Another summer another crop...

Life on a farm revolves around crops and cattle, everyone in agriculture knows this. So when your husband says he will be doing this... 

Instead of this ....

You learn to live with the disappointment or go without him. Which we did and Gulf Shores was lovely in June. 

But now tobacco season is over and it is all cut and housed in big lovely barns like this...

So now while it sits we are getting a rare treat we are going back to the beach for fall break for some more family time... I can't wait!

I remember...

"the Blue Hour" OKC Memorial

I remember when on April 19, 1995  Timothy McVeigh parked a truck filled with Anhydrous Ammonia made into a bomb and blew up a building full of men, women and children killing families in Oklahoma City's Murrah Building downtown. I was 17 years old.

I remember when almost too the day 4 years later on April 20, 1999 when 2 boys destroyed a community by going on a rampage in a Colorado High School in the Columbine School Shootings. I was 21 years old.

 

 And I remember when at 8:03am on September 11, 2001 I stood watching the Today show on CBS and behind the morning anchor I saw the first plane hit the trade center without them even knowing what was occurring at the time. I remember watching in horror as the next followed closely behind. I was 24 years old.

I will never forget the devastation and heart ache caused by the actions of a few. But I also will never forget the bravery of a few that saved the lives of more.

I am unbelievably proud to be an AMERICAN. I am proud to live in the home of the free and the brave. I am proud of those who sacrificed their lives that day knowingly to protect others and I pray for those who lost their lives just by circumstances. I am proud and grateful to those who protect our freedoms. lifestyle, and choices everyday by serving in the United States Armed Forces and can't not say often enough THANK YOU nor can my gratitude repay you for your service. Nor can the tax dollars I pay be enough for your sacrifices because no amount of money is enough to pay for your life- none the less thank you!

I have yet to visit the memorial in NYC for the tragedy that struck that day. But I have spent many a quiet prayerful moment in the OKC Memorial and I can say without question it is one of the most serene yet tragic places I have ever had the pleasure to spend time. It affected me in ways I can not put into words and if you ever have an opportunity to visit please do so. Like the Holocaust Museum at the Smithsonian Institute you can not fully grasp a tragedy until you look at it in the eye surrounded by the scars it left behind. So today and every day as an American, remember those who sacrifice and continue to do so so that you can pray, vote, play video games, shop on the internet, cuss the president, smoke, and even eat junk as you see fit. Thank a solider and pray for their safety! And remember those we have lost not just on this tragic day but all of the days that have shaped the lives of Gen X and others...

Free enterprise and the current uproar

It seems the world is all a "twitter" about the current public profession of beliefs by a certain restaurant chain... Therefore I will be getting on my personal soap box for just a moment here and putting in my 2 cents worth.

To start let me preface with the fact that I have no issue with same gender couples as a rule. While it is not my choice it is also not my place to disagree with your choices. I have friends, family, and an odd acquaintance here and there who feel this is the right path for them. Yay for the freedom of choice. That being said it is well know that I am a conservative, over all in my views. I believe in the freedoms we are provided via our forefathers profound vision, as an American I have a voice.

I agree with protection for a couple under the law. A union that allows for mutual health and death benefits, tax deductions, and all that a married couple receives. However, I disagree with the use of the term marriage to classify this union. Here is why- marriage is a term that is from the bible as a male/female bond and commitment and the bible is very clear on homosexual relationships. There is no dispute in the fact that it is mentioned as being wrong. Now that does not mean I think that "sin", if you will, is any worse than the sins I personally have or will commit because it also says that all sin is equal. As to that we are all sinners- period.

So here is my thinking- call it something else, support, or don't, those businesses that agree with your views that is your right as an American. Personally I don't care. Be true to yourself, ask forgiveness from none but God himself and those you have personally wronged, and live your life according to your faith and beliefs. Stand up for your faith regardless of disagreement with it from others- you can not change others actions but you can control your own!

Instead of protesting a chicken restaurant- VOTE people... This November make your voice heard vote in 2012 or don't bitch about who decides the laws you live by...