Boo Boos

Sometimes there are those days that you know you've made a stupid mistake, the days when everything you do seems wrong. Today I made a boo boo and now it has me second guessing a lot of things. Not all my choices but some of them I have made have made it really hard lately. I love my life and especially my blessings and lately I've been sure to notice a lot of them, but man oh man there are days... Honestly there are times I just want to run away and escape for a while but reality and real life sink in little by little and it reminds me of all the hard stuff and the many many choices I've made that have gotten me here. There are times I second guess every step I make, but the one holding factor the one solid link I have is my amazing incredible husband, the one strength and guiding light I have is him. The temple and eternal marriage is such an incredible blessing! The gift that we have been given by is the most amazing thing I could have ever imagined and I know without a shadow of a doubt that this blessing has been given to me in a time when I needed it very most and I am so very grateful for that knowledge and the light it is in my life!

Spring!!!

It's been way too long since I posted on here!!! So I got married to my all time best friend! He is an incredible man and I am so completely lucky! Today we just had our easter party at work. We planted "magic jellybeans" that grew lollipops and we hunted for eggs and bought things at the store with our bunny money! The kids loved it and it got me thinking how much I love my job! And this time of year, and how very grateful I am for the friends and family I have been blessed with. And the oppurtunities at life I have had and how I wouldn't trade a single moment of it for anything! So thank you! Happy Easter my friends and may each of you remember what it's all about!!!

Change...

Spare change, pocket change, loose change. Life is all about change, the adventures, challenges, and trials along the way are all helping us to adapt and change ourselves into the one person we want to become. We choose the type of individual we will be, by how we react to the circumstances around us. Sometimes the choices are extremely hard, and hurt, and break you to the point when you feel you can't go on, but I have found with a little faith, tons of prayers, and some much needed patience Heavenly Father will bless you in imacculate ways so long as you are willing to work for it! I am so grateful for the changes that have occured to shape me and my life that I may some day become half of what I can, and that one day through the many blessings I have recieved be able to give back to everyone in life who has helped me along the way. My family, my dear friends, and the ones who mean the absolute most!

Little Miss

Little Miss I give up...have you ever heard a song that just fits? This is my life in a song! I am trying so hard, I feel like I've put my all into a goal worth chasing to have it handed back to me time and time again. "Little miss do your best, little miss never rest..."
I hate this I hate feeling like time and time again everything I am working for is failing, like I don't know what I'm doing like every single person that ever said I couldn't was right... "Little miss I give up, Little miss I'll get tough don't you worry 'bout me anymore...''
I wanna help I wanna do the right thing. I know in my heart this is something worth fighting for. Something to work and push and run towards with every last breath that I have, but somedays every voice that ever said I couldn't comes back and knocks me down and makes my world stop.

"Little miss you'll go far, little miss hide your scars. Little miss who you are is so much more then you like to talk about...sometimes you gotta loose til you win!"

...I'm trying...

Almost There

Life is so full of it's ups and downs twists and turns. Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing...if I've made the right choice...if I'm screwing it all up. Sometimes I feel like I'm being pulled in 50 million directions, like every single person is expecting an answer from me, and while I may be trying my best I can never reach the goal. Life was never meant to be easy, we've known that all along. It was never meant to be fair either on the days when life seems to be kicking my butt. When every turn I make leads to an exploded door barracaded off. The one thing I have found that gets me through is looking at the things I am grateful for in this life. My loving family, my friends, my faith, the people who truly believe in me. The beauty of this world all around me, the fact that I was born with limbs, eyes, nose, ears, and all my body parts in tact. I love life, and the adventure it is!

Remember

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty...

"Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain...

"We stand for freedom. That is our conviction for ourselves; that is our only commitment to others."

Never forget the reasons we are free!

"Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

"Sometimes I'm afraid and I don't feel that tough...but I'll stand back up!"

Go ahead and take your best shot,
Let 'er rip, give it all you've got,
I'm laid out on the floor, but I've been here before,
I may stumble, yeah I might fall,
Only human aren't we all?
I might lose my way, but hear me when i say,
I will stand back up,
Youll know just the moment when ive have enough,
Sometimes im afraid, and i dont feel that tough,
But I'll stand back up, I've been beaten up and bruised,
I've been kicked right off my shoes,
Been down on my knees more times than youd believe,
When the darkness tries to get me,
Theres a light that just wont let me,
It might take my pride, and my tears may fill my eyes,
But I'll stand back up,
I've weathered all these stroms,
But i just turn them into wind,
so i can fly, What dont kill you makes you stronger,
When I take my last breath,
Thats when I'll just give up,
So, go ahead to take your best shot,
Let 'er rip, give it all you've got,
You might win this round but you cant keep me down,
'Cause I'll stand back up,
And you'll know just the moment when ive had enough,
Sometimes im afraid and I dont feel that tough,
But I'll stand back up,
Youll know just the moment when ive had enough,
Sometimes I'm afraid and I dont feel that tough, But I'll stand back up.

