JFK and Controversy? Say it ain't so!!

Here's some trivia for you history buffs.

Remember one of the most famous line in JFK's inaugural speech: "And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country".

I always thought this phrase was "his line"....I figured a speech writer wrote it...or even maybe JFK thought of it...I was not aware of any controversy surrounding this.

I read last night (in my new most favorite book) that Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. in 1884 wrote and delivered this speech on Memorial Day:

"It is now the moment when by common consent we pause to become conscious of our national life and to rejoice in it, to recall what our country has done for each of us, and to ask ourselves what we can do for our country in return". I thought this was interesting and sounded much like a speech that was given in the sixties!

I started researching this on the Internet and apparently JFK takes full credit for this statement. Warren G. Harding used this phrase in 1923 and takes full credit for it also! There are many web sites, articles, & sites dedicated to this statement.

I know that most presidential speeches are taken from other speeches...but I thought this one was interesting. I will end with this...no matter who thought of the statement it is an amazing use of words and I believe it inspired America at the time.

SIDE NOTE:

My new favorite book that I stayed up until 2am reading is "American Patriot's Bible" - the Word of God and the Shaping of America. This book is so interesting! I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes American history and the bible!

I have a surprise for you

Hey Sista,
This is your Sista, Leelee and I had a little surprise I was going to put on your blog for you but then I realized I didn't have access to the page I needed to add it so here is your new signature. You'll have to let me know what you think about it and if you like it then I'll step you through how to add it permanently to your blog posts. Whad-ya-think?
Leelee

F.F.F.

This is a picture of my sweet cousin Sandy.

Sandy is my dearest & closest friend...we talk on the phone at least a dozen times a week.

I hate that she lives so very far away but the miles don't stop us from being close!
Sandy is a few years older than me and I have always idolized her.

I loved this picture when I was a young girl...I thought she looked like a movie star!

She is a beauty - she is a combination of Meg Ryan, Olivia Newton-John, & a blond bombshell! She always looks like a million dollars - her clothes are always pressed, every hair is in place, and picture perfect make-up - she is VERY polished. Besides her great looks she has a wonderful personality and a blast be to around.

In our long conversations we day dream about going on a cruise, or going to a beach, drinking margaritas, or taking our kidlets to Disney World....plus we manage to solve all world problems.
I think the world of Sandy and I miss when we don't get to chat.
I am thankful to have Sandy...she is my buddy!

And how could I forget...she is a HUGE WVU FAN!

Self Deprecating Humor

I like to think I am a smart girl. Okay…I am not so book smart…and if you have been reading my blog you have probably noticed that I don’t write & spell very good either. However; I do enjoy blogging and I have always heard that practice makes perfect. With all that being what it is…I thought I would take a moment to engage in some self deprecating humor.
In the past year I have learned some new things…that honestly I did not know!
#1. The cabinet of drawers in your bedroom are called “chest of drawers”…not cheshire drawers. My entire life I always thought they were cheshire drawers and I always wondered why they would name a piece of furniture after a cat. And anytime I would hear cheshire drawers…I would immediately think of the cat from Alice in Wonderland. Speaking of Alice in Wonderland…I thought it was a bizarre movie when I was a child– did you like it?
#2. I learned something from a McDonald’s commercial recently. I thought when you were hungry you had “hunger pains”…but I learned from the commercial nonetheless…it is hunger pangs. By the way I looked up the definition of pang and the dictionary said…a sudden feeling of distress or pain. So why couldn’t you say hunger pains…is not the same thing??
#3. Here ya go….here’s a good one I learned yesterday! The past few months my Avalanche has had a knocking sound every time I would start it up. I finally took it to the shop yesterday and they said my catalytic converter needed replaced. (Side note – it was still under warranty – no cost –PTL!!)
{I remember being a child and the catalytic converter went out on our Oldsmobile when we were on our way home from Disney World and we had to stay the night in a strange little town for a few days.} Anyway…I thought from a very young age that a “catalytic converter” was called a cadillac converter! When the repairman told me I needed a new catalytic converter…I asked my Dad why did they name this part after a cadillac?? Of course Dad laughed at me and said it was a catalytic…not a cadillac. Hmmm…you learn something new everyday!
Hope you found some humor in this. And just for the record I apparently stink in math also. Leelee had a math problem on her blog that I KNEW I had right….and I was really wrong!

