Memorial Day 2012

Original photo by Robert Linder (www.sxc.hu/profile/linder6580)

No words can express the debt of gratitude that we, as a country, owe to the men and women who have fought, are fighting, and will fight for the freedoms of this country. The sacrifices they and their families make are incredible and can never be fully understood or repaid.

I humbly say thank you to the men, women, and families who sacrifice so much for so many. May God be with you all.

Empty

Today's prompt from San Diego Momma challenges us to write a story or poem based on the picture picture below and includes the word "empty".

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com

She sits almost silently on the shore.
Her arms wrap tightly around her knees.
Her toes buried in the moist cool sand
Unconsciously, she hums a gentle melody,
closes her eyes and turns to the sun
as if absorbed in worship.

She refills her empty soul with the scent
of pine trees, the sound of water lapping
against the canoe, and the warmth of sunshine
on her skin before slowly rising
to make her return to "real" life
on the other side of the lake.

Need a New Do. . . The Reveal

So have I made you all wait long enough to reveal the new hairstyle I went with? No? Okay, well then I'll just have to give you a little filler. Hee Hee.

Last Thursday TheHusband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary by going to MOA (the Mall of America, for those of you who aren't in or from MN). We had been planning this outing for several weeks, but on Thursday morning we decided we would leave the house a bit earlier than originally planned so we could make a stop at Fantastic Sams to get my hair chopped. We arrived before they unlocked doors and were happy to see our favorite stylist was working.

Ten Years Ago, A Letter to My Husband

Dear Husband,

Today I woke up a different person from who I was on this morning ten years ago. The 26 year old version of me was too distracted by the last minute details of that day's events to consider the days, months, and years that lay ahead. She bounced around the church hanging pew bows, setting out chocolate flower centerpieces, and worrying about the cake being delivered late. I am happy to say that she was, in fact, very grateful for the day itself. Having been in a car accident the day before, she was very much aware of how blessed she was to be able to worry about pew bows, centerpieces, and late cakes. What she didn't know was exactly how blessed she was.

Over the past ten years you, my dearest love, have taught that 26 year old version of me many things (some of which she thought she knew, but didn't really). Here are just a few of those things:

• First and foremost, I have learned that marriage is work, hard work, but oh so worth it when both of us are working together. 
• Love is many things, including a choice. We've had our rough patches. Times when we could have easily walked away, but chose not to. I am so glad we chose to work through those rough times. They have made our marriage and friendship stronger and deeper.
• I am weaker than I thought. It may sound crazy, but that is a very good thing. I don't have to take on the world by myself, it's okay to not only need help but to ask for it. In fact, in a weird way, it actually makes a person stronger.
• Sometimes, a lot of times, it is the small things that make the biggest difference. While the AS has imposed some physical limitations on me and I'm not able to help nearly as much as I would like, you constantly show me that the little things I can do to help you (like typing your notes for your Sunday morning classes) are still helpful in BIG ways.

There are so many other things I could list, but we have plans for today and I just don't have time to type them all up. Please know, as we celebrate our first 10 years of marriage, that I am so very thankful for God blessing my life by putting you in it. He could not have gifted me a better friend or husband to make the journey's of this life with. The 26 year old me didn't know that, but I do, and I can't wait to wake up next to you on all the days, months, and years ahead of us.

I love you.

*head bump*

Need a new do. . .

The state of my hair has been quite bothersome to me for awhile now. Currently, my hair is about 1/2 to 3/4 down my back and it needs to go. Don't get me wrong. I love long hair and the ability to whip it up into a ponytail, but let's face the facts here. I wear my hair in a ponytail (or ponytail variation) about 95% of the time and I really dislike the maintenance factor (especially with the frequent pain issues in my hands). So, I'm looking for a new, short, do!

Pictured below are a few options. (Please ignore the hair color, it was the closest approximation to my own color but not quite). I'm looking on feedback regarding the cut and maintenance of these styles, which is where you all come in. Please feel free to leave feedback in the comments. Keep in mind that I'm looking for a wash & go, no muss no fuss look. Sometime this weekend I'll be going from long to short.

