Friday, July 23, 2010

Today ~

Hey, all!

I know I haven't done the best keeping up with my blog much. Sheesh, with all good intentions, I had wanted to make a post at least every couple of days, but that didn't happen.

I know I know, it is still July ~ but I decided to revamp the appearance of my blog already ~ for my favorite season AUTUMN!!!!!!! I know I jumped the gun, but I couldn't help myself.

We have so much going on ~ Let me catch you up

We are searching for a church. We've tried a few, but haven't made any decisions yet. We left our other with no malice. We just wanted to keep our church family and our family family in two separate categories. Together we have never attended a church on a regular basis with family, and we are independent and rogue like that!!!!!!!!! Like I said, no malice at all. It wasn't an easy decision to make or break to Jesse's family, but I think we are getting through it okay. It was truly a little awkward at first, but I think now that the dust is settling, everything is going to be okay.
In all honesty ~ I sorely miss my church framily in South Florida. I doubt we will ever again find a church like it. And no, it had nothing to do with the pastor at the time ~ there was a deep love that we had for everyone there, that it will be hard to find again. I compare it to this ~ The love of a lifetime, and once you leave that love behind, you will never again be able to find anything like it again, unless you go back and it's still there waiting for you! Spiritually, for me ~ Bible Baptist Church of Pembroke Pines was my church love of a lifetime. LOL!! Yes, yes, I'm being overly dramatic and sappy, but oh, stinkin' well!

On to the next thing ~
We are taking a vacation at the beginning of August. We are going back to my home area of Galesburg Illinois. My dad turns 60 then, and my mom is throwing him a surprise birthday party. We are part of the surprise. I'm excited and cannot wait. It'll be nice to have a little family get-away. We haven't had one in what seems like forever. And no, I don't count a cross country move like we did at this time last year as a family get-away :D Although I already am planning our next family VACA ~ and we won't be going just to see family. I would love to drive cross country (yes, I'm crazy) and go see Mount Rushmore and that area. I used to live there and LOVE that area. And I think my guys would love it also. Now, just for the record, anyone who wants to join us when we go, we'd be more than happy to have ya! It's a LONG journey, but it is a fun one! Of course, we'd make quite a few stops along the way! Which is where the fun just begins!

The boys are getting VERY excited about starting school right after we get back from our trip to Illinois. Xavier is already begging me to let him start as soon as we get his dvd's. WEIRDO. Tucker isn't too sure yet, though. When we do talk about school, big tears well up in his eyes and spill over as he explains to me that "I'm so scared, and well, I'm just scared". Hopefully, he'll get fairly used to it in a couple days, and will love it like Xavier does.

Xavier is starting to be a great big help around the house. He does his best, and when his chores aren't done to my specs, I have to remind myself that his is only 8 ~ 9 next month. Where in the heck does time go?!?!?!?!

Tucker looked at me out of the blue the other day and he said "I'm gonna git me a woman, and git us some babies" Then he out lined that he would have 10 babies in this order: girl boy girl boy girl boy boy girl boy. The girls will have red hair, and the boys will have brown hair. It cracked me up. This coming from a kid who hides his face and cries at the mere mention of his future wife Claire-bear Grace Ooten. And heaven forbid he see her picture, you'll see my little Tucker Jay blush like crazy.
During this convo with Tucker, Xavier ~ who is also VERY bashful about girls and cries at the mention of any girls name ~ like Taegan, or Maddie, or Alex. Anyways, during Tucker's description of "gittin' me a woman" Xav claims that yes, he probably will get married, but if his wife doesn't like what he does, he will tell her, "then go get a divorce slip, woman". DON'T. ASK. ME. I don't know where he came up with that! But these guys never cease to amaze me when they come up their silliness.
Gunner, ah, what to say about Gunner. He turns 2 next week. And since about November he has been in the terrible 2's. And it's driving me insane. He is the cutest kid with the sweetest looks and laugh and smile. But man, is he ever a handful. And he's not necessarily naughty {although I must say these last few days, this kid has been in some major trouble for disobedience and naughtiness} he is just ornery. Most days I just sit on the recliner and pray for bedtime. He plum wears me out! But, when he is ready for bed, he runs and gets his "bubba" (blanket) and crawls up on my lap kisses me and just wants to cuddle. Talk about melting my heart!!!!!!! Oh, the sheer calculated sweetness of the ornery little guy!!! But I'm grateful for him ~ and for all my guys! I wouldn't trade them for the world. I would loan them for a few hours every now and then, but never anything permanent!!!! :D LOL!!!!!!!!!

Jesse is still working at Rome Labs. He loves/hates his job. But it feeds us and pays our bills so we are grateful to God for providing it for us. He is trying to get a job as a VA Police officer over in Syracuse, and they want him, so we are basically just waiting for a few technicalities and the red tape. He is SUPER excited about it. Me too, but it will require him to be in Alabama for about 8 weeks at some point for an academy. Which is fine by me, I've survived deployments overseas, so an 8 week stint with him in the states should be pretty easy!

As for me, I am working part time at Belden Jewelers. I like it, but it isn't easy. My boss who is overall ok, won't not schedule me for Sundays like I told him I wouldn't work during my interview. And I've talked to him about it, and he has been a little more flexible with not making me work all day on Sunday, so I suppose that's good. I'm grateful for my job. It is helping us pay thing off more quickly. and that is a good thing.

So, as you can see we are busy ~ juggling my schedule, Jesse's schedule, an upcoming vacation, and trying to get my scrapbook done that I'm doing for my dad's party! Oh, yeah, and 3 ornery boogers to boot!!!!!!!! But, I'm blessed and have a very blessed life, though at times, I gripe and complain, I need to remind myself of that more often!!!!!

Anyhoo ~ Good night, blog world!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Happy 4th ~ Have you read this lately?!

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock