Wednesday's Hero...On Monday!

This week's hero was suggested by Cindy & Kathi

Each year, around this time, since 1992, the Arlington National Cemetery has something happen to it. It gets covered in vibrant green Christmas wreaths. The wreaths are donated by a man named Merrill Worcester who is the owner of the Worcester Wreath Co. in Maine. From the Worcester Wreath Co.'s website:

Each year Worcester Wreath donates Maine wreaths to adorn the headstones of those who serve and those who sacrificed to preserve our freedoms. In 2007, over 10,000 wreaths are destined for the annual wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington. In addition, 2,500 wreaths will be sent to Togus National Cemetery in Augusta, Maine. Worcester Wreath also donates ceremonial wreaths that will be used as part of the Wreaths Across America events at over 230 State and National veterans cemeteries all across the Country.

Sometimes a hero is one who sacrifices everything in their life to help others. And sometimes a hero is one who sacrifices nothing more than their time.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

Ask Captain Dramatic

Just this past Friday Captain Dramatic got to participate in another board breaking at Tae Kwon Do as he passed his most recent belt test and has made it to blue belt white stripe. I thought I would share the video we took with all of you. As you watch this I would like point out that CD is breaking a three quarter inch solid pine board. Previously he broke a one inch pressed board which isn't nearly as dense.

Board Breaking!

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For those of you curious, here are the belts he can earn in Tae Kwon Do.

White belt
Yellow belt
Yellow belt Black Stripe
Green belt White Stripe
Green belt
Green belt Black Stripe
Blue belt White Stripe
Blue belt
Blue belt Black Stripe
Red belt White Stripe
Red belt
Red belt Black Stripe
Black belt (1st degree through ?.)

Me: CD, was this board harder to break than the last board?
CD: Yes, but I focused on going through the board and hitting sir's knee, so I didn't feel it really.

To learn how you can submit your questions to Captain Dramatic, click here. Don't be shy!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you!

A Woman's Version of the Night Before Christmas

As we approach Christmas Day, I leave you with this poem. It struck a cord with me, as I can relate to many of the things listed below.

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the kitchen;
I was cooking and baking and moanin and bitchin.

I've been here for hours, I can't stop to rest.
This room's a disaster, just look at this mess!

Tomorrow I've got thirty people to feed.
They expect all the trimmings. Who cares what I need!

My feet are both blistered, I've got cramps in my legs.
The cat just knocked over a bowl full of eggs.

There's a knock at the door and the telephone's ringing;
Frosting drips on the counter as the microwave's dinging.

Two pies in the oven, dessert's almost done;
my cookbook is soiled with butter and crumbs.

I've had all I can stand, I can't take anymore;
Then in walks my husband, spilling rum on the floor.

He weaves and he wobbles, his balance unsteady;
then grins as he chuckles "The eggnog is ready!"

He looks all around and with total regret, says,
"What's taking so long....aren't you through in here yet?"

As quick as a flash I reach for a knife;
He loses an earlobe; I wanted his life!

He flees from the room in terror and pain
and screams, "MY GOD WOMAN, YOU'RE GOING INSANE!!"

Now what was I doing, and what is that smell?
Oh darn, it's the pies! They're burned all to hell!

I hate to admit when I make a mistake,
but I put them on BROIL instead of on BAKE.

What else can go wrong? Is there still more ahead?
If this is good living, I'd rather be dead.

Lord, don't get me wrong, I love holidays;
It just leaves me exhausted, all shaky and dazed.

But I promise you one thing, If I live 'til next year,
You won't find me pulling my hair out in here.

I'll hire a maid, a cook, and a waiter;
and if that doesn't work, I'LL HAVE IT ALL CATERED!

Christmas Shopping Up Date!

Well, this year was like all the others. Today is the Saturday before Christmas and I still have some shopping to do before Monday night. I did make a very good effort last weekend to get the shopping done, and almost succeeded, but alas, there are still a few more things that need to be purchased. Off to the stores I go! Wish me luck!

