Representative (elect) Kenneth Sheets In Action!!

It's freshman orientation for the incoming class of State Reps in Austin. This is a very interesting little video on what they're up to. And we get to see a glance of Kenneth!

Kenneth Sheets Supports Ken Paxton for Speaker

I am so proud of my State Representative, Kenneth Sheets. Okay, Representative Elect Kenneth Sheets. Out of the gate the first major issue for him seemed to be who to support for speaker of the house. There are 3 men running for the position. The current speaker, Joe Straus, does not have a record that reflects true conservatism. He is not pro-life - he has a 100% rating from NARAL. From a post on Red State:

Joe Straus has a 100% rating from NARAL, but the same people saying Straus is conservative also say he is pro-life. I’m sorry, but pro-lifers do not get 100% ratings from NARAL nor do their spouses sit on the boards of abortion organizations.

Pro-lifers are not honored by Planned Parenthood, but Joe Straus was.

He placed several Democrats in key positions, including the Chair of Calendars.

The Chair of Calendars is the second most powerful leadership position in the Texas House because he sets the legislative calendar. If you want to kill conservative legislation, put a liberal in as the Chair of Calendars.

The flip side of Joe Straus is Ken Paxton.

Ken Paxton, on the other hand, received a 100% rating from Empower Texans. In contrast to Straus, he received a 0% rating from NARAL, a 97% rating from the Young Conservatives of Texas and an A+ from the NRA. Rock solid, you say? It gets better. Paxton sponsored legislation that would create stronger spending limits in Texas government in 2005, 2007 and 2009 and was lead author on cutting-edge transparency legislation in 2007.

Read more here and here.

So I've been reading all of this and getting more and more passionate about the fact that Joe Straus needs to be OUT and Ken Paxton needs to be IN. For the very first time in my life, I called a politician to ask them to vote a certain way. Okay, to be honest, the representative called me to ask about something else and then I told him how I felt. But I intended to call him! He politely informed me that he was still undecided. But then today I got the following. I'm so proud of Kenneth for his courage in following his convictions as well honoring the values of the people in his district!

Kenneth Sheets Endorse Ken Paxton for Speaker

Election Day...And Night

Sorry I've been MIA lately. No major excuses besides just, well, life!! Sometimes it just gets the best of me! Let me fill you in on what's happened with Kenneth Sheets and other stuff!

Election Day 2010 - POURING rain...and I was standing out in it. I was a poll greeter for Kenneth Sheets. Myself and a candidate for judge would stay in our cars until someone would arrive to vote and then we'd jump out with our signs. After lunch time I decided to leave since traffic was slowing down and my car battery was dead! I got a jump and finally got to go home, take a shower and get warm thanks to my mom picked up my kids at their respective schools. Thank God for her that day or I don't think I would have ever warmed up.

Now you would have thought that I would be exhausted after that, and I was, but election day adrenaline was pumping and I was ready for the Dallas GOP party. We headed out to the Hotel Palomar where most of the Republican candidates set up camp to watch election results. We got there and found Kenneth's suite where spirits were extremely high as the early voting totals had come in and Kenneth was winning! We tried to temper ourselves a bit because there was a long night ahead and anything could happen. At some point we all made our way downstairs to the big party. I have never felt anything so electric. The energy in that place was unbelievable and even now, several weeks later, I'm getting chills as I type! I have never experienced anything like it and don't even know what to compare it to!

As I stood there looking around and taking it all in, Kenneth's campaign manager Ronda showed me her cell phone. There was a text from their consultant informing her that 5 of the "deathzones" or areas that would be tough for Kenneth to win, had gone his way. He said that it looked like Kenneth had won. We are all screaming!! As much as we believed wholeheartedly in this man, he was a relative unknown running against a well liked two term incumbent and no one really knew how it would go. We headed back up to the suite to wait some more for results to keep coming in and to let Kenneth get his thoughts together for his speech. Once the concession phone call came through, we all headed back downstairs and Doug and I got to be up on the stage with Kenneth and all his supporters and staff as he made his victory speech.

It was one of the most incredible nights of my life. I will never, ever forget it. I can see how people get lured in by the energy and excitement of politics.

