Monday, December 29, 2008
"Bailing out of 2008"
I've long been a Dave Barry fan, and he's hit the nail on the head again (or several of them) with his year-end column.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Merry Christmas 2008
What a wonderful and mostly relaxing Christmas holiday! We had a lovely service at our church on Christmas Eve, and John participated by doing a reading. Here is an excerpt (he has such a great reading voice doesn't he?):
On Christmas Day, we enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in late--itself always a treat. Then we headed up to Clay, Jenny, and Emily Perkins' house for a relaxing celebration of Christ's birth.
First, and most importantly, I got John to join me in wearing pajamas all day--it helped that he had fun new fuzzy pants with deer heads and a camo cap to wear with his fuzzy jacket.
Anyway, we then headed up north to Cave Creek for a family feast and gift exchange. First, the meal: smoked turkey and pork butt, a smattering of side dishes like cornbread casserole, baked beans, and sweet potatoes. YUM!
After the tasty meal, we had a white elephant-type gift exchange. As you can see, Tina was pretty happy with the gift Cole wound up with: Bailey's.
I hope all of you had a wonderful time celebrating and reflecting on the birth of Christ!
On Christmas Day, we enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in late--itself always a treat. Then we headed up to Clay, Jenny, and Emily Perkins' house for a relaxing celebration of Christ's birth.
First, and most importantly, I got John to join me in wearing pajamas all day--it helped that he had fun new fuzzy pants with deer heads and a camo cap to wear with his fuzzy jacket.
Anyway, we then headed up north to Cave Creek for a family feast and gift exchange. First, the meal: smoked turkey and pork butt, a smattering of side dishes like cornbread casserole, baked beans, and sweet potatoes. YUM!
After the tasty meal, we had a white elephant-type gift exchange. As you can see, Tina was pretty happy with the gift Cole wound up with: Bailey's.
One of the gifts wound up being a lot of fun--once we figured out the instructions (thank you John).
After a fun round of Yahtzee free for all, we gals played some Rummikub while the guys spent quality time with the Wii. Cole and John boxed, and then John, Cole, Clay, and Logan all played doubles tennis.
All in all, it was quite a fun day. The only down side is that John has been fighting some sort of flu-like-bug for a few weeks now and it came back full force overnight. He's spent the majority of the last day and a half in bed. Hopefully all this sleep will get rid of this before we leave for New Mexico on Tuesday!
Finally, in case I missed anyone in the distribution of our Christmas letter, I thought I'd go ahead and post it on here...unfortunately we couldn't get the upload to work right so that you could read the letter. So let me know if you'd like me to email you a copy instead.
Friday, December 26, 2008
An Excellent Point
In my capacity as President of the Phoenix Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society, a little over a year ago we hosted Denver Post columnist and author David Harsanyi.
On Christmas Eve, David's column "Lassez-faire punditry" provided some excellent insights and thoughts regarding the current economic situation and the (IMHO) laughable claims of some (notably Ariana Huffington) that this economic situation is an indictment of the free market system. As Harsanyi documents, recent years have not by any means been years in which our economic system has been "free market":
On Christmas Eve, David's column "Lassez-faire punditry" provided some excellent insights and thoughts regarding the current economic situation and the (IMHO) laughable claims of some (notably Ariana Huffington) that this economic situation is an indictment of the free market system. As Harsanyi documents, recent years have not by any means been years in which our economic system has been "free market":
The Federal Register, a list of regulations, reached an all-time high of nearly 79,000 regulations, up from nearly 64,000 in 2001. New regulations have mounted rather than diminished under the Bush administration.It's a great piece, and if you haven't encountered Harsanyi before then I highly recommend his book, "Nanny State."
Veronique de Rugy, a senior research fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, has studied regulatory spending and effectively squashed the "deregulation" mythology that is extensively peddled these days.
"Between fiscal year 2001 and fiscal year 2009," she writes, "outlays on regulatory activities, adjusted for inflation, increased from $26.4 billion to an estimated $42.7 billion, or 62 percent. By contrast, President Clinton increased real spending on regulatory activities by 31 percent, from $20.1 billion in 1993 to $26.4 billion in 2001."
