I'm not one of those daily, or even weekly updater's. The only time I post to my blog is when 1.) I have time; 2.) when something funny comes to mind; or 3.) when something makes me angry and I need an outlet to vent... This would be categorized in #3!



All throughout the presidential election, it was evident that if you were for Obama, you were to be as loud as possible. However, if you were against Obama, you had better keep your mouth shut because the attacks would come! At least that was the case for me here in Dallas; I know there are some more conservative towns that might not have seen this first hand. Even if you did not see it in your community though, you saw it on television. No one dared to question him. And to this day, no one questions him... Except Fox News. This entire time they have been the only ones (at least in public) that had a differing opinion from the Obama screamers. So... it was only a matter of time before Obama made a move against them-

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/18/white-house-escalates-war-fox-news-1925819282/

Yes, I am cheap!

I am way behind the times when it comes to music. Considering how much I am into all kinds of music this is really strange, but I never really seemed to move past cassette tapes! I think I have owned 10 CD’s in my entire life, though at this point I only have like 3. I might be the only person over 9 years old on the planet without an iPod. Dad even has an iPod. Dad, who still has a bag phone in his pick-up has an iPod, and I don’t! For some reason, even with as much as I love music, I don’t spend money on it. Because of this I constantly flip through radio stations in my car, all excited about what one of my “favorite” songs might come on next. Now though, thanks to my husband, I have discovered PANDORA!

So all you do is go to Pandora.com and it walks you through creating your own radio station! You tell it what artists and/or songs you like, and it builds a group of songs based upon the info you give it. Once it starts playing songs, you can tell it that you either like or dislike a song. You can even bookmark songs for later! I have built 9 stations so far! I just go back and forth between them based on my mood! In a yelling, angry girl mood? Well then I have a station for that- it is Alanis Morissette Radio! In a laid back, chill sort of mood? How about The Doors Radio? Going to the lake or to play in the river? Well then I suggest my Pat Green Radio station! LOVE IT!

The best part of all this is that it is FREE! They can do this because there are advertisements on their website. Plus, about once every ten songs or so they play an ad, but it is never more than 20 seconds. The only way you get a charge is if you listen for more than 40 hours in a month. I personally listen all day every day at work, so I do pass that. When your 40 hours are up, the website gives you the option to pay 99 cents to finish out the month. 99 CENTS! If you don’t want to do that, you just have to wait until the end of the month to begin listening again!

The only drawback I see to this service is the fact that it only either plays off your computer, or your phone (if your phone has the capability.) But with speakers, headphones and attachments for songs on your phone to play in your car- you can easily get around all those road blocks.

So anyway- try it if you get a chance! I am listening to mine right now! And by the way, I chose this picture to go witht he post because Hailey is a little rocker herself! She loves music too and is quite the dancer!

"How is married life treating you?!"

You get engaged and tell the world that you will soon get married. Everyone is happy for you and wants to know all about your wedding plans. A few will tell you that the first year of marriage is “hard.” You, being the dreamer you are, think those people don’t know what they are talking about. After-all, this person is not just your fiancé, he is your best friend! You aren’t going to run into the “hard” first year like most people. It will be all roses and rainbows for your love story…

Once the stress of the wedding is finally done, and you begin to settle into your new life, you begin to look around and think “aren’t I supposed to feel different? Am I supposed to feel like an adult now?” Your best friend is starting to sort of annoy you. He leaves his clothes on the floor of the living room and his wet towels in the floor of the bathroom. He doesn’t close cabinet doors when he is done getting something out. He complains that your hair is everywhere- on the bed, on the bathroom floor, on the counters… He complains that you wash your hair in the kitchen sink. He complains that you get low-fat groceries and don’t ever buy snacks.

Then there is the cooking- every good wife should know how to cook right? You assume that cooking is something that comes to you naturally once you have gotten married and magically morphed into an adult. You stand at the stove and wait for divine intervention. It doesn’t come. You all the sudden wonder if you missed some sort of wife class in high school/college because you have no idea where to begin. You set off the smoke alarm a billion times and throw away more food than is eaten in your attempts to get acquainted with this wifely duty.

