Who is Sarah Palin

I pulled this from an online story:

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's a good profile
Here's the best profile I could find on Sarah Palin, by Fred Barnes in The Weekly Standard in July 2007:
The wipeout in the 2006 election left Republicans in such a state of dejection that they've overlooked the one shining victory in which a Republican star was born. The triumph came in Alaska where Sarah Palin, a politician of eye-popping integrity, was elected governor. She is now the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating in the 90s, and probably the most popular public official in any state.
Her rise is a great (and rare) story of how adherence to principle--especially to transparency and accountability in government--can produce political success. And by the way, Palin is a conservative who only last month vetoed 13 percent of the state's proposed budget for capital projects. The cuts, the Anchorage Daily News said, "may be the biggest single-year line-item veto total in state history."
As recently as last year, Palin (pronounced pale-in) was a political outcast. She resigned in January 2004 as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission after complaining to the office of Governor Frank Murkowski and to state Attorney General Gregg Renkes about ethical violations by another commissioner, Randy Ruedrich, who was also Republican state chairman.
State law barred Palin from speaking out publicly about ethical violations and corruption. But she was vindicated later in 2004 when Ruedrich, who'd been reconfirmed as state chairman, agreed to pay a $12,000 fine for breaking state ethics laws. She became a hero in the eyes of the public and the press, and the bane of Republican leaders.
In 2005, she continued to take on the Republican establishment by joining Eric Croft, a Democrat, in lodging an ethics complaint against Renkes, who was not only attorney general but also a long-time adviser and campaign manager for Murkowski. The governor reprimanded Renkes and said the case was closed. It wasn't. Renkes resigned a few weeks later, and Palin was again hailed as a hero.
Palin, 43, the mother of four, passed up a chance to challenge Republican senator Lisa Murkowski, the then-governor's daughter, in 2004. She endorsed another candidate in the primary, but Murkowski won and was reelected. Palin said then that her 14-year-old son talked her out of running, though it's doubtful that was the sole reason.
In 2006, she didn't hesitate. She ran against Gov. Murkowski, who was seeking a second term despite sagging poll ratings, in the Republican primary. In a three-way race, Palin captured 51 percent and won in a landslide. She defeated former Democratic governor Tony Knowles in the general election, 49 percent to 41 percent. She was one of the few Republicans anywhere in the country to perform above expectations in 2006, an overwhelmingly Democratic year. Palin is unabashedly pro life.
With her emphasis on ethics and openness in government, "it turned out Palin caught the temper of the times perfectly," wrote Tom Kizzia of the Anchorage Daily News. She was also lucky. News broke of an FBI investigation of corruption by legislators between the primary and general elections. So far, three legislators have been indicted.
In the roughly three years since she quit as the state's chief regulator of the oil industry, Palin has crushed the Republican hierarchy (virtually all male) and nearly every other foe or critic. Political analysts in Alaska refer to the "body count" of Palin's rivals. "The landscape is littered with the bodies of those who crossed Sarah," says pollster Dave Dittman, who worked for her gubernatorial campaign. It includes Ruedrich, Renkes, Murkowski, gubernatorial contenders John Binkley and Andrew Halcro, the three big oil companies in Alaska, and a section of the Daily News called "Voice of the Times," which was highly critical of Palin and is now defunct.
One of her first acts as governor was to fire the Alaska Board of Agriculture. Her ultimate target was the state Creamery Board, which has been marketing the products of Alaska dairy farmers for 71 years and wanted to close down after receiving $600,000 from the state. "You don't just close your doors and walk away," Palin told me. She discovered she lacked the power to fire the Creamery Board. Only the board of agriculture had that authority. So Palin replaced the agriculture board, which appointed a new creamery board, which has rescinded the plan to shut down.
In preserving support for dairy farmers, Palin exhibited a kind of Alaskan chauvinism. She came to the state as an infant, making her practically a native. And she is eager to keep Alaska free from domination by oil companies or from reliance on cruise lines whose ships bring thousands of tourists to the state.
"She's as Alaskan as you can get," says Dan Fagan, an Anchorage radio talk show host. "She's a hockey mom, she lives on a lake, she ice fishes, she snowmobiles, she hunts, she's an NRA member, she has a float plane, and her husband works for BP on the North Slope," Fagan says. Todd Palin, her high school sweetheart, is a three-time winner of the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race from Wasilla to Nome to Fairbanks. It's the world's longest snowmobile race.
Gov. Palin grew up in Wasilla, where as star of her high school basketball team she got the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" for her fierce competitiveness. She led her underdog team to the state basketball championship. Palin also won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest, in which she was named Miss Congeniality, and went on to compete in the Miss Alaska pageant.
At 32, she was elected mayor of Wasilla, a burgeoning bedroom community outside Anchorage. Though Alaskans tend to be ferociously anti-tax, she persuaded Wasilla voters to increase the local sales tax to pay for an indoor arena and convention center. The tax referendum won by 20 votes.
In 2002, Palin entered statewide politics, running for lieutenant governor. She finished a strong second in the Republican primary. That fall, she dutifully campaigned for Murkowski, who'd given up his Senate seat to run for governor. Afterwards, she turned down several job offers from Murkowski, finally accepting the oil and gas post. When she quit 11 months later, "that was her defining moment" in politics, says Fagan.
Her campaign for governor was bumpy. She missed enough campaign appearances to be tagged "No Show Sarah" by her opponents. She was criticized for being vague on issues. But she sold voters on the one product that mattered: herself.
Her Christian faith--Palin grew up attending nondenominational Bible churches--was a minor issue in the race. She told me her faith affects her politics this way: "I believe everything happens for a purpose. In my own personal life, if I dedicated back to my Creator what I'm trying to create for the good . . . everything will turn out fine." That same concept applies to her political career, she suggested.
The biggest issue in the campaign was the proposed natural gas pipeline from the North Slope that's crucial to the state's economy. Murkowski had made a deal with the three big oil companies--Exxon, BP, ConocoPhillips--which own the gas reserves to build the pipeline. But the legislature turned it down and Palin promised to create competition for the pipeline contract.
She made three other promises: to end corruption in state government, cut spending, and provide accountability. She's now redeeming those promises.
Palin describes herself as "pro-business and pro-development." She doesn't want the oil companies to sit on their energy reserves or environmental groups to block development of the state's resources. "I get frustrated with folks from outside Alaska who come up and say you shouldn't develop your resources," she says. Alaska needs to be self-sufficient, she says, instead of relying heavily on "federal dollars," as the state does today.
Her first major achievement as governor was lopsided passage by the legislature of the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, which is designed to attract pipeline proposals this summer. The state is offering $500 million in incentives, but the developer must meet strict requirements. The oil companies have said they won't join the competition.
Palin's tough spending cuts drew criticism from Republican legislators whose pet projects were vetoed. But her popularity doesn't appear threatened. "It's not just that she's pretty and young," says Dittman. "She's really smart. And there's no guile. She says her favorite meal is moose stew or mooseburgers. It wouldn't shock people if that were true."

