Lessons (for Obama) from Flight 253

Read this, I couldn"t have said it any better.



Lessons (for Obama) from Flight 253

Just read a story about choosing the gender of a child. We now have the science available to allow prospective parents the opportunity to decide if they want a boy or girl while they are undergoing invitro fertilization.The science has been around for about 20 years, but now is going mainstream.

We are able to take an egg from a woman, sperm from a man, mix it all together and make a baby. But that's not enough, we also want to make sure we have the correct gender to make sure the annual Christmas card(oops, I mean "Holiday card")looks just like we have imagined. God forbid we let nature take it's course. Oh...that's right, God has nothing to do with it. It's all about what we want, right now. It's not the future, it's the present.
What the average person doesn't want to think about and acknowledge, is that it's never just one baby in one test tube. For each and every invitro, there are many eggs and sperm mixed, many babies made. Girl??? I didn't want a girl!!! They're all girls? Have to try again. Throwing out the baby with the bath water, literally!

How many babies are you willing to discard ( read,throw in the garbage) before you get the one you want?

We are in the midst of controversy regarding "man made climate change".
Where's the controversy about man made gender change?
Do we really believe there will be no consequences?
Diversity will be a word you have to make children look up in the dictionary, they will read about it in history books. All those blond, blue eyed boys who reach a height of 6ft. All those blond, blue eyed girls who will always be thin. How many girls? How many boys?

Do you really believe it will all be ok? Do you really believe it's no big deal? Do you really believe you would have been selected and allowed to be born?

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh...

Nuff said!

Gooooooooo Big Red!!!!!

I LOVE Alex Henry! I love Ndamukong Suh! I Love Prince Amukamura!!! I love Niles Paul!!7 years ago we moved to Nebraska. I thought people here were insane in their passion and love of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I vowed never to become one of them...

But here I sit watching my beloved Huskers vie for the Big 12 championship. I have become one of them...the children of the corn.

Check out Joj and Ndamukong...BFF

Where's my free turkey????

It happens every year. Here in the social services world. The constitution is interpreted to include the right of every person to get a free turkey for Thanksgiving.
We do give out turkeys at this time. But the supply is limited and people need to to call ahead and qualify. They cannot receive one if they have received one from another agency. When we have to say no to someone, you would think we are taking away one of their inalienable rights. The right to Life, Liberty, the pursuit of turkey...
We have been yelled at, threatened and treated with disdain by some who have been denied. It is continually amazing how some people feel entitled. Just like Obama money. They don't have a clue that all the free stuff they think they deserve comes from someone who worked hard for it. Hard working people donate turkeys, hard working people donate food to our food pantry. Hard working people pay taxes that become "Obama money". Hard working people know the deal, and Thank God for them! The folks who feel entitled don't care where the free stuff comes from, they just want you to give it to them.

This time of year I have to stop often and breath deeply. I have to remind myself that Jesus is the reason we do it all. I have to remind myself that each one of the people who come in to our office is Jesus in disguise.


Often His disguise is very, very good!

All Clear

I survived. Bede and Joanna survived. Bede Jr had to spend the night in Dallas. We picked him up this morning. All is well.
But last night was one of the most "interesting" nights we have experienced.
Bede and Joanna really were out in the middle of one of the worst storms Shreveport has ever had. They encountered flooded roads, cars stalled out in water, blinding rain. Very scary! They made it back to the Air Force Base about 10pm. But were not allowed in. They went around to the back gate and sweet-talked the guard into letting them in. So we all had a good nights sleep and were ready to tackle it all again today. Still raining off and on but much lighter and no tornadoes...at least for now.

Tornado!!!!

I'm sitting in the bathtub in the guest lodge in Shreveport LA. Not taking a long leisurely bath...no, no, no.
I'm taking cover as a tornado has been sighted in the area. Bede and Joanna are on the way to the airport to pick up BJ's luggage. He is stuck in Dallas due to this horrible weather. I just spoke to Joj, they made it. She said they drove very slowly nd went thru water that I'm sure was too high and dangerous.
This room has a smoke detector like thing that began beeping and warning of a tornado in the area and to seek cover immediatly. It sounded very official and looking at the radar on the tv and computer...I believe the voice from beyond. Unfortunately there are no basements here. I am on the ground floor and in an interior room. I've got my computer and my purse and cell phone. I've got the bedspread from the bed as well as a couple of pillows. That's all I can do for now. I will sit and wait for the all clear.
The thunder and lightening are non stop. What a trip. What a day!
I'm going to check the weather page. Love you all. I'll let you know how this all turns out.

I used to think that all the Conservatives who compared Obama and his agenda to Communism were way too far out there. But having done some reading and really paying attention to some of the people Obama has placed in prestigious and influential positions I must agree. The evidence is mounting and hard to ignore.

Just the other day a video from June surfaced when White House Communications director Dunn spoke to a high school graduation class. She quoted Chairman MAO and said he was one of her favorite philosophers...She also quoted Mother Teresa. I don't think the 2 of them have ever been thrown together as people with similar ideals and values.
30 to 40 million people died during Mao's tenure.
Mother Teresa struggled to help the sick and dying of India and to give them the dignity every human being deserves.

Now I read that one of the czars, Ron Bloom, Administration Manufacturing Czar is agreeing with MAO in the belief that the Free Market is "nonsense".

Another article informed me of a New York Times writer (granted, not officially part of the Obama administration, but soooooo close), Andrew Revkin, who writes on environmental issues. He put forth this idea, give carbon credits to families who only have 1 child.
I also think this whole anti FOX news thing is crazy. Don't like FOX new...don't watch FOX news. Why would the White House spend so much time, effort and send so many people out to all the other news shows to dis FOX news. Isn't there anything else they should be working on? Do we really want to black list a channel because they may not be touting the party line?

(Dunn also admitted to "controlling the news" during the presidential campaign)

think about it...

1 child per family...

none of this Free Market nonsense...

making sure all the news is pro administration and controlled...

Chairman MAO...


The United States of America.


Communist China.


Where would you rather live?
If we don't all start paying attention, it really won't matter.

Not Evil Just Wrong

Bede and I went to a screening of a new documentary last night. Called "Not Evil Just Wrong" this documentary discusses the global warming hysteria and the ramifications of the proposals put forward by Al Gore and his buddies. It is an excellent film, well done and thought provoking. I hope that people view this film as another way to become informed and to then come to our own conclusions.

If this film is shown anywhere near you go see it. We all need to hear both sides of the issue and become better informed citizens.

There is a web site for this film and dvds are avaiable for purchase. I think it is as follows: www.noteviljustwrong.com

Also here is a review :
http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-planet/2009/10/not-evil-just-wrong-reviewed

PEOPLE !!!

This is what happens on a slow news day and we have a bazillion 24 hour news agencies all competing with each other...Balloon Boy!!!

What a load of crap!

I missed most of it due to a little thing called work. When I checked the internet news about 3pm I found this story everywhere.
On my drive home I heard that the boy was found home safe and sound, hiding in a box in the attic.