Money… oh money…. You have had your own checking account since you were 12. You don’t answer to anyone when it comes to how you spend your money- after all, you have a job. You have had a job since the dawn of freaking time and you like it that way. You like having your own money to do with as you would like. You go to the store now, in this newly married bliss, and spend $20 on things you need. Meanwhile, your husband is at a different store, in his newly married bliss, spending $20 on things he needs. You both get home, look at the account and wonder how the heck $40 has just been spent instead of the $20. You get mad at each other for spending the same $20 that you just spent. You could afford to spend $20, but you couldn’t afford to spend $40. It is your husband’s fault. He says it is your fault.

You have now been married for 6 months- and if one more person asks you how married life is treating you, you might beat them with the sharp ends of your wedding ring…

Fast-forward 5 years later- you are still together. You are best friends again. You talk on the phone 5 times a day because you just can’t wait until that evening to tell each other things. He says “I love you” all five times you get off the phone. You talk about money, often. He still leaves his clothes in the living room floor, your hair is still everywhere, and you still occasionally set off the smoke alarm. You are content. You are happier every day that passes. THIS is your newlywed phase- that first year was just practice, and we came through with flying colors. THIS is our reward for that. Spending every day together, loving each other and our children. I would do it all again a thousand times.

I love you honey! Happy 5th Anniversary!

Who are you people???

A little over a month ago I added a tool to my blog that tells how many views there have been. I thought it would be fun to see how many people actually looked at this thing- I have sent the link to a few people here and there but for the most part I was pretty sure it was my mom, sister in law and maybe a few other random visitors...

Well in the time of around 5 weeks, the counter shows 224 views! Who the heck are you people?! Not that it bothers me, I am posting publicly and it is open to anyone- I am just curious as to who on earth is reading all my ramblings! It is actually very funny to me!

In other Williams News- Becca started basketball camp this morning. I can't wait to hear how it went! I hope she is doing a better job of staying awake today than I am. We went to Gruene this weekend and played in the river for two days. We didn't get in until sort of late last night. It probably isn't near as big of a deal to her as it is to me. At 16 I could stay up until 3am and still be up for school, church, work or whatever else was going on the next morning with no problem. These days I have to have my eight hours or I will end up with the imprint of a keyboard on the side of face.

The Mom Club

Lots of things happened pretty soon after finding out I was pregnant with Hailey- but one thing I did not expect was that I was suddenly part of a huge network of other moms. This network can have it's advantages and disadvantages, but once you figure out how to recognize the toxic members it is a huge blessing!

When I began to tell people I was pregnant I noticed something almost immediately- When I told a mom, the reactions and questions were completely different than when I told someone that did not yet have children. The moms (for the most part) would offer their complete support to you. I had women that I rarely spoke with before offering me their phone numbers to call them at all hours of the night if needed. Friends and family that I had always talked to before, just not that often began to call me on a weekly basis to see how I was feeling. Of course you do have the "toxic" ones I referred to above- the ones that only wanted to tell you how horrible their pregnancy and labor was and that they don't envy me for what I will have to deal with once the baby is actually here... The ones that would tell me "OH! Well you better get all the sleep you can now because you will never sleep again!" THOSE are the toxic ones, and those are the ones that I learned to just block out. For some reason these moms think they deserve a medal for doing what others have done for thousands of years. Instead of enjoying motherhood and appreciating this gift from God, all they want to do is complain. I want no part of these kinds of Mothers, and fortunately, they are not the norm.

Once I did actually have Hailey, it was clear to me why all those mothers were so excited for me and were so willing to help. From then on, anytime a woman has told me she was pregnant I can hardly contain my excitement for her! I immediately begin thinking of all the things she needs as gifts and the things she will need to know- I have to stop myself from emailing once a day with a little tid-bit of advice! Then once the baby gets here I feel mixed emotions for them. I am excited for them that their little one has finally arrived, but at the same time I worry about them. I wonder if their hormones are overwhelming them and making it so that they can't enjoy this time- I wonder if their little one is sleeping a few hours at a time for them. I want to hug them and tell them it is normal to feel overwhelmed and that things get better everyday- that this will be the most fun, rewarding experience of their lives they just have to get through the first few hard months! This is about the time I begin to offer up my phone number with an "any hour of the day or night" promise because I just feel compelled to!

