Speaking of technology, Kevin has been glowing with excitement for the past few days because he just got more memory for his laptop. Although, as a good wife, I’ve been very supportive of him during this happy time in his life, sometimes I catch myself wondering why the heck he’s so thrilled about a little memory card. You see, I get excited about entirely different things . . . say, ice cream. Or a pair of shiny red shoes. Or when the GOP party takes control of Congress. Etc. But, hey, I realize we all have different things in life that thrill us. And if new memory is what melts Kevin’s butter, then I’m really happy for him.

But What Exactly Is Being Chosen?

This morning I’ve been attending various pro-life functions, starting with a prayer breakfast and ending with a rally, to commemorate the tragic consequences of the Roe v. Wade decision (January 22, 1973).

When we think of the holocaust and the 9-11 attacks, we are saddened by the loss of life. It’s easy to forget, however, that a daily holocaust – a daily 9-11 – takes place in the secreted rooms of “women’s health clinics” across this nation.

“Choice is very important to me,” recently said Patty Berg, a California Assemblywoman. “Regardless of what subject we’re talking about.”

The duplicitous thing about Berg’s statement (made in relation to the current euthanasia debate) is that “choice” is essentially an ambiguous and meaningless term. When you think about it, the law exists to preserve our liberties by limiting certain choices. I’m sure Berg wouldn’t support child molesters “choosing” to prey upon children. (And what respectable liberal would actually support school choice, i.e., vouchers?) The questions that should be asked in a public policy debate are: 1) “What exactly is being chosen?” and 2) “Should citizens be allowed to make that particular choice?”

The words “a woman’s right to choose” are not only a semantic dodge but a philosophical one as well. Those who utter them aren’t in fact wholeheartedly committed to a woman’s right to choose . . . . No serious candidate or major political party has made a campaign promise to defend a woman’s right to prostitution, recreational drug use, suicide or a host of other private activities that remain outside the bounds of the law. – Paul Reisser, M.D.

It’s a cop-out to say you’re “pro-choice” and leave it at that.

And when we really look at what the abortion "choice" involves, how can we accept that choice? Here is one last quote to ponder:

It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish. – Mother Theresa

The most powerful moment of the rally today came when a high schooler (and friend of mine) spoke about the humanity of the unborn. If you have a minute (which you probably do, since you’re reading this blog) I would encourage you to read his speech. It’s one of the best oratories I’ve encountered on this subject.

So glad I'm not a princess.

Out of curiosity, does anyone out there think that the Prince Harry fiasco has gotten out of hand? Typically I ignore all the drama of the British Royal family but, since it’s been the lead story on Drudge for the past two days, it’s becoming more difficult to ignore.

Although it was poor taste to wear a Nazi uniform to a costume party, I find it hard to believe that it was anything more than immature judgment and “joke” gone sour. Besides, at a costume party with friends, who says you have to dress up like the hero every time? Why can’t you dress up like the villain? But, then again, maybe there’s a different standard for you when you’re a prince. Forget those childhood fantasies! Prince Harry’s predicament sheds light on the reality of it all.

The Boys' Lunch Club

Lately I’ve felt like a mom who sends her child off to school every day to eat his lunch on the playground, out of a Spiderman lunch pail, with all of his buddies. Kevin routinely eats lunch with several of the other young attorneys at his firm – sometimes they eat out but most of the time they congregate in the lunch room to swap narratives and jokes over the lunch hour. Lately I’ve been hearing stories about how they’ll compare their lunches and oftentimes share Dorritos or carrot sticks. I’ve even heard a few stories about making fun of certain lunches (e.g., “Ew, what’s that?”). You’d think they were little boys and not grown men. But, seriously, I’m glad Kevin has good friends to work with . . . and share lunch with.

When Life Really Sucks

Sometimes I like to flip to random places in my bible and read random verses. Today my thumb landed on Habakkuk 3:17-18:

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail,
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold,
And there be no cattle in the stalls,

(In other words, “Though life really sucks . . .”)

Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

This made me think of a friend of ours who was disillusioned by the Christian Walk when he “did everything right” but, despite his efforts, things didn’t turn out how he’d hoped. Because of this, he walked away from the Lord, saying, “I tried the ‘Christian thing’ and, obviously, it doesn’t work.” (As if God is someone we can summon down from heaven at any given moment and command to do whatever we want Him to do.)

Incidentally, our young friend was a product of fallacious Bill Gothard teaching, i.e., “do these ten things and everything will go well for you” or “if you just follow this list of things to do, God will reward you, and you will be successful.”

