September 2009 – Page 6 – Write From Karen

Updated: Watch the live streaming video of Obama’s address here: http://linkbee.com/C1U6I (10:40 a.m. CST)

Updated II: And by the way folks, to play fair, Democrats got just as bent out of shape when Pres. Bush spoke to kids in 1991. http://bit.ly/3JM2Go Bottom line? Keep an eye on our politicians. Power corrupts people, even good people.

Much controversy has surrounded the issue of why President Obama is addressing the nation’s school children Tuesday. Critics point out that much of the background information originally delivered to schools suggested that teachers use the speech to discuss the president’s work rather than education itself. When that was criticized by the media, the White House pulled back, now communicating that this speech is about the president sharing his views about why school is so important.

Whether or not you believe it is a good use of the president’s time to deliver this national education speech, or whether or not you agree with him, here are some tips on how you can use this opportunity to educate your own kids about education – how it works, what we all can do to make it better, and how we can influence our elected officials to do the right thing for our kids.

Why are some people so mad about his giving the speech?

Some people think this is another attempt by the president to take over an issue that’s historically been a local one. Clear authority for school improvement needs to be made at the state level. The federal government can provide support or incentives, but we’d prefer that decisions about how we operate schools and what kinds of reforms we adopt be made closest to where we live–by state legislators that we elect from our communities. Local decisions are not always the best, but we can monitor them more easily and they reflect the unique differences of each state. As long as we all recognize that, no one should be threatened by the president’s speech.

This is an excerpt from the article, “Making Sense of President Obama’s School Speech” at The Center for Education Reform.

I’d like to take it one step further — people are also upset because they see it as yet another attempt, from our government, to push socialistic issues, not necessarily educational issues, on our country. By addressing our children, some people feel like they are trying to manipulate, and mold, our young into thinking the way they do so they will grow up and support a socialist country.

People are scared and nervous because suddenly, becoming a socialist country is a lot more attainable than they had originally thought possible. Helping people is one thing, taking over people’s lives and dictating how they can, and can not live, is an entirely different monster.

Look, here’s the thing — I’m a devout Republican.

I know, how freaking annoying and OH MY GOSH! I must be a cold and heartless person to admit that, but please, don’t judge – we all have our beliefs and I just happen to agree (FAR) more with the Republicans than with the Democrats.

(We don’t need no stinkin’ government breathing down our necks, thank you very much. We can take care of ourselves).

But let’s get real here, just because I’m a Republican doesn’t mean I agree with everything the Republicans stand for. For instance, what is UP with people’s reactions to President Obama’s proposed speech?

Granted, when I first read about the speech and saw, with my own eyes, what he had planned, I was furious.

“What can YOU do to help the president??” Was one of the exercises the White House was “suggesting” our children take part in after the speech.

Geez, what a self-serving … jerk that man is. Could his ego GET any bigger?

Was my first thought.

But because this is America and we have an awesome, if not flawed, checks and balances system, people saw this load of propaganda nonsense and called the president out on it.

(Though to be fair, it was most likely the writer’s fault for the insane, and poorly written verbiage, but who knows? You’re telling me the president never looked over the material before it went public?)

As a result, the White House revised the agenda.

Score one for the Republic. (Keep an eye on these politicians, folks. Both Democrats AND Republicans. They will be given an inch and then tax us a mile).

But now? It’s a simple speech, addressed to our children, about the importance of staying in school and to work hard toward their goals.

WHY exactly is this a problem of such colossal proportions that parents are actually entertaining the notion of keeping their children home from school tomorrow?

What exactly are we teaching our children when we resort to drastic measures like this simply because we disagree with an institution or an individual?

That it’s okay to simply hide our head in the sand and NOT at least have the respect and courtesy of listening to an opposing side? How does this mold responsible and informed future citizens? How can a person logically and intelligently make a decision on an issue if he/she doesn’t hear ALL sides?

Don’t our children have the right to make up their own minds about issues? Are we so focused on making sure they grow up with our own ideals and beliefs that we’re willing to yank them from the debate, thereby denying them the right to decide for themselves?

That in itself sounds a little like brainwashing to me.

Now granted, they are children. And they are gullible and vulnerable, but let’s give these kids some credit, they aren’t likely to become brain washed into a radical state of thinking by simply watching one presidential address.

(Now if the president makes this a habit, that’s something entirely different – but this one time? It doesn’t warrant the panic that it’s evoked).

