Well, the election is over...

It's finally over... for good or for bad... I am not so sure yet. I hope everyone got out there and let their voice be heard. I am a firm believer in voting.... you can't sit around and complain if you don't . And while I don't like to complain in general... politics and government just bring it out in me.

This year I felt more than ever a nagging sense of doom as I went into the voting booth. I am conservative for the most part but I don't really consider myself a republican. However, the idea of Nancy Pelosi coming to 'power' makes me more comfortable than ever with the title of 'republican.' But anyway... this year I had to make a tough decision between Heath Shuler, an unknown enitity and democrat, and Charles Taylor, the most corrupt man in congress. I have always kind of known about the allegations, but this year they were more in my face. So reluctantly I voted for Shuler. I felt kind of guilty afterwards... but my husband relieved my guilt. Since he voted for Taylor, he basically cancelled me out. I guess my guilt for voting against him came from the fact that he has done so much for the veterans in our area and the fact that he had seniority. Oh well, Shuler won so now we get to see what he is all about.

I was happy to see that alot of the democratic candidates that won were more moderate than they have been the last few years. I was also excited to see an independent win (Joe Leberman). I was not so happy, as I stated earlier, about Nancy Pelosi. And Hilary Clinton winning again didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy. To me those women are just examples of people who are just driven by their own political motives with no heart or concern for the people they serve. Well, I guess that really discribes 99.9% of the people in government. ooops. I am all for a woman president, even possibly a democratic woman president, but not Hilary.

My prayer and hope for the 2008 election is that all the good candidates that have been trying to decide whether or not to run will miraculously come out of the woodwork. And that there will be people that I look foward to voting for. I am so tired of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Chrismas is coming...

If you don't believe me... just look at your local Walmart. They tore down the Halloween stuff on Halloween day and started putting up Christmas things. I am not sure what ever happened to Thanksgiving. You know that pesky little holiday meant for giving thanks. I guess telling God you are thankful doesn't require Walmart so they just move right on to the big daddy shopping holiday.

I found this quote that pertains to Christmas....

One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find
a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper was not hostile; he was not
opposed to them, but his inn was crowded; his hands were full; his mind was
preoccupied. This is the answer that millions are giving today. Like a
Bethlehem innkeeper, they cannot find room for Christ. All the
accommodations in their hearts are already taken up by other crowding
interests. Their response is not atheism. It is not defiance. It is preoccupation
and the feeling of being able to get on reasonably well without Christianity.

Billy Graham

Here is hoping that Jesus finds room in my inn this year. I love every part of Christmas, the true meaning, as well, the Santa part. But every year I try a little harder to make sure that the true meaning isn't shoved aside for the Santa part and all the parties and shopping.

It is sometimes hard to make that commitment to seek and find God on a daily basis and then you throw in a thousand other distractions in and it seems almost impossible. But, man is He worth it. To feel God's love and peace in the middle of the insanity is ssooo worth it. And in a season of thankfulness and gift giving how could we forget to be thankful for the greatest gift ever given.

Grateful heart

Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing - a grateful heart!

George Herbert

Man, do I need to work on this. I read an interesting article a couple of weeks ago about the two different types of gratitude. One is the 'thanks God for all the stuff you've given me and the blessings in my life' and the other is 'thanks God for being God.' Boy, do I need to work on the later.

I am thankful when it comes to thanking God for His blessings in my life. But how shallow and self-centered to just stop there. I began to think about the idea of thanking God for just being who He is. I realized that I could go on and on.

Thank you for sending your precious only Son to die on a cross for a world who despised Him.... and the ones who didn't despise Him are like me... just shallow humans with a flawed sin nature that are incapable of fully appreciating such a gift.

Thank you for being merciful and full of grace.

Thank you for loving me and giving me your best when I deserve the worst.

Thank you for being a GOd of second, third, forth... etc.... chances.

Thank you for creation and all of the beautiful things in it.

Can you think of anything to be thankful for? Maybe we should all spend more time cultivating a heart of gratitude.

IIIII'MMMM Baaaccckkk!!!!

Well, it feels good to blog again. It's been a long time. I guess now that the cold weather is setting back in I'll have alot more computer time.

Well, I guess I should do a summer recap..... hhhmmmm.... not much to recap.

Hubby and I took the kids to the beach. The Banimal... who is now a little boy and not a baby ...wha..whaa... tears.... is an official beach bum. He would have just moved to the beach. He tends to be a little sensitive and easily scared, but he was fearless at the beach. He would let the waves crash over his head and carry him out. We had to grab him a few times. He also puked a few times. Poor kid has the easiest gag reflex of anyone I have ever met. He'd get a big mouth of sand and ocean water and then blluuuckk.. Okay, everybody.... load up and move a few feet up the beach. He wasn't ready to leave and now he is already begging to go back. Pteradactyl boy loved it too. He was pretty fearless, as well.

Let's see... what else... Well, I am back to my fighting wieght and I feel great. I am going to run a 5k race next year. That is my goal, at least. I am not so sure why I am enamored with running.. I have always hated it. I have always been of the opinion that running should only be done if you are being chased by some kind of rabid animal or axe-weilding psycho. But over the last few months I have changed my mind.

I personally think that it has to do with being couped up in the house with screaming kids. When my kids are fussy and fighting and screaming.. in my mind all I can think about is Forrest Gump..... yep, you read it right... Forrest Gump. You know the part of the movie where he 'ran and ran and ran and then one day he just stopped.' I can just envision leaving my screaming children... in a safe place, of course... and just running and running until I just run out of steam. In my current condtiion I might be able to make it to the end of the street. I guess I wouldn't even have to call Grandma for that one. But hopefully, by spring I will be doing a 5k.

I can see now that my blogger status is going to be seasonal. I had alot of fun reading blogs and writing my own, but now that the weather has broken and the sun has started to shine I can't possibly sit in the office on the computer. It is like punishment to sit here in the dungeon and look out at the beautiful day.(My blogging time is in the afternoon when the boys are asleep)

I guess since I don't have a following and since I do this mainly for my own amusement I can not-blog guilt-free. I am going to start taking rainy days and keeping up with all the blogs I used to check out. I miss reading everyone's posts.

I guess alot has happened since I posted last. I survived the trauma of my baby turning 1 yr old. I held a newborn baby and didn't feel the need to get pregnant again. So that's a good thing. I got pregnant with Pteradactyl boy when the Banimal was about 14 mos old. I look at them both now and I can't believe that I thought that the Banimal was big enough for me to have another baby. Well, lesson learned. If there are anymore siblings they will (God willing) be a few more years down the road.

Pteradactyl boy is walking and climbing and getting into absolutely everything. It is much worse than I remembered. I think its worse because now when Pteradactyl boy can't figure out how to get into something he has a very helpful older brother. So they get into some interesting situations together.

I am ready for a beach trip. This weather has me jonesing to go to the beach. AAHHHHH.... the salty wind.... warm water.... sand between my toes..... But reality check... being a landscaper's wife means that there will be no beach trip because this is busy season. Oh well, I am determined to have my beach trip this year... sometime.

Well.... I am going to go and soak up some sun for a few minutes before the wild ones wake from their slumber full of energy and raring to go.