Sometimes, You Just Need to Stop Talking....

...and take a seat and observe.  Sometimes the situation will have a better look when you look at it in multiple directions.

That is all for now.  Just marinate on this one...

P.S. Don't be the following guy:

Rain, rain go away....

...take a leave a of absence for at least a couple of days.

As much as I would like a little relief from all of this rain we've been getting lately, I don't want to be the guy who wished us into the summer drought we get every year. 

Rain quenches the earth,

Rain can make anyone 

Go inside for a lazy day,

Away in the manger.

Don't judge me.  I never said I was a poet.





P.S.  I don't know who this Arthur fella at all.  Do people still name their children Arthur?

This country has far more important things to worry about...

...than the controversial things we as a nation focus on everyday.

As I look at the local news tonight while waiting on the weather info for tomorrow, I have to force myself to stomach all the murders, robberies, political crap, etc. during the first 10-15 minutes.  After seeing this tonight, I came across a thought that has been running through my mind all year.  I really believe the stuff we see from the media is here just to keep up distracted from what's really going on around this country.

It looks like your house is on fire, but don't be upset about that....look at that dog that's crapping in your yard.  Let's get up in arms about that instead. ~Stacy

Recently, besides all of the other political controversies going on, we now have D.O.M.A. and Paula Dean's ignorance being huge headlines all over the media outlets.  People are protesting over who should be able to have marriage rights and blah, blah, blah.....while at the same time most of the country had NO idea Congress allowed the interest rates on government subsidized loans almost double by going from 3.8% to 6.8%.  While we as a country are so focused on yet another topic that in this day in time should not be an issue, we let the unproductive government screw us over again.  I know this sounds like a rant but....oh well.  This isn't the only important issue that has slipped through the cracks.  Ask Monsanto.  While they were resurrecting the Benghazi, the Monsanto Protection Act got signed into law.

I really wish this county, as a whole, would get its act together. We have made all kinds of technological advances around the world and outer space, But, as of 2013, we STILL have people who would judge a person based on trivial issues such as race, gender, political affiliation, religious beliefs, sexual preference, and the list goes on. When people decide to teach the younger generations ( because none of these have been something we're born with) by either telling them how it is or by displaying their actions, they are wasting time that would've been better used to show them how to be a helpful, positive, productive person in life.

I do believe that if we as Americans decided to see pass the issues displayed in front of us just to improves ratings and/or distract us, we would probably be able to make some things happen with this government and not have the type of elected officials we have now.

Back For the First Time...

...is the phrase that describes the story of my life. 

Like this blog.  I remember being so excited when I first started.  I said myself, "Self.  If you want to keep this going, you would have to make a post at least once a week for starters."  In all of the excitement I took a look at myself and said, "Yeah!  Let's do it!"  After a while, the time between went from day apart to months apart. 

Is it too late for New Year's Resolutions for 2013?  If so, I'm doing an early resolution for 2014 and get back on track with these weekly posts until I can really get the mental wheels turning.  

P.S.  Thanks to a friend in Lefty's World, I got enough motivation to start it back up.   

Never Forget....

….is the phrase that’s going around today.  It is the used for remembering those we lost on September 11, 2001.  People ask you to remember where you were and what you were doing during that tragic event.  

If you ask me, I will tell you I was a marine stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, SC.  I was with the VMFA 312 Checkerboards and we had only been back from a deployment a few months.  The morning started normally as I got ready for my 9 o’clock biology class.  The drive seemed normal while heading to school at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort.  The first few minutes of class started normally.  All of a sudden, some of the students in the class started receiving phone calls at the same time.  Everybody’s message said the same thing:  A plane has crashed into the world trade center!  The professor immediately ended class and said, “If you have any family who stays or is visiting New York, now is the time to see if they are safe.”  He gathered his belongings and hurried out of the class.  As I headed back to my jeep I noticed the traffic has increased dramatically.  Apparently, all military personnel were called to report to the air station.  I didn’t have a cell phone so I missed that call.  As I approach the base there was a long line of cars trying to get on base.  They had already placed the base on high alert and went into lockdown.  I didn’t find out what really happened until my squadron had a muster.   That was a week I will never forget.

That was a very sad and serious time watching those towers fall to the ground with all of those people still inside.  I don’t know anyone personally who was involved during the tragedy, but I did make sure I learned something from it.  Instead of increasing the hate towards a group of people who bears the resemblance of those involved, I try to think about the people who lost their family members during the tragedy.  Those people gave their spouse a kiss before going to work not knowing that was the last time they will ever see them alive again.  I guess where I’m going with this is instead of focusing your life on things that aren’t important like hatred, bigotry, stereotyping, and having useless arguments on the internet, spend it on more important things like family, friends, your life, etc.

I saw a snippet of Jay Leno speaking at Michael Clarke Duncan’s memorial service and he said something that really hit home to me.  He took a quote from John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem Maud Muller.  “For all the words of tongue and pen, there are no sadder words, “What might’ve been”.”   None of us have any idea of how long we have with each other, so all of the other foolishness is just a waste of time. 



