I've Been Nominated for the Proud Bookworm Award

I was nominated for the Proud Bookworm award by poetica. Thank you poetica it feels great "just to be nominated." To claim my (cross your fingers) award. I have to:

Poetica wrote on her site "Miss Kiss herself at Lipstick Diaries presented me with the coveted "Bookworm Award". This being my very first blog award, I was of course thrilled! Many thanks, my sweet =)

So, here is how the award works:

Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 46. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences...The CLOSEST BOOK, NOT YOUR FAVORITE, OR MOST INTELLECTUAL!!"
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Stay tuned as I go and find the nearest book.

Our Love Story: Opposite Parent Reactions

My little brother who was eleven at the time decided to have a heart to heart talk with my future honey.

"Listen you love my sister don't you?" asked my 11 year old brother.
Honey replied trying to play cool "You know, we're just really good friends who look out for each other."
Little brother "Come on, admit it, we all know. Our whole family talks about you loving Lala."
Future honey still trying to play cool "That's funny...I don't know what else to tell you. You should talk to Laur about it."
"You have to tell her you love her so she can love you back. Can you do it soon so I can be an uncle and a brother-in-law really soon!"

Future honey was left blushing.

It was only 6 weeks later, that I decided to return back to San Francisco. My family had asked me to move back to L.A., I had lost my job and was still not back to normal in terms of mobility. There was still something deep inside that told me I needed to return to San Francisco.

One night in November, while I was driving in the canyons of L.A. honey called me to tell me some great news. He had been given a wonderful promotion and a raise at work. I was so proud of him.

“What did your parents say when you told them about your promotion?” I asked

He replied “I haven’t told them yet. You were the first person I called!"

This was a sign for me. It showed me that he wanted me to be the first to know and how important I was to him. I knew in my gut that I was falling in love.

That night,I decided to book my ticket home to San Francisco and tell my family that I was leaving. It was hard for everyone. I had leaned on them for 5 months, but we all felt safe that honey would there to take care of me.

The countdown to me leaving L.A for San Francisco was a short one. I booked my ticket for December 2nd. This was a Saturday and little did I know the biggest UCLA game was on that day and honey was/is a huge sports fan.

I looked forward to getting back to my life. My family and friends in L.A. had all taken great care of me.

The day finally came Saturday, December 2nd 2006 and my father drove me to the airport. As I was thinking about kissing my future honey at the airport when I saw him, my father said to me.

" Laura I have something that I need to say to you. I don't know if you will decide to be with future honey, but if it's not him then you deserve someone exactly like him." I had just been given my father's approval and with tears in my eyes I boarded the plane...

Congratulations to President Obama: To New Beginnings

I wanted to share with you my political experience of helping out as a volunteer for the Barack Obama Campaign for Change over this past weekend. I was called by a volunteer on my cell phone on Halloween eve. The volunteer asked if I would like to come to the phone bank headquarters to call voters in swing states. I found myself saying yes and volunteering honey to come along as well.

It felt just like a scene out of a movie. Saturday, November 1st was a very dark, rainy and stormy day in San Francisco, so we had to cab it over to the headquarters. We pulled up to the building to see Barack Obama campaign signs out front. We walked inside with another gentleman who said out loud, as we escaped from the rain, "That's right, you have true dedication to come out in the rain to help out like this." Then we walked inside to become apart of a headquarters in a campaign that we all believed in. I felt like I was doing something that I believed in, and maybe I could help, in a small way, to bringing about change.

We signed in and went to have an orientation with about 10 other volunteers. In the morning the phone bank was calling Florida, but during our shift we were calling Colorado. We were given a list of about 40 people to call to encourage them to vote on November 4th. Below is the example of the script that we used:

Script Hello, may I speak with _____? My name is _Laura_ and I'm a volunteer with Barack Obama's Campaign for Change. I'm calling to ask you about your plans for voting in this election. Do you plan on voting in person on Tuesday, or have you already voted?

(If They Say They Won't Vote:) Well I hope you change your mind- just imagine how great it will feel to be able to tell people that YOU voted for change by supporting the Barack Obama in 2008! In case you change your mind, you can vote on Tuesday and the polls are open until 7 p.m.

