Weight Watchers Update

I know, it's way past Tuesday, and I keep forgetting to post updates....But I lost 1.6 lbs this week! It's amazing what loosing almost ten pounds can do to make your clothes fit better!
Meanwhile, I'm using this week's spring break to get caught up on big household chores, the kids have been working their little tails off with me. Today we are planting our garden. Yesterday we turned the dirt over, and paid for it with blisters. We've been doing some major spring cleaning, my favorite of which was finally getting the Harry Potter closet (The closet under the stairs, get it?) cleaned out and organized. The kids rooms are a big project for later today, the front yard got mowed and raked, the kitchen got rearranged and scrubbed from top to bottom, the front room got dusted, polished, and vacuumed, and the art room got a good once over too. This is the main reason that I haven't really been on the computer for the past week. Too busy! I'm off to my favorite store to buy supplies...Lowe's!
On a sadder note...my hometown has had a couple of big losses in the past weeks. I hate not being close enough to be able to do much to help, but please keep these two families in your thoughts, one family loosing everything including family members to a house fire, and the other loosing so many family members in an accident on the highway. I know that small towns are great for many things, and helping during tragedy is one of them. There is nothing like the outpouring of love and help you can be on the receiving end of, like my family was when our house burnt to the ground in 1998. You guys are in my thoughts as I look around my home and appreciate what and who I still have with me.

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Field Trip

Jeremiah and the bullfrog.
Me and the alligator.
Miah and a corn snake.
Baby gator.
Miah caught a fish!
Baby turtle.
Very small fish, not that you can see them!
Checking traps. We found fish, dragonfly larvae and turtles.
Freshly caught snake!
The lizard lost it's tail while trying to escape. He also has a tiny tick attached to the underside of one arm.
George, the tortoise.
Miah, Ms. Hull, and George.
HUGE pine cones!
Us!
Flying squirrel living in a manmade nesting box. They are free to roam, the box is just so the scientists can study them.
Ms. Hull's class. Miah is holding a snake hook that she got to use to check traps.

Thursday's Thoughts

Today's Thought:

Evil prevails when good men fail to act

Maybe a little dramatic for what I wish to discuss today, but this quote strikes to the heart of the matter. I had to stop off a Wal-Mart today on the way to work. As I was coming out of the store I noticed a female loading groceries into a car near mine. Her hair was done well, and the large diamond earrings looked very nice. The blue-tooth earpiece looked a little tacky, but what really stood out was the winter PT uniform she was almost wearing. I use the term almost because she had neglected to utilize the zipper. I can feel a few of the other NCOs out there cringing with me. I am notorious for being outraged at soldiers who wear their PTs in public. But this female went above and beyond the call of shitbaggery to take the degradation of the soldier ethic to a whole new level. And what did I say to her you ask. Nothing. I gave her a nasty look and muttered under my breath. And for that I am ashamed. I might as well have told her that it was fine with me. If she had been one of my privates, I would have spent a half hour illuminating her of the various regulations she was violating. So what stopped me? I wish I knew. Today I was part of the problem.

No more potato peelers?

Cool idea! Thanks Manny, for the video!

For Ladies only...Men might be "ewed out".

" By the third day, I just wanna dance"

Thanks Julie! I hadn't seen this, and it's hilarious!

Sunday Morning Coffee On the Veranda

Jay and I had a great morning last Sunday. The kids both slept in, so we quietly made coffee and snuck out to the porch. I think we had a full thirty minutes before Miah came looking for us. It seems though, that we were not completely alone...

Round Nose, Flush Cutters, Chasing Hammer, Bench Block, Oh my!

In less than ten minutes, I turned silver wire into a bracelet. I love that I can do that!

Alaska OR Bust!

