Open Minded, Not so much.

It's true. I've been born and raised a Republican - the advice I received growing up was, when in doubt vote Republican. Simple as that. My dad grew up poor as poor can be. I am sure there's stories he hasn't told us, however, I do know that I once told him how I stole a bunch of "For Sale" signs, yard decor, pylons, etc. from peoples' yards with my friends and stockpiled them in someone else's yard, FOR FUN. Don't ask, I didn't drink, and this was as creative as we got. Anyway, he said, that's funny, cause when I was a kid we would go around and steal people's food out of their gardens. Yeah, an interesting thought.

My dad grew up in a rough part of town, where I'm sure several people might have described it as "white trash". Parents that had problems with alcohol, and very little money, education was not on the horizon for most kids. A bleak future indeed. As many people would like to say, these are the people that "deserve" a handout. Well, my dad dropped out of high school, joined the Army, was promptly sent to Vietnam, where during that time, he took a college class, History, and got a "C". A high school dropout that got a "C" in a college class. He told me once, this was the moment that he realized, he could do something more. So, he eventually got out of the military, worked 2 or 3 jobs at a time, while working on a bachelor's degree (did I mention he had a young family, and kids to boot), and later as a single dad raising two girls, he got his MBA.

In a sociology class I took in college, the professor was preaching about how we are limited in this society, poor people stay poor, rich people pass on their riches. To some extent this is true. I know people that have had an advantage, help with college, or help with payments from their families to buy a home, etc. I can't deny I was given opportunities that not all receive. But I know one thing. "Excuses are like a$$holes, everyone has one." Sorry for the bluntness, it must be my redneck heritage coming out.

There seems to be several questions regarding this campaign, and for me, it's clear as day. I guess I'm lucky, I know what I don't want. I don't want a government bailout, I don't think Americans should be punished for being wealthy, and I don't think anyone should get a free ride. Obama sounded like a preacher with his hopes and dreams for America. Which is a great thing. But I don't want him to spend my money on his hopes and dreams. Don't get me wrong, I WILL HELP FINANCIALLY, but I want to CHOOSE who I help, with my money, that I worked hard to get. Josh and I sacrificed a lot to pay for our education, it wasn't free.

I hope I didn't disclose too much about my dad, he has faults, but one thing he has that few people have, is a work ethic beyond anyone I know. He never got a dole, and today, is making his mark in this world, jumping two social classes, something my Sociology teacher told me was basically impossible.

But I believe in America where anything is possible. Where a mother of five, who started her political career in the PTA, can run for VP of the United States. What a choice for McCain. I love what I'm reading about her, she sold the previous Governor's jet on ebay to save the state of Alaska money. She's pro-life, opposed to gay marriage, understands energy problems, and so much more. If you're truly unsure of who to vote for, I beg of you to research ON YOUR OWN, not listening to the spew from the media. This is a historic and important election, do your part, educate yourself and VOTE.

If you know me, I have opinions, strong ones, and perhaps I'm not so open minded. But now you know why. I have a heritage to honor and respect.

Go McCain/Palin 08.

First day of Second Grade

Finally. I swear we were the last to start!! Colson was off today, and it certainly wasn't as difficult as last year, but still a slight tinge of heartache, as you let some stranger takeover for the better part of his life. Sigh. I hope she's good. I pray for her! I got a scrap layout done today, and watched some kiddos for a friend, made some after school snacks, my kids LIVE for them, so it looks like we're into our groove.





BTW, Laila's a spaghetti fan.

Sunday Scoop - A day late.

I'll be brief:

2 Sicky Girlies

1 appt with realtor - 2 victims of circumstance (his kind way of putting we owe more than our house is worth)

1st weekend free of puking.

1 super fun trip to a Farmers Market = 20 bucks worth of VERY FRESH produce. YUMMY!!

1 New Nephew You can see him HERE!

1 FHE talking about Father's Blessings = 2 Father's Blessings for School.

1 new chapter Book - Reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the kiddos.

1 tired mommy, 1 tired daddy.