Then I heard that the parents were amature storm chasers and they had been on the reality show, WifeSwap. Enough said. Case closed. No need for any further evidence.

Crazy, crazy, crazy and pimping their family for publicity.
When are we going to learn? The 24 hour news monster needs to feed on something. People fall for it, get emotionally involved and invest their time in the black hole that is the media. PEOPLE!!! The news channels need ratings, they need you to watch, they turn stupid local stories into international events.
While people were glued to the vision of the balloon sailing over Colorado, while AF jets flew at the ready, while news helicopters filmed every moment, in case the 6 year old fell from his hiding place(BECAUSE YOU MUST KNOW THEY REALLY WANTED A TRAGEDY AS IT MAKES MUCH BETTER NEWS), while the media focused on the story they wanted to suck in the viewers, soldiers died in Afganistan, people were killed in auto accidents, Rush Limbaugh was thrown to the dogs in a fit of political bias and total lack of freedom of speech. PEOPLE!!! The USA is going to hell in a hand basket and we spend the afternoon watching a mylar balloon and fall victim to a hoax perpetrated by publicity whores who should be parents. Have you heard one word of contrition from the media? Have any of them taken responsibility for reporting a non story, have any of them shown remorse for not checking facts? NO! will they? NO!

Why was this even a national event? I may have been concerned if it was flying over my neighborhood, maybe...
I have to admit, I thought it was a load of crap from the beginning. I'm a mom, I've changed a lot of diapers, I know what I'm talking about!!!!!

2am

I love Red Eye...2am FOX News channel... I know it's late, or early according to your viewpoint. But it is almost always worth watching. Most of you have DVRs and can watch it at a more convenient time. Greg Gutfeld is great.

I know I am getting old. The other night I was up at about 3am, had to use the bathroom, just as one of my children came home for the evening. We were both up and awake at 3am...but oh, the irony. I'm just sayin...

I also know I'm getting old because I lose concentration easily and go off subject...
Back to Red Eye and related items...

Here's a link to the Daily Gut


http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ggutfeld/2009/10/14/daily-gut-why-the-white-house-hates-fox-news/

Words of a previous Nobel Prize winner

"The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing -- direct murder by the mother herself."

Mother Teresa

This pretty much sums it all up...


"Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. Over the last decade the only requirement to win the prize was that the nominee had to be critical of George W. Bush (see Al Gore, Mohamed El Baradei and Jimmy Carter).

President Obama has broken new ground here. Nominations for potential winners of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ended on February 1. The president took office only 12 days earlier on January 20.

Let’s take a look at the president’s first 12 days in the White House according to his public schedule to see what he did to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize:

January 20: Sworn in as president. Went to a parade. Partied.

January 21: Asked bureaucrats to re-write guidelines for information requests. Held an “open house” party at the White House.

January 22: Signed Executive Orders: Executive Branch workers to take ethics pledge; re-affirmed Army Field Manual techniques for interrogations; expressed desire to close Gitmo (how’s that working out?)

January 23: Ordered the release of federal funding to pay for abortions in foreign countries. Lunch with Joe Biden; met with Tim Geithner.

January 24: Budget meeting with economic team.

January 25: Skipped church.

January 26: Gave speech about jobs and energy. Met with Hillary Clinton. Attended Geithner's swearing in ceremony.

January 27: Met with Republicans. Spoke at a clock tower in Ohio.

January 28: Economic meetings in the morning, met with Defense secretary in the afternoon.

January 29: Signed Ledbetter Bill overturning Supreme Court decision on lawsuits over wages. Party in the State Room. Met with Biden.

January 30: Met economic advisers. Gave speech on Middle Class Working Families Task Force. Met with senior enlisted military officials.

January 31: Took the day off.

February 1: Skipped church. Threw a Super Bowl party.

So there you have it. The short path to the Nobel Peace Prize: Party, go to meetings, skip church, release federal funding to pay for abortions in foreign countries, party some more.

Good grief."

Read more Tommy De Seno at www.JustifiedRight.com.

Are you kidding me?

Even the white house spokeperson asked if it was April 1st.

Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. Over the last decade the only requirement to win the prize was that the nominee had to be critical of George W. Bush (see Al Gore, Mohamed El Baradei and Jimmy Carter).

President Obama has broken new ground here. Nominations for potential winners of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ended on February 1. The president took office only 12 days earlier on January 20.

Let’s take a look at the president’s first 12 days in the White House according to his public schedule to see what he did to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize:

January 20: Sworn in as president. Went to a parade. Partied.

January 21: Asked bureaucrats to re-write guidelines for information requests. Held an “open house” party at the White House.

January 22: Signed Executive Orders: Executive Branch workers to take ethics pledge; re-affirmed Army Field Manual techniques for interrogations; expressed desire to close Gitmo (how’s that working out?)

January 23: Ordered the release of federal funding to pay for abortions in foreign countries. Lunch with Joe Biden; met with Tim Geithner.

January 24: Budget meeting with economic team.

January 25: Skipped church.

January 26: Gave speech about jobs and energy. Met with Hillary Clinton. Attended Geithner's swearing in ceremony.

January 27: Met with Republicans. Spoke at a clock tower in Ohio.

January 28: Economic meetings in the morning, met with Defense secretary in the afternoon.

January 29: Signed Ledbetter Bill overturning Supreme Court decision on lawsuits over wages. Party in the State Room. Met with Biden.

January 30: Met economic advisers. Gave speech on Middle Class Working Families Task Force. Met with senior enlisted military officials.

January 31: Took the day off.

February 1: Skipped church. Threw a Super Bowl party.

So there you have it. The short path to the Nobel Peace Prize: Party, go to meetings, skip church, release federal funding to pay for abortions in foreign countries, party some more.

Good grief.

Read more Tommy De Seno at www.JustifiedRight.com.

Bede Jr. emailed this week and said he will be back in the states on Oct. 29. I realized at that moment, I could breath again. I felt a physical release. A freedom.

It took me by surprise. I am practised at denial...why stress over what we cannot change...just don't think about the bad. I've had to do this many times in my life.