I meant to announce it yesterday....but in all the excitement I forgot. I. Am. Going. To. Alaska.
No, I'm not going so that I can hunt Sarah Palin down and force her to show me Russia from her back porch, and ask her tough questions like "What newspapers or magazines do you read?"
Though I thought for just a moment that it would be nice to go say "hi" to my favorite (gag) female role model.
Nope, I go purely for selfish reasons. I miss my Sara. I'm going so that I can go get a hug. An added bonus, another friend who recently moved to Ak, Gina, will also be hanging out! Yay!
I can't wait! I'll be taking the laptop so I can blog and post pictures from there. Now I just have to wait...

In Weight Watchers News...

Drum roll please................................

I lost 2.2 Lbs this week!

Why spend $98...

When I can make it myself? I copied this from a company I used to work with (Sara knows who).
I am still tweaking it. For example, I'm going to wrap the rings connecting the beads to the leather with the cord on which the beads are strung, and I may cut the leather to a shorter length because it feels odd on my neck...but other than that, this is pretty much the finished project. I started it at home, and finished it this afternoon while waiting in the car for the kids. I wanted to get pictures on here before I got distracted and moved on to something else...which I do way too often!

From Mr. Obama

Waiting for me in my inbox...
Stacy --

I'm writing to you on a great day for America.

This morning, I gathered with members of Congress, my administration, and hardworking volunteers from every part of the country to sign comprehensive health care reform into law. Thanks to the immeasurable efforts of so many, the dream of reform is now a reality.

The bill I just signed puts Americans in charge of our own health care by enacting three key changes:

It establishes the toughest patient protections in history.

It guarantees all Americans affordable health insurance options, extending coverage to 32 million who are currently uninsured.

And it reduces the cost of care -- cutting over 1 trillion dollars from the federal deficit over the next two decades.

To ensure a successful, stable transition, many of these changes will phase into full effect over the next several years.

But for millions of Americans, many of the benefits of reform will begin this year -- some even taking effect this afternoon. Here are just a few examples:

Small businesses will receive significant tax cuts, this year, to help them afford health coverage for all their employees.

Seniors will receive a rebate to reduce drug costs not yet covered under Medicare.

Young people will be allowed coverage under their parents' plan until the age of 26.

Early retirees will receive help to reduce premium costs.

Children will be protected against discrimination on the basis of medical history.

Uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions can join a special high-risk pool to get the coverage they need, starting in just 90 days.

Insured Americans will be protected from seeing their insurance revoked when they get sick, or facing restrictive annual limits on the care they receive.

All Americans will benefit from significant new investments to train primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals, and the creation of state-level consumer assistance programs to help all patients understand and defend our new rights.

As I've said many times, and as I know to be true, this astounding victory could not have been achieved without your tireless efforts.

So as we celebrate this great day, I want to invite you to add your name where it belongs: alongside mine as a co-signer of this historic legislation. Organizing for America will record the names of co-signers as a permanent commemoration of those who came together to make this moment possible -- all of you who refused to give up until the dream of many generations for affordable, quality care for all Americans was finally fulfilled.

So, if you haven't yet, please add your name as a proud health care reform co-signer today:

http://my.barackobama.com/cosigner

Please accept my thanks for your voice, for your courage, and for your indispensable partnership in the great work of creating change.

History, and I, are in your debt.

President Barack Obama

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

You can't pinch this! I'm green all over!
I love Maxine!!

Once upon a time...

When I was little, I was totally going to marry him! So sad...

*Snicker* Joy Behar on Rielle Hunter

If Looks Could Kill

No kidding. The doorbell just rang, and a nice looking young man is on the other side. I smile and say hello, and he asks me if my mom or dad is home. The look on my face must have been startled, or even incredulous, because he immediately backtracked, and said, " Uh...or are you the mom...?" Uh, ya. I'm the thirty year old mom wearing converse tennis shoes, and blue jeans with a blue linen sweater. So sue me. He apologized and said how wonderful it was to look so young, then took his ball cap off an showed me his 29 year old (I'm OLDER than him!) balding head. Not a little bald, a lot bald. He said he'd trade me...and while I envisioned a "Freaky Friday" type switch, I mumbled "Trust me, I would too..."

