Stepping outside the Box

It was when the Tea Party Movement began that I started to realize , exactly what Middle Class America means to some of those in power and to some of the people who became famous only because of Middle Class Americans. Nancy Pelosi for example said that the people attending the Tea Parties were not real, they were astroturf and dangerous. Janeane Garofalo said that they were "nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks." I saw skits on late night talk shows where they skipped the video to make it appear that every person speaking was stuttering. It seemed that every channel I turned to, someone was belittling these people while referring to them as Wal-Mart shoppers. CNN's Paul Begala said they were wimpy, whiny, weasels. Another example, Joe Klein of Time Magazine said about Tea Party goers and Town Hallers, that they were white, working class, mainly rural and old. That they shop at Wal-Mart, drive pickup trucks, listen to Country music, live in trailer parks and above all that they are ignorant, have never read a book and can't even work a math problem. Constantly using the vile expression "teabaggers" while referring to them. My Mother watched so much of this kind of coverage on television, that she referred to them as teabaggers. She seriously thought that was what someone attending a Tea Party was called. She didn't know this was a derogatory term. I decided to take a closer look at those attending the Tea Parties. I attended a rally to find out for myself what it was all about. I saw young families concerned that their children are going to be in debt to China for the rest of their lives. I saw Grandparents with their Grandchildren. People in cotton flannel shirts and blue jeans, people in suits. Just your average every day hard working concerned citizen. There were Democrats and Republicans in attendance. They were not partisan, they just wanted their voices heard. They were not in any way violent. Then I realized, hey, I am one of these people.

So I decided to step out side the box and start looking at things differently. Would Nancy Pelosi ever invite me to an event at her vineyard? Of course not, she would laugh me all the way back to Wal-Mart where she thinks I belong. She doesn't care about my opinion, she only cares about my vote. A vote that will help keep her in power. Then I looked at the young family with tree children, and the guy in the cotton flannel shirt and blue jeans that were in attendance at the Tea party Movement. That was when I realized how important the Tea Party Movement is. It is a way for some of those arrogant, over bearing Politicians on both sides of the isle, to hear our voices. Which I think is even more important now that we know what most of them really think about us.

Attacking Sarah Palin

Is it just me or are Hollywood Celebrities, Talk Show Host and Politicians opposing Sarah Palin getting more and more arrogant and condescending toward Middle Class Americans? They are entitled to their opinions about Sarah Palin, but when they attack her for taking 5.5 years to get a 4 year degree. For not attending a prestigious College. For not coming from money, for her Parents being School Teachers. For having a Child with Down Syndrome and a Grandchild born out of wedlock. For shopping at Wal-Mart, for hunting and killing her food, then aren't they kind of making fun of us? If these people don't agree with her Politics, then that is fine. But by attacking her personally they are attacking most of us as well.

I think this is why so many Americans are starting to rally behind Palin. Most people who do see what is happening in America are also starting to see the "wealthy, elite" attitude that so many of these people have. Martha Stewart for example said, Palin was boring, dangerous and confused. When asked if she had seen an interview with Palin, Stewart said, "I wouldn't watch her if you paid me." Then how does she know that Palin is boring, dangerous and confused? Rosie O'Donnell said when asked about Palin, "I don't watch it, I don't think about it, I don't read it." Call me strange but I like to hear what someone has to say before I reach a conclusion about them.

My own Mother is a Palin hater. She has the "Palin derangement syndrome" as I like to call it. We were in a heated Political discussion when my Mom said to me that Palin was "so stupid." I asked, if she had ever seen her in a debate or an interview. She said no, but that she had seen David Letterman and Tina Fey make fun of her. I said, "well their mission was accomplished, wasn't it?" Then, I had to explain how "left" Letterman, Fey and most of Hollywood are, and their agenda is to make people who don't follow Politics closely think that Palin is an idiot....and obviously it works.

I grew up with hard core Democrats as Parents. All I ever heard was Republicans are for big Business and Democrats are for the Little Man. That may have been true 45 years ago, but it seems to me like today's "Liberal" Democrat is for making fun of the "Little Man". It is more about the wealth and the power. Politicians and Hollywood are becoming more intertwined than ever before. Rubbing their prestigious elbows at their fancy dinner parties, referring to our President as a "Rock Star" while looking down their elite Liberal noses at us Wal-Mart shoppers. We need someone in Politics who knows what it is like to clip coupons and worry about how to pay the electric bill. I am not saying that Sarah Palin or anyone for that fact can pull us out of this monstrosity of a hole that we are in, but love Her or hate Her, Sarah Palin is about as Middle Class American as it gets.

