Any Suggestions?

So the long since talked about date has finally come. I am taking my Level 2/Intermediate Certification test for the State of Utah this coming Thursday. It is my first time taking it, and as of right now I am not nervous... yet...

I am wondering for those of you that are interpreters if y'all have any suggestions or things I should keep in mind for the test?

I have been told by some people that the test isn't that bad, while others have told me just go into it not expecting too much of myself. I like to have some kind of idea of what I am getting into. But then again they sometimes say that ignorance is bliss! I guess we'll just see!

We Got a New Car!

With the weather getting cooler the last couple of weeks, it has become too cold for Brandon to ride his motorcycle to work. There were a few times that we had conflicting schedules when we both needed the car. The thought of getting a 2nd vehicle occurred to us about the time we had to put 2 baby car seats in the back of our Neon, and moving the front seats up so far that Brandon's and my knees were practically up to our armpits. This was NOT comfortable at all. Then came to scheduling conflicts and that was it... we knew we wanted to start looking.

We knew that we wanted a car that would easily fit car seats. We also wanted something reliable and fun. We started comparing all of the compact SUV's that we knew were popular. Having grown up in a die-hard Honda family, I always wanted a CR-V. We did look at the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, Toyota RAV-4 and the Subaru Outback. We looked online at several different websites and found some cars for sale in our area. We settled on looking for CR-V's in our price range. We visited a couple of dealerships in the area and test drove some really nice used cars. But we didn't really feel right about either of them. We were supposed to go to Salt Lake City on Saturday night for a play, so thought that with some extra time we would stop by the Ken Garff Nissan in downtown and take a look at their CR-V they had. It was beautiful and we fell in love with it immediately! It is the one pictured above, with the picture being the one from the website where we found it! It is four wheel drive, has a 6 CD changer, and the interior and exterior are immaculate! We were able to get a really good deal on it and couldn't be more thrilled!

Can Anyone Sympathize?

So today is November 2, and in two days the fate of the entire nation and our government will be voted upon and decided. This election is said to be one of the biggest and most controversial ever. Amidst all the public slander, mud-slinging, and other political garbage going on right now, I can't help but feel a little disenchanted with the entire idea of politics. I am not here to use my blog as showing my support for this or that issue, a certain political party, or even a candidate.

My big question is this "What happened to real politics?" It used to be that politicians took pride in their country and stood for real issues that the American public could understand and sympathize with. Candidates at any level, whether it be at the community, state, or national level had character and deeply rooted beliefs.

Today political figures exploit ways of appealing only to our emotions, or striking a chord with this issue or that issue. You only ever hear about the big time issues like the war, abortion, gay marriage, etc. But in fact I believe there are so many other underlying issues as well. Candidates look at each other and only talk about what the other person supports, or what they don't support. They make empty promises saying anything they can to get your vote. They dig up the skeletons out of each other's closets and do anything in their power to embarass or shame their opponent. Politicians used to be gentleman. They used to have class.

Please believe me when I say that I think it is so important to get out to the polls and vote. It is our God given right to do so. I just have to admit that I have become a little disenchanted with how things are run and done in elections. I don't like to know that if I vote for one candidate or the other, that I am possibly voting for the "lesser of two evils".

Running Non-Stop

A few months ago or so I openly told the blogging world that I had started jogging on a regular basis around my neighborhood. At that point in time I was only able to jog like a granny for about 3/4 of a mile before getting heavily winded. Since that time I have kept up the jogging routine, which in and of itself is a miracle to anyone that knows me! It was a decision that I am glad that I have stuck with. I have to admit that in starting out I would often ask myself "WHY DO PEOPLE PUT THEMSELVES THROUGH THIS?!" But I decided that no matter what thoughts ran through my mind, that I was going to stick to it.

When the weather started getting cooler, I realized that with my sensitive lungs would not really survive jogging outside. I joined the Ogden Athletic Club and have continued jogging. I go at least 3 times a week. I was happy to say that though to many experienced joggers/runners it may well mean nothing, last Monday night I jogged 3 miles without stopping and felt great! Then much to my own surprise I beat that personal goal last night by jogging 4 miles with out stopping! It felt amazing! I know some of you may be laughing to yourselves about the big deal I am making out of this, but I have never ever been a jogging/running person. Thanks to my Ipod and a great pair of running shoes, I have been able to stick with it! My commitment to taking better care of myself is still working!

48 Hours of Joy

This last week started just like any other. I went to work Monday, and all day Tuesday. I came home after work Tuesday and was thinking about what we would have for dinner, and anticipating picking Brandon up from work.

That's when I got the call. Our Resource Family Consultant called and told me there were two little people being removed from a home right as we spoke that we needed to pick up to bring home! I was speechless, but thrilled all the same. I got off the phone as quick as I could and went to grab Brandon from work. We needed some extra time to run to the store to buy some car seats, and baby stuff. The ladies at Babies R Us were fantastic as we quickly told them why we were in a hurry. We made the mad dash to the Christmas Box House off of 12th Street in Ogden to meet a brother and sister that were coming to our home. The little girl was nearly 2 years next month, and the little guy was just 7 months. Their names were Rahniya and Aubrey. We called them Niya and Bubba for kicks.

They didn't stay with us long though, even though at first we were told it could be a while since mom wasn't in the picture. We were told that mom had left the babies with their great grandparents and had moved to St. Louis for whatever reason. But as soon as mom found out her kids were in custody she flew back and got them. We will never know why the judge let her take them back so quickly, but have to accept that it's the Lord's will.

We absolutely fell in love with these little ones. Niya was very trusting immediately when we picked them up. Luckily the little guy was too young to fully get what was going on. The kids hadn't had their own beds while at their grandparent's so getting them to sleep was an insurmountable task. The 1st night with us, she zonked right out because of the trauma of the day, and the baby would only sleep if I was laying down with him snuggled up on my chest.

It was heartbreaking when we got that call to take them back. They didn't want to go with their mom. Niya was handed over to her mom and turned around to look at me and started crying, screaming, and reaching out for me. Bubba was upset too. It was even more difficult to leave them like that, and Brandon and I cried all the way home.

We took training classes that told us it would be difficult to leave babies behind. But nothing could have prepared us for the broken hearts we received. Those precious little babies left us changed people. We are still recovering from this, but are grateful for the experience.

Phone Frustration

I have developed an unprecedented addiction to my cell phone. So last Tuesday when I lost it somewhere between two of my interpreting appointments I was on the verge of panic. I told myself to calm down and tried to think positively that it would be found. I called and even went back to the places where I had worked and no one had even seen it. I looked everywhere in the car (several times over), I didn't find it.

After 4 days of not being able to get in touch with anyone, I had to accept the fact that I would never see that phone again. So I begrudgingly went back to the Tmobile store and bought new phone. I was ready to buy a cheap one to last until the end of my contract next year, but none of them had some of the same capabilities that my Dash had. So I bought my new BlackBerry. It is a great phone! So if you know that I had your cell number and most likely have lost it, please email your phone number to me at lisadopf@gmail.com. Thanks!

Step One and Two on the Road to Better Health..

Today I went back to the Ogden Athletic Club and signed up for a membership again. I am pretty excited about this because compared to other clubs around town, the price is great. I looked at many other club prices but some of them didn't have all the perks of this one we used to belong to.

Along those lines, I also bought an iPod Touch and have been playing with it all afternoon and transferring songs on to it. It is full of music to give me the extra boost I sure could use in order to keep in the habit of exercising!