love/hate

My love/hate relationship with technology continues. I got an early Christmas present: Asus touch pad. It is sweet. I am really new to the app world and frankly don't know where to start. When we were in Billings, Tony waited in line at Best Buy for 5 hours to get it for me. How nice is that? It's been fun playing around with, tho. I have one app downloaded so far and it may be my only one: Angry Birds. This is the most stupidly addicting game ever!

So I've been loving that and then reality kicks in. Somehow, my email account was hacked and people on my contact list have been receiving emails from "me". It's in my name, but it's not really me. It's spam. I've gotten them from others in the past, but when it happens to you, it's a really helpless feeling. And angering. Why are there assholes out there who have nothing better to do than do stuff like this?! People like this, if caught deserve severe punishing in my book. I don't care who you are, if this is a fun hobby for you, let's erase your identity and memory for funzies and see how that feels! The microsoft people at hotmail have frozen my account for now while they verify some information I sent to them to get my account back, but it really makes me mad that I did nothing wrong and I have to suffer. What about the $#!+ who did this? What happens to them? Probably nothing. That's the thing with being online... you can be anyone at anytime. So, there's my hate. Right when I start to love technology, I'm reminded why I hate it!

So if you're reading this, and you're on my contact list, I'm sorry. I haven't emailed anyone in about a week and a half, so if you have something on your subject line from me recently, it isn't me. I was just telling someone the other day how glad I am to have the same email from day one and now it looks like it may have to change. We'll see. Again, sorry about all of this.

30 Days of Thankfulness

First off, I am such a slacker in the NFL department. I'm really sorry for this. And it would be such a great year for me to post stuff as my '9ers have one of the best records in the league! I've been watching regularly, however, so I am fully aware of what is going on and such. I'm truly missing Peyton Manning, as I'm sure the Colts nation is too.

Now, on to other things! As you should know, Thanksgiving is this Thursday. We are going to Billings to celebrate with my family. I honestly can't remember the last time I spent Thanksgiving or Christmas with them in Billings. I am really looking forward to this trip. As we get ready to reflect on how blessed we are, I thought I'd post mine here, one for each day of the month of November. I could probably go past 30 easily, but these stand out the most.

1. I am thankful for our beautiful daughter, Taryn Kennedy, born this year. She is healthy, sweet, and such a joy to our family.

2. I am thankful for my husband's health. It's sad how a major medical issue can make you appreciate a "normal" healthy day. This year has been a challenge for us, for sure, but we're stronger than ever as a couple and I am so glad Tony has recovered almost 100%!

3. I am so thankful for my family! They really are the reason we made it thru this year. Rick, Debbie, Dustin, Kim, Craig, and Heidi went above and beyond for us. I don't know if we'll ever be able to repay them or know how truly grateful I am for each of them. My mom and dad, and my awesome sister, Marcia checked on us often, send cards and balloons/flowers. Tho they weren't here all the time, their prayers and support were just as meaningful. But over all of that, they are all wonderful people to not only know, but be related to!

4. I am thankful for my friends. So many of them called or emailed to check on me. I want to single out a few as their friendship means more to me than anything. To Kris, no matter how long we go between face to face visits, we just pick up where we left off! I love that about us! To Amy, your emails always make me smile and I learn so much from you - your a wonderful example of a mom to me! To Joette, our friendship has really grown this past year. We are kindred spirits! To my sister, Marcia, you are my sister and greatest friend. I can express any thoughts or emotions to you and you just get me. You are a great listener, great advice giver, great mom, great everything. I'm so lucky to be your sister! To Heidi, as an adult, I was always looking for that "perfect" friend; someone to drink coffee with, someone to laugh about the silliest things with, share the latest with. My search ended when I met you. You really are my best friend! Thank you, ladies:). I'm a better person cuz I know all of you.

5. I am thankful for my jobs. I have 3 of them and enjoy the all tremendously. My home health job is fun and I really look forward to every day I go there. I have made some really great friends at the foot clinic and art center. These jobs keep me busy and grateful to be able to contribute financially to our family.

6. I am thankful for our vehicles. They run well and in about 18 months, will be paid off! I'm also thankful I have my dream car, '65 Mustang!

