Catching Up

First things first--I (Jen) PASSED! I PASSED MY COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS! Woo hoo! I studied all summer long (plus all of the years prior) and took my written August 10-13 and the oral on September 1st. When they say "comprehensive" they are not kidding. I answered 12 questions in the written and then each question was revisited during the orals. Then they added any other question they thought I should know. It was a bit frightening because the five professors on my committee are like walking encyclopedias--so it was difficult to know what they would ask and I hoped that they would be pleased with my answers. I could not answer every question, but I felt good about the things I said and the professors seemed pleased. All in all, there was a lot of laughter and when they asked me to step out at the end I could still hear them laughing. After a few minutes they opened the door and Dr. Gentry (they head of my committee) shook my hand and said "congratulations." I was extremely relieved and very excited! So now I need to do the research and write my final paper. I do want to add one more thing about this subject--Matt is the best husband in the world! He gave me time each day to study and the week before if I came out of our bedroom he would say, "what are you doing--get back in there and study!" I appreciate all of his help, I could not have done this without him. He's my inspiration.

On to other things, we obviously started another semester. Matt is teaching two classes--one on-line class and one normal class. He is excited about having great discussions with his classes. He is trying to write his dissertation, applying for post doctorate opportunities and the few jobs that are available. We are not sure when he will graduate, so we are attempting to plan for every possibility!

I am directing the ASU Women's Chorus which now has almost 90 members! A few years ago they had a total of 30, so we are really excited about the numbers and more importantly, about the sound and positive energy! I'm honored to conduct them! I also conduct the Arizona Deseret Choir, teach private lessons and play for some vocalists. What is missing? Classes--no classes for me! I just love spending all the time I can with my Abby! She is the sweetest little girl with endless and I mean endless energy! She now climbs on everything. Yesterday I came into her room and she was standing on her changing table dancing. She saw me and squealed with excitement. I find her on the table and anything else and she has bruises from falling off of things! She is saying many more words and we are currently working on "football" and "BYU" as we are currently watching the first BYU football game! We are having a football party as we speak--blue and white balloons and all!

So it has been a while since we've posted pictures, so here are a few pictures from the past. It took a while partly because we were busy and because my computer crashed after the second day of my comprehensive exams. I lost every file, video, picture, etc. I just wanted to cry. Here is one from July--Abby now likes to put on my shoes, especially if they have high heels! Take a look closely at her feet!

Here is just a cute one--Abby actually sleeping! She doesn't do this for very long, so I had to get a picture.
This is just a good picture of Matt and Abby and a picture of Abby and I (we match!).


The morning after I took my written exams, Abby and I boarded a plane for Utah to see Brent (my brother) graduate from BYU. So here are a number of fun pictures from Utah!

Abby and Grandpa Mark:

Proud siblings! Jen, Tiff, Brent & Kevin

Christie and Abby
Abby actually eating--watermelon, yum!

A trip to Park City with Christie, Kylee, Kennedy, Tiff, Abby, Jen
The girls at dinner
We were also happy to see Amanda (Abby's birth Mom) and her new husband Richard.

Abby has no fear! She went right up to Aunt Cindy's big dogs and didn't think twice.
Jen and 3 of the students from Wasatch High--Brandon, Brian, Austin! What a reunion!
Kylee, Brynley, Jen, Kennedy at the Salt Lake Temple.


Abby sees the Salt Lake Temple!

To finish things off, here is a funny video of our darling Abby. She LOVES to dance and try to jump so she will turn on her little farm toy and it plays music. She will push the button and then dance all over the house!

Okay, last thing! Abby climbs on everything now and she often climbs up on the piano bench and plays. Watch and see!

Birth-mother Meeting

Last night we attended a birth-mother meeting at the local LDS Social Services office. We agreed to go speak with them all to share the adoptive parent side of things. Our caseworker said we would be good to illustrate to the mothers that there are good adoptive parents out there. I thought that was a strange twist--would-be adoptive parents always want to know there really are birth mothers out there.

I would not be honest if I did not admit were were a bit disappointed that every single woman there had either just given up a child or had already selected the adoptive parents--not a potential prospect in the bunch--but it was still really nice to just chat with them and get to better see their side of things. We have a really good relationship with Amanda--Abby's birth-mother--but this was another opportunity to see the other side of the coin.

