Saturday, January 24, 2009

Still a free country

This may not be the kind of post you are expecting.

I am thankful that we still live in a free country. I was free to NOT watch all the inaugural hoopla. I was free to not listen as crowds booed out going President Bush. I was free to not listen to the new President's speech.

Just as folks are free to feel hopeful, I am free to feel sad and discouraged.

Just as the President was free to overturn a ban on overseas abortion funding, I am free to weep for the babies who will now lose their lives as a result.

The President is free to lift the ban on human embryonic stem cell research. I am free to grieve for the unborn babies who will never look into their parents' eyes.



I am free to feel a deepening sense of doom for our country. I am free to believe that, if God does not judge us, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.

My usual Pollyanna-ish attitude is waning. I'm feeling much more like Eeyore regarding our country these days.

But it's ok to feel this way because, as of now, it's still a free country.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

My blog's readability

Well, how about that?

blog readability test



I figured I needed some credibility after posting about elephant poop roses.

Monday, January 12, 2009

I'm all about quirky but.....

I love quirky things. Decor that makes you smile and then scratch your head is just about perfect for me. In our old house, the bathroom was the most famous room because of the decor.



I used the cuffs of different colored sweatshirts to cover the hardware so it looked like the hands were coming out of the wall!



I say that to prove that I'm all about quirky.

But this is too quirky even for me:



Looks like paper roses, doesn't it?
It's actually made out of elephant poop!!!

Yup, you got that right. Elephant poop. These same folks also make a journal and the cover and pages are all elephant poop.

Think about it - to whom do you give roses made out of poop?

And if your journal is made from poop, do you only write about your crappy days?

You'd become the butt of jokes!

If you throw it away, would you be taking your dump to the dump?

What if you were in an outhouse and this was the only paper available?

Ok, I'm done.

The END.

Friday, January 09, 2009

Busy week, time for a smile



HT to Gman for this video. The song is annoying and it's corny, but it'll make you smile. And it reminded me of the segway tour that my friend Pam and I took in San Francisco. That was one of the most fun things we did. Segways don't have alot of honest to goodness usefulness, but for just plain enjoyment, they're great!

This has been a busy week. Our nephew came in for a visit on Tuesday. He's fixin' to get our of the Army soon. He finished up his second deployment to Iraq and was home on leave. He stopped by on his way back to Fort Campbell. He talked with the jr hi kids that had adopted him while he was in Iraq. There were about 50 kids and Josh did a great job. It was probably the first time he'd ever done anything like that and I think he even surprised himself. He really enjoyed himself.

Last night, Josh's dad (my BIL) was able to come for the evening. He's a trucker and was able to get a job that took him through our area. 3+ grandkids and 2+ kids always equals loud chaos. Last night was not exception. But it's happy chaos with lots of laughter.

This weekend is an all church retreat. I'm really looking forward to it. I love the folks at our church and am always happy for chances to get to know them better.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

a Blast from the Past



Here's a picture of Kevin and me at my senior prom in 1975. We just celebrated our 32nd anniversary and this was the closest I had to a wedding picture. We met at our youth group in 1974 and Kevin and I started dating in Jan. 1975 and knew within a few months that we were going to be married.
I graduated a year before Kevin. (I'm just 4 months older than him, I was the youngest in my class) I went to college in Iowa while Kevin went to his senior year in NJ. Kevin wrote me every day, we talked on the phone once a week and I saw him only three times that year. But we were determined and actually got engaged during Kevin's senior year in high school!
Sadly, my parents didn't approve of Kevin and my marriage. Our wedding was something they helped with very begrudgingly and were very vocal about their disapproval. They bragged to anyone who would listen at the wedding about how cheap it was. And a lot of folks told us "We're here to be nice but this won't make it" instead of wishing us well.
I understand because here we were, 2 teens, Kevin was 18 and I was barely 19. We had no money, no jobs and just figured it'd all work out. Our parents tried to prove they were right by telling us that they were not going to help us at all. So we started out with nothing and the years of having to work together actually bonded us closer than it would've if we'd had help from our parents.
So here we are, 32 years later. If I could use one word to describe how we are as a couple, the best word would be "content". It's a wonderful feeling. It feels like something we've really earned and cherish because we've worked so hard to accomplish contentment.
The only thing we ever thought we missed out on was being able to go back to the folks who didn't think we'd make it and just say 'neener, neener'.
No, actually, we are living proof of a living and loving God. With our history from 2 very unhealthy families, the chances of our marriage actually surviving, much less thriving is truly amazing. And credit needs to go to Jesus Christ, the One who saved us and redeemed us, both individually and as a married couple. It's like being a walking advertisement. Anyone who sees us is seeing the grace of God in a living, breathing couple.
We've definitely come a long way and thanks to God, we actually made it. And thanks go God, we are content.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

In the beginning....

Welcome, 2009! Wow, it's hard to believe we're almost at the end of the first decade of the 21st century.

I decided to take a look backward. 1957 is a good year to look at since that was the year I was born. So, what kinds of things happened that year?

Wham-o Company produces its first Frisbee! (I guess it took a while to become popular because I was 11 the first time I played with a Frisbee)

Dr. Suess' The Cat In The Hat is published. (I remember reading it as a little girl, then reading it to my kids, and then to my grandkids - one of those timeless classics!)

Dwight Eisenhower was President and Richard Nixon was Vice President (anyone remember that Nixon was once a VP?)

There were only 48 states in the United States. (Alaska and Hawaii weren't included until 1959) That means that the US Flag even looked different.



Postage stamps were only 3 cents! And you had to lick them to get them to stick to the envelope!



Leave It To Beaver permieres. (I loved this show as a kid)



And here is what a computer looked like in 1957:



And finally, here are some predictions from 1957 that didn't come true:

Built to last with technology of the future, the RCA black-and-white 18-inch television will remain the industry standard.

Advanced technology allows people to play phonograph records in their cars -- with no skipping! (do they get points for kind of being right?)

Atomic-powered flying cars will free us forever from the tyranny of 29-cent-per-gallon gasoline. (bummer this one didn't pan out.)

The U.S. tax code will become so simplified that every household can file a tax return in three easy steps. (unless you count "how much do you make?" "send it in" as fulfilling this prediction)

By 2007, the immorality of the beatnik movement will signal the end of civilization. (the hippies lasted longer than the beatniks and this same prediction was made about them)

So, that was a peek into the world I entered. Things have changed and will continue to change. It'll be interesting to see how we'll perceive 2009 in another 50 years.

About Me

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Longview, Texas
In the autumn of my life, I am very content.

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