RICHARD'S BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday to my baby boy who is 32 today!!!

Wow, I'm really feeling old!! Hope you have a Happy Birthday Rich.

I Love You!

Rich, the Cowboy!

Rich, the Football Player!

WEATHER IN IRAQ

You think it's hot here? Check the weather in Iraq!! Imagine carrying all that military gear in this weather!! In August it gets even hotter. 130 degrees. I guess that's why we don't send chocolate!!

Click on the title to see the weather in Iraq!!

They Need Your Support

If the Red shirt thing is new to you, read below...
Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together.After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.No, he responded.Heading out I asked?No. I'm escorting a soldier home.Going to pick him up?No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq , I'm taking him home to his family.The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days.I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom.'Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign.'Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do.Red Fridays.Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority.' We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that .. every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red.By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent'majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is. 'We need your support and your prayers.' Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.

Click on "Read My VisualDNA

This is a neat link! Click on "Read My VisualDNA" at the bottom of the green. Also click and get your own link!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

ASHLEY'S 16TH BIRTHDAY

HAPPY 4th TO EVERYONE!
Hope you all have a bang of a day! Remember to honor the troops that keep our land free!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FIRST GRANDCHILD

Happy Happy Birthday "Ashley" Can you believe it's been 16 years already?!!? Wow, how time flies! Hope you are having fun today and are celebrating the big day in a big way! I would have loved to have been there with you! Enjoy the pictures! This is just a few of the million pictures I have of you!
I Love You!

You, growing inside your mom's belly!!

Waiting for the big moment!!

Your first baby picture. Taken by, you know who. Grammy of course!

Sleeping so nicely in your hospital crib! Right in front of Gram's desk!
I worked at the hospital when you were born!

Your baptism picture with Gram.

Old Age

Thought you'd all like this little article! I'm finding myself becoming just like this! What about you???

Recently, I was diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it develops:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide
my car needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch
table that I brought up from the mailbox earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage
can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage
first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox, when I take
out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only 1 check
left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the
house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside
so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the Coke is
getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep
it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the
counter catches my eye--they need to be watered.

I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses
that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water
the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water
and suddenly I spot the TV remote someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the
remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide
to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the
flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the
floor, so I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and
wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: -

----the car isn't washed,
----the bills aren't paid,
----there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter,
----the flowers don't have enough water,
----there is still only 1 check in my check book,
----I can't find the remote,
----I can't find my glasses,
----and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really
baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for
it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

Do me a favor, will you? Forward this message to everyone you know,
because I don't remember to whom it has been sent.

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!

GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY.
GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC.

P.S. I just remembered.
I LEFT THE WATER RUNNING IN THE DRIVEWAY!