"Find a job you like and add 5 days to every week."

I want to run away for awhile, with my family of course. I want to take a year off and live in a different state and evaluate my life. I, like the majority of others, never had a plan and just sort of fell into whatever I was doing. As a Baby Boomer female, I was never encouraged to do anything but "marry a rich man." My parents never really assessed my talents and abilities, nor directed me to a certain path. I'm not mad about that, just stating the facts. I never had a burning desire to do anything when I was young except to have children. Looking back on it, I always gravitated to the Communication School at UT, so at least I got that right. I started in journalism, which is what I thought was a good choice for me, but all the uber liberal professors mocked me and said I'd never fit in; that I was too conservative... They said that "people like me" would be good in public relations and marketing. Stupid me, I took their advice and got an Advertising major and Marketing minor. Pppsshhhtt, that and two bucks will get you a cup of coffee... I then decided that working in an advertising agency would be fun, and in retrospect, see now that it was my creative bent that spurred me to this. And advertising was one of the fields at that time opening up to women, after teaching and nursing. An internship became available at the Daily Texan, (UT's campus newspaper.) I got accepted, later was on the advertising staff, and then newspapers were the ones that wanted to hire me since I had experience. (sigh) I'm so bored with it now. I REALLY want to write, and keep offering to write (free) stories for the newspaper I work for, but my boss always says no. I finally have a burning desire to do something - write - and would like a way to figure out how to do it for a living. I mean the highlight of my day is blogging. It's no chore for me, I love it. I think if you don't do what God created you to do, you will never be fulfilled (or happy.) Sure we can all fall into things and keep doing them because it's the best money we can make, but are we happy? Truly happy?

Better the one who starts at a young age doing what they love...

Florida Outpouring - They couldn't stop worshipping 1/4

"The media will show you who they're afraid of." - Rush Limbaugh

Clearly the lamestream media is out to destroy Michelle Bachmann like they've tried to with Sarah Palin. They HATE it that they are smart, ambitious, capable, successful CONSERVATIVE women. They want the first woman president to be a liberal Democrat (that's redundant.) They are trying to trip up Bachmann and say her slips are such huge gaffs that she is disqualified, while their current president makes gaffs all the time, including this week on the soldier he said was alive, who actually is dead. They are threatening to go on a witch hunt with her foster children, and are trying to find any dirt they can. But then they just went through 30,000 of Palin's emails while she was governor and found nothing.

It just makes me back Bachmann all the more...

"Would-a, Could-a, Should-a"

Well, I find this photo very sad, and somewhat disconcerting... When Diana died in 1997, it just seemed so senseless. Here was someone who had security 24/7 and she could not be protected from the drunk security driver while chased by paparazzi?? On William's wedding day, you could feel William and Harry's sadness that their mother was not there to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. And then here is a photo of what Diana could have looked like after these 14 years, alongside her daughter-in-law, and it's just almost too hard to look at. Something about this photo strikes a nerve with me. All of the "What if's" in life seem to be represented if bad things didn't happen.

I hope Catherine can take all of the positive things from her 'mantle'....

"God has not given us the spirit of fear..."

New York just passed same-sex marriage, and there's hardly a reaction in the United States. I think I read that a Catholic bishop said our politicians have let us down, and I read today that some Mennonites helped a former lesbian kidnap her child because the Bible says that homosexuality is wrong, (I don't agree with kidnapping.) My grown son who lives in Austin, says that I should keep quiet about this subject because it is an accepted lifestyle now.... And yes, in my small town and the town I work in, I know of same-sex couples. As a matter of fact my next door neighbors are a lesbian couple, and are very nice. My mother's best friend had 3 children, and 2 were gay (and one has died of Aids.) My high school best friend's younger sister is a lesbian. My best friend's brother was gay and died a terrible death of Aids. I've worked with lots of artists that are gay, and I consider friends. And all of them I know do not feel accepted and seem pretty sad.

This is a subject no one wants to talk about. We want to be well-liked and we want to be cool. We want to be kind and we want to be accepting. There's just one little problem. God says in His word that homosexuals will not make heaven. I don't make the rules, God does. As Christians, we are supposed to "hate the sin but love the sinner," and I do. But everyone says, "But they are BORN this way," but God would not give someone a nature that would send them to hell. That only leaves one other option; it's a spirit. Americans are not as familiar with spirits as in other countries, but there are spirits and the Bible talks about them. For example, lust, greed, envy - even fear - they are all spirits. And people can be delivered from them. God made man and God made woman. Period. You're either one or the other. And if you have the spirit of homosexuality, there are deliverance ministries. I know that it takes faith, Christian faith, to believe all of this. It's just that God's Word is true and God is love and God wouldn't make someone a homosexual if He says that they won't make heaven. It's time to stop judging and condemning. One thing IS true is that most do not choose to be gay; a spirit does come on them rather than being born with different DNA. And as a Spirit-filled Christian, I will love them, pray for them, intercede for them and war with them until they are delivered. And gays are being delivered constantly from this lifestyle by the power of God.

