Election Day is Coming!

I know I said I wouldn't talk politics, and I'm not! I just have a question and I'm to lazy to go look it up. PLEASE COMMENT, and be nice if you can.

Question:
WHY FOUR YEARS?

Four years seems to short. Look how long President Bush has been campaigning to keep his job. In the meantime, who's in charge? Who's manning the ship? Is the country on Auto pilot?

It's the many nameless faces. Some say the president is just a figurehead anyway and doesn't actually do anything. I disagree. It's an enormous job. A terrible job. I would hate to have to sort out so many different opinions. You get all the glory when things go well- you get all the sh*t if things go bad with the out come reflecting on you as "your achievement" or "your fault". The ultimate in responsibility. The ultimate escapegoat. Still- in the end you could say "I did my best and I was humbly proud to lead this country."

Back on track,
I think at least 6 years would be nice. I'll list my reasons later.
Four years? Why 4?
Refresh me here...I wasn't awake in civics class. Did they give a good argument for 4?

I envision the founding fathers plowing through the constitution one day, when one of them says "Gentlemen, we must now agree on how often a new president will be elected. Okay, I'm thinking of a number between 1-10?"

Tell me it was better than that?

Living in 2004

Living in 2004
You know you're living in 2004 when...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 4.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is
that they don't have e-mail address
6. You go home after a long day at work, you still answer the phone
in a business manner
7. You make phone calls from home, you accidentally dial "9" to get
an outside line
8. You've sat at the same desk for four years and worked for three
different companies
10. You learn about your redundancy on the 11 o'clock news.
11. Your boss doesn't have the ability to do your job.
12. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see
if anyone is home
13. Every commercial on television has a website at the bottom of the
screen.
14. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have
the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic
and you turn around to go and get it.
15. You get up in the morning and go online before getting your
coffee.
16. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. :)
17. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
18. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward
this message.
19. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
20. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on
this list.
AND NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Living

My dad is a Nascar Fan.

I am not.

But that doesn't matter

In Honor of The Hendrick Family I write this today:

Today I live to love

to pray

to think

to run

to bake

to sing

to cry...

Today is all I've got

to work

to walk

to win

to jump

to fall

to dance

Tomorrow I may die

or maybe I will not

life is worth the living

if my breath is cold or hot

When the beating of my heart does cease

When my frame no longer stands

My wings will take me higher

to hear God's Glory Band

Today I live to love

the beating of my heart

the smile on my face

with Him I'll never part

By the way...this is my brother, Jeff and my new best friend, Conni. We all get along great! They live in Minnesota and were married on the beach at Montego Bay, Jamaica this last June. It was a beautiful ceremony! Thanks for the vacation. I love you guys!

Have we landed on Mars? No, this is volcanic rock near Bend, Oregon. It's as close as we could come to going into the lava caves. We didn't realize they close for the winter season.

On the way home, we got a nice shot of Mt. Shasta. This active volcano is 3 miles high.

At my dad's house, we had a congratulations party for my brother and his new bride, Conni. I'm lookin tired and I think there are some water droplets on my camera lens!

At the High Desert Museum, we learned many things. Including that the white sturgeon (shown here) can get up to 10 feet long.

The deer here are tamer than the ones we have back home! My daughter, Katie loved getting so close. Of course, I worried. They are big...

On the way to Sunriver, Oregon, we went through a heavy downpour. When the rain let up we saw this beautiful rainbow. God's promise to never flood the Earth again. Also a lovely mixture of sun and water. Notice the exit? Wonderland...

Vacation Plans

My fellow bloggers:

You're ganna miss me, I know, but don't be blue. I'm leaving Monday for a week long adventure that will involve lava caves!

My brother is flying out with his family (as we speak, uh-type) from Minnesota. I haven't met my new nieces yet, Caitlyn and Sierra Grace, so this should be a nice visit.
If that wansn't enough, I will also get to spend a few days with my wonderful father, catch up with my sis and visit with mom.
So I'm excited about that!

Also looking forward to a little quiet time to write.
Internet access is not available- so fresh air here I come! Exercise too! Yeah! The air quality will be far better than here (no smoke) so running will be in my future!

Lots to do...

Check back on Monday the 25th for an update on all the neat things we did!

Losing my URL

Hey? Where'd I go??

Where is my photo? My previous posts? My archives?
Why is that info to right side of the screen missing?


Well- it was missing!
Maybe I'm losing more than URL...

What normally looks like this...

This picture taken on a clear May evening...

Now looks like this!

I took this photo today. As you can see the air has gotten whiter. It looks like fog rolling in to devour the view (which is normally great).

Ashes still blanket the land, getting caught up in our lungs. Fortunately I'm not the only parent who raised concerns about children playing outside in this...
Today the principal made all the kids stay in. Thank You!! Thank Goodness It's Friday! I doubt he would have wanted to keep them in all week. If my kids had respiratory problems, I would have kept them home.

The weather man said the winds would change soon, so we should start clearing up. There are actually 3 big fires happening nearby. Lake Berriesa, Kybers and I forget the third...The wind direction is keeping it from dumping into Tahoe, so lucky us..
The sky cam at South Lake Tahoe is pretty cool. They showed the days time lapse of the fires billowing plumes of smoke. Reminded me of a volcano. So does all the floating ash.

I might change that first picture...if I can find a better one. See my girls in the tree? My Monkeys!

Blood Red Sun; Smoke Filled Skies

Blood Red Sun

This photo doesn't do it justice.
The air today is thick brown. My throat feels like I've been drinking lighter fluid. The white dusty flakes slowly settling to the ground may look like snow- but unfortunately they're ashes.

