A Note of Praise

The events of this past week--especially Thursday night--are something of which every American ought to be quite proud. Why would I say that, when I am personally diametrically opposed to nearly everything the Democrat party believes in? It's simple, really. You see, no matter where any of us fall on the political spectrum, the fact that 45 years after Martin Luther King, Jr. told America about his dream, that dream is realized. It is not realized because a black man is running for president of this country. It is not realized because of who Barack Obama is. It is realized because of what America is.

America has learned from its mistakes, made the necessary changes and moved forward. Has it been easy? Has it come without pain? Has it been perfect? Not at all. But to think that in 45 years we have gone from the norm being segregated seats on a bus, to the very idea of segregation being absurd, well, that's nothing short of miraculous. And it is something that every American should be proud of.

I hope that you have followed the political talk about Obama and his acceptance speech. Notice that the discussion is about issues, opinions, and the content of his character. Count yourself lucky. You've wtinessed a dream come true.

Classic(al) Rock

One of the syllogisms Boy-A-Thon had to write in Logic class today was a modus tollens. This syllogism follows the pattern:

If P, then Q.
Not Q.
Therefore, not P.

His work:

If I'm back in black, I'll hit the sack.
I won't hit the sack.
Therefore, I'm not back in black.

I love my job!

Maybe I'm wishing for the moon...

...but I'd really appreciate it if the pace and reasoning of the law as it pertains to adoption would be logical and focus on the best interest of the child. That would sure be nifty, neet-o, and WooHoo worthy.

The Ten Commandments

Girl-A-Thon had to watch Cecil B.DeMille's 1956 epic movie for school. The assignment was to watch the film (all 4 hours of it!) and keep track of the differences between the film and the bible text. There were so many, she had to reload her mechanical pencil with lead. The final count was 48 discrepancies.
The film really was a hoot to watch. It is super cheesy with Neferteri calling Seti (The first Pharoh and Ramses' father) "a silly crocodile", and him replying, "Hush, kitten." I'm not particularly strong as a biblical scholar, but I'm pretty sure that was not in the original Aramaic text.

Family Driven Faith

That's the Title of the Book I'm reading. (Seriously, I should have finished it a long time ago, but I only read it on the elliptical, and well, I haven't exactly been consistent with that lately...and a friend recommended another very good book, and...and...)

There are so many goodies in this book. I will share a couple. (I don't agree with everything the author has to say, but then, when do any of us?)

Writing about the rate at which Christian kids leave the faith once on their own (75% after their freshman year of college) the author states that the current thinking in which we parents outsource the discipling of our kids to "the professionals" of the church youth group:

Talk to a college pastor about the freshman fallout rates, and he will tell you, "We do the best we can, but by the time we get them from the youth ministry, it's too late." Talk to a high school pastor and he'll tell you, "We have to do a better job in our junior high ministry." Of course, the junior high pastor is going to blame the children's minister, who will, in turn, pass the buck to the preschool minister. I believe there is a more fundamental question that we must ask. Could it be that we have established systems designed to meet the wrong needs and attack the wrong problems?"

(emphasis mine)

Well, since most youth groups are really competing as an entertainment entity, I'd say, yes, we are after the wrong problems. Last time I checked, kids in this country are not exactly suffering a lack of entertainment options.

And this, about the whole idea of outsourcing that which God has called parents to ensure:

"...you visit a church, your teen goes off to the youth service, your little one goes off to children's church, the baby goes to the nursery, and you and your spouse get a great seat in a plush auditorium with first-class music, professional drama, a relevant, encouraging, application-oriented, non-threatening talk, and you get it all in just under an hour."

Now, in Hawaii, if you get air conditioning you've scored, but you get the basic idea. The problem here is that the family is not together at all--even in church.

Both of these examples highlight the point the author makes which is this:
We can't very well be surprised at who our children turn out to be once they are out on their own, when we have had little or no time/influence with them while they were in our care.

Did you hear?