I'm not afraid to talk about it...

"Keep Calm and Carry On"

"Believe it or not..."

Just read and saw something totally bazaar. Sort of like a Ripley's Believe it or Not, but there are photos to prove it. These photos are of a ghostly apparition of a river in China. The buildings you see are actually water in a river - specifically the Xin'an River in Huanshan City in East China. There is usually nothing but sky across the horizon. Amazed residents recorded the footage with some even suggesting that it could have been a 'vortex' to a lost civilization. The pictures have baffled experts who visited the city to check that there were not actually any of the buildings already there. They believe the sight is a mirage, a form of illusion that is common in humid weather. Some of the witnesses said that a number of similar sights had been seen recently although this one was the most spectacular.

Weird...

"Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Tonight we saw the new movie, "Midnight in Paris," which was enchanting, or shall I say, enchante.... DD and friend did not understand it all, but it was a beautiful movie aesthetically. Owen Wilson plays a writer who pines for the Paris of the 1920's, and he gets his wish. That's all I'll say, but the movie is right up my alley since I, too, pine for a different day, when life seemed less stressful. I just didn't want the movie to end; it felt like when you're having a really good dream and you start waking up and you think, "Nooooooooooooo!" I want to stay in the dream... forever....

(Sigh) Why is life so hard?

"You can't compromise your values." - my sister

Okay.... I can cross off Ron Paul as one of the Republican candidates that I would vote for in the next presidential election. Just read today that he and Barney Frank (of all people) are going to introduce a bill to legalize marijuana.... And I can argue with a family member "till the cows come home" about this issue, but he is NOT going to convince me that it's the right thing to do. They always give you that blah, blah, blah about how we can put the pot dealers out of business and tax it, but I don't care. Once you legalize something, you make it okay.

One of my very good friends has a son in his early 20's who has been to rehab at least 5 times. They started with 3 different military schools, and when those didn't help, they moved on to the wilderness rehabs where you leave them way out in the boondocks, and they have to find their way back with no food. He nearly died after that one from a heroin overdose... Somehow that finally scared him into being clean for the last 2 years, but there are no guarantees. How did all of this start? In junior high, here in our conservative little town, with pot. Some punk would come to the junior high and give it away for free, so the takers would like the feeling of getting high. This boy, my friend's son, told me himself that it was the springboard to going on to a bigger high. So don't tell me that it's just fine. Don't tell me that it's better than alcohol. Don't tell me it's okay.

Because it isn't...

"We can do it!"

Just saw today that today over 14 million are unemployed in the U.S.

We have more men and women idle than at any time since the Great Depression.

One out of five men of prime working age are not getting up to go to work.

The unemployment rate is 16% nationwide.

Ten years ago, 5 million were collecting federal disability payments, now the number is 8 million.

My grown children call me exasperated with their jobs because things aren't like they used to be. It seems no one can just go and do their job anymore. Each time someone quits, it's like musical chairs. And the company employees have to take up the slack because no one is rehired to do that job. And everyone is stressed and can't take it anymore. And there's no money to do what they used to do, which adds even more to the stress. They can't even afford to have children living in Austin. I would like to say it's going to get better, but I don't think it will for a long time. And LOTS will change in the mean time and maybe not in my life time.

We ALL know how important the next election is. Critical. The very future of this nation hangs on this election. So here's my ideas of what the next president should do:

1. Close the borders. All of the illegals in Texas are ruining the school systems and the healthcare here. I say we should give amnesty to the ones that are here since they already are, but COMPLETELY CLOSE THE BORDERS. If we don't do this, we are wasting our time. If we keep letting people over, we will not be able to recover. Period. Trust me people. If you're not in Texas, you don't understand. They are the majority here now and they are making demands.

We HAVE to close the borders or else...

2. Repeal Obamacare or else we go under. Period. It was ridiculous and we should be able to annul it since no one even read it. This is a no-brainer.

3. Get out of all the wars we are in. How in the world can we win???!!! Those people have no quality of life and are willing to strap bombs to their children to get to the virgins with Allah. A nuclear bomb would not end it like with World War II. Nothing will. We need to save our young people's lives and save the trillions.

