Don't be Misled By My Blog ...

Just FYI ... I do have a life outside of watching television! :)

24

Early last week, my mom and I were bored and looking for a new movie to watch. We ended up borrowing the first season of 24 from a friend. I just have to say ... it's completely addicting! I loved it! If you are looking for a good show that you and your spouse can both enjoy, give it a try! I can't wait to start season 2, although it is severely cutting into my reading time! :)

Pick on Someone Your Own Size!

Last night, I watched America Has Talent for the first time. It is a new show, much like American Idol, which has several different individuals/groups competing in a "talent show" where the winner receives a million dollars. Although I thought some of the acts were pretty good, I was appalled when a woman got on stage dressed as Snow White and then proceded to STRIP down to a sequined bra and teeeeensy weeeeensy panties. I guess her talent was exotic dancing? Come on! There are KIDS watching this show! Of course, since the judging panel consisted of two men and only one woman, Miss Snow White was advanced to the next round. And that's not even the worst part. At the end of the show, they showed a few seconds of other performances who also made it into the next round, but didn't get put on the show. They put A STRIPPER on television instead of a boy playing his violin or a group of young teens dancing. UGGH!

Still, what bothered me the most had nothing to do with the stripper. The very last act was an eleven-year old little red-head girl who literally blew everyone's socks off. Her name was Bianca Ryan and she was AWESOME!! The first two judges stood and applauded, then gave her lots of much-deserved praise. Then it was time for the third judge -- the "Simon Cowell" of the panel. He started by telling her she needed to change her hair, get a new dress, and some new shoes. After that he told her she was good. I seriously wanted to cry for that little girl. Imagine how excited she was when she got ready to go on the show! I'm sure she and her parents spent DAYS deciding what she would wear, went out and bought her a new outfit, and assured her that she looked dazzlingly beautiful before she went out on stage. She looked completely appropriate for a girl of her age, but I guess since she wasn't dressed as sexy or flashy as Snow White, Mr. Cowell-Guy thought it was okay to make fun of her on national television! What message does that send to every pre-teen girl in America? I'm so disgusted!

Torn

Earlier this month, we began the last year of our committment to the Army. Last year at this time, we were sure that we'd be staying in -- if not for 20 years, at least long enough for Jon to get his master's degree and possibly teach somewhere. However, since then our thoughts about staying in have changed a lot. We are honestly torn about whether we should stay in the Army or join the civilian world. It is SUCH a hard decision -- especially because we are looking at two opposite ends of the military spectrum -- getting out or trying for Special Forces.

I have been trying to just leave the decision up to Jon, and let him know that I will support him either way. We both trust that the Lord will guide us to where we're supposed to be. This doesn't mean I don't think about it every day, though! Each day, I go back and forth about what I think we should do. Selfishly, I often find myself wanting him home with me and out of harm's way forever. I want him to be able to enjoy being a father who is always home with his kids -- sometimes the thought of being a single mother scares me. Of course, when I talk to anyone in my family about this, they nod their heads adamantly and say that the best thing for our family would be for Jon to get out of the Army.

But then I find myself looking at the whole thing from a different perspective. When I look at the job description for Special Forces, I feel like it perfectly describes my husband. He LOVES that kind of stuff! The more challenging and impossible a task is, the more he enjoys it. He loves the physical part of his job. He thrives on the responsiblity of leading people and the bonds he creates with his soldiers. I know that Jon would try for special for Special Forces without even a second thought if he was still a single soldier. My biggest fear is that if we do decide to get out, Jon will look back in 10 years and say, "I wish I would've ... ." I know that our first priority should be our family -- and that the healthiest families probably have both parents around most of the time. However, I also believe that some people have a higher calling, and are called to make sacrifices in order to make a difference in this world. After all, our country was founded and developed by men and women who had the courage to make these sacrifices.

Anyways, as I was talking to Jon last night, I told him that I wish we could talk with a Special Forces family to see what advice they would have for us. Like ... What is life really like for an SF family? Would you make the same decision all over again? How do your kids adjust? If there are any SF families out there who have any words of wisdom, I would love to hear from you! And those of you who have already made the decision to stay in or get out -- what are some of the different things you considered?

