Keeping your perspective...

My youngest son, Ray, during his first tour of duty in Iraq. The photo isn't a good one, it was taken with a cell phone. I was so thankful to get it tho....I sure miss my kids...*ALL* of them!




Got this in my email today, and loved it!

KEEPING YOUR PERSPECTIVE


Your alarm goes off, you hit the snooze and sleep for another 10 minutes.

He stays up for days on end.


You take a warm shower to help you wake up.
He goes days or weeks without running water.

You complain of a "headache," and call in sick.
He gets shot at, as others are hit, he keeps moving forward.


You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go
meet up with your friends.
He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.


You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.


You talk trash on your "buddies" that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.


You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.
He walks the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.


You complain about how hot it is.
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.


You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order
wrong
He does not get to eat today.


Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for months, but makes sure his weapons are
clean.


You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.


You are angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He is told he will be held an extra 2 months.


You call your girlfriend and set a date for that night.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.


You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.


You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if
they'll ever meet.


You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own government
and remembers why he is fighting.


You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of the men like him.
He hears the gun fire and bombs.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the bodies lying around him.


You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He does what he is told.


You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call and write home,sleep,and eat.


You crawl into your bed, with down pillows, and try to get comfortable.
He crawls under a tank for shade and a 5 minute nap, only to be woken by
gun fire.

You pray God will bless your life today.
He prays that God will give him another day of life.

How Cool!

I'm excited! Let me explain....

In June, I made a flying trip to California to help sort thru my mother's belongings. As we went through things, we found a couple of Bibles. One of them was engraved "Lynn Drain", and had a certificate from a VBS for "Sherry Drain". I brought the Bibles home and posted on Ancestry.com in the message boards about them, hoping to be able to make a connection and get these Bibles back to where they rightfully belong.
I made a connection!!! Lynn Drain Jr. posted on the Ancestry board some of his history, and that history includes residence in Delta County, Colorado! Guess where we lived for many years? :) In fact, Mom was a nurse at the hospital there!

I'm positive now, that this Bible belonged to either this guy's dad, or maybe even to Lynn Jr. himself! I can't wait to hear from him, and to get this Bible back to him where it belongs!!!

Saying Goodbye...

We fell SO in love with this little kitten...both of us....even tho William didn't want him to begin with, and I'm allergic to cats and dogs both, we fell head over heels. Such a little love. So playful and funny. His favorite places to be were either on my chest, rubbing his nose on my chin and nose, or on William's lap, just cuddling and sleeping while William absently rubbed his back or side...

He's gone now. We had to say goodbye to our little love. No more kitty-cuddles. No more loud purring at 5am, or licks on the face and neck at the same un-godly hour! No slaps on the cheek in an effort to get someone to feed him at 5:30am.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) took him from us. We'd noticed a fat belly, but thought that was from his eating like a pig! Then he stopped eating like a pig, but still got fatter. We took him to the vet, who diagnosed him with FIP, and regretfully told us there was no cure for it, and that sometime in the next couple of weeks, Chester would die a rather miserable death.

Hardest thing I've ever had to do was to tell the vet to give him the shot. We left work and hurried to the office to say goodbye. I cuddled him against my chest...one of his favorite spots....and he managed a bit of a purr for me. Then while William cuddled him in his arms, the vet gave him the injection. He cheerfully purred away his last moments in William's arms, while we both sobbed our goodbyes and love for him...

It was hard to say it, time to say it...Goodbye...Goodbye....

I'm under orders...

To update my blog! YESSUM MIZ LEAH....I'm gettin' right on it, M'am! ;)

Let's see...what's new? Nothing really. I'm still fighting cellulitis in my left leg. It's starting to look worse all the time. Not only swollen, but red, scaley, nasty! Now it's advanced to hurting. For those of you that don't know me well, I don't feel pain like most people do. Example: When my appendix ruptured, the only reason I had to go to the doctor was because I couldn't keep anything down. I had absolutely NO abdominal pain what-so-ever. I did however, have a white blood cell count over 26,000. (Normal is 4000 to 10000....roughly)

Hey! Really big news! I've smoked ciggarettes since I was 13 years old. At some times in my life, as many as 4 packs a day. more recently, a pack a day. I started taking a pill called Chantix about a month and a half ago. Eight days ago, I put down the smokes. Decided that I was done. Then I decided that, "Damn! What the HELL was I thinking??" and almost went and got a pack. William wouldn't let me. Three days went by and I was snapping and snarling at him somethin' fierce! Then I got smart. I bummed a cigg from one of the guys we work with! I was almost GLEEFUL! I actually giggled as I tucked it away in a little box on my bookcase....you know...to save for later. Except "later" still hasn't come. It's still there. I think that I just didn't want anyone telling me that I couldn't have a cigg, or that I couldn't smoke. NOT that I haven't had moments when I wanted a smoke. Really bad. But they always pass as soon as I think about something else.
I think I'm gonna be ok! I don't think I could have done it without the Chantix. If you're a smoker, and you WANT to quit, it's the "easy" route to take! You might feel a little bit queasy at first. Just make sure that you take it with something in your stomach...after breakfast and after dinner. The other thing....it's expensive. But I was going thru 30 packs of cigs a month, at about 3.76 per pack. That's $112.80 a month I was burning up. Chantix, purchased at Walmart or Fred Meyers, costs about $108 a month. I'm actually saving money with the Chantix. It's so worth it!

Check it out! Am I not just a cutie? :D This photo was taken on my first birthday, and that's my mama hanging onto me. It's been nearly 50 years...my 51st birthday is the 8th. So much water under the bridge. So much....