Bushisms

It is no secret that I'm a die hard Republican but our president isn't very eloquent. He actually sounds like me when I get nervous! This video was just too funny not to show. So here it is:

Phobias

Dr. Phil says that the biggest influence on a child is the same sex parent. Unfortunately for my girls, that's me. I have passed on my irrational phobias to Brittanie and, without realizing it, to Katie as well. I have been corresponding on myspace with a girl I went to elementary and high school with and I got my yearbook out to show Brittanie that the girl hasn't aged a bit since high school and is actually even prettier now. Well the yearbook I got down was from my Jr. year of high school and it has a big clown on the front cover. Don't ask me why. The whole book has a stupid clown theme. I have always been creeped out by clowns and so is Brittanie. Well I put the yearbook on the bookcase and didn't think anything of it. Later, Katie was going to do her normal routine and climb on the bookcase to get to her movies and spotted the clown yearbook. She jumped back like she had touched a hot stove or something. Tom asked her what was wrong and she pointed to the yearbook. She told Tom she was scared of clowns. So now Tom is the only one in the house who isn't creeped out by clowns. Tom isn't scared of anything though. It must be nice! Brittanie and I are both scared of birds. I'm MUCH worse with it than Brittanie is though. Brittanie has a fear of spiders. I hate all bugs, especially the ones with wings.

Hmmmm sounds like our family belongs on Dr. Phil. hahaha

Need your prayers!

Yesterday, my mom called to tell me that my nephew's wife, Kathy, had been driving to work on a gravel road, lost control and ended up going down into a canal, 12 foot below the road. She totalled her truck. Randy, my nephew, had taken off work because he was having muscle and joint aches all over. He went and got her and brought her to the hospital. While they were x-raying her, he had, for the second time in two months, an episode where he started sweating, got nauseous, and passed out for a few seconds. It was witnessed by a nurse and they wanted to take him to the ER but he refused. He said when he knows Kathy is completely ok, then he will go have a stress test done. It really scares me. He is 38. There is heart disease all over my dad's side of the family. My dad had heart disease diagnosed at 50. My brother, Randy's daddy, is 58 and had stents put in recently after a cardiac episode. These are first degree relatives. Randy really really really needs to have a cardiac evaluation. It scares me. I adore him. If I lost him I don't think I could handle that. It would be just as bad, if not worse, as losing my dad because Randy and his sister lived in the same house with us till I was 16. He is more of a brother to me his dad is. So please join me in praying for him and his wife that God will heal them and watch over them.

By the way, the picture is Randy, Kathy, and Katie taken in April, when we went to Louisiana for spring break. Katie stuck to Randy like glue during that trip. She is VERY excited that they may be coming for Thanksgiving. With all that happened yesterday, we will be very lucky if they come afterall.

It's a great day to be a Republican!!

With the election day behind us, the state of South Carolina can breathe a sigh of relief as the Republicans have prevailed. Unfortunately, the nation as a whole wasn't as lucky. But I'm not going to worry about that right now. I want to enjoy the victory we have won in South Carolina. I am VERY disappointed in the House District 96 results. It was the only time I have ever supported a Democrat. I hate that Kit Spires is going to be representing my district. Everyone hates negative campaigning, whether it is true or not. When Kit Spires faced off against Ken Clark in the summer to get the Republican nomination, Ken ran a clean campaign. He knew what many of us knew about Kit's personal life but chose not to bring that to light in order to not "hit below the belt." After meeting Kit Spires and having him lie to my face last summer, I'm not sure Kit would have done the same if he had the same information on Ken. But we will never know. But Ken Clark is a Christian and would prefer to lose with his reputation as a Christian intact rather than to mudsling. Unfortunately, because the majority of voters never found out this piece of information that would have made a BIG difference in this staunchly conservative area, we are stuck with Kit Spires for 4 years. But that is the biggest disappointment in our state for me.

Being raised in Louisiana and enduring year after year of amoral Democrats leading the state, it is so great to live in a conservative Republican state!! I admit that I was torn on the Lt. Governor's race as I'm NOT a fan of Andre Bauer. I only supported him to keep my party in office. Personally, I think Andre Bauer is a narcissist, who thinks WAYYYYY too highly of himself than he should. But thanks to term limits, this will be his last term as Lt. Governor.

