So, every now and then my faith in Humanity is restored.
At the grocery store today I watched as a mother stood in line with her two boys. The younger one - about 2ish - wanted no part in it. Finally the mother grabbed her second son, put down the box of frozen something that she wanted to buy and left the store.
My mind thought immediately about Brazil and that parents with young kids (and the elderly) automatically go to the front of the line. Not here. I was honestly a little disappointed with the whole situation.
Well, then the woman ahead of her grabbed the item the mother left behind, paid for it, and ran out to the parking lot and handed it to her.
Sometime people surprise me for the better.
Friday, October 31, 2008
WEEEZZZAAAHHHH
Okay - This won't matter much to the majority of you - but I thought it was awesome.
I haven't been to an honest concert, unless my wife was playing in it, for years. Well, my awesome friend (who I now will love forever) hooked me up with tickets to one of my favorite bands ever - Weezer.
I forgot how much I love concerts. It was amazing. My poor guitar has sat alone for the better part of the last year and a half. Now I yearn to play again. I just need to find a way...
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Voters? We don't need no stinkin' Voters!
Voting thoughts:
The wife and I have given lots of thought to the vote this year. We certainly consider ourselves independents. I’m stuck this year. Last time around I voted for myself (you are welcome to write me in if you want, it’s spelled “Jon Jared Paget”). My list of demands from a candidate are simple:
Balanced budget. What kind of message do we send to people when the federal government is running in the red? We need some fiscal responsibility. We need to be responsible for our federal budget and do what it takes to balance it. There needs to be a plan to control and reduce the deficit.
Taxes. This is an ugly subject. No one wants to raise taxes. Bush lowered taxes when he took office to “give back” the people the excess money in the federal budget. After 9/11 that money disappeared, the war started, but tax cuts stuck around. When we are in the red in our personal budgets we think the only solution is to make more money – so then why don’t people support raising taxes? It’s simple – we are spending more money than we have revenue – we have to BOTH cut back on spending and raise more federal revenue.
Foreign Policy. I honestly could write a book about this. The Bush Doctrine (for those of you, like Sarah Palin, who don’t know) states that the USA has the right to attack anyone they feel is threatening them - it’s contained in the document “The National Security Strategy of the United States of America.” From our side of the fence it looks good: If we feel threatened we can attack. Now, think this through: what if other countries take the same approach? North Korea, China, Iran, Syria, Russia, even Laos all could very easily adapt the same policy, citing the USA as their inspiration. Do we really want every country on earth attacking everyone else as soon as they feel threatened. I don’t. We need to set the global example.
Iraq. We should have never gone in. As congress voted on the issue, a room full of foreign policy grad students I was in agreed that we could never be successful in Iraq. If graduate students can come to that conclusion, why can’t our foreign policy leaders. Now that we are in Iraq, we can’t leave and not expect a full out civil war. The only real exit strategy is to pick a side and arm them to the teeth and train them all to smoosh anyone who opposes them.
Healthcare. This is a hot button issue. Healthcare insurance should not be a for-profit business. Talk to any economist – we already pay for the healthcare of the uninsured. Yes – the government does a horrible job of managing a lot of things (just go to your driver’s license office); but who better to manage healthcare?? I can’t think of anyone…
Abortion. Here’s where I take a right hand turn. Abortion is not a form of birth control. If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime. I do not think it’s too much to ask people to use some self control.
Gay Marriage. I find it sad that this is even an issue. I don’t believe in condoning homosexuality activity in any form. I love all of God’s children and will do what I can to help them be happy within God’s commandments.
Energy. We need to dump billions into solar power. Imagine how much better we would be if we put the money and effort into Solar Power that we put into the Iraq war.
Education. Imagine if we put the billions from Iraq into education. What a total revolution our school system would have! We need the best and the brightest at the head of our schools. Stop skimping on our future!
Environment. Mandatory full recycling. They do it in Japan. We can do it here too.
That’s a basic outline. I don’t think I’m that far off base on any of these. You are welcome to disagree. Unfortunately, I don’t see that any candidate agrees with me.
