so it's been awhile since my last post, and my last post wasn't really an update, so i thought i'd do one.

things have been a bit stressful the past few weeks. i started training with kristen, and we hired a "temp" to cover my job. since they found a temp they really liked, it was decided that i would just stay in the other building and let them temp take over my job. at first, i was a bit weirded out by it, but it turned out to be a good thing. for the past month or so, i've been training with kristen and learning all i can about her job. as of this upcoming friday, she is gone for 3 months and i am so freaking nervous. i feel like i keep forgetting little things, and i almost feel incompetent. i hate that feeling. i am so good at my job and i want to learn new things, but i'm very worried i will lose everthing i've learned next week. and to make it more worrysome, next week i get to do the komatsu america check run. komatsu america is a big part of that job and once a month, i get to cut checks to them for each of our branches. the checks are in the millions of dollars, so it's a big deal to make sure i do it right. i think after i do the first check run by myself, i will feel a bit better about things. at least i sure hope so. i really don't want to be a disappointment. *crosses fingers*

home life has gotten a bit interesting lately. my friend brittania moved into my basement a couple weeks ago. the last time i had a friend stay with me, it was a bit conflicting because sometimes we got on each others nerves and sometimes arguments broke out. not necessarily with me, but it made me nervous in regards to brittania staying with me. i really don't want to ruin a good friendship. but i wanted to be a friend and she needed somewhere to go.

so far she's been with us a couple weeks and it's been a little hard to talk to her. i know she's in a rough period and i don't want to pry into her business or make her talk about things she doesn't want to talk about. so right now, i've pretty much been there if she wants to talk, but not asked a lot of questions. i hope she figures out what she needs to and finds some happiness. it doesn't seem like she's happy and i know from personal experience that that isn't a fun place to be.

tania has a little girl, who comes over a couple times during the week and every other weekend. that part has also been a little difficult for me, because it's hard to discipline someone else's kid. i think it's also hard for tania to do it, because she doesn't see her all the time and wants things to be fun. but sometimes she steps over boundaries and jase and i have had to get a little strict to get her to listen.

since tania has moved in, marshmallow has been peeing on our couches. at first we thought it was matsu so we tried to come up with ideas as to what would make him not use his litter box. we decided that maybe he was threatened or mad at us for tania moving in, or maybe that harmony was being a bit rambunctious and he was afraid of her. we testing our theory and locked matsu in the spare room during the times we weren't home and discovered it was actually marshmallow. we haven't figured out why he's doing it, but we lock him up now so our couches have been pee free. we've deep cleaned them to get the smell out of the cushions and the cleaner we got says it's got a pheromone that will keep him away, so hopefully that will work. the smell got so overpowering that it was hard to be in our front room and our big tv is in that room, so it was hard not having our comfy area.

in other news, we made it through the tightness of october and are doing well. we're still working on paying a few things off, but i'm optimistic that we'll continue to do fine and get better along the way. we survived halloween, killian's birthday and my mom's birthday and this month is much more relaxing. killian turned the big 4 at the end of october, so we had a party for him. we really had a great turn out and he got some great stuff. i love his birthdays, especially because he always gets new clothes. my mom's birthday was a couple days later, so we took her out to dinner. halloween followed and it was really fun! killian dressed up as superman and we got to take him trick or treating in our neighborhood. our neighbors are so awesome so it was a great night. one of our neighbors parked a van on his grass and put dummies underneath his tires. he had music playing, lights flashing and a video camera that showed everyone walking up his driveway. another house a street over had a bunch of stuffed zombies in their yard. the people who lived there dressed up as zombies too so it was so neat. they put a table in their driveway and put bloody body parts all over it. one house decided they were done passing out candy so they dumped the rest of their candy into killy's bag. it was almost half a big bowl, so he was so excited. we're still eating candy every night haha.

well it's time for bed, and i'm tired, so i'll update more later. goodnight.