Frankly, I don’t see anywhere in scripture where a Christian is promised “success” defined as health, wealth, fame, beauty, happiness, etc. On the contrary, many godly Christians in scripture were expected to endure torture, hunger, loneliness, famine, violence, etc. Although, as Christians, we experience many blessings (I wouldn’t want to go throughout life without the hope, peace, and joy I have as a Christian), none of us are guaranteed external abundance or happiness, as the world defines it.

The true test of our love for God lies in how much faith we have in Him when we go through trials and hardships. The true test of our devotion to God is evidenced when we can praise Him and, even “rejoice” in Him, though we have absolutely nothing.

A spoonful of coffee helps the budget go down . . .

Last night we went to Starbucks to work on our budget. If you have to work on your budget (which I assume most reasonable people will do this at least once or twice in their lives), then Starbucks is a good place to do it. Not only does it provide good ambiance for serious conversation, it also provides the opportunity to blow four bucks on coffee before you figure out how much money you have to spend on “frivolous” things. (Of course, whether or not good coffee is a frivolous expenditure is, I’m sure, something that can be debated for many hours.)

They have this really interesting new drink on the menu called Chantico. It looks like a type of drinkable chocolate fondue. Anybody out there tried it yet? I’m curious but not sure I want to pay for something that isn’t worth it. But, then again, it would be rather difficult for Starbucks to mess up something so wonderful as chocolate.

Don't Waste Your Money On An Expensive College

Here is a very interesting article by Dennis Prager, written several years ago. The reason I link to it now is because I happened to hear him talk about this topic on his radio show the other day and it caused me to scour the internet to try and find some of his quotes. Although I don’t have the text from his show, this article covers some of what he talked about.

“Never have so many paid so much to so few for so little.”

On his radio program, he also talked about the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans, how they made their money, and other statistics . . . like where they went to college. Out of the top ten, several of them are college dropouts and the rest of them went to colleges that are virtually unknown to mainstream America. (Several of the wealthiest Americans, further on down the list, are actually high school dropouts.)

This topic was interesting to me, personally, because I’ve taken some flak from several people for going to a non-accredited law school. But since I passed the bar on the first try, feel I received (overall) an excellent education, have zero student debt, and really love my job, I frankly could care less about what other people think.

I once spoke with a judge in Long Beach about the possible drawbacks of going to a non-accredited law school. He literally grabbed both of my shoulders, looked me in the eye, and said, “How successful you are in life will depend entirely upon one thing: YOU.”

"Oh," said the librarian to me . . .

. . . “Someone’s expecting a baby.” How did she know this? Maybe it was the fact that I was checking out four different books on baby names. . . and that gave her a clue.

At this point, we’re more nervous about naming a kid than raising one. When I was a child, I named all of my baby dolls “Clara.” It was my favorite name ever. But since I haven’t given much thought to baby names (or baby doll names) since my early girlhood, I went to the library today and loaded up on reading material.

One book is called 35,000 Baby Names. If I can’t find at least one (or two) in there that I like, it’s probably hopeless for me. Do you think? Another one is called Celtic Names for Children. I picked this one up since we tend to like names from the Northern Brittish Isles. Another one (that I’d heard of before) is called Beyond Jason and Jennifer. The last one I picked up looks like it will be totally impractical but completely fun. For that reason, I think I’ll read it first. It’s called The Language of Names: What We Call Ourselves and Why It Matters. A few facts on the cover of the book enamored me when I read them:

- People named Junior appear to be more likely to end up in mental institutions than those not named for their fathers.

- The names Wendy and Vanessa were invented, respectively, by J.M. Barrie and Jonathan Swift.

- American citizens have the right to choose any name they want, as long as it isn’t offensive or taken for some unlawful purpose.

- The current most popular name for Hispanic and Asian infant boys in New York City, San Francisco, and California is Kevin. (Ha!)

- The malapropian movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn (born Gelbfisz, which means “Goldfish”) is said to have told a friend, “Why did you name your baby John? Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is named John!”

- Ever since Plato, philosophers have been trying to decide just what a name is. They still can’t agree.

It appears that I have some fun reading ahead of me! See you in a few weeks. (Just kidding.)

Spousal Disagreement

A: I agree with you most of the time.
K: What?!
A: Kevin, you wouldn’t want a wife who agreed with you all the time. Since I disagree with you maybe 0.9% of the time, you know that when I actually do agree with you on the rest of the 99.1%, it’s because I think you’re smart and logical, not because I blindly believe everything you say. You wouldn’t be happy with a wife who always said, “Yes, Kevin dear” to everything you said.
K: No, but I would like it if you’d initially disagree with me and then realize I’m right in the end.
A: (laughter)
K: Or, better yet, if I’d be able to persuade you to agree with me every time you disagree.