F.F.F. - on Saturday

Here is my Family Fhoto for Friday…on Saturday.
Since it is graduation time across America I thought I would share my graduation picture with you. I graduate from Odessa High in Odessa, Texas in May 1990. Our motto that year was…”You can kiss my hiney and make it shiny cause I am the class of of ‘90” – brilliant huh?
I liked high school for the most part…actually I hated high school and loved all the extra-curricular activities. I was in band, drama, state officer for FHA, junior council for Odessa, a medical program and many more. Anytime I could take a summer school course I would that way I could take an elective during the school year. In fact all my “main” courses (expect english & math) were done by the time I was a senior so my senior year I went to school half a day and worked half a day - that was part of the medical program (mentioned above)…I wanted to be a nurse.
Looking back I wish I would have pursed the goal of becoming a nurse. I went to a local college for seven years…I have over 100 hours but no degree – I constantly changed my major. My parents really wanted me to go away to college but I had a steady boyfriend…then I got a job with good pay & great benefits. I wish I would have gone away to college to have that experience...it seems like fun.
Despite all of my “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve of” - my life now is EXACTLY what I always wanted. I never wanted a big career…or even small career - I wanted to be a stay at home Mommy….taking care of a husband and baby.
So…how did I get here you ask? In September 1995 my friend Christin told me about a front desk job opening with a small corporation called ATC/LDDS. I interviewed with Mona Bethany - who would became my mentor & sweet friend that I still have contact with today! (I’ll never forget when the interview was over I shook her hand & told her “Ill make you a good hand”…which is a “farming/ranch” term. When I left the interview I kicked myself all week for saying that – who would hire a hick that would say that – how unprofessional is that?? When she did hire me on September 25th (see there’s that day again) she told me she had already decided during the interview that I was the “one” but when I made “that” remark – she knew for sure I was the “one”…she grew up on a farm and said I had to be good people if I knew that remark!
I worked for ATC/LDDS for nine years. In that nine years the company grew to become WorldCom then WorldCom bought MCI – and that was the end to a great little company…for those of you who don’t know the company was in a large scandal…sort of like Enron. I lost all of my savings and the CEO is in a jail in Arkansas for the rest of his life. Anyway…in those nine years I had three promotions…the final promotion being a “customer account relations coordinator”. (It was a GREAT job – I LOVED my job – another blog…another time) In January 1998 Mona sent me to see one of our customers the “evil & dreaded” Randy Hare with Nunn Electric. Our first meeting was awful – in fact when I got to my car…sobbing uncontrollably I swore that I would NEVER speak to that man as long as I lived! Nine months later (Sept 25th to be exact) I moved to Amarillo to be close to him….and eleven months later I married him. (I will be blog’ing about that in October 2009!)

It is hard to believe I have been out of high school for 19 years! This was a very happy time for me. I remember all the cards (which I still have) and gifts I received from family & friends…some I did’nt even know - it was like Christmas in May.

My family was all together – healthy & happy…it was good times - damn good times.

Coming Home!

Dad was released from the hospital late Wednesday night. He is doing better but he is really tired. He is not completely healed but the doctors here have a great plan to help him out. We already have two return trips here scheduled for the next three months.

Dad was very anxious to leave the hospital tonight...who can blame him after 9 days of laying in a bed...unable to take a shower...or go outside he left me to handle all of his new medications & discharge instructions!
The first thing we did when we left the hospital was get him some good food...and then he took a long hot shower! Since it was late we decided to stay another night here in Albuquerque...but I can guarantee we will be up early to go home! All three of us are very excited to see John...I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight...I am crying just thinking about it. Randy is REALLY ready for me to be home...he has decided that my job is alot harder than his job...but my job is fun & has great perks! I can not wait to hug & kiss John...and Randy...I am not going to do nothing the rest of the week except play with John!

