Happy Birthday, Bailey!

September 2, 2001

September 2, 2007
Happy birthday, baby. I could never have imagined how beautiful, smart and fun you would be. You may feel like you should be six, but I can't understand how fast the time has gone.

I can't wait to see you become the woman God made you to be. I love you so very much.

This is the difference between Democrats in Congress and Republicans in Congress.

If you have managed to remain blissfully ignorant as to who this man is, congratulations. However, I'm sure you'll see much more of him over the next few days as this story works its way into a frenzy, so it seemed worth talking about.

If you just want the highlights, this is Senator Larry Craig from Idaho. He's a Republican. He's also apparently a closet homosexual who enjoys seeking out sex partners in airport bathrooms.

Unfortunately for Senator Craig, he attempted to proposition an undercover officer back in June, for which he was arrested and fined. Hoping to keep it under the radar and avoid public humiliation (which obviously hasn't worked out for him) he pled guilty, paid the fine and went on.

So, here's the thing. Now that this story is out there, Mr. Craig is claiming that the entire thing was a misunderstanding and that he didn't do anything wrong. When did sanity in this country completely disappear? Wasn't there a time where just being associated with a story like this would have been enough to make a Senator resign? He should have quietly stepped down and accepted the fact that his actions had found him out.

Instead, he argues that the reason his foot was rubbing up against the officer's under the stall is because he has a wide stride. Give me a break. And he wasn't making hand signals under the door, just merely reaching for a non-existent piece of paper that had fallen. As if this undercover officer just graduated from Moron Academy.

Sorry, Senator. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and this officer caught a really big fish. If you hadn't been doing anything wrong, you wouldn't have gotten arrested.

What sickens me is that because of the Clinton years, he'll be allowed to make his case and plead innocence. We were taught that sex is none of our business and has nothing to do with a man's professional life. Never mind that someone whose judgment is so cloudy as to find picking up strangers in a men's bathroom for some quality time a good idea, also has the power of a United States Senator. He has the power to make decisions that affect all of us, not just those poor potato growers in Idaho. Republican or Democrat means nothing in this case. The man should have resigned.

But we don't do that anymore in this country. We plead innocence and make up outlandish excuses for our behavior and it's everybody else's conspiracy to try to bring you down.

Up until now, I have refrained from talking about Michael Vick because the whole story has driven me crazy. Enough already, please. If he wasn't a famous quarterback, would anybody care about this? Yes, there are animal lovers everywhere who are disgusted by his conduct. But the point is that he was involved in illegal gambling and got busted for it. Sorry. Do the crime; pay the time.

But the reason I bring him up is that yesterday I finally cared about the story. I have no idea if Michael Vick found Jesus. That's none of my business. But I appreciate the fact that he didn't make excuses for himself. He didn't blame anyone else for his behavior. He owned up to the fact that he had screwed up, and he apologized for the hurt he had caused. There are so many people who could learn from this example. I REALLY hope this story is over now for a while. It's time to move on already.

It will be interesting to see how long the media allows Senator Craig to stay in office. I can't resist the obvious point that if he was a Democrat this story would go away much quicker. Why don't you spare us all, Senator, and do the right thing. It would do wonders for your image.

The Big Day

Today's the day my baby girl has been waiting for all summer. She finally got to ride the bus.

When I woke her up this morning, I said, "Bailey are you ready to ride the bus?" She sat straight up with a huge grin and said, "Yes!" I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but for now it's a great incentive to get her out of bed.

I didn't expect to cry, but as I was walking Bryant back to the house, somehow the tears just started to fall. Guess it's to be expected. A phase of her life is over as of today. So many phases to come.

I miss her already.

Look closely at the counter. This is what you get when you combine the stubborness of a 17-month old with a perception wise beyond his age and his mother's passion for Krispy Kreme. He can have a really long attention span when he wants to.

Best "Out of Office" Automatic E-mail Replies

My husband sent me these yesterday and I thought they were worth sharing. Have a great day! :)

1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
3. Sorry to have missed you, but I am at the doctor's having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
4. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over.)
7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
9. I've run away to join a different circus.
10. I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Loretta' instead of 'Steve'.

WARNING: This is not going to be a peppy post. If you are inclined to be depressed today, you should probably skip me and surf somewhere else.

I'm just not feeling all that peppy lately. Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's the fact that next year this country is going to elect a new president, and if Senator Thompson doesn't get on the ball and throw his hat in the ring, I think we're going to be out of luck for a viable Republican candidate. If I think about having to say "President Clinton" again, I may get a bleeding ulcer, so I'm not going to think about that now.

