Obama is an American Citizen . . . OK?!

Just moments ago, I learned that the Arizona Legislature recently passed the "Presidential Birther Bill," which would require all presidential candidates to prove their citizenship before their names can appear on an Arizona ballot.  A brief disclaimer - I have only read one article about this bill, and it was posted on AOL news, which I realize is not exactly a Diana Sawyer account of the legislation.  That being said, it is my understanding that this bill would require hopeful candidates to submit a copy of their birth certificate, an affidavit in which the candidate-hopeful provides his or her age and swears that he or she is a United States citizen, and a sworn statement in which the candidate discloses where he or she has lived for the past 14 years. If, for some reason, the candidate-hopeful is unable to obtain a copy of his or her birth certificate, he or she could submit hospital records (the article gives circumcision records as an example) or "baptismal" records.  If one submits these alternative documents and the Secretary of State doesn't believe that the candidates have satisfied the citizenship requirements, then that candidate would no longer be a candidate.  

A Republican Representative stated that this bill is about "the integrity of our elections."  I have one word to say to that - bull@*$(.  And here is why that is my choice, and only, word in response.  Republicans, and I'm sure some Democrats, have been questioning Obama's citizenship since the moment he became a Presidential candidate.  Even now, more than half-way through his term, people (like the all-wise Donald Trump and his million-dollar hair piece) are still questioning his citizenship.  I am aware that the Constitution mandates that the President of the United States must be a natural-born citizen, and if there was any legitimate question about his citizenship, I would be all for continuing to investigate the claims that he was born abroad - but there isn't.  Hawaiin officials have confirmed that he is a citizen, and he has made his birth certificate public.  So, he has satisfied the requirements of the "birther bill," but he hasn't satisfied all of the people in the country who continue to waste time and money debating it.  Do we really want the United States of America to turn into a country where the President is required to provide his circumcision records to satisfy the likes of Donald Trump?  Seriously? Not to mention how stupid it is that baptismal records can satisfy the requirement, but Obama's provision of his birth certificate isn't good enough? Because it is IMPOSSIBLE for someone to be born out of the country, but baptized here?  And if you aren't circumcised or you aren't religious and thus, you have not been baptized and do not belong to a church, are you just SOL? Ok . . . sorry for that rant.

But seriously, my question is this - what is the point?! What is the point of such a bill if satisfaction of the bill's requirements is STILL insufficient to make citizenship a "non-issue."  What is the point of such a bill if the candidate, once elected President of the United States, has to continue to spend time, effort & money to defend his or her citizenship?  And after compliance with the "birther bill's" requirements, the Secretary of State can still possibly keep your name off the ballot because he or she isn't satisfied?  The fact of the matter is, this is an effort to deter minorities from having the nerve (sarcasm) to run for president.  If Obama was white, and his last name was Smith, do you think ANYONE would care that his dad was born in Kenya?! No.  Would people be constantly questioning his birthplace?  No.  Would people instead be focusing their energy on tackling the deficit, creating jobs, etc?  One can only hope. 

Finally, and most importantly, why is a state's Legislature wasting time (and Arizona taxpayers' money) coming up with this bill, when it could be spending that time and money on coming up with solutions to the unemployment rates, or how to reduce the state's spending (if that is necessary)?  I hope that the Governor of Arizona refuses to sign the measure into law.  

In the words of Forest Gump, "that's all I have to say about that."

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/15/arizona-legislature-oks-presidential-birther-bill/?icid=maing-grid7|aim|dl1|sec3_lnk1|56322

Book Worm

I wish that I had more time to read books for pleasure.  I have spent a majority of the past three years reading for several hours a day, but that "reading"is of legal text/casebooks in preparation for classes. Not exactly "fun."  But, over Christmas break of my first year of law school, I decided to do some "easy" reading.  I had been hearing non-stop about this book series, and a movie for the first book had just come out.  I saw an interview with the author on Good Morning America the summer before law school, so I figured I would just see what all of the fuss was about.  That is when I read the Twilight series.

