Can anyone explain to me what is going on with my president? I have delayed in blogging about the current proposed immigration bill because I have been listening in disbelief to what is supposedly in it. I say supposedly, since the thing is something like 750 pages long and unreadable to the average Joe.

But the major point, taking out all the little nuances, is that legal status would be granted to the millions of people who are here illegally. Period. I'm completely baffled by this. Not that Ted Kennedy would think it's a good idea. He's an idiot. But why is George W. not balking at this? I've never understood his ideas when it came to immigration. I don't know if it stems from his geographic origin or his "compassionate conservatism" ideals or what, but it makes no sense.

Why would a president whose number one strength has been national security find it logical or reasonable to grant legal status to millions of people that we know nothing about? Is this amnesty bill supposed to keep millions more from flocking over the border in the future? The very idea is absurd.

What a slap in the face to those people who have come to America through the legal channels and spent years seeking legal citizenship through endless miles of red tape. What a slap in the face to American citizens as a whole, who are already forced to support this largely indigent nation through welfare programs and rising healthcare costs because they treat the emergency room like a walk-in clinic. Illegal immigrants are being offered in-state tuition at some universities, while those legally in this country are penalized for wanting to attend that same university with an out-of-state address.

I am not anti-immigration. But I am anti-illegal immigration. What if this was the way I disciplined my own children? Oh, you broke the rules and ate a popsicle on the living room couch? Must have been a bad rule. I'll just make it not a rule anymore, and then you'll be forgiven for the huge purple stain and sticky woodwork. You want to stay up until midnight on a school night? Sounds reasonable to me. You want to watch Rated R movies? I guess we can work that out, although the therapy for dealing with your post-Freddie Kruger nightmares might get a little expensive. We don't allow our children to break rules because to do so on a consistent basis would lead to chaos and their ultimate harm. Why should we expect anything less to happen to our country?

In his article today in World Net Daily, Pat Buchanan quotes Theodore Roosevelt from a 1915 speech to the Knights of Columbus. Almost 100 years ago, Mr. Roosevelt warned, "The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities."

By offering amnesty to millions of people who are in this country illegally, with absolutely no mention of assimilation into our culture, combined with the constantly-rising demands that their rights be met, we are sending ourselves down a path of destruction. Throughout history, every great society has come to an end, usually by becoming so weak from within that when an outside force attacks, they are powerless to respond accordingly. America is so divided right now on everything from stem cell research to immigration to the war in Iraq. It is not hard to imagine a future where we have torn ourselves into such tiny pieces, that those who seek our harm will only have to cause a small ripple, and it will grow into a tsunami that washes us away into oblivion.

Please, Mr. President, apply the same wisdom and train of thought to this issue that you do to the war on terror. They are not unrelated issues. I've always supported you because I have believed that you thought what you were doing was crucial to the well-being of our nation. What are you thinking now?

I CAN SEE!!!

Yesterday will be marked on my list of best days ever. You might say it will go on my Greatest Hits (for all of you Lost fans out there!) At 3:00 yesterday afternoon, my 20/400 vision, as depicted above, was restored. So amazing.

After 24 years of needing visual correction, and being forced to wear my glasses for almost two weeks, which really weren't all that great to begin with, I couldn't have been more ready for this surgery. When I arrived at Loden Vision Center yesterday, they told me to leave my stuff, including my glasses, with Jeff. I went back to the prep room for what seemed like 20 different sets of eye drops, at least some of which were to dilate my eyes, a valium and the biggest ibuprofin I had ever seen.

After a few minutes, Dr. Loden marked my eyes to give the laser a reference point. I didn't really understand it, but by that point the valium was kicking in so I didn't really care either.

After going back for a few more measurements, they put me in the machine that makes the corneal flap. If you have a weak stomach, you may want to skip a few paragraphs. Dr. Loden inserted a suction cup thing in my eye, then pushed my head under the machine that makes the actual cut. I felt some pretty intense pressure as the machine pushed into my eyeball. It was like when you push on your eye and see those tiny little red dots. It lasted about a minute for each eye, and was probably the most unpleasant part of the whole ordeal.

After he had made my flaps, I walked over to the actual LASIK machine. This was like something out of a sci-fi movie. He inserted a vise-like contraption in my eye to keep it open, and then I was supposed to stare at a blinking red dot as best as I could throughout the procedure. This woman's voice, straight out of Alien, would say, "Procedure 35% complete, approximately 45 seconds remain," and so on, until it was over. Dr. Loden was very encouraging, telling me I was doing great and just reminding me to hold still. It didn't hurt, but the smell was similar to the dentist's drill when you are getting a cavity filled. A very odd sensation, indeed. Once the laser part was over, I could feel him putting the corneal flap back in place with what seemed like tweezers, and then it felt wet, like he was spraying it with saline or something. It was very hard to keep looking at the red light, but I did the best that I could.

After it was over, I laid there for a couple of minutes, and then they had me get up and walk back to the recovery room. I could tell immediately that I could see, but everything was still very hazy and the light was intense. Once in recovery I had a few more rounds of drops, then Dr. Loden checked out my eyes to make sure everything looked good. He gave me his blessing and I was free to leave.

When Jeff came back to get me I was decked out in a blue hairnet, blue footies and some really nice, thick, white-rimmed goggles. My instructions were to wear the goggles until the following morning when Dr. Loden would remove them. I had some eye drops to take every four hours yesterday and 4x a day for the next 5 days. Everything was very sensitive, and my eyes still feel a little bit scratchy, as if there's sand in them, but I can see. I just can't get over it.

We stayed in a hotel room next to the surgical center because it was north of town and about an hour away from our house. Once I got there I climbed straight in bed because the Valium was just knocking me out. I slept for a couple of hours, and Jeff came back and woke me up to see if I was okay and if I wanted dinner. He went out and got us something so I wouldn't have to dine in front of others wearing my classy eyewear. I had to wait until 8:30 to take my second set of drops, and then I was out again for the rest of the night.

This morning I woke up and I could SEE what time it was, and the alarm clock was on Jeff's side of the bed! It was unbelievable. My eyes were still really dilated, so light was still making me hurt, but the discomfort was significantly less than the night before. We went back to the Vision Center for my follow-up, and Dr. Loden said everything looked perfect. I could see 20/20 in my right eye and about 20/25 in my left. He said I was about 85% of what I will be in a few days as far as clarity goes. I just can't wait to see how things are going to look by Friday.

It literally feels like a miracle. I am so thankful that God gave his kids the ability to come up with this amazing procedure, and empowered some very wise people to figure out how to do it. What a blessing it will be to not have to wear contacts or glasses for the next several years until I get old enough to need reading glasses. I don't think my brain is fully wrapped around it yet.

But for today, I'm just going to enjoy the view.

