Let's Get Political

Don't you love when people share their political views on their blog?

Don't they always make you shake your head and say "huh..I never thought about it that way" and change the way you think/vote/live??

Yeah. Not so much.

And yet; in spite of the aforementioned futility of sharing politics on your blog, I still feel like (with the debt crisis and all) it's just about the perfect time for me to share some of my more adventurous political views.

Brace yourselves!!

1. Civil Unions. I believe in them. For everyone. And I literally mean everyone. I don't think a civil union should be based only on a sexual relationship. I think marriages should be between one man and one woman, but I think any two people (brother and sister, friends, partners, etc) should be able to get a civil union and get on each other's insurance, etc.

2. I support term limits. No more than 2 terms for senators and representatives.

3. I support drug testing for all welfare recipients. Only because I have worked with so many and too many were utilizing their government funds/resources for drugs. There is never enough oversight of welfare benefits and oh my gosh the suffering I have witnessed. It's always the children who suffer the most.

4. I support comprehensive and free health care for anyone under the age of 18. All children should be covered for whatever they need; regardless of income.

There is so much more. But I'll leave you to grapple with these four. I know I've rocked a lot of your worlds and you might need some time to go and change your voter registration cards and all that.

You're welcome. ")

Next up for discussion: Religion!

Lori Ann

Watching the tide roll away

I am not a super proactive job hunter.

I kinda always have this feeling that someone is just going to go ahead and find me and say "Listen, we want to pay you about 100,000 a year. Just to be you. Maybe do some crafting, come to office parties, etc"

So, I hold off on the job search, waiting for that to happen.

Which it never does.

So...my point is, after 6 weeks of vacation and apathetic job searching, I thought I had found one great job and I was all set to move to Chester County.

But now I've got 2 more job offers closer to home and one with significantly better pay.

I don't know what to do with three job offers.

AHHH!!

I've never really been in a situation like this before.

Do I go for the great money, the dream location, or the best job description??

Lori Ann

I know your fears and you know mine, cocoa pebbles

Rolad Amundsen said "Adventure is just bad planning".

I think he may have been talking about our trip into Amish country today.

The Amish markets were closed.

We got lost a..few...times.

The kids may or may not have been chanting "We are hungry" for about 20 minutes due to lack of snack planning.

We drove a long way to see relatively little.

But it was an adventure.

The kids were given lollipops by a sweet little Amish girl.

We found the land of Roni.

We saw so many amazing old stone houses and Amish farms.

We traveled down narrow roads and over rickety bridges.

I fell in love with Pennsylvania all over again.

Today was an adventure for me because I got to take the people that I love the most to the place that I love the most.

It doesn't get much better than that.

Lori Ann

I ain't got seventy days

I'm not a major Amy Winehouse fan. I do love all of her better known works though. 27 is too young to die.

This is a video of her most popular song "rehab" done on Glee. It makes me want to learn both to song write and to dance. Thanks for inspiring me, Amy.

Jeg sørger med deg, Norge.

It's been a weird weekend, eh?

Lori Ann

Where my music's playing

Today I got a great job in the place I've wanted to live for like 8 years.

Chester County, PA.

It's just south of Philadelphia, fairly close to the Maryland and Delaware borders.

And it's Amish country, y'all.

This is it.

The Place.

It is so unbelievably beautiful there.

It will be a month or two before I move. I've got to focus on my new job and apartment shopping. I would love to get something vintage-y with hard wood floors and a fireplace. We'll see what happens.

I think I could be happy there living in a box.

Lori Ann

I have got no service in the club, you see..

I am in love with Chris Powell (from Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition). IN LOVE, people. I heard he is married. Anyone know any good home wrecking skills?

I am so tired of hearing about the debt ceiling. I get it. It's important. But I swear, politicians just talk and talk and talk. They need to get my brother in law in there. He'll be calling China, telling them to bring the treats to the next international meeting. We will be out of debt in no time! *I mean this as a compliment, Jackie. You know your cheapness inspires me!*

Some crazy girls brought me flowers today! I am now accepting flowers from all people- there will be no limitations made based on gender, ethnicity, or political leaning. (although your nationality could be held against you. And no, I'm not talking about Canada again. Ok, yes I am)

I got an iPod shuffle just for my workout music. So I can walk and dream about my life with Chris Powell.

My dad bought me sneakers today. Going shoe shopping with my dad is kind of a religious experience. It's an emotional journey, at the very least. I think he was again shamed by me when I told the sales girl I might bedazzle the white sneakers he got me.

Ok, so don't forget- homewrecking secrets needed, ASAP!

Lori Ann

Go round and round and round...

I am listening to "the Circle Game" by Joni Mitchell. It reminds me of my childhood so much. It means so much more now than it did then. Especially as I look at a picture of my mom and the new family baby.

I had the best day with you today, Katherine.

I couldn't have passed the torch to a more beautiful and brilliant little girl.

Love,

Aunt Lori

When the student is ready, the master appears...