Hands

His hands had worked at carpentry
And built strong things of wood,
But then His hands laid down the tools
And worked a greater good.
His hands were placed on heads that bowed
And blessings they received.
His hands raised up a maiden, dead,
To joy of those bereaved.
His hands washed feet covered in dust
Though “Master” was His name.
His hands touched eyes that never saw
And sight to sightless came.
His hands broke bread and passed the cup,
Both of which He had blessed.
He taught His friends to eat and drink
And find in Him their rest.
His hands were clasped in fervent prayer
As He bore all our sins.
He drank the bitter cup and thus
Our hope of life begins.
His hands were nailed upon a cross
And there He gave His life:
The innocent who sacrificed
To pay for sins and strife.
His hands stretched out, to demonstrate
To those whom He called friends
That it was He who paid the price;
At His hands, death would end.
His hands have beckoned me, and He
Asks if I’ll follow Him.
I humbly plead that He will guide
My hands to be as His.

I am so grateful for my Savior and for His hands, that lift and help me everyday especially lately when everything has seemed to turn upside down I know I just have to trust in Him and follow what is right and it will all work out for good!

In Terms of Love

I love music I stumbeled across this song the other day and it was one that I keep thinking about the lyrics have been stuck in my head since...


Now and then I confess you cross my mind
Now and then I guess I have a little too much time
I've changed my way of thinking
I've tried hard to separate what came too soon
From what came too late

I don't think about me in terms of you
I don't think about you in terms of us
I don't think about us in terms of love
I don't think about then in terms of now
I found a way to start again somehow
I don't think about what we thought it was
Oh, in terms of love
Oh, in terms of love

I'm countin' on heaven to understand
I didn't mean to go and mess up all the plans
Sometimes you know where you should go
Before you know the way
I'll bother with tomorrow
Once I made it through today

I don't think about me in terms of you
I don't think about you in terms of us
I don't think about us in terms of love
I don't think about then in terms of now
I found a way to start again somehow
I don't think about what we thought it was
Oh, in terms of love
Mmmm, hummm, yeah

I don't think about black in terms of grey
Or revelations in the light of day
I don't think about cold in terms of ice
Or second chances happenin' twice

I don't think about me in terms of you
I don't think about you in terms of us
I don't think about us in terms of love
I don't think about then in terms of now
I found a way to start again somehow
I don't think about what we thought it was

Oh, in terms of love
(I don't think about me in terms of you)
(I don't think about you in terms of us)
In terms of love
(I don't think about then in terms of now)
(I found a way to start again somehow)
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
I don't think about us in terms of love

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Sometimes life is exactly this way we walk the path we know we trust the way everyone is going we're all starting out our journey together and slowly we all start taking a different path, another direction, and we leave the road we once knew. Sometimes you start the new road with friends, or family and the road is much easier, your still surrounded by people you love, and ones who love you. Sometimes though the road is one you have to take a leap of faith you have to be one of the few people to try this path it's a road all your own. It's daunting and frightening, dark and new. You feel all alone and a little lost, but as you keep on going step by step even if it's only one small step at a time. Your able to learn to trust in the grander plan of things, you learn to live, and to rely on your Savior. You learn a love for others, and for yourself, the whole point in the journey is the learning you gain along the path.

13 Hands

Each year I am hired to go to Washington , DC , with the eighth grade
Class from Clinton , WI where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly
Enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special
Memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.

On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This
memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of
the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers
raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima ,
Japan , during WW II.

Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed
towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the
statue, and as I got closer he asked, 'Where are you guys from?'

I told him that we were from Wisconsin . 'Hey, I'm a cheese head, too!
Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story.'

(James Bradley just happened to be in Washington , DC , to speak at the
memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to
his dad, who had passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the
buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission
to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the
incredible monuments filled with history in Washington , DC , but it is quite
another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)

When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are
His words that night.)


'My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin . My dad is on
that statue, and I just wrote a book called 'Flags of Our Fathers' which
is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the
six boys you see behind me.


'Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground
Is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in
The Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were
off to play another type of game. A game called 'War.' But it didn't
turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his
hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are
people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You
guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19
years old - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even
would talk to their families about it.