How was your weekend?

You guessed it!

Harmony, it's you. You scored a couple new OFFICE supplies... email me, and I will send them your way. I'm totally excited for the new season, with NO writers' strike!

Also, Josh has begun the horrendous commute along with his new AMAZING job. I could see the freedom in his face when he came home last night!! He said at company headquarters they had a sign "WELCOME JOSH", and gave him a sweatshirt, a couple t-shirts, pens, cups, and other stuff. We also heard the Christmas party is totally worth attending. Sweet. We are thrilled for this great opportunity.

Can we go back for a minute and describe Josh's first day in the Army?? They arrived at 4 a.m. to drag him off to basic training where I didn't see him or talk to him but twice in 10 weeks, and it was here, where the shin fractures began. One night someone had snuck some candy from somewhere and they decided to smoke the guys. Josh was paired with a 250 pound guy(Josh weighed a mere 145 in basic), and forced them for an hour, to take turns carrying each other over their shoulders. From that point on he had broken his shins in multiple places and has scar tissue from the damage. Oh how we are enjoying our freedom. I have no idea why the Army struggles with retention. hmmmmm....

I shall say, we wouldn't change a thing. We made our decision to join prayerfully, and truly believe we learned more about each other, and what we were capable of in those six years. True Grit.

So, Adios to the Army, and ALOHA to a great new job!! Did I mention Josh will likely travel to Korea and Hawaii for his job. Bummer. HARDLY!! I've been dying to go to Korea ever since we were married, and Hawaii, well that's a no brainer!! So friends, a new phase has begun. I wish we could lose the house, and get closer, but this is just another short term trial. We have so many blessings, it's hard to feel bad about that.

Well, I'm off to get something done, since Josh is gone... Take Care everybody!

A Fruitful Summer

This summer we went picking blueberries and raspberries, both are stockpiled in the freezer. We also grabbed a bunch of peaches at only 55 cents a pound, which are also in the freezer, it's my first attempts of "storing" fresh produce of any kind. Baby steps.




I looked at Laila, and sure enough, she was doing her own picking, I guess she got close enough to the berries...




Laila enjoying MORE fruits of our labors:



This is a picture of my basement for Bec, she had worked on the basement with me before, and has been dying to see the finished project months later. This may not look like much, but um... the basement walls and floors were HOT PINK, no joke.

This summer, thanks to Josh, has been one project after another. I still love home ownership, I swear!! :)



Josh had this great idea to "camp" in the backyard, oh the kids had such a blast. Somehow taking the laptop into the tent with them, and watching movies didn't quite seem like the camping I remember. But hey, it was free, and I slept great all by myself! :)



I've taken a four month hiatus from the scrapping world, and look who's back???


And I'm feeling like such a generous fool... How about a surprise treat for anyone who can guess why I am TOTALLY EXCITED for summer to be over, and for this Date!

The McCain Train.

O.k. Catch the phrase, it's rocking, better yet, get on the train.

I love THIS FRIEND, (MaryRuth), she totally says how it is, and her reasoning, it's her blog after all. So, ta da, you get to agree, or disagree, totally fine with me, but hey it's my opinion, my blog!

Why the McCain Train? - From a not so political Mom to be of 4.

1. POW - Have some respect.
2. Age - Does not ALWAYS mean wisdom. In this case, however, it does.
3. Josh's Employment is dependent on a President that cares about National Security.
4. Compare Resumes. Just do it.
5. PRO-LIFE.

And Finally, THE FAMILY. From John McCain's Website:

The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation.

And since I belong to THIS CHURCH, I have a duty to vote for and support those that agree with The Family Proclamation.

Quoted from the Proclamation:

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

How about that to start?

If you're interested in learning more about him, or contribute to his campaign go HERE.

And the following is a video of his competition, should be an interesting race for the White House, I hope you participate in YOUR civil duty, you can also begin the process to register to vote directly from the McCain Website.