[Editor’s note: I have to admit - most of the time when I disagree with Kevin, I am later “proved wrong.” Perhaps I should just throw in the towel and always agree with him. Hmm . . . let me think about that. (pause) Nah! Life’s more interesting the way it is now.]
______________________

It was a very random weekend, including a very fun birthday party with a D.J. and dancing, a Pampered Chef party for Amy (seriously – I think I’ve been invited to approximately five Pampered Chef parties in the past twelve months!), our first-ever “repairman” visit for a broken appliance (our icemaker ceased working in our fridge just before Christmas – and our pocketbook is now feeling the pain; you wouldn’t believe how much icemaker repairs cost!!), helping a friend install a DVD player in her house (which involved moving a large TV cabinet), and late-night cribbage games.

And now . . . it’s Monday.

Inspired By Conservative Women Leaders

I just got a really cool 2005 calendar from my boss featuring “Great American Conservative Women.” It inspires me. It really does.

Although I’m a big fan of many male commentators and conservative leaders, I think it’s important that women stand up to express and articulate conservative ideology as well. They have a different perspective than men do on a wide variety of issues, especially concerning the role of women in raising families, making an impact on society, being involved in community, etc.

Kay Coles James (not featured in the calendar, although she should be in there) once said: “Women can have it all – but not all at one time.” This spoke volumes to me because, as a woman, I sometimes struggle with the fact that I can’t do everything successfully all at once. But that’s how life is. There are different phases of life to focus on different things. This doesn’t mean that I can’t partake of all the wonderful things life has to offer – it just means that I can’t do it all at once. Thank you, Kay, for sharing this with me and so many other women. (Thank God for conservative female leaders!)

One woman who is featured in the calendar, and definitely deserves to be there, is one of my heroes: Phyllis Schlafly, founder of Eagle Forum and main opponent of the ERA. Ann Coulter (also featured in the calendar) wrote an article about Schlafly entitled Call Her Mrs. As I read this article, it confirmed what Kay Coles James said. Schlafly has successfully accomplished many great things. Yet, she’s always had her priorities in the right place. Schlafly’s life inspires me and challenges me to be like her. Here is the full article. Here is an excerpt:

“She was nearly the first woman ever to attend Harvard Law School – though it did not then admit women, Schlafly’s Harvard professors found her so brilliant that they offered to make an exception for her. (She declined.) Instead, she married, raised six amazingly accomplished children and later attended law school in her 50s – all while fighting the establishment in her free time. She is brilliant, beautiful, principled, articulate, tireless and, most important, absolutely fearless.”

Amazing!

This morning was my first official OB appointment. Kevin went with me. He said he felt awkward ‘cuz he was the only male in the waiting room. Speaking of which . . . The waiting room of this particular doctor’s office deserves special mention in this blog. I’ve never seen anything like it. You know how, typically, doctor’s offices are painted a sterile vanilla color with boxy-shaped furniture? Well, walking into this doctor’s office makes me feel like I’m going to visit a kindly, sweet grandmother. There’s floral wallpaper, stained oak trim, plaid couches, and winged-back chairs to sit on. It’s rather nice, actually.

I really like my doctor. (It was a shot in the dark when I picked her out of a directory. Although, I did call her office to first make sure they don’t do abortions.) She’s very easy-going and has a cute personality. Much to everyone’s relief (I’m sure), I won’t go into detail about the exam. Although, I will say . . . if you’re a man, be grateful you will never, ever experience a pap smear.

Today we actually got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. Although I’ve heard other people talk about how powerful this experience is, I honestly wasn’t quite prepared for how overwhelming and exciting it would be. My first thought was, “It’s alive!” (Lately I’ve had these recurring doubts about whether or not I’m really pregnant because I’ve been feeling very “normal.”) Anyway, I simply cannot describe to you with mere words how amazing it was to hear this little whoosh-whoosh-whoosh sound coming through the Doppler.

Just when we thought the appointment was over, the nurse told us that the doctor wanted to do an ultrasound. I immediately wondered if something was wrong because my insurance only pays for “medically necessary” ultrasounds, in addition to one done at 20 weeks. The nurse said that nothing was wrong: “The doctor wants to do it ‘just for fun’ and we won’t turn it in to your insurance.”

If I thought I wasn’t prepared to hear a heartbeat, I definitely wasn’t prepared to see the actual image of my child swimming around in utero. It was captivating, breathtaking, and unbelievable. It was also a very emotional experience. My first thought was: “How can anyone not be pro-life after seeing something like this?”

I think the reality of what awaits us next July has finally sunk in. Oh my gosh . . . I’m going to be a mom!

A Perfect Hatred?