I read all four books over Christmas break.  Now, I haven't really come across a "middle-ground" when it comes to Twilight - people are either obsessed with the books, or they think that the books are stupid (usually without reading them), and think that you are stupid for having wasted your time in reading them. Well, I guess there is a middle ground - me.  I loved reading the books, and I own the three movies that have come out thus far, but I am far from "obsessed." I don't have Twilight posters, and I don't rush out at midnight when the movies have come out, but I have read all of the books twice.  Why? Because I could, and because it was easy reading. When you read for school or work as much as I do, it is so nice to just read something silly that requires zero brain cells to comprehend.  I read the 4th book in one day - I think it was nearly 800 pages long. 

Now, I've never been one for "fantasy-type" books, so I anticipated thinking that the books were stupid and stopping after reading the first one.  This is why I had never read a single Harry Potter book.  The truth is, it is nice to escape to a world that isn't real.  Whatever - I think it would be awesome to be able to live forever, accrue tons of money so that I could buy everything, move to different places whenever I want, "live" life differently after each move, etc.  To top it all off, Jason gets to live forever, too? Awesome. So what if we have to drink animal blood instead of eating our favorite foods? - it is fun to imagine at least. 

And then, there was Harry Potter.  I am obviously a little late to the game.  When I realized that I liked the Twilight series, I thought that maybe I would like Harry Potter as well.  Not that the stories are similar at all, but if I could be entertained by reading about vampires and werewolves, why not witches and wizards?  Unfortunately, there are seven Harry Potter books as opposed to the four Twilight books, and the HP books are longer.  I kept putting it off because I assumed that there was no way that I could ever find the time to read all seven books.  I was wrong.  When I went home to Charleston for two weeks this winter for Christmas break, I took the first three HP books (a friend loaned me the entire series) with me.  Like with Twilight, I figured I would just read the first one to see what all of the fuss was about, and if I didn't like it, oh well.  I read all three books in about a week and a half, and I couldn't wait to get back to Morgantown so that I could get started on the rest of them.  I read all 7 HP books in just over three weeks.  They are addicting.  It is fun to read about the characters and watch them grow throughout the series.  I also enjoyed watching the movies (which I had never seen because I saw no point if I wasn't going to read the books).  I ended up buying movies 1-6 on BluRay for like $60!!  I love them! Now I am just anxiously awaiting the DVD release of the first part of the movie for the 7th book.  While I won't be waiting in line at Walmart at midnight, I am really excited to see it!

To switch it up a bit, I am now on the second book of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series.  I also bought Water for Elephants.  I don't really know why.  I think because it was written during the Great Depression, and I think that it will be interesting and informative to read a story set during that time.  I'll let you know what I think of these books once I am done.  Happy reading!!!

In Need of Inspiration

It's that time again . . . Every semester I start out with a good routine at the gym.  Then, without fail, I hit a two-week period, during which I am just unbelievably busy with school, so I don't see the inside of a gym for weeks.  When the storm has calmed, I just want to relax, and so I keep out of the gym.  As it stands, I have probably only worked out a handful of times this semester.  I really need to get back in the gym, but I feel like it is useless.  In two weeks, I will start studying for finals and working feverishly to close or transfer all of my clinic cases.  So, if I get back to the gym now, I will more likely than not stop going in two weeks.

Long story short - I need some inspiration! I need to find something that makes me hate working out a little less.  I do genuinely enjoy spinning, but I do not enjoy the traffic and parking problems involved with making my way to the WVU Rec Center.  I have a nice gym here in my complex, but I hate working out.  Occasionally, I make a new playlist, and that seems to help - but only for that trip.

So, if anyone has any suggestions or words of wisdom, I'm all ears :)

Can't We All Just Get Along?

