The 3rd Party is Relevant!

From an unknown Libertarian web source:

The Libertarian party is made up of many factions, not unlike any other political party or group of people. Not every one agrees on each and every principle or theory, but most Libertarians will agree on about 95% of the issues. A good example of a divide is in religion. Some Libertarians are atheist, most are Christians and I am sure there are a few that have alternative beliefs.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #1 - Freedom Of Religion Libertarians believe in following the United States Constitution and the Constitution clearly gives us the freedom to practice our religion or lack of it as we see fit. It is all about personal freedom, not forcing everyone else to our will.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #2 - Expansion of Personal and Civil Liberties Libertarians believe that we should repeal all laws that presume the government knows how to run your life better than you do. People should be free to make and learn from their own decisions.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #3 - Freedom of Speech And Communication The government does not have the right to regulate our speech or communications. Whether we are making a speech, communicating via the internet, TV, radio or any other means, the government has no right to regulate it in any way.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #4 - Return to Individual Property Rights The government has no right to regulate or control how an individual or business entity uses the land it owns. All public lands, except as allowed by the Constitution should be returned to private ownership and the money raised from the sale used to pay off the national debt. Individuals would have the right to homestead unused land.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #5 - The Right To Privacy Libertarians support the protections provided by the Fourth Amendment. The government tracks us by many means including our social security number. The social security card or any other government issued card, should no longer be used for identification purposes. This has lead to identity theft and an invasion of our right to privacy. Libertarians also oppose road blocks that stop vehicles without probable cause.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #6 - The Right To Keep And Bear Arms An armed citizenry is essential to a free society. All gun control laws should be repealed and the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco and Firearms closed down.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #7 - Reproductive Rights Libertarian recognize that abortion is a sensitive issue. The government should not be involved in the issue either in support or against it. Libertarians support an end to all government subsidies for childbearing or child prevention.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #8 - Government Debt Libertarians support a "Balanced Budget Amendment" that would only allow the federal government to spend as much as it took in the previous year, with the goal of eliminating the national debt. Libertarians would eliminate pork barrel spending and eliminate political corruption. Congress would sell off non-essential assets to pay off the national debt.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #9 - Corporate Welfare, Monopolies and Subsidies All government granted subsidies and monopolies would end and the United States would return to a free market capitalist society as originally intended by our founders. Repeal all anti-trust laws. The government should no longer give guaranteed corporate loans.

Reason To Join The Libertarian Movement #10 - End The War On Drugs The war on drugs causes more harm than good. Thousands die trying to smuggle drugs into our country and in gang fights over drugs every year. If an individual wants to use a drug, that is his or her individual right. By eliminating the war on drugs, we will cut the budgets of law enforcement and save billions every year on imprisoning those involved in the drug trade. Since drugs would be legal and could be purchased in a local store, gangs would have no ability to capitalize on the trade or need to kill each other over it.

Hello, Lovelies!

Yes, I have been away for a while. Yes, it was intentional. I have been working on a book (actually, a trilogy series, but still working on part one), and I felt that blogging or reading (at least anything in the epic fiction category, non-fiction is fine), would distract from my drive and purpose. Let us not forget that I also have two young children to take care of and my husband travels for work. A LOT.

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Love it??? So do I!

Why I work out

If you exercise for more than a couple of weeks, you begin to realize that "losing weight" is not the only reason you get up off of your butt and move it around a bit. I can admit that, while I have physical goals when I start a particular program, I work out to escape. I escape from stress, anxiety, frustration, and boredom. I escape from that diseased feeling I get when I lay around all day with my husband and kids on a Saturday. I escape from the dulled sensation from a lack of stimulation.

All basic knowledge of the physical benefits of exercise aside, it really is great to have an escape. An easily accesible escape that you can rely on at any moment in time to help you reconnect with yourself. Oh sure, I love sushi, chocolate, and basking in the sunlight... but those feelings are temporary compared to the longer positive effect of exercise.

Some people like to work out in groups, and others prefer to work out alone. I relish the thought of working out alone. It is my time to unload, unwind, recharge, cleanse negative energy, and push myself a little past my limits each time. Plus, I find great entertainment in kicking the pavement's butt. I really enjoy showing the treadmill who's boss. I love putting the fear of God into those free-weights. I like telling those 10 sets of Burpees that they are chumps. The only person I compete with is myself, and I LOVE it. Then afterwards I can tell myself I did a good job and give myself a giant hug by doing a little stretching or yoga.