Angela and I just had a hearty discussion on Ps. 139:21-22: “Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.” Angela said it’s hard to understand how hating can ever be a good thing if we are supposed to be filled with love for others. “Maybe it has something to do with hating darkness and those who are anti-Christ are darkness,” I suggested. But how then, we wondered, can we show love to sinners in need of Christ if we must “hate” them for being darkness? And why would anyone want to become a Christian if they are “hated” by Christians? (Obviously . . . there’s something missing in our analysis.) The key, we surmised, must lie somewhere in the fact that the hatred described in Ps. 139, in order to be acceptable and “good,” must necessarily be a “perfect hatred.” But what exactly is perfect hatred? And how can we, as fallen human beings, ever hope to realize “perfect hatred” (let alone try to define it!)?

How can godly love and perfect hatred co-exist?

“Someone told me once that hatred is not the opposite of love but something very close to love because it is a strong emotion just like love,” said Angela. “And you typically hate someone only because you care about them. Otherwise, you wouldn’t feel any emotion toward them at all.” So then we decided that the opposite of love must be apathy – a large void – or having absolutely no feelings toward someone.

In the end, we had more questions than answers. But that’s the charm and mystery of thinking deeply about something – the deeper you dig, the more you realize how completely vast and cavernous this world is. And, besides all that, it’s so much fun to philosophize. In fact, if I could find someone to pay me for it, I think I’d like to do it full-time. (Dream on, Amy.)

Rumblings at Town Hall

Our luggage has finally been returned to us by Continental Airlines. [And to think how often I took for granted the sheer delight and privilege of being able to use a hair dryer!]

Last night, after work, all I wanted to do was go home, unpack, eat dinner, and read a good book with Kevin. (Or maybe start taking down our Christmas decorations.) But something came up at work and I had to attend a school board meeting. Sigh . . . [There’s something terribly wrong with having a very large mortgage and never being home to enjoy what you’re paying for.]

In the end, I’m glad I went to the meeting. It was an incredible experience. CRI has been working on an issue with a local school board wanting to overturn a policy requiring parental notification when minor children, as young as age 12, leave campus for “confidential medical services.” This issue has gained quite a bit of media attention, both locally and nationally. Because of this, the board room was packed, overflowing, and spilling out into the hallways with concerned, passionate, and enraged parents wanting to give the board a piece of their minds. The experience last night was yet another reminder of why I love community activism. At one point during the meeting, if you can believe it, I even started feeling slightly emotional at the plea of one articulate mother. But maybe that’s just because my hormones are out of whack right now. Ugh.

Anyway . . . tonight, fortunately, we don’t have any plans. So I think I’ll go home, unpack, eat dinner, and read a good book with Kevin.

Oh, and then there’s that little ant problem in the kitchen that I’ve been ignoring for the past two days . . . .

Koons Clan: Kevin, Shannon, Laura (Mom), Colin, Amy, Megan, Dale (Dad)

Megan and Amy having too much fun!

Kev and Colin celebrating the New Year

Looking Back . . . and Ahead

Until this point I’ve been very happy to say that I’ve never had an airline lose my luggage. But I can no longer boast about this. We flew into Sacramento yesterday and, would you know it, the most nonessential piece of luggage we brought with us was the only one to arrive. The three pieces of luggage containing all of our toiletry items were on vacation somewhere in Houston. So, here I am, sitting at my desk without any makeup and stringy hair ‘cuz I couldn’t dry it this morning. Sigh . . .

We had a wonderful time in Indy. I got my wish: We had a beautifully white Christmas. We had a good time visiting family – and even had time to catch up with a few of Kevin’s old friends. We enjoyed attending a Christmas Eve candlelight service at Grandma and Grandpa’s church, relished Christmas day and all the familiar celebrations, had fun shopping, watching movies, sledding with Colin and some friends, Kevin enjoyed skiing with Colin, and I enjoyed a trip to the spa with Megan and Shannon for facials. (I highly recommend this . . . very relaxing!) When we went sledding, we made a “train” by hooking three sleds together. Kevin and I were sitting on the middle sled when, one-third of the way down the slope, our sled flew out from underneath us. Needless to say, it was a very bumpy ride (understatement). Although we were flying downhill at a rapid pace, it seemed like it took an eternity to finally make it to the bottom. I think we alternately screamed and laughed the whole way down. Hmmm . . . good times. Probably the most fun day of all was New Year’s Eve. The whole family went out to dinner and then we went to the symphony for their 10 p.m.-midnight concert. Everyone in the audience had bright glittery hats and noisemakers. It was a lively crowd! The Manhattan Rhythm Kings were there to join the symphony, sing and do some tap dancing numbers. It was great. After the countdown to midnight, everyone went out into the main hall to dance and enjoy Big Band music. And then, at approximately one o’clock, we proceeded to go to a friends’ house to play games until almost four in the morning. I don’t think I’ve stayed up that late since law school days. Frankly, I’m surprised I made it!

