oh ya, I have a blog

I almost forgot that I have a blog to keep up with. I have been super busy since last Thursday so I have finally gotten the chance to sit and blog.

The women's retreat last weekend was amazing and I came away with so much! I left work on Friday and went straight there. We had a great evening speaker and than fun games, stayed up until 3:30am talking, got up at 8:00am, had a great speaker Saturday, left from retreat to go back to work at 4:00pm Saturday and back home that evening at 10:00pm. When I got up for church on Sunday morning it felt like I had slept for five minutes. I haven't yet caught up on sleep.

Today was my first day at the adoption agency. I did training this afternoon and met with the girls. I am not sure if I clarified that this is a place where young women come and live in a dorm style situation. They give birth at hospitals across the street. All of these girls are adopting out their children. It was so great to see what all I will be doing. So much to learn. There are about five girls due in October, so I will have a lot of opportunities to attend births as part of my training. I will not be able to be at births unattended until I have finished my training. I have online training as well as two to three assisted births to attend. I have completed my drug screening and rubella test,. That rubella test (a blood draw) gave me a huge bruise on my arm. I think the gal hit a vein or something. Today I went in for my TB test. I will have in read on Thursday. I feel like I have been in dr.'s offices more lately than I have been in my entire life. So many pokes and sticks. I am over it already!

I have put in my resignation at my job in Arlington. I just feel as though it is time to move on to where my passion really is, massage and helping and serving women!

Scott has decided to start a fitness boot camp so I have been working on a blog for him (http://getfitwithscott.blogspot.com). He's not much into the computer/blogging part of it. We are praying he will have a good response with clients. He is looking forward to starting it.

So much more to write, but I can't see with my eyes shut. Nighty night ya'll! More to come soon.

more coffee please

Hi Blog Family!
I have missed you this week. It has been a very busy week with lots going on. To tell you the truth, I am exhausted! I was off work today and so I went to Marissa's for brunch. She made a very delicious quiche and we chatted for several hours. We are rooming together at the Ladies Retreat this weekend. Should be lots of fun!

Yesterday I signed papers at the adoption agency. I have much training to do before working with the girls. I have to pass my drug test (no worries there) and take an eight hour online training. I will also be doing a lot of on the job training before I can actually interact with the girls and be accompanied by another childbirth coordinator for several births before I am allowed to go alone. So much to learn, but very exciting!

I have done four massages this week. Whew! Need I say more. Just trying to get back into the swing of things since surgery. Still a little tender, but I am feeling great. I feel like my hormones are all balanced back out....thank goodness, I was getting a little scared of myself. Scott says I only have a few more days to play the "I just had surgery and I am a delicate flower" card. I have been pulling that one quite a bit lately. ;)

I must go to sleep people. I will give you more of an update in a few days.

it's fall!

Happy Monday!

It is such a beautiful day outside and I haven't left the house today to be able to enjoy it yet. I just completed my class Elements of Holistic Nutrition this afternoon. That was a relief. I have to go to Wal-Mart later to get a new ink cartridge to print out my paper so I can send my tests and papers in for grading.

This morning I cleaned out one of our bedroom closets. I took a picture, but the change wasn't that dramatic, so I decided it wasn't worth sharing today. It has been a little out of control since we moved in. We have two closets in our bedroom. Scott uses one and the other is some of his things and then a bunch of junk. I rearranged did a little switcharooing of some things and now we can find everything a lot easier. I think that I will try and tackle my closet sometime. It is hard for me to get motivated to want to organize when there is a possibility of us moving to a new house in the next few months. Still no word on that so we are waiting. They haven't gotten a lot done in the past month because of the hurricane. The guy that was doing work to the house had to go down to help out some family in south Texas. I am hoping they can get in appraised in the next week or two so we can know if it is a go or not. We aren't in a huge rush though.

Well, I have been fighting a little nap today, but I think I may give into it. It was a long weekend and I didn't get a lot of rest. Busy Sunday, with church and LifeGroup last night. I made turkey chili and there were four couples there. We are hoping for more, but last night was the first night so we will see. I have a busy week ahead as well....working at Veria, signing paperwork at the adoption center on Wednesday (hope to start work next week), 4 massages this week, and a women's retreat this weekend. Ok, I've convinced myself, a little snooze it is!!

