When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her someplace expensive - so, I took her to a  gas station.

And then the fight started....

**************************************************************** 

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office  to apply for Social Security.   The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's license to verify my age.  I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home.   I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would  have to go home and come back later.  The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'.   So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair.   She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me' and she processed my Social Security application.  When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office.  She said, 'You should have dropped your pants.  You might have gotten disability, too'.

And then the fight started..... 

**************************************************************

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table.   My wife asked, 'Do you know her?' ''Yes,' I sighed, 'She's my old girlfriend.  I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since.'   'My God!' says my wife, 'Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?' 

And then the fight started.....

*************************************************************

I rear-ended a car this morning.   So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car.  You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny?  Yeah, well I couldn't believe it.... he was a DWARF!!!   He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted,   'I AM NOT HAPPY!!!'   So, I looked down at him and said, 'Well, then which one are you?'

And then the fight started.....

Ever feel like writing but really aren’t sure what you care to write about? Yeah. I’m there.

So I guess I’ll just update things for future reference. It may be a nice point to come back to later on.

Chase. Recently out of a couple of hospital stays (one physical, one mental health). The mental health was a 16 day acute stay back in April. The most recent was a life flight to the childrens’ hospital in Pittsburgh thanks to his attempt to escape groundation a day early by climbing out of the 2nd floor living room window. He ended up with ‘only’ a broken metatarsal, thank goodness. However his month long cast ‘groundation’ was a natural consequence even he couldn’t escape, not for lack of trying. He actually ended up with 2 casts since he put so much damage on the first one. He managed to spend his 11th birthday in the cast, which only dampened his spirits a little.

Conlan. Wow. He is nine years old and feeling every bit of thirteen. This is a child who is incredibly bright and uses it for devious methods. Perhaps it’s the testosterone, but I do have to say I worry about him attempting to follow in Chase’s footsteps. He was the first one out of the window the evening Chase attempted the escape and Conlan MADE it and bolted before ever witnessing his older brother tumbling down to the concrete below. I always knew Con was a bit of a Houdini, but blast it. He makes things that shouldn’t be easy LOOK easy and he’s learned to lie quite well. Those baby blue eyes are going to deceive a lot of young ladies in the future I fear. Then again, I’m hoping that with a bit more strictness and tough love, he may just grow out of this ‘stage’.

Chandler. Now here’s a little boy that all mothers dream of. Quiet, funny, intelligent, cute and quite loveable. Yes, I know he’s my son. But he’s truly unlike either of his older brothers. He loves to sit and read. He loves to draw. He enjoys riding his bike – which he is currently grounded from since he got hit by a car the other day while trying to cross the street without looking OR stopping. Thankfully he’s just fine with no injuries and the ‘being hit’ part was more like getting bumped. But on the whole, he’s a very good kid with a good head on his shoulders. He even apologized to the driver for scratching that nice shiny black hood.

Caleb. My strange little preemie duck. Quiet some days, literally barely speaking, other days can’t get him to stay quiet longer than 2 seconds. Still a bit of a whiner. LORD that drives me nuts, too. On the days he is most whiney, he will scream and whine about any little thing. You run into the room thinking he’s had an appendage surgically removed without benefit of anesthesia and yet its only someone took his spot on the sofa. Hey man, you snooze you lose is my motto. He’ll be in the first grade this coming school year and it’s going to feel so strange having only …..

Cian. He is my cutest little bug. Though he is also quite mischievous and doesn’t listen very well, I’m still quite infatuated with my ‘baby’. This baby turns five in December and won’t be starting to school until 2009 school year. His speech leaves a lot to be understood but with 5 older brothers to speak FOR him, he got a bit behind in needing to express himself. Not for lack of trying and not that he doesn’t have his own little language he’s created. Literally words that he has for certain things that if you don’t know him, will leave you quite frustrated trying to figure out just what it is that he is asking for. He’s quite the energetic little fellow and if you don’t have a firm grip on his hand you’re asking for a quick sprint in an effort to catch him. Yes, he runs FAST.

