Republicans and conservatives and smear campaigns, OH MY!

Is there an election going on or something? ;)

Ok, just KIDDING!!!!

I tell you what, this morning I picked up a sample ballot so I can spend this afternoon researching the people and finding the best candidates. I'm excited to have some familiar names on the ballot: Derek Schmidt (Attorney General) and Jerry Moran (Senate).

I knew Derek in my days living in Independence. He was our state senator and seriously has the best name/face recall EVER. I bet if I ran into him, I wouldn't have to reintroduce myself to him. He's that scary-good with names.

But the race that's received the bulk of the limelight is the U.S. Senate race. Seriously. I think I received 2 automated calls in the last 24 hours — one of them from Sarah Palin (Erik doubts it was actually Palin, but I digress...).

Since the last Presidential election, I've S-T-R-U-G-G-L-E-D with taking endorsements from groups for granted. I've been doing my own candidate research and even though Kansans for Life might endorse someone, it doesn't mean they are 100% in line with the Catholic Church's teachings on life issues.

I was actually STUNNED because I thought they were in league with the church. Nope. Not the case. Boy was I mad when I learned that. I felt like the wool had been pulled over my eyes. In fact, while some of their endorsements might have a pro-life (pro-birth) attitude, they are pro-death penalty. I'm puzzled by all of this, but we haven't the time for me to wade through it, right?

I've been a Jerry Moran girl for a long time. He's been our representative in the "Big First" district and I respect the way he stays connected with us. He visits every single county (FYI, there are 69 of them) every year. He still lives in his home in Hays. His family lives there. He comes home every weekend to connect with his family and those he represents.

I have to admit, i've been saddened and really disappointed at all of the smear campaigns that have been going on. Really disappointed. It just is so .... childish, for lack of a better word.

But with all of the "Jerry Moran does not uphold and respect the value of life" flying around, I was stumped. And many I know feel that just because a group endorses one candidate, they will vote for them. But why? Why follow blindly?

So, off to research I went ... and what did I find? "Moran's two departures from the National Right to Life Committee's stances in 90 votes in the U.S. House monitored by the group since 1997 came on bills dealing with federal prescription drug benefits for seniors." -- from an article in the Topeka Capital-Journal.

Wow.

For the most part on our personal blog, we don't talk too much about politics. Erik and I don't share a party affiliation, but we both very much believe in thinking for ourselves, doing some research and finding the best candidate. (On my bizzzness blog, if we mention politics, it's because we covered a political event as a photojournalistic assignment and are blogging about it; that blog is solely for showcasing photographic work and visual content).

I'm not appealing for a vote in favor or against any candidate .... I just ask, friends, that you really do some research. If you want to look at endorsements, by all means do so. But if you hear allegations, please know that one campaign is taking a small sliver of truth and (gasp) might not be showing you the entire picture. I urge you to really look into things and make an informed decision.

Recently a friend of mine sent me an "article" that was actually a news release from a campaign. When you're looking for info on a candidate, I suggest you stick to major news sites. News organizations (generally) have a code of conduct/ethics. If it says "commentary" or "column" it is likely an opinion, not fact.

These are a few sites that seem pretty decent:
On the Issues
Kansas Catholic Conference

The following is an OPINION PIECE, not gospel fact. But it's an interesting point to reflect upon. Check it out HERE.

If anyone is a crazy geek like me and likes to see who is financially backing these people, check out this site.

I love a good blog contest/vote

I'm a sucker for blog contests/submissions.

This week, my crazy design inspiration made the top 5 in a design contest, and I'd love YOUR vote before Friday at 5 p.m. EST ....

Pretty please with sugar on top, GO HERE and leave a comment, voting for yours truly (KAREN!!!). :) Prize is $100 to Home Depot, but I"m pulling for Lowe's b/c the nearest HD is an hour to 90 minutes away from our house.

What will I do for you? I promise to not invite you over to help instsall/paint/do whatever I get with my mad money at the home improvement store. :)

Speaking of Indy ....

So, as I said, living in Independence was a fairly lonely experience for me. I'll talk more about that later ..... but today I want to encourage you to vote for good old Indy. Why? They are one of the top 10 tennis towns in the country, and they want to be No. 1.

Having lived there, I can attest that this town is GAGA for tennis. And I think all of the other cities up for the title are BIG places .... Independence has probably 8,000 people in the entire town. C'mon, root for the underdog!