Have a great week ya'll!!

Holthus women are amazing!

Thanks to all of you who have shared your thoughts with me this week. I needed that! I had a couple of rough days feeling like I was in a "hole" that I wasn't sure how to get out of. It is like that saying in the movie "Catch Me If You Can" about the two little mice that fell into the pitcher of cream. One mouse just gave up and thought he was never going to get out and drown. The other mouse tried and tried so hard to get out that he churned that cream right into butter and climbed out. Well, that is what I intend to do! I have my life to be thankful for and I am truly grateful. I could be on the other end of it and not be here today. I guess any amount of bills can't compare to what my life is worth. My friend Katie and I were discussing this week that if the Lord brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Amen sister!!!

Yesterday I worked at the spa in Aledo. I did two 90 minute massages and held up pretty well. I haven't done any massages since August 13th. I think that may be the longest I have ever gone. I love it out there. Susan, the owner, and I get along great and I have such wonderful clients. They are so good to me.

Heidi called me last night at 10:45 to tell me she and a friend had gone to a play called "Birth". She wished I could have seen it. It was about the birth stories of eight different women. I am so happy that she got out of the house for a few hours. It was much needed and deserved. She says Joely will take a bottle now, so she pumps and lets Jacob feed her so she can go on outings and eventually she will go back to work in November.

Today is a glorious day....so sunny outside!!! I got up early and enjoyed a walk to get breakfast at Einstein's near TCU. I studied a bit there and then came home to work a bit on the last of my essay questions. I have nine questions to go before I am officially finished with Elements of Holistic Nutrition. Then on to Chemistry. Will that be fun or what?!!?!?

I am looking forward to Sunday. Our Lifegroup at church starts again. When Scott and I were first married we went to this Lifegroup. It is for young marrieds. Out of the six couples that started, we are the only ones without kids yet. But, it is fun. We are doing a Gary Chapman series and it will be two Sunday nights a month. I am hoping we will get some new faces this time. The church we go to has a lot of young couples.

So happy that my mom did well on her exam this week. She left me a comment on my previous post that you all should read. I talked to her on Thursday morning before her test. I had originally thought her test was just today (Saturday), but it started on Thursday so my good luck and many blessing card was going to be late. She proceeded to tell me that Heidi sent her a care package!!!! How sweet was that? When Heidi called last night, I gave her a little talkin' to though. She showed me up ;). How can she have a six week old baby and still have time to send my mother a care package with homemade brownies, mints, etc. I am sure she probably sent a scarf she had knitted or a quilt she had hand sewn too! I had just gotten done telling Heidi earlier that week that I can't believe how wonderful of a mother she is. She seems like she can spin plates and juggle while helping Andrew color a picture and change a diaper all at the same time. She is truly amazing. She is the calmer of the two of us. I hope I can be as poised as she is as a mother someday.

I don't have recent pictures of anything. I will be going to Arkansas the first week in November for my doula workshop and you can count on lots of photos from that trip. I was talking to Heidi on the phone the other day and I told her to tell Andrew hi, so she did. He said, "I do not want to say hi to Hannah." That little stinker. I know in my heart that kid loves me! That is all that matters, right? I miss Joely too. Heidi sent me pictures last week and she is growing so big!

Well, fellow bloggies, I sure am happy you stopped by today. Thanks for reading my thoughts. Have a superb weekend!

P.S. For those of you inquiring about the $52 blanket, um ya, it stayed at the hospital. :(

my momma!

I am so proud of my momma! She has been working so hard studying her acupuncture and took a big test today! She is truly amazing and I LOVE HER!!!

a little prayer needed this way

Thanks to all of my many friends and family who have been so supportive of all of my endeavors, including my latest and most exciting new challenge as a birth coordinator. I will be working at this position two days a week from 7am to 7pm on an on call basis. I will also be working at my other job in Arlington part time as well as keeping up a few massages as I can. I know this sounds like a lot, but it is worth it to me right now.