De Rugy also points out that adjusted for inflation, regulatory spending under the category of finance and banking were cut by 3 percent under Bill Clinton and rose 29 percent under the imagined Bush deregulation binge.
Where are all the tributes to the laissez-faire economic boom of 1991-2000?
Instead, the far left has taken up concerted scare-mongering — much like they accuse the right of employing after 9/11 — to transform a short-term economic crisis into a radical long-term foundational alteration of our economy.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Welcoming Katie to the Blogosphere
My step-daughter, Katie, is joining us in the blogosphere as she heads off to college. Welcome Katie! I've added a link to her "Onward and Upward" blog in my list. Check it out.
Here is Katie with her cousins Logan, Emily, and Kaitlyn.
Bill of Rights Day Recap
The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791 and this past Monday we gathered in Phoenix to celebrate the 217th birthday of that document. We first heard from Patrick Henry, a primary author and supporter of the BOR.
After some history and a read through of the amendments themselves (which are available here and I recommend taking a moment to read through them yourself in their entirety), we began a discussion of the amendments' health and status these days. I'll just highlight those we discussed.
First Amendment: mixed reviews. We're living in the age of McCain-Feingold, one of the worst ideas in the history of politics, and a horrendous First Amendment violation. On the other hand, last term the Supreme Court gave us an encouraging decision in Davis v. FEC. In recent years, further, we had the incredibly important Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, correctly determining that the First Amendment presents no problem for school voucher programs.
Second Amendment: much of the conversation focused here. While this year brought the Heller v. DC opinion, which, for the first time, explicitly recognizing that this amendment protects an individual right to bear arms (and was not meant merely to provide arms to an organized militia), this amendment does not yet apply to the states. Further, the Court left open the ability of states to apply "reasonable" restrictions on the right to bear arms. What the government thinks of as "reasonable" tends to be overreaching in my experience, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Fourth Amendment: between the so-called war on drugs causing paramilitary police raids in which innocent people are killed, the Mississippi Medical Examinor shaming the entire state, and the spread of photo radar speed traps, well this is an amendment is serious trouble.
Fifth Amendment: the Supreme Court effectively cut the last clause out of this amendment in the 2005 Kelo v. New London decision allowing governments broad discression in the abuse of eminent domain. I imagine there are many other problems here, but this is the one we focused on. Not a particularly healthy amendment.
Ninth Amendment: we didn't really focus on this one, but I have to put something about it here as it's my favorite. In fact, I'll just go ahead and quote it here:
Tenth Amendment: While in general we all agreed this is an amendment in trouble, there are the occasional rays of hope. For example, in the wake of the Kelo decision, very nearly every state in the union made an effort (some more effective than others) to ensure greater private property protection at the state level.
I hope anyone who has made it this far has found something new to learn in this post, and don't forget to take a moment next December 15 to think about our Bill of Rights.
We then read through the amendments as a group--an interesting experiment with 250 or more people in the room. Some interesting tidbits a lot of people today may not know:
* The Anti-Federalists, who opposed adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1789, actually came up with a number of proposed amendments for the first Congress to consider. The House approved seventeen of them, and the Senate twelve of those. Ultimately the states considered 12 potential articles of amendment for ratification.
* The Bill of Rights, as ratified by the states, was not actually ten separate amendments when ratified--instead it was a single amendment with ten separate articles. Through re-printing and editing the articles became known as amendments.
* Without the promise of a bill of rights, folks like Patrick Henry stood in such strong opposition to ratification of our Constitution that it likely would not have been ratified.
Anyway...
After some history and a read through of the amendments themselves (which are available here and I recommend taking a moment to read through them yourself in their entirety), we began a discussion of the amendments' health and status these days. I'll just highlight those we discussed.
First Amendment: mixed reviews. We're living in the age of McCain-Feingold, one of the worst ideas in the history of politics, and a horrendous First Amendment violation. On the other hand, last term the Supreme Court gave us an encouraging decision in Davis v. FEC. In recent years, further, we had the incredibly important Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, correctly determining that the First Amendment presents no problem for school voucher programs.
