If you are a golf fan or watch Fox News, chances are that you have seen commercials for The Villages. It's an enormous retirement complex - actually, a small city - smack dab in the middle of Florida, about an hour north of Orlando. This is where my in-laws live. It is truly one of my favorite places on this earth.

There are golf courses galore, so the landscaping everywhere is beautiful. The above picture is looking across Lake Sumter at the newest town square, the second of three that are planned. Jeff's parents live pretty equidistant from both of them, and it's so much fun to just hop on the golf cart and drive around. They have a new Wal-Mart that is accessible by golf cart since I was here at Christmas. Yes, it might take longer to get there in a golf cart. Yes, you might have to be creative in how you get the groceries home, but it's just fun.

I've spent a lot of time over the past few days with B&B on the golf cart. With no TV and no gameboy and plenty of open road, we've had some really fun talks.

Like when Bailey said, "Mom, I think Florida smells like the beach."

"You do? That's probably because Florida is surrounded by beach. Florida is a peninsula, which means a body of land almost completely surrounded by water."

Taking it one step further, I asked her, "Do you know what a body of land that is completely surrounded by water is called?"

"Uh-huh. A flood."

She had me there. :)

Checking the Mail Villages Style

Where else can you ride the golf cart to check the mail? You have to love this place.

Flying Solo with Three Kids in a Post 9-11 World

Hello again. We've been in Florida since Monday, and I haven't been able to hook up my Internet, so I've been separated from my alter ego for almost a week. Probably not a bad thing.

Monday was one of the most stressful days I've experienced as a mom of three. A few months ago, Jeff called me and told me there were $49 flights to Orlando in July and would I rather fly than drive all three kids down here with his mom. Sounded like a great idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure.

First of all, it's extremely difficult to pack everything you need for three kids, one of whom is 16 months old, in 2 suitcases and a carry-on. We also had to make arrangements to have car seats and all the big baby things down here waiting for us.

But the worst part was definitely the stress of just getting everybody through the airport and to the gate. Obviously I have no pictures of this airport experience. When in the name of all that is good in the world would I have had time to take a picture?

We arrived at the airport almost an hour and a half before our flight, which proved to be divine favor. Jeff was with me as we checked our bags at the curb. No problem. We moved quickly through and on to security.

At the front of the line when the lady checks boarding passes, she sweetly looks at me and says, "Honey, you're going to hate me, but you are supposed to have a sticker on your boarding pass that designates you have a lap baby." She was very nice, and sent me out the side of the line and told me to come right back there as soon as I had my sticker.

So as Jeff is ready to leave, he sees me coming back out of the security line and is wondering what is going on. I leave the big kids with him and race over to the Southwest counter to get my sticker. Again, a line. Once I got to the front, I tell the lady what I need.

She says, "No problem. Can I please see his birth certificate?" Whoops. I don't have a birth certificate. Any thing that proves his age? Nope. My heart rate is way over aerobic activity at this point. I call Jeff and ask where Bryant's birth certificate is. We didn't bring one. You see, back in June when I flew the big kids, I brought both birth certificates and no one ever asked for them. Apparently the only reason they need one is to prove a child is under 2. This would have been good to think through before arriving at the airport.

So the Southwest lady doesn't panic. Which, can I say, would have been a completely different experience had we been flying United. I'm quite sure they would have sweetly told me that I was screwed and to have a nice day. But this kind lady asks me where he was born. Somehow she gets through to Baptist Hospital and gets proof of his age. It was unbelievable. I am so grateful for this woman. So I got my little sticker and raced back to security.

At this point, however, Bryant has decided that he doesn't want to be in the stroller. I mean, really doesn't want to be in the stroller. There is nothing I can do about this. I have to get everybody through security, and there is no way that I can either carry him or chase him around. So I had to just let him scream. And scream he did. I love it when people stare at me.

We walked right back up to the front of the line and the lady let us through. The kids' shoes were off and in Brad's backpack. I had one of my ziploc bags with Bradley. Of course I couldn't have anything open in a sippy cup or bottle for Bryant, so I had a can of Pediasure to give to him once we got through. This is a bizarre world that we live in.

My laptop was out. We got our two bins and had everything in them. I sent B&B through and pushed all the bags. Then I start to push my stroller through. Not so much. The security guard stops and tells me I have to take off Bryant's shoes, take him out of the stroller, fold up the stroller and send it through x-ray. I looked at him to be sure he wasn't joking. Bryant's head is spinning around and there is green stuff shooting out of his mouth. He wasn't joking.

So I take Bryant out of the stroller, which does make him stop screaming. After all, this is what he has been begging for. His shoes come off and go in a bin. A security guard helps me fold up the stroller and push it through. There is a line the size of Texas piling up behind me. I can feel the heat from their laser stares into the back of my head. I walk through... and beep. Of course I had forgotten the cell phone in my pocket. So we have to go back for a small bin.

Finally I get through to the other side. Putting Bryant back in the stroller was as fun as you can imagine. I'm trying to grab all of my things and keep up with my children as well. Everything came through except my diaper bag, which they have taken to the special line to search. We were able to move over to the side to wait. Then the security guard brought me my bag, but I could see she had something in her hand. It was my travel bottle of Clorox Anywhere spray. Apparently that's considered HazMat. I had forgotten it was even in my bag. It's now the property of Federal Aviation.