I honestly would most likely vote for 0Bama if it weren’t for the “moral” issues I have with his policy. If he does win, it gives us 8 years to derail Hillary’s next attempt. In 8 years you can really ruin someone. If McCain wins, he has to run against Hillary in 4 years. I really don’t like her. If 0bama wins, Romney runs against him in 4 years. I don’t see the economy being much better with either of them in office and there is a good chance the next president will be a one-termer.
I still think we should all just make Mr T dictator. He'd be the man.
The wife and I have given lots of thought to the vote this year. We certainly consider ourselves independents. I’m stuck this year. Last time around I voted for myself (you are welcome to write me in if you want, it’s spelled “Jon Jared Paget”). My list of demands from a candidate are simple:
Balanced budget. What kind of message do we send to people when the federal government is running in the red? We need some fiscal responsibility. We need to be responsible for our federal budget and do what it takes to balance it. There needs to be a plan to control and reduce the deficit.
Taxes. This is an ugly subject. No one wants to raise taxes. Bush lowered taxes when he took office to “give back” the people the excess money in the federal budget. After 9/11 that money disappeared, the war started, but tax cuts stuck around. When we are in the red in our personal budgets we think the only solution is to make more money – so then why don’t people support raising taxes? It’s simple – we are spending more money than we have revenue – we have to BOTH cut back on spending and raise more federal revenue.
Foreign Policy. I honestly could write a book about this. The Bush Doctrine (for those of you, like Sarah Palin, who don’t know) states that the USA has the right to attack anyone they feel is threatening them - it’s contained in the document “The National Security Strategy of the United States of America.” From our side of the fence it looks good: If we feel threatened we can attack. Now, think this through: what if other countries take the same approach? North Korea, China, Iran, Syria, Russia, even Laos all could very easily adapt the same policy, citing the USA as their inspiration. Do we really want every country on earth attacking everyone else as soon as they feel threatened. I don’t. We need to set the global example.
Iraq. We should have never gone in. As congress voted on the issue, a room full of foreign policy grad students I was in agreed that we could never be successful in Iraq. If graduate students can come to that conclusion, why can’t our foreign policy leaders. Now that we are in Iraq, we can’t leave and not expect a full out civil war. The only real exit strategy is to pick a side and arm them to the teeth and train them all to smoosh anyone who opposes them.
Healthcare. This is a hot button issue. Healthcare insurance should not be a for-profit business. Talk to any economist – we already pay for the healthcare of the uninsured. Yes – the government does a horrible job of managing a lot of things (just go to your driver’s license office); but who better to manage healthcare?? I can’t think of anyone…
Abortion. Here’s where I take a right hand turn. Abortion is not a form of birth control. If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime. I do not think it’s too much to ask people to use some self control.
Gay Marriage. I find it sad that this is even an issue. I don’t believe in condoning homosexuality activity in any form. I love all of God’s children and will do what I can to help them be happy within God’s commandments.
Energy. We need to dump billions into solar power. Imagine how much better we would be if we put the money and effort into Solar Power that we put into the Iraq war.
Education. Imagine if we put the billions from Iraq into education. What a total revolution our school system would have! We need the best and the brightest at the head of our schools. Stop skimping on our future!
Environment. Mandatory full recycling. They do it in Japan. We can do it here too.
That’s a basic outline. I don’t think I’m that far off base on any of these. You are welcome to disagree. Unfortunately, I don’t see that any candidate agrees with me.
I honestly would most likely vote for 0Bama if it weren’t for the “moral” issues I have with his policy. If he does win, it gives us 8 years to derail Hillary’s next attempt. In 8 years you can really ruin someone. If McCain wins, he has to run against Hillary in 4 years. I really don’t like her. If 0bama wins, Romney runs against him in 4 years. I don’t see the economy being much better with either of them in office and there is a good chance the next president will be a one-termer.
I still think we should all just make Mr T dictator. He'd be the man.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
To move or not to move...
SO – we almost moved (again). This time to Texas.
I got a call a few months ago from a headhunter that I talked to a few years ago when I left Motorola. He asked if I was interested in a role in Austin Texas. I promptly told him I was not. I’d lived in Texas before and so had the wife and we weren’t all that excited about the idea.
Well, a few days later I got a email anyway – from a small company in Austin called Apple Computer. It seems they launched the iPhone in Brazil and needed someone to manage the customer relationships. Well, that kind of overshadowed the Texas aspect. After a few phone interviews, Reva and I were on a plane to check out Austin and I would do some interviews.