I cannot even believe what I just read. I knew that reality TV was bringing out the worst in us, but never imagined that things could go so low.

Apparently, CBS is just wrapping up a new reality show using 40 children, ages 8-15, and putting them in an abandoned ghost town in New Mexico with no adult supervision. It is supposedly based on Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, one of the most disturbing stories ever written. I watched the movie based on this book that came out several years ago and I was upset about it for weeks. It's one of those premises that I just would have been fine not thinking about.

Now, those of you who watch Lost know that the scenario playing out on this show could be likened to Lord of the Flies. However, there are some major differences. First, it is fiction. Second, it is a story told by actors. Third, 98% of those actors are adults.

Can we even comprehend how depraved it is to send 40 kids to a deserted ghost town and "see what happens"? What kind of parent would allow their 8-yr-old to do such a thing? My son is 8. He's afraid of going upstairs at night by himself. Does no one care that some of these kids could be traumatized for the rest of their lives by the way this thing plays out?

Yes, the kids are going to be allowed to leave whenever they want. (I'm sure there won't be any pressure techniques used to get them to stay.) And, yes, they are going to reward a child at the end of each show. The idea is to see if they can create a functioning society. I get it. I know that there will be tons of adults there doing the filming and whatnot. But if the premise is to be true, then these adults will supposedly not be interfering with what goes on. And since when is leaving your 8-yr-old alone for 40 days with a bunch of kids not considered at least neglect?

Now, personally it wouldn't suprise me if the idea gets trashed, because I think there are still a huge number of people in this country who will be disgusted by this idea. But the point is that someone came up with this and thought it would be a good idea. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this person does not have children. But even more shocking, CBS thought it had legs. They're thinking it's going to be their next breakout reality show. I'm so disgusted by this I physically feel nausea.

CBS, as a general rule, has problems. Their news is laughable. They obviously have issues with decision making. But they did begin the whole reality TV invasion when Survivor was such a hit. Apparently it has gone to their heads. But this... there are just no more words.

Gatlinburg. This is where we spent Mother's Day weekend. It couldn't have been more fun.

A few weeks ago I was really starting to feel down, like there was never enough time for anything and that my kids never seemed to get me at my best. It felt like I was always pushing them aside, saying "not right now," or whatever variation of that fit the situation. I told Jeff that I wanted to just get away by ourselves. Being the amazing man that he is, he booked us a cabin the very next day.

We suddenly realized that we had never gone away as a family all by ourselves. It is something we will most definitely do again. We did whatever the kids wanted to do, playing board and card games, miniature golf, and even eating at -- you guessed it -- McDonald's.

Our cabin was absolutely incredible. Three stories high, located at the top of Ski Mountain Road, even higher than Ober. Thankfully it was built on the side of a very steep cliff, meaning that our lowest balcony was still 40 feet off the ground. I say thankfully, because Saturday morning as we were sitting out on the balcony eating breakfast, we heard a rustling noise in the woods. We looked down and watched as a black bear made his way all the way up to the stilts our cabin was built on. It was amazing. We couldn't have tailor-made a more realistic mountain weekend!
Saturday afternoon, and again on Sunday, we spent a lot of time up at Ober. The kids had a blast riding the Alpine Slide. Bradley was able to ride it himself (that's him coming down the mountain), but Bailey was too young. We had fun taking turns riding it with her. They loved riding the ski lift, but it made me just a little bit nervous!

Brad, Bailey and I also rode the Blue Cyclone water slide. It was a blast! I couldn't believe how fast it went. All three of us screamed all the way down.
Probably the most fun we had all weekend was our Saturday afternoon swim in the hot tub. We kept having to remind Bailey that she was not in a swimming pool. She was swimming like crazy back and forth. Bryant got to sit on the side of the tub and play in the fountain. He was squealing and laughing so hard. I'm sure the owners would have been shocked to see their hot tub used in quite this fashion, but it was a definite memory maker for the Swords kids!

Of all of my Mother's Days, this has been my favorite by far. This is what it is all about, cherishing our time together. Loving each other. Laughing out loud. I'll remember it always.

18,000 Mexicans strip naked for a photo shoot. I'm struggling to find an intellectual discourse on this one.

But seriously, what does this say about the moral decay of society as a whole when thousands of people can stand around naked all day being placed in various poses to be photographed? Did anyone there get a sense that what they were doing was wrong? Or at the very least, uncomfortable? Although I don't think that this could happen in America today, I am quite sure that it is only a matter of time if we continue down the slope we are on. This barely caused a blip on the moral radar. In fact, most people probably thought it was funny, as I did when I first heard it.

Our morality has been so desensitized, that we don't even recognize how things like this must grieve our Father. We just shrug our shoulders and think that's bizarre. The majority of moral outrage we see in this country is towards those who are intolerant. How did things get so upside down?

I know some would say I should lighten up. But that's exactly my point. Haven't we lightened up so much that our sensitivity towards what is right and wrong is so blurred as to almost be completely destroyed?

I will say this, though. If the trend catches on, it should make the job of INS a little bit easier. They sure wouldn't be hard to spot crossing the border like that.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A controversial religious figure who claims he is Jesus Christ incarnate with a following of millions with "666" tattoos on their bodies, filled an amphitheater in Orlando this weekend, and promised joy, peace and prosperity.

I find this story completely fascinating. Not because I think this guy is the antichrist. I think he's just another cult leader. But you have to admit that it is pretty amazing that his followers are tattooing themselves with 666, whether they number in the millions or not. He has been banned from at least 3 countries. He says that he is known as God in at least 30.

I may be wrong, but I never hear of anyone claiming to be Muhammad, or Buddha, or Vishnu, or any other god, for that matter. They're always claiming to be Jesus. You have to wonder why that is. Or not.

For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many.

(Matthew 24:5)

PRAISE GOD!!

Per Abel's multiple scans and tests yesterday, there is NO EVIDENCE of the cancer. Please go to their CaringBridge journal to read more. This is just incredible news.

Abel still has a long way to go towards recovery, and medically his chances of surviving the next 5 years are still only 20-30%. But my God doesn't work on percentages or statistics. He is the Healer, the God who Sees. He is all powerful, and there is nothing He can't do. And He will not be ignored. He is REAL. Praise you, Jesus!

Here's a thought. The racial makeup of the NBA is over 80% black. You do the math.

I just went on Amazon to place an order, and the nonfiction bestseller list caught my eye. This book is the Amazon #2 bestseller right now in nonfiction. I was intrigued, so I read the synopsis. It sounds like it is exactly as the title would lead you to believe, a 300-page book about the evil religion brings into the world.

As my friend Brandon's most recent post brings to light, there are so many people out there struggling with the idea of faith, whether there is a god or not. Many have chosen to believe that there is not, or else why would the world be in the shape it is. I hear the argument often that religion is the cause of almost all war, so how can it be a good thing.