But I think the results that made me happiest would have to be Joe Wilson winning US House District 2 again. Joe is not a politician. He is a real person who genuinely cares about the people of South Carolina. I've had the honor of meeting him here in Gaston on a few occasions and can honestly tell you he is such a nice man and so intelligent. I am thrilled to have him continue to represent us.

So anyway, that's my ramblings on the election. Bottom line, I'm proud to be a Republican!

Flashback to 1985

I know this isn't 1985 but watching the Miami Dolphins beat up on the Chicago Bears yesterday brought me back to the good old days. Every week, I looked forward to watching Dan Marino do his thing with his bullet arm and watching Mark Clayton and Mark "Super" Duper make play after outstanding play. I mentioned in a previous post that I was a Miami Dolphins fan as a teenager. I didn't mention that I hated the Chicago Bears back then. Lead by Ditka and McMahon, they all had bloated egos, so much so that they even came up with an obnoxious song to celebrate their bloated egos. But in 1985, my Dolphins punched them right in the ego with a hard fought 12-0 win. It was a sweet win back then and it was a sweet win yesterday as well. Tom reminded me that this is a completely different team than the 85 Bears. I understand that but I was soooooooo sick of the arrogance of the 85 Bears that unless Dan Marino comes out of retirement and joined the Bears team, I think I will hate them forever.

Anyway, congratulations to the Dolphins. They have struggled so much since the season started but in true 85 Dolphins fashion, they conquered the Bears yesterday! WOOO HOOO!!!

Tom's blog

Some of the guys that Tom works were talking about how he does everything on his laptop from his recliner. From work to blogging to looking up stuff on the net, Tom's recliner is where it all happens. So he changed his blog complete with a picture of his actual recliner from the La-Z-Boy website. I thought it was funny. Check out his new improved blog. Click here.

Good day!

Today, I worked the concession stand for Swansea High School's JROTC rifle, drill, and color guard competitions. I really enjoyed being around Brittanie's friends. Made me feel both young and old, if that is possible? lol Randy was leading the drill team that placed 2nd today. I am very proud of him and his cadets.

Tonight I got home and my Randy, my nephew in Louisiana, called me and asked me if I wanted company for Thanksgiving. Of course I was thrilled to hear that he and his wife and daughter and my mom are trying to work it out so they can come here for Thanksgiving. They will leave the day before Thanksgiving and go home the Saturay after Thanksgiving. It is only 2 days but I'll take it. I'm so excited!!! I sure hope everything works out.

Yall have a good weekend! It is 8:17pm and I'm pooped and going to bed. It is a good tired though!!

Brittanie's first day at Sonic

Today was Brittanie's first day at Sonic. She is working the drink station. She said it was rough because they are very busy and there are thousands of drink combinations. But she got the hang of it. They are much more professional to work for, which is definitely a good thing.

God doesn't like ugly!

Now THAT is a funny joke!

I'm sure most of you have heard about John Kerry's "botched joke." For those who haven't, let me tell you what happened. Kerry was speaking to a groups of students in California on Monday and he said "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq." Well it was the shot heard round the world and President Bush called for Kerry to apologize for those remarks. Well first Kerry refused to apologize on Tuesday. But then his fellow Democrats asked him to apologize. So Kerry claimed that his remarks were a botched joke. He claims what he meant to say was "You end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush."

Well even if that is really what he meant to say, it just goes to show that God doesn't like ugly. And in true Democrat fashion, Kerry now blames the White House because the whole nation is mad at him, calling it a "smear and fear" campaign. WHAT??? So Kerry says something totally insane and that's the President's fault? No matter how you feel about George W. Bush, aren't you glad Kerry didn't get elected. He, like sooooooooooooo many democrats, prefers to blame others for their mistakes instead of taking responsibility for his actions.

Well as the godmother of a Iraqi Freedom veteran, who served two years in Iraq, I don't think Kerry's joke is funny. My godson is not stupid and neither are the other people who have served and are serving there. To even suggest such a thing, especially while we are at war, is irresponsible and makes Kerry the stupid one.

