FRG---What's that??

So I’m not a complete idiot…I do, in fact know what the FRG is supposed to be. I also have heard plenty of horror stories about what it tends to morph into. But I have to be honest…I’m more than a little bit jealous of all of you who get to complain about your FRG. I know you’re thinking “Shanon, what are you talking about. Your husband is an active duty Sailor, on a boat that can technically deploy. Don’t you have your own FRG to complain about?” My only response is…NOPE!
So since my husband has been attached to this ship I have been asking for contact information. How do I contact the Ombudsman, who is the Ombudsman, what about the FRG? They have had a lot of underways, all less than a month so no big deal but things can happen in a week let alone a month. Furthermore one of their underways came back early another was a day late, how am I supposed to get this information?
Hubby asked and asked and asked. Finally he was able to get an email address for me for the Ombudsman (I do not know if it works or not, haven’t tried it but it’s just a Gmail account is that normal or do they have .mil emails?) When he asked about the FRG for me he was told “we are too busy to do that right now.”
Too busy? TOO BUSY??? You are too busy to find a spouse who can organize a group to meet every now and then to create a support system so that when the boat leaves we know who to contact/how to contact them? More importantly so that they know how to contact me if there is something I need to know?
I literally know 2 of the wives on Adam’s boat, and one of them is in divorce proceedings right now. Their husbands are in the same department as Adam and roughly the same rank…I’m pretty sure they aren’t going to know anything important if I don’t.
This is something that has been eating at me for about 2 months but I have kept quiet because I thought it was stupid. But over the past week I have heard more about FRG’s and Ombudsmen from my tweeps/bloggie friends than I have since I entered this virtual reality and it kind of brought the pissed-offness back to the surface.
What is your opinion of FRG’s/Ombudsmen/Spouse Support Groups? Does your ship/division/branch/base/post/whatever offer good support? Do they at least try? Do you have any spouse-friends who work with your husband/wife? How did you meet?
At this point I don’t care if it sucks, something has to be better than being told you don’t matter and they don’t have time for you.

Two thought Tuesday-Wednesday edition

So I just realized I forgot two thought Tuesday yesterday. I apologize profusely so I'm making it up now, from my phone. Which means no button or mr Linky but please feel free to join in!

1-Ace calculus the first time, retaking it 7 years after your last math class is a pain in the a$$ (I was doing homework for 4 hours last night, thus the missed post)

2-sometimes having enough of something (money, food, time) is more satisfying than having a lot of extras.

What are two random thoughts that sum up how you're feeling right now?

10-day cleanse—The Results

All in all I think the cleanse was a success. In total I lost 6.6lbs, 1½ inches around my waist, and ½ inch off my hips. It was a longer process than it should have been thanks to my minor derailment last weekend but I think the extra 3 days didn’t hurt anything. I feel a little better overall, more energized etc so I plan to try and keep the LIFESTYLE change up as much as I can. I’m still going to limit my processed foods and refined sugar/carbs and really hope to continue to see results in my everday life. I have updated my MyFitnessPal profile so it is now set to lose 1lb/week which means if I keep everything going on track I should hit my goal weight by the end of summer. I really hope I am able to keep up my activity level etc and hit it sooner but if not I am completely ok with that. I’m only 10 pounds from a “healthy” BMI which is my real goal more than anything. Having so many great cheerleaders on MFP has really made this a lot easier so thank you to them for their help and I hope that I am a helpful cheerleader for you as well.