Anyway, I’ll try to post some pictures. Some of you may know by now, ‘cuz word travels fast – or you may have received our very belated Christmas letter, that we decided we need more blog material and figured a good way to get it would be to add another person to our family. (Just kidding about the blog part.) We’re due in mid-July and are very excited, anxious, happy, freaked-out, disbelieving, etc. You know . . . all those feelings that every new parent-to-be typically experiences. And this is only the beginning . . . Life will definitely change. This will be a new chapter. We’re looking forward to all of the joys, sorrows, and adventures.

Happy Yuletide . . . and a Merry New Year too!

My oh my
How the season has flown by!
Time to leave,
I will enjoy the reprieve.
While away
I wish you a merry, gay
Holiday.
That’s all I wanted to say.

Okay, I realize that’s a very lame, 10-second attempt at poetry. But hopefully you’ll forgive it because I’m in a time-crunch. We’re off to Indiana tomorrow morning for the holidays. (Here’s crossing my fingers for a white Christmas!) Since I doubt I’ll be blogging again until the New Year, I wish you and your loved ones a very blessed holiday season. Merry Christmas!

Florida Radio

I just got done doing a radio interview for some station in Florida. For some reason, this talk show host really likes CRI (the organization I work for) even though we’re based out of California. Most of the questions centered around Schwarzenegger’s recent comments that the GOP party should move to the left and that, if it did so, it wouldn’t lose its base and would pick up 5%. My question: Was Arnold sleeping through the entire Nov. ’04 victory where people went to the polls en masse to vote their consciences on moral issues? I have a question for YOU readers out there: Presuming you’re a Republican, would you stay loyal to the GOP party based on a conservative fiscal platform alone?

I have a very bold friend who once said these words at a state GOP platform committee meeting: “My political party is not like my football team. I’m loyal to my party because it upholds my ideology. If my party ceases to reflect my principles and moral convictions, then not only will I leave my party, I will seek to destroy it.”

Analytical and Critical

Well, I’m not sure how much longer we’re going to stick with Oswald Chambers. He’s starting to annoy us a little bit. (Hopefully this won’t totally offend the Chambers admirers out there – and I know there are plenty.) We’ve had several “issues” with Chambers since we began reading his devotional several weeks ago. First of all, there are many times when we either can’t understand what he’s trying to say or get annoyed at the creative license he takes with the scripture verses he uses. I realize that a lot of people think he’s a great intellectual – but I wonder how often “flowery language” is mistaken for “profound insight.” It’s almost like Chambers thinks to himself, “Hey, I have a great inspiration on this topic. Let me try and find a scripture verse I can use as a springboard to share my thoughts with the world.”

The other day (Dec. 15), for instance, Chambers uses 2 Tim. 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God,” to say that “If you cannot express yourself on any subject, struggle until you can.” I don’t know how on earth he got man’s need to express his inner self from a verse on studying God’s word so that we may rightly understand Truth.

Also, he often uses unclear terms like the “natural man.” Now, I can assume (because I’ve been going to Sunday School all my life) what that means – but since he never defines it, it’s a guessing game. Then he further confuses me by saying things like “the natural life is not sinful” but the natural life must be “sacrificed.” Hmmm.

And then there are times when we completely disagree with what he says. For instance, his Dec. 17 devotional is entitled “Redemption Creates the Need It Satisfies.” In this entry, Chambers says: “God cannot give until a man asks. It is not that He withholds, but that that is the way He has constituted things on the basis of Redemption. By means of our asking, God gets processes into work whereby He creates the thing that is not in existence until we do ask.” Um, excuse me, but I don’t think that the Apostle Paul, on his way to persecute Christians, had the time (or the inclination!) to think, “Gee, I’d better take a moment here to ASK Christ into my heart as my Savior,” before he was struck with the blinding light of Redemption. Chambers’ view of God is not only weak, it is entirely inaccurate. Christ came to seek and save His people. He did not come to TRY to seek and save His people. John 15:16 says “You did not choose Me, but I chose you.” The truth is that, before Redemption occurs, sinners are DEAD in their sins. (Eph. 2:1) We are incapable of “asking” until the Holy Spirit comes and softens our hearts. Praise God for his saving mercy!

Is God a grandfatherly figure calling out to a bunch of dumb sheep to come to Him? Or is He sovereign, in control, and willing and able to save His people? Your basic view of who God is will change your worldview entirely. And, from what we’ve read so far from My Utmost for His Highest, our worldviews tend to clash with Oswald Chambers’.

It could be that we’re just too analytical for our own good. But, then again, I think it’s better to have our brains in gear than it is to blindly accept anything and everything that a “great Christian man” decides to publish in a book.