We really do believe that birth-mothers are amazing women.

Food Storage

A week ago we got to feeling very guilty about our lack of food storage. For those of you who are not Mormon, a three month food storage is a basic instruction given by the church which haunts the many of us who dont quite follow like we should. We finally decided to do something about it. The photo above is a little odd because its actually 3 shots I merged together to give you the feeling of our laundry room that is now our very crowded food storage room. On the top right I put in a new shelf above the doorway which holds a dozen boxes of cereal. I added shelving to the broom closet (the right side) and bought some can rotation systems that will help us eat the oldest stuff first. We also added the shelves on the left which sit above the not-so-visible laundry machines. The cabinets at the top are stuffed with fancy dishes and other odds, but they may have to be sacrificed (or at least moved elsewhere) to make space for more food. We just need to keep buying a few more items and then we'll feel like we're finally following the too-long ignored direction.

Cost of Health Care

Yesterday my dad said that Obama's health care plan would cost over a trillion dollars a year (and would bankrupt America). So, I did some investigating. The short of it is that Obama's health care will cost less than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here are the details (and I did this quickly so please tell me if you see a mistake):

Multiple sources say that Obama says it will cost about $60 billion/year.

A CATO institute (a conservative think tank stuffed full of republicans who hate Obama) article said:

• "neutral sources" say the cost will be $110 billion/year

• also cited a Health Systems Innovations estimate of $600 billion

The Heritage Foundation (another conservative think tank) had an online article that said:

• Lewin Group estimated the cost at $571 billion over 9 years [so $63 billion/year]. They also said the total cost of all health care would jump to $1.17 trillion over 9 years [so $130 billion/year].

• HSI estimates the Obama plan would cost $452 billion per year. The Heritage Foundation says they have a higher estimate because they are assuming mandatory coverage of children

• TPC projects the Obama plan would cost $1.6 trillion over 10 years [so $160 billion/year]. However, Heritage Foundation says the TPC model did not account for any of the savings measures in the plan. (For a review of the savings built into the plan, see the Wall Street Journal article comments below)
  

A Wall Street Journal had an article that said:
Obama's plan is predicated on a philosophy that "If the highest spending areas could be sanded down to the lowest spending areas, about 30% in "waste," or $700 billion each year, would be saved. More than enough to pay for ObamaCare." However, the author seemed skeptical.

So, for those watching Fox news let me break the news to you--Obama care will not cost over a trillion dollars a year. Not even the conservative pro-republican think tanks are estimating it to cost that much. The real cost is somewhere between $60 - $110 billion/year.

Part of the confusion, I should add, is that Obama-haters do two things to misrepresent the facts: (1) they throw in the pre-existing costs of medicare and medicare that cost over $500 billion to inflate the cost of Obama's plan, or (2) they toss out a 9-10 year figure in a conversation about the annual (1-year) budget. In reality, Obama is cutting those costs and then adding on some new things for a total increase of $60-$110 billion.

So what do all these numbers mean? To give you some perspective on all this, the US spends over $600 billion/year on the military. The next biggest spender after the US is China at $65 billion/year. We spend ten times as much as the next biggest spender (and more than the rest of the world combined)--that is crazy! The 2008 fiscal budget (it was all I could find in my quick review) shows that Iraq ($149.2 billion/year) and Afganistan ($32.8 billion/year) cost a total of $180 billion/year.

So, Obama's health plan (costing between $60-$110 billion/year) will cost 1/6 what the total military expenses cost and about half what the war in Iraq and Afghanistan costs.

Now, I'm not saying we need to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan--maybe we do, maybe we dont. What I'm saying is, Obama's proposed health care plan costs less than the current wars so IF we have to make cuts (and I think we do--we spend way too much money) we need to look at the whole picture and consider which is more important--a $60-$110 billion/year health program or a $180 billion/year war in the Middle East. I think they are both very important, but if I had to chose I'd choose health care for Americans over bullets for foreigners. Ultimately, I think we probably need to do something extreme to cut medicare/medicaid, military spending, and social security in order to balance the budget. What angers me is that democrats blindingly say "you must cut the military budget" and republicans say "you must cut health care and social security." Hello? Isn't it obvious we need to cut it all?

