I Voted Early – Have You?!?!

An Endorsement for Randy Horiuchi

OK team, just wanted to get the word out. I know some of you think I’m a little over the top… and I don’t expect anyone to swing to the Obama side if you’re already set on voting for McCain… we already know that this state is “going red” for the presidential election. (Although, this "punkin" my brother-in-law carved may change your mind...)

But I am making a plea to the common ground [Vote Horiuchi!]… to decency and experience and a man who’s been willing to cross party lines time and time again; a Democrat who’s manage to continue to get elected in this state despite NOT being a Republican. That means middle-of-the-road people. [Vote Horiuchi!]

It’s not so hard to cross party lines… I do it all the time (I bet some of you are surprised to hear that). I voted for Huntsman because I think he’s done a nice job the last 4 years – I think he’s middle of the road; that he looks at the big picture, and what’s in the best interest of this state – even when it’s not popular.

Just one of the many reasons I adore Randy… he’s a family friend and I want to do what I can to help extend his tenure. [Vote Horiuchi!]

Check out Randy’s statement about his role in making the word (or at least Salt Lake County a better place.)

“Over the term of service in Salt Lake County, I have been a key figure in three Salt Palace expansions, the South Towne Center, the building of a new jail, the Clark Planetarium, Children's Museum, the rebuilding of a fire department, dozens of parks, pools, rec centers, ball fields and open space ventures. While I have had a strong ethic to increase the quality of life experiences in Salt Lake County, I have had a conservative fiscal impact as well, increasing property taxes only twice in 16 years and both increases were made necessary from action of previous administrations. The amazing challenges of county government in the future demand substantial experience. I'm a serious guy with serious experience. I've got game.”

And you don’t just have to take my word for it… He’s also endorsed by a bunch of Sheriff’s organization, despite the fact that his opponent is a a 27-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office.

You can read more about it in the trib if you’re so inclined:

"Salt Lake County Sheriff's Capt. Steven DeBry has taken a political thump from within his own ranks in challenging long-time Democrat Randy Horiuchi for a County Council seat. . .Although DeBry shares a brotherhood with the county's law-enforcement officers, he was left out of their political endorsements this year as three sheriff's associations threw their support behind his civilian rival.”

In the end, I ask you not to vote “straight ticket” … there are some great candidates this year from all the parties. (Matheson and Jani are two others I definitely I think are worth taking a look at…)

BUT PLEASE VOTE HORIUCHI!!! He’s a name and a face you can trust! With a proven record, no attack ads and will continue to serve us!

(Ok, no politics tomorrow… Besides it being Halloween, I start my 3rd trimester officially on the 31st, so it’s an exciting day!!!)

Dear Holden (another letter from your Mommy)

Dear Holden,

As I write this, we're 15,000 feet above the ground - probably making our way to 24,000 or something. We travel a lot together. Flying wears me out a lot quicker than it used to- I'm not quite sure how you feel about it?

Anyway, I've been thinking about you a lot lately... How can I not? Your presence seems more and more present every day. I think your spirit is spending a lot more time with your body in the womb, at the same time, I can't help but wonder what last minute preparations you're making to get down here in the next few months.

I have so many hopes and dreams for you. I can hardly wait until your birthing day, but I do think it's important you spend at least 12 more weeks inside, ok? There will be plenty of time for us to get to know eachother - I promise to make you a priority and to not put foolish things ahead of you. I'm kind of wondering what will happen with me, and you and my work long-term, but I'm thinking we'll get that all sorted out after your big debut and we've had a little more time to evaluate...