8/26/08

I had a fabulous b'day with my parents, my boyfriend and family friends on Friday night. I can truly say this was my best birthday in years! Then Friday night my boyfriend and I went to a house warming party that was oh so much fun! Saturday I met with my friend to go try on wedding gowns. I'm not getting married yet, it was a research project. Of course my favorite gown was $4950! Go figure! Saturday night I babysat.
I've been a little stressed about the second job. It was hard to put on the big girl panties and go back out there after being told I was ineligible for rehire before. I went last wednesday to drop off a resume and fill out applications and a few different places. I had an appointment yesterday afternoon. It was a fantastic interview and I got the job! Now hopefully I can really start to get back on my feet financially!

My Birthday

For anyone who knows me well they know that birthdays are a very big deal to me! I have always gone all out on birthday presents for family, friends, and significant others! I just think it's exciting to have a day to celebrate the day you came into the world. Now as I get older I'm finding I have mixed feelings about my birthday but I still desire that it be recognized. Yesterday was honestly one of the very best birthdays that I've had in years. Probably since my 25th which I do have good memories of! The past 3 birthdays have all been ones I just wish I could forget!
My birthday started off last week when my car insurance was paid for me. This is major b/c I'm having serious financial difficulties this year and I could not make the payment. Then the night before my birthday we went out for drinks. The day of my birthday I had a text message from my college roommate telling me happy birthday, I got a happy birthday from my sweet boyfriend. I was able to sleep in. Then I went and had my hair done. From there I took in a movie. I went home and checked emails, I had numerous emails and messages from friends on facebook and my space, it was fabulous! I had phone calls from friends wishing me happy birthday! It just made my whole day! This was all followed by my wonderful boyfriend coming up to take me to dinner. He stood at the door with flowers in hand and a beautiful card. We went to dinner and then split an ice cream sunday. We went for a leisurely stroll and then called it a night. All in all it was a perfect birthday! It was exactly what I needed after the drama of the previous 3 years. I don't think I could have handled another horrible birthday! Tonight we're going out to dinner with my parents at one of my favorite Charlotte italian joints :)

Birthday

Today is my 29th birthday. I've been thinking about the past couple of years. I have mixed emotions on where I'm at and what is going on in my life. I had a motto that I would party and be dead by the time I was 30 but that's all changed now. I know that God has a purpose and a plan for my life. I just have to trust that He's leading me where He wants me to go.