This Mom Club is, in my opinion, the single most helpful thing a mom could ever ask for! The best advice I have ever gotten has not been from doctors, it has been from moms! When your baby is colicky and won't stop crying, you don't call your doctor or even your husband- you call any member of the Mom Club you can think of to learn what worked for them. The Mom Club helped me find childcare, a pediatrician, ways to calm Hailey, affordable clothes... the list could go on and on. They have provided me with gifts, hand-me-downs and invaluable support when I have been at my wits end. They actually ask for, and genuinely want to see pictures of Hailey; as I genuinely want to see pictures of their little ones!

Membership doesn't just have it's perks your baby's first year, it is something that I think you will use forever. When I run out the door in a rush and forget sunscreen, I don't panic. I know that there will be a mom, a total stranger wherever I am going that will be more than happy to give me a handful of sunscreen for Hailey, and the rest of the family if needed. I do not feel bad about asking because I know that I will return the favor. Mothers have asked me for wet wipes, a diaper, medicine, teething cookies, etc. You name it, I will ask for it or offer it up. There is no room for embarrassment once you have a little life to care for.

There is only one downfall that I have noticed, (other than the toxic moms, but those have been weeded out by now.) Along with the bond you feel with other mothers, comes be heartbreaking empathy you also feel for them. I have two friends that are desperately trying to get pregnant and cannot, I literally, physically hurt for them. One mom, her daughter is mentioned on this blog, had twins and one was injured at birth causing Cerebral Palsy. I cannot imagine. Even TV shows are hard to watch. I know that they are actors, but if it involves losing a child I just can't watch it now.

I'm not sure why I spouted off with this today- I guess I just want other mothers to remember that this awesome network is behind them. Always ask for help and advice if you need it. It doesn't show weakness, it shows that you will do whatever it takes to care for your child.

The Adventures of Grandma and Grandpa

Email from my Grandma today-

“We love the pictures and your Blog is outstanding.

Since I never learned to swim and have a fear of water, I'm so glad Hailey is taking swimming lessons. In fact, I'm glad our whole family knows how to swim. When I took your Mom and Kathy to swimming lessons, at the first session I was encouraging (demanding?????) them to do what the teacher was telling them. I was just so fearful they'd end up like me. Well, the teacher "encouraged" ("demanded") that I be quiet and let her take care of things. : ) And I did, and they learned to swim.”

I laughed out loud, and am still laughing about this email! Grandma is one of the funniest people I know, but what’s better, she has no idea how funny she is! I don’t think I ever really appreciated it until the last few years or so…

David and I went to visit them in Roswell for the day a while back when Lennox happened to have a flight there. We were all sitting in their living room together visiting when I noticed a paper-weight sitting right in the middle of the living room floor. It just seemed so odd sitting there all by itself. I looked over and noticed David was also looking at it, we exchanged a confused look… Finally I thought, what the heck, I’ll ask… “Umm, what is with the little decoration there in floor, Grandma?” Without missing a beat she said “Oh, that was to remind me that I had a doctor’s appointment today. It didn’t work though, I still didn’t get there at the right time.”

This little exchange caused me to start looking around to see if there were more little “reminders” around the house… Sure enough- David found one a few minutes later! We were on our way out the front door to go get lunch somewhere when he noticed a toy car sitting on the ledge alongside my Grandparents’ car keys. This time there was no hesitation in asking, we were excited to know- “So what is this for?” Well, I can’t remember their exact words, but basically there is a car that is always parked in the street across from their house. The toy car is to remind them of that so that they won’t hit it. I almost fell over! David casually grabbed the keys and offered to drive. J

I love my grandparents- I have laughed the entire time I typed this!

Today I am having a really hard time. Reality came crashing down on me when I got up this morning, and the weeks of being busy non stop are catching up.

Poor David made the time on Father's Day to tile our bedroom- (for those of you keeping up, we went so long without flooring because the airplane has been broken for months now and David has been gone non-stop ever since.) Anyway, the tile is put down, but grout and sealant are still needed. So, everything that should be in our bedroom is spread out all over the house. It is a wreck.

Then there are all the things that need to be done that have nothing to do with the tile- the laundry is piling up, we are completely out of things like milk which means a trip to the grocery store is mandatory, and we have used almost all the clean dishes out of the dishwasher without ever unloading and loading it.