4. We need to stop sending a billion here and a billion there at all the other countries. Stop with the borrowing money to pay other countries. It's insane.

5. We need to keep jobs here in America and put penalties on businesses that outsource. Period.

6. No more stimulus. No more TARP. No more "too big to fail." No more buying the lies. We need to always let the market fix itself.

7. We need to get much much stricter with disability and unemployment benefits. Only to the ones in real need. The Bible says if a man doesn't work, a man doesn't eat. Amen to that.

8. We need to stop the insanity about "separation of church and state." We need our freedoms back. We need state's rights back.

9. All politicians get the same healthcare as everyone else. And they have term limits. We don't want or need the lifers like Ted Kennedy who keep voting themselves raises.

10. We need to return to what the country's founding fathers wrote and follow the constitution.

U.S.A. - Love it or leave it, but don't change it.

"Good Luck Disney"

Oh My Gosh there's NOTHING on TV!!! I know, I know.... I should read a book but I just want something VAGUELY interesting on in the background. Why don't ANY of these stupid TV execs figure out that we've all seen the reruns a million times and we're reduced to watching alien shows on the History Channel??? Not to mention that there are hardly ANY well-written shows on during the school year because most shows these days are inane reality shows, so people named Snooki and The Situation can get rich over acting stupid (or just being themselves) which is the same thing.

At least the Disney Channel understands that kids are out of school, and since most are parked right in front of the tube instead of going outside for whatever reason, it's a good time to introduce some new shows. And since DD is still coming of age (and there's nothing else on), we've been watching a lot of Disney Channel.

Our favorite new show is "Good Luck Charlie," (which reminds me of the family sitcoms in the 80's), about a cute family with married parents (gasp) and 4 cute children. But we can RELATE to it, something their execs haven't figured out is the key to success/ratings. For example, new show, "Shake It Up," they just introduced is about 2 girls and 2 guys who are the stars of a dance show called 'Shake It Up Chicago." I realize they are trying to horn in on the popularity of all the new dance shows, but it's unrelatable for the kids since one millionth of one percent of kids would have this opportunity. And you never see the parents, which is kind of the new trend on kid shows. Yet another new show taking advantage of a current craze is their "My Babysitter is a Vampire," (hello Twilight fans) which is a completely HORRID show with teenagers and ugly fangs, and they mention "getting a hickey," which I think is a little much for Disney... But then on "Shake It Up" they kept saying "kiss their butt," which also seems inappropriate. (Yes, I've been on vacation for the last week, so Disney's been on alot....) Then, there is "Wizards of Waverly Place," (hello Harry Potter fans) which has been a break-out role for Selena Gomez, and is just okay. New show, "A.N.T. Farm" has an extremely talented African-American girl, a triple threat (act/sing/dance) but it has no chemistry. They have a new cartoon series, "Fish Hooks," which is eerily similar to Nickelodeon's wildly popular "Sponge Bob Square Pants," and soon they will be introducing a new show bringing back "The Cosby Show's" Raven Simone, who did have her own Disney show called "That's So Raven" until she was well into adulthood. I realize with Disney's cash cow, Miley Cyrus, now gone and the gynormous void left from the "Hannah Montana" series ending, they had to get serious. I mean really, what kind of birthday parties will little girls have since we've had years of Hannah Montana merchandise out the wazoo?

But the Disney people, for the most part, just don't get it. This country still likes to see fairly normal families in sitcoms that we can relate to. The rest?

It's just too easy to keep channel surfing...

"The blonde leading the blonde..."

Oh pulleeeaaase!! Why are these people getting so much press!!?? Ugh... the country's going to hell in a handbasket and all we see is this stupid stuff about Hugh Hefner. Yes, we all get it. Hugh's not getting as much attention as he used to, so he asks one of his blondes to marry him and film the whole thing for the Lifetime channel. He's 85, she's 25. I guess the name of the film was to be Gold Digger to Trophy Wife? Just kidding. That would be too honest. No, when they interview Crystal (who they've now dubbed "Runaway Bride") she first says the reason she left him at the altar was that she "wasn't his only girl." Really?? And that's a SURPRISE? No, she just figures we'll all side with her on that one. But when interviewed further, she doesn't like the curfew he gives her or the "lawyers." Okay, now we're talking. She didn't like what she got in the prenup. We get it.