I'm so tired of hearing about how young I look. Even my fellow high school classmates (Love you guys) voted me least changed, when to me, I was far from it. A lot of them looked exactly the way I remembered them....I get looked over at makeup counters, people have asked for my daddy when I pick up the phone...Ahhhh! I am proudly thirty years old. I have a soon to be thirteen year old, and a soon to be ten year old. I dress my age for the most part, and I wish to hell I looked as old as I felt. Youthful looks are worthless unless I also get to enjoy the lack of responsibility and carefree weekends driving recklessly on back roads with my best friend. My face is still red. Embarrassment? or Irritation? I'll let you figure it out...

John Edwards' Huge Mistake...

I just read the interview of Rielle Hunter. ( Link in last post.) Wow. The woman comes off as insensitive, rude, gold digging....I can't go on! I can understand the need to set things right, but at this late date it seems crazy. Everyone has told their story, so those stories are what are set as "truth" in the minds of most people.
I find it very hard to feel anything other than disgust towards this woman. She seems disconnected to reality. The fact that she is in love with this man is one thing, but that she believes that he will never and has never lied to her? Is she mental? I want to smack her! I especially got irritated when she started talking about "Johnny and St. Elizabeth's" relationship. Where does she get off commenting? She does realize that she only has half the story, and that being told to her by a man who is trying to get in her pants? And stay there?
How about the photos that they took for the interview? They make her look even worse than she sounds. Her rear end showing, posing in a mans shirt (John's???) with her daughter's toys, and showing her naked belly while laying with her kid in bed. Those don't say wholesome mother-type to me. They make my skin crawl almost as much as the "reporter's" pointed comment on what size her pants are.
Another thing that really bugs me is that she talks about their relationship as if it never ended. Like they were star-crossed lovers that were separated by the evil queen Elizabeth. That she takes absolutely no responsibility for her part, and talks about John Edwards being abused by his wife. To top all this off, the woman speaks about her knowledge of male/female relationships like some sort of self help guru, only in reverse. Like a 1950's version of a house wife.

You haven't uttered a word so far. Why now?
"I feel comfortable talking now, because Johnny went public and made a statement admitting paternity. I didn't feel like I could ever speak until he did that. Because had I spoken, I would have emasculated him. And I could not emasculate him. Also, it is not my desire to teach my daughter that when Mommy's upset with Daddy, you take matters into your own hands and fix Daddy's mistakes. Which I view as one of the biggest problems in all female-and-male relationships."

"To allow a man to be a man. The biggest mistake that I find is that women attempt to make men women."

In my opinion she has no right to speak up at this point, the evil other woman. She is no victim, and neither is Edwards. As I see it the only victims here are John's children, and to a point Elizabeth. No matter what she did to him...he always had the option to take the high ground and dissolve the relationship before he cheated on his wife and kids. How must his older kids feel, reading this interview....which you know they are!
Thank goodness he wasn't elected...and good riddance to his political career. Humanitarian, indeed. Gag.

Hello, America, My Name Is Rielle Hunter Politics: GQ.com

Hello, America, My Name Is Rielle Hunter Politics: GQ.com

Funny!

I actually did something similar to Miah once. We were at the park in Edmonton and she freaked out about not being able to slide down the big slide...she was always freaking out on me....so I started copying her...and sure enough she shut right up!
Thanks Renee for posting this! I needed a laugh!!

Sunday, and Nothing Goin' on.