We found out at work yesterday that we are merging with another company. This will leave us with "duplicates" in workforce. They let us know that, basically, it is not IF layoffs will occur, but rather how many and who that they are not sure of yet.

Hailey has swim lessons this week and next at 6pm- so it is a mad dash from work to get her a snack and get us changed, then straight to the pool to begin. After that is a mad dash to get dinner together for her and she is almost immediately ready to sit with me for our cuddling before bedtime.

David leaves again today and should be home Thursday evening with Becca, (yay!) He is going to Wichita to again check on the airplane- hopefully they are to a point where some decisions have to be made about next steps... it has been down way too long. From Wichita he flies to Rochester, where he and Becca will then drive her car to Dallas. Then Friday, Becca, Hailey and I will drive to Dougherty. David will get there on Saturday.

The thought of getting through the next few weeks, and the idea of David being gone again, have left me completely stressed out and in a horrible mood. I have to snap out of it for anything at all to get done.

So, I taking a minute to list the things that I am thankful for. I know that there are people who would love the have the problems we are having as opposed to the ones that they have. I need to focus on that.

I AM THANKFUL BECAUSE:

- My immediate, and even extended family is healthy.

- I have a husband that works hard to provide for me and our two awesome girls.

- I have a job today.

- David has a job today- actually several jobs.

- We have money in the account to buy the groceries I am complaining about shopping for.

- We have a home

- I miss my husband when he is gone. Some people seem to be relieved when their spouses are out of town. Mine is my best friend, and when he is gone I am sad.

- I have a 17 month old that hugs us, kisses us, and tells us she loves us.

- I have a 16 year old that hugs us, kisses us, and tells us she loves us.

We are a blessed family.... busy, but blessed. I have to remember that.

Wait... what?

David is doing some work to our bedroom- the kind of work where you end up with bedroom furniture in bathrooms and a mattress in the hallway... So, we decided to sleep in Becca's room last night. She has that awesome memory foam bed so we weren't even dreading spending a night away from our own room.

Right as we laid down David texted Becca to tell her goodnight, and he mentioned that we were sleeping her room. She got all grossed out and didn't want us in there! At first I just laughed, but the more I thought about it I realized that we are the old people now! I have always been grossed out by mom and dad, now someone is grossed out by me! When exactly did I become an adult? I don't think anyone gave me official notification, and I know I wasn't asked if I had any objections to it...

I think Becca has been trying to ease me into this fact for a while. She makes fun of me when I say "groovy," or anything else like that. I asked the other day if I could be friends on Facebook with a guy friend of her's and she told me no! She said, "that would just be weird!" Why is it weird? I am like ten years older than her!

Well either way, if we were ever cool to begin with we aren't anymore. We are old and embarassing; and as far as kids are concerned, our lives began with them- I will probably not correct them on that for at least 20 years. :)

I am not Amish

Thank you mom and dad for that! I love electricity, I love everything about it. I love Microwaves, Refrigerators, TV's, Computers, AIR CONDITIONING, Light... the list could go on forever.

Most of you know that Dallas-Ft. Worth had bad storms on Wednesday night, but they didn't just sweep through and move on to other places- they decided they liked the area and camped out over us for almost 24 hours. We lost power around 430 or 5am. I didn't think much of it, I figured it would only be a few hours and it would be fixed. Then at 630am, I got a call from Hailey's babysitter- her power was out too and they are not allowed to keep kids with no electricity. I was a little happy about that, honestly. I hadn't gotten much sleep that night due to all the storms, so I figured we could sleep in and enjoy the long morning given to us.

6 hours later I was starting to wonder when the thunderstorms would stop long enough for someone to fix our TV! (Whoops, I mean electricity...) STILL no power! We decided to move our mother/daughter day to the car for a little while. I needed to charge my phone, and if I was ever going to get Hailey to take a nap I would have to have her little travel TV charged enough for a few minutes worth of noise. She just can't settle down to sleep when there is no background noise- she even sleeps at night with the radio on. I'm sure some mothers would scold me for that but hey, I feel it is harmless and it helps her relax... ANYWAY, we sat in the car for about half an hour and enjoyed the air-conditioning and radio. We then went inside, turned on her battery operated tv and she got to watch Finding Nemo. The nap part didn't quite work out though...

