What is the best “gift” a significant other has given you?

OR

What is the best thing a significant other has done for you?

Thanks for sharing! 

The Positives:

• Offered a 5K Run/Walk, 10K Run, & Half Marathon for all participants
• Long-Sleeved T-shirt – this was very nice since most are t-shirts and I have a ton of them! 
• Goodie Bag – the goodie bag was great, complete with long-sleeved t-shirt, a bracelet, lip balm, water bottle, several pamphlets about the area, coupons for local specialty shops, & $5 gift certificate to the hardware store
•  Medals – the medals were “homemade” by a local tool & die fabricator.  Very unique and very cool!
• Organization – their organization was amazing.  I’ve never “checked in” so fast & smoothly
• Volunteers – there were tons of volunteers and they were well-marked with the event t-shirts
• Atmosphere – they had a large tent set up so it was easy to spot registration, they had a DJ playing tunes before, during, & after the race
• Pancake Breakfast – part of your registration money went to a pancake breakfast afterward…all you can eat!!!
• Scenic Route – I only ran the 5K, but it was a great route that covered paved roads, gravel paths, & worn grass paths surrounding the lake

The Negatives:

• 10K Route – the thing that caused me to NOT sign up for the 10K race was the fact that the route was the 5K route ran twice.  Races are twice as long for me when they are 2 of the same loops or out and backs! 
• No chip timing – while I’m sure this costs a good deal of $$, I’m sure if I were running the 10K or Half I would want chip timing (actually, I want it all the time now, but understand why they don’t for 5K’s). 

To be quite honest, I was hard-pressed to find any negatives about this event and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in these types of events.  Great job Friends of Beed’s Lake!!!

 As a child, the school year (as you are waiting for summer to approach) takes forever. Then, by the time August 1st arrives, it’s been the longest summer in man kind and you can’t wait to go back to school! 

Now that I’m an adult (I know this because I own my own home and pay my own bills), I realize how fast time really does go by!  I swear it was just May 1st last week! Why, do we as adults, seem to not be able to appreciate the time we have?  Why do we feel the need to schedule in something at every free moment? 

Let’s look at my weekend for this month

• First weekend – Run the Minnesota Half Marathon
• Second weekend – State Fair & work at the restaurant
• Third Weekend – Team Mini-Triathlon & work at the restaurant
• Fourth Weekend – 5K race & work at the restaurant

If the busy weekends aren’t enough, throw in some dinner dates (with friends), dog-sitting my mom’s dog for 4 days, hair appointments, let alone getting a workout in, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, etc.  WHY?

Don’t get me wrong, looking at the above list there isn’t much I would give up.  Okay, I’d be willing to give up working a second job (but currently my finances have a different opinion), I’d give up mowing the lawn (but, then I’d get a citation or fine from the city), I’d give up cleaning the house (but I think we all know that wouldn’t end well!).  But, the things I’m choosing to do: races, state fair, dinner dates, hair appointments, working out…I don’t want to give up any of those either! 

So, since I don’t currently want to give up anything in my schedule, I’m going to make a pact to myself.  I’m going to try and enjoy the days and nights that I have “free”.  I’m going to try and keep them “free” to remember and find the joy in the little things.  Maybe it’s riding my bike around town or sitting on my deck with a glass of wine & a book, maybe I will call a friend I haven’t talked to in a while and catch up.  Or, maybe I’ll lay on my couch and watch one of my favorite “girly” shows.  But, whatever it is I’m going to try and stop myself from “going” and “doing” every day, every minute of my life and enjoy the down times just as much!

You never hear me apologise,
For growin’ up strong, growin’ up right.
Livin’ life by the Golden Rule.
Say: “Yes, Ma’am,” “Thank You.”
Green fields for miles an’ miles,
Ain’t nothin’ but country on the radio dial.
I thank the good Lord I was born an’ bred,
Corn fed.

While there is more on our radios that country music (I think to think we are a little more “global” than that), most of this is true.  I was born and raised a farm girl, held responsible for my actions, excpted to give respect to those around me, and taught a work ethic out on the farm. 

I DO thank the Lord that I was born and bred Corn Fed.  To me, there is nothing better and I can’t imagine myself being anywhere else to be! 