Politically INcorrect

I have been doing a lot of deep thinking and soul searching lately, and I have come to realize that I prefer to be Politically INcorrect!! I come from a long line of Liberal Democrats. My Mom, Stepdad, Dad and Stepmom. We would joke about my Stepdad getting on a Political RANT, hating and cussing Republicans!! Brent's Mom, Dad, Brothers, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins are all HARD CORE Democrats. Brent said that he remembers when he was little, everyone in his Family sitting around the table during the Holidays SCREAMING at the top of their lungs about Republicans. Brent nor I have ever been interested in Politics until Last year. We never really knew why we were so disenchanted with Politics. Then last year we decided to step out side of the box and look at both sides. There are plenty of things that we disagree with on the Republican side but we could not believe how many things that we disagree with on the Democrats side. Then I realized, that my Parents don't really believe in some of the things that so many of todays Democrats stand for. But in the 60's it was COOL to be a Liberal, to protest the War, burn your bra, women's rights, equal rights, no guns, just love, sex and drugs! I can see why nearly all College students say that they are Liberal! Peace, Love, Sex and Drugs sound good when you are 18 years old. But there is no peace. Our experiences show that Democrats HATE Republicans, and I am sure that there is no love lost on the other side either. It would be wonderful if there was no war, and all of the Countries could live in harmony. But that is not realistic thinking. I don't care who our President is, they will still hate us and want to blow us off of the face of the earth. That is just how they are. How can you reason with someone that is willing to blow himself up just to kill a few Americans? And as far as Love, it seems that there is so little love in the world today, (plenty of sex, but little love). Years ago people took care of each other and watched out for one another. Now People don't even know their neighbors or take time to speak to each other. To me GOD is love. We started the day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer when I was in school. Brent said when he was in High School there was a girl that brought her Bible to school everyday. (And we had never heard of a school shooting). I can't imagine if a kid brought a Bible or said a prayer in school today. They even want to remove "in God we trust" from money. I think that we should ALL have the right to worship. The ACLU will fight AGAINST a prayer at a High School Graduation (as it did a local school here, a few years ago). But they will fight FOR the rights of other Religions. There are so many that want to legalize marijuana for extra tax revenue. I remember the woman here a few years ago that ran over several prominent Bowling Green business Men that were all out for a ride on their motorcycles. And recently the woman going the wrong way on a highway that killed her, her son two nieces and a father and son in the other vehicle. Both of these women were said to have been high. I have two kids out there on the road. And the "cool" thing now is to serve alcohol at every family event in Bowling Green. We stopped going to the concerts in the park because what was supposed to be a family event was nothing but a bunch of drunks thanks to the beer tent! People on the "left" tell me that I need to be more open minded. I know that is the cool Liberal way of thinking. They don't want us to own a gun, however they are all protected by armed guards, They want us on Government run Health Care, yet they want to keep their "Cadillac" plans, how hypocritical! But when I realized that Brent and I were basically "puppets" to appease our parents and the Democrat party, we realized THEY are the ones with the closed minds. They (some in our family) don't even think for themselves. A Democrat is in the White House that is all that matters, no matter what he does. My Mother cussed Bush everyday for 8 years for putting us so deep in debt because of the war. Just the "interest" (500 million a day) on what Obama has spent is more than both wars put together, and she does not say a word about that. And if I say anything about it she just says "well he is just doing what he has to do to get us out of this mess Bush got us in". OK, that would be like if I maxed out a charge card, then maxed out three more to try and fix it. I don't want my children to be a slave to the Government, to pay back all of this spending! And I hate it when I hear "Politically Correct". What does that mean? That I have to go along with THEM, because THEY are correct. This is what makes them "puppets" to the Democrat party. I think everyone has the right to love whom ever they wish, regardless of their sex or color. I think a woman should have the right to an abortion under certain circumstances, but not just because she made a mistake and is not willing to face the consequences. I do not agree with the programs that want to give people a "free" ride at the expense of those that work! I believe in GOD and don't want anyone to look down on me or belittle me for it, or take it away from me. I want to have the right to own a gun, and to use it if someone breaks into my home. I don't want to legalize marijuana or have beer tents at family events. I believe in the Death Penalty, if they can prove that the person commented the crime beyond a show of a doubt. If it was a horrific crime then I don't care about their "Human Rights," string them up!! As far as equal rights, I do not believe anyone should be discriminated against, but I also do not believe in the "entitlement" attitude that so many have today. And if a woman can do a job equally as well as a man, then pay them equally. If a woman can't do the job as well as a man then pay him more!! I am proud to be an Independent. To be able to "think" for myself, to see what is good and what is bad on both sides. I will not apologize to my or Brent's family for refusing to become their programed Democrat robots.

