Scout...A year in review

We've had our beautiful puppy Scout for a little over a year..in fact, a year and one week. He has grown into such a great dog. Bear loves him, and Macen adores him. He has truly become Macen's dog. In fact, Macen has become Scout's "boy."

Here he is last Christmas. He was about 8 weeks old in this picture. Isn't he cute?

Here he is a few weeks later. What a beautiful hound!

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all of you reading this, may you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! We are so glad to have each and everyone of you in our lives!

Thanksgiving

Here's the little family!

Here is the Forsch family!

Matt and Ashley..aka The Twins

Inside the Galley

Here's Casey and Grant behind the line serving......

Here's the group...Me, Casey, Pam, Matt, Courtney, Ashley, Grant and Macen.

Where did he go

Macen and I played hide-n-seek before we went to the galley. Where did he go?

There he is!

On our way to the Galley

We ate our Thanksgiving Dinner at the galley here on base. Grant went early to help serve the single sailors, so Macen and I took our time going in.

He wanted me to take pictures of two of his favorite cars.

THANKSGIVING ROCKS!!!!

And to all..Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I read this, and I realized that I am very blessed. As I type this, my wonderful husband is here, and not deployed to a war zone. My beautiful son is growing up strong and healthy. I have a pie baking in the oven...in a home that can't be foreclosed. I have a job, as does my husband. My life is as it should be. So to all of you reading this, please know how thankful I am to have each and everyone of you in my life! Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people around the world.

If you attend a religious service without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed that almost three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

Igor

We went to the movie "Igor" on Saturday over at the base theater. It was pretty cute. It's not really a kids movie, since most of the jokes flew right over Macen's head. Grant and I really enjoyed it, and Macen did laugh a lot!

The Update!

Okay, so it's been forever since I updated what's going on in our lives. There has been a lot going on so get a beverage, get comfortable, and enjoy the blog!
Let's see..we'll start with the best news..My handsome nephew Matthew was sealed to my brother and his family this past Saturday. It's a very wonderful event, and I am so grateful to have this wonderful young man in my life! For those of you who are not LDS, It's very hard to explain, but if you are curious let me know and I will do my best to explain!
Halloween was awesome! Grant was Obi-Wan Kenobi, Macen was Anakin Skywalker. I, being the individual that I am, was the Wicked Witch of the West! I passed out candy, while the boys went trick-or-treating in the rain.
After that, Nan, Grant and I went to the chief's club for a halloween party. We had a blast!
Two birthday's to mention: My Uncle Doug on Oct. 28th (I believe), and my niece Kaylee on November 10th!
Of course I couldn't do an update without mentioning, again, how happy I am that OBAMA WON!!! If you haven't read my blog in a while, scroll down..I blogged that news on election night!
Grant is doing well, not happy that the democrats are in charge, but I figure he's been married to one so long, he'll be able to work for one!
He still hasn't nailed down orders yet, but as soon as he does I'll let you all know!
My friend Wendy Flake moved to California last month. I really miss her, but it sounds like she's having a good time!
Pam, Casey, and Courtney are getting ready to move very soon..to quote Forrest Gump.."That's all I have to say about that"
My mom has officially become a "Facebook" member, so everyone make her your friend..
Macen is doing very well in school. I am so impressed with how well he's doing!
As for me, well I am as busy as ever, and I love it. PTO is going well, and my job gives me some extra cash for the holidays. I am a little homesick for family. My brother and Sara came to visit me and I hated to see them go!
Well, that's it for now. If you're ever in Nevada, come on by..we'd love to see you all!

The award day!

Here's my little man (aka Anakin Skywalker) enjoying the assembly on Oct. 30th.

He won 3 award that day. A Homework award, A math award, and my personal favorite: The Character Counts award for respect!

Here is the "Teacher from the Black Lagoon"

Better late than never!

Here I am in all my glory! This is on "Dress as your favorite book character" on the 30th. (We have Nevada Day on the 31st, so there wasn't any school) I was "Daisy Duck" It was pretty funny though, as I was walking down the outside walkway, I passed several 5th graders. All of them were saying things like, "HI Miss Banana" "What's up Daisy?" "Looking good Mrs. C" then my favorite trouble maker passed by and yells out "AFLAC!" It was so awesome..I laughed about it all day..in fact as I'm typing this, I'm still giggling.

Here's Ms. Rickerson getting ready to kiss a pig. Her class sold the most in our fundraiser, so that was the treat for the kids. The pig was very stinky, and Ms. R was a great sport.

Here is Macen's favorite lady. She's our librarian Ms. Vickie..We LOVE HER!!!!

Have you read this yet?

To all who read this: For the record, had I lived in California on election day, I would have voted AGAINST Proposition 8. I do not, nor will I EVER vote to take away a civil liberty from any American adult. I do not vote for anything that is backed by bigotry. That being said: I am proud of those that voted for what they believe in and I respect them. That is why I am blogging this letter. I think that the LDS church was unfairly targeted as being the "only" religious group that raised money to back Prop 8. Though I am not the best mormon, I believe that one of the most important beliefs that we have is "freedom to choose"

Have you read this yet?

