The Lesser of All Evils

Last night, I watched the debate between our two choices for the new President of the United States, and all I could think of is "Is this the best we could come up with?" It is not the first time during an election that I have thought that, but geeeeeeeee, do elections always have to be about choosing the lesser of all evils?
During the Vice Presidential debate, I really was watching to see if Joe Biden would suffer from foot-in-mouth disease, which evidently is a recurring illness for him, or if Sarah Palin would fall on her face, as everyone seemed to expect. What I came away with is "duh, boooooorrrrriiiiing!" Last night, I had hoped to see more. I wanted to get answers. I wanted lightning to strike. I wanted divine intervention to tell me who to vote for. Instead, I saw a song and dance show that couldn't be outdone by the Rockettes. Can anyone just answer a straight question?
When I was a child, I learned the rules of communication:
1: Be polite, even when it's hard.
2. Answer truthfully
3. Wait your turn to talk.
4. Don't talk with your mouth full (and I'm not specifying full of what!)
Last night, I saw 2 men who chose not to follow the rules that their own campaigns had agreed to. They wouldn't answer more than half of the questions put to them, but instead went back to some question asked 20 minutes prior because they finally thought of a good answer (in their own minds, anyway!)
I am tired of having to vote for the lesser of all evils. I want a man I can look up to and say "Yeah, that's the guy I voted for!" Instead, this election, I will vote, but I probably won't admit to who I voted for when I'm done because I'll be too embarrassed!
There are millions of people in the United States. Is this all we could come up with? Now, I will give to John McCain that he is a true hero. He served his country, suffered for years as a POW, and I'm sure suffers still the after-effects of that adventure. Unfortunately, he was involved, even if not charged, with a big scandal not all that long ago. He also wants to offer immigration immunity to everyone here and then start over. Didn't we already do that once? There are illegal aliens getting in-state tuition at the colleges I would love to be able to afford to send my children to. Unfortunately, they don't qualify for a La Raza scholarship. My daughter is serving her 4th year in the US Army as a medic to be able to go to school and my son went to work without the benefits of college.
Barack Obama comes out of my old hometown, Chicago. He seems to have made some friends there that my Mother would have told me "weren't the right kind of friends to be associated with." His preacher comes off as racist and one of his other friends served as toastmaster to the Weatherman, a group that bombed homes, businesses, and really anyplace else, under the auspices of "protest". Now, having grown up in Chicago under the leadership of "old man Daley" and his machine, and not "Jr.", in a time when more dead people voted than live registered voters, bad friends in that town can take on a whole new meaning.
So I say again, is this all we can come up with? I do understand that anyone in their right mind would be stupid to put themselves out there as fodder for the press and campaign machine pros, to be burned at the stake and destroyed. For crying out loud, they could make Mother Theresa look like an 18th and Central street walker! But really, isn't there someone who wants to be my "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" hero?
Now my plan, as naive as it might be, is to throw out anyone who has ever had any involvement with politics and put a whole new group of people in there. There would be no parties and no paid lobbyists. We could just start with a new crop of unbiased, untouched, idealistic people who just want to serve their country and solve the problems we are facing. Get rid of the big fancy healthcare plans, golden parachutes, limos, and fancy parties. Just send in intelligent people with no agenda and see what they could do, while having to live like one of us! How much worse can it be than to have to listen to Nancy Pelosi do one more press conference? (This coming from a registered Democrat!)
Well, I'm hre to say, I am going to register in the next election in the "show me a candidate I can vote for, and I'll go with you party!" I refuse to continue to vote for the lesser of all evils. Come on America! With all the millions of Americans, can't we offer up more than this?