Like I said, we completely trust that the Lord will show us just where we're supposed to be! And I know we'll end up happy either way. We have plenty of time to decide, we're just a little torn right now!

Update

Okay, so I want to have another wedding. To the same groom, of course. I just want to pick out a new dress, a new cake, new flowers, new bridesmaids' dresses, etc. Don't get me wrong -- I LOVED my wedding. I just want all of the excitement of another one!

This last weekend, I got to visit my friend Ally in Fort Worth. We were roommates and teammates all four years of college and she recently got engaged. While I was visiting, we spent lots of time looking for a wedding dress, looking at invitations, and browsing through wedding magazines. HOW FUN!! It was kind of like we just shopped all weekend, but didn't spend any money. :) (My husband is LOVING reading this right now!) I also got to spend some time with my Aunt MK (my mom's sister) and her family. She has a new grandson that my cousin and his wife adopted from Russia last fall and I got to meet him for the first time -- he was soooo cute! It was just such a great weekend, I didn't want it to end!

I really love the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex and think it would be a great place to live. I lived there for 4 years while I was in college. However, I was reminded of something on my visit. I have been so used to life in Colorado Springs, where money doesn't seem to be a huge priority for people. Sure, some of my friends are into clothes -- but we splurge by going to Target or TJ MAXX, not Prada or Nieman Marcus (I probably even spelled it wrong!). Maybe I'm just uber-sensitive, but I'd forgotten how everything is such a show there. The pressure of "doing well" and appearing "perfect" is kind of overwhelming. Kind of makes me scared to live there again some day -- Jon and I had talked about that as a possibility. Who knows? Just some observations ...

For right now, I'm PERFECTLY happy in Michigan. Yes, I'm a little bit bored. BUT, I'm spending almost every day at the beach, picking strawberries at the farm down the road, walking with my mom every night, and spending lots of QT with the people I love most (minus my hubby, of course)! My mom has a wonderful way of "filling my bucket" -- making me feel loved and important. I am so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful family as I realize more and more that many people aren't so fortunate.

The Break-Up

I just got back from seeing The Break-Up with my mom and sister. It is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. REALLY FUNNY -- Maybe just because Vince Vaughn's character reminds me so much of my husband in so many ways. I'll have to be sure to watch it with him when he gets home so that we can both laugh about it!

Book Review: The Kitchen Boy

I just finished my first summer read, The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander.


I LOVED this book. It was a quick read and kept me on the edge of my seat. It is about the Romanov family. The father of this family -- Nicholas -- was the last Tsar of Russia. It tells about their final month of house arrest before they are killed by members of the Bolshevik revolution. It is told from the point of view of one of their servants. There is a great twist at the end. I would DEFINITELY recommend this book for anyone out there who likes historical fiction.

I also found out the the same author wrote a book called Rasputin's Daughter. Maybe I'll have a chance to fit that one in this summer, too!

Military Slide Show

My Friend, Sally, sent me the link to this slide show.

Turn on your speakers and be still ....

www.iwo.com/heroes.htm

I love it here!

The days here in Michigan have been going by nice and slow -- just like they should in the summer-time! I just got here on Saturday afternoon, but I feel like I've been here a lot longer than that! Maybe that's what is so great about coming home -- feeling like you've never left!

So my vacation starts off with kind of a funny story. My mom picked me up at the South Bend airport on Saturday. When I opened the door to load my suitcases in back of the minivan, I immediately saw that it was already almost full with a CRIB! Now, this wouldn't be a big deal at all IF MY MOM HAD ANY GRANDCHILDREN!!! But she doesn't -- and there are none in sight either. I wasn't mad -- I just had to laugh. She wants to be a grandma so bad, and was determined to find a cheap crib sometime this summer. Oh mom ... :)

When we got home, we immediately drove down to St. Joseph to check out my dad's new boat. He is so proud of it, and in the 4 days I've been home, we've already been down there to hang out twice. I think we're going to have a lot of fun with it this summer. My dad is trying to convice my mom that we should take a trip across the lake to Chicago sometime this summer. It would take about 3 hrs to get there by boat (yes, the lake really is that big!!) My mom is a little scared of the idea, though!