And let’s not forget, he IS our president, whether we like it or not. Again, what are we teaching our children? To disrespect the president? What ever happened to respectfully disagreeing?

My boys are going to school tomorrow. And I am NOT signing a form that will excuse them from the speech IF their teachers feel it’s necessary to allow our students to view it. Why? Because it’s a perfect opportunity to TALK to the boys about what’s going on in our country right now and to LISTEN to their own unique, and individual, views on the subject.

By making this a big deal, guess what, IT’S A BIG DEAL. At least, to our children, who don’t fully understand what is going on. All they know is that their parents are upset because the president, a man who deserves our respect simply because of his position, is daring to speak to our country.

I understand the principle behind the arguments. I understand, and agree, that we don’t wish our president to shove socialistic ideals down our children’s throats. And yes, it’s a little strange that the president is addressing this during the day and not at night so that parents and children can view it together.

But I believe he feels like he’s doing a good and positive thing here, so let’s take the president’s good intentions and go with it.

Keeping our children home from school simply because we don’t wish for them to hear our president speak is defeating the purpose – it’s NOT making our country stronger, it’s driving that wedge just a little deeper.

(Cute little girl image by Clover__1)

Life

Stupid Five Digit Code

September 7, 2009 Karen

This is the rose that Kevin bought me the other night. His band, Midnite Thunder, was playing at The New Key Largo and a rose lady appeared out of nowhere while the guys were on their break.

I had gone to the restroom and when I came back out, it was lying on the table.

What a sweetheart.

Of course, the cheap part of my brain (which makes up about 89%) kicked in first and my very first thought was, “good grief, how much did he waste on that?” before the appreciative, girly part of my brain kicked in and melted into a puddle of goo at his feet for his romantic thoughtfulness.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love flowers just as much as the next girl, but Oy, MUST they be so freaking expensive? It’s hard to justify spending that much money on something that doesn’t even last a week.

At least, they don’t last one week in my household because I have a black thumb and kill everything I touch.

I have to admit though, this rose is one of the prettier ones I’ve had in quite some time and it’s still alive (*gasp*!) three days later.

I have sniffed it so many times that I actually pulled a petal out of my nostril this morning.

That damn flower WILL be appreciated, thank you very much.

I was in a really weird mood Friday night. I’m not a big bar person to begin with so I was a bit grumpy that I had to go (well, I didn’t have to go, but it would have hurt Kevin’s feelings if I hadn’t, so yeah, I had to go), but I felt doubly weird because my in-laws were there.

Now, this is nothing new, they’ve been coming to quite a few of Kevin’s gigs, but I feel … stifled when they’re there – like I can’t really BE myself, which is stupid because I probably wouldn’t have acted any differently if they hadn’t been there. But I don’t know … it’s like having your parents around when you’re trying to be cool….

… it just doesn’t happen, ya know?

I had a moment when I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I was sitting at a table by myself because I was video taping the band when this dude (I want to say OLD dude but let’s be honest, he was about my age *scowl*) stopped at my table and started mouthing something at me.

Because I’m UBER cool under these situations I gave him an impatient look and growled out a “HUH?”

He looked surprised but didn’t give up. He just leaned down and said, “It’s about time you got here.”

I nearly laughed.

Oh wait, I DID laugh.

Seriously? That was the best he could do?!

But whatever. I just smiled and mumbled something unintelligible (because that’s what I do best) and he scurried off.

The whole thing would have been funny if I hadn’t looked over to see my mother-in-law’s disapproving face staring back at me.

“Was that man just talking to you?” she gasped.

And I grinned, because when I’m embarrassed or uncomfortable, I always resort to inappropriate humor.

“Yeah! He was trying to pick me up, as if!” And I rolled my eyes.

I’m thinking my mother-in-law wasn’t amused.

Funny, now that I think about it, I don’t think that guy stuck around. I can’t imagine why.

Kevin was phenomenal that night. And I’m not just saying that because he reads my blog (hi honey!) and I’m trying to butter him up (is it working?!) but because, honestly? It’s true. He was on FIRE that night. He was relaxed and having a good time and even when the guys goofed up, they laughed about it, which only made us, the audience, appreciate their human-ness even more.

I know I’ve talked about this before, but honestly, when he plays …. *LA- SIGH*, it just melts my heart. He’s a different person. And just when I think it’s not possible to love him any more, he proves me wrong.