I remember the time I took all the kids to see daddy jump out of an airplane. Bede Jr. and Joanna were young and Andrew was just a few months old. Bede was the jumpmaster, which means he would be the last out of the plane.
Lots of soldiers jump out of the plane, so usually we never knew which one he was, but this time we knew. The kids and I were parked on a bluff overlooking the jump area. We were about 1/4 of a mile away. Joanna and Bede Jr. played in the dirt while we waited for things to begin. We saw the plane, we saw the jumpers fall out one after another, shoots deploying. We saw the last man out. "That one is daddy" I said to the kids. We watched his shoot deploy fully and followed him as he decended. He hit the ground hard, he did not get up. Soldiers ran over to him. I suggested to the kids that they go back to their hotwheels in the dirt. They had no worries...
Bede still did not get up. We were far enough away that I really couldn't see what was happening. I did see the ambulance drive up to him. It blocked my view of Bede. I stood and watched for what seemed life an eternity. Nothing happened. No loading him up, no lights and sirens...nothing. I told the kids, who were blissfully unaware, to pick up their toys and get in the car. We went home. I honestly felt that he was either ok, or dead. Either way I would hear soon. I fed the kids and tried very hard to be normal. 3 hours later, there was a knock at the door. Before I could get to it, in walked Bede. He looked unscathed. I went up and gave him a big hug and then smacked him on his arm for scaring me to death. He winced in pain and told me he had landed hard on his shoulder and dislocated it. They did take him to the hospital, put his shoulder back in place and he had taken off his splint and sling before he walked in the door because he didn't want to scare me...DIDN'T WANT TO SCARE ME !!!! Are you kidding? I was ready for the chaplin to drive up and give me the bad news. Why didn't he call? Again...didn't want to scare me! That's when I did get scared. When I knew it was all ok, but how close we may have come to disaster.

Then he deployed to Iraq, Bede jr deployed to Iraq, then deployed again. Yes denial...it's the only way. In my heart I know they are in danger, but on a daily basis, I must believe all is well. I realized long ago that falling into the well of fear and self pity does no good. Pray, pray, pray. Believe all is well. Trust in the will of God. Go on.
Bede Jr. will be home at the end of Oct. Thank God. I can breath again!

TGIF

Early this morning, 3am to be exact, Bede woke up with acute pain in his left knee. I assumed it was gout. He has had it before, but he said this felt different. So for the next several hours he tossed and turned, got up, sat in the chair, sighed, moaned and groaned. He indeed was in real pain. We waited until the Dr's office was open and then called for an appointment. I went to work, just to collect my files to be able work from home as Bede was in no condition to drive or for that matter go up or down the stairs. I left before Andrew had to get up for school. I arrived back home from work just in time to see Andrew arrive home from class and inform me he thinks he dislocated his right elbow in a game of football last night. So I drive Bede to the Dr. at 1:40,then Andrew at 2:30. Bede does not have gout. He has acute tendinitis. Andrew's elbow shows signs of ligament damage. But should be fine in a few days. Although he has an appointment with an ortho guy next week just in case. Bede is sleeping soundly this afternoon. Andrew was given a shot in the buttock that has made him the best son ever. I have received many hugs and "I love you"s this afternoon. I think mothers should have access to these things at home! I did get a lot of work done in between all the Dr visits. Thank goodness for the World Wide Web!

I have come to the conclusion that Bede and Andrew are soooooo alike!!! They both have 2 speeds...on and off. When they are on, they are on full blast. No moderation, no for thought, no consideration for consequences. Bede has mellowed over the years, but I see him in Andrew every day. Andrew IS Bede at 22. My consolation is that Andrew will also be Bede at 30,45,50...

Anyway, 2 injured men and me. What a great way to spend a Friday!

Really? Are we not allowed to disagree with the president of the United States because he's black? There is the real racism!

In praise of stupid dogs

We are dog-sitting this weekend. One of Joanna's friends is getting married tomorrow in Colorado. The bride and groom own a Husky named Juno. As the entire family and friends are in location for the wedding we were asked to keep Juno for the weekend. Actually Thurs-Monday evening. Juno is a beautiful dog. But she is smart. In the day and a half we have had her here, she has figured out things that Rufus has not even considered. She can open the french doors into the dining room. She has figured how to get potted plants off the table on the deck and eat them/scatter the remains all over. She has figured out how to move the large sheet of plywood we use to lock both dogs in the kitchen.
I don't think Rufus has ever even thought about any of these things. He is not a curious dog, nor is he what we would deem an incredibly intelligent dog. He is a gentle, loving, and very trainable dog. When we close a door, he seems to just accept it for what it is and moves on to other things. He knows when we put up the plywood, he must stay put and wait until we move it, which he seems to do without any trauma. He seems to take it all in stride.He even thinks we are in charge! He lives in the moment. He really is just a big lovable stupid dog.

The best kind of dog...

Bede and I spent the day at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. It is a wonderful place. They have done a fantastic job. We were both very impressed with the Jungle exibit. It made us nostalgic for Panama. Many of the animals that roamed thru the neighborhood at Ft. Clayton were featured. Sloths, cootamundi, basaliks, howler monkeys...brought back many memories.
They also have an excellent night exibit, lots of animals in their nocturnal habitat.




Great aquarium with a walk thru tunnel under the water. Rays swam overhead with sharks and sea turtles.


We took a ride on the Skyfari...a ski lift thing that gave us a real birdseye view of the zoo. Although I did have a moment of concern when we stalled for a minute or two directly over the rhino area.

Great day.

More about dads...

This is from Victoria Jackson. I remember her well from Saturday Night Live. She always played a ditsy blond. Obviously she is anything but ditsy. She is funny. She says, in her own way, what I have been saying for a long time. Fathers are important. Good fathers are VERY important. It's a sad, sad society we live in where people believe we can raise children well without the benefit of both a mother and father. Read on...







Cheetos (Poor People Need Fathers Not Government Programs)
by Victoria Jackson
I’m sitting in a waiting room. I’m waiting for my auditioning squad to execute me. I’m wearing my black and red plaid, $1400 St. John audition outfit. I’ve worn it to every audition for six years. It has a small hole in it. I hope they don’t notice. I have time to kill so I’m trying to crawl inside the head of a liberal.

The people auditioning me will all be liberals. Should I hide my recent, passionate Tea-Bagging activities, if the topic comes up? Why should they hate me? I only want the best for everyone. My beliefs in the Bible, and freedom and capitalism are only ideals that bless people. And, they worked real good from 1776 to 2008…with a hitch in the 60s where immorality, free love, the pill, drugs, divorce, and the breakup of the family started the thread of morality unraveling. You can’t have a great country without the spirit of The Ten Commandments hovering in the hearts of its citizens.

This execution squad has probably already labeled me. But, the labels, they are a’changing. Republicans have moved left. Liberals have moved left. I guess it’s The Second Law of Thermodynamics, “the world is in a state of entropy,” or decay, or left-moving. Now the word “radical” is in the mix. It’s a swirl of words that represent belief systems, or “world-views” as Chuck Colson put it in his book, “How Now Shall We Live?”

One must watch the news all day to keep up with the swiftly changing currents. Dennis Prager had the author of “Heaven and Earth” on his radio show today, and I sighed with relief. Finally, someone is addressing the global warming hoax with a real scientist. But, suddenly KGIL has canceled all of it’s conservative talk radio programs and replaced them with music. The hairs on my arms pop up. Has the Fairness Doctrine begun? And we didn’t even get to fight it?

I saw a real fat girl once, slowly walking down the middle of an empty street in a “poor” neighborhood. She was eating from a bag of Cheetos. I was in my car at a stop light, watching her. I thought maybe no one told her that Cheetos make you fat, or maybe her life is so sad that that bag of Cheetos is the highlight of her day. Sometimes, Cheetos is the highlight of my day. I said a little prayer for her. Then, she dropped the empty bag in the middle of the street.

