Does Excommunication Mean No Graduation?

I read the blurb below from Paul Rolly in the Salt Lake Tribune this morning or go to www.sltrib.com/ci_10588062

"You might remember Chad Hardy, the young entrepreneur who got in trouble with the LDS Church for producing and distributing "Men on a Mission" calendars,
featuring pictures of bare-chested Mormon missionaries with expressions suggesting more than proselyting on their minds. Hardy was excommunicated for his indiscretion last July.
Now, it appears a second shoe has dropped. Having completed all his requirements for graduation from BYU, Hardy wondered why he hadn't received his diploma, Hardy wrote on a Web site often visited by fallen Mormons.
He discovered his graduation status had not been sent to the BYU records center and he should contact his adviser, who told him his diploma and records had a "nonacademic hold" on them and that he was to speak to the executive director of Student Academic & Advisement Services. She told Hardy he fulfilled all requirements for graduation and she had no other information, he wrote on his site.
He finally was told by an official that a letter was being drafted to explain to him the problem, the details of which he still doesn't know."

So good reader, if all this turns out to be accurate, do you think Chad Hardy should be unable to graduate from BYU since he was excommunicated?

You Needed A Census To Tell You This?

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700261062,00.html

Tell me, what other things do you think a Utah census would turn up?

Just In Case You Ever Want To See Your Membership Record

Here's a screen print from the church's new MLS 2.9 system. (somewhere out there is a ward clerk not following the rules...) As you can read, members are not to have their own records. Why not?

One Of Many Things Wrong With The Church

Some of my “friends” on Facebook just joined the “Mothers Who Know Support Julie Beck” group and I can only assume the “…militant, feminist, priesthood-coveting, church-within-a-church pseudosaints online who think motherhood is a curse,” they are referring to are those women who frequent the Feminism Mormon Housewives website. Here's the belief bonding those in that Facebook group together.

“Didn’t you just love President Julie B. Beck’s talk in the October ‘07 conference?

So did I! It was inspiring. Motherhood is a great blessing and opportunity, and mothers should be honoured and supported in their role.

But not everyone thinks so… and now Sister Beck is the object of their resentment.

Join this group to say a big “No thanks” to the militant, feminist, priesthood-coveting, church-within-a-church pseudosaints online who think motherhood is a curse, babies are accidents, fathers should be mothers, women should be men, babysitters and schools should be the mothers, et cetera, et cetera.
No, thank you. The word of God tells us otherwise.

Children still need mothers, even in modern times… and empowering women does not mean turning them into men.

God bless the mothers, and the mothers in spirit. Thank you, Sister Beck!

Put On Hold

The biggest obstacle in my life has always been that there are only 24hours in a day. Recently, I've been filling too many of those hours with activities that didn't match up with my priorities. While writing is something I love, being a slave to the blog isn't as productive as say, finishing my book. I've just passed the three year mark and really, it's time to literally write the final chapter. So, this is good-bye for now, but I imagine from time to time I'll pop in to vent or reflect, after all, a blog is cheaper than therapy.

Party Pooper

Today was my son’s third day of preschool and already he’s come home with a birthday party invitation. He was so excited to open the card because “Benny” (who?) had given it to him, but after reading it, it was actually “Madison” (who?) that was having the party. My sons didn't even know who she was. I admit to not being the most alert parent, but has something changed in birthday etiquette that I’m not aware of? It seems the last few parties he’s been invited to have been by kids we don’t know, but are in his Sunday school class or athletic lessons. In my day you were allowed to invite a handful of family and friends which usually meant you only sent cards to those you played with on a regular basis. Now it seems parents are sending out bulk invites to anyone their kid breaths on and the parties have grown from ten motley neighborhood kids to thirty acquaintances---hey, what is this, a Mormon wedding? Are "registered at _____" tags next?

Not only have the parties grown in size, but so have the presents. It used to be you could get away with buying a package of PlayDohs or a board book, then you wrapped them in whatever paper you could find the hall closet, but now they have to be this fancifully swathed creation ordered from the latest educational toy magazine. Then you have to endure watching the kid open thirty gifts, hoping the whole time that yours will meet the bar, and that your child doesn’t have a meltdown wondering why Johnny’s the only one getting presents. In addition, it seems like the kids, girl especially, have to be decked out like their headed to the Little Miss/Mr. Royalty Pageant afterwards- don’t these parents understand they will only wipe chocolate cake down the front of that pricey smock?

My other gripe from the invitation was its advertising yelling out, “a giant bounce house!, inflatable water slide!, a custom piñata!, and live entertainment!” Are a few games in the backyard no longer entertaining enough so you’ve got to bring in the state fair?

Well, needless to say my son won’t be RSVPing “yes” for this soiree, and the line that clinched it (written in third person beside her photo) was, “I’m having my fourth birthday party this coming Saturday (today is Tuesday). My parents forgot to send out invitations earlier and we really hope that _________(computer typed) can come.” Clearly, this is an important event.

Is Something Wrong With Me?

I’m a mother of small children, a wife, a homemaker (of sorts), a college instructor (1 class), a regular community volunteer—and as all of these things, I find myself harried, overscheduled, and struggling to keep on top of everything. And now that Sarah Palin is on scene, well, I feel like a failure. Here’s a woman with five children- one going to Iraq, one about to get married and expecting a child, one a 5-month old special needs child (none of my children slept through the night at this age) and on top of all of this, she’s running for vice-president, has served as governor of her state, and been the mayor of Wasilla. Plus, somehow she finds the time to run every day, eat healthy, twist a fancy updo, and put on lipstick. Someone please, please tell me how she does it all? Even if her husband stays home, how do they do it? For the most part I stay home, but still there’s no way my husband would have the time to do all she’s doing. When I complained today to my celestial sex partner about not helping around the house more, he jokingly held up the recent Time Magazine with Palin’s photo on the cover and ran through the scenario I’ve just written. Is Sarah Palin the new standard at which women will be expected to perform? As if mothers weren’t already overworked and beating ourselves up over the illusion that we can have it all at once.