Second Amendment: much of the conversation focused here. While this year brought the Heller v. DC opinion, which, for the first time, explicitly recognizing that this amendment protects an individual right to bear arms (and was not meant merely to provide arms to an organized militia), this amendment does not yet apply to the states. Further, the Court left open the ability of states to apply "reasonable" restrictions on the right to bear arms. What the government thinks of as "reasonable" tends to be overreaching in my experience, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Fourth Amendment: between the so-called war on drugs causing paramilitary police raids in which innocent people are killed, the Mississippi Medical Examinor shaming the entire state, and the spread of photo radar speed traps, well this is an amendment is serious trouble.
Fifth Amendment: the Supreme Court effectively cut the last clause out of this amendment in the 2005 Kelo v. New London decision allowing governments broad discression in the abuse of eminent domain. I imagine there are many other problems here, but this is the one we focused on. Not a particularly healthy amendment.
Ninth Amendment: we didn't really focus on this one, but I have to put something about it here as it's my favorite. In fact, I'll just go ahead and quote it here:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not beNote the very, very important "shall not be construed." Unfortunately, this is also not in good shape given the number of rights--particularly economic rights--courts, and even many people, don't believe deserve protection. For many examples check out IJ's work in the area of economic liberty.
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Tenth Amendment: While in general we all agreed this is an amendment in trouble, there are the occasional rays of hope. For example, in the wake of the Kelo decision, very nearly every state in the union made an effort (some more effective than others) to ensure greater private property protection at the state level.
I hope anyone who has made it this far has found something new to learn in this post, and don't forget to take a moment next December 15 to think about our Bill of Rights.
Some Christmas Cheer
The lead up to Christmas has been pretty hectic for us with work and such, but a few things have kept us in the holiday spirit.
Our Christmas Cantata was about the love of God; our small, talented choir sang seven songs and I narrated a few lines along the way.
First, we had our Christmas program at our church. John sang in the choir and I served as the narrator for the program, which was a lot of fun and a great reminder of our purpose for celebrating Christmas.
Our Christmas Cantata was about the love of God; our small, talented choir sang seven songs and I narrated a few lines along the way.
John is really a talented and strong bass in the choir, so I've really enjoyed listening to him--at Christmas and whenever the choir sings.
Earlier this week we had a wonderful surprise: a beautiful Christmas centerpiece from the Tim, Bev, Heidi, and Heather Farmer in Colorado. Now that is a great way to put us in a holiday spirit!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Abe and Tom
My grandfather shared with me some excellent Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson quotes that are particularly relevant these days.
From our 16th President:
* You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
* You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
* You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
* You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
* You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
* You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence.
* You cannot help men permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.
* You cannot emasculate the men and expect them to be manly.
And from our third President:
*A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to
take away everything you have.
*My reading of history convinces me that most bad government is the result of too much government.
*I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
*The democracy will cease to exist when Government intervenes to take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who are not.
[I must, as always, note here that America has not really ever been a democracy, contrary to how most refer to our great nation. This is a democratic republic, an important distinction. Of course Mr. Jefferson's principle still holds in my opinion.]
From our 16th President:
* You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
* You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
* You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
* You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
* You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
* You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence.
* You cannot help men permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.
* You cannot emasculate the men and expect them to be manly.
And from our third President:
*A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to
take away everything you have.
*My reading of history convinces me that most bad government is the result of too much government.
*I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
*The democracy will cease to exist when Government intervenes to take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who are not.
[I must, as always, note here that America has not really ever been a democracy, contrary to how most refer to our great nation. This is a democratic republic, an important distinction. Of course Mr. Jefferson's principle still holds in my opinion.]
Thursday, December 11, 2008
"School Choice Works!"
Earlier this week the Arizona Supreme Court heard argument in a major school choice case that IJ is litigating. A couple of years ago, the legislature passed two voucher programs to provide scholarships for children to use at the school of their (or their parents') choice. Only particular children are eligible for the scholarships: children who have been in foster care and children with federally recognized disabilities. In other words, two of the most vulnerable classes of children now have hope in Arizona for the education they desperately need.
Here is one child's story:
Naturally, the opportunity for parents to opt out of public schools that have failed their children in horrifying and shameful measure causes the teachers and school boards to go to court in order to take that opportunity away.