  

  

Or if anyone has other HELPFUL suggestions, just let me know (a link to specific example would be great).

MN or MT

I get some of the strangest phone calls at work some days. The winner of today's eye-roll award goes to the pleasant woman with the slightly southern accent. I had answered the phone in my normal manner and politely told her that the person (PersonX) she was looking for didn't work for our company on this campus.

She was obviously a product rep who was determined to follow up on a lead. She explained that PersonX was the campus marketing director for the dining service on the Missoula campus, and asked if I was sure she didn't work for us. Here's how the rest of our conversation went:

ME: "Missoula? Minnesota? I've never heard of a Missoula, Minnesota, but there is one in Montana."
Product Rep: "Oh, well I don't know about that. It's spelled M-I-S-S-O-U-L-A, and the information we have is that PersonX is the marketing director."
ME: "And it says that she's in Missoula, Minnesota?" (I'm wracking my brain at this point, because while I know I haven't heard the name of every city in Minnesota I'm also pretty sure there isn't a Missoula).
Product Rep: "It says Missoula, MT"
Me: "Wait, what? Did you just say M-T?"
Product Rep: "Yes, M-T"
Me: "That's Montana" (I try to say this in the nicest possible way I can, because darn it, there goes another 5 minutes of my life that I'll never get back.)
Product Rep: "hmm" (pause while I hear the clicking of keys) "So it is. Well, that's what happened" (she laughs) "Thanks so much sweetie, that was very helpful. You have a great day!"
Me: "You're welcome and good luck."

After I get off the phone I turn around and jokingly ask the room if anyone can tell me the abbreviation for Minnesota. A co-worker scoffingly asked if I was serious (my voice was apparently not dripping with enough sarcasm). Upon hearing that I was, in fact, serious he replies with the expected "M-N". To which I replied "Good. I was just checking to see if anyone here thought it might possibly be M-T".

"M-T" he says thoughtfully, "I don't think there's any state that's abbreviated that way." It was at this point that my forehead was once again introduced to my desk.

So, in the spirit of learning, I offer up a small Social Studies/Geography lesson for anyone who may be confused:

MT = Montana          MN = Minnesota

Sum, Sum, Summertime.

Summer is almost here. In fact it seems as if summer has been trying to show up early this year. Sure the past couple weeks haven't been the greatest meteorologically speaking, but today was amazing! And that's coming from the girl who forgot to take her breakfast to work because she didn't get much sleep last night due to a kitty who would not shut up about wanting someone to play with. (Seriously, TheDexter, three a.m. is NOT a good time for mama to play the mousie game.)

Any-who, since it's almost summer and since one of Mama Kat's writing prompts this week was to "list your top 10 favorite things about summer growing up", I thought I'd take a walk down memory lane. First, a warning, I don't know that I'd consider myself done growing up yet, so I'm just going to limit myself to the time period before my family moved away from the farm and into "town". And now, without further ado and in no particular order:

Best Advice Ever

In an attempt to spend at least a little time writing each day, I will be participating in various writing prompts/challenges/etc. I will be linking this post up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.


Today's Prompt: Share a lesson you learned from your Mother that still sticks with you to this day.

Today's result:

When I was in high school she was talking to someone about kids and curfews. Now I can't for the life of me remember who she was talking to, but we'll call her Mom X.

Mom X said something about being exhausted because she had to stay up to make sure her kid(s) made it home by their curfew. My mom replied that she wouldn't know about that because she didn't stay up to make sure my brothers or I got home on time. Mom X was flabbergasted at the response and wondered how my mom could possibly do that.


My mom, the woman who had seven children to look after, simply replied, "I trust my kids to be home on time and if they aren't, for whatever reason, I'm probably going to need all the energy I can have to deal with the situation."

Now I don't have kids, nor do I plan on having them, but my mom's words have stayed with me over the years. Her rational can be applied to a myriad of situations where one might be worrying about future events. Simply trust that you've done your best, and don't waste energy worrying about something that may never happen, because you'll need that energy IF it does happen.

Best life lesson, ever.

The Last Time. . .