Prop 8

Since my last blog, I've found out more information about the Proposition 8. I'm not sure how true it is, since I heard it from a friend, but she told me that if Prop 8 fails and gay marriages are allowed in California, that the LDS religion will basically have to disallow temple marriages for their members. They will have to do this, because it would be considered unfair to not allow non-LDS members to get married in the temple. So anyone who is LDS in California, will have to go to another state in order to get married in an LDS temple. This whole thing just angers me. In my opinion, this is no different than it already is. Currently, you have to be LDS to even get married in the temple, even if you're a straight couple. In order to have a temple marriage, a couple has to be considered worthy to do so, and that may require that they have to do certain things to become worthy if you will. This should apply to a gay couple as well. If you're not LDS, which a gay couple wouldn't be, you shouldn't be allowed to marry in an LDS temple. It's just plain common sense!


I would hope that a gay couple wouldn't want to have their marriage in an LDS temple, especially if it's just because they can, but I guess there are some people like that out there.

Proposition 8

I've thought about writing a blog about this a lot recently. I see when my Facebook friends change their status, change their profile information and join groups. Recently I have seen quite a few friends join a group 2 different groups that support California's Proposition 8. To see this really makes me sad, because I completely disagree with the proposition. I think everyone should have the same rights. Everyone should have the same rights to college scholarships, jobs, voting, etc. regardless of skin color, gender, or sexual preference. I did a bit of research a couple days ago, and found a site that stated specific examples of what will change if the proposition doesn't pass. I disagree with what was said and feel the need to vent about it.....

Statement: Children in public schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage.

The California Education Code already requires that health education classes instruct children about marriage. (§51890)

Therefore, unless Proposition 8 passes, children will be taught that marriage between any two adults is of the same worth, regardless of gender. There will be serious clashes between the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children their own values and beliefs.

My opinion: I don't even see this as a valid argument. Teachers everywhere already have to teach things they may not necessarily agree with. Some teachers don't believe that genocide, Hitler, Martin Luther, etc. are "right" in terms of their beliefs, but they are still required to teach it. Being a teacher, is teaching about history and things that happened. It's fact, not opinion.

Churches may be sued over their tax exempt status if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public. Ask whether your pastor, priest, minister, bishop, or rabbi is ready to perform such marriages in your chapels and sanctuaries.

My opinion: I think every marriage should be civil, then done as a religious event. If our country can recognize each religious ceremony, they should do the same with marriage.

Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston already had to stop providing adoption services in Massachusetts because courts legalized same-sex marriage there.

My opinion: I think it's great that a church would want to help couples adopt a child, but again, it's not just a religious thing. In fact, it doesn't have anything to do with religion. I can see some points that talk about children adopted by gay couples lacking in a mother or father figure. It is ideal if children do have both parents to learn from. However, there isn't a single perfect family in this nation. Some kids are raised by grandparents, some by an aunt, some in a foster home, and some by single parents. What makes these kids any better or different than one raised by a gay couple? A child of a gay couple, would most likely be more accepting to others' differences and have a more open mind.

Religions that sponsor private schools with married student housing may be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if counter to church doctrine, or risk lawsuits over tax exemptions and related benefits.

My opinion: I highly doubt that a religious school that didn't support homosexuality, would have a gay couple try to attend. For example, it seems out of the ordinary that a gay couple would enroll at BYU, when the LDS religion doesn't support their choice.

Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages may be sued for hate speech and risk government fines. It already happened in Canada, a country that legalized gay marriage. A recent California court held that municipal employees may not say: "traditional marriage," or "family values" because, after the same-sex marriage case, it is "hate speech."

My opinion: This is just dumb. Everyone should have the right to say what they want to say without it being considered hate speech. There's an amendment for freedom of speech for a reason. Sadly, there are dumb people in the world that will sue over anything, like crashing an RV because the cruise control didn't keep the car going straight. Lame.

It will cost you money. This change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits, including some already lost (e.g., photographers cannot now refuse to photograph gay marriages; doctors cannot now refuse to perform artificial insemination of gays even given other willing doctors). Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today's activist judges), think of the money – your money – that will be spent on such legal battles.

