Freedom of Speech

Foto Free For All! (Hang in there!)

Day trip to DC with Grammy, Uncle Clark, Uncle Austin-Boston, Stevie, Tiffany & Co!

I didn't have time to take pictures when I went to the Capitol, but here is one I took that morning to jazz myself up!

Funny story: Robb gave Stevie a dirty spoon and told her to put it in the sink. We didn't know that the rest of the afternoon she spent putting silverware in the bathroom sink until a few hours later! What a good baby... just a little misguided!

Stevie is sure going to miss Uncle Robb!

We hope you have enjoyed all of our photos from the fun times we have had during the past month. Now I (Tiffany) would like to share a great experience I had about a week ago... Last Thursday, I traveled (by train!) to Washington D.C. to participate in RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association's Advocacy Day. I started off the day with a training session and then was sent off to CAPITOL HILL to advocate for legislation on three issues: 1) The Family Building Act of 2007 (designed to create a federal mandate for health plans that already cover obstetrics to also cover diagnosis and treatment for infertility), 2) The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act (would make permanent the tax credit available to families who adopt) & 3) Increased funding for the NICHD (National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.) It was an amazing day and I'm sure I cannot due justice to my experiences in this blog, but I guess I just wanted to "let the world know!" I could talk for centuries about my political and emotional feelings but for all your sakes I will narrow down what I want to share to a few things pertaining to that remarkable day:

1) I was shocked to find as I walked into the senate and house conference rooms that I felt at home! I think all of my experiences in college and the church really prepared me for that kind of political environment. I would have never assumed that working in the senate would be just like working at SVU or attending a ward council, but it really was. Plus, I was really there to just share my "testimony" of infertility and having born countless testimonies through my years I could not have been more prepared.

2) Some may know me better than others, but one thing I am not short on is opinions. However, something that may surprise even my closest friends and family is that I do have some very strong political opinions. I don't usually get into these with anybody because i honestly find that political debate among friends, family and associates can be mind-numbing and contentious. So, all too often I just fold up my opinions and neatly tuck them away for another day. This past Thursday was that day. It felt like I wasn't just spouting off a soap box, but actually doing something that would promote change... change for good... and it felt good. I still fear that the day of radical change has past, but I realized that I can have an influence over little changes to bring about a common good, and I didn't have to be belligerent to do so.

3) My new goal is to pay WAY more attention to my representative(s) in the House. I have always been pretty good about keeping up with my Senators and what they support, but after meeting with both of my senators' & representative's offices my eyes were opened to the realization that my senators were fairly uninterested in what I had to say! On the other hand, my representative was all ears and really wanted to move forward on my concerns. Even if his office had disagreed completely with my stance (which they didn't) I am confident that they still would have listened and evaluated what I had to say with 179% more respect than I saw elsewhere on "the hill."

Like I said, I know I have not totally done my experience justice, but this chance to advocate something that was important to me really did change the way I think and act. It felt so good to get out there and do something more than just complain and I was glad to be able to do it in a non-partisan atmosphere on non-partisan issues. Infertility knows know bounds: racial, gender, economic or otherwise. It will be an experience I will not soon forget, and I encourage all of you to get to know you REPRESENTATIVES and start ACTING (all the talking you have done all these years will have prepared you well... trust me!)