Apple loved me. The recruiter and I worked out the details of the package they would be offering. We looked at real estate in Austin.
Meanwhile things at work were going downhill. It really looked like we were moving.
My boss and I have an excellent relationship. We talked and he didn’t want me to leave.
The CEO felt the same way when he found out. I met on Monday with the CEO who told me he wanted me to stay. We had a good talk and I told him what I thought I could do – given the chance.
Long story short – my company made me an offer to stay. I accepted. We plan to have 3 new hires (in addition to another one we just did) in the next month. I finally see light at the end of the tunnel.
Thank you for all of your prayers for us (those of you who knew). We greatly appreciate it.
I got a call a few months ago from a headhunter that I talked to a few years ago when I left Motorola. He asked if I was interested in a role in Austin Texas. I promptly told him I was not. I’d lived in Texas before and so had the wife and we weren’t all that excited about the idea.
Well, a few days later I got a email anyway – from a small company in Austin called Apple Computer. It seems they launched the iPhone in Brazil and needed someone to manage the customer relationships. Well, that kind of overshadowed the Texas aspect. After a few phone interviews, Reva and I were on a plane to check out Austin and I would do some interviews.
Apple loved me. The recruiter and I worked out the details of the package they would be offering. We looked at real estate in Austin.
Meanwhile things at work were going downhill. It really looked like we were moving.
My boss and I have an excellent relationship. We talked and he didn’t want me to leave.
The CEO felt the same way when he found out. I met on Monday with the CEO who told me he wanted me to stay. We had a good talk and I told him what I thought I could do – given the chance.
Long story short – my company made me an offer to stay. I accepted. We plan to have 3 new hires (in addition to another one we just did) in the next month. I finally see light at the end of the tunnel.
Thank you for all of your prayers for us (those of you who knew). We greatly appreciate it.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Happy birthday to ME!
Formula for the best birthday to date:
First -find the world's greatest hair stylist:
Second, have her do this to you:
Third, add your hottest red leather peep toe heels (at the insistance of your husband who thinks you don't wear heels enough - despite the issue of them being completley painful and I'm already almost 8 feet tall as it is): 
Next, spend an hour dolling yourself until you look even HOTTER than you were when you were "on the market" or as I like to call it - BAIT:
First -find the world's greatest hair stylist:
Second, have her do this to you:
Third, add your hottest red leather peep toe heels (at the insistance of your husband who thinks you don't wear heels enough - despite the issue of them being completley painful and I'm already almost 8 feet tall as it is): Next, spend an hour dolling yourself until you look even HOTTER than you were when you were "on the market" or as I like to call it - BAIT: Then allow your sexy husband to take you out...
.... to WICKED!!!!!! It was a total surprise and I actually cried all the way through Defying Gravity.
.... to WICKED!!!!!! It was a total surprise and I actually cried all the way through Defying Gravity. What a crazy surprise - and the best birthday gift he's come up with, which is saying something what with Jared being killer awesome at gift ideas. Yep, I'm 29 and don't tell me that I'm a baby or a geezer - I have my own pet issues with aging, thankyouverramuch. Thanks for all the cards, facebook well-wishes and happy thoughts. And thanks to my sexy husband for giving me the chance to feel gorgeous and incredulous at his willingness to sit through a musical with me. Woohoo!!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Weekend recap
This weekend we made the trek to Kentucky to visit 1. my nephew, who is staying with some family, 2. the family, and 3. my mom, who was visiting everyone. It was a ball - Bethany has 5 of her own and Teaq made 6, and this weekend the kid count ballooned to 7 with Solei! Oh, and it was also Solei's 2nd birthday!!!
This is Bethany, the saint who manages to corral all the kiddos and stay sane in the process:
This is my nephew Teaq. He just walked out of the house wearing this like it was completely normal.
Solei adoring her amazing Gama.
Again with the Gamma loving...
You would not believe this van...
Happy birthday!!!!!
Jared distracted Solei while Bethany did the fastest french braid pigtails I've ever seen - it was gorgeous, but there's a good chance the only time she'll ever look like this again is if Bethany comes to visit!