I am, like so many other Americans, sick of our federal government's inability to do . . . well, anything but argue!  As I warned everyone in my first post, I am a Democrat with the occasional Republican attitude regarding certain government programs.  With that being said, the ball has been dropped.  It doesn't matter whether the ball was dropped by a Republican or a Democrat;  all that matters is that both Democrats and Republicans are now playing keep away with it, as opposed to making efforts to send it (through the hoop, into the goal, into the endzone - pick your preferred sports reference).  As a result, our nation is facing an unimaginably high deficit and the possibility (probability) of a government shutdown.  Neither side is willing to compromise, and with a Republican-controlled House and Democrat-controlled Senate and White House that leads to a whole lot of NOTHNG.  No solutions to the problems with the economy.  No solutions for how to reduce our deficit.  Nothing.

Now, here is the Democrat in me.  First of all, I get really tired of listening to people complain about how Obama has done "nothing" during his time in the White House and blaming all of the country's problems on him.  First of all, he wasn't given much to work with. The economy was already in shambles when he became President, and the government deficit was already record-breaking.  With the economy in the shape that it was in, and with the number of Americans that were drawing unemployment as a result, I can't figure how the Obama administration is expected to reduce the deficit in just two and a half years.  It is also difficult to reduce the deficit when the Republican House is continuously demanding spending cuts, even after Obama agreed to previously-requested spending cuts.  The Democrats in Congress are also refusing to play nicely on the playground.  Concessions are nearly impossible to achieve, and some Democrats have now taken to criticizing Obama for "giving in" to Republican demands.

JUST DO SOMETHING!! Anything, really. Even if one side completely concedes, and even if that side is the one that I agree with, that is better than nothing. The government can at least keep running, and maybe the prevailing side will return the favor in the future.  Everyone needs to stop talking about compromise and just do it.

Completely unrelated, I feel like another story in the news today is worth noting.  A second grader was pepper sprayed by police officers after going into a wild temper tantrum at school.  The temper tantrum was such that the kid was throwing chairs and threatening teachers with a sharp wooden object, telling the teachers that he was going to kill them.  The child and his mother were interviewed on GMA this morning.  When asked what caused the tantrum, the child basically said he was just mad because he didn't want to be at school, and because school officials wouldn't let him do something that he wanted to do.

I'm not sure whose side I am on.  Maybe it is because I don't have kids, and if I did I would be infuriated that the police would pepper spray a 7 or 8 year old.  I do find it unfortunate, however, that no one is talking about how unacceptable it is for a student to attack school personnel and go into such a rage over the fact that he has to go to school.  Get over it, kid.  One story I read, I believe from the Today show, said that his behavioral problems are only brought on by school.  The story further notes that the child has not been diagnosed with any disorder, which makes it sound, to me, like the kid just throws violent tantrums when he doesn't get his way.  In which case, while pepper spraying a kid does sound a bit drastic, why should a teacher be forced to endure being hit over the head with a flying chair or stabbed with a wooden object?  Why should a police officer have to endure those things either?  Ultimately, I think the story paints a sad picture all around.

What's Better? Christmas or wedding season?!?

For those of you who don't know this, today, April 5, marks the day six years ago that I met my husband, Jason.  Next week, on April 14, it will be our six-year anniversary - dating anniversary, that is.  It was unlike me then to go from meeting someone to exclusively dating them within a matter of two weeks, but Jason was (and still is) too good to be true.  We got engaged in July 2008, after a little over three years of dating, and we got married on June 19, 2010, after five wonderful (albeit difficult at times) years together.  We survived years of semi-long-distance dating (Charleston/Morgantown and Morgantown/Pittsburgh), three years of law school, and various other problems and issues that I would rather not rehash in the public arena that is the blogosphere.  Through it all, we stuck it out, and we are now very happily married.

My friend Tara is getting married next month, and I am so excited to see her and her fiance tie the knot!  My best friend of 20 years and former-roommate of six years, Sally, is recently engaged as well! She is geting married in May 2012.  Two of my lovely law school ladies, Katie and Megan, also got engaged to their long-time loves this year.  Last, but certainly not least, my cousin, Francie, is getting married in July!  I hope that I will be able to make it to her big day down in Mississippi, but she is getting married three days before the bar exam.  Whether or not I make it, I know that she will be a beautiful bride, and I will be there in spirit!

