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!

Why Does Domestic Terrorism Exist In Ireland?

Why does domestic terrorism exist in Ireland? I may just have the answer. It all started in Las Vegas...

It is our second day in Las Vegas. We were taking the Deuce buses to see the sites ($5.00 dollars for a 24 hour pass!). While waiting for the bus to arrive we are standing in a very long line, but enjoying the company of those around us. We are about half way in the line, and after about a half hour, two buses pull up at the same time. The second bus stops right in front of us and we start boarding. My son, takes off and just as my husband and I were about to follow him, some lady physically pushes me back and starts screaming "we have been here longer and we are getting on this bus first!" in a very thick Irish accent. I stared a short moment and said "we have all been waiting and there are two buses. Get on that one!" "That one isn't taking passengers!" she yells. Well, how was I supposed to know that? Mean while, she is still ranting and shoving her way on the bus, and I have an eight year old on there by himself! I said as much, and she pretty much shot back that this was not her problem. Well no duh, but it wouldn't have been a problem if she hadn't been such a crab! The others who were waiting said, go, get your son, and my husband and I did.

We are sitting down and she is still ranting to the other passengers about common courtesy and apologizing for her out burst to them. Her apology consisted of blaming the whole ordeal on her Irish temper. Well, I can't keep quiet, and although I am getting the look of death from my husband, who did what the English do and quietly ignore bad behavior, especially from the Irish, I make mention of the fact that she was very inconsiderate separating a family with small children so she could get on this bus, that she is last person who should be lecturing on common courtesy, and that she could take her Irish temper home. That set her off again, and my son starts crying. He knows me and is afraid I am going to let this woman have it, and end up in jail or something. My attention is now on my crying child.

"Don't cry son, it is ok. We would have at least made them let us on to get you." I pause a few moments. The Irish hag has quieted down. I put my arm around my son, and say the following to him, but loud enough that she can hear me, being that she is only a few seats away. "Baby, you have just learned first hand, how not to behave. We don't do that kind of thing in this country. We have far more consideration for others." I then looked at my husband and said loud enough for her to hear, "This is why domestic terrorism exists in Ireland and not here isn't it? Because they can't be considerate to others. They all have to have it their way of the highway, and blame the whole ordeal on a temper that they have learned not to control." He nodded, his back to her, and smiled at me. I then finished with, "Irish temper my ass! Grow up! Remind me not to go there, I hear the food sucks anyway...". I didn't hear another peep out of her the rest of the trip and as we exited the bus neither she nor her husband had the courage to even make eye contact.

With all that being said, don't get me wrong. We have SOME domestic terrorism, but not much. We have NONE in comparison to Ireland. After this exchange, you may have come to the same conclusion I have, and no longer have to wonder why.

Ask Captain Dramatic

We are in Las Vegas...We have left the city of Las Vegas and headed for Hoover Dam. On the way we stop for a meal. While at this fine eating establishment we notice that helicopter flights can be purchased to view Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. My mother, my husband and I think this would be a once in a life time opportunity. It is only a five minute ride, and costs a pretty penny, but heck, we are on vacation! My father and Captain Dramatic, aren't so keen on this. Both would much rather keep their feet on the ground. Mom and I have our hearts set on this. Guess who won?

While standing in line to purchase tickets, surrounded by about eight others who have already purchased theirs, or are waiting for their turn, the following conversation took place.

CD: Mom, it is expensive. I don't have to go. I will wait down here with Grandpa.
Me: We are going, and so is PaPa.
CD: Mom, it says only four can go at a time. I will stay here so you and Dad-E and PaPa and Bam-Ma can go together.
Me: Dad-E, you and I can go in one, Bam-Ma and PaPa can go after us.
CD: Mom, I don't want to.
Me: **completely frustrated by this time** WE ARE A FAMILY, WE ARE ON VACATION, WE ARE TAKING A HELICOPTER RIDE AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE FUN!!!

**others in line erupt into laughter**

CD: Dad-E, I don't want to go
ME: Think of the bragging rights you will have at school on Monday when we get back! I bet none of your friends have gone in a helicopter to see the Hoover Dam!
CD: Like they would believe me anyway!
Dad-E: Then we will take a picture and print it, and you can take it to school.
CD: OK! *big smile* I'll go then!

*sigh*

By the way, he held my hand the whole time, but he had a blast!


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

Saturday's Super Site

Please! I am begging you! Reader interaction would be so appreciated!

You can learn about how to nominate a site by clicking on the graphic above. I would love to start seeing some more nominations.

Viva Las Vegas!

Well, we are off to Las Vegas for a few days! My broth-in-law is getting married, so we have decided to make a family vacation out of it! We fly out tomorrow and will be back on Wednesday. It should be fun, and with any luck I will have pictures, and storied to tell!