He rocks my world, ya’ll.

Literally.

I’m just so stinkin’ proud of him.

The New Key Largo liked Midnite Thunder so much that they are putting them on a semi-permanent rotation (I’d say permanent, but I’m not sure if that’s like etched in stone and I don’t want to jinx them), which means, I’ll probably be hanging out there quite a bit. I really like the bar. It’s basically an old barn that’s been converted to a bar and it has a huge dance floor.

Speaking of dancing, yes, I danced. Like the last song of the night. I figured by that time, people were too drunk to know, or care, that I was out there making a fool of myself and I thought, what the heck. I also got Kevin to come off the stage (his guitar was on this wireless hook up thing) and onto the dance floor and I was able to tease him a little.

Dear God in heaven, I love that man.

The night was a success, at least, I thought it was a success. I actually stayed for the entire set (as opposed to leaving about 11ish), so I was super tired and just a little buzzed when I got home. I was also feeling really … weird and depressed, too.

I opened my phone to punch in a tweet but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the number to call. I sat there and wracked my brain but …. nothing. A big fat dark cloud consumed my brain.

And this was BEFORE I had had anything to drink.

It really, really, REALLY bothers me that I can’t remember things. Just the simplest things. Like a stupid five digit number to call in a tweet. My lack of memory scares me.

I haven’t mentioned this on my blog before, but my grandmother has dementia. In fact, she’s at a level seven, which is the worst you can have it.

Level 7 – Very severe cognitive decline (Late Dementia)

All verbal abilities are lost. Frequently there is no speech at all – only grunting. Incontinent of urine. Requires assistance toileting and feeding. Lose of basic psycho-motor skills, e.g., ability to walk. The brain appears to no longer be able to tell the body what to do. Generalized and cortical neurological signs and symptoms are frequently present.

I haven’t seen my grandmother in quite some time. And even if I went over there now, she wouldn’t know who I was.

I’m scared that I might inherit this condition later in life. Especially since I can’t remember things NOW, in the prime of my life. I pray it’s not a symptom of things to come.

I know it’s a silly thing, to be freaked out because I can’t remember a simple five-digit number, but it’s so much more than that. I can’t remember most of my life.

I even have trouble remembering things that happened at the beginning of my marriage. I can remember if I see a picture or someone jogs my memory, but on my own? I’m lost.

Nothing.

I started to write a blog post that night — but it was so dark and melancholy that I decided to scratch it. I hate when I get like that. It’s not really who I am, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to those dark moments from time-to-time.

But my memory problems … they do bother me. A lot. And that’s the biggest reason I love this blog – it gives me a chance to write this stuff down because chances are? I’m going to forget some day.

Let’s just hope I’m ONLY forgetting five digit numbers and not something really important like, say, my family.

More from Write From Karen

General

The Silent Majority Has Been Silent Too Long

September 6, 2009September 6, 2009 Karen

My mom forwarded this *email to me and well, it’s just too good NOT to share.

America is a democracy (the last time I checked, anyway), and by that, I mean majority rules. The majority of America is Christian and though I can appreciate diversity and the RIGHT to believe in something different, the MAJORITY of America is Christian.

If the few out there that disagree with Christianity are so offended by this, perhaps it would behoove those individuals to move to a country where the majority of that country supports his/her differing views. Otherwise, if one wishes to stay in this country, then accept the fact that the MAJORITY of citizens are Christian.

We respect the fact that some disagree with Christianity, now please afford us the same courtesy.

*Though this email has been attributed to Andy Rooney, I took the liberty of researching it (because email forwards have been notoriously misquoted) and I believe that most of [this essay] is the work of Nick Gholson, a sports’ writer for the Times Record News in Wichita Falls, Texas.

To whomever originally penned it, thank you.

*****************

I don’t believe in Santa Claus, but I’m not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don’t agree with Darwin , but I didn’t go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what’s the big deal? It’s not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts. They’re just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

But it’s a Christian prayer, some will argue.

Yes, and this is the United States of America , a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1.. So what would you expect — somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer…

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad , I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.

If I went to a ping pong match in China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.

And I wouldn’t be offended.. It wouldn’t bother me one bit.
When in Rome ……

But what about the atheists? Is another argument.

What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We’re not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that’s asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do.. I don’t think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world’s foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.

God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well, just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. It’s time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority doesn’t care what they want… It is time that the majority Rules! It’s time we tell them, you don’t have to pray; you don’t have to say the Pledge of Allegiance; you don’t have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right; but by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting back, and we WILL WIN!