So, in light of all of the recent and upcoming marriages and engagements of my friends and family members, I figured I would post some of the details of my wedding in case they may help in the planning process!  Here it goes :)

The Venue


We got married at the Charleston Women's Club on Virginia Street in Charleston, WV.  I chose this venue because I loved the clean canvas that the wooden floors provide!  I also wanted to hold our ceremony and reception at the same location, as Jason and I don't currently belong to any church.  I highly recommend the Women's Club for the following reasons:

The price is extremely reasonable.  We had the building to ourselves from the Thursday afternoon before the wedding until Sunday afternoon after the wedding, and we also held our rehearsal dinner there.  The total venue cost was only $1,000!!

Most importantly, you can use whatever caterer you want.  This was important to me, because I didn't want to be tied down to one particular caterer.

Beer and wine = fine!  We could also have had liquor, but I decided against that.  For one, we would have had to have paid a bartender.  Secondly, the bar bill would have been way more expensive.  Finally, people got drunk enough off of the open bar of beer and wine - I didn't want anyone puking on my wedding dress!

The Women's Club also had decent-looking silverware, plates, and glassware that we were permitted to use.

Drawbacks - I was not a huge fan of the curtains or the big green curtain on the stage;  however, I was so pleased with the tables and chair covers that I didn't really notice! We rented the tables and chair covers, but I can't remember where from.  I literally just googled "chair covers for rent."

Here are some pictures of the venue on the big day!

Hair


I get my hair done by Anthony at Nico Spalon in Morgantown, WV.  Anthony has been doing my hair for about five years now.  I do not trust anyone else with my hair!  He was kind enough to come down from Morgantown to do my hair, and all of my bridesmaids' hair, for the big day.  Because I was living in Charleston over the summer, we didn't really have an opportunity to do a run-through before the "actual" 'do.  He nailed it.  He also came to my hotel room, which I was sharing with one of my maids of honor, and touched up my highlights and trimmed my bangs at 10:30 p.m. the night before the wedding.

Makeup


My makeup was done by the lovely and talented Ms. Sarah Franklin, who works at 712 Salon in Charleston.  She came to the Women's Club, which was a huge help for me.  All but one of my bridesmaids opted to do their own makeup, so it was really great of her to still come to me instead of making me drive across town in the 96 degree heat!  I don't usually wear a lot of makeup - most of what I put on my face consists of pre-makeup products.  I had also never worn fake lashes, so I was kind of terrified when she suggested them.  My concerns were unwarranted, because she took my personality and style into account, and she did an amazing job! My makeup stayed on through hours of sweating, ha!

The Dress


The dress . . . oh my.  I am sure that many of you have heard about my wedding dress disaster, but in case you didn't, here is the short version.  The day after my grandma (Gig) passed away, I went to David's Bridal for my final fitting.  This was about two and a half weeks before my wedding.  I realized at the final fitting that they had butchered my dress in alterations.  They swore that they would fix it, and worked on it for another couple of days.  When I went in for the final, final fitting, the dress still wasn't fixed.  I was two weeks away from my wedding date with no dress.  Having just lost my Gig, I had bigger things to worry about, so I kept my cool. I didn't yell. I didn't cry.  I didn't panic.  I just asked if I could pick out another dress and just pay the difference if the new dress was more expensive than my old one.  I picked the dress that I got married in off the rack that night, had a bustle put on, and married the love of my life in it.  Turns out, I loved the new dress so much more than I liked the first one.  It was perfect.  Both dresses were from David's Bridal, and David's Bridal's alterations department was the culprit responsible for the demise of the first dress.  With that being said, David's was extremely accommodating, let me exchange dresses, let me trade in my veil for a new one (even though I didn't have a receipt), and rushed the alteration to add the bustle.

The Cake


I got my cake from a local business called A Piece of Cake, which is a local bakery owned and operated by a woman named Angie Young.  The bakery is built off the side of her house.  I hear the cake was good, and the bit that I got to taste when cake-shopping was amazing.  Unfortunately, I didn't get more than the bite used for the photo op on my wedding day.  Hopefully it is just as delicious on our one-year anniversary!