Me. I am me. I have come to terms with several things about my life and also several things about the past. Not that I don’t have a closet stock full of ghosts and skeletons to come haunt me whenever the time is least likely to be right, but those are dealt with on a ‘as needed’ basis. I still have my health for the most part (minus a few organs that weren’t really needed I guess) and I’m almost making it from one month to the next, with a little stress thrown in for good measure, just to make sure I’m in top form. I’ve gone back to my mostly reclusive habits and that seems to suit me. I’m not the most outgoing person you’ll ever meet and while a bit on the shy side – as far as introducing myself to others – I’m usually fairly receptive to new people. I think I’ve just managed to accept, at long last, that my journey in this life is meant to be mostly on my own, with people intertwining their lives with mine here and there. Whether its for my benefit, or theirs, or perhaps for both I haven’t figured out. I’ll leave that one to the man upstairs and just keep putting one foot in front of the other until its time for me to leave this blue ball of dust we live on. Living one day at a time (still working on that - type A personality doncha know) and loving my children for who they are.

Just a song I have liked for awhile. Vid is pretty decent.

One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap.

Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance, anchors, and reads her book. Along comes a Game Warden in his boat.

He pulls up alongside the woman and says, 'Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?'

Reading a book,' she replies, (thinking, 'Isn't that obvious?')

'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her.'

'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading'

'Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up.'

'For reading a book,' she replies,

'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her again.

'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading'

'Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up.'

'If you do that, I'll have to charge you with Sexual assault,' says the woman.

'But I haven't even touched you,' says the game warden.

'That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.'

'Have a nice day ma'am,' and he left.

Just because I think this is pretty nifty

 

Prison vs. Work

Just in case you ever get these two environments mixed up, this should make things a little bit clearer.

At Prison: You spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell
At Work: You spend the majority of your time in an 6X6 cubicle /office

At Prison: You get three meals a day fully paid for
At Work: You get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it

At Prison: You get time off for good behavior
At Work: You get more work for Good behavior

At Prison: The guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you
At Work: You must often carry a security card and open all the doors for yourself

At Prison: You can watch TV and play games
At Work: You could get fired for watching TV and playing games

At Prison: You get your own toilet
At Work: You have to share the toilet with some people who pee on the seat

At Prison: They allow your family and friends to visit
At Work: You aren't even supposed to speak to your family

At Prison: All expenses are paid by the taxpayers, with no work required
At Work: You get to pay all your expenses to go to work, and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners

At Prison: You spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out
At Work: You spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars

At Prison: You must deal with sadistic wardens
At Work: They are called managers

Now get back to work. You're not getting paid to read blogs.

Been around awhile, but worth reading again.

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this!

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. If you agree, pass it on. If you can read this - Thank a teacher! If you are reading it in English -Thank a soldier!!

On 11 September 2001 a series of attacks were launched on America.
It was a day that many around the world would never forget.

30% of Americans cannot say with accuracy the year that the 9/11 attack happened.

Timeline
7:58 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 175 departs Boston for Los Angeles, carrying 56 passengers, two pilots, and seven flight attendants. The Boeing 767 is hijacked after takeoff and diverted to New York.

7:59 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 11 departs Boston for Los Angeles, carrying 81 passengers, two pilots, and nine flight attendants. This Boeing 767 is also hijacked and diverted to New York.

8:01 a.m. - United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757 carrying 38 passengers, two pilots, and five flight attendants, leaves Newark, N.J., for San Francisco.

8:10 a.m. - American Airlines Flight 77 departs Washington's Dulles International Airport for Los Angeles, carrying 58 passengers, two pilots, and four flight attendants. The Boeing 757 is hijacked after takeoff.

8:46 a.m. - American Flight 11 from Boston crashes into the North Tower at the World Trade Center.

It hit the building between the 95th and 103rd floors.