Then his old flame, Holly Madison (see blonde on left) takes "Hef's" side and says Crystal is tacky to go to Vegas on the night she was supposed to get married. And we're supposed to think SHE is the one with morals?? The whole thing is disgusting and they are all getting what they deserve.

Can we move on now?

Back to reality

Last day of vacation was a super fun day with la familia. We all had queso burgers, onion rings piled to the ceiling and Blue Bell ice cream. Temperature still over 100, so we chilled in the river and in the hotel pool for a relaxing day. Celebrated Father's Day and my early birthday, so it was special.

Too short, but still good...

"Champagne taste on a beer budget."

Schlitterbahn!!


Well for 3rd day of vacation, I took DD & friend to America's #1 waterpark, Schlitterbahn. Ugh.... Now I see why my dad never took us to theme parks... And as a baby boomer, I am officially too old for them!! We were there from opening at 10 am to 4 pm, & they only got to ride ONE RIDE!!! That's how crowded it was...
Ridiculous! I want my money back, and it is NOT cheap. Too, I realized the first lady might be right, there IS an obesity epidemic in America; I've never seen so many fat & unattractive people in my life!! Ugh, and the tattoos! I was disgusted!! But once we left, we had fun again, & met my son & his girlfriend at Texas' oldest dancehall, Gruene Hall. Once again, fun to see the girls at a famous Texas Dance Hall learning to two-step with my son! A group called The Wagoneers was playing, a Rockabilly group, so it brought a variety of folks. There were Baby Boomers, vacationers, locals, college kids on dates, and even hipsters from Austin. Funny people watching! Great music and great fun!!

No place but Texas!!

"Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation"

Second day of vacation almost perfect except for the oppressive Texas heat. DD, Savannah and I are at the most magical place - our lodge is under a canopy of beautiful trees, a huge pool & overlooking a scenic springfed river. Lots of great Texans, also from small towns here too. Trying to make every moment count since I can only afford 3 nights. My largest advertising client blessed me when we got into town with $250 worth of gift cards at local restaurants. It left me speechless at her kindness...

This evening reminded me of the movie, "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation" with Jimmy Stewart. DD and her best friend Savannah are at the "coming of age" time of their lives where they have discovered boys. After we checked in today, the girls headed to the river to watch the high school boys staying at our lodges show off and doing back flips out of the trees. They came over to meet the girls and later met up in the game room for pool, air hockey, ping pong and throwing the football. I just watched from the balcony since they wanted to look cool. It was awkward but it was a start in learning the boy-girl thing!

All in all, a magical evening!

"Viva San Antonio!"

1st day of vacation!! Great Mexican food place for lunch with DD and my sister on the San Antonio River. Had ceviche - was delicious! Ceviche is one of my favorite foods but you have to get it at a nicer restaurant. Of course it's been over 100 degrees the last few days and no rain in sight, so...

It's going to be a long summer!

"I don't know who decided that skinny was more appealing than not skinny. It seems arbitrary." - Gwyneth Paltrow

Meet Katy and Maria, 33 year old identical twins from England who have competed for 20 years on who could be the skinniest. Their eating disorders have ruined their lives... They are both determined to beat this disease. Maria said, "I've lost everything due to this illness. I've lost my life, my house, my hair, my job, everything... and I'm absolutely sick of it." Katy said, "I can't walk any more. My back hurts, my heartbeat is irregular, I've got osteoporosis, chronic gastric pain and pancreatitis. I'm on diuretics because my kidneys don't work."

All this to say that eating disorders are chronic in western societies. Yes, we have an obese problem, but we also have the opposite as well. With a 14 year old who is buying Seventeen Magazine and starting to obsess about food 24/7, it is a real concern. Add to this that my older daughter had a bout with this at 15 years old, and it becomes more than that. Yesterday DD told me that a high school girl that we both know well is bulimic and is hiding it from her family. Her mother took her to the doctor and she swore that she is not throwing up when in fact she is. The doctor told her she could have a retarded baby, so she's telling friends that she wants to continue to throw up, and when married will just adopt... Sounds like the sickness is pretty serious... I'm not as familiar with other high schools, but our town's high school has plenty of eating disorders. DD was fine until she switched to public school, and her group of friends are refusing to eat, and the boys are calling skinny girls fat.

What is it with kids these days??

Jackie Evancho January 10th, 2011 Beverly Hills, CA Chefs for Seals

"Hooray for Hollywood..."

Wow.

Even Hollywood is saying, "Enough already!" Evidently Ashton Kutcher, darling of my children's generation, tweeted this, "As much as I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin, I find sifting through her emails repulsive and over reaching media."

