What Jacob Has Been Up To...

So, Jacob probably won't like me dedicating a whole blog entry just to him, but oh well he'll live. ANYHOO, we received his medical certificate in the mail the other day so now he is fully authorized to complete his private pilot's training. So here's where he's been spending a lot of time lately...

Enjoying views such as this...

And when he's not in the cockpit, he's managed to secure employment here...

Yes, that's right--my husband now has any guy's dream job...running around scaring the crap out of adolescent kids. Would you want THIS guy jumping out at you in the dark?

I didn't think so. Ah, I'm so proud...YEAH BABY!

A Facebook Exchange

I logged into my facebook the other day and saw that one of my friends had posted the following on her page: Prop 8: An attack on religious freedom in the name of 'equality' which is nothing more than a formality.

Here's what followed...

Me: An attack on religious freedom? How are they attacking anyone? You are still free to believe and practice your religion as you please, whether or not it passes, so your argument doesn't make any sense.

Her: If my religion tells me homosexuality is morally wrong then isn't it discrimintation to force the church I believe in to allow homosexual marriages in the temple or else risk the legal raminfications and lawsuits that will follow if they do not comply? How is that constitutional? I think everyone should have equal rights, absolutely, but as soon as the rights given to one marginalizes the rights of the rest then equality no longer exists.

Me: No one can force the church to have gay marriages in the temple, just as no one can force the church to allow non-members or unworthy members inside the temple. Prop 8 is an issue of the STATE of California, not the church. We passed laws in 1964 to prohibit discrimination against African Americans, and that did not stop the church from withholding the Priesthood from them for another 14 years (they were given it in 1978). Prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals will not stop the church from withholding marriage from them in temples. Again, Prop 8 has nothing do with religion; my opposition to it has everything to do with stopping hate.

Her: Technically, the law CAN force them or else they have the right to take away their status as a tax-exempt institution in that state. This law is setting a precedent. How do I know? Years spent in the political world and mindless hours spent in committee meetings, the senate, and the house. I've argued both sides of this issue so many times. The problem is Prop 8 is not a stand alone policy and I can tell you that regardless of anyone saying it is a simple law it requires state regulation which trumps private property rights. (this includes the temple, churches, the dr. office, private schools, etc.) Yes, the law CAN mandate on this issue and the outcome will create problems. This is NOT human rights. This is state mandated say-so. My issue on this has nothing to do with "stopping hate" or altering our social institutions- my issue is with state-mandated policy. Have you read the language of Prop 8? All it does it simply amend the constitution but saying "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" That's it. And by this it is not retroactive and it does not limit any future law(s) or rights that the homosexual community may wish to have as a civil union. Please do not compare this to a racial issue. This is absolutely not racial- it's about sexuality orientation and the current social norm on it's morality in society. Gay and lesbian is not a race.

Me: I compared this to race because I feel it comes down to the issue of whether or not you believe homosexuals "choose" to be that way--I believe they do NOT, just as no one chooses their own race. Therefore, I feel the association is a valid one...and I strongly feel that homosexuals should not be discriminated against for being who they were born as (I'm assuming because you are LDS, you believe it's a choice as that's what you have been taught). Ultimately, I feel your argument is invalid because it has NOT happened in any of the countries that have already passed laws to allow for gay marriage, such as Denmark. Watch out for those slippery slopes of logic, which unfortunately breed paranoia that leads to discrimination against people based on their beliefs and is the same argument that was used to discriminate against people of color in the past.
I can see that we've reached an impasse--so I will close with this: the homosexuals I know, many of whom are former LDS church members, have no desire whatsoever to be married in the temple, or even by an LDS bishop...so even if the "technicality" of the law could pose a threat, which it does not, then it still wouldn't be an issue. Thanks for at least being willing to discuss this issue with me, which is more than most people have done. I appreciate your good sportsmanship. :-)

Due to the multiple negative responses I've received because I do not support Prop 8, I wanted to address it. And that's all I'm going to say about it here.

My Sexy Sister

Kaj, forgive me for doing this, but I am so impressed that I had to--anyhoo, my little sister is getting married, and my sweet friend Raquel took their engagement photos about a week ago. So you should all click on the "Best Photographer in the World" link on my page and scroll down till you find "K and M Engagements" to see some HOT pics of my sis and her fiance. Ow OW!

