Stand with Arizona and Against Illegal Immigration Rally

Last night Nate and I attended the Stand for Arizona and Against Illegal Immigration rally. It was so much fun! I was thrilled to be there.

I was happy to see so many people come out to support the cause. I believe 7,000 people came out.

People came from all over the country to attend this rally and show their support. Florida, Oklahoma, Washington State, and a whole heck of a lot from Texas and California!
I found it very ironic that the water Nate bought me was from Canada. We had a good giggle.

This cute lady was there. She got a standing ovation from all the people in the stands.

And the best of all???? I got to stand mere feet away from Sheriff Joe Arpaio. I love this guy and I'm so happy he is the sheriff of our county. He told us that in the last 2 years they have arrested more than 39,000 illegal immigrants in Maricopa County. Those are scary numbers.
It was a very inspirational night, with many speakers. I got the chills so many times I almost started to think I was getting sick! More rallies are planned for the summer, if you feel passionately about this cause, I suggest you go to one.
I've lived in Arizona for five years now, and I love my state. I love my country and I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to be able to gather together to have our voices heard.

Making Changes

A couple of weeks ago I picked up the girls from school and became very disgusted with what I was seeing. LITTLE girls all around me wearing shorty shorts and spaghetti straps. To school. So I picked up my phone and called the school. I asked them if there is a dress code. Why yes there is. The shorts must go past the fingertips. I asked, well is it being enforced? Well, it is up to the teachers discretion. I then told her that if they are going to have school policy, it needs to be enforced and I find it really embarrassing to go to the school and see the girls dressed like this. And trust me, I have two daughters I know how tricky it can be to find modest clothing. And I know it is hot. TRUST ME! I get it! The woman I talked to was very surprised to get a phone call like this.

My girls came home this week and both their teachers talked to all the kids about the dress code. Longer shorts, sleeves must be at least two fingers wide, and the boys have to pull up their pants and cover their bums. (Thank heaven! I didn't complain about that, but I'm glad it was addressed!) Both their teachers said that a mom called in and complained about the dress code so it was now being enforced. Sammy didn't own up to it, haha. But Megan did!

I feel like this is a really important issue. To see third and fourth graders, or any young girl dressing like this really bothers me. And I can't control what happens at every one's house, but I need to stand up for what I believe. And hope that it makes a small difference.

Swim and Dive Team

We signed Sammy up for swim team and Megan up for dive team this year. We started on Monday. Sammy does laps for 40 minutes and Megan is learning a LOT of new techniques for an hour every day. This is such a great deal. It is every day PLUS competitions for the whole summer. It gets so hot here that the days can get loooong so we wanted to make sure they had something every day. So far they are both loving it. And they are both exhausted! Last night I sent them to bed and when I checked on them, Megan was half hanging off her bed with one sock halfway off. She fell asleep taking off her socks! And Sammy had gotten out of the shower, went to her room and promptly fell asleep on the floor. Nate and I had a good chuckle.

Everything is more fun with a great friend! We love Claire!

The Butterfly Stroke


Megan is learning the new definition of fear. This is the girl that has always jumped right in to swim or cliff dive, but learning to dive the correct way is different. And you have to ask a lot of your body. And when things don't go right, it hurts really bad. Yesterday she was learning to do a back flip dive and did three back flops right in a row. She got very frustrated with herself and her back had welts all over it. As a mommy it is hard to watch. Today she got right back up there. She had a hard time overcoming the fear today, but she worked hard! And as you can see, Sammy and Claire make great fans.

She has a really great coach. Very patient and a wonderful teacher.

Looking forward to a great summer!

Holy Cow that was a quick trip!

Last weekend we decided to take a quick trip to Utah. We left on Thursday and came home Sunday. Let me repeat that. Thursday to Sunday. Two days in the car, two days there. But well worth it. This all came to pass about a month ago. Sammy had been telling me that she was homesick, and I knew my brother Jeff wanted Nate to come up for a fishing competition. I thought it was a trip well spent. It was great to see everyone. And it was COLD! I only took a couple of pictures, because I realized my battery was almost dead and I wanted to save it for the good stuff. I love how one tree is in bloom and the dark sky!

Love my dad's yard, wish I had taken more pictures.

I was great to get together for family dinners and to go and see my friend Piper. (She made me a blonde, and I love it!) I had to be back to work on Monday morning so we took off on Sunday. To break up our day we stopped at Coral Pink Sand Dunes right outside of Kanab, Utah. Well worth the stop! It may be our new favorite thing.

Leapin' Lizards!

Now, those of you who know my dog, she is lazier than a cat. I have never seen her play so hard!

This sand is like baby powder. The weather was perfect and it was a fantastic way to break up the long drive. So, if you need to drive from Salt Lake to Phoenix, make sure you stop and play for a while!

That DAMN! Cat

I am innocently going about my Saturday morning chores and I walked into the kitchen and I immediately see Stanley. And he looks like the Cheshire cat.

And this can only mean one thing...so I cautiously move forward...and see this!

TWO! Two! How did he get two at the same time? Now remember, I don't have sons. So there is only one thing to do. Call in my daughters and offer them $5 to get the alligators out of my kitchen. And not even that was enough. Luckily we have a friend across the street that loves to catch lizards. GO get Shelby! I shriek. On their way over to Shelby's they see Cassidy so they come home with two girls. So, how many females does it take to get two lizards out of the house? 5! Picture myself on the kitchen table with my two girls, Cassidy on a chair and brave, brave Shelby taking care of business. She got the first one out and then we discovered the other one was dead. But they were both gone. And I guess Stanley got mad at us because he promptly went and caught a bird. But we saved that as well. Damn cat.

Sammy for Treasurer

The scariest part about running for office definitely has to be the speech. After a week of campaigning at school the time had come. I snuck over to hear it for myself and I'm so happy I did. I was waiting in the library when Sam came in and I immediately knew she was upset. Before school started her friends were messing around and pulled her french braid out. I could see her un-raveling before my eyes. I quickly rebraided her hair and gave her a hug.
Before she knew it, it was her turn. I was crawling out of my skin with nervousness for her. Like I said before, never would I have done this! She stepped right up to the podium.

They do it by video and it broadcasts to every classroom in the school.

She wrote her own speech. It had to be less than a minute.

Hi, my name is Samantha Woodard and I'm running for Treasurer. If I get voted for Treasurer I will try my best to be a good officer. I will try to be at every meeting and event I can. I will try to go to school every day and do my job. Because character counts and I will do that. It's a great opportunity to just get to run for Treasurer. But remember, you can count on me because it just makes cents.

She was done and looked up and gestured me over as she walked away. I went over to her and her big brown eyes were welling up with tears. "Are you okay?" I asked her. "I was so scared mom!" And my eyes also welled up because I was so proud of her. We hugged for longer than her speech was and then she went back to support the rest of the kids that had to give their speeches.

Alas, she didn't win. And she was heartbroken. And she told me that she will try again next year. You go Sammy!

When the winners were announced Monday morning and Megan heard that she hadn't won, she got permission from her teacher to go check on Sammy. Sammy's teacher let her out of class for a minute and Megan held her while she cried. And got her tissues TWO times. I love these two.