So here's what I hope for you:

• I hope that you are physically well, that you are able to do all the amazing things with your body that you want to
  
• More importanly than that, I hope that you are spiritually strong, that you have a desire to treat yourself and others with dignity
  
• I hope you have faith in God and in humanity. I hope you don't see the world as a cruel and selfish place, but as somewhere that good exists and you can play a key role in changing life and your surroundings for the better
  
• I hope you are an eternal optimist... That while you recognize that life is not fair, that doesn't deter you from seeking after your dreams or trying to help others to achieve their life's ambition
  
• I want you to recognize that everyone can succeed, and that every situation life hands you can be a win-win
  
• I want you to respect women, to cherish your future siblings, your ancestors and to look at your father as your best friend...he is an incredible example to me, and to you, and if you pattern your life after him, you will be successful, happy and marry a really incredible woman. :)
  
• I want you to find humor and delight in the simple things in life. I want you to appreciate the stunning artistry in a sunset, the miracle that a hummingbird flying is, and the tremendous feat it is to have one's "laundry pile depleated"... But if only for a moment.
  
• I want you to know I have always loved you, even before I met you. That we are connected through the eternities and that whatever dreams and aspirations for goodness are yours, I dedicate my life to helping you achieve them.

Love,

Your Mom

Happy Progress Day, Holden! (A week in review)

in the interest of full disclosure, I did write a lot of this last friday...

Well, little guy… you hit the 26-week mark on Friday (less than 14 weeks left!). So it’s not really your birthday, but we’ll call it “progress to the birth canal day” – or something. You’re super busy down there. I can feel you most of the time (which I totally dig.) But if at all possible, I’d appreciate it if you could keep your foot from being wedged in mommy’s lung/rib-cage. If not, I understand… It just makes it a little difficult for both of us to breathe. Then again, I’m sure it’s getting a little crowded down there…which is why I also invested in some super legit Lucky maternity jeans from Mimi Maternity to give you (and me) room to grow (and breathe). I think I’ll keep them on hand for food-babies on Thanksgiving long after you’re born. ;)

So little guy, here are some of mommy’s favorite things from last week:

Politics (surprise, surprise):
I love this story by KSL News  (yes, as in Bonneville Communications, the same outlet that broadcasts LDS Conference twice a year!) It outlines what taxpayers will actually save (or pay) under the two candidate’s plans. Looking at the numbers, if I were a wealthy republican, I would probably vote for McCain too.

Except for the delicious fact that Warren Buffet – one of the world’s richest men -- endorsed Obama.  In fact, when asked about what McCain could do to get his support, Buffet’s response was priceless, (his answer is responding as if he were speaking directly to McCain): "I would say that if you felt the tax burden should be shifted in a significant way to the super-rich and away from the middle class, I would say that would make me re-evaluate you."

Its comments like these that make me love Buffet. He’s not an “I-worked-hard-for-this-money-the-government-has-no-right-to-take-it-away” kind of guy. He TRULY believes— as do I—that those with the spoils should share with those less fortunate. Call it the Robinhood principle, except I don’t really see it as stealing. (Though, there’s plenty in Red states that disagree with me.)

And I was just kidding. I would never vote for McCain even if I was a super rich (well, never’s a strong word.) But it’s not just economic policy that we disagree about obviously…

In other political news – Palin (the real one, not just my favourite version done by Tina Fey) appears on SNL and did a great job. Even though she and I are pretty much diametrically opposed on virtually every issue, I thought she was a really great sport.

And it’s not from last week, but Colin Powell did endorse Obama this weekend 
explaining that his choice of a running mate was a key reason why he's on Obama's side now, he said: 

“now that we have had a chance to watch her[Palin] for some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president. And so that raised some question in my mind as to the judgment that Sen. McCain made.”

But even more interesting in this endorsement, is how he lays it out by explaining that a Muslim and a terrorist are not the same thing. To me, that sort of argument is like assuming that someone from Coeur D'Alene, Idaho is a Neo-Nazi white supremacist. Powell’s got it right:

“Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, ‘He's a Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists.’ This is not the way we should be doing it in America.”


HypnoBirthing

Let’s shift gears: So I am totally drinking the punch on this one. I know there’s plenty out there with very strong beliefs about the role of medicine in labor, etc… I respect that (my sister Cassandra, who’s married to an anesthesiologist, is one of them). I’m just trying to do this thing the way I think God intended – or at least how I think he created my body to do it. (Obviously, I’ve been reading a lot of Scientology books that my friend, Katie Holmes recommended.)