When my doula certification is complete (hopefully in the next six months) I would like to work as a doula and massage therapist. What I would really like to do is have my own center one day. My idea is to have a place that women can get counsel on nutrition, yoga, breastfeeding, massage and more before, during, and after pregnancy. I would like to have classes and "meetings" for expectant mom's to come and share with each other and learn new things. I have lots of ideas so we will see what the future holds. I have always wanted to have my own place to do massage and nutrition, now I just have a particular market in mind. The best part is, there will always be babies to be had.

I have something heavy on my heart tonight that I would really like prayer for. Today I received a second medical bill in the mail from my surgery. There will be more coming. (By the way, it is unreal what they can charge you for! I asked for a blanket in the waiting room of the ER since we only had a THREE hour wait, $52 ..... unbelievable!) I know that there is a reason for all we are going through. I am saddened, though, because we had just gotten most of our debt paid off this past summer. That was about the time we thought it was the time to have a baby. And, now, as you can see, no baby and we are even more in debt than we were in the first place. This is a lot more than I would normally share, but it is just that I am believing that there is a plan in store for us and I am praying to be able to have the wisdom and the faith to see the bigger picture. I just need a hug from someone who has "been there, done that" and has made it through. I am having a hard time understanding and I want to ask my infamous question "why" about all of this, but I already know "why". I have cried out, relied on, and prayed to God many times about this and He has given me peace beyond my own understanding. I am trying to allow myself to have the patience to watch it play out now. That is the hardest part!!

Time for bed now. Night night. Thanks for reading today.

a new beginning

Ok, I may have stepped on a few toes with my previous post. I haven't birthed, so I don't really have a lot of room have a strong viewpoint on natural childbirth. But, just wait, I will one day. :) I guess for now, I should ask "why" to myself. I am just curious and really want to dig into the minds of women to find out their feelings on their experience and how they chose to do it the way they did. I think that mostly I feel as though women have been robbed of choices. It seems as though they are instructed to do it one way or another and that is all they know. And, if they have had a positive experience in childbirth it is more difficult to question "why". Anyway, my sincerest apologies for anyone who thinks "that crazy girl has no clue." ;) I have always considered myself open minded. I guess open minded doesn't mean that my mind is only open to hear what I want to hear or believe. I will allow to embrace all aspects of childbirth.

I am very excited to announce that I have taken a part time position as a childbirth coordinator at a local adoption agency. I suppose this position will allow me to see all aspects of birth from many ages of women. This position will require me to mentor young women as they stay in a dorm setting until they give birth. I will be taking them to appointments and school activities as well as attending births as their birth coach. All of these young women are in a situation where they will be giving their child up for adoption. I believe this will be a truly amazing experience for me.

Enjoy the lovely weather! Thanks for reading!

why?

I went to a baby shower today for my dear friend, Cristina. She is the tiniest cutest little lady, no taller than 5'3" and has a husband about Scott's height. In case that doesn't mean anything to you, Scott is 6'8". Cristina is all belly with this baby and I am not sure how she can get much bigger between now and October 31st.

Why? starts a lot of my questions lately. Questions that I have always wondered in my head, but I actually blurt them out these days. So, I set that all up to say that showers are filled with baby talk. I overheard one of the girls talking about a friend of hers who had a baby early this morning and she ended up having to have a c-section. Normally, I would think to myself, "oh, that poor girl!", and I did, but in addition to that thought came another thought. "WHY did she have to have a c-section?" I have recently gained the interesting knowledge of the overwhelming statistics of c-section rate in North Texas. It is an unbelievable 50%! Again, why is this? Of course these many questions are coming the more I am studying about birthing and babies these days. I find myself asking women, "why did you get induced?" and "how did that make you feel?" You know what I am hearing? Most of them are saying, "well that is what my doctor recommended." I haven't quite gotten up the guts to say, "and for whose convenience was that?" I know I am sounding a bit sarcastic and sassy, but I am out to change the world people! That may be a little bit dramatic, but I gotta dream a bit, right?

