I AM SPARTAN! Rawr

I've been training for this since December.  Actually the Tough Mudder but I decided to do the Spartan Race instead because I wasn't ready for 10 miles, mud and obstacles. I finished this race in 2:02. It was hard, mainly because it was only 45 degrees, windy and jumping into water made it worse. I am proud but am gonna hold off on doing any more mud runs for awhile. They always seem to be too far from home which means an hour and a half cold, wet muddy ride home. Next: 5K's and maybe The Bolder Boulder....

...and there's strawberries

It's no secret to those around me that I love TED. Great ideas and even some I don't agree with are there. Today, I found this little nugget of inspiration featuring Ron Finley. I consider myself a novice gardener, this season will only be my second. I have witnessed the positive effects gardening not only has on me, but my family. I do believe everyone should and can garden. I even had my youngest brother telling me the other day that he wants to garden, but has limited space. I told him he could container garden and would still reap the benefits of veggie bliss. Like Finley stated, "go be a gangsta gardener." Oh, I will!

Arrested Development

This is 31. I am 31. Sometimes I forget that I am 31, and still think I'm 30. Purely accidental. I'll be 32 in September, wow. I don't feel like I should be this old already, but I am and that's OK. I have good things in my life that keep me happy and content. If I didn't I probably feel worn. Reflecting on my 20's, I feel like I wasted time not doing anything to be a better person. So I'm actually 21, because that's when you get a college education, plan for kids, a house and stable financial future. I'm a little slow, no I just did everything backwards. It's all just coming together now and I still have time. There's still time to have a career, raise my kids, get married and make a retirement plan. I'm a work in progress and there's progress which is great.

Bring on 22!

Mexican Stand Off

(sorry for the run-on)

Mexican Stand-Off

In a world best described as unwittingly blind I held my head up strong not to be trifled or trampled upon then across came a man he stood with such candor unflinching broad shoulders we met at a pass and neither would bow to be so gracious that would be atrocious so we kept bumping heads like two silly goats stranded on a mountain top high it was a Mexican stand off this allegory tells of a love forlorn of two lovers squabble how neither was wrong nor could let their guard down oh just to see how magical it could be if the other said you're right, I'm wrong live in undying bliss if it didn't go amiss an amicable way not be headstrong everyday just to get your way and stubborn prideful listless sentiments spilled onto the floor a Mexican stand off is what I'm in

Our First Veggie Garden

My First Vegetable Garden

     This year will be my first ever trying to plant a vegetable garden. I've decided to document my successes and failures, et al. I'm starting with a rather large space for a beginner, but I just couldn't help myself. There were so many things I wanted to plant and eat! My space is 10'x30' and I'm planting...

• Cucumber
• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Strawberries
• Beans
• Peas
• Jalapenos
• Serranos
• Poblanos
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Tomatoes
• Cauliflower
• Bibb Lettuce
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon 
• Pumpkin  

Whew! That's a lot of veg!

Stifling the Constitution

Stifling the Constitution

            It is not a matter of gay rights but of basic human rights for a person to love and marry whomever they choose. I believe that same sex marriage should be allowed everywhere in the United States of America. The opposition believes that the sanctity of marriage should be left to heterosexual couples. It is unconstitutional for the government to dictate whom a person can marry, based on sexual orientation. Equality amongst all Americans is what is important, regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.

            It is unconstitutional for the United States government to bar same sex marriages. They have made legislature stating that same sex couples and marriages will not be allowed or acknowledged. In 1996, then President Bill Clinton signed into effect the Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA; which states that, “In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word `marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word `spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife” (Congress). Its enactment was brought on by Georgia representative Bob Barr who wrote the Act and President Bill Clinton, who is a democrat willingly supported it stating that he has long since been against same sex marriage. DOMA violates constitutional protections that forbid the Government from discriminating. One way it does this is by, “…creating disfavored, second-class citizens—and disfavored, second-class marriages. Such

unconstitutional election-year bills appeal to anti-gay disapproval, dislike, or discomfort the very animus rejected by the Supreme Court as a basis for government discrimination” (Dickson). This Act perpetuates hatred towards the gay community. It rates them as like the quote says, “second-class citizens”. They do not qualify to have the same rights as the rest of Americans, to love and marry who they choose to. It is a discriminatory Act, which the federal government has no place uphold because it goes against The Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause, which states that “...no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privilege or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (Unknown). This states that we are all to be treated equally under the same laws and are not to be discriminated against. Thankfully, times are slowly changing. President Barack Obama is a strong leader for the cause of equality. During his tenure he has helped take away the stigmatism of being gay by abolishing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy; which disallowed gays in the military. While he was running for Presidency in 2008 he, “…presented himself as a strong proponent of ‘full equality’ for ‘LGBT people’—the current term of art, awkward but inclusive, for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people” (Hertzberg). He has helped make strides for the gay community and in recent times, “In a major policy reversal, the Obama administration said Wednesday it will no longer defend the constitutionality of a federal law banning recognition of same-sex marriage” (Post). DOMA still stands, but at least the President has realized that it is unconstitutional and in time hopefully it will be taken out and not be defended whatsoever.