Good News...Finally!

Well friends, we here at the Hodgen house are VERY excited, not just because we've managed to survive 5 whole years of marriage (haha see the previous post), but because today we heard from none other than our elusive friend the Federal Aviation Administration. The amazing part is that this time, we only had to wait 2 weeks instead of the usual 4 (or, in one instance, 7). And as you can guess by the happy tone of my writing, Jacob's medical certificate has been cleared. So, once we actually receive the darn thing in the mail (today we received a letter of notification--the actual certificate is still coming), he can fly solo, complete the training for his private pilot's license, and then we can get him off to commercial flight school. HOORAY for there finally being a light at the end of this awful tunnel!! It is SO nice to have some good news for a change!! :-)
Anyway, just wanted to share. Hope all you peeps are happy and well!

5 Years...

5 Years ago today I married my awesome hubby. Our marriage has had its share of ups and downs but when I look back at our journey, I can honestly say I am so happy I married him. In honor of our 5 year mark, I'll take a cue from my sweet friend Jen and share how we met.

So, in January 2003 I had finally moved out of my parents' house and into an apartment with my friend Tiffany. I had absolutely no intention of finding a spouse--in fact, I had complained to my mom on several occasions that I didn't want to move out because I'd just meet someone and get married and I wasn't ready for that. I had decided to go back to school at UVSC after taking a year hiatus, and I really didn't want any distractions (especially since I had enrolled in my first math class in 6 years...BLAH!).

One cold morning I was walking to school (my apartment was really close) and noticed a boy walking not too far from me. I couldn't really tell if he was cute or not since he was bundled up in a coat and hat, but I was drawn to him anyway. He slowly got closer and politely asked, "Do you know where the science building is?" I directed him and we made some small talk about how it was really cold and what not, and then we went our separate ways to class. A few days later I was walking home from class, and passed him on the way--I said a friendly "Hello" and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but I guess he changed his mind cuz he just kept going (he swears this never happened, but I have it documented in my journal...haha).

I began to see him a lot more--I realized he was in my ward and lived in my same complex. However, I didn't have the courage to talk to him since he hadn't answered me that one day (I know, stupid huh?) so I thought there was no way he'd be interested. Then one day in church Tiffany turned to me and whispered, "I found your next boyfriend." I asked who, and she pointed at Jacob. I asked how she knew and she replied, "I just have a vibe about him." Since we didn't know his name, from then on we called him Vibe Boy.

At this point the whole Vibe Boy thing was just a joke between myself and my roommates; I continued to see him around but never felt like there was a good opportunity to talk to him. One night after my evening PE class, I arrived at the complex at the same time he did and I thought, "Yes, this is it!" Unfortunately, I couldn't get the girl who gave me a ride home to shut up, so by the time I started walking into the building, he was well ahead of me and reached his apartment by the time I could catch up. However, he did turn around and look at me just before he walked in the door, so that gave me some hope.

My co-worker and good friend Cami had heard every detail of my Vibe Boy saga, and after hearing about my close encounter with making verbal contact, she made a bet with me...it was a Friday, and I had until Monday morning to find out Vibe Boy's name or I owed her a bag of Snickers bars. I left work that day determined and feeling confident. However, I didn't see him on Saturday and by Sunday I was really nervous--I knew it would have to be in Sunday school or not at all. I sat there, not paying any attention while I tried to hash out a game plan. At one point I decided to go get a drink. After I sat back down in my chair, Tiffany whispered to me to turn around--I did, and Vibe Boy was staring at me. Once he noticed I saw him looking, he dropped his head and stared at the floor.

Believe it or not, this gave me the confidence I needed to talk to him. I walked right up to him after the lesson was over, asked his name and we made plans to hang out that same day. He came over to my apartment that night, and we've been completely inseparable ever since. We got married 7 months later, and 5 years later I'm thrilled to report that we are happy as ever. So here's to you Jacob, I love you!!!!