...How many times John McCain mentioned homeschooling as a successful educational choice? Well, I did, and I really appreciated it :-)

That's while he was chatting it up with Pastor Rick Warren, that is. He asnwered his questions so succinctly, that Pastor Warren had to fill the extra time. Obama, on the other hand was his usually wordy self (without saying too much).

Look What Those Russians Started

I'm telling you, people are getting a little too goofy for me. This likely will not make mainland news, but it sure is a big deal here. Interestingly enough, there is another group who is already occupying part of the lawn of palace. They've been there on a permit. As people grow in both ignorance and boldness, it makes me nervous...
Especially when there are witnesses who state that

...three men shoved aside a palace employee as she attempted to allow someone onto the grounds. The incident occurred near the diamondhead-side gate.

A witness, attorney James Wright, said the men struck the employee and slammed her into a gate in front of a police officer. All the officer said is "this is not HPD jurisdiction," Wright said.

Wright said the woman was attempting to escort him onto the grounds when three men began to assault her.

"They hit her and hit her and hit, and the police sergeant stood there and did nothing," Wright said.

While they were not punching her, "they were slamming her against the post and then slamming the gate on her," he said. "And the police officer did nothing to protect her. The cop literally walked away while she was still being pushed around."

(I apologize for the dreadful sentence structure.)
Additionally, one of the group's members claims to be a federal marshall and says that the palace is "now under federal protective custody."
Now, I may be new to the study of logic, but isn't that a bit odd to be seeking protection from the "great overthrower" against whom you are now rebelling?


Check out the entire article with video.

Breakfast of Champions?

That results in this body??



Ok, well that diet paired with swimming nearly four miles in each workout and practicing twice a day with hardly a day off, that is.

(Thanks to PalmtreePundit for the resources)

I Can't Believe I Forgot Joe's Liquor!

This place is in the memories of many former Sweetwater County teens...mainly because Joe's NEVER asked for ID. And yes, that sign does say "Drive-In".

My Wyoming: The Promised photos

Hail!

Rainbow trout fish fry.
There is a town...and a river runs through it...

Oh beautiful for spacious skies...

Serious windmills
No, I'm talking HUGE Windmills. Below are the parts with Dad-A-Thon standing nearby. That is ONE of the three blades.

Close up of the blade where it attaches to the center.

The center motor piece.

Then there are the other pics that warm my heart and let me know I'm back in the country:

To Tell or Not To Tell?

Long ago, I freely shared information about one of my children with people. I was an open book. You asked me, I told. I did this, because I thought that most people would like having as much information as possible when dealing with a child with "differences".



Oh how young and naive....



Yes, people did like having the info. However, instead of this informing and increasing their patience and understanding, it informed them and they never looked at my child with unbiased eyes again. That was painful. Excruciating, actually. And maybe it's my Italian bloodline, or just a hard heart, but I don't like getting burned--at all.
Now, my child never has felt any pain from this, nor is it likely he ever will. He is truly beyond all of it. He sees people for who/what they are. It doesn't offend him personally if someone cannot give him a fair shot. He sees it all as a defect in the other party. And frankly, he is spot on.



I, being a lesser developed soul, have been absolutely heartbroken by such events. Which brings me to the title of this post. At this point--and believe me, it has been a journey and a half to get here--my son is what most people would condsider just "a bit odd". So I am regularly tortured with the dilemma of whether or not to explain his oddities or just move on, knowing that there is that looming question mark.
I've often thought of consulting friends, but most either know how far we've come and rejoice with us, or only know him as he is now, neither of which offer a truly independent opinion.

So, here I am left wondering...I think it is a state that I shall likely live in perpetually....

What would you do?

Boys Will Be Men

Here are some good quotes from Future Men, a book by Doug Wilson that I finished recently. It's short and very interesting. He wraps every chapter up with a keeper.
In the chapter titled "Contempt for the Cool",Wilson contrasts the difference between pop and classical music:

The Music of Bach is of course demanding to perform, but it also makes demands on the listener. This is why the undisciplined mind avoids such music; it invites thought, contemplation, discipline, lots of icky things."