The Food


The wonderful Robin of Joe's Fish Market did our food.  We told him that we wanted heavy hors d'oeuvres.  I didn't want to do a sit-down dinner because I felt like it would take too much time away from dancing and mingling.  I also liked that the hors d'oeuvres option allowed people to eat a bunch of different things. Again, I hear the food was amazing!  It sure looked good! Unfortunately, due to socializing with our guests, which was extremely important to us, I only ate a spoonful of crap dip, one scallop, and half of a mini-crab cake.  The caterer was extremely reasonably priced, and they did an amazing job with the presentation.  They also provided extremely helpful servers and bartenders, and they were responsible for all of the set-up and clean-up. I think this food looks beautiful, and my family loves taking pictures of food for some reason, so enjoy!

Flowers


We did as little live flowers as possible, because I feel like they are just too expensive and kind of a waste of money.  It just made me nauseous thinking about my parents spending all of that money for flowers that would die within a few days.  The only live flowers we had at the wedding were my bouquet, my bridesmaids' bouquets (5), the boutonnieres for the men, and single calla lilies for moms and grandmothers.  Even then, flowers were over $1,000.  Morris Floral did the bouquets, and I loved them!

The DJ


At the advice of my friend, Megan, we hired Bill Shahan to DJ our wedding.  He did a great job, and was really accommodating to our requests - and to our guests who decided to take the mic and do a little karaoke show for everyone!

The Photographer


Last but not least, all of the beautiful pictures that I have posted in this post were taken by the wonderful and talented Will and Dana Price of Price Portraits in South Charleston.  They were amazing and SO helpful.  They stayed longer than we could have asked, and they were so helpful as far as telling us when we were supposed to be doing what (It's time to do table shots with your guests, It's time to cut the cake, this is how you do it . . .).  I am so in love with all of my pictures!

One of the coolest things at our wedding was the photo booth!  That was also courtesy of Price Portraits.   It allowed our guests to take unlimited photos, and it printed out one copy for the people in the photo booth, and I got a copy later.  There are so many hilarious pictures from that photo booth - it was totally worth the cost!

Clearly, I like black & white photos. 

Well, happy wedding planning, friends!! 

Update on my trial with Mary Kay

Hi, friends! So, I have now received ALL of my ordered Mary Kay products.  I have been using almost all of them, though I still haven't had a chance to start the Microdermabraision treatment, which I hope will minimize the size of my pores!! I will keep you posted on that.

However, I have been using both of the foundations that I ordered, and I have been extremely pleased with both.  I use a thin layer of the liquid matte foundation and a thin layer of the mineral powder foundation - extra coverage to take care of my redness! I have also been using several products around my eyes to reduce under-eye puffiness and darkness - the eye firming creme, the soothing eye gel, some concealer, and a facial highlighting pen.  I only have to use small dabs of each product, but the difference is amazing, or at least, I think it is.  I'm not sure how noticeable of an improvement it is from the perspective of another set of eyes, but these eyes definitely see an improvement in their surroundings ;)  Here are a couple of pictures of my recent attempts.  Hopefully, my application abilities will continue to improve.

I am going to host a Mary Kay party in the Charleston area on May 7.  Laura, and possibly her brother/consultant Daniel, will be in town and available to explain products and do mini-facials or mini-demonstrations.  I am also planning on having snacks and sangria, so if you are interested in attending the party, let me know!

Obviously, I look ridiculous in this, ha. But, shows the eye makeup better!

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder . . . and Mary Kay

Greetings, beautiful people! So, I learned an amazing thing this past week while I was visting friends in TN - Mary Kay makeup and skin-care products are AWESOME!  I recently visited my "pseudo sister," Laura, her husband, and their two boys (my "pseudo nephews"), in Sewanee, TN.  I refer to these people as "pseudo" family members because I have known Laura and her brother, Mike, since I was three years old.  I have known their younger brother, Daniel, for his entire 21 years of life.  Laura has two beautiful, angelic little boys, Jackson (almost 2) and Cooper (almost 2 months).  My husband and I made the trip down south to visit Laura, Nick and Jackson, and to meet baby Cooper (and visit the rest of the Forster clan, of course).