I will try to log on in Las Vegas (the hubby is taking his lap top), but I can't promise it will be often. Take care of yourselves!

Wednesday's Hero

Cpl. Jordan M. Moehnle
21 years old from Los Angeles, California
Company L, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6 ("Darkhorse" Battalion)


Cpl. Jordan M. Moehnle takes time out of leading his squad in a patrol through Fallujah's Nazaal district to spend some time interacting with local children. Moehnle, who is on his second tour in Iraq, said the changes he has witnessed since he was last here in 2006 have been dramatic. "The city was like the Wild West, we'd put our heads and and drive down (the middle of Fallujah) and hope not to get shot," he said. "Since we've been here (this year), we can stop and shoot the breeze."

You can read more here.

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

So when Captain Dramatic was in first grade he prided himself on being able to spell big words. Not all big words, mind you. Only big words that his teacher taught him. I know...go figure...

CD: Mom, did you spell that right? (referring to the word Miscellaneous in the title of my blog)
Me: Yes.
CD: are you sure?
Me: Yes.
CD: Did you know that word start and ends with the same letters as the word Massachusetts, and has the same number of letters?
Me: No...(I stop to check and see if that is true) Well, I'll be....

Who else would notice that? That, and am I the only one who still needs spell check to see if I spelled Massachusetts right?


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

Country Music Etiquette

Saturday's Super Site

Yet another week has passed. Enjoy, and please make a nomination or two. You can learn about how to nominate a site by clicking on the graphic above. I would love to start seeing some more nominations.

Thank You!

Many of you have probably seen this. I haven't until tonight as we don't have TV reception where I live, and satellite is not in my budget at this time. Even though I know many of you have seen this, I wanted to post it here in case there was anyone like me out there who just doesn't get to watch much TV. The message that this commercial is trying to give is a very important one.

If you ever have the opportunity, I hope you are all like those depicted in this commercial. If you have a chance, and can get past your tears, say thank you, shake a hand, recognize all the good our men and women have done in any way you can. They deserve it!

Other People's Children!

Many of you may have noticed that I often use the phrase "Other people's Children". A few of you may have wondered what that means. I use this phrase when referring to the actions of others that I find troublesome in some way. The type of actions that would have made me want to smack them if they were my child, but alas, they are not. This means that I don't get the satisfaction of smacking them. There is a great deal wrong with "other people's children".

Here is my most recent example, and it occurred at work. (It seems I live there.) I have the first desk in the office. If you come through the front door, I am usually the first one you see. This leads to my having to deal with virtually everyone who walks through the office door. Being that it is the only door you can gain access to the building through, unless you are an employee, I get the cream of the crop!

I work in a distribution center. In the mornings we take inbound freight and in the afternoons we ship all of the outbound freight. In the mornings it is a long line of truck drivers who we have never seen before, and in the evenings it is a long line of truck drivers that are in our facility daily. Before I continue I will say that I have nothing against anyone. I only have problems with people who bad attitudes, and it doesn't matter who you are or what you do for a living. I give everyone the same respect off the top, and you gain more or lose some depending on how crappy you treat me.

This morning, a driver came to my desk. The first words out of his mouth were, "I have been here two hours and they haven't even started unloading my trailer yet! What is taking them so long!?!" I didn't take that approach to well. This man was another in a long line of other people's children that insisted on trying to ruin my day.

I looked at him and responded, "I really do not know, but if you walk right over there and talk to our shipping and receiving clerk, with a little less attitude than you addressed me, then you might find the answer you are looking for." I then proceeded to start my typing again, only to hear him say "How can you work here and not have any idea what is going on around here?" Well, that was a little bit further over that line that separates nice and rude. Not a good start to the first hour of my shift, but I can handle this. My response, calmly stated, was, "It isn't that I don't have any idea what is going on around here. It is closer to the fact that I have no time to deal with your attitude. In fact, I refuse to do so. Perhaps our shipping and receiving clerk will have more time than I do to watch your, very entertaining, adult temper tantrum. If I wanted to deal with temper tantrums all day I could very easily have been a stay at home mom."

The driver proceeded to walk off in a huff. He walked the few feet over to shipping and receiving clerk's office peeked inside and slowly approached my desk a second time. He then said, "he isn't in there". I shrugged and said, "then I guess you are SOL". To which he said, "Can't you call him up here?", and I answered, "of course I can", and then went back to the task on my desk. After a few brief moments the driver spoke again, "WILL you call him up here?" I looked up and stared at him a moment. "No, I don't think I will. I really just don't have it in me to cater to rude people who think they can walk in here, speak to me as if all their problems are my fault, and then fulfill the favors they request. Go wait in your truck, they will get to you when they can." This of course was followed by more stomping and huffing and demanding to speak to my supervisor. I told him that I would send my supervisor out as soon as she had time, and that wasn't going to be until Monday or Tuesday of next week as she was on vacation.