Good for him!! Call it like you see it!! It IS repulsive and disgusting. And the New York Times even asked their READERS for help in examining all of her emails.

By the way, they found NOTHING.

Snap.

"A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking."

Only one more day until my vacation starts... I've got to make it count. I only get ONE WEEK A YEAR! And we only get off on Christmas and Thanksgiving... so it's a lot of pressure, these few days. Too, my birthday is next Monday, so I definitely don't want to be working on that day. It's hard enough. As I've mentioned before, my boss didn't let me off one day my first year, so in the 3+ years I've been there, I've only had 2 weeks off. Total.

Actually I'm tired. Really tired. I'm still trying to recover from food poisoning last week, and my body just can't bounce back like it used to. But I've got a 14 year old who's counting on me to make those 7 days count like never before. But I will put on a happy face and push myself to try the hardest I can to make a memorable week. We're not going very far - just a little over an hour to a town filled with rivers and tubing and waterpark and fun and sun and God, I hope it will be fun for DD and her friend.

Me? I'm just really tired....

"It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are." - Roy Disney

Just a quick Sunday night post... Who is the best current candidate for the next presidential election? Anyone but Obama!! Really, as I look at all of the Republican candidates so far, I would vote for ANY of them. My preference is that Texas Governor Rick Perry get in the race, but he's waiting on Sarah Palin to decide, as he will not run if she does. And truthfully, after Obama, most conservatives I know want an exciting candidate to run against this incumbent. We seem to know that with this kind of economy, anyone should beat him, it's just that it will be a lot more fun with someone exciting. This next year and a half will be wearing on the country, what with the kind of lamestream, biased media that we have. So we are all preparing ourselves for an ugly media war. And in this kind of sound bite mentality, you want to have someone classy, cute and smart instead of someone who comes across as boring. If you think about it, there is no way that Abraham Lincoln could run these days and win. He just wasn't handsome enough for television. And as much as I agree with Sarah Palin, I am NOT ready for a year and a half of Palin-bashing like we've never seen.

It's going to be hard enough as it is...

"Cinema is the most beautiful fraud in the world."

Just saw the movie "Super 8," and I don't usually talk about movies on my blog, but this movie is just really special. Just when I thought Steven Spielberg couldn't do it anymore, he's come out with his best film yet, or at least has matched some of his earliest great films. I won't give away any secrets, but the show just has a charisma, a magic, that only some movies do. Too, it's set in 1979, so the entire movie is a walk down memory lane - the cars, the clothes, the hairstyles, the music, the electronics. Maybe that's why it was so refreshing.... It was none of the mayhem that is today -- no hip hop, no porn, no economic meltdown -- just junior high kids in a fun plot.

Go see it to escape the present!

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."

Dedicated to my children

My youngest child, DD, is 14 and until she hit puberty was a sunshine-y, happy soul. But over the last year her life experiences have taken their toll and she's just sad all of the time. Has very much changed? Nope. Not in the big scheme of things, but somewhere around her age a blissful blindfold of childhood is removed and they start to see things in a different light. We live in a small town of "Have's" and "Have-not's" (which is basically the owner of the local stores and those that work there.) Once this blindfold is removed, they start comparing themselves to their peers that seem to have it the best.

My mom advice is this: Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy with whatever you have. Yes, you can still aspire for more but you must be happy with what you currently have.

DD made straight (high) A's all year, made cheerleader, made captain, is healthy and cute, yet doesn't think she has anything to be happy about. Are there inherent problems in her life? Of course. But so much of life is attitude, and that will be what gets you through. One of my coworker's father was murdered in front of her at the age of 4. She has chosen to be happy and live life to the fullest. Her mother, on the other hand, chose to check out a long time ago and lives on government checks. She actually remembers the day her mother said she was going to go fake crazy so she didn't have to work any more. She did, the doctors they sent her to prescribed all kinds of meds, and she took them, and has wasted her entire adult life away.

Today in a talk about this subject, DD scoffed when I said she should be happy that she can walk, talk, run, see, smell, hear, taste, etc. I just read this morning that a 16 year old in the town I work in, dove in the (shallow) river yesterday and is now paralyzed from the waist down. We can't ever take these things for granted. Yes, we don't get to go to Europe, or Hawaii, or even be able to leave Texas at this point, but we are healthy and employed, and that is huge these days.