            A few states are on their way to liberate the rights of their people. The State of Massachusetts on May 17, 2004 made same sex marriage legal stating that not allowing same sex marriage, “Barred access to the protections, benefits, and obligations of civil marriage, a person who enters into an intimate, exclusive union with another of the same sex is arbitrarily deprived of membership in one of our community's most rewarding and cherished institutions. That exclusion is incompatible with the constitutional principles of respect for individual autonomy and equality under law" (Massachusetts). They found that even though DOMA exists, it is unconstitutional to the rights of their people and under Massachusetts’s constitution not allowing same sex couples to marry places them as unequal persons. Illinois has tried to follow suit, among some other States to allow what is known as a civil union. A civil union is a legal entity that offers same-sex couples the same legal rights and benefits as marriage, like hospital visitation of a sick spouse and tax relief, emergency medical decision-making power and access to domestic relations laws and procedure amongst other benefits. Other states have acknowledged domestic partnerships between same sex couples, one of those being California. A domestic partnership is like marriage in that it shows you are over the age of 18, are in a committed relationship and it as well offers some of the same benefits of marriage and a civil union those being  medical decisions making powers et al. In the November 2008 elections the state of California passed Proposition 8 which added a new provision to the California Constitution, which provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Subsequently under much heated scrutiny and many lawsuits filed challenging the proposition’s validity on February 7, 2012 a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel declared Proposition 8’s ban on same sex marriage to be unconstitutional. In our home State of Colorado, a civil union’s bill made it through the Senate on April 25, 2012 but it still needs to go through the House. With any luck and open-mindedness the State of Colorado will move forward and allow civil unions; eventually same sex marriages as well.

            Not allowing same sex marriage perpetuates discrimination against homosexuals. In fact, it is pure homophobia that keeps same-sex marriage from not happening. Our politicians use their own personal and religious beliefs as a deciding factor when it comes to allowing civil unions, same-sex marriage or domestic partnerships when their decisions should be made on what is equally right, what The Constitution says and our laws about equal treatment for all our citizens. Everyone deserves the benefits of marriage, which not only include state and federal recognition of you and your partners commitment to another but other such benefits as; tax, estate planning, government, employment, medical, death, family, housing, consumer,  and other legal benefits and protections such as visiting rights in jails and other places where visitors are restricted to immediate family.

            There was a time when inter-racial couples and inter-racial marriage were seen in the same light as same-sex marriage. People thought that it would ruin the sanctity of marriage and that those marriages would take away from what was so honored in marriage. People believed that the divorce rates would be increased and that children of inter-racial couples would not have the same wholesome upbringing as same raced couples. The very same rhetoric that was used during the civil rights era to keep inter-racial couples from being together is being used today to ban same sex marriage. “The arguments white supremacists used to justify for miscegenation laws--that interracial marriages were contrary to God's will or somehow unnatural--are echoed today by the most conservative opponents of same-sex marriage” (Pascoe). I believe it is only a matter of time before our generation comes together and realizes how unconstitutional, narrow minded and just wrong we are being by not allowing same-sex marriage. This topic is has always been important to me not only because I believe in equality, but because my youngest brother is gay. I watched him go through realizing who he was and supported him. I get very upset with the homophobic attitudes of people who do not understand and even more upset when their attitudes are justified by their beliefs in God and the Bible. Nobody chooses who they are; they are just born that way. I know my brother would not have chosen to be a societal minority and have to fight for rights that should be available to everyone.  My gay brother, his boyfriend, my boyfriend’s youngest brother, who is gay and every lesbian, bi-sexual or transgendered person deserves to be treated as an equal and have the same life, liberty and pursuit of happiness The Constitution speaks of that I do.

Works Cited

Congress. Bill Text: H.R. 3396.ENR, Defense of Marriage Act. 21 September 1996. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c104:H.R.3396.ENR:. 23 April 2012.

Dickson, Diana. "Why Federal DOMA is Unconstitutional." 24 March 2004. United Church of Christ http://www.ucc.org/assets/pdfs/emr21.pdf. PDF. 23 April 2012.

