Introducing the Next Adventure

I would introduce this as being from Columbia, but that would be dishonest: I'm back home right now after a long train ride! (Not much to say about the trip actually, it was dark the whole time, so I spent most of it reading)

Unfortunately, I've been realizing just how little there is to say about how life in CoMo is going: work is either dull or frustrating, depending on the day, and the house has fallen into a comfortable routine of living together. Not much to say about that either.

On the days when it is really frustrating, I look for what I'm going to do next. As a result, I'm almost done with my grad school applications—though not as far along as I should be. This also means I've spent some time searching for campaigns I could work for; it's relevant to my interests in public policy and the ethical issues that go along with it, and the work is the demanding kind I prefer to the too-easy work I do at the school.

What I really learned from the search, however, is how ridiculously easy it is to begin a campaign yourself. I've told myself that I'm applying for grad schools with the intent of one day running for office, but when I learned this, I realized I could also just keep telling myself that I would run one day because it was easier and safer than running now. So...I'm working with the Reno County Democrats for their nomination against my State Representative for the 102nd District. If all goes well, the campaign begins in earnest in May (though I'm already happily busy with it now).

The reasons I want to run are better than just the relative ease of doing so and the thrill of a challenge. I find what I'm doing now deeply dissatisfying, and cannot imagine myself becoming happy in any kind of similar office environment. I thus have a personal reason for seeking out the kind of unpredictable and demanding workplace that are political institutions; I also do better where I am responsible to myself for doing my job, but have had that job defined by something external to me (such as the voters of the 102nd District). I do not do well with the traditional kind of "boss." Personally, I also desperately want to avoid doing work that is not significant. My work at the school fails this, for I am almost completely assured that the school's mismanagement, poor leadership, and lack of vision will negate anything that I do accomplish.

I also have political reasons for wanting to run. Jan Pauls is not exactly popular within the District. She came out on the wrong side of an issue in 2012, and had problems with redistricting (incidentally, that redistricting also moved the majority of District into the areas of Hutchinson that didn't agree with her). She's politically vulnerable, and has done little to combat the perception that she doesn't actually listen to her voters. She rarely has an opponent, meaning that a truly competitive election has good odds. In 2012 she won the primary election by only 8 votes, against an opponent who is roughly my own age and which was only her third contested election in her 20 years of service. This will be an even better introduction to elected office for me than an election which was uncontested.

Finally, besides these personal and political reasons, there are nobler ones for wanting to run. First, I believe Jan Pauls is failing in her main responsibility: she is not representing her constituents as they should be represented. The lines of communication from her office to her voters appear broken, or at least neglected. I believe that at the state level, politics can be more responsive to voters than it currently is, and especially with the abilities given by new technology. Second, Kansas is in an odd spot right now, as the partisanship that has been the standard in our legislature for many years has made its way onto much larger stages: there is room here for exciting changes that can benefit everybody as we adapt to the future. Third, despite having lived in Missouri for the past 4ish years, I still think of Kansas, and Hutchinson especially, as home. My first allegiance is to this place, and I'm motivated to serve it.

Of course, the campaign won't be easy. There'll be questions about my age, about the wisdom of replacing Pauls when she has cushy spots on at least one important committee; there'll be pressure to run as more liberal than her until the primary and then turn and run as more moderate than any potential Republican challengers; if it looks like I'm going to win against Pauls, a Republican challenger might be attracted to the race since I could be easier to run against in the general election; my schedule will be unpredictable and possibly constant, etc, etc.

I have some experience with this, both from my work for Senator Chappelle-Nadal last spring and from coordinating the efforts of the Westminster Sustainability Coalition at the same time. (To give some context to that, I was responsible for the coordination of 20 students as we got 511 signatures in a student body of only 1,084 students, as well as working with SGA, the administration, faculty/staff, planning arguments etc. This is even more important when you take into consideration that Pauls won her 2012 primary with 428 votes to Erich Bishop's 420 votes). I'm also talking some veterans of the Sustainability Coalition and who now run The What If LLC, a startup of their making, into coming back with me to help get started. We're close, communicate well, and are efficient. I have from now until who knows to make strategies and prepare, which will help reduce the work needed to be done moment-to-moment when the contest actually rolls around.

And while your help and support will be appreciated, I promise you that I'm going to do my best that this remains a positive experience for all of us and that it won't involve you unless you want it to. Other than that, who knows....it's an adventure.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is this Thursday and we have so much to be thankful for.
I decided to look back on some pictures of family times just as a reminder.

Pam & Vicki's Birthday

Trick or Treat

State Fair

Janssen Reunion

Kinast Reunion

Kinast Reunion

O

July 4th Breakfast

Christmas 2012

Happy Thanksgiving, Love Grandma & Grandpa

An Update

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

(A Beautiful Sunset after Babysitting for Olivia and Kinley with Mom)

That is the buzz word for the last half of this year for me.  And within the past two weeks its been rapidly accelerating.

