I'm it
I was tagged by Terri, this morning, so here goes. Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

10 years ago I:
1. didn't realize how laying up all day during the summer was such a privilege
2. was teaching my first year at Orchard Knob Elementary
3. had been married less than two months
4. worried about things a lot more
5. didn't have a clue how much Jesus loves us

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. make sure everyone is fed and bathed
2. make sure house is being maintained (laundry, clutter thinned out, etc.)
3. finish Staples grant for school at home b/c most websites are blocked at school
4. read the next chapter in the book I have to read for school
5. follow up with umpteen people about umpteen things

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. chocolate
2. almonds
3. yogurt
4. fruit
5. cheeze its

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. hide out
2. pray for clarity
3. call my accountant (aka Steven) to meet me somewhere
4. pay everyone's everything off
5. establish something that would give back to the community


5 places I have lived:
1. Browning Place, Ooltewah
2. Terry Lane, Hixson
3. Mercer Drive, Dalton
4. Mountain View Drive, Tunnel Hill
5. Rolling Hills Way, Rocky Face

5 jobs I have had:
1. Teacher
2. Legal Assistant
3. Optometric Assistant
4. Receptionist
5. Cashier

The rules say I have to tag 5 people. So I'll tag:
1. Anna 2. Carley 3. Mandy 4. Lee/April Hope 5. Sanna

Random Is As Random Does

Here's a snapshot of some totally random junk that happend today:
R-Rare Occurance: I took a personal day.
A-Assanine: I woke up at 4 am.
N-Not Happy: Lost it with the neighbor's crazy-a** dog that barks nonstop (see earlier post from months ago). Sorry about my potty mouth. Isn't lent over?
D-Directory: I couldn't find my neighborhood directory (partially because I only like the Farmers, 1 of about 20 neighbors). I really wanted to use another word for d. I confess.
O-Oh. Yes. I. Did. : I called 911.
M-Movie & Moved: Saw one. My sister did.

Moment of Confession:

Sorry, this is going to be a theraputic, poorly written

ramble for my purpose of thinking:

Steven told me that we are supposed to love our neighbors as Jesus tells us to. I told him that if I remember correctly, somewhere in the Bible it said you could dump hot coals on someone's head. He said I had misconstrued that totally. He asked me what I thought Jesus would think of our neighbors and I told him he might could get them turned to stone. He did not think that was funny. He finally tried to get me to interpret, observe and apply some verse about loving your neighbor and I decided I could love my neighbor, I guess (which he really didn't like my tone on that one), but I don't have to love their stupid dogS. (plural emphasis, there) Appreciate. Do you think I have to love them? I just really, really, REALLY, don't like inconsiderate people and they have worn me out. The only sympathy I got was from the 911 operator today. Random is as random did...........

"We Ain't Right"

Okay, let me start out by saying that I slipped on a ballpoint pen while sitting down and I think I cracked the top of my foot on a desk that was like six inches away from the chair I was in. Yes, you may need to go back and read that once more. I'm not even gonna go any further about that. What more could you even need to know? I'm getting an xray Monday because my husband's work is a rip off on the weekends.

On a brighter note: We went to the Creative Arts Guild's Annual Arts Festival today--that was before my ridiculous injury. Here are pictures from the perfect time:

Kaylee and Libby demanded to ride the Senior Shuttle bus. They loved it.

This was the childrens' art exhibit from the local schools.

The girls loved the bug sculptures.

Storytime was a big hit.

Silly Putty making was not only cheap, but fun. That's the cool thing about the art festival, the kids get to do art! You could paint tiles, make bracelets, get face painted, get painted tattoos, make flip flops and much more. Nothing was more than a couple of bucks for the kids to do. It was great fun.So, amidst the perfection of a day of arts, Libby had to pitch a fit because Kaylee wouldn't share the bench. Here's the thing.....IT WAS NOT MEANT AS A BENCH, IT IS A SCULPTURE. You can take the kid out of the country, but not the country out of the kid.

Here's Libby's painting that she did. Just kidding! This is the oh-s- cute art I bought. It's for Libby's room. You need to see it in person to really appreciate it. It's made on recycled wood, which I thought was cool. It will go in Libby's room.

I can't wait until next year's festival!

Vols, U.S.A., Jesus---What more could a parent want?

I think she is a closet Georgia fan.

Patriotic for Constitution Day Movie Clip: Keep i nmind she set the scene up herself with the jellyfish prop and suit hanger.

'Cause I'm So Happy Song Clip

Is it time to FREAK out yet?

I'm just wondering.....is it time to freak out yet? Because I stay in a constant state of OMG and freaking out is only a degree of difference for me. I'm thinkin it's time to freak out for at least 2 or 20 reasons:
1) There's no gasonline anywhere.
2) VALIC (who holds our miniscule investments) is sinking like Titanic in quicksand.
3) Our candidates for the presidential election look no more qualified than school council members.
4) The voices on the new episodes of Dora are different which freaks Libby out because she swears they are "in Spanish".
5) Our neighbors dogs bark are on month 3 of incessant barking. Yesssss, they now have two dogs.
6) Our adjacent neighbors must mow the twilight zone because we hear the constant hum of someone's mower and there couldn't possibly be any grass left.
7) I haven't taken recycling seriously and I probably should---sorting trash just seems undesirable.
...............Is it time to FREAK out yet?........................Just wondering.