Once we finally got down to our gate, we had to stop for a stroller tag. Then we parked in the pre-board area. Which on a flight to Orlando is usually just as long as the A line for all the families traveling with small children. I had to let Bryant out of the stroller, and then spent the next 20 minutes chasing him around. If I picked him up and tried to hold him he would scream and fight me with all his might. I could again feel the stares. I know what I would have been thinking if I were anyone around me. "Please, God, don't make me sit anywhere near them!"

Once we got on board, we quickly got seated and I began making a bottle. I didn't intend to give it to him until takeoff, but once he saw it there was no getting around it. He drank it while everyone was boarding. Fortunately, he was sleepy enough that he continued to sit on my lap while we were taxiing. He was interested in the way we were moving. I told the kids, "The best thing that can happen to us is for Bryant to go to sleep. Please pray right now!" And they did. And it worked. My baby boy slept from the moment we entered the air until our wheels hit the tarmac. Thank you, Jesus.

Unfortunately, even though we were early, the people at our gate were not. In fact, they were quite late. So we sat. And sat. 20 minutes went by before we could come up to the gate. Unfortunately, Bryant was awake during this 20 minutes. And ready to disembark. And repossessed by some kind of evil spirit.

I called Jeff once we were on the highway with my father-in-law and he asked me if I thought it was worth it to fly. "I'm still thinking," I told him. I'm still not sure.

I think it must have been easier to fly kids before we took terrorism seriously. I'm afraid it's only going to get worse.

But three days later, it's not looking that bad. We didn't have to drive 12 hours, many of which Bryant would have surely screamed through in the car. And I have three more before I attempt it again. This time at least Jeff will be with me. That should improve things quite a bit. :)

New Wheels

We've noticed for a while that Brad's bike was too little for him, so we finally decided to do something about it. Here he is on his brand new 20" bike. He absolutely loves it, because it's a trick bike with a metal stand on the back for him to stand up and ride on. He doesn't know yet that this is so he can do wheelies, and I'm not going to be the one to tell him.

While we were at it we decided that Bryant needed some wheels, too. So he finally has a wagon that he can ride in. Bradley was very helpful in putting it together.

Bryant was checking to make sure no parts were left in the box. Although his Daddy always says if there aren't any parts left over you probably didn't put it together right.

Getting ready for a test drive...

Can I just say how awesome it is to have a big brother in the house?
Happy trails!

Wow. They couldn't debate on Fox News, because they didn't want to give credence to it as a credible news organization.

But apparently on August 9th, the major Democratic candidates are going to debate on Logo, a gay cable network. They're dedicating an hour to lesbian and gay issues. Again, wow.

I don't know why I am surprised, but this is truly unbelievable to me. Have we really come this far? In order to please the Democratic base, the front runners feel this kind of pandering is necessary?

First they debated a few weeks ago at Howard University, an African-American school, in front of a primarily African-American audience. The MC for this event was Tavis Smiley, a black PBS news show host. The questions and answers pandered to a black audience. For instance, in response to a discussion on HIV/AIDS education, Hillary said, (in her best southern dialect) "You know, it is hard to disagree with anything that has been said, but let me just put this in perspective. If HIV/AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of 25 and 34, there would be an outraged outcry in this country." This was met with loud cheers. Outraged outcry? President Bush could never be that eloquent.

That was after her blatantly butt-kissing opening statement about the thousands of African-Americans who were left behind by their government in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. I am so sick of Hurrican Katrina being the poster child for Republican racism. It's proveably false. New Orleans suffered far more at the hands of its liberal Democratic state and local incompetence than anything FEMA could have ever done.

Incidentally, when Tavis Smiley was interviewed the following day, he was asked why he didn't make the audience stick to the rules and refrain from clapping and cheering. His answer was that black people are too emotional to obey a rule like that. It would have never worked. And Republicans are racist. But I digress.

So now they feel the need to debate in front of their gay and lesbian consitutents. (Is it really necessary to say gay and lesbian? Doesn't gay cover it? I'm admit I'm not down with homosexual lingo, but that's always puzzled me.)

I can't even imagine how surreal this debate will be. I wonder how the candidates are feeling about it. I'm sure none of them wanted to be the one that refused to participate, but I wonder if it's making any of them uncomfortable. Especially John Edwards, who accidentally admitted to being uncomfortable around gay people and had to be bailed by his wife again. There are still a lot of Southern Democrats who are not for gay marraige or gay activism in any issue. But I guess they are figuring none of those rednecks would vote for a woman or black man anyway, so they're probably not worth wasting time on. But I still wonder how much back-and-forth there was among the advisors before committing.

I've been trying to think of a Republican equivalent to this, and I'm struggling to do so. Would it be debating before the military? The Christian Coalition? Rich white guys of America? So far they have debated on MSNBC, Fox and CNN at the Reagan Library, University of South Carolina and Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. The MCs on MSNBC could barely hide their contempt for the candidates. The Republicans are clearly not afraid of hard questions or else they would stick to Fox (which in reality was a tough debate, but the MCs just didn't look like they wanted to kill each candidate rather than ask them a question.)

Again, it's only July 2007. We have such a long way to go. But not as long as we used to. Some state primaries have been moved up to January. That's only five months away. And we all know how fast five months can fly.

