What Happened to Honesty and Integrity?

I know that we are 'convicted' for different things. I know that God speaks to each of us differently and about different things. I also know, however, that sins are sins...no matter how big or small they are or how much we try to justify them. I also know that we ALL sin. Hopefully, we try not to, though.

That being said, I have been slapped in the face recently with 'white lies' that my friends have said/done in order to get something for their children. Now, let it be known that I do not think there is such a thing as a white lie. Someone lies and they know they lie...lies are not big or small, they just are. So, these friends have done things like put a fake date on their child's profile so they could have a Facebook page (because it doesn't really matter), let their 12 year old child drive their car (you know, because I was right there with them).

Now, I know these aren't huge matters. I know that the world will not end because a 12 year old has a Facebook page. Here is what I do know. I know that my children watch EVERYTHING I do. I know that they know if I am being an honest person. I know that they know what a lie is and that I expect them to always tell the truth.

What happened to being role models for our children and leading by example? What happened to teaching our children that certain rules are in place for their protection? What happened to telling our children that some things we just have to wait for? What happened to being a parent to our children and not worrying about being their best friend?

Whats the difference between a fake birth date on a profile or on an ID? Just a little white lie, right? What's the difference between bending the rules for driving or drinking. Just a small thing, right?

I just don't understand how parents can justify one thing but not the other.

So, tell me...am I over reacting? Is this a big deal? Do these things matter? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Lest We Forget...

I just had the privilege of watching and photographing a soldier come home to his family. What a precious time as his wife and 4 kids ran and hugged and kissed on him.

I stood and looked thru my teary eye as everyone loved on him and complete strangers came up and shook his hand and thanked him for his service to our country.

Please take a few moments and pray for the soldiers. While we go about our grocery shopping and hauling of kids to and fro, families are being torn apart. Men and women are getting on airplanes all across this country to fight a war to keep us safe.

Pray. Now.

Lest We Forget...there is still a war going on...

Hoax??

Really?? What a shocker that the Balloon Boy was a hoax.

I knew I smelled fraud!

Baffled...

I know that I am a few days late but...

would anyone care to tell me how/why Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize??

Now, before you go all 'hope for change' on me, let me remind you of the prize definition as laid out in Nobel's will:

"one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

Did you see that?? The one who shall have done the most or the best work...

Ummm....what has Obama done?? He has talked, but what has he DONE?

Not only that, but the nominations were due by February 1st. Do that math...that was only 10 days into his presidency! He certainly hadn't done anything at that point which was worthy of receiving the Peace Prize! And it couldnt have been for his work before presidency because no one knew him!!!

I just don't get it...do you?

R.I.P. Patrick

A sad day in Hollywood...

Patrick Swayze has lost his battle with cancer...

and we have lost a great actor.

Never Forget...

I will never forget!

I pray for these families...for peace, for strength, for endurance, for PRIDE!

God Bless ALL the victims of the 9-11 attacks!

God Bless America!

Wal-Mart Sucks

Ok...well, not Wal-Mart (although, I do hate shopping there), but the people who shop there do!

So, school starts one week from today. For those of you who might be new to my blog, I have home-schooled Jake for the past 2 years. He is going back to public school in one week. So, we spent the weekend doing all the things I haven't had to do for 2 years...buying school clothes and school supplies.

The day started out pretty uneventful. We went to Sketchers (I love their deals - 4 pair of shoes for $107!) and then to the dance store (Kaylee starts ballet on Monday, too), then to Old Navy...we were truckin' along! Then, to the dreaded Wal-mart.

Now, everything that is in me hates to go to Wal-Mart...too many people, not a clean store...I just hate it. I *almost* went to HEB for school supplies...why did I not listen to myself? Ugh!

I have a habit when I shop. I ALWAYS (well, almost always, obviously) put my purse where the child seat is and buckle it in. Seriously, I mean, wrap the seat belt around the handle of the purse and buckle it. However, Saturday, Kaylee wanted to sit in the seat and so I dropped my purse into the back of the basket.

BIG MISTAKE!!!

So, there we are...all 4 of us...feeling really good about what we have accomplished...trekking over to the school supply section. There are a bizillion people in the school supply section! Everyone is grabbing crap off the shelves, bumping into each other, yelling at their kids. It is crazy! My family is dividing and conquering...read the list, go find the item, come back and drop it into the cart. I don't remember what I was looking for, but I turned to pick it up and the moment I turned around, I knew something wasn't right. I look in the back of the basket and see my purse wide open! I knew immediatly my wallet was gone!

