November Catch Up

- Sunday Night basketball at my parents house is a serious matter (ha ha), we may look tough, but on this particular night, dad is the one that beat all of us.  

- Andrew made his student of the week poster all by himself (and I had to really hold back and not take over).  He had pictures of his friends, cousins, my mom's dogs, Zoe (passed away last year) & Milo. Andrew has been really into ninjas/karate lately and loves to play with hi good friend, Gavin.

- Lots of BYU football games since Brandon got season tickets this year.  Andrew, Rachel & I all had our turns going.  Him and I went to a late-night game and it was cold!  And long!  In my opinion, true love is going to a game an hour early with your husband.  I tried to stay entertained, but it was a very long night.  :)  

- This was our 2nd annual Waters turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning.  It was cold, but not as cold as last year.  The kids were troopers and all beat their times from last year, so they each earned $5 and were thrilled with that.  Brandon played football with friends/cousins and came home unharmed, so I call that a win!  We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Parker/Thompson family, and my mom turned her garage into a fancy restaurant.  We are very thankful for our many blessings and that we live near family in Utah!

- The Murray's did a tree for Ellie this year at Festival of Trees.  Kacie, Nancy and I helped with the decorating, and we all love how it turned out!  We went to the Festival of Trees for the first time as a family, and the kids and Brandon did not fare so well.  Andrew and Kendall were impatient and done after the first 30 minutes ... and so was Brandon.  The big babies!  Next time, Rachel and I will just have to go!  We did enjoy seeing Ellie's tree there, and remembering her and everything she taught us.    Afterwards, we visited the "tree of life" tree in Draper, and it was pretty impressive!  

- We wrapped up our yearly family goal to have some extra emphasis on family history.  We wanted to do something that would be very kid-friendly, so we had multiple FHE's dedicated to this.  We had all the different set of grandparents & great-grandparents come on different weeks and tell stories about when they were younger.  Grandma & Grandpa Thompson, Pookie & Papa Allred, Nancy & Val, and Elaine & Dave.  It was fun to hear their stories and get the kids involved.  

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Cubs Win World Series

[Brandon needs to add text here]

Whitney's Instagram Post:  Two words:  GIVE THANKS!

Election Thoughts

A whole lot of feelings for me today and yesterday in what proved to be an unprecedented election.

I am feeling grateful.  I am grateful that Brandon and I have similar opinions on politics and policies. We often relate to one another and draw on one another for strength and support.

I am feeling lonely.  I do not feel that I belong in the Republican or Democratic party.  Sometimes my opinions make me feel unique or in the minority.  I cannot and will not vote based on party lines.

I am feeling thankful.  I am thankful that our children are young enough to have been sheltered by much of what has gone on in politics this past year.  I am especially thankful that they do not know about the hurtful and offensive comments that Donald Trump made about women, Muslims, immigrants, Black people, etc.

I am feeling disheartened.  I am feeling disheartened that more people from the Republican party rallied behind Donald Trump than they did Mitt Romney four years ago.  It is a horrible irony that they weren't willing to support Mitt because of his religion and convictions, but willing to support and trust Trump despite his rhetoric and behavior.

I am feeling disappointed.  I am disappointed because it seems that the very minorities that I was standing up for, did not show up to the polls and vote.  Love, inclusion and equality are words that all have really resonated with me over the past months and years.

I am feeling proud.  I am proud that my daughters saw a woman run for President of the United States.  She made some major mistakes along the way and is far from perfect, but she was prepared, polished & powerful in a male-dominated arena.

I am feeling sad.  I am sad for the young people of the world who heard what Donald Trump had to say, and saw this result.  It is very difficult to explain how the bully won, and that the hate-filled comments resonated or were overlooked by so many.

I am feeling hopeful.  I am hopeful that not all of Donald Trump's supporters believe all the racist and sexist and insensitive things he has said.  I am hopeful that he will be a catalyst of change that so many American's are hoping for.

I am feeling American.  I will support Donald Trump in his Presidency.  I accept the vote and the process, and I will give him a chance.  I pray that he will attempt to unify a very divided America, and surround himself with the right people.  I hope that he will be a good leader for all of America, and that he will focus on important issues.  I pray that he will try to work with others - both on the home front and abroad.

Despite what has been going on in this election, I can choose to focus on teaching my children to treat others with respect.  To be kind and considerate.  To put themselves in someone else's shoes.  To communicate.  To listen.  To debate.  To stand up for what they believe.  To fight for a good cause.  To have an open mind.  To research something out.  To pray about decisions.  To love other people.  Because I think the world could use a lot more of that.