Latest Rant...(I am in a mood today!)

I believe in traditional marriage, but - it is extremely frustrating to me to listen to all the political uproar over the latest Supreme Court battle. Maybe it’s the Libertarian in me but I have a few questions… Why is the government in charge of marriages? Why do I need to petition the government, get permission, then file paperwork for what is essentially a religious action? This makes absolutely no sense to me.

So, marriage is a sacred covenant, between a man, a woman, and their religious deity. Or - in some customs, a man, multiple women, and their deity, plus what the heck ever variations other religions employ. So why not let the churches decide whom they will join in this union, not a body of government officials. What business is it of theirs? I don’t require the government to give me a license to get baptized, for my neighbor to have communion, or for another neighbor to be saved!

Furthermore, why in the middle of a serious economic issue, a huge government debt, European collapse, and militant Islamic threats are we allowing this stupid issue to consume millions of dollars and more importantly our entire attention span? I appreciate the people who worked so hard on Prop 8, but a mindless court will over-rule you in one fell swoop.

The only government benefit of marriage that you can currently get, that a contractual agreement between two agreeable parties could not, is a tax credit. So revise the stupid tax code, and let people be as stupid as they want to be. Anyone wanting to enter into a contractual agreement for living together, purchasing together or having children together need to see a lawyer or their clergy. Not a government bureaucrat.

To same sex couples, what will a marriage certificate tomorrow give you that you don’t have today? Are you refraining from anything right now that a governmental sanction will allow you to begin? How does the decision of 9 people in Washington validate your relationship? Are you under the mistaken impression that a marriage license is a great panacea for all the problems in this country?

So now some common questions:

What about children? Well, I think homosexual couples are already adopting, in-vitro-ing, surrogating, and fostering children all over the country. Marriage isn’t going to stop that, that horse left the barn a long time ago. Plus, there are a bunch of mindless twits out there reproducing at an alarming rate, we don’t seem capable of stopping them, after all, there isn’t an IQ test to get pregnant.

What about our rights? Well, homosexuals currently have the exact same rights that I do, to marry someone of the opposite sex, if they choose not to do that, fine. What rights do heterosexual couples have that homosexual couples don’t? If you think marriage has always been about love, you really should look a little deeper into your history. Traditional marriage (prior to the Victorian era) was about alliances, political maneuverings, security and money, rarely love.



What about survivor benefits and health care? Hello!! Didn’t everyone pay attention three years ago to that monstrosity called Obama Care? Survivor benefits? Hospital bed-side acknowledgement of being their partner….uhmmm….trust me I don’t know anywhere that is still a problem, even right here in backwater river city. In this day and age where there are a lot of common-law couples, I don’t think anyone is being turned away at the ICU door. Truth be told, my mother-in-law claimed to be married for over 15 years, I don't think anyone actually asked to see her license, and she had all the benefits.

So in summary to my little rant…get over yourselves!

I didn’t get married so that I could open a joint checking account, file taxes jointly, buy property together, or share a cellular plan. I married my husband because my faith has taught me to respect and honor the sanctity of marriage. I believe that my marriage is a covenant between myself, my husband and my Heavenly Father, I don’t really care whether the US Government is involved.

Is that.....?

Yesterday, Emily and I were heading home from Logan, after checking out USU and spotted something we couldn't quite believe.  I had to wake Emily up (of course), but right at point of the mountain, I saw in the back of a Toyota, what I thought at first was a stuffed hawk, it had a hood tied around his head. I woke Emily up and told her to check it out...then it moved!  I moved around to another lane and we got a little better view.  Sure enough, it was actually a bald eagle, sitting in the back of a Prius, with a hood on, being driven by a 20 something blond.  Bizarre...we followed her to our exit at Spanish Fork, and the other amazing thing was that cars were passing her not even noticing a bird with a bigger wing span than the car it was riding in. 

So that's it, the symbol of America riding in the back of a Toyota.

I'm his wife, not his warden.

It happened again yesterday, the phone rings, I answer and have the following conversation:

Them: Hello, is Scott/Brother Dederick home?

Me: No, I'm sorry he's still at work.

Them: Well, ugh...what time does he normally get home?

Me: I don't know, when he's done I guess.

Them: Well, I've tried his cell phone, he didn't answer.

Me: Well, if he's in the hospital, he won't answer it.

Them: I need to get a hold of him, I need......(variety of responses here, usually a computer problem)

OK, I have a couple things going on here:

My husband is an adult. Sometimes he answers his phone, lots of times he doesn't.  Here's a news flash, he pays the bill for his cell phone, it is for HIS convenience, not yours.