An Absentee Blogger

I have been an absentee blogger. For that I apologize. I know that I have mentioned before that my hours at work have really cut into my free time, and that I knew they were going to, but I had no idea that it would get this bad. I have been working so much. What little free time I have, has been spent with the family, and attending my son's extra-curricular events. I can't even tell you when I last read a blog, and I feel horrible about that. When I do blog anymore, I haven't had time to finish anything I started either. It usually take a weekend for me to do that, and then I am posting things that I often times started over a month ago. Please bare with me. It will get better again, and many thanks to all of my loyal readers who have stuck with me through all of this. On a brighter note, CD and the family have been well, and I am grateful for my husband who has picked up a lot of the household tasks for me.

Today I have gone back and made posts all the way back to the beginning of November, which is when I started them.

Wednesday's Hero

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Leo

SSgt. Mike Mills


On June 14, 2005 SSgt. Mike Mills's life was forever changed. The HETT(Heavy Equipment Transport System) he was riding in was hit by an IED. The attack resulted a cracked clavicle and scapula bones, dislocate shoulder, broken left hip, 4 out of 5 bones broken in his foot and being set on fire. The driver in the truck behind him ran with a cooler of melted ice which he threw on Sgt. Mills to put him out.

He spent three months in the Brooks Army Medical Center at Ft. Sam Houston, TX with the injuries listed above plus 2nd, 3rd and deep tissue burns to 31% of the left side of his body. The first thing he remembers thinking after the attack was that his soldiers needed him and he needed to get back to them.

"Then the guilt set in about what I did to my family. I've totally screwed that up. Look at me, no don't. I look hideous. How can I face my kids looking like this. They'll be embarrassed to be seen with me. What if they won't love me anymore? Speaking of love, my wife, oh my god. How can I expect her to stay with me. I'm not a man anymore. She's not going to want be intimate with a freak. What if I can't work, how do I support myself, my family.

I had the nightmares and couldn't sleep. I wasn't eating and was loosing weight. I didn't really care. If I didn't start eating, they where going to put the feeding tube back in. Who cares, I've totally screwed up my life anyways."

But he found out just how much is wife loved him, when she stood by his side throughout the entire ordeal. She was there for every wound dressing and even learned how to change the dressings herself.

SSgt. Mike Mills now runs the site For The Veteran... By A Veteran in which he helps veterans, soldiers and their families find information they may not have been given after their medical discharge or retirement.


Some may say that Mike gave his country more than enough when he was severely maimed by an IED on that fateful day of June 14, 2005, but Mike continues to give to his fellow servicemen, as well as to his nation!

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Ask Captain Dramatic

Captain Dramatic bumped his head the other night. He hit it good. He whacked it on his solid wood bed frame while throwing a massive fit when he didn't get his way. It still hurt the next day. I have been instructed not to make him smile, laugh, cry, pout, shout, or anything that would make him move his right eyebrow, as all of those things cause him pain. Blinking even hurts because it moves the bruised muscles around that eye. With all of that in mind, parenting should be easy this week.

To learn how you can submit your questions to Captain Dramatic, click here. Don't be shy!

Wednesday's Hero

This Week's Hero Was Suggested By Louie

Bill Juneau
36 years old from Rush City, Minnesota
November 27, 2007

If there was one thing Bill Juneau loved as much as his country, it was his dog, Jake.

The accident-prone black Lab, who has been hit by two cars, had a toe amputated on his right paw and survived eating 42 candy bars in one sitting, once fell off a dock and through the ice on a lake while Juneau was hunting with his best friend, Dan Bock.

Bock said Juneau jumped into the icy, chest-deep water to save his dog.

"He threw that wet dog on the deck and sacrificed everything to save him," said Bock. "Bill's just that type of guy."

Juneau, a 10 year veteran of the Chisago County sheriff's deputy, was in Iraq helping to train Iraqi police recruits when his convoy was hit by and IED 50 miles outside Baghdad. A spokesperson for DynCorp, the private firm Juneau was working for, said Juneau was driving the lead vehicle in the large convoy that included U.S. Army personnel as well as members of the Iraqi National Police Force. The convoy was headed for a scheduled training mission. An Iraqi translator and a U.S. Army soldier sustained injuries in the blast as well.

His twin sister, Bridget Sura, said he wanted to help Iraqis rebuild their country and create better lives. "He would often sugar-coat the bad stuff, because he wanted us to know about the positive things," she said. "But we still worried every minute of every day." Another reason he joined was because he loved adventure, she said. While with the Chisago County Sheriff's Department, he started and led the country's SWAT team.