7. I am thankful for our warm, spacious home. Well, I could use an extra room or 2, but all and all, I love my house. It's fun to keep up and improve.

8. I am thankful for my husband, Tony. We met when I was 17. I have known and been with him for almost half of my life already! And you know what, I love him more and more the longer I'm with him. He is probably the funniest person I know, he tries very hard to be good to me, he is an excellent daddy, he's so handy around the house. He's the perfect husband. I'm blessed he chose me as his wife.

9. I am so thankful for Aria and Taryn. I was sick the other day and Aria was a little nurse to me. She was so sympathetic and helpful. She makes parenting so easy! She is just a real good kid. She's funny, sweet, and talented. I'm real blessed to be her mom. Taryn is a blessing, too. I'm learning so much as her mom, and it's so fun! I'm totally biased, but I have the best kids.

10. I'm thankful for Tony's jobs. He really is the breadwinner and he brings it! On top of being a great dad, husband, and all around fix-it guy, he's a wonderful provider for my family.

11. I'm thankful for my dogs. I really love my dogs! Sadie is over 10 years old, and it makes me sad to think that she has less time than more left with us, tho she certainly doesn't act like it. Riley is my girl. She's such a loyal dog and I love her devotion to me. Cooper, while he tries my patience, he's really a sweet dog. Aria pulls, tugs, and jumps all over him and he is very tolerant of her. That and they are all pretty good looking dogs, too. Again, I'm totally biased!

12. I'm really thankful for my parents. My dad is and always has been my hero. There's something to be said about someone when people still ask about him even tho he's been gone from this area for 13 years. My mom has a very tender spirit and sees the good in anyone or anything.

13. I'm thankful my brother came home safely from Iraq this past September. I am extremely proud of the military members of my family. It give me great pride to hang my flag in their honor every holiday.

14. I'm thankful to live in Montana. And be an American. We live in the best country in the world and the best state in the union.

15. I am thankful for my keurig coffee maker. I love that machine. It makes me delicious coffee every day. Whether it's love or addiction, I don't care! I love it!

16. I am thankful for Walmart. It has low prices and one stop shopping. I don't care who you are, there's something to be said after a long day at work and a long grocery list, to do it all in one building and then get home definitely has it's perks!

17. I am thankful for the NFL. Really. I love this game! I love the action, the suspense, all of it. I may not understand some things, but I get most of it and it's just a lot of fun for me.

18. I'm thankful our freezer is full of meat again for the year. We filled our deer tags and it's really our meat supply for the year for us.

19. I'm thankful I live in Joplin. I didn't always feels that way. We first moved here, I was one un-happy camper. But, with time and with kids, and a few people that came into my life, I am honestly content living where I do. It's safe and quiet.

20. I am thankful for smokers. Really. Next time you see a smoker thank them! They keep our taxes lower, they help pay for others health care. That is really nice of them. Granted, I'm married to one, but if there were no smokers, you and I would be paying a lot more in taxes. You better reconize and respect!

21. I'm thankful for my church and for their support this past summer. I am not able to be there often because of work and all, but I feel loved and cared for there. My desire is to help give back more, esp. once Taryn is a bit older.

22. I'm thankful that I can worship God as I wish in this country. While at times, I may feel oppressed by narrow-minded atheists and agnostics, we all are able to worship as we wish.

23. I am thankful I am a Christian. God revealed himself to me and I have been chosen by Him! Thank you Lord for a deep faith in you!

24. I am thankful for ears to hear wonderful music, eyes to see my beautiful daughters, legs to carry me thru the day, arms to hugs my husband, and voice to laugh at stupid, but humorous jokes.

25. I'm thankful for my LPN degree. I worked really hard for it and am really proud of it, too. No matter what may happen in life, I'll always have that to support myself and family.

26. I'm thankful for my TV and satellite. Is TV watching a hobby? For me, yes it is, as well as a friend and therapist. Is this healthy? Don't care.

27. I am thankful for the traveling opportunities I've had up to this point (if you know my husband, you'd understand why I'm grateful!). I've been to California, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Minnesota, Washington, and Hawaii.