In other news...Big Bear had her Pinewood Derby and won an award!! A separate post will be coming with pics and more details. Let's just say, I've never seen a smile that big!! Me Too turned 5!!! A separate post will be coming on that too. Her birthday party is this weekend so I'll wait until I have those pics and details. She has strep throat right now but started antibiotics today so I'm hoping she'll be up for having the party. I'm hoping that I am up for having the party as my throat is suspiciously getting sore and throughout the day I have felt worse and worse. Luckily, Doug off early tomorrow so if I need to run to the doctor I should be free to do so! Campo is chugging along! He is turning 3 in just a few weeks - acckkkkk!!!!

Oh and I started working with my first Handwriting Without Tears client. I did his evaluation and report and am now tutoring him once a week. He is a 3rd grader and I'll have to admit I was quite intimidated by the thought of working with a 3rd grade boy at first. But, after I left the house yesterday, I texted my husband and told him that I hope Campo is JUST like this boy at that age. He is very well mannered, very sweet and very cooperative. And his mom emailed me this morning and said that when his dad asked him how it was he answered, "Kinda fun". I'll take that!!

That's it for now!!

Fox's Kelly Wright

I'm so excited to be going to a Texans For Life Coalition Dinner with Kenneth and Michele Sheets tonight! I was happy to see that Fox's Kelly Wright is the keynote speaker. I've always liked him a lot when I've seen him on television but did sort of wonder why he'd be speaking at a pro-life dinner. When I found out he'd be there tonight, I Googled him...as I do most people I meet (watch out!). Now I'm really excited to be going. It seems he has quite an amazing story. Jill Stanek explains that his conception occurred when his mother was raped by her pastor. She turned down the abortion that she was offered. I think this is going to be an amazing and moving story to hear. Thank God this mother courageously recognized that the way a life is brought into the world does not mean that the life has no value and that the baby should not be allowed to live. Thank God that this mother courageously chose life for her baby!

I'll have more to report after the dinner! Maybe not tomorrow though. I don't know if I'll get to blogging tomorrow between Mass, my hour at 40 Days for Life, a Halloween party, and then trick or treating!!

Thick Skinned or Running Scared?

I received a copy of a letter written by the wife of Kenneth's opponent - we'll call her Lady Vaught or LV for short (and we'll call Kenneth's opponent AV for short). It is a last ditch effort to light a fire under their supporters to help the campaign and most likely to illicit some campaign money since from what I read Kenneth's campaign has out raised theirs.

I'd like point out a few problems that I saw in the letter.

Heroic Media is a group that attempts to get the word out, through the media, to women who have unwanted pregnancies that there are alternatives to abortion. LV calls them a fringe pro-life group. Too funny. Actually, Sarah Palin is currently the keynote speaker at several events for this group - including one coming to Dallas in a few weeks!! Oh how I want to go!! Off the subject though! The website has a testimonial page with quotes from Bill O'Reilly, Laura Ingram, Michael Reagan and Col. Oliver North...you know, fringe types - HA! Here is a little bit from their home page:

When a woman is in an unwanted pregnancy, she often feels trapped and scared. Heroic Media’s television, billboard and internet messages reach her where she is. They don’t judge her. They let her know there are countless hopeful solutions.

Our advertisements (click here to view our TV commercials) connect her with resource centers that provide the hope and help she and her baby need. In fact, in markets where we’ve run consistent campaigns, the abortion ratio has dropped 24 percent! And, our messages are encouraging communities to rethink their position in favor of positive, life-affirming attitudes.

Hmmmm...that's not sounding too wacky to me. LV is very upset in her letter that this group would dare to have a gathering in the home across the street from her. She mentions that the pro-life movement "presented itself - almost literally on her front doorstep." She sounds pretty rattled by this close encounter with pro-lifers and it makes me wonder why this would be so unnerving to her. But, it also highlights what many of Kenneth's supporters love about him and why many of us are so involved in trying to get him elected - his pro-life stance. And stance isn't even really the correct word to use - he doesn't just say he's pro-life, he lives it out. Publicly. Unashamedly. Literally right out there on his "front doorstep"...and that is what his opponents' wife points out.