Another 6 hours pass by at a CRAWL... The storms are long gone, and there is no longer a breeze coming in through the windows. The sun is beginning to set and Hailey is getting anxious in the dark house. I don't know if it was the heat or the darkness that bothered her more, but she was not a happy camper. Then all the sudden, as if the day had just then completely caught up with her, Hailey just began to scream. She is not a crier, but my goodness I could not touch her feet to the ground without a full on melt down. I decided I felt the same way, and burst into tears right along with her! I called David and told him to book a hotel room for us (he had offered to do so with his Holiday Inn points all day, but I thought I would be tough and stick it out,) and I got us packed. While Hailey is still crying, and I am not much better off, I called our "Petmom" and asked if she could please come pick up two of our dogs, and I would just take the other two with us... It was cheaper this way, plus there was already a dog there that 2 of mine had a run-in with a while back so I really wanted to avoid another incident involving stitches...

As soon as we got into the car with the air conditioner running and music playing, Hailey came back to life and was happier than she had been all day. Thank Goodness... It occurs to me that we haven't had anything to eat in a while, but I didn't want to stop somewhere on the way to the hotel- I was going to have trouble enough getting Hailey, our luggage and the two dogs up to the room without adding a food bag and drinks. I decided we deserved to splurge on some room service...

The Holiday Inn doesn't have room service.

Oh well, we could call and order pizza. There was even a Domino's phone number on my key card! I called them, their first words were "we are running on an hour or more wait for deliveries, is that okay?" I said no thank you, and hung up.

Okay, third option... I remembered seeing a little area by the front desk of the hotel that sold some food items. I picked up Hailey and we headed out the door; Gidget and FJ went nuts. They started barking and would not stop. By now it is like 9pm, so I know there have to be some people that have gone to bed. Plus, I have been kicked out of a hotel for Gidget barking before- I could not have that happen... I went right back to our room, never having made it to the first floor. I called Domino's back and said I would wait the hour.

2 hours later, Hailey and I had finally eaten, gotten into bed, and were relaxing. 30 minutes later I get a call from our neighbor... the power is back on. I had to laugh to keep from crying. Oh well. We were fed and in bed, so we stayed there. Today is a new day, and I love electricity.

Good Question

This was the featured headline on http://www.foxnews.com/ a little while ago... Notice the last link in the featured story, "What Causes a Fear of Flying."

Ummm, is that a serious question? By the time you get to it, haven't the preceeding links answered it for you? Not trying to make light of a tragic, sad event- but come on! This has to make you at least smile for a minute.

People amaze me sometimes...

A day at home

The day has only just begun, and I have already learned all kinds of new things today.

1.) Just because you weigh twice what your lab weighs, it doesn't mean you are big enough in the britches to get him into the vet's office by yourself.

2.) If your 1 1/2 year old says "WEEE!" while you are driving, you probably need to slow down.

3.) You can get a toddler to eat just about anything if you stuff it inside a pepperoni pizza hot pocket. (In this case it was dried veggies, but I plan to use it for all sorts of things since it worked!)

4.) I should stop buying so many toys because, when given the option, Hailey will choose a shoe, diaper, spoon and bowl over anything in her overflowing toy box.

It is only noon... I'm sure I will learn a lot more by the end of the day!

Crazy Dog People cont...

So maybe we are crazy dog people... They both just really love baths! Gidget always tries to jump in so we finally just let her. :)

Headline of the Week

"Tax Dollars Helping China's Hookers?"

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/14/government-funds-million-program-make-chinese-prostitutes-drink/

$2.6 Million to be exact!

Awesome...

Miss California continued...

Donald Trump, owner of the Miss Universe Pageant went against what everyone around him has demanded, and Miss California will officially keep her crown. This was not to the liking of Shanna Moakler, Miss California Pageant Director. She has publicly bashed Miss California the entire time, and has made it clear that she wanted her title taken away. Below was the statement she gave-

"I cannot with a clear conscious move forward supporting and promoting the Miss Universe Organization when I no longer believe in it, or the contracts I signed committing myself as a youth," she said. "I want to be a role model for young [women] with high hopes of pageantry, but now feel it more important to be a role model for my children. I am sorry and hope I have not let any young supporters down but wish them the best of luck in fulfilling their dreams."

