Flag Day

'I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.'

Today is Flag Day...but did you know? I bet the majority of Americans didn't. In actuality we are in the middle of "Flag Week". A week long event to celebrate our flag, and to retire worn and tattered flags properly.

  Old Glory flies proudly over government offices, companies and residences as a show of our country's solidarity. Unlike the rest of the world, we do not have one set ethnicity..we are a melting pot united by one common bond: Our Flag

She is a symbol, of everything we have fought and died for since the founding of our country. To me she means patriotism, freedom, hope and courage.There is not a more beautiful  site then seeing her waving in the wind from atop a pole, hoist high above all else for everyone to see. I feel a surge of patriotism when I see her flying on board our Naval vessels, or worn on the uniforms of our service members fighting over seas.
There is also not a sight in the world that is more powerful or emotional then seeing her draped over a coffin of a fallen military member, then folded and handed to his or her family.
 And nothing incites anger in me more, then seeing her trampled on and burnt by people who hate us.

 She is emblazoned with 13 strips that represent the 13 original colonies, the red stripes represent the blood that was shed for our country, and the white for courage and sprituality. The stars of course represent our States that make up the United States of America.

Our flag means a lot of things to a lot of people, it means we are free to make choices, free to worship, free to be whatever we want to be. We have the right to make choices freely and express freely who we want to run our government without fear, and I know America will always defend that right.

So I am proud to look upon our flag, Senior and I have a pole erected in our front yard, a light shines on her at night so we never have to take her down. And when I see her, which is every day. I am thankful for the freedoms we still have in this great country..for she serves as my constant reminder that we are still one nation under God.

Dads Fathers Day Gift

While meeting Mr. Fred over the weekend, he showed us this book. It is collection of WW II stories and pictures from sailors, and soldiers that are from the piedmont area of the Carolinas. I knew upon flipping through it I knew  that it would be a good read and something my own Father who hails from Western South Carolina would love. While some of the experiences that are told are quite comical, more are realistic and will bring a tear to your eye.

So, I jumped on Amazon and ordered a copy. It arrives today in the mail. I am excited over the thrill I know he will have when he opens this gift from us on Fathers day.

My buddy Rob yesterday mentioned On my post about Merrils Marauders that someone should record and save these veterans stories for the future, well this is one book that does that..its an insightful read for anyone, especially if you have a connection to the Carolinas. 

Our Carolina Trip....

Senior, the kids and I are back from a brief vacation to visit family up in South and North Carolina. The weather was wonderful over the past weekend. Seeing my 81 year old Father n Law was great, he is doing well.

We stayed with my brother n law and his girlfriend and her family... She has 28 acres north of Charlotte with 2 homes at the front of the property. We did lots of talking and lots of catching up, it was nice to visit. Senior and I did roll our eyes a few times with his brother as he is a die hard Liberal...the kind that believes Obama can do no wrong. He does not examine the facts and believes everything he sees on the news. So the best thing Senior and I could do was just not discuss politics at all.

 The best part about the staying in her house was she had a Jacuzzi tub...the boys went nuts in it when I poured in some bubbles and turned on those jets..The girlfriend is a very eclectic person, every room was a different color and abstract art covered her walls. We first walked in to her home and incense was burning everywhere.. She is also very "lovey dovey"..everyone gets hugs and kisses...
and well senior and I just aren't the huggie kind of people...

We left there on Sunday and headed down to Columbia and took the kids to the Zoo...they loved it! Especially the Penguin exhibit...our youngest got a real kick out of watching them. Then it was to a local "Fudruckers" for a good burger...we had hoped to relax in the pool at our hotel, but mother nature had other plans, it seems  all the rains in Florida found us in the Carolinas. Of course Senior was a bit bummed, his beloved South Carolina Gamecocks were playing baseball in the super regionals and we did not know it, he would have loved tickets to that game, but again mother nature caused it to be postponed. He did get a good deal on some new Gamecock T-Shirts though...so all was better.  : )

So, we are now safely back home, doing lots of laundry and getting back to our routine., It is so nice to go away and have a change of scenery, but darned if its not even better to be back home and in your own bed..   : )

It Finally Came!

Yesterday was Christmas in June for me. My custom designed Pirate Girl Tire Cover came, along with matching T-Shirt. It looks so much better then what I expected, you really can't tell that it is airbrushed. They then put a shiney sealer and protectorant on it for longer endurance in the hot sun.

And this is my matching T-Shirt. Can't wait to wear it this coming weekend..