By the way, even if I believe that this was just a botched joke, I have always thought it was very inappropriate to insult the President/Commander in Chief while our country is at war. We should come together as a united front and support our president, our country, and especially our troops. Without those men and women risking and losing lives in wars like we are fighting in Iraq, John Kerry wouldn't have the freedom to say the idiotic things he says!

Great lessons from Pastor Kelley

Brittanie went to Pastor Kelley's funeral today and brought home the program. There was a message from his wife inside that made me cry. But the back of the program had something I wanted to share with everyone.

"The Greatest Lessons I have Learned as a Preacher of the Gospel."
- Dr. Bob Kelley

(First given to his Timothy Club and preacher boys)

1. Your best sermon is your family, love your wife, and teach your children to stay close.

2. Empty wells produce dead cats and dry leaves - personal devotions are a must to prevent burn out and keep a fresh presence of the Lord.

3. Love people as they are, rough edges and all, and never, ever give up on them.

4. You do not get what you want in life and ministry, you get what you are - character matters.

5. Never, ever lose your burden for souls.

6. Guard your tongue.

7. Learn to calculate what is worth making an issue - learn the difference between convictions and preferences.

8. God called us to build people, not ministries or buildings.

9. Make good friends.

10. Have fun! Stay excited! Laugh! People ought to want your job!

11. Die to self, and don't be all day in doing it! Rise early and get going!

12. The best protection against falling into sin is to practice hating it.

13. Count your blessings - then record then. Don't rely on your memory to recall all of God's goodness.

14. Say "thank you" every time and every way you can. A thankful attitude covers a multitude of sins.

15. Exercise your faith. A faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.

16. Keep your shoes shined, stay neat - first impressions matter.

17. Never forget the Judgement seat of Christ.

18. Always remember - God can get along fine without you!

Scary Halloween night

We live in a quiet little town of about 1200 residents. Just about everyone is family here. But last night our comfort and security were shattered. Our neighbors/cousins down the street from us called to let us know there had been a shooting right around the corner! It happened around 6pm. As usual, WLTX reported it first but I'm going to post what WIS put on their website only because it is more detailed:

(Gaston) November 1, 2006 - One man is recovering in the hospital after being shot in the jaw Tuesday night in Gaston.

The Gaston Police Department is investigating the attempted robbery and carjacking that happened on Ball Park Road.

According to the Chief of police, the victim and another man were stopped at a stop sign when the suspects pulled up behind them flashing their headlights. That is when a man came up to the driver's side window demanding money.

After getting the money, the man demanded and got the keys to the car. Officials say the suspect then fired a shot, hitting the victim in the jaw.

The shooter fled in a small four-door red or burgundy car.

Investigators have identified a person of interest.

I love that Gaston is growing and we have less and less reasons to go into the city because of new businesses in town. But with growth comes the criminal element. I think for Christmas we all need to get concealed weapons permits so we can protect ourselves in our car. I will definitely be talking to Brittanie when she gets home about not stopping for anyone but the police. That should be common sense but sometimes we just don't think about the dangers, especially in a town like Gaston where nothing ever happens.

Katie's costume

Katie's costume was so adorable that I just had to get pictures. She was a Hershey's kiss!

Well done, thou good and faithful servant

This past weekend, a true man of God, Pastor Bob Kelley, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in West Columbia, went home to be with the Lord. He was a giant among men and everything you could ever want in a pastor, a friend, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. He touched so many lives and will be GREATLY missed.