My opinion: I don't think anyone should have the right to refuse service to ANYONE for ANY REASON. There's a reason you get paid for a service. It's your job! You don't want to deal with people that aren't exactly like you, live in a damn cave. This is America. The place where not a single being is exactly the same as the next.

And in regards to the lawsuits. Again, there are dumb people in the world who will sue someone over anything. Until we can all live in unity, that will always happen. Unfortunately, the only way we can all live in unity is to accept each other as we are, no matter what. This includes sexual preference.

Happy Birthday to Pants!

Today is my dear friend, Adam's birthday. So to celebrate I thought I'd write a little blog about him.

1. His nickname is Pants.
2. I like to call him M'Adam haha.
3. He likes to sing the wrong lyrics to songs.
4. He has an amazing singing voice.
5. He dresses better than most guys I know.
6. He's really funny.
7. He can paint really well.
8. He is very good at decorating.
9. He is going to school to be a graphic designer.
10. He always has great halloween costumes.

He and I became friends in 2003, and he's been really great. He is very compassionate, very sweet, and a lot of fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM PANTS MCGEE! I LOVE YOU!

Since then....another fun post

20 years ago: I was 7. I don't really remember much about this time of my life.

10 years ago: I was 17. I was probably working at Hollywood Video, dating Dallas, and was in Junior year of high school. I drove a Ford Taurus station wagon haha.

5 years ago: I was 22. 2003 was a rough year for me. I was dealing with an ex BF and his crazy new GF, my current BF dumping me, and my grandpa dying. But this was the year I started being friends with Becci and Adam, which turned into a great friendship. We all went to CA this year to audition for American Idol.

3 years ago: I was 23. I was going to UVSC and decided to major in Social Work. I worked at the testing center. Ken and I met for the first time around then, but as some of you know it didn't work out. I felt out of place being one of the "older" single girls at school and church. I went through a bit of a crisis but got through it by dating a lot of guys!

1 year ago: I was 26 and it was shortly after my wedding. By this point, we were already back from the honeymoon though and back to normal life.

1 month ago: I was celebrating my dad's birthday. His bday is a weekish before mine.

1 week ago: I was fine. Jase and Killian both kinda got sick so they got to stay home while I went to work. Fun times.

1 day ago: I layed around all day on the couch, sick.

I...I....I....a fun little quizzy thing

I am: a good friend, I think

I think: the human race is starting to go to crap

I know: a lot of really fun people

I want: specifically...my money amount to grow haha....and to have a baby soon

I dislike: a lot of things, actually

I miss: singing and not having responsibility

I fear: losing loved ones.

I feel: pretty good right now

I hear: Lloyd and Marv talking (2 guys at my work)

I smell: me haha

I crave: water

I cry: a lot...during confrontation, when i'm stressed out, when i'm happy, during sappy movies, etc.

I usually: try to be friends with everyone

I search: for inner peace and happiness

I regret: hurting certain people, being mean to certain people, not standing up for myself, not taking risks

I love: my hubby, my son, my mom, my friends, my family, talking, singing, dancing, being happy

I care: about myself, where the world is going, gay marriage, my job, my looks (too much actually),etc

I always: feel tired and stressed out

I worry:that I will feel good about myself, that I will never sing again, that my loved ones will die, that I will run over an animal someday

I am not: happy with myself, fully

I remember: things I really shouldn't. I need to learn to let things go too.

I believe: that some things happen for a reason

I dance: in my mind, a lot. Sometimes I dance in the kitchen and in the grocery store

I sing: well. I'd like to do it more.

I don't always: tend to others needs before my own

I argue: more than I should.

I write: in my blog

I win:at cards when I play with my gma haha

I lose: myself sometimes

I wish: I had more money, a baby and self esteem

I listen: to the grinding of machines all day

I don't understand: why people drive so crazy, why people have no common sense, why people make such stupid decisions

I can usually be found: at work haha

I am scared: death, not being happy, not raising my son the right way

I need:to be more positive and happy with the way I look and the person I am

I forget: hardly anything

I am happy: when listening to a great song, when singing, when with my husband, when I don't feel like crap, when I feel good about myself, when I feel I've done a good job at something, when I feel people like me and want to be my friend, when I don't have to worry about dumb stuff, when all my bills are paid, when my house is clean, etc.