On Saturday morning myself, my dad, & my cousin-in-law made our way to Belmond for their annual Dog Days Triathlon.  Technically, it’s a mini triathlon, but none-the-less a great experience.  We competed as a team and had a great time.  My step-mom came to cheer us on and was great encouragement and support!  I completed the running part of the event (3 miles), my dad was the cyclist (10 miles), and my cousin swam (150 meters).  While we didn’t medal, we finished and had a great time doing so.  We’re hoping that maybe we can get another team or two out of our family for next year. 

The Positives:

• FUN!  They make the atmosphere so fun & light hearted!
• Open to individuals or teams.  There were several different team categories.  Obviously, we entered the family category, but there was also: all women, all men, business, & youth teams. 
• Very well organized (always makes any event much better)
• Great refreshments (G2, water, peaches, apples, bananas, yogurt, ice cream, trail mix, and homemade cinnamon rolls…YUM!)
• tons of door prizes
• They offered bug spray to all participants & spectators (and the mosquitos have been awful this year, so it was very appreciated)

The Negatives:

• They started early – normally this isn’t a big deal, but it was since I was in the bathroom.  As someone who does races on a regular basis you learn your routine, you know how much time you need to stretch, etc.  If suddenly they are starting the race early, it throws that all off!
• No time clocks – I would have loved to see time clocks at the end of the run and the end of the bike ride, along with the end of the swim. 
• Crowd control – there wasn’t a whole lot of crowd control in the exchange zones & that was confusing for us teams.  It would be nice if they would rope off that area from the spectators. 
• The Prize Giveaway – while they had a ton of door prizes (which is awesome), it took forever to give them out, which means it was taking forever for them to figure the results.  The lady who was announcing the give-aways did an awesome job (humorous, etc) , but the whole situation was drug out and after sweating your buns off, being in a pool, etc.  we were just ready to jump in the car and go home to shower!  One thing that could have helped the situation a little bit is if there had been some tents for people to stand under for shade. 

Overall, a great experience and I can’t wait to do it again next year.  Who knows…I may give a try as an individual!

Why?  Why are people so negative? 

Do they really view their lives as miserable?  If so, why?  Did they used to have more and now they have less and they miss the life they used to have?  Or, do they envy their neighbor and what they have?

What do we gain by being negative?  Do you gain sympathy?  Is that what you’re going for?  In my humble opinion the only thing we gain from being negative is the haunting feeling, day after day, that our life sucks!  If we live in this negativity, we are bound to think the world can never get better and if this is the view we have, we may be missing out on something wonderful in our lives or pass up opportunities for something great because “there is no way that could turn out good!”

Please try to look on the bright side of things!

The indignation expressed by those griping that bike riders on the highway are in fact “free riders” because they do not have to buy licenses is amusing.  Perhaps we should ban those unlicensed tractors, grain wagons and combines from our roadways as well. They are not licensed and, furthermore, farmers do not pay taxes on the fuel they use. — Dave Swenson, Ames

Following this there were reader comments, of course, and I’m going to share my two thoughts using those as a springboard. 

• floatmyboat wrote: No, but farmers do pay plenty enough in property taxes that help build and maintain roads and infrastructure…oh and bike paths as well.

Yeah, well, I pay property taxes too and in my opinion, more than enough.  However, I still do it and I know I don’t get a choice, but I also know that they go back into my town & school system, so I guess I’m still reaping the benefits.  Owning land (whether you’re a farmer or not) involves paying taxes and everyone who owns land does it, regardless of their occupation, so that shouldn’t even be used as an argument for farmers!

• bp1505 wrote: How far can you bike without any food in your system?  When was the last time you, while riding your bike and holding up traffic, produced anything of value for anyone? Farmers are producing your food to sustain your existence so you can waste oxygen while riding your toy on a road with two to ten ton machines that could crush a bike rider in an instant. Who is the dimwit in this equation?