My email from Fox News Contributor, Charles Payne

I am so thrilled right now!! I just got an email from FOX NEWS Contributor, Charles Payne. I sent him an email concerning a segment that he did on Glen Beck's Show about the Chicago boy that was beaten to death recently with a board by a gang and left dead on the street. I thought that I would just receive the standard, generic email in return, thanking me for my interest. But instead Charles sent me a very personal and touching email and I cried for an hour. I have always admired him and looked forward to his appearances on Fox. I never realized what he has had to endure as an African American, by OTHER African Americans! Charles lived a good life as a child, until his parents divorced and he and his mother moved to Harlem with a friend of hers. He was a gifted student that wanted to be a business man. After moving to Harlem he said that he was harassed and beaten daily by the other African American students because he "spoke white" and "made good grades". When he was 13 all he wanted for Christmas was a brief case. His mother saved and bought him a plastic brief case, when he opened it up there was a bonus, a calculator. He was so thrilled and could not wait to take it to school. As he was away from his desk some of the students tore the brief case apart and smashed his calculator. He said those students hated anyone that wanted to do better and to rise up, and OUT of Harlem. They felt that they were owed something because their ancestors were slaves. He talked about how they acted like they earned their welfare checks. The young man that was beaten to death in Chicago recently, was an honor student and an innocent bystander trying to help his friend, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was so touched by Charles' story that I had to send him an email telling him how proud I am of him and how proud I would be to someday have HIM as my President. As I said, I was blown away that he took time to respond to me personally with such kind words, and he also said to me, "who knows, maybe I will throw my hat in the ring someday". I sure hope that he does and I am truly looking forward to that day! President Payne sounds good to me.

Brent's artical in BTN

THIS WAS BRENT'S ARTICAL THAT WAS PRINTED IN BEECHTREE NEWS




Brent Young: …indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all

Americans need to come together without political party divisions. While we as individuals may have different political ideals, we as Americans all agree that the citizens of this country should have a voice in the policy debates that directly affect our lives.The two Parties hold us hostage by dividing the people with a Left/Right ideology. By letting the two-party system keep us at odds with one another, they know that “divided we fall”.The 2000 Presidential elections brought this into sharp focus for me. I looked at the two candidates that were selected and thought – Are these two men really the best choices to lead our country that we can produce from more than 300 million people? They seemed like two complete yahoos! I became very disenchanted with politics.
I thought about it for a long time, and did a lot of reading and studying. Finally I realized that each party saw them as the “most electable” that they had to offer.There were most certainly better choices on both sides, but they had not proved themselves to be dependable party robots.Anyone who continually and constantly toes the party line just accepts what they are told to think. Most people vote for the candidate that is the “least of 2 evils,” this is not the process that our founding fathers envisioned for us to choose a leader for our country.Many times people agree more with a 3rd party candidate but they don’t want to “throw their vote away” on a candidate that has no chance of winning. The only way someone has no chance is when the two main parties convince or coerce the voter into thinking that you should hate the other guy enough to vote for their guy. As long as they can keep us divided they will always pass control back and forth, while each party wants the power they also understand that they have more control over the voters while they remain only two parties. Three or four strong political parties would divide the votes too much for consistent control.I don’t think that anyone can agree with either party 100% of the time. If they do they cannot be thinking for themselves but just adopting the party line, which is exactly what they need to maintain the status quo. This is how they create “voter sheep” who just vote for the party without thought or reasoning.If a significant number of voters could come together and support a 3rd party “We the People” would regain control of our country. Then the political parties whether it is 2, 3 or 4 parties in the end would have to offer a candidate that people really want to vote for instead of the “least of 2 evils”.In the 2004 Presidential elections almost everyone that I know who voted for George W. Bush really only voted against John Kerry. In the 2008 Presidential election the Barrack Obama camp along with the media and did such a good job connecting John McCain to Bush that many voters only voted for Obama because they didn’t want “4 more years of Bush.”The Tea Party Movement is the perfect opportunity for us to come together as citizens. It is not a Democrat or Republican event. The Tea Party is a very large tent and all are welcome! The proof is the fact that with all the rallies all across the nation there has not been any violence at any of the events. I have attended several rallies and no one has ever asked me with which party I am registered to vote.The Tea Party issues are very general, such as out of control spending, respect for the Constitution, free speech and the citizen having a voice in the policy debates being the predominate issues.My hope is “We the People” can come together and tell D.C. that we are tired of politics as usual. We are not red states or blue states, we are Americans, and this is our country. Please consider joining the other Patriots at a Tea Party in your area.
God Bless America!
* * *
Contributor Bio: Brent Young lives in Sugar Grove with wife Lisa. They own Sugar Grove Photography. They have never been politically active but always interested. The Tea Party Movement gave them the opportunity to do more than just sit on the couch and yell at the TV.