So, if we need to cut the budget, is this the time to spend $60-$110/billion on a new health care program? Well, I'd say yes (go ahead, call me a hypocrite), only because we really need this health plan and I hope (maybe ignorantly) that if we do it we will be forced to make cuts elsewhere to compensate--if not now then soon. Health care is long overdue, and I dont want to lose this short window of support (Clinton's efforts to do this failed).

Regardless, as we continue spending we're likely to see a conservative backlash with a Republican Congress (and maybe even a president) who begin to cut things for us (thank goodness!). I'd be happy about that, as long as we get the health care program in there first. They will be able to trim it later, along with everything else, but the essential program will survive and 50 million Americans need doctors a heck of a lot more than foreign wars.

White Teeth

So, I hate my teeth. They once were white, but over time got a little more yellow, and then more yellow. I blame my junior high and high school diet of cookies for lunch and ding dongs for dinner. Over the years I've tried many different whitening products--mouthwash, toothpaste, strips, paint-on-whiteners, etc. Last week I tried something new that was awesome, and it was SUPER cheap. I recommend it to everyone.

(Note: these are not my teeth--I wish they were)

Denta White sells a product that they will let you try for almost free (I think it was like $2 shipping). It is a home kit that comes with a tray that you mold to your teeth and then (after it dries and sets) you squirt in the whitening solution and and wear them for an hour each day. After six days (there are six days worth in the trial) my teeth were three shades whiter.

The catch:
When you go to their web page and sign up for the free sample they will (without asking you) sign you up for the monthly service that is way expensive. So, just take the free sample and after a couple days go back to the web page and cancel the service for which they've signed you up. Their web page is below. A word of warning--I hate thier web page. It is very easy to navigate, but designed so that you cannot get out of it (if you try your back button it will not work; if you type another address it hangs; I dont know how they do it but it is obnoxious).

http://www.dentawhiteteeth.com

So, give it a try and see if your teeth get whiter as well (this is not a paid advertisement; I get nothing from you signing up).

Health Care

It looks like the tide is turning against Obama and his health care plan. Could it be that the bill is too ambitions at 1200 pages. Does something that long invite criticism? Well I certainly do not know all the details about his health care plan, but I do have some thoughts, generally.

--48 million Americans do not have health insurance. In a nation this wealthy that just seems wrong. We'll pay for every child to have access to a teacher but not a doctor?

--1 in 25 dollars spent on health services goes to prevention. Why? There are a couple reason. One is that it is simply more expensive to offer chemo therapy than to run a biopsy on a questionable colored mole. Another is that people without insurance have no choice but to wait until it is an emergency before they an get any help. It is more cost effective to prevent illness, but that is not how our current system works. So if you are poor (and like 1/6 of Americans cannot afford insurance) and have a dark mole that is changing colors, it may be cancerous but you can't have it looked until its too late and you need chemotherapy. Clearly our system is in need of reform.

--Currently doctors get paid for conducting tests and providing services--not getting results. The same criticism republicans have for public education (teachers get paid regardless of how good or bad they are) is equally fitting for the health care industry. A good friend of mine had to have a hearth-catheter (they stick a mini-camera up an artery and into your heart to take measurements). The hospital billed her for two within two days because the doctor forgot to get a couple measurements and had to do it again. Shouldn't the second one come out of his salary? Then, of course, insurance companies can make even more money by denying claims for people who get too expensive (and I've also seen this first hand so I know it happens). Keep in mind the health care system was built by health care companies, and like any business thier goal was and is to make money. Providing a service to make money is not bad, but we need to always remember that they only provide as much service as we demand, and if we don't threaten regulation (or use it) they'll never self-regulate--that would just be bad business.

--Those "socialist" nations in Europe and to our north have great service. All this bad-talking social health care is a smoke screen--ask anybody who has ever lived there and they'll tell you they get service equal to a typical insured American. It takes a couple months to get into a specialist, just like it does here in the states (and if you have an emergency they get you in faster, just like here in the states). And in Canada, at least, if you need some incredibly unusual treatment or specialist that they cannot provide in the window of need, they'll pay for you to go to the States (where the massive population can support a greater number of specialists offering that treatment). People foolishly think Canadians come to the states to access our "better" health care system; the fact is that they prefer their health care and the only ones who come down are either (1) wealthy people trying to skip ahead of some organ transplant waiting list (should your cash allow you to skip ahead of somebody else?), or (2) people who need a service that Canada cannot offer in time because they lack the population to support the unusual treatment. They do not come to the states because our system is better; quite the opposite, they come because (1) our system is screwed up and we privileged the wealthy at the expense of the poor (no amount of $$$ should allow somebody to skip ahead of other human beings waiting for a transplant) and (2) because we have a larger population to support more diverse treatments.