MLK was a Republican

I think people who make decisions should be informed. I know that this article might not be of interest to you, but it was to me.

Why Martin Luther King Was Republican, written Rice (NBRA)

It should come as no surprise that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican. In that era, almost all black Americans were Republicans. Why? From its founding in 1854 as the anti-slavery party until today, the Republican Party has championed freedom and civil rights for blacks. And as one pundit so succinctly stated, the Democrat Party is as it always has been, the party of the four S's: slavery, secession, segregation and now socialism.It was the Democrats who fought to keep blacks in slavery and passed the discriminatory Black Codes and Jim Crow laws. The Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan to lynch and terrorize blacks. The Democrats fought to prevent the passage of every civil rights law beginning with the civil rights laws of the 1860s, and continuing with the civil rights laws of the 1950s and 1960s.During the civil rights era of the 1960s, Dr. King was fighting the Democrats who stood in the school house doors, turned skin-burning fire hoses on blacks and let loose vicious dogs. It was Republican President Dwight Eisenhower who pushed to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and sent troops to Arkansas to desegregate schools. President Eisenhower also appointed Chief Justice Earl Warren to the U.S. Supreme Court, which resulted in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision ending school segregation. Much is made of Democrat President Harry Truman's issuing an Executive Order in 1948 to desegregate the military. Not mentioned is the fact that it was Eisenhower who actually took action to effectively end segregation in the military. Democrat President John F. Kennedy is lauded as a proponent of civil rights. However, Kennedy voted against the 1957 Civil Rights Act while he was a senator, as did Democrat Sen. Al Gore Sr. And after he became President, Kennedy was opposed to the 1963 March on Washington by Dr. King that was organized by A. Phillip Randolph, who was a black Republican. President Kennedy, through his brother Atty. Gen. Robert Kennedy, had Dr. King wiretapped and investigated by the FBI on suspicion of being a Communist in order to undermine Dr. King.In March of 1968, while referring to Dr. King's leaving Memphis, Tenn., after riots broke out where a teenager was killed, Democrat Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.), a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, called Dr. King a "trouble-maker" who starts trouble, but runs like a coward after trouble is ignited. A few weeks later, Dr. King returned to Memphis and was assassinated on April 4, 1968.Given the circumstances of that era, it is understandable why Dr. King was a Republican. It was the Republicans who fought to free blacks from slavery and amended the Constitution to grant blacks freedom (13th Amendment), citizenship (14th Amendment) and the right to vote (15th Amendment). Republicans passed the civil rights laws of the 1860s, including the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Reconstruction Act of 1867 that was designed to establish a new government system in the Democrat-controlled South, one that was fair to blacks. Republicans also started the NAACP and affirmative action with Republican President Richard Nixon's 1969 Philadelphia Plan (crafted by black Republican Art Fletcher) that set the nation's fist goals and timetables. Although affirmative action now has been turned by the Democrats into an unfair quota system, affirmative action was begun by Nixon to counter the harm caused to blacks when Democrat President Woodrow Wilson in 1912 kicked all of the blacks out of federal government jobs.Few black Americans know that it was Republicans who founded the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Unknown also is the fact that Republican Sen. Everett Dirksen from Illinois was key to the passage of civil rights legislation in 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1965. Not mentioned in recent media stories about extension of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is the fact that Dirksen wrote the language for the bill. Dirksen also crafted the language for the Civil Rights Act of 1968 which prohibited discrimination in housing. President Lyndon Johnson could not have achieved passage of civil rights legislation without the support of Republicans.Critics of Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater, who ran for President against Johnson in 1964, ignore the fact that Goldwater wanted to force the Democrats in the South to stop passing discriminatory laws and thus end the need to continuously enact federal civil rights legislation.Those who wrongly criticize Goldwater also ignore the fact that Johnson, in his 4,500 State of the Union Address delivered on Jan. 4, 1965, mentioned scores of topics for federal action, but only 35 words were devoted to civil rights. He did not mention one word about voting rights. Then in 1967, showing his anger with Dr. King's protest against the Vietnam War, Johnson referred to Dr. King as "that Nigger preacher."Contrary to the false assertions by Democrats, the racist "Dixiecrats" did not all migrate to the Republican Party. "Dixiecrats" declared that they would rather vote for a "yellow dog" than vote for a Republican because the Republican Party was know as the party for blacks. Today, some of those "Dixiecrats" continue their political careers as Democrats, including Robert Byrd, who is well known for having been a "Keagle" in the Ku Klux Klan.Another former "Dixiecrat" is former Democrat Sen. Ernest Hollings, who put up the Confederate flag over the state Capitol when he was the governor of South Carolina. There was no public outcry when Democrat Sen. Christopher Dodd praised Byrd as someone who would have been "a great senator for any moment," including the Civil War. Yet Democrats denounced then-Senate GOP leader Trent Lott for his remarks about Sen. Strom Thurmond (R.-S.C.). Thurmond was never in the Ku Klux Klan and defended blacks against lynching and the discriminatory poll taxes imposed on blacks by Democrats. If Byrd and Thurmond were alive during the Civil War, and Byrd had his way, Thurmond would have been lynched.The 30-year odyssey of the South switching to the Republican Party began in the 1970s with President Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy," which was an effort on the part of Nixon to get Christians in the South to stop voting for Democrats who did not share their values and were still discriminating against their fellow Christians who happened to be black. Georgia did not switch until 2002, and some Southern states, including Louisiana, are still controlled by Democrats.Today, Democrats, in pursuit of their socialist agenda, are fighting to keep blacks poor, angry and voting for Democrats. Examples of how egregiously Democrats act to keep blacks in poverty are numerous.After wrongly convincing black Americans that a minimum wage increase was a good thing, the Democrats on August 3 kept their promise and killed the minimum wage bill passed by House Republicans on July 29. The blockage of the minimum wage bill was the second time in as many years that Democrats stuck a legislative finger in the eye of black Americans. Senate Democrats on April 1, 2004, blocked passage of a bill to renew the 1996 welfare reform law that was pushed by Republicans and vetoed twice by President Clinton before he finally signed it. Since the welfare reform law expired in September 2002, Congress had passed six extensions, and the latest expired on June 30, 2004. Opposed by the Democrats are school choice opportunity scholarships that would help black children get out of failing schools and Social Security reform, even though blacks on average lose $10,000 in the current system because of a shorter life expectancy than whites (72.2 years for blacks vs. 77.5 years for whites).Democrats have been running our inner-cities for the past 30 to 40 years, and blacks are still complaining about the same problems. More than $7 trillion dollars have been spent on poverty programs since Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty with little, if any, impact on poverty. Diabolically, every election cycle, Democrats blame Republicans for the deplorable conditions in the inner-cities, then incite blacks to cast a protest vote against Republicans.In order to break the Democrats' stranglehold on the black vote and free black Americans from the Democrat Party's economic plantation, we must shed the light of truth on the Democrats. We must demonstrate that the Democrat Party policies of socialism and dependency on government handouts offer the pathway to poverty, while Republican Party principles of hard work, personal responsibility, getting a good education and ownership of homes and small businesses offer the pathway to prosperity.