Right now I can firmly say that I know that my training to be a doula will prepare me entirely for my births one day. It is fascinating to read about women and their birth and postpartum stories. I don't have a lot of experience in the childbirth department (oh yah, I already covered that in my previous post), but I do have ample experience in the baby department. I have been around babies my whole life.....siblings, cousins, niece and nephew....well you get the idea. For now, I will keep on watching live births on the internet and be in awe. I am looking forward with excitment and timidness to the first birth I get to be at whenever that day may come.

On that note, I will ask for prayer as I interview tomorrow for a part-time position as a Childbirth Coordinator at an adotion agency here in Fort Worth. The position involves many emotionally and physically demanding tasks and I am praying for the wisdom to know if I am capable of mentoring and coaching young women as they go through the birth of a child that will be given to a loving home. I have thought long and hard on this one and would appreciate your prayers.

Thanks, once again, for reading my blog. Have a great week everyone!

asking for help

As a side note to my previous post, I am asking for comments from mothers of all ages. I need all the information I can get before my class in November. I am supposed to have a working knowledge of childbirth when I get there. Have I mentioned that I am somewhat naive and inexperienced in that area? I welcome all views of your birthing experience, as I know that I will face many different and exciting births as a doula. What stands out in your mind about your birthing experience?

P.S. Post anonymously if you are more comfortable with that.

ready or not, here I go

Good Rainy Morning Ya'll!

We are definitely feeling the effects of hurricane Ike this morning. I'll most likely be canoeing to work this afternoon. It is one of those days where you just want to snuggle on the couch and watch movies all day. Unfortunately, that won't be happening. I have a paper to write on antioxidants and then off to work. I am taking a break to share some thoughts.

"I am going to be a doula" is what I keep telling myself over and over. But, it wasn't until this morning that I really understood what I am getting myself into. Not having experienced childbirth myself, I really don't know what I am in for. I will admit, I am naive, my mother told me, oh so lovingly, I am naive about childbirth and I am. I have never given birth, been at a birth, or really ever watched a "real" birth on screen. I don't really remember the video we watched in fourth grade of a baby being born. (As a side note, I would like to point out that when I decided to go to massage school I had never had a massage in my whole life either, and I do believe that I am a very good massage therapist, so I have been told.) Well, this morning, as I googled "doula" I got to see lots of things. I watched a very detailed video of a woman giving birth at home. WOW! Kudos to her and every other woman in the world who has given birth naturally. It was truly amazing to watch this, although I did feel a bit uncomfortable watching due to the fact that she was completely naked. But, I guess that is just one of those things that I will be exposed to. Again, yes mother, I am naive about childbirth.

I think what it comes down to is networking and resources. I found a great blog of a doula in Canada that I am going to keep up with. And, a woman I had gotten in touch with about attending Bradley classes for my doula certification has a new blog. It is called Banned From Baby Showers. You can only imagine what her blog might say. She is a very friendly, outgoing woman with a lot of ideas and opinions about childbirth. I like her! So, she has become an excellent resource, living only about 25 minutes from me. I am taking her 12 week Bradley class starting in November. Scott is going to come to a few classes with me. I think he is kind of excited, but the fact that we are attending without the expectation of a baby on the way sounds kind of boring to him. But, my certification will not allow me to take a childbirthing class while I am pregnant. I guess they don't want you thinking about your own birth with a biased mindset.

My certification should not take too long once I have attended the workwhop the first week in November. I have to read several books, attend three live births, write a couple of papers, and so on once the workshop is completed. They give you two years to complete the program, but that is mostly to allow you to attend three births. I am praying that it will not be difficult for me to find births to be a part of.

I will also be changing my other blog, Lifestyles for Natural Healing, to a blog more about living a natural life in order to include the many areas of my studies and knowledge, nutrition, therapeutic massage, and now birth and postpartum doulaing. My lifestyles blog is so boring right now. It needs whipped into shape. That will be a great source of marketing in this area and it doesn't take a lot of time and the best part is that it is free!

I have so many ideas for what I can do and where I will go with this. I am an entrepreneur at heart, what can I say! I guess I take after my daddy. I am so excited for the future and what lies ahead!!