We Should Listen To Emily Post

Today I was pumping gas at Costco when the attendant jumped out from behind the pump and tried to pitch me a store credit card. When I turned him down, he asked who I’d be voting for this November. Bold I thought, but I told him anyway , and when it didn’t match up with his pick, he launched into a diatribe about why my candidate was the wrong one. Now I suspect the guy’s job entails breathing in more gas fumes than recommended, so I gave him a pass, plus my kids were knocking on the window like caged animals so I didn’t have time for a debate. Later in the day I went to a doctor’s appointment and in the waiting room two women were sparring back and forth on their candidate choices, so I raised my magazine higher and tried to hide so I wouldn’t have to take a side. When I got home I read the blog of a friend who was talking about the election and couldn’t contain myself any more so I left some serious bloggeria on her page. (sorry about the mess Joanna)

My point being, this election is everywhere! It’s all people can talk about, it’s the only thing being analyzed on the news channels, it’s blanketing the web, even the tabloids have it on their front page. On one hand I applaud so many people being interested in who will govern this nation, but on the other, why can’t we keep our choice to ourselves? Why do we feel compelled to convince those around us that our choice is the right one? I’ll admit, I’m guilty of this, but when the gas station attendant tried to pigeon-hole me today, I realized that I’ve had enough. Doesn’t the etiquette that you don’t talk about politics or religion in polite company still apply? Oh Britney, please flash your vadge to the paparazzi again so we can go back to being shallow and instead of being angry at each other, we can have the old days where you were the nation’s voodoo doll obsession.

She's Doin' The Nasty With a Coach Bag

***A special thanks to feministmormonhousewives.com for "publishing" some of my past entries. Look for more Celestial Sex posts on that site in the coming months***

In the past few weeks two of my friends have confessed to infidelity. To make it even worse, they’ve both been doing it at the mall. One of them was kind enough to spell out the details of a particularly sordid episode where she admitted to feeling a little low about herself on the day in question, which happens when you’re a woman like us- a mother who puts her children and husband first and who rarely gets the chance to dress up and go out all while watching your youth fade away in the vanity mirror. Plus, some days your kids are more than you can stand so you feel like rewarding yourself for not killing them—yet. So, you run out looking for a not-so-cheap thrill.

“Feeling bad about yourself happens,” I reassured her, “After awhile you start to wonder what’s happened to, well- you, and off to the mall you go looking for redemption only to find temptation. Before you know it, you’ve picked up a new toy, one you’ll put in the closet for a few weeks, then pull out and hope your husband doesn’t notice.” Unfortunately for me, I picked an opinionated metrosexual husband who notices such things. “Yes,” she agreed, “That’s how it started, except now I’m doing it all the time and it’s costing us a fortune. Jake (name change to protect the innocent) wonders why we can barely keep up with the mortgage.”

The experts call what she’s doing financial infidelity and maybe some of you will recognize that you've also got a cheating heart. My friend’s vice is designer bags, but she tells her husband they’re from Target, since he won’t know the difference and she pays all the bills so he doesn’t see those either. Now I’ve had financial affairs, but never with a big-ticket item because, well, I’m too cheap. My secret vice is buying overpriced European chocolate bars and eating them in my minivan before I have to go home and share, but they say chocolate is the gateway to more serious crimes, so I'm trying to stop...So, are you having a financial affair? With whom- Louie V, Versace, Coach? What advice do you give to friend who is stealing her family’s financial future for a fashion season of name-brand vachetta leather rubbing against the side of her chest?

Going To The Big House

My celestial sex partner and I lead pathetic social lives and so we had no plans this Labor Day weekend. After scouring the newspaper for something to do, we decided to attend the annual home show on the other side of town. Of course the address listed lead us to a Frenchie-sounding neighborhood with a guard shack the size of our city rec. center and a fountain that could double as the community swimming pool. After giving our names and getting the evil-eye from the security guard, we were allowed to move our gypsy camp minivan to where we’d need to buy the overpriced tickets. (proceeds going to charity we rationalized)

I enjoy going to home shows and have gone to many through the years so I’ve noticed some similarities. First, why is it people visiting home shows think they have to be pretentious? I even saw one woman in a sequined top. If you have to buy a ticket to tour someone’s home, just know we won’t think you’re fancy no matter how much you talk on you cell phone and try to look like you’re being imposed upon--we all know you're there to covet like the rest of us.

Now the homes, they were magnificent feats of architecture and I came away with ideas we’re going to implement in our house. The first one we saw had four full kitchens, all outfitted with Viking appliances. I’ve decided we need to do the same thing, except we’ll put them in the kid’s rooms so they can start making their own meals and I’m just dying for more kitchens to clean. The other idea was from the white marble bathroom that had a coffee/cappuccino bar with a fridge hidden in the cabinetry. So, I’m going to move the crock pot onto my bathroom vanity so I can get dinner going while I curl my hair and I’m going to get the minifridge I saw at Costco so my Mormon coffee (Diet Coke) is waiting for me every morning. My CSP pointed out that it’s probably best not to have food/drink nearby when he does his business, so I’ll have to encourage him to use the fan more often.

Overall, we left knowing we’d never make it as “rich” people, but the next morning I did feel a little more motivated to get up and clean the house.