A New Beginning

It is finally almost completed. Dave is being sworn back into the Georgia National Guard tomorrow morning. It will be a few more weeks until official orders are in hand placing him with a unit. But this is the beginning----after a fifteen month paperwork ordeal. Who would think it's so hard to volunteer for military service? One would think that the military would be jumping at the chance to gain experienced officers. But, the "paperwork people", for the lack of a better more correct term, don't have any idea how to handle this. I guess it's not done very often.

He will return to duty as a Major of Field Artillery in a part time capacity. But who knows what the future will hold for us all..........

My brother, Brian, assumes command of the USS Arleigh Burke tomorrow in Norfolk. We are unable to be there and really wish we could witness the ceremony, but, alas, we are too far away.

Brian and his ship will deploy this spring; my USMC brother in law, Sean, will deploy in January with his battalion.

Thank you for keeping our service members and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Our Future

I went to bed last night not knowing the outcome of the election. We watched the returns until Dave got irritated with the networks calling a state after 1% of the votes were in. Well, I suppose I'd be mad too. But I was happier in bed with a book to ignore the real-life goings-on.

Now, I have said before that I am of liberal mind and often don't vote because I just don't give a flying flip (to be polite) about the outcome. Most often, our lives don't change dramatically. There are a few squirmishes in Congress but most often, nothing significantly changes in my life.

(Note: my husband would disagree greatly but that's the wonderment of opposites marrying each other).

Except for the military. Major things can change there.

I know others may think the economy changes or taxes do or something else equally important. Perhaps so but it never seems to greatly affect my life. Maybe I'm just unaware----which I often am. I gave up being politically active in my early 20's. :-)

As I posted earlier, most of my family is involved in the military in one aspect or another. Even if I cannot completely support policy, I cannot turn my back on family and friends who are fighting to keep ME free.

I slept fitfully last night and woke up with a feeling of doom. It was weird. I have never felt that way before. But I truly panicked at the outcome of this election. I have no idea why I awoke feeling this way. Maybe I listened to my family too much on the ups and downs on both candidates. Maybe it's because I know Dave just "un-retired" from the Army. But I know he did this in anticipation of the election results.

Maybe I am just scared (fill in your choice of adjective) for our future.

And this comes from a very left-wing, folk song lover, Woodstock wanna-be, save the world, liberal.
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Note from author: There will be no more politial comments from me. This blog is about our family and our lives. I just had a such a down day that I needed to get it on paper, so to speak. Feel free to disagree. That's what makes our country great.

Parents of Teens: UNITE!

Okay, it's been a busy weekend of Halloween activities, taking naps (mom), setting off the security alarm at church, taking more naps (mom), doing laundry, soccer games, going to church, etc. You get the idea. A nice quiet weekend. At one point, Katie accused us of being boring because we were happily watching sports and/or reading a book. Gasp! A book. She said she would not be boring when she is older. :-)

Let me preface this by saying that I have great kids. They do step up to the plate when really needed. They can take the little ones to play while I take care of something else. Or, they willingly assist with cleaning things (without complaining----a key component) especially when Dave is out of the country.

But tonight, I lost my patience. I need help from all you parents of teens. I know you are out there! So please join in the conversation.

When I was growing up, we had a job chart on our refrigerator. I thought it was dumb and very embarassing to anyone who came by the house. But it dictated what our daily chores were as well as the ones to be completed on Saturday before going anywhere. These jobs ranged from setting/clearing the table and loading the dishwasher to cleaning bathrooms or washing the kitchen floor.

I have found it's very hard to continue this sort of thing with our lives right now. Maybe it's because we aren't always home together at dinnertime/Saturdays due to sports or music lessons. Or maybe it's because sometimes it's just easier to do it myself to be sure it's done right (and I get some peace and quiet). Or maybe it's because I want to be the nice mom. Or maybe it's because I want them to be able to sleep late on the weekends because we were never able to---not that I could anyhow.

I feel like when I ask them to clean up after dinner (wash the dishes, put away the left-overs, clean the counter, etc) it's like asking them to cut off their right arm. Not always, but sometimes. Or, I have to keep calling them back to do the job right. Then I start hearing mutters of "Why do we have to do everything" to "Stop yelling at me" to "Geesh, what now?" Or, if I tell them to clean their rooms, it's a battle to get it "mom approved".

I KNOW for a fact I did the same thing as a kid. I know I did. I was a very mouthy and sassy teenager. I am thankful that mine are not as bad as I was (knock on LOTS of wood).

What do you think has caused this kind of mentality? Is it just teens being teens? Is it us being more permissive than in years past? (note: my kids would say we are very strict compared to their friends) Is it the "I am entitled" mentality creeping in?

