Thumbs up YouTube Videos

I watched some very interesting videos tonight and wanted to share them. The first one is called The Money Tree... my observation with this video is how accustomed we've become to our environment. We've learned not to look out at the world around us and we just go, go, go. We no longer stop to appreciate the unusual because we don't see it... SO, for this one, go to YouTube and search The Money Tree.

The next one is a portion of a church sermon. It's about 10 minutes long, but I really enjoyed the message this woman had. This video is called Pecking Order-Dealing with Islamophobia. I was in tears...

Well, to be honest I was anyway. We watched two documentaries with live footage from 9/11 and they were absolutely heart wrenching. It's horrible to see people standing in this same location many years later, protesting and burning religious (though it may not be OUR religion) books, and yelling profanities. We need to remember the people on the planes... the fear they must have felt. We need to remember the people hanging from the sides of the building, begging for help from emergency phone operators... We need to remember the fire fighters and the sound of fear in their voices as they tried to rescue people. We need to remember them and respect their memories. Turning the tragic events of 9/11 into an excuse to preach hate is not respecting those who lost their lives.

The skyline from the ferry this past March:


Can you see the face on the grave marker? This was in the cemetary of a church close to Ground Zero...


This was inside the church that served as a haven for the rescue workers for months to come...


Inside the church...a memorial


What we did to remember 9/11

Today the whole family went to a nursing home to visit with the residents. We took Tallulah again and they just loved her. The kids were shadows as usual, but the girl actually surprised me by taking charge of the list and leading us through the halls. The boy was having an allergic reaction to the dog another volunteer brought, so I'll not be so hard on him this time. I do want to see more interaction from him next time though. I loved going to the nursing home. Those people love visits, and appreciate the little gifts of soft socks with no-slip bottoms and big-print crosswords.

Tomorrow we will go to the Salvation Army and feed the homeless. This will be very good for the kids and I'm excited about it. I'm really trying to encourage feelings of empathy within our children. We shall see.

Loving this!!

Is the long holiday weekend over already? We’ve been experiencing a “cold front” these past few days. In Dallas, it’s called a cold-front when the temperature dips into the 80’s. I’ve loved the weather and get the feeling it has been a major contributor to my restlessness these past few days. I mean, we’ve got cooler weather, college football season, a convertible, and my love for road trips pulling at me like a child having a temper tantrum.

This weekend was spent cleaning the garage… fun stuff huh? It was also spent hanging out at home and volunteering with a group I’ve signed myself up with. I’m very excited about the things I’ve signed myself up for. One is a volunteer organization that goes to nursing homes, shelters, etc. etc. I like the volunteer group because I can take the kids to most of these activities. This will be so good for them! The wife and I did a nursing home on Saturday (the kids were with their dad), and they allowed us to bring Tallulah. The residents love dogs!



Tallulah at the nursing home wondering what her job is.

The other group I joined is a walk/run group that meets quite often during the week. I like the walk/run group because I really need some “me” things to balance out the “wife’s me things” (her tennis group), so this is part of my “things for me” project. Yes, I’ve made it a project. If I label it a project, and then put it on a list, I am more likely to do it.

There are SO many groups out there to join! One looked really fun, but I’m trying to remain within the confines of the wife’s blessings, which means I cannot join the “liberal drinking group.” This is a group that meets at local hangouts to discuss politics, and yes, to drink. That sounded like fun to me, but I’m pretty sure the wife wouldn’t want me doing that… I’ve still got it marked down as a favorite just in case, though. Perhaps I can find a road trip group… THAT would be fun! I wonder how you would avoid meeting “crazies”. Hmmmm…

So I’m really interested in knowing what others do to balance themselves out as far as their relationships with their spouses or significant others, their family, and their social activities.

What if there’s a group of women getting together planning a “girl trip.” They’re leaving the husbands behind and setting off on an adventure. How does that work in your relationship? How would that work for mine? I mean, we’re both girls. I’m fairly certain the wife and I wouldn’t go on a “girl” trip without each other. It wouldn’t bode well for either of us.

Time for me to get back to my Monday house-wife duties… I hope everyone has a wonderful and short work week!

“Dear washer and dryer, I have placed the laundry basket full of clothes on top of you with the hope it would be washed, dried, ironed, folded, and hung by the time I am done blogging. Thank you!”