I think I'm ready for it. President Bush, bless his heart, just doesn't have any political capital left. For all his mistakes, I'm so glad he's still commander in chief, because he's clearly not going to be swayed from what he thinks is best in Iraq. I can't imagine the disaster for Iraq and American security it would be for Hillary or Obama or John to get in that office. Although the last Clinton administration does give us a pretty good idea.

God forbid.

Bailey fell off of Bradley's back somehow last night. All I know is I heard a blood-curdling scream and she continued to whimper for about 25 minutes after the incident.

X-ray came back negative for any kind of fracture. I am so unbelievably thankful for this, because the thought of how we would survive a week in Florida and our week at the beach in August with no swimming was starting to make my stomach hurt.

Fortunately she just has to wear this super cool sling for 5 days. Trust me when I say she is milking this for every last drop. :)

My friend Jim Forrester just sent me this picture and I was so excited to get it I had to post it right away. (Click here to see it bigger.)

This picture was taken after our last worship service in Thailand. This is everyone who went on the worship team, singers, rhythm section and tech. (Although I notice Doug Diamond, the most amazing sound guy ever, isn't in it. I called him up, but as usual he was completely swamped with things to do.)

I can't even express how much I enjoyed being with each and every one of these people for ten days. The spirit among us was so amazing, and I really, really miss our time together. Some of us led worship this past Sunday at BBC, and for the first time since coming home, I really felt like our congregation was receptive and moved by the Spirit. It was awesome. We opened with "Cover the Earth," the same song we opened our very first Thailand service with. It was everything I could do not to cry.

I assume that over time these feelings will subside, but for now I'm happy to hold on a little while longer.

I left at 7:55 a.m. this morning to be at VBS by 8:30. I figured I might even have time to stop by for a sweet tea from Sonic. Not so much. I completely forgot that I would be driving through rush hour, since I'm almost never on the Interstate at that time on a weekday. It took me almost 40 minutes to get to church.

But during those 40 minutes I was witness to some pretty interesting conversations between my son and daughter.

It started when Bailey said, "Hey, Mom, did you know that nobody wants to marry me? Jon Mason doesn't want to marry me and Landon doesn't want to marry me."

Bradley very sweetly pipes in, "Bailey, I guarantee you that someone will want to marry you. I know someone will want to marry me. In fact, I don't want to say for sure, but I'm pretty sure I know who that person will be."

"Who, Bradley?"

"Well, like I said, I can't say for sure."

"Is it McKenzie?"

"Well, maybe. But she told me she likes somebody else at school." Then he called up to me, "Hey, Mom, have you heard about Wade?"

I said, "Yes, I've heard about Wade."

"McKenzie said she likes him."

"Really? Did that hurt your feelings?"

"No. I don't care. I know there'll be somebody else out there that wants to marry me."

"Well, I think that's very mature of you. Are there any girls at school that you like?"

"Nah. I'm not really all that big on girls."
-------

A few minutes later Bailey offered, "Well, Bradley, maybe we can get married."

"Bailey! People are not allowed to be related in more than one way. You can not be brother and sister and also married."

Sadley, that might disappoint some folks to know.

This, I definitely want to see! Apparently, if Speaker Pelosi doesn't introduce articles of impeachment against the President sometime in the next two weeks, Cindy Sheehan is threatening to move to San Francisco and run against her.

This is a win/win as far as I see. If she does run, there are plenty of kooks in San Francisco that would back her up. They're not real thrilled with the job their senator has done since taking over. So either she runs and beats her, or she splits the Democrat vote enough that a Republican candidate has the chance to sneak in and carry the seat. Wouldn't that be hysterical?

Most likely, a Sheehan run against her would cause Senator Pelosi to lean more to the left, in order to coddle her farthest leaning consitutents. I believe that Democrats won the election last year because they pretended to be conservative. If you remember, Pelosi, Reid and Kennedy were AWOL those last few weeks. They were seriously in hiding. The people out in front were those promising to run on conservative values. They out-conservated their Republican opponents.

But once they took over, Pelosi was out in full force. They've tried to be who they are, but every time they go too far left they get slapped back. It will be very interesting to see how this impeachment thing goes forward. There are very loud calls for it coming from within the liberal ranks of the Democratic party. There are apparently at least 20 Senators who are willing to go for it. I do not believe that they would get anywhere near 60, but the House could be a different story.

What's disgusting about the whole thing is that there are serious issues out there that need the full attention of the President and our government. If they are all tied up in an impeachment battle, who knows how vulnerable we'll become to attack. Hello, President Clinton. I can't help but wonder now how much ground our enemies gained in the late '90s when we were busy tearing ourselves apart. But I digress.

Cindy, baby, I say go for it! Yes, you are a few fries short of a happy meal, but even that might be an improvement over our current leadership. As Jenny might say, run, Cindy, run! :)

Speaking of the Chronological Bible, last night's passage was a collection of Psalms that were most likely collected during the reign of Hezekiah. I was struck by some of the words:

Psalm 2
Why do the nations rage? Why do the people waste their time with futile plans?
The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his annointed one.
"Let us break their chains," they cry, "and free ourselves from this slavery."

But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury,
For the LORD declares, "I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, my holy city."

