Monday, July 30, 2012
The Honest Truth
I have been feeling the need lately to make this post. I'm not really sure why, but I have truly felt a lot of prompting. Maybe, I have danced around the subject without really meaning to, and I am truly not trying to offend anyone.
I would like everyone to know that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and his atonement. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true. I believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ appeared to him, and that through this event The Book of Mormon was brought forward. I know that Thomas S. Monson is prophet of God, as much as Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were. I know that Christ will again return to this Earth. I believe that I will see my loved ones again, and that if I am true and faithful, I will have my husband and family for the eternities.
I love the gospel of Christ, I love my Heavenly Father, I am grateful for His plan. I invite anyone seeking to get down on your knees and pray for His direction.
Friday, July 20, 2012
My New Intolerance
Well, let me start out by saying that I’m a gun loving, scripture quoting, middle aged, mini-van driving Mormon Mom. That right there puts me in a conservative category. If people only knew how conservative (to the point of libertarianism) that puts me, it would probably scare them a lot. However, that being said, I would also like to point out that if whatever you believe, put forward, embrace, practice etc.; that as long as you don’t infringe upon my rights, tax me for it, teach it to my children or expect me to practice, preach or defend…that’s fine.
BUT…that doesn’t mean I have to like it. In this day and age of “tolerance” I think people are a little confused. You see, I believe in free agency, you can make you own choices, do your own thing, as long as you don’t force it on me. Maybe I’m getting over saturated with “free thinking” or maybe a little of Grandma Smirl is showing up, either way I’m tired of pretending that “whatever you want” is OK. It isn’t and I’m not going to argue with you. Honestly, you can find your way to hell all by yourself.
So many people equate being conservative with being provincial. “How quaint, do you believe the Earth is flat too?” they ask smugly, believing they have a superior intellect. Well, I may be from Kannah Creek, Colorado, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t seen a little of the world. I traveled extensively growing up, lived overseas, read a pretty big variety of subjects, have a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology and can name my senators and congressmen. Maybe they think my traditional beliefs are the result of a low IQ, that if I was just a little smarter I would understand…trust me, I’ve had IQ tests (it isn’t the problem).
There is an old saying that first you tolerate evil, then you defend it, then you embrace it. I’m not going to tolerate it anymore without saying something. So, if I have offended you…oh well. Please do not mistake my intolerance for ignorance, I understand your point…I just don’t agree with you.
BUT…that doesn’t mean I have to like it. In this day and age of “tolerance” I think people are a little confused. You see, I believe in free agency, you can make you own choices, do your own thing, as long as you don’t force it on me. Maybe I’m getting over saturated with “free thinking” or maybe a little of Grandma Smirl is showing up, either way I’m tired of pretending that “whatever you want” is OK. It isn’t and I’m not going to argue with you. Honestly, you can find your way to hell all by yourself.
So many people equate being conservative with being provincial. “How quaint, do you believe the Earth is flat too?” they ask smugly, believing they have a superior intellect. Well, I may be from Kannah Creek, Colorado, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t seen a little of the world. I traveled extensively growing up, lived overseas, read a pretty big variety of subjects, have a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology and can name my senators and congressmen. Maybe they think my traditional beliefs are the result of a low IQ, that if I was just a little smarter I would understand…trust me, I’ve had IQ tests (it isn’t the problem).
There is an old saying that first you tolerate evil, then you defend it, then you embrace it. I’m not going to tolerate it anymore without saying something. So, if I have offended you…oh well. Please do not mistake my intolerance for ignorance, I understand your point…I just don’t agree with you.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Mesa County Fair
WOW..I can't believe it is fair time. Of course growing up the fair was always the first full week of August. How do I know? Well....
Yeah...that's me. Mesa County Fair Queen 19--- well, that part doesn't matter. I was driving home last night with Shirley Flanagan from Institute, and as we drove past the fair grounds, I couldn't believe all the cars, lights and activity. It was awesome!! You see, I started going to the fair when I was 5. Yes, back in the day (as they say at my work) they let even younger than normal kids into 4H. So, I joined with my big sister Ellen. We were in the Unaweep Club, the Loma Club and finally in the Orchard Mesa Club. I couldn't take steers until I was 8, but until then I took rabbits and other little things. Back then the fair was one thing and one thing only...a livestock show! The old ranchers on the fair board had no use for all that foo foo stuff. Livestock was serious business. The fair was hot, dusty and there was one little snack stand.