It could be the fact that Iran is getting more and more dangerous by the day, and no one in our media wants to acknowledge it, therefore most people have no idea what a serious threat to our security they have become. I have very little doubt that President Bush is going to do something about this threat before leaving office, especially if it looks like he's going to be handing the reins over to Mrs. Clinton. And when he does, to most people it's going to look like it came out of nowhere.

But I think what is bringing me down the most is what I've been reading in my chronological Bible. I am so looking forward to September 24, because that's the day we finally get to the New Testament, the birth of Jesus, the hope of the world. All summer I have been spending time with the prophets, particularly Isaiah and Jeremiah. At least in Isaiah, he often alludes to the coming of Christ. But Jeremiah is just one depressing book. Over and over again, God is telling His people, I'm not going to let you continue in your wickedness. You are about to be punished beyond your wildest nightmares. And then it happens.

But a passage I read a couple of nights ago has really gotten me thinking. It's in Ezekiel 16. I'm not going to write it out because it's long, but click here and you can read it for yourself.

I have never heard God speak about Israel this way before. I am not reading it with a commentary, so I could be completely wrong in my understanding. But it seems like he's talking about pulling His people out of Egypt, where they were enslaved. Then He took her as His bride, dressing her like a queen. And then she turned around and prostituted herself by following the gods of surrounding nations. God sounds so heartbroken and righteously indignant throughout these passages. A few chapters later He is basically saying, "Don't come to me after you've been worshipping your idols. How dare you ask me anything!"

Now, I've been thinking a lot about God's character throughout the prophets. Over and over the refrain is, "I, the LORD, have spoken!" Reading these books, one could get the idea that God is a frustrated parent who has no control over His children. His emotions are so raw, he seems almost... human. But I have to remind myself that I have no concept or understanding of the depths of my God. I am created in his image, not the other way around.

As my pastor preached on a few weeks ago, I think most of us have lost all concept of fearing God. We focus on grace, which is a fantastic message. I am all about grace. Without it, I would be lost with no hope. But I think we often go so far towards grace that we forget how truly vile sin is to our Father. It repulses Him. And yet, because I think I can get away with it, I often choose to sin and ask forgiveness, completely taking advantage of the free gift He has bestowed upon me.

I'm not saying that we should all walk around with our heads ducked, fearing that God is going to strike us with lightening at the slightest whim. But I think if I saw my sin through His eyes, I would think a little bit harder before I chose to go there.

It depresses me to think that I could disappoint Him in the same way the Israelites did. But I have something they didn't have. Christ in me, the hope of Glory. I'm overwhelmed by my need for Him, and His incredible compassion and patience with me.

One major change this week that I forgot to mention was that there are no more b-o-t-t-l-e-s in the Swords house anymore. Sorry, spelling it has become a habit this week.

It was past time, but we wanted to wait until all of our traveling was over this summer and we could settle into a new routine. He's not happy about it AT ALL. This look is one of the nicer ones he's given over the past two days.

Yesterday was rough. Today's been much better. It's hard to break a habit you have literally had your whole life!

Big changes this week. I'm holding it together because it still kind of feels like Mother's Day Out. Bailey only goes to kindergarten Tuesday and Thursday this week from 8:30 to 1. However, when she gets on the bus next Monday and is gone from 7:50 to 4:00, it's going to be a different story.

Everyone is growing up. Bryant's haircut makes him look at least 6 months older. Bailey is in big girl school. Bradley - I don't even want to talk about how much he's growing up. How can I have a third grader? I have to go to a different open house for him because he's an older elementary student. This completely caught me off guard.

I know Bailey is going to thrive in kindergarten. She's very, very excited about it. Since I homeschooled Bradley in kindergarten, this is my first experience with it. But I love where we are. I already love her teacher. I know it's going to be a great year. But it's a big adjustment.

If it weren't for Bryant, I might not be handling this quite so well! Four more years before I become a complete basket case. :)

bye bye curls :(

There is a fascinating article in the The Washington Times today about one of their headlines from 1922: "Arctic Ocean Getting Warm; Seals Vanish and Icebergs Melt." It discusses the fact that four of the ten hottest years on record in the U.S. were in the 1930s, with 1934 being the hottest.

With global warming being such a hot topic these days (no pun intended), it's always good to try and look for perspective. Here's my favorite quote of the article, from Marcus Aurelius:

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."

In fact, this might be my new favorite quote, period. I think I'll use it.

Those Romans were pretty smart dudes.

Beach Pics 2007

Never fun to take, but a joy to have!