My empathy dissipated.

Statistics confirm the fact that most “poor” people have no fathers. My father told me that Cheetos makes you fat. He also built a gym in our backyard. We lived in a very “poor” neighborhood. Our house cost $10,000 when he bought it in the 50’s. The neighborhood then got worse. All of our neighbors’ houses began to look dirty and have five broken cars and beer cans in their front yards. Our house was always immaculate and our front yard always had freshly mown grass. My father took us to church 3 times a week. He read the Bible out loud to Grandma and Grandpa every Sunday night, at Grandma’s house, because Grandpa was an agnostic and wouldn’t go to church. My father taught me how to read when I was 5, so that when I started first grade I was the best reader. I skipped second grade. My father played the piano every night and taught us show tunes, and how to harmonize. My father taught us how to water ski. My father was a gymnastics coach, so he taught me a “flip flop” and I was the only cheerleader who could do that. My father protected us. He bought a bee bee gun that looked like a real gun, to scare burglars away. We were robbed four times. He said, “I could never kill anyone.” My father made us feel safe. He gave us confidence and a history and a future.

That Cheetos girl probably doesn’t have a father. And, no amount of government assistance, housing, food stamps, free college, or ObamaCare can give her that. She needs a father.

Obama didn’t have a father. Maybe that’s why he sees the government as Daddy.

My auditioning/execution squad enters the room and all my thoughts start to swirl away. The only thought that remains is that I must tell the truth. I only want the best for everyone

Sweet Sounds of Summer

Just came in from the front porch. Listening to the sounds of this warm, humid, late August night. Everyone is out...crickets, frogs, cicadas, even a couple of birds up late. The wind is blowing the leaves into soft sighs and swishes. Easy tones from the wind chimes bring it all together. The cicadas came late this year. We usually notice their arrival in early August. One day you just are aware of this incredible noise. They fill the trees with their sound. We rarely see them, but we sure know they're here. It's one of those sounds that make me say..."SUMMER".
These are the sounds that call to mind Tennessee Williams and his stories of long hot sultry nights.

The nights used to include sounds from within. Babies crying, dishes being put away, music from the stereo. Soft voices murmuring from the porch swing, tinkling of glasses filled with cold lemonade.
Now the windows are all closed to keep in the conditioned air. People stay indoors to keep cool. I can remember my mother talking about sitting on her front porch when she was a kid. I sat on the front porch growing up. Lots of talk, lots of games, lots of fun summer nights.
It all comes back with the sounds of this warm ,humid, late August night.
Good memories, good times, good sounds.

Quit Facebook today.

Bede and I tried , mostly due to the fact that family seems to pass along info that way, and pictures. Bede never really was interested and rarely checked it out. I lurked occasionally, but never really participated. We began to realize that there was very little actual family info and just a few pics.

Can't stand all the little games and does anyone really care what food you are or if you were a tree would you be an oak or willow....I think Barbara Walters asked some movie star that many years ago...
John says" I'm making toast"... Susie says " really liked laying in the sun today"

AAAAGGGGHHHHH...Make toast, lay in the sun, do whatever you like, but why do people feel the need to tell the world about every mundane aspect of their lives...

(She says as she blogs about hating facebook) Just a little irony here, I'll admit!

All those applications are really just ploys to get your information and use it for their own profit...SPAM.
We got tired of Facebook "suggesting" we be friends with people just because they knew someone we knew. I don't know these people, I'll make my own friends, thank you very much.
If Facebook was so smart it would know that I don't really want to be friends with very many people. I like my semi isolation, always have. Even if I do really like you, I don't need to know what planet you would be, and I don't want to see your cartoon alter ego.
I know, I'm old and crabby...but it all seems just a little stupid and a too much like High School. So we're out. From what I understand we will never be actually deleted from Facebook, as they keep the info forever...

Woke up this morning to the local news station reporting that cars have been vandalized at a social service agency. Get to work and find that 11 of our cars have been vandalized. All the drivers side windows have been broken out. We have 5-6 agency vans that we use for work and the rest were cars donated to us that we give to needy families. In fact all of the cars have been donated to us. Most of the vans we use for work are old, have over 100,000 miles on them. None of them have anything in them.
The police were called by a passing motorist about 1am last night and when the police arrived, the perp was sitting in one of the vans. He is now getting his own social services via the county jail. Don't know what he was looking for, but he got nothing except time in jail. Catholic Social Services will take a huge financial hit on this as our insurance is liability only for most of the vehicles. My boss is spending his day vacuuming glass out of the cars.

The local tv news station is here now doing a story.

Not sure how I feel about this now. I'm angry, sad, and disappointed. But also sorry for this guy. Don't know if he needed drugs or what the reason for the damage, but whatever it is, he's got serious problems.
It's hard to want to keep helping people when this kind of thing happens. Every day we come to work and deal with people who are needy. Some of them thru no fault of their own, but so many due to a series of poor choices. Some of these folks get angry if we cannot help them. Some feel very entitled to any and all assistance. This guy probably has nothing to do with any of our clients. It just life.

BFF

Why am I suddenly receiving emails from David Axelrod and the Whitehouse?
If the whitehouse is not keeping email addresses of those who oppose the president's healthcare plan, why all of a sudden is Dave my new best friend?

It's not paranoia, just a question.

You're Still the One

31 years ago today, I married my sweetheart. Still together, still in love.


You're still the one that makes me laugh
Still the one that's my better half
We're still having fun, and you're still the one

You're still the one that makes me strong
Still the one I want to take along
We're still having fun, and you're still the one

Changing, our love is going gold
Even though we grow old, it grows new

You're still the one that I love to touch
Still the one and I can't get enough
We're still having fun, and you're still the one

You're still the one who can scratch my itch
Still the one and I wouldn't switch
We're still having fun, and you're still the one

You are still the one that makes me shout
Still the one that I dream about
We're still having fun, and you're still the one... lyrics from:

"You're still the one:
Orleans

Pelosi/Hoyer op-ed in Monday USATODAY calls townhall protesters 'un-American'... Developing...

Stay tuned for the rath of Jeanne if this turns out to be true.

How is it UNAmerican to want the best for your country?
How is it UNAmerican to exersice our freedom of speech?
How is it UNAmerican to do the same thing Liberals have been doing for years?
How dare they call me UNAmerican!!!
We have spent our lives in service to this country.
We love the USA.


I feel the heat...and it's not a hot flash !!!

Angels 911

Did you know we can dispatch our guardian angels to aid another?
If we know someone who is in great need or distress, or in danger of making a huge moral error, we can ask our guardian angel to go to that person and help his/her guardian angel.

Rock on ANGRY MOB !!!

Dick Durbin, the # 2 ranking Democrat in the Senate said today that he would be willing to modify the health care legislation. He would be okay with removing the "gov't. run public option".

So I guess the "angry mob" of retired and middle aged Americans actually does have a voice.