The king proclaims the LORD's decree:
"The LORD said to me, 'You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.'"

Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Submit to God's royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of your pursuits -- for his anger can flare up in an instant.

But what joy for all who find protection in him!

From Psalm 33:6-22
The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He gave the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.

Let everyone in the world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

The LORD shatters the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes. But the LORD's plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.

What joy for the nation whose God is the LORD, whose people he has chosen for his own.

The LORD looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do. The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don't count on your warhorse to give you victory -- for all its strength, it cannot save you.

But the LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine.

We depend on the LORD alone to save us. Only he can help us, protecting us like a shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we are trusting in his holy name.

Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.

I know that these words were written about the enemies that Israel and Judah faced at the time, especially Assyria, but I couldn't help but think about the enemies that seek their destruction today. Iran, Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon are just a few. If you look at the news separate from Israel being God's chosen people, then it would seem that they are doomed for certain extinction. It's inevitable, you might say.

But how many groups have attempted to wipe out this people group throughout history? Over and over, the enemy of God has used humans to try and destroy this people that he so envies. And still they survive. God has pursued them relentlessly, no matter how far from Him they turned. And I believe wholeheartedly that they will ultimately be restored to Him. The Bible is perfectly clear on this.

Posting these Psalms, one might call me a religious extremist. How is this different from radical Islam? You are saying that your God will ultimately destroy the enemies of Israel. Absolutely. My God will. I'm not going to strap a bomb to my back and walk into a Palestinian daycare center to hasten His victory, nor would I ever advocate such. That is the difference.

It is amazing that the word of God, written so many centuries ago, is still completely relevant. I know that Psalm 2 is not just speaking of the time it was written, because the writer talks about "his chosen king on the throne of Jerusalem." That's Jesus. When he says "Submit to God's royal son," that's Jesus. Jesus, who was centuries away from being born. He will return to the throne in Jerusalem. In that day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.

But what joy for all who find protection in him!

Summer Reading List

I currently have four books sitting on my nightstand, three of which I am somewhere in the middle of. I have a week in Florida coming up in about 10 days, and then a week at the beach in August. I'm hoping to be able to finish at least some of them.

Here they are, in case you are looking for something new:
I obviously won't be finished with this one until the end of the year, but I can not sing the praises of this Bible loud enough. If you have ever attempted to read the entire Bible through and gotten stuck somewhere in Leviticus and given up, this Bible is for you! It is laid out in chronological order, with dates along the way to keep everything in perspective. For example, not all of the psalms are together, but split up according to when they were written, or at least collected, whenever it's possible to know that information.

This Bible has been an amazing tool for me this year. Reading the word of God straight through in this order has given me a perspective on God's relationship to humanity that I've never had before. This would be a purchase well, well worth the money spent. I hope to read it through every year.

Yes, before you begin to make fun of me, I already know I'm a geek. I am reading the Complete Idiot's Guide to the Middle East Conflict. But I was a history teacher, remember.

The reason I'm enjoying this book is because it takes a totally complex subject and breaks it down into smaller sections, and is written to give the reader a historical overview of why Israel is constantly under the crosshairs. Of course the author has his own bias, but it's been a very interesting read so far. I didn't have any real understanding of the history behind the rebirth of Israel as a nation, and it's good stuff to know.

If you are looking for fiction, I started reading this one on one of the many planes home from Thailand. It's about a gardener whose dearly loved wife is kidnapped and held for $2 million ransom. Since he's a gardener, he doesn't have anywhere near that much money. So somehow he's got to get it. Lots of twists. I was enjoying it, but I just haven't picked it back up. Nothing against the book. I do plan to finish it.

I just heard about this book last week from a good friend, and it turned out that my mom had a copy of it. This is about a man who died in a car wreck almost 20 years ago, and came back to life after spending 90 minutes in heaven. It's his story of what he experienced and what life has been like since. I haven't started yet because I've been told once you pick it up you won't be able to put it back down. But I'm looking forward to it. Apparently he was pretty angry about being sent back. Can't imagine why.

I just read about this yesterday on the Living Proof blog, and I am very excited about it. If you watched American Idol two years ago, you'll remember Mandisa. Beautiful girl, amazing voice, incredible heart for the Lord. She's written her personal account of life on American Idol, and the journey of faith that it has taken her through. I'm ordering it today.

Let me know if there's something else I should be reading. I'll put it in the list. I never thought I would be one of those people who reads four books at a time, but somehow that's what I've become. It's kind of a spastic way to live, but that's life with three kids.

Happy reading!

HAPPY 4TH!

Oh, and one more thing. For all of you Democrats who are outraged over Scooter Libby not going to jail for perjuring himself and have puffed yourselves up as straight as you can get on your high horse, I have two words for you. Monica Lewinsky.

Give me a break.

Okay, I know I was fully expecting this, and I wasn't going to let it get to me, and I never should have turned on the news this morning. I was annoyed to see GMA open with the caption "Above The Law" in their reporting of the Libby commutation, as if somehow this was an illegal thing for a president to do. There is a reason that the founding fathers left this presidential power in the constitution. Libby's punishment was extremely excessive. The fact that he had to go through this whole trial was excessive. I fully believe that most Americans have no idea why he was even convicted or even who Valerie Plame is. But they hear on the news that Bush pardoned one of his buddies just because he could, and that's all that matters. Bush is the worst president in American history. Of course he is.