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Socialism

Many in the Country are currently concerned that President Obama is leading us toward Socialism. There are so many people on the Polls, blogs and forums that I read that are in favor of Socialism. It would be nice if there were no hungry or homeless people in America. But it is naive to think that under Socialism we will ALL be equal. The rich and powerful, will still be rich and powerful. George Soros, one of the richest men in America, backed Obama during his campaign for President. Now, our Government has given BILLIONS of our tax payers dollars to Brazil for them to drill for oil off of their shores, even though we can't drill off of our own shores. George Soros is invested in the oil company that will drill in Brazil and he will become a much, much richer man because of this. Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric and its sister company MSNBC, heavily supported Obama on his TV station MSNBC during the campaign and still today, will not show any of the corruption currently being uncovered in Obama's administration. Now, he has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve. And GE has been given the contract for producing the Wind Turbines. Immelt will become a much richer man as well, while the people of this Country are losing their jobs and homes everyday. It is always going to be this way with the, "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." I don't care if it is a Democrat or Republican. It will be people like you and I that will be giving things up for those less fortunate. Don't get me wrong, I am all for helping people, but people have to be willing to help themselves. I know there are plenty of able bodied people that get on disability, welfare, food stamps, WIC, and medical cards that never plan to do any better. They want to live off of these programs rather than work. They don't care that it is those people who are WORKING paying in taxes that support them. The whole system is messed up. My 89 year old Grandpa who worked from the time he was 9 to 65, and can barely walk, is not eligible to receive ANY Government assistance because his house is paid for. But I know of people living off of the Government that take 2 vacations to Florida a year, eat and dress better than we do. There are couples that will not get married even though they live together and have children, because they will lose their Government funds. The Government encourages people to not try, and not marry by giving them this assistance, while those that do try and those that worked their whole lives can not receive any help. It is like Chris Gardner, the man that the movie "Pursuit of Happiness" was about said, "Give me a hand up, not a hand out", all he wanted was a job. He is a very wealthy man today. He said, had he of gotten on welfare that he probably would have never tried to do any better. I look at it like this, if we are headed for Socialism, then why should we even encourage our children to try in school? I raised my children to do their very best, to set goals and achieve them. And I am very proud of them both. Brittany went to school for 13 years (counting Kindergarten) and had straight A's with the exception of one B, and that was in "Chorus" her freshman year. She received too many awards to mention, but I was most proud of her winning the "Pre Calculus" award her Junior year and "Calculus" award her Senior year. She graduated high school "Class Salutatorian" with a GPA of 3.98. She recently graduated College "Magna Cum Laude" with a GPA of 3.74. She received some good scholarships that almost paid for her Education in full, but what was her responsibility, she paid for on her own as she went, by working sometimes 50 hours a week. She just finished her "Internship" that cost her $1,750.00 out of her own pocket, and had to work for 3 months, 40 hours a week for free to complete the Internship. She graduated completely debt free, when many of her friends owe as much as $40,000.00 in Student Loans. I don't want to see her work so hard to achieve her goals, just to have the Government take it away from her to give it to someone who didn't try, made bad grades, dropped out of school and won't work.

Health Care Debate

There currently is a huge debate going on over Health Care. I feel somewhat concerned and torn over it. Our Health Care expenses are through the roof, and we get ours through Brent's employer. But after our portion is taken out of his paycheck and our monthly prescriptions are filled our monthly cost is over $400.00. Because of Diabetes, high blood pressure and my ear problems it would be hard for us to get on a different plan because of preexisting conditions. I am very concerned for our Daughter who will no longer be eligible to stay on our plan after the first of the year because she graduated college in May. And I don't know how she will afford a plan if she can get one. She recently had a tumor removed from her parathyroid gland and will fall in the preexisting condition category. But my concern with the Government run plan is a fear of the loss of Doctors. I know of several people that work for Dr's that say their Dr will retire if the Gov plan passes. Then these people will lose their jobs. I heard that over 50,000 people in the Medical field will lose their jobs if the Gov plan passes. My Daughter will most likely be one of them. Then she will have no Health Ins or JOB. Obama said that if you are happy with your Dr, then you can keep your Dr. Well I won't, because I spoke with my ear Dr last Thursday and he said that he will most likely quit practicing, or go into private practice and only see patients with good Ins or money to pay cash for his services. He will not participate in the Gov-run plan. He said that it would not be worth his time, for what little the Government will pay him. If the Gov run passes then most all Business will push their employees off on it, because it will be cheaper for them to pay the Governments fine than to pay for their employees to have Health Insurance. So only people with money or good Ins will get a good Doctor. People on the Gov-run plan will most likely wait months to see a Dr that will take them, then get a band aid or an aspirin and sent home. Plus I am sure that our taxes will go up in order to pay for it. They say they won't, but how are they going to pay the 1.6 trillion dollar price tag for it? Plus the Senior Citizens will suffer because Medicare will be cut 500billion dollars to help pay for it. Which will leave the elderly to pay even more out of their own pockets or have to take out supplemental plans to help pay the difference. I want everyone to have Health care but not at the expense of others. I think that Sara Palin was a little extreme when she said that there will be "Death Panels". But Obama said himself that to cut down on cost, there will be a panel of people who will decide whether or not you need to have a test run. If they decide "not" and you should have had the test run, get sick and die, then it would be a "Death Panel". And if it is going to cut down on health care expenses to have this "panel" decide whether or not to allow your test to be run, then just how much is it going to cost to pay these thousands of people on the "panels" who are making these decisions?