All the kids post-nursery and primary.
All the boys - including Teaq here - wore crowns along with Solei for the birthday festivities. Real men do pink.
Birthday pumpkin pie! Lots of candles to allow all the boys to help blow it out.
Daddy was generously given a 1/4 of the entire birthday pie. He then ate the whole thing!
I love these 3 generation shots!
My personal favorite - Gamma and brood on the way into Chuck E Cheese.
Picnic!
Movie time- all the kids lined up in the bed and patiently watched a movie about fish or something. It was hysterical!
Turns out our little girl loves hoops - that's handy, seeing as she'll probably be 8 feet tall.
I think that's enough for now. Happy 2 years, Solei!!!!!!!!!
This is Bethany, the saint who manages to corral all the kiddos and stay sane in the process:
This is my nephew Teaq. He just walked out of the house wearing this like it was completely normal.
Solei adoring her amazing Gama.
Again with the Gamma loving...
You would not believe this van...
Happy birthday!!!!!
Jared distracted Solei while Bethany did the fastest french braid pigtails I've ever seen - it was gorgeous, but there's a good chance the only time she'll ever look like this again is if Bethany comes to visit!
All the kids post-nursery and primary.
All the boys - including Teaq here - wore crowns along with Solei for the birthday festivities. Real men do pink.
Birthday pumpkin pie! Lots of candles to allow all the boys to help blow it out.
Daddy was generously given a 1/4 of the entire birthday pie. He then ate the whole thing!
I love these 3 generation shots!
My personal favorite - Gamma and brood on the way into Chuck E Cheese.
Picnic!
Movie time- all the kids lined up in the bed and patiently watched a movie about fish or something. It was hysterical!
Turns out our little girl loves hoops - that's handy, seeing as she'll probably be 8 feet tall.
I think that's enough for now. Happy 2 years, Solei!!!!!!!!!Sunday, October 05, 2008
big long entry so Husband will be appeased
Husband has recently railed against me for not posting enough on this blog. Personally, I think his posts are either 1. so blasted cute or 2. so blasted educated, that I just bring the blog down with my uneducated, uncute self. But nope, Husband is actually angered at my blogging lack, so I will regale you with a post, inspired by the fact that Solei's 2nd birthday is approaching in less than a week - I give you:
The first thing I understood about the Plan of Happiness was that families were Heavenly Father's classroom. I don't where I got this idea, especially since I have always known that I didn't not particularly want to be a mother - prossibly due to the fact that I know how genuinely rotten I was to my own mother and was quite worried that I deserved a little horror just like me. But as I learned about the Plan of Salvation - how we came to this earth to learn, to make mistakes and to grow and how we can all return to live with our Heavenly Father again - it just occured to me that nowhere else did I learn anything as valuble or as important as the lessons I learned interacting with my family - watching my father and mother serve others, in the church and their children - learning to love my brothers despite how much I wanted to kill them - and learning about our heritage and feeling gratitude for the sacrifices my ancestors went through to bring my family the blessings of the freedom of this country and the joy of the gospel. So in my mind, the only way I could ever think of a family was as a classroom.
After I was married, I prayed that perhaps my dislike for mothering would disappear and that I'd love serving my family. I did get pregnant and had a beautiful, healthy litle girl- but the dislike did NOT disappear. I wanted to love her, and I really wanted to love being a mother, but the postpartum depression was more than I'd anticipated, and suddenly being in intense pain all the time from giving birth and trying to nurse and not getting any sleep made me wish every day that one of us would not be there in the morning. Those first few months, I didn't bother getting dressed in the morning, I'd just sit in our house trying to get Solei to eat, to sleep, and try aiming her away from me when she threw up. She was not a happy baby - she was appalled at the lack of control she had of her body and appalled at my lack of compassion or skill. The only time she really came alive was when my Brasilian sisters would come over and hold her. I watched them intently, trying to learn what they knew - how to love this creature that was making my life so miserable.
This is where I learned my first lessons of motherhood. Most of all- I learned empathy for Solei. She was a full grown spirit stuck in this strange body and strange place where she couldn't communicate or understand anything. I felt exactly the same way, so far from home, sick and unable to speak the language, and I learned to try and give her comfort like my Brasilian friends would comfort me. Slowly I began to see her personality shine through when she was given the things she needed to feel at peace. I saw myself in her smiles, because I understood why she cried so much more.