Listen to the reviewers' thoughts:

I think Christopher Hitchens is a national - no, make that Global - treasure, and his newest book here only underscores this. To carry on with my baseball metaphor, when Hitchens stepped up to the plate with this book on religion the bases were already loaded: Vonnegut on third, Sam Harris [Letter to a Christian Nation] on second, and Richard Dawkins [The God Delusion] on first. Hitchens knocks 'em all in with one swing of the bat. He cuts through the BS of religion and "faith" better than anybody. His excellent writing style enlivens and enriches the soul at the same time. What more could a reader want?

I would add that perhaps what motivated Hitchens to write this book and so to "come out" more publicly with his critiques of religion and faith is what has also motivated me: the increasingly publicly-accepted insanity of religion in this, the 21st century. This insanity threatens to bring down all of civilization and, in the case of American fundamentalists in our government with their quivering fingers poised atop the launch buttons of our nuclear weapons, the end of Everything, which religious nut-jobs anticipate with unrestrained glee, so certain they are that they, at least, will be OK in the aftermath. This is just absolutely nuts, and Christopher Hitchens does us all a great service in pointing this out.
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Back in the 1990s, religion in America seemed to be on its last legs. I genuinely believed that the turning of the millennial clock would drive the final stake through its heart. How could anyone continue to believe after yet another postponement of the Second Coming?

Well, here we are almost ten years later, and religion is going stronger than it has in decades despite the advances of science which keep forcing god to hide in ever smaller gaps in our knowledge. Its revival reminds me of the Wizard of Oz story. After Dorothy & friends discover that the Wizard of Oz is really just an old man behind a curtain, they still expect him to work his magic. And so he does. The illusion persists. Which leads me to conclude that most people just want the illusion of an old man in the sky who will make everything right at some indeterminable point in the future.

I am halfway through Hitchens book and enjoying it immensely. One only need consider the past 7 years in the USA to see that Hitchens is right about religion poisoning everything. It's unfortunate that the people who need to read this book the most will flee from it. At least the Net has opened up a lively debate over the value of religion.
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Well, let's see, you either follow a bronze age myth made up over 2,000 years ago or you follow science and progress. The war against religion will continue as long as there are people with knowledge and science. Hitchens book takes us on a literary ride you will always cherish and enjoy makes the case against religion stronger and compliments Dawkins and Harris.

What's intriguing about the first review is the idea that it is becoming more and more acceptable to "come out" against the insanity of religion. I'd say that's an accurate statement. While at the same time, more and more people are turning to God for answers in a world full of fear and seemingly hopeless situations.

But I happen to think that everyone has a religion of one sort or the other. Mine is a belief in Almighty God, the Creator of the world, the Alpha and Omega, the one who has always been and always will be. I believe in a God who created us to be in fellowship with Him, but who doesn't force that fellowship. A God who loved His creation so much, that when they rebelled against Him and made eternity together an impossibility, was willing to sacrifice His most priceless possession, His son Jesus Christ, in order to bring reconciliation to a people who were otherwise doomed.

Everyone believes in something. Christopher Hitchens' religion may be self-worship. It may be the worship of money. Perhaps he has found faith in the ever-increasing religion of global warming. But he believes in something.

Again, this book is #2 on the Amazon bestseller list. There are SO many people out there who are missing it. We are to be the light to them. We are to live in truth, so they will recognize it when they see it. Live authentically. Love fully. Be ready.

Okay, this is hilarious. The thought pattern to get me to this place was completely random, but I had to share what I'd learned. Apparently Anthony and Jeff have been wiggling together for a long time. It seems the Cockroaches were quite the '80s band in Australia.

For those of you with no kids, the Asian guy on top and the guy in the red shirt are Jeff and Anthony from the extremely popular kids' group, The Wiggles (Bryant's personal favorite). I've just learned that they toured together for several years in this rock group. When the band broke up, Anthony enrolled in an early childhood education program, where he became friends with two of the programs' other male students (apparently a rarity, as you might imagine) who just happened to be Greg Page and Murray Cook (the other two Wiggles).

They originally got together to do a music project for school, but soon decided to record a children's album. Anthony called his old buddy Jeff to join them.

And for those of you who care, you now know... the rest of the story.

Who's Your Daddy?

It is now 12 minutes after 7, and GMA has already referenced the George Tenet "bombshell" three times. They've quoted the same two sentences from his book and repeatedly stressed that this is devastating to the administration.

What did Tenet say? “There was never a serious debate that I know of within the administration about the imminence of the Iraqi threat,” Mr. Tenet writes in a devastating judgment that is likely to be debated for many years. Nor, he adds, “was there ever a significant discussion” about the possibility of containing Iraq without an invasion.

What is new here? We've known from the beginning that they believed Iraq was a threat, but they actually made great pains to not use the word "imminent." If I remember correctly, the President's point was that to wait for the threat to be imminent would put our nation in extreme danger, something that still makes complete sense.

Why is it that the facts can so completely be ignored? The fact that it was not just American intelligence indicating that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. The fact that Bill Clinton made almost the exact same statements about Iraq and Saddam, as well as the Democratic members of Congress when Clinton was in power. Virtually everyone in the world believed that Iraq was a huge threat to international security. George W. Bush just happened to be the guy in charge when it was crucial to make a decision about what to do.

"No significant discussion" about containing Iraq without an invasion? What about the 14 UN Resolutions that were passed and summarily ignored by Saddam Hussein? What about the years of UN inspections leading up to the point when Saddam mysteriously kicked them out? The idea that we "rushed to war" is completely overstated.

If you look at the rest of what's in Mr. Tenet's book, it's actually not that devastating at all, which is why the media will focus on these two supposedly new revelations, a move from their playbook that gets rehearsed every single time someone close to the administration decides to unload some frustration. Because clearly George Tenet has reason to be frustrated. He did pretty much get thrown under the bus, but it was the MEDIA who demanded it. President Bush tried to hold on to him for quite a while. The truth of politics and media in this country is that scapegoats are demanded. Those playing the game are aware of this, and they all know that their number could be up any day, no matter what level they are playing on. George Tenet was media enemy #2 (after Bush) until he came out with these supposedly shocking revelations. All it takes to get on the good side of our esteemed news agencies is to slam President Bush, period. Need to regain your credibility, write a book about how terrible the Bush administration has been. It works every time.

From The New York Times: Mr. Tenet takes blame for the flawed 2002 National Intelligence Estimate about Iraq’s weapons programs, calling the episode “one of the lowest moments of my seven-year tenure.” He expresses regret that the document was not more nuanced, but says there was no doubt in his mind at the time that Saddam Hussein possessed unconventional weapons. “In retrospect, we got it wrong partly because the truth was so implausible,” he writes.