Thanks for reading. Stay dry!

a glimpse of the past

I like blogging because it keeps me in touch with those that I am unable to see often and those that I haven't seen in years.

The last time I saw Hannah M. was January 2006! Too long ago. She recently started a blog of her own and it has brought back so many memories....as I sit here and chuckle so many memories are coming to mind. In high school we took the same math class together...and struggled through. Our classmates called us Hannah2 (or H squared) because we were pretty much inseparable. I first met Hannah sitting in the counselors office my sophomore year in high school. I think we were getting our schedules reviewed and since we were both Hannah H's, we ended up in there at the same time. We hit it off right away. Some things I remember are having potato soup at my house very often during the school year, of course our math class, and theT-shirts we made at the end of the year that said "H2 barely passed 7th hour math". I was so glad to have a friend in high school like her because when it came down to our mom's getting pregnant at the same time, no one understood me more than she did. At 17, it wasn't the most "cool" thing to have a pregnant mom. I am reminded of this as she recently blogged about her little brother's 10th birthday.

As the years have gone by, we don't stay in touch as often as we should or would like to. Mostly because she is in Kansas and I live in Texas probably. I suppose that is why it is hard to keep up with most people in high school, you just go your separate directions. She and her Scott (yes she married a Scott too) have moved a little faster in the kid department than we have. But she has three of the most adorable girls ever! Check out her blog for some great stories and beautiful pics of her precious family.

And, in tribute to our brothers turning 10 this year, I will share some pictures. Both of these 10 year olds have been uncles for a few years now, crazy, I know. I miss you Hannah! Hope to see you soon.

This is Hannah M.'s brother with two of his nieces! So cute.

And, of course this is my little brother with my sister's new baby girl. Cute as well!

a facelift for my blog

My blog got a facelift today, thanks to www.thecutestblogontheblock.com! Love it!! Still in revision, but it works for now. Anyone know how I can get a fun header with a picture of us on it. I know what I want, but the picture is enormous and it needs cropped. I don't have the capabilities on my computer to do that.

true friends

Today I got to spend the whole afternoon with two beautiful ladies, Marissa and Francesca! We hand lunch, went baby shower shopping, mall walked, looked at our potential house, and fed the duckies (or tried at least). Then our husbands joined us for a BBQ dinner, thanks Weisigers!!!

I don't know what I would do without my friend Marissa. I have been truly blessed to find such a great friend down here. She has been there for me through so much. When I got out of the hospital she organized meals to come to our house for few days. That is just the kind of person she is with such a giving heart.....love her!!!!!

It has been raining a bit today. I am so thankful for it. Unfortunately, I can't say it is only 69 degrees here like my mom was saying it was in Kansas today. It is rainy and muggy. It is starting to cool down a little bit here.

So sleepy, must retire.

thank goodness for aunts!

Heidi's sister-in-law lives about 20 minutes away from me. Needless to say we don't get to see our precious nephew and niece enough. Jenae is a VERY talented photographer - I know this because she took the photos of us on our blog. Check out her blog for more recent photos of the Tankersley family. Too cute, great job Jenae.

love and inspiration

Good Sunday Morning!

It has been a fairly uneventful weekend of studying and working so far. Friday evening Scott and I helped out at the Arts Goggle and Studio 909. The featured artists this time were Kevin Powers, who is a good friend of ours. He, and his wife, Cristina, used to go to our church before they moved to Arlington. It is a bit far of a drive for them from Arlington to Aledo for church. Cristina is having a baby due on Halloween. She is just adorable. Kevin paints amazing creations on canvas. He was a featured artist at the show in April when not many people were out and about that night. On Friday, he sold two paintings during the show! Yay, go Kevin. We had quite a lot of people come through and enjoy the live music and beautiful art pieces.

The other featured artist was Mandy Orr. She makes wearable pieces of art (jewelry). I met Mandy in August when she became a client of mine. I instantly made a connection with her, but had only met her one time. After hearing about my surgery, she was so generous to surprise me with one of her healing pieces. She made me a bracelet and earrings made of Hematite and Carnelian. She wrote me a beautiful card of healing wishes. Enclosed was a card about what she had sent.