www.bgdailynews.com

My letter to the Editor concerning the Government Run Health Care was published in the Bowling Green Daily News Paper today. It is titled "Health Care Proposal Leaves Questions". It is in the "Opinions" section. I will post a copy of it below.


HEALTH CARE PROPOSAL LEAVES QUESTIONS

Will government-run health care resemble the Cash for Clunkers program? President Barack Obama said the Cash for Clunkers program was not a failure, that it instead was more of a success than they ever expected. Some car dealerships are understandably pulling out of the program because the government owes them thousands of dollars, and the red tape seems to be a nightmare. Will the government-run health care be a bigger success than he could ever expect as well? Will doctors and hospitals be waiting months for their pay from the government? Will all the red tape involved be so overwhelming that no one can fill it out correctly? What will happen to us then? Lisa Young Bowling Green

Brittany's Visit

Brittany surprised us and came in for the weekend. It was wonderful to have her home. She hasn't been home in over three months and probably won't be back before Thanksgiving. We spent the weekend cooking and eating. We watched movies and ate and played Scrabble and ate some more. We made brownies together like when she was little. She brought her two dogs, Majors and Abby. The weather was perfect for playing outside with the dogs. She has only been gone an hour and I miss her already. I started to get very emotional as I stood in the driveway and watched her drive off. I remembered the first time I watched her ride off on the School Bus. The first time I watched her pull out of the driveway by herself after getting her licenses. I wonder if I will still be like this when she is 40. She has been gone from home for over 4 years now and I hate to see her leave as bad now as I did the first time. We want to raise our children to get an education, to do well and be independent, but at the same time we wish that they would stay little forever.

Stay at Home Mom

Chad went out to eat with us the other night and we got on the subject of "stay at home Moms". Chad told me that he was so thankful that I was a stay at home Mom. He talked about not worrying where he would stay if he were sick, how good it was having ME be the one to get him ready for school and put him on the bus and get him off of the bus. Not wondering where he would stay during the summer and most of all that only Brent and I influenced his thinking. He said that he didn't think that he would be who he is today if I had of worked (other than Photography) outside the home. I was so proud that I almost started balling right there in the restaurant. As a stay at home Mom, I always struggled with, "was I making the right decision." I knew that they had friends whose Mom's were Nurses, Teachers, Social Workers and so on. I wondered if I should be a "Professional" or just be a Mom. I knew a lot of Moms that only spent maybe 3 hours a day with their kids. And those 3 hours were spent feeding, bathing and putting them to bed. They barely even knew their own children. My Grandma along with a couple of others kept me when I was little. I cried when I had to go home. I was so much closer to my Grandma and my Babysitters than I was my Mom. I am so glad that Chad feels that he is who he is today, because I was a stay at home Mom. He sure did turn out pretty good, if I say so myself.

My Son the Artist

We visited Chad last night and saw his latest art projects. He is working with Acrylics, and painted a portrait of his friend, Derrick Hammers. He also painted his girlfriend, Lindsey Porter a John Lennon portrait. He has always been an excellent artist. When he was only 3 years old, he drew a picture of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. I was amazed, there was no question what it was. I knew then that he had an extreme amount of talent. We are very proud of him.

Kage Loves the Pool

Our boy Kage is the light of our life now that it is just the two of us. The joy and entertainment that he brings us is immeasurable. He loves it when we get in the pool. He gets his ball, drops it in the water and waits patiently for us to get it and throw it back to him. He will catch it in his mouth then drop it back in the pool. He is so much fun we just love him.