To vote, CLICK HERE. You will have to give them your e-mail, and confirm the vote from your e-mail.

Thanks!

NOTE: I have a TON of posts about our trip to Indy, so I'll probably be making 2 posts/day. Can you handle that?

VOTE!!!!!!!!

Ok, so I entered a photo of be being goofy into a contest (well, 2 photos). The idea was to take a photo of you doing a crazy exercise. WELL ....


Photo 1: yoga in the garden. Me doing the side plank. Ok, so truthfully, it was the first time I did the side plank, but the other positions wouldn't look too good in the visual sense, which is why I went w/ this pose. To the left is my strawberry patch. Directly in front of me is the lettuce, and at my feet is the zucchini. :) Oh, the ground is green b/c I mulch w/ grass .... I hug a LOT of trees. ;)


Photo 2: Me weightlifting paint cans atop a chair that is on my "to do" list of projects. So, the can's aren't really full, but it shows painting CAN be a workout! One day, my right arm was all sore and I couldn't figure out why. Well, I remembered I painted walls the day before .... which was probably why I was sore! Interesting, no?

I get a lot of duff from the "Move it Monday" crowd, but my comment is ANYTHING can be exercise. I go mow the lawn, that's 45 minutes worth of pushing/walking. I want to rent a movie? We walk to the Redbox .... anything can be made to move the body in good ways! :)

I realize I might be splitting my vote by having 2 photos, but GO HERE and vote ... I'm voting for Yoga in the Garden!

Please vote for us if you have the time!!!!

If you have 5-10 minutes to kill and haven't already voted for the 2009 Reader's Choice Awards, please CLICK HERE to check out my previous blog post about it.

Thanks! :)

Salina's 2009 Reader's Choice Awards

Ok people, here's the skinny: the Salina Journal has lets readers choose their favorite businesses.

That's the up side.

The down side is .... well, for your vote to count, "Ballots must be at least 70% complete (72 answers)." Oh, and here's the other thing: "Salina Journal employees and families are not eligible to participate." .... so I can't enter. If, however, YOU, our awesome blog readers want to vote for us, that would RAWK my world. :)

Ugh. That doesn't make it easy as pie for you, my faithful blog readers.

So I'm pulling some options (if you really and truly have the patience to answer all of the questions). I'm even suggesting some possible winners, and you just have to copy and paste. :)

Oh, and on some of them I have several options ... that means I don't have an opinion and vote for whichever one sounds good to you!

RESTAURANT

Bakery-Donut Shop: Carol Lee Donut's
BBQ: 2 Buds BBQ, Hickory Hut
Best Place For Lunch: Moka's
Breakfast:
Buffet: Hong Kong Buffet, The Hickory Tree
Caterer: 4 Bears Cafe & Catering, Best Dinner, Gutierrez Restaurant, Martinelli's Little Italy
Chicken: Martinelli's Little Italy
Chicken Fried Steak:
Coffee: Moka's
Coldest Beer: Paramount Bar
Dessert: Moka's
Fast Food:
Hamburger: The Cozy Inn
Ice Cream Place: Bogy's, Freddy's Frozen Custard
Italian Food: Martinelli's Little Italy
Mexican Food: La Fiesta, Gutierrez, Chili's, Carlos O'Kelly's
Onion Rings:
Asian Food: Hong Kong Buffet, Imperial Garden Express IV
Pizza: The Scheme
Salad Bar: Dillon's
Sandwich: Moka's
Seafood:
Steakhouse:

PEOPLE (Specific Name & Place Of Employment)

Artist:
Attorney:
Auctioneer:
Best Employer-Place to Work:
Chiropractor: Gentle Touch Chiropractic, Pennington Chiropractic Center, Conner Chiropractic
Coach:
Dentist: Dr. David George
Hair Stylist: Nikki at the Hair Loft
Insurance Agent: Tim Newell Agency
Interior Designer:
Massage Therapist:
Newspaper Writer-Reporter:
Optometrist:
Pastor-Clergy: Fr. Nick Parker, St. Mary Queen of the Universe
Photographer: Karen Bonar, Heartland Photography
Radio Host:
Real Estate Agent: Heidi Brown, Coldwell Banker
Waitstaff: Martinelli's Little Italy