(He pointed to the statue) 'You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon
From New Hampshire . If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo
Was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a
photograph... a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for
protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. It was just boys who won the
battle of Iwo Jima . Boys. Not old men.


'The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike
Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called
him the 'old man' because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would
motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some
Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys..
Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your
mothers.'


'The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian
From Arizona . Ira Hayes was one who walked off Iwo Jima . He went into the
White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero' He
Told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the
Island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?'

So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together
having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the
beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes He had
images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and
eventually died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 (ten years after
this picture was taken).


'The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from
Hilltop, Kentucky . A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70,
Told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop
General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows
couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night.' Yes,
he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19.
When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to
The Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his
mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the
morning. Those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.


'The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John
Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin , where I was raised. My dad lived until
1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers or
the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say
'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no
phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad
never fished or even went to Canada . Usually, he was sitting there right at
the table eating his Campbell 's soup. But we had to tell the press that he
was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press.


'You see, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone
thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a
monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a
caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And
when boys died in Iwo Jima , they writhed and screamed, without any medication or
help with the pain.


'When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was
A hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said,
'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys
Who did not come back. Did NOT come back.'


'So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima ,
and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo
Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is
Giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time.'


Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag
sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the
heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a
hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.


We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us
to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice

Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on
Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our
freedom..


Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also pray
For those still in murderous unrest around the world.

STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at someone else's
sacrifice.


God Bless You and God Bless America .


REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great
day.


One thing I learned while on tour with my 8th grade students in DC that
Is not mentioned here is . . that if you look at the statue very closely
And count the number of 'hands' raising the flag, there are 13. When the man
who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th
hand was the hand of God.

“The key is to get to know people and trust them to be who they are. Instead, we trust people to be who we want them to be- when they're not, we cry"

Trust is funny, I love how everyone makes it all seem so easy to trust and be open with someone. "Talk to me," "You can trust me," "it won't be like that." but it always is like that especially when you put your heart on the line. Every time you open up yourself to someone your giving that person a part of you. You making and effort and taking a risk, the question you need to ask next time is this person really worth the risk? I have met few people I have learned to trust. I have met many who have asked for my trust, recieved it, only to throw it all in my face later...next time I wanna be "bullet proof" I have made mistakes yes, and I understand my choices but a little honesty after lectures of honesty is only fair...

The Positive Side of Life

• Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.
• How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on.
• Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.
• Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.
• Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the people who have to wait for them?
• Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.
• If Wal-Mart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?
• You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
• Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
• Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.
• We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box.
• A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

A Goal Worth Fighting For!

I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with the children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.

Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I Break Things

I've heard this song a few times...it's kinda how I feel right now ugh I know it's the right thing but it doesn't make it the easy thing...

I broke most of Mama’s dishes
She banned me from the kitchen when I was a kid
I tore Daddy’s truck to pieces
Left it in a heap that no mechanic could fix
You don’t believe me I can see you laughin’
But trust me I’m an accident waiting here to happen

Cause I break things
Anything I touch I just get around and then I’m bound to tear ‘em up
Yeah, I make things
Snap and fall apart
So if you wanna hold me boy, you’d better watch your heart
Cause I break things

You say I’m nothing you can’t handle
You’re tougher than an anvil
Well baby we’ll see
I’m like a wrecking ball coming
You’re better off running far away from me
Don’t get me wrong now baby I adore ya
It’s only right that I give you fair warning

Cause I break things
Anything I touch I just get around and then I’m bound to tear ‘em up
Yeah, I make things
Snap and fall apart
So if you wanna hold me boy, you’d better watch your heart
Cause I break things

Rain is wet
The desert is dry
That’s the way it’ll always be
Fire is hot
It’s dark at night
The sun comes up in the east
And I break things
Anything I touch
I just get around and then I’m bound to tear ‘em up
Yeah, I make things
Snap and fall apart
So if you wanna hold me boy, you’d better watch your heart
Cause I break things

I break things

Sack lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time... As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base.' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'
Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks..'
After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane,heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seat belt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base.. It will be about time for a sandwich.God Bless You.'Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.
As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'

The Interview With God

Check out this website video! It really makes you think I loved it!!!

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/popup-frame.html

"Laughed Until We Cried!"