Kaylee doing her "Mimi Smile"



Speaking of Mr. Duncan, he was the same age as my mother when she passed on May 12, 2012.  She turned 55 on the day of her funeral on May 18th.  This is probably the first time I’ve spoken about her outside of my immediate family since her passing.  I really do miss her, and I would give anything for at least five more minutes with her.  That can’t happen so all I can do is just rely on my memory and whatever pictures and video we do have of her.  I am at least happy to say my seven year son did really get the chance to know her enough to where he will have a great memory of her.  They were practically best friends, and I am extremely grateful for that.  My daughter is three and I hope she maintains some memory of her.  I know my family will help her with that.  I still see my mother in Kaylee because they do resemble each other.  She was one of the blessings in my life that I am still having a hard time accepting the fact that she’s not here anymore.  She taught me how to be grateful of what I have and to learn to not worry so much about life’s issues and move on.   To this day, when I go to her house, which I still refer it to “mama’s house”, I still walk to her room hoping one day I will see her sitting on her bed reading, knitting, or watching television.  Although I know she won’t be there it still hurts not seeing here there.   I try not to focus on the sad times by celebrating her life.  I can say proudly that without her support and encouragement, it would’ve been difficult going through Marine Corps boot camp, spending Christmas on deployment, and finishing school.  She gets a lot of the credit for me being an engineer.  I will never forget the great person she was.

Semper Fi

A Good Reason To Keep Good People In Your Life

After agreeing with someone in my 9 percent, I really do believe people are put in your life for a good reason.  I also believe that it's up to you do decide who actually stays and who goes.   I've seen plenty of times where people would let good people go out of their lives.  Now that's what I call "Blocking your blessing".  I made it a point to keep those who benefit me in every aspect of life.  I never tried to wonder what a person can do for me financially, but I got to know those people and the good qualities they have in them.  The people I'm talking about can be put into two categories, family, and friends. 

First, your family are your blood relatives.  No matter how much they get on your nerves, you're still related.  I really love this category because no matter how distant you are, you can still find support when you need it in this group.  This group can help make sure you stay out of trouble and help you out in emergency situations.  It doesn't always have to be in extreme situations.  I can appreciate the small things like taking me to band practice or attending the concerts.  I remember my dad committing to driving the band instruments to the football games.  I also remember my mom immediately putting me on her car insurance and tossed me the keys to her new car when I had car problems hours before my senior prom. 

I have family that supported me all the way through school.  Whether it's an uncle from Dallas who appears to be as excited as you are for you going through school or your wife who supports you in every way to get through every step in life.  There were some who have helped me financially.  There are times when things get a little rough and you have more than just a little bump in the road.  You can really appreciate having someone who can help you when you need it. The point is, make sure you stay close to the right people in this group.  Make sure you know there are also family members who will try to knock you down if you let them.  I don't need to talk about these people because they know who they are.

Next, there are your friends.  These people are basically just like your family.  The main difference is that you aren't blood relatives.  The people in this group have a good chance of knowing more about you than your family does.  These people can be around you more than anyone.  When I was stationed in Beaufort, SC, I had no family with me.  I can really appreciate the friends in my life.  I had this, "We are in this together" type of feeling with these people.  These were the only people I had when I was stationed overseas during Christmas time.  Although it was great to talk to my mom, dad, brother, and sisters on the phone super-long distance with a few seconds delay, it was still great to have someone there with you to ease that crappy feeling of being so far away during that time of year. 

These people come in you life right when you need them.  When I was in school, I had people who helped motivate you through class and make sure you keep your head on straight.  I know there was a couple, just a couple, of times where I felt like finding something else to do in order to support my family.  Some of these people have helped me find a way to stay on track.  Now I can sit back with my accomplishments.  I can only imagine the regret I would feel if would've felt if I didn't finish.

I can honestly say I don't have many aquaintances in my life.  I see an aquaintance as a gateway between being one of your friends or a learning experience of someone you don't need in your life.  I believe with the human race we need each other, whether you believe it or not, in order to survive.  You have to make sure you find the right combination of people to be around you that will help make sure you're successful.

Whole point of this is to let you all know that I thank God and say thank you to all of my family and friends in my life and everything you've done even the ones who brought negativity in my life.

This is my say of making up for not giving a speech during my graduation party.

Merry Christmas.

No Certain Holiday Required For Me....

....to wait to take time out to appreciate someone or something.  I've been meaning to do this for about a week now (which shows how much I can procrastinate).  I didn't feel like waiting until next May to talk about how I appreciate my mother, Brenda. 

She's taught many life lessons during my time here on this earth.  She is also the only member in my family to welcome to introduce me to the 9% Population (inside joke).  She taught me how to stand up for myself and be there for others whenever there is a need to do so.  There were times when she wasn't able to be there.  I was able to look at it as a way to let me fall so I can see what it is like to be able get back up on my own.  I believe that is a great way to be there for anyone. 

She has taught all of us how to be strong.  The way things has gone for her lately she has really shown us how much strength she can really show. When people tell me how proud of the accomplishments I have achieved so far, she is one of the first people I thank for helping me reach my own goals.