Perks.....

Living here in D.C. was not really a choice or place we said "hey lets move there" and we just up and go. NO NO NO, if you are a military family you will understand when I say they tell us when to move and basically where to move. Yeah, you do put your name on a list of places you want to go but honestly I don't think that list is even used. If you know someone that works in assignments in Texas or know someone in that job that can request you by name then the chances of you getting the job you want are much higher. Anyways, I digress. The point is we are here in D.C due to my husbands job, The United States Air Force. Zeus is very proud of the job he does and how he does it. He seems very happy here. Now, with this job we have gotten many perks that "regular" military do not get. This is great for us. The opportunities this place has opened for us are endless, unforgettable and just down right worthy of jealousness. If you are a loyal reader you have read that I have had breakfast on the White House lawn with other military spouses and President Bush, I have watched him speak on several occasions, I have spoke to him, shaken his hand, I have been in the presence of First Lady Laura Bush, Toured the White house during the holiday season while decked out for Christmas, I have received White House Christmas cards yearly, I have gone to an Inaugural Ball, invited to take the kids to the Kids Inaugural concert and then there is Zeus. He too has been with me a FEW of those places but not many. He just recently had his big day. Following the New Year, President Bush made his way around the region extending his thanks to his many troops, colleagues, supporters and staff. Zeus was invited to a meeting with fellow military members to a off the cuff speech and thanking from President Bush himself. This is a great honor for Zeus having worked himself to death this past several years for this man. He was greatly looking forward to the moment that I had previously in May. Excited? Well Zeus is not one to show his excitement for something. But this day, oh boy, this day. He was beaming with joy. Demanding to be there SEVERAL hours early. Of Course I obliged having already had my moment. He did not smile or say anything about being excited but having been married to this guy for 9 years I have learned to read him and READ I did. Really excited!!! The moment that sealed the deal was when he burst through the back door several hours later did not stop to say hi, did not hug me like he normally does. No, he went straight to the living room T.V. Did not stop to pee, did not take off his coat, did not put his keys or hat down, nope bee line for the T.V. Once there he plugged in my trusty camera into the front and set it up and turned to me in the kitchen and said hey babe, come here I want to show you something. I was hesitant trying desperately to come up with some witty comment to snap back with. It never came so I slowly made my way to see what all the fuss was about. He had several photos;Telling me of the details as he scrolled through each picture carefully. I was laughing on the inside and smiling on the outside. To see him this excited was delightful. For me it was special to see him happy. He was talking faster than ever and trying to get ever second of the event explained. I was so happy for him. I just wanted to hug him and tell him to stop talking so FAST. I didn't I let him have his moment. Oh it was a great one. So Zeus was thrilled to have met a sitting President, shaken his hand and speak to him. How cool. So with all the negative that comes with this job there can be so many positives and Perks..................

Blessings

Tiny Task Tuesday

This week for my Tiny Task Tuesday Zeus and I both pitched in to help a few others out.

1. We walked a nice lady a couple of blocks to the metro, right on our way so she felt safe or comfortable and was not alone after dark

2. Once we got off the metro we saw a guy on the pay phone in a military uniform so we asked if he needed help or needed a ride, he said yeah, so we took him home, which was on base just down the street from us.

3. I spent a couple hours at my sons school painting murals on the walls. I am not a painted by any means but the drawings were already on the walls. It worked out great. Definitely spruced up the walls.

4. I picked up my friends little girl from school early since it was snowing and the weather was worsening by the minute. She was quite appreciative.

STay tuned for next weeks T.T.T. I have a surprise in the works for a special someone. Check it out next week. Until then, what did you do to help out this past week. Did you clean up some trash, help someone in some way, make a difference? Feel free to continue and use my T.T.T. button on your page.

Blessings

Marines, the Few, The proud or not so proud

I had a very unsettling experience this week with a couple of Marines. Actually there were 4 female Marines involved.