Fast forward to the end of my junior year of high school, my boyfriend broke up with me and I was in serious need of some validation. I had never even thought about trying to be Fair Queen, to be honest, I hadn't paid them any attention over the years. But, my sister Ellen had a secret wish...she had wanted to be fair queen, but because of her illness she never went for it. So, she talked me into filling out the application just before I went on a 2 1/2 week 4H trip down to Louisiana. The interviews were the day after I got back, I threw on a dress and my Mom drove me in, I knew they were going to ask me about current events, so Harriet, ever the news hound, filled me in on the way there. About 2 weeks later, I was surprised when they announced my name at the ceremony, Ellen was thrilled.
Little did I honestly know what I was in for...you see that was a pretty pivotal year for the Mesa County Fair. There was a new Extension agent, and a few new members of the fair board and they had decided that it was a county fair not just a livestock show. I did interviews, I rode in parades, I went to lots, and lots of committee and planning meetings. I learned how to get businesses involved, I learned how to book a carnival, and I learned how to organize. That year the fair had a carnival for the first time, we had Tommy Roe come and give a concert (you may remember his one hit "Dizzy"), we had watermelon eating contests, water fights, and even a greased pig contest and I got to participate. I think we started something that year. After that the carnival became standard, the community involvement started to grow and the fair took off.
I went last year and was surprised to see some old faces, who now have kids showing animals. I couldn't believe how much it has grown, and I am so glad. The Mesa County Fair is now a huge community event, just as it always should have been. Those old men that were on the board are probably rolling in their graves, it's to bad they missed such a fun time.
Fast forward to the end of my junior year of high school, my boyfriend broke up with me and I was in serious need of some validation. I had never even thought about trying to be Fair Queen, to be honest, I hadn't paid them any attention over the years. But, my sister Ellen had a secret wish...she had wanted to be fair queen, but because of her illness she never went for it. So, she talked me into filling out the application just before I went on a 2 1/2 week 4H trip down to Louisiana. The interviews were the day after I got back, I threw on a dress and my Mom drove me in, I knew they were going to ask me about current events, so Harriet, ever the news hound, filled me in on the way there. About 2 weeks later, I was surprised when they announced my name at the ceremony, Ellen was thrilled.
Little did I honestly know what I was in for...you see that was a pretty pivotal year for the Mesa County Fair. There was a new Extension agent, and a few new members of the fair board and they had decided that it was a county fair not just a livestock show. I did interviews, I rode in parades, I went to lots, and lots of committee and planning meetings. I learned how to get businesses involved, I learned how to book a carnival, and I learned how to organize. That year the fair had a carnival for the first time, we had Tommy Roe come and give a concert (you may remember his one hit "Dizzy"), we had watermelon eating contests, water fights, and even a greased pig contest and I got to participate. I think we started something that year. After that the carnival became standard, the community involvement started to grow and the fair took off.
I went last year and was surprised to see some old faces, who now have kids showing animals. I couldn't believe how much it has grown, and I am so glad. The Mesa County Fair is now a huge community event, just as it always should have been. Those old men that were on the board are probably rolling in their graves, it's to bad they missed such a fun time.
So, GO TO THE FAIR!!!!!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Catching the Blue Bird of Happiness
I have a co-worker who said, "You always seem so happy, it's pretty annoying!" I know what you are thinking:
A) This person obviously doesn't know Allison very well
B) Allison deserves an Oscar
C) Allison has a secret stash of Xanax she only uses at work
Well, it's a little of A and sometimes a whole lot of B. I used to be pretty cranky, then one day I realized that being happy wasn't up to anyone but me. If you sit around waiting for the Blue Bird of happiness to finally land on your window, you're going to be wasting a lot of days. So the solution is pretty simple. You have to go out, hunt down that little Blue Bird, catch it and stick the little dickens in your own cage. Then it belongs to you, and you can have it whenever you need it.
In other words, if you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you're going to be pretty disappointed. Go hunt down your own Blue Bird
A) This person obviously doesn't know Allison very well
B) Allison deserves an Oscar
C) Allison has a secret stash of Xanax she only uses at work
Well, it's a little of A and sometimes a whole lot of B. I used to be pretty cranky, then one day I realized that being happy wasn't up to anyone but me. If you sit around waiting for the Blue Bird of happiness to finally land on your window, you're going to be wasting a lot of days. So the solution is pretty simple. You have to go out, hunt down that little Blue Bird, catch it and stick the little dickens in your own cage. Then it belongs to you, and you can have it whenever you need it.