Joy, Joy, Joy!

Our party on Friday night lasted from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. And our party on Saturday lasted from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. So, basically, when we weren’t partying (or trying to recover from partying) this weekend, we were either cleaning the house, baking, or doing something else to get ready for a party. On Saturday we had a progressive dinner, ending at our house with desserts and a white elephant gift exchange. We left the house just prior to our house a few minutes early so we could put a log in the fire, light the candles, turn the music on, etc. It’s a good thing we left early because, as we entered our laundry room, from off the garage, we stepped into two inches of water. Turns out, our toilet had become plugged and, since it has a tendency to run, the water spilled out into the bathroom, the front entry way, the hallway, the laundry room, and part of the kitchen. As soon as we observed the ocean, that was our house, the adrenaline kicked in. I grabbed every towel I had (including a few beautiful white towels, which I hope I didn’t completely ruin!) and threw them to Kevin. We immediately began to mop everything furiously. The amazing thing is that we were able to clean up all the water and get everything else ready (including dusting a few of the desserts with powdered sugar) before the first guests arrived. It was incredible. (Basically, it was God.) Our guests arrived to a quiet and peaceful home, oblivious of the fact that we’d just worked our tails off to make it that way. [Sigh.]

As the guests left, with their white elephant gifts, Kevin cornered one of the guys who had joked earlier about how everyone was going to leave their stupid gifts at random places in our house. Kevin demanded to know where this guy had left his gift. After some prodding, it was discovered in our toaster oven. Kevin made the guy take his gift (a little jar with some bells on it – very hideous indeed) and escorted him to his car. The problem with white elephant gifts is precisely why they’re so fun – they are so impractical and awful, but because of this, they are very funny and random. (We later found another gift, an ugly paperweight, sitting on a ledge by the staircase.)

The weekend ended on a good note. Our classical radio station played a live broadcast of Handel’s Messiah last night. Kevin sang along and did the dishes (many dishes) while Amy wrapped some gifts. Yes, it definitely was a good (and peaceful) way to end the busy weekend.

Amy Falls Prey to Yet Another Marketing Ploy

On Saturday morning we went to Sam’s Club to develop some film. It was supposed to be a very short, quick trip. But, over the loud speaker, it was announced that anyone showing up at a kiosk near the bakery in the next five minutes would get an “absolutely free, no purchase required” paring knife. Since it’s impossible to have too many paring knives, and since I like free things, I went off to get one. Of course, I had to stand there for ten minutes first and listen to the saleslady market her other wares. By the end of her speech, I was completely mesmerized by all of the really cool kitchen gadgets she had to offer. It turns out that, if I would only buy a knife for $30, called a “never-dull” knife (guaranteed to last a lifetime, never – ever – needing to be sharpened), then I would get a TON of other stuff absolutely “free.” I wasn’t quite convinced at first – until the saleslady cut through a coke can, part of a metal hammer, and then cut through a breadboard, showing that the knife had suffered no damage and was still as sharp as ever (she threw a tomato on top of the knife and the tomato easily sliced in half). As quick as I could, I grabbed the entire package and went to find Kevin. Kevin could not believe I was such a SUCKER. I told him that, if he had seen the demonstration, he’d be convinced too and that he’d have to “trust me” on this one. After all, I know a good deal when I see one. I assured him that I’d use this knife at least four times a week for the next fifty years – so he agreed to let me buy it. But I think, secretly, he thinks I’m gullible and an easy target. I’m sure that, next time I hear a similar announcement over the loud speaker, he’ll try to glue me to something so I can’t go. Saturday is a perfect example that “free” rarely, if ever, truly means “free.”

O Frazzled Night

Last night was one of those frazzled evenings, so common this time of year. (Maybe when I stop working full-time I’ll enjoy Christmas again, like I used to when I was a kid.) After work, I ran to the grocery store to buy food for the two Christmas parties we’re throwing this weekend at our house. (We volunteered for one party and got signed up for another one . . . not that I’m complaining, though, ‘cuz it’ll be fun.) After about an hour at the grocery store, I headed home. Immediately after stepping out of the car, I tripped over some long, sharp (not-sure-what-the-name-of-it-is) tool lying in the garage that was haphazardly left for Amy to booby-trap herself on. (Kevin tells me, often, that if I would just slow down things like this wouldn’t happen. I always retort that it’s really difficult to break 25+ years worth of a very bad habit.) Although my foot felt like it had been impaled, I managed to limp over to the trunk where I began to collect the bags of groceries. As I proceeded to back away from the trunk, would you know it, I struck the top of my head against the lid of the trunk, and, like so aptly depicted in the cartoons, began to see little swirling stars. By this time, I figured it just wasn’t my night.