Jake, his dog, has been embraced by Juneau's sister's family. "He has more lives than a cat," Sura said, adding that they recently discovered a chocolate stash he'd hidden in his kennel.

"Jake is a part of my brother," she said. "He[Bill] will be missed by a lot of people. This will leave a hole in a lot of people's hearts."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Let The Christmas Shopping Begin!

If you are like me, you like to get your Christmas Shopping done early, but something always gets in the way, and does so repeatedly until it is the weekend before Christmas, and you have three days to get it all done in time for someone else to rip all the pretty paper off, and secretly add it to the pile of things they don't need, didn't want, and will probably take back. Okay, so it isn't really that bad, but I do always end up being a last minute shopper. We will see if this year goes any better than the last few have...

In an attempt to get something done before three days before Christmas I have been scoping things out on-line, as I am usually home late, and the stores are closed but the web is not. I found this! For those of you who won't click the link, here i a picture of what I found, and the blurb, written by someone else, describing the item, and where it is available.

What, you may ask, does a three hundred and forty five-dollar candle smell like? In this case it’s ‘the scent of clementine leaves in the morning dew’. The Orange Blossom candle by Jo Malone is available through Nieman Marcus for, I repeat, three hundred and forty-five dollars. Let’s see...a new dishwasher or a candle? Dishwasher or candle? That’s a tough one.

You know what scares me? Other people's children will spend this kind of money and buy this! Rest assured, readers, that none of you will be getting this from me, and no one in my family will either. I am not buying any dishwashers either, so don't get your hopes up.

Pray for other people's children please. They need all the help they can get!

Ask Captain Dramatic

We were recently listening to Johnny Cash on my PC. I will always have a soft spot for Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Marty Robbins, George Jones, Hank Sr., and many others of the classic country singers, thanks to my father. It isn't uncommon for one of them to be playing in my house. Captain Dramatic is learning to love them as well, and that is only right in my mind. On this particular day "Boy Named Sue" was the song playing.

CD: Mom, I love this song!
Me: Me too...maybe I should have named you Sue....
CD: Then I would hate this song mom, and I like this song, so I am glad you didn't.

To learn how you can submit your questions to Captain Dramatic, click here. Don't be shy!

Amusing Story

OK...since I never get the posts I start up until way after I start them, you may have to go back a few days to make sure you have read everything. If you can't be bothered, at least go back and read this one.

Wednesday's Hero

This Week's Hero Was Suggested By Mark Bell

Marty and Sue Horn



Born in Philadelphia, Marty Horn spent 20 years in the Army as a Military Policeman, retiring in 1993 and going to work in Internet technologies. In 2003, his son Brian Horn deployed to Iraq. Trying to support their son’s unit, Marty and his wife Sue, who also served as in the Military Police, put together the concept of Any Soldier. In essence, Any Soldier is an effort to provide support and encouragement to those who are in harm’s way. Due to overwhelming requests for ready-made care packages on the AnySoldier.com site, Sue Horn started TreatAnySoldier.com.

Using his background in Internet technologies, Marty built and maintains the web site. The Any Soldier program slowly expanded to include other Army units. In 2004, the program opened up to include all service branches.. In 2005, the websites for AnyMarine.com., AnySailor.com, AnyAirman.com, and AnyCoastguardsman.com were launched.

In the words of the Any Soldier web site: "The success of Any Soldier has far exceeded expectations and continues to grow with the invaluable help and guidance of our supporters, board members and Support Team."

In the words of Marty Horn: "It is the supporters who deserve the credit."

Thanks to the efforts of Marty and Sue, their son Brian, and a dedicated staff, over 950,000 servicemen and women received support and encouragement they would never have been able to get through the Any Soldier program.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Monday Commute

Driving to work this morning was a challenge. You see, I had to be there at 7 AM. I have a long commute so I was up at 5 AM and running out the door. This wasn't the challenging part though. The challenge started about four miles from home. Traffic came to a screeching halt. *sigh* Not a good start to what is already going to be a long day.

