Can't We All Just Try to Be Nice?

November 7, 2012

This election season, all the negativity being spouted on Facebook was really getting me down.  As an educator, I don't really feel it's my place to throw all of my opinions out there in the public view, so I really try to refrain from getting involved in any of the discussion threads on the candidates and the issues.  Seeing several people I know and love and respect making derogatory comments and sweeping generalizations about people whose views differed from their own finally prompted me to make my own political stance clear. 

My first post was the day before the election:

Here's my political post: Educate yourself before you go to the polls tomorrow. Don't rely on what someone else has told you about the propositions; go read the texts yourself--the ACTUAL ones, not someone's summary. Don't let someone else make up your mind as to what the 'right' choice is. Read it, think about it, and then vote your conscience and your heart. Your vote is your choice and your right, but goodness gracious, some folks play far too casually with the he-said she-said of political advertisements. (He-said she-said is even worse with the Presidential and Congressional candidates, but sifting through and trying to find objectivity there is especially tricky, at best. My advice there? Try to remember that nothing is quite as black and white as most folks would like it to be. We tend to merely find what we're looking for.) I'm not looking for a debate or affirmation, name-calling or negativity, and it's not my business who or what you vote for. Just vote with care and do the work and reading that it takes to be informed, rather than a mere follower.


My second post was on election night, as the results were being reported and I watched my newsfeed fill up with reactions to the various races and issues we went to the polls to decide.

My friends are my friends because they are caring, intelligent, giving, loving, and interesting people, NOT because they agree with me on all the issues. As it turns out, some of those folks are Republicans, some of them are Democrats, and some of them are Independents. Some of them are Christian, some of them are atheists. Some of them are gay, and some of them are straight. Some of them are business owners, some of them are teachers, some of them are stay-at-home moms, some of them are out of work. Some are tall, some are short, some like chocolate, some can't stand it....on and on and on. My friends aren't my friends because they're ME. I liked them before they voted, and I like them after they voted (and even if they didn't vote at all), because my relationships with my friends aren't predicated on whether or not they voted just like me, and I don't suddenly think my friends are 'idiots' because they have a different viewpoint than mine.


Here's to hoping we can move away from the polarization that has kept us from moving forward.  We're all in this together, folks--perhaps we should begin acting like it.

Risky Business

October 27, 2012

Brianna's good friend Aaron has a birthday very close to Halloween, so he had a costume birthday party.  Bree and her roommates were there, along with several of her other friends.  A few of them decided to go as Tom Cruise's character in "Risky Business".  Should I be concerned that my college kid is running around without pants on at parties?

(**Okay, okay--they weren't pantsless.  They were strategically dressed to appear pantsless.That's what I'm going with, anyway.)

Homecoming at the Gaetje Household

October 20, 2012

The girls are all grown up and dressed up!  Sophomore year Homecoming Dance for Miss Natalie and Miss Taylor:

 Taylor and her boyfriend, Chris

Love My Devin!

October 20, 2012

I just love that I'm so close to my sister and my nieces.  They're just up the road, really--five hours is not such a long distance.  And with Facebook and texting, I get to be there even when I'm not there, and share in happy moments of my nieces' life.  Here's Devin celebrating after a victorious soccer game:

Laura

October 20, 2012

Laura got some new head shots done for her resume/portfolio.  I absolutely love this photo of her--just beautiful!

Clearly, Not a Universal Rule

October 9, 2012

I can't quite explain it.  There's a strange phemonon that occurs within my four walls.  Things multiply, expand.  For example, there'll be a couple of dirty dishes in the sink.  I'll walk out of the room and then come back in later for a snack, and suddenly, the pile of dishes looks something like this:

 While working to contain the mess in the kitchen, the laundry pile will suddenly start expanding from a couple of stray socks to this:

 Sigh.  Containment on the laundry issue is definitely a labor-intensive endeavor. When I'm finally finished, I find that the book pile in the study has managed to author several new novels, and they're strewn about everywhere, like this:

 While I reshelve the mountains of books, the seemingly never-ending supply of paperwork--children's artwork, essays to be graded, magazines and junk mail that make their way into the house, and of course, bills--grow into a nearly insurmountable obstacle:

 Why, oh why, does my oh so tiny pile of money not multiply like the rest of the objects in my house?

Workin' Hard For the Save

October 6, 2012

Coming off of an injury to the knee, Danielle got put back in the goalie box for the whole game this week., which is where she loves to be.  She also got to be team captain, along with Tia, who was coming back after an even more serious knee injury.  Coach said these girls came back strong, and therefore deserved the honor of captain this week.  It's the first time Danielle has ever gotten to be team captain for a game.

Danielle got lots of opportnity to practice her craft in the goalie box, since they were playing a really tough, unscored-upon team.  Her focus and aggression on the field is really improving.

Highs and Lows

October 6, 2012

The good news?  The unseasonably hot weather that has plagued us here in Fresno appears to be subsiding finally.  After far too many days of hundred-degree days, Mother Nature has decided to let us have a little taste of fall.  It IS October, after all.

The bad news is that not all numbers are great.  While we watched a drop in temperature, we watched an unprecedented rise in numbers at the gas pumps.  In some cases, prices jumped by 30 cents per gallon in as little as an hour!  

CAL Games

October 15, 2012

Nicholas went on an overnighter field trip for the first robotics tournament of the year.  The kids took their robot all the way to the finals, where they ultimately ended up as the second place finisher--their highest finish in a tournament.  As always, Nicholas was a man of few words when I asked him how the trip was:  "It was fun, Mom."  His facebook status later on was, "Best trip ever!", so I'll take that as a good sign.

Another Reason to Check Out the Fair This Year

October 4, 2012

It's October again, and that means the fair is on!  It's something that we all look forward to all year, and this year we have something more to look forward to:  Danielle and I have photography and art on display there this year.  We always spend a lot of time in the exhibits buildings, checking out the paintings, drawings, ceramics, photographs, all manner of sewing projects and baked goods--you name it, they've got it.  It's been a great deal of fun for me in past years to see the work of some of my students up on display, and this year, we're there, too!