We were standing in the security tent waiting to pass through the metal detectors for the Commander-In-Chief Inaugural Ball. We were in line 2 of 4 and were standing directly behind 3 female Marines with ranks of E7-E9. First off, these 3 ladies were extremely rude and loud the entire time they were standing in front of us. I felt their snootiness, and gossip was extremely unprofessional. Zeus and I were standing very close to them but then again there were at least 200 other military and spouses in this tent with us. So we were all in close quarters. In line 3 there was a very young female Marine that looked like her rank was less than E-3. The 3, seemed to notice she was out of uniform. So the ranking Marine calls her out of line as loud as she could like this. "Sergeant come here." This ranking female proceeds to yell at her in front of the entire tent. Yes, the tent was as full as it could have been and THE 3 were the first in line standing right in front of the metal detectors for all to see. She literally threatens her and talks to her in the most demeaning way. She is not quiet, respectful or even discreet. I feel she relished the fact that she was reaming her in front of all these others. She was definitely intimidating her and absolutely without a doubt belittled her. Now, I am standing there becoming so agitated and irritated because the ranking Marine lacked the respect to pull her to the back or out of the tent all together to discuss the issue. No, she felt necessary to treat this girl like she was a slave. She definitely was demanding, I understand being uniform and following rules, but seriously we are all adults and this young E-3 and below is no exception. If you think that yelling at someone in front of 200 others is respectful, you are an idiot. And it sure as He!! is not going to gain you more respect. This is not basic training. This is not tech school. This is real life. If you want respect you need to respect others. After embarrassing the Sgt or whatever her rank to almost tears THE 3, proceed to gossip and joke about it so loud trying to gain attention, which they did. I bet money everyone was thinking the same thing I was. The gossip and insults kept up for more than 30 minutes. Listen, these ladies were not quiet in the least bit. It seemed they were trying to draw attention to the girl and her issue, which to me was extremely minor, but whatever. There was no cuth. There was no respect and absolutely no intelligence used in that situation. I was fuming mad by this point, ready to say something but Zeus was insistent I keep quiet and not get us kicked out. I obliged, unwllingly. I felt I was letting the young Marine down. It killed me to watch this. This is exactly what has come of our military. You wonder why young Marines do not stay longer than 1 tour. You wonder why the civilian world looks at Marines so negatively. You wonder why in the heck the Marine Motto is The Few, The Proud because at this moment I would have been completely embarrassed to be a Marine. I felt embarrased to be a fellow female veteran. Those 3 women just proved to me that they are shoving rank in others faces. They proved to me that respect is not important. They proved to me that power was more important than nurturing and training and teaching young Marines. That should have been there response. They should have seized the moment and taken her under their wing and given her some options with dignity. Not so. They choose the easy way out. I tried to let this go but the more I pictured it in my head the more angry I become. To me there was even a little underlying racism. The 3 were black. And the young one was White. I am not racist but I sure as heck know when that is a factor. These girls were definitely ridiculous. So I must say I was extremely disappointed with the professionalism. I feel this was much more hurtful to the Marine uniform than a small red purse. What about you? Too bad I held back to take their picture. I would have plastered it all over this internet. Unbelievable? Or is this what our military has become. Do I really want to be associated with this type of behavior. Thanks for listening and letting me get this off my chest. KARMA!!! Right, what comes around goes around. Maybe when they need a good teacher they get a big headed jerk that throws his rank around or something. I don't know but what I do know is that the only way to true respect is showing respect yourself.

Blessings

Surprise I died

Last night as I was attempting to get dinner ready and Zeus was trying to get Omega and Zulu out the door to Basketball practice Ziggy decides to be silly. He runs into the kitchen while all of us are chatting and proceeds to choke, pretend choke. I think he just learned this last week. I have seen him do it before but not to this extreme. As he is "choking" he falls down on his back in the middle of the kitchen floor. Then his eyes close, his head rolls to the side and his tongue falls out. Zeus and I look at him and can't stop laughing. Zero was laughing so hard I don't think she was able to stand up straight. Guys, seriously. Zeus asks" Did you teach him that." I say"Heck NO" He either taught himself or one of these older hooligans taught it to him. It was so funny, he laid there on the floor so still for a LONG time. Then he JUMPS up and says "Surprise I died." Man, I'm telling you kids can be hilarious sometimes.

Dreams can come true......

