Half Hippie/Half Redneck

I have always felt like a bit of a square peg; never really "fitting in" anywhere.  We don't fit in here in Kentucky but we didn't really feel like we were made to live in Albuquerque either.  As a teenager, not fitting in is disastrous, but the older I get, the less I care.  I am about as liberal as a person can be.  I am gay, I am a social worker, and adoptive parent of (many) children who have special needs, and a first-generation college student who would not have been able to pursue a post-secondary education without the help of student loans.  How could I not be a democrat?  I love Obama.  I love the Clinton's.  They represent so much of what is so close to my heart. 

However, I was raised in the South and that is such a big part of me.  One of the best things about moving back home has been getting my drawl back :)  I love living in the country, I love my garden, my chickens, my goats, and my bees.  I love that living here; you can put about anything in the ground and it grows because of this crazy humidity. 

Do I believe in gun control?  Absolutely.  Do I think that people should be able to own guns?  Absolutely.  Do I think that common citizens who have had no training should own assault rifles?.....umm....no.  To be very honest, I hate guns.  I can't stand the look of them and I can't stand the sound of gunshot.  I never liked them, but after my brother died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, my hatred for them grew.  I can't stand violence..of any kind.  I cannot believe that in this day and age, this is how society is still attempting to mediate conflict.  However, my oldest son wants to be a Marine and I am 100% supportive of him in regard to attempting to reach this goal. 

I do my best to take care of my family; financially and otherwise.  In some ways we are far from traditional, but we also run a lot like every other family does.  Parenting is the hardest thing that I have ever done; but I give it my best.  The kids were a large reason that we decided to move back to Kentucky from New Mexico.  We wanted them to be close to their extended family; and my family is right here and Tammy's is a short drive away now; rather than the 30 hour drive from Albuquerque. 

I try to be healthier every day.  I have struggled with my weight all of my life; but I am down 49 pounds and I could not be happier.  It is truly a lifestyle change and although I still have a long way to go, the difference in the way that I feel is incredible. I try to make life healthy for my kids.  I cook more and more from scratch and we are growing and producing more of our own food on our farm every day. 

I will close with......I truly don't care what anyone else does as long as they don't hurt anyone else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their own beliefs. However, I will never understand how one person (or human-as my 4 year says) thinks that they are superior to anyone else due to the color of their skin, their income level, their occupation, their education level, or their "lifestyle."  I think that you should treat people the way that you want to be treated.  And that is definitely the hippie in me.