As If You Cared...

America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 Unconstitutional?

2009-10-27T07:32:00.001-05:00

Assuming we accept The Constitution of the United States of America as our governing document, Congress has no Constitutional authority to enact government run health care.

Here are the powers of Congress as set in Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution:

“The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and
Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general
Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be
uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and
with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject
of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the
Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin
of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited
Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings
and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and
Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning
Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be
for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union,
suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for
governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United
States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers,
and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline
prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District
(not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and
the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United
States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent
of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of
Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into
Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this
Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or
Officer thereof.”

Furthermore Amendment 10 of the Constitution states this:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to
the people.

It seems clear to me there is no provision whatsoever in our Constitution for government run health care. If this “power (is) not delegated to the United States by the Constitution” then it belongs to the States or the People.

Whether you agree with the proposed Health Care plan or not how is it possible that they have the power to make such a change. Congress has enumerated new powers to themselves not given to them by our founding document. If you support this or have a counter argument as to where it gives them this power please post your explanation.

The best toy my wife every got me!

2009-10-08T22:36:00.002-05:00

My wife's great line for years and years now has been "Children are the best toy I ever got Michael". It is so true! A quick example.

The other night me and the two toddlers and the 14yr old were in the living room. The TV happened to be on in the background. We usually do not turn it on until the little tax deductions go to bed. Well a commercial caught Gabe's eye as he was walking by. So he stopped looked at me, looked at the TV, and said "Da dadadad da da ddada deedde" which is cute enough but then he pointed again. That is when I had my awful good idea as the Grinch would say. The next time he pointed to the TV I muted the TV (with the remote down by my side). He would put his hand down and I would un-mute the TV. It took him no more than three times of this for him to see the pattern. Gabe would point, I would mute, he would put his hand down I would un-mute. He was convinced he had some magical powers to make the talking box be quiet. Meanwhile the 14yr old is about to pass out she is laughing so hard. Ah fun times :) You have to try this with your toddler!

~M

Nary a Regret

2009-10-05T14:42:00.001-05:00

The trophy wife and I were talking the other day on a long ride home about our lives before we had brains. She asked if I had any regrets about how I lived my life or things that I had done. I didn’t have to think long because I have already pondered this question many times in my own head.

While there are a couple hair styles I would rather not have sported I have nary a regret. Every choice that I have made either good or bad has brought me to where and who I am today. Even some of the bad decisions, like being lazy in the first couple of jobs I had, or not going to college, could be seen as mistakes or regrets but each of those taught me something. I developed a good work ethic as a result of being fired a couple of times. If I had gone to college then perhaps my wife and I would have never met, married, and had children. Each experience whether good or bad has shaped the way I think and the outlooks I have.

I think we parent this way. We guide our children and advise them but where not dangerous we let them make their own mistakes. If we see them making the same mistakes over and over again then we have to give more guidance.

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. ~Alexander Graham Bell

The Blink Heard Around the World

2009-09-29T08:44:00.001-05:00

As children I think we have all played the staring game. We sit across from our opponent as we get in one last blink then it is on!
Eyes wide daring the other to blink first.

As children we are wagering for milk money. More likely we are vying for the title of “Staring Champion, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Second Grade 1978. “ As adults the stakes get much higher.

Many view history as the boring stories of dead people. Why should we care right? If you stop and think about it though you watch history every day. Our present will become our children’s history.

I believe we just witnessed such a day. Under President Bush we struck a deal with Poland and the Czech Republic to install a missile defense shield in Central Europe. This was obviously a huge deal for Poland and a point of contention with Russian and Iran. This shield was to protect our allies and our home land against the Iranian threat of Nuclear or ballistic missiles. With this shield in place we would be able to engage any missile fired at Israel or even our troops in Afghanistan. On September 17th 2009 President Obama lost the staring competition and gave into the Russians and sent a clear signal to Iran that we were not serious about protecting our allies. Iran and Russia see the significance of this blink heard around the world but I think us Americans have not caught on to the fact that we just witnessed a date that will be recorded in our children’s children’s history books. Couple that with President Obama’s indecision in Afghanistan and Iraq and you have an open door for an arrogant and delusional Iranian government.

It is time for you to act, continue to write your legislators. Stand up for what you believe. Let our government know how we feel and if they fail to represent us as they are paid and elected to do then let us vote them out!

Small Town feel

2009-05-19T22:28:00.001-05:00

I grew up in a Town called Concord, North Carolina for most of my life. It was small and still rooted in much of the history of the area, however it was less than 30 minutes from Charlotte, NC which was a fast growing city due to the banking industry. So even though I thought Concord was a small town it really was connected to a large city. Concord today is really just the sprawl of Charlotte. It has all the big city things including a NASCAR track, and a Mills Mall.

I live in a small town now in Texas, it still has some small town feel to it but then again it is adjacent to Frisco TX and then Plano and then Dallas which is obviously a very large metroplex. We are on the outskirts of the concrete jungle but we can still see it from the front porch. We can drive less than a mile down the road and see horses and cattle and open farm land so it is sort of the best of both worlds. We have all the conveniences of the big city and the quietness of a small town.

While I thought I knew what a small poor town was I really had no clue. I always lived near a big city. This past week I spent some quality time in the small poverty stricken towns of New Mexico. First we went to my mother-in-laws house in Roswell NM which is actually one of the larger cities in NM and is much like the town I grew up in. Saturday we traveled an hour back east to Lovington NM which is near the border of Texas and New Mexico. I was taken back by the slowness of the people there. I was also taken back by the obvious poverty and the lifestyles that lends itself too. The houses that would be condemned in most places are proud places of residence here in Lovington. There is no Wal-Mart (the nearest one is 23 miles away) just Bob’s Supermarket, there are no name brand hotel’s, we stayed at the Lovington Inn which was surprisingly clean and affordable. The people were working class with little material possessions and what appeared to be little desire to obtain them. They seem quite content with the life they are leading and the pace at which they are traveling.

The pace of life is the other thing that stood out to me on this trip. No one is in a hurry! I mean no one! You could sit at a red light for two cycles and no one would even blow their horn at you. I went into the local Town and Country gas station to buy a couple things and the lady behind the counter seemed in no particular hurry at all to check my items out and get me out of the store. She took the time to make small talk, fiddle with something or another behind the register and yell across the store to a co-worker who was learning how to do inventory. Maybe they are on to something here. They seem very content in a place I would consider oppressive so who’s perspective is wrong? The simpler life, the out of the rat race life, does seem attractive in many ways but then again, high speed internet, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart are great conveyances too! I enjoyed my visit because of the change in culture and pace. I learned a lot from talking with my family who lives there and from hearing their life experiences. I am looking forward to going back although that is mostly due to my family being there.

Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears is from Lovington. Their native son gone on to fame. Nice mural.

Dear Gabe

2009-05-14T16:00:00.002-05:00

Dear Gabriel Tryece Faries,

May 12, 2009

It has been a tradition in our family since we became foster parents to write a letter to those children that we have been blessed with for only a point and time in their lives. These are generally very hard letters to write. We have no idea what the future will hold for those children or even if our paths will cross again.

Today is the beginning of a new tradition! I am writing you a We Gotcha Letter!

I will never forget the day that we got the news that you were going to be coming to live with us. I was at lunch with my boss at Anderson’s Barbecue and Heather called my cell phone and said “they have a boy for us”. “He has some medical issues and will likely need heart surgery and they need a family to stay with him until after the surgery then the grandmother will take him”. This sounds pretty intimidating but I felt deep down God telling me that this is a child you need in your life. I made the call and you were on your way. You were precious from day one. A little blue at times from the heart defect but precious none the less. I thank God everyday that he spoke to my spirit about you.

There were points and times in your life where we thought you were going to live with family or complete strangers. I grieved terrible at this news. It tore me up inside and I was determined to do everything in my power to fight for you regardless of the hopelessness that seemed to face us. I called every lawyer in the book, followed every lead, each road lead me to “There is nothing you can do legally” sorry Michael. That is when I realized that I was pursuing the wrong path. I had to turn it over to God and I did. Weeks after that we got the news that the situation had resolved itself and you were going to be ours. We were cautiously optimistic.

Today was a glorious day Gabe! What we have been waiting on for 17mths has come to an end and a new beginning.