Anybody remember Bill Clinton? What really pushed me over the edge was hearing that Hillary had the audacity to even comment on this yesterday. If I were her I think I would stay as far away from this as I could possibly get.

Mr. Clinton faced some serious controversy over his use of the presidential pardon. (Which, remember, isn't even what President Bush did. He only commuted the jail time.) In 1999, Clinton inexplicably pardoned 16 members of a Puerto Rican terrorist group who had been convicted for a bunch of crimes dealing with robbery, bomb-making, firearms and explosives. This was condemned by Congress by a vote of 95 to 2 in the Senate and 311-41 in the House. He refused to turn over documents dealing with this, citing executive privelege.

But the most memorable pardon scandal was the day before he left office in 2001 when he issued 104 pardons and commutations, including his own half-brother and international fugitive (whose wife just happened to be a big buddy and campaign contributer of the Clintons) Marc Rich. This was literally done at the last possible minute of his presidency so that he could do it and skate out of there.

Will President Bush do the same? I have no idea. But the fact is that Scooter Libby deserved this. Of course it's going to be used as political red meat for the Democrats. I would expect no less. But it drives me nuts that facts will be ignored in favor of juicy political spin. Guess I should be getting used to it. We're only 18 months away from the next presidential election. Maybe I need to start the ulcer medication now.

I just got these pictures in from Dad and had to share. This weekend we had a family reunion. It was the first time we had ever done this with the Reid side of the family, and we all left wondering why. I haven't seen my dad's sister's side of the family since my uncle died several years ago, and before that I think it was my granddaddy's funeral. It's not that they live that far away or anything. For some reason we just haven't gotten together. I'm hoping this is going to change from now on. We all said this needs to be an annual thing. Kudos to my cousin Michelle who apparently suggested it. Of course it would come from the youngest of the bunch!

This is what it looks like when you try to stage a picture with nine kids who have been outside at the park for three hours. (That's actually me holding Bryant up back there. He wanted NOTHING to do with this little photo session!)

Dad (middle), Aunt Linda (baby) and Uncle Lowell (firstborn.) Can you tell they're related?

Now, interestingly enough, we were also able to take a family picture with my mom's side of the family. You see, my dad's older brother is married to my mom's older sister. (Think it through for a minute and you'll realize it's perfectly legit.) Because of this, my first cousins are actually my double first cousins. Since there aren't any other siblings, this is the entire Sites family legacy. My grandparents are living with Mom and Dad right now, so we were actually able to have a double family reunion.

It's bizarre to think that a little couple who hooked up in Illinois would eventually share all these great grandkids with a little couple from Alabama. Hope Grandmother and Granddaddy Reid were able to smile down on us Saturday. One day, we'll all be together again. That will be one heckuva family reunion! :)

There is so much news today that I'm having a hard time figuring out what to opine about. Maybe I'll just do all of it.

The attacks on the UK, combined with the news of pre-911 type chatter, combined with the news that federal sources are concerned about a "summer spectacular" of terror, including some kind of massive attack on the US is disconcerting, to say the least. Some Middle East experts have been predicting for the past year that something major was going to come out of Iran this July. This is nerve-wracking, considering the date. I'm glad that we're not heading off to NYC any time soon.

There's also interesting news out of Iraq today, that Hezbollah has been working with Iran (shocker) to train Iraqi militants to carry out attacks against our troops. Obviously Iran and Hezbollah are in bed together to get rid of Israel, but due to the capture of a high-ranking Hezbollah leader, we now have intelligence proving that Iran is behind the scenes of some of the stuff going on in Iraq. I wonder how much we'll hear about this on the news?

McCain had to lay off a bunch of campaign workers due to lack of funds. Poor guy. I wonder how his immigration plan sounds to him now.

Crazy Hugo Chavez from Venezuela met with Crazy Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from Iran, launching construction of a joint petrochemical plant, and signing a bunch of other deals to expand economic cooperation, ranging from setting up a dairy factory in Venezuela to forming an oil company. From Reuters: "The two countries will united defeat the imperialism of North America," a beaming Chavez told a news conference during an official visit to the Islamic Republic, which the United States has labeled part of an "axis of evil".

Isn't Hugo Chavez the same guy that encouraged Cindy Sheehan to run for president? He's clearly a genius that must not be ignored.

But in all seriousness, though no one even wants to think about adding another enemy to our ever-growing list, Venezuela is making it clear that we are going to have to deal with them sooner or later. It doesn't seem like they appreciate being on the backburner, and I'm afraid that could be a dangerous vanity.

But I guess my favorite news item of the day is that Scooter Libby's sentence has been commuted. He hasn't been pardoned. He still has to pay the quarter-million dollar fine and do his probation. But he just doesn't have to go to jail for two and a half years. It's about time, Mr. President. I know this was a hairy situation for you, but why did we have to pretend for so long that this was anything other than a witch hunt?

Scooter Libby was tried and convicted for covering up a crime that never took place. The whole thing should have been dropped the minute that it became known that Armitage was the leaker, who didn't even know that he was leaking. But Fitzgerald had a mission, and that was to try and take down the highest ranking Bush guy he could get. They tried desperately to get Rove, but just couldn't make it stick. Libby has been the fall guy from the beginning.