Ummm... so the years of being a Playboy Pinup is the best way to be a role model to your children and other youth? How about the drunken fist fights you have gotten into with other women over your on-again off-again husband? Yeah, those things are fun for the kids... Fun for the whole family! Good ole' fashioned nudity, drinking and fighting. You're right Shanna; I would hate for you to not have a clear conscious.... Idiot...

Just be an American

What would you say if I told you that I wanted to seek out and buy only from Caucasian owned companies? What if I said that my family and I will do without before buying from any company not Caucasian owned? This would be for every single item or service we purchase- grocery stores, dry cleaners, daycares, mortgage companies and so on. Then, what if I took this "goal" of mine and started a movement, teaching other Caucasian individuals how they can do the same thing. Would these actions make me racist? Prejudice? ABSOLUTELY. I would hope that my friends and family would not tolerate behavior like this from me without speaking up.

However, the plan I described above is exactly what one family is doing in Atlanta, GA. They have started an entire movement that is being called "Buy Black" and it is catching on- people even keep track of the money they have spent with a website the founder family opened up. See link below...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519965,00.html

Why not just BUY AMERICAN? Why continue the shameful legacy of prejudice behavior, only in reverse order? Just BE AMERICAN with us! With everyone!

Crazy Dog People

I have always felt that, even though we do have 4 dogs, we do not qualify as "crazy dog people." However, Hailey has begun to prove me wrong on a daily basis.

The other day I came home from work to David playing fetch with her. She would bring him a toy, he would throw it and she would run to go get it and bring it back... I asked him why he was playing fetch with our child, he simply said "she likes it!"

She has a whole separate voice she uses to talk to the dogs too. She gets right up to them, bends down a little and proceeds to jabber to them like they were newborn babies. When she is done talking to them she pats them on the head, gives them a kiss and goes on about her business.

The other day though, she topped it all when she adopted one of the dog beds. It started out that when she would go into our bedroom she would plop down on one certain dog bed and hang out while we did whatever we needed to do. I guess she decided that she really liked it because she eventually hauled it into the living room! Now she drags it around the house to wherever she wants to play or watch us. She takes snacks over to it to sit and eat. She picks out a book and takes it to the bed to sit down and read. Sometimes she even drags it over to the TV!






David thinks we should buy a dog bed especially for her... Maybe we are crazy dog people...

My friend

I don't know if anyone really reads this blog, and if you do I am not sure if you would even know him, but I am going to say just a bit about him anyway. His name was Timothy Simpson, and he was my friend. Tim was very athletic growing up and had lots of friends. He was pretty shy, but if you spent long enough hanging around he would eventually speak. He was as "All American" as you can get in Middle School and Jr. High. But things changed...
In High School, he stopped hanging around with the people he had once spent hours with playing sports. He found a new group of friends, and started down a path from which he would never return. From then on nothing in his life was simple. For Tim, the drugs were not just for recreation- he was self medicating. He was diagnosed as Bipolar, I am not sure when, but I know we were still teenagers. He confided in me that the medication given to him made him feel worse; so, he continued to self medicate.
Tim committed suicide yesterday. I have not heard much more than just that statement, and do not even know yet if there are plans for a funeral. I know that he was a drug addict and had been for the better part of 15 years, but I also knew him as just Tim- the painfully shy, hilarious, caring kid.
The next time you see a disheveled, angry looking person roaming aimlessly about- pray for them. We have no idea if their brains have failed them, and have no idea what they have been through.
My hope is that Tim is in Heaven and is free from all the worries and pain that plagued him for so long. I hope that he knows now, even though he never knew when he was alive, that people really do care about him. Please keep his family in your prayers.

We are still in the United States, right?

Because I could have sworn that we, as Americans are free to express our views, opinions and beliefs. Lately it seems that there is an unspoken law that prohibits this if you don't hold the most popular view/opinion of the day. And the punishment for going against the grain? Public humiliation, bashing and judgement from any person needing to catch the media's eye at that particular moment.

I am blown away by the way that Miss California has been treated. First of all, why are political and religious questions being asked in this contest? If the contestants are required to hold certain beliefs, they should likely be told ahead of time so that they know that their opinion will be up for punishment. Second, no one in this country is to be persecuted for his/her opinions. She answered the question in a nice, respectful way. She did not call anyone names, she was not disrespectful to people that do not share her opinion, she simply answered a question that was asked of her honestly.