The People for the American Way (the ultimate oxymoron), the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, and the Arizona Education Association (our teachers' union), teamed up to challenge these scholarship programs with the noble goal of forcing these children back into the system that has already failed them. Really admirable.
They did so because Arizona's Constitution explicitly prohibits aid from the state directly to private schools (there are actually a few arguments, but this is the crux of the appeal). These fine folks who seek to dash the hopes of folks like Andrea Weck claim that by giving scholarships to parents that they can use at private schools, the state is directly aiding private schools.
So here's the fun part. Under federal law (the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act), public school districts can actually choose to send children with disabilities to private school. If a public school decides that it does not have the ability to provide a service that a child needs (a decision that usually only takes multiple years while the child remains unserved), the bureaucrats can choose to pay a private school to provide that service.
In other words, currently government bureaucrats are free to pay private schools directly to educate these children, but their greatest fear appears to be allowing parents the opportunity to make that same choice.
This is just shameful.
We always hear from the teachers' unions in particular that the big fear is any program that diverts money from the public schools risks damaging the public school system. That is not by any means the goal, but I guess my question is: if the public schools are so bad that every parent with the option would choose something, anything else, is that a system worth risking our children's future over?
Public school funding has been increasing MASSIVELY year by year for decades. By every possible measure, however, students in America have flatlined or decreased in knowledge and achievement. Certainly money is not the problem.
We all know something must be done, the question is whether or not we will have the courage to take bold steps and big risks to try new things. Will we allow generation after generation of children to langish in schools that have failed them hoping that perhaps by contuing to throw money at the problem one day in the distant future it will be solved?
I hope not. For the sake of children like Lexie, especially, I hope not.
More than 200 parents, children, and supporters rallied in front of the Arizona Supreme Court in support of these programs this week. Shouting over and over again, "School choice works!" Right they are.
That is the sort of thing that gives me hope for the education of our next generations.
Here is one child's story:
Naturally, the opportunity for parents to opt out of public schools that have failed their children in horrifying and shameful measure causes the teachers and school boards to go to court in order to take that opportunity away.
The People for the American Way (the ultimate oxymoron), the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, and the Arizona Education Association (our teachers' union), teamed up to challenge these scholarship programs with the noble goal of forcing these children back into the system that has already failed them. Really admirable.
They did so because Arizona's Constitution explicitly prohibits aid from the state directly to private schools (there are actually a few arguments, but this is the crux of the appeal). These fine folks who seek to dash the hopes of folks like Andrea Weck claim that by giving scholarships to parents that they can use at private schools, the state is directly aiding private schools.
So here's the fun part. Under federal law (the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act), public school districts can actually choose to send children with disabilities to private school. If a public school decides that it does not have the ability to provide a service that a child needs (a decision that usually only takes multiple years while the child remains unserved), the bureaucrats can choose to pay a private school to provide that service.
In other words, currently government bureaucrats are free to pay private schools directly to educate these children, but their greatest fear appears to be allowing parents the opportunity to make that same choice.
This is just shameful.
We always hear from the teachers' unions in particular that the big fear is any program that diverts money from the public schools risks damaging the public school system. That is not by any means the goal, but I guess my question is: if the public schools are so bad that every parent with the option would choose something, anything else, is that a system worth risking our children's future over?
Public school funding has been increasing MASSIVELY year by year for decades. By every possible measure, however, students in America have flatlined or decreased in knowledge and achievement. Certainly money is not the problem.
We all know something must be done, the question is whether or not we will have the courage to take bold steps and big risks to try new things. Will we allow generation after generation of children to langish in schools that have failed them hoping that perhaps by contuing to throw money at the problem one day in the distant future it will be solved?
I hope not. For the sake of children like Lexie, especially, I hope not.
More than 200 parents, children, and supporters rallied in front of the Arizona Supreme Court in support of these programs this week. Shouting over and over again, "School choice works!" Right they are.
That is the sort of thing that gives me hope for the education of our next generations.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Consider This
A little post-Thanksgiving, thought-provoking blog on the Pilgrims and private property rights available here (HT Ilya Somin).
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Map
Okay imbedding this Google gadget doesn't seem to be working quite right, so you can try the original site also.