But one of the highlights of class this week was when our instructor told us to steer clear of the CD in the back of our textbook until week 37 (at least!) “It can induce labor.” I believe her… see, drinking the punch already! Huzzah!!!

Sports
Go Utes!
Go TCU! (Until the Utes play them, of course.)
Go Rays! Even though Danny is always part of Red Sox Nation in the post season (the Orioles, like my Royals, don’t see much action past the regular season)… We were totally cheering for the underdog. And as Steven Colbert mentioned the other night, the Rays obviously renounced Satan and found the light as they changed their name from DevilRays to just “Rays”… so there’s an ideological plus to my reasoning as well.

A New Partnership in the Making - get it, "make"-ing?

Is it harder to take a pregnant woman seriously in the business world?
 I suddenly understand why Palin waited seven months to let people know she
 was preggers. Though, I don't know how you keep it a secret when you’re
 that far along... I'd hate everyone thinking I was just fat.
 I just noticed that in the corporate world (and it’s most likely my own past-biases as well), 
that’s it’s hard to think of someone as the terminator when they’re carrying a child… it’s more like they’re “the nurturer.” Nothing wrong with that - just an observation.

Danny and I started our hypnobirthing classes last night. It was such a great feeling to be surrounded by people who share a similar view of labor and delivery that we have (I can only imagine it’s what attending a College Democrats of America meeting would be like at UC Berkeley.) We learned a lot. Danny said he’s glad we “do” yoga – because then it doesn’t seem as weird.

In other news, my pretties! Suite Spots (Version 2.0) is going to be
 featured on Make and Takes!!! I know, crazy right? You may be thinking 
to yourselves, what would a left-wing, hippie ideologue like moi possibly be
 doing with the world's greatest craft-blog? (Some may even be wondering 
what ideologue means--fair enough). But, I've got an "in."
 I'm going to postpone my progressive rhetoric (yes, of course I know I get on 
the soap-box) views for a post or two and focus on another of my great
 loves (no, not Burberry Handbags, silly) but yoga!!!


Make and Takes is having me as a guest blogger, and I'm going to write a
 little ditty about pre-natal yoga/being a yoga mama/just basically how 
to be all-around awesome (ok, maybe not so much the last one, but we'll
 see how it goes).
 I'm pretty stoked about this because I haven't written for the masses 
since they pulled the Delta Connection SkyWest Magazine off of planes, 
months ago... My column ("suite spots") still appears in the United 
Express version occasionally, but there just doesn't seem to be the
 advertising support for my stuff lately (I know, travesty... Right!?!)


So this is uber exciting!!!! The actual date of my debut hasn't been
 determined... I need to write the piece, get a yoga pose pic taken and a
 couple of other things need to fall in line first... But it's in the 
works, so I'll keep you posted on the date!!! Also, I think by 
vocalizing it here, it holds me a little more accountable for getting 
things in gear - you know? Kind of like having a sponsor in a 12-step 
program (you share with your sponsor what's going on in your life to keep you
 accountable.)

Additionally, I have a couple of zits on my face that rival 
the size of my baby-bump....(can you say PREGNANCY ACNE?!?!) You may think I'm exaggerating, but you
 have obviously not seen my chin/forehead lately. Swanky said she was going to start charging rent for the prime real-estate her little ditties were taking up on her face. I get it… and I’m feeling the same way.

Last thing – we got those double-pane energy efficient windows installed in the rest of our home this week. Besides being the right thing to do for the planet (it’s a delightful but old home, so hence…a total energy “suck”); but besides the green thing, and making the home much quieter (you can hardly hear our neighbors Harley in the morning)… they look beautiful and make the house feel like we’ve totally upgraded. Now if we could just do something about the pink sink in the “master” bathroom.