WOW, Inauguration Day 2009 was such a historic day and for so many it was the best day. I am thankful for the day and that the African American community finally can let go of the past. Now they are or should be considered equal. Enough of that, let me tell you of my fabulous story. What started out as a day in the bathroom. A day I thought I would stay in the bathroom, if you know what I mean turned out to be a dream come true. Zeus scored Inaugural Ball tickets on Saturday. OH yeah, they were official ball tickets. Commander in Chief Ball, this is the one where active duty, spouses, wounded warriors, fallen heroes spouses, and medal recipients would be attending. So I never ever imagined that I let alone Zeus and I would ever attend an Official Inaugural Ball. Woah!!! This had to be a dream. From the time I heard they were giving the tickets out I wanted so badly to go, not just to go but to get all dolled up and be that beautiful Cinderella I knew I could be. So I emailed a friend of mine and she agreed to come do my hair and makeup for me. What a sweet girl, Thanks Janelle. She did a fabulous job. I had secured a babysitter earlier in the week hoping I would get tickets. So that was all set. Zeus was kicking and screaming about going the whole time too. Whiny butt!!! He had no idea how many of you would love to replace him. But because he knew it would make me a super happy wife he obliged gracefully. We geared up for the long Subway/metro ride with what could be hundreds of thousands of people either leaving the Inauguration or going to a ball themselves. We allowed extra time, and because I hate being late Zeus thought we should leave 3 hours prior to the show. The ride on the train was not too crowded getting downtown. It however was freezing cold in a Ball gown with no hat and no closed toe shoes. My toes were completely numb by the time we walked the 3 blocks to the event site. When we arrived we were given ROYAL treatment. We were allowed to walk on closed streets and they had a heated tent set up for us to go through security outside. We were 4th and 5th in line. We waited about 30 minutes for the doors to open. Once they opened the wounded warriors went first. As it should be. There were over 317 families with wounded Warriors. It was so sad but also so amazing to see the support those men and women received all night long. After they all went through we proceeded to enter. The first thing I thought when we walked in was WOW. Just stunningly beautiful. Amazing how simple yet elegant the night was about to be. There were TONS of news agencies. We walked around and scouted for seats. Once we had seats we had an official photo taken and browsed the area, stages and drink tables. There was a bar, but Zeus and I choose to just drink coke. We did not need alcohol to party. I wanted to take it all in. So the music started with a 70's cover band that is considered the greatest cover band in the world, RIGHT ON!. They were so fun. Funky. Hilarious. I think they were as excited as all of us were to be there. They played tons of great songs, while wearing sequins, GoGo boots, feather boas, crazy hats and brightly colored outfits. I enjoyed myself with them. They were really interactive with the crowd which was really amazing. How humbling to see famous people appreciate you and your sacrifices and show their appreciation. So the night began very slowly. We talked to 3 young marines for a long time while waiting for the show to roaring. We also a reservist that was alone and turned out to be a sweetheart. She was really nice all night. Once the National Anthem was played by our very own Marine band Mr. Joe Biden and his wife Jill showed up. They spoke a little and joked with some troops in Iraq via a live feed. Then they danced together for 1 song, said their good byes and were out the door. It was really quick but I got a good video of them dancing. Then we were on to the good stuff. Substance. George Lopez was the emcee. He liked to call himself Lobama. So silly. I got brave and walked up to him and talked for a brief moment and got my picture taken with him. Very cool guy. Thanks G.L.

Then it was time for the singers. Jordin Sparks was the first up. I was able to make my way to right front of the stage. She was beautiful in her flowing red gown and bare feet. She sang 3 songs, one of which is my all time favorite, No Air. Yeah, I got that one on video too. She was just gorgeous. And Thankful. She was so grateful. She talked to us for a a few minutes and cried as she talked. It was so sweet. WOW, Thank you Jordin Sparks. I love you girl. I watched you all the way through American idol and am so thrilled I got the opportunity to experience your gorgeous and melting voice. WOW!!!