God bless us one and all … Especially those who denounce Him ,God bless America , despite all her faults. She is still the greatest nation of all. God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.

soldiers

Let’s make 2009 the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions. And our military forces come home from all the wars.

Keep looking up.

More from Write From Karen

Abundant Life

Teaching: A Matter of Death and Life

September 6, 2009September 5, 2009 Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

Original article can be found here.

Welcome to another trip to the edge of space—your space and mine. That’s right, we are now leaving “The Comfort Zone.” So buckle up and hang on. Actually, the ride won’t be that scary, because The Man will be with us all the way. My comfort zone is any mental or emotional attitude other than where my Lord Jesus is calling me to go with him. It usually turns out to be a simple lack of trust in him on my part.

In this month, during which we this year celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we will consider the stark differences between life and death. In that vein, one of my goals is to be more thankful for each day, and even each moment, that I have to live. Surely God and His Son have made it possible for me to live each day to the fullest–spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. But, of course, the choice is mine whether to do so or not. The Lord does have a personal curriculum for me, but I must do my part in order to advance in his steps and become more like him.

Recently I was talking by phone to my daughter Christine, who is my “second favorite subject” (My fourth favorite subject is food, third is basketball and first is Jesus). As you may know, Christine works with some pretty hard-core juvenile delinquents and “at risk” young people, known in some parts of the country as troubled “yutes.” She is involved with experiential education via wilderness therapy, and was regaling me with anecdotes about a cross-country skiing and ice-climbing weekend with eight teenagers, a relatively harmless but very depressed group.

They went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and climbed the ice-covered cliffs near Lake Superior. It was up to Christine and a male counselor to go up and secure the anchors at the top for the ropes that would be attached to and belay the climbers. After telling me about how careful she and her fellow counselor had to be out on the edge of the cliffs, she said something that was most profound, in the context of her recent stress about her search for a different place to work: “You know, Dad, I realized that when I’m climbing up the face of an icy cliff, I’m not thinking about who will respond to my resumes. It really made me appreciate the benefit of any single-minded activity.”

Her last sentence resonated in my heart, and my mind immediately went to the biblical Greek word haplotes, which appears about eight times and is sometimes translated “simplicity.” It basically means “singleness of mind and purpose.” You might want to look it up, and then also look at what could be considered its counterpart word, merimnao, which means “to be full of anxiety that divides up and distracts the mind.” Christine’s statement reminded me that putting everything I have into doing anything (that is not ungodly) will help me build the habit of similarly intense focus on the most important things in my life. What might those things be? Relationships, first with God and the Lord, and then with the people in my world.

No doubt you have heard it said that a good way to live is by doing whatever you do as if it were the last time you would ever do it. In light of how precious, and fragile, life really is, I agree, even though I can’t say that’s always my attitude. Colossians 3:23 and 24 says it this way:

Colossians 3:23 and 24
(23) “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
(24) since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving.”

Sounds sort of like 1 Corinthians 15:58:

1 Corinthians 15:58
“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Putting all we have into what we do as Christians will not be in vain because that is exactly what our Role Model did. Day by day Jesus gave himself fully, even unto giving up his most precious possession, his life. And what did God then do? He kept His promise to His Son and raised his battered, mutilated, lifeless body to newness of life, the same everlasting life that you and I are guaranteed to receive when the Lord appears.

In 1967, early in my life as a committed Christian, I was in the Army, and was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where I met some dynamic saints who had quite an influence upon me. One of them was a dear man named Tommy Tyson, with whom I thereafter lost touch until just last year, when my father sent me a copy of his New Life ministry newsletter, the Easter issue. After reading it, I called him to tell him how much I enjoyed it, and we had a great visit. What Tommy wrote is so wonderful that I want to quote rather extensively from it, and then offer some commentary on it.

With the exception of Christmas, the world and the Church pay more attention to Easter than to any other time in the Church calendar. What is it all about? The Gospel of the Resurrection is not saying that Spring has come, flowers are blooming and rabbits are hopping. Anyone who would let an Easter egg hunt be a prime expression of this aspect of the Gospel has missed the point. [For further study read What is “Easter”?]