Welcome

As some may know, I'm a bit of a Facebook and MySpace junkie. Most recently facebook, as it seems to be everyone I went to highschool with has a facebook account. In my boredom, I tend to check out friend's pages, which lead me to their friend's pages. In the process of doing this last night, I checked out a certain friends blog. Which led me to find a list of a billion other blogs by people I haven't talked to in awhile. After reading these blogs, I decided to start one of my own. I normally blog on my MySpace, and although people usually read my posts, it's not public to everyone unless you have a MySpace account. Thus, my transferring to blogspot....if anyone cares enough to read what I have to say. Most of the posts I write, will be venting, or just talking about things going on in my life. I am pretty opinionated, so hopefully nobody will be offended by anything I write. But sometimes it happens, so I apologize in advance if it does.

So to start this blog, I think I should probably tell a little about myself. I work at Komatsu Equipment as the corporate receptionist. For the past year, I've been doing half days at reception and half days for warranty, but due to warranty being slow, I've moved back to the front desk full time. Next month, I will be moving over to our accounting department to cover for Kristen, who will be going on maternity leave. I'll have worked here for 3 years in January of next year. My work is actually where I met my husband, Jase. He and I both started work on the same day and went through our orientation together. He was in the I.T. dept. and was usually the one who fixed my computer problems, so we started talking. At the time, I was still with my ex, so it made things a little complicated. The relationship I was in, was going downhill, and I knew it was going to end. It was a very difficult time of my life, but I made it through and well...here I am. Jase and I got married a year ago, and he had full custody of his son, so I became an instant mom. My stepson, Killian is about to turn 4 and really is a great kid. Jase's ex doesn't come around so Killian sees me as his mom. I really love being a mom!

After a couple hard months, Jase and I finally bought and moved into our first house. Our apartment was starting to turn really trashy so it was good we got out when we did. We now live in Murray, and our neighborhood is really great. Most everyone is friendly, quiet, and
respectful. There's only a little bit of work we'll have to do to make it our home too. The main living room has some wallpaper I don't particularly care for, so we're currently in the plans to re-do that room. When we get pregnant, we'll figure out what to do with the future baby room. We will shortly be having a friend of mine stay with us, but when she moves, we're going to turn the room downstairs into my singing room. It's currently an orangy color so it'll be painted and accented with all things music. I haven't been able to sing like I really want to, because we didn't have space in our apartment so I am so excited to finally have a room of my own. My cats also really like our house. I currently have 4 cats, Matsu (named after my work), Mia, Lily (short for lil one), and Marshmallow.


Mia Lily

Marshmallow Matsu

Marshy is actually my sister's cat, but we're keeping him until they can find their own place. They had to move out of the house they were in and are staying with friends so it was hard to take the pets with them. But if they take too long, we may be so attached to Marshy that we won't wanna give him back. He's such a cool kitty. He's huge and has fluffy white fur, hence the name haha. But he's so friendly and easy going so it's great to have him around.
We also have a cockatiel named Nibs. I named her that because she likes to nibble with her beak. I never thought I was the type of person to have a bird as a pet, but she's grown on me a lot. Jase's ex was really into birds so they had at least 5 cockatiels and Jase grew to love them. One day at the petstore, he started looking at them and he and Nibs just had a great connection. It was almost like they'd met before and were reunited. So I caved and let him get her. At first she scared the crap out of me, cause I have fears of things that can peck out my eyes. But as time passed, I learned how to talk to her, how to pet her and other fun stuff. She still prefers Jase, but at least she'll let me pet her. But I'm still working on some things, so I'm sure she and I will get better.


Well I think that's all for now. I'll post as things happen or as I find some fun quizzy things to do. :)