Found: Faded Patriotism

This photo was taken, I believe, in a scrap vehicle junkyard. With the presidential election 10 or so days away, I thought it fitting to share this brief glimpse into some motorist's past efforts to display his or her feelings for this country. (probably a vehicle from Texas!)

As I look at what used to be a new shiny, gleaming bumper sticker, I can only think of how we also fade away like this. Our minds. Our personal stances. Our health.

For example, some days I am so upset at someone or perhaps I have strong feelings toward a certain topic during a conversation. Then, without warning, time passes and takes with it my feelings and thoughts. Memories that used to be crisp & fresh I now find to be sun washed and, like this bumper sticker, they flake away easily in the wind.

On the flip-side of this, sometimes things I wish I could remove from my trunk, like a worn out bumper sticker, never quite come off clean. Try as I may, there is always some residue left behind.

Saving Lives - One Walk At A Time

We recently set the alarm, laced up our best walking shoes, scored some lattes and headed out to the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Walk. We even bundled up our little E as it was a wee bit chilly here with Fall upon us now.

We were blessed with a beautiful Saturday morning. The leaves were many shades of happy and the air felt good in our lungs.

Here are the ladies, ready and raring to go!

Little E was warm and cozy in her outdoor jumper, which resembled a sleeping bag-like material (in cute little girl pink!). When we took her out of it after the walk, she was almost sweating! Believe it or not, she kept her sunglasses on all morning, which invited a few photographs and comments about the "movie star" and her hired help.

It was a great time and always nice to get out. From what I understand, a record-setting crowd answered the call of duty this year, providing for a record-setting donation total! Congratulations and Thank You to Angela (LwH fan and loyal reader!) for leading the GM team as the Making Strides Captain!

10/30/08 UPDATE:

• Total Donations to date = Over $308,000.00 (first year the walk raised over 300k)
• GM donations to date = $38,770.00
• Pacesetters = Out of the 11 Pacesetters (walkers that raised over $2000) at the Ann Arbor walk, 7 of them are part of the GM TEAM!! Awesome job ladies!!

See below for Official and Unofficial team photos:

Halloween Preview

Here's a sneak peek at what our little Elle will be disguised as for her first Halloween:

Editor's Note: Apologies for the somewhat blurry photograph. LwH has a very strict non-blurry policy that was waived due to, and I am quoting the submitted paperwork here, "absolute cuteness with rosy cheeks".

Getting Back On The Horse

I have learned a few things about myself through all of this casual blogging. One of the things I have learned is the longer I wait to post, the harder it is to actually perform the task. I know it sounds crazy but I think about the blog non-stop. While brushing my teeth. While on my commute. In meetings. I say to myself, "Man, if only I had a little bit of time right now, I'd..." And then, as though a miracle, chunks of time fall in my lap and I either piddle them away or sit and stare at the computer screen and accomplish nothing.

I was recently asked if it is hard to "remember to post". Ah, good question, but it is quite the contrary. It is actually NO problem remembering. And believe it or not the problem isn't the ideas either. I have a small pad chock full of blog "to-do's". When we started, I would read about one of the typical problems with new bloggers; they run out of topics to blog about! Not here - no way! The problem is the exact opposite - I never know what to write about first.

So, I recently put some more thought into this and decided to clear my head (without any meditation or yoga!). I thought I'd scribble a list of the major priorities of this blog. What is our purpose? Why invest this time? Here is the result, almost in this order of priority:

1. Share family news, information & goings-on with family, either in-state or out of state - this free web log has proven to be much more effective at communicating that we can be with the phone calls never make, with the cell phone reception we never have



2. Document family activities for the 3 of us - Days and weekends seem to fade into each other all too easily and someday these tidbits will serve to be reminders of what we did "way back when life was simpler"



3. Provide Ellena with a glimpse into her past - Almost everything I do is geared toward future accessibility and this blog is no different. I envision our little sweetie digging deep into the archives one day. Imagine for a second if we could all do the same and read a few paragraphs our ancestors actually typed. What did they do? What vocabulary did they use? Where did they spend their free time? What moved them? Now imagine if you could read a web page about yourself, as captured by your family. A picture of you with cake on your face. A short video of your courageous efforts to ditch the training wheels. It gives me goosebumps. Friends of mine know my camera is "always rolling". Go ahead, sign the waiver.



4. Sharing with friends - Thoughts, web links, found photos - it is very enjoyable to share these things with friends. I have so many to add, but when it comes time to post, my priority usually resides with family matters. I often ponder starting another site, just for the purpose of moving ideas and taste-testing other web features.



5. Other (Hobby/Venting/Enjoyment) - There is actually a handful of other reasons, but the fact of the matter is posting is actually very calming for me to do. It has that feeling of creating something - sort of like when you walk into the room you recently painted, cross your arms, smile and nod as if to say "Yeah, I did that." No I haven't used this site to "vent" just yet (usually I calm down from what ever has heated me up WAY before logging in!), but perhaps someday I might. I have definitely thought of it!

Kids Can Do It, Why Can't The 'Rents?

Are you the type of person that can sleep anywhere? At any time?

Direct to you from the Department of Irony, here is a humorous video montage of kids sleeping in a world where WE, the parents, just cannot get enough!


What if we could sleep whenever we thought it was the right thing to do? The world would be much different than we know it now.

Trader Joes Nabs New Consumers - Cheap Wine Approved

After many attempts, I was finally coerced into making a big visit to our local Trader Joes grocery store. We were in the area and had a little bit of time (sometimes very rare), so we stopped in. It was...different, but refreshing.

E missed the whole thing because she was sleeping - with a FIRM grasp on her Republican rattle (thanks Matuzas!)

Here is a photograph of Ellena, in her usual spot in a store, the shopping cart. Notice that TJ's carts are so itty bitty, her car seat took up the ENTIRE thing! We had to have a hand basket for our goods - but that was probably a good thing because it kept us from going cRaZy!


Oh, and we definitely approve of the 3 buck Chuck!

Indecision '08

We could all use a little humor after watching Tuesday's Presidential nominee debate (number II) between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain.


Hmmm...who to vote for....the smooth talking newb with the uncanny ability to dodge direct questions or the robotic veteran with a limp. Is Ron Paul still available?

Do us all a favor - take a moment and pray for this election, and the future of our great Country. Then kick yourself for not voting in more of the primaries.