Hmm…I have two thoughts regarding this one: A) you are obviously a farmer and fear that someone’s opinion might ruin your chance of a tax right off and B) you obviously have no sense of being physically active & healthy.  Yes, bikes hold up traffic (sometimes) as do tractors (sometimes) and I can honestly say that I’ve been held up by more tractors than cyclists in my day (Yes, I do live in a farming community).  I work with those farmers everyday.  I see their tractors everyday, and I still get irritated with them driving down the middle of the road.  Cyclists can at least get over on the shoulder and make passing easier, but that being said there is always going to be a farmer and a cyclist that holds up traffic.  It doesn’t make one bigger, better, or more worthy than the other.  My hats off to the person on the bike for getting out there and trying to make themselves healthier and more phyically fit! 

• aglaw wrote:Most of the roads bike riders utilize are county roads. County roads paid for by property tax dollars collected from property tax payers. In 90 of our 99 counties in Iowa, farm land accounts for a majority of the property tax base. Agriculture pays it share for roads. The fuel tax not paid by farmers, of which a portion goes to state and federal highways – perhaps bicyclists should try I-80 or I-35. PS- I do enjoy bicycling myself

Most of the roads in town (to and from the elevator) that the farmers use are city roads too.  I don’t see them paying city taxes to repair them?  While I have no doubts that the farmers are putting back into county roads in one way or the other, I also know that their equipment does A LOT more damage to said roads than my bicycle.  In a very specific incident  in my area, there have been damages done to county and city roads from all the “heavy” equipment using them when they go to the elevator.  Guess who has paid for those repairs??  Not the farmers, it’s been a joint effort of the coop & the appropriate governments.  Yes, the coop uses those roads too and are willing to accept responsibility, but what about the other “heavy” loads that have caused damage?

• rwfreddywrote: Farmers also produce the grain that goes into the granola bar in your fannypack. I wouldn’t be complaining about them too much, if I were you…

I don’t know if Mr. Swenson is so much complaining about the farmers as saying “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander”.  Comparing bycicles to tractors & wagons on roads is like comparing an ant to an elephant on the ark.  Is it really a reasonable argument?

“Women are realizing it more and more knowing that they don’t have to settle with a man just to have that child. Times have changed and that is also what is amazing is that we do have so many options these days, as opposed to our parents’ days when you can’t have children because you have waited too long.”

After hearing the comment, O’Reilly replied with the following:

 ”She’s throwing a message out to 12-year-olds and 13-year-olds that, ‘Hey you don’t need a guy. You don’t need a dad,’” he ranted on his FOX News show this week. “That is destructive to our society.”

I think that O’Reilly took Aniston’s comment in a completely different direction than she intended.  To me Aniston is saying that due to options available today, women don’t have to “settle” on a man in order to have a child, meaning she doesn’t have to wind up with someone she doesn’t love or want to spend the rest of her life with in order to be a mom.  And, I think she’s right.  There are numerous women out there who want to be moms and would make great moms, but can’t seem to find “Mr. Right”.  I don’t think that Aniston was insinuating that young women should go out and get pregnant without a thought.   

Here’s what I’ve got to say….

1. It isn’t the number of people that make good parents:I could give you several specific names and situations of married folks that are married and aren’t doing (IMHO) a good job of parenting.  They aren’t necessarily loving and nurturing homes.  However, there are several single parent homes (due to death, divorce, or an absent donator) that are some of the best environments for children.  Ideally, should kids be raised by a mom and a dad?  I think so, but just because they aren’t doesn’t mean they are doomed.  If we go with the reasoning that all children should be raised by a man AND a women then we’re going to have to start taking children away from people in the above situation.  UHHHH!!! Excuse me?  That could quite possibly be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. 
2. Adoption – there are so many children in the United States and across the world that need to be adopted.  If we can get one more child out of an orphanage or a bad situation and into a loving home, why not? 
3. What makes a home a home and a mom a mom? A “home” is not created by a man and a woman and a “mom” or “dad” is not made by a member of the opposite sex.  You can easily have all of the above and still not have an ideal situation for a child, so why must we put those restrictions on people who want to be parents?

I could continue on and on, but I won’t.  Bottom line, to me, is that as long as the child is in a home that is loving and nurturing, it doesn’t matter if it is by a single woman, a single man, a man and a woman, or a family of baboons!