In his action today, President Bush made it clear that he was not arguing with the jury, and that he felt it was important to face the music if you lie under oath. But I appreciate the fact that he at least stepped up and didn't make this man go to jail. It really was about the least he could do.

But the next few days are going to be fun. Both sides are already lining up to be first to the soundbite board. It's all meaningless. Most people in America couldn't give a flying flip, or probably even tell you who Scooter Libby is. But this is politics in America.

Let the games begin.

In light of this weekend's foiled car bombing in London, I thought I would celebrate John Edwards' brilliant notion that the war on terror is a made-up campaign slogan for the Bush administration by discussing something near and dear to many Americans' hearts, The Andy Griffith Show.

As someone who had never even seen an episode of the show before I met my husband, I have now seen virtually every single episode, and am able to quote from many of them. In fact, pretty much any conversation can turn into an Andy Griffith quote, much like that beloved holiday classic, Christmas Vacation. (Do you really think it matters, Eddie?) When 10:00 rolls around, I'm listening for the whistle. I'm like Pavlov's dog. I hear the whistle, I know it's time to go to sleep.

So what I'm wondering is, how can a show that was so great in black and white be such an utter disaster in color? When 10:00 comes, my DVR switches my TV over to Andy Griffith automatically. I don't even have to see it to know it's in color. The whistle has a higher pitch. I'm not kidding. And when it comes on and it's in color, my enjoyment of the day goes down a notch. Sad, but true.

My friend Mark Varner taught me that I could turn the color off and try and fool myself into thinking it's a black and white episode, which actually can help, but it's never quite enough.

Black and white TAGS episodes have the potential to make me laugh until my side hurts. There are just some classic comedic moments in those first years. Ron Howard was absolutely adorable, and you just can't get much funnier than Don Knotts, espcially when paired up with Andy. My personal favorite episode is "Mountain Wedding," with the fantastically quirky Ernest T. Bass. Please feel free to share your favorite. I'd love to hear!

I've often wondered how such a fantastic show could have fallen apart over the period of one summer. It couldn't have been just adding color. For most shows, that was a vast improvement. So, I admit, I decided to do a little research.

Of course, the number one thing that hurt the show was losing Barney Fife. Since originally Andy Griffith had said he only wanted to do five seasons, Don Knotts went ahead and signed a movie contract. When he realized that the show was going to go on, he tried to get out of it but wasn't able to. Losing him left a huge hole in the cast that proved impossible to fill. Not the least of which was the opening for a new deputy.

Which leads me to the next point. Who in the world thought that Warren Ferguson and Howard Sprague would be likeable characters? They're just not. Warren is an idiot, and not in the "bless his heart, he's such an idiot" cute way. He's just... an idiot. Howard Sprague has to be one of the most annoying television characters ever invented. I'm sorry, but the guy is a complete dweeb. He's in his 40s, has no idea how to relate to women, a town clerk who thinks his own jokes are funny enough to go on television, and he lives with his overbearing, domineering mother. I do not like anything about him. Sometimes characters are so pitiful that it's supposed to endear you to them (think Ross Geller before he became completely neurotic.) But there is nothing endearing about Howard Sprague. Nothing.

Even Helen is annoying in color. In black and white, she's a strong woman who knows what she wants out of life, while still being beautiful and feminine. In color, she's always running around spazzing out about one thing or the other and whining to Andy about it.

Which in fairness actually wasn't her fault. She was only acting out what was written for her. My research proved what I had long suspected, and that is that the same year TAGS went color and lost Barney, they also lost their show producer/story consultant, Aaron Ruben, as well as two of their main episode writers. They lost another good writer after the first color season, and by the last season it was a completely different production team. Apparently, these replacements came from the bottom of the plot pool.

The story lines of the colored episodes just lack the Andy Griffith Show spark. There is nothing interesting about them, and some of them are just downright idiotic, like Goober thinking that his dog can talk because Opie and some new kid tied a walkie talkie around his neck. The big "a-ha" moment of this episode is Andy telling Opie, "Sometimes practical jokes can hurt people. You go home and think about that." Fooling Goober couldn't have even been fun; it was clearly way too easy. It's not a feel-good moment like the last line of "Opie the Birdman," where Andy comforts Opie's grief over setting his birds free with that famous line, "But don't the trees sound nice and full?" Now, that's a great TV moment.

I just wish that there was a way we could all join together as an Andy Griffith fan conglomeration and demand that TV networks only air the first five seasons. I did read that there was a station in Huntsville, Alabama and a station in Macon, Georgia that used to air the colored episodes in b&w. Apparently it didn't fool anybody. Howard Sprague is ridiculous, in living color or not.

So in conclusion, I guess Andy Griffith is one of the first shows that really jumped the shark, but it wasn't with a plot line. I wonder if he ever regretted going past his original five-year plan. I wish he could have pulled a Seinfeld and "gone out on a high note." As it was, I don't think it could have gotten any worse.

Senate blocks immigration bill. Hallelujah.

Please tell me this article is a joke. Tell me that $20 million in federal research money has not been allotted to study how to reduce the greenhouse emissions of cow poop. And this from a Republican administration.