Getting to take a goofy picture is a great reward for a job well done. These are a few of my favorites...

Apparently in 3rd grade, it's no longer cool for your mom to take your picture on the first day of school. Oh, well. Bailey starts next week.

Yesterday was also my parents' anniversary. It was their 40th!

Congratulations, Mom and Dad. You two showed me how it's done, and I'm forever grateful for the example. Love you bunches!

Twelve years ago...

... today, I married the man of my dreams.

I love you, Babe.

Please, God, let this be the last time he sports this hairdo.

Check this out. Great job, Tyler!

Greetings from Panama City Beach, FL! We've been here since Saturday afternoon and we're having a wonderful time. The beach has to be one of number one favorite things that God created. There is just something about sitting by the ocean and watching the waves roll that rejuvenates my spirit like few things can. I simply love it.

So far, Bryant seems to be enjoying it too. He's not so sure about the sand, and particularly doesn't like the way it tastes. But after a tutorial by Daddy and Poppa G, he has learned to like the waves. He likes to sit on the sand right at the water's edge and let the waves rush over his legs. It's been so fun to listen to him squeal each time.

This year Bradley has learned how to boogy board. He had a ton of fun and spent over an hour doing it a few days ago. His Aunt Gigi was out there with him for part of the time. I was impressed! The problem is that the sand and salt between his belly and the board rubbed his little stomach raw. He tried doing it the next day with a shirt on, but it didn't help much. It's apparently a rougher sport than it looks. But he really loved riding the waves and I'm sure he'll be back at it before the week's over.

Yesterday the men rented a pontoon boat for the day and spent the morning fishing. We met them at St. Andrew's Park around 11:30 and rode out to Shell Island. The guys grilled some amazing kabobs, and the kids had fun searching for shells and feeding the seagulls. It was a pretty fun way to spend my 34th birthday!

Bryant LOVED his life jacket. Whenever we tried to take it off of him he would start screaming and running away from us. Who knew?

On the way back to the park, we stopped in the bay so the kids could fish. Brad and Bailey caught something right off the bat. Here Bradley is using Carrie Beth's princess fishing pole. He ended up staying the rest of the afternoon with his daddy, uncle and granddaddy and got to use a more manly pole. He told me that at one point they were almost out of bait, and he saved the day by catching a sandcat. He felt like the king of the world!

Last night Jeff took me to Bonefish with my brother and sister-in-law and we had a great time. Bryant is such a pill to take out to dinner these days, getting to eat out with only adults is heaven! The waiter bought me dessert since it was my birthday. (So, Cheryl, I DID have some key lime pie for you!) We topped off the evening with a trip to Alvin's Island, the big one with the alligators and sharks.

After we got home, Jeff and I walked down to the beach and spent some time talking by the water's edge. It was a really great day. If I have to turn 34, I guess the beach is a pretty good consolation prize. :)

Hear it's pretty hot at home. Sorry friends! I'd have brought you all with me if I could have, really!

I received my Mandisa CD in the mail this week. It is AWESOME!! I love it, and I think my children do too. I just heard Bailey singing "Only the World" in her room this afternoon. There are some very hip-hop type tunes on there, as well as two beautiful slower songs with amazing lyrics. All of them in complete praise to the Father. I highly recommend the purchase.

It's funny, because a few weeks ago I got the Katherine McPhee CD. If you aren't a fan of American Idol (which I can't really claim to be anymore) you may not know that these two were both contestants last year. Both lost to Taylor Hicks, which is completely unexplainable.

Anyway, I enjoy Katherine McPhee's CD, but in a much different way. Her songs all reflect her search to find happiness, mostly through relationships with men. There are some really fun tunes, but some really empty ones as well. Bailey loves "Open Toes" because it has a fantastic beat and is fun to sing and dance to. But it's all about stuff. It's about her fascination with open-toed shoes (Never too many open toes; a girl needs plenty open toes.) The bridge says, "Nothing feels better than spending my treasure on me. Finally, I'm where I want to be." That's just a pretty hollow sentiment. (I must admit, though, I totally dig the second track, "Over It." It's a great song, even if it is about breaking up.)

But when you compare the two CDs, Mandisa's is way ahead in my book. She also sings about seeking happiness and fullfillment. But she's looking in a different place. And she's found it. She is a true beauty.

Reflecting that, her second track is called "True Beauty." It's about the difference in the way God sees beauty versus man. Part of the chorus goes, "What's inside of you; what's inside of me; The hands that made the moon and stars, the mountains and the seas; made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously..."