So last I wrote after auditioning Be a Good Little Widow with the Hutchinson Theatre Guild.  Since, I have completed production, been appointed their production coordinator, spent a weekend in Chicago for a wedding (some Shooks who frequent this blog as a matter of fact), a weekend with my best friend Estelle Cowie in Seattle, a week of touring around my 2nd cousin Janice from Australia, working on the Theatre Guild building, selecting a 2014 Season for the Hutchinson Theatre Guild, being asked to be an adjudicator for the Jester Awards (which are Music Theatre of Wichita's version of the Tonys for high schools) and finally, completing repair on Grandma and Grandpa's door (a final coat of stain and polyurethane).   And those are just some highlights since August.

With Mom preparing for surgery next week, we've been busy decorating.  Here are some highlights from the past couple of months.

Seattle Adventure

Estelle and I goofing off at the Airport

The View from our Hotel

Decorating Fun

Our First Artificial Tree - To Be Decorated This Weekend

Our Mantle

I guess Clara got tired from Watching Us

Village

Village

Hutchinson Theatre Guild

Seats from Sterling College for our new theatre

Be a Good Little Widow

Be a Good Little Widow

Be a Good Little Widow

Be a Good Little Widow

Be a Good Little Widow Set
Designed and built by ME :)

Closing Moments for Be a Good Little Widow

String Festival Picture

It rained on our festival :-), so we were in a high school gym (and yes the fire marshal showed up by the end of it and encouraged our quick exit!)

Not the best quality photo, but I thought you might like to see a shot of the festival!

There's Just Something About Christmas Music

So I have a confession to make: I'm listening to the Pandora Radio Station based on Mannheim Steamroller Holiday songs. There is just something about the Christmas season and music that calms me down and reminds me of what is most important in life. 

I turned on the music while I made banana nut muffins. I've enjoyed the ease of muffins for breakfast recently. One batch usually gives James and me a muffin for breakfast through one week. It allows us to take it with us to work as neither of us typically has the time left in the morning to sit down for a bite to eat. I have successfully or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, created another coffee drinker in the house. We now both take a traveling coffee mug with us on the way out of the door in the mornings :-).

To be quite honest work has become overwhelming again (quite possibly the reason Christmas music is now playing), so prayers for my humility and positive energy to stay intact for the kids I teach would be greatly appreciated. We have our AISD Fall String Festival performance this Tuesday at Zilker Park. Our special song this year is Star Wars :-). We play seven songs total, which is quite a bit for students that are in their first year of playing! In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Festival our t-shirts are Tye-dye this year!

James is busy with work and school. He is researching for a paper on John Philip Sousa and how the Sousa Band (an immensely popular concert band) influenced and continues to influence musical taste and the modern American band tradition. The paper is due the day after his birthday, so we will probably celebrate a little late this year. As for work, he recently had a famous TV actor (from Breaking Bad and Revolution) attend his information session. Pretty cool! His events are going well and are almost done for the semester...he's now beginning the part of the year where he reads and scores tons of admission applications. Last year he read over 700 and was reading while we were in Minnesota for Christmas. He is very much hoping to have it done by Christmas this year!

Last weekend we attended the 5th anniversary of a local brewery called 512 Brewery (the main Austin area code is 512). They have a pecan porter that is excellent. For the event they pulled out some of their rare beers including a double pecan porter aged in whiskey barrels, which proved to be worth waiting in a rather long line to try. We also tried a pumpkin pecan porter which was served out of a huge pumpkin! 

Yesterday we attended the UT vs KU football game. It was a beautiful day - mid to high 70s! It has proven to be an interesting football season. We will be getting a new athletic director this year, so we will see if that means we get new head football and basketball coaches as well. The rumor has been that we will.

We will be home for Thanksgiving and cannot wait to see everyone at the reception for Andrew and Katie! The wedding was absolutely perfect and unbelievably beautiful in so many ways. Hope to see you all there!

Love, grace, mercy, and peace,

James and Hannah

Thankful November

For November the Rutherfords are celebrating with Thankfulness:

* for a happy parting of ways from our home in Brooklyn with many friends to visit in the future
* for being able to locate an apartment, then sign a lease and move in less than a week
* for an area that we now love and feel safe in and an apartment that now feels like home
* for friends that share their time and their hearts to make us feel like we have a community
* for family that share years together, stories and support each other from far reaching places
* for the ability to travel easily from one place to another
* for jobs that teach us lessons, encourage growth, & support a lifestyle that breeds happiness
* for mutual respect and support in a relationship
* for change, as hard as it may sometimes seem
* for health
* for learning new things and putting old things learned in to practice
* for public transportation
* for recycling
* for a city that never sleeps and is filled with possibilities
* for so many more nameless little things that we get to experience every day

It's not a long list, but it's a start to tell you a bit about what we have experienced since returning from Australia in a subtle, but very thankful way. Next time you'll find some pictures of our empty apartment...mainly the kitchen because we are in love with it.


Love you all!
Mary and Kurtis