After sitting in traffic for almost 45 minutes, and only making it four miles, traffic finally starts moving. I am passing slower traffic that is in the right lane (trucks that are still trying to get their speed up) as I have already reached 73 in a 70. Then suddenly the Ford truck behind, who's lights were already blinding me because my car is lower than his truck and his lights are at eye level, turns on his high beams and leaves them on! I blew it off, thinking that he bumped the switch somehow and doesn't know it. I am still passing a load of slower traffic. Not a two miles later the guy behind me start flashing his high beams on and off. I am still passing all the traffic in the right lane at a decent clip, as they are still working their speed up and finally starting to spread out so they can. The jerk keeps flashing his high beams. Now I can't blow it off. This man is just being a giant pecker head! Since I can yell, but he won't hear me, and I am not going to risk getting a ticket by going even faster, I slow down a little just to irritate him, and it worked! He was flipping me off, honking his horn, and being very animated from my view, compliments of my mirror. It was a good show. Very entertaining, and the first reason I had to smile so far.

I did finally move over after pinning him in for a few minutes behind me and the other guy in the right lane next to me, who was giving me a thumbs up because he could see Mr. Highbeam too.

I guess the moral of this story is this: We are all late to work, so cool your jets and relax. If you don't, you may be in the emergency you think you are having now when you go into cardiac arrest. If you really are having an emergency, call emergency services. When their lights flash I know it isn't because they are being asses.

Other people's children suck!

Ask Captain Dramatic

I recently read Captain Dramatic my blog about Scotland's new motto, to which he said "That is stupid!"

Me: Can you think of a new motto for Scotland?
Dad-E: "Scotland! Home of Shrek!"
Me: Not you, I asked CD!
CD: "Donkey's town!"
Me: Oh! I give up!
CD: Oh, alright....what about..."at least Scotland's better than China!" Or how about..."It is not as good as Arrowhead Mountain Spring water, but it is still good!", or even..."Dr. Who's David Tennant came for here, we have to be cool!"

OK, they are not perfect, but I think that all of these are better than what $250,00.00 bought Scotland! They should have hired CD.

To learn how you can submit your questions to Captain Dramatic, click here. Don't be shy!

Welcome To Scotland!

I was driving to work this morning and listening to the radio as I usually do. I tend to channel surf some, because most of the time in the morning there is nothing but chatter. Every once in a while some pieces of the chatter stop me mid-surf and I listen a while. This morning on Cub Country, the morning crew was talking about Scotland's new motto.

You see, Scotland's motto used to be "The Best Small Country In The World". I guess they felt that was a little bland, and that the needed a new motto. After spending $250,000.00, and working on a new motto for over six months, they finally picked a new one. The new motto is "Welcome To Scotland". I think I am in the wrong line of work, not to mention that my eight year is a little more creative.

Now, this made the local morning show on Cub Country, but they of course didn't leave it there. They are a funny bunch and took it one step further. They took the next 30 to 45 minutes to put on fake Scottish accents and yell as gruffly as the could "Welcome To Scotland!" Not only that, but they turned it into a phone in game. Listeners had to phone in and then put on a fake Scottish accent and gruffly yell "Welcome To Scotland" at an unknowing office mate.

It was funny, and I wish I had the audio!

Wednesday's Hero

Sgt. Antwan L. Walker
22 years old from Tampa, Florida
2nd Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division
May 18, 2005


Sgt. Antwan Walker was excited about coming home from Iraq to celebrate his 23rd birthday with his family and friends. His mother, Andrea Pringle, was busy planning the party when an Army official unexpectedly came to her house.

She said he told her Thursday that her son was killed the previous day by a bomb blast in Ramadi. The Department of Defense hasn't publicly confirmed his death.

Sgt. Antwan Walker, known as Twan to his friends and family, joined the Army in 2000. Pringle said her son joined to earn money for college.

"Twan had a lot of goals in life," She said. "He was very ambitious and very smart."

Sgt. Walker had been in Iraq for about a year. He called his family often but didn't want to talk about war. Instead, he talked about starting a real estate career and his three children.

"He was such a good dad," his mother said. "All he wanted to do was make a good life for his kids."

In April 2005, Walker wanted to talk about the fighting. He told his mother five soldiers he was traveling with were killed. His phone calls became more frequent after that.

Pringle said she had days when she couldn't eat or sleep because of her worries. But she never forgot to give her son her support.

"I always told him I'm proud and be safe".

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Ask Captain Dramatic

As we were driving home from Reno I hear Captain Dramatic say in a very excited voice.