The best-selling book a few years ago, "The Secret" has some questionable content but it also has some truths. You can call it "the Law of Attraction" or whatever you want, but if you're grumpy and sullen, no one wants to hang around you. Some of the best advice I've ever gotten is, "People like to be around other people who are fun and interesting." Wow. Let that digest. So simple yet so life-changing. You don't have to be zany but no one wants to be around a Debbie Downer because it brings them down too. People like to laugh. It gives them those feel-good endomorphins. People like to be entertained. It's why all good entertainers, whether it be actor, musician, comedian or sports figure, are all wealthy because we put a high price on someone entertaining us.

We've all heard the expression, "Glass half empty or glass half full," and it really is your choice on how you want to see the glass. And it's your choice whether you want to go through life happy or depressed depending on your circumstances. I think happiness is based on meeting our own expectations. So, if you're 50 and unmarried and have no retirement, you can choose to be unhappy. Or, you can change your expectation and decide that you're still appreciative of what you do have and will enjoy it.

It really is your CHOICE.

"You can't keep a good woman down" (or can you?)

This is a daily blog, so yes quantity surpasses quality sometimes, but yesterday I could not blog since I had food poisoning - UGH!! I don't know if it's the terrible Texas heat that has rendered food spoiled, I just know I'll never eat another burger at Culver's. As a matter of fact, when I just typed that word I got the nausea again. And that nausea was the worst I've ever experienced. Ever. So this has to go at the top of my list for worst food poisoning experiences. It even tops the time in college I had gone with friends on a Christmas break ski trip to Aspen. It started out great, lots of guys and girls from UT, skiing the gorgeous slopes, but then the last night of our trip, I had eaten something, and it hit me just like the one last night - swift and strong. I went from normalcy to violent vomiting and the other end as well. In Aspen, my friends even called an ambulance to take me to the hospital, since they didn't know what else to do. But that one only lasted about 3 hours. Last night was 8 FULL hours of vomiting every FIVE minutes. It was wretched... I normally have the stomach of a goat and can eat anything, but evidently NOT a Culver's hamburger. At one point, about 2 a.m. when all the lights were out, I did have the thought that I didn't think I could do this anymore, sort of like in child labor, when you near the end and even the epidural isn't working. It felt like evil spirits were in the room conjuring up images of greasy food, urging me to vomit for the 100th time. I had to do mind games and try to erase those thoughts and think of beaches or gardens. It was indescribable. Even today when I normally bounce back, I haven't. I have to lay down and get up in short spurts.

It has not been a good 24 hours....

"The pen is mightier than the sword..."

Blah, Blah, Blah... I'm so tired of listening to EVERY angle about stupid Anthony Wiener and his stupid "Wienergate," as the press has dubbed it! It's what I've been talking about for months - the mainstream media has to have a 'News Du Jour." You know, something that they beat like a dead horse until the next salacious subject arises. We just finished a news cycle about Arnold Schwarzenegger and before that it was someone else's affair. And then there are the fall backs like Brad Pitt and Angelina until another affair happens. We SHOULD be talking about getting these bozos out of office, but instead we obsess about someone's naughtiness. Is it because this nation has been dumbed down? Is it because it's summer, and we all want a break from all of the bad news and politics? I remember thinking in the last presidential campaign that the country would vote Democrat so they could stop hearing all of the Bush bashing and the constant beating of that drum ad nauseum. We need to stay focused on beating our OWN drum of getting these idiots out and get our eyes off of what the press chooses will be the subject of the day.

Also just read that's Wiener is Jewish and is married to a Muslim. Funny, I hadn't heard that in all this media barrage....

"Number 2 tries harder..."

Today as I thought about what I wanted to write about, I decided that all the news du jour bores me... Wienergate (wow, another politician caught with his pants down - what a surprise...) Or then there's the debt ceiling (I can barely reconcile my own finances - thinking about a bajillion dollars is like looking up at the sky on a clear night and thinking about all the galaxies out there.) Or even the Casey Anthony trial (also bores me, there are no good guys to root for - just another dysfunctional family with a soul-less daughter...)