Or is it the simple things like our lives are too busy; we aren't together enough anymore as a cohesive unit; we can't enforce a "do chores before seeing friends" on a Saturday because half the day is spent at sporting events?

What are we teaching our kids? Will they know how to keep a room clean? Will they be able to really clean a bathroom? Cooking? Well, I'm no Martha Stewart so they are on their own there! But, I want them to leave me knowing the basics.

Do we need to take away the cell phones, computer use, cable TV, and convenience foods? Return to the basics? I know I would not survive. I have to have my phone to keep in touch with the kids. Having a driver makes me very anxious. In fact, that driver was mad at me tonight when she headed out to see her boyfriend (another issue--it's a school night!!) so I was worried about her driving recklessly because she was mad at me. No computer? I'd go nuts. TV? Who cares? I don't watch it anyhow anymore. Convenience foods? That's dinner.

How do we fix this generation? Or is it just my house that's messed up? Please don't let me think that! Come on all you parents of teens!! Lurkers, please join in. What are we doing wrong? How can you help me overcome these issues?

God Bless the USA

I am not one to become political in public. I did years ago. I was a liberal, idealistic teenager which continued way into my thirties. Dave and I would joke that when we voted, we cancelled each other out.

I have become more conservative in my old age but still really don't know who I would vote for and sometimes don't care who is elected. I know...a really bad attitude.

Anyhow, something that always stands out in my mind are comments related to the military. I have many military members in my family as well as many friends. We cover all branches of service. Some have served in Iraq more than one time. Others have served in the Persian Gulf. Still others have served in other capacities.

Do I totally agree with the current plan? Maybe, maybe not. It just depends on my day. But regardless, I could never diminish the fact that these soldiers and servicemen are fighting for our freedom and the freedom of others. They are the reason we continue to live the lives we do.

This is especially poignant right now as Dave has made the decision to move from the Retired Reserve component of the US Army. He will resume serving the US as a Major of Artillery in the GA National Guard once the paperwork is completed. This decision was made on many levels and for many reasons. But the overwhelming reason he wanted to return to duty was to help continue to protect the US and our freedom. Not knowing what will happen after this election made it even more important to return to duty.

My friend Michelle had this video posted on her site. I finally had a chance to watch it today. I hope you will take the time too. Even if you already know who you plan to vote for, it's stll worth watching to gain some insight to the military in Iraq.




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If you want a lighter post, scroll down and read about how I broke into our church today. Yikes!

The Alarm Sounds

Sounds like the title of a good book, huh? Well, not today.

I was heading for the library which is right next to our church. Dave is a ministry leader and asked me to drop something off for him. This way, he did not need to run back out there before the 5pm Mass. After all, today is the Georgia-Florida game. Enough said. :-)

I spent some time at the library choosing my books and enjoying the peace and quiet. I glanced over to the church and saw no cars in the parking lot at all. My feeling was the building was locked so why bother to check it out.

I briefly considered just telling Dave it was locked and I couldn't get in but decided that wouldn't be very nice.

So, I headed over to the building just to see. I approached the front doors only to see them boarded up. Well, it appeared that way. Really, they just removed the glass from the doors in preparation for new glass to be delivered. Okay. No problem.

I pulled on the door handle and, to my surprise, it opened. I walked in thinking, hmmm, I am surprised the building is open. After all, just anyone could walk in here. Like me.

As I am thinking this, I became aware of a beeping sound in the background. Uh oh. The alarm. I just triggered the alarm. How?? The door was open.

I quickly made my exit to try and figure out what to do next. When I reached the sidewalk, I could hear the alarm sounding within the church. Great. Now what? Do I wait for the police and try to explain that I really was NOT trying to break into the building?

I looked over at the rectory and saw that Father Dan's car was in his driveway. Yes! I started running for his house. His car door was open which made me wonder what his plans were. As I am running toward him, he exited his house and got in the car. Wait! Don't drive away!!

I explained to him what had happened. I really didn't try to break in. The door was open. Help! He drove to the building and shut off the alarm. We decided that the last person there must have set the alarm but not verified the door was completely closed. He said they've had this problem before.....hence the reason for new doors arriving next week.

Whew. My heart was still racing. We dropped off Dave's paperwork in the sacristy and left the building. I am very thankful Father Dan was home.

As it turns out, Father Dan was heading for the trails to take his dog for a walk. He had returned home very quickly just to retrieve his cell phone. Come to think of it, his car was not in his driveway when I first went into the church. He arrived home just as I needed him.

So instead of being in jail for breaking and entering my own church, we are sitting here watching football while dinner cooks in the crock pot.