Jay had to leave early today for a formation with some Sergent Major I've never heard of, so I'm playing Farmville on Facebook, and listening to the "The Devil Wears Prada" audio book. Yesterday we had a ball at the movies, seeing "It's Complicated" at the dollar theater, shopping at Old Navy and Cato, and having dinner at Subway. We finally got a whole day to ourselves. It was great. I woke up seriously late, around ten. Since I got sick I've been really tired, and luckily Jay's schedule has changed for the better so he's been letting me sleep in while he drives the girls to school. I took a shower, and got dressed in an outfit I'd be happy to wear all day AND to the movies (usually the weekend is yoga pants and cotton tees) and came downstairs following the smell of freshly brewed coffee...to Jay washing dishes and Miah sweeping the kitchen floor. Wonderful! Oh, the best husband ever....
We had to call the Internet help desk due to crazy Internet connections, but Jay got it all worked out, then we started our new family tree project. We've been watching "Who Do You Think You Are" and got curious....the tree is HUGE and I haven't even started on my brothers and sisters' families yet.
After grabbing some lunch, we headed to the theater. I ate the rest of my food while Jay quizzed Miah on the times table. I pointed out to the girls the horizon, where you could see that in the distance it was raining. I love how it looks like the clouds are drifting to the ground, rather than rain falling. Miah was curious, clearly previously thinking that when it rained where she was, it was also raining all over the planet at the same time. I told her about living in the Valley in Kentucky, and seeing a sheet of rain gradually creeping towards me, like an impossibly huge wall. Once My little brother and I were on opposite ends of the cabin arguing about whether it was raining...not knowing that it was only raining over half the house. You could see the wheels turning in Miah's head...and the strange questions ensued. Miah ended the conversation with a giggle and we entered the theater.
The movie was hilarious. If you haven't seen it you should! There are a couple of jokes that may not be appropriate for children, but not for ours. We are very open with the girls, so they didn't end up being uncomfortable at all, but for some it may be too much...We found ourselves laughing out loud several times. I love a good theater crowd, and we were in good company. Everyone reacted when things were funny, and gasped when something was startling. There is nothing worse than being the only person laughing in a crowded audience.
I have started loosing enough weight that my "boyfriend fit" jeans are sagging enough to make me feel frumpy. Not that I'm usually particularly stylish, but I try... So we headed over to Old Navy to try and find a pair of jeans. NOTHING fit! I love the shirts and scarves, even the dresses, but the jeans there are ridiculous. All low rise, boot cut, skinny, or full of holes. There are now even jeans with splashes of paint flung all over them. If I wanted those, I'd go shopping in my dresser! So after trying on linen slacks, and boot cut jeans I left with only two beautiful scarves. Stupid tiny kneed boot cut jeans.
So we headed to Cato. I love Cato. I'm going to always buy all of my jeans there. Everything I tried on was great. I got three pair of loose leg, tailored, and belted jeans. Sigh of relief! I have to go have the waists cinched in and leg lengths altered, but that costs next to nothing, and the pants look amazing afterward. I hate how short my legs are, but seeing as there is nothing I can do about that, I have to do the extra work.
By the time we got home it was dark, so no playing in the yard was going to happen, but we did get to watch the next episode of Voyager together (the kids love Star Trek, and it's our special treat to watch the series' Jay brought back from Iraq.)

It was altogether a great day. I'm glad, because today Jay had to leave early, and won't be back until well into the evening. Made worse by the fact that the clock "sprang forward" last night, so we had even less time than we thought we would when we first woke up this morning. I hate the time change. The only comfort I get from it is the fact that it means that the 65 degree weather we've been getting sporadically is going to be sticking around more and more. I can't wait.

When Bored...I make stuff.

Be careful what you belittle

Weight Watchers Accountability

This week I lost 1.2 lbs! For a total of just over 7lbs! Yay me!

MFSO

If I didn't have kids, I'd be all over this. I've always wanted to be able to pick up and run to a protest event that I believed in, but I'm not willing or able to leave the kids to do this. I wish I could...



Dear Members of Military Families Speak Out,

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED! As we approach the start of the 8th year of war in Iraq, Americans need to be reminded that this war continues even as the war in Afghanistan escalates! Our troops continue to be in harms way and our families are suffering.

NOW IS THE TIME TO SPEAK OUT! Please make your voice heard by joining us at one of the activities listed below. Let us know what you will be doing to commemorate this tragic anniversary by responding to the Survey Monkey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GMRYRCW. If you are unable to attend but would like to get more involved, please contact MFSO Organizer Nikki Morse at nikki@mfso.org.

