Thursday, May 29, 2008

New Neighbors



Just out of harms way an new family has moved in-- nesseled in the Rose of Sharon Mike found these new neighbors--meer feet away from where I park every night.. and just above the point where tippy toes would let you see what was there.....
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

email

So my mother in law sends me the following little ditty-- and while internet jokes and stories pop into our in boxes daily most of them we dismiss rather quickly.. But you know what seems like a haha in the morning can leave a lasting impression by mid-day sometimes. After much thought I have decided if one of our presidental candidates came up with the below plan I would be willing to follow it... sure in practical purposes it would mean alittle pain.. probably alot of pain but really we would rebound and we would be better for it. And I would bet we could even create jobs here in our own country again... steel mills, oil wells, clothing districts.... Where is this candidate? And why have special interest groups been allowed to ramrod their needs above the needs of the collective US?

READ ON AND ENJOY--

Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan . What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message. Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!) "I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan."
1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good 'ole' boys", we will never "interfere" again.
2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world , starting with Germany , South Korea , the Middle East , and the Philippines . T hey don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.
3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together or leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediatel y, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.
4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here . Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.
5) No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are t he bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home baby.
6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while
7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)
8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give t hem is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.
9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.
10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH ..learn it..or LEAVE!!

Now, isn't that a winner of a plan? "The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' "

Monday, May 26, 2008

Weekend fun

This is what the weekend was all about-- alot of resting and sunshine! Water was alittle too cool for swimming -- that and the scary swimming cobra that tried to attack me. I did survive despite the fact that no one was willing to actually jump in and rescue me and my jetski from the jaws of a snake who I know wanted to join me on the jetski--
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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Mothers day should be a week long holiday


Found this on Lisa B's blog... seemed appropriate...
Its raining again....

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Mothers Day the condensed version

My house seems really quiet tonight... My parents have gone home, Madison has gone home and both kids poof gone...
We had such a nice Mothers Day in spite of the raging floods going on outside-- it was nice and peaceful inside. Both kids were home Saturday night and we all got to spend the day lounging for Mothers Day... And my mom was here too... couldn't ask for much more than that! And for dinner??? Dad and Christopher went out and brought us home Crab legs, Clams and Shrimp!!! And despite the pouring rain and hurricane winds Mike moved the grill close to the back door and cooked up some yummy steaks!! Yes I know the diet is shot to hell... but hey It was Mothers Day..
Of course we paid for that peaceful day--Monday every road I tried was closed due to floods. It took me until 10am to get to work and it was not better on the way home. I added an additional 20 miles to my trip home and saw some back roads I don't think I have ever seen before... Spring has got to be coming soon right???

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Virginia Tech Graduation Weekend




We may not have been the loudest group or the largest but I can honestly say we were the proudest parents at VT this weekend. My baby did it!! She has officially graduated and I saw her do it in style. She marched into the stadium grinning and only briefly stopped to do her happy dance!!! I only wish I had that picture on film... but it will be engraved in my memories forever.. so her.. so happy...
The university ceremony was far from boring. They managed to have a wonderful keynote speaker Hoda Kotb, an NBC anchor who totally connected with the graduates at one point she turned on her ipod and put it to the microphone and had the kids jumping from their seats to Sandman-- And in turn the graduates turned their Hokie pride on her with the We are Hokies cheer--- Both the President and Vice Presidents of their class were also amazingly entertaining to listen to... The president started alittle slow and the crowd didn't respond as quickly as he hoped but then he made mention that it looked like a Harry Potter convention behind him (all the professors in their gowns) and that quickly drew a big laugh and set the tone for the rest of his great speech. It was a really good night and being in the stadium meant we had great seats so we could see our graduate up close-- We topped off the night with a late night celebration dinner at the Farmhouse.
But the weekend wasn't over! We got to see our Manda cross the stage and actually receive her diploma on Saturday. Burruss Hall has an elegant auditorium and we arrived just in time to get seats up close and center of the stage. Prime seats to see the Scottish Bagpipes and all the Biology graduates march in. We hooted and hollered as our girls name was called.. but apparently not loud enough--she expected more!! but regardless we tried to show our pride!
If hearts beating loudly and swelling pride could make a sound we would have been louder than any cheering section!!
Then it was our time for the happy dance!! As a parent I think seeing both my children graduate from College was probably one of my happiest moments. Unlike so many other things in life.. this was something they did on their own. They set a goal for education and achieved it. And for Amanda she did it in four years--certainly something to be proud of.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Counting down

Just counting down the time until we leave for Blacksburg... hard to imagine that 4 years has come and gone. This time four years ago we were worrying about what to pack for a freshman dorm and now we are worrying about what to do with all the accumulated college "stuff". With 5 cars coming home we can only hope that her college life will fit! (hmmm that and two dogs!)

Time sure flies... Woodbine Baptist Preschool graduation... Coles Elementary Graduation, Brentsville and now Virginia Tech... I happily sat through them all... but this one... I'd be ok to let this one wait awhile. The candles on the cake may say she's all grown up but I'd be just as happy to let her be our little girl just alittle while longer.

Sappy stuff aside... Our Big Brained gal is graduating weather we like it or not and boy oh boy we couldn't be prouder!!!
GOOOOO HOKIES

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Richmond


Nothing says the start of spring like a flyover at Richmond International Raceway. You can say what you want about rednecks and Nascar but there really is nothing more patriotic... Where else do you get a flyover? The pledge of allegiance and alittle rendition of the "Land of the Free???" all served up under the hot sun with cold beer?

We had another incredible time at the racetrack. Two full days of tailgating and for the first time the whole family saw the race together. I have been to a few NASCAR races with Christopher and last year we took Amanda to see her first race in Martinsville but this time out all four of us were there... Along with a few of our friends and a few of the kids friends..

I took a moment to try and gather a few of the kids from the "ville" for a photo op--- Most of these kids grew up together-- its so fun to see them as adults out enjoying themselves. I hope 20 years from now they will look back and still be hanging out together under a tent at a racetrack somewhere. I got the nicest comment from one of our friends that we have known since high school this weekend... They told me I did good with Christopher and Amanda and that my life was something to be proud of. And you know what? I couldn't help but agree.

And for those keeping score.. yup it was Amanda (and Natalie's) driver that won on Friday night -- #11 Denny Hamilin and Mikes and Christopher's driver that finished 1st on Saturday night #07 Clint Bowyer.... Don't even ask me where my driver was... Cause I don't think kissing the wall gets any bonus points at the end of the season