Our Ingenius 5 and 6 year olds

Our boys today showed how inventive they can be with the development of their own little battle rifles, kids can be so darn creative......Gosh they make their parents proud!  : )


The five year old built his own AR-15. Complete with front sites, trigger guard, and did a re-design and put the gas rail on the bottom of the gun... Cant wait to see how she fires at the range..  : )

Our 6 year old came up with his own design called the "Dragon Assault Pistol"  includes trigger guard and dragon site for optimal performance. Apparently the Dragon also serves two other distinct purposes which have never been seen in an assault weapon , first as a  flame thrower, but more importantly if you hold on really tight to the gun, the dragon can take flight and get you out of a battle zone.

Senior was totally impressed with both weapons and is now in contact with  firearm manufacturers across the country.   :  )

Senior and the Neighborhood Watch Program

Some members of our community decided some time ago to start a neighborhood watch program. This decision was made prior to the entire Zimmerman/Martin issue. Senior is a very involved member in our community, our little company even has the lawn care contract. He attends monthly board meetings and is very visible throughout the day in here.

Our community is home to some 300 + residences, a clubhouse, pool, and recreation fields. It is a very nice quiet place to live. We do have our issues though, mainly with kids vandalizing the pool and clubhouse areas. Therefore, some home owners thought it would be a fantastic idea to form this watch program. Senior was all on board for it.

Then the Zimmerman case happened, and the paranoia struck. No watch member in our community would be allowed to carry concealed weapons. Senior was not a happy man. They ( the watch board members) put it in to a SOP, and wanted everyone to sign.
Senior refused and removed himself as a neighborhood watch member. For that I am so proud of him. He voiced his reasons for quitting through a group email, and stated that in no law; state or federal is there anything saying neighborhood watch members can't carry concealed. This is all a knee jerk reaction to the case in Sanford, Florida. Technically, if Senior wanted to push it, he could take legal action.
The watch committee in our community is led by an ATF pencil pusher who has in not so many words labeled Senior as a "Vigilante" because he carries. Let me remind you all, that most ATF guys believe that civilians should not own a firearm.

Senior, even though he is not in the watch program receives email updates of their little "patrols" and I must say it is all very silly and entertaining. They are now getting T-Shirts made to identify themselves as "neighborhood watch". I believe that once a person puts on that shirt...it is going to empower the individual wearing it to go beyond the definition of a "neighborhood watch" member. They have also started "roving patrols". complete with note pads, and flashlights. All I am waiting on next is little red berets...  : )
I feel like it is becoming a community police force. A person can't walk up and down the street without someone in the watch program reporting it. ..racial profiling is all ready at work with the descriptions I have seen via the emails.

But wait!!...no one can carry a concealed weapon...but can't anything become a weapon? That flashlight sure can, and so can the pen used for taking notes...again the thinking of liberal minded anti-gun activists! It  is enough to make you say "Grrrrrrr"

So, Senior and I will do what we have always done for the past 6 years ...sit in our garage, listen to the stereo at night and be our own neighborhood watch.....Stay tuned for updates...it could get interesting...

Last Day of School....

It is the last day of school for the boys. Once they walk out of the hallowed halls of their primary school we will have a First and Second grader..  (sniff sniff)
Where did this school year go? when did It pass me by? Oh, I know..it flew by on all those mornings I was up at 6am, yanking them out of bed, fixing breakfast and school lunches..arguing with them because no one had brushed their teeth. It passed me by when we were working on homework with our 6yr old and reading skills with the 5 yr. old.

Now, it is summer break ...Time to cool off in the sprinklers, have water gun fights. And stay up late around the fire pit roasting marshmallows. Summer is about playing with bugs and digging in the dirt for earth worms. Lets not forget going to the beach, playing in the waves, and building sand volcanoes...
Summer is the  time to head up to SC and see grandpaw, and throw rocks in his driveway, Eat ice cream, and watermelon and suck on popsicles and try our best to catch lightening bugs.

This is the time of year Senior and I  watch our boys enjoy the care free life of what being a kid means, and try not to think about them growing up and what their lives  and this world will be like when they are adults.

 This summer our oldest finally gets his own room, while he is excited about his "own space" It is making me terribly sad, I worry the youngest will miss his brother during the night. But, the time has come, and I am sure more often then not, we will find them bunked together. They are each others best friend, and as much as they fight...they also are dependent on one another. So, lots of transitions in our house this summer, growing up and growing out of things...  : (

The one thing mommy hopes...is she can survive it all.... ( sniff sniff)