Friday, October 17, 2008
MyPunchBowl.com
My latest favorite website is www.mypunchbowl.com. It's similar to Evite, but has a major advantage: the potluck options! Anyway, just a recommendation for anyone who is interested.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Flowers
I turned 31 a couple weeks ago. I had a wonderful time visiting my Texas family and meeting baby Allison, my precious niece.
Frank and Kristin hosted me for a couple of laid back days and general family fun, and Mom took us all out for an incredible birthday meal.
To cap off such a special weekend, I came home to a beautiful gift from Dad and Janet:
These flowers got me thinking about the whole concept of giving flowers--so many of us always say "I'm not a flowers and candy kind of girl" but in reality they still make pretty much all of us melt just a little inside. Why is that? I've never figured it out myself.
Anyway, thanks to everyone who made my birthday so special this year!
Frank and Kristin hosted me for a couple of laid back days and general family fun, and Mom took us all out for an incredible birthday meal.
To cap off such a special weekend, I came home to a beautiful gift from Dad and Janet:
These flowers got me thinking about the whole concept of giving flowers--so many of us always say "I'm not a flowers and candy kind of girl" but in reality they still make pretty much all of us melt just a little inside. Why is that? I've never figured it out myself.
Anyway, thanks to everyone who made my birthday so special this year!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Protocol for Moles
So a work-related incident today made me wonder whether there should be something like protocol for moles. Not the mammals, but the spies. With any public policy issue, when sides are taken, it's not terribly unusual for either side of the issue to try and infiltrate the other camp--learn strategies, identify weak arguments, etc. In those circumstances, the moles generally keep to themselves and keep their ears open.
What about those occasions when one side is hosting a semi-public (not closed, but by invitation) forum to present that side--how should the moles behave in that circumstance? It's understandable that there is a desire to see both sides presented (which is why I'm such a fan of the Federalist Society, by the way). But is it appropriate to ensure your side is presented through disruptive behavior? Going beyond polite questions and into the realm of rude comments not-quite-so-quietly spoken to a neighbor and disruptions with statements and name-calling rather than an actual question.
Tonight as the speaker I had the ... experience of this type performance from an attendee at a small meeting. The kind of thing that makes you wonder when people use the term "civilized society" you know?
What intrigues me most about this kind of behavior is that after that mole leaves the room, the folks left behind (even the ones that are his friends) are left apologizing for his bad behavior. It's an embarassment to the position the mole represents.
Kinda like Joe Biden and the Democratic party, you know? But of course that's an issue for another day.
What about those occasions when one side is hosting a semi-public (not closed, but by invitation) forum to present that side--how should the moles behave in that circumstance? It's understandable that there is a desire to see both sides presented (which is why I'm such a fan of the Federalist Society, by the way). But is it appropriate to ensure your side is presented through disruptive behavior? Going beyond polite questions and into the realm of rude comments not-quite-so-quietly spoken to a neighbor and disruptions with statements and name-calling rather than an actual question.
Tonight as the speaker I had the ... experience of this type performance from an attendee at a small meeting. The kind of thing that makes you wonder when people use the term "civilized society" you know?
What intrigues me most about this kind of behavior is that after that mole leaves the room, the folks left behind (even the ones that are his friends) are left apologizing for his bad behavior. It's an embarassment to the position the mole represents.
Kinda like Joe Biden and the Democratic party, you know? But of course that's an issue for another day.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Babies are so inspiring!
So it's been a while since I posted and I've finally had just the right inspiration: visiting and meeting my beautiful niece Allison for the first time. The best birthday present I could have had. Of course the icing on that particular cake was seeing Mom, Frank, Kristin, Lisa, Laura, and Carter as well! Here are some fun pics of the experience: 
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Conventioneering
I'm sitting here at the Freedom Fest 2008 Convention, as I have been for the last 7-8 hours, and it has struck me as an interesting phenomenon: the convention. This particular gathering is about celebrating freedom and liberty. Naturally it's most heavily populated by libertarian attendees and exhibitors (the Institute for Justice included). But I simply did not expect so many financial and investment advice organizations. I'm surrounded by them--literally, nine of twelve booths in my row have something to do with financial or investment advice.