This email contains information about what we know is happening around the country. If you are participating in something that isn't listed, please let us know. If you would like to order MFSO t-shirts or brochures, please go here or email zaskya@mfso.org.



Scheduled Events

----------------------------------------------------Washington, DC-------------------------------------------------


If you are planning on coming to Washington, DC, please email Nikki at nikki@mfso.org and let her know when you will be in town. She can be reached throughout the activities at 347-703-0570. National Director Deb Forter will also be there, she can be reached at 508-237-5343.

� Monday, March 15, 2010

Peace of the Action

Beginning March 15th, a tent city will be erected on the grounds of the Washington Monument as a base camp for actions, community gathering and joint activities http://peaceoftheaction.org

� Thursday, March 18, 2010 - Joint Press Conference with ANSWER, VFP and IVAW, Time and Place TBD.

� Friday, March 19, 2010 - Capital Hill Visits

9 a.m. We will be gathering in the basement cafeteria of the Cannon House Office Building at the corner of New Jersey Ave and Independence Ave to prep for visits. If you are able to schedule visits with your legislator, please contact Nikki at nikki@mfso.org otherwise we will send you with otherwise scheduled visits.

� Saturday, March 20, 2010

National Assembly, ANSWER Coalition and others D.C. March

http://answer.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=M20_homepage

9:30 a.m. Gather at the Peace of the Action campsite at Madison Dr, NW & 15th St, NW for a Memorial service.

11:00 a.m. March to IVAW Press Conference and Action at to the VA office across from Lafayette Park, H Street NW and Madison Place NW.

12:00 p.m. Demonstration and March. MFSO will be marching with IVAW and VFP at the front of the march. If you haven't been able to join us at either of the previous points, please find us then.

5p.m. Social gathering with VFP/IVAW at Bus Boys and Poets,

5th and K, near the Chinatown Metro stop

� Sunday, March 21, 2010

Noon - 3 p.m. Joint strategy session with Military Families Speak Out, Veterans For Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War. at the Church of the Holy City, 16TH and Corcoran St. NW, Washington DC to talk about future actions and activities

4 - 6 p.m VFP DC chapter is hosting a speak out event at the Church of the Holy City, more details to follow.



� Travel

Many buses have been organized from various places around the country. Information about buses is at http://www.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=M20_transportation.

For getting around Washington, DC, information about the Metro system is at http://www.wmata.com/.



� Housing

We are not reserving a block of rooms at a hotel, however National Director Deb Forter will be staying at the Allen Lee Hotel at 2224 F. St NW and welcomes other members to join her there. Rates are $100/night and can be reserved at 202-331-1224. There is cheap housing ($5/night) available at St Stephens - 16th St & Newton St NW. Contact Robby Diesu at: robby@pcaction.org



-------------------------------------------Actions around the Country-------------------------------------------


Saturday, March 13

Illinois

St. Charles - Fox Valley Citizens for P & J St. Pats Parade in St. Charles Protest

http://icjpe.org/actions/index.php?id=4062

Chicago- Iraq Veterans Against the War mud-stenciling

Aaron (aarhughes@ivaw.org)