Fields For Freedom

This morning, I took part in setting up the Third Annual Fields For Freedom display in Merriam, KS (a suburb of Kansas City). We built over 3000 flag poles and raised giant flags on them beginning just before dawn this morning. They will remain in place until the evening of July 4th.
I first took part in this 3 years ago in honor of my father, who was still living, and was a proud Marine from the 10th Amphibian Tractor Battallion that served in Guam and the Marshalls in WWII. Last week, my mother and brother attended his annual Marine Corp reunion in Quantico, VA in his place. He passed away the day before Thanksgiving, this past November. I also took part because my daughter is serving in the US Army as a Combat Field Medic. Two weeks ago, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Jordin, and 5 days following, my son in law was deployed to Korea. In October, my daughter, granddaughter, and faithful puppy Dougie, will all move back to Heidelberg, Germany. This will be my daughter's second deployment there, having served there for 2 years on a previous deployment. She will make this move with a baby and a puppy, but without her husband, who will follow in a year, after his return from Korea. Did I mention that she turned 21 years old on the day her husband went to Korea?
This year, I also add to my "I'm doing it because list" the fact that my "adopted son" (not legally, but in my heart all the same) Emmett, is serving in Kirkuk, Iraq along with another of my former "Sumner Academy Boys" Brian. At the same time, a third "Sumner Academy Boy",Christian, who is also expecting a little one very soon, is serving his 2nd tour over in "The Sandbox".
I have very strong feelings toward the military and the jobs they do, they hardships they face, and the families they leave behind. That is why I am again participating for a third time in Fields of Freedom. Tonight, as I sit guard all night over those flags, I will do so with pride and great diligence. It is the least that I can do in honor of those who have served and those who are still serving. I will post pictures before the Fourth, for those of you who don't live nearby and can't come and see this wonderful display. On the Fourth, when the bagpipers play, and the bugler rises to play taps, and the Army Band sings their patriotic songs, both new and old, my heart will fill to the bursting point. I am proud of our Troops! Thanks for all that you do and God bless you and keep you and your families safe. Happy Birthday America!

I'm a Grandma! (And Not Proud of Some Sectors of the Army, Right Now!)

On Monday, June 9th, my @#nd birthday, my daughter was down in El Paso, Tx being induced. We were all very excited that my granddaughter was going to be born on my birthday. Unfortunately for my daughter and son-in-law Matt, things didn't quite work out. After being in labor for 24 hours, they discovered that there were serious issues and took her in for an immediate c-section. Things were on the brink of going very wrong and thanks to my granddaughter planting her bottom in the right place, they are both doing ok. She arrived after dawn on June 10th, all 6lbs, 7 oz of her, at 17 1/2 inches long. She is said to have a full head of hair and her Mama's Asian eyes.
Bad news now! My daughter cannot drive for at least 2 wks and cannot carry anything due to the complications and surgery. Tomorrow morning, her husband is deploying to Korea. The Dr. who delivered the baby requested that he be allowed to stay another week to help out at home, which is allowed, and my son-in-law's NCO denied the request without hesitation. There is another group deploying the following Monday and it is acceptable policy that he be allowed to deploy at that time, but they didn't even consider it.
My new granddaughter has 3 scheduled Dr.'s appts. and is wrapped in a biliruben blanket 24/7. My daughter has a Dr. appt also. Her unit (and her friends) are currently in the field, which leaves her between a rock and a hard place. Tomorrow morning, she will pack the baby up in the car seat, wrapped in her biliruben blanket, and drive her husband to the airport at 4am. Then, she will drive back home again, against Dr.'s orders, and will carry the baby, in her seat, against Dr.'s orders, into the apt. (That is IF she can get out of the car by herself!)
Hello! Am I the only one who sees an issue with this? She just re-enlisted again, and will deploy with the baby back to Germany, while her husband will be serving in Korea for the next year, before he is allowed to join her in Germany. This is how the Army thanks their Combat Medics! (Both of them are!) I am now starting to believe the stories that I am hearing, how injured soldiers are being quickly dumped from the military so that they become the VAs problem. Only thing is, the VA is understaffed and unprepared to care for these horrific injuries that, in the past, would have killed these soldiers. I am hearing they wait forever to get care once they are dumped.
We ask our citizens to voluntarily join the Armed Forces, and when they do, we treat them this way? I am outraged! I am not naive about the jobs that my son-in-law and daughter signed up to do. I am also not naive about the policies that allow my son-in-law to remain home to care for his wife and child while, under Army Dr.'s orders, she is incapacitated. I am interested in hearing your comments!