I have been married to the man for almost 22 years, I still don't know when his regular time to get home is.  He works until he is done, he makes sure that any computer that needs to be working is - even if that means staying until 3 am.

Do I worry when he isn't home...ugh...no...should I?? I trust my husband, and I know how much he loves being home, so if he isn't at home there is something that needs to be done.

Now the next part is a little tricky, you see most of Scott's calls from members of the church are in regards to his computer skills, and the truth of the matter is I resent it a little bit.

I grew up with a Dad that worked when there was work to be done. If I needed him or Sister SeriouslyScrewedUpMyLife called I could track him down pretty easily when he was a Bishop.  My Dad didn't have a 9-5 and neither does my husband.

So, when you call and he isn't immediately available, don't ask me... 

Spring Wardrobe...

I love it when the weather changes and the time changes so that I can change my wardrobe.  Are you thinking I'm excited about flip flops and crop pants???? Then you don't know me very well...no, I'm excited when the time changes, the weather gets warmer and I can stop wearing my head lamp, carharts and irrigating boots when I go out at night to feed the animals. (Yes Mr. Dederick, that look is sexy) Anyway, with the changing of the weather and the time, I can now feed at leisure and let the goats out for a little exercise, all while wearing my regular work clothes.

Where Have I Been?

Alright, for both of you that read this blog, I know it's been awhile. I can't really explain why I haven't been blogging.  Had a few things going on, got a little stressed, working on a couple other projects, I have a bunch of excuses.

Working with Emily on the college thing...see the next blog.

Had Scott's distant cousin and childhood friend out staying with us (I do so well with company)

Sent my problem pig Pearl with Jinx and Fern to Hotchkiss to fill the measure of her creation - which is to say - to fill my freezer.  Her hang weight was 279!!! Can I grow 'em big or what!

My sister Nancy has volunteered us to do the program at our family reunion this summer and honestly that has taken a lot of my mental energy.  No, I won't share what it is...

Even managed to spend a little time with Cub Scout Pack 342 this last Saturday at their Pinewood Derby, sometimes I really miss working with those little boys.

So, now that you have heard all my reasons, you can know that I am going to try to get back in the grove again, so both of my readers can catch up

Collegiate Hunt

So as I have rambled on and on about it, the time is drawing nigh when my little Emily must choose a college.  To say this is a bit overwhelming for her would be an understatement. I must admit that I have done very little to help her in either her application process or her selection of where she wants to go to school.  This isn't because I don't care...when I was a senior, my sister Ellen convinced me that Snow College was the very best place in the world to go, that was a huge mistake.

Emily gets to choose her own place, one thing is certain, she doesn't want to transfer after she starts school. She has been offered a variety of scholarships (no full rides, after all she is a middle income white girl), and she has been accepted by every school she applied to except BYU Provo.

So, she has decided the following schools are probably out of the running:

Vermont Technical Institute: Her dream school, I'm not really sure why. But, I did put my foot down about her moving to Vermont.

Oregon Institute of Technology: To far as well, plus Oregon is full of those liberals.

Montana Tech: Butte????  Maybe as a last resort...

BYU Idaho: She honestly only applied here because she could just check the box while she was filling out the application for BYU.

Colorado Mesa University: She was offered almost a full scholarship here, but they don't have a civil engineering program.

University of Arizona: An amazing engineering school, but I am seriously concerned about my daughter living in Tucson.

These schools are still being considered:

Northern Arizona University: This school is still in the running.  They have a pretty good engineering program, have offered some scholarships, and she think Flagstaff would be a pretty good place to live, we agree on that.

Utah State University: Still in the running as well, we are heading there for an on-site visit on Saturday.
It is easier to get to than Flagstaff, but we shall see.

Colorado School of Mines: Honestly the biggest surprise.  They were the last to come in, we were thrilled, it has the highest standards of any college in Colorado, and Forbes ranked them in the top 10 best engineering schools in the country. We have a campus visit scheduled for April 8th, it's close, but it is pretty pricey.

So the three still in are NAU, USU and Mines....

About BYU Provo... well she had all the right qualifications, honestly we were pretty surprised when they turned her down.  But, for whatever reasons they had...it's their loss. Truthfully, the biggest reason for going to BYU Provo was the cost, personally, BYU has always given me hives. I know, it's Zion! Well, having a second cousin who was once President of BYU, and knowing some of the people that have gone there...meh...she can do better.

SO....where will she land????  May 1st is the deadline....stay tuned