Would that be the truth that Saddam didn't actually possess weapons of mass destruction, even though quite a few defected scientists have said that he did? Even though there is evidence that they were moved out of Iraq into Syria before the invasion? Even though he actually used chemical weapons against his own people? Just because we didn't find them doesn't mean that they weren't there. Anyone even slightly familiar with the madness of Saddam Hussein has to consciously make an effort to conclude that he wouldn't have been seeking these weapons, and that he wouldn't have used them at the first possible opportunity. Or are we supposed to have faith that he actually was just a misunderstood nice guy, and he really didn't mean us any harm? Give me a break.

What's interesting about Tenet's book is that he expresses surprise that Al Qaeda hasn't sent suicide bombers into American malls on any given day. He says, "I do know one thing in my gut. Al Qaeda is here and waiting." And yet that is less newsworthy than the fact that President Bush found Iraq to be a serious threat that needed to be dealt with swiftly and harshly. You're right, Diane, that's just shocking.

My daughter has a passion... about bugs. She loves them all. Roly polies and ladybugs are her special favorites. Every chance she gets, she's turning over rocks and bricks looking for her treasures.

I can choose to be grossed out by this, or celebrate her passion for life and her unique interest. Of course it's really no choice. If she wants to be a bug scientist, then I hope she's the greatest one this world has ever seen. Because I have a passion... for her.

But I do make her wash her hands a lot.

I've not been blogging the past few days out of fear that it would just be bad. I haven't really had anything to say. Last week was overwhelmingly defined by sadness and pain. From the national news to the international news to those people all around me, it seemed like everything I heard was unbearably sad. So it made me go inward instead of wanting to be open with my thoughts, which was probably not a bad thing. Even now I'm struggling with what to share, so I think it's best that I keep it close to the vest. Maybe things will lighten up a bit soon.

I have gotten serious amusement from the whole Sheryl Crow one-square-of-toilet-paper-per-bathroom-visit-will-save-the-planet thing. (Which, by the way, she claims was written as a joke. That's probably true, but when it coincides so beautifully with the rest of her message, it's kind of hard to tell.) It was funny to begin with, but then to hear about Rosie O'Donnell's comments on The View, I actually laughed out loud at something Rosie said for its hilarity rather than its absurdity for the first time in years. It was totally unexpected. I'd link you there, but I just don't have the energy. Google is a beautiful thing.

So, good night for now. Hope to be back soon. After all, in the words of my favorite heroine, tomorrow is... another day.

ABC News has posted a link to the interview with Dr. Welner this morning. Interestingly enough, most of their website coverage is now devoted to whether or not the media should have released the tape. Pretty fascinating. Maybe this backlash will teach them something for the future. Should we dare to hope?

I just witnessed the most amazing interview on GMA.

Those of you that are news junkies know that Cho Seung-Hui mailed a video of himself to NBC news on Monday in between his killing sprees. It is full of rage, hatred, profanity and utterly disturbing images. When I heard last night that he had done this, I immediately flipped over to the news channels to see if they were actually running the footage. Of course, they were. This is so sick.

Sadly, I know that there were executives at NBC who were ecstatic to have been the chosen network. Because every other news channel is showing the video with a big "NBC News" logo in the corner. Reportedly they copied the contents and then handed it over to law forces. They began releasing the footage during last night's evening newscast with Brian Williams.

Okay, I'm not an idiot. I know that it would be ridiculous for me to assume that news organizations would show some restraint and compassion for the victims of this horrible episode and not plaster the image of their child's killer all over the television. In one of the pictures, the observer is actually looking straight into the barrel of the gun, much like the victims did before they died.

If I was in one of those rooms that day and survived only by jumping out of a window or playing dead, those images are going to be burned into my brain forever. Can you even imagine the nightmares that these people will live with for the rest of their lives? And now the man who did this to him is being allowed to dominate American society with not only news about him, but images and video of him. It is so twisted. Is this not what inspires other sociopaths to want to go out and do the same thing? Why reward him with fame for one of the most evil acts in American history?

So, back to the interview. Robin Roberts just interviewed a forensic psychiatrist named Dr. Michael Welner. She thought he was going to give insight into the mind of this madman. Instead, he was appealing to ABC and all the other networks to take the video off the air NOW. He was practically begging. Robin was completely thrown off balance, and admitted that they had had a very "heated debate" in their newsroom that morning about what to show. Dr. Welner said that it is delusional ramblings that we can learn absolutely nothing from. It is pure voyeurism to watch and listen to what he had to say and it is glamorizing what he did and making it seem appealing to all the other crazies out there. It was utterly amazing that this doctor didn't kowtow to what he knew were the expectations of the network, but instead appealed that they would be the first to pull the footage. I'm sure the interview will show up on You Tube at some point, and it would be worth the time it takes to look for it.

Robin also admitted that the message boards were lit up with people demanding that the footage be pulled. This is very encouraging to me, that there are a lot of people out there more concerned with the victims than trying to "figure" this guy out.

Because, can we just agree that we will never be able to understand why he did this? There is no mystery here. The guy was evil. There is absolutely nothing that could have been done to prevent his actions, outside of him being locked up. In our country, we don't lock people up for being suicidal or strange. If he was intent on killing a bunch of people, he would have done it one way or the other.

Now, are there implications here about privacy laws in healthcare? Perhaps. Cho's parents were not informed of his erratic behavior because it was not legal for anyone to alert them. Could they have done anything? There's no way to know. What about the antidepressant medication that he was on? It's not the first red flag that some of those medicines cause suicidal and violent tendencies when the recipient withdraws or stops taking them cold turkey. I think a very serious look is needed at restrictions on prescribing these drugs.

But I hope the networks will seriously consider pulling this footage. I'm reminded of the days shortly after 9-11 when they made the decision to pull the footage of the airplanes and the towers crumbling out of "respect for the victims." The images were just too disturbing to show over and over again. The psychopathic ramblings of a deranged serial killer are pretty disturbing to me.

The best quote of the interview was when Dr. Welner said, "Listen, if you can take Imus off the air, you can certainly keep [Cho] from having his own morning show." That about sums it up.

Why is it when something so tragic and unexplainable happens we feel compelled to blame the innocent? I'm watching GMA this morning and I'm just astounded at the attacks on the president of Virginia Tech. Why didn't you lock the school down after the first shooting? Why didn't you let everyone know that this had happened? Are you going to resign? Don't you think if you had acted differently 30 people could have been spared?