Sunday, March 14

Maine

Belfast - Women in Black, Standing for Peace Belfast Weekly Vigil

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=1133&t=1268546400

Ellsworth - Local Activists Ellsworth Peace Vigil

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=274&t=1268546400

Bar Harbor - Local Activists Bar Harbor Peace Vigil

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=1240&t=1268546400

Waterville - Waterville Area Bridges for P & J Waterville Bridge Peace Vigil

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=1254&t=1268546400

Skowhegan - Waterville Area Bridges for P & J Skowhegan Weekly Vigil for Peace

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=1822&t=1268546400

Michigan

Detroit - Detroit Area Peace w/ Justice Network Pointes for Peace Vigil

http://michiganpeacenetwork.org/calendar/?id=1285&t=1268546400

New Jersey

Bloomfield NJ Bloomfield Peace Action Silent Peace Vigil

http://njpon.org/calendar/?id=941&t=1268546400

Monday, March 15

Maine

Deer Isle - Island Peace & Justice Deer Isle Vigil for Peace

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=1031&t=1268629200

Michigan

Grand Rapids MI Peace Presence Grand Rapids Peace Presence

http://michiganpeacenetwork.org/calendar/?id=1189&t=1268629200

Detroit - Detroit Area Peace Justice Network Ferndale Anti-Occupation of Iraq

http://michiganpeacenetwork.org/calendar/?id=1244&t=1268629200

Ferndale- Detroit Area P w/ Justice Network Anti-Occupation of Iraq Protest

http://michiganpeacenetwork.org/calendar/?id=1244&t=1268629200

New York

Binghamton NY Broome County Peace Action Binghamton Peace Vigil

http://ny4cg.org/calendar/?id=1625&t=1268028000

Delmar - Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace Delmar, NY Vigil for Peace

http://ny4cg.org/calendar/?id=1696&t=1268028000

South Carolina

Aiken Women in Black Silent Vigil for Peace

http://scpej.org/calendar/?id=1528&t=1268629200

Tuesday, March 16

Georgia

Atlanta - Emery students Stand for Peace Vigil

http://gpjn.org/calendar/?id=251&t=1268715600

Illinois

Kankee - Speak Out

IVAW member Tyler (shadowflame05@gmail.com)

Maine

Bangor - Peace & Justice Center of Easern ME Bangor ME Peace Vigil

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=1239&t=1268715600

Wednesday, March 17

Illinois

Chicago - M20 Coalition 7th Annv of Iraq Invasion March

http://icjpe.org/actions/index.php?id=4065

Michigan

Adrian - The Lenawee Peacemakers Lenawee Peaceful Demonstrations

http://michiganpeacenetwork.org/calendar/?id=1127&t=1268802000

Minnesota

St. Paul - Women Against Military Madness Vigil to End the Occupation of Iraq

http://mapm.pjep.org/calendar/?id=760&t=1268802000

Minneapolis - Twin Cities Peace Campaign Special Bridge Vigil: 7 Yrs Too Long

http://mapm.pjep.org/calendar/?id=1825&t=1268802000

North Carolina

Chapel Hill NC Pease1st Anniversary of Iraq War Vigil

http://ncactionnet.org/actions/index.php?id=4232

New Jersey

Spiotta Park NJ Military Families Speak Out Anti-War Vigil

http://njpon.org/calendar/?id=886&t=1268802000

Teaneck, MFSO and Bergen P&J Coalition Weekly Vigil, 4:30 PM

Paula (paula.rogovin@verizon.net)

New York

New York - Grandmothers Against the War Rockefeller Ctr NYC Against War

http://ny4cg.org/calendar/?id=1627&t=1268802000

Staten Island - Peace Action of Staten Island Staten Island Weekly Vigil

http://ny4cg.org/calendar/?id=1730&t=1268802000

Wisconsin

Madison, WI IVAW Mud-stenciling

Nate (tothnj@gmail.com)

Thursday, March 18

Maine

Augusta ME Waterville Area Bridges for P & J Augusta Peace Vigil

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=1253&t=1268888400

New Hampshire

Manchester - Veterans for Peace End the Occupation Vigil

http://nhvpjen.org/calendar/?id=1178&t=1268888400

New York

New York-Veterans for Peace 034 NYC Vigil at Downtown Recruiting

http://ny4cg.org/calendar/?id=1770&t=1268888400

Virginia

Charlottesville - Charlottesville Center for P & J Peace Demonstration

http://vpan.org/actions/?id=3771

Friday, March 19

California

San Diego - Veterans for Peace San Diego Iraq - 7 Years of War

http://calaction.org/actions/index.php?id=4176

Indiana

Bloomington - Bloomington Peace Action Coalition Get on the Bus for DC Peace Demo