In other words, if you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you're going to be pretty disappointed. Go hunt down your own Blue Bird
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
I'm Pro Government Health Care
Yeah, I've been thinking about this for quite some time. I'll admit, even I am surprised that I agree with Chief Justice Roberts about this particular program. But, I've decided that the most innocent and unfortunate among us are entitled to all the "rights" and privileges of free health care. Oh...I'm not talking about people (anyone who knows me, knows I don't like them), I am talking about my animals.
Do you have any idea how expensive health care is for your animals??? They are truly the most innocent among us, and they have some of the highest health care costs. Did you know that if I walk into any ER in the country, announce that I have no way of paying and demand care, they have to give it to me?? But, in contrast, if I take my mangled, bleeding pet into the vet and don't whip out a Visa with 20K open on it, they can refuse to treat my poor little baby.
Think about this, if everyone who has a pet had access to free health care, there would be a whole lot less unexpected babies in this world. My niece is getting ready to have her dog, Marley neutered, it will cost her at least $200. Granted, if Marley isn't neutered it isn't like he's going to be showing up with a belly full of babies, or even child support payments. But, she needs to do it, because not nipping that dog will have him running after every bitch in heat within a five mile radius with the intensity of Bill Clinton going after a White House full of interns.
My Mother recently had to take Daisy in because she contracted kennel cough (going around in our little pack) she waited until Daisy was really sick because she was worried about how much it was going to cost. If she had had free health care, we could take Daisy in all the time and never worry about a cost to benefit ratio. In fact if it were free I could take my goats in for a check up all the time...but that is a little hard, since my animal transport is a mini van...so it would be better if the vet could make a house call.
So even though it may surprise you, I believe that my tax dollars and yours, plus all those evil insurance companies should go towards the poor, most innocent of all...our furry and scaly members of society, the animals. What??? You as a non-pet owner don't think you should have to pay for my conscious choice to own a large numbers of animals and as a result see your taxes or out of pocket costs go up???....huh...
Do you have any idea how expensive health care is for your animals??? They are truly the most innocent among us, and they have some of the highest health care costs. Did you know that if I walk into any ER in the country, announce that I have no way of paying and demand care, they have to give it to me?? But, in contrast, if I take my mangled, bleeding pet into the vet and don't whip out a Visa with 20K open on it, they can refuse to treat my poor little baby.
Think about this, if everyone who has a pet had access to free health care, there would be a whole lot less unexpected babies in this world. My niece is getting ready to have her dog, Marley neutered, it will cost her at least $200. Granted, if Marley isn't neutered it isn't like he's going to be showing up with a belly full of babies, or even child support payments. But, she needs to do it, because not nipping that dog will have him running after every bitch in heat within a five mile radius with the intensity of Bill Clinton going after a White House full of interns.
My Mother recently had to take Daisy in because she contracted kennel cough (going around in our little pack) she waited until Daisy was really sick because she was worried about how much it was going to cost. If she had had free health care, we could take Daisy in all the time and never worry about a cost to benefit ratio. In fact if it were free I could take my goats in for a check up all the time...but that is a little hard, since my animal transport is a mini van...so it would be better if the vet could make a house call.
So even though it may surprise you, I believe that my tax dollars and yours, plus all those evil insurance companies should go towards the poor, most innocent of all...our furry and scaly members of society, the animals. What??? You as a non-pet owner don't think you should have to pay for my conscious choice to own a large numbers of animals and as a result see your taxes or out of pocket costs go up???....huh...
An Ordinary Life
Thinking about my life the other day, I thought how normal it seems. I have a job (career), two children, a husband, to whom I have been married for 21 years, who has a very normal job in the IT world. I have a mortgage, two dogs, bills, sprinklers I fuss with and extended family that I both love and drive me crazy. So from the outside looking in it appears a very suburban existence. Probably a lot of people, if they care to look, feel I have a very routine and ordinary life. Except, it doesn't feel ordinary...especially to me. It is my life, and no matter how small an impact I may make in this world or even this universe, my life to me, and I hope every one's life to them, seems very extra-ordinary.
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