The second inaccuracy is the incident at the League of Women Voter's debate. She alleges that a Kenneth Sheets supporter "shouted down" one of their supporters and called them a "babykiller". I was standing there during most of this incident and the person asking the questions was not shouting at all and was not speaking to them as a Kenneth Sheets supporter. She is a constituent of District 107 and was trying to find out information about the person currently representing her district (AV), however, AV was not available to answer those questions as he left immediately after the debate. The AV representative who was left behind to answer questions in his absence was getting quite flustered, red and upset. Kenneth was not involved in this incident as he was busy being available to answer questions to the people who gave of their time to be there. He was also very quietly helping to stack chairs since the library had asked that the campaigns help to clean up. I remember being very struck by this humble attitude of service. The bottom line is that Kenneth has no control over what AV's constituents want to know about the person who was elected to represent them. Neither he nor his campaign asked this woman to "scream epithets" (which she did not do) at AV’s campaign as LV accuses in her letter.

LV makes a big point in her first paragraph to state that she has developed a thick skin since her husband entered politics. I couldn't help but wonder if her skin is really as thick as she would like to think or if she might need to work on that a little more. However, I am hoping that one week from today, this will be a moot point for her and she can just go back to keeping her street clear of those horrible fringe pro-lifers.

READ LETTER HERE

Five Questions - Get To Know Kenneth Sheets

He may not have become an astronaut but he sure is headed to high places...namely Austin, TX!!! Read this article to find out what that means!

World Series Excitement

There is just so much fun stuff going on right now. I just feel a constant underlying excitement about the upcoming election. The anticipation of Kenneth Sheets' win (learn all about him here) as well as the hope that the Republicans will make great strides on all levels of government has me buzzing all the time. I've got my own personal satisfaction about getting my Level 1 HWT Certification and the anticipation of all that will bring for me. And now, as if that isn't enough, the Texas Rangers are in the World Series for the first time ever!

This town just can't get enough of our Rangers! Which is a good thing since the Cowboys are so completely horrible - boo hoo. A World Series in Arlington is about the only thing that could bring Dallas-ites out of our bad Cowboys slump!

I admit I am not a huge baseball fan these days. The long games don't seem to hold my attention. But...having lived in Dallas all my life, I of course am thrilled for the team and have kept up with most of the games throughout the playoffs.

The other night while trying to go to sleep, I remembered the allure that baseball held for me as a little girl though. My dad worked for a radio station when I was growing up which meant we never had a hard time getting tickets to events. I remember going to a lot of Ranger games growing up. I loved taking my glove and hoping that we would catch a fly ball - even though when they actually did start coming towards us it terrified me. I remember loving it when the crowd would taunt the umpires. Of course I loved the pink ice cream I always got! And I remember having a huge crush on Buddy Bell!! So, so funny!!

Anyway, these childhood memories welled up in me - the sounds, the smells, the excitement - and made me feel so proud of this accomplishment. Especially with the new ownership who seem like such class acts! And I love that both of the teams playing were underdogs in their series who beat powerhouse teams with huge payrolls. It's is going to be exciting to watch this truly historic series!!

Meet Kenneth Sheets - Candidate for TX State Rep - District 107!!

We met Kenneth Sheets at a retreat at our church called Christ Renews His Parish, commonly known around our St. Thomas Aquinas parish as CHRP (pronounced “chirp”). It is a profound weekend held twice a year, one weekend for the men and one for the women. People come away from this retreat renewed, refreshed, and on fire for the Lord.

To say my husband was not excited to go is a huge understatement. Sitting at the table next to him was another man who was not too excited to be there (actually there were several at the table in the same frame of mind) named Kenneth Sheets. But both Doug and Kenneth were touched by the Holy Spirit on the weekend and both continued on throughout the 6-month formation process that follows. They became friends, and at some point during this time, I met Kenneth and his sweet wife, Michele.

Soon after he and Doug were on the team that hosted the next men’s retreat, Kenneth was called into active duty as a Marine and sent to Iraq. Doug continued to get occasional emails from Kenneth and we would see Michele from time to time.

Since Kenneth returned from duty, Doug and I had run into them both at many different events at church. Last December, I was asked to be on a committee at our parish for the Catholics Come Home program. Kenneth and Michele were also on the committee. I really enjoyed getting to know them even better and working with them.