CD: Mom look! Look at all those Christmas lights over there.

We were on the interstate and outside of Washoe County, I glanced over and saw a familiar sight, as I drive this road twice a day, often seven days a week.

ME: CD, those aren't Christmas lights.
CD: Yes there are! They are all red too!
ME: CD, those aren't Christmas lights. That's the Wild Horse.
CD: The what?
ME: The Wild Horse. It is a whore house baby.
CD: Oh. What's a whore house?
ME: A brothel...a place where women sell sex for money.
CD: That's gross mom!
ME: Yes dear, I know.
CD: Why all the lights?
ME: So men will see it from the Interstate and go there.
CD: Has it always been there and lit up like that?
ME: Yep.
CD: I haven't seen it before...
ME: You weren't looking for lights then...

I then thought to myself, he was bound to notice it some day. It was just a matter of time.

To learn how you can submit your questions to Captain Dramatic, click here. Don't be shy!

Wednesday's Hero

Spc. Roger G. Ling
20 years old from Douglaston, New York
Company C, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team
February 19, 2004


When Spc. Roger G. Ling's Humvee was struck by a homemade bomb in October of 2003, he survived the attack and he worked to keep his superior officer, Lt. Matt Homa, alive. Spc. Ling was riding in the backseat of the Humvee when it was hit. It destroyed Lt. Homa's door.

"It almost killed me. From what I've been told, Roger helped keep me awake until my medic arrived." said Lt. Homa. "Ling was a good kid. You could count on him to do anything."

Spc. Ling was killed, along with Second Lieutenant Jeffrey C. Graham of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, when their unit came under fire from insurgents in Khalidiyah, Iraq. Only two miles from where he'd survived the attack just four months earlier.

Leona Ling said she was grateful her brother came home in August of 2003 just before leaving for Iraq.

"He had to have his tonsils taken out," she said. "It was a blessing in disguise because we got to see him again."

In phone calls home, the soldier spoke wistfully of returning to New York and going to college. "He wanted to hear about what was going on at home and all the latest family gossip," Leona Ling recalled.

Survivors include his father, Wai Ling, a U.S. Army veteran.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Back To Reality

We are back from Las Vegas and what a blast it was! We were there for five days, and didn't get to see everything. That just means we will have to go back again some time. Here are some photos! These are all thumbnails, so click on them to enlarge!

My husband E, Myself and Captain Dramatic waiting to board the plane.


And here is our friend C. She went with us!


Here is E and I on the plane.


And this is where we stayed.


Here is Las Vegas at night on zoom from the top of the Stratosphere. You can see the Luxor in the middle with its giant light pointing straight up.


We also spent a small fortune to see the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead via Helicopter. CD was not too keen on this at first, but after a pep talk from me (that you can read here), and a few minutes aboard the helicopter he had a blast.


And here is CD...


Now, the whole reason we went to Las Vegas was to attend my brother-in-law, A's wedding to his new bride W. It was a beautiful ceremony, and I got to meet some wonderful people and we had a very amazing couple of days. Not only did my husband, my son, and myself attend with our friend C, but also numerous friends of my husband and his brother A...Who probably won't like the fact that this photos is of them in mid-sentence...


And some of their family...


Members of W's family...


as well as A handful of their friends...


For the distance that they traveled (from the UK) it was quite a number, and I know I didn't get pictures of all of them!

My parents and my Aunt were also invited and in attendance.

Here is a picture of my dad. He wasn't going to wear his hat, but I insisted, as that is my dad. That and I knew that everyone would love it! Many asked where they could buy one like it.


Here is shot of my wonderful parents and my beautiful aunt. Notice that my dad is no longer wearing the hat? It is making the rounds amongst the guests compliments of CD!


A and W were married at the Little White Chapel.


After the pictures outside there was a Limo for the wedding party and we were off to a wonderful reception!





This was CD's first limo ride, and boy, was he excited.


As I mentioned, we had a fabulous time. I think CD sums it up best here...


We didn't get to see everything we wanted to see, and there was still plenty to do, but we had a blast, and enjoyed the company of a great many others whom we hope to see again very soon.

CONGRATULATIONS A AND W! WE LOVE YOU! Thank you for sharing your special day with us!