Things You Probably Don't Really Care That Much About

So this morning I was hike, hike hiking along when I stumbled across yet another tarantula. This one was not as big as the first one, but every bit as creepy. The way they move totally wigs me out...they're like, "I'm cooooommmmming for youuuuuuu!" GROSS. But anyway, it got me thinking--I really need to update my blog, since the last post was about that tarantula we saw forever ago. I don't have anything super exciting to talk about, but what the hell, let's have a brain dump, shall we? Here goes. :-)

Hiking: For everyone's information, today I set a new personal record for how fast I am able to drag my sorry butt up to the top of the "Y" and back down again--now I can do it in 49 minutes flat. Before you know it I'll be running up as well as down (there are actually people who do that, it's true...I've seen them with my very own eyes...and I'm very jealous of their abilities). Go me.

Federal Aviation Administration: STUPID. Due to their inability to complete even the most simple of tasks, Jacob now has to wait another month (at least) to get his medical certificate cleared. Yeah, they lost the updated application that we both faxed and overnighted to them... Fedex and everything, yup. Morons. Someday I want to go work for a government organization where I will be motivated to do absolutely nothing with any sense of accuracy and within no time frame whatsoever, so I can leave people hanging on the fate of their career choice for months at a time. Should be very fulfilling.

Jobs: Still got mine, thank goodness. I laid off Jacob yesterday though (no, they did not ask me to deliver the news myself--I offered after my supervisor pulled me aside and told me she was gonna do it--I figured it would be better if it came from me, since Jacob kinda hates her...), so hooray for our income being cut in half. Haha no really, we knew it was coming since Jacob was hired for the summer only. He disliked the job anyway, so he was actually relieved...it was harder on me than it was on him. Why? Well, I really liked having him around, it was fun. But mainly it was because it was a reminder that no one at work has any loyalty to me--ah, the lies. I won't go into details. I will just say that I find it interesting to watch people lie to my face without even realizing they've just revealed their untruths.


Friends: On a bright and happy note, I have been fortunate enough to spend some time with good friends lately and yes Cajsa, I snagged this picture off your facebook hehe. My head looks really big, doesn't it? Well, in my defense, I was closer to the camera than they were, since I was holding it. Anyway, thanks to my dear friends Peter and Cajsa for being amazing people--I love that time can never touch our friendship. I am always so happy to find that it doesn't matter how long it's been since we've seen each other (either we need to move to Sweden or Cajsa needs to move here), we can still laugh and talk as though no time has passed. That's when you know you have good friends, I think. So I love you guys. And Raquel, I love you too--I will always be your wingman (or wingwoman...?), thanks again for lunch, I will get it next time!!

Politics: To my conservative friends, feel free to skip this part. I don't apologize for my views, or for anything said here...but I don't want to offend, that is not my purpose. Anyway...please, oh please let it be over. November cannot come fast enough. Although my vote is essentially null and void because I live in Utah and Obama doesn't stand a chance of winning here, I will still go and do my duty as a citizen. But it's gotten to the point where I can't even watch the news any more, because they frequently put her on there, and wow, the thought of Sarah Palin anywhere near the white house terrifies me. I'm not saying she's unintelligent (although I do frequently refer to her as "Sooooooooooooo stupid!!!"), and I will readily admit that she has potential to be a very strong player for the Republican party--I'm saying she makes Obama look like the most experienced politician in the world. Seriously. She needs to take a few more years to wisen up to the ways of Washington. The Katie Couric interview kills me, it's so painful to see her repeatedly stumble over her own words and further prove that she is in way over her head. Her foreign policy stems from the fact that Alaska is neighbor to Russia and Canada and sometimes those damn Putin airplanes come into our airspace??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? And I know she's only the VP candidate, but here's the thing--McCain has had not one, not two, but FOUR bouts of cancer. While he has been pronounced healthy at the present, cancer is an ugly, ugly disease that can strike at any time, and his track record is extremely poor. If he croaks in office, the thought of Sarah Palin stepping up as our commander and chief terrifies me to no end. When Iran proceeds with its nuclear weapons program, what's she gonna do?? "Well, dagnabbit Mr. Ahmadinejad, don't you bring your planes into our airspace!!!" No, no...this cannot happen. Obama may not be the man to fix what Bush has done, but I have hopes that he can at least keep it from getting much worse--whereas I truly fear that if McCain and Palin get elected, this country will see more disaster than it's seen in decades.

Ok, that's enough for one day. I have to get ready for work now, so you are all spared from any more dumpage of my brain. Until next time...I bid you good day.