I’ll start with the positives:

• Very well organized.  Registration (both online and at packet pick-up) was easy and efficient
• The Expo was decent.  A handful of vendors, helpful people, etc.  (since this is only my 2nd really big race, I don’t have much to compare to)
• Closed course – this is probably the biggest thing to me as  my last half marathon was on streets open to the public and I hated it! 
• Course Route – pretty scenery, water stops every 2 miles, along with porta potties, med stations, & race volunteers cheering you on.
• The Minnesota Pacers – very friendly…actually seemed concerned about your well-being in a non-judgemental sort of way. 
• At the finish line they actually had people handing out bottles of water, placing the medal around your neck, and taking off your chip!  A great help when you think you’re dying! 

And now, the negatives:

• The Start – no countdown, no gun, nothing….all of sudden, you were just running.  I really would like a little more warning.
• The Course – an out and back.  When you’re running 13.1 miles, you really would like a change of scenery the whole time..it helps the miles go faster.
• The finish – the finish line was confusing.  There was nothing really defining the finish area and you didn’t realize you had crossed the finish until you got a bottle of water shoved in your face. 
• The Host Area – the park where everything was hosted was long and narrow, which meant everything was spread out.  The food was at the other end of the park from the finish line (and I didn’t feel like walking that distance), along with with the bag pick up.

Overall, it wasn’t a horrible experience and I’m still glad I did it (regardless of how miserable I felt while running).  Would I do this one over again?  Probably not.

Are you a planner? Or, do you fly by the seat of your pants?

I am a planner.  I don’t like not having plans, I don’t like not knowing what I’m going to be doing.  I like about 5 days worth of planning.  Then, I feel better.  Maybe it’s the control freak in me coming out, maybe it’s the OCD/Anal Retentive in me coming out, but I’m definitely a planner!

As I was preparing for my half marathon race recently, I came to a realization. One half marathon was enough for me!  I’ve always thought that in order for me to keep running (as much as I like it) I needed a goal to reach for, to train for. So, after my first half marathon I set out to find another in order to stay running throughout the summer. 

Running for me, is just as much about the physical as it is about the mental.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve always had a skewed opinion about the way I look, physically.  I’ve found over the past couple years that running allows me to stay at a weight that I am (for the most part) happy with.  So, I don’t ever want to give it up.  Especially, since it’s the form of exercise I enjoy most. 

I’ve also come to benefit from the mental benefits of running…whether it’s coming up with new marketing ideas for the restaurant I work with or working through life’s situations.  My 30minutes every morning are time that is mine only to sort through whatever may be going through my mind. 

As I sit here, the day before my half marathon, I realize that my heart may not be in 100%.  Being able to run a half marathon was one of those “bucket list” items for me.  The euphoria I felt after running that race carried me through to scheduling the next one.  Now, I am wondering if I want to continually run half marathons.  Is it my niche?  Where is my niche?

I actually found myself telling someone the other day, “If I can just run 3 miles every morning and a slightly longer run on the weekend and I’ll be happy”.  I actually couldn’t believe that came out of my mouth and quite honestly, I dont’ know how to feel about it.

Written after the Minnesota Half Marathon:

I did it, regardless of my feelings prior to the race, I finished the Minnesota Half Marathon.  And, as crappy as it felt as I went along, it ended up being 1 minute better than my first..so technically, I got my PR (personal record).  But, as I was running it I was having a very strong internal battle.  Not only were my legs tired, my feet hurt, & I couldn’t always seem to catch my breath, but my mind was playing devils advocate with me. 

Why was I running that half marathon?  Was I trying to prove something to someone?  I already knew I could do it (as I had already run once this summer), so what was the point if I was that miserable.  While I was proud of myself for keeping one foot in front of the other and not giving into the pressure (from within) to give up, I wasn’t having fun!  In fact, I was miserable!  My heart broke while I was running!  I really had to focus on each step and paying more attention to the song streaming through my headphones and not about the realization I was having, in order to keep from collapsing in a heap, crying in the middle of the street! 

I really don’t know why I was running that second half, perhaps it was the pressure I put on myself  from being around other runners who are constantly (more than myself) competing, reaching new levels, new speeds, new PR’s.  Perhaps it was the desire to be a speedster (and a speedster, I am not).  Maybe it was to be like those folks I read about in my running magazines.  And it might have even been to keep up with the “image” that I seemed to have created for myself in the community as “the girl who runs”.  Maybe I didn’t want to let that excitement go. 