We had to wake up really early. Obviously you were not excited about this :) We got you in the van and headed on our 2hr drive to Greenville to the court house. You were still in your diaper so you could chow down on your breakfast and not mess up your court clothes :) We got there late of course and got you dressed and rushed into the court house were we met with our attorney. One of us chased you up and down the stairs while the other listened to the lawyer and signed papers. He told us what to expect. He said it was anticlimactic in a way. It was time 9am. We waited for the prisoners from the local jail dressed in their red and white striped jump suites and handcuffs to enter the court then we followed in and sat on the back row of the courtroom. We thought we would be first to go but they took several cases before us. You and a quite courtroom do not get along so I took you out in the hall just outside the courtroom and let you run up and down the hall. Everyone had to comment on how cute you were in your court clothes :) Meanwhile I had been sick so the sweat was pouring down me now due to the fever and the hot court room. My shirt was soaked. Every time the door would open I would hold my breath thinking it was the lawyer coming to get us. This happened 10 or 15 times. Finally the lawyer poked his head out the door and said it is time! I swept you in my arms and marched straight for the judges bench not looking at anyone for fear I would burst into tears at any moment! Finally our family Heather, Hannah, Tara, Kiya, and your half sister Laura were standing in front of this half bald judge. I glanced to the right quickly to see my beautiful family but turned away quickly trying to avoid crying again. FOCUS Michael FOCUS. I fixed my eyes on the lawyers beard. He had said we will need to answer about 10 questions all of which will be answered with “Yes”. How hard can that be? Staring straight at his beard as he begins to ask the questions trying not to even hear them but to listen for the end of the sentence so I can say “YES”. Finally the end of the first question. “Mr. Faries is that correct?” Weak and softly I say “yes”. “Mr. Faries can you please speak up so the court reporter can hear you?” I clear my throat and belt out a powerful “YES”. Whew I made it through the first question! The second and third questions came and went still focusing back and forth between his beard and the court reporters little cup like device she speaks into trying not to think about the hugeness of the moment. Question five, six, seven, and eight went down with a powerful and resounding “YES”. Then it happened, sweat pouring out of every pour in my body, I lost my gaze and looked to my right and saw my beautiful family and our friends who were there to catalog this moment. At that moment a million what if’s collided with the certainty and finality of this very moment. It hit me like a ton of bricks. A thousand emotions flooded me and I broke into tears. Question nine was answered with a clutching of you to my check as my tears ran down your face and a weak head nod. “Will the record show Mr Faries nodded yes?” “Mr. Faries you are obviously excited about this moment”. Man was that an understatement! Question ten was greeted with the continuation of the last shaking of my head “YES”! My questions are over and I think I did pretty well :) Heather answers the last two questions with a quick “Yes” and the lawyer turns to the judge and says “I rest my case”. The finality of this moment ended when the judge slammed his gavel down with a smile on his face and said “I approve this adoption!”

I will never forget this moment in my life and I hope this will give you a little insight into how I felt at that moment when you became my forever son.

I love you with all of my heart, all of my soul, You are my SON!

Love Daddy,

I pledge my children to Heaven

2009-05-06T21:19:00.001-05:00

“Oh no matter whatever the cost, I'm gonna count all things lost.
Well I pledge my son, I pledge my wife, I pledge my head to heaven”

This is one of my favorite lyrics. It was written by a man named Keith Green in a song called “I Pledge my head to heaven”. Keith knew what it meant to follow Christ. He knew he had to die to himself he had to put God before all things he held dear. He had to pledge his children, his wife, and even his own head to heaven to pursue the gospel.

This week another little one is going home and as I was sitting writing my goodbye letter to her these lyrics popped into my head. I have to sacrifice my desires and my plans for the plans God has. It is difficult but I have to pledge my children to Heaven. We did our part to be the vessel when called upon to fill a void in their lives and I am determined to be grateful that I got to be a part at all instead of all the what if’s or concentrating on what I will miss in their lives.

Each time I sit down to write on of these letters that is the hardest part. I imagine all the phases of their lives and I can see them growing in my minds eye and it makes me long to want to be there for every moment. Every tee ball game or every dance recital, every first step, every lost tooth, every first and every last, every sorrow and every joy.

God called me to be above the moment, to be above my desires, He called me to pledge my Children to Heaven, and to count all things as lost for the gospel.

My heart breaks but my purpose is fulfilled….

Roots

2009-03-23T09:12:00.001-05:00

Even the biggest tree you can imagine grew from a tiny little seed. Once planted the seed extends its root system down into the soil and absorbs the nutrients from the soil. The bigger the tree the larger the root system. If you go to transplant a tree from one location to another you must dig up the entire root system to go with it for it to survive.

Everyone of us has our own roots. Our roots are our life experiences with each new experience our root system gets larger and larger. Like the tree our root system is transplanted with us. I went back to my roots this past week. I went back to small town North Carolina where I grew up and lived until I was 34. This part of my root system of course makes up the lions share of my roots.

My roots are old country roads, drinking SunDrop and Cheerwine while enjoying a nice Moonpie on the porch,

a pace of life that is slow and deliberate, a country draw that is equally slow and deliberate, tall evergreens and trees everywhere, vibrant eye popping fall colors, long muggy summer nights with the nightly thunderstorm rolling through, cruising the strip in downtown Concord in my brothers old Trans Am, the old Sears building in downtown where our band used to practice, Chips (of Squids fame of course) music store where we would go to scope out new gear,

The Red Pig where we would go for greasy food, the long grandeur of the houses on Union street in Concord, a clear reminder of a simpler time with the large plantation style housing and huge trees lining each side of the street reeking of history,

of course NASCAR! NASCAR was born on the back roads of North Carolina where they used to tork up their cars to haul their moonshie and stay one step ahead of the law. The idol worship of our native son No. 3!

it’s old friends and memories everywhere I look. We were staying about an hour away from where I grew up but I still managed to see someone I knew at the local Wal-Mart.

No matter where I live I will always be connected in a very deep way to this part of God’s creation for it is in my roots.

Feel free to leave memories of your roots.

The Premature Agree’er

2009-02-24T08:19:00.001-06:00

Me: “Hi I’m…”
PA: “Yeah”
Me: “Michael” holding my hand out
Me: “I am”
PA: “Yeah”
So now I see that he is a premature agree’er I rush through the sentence so that he can not agree to whatever I am saying.
Me: “HereToSetupYourComputer” There I got it out without a interruption.
PA: “Yeah uh huh” “Great!”

This guy was a foreigner of some origin perhaps Russian which is only relevant because he had that accent that made it even funnier.

So why do premature agree’ers do this?

1) They are reading my mind and have already foreseen everything that I am about to say and agree with it. This one is highly unlikely as I think there is little scientific proof that this is a true phenomena plus if he was reading my mind he would understand I was irritated by his constant interruptions.

2) He is highly intelligent and can both speak and listen at the same time. This is plausible as he is a propeller head. I will keep this as a possibility. He didn’t ask questions so either he completely understood everything I said (as he talked over me) or he is going to be entering a lot of trouble tickets soon.

3) He is completely nervous about his language skills and does this out of nervous habit. I think this is the most likely. I can not say this is true for every premature agree’er but I think this was for mine.

PA: “Yeah uh huh…. Great!”

Another trip around the track?

2009-02-19T07:57:00.001-06:00

It’s what feels like a thousand degree’s outside, the breezes come in short stingy breaths, and you are standing in a line that seems a mile long with 200 strangers. Working your way through the maze like herded cattle you finally are within eye sight of the prize, the payoff to all the sweat and uncomfortable closeness. There it is a breeze from the roller coaster as it rushes into the station, full of wind blown people half with a look of terror and half with a look of glee. You work your way to the final cattle gate (you choose the front to see all the action). Strap yourself in and hold on for dear life. A sudden jolt and you are out of the station, a slow gentle meander to the first big hill. Click, Click, Click, Click as the cars climb up the hill, the anticipation growing with each progressive click, the clicking stops as you crest the hill, the bottom seems behind you as you throw your hands in the air and plummet to the bottom of the hill, your stomach leaps out, you loose your breath, and you feel like you are about to fly out of the safety devices that you checked a thousand times before. There is a brief lull at the bottom then right back up the next hill you feel so alive and so close to death at the same time.

Heather and I got on this roller coaster of fostering two years ago. We had the long line of being certified then the anticipation as we climbed the hill wondering when we would get to the crest of our first placement and now we are rushing at ungodly speeds being jarred and jolted exhilarated and frightened at the same time through two years of placements, paperwork, trials, and triumphs. The training we received really prepared us in no way for what we were getting into. They teach you about the proper restraint of a child, the how to’s of med logs, CPR, etc but they do not prepare you for the emotional roller coaster you waited in line for.

After our second placement Rylan left we had no idea what to do we had no support no understanding of how to handle the loss. It was like someone kidnapped our child and everyone knew it but didn’t care. “Sir we know your child is missing but that’s ok that is the way it is supposed to be, just deal with it!”. While we were happy he was with family it still didn’t replace the hole left in our family and in our hearts. Why don’t they prepare you for this or at least help you through it? I don’t know to be honest. Perhaps they think no one would be foster parents if they knew the heart ache before them.

This roller coaster has given us intense joy and intense pain. As the coaster pulls into the station once again in a couple weeks to let another passenger off we have to decided do we want to strap ourselves back in for another trip around the track.

Save the terrorist, kill the babies!

2009-01-23T10:47:00.001-06:00

I think my wife it right… It is going to be a long 4 years (or 8) for me. So far Obama has signed an executive order to shut down Guantanamo Bay and has reasserted his vow to sign the FOCA if it gets through the new congress.

Why would the terrorist rights be so important to him yet the rights of the unborn child are of no concern. Obama has said on many occasions that he is Pro Choice and that is not going to change he is going to do everything he can to further this agenda. This is one of the Changes he talked about on the campaign trail. The American people (and A LOT of Christians) gave him the tools to do it by electing a Democratic Congress/Senate/Whitehouse! A few Supreme Court nominations and he has free reign to do anything he wants to do.

Change and Hope!

Hey Obama! What color is the sky?

2009-01-22T11:00:00.001-06:00

Ah… ah… ah… ah… Government!

No Obama Government is not the answer to everything!

I wrote that myself :) I may add that to my stand up routine.

Fine! I’m a raciest then!

2009-01-21T13:19:00.001-06:00

I have managed to keep myself pretty distracted since the election with various activities such as football, children, work etc so I have managed to keep my blood pressure under control (Except for when the Panthers choked and lost to the Cardinals in the playoffs! Dangit there goes my blood pressure again!).

Yesterday got my head spinning again and my blood pressure up. I was surrounded by the notion that I have to be excited about Obama becoming President. Let me preface this by saying I understand the importance and I even blogged about it at the time it happened.