28. I'm thankful for flat rate phone bills. When our phone company quit charging for every long distant call made, it was like winning the lottery. I can talk to my sister for hours and before these flat rates were put in place, well... our phone bills weren't very pretty. Now I talk and talk and talk, guilt free! Nice.

29. I was so thankful for the excellent care Tony and I both received while we were hospitalized. We had/have great doctors and our care was outstanding.

30. I am thankful to shoot a gun, buy a camper, ride a boat, play an organized sport, sing like a rock star in my car, pray to my Lord and Savior, sit on my deck, enjoy all 4 seasons of the year, love my family and friends, walk my dogs in a great town, state, country and have had 32 great years.

What are you thankful for? Happy Thanksgiving all!

Occupy Wall Street

My sister sent this to me. I've been meaning to post something on this. Dave took the words right out of my mouth (he does a much better job of it too!).

Dave's Take on Occupy Wall Street
By Dave Ramsey
"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Yeah, that's great. But what do you want? What are your goals? What are your demands? What result are you looking for?
The beauty of being vague is that anyone who has any emotion can get caught up in the excitement and join your crusade. They'll just get mad at something and assume that you're both mad about the same thing. Put a few hundred of these people together, and boom. You've got a crowd, a headline and a lot of attention … but no message.
A lot of people on Twitter are saying I totally agree with the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) demands and goals. The only problem is that I have no idea what their demands and goals are. And neither does anyone else. If all you ever do is stomp around, yell and hold up signs protesting a million different things, sure you'll get some attention, but over time, you'll just look foolish. You end up coming across like a three-year-old having a temper tantrum.
This is what's happening to the OWS movement. They're being discredited because no one has stepped forward and really stated what it is they're after. The whole group is coming across like a bunch of jacked-up, jobless, wannabe hippies. That's not going to change anything in this country. You've got to state your goals clearly if you want to accomplish something.
So in the absence of any clear goals, let me comment and offer some helpful advice in some areas that seem to be getting a lot of disorganized OWS attention.
"No Government Bailouts!"
Banks and big companies should not receive taxpayer money for a bailout while their CEOs are making hundreds of millions of dollars. If that's your gripe, then you're protesting in the wrong location. Pack up and head to Washington, D.C., to deliver your message to the current administration. Don't get me wrong—I totally support a company's freedom to pay their leaders well. I just don't believe that I, as a taxpayer, should subsidize those huge salaries in the form of taxpayer bailouts. I pay my own team members; I don't need to pay everyone else's too.
By the way, you may be shocked to learn that the Tea Party agrees with you on this one—and so do I.
"Down With Corporate Greed!"
Gordon Gekko was wrong. Greed is not good. Greed is bad—very bad. It's a spiritual disease, and it is a disease that sadly affects a lot of companies across the country. If you believe a specific company is acting purely out of greed, then don't just get mad—do something. Point out where and how they're greedy and let the world know. Stop doing business with them. If enough people listen to you, the company will get the message because you'll hit them where it hurts: the bottom line. If they don't get their act together, then they'll go out of business and another business will take their place.
But if you're saying that all businesses are greedy and that capitalism itself is evil and ineffective, then I'm sorry—you're just being stupid. You're being misled and misinformed by some of the louder voices around you. Are you wearing clothes? Have you eaten any food lately? Do you have an iPhone in your pocket to check in with Twitter and Facebook while you're out marching around? Good. All of those products and services are brought to you by quality companies dedicated to serving you well in a capitalistic system that works just fine.
"Wall Street Is Evil!"
If you have this painted on a sign, well, now you just look ignorant. Wall Street is a street that people drive on. The New York Stock Exchange is a building where people exchange stocks in New York. This is the flea market of the financial world. Don't turn Wall Street into some terrible monster attacking American citizens. It's just a road with some buildings on it.
But here's what happens. Sometimes when people don't understand something, they start to fear it. And as the fear grows, it turns into anger. But just because you don't understand something, you shouldn't see it as bad or frightening or a conspiracy. You should just think of it as an opportunity to learn something new—something that could actually be a blessing to you.