Bradley is in the backseat playing his gameboy. He says, ever so nonchalantly, "I don't want to see what's inside either one of us."

The kid makes me LAUGH!!!

As many of you know, when I was in Thailand back in June, I "bumped" into someone that I used to teach school with back in the '90s in Birmingham, AL. She lives in South Korea, but is assigned to the whole Pacific Rim as an education specialist. She travels around and visits with the Ms and offers any assistance she can with their children's schooling.

Anyway, she put me on her newsletter distribution. This morning I got an e-mail from her that I wanted to pass on because it's very thought-provoking. Please say a special prayer for our sister serving on the front lines today.
--------------
Dear Family and Friends,

As most of you know, twenty-three South Koreans were taken hostage recently in Afghanistan. These were people in their 20s and 30s from a Christian church here in Korea. They went to Afghanistan on a medical project to help the Afghani people, but the Taliban stopped their bus and took all 23 of them hostage. When this first happened, I said to a friend, “Oh, the Taliban will not kill any of them. It’s just a tactic.” The very next day the pastor accompanying the group was killed. I was shocked. I had been naïve to believe that they would not be killed, but I continued to believe that the crisis would be over quickly. Then they killed another male hostage and left his body on the side of the road to be found, and once again I was shocked. It’s an on-going crisis with no end in sight, and I have watched the family members of the hostages on Korean television begging for anyone and everyone to help…the Korean government, the Afghani government, the US government, the Taliban. It is heart wrenching to watch.

I have wondered if the hostages are able to be brave – reportedly, eighteen of them are women. I have wondered if they are scared or if they are resting in God’s amazing peace. I have wondered why?

I have given this a lot of thought. I’m not sure why this particular incident has given me so much to think about. I’m not sure what I am supposed to be learning thru this, but one thing keeps coming to mind…Do we count the costs? Do we think going on a short-term, one-week project just costs us a few vacation days and the costs of a plane ticket? When I went on those five one-week medical and dental mission trips to Honduras between 1987 and 1990, did I count the costs? Did I have a clue? How do we count the costs when we may not even know what it will cost us? What if it costs everything?

Lesson learned – I’m not sure what it is…still thinking…and pondering.

Have a blessed day!

P

For those of you living in the area, there is a brand new restaurant we found last night I have to tell you about. I'm going to refrain from using names or giving precise locations because I try to be a little cautious about putting information on here that would make it easy for a cyberpsycho to pinpoint where we live, since I do frequently post pics of my adorable kids. So think of it as an adventure. But if you know me and want to shoot me an e-mail, I'll tell you its name. ;)

Anyway, there is a new meat and three at the end of the strip mall that is anchored on the other end by a new Japanese steakhouse. (Right behind Walgreen's) Meat and 1 is $6.99, 2 is $7.99 and 3 is $8.99. This includes your bread and drink, so it's a great deal. But the super best part is that kids' meals are only 99 cents! That includes a drink, roll, 1/2 portion of meat and one side. Bailey got a chicken leg and mashed potatoes, roll and chocolate milk, and it was only a buck. You can't beat that unless you go to Applebee's on kids eat free night. And this was MUCH easier to get in and out of, and the food was delicious. We will definitely be frequenting this place.

As for the rest of you, if you are wondering why I haven't been writing about politics lately, it's because I've decided to ignore them for a while and see if they'll quit acting like a bunch of babies. Sometimes that works with my kids.

I'm disgusted by the whole entire thing, from the Congress to the White House to the media machine. I'm nauseated by the panting wolves outside John Roberts' hospital waiting with gleeful anticipation as to what could have caused him to have a seizure this week. How does it feel, Justice Roberts, to have hundreds of thousands of people, if they are generous, hoping that you will have a disease just debilitating enough to remove you from the Court? It reminds me of last year when Senator Tim Johnson had brain surgery and the Hill was abuzz with speculation over whether this would cause him to leave his Senate seat and upset the delicate Rep/Dem balance. There is nothing delicate about anything in Congress. Carnivores drooling at the mouth over any crumb of power they can snatch from anyone else's fingers.

While we constantly hear of President Bush's low approval ratings, currently hovering in the 30s, and we are led to believe that this should somehow make him bend over and do whatever Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid demand of him, we almost never hear that the approval rating of Congress is no better, equal to, if not lower, than that of the President's. Americans are fed up with all of them. At least this American is.

So this is me ignoring politics for a little while. Although the cat fight going on between Clinton, Obama and Edwards can be somewhat entertaining. But if they ever do another story about Hillary's cleavage, I may have to quit the news altogether.