Just for a quick laugh

I just wanted to give everyone a quick something to smile about: JT walking our cat. Aren't they cute together?

Ward Not-So-Party

Yay for Halloween! Today was our ward Halloween party...or at least we thought it was! Halloween decorations? Check. Creepy music? Check. Kids in costumes? Check. Adults in costumes? Negative. We pulled into the Church parking lot only to find that we had more in common with the 2 year-olds than the adults! It was disappointing after all our hard work. I bought a perfectly good white shirt and cut it up for my costume! I'm proud to say that I did a good job because you almost can't tell, but that's not the point! We were really looking forward to some real Halloween time fun. We decided to head home and change into normal clothes after a brief photo shoot on the lawn. At least passing cars had some fun. We actually caused traffic to slow to a stop as people cheered at us, gave us the thumbs up, and leaned out of car windows! We have now become "the place" to drive by if you want a laugh.

JT and I didn't stick around at the party for that long. We chose to go on a date instead. Zupas and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2! Zupas was yummy, as always. However, the movie was enough to drive us crazy! The movie itself wasn't all that bad. In fact, I quite enjoyed it! What I will NEVER EVER EVER do again is sit in a room with that many women again! There were 3 guys in the entire theater! Girls were calling out to each other, giggling, whispering, talking, crying, ooohing and aaahing...etc. THEN--get this--they clapped! The movie ended and there was applause! It was at this point that JT and I had had enough of this and without a word we simultaneously gathered up our things and took off. I have never been more embarrassed by my own gender. It was just so.....my little pony-ish? There is a reason I have always been better friends with guys.

The evening has ended and all in all, it wasn't a bad day! Things never got boring to say the least. There may also be an upcoming battle! Zach may never get his sword back. Uncle JT has fallen in love with it after his victorious conquest in the Battle of Sea World! I feel a smackdown coming on and my money's on Zach!

Political.....ness

This year's presidential campaign has stirred no small controversies. From last names to health, we've seen attacks on just about everything. The candidates seem to have the mistaken impression that smearing their political opponent will grant them justification in the eyes of Americans. While watching the final presidential debate not long ago, JT and I were surprised to find both candidates acting childishly while vying for the most prestigious office in arguably the whole world. McCain was so upset that he could not wait most times for Obama to finish his statement, and Obama's condescending laugh was enough to drive someone crazy. Well, if the candidates wanted a reaction out of the American public, they got one. Too bad it's the wrong one.

I am alarmed at the number of Americans who simply choose not to vote. Reasons like "I don't like either candidate", "I can't decide", or "neither of them deserves my vote" abound. These reasons are not reason enough to abandon the principles of our democratic republic. Our government isn't perfect, the nation isn't perfect, and the people are definitely not perfect. It is unfair to then decide that imperfection is justification for apathy. This country is not perfect and will NEVER be unless its citizens make the effort to change it--that requires participation. We have the blessing and opportunity to vote in America. For those of the LDS religion, we also have a religious duty to uphold and support the laws of the land. Are we supporting our country when we ignore its basic tenants that have been provided as safeguards to our freedom and Constitutional liberties? People live and die to protect this country and what it offers. What better way to honor them and the country we love than to exercise the rights they have provided? More and more I begin to believe that civic duty is dead. Thank goodness for those out there who prove me wrong!

Along the same train of thought, I am so excited about the tremendous response to Prop 8 in California! It is a landmark piece of legislation. JT and I both have many friends who oppose this amendment. We respect their opinions and understand that this is dear to their hearts. However, we choose to take a stand voting yes. We believe that marriage is solely between a man and a woman. It is the basic unit of society. We cannot control what others choose to do with their lives and accept that. However, we can control the definition of family and marriage. We want our children to grow up in the same, well...hopefully it's a little better, society we did. We urge everyone to vote to protect marriage and family this November. A second reason to vote yes is education. The no campaign says that they are not campaigning for gay rights education. However, this is wrong. The education of our children is inevitable if Prop 8 is defeated. Homosexuality will be taught in our elementary schools without our consent or right to protest. The San Francisco mayor and schools have already demonstrated this by taking an elementary class to a lesbian wedding for a "teachable moment". This isn't just about free expression of love. It's about changing our society and indoctrinating our youth. We will have NO choice when it comes to our children and a lifestyle that we oppose. That, more than anything, is unacceptable. Please protect the institution of marriage and the childhood of future generations by voting YES on Prop 8!

Flu Shot

I finally did it! For the well-being and safety of all adorable little children (specifically named Zach of course) I allowed someone to stab me. Well, they stabbed me with a flu shot. Not nearly as dramatic as just saying I was stabbed. I almost forgot all about my apointment too! JT and I jumped out of bed in our extremely good looking pajamas and dashed to the health center. When the shot lady (for lack of a better title) came in, she looked at JT and asked what he was in for. He replied that he would take whatever she had lying around and smiled that cocky grin of his. She was not amused. Luckily, he was allowed to stay. She gave me the shot and it was the least painful one I have ever gotten! Usually I start crying in anticipation and then get worse afterwards because I'm a big baby. I didn't even have time to let the tear ducts start up! It was awesome. She said I was a big girl since I didn't cry and allowed me to pick out a lollipop. I would definitely recommend the entire experience!

Living It Up

We have been taking full advantage of our time here! I'm really happy to see how active we are. There's no reason to not enjoy it! So what exactly have we been up to?
1. BYU football games
It was soo much fun to attend a football game again! JT, of course, was a lot more excited about the sport aspect of it than I was. I love the excitement and the cheering. The only thing I'm not a fan of is halftime. It's a waste of time. I'd rather have the game continue. We kept sitting in the wrong seats. People asked us to move twice before we finally found our seats! I felt bad for all the commotion we caused.
2. General Conference
My uncle gave us tickets to Sunday evening's General Conference session! We were really grateful and excited to go. We asked two friends and a roommate of theirs to go with us. The social aspect of the trip left much to be desired. Everyone was very tired. However, being back at Conference was fantastic! We were in our seats a little over half hour ahead of time. I was telling a friend about my desire to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing "Lead Kindly Light". He sighed and told me that I probably wouldn't get my wish since that song was sung in Priesthood session. I was pretty disappointed. I can't tell whether it's the words or the melody I love more. Anyways, just as I finished expressing my disappointment, the organ began softly playing it! I was speechless! I know it's silly, but it meant a lot to me. JT says his favorite part of Conference was the humor in the talk on marriage by Elder Nelson.
3. Family
We have LOVED spending time with Joe, Christina, Zach, Lacie, and Stephen! After all, there's no one more important than family. We have fun playing with Zach and the parentals or watching Gossip Girl marathons (the latter is soley a Kasaundra-Christina activity--JT wouldn't be caught dead). Even though I'm ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED of shots, I'm going to suck it up and get a flu shot. That's for you Zach. Lacie and Stephen have been fun to spend time with too! We for sure thought they had good (insert eyebrow wiggle) news to tell us when they invited us to dinner the other night. We were wrong, but I'm glad we got together anyways. I hope they feel free to call us anytime they feel the need for Brick Oven!

Other than that we just have future plans like snowboarding, skiing, driving through the canyon to watch the leaves turn, and attending BYU's Homecoming Spectacular tomorrow night! Yay! Things are turning out to be so much fun!