BTW - In the last 48 hours I have...
Been attacked by a huge swarm of bees, bought a cup of coffee for a convict, danced with a janitor in a busy hospital lobby to the music of a live mariachi band, had my mother tell people that I was keeping her at some homeless suites, learn all the words to a Miley Cyrus song, and come face to face with a 65 year old transvestite on a red hoveround, with a long dark brown wig, silk brown skirt, cute white shoes, deep & raspy voice with bigger "assets" than Dolly Parton."

Tell me I haven't had excitement...

Good Tuesday Morning!

Yesterday was the best day Dad so far!
He is eating better (I had a long talk with him about his diabetes & not eating....and how that can prolong our stay - the food is still awful but he is forcing it down), he got up and walked for the first time in six days (which made him very happy), and he is still in ICU only because there are no other rooms available(I like ICU - they seem to watch the patients closer).

Dad's blood pressure is still NOT the best but it is going to be manageable....the cardiologist team has released him...however the vein/vessel doctors want to keep him a few more days. The aneurysm is about the size of a walnut and it has a blood clot in it. (If you are like me and you panic when you hear the word aneurysm rest assured that "this" type of aneurysm is NOT life threatening.) The doctor told me that they could operate and remove the aneurysm but they want to wait to see if it heals itself. They said Dad has been through enough this past week and they do not want to stress his heart with another operation. They are going to do another ultrasound/doppler Wednesday morning and then decide what to do. They have already told us we will have to come back in 20 days for a recheck. So we may get to come home on Wednesday...I am not getting my hopes up yet! We are still averaging seven to ten different doctors a day and I have been told something different from all of them - I am so glad my hope and future is in ONE MAN...the ultimate healer and not these earthly men!

Mom and I are resting better...we love our hotel! We have been running around Albuquerque quite a bit. Dad seems to rest better when we are not hovering around him like mother hens. I know my way around the city pretty good now...it is easy to navigate! The VA hospital is beautiful and HUGE!!

John and Randy are doing okay. Randy has injured his shoulder playing with John...he went to church last night to be prayed over. Randy said that John had a restless night looking for me...so I told Randy to meet me in Santa Rosa (it is half way between Alb. & Ama.) TODAY...and bring John's suitcase! I am dying to see my baby! After discussing it Randy decided that he would drive here...but John started wheezing last night...so we decided not to take him out of Amarillo into a different climate. Only a few more days!!!

Thanks for the prayers!

Monday Morning....

I don't have anything new to report. They are "assembling a team" today to decide what to do about the aneurysm in dad's left leg. They may let it heal on its on....or they may try to fix it.

Dad is doing better - he looks good...he was able to shave and take a bath - sort of. He is still in ICU...his blood pressure will not stabilize - which is normal after what he has been through. They are trying all sorts of combinations of bp medicine to see which one will work. His diabetes is not good...but that's because he is not eating that much - he says the food is awful and I can not bring him anything from outside the hospital. He's pulse, oxygen & everything is really good - so at least we have that going for us!!

My Mom is doing okay...she is really tired & stressed. The hotel we were staying at is booked up for the rest of the week so we had to find a new one yesterday - which was a huge hassle since almost all the hotels were booked....BUT the Lord took care of us and blessed us! I was able to find a Homewood Suites just around the corner from our first hotel. Linda got me hooked on Homewood Suites - they are the best! It is about $20. a night more expensive than the first hotel but...we get a full breakfast and dinner, our room is HUGE with a full size refrigerator, microwave, and table plus it has two rooms - a living room & bedroom! We had a great dinner at Outback last night and we were able to catch a quick nap! We both slept good last night and we are taking it slow this morning. (We can't get into ICU until 11am mountain time)

I am doing good but I am REALLY missing John....and Randy. Everywhere I look I see little ones and my heart just aches. (For those of you who follow Stellan - I don't know how McMomma did it!) John did talk to me on the phone yesterday - it was sweet. Him & Randy seem to be having a great time together. I keep begging Randy to take a picture of him on his cell phone and send it to my cell phone...he has yet to do that! I have never been away from John this long....my heart hurts...and I think I am losing my mind...I bought a Miley Cyrus cd yesterday - what the heck is wrong with me??? My brother Allen wants to come here but I keep telling him that I am good and I really think we might go home early this week. Plus....I might need his help once we get home.