No, I was thinking about growing up in my sister's shadow... Yes, I have a sister that is 3 years older. We shared a bedroom until she went to college and always were at odds from an early age. There are some sisters that get to be best friends. That was not us... My sister was the blue-eyed blonde that never did anything wrong. My entire life growing up I was told, "Why can't you be more like your sister!?" She was very studious, and was a rule-follower. She got to do everything first, so all I was doing was planning on doing what she was already doing. She was the guinea pig. She even got to drive at 15. In the early 70's in Texas, kids could get their driver's license at FIFTEEN, but of course they changed it shortly thereafter, so I had to wait until 16. She had the boyfriends first, the cool clothes first, dance team first, college first. I always felt second. My parents really favored her - she got the cool family name and no one ever forgot it. Me? Just the normal Baby Boomer name that no one EVER remembers. My mother told me that after my sister was born and she got pregnant with me, my dad really wanted a boy, a namesake. So when I was born, she said he wasn't even there. When he came to the hospital and saw all of my black hair, he said I just looked like all the Mexican babies and left. It's how I grew up, craving their attention and not getting it. My younger brother was born 2 1/2 years after me, so they finally got the boy they wanted. They had the perfect girl, my sister, and the perfect boy, my brother, so they sort of ignored me. My mother, sister and I used to go shopping and mother would tell me that I could get one pair of shoes, but then she bought my sister 4 or 5 pair. It was the same with clothes, with everything. They were really strict with her but when I came along 3 years later, I was given no curfew or any rules. I could do dangerous stuff; as a matter of fact, my dad only gave me 3 rules: 1.) I wasn't allowed to ride on a single engine plane (yes, I dated a guy that flew.) 2.) Don't pick up a hitchhiker and 3.) I had to make straight A's - which I did, always. I was always striving to be noticed, but even my relatives favored the siblings. Except my great grandmother Mammy, and she liked me best. We were just alike, and she "got" me. We would laugh and laugh. She was so grand and lived in the penthouse at the St. Anthony. Her love and affection were fabulous, and when she died, I cried for what seemed like forever. My father never told me he loved me, never told me I was pretty, never let me sit in his lap, never kissed me. In college after his stroke he told me if I would cut my hair, he would give me a kiss. I did and he didn't. Story of my life.... After having him as a father, I've had a hard time in trusting people. I used to liken it to climbing a tree (which I did a lot of growing up) and going out on a limb, only to be cut off.

It's taken a lifetime to forgive both of my parents, but I see now that they did the best they could with what they had. And yes, I have a damaged psyche, but God has been healing me. And really, we come into this world alone, and we leave alone. I know I have a lot of my dad's bad qualities - sarcasm, pride, and too quick to judge. But I'm working on them. I'm not perfect, just forgiven because I've asked to be. All of those experiences have made me what I am today, some bad and some good.

But being number 2 all my life has made me try all the harder...

"Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!..."

Just read that our great governor, Rick Perry of Texas, is saying, "There is hope for America, and we will find it on our knees." Yes! Finally a politician that gets it right! Governor Perry has invited other governors to join him in Houston in August to a solemn gathering of prayer and fasting at Reliant Stadium. And it gets even better, he's going to be asking for God's forgiveness, wisdom and provision. Absolutely! It reminds me of my favorite president, Ronald Reagan, who mentioned God and prayer often, and wasn't ashamed. Perry adds, "Right now, America is in crisis. We have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism and a multitude of natural disasters. As a nation, we must come together, and call upon Jesus to guide us..." Right on!! He isn't ashamed to admit that we all have a Creator and He is still in charge! And just recently Perry called upon Texans to pray for rain when all of the wildfires were burning, and guess what? God answered, and it rained a few days later. Yes, the answer to our problems is returning to the living God, so I too, will be getting on my knees.

And while I'm down there, I'm going to ask Him to give Governor Perry wisdom in his decision to run for president too...

"Fear makes us feel our humanity..."

You've probably heard by now of the 11 year old girl in New Jersey (pictured) that fell off of the 10 story ferris wheel yesterday and died. I took special interest since I have a terrible fear of ferris wheels. (Actually putting my life in ANY carny's hands is something I don't choose to do any more, and when DD rides at the annual local fair, I just have to pray... ) Evidently accident rides are a lot more prevalent than I originally thought. I googled "death on ferris wheel" to get the photo, and LOTS of accidents pop up. I used to work with a gal at the Express-News who's younger sister was paralyzed in early high school from the local fair rides in a small suburb of San Antonio, and I've never forgotten about that. I used to ride all the rides like most kids do, but as I got older, I started watching the carny's face as he would speed up the ride to get his kicks trying to make kids vomit, and it occurred to me that THIS is the person you're entrusting your body (and your life) with. A few years ago in our small town fair, one of the workers brought her baby and stuck him in a play pen on this dusty spot right under this blaring speaker that was deafening. I was so upset, I asked her to please move her child because he could go deaf. She couldn't care less. She said he already had lost a lot of hearing and said it wasn't worth it. It's all I could think about that night, but I digress. My questions are: did this young girl that somehow fell out of the ferris wheel have a seizure? Was she suicidal? Did she stand up and lose her balance? She was alone in the gondola, but certainly was old enough to understand the rules and the danger of a 10 story ride. I just don't get it. And it's a pointless death... It just reaffirms what I already knew.