Updates

Josh officially starts August 19th. He's super excited, as are we. I'm going to have to get used to him NOT being here, again, how wierd is that?? (He'll be here in the evenings, but we've had a lot of Josh, for a lot of months! :))

Baby News Update:

I measured right on at the Dr. and so my official due date is Feb. 15. No we don't know what we're having, and no we won't find out - WE LOVE THE SURPRISE!!!!!!

We have a slight complication in that my placenta is currently covering my cervix, which may be TMI, sorry... but anyway, at this stage in the pregnancy we'll be hoping for it to move! At the ultrasound at 20 weeks, they will determine if the placenta has or has not moved, and then we'll know if it will be a real concern. There's a few things I can't do for the next six weeks, while we wait, but we feel good, and all should be fine!

We're enjoying time together... and life is good. we continue to thank Heavenly Father for his bounteous blessings.

Tis The Season...

Football Season of course - GO COLTS!!!!

1 9/7 CHICAGO BEARS 8:15 PM NBC
2 9/14 @ Minnesota Vikings 1:00 PM CBS
3 9/21 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 4:15 PM CBS
4 9/28 BYE - none
5 10/5 @ Houston Texans 1:00 PM CBS
6 10/12 BALTIMORE RAVENS 1:00 PM CBS
7 10/19 @ Green Bay Packers 4:15 PM CBS
8 10/27 @ Tennessee Titans 8:30 PM ESPN
9 11/2 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 8:15 PM NBC
10 11/9 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 4:15 PM CBS
11 11/16 HOUSTON TEXANS 1:00 PM CBS
12 11/23 @ San Diego Chargers 8:15 PM NBC
13 11/30 @ Cleveland Browns 1:00 PM CBS
14 12/7 CINCINNATI BENGALS 1:00 PM CBS
15 12/14 DETROIT LIONS 1:00 PM FOX
16 12/18 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 8:15 PM NFLN/WXIN/WTTV
17 12/28 TENNESSEE TITANS 1:00 PM CBS

The Military Wife

In church today we were honoring Heroines. And it came to me that so many of my heroines, or women I look up to, have been military wives. It's kind of like a secret organization that we only understand. Like a sorority in a way. Anyway, I just said a little about how military wives struggle and sacrifice so much, they do a lot on their own, and for some, they give their spouses. I talked about how they drag their multitudes of little ones to church alone, for years on end. And they don't get awards or promotions or recognition for these sacrifices. I said that as Josh and I were ending our military careers, these wives have been my strength and my family.

My last two close friends just left me alone in this ward, with only one other military wife (i've got one other dear friend in another ward close to me). I realized that these women I've come to rely on more than I knew were kind of gone, I was entering a new phase. And it is always bittersweet, to realize you're moving on. But can I say this since 99 percent of my readers are the very women I've talked about. You women are amazing. I love you just by watching your strength, and although I'm not one of you anymore, I admire you, just like I always have.

Swimwear Steal

You know I love a great bargain. Let's talk swimsuits for example. You know I could never do a Target swimsuit. Not because I'm snooty, but because seriously I need the support of a well made suit... the squeeze of a nice suit, is also a plus. I was walking by the swimwear section in Bon Tons, and casually looked for a new suit. With all the mismatched parts, and pieces of suits, I realized my chances were slim to none, to find my size, not to mention a modest number! Until, in the size six section, (a prego girl can dream, right?), I found a hidden size twelve, in this super cute number. Now it didn't have a strap, but I found it in a little baggy next to the tag, PERFECT. I went and tried it on... you mormons out there I'm sure understand that finding a swimsuit that looks good in the dressing room is a challenge, as you're trying to imagine it at the pool, but this one even looked good in the dressing room!! At the check out it only took a mere $36 buckaroos to take it home. that's right a Liz Claiborne $87 swimsuit, for a steal.

Now I just have to talk Josh into taking me to the beach. We were supposed to go to our new favorite destination, Jupiter Beach in February, but there's been a change of plans... (babies much) Anyway, I am sure I'll think of something either very soon, or after baby I suppose!! Happy Summer Clearance shopping!!