Now the media is asking any celebrity who will sit still long enough for them to get the question out what they think of Miss California's views. Well lets see... my career depends upon how well people like me and want to see my face, I should probably go ahead and go with the crowd on this. WHO KNOWS what anyone's opinions really are anymore, they are scared to say! I mean... do you really think anyone in the public eye is going to stand up for her after watching the stoning she has been through?

The same thing happened with Obama. If you were not for Obama as president, you must be against all people of any race other than Caucasian. Never mind the fact that you have been a Republican for as long as you could speak, never mind the fact that you have real problems with his beliefs, never mind the fact that you might have actually liked John McCain and Sarah Palin. None of that is relevant. Hollywood chose Obama- if you don't agree, you are an ignorant redneck, prejudice, or just haven't done your homework on him.

One of the school shootings a few years ago, I believe it was Columbine, had a story come from it that was amazing. The shooter asked one of the students if she believed in God. She said "yes," knowing that he would shoot her for that answer. It seems that this situation is playing itself out all over this nation, a nation that is supposed to be free. I know that the school shooting was much more tragic and severe than the Miss California and Election situations- but it is comparable. If your beliefs are brought into question, should you be in fear of persecution if answer honestly?

We seem to live in a society where the loudest person rules.

Little Miss Perfect

I have generally tried to keep my reality tv obsession a secret, but oh well... it could be worse right? I have even gotten David addicted, though he would never admit it to anyone. Among my (our) favorites are The Biggest Loser, The Bachelor, and lately... Little Miss Perfect. (Becca, you HAD to know this rant was coming!)

Little Miss Perfect is a reality show that follows parents getting ready to put their little girls into pageants. They range in age from literal infants to teen. The pageant travels all over the country and is in a new city every week- there are 2 or three different girls that the cameras follow the week prior to each pageant. Usually there is one family that is fun and whose child (somewhat) enjoys it, then there is a family that is NUTS and whose child hates it and/or is a little snot. (Not putting down children in this post, it is the parents' fault that their kid is a snot, not the kids fault.)

The things they do for these pageants is unreal. The girls they follow are between 5 and 9, and they have more done to their little bodies in one week than I have in my entire life! They each get spray tanned- most have a pageant coach, get professional (glamour type) pictures done and have a choreographer to put together a routine. Some even have a hair and makeup artist! They purchase a custom made dress and a second custom outfit for what is essentially the talent portion of the pageant. Some mom's have bragged on the show that their daughter's dress cost in the thousands. Then there are other costs such as false teeth and hair. When a little girl starts to lose her baby teeth, they cover her teeth up with what they call a "flipper."

Basically, each of these pageants would have to cost close to $5,000, if not more. There is money that is given to the winner, but it is only $1,000 which would not come close to even breaking even! The parents that say they do it to make money for their child's college is either lying or stupid, not sure which one. Why on earth would you put your little girl in front a panel of judges to tell you how pretty, talented and worthy she is? What do the little girls who lose think? "I am not pretty enough" would be my first guess.

I still watch the show though- and make mental notes every time of things I will never say or do to my children. If you are interested, the show comes on tonight on WE TV. By the way, the girl in the picture is 8.

(Stepping off my soap box and getting back to work...)

Encouragement

Second post in one day- strange I know, but things are just now slowing down and I have a lot to catch up on!

I usually go to Starbuck’s once a week, on Fridays for my weekly Latte and Coffee Cake- (used to be daily, but hey, I guess we have all had to cut back.) So anyway, Friday morning I had a hard time dragging myself out of bed. Becca was in town for her Spring Break, and her and I had stayed up past midnight every night that week waiting for David to get home from class. I was beat down, and was starting to feel like I was picking up what Becca had been sick with all week. I finally made it out the door and dropped Hailey off. My weekly Latte was going to make me late, but I didn’t care, the caffeine was calling my name…

