Monday, November 17, 2008

Singing in the Car

I love singing in the car! And I think it's hysterical that Caiden is now singing all my favorite songs; although for a 7-year-old, she probably shouldn't know one or two of them. Her first concert was Puddle of Mudd when the 1st Armored Division returned from Iraq. In my defense, there were lots of kids there since their parents were celebrating war heroes.
But now she's listening to Selena and believe it or not, singing in Spanish. How cool is that?
Kids are so smart.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Cart Paths and Freakin' Trees

He hit 6 trees and every time he hit a cart path, his ball would zoom an extra 30 yards. I spent more time looking for his balls in the rough than I did actually golfing on the 18-hole course yesterday. My team played best ball in a work tournament and only by the grace of God did we hit 3 over par. Scott, Ethan and Phil were my partners in crime.

Scott hit a straight-ball streak around hole 9 but smacked another tree on hole 12. Two holes later he climbed into the horse pen to retreive another ball and another two holes later, he nailed a bird at the top of an old oak tree.

The best part of the day was the use of Jim's driver. Phil calls it "the toaster" because it is by far the most massive driver I have ever seen. When they hit with it, it sounds like Tiger Woods just nailed a 400-yarder ... the skies open and golf angels sing. The first time Ethan took a whack at it, the ball soared over the grass and came up short at the women's tee box. But man did it sound good. The guys have decided Jim may never get his driver back.

It rained and we took a wrong turn but the day was lots of fun; especially later over beers.

Monday, November 3, 2008

It's Good to Have Friends

When I was little, I was playing with some neighborhood kids from my church. There were about ten of us running around but I only knew two of them. What I remember most was the older brother of one of the girls. He was probably only 12. He was tall and dark-headed and had the kindest eyes.

We were running through an empty lot that had tall grass. The wind was blowing little hay-colored seeds all around us. Pigtails were flying. The boys were all carrying baseball bats and gloves.

As I ran to catch up, one of the seeds got into my eye. It stung and my eye watered. I couldn't get it out. The older brother stopped and turned back to me when he saw that I wasn't with the rest of the group. He gently pulled my hair out of my face and bent down to look in my eye. As easily as he could, he helped me get the seed out of my eye. Then he rubbed his thumb under my eye to wipe away the tears.

I couldn't have been more than 8 and I have always remembered how nice that kid was. We should all have friends who will take the seeds out for us.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

President?

This past year and a half or so has been so exciting! I've had a great time watching all this politics and election stuff. BUT I'M SO GLAD IT'S JUST ABOUT OVER!!!!
McCain will cut your taxes. Obama will raise them. McCain is for off-shore drilling. Obama is for clean coal but will tax it. McCain wants capitalism to work, even in the health-care industry. Obama wants socialized medicine (that means YOU pay for it). McCain is pro-life. Obama is pro-choice.
The bottom line to me is how involved do you want the government to be in your life? I want the federal government to make sure roads are built, electricity works and capitalism is strong. That's it. Nothing else. Other than those two things, the government can stay put in DC.
But the most compelling issue during this election cycle for me is the war. I have too many friends sitting in Iraq and Afghanistan for it not to be. Candidates can talk about pulling out all they want to but if they do it irresponsibly or too quickly, then what happens to the last few left in Baghdad? Do people remember what happen in Saigon during the embassy evac in April 1975? I do not want that to be my friends. They are heroes for doing the duty asked of them by the American people and deserve a president who understands that.