Coming back to the States I learned different lessons. I returned to my home country, but as a completely different person with different needs and responsibilities than I had before. And I hated it. I was living in someone else's home, I couldn't be free do do anything easily because of Solei who was constantly demanding more freedom and trying to jam her timy fingers into light sockets or crawl down staircases. I didn't know how to get her to stop, so I watched other mothers with children and tried to teach like they did. I learned that watching for examples to teach her is invaluble. We are taught by our Heavenly Father by others examples, and I learned that He will always send me friends who are much more competent than I to teach me.
And with her age - and all the boundaries I worked so hard to set and all the rules I've tried to teach her - every month, she has become more of a person, and I've been able to starting seeing fruits of all those difficult labors. There's the genuine love she has for anything that moves, the way she will say please and thank you, the way she'll hug my neck when she knows she's been naughty and cry "I so sorry mommy!!" I guess I'm a results kind of person, and those long months where all my best efforts were met with hysterical crying and being covered in vomit made mething that none of my efforts were good enough. But seeing my toddler fold her arms, bow her head and thank her Heavenly Father for SpongeBob SquarePants has taught me that I just had to be a little more patient, and my blessings would come.
Before I got pregnant and was praying that if I did have a child, I would be able to learn to love them, I had a dream. I had given birth to a little girl and I was not quite sure how I felt about her and the whole motherhood thing. I went to visit her in the hospital, and all the nurses were around this bright, blonde haired little girl who was laughing and charming the socks off of them. She made me smile,a nd I watched how she made every person who met her smile, and it made me fall in love with her right there in the dream. The dream gave me hope, and I felt like I had enough courage to think about getting pregnant.
When Solei was born, she had dark hair and was as uncharming as a newborn can be. I was confused and wondered where the little girl from my dream was. The dark hair eventually gave way to blonde curls and a few months ago, I caught Solei laughing at herself in the mirror - and realized that she was now the little girl I'd seen in my dream. I don't know if I had anything to do with bringing out her bright personality, but it had happened. She does indeed amaze and charm everyone who meets her. I learned that blessings will come from everything if I don't expect them in my timeline.
My Tribute to Heavenly Father's Plan Especially Involving Motherhood
The first thing I understood about the Plan of Happiness was that families were Heavenly Father's classroom. I don't where I got this idea, especially since I have always known that I didn't not particularly want to be a mother - prossibly due to the fact that I know how genuinely rotten I was to my own mother and was quite worried that I deserved a little horror just like me. But as I learned about the Plan of Salvation - how we came to this earth to learn, to make mistakes and to grow and how we can all return to live with our Heavenly Father again - it just occured to me that nowhere else did I learn anything as valuble or as important as the lessons I learned interacting with my family - watching my father and mother serve others, in the church and their children - learning to love my brothers despite how much I wanted to kill them - and learning about our heritage and feeling gratitude for the sacrifices my ancestors went through to bring my family the blessings of the freedom of this country and the joy of the gospel. So in my mind, the only way I could ever think of a family was as a classroom.
After I was married, I prayed that perhaps my dislike for mothering would disappear and that I'd love serving my family. I did get pregnant and had a beautiful, healthy litle girl- but the dislike did NOT disappear. I wanted to love her, and I really wanted to love being a mother, but the postpartum depression was more than I'd anticipated, and suddenly being in intense pain all the time from giving birth and trying to nurse and not getting any sleep made me wish every day that one of us would not be there in the morning. Those first few months, I didn't bother getting dressed in the morning, I'd just sit in our house trying to get Solei to eat, to sleep, and try aiming her away from me when she threw up. She was not a happy baby - she was appalled at the lack of control she had of her body and appalled at my lack of compassion or skill. The only time she really came alive was when my Brasilian sisters would come over and hold her. I watched them intently, trying to learn what they knew - how to love this creature that was making my life so miserable.