Then we had my most favorite singer and probably to most well known singer. The biggest reason I wanted to go other than the Historical meaning behind it would be the Headliner. Jon Bon Jovi. Oh yes, you can bet I was gonna get as close to that man as I could and yes I did!!! Right on the stage dead center. WHOOO, HOOOO!!! Oh yeah he spit on me. He touched me!!! ummmmmmmm, melting inside. You ask me if he is as gorgeous in person as on t.v and I tell you BETTER. Oh yeah, that man to be as old as he is, is down right beautiful. Lets just kill him, stuff him and I'll keep him on a stand in my Living room. You can come visit. How's that sound? This man's voice is so amazing. Funny thing about him singing, he had to have the lyrics. There was a song book on the floor in front of me, just behind the guitar amp. Quite funny. I was about 2 feet from him the whole time. Relishing. Wait one minute while I wipe the tears of joy from my cheek. My heart was pounding so fast. But I just sang right along with him. Guys this was just a dream that I thought would never happen. To be that close to one of my favorite singers was breath-taking. There are not enough words to describe the feelings and emotions I was experiencing. While I was center stage Chris Tucker showed up and introduced the deadly eyed Smokey Robinson. Yes ladies he sang directly to me. He held my hand and looked me right in the eye. HEAVEN!!! He too spit on me. Never would I say that I loved be spit on but by this two gorgeous beings I was happy to be in THAT spot. and so happy to be ME, standing in front of them.

The next singer was Josh Groban. Again, another amazing singer with a beautiful voice. He sure can play that piano. When he sang his eyes were closed. He is such an emotional singer. It was such an honor to be in the same room with these stars. Along with the new Vice President and President Biden and Obama and their beautiful wives.

The food was served hoer derve style. I mean little waiters and waitresses walked around with beautiful trays of Shrimp scampi, crab cakes, coconut chicken, sausage, Cheesecake of my different flavors. It was very funny because when you saw a gaggle of people you could bet there was food. The poor waiters did not get very far out of the kitchen before they were attacked by a mob of hungry military marines. Very funny. We would sit and watch and wait for them to surface and them POUNCE. Lovely food. I did feel like I got plenty of it though. The drinks were bar style. By that I mean you had to buy tickets based on what you wanted for the evening, wine, beer, hard liquor or just coke. We opted of just coke. I did not need alcohol to have fun. neither did Zeus.

Both the President and VP talked to us and did a live feed to troops overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. That was so nice and super cool to see them talk directly to our deployed military and call them by name and joke with them about the Cubs and Sox.

Then while we were watching some of the singers they wheeled out this cheesecake. Oh boy did it look good. After we all got done taking pictures with it we ate it. YUMMMY!!! So cold yet so good. Great job and props to the Chef and Cake decorator on that one. If only mine looked so good.

Sorry the pictures are not straight computer not cooperating and I want to get this up quickly. I will email the photos later on today. If you want some email me or leave me a comment. So after an amazing time and lots of dancing and singing my little heart out with J.B.J and J.S. I was so happy to end the night with one last picture, well maybe a few last pictures. Enjoy.

What I must say is, being in the military has not been easy. Many days I could throw my hands up and cry but I keep putting one step in front of the other and the days like these are what make it worth every moment we spend in the military. I have been associated with the Air Force for 2 months shy of 10 years now. I think if you never have experienced it you have no idea the struggles we go through but you also have no idea the family bond we have made with sometimes complete strangers. I love the military and will absolutely hate to leave it behind some day when that day arrives. Yes, Haskins, I said I love it. You caught me. To have the opportunity to enjoy and be thanked with perks such as this has been extraordinary. Thank you President Bush for starting this new tradition of the Commander in Chief Ball. In my 9 years of marriage I have never had the opportunity to put on a gown and go to a dance, ball or dining out. President Obama, I thank you for continuing the tradition and allowing us the chance to see you and let loose a little all for FREE.

(Sorry some pictures are turned, I will work on that, until then enjoy them)

Blessings and to all Make your new start today to change our world. Congrats Obama and Biden.