Happy Anniversary

On May 17th, my parents, George and Ruth, would be celebrating more than 50 years of marriage. Sad to say, not many people are lucky enough to reach that milestone. They raised four children active in sports and activities, and they participated in our schools and our church, showing us the way it should be done by their own actions. As a young child, my father worked nights, which left my mother to deal with the four of us a great deal of time. On the weekends, my father fixed anything and everything, thus earning himself the name “Harry the Handyman” which stuck with him until the day he died, the day before Thanksgiving, 2007. They worked as a team. My father was a quick learner, and so his favorite phrase became “Go ask your mother.” That possibly came because if my mother said no, we would corner him, hoping to get a different answer. (Honestly, it did work once or twice!)
Later in my childhood, my father traveled a lot for his job, and often took my mother with him. It gave them an opportunity to see the world and gave them wonderful memories and pictures to last a lifetime. Sometime ago, my father retired so that he and my mother could enjoy what he called “the golden years” together. Unfortunately, his health deteriorated shortly after his retirement, which curtailed, and finally stopped their travels. They traveled seldom then, and mostly just to family funerals or to the Marine Corp reunions with the Marine families my parents so loved. During the years, as his health worsened, my mother cared for him, and their love remained strong. He fought to watch his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren grow.
Now it was well known to us, his family, that there had been a deal cut many years ago, whereas my father made my mother promise that he would go first when their time came to leave this world for a better place. Over a year ago, my mother had a stroke, although minor and he became very concerned. Then in October, she had a heart attack, followed by triple bypass. This was the indestructible matriarch of our family, and it shook the foundations of our family and made my father question whether she was backing out of their deal. That did not happen, because within days of my mother returning from the hospital, my father played his final card and won the game.
This week, my mother will celebrate this first wedding anniversary without him. It is a sad time for her, but I believe he is still with her (and us) and will be there with her especially on that day. It is a blessing when two people find each other in this great wide world and end up sharing a lifetime together. They were that lucky! Now she must find that strength that was the backbone of our family and find a way to go on until she sees him again. When that happens, he will be free of all the aches and pains of the world, as will she, and they will finally enjoy their golden years together! Until then, there is still a lot more of this one left to live, and a new great grandchild expected almost to the day of their anniversary. There may be some happy tears on that day yet!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

The Good Times

Any day now, I will have a new granddaughter. My daughter Chelsea and her husband Matt are expecting a little girl, who should make her arrival known very soon. She will be a military brat, daughter of two Army medics serving in El Paso, TX at the moment.
Chelsea will make a good Mom. She is fearless, though barely over 5 ft. tall. She is smart, ambitious, and hopes to go into trauma medicine or rehab. She has seen more of the world in her short lifetime than I will see in all of my lifetime, and has experienced so much since entering boot camp days before her 18th birthday.
Her life hasn’t always been easy, but I hope that she has always known her family loves her. That love is something she will pass onto her daughter. In these days ahead, my only advice is enjoy each and every moment ahead. I used to always joke that you can’t wait for your baby to smile, then roll over, then walk, and then talk. Then you just wish they would sit down and shut up! In truth, these moments, these precious moments, as you watch your child cry her first cry, your life will truly begin, and it will never be the same again. Be a partner with your husband in this adventure, and nurture that partnership. It is just as important a part of the equation as being a Mom.
You will experience the sleepless nights, the fevers and coughs and runny noses. You will experience the scrapes, and maybe some stitches or broken bones. You will experience homework and sports and having to say no. You will experience the slamming doors and the silent treatment. You will have to watch that first love and that first broken heart. You will wait up nights worrying when she doesn’t come home on time, hoping and praying that something awful hasn’t happened. Before you know it, you will watch as she leaves the nest, whether to college or to other parts of the world.
Know that now, and the days ahead, are the good days, no matter how hard they may be from time to time. Enjoy each one to the fullest and remember that one day, she too will be a grown woman, have a family of her own, and her own life to lead. These are the good times. Enjoy! You’ll look back someday and wonder how they passed so soon!