Hopefully today will bring some better answers & revolver some issues!
Thanks for your prayers & concerns.
Love You!

Saturday Update

I am not sure what to post at this point - we are very frustrated to say the least! There are 5 to 8 different doctors taking care of my Dad and getting a chance to talk to one is next to impossible!
They did an angioplasty on Friday afternoon - it took about three hours. Dad's RCA (right coronary artery) was 90% blocked and they were able to open to 70% - which is good. They have him on several new medicines that are going to help with the blockage. He has had a good day today but his blood pressure has been up & down - which is normal considering what he has been through plus...getting him regulated on the new medicine will take some adjusting. They would have released him on Monday but they have discovered an aneurysm in his leg where they did the angioplasty on Friday. They are going to run some tests in the morning to see what needs to be done - this is not a big deal...it is a common side effect with this procedure.
They have said we could possibly come home on Tuesday or Wednesday if everything goes well. Thank you for all of your prayers & concerns.
Linda or I will update you on Sunday.

Late Thursday Update

Tina just called and they all made it safely to Albuquerque and Al has already been seen by two cardiologists, an internist and a regular MD. First thing in the morning they are going to do the angioplasty and if they see any problems they will go ahead and put in stints right then. If the angioplasty doesn't show anything they will run other tests to continue to rule out or find the problem. His blood pressure was a little high, but all in all Al is doing great. Tina and Mary are tired and hopefully will get a good nights rest. I will post more information as soon as I know something. Keep them in your prayers.

Thursday update on Al

Just wanted to do a quick update on Al. Tina called about 3:30 and said they had gotten the call from Albuquerque and that Al would be flying out there today. She called back a little later and said Al's flight would be around 6:00 and the flight was one hour. Tina and Mary left around 6:00 as well to drive to Albuquerque. It takes about 5 hours to drive from Amarillo. Tina said Al was doing really well today and feeling much better, that his blood pressure had really come down and that his heart rate was definitely more stable. She said the doctors in Albuquerque were going to start running tests as soon as Al got there. Last thing Tina wanted me to remind everyone that New Mexico is in the Mountain Time Zone so they will be one hour earlier than Texas time, so please factor that in if you call. I plan on updating the blog as soon as I have any new information to try to keep everyone informed without having to inundated Tina with phone calls. I'm sure they would appreciate prayers for safety and a quick resolution and healing.

Time Standing Still...

It's 11:00am Thursday morning we are still waiting.
The doctors are ready for Dad in Albuquerque...but they still don't have a room available. The coordinator told me as soon as a room is open they will air lift Dad at that moment. He is doing really good - everything is stable.
We are ready to go and get done whatever is going to be done!
If they don't have a room available by 3:00pm then we have to wait until the next day. Dad says this is how he remembers being in the Army - hurry up and wait.
BTW
Many people have been asking why we have to go to Albuquerque to have this done. The doctors told me that each VA Hospital specializes in a certain area...like Amarillo specializes in urology & prostate treatments, Albuquerque is the heart, & Oklahoma City is ear, nose & throat.