10-day cleanse update

Phase 2—The middle 4 days are a little harder than Phases 1 & 3—
No: alcohol, caffeine, processed OJ, sugar, refined carbs, red meat, dairy, wheat, additives, preservatives, salt.
NO: white meat, white fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, grains (barley, rye, oats), milk substitutes, white potatoes, tomatoes, and organic yogurt (guess it’s the one dairy thing that’s ok?)
I already mentioned how hard of a time I was having with everything and how I almost quit. Plus the whole delaying phase 2 and stretching out Phase 1 thing. This week has been much better, so much so that today I am rewarding myself while still staying on track, for lunch I’m going to Mongolian BBQ with some co-workers, I just have to make sure I don’t get anything on the NO list for Phase3 and I’ll be good to go.
Yesterday and Wednesday I hit 1200 calories gross but on Wednesday I rode my bike to the store which took my net down to 1184. But I am feeling better than I was. I completely understand why they discourage going below 1200 calories on a regular basis, I was absolutely wiped. And I’m already feeling better. Last night I slept amazingly it was great.
The bike ride was my only “real” exercise during Phase 2, but I did stretch every morning and did situps on Tuesday and Thursday (but only 25 each day). Tonight I am going ballroom dancing @ the ballroom I discovered two weeks ago and I am soooo excited, I missed it so much! I also bought a Groupon for 10 hot-yoga classes; they have one for beginners on Saturday’s at 8:30am so I am planning on going tomorrow which will be fun. I’ve never done a true yoga class. I’ve done a few yoga videos and Wii yoga but that doesn’t really count.
I’ve lost another 2lbs putting the total for the past 10-days at 6.5lbs I know, not a healthy rate to lose weight blah blah blah but only 3 more days of the cleanse then I’m back to eating 1200-1500 calories/day NET, exercising regularly and actually trying to lose weight at a healthy rate. This has really given me the jump start I needed even if that wasn’t the point.
Adam will be home next week, I have no idea where he will want to eat for his homecoming dinner but I’m sure I’ll be able to keep up with my new lifestyle no matter what. For Memorial Day we have some friends coming into town (Izzy, Jersey, & I are going to stay at a friend’s house, not staying in our tiny apartment with 3 boys and 2 dogs!). We are planning on going to Williamsburg one day so I know I can eat healthy there and having a cookout on Sunday so I am going to buy either a pack of Morning Star burgers or some ground turkey haven’t decided which yet for my protein of the day. Either way I’ll still get to have fun with our friends.
I’ve discovered the next-best (if not better!) thing to a CSA. If you don’t know what a CSA is it is Community Supported Agriculture and basically you join in the spring and pay up-front for a box of produce weekly for the rest of the season. It shifts some of the risk from the farmers and gives you fresh, local produce from farmers you have actually met. There is a place locally that allows you to order whatever you want on a weekly basis and charges you a 15% markup on cost. They are also a retail store and their retail prices are 30% over their cost. All of their food is organic and when you order you have a choice of which farm your produce items come from so if you prefer local you can get local it may cost a little more or less depending on what the farmer charges the store. The downside is when you order most stuff is sold by the case but luckily their website has a section for splitting-cases where they try to divide them up among members who want to split them. I haven’t tried it yet, just found it this week, but do plan on placing an order soon. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Motivation

Today I was gonna quit the 10-day cleanse. Not because it isn’t working, not because I’m not seeing results, not because I don’t want to do it. I ate 966 calories yesterday, my average net calories (after exercise) for the past 1o days is 945, even without exercise my average calories consumed is 1090.

The average female needs at least 1200 calories per day (gross) in order to avoid putting her body into starvation mode, even when trying to lose weight. Do you know how hard it is to consume 1200 calories when all you are eating is fruits & vegetables? Well if you really are only eating fruits & vegetables without fat and oil and sugar it is very hard to do. And because I have been averaging so low the past 10 days I’m starting to get tired. Super run-down flat out exhausted tired. I feel similar to when I had mono in college. I get home from work and all I want to do is go to sleep. Last night, I couldn’t keep my eyes open past 8pm I kept waking up because of the thunderstorm outside and I wasn’t really asleep because I was watching tv but I was fighting sleep, hard.

But instead I have changed my mind. I am, in fact, not going to quit the cleanse mid-way. Instead I am going to force myself to eat enough calories. Only a few more days and the super hard part is over, I can totally do this I just have to work at it.