Fortunately the evening got better as it progressed. For some odd reason, last night I was cold and Kevin was warm. Usually it’s the other way around. Usually he’s shivering and his teeth are clattering while I’m burning up. (Don’t you love it how opposites attract?) I finally asked Kevin if I could turn the heater up. I asked because I wanted to be courteous of the fact that he’d just paid a very high electric bill. He told me “yes” (of course) but then we got in a little playful war over exactly how high I could turn it up. It was at 64 degrees and I pushed it up to 68 degrees. He walked over to the thermostat to inspect it and decided that it should be at 66 degrees (and I should get a sweater on). I then looked woefully at him and said, “Mr. Scrooge, please just one coal for the fire?” Then we both burst out laughing as I ran upstairs to get a sweater. (I suppose I should have done this in the first place.)

We thought about watching It’s a Wonderful Life (my favorite movie) last night – just because it seemed like a very Christmasy thing to do – but then decided to read aloud from Bears of Blue River instead. Part of this decision probably stemmed from the fact that we’d already watched a movie sometime this past week. We watched Meet the Parents. I’d seen it before but Kevin hadn’t. A co-worker of his was surprised he hadn’t seen it and loaned it to us. I personally think this movie is absolutely hysterical. Kevin, on the other hand, is too sympathetic a person to completely enjoy a movie like Meet the Parents. During the entire debacle, he was empathizing with Greg Focker and feeling very badly for him. I must be some heartless little brute because I was laughing through it all.

Helping a Good Man

Kevin’s old boss at HSLDA, Chris Klicka, has multiple sclerosis and needs help raising funds ($22,000) to buy a therapeutic exercise pool and have it installed. Apparently exercising in cold water contracts his muscles and makes him stronger. The water workout gives him the chance to move and exercise in a way that is simply impossible otherwise. It allows him to build upper body strength since he does not have to battle gravity and can exercise without stress. Apparently after exercising in water he is able to walk and looks and feels much better. It sounds like they’ve already got a substantial amount of money to proceed with the construction of this pool. This just proves what a loved and well-respected man Chris is. I can tell you from personal experience that Chris has a heart of gold and he’s given his life to fight for parental rights in home education. If anyone deserves to have help in their battle to fight MS, or if anyone has more determination to fight MS, it’s Chris. No donation is too small. If you are able to contribute, you can send a check to: Chris Klicka, 6779 Riley Road, Warrenton, VA 20187.

And I'm sure you all remember the man-shaped pillow . . .

Now it's the fellas' turn: Japanese 'Lap Pillow' Offers Solace to Lonely Men

Merry Mythmas

Okay, no time for a "real" post, but this is more fun than a real post. Check out this Merry Mythmas Quiz from MSN. For me, not only was it entertaining, it was enlightening as well.

Carols and The Tree

As I sat in the auditorium on Sunday afternoon, the lights dimmed to a near-complete darkness. Suddenly, hundreds of tiny glow sticks began to illuminate the room around me. At a signal from the conductor, a young boy began to sing a soprano solo in Latin and soon the children’s choir, perched in the balconies above me, joined in, allowing their voices to descend from both ends of the auditorium. After several moments of this breath-taking wonder, the mature adult voices, coming from behind each of the glow-sticks, began to sing, blending gloriously with the pure and sweet voices of the children. It was an incredibly moving experience. I felt bad for Kevin because he had to participate in it and couldn’t just sit back, like me, and enjoy it! The orchestra also performed a terrific medley of traditional carols and the chorale sang some really fun songs, including White Christmas, I Saw Three Ships, and Betelehemu, a Nigerian song involving Congo drums and hand motions. And, of course, they had to sing the Hallelujah Chorus. All of this really put me in a festive mood – ever since, I’ve had many melodies running through my head.
_________________

And, one of the most momentous occasions of the weekend was getting our tree! It’s HUGE!!!! Both Kevin and I think it’s the largest tree either of us have ever had! It makes 6’3” Kevin look like a midget. I had romantic notions of trekking up to the mountains and cutting down our own tree. This year, things were just too hectic – so we went to Target instead. Every year we forget what a hassle (and mess) it is to get a live tree into a stand and up properly in the house. (It's probably good that we forget.) This year, during the process, Kevin muttered under his breath, “I hate Christmas trees.” Later on, after getting it up, he was ecstatic about it and loudly declared, “I LOVE Christmas trees.” (I knew he’d come around.)

So, anyway, now the house has that fabulous, fresh pine scent. We don’t have any decorations up yet, except for a bazillion tiny little lights, but hopefully we’ll get our act in gear either tonight or tomorrow. Now I’m starting to remember, again, why I really love this time of year.