For example, imagine a group of natives out in the jungle in the farthest part of the world. I mean, picture a group of people who have never seen anyone outside of their tribe and have certainly never seen any kind of machine. What would they think if they saw a Red Cross helicopter land near them? And what would they think of the strange-looking men and women who jump out of the chopper and start walking toward them? They'd be freaked out! They wouldn't know or care if the Red Cross was there to help them with food or medicine. They'd think it was the end of the world or something because their minds would be totally blown!
I hate to say it, but a lot of OWS protestors are just about as uninformed as those jungle natives when it comes to how the American financial system works. A road and an office building. That's Wall Street.
"Wealth Redistribution Is the Answer!"
I've heard a lot about wealth redistribution over the past few years, and I'm sure you've heard it too. Call it whatever you want, but this is how it usually sounds to most Americans: "We are the 99% of Americans who don't have as much as the 1%, so we're mad and think the government should take their wealth and property away so that we can have a piece of it. Wealth inequality is a moral breakdown! We should all spread the money around so everyone gets a fair share!"
I have my toughest critique for those who believe this: You are a thief. When someone takes my money and gives me no say in the matter, that's called theft—whether they're using a gun or the government. At the core of this demand is envy. And that's not the same as jealousy. Jealousy just says, "I want what you have." Envy is a different beast. Envy says, "I don't think I can ever have what you have, so you shouldn't have it either." Decades of horrible economic teaching and the politics of envy have kept this monster alive and growing and moving forward.
This way of thinking makes you assume that all rich people are evil and have scammed their way into wealth. That may be true in the tale of Robin Hood, but I choose to live in the real world. Sure, there are some scoundrels, but the vast majority of successful men and women got that way by working hard and serving people—lots of people. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates changed the world in ways we're just now starting to realize. Their positive impact on the world has helped all of us live better lives, and they made fortunes for themselves by doing so. Why is it that you're holy if you help one person but evil if you help a million? That's just stupid.
A good friend of mine is a country music legend. He's made a bazillion dollars over his career, and he just bought a $400,000 car. He's worked like a crazy person his whole life, spending decades in tour buses, writing songs in the middle of the night, and entertaining enormous crowds of cheering fans. He paid a price to get there, and I'm happy for his success. Would it be right for me to walk into his house and demand my "fair share" of his wealth? Heck no! I'm a terrible singer! I didn't do one thing to contribute to his success, so why would I be entitled to a share of his wealth? He's given me years of entertainment through his music. That's my fair share of his hard work.
My problems aren't his fault. And my problems aren't McDonald's fault or Home Depot's fault or Walmart's fault, either. My problems are my fault! And the more people these companies serve, the more money they make—and that's none of my business! If you don't like McDonald's, then here's an idea: Don't eat there. But don't walk into the restaurant and demand a portion of their proceeds for the day.
When you scream, "I'm in the 99%!" you just look like a whiner. Those of us willing to pay the price to win look at you and shrug. Heck, when it comes to the music business, I'm in the 99% myself! But that doesn't mean I have to tear Toby Keith, Brad Paisley or even Kanye down. Oh, and a special note just for Kanye: Capitalism has been pretty good to you. I celebrate your success, but you look a little hypocritical protesting capitalism while wearing a $50,000 watch.
Celebrate the Land of Opportunity
This is the greatest country on the planet, but even here, you're not guaranteed wealth, talent, fame, a full head of hair or six-pack abs. Those things are not in the Constitution. You are, however, guaranteed the freedom to make your life what you want it to be. And when you do that, when you build your life around your dreams and passions and hard work, you're guaranteed the right to keep it. No one has the right to take it away from you.
So to summarize, I'm not very impressed at the moment. I'm not impressed by your temper fit. I'm not impressed at your lack of goals and focus. I'm not impressed by the fact that the only thing I see about your movement is ignorance, immaturity and envy. Grow up—and get a job.
Yes, there are jobs out there. There are jobs out there that haven't even been invented yet. Go create the next Facebook or Weed Eater. Go pick up so much dog poop that you can start your own fertilizer company. And stop complaining that companies are TOO RICH while also complaining that they aren't RICH ENOUGH to hire you! I've seen a lot of you guys. I wouldn't hire you, either. But if you take all of that energy and excitement and pour it into something new and creative, you'll get the chance to serve a whole lot of people really well, and over a decade or two, you'll get to become the very thing you're now protesting: rich people who actually earned their money.