All in A Day

Last night when I went to bed I was tired as usual...it was 1:00am - I had been up since 6:30am.
Then I started thinking about exactly what I did all day....which was:

Got cleaned up
Played with John
Did 6 loads of laundry - all folded & put away
Picked up the house
Made lunch
Changed the bed linens
Went to the hospital three different times
Shoveled 2 yards which equals 15 large wheelbarrows of pea gravel
Made John a play yard
Loaded & unloaded the dishwasher (thank goodness for dishwashers!)
Took a nap with John
Hauled off branches from a tree
Got cleaned up...again
Had dinner at a nice restaurant
Talk to twenty different people on the phone
Watched my two favorite shows
Picked up the house...again
Broke two finger nails!!! UGH!
Seen my sister for about five minutes
(BTW - thank you for helping me when I was so stressed!)
Made & sent two greeting cards
Did the mail...and send e-mail
Whew...no wonder I was exhausted! But it was good...it kept me busy so that I would not worry about the current situation! Today is NOT going to be that productive - I am going to rest. The only thing I have to do is go to the hospital... get my nails done and sort of pack my suitcase. I may or may not be leaving today...we'll see!

Friday Family Fhoto

Happy Mother's Day Gurdy.
This picture of my beautiful Mom was taken when she was 18. My Mom was one of nine children raised in the hills of West Virginia. Growing up I always liked to hear her stories of her childhood...it was like a storybook - there was a cold river, plenty of wild blackberries, running barefoot with friends, gardens with fresh vegetables, and many adventures with her brothers & sisters. To be honest...I still love to sit and hear the stories.
I have a wonderful loving Mother that has given her life to her children. She is very proud, independent...and very funny! As I look back over my life most of my funny moments have been with my Mom...like the time we took off together on cross-country vacation without enough clothes, or the time the seat belt got stuck & we pee'ed our pants cause we were laughing so hard, or who would forget the time we almost went to jail for Elvis. My Mom is my best friend...she knows me better than anyone else - and still loves me. I have been blessed to have her as my Mother...she went without to make sure all of her children had the best.

This song playing is the song of my Mom's life...and I cry every time I hear it...like right now.
Happy Mother's Day Mom - thank you for taking care of me...loving me...helping me...making me laugh...buying me new clothes...getting me braces....giving me your car...buying me a new car...for all the new formal dresses...for all the meals you fixed...clothes you washed...boo-boo's you kissed...and understanding me when no one else did/or does. Thanks for loving John, putting up with me when I am rude, giving me your love for country music, making me a pineapple upside down cake when I had a really bad day, giving me your last five dollars, making sure I got a Cabbage Patch Doll when everyone else did, buying me Bamboo when I was scared, and last but not least...thank you for for not abandoning me when I sold you out to the postal federal agents. I love you Gurdy!!

Flying Hare

WARNING: Attention all Mama’s, Grandma’s, & Aunts
No hares were harmed while taking these pictures!

In the first chapter of Dr. James Dobson’s book “Bringing Up Boys”
Dr. Dobson warns Mother’s not to be over-protective of their boys when they are wrestling with their Fathers. I have tried to take this advice. I remind Randy that John is not two yet…and his little bones are not very hard. Sometimes I feel like this falls on deaf ears but…then I see John’s face – he loves it. He wants more & more of it!! Their favorite thing to do…and they do this often is the “bed bomb”. Randy will throw John into a huge heap of pillows on the bed – followed by a massive tickle attack. John loves this...and Randy does too. I decided to capture this on camera today.

Sad Time

This has been a pretty sad week for me….
It started with the loss of my dear friend - Richard Appling.
He died early Sunday morning at the age of 65.
I have been friends with Richard and his wife Nancy for many years – they have been crucial in my walk with the Lord. Richard and Nancy helped me get through some tough times with unconditional love & wonderful support.
One of the things I loved most about Richard (aka – Dado) was his love for children…& his love for my John. Richard loved missionary work especially with children and he was looking forward to going back to China this summer to volunteer in an orphanage. Richard and I also shared the love of Elvis Presley – we got a kick out of listening to Elvis together.
I have found peace this week by knowing where Dado is…and what an amazing week he has had. Dado has walked hand and hand with our Lord Jesus Christ in the most amazing place. He would not want us to grieve – he is rejoicing.
He is not in any pain or suffering anymore – he is new again! Praise the Lord!
Richard was a devoted husband, father of three children, and Dado to three grandchildren – which were the love of his life.
So…today I will not say “good-bye” to a friend…instead I will say “see you later”!