This man is most likely in the midst of the biggest crisis he has ever faced, certainly in the professional realm. Doesn't he deserve support instead of suspicion? Clearly they believed that the dorm shooting was an isolated incident. They informed those in the general area of what had happened. They were investigating and believed that it was over. There was absolutely nothing to point to the rampage that was to occur. Why is it assumed that if they had immediately let everyone on campus know that anybody would have acted any differently? I guess they could have cancelled all classes, but who can say that the gunman wouldn't have just gone into another dorm or the student center or anywhere else that he found people?

I know if I was a parent of a slain student, I would be second-guessing everything that happened. I would be searching for someone to blame. Obviously the shooter is to blame, but he's dead, so there's no satisfaction there.

But shouldn't the media be more responsible than that? Hindsight is always 20/20, but it doesn't change what happened. It just sickens me that this university president may end up run out of his job to satisfy the hunger of the media monster. The power of the media to destroy lives is a huge problem in this country. Just ask the Duke lacrosse coach, who resigned in disgrace over a crime that never happened. Or the players, themselves, who just spent the past year living in fear of serving life sentences for something they didn't do. This is just one situation that shows how the media can get out of control when they smell blood in the water, but there are thousands more.

Please, take a breath. Blame the one who is responsible, the man who pulled the trigger. Not the gun. Not those who were struggling to contain a situation based on the information available. Not the NRA. Not George W. Bush. (Trust me, they will find a way.)

We live in a fallen world. There are messed up people living among us. Things like this will happen. We pray for the victims and their families. We pray for those who will be faced with a serious spiritual crisis in the face of death, that they will find the Truth. And mostly, we pray come quickly, Jesus. We need you so.

First of all, this press conference yesterday was one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. I was STUNNED by the frank candor of the attorney general, and just shocked that he actually declared these guys innocent. I figured the best they could hope for was a dropping of charges based on there not being enough conclusive evidence to prove their guilt. The fact that the North Carolina AG said there was no evidence, and never had been any evidence, was totally unexpected, but the fact that he so unequivocally threw Nifong under the bus was just a jaw-dropper. If you haven't read the transcript, you should.

The obvious question then becomes, will Jesse Jackson rush down to North Carolina now to defend these boys' honor? Will he recant his article from last year, "Duke: Horror and Truth"? Strangely, all we're hearing from the Sharpton/Jackson camp are some pretty loud crickets.

I'm sure that they are just annoyed that this bombshell came at such a time that it would distract observers from their lynching of Don Imus. Surely Jesse was a little disappointed that Imus has already been pulled from MSNBC before he could get his boycott going. He didn't really want this to be over too quickly, because his phone had just started ringing again.

If only those boys could have hired Johnny Cochran long ago. Can't you just hear him from the grave... "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit!"

Al, Jesse, your transparency has never been more obvious. Can I dare hope your irrelevance is not far behind?

Bryant's Mohawk

Who needs mousse when you've got bananas and time on your hands?

Question: Prior to the events of the past week, how many of you were even aware of Don Imus? If you happen to live in listening range of one of the 70 stations that carry his show, you might have heard him. (In comparison, nationally-syndicated talk show host Glenn Beck is heard on over 230 stations, Sean Hannity on over 500, and Rush Limbaugh on over 650 nationwide.) If you have ever been channel-surfing past MSNBC in the morning, you've seen an old geezer in a cowboy hat kind of mumbling into the microphone. Most likely you either became quickly bored or got tired of not being able to understand what he was saying and surfed on past.

I'm going to take a guess and say that the ladies of the Rutger's women's basketball team are probably not frequent listeners, although admittedly I have no way of knowing that. But I seriously doubt that they were offended by Imus' remarks last Wednesday, because I seriously doubt that they heard them. But things obviously changed.

Now the idiotic ramblings of Don Imus are being shoved down all of our throats. Now, I imagine, the Rutgers players are humiliated. Because, thanks to the nationwide media frenzy, the entire country and beyond have heard them called, "nappy-headed ho's."

If Al Sharpton actually cared about their feelings, then he could have handled this so much differently. But obviously Al Sharpton doesn't care about these players. All he cares about is his newest racist soundbite that he will now fully exploit as proof that racism exists in America. Well, of course racism exists in America. Racism exists everywhere around the world. It's part of life. It's not right, and I'm not defending it. But what I find incredible is that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are allowed to act the part of the self-appointed judge, jury and executioner to those that they deem racist.

I've said it before and I will say it over and over, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are two of the most racist men in America. They thrive on it because it keeps them in the public eye. Where would they be without it? Because, honestly, isn't this the only time anybody ever gives them a voice, when something comes up in the race category? How many people would have known that Al Sharpton has a radio show if it hadn't been such a spectacle yesterday?

Let's just pretend that Don Imus had said something racially derogatory towards the white players on either team. I know some wouldn't accept this hypothetical, but just work with me. If he had, would Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson be demanding his head on a platter? I don't think this will require much brain power to think through.

If Al Sharpton is serious about putting out the fires of racism in this country rather than fanning them, then the most effective thing he could have done would have been to dismiss Don Imus's comments as ignorant and unworthy of response. He could have suggested that the women of Rutgers were strong, confident women who would not find it necessary to dignify the remarks of a radio has-been, and express confidence that the people of this great country would see the remarks for what they were, stupid and insulting, and move on.

We live in a society based on capitalism. The most successful way to fight something is to cut it off financially. If Don Imus wants to have a radio show, then more power to him. We still have freedom of speech in this country, despite the many attacks it comes under. If you don't like what someone has to say, don't listen to them. If his ratings go down, the stations will drop him. If he doesn't have listeners, then he becomes irrelevant. I have serious qualms with people demanding he be fired for what he said. Because many things might be considered offensive to many different people. Just because you disagree with what I have to say doesn't mean that I don't have the right to say it.

Don Imus is learning what it feels like to be a Dixie Chick in the South, Mel Gibson or Michael Richards. This, too, shall pass. Then maybe our attention can turn back to the Middle East and those who are seeking our annhilation. But maybe not, because that's just racist.

10 Things I Learned Three Years Ago Today...

1. Good Friday can be good... or not so much.
2. When your 2-yr-old daughter sees you on a ladder and sternly reprimands, "No, Mommy! Get down!" you might be wise to listen.
3. When you get to the place on the ladder that says, "Warning! Not a step," do not go any further.
4. It is possible to fall seven feet without losing your grip on a solo cup full of paint.
5. When in shock, you can make completely irrational demands, and people will agree to them through vicarious shock, which explains why my sweet husband did, indeed, roll in the paint I splattered all over the wall on my way down.
6. Pain and shock can make your teeth chatter worse than those poor people at yesterday's sunrise services.
7. ER triage nurses who say, "If you want my opinion, I think it's broke," don't seem especially helpful in a moment of crisis.
8. It is completely possible to shatter a bone into hundreds of tiny, indistinguishable pieces, and you should just take my word for it.
9. Morphine, while potentially dangerous stuff, can be a very, very good friend.
10. One should be careful of what one says and/or shows while under the influence of morphine, or at least surround oneself with friends who won't bring it up later.