But also, I work out because I just ate those dang Girl Scout cookies, or I really enjoyed that extra serving of spaghetti last night, or a really awesome Sister from church just brought me a treat and I devoured it in .5 seconds. I used to tell my spin class that I worked out so I could eat cookies, and that is half of the truth!

Most of the time I am a beast with my workouts, but sometimes they really badly kick my butt. I shake hands and say "that's okay, I'll get you good next time". I go ice my knees, take a long shower, and add a little peanut butter to my protein shake to "make my booboos better". I win far more than the exercise leperchaun does, and I deserve a medal for that!

Lastly, and probably mostly, I work out to get the crazy out of me. Kicking the pavement's butt or shadow boxing yourself into a panting mess is better than giving in to the temptation to verbally punch someone in the face, any day. My list of priorities always include spiritually uplifting things (think prayer, study, church attendance, good deeds), but my very own personal piece of the equation that is absolutely necessary to get the best answer is DESTROYING MY WORKOUT.

Old friend, this one's for you

When we think of relationships and regret, we often think of romantic relationships or maybe even strained family relationships. Friendships often take a backseat when heartache is mentioned in conversation. It’s true, there are friends for all seasons of our lives, and a single friend can change a person’s bleakest outlook on existence. I have some absolutely amazing friends that I love, adore, and cherish. There is the one I have known since middle school and shared all of my joys and sorrows with (I adore her and wish we lived closer together so I could see her every week), the ones I keep in contact with from school that always make me smile, the church friends I have accumulated over the years that are always so wonderful and full of light, the one who comes to my house and talks with me for hours while our kids play, the women who come out for Girls Night to laugh and share life experiences, the ones that have been brave enough to reconnect after years of “being busy building our lives”, and, of course, the amazing friend I married and adore with all of my soul… but what about the one that got away? No, not an ex-boyfriend. They all pale in comparison to Bryan’s, well, everything about him. I’m talking about the amazing friend that slipped away. Friends come and go, drift apart, and then come back together. This blog is dedicated to the one that slipped away and never returned.

She was (and still is) an amazing person, full of personality and color. She took a chance on a troubled teenager (that would be me) who was on a path to disappointment. She had such a welcoming personality, and it drew me in. She was a very free-spirited person who saw the world through glasses of a different hue. She became an anchor in my chaotic life… and she introduced me to the LDS church. Her tastes in clothing, music, and entertainment were unique, and many of them mirrored or complimented my tastes. She wrote me cute notes with quips and pet-names that turned into our own little treasured inside jokes. She made me delicious lunches, and I attempted to return the favor, though I couldn’t beat her vermicelli. She listened to me on the phone and invited me to her house simply because she wanted to hang out with me. We spent our high school years dorking up the courtyard and enjoying our group of mutual friends. She had wonderful talents, and I am sad to say I never admitted to her that I had some jealousy for her confidence and her talents, and that they sometimes intimidated me. It stood in the way of allowing our friendship to grow deeper. I was worried about throwing off the dynamic of the best friendship I had ever had. Don’t rock the boat, right? I loved her, cherished her, appreciated her, and admired her. I just didn’t know how to show it.

Changes in my life (mostly about my spiritual understanding and my craving for a smoother spiritual foundation) created distance between us. I wanted to share my changing understanding with her, but again… I didn’t know how to do it. I hated feeling vulnerable and putting myself out in the open at the risk of being injured. I also feared the shift of view would change the cherished dynamic of our friendship, so I did the foolish thing and ignored addressing the changes. A couple of events vastly shifted the dynamic of our friendship, and she slipped away. A lot of it was my fault. My fear of being let down and my insecurities kept me from sharing with her how I truly felt. My concern about having a fight with a dear friend created a chasm between us. After the friendship dissolved, I kept my life busy with my newfound spiritual understanding, the entrance of a friend who would become a love interest - then fiancé - then husband, and the creation and birth of my first child. These things shaped my life and gave me light and purpose, but when I thought of her… I missed her. I missed everything about her. Who wouldn’t? She was wonderful. It took a lot of my husband’s influence and the influence of the gospel in my life to finally knock those walls of defense down, and I finally felt safe sharing my vulnerability with others.

So this one is for you, friend that got away. My heart is full of special, safe places for all of the people that have touched my life for good. One of those places will always be filled with memories of you. You are wonderful, you are beautiful, and you are loved.