Duty and Honor

Two weeks ago, I got a wonderful surprise. I received a text message from a young man I call my “adopted son.” (Note: Just so I make myself clear, I actually have two “adopted sons”, and one is celebrating his 21st birthday this week, so Happy Birthday, Justin!) Back to the original story, the text message said “I’m in KC. Give me directions to where your new office is.” That message came from Emmett, the young man on the bottom left of the picture.
Emmett was one of my daughter’s best friends in high school, even though he was several years older than she. He was also one of “my” wrestlers, my little family of boys and one girl (yes, I remember Elise!) that wrestled at Sumner Academy. They are all about to enter college, graduating from college, starting families, or in several cases (Emmett, Christian, Brian, Glenn and Andy) serving their country in various branches of the military. Christian is currently serving his 2nd tour in Kuwait, having served his first one immediately following graduation from high school. Emmett is serving in Kirkuk, Iraq, as is Brian.
Now Emmett was half way through his 1st semester of his senior year at Kansas State University. He is very involved in his fraternity and was an intramural wrestler there. He entered the Army Reserves while in high school. He completed his basic training and then went off to college, serving his one weekend a month and during the summers. Just as his reserve contract was supposed to end, he got word that he needed to drop out of school and pack his duffel bag for a trip to “the sandbox”. So close to graduating from college- he didn’t complain. The Army had helped put him through school and he was ready to do his duty. It’s a volunteer Army and he signed up for it. That is not to say, however, that he was chomping at the bit to go!
The day that he showed up at my office, the women were all going crazy. Emmett is larger than life in real life. He is quiet, smiles a lot, and has impeccable manners. (Note to all of you reading this who know Emmett, stop laughing!) As I took him around my office and introduced him to all of my co-workers, they were so impressed (both with his manner and his muscles!) My director kept trying engage him in a political discussion, asking who she should vote for. He politely told her that he didn’t talk politics. Then she asked him how the soldiers felt about the war and he once more politely told her he could not speak for all of the soldiers. Somewhat frustrated, she asked him how he felt about the war. What he said surprised even me! He told her we need to stay at least 2 or 3 more years to allow the Iraqi people a fair chance at democracy. He felt that so much of the government there is still corrupt, and many Iraqis truly hold out hope that the next elections might really make a difference. He works closely in the reconstruction with the Iraqi people and has seen how hard they are working to make things better and how many of them put their own lives, and the lives of their families, at risk to help the Americans help the Iraqi people.
All we ever hear is the soldiers all want to come home and the Iraqi people hate us being there, and blah, blah, blah. Why is it that the American press tells us only the stories they want us to hear, and seldom the stories about the good things going on. Yes, it is dangerous. Each and every time they get in a vehicle, not matter how armor-plated it may be, they put their lives at risk. Each time the military comes up with new technology to help stop the IEDs, the enemy comes up with new technology to beat our technology. It’s like a very dangerous chess game with some very serious consequences, and yet still this young man, barely into adulthood, can see something that we can’t. Hope!
I am the daughter of a US Marine who served in the 10th Amphibian Tractor Battalion in the Marshall’s and Guam. I am the mother and mother in law of two US Army Medics. I am the “adopted” mother of a US Airborne soldier with the 418th Cavalry Battalion. I couldn’t be prouder of any of them. People may disagree on how we got into this war, whether we should get out of this war, and who should be making these decisions. My personal opinion is- let the military fight the wars and let the politicians deal with Medicare, gas prices, health care, the tumbling economy and keep their noses out of micro-managing things where they don’t have any business imposing themselves into. Let the boots on the ground make the decisions, not those who sit on their high horses, collecting their big pensions and great health insurance, while setting record pork barrel spending bills. In the meantime, many of the military families are struggling to survive at home, at the same time their loved ones are struggling to survive abroad.
No matter how you feel about this war, or any war, remember that these are the people who put their lives on the line for us day and night, and make less money than many of you reading this. They do it voluntarily and with a sense of honor and duty, tempered, I’m sure, with a fear they may never see their loved ones again. Please take a moment to thank those in uniform when you run into them at church, in the airport, a restaurant, or wherever you may see them. If you meet a family member, thank them for their sacrifice too! Most of all, say a prayer they all come home safely.
I am so proud of Emmett. I am proud of the man he has become and proud of the job he is doing. I am also proud that, when his tour is over and he comes back to finish college and enter the world, he will do good things because he is a good man. I met his frat brothers at a BBQ over the weekend and was proud that he surrounded himself with good friends while he was away at school. And lastly, I am proud that this good man’s parents have shared him with me, “his adopted mom”, all of these years, as I have shared my daughter with them. This morning, Emmett is winging his way back to Kirkuk.
May he return home safely soon. God bless the troops serving all over the world, at home and abroad. May he hold their families close, and may he bring peace to this world soon!

