Powerless and Helpless

Most of you who know me well are probably wondering when I became so interested in politics. Any of you who know Evan, will understand. I'm kind of a talk radio junkie and I listen A LOT to Glenn Beck, take it or leave it. I do agree on mostly everything he talks about and I know he lives by our values and same morals. That makes me like him even more.
When this whole presidential crap was going on, I especially became interested in the future of our great nation. I found myself VERY disgusted with the potential future of our country. I kept thinking to myself, Obama can't turn this nation into a Socialist one in just 4 years, can he? But it's happening faster than anyone could expect. This scares me to death, because I have lived in a Socialist nation and have seen 1st hand what a terrible system it is. The other thing is that it's NON-REVERSIBLE.
I don't want my children growing up forced to live a certain way (forced "charity", and people not working for what they get), and not being able to enjoy what they work so hard to accomplish for themselves and their families. This is Satan's plan, and NOT what Heavenly Father has in mind for us.
Daily, I keep feeling so small and helpless because of the power the government is unconstitutionally gaining. I felt like the ONLY thing I could do is write to my congressman and thank him for upholding our beliefs and values of our community. Until now. It's time to take a stand. When? The Unveiling of We Surround Them is this Friday, and we're SO excited. It's to help people who share these values know that they're not alone.

The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me. You Are Not Alone

12 Values
Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Friendship

If you agree with 7 of the 9 principles and the 12 values, please click here.
Just know, your personal political beliefs should not harm our friendship. Thanks for listening.

Sad news

Here's the history, before I get to the news. Our cat, Precious has been with us since May. We got her from my sister who had her for over a year. We know all the previous owners. She has thrown up since we've known her. It goes in cycles. She'll stop eating for a day, throw up all over the place, and then a few days later, she's back to her normal self. She's always been a small cat, 8-9 lbs. My sister changed her cat food to a special formula made for hairballs and it seemed to help, yet she still throws up.
In the morning, before we all get up, she'll sit and meow at our doors until she wakes up P, and hence all of us. It's SO ANNOYING. If we have to get up earlier than 7, we usually find her before she finds us, and put her in her room and shut the door. We're all happier then. I noticed a week ago that a new cycle had begun. It had been a day since she threw up, but she hadn't eaten or drunk anything. I went out of town, and Evan informed me that she hadn't changed. She seemed more lathargic than normal Sunday night, but I figured she'd bounce back like she always does.
I got up early Tuesday morning to go to work. She wasn't meowing, but I put her in her room just in case. When I picked her up, she was SO SKINNY. Just skin and bones-more than usual. She looked up at me with her big black eyes as if to say, "help me". I was very concerned. I called the vet from work (we didn't have one here, no I took my chances with a vet just up the road from us). The lady on the phone sounded like her condition was pretty serious, and urged me to bring her in that same day. So I did.
The vet was concerned, to say the least. She weighed in at 5.4 lbs. After explaining the situation to him, he recommended doing a hydration treatment to make her feel better and keep functioning, and do a blood test for 5 diseases-liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes, cancer, and hyperthyroidism. Given her age-about 9, she's considered Geriatric. What?!!?! That's right, our little kitty is old!:(
He suspected hyperthyroidism due to her symptoms. He called me the next day with the results... not good.
"She has the highest levels of elevated thryoid hormones I've ever seen. I'm very concerned. There's also signs of Liver damage- probably an effect of the ongoing disease." He said.
The normal levels are 4, and her readings were 24, but probably a lot higher, since the test only goes to 24. What do we do next, you ask?
There is a clinic in Salt Lake that treats hyperthyroidim with iodine radiation. She will stay for a couple of days for testing and for the radiation issue. They target the part of the thyroid producing these hormones, and kill it with iodine. Once this happens, she's cured for life. The other route would be daily meds for the rest of her life. She qualifies for this surgery, thank goodness, and I called the clinic. Just our luck, the Dr. is going out of town today, but I sch. the surgery for next Friday.
We faced the decision of "do we put her down"? or "do we do this for her?" The thought of coming home to an empty house made us cry, and we knew we were making the right decision. We're so relieved to know she will feel so much better after this, and we are so mad at ourselves for not having taken her in sooner. This surgery should correct the vomitting issue as well. I'm so glad we chose the right vet, and we're grateful for his concern and care with her. He's followed up with me 2 different times since the appt. How many human doctors do that? We count our blessings, and we're glad to be able to help our feline family member overcome this. Just glad it's not cancer.