WTC

Okay, I decided to catch up on my emails and the TV was on MTV's "The Hills". Okay, don't even start. Sometimes, I just need mindless entertainment to accomplish tasks that take thought. I'm so...., like, not past the 90's. I just don't get things. (It's a step in the right direction that I at least know that I'm not current with cool, right?) Anyway, the VMA's came on right after "The Hills" and I was still doing other things and didn't get the TV turned to another station. Here's my revelation. ****sobbing****I MUST BE FRIGGIN' OLD. I heard things like this:

"Game on, ...badword...."--My translation--Are we on ESPN? Which game?

"Let the sucking up begin..."--My response--Why? Ewww.

"Holla...."--My thought--Shhh.

"Busted..."---My thought--Oh, too bad, something broke?

"...Just called you out....."--My thought: You got called on by the teacher and didn't know it?

"The Jonas Brothers"--My thought: Not who, but why?

Fall Out Boy sings, "Beat It"---My response: Didn't like it when Michael Jackson sang it.
Here's a thought on the positive: Maybe when the 90's come back, I'll be totally with it. Lots of college, an epidural, a baby and life have me a bit removed from "cool". I guess I'm okay with it, just a bit amused at how oblivious I am to some things.

Precious Ella Marie Cope

So, I've been dealing with something privately, and quite honestly, I'm tired of it. So, for my faithful five readers, I'll unload it all on you. Today marks the end of so many things. My cousin, Hollie's mom died this morning. I wanted to say "passed away", but that just doesn't do the fight she fought any justice. I could go on and on about the poised, strong woman she was, but really you just needed to have the privilege of knowing her. She was one of those "cool moms" that was cool with all the kids, even if you weren't her own. I know she'd probably not love this picture of her from 2 years ago, but it's all I had on my computer and I don't have a scanner to scan the many other great pictures of her. Anyway, I am so exhausted from overthinking her struggle, not only over the last 3 years, or many years, but especially the last five days. I just have to say that man, it just freakin' sucks. It really does. I can only say that if you grieve without hope, you'll grieve yourself to death, so I choose to grieve with hope. I hate it for her kids and family. Hollie and I were best friends in junior high school so her mom was basically like my own mom for a couple of years. It's a tragic loss to me. The world will be empty in so many ways without her sassy, Southern, quick witted self. I'll miss her. I miss her.