Pub Crawl Ahead

As you may be able to gather from my blog name, I am Irish. You would never know it by my drinking habits though. There was a time, in my youth, when I was quite infamous for drinking anyone and everyone under the table, except when it came to tequila. It makes my stomach hurt, so never was my poison of choice. Now I’m the biggest lightweight on the planet, but I still enjoy a good glass of wine or an ice-old beer once in awhile. I also have been known to partake in a little Crown Royal, Jamison’s or a nice glass of scotch on the rocks once in awhile.
Recently, I went out with some coworkers after a long day a work, thinking it would be a great way to bond with the people I spend more time with than anyone else and also because I am the new kid (using that term loosely). The extra incentive is that the location chosen for this little get together is a rather new Irish pub. I just knew it was a sign that I was meant to go!
When I arrived, several of my coworkers were already there and had drinks in front of them., so I decided to stop by the bar and pick up a drink on the way to the table. I asked the bartender if she could make me a Half and Half. I love a good Guinness, but straight on is a bit heavy for me. The bartender assured me she could make me a Half and Half and would send it over to the table. When it arrived, I knew something was wrong, but being amongst new friends, I didn’t want to make a scene, so I drank it.
Later, as the group ordered another round, I asked for another Half and Half. The waitress looked oddly at me and said "You mean an Black and Tan". I assured her that what I meant was a Half and Half, and she just repeated "Yeah, a Black and Tan."
Now for you non-Irish out there, there is a distinct difference, so maybe I should explain. A Half and Half is half Guinness, a dark Irish ale, and half Harps, a lighter Irish ale. A Black and Tan, on the other hand, (which I have also been known to drink when Harps is not available) s half Guinness and half Bass, a lighter English ale. I think a Black and Tan is actually on the list of cardinal sins, given the war that still rages between the English and Irish in some parts of Ireland, but you do what you have to do sometimes.
In any case, I knew that what I was drinking was neither.
Let me state once again that this was supposedly and Irish pub that we were visiting at the time. I walked over to the bartender, a very sweet, personable young thing, and asked her what she had made for me. She said she made a Half and Half. I told her that the waitress called it a Black and Tan. She just looked surprised and said "same thing." I took a deep breath, and then explained to her the history of the two. Then I explained that what she had served me, although not terrible, was not either a Half and Half or a Black and Tan. She said it was their version of a Half and Half/Black and Tan. I took another deep breath, almost to the point of hyperventilation, and asked her what was in it. She said it was half Guinness and half Boulevard Pale Ale. Boulevard Pale Ale is a an ale from a local Kansas City brewery. I thanked her and went back to my group. When the waitress came around again, I passed on another round.
Now to some, this may not be a big deal, but for someone who doesn’t drink all that often, it became, for some odd reason, a big deal for me. I guess I’ll have to head to New York, Chicago, or Ohio. My brother and my nephew seem to have no trouble finding good Irish pubs in Columbus and Toledo. Surely somewhere in a city as large as the Kansas Cit Metro area, someone knows how to make me a proper beer. In the meantime, I guess I’ll have to do research, and that could be an adventure!