I will never get on another ferris wheel...

Julia Dale sings National Anthem for game 2 final

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Tonight is our local high school's graduation night. Several of DD's friend's older siblings are graduating, so it starts hitting home that in 4 short years, she will be too. Fortunately at the pool party yesterday, the couple of high school girls there were telling DD and friends that when they got to high school, most of the guys want sex, and that they would get offered drugs and alcohol. She told them to just say no. How awesome that they heard it from someone besides parents! She said it wouldn't make them uncool to say no; but actually the contrary, that it would just start a life of problems. (And I was one of the chaperones and heard none of this.) But I'm so thankful that this high schooler was willing to spend some time with the girls and tell them their advice. Too, some of the older cheerleaders had already been warning them to be very, very careful, that there are some nice guys, but most are just users...

Was thinking about the local kids tonight as they graduate from high school and head out into the cold, hard world out there. And, frankly, it's hard to be excited for them. Either they're headed to college where they will rack up huge student loans and STILL have a terrible time trying to find a job when they graduate or they are joining the unemployment lines looking for a job...

Wow. I wish I could be more positive about the future, but it just looks so bleak for America right now. It seems everywhere I go, everyone is fearful about what's going to happen and there is no security for anyone. My brother-in-law has been unemployed for a year now, and his grown son has been job searching for almost that long. It seems we're all trying to hang on, with the hopes that SOMEDAY things will return to at least close to what they were even 2 years ago. And we're in Texas where we have it better than almost all the other states...

For me personally, the only way I can deal with all of this, is to know that God promises to take care of His children, "For my God shall supply ALL your needs according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus." His word says that He will never forsake us. And that His children will not go hungry. I'm not sure how other people handle all this stress and worries, but then again I heard that alcohol consumption is way up, so I guess there's the industry that actually improves with bad news.

I don't know... How does anyone plan for the future in the state the country is in? One of my random thoughts today in thinking about the next election is that one of my litmus tests will be that the politicians I vote for are going to have to be okay with having the same healthcare as the rest of us - no more exempting themselves - ever. I don't like politicians. Aren't they at the bottom of the totem pole with used car salesmen and carny's? They become "above the law" like John Edwards, Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, Arnold Schwarzenegger - shall I go on?? Men with ambitious insatiable appetites while the rest of us have to stand idly by... Just wishing a person with the moral compass, high intelligence, and people skills could surface to lead us like Moses out of this "Egypt" to the promised land....

Let my people GO.

"School's out for SUMMER!" - Alice Cooper

Well... it's not "Sand Lot," but it's as close as we can come. Yes, the last day of school!! And the last day of Junior High!! Yippee!! No more junior high drama!! Finally! Maybe DD can begin our only high school in the fall and have 4 wonderful years? I hope so.

Our town has a tradition of hazing the incoming freshman on the last day of school, so they were all ready for it. But the local police were also ready, and caught one of DD's guy friend's older brother with a truck full of syrup, and flour, et al, and confiscated it all and told him to go home. So, DD's swimming party was great, but alas, no hazing. They still had fun - with the boys on either side of the pool lobbing balls at each other, and the girls in the middle screaming.

Some things never change...

"Summertime and the livin' is easy..."

We Baby Boomers had it really good. We lived in a time when the world was not collapsing and the biggest thing to worry about was getting home by dinner time after a full day of just playing with friends. We didn't have to worry about getting raped or molested or kidnapped, at least not in San Antonio where I grew up. Life really was like the movie, "Sand Lot" where we got up in the morning and played all day long. Back then, summers were from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and we looked forward to them the entire school year. Most mothers didn't work, but even if they did, there were enough other kids and moms in the neighborhoods, that it was still safe. Unemployment was probably around 2-3%. There weren't all of the catastrophic weather events like we have now, or if there were, they were every 50 years, not every other week. There was no internet, so perverts had to go to nasty peep shows instead of clicking on one of the thousands of pornography sites they have access to. There were only 3 television channels with programming that had censorship, unlike the complete filth on today. And there were no stupid reality shows either. Families had a real dinner time and only ate out rarely. There weren't millions of fast food restaurants like there are now, moms really cooked, and from scratch. There were no cell phones threatening cancer, just a land line that everyone shared with no call waiting. Homosexuals were still in the closet. And civility was still considered important. Yes, it really was heavenly back then....

I think I'll go rent "Sand Lot..."