Brittanie attended Grace for 9 years so we have many fond memories of Pastor Kelley, who always had a bright smile on his face. But two memories impacted our lives forever. 4 years ago today, I was in the hospital, having just given birth to Katie. We had been visiting Grace because Brittanie was going to school with kids who attended Grace and her Bible teacher, Mr. Goforth, was/is an outstanding youth leader. Well the pastor of the church we belonged to came to the hospital to visit since that is part of his job...to visit members in the hospital. Well my mom had gone into the bathroom before he got there so I took the opportunity of us being alone to explain to him why we had been visiting Grace. I wanted him to know that we had no problem with our church, it was just something we felt God wanted us to do for Brittanie. All I got out was "I wanted to explain to you why we have been visiting Grace" and my pastor looked at me and said "I didn't know you were visiting Grace. I wish I had known because I wouldn't have come here." He then told me he had to go and left. He was gone before my mom got out of the bathroom....that's how short his stay was. Well I was crushed. He didn't even see the baby. Later that afternoon, Pastor Kelley came by with a big bright smile on his face. He held Katie and told me she was beautiful and just made what started out to be a bad day so much better and we weren't even members of Grace at the time! Two weeks later, Katie had to be hospitalized with jaundice. I made Tom go to work and Brittanie was at school and I stayed with Katie at the hospital alone. Well Pastor Kelley had heard through Brittanie's teacher that Katie was in the hospital and he wasted no time coming up there to see if there was anything he could do. We still weren't members of Grace at this point. Our pastor never even called to see how Katie was. I had a good talk with Pastor Kelley that day and he was such a comfort to me. I was terrified standing there watching Katie laying naked under those purple lights not knowing what would happen next. But after Pastor Kelley left, I had such a peaceful feeling. He truly was one of a kind and a TRUE man of God.

When he stood before God the day he passed away, I just know God told him "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." He was loved by everyone he touched. Please join me in praying for his family, his friends, and his church family. To know Pastor Kelley was to love him so I know my family is not the only family mourning the loss of this wonderful man.

Grace Baptist Church website

Flooding

When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, Democrats everywhere were quick to blame President Bush. He has become the punching bag for our frustrated country. But the problem New Orleans residents faced was NOT President Bush's fault. He sprung to action and offered help to Governor Blanco early. She said she needed 24 hours to think about it. What's to think about? She has residents who can't get out and the flood waters are consuming the city, the criminal element that has always consumed that city was raping, pillaging, and plundering while she was thinking. We are a democracy and the President can't go swooping and taking over the authority over a state.....although I wish he could have because President Bush would have done a MUCH better job.

Well it has been over a year since Katrina hit New Orleans and of course people down there still blame President Bush. But who is to blame for what the flooding in St. Landry Parish last week? The blame game is rampant. Residents say the canals are always stopped up with trash and debris, as are ditches. Parish government officials say it isn't their district, even though the flooding affects their residents tremendously. Last week people had water in their cars and homes. The schools were shut down. This isn't a new problem because I went to high school in Opleousas, which is the parish seat, and I can remember leaving school to go to my job at McDonald's and going down a street that had a casket floating down the road from the cemetery down the street. It happened often. It was especially creepy for me who has never been fond of anything related to death and dead people.

According to the residents, they have been complaining to the parish officials for years to help with the flooding and got the same response....it isn't our problem. Are we supposed to believe that Governor Blanco didn't know about the flooding problem in St. Landry Parish? Whether she knew or not, it just goes to show how effective she is. Louisiana suffered for years under the leadership of Edwin Edwards. He was and always will be the same type of disgrace to Louisiana that Bill Clinton was to our country as both "men" totally lack morals or character. Louisiana needs a champion to stand up for the little guy and not just worry about it's tourist attraction, New Orleans.

New Orleans has gotten alot of attention because of what the residents have gone through. But that's where the press focuses its attention. Right now, I feel more sorry for the rest of Louisiana that have had to accept the criminal element that escaped from New Orleans and is now reigning terror over the rest of the state. Opelousas had its own problems before Katrina but add New Orleans criminals to the criminals that were already taking over the city and I'm scared for my mom to go to Wal-Mart anymore. It just isn't safe.

Why is it that only the local press in Opelousas is talking about how ineffective Governor Blanco is being? The answer is simple. The liberal press wants to make sure we continue to blame President Bush for Katrina so that the Democrats can once again take over the White House. Well I'm saying it loud and clear for all of my readers, Governor Blanco was to blame for not getting the people out of New Orleans while hundreds of buses at on the streets flooding as citizens drowned. That was NOT President Bush. And it is once again Governor Blanco to blame for not doing something about the flooding in St. Landry Parish as well. If the local level won't do anything, it is her job to crack the whip but maybe she is still thinking????

If you want to read the story, check out the DailyWorld website.

Just like her daddy

We always laugh about Tom flinging his arms around when he talks....joking that he has to be part Italian somewhere down the line. Well Brittanie is just like her daddy, as you can see in this picture. She was telling a story and it got animated. lol (Check out Katie clinging to Randy. She is soooooooooo jealous of Brittanie.)