Sheeeeeeeee's Back! Ready or Not!

Well, I am tired of getting emails from everyone saying where are you, so here I am. A brief explanation of why I haven't added a posting for 3 months-I didn't feel like it! Truly, that's it!
My life has been a whirlwind of change lately. After working in education for 14 years, I decided to take the big leap and change professions. It was easier to stay in a job that I was no longer happy in than to make a leap of faith and try something else. I finally made the leap!
As some of you may have read in past postings, the past year or so has been a bit difficult for my family. My mother had a stroke, which we were very greatful did not seem to cause many effects that couldn't be fixed with hard work. Little did we know that was only a precursor to upcoming events. In November, she had a heart attack, which she described as an elephant sitting on her chest, but of course she failed to mention it until the next day because the Cubs game was on! By the next night she was in the hospital and then the triple bypass followed. I can tell you that this week, she has finally been released from cardiac rehab and seems to be doing much better, thank you!
Did I mention that two days after we brought my mother home from the hospital, we put my dad in. Then we brought him home a few days later, knowing it would be his last trip. The day before Thanksgiving, my dad was finally released from his earthbound body and is now toasting with Col. Peck, my brother George, and many old friends who passed before him with a heavenly bottle of scotch!
In the midst of all of this, my daughter got married, is expecting her first child this May, and my son disappeared into his own "I'm an adult now!" world. Yes, I suffered from empty nest syndrome (except for the dog the parents of my former boss found and somehow I ended up with, and the cat my daughter found, that I somehow ended up with) I'm not exactly sure if I get to claim empty nest syndrome- maybe just empty of people nest syndrome. Is this a reason to file a claim for disability payments so that I can stay home and enjoy my house to myself, now that I've gotten used to it? You lawyers out there, surely you can make a case for me!
Ooooops! I may have failed to mention that a few days ago, my son discovered that all of that adulthood with rent, car payments, car insurance, food, gas, yadda, yadda, yadda is not all that it is cracked up to be and magically reappeared in his bedroom. It's okay. He can legally buy alcohol now, so I can send him out for some Jamison's or Corona's now, so he has a useful purpose! Just kidding!
Anyway, I'm trying to find my new self and adjust to all of the changes in my life this last year. I've been reconnecting with old friends (EEE) and listening to old songs I used to love over the phone that my brother has dug up in the Smithsonian archives or Utube or something. I've been awaiting my granddaughter and thanking God for not deploying my daughter right after the baby comes, which was the original plan. Her husband will be deploying somewhere soon, but will get to spend a little time with the baby first, due to a medical issue that has to be resolved first. I'm feeling greatful and blessed and exhausted and confused, which makes me, I suppose, ready to enter the world again. After all, isn't that where most of us are on a daily basis?
Just one more little note: This past week, I told one of my co-workers that I would see her in the morning and she replied "I'll be here!" Well, she lied. She left work and went to water aerobics and collapsed in the shower right after. She had a brain bleed and never woke up. As I write this posting, her organs are being havested to save the lives of many other people. I will miss her!
Please remember that now is the time to say the things to the people you love. You may be young or old, healthy or ill, but for any of us, this day may be our last. I have discovered that I don't want the last words out of my mouth to be "asshole" as someone cuts me off in traffic. I want them to be something kind, not that I am not human and won't slip from time to time! Don't put off that phone call, letter, or even text or email until tomorrow. Sometimes, tomorrow never comes!
Next posting-NOT depressing! I promise!