I have not been hungry once since starting this cleanse. I am eating more probably now than I ever have in my life, it’s just the things I am eating are healthier. It’s hard to hit 1200 calories worth of baby carrots and celery sticks!

Why the new-found commitment? Yesterday I lost 1 pound. No really, this morning I weighed myself and I weigh one full pound less today than I did at the exact same time yesterday. But that still isn’t all of my motivation. After all, the cleanse is not meant to lose weight, that’s just a happy side-effect, it is meant to get my body to a healthier balance. Get myself to a healthier place. I still stepped off the scale this morning determined to quit the cleanse an just do a regular weight loss diet until I hit my goal.

So what made me recommit to getting to a healthier place? Today I walked into work behind a woman who can only be described as morbidly obese. I am not saying that in a mean or hateful way, it is in this case simply the fact. This woman was about 5-foot tall (maybe) and could barely walk. When she walked her body bobbled from side to side, it made me sad more than anything. Then I saw what she was carrying, in her hand was a coke (if it’s a soda, pop, pepsi, 7-up it’s a coke!) from Hardees and a bag with a large to-go container. I like Hardees, especially their fried chicken, but I haven’t been there for breakfast in years so I wasn’t sure what she could possibly have in that container. When I got to work I pulled up their breakfast menu.

Let me start by standing up for Hardees, their breakfast menu has a lot of options that while not-necessarily “healthy” they aren’t very bad. Each of the items on their online menu gives full nutrition information so I was able to compare calorie and fat content for every item and must admit next time I want fast-food breakfast if I am able to resist the Chic-Fil-A Chicken Mini’s I will be stopping at Hardees. However they also have a lot of items that aren’t so great. I’ve narrowed down the list of possible things in the woman’s to-go container based on what would be served in that way. Basically it had to be a breakfast platter. The Country Fried Steak & Gravy platter has 810 calories and 49 grams of fat, the regular Breakfast Platter has 860 calories and 55 grams of fat, the Big Country Breakfast Platter weighs in at 870 calories and 44 grams of fat, the pancake platter isn’t so bad it only has 310 calories but still contains 50 grams of fat.

To put that into perspective, over the past 10 days my daily average fat consumption has been 38 grams. That is 6 grams of fat lower than is in any one of those breakfast platters. That single meal contains almost as many calories as I consume in one day, plus at least 6 grams of fat more than I eat. (and that includes the butter I put on my sweet potato at Texas roadhouse Sunday!)

Life is full of slippery slopes and I’m going to do my best to steer clear of this one. I’m going to eat as much as I possibly can over the next few days. For those of you who are on My Fitness Pal please feel free to add me as a friend. (SRPM) When the notification comes up that I’m under my calorie goal, yell at me. At least until next Monday. Next Monday I will reset my daily calories to a slightly higher number for now they’re set at 1200 not because that’s my limit but because that’s my goal. I have to eat enough to have energy to do the things I need to do but I also need to get all of that crap out of my system from all of the Taco Bell and McDonalds and Hardees I have eaten over the years.

44 Grams of fat…in one meal…that is why I’m doing this. That is why I’m going to succeed.

(and just so we are clear 44 grams of fat is roughly 3 ½ TBSP of Crisco or 3 ¾ TBSP of Butter, )

The cleanse-and update

So I have failed, ish. Over the weekend Adam and I visited historic Williamsburg and had a blast, unfortunately there were so many tempting treats! The good news is everything I ate was allowable under phase one, told you phase 2 would be a challenge! So I continued phase 1 through yesterday and will be following phase two today-Friday phase 3 will be Saturday - Monday then hubby will be home so I should be able to stick to it.

Energy level-today I'm a little tired but I didn't sleep very well last night, the neighbors left their porch light on (which they never do!) and it shined right on my bed so I'm thinking that was a contributing factor, however overall I am feeling good. My energy level is low today but higher than it would have been if I had been eating crap.

Weight-I'm down another 1/2 a lb since phase 1 ended the first time this puts me at 18lbs from my goal weight.

Exercise- I've continued stretching in the morning and am already seeing a small difference in my flexibility. I've been rising my bike when I can instead of driving and over the weekend Adam and I spent at least 6 hours walking around Williamsburg.

I promise a full post on Williamsburg sometime this week. I remembered the camera so I have some fun pictures to share! :)

Two thought Tuesday

So here are my two thoughts for this Tuesday!  Please feel free to share your thoughts also, just remember if you do to link up with Mr. Linky!

1-Nothing makes a girl feel pretty faster than a manicure and pedicure.

2-Puppy cuddles in the morning make everything better.

Happy military spouse appreciation day!!

Happy military spouse appreciation day! The Friday before Mothers Day is officially Milspouse appreciation day.  In honor of this day Household6 Diva (www.household6diva.com) and RC (www.riding therollercoaster.com) are hosting a blog swap!  I love blog swaps, unfortunately I don’t get to participate in them very often since I usually blog from my phone but I couldn’t pass this one up. I’m super excited to go through and meet new fun milspouse bloggy friends J A little about me: My name is Shanon and this is my blog “Modern meets Traditional.”  I came up with the idea for my blog because whenever anyone asks me to describe myself in an interview etc I usually come up with I’m a mix of modern and traditional, let me explain. I love the music of the 20’s-50’s as much as I do Hannah Montana, my fashion sense (if you can call it that!) is a mixture of sleek modern professional attire and 1940’s housewife, I am driven and want to be successful in my career, but I also want to have a family and actually raise my own children and that’s just my personality!  It is crazy the way my entire life encompasses this theme. I grew up in rural Kentucky and went to college about two hours away in Louisville.  When I graduated I decided to stay in Louisville, which didn’t really surprise anyone. I accepted a job, bought a house, and got a dog.  I was living the American dream. My husband Adam and I met in 2008, went on our first date a few days later, and never looked back.  The story is actually really funny; you can read all about it, including how I thought he was gay, in my blog post from April 23 if you want to go read it, I’ll wait. We got married in the Fall of 2009 after deciding that he should join the Navy.  It was something he had wanted to do for a long time but the timing was never right, in the spring of 2009 we got engaged and started trying to lose weight.  Unfortunately the company I worked for announced they were closing in January 2010 so I had relocated to Peachtree City, GA for a new job and he stayed behind.  During this time he realized he didn’t want to leave me stuck in GA by myself while he went off and joined the Navy.  SO in July, 2010 Adam moved to Georgia with me and all was right in the world.  Shortly after he moved down Adam got a job managing an oil change shop.  The corporation he worked for was great, however unfortunately as time went on we learned that his district and regional managers were both a little shady.  So about October 2010 we went back to discussing the Navy and Adam went back to trying to lose weight since he had regained some.  In January 2011 Adam moved back to Louisville so that he could finish his enlistment stuff with his recruiter there and in February he left for boot camp.   In July 2011 Adam was stationed in Norfolk and I stayed in Georgia.  We didn’t know what the schedule would look like for his new ship and wanted to wait to make sure I would have time to settle in before he deployed etc if I was in a new place.  By September I was job hunting in VA and in October I told my boss that I would be leaving as soon as I found a job.  Now here I am living in the tiny apartment we rented because it was perfect for just him and me on occasional visits, with my husband, and two dogs…living in one room…we are crazy!  I have a great job working with really nice people.  I have started to make friends and can’t wait to see what the rest of this crazy Navy adventure brings.

