One more step to "Save the Family"

I think this makes a really good point. If you think you're gonna get offended don't press the play button but if you want a clear view of what is really going on here take a look:

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Tell me what you think :-)

Yay for Change :-)

Last night was an historic election! It's been a long time since we've seen so many Americans get so fired up about politics in our country and I'm so excited! As we all know, Barack Obama has been elected (by a landslide) to be the next President of the United States of America!!!
I know many of my friends and family have major doubts about Mr. Obama and the direction he plans to lead our country. I hope we can all come together to extinguish many of the fires that are dividing this country at the moment. At this defining moment in history there is a deafening call for unity and teamwork to get through a tough time. We're Americans and we are up to the challenge...let's not screw it up by focussing on divisive issues. As Obama has said time and time again during the campaign, "let's get to work!"
It is my prayer that we will come together as a nation and learn from a man who knows how to lead us through this hard time. May God bless Barack Obama, the American people, and all of His children to come together in unity and love! "YES WE CAN!"

Boyd K Packer - Prop 102

Ok, so I have to type fast while I still have everything fresh on my mind and before I lose my notes. So, I went to a special stake conference today at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to hear on of the leading General Authorities speak on pertinent issues facing the church today. Here are some of the notes and quotes I was able to gather. Oh, by the way, the session began with the Stake President requesting that we "use our notes for our own personal use and not share them with anyone" hmmmm. Well, I'm sharing anyway because I found them very interesting. He spent about half of his sermon dicussing the upcoming election and the importance of "following the brethren" when we vote. He made the following points:

1. The church does not get active in political causes unless it is regarding moral issues.
2. Gay marriage is "remarkably dangerous to 'our' way of life.
3. We cannot tolerate patterns of sin which would weaken/destroy society as we know it.
4. We are living in times similar to Sodom and Gamora.
5. Church members should never deface or pull down posters opposing propositions to ban gay marriage.
6. We must "exercise our voting power to protect ourselves."
7. The word 'tolerance' is being used as a 'weapon' against supporters of gay marriage bans.
8. Angels of the devil inspire you to do what is evil and try to 'undo the institution of marriage.'
9. The church does not accept movements of people who have patterns in immorality.
10. "Things are going to change drastically, but in it we can continue to have happy families and live righteously."

I don't agree with everything that was said but of everything that he had to say today I felt good that he ended his talk with point #10. It really is true that things are going to change in many ways but the most important thing is that we do the best we can to live happily with our families and things will be alright. Overall, I'm glad I attended.

Oh, the funny part is that I have a huge NO ON 102 sign on the back window of my car and some guy and his wife stopped me as I was getting into my car and told me he was really happy to see that I wasn't supporting Prop 102. It was surprising but he went on to explain (as I believe) that government should not be the one making moral judgment calls. He was a huge Ron Paul supporter so it makes sense that he would agree with me. It certainly wasn't what I expected walking out of the church building! LOL

Vote NO on Prop 102 and Prop 8...

With three days remaining before election day I would like to take this opportunity to discuss why I am voting NO on Prop 102--the Gay Marriage Ban. For those of you not familiar with this proposition, Prop 102 seeks to amend the AZ constitution to state that "only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state." There is also a similar measure in CA (Prop 8) which seeks to define marriage in the same way.
So, why would I be against such a measure? Good question. When the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean they were seeking a land where they could worship the way they pleased and be free from the discrimination in Europe. This whole idea is what eventually evolved into the constitution we currently enjoy in this wonderful country. A place where people are free to believe and worship the way they see fit.
The current definition of marriage is based (mainly) on religious values which have been adapted over the years to exclude acceptance of "alternative" lifestyles. I have no problem with people disagreeing with same-sex marriage; however, writing a religious-based doctrine into the state constitution is more than an attack on same-sex partnerships--it is an attack on the very ideologies that our country was based upon.

Now, I realize there are some serious fears that supporters of Prop 102 have regarding intrusion on their religious freedom. I have spoken to a couple lawyers regarding the fear that churches will be sued over not allowing same-sex marriage and--according to them--this is not a valid argument. Religions are free to worship as they please and would not be required to marry those who do not ascribe to their policies regarding matrimony. For example, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not currently required to marry couples in the temple who do not meet worthiness guidelines and there is no problem with that. Those who try to plant this fear into the hearts of voters should really take a lesson in US government.
Another fear that proponents on Prop 102 are proposing is that same-sex relationships will be taught in schools. Well, I hate to break it to you but educators are--more than likely--going to do their best to inform children of what is going on in the world around them. It is not a teacher's job to teach a child right from wrong, rather a parent should do their best to present the facts to children and help them understand the reasons they believe as they do. Turning a blind eye to the fact that same-sex couples are raising families accomplishes nothing in terms of "protecting" a child from what many consider to be sinful. Of course I do not advocate elementary aged children being taught the ins and outs of what goes on in the bedrooms of homosexuals (or heterosexuals for that matter) but there is nothing wrong with them acknowledging that there are many different family makeups in the world while being guided and directed by their parents in regards to these matters.