My Shopping adventure

I decided it was time to take a little shopping adventure. So me and my sweet Ziggy took off before 9 yesterday. There is a mall about 30 miles North of us that seems to have everything. So that was our first stop. We shopped there for more than 2 hours, in and out of the dressing rooms. Ziggy doing well with every new trip back to the rooms. It was funny to watch him make himself at home. He had goldfish and my wonderful Pinky (AKA iPhone). I have downloaded several kids games and coloring to keep them busy in times of desperation. Yes, yesterday was a time of desperation. So the shopping went over well. I actually have never taken one of the kids for an all day shopping trip like this and the child not have a melt down. WHOO HOO. Thanks to a few snacks, stroller and Pinky for averting what I thought was the inevitable. It can be done folks. I did it!!! We ended up shopping at over 20 stores, including 3 malls looking for that perfect dress. Oh yes, you would have thought I was shopping for a wedding dress. But now that I think about it, I did not get to shop for a wedding dress so this was kinda my time to shine. I ended up finding just the one I wanted. It was a little over budget but gave me that feeling. You know that feeling, you are all giddy and you find yourself singing "Ten minutes ago","impossible" from the movie Cinderella. Come on fess up. I know you have done it. Well I have. Underneath this mother of 4 facade there is a Cinderella that loves to get all DOLLED up. She is trying to find her way out. The loot. It is a beautiful blue to green to blue prom dress/ball gown. It has beautiful sequence and glitter around the waist. I am so thrilled. I feel like a million bucks with it on. I don't need a special bra. I don't need any altering. It fits perfectly. Almost like it was made for me. Now, if I can only wear it. That is the true question. Zeus and I are suppose to get tickets to this dance you see. We were put in for it and should have heard something yesterday which makes me a little nervous but maybe we will get word today. Anyways, I am keeping my fingers crossed and will let you know as soon as I hear something. Wish me Luck. This could be a dream come true. For now I must get back to dishes and laundry. HUMMMMM, sounds a little like the real Cinderella. Ta Ta for now.

KIDDDDDDDDSSSSS!!!!

Most of you know that Ziggy and I stay at home while the oldest 3 are in school. It is nice for us to have our time together to hang and play and talk and potty train. But the cutest, or saddest thing during the day is when Ziggy says, " where's the kids." Oh buddy, they are at school. He does not understand that we just can not go get them when he is ready. Lately it has been much harder for him because the kids were off 2 weeks and he had them here all day everyday. So yesterday he says where's the kids as he is coming down the stairs and WHOOSH the front door opens and 3 bright and shining faces come barrelling through. Ziggy says "KIDS". "I missed you." Then he proceeds to leap off the stairs onto Omega, which by the way is his birthday brother. They share the same birthday. It is so cute to see Omega hug Ziggy and give him big kisses. Zero is next in line to hug her baby. She loves to "baby" Ziggy. Zulu, well he is my independent child who does not want anything to do with anyone. Moody, yeah. He runs at the point his name is called. Ziggy usually attacks him when he is taking off his shoes. Poor Ziggy just wants a hug and Zulu just wants to talk to Twinkle. This seems to be the daily routine just about everyday. You would think Ziggy just got a new car, won the lottery or something to that effect. But no, it is only the kids coming home from school. So cute. Check back for more news and smiles from the Haskins House.

PAST TIMES

I am one of those people who loves to get out and experience things, even things I am not sure I will even like. So 2 weeks ago Zeus and I went to a Musical called Next to Normal. Well I was just in awe after we saw it so I decided that I wanted to see it again.

Yeah, crazy, I know but I knew if I did not go back that I would surely be regretful for not following through. So after inviting numerous people this week I ended up not having anyone to go with me. WOW, I must not be fun or maybe musicals just aren't peoples things. So disappointed me decided to stay home. Oh well, I thought. I guess it was not really that big a deal. But then Zeus stopped in at lunch and asked if I was going and I told him nobody wanted to go(with a big pooty lip and my arms crossed). He insisted I go because he did not want to here me whining later on because I didn't. So he makes a phone call and Wholla, done. I have a date. WOW, he needs to be my secretary more often. The lucky date was K, who by the way was hilarious. So we fought traffic all the way there, me panicking the whole time thinking we will miss the show because we had terrible D.C. traffic at 7pm on a Friday night. She is completely calm saying we'll get there in plenty of time. You see my biggest pet peeve of all time is tardiness. I like to get places at least 20 minutes prior to the time I need to be there. I had this instilled in me from early middle school days. So it has stuck with me and now if you or I are tardy or late I get super irritated. We made it with plenty of time and a great parking spot in the garage. Perfect.