10-day cleanse progress report

Phase 1—The first three days of the cleanse are fairly simple, to refresh—
No: alcohol, caffeine, processed OJ, sugar, refined carbs, red meat, dairy, wheat, additives, preservatives, salt.
Limit: white meat, white fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, grains (barley, rye, oats), milk substitutes, white potatoes, tomatoes, and organic yogurt (guess it’s the one dairy thing that’s ok?)
How have I done? Well here is what I’ve had to eat:
Monday:
B: Tangelo, Pineapple Juice, Unsalted Roasted Almonds
L: Salad with Mushrooms, Onion, Beets, Bell Peppers, Raisins & Balsamic Vinegar and a small side of Quinoa.
D: Chicken Breast, Sweet Potato w/Ginger & Cinnamon, Lettuce w/Balsamic Vinegar
Snack: Cocoa Roasted Almonds
Tuesday:
B: Strawberries, Hard Boiled Egg, Banana
L: Salad with Mushrooms, Onion, Beets, Bell Peppers, Raisins & Balsamic Vinegar and a small side of cooked Baby Carrots.
D: Salad w/Chicken Breast, Almonds, Strawberries, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms & Balsamic Vinegar
Snacks: Unsalted Almonds, Tangelo, Baby Carrots, Blueberries, Silk Mixed Berry Fruit & Protein
Wednesday:
B: Granola w/Almonds and Honey, V8
L: Baked Potato, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Black Olives, Green Onion, & Tomatoes with 1tsp of butter
D: Flounder, Zucchini, Sweet Potato w/Ginger and Cinnamon
Snacks: Banana w/Natural Peanut Butter, Tangelo, Silk Fruit & Protein-Mixed Berry, Blueberries
I’ve noticed a change in my energy level already, I’ve been sleeping better, and I’m really proud of myself for avoiding caffeine and chocolate! Today starts the hard phase, 4 days with no foods from the limit list so no meat, no milk substitute, and no nuts, I think I’m going to have to find a way to incorporate beans into a couple of meals for protein this weekend. Tonight shouldn’t be bad since hubby has duty I’ll probably just eat raw veggies and fruit for dinner, maybe some air-popped popcorn. Tomorrow night we plan on trying to grill butternut squash for the first time, wish us luck!
On the exercise side I did some research and discovered that they discourage over-exertion because of the drastic change from most people’s regular diets (less fat, carbs, protein, calories) so I’ve toned down my goals a little bit. Monday I walked on the beach with the puppies for about 30 minutes, Tuesday I took a 20 minute bike ride, yesterday I had a final exam and by the time I was done with it hubby was asleep so I stretched some and did about 25 crunches, I figured at least it’s something. This morning I stretched and did crunches again before I got in the shower I think I’m going to make it my new morning routine, so easy, doesn’t take very long, and stretching is a good thing.
Oh and the thing you all want to know—the scale this morning was 4lbs lower than it was on Monday. This means I’m less than 20lbs from my goal weight!!! And right at 10lbs from being back in the “healthy” BMI range and out of “overweight”!

Funny things I do

I totally just typed the first half of a blog post for tomorrow in my work email, then sent it to myself so that I can copy and past it into the blogger ap on my phone tomorrow and save the trouble of typing from my phone. This is not the first time I've done this--in fact I am doing the same thing now...
Do you ever email future blog post or drafts to yourself? Or am I just strange???

Two Thought Tuesday

The other day while pondering the meaning of life...or procrastinating, whichever I came up with a bunch of very random, completely unrelated thoughts that are interesting and thought "I should totally blog about this."  Thus, Two Thought Tuesday, was born.  The point of Two Thought Tuesday is simply that, to post two original, (or not) thoughts that are in your head right now.  Feel free to link up below and carry this forward on your own!

Today's Thoughts:

The better someone thinks they know you, the less they actually know about you.

Procrastination will bite you in the ass.