This is where I learned my first lessons of motherhood. Most of all- I learned empathy for Solei. She was a full grown spirit stuck in this strange body and strange place where she couldn't communicate or understand anything. I felt exactly the same way, so far from home, sick and unable to speak the language, and I learned to try and give her comfort like my Brasilian friends would comfort me. Slowly I began to see her personality shine through when she was given the things she needed to feel at peace. I saw myself in her smiles, because I understood why she cried so much more.
Coming back to the States I learned different lessons. I returned to my home country, but as a completely different person with different needs and responsibilities than I had before. And I hated it. I was living in someone else's home, I couldn't be free do do anything easily because of Solei who was constantly demanding more freedom and trying to jam her timy fingers into light sockets or crawl down staircases. I didn't know how to get her to stop, so I watched other mothers with children and tried to teach like they did. I learned that watching for examples to teach her is invaluble. We are taught by our Heavenly Father by others examples, and I learned that He will always send me friends who are much more competent than I to teach me.
And with her age - and all the boundaries I worked so hard to set and all the rules I've tried to teach her - every month, she has become more of a person, and I've been able to starting seeing fruits of all those difficult labors. There's the genuine love she has for anything that moves, the way she will say please and thank you, the way she'll hug my neck when she knows she's been naughty and cry "I so sorry mommy!!" I guess I'm a results kind of person, and those long months where all my best efforts were met with hysterical crying and being covered in vomit made mething that none of my efforts were good enough. But seeing my toddler fold her arms, bow her head and thank her Heavenly Father for SpongeBob SquarePants has taught me that I just had to be a little more patient, and my blessings would come.
Before I got pregnant and was praying that if I did have a child, I would be able to learn to love them, I had a dream. I had given birth to a little girl and I was not quite sure how I felt about her and the whole motherhood thing. I went to visit her in the hospital, and all the nurses were around this bright, blonde haired little girl who was laughing and charming the socks off of them. She made me smile,a nd I watched how she made every person who met her smile, and it made me fall in love with her right there in the dream. The dream gave me hope, and I felt like I had enough courage to think about getting pregnant.
When Solei was born, she had dark hair and was as uncharming as a newborn can be. I was confused and wondered where the little girl from my dream was. The dark hair eventually gave way to blonde curls and a few months ago, I caught Solei laughing at herself in the mirror - and realized that she was now the little girl I'd seen in my dream. I don't know if I had anything to do with bringing out her bright personality, but it had happened. She does indeed amaze and charm everyone who meets her. I learned that blessings will come from everything if I don't expect them in my timeline.
On that vein, I've been aware that I should think about expanding our family, and terrified at the thought of Solei seeing how dark pregnancy and new motherhood made me. I've felt like I should at least try because I'm supposed to, but have had very little hope of it being different from the first time. And as I've waited, I've become more aware of how much I have grown to love what I have now, despite the hardship it began with. I don't know if Heavenly Father will send another soul to our family to live through what Solei had to endure for so long, but I don't worry about that. I'm so thankful He knows me and loves me enough to have sent me the most perfect-for-me spirit He had. I still pray that if I become a mother again that I'll learn to love them, and I also ask that I not have another until I am really ready. I'm so thankful that I've had the last year to really get to know the spirit inside her crazy body, and to learn to fall in love with serving another person this much. Every day I spend with just her, I feel a gratitude I never expected to feel and I don't want for anything else.
One thing I detest is when people say those common phrases - "You'll never have another good night's sleep again!" or "Say goodbye to having an adult conversation again!" or "Say hello to a sagging tush - you'll have have that pre-baby body back!" I heard so many of them before I had Solei and thought they were all true, and I sobbed on the delivery table, unwilling to push because I didn't want this horrible change everyone had spoken of to happen to me.
2 years into motherhood, I sleep like the dead, my relationships with my friends and husband are stronger than ever, and my body is as fabulous as it was pre-Solei. I wish I hadn't heard so much negativity, and I'm so thankful I've learned not to believe the naysayers. My Solei has proved to be the exception to every rule. True, she does drive me bonkers, but with every day I've known her, I've learned how to diffuse her, to redirect her and to get what I need. Lessons that I couldn't have learned anywhere, but right here with her her every day.
I'm so thankful for this this classroom. With every lesson I learn and every roadblock overcome, I am more and more aware of how much my Heavenly Father knows and loves me. And I couldn't have learned it any other way.
Friday, October 03, 2008
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