Yesterday I was torn. I am happy we elected an African American but had trouble getting excited about the African American that we elected (of course I did not vote for him as you might have guessed). I am opposed to practically everything he stands for, big government, homeland security, abortion, foreign policy, just to name a few. Because I disagree with this African American and I am not excited to see this African American take office and start this country in a direction I am against I am a raciest! I think this is ridiculous but I have experienced it myself from someone very close to me and I see it in the media where opposition to Obama is considered raciest as opposed to just ideological differences.

When Obama was elected I told someone that he was elected by two groups: African Americans, and people that hate Bush. My point was that a lot (not all) African Americans voted for Obama because he was African American and that if that was the only reason they voted for him then it was raciest. If you have no clue what he stands for or what he plans to do with the country and still voted for him because he is the same race as you then that in my opinion is raciest. This person did not agree and thought/thinks I am a raciest. I suppose his race makes him untouchable and his ideas valid just on the color of his skin. This is going to be a long raciest 4 years for me!

I am not excited about the President the country elected and if racism was indeed dead then I should be able to say that and not be labeled at all (except perhaps a conservative). I honestly do not care what color he is but I disagree with his policies whole heartedly and if that makes me a raciest then fine!

The children the system makes

2009-01-19T16:33:00.001-06:00

Last weekend I spent the day in Behavioral Management class for foster parent training through our agency. The instructor was Dan one of my favorites, he has been doing this for 30 years and knows the whys behind kids that are in the system. He has seen it all.

Last summer he decided it was time to get some “field” experience. He has taught for years and intellectually understands how to deal with abused and neglected children but had never had hands on experience full time. He and his wife bit the bullet and took in a 9yr old boy named Zack. They got him straight out of a mental institute where he had been placed after his last placement in the foster care system ended badly. Zack had been in the system since he was 2yrs old.

Dan learned very quickly he was head deep in what he had been teaching all these years. Zack was misdiagnosed in the mental institution to have Bi Polar. He had many diagnosis which I will get to in a minute. He was diagnosed with Bi Polar because that is one of the illnesses that the institute gets paid for. If they had accurately diagnosed him and medicated him to treat those diagnosis the institute would not get paid. Which I find outrageous. The government gone awry again.

The first thing Dan had to do was to get him seen by his therapist and get the right diagnosis and get him on the right medications. He was diagnosed with RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder), ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder), and ADHD.

Dan and his wife spent months working with Zack by applying his years of strategies and philosophies. He admitted that even with the intellectual power to understand the why behind the behavior he found himself in timeout quite often. You see Zack was also diagnosed with encopresis which is uncontrollable soiling. The doctors said that he could not control this but Dan found that Zach would use this as a passive aggressive tool to get back at them. He did not do it anywhere but at the house. Anywhere that it would embarrass him he did not have an accident. This issue in particular drove Dan to the point of braking.

Dan’s goal was to take a hopeless kid and get him to the point of being adoptable. Dan and his wife are in their mid fifties so their intention was never to adopt him because they were just too old but to get him to a point where he could attach and be adopted.

They had reached this goal for the most part. It got to the point where his psychiatric team decided it was time to start moving in that direction. So they set Zack down and explained that they would not be adopting him or anyone one due to their age so that he would understand they are not rejecting him but would reject anyone in the same way. They told him he would be adopted by another family an they would be his forever family! Zack seemed to process this and seemed to repeat back that he is not being rejected again.

While he accepted this on the outside on the inside something snapped and within days he was back to square one. Dan had failed and he and his wife could not continue because it was so draining. Zack had to be readmitted into the mental institution. They all promised to stay in touch and he still calls wanting to come back to Dan and his wife but it is just not possible.

These are the kids the system makes. I asked Dan what would become of Zack. He said frankly, since his wife was not there, Zack will be incarcerated at an early age and will be a life long criminal and drug abuser because he has relied on the meds for so many years. I followed up with, If Zach had a stable family from the beginning and had never been in the system what would be the outcome. He said that all of his problems were created by the system and by an over developed lymbic system. Because the human body develops from the Top down and from the center out this is one of the first systems to develop. Because of the trauma it over develops this fight or flight system.

The sad truth is Zack is lost to the system. Because Dan got him so old he did not have an opportunity to change his belief systems. It was so much a part of who he was it could not be changed. We need more good people in the system that can care for and make a difference in these children so that no more Zack’s ever fall through the cracks.

Don't look now but you have a fish on your bumper!

2009-01-13T07:51:00.002-06:00

I was a little sleepy this morning driving to work. Instead of a "Geographical Oddity, Two weeks from everywhere" (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) I live in a "Time Zone Oddity". Every show comes on at 9pm BHT (Baby House Time). We don't watch anything live so we wait until the kids are in bed to watch any TV shows so last night I started the 2hr premiere of 24 starting at 9. I am old so that is pushing my ability to keep my eyes open.

After dragging myself out of bed and taking a hot shower I drudge out to the car and get on with my commute at about 6am. Not long after being on the road the truck in front of me catches my eye. I have to take a double take and wipe my eyes. Every time the truck puts on brakes I see something moving back and forth and two tiny red lights near the bumper. This woke me up quick and peaked my interest. I got closer and noticed it was a fish on his trailer hitch ball. I almost ran into the back of him several times because I was mesmerized by this stupid thing.

Order your Accident Initiator now!
You can get various others as well. I like the Bad Dog and my favorite Whoa Horsey .

A son is born!

2009-01-12T08:37:00.001-06:00

We have been through this several times already. It always starts the same "Guys looks like this one is going to be available are you interested in adopting?" "Well of course we are!" I understand that they need to ask that question even when they have no clue if it is reality or not but I wish they would save that question until there is a little more evidence that it will be reality.

In June of this year things looked great for baby T . We had just seen baby Jesse off to go be with this bio family and we needed a break! So I had some work to do in Houston and the family went with me to unwind clear our minds of the heartbreak we just went through. We lost Jesse but baby T was still there and things were looking good. We decided to start calling him by the name we are going to call him when he is adopted so he can get used to it. We let our guard down.

Not long after returning from that trip my wife calls me and tells me that we should prepare ourselves to loose baby T things have changed and there is practically no chance we will ever get to keep him. He is going to be taken from us and given to a family of his own heritage.

Emotions spewed out of me I balled my eyes out, cried to God, got mad at the world. I called every lawyer in the book trying to do everything humanly possible to fight for MY SON! I was going to fight the world to keep him. My wife thought I had lost my mind but I was determined to fight for my son! I knew no one in the world could love this boy more than we do! I knew what was best for him was our family. It looked hopeless. For some odd reason our Country has given the Indian Nation authority over any court in the nation. What they decide goes. They never decide for the non-Indian family.

This last Friday driving in my car crying my eyes out again! This whole time I have not let myself believe it. I have protected my heart against the pain to be sure I don't feel this again. January 10th marks the end of the 90 day probation period for Baby T no long lost family member or friend can come out of the woodwork and claim him now. HE IS OURS! You see the miracle happened, the father refused a paternity test but also refused any future interest in the case. Without proof of the father the Indian Nation had no case so they dropped the case and the parental rights were terminated. The last 90 days I have kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Driving in my car Friday I let myself feel it, I let my self believe it, I let myself enjoy it!

MY SON IS HOME!

Who died and gave you an opinion?

2009-01-08T15:33:00.001-06:00

The wonder of God's creation is never more evident than in the laugh of a baby! They look at you with complete adoration and unconditional love. They are so helpless so completely dependent on you yet they are so full of achievements. They have their first tooth, they sit up and roll over for the first time, they learn to crawl and to eventually walk. Their brains are in over drive constantly learning new skills, new ways to play with that same old toy, ways you would have never imagined. They light up when you walk in the door after a long days work and are so excited to see you, you are their god, their everything!

Enter the rascally teenager! Unlike the doe eyed baby this creature is illusive. After returning to my domicile after a long days work this creature is no where to be found. I have to go searching through the nooks and crannies to find them only to get a dismissive look once I have located them. No more meeting me at the door telling me about their day and how much they missed me. I purposely cherished and soaked in those moments because I knew this day was coming.

They have reached the point in life where they must start to think for themselves and wean themselves off of their dependence on us. I understand this and I do not have a problem with them thinking for themselves and having opinions however I had to sit them down and explain a few things.

You may express your opinion at any point to either or both of us, however, it is all in the way you present your opinion. You are going to get a lot farther to getting what you want if you express your opinion in a respectful way. You must only express your opinion once! If we need clarification or would like for you to tell us more about why you feel that way then have to fear we will ask you. We take your opinion and weigh that in with the rest of the family. It is our job to decided what is best for the whole family. Understand that if we say no or do something contrary to your opinion it is not that we did not value your opinion or you have bad ideas it is just that it was not what was best for the family as a whole.

What I understand and they do not is that their opinions are often contrary on purpose to stretch or prove their independence. Their opinions are steeped in selfishness and very little life experience or wisdom. Their need for independence is essential to them growing into productive functioning adults so I do not want to stifle their creativeness or their own thoughts but I do want them to understand that it is (for now) measured against the greater good of the family. I will let them figure out for themselves that is is always going to be like that even in their adult life. Their bosses are going to take their opinion and weigh it against the big picture as well. No reason to totally burst their bubble now right?

I have half a cold!

2009-01-07T13:01:00.001-06:00

Have you ever had a cold where only one nostril is stuffy and the other is fine? What do you do with that? Do I just take half the cold medicine I would normally take? If so how would the medicine know which side of my nose is clogged? What if it chooses wrong ? Very perplexing.

At least I have one healthy nostril! Hopefully it will not succumb to the snotty side!

Name that house?