Now this musical is fairly new to the circuit. It was written in the early 2000's and was previously performed in NY. Most of the original actors/actresses came from the prior showing in NY so they mesh great together. I must RAVE about this absolutely amazing yet emotional ride these characters take you on. They tell such a true, believable story that one could imagine themselves in. The story line is about a woman's life as she deals with love, depression, grief, medication and the hilarity of psychiatry. It gives true understanding of how an average family navigates through life. I love how the music tells the story. Not too many plane speaking lines, which is awesome. Perfect balance of comedy and drama. This is a provocative and intense performance. I was drawn to Aaron Tveit, who plays Gabe. His body, ummmmmmmmm well lets just say perfect. His eyes, expressed so much emotion. His muscles, they way he moved and stood conveyed the true frustration, anger and love he had. Amazing to have someone use their body language so simply and convey such deep emotion. His voice, oh dear how do I explain how beautiful and breathtaking the mans voice was, I can't but you can hear it if you go to one of the links. WOW, he was absolutely my favorite character. GORGEOUS!!!!!! YUMMMMM, I know I am married but this is my blog and I can dream. Deal with it.

So back to the show. If you get a chance to go see this truly eye opening performance and amazing new musical I urge you to do it. There is some harsh language but it is in keeping with the story line. There are twists and turns along the way that make your jaw drop. Yes, I will be buying a soundtrack to this WHEN it is produced. Until then I will listen to it online. Thanks Arena Stage the show was the best I have seen. Great job Tom Kitt, Brian Yorkey and Michael Greif. My play and musical desires just leapt into full throttle. I am all about the next performance. Maybe I will see Gabe again. HAHAHAHA.

Now K was so funny with her people watching. The faces went from normal to bugged out in 3.6 seconds. Absolutely hilarious. I thought she would slap a few girls silly with their inability to dress appropriately. Then there was this guy. OH YEAH, this guy. He was not easy on the eyes at all, slightly over weight but he smelt like a million bucks. K was sitting on an aisle seat and he was standing back behind her at like 8 o clock. She asked me if that was him who smelled so good and of course I nodded trying to be discreet. She abruptly turns her head all the way around and proceeds to sniff him. YES, she sniffed him for quite a while. Probably making him uncomfortable. Oh my word, I was laughing so hard I could have cried. She wanted that scent just not the man wearing it. Mercy me, she is so much fun to take out. So girls night out was an success. We both enjoyed the play and I will have visions of Gabe while I daydream today.
Get out and see a play you have no idea what you are missing. We spent $24 total and experienced true theatre.

Well I must get back to my own journey for now. Thanks for leaving me comments.

Accomplishment

Many of you know that Ziggy is the last one still in diapers. Zeus has been the one to take hold of the potty training. I help, don't get me wrong but with all my other duties it felt overwhelming to me to be in charge. Plus it is nice for them to be in control of something other than work. So I let him. So I made a plan that after the holidays I was going to start really being attentive to Ziggy's potty needs. So yesterday was day 3 of learning the routine. We take off our diaper, put the seat down on the potty, grab a book, climb on, push our parts down and proceed with our book reading. It is kinda fun. Takes quite a bit of time but he seems to be getting it. So yesterday he really did do it. Finally, Success, he pee-peed and pooped in the potty. He has super excited and told me when he was all finished. It was so great to see that smiling face. He was jumping for joy. Of Course he had to tell everyone. Today we start day 4. I am hoping we can be successful more than once. Wish me luck. I definitely do not enjoy this part of parenting. But, nevertheless, I will be sad when he does not have to have diapers anymore. He is a baby until that dreaded, oh I mean Happy day. Blessings

Tiny Task Tuesday!!!