I then start looking for David, who is off finding his school supply. We find each other and I tell him my wallet is gone. Now, at this point, we have probably been in the store a total of 15 minutes. He asks if I am sure I didn't leave it in the car and tells me he is going to check. I responded and asked him to give me his wallet so I could start calling the bank and the credit card company because I knew it was missing.

I was on the phone with the bank within 5 minutes of me realizing my wallet was missing. In this short amount of time, the bank told me that the idiots had already checked out of Wal-Mart TWICE! AMAZING!! She stopped the usage within a few minutes of me being on the phone with her. Then, as we were talking, within about 5 minutes, they were trying to use the card at HEB grocery store! CRAZY! Thank God she had already cut the card off! That was kind of sweet, actually! I loved it theat the idiots already knew that I knew! HA!

Once we called the police, called the credit card company and the bank, we went to talk to a manager at Wal-Mart. When I left my information for her, she told me that I was the 4th wallet reported stolen that day. WHAT???? Do you think someone should be working security in the school supply section?? (Guess not!)

So, then we went to HEB to talk to a manager about the charges that the idiots made there. You see, when they couldn't use the debit card, they started using my credit card...before I could get that call in, they had racked up $600 at HEB. I spoke with the manager about what had happened and gave her the times of the charges. She looked them up and discovered they had purchased gift cards...4 separate transactions, minutes apart, all for gift cards (why does this not red flag the system as suspicious activity?).

So, now I have spent the day getting a new drivers license and new social security cards for myself and the kids. I am so over the money part of this...I could actually care less that they stole my cash (of which I usually have none, but actually had $60 on Saturday) and my credit cards. I can put a stop to those things. I am really hating the fact that my drivers license and social security card is floating around out there somewhere...and those of my children! (Not to worry, we joined Life Lock Saturday night, but what a huge pain!)

So, all of this to say, 'Go with your gut!' I so wish I would have listened to myself and gone to HEB or locked my purse in the child seat like I usually do! I could just kick myself.

Lesson learned!

Palin Explains Her Resignation

Palin...resigning????

I can't believe it!

I so wish it had been a headline about Obama resigning!

I can dream, can't I?

I hope this is in preparations for her heading to the White House...

Again, I can dream, can't I?

Freedom of Speech

Was this right taken away from Americans and I didn't get the memo?

I'm just askin'...

I'm Just Sayin'...

Have you noticed every time Obama speaks to the nation that the stock market drops?

Go ahead, look it up...

Could we be on our way to Socialism?

I'm just sayin'...

It's Melissa! Or is it Molly?

I love Jason...or I did before last night...

I think it would be terribly hard to go on national tv and try to find the love of my life. I think it could be done, but I think it would be very difficult.

Regardless, I think that if you make a choice, you make a choice. If you choose one, then have the courtesy to stick with her at least until the show is complete. Have the courtesy to visit her and break it off privately and then call the other one. Do not come back to the set and dump one and kiss the other.

Now, the girls...WHY did Melissa hang around that long? Once he said, 'Uh...I don't think...' I would have said, 'Let me help you with that...' and left the set. (I SO would have kept the ring, though...Thanks ABC...hope you buy him another one to give to Molly, cause this one is turning into a nice little necklace!) On to Molly. I don't know about you, but if he would have said to me, 'Uh...I know I dumped you once, but now I have dumped her and I want you back.' I think I would have laughed, asked my questions and then let him know that I would be movin' on down the road.

I love the show, I will continue to watch, but...please Jason, give me a break!

Inauguration Day

I thought I would wake up this morning and be depressed all day. I thought there would be a dark cloud over my head.

I went to work, as normal on Tuesday, and when I walked in, Suzanne had the television on and couldn't pull herself away from the pomp and circumstance.

So, we sat there...for an hour and a half...watching Barack Obama become the 44th president of the United States.

I have to say, my spirits lifted. No, he did not get my vote, but I stand in amazement, yet again, of our country. I welled up because we have FINALLY gotten to the point that we can elect our first black president. I do think that it is long overdue.

I had my son watch it (ah...the joys of homeschooling) and we discussed why this was such a huge event. We discussed that the very place where President Obama was being sworn in used to be a place where slaves were bought and sold.

Amazing...

Just amazing...

I came to the realization that My God knew this was going to happen years before it actually did...and He is in control. I rest in that peace!