Easter is not an emphatic reminder that man has a soul that can never die. The Gospel of the Resurrection is something more than a renewed statement of the philosophical concept of immortality. Consequently, to present Easter as the basis of the soul of man escaping the prison-house of clay, flitting away on wings of faith (much as a butterfly breaks out of its cocoon) has no more to commend it from a Gospel point of view than does hopping rabbits.

What in the world happened at Easter? First of all, Easter declares the open defeat of death. This Gospel is saying that the man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, was taken by the cruel hands of man and was given a criminal’s death. He really died; he went through the agony of it. He offered no beautiful pictures concerning death. [For further study read “Why Did Jesus Have To Suffer And Die?.”]

The Easter experience declares the reality of death. Oscar Cullmann, the German theologian, in his book titled, Immortality of the Soul (Resurrection of the Dead), shows a helpful contrast between the death of Socrates and the death of Jesus. Like Jesus, Socrates was rejected by his brethren because he asked too many questions. Like Jesus, he was sentenced to die by his brethren. Socrates chose to die by drinking poison. Just before his death, he called his disciples to him and gave them a beautiful discourse on the reality of life, and convinced them, from a philosophical point of view, that death was not real. Following his discourse, Socrates drank the hemlock and went into a beautiful sleep, leaving his disciples with a peace that came through the assurance that their teacher was not dead.

On the other hand, Jesus comes to his hour of condemnation and selects three of his disciples to go with him into a prayer experience. There are no words of encouragement; there is no attempt to avoid the issue. He simply asks them to watch with him for an hour. Coming to his hour of death, we see and hear the Prince of Life agonizing in prayer.

In painting this contrast, Cullmann raises these questions: “Does Socrates have a better understanding of life than Jesus? Is this the reason for his calmness, and the reason for the agony of Jesus?” No, answers Cullmann to his own question. Jesus’ agony is not because he has a more inadequate concept of life than Socrates. His agony is because he has a more realistic concept of death than Socrates. The New Testament does not present death as a fair-haired angel. It is not the God-given way for man to make a transition from this world to another. The New Testament does not present death as a new birth. Death is an enemy. Anyone who seeks to evade the reality of death and its tragic consequences is failing to seriously consider the meaning of Easter…[It] is not the story of a spirit slipping out between the cracks. This is the story of the total Resurrection of the total man.

And I say, “Amen!” Remember that the anthropology of Scripture, that is, how the Bible defines “man,” is basically given in Genesis 2:7:

Genesis 2:7
“And the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.”

Despite the fact that most Christians have been taught the Greek fable of an “immortal soul,” God’s Word clearly says that a human is a totally integrated unit—a body animated by an invisible life force. Scripture does not say that a man has a soul, it says that a man who is breathing is a soul, a living soul. One from whom the invisible, animating life force has departed is called a dead soul. A Christian human also has “the gift of holy spirit,” the divine nature of his heavenly Father and Lord Jesus, which, of course, is not a conscious part of him that lives on independent of his body. No, life is life and death is death.

Please read the rest of the article here.

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page, their YouTube Channel, or follow them on Twitter.

You can read more about this subject here:

Is There Death After Life?

Free Online Seminar: Death & Resurrection to Life

Thanks for reading.

(Comments have been turned off. The information is here, it’s up to you to accept, or deny, it).

More from Write From Karen

Saturday Stuff, Twitter Messages

Twitter-esque: Catching Up

September 5, 2009 Karen

Because I have nothing else to blog about, here are a few of my favorite tweets from this past week:

(I amuse myself, hush).

~ Listen up wordpress.org users: hackers are on the loose and breaking blogs. Upgrade and secure today: http://bit.ly/3qjgL3 (via @inkyelbows)

~ Does anyone else burp out loud and like a sailor whenever he/she is alone? I’m just askin’. I don’t DO that, of course. *cough-burp*

~ I’m itching to write. There must be something wrong with me. Or maybe I have a rash. That sounds more plausible, actually.

~ I feel skinny! ……………. Oh, I have my fat jeans on. Rats.

~ And just for the record, I do not heart gummy bears. I don’t know, I think it’s the whole I’m chewing on plastic thing. http://bit.ly/2TOoHE

~ Personally, I don’t have a problem with my kids watching Presidential address – it’s a good lesson on independent, and critical, thinking.

~ Since youngest will be marching at several football games, I bought a sweatshirt w/ school logo to show support. Yep, I’m THAT mom.

~ The whole slapped my kid in WM thing: I don’t know how that woman didn’t go mental on that man. I’d be all Jerry Springer in 0.2 seconds.

