My life...just not on the road I expected (but it's still dang good).

Thank you.

ETA:  While I have no desire to make a political statement on my blog, I have to say in regards to one poster's comments, that I am personally thankful for each and every person who has has chosen to serve our country regardless of how I feel from a political point of view about any given war. 

Therefore, I feel as indebted to someone currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan or someone who served in Vietnam as I do to those wonderful men and women who served in World War I and World War II.

And I'm equally thankful for those that have served our country during times of peace.

And if for no other reason than to show respect to those who serve and have served out of loyalty to their country, I wish we could all recognize that regardless of our political viewpoints, that gratitude for service is a wonderful thing.

............................................................................................................................................

This is airing on PBS tonight and I wanted to pass it along.

I am so thankful that there are people like that in the world. 

It makes me want to be a better person.

The first time I saw Josh walk up to a soldier, a complete stranger, just to shake their hand and thank him for his service, I got a huge lump in my throat, realizing the significance of such a small act.

It's something I do now too and I hope my kids will grow up to do the same.

Last night, Josh called me from an airport just to tell me that the stewardess on his flight had asked a passenger to stand up in front of everyone and thanked him, calling him a hero because he had just watched his son leave for Iraq.  Josh said every passenger on the airplane was clapping and thanking him.

I talked to the kids this morning about Veteran's Day and what it means and quite honestly, I can't even get through a conversation like that without tears because 'thank you' just doesn't feel like enough to express how indebted I feel to our soldiers and all their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives and children for giving up so much, for all of the rest of us...for our country.

All of you in Fort Hood are in my prayers.

And one of Josh Downs that I took a few years back because as much grief as I give you Josh,  about all the time you are away from our family due to the military...I respect you for loving your country the way you do.

Happy Veteran's Day.

Leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm heading out of town and won't be back until Tuesday.  Will be teaching the One Day Photographers' Workshop at:

- Memory Mania in Prairieville, LA on Saturday, Nov. 7th.  225 744 2767.

- Scrap Shack in Houma, LA on Sunday, Nov. 8th.  985 223 1794.

Can't wait to hang out with all you gals in Louisiana!

The Shop-Vac.

Josh & I were on our way home from Coley's parent/teacher conference tonight when I got a call from Ross asking where my tweezers were.

When I asked him what he needed tweezers for, he informed me that Annie has stuck something inside Dylan's ear and they couldn't get it out.  He said they couldn't figure out what it was though because Annie got upset and wasn't talking.

When we got home, Josh got out the flashlight and we quickly determined the following:

1. The foreign object was yellow.

2. It was lodged too deep to remove with tweezers.

3. He was going to have to go to the hospital to have it removed.

But then Josh had an idea...

 

The Shop-Vac.

A few minutes later...out came a yellow Airsoft pellet (from an Airsoft pellet gun).

Carving Pumpkins.

We've been so busy that we didn't get around to carving pumpkins until Friday night.

 

 

 

Annie stands at that fence and hollers for our neighbor, Jack all the time.  She's always pestering him for grapes from his grapevine or blackberries from his blackberry bushes.

She asked him to marry her the other day.

I think she was telling him about how big our pumpkins were in this picture though.

 

Josh had the clever idea of cutting all the pumpkins with his Rotozip tool. 

The Rotozip makes quick work of pumpkin carving and will be a staple come pumpkin carving day from here on out.

 

Everyone's pumpkins were perfectly in character with their designer...

 

Josh Down's with a very unpredictable, Beaver-themed pumpkin.

 

Courtney Lee with a happy, Jesus-loving pumpkin.

 

Coley with his usual, cranky pumpkin.

 

Annie with her, 'I'm-just-going-to-draw-on-it-with-a-Sharpie-because-I-don't-like-to-touch-pumpkin-guts', pumpkin.

 

And me with whatever pumpkin I can carve the quickest so I can get back to taking pictures.

And not the best picture...but I kine of like it anyhow.

And someone asked how I handle the candy situation at Halloween...

Usually, I let them eat a fair amount on Halloween night but then the next day, I let them pick ten pieces that they want to keep with no restrictions on when they can eat them.  That means that Cole & Annie scarf theirs down in five minutes flat and Courtney Lee goes into worry-mode over how to make her candy last as long as humanly possible.

There's a dentist here in town (Dr. Frimkess - 1150 Crater Lake Ave, Medford) who is buying back candy from local kids for $1 a pound and then sending it all to our troops.  So that's what we're doing with our excess this year.

Oh, and that gorgeous, tree-line street where we went trick-or-treating is not in our neighborhood (I wish it were)...Josh Downs happened to spot that location and knew I would love it.  And since the kids care more about candy than location, they had no complaints about where they went trick-or-treating.

Halloween.

We carved pumpkins on Friday and I should be posting those photos, but I was too excited to edit our Halloween shots so that's what I'm posting first...

Courtney Lee was a nurse.

Annie was Dorothy (and impossible to get pictures of).

 

And Coley was Harry Potter.

Courtney Lee's not really crying...that's just one of her many goofy faces.

 

 

And then there was trick-or-treating...