People, can we please STOP THE INSANITY!?

I've refrained from political commentary for most of this month, because most of it was consumed with either preparing for, being in, or recovering from Thailand. And, frankly, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Besides that, nothing going on in the news has really made me feel like I have anything to say.

It seems like every other news story right now has to do with homosexuality of some sort or another, whether it be about gay marraige or gay soldiers in Iraq, or recruiting gay ex-military types to translate Arabic, etc., etc. I wouldn't notice it all that much except that I really don't want to have to explain all this to my 8-yr-old who doesn't miss a thing. It's hard to have the news on, even if he's in the other room, out of fear of what's going to come up. Very annoying.

And the whole immigration thing, I don't even want to talk about. I can't understand it. It seems that Congress wants to ram it through the system, even though the great majority of their constitutents on both sides of the aisle are opposed to it. Why would they do this? Do they think that they are safe since this is a non-election year? Whether we vote in November or not, things are already well underway for the '08 election. Just ask Fred Thompson, who apparently is running, but has yet to make it official. Supposedly this is coming next week, but I'm tired of holding my breath. I'm curious if his ratings will go up even higher once he officially announces, or if it is artifically inflated due to speculation right now and will just even out. Hopefully we'll see very soon.

McCain is freaking out, though. He recently said anyone who thinks he's dropping out of the race is smoking something. You have to love that. It must be eating him alive that he is losing in the polls to a man who isn't even officially on the ballot. I feel sorry for Senator McCain actually. But I couldn't vote for him. He's too much of a ticking time bomb, and I would hate for him to be anywhere near the nuclear football if that short fuse of his eventually runs out.

Anyway, where was I? Immigration. I think this bill is going to eventually fail. Senator Pelosi doesn't want it to be seen as a Democrat bill, so she's not even going to bring it forth unless she thinks she has the votes. They want this seen as a Republican Congress/President Bush bill, because they know how unpopular it is. The Republican base is getting pretty ticked off at the leadership telling them that they don't know what they are talking about. The problem here is that Republicans don't vote for Republicans that tick them off and misrepresent them. Hence, the election results of 2006. We try to punish our leaders when they screw up by voting them out of office, which I totally understand the emotion behind, but I can't understand why voting in the opposition is supposed to be a better solution.

Meanwhile, Israel is a complete disaster. They are virtually surrounded by a pack of angry wolves, and the saliva is flowing. In a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post, John Bolton made the case that diplomacy with Iran is a complete disaster. In the past four years, while we have been trying to "talk things through" with the crazy people, they've figured out how to convert uranium from solid to gas, and now enrichment to weapons grade. They're not being subtle about their intentions. And yet we seem to be doing nothing to stop them.

July looks like the perfect set-up for another Israeli war, and this time they're facing more than just Hezbollah. Will they finish it if it gets started this time? Most Americans are completely clueless to the kind of danger that we are in. All we care about is who is going to interview Paris Hilton when she gets out of jail. WHY DO WE CARE???? I just don't get this.

So, apparently I was storing some stuff up. Thanks for letting me ramble. It's a good thing Blogger doesn't charge by the word, huh?

These pics are for my friend Jane Anne, who just found out that she's not going to be the mom of four boys after all. This is what having a girl is all about, friend!

Let the pink purchases commence...

So far this summer we've been having a lot of fun at the pool. Brad and Bailey are excellent swimmers, and I find myself letting them play in the big pool for 10 or 15 minutes at a time before I'm even checking on them. They are just really great swimmers, and I know they are looking out for each other as well.

I love that they have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the water. When we go to Jeff's parents' home, they swim virtually every day. And when we go to the beach in August they are in the water almost all day long every single day. They absolutely love to swim.

Seems like the trend is going to continue with this little guy. He absolutely loves being in the water. Last week we discovered that putting him in floaties just thrills his soul because he is free to walk all over the baby pool unhindered. I have to watch him constantly, because if his feet get out from under him and he goes face in, obviously somebody has to play lifeguard. But it never makes him cry. In fact, he laughs with delight.

And then yesterday, when I put him in the baby pool, I noticed that he was going under constantly. He wasn't doing the little duck walk that he had become so fond of, where he walks a few steps, ducks his head in and keeps going. I realized that he was purposefully pulling his feet out from under his body, over and over again. He loves to lay back on his back and float. It just puts the biggest grin on his face.

I'm glad he's having fun, because it's not so much for me. I can only keep him the pool for a few minutes before I'm exhausted. It's mentally taxing, because you can only watch your child try to drown himself so many times before the thrill turns to frustration. When I put him in his float to try and catch my breath, he screamed bloody murder until I got him back out. Apparently he wants to be under the water.

So they tell me that babies can learn to swim at this age. Guess I'm about to have to find out.

This, however, is hilarious. I bought these little spray bottle/watering cans at Publix for about $3 a piece, and they have been the greatest toys ever. Bryant absolutely loves for you to spray the water right at his face. He laughs and tries to lick the water as it comes out. He totally looks like a little puppy dog. This, I could do all day.

I'm feeling better today. These guys make it hard to stay depressed for long. Thanks for your prayers and support.

I was not expecting to be depressed.

All week I've had this nagging sadness that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I don't want to do anything. Whenever things get quiet, I just want to lay down and go to sleep. Yes, it could be jet lag, but it feels like more than that. I miss being in Thailand.