Another laugh out loud line is this from the chapter titled "Christian Liberty" where he discusses, among other things, the fine balance of the freedom of drinking alcohol:

Christian liberty is nothing other than slavery to God. The only alternative
to this is slavery to man and his desires, and this includes the young man in
question and his desires. But with all this said, wine was given to
gladden the heart of man (Ps. 104:15) and one of the duties a father has is that
of teaching his son to drink [responsibly].

And last but not least, a quote from the chapter "Girls and Sex":

There is no way that young men can watch, and be entertained by, movies whch
include displays of nudity, steamy sex scenes and so forth, without being aroused
by them. A boy who tells his mother that he can "handle it" is using what
astute theologians in former ages used to call "a lie."

It's a great book with so many goodies. You can buy it here.

TheGirls Are Back In Town

This is a small gathering of my crowd in high school. Have these gals aged well, or what?

Not Important Enough for the Nobel Peace Prize Committee

Shame on every member of that committee.


Watch this to see why. Have Kleenex handy.

Friday Fun

This is clever. (Hat tip: Palmtree Pundit)

Here is my prayer for the day, based on my personality type:

ENFJ: God, help me to do only what I can and trust you for the rest. Do you
mind putting that in writing?

You can find the whole list here.
There is also an online personality test with fun anecdotes here

The Weather is Normal

Just thought I shoudl tell you that since I did so much complaining before. It's been 81-86 for the highs and 46-50 at night. Yes, that is normal.

That's Why They're Denied Driver's Licenses

Dogs are 8 times more prone to epilepsy than humans. We discovered this last Saturday evening when Nan-A-Thon's little yorkie had a series of seizures. The girls brought him inside and it was clear he wasn't quite right. He walked like he'd been shootin' whiskey, as we say around here, and his tongue was so purple it looked black.
I was holding the dog in my arms. Auntie-A-Thon took one look at him and said, "He's not getting any oxygen!!" Before I knew it, Auntie was performing mouth to snout. It took one other try and then he was breathing on his own. (I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have crossed my mind...and if it had, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have done it. Well, maybe I would have...)

We left the kids at home, and Nan, Auntie and I made an emergency run to the vet. We got exceptional vet care. If you have an animal emergency, being in a place where people spend as much money building barns as they do houses is a good place to be!

All's well that ends well, and the dog is fine. Apparently yorkies can have seizures when they are overstimulated. I guess a house full of pre-teens and teens with water balloons is a bit stimulating for the little guy.

So Much To Say

So little of it appropriate.

So, instead, I'll tell you that I am planning to go on a little photo safari of the area in which I grew up. There are some great old signs (most in need of repair) and some funny places. Lots of wide open spaces--which I had been desperately craving--and some great characters in town.

On another note, I am getting to exercise regularly and am reading a book I have wanted to get to for about 2 years. It's a quick and good read. I'll post about it soon.

Auntie-A-Thon Says Hi

Auntie-A-Thon (who, by the way wins EVERY auntie contest becuse she is in fact a child in an adult body) wanted me to tell you all "Hi". There she is chatting up Girl-A-Thon before we left for her surprise birthday party. Notice the similarity in size between the two. It's just not fair. My sister is adorable AND pocket sized!

She and I have marginally different styles ;-)

UPDATE: Auntie-A-Thon did not liek the picture and would like me to tell you all that she does not have a flat face ;-)

How Do You Spell LOVE in Green River, Wyoming?

D-U-A-L-L-Y.

Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me for pictorial proof. But I saw someone's token of devotion in a shiny white dually with the vanity plate that read "4-Reba". Yes, I am from a place where people name their beloved baby girls Reba. On Purpose. Not on a dare. And though I am sure that Ray Jack or Billy Dean or whomever loves Reba so much he just had to give her her very own personalized ride, I must state that for me, the sign below (at the local carwash) says it all.

UPDATE: This is a dually. It's a pickup truck with four wheels on the back axle (two on each side).