http://network4peace.org/actions/?id=4093

Kentucky

Newport - Intercommunity Justice and Peace Ctr. War Moratorium

http://ohiopeacenetwork.org/calendar/?id=1692&t=1268974800

Maine

Brunswick - Brunswick PeaceWorks Brunswick PeaceWorks Vigil

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=316&t=1268974800

Augusta - Augusta Women in Black Augusta WIB Vigil

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=1152&t=1268974800

Farmington - Western Mountains Peace Action W. Weekly Vigil for Peace

http://mpjen.org/calendar/?id=1150&t=1268974800

Michigan

Lansing - Greater Lansing Network Against... Noon-hour Peace Vigil

http://michiganpeacenetwork.org/calendar/?id=1663&t=1268974800

Minnesota

Minneapolis - The Iraq Moratorium Committee Iraq War Protest and Bannering

http://mapm.pjep.org/calendar/?id=747&t=1268974800

New Jersey

Montclair Parishioners for Peace & Justice Montclair Peace Vigil

http://njpon.org/calendar/?id=1179&t=1268974800

Ohio

Columbus - Columbus Campaign for Arms Cont. Peace Prayer, March, and Forum

http://ohiopeacenetwork.org/actions/?id=2179

Cincinnati - Intercommunity Justice and Peace Ctr. Mt. Healthy Peace Vigil

http://ohiopeacenetwork.org/calendar/?id=1693&t=1268974800

Utah

Logan - Cache Valley Peace Works Peace Vigil

http://utahactivistsnetwork.org/calendar/?id=1056&t=1268974800

Washington State

Bellingham - Local Activists Bellingham Vigil

http://wanet.org/calendar/?id=1796&t=1268974800

Wisconsin

Hayward - Peace North - Wisconsin Hayward Iraq Moratorium

http://wiscaction.org/calendar/?id=1283&t=1268974800

Saturday, March 20th

California

San Francisco - San Francisco ANSWER San Francisco

Thursday's Thoughts

Today's thought:

Happiness is bred of small things

Big things in life can temporally help you out, but for one to be truly happy it takes a lot of small things. There has recently been a change for the better in my schedule and I count myself very lucky and a lot happier for it. For the ability to chat with my children as I drive them to school in the mornings; for the ability to have more than a five minute conversation with my wife as I prepare for work; for the chance to eat lunch with her instead of alone in a cold room at work; for not having to rush off to bed as soon as dinner is done so that I can get up in what can only really be called "the middle of the night". These are all small things, and my instincts tell me to enjoy them while they last. And I shall.

Official Eclipse Trailor

Dear Laurel,
Daddy and I saw it first! :)
Enjoy!
Mamma

Large Group Performance

The Large Group performance was today...
Miah had to skip school because Jay couldn't get the time off, and we weren't going to get back before three to be able to pick her up. I'm glad she went, because she was fun. below are random pictures from the day, all of the kids filing onto stage, Miah snapping shots of me talking while walking with the couple of other parents that were able to go, and yes, I snuck a couple of pictures of the actual performance even though we weren't supposed to. I even sat my camera down and hit record while the kids were playing so that Daddy could hear later. I might not have followed the rules, but what good wife would have in this situation? The prepared music was good, only a few small issues, but the site based portion was great. They have 6 minutes to look at a piece of music that they have never seen before, then have to play as a group this music. I was worried. The first time I had to do this it was as an individual, not as a band, and I almost lost it, but how would the entire band sound?
It turns out that they were great. They scored two superiors, and one excellent, and got a superior on the site based too. If you don't know....this is awesome! I am so proud of my baby girl! I wish that some of my old band mates had been there to cheer her on! The next generation of band geeks is alive and well!
I had volunteered to haul some of the instruments, and while it wasn't a big inconvenience, it did mean that I had to stand in the rain and stack all of the instruments in the van. At this moment I am still soaked to the bone. It poured saxophones and tubas all day. I'm going to work on the videos, fingers crossed they load!

New Jewelry

While I was feeling sick, and waiting for my monthly bead mix from Sara, Jay ran out to the bead store and picked up his own mix of beads. I wondered what in the world I was going to do...because all of the beads he picked were brown....I drew a blank....then I had an ah ha moment...and this was the result...