10-day cleanse, the plan

So I’m doing a 10-day cleanse…nope not the pop a pill and be in the bathroom all day type, that’s kind of gross and I don’t see how it can be at all healthy. This one is a holistic-cleanse your body of allergens/toxins/medication etc. type of cleanse.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately about diets/exercise/whole body health and I really feel like I eat too much crap. Yes, I eat better than the general American population but still it’s too much for my body. I read about this cleanse and it sounds like a good idea to me, especially since it is very simple and doesn’t cut out all of any one source of nutrition (think no-carb, no fat etc diets). My intention is to complete the cleanse then try to extremely limit the crap food I eat.
Adam and I agree that we eat out to much and there is no reason for it, plus we both love to cook and prefer healthy foods, so here is hoping this is a lifestyle change that we both end up being healthier after.
*side note, Adam isn’t doing the cleanse, he has his PFA soon and is about 20lbs over so he’s doing one of his stupid crash diets that cannot possibly be healthy but work, hopefully this change will also eliminate the need for these stupid diets!*
Here is the plan:
· Every day first thing in the morning drink a glass of water with lemon juice
· Eliminate all artificial sweeteners, preservatives, non-natural sugar (including corn syrup & white granulated sugar)
· Up my water intake to at least 10 glasses/day, preferably 15
· Eliminate all caffeine (wish me luck!)
· Take no medicine, including vitamins, Tylenol, and allergy pills
· Days 1-3 and 8-10 eat anything from the Foods to eat liberally & enjoy some of the foods to eat moderately list, eat nothing on the foods to avoid list
· Days 4-7 only eat foods off of the foods to eat liberally list
· Continue counting calories consumed/exercise/weight etc on My Fitness Pal (I reset everything to zero this morning)
· Track my water on MFP also (I’m bad about this one!)
· Days 1-3 & 8-10 exercise at least 30 minutes/day to break a sweat
· Days 4-7 exercise moderately, probably stick with stretching/yoga etc (4-7 are very low protein & carb days)

Foods to eat liberally:
Vegetables-
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, onions, asparagus, avocado, kale, artichoke, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, celery, watercress, peas, & herbs are all highly recommended.
Fruit-
Apples, pears, apricots, peaches, mangos, melons, papayas, pineapple, banana, kiwi, berries, lemons, legumes, whole grains, olive oil
Beverages-
Pure fruit juice, Vegetable Juice, dandelion tea (up to 3 cups per day), fruit & herbal teas, water

Foods to eat moderately:
White meat (chicken, turkey), White Fish (Cod, sole, haddock, herring), Eggs, Nuts, Seeds, Dried Fruit, Grains (barley, rye, oats), Milk substitutes (Soy, rice, almond milk), White potatoes, Tomatoes, Natural Organic Yogurt

Foods to Avoid-
Caffeine, Alcohol, Orange Juice, Sugar, Refined Carbs, Red meat, Dairy, Wheat, Additives & preservatives, prepackaged/processed food, salt

Realistically I think I’ll be able to do it no problem. The only things on the “avoid” list that I will probably re-introduce into my diet on a regular (though hopefully not as frequent) basis will be red meat, dairy (specifically cheese!), & wheat. I would love it if I could kick caffeine to the curb, it’s just so tasty!

I plan to keep posting along the was so I’ll let everyone know how I’m doing!

MilSpouse (first) Friday fillin

So I'm posting from my phone which means no links, images, or fun formatting but I didn't want to miss out, you know the drill and if you don't read on for more info:
From wifey @ wifeofasailor (our host)
I love learning more about my fellow MilSpouse bloggers. So I created a weekly meme, which has now morphed into a monthly meme. This happens on the first Friday of every month. To do this, I post a list of questions the day before (on Thursday so you can have your blog ready on Friday). Come back here on Friday (tomorrow) and enter your blog post into Mr. Linky!

1. What’s one thing in the past month you would have changed?
This sounds silly but I would have gotten out of bed earlier last Saturday to start the prep work for Adams party. It went off great but it was so late before I got to bed Saturday that I was exhausted all day Sunday and still haven't recovered 100%

2. What was your favorite thing that happened in April?
Adams party, well the look on his face when he realized what I had done, totally worth every second of hard work.