So lifes been a little crazy, you can be on top of the world one day, and have everything come crashing down 20 minutes later! I am so grateful to live in this country, and to able to enjoy the freedoms of this land! For the men and women who have sacrificed so much that I may be able to live in freedom! Over the last couple months I have watched people close to me go from starting from scratch ,to getting to a point where the world seems to be going in their favor, and then it all gets thrown back in their face yet again!
Through it all I have watched these families pull in close with one another and work through the difficult times and trust in a grander plan! I have learned the power of prayer, the Lord loves us and wants us to be happy! Peace is real and He is there for us even when we feel that everything is falling apart, that we're failing at life, and that not one more thing could go wrong!
I love this land, I love this gospel, and I love my friends, and family, the people who have and will support me through every trial and every hardship even at the times when I don't deserve it! THANK YOU!!!

Independence Day!

"We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready and willing in the night to visit violence on those that do us harm!"

I am so grateful for the men and women in the armed services who sacrifice their lives day in and day out so that I may be able to live in and enjoy the freedoms of this great country! Grant it we may not always be perfect, but as long as we respect and remember who and where we came from I think we will all be able to make it! We are so blessed to live in a country where we can have an opinion on matters, and we can speak freely without worrying the government will come and hunt us down. Where we can believe in any religion of our choice and not worry about being shot in the street because we're "wrong" so take this time and think of the many ways were blessed to live in this GREAT United States of America!

**************************************************

You stay up for 16 hours
He stays up for days on end.

You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.

You complain of a 'headache', and call in sick.
He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.

You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.

You make sure your cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around him.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.

You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.

REMEMBER our Troops, and do not forget!

**************************************************

God Bless Our Military Man


The average age of the military man is 19 years.
He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is
considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears,
not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country.

He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car
than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student,
pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and
has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or
swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.

He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm
Howitzers.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is
working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.

He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can
field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the
dark.

He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher
and use either one effectively if he must.

He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.

He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without
spirit or individual dignity.

He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and
wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.

He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle.

He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If
you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food.

He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you
run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his
hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still
find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death then he
should have in his short lifetime.

He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them.

He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in
combat and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while
at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away'
those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even
stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he
defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying
the price for our freedom.

Beardless or not, he is not a boy.

He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over
200 years.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.

Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his
blood.

"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect
us.

Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in
our time of need. Amen."

"Horses are God's apology for MEN"

So last weekend I was able to go camping with Amy and Cindy and Cindy's family! We spent the entire weekend up in the mountains riding horses everyday, swing dancing at night, playing on fourwheelers, and in general just having a blast! It was such an amazing camping trip!!! While we were there we went on gorgeous trail rides and got to see some truly amazing sites. The feeling of being up in the mountains far away from everyone and everything, playing in the water with Rubia, looping cowboy back to camp! I have officially become 100% addicted to horses! There is such a freedom riding through the beautiful mountainside being able to be out in the middle of no where just you and your horse and focus on what's really important in life!

...And then you come back to the real world...

So this isn't meant to be some complaining about boys most in general are pretty decent, but I and the girls I know seem to meet the rare exceptions to these decent one's ;) hence the reason so many girls are deciding to give up and be done haha for example the week before I went camping I found out from some friends...
That one guy stops talking to you cause you won't make out with him, another continuously asks you on dates and to do things and then 5 mins before hand bails out, another asks you to be his girlfriend on the first date and then wants you to meet his family a day later, another plays games and messes with your head.
Then there are the great one's, they call exactly when they say they will, they are always on time for dates or just hanging out, they truly want to get to know you not just know what they can get from you. They are the one's we all hold out for the one who is going to treat you with all the respect and loyalty you deserve. The problem is distinguishing between the two...and then it gets even more complicated when half the people you know say you should date someone, some say follow your heart (which that may be the one thing you can't do) others try to tell you not to rush to grow up, while more try to tell you just simply how to run your life! I'm done being told what I can and cannot do, I'm sick of wishing for the perfect guy, I'm sick of being told how to handle my life. That I don't get out enough, I work too much, I have too much pressure on me, etc.
Sorry I had to vent somewhere...and I haven't written on here for a while! Life is great I enjoy every aspect of what I do, I feel like I am actually accomplishing things, and most importantly I am able to help out a lot of kids and families who don't have much better if that means sacrificing a little right now I am prepared to do so, I know this is the right thing, right now, and I know that I couldn't have made it even close to this without the help and encouragement of those around me, and the love and strength they give me, I'm so very grateful for that knowledge and the knowledge of this gospel, and the strength it gives me to make it through the harder times in life! :)
"Life is a book in volumes three, the past, the present, the yet to be. The first is finished and layed away, the second we're reading day by day, the third and the last of the volumes three is locked away -God keeps the key!"