The Toale Family

Friday, July 4, 2014

30 Days of July, 2014: Day 4

If You Could Rid The World of One Thing, What Would It Be?

It's fitting that this is the topic on the 4th of July. And this was not a difficult decision. Some people would say "famine", "war", or any number of issues that plague the world. If I could rid the world of one thing, it would be...

POLITICIANS

Many of you know my political affiliation, but I'm going to try to stay as bi-partisan as possible during this post!

Why politicians? I think that politicians ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISLE need to be replaced. I would love nothing more than to flush them all out and start over. The majority of them are corrupt, and put their own interests above those of the American people. They are more worried about keeping their job then actually DOING their job! I believe that if politicians would LISTEN to the people and EACH OTHER, and put their own partisianship aside, many problems could be solved.

I would love to see term limits for all politicians. We have them for the office of the President, why not everywhere else? Get "new blood" in there after so many years, and avoid people like Mitch McConnell (R) and Harry Reid (D) running the show, and letting the power of their position take over because THE PEOPLE won't vote them out. We need new people, with new ideas in Washington to help keep things moving; no matter what direction you think they should be going.

Let's face it; we can't rely on the people to vote out the politicians that have overstayed their visit, or made bad choices while in office. A perfect example of this is our current President. (oops, I tried, really I did!) Heck, we can't rely on people to even vote...which is so very sad considering what people in our country went through so that everyone could vote!

Okay, I've been about as bi-partisan as I can be when talking about politics! I've been watching the TV show The West Wing on Netflix over the past 2 weeks.

I loved this show when it was originally running, but I wasn't engaged enough in politics to really understand the politics behind the show. Watching it now, this show gives me much more respect for the different positions on the President's staff, like White House Press Secretary...even if I think the person who is in that job is slimy (Jay Carney!!) Where this show makes me crazy is the fact that it follows a Democratic President, and I'm anything but a Democrat.

Notice I didn't say Republican. I disagree with A LOT of what Republican's believe. I disagree with the MAJORITY of what Democrats believe. What do I believe in?

- I believe in small government. Get out of my life and stop spying on me. Leave me alone to make decisions for myself and my family.

- I believe in the 1st amendment. The beauty of freedom of speech is that it's really there to protect the speech you DON'T like. I have a high school friend who has completely different political views from me. The great part is that she and I can have civil, if not heated conversations about our differences and still be friends when we're done! Wouldn't it be great if the people running the country could do the same thing?

- I believe in the 2nd amendment. I am allowed to protect myself, and my family. If you take my gun, how do I protect myself from you in the event that government tries to COMPLETELY take over?

- I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. My Christian beliefs have taught me this. This doesn't mean I hate you, or think less of you if you believe differently, because I don't.

- I am pro-life. It begins at conception. If you don't want the child you've conceived, be completely selfless and give the child to a family who can't have children.

- I am NOT a racist, or a bigot. We may have different views, but we are both fighting for what we believe is right. Name calling won't help the situation.

A poll came out Wednesday I believe, showing just how upset people in the country are with who's in charge, and how it's going. Click here for the story, and listen to the second statistic, which FLOORED me!

In the end, this is true:

Anyway, we will all never agree. And in the spirit of bi-partisian politics, here are 2 YouTube clips that make fun of both sides! The first is full of political gaffes, and the second is politicians getting a laugh at the expense of the press.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

30 Days of July, 2014: Day 3

The Last Movie You Saw in The Movie Theatre

I'm not a big movie "buff". For one, movies are way too expensive to see in a theatre, and since I'm not one who has extra cash on hand EVER, this tends to be the main reason we don't go more often. The other reason is that most movies don't appeal to me.

The last time I went to the theatre was during the Christmas season of 2013. The last movie I saw was:

I love the movie Mary Poppins, so this movie immediately appealed to me. I also enjoy both Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. This movie was so much fun. I laughed and I bawled my eyes out. These two actors played so well off each other, it was a joy to see.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

30 Days of July, 2014: Day 2

If You Could Offer One Piece Of Advice to A Newborn, What Would It Be?

(look at my cute boy!)

Interesting question. There are so many things that could be said, but as a teacher, there is something that comes up over and over again that I'm constantly telling my kids.

The 5th graders I teach all wish that they were adults. They want to drive, make their own decisions, be finished with school...ANYWHERE but where they currently are in life. The one piece of information I would give a newborn is the same information I give my 5th graders: STOP WANTING TO GROW UP SO FAST!!!

Being an adult sucks...for the most part. Sure, adults can drive, and we can make our own decisions. However, the biggest reason it sucks to be an adult is this:

Bills

Bills make being an adult suck. You spend 18 years wanting nothing more than to be an adult, and then spend the remaining 60-70 years of your life wishing you were a kid again! All the fun of life is taken away because of the fact that you have to stress about how you will pay your rent and utilities, afford groceries and gas, and purchase the basic necessities required to survive. If you are rich, then life is much easier for you in this category, and I'm very jealous of you. But for the majority of Americans, bills take all the fun out of being an adult.

Yep, that's EXACTLY what it's like to be an adult!

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

30 Days of July, 2014: Day 1

Goals For The Month

It's July! 4th of July bbq's, the last month of summer vacation, another blog challenge....there are lots of new things to look forward to this month.

What are my goals during this last month of summer vacation?

Well, Wednesday I'm having my acrylic nails taken off. I've never had them before, and I was excited to try them. They turned out beautifully. However, it turns out I just don't like them. Typing is almost impossible, playing the piano is difficult, it's hard to take out and put in my contact lenses, and when the back of the nail gets dirty, it's not easy to clean it. I always knew I was anal about my nails; having acrylics put on has shown me just how anal I am about them! I'm bummed about not liking them, but it's an expensive habit, so I'll live.

The first week of June I lost almost 5 pounds, much to my amazement. The next week I lost nothing, and then we went to California the 3rd week and I gained it all back! Last week I got back on the exercise bandwagon and lost 1 1/2 pounds. My goal for July is to loose 5lbs, and continue that pace until I've finally lost the weight I gained back since my miscarriage and surgery last October.

In the state of Utah, people are allowed to shoot off fireworks during the ENTIRE month! It's great on the 4th, and then later in the month on Pioneer Day, but otherwise it gets very annoying, very quickly!! My goal here is to be able to sleep through the fireworks that the neighbors play with until midnight each night!!

I'm hoping and praying that I get my Mac computer back this month! The school has been doing computer upgrades so we had to turn in our computers. I've been forced to use the PC, and I CAN'T STAND IT! The saying it true: Once you go MAC, you don't go back!!

The main thing I'll be doing this month is relaxing before training begins in August. I've thoroughly enjoyed sitting on my behind watching TV this summer. I'm a homebody, and proud of it. I'll be getting excited for the upcoming school year, and preparing for all the good and trying things that come with the wonderful job that I have.

It's going to be a great month, and it will fly by very quickly. My new blog challenge is very random, I hope you enjoy it.