Isaiah 65:24

This beautiful story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa.

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities.

Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed.

As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

"All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm."

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children.

"Please, God" she prayed, "Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say "Amen?" I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes.

I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.

From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.

Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!" Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, "Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"

"Of course," I replied.

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.'

"Before they call, I will answer." (Isaiah 65:24)

When you receive this, say the prayer. That's all you have to do. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but DO send it on. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. Let's continue paying for one another. This awesome prayer takes less than a minute.

Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal Your love and release to them Your courage. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it. I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen

It still hurts my feelings

I have to give this up. I prayed thru the service on Saturday night that God would take this away. I know that He has a plan for me. I know that He is the only one who can change the perspective that I'm a manipulative liar.
When I heard that my friend was being told not to invite me that really bothered me. I remember vividly last year standing in the living room crying and asking for forgiveness. This was after we'd had a conversation where I was told that I'd already said no to certain things. That we needed to work to keep things fresh. The following morning I looked in the mirror and I didn't know who I was looking at. For weeks things had been detoriorating between us and I could no longer talk to him. The evening before the night of the conversation I'd been thinking about the future. Then when those things were said to me I just realized that I no longer had any idea of who I was and I had worked so hard to change into whatever it was I thought he wanted that I had entirely lost myself. When I walked away and the long lingering after effects of this all I was in a million pieces. I had nothing left to give anyone. It hurts me that I am considered a lying manipulative bitch still. I even sent another apology letter in March. Just saying that I'm sorry I couldn't talk and explain what was going on. I was told I was put in the same category as the ex wife and I've been forgiven for all that I did. My friends all said that I didn't need to send that additional apology that I had nothing to apologize for but I felt that I did.
I am so happy that he has seemingly found a wonderful Christian who he wants to spend a future with. That makes me happy and is truly an answer to prayer that I've been praying since I walked away a year ago. I can honestly say I could not be married to him and I would not be able to handle all that goes along with that package. I know that only God can change the perspective that remains. I know that I did everything I could to make life better both for him and the baby. I have no regrets in my actions of all that I did. My only regret is that I don't communicate well when I'm upset and it was like pressure building and building and finally I just walked away. He couldn't forgive me for that.
I know that God is in control. I know that He can heal this. I believe that I was put in their lives for a reason, and only for a season. In my own life I would love to be married and have a family. The reality is if I'm not happy now on my own and single then being married and having a family is not going to make me happy. Happiness is only found through putting God first in your life. In His time He will guide and direct me. The only way to be happy is to be living life God's way. If He's not at the center then there is no true peace and happiness.
God has ways when there seem to be no ways. This is true with my finances, with my relationships and with my job situation.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose"
Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us"

Really?

So last night my friend is over and we're walking. I heard the details of picking out the ring and all the ensuing family drama this caused. We're walking and talking and the subject of the guest list for her wedding comes up.
It seems that my ex boyfriend is disturbed by the idea of me being a guest at her wedding and feels it would be "uncomfortable". I mean really? If you just bought a ring for the person you're madly in love with and you are happy and have moved on why should it matter if I'm a guest? I have expressed to her that if I can't be included then she just must give me lots of pics and a full out detailed description. But my thing is by the time her wedding rolls around the relationship between he and I will have been over for more than 2 years. I walked away hurt and broken. He saw me as a manipulative liar. The interesting thing to me is that I've tried so hard to apologize and not place blame and yet I'm still cast in this evil vindictive light in the same area as his nightmare ex wife. My perspective is that he has no idea what hell I went thru. The first 6 months of the relationship between he and I were exquisite. The following 6 months, hell. I could never do anything right with either him or his ex wife. I was never going to be enough for him. etc etc etc.. I've covered all that before. But I really resent the fact that he sees me in this light. I did so much for him and for his daughter and I am now in severe financial trouble b/c of my generosity. Not just with him, this kind of goes way way back but the bulk of money definitely went towards him and the baby. I don't begrudge that, what he can't see is the fact that if there had been no me then he wouldn't be ready for this engagement now.
I write all of this to get it out of my system. In looking back over the past year I see where I was broken in a million pieces from the relationship. I walked away and I had nothing left to give and no longer knew who I was b/c I had tried so hard to change and mold myself into what I thought he wanted. God has taken those pieces and changed me. I'm not who I was, I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. He has healed the hurts and anguish. If I never marry anyone then that's ok because if I can't be happy now on my own then I certainly will never be happy married. God has a purpose and a plan for my life. Very clearly after the break up last year God spoke to me and told me that He was in control and that He has plans and a purpose for me. This morning my first thought after my prayer was the best is yet to come. Thru out this week with the times when I've been thrown surprising curve balls God has been there. I know that I'm on the brink of change. It's always from a human perspective a little scary but then the big picture is, He knew me before I took my first breath. He loves me so much He sent His only Son to die for my sins. He is amazing, ominiscient, He is in control of all things seen and unseen.

