Proud American ...

We have enjoyed so much freedom for so long that we are perhaps in danger of forgetting how much blood it cost to establish the Bill of Rights.  ~Felix Frankfurter

Good afternoon everyone!

Today America is celebrating it's hard won Independence. We celebrate as reminder of what and who has been lost to gain what we have and enjoy today.  America is not perfect, and sadly there are those who seek to destroy her not just from without but from within.

We don't need to agree on everything, but we do need to agree that tearing up our President (regardless of who holds that office) only succeeds in bringing down our credibility in the eyes of our citizens and our world.

We need to stop tearing down each other and pointing fingers. I remember my mom telling me when I was little that when you point fingers, look at your hand and see how many are pointing back at you. People of all ages need to stop looking at their phones and start looking around.

Where is the respect for self and for others? Where is the accountability? Where is the empathy so important to a healthy functioning society? When did people stop taking pride in a job well done, in their communities and in themselves?

Stop paying attention to what the media reports and start paying attention to the facts ... Period. If more people, regardless of political or religious beliefs voted with their heads and not their hearts, maybe we would not be in the position we find ourselves in right now.

Remember ... the moral degradation showing in this country did not happen overnight --- it's been brewing for years through multiple presidencies. Now it's starting to bubble above the pot.

I love my Country and I am proud of the American people who are stepping up and fighting back against those who are working to cause her failure. I don't disagree that there are times when Authority need to be challenged, but frankly I am tired of all the hate and vitriol being spewed by the media and the elitist celebrities who think their thoughts and opinions outweigh those of the common folk. Check out history and see where that same thought process got some people.

Point is people, this is not about color, religious or political belief, male vs female  or straight vs. gay/lesbian ... this is about the United States as whole ... WAKE UP ... Someday, bad things are going to happen here all because everyone was too busy trying to get a piece of the pie they didn't help bake.

Then what?

Happy New Year

Good Morning and Happy New Year to all my Friends and Followers!

I pray you are awakening to a New Year filled with much anticipation! For me, I have high hopes for this year! Many changes coming to my life and so far all are positive! 

2016 may not have been the best year but it was a good year in that it saw my daughter returning home after 4 years abroad, my son completing his Associates in Chemical Engineering and my husband and I celebrating our 31st Wedding Anniversary. In fact, in December, we had a large open house and unknown to all the guest in attendance, we renew our marriage vows. We also had a guest from Japan. A friend of our daughters. So 2016 ended with a trip to Zoolights, the Grand Canyon and Sedona. An awesome way to end a rather questionable year.

But 2017 is looking to be promising. 

On the 6th of this month, I end 32plus years with a company that helped put a roof over the head of, feed, clothe and educate my two children. Sadly, it has become a not so good/healthy place to work. Only by God's Grace, am I able to walk away with dignity and the anticipation of a new adventure!

My daughter has reconnected with an old school mate and found love. He is a great kid with a good head on his shoulders. They are a good match and I am looking forward to seeing their relationship grow and bloom.

My son has (FINALLY!) admitted he has a girlfriend, I am anxious to meet her as I have known about her for a long time but he would never admit it (the trials of having a child with Asperger's!). It took my daughter calling him out for him to confirm it. She does live in another state, so hoping he will now make the arrangements for us to meet her face to face.

We have a new president coming into office. Whether or not we like him, we have a responsibility to respect the office he will occupy and to continue to pray he keeps this Nation's best interests in Heart.

All in all ... 2017 looks to be a fantastic year and I look forward to seeing what it brings us all!

(Hugs) Cara

Happy Birthday America!

Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right…and a desire to know; but besides this, they have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge, I mean of the characters and conduct of their rulers.

John Adams (1735–1826)

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

God Bless America

by Irving Berlin

God bless America,

Land that I love,

Stand beside her and guide her

Thru the night with a light from above;

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans white with foam,

God bless America,

My home, sweet home.

God bless America,

My home, sweet home.

Off into the Wild Blue Yonder

A passport, as I'm sure you know, is a document that one shows to government officials whenever one reaches a border between countries, so the officials can learn who you are, where you were born, and how you look when photographed unflatteringly.

 ~Lemony Snicket

Oh my Gosh! How true is the above? 

Not that I am a terribly photogenic person anyway, but seriously, what is it with driver license and passport cameras?! 

I have this deep seated belief that they were invented specifically to take even the most gorgeous person and turn them into a candidate for a troll calendar.

My passport picture is horrid. It doesn't help that I am blind in one eye and have a droopy eyelid. Looks like I'm trying to "wink" at the person taking the picture and failing miserably! Not to mention it was NOT a good hair day!

Oh well ... it will still get me where I need to go which is to Japan to see my daughter whom I have not seen, except for Skype - Thank God for Skype - for over 2 and a half years

YAY!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!

My bags are packed!

My phone is charged with a backup

My camera is charged - must take many pictures!

My Ipod is charged (important to have music for long flights with bored adults and small children!)
I even remembered to put all my upcoming post on autoshare for Google+ 

Yay Me!

Did I mention I was excited?!

(shameful secret time - I've had my bags mostly packed for almost a month now!)

So I'm off into the wild blue yonder for an awesome visit and adventure with my daughter!
See you all on the flip side!

(HUGS) Cara

Celebrating Our Independence Day

Good morning to one and all.

Today, here in the United States we celebrate our Independence Day.

I thought and thought about what I would write about but for the love of all that good and chocolaty, I could not come up with anything that was not mournful or harsh given the direction this Country and our Politics seem to be heading.

Lucky for me. I found this awesome quote from Richelle E. Goodrich on GoodReads.

Love it

Love it

Love it

I think it perfectly sums up what Freedom means to me.

“Some say freedom is a gift placed in our hands by our forefathers.

Some say freedom is a human right that none should be denied.

Some say freedom is a privilege that can and will be seized if taken for granted.

Some say freedom is the key that opens doors otherwise meant to imprison.

Some say freedom is power to do, to be, to say, and to accomplish what the oppressed cannot.

Some say freedom is a responsibility—a weight to be carried and shared by those willing to protect it.

Perhaps freedom is all these things.

But in my eyes, I see freedom as a treasure. It is a gem so rare and precious the fiercest battles rage over it. The blood of thousands is spilled for it—past, present, and future. Where true and unblemished freedom exists, it shines with perfect clarity, drawing the greedy masses, both those who desire a portion of the spoils and those who would rob the possessor of the treasure, hoping to bury it away.

Without freedom I am a slave in shackles on a ship lost at sea.

With freedom I am a captain; I am a pirate; I am an admiral; I am a scout; I am the eagle souring overhead; I am the north star guiding a crew; I am the ship itself; I am whatever I choose to be.”

―Richelle E. Goodrich

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICAN!

Happy New Year

From My Family to Yours

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship but never in want. 

---Irish toast---

My wish is that, if you are struggling with something in your life, you find in this quote from Neil Gaiman the push to move up and beyond whatever it is that troubling you.

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world.

You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly,

you're doing something.

 So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself.
Make New Mistakes.
Make glorious, amazing mistakes.
Make mistakes nobody's ever made before.
Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

 Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”