I’ve been trying to think of anything momentous that happened this year, and I can’t think of anything. It’s been a pretty quiet year. We didn’t go anywhere where somebody was speaking a foreign language, we didn’t buy a new car, or repaint our house, or buy new furniture. We *did* get a puppy, as well as some new bookshelves for our bedroom , so, you know, that’s something to put in our Christmas letter. Although I didn’t do Christmas cards or letters this year, because I just didn’t have it in me. Sad, but true. Next year. Maybe.

But our bishop, a super goal oriented guy if there ever was one, has challenged everybody in the ward to set some goals. Spiritual ones, specifically. And I’ve been thinking–what does it mean to have a spiritual goal? (more…)

I’m not gonna lie, 2012 was a hard year to be a Republican. It’s bad enough that we have to claim the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. Throw in Todd Aiken’s “legitimate rape” comments, Anne Coulter calling the president a retard, and the entire Virginia state legislature’s ideas on decreasing abortion rates, and you get a whole boat load of facepalm worthy moments. Sometimes I would ask myself, “WHY am I affiliated with such bozos? This is embarrassing.”

But I remember the one day when I picked up one of Glenn Beck’s books in a bookstore, just to peruse. I have no love for Glenn Beck, for a variety of reasons, and was ready to read things I would quickly mock. To my utter shock, I found myself agreeing with almost everything I read. Mostly the stuff I was skimming was about government subsidies and free markets, so maybe there was more stuff in there that would make my blood boil. But I came home and told my husband, “I WAS AGREEING WITH GLENN BECK! What does this mean??!?” My husband grinned at me and said, “It means you’re a true Republican at heart, babe.”

So I’m a Republican. But this year, I felt like I spent a lot of time saying things like, “Yeah, that guy’s nuts, but not all of us are.” “Yeah, well, that’s kinda stupid, but Republicans have lots of good ideas”, and “Yeah, but…” and “Well, okay, but….”. And in the end, the country just didn’t buy it.

Along those same lines, I wonder these days if it’s hard to be a gun owner. (more…)

There was a period in my life in the early to late nineties when my mother bought me pants suits. Some of them were a little matronly for a 20 year old, but some of them were very, very nice. I had one that was made out of blue wool, with a blue suede jacket that matched. It was classy, and very expensive. I had another one that was sort of a houndstooth color, and was made out of silk. Yet another one was slate colored, with a matching blazer and a matching blue silk blouse. I still have the blouse–it is a classic cut, and the material is such high quality that even though it is almost 15 years old, it still is absolutely lovely and in great shape. (more…)