easy come easy go

So I thought I had the second job in the bag. I was training, an hour into the night and I got pulled back to the managers office. Turns out I was undesirable. The managers wanted me to work there, the staff was all extremely excited that I was back. I'm hurt by the fact that I was so quickly terminated. I don't understand it. Both managers are going to call their contacts and see who is hiring for hostesses. I'm just overwhelmed by the fact that I thought everything was going to be ok and now I'm back to square 1. I'm trying not to cry over this. Last night finding out said ex boyfriend had bought a ring, while I would not want to be engaged or married to him but that news and this news is just a lot for 1 day.

Perspective

So last night I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine. I heard some news about an ex boyfriend. The one who has the little girl. Apparently he met someone and they talked via email for a month and then met face to face and now after 3 total months he has an engagement ring.
I would not want to be married to him, I would have a bleeding ulcer at this point had he and I stayed together. I talked last night to my girlfriends who know me so well. I was able to walk thru the process that yes the first 3 months with this guy were spectacular and he was the best guy I'd ever met and he was amazing and special and wonderful. The next 3 months were wonderful. It was after that when it all started to fall apart. I fully acknowledge that I should not have dated someone going thru a divorce. I was always told that he had to learn from mistakes and would not be rushing into anything again. He had met the first wife online and after 2 weeks of knowing her they were married. She was pregnant but they did move at lightening speed.
I think back to my life this time last year and how deeply deeply unhappy I was. I could never do anything right. I was never good enough. I was just constantly feeling like I wasn't measuring up. I looked in the mirror and no longer knew who I was. So am I in a better place now? Absolutely. It's hard to know that I spent so much time and effort on something that in the end has been so hurtful.
When I found out I got the job at Ruth's Chris I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is moving me in a new direction. I don't know what the future holds. I knew last year when I walked away from this relationship that God was in control. My friends always told me that they wanted God's best for me and perhaps what I had just walked away from wasn't God's best. I have wanted marriage and family for so long that I keep trying to push it to be my way. In the end if it's not right then it's not going to be all that wonderful. It will be a shell for the real thing.
I end with scriptures that I hold onto as God's promise.
Romans 8:28-30
"28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29) For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30) And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. "

Jeremiah 29: 11-13
"11) For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. "

Ephesians 3:20
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us"

Isaiah43:1
"1 But now, this is what the LORD says he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. "

Isaiah 43: 18-19
"18) "Forget the former things;do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. "

AAHHH

Goodness gracious if it's not one thing it's another. I had an amazing time with my family over the weekend. My cousin got married (for the 2nd time) in Gatlinburg yesterday. I really love the woman he married and I think that they are going to be fabulous together! She has a 10 year old who I loved to hear him talk. He had that fabulous scratchy kid voice that you hear in movies and on tv sometimes. We all hadn't seen each other in years and years so catching up was wonderful. Seeing my little cousin who was 6 the last time and is now going to be a high school sophomore was eye opening, I still remember her as 6 and now she's beautiful! My other cousin was 8 last time and is now going to be a senior in high school. Time flies!
I had a lot of dreams over the weekend. I think b/c of the timing and the fact that I kept thinking back to this time last year. It's hard because just when I think I'm finally breaking free from my memories I'll have another vivid dream. No one can ever explain how hard it is to break up with someone who has a child. After talking to my Aunt who married my Uncle who had 2 kids I realized that despite the pain had I married the guy then it would have been more difficult than I could ever imagine. My uncles ex was such a nightmare that she never wanted him to move on and always wanted him to be miserable and ran quite the hate campaign against my aunt. In talking with her I realized how easily that could have been my fate. My ex's ex was just as much of a walking nightmare evil monster and I have no doubt I would be dealing with a bleeding ulcer right about now. As good as some things were that is one thing I am almost positive of.
Life moves at an incredible pace. In looking at how all things work out I understand that I'm never going to have the answers. I am just happy that I have the 2 jobs, the house, a family who loves me. All in all I really can't complain :)

I Got the Job

I had a successful second interview at the restuarant last night and I will be going back to work part time as a hostess on Tuesday of next week. I am so happy and relieved to know that I will start to have this additional income again!