Without running, who am I?  What is my next identity if I’m not a runner?  But, wait…can I be a runner without being a “half marathoner”?  Of course, I can!  As I was having all of these realizations on Saturday (and still working through them during my easy 2 mile run) I realized, I run because I love it, I love the benefits it has for me and I love the way I feel after I finish.  Who cares how far I go?  Or, how many races I run?  No one should care, other than myself, and since I’m not running for anyone but myself, it doesn’t matter. 

From this week until harvest starts, I’m going to focus on general fitness and health.  I’m going to work on strength training, but I am also going to keep running and if I feel like running a race, I will.  If I feel like doing another half marathon, I will, but if I don’t, I’m not going to beat myself up over it.  This (the training, the racing) is all for me and I’m going to keep that as the focus!

Lake Delhi and it’s dam are privately owned by those people who have homes on Lake Delhi.  It is not publicly (state or federal) run, nor do either of these entities have any “say” in what happens.  BUT, now the people of Delaware County and specifically those that live (or have vacation homes on Lake Delhi) want state and federal aid.  They want the tax payers’ money to go to repair their dam, pay for their clean-up, & rebuilding. 

Now, before you all start thinking I’m a heartless wench, please remember that this is a privately owned lake and dam.  This means that any revenue that is created by the lake and dam does NOT go back to the taxpayers…only to the association that owns the lake!  Also, please note that the people of Lake Delhi opted out of federal insurance for such occurrences. Now, that their beloved lake and dam are no longer, they would love for the state and federal government to come rescue them.  However, even though they are asking for help, they have also come out and said that even if they are provided help from tax monies, they have no intention of relinquishing any control or possession of the dam to anyone, but the private owners. 

Now, the association that owns the dam is saying they will repair it in the next couple years, along with putting in two electric turbines to produce hydroelectricity.  They say that they aim to pay for as much of the repairs as possible, but they will likely seek tax money to help because it is a “public recreation area”.  But, who benefits from the profits of this area? 

Um…excuse me, but I work hard EVERYDAY, two jobs every month, & I don’t appreciate you wanting my tax money to pay for your vacation home while you and only you reap the benefits! If tax money goes in, money should come back out to the state! 

So, I now pose this poll question to you my dear readers,

                   Should the State of Iowa and/or the US government provide tax money to repair the dam             and rebuild Lake Delhi?

I’d love to hear what you have to say!

My point of this post is to salute those men and women in the armed forces and to thank them for their service.  Whether or not you agree with us being in the “war on terrorism”, you can’t ignore the dedication and sacrifice these folks are making!  THANK YOU!  May God bless you and your families and may you return safely home!

I see my “problem” at work the greatest, followed by my home life.  Everything is set on my desk in it’s specific spot.  If it gets bumped or moved, it must be straightened or put back.  I have a very specific way of doing day-to-day operations and if they are done another way, I must correct it and do it “my way” or I feel uneasy!  I have a very specific way of organizing everything in the office and God protect the man that screws it up!  It isn’t pretty! 

At home, everything has it’s place.  The dishwasher is loaded in a very specific manner:  plates on the bottom rack in the front; pots and pans in the back; the top shelf is loaded from the back to the front with bowls on the right side and glasses on the left; silver is put in the basket with handles up.  I’ve actually been known to empty the dishwasher of dirty dishes and re-load them if *gasp* they were loaded “wrong”. 

I have a very specific routine in the morning for getting ready for work and my whole day is out of whack if that gets thrown off.  I do my make-up and hair in the exact same order, the exact same way EVERY DAY! 

Now, before you all go thinking I’m completley off my rocker and calling the psyche ward to come get me, I would like to point out that being OC does have it’s advantages. 

• The other day our federal grain inspectors were at work to do our yearly audit; and because of my organizational skills, I knew exactly where everything was, I knew that I had all the appropriate documents, and I could retrieve them for him in a swift manner.  (Although, I did have to warn him not to go digging around in my scale ticket files and mess them up!)
• My house is always picked up (not necessarily dusted) because I can’t stand the clutter and everything needs to be in it’s place.
• I don’t have a lot of boxes of stuff and nor do I have shelves covered with tons of nic nacs….can’t stand that! 