The other thing I wasn't prepared for: the Conventioneers. Not just regular attendees, but those deserving of a capitol "C". The folks that attend and with apparent glee corner the unsuspecting exhibitor (who must keep the friendly smile pasted on) to blather on about totally irrelevant topics like the speaker's ancestory, family history, and views on men v. women (that gentleman got about 15 minutes of my time, but he's definitely had the folks across the way cornered much longer). It's like the fun of the convention is in having row upon row of captive audiences. Maybe it's a form of therapy for some (that guy who's still talking across the way comes to mind).
In a lot of ways this is a fun and great experience--I'm getting to meet in person many of IJ's supporters, donors, and fellow comrades in arms. That's just cool.
The Conventioneers, however, are why this could never be more than an occasional thing for me!
The other thing I wasn't prepared for: the Conventioneers. Not just regular attendees, but those deserving of a capitol "C". The folks that attend and with apparent glee corner the unsuspecting exhibitor (who must keep the friendly smile pasted on) to blather on about totally irrelevant topics like the speaker's ancestory, family history, and views on men v. women (that gentleman got about 15 minutes of my time, but he's definitely had the folks across the way cornered much longer). It's like the fun of the convention is in having row upon row of captive audiences. Maybe it's a form of therapy for some (that guy who's still talking across the way comes to mind).
In a lot of ways this is a fun and great experience--I'm getting to meet in person many of IJ's supporters, donors, and fellow comrades in arms. That's just cool.
The Conventioneers, however, are why this could never be more than an occasional thing for me!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Guam: Graduation!
Last night was the big graduation and we just all had a blast--and yes, tears were shed. We'll leave it at that. The ceremony took place at the base movie theater, complete with an open concession stand (we skipped the popcorn tho...):
Here's Katie walking in with the processional:
As you can imagine, John spent most of the evening in this position (we've got the whole thing recorded, of course):
Naturally, the pictures and video for the rest of the evening all have Katie's big smile--for some reason she just couldn't stop smiling!
Here's Katie walking in with the processional:As you can imagine, John spent most of the evening in this position (we've got the whole thing recorded, of course):
Here is the actual, official receiving of the diploma:
Naturally, the pictures and video for the rest of the evening all have Katie's big smile--for some reason she just couldn't stop smiling!
The official moving of the tassle from one side to the other:
A very special part of the evening was a surprise to me, the graduates presented each mom with a rose in a tribute to the parents. Katie's moments with John were especially touching for us all!
Naturally, the big conclusion was the traditional tossing of the caps:
And of course, the family pictures to finish things up:
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Guam: Baccalaureate
Yesterday we got to start the graduation fun with a short Baccalaureate service at the base chapel near Katie's high school. It was a nice ceremony, I enjoyed the speaker and they had a candle lighting ceremony for the seniors. I didn't get great pics, but here are a few:
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Guam: Underwater World
Today was a lot of fun. We started out early since we crashed about 8pm last night: we woke up by 5am. Nice to see the sunrise and all, but we'd like to see more of the evening! Anyway, we got up early and enjoyed the breakfast buffet downstairs. It's a fancy one (at least it costs fancy) but we decided to try it out. The food was great, tho, and it was kind of nice to have a quiet sunrise breakfast together.
After breakfast and some resting in the room, I made use again of the workout facilities and took a shower down there. The only issue we've had so far with the room is that the shower isn't very hot; it gets kind of warm and fluctuates. So I'll probably take the rest of my showers down in the locker room!
The girls came by then with Hannah's boyfriend T.J., and we went to the "Pleasure Island" area which is the fancy shops and fancier hotels. We toured "Underwater World" and just had a blast looking at all the fish, sharks, and crazy sea creaturs. Below are some pictures for your enjoyment. We also had the video camera running the whole time, so at some point we'll post some clips (once we get the editing done).
After breakfast and some resting in the room, I made use again of the workout facilities and took a shower down there. The only issue we've had so far with the room is that the shower isn't very hot; it gets kind of warm and fluctuates. So I'll probably take the rest of my showers down in the locker room!