Thunder (L) & Lightning (R)

When Brittany was 9 years old she decided that she wanted a horse. Any time that they wanted something that was not exactly necessary, we would tell them to save their money and when they had saved enough that we would take them to get it. This was a good lesson for them. It taught them to save their money and watch it grow and then purchase the item themselves. I am really glad that we did that because they are both really responsible with their money and take pride in what they have worked for and bought themselves instead of just getting everything that they wanted handed to them. So Brent told her to save her money and when she had $500.00 that he would take her to get a horse. Well, we thought problem solved, she will change her mind or she will never save that much money. About 6 months later she presented Brent with a shoe box that had $503.00 in it. Needless to say we were shocked. She had saved every penny that she got for her Birthday, Christmas, allowance and good grades money. We realized that she REALLY wanted a horse. Brent took her to buy Lightning. He was such a great horse and was so good with the kids. That was her first major purchase and we learned to never underestimate her again.

In Memory of My Grandma

Twenty years ago today my Grandma Evelyn Graham passed away. She was one of the most caring, loving and nurturing people that you could ever hope to meet. When I was little I would cry all night with ear aches (which turned out to be a tumor on the base of my brain). I only wanted my Grandma. I remember many nights that my Dad would go and get her at 2am. She would heat towels and hold them on my ear and rock me all night. She would say over and over that she wished that she could take away my pain. Somehow the pain would ease. Even as an adult she did the same thing. When I lost my first child she stayed with me for a couple of days after his funeral. Again, she held me and said over and over how she wished that she could take away my pain, and I know that she would have if it were possible. I wish that my children could have known her. Chad was only 6 months old and Brittany was 2 when Grandma died. Here is a poem that I wrote a couple of years after her death. It was published in Treasured Poems of America 1995 Fall Edition page 293.

MY GRANDMA'S HOME

My Grandma's Home was a place where everyone was welcome,

Her door was open night and day,

It was a place to feel safe and secure,

Knowing that you would never be turned away,

What better joy than to see her face light up when you entered through the door,

To know the love she gave us will last forever more,

My Grandma's home was filled with love and laughter,

from the foundation to the highest rafter,

It was a place to go when there was nowhere left to turn,

Where love and values, there we learned,

To see her face once more I will always yearn,

But I know I will see her smile and hear her laugh again someday,

When God calls me to that Glory Land far away.

A Fallen Soldier

It amazes me that the current Administration can say that our "War Veterans" are potential domestic terrorist, when this is the price these "Heroes" that serve our Country are willing to pay for our freedom. We were sent this video of the funeral procession of a fallen Soldier from Georgia, by the Southern Kentucky Tea Party Association. It is very touching, I cried for an hour.
My new favorite quote is "I must remember somewhere out there a person died for me today. As long as there must be war, I ask and I must answer was I worth dying for?” Be sure and go to the bottom of my page and pause my music so that you can hear the music to the video.
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"Green?"

I am a little confused about why it is all of the sudden considered hip and cool to be "green", to have a garden and to hang your clothes out on a line to dry. I thought that it was just "old fashioned". That is how I grew up. We didn't have food to eat unless we grew it or killed it. I remember helping my Grandma wash clothes on her old wringer washer and then hanging them out on the clothes line. I realize that this is better for the environment to use less electricity and all, but I just saw a show where the woman was talking about these things as if she had just invented them herself as a way to save the environment.

My Baby Turns 22 Today

It seems like she should still be this size.

Happy 22nd Birthday Brittany. No matter how old you are, you will always be my baby.

Visiting Brittany in Indiana

We went to Indiana Sunday to see Brittany and celebrate her Birthday a little early. She will be 22 tomorrow (seems unreal). It was so good to see her. We have not seen her in 7 weeks. I hope that it won't be so long next time. When she was little, she and Chad would spend the weekend with Brent's Mom and Dad every now and then. I could not stand to go the weekend without them, and now it is weeks, sometimes months between visits. When she went to Eastern her freshman year we only saw her 1 time from August until Christmas break. I am very proud of how independent they are though. I have always been a big baby, afraid to go to far from home.

Scenes From the Tea Party

We attended the 2nd Tea Party that was held in Bowling Green last night. We got to meet United States Representative Brett Guthrie and Ky. State Representative Jim DeCesare along with a lot of other really nice (ignorant, tea bagging, rednecks, according to Janeane Garofalo) people who also care about their Children's future as much as we do. Here are a few pictures.

Is this not just pitiful?

Kage gets so sad when we are getting ready to leave. He will go and get his favorite toys, cuddle up with them and cry. I have a harder time leaving my dog than I did my kids. He is so pitiful. Please excuse the poor quality of this photo, I took it with my cellphone on the way out the door.