When I woke up this morning, the first story I heard on the news was a gleeful report that President Bush's approval rating is under 40% for the seventh straight month. My first thought, of course, was "bless his heart!" because I do live in the South. I can't help it.

Then I started thinking, "Maybe if you would start sticking up for yourself more, people might come back around." I mean, the man is attacked each and every day of the year, and never responds. This is completely frustrating to those of us who still love and support him, despite the mistakes he's made or the times I may disagree with him on a particular issue. It makes me angry and I want to tell him to fight back a little bit. And maybe, just maybe, it makes me begin to perceive him as weak.

Then I came upon these verses from 1 Peter 2:19-24:

19For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

I immediately thought of our President. Knowing that he is a man of faith who strives to pattern his life after that of Christ, my perspective began to change a little. Because if he takes this teaching to heart, his behavior suddenly appears perfectly consistent with pursuing a godly lifestyle.

Now, if you are a man and you pattern your life after Christ, what is that going to look like? Were the teachings of Jesus what we would consider "manly"? Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. If you want to quote Jesus, you're going to have a hard time finding encouragement to stick up for yourself and demand that people give you the proper respect. In fact, He taught that you are to humble yourself, so that He can lift you up.

President Bush is no wimp. Consider the price he has paid for sticking to his pursuit of battling terror around the world. When it comes to his role as President and Commander in Chief, he fights for what he believes in. When he's doing that, he gets labeled as an arrogant and out-of-control cowboy. But I'm so glad that he puts the good of the country above his personal approval. We know what happens when the opposite is true. (And speaking of that, Bill Clinton pursued his own version of manliness while in office, and we all know where that got him.)

So, which would you rather have, a man who pursues manliness, or a man who pursues godliness? While the latter terrifies those who do not believe and therefore fear, to me the choice is obvious. So maybe next time I start wishing that he would defend himself, I'll remember that this is not what is important to him, and instead pray that he will continue to pursue the best interests of the country, while personally striving to live a life patterned after Christ. I don't think we can ask for more than that.

My friend Debo told me this morning that I am an expert in my own opinion. I think that's one of the truest, most profound things I've heard in a long time.

Happy Easter, everyone. Congratulations, Zach Johnson. That was awesome.

My head is literally about to explode. I would tell Speaker Pelosi to shut up and get her butt back home, but I don't want her here either. So how about just shut up.

However, if she keeps this up we won't have to keep pointing out her complete incompetency. She's doing a fabulous job on her own.

As a continuation of yesterday's rant, there's one more thing I failed to mention. Did you know that the Democrats in Congress are demanding that the phrase "global war on terror" be removed from future legislation in favor of more specific terms, such as "the war in Iraq" or "the conflict in the Horn of Africa"? The memo states that "global war on terror," or GWOT, is a colloquialism that is no longer acceptable, as well as any mention of a "long war."

I used to shy away from saying that the Democrats actually want to lose the war. (Keep in mind, I'm talking about elected, liberal Democrats when I use the general term. I know that there are many Americans who call themselves Democrats who do not agree with what's going on in Washington. This is why I'm imploring you who fit in this category to seriously think through next year's vote!) I can no longer hold to my optimism in this area. I think they actually do want to lose the war.

How can it be interpreted any other way? They want to cut funding. They want to set a deadline for getting our troops out of Iraq. Is there any other message for the terrorists to read into "we'll be leaving next March" than "let's hang on until March and then we can do whatever we want?" The entire idea is baffling to me if you have any intentions of actually winning the war.

But right now they are trying to deny the need for a war in the first place. They want to go back to the delusional mentality most of us were under before 9/11, where there aren't groups of people daily seeking to find ways to harm this country as much as they possibly can, who are seeking weapons of mass destruction and have absolutely no moral compass to keep them from pulling the proverbial trigger when it comes time. In fact, they follow a religion that they believe teaches them that this is the most honorable thing they can do for their god. There is no reasoning with people like this.

I would have laughed out loud at Rosie O'Donnell's comments last week if I hadn't been screaming at her through the television. On The View, she said, "They're terrorists. They have two choices, faith or fear. Faith or fear. That's your choice. You can walk through life believing in the goodness of the world or walk through life afraid of anyone who thinks differently than you and try to convert them to your way of thinking…Don't fear the terrorists. They're mothers and fathers."

Rosie, do you think that if given the chance these people wouldn't cut off your head or blow you up because you don't fear them? I would just feel sorry for you if I wasn't afraid of how many people out there agree with your mind-numbing ignorance. It's pathetic. What a slap in the face to your fellow New Yorkers.

I know that there are millions of Americans out there who are also angry. They are angry at George Bush because they think this whole thing is his fault. They blame the war on terrorism (oops, it just slipped out) on our President rather than the actual terrorists. It is so screwed up. On Tuesday, there was a story from Reuter's that seemed to suggest that because President Bush has been so successful at protecting our country from attack, we are actually more vulnerable to attack in the future. Where is the logic??

I believe we are extremely vulnerable to attack in the future. But I believe the chances of us being attacked will go up immeasurably if we follow the course the Democrats are prescribing and give up. Did we learn nothing from Vietnam? The ONLY reason that America has ever lost a war is because Congress and the media did exactly the same thing back then that they are doing now. And they have no shame. They are proud of what they did back then. And they are smug and arrogant now. It's almost more than I can stand.

I apologize for the profanity in my earlier post. I was somewhat overcome by emotion at the time. I'm feeling much better now.

Chocolate. Chocolate is the key.

To all of you who voted the Democrats into Congress in the last election, are you pleased with what you got? Are you proud that your Speaker of the House, who was elected to represent the 8th District of California, specifically San Francisco, now thinks that she is the Secretary of State and has basically flipped our President the bird? Are you proud that she took it upon herself to visit the president of a country which sponsors terrorism, a country that our President refuses to deal with in the hopes of putting pressure on them to change their terror-driven ways? What exactly defines being a traitor in this country anymore? Is it not treacherous to give aid and comfort to the enemy? Who exactly does she think she is? I am so angry today that I want to physically inflict pain upon these people. They make me sick. She makes me sick.

Are you proud when you see Speaker Pelosi stand before the country and tell President Bush in the bitchiest, most condescending tone imaginable to "calm down" as if she was his mother? How dare she insult not only our President, but the integrity of the highest office of the land this way? When I heard her smug comments I wanted to reach inside the TV and just slap some sense into her. Again I ask you, is this what you were voting for?