Somebody’s Twenty-Seeeeeeeeeven

Today is Kevin’s birthday. The doorbell rang at 7:30 this morning and Kevin ran downstairs to answer it. It was a process server looking for someone by the name of “Stephanie.” Fortunately he wasn’t looking for us. Getting a summons to appear in court would not have been a very nice birthday present.

Unfortunately Kevin is a really busy little beaver today, with a matinee performance for school children at the lunch hour, and a rehearsal tonight. But the good thing is (since I'm the proverbial optimist) – his performance and rehearsal are two blocks from where I work so I will be able to meet him very briefly for both lunch and dinner. We’ll try to squeeze as much celebration out of his birthday as we can!

Last year, I treated him to a fun time in Old Sac (you can read about it here). This year, I promised that, whatever we did, I wouldn’t embarrass him. I was hoping to take him to a quiet dinner. But that probably won’t work out either. Oh, well. It’s just a busy time of year! December babies have to deal with that. ;-)

[Happy birthday Kevin! I love you.]
____________________

Last night I finally had a chance to do some Christmas decorating. It’s so much fun to do right-brained things. I love it. I love to attempt creativity – it may not always turn out but the process is rewarding in and of itself.

Famous Atheist Now Believes in God

This is an interesting article. It took this guy 81 years to figure out there’s a God (based on “scientific evidence”) but he still doesn’t believe that God is personally involved in a person’s life. If I were him, I’d be worried about being wrong on this one too – it’s not like he’ll have another 81 years to figure that out.
_________

I love the saying: “I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist.” Just look at the complexity of the human eye ball - it doesn't take a rocket scientist to plainly see that there is a God.

Bah Humbug

A friend of mine started this Committee to Save Merry Christmas and it’s getting a lot of press. At first glance, you may think it’s funny (or even silly) there’s a committee to boycott Macy’s because they say “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. I am sick and tired of the assault on people of faith. And I think the refusal to acknowledge Christmas (celebrated by 96% of Americans, by the way) is just another indication of the move toward secularization and the religious intolerance in our society today.

Kevin and I have been talking about this a lot lately. Besides the refusal of retailers to brightly greet their customers with a cheery “Merry Christmas,” the public display of a “Christmas tree” is practically nonexistent. They aren’t called “Christmas trees” anymore, you see. They’re called “Holiday trees.” Not only is this offensive, it’s also really dumb and illogical. I ask . . . Is there such a thing as a Hanukah tree? Or a Kwanzaa tree? Or (now that we all know what Eid is) an Eid tree? Um . . . no.

I was listening to the Medved show yesterday (Medved is Jewish, by the way) and he was saying that, although Jews don’t celebrate Christmas, they nonetheless enjoy and appreciate the Christmas season. Take Irving Berlin, for instance. He was a Jew from Poland who wrote the song “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.” The point I think Medved was trying to make is that only the hypersensitive few would be offended at a “Merry Christmas” greeting . . . or a “Christmas Tree.” So, why are we bending over backwards to cater to this hypersensitivity?

[Kevin told me yesterday about an interview he heard with a rabbi the other day where the rabbi specifically stated that Hanukah is the only Jewish feast NOT mentioned in the Torah. It’s, actually, a rather insignificant holiday compared to other Jewish feasts and celebrations. The reason it’s become such a big holiday in the Jewish community is so that there is an alternative to Christmas! And this was from the mouth of the rabbi himself.]

And then there’s the incidence of the third grade children in San Francisco who were kicked out of Union Square for singing traditional Christmas songs that referenced outrageous and horrible things like “mangers” and “angels.” (Can you imagine the gall of these kids?!) And there there’s the lawsuit in New Jersey to prohibit airing traditional instrumental Christmas music because, even though words aren’t being played, people might hear the tunes and think about the words in their heads. And this is religious proselytizing? C’mon!

Last night I went to a live taping of the Hannity and Colmes show in Cupertino. My constitutional law professor, Jordan Lorence, spoke in the first segment. (He represents the fifth grade teacher in Cupertino who was banned from using the Declaration of Independence in his classroom because it references “God” and the “Creator.”) Afterwards, at a reception, Jordan shared why he thinks people are finally getting outraged – liberalism has gone too far. Things like Christmas, the Declaration of Independence, and Marriage are examples of things that unite Americans. The assault on these elementary components of our lives is too much for us. We are tired of being attacked. We are tired of secularism encroaching upon us and strangling us.

The diversity rhetoric has gone too far. The more we focus on how different (diverse) we are in America, the less we have to bond us together. (I think diversity will destroy America if we continue to embrace our differences more than our commonality.) It’s time to stop focusing on how different we are and start focusing more on what makes us – each and every one of us – “Americans.”