2009-01-02T08:07:00.001-06:00

For many years now I have been intrigued by the way the British name their homes. It started while reading C.S. Lewis over 15 years ago. His home was called "The Kilns". You know we Americans name everything we own practically or assign gender to them at the very least. I have been trying to think of something creative to name our home. Madhouse seems appropriate, Poopie House also very accurate, Hormone Manor also a fine description, but I want to name it something elegant and regale.

Most of the houses in England are named after a distinguishing feature of their house like "Red Oak House", Two Chimney Place or after animals "Fox Manor" but they can be named anything and for any reason. If you have never thought about naming your house give it a thought and let me know what you come up with. If me and the family come up with a good name I will post it.

Happy New Year!

Face of the earth

2008-12-29T07:46:00.001-06:00

I have spent the last couple of days blissfully unaware of anything to do with work or computers in general. I must admit I enjoyed it tremendously. I was unconnected, unaware, and loving it! After officially falling of the face of the earth for a couple days I must say that the face of the earth is overrated. I enjoyed just sitting and playing with my vast quantities of children and doing my honey do list. I rearranged my entertainment center, put new weather stripping on the doors, got my foster parent training finally completed for this year, cleaned up some speaker wires the babies just love to play with (sorry babies it is for your own good), and most importantly for the first time since I have worked at my current job I did not have to come in over the holidays at all! I had a great time and hope you guys did too.

A few of my favorite things 2008

2008-12-17T11:20:00.001-06:00

These are a few of my favorite things I found this year. These favorite things are excluding the obvious like my family etc. Inspired by this post.

1) I finally broke down and got a big screen TV and LOVE it when I get the opportunity to watch it.

2) I am 100% addicted to my blackberry! Awesome tool for work and life!

3) Dual Monitors! It opens up a whole new world. I first got them here at work then when we bought a new computer at home I told Heather she had to get dual monitors. I think she is hooked too!

4) FaceBook.com! Another addition of mine. What a blast this is connecting with new and old friends. Much better than MySpace in my opinion. Don't forget the Facebook application for the BlackBerry to Geek it out properly.

5) Blogger.com! My wife also turned me on to blogs this year and I have to say it is awesome! I feel like I know some of the bloggers better than my real life friends. Well I probably do because in real life you just don't have time to share like you can in a blog. Does that make me weird to have cyber friends?

6) 24hr Fitness. Ok so another addiction of mine... I think I have a problem... This is turning into and intervention post I think. They opened up a gym right down the road from me and there is also one near my office so I get to go at lunch and after work! Feel the burn baby!

7) Sensi~Care. My wife actually discovered this but it has been a God send with all the pooping going on with these digestively challenged babies. It creates a barrier between the baby bottom and anything. Very crucial when the babies have toxic poo that eats their butts.

I am sure there are more but can not think of them right now. If I do I will edit the post and add them.

Tried to figure out Mr. Linky thing but no luck so far... Just leave a comment with a link to your favorite things of 2008.

Ice Ice Baby!

2008-12-16T11:00:00.002-06:00

I have lived in the south all of my life first in Charlotte NC and now in North Texas. Living in these areas has its colorful locals for certain but for the most part I work and live with people that are from all areas on the US and world. I meet very few people who are actually from the area. So today the melting pot are at odds with each other. Today we have ice everywhere which only happens perhaps twice a year and it never fails during these brief interludes of ice that someone from "bad weather land" will comment on how much us backwards hillbilly folk can not drive in bad weather.

First of all we are hillbillies but it is never nice to call people names. Secondly can anyone really drive on ice? I mean sure people from "bad weather land" can drive on snow because you see it more often than those of us that live closer to the equator, but ice is ice, no traction, slippery, fall down go boom, etc. Thirdly you might be from "bad weather land" and have driven in snow every day of your life but the fact is you are in the south now where we see snow/ice once or twice a year so our local governments do not have the money to invest in the equipment necessary to properly prepare and clean the roads. Even if you are used to it the roads here are not as well taken care. So if you see me driving 10 miles per hour leave me be I'm nervous! Give me lots of room! It's really in your best interest I may freak out at any moment!

"That's all I got to say about that"

Candid Photo MEME (at Heather's request)

2008-12-10T15:32:00.001-06:00

MEME (What does this mean?) I don't know I am just doing what I was told to do by my wife!

My wife's POST and directions:

Here's the rules:
Shot on the spot, where you’re supposed to take a picture and post it right away.
Rules are:
1) Take a picture of yourself right NOW!
2) DON’T change your clothes, DON’T fix your hair… Just take a picture.
3) Post that picture with NO editing.
4) Post these instructions with your picture.
5)Tag up to 10 people to do this, be sure to let them know they're tagged!

So here is the candid picture of me from this morning. Please forgive me I didn't have time to button up my shirt and my hair was a little messy but I guess that is what is all about right, warts and all?

Really I don't have a way to take a picture right now. Sorry :(

Stand up for your rights!

2008-12-08T07:42:00.001-06:00

Apparently it is perfectly acceptable to release your pent up gas while standing next to me at a urinal! I think the proper etiquette is for me to stare straight ahead and pretend like I am deaf but I can not stay silent (pun intended) any longer! I mean do I attract these Aggressive Urinal Farters or is this a more global issue? Why is it acceptable because you are at a urinal? It is like picking your nose while you are driving. You are NOT invisible people we see you diggin in that thing like there is gold up there! I would just like to say for the record WE HEAR YOU and it's not cool!

If you are a victim of AUF (Aggressive Urinal Farters) please join me in my fight! If you suffer from AUF there is help for you. Please join a support group near you and put an end to AUF!

One year ago...

2008-12-05T15:41:00.001-06:00

I am sitting in one of my favorite BBQ places enjoying some smoked turkey with all the "fixins", talking with my boss about something or nothing and the phone rings. I usually do not answer while at lunch because it is rude first of all and anything of importance can always wait until I am done digesting right? I knew we were on the list for foster placement however so I decided to answer it. It was indeed Heather calling saying we have a possible little boy. Rylan our second foster son had gone to live with his grandmother just a couple weeks before so we were anxious for another placement. She said his mother had tested positive for several drugs and that she had given up several children before this one. He would however, need open heart surgery in a couple months to correct a congenital heart defect and they needed a family to get him through that before he went to live with his grandparents. I told her to get more information and call me back. I would not normally consider this because of the medical needs however something made me say YES when she called back. I think in the back of my mind I was thinking that the grandmother would get him so we would only be taking care of him for a couple months.

Since that day every time I get a moment to myself I wonder about all the children we have declined for one reason or another. Did I make the right call? What about all the wonderful children that I will never get to meet? What if I had turned down baby T? Overwhelming.

Yesterday my little boy turned one year old and I have to say he lights up my world. When I get home from work he is there with his chubby little fingers on the gate saying "Da Da" through is half toothed grin! Melts me every time.

Happy Birthday Baby T! Daddy Loves you!

HOPE

2008-12-01T10:41:00.001-06:00

Hope is the belief that your tomorrows will be better than your today or a feeling that your desire will be fulfilled. It can be a powerful driving force in your life. It can be the only thing that keeps you going sometimes. Life can also be debilitating without it. You have no direction to strive, no goal to reach, no belief things can get any better than they are right now.

I met a man this weekend that had just gotten out of prison and this week is on his way to live in a men's shelter because he has no where else to go. He had a rough childhood with an abusive father. He was in prison because he was hooked on drugs and did very desperate things to get more. He wants to leave that behind and I see huge potential in this young man. He has been clean for a year because he was in prison. This is the bottom for him but with the right direction this can be a renewal and a rebirth for him. This can be a new beginning. I want to be that hope for him, I want to provide that direction and encouragement to not fall back into the same lifestyle (because that is what he knows) but to move forward with a fresh start. With nothing else to loose he stands at a crossroads one path is difficult and unknown one path is easy and familiar. I pray that God will provide a way for me to mentor him on the unknown path. I want him to be able to reach up through HOPE and grab a hold of joy again to do the things with his life he wants to, to be the man God wants him to be.

It is important to me because the man I met is my foster son's dad. We hope to adopt him soon and I know that someday my son will want to search out his birth father and I want the man he finds to be a righteous man living for God. Pray that I can reach out to him.

Are we really that bad?

2008-11-26T14:12:00.001-06:00

It's mothers day this year at our church. I am sitting in the seat next to my wife in the middle of this wonderful appreciation service for all of those mothers that give so much and get so little in return. I think to myself this is such a wonderful church and a wonderful service to honor the sacrifice mothers give to raise families and in some cases husbands. It was a great service altogether and that night they provided babysitting and a free meal at a local steak house for all of the single mothers out there to show their appreciation and understanding of the struggles that a single mom has to go through on a daily basis. I was very proud to be a part of our church that day. They did a great job of honoring mothers that day.

Fast forward, its fathers day, I am feeling pretty good. My wife and girls and even our foster children (Well Heather really but said it was from them) got me hand made cards and gifts in appreciation of me. I felt appreciated and honored. We get to church that Sunday and I am excited to see what wonderful things they have planned for us Dad's out there. The worships starts, the announcements are made, the pastor gets up to preach, and he starts preaching the next part of the series we are in. I am thinking surely there is a mistake. Does he not know it's Fathers Day? So confused I try to pay attention to what he is talking about but find myself wondering what is going on. The pastor finishes his sermon and at the close of service says that they didn't do a fathers day because he did not want to go into what all we are doing wrong. In essence you guys suck and I don't have anything good to say about dads so I wont say anything at all. I was shocked to say the least. Are we really that bad?