New Home Office

Spent most of today out on the front porch. It has been raining, lots of thunder and lightening. Sitting out here as I write this. Humid as all get out, but lovely just the same. Nothing feels like summer as much as a hot, humid ,rainy , lazy, Sunday in August, Nebraska day.

Gone Fishn'

The White House wants you all to report "fishy" emails regarding healthcare issues...
The following was released this week...

"These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov"





Now just listen to these two, are they serious? I should be totally offended. Instead I feel positive the left is floundering ( get it?...floundering...) Subversives are soooo funny...






IS SHE FOR REAL ? OR JUST REALLY CRAZY ?





This article is quite interesting...
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/White-House-advises-Dems-on-apf-161198401.html?x=0


It is all so blatantly obvious. These same people who ranted, and screamed with hatred agaist the last president and EVERYTHING he did, now are having hissy fits that we dare to oppose this president. Freedom of speech is for all Americans. I am amazed at the reaction I am witnessing from the Democrats and the Whitehouse. I actually feel empowered. Evidently a bunch of well dressed middle aged folks who are showing up at meetings and rallys across the US are striking fear into the hearts of the administration. Rock on older dudes!!!!

If you are concerned about the budget deficit, oppose health care changes and think the stimulus was a failure, the Democratic National Committee(DNC)thinks you are part of the "right wing extremist base." Those Americans who have peacefully protested against these changes are labeled an "angry mob." This ad may motivate patriotic Americans, who oppose the hard left turn Obama is taking our county on, to get even more involved.







Apparently Bede and I are part of the "MOB". He and I went to a rally protesting Obama's Health Care legislation on Monday on the capitol steps. Sen Tony Fulton spoke. We both felt it was time to stop sitting on the sidelines, stop hoping things would get better, stop talking about it. We decided it was time to walk the walk. We both feel that we need a voice in this debate, but to have a voice, you must be a voice. We must be present. We need to show up and be counted, be heard. For too long the liberals have been the loud ones, the ones who yell and hold up signs. We can play that game too.

But wait... They don't want anyone else to play. Sorry folks, the 1st amendment gives the right of free speech to all of us. Get used to it, we're just getting started.

Here are a couple of photos of the lunch time rally.

I have been reading and studying, trying to get a handle on the Obama-care issue. I know it is bad for the country, I know it is bad for the elderly, the disabled, the unborn. I know it is bad for the average American taxpayer and certainly for all future generations of Americans. But what I am surprised about are some of the groups calling for approval even though it could lead to the end of our control over end of life issues and an increase in abortions, all on the taxpayer's dime...


The first quote is from the Republican National Committee"s Michael Steele...the second from the American Papist website . I am absolutely confused, angry, and saddened all at the same time at the organizations who are supporting this. Be aware, just because the word "catholic" is in a title, does not mean that the faith and doctrine are followed by the organization.



"Under the Democrats’ scheme, insurance plans would have to provide people an “essential benefits package.” This package would be created by the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services based on recommendations from a new federal advisory committee. As the bill is written, there is nothing that could keep federal bureaucrats from mandating that coverage of abortions be included in the “essential benefits package.”
This abortion mandate would not just apply to the Democrats’ government-run “option.” Any private plans that receive taxpayer subsidies to provide coverage to people with low to moderate incomes -- and under the Democrats’ plan that would be nearly all of them -- would have to provide coverage for abortions, and pay for them with taxpayer dollars, too."
For more of this article:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=32879

"More importantly, Steven Ertelt tells us (ph/t, ALL) that three large Catholic organizations are mobilizing on behalf of Obama-care: Catholic Charities USA, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and the Catholic Health Association (whose ad I mention above). More:
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities USA sent out an action alert asking members to contact their legislators immediately."



"Please call and e-mail your Representative in the next 24 hours expressing your support for Congress to enact health care reform now," the groups said in a joint action alert last week.

"Saint Vincent de Paul is partnering with Catholic Charities USA and the Catholic Health Association to amplify our collective voice to let Congress know that health care reform can not wait," that group says on its web site.
For more information...http://www.americanpapist.com/blog.html




My advice is to read about it, talk about it with everyone you know. I am afraid that most people who say they are for Obama-care, have no idea what is really all about. I firmly believe that the more information that gets out, the more knowledge people have, the more they will see the danger of it all.
Write your representatives and ask them to vote no on this legislature. We , as a nation cannot afford to put our health, our lives into the hands of an administration has so little respect for life.

we are our brother's keepers...

This afternoon I took my trash out from my office. As I neared the dumpster I saw a man lying on the sidewalk, feet in the street. His car was in the middle of the street running, door open. He was moaning, moving, and seemed to be in some sort of distress. I had no cell phone with me so I went back into the office and asked Fr. Kubat, (who is also a doctor) to come out with me and check this man out. I told him we may need to call an ambulance. Fr, Pat and I went back out to see what we could do. The man was not very coherent. He told us his name , but that was all he could manage. We called 911 and an ambulance was on the way. I left him in the good hands of my coworkers and the emergency crew. Later Pat told me the man had very low blood sugar and was minutes from slipping into a diabetic coma. How he managed to stop his car and get out is a mystery to all of us. He was very close to an intersection of a very busy main street. It could have ended very badly, but it ended well. Thank God for putting us in the right place at the right time.
This was the second time I had called an ambulance in a week. Last Thursday we had a client that passed out in the office.

Wonder how I can fit that into a resume........

Hope and Change....

I stopped at my friendly neighborhood mini-mart for my much needed diet coke, in the Styrofoam cup, any size $.89, chock full of caffeine, morning wake up. I had forgotten that Bede "stole" my $20.00 bill last night for his coffee.

I sat in the parking lot digging into the depths of my purse. Obama's "Hope and Change" came to my mind...

Me...I was just hoping for change! Thank goodness for giant purses.

There is always Hope, and there is always Change at the bottom of a woman's purse.

I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it....

I'm BAAAAAAAACK !!!!! Thought you were rid of me, Huh? No such luck. I have been refreshing, relaxing, and trying to ignore much of the news lately. Not just because it makes me angry, depressed, crabby, and hard to live with but also makes me want to break things... So I tried to just let it all go. We had a great visit with Bede Jr. Home from Iraq for 2 weeks. Went to Texas to attend the wedding of our nephew, Joshua. Then just spent a week in Idaho with the Bolin clan, talking, eating, sitting, talking, and talking some more...with an occasional glass of wine thrown in for good measure. ( Maybe more than an occasional glass according to some of the neices.)