I got my order and went back outside to my car. Parked beside me was a lady I had seen there before. She was actually in line ahead of me and was already in her car about to leave, or at least I thought she was about to leave. Just as I reached my car she jumped out of hers. “Miss, I just want to tell you to have a wonderful day!” She said. Wow, “thank you!” I said back to her, but she wasn’t done. “The Lord told me that you needed encouragement, and I just want to tell you that everything is going to be okay. Don’t let this world get you down! The devil will try to get you down but you can’t let him!” I was a little confused at this point, but thought it was sweet that she wanted so badly to help me. She went on, “Sometimes people think I am strange because if I think someone needs God’s light I just give it to them whether they want it or not!” I said, “Oh don’t worry, I want God’s light! You are fine! Thank you!” She still wasn’t done though, “God doesn’t want you to be upset, he doesn’t want you to let this world get you down! Things will get better and he is always there for you! I am even here for you if you need anything!” At this point I am really starting to think that one of must be crazy. I am racking my brain trying to come up with things that would constitute God himself to tell this lady I needed her! All I could think of is, ‘Well, it’s been a fun week… We are worried about the economy but I think I have made peace with that. I think I am okay, right?’ I was literally doubting myself and my own happiness!

After a long conversation with her, I got in my car and looked in the mirror. Well, there is my answer! I hadn’t had time to put makeup on that morning, my eyes were swollen from getting sick and from the lack of sleep, and I pretty much looked like I had been beaten up! MAN! You know you look bad when a total stranger feels they need to “encourage” you!!!! I should make more time for sleep, AND makeup!

Mexico

So apparently all those cliche's about Mexico are true! You totally have to pay people off to get anything done!

David flew to Mexico for the first time on Friday. He learned all sorts of interesting things! First of all, to keep from having major issues you have to hire a "handler" to take care of your time there. The handler is in charge of paying everyone off that needs to be paid off- this way you are able to land, wait, and depart again without issues, supposedly. As David found out, the handler not only gets paid a rate for his services, he also gets a "tip" of $200 for each trip they make there. He was irate when he learned that David and the other pilot did not have $200 cash on them. He finally had to settle for the $60 they could scrape up between them and a promise that their next trip there he would get the remainder on top of the regular $200 he gets.... I guess this is what he has gotten every time there has been a flight there, but no one bothered to warn the guys before they went.

SO, he made it home in one piece, his eyes a little more open to the ins and outs of Mexico. He has another flight there today that he felt prepared for, he felt like he knew what to expect this time. Unfortunately though, a little wrench was thrown into things last night. David got a call from a co-worker that there was, basically, a rumor that the FBO they fly into in Mexico was closed. David called the company that handles things for them there, and they in turn called the FBO to see what issues, if any there were. Turns out that a factory next door to the FBO caught fire, and it spread to several other factories around it. The FBO did close for a time because of low visibility due to smoke.

Once we heard that we assumed there would be no problem with their flight since it was due to leave the next day- surely the fires would be out by then and the smoke would be gone. Only Mexico does not do things like the US. Their plan was to let the fires burn themselves out. No need to put out the fires when you know they will eventually stop on their own- right?

This morning, David got up, got dressed and headed to the hangar for his flight out. We both fully expected the flight would be cancelled due to continued fires and visibility problems- but turns out, they took off! I just talked to him, and while he is nervous about being there, (it is Juarez after all,) it looks like everything is fine...

By the way, if any of you are planning a trip to Mexico, ANY PART, I would put that on hold for a while. Men standing guard over anything that sits still with guns in hand kind of ruins whole atmosphere... you know?

Be careful what you say....

Yesterday morning I woke up in a bad mood. I started in on how dirty I felt the house was... plus, I found another "accident" in our bedroom floor. I told David "Thats it! I am about to rip up this carpet! It is already worn out, and I just don't feel like it is clean. If I didn't have to get to work I swear I would rip up this disgusting carpet..."

Innocent rant, right? Well, I got home to concrete floor in our bedroom, with (a very proud) David waiting for me- "Surprise!" Well... okay.

Looks like we will be tiling the bedroom this week! He just makes me laugh!

Tired of the 80's

Becca called last night to tell us that she and a friend had bleached, then spray painted some old jeans. Apparently that is the style. :) At least they are bleaching jeans and not their hair. When I got bored at her age my hair usually ended up orange.

I can't wait to see these jeans, but in all honesty the I'm ready for the 80's to go away. I figure it is only logical that the next decade to come back in style will the the 90's- I want THAT to get here! Baggy, flannel shirts; no make up; angry girl alternative rock - does it get any better than that???