You see, other people's children haven't been taught that you get a lot further in life with an ounce of niceness as opposed to a pound of bad attitude. Think of all the hard times a parent could have saved this man if they had bothered to teach this very important lesson. All I can do at a time like this is shake my head in disgust and mutter, "other people's children...."

Wednesday's Hero

Army Spc. Eric S. McKinley
24 years old from Corvallis, Oregon
Company B, 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, Army National Guard
June 13, 2004


An avid outdoorsman, Spc. McKinley worked as a baker at Alpine Bakery in Corvallis, Ore. Upon his return from Iraq, he hoped to open a juice bar in the college town to provide a drug and alcohol-free environment for young people. Friends and co-workers remember Spc. McKinley as a quiet, caring young man who dyed his hair, sported several tattoos and loved ska and rock music. His senior yearbook picture showed a grinning young man with spiked hair dyed red and green. In other 1998 yearbook pictures, he has purple and blue hair in a mohawk.

Spc. Eric McKinley was killed when a roadside bomb north of Baghdad detonated destroying two vehicles and wounded four other Oregon soldiers. They were identified as Staff Sgt. Phillip Davis, 23, of Albany; Sgt. Matthew Zedwick, 23, of Bend; Cpl. Shane Ward, 23, of Corvallis and Pvt. Richard Olsen, 23, of Independence.

Almost 500 people attended the memorial service for Spc. McKinley at Starker Arts Park in Corvallis. There was a mix of people dressed in either military or punk attire — including McKinley’s six-year-old cousin, who, in tribute, wore his hair in a bright green mohawk.

Coventry Pacheco, McKinley’s fiancee, sat in the first row at his celebration-of-life service. They hadn’t set a wedding date, but were planning to get married.

He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service, a Purple Heart and the Oregon Distinguished Service Award. U.S. and Oregon flags were presented to his parents, Tom McKinley of Salem and Karen Hilsendager of Philomath.

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

CD has nightly homework, and I have learned that even when he does his homework, I can't make him turn it in. There was a piece of homework that I hope he does turn in however. I decided to share it with all of you.

The assignment was to write a story using this weeks spelling words. That could be easy or hard, depending on the words. The words were:

toaster
alone
bureau
compose
lower
approach
postage
bowling
below
hostess
suppose
owner
remote
loafer
soapy
erode
closely
explode
lonely
decode
lonesome
awoke
rowboat
poster

Yep, those are them. How in the heck is an eight-year-old going to make a story out of those? Well, I forget how cleaver they can be. Here is CD's story, word for word. (I corrected the spelling on the mis-spelled words. At least none of those were his spelling words!)

Once upon a time...I was lonely and my friend was lonesome and below us a volcano exploded!!! We awoke suddenly!!! We were alone and my friend was the owner of a rowboat poster!!! That was about as useful as a remote control bowling ball!!! Everything was eroded including a bureau and a toaster!!! I hear thats what approaching lava does!!! My friend, the hostess, was crying!!!!!!! I said, we should compose ourselves! and I suppose we should run!!!!!!!! As we ran away we saw some words mixed up and we tried to decode it!!! finally we found what it said and it was a spell and it made the floor all soapy and we slipped!!!!!! As we were slipping I lost a loafer!!! But as I stood up a postage stamp was stuck to my hand!!! I looked closely at my watch!!!! Boy my spirits couldn't get any lower!!! The end

Ok, so he isn't going to be the next Ernest Hemmingway or Charles Dickens anytime soon, but hey, at least his imagination works!

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

I've Been Tagged!

Bigsibling has tagged me with the "Show your desktop" meme. This brings back terribly memories involving being around the age of eight on the play ground...I will save the gory details for later...I decided to participate anyway.




This is a photo that was taken in 2004. My husband, then boyfriend, snapped this photo on a drive back from Pyramid Lake. Nevada has beautiful sunsets.

Here are the meme rules/instructions:

My Desktop Free View Instructions:
A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. You can do a screen capture by:
[1] Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key).
[2] Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste CTRL + V).
[3] If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.
B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want. You can explain why you preferred such look or why is it full of icons. Things like that.
C. Tag five of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well

Here are the five friends that I have tagged, who may not be my friends after this!

1. Two Angry Brits
2. Blah Blah Blog - The Soap Box
3. Web Gamin
4. The Cluttered Eclectic Mind
5. Sgt Dub