Election Time, Fall Leaves, and More Videos

** Note: if you just want to see pictures of leaves and videos or Reed scroll to the end of the post until you see them - this first bit is just me trying to have a small political voice. But, you do not have to read it, if you are not interested.**

I always hesitate to bring up political issues on my blog because I have a few fears:
1. I will look completely stupid because I can't explain my point clearly
2. Previous friends will become my enemies
3. People who I don't even know will look at my blog and make ridiculous comments

But, I have decided to put that aside and make some comments on my voting experience and this electoral race.

The one thing that I was really pleased about was that so many more people went to vote this year! Voting is so important. It is the way that the people can get their voices heard. What makes me sad and upset is that so many uninformed voters went to vote. I know this happens every election - people jumping on the bandwagon of which candidate is cool - but I still get saddened by the lack of interest to really find out the issues and the candidates stances on the issues. Then there are those who did not vote and still complain about our country and all the bad things our government is doing. This is what urks me the most. I cannot stand people complaining and then doing nothing to exercise their right to vote! Come on, people - if you think it's so bad here, go live somewhere else! Having lived in two other countries for periods of time, it is much worse other places.

I must say that this year I did not particularly like either of the candidates. But, I did vote for one of them because I really did not like the other one. Frankly, I am a little scared with what has happened during this election. The President, House, and Senate all went to the liberal side of the pendulum. This makes me nervous because our country was set up to have checks and balances and I feel like those have gone out the window. I am just praying that not everything will pass. One of my big concerns is socialized health care. This is such a bad idea and I have seen its effects in other countries. Yes, maybe more people can get coverage, but, for lack of a better word, it is crap coverage. In the long run, it is just not the way to go. I believe that this government was set up, not to take care of everything, but to be in the background. I believe that The Founding Fathers set up this country so that we could take responsibility for ourselves, instead of always leaning on the government to pay for and provide for everything. I have learned in my life that when I work for something, I take care of it better and appreciate it more. When I am given something, I care less and am more likely to not treat it as important. This is what is already happening in this country and what will continue to happen! I guess I just really long to see Americans taking responsibility for their own actions. We cannot blame nearly everything on the government because most of the problems we face today are because of choices we, as a people, have made. Also, for any who know me, you know that I am against abortion except on occasions of rape, incest, and where the mother's life is in danger. I believe that life is sacred and begins at conception. I will never sway on this issue. One other concern is that of marriage. I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is how God designed things to be. I will never sway on that issue. That many want to change the definition of marriage and family in the name of tolerance is so devastating to me. I feel like God is being taken out of everything in the name of tolerance. What about being tolerant to me as a conservative and a strong believer in a Heavenly Father?! Those are just some of my issues.

I also think that we, as a society, have become too obsessed with the here and now and forget to look towards the future. We want money now, instead of saving for retirement. We want the new clothes, new cell phones, big houses, and nice cars now. So, we get into debt and have no money for the future. Then, we blame the government and expect them to get us out of debt. We cannot rely on the government to bail us out of our own mistakes, but I fear that is what the government will try and do.

I do believe in the voting system and will exercise my right to vote whenever I can. I guess I am just worried at what will happen. But, I will do my best to be informed and make the right choice for me and my family. I encourage you to do the same. This is real life, not just a video game or pretend play!



In lighter news, fall in Virginia is absolutely beautiful! I have pictures to show, but really the most beautiful trees are the ones on the freeway that I cannot take a picture of while driving. The yellows, red, and oranges just make me so happy! It's truly amazing to see trees of all different colors! Their beauty confirms to me again that there is a God.







As in all of my posts, I must include something about a Reed. I decided to add some videos. One is a demonstration of his army crawling abilities, though this video was taken almost a month ago, so Reed is must faster now! But, it is fun to look back and see. The next one is one examples of Reed pulling the books off the book shelf - one of his favorite pasttimes. The last video is Reed copying Tyson on Halloween. Enjoy!!! They always make me smile :)