Are you happy to hear Hillary Clinton warn the President that his veto against Congress' efforts to cut funding for our troops was not vetoing an obscenely left-wing, wacked-out bill, but that he was vetoing the will of the American people? Like hell. I still believe that if they had come out with all of this before the election and let people know what they were voting for that they would have lost in a landslide. Instead, they hid these polarizing figures in those last few weeks, trying their hardest to make America believe they were going to get change for the better. Well, we are getting change all right, and it may do us in. If you voted for these people, are you waking up? Or do you still believe that this is what we needed?

Are you impressed that John Murtha, the man whom Pelosi wanted as her second in command, has come out with a brilliant plan to reinstate the draft by lottery? Isn't this what they claimed Republicans had a secret plan to do? For a man who has made his distaste for our military known over and over again, it's no surprise to me that he would propose changing a system that puts forth the greatest Armed Forces in the entire world. It's just not fair that we should have a military that's so much better, is it? And yet, in case of attack, you'll be more than happy to allow them to protect you, will you not, Senator?

Are you hoping that we will slip so far down the global warming slope that we will follow in the footsteps of those in Wallonia, Belgium, who will now have to purchase a permit any time they want to grill out in their backyard or face a heavy fine? It sounds absurd, doesn't it? But if we keep swallowing the load of trash Al Gore is trying to feed us, it's not that many years away.

Yes, I am angry. I've been watching this go on for the past few weeks and it has grown up within me like a tumor. I hope you who voted for these people are paying attention to how they are systematically trying to destroy our military and our country. I hope it bothers you that the terrorist news network, Al-Jazeera, is praising Mrs. Pelosi for the message her trip is sending to the world. Al-Jazeera is as anti-American as you can get. What does that tell you?

Please, please don't make this mistake next year. If Democrats get control of the White House in '08 and keep Congress, God help us all.

As of this minute, Drudge's headline reads "America Loves Hillary, Top Fundraiser for Round One: $36 million."

Gag me. All that money really helped Howard Dean last time around, didn't it?

We celebrated Bryant's first birthday on Friday night. He thoroughly enjoyed his first chocolate cake, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching him eat it. This kid is just too adorable!

Someone asked me this week what I had been thinking about. I guess my blog has been much more familial lately than geopolitical. Frankly, everything that is going on is just making me tired. I am totally unimpressed by our "Decision 2008" lineup. I've decided to just not spend much time thinking about it at this ridiculously early date, because I don't wish to develop an ulcer. Yes, I would love to see Senator Thompson jump in, although I can't clearly articulate the reasons why. I know he has a pretty strong conservative voting record. He's from the South (Yee-haw!), and he seems to be a guy who shoots from the hip. Some worry about having an actor in the White House, because how can you ever know when to trust what he's saying? But really, how is that different from any other politician? I think that a background in theater can only help you when dealing day in and out with the players on the world stage.

It is amazing to me that Rudy is the current Republican frontrunner. Yes, he impressed us all with his crisis management skills post 9-11. But what else does he have to offer? It wasn't that long ago that being on your third marraige to a woman who's on her third marraige when you began your relationship when you were both married to other people would have had a negative impact on one's marketability. Guess we have Bill "personal life doesn't matter" Clinton to thank for this one. I don't mean to sound judgmental. It's just that I still believe ethics are important to the all-around character of a president. Mr. Guliani's ethics have been somewhat less than impressive, not to mention his liberal leanings on most social and moral issues.

It has been kind of fun to watch the Clinton campaign try to deal with her less than stellar poll numbers. For a candidate who supposedly had the nomination in the bag, her spin machine must be in high gear. As unbelievable as I would have once thought, Edwards could emerge as the Democratic nominee. Could we see an Edwards/Obama ticket? That would just be weird. Not as weird as Algore trying to make a comeback, but still weird.

On the world news front, I've just been trying to digest. It seems to me that Iran is testing the waters. I really believe that Ahmadinejad wants nothing more than to pick a nuclear fight with either us or Israel. If he can get us to strike first, then they can claim self-defense when they try to retaliate. I think it's interesting that they kidnapped British soldiers instead of Americans. Was it a mistake? Did they get the wrong guys? Or were they simply afraid to go after the big giant, and instead testing to see just how strong the coalition really is?

My thoughts on the months ahead: I think Iran will eventually go too far and will either attack or provoke a strike against them. In the aftermath of this war, I think it's highly possible that the 12th imam or Mahdi (the Muslim messiah) will emerge as a voice of peace and will set up a treaty with Israel that will allow them to rebuild Solomon's temple. The Mahdi will be the antichrist. Muslims believe that Jesus will appear shortly after the Mahdi to renounce Christianity and defer to his authority, enforcing Muslim rule over the world. I believe this is the False Prophet. Then I think we will be faced with 3 1/2 years of persecution, otherwise known as the tribulation. Yes, I am coming out of the closet. I am no longer a pre-tribber. I have every Left Behind book ever written, and I no longer believe in its basic premise.

This is what I've been studying the past several weeks. I was challenged as to why I believed in the pre-trib theory, and realized that I believed it because that's what I had always been taught. I began to study, and I have come to a different conclusion about what the Scripture has to say. I think this is a tricky issue, because there are so many brilliant Bible scholars who totally disagree about this. I don't think that it is supposed to be a divisive issue. But I also don't believe that we are supposed to blindly accept any theory without studying God's word for ourselves. So I encourage you to do that. Not just about the end times, but any and everything. What worthier use for your time?

So, there you have my thoughts in a nutshell. I believe that once Christians have endured the wrath of Satan via the Antichrist in the first half of the tribulation that the rapture will occur and THEN God will take care of some serious business here on earth. Perhaps not a popular theory among my Southern Baptist peers, but there it is. Look it up and study it. God's word never returns void, so I can assure you, your time will not be wasted.

Like Fred?

Here's an online petition to get him to run. Sign up and let's get this thing going!

Is it just me, or does spring seem exceptionally beautiful this year? Everything is in bloom, the bradford pears, the dogwoods, and especially the beautiful cherry trees. I have always been a fall lover, but spring is really starting to grow on me.

I think it's because spring truly represents new life coming from that which was "dead." Obviously the power of Christ can only bring what is truly dead back to life, but I think nature allows us a glimpse into that power. For instance, last fall I planted pansies in my front flower bed. This February when it got down in the single digits, I thought they were lost forever. They were completely crippled and shriveled up. But once the sun started shining again and the temperature stayed consistently warm, suddenly I had fresh blooms and the front of my house looked alive again. It was an amazing thing to watch.

When Jesus was killed, He did not just appear dead. He was, in the great words of the munchkin coroner on the Wizard of Oz, really, most sincerely dead. I recently read a book that made me think about for the first time that Christ experienced hell on my behalf. He actually went there in my place. I've always thought about his suffering on the cross, but never about his suffering after death. He went to hell for me. And, praise God, He fought death and won the victory. He has defeated death. He has defeated the powers of Hell. I am forgiven because He was forsaken. I'm accepted because He was condemned. I'm alive and well, His spirit lives within me, because He died and rose again.

