Giving Back

SaveTheChildren Sponsor a Child, Change a Community.

For a change...

Obama08_Badge1sm.jpg

Our Families Write:

We interupt...

Our Families Keep Writing:

April 9, 2008

Happy Birthday Emma!!!

Six full orbits around the sun since the day our sweet daughter was born!

April 3, 2008

Expanding

The the process begins again, expanding our family.

Mark Twain says history doesn't necessarily repeat itself, but it does rhyme. 6 years ago we did this process before, and after a series of emotional summits and deep crevices, we added our sweet and delightful (and headstrong, and independent, and smart, and gregarious) Emma to the family.

We've been attempting to start our second adoption for a while now, but for various reasons it just didn't take. It will take this time :), we've made the steps.

Already we are getting a sense of deja vu, though there are differences.


April 1, 2008

The absurdity of it all

The military has the "DADT" (don't ask, don't tell) policy and state and federal governments have DOMA amendments and laws (DOMA for the federal government, signed, as DADT, by President Clinton). Anyway, these have lead to some sad and frustrating inequalities for military heroes who die in battle and same-sex couples trying to live their lives.

But isn't it getting just a bit absurd (well, as if inequality is ever not absurd) when the Pentagon feels it necessary to not allow the same-sex partner of a House Representative Tammy Baldwin on a flight because well.. she's of the same gender, and "the Pentagon appears to be self-conscious about transporting gay domestic partners at a time when it continues to enforce a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in its own ranks." An intersection of both DADT and DOMA inequalities to create an absurdity...

Under House guidelines, members of Congress may take their spouses with them on military flights if there is room for them and when it is “necessary for protocol purposes.” Although Baldwin, the only openly gay woman elected to Congress, exchanged wedding vows with Lauren Azar in 1998, her home state of Wisconsin does not officially recognize same-sex marriages, and military officials were apparently unwilling to consider Azar a “spouse” within the meaning of the House guidelines.

It took Nancy Pelosi's intervention to allow it. When even our national legislators are subjected to the humility of inequality, can anyone really doubt that the rest of us are subjected to such inequality on a regular basis? It's time to repeal both DADT and DOMA laws.


March 28, 2008

The other gay mormon fathers where one is a biologist

This same-sex couple (like us) with adopted kids (like us) living in Utah (like we used to) are former Mormons (like us) and one is a biologist (like us).

Yikes, it's the twilight zone :D.

March 25, 2008

Banana Bread Experiment

Every summer we spend some time in Hawaii, on the Big Island, and every year I experiment with recipes for our time in Hawaii. My criteria:

1. Ingredients have to have a local origin or _could be_ grown commercially on a local basis if there was demand.

2. Ingredients (some at least) have to have some local significance culturally. Either the recipe origins should be Hawaiian (LauLau's) or the ingredients have cultural significance (rice from immigrants, taro from Hawaiians)

3. Healthy

Last couple years I've modified an Avocado Pie to include a brown rice flour crust (though wheat does grow in Hawaii and grown commercially, I substitute rice flour instead for cultural and health reasons) and made my own version of Lau Lau to be a bit healthier than pork (chicken and local crab, w/ sweet potato).

I just started my new banana bread recipe experiment (see notes below), but version 1.1 was a hit this weekend!! :


March 19, 2008

Every time

Every time Barack Obama does something or some setback besets him that has me wavering in my estimation of him,

his response causes me to realize my estimation of him should have been higher.

March 14, 2008

oh, btw.. isn't she lovely...

A recent photo taken by a friend:


Update on the Household

Really, sorry. Having a hard time getting back to this blog I LOVE. But I'll continue going on! So, here are some updates for you:

1. Emma is gorgeous, smart, funny, fun, happy and has 'big emotions' but you knew that :D.


March 3, 2008

Dreaming of Heaven

So, this weekend I had a lot of dreams for some reason. One sticks out in particular.

I was dreaming that I was sitting with a group of friends from my college days at BYU. These were all Mormons. We were sitting at a round table.

They were arguing with me why I shouldn't be able to be married to Guy.

I said "But we've been together for decades and love each other and are committed to each other" (ok, it was a dream... we've "only" been together for 12 years :)

"It's still wrong" they said.

"But we have children who we love and have raised with love and devotion and who are happy, well-adjusted, good, charitable, kind people"

"It's still wrong"


February 28, 2008

Overwhelmed by today's technology?

Just look at this list of obsolete skills you DON'T need any longer. Including:

1. Using A Card Catalogue

2. Bust Apart A Long Computer Printout

3. Calling collect on a payphone

4. Changing vacuum tubes

Subscribe

5 years!

About:

On This Day:

2007:
Marriage, Mormons, Science Fiction & Politics, it doesn't get any better
Advancing in spite of, maybe because of...
2005:
good cat friends
George Washington, gay rights activist
2003:
Supper routine
SF Fire Department.. REally it IS a fire this time!!

Latest Comments

In "Happy Birthday Emma!!!," Silph commented
haven't seen a post from you in a while;

In "Expanding," TheFosters commented
Congratulations on starting the process.

In "Every time," Amy commented
Same here!

In "Ward Picnic," drama mama commented
I am our "Ward Activities Director". LO

In "Expanding," drama mama commented
I have really enjoyed reading about your

In "Expanding," drama mama commented
I have really enjoyed reading about your

Stuff

Powered by
Movable Type 3.33