Katie's birthday party

Katie is turning 4 on Monday so to celebrate, we had a party for her at Chuck E. Cheese's today. She got lots of nice gifts and our closest friends and family in South Carolina were there to help us celebrate! Here are some pictures from the party:

Katie and "Boo-Boo" (Samantha) enjoying the show

Melissa and her son, Hunter. Isn't he precious?

Tom's cousin, Harry, and his son, William.

Katie had a Madagascar cake.
Katie had a piece of cake in front of her but she preferred to lick the cake and icing off of each of the characters and trees on her cake.
Katie and Chuck E. Cheese.Katie received lots of nice gifts. Here are three Veggie Tales CD's we gave Katie to play in the van and Daddy's truck on the way to and from school.
Here is a Littlest Pet Shop Play Center that Uncle Jesse and Aunt Melissa gave her.
Here is Katie and Randy's little brother, Blake, opening her "I can play piano" game system. Boo-Boo (Samantha) and Mamie (Sandra) gave her two game sets to go with it and Brittanie also gave her a Christmas game set to go with it as well.
Grandma and Grandpa gave her a Hide and Seek Care Bear. When we got home from the party, Daddy and Grandpa helped her play with it.
Brittanie's best friend, William, gave Katie this little jaguar that roars when you squeeze his belly. She hugged it tight when she opened it and said "Awwwwww." She loved it!
Katie loves race cars. Here she is driving one while Grandpa puts his foot on the gas since she can't reach. Here is William having fun in the 4-wheel drive.

We had a great day! We really enjoyed being with our friends and family. Then after the party, we went home and cooked jambalaya and Tom's parents and his brother, Jesse, and his wife, Melissa, spent the rest of the day with us. We don't all get together very often anymore but it sure was nice to all be together today. I really like my sister-in-law. I wish we lived closer. I think Melissa and I could be good friends.

State of Emergency declared

Louisiana's governor has declared a state of emergency in several parishes, including St. Landry, which is where I grew up and where my whole family still lives. My mom told me it has rained so much that it is flooding everywhere and they closed the schools Friday. Mom still lives in the town I grew up in, Krotz Springs. If you look at a map, you will see Krotz Springs sits on the edge of the Atchafalaya River with only a levee to protect them. After hurricane Katrina, I worry about the levee. In all the years I lived there growing up, I don't ever remember them cancelling school because of rain. I remember a hurricane or two closing the school but not a rainstorm. Please pray for the people who are dealing with all of this. Louisiana is flat and some parts are below sea level so when you have rain like they have been having....mom said 6 to 8 inches have been reported in Port Barre.....it can be devastating. So keep them in your prayers!

Cautiously optimistic

Thursday, I let Brittanie get out of school early to go on a job interview at Sonic in West Columbia. She didn't have an appointment. It was first come, first interviewed and they were only interviewing from 2 to 5. So she showed up there at 2 and got the job. The next person that came up was told they were only hiring one person that day and Brittanie got there first. So it was worth it! Anyway, she is going to be making 20 cents more an hour than she was at Subway. They will start her out at 15 hours a week until she is fully trained and then move her up to 20, which is what she needs. She starts on Monday. It is basically the same uniform...black or khaki pants, polo and visor. She won't be a carhop. She will be working inside, which is great since it is about to get cold. I've talked to the owner several times over the years. He is a softball coach at Mineral Springs and always let Brittanie's teams have car washes and even stand in their drive thru with a bucket accepting donations. He was always nice to me. I've even been there when he was working the drive thru and was very nice then too. I really hope this works out. I want Brittanie to have positive working experiences.

My home town

I found a new site that combines blogging with mapping. It is really cool. I'm very proud of my home town, Krotz Springs, LA. Thanks to platial.com, I can show it off a bit. Krotz Springs is very small so the satellite imagery isn't as good as it would be with bigger places. But I still thought it was cool. Check out my page.

Think she's sincere?

Today when I picked up Katie from school, her teacher was buckling her into her booster seat and told me today wasn't a very good listening day for Katie. When we drove away, Katie said "I was bad at school today but I'm a little sorry." I had to turn my head so she wouldn't see me laugh. She's a nut. You never know what she is going to say next!