Thank you, Jesus. You are my king, now and forever. Happy Easter everyone!

I'm struggling with how to write about this, because I have no way of putting myself into the place of the Edwards. My husband has never run for president. I have never had breast cancer. I've certainly never had it return with such a scary prognosis. So I honestly can't say how I would react in such a situation, as my good friend pointed out last night. Perhaps I would want him to go ahead and run in defiance of the disease. Personally, I think I might be too selfish for that. I would want my man home with me, helping me through the agony of chemo or whatever option we chose for treatment without the insane life of the campaign trail. But that's me.

What really bothers me about the whole thing is the way it has all come out. I find it very suspicious that a story leaked the morning of his big announcement to say that they were getting out of the race, like anyone would have expected him to do. It came from a "very reliable" source, "extremely close to the Edwards campaign." We know how leaks work. They meant for that to get out. If you weren't going to get out of the race, why call a press conference in the first place? Okay, so maybe they thought it would be better PR if they came out and admitted that he was going to keep campaigning while she was fighting death than for it to leak, which probably would have made him look like a sleazebag. I can see that. But the whole thing had a very contrived and exploitative feel to it. Maybe it's just because John Edwards feels contrived and exploitative.

I honestly wish Elizabeth Edwards the best. I hope that she is able to beat this cancer. I hope that she sincerely does want her husband to keep up the campaign pace throughout her suffering and she wasn't put up to it for the supposed good of the nation. As if we need that. How good can his judgement be if he tied his presidential hopes to John Kerry? And I can only stomach the geeky thumbs-up through the primary season. I really don't want to have to look at it for the next 18 months and, God forbid, four years after that. One presidential campaign was more than enough!

The cynical side of me thinks that perhaps he's just seen The American President one too many times. But I think this was exactly the kind of press he was hoping for. The super-cynical part of me wonders how long until Hillary comes up with some mysterious illness of her own, so as not to be upstaged. Ouch - did I just say that? Perhaps I'm up too early.

I'll reserve further comment until I see how it plays out. If this is the last we hear about the cancer from them until there is something major to report, then I'll take it back. But if they release each and every doctor's report, then I'm holding to my theory that they are allowing her disease to be exploited for political gain. I guess either way I am judging. I'll have to think about that.

Where has this been all my life?!

No birthday cakes for my baby. He tried his first hot Krispy Kreme doughnut tonight. At first he just took a bite or two. Then he started diving for the doughnut. I finally gave in and let him have it. He was shoving it into his mouth as fast as he could. Sugar was everywhere! I'm not sure, but I think he liked it...

Happy Birthday, Bryant!

I can't believe that a year has gone by since you came into our lives. What incredible joy you bring us each and every day. You are a gift from God and we love you beyond measure. Grow in wisdom and stature, sweet baby. We love you so much!

Have you heard of Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda?

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:4-8)

Last night we finished up Bradley's birthday week with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese and his best friend spending the night. Amazingly, it wasn't that crowded to start with, maybe because most of Nashville was apparently heading south for Spring Break. The kids had a blast, as usual, and Jeff and I actually got to eat somewhat in peace while they were off playing their games. It was Bryant's first visit where he actually could tell that crazy things were going on. He seemed impressed with Chuck E., but only from a distance. When he got too close, things went sour. I can't blame the kid; those things totally freak me out.

Afterwards we went to Maggie Moo's for dessert. Dylan kept his mouth nice and clean with an ice cream cupcake, but Brad and Bailey wanted to wear their flavors home!

This time we were able to corral Bryant with a high chair and booth. Next time we'll probably be chasing him around everywhere. Let the fun begin...

Warning: If you don't watch 24 or Lost, you will have no idea what I'm talking about in this post, so please don't waste your time. :)

I'm totally behind on tv shows, having been gone for ten days and otherwise just crazy busy. So I decided last night not to try and catch up on 24, but just jump into the most recent episode and see if I could figure out what had been happening. Fascinating episode to jump into. My thought for the show is: When did they start allowing people who have been institutionalized to have sharp objects such as a paring knife available to them? And although I knew something was coming, I still jumped out of my seat. Kudos, Jean Smart!

I also watched 3 Losts ago, "Tricia Tanaka is dead." What a fabulous episode! My favorite moment:
Hurley: Shut up, you red... neck... man.
Sawyer (looking impressed): Touché.

Hilarious!

My baby is 8 today. I guess he's not my baby anymore, but he'll always feel like that. I know everybody says it but I just can't believe how fast the time has gone. When I think about everything that has happened since that day, it definitely feels like it's been a bunch of years, but they flew by in such a blur. I try to think about him being Bryant's age and I can just barely remember bits and pieces.

I'm trying to cherish every moment, I really am. Those days that I'm so frustrated with him I want to scream, I always try to go in his room after he's asleep because I fall in love with him all over again just listening to him breathe. This is one amazing kid God has loaned me, and I am eternally grateful.

This is such a weird age. His teeth are all crooked or falling out. His pants are all ripped at the knees, each and every pair. He is starting to scold me for embarassing him in front of his friends. And yet there are times when I'm reading to him at night that he will throw his arms around me and tell me he loves me so much and I can hear the earnestness in his voice. It's like he's pushing me away with one hand and holding on for dear life with the other. I feel the part of his life that I have control over getting smaller and smaller and it scares me to death.

And yet I know that he has to be free to make mistakes, for learning how to deal with them are what shape us and mold our character. If I could teach him everything from my experience without him having to experience pain, then I would so want to. But would that allow him to grow? Fortunately the choice is not left to me. This is a new phase in trusting God. I know there are many more to come.

Happy birthday, sweet Bradley. Your momma loves you so.

Now THIS I can REALLY get excited about!!! :)

pretty please?

Now this I could get excited about...

March 11, 2007, 11:33 am
Fred Thompson Considers Running
By Kate Phillips
Former Senator Fred Thompson, who now plays a district attorney on “Law & Order,” told Fox News today that he’ll make a decision in the coming months about whether to jump into the field of Republican candidates vying for the 2008 presidential nomination.
“I’m going to wait and see what happens,” Mr. Thompson said. “I want to see my colleagues on the campaign trial, what they say, what they emphasize, whether they can carry the ball next November.”
“I think people are somewhat disillusioned. A lot of people are cynical out there. They’re looking for something different,” he said.
Mr. Thompson, who served as a senator from Tennessee from 1994 until 2003, said he was leaving the door open for a return to the political stage. Political writers in his home state have been reporting in recent days that former Senator Howard Baker has been testing whether there’s support among conservatives for a Thompson run.