Obama Rally

We went to a rally for Obama here in Houston last week. I went not really having made up my mind who I was going to vote for, but I gotta say, I think I am sold on him. There was such a feeling of excitement in the air you couldn't help feeling it also! Some of my favorite issues that he addressed:

1. Bringing the troops home in 2009. I think I would feel this way even if my brother wasn't in the Army (he is actually in Afganistan so it wouldn't affect him anyway). I was in favor of the war when it first started but I don't know why we are there anymore.

2. Health care for everyone. Obama wants everyone to have health insurance. Those that can't afford insurance will get free health care; those that already have insurance will get $2500.

3. Education. Teachers will be rewarded for excellence and he wants more than one achievement test so teachers won't just be teaching the material to pass the test. Also, he wants college students to be able to earn $4000 towards tuition by doing community service.

4. Government. Basically Obama thinks the government should be there to help people lead better lives; sort of a "help me help you" attitude. He thinks lobbyists have too much power in Washington and wants to take that power away.

Anyway, I'm glad I went to the rally because if anything, it got me excited for the election. Rock the Vote!

Gymboree

Here are a couple of pictures of Kate at her Gymboree class. I signed her up because I wanted her to have a chance to socialize (and to get me out of the house). I don't regret signing her up, but I have been a little disappointed with the class. The teacher is very nice and does some fun activities, the only problem is that we have been in the class for over a month now and every week is exactly the same! Nothing changes, not even the teachers advice or comments. She keeps saying at the end of each class that we will do something new next time, but we never do. I wouldn't mind so much but the class is somewhat pricey and I expected more from it. Live and learn! I am not going to sign up for the next session because of the price. We will be a little tight on money for awhile because (drumroll please) we bought a house! Okay, okay, so we are under contract to buy a house, but the closing is Friday and it looks like it really will happen! We are sooo excited! I have had enough of renting and apartment life. The house is brand new, never been lived in, and in a really nice planned community. It's farther north than we are now and so will be a little longer of a drive to work for both of us, but it's worth it because of the area. There are lots of trees around and walking/biking trails and a waterpark in the neighborhood! I will post a couple of pictures now and more later and update the blog when the keys are actually in our hands.



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New Toy

We decided to get a second car because we are moving soon and won't be near the train. So far we have only needed one car because the train runs through the medical center (where I work) and downtown (where Jason works). We went with a Hyundai Tucson because I like the look of it and it's fairly cheap as far as SUV's go. I feel somewhat hypocritical driving an SUV because I used to always make fun of people that lived in big cities and drove them. But I must say, I love all the space and it is so easy to get Kate in and out of it. Anyway, I am really enjoying my new toy!

Showers

While in Utah, Jessica threw me a baby shower. It was so fun to see some of my friends and for them to be able to see Kate. And she got some super cute stuff! Jessica had the awesome idea to have everyone give me two beads; one representing me and one for Kate. Then she strung them together to make a key chain. I love it!

My aunt also threw a shower while we were there. I never realized how crafty my cousins are! Sommer embroidered burp cloths, a blanket and a bib with Kate's name, Sicely made her some bracelets and headbands and Sierra made her a sign with her name on it. So cute! And she got tons of great clothes, toys and some books from everyone esle. Thanks everybody!

New Year's Eve

For New Year's Eve we ate at a yummy Italian place called Cucina Toscana. Kate was being fussy so we had to take turns walking around the restaurant with her. At midnight we watched the ball drop and drank sparkling cider. 2007 was pretty awesome (moved to a better place, Jason got a job, we had a baby...) and I hope 2008 will be just as good.

Okay, so I'm a slacker

I am finally getting around to posting some pictures from Christmas. It was so fun being in Utah. We flew in on Christmas Eve and went to parties and my grandma's and Jason's family. It snowed lots on Christmas Eve and it was obvious we hadn't driven in snow in a long time by Jason's slow crawl from Bountiful to Holladay and back. Then on Christmas day we ate yummy waffles made by Alicia and Matt and had lunch at Jason's grandma's place. Then it was back to my dad's for opening presents. The next day was spent shopping with all the Christmas money (thanks Santa!). Jason flew back to Houston on Saturday but I got to stay for another week. Janelle had just moved back to Utah from Alaska and didn't have a job yet so she hung out with me and Kate the whole time. We had lots of fun wasting time during the day until Alicia would get off work and we could go to dinner or watch a movie. All in all, it was an awesome trip!

I've been tagged!

My friend Lori tagged me and now I have to come up with 7 interesting/weird things about myself. Here goes:

I was born in California and had blond hair when I was little.

I was a total kleptomaniac when I was young. I stole gum from grocery stores, erasers from department stores, Halloween candy from my siblings Halloween bags, and toys from my friends.

When I was first learning to drive, I was practicing driving a stick shift in my sister's car. I was driving up the driveway and totally nailed her friend's car. I never said anything but apparently I left a dent.

I got held up when I was a hostess at Frontier Pies. A man walked in with a Ronald Reagen mask on and he looked so dumb I thought it was the guy I was dating. He told me to give him the money in the cash register and I laughed at him. Then he lifted up his shirt to show me the gun he had and told me he was serious. I laughed again and he turned around and left. That's when I figured out he wasn't joking.

The same guy I was dating that I thought was holding me up told me he loved me while I was putting on my shoes. I looked up and said "thanks". I was 16 for crying out loud!

I can't fall asleep without earplugs. I started wearing them because our dog scratches himself and his tags jingle really loudly and now I can't stop using them. And yes, I realize now that I should have just taken his collar off at night.

I didn't start taking showers until I was 9 years old. My mom had tried before to get me to use the shower instead of always taking baths but for some reason I was always scared. My sister asked me if it was because I had seen the shower scene in Psycho and my mom told her to shut up.

Okay, there's my 7 things!