A Year in the Life

How do you measure a year in the life?  Yesterday was 9/11.  Do you remember?  Do you remember where you were that Tuesday 13 years ago?  I do.  It took 102 minutes from start to finish.  102 minutes that have changed everything for the United States of America.  I still can't talk about it without crying.  I'm not from New York and I didn't have a family member killed that day, but my heart hurts just the same.  I so wish I could forget, but our country can never go back.  I imagine this is how my grandparents felt about December 7th.   I watched a special last night on TLC about the 102 minutes.  It was foreboding knowing what was going to happen.  I was heartbroken knowing that the firemen I saw on the screen probably did not make it out of the buildings alive.  I could feel the panic among all the people filming & watching the first tower & then the pandemonium that erupted when the second plane flew int...

This video about Obamacare and the lies that have been told since it's conception is one of the best explanations I have ever seen.  Click HERE to see it.  The only thing they left out was Nancy Pelosi saying that Congress needed to pass the bill to find out what was in it.  What?!  What kind of crack smoking logic is that garbage?  That should have made her constituents do a double-take, but I guess the really could care less in Cali. There's a great speech by Ronald Reagan at the end.  DON'T. MISS.IT!  It's prophetically scary.  I'm about to email my members of Congress to encourage them to stand firm & keep trying to REPEAL REPEAL REPEAL!  I don't want to be telling my grandchildren about the America that was! Standing firm! ~ashley

free·dom ˈfrēdəm noun 1 . the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. AMENDMENT I to the US Constitution Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. I love being an American.  I appreciate the opportunities we have in this country.  I appreciate the work our founding fathers put into starting our country and forming our laws.  They were intentional when considering what laws would be included, and what order they would be in our governing documents.  I respect that.  I love that they relied on their Judeo-Christian beliefs to guide them.  Even those who were not Christians, but deists, agnostics, and atheists, recognized the importance of Christian values in our politi...

Alright, at the house the fam has started noticing me really getting into politics.  Sometimes I become that really frustrated angry mom on the right.  At what point will we declare that we just can't take it anymore?  I hate mainstream media.  They make me want to plug my ears with cotton balls and hide in my closet.  Unfortunately, change will not happen that way, so I'm going to arm myself with a smile and my computer.  I'm using a lot of different multimedia sources to find things out.  I love:  Breitbart, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Chicks on the Right, CWA, and my newest find:  Intellectual FrogLegs .  OMG, Joe Dan Gorman is hilarious!  He is a good 'ole boy who uses humor and truth to point out the flaws in liberalism.  He had me ROLLING!  If  you need a dose of truth, you have to check him out.    It drives Hop crazy because I'll really only read conservati...

I read a very disturbing article the other day.  It's one of those things that I thought I would only read in a dystopian novel.  (which I love to read by the way.  The Giver by Lois Lowry was my first dn ever.  I cried throughout the entire book.)  The concept in the article is so far out of the realm of possibility, so I thought, that I knew there would be NO WAY it would ever come to be. Well you know what?  It has.  When did we become so Godless and morally void?  When did we decide that life is just something to be thrown away?  When did we start to focus on the can't do instead of the can?  When did industrialized countries become like the communist?  I am morally angry.  And the word angry is the word I meant to use.  This is Hop when he was a baby. There are doctors in the UK that are putting sick and disabled newborns on a 'death path'....

I have turned into a total geek.  I am actually very excited about tonight's presidential debate.  I need something soft to throw at the TV when they say things I don't like.  I have never cared about a presidential debate like this one.  Usually I'm just ready to cast my vote & be done with it, but not this time. I know Hop wants to watch.  He kinda needs too since he will vote in 5 weeks and he's taking AP Government & AP Econ.  Elizabeth will watch too because 1. she has a good bit of homework to do and 2.  she's taking civics.  This is Civics 101 at it's best.  Way cool.  Harry won't watch because he can't vote so he'll go to FCA.  Henry will probably be in bed.  After 8 is too late.  :) OK, gotta go.  Have to feed the peeps. Celebrating Life! ~ashley

Like most Americans, I will carry 9/11/01 in my heart until I die.  It's been ingrained into my very being.  It's shaped the way I think about things today.  There are so many images that flash through my head when I think about today. I was listening to the radio when I heard one of the twin towers was on fire.  I called Hopson to get him to turn on the tv, as I looked up, I saw the second plane slam into the second tower.  I remember thinking 'what on God's green earth is going on'?  Has someone lost their mind?  Then we hear about the Pentagon & then the plane that went down in the field.  It was pandemonium.  Planes were grounded, people were on tv with pictures of loved ones who they couldn't get hold of, NYC was a mess.  Our country was a mess. Images I remember from that day that are burned into my very being are: people jumping from the burning towers rather than being burned alive, it was horrifying; people hol...

2 Hopsons vote today. Thanks Mrs. Cindy! I had a great experience with Hoppy today.  Considering that I haven't seen him in two days it was nice to spend 30 quality minutes with my very busy oldest child.  You know, as a mom, I love precious moments I have with any of my children.  It seems so many of those moments center around being in the car.  That's ok because I'll take the good ones any way I can get them!  I usually have the best conversations in the car anyway because they can't get away from me.  :)  Signing his name to the line Turning 18 is a pretty big deal.  It's that age that is such a real step towards adulthood:  a young man has to register with selective services; they are, in the eyes of the law adults; and they can register to vote.  Hop took care of everything by himself.  I tried to be minimally involved, because at some point he will not have ...