A large fire is burning nearby.

The wind has graciously decided to send it our way.
My house is filled with streams of yellow reflection bouncing off every wall. The place feels weird. Strange. Calm. Not a breath of air moves outside. It's quiet, yes, but unnerving as well.
I want to go sit out there. Listen for warning, but I know the fire is far enough away. It doesn't threaten us, yet...

The sun has been trying to shine all day. If you can see it all, it's through a curtain of haze, giving it the appearance of a big red bouncy ball. I hope tomorrow the smoke is cleared. I haven't been able to run all week. I was really hoping to go out this morning until I smelled that familiar scent of burnt trees and brush.

I told the girls to stay in at recess today. I told them to tell their teachers I wanted them to stay in. I told them it was dangerous to be breathing in this stuff. Unfortunately, our principal didn't agree. He announced over the intercom to have all children attend regular recesses outside, but instructed them not to run, skip, kick balls or jump rope. Okay- right! They're kids! That's like putting them in a toy store and say "don't touch!" Really...

I'll try to get you an update tomorrow...

Dr. No Patient

Going for the funny one first because I prefer funny over scary.

Dream:

I met a man in college. He has a dog. A big, furry, yellow, floppy, slobbery dog.
I tell the man in my "matter of fact" voice, that I only want a degree just so I can say that I have one

The dog and I head outside to a vast sea of parked cars where students are busily fumbling with books and trying to get to their respective classes before the professor can dive into a long winded lecture, revealing their tardiness.

The wide eyed dog with his white teethy grin, looks almost animated while wearing a long green doctors robe. I quickly label him "Dr. No Patient" because every attempt to approach a sick student is met with extreme disgust and hostility.
Every time the dog returns to me, we place our arms (paws) across our bellies and double over in uncontrollable fits of laughter. The kind of laughing the results after you've just succeeded in pulling the best childish prank...like getting your teacher to sit on a loaded whoopee cushion.

I woke up at 12:30 in the morning laughing my tired head off!

How would I analyze this dream?
1) I met my husband in college with no real direction of a degree.
2) I miss my dog that just died.
3) I've seen way to many doctors this year and...
4) I want to laugh more

Boy it sure seemed funnier then...

Quote

"Faith came singing into my room
And other guests took flight.
Grief, anxiety, fear and gloom,
Sped out into the night."

Elizabeth Cheney

My life, though not perfect, is a reflection of greater things. I see Him- I Forget Him- I close my eyes and there He is again. No matter what I do, or how far I go, He is near. Nearer than I deserve Him to be. For that, I am thankful.
The subject of Thanksgiving came up today. Where will we eat dinner? What time? Who will be coming?
I thought...Do they do this in Iraq? No, not their culture. We eat and eat and eat...because we can??
Blessed beyond belief.
I am Thankful.

Yuck

I feel soooo bad this morning. Can''t think-
Is there a circus going on in my stomach?

I was going to write about a dream I had last night. It was scary.

Oh, but I never wrote about the funny one!!
It was my first dream where I woke up laughing.

Which one you want first?

If nobody answers by noon- I'll be forced to make the decision myself.
Com'on tell me, tell me, tell me....please. I'm in no shape for choices.

I'm going back to bed- running would have been fun today. It rained last night
and now the air smells soooo good, white and misty. I would love to feel the small floating droplets of water pelt my face and bare legs. ohhhh that would be nice.

I don't want to sleep. Maybe I'll just go sit outside and fight the urge to puewk. Did I spell that right? Now I'm typing out loud. Thinking out loud??

Blah, blah, blah... Boy the hills are beautiful. Green tree tops, mossy gray bolders, turkey and horses.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

If you can't laugh; CRY

I found these funny debate questions on another site. Thank You Krista!

It's the only politics you'll get out of me, my mind is made up...However I reserve the right to change my mind at any time because- well, I'm a girl. Enough said.


Top Ten Questions Audience Members Were Not Allowed To Ask During the Presidential Debate
10. Who's a better one-term president--you or your father?
9. Is it annoying being married to a woman who always smells like ketchup?
8. With oil at $50 a barrel, why aren't we looking into cheaper barrels?
7. Which best describes your economic policies: "Preposterous lies" or "Absolute crap"?
6. Senator Kerry, what impact do you think your large, canoe-shaped head will have on the economy?
5. What is your favorite episode of "Sanford and Son"?
4. Do you prefer flipping or flopping?
3. Which one of you is Dukakis?
2. Do you think John Edwards would be interested in dating a New Jersey Governor?
1. If either of you win, will you pardon Martha?

Oh mother, where art thou?

As long as I live I will never understand the relationship between mother and daughter. It's more complicated than the world is wet.
Bad, bad morning for Katie & I. We fought like enemies the entire drive to school.
I swore like a sailor all the way home and cried like a baby for 10 minutes in the driveway.
I can't put it off any longer- we need counsling.

It hurts so much. I try to remind myself that I'm a good mom. I know she's a good kid...so why does it play out like this??
I grew up without a close relationship with my mother- always wanting one. When Katie was born, I prayed I would be a good mom (so we could have that closeness I still wanted).

She argues with me about everything, making demands instead of asking. Everytime I have to say "no" she says "why?" and pushes me so far with her reasoning to get her way that I feel forced into a lecture on what it means to respect authority. If this were once in a while- even once a week, I wouldn't be writing this. Unfortuately it's everyday, about every little thing. I'm going crazy!! Yep, I know, it's counsler time.

Any advice?? I'll take anything...