Yes on Prop 8

Today, an Obama campaigner was walking in our neighborhood and stopped to talk to Jared, who was outside doing yardwork. I'm sure he thought it would be a tough sell when he saw our Yes on Prop 8 sign in the yard. Imagine his surprise when Jared told him that we're already voting for Obama. He then asked Jared to explain why we were voting Yes on 8 since that is uncommon amongst Obama voters (this was after he asked for money, of course). I was in the house and not involved in the conversation, but I could hear it all through the open window. As Jared started answering his question, I started thinking about why we're really voting for Prop 8. There are a lot of ancillary reasons, such as the fact that we don't want same-sex marriages taught in public schools and we don't want our churches to lose their tax-exempt status. But, those aren't the primary reasons. Let's be honest. The primary reason is that homosexual behavior is contrary to the will of God and therefore, we can't support it in any form. And everyone is afraid to say it. It can sound harsh to a lot of people given the prevalence of homosexual behavior in our society. And because it seems a harsh line to take, many people give other reasons for voting for Prop 8 so as not to offend. But, what it all boils down to for me is that I can't accept as right what the Lord has said is wrong. And if I don't vote for Prop 8, then I'll be aiding the increased acceptance in society of behavior that is morally wrong. So, yes, I don't want same-sex marriages taught in public schools and I don't want churches to lose their tax-exempt status because they don't want to accept same-sex marriages. But, primarily, I'm voting for Prop 8 because I can't accept immoral behavior in our society.

Item of the Week

The holidays are coming. I know this because this week's item of the week has appeared in the dairy aisle at the grocery store. Egg Nog!

I love egg nog. It is one of my favorite things about the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. Mmmmm!

The New Workout Plan

You know Kanye West's New Workout Plan (all those mocha lattes, you gotta do pilates). Well, this is Jenzel's new workout plan:

I decided that when my test was over and things had slowed down, I would add in another workout during the week. I like some variety, though, and since I already do cardio and weights at the gym and play soccer once a week, I decided I needed something a little different. Enter Wii Boxing. Everytime I box on the Wii, my heart rate goes up and I'm usually sore the next day. But, I've never done it for more than a few minutes. So, I figured that if I box for half an hour or so, that could be an excellent workout. Today I tested my theory. Just as I figured, it is a most excellent workout and fun at the same time! And don't even worry - I totally KO'd all of my opponents! Of course, I get a lot more animated than is necessary, but it makes for a more exciting match and a better workout. I think I will most definitely be sore tomorrow, but I'm prepared to do what it takes to be the next Rocky Balboa.

Anyone want to work out with me?

Item of the Week

I haven't done an item of the week for awhile. I've been too busy to even think about it. However, things are slowing down a little and this week, I have the perfect item. If you can't tell from some of my previous posts, I am not a fan of Governor Sarah Palin and our country's current infatuation with her. However, her abrupt entrance into the national political arena has provided an unlimited number of comical entertainment opportunities on which SNL has very successfully capitalized. Therefore, my item of the week is actually a person: Tina Fey.

If I could figure out how to put NBC's videos on my blog, I would do it. Instead, I will just link you to a most recent awesome video showcasing Tina Fey's talent of impersonating Sarah Palin by clicking here. For further evidence of Tina Fey's greatness, I encourage you to check out previous episodes of SNL and any episode of 30 Rock. If you don't know where to find these, let me know - I will be more than happy to share the Tina Fey greatness.

Love

This is how I know Leah (my mom) loves me. She made me this awesome Halloween pillowcase a few years ago. Just how awesome is it? It glows in the dark!


This is how Jared knows I love him. I made him this awesome Halloween pillowcase last year when we were engaged. It doesn't glow in the dark (I couldn't find any awesome glow in the dark material), but it's still awesome. Still, he's a little jealous of mine.

Nothing says love like a handmade pillowcase!

Visitors

Hooray! We finally had our first visitors since we got married! Last weekend, Jared's parents came out from Rexburg to visit us here in beautiful, sunny California. There is lots to do here, so we were busy all weekend. We had a great time and hope Jared's parents did too! A recap of the visit:

We picked up the parentals on Friday around lunchtime. They flew into Oakland, so after picking them up we headed across the bridge for some good times in San Francisco. We got lunch, saw the Palace of Fine Arts (which is currently closed off for renovation), hung out in the Marina, got some ice cream, went up to twin peaks for an awesome view, got dinner at one of our fave places - Eliza's - and then headed home. It was a busy day!


What a beautiful day to be in the city!


Me and Jared - We love SF!


Jared and his parents


I absolutely love the view from Twin Peaks and with the fog creeping in from the coast, it's even more awesome!

On Saturday, I had to work, so I didn't get to play. But, Jared took his parents to Half Moon Bay and then they drove up the coast on Highway 1. They went to Muir woods and then headed back to the city for an attempt at shopping on Union Square. The Square was absolutely packed, so the shopping didn't work out. So, after I got done with work and they got back to Sunnyvale, we took Jared's mom to DSW (one of the best shoe stores ever) and to Macy's (her fave). No pictures of that (I think Jared forgot the camera).

Sunday was chillax day, sort of. I finally got a calling. I'm now in the Young Women's Presidency in our ward, so Sunday ended up being very busy for me since they sustained us and set us apart that day. Hopefully Jared's mom didn't mind going to RS by herself and hopefully they didn't mind waiting around for me to be done after church! After church we got to relax at home and rest a little bit after the busy sightseeing.

Monday we took the parentals down south to Pacific Grove and Carmel. We stopped for a tasty brunch and then headed off to 17 Mile Drive. Unfortunately it was overcast all day, so the views were not as spectacular as they could have been. But we still had a great time and got a great look at the 18th green at Pebble Beach. We made a quick stop at the beach in Carmel, did a little shopping, and then headed to Monterey to get an ice cream sundae at Ghirardelli. After that we headed home, stopping in Gilroy for some outlet shopping on the way.


The Lone Cypress on 17 Mile Drive


Jared and his dad on the beach in Carmel


Me and Jared - We love Carmel!

Jared's parents left on Tuesday morning and we were sad they had to go. We had a great weekend, though! Thanks for visiting us!

Blah, blah, blah

It's been a busy couple of weeks with more busy weeks to come. I have a lot to post about. But, I haven't loaded pictures onto my computer yet, so I'm not ready to post. I haven't even had time to think about an item of the week. So, my update posting will have to wait. In the meantime, I will tell you about how I got the crap scared out of me the other day. I got up earlier than usual to go to the gym because I had to be back so we could get ready and go to Monterey with Jared's parents (again, the updating will have to wait until I load pics). I got all ready to go to the gym and walked out the door. Right as I stepped off the front porch, the sprinklers turned on. The timing of my foot hitting the ground and the sprinklers starting couldn't have been more perfect. Please keep in mind that the sprinklers are not silent. So, as my foot hits the ground, I hear this rather loud noise off to my right and nearly crapped my pants because it scared me so bad. I don't know if I've ever had a more powerful shot of adrenaline to the heart in my life! As I stood frozen to the spot while my brain registered what was going on and my heart tried to calm down, the sprinklers did their thing and I was snapped out of my stupor by an unexpected early morning shower. As the water hit me, my body took over and I sprinted out of the sprinklers to my car. Not exactly the way I expected to start the day, but in a strange, masochistic sort of way, it's kind of fun to get scared that bad!