During the Olympics, NBC was promoting a new show called "Stars Earn Stripes".  I have been looking forward to seeing it since I saw the first commercial.  What a great concept.  You take some huge stars and athletes; pair them with real men of the arm forces (Navy Seals, Delta Force, Marines, SWAT commanders, CIA, the sniper with the most documented kills in US history); give them a mission with live explosions and ammo; and you know what you get?  Incredible TV.  It now becomes appointment TV.  This was so amazing.  Each celebrity has a charity that centers around the military that they are playing for.  Great is what I'd call it; it's just great.  Now there will be a group celebrities who know what so many of us already do...that the US military, all branches, is the most amazing selfless group of people ever.  They place themselves in danger everyday so I can do stupid things like blog.  They leav...

Well, the summer Olympics are officially over.  Now we have to wait another four years for them to come around.  I have to say it was a great Olympics.  The US has the most medals overall and we lead in every category!  Love it!!  Go Team USA! I'm going to spin this, so get ready!  In the US, our athletic system is set-up that if a person is interested in a sport, they can, if they want, choose to pursue said sport to the level they want.  If they want to drop out at any point, ok, no problem.  We not only love the athletes that medal, but all our athletes, and especially the ones who overcome great obstacles to even go to the Olympics.  For example, there was a 37 year old American who ran the men's marathon.  You know where he placed?  4th.  He placed 4th & he's 37!  He was running against guys who were 7-15 years younger.  Now, I'm not going to lie, I wish he had won ...

This is what my KT tape should look like. You've seen all the different Olympic athletes with that funky tape on their backs, hamstrings, feet, shoulders, and anywhere else they may need it. Well, you know who is wearing the ole' KT tape?  That would be me.  Can I tell you how cool I look.  OK, not really, but I feel like I look like an Olympian, maybe...in my own mind.  I have to say though, it's hard to put KT tape on your own calf, especially when your leg is supposed to be in the stretched position while you put it on, and said calf hurts while you are trying to apply it.  Yesterday I put it on myself and I didn't do too well. It came off in the middle of me exercising.  Trying to get little people to help you doesn't really go well either.  Trying to tell them where to place the tape and how to stretch didn't go very smoothly this morning, but as of 4:30 it is still on.  :)  Yea! Well, it has felt great to get back to exercisi...

Have you ever had someone who sells books come to your house and try to get you to buy the equivalent of an entire library, and they won't take no for an answer?  Yesterday, thanks to a neighbor, I was able to meet a very nice young college student.  Her name was Elizabeth. The fact that Elizabeth was a college student was not the big deal, the fact that she was from Estonia was.  I asked her how she was holding up in the Alabama heat.  She said everyone was asking her that.  Well duh, Estonia is located right under Finland & the daily high during the month of August is between 74 and 65 degrees.  It's a little hotter here.  I mean, Estonia is on the 60 degree longitudinal line.  That's on the same longitude the southern part of Alaska.  We're a little warmer down here than Alaska. Another barrier was language.  I couldn't imagine going to a foreign country and trying to speak the language.  Elizabeth, ...

I have a little bone to pick with Team USA.  Hey y'all, will you please sing our national anthem when you win the gold medal?  I mean, you're standing there on the top level of the podium; the gold medal is hanging around your neck; our flag is being raised above all others; our national anthem is the one being played; and you are just standing there.  You are a citizen of the greatest country in the world.  Sing, please sing.  If you're not going to sing, then I want you smiling and/or crying like crazy. I can't even imagine all the work you have done to get to the point where you are now.  All the years of training, and forgoing a 'regular life' to pursue your dream.  I'm just a random mom from Alabama, but my patriotism is deep.  When you medal, we all medal.  We love your spirit, love it when you recognize your competitors, and love your sportsmanship.  Remember that there are hundred of thousands of little children w...

So, the fam and I have Olympic fever.  As you know, if the US was playing tiddlywinks, we'd watch it & cheer for the red, white, and blue.  There were some things that happened this weekend that made me raise my eyebrows or wrinkle them up.  Here they are: Story #1: US women's soccer Abby Wambauch getting sucker punched in the eye by Columbia's Lady Andrade.  What?!  Apparently FIFA is looking into the incident; we'll see what happens....   Ms. Andrade says it was an accident.  Um, well, on the video , it didn't look like an accident.  Abby was no where near the ball & Lady comes streaking up & just clocks her.  That's sportsmanship for you. Story #2: Jordyn Wieber . 17 years old.  USA gymnast.  And before the games started, Jordyn was favored  to help carry the team to gold, and to earn one for herself in the all-around.  She is now the face of the agony of defeat....

Happy 4th of July!!! I've been reading the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights a lot lately.   The documents are beautifully written.  If you've never read them as an adult, I highly recommend it.  There are phrases in the there that just hit you in the heart.  They give you a hint as why the founding fathers wanted something not only different, but something better. Something better.  Something free.  Something that put it's people before anything else because it's the people that make this country great.  I love it that our country wants to invest in people.  It makes us special and unique.  One of the things that I read in the Declaration of Independence says:  "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to pro...

I love that I live in the south.  Check that, the deep south, aka The Bible Belt.  We say yes'mam and y'all.  We love Jesus, the United States of America, the constitution, and would rather step on our own tongues than say something ugly to your face.  We just use the phrase 'Bless your heart' to communicate that we think you may be the dumbest human alive.  Before you think I am just some dumb redneck from Alabama, please know I am a Cum Laude graduate from Auburn University, and becoming a stay-at-home mother was my choice, and it's one that I don't regret one single day.  I do work part-time from my home, but my main job is being a homemaker. I was listening to some comments made by Karen Finney  on the Rush Limbaugh show yesterday, and yes, I like Limbaugh.  For those of you who haven't heard of her, Karen is a political analyist who works for MSNBC.  She was appaled that any conserative working fema...