It was during this time that Kenneth told us that he was thinking about running for State Representative for District 107. I was so thrilled to know someone running for such a position and even more thrilled when I got home that night and discovered I was in his district! I was mostly thrilled that he was running as a Republican so I could vote for him!

Since he told us that it was official that he was running we have supported his candidacy and been so excited for him...BUT...we haven't really been able to "do" as much for his campaign as we'd like and I've felt badly about that. We walked for him in the neighborhood July 4th parade and we've done little things like take food to some of the folks that were block walking for him and that type of thing. However, I do have my famous phone phobia so I never could bring myself to do phone calls and block walking terrifies me. I have been feeling guilty that I haven't done more of that kind of thing. So when the opportunity came up to interview Kenneth for my blog, I jumped at the chance! He and Michele carved out time between block-walking and the 7:30pm “last chance” Mass where Michele served as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist. (Seriously? How does she have the energy?) They sat down with me and Doug at our home. We put all the kids in front of a new movie they had gotten from the church library and we had a great talk with Kenneth and Michele Sheets!

I did not have a tape recorder so I'm going to "summarize" their answers! I had prepared some “getting to know you” questions that revolve around the issues that I blog about – Catholicism and faith, marriage and family and pro-life.

THEIR MARRIAGE, ICE ROAD TRUCKERS AND OPTIMUS PRIME

I asked about their marriage. The campaign has been a whirlwind of activities, events and meetings. I asked how they had been able to stay connected during all of it and how they would stay connected during the times that Kenneth would be gone to Austin. Kenneth answered first by saying how blessed he is to have Michele as his wife. She keeps him sane and grounded. They have really been relying on each other during all of this.

The hardest part has been communication…so many things happen during a day that sometimes it’s a challenge to keep each other up to date. Then Michele pointed out that the 4 months that Kenneth would spend in session in Austin is a much shorter time than when he was serving in the military and based in South Carolina and then Iraq. Plus, unlike Iraq, she can go to visit him in Austin! Also, they often try to delay dinner each night that they are attending separate events, so they can eat together, and watch Ice Road Truckers. Ice Road Truckers? Aren’t they too cute?

I was impressed with their solidarity as a couple during this process. You can really see that they are in this together.

Next I asked Michele what her reaction was when Kenneth told her that he was thinking about running for office. She blushed and started laughing, a little embarrassed because of where she got the quote that she used to answer him! Her response was from the movie Transformers and is actually quite profound! “Fate rarely calls us at the moment of our choosing.” – Optimus Prime.

Michele said it all started at dinner with friends, talking about their frustrations with Obamacare, which was about to pass. They were commenting that they wanted to do something with their frustration. Someone mentioned that no one was running on the Republican side for State Rep in District 107 and that Kenneth should run. This comment kept being repeated and he started to seriously consider it. Kenneth said that there were 4 people he had to ask before he could make it official. The first was Michele. The second was his boss, along with higher-ups at work. The third was his boss in the Marine Corp Reserves. And the fourth was God. With each person, he kept waiting for someone to answer him with a resounding “NO”. After the first three “yeses” he was SURE that God would give the out he was waiting to hear. He never got it…in fact, things just kept working out. Kenneth and Michele both agree that it was strange how everything kept laying out right in front of them with no glitches. It was pretty clear that the candidacy was supposed to happen!

FAITH

Kenneth was brought up in a non-denominational church. His parents taught him good morals and values. It was his best friend in the Marine Corp that introduced Kenneth to Catholicism. He decided to convert in 1996. Michele grew up Baptist so when she and Kenneth met they decided to meet somewhere in the middle and attend Methodist church. One weekend, however, she ended up attending a Catholic mass and loved it. She called Kenneth and told him that she was converting. She attended RCIA (the program which brings new Catholics into the church and teaches them about the faith) and converted in 2002. She has been volunteering her time and talents with the RCIA program ever since and Kenneth often joins her!

Michele's work with RCIA is just one of many examples of how Kenneth and Michele live their faith. Kenneth is a 4th Degree in the Knights of Columbus. Michele is an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist. Both are involved in parish activities such as carnival, parish potluck dinners and the before mentioned CRHP retreat activities.