I have to admit, it was wonderful not really paying attention to the world and it's craziness for a while. BUT...(there is always a big BUT) before we left for Idaho, Michael Jackson died. We suffered through a few days of wailing and gnashing of teeth from the press and psycho fans. I did really believe it would all be over soon. But after a week away and 11 days after his death...he's still dead, and they are still wailing and weeping and proclaiming him a world icon. What will we do without him??? I suppose the same thing we did everyday before he died. Honestly, Michael Jackson was at one time a truly talented singer, dancer. But that was years ago and since then he degenerated into a weird, tragic man who liked children too much, did everything possible to leave his blackness behind and become white. He had 3 white children, married white women, had so many surgeries to change his facial features that his face was no longer the face of Michael Jackson, but the face of a white child/woman, whose nose was actually caving in on itself. He had no real friends, but people like Liz Taylor and Dr's who were so devoid of any moral compass that they would give him all the drugs he wanted as long as the money kept coming. He was sick! He was sick and rich, and there is the real tragedy. Money and fame, drugs, the inability and unwillingness of anyone around him to say "NO", or "That's not a good idea". Now I hear there is talk of putting him on a postage stamp. Amazing, are there no other role models, real heros, people who have made great choices, hard choices, the right choices that we can idolize?

Actually the more I think about it, the more it makes me want to scream. I just wish it had the same effect on other people. Days and days of coverage on all the news shows. I know there must have been real important things going on in the world, Marines fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, the pope releasing his latest encyclical, North Korea firing off more missles...just guessing...
But a tragic, sick, drug addicted has been dies and the world stops...how incredibly sad!!!

2 things everyone should have....

1. A front porch

2. A passport

( This of course is in addition to the best husband EVER!!!! and 3 great kids! As well as the finest extended family possible!)
But I digress...
The front porch is the place where home is. Life is great, stress melts away and the problems of world seem so far away. It is the place to sit and visit, contemplate life, contemplate the yard, and come to the conclusion that LIFE IS GRAND !!!

The passport...everyone should have one. It is the symbol of possibility. I can go anywhere! The world is waiting for me. I know I will go, I will travel, I have the power to see new things, experience new places, meet new people. It is all about the possibility. Countries, cultures, art, people...it's all waiting for me, and with my passport, I know I can go, I know I can....
And then come home to my front porch and ponder the world, from my own sanctuary.
To go, to come home. Life is Grand!!!

At this writing we are trying to plan our next trip. Where, when...we will go!!!

"We were not -- I repeat -- were not told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation methods were used. What they did tell us is that they had some . . .

"The speaker was briefed only once, in September 2002,"

Five months after the Pelosi-Goss meeting, in briefings for the new leaders of the Senate intelligence committee, the CIA "described in considerable detail . . . how the water board was used," according to the documents released Thursday. The next day, Feb. 5, 2003, Harman received a similar briefing as Pelosi's replacement as the top House intelligence committee Democrat.

A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended a CIA briefing in early 2003 in which it was made clear that waterboarding and other harsh techniques were being used in the interrogation of an alleged al-Qaeda operative, according to documents the CIA released to Congress on Thursday.

Oops...

Some things are just too funny and must be shared.

I like the old growth redwoods as much as the next guy...but this is amazing.

The road to perdition ???

So,we are no longer supposed to call these guys "terrorists"...



...however, calling these guys possible terrorists is ok...????????

What a great country!!!

This is what America is all about.
Brave men.
Men who fight for their freedom.
Men who don't give up.
Men who offer themselves in place of their crew.
Men who understand there is something more important than giving up and paying ransom to cowardly criminals.
Did I mention men who fight for their freedom.
Then in comes the Navy, like the Cavalry of old.
Gotta love it, gotta be proud.
This is what seperates the United States of America from the rest of the world.
We still have heros.
Thank God we still have brave men who understand the importance of Freedom.

Another Saturday night...

Bede and I are sitting at the Mill in the Haymarket. A coffee shop, an old school coffee shop. Lots of different people here tonight, eclectic. Young people with their computers, groups playing board games, an older couple just drinking coffee ( no not us...older!) I brought my laptop and Bede is sitting across from me writing post cards to Bede Jr. Stuff we might be doing at home, but it seems more fun when we are out and about, mixing with the peeps in Lincoln...

My only complaint is the Mill has no beverages for people like me. coffee, tea, an assortment of weird fruit drinks. NO DIET COKE!!!
What are they thinking? Bede went to the Bodega next door and bought me a diet Pepsi, close...and will do in an emergency, but just not the same as a a diet coke.
Diet coke people know what I'm talking about. Bede is a diet Pepsi fan, Lincoln is a diet Pepsi town, UNL is a diet Pepsi university. It's not always easy to find a diet coke around here. But, hey, it's Lent, I'll sacrifice and drink the diet Pepsi tonight. Hopefully the folks who run this place won't mind that we smuggled in another drink instead of one of theirs. Bede has a coffee tonight, that should make them happy. Next time I will have to remember to hide a coke in my purse before we come. The life and times of high espionage in Lincoln NE!

4 years later and it still makes me smile...

This is not bow!



These are not terrorists!



These are non partisan!



Do not believe your eyes. Because Obama says so... it must be true. We must suspend our belief in what we see, in what we feel is obvious, because Obama says so.

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain"

Happy Happy People...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Study: We're the happiest state in the nation
BY MICAH MERTES / Lincoln Journal Star
Monday, Apr 06, 2009 - 01:43:12 pm CDT
We cheer the reddest. We corn the hardest. And, apparently, we grin the biggest.

Because Nebraska is the happiest state in the U.S., says a new study.

The survey, conducted by MainStreet.com, ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from fiscally happiest to saddest based on a few factors of economic well-being. These included foreclosure numbers, unemployment rates and the ratio of average debt to average annual income.

Nebraska was ranked as the state with the second-lowest foreclosure numbers, the second-lowest unemployment rates and the fifth-lowest percentage of debt to income.

Following up Nebraska's top spot, ABC's "Good Morning, America" featured a profile on Hastings on Monday morning.

Behind Nebraska in the rankings were:

2. Iowa

3. Kansas

4. Hawaii

5. Louisiana

6. Oklahoma

7. Wyoming

8. South Dakota

9. West Virginia

10. Wisconsin

And the 10 saddest states:

42. Washington

43. Idaho

44. Michigan

45. Ohio

46. Arizona

47. Rhode Island

48. Nevada

49. California

50. Florida

The saddest state in all the land: Oregon.

Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2002-2009 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.

Thankfully the "blizzard of 2009" never came to be. We had a little dusting of snow yesterday here in Lincoln, but nothing close to what was predicted.
I want to be a weatherperson! They can be wrong most of the time and still keep on working. TV weather has become so overblown. It takes up much of the news and no one is happy until they have created a state of fear or panic. I do think they are in cahoots with the grocery business. The day before a storm is expected here, the grocery stores are packed. I don't know when the last time people were snowed in for more than a day or two, but people stock up like they are going to be trapped in their homes for weeks.
I just want it all to be over.
I HATE WINTER !!!!
Today the sun is out, but we will not make it out of the 30s. I don't like living for the future and wishing my days away, but enough is enough...I'm looking forward to Spring! Then I will stop and smell the roses.

Thunder storms right now followed by 1-4 inches of snow late tonight and tomorrow. Springtime in Nebraska...