I experience this a lot or maybe I just notice it more for some reason. This week we had our son in the hospital for a minor surgery. He had just got out of surgery and they moved him to the recovery floor. I have him in my arms all cuddled up because I did not get to see him before surgery. Me and my wife are both sitting there and the nurse says "Mom what surgery did he have?" My wife has many great qualities but hearing is something she physically cant do (light bright in the ear at 5 doesn't help) so I said he had a circumcision. She writes on the paper and goes on her way. She comes back again and says "Mom how did the doctor advise you to treat it?" to which I replied what the doctor told us because again my wife did not hear what the doctor said. What is the deal am I invisible? Does she really think I have no clue why my son is in the hospital?

We have two teenage daughters and 3 children under 2 so when my wife has to do something outside the house I stay home and take care of it. When my wife answers the question where are the children they seem appalled that she would leave them home with a dad. They always ask "Can he handle that?" I don't get it are there that many bad fathers out there giving the rest of us a bad name?

Do I suck and just don't know it? Kinda like your fly is down and no one wants to tell you?

Disclaimer:
I am in no way suggesting I am a perfect father or husband.

Reminder of how stupid I am

2008-11-21T15:52:00.002-06:00

I read this blog post the other day about opening the mouth and inserting the foot and it reminded me of more than one of those occasions but here is just one of the many:

A couple years ago I was working as the Network Administrator of this "Christian" based distributing company. I took care of the entire infrastructure from the ground up. I went to church with the CEO and my Pastor would often come to the office and speak to us about various topics. On this project I was charged with coming up with a solution for filtering Internet sites. So I go about doing all the research, selecting and buying the solution, and finally implementing the solution. I was quite proud of the product and all the fancy capabilities so now it is time to show off all of my hard work, its time for the big payoff! They are going to be so impressed with me when I am done with this baby!

We gather all of the Executives in the CEO's office and huddled around his computer for the masterful dog and pony show. So we go through the product and look at all the reporting and blocking capabilities it is going great, they are loving it, and then the CEO says to me "So this blocks porn sites right?" to which I very proudly said "Yes sir it does and outstanding job of it!" "here let me show you". I plop my, then, rather rotund behind into his chair and type in playboy dot com and proudly press the enter key... Ummm it didn't block it! SO there in front of all of my Christian Executives is the frontpage of playboy dot com in all its glory! The CEO's face got very flush with embarrassment, (he was going bald so I could see the entire top of his head getting red) and I about broke my finger clicking on the red X on the browser bar! Turns out there was one setting in the software that wasn't set quite right.

I retested this software after correcting the glitch and then very nervously had another demo in front of a much smaller audience this time. The software ended up being a success despite my stupidity and lack of thoroughness. Just when you start to think you are smart you go and prove yourself wrong.

I wonder why they laid me off?

Batman Begins while the Kung Fu Panda Gets Smart!

2008-11-13T13:23:00.001-06:00

I was watching this movie where this kid's parents get shot coming out of a theatre so he ends up being raised by his butler Alfred. Then one night he has a dream that he is part of the Ferocious Five and is kicking all kinds of bad guy booty and blinding people with his Awesomeness and Attractiveness. Then when he grows up he actually ends up being a FBI analyst that wants to be an agent but is too clumsy and too good at his job to become an actual agent.

That is what I got out of it anyway. Over the past 2 weeks I have watched roughly half of three movies before crashing into sleep. All together I have watched a movie and half but can never seem to finish any of them. (Don't tell me how they end someday I will go back and watch the endings)

Since we became foster parents about a year and a half ago it has been a lot of sleepless nights! We have had baby after baby so the normal 6mths and they are sleeping through the night was actually almost a year and a half of not sleeping through the night! As soon as we get one baby sleeping through the night the next new born would come along and we would start the process all over again.

Most nights all 5 children sleep through the night now but I spend from 6:30 (when I get home from work) until 9pm getting babies played with, fed, changed, fed, changed, bathed, played with and then finally put to bed. (Of course my wife helps out a little) so when the older kids come and beg me to watch a movie with them I REALLY want too but my body just can't hang. We get started and about 30mins in I am out like a light. I feel really guilty because the babies require a lot of attention and the older girls get my left overs. I need to figure out a way to give them more one on one daddy time. Soon they will be off on their own and I will not have the opportunity to do that any more.

Did you kiss a vet?

2008-11-12T10:04:00.001-06:00

The Bible says there is no greater love than to lay down your life for another. Each man and woman through this countries great history were willing to do just that. They signed that dotted line knowing full well that if called upon they would sacrifice their life to keep our freedoms undefiled, and our country sovereign.

Many Americans paid the ultimate price for our ancestors, for us, and for future generations. These are our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, these are our heroes!

Honor the memory of those that have fought and died, those that have fought and come home, and those still fighting by saying thank you. If you see someone in uniform in a restaurant say thank you by buying their lunch. Let them know you appreciate their service and sacrifice.

I took the time to say thank you to all the veterans I know yesterday, from my father, to co-workers, to friends. It doesn't just have to be on veterans day it can be any day.

Melting Pot

2008-11-06T08:41:00.001-06:00

So I ran out of oatmeal for breakfast! This is terrible I always eat a package of Wal Mart brand Cinnamon Roll oatmeal for breakfast (and usually lunch) but this morning none! There is no Wal Mart around my office so I had to scrape up enough change from the ashtray in the car (what else are you going to use an ashtray for?) and off to MickeyD's I go.

I pull up the the drive thru order my plain biscuit get the total and pull up to the first window:

Me: "Good morning"
Cashier No. 1 (Indian woman): "Total is..."
Me: "OK"
I give her the money
Cashier No. 1: "Have a day!"
I chuckled to myself thinking "Ok I guess I have that covered. I have a day already I suppose a Thursday to be exact" (I crack me up all the time. Other people not so much)

Cashier No. 2 (Hispanic Woman): "Would you like yelley?"

I drive by probably 3 MickeyD's on the way to work but I always pass them by to stop at the one by the office because I can't wait to hear the little Hispanic woman say "Would you like yelly?" I have yet to try this yelley but she makes it sound so good I will have to try that soon.

What a wonderfully diverse culture we live in. I wonder what I say funny? :)

One Giant Leap for mankind!

2008-11-05T10:09:00.002-06:00

At the founding of our country the atmosphere was much different. In all of Europe (where our ancestors are from) at the time it was commonplace to own slaves from either your own country or other countries. You could become a slave because of dept you owed, punishment for a crime, prisoner of war, or any other various reasons. This was not strictly an African phenomenon, all countries were subject to slavery. At one time nearly 25% of the Roman Empire were slaves.

North America was no stranger to slavery. The Native Americans had slaves captured from other tribes as well as debtor slaves before there was ever a United States. The first African slaves arrived some time in the early 1600's.

The slave codes of 1705 defined a slave as any imported person who was a non Christian in their native country. It also classified them as Real Estate and not humans affording the owners exemption from punishment if they kill their slaves.

Not all Americans agreed with this practice, enough so that they were willing to fight for the rights of slaves. The Civil war was waged greatly on this one issue and the practice of slavery did not end until the conclusion of the Civil war and the drafting of the 13th Amendment in 1865. This Amendment abolished the practice of slavery but did not end the attitudes towards slaves.

There have been many milestones in the Civil Rights movement since then, from Rosa Parks not giving up her seat on a bus in Montgomery Alabama in 1955 to Marin Luther King's infamous "I have a Dream" speech in Washington DC in 1963. We have seen progress, we have seen change. The prejudice of old is slowly passing away with each new generation. Each new generation breaking new ground, making new strides in making all people equal.

Last night was ONE GIANT LEAP for mankind as Barack Obama leapt from the oppression of centuries past to the dreams of Martin Luther King. Going from slave, to free, to leader.

I do not agree with Obama's politics and would have much rather seen Alan Keys or Clarence Thomas as the first African American President but I can put all that aside for a moment in time and realize the history of today.

Something in the air

2008-11-03T07:36:00.001-06:00

Update: This is a repost. I took this down originally and my wife insisted I put it back up so here it is...

Wow is all I can articulate at the moment. I am a youth worker at our church, I am a small group leader on Wednesday nights and I lead a small group every other Sunday night at "My best good friends" house. We have a rather large group of pre-teens and teens every Wednesday. We combine them and the middle school pastor and the high school pastor tag team on Wednesday night. We have student led worship and generally a ton of fun.

Tonight there was something in the air, I could feel it the moment the middle school pastor shook my hand, something was different. The service started out as normal, the Price is Right game where they guess how much various items cost, the announcements, the small groups where we prepare them for service by asking questions that relate to the topic of the night, then the worship began and the mood changed immediately the air was electrifying the sense of God was palpable. It began slowly as a wave I could see it from the sound booth the hands going up, one, then three or four more, then whole sections, then the whole auditorium, then the middle school pastor, way of script, got up and spoke from his heart about what God was telling him and what he wanted the students to know, it got to the heart of the where the students were, then the high school pastor in a perfect tag team with God came back to the booth and picked up his Bible and canceled every other graphic, music, special event and went on stage and began to deliver what was on his heart out of the book of Revelations. He spoke passionately about how it is better to be cold and away from God or Hot and on fire for God than to be luke warm and complacent in the middle. The alter call was who wants to get closer, who wants to walk hand in hand, who wants more of God. Nearly every hand in the auditorium was raised. It was truly a wonderful experience. I regret my wife was not there to see her daughters raise their hand unashamed during worship, and answer the call to get closer to God. I hope this continues, I hope this is the beginning of a revival in our youth. I hope this is a moment of change in my girls! I hope this is a launching point for the youth pastors to follow Gods heart and lead with an open mind and a open heart! This is what our hurting teens need a true experience with God.