So, whether or not I need clinical help I know I have a problem and they always say “the first step to fixing your problem is to admit you have one”  So, maybe I’ll try to not be so neurotic…maybe! 

Now, please put my stapler back where you found it!

“Don’t let good stand in the way of great.  Don’t let the past stamd in the way of the future.”

I could ramble on about what this  means in my life and what I want it to mean in my future, but I think it’s one of those quotes that is strong enough to stand on its own. 

Live for good and live for the future! 

Am I being too hard on myself? 

When I run, I run for me.  I don’t run for the recognition (although it’s nice to get some every once in awhile), I don’t run to break records.  I run to make ME feel better, I run for MY health, so isn’t it okay if I critique myself every once in awhile?

I am thankful I can run.  I am very thankful I can run considering my history with injuries.  I know there are people out there who couldn’t run if they wanted to.  So, I am thankful that I have the ability to do so!

But, since I do all of this for nothing other than MY health & MY sanity & for ME, can’t I be critical of myself?  I wasn’t sitting at the finish line beating myself up, I wasn’t saying that the run was so bad I might as well give up running all together, I was simply stating that for me, that was my worst run.  Isn’t that okay? 

 I was still happy to be running, still happy to be there with friends, & to partake in the experience, but not happy with my performance.  Don’t you think professional athletes critique themselves?  Isn’t that how we get better?  So, at what point is it too much or too far?

Take the time to be polite and have some manners and use your “pleases” and “thank you’s”.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be & why?

• No one greeted me when I arrived at the store.
• Finally when a guy did come up to me, I explained my training and injury history and he said “ok, I’ll go get some shoes”  What??  No treadmill??  That’s why I came here!  He didn’t even offer me the chance to get on the treadmill! 
• He brought me three pairs of shoes, all different brands (very common) and set he boxes down in front of me and said, “you can try these on and let me know which one you like” and then promptly walked away!  Uh….excuse me, am I inconveniencing you today??
• While I tried on my own shoes, with no assistance from him, he was off at the other end of the store, talking with a fellow salesperson. 

I tried on a couple pairs, ran in them on the sidewalk and had some issues.  But, did he come check on me?  NO!  I had to go find him, wait for him to stop talking to said salesperson and say, “yeah?”  I explained my issues and he responded with the appropriate answers I’m sure and off he went to get more shoes, which I proceeded to work through on my own.  No feedback from him, no helping me decide which on was best, etc.  I finally decided on the pair I wanted and headed to the check out.  I paid and he said, “thanks.” No “come again” or “hope you like the shoes”, etc.  He was too busy talking to everyone else in the store about the shoes they were looking at, or the big bike ride he was taking tomorrow, etc.  VERY FRUSTRATED with the experience, I left very sad and let down. 

Since runner’s are to replace shoes every 300-400miles, we put a lot of money into our shoes.  Because I run long distances, I want a shoe that will hold up and I want to make sure I have the right shoe.  I was expecting to be taken care and helped with all my needs and I definitely was not.  I will not be returning to The Runner’s Flat, nor will I recommend any other runners to go there.  I would rather drive 2 1/2 hrs to the Twin Cities to my other “running store”.

My final decision:  The Saucony Pro-Grid Hurrican 11

You’ve recently came down with a horrible bacterial blood infection. You will never know how scared you had us all! You will never know the thoughts that raced through my head when your daddy told me you were sick and had to go to the hospital and then when you had to be transferred to a much better hospital that is solely focused on children. 

The panic and fear I felt during that time period was about more than I could handle.  The fear of not having you in my life gripped me by the throat and shook me to the core!  All this being said, there are a few things I want you to know! 

• I would do ANYTHING for you. You may not be my own child, but I would do anything in my human power to make your world better, free of pain, and free of heartache.
• You will never know the joy and love you’ve brought to my world!  There is nothing like feeling your little arms wrap around me and you planting a kiss on me!  That is the epitome of joy!!
• I’m constantly amazed by you and I know I will be as long as you and I live!