3. What are your plans for Memorial Day?
Hopefully my best guy friends from college (and Adams best friends!) including our wedding party boys will be in town visiting so lots of laying on the beach laughin at the boys. I will also be having a slumber party with a three year old because I will not be staying in the apartment with the boys.

4. Have you ever traveled Space A? If yes, where… if no, would you ever try it?
I haven't and am kind of hesitant to...

5. What are you looking forward to in May?
I cannot wait to see our friends from home. I miss those boys so much!

Ok, your turn go visit www.wifeofasailor.com and link up!

America's best blogging scholarship

So there is a scholarship currently available that has a writing which candidate has your vote for the  2012 presidential election and why?  I know this is a long shot but, on the off-chance that someone with some power will read my blog and think I actually have a good idea.  

My political views are something I generally try to keep off of my blog for a few, very simple and obvious reasons.  (Protecting my husband as a Sailor, protecting myself from idiots, keeping stupid hateful comments at a minimum…) However, I have discussed this particular plan with a good friend with the polar opposite views as me when it comes to most political things and she agrees that I might actually have a good idea for a change. 

Imagine what would happen if a democrat and republican ran ON THE SAME TICKET!  Not just any regular old white male democrat and senator but specifically what if Hillary and Condoleeza ran together?  I don’t particularly care which one of them is president and which is VP I just think given the current political climate and international threats they are the two people most prepared for the jobs.  Yes, one could also list any other former secretary of state or defense adviser but “Team Condillary” seems much more fun and controversial than any other options.  On a serious note though, who is better equipped to lead our country back to what we once were? 

As First Lady of the United States many joked that Hillary ran the country and Bill just did as he was told.  While I don’t believe this was actually the case I do believe that Hillary saw more and knew more about the true operations of the country than any other first lady.  She made the trips to other countries, supported Bill daily and had the education and background necessary to rise to power on her own merits as well being a successful lawyer and businessperson.  Add to that the fact that she has already lead a powerhouse campaign for president and the additional experience gained over the past 3 years as Secretary of State, what better candidate is there?

On the other side we have Condolezza Rice, a Republican best known for leading the anti-terrorism campaign during the second Bush administration.  Rice has the experience with foreign policy and respect of foreign governments to continue working with other countries and rebuild our relationships and economies.  Also, we know that Condolezza and Hillary respect each other, Condolezza even endorsed Hillary as her successor.  One huge negative, we know that Condolezza doesn’t want the job.  She has been quoted multiple times as saying she does not see herself every running for political office in the United States, especially during the 2008 campaign.

What about public policy and political viewpoints?  Wouldn’t having opposing views be a problem?  I think not.  In a 2005 survey only 54% of those polled by Gallup considered her liberal, and over 30% deemed her moderate.  Furthermore, Condolezza describes herself as a moderate republican.  Wouldn’t it be amazing to see a country that has been so ripped apart by partisan politics bound together by the bipartisan Team Condillary? 

Both Hillary and Condolezza are rumored to be on their own parties short-list for VP candidates this year; both women also have extremely high approval ratings.  Women now make up 51% of the voting population, doesn’t that mean we should also hold 51% of the vacancies in Washington?  Why shouldn’t two of those spots be as President and Vice President of the United states? 

Vote for Team Condillary 2012!

PS-yes I realize the odds are way against this happening and only way they even could run together if they wanted to is if they decided to screw their own parties and join an independent party with no campaign budget, but still—wouldn’t it be cool???

PPS-I did enter this in the scholarship, who knows if I’ll even qualify since I didn’t pick a proper candidate but I did write about who has my vote.

PPPS-Please, I encourage your comments, however if anyone is hateful, derogatory, or uses vulgar language, your comment will be deleted.  Likewise comments of So-N-So sucks are ignorant and will be deleted.

by YourLocalSecurity.com