6 Months Old!

Dear Porter,

We can't believe you're already 6 months old. Time has flown by! We loved you before you even came into our family, but that was before we knew what love was. It's been amazing watching your little personality come out.

You are stubborn, sweet, a thrill-seeker, and incredibly curious. We love watching you grow and learn to do new things. Just last week you started sitting up all by your little self, and you're so proud of it!

Your little shrieks and sound effects thrill us to the core. You are healthy and fun, and getting chunkier by the day. We love making you laugh, even when you are fussy.

Your easy-going spirit makes life worth-while.

You're mom's shopping buddy, and dad's little apprentice.

You've never been a baby to us. Your sweet little person is just a little boy, hence Porter-boy. It always seems strange when people say "baby" and point to you. It's just not so.

You are not content to sit idly, and you like to think you do things yourself-like holding your own bottle, and moving the mouse. You get frustrated when on your tummy, because you can't get around yet. Your stubbornness won't let you roll over when we want you to, though we catch you doing it when we're "not looking". You like to sleep on your side, but we swaddle you so tight that you roll over and can't use your arms for support. You love your passy at night and naps. You go to sleep easily, and know when you're tired. You love to wriggle out of the swaddle and cover your head with the blanket. Sometimes we think you can't breathe, but you do it on purpose! You love to suck on your fingers; two fingers from each hand, in your mouth, even while you're jumping.

We can't wait to be able to talk to you and hear your voice. We want to show you the world and teach you everything we can. We want to see you walk and play, and learn from the world around you.

We brought you home from the hospital not knowing who you were, and not realizing the adventure and blessings you would bring into our home. But you have been a joy since we met you, and we still watch you when you sleep, and hold you when you cry.

We love you Porter-Boy,

-Mommy and Daddy

Weekend Getaway...Or was it?

My hygiene class still gets together once a month. We each signed up for a certain month before graduation. I look forward to these. I miss the girls! This month was Buffy's turn. She recently moved to St. George and hence, our "retreat". My mom decided to come with Porter and me and we left Evan home to work and study.

The trip down Friday night was okay, but little P fussed quite a bit. When we got there it was almost time for him to get to bed. Granted, it's a different house, with different lights. We have a white noise maker that we used which blocked out ALL noise from the house. (lifesaver). Alas...13 times? I really had to get up 13 times with him? Hence the not-so-relaxing weekend. The next night was slightly better, but still exhausting. I'm glad Evan was able to get a lot of sleep, though he's made up for it now!

Thanks to my mom, I went out with the girls to the Legends Golf Course for lunch. It was de-lish! Then we went shopping, but I didn't get anything.

Lyndsey, Stephanie, Buffy, me

Let me go back...earlier that morning I was talking to Evan, who was so enthused to have gotten a full nights' sleep and had a great, productive morning. He was telling me the sequence of events of his morning-slept in, went running, bought a car, filed the taxes... wait wait wait....back up!!!???

me: you BOUGHT a car? (Surprised as ever.)

Evan: yep! (I'm sure with a smile)

me: What?

Evan: Yep!

So now we have 2. We have been saving money to pay cash for it, but we weren't really looking, or even had anything in mind. Yet, we now are the owners of a 2000 maroon Mazda 626. I love it. I especially love having 4 doors, and a trunk. Funny how I took advantage of these things.

Good job, Babe! Love you.