Carnelian is a great stone for the
organs and reproductive aspects of the body.
It encourages blood flow. Hematite restores calmness
of the body and mind. Magnetic Hematite will ground
and support you on your everyday activities,
allowing you to feel more security
in your overall life and future.

What an amazing gift of compassion from one woman to another! She has a website that she sells her jewelry from at www.SpiritPatterns.com. All of her pieces are made with beautiful stones and beads that she has collected from all over the world. She is very educated on the different types of stones and there healing powers. A lot of time goes into her work and I feel so blessed to have received a piece from her fabulous collection!

Gotta get ready for another day! Church, lunch at Scott's moms house, study, study, study! Have a blessed one everyone! Thanks for stopping by. XOXO

I have a happy husband!

Today was Scott's last day at The Vitamin Shoppe. He is very excited to move onto better things for him and us. Although the team has already been practicing for over a week, tomorrow will be his first official practice. He has been counting down the days. He doesn't have another part-time job lined up yet, but he has had offers...and some very promising leads come his way.

A lady I worked for doing massage last spring (well I still sort of work for her, but that is complicated) called me this morning. I used to do massage at her wellness center a lot and do office work for her before I started my job at Veria. She is involved in another art show this weekend that is along Magnolia Ave. where her center is located. Artists come and set up in different businesses and show their work off to the public. I helped her with an event last spring. When she heard Scott may be in need of work for a couple of weeks before one of his leads pans out she got in touch with him about helping her out at the center. YAY!!! We are going to both help her out at the Arts Goggle Friday night so she will talk to him more about it then.

I have some really great things going on with me as well. I have recently decided and began the training process to become a birth and postpartum birth doula! Doula??? Glad you asked...

The types of doulas are as varied as the types of women who are going to labor. Some doulas have highly developed clinical skills, allowing them to do cervical exams and diagnose problems during labor. Other doulas have trained themselves to be constant companions, never leaving the mother's side and never tiring of giving positive feedback. There are doulas who are trained in Lamaze, Bradley or Hypnobirthing. There are doulas who will speak to the medical staff for you, and there are doulas who will not speak to the medical staff for you.

Regardless of the way she practices, there are some things that all doulas do. These skills and techniques are what make a doula so valuable during labor.

Resource for Comfort Measures - Having a doula is like having your very own talking labor guide. Doulas not only know what helps during labor, they also know when it helps and how to do it. Your doula can either perform these comfort measures herself, or help your family or friends to support you with comfort measures. Your labor partners will feel more confident knowing that they are doing the right thing.

Constant Encourager - A doula not only encourages the mother to keep going, but she encourages the labor support to keep going as well. The process of labor can be long, and it gets hardest just before it is over. A doula can keep you and your coach focused during the most intense part of labor, helping you to manage any discomfort or pain.

Helps Explain Options - A doula is also a source of information about ways to handle your labor. Medical attendants don't always have time to get into all the options available, and rarely give all the risks and benefits for the options they do give. A doula can help you understand what options are available, and what each options consists of. This can help you make better informed decisions.

Yes, yes, I am still continuing my Holistic Nutrition. I am going to be a busy girl. Training to be a doula consists of several steps. I am currently working on finishing my Breastfeeding Course on-line. I will finish that up here in a few minutes and send for my certification. I have to have that class before I can attend the Postpartum workshop. The birth and postpartum doula workshop is in November. I am going to Fayetteville to take it for a week. An excuse to see my sister again! I have a laundry list of items to complete before attending but most will occur after the workshop. I got three books in the mail today that I will read before the workshop. After that I will have to continue reading several books, attend a birth class such as Lamaze or The Bradley Method, attend three live birth that are at least eight hours in length each. (Guess I would have to attend about 12 births if they are anything like Heidi's :)) There are a few more things to do, but you get the drift. I have this whole vision of having a women's center devoted to helping women who intend to become pregnant to continuing during and after birth. I would like to provide nutritional consulting, massage therapy, and doula services. I have talked to several of my friends who really think Fort Worth needs something like that. Believe it or not, there isn't much like that around here. I can dream anyway. So, I am totally excited about all of this. And, like I said, I am going to be a busy girl. I have been informing Scott of everything I have learned about breast feeding so far. I have a feeling he is going to hear a lot more about birthing and babies in the upcoming months than he bargained for. At least he will be fully informed when it is his turn though. He seems interested, which I am very happy about. He is being so supportive of my new venture! He is so wonderful.