Laura has been selling Mary Kay products since this fall.  She had told me about her new business venture, but, although I wanted to provide more than just moral support, I refrained from any purchases because I assumed that I could not afford Mary Kay.  While we were down there, I asked Laura to do my makeup before we went out one night, and I explained to her what my "skin gripes" were.  Specifically, (the title of my blog is "Quite Frankly," so I am just being honest) my skin is always some shade of pink.  That shade of pink is difficult to cover without a lot of makeup (at least, it takes a lot of makeup that you can buy at Kroger).  I also need to shrink my pores to help get rid of my stubborn blackheads.  To top it all off, law school has left me with puffiness and dark circles under my eyes.  Armed with all of this information, Laura went to work.  I was WOWed by the outcome.

First of all, I wasn't able to immediately see the results of the skin-care products (obviously), but Laura is extremely knowledgeable about all of her products.  She explained the importance of skin care, and recommended the products necessary to solve my skin problems.  Next, she taught me how to properly apply makeup.  This is a skill that many people who are good at it take for granted.  I spent 15 years of my life playing soccer and rolling around in the mud, so I don't know the first thing about what most makeup products are for, and I definitely have no idea how to apply most of them.  Laura explained and demonstrated how to apply the makeup products that she was using.  Needless to say, at the end of the day, I ended up purchasing about 18 things.

I LOVED the results of my mini-makeover.  I looked like a new person!  The best part - it is way cheaper than I thought! I have been using Cover Girl (or comparable brands of) makeup since I started law school.  I just can't afford the department store makeup that I bought when my parents were giving me my "spending money."  I have done a little bit of research, and here is the breakdown:  the roll-on foundation that I used (Loreal) is about $13 at Kroger;  the foundation that I bought to take on my honeymoon from Macys (Chanel brand) was $54; the comparable liquid foundation that I purchased from Mary Kay - $20!!!!!!  The foundation that I used in TN was actually a mineral powder foundation, which costs $18.  I prefer the feeling of the mineral powder foundation because I don't like the feeling of makeup on my face, but I have never found a mineral powder foundation that actually covered the redness of my complexion.  That is, until now.  To continue with the price comparisons, I used to buy Chanel mascara as well - $30.  The mascara that I purchased from Mary Kay (which I LOVE, by the way) - $15.  Now, while I realize that Cover Girl mascara is closer to $7, I definitely feel like the Mary Kay mascara is worth the extra $8.  For one last comparison, I will mention the prices of moisturizer.  The moisturizer that I have been using for years (Lancome) costs $45 at Macys.  I do love that moisturizer, but Mary Kay's equally effective moisturizer - $22.

The moral of the story is . . . I have been completely sold on Mary Kay products.  The products are a bit more expensive than the brands that you can buy at Kroger, but the quality far surpasses that price differential.  It is worth the extra $5-10!  The quality is equal to (or better, I think) than the department store brands, but a fraction of the price.  Plus, you get an amazing consultant (like Laura!) who is extremely knowledgeable and who can recommend the right products.

I am waiting on half of my products to arrive, but when they do, I promise to keep my readers updated on the results.  If the skin-care products don't work, I will tell everyone honestly.  I have used all of the makeup products though, and I KNOW that they are amazing.

I will be hosting at least one Mary Kay party in the Charleston area in the coming months.  Laura will travel from TN to take orders, explain and recommend products, etc.  If anyone is interested, let me know, and I will try to get her up this way again!  Even if you can't make your way to a party, you can check out her Twitter and Facebook page and get advice/submit orders that way.

http://twitter.com/#!/lauraeknight
http://www.facebook.com/lauraeknight.MK

Here is a picture of her work! Be kind, any deficiencies are from my natural looks, not her makeup job! Also, my camera promptly died after this photo was taken, so I don't have any better ones.  I will post results photos at some point! :)