I was talking to my mom today and she told me about a dear family friend that after 18 years lost his job, indefinitely laid off. Surprised, oh yes. This is not the first story in our downward spiraling economy. Now, these stories did not happen 25 years ago. Why? What happened 25 years ago was a friendly neighbor helping out the single mother with her plumbing or broken fence. The church that helped with the cost of funerals for deceased members. Someone who would pull over to help you out if you ran out of gas or needed a battery jump. Do you see this today? Absolutely not. We have turned into selfish, self-centered people that do not want to help or put forth any effort if we get nothing out of it. REALLY? Can you say you are proud of America when this is what we have turned into? I can't. When did we become such greedy idiots? Yeah, I am talking about us as a whole. This is not race, sex, or age based it is all encompassing. 2009 has brought us ridiculous people that are all about themselves. This share your boat mentality is no longer. I feel extremely scared for my children's future. I think what happened was the loss of Jesus Christ several years ago when someone got offended about the Pledge of Allegiance. A loophole was created and now everyone believes God should be pushed aside and we should take control. Well take a good luck at what WE have done. We have definitely taken the reigns. The friendliness, helpfulness, and caring acts of all were pushed away/aside right with God.


Everyone is trying to fix it by throwing money here and bailing out this and that when all we need to do is get back to the basics. Lets rewind our minds and thoughts. We can hold America together. But the glue is God, Jesus, the bible and honesty among most. We need to force each other to be honest. If immigrants saw that we Americans were honest maybe we could rub off and spread the honesty toward them. They would in turn become citizens, pay taxes and become law abiding citizens. Right now, they do not follow rules, they are not honest, they do not pay taxes, they make money and send it back to their home country. Do we see any of it? NO. Do we benefit from more jobs? NO. Do we raise tax revenue from them? NO. You see a lot can be solved with just very little.

Rather than try to get more for yourself reach out and help someone else. Send a box of clothes to a needy family. Go mow the neighbors lawn without receiving payment. Call your neighbor when his/her dog gets out instead of the pound. Go clean a church building. Go to your local library and help stock books. Meet your neighbors. Check on your extended family regularly. Coach a little league team. Help chaperone a elementary field trip. Read to senior citizens. Put on a smile and talk to a stranger. Many simple things we can do. Step up, commit yourself to one act a week. ONE, that is only 52 things a year. Not very much but when someone sees you stepping up they feel obligated to step up too. Then we start multiplying and before you know it 6 months down the road your acts of kindness are now several states away. You may never physically see those acts happen but you will see our country start to rebuild itself. You will see happier children, safer neighborhoods, more jobs, and less homelessness and less hungry. So when you watch the news this week and more job losses are released and gas prices go up and more stores close just know there is something you can do. It does not require any money/financial backing. It just requires your time and caring attitude. A new President is about to assume the office of CEO. We can help in his effort to Change. We all voted for Change now step up, change yourself in order to help America. Our children are counting on us. One act per week. You can do it. I have committed this week to


1. Coach a little league basketball team


2. Volunteer for the Presidential Inauguration.


My 2 small acts this week will continue with a positive attitude, the words Hello, How are you? and my helpfulness to the children and people.


I challenge you. What will you do this week? Will your Tiny Task Tuesday go unanswered or will you join me and my journey to truly change America?


Blessings and Congratulations

A New Year

Well today I sit and reflect upon what the future holds. This year is going to be big for Zeus and I. We are hoping for a few changes and looking forward to the many milestones that 2009 will bring. We started the New Year out with a visit from Terry and Sherry, AKA Mawmaw and Pawpaw. It was a great visit. The kids really enjoyed having more people around to play with and to give them a different kind of attention. I always enjoy company. It was fun. We did lots of sight seeing and talking. All in all good visit

My gingerbread wonderland has been completely dismantled. I was heartbroken seeing it come down. So so so sad. I love having all the lights on and all the beautiful bows and decorations up. It is so warm and cozy feelings. Just another reason why I love the holiday season. But now it feels so dreary. Just boring. I must come up with some new decorations for my everyday house. Spring can not get here soon enough, in my eyes. I love to get outside in the garden. We have yet to have any measurable snow so winter has not really felt like winter for us. Maybe we will get a nice snow to go play in. We'll see.

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year. Blessings and good fortune are my prayers for all of you.