You will never know the amount of joy you bring to my life and how much I treasure your life!  I could never do enough to show you how much you mean to me, all I can promise is that I will try and be the best aunt to you today and every day for the rest of your life!  You truly are a treasure! 

I love you more than words can say!

Aunt Katy

While we are all entitled to our opinion, this may have crossed the line.  The leader of the Tea Party said, “It’s a statement on his policy,” and insists that it isn’t disrespectful to the President.  I beg to differ.  To put the President’s picture next to the picture of someone who orchestrated the mass murder of millions IS disrespectful! You might as well have put his picture next to that of Jeffery Dahmer or Ted Bundy!  While you’re at it, throw up pictures of Osama Bin Laden & Sadam Hussein. 

I may not agree with President Obama and I may not have voted for him and I may want him out of office and I may be against some of his policies…I would not compare him to a mass murderer!!

The group maintains that it’s merely about his policies, but I don’t think there is anyone who can argue the fact that the general public who is driving down the road and seeing the billboard will say to themselves, “Damn!  He got compared to Hitler!” and not think twice about policies!  If you have a problem with his policies, I’m sure there is a much more tact-filled way to get your point across!   

So, my first question (I got this from a radio station this morning) . 

If you are in a committed relationship, is it okay to check out other members of the opposite sex?

Why men?  Why do you do it?  Is it just to show off and be funny (supposedly) or is it to show the other men you’re around that you have “balls” and can talk however you want, whenever you want?  Or, is that really the way you feel about women?  Are they are just objects for you to use in your humor however you’d like regardless of their feelings? 

I REFUSE to believe that is how all men see their wives, girlfriends, mother’s, sister’s, daughter’s, etc.  If I would believe it, I would be giving up on men all together!  So, if that isn’t how men see the women in their lives, why do they do such moronic things?  Would said men tell those jokes with their mom present?  Would they talk about their wives to their face as they do man to man?  Would they want another man talking about their daughter like that?

If you truly love the women in your life, why do you degrade them in public?  You would be hard pressed to find a group of women standing around, cracking jokes about the “size” of their man or how they bossed them around and “let” them sleep in the house.  So, why do you men feel the need to do it?  (I’m not saying there aren’t women out there that talk this way, but I think we can all agree that men do it more than women.)

The next time you are somewhere Men, and another guy feels the need to start in on comments about a women or cracking jokes about women that are degrading, man up and say, “You know I love my wife and I don’t know why she’s still married to me” or “I’ve got the best wife there is” or “I’m so glad my mom raised me the way she did, to be a gentleman!” 

Respect your ladies…brag about them, because I know they are bragging about you!

For some reason the last couple weeks I have been incredibly moody and I know it.  And the scariest part is that I can’t do anything about it.  I can be fine, my happy-go-lucky self one moment, then someone looks at me from across the room and my ignition has been lit and I’m off!  Done for.  Without even thinking and before I know it, I’m flying off the handle (and most of the time it’s over something very trivial)!  Then, after it’s over, I stop, realize what I’ve done or how I’ve reacted and want to cry (and in some instances, actually do cry)!  That, my friends, is a mood swing!

I feel badly for the guys I work with, I really do!  Thankfully, they know me well enough by this point that they just avoid eye contact, go outside, and let me cool off and never take it personally.  I try to not take it out on them, but quite often my outburst ends up landing on one of them because they are my “safe zones”. 

So, why do we have to put up with these hormones?  We can put a man on the moon, you would think we could find a way to calm the womanly hormones!  I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.  Not every month is this extreme and I wish I could determine what the changes are from month to month and how they affect my mood swings, so I could help myself (and those around me) avoid them!

Ah, who doesn’t love a good holiday? Especially, when it results in the working folk having a day off? Yee Haw! Okay, maybe I let my enthusiasm for having a 3-day weekend get the best of me there, but really! What a great holiday! It combines some of the best things on Earth!  Time off work, grilled food, a reason to get together with family & friends, parades, & fireworks!  I may be 29, but I still enjoy a great fireworks display!

“Stars & Stripes tell the story of dedication, grace, & glory”

No matter how you feel about the current status of the American government, you can’t deny that we live in a great country!  Happy 4th of July!