Merry Christmas!

I know it's a day late, but Merry Christmas anyway! We've had an excellent Christmas so far (I still have 2 more "events," including Meemaw Christmas). I hope everyone else has also had a nice time. I still think my favorite part of Christmas is hearing the words: "For unto us is born this day in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord..." And the second best part is getting to see all the people I love. Why would anyone not want to be a part of that?

Abe Quotes

A while back, I happened upon a collection of quotes from Abraham Lincoln. I found them fascinating for the most part. I know this is long, but I thought I'd share them with any of you who might care to read them.


"Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them." Lincoln and the Civil War In the Diaries and Letters of John Hay selected by Tyler Dennett (New York, Da Capo Press, 1988), p. 143.

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations." Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865.

"I am rather inclined to silence, and whether that be wise or not, it is at least more unusual nowadays to find a man who can hold his tongue than to find one who cannot." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume IV, "Remarks at the Monogahela House" (February 14, 1861), p. 209.

"...that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863.

"I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women; but I must say that if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women were applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during this war. I will close by saying, God bless the women of America!" The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume VII, "Remarks at Closing of Sanitary Fair, Washington D.C." (March 18, 1864), p. 254.

"The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume I, "Speech on the Sub-Treasury" (in the Illinois House of Representatives, December 26, 1839), p. 178.

"Property is the fruit of labor...property is desirable...is a positive good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume VII, "Reply to New York Workingmen's Democratic Republican Association" (March 21, 1864), pp. 259-260.

"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861

"We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name - liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names - liberty and tyranny." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume VII, "Address at Sanitary Fair, Baltimore, Maryland" (April 18, 1864), p. 301-302.

"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume I, "Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois (January 27, 1838), p. 109.

I Wasn't Tagged, But....

Ok, so no one tagged me (probably because I don't usually do these things), but this one appealed to me.

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

1.Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? I like real, but artificial works better for us (especially the pre-lit kind)
3. When do you put up the tree? I refuse to put it up until December, but I don't have a set time
4. When do you take the tree down? I try to get it down before Jan. 1
5. Do you like eggnog? I don't think I've ever tried it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? probably my "Brandon Bear" teddy bear, which I still have
7. Hardest person to buy for? siblings and spouses
8. Easiest person to buy for? my husband
9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes! It wouldn't really be Christmas without one.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Who emails Christmas cards? Mail, of course.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I have no idea--I usually forget stuff like that.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I love Christmas movies! Charlie Brown Christmas, White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated version), Love Actually, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
13. When do you start shopping? I usually put it off, but I don't wait until the very last minute
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? This one is too hard...I love food!
16. Lights on the tree? Yes, white ones. But my grandmother's tree wouldn't be right without those big old-fashioned colored ones.
17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel, travel, travel...Wade calls it the Gauntlet
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blixen (sp?), and Rudolph
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither--If anything, I put a ribbon/bow
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? When I was little, we had family presents C. Eve and Santa C. Morning. Now with family, we open whenever we see each other. Wade and I open C. Morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Starting before Thanksgiving. Have we forgotten to give thanks?
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I just love having ornaments that have meaning.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? No preference
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? That's a secret
26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Someone with time on their hands.
27. Who is least likely to respond to this? Most busy people like me.

I tag: Jennifer, Susan, and Marie

Seriously?

The library across the street from my office put up Christmas decorations/light today. I think at some point we're just going to skip November altogether.

VOTE!

I fully intend to vote after work today, and I hope everyone else is voting also. You know how I feel about everyone voting, I'm sure. I just hope that I don't have to stand in line past 7:00 (although I will if necessary). From what I've been hearing, the lines have been very long today. When Wade got to school this morning (SSHS is a voting site), there were cars lined up on both sides of the road for at least half a mile. Dr. Whatley got to his voting place in Auburn this morning at 6:45 and there were No parking spots. I guess that means voter turnout will be good. The only thing I hate about election day is all the "guessing" that "experts" make well before even the first polls have closed. I wish we could skip that part and just get to the "who won" part.

So, I'll just say it one more time. You can't be my friend if you don't vote (unless you have a valid reason why you can't, and then I'll consider it).

As I read over what I've written, I'm struck by how whiney I sound. I do apologize for that.

Happy Birthday to Susie!

Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday, Dear Susie,
Happy Birthday to You.

Just imagine all of your tier 1? friends singing this to you--or maybe not, I do remember how we sound. I hope you've had a wonderful birthday today.

The Veil

I know today's blog should be about Hockey Day, but that will have to come later.

I was thinking earlier today that one of my favorite parts of the crucifixion account in Matthew is the reporting that the veil was torn in two. It's just so symbolic. Not only did Christ's death change our faith forever, it also changed our culture (though not exactly overnight). Gone are the days of animal sacrifices in order to keep our souls clean. I, for one, am eternally grateful.

I know this post was short, and that I could say so much more on the subject, but I have to get back to work.

The Great Pumpkin

I'm so excited that It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is coming on tonight. For those of you interested, it's on ABC at 7:00.

Song

I love this new song by Casting Crowns.

Be careful little eyes what you see
It’s the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it’s the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It’s a slow fade, it’s a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you’re thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what you see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see


The last part is little kids singing.