The age of a Democracy

2008-10-31T13:08:00.001-05:00

I was listening to Dr. James Dobson on the way to work the other morning and during the radio program he mentioned the quote below as a warning to voters:

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."

I thought this was remarkable. He was quoting Alexander Tytler who was a Historian in Scotland that died in 1813. How could such an old quotation ring so true in today's times? It seems like that is exactly what people are doing these days they are voting themselves large benefits from the treasury which will lead to a financial collapse.

How tempting is it to vote yourself more benefits? How tempting would it be to vote yourself a raise? Look at congress every year on Jan 1st they vote themselves a raise! Why? Because they can. There are judges waiting to be voted on, budgets to pass, any number of bills laying around with dust on them, but this bill always seems to work its way to the top of the list and gets voted on and passed immediately.

Obama is promising a huge government with entitlements galore, he is doing a rather great impression of Robin Hood and stealing from the rich to give to the poor through his tax plan. People are surrounding him in droves just to look at him, as if he is the second coming. What is the attraction to most voters? Seemingly free money! Nothing is free folks, that free money came from someone. The government should be a stop gap not a life style. The government should be there to help you when you are down but there should be a limit to the benefits. You should not be able to live your whole life on welfare and pass that mentality onto your children and on to their children.

Well it turns out Dobson was dooped! The quote only dates back to the 1950's and was not breathed by a historian in the 1700's but rather has unknown authorship. The origins is not true but I think the quote is being lived out right in front of us!

Snopes Entry: Don't believe everything you hear!

Redistribution of Wealth

2008-10-30T22:15:00.001-05:00

Funny article I stumbled upon.

"Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign the read “Vote Obama, I need the money.” I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on a “Obama 08" tie, again I laughed–just imagine the coincidence.

Suddenly, it hit me. An experiment is in order.

I asked the server, did he really believe that Obama's platform was a good one? Yes, he did.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept.

He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need – the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10, and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn, even though the actual recipient needed the money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application - at least if it is your wealth that is being redistributed."

Originally Posted Here

The power of a box

2008-10-29T10:22:00.001-05:00

Heather and I drug 5 children to our early voting location yesterday and stood patiently in line for an hour to cast our votes. The younger children were fine but the older children were asking why we had to endure this long line with all the babies just to vote. I told them it was our "Civic Duty" to vote. That is the short answer and the one that matches their attention span when it comes to politics.

As I was marking the little boxes I was thinking how much power there is in these little unassuming boxes. They are meaningless just sitting there by themselves on a piece of paper until we come along and provide meaning to it. They are more than a check mark in the box, they represent ideas. I understood fully why I put a check beside the names I did, it was not because I like them on a personal level, it is not because they are charismatic, it is not because of their race, it is not because their gender, it was not based on popularity, it was not based on what the news media spins about them, it was because I believe in the ideas behind that check mark.

Yesterday I voted for all of the unborn children that will never have a voice because their life was ended by the choice of a politician, their collective voices were heard through my marking of an unassuming box. The next President will appoint at least one and perhaps 4 Supreme Court Justices in their first term in office. This is the arena where the fate of these unborn children will be decided. I voted for a smaller government which means spending less and taxing less allowing us to keep more of our money in our pockets and letting us decided what to spend it on. I voted for bringing our troops home in a way that will leave a democratic and stable government in Iraq so that my children do not have to fight this war again. I voted for the protection of our homeland without the depletion of our freedoms. I voted against the redistribution of wealth. I voted against socialized healthcare. These are some of the things that these boxes mean to me. Rather than looking at the people I looked at the ideas behind the people. I know what the boxes mean to me and I hope as each American goes to the booth they know what the boxes mean to them and are not just making the boxes about who they like because they look good on TV, or that they are so disappointed with Bush that they are simply voting against him. The boxes have ideas behind them and the ideas affect us all. I am not telling you who to vote for just to make sure you understand the ideas behind the vote or don't vote at all. Vote with wisdom and knowledge.

Officially, somewhat, maybe, could be interested...

2008-10-27T15:31:00.001-05:00

Both of my biological daughters have had this aversion to anything physical or team related all their lives. I have tried to get them interested in team sports from the time they were very little. I wanted them to develop the team building of a team sport as well as the exercise they would get while participating. They have inherited some of my bad genes unfortunately. I can look at food and gain weight. I can eat a 100% cholesterol free diet and still have high cholesterol. It is genetics at its worst. They did get my striking good looks so I guess it is a toss up right?

Through their friends at church they now realize that team sports can be fun and rewarding. The oldest wants to play soccer and the youngest wants to play volleyball. We are going to give it a go the next available opportunity. They are both very interested in reading so it is hard to pull them away from their books to get them out but I think we may have an opportunity with this.

I didn't force them to participate in sports when they were younger because I knew it would be unsuccessful if they didn't want to do it. Not sure if that was the right approach or not looking back. We signed them up for several non-sports related things growing up but none of them really stuck. The point was not to force them to do anything but let them at least experience it and see if that is what they enjoyed or not. I probably should have done that with sports as well just to give them the experience to decide for themselves. Maybe I will take a different approach with Baby K and Baby T-money if we get to adopt them. I have a feeling I will have a lot more chances to get it right or at least more right!

Protect your data!

2008-10-21T15:21:00.001-05:00

Just thought I would give you a tech tip for today! Most everyone lives in a digital world these days I know we have our entire kids lives on disk from the time they were 3 or 4 until now and it would be irreplaceable if we lost all of those pictures and memories! So what can you do?

Here is what we have done. We have an external hard drive where we store all of our data as one line of protection. If the Operating System freaks out or the internal hard drive crashes we have all of our data on an external drive. To add another level of protection you can use AllWaySync (***Free product***) to sync your internal hard drive with your external hard drive in real time. This gives you the data in two places. This is a great protection plan however it does have limitations. If there is a fire, or theft of your PC then both drives and data are gone! So the next step is to get all of that data offsite. I highly recommend Mozy. This will copy your data from your hard drive to a data center. For home use you get UNLIMITED storage for $5 a month. You can not beat that! So we have over 100GB of data offsite and protected. If your hard drive crashes, is stolen, or you have some sort of other disaster then your data is safe and sound. You can restore one file at a time if you delete something you didn't mean to or you can have them overnight you DVD's of your data.

So your data flow would look like this:
Internal Hard drive on your PC through AllWaySync to your External Hard drive through Mozy to the offsite storage. Both of these are set and forget programs meaning you set them up once and then they work in the background.

Ghost Hunters

2008-10-21T09:30:00.001-05:00

My youngest daughter has an odd fascination with all things creepy. Not sure where it came from or more importantly where it is going! Nonetheless I thought it was time to entertain her with a little Halloween fun. I decided to take the girls to a haunted house for the first time (They are in their early teens). I figured it would go down like this... The oldest would be way too freaked out and decline to go and opt to stay at home and read and it would be me the youngest going out to pay people to scare us and pretend to try and kill us, you know, good clean fun. Well turns out the oldest was super pumped and the youngest got pretty skittish. Go figure. (Are you done figuring yet? OK I'll wait)

Well after hours of searching for a good haunted house I discovered that it was a minimum of $18 each for haunted houses in our area an there were really not any that were close. I had one picked out that was about 45mins away and $10 each but when I looked up directions it ended up being 2hrs and 45mins away. Not sure what happened there. Darned internets!

So instead of the Haunted House we just stayed home and opened and closed the Power Bill, far scarier but somehow I can't help imagine less satisfying. Maybe next year.

What happens when you write to a Senator?

2008-10-15T08:04:00.002-05:00

Like a lot of people I was pretty passionate about the bailout plan and decided to write my senators because they took up the bill after the House rejected it. You know the story they stuck more pork in it and called it good! Then the House decided it finally had enough pork in it and blessed it as well! I still do not think this is the right choice for America because we were given no other alternatives it was this bill or depression. I saw one of my favorite financial guru's of all time Dave Ramsey (Common Sense Fix) on the Huccabee show the other day and he had some pretty great ideas but no one was listening unfortunately.

At any rate I went to the Texas congressmen/congresswoman's websites and e-mailed them requesting they vote no against the bill. Below is the response given by Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Dear Mr. F:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. I welcome your thoughts and comments on this issue.

On September 19, 2008, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced a plan by the Bush Administration to stabilize the financial services sector of the economy. This plan included broad authority for the Treasury Secretary to purchase troubled financial instruments with very limited oversight and few protections for taxpayers.

In July, I voted against a similar proposed bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because it did not provide taxpayer protection and limits on executive compensation for a government owned entity. For the same reasons, I was not willing to support the Administration’s initial proposal, and I encouraged my colleagues to continue work on a plan that would protect taxpayers, provide strict oversight, and place limits on the benefits to executives who accept taxpayer assistance.

In the days following the Treasury Secretary’s announcement, concerns about the danger to the broader economy deepened. The high-profile failure of numerous financial institutions caused the commercial lending market to accumulate and hold cash. The credit markets effectively froze, making it difficult for consumers to obtain loans for purchases such as homes and automobiles. The lack of lending in these areas began to place further pressure on the troubled housing market and threatened to spread deeper into the economy. Similarly, many small and mid-sized businesses were finding it difficult to obtain financing to meet their payroll obligations and purchase inventory. Many cities were entering the bond market and getting no bids, even with AAA ratings. The current liquidity crisis still poses a real potential for significant job losses. After consulting with numerous financial experts, small businesses, and bankers in Texas, it became clear to me that normal commercial lending activity would not resume without action by Congress.