Kevin Hamilton's Letter on Proposition 8 and the Mormon Church

Dear Friends,
In the aftermath of the recent election, we may find ourselves oddly on the defensive regarding our support for the Yes on Proposition 8 cause. Our young people have been especially subject to mean-spirited comments by high school friends and teachers. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We did nothing wrong.
In fact, we did everything that a civic-minded American can and should do. I have put together a few facts that help me to appreciate our position better.
For example:1. Mormons make up less than 2 percent of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.Mormon voters were less than 5 percent of the yes vote.
2. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6 percent of the yes vote and 2.4 percent of the total Proposition 8 vote.

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.

4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.

5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.

6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.

7. African-Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70 percent of black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.

8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).

9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims -- all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.

10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or herself. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.

11. The church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States' Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof?" The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The church as always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.

12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do -- we spoke up, we campaigned and we voted.

Hold your heads up high -- you did a great job on this most important cause. We will have more opportunities in the future to participate in our democratic process. Let's remember the lessons learned and do an even better job next time.These are my personal opinions and thoughts; any errors are mine and in no way reflect official church policy or doctrine.

Thanks,Kevin Hamilton

Sack Lunches

My sister, Kim, sent me this email, and I had to blog it. I am always so grateful for those who understand what "service" in the military means.

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq '

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago ' His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seat belt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check Made payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it.'

God Bless us everyone, GOD BLESS THE USA and the men & women who served and the ones who continue to serve our beautiful country.

Happy Happy Birthday Kaylee

My beautiful niece is celebrating her birthday today. Pay close attention to this one ladies and gentlemen..she'll be leading our country one day!

Isn't she beautiful?

And now, my song to her.."Happy Happy Birthday Kaylee dear, Happy days will come to you each year. If I had a wish that it would be a Happy Happy Birthday to you from me"

In Honor of our Veterans

Never Forget

Always keep them in your prayers

Please keep their families in your thoughts

A prayer

'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'

HAIL TO THE CHIEF

My fellow Americans,

Today, for the first time in 8 years, my vote actually counted! The man that I voted for will be leading this country.

For those of you who are disappointed, I'd like to say that I'm sorry, but I won't. I truly believe that the best man won. I have no hard feelings toward Sen. McCain. He is a hero, and a true leader. He said it himself, "Now is the time to come together."

I believe that the time has come for our country to stop looking in the past, and start looking toward the future. From where I stand, it looks bright, it looks hopeful, it looks promising.

I have decided that I won't apologize for being a Democrat. My husband, members of my family, and several of my friends are Republicans and I have learned so much from them, and I hope that they have learned some things from me. I have learned that when it comes down to it, we all want the same things. I hope that those who have been closed minded to other views will now open their minds to a new idea. I hope that they take part in the changes that are about to happen, and most of all, I hope that they continue to keep the faith that America can once again be "One Nation, Under God."

I am proud that the lies, half truths and innuendo's that have plagued this campaign did not accomplish the travesty they tried to achieve. I am proud that people looked beyond race, sex, and creed to make an educated vote. I am proud that my son lives in a time where anyone who has the desire can run for office. I am proud to be able to show my son that no matter what he believes he can and will have a voice in this country.

As I sit here, blogging this wonderful event, I am listening to President elect Obama speak of a better tomorrow, of a country once again becoming "United" I hope that those of you who didn't vote for him will open your hearts and minds and listen, and not hold a grudge. It is time that we become one country. Not red states or blue states, not Democrats or Republicans, but AMERICANS. We're in this together. We want the best, and if we work hard we will achieve it. Don't worry about the taxes, the wars, the energy crisis..We can and will conquer those monsters. We have a voice..never forget that. If you speak, someone will hear. Have patience, have hope, but most of all, have love and fortitude. We are a country that has been blessed since it was founded. We have overcome slavery, bigotry, and sexism. We have fought wars, we have conquered space, we have begun to cure illnesses that have plagued humans for centuries. We are an amazing people. Let us join forces and continue down a path of new discoveries.

God Bless America.....

What a Swing Voter learned from this Campaign

Charlotte, N.C. – There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better "ground game" and superior campaign organization.

I had the chance to view that organization up close this month when I canvassed for him. I'm not sure I learned much about his chances, but I learned a lot about myself and about this election.
Let me make it clear: I'm pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn't run again.

I encouraged my son to join the military. I was proud of him in Afghanistan, and happy when he came home, and angry when he was recalled because of the invasion of Iraq. I'm white, 55, I live in the South and I'm definitely going to get a bigger tax bill if Obama wins.

I am the dreaded swing voter.

So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told.

At the Obama headquarters, we stood in a group to receive our instructions. I wasn't the oldest, but close, and the youngest was maybe in high school. I watched a campaign organizer match up a young black man who looked to be college age with a white guy about my age to canvas together. It should not have been a big thing, but the beauty of the image did not escape me.

Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood.

We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, "Who is it?"
"We're from the Obama campaign," we'd answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk.

Grandmothers kept one hand on their grandchildren and made sure they had all the information they needed for their son or daughter to vote for the first time.

Young people came to the door rubbing sleep from their eyes to find out where they could vote early, to make sure their vote got counted.

We knocked on every door we could find and checked off every name on our list. We did our job, but Obama may not have been the one who got the most out of the day's work.

I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things."

It's not about taxes. I'm pretty sure mine are going to go up no matter who is elected.

It's not about foreign policy. I think we'll figure out a way to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan no matter which party controls the White House, mostly because the people who live there don't want us there anymore.

I don't see either of the candidates as having all the answers.

I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.

My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.

Jonathan Curley is a banker. He voted for George H.W. Bush twice and George W. Bush once.