The Right To Vote: Your Most Important Right!

I have always felt very strongly about voting. I have always made the effort to study the issues and candidates and then make the effort to go to the polls and vote or mail my ballot in sufficient time for it to be counted. In recent years I have worked at the polls on election day, and it was an exhausting but rewarding and enlightening experience.

This year I had an interesting experience with my ballot. Dan received his, John received his, but I did not receive mine. I checked online and it said to wait two weeks before calling. At exactly two weeks, I called the Registrar of Voters office. I felt like they were putting me off. They said wait a few more days and it will get there. I felt very frustrated as I checked the mail each day. I felt like I was being denied the right to vote!

Then an article came out on the front page of our newspaper that said thousands of ballots had not been received by voters. The Registrar blamed the post office and the post office blamed the Registrar. I called again after waiting several days. They said they would send me another ballot. I waited and waited. Still no ballot! Now I was getting really frustrated. Having worked on the election board I knew I could still go to the polls, but I would have to vote "provisional" which includes a lot of paper work and then your ballot is not counted until later in the month if it is determined to be counted at all. I knew there would be long lines at the polls for a presidential election. So I decided to try calling again and seeing if I could go pick up a ballot myself. Finally, after spending over 2 hours on hold with no result, I found another telephone number and finally got through. Yes, I could go pick up a ballot but the place to pick it up was over 20 miles away. But I was willing to do that because voting is important! I decided to wait until the mail came that afternoon before driving all that way.

I received my ballot! I quickly filled it out so I could get it to the post office and have it picked up that day. I did it at MaryAnn's house and she took a picture of me!

First I had to fill out an affidavit thingy that I had not received my first ballot and put that in one envelope.

Then I prepared the actual ballot for mailing.

All I can say is that it was a very frustrating feeling to think that I might not be able to have my vote counted for this election! I have never had that feeling before and would not want to have it again. We should be thankful every day that we have this opportunity! I have a feeling I may be disappointed in some of the results of this election, but at least I got to have my say!! On a citizenship test that I saw in a book one of the questions was: What is the most important right granted to citizens of the United States? The answer: The right to vote!

Feeling A Little Sheepish!

I sat in the orthopedic waiting room this afternoon, and I felt a little silly with my one little band aid on the tip of my finger. The room was full of people on crutches, people with casts on their arms or legs, people being whisked off for x-rays, and an older lady who looked like it was excruciating pain to make every step. Sorry about all the mileage I got out of 4 little stitches on my finger and those over-sized photos I posted. It really is all a matter of perspective, and I have a LOT to be grateful for. I feel baaadly!

What's Scarier Than THIS on Halloween 2008?

It's Halloween 2008!

What is scarier than a witch???

What is scarier than a headless man???

What is scarier than a pirate???

What is scarier than a mummy???

What is scarier than Dracula???

What is scarier than a man covered with spiders???

THIS is the scariest sight on Halloween 2008:

The bandage coming off of my finger!!!

(Be prepared--the stitches look like a creepy crawly bug!)

Later today they take the stitches out and I'll post another image if it's not too "scar"y!!!!!!

Which Witch Is Which??

We had our annual family Halloween party and we played a fun game! Each person had a blank piece of paper, a pencil and one die. On the word "Go" each person started rolling their die and based on what number they rolled, they drew that part of a witch. Each person keeps rolling until they have rolled all 6 numbers and drawn all 6 parts. The first one done is the winner. Here are the numbers and what you are supposed to draw:

1. Hat 2. Nose 3. Broom 4. Face and Body 5. Shoes 6. Wart

Here are the masterpieces! Can you guess which witch was drawn by MaryAnn? Janis? Dan?

(Remember, we were racing and you had to draw the part in the order rolled--someone had to draw their wart first!)

While we were working on our games, Hannah was drawing a jack o'lantern.
I was amazed at how well she did!

Halloween 1986!

More Harrison Halloween Memories:

From the Rainbow News: "It seems that lots of people sell decorations and such at Christmas boutiques. Why not the same thing with a Halloween theme? It was a big success!
On Thursday and Friday evening and all day Saturday, October 18, 1986, we put on a "Halloween BOOtique." We were trying to earn some money for Christmas and for our ward building fund. And we were hoping to have some family fun!
The living room was "Mom's BOOtiful Decorations!" with wooden pumpkins, scarecrows on hay bales, and ghosts, etc. for sale. We had ghost pops, homemade ghost suckers, decorated candy jars, caramel sauce, and Halloween mints for sale in the kitchen at

"Mandy's Candy: It's Frightfully Good!"
"Heidi's Bewitching Bake Shoppe!" in the family room featured apple pies, apple bread, appleheide and cookies. The garage was set aside for items especially for kids. It was "Josh & Jeff's Spooktacular Games, Puzzles and Decorations!" They sold block puzzles, Halloween matching games, skeletons, stuffed hands, bats, Halloween Search-A-Word games,

ghostly lights, floating faces, etc. It was a popular room!
The kids really helped a lot. With Dan they put about 300 flyers on door knobs. They helped to make and bake things. And they were great at the check out counter!
Our profit in money was adequate, but the profit in fun and learning and family togetherness was worth all the work and hassles. Shall we go for the "Red, White and Bluetique" for the Fourth of July?" by Janis

Sharing Love on a Birthday!

In honor of my Mom's birthday today I wanted to share something I loved about her.

She loved her brothers and sisters!

She not only loved them but she also admired each one for their unique talents and traits. She talked often about the fun childhood they had and kept in close touch with them all of her life.

She was a great example of sisterly love!

Halloween 1984!

A walk down Halloween memory lane:

1984
A Scary Party

"On Friday, October 26th, I had a Halloween party. Six people came. There were two punk rockers, two Draculas, one pirate and one Indian. When they got there Mom described Halloween words, and I threw pieces of candy to the person who said the word first. Then we did a Mad Lib. Then we had a scavenger hunt for certain Halloween decorations on our Court. After that we made a scary tape recording and drew scary pictures.
Then we fooled everybody by saying that a scary monster was in our backyard, and they had to go through there if they wanted the treats. They were really scared and no one wanted to go. Finally, one boy said he would go if I went with him. They they all went. It was Dad in a scary costume jumping out at them. It was a very scary thing to do in the darkness. Then we had dessert. It was Seven-Up floats and cake."

by Josh