In an attempt to spend at least a little time writing each day, I will be participating in various writing prompts/challenges/etc. Today I am linking up with The Lightning and The Lightning Bug.



Today's Prompt: Flicker of Inspiration Linkup #49: The Last Time

Today's result:


The last time I heard his voice was at my surprise birthday party. I had turned 30 a week and a few days before and my mother-in-law had invited my family to her house to celebrate. I wasn't surprised by the party, but I was surprised he had come. My father was an introvert, a trait he passed on to me, and the fact he had traveled four hours to a near strangers house was slightly shocking. 


What wasn't shocking was how he positioned himself off to the side, nearly in a corner, of the living room. The chair he chose was between the entry way and the door to the kitchen. Typical of his nature, there was no chance for anyone to sit next to him.


Throughout the party his mood slowly turned from slightly cranky (a result of the four hour car ride) to downright cantankerous. While his chosen spot allowed him to keep an eye on everything going on in the room, it also planted him in the middle of the main flow of traffic which caused problems for his hearing device of choice. Unable to make out an specific conversation taking place in the room, and unwilling to move to a different chair, he finally retreated to the car in the driveway so he could have a good grump.


The rest of my family soon noticed his retreat and packed up to leave. Disappointed, I walked them to the car and watched them pull away without saying goodbye to him. A week and a few days later, he was gone. I sometimes wonder if our parting that day would have been different if I had known it would be the last time.

Putting Pencil to Paper

In an attempt to spend at least a little time writing each day, I will be participating in various writing prompts/challenges/etc. Today I am linking up with The One-Minute Writer.

Today’s prompt: Together

Today's result:

The wrinkled couple silently sits on a bench, while staring in different directions. You can tell they have been together for a lifetime by the way their gnarled fingers mesh between them. 

Torn about Spirit Airlines' Decision

If you are unaware of what my title refers to, here is a link for you to read & watch a little bit about the issue. A quick summary would be that Spirit Airlines (an airline I've honestly never heard of) decided to enforce its NO REFUNDS policy when Mr. Jerry Meekins (a 76 year old Vietnam veteran) requested a refund of the $179 plane ticket he had purchased two weeks prior. Mr. Meekins requested the refund after his doctor told him not to fly because of his deteriorating health (Mr. Meekins has terminal esophageal cancer).

Before I explain why I am torn about this situation, let me say that I have the utmost respect for anyone who has served in the United States' armed forces. The sacrifices they and their families make to defend the values this country was founded on are enormous and can never be compensated for.

That being said, I wonder if there would be such a brew-ha-ha over this if Mr. Meekins wasn't a veteran. How would people feel if he was an ex-con, a dead beat dad, or a 20-something kid who has never had a job and lives in his parent's basement? Would the outrage people are feeling be as strong if Mr. Meekins weren't terminally ill? These are just some of the questions I have been asking myself since first hearing about this situation.

As a person who gets to enforce a "No Refunds" policy, I totally understand the airline's stance. Once you make an exception for one person it opens the door for having to make an exception for every person. In order to be fair you can't take it on a case by case basis (which is what Mr. Meekins has stated he wants to the airline to change their policy to), because everyone's situation is special and unique and deserving. Where would you draw the line, and how soon would that "line" become the basis for lawsuits of favoritism or special treatment?

Now here's where I'm torn. I actually have a heart. Anytime somebody calls me to ask for an exception to our No Refund policy because of their unique situation (which, sadly, are not actually so unique), my heart breaks a bit because I have to tell them no. Sometimes, the situations they describe are achingly familiar because I've been through them myself, which makes it even more difficult.

Anyway, I'm torn over this. While I certainly wish Spirit Airlines could have given Mr. Meekins a refund, I feel like the company has now been backed into a corner which leaves them little room to handle this situation more compassionately, without feeding into the popular belief that if a person makes a big enough stink they can get whatever they want (which is rant for another time).

And now you can all hate me. Just keep it civil in the comments, because if you get to "hateful" TheHusband will start to rule them with an iron fist (and by that I mean moderating the comments with the "ban-hammer").