Well, ya'll what am I still doing up at this hour? And, I still have a test to finish. Good night, sleep tight. Miss you, love you all! Thanks for caring, thanks for reading.

this is our children's future we are talking about

An article about Sarah Palin - Republican Candidate for Vice President.

A Candidate For Our Daughters

September 1st, 2008 by Mary Ellen Barrett

Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska is now the Republican candidate for Vice-president. This news made the women I know — pro-life, fiscally conservative, desperate to have a good female role model in politics for our daughters — extremely happy and proud. When the announcement came I gathered my older daughters around the small kitchen television set and explained to them that this woman with five children, with a loving husband and strong commitment to her family had a very good chance at becoming our next Vice President. I told them that this was history in the making and I encouraged them to watch her and learn that it is possible to be an uncompromising, tough politician and still be motherly, feminine and approachable.

It did not take long for the criticism to start pouring in from the Democratic Party. That is to be expected; they must have been as shocked as the rest of the country at Senator McCain’s brilliance in choice and timing. The talking heads were quick to point out Palin’s lack of experience in foreign policy and youth as drawbacks. Perhaps their time would have been better spent reading their own candidate’s resume and slinking off to a corner to ponder the irony of it all.

There has been a great deal of discussion about her lack of foreign policy experience in comparison to Senator Biden, the other candidate for Vice President. True, he does have more policy experience. It doesn’t mean he’ll get it right should the need arise. I have had a driver’s license for over 20 years and a lot of experience driving. This doesn’t mean I’m qualified to drive a cab in a busy, confusing city. There is no guarantee that I would get anyone, anywhere in a timely manner. Biden might have a lot of years under his belt but it doesn’t mean he’ll get us to the right place.

I saw a few criticisms on blogs and websites saying that a woman should be home raising her children. The fact is that God has given some woman extraordinary talents and skills to be used. There are women who are called to serve in a more visible way. To change the world not merely one diaper at a time but one country at a time. Our faith is blessed with many examples of holy women who have simultaneously raised families and worked. Venerable Marie-Zelie Martin, mother of Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Gianna Molla leap to mind.

Sarah Palin has been an elected official for 13 years. She has accomplished a great deal for the city she governed and for the great state of Alaska. She cut taxes, routed out corruption and started a process which will result in a natural gas pipeline being built in her state, benefiting the entire country.

She did a lot of this while pregnant. Speaking as a woman who has also been pregnant most of the last 13 years I can honestly say that some days my biggest accomplishment is watching my feet swell. After her brilliant speech accepting the job as a running mate to Senator McCain, Palin, her family and the McCains were interviewed by People Magazine for the upcoming issue. The interviewer was asked to wait a few minutes while the governor changed a diaper and located her breast pump. This is obviously a woman of boundless energy and a great ability to organize her time. Mothers all over the country can relate to this and we smile. We are perfectly willing to wait a few minutes for the sound bite, speech or appearance while a mom changes a diaper, bandages a boo-boo or looks over a beautiful picture. These are the things that unite us as women.

Governor Palin, while raising a beautiful family, has been called upon by God to use her great skills and talents to benefit not just the community in which she lives but the entire nation. This is a woman who when facing the diagnosis of a Down’s Syndrome child chose life and love and did not consider the criticism that might come her way from the radical feminists who worship at the abortion altar and believe any child that is not physically perfect is not worth having.

Governor Palin is a true feminist that the women of this country can be proud of, that we can point out to our daughters and say you can serve in office or run a corporation or work out of your home and still make your family and it’s values a priority. You can have a career and serve God, do His work and remain a feminine, charming woman. You do not need to compromise.