Barack the Vote!
Ssm

*Oh crap! One last thing (if you’re even still reading I’m really surprised!), but I’ve been all stressed at work about the 2008 Recruiter Summit I was hosting for the different department movers and shakers about Recruitment and where things were going with our company, and the economy, plus our affirmative action plan (whether you like it or hate it, an AAP is required by law when you’re a company the size of SkyWest). It went great!! My team all flew (some from Denver and another from LA); and it was like 45 minutes before the meeting and I kept thinking I needed to be stressed about something… but there was nothing to be stressed about because they had really taken care of everything. It was such a great feeling, and I’m so glad it’s over with!!! LONG DAY!

Obama Mama - Photo of the Day!

FINALLY! I got my new t-shirt in the mail!!! It's quite slimming and comes with a strong dose of altruism!

Also, Holden's 25 weeks today! Just 15 more to go! Huzzah!!!

Sleeping Woes and Belly Pictures

So I am not a morning person… but apparently when your “ute” (not my BCS buster team, but my anatomy) is the size of a soccer ball… it affects my sleep patterns. Moms already know this. Dads may be aware of it. 

I kept thinking my pregnancy was near perfect because I only had “morning sickness” one actual morning .. any other time I lost my lunch (or dinner); well it was really just Holden telling me he doesn’t enjoy processed foods and the Crown Burgers French fries would have to wait until après nursing. (Btw, did you know that the average age for babes to get off-the-teet world-wide is like four years old?!?!?!? That’s craziness… I hope this recession doesn’t force us to tap into our food storage and Holden to have to be hooked-on-boobics until then.) I kid.

OK, so it’s like 5-something in the morning. I’m not usually up at this time, but like I said, sleep escapes me these days.

I’ve missed you people. It’s been more than a wek since we last chatted(Veep Debate - yawner, except the SNL spoof -- and another Presidential debate (need to finish watching), and since we don’t have much time (and it’s hard to have a real conversation via blog) I’ll just tell you about me. ;)

This week:

I celebrate my 9 year anniversary with SkyWest Airlines. A year and a half of that I collected business cards as a flight attendant from cheesy men for who for some reason thought that I wanted them to take me out. What is it with men? You’re friendly to them and all of the sudden they think you want them?!?! 

SkyWest has been a pretty cool gig for me and my fam. The flight benefits have obviously been great (New York, San Francisco, DC and a host of state-side gems… plus Tokyo, Paris, Switzerland, Mexico… pretty solid). I’ve carried the Olympic flame on a plane to Alaska – (sadly, I couldn’t see Russia from Juneau --guess I’m not qualified to be Vice President.) 

I’ve written magazine articles, columns, stayed in cool B&Bs, been to film festivals, conferences and made friends around the world. I’ve built advertising campaigns, taken 4am phone calls from CNN (as a newlywed- eek!) and been treated to cuisine around the country so I’d “say something nice” about them in our mag. Not too shabby. So thanks SkyWest – who knew I was loyal enough to stick around this long?

Also, this week, Holden turns 25 weeks in the womb (January is coming soon!!!). It’s time to bite the bullet and get some belly picture posted. I did mention my uterus is the size of a soccer ball right? And even though my son weighs less than 2 lbs, it is crazy how much “growth” has happened in the past month and a half!!!

So camera 1, camera 2. (Don;t get excited... this is NOT what I currently look like...


Here I am (a month and a half ago) in my yoga gear up in Upstate Utah (aka Eden, Ogden Valley) with Danny . We did topless yoga that morning, but I didn’t think those pictures were really appropriate for this thing. I mean, you and I are close… but we’re not THAT close, eh?

Now...fast forward a month and a half. We went to some benefit concert/dinner for the Utah Chamber Artists on Monday night for family night and here I am trying to do my best red carpet with my lovely lady lumps. Black is slimming, but even it can’t hide the truth from a side view!


There you have it... 

Holden must know I'm talking about him... He just kicked me. I think the kid wants some OJ. 

C'est tout!

-moi

Admitting I have a problem is the first step (or "Politics is affecting my home life")

I am a political junkie right now.