The combination of my mom's "Dreams Come True" yard sale and epic Lemonade stand (where; yes, more cookies were eaten by my dad than sold), along with receiving free makeup and watching too many episodes of "extreme couponing", and I have officially become obsessed with free/discounted stuff.

This week my goal is to find, clip, and start a coupon organizer and to get something awesome free...wish me luck!!!

Lori Ann

All was well.

I saw the last Harry Potter movie today.

I've only been a fan since August of 2008.

What I lack in time as a HP fan, I make up for in sheer fanaticism.

I read all 7 books in a week and stayed up all night watching the movies.

As I drove away from the theater today, "Time of your Life" by Green Day was playing and I started to cry.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to that August day in which I reluctantly gave in to my sister and brother in law's urging and opened the first page of the first book.

I never want the magic to end.

I have probably read over 10,000 or more books in my lifetime.

Other than scripture, no other books have impacted me like the seven books of Harry Potter. Especially Deathly Hallows- the last one. It's my very favorite book ever and I've read it at least 20 times, cover to cover.

If you haven't read the books for whatever reason, I cannot express enough that you don't know what you are missing. These books have changed my life.

And this movie is so worth seeing, if only for the Alan Rickman scenes:)

Goodbye Harry Potter.

Lori Ann

My Week in Pictures

I was lucky enough to go on a drive through Bucks County with my dad. My dad knows every back road ever invented and Bucks County is so beautiful. There is genuinely little that I enjoy more than listening to classic rock, driving with my dad, listening to his thoughts on politics and life.

We drove through the town that I was born in. Doylestown, PA. Pink was born there

too. I guess that makes me kind of edgy and cool.

My nieces and I made peach apple juice with the juicer. We then used the pulp to make muffins. Boo-yah. We're organic-y like that.

This is Katy and her trusty friend Sam. She was racing Elly and James and they finished a good 5 minutes before her. But she and Sam kept on running. It was so cute it brought tears to my eyes.

Speaking of crazies, here are the PB & J (better known as Elly and James) gearing up for their big silly string fight. It ended; as all Elly and James activities do, with tears and accusations of "that's not fair!". I have got to find more reasons to dress them up in trash bags. It's adorable:)

Lori Ann

Counting stars against the black

My nieces have been making me laugh lately. Tonight; Katy, the three year old, pointed a butter knife at me and said "I will cut you".

(I told my sister Erin who whispered to me over the phone "Don't sleep there tonight!")

Elly, the five year old, wants to change her name to Blossom. I've had some conversations with her about robbed sparklers, boyfriends, and Pink Floyd music that have been very existential.

No one makes me laugh more than these two. I think they are God's reward to me for having to deal with my own evil sisters all those years :)

Lori Ann

Random Thoughts: the 18 days off caffeine Edition

We are taking Jack-Jack to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter! We are so dressing him up as Harry Potter. I hope he remembers it forever.

It's weird for me to drive around here at night. In Reidsville, after 8 pm the whole town practically shuts down and the roads are clear. Here, people are up and driving around at midnight!

I've been off soda since June 20th, 2011. Crystal Light has been my salvation. I've had many, many icy cold glasses of lemonade/raspberry lemonade/fruit punch/cranberry apple to get me through breaking my 20 year addiction to soda:)

Elly and James were playing chess this morning. Danielle's kids are smart. When we were young, we played a game called "Shakies" where we ran around in circles, yelling "shakies". So, yeah..

Sorry my life isn't more exciting right now. I'm working on developing some conflict and drama, just to spice up this blog!

Lori Ann

This one is for you, Tyler!

Behold, my infamous tattoo!

Located on my lower right ankle.

For all of you who said "I'm not getting a tattoo because the prophet asked us not to and besides, it's kinda trashy"...I bet your regretting that now, eh?

It doesn't get much sexier than this, baby!

Lori Ann

Summer Summer Summertime

So..

This is my third week off all soda. It's changed my personality. Hopefully for the better long term. I am sure my family hopes so too. "Angry Lori" is only entertaining for about 2 minutes.

Fireworks with the kids was magical! Jack, James, Elly, and Katy are the funniest, most interesting people I have ever met. If I didn't already have a tattoo, I would get one of their initials. I can't go to the place of having two tattoos.

Jack- Jack is reading the Harry Potter books! He finished book 5 "The Order of the Phoenix"tonight! It's 9 days until the premiere of the last movie. If he's finished Book 7, I would love for him to get to see one of the movies on the big screen:)

I am glad that Casey Anthony got her fair hearing and the opportunity to tell her side of the story. Now, if only Caylee Anthony could get that chance...

I may or may not have actually moved here for my Dad's grilling.

Dad, Danielle, and I took the kids to see graves of Revolutionary War soldiers on the Fourth of July. We talked to them about the price of our freedom and showing appreciation for our soldiers and for the privilege it is to be American. I think they absorbed about 1% of that discussion:)

Lori Ann