Now, I urge you, no matter who received your vote, lift up Obama and his family daily.

The Lord directs us to do so.

Sit back, be thankful that we live in a country that is full of democracy, watch history in the making, and pray for your president!

Enjoy the ride!

A New Low

The news has been quite strange lately...

First, the parents that didn't report their son missing for 10 years...

Now, the kidney man

Seriously?

My aunt gave my father a kidney some years back. Many of you know that my father was an alcoholic and basically pickled his own kidneys (sorry to offend any of my family members, but it is what it is). He needed a kidney to live. My aunt, being the kind-hearted soul that she is, gave him one of hers. It has been 8 years or so...he continued to drink... She continues to hurt...everyday...from the transplant...

When my father continued to drink, did my aunt ask for her kidney back? She knew he was ruining her perfectly good kidney...yet, that is just part of life. One chooses to give gifts and cannot stop what might happen after that!

This so reminds me of what Out Father has done for us. He chose to give the ultimate gift. Yet, we tend to continue doing what we want and ignoring His call on our lives. Does He take back that gift. No, He gave it to us...along with the free will to make our own choices, and He will never take it back...no matter how badly we act!

I pray that this man comes to his senses...and the people of the world do too!

Crazy Adoptive Parents

I am amazed at this story.

I just cannot imagine that parents could be this stupid.

I feel that when one adopts a child, that is their child. Good, bad, peachy, horrible, WHATEVER! When someone is in the adoption process, they should make themselves educated. Children, by birth or adoption, come with issues. If one has educated themself, they know this, and know that children may cause a bit of uneasiness in their life. THAT'S WHAT CHILDREN DO!

I think it is sad that this little boy was screaming for help in the only way he knew how and his parents just let him go! Never reported him missing. Now, 10 years later, this has been brought out!

Children test their parents. Biological or adopted, children want to know that their parents love them and will come to their rescue. They want to know that when they do certain things, there are boundaries.

I think of Christine. Who has adopted some fabulous children. They are RADs. They test her...daily...but she is loving them through their issues! I cannot imagine what this family would go through if one of these children decided to test their parents and their parents let them go...without rescuing them.

Adoption is trying. I am sure any adoptive parent would tell you that it isn't an easy road. Although this may be the case, I am sure that those same adoptive parents would tell you that they wouldn't change it for the world!

I urge you, whether you are an adoptive parent or not, stop now and pray. Pray for adoptive families that you may know. Pray for adoptive families that you find on blogs. Pray for the millions of orphans in the world. Stop...pray now!

Post Office Confusion

So, I ran to the post office today to pick up the stamps for my Christmas cards. I was 3rd in line. The girl that was at the window was having a hard time...

Girl: 'I need 5 rolls of stamps, please.'

Postal Worker: 'How many individual stamps do you need?'

G; '5 rolls.'

PW: Yes, Ma'am. 5 rolls of 100 stamps each?'

G: 'I guess. Is that what a normal roll is?'

PW: 'Yes.'

G: 'Then that's what I need.'

PW: 'Well, I am out of the regular rolls, but I have rolls with 50 stamps in them so I will give you 10 of those.'

G: 'But I only need 5 rolls.'

PW: 'Yes, but 5 regular rolls is 500 stamps. If these only have 50 stamps per roll, you will need 10 rolls to get the same number of stamps.'

G: 'Oh, ok.'

PW rings up 10 rolls and give total.

G: 'So, I got 10 rolls and that is the same as 5 normal rolls?'

PW: 'Yes.'

G: 'OK. Just checking.'

G pays and leaves.

WOW!

In The News

Top Headlines in the News Today

'The Juice' got 16 years in prison...

MUCH overdue!

The Republicans spent A LOT of money on Palin's hair and make-up during the race...

and we care about this WHY?

oh, yeah, and the market closed UP...

woo-hoo!!!

Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest!

Did you hear that the 3 men that are asking for our money to bail out their companies (Ford, Chrysler and GM) flew to the hearing in private jets?

Now, let me clarify...

they each flew in their own jet...

We're not talking, 'Hey, my company is tanking, can I hitch a ride with you?'...

We are talking each man in. their. own. private. jet...

These are the same men that make in the millions yearly...

Seriously...

WHY are we even listening to these men?

Suicide

Ok, I promise not to harp on this much longer, but I couldn't resist posting this...

What Will They Do With Their Pitiful Lives?

This is from The Onion, but it has to contain a bit of truth...don't you agree?

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are