Just a Few Thoughts

1. Happy 5th Anniversary to me and Wade. It's hard to believe it's been 5 years, but what wonderful years they've been! Oddly enough, the weather yesterday was pretty much exactly the same as it was in 2003. This is crazy, but one of my favorite memories of that day was meeting up with my friends at that gas station after we left. You know you have great friends when people you hardly know wish they "had meemaws." (You'll have to ask Christy for that story, but for now suffice it to say that we're somewhat famous.) Wade and I were going to go to the mountains this weekend to celebrate but decided not to. I wasn't feeling 100% this weekend, so we just went out to eat instead. Even so, we had a nice anniversary just spending time together.

2. Hormones are the devil.

3. I'm sure most everyone knows we watch a lot of tv at our house. Well, I've been noticing a trend in commercials. I'm sure this trend has been around forever, but lately it's been getting on my nerves. It's the way advertising reinforces gender roles. For example, cleaning products of any kind are presented with a woman cleaning something. Even Mr. Clean is used by a woman. And if it's a commercial for meat (think bratts), it's a man grilling. I know that it is true that women still do most of the cleaning and that men are usually the ones who grill, but would it hurt for someone in advertising to change things up a bit? I for one feel like I might be more inclined to buy your product if my "gender role" wasn't being forced down my throat. OK, that's even soapbox speak for now.

4. I wish we could take a week long vacation from work whenever we feel like it. Maybe one week per season. I think I'd pick this week for fall.

Success

Success

To laugh often and much;

to win the respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition;

to know even one life has breathed easier

because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

This is my favorite quote. It's contributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but there is some debate about the authenticity of that.

Speech Therapy?

I think I have a speech problem (other than Weese Weathers). Every day I say the word "flash" more times than I can count (optometrist's office, you know). And almost every time the "sh" comes out with a sort of whistle. Now this is odd because I can't actually whistle on purpose. I sound like the beaver on Winnie the Pooh. I have no solution to my problem. Any advice?

Lean on Me

You know how they say that a song can take you to a certain place in time? That is so true. This evening I heard Lean on Me, and was taken back to the stage during Pageant practice. What a precious time that was! There's just a special feeling about it that is still almost tangible to me; if you were there, you know what I mean. And for those of you who were there, What's the song that Jessie always wanted to sing? I remember smiling about singing it every night just because she wanted to, but right now I can't think of the name of it. Aren't you glad that even though time can dim some memories, nothing can break the bonds of sisterhood?

Beatrix Potter

Did you know that today is Beatrix Potter's birthday? Google told me so this morning. I love Beatrix Potter. When I was little we had a huge book of her stories with her illustrations and everything.

Poison

I have never really understood why girls get so excited and scream their lungs out when they see famous singers/moviestars/whatever. Until now. We saw Poison in concert last night. I guess I somehow thought I was immune to this syndrome until I saw Brett Michaels in person. I mean, I'm sooo excited now just thinking about it, and I didn't even think I was that big a fan. But WOW! Let me just say that I think that Brett may just be the reason bluejeans were invented. And I may never forgive myself for leaving our camera in the car. (Just as Jennifer may never forgive me for going without her.) And for all you Rock of Love fans....side note: this is my only obsession with reality tv....Amber was there, not even 10 feet away from me. And, there will be a ROL 3. This one will be about touring/being on the road, at least that's what Brett said. And there will be footage from last night's concert on the first episode, so maybe I'll get to be on tv. I'm sure if I had flashed my boobs like lots of the other girls up front, I'd make the tv cut, but I'm just not that kind of girl....although for Brett Michaels.....JK. Anyway, all that to say that it was fabulous.

Thank you

I just want to say thank you to all of my wonderful friends who took care of me last weekend. You are the best friends anyone could have. At least now we'll have a good story.....Remember that time at Jennifer's that Heather passed out and hit her head? She wasn't pregnant or anything, she just had an infection. And even though she had to go to the ER and was sick, she stayed all weekend. Good times, good times.

And now, related to that, here's a little rant/question: Is it ethical for a doctor's office to make you come in for a followup and charge you for another office visit, even though you called like they said you should, and all you needed was a prescription? Couldn't they have just called that in for you? As I'm sure is obvious, this happened to me today, and I only spent aproximitely 1 minute with the doctor.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend!

"Feminism run awry..."

to which the reply is "Patriarchal society run amuk." Believe it or not, those are actual quotes from a conversation (not an argument, just good fun) about cooking at our house last night. It seems that I always do the "woman's job" of cooking for us; but, alas, the alternative is far worse. I really don't think Wade can cook. His idea of something as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich is two pieces of toast with cheese between them. So it's in my best interest to cook. But don't worry, Wade actually does most of the laundy and a good portion of the cleaning. And most of the time I don't mind that I always cook.

A New Look

So I guess you've noticed my new look by now. I just hope you're glad I'm finally posting again. The page is still not up to date with links and such, but I decided that 4 hours on my home computer is enough for one night. My goal is at least a post per week. Let me know what you think.

Please be Patient

I've decided that I need to post much more often. Therefore, I've started working on changing some things about the blog, so please be patient as I work on my slow computer to do so.

Congratulations...

to David, Traci, and Lilly Kate! Anna Elizabeth arrived on Sunday and both she and Traci are doing well. So, I'm an aunt again and Lilly Kate is a big sister. Dr. Whatley said that the third niece/nephew is a sign that you're getting old, but at least he didn't ask when I was having one myself (I think he may be afraid of that). So now we're just waiting on Beth. And then Christy gets married. And then birthdays and Mother's Day...lots going on this spring.