Dignity

Yesterday as I walked out of the office building on my way to a meeting I saw a man walking into the office. I remember him because he was a really large man, probably about 400 lbs or so and he was having trouble walking from the parking lot to the front door. I said hi to him as we passed and went on about my business. I didn't give him much more thought.

Today 2 of my co workers came into my office to chat and they told me a story. They told me about a man who came in yesterday to ask for help with his electric bill. He was a very large man. (I remembered the man from the day before). They told me that he explained he was HIV positive. His illness caused him to retain 60lbs or more of fluid. He was very ill and unable to work.

Because his first language was
Spanish, our emergency services coordinator asked one of our Spanish speaking staff to help translate. As they helped him fill out a form, one of the questions was his date of birth. He told them that it was his birthday today! The 2 staff members started to sing Happy Birthday to him. He began to weep. He had no family. No one who cared enough about him to celebrate his special day. He was so touched that these 2 strangers from Catholic Social Services cared about him as a human being. Catholic Social Services was able to pay for his utility bill, so his lights were not shut off. But I think he left with so much more. He left with the dignity that all people deserve. He left with the knowledge that someone believes he is important, that he is a child of God.
Mother Teresa talked often about the poverty of people who have no one who loves them. Poverty is not always about the lack of money or the things money can buy. It is the poverty of the soul, the lack of faith and love that is the worst kind of poverty.
That is what makes Catholic social Services different from other social service agencies. We love people. Because of our faith, because God asks us to love each other. It's not always easy, we have to work at it every day.
I am so proud to work with these people. People who care and love and make that extra effort to serve people with the dignity everyone deserves. It is truly God's work.

I got my nails done over the lunch hour today. I used to have them done on a regular basis and then sometime last year decided to go au natural. That was before the economy tanked. I just got tired of it. But lately I have been missing the white tips and the 10 perfectly matched nails. I also saw the owner of the nail salon at church every Sunday and wondered how his business has been doing. I was pretty sure that nails are not a huge priority if you have lost jobs or had hours cut. I know the family has 3 young children and employ several other women with families. So today I went to the salon. It was sad really, they welcomed me back like a long lost friend. They told me that things have been very, very slow and that some of the employees have been layed off. I was the only one in there for a while and then another client came in. But just 2 of us in an hour. So I am going back, becoming a regular customer again. I like what they do and they need the business.

We have a company here in Lincoln that sells and services corporate type jets. They are a great company and are huge donors to the community. They have never had to lay off any employees in their 50+ year history. But because of all the media hype regarding bail out companies and CEOs flying around in their private jets, this company has lost tons of business. At first they asked employees to take a wage cut to prevent layoffs. But recently they had to lay off employees anyway. Remember that lots of people who work hard for a living,work for companies like this one. No one stops to think of the little guy, the family bread winner when they complain about the rich and infamous. When the people with money stop spending it, everyone suffers. Trickle down works both ways...

I think I may take Joanna's advice and stop watching the news. She says she enjoys living in her "Happy little world" and the news just makes her depressed. She's right. But I can't do it. I must watch it all, like a train wreck in slow motion. This is the 1st time in my 52 years that I am really fearful for my country. It causes anxiety and worry. I do not have confidence in our current administration, that they know what they are doing. Even worse, that they do know what they are doing and are selling us down the river. Today Geithner said he is open to the Chinese suggestion of a world currency...WHAT THE....? Is he serious? Billions, trillions, so many numbers, so many zeros. I watched President Obama yesterday, I don't feel better, I don't feel confident, I don't fell like he gets it. I think Americans all over the country are beginning to understand the importance of experience. The presidency of the United States of America is not the place to learn on the job. It is becoming very apparent that Obama is in over his head. If the president of the US is in over his head then the rest of us are crab food on the bottom of the sea.

I like Capitalism.
I like the rewards of working hard.
But...
I'm afraid that the people getting the rewards may not be the ones working hard.
I'm afraid the those who understand personal responsibility will be responsible for those who don't.
I'm afraid that as we lower standards and take away the incentive to work hard and do well more people will do less and expect more from the gov't.


I read a quote from a protester in San Francisco this week. She said: "Jail the rich, help the poor..." I guess she thinks it's a crime to work hard and be successful. I guess she doesn't understand that successful people have businesses that employ other people, they pay salaries, they put dollars into retirement accounts, they help pay for health insurance, and they pay lots and lots of taxes. Taxes that fund food stamps, subsidised housing, Medicaid, Aid to Dependent children, WIC, subsidised bus passes, state operated job training, GED classes...the list goes on and on. They also are responsible for much of the charitable donations to non-profit agencies in the country. Agencies that feed the hungry, house the homeless, give free clothing, furniture, household items...
Do recipients believe there is just a big room somewhere in the government? A big room just filled with money? Money that just magically appeared?
I got news for them...
There are people who work hard for that money!

I'm glad there are rich people. I wish I was rich. Back in the day most people had goals of being successful and making enough money to live well. Why is that a bad thing?

It's not a bad thing! It's a great thing!
It's the American dream.
It's the reason thousands of immigrants still come to the US every year.
It's the reason that millions of people have entered the US illegally as well.
It's a great country.
Still.
It's our country and we need to work and pray hard to keep it that way.

My life in 2 words...

I came across an awesome phrase this morning. It explains my life, maybe life in general. It makes sense. It is "SYNCHRONIZED CHAOS". I know this is not a new term within the scientific community, but it is a new term to me. It makes so much sense to me in some weird random, chaotic way.

It turns out that if one couples chaotic systems in a smart way, then it may happen that they 'lock'. They oscillate in exactly the same way.

They will eventually return to their chaos and perhaps syhcronize again...

Synchronized chaos... Life!
We all go about our daily lives and sometimes feel like we are alone. The only one who feels sadness, the only one who feels overwhelmed, the only one who has questions, worries, doubts. Then, wonderfully, magically, we find out we are not alone, but in a world of people who feel all these things. We are comforted, loved, happy. Then chaos again...

Chaos when I don't pray enough, when I forget that God is right there waiting for me. Chaos is thinking I am the center of it all.

Imagine all of us, billions of people in this world, all independent, thinking life revolves around us. All of us on a seperate path to...? Like tops spinning wildly, crossing paths, barely missing each other, some hitting each other. Then imagine some begin to spin together, at the same speed toward the same goal. Then more and more spinning together. All the energy moving together. The synchronization.
That's what God does for us, if we let Him. Unite us, focus us, move us together towards Him.
How wonderful it would be to have less chaos and more syncronization.