AUTOMOTIVE

Auto Service-Repair:
Convenience Store:
Dealer, New: Conklin Cars
Dealer, Used: Sankey Auto Center
Motorcycle Shop: Harley-Davidson of Salina
Oil Change:
Sports Car:
Tire Store: Peerless Tire

ENTERTAINMENT

Bar and Grill: Chill's, Applebee's, Shotz, The Blind Pig
City Wide Event: Smoky Hill River Festival
Comic Strip: Garfield
Family Entertainment:
Friendliest Place:
Hotel: Courtyard Salina, Fairfield Inn, Baymont Inn & Suites
Liquor Store: Pit Stop LIquor, Brooks Liquor, Laura's Retail Liquor, Real Stuff Liquor
Local Band:
Night Club: The Paramount
Place to Shoot Pool: The Paramount
Radio Station:

RETAIL

Antique Store: Laura's Antiques, Then & Now Antiques
Appliance Store: Lowe's, Crestwood
Carpet-Flooring: Carpet One, Carpet Central, Lowe's
Children's Clothing: Kohl's, JC Penny, Dillard's
Computer Store:
Department Store: Dillard's, JC Penny
Electronic Store: Radio Shack
Furniture: Jilka Furniture, Ashley Furniture Homestore, Forever Oak, Norris Furniture
Funeral Home:
Hardware Store: Ace Hardware, Lowe's
Health Food-Supplement Store: Vita Villa
Jewelry Store: Showcase Diamond Jewelers
Lingerie Store: Victoria's Secret
Men's Clothing: Kohl's, JC Penny, Dillard's
Music-Instrument Store: Midwest Music, Stringman
Optical Store:
Pet Store: PetCo
Place to buy Cosmetics: Dillard's
Second Hand Store-Pawn Shop: M & J Pawn Shop, Salina Pawn & Jewelry, Nick's Pawn Shop
Shoe Store: Tradehome Shoes, Footlocker, Famous Footwear
Shopping Center:
Specialty Gift Store: Best Kept Secret
Sporting Goods-Athletic Apparel Store:
Women's Clothing: Kohl's, JC Penny, Dillard's

SPECIALTY SERVICE

Accountant-Tax Service: Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, Olson Accounting & Tax Service,
Bank: Sunflower Bank
Cabinet Company: Koehn Construction Co
Dance Studio: Dance Academy, Vivette's Dance Studio, Tamara Howe School of Dance
Dry Cleaner: Fresh Look Dry Cleaners, Dallas Cleaners,
Electrical Company: Wilson Electric, Helm Electric, Watson Electric
Employment Services:
Fitness Center: YMCA
Florist: Salina Floral By Cunningham
Garage Door Company: Cheney Door Company, Overhead Door Company, Mod-Co Garage Door
Hair Salon: Hair Loft
Hearing Aid Sales-Supplies:
Heating and A-C: Waddle's Heating & Cooling, Comfort Heating & A/C, Pestinger Heating & Air Conditioning
Insurance Agency: Tim Newell Agency
Investment Firm: Waddell & Reed
Law Firm: Blackwell Blackwell & Struble, Hampton & Royce, Kennedy Berkley Yarnevich
Lawn Service: Lovett Lawn Care, Randy's Lawn Care & Landscape,
Nail Salon: The Hair Loft
Nursery-Garden Store: Earthcare Services Garden Store, Stutzman's Greenhouse
Pest Control: B & E Pest Control & Tree, Harry Lacy Termite and Pest Control, Hassman Termite & Pest Control
Pharmacy: Walgreens, B&K Prescription Shop
Plumbing Company: Holm Plumbing, Ludes Plumbing, BMK Plumbing & Solar
Printing Company:
Real Estate Company: Coldwell Banker
Remodeling Company:
Retirement Community:
Roofing Company: Truett Roofing, Kape Roofing, Ryan Roofing
Security Systems: Excel Security Systems, Midwest Security Systems,
Sign Shop:
Tanning Salon: Brooks Tan, Expressions Salon & Spa

To vote, please CLICK HERE.

Vote for this cutie!!!!

My friend's little girl (who I photographed ... above), is in a cute baby contest (Baby Idol, I think they call it).

Ellie is awfully cute, so CLICK HERE, scroll down to the bottom. Ellie is the second from the bottom, and you can cast multiple votes! This ends TOMORROW (Saturday), so go vote for her!!! :)