Southwest Adventure

2012 is going to be a year of adventure and travel for the Smiths. We started off a few weeks ago spending 10 days traveling through the Southwest US. We had a BLAST! We cannot wait to go back but there are a few other places in the US we want to see before heading back.

We started off in Las Vegas and visited the Hoover Dam -- Awesome!

On the way out of Vegas we happened upon this -- Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Of course Blake had to go check it out. He thinks he's going back to catch a race here.

We made it to Zion National Park -- my favorite of them all!

Then we visited Bryce Canyon National Park -- Blake's favorite!

And Capitol Reef State Park - Worth the visit!

Living on the East Coast we have no idea of the vast openness of the West. You could literally go HUNDREDS of miles without a gas station. We simply loved being able to go 80 and that was the speed limit... otherwise you'd never get there!

Arches National Park

This is a cairn. We saw them popping up at Arches and Momma told us that people made these when they felt God's presence at a special place. Definitely true here.

Because we're cool.

We snapped this shot on our epic off road adventure. 43 miles of "scenic" driving. Yea. Right. I'm just glad I survived.

Driving along the edge of that cliff... ugh.

You had to be this close to the mountain otherwise you'd be falling down the side.

All the way from the river to the top of the canyon, or mesa.

Super sized cairn when we made it!

Mesa Verde National Park - Really awesome place to learn about the cliff dwellers.

Painted Desert

Petrified Forest

Crystals in the petrified wood. Hard to believe this was all a forest and swamp one day!

Four places at once! - Four Corners (a tourist trap but SOOO worth it!)

Went from warm to super cold when we visited the Grand Canyon.

Visiting by car does not do this place justice. It is huge!

Sedona - Church in the rock. This was an awesome city too. We took a quick drive through on the way back to Vegas.

And back to Vegas. 

We had such an amazing time and cannot wait to go back. As soon as we got back I told Blake that we'd have to make a trip when we are more fit so we can do more of the hiking to see the awesomeness of all those parks!

I voted...

I haven't posted in awhile mostly because life around here is pretty boring. It is very busy but nothing too exciting to write about. Hopefully I'll get better about that soon. But there has been one thing that I wanted to write about mostly because I'm not sure of a better outlet for my opinions...

This past week I went to early voting and voted against Amendment One. I am usually a one issue voter... obviously my one issue is Education. But this time I went out for another reason... There has been so much going on about this Amendment to NC's Constitution and I'm really not sure how people think that it is ok in this day and time to discriminate. Here it is:

	Sec. 6. Marriage. Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.

Ok... first of all I'm going to say that I'm no legal analyst but I can read law and understand what it means. And I don't get this one. My mom (who is a legal analyst) agrees that the Amendment is so vague and poorly written that it is open to all kinds of interpretations. The Republicans in the Legislature who passed the law are doing so to "protect marriage" and I get that. But why amend a Constitution that has been in place for over 200 years? If it hasn't been amended in that period of time then why now?

Gay marriage is already illegal in North Carolina. NC does not recognize civil unions from other states. Why make yet another law for this? It seems to me that some people are so scared of the unknown and close-minded. I'm pretty sure we have better things to take care of in our state like unemployment and education. You know how many computers we could have bought for our schools or jobs we could have created if we didn't have to argue over and spend money for signage and advertising for Amendment One?!?

I also get that homosexuality is a sin. But you know what? So is jealousy, lying, and piercing your body. If people live an alternate lifestyle I feel our job is to accept that, love them unconditionally, and move on. Who are we to judge? Many gay and lesbian couples I know are more devoted to their partners than many straight couples I know. These people are awesome, devoted, caring parents. I teach the products of broken marriages, marriages that were never meant to be or forced because it was "the right thing to do." And you know what? My students from gay and lesbian couples are much more grounded and well-behaved. 

I honestly don't know how I feel about Gay Marriage. As a Christian I understand God's purpose for marriage. It is a sacred covenant just like God's covenants with His people. My marriage is sacred and it is a union between me, my husband, and God. It is the most important thing I have. I don't know that I agree in gay marriage but I do think they deserve to have the same rights straight people have. If anything were to happen to Blake I would be the person to make calls about his health care and such. For gay/lesbian couples they don't have the same rights... and it gets much more complicated when children are introduced. I do believe both parents have rights over the children whether they are biological or not. We all can agree that if a person has raised a child then they are a "parent" so why not have some legal rights? 

Amendment One is so not necessary. It is not "voting for God." I'm pretty sure Jesus told us that we ought to  love our neighbors. So what if our neighbors aren't straight? We should still love them and treat them how we want to be treated. I want rights and protections for me and my family. I believe they should too. It is a mumble-jumble of a mess created by lawmakers when there really are more pressing matters to deal with. There is no need for this. You are simply showing how close-minded and callous North Carolinians seem to be. Open your eyes. See that most of the world has accepted gay and lesbian lifestyles and it really is ok. They actually raise "normal," loving, caring, intelligent children. What are you so afraid of? 

In my eyes, Jesus would want us to take care of each other by loving and through service. I'm not too worried that the Bible calls homosexuality a sin because I believe He still loves them too. Just as much as He loves me.