The girls came by then with Hannah's boyfriend T.J., and we went to the "Pleasure Island" area which is the fancy shops and fancier hotels. We toured "Underwater World" and just had a blast looking at all the fish, sharks, and crazy sea creaturs. Below are some pictures for your enjoyment. We also had the video camera running the whole time, so at some point we'll post some clips (once we get the editing done).
Guam: Date day
So on Friday John and I decided to take just one day for ourselves since this is our big vacation for the year (or more likely for the decade). We got the girls to school, and had some breakfast in the room quietly before heading down for a fairly intense workout in the facilities here at the hotel. I think I've actually gotten to the point where I semi enjoy working out! Very weird.
Anyway, after we cleaned up we headed into town to wander around a mall, have lunch and see a movie. We ate at the food court and saw "Don't Mess With Zohan" the new Adam Sandler movie. I'll just say we give it mixed reviews. It was pretty funny in a lot of parts but way, way...way over the line in some others (in my humble opinion). Anyway, a good date time in any case.
So we headed back to the hotel and watched some tv with a snack. Then, for our great date night we...fell asleep by 8pm. Oh well, I suppose we really needed it. And these beds are COMFY!
Anyway, after we cleaned up we headed into town to wander around a mall, have lunch and see a movie. We ate at the food court and saw "Don't Mess With Zohan" the new Adam Sandler movie. I'll just say we give it mixed reviews. It was pretty funny in a lot of parts but way, way...way over the line in some others (in my humble opinion). Anyway, a good date time in any case.
So we headed back to the hotel and watched some tv with a snack. Then, for our great date night we...fell asleep by 8pm. Oh well, I suppose we really needed it. And these beds are COMFY!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Guam Hotel
Okay, so here's a short clip with some of the view from our lovely little balcony. It is just PERFECT for an early morning cup of coffee and conversation or afternoon book and glass of wine.
Guam Day 2
So the big part of today was getting to go to Katie's band concert tonight. I'll post more about that tomorrow (hopefully with video), and also video of our hotel room and area. Still figuring out the video system.
For now, I'll just say we're enjoying things and taking it easy. We got about 12 hours sleep last night--from 8-8--so we got up refreshed. We walked around the resort grounds and beach for a while, it's really a beautiful tropical paradise type area. After that we actually made use of the workout facilities here, which are very nice.
After the band concert we went to Chamorro Village, the once a week event the local native people host with native food and stalls selling handmade and other goods. That was a fun experience, and I really enjoyed the Chamorro rice and noodles (some of the other more exciting cuisine, including squid, was a bit beyond me).
It's a little late now and we have the girls here overnight, so I'll sign off for now and update more tomorrow. Hope all of you are well!
For now, I'll just say we're enjoying things and taking it easy. We got about 12 hours sleep last night--from 8-8--so we got up refreshed. We walked around the resort grounds and beach for a while, it's really a beautiful tropical paradise type area. After that we actually made use of the workout facilities here, which are very nice.
After the band concert we went to Chamorro Village, the once a week event the local native people host with native food and stalls selling handmade and other goods. That was a fun experience, and I really enjoyed the Chamorro rice and noodles (some of the other more exciting cuisine, including squid, was a bit beyond me).
It's a little late now and we have the girls here overnight, so I'll sign off for now and update more tomorrow. Hope all of you are well!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Arrival in Guam
So it's just after 3am in Guam, and here I sit in the lobby of the Hilton with a cup of coffee and my laptop. Getting here was quite the process, which I exacerbated with my desire to spend Saturday in Dallas with my mom, brother, and sister-in-law.
Our travels began with a flight from Phoenix to DFW that left at 6:20am Phoenix time Saturday morning. We spent a great day with the family in Dallas, staying up late with my mom Saturday night. On Sunday, we left DFW airport for Tokyo at 10am--an almost 13 hour flight.
The flight to Tokyo wasn't as bad as I thought it would be--I haven't flown internationally in a few years and they've improved the in-flight entertainment from my last experience. We each had a small touchscreen video monitor in the back of the seat in front of us, through which we could select from a handful of movies, television shows, radio stations, or just watch the flight progress on a map. I watched two movies and several sitcoms--finally got to check out "Big Bang Theory" which was pretty cute.