Last Farewell

Adam's funeral was this morning. 18 priests concelebrated the Mass. It was awesome. So many friends and family. Lots of tears and still unbelief that Adam is really gone from us. But what a beautiful way to say goodbye. The guys did so well. They all seemed to make it through the Mass with much composure. But at the grave site they seemed to realize that this was the final time they would be with their good friend. They let the tears flow and everyone knew how much Adam was loved and how much he will be missed. I have been so very impressed at this group of young men. They really do love each other and take great comfort in each other's company. Bede and I stood with parents of some of the boys and we all wept with them and for them. It is so hard to see their hearts broken. To know death at this age is unusual and I think very painful, more so than for those of us who have lived enough years to know that we are not long for this world. At 21, 22 years of age, life is forever, you are invincible, or so it should be. These good friends have been slapped by reality. No 21 year old should die. No child should die. Sadly life is not made up of what should be, but what is.
Next time you read in the paper or hear a news story on tv about a child who died, or a young man or woman who died, remember they were someones son, daughter, someones brother or sister, someones best friend. They were loved, and someone is full of sorrow. Pray for them, pray for all the souls who have died. Pray for those left behind. Then thank God for the great gift of family and friends. The great gift of life. Thank God for his love and mercy. Hug your children, your spouse. Love your neighbor and friends. Value the relationships we have been blessed to share. Every word spoken, every moment spent with another may be the last, so speak well and with love.
To have so many people feel such sadness speaks well to a life well lived. Even such a short life.

Bede and I just returned from the funeral home. Visitation for Adam was today. We sat and prayed and said goodbye. What I came away with was an overwhelming sadness. Death is the only thing we are sure of, and yet it always so difficult to come to terms with. The death of such a young man is so shocking. I struggle to find the words to express what I feel. I have felt it before, and I know I will feel it again. It is so physical. Sorrow hurts. Sorrow for a life so short. Sorrow for his family.
Sorrow for his friends.

Many friends,

many tears,

much sorrow.

I see how hard it is for Andrew and his friends to understand, to believe. They are man/boys... grown up, yet still kids in school, and until now untouched by such sadness. They have done some wonderful things to deal with this tragedy. Adam liked to wear t-shirts with a tuxedo type shirt printed on the front. He had a few. We have several photos of him in one. His friends decided to have some made up, and on the back it says Adam McCabe!!! (Adam evidently signed his name with 3 exclamation points). Under his name it has the year '09. Adam's mother saw Andrew in his and asked for one for herself. She also asked Andrew and 2 other of his friends to be pallbearers.
She asked if they would wear the t-shirts.
Adam's favorite band was the JV Allstars. They held a concert in his memory on Friday night. The band is a local one, with members from high school. They have known each other for years. That's how they have been dealing with the sadness. They have been sharing it with each other. They have been sharing stories of good times with Adam. They have been spending time together. They have been doing the things that Adam would be doing. I am impressed...I would consider myself blessed to have such friends.

Goodbye Adam

“Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.”









Adam E. McCabe
Adam E. McCabe 21, Lincoln, died Monday (3/2/09) in Oklahoma City, Okla. Adam was born April 23, 1987 in Lenexa, Kan. He graduated from Pius X High School in 2005. Adam had many close friends including: Travis, Andrew, Matt, Josh, Kelli, Greg, and many more. Adam loved his friends and was loved by all. Adam also loved all animals, most especially his pet dogs: September, Chloe, and Mac. He loved the JV All Stars Band.
Survivors include his parents, Patrick and Beth McCabe, Lincoln; brothers and sisters, Kevin, Leo, Maggie, Madeleine, Tim, Joe, all of Lincoln; grandparents, Pat Burling, Bob and Pam McCabe, Marge McCabe, all of Lincoln; Martha Watkins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; aunts and uncles, Joe and Maureen McCabe, John McCabe, Jill McCabe, all of Lincoln; Paul and Amy McCabe, St. Louis, Mo.; Allan and Mary Nelson, Omaha; Steve Watkins, Des Moines, Iowa; special friend, Fr. John Copenhauer, Cedar Bluffs, Neb.; many cousins. Preceded in death by two grandfathers, Norm Watkins and Vern Burling.
Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m. Tuesday (3/10/09) at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 1940 S. 77th Street, Lincoln 68506. Monsignor Liam Barr will celebrate. A rosary will be said at 7 p.m. Monday (3/9/09) at St. John's Catholic Church, 7601 Vine Street, Lincoln 68505. Visitation 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sunday (3/8/09) at Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home, 4040 A. Street, Lincoln 68510, In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the Adam McCabe Memorial Scholarship Fund at Pius X High School.

Beautiful Baby...

Just arrived home from St. Louis. Bede and I were lucky enough to attend Sophia's baptism. She is adorable. Bede is her Godfather. The baptism was wonderful, Fr. did an excellent job. It was great to spend time with Paul and Lori, and Pete & Joleen too. Here are a few photos of it all...

Don't eat that burger, it's Ash Wednesday!

Just a reminder!

Still Winter...

Woke up this morning, no snow. All schools were cancelled due to the forecast of heavy snow beginning about 9am. My work policy is usually when the schools are closed we close as well. I had 2 appointments scheduled for this afternoon. I knew I needed to cancel them, but didn't have the phone numbers with me at home. I threw on my jeans and a sweatshirt and drove to the office. I assumed I would get in and out before the snow even began. I got to work at about 7:30am and got what I needed. I still had not received a call from my boss to confirm that we were closed today. I called him and to my surprise...we were not going to close. So there I was an hour early for work and dressed like a slob!
The snow began about 8:15 and has not stopped. We did close the Agency at noon and everyone headed home. I just got word that UNL will shut down at 3pm. The university only closes in extreme conditions. So Bede will be on his way home soon.
It is beautiful...as long as I'm inside looking out and don't have to drive in it. Here's what it looks like so far...

Whine Time

Heavy snow predicted for Friday

I'm at it again. Although this time it's not about the present administration. I'm whining about the weather. You can take the girl out of California...but, you can't take California out of the girl. At least when it comes to weather. The past few days we have had 45-50 degree days, which is pretty much a bad winter day in CA. Here it's considered really great for this time of year. UNFORTUNATELY...tomorrow we are expecting snow, lots of snow, 6-10 inches of snow. I long to live in a place where 35 degrees is not a cause for celebration, where 35 degrees is but a number you read about on the weather page in some far off land. Here, when we have winter days where the temps dip into the negatives, 35 sounds pretty good and 45 or 50 is almost summerish. No summer tomorrow! Back to the 20' and teens and the white stuff.
Hopefully less than predicted. We'll let you know.

Helping the economy one whine at a time...

I am doing my part right now to stimulate the U.S. economy. As I sat down to listen to the president address the press tonight, I told Bede that I felt the need for another glass of wine. (I had already had one tonight.) I just need the extra buffer of mellowness in order to watch and listen to his plea to all of us to spend billions of dollars, which some of us work hard for I might add, on "saving" the economy. Bede commented as he handed me my wine, that at least wine sales will increase if this is any indication. So I am participating in my own economic stimulus...drink wine, lots of wine. Vintners will thank you, migrant workers will have jobs,truck drivers will make deliveries to liquor stores who will stay open, etc... Jeanne's own trickle down theory. I will have to practice some sort of economic constraint as well or the trickle down theory will become the " pick Jeanne up off the floor theory". For now I will just call it "Whine Time".
Join Me?