So I don't know all about the Obama health care plan, but I do know that our system needs dramatic reform. When you toss in the fact that premiums are constantly doubling and American families will soon be unable to afford any coverage it becomes clear that we need a public option. In capitalism there are always winners and loosers; haves and have-nots. When it comes to health care, we should all have some, regardless of our income level. Instead, we see the progressive restriction of who can afford insurance that will just continue to grow the ranks of have-nots. That is unacceptable.

Oh, and one more thing about "a public option." I'm sick of republicans (like my dad) insisting that "the government will take over the industry, subsidize itself, and run out all of the competition." When has the government ever done that? It is a scare tactic. The government never has been in the business of taking over an industry and chasing out all of the private enterprise. Look at the postal system--we have lots of options (US postal, Fed Ex, UPS, DHL)--and it could be the same in health care. We do need a public option to (1) provide for those who cannot afford the ever-rising premiums, and (2) to keep the current health care providers honest. My own best solution would be for each state to have its own public option, and be permitted to use the facilities of neighboring states to compete across state lines with those neighbors (to ensure that the various state-run public options have competition as well)--competition keeps everybody honest--the government and private enterprise.

Busy Busy Busy

Yes, the rumors are true. Normally I would not preempt the stake presidency on announcing a calling, but since Bishop Mortensen already leaked it and tons of people already know, we may as well confirm that Jen is, indeed, the seminary teacher for Tempe High School next year. Classes will meet from 7am-8am. It will make the year a bit more busy, but we think it is doable. Jen will also be directing Arizona Deseret Choir (the old Arizona Mormon Choir) and is gathering her supporters to infuse the choir with some new voices. She will also be teaching ASU's Women's Chorus. In her free time she is writing her final document and if all goes well she'll graduate in May 2010. I (Matt) will be teaching US West history at ASU--one traditional class and one online--and writing my dissertation. The dissertation is moving along well, but I'll need to really rush to also graduate in May 2010. Abby is, as usual, being cute. It is a full time job.

Phoenix Zoo

Jen and Abby were invited to the Phoenix Zoo yesterday, and so they went in the wee morning hours (entered the park at 6:30am) to avoid the Arizona heat. Here are some shots.

Still No George P. Lee

Thanks to all who suggested ways to locate George P. Lee, former general authority in the Mormon Church. As I mentioned before (I think), my research on the Indian Student Placement Program would benefit greatly from an interview with him. I did find that he was interviewed several dozen times by Leonard Arrington (1917-1999), former Church Historian. Too bad Arrington gave Lee the audiotapes for transcription and they've never been seen again. My hope was that IF I was able to contact Lee, I might be able to convince him to deposit those tapes in an archive (that and I'd love to chat with him about my project and his insights as a general authority as the church was closing down the Indian programs). As a preview for you all -- or any who care -- I believe the Mormon Church was closing down its Indian programs (including the Indian Student Placement Program--the topic of my dissertation) as part of a larger movement away from special programs for different groups. Faced with a suddenly worldwide church (hundreds of thousands--maybe millions--of converts outside the US in the 1960s and 1970s), leading authorities (Quorum of the 12 Brethren) wanted to cut back on energies devoted to a small group of people (US Indians) and instead strengthen the many. This attitude was punctuated by the feeling (among Mormon spiritual authorities) that US Indians had failed to reach their potential despite decades of invested energies (though many administrators felt differently).

At any rate, below are the failed addresses I've tried for George P. Lee; the post office has returned them all with no forwarding address. So, if anybody has a different address I am still anxious to hear them. Rumors of his criminality and evading government required registration as a sexual predator no doubt contribute to the difficulty in finding his actual residence (even if I found him, I am not sure he would reply to my letters).