So we arrive in Tokyo at about 1pm local time and we have until 9:25pm for our next flight. We wandered the airport for some walking, checked out the duty free shops, and had dinner in a funny little cafeteria. We stopped by the free Yahoo! place to check email, but I had some trouble with the keyboard (hit a wrong button and couldn't get it to stop with the Japanese characters).
That all killed about 4-5 hours. So we went to the gate, I got out my trusty pillow and blanket and proceeded to doze / read / sleep on the floor until our flight to Guam. We left Tokyo at 9:25pm local time for Guam, arriving at about 1:45am Guam time. John's girls met us at the airport, very nice, and now he and the girls are crashed in the car for a couple hours sleep until we take them to breakfast and school.
We tried to see about an early check in to the room here at the Hilton, I wasn't optimistic about getting in at 3am, but I thought maybe by mid-morning. Nope, I was assured by the night desk agent that under no circumstances, ever, at any point in history, do they let people check in early. It's 2pm, or we pay for an extra night. Gotta love that customer service, especially when she flat out told me they've got our room ready!!
And so here I sit.
I'm getting back to my coffee and a good book for now, more to come later.
Our travels began with a flight from Phoenix to DFW that left at 6:20am Phoenix time Saturday morning. We spent a great day with the family in Dallas, staying up late with my mom Saturday night. On Sunday, we left DFW airport for Tokyo at 10am--an almost 13 hour flight.
The flight to Tokyo wasn't as bad as I thought it would be--I haven't flown internationally in a few years and they've improved the in-flight entertainment from my last experience. We each had a small touchscreen video monitor in the back of the seat in front of us, through which we could select from a handful of movies, television shows, radio stations, or just watch the flight progress on a map. I watched two movies and several sitcoms--finally got to check out "Big Bang Theory" which was pretty cute.
So we arrive in Tokyo at about 1pm local time and we have until 9:25pm for our next flight. We wandered the airport for some walking, checked out the duty free shops, and had dinner in a funny little cafeteria. We stopped by the free Yahoo! place to check email, but I had some trouble with the keyboard (hit a wrong button and couldn't get it to stop with the Japanese characters).
That all killed about 4-5 hours. So we went to the gate, I got out my trusty pillow and blanket and proceeded to doze / read / sleep on the floor until our flight to Guam. We left Tokyo at 9:25pm local time for Guam, arriving at about 1:45am Guam time. John's girls met us at the airport, very nice, and now he and the girls are crashed in the car for a couple hours sleep until we take them to breakfast and school.
We tried to see about an early check in to the room here at the Hilton, I wasn't optimistic about getting in at 3am, but I thought maybe by mid-morning. Nope, I was assured by the night desk agent that under no circumstances, ever, at any point in history, do they let people check in early. It's 2pm, or we pay for an extra night. Gotta love that customer service, especially when she flat out told me they've got our room ready!!
And so here I sit.
I'm getting back to my coffee and a good book for now, more to come later.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Guam-bound
So we leave tomorrow for our big trip to Guam, with a brief stop-over in Dallas tomorrow. Assuming our internet connection works out okay in the hotel, I plan to post some from Guam with pics and video of the trip so stay tuned!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
60 YEARS!!
Recently John and I (and almost all the AZ Perkins) headed to NM to celebrate his grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary--what a great weekend! Here are a few of the memories in pictures.
Jan Smith, party hostess, wrote a beautiful poem for us all to enjoy and also had a fun game asking Nan questions that John had previously answered--lots of laughts there.
We were able to arrange for a personal greeting from President and Mrs. Bush congratulating the Perkins, which was a really fun touch!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Victory in the Desert!
So I've been involved in this case for about a year and a half now, defending a restaurant owner in Pinal County, AZ, from government harassment. It's been a pretty intense case with a lot of ups and downs, and it's been exhausting at times. But it was all worth it last week when we WON!
Here's a Fortune Small Business article about the case and the win. Earlier, Drew Carey featured the case with a reason.tv video, available here.
Last night was our big celebration out at San Tan Flat, and here's the video of my short speech there:
Here's my client:
Here's a picture of me with one of the fun signs they had up until last night:
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Springtime!
Much as yardwork is a pain, the spring colors in our yards are 
so beautiful! I just had to share...
so beautiful! I just had to share...
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