The bottom line...same-sex couples will exist in the world and will raise families just like "traditional" couples do. We can either embrace them with love and equality and share in the joy of their families or we can shun them out of fear and ignorance. We can grant them equal treatment to encourage a stable family situation or place a stumbling block to their ability to live the American dream of liberty and justice for ALL. Let's focus on initiatives that truly strengthen families of every kind instead of dividing people into unnecessary subclasses.
Please join me in voting NO on Prop 102 in AZ or (if you live in CA) NO on Prop 8. Thank you!

Valuable lesson from my little sister...

I love my youngest sister Chelsea! She taught me a valuable lesson this week when I flew off the handle after an email from my Mom. The argument started several months ago involving AZ Proposition 102 (similar to the CA Prop 8). My family and the church is strongly for it and I am against it. I'm not going into every detail of why we disagree on this issue but suffice it to say that it's been a difficult thing for us.
So, several months ago I asked my Mom to stop sending me emails regarding Prop 102 and she stopped for a long time but then, out of nowhere, she sent me the following email on Wednesday:

Even with the opposition defacing & stealing our signs, yelling profanities, vandalizing front yards and broadcasting falsely on their commercials, we will stand true and strong on the side of righteousness! Thankfully there are many who stand with us!
I was more than a little upset that my Mom would send me an email like this so I hit "reply all" and this is what I had to say...

Wow! Thankfully the "Yes! on Prop 102" campaign has plenty of $$$ in its war-chest so I wouldn't worry too much about some defaced signs--just buy up a little more airtime or web banners or scare a few more people into donating by persuading them to think their marriage will be compromised by "the gays." Comparing yourselves to Samuel the Lamanite is such a twisted analogy when you have signs/billboards on every corner of this valley and the support of the majority of this state. Cry me a river! Don't try to play the victim here...I'm holding back the laughter!
-Allen

Anyway, you can probably tell that I was letting my sarcasm run wild without much regard for the consequences. Shortly after firing off my email, my sister Chelsea reminded me that the only thing this response accomplished was to damage relationships in my family. She is certainly right about that. As much as I may disagree with my Mom I can never deny that I love her and shouldn't let issues such as these divide us. It looks like I have some relationships to bandage up!

Playing catch-up...

I've been bad with this blog so I'm gonna attempt to catch up on my exciting life since being back!
GREAT NEWS! I found a wonderful home f0r Indi (the kitty). Turns out he wasn't able to adjust to my small balcony and he was sad after he got board of the toys I put out there :-( Anyway, I'm happy to report that a very close friend of mine in Phoenix has taken him in and Indi now enjoys a nice, big yard with other cats to play with. It is a great situation and I feel much better that he's happy and my friend is thrilled to have him! He's close too so I can go over and visit every once in a while like a good "trophy dad" would do...lol!
Oh, I've been working as a server at Maizies (Central & Camelback, PHX) and it's been so much fun! I was working there before my trip and wasn't so sure if I would go back. They just opened in April so the place wasn't very busy a while back but it's definitely poppin' now. I've been happily surprised by the great tips. Wednesday night I was so excited because I made $120 in 4 hours of work. I was smiling from ear to ear as I made my way to the basement parking lot to get my car and head home. Only problem was my car was GONE!!! Yeah, I totally got towed because I parked in the spot next to where I was supposed to park. The tow lot was closed so I was stuck but luckily I have a friend who lives in the building above Maizies so I stayed with him until my roommate (Justin) could take me to get my car the next morning (THANKS Justin!). Guess how much the charge at the tow lot was? $117!!! So, my net earnings for the night were $3...lol! Live and learn :-(
Yesterday was a blast! I got to hang out with Crystal (my sister) and we made some modern art. First we experimented on art paper before we played with the big boys and used the canvas. Check it out:

Jade is lucky she didn't get any paint on her face the way we were slinging it around! No joke!!!

Here's how it turned out on canvas. I think Crystal is gonna do more with it later but I was really pleased with it :-)

So, as you can tell it's been a great week! I was really glad that I got to spend some quality time with my little sister (she really is little btw). Oh, and Jade is getting cuter with every passing second! She's a little talker just like her Grandma Beach...love ya Mom!
Oh, and I have a job lined up for the 29th so I'm not living scared anymore :-) I'll be working at Target Financial Services so makes sure you're current on your Target credit card unless you want a call from me!

Jolly Rancher...

Labor day weekend at the "Red Roof Ranch" proved to be a great time! After being gone for two months, it was wonderful to see the family again--especially Braden and Jade. They are growing up sooo fast!
One of many moments of excitement was when I was helping Dad pump water from the well to the water tank. We were hooking up the generator when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rattle snake curled up right by my dad's leg!!! The little guy was pretty cold so he wasn't moving very fast (thank goodness) but it was scary nonetheless. Regretfully, we ended up killing it with a shovel and I skinned, filleted, and cooked it up later. It was an interesting experience. Not a whole lot of meat on a snake but it was tasty.
Another cause of excitement was the torrential downpour we got on Sunday. We got to church looking like wet dogs and the ranch turned into a giant mud bog but it was good to get some moisture in that parched region.
It was a great trip! I love my family :-)