How can I not be? Let’s review the past week and some (in no particular order):

• McChange suspends his campaign to “put country first” and deal with the financial apocalypse (Good thing he got there just in time to rally his republican mates and NOT get the votes on the initial bailout)

• Speaker Pelosi gives such a stirring and partisan speech that apparently some repubs are SOOOO upset about, they change their mind on what’s in the best interest of the country and opt instead to say “her fault! She made us do it!” (Wow, I wish I had that kind of power as a women… my words being so harsh that I could have a candidate completely CHANGE their vote on saving the country just because they didn’t like where I was placing blame? That’s the kind of candidate I want representing me…. Oh wait.)

• Sarabaracuda admits to Couric she reads “every” newspaper to stay abreast on what’s going on with the world (though to actually cite the name of one actual publication seems to be a bit of a stretch) Check out the sound bite at 03:45 if you don't have time for the 9 minute clip

• Palin has to deal with “Gotcha Journalism” from the liberal elite media… good thing she had Papa Bear McCain to protect her in round two with Katie Couric (let’s just note that the “gotcha journalism” McChange’s talking about was a Temple STUDENT asking a question on the street…not some “plant” to out Palin’s lack of understanding on her candidate’s stance on a foreign policy issue)

• Good News America – It looks like even though Congress said NO to a $700 billion bailout, they’re saying “Yes” to an “Economic Recovery Plan” … I’m so glad we got the name change or I may not have a house tomorrow….

So with everything going on, if it weren’t for Holden building lungs right now (23 weeks plus!), I’d probably stay up all hours of the night to watch news and catch the latest Colbert Report and Daily Show. Currently, I’ve opted for watching both “Fundits” the day after on the Internet because I’m in bed before 10.

Which is not such a bad thing… but here’s the rub. Although Danny and I have been together for three years this month

(married just over two), this is the first “presidential election year” we’ve spent together… which is an ENTIRELY different thing for me than just a normal “election year” … And Danny’s recognizing this.

“You’re a political junkie!” He said to me the other night.

What? Like it’s not normal to be watching Steven Colbert/Jon Stewart while reading pundits and op-ed articles on the internet, watching skits from SNL (I can’t get enough of Tina Fey’s take on Palin), and toggling between CNN, MSNBC and Fox News?!?!? (Ok, not so much Fox News. But I try to suffer through a little of their commentary just to see what they’ve come up with…)

I start my morning with NPR and exercise as much self –discipline at work during the day as possible trying NOT to distracted by all the content on the “world wide intraweb.” It’s like an addiction… I just ordered my “Obama Mama” t-shirt online too… ;)

Danny knows there’s no moderation in my life. I mean, he married me… I just don’t think he realized what I get like when it comes to “big issue” years. Those close to me, who have known me for years, will not find this shocking… but I admit, when you’ve never experienced it before, it can be a little hard to watch (or live with).

The thing is, I get this way for a few months every four years…Danny gets this way about sports 9 out of 12 months a year! The issue now is that we’re fighting over time on the TV because he wants to watch the playoffs (Go Cubs! Although, of course he’s cheering for the Red Sox), and I want to watch Campbell Brown and my favorite Vanderbilt – Anderson Cooper.

Tomorrow night is also the VeeP Debate – not to mention the Utes take on Oregon State. Maybe we can watch the game on verses WHILE we’re listening to the debate on NPR. That’s a good compromise, right? The good news is that I don’t think they run completely concurrent… but I’d really love to hear Biden stick it to Palin about the whole “glass ceiling” remark:

Biden: “Governor, I know Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is a friend of mine. And Governor, you’re NO Hillary Clinton.” ☺

But seriously, I’m sure we’ll get it worked out… but with all this politique I do worry about brain washing Holden. I get so nervous when I see kids wearing BYU-onesies (and that’s just collegiate politics). I can only imagine there are some repubs out there who would feel equally sickened by seeing our son with a “Obama Baby” bib on come January. ;)