Who needed a Zoo

When I was a kid my parents both worked all the time, they had full time jobs and farmed. We didn't get to go anywhere other than to school or maybe the grocery. I didn't even know there was such thing as a zoo. When my kids were small we took them to the zoo, I found myself constantly telling them "my Grandma had one of those". Looking back, I had it better than the kids that got to go to the zoo anyway. I practically lived on one. My Grandparents had a beautiful male peacock that strutted freely around the yard. He would sit on the fence post with his tail flowing to the ground. There was also a tom turkey in full strut along with his hen. Kept in the pen were the pheasants, and a hen house full of all kinds of chickens. We raised an orphaned baby deer until it was full grown. We had cows, pigs, sheep, a couple of horses and I had a pony named Kentucky. It is funny how when we get older, looking back, it wasn't so bad.

Kid's Say the Darndest Things

Brent and I were just talking about funny things that Chad said when he was small. He was always coming off with something that would make us roll on the floor. I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you.

Chad was 3 and 1/2 and Brittany was 5 when their cousin Dylan was born. We had really been hyping them up about becoming cousins, since they would no longer be the only grandchildren. When we went to see baby Dylan for the first time, Brittany LOVED him (as we knew she would). Chad on the other hand looked very disappointed and said "When he gets some hair, then he can be my cousin".

We went to the wedding of a friend of Brent's family when Chad was about seven. The Bride came and asked Chad to dance with her. We were surprised that he went out on the dance floor in front of about 200 guest. But we were really surprised when she leaned down and tapped her cheek for him to give her a kiss and he did. When he came back to our table Brent's Mom was joking with him about kissing the Bride. He said "I don't know what happened, it was like her head was a steel ball and my lips were magnets".

We got the kids a kitten when Chad was about three. We put it in his lap and was telling him how he would have to be gentle with it. He looked at it and said "You don't supposed to poke it's eyes out?"

We took Brittany, Chad and cousin Dylan to Chattanooga when Dylan was about four years old. We kept talking about Chattanooga this and Chattanooga that and Dylan asked "Are we going to go to Brittanyanooga next?"

Chad's Freckles

When Chad was in Kindergarten he came home upset one day because a little girl in his class had been irritating him. Brent told him that she was just doing it because she thought all of those freckles on his nose were so cute. The next morning while getting ready for school he kept begging me for a band aid. I asked him why did he want a band aid so badly. He said "I want to put it on my nose and cover up these freckles so that little girl will leave me alone today".

Father's Day

Brent had a great Father's Day. We had dinner with Chad and Lindsey Saturday night. Brittany called, and sent a beautiful card and gift card. He got a new step ladder, a tool belt, Glen Beck's new book "Common Sense" and a Shimano fishing rod. Since it is Father's Day, this post is going to be about Brent. He is the most wonderful Husband and Father that anyone could ever ask for. As most of you know, I was married once before Brent. My first Husband and I were married 6 years when Brittany was born. When she was only 2 months and 2 days old, Steve decided that this was not what he wanted and he filed for a divorce. I had known Brent for years. My Mom went to school with his Mom, my Dad worked with his Dad. I had worked with Brent a couple of years earlier while I was pregnant with my first child that was stillborn. He and his family lived across the street from me. They were life savers. They babysat Brittany while I was at work. I had a crazy schedule. I worked days one day and nights the next. When I worked days Brent would keep Brittany and when I worked nights his Mom would keep her, because Brent worked nights as well. Three months after my divorce Brent stated that he could not understand how Steve could just throw his family away, that this, was all he had ever wanted. From that moment on things changed between us. I always think of the song "Thank God for Unanswered Prayers". I remember all the praying that I did for my first marriage. If I had of only known that God had something much greater in store for me.

Brittany's Father's Day Poem

This is a Poem that Brittany wrote for Brent for Father's Day a few years ago. I think it says it all.

THE FATHER YOU NEVER HAD TO BE

Many years have passed and I haven’t taken time to say,
That I am who I am because your guidance along the way.
You were there for me when I was a little kid,
You told me what that was, or what this did.
You showed me how to swim and how to tie my shoes,
You taught me how to win, more importantly how to lose.
You were there for me with my first broken heart.
You taught me what to look out for and how to play it smart.
During all the disagreements between me and mom,
You were always there to keep us calm.
And growing up as a teen?
So much drama it’s like a dream.
Still you’ve stood by my side,
I know, in you I can confide.
The closing of this chapter will come graduation day,
And so many life lessons to learn along the way.
Who knows where I will be when the night comes to an end,
UAB or just moving in with a friend….
Wherever it is I’ll still need you to guide me
So thank you for being the father you never had to be.