(If Already Voted) Thank you so much for voting in this historic election!
__________________________________________________
Some of the more memorable calls were:

1) A 90 year old, undecided woman who's dog was barking in the background. She kept calling me "honey."

Me: Do you think you'll be able to go out and vote on Tuesday?
Undecided: Yes, but I can't decide who to vote for.
Me: It's great that you are going. Can I ask what is keeping you as undecided?
Undecided: I'm stuck between two candidates.... Ralph Nader and Barack Obama
Me: How will you decide?
Undecided: Well I know Ralph Nader doesn't have a chance in hell of winning, but I thought I would help.

2) An 11 year old boy answered the phone.

Me: Can I talk to your father?
Boy: He is not at home
Me: Do you know if your parents have voted?
Boy: I don't know about that stuff

3) I had a couple of wives question who I was when I asked to talk to their husbands. :)

4) There was a teacher sitting next to us and she got off a call and seemed visibly upset.

Teacher: I just have to talk to someone about this call.
Me: Sure we can talk.
Teacher: Well I just spoke with this 19 year old girl who said she was voting for McCain because she believes in his fiscal policy. This scares me so much as I am a teacher that works my ass off.
Me: You know, people of that age tend to vote the same as their parents. Try to think about the other people on the phone that you did reach.

I found volunteering to be a great experience that I would do again. It's rare in this world to feel apart of something and to feel that you can help make a difference.

Congratulations President Barack Obama!

One Vote

Election Day-2008 Presidential Campaign: Please Get Out There Today & Vote

Please go out and cast your vote today. It is the most important election of our time. Please go out and vote in this historic election.

No matter who is elected to become the next President of the United States, they have an unbelievably challenging job ahead of them to fix our economy, change the world view of us and bring change.

In 2001, I become a U.S citizen. I was so excited to complete the complicated two year process of being finger printed by the FBI, testing and finally I had a swearing in ceremony at the L.A. Staples Center (which was wonderful). I casted my first vote in the 2004 Presidential election. My first poll station was at a dark, seedy, motel/hotel in San Francisco and I voted with all walks of life.

I believed that my vote counted during my first election. I would still like to believe that every vote counts.

All of the world will be watching us today to welcome the change.

Please Vote!



http://www.voteforchange.com/
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/caoffices/

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Our Love Story: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Interracial dating, love and our relationship. Story continued: Slowly I did it taking small, stiff steps. I practiced for 45 minutes and was tired at the end. Before I end and rest honey showed me that I had to walk without the crutches all together so I would know that I could do it.
One, two, three......
I took my first weak steps. We were both so proud of me. Then future honey reached for me, hugged me and then kissed me awkwardly on the forehead. Looking back, I am glad he kissed my forehead, as I wasn’t ready for more. I was concentrating on getting better from my knee surgeries so I could return to my life in San Francisco. I was trying to return to him.

Around this time, honey had visited me several times in L.A. His parents, especially his mother started to show concern. Honey's parents and family are Hindu and come from a small town in southern India. They came to America after honey and his sister were born. They moved and still live in Northern California, own a Store that they have worked very hard for and his father also works for a large hospital.

Mothers always know don’t they? Honey's mother asked him why was he coming to L.A. to see me so often. She suggested that I was leaning on her son too much. That honey only felt loyal to me because I had helped him get a job. She questioned our friendship, his loyalties and my intentions.

I will talk more about the parent friction in upcoming chapters, but I wanted to let you know that we have had obstacles to overcome as well.

So here's a funny story that I would like to share with you. I have talked a lot about giving mixed messages during this time of our friendship to my future honey. I gave ALOT of mixed messages. Honey gave some as well.

Honey was staying at my father's house for the weekend. He had gone to UCLA for college so he still had a lot of close friends that lived in L.A. He was looking after me during the day and it was getting late when I suggested that he stay the night and could sleep in my little brother's room. (Mixed messages.) He agreed to stay, but had no luggage with him. Before we fell asleep I asked if he needed anything like a clean towel for the bathroom or a toothbrush. (Mixed messages.)

Honey said laughing "Well then that would mean me getting two different toothbrushes from two different girls in one weekend!"(Mixed messages)

My heart sank.

Nice Honey :)

Stay tuned for the next chapter. Interracial dating, love and our relationship: Chapter 3 Part 4 Meet The Parents Opposite Reactions