I asked Kenneth how his faith would play a role when he is elected in November. He said that he would pray a lot about the decisions that he would make. His faith affects his morals and that would, in turn, affect the way he does his job. He knows that there could be a lot of temptations that go along with this kind of position. His faith will certainly help him in those situations as well.

Also because of his faith, Kenneth is pro-life. He has received endorsements from Texas Right to Life and Texas Alliance for Life (click here for a personalized Pro-Life Voter's Guide from TX Alliance for Life). I asked Kenneth what kind of role he would be able to play in Pro-Life legislation at the state level. He told us about a bill that will be coming up that will give the woman the right to see a sonogram and to hear the heartbeat before an abortion is performed. Kenneth has pledged to support that legislation.

Issues

The last question I had was about the issues that would be most important for our district. Kenneth feels that the most important issues for our district are the same ones that our state faces...the economy, jobs and the budget. The state of Texas is facing a budget shortfall in the next session. Kenneth believes that spending should be cut and the budget prioritized.

He pointed out that recently both the city of Dallas and Dallas county raised our taxes. He has signed a pledge that he will not support a tax raise for the state. To raise taxes would take away the incentive for people to come here to live and do business.

Kenneth also told us that 4 new congressional seats will be added to the state of Texas. The way they draw up these districts should be done in a way that will reflect conservative values. He also supports realigning communities of interest. For example, Lake Highlands where I live is currently split up into 3 districts - 2 Republicans and 1 Democrat.

This Blogger’s Humble Opinion

I’m passionate about politics but wouldn’t say I’m that knowledgeable about all of the issues. My eyes glaze over when the discussion gets too technical about taxes and things like that. I mostly look at the candidate’s character and their stance on pro-life issues. BUT…I feel that I am a good judge of character. Long before Kenneth Sheets decided to run for Texas State Rep, I knew deep in my heart that he is a good person, a sincere person and a person of character. I see this in his actions at church. I see this in the way that he is with his wife and the way that he talks about his wife. I see this also in the choice he made in Michele because she too is a good person, a sincere person and a person of character. I see it when my children light up at the sight of him. You should see him play with them!! Too cute…this man is very in tune with his inner child!

I am very proud to know Kenneth and Michele Sheets and am so excited that they have stepped up to answer the call to run for Texas State Representative for District 107. I can’t wait to vote for him and to see all of the good things he is going to do for the State of Texas and for my District.

Early voting begins TOMORROW - October 18 - click here for a list of early voting locations.

Michele, Stevie and Kenneth

Personalized Pro-Life Voter's Guide

Ronda, the campaign manager for Kenneth Sheets for State Rep, District 107, sent this out today:

I'll leave you with a quote from Bishop Mike Seitz at the Render Unto Caesar Conference, a few months ago: "When you enter a public forum, don't check your faith at the door."

VOTE PRO-LIFE!

Texans...here is a great resource to find great pro-life candidates to vote for in your area from the Texas Alliance for Life! Just put your address, city and zip and it will give you a personalized report! How great and easy! Check it out before heading to the polls for early voting!

Click here for voting locations!

Kenneth Sheets Commercial

Kenneth's commercial began airing today! It's SO good. It makes me prouder than ever to know him and Michele! And I love how proudly he declares that he is a Republican. It's very interesting to many of us that his opponent NEVER mentions his party affiliation on any of his materials.

My interview with him is almost done. I'm hoping to have it out...soon...maybe tomorrow? God willing and plumbing cooperating. I was supposed to work on it last night BUT...we had plumbing issues arise last night...arise being the key word as the water was rising in the toilet and then up through the bathtub. Fun times. Probably TMI...but in other words, it will be out soon!

Kenneth Sheets Interview Coming!!!

I just finished interviewing Kenneth and Michele Sheets! Kenneth is running for Texas State Representative for District 107. Besides being a strong pro life conservative, Kenneth is an amazing person. His wife is an amazing person as well. And together as a couple...well, you'll be blown away like I was by their strong faith that is guiding them through this exciting campaign journey. I came away from my time with them inspired by their faith, enthusiasm and energy. Be on the lookout for the full interview...coming soon!