I Love the Country Life

When I was a child growing up in the country, I could not wait until I was grown and could move to town. I hated living in the middle of nowhere. All my friends lived in town or only a few miles out of town. They would meet and hang out at the park, walk to each others homes, swim at the city pool and walk to and from school each day. My bus ride was an hour long each way, much of which was on a one lane gravel road. It was like asking my parents to take me on a mini vacation just to go visit one of my friends. I moved to B.G. when I got married and lived within walking distance of Warren Central for almost 4 years, then moved to a subdivision a little further out where I lived for almost 6 years. I realized that my children needed more than a 75x100 foot lot to play on. And that we needed consistent neighbors. Most of the houses around us would sell every couple of years and we never knew what kind of neighbors we would get. The week after Chads first birthday we moved back to the country only a few miles from where I grew up, to a community filled with people that grew up with my Dad and my Grandparents. Brittany was 2 and 1/2 at the time. All of their memories have been of the country, where they were able to roam the woods, hunt, fish, garden, ride horses, go carts and four wheelers with their friends. And they grew up with some of the greatest neighbors that anyone could ever ask for.

Sweets and Diabetes

Brent and I both found out that we have diabetes a year and a half ago. We were neither one surprised really. My maternal Grandmother and Paternal Uncle had it and so does my Brother. Brent's Paternal Grandmother had to have both legs amputated due to diabetes. It has been easier on him than it has on me, because he has never been a big sweets eater. I crave sweets. But we have been controlling our sugar with our diet so far. I hope that we can continue to control it without insulin shots. My Brother is currently taking two shots daily.

Something to Cherish Forever

Chad's hand print

Brittany's hand print

The Kids made these concrete hand prints in Bible School when they were little. At the time I was not sure what I would do with them but they look great in the landscaping. I am so glad that I have them now that they are grown and gone from home. I just wish that they would have put the year on them because I am not sure of how old they were when they were made. All you need is some concrete mix and a pie pan and you will have something to cherish for years to come.

Early B-day Gift

This past weekend Brent built me a flower box on the garage window and filled it with red wave petunias and white geraniums as an early birthday present. He is so thoughtful. A couple of weeks ago I said that I would like to have one because my kitchen window over the sink faces that side of the garage. Now I have something pretty to look at while I wash dishes and it reminds me of how sweet my Husband is.

He has our heart

Our boy Kage is our pride and joy. We have never had a dog like him. He has our heart (notice the heart shape on his side, he also has a clover shape on the other side). Two years ago he showed up at my Moms. He was limping, and tore all to pieces where he had been in a fight with her neighbors dog. She asked around the neighborhood and found out who he belonged to. Her neighbor said that he got him from his brother. This guys brother was going to shoot him because he had been hit by a car and they could not keep him because they lived in a trailer park. This guys dog is the one that attacked him, that is why he came to my Moms. Her neighbor told her to call the Humane Society to come and pick him up. We stopped by Moms that afternoon and this dog LOVED Brent. He was all over him. Mom tried to get us to take him home when we left, but I did not want the responsibility of caring for a dog. The next day she said that she was calling the Humane Society to come and get him that afternoon. Brent wanted to go get him so badly, so I gave in, and we headed to town to pick him up. I didn't really figure that he would stay at our house due to the fact that he roamed the trailer park at his first home and then roamed the neighborhood at my Moms. When we got there he jumped in the car as if he had been waiting for us all along. For three days he laid on the porch against our kitchen door and never moved. On the third day I went out to check the mail, it was misting a cold icy rain. He lay there soaking wet. I realized that it was crazy for him to be out there alone and for me to be in the house alone, so I brought him in. His wounds healed but he still has trouble with his back legs. Some times he can barely get up and he is only three years old. Dr. Van has put him on pain medication that we give him everyday. It kills me to see him in pain. I could never have imagined how much joy this dog would bring us. I truly believe that God sent him to us when he knew that we needed him most. I think that the kids are a little jealous of him. Brittany says that we let him get away with stuff that she and Chad would have never gotten away with. For Christmas, Chad bought a gift for Kage. He said that he wanted to get something for the most important thing in our life. I have always had dogs and loved my dogs but they were just "dogs". This one is different. I have been known to say that "I couldn't love him anymore had I given birth to him".

Winklebottom and the Pig

Because I gave Brent a hard time about his Winklebottom, (a garden Gnome named after a King of the Hill episode, Hank is Brent's role model). He then built this PINK PIG birdhouse just as a joke to harass me. A bird built a nest in it the day he hung it on the tree and now it has 3 baby birds in it, so we can't take it down. We look like Florida retirement village residents.

The Sparrow's Nest

A sparrow has built a nest in the 4 foot tall hibiscus tree that Brent got me for Mother's Day. It now has an egg in it. I think that is so sweet, that she built her nest in my Mother's Day gift.