~ Just call me marching mom. Yo, waz up. *nod, lip curl*

~ And we wonder why women are STILL not taken seriously: http://bit.ly/13EWZV Duh.

~ Man, I hope my kid gets his marching band uniform today or I’m going to be seriously bummed. (I know! I’m trying to get a life, lay off).

~ “Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.” Adam Smith

~ Well crud-o-la. Son didn’t bring his uniform home. They had practice and didn’t have time to hand out. NOW what am I going to obsess about.

~ And yes, I’m working in between Tweets. Or is that tweeting in between working? I get confused.

~ In case you’re interested – this is the site I’ve been working on: http://sps.k12.mo.us/field/

~ By the way parents, have you seen this cool Stop Bullying Now! website?

~ What a fun night! My ears are still ringing, but wow, Kevin played great. I think that was the best he’s played. Now I’m dead. ‘Nite.

~ Reading my Google Reader from the bottom up. Do you do that? I do that because I feel sowwy for the lower-letter peeps – they get forgotten.

~ There is nothing like soft, gooey donuts and fresh, tart juice to make a Saturday morning complete. Mmmmm …

~ I’m sitting here with wet hair waiting on a bathroom to open up — who knew teenage boys could take so long in the shower? (?!?)

So yeah, that’s all for today. If you feel compelled, you can follow more of my random, inane tweets over here:

What am I going to do now? Well, I’m going to wash the boys’ sheets, then wash bathroom rugs and mop floors, then I’ll take a nap (cause I didn’t sleep worth a crap last night), and then I’m going to write, and pre-post, blog posts for this next week so I can actually get some REAL work done and not obsess over “What am I going to blog about today?!”

Have a great Saturday, ya’ll. Talk to you soon.

More from Write From Karen

Photo Story Friday

Photo Story Friday: Scooting Along in Shortie Shorts

September 4, 2009 Karen

So, we’re still scrolling through my life here and we’re still in Cozumel, Mexico on our honeymoon.

This is me and Kevin, standing next to the scooter that we rented.

I was pretty nervous about riding around on a scooter, in a foreign country, but what else is new? I was nervous that whole trip.

Actually, I wasn’t nervous, I was a big baby the whole trip. (No one speaks English! Oh my Gosh, the ocean is so BIG! I’m hot! Ew, seaweed! What is that milky blob swimming in the …. EEK! Jellyfish!)

Poor Kevin. And just think, we were only getting STARTED on our new life together. I’m sure the man was thinking, “Good Lord, what have I gotten myself into.”

But back to the scooters …

I was apprehensive (naturally), but Kevin talked me into it and we did indeed spend an entire day exploring the 30-mile long island. It was incredible. And beautiful. And we had a great time — just us and nature.

And a few locals.

And a pig.

But they ruin the idyllic picture so … meh.

Take a gander at our shorts. This was 1990 folks, cut us some slack. *grin*

And take a gander at Kevin’s muscles – RAWR.

Thursday Thirteen

Thursday Thirteen – The Secret’s Out #3

September 3, 2009 Karen

Some of my favorite Post Secrets. I’m posting these because they resonate with me on some level.

I love acting un-ladylike — when no one is around. hehe

I agree. I think couture in general is ridiculious.

It’s sad when we have to ACT unhappy to fit in with society, isn’t it?

Your suspicions are correct – it takes more energy to be happy, but it’s worth the effort.

5.

Only if you define yourself in materialistic things. Redefine yourself and live life NOW. Don’t look back.

I’m showing this one to my sons.

Smart girls beat pretty girls every day — it’s just no one notices, or cares. Unfortunately.

Give back when you can. You will be blessed, trust me.

9.

It’s sad when we have to ACT unhappy to fit in with society, isn’t it? (Yes, I’ve already said this, but it bears repeating, doesn’t it).

10.

I think people need to be reminded (and often) that teachers, waiters, retail personnel, secretaries, janitors, and every other person in a thankless job is actually a *gasp* person.

11.

Here’s a suggestion, channel that energy into something a bit more positive.

12.

We ALL feel that from time-to-time. Life is not perfect. You take what you’ve got and you work on making it better.

13.

I’m betting they keep you around because you’re the only one not OBSESSED with looking, or acting, perfect. I’m betting you’re a breath of fresh air and they’re actually jealous of YOU because you have the guts to be YOU.

What’s your favorite secret?

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