This morning I went to church. I couldn't wait to get there and worship with my fellow believers. After spending an entire week preparing for and leading in some of the most amazing worship services I've ever been a part of, to have that abruptly cut off has left an emptiness that is hard to explain. Mission trips are obviously spiritual highs, so I guess this is what it feels like to fall off the mountain.

I know I'm not the only one. This morning whenever I would run into someone that was with me in Thailand, we would look at one another with this hunger in our eyes, so happy to see each other, and wondering, "Do you feel it, too?" One friend approached me after we had sung in choir with tears in her eyes, trying to put words to this lonely feeling. We miss each other. We miss Thailand.

Yes, it's good to be home. I love having my kids back. But I would get on a plane tomorrow, even a United plane.

I was not expecting to be depressed.

Steve Galloway posted his pictures earlier today, and I had to steal some. These are from the Jerusalem marketplace that we did on Thursday night for the Couple's Night Out. Having all the kids in costume made all the difference. It was a really, really cool night for them. Here's our rhythm section playing Biblical instruments. They were so fun!

But I had to post these pictures from the elephant camp. I love that Steve captured the feel of the elephant ride. I just found out yesterday that this camp is where they filmed the Rambo movies. That makes perfect sense. I can't justly describe how beautiful this place was, but hopefully the pictures help a little.

Here is a fantastic shot of one of the elephant artists. The deliberate strokes they were making just blew my mind. I knew I was a terrible artist before, but not even measuring up to an elephant is just embarassing.

Here's one of the elephants playing soccer. What you can't see in this picture is the other elephant playing goalie. He blocked a few shots with his body, but then this elephant picked up the ball and stormed up to the goal and slammed it in. We were laughing and clapping like crazy.

We learned that these trainers actually live with their individual elephant all the time. They have to always wear the same clothes, because the elephants can smell them from 10 miles away. Watching them have fun and play makes you forget how dangerous their job actually is. These are mighty beasts, and could crush these little guys without even breaking a sweat.

Our guide told us that the elephants and their trainers start to look like each other over time, kind of like dogs and their owners. I didn't really notice this to be true, but I guess I haven't spent enough time with elephants to see their unique characteristics. They all kind of look the same to me.

Thanks for the pictures, Steve!

I finally convinced my kids to come home. It was such a sweet reuinion. Bryant squealed with joy to see his big brother and sister, and he was rewarded with plenty of hugs and kisses.


My kids look older to me. How do they grow up so much in just two weeks of separation? Do they change this much every day, and I just fail to notice because I'm with them all the time? How has so much time passed since I first saw that beautiful pink screaming bundle that he is now about to enter the third grade? And my baby girl who I'm sure just turned three is about to go off to kindergarten? Can it really be so?

It's times like these that remind me to cherish each day, no matter how long and tedious. We are not promised tomorrow. But, oh, how I pray it comes.

Bradley and Bailey have been on a whirlwind tour of family members over the last couple of weeks. I'm so glad they got to spend these last few days with their cousin Carrie Beth. They don't get to see each other that often, but the love they have for one another is pure and contagious. Thank God for the incredible gift of family.

Hug your kids today. Tomorrow they'll be one day older.

It is amazing what 10 hours of sleep can do for a person. I actually feel human today! When Bryant laid down, Jeff and I crashed. It was only 8:00, and I tried to read in order to stay up until 8:30. I think I read maybe one whole sentence. I don't think I have ever been that tired in my life. We slept hard until almost 6 this morning. I probably could have kept going, but I don't think the baby would have understood.


We still don't have our luggage. But the current situation seems to be that someone from the church is heading to the airport to get all of ours that are there, so hopefully I'll be hearing from them pretty soon that our bags have arrived. My mom called earlier and said that United's computer system was down today and that their entire fleet worldwide was shut down. Shocking. Thankfully, our people that are still in Hong Kong are flying Continental, and I don't think they're leaving until tonight.

I was supposed to get my big kids back today. I'm sure they are just torn up about me being away from them two weeks. I thought we might even need to go for a counseling session, just to be sure that they were emotionally healthy and secure. I called my sister-in-law to tell her I was ready and see if I could go ahead an come on, even though it was about 30 minutes before we agreed to meet. She said, "Oh, well, actually... I was wondering if they could stay an extra day."

While this makes me really quite happy because if they were misbehaving and driving her crazy, I'm sure she wouldn't be asking for more. They hardly ever get to visit with their Uncle Marc, Aunt Gigi and Carrie Beth, so I'm really glad they've had a nice stay. But I am definitely ready to see my kids! But this does give me one more day to rest a little bit before driving back and forth to and from Chattanooga, and that's probably a good thing.

Bradley was so funny when I talked to him this morning. Gena told me that when she asked him if he would like to stay one more day, he said, "Yes, I would. But after that, it's time to go home." Apparently there is a threshold somewhere. When I talked to him, he told me that he had a dream last night and Bryant was in it. He (Bradley) was sitting in the corner of a room, and Bryant walked up to him and said, "Silver and jewels are worthless next to me." Even if he's not torn up over missing me, I think he's definitely ready to see his baby bro.

Silver and jewels vs. the love of your children. No contest.