Spring Break= San Diego Sunshine

We were so lucky to get to go to SD for spring break! Scott and Linds are always so hospitable and let us stay with them and are fun to hang out with. We played with the girls, had some much-needed beach time, went to the SD Zoo, and most importantly Matt had his intern interview!

The interview went well and we are just waiting to hear the details when he will start, etc. It is with Bascom and they are an apartment/commercial real estate/private equity company (you can hit up Matt for the specifics). They are located in Irvine so it would be fun to live there for the summer! I really hope it all goes to plan!

So, while we were gone for the day at the beach Benny decided to sneak out and was running around the cul-de-sac. Let me remind you that he is blind and they live next to a very busy road the is bustling with crazy CA drivers. Luckily one of their sweet neighbors saw him and ran to his rescue. Thank goodness for little, nosey lady neighbors who are constantly on the watch or we would have found little Benny as roadkill!

My parents (Ash & Marie) are coming next week for Easter! I am so excited!

Also, pictures will be coming shortly...I am still working on the USB thing.

Seriously!?

Church Fights Back After Arizona Town Bans Home Bible Study

Monday, March 15, 2010

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GILBERT, Ariz. — The national Alliance Defense Fund says a town code that bars religious assemblies in private homes in the Arizona community of Gilbert is unconstitutional.

The Oasis of Truth church began meeting at Pastor Joe Sutherland's house in November and rotated homes several times a week for Bible study and fellowship.

A Gilbert code compliance officer hit the church with a violation notice after seeing a sign near a road advertising a Sunday service.

A zoning administrator told the church that Bible studies, church leadership meetings and fellowship activities are not permitted in private homes.

The Alliance Defense Fund's Doug Napier says no neighbors complained.

The Scottsdale-based group has filed an appeal with the town of Gilbert, contending its code violates the U.S. Constitution.

I am happy that this church is fighting back!!! Since when are people not allowed to have Bible study in their homes? And to think that we live in this state... I need to join the AZ Tea Party Patriots A.S.A.P.

3 Shouts for Puppy, Sewing, and Scrapbooking

Headline news in the Rodriguez home:

1) We adopted a chihuahua named Maximus. He is gold with a brown stripe down his back and a black tail that looks as though it was dipped in ink. That now totals a whopping two chihuahuas for us. There has been some major growling and nipping but everyone is adjusting fairly well.

2) I have decided that I would like a sewing machine. Think of all the things to be created! Dresses, purses, aprons, pillows, bedskirts, pillow cases to name a few. My plan to pay for a sewing machine is to sell as many clothes as possible to those vintage second-hand shops. By the time I make enough money, I will need to sew a whole new wardrobe! Perfect plan.

3) Scrapbooking is my current crafty hobby in absence of the coveted Viking. I used to make fun of scrappers and could not fathom how cutting and pasting pictures on polka-dot paper brought so much excitement. I suppose this is the one thing that has crept up and peaked an interest as a result of marriage. There are so many memories that need to be glued down with flowers, ribbons, pictures and cute little sayings of how wonderful everything is. Who ever thought the scrapbook paper aisle would elevate my heart rate and give me those little butterflies of possibility? Thank goodness for hobbies, for the world would be mad place without them (moreso than it is now).

P.S. Pictures to follow. One of our beloved pups ate the camera USB cord.

Rain, Rain Go Away

It is raining! Yuck! Guess we shouldn't complain about the moisture since we live in a desert.

We had the opportunity to go pick fruit at a retirement community this morning in the rain. Disneyland has a program called "Give a Day, Get a Day at Disney" so that was our volunteer project to get our passes for this spring break. I love that Disney now gives everyone a chance to experience the happiest place on earth! We love it there. I don't think we made a post about it but we went to Disneyland over Christmas break and it was my first time. Matt was so excited to take me and I think we took over 100 pictures. My favorite ride was Pirates. Jack Sparrow looks so real I had to double take thinking it was Johnny Depp. Anyway, we are thrilled we get to be going back so soon!

Also, I just realized we didn't share anything about our Christmas in Chicago! We were there for the whole week and Dianne is an amazing cook! We ate wonderful food, played Beatles Rockband continually, up until the hours before our departure! Needless to say, we were all on expert by the time the vacation was over. We went down the famous Michigan Avenue wrapped in our many layers, as it was 10 degrees with windchill. It was quite an adjustment coming from the 60 degree AZ winter. We had a blast and we can't wait to go back to Chicago again!

Attention Friends and Family

We need more blog friends. I am still relatively new to this whole thing and want to know what everyone is up to, but don't know how to locate people. Help us be more blogger social! Thanks :)

Bitter Lamentations of a Frustrated Young Lady

What is wrong with this world? I find myself asking this question more frequently as time passes on. From irresponsible drug addicts having babies and naming them things that are synonymous with drug lingo to State-run departments that completely FAIL to understand the importance of customer service. Just because you are backed by the government and have a small percentage of going under does not mean you need to abuse the general public with a smirk of pride that you work under the powers that be! This screams privatization, don't you think? Examples of my recent disgust in these institutions are the DMV and unfortunately the library. When were such impractical and petty policies implemented? Good heavens! I just want to read a classic to better my mind so I can help better this degenerate world!

Second frustration: People preparing to celebrate the Easter season, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our REDEEMER and SAVIOR, by going out the night before on "Fat Tuesday" and getting hammered into oblivion. Is this truly the best possible way to get out all your carnal desires in preparing for a "holy" journey, symbolic of the temptations Christ went through for 40 days and 40 nights? Irony is dripping all over this concept. Interesting that people release in such a fowl way to set themselves up to worship the most miraculous act of sacrifice and love known to mankind. What a shame it is that there is blatant ignorance of the fact that what people are doing in preparation of their thanks and alms-giving to the Lord is what actually caused Him to suffer.

Pull your heads from the buckets you are drowning yourselves in, people. Life is simple yet fragile and needs to be esteemed with the utmost regard. Think about your actions and their implications beforehand and what you represent. Stand for something true, just and uplifting!

Birthday Celebrations and Other Shenanigans

It was my birthday on January 26 and I am now 22! It may seem like baby years for some, but to me it feels so old! We had a fun, simple day together- I got a pedicure and we had dinner at PF Changs (which regrettably made us a bit sick). Don't mind the birthday cake. We got a bit hungry and ate 3/4 of the Funfetti cake the night before which resulted in having only 4 candles because there wasn't much room left on the cake. Who needs an accurate amount of candles anyway? The wish is still good, right? Right. We also celebrated with Ginger and James and that cake was a bit more official. When we arrived at their house we got a celebrity welcoming from the kiddos. They were screaming at the top of their lungs and nearly knocked us over as we came through the door. It was the greatest greeting I have ever received. We love living near them and enjoy the time we get to spend over there!

We have had the opportunity to explore AZ a bit better in the past few weeks! Last week we hung out with a few of the Tbird students that Matt went to Costa Rica with and went to dinner at an out-door mall type area called Westgate with some friends from our ward. The next night we went to the Coyotes hockey game with a company that Matt is working with. It was my first hockey game and needless to say, I LOVED it! What an exciting sport! Unfortunately there were no glove-throwing fist fights but maybe next time.

Other than that, we are just working and studying, the same old routine we all go through.

Superbowl was fun today and Matt is very thrilled about the Saints victory. Go Reggie Bush!