Despite this realization, I was still not inclined to support the Paulson plan. After weeks of negotiation, however, a bi-partisan compromise was reached. While there are provisions in the bill that I do not favor and would not have drafted, overall the need for action to stabilize the market and to protect the retirement savings of millions of Americans weighed heavily on my mind. Ultimately, I supported the Senate bill along with 73 of my colleagues. The bill we passed was a major improvement over the initial plan announced by Secretary Paulson.

We increased the deposit insurance cap from $100,000 to $250,000 so that families will have added protection for savings and retirement accounts. While the initial proposal authorized up to $700 billion to purchase distressed assets, the measure we passed takes a more cautious approach, initially authorizing $250 billion and requiring the approval from Congress and the President for additional funding. Importantly, the bill we passed includes restrictions on the benefits received by executives whose companies are selling some of their distressed assets to the government. In return for purchasing the assets, taxpayers will obtain an ownership stake in the companies. Many leading economists believe that the real estate market will turn around in the foreseeable future and government owned properties and assets will be sold at a profit. A provision in this bill that I supported requires any profits realized to be placed in the nation’s treasury to reduce the deficit. If, however, after five years the government is facing a loss in the program, the President must submit a plan to Congress recommending how the money will be recouped from financial services companies. I believe that these protections are a dramatic improvement over the Administration’s initial proposal.

The bill passed by the Senate included an important package of tax policy provisions. One of these provisions is an extension of the state and local sales tax deduction, which is a matter of fairness for states like Texas that do not have a state income tax. The average Texan will save $520 when they file their federal income tax forms next year. We also shielded low and middle-income taxpayers from higher taxes associated with the flawed alternative minimum tax (AMT) and included tax incentives to spur energy production and innovation including the wind energy production tax credit and the research and development tax credit.

As Texans, we have learned to take responsibility for our actions and being asked to pay for the mistakes of others is something many, including myself, find deeply troubling. However, after careful deliberation, I believe that the risks associated with doing nothing outweighed the risk of passing a less than perfect bill that nevertheless includes important protections for taxpayers. Economic evidence clearly suggested the problems were spreading into the broader economy. That is why I voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.

I appreciate hearing from you. Please do not hesitate to contact me on any issue of concern to you.

Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison
United States Senator

284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5922 (tel)
202-224-0776 (fax)
http://hutchison.senate.gov

What if firefighters ran the Congress?

2008-10-14T07:32:00.001-05:00

I love this commercial. This is the way congress should be run! "This is a lot of paper to tell me we need clean water" "Do we need clean water guys?" "This is the easiest job I have ever had" Very true very true.

Answer the Question Already!

2008-10-08T10:15:00.001-05:00

First of all please do not report me to child protective services but... I made my 13 and 11 year old daughters watch the debate last night. I knew they were not interested but I wanted them to get an idea of what there future is and how this election with affect them. Probably and exercise in futility and more of a punishment than a civics lesson but they suffered through it.

Now to my point. It drives me crazy listening to politicians talk sometimes. They were asked very specific, pointed questions in the debate last night and neither of them would answer the questions given they would just spout out their "Plans" whether they were relevant to the question or not. That is one thing my 11 year old noticed. She asked "Did he answer the question?" I said "No sweetie he didn't even come close". They were too busy pointing fingers at each other and their respective parties to answer the questions. "Obama voted for raising your taxes 97 times!" If you don't know the secret of congress here it is: They vote against funding the troops because somewhere deep in that bill to fund the troops is a "goodie" or "pork barrel" expenditure for growing mold in Alaska or something totally irrelevant to the bill itself but something that benefits the author of the bill. Without the line item veto they have to pass or fail the bill as a whole so great legislation gets voted down all the time because there it junk in the bill likewise bad legislation gets passed sometimes. Don't believe either candidate when they claim the other voted to kill puppies 27 times. The part about killing puppies was attached to a bill that promotes better education so instead of throwing the baby out with the bath water they pass the bill that also kills puppies.

NOTE: No puppies were actually harmed during this post nor was there ever a bill that killed puppies it was just a ridiculous example to make a point.

Getting your Groove back

2008-10-06T12:07:00.001-05:00

The dull thud of the bass drum, the slap of the snare, the sizzle of the high hats, the crash of the symbols, the low round notes of the bass guitar melding together to drive a song, to push it, to keep it together. This is the groove of the song, it is one of those things you never notice until it is off. The drummer speeds up and slows down or the bass player tries to do too much or too little and it is off and noticeably so. It is a symbiotic relationship. You generally never remember the groove but are more likely to remember the melody line, the hook, that is what gets stuck in your head, but the grove is what gets you tapping your feet or drumming your finger tips on the desk.

I have played with many drummers over the years and by far the best relationship was with my brother. Of course much of our DNA is identical so perhaps that helps but we knew what each other was going to do without it being said. When he went to a drum role I knew to follow and I instinctively knew when he would end it. I knew how to fit my bass line to compliment his drum style and when it was on it was magical. With him it was instantaneous but with other drummers it took time and learning, it took defining the patterns, marking the timing, taking note of the style.

If you are married and have a family you and your wife produce the groove for your family, you push it, keep it on time, and in sync. There are times when you get out of sync for one reason or another and just like the bass and drums it is noticeable. We went through this recently as our family grew from 3 children to 5 children in a matter of days. It threw us off our groove and it has been noticeable. It has been about a month now and I finally feel the groove coming back, things are clicking and, the toes are starting to tap again, and the fingers starting to drum. It is not audible, just like in music you feel the groove you don't always hear it. It is easy to disrupt the groove with practically anything but weather you realize it or not your family depends on that groove between you and your spouse. They may not know it but they can feel when it is off. There will be many more disruptions to the groove but it is important we as parents get back in sync as quickly as possible. Without it our lead instruments, our hooks, our children will have no foundation to spring from.

The best and brightest?

2008-10-02T13:27:00.001-05:00

We live in the best country in the world! Our government, although only 232 years old, is one of the best in the world!

We have some of the best Universities the world has to offer. Our Universities are filled with the best and brightest of other countries because they know to get the best education they need to be educated on American soil. In turn those students (most of them) fall in love with this country and decided to stay here, work here, raise families here, and fulfill the American dream. As a result their countries are in an intellectual deficit.

Our founders framed a country that was by the people and for the people. We have a say in what our government does. They represent us as a whole in the way they vote. They founded our freedoms in the Constitution and it has survived to this day as a complete document still governing our society. It was extremely well thought out from the ground up. While you may not agree with everything our government does, which it would be odd if you did, you would be hard pressed to find another better or even equal to it. The fact that you can openly disagree with our government without fear of reprise is a testament to its greatness.

The United States is the most philanthropic nation in the world. When there is a disaster anywhere in the world Americans are the first on the scene to offer Aide through our non-profit companies like the American Red Cross as well as huge sums of money from our federal government. We take care of the world in times of need. We come to the defense of our allies that can not defend themselves. Some people call that the world police but if we do not take up for our allies then they will be taken over by our enemies. The heart and bravery of our country is unparalleled throughout the world.

I said all of that to say this... With a country full of the brightest, most caring, and wealthiest people in the world we end up with Obama and McCain as our only choice for the leader of the free world. In my opinion these are not our brightest, our best. Take off your blue jersey or red jersey for a second and realize that to make it to that level you have to be willing to play the political game which means you lend your ear to the lobbyist in return you get money for your campaign. All that is required is you swing your power to look out for their best interests. The best politicians never make it far enough to get voted on because they are not willing to sell their beliefs to the highest bidder. This may sound like a contradiction to the first part of the post where I said that this is the best government in the world. It has it's flaws but it is still the best. We need reform at the top level, we need more than two parties to choose from, we need the lobbyist out of Washington and let this country get back to being run by the people and for the people. We need honest politicians to choose from that are not going to sell their votes but will stand up for what they believe in. Is Obama going to do that for us? Is McCain? The short answer is no. You can be a Democrat or a Republican but I think it is dishonest to say they are the best we have to offer or that everything they do is right just because you wear the same jersey.

Vote for who you want to but if you do not vote then you have not earned the right to complain. You still have time to register!

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

2008-09-30T08:59:00.001-05:00

For those of you who are interested here is a link the the $700 Billion dollar bailout plan as proposed and defeated in the House of Representatives yesterday.

http://www.rules.house.gov/110/text/110_hr3997_amnd_samnd.pdf

This is a 110 page document crafted over a weekend as the governments answer to a problem that has been brewing for over 10 years. With a problem so complex and so large I am glad they took a few minutes out of there weekend to fix it for us (sarcasm)

Pro Life & Pro Choice?

2008-09-24T09:21:00.001-05:00

How can you be Pro Life and Pro Choice? I believe that life begins at conception. This is the real sticking point in the Roe vs Wade legislation. Until the Supreme Court decides when life begins Roe vs Wade will never be overturned. Of course they are not willing to make this call. That is why it is so important who is President of the United States. One man can change very little in 4-8 years on such topics as the economy, taxes, welfare, etc but the one thing that he/she can do is appoint judges to the Supreme Court. We the people can not do this. They are not elected but appointed by the people we elect. That is why it is important who is elected POTUS. So if you could care less about Obama and McCain remember they could appoint the next judge to the Supreme court! You still have time to register and vote!