Sunday, Monday, and today I went to the beach and relaxed. I just kept thinking about how lucky I am to be here. People pay a lot of money to be able to spend their vacation time on a beach! I always took it for granted when I lived here. But since I've moved away, I've come to realize what a special part of the country I grew up in. We spend a lot of time in St. Joseph, which is just about 15 minutes away from my house. Click on the link to see some pics:

www.sjtoday.org/sjtoday_htm/images%20of%20st%20Joseph.htm

I keep thinking about all those people who asked if I was really going to spend the WHOLE summer at home. Heck Yeah! How could I not want to spend my whole summer in a place like this! Not only is the beach great, but everything is SO GREEN! I live in a smaller town called Baroda. All of Southwest Michigan is very agricultural and Baroda is right in the thick of all the fields of crops, orchards, and vineyards. I love to walk in the evenings because everything is just gorgeous. Everything is so healthy and alive and growing!

I am loving being able to spend lots of time with my family, especially my little sister, Katherine. I will try to post some photos as I take them. I feel so blessed right now!

My Personal Heaven

I literally heard the sound of angels singing and harps playing as I entered my own personal heaven today -- Borders OUTLET!!!!! Who knew they had an OUTLET??!!! I felt the same way I do when I go to Target or Walgreens (those of you who know me know exactly what that means -- haha). I found the same books I was eyeing on the fiction tables at the regular Borders for between $2.99 and $5.99. HALLELUIAH!!

So here's a synopsis of my picks:

Amagansett by Mark Mills
About a working-class fisherman who lives in Long Island. His postwar community is sharply divided between those who live there year-round and the wealthy who just come for summer. Lives change when his nets pull in the body of a beautiful young woman, seaweed twined in her hair ...


The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander
Though the events are almost a century old, the imprisonment and execution of Tsar Nicholas and his family still hold an aura of mystery that fascinates. In haunting prose, Robert Alexander retells the story through the eyes of Leonka, once the kitchen boy to the Romanovs, who claims to be the last living witness to the family's brutal execution. Mysteriously spared by the Bolsheviks, the boy vanished into the bloody tides of the Russian Revolution. Now, through Alexander's conjuring, he reemerges to tell his story. What did the young boy see in those last days of the Imperial Family? Does he have answers to long-standing questions about secret letters smuggled to the Tsar, thirty-eight pounds of missing tsarist jewels, and why the bodies of two Romanov children are missing from the secret grave discovered in 1991?


Forever by Pete Hamill
A magical, epic tale of an extraordinary man who arrives in New York City in 1740 and remains ... forever. Cormac comes to know all the buried secrets of Manhattan -- the way it has been shaped by greed, race, and waves of immigration, by the unleashing of enormous human energies, and, above all, by hope. Through Cormac's eyes, we watch the city grow from a tiny community on the tip of an untamed wilderness to become the thriving metropolis of the present day.

Through it all, Cormac must fight, generation after generation, a force of evil that returns relentlessly in the scions of a single family. It is a family whose path first crossed his in Ireland and whose persistence puts at risk all his hopes for fulfilling his destiny. As he searches out these blood enemies, he must watch everyone he touches slip away ... And so he seeks the one who can change his fate, the mysterious dark lady who alone can free him from the blessing and the curse of his long life.


My Dearest Cecelia: A Novel of the Southern Belle Who Stole General Sherman's Heart by Diane Haeger
Cecilia falls instantly in love with the dashing Northern cadet William Tecumseh Sherman at the Commencement Ball at West point Military Academy. A Southern Belle, she and Sherman assume prominent positions on opposite sides during the Civil War. Legen has it that Sherman's love for Cecilia was the reason he spared her hometown of Augusta during his infamous march to the sea.


And so you can probably figure out my plans for the summer -- lots of good reading on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan! Me, a beach chair, and a book! (And maybe a margarita or two!)