Hertzberg, Henrik. "Stonewall Plus Forty." The New Yorker (2009). http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2009/07/06/090706taco_talk_hertzberg.

Massachusetts, Law Library of the State of. Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library. 17 May 2004. Webpage; http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/subject/about/gaymarriage.html#main. 29 April 2012.

Pascoe, Peggy. "Why the Ugly Rhetoric Against Gay Marriage Is Familiar to this Historian of Miscegenation." George Mason University's History News Network (2004). Webpage; http://hnn.us/articles/4708.html.

Post, AP/The Huffington. Obama: DOMA Unconstitutional, DOJ Should Stop Defending In Court . 23 February 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/23/obama-doma-unconstitutional_n_827134.html?view=screen. 23 April 2012.

Unknown. Judicial Interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment. n.d. http://www.uscourts.gov/EducationalResources/ConstitutionResources/LegalLandmarks/JudicialInterpretationFourteenthAmmendment.aspx. 23 April 2012.

Poop On A Fan is Hard to Clean

So they say that when God closes a window he opens a door...or something like that. Well that figurative person above has shut all the windows in my life, and he better be opening a bloody garage sized door for me!

The shit has hit the fan.

My Story:

From a vary sequence of events, I am here now in this part of my life where at times feel overwhelmed. It all started with the beginnings of my divorce. My divorce and a car accident left me in a financial ruin. Credit is gone because a certain somebody racked up loans and credit card debt that also had my name attached to them. On top of that in October of 2008 I got into a car accident, which was my fault all the way. Since the accident I have had a Grand Am, that I sold to buy another Cavalier with my old engine in it from the car accident Cavalier. That lasted until September of this year. Then my parents were kind enough to let me borrow my brother's Jeep Liberty until I could save money to buy another car. That hasn't happened yet because, my last job with Colorado Community Hospice cut my hours, which led to me not being able to pay my rent. So I had to leave that apartment and go to another one, but before that they let me go in early January of this year. So, no job still had the Liberty and found a new place to live. Whew! Not yet....

Remember how I said I was in an accident? Well Adams County frowns upon not having insurance. So they took my license away in May of 2009. Started a new job at another hospice on January 11th only to be let go on February 1st because my MVR came back and guess what? You don't have a license so you can't work for us. Crap. But before that about a week prior to being let go, my Mom calls. "Tash, I've got bad news" What Mom? "They're here to get the Jeep" What? You're kidding! That was on a Friday, Saturday the repo guy came all the way down from Fairplay Colorado to Westminster to fetch the Jeep. So, I guess Ma and Pa weren't paying for it. Just started a new job, got a new place to live, but no car to get me to a job that requires me to drive. Luckily Travis and his lovely Ma, Bobbi came through and suggested that I ask his sister Tammi if I could borrow her old Saturn that she wasn't driving because Bobbi had sold her her Jeep Cherokee. Thankfully, she was more than willing to help. I have a car now temporarily, still no license and no job. It'll cost me $1,200 to get my license back. I am currently looking for a job.

THE ICING ON THE SHIT CAKE:

Through all my unsteadiness of said events, and me trying my hardest to make a good life for my children and I, Travis was there for support. He always helped come up with plans and ideas and told me "we" were going to make it through this crap together. He even lent me money that I paid back for a car payment on the Cavalier. I never asked him for anything, ever. I have a really hard time asking for and accepting help. I've been working on that though, because he always reassured me that it was okay to need help and he would never hold it against me.

I guess it can't always be good.

He left me.

On Tuesday, the day after I lost my job. He said that he wanted to take a break because of the stuff I have going on is too much for him.

I am beside myself with anger

I feel lied to. He always said he wasn't going anywhere, don't worry I'll be here, I love you. I call bullshit. You do not up and leave the person you supposedly love when they're going through some shit. You stay, you back them up no matter how many times they fall down. You are there to raise them up. At least that's what I believe. I know if the roles were reversed, that's what I would do. I have been there for a good share of supportive events in that man's life. Father passing and helping him try and work through that. Mom getting breast cancer. Pushing him to go to school.

How can you say enough is enough?

I know that my life has been hectic since August of 2008. This is all new to me. Being a single Mom. Trying to make it on my own with two kids. It hasn't been easy, by no means. But I'm trying. I want a good, stable life for me and my kiddies. I can't live like this either, with all this chaos in my life. I have a plan and I have goals.

Regardless if he wants to be here with me or not. I will succeed. I will have a job, house, car, oh and license ha. It just takes time. I will be fine.

So....another window closed.

Where's that garage door? :)