1108 1300 W.
Saint George, UT

326 2230 E.
Saint George, UT

P.O. Box 241
Tuba City, AZ

Summer Vacation - 1st Half

So, this summer we took a drive to Utah where Matt did research while Jen and Abby began their vacation. We stayed with Jen's brother, Brent, and his wife, Nicole, and their dog, Crash.
We also fit in some time to visit an old friend. Below is Jenny Park and her daughters. Jenny and Matt grew up together. We've been friends for about thirty years. How many of you have known your own family members that long?
We also saw some of Jen's old college friends. Below (left to right) is Nathan, Collette, Katie & her kids, and Karen (along with Jen, Matt and Abby).

After Utah we only spent a couple days in Arizona before departing for California to see Matt's family in Los Angeles and Jen's family near Sacramento.
Above: Matt's sister sold her Mustang, and so her husband (Brandon) and I had to push it up to a truck that carried it up to the buyer in Canada.
Below: Matt's mom commented that she wanted a sprinkler system in the back yard, and had already hired a laborer to clear off all the old weeds and grass. When she mentioned there was formerly a sprinkler line in the back yard (20 years ago) I resolved to dig it up and restore the line. It turned out that Brandon and I had to dig up most of the back yard and put in quite a few new pipes and heads and basically built the system from scratch. Still, it was a good bonding experience for my brother-in-law and I, and now he knows how to do the job that his parents have also wanted done.
And since there was no grass in the backyard, we took the opportunity to build a bonfire and cook some BBQ. Mmmm.... Fire roasted food....
Jen and I also taught the family to play Mexican Train; they enjoyed it, but I think Brandon prefers to stack the dominoes (while Heather likes to destroy his efforts). We created our own domino based version of Jenga.
Matt also got to visit with an old friend--Jenny Wilcox (no relation to Jen's family). She has two cute kids who made great playmates for Abby. Abby really needs a sibling, if not for her sake than ours. Abby has too much energy for any two adults to keep up with; she needs an adoptive sibling to play with too. So when you see our happy little family, remember to think adoption and help us find the next member of our family!

After southern California we headed up north to meet all of Jen's family. Most of them live in Washington but they came down and we all stayed with Jen's brother (Kevin) and his wife (Alix) and sons (Noah and baby Preston) in Vacaville. Jen's sister (Tiffany) and her husband (Mia) and three daughters (Brynley, Kennedy, Kylee) stayed in a tent in the back yard. Below you can see what happened to intruders.

Jen's extended family has a serious pool addiction. Anytime we're together they MUST spend at least one day in a pool. Here is the first pool of our little visit.

We also went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom while in Northern California. Above Abby spies a butterfly in the most humid building on earth (they have a lot of butterflies in there), and below we all watch a performance of Shuka, the amazing killer whale.

We also spent a day in San Francisco. We parked at the beach and the kids ran around a bit.

Then we went to Ghiradelli Square where someone thought it was a good idea to split a $35 pile of ice cream sixteen different ways. Matt was disgusted by the thought of slopping around bites of rapidly melting ice cream and passed on the activity. He also didn't think it was worth $2.00 per bite of melting ice cream. Maybe it was a good idea for those who'd never been there before.
While in the Ghiradelli Ice Cream restaurant Abby demonstrated her signing. She is actually better than this, but this is all I've got on film. She is speaking more and more each day, anyhow.

Then we all went down to Fisherman's Warf to see the sights. Below the Shakespeare's try on a few hats (these people are strange).


We also watched the sea lions sit on the docs. We spent almost half an hour there. Fascinating isnt it?

Summer Vacation - 2nd Half

The Vacation Continues...

In northern California Jen's family found another pool--this one is at Alix's parents' house. We spent a lot of time there and it was fun.

Grandma took some time out of the water to sit with Preston (Kevin & Alix's baby boy), Abby, and one of the twins (hey, they are hard enough to tell apart in person, so give me some slack on the photo).

Abby enjoyed the trampoline.

We took a family photo.

We also watched fireworks on Friday, July 3rd, at the country club where Alix's folks are members. We got to sit on a golf course, play some games, and chase Abby a bit. It was fun, but it would be more fun if we had an adopted sibling for her to play with!

One day Tiff gave haircuts, and Nicole lamented not learning how to cut hair so I demonstrated my trust in her steady hand and we all gave her pointers as she carved up my head. She did a great job, and now she's ready to open her own shop.

On another day Kevin and the girls all went to the nearby park. Inst Abby adorable?