Pro Choice is about the woman's right to choose what happens with her body. I believe this as well but I think they have it all wrong. Women (and men) chose to have sex (Not in all cases. I will cover that in a minute) therefore they had a choice in the creation of this life. It is really no mystery how babies are created so the choice to have sex is really the choice to have a baby or not. Of course most people do not think of it that way or at least in the heat of passion they don't. Every time you have sex you are playing the odds with or without birth control you are still risking pregnancy. The only sure method of birth control is abstinence. This method works every time. My grandmother used to call this the penny between your knees method. After the woman made that choice she is done choosing what happens to her body. Some say that the baby is a part of the woman's body until birth and the umbilical cord is cut making it a separate entity. I do not agree with this logic, an apple is attached to the apple tree in much the same way an infant is attached to the mother. The apple is attached with a stem by which it gets its nutrients. We do not look at the apple and call it an apple tree, they are not considered one and the same. Why do we consider mother and child the same? In my opinion they simply are not. So I agree when they say the woman has the right to do with her body as she wishes we just disagree on what is her body. If she breaks her arm and decides not to go to the hospital and get a cast for it then that is her right to choose. If she decides to get that crooked nose fixed then have at it not my place to tell you that you may not fix your nose. That is your body and you have every right to choose what happens to it. I just disagree with the premise that a baby is your body.

When the woman does not choose to have sex such as the case of rape and incest then most Pro Lifers will give you that and say it is ok to terminate the life at that point. I do not agree with this, I think the only valid reason to terminate that life is if the mother and baby's life is in danger.

An acquaintance of mine who is an avid Republican asked if my wife was raped would I allow her to have the baby. I said absolutely! It is not the babies fault in which manor he/she were conceived why would I terminate his/her life just because of the method of conception. He flipped out and could not understand this. His point was that he would be reminded of the criminal act every time he looked at that child to which I replied "then that is a fault in you not in the child". I don't think he liked that comment either :) Ultimately it is not my right to choose death for another human being however that opinion comes from my belief in a higher power, in a supreme power. Without that in your life I suppose this argument does not hold much power. That is another discussion for another day however.

This is not a post about the right and wrong necessarily only that I think the two sides are arguing the wrong points. I don't condemn anyone who made this choice that is not my place and it would be arrogant of me to make that criticism. Which ever side you are on always reserve the right to change your mind! I have about some issues recently but that is another post as well.

Sometimes Sorry is not enough

2008-09-22T12:08:00.001-05:00

What does sorry really mean? Sorry that I ____. You can fill in the blank. Do we have to accept sorry and does it make everything better?

That is the problem, often we think that apologizing and saying we are sorry fixes everything but it doesn't sometimes there are wounds created that are not patched with I'm sorry. Just because you accept the apology does not make things instantly better. I learned this years ago in my marriage. Sometimes you have to get away and let things heal. If you are in it everyday then things will never get better because you can not get over the past to start the future. Once trust is broken it is not automatically returned on an "I'm sorry" or "I have changed". This takes two very mature people to get past. It takes the offender knowing that I'm sorry is not forgiveness and it will take a long time to get to where you want to be. You can say you have changed but it takes time to prove you have changed by your actions. You are judged at each decision, at each comment. You are compared to the old you until you regain that trust.

We talked about this yesterday in our life group. There is a couple who is going through hard times and are separated at the moment. I have no idea what went on between them but now the husband is wanting to start all over fresh and new because he feels he has changed in their time apart. She is not ready for that because she is still deeply hurt and is not going to blindly give trust back over a few words. It is a process of healing and he is going to have to prove he has changed which is going to get old with someone who is not committed. He has to realize that he has deeply hurt people and it is not as easy as I am sorry, that when he speaks the first reaction is going to be you are lying to get what you want. His intentions are going to be questioned constantly. For a guy who is trying to change it will be hard to overcome. It will take a commitment and a wisdom to repair what has been done. I hope that they can make it through this tough time and that in the end they can have a stronger better marriage for this experience.

The joke is not as funny if you have to explain it!

2008-09-18T16:13:00.001-05:00

For those of you who are Star Wars illiterate.

For all the Star Wars fans out there :)

2008-09-18T14:24:00.001-05:00

Nine Months equals 1 hour

2008-09-18T10:24:00.001-05:00

She is late for that time of the month but not just a day or two but weeks! She is never late! Time to go get the test from the drug store and find out for sure. The anticipation builds, your mind races, come on, hurry up, and there it is... We are pregnant! You are overwhelmed and overjoyed at the same time. You start thinking about your life and how different it will be. You ask yourself are you really ready to take care of something so helpless, something that relies on you for its survival. What qualifies you to take on such a huge task? You think of all that has to be done, we need to get the babies room ready, we need to buy a car seat, we need to figure out how to put the car seat in, we need to buy diapers, clothes, bottles, bibs, high chairs, toys, and a whole myriad of devices and tools. What is it going to be a boy a girl, what will we name them, who will they look like?

You get the first ultrasound and there it is your baby. You can tell the sex of the baby so now you can narrow your plans. You tell your family and friends and they are all excited and are planning the baby shower. Grandma and Grandpa are preparing to be grandparents. Planning the many ways to spoil your precious child. There is no baby bump as of yet so it is not really real yet.

At about 3months or so the baby bump arrives. Now its time to panic! This is real this is happening we are going to have a baby. You can not think of a single way this does not change your life forever! Are we ready, can we do this?

You watch in amazement as the baby bump grows and grows thinking surely it is going to pop now! Finally the waiting is over, the water has broke, the contractions have started, the epidural has been administered, the doctors are prepared, the video is rolling, THIS IS IT! Out comes baby! You meet face to face with your creation, every much a part of you as your hand is, so beautiful so wonderful.

Contrast:

Phone rings: Hello? A boy 20 mths old? You will be here in a hour? Click

No time to think, no time to prepare, no information, just buckle up and get ready. This is the life of a foster parent. It is taking some time to get used to 3 babies instead of just one. They are just now getting used to each other as well. The kept getting scared by one another. One would cry and it would scare the others and they would cry. It was kind of funny actually but not when it is two in the morning and they are waking each other up because now they have roommates that snore.

Observation No. 2: Most likely to...

2008-09-12T08:04:00.000-05:00

Now that I have been out of school as long as I was in school I look back and see if high school was any predictor of the future. If you knew me in high school you would probably say I was most likely to scare young children! I was not conforming all the while conforming to the group that was not conforming. Seems silly now, you don't fit in with the jocks or the preps so you form your own group of kids that are into punk music and skateboards and feel like you are not conforming, but everyone in your group looks the same so you are belonging to a click and conforming to their uniform of choice.

I was never officially voted as most likely to anything because I dropped out and got my diploma from the community college. Now that I have almost teen kids I think back and wonder what my parents were thinking about me during those teen years. Did they shake their head and wonder where they went wrong? I asked the question last year of my mother and father. Did I turn out like you expected me to? The answer was not as profound and deep as I had hoped. Maybe I caught them on a bad day or they did not have time to think about the question properly.

I think high school in no predictor at all of how you will turn out in life. You are so inexperienced at life, you have no clue who you are, and you are struggling to find where you fit in. Then right after high school you are asked to make one of the most profound decisions of your life, where do you want to go to college and what do you want to study. This decision affects the rest of your life and you are in no way prepared to make that decision. I think the system is flawed. Look at all the people that totally waste college finding themselves and partying. As a result they end up with a squandered education and a degree in something that they will never hold a job in. Wasted money, wasted time, wasted education. So what is the alternative? Take time off from school work a couple jobs figure out who you are and what you like then go to school and pursue that with all you have.

Did the star Quarterback at your high school go on to be an NFL star? Did the homecoming queen go on to be a model or movie star? Did the nerd go on to host Star Trek conventions? Did the skater go on to be Tony Hawk? Likely none of these people stayed on their respective paths. I deviated off my punk rock/rebellion path soon after high school and went on to be what most would consider a normal human being. How can you decided what you want to be when you grow up if you don't know yourself well enough to decide?

I want to encourage my children to explore who they are, what their talents are, and what they really enjoy and then decided what they want to do for the rest of their lives.

What were you voted most likely to be and how far from that are you now?

Observation No. 1: Not it

2008-09-07T04:02:00.000-05:00

Good news! It turns out I am at least 50% less likely to have coronary diseases, at least that is what researchers determined. I was at a large gathering the other day full of men sweating in the hot sun jarring their bodies in a way in which they have not been jarred in many years to jockey for position as top Type A male. I would venture to say there were a couple fouls in the in pickup game of basketball and a more than eager willingness to spike the ball on a 7 year old girl to obtain the bragging rights associated with a win in the volley ball game. The trash talking came out early and you could see the competitiveness in the TypeA'ers just below the surface. They did their best to mask it as there were children playing and it was a church event but every once in a while you could see the cat ate the canary smile on their face as they scored on the others.

I am decidedly a TypeB personality. I know there is still debate on the validity of these classifications but I do see some value in their general classification. Me and a fellow TypeB'er were sitting in the lawn chairs, in the shade, talking about nothing of importance. We are just as comfortable talking to a group of woman as a group of men. Sweat does not appear on our brow when our wives ask us to hold their purse for a couple of minutes. We don't have to brag about our accomplishments, how much money we make, how much sex we have, or how big our biceps are (ha you thought I was going somewhere else with that didn't you). We can genuinely be happy for the others successes.

I am not pointing out the differences to say one is better than the other. All throughout my life I have chosen the TypeA personalities to be my best friends. I am naturally shy but once in the conversation can hold my own and enjoy talking with others. Over the years the TypeA's have broken the ice and got me into those crowds and I have met some extraordinary people that way. As I get older I rely less and less on that personality and just go it own my own. Perhaps I am less shy or less insecure of just have bigger things to worry about than if anyone likes me or not. Both of these roles are necessary in society and it is interesting to watch people as they interact. But watch out when there is a pickup game of basketball with a group of TypeA'ers you may catch a stray elbow all the way in the shade.