Thousands of people were already at their desks in both towers. About 80 chefs, waiters and kitchen porters were also in the Windows on the World restaurant on the 106th floor. Many who worked for firms located in the crash zone were killed instantly. Those on the floors above were already doomed, their escape routes cut off by fire.

9:03 a.m. - United Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the South Tower at the World Trade Center. - U.S. Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New York area airports.

United Airlines flight 175 crashed into the south tower 17 minutes later. The plane caused an explosion on impact and sent a plume of fire out of the opposite side of the building.

Many people in the south tower witnessed the first crash and were already trying to leave the building. Some office workers had been told to remain at their desks, resulting in possibly fatal delays. Some people above the fires chose to jump to their death rather than wait for the flames.

Hundreds of firefighters and police arrived at the scene to help the office workers escape.

9:21 a.m. - Bridges and tunnels leading into New York City are closed.

9:25 a.m. - All domestic flights are grounded by U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

9:45 a.m. - American Flight 77 crashes into The Pentagon.

 

10:05 a.m. - The South Tower at the World Trade Center collapses.

10:05 a.m. - The White House is evacuated.

10:10 a.m. - A large section of one side of The Pentagon collapses.

10:10 a.m. - United Flight 93 crashes in a wooded area in Pennsylvania, after passengers confront hijackers.

PASSENGERS AND CREW:  Christian Adams Lorraine G. Bay* Todd Beamer Alan Beaven Mark Bingham Deora Bodley Sandra W. Bradshaw* Marion Ruth Britton Thomas Burnett William Joseph Cashman Georgine Corrigan Patricia Cushing Capt. Jason M. Dahl* Joseph DeLuca Patrick Driscoll Edward P. Felt Jane C. Folger Colleen Fraser Andrew Garcia Jeremy Glick Kristin Gould Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Wanda A. Green* Donald Greene Linda Gronlund Richard J. Guadagno Leroy W. Homer Jr.* Toshiya Kuge CeeCee Ross Lyles* Hilda Marcin Waleska Martinez Nicole Carol Miller Louis Joseph Nacke II Donald Peterson Jean Peterson Mark "Mickey" Rothenberg Christine Ann Snyder John Talignani Honor Elizabeth Wainio Deborah Anne Jacobs Welsh*
* Denotes crew member

10:28 a.m. - The North Tower at the World Trade Center collapses.

 

Twenty-nine minutes later the north tower joined its twin. The floors "pancaked" down and crushed the many people who remained inside.

People on the ground ran for their lives as a cloud of debris hit the streets of lower Manhattan. The dust clouds coated the city.

After the collapse of the World Trade Center more than 5,000 people were declared missing. Rescuers worked around the clock, carefully searching the ruins in the hope of finding people alive. Five survivors were found in the first 24 hours.

Often people can survive for many days in collapsed buildings, but the weight of the floors and scale of the disaster made this possibility unlikely in New York. Initial hopes that many people would be discovered alive soon began to fade.

"Unless you were personally involved, most people forget about it until this time of year."  John Yates, a worker of the pentagon, one of the survivors of the attack on 9/11 says. 

"I tell my story so people won't forget. We should never forget."

"Never forget" is a frequent refrain among survivors of 9/11.

But it is one that Debra Wagner does not much care for.

Mrs Wagner, who was standing just one floor above John Yates in the Pentagon on 11 September 2001, wants the slogan to be "Always remember".

"I want them to remember the people who were in the Pentagon and the Trade Center and that field - the souls, the lives, what they brought to us.

"'Never forget' seems angry, a command. 'Always remember' is positive. It's an option," she says.

Jim Laychak is now president of the Pentagon memorial fund, which is raising money to build a commemoration at the site.

He agrees with Mr Yates that people who were not directly affected on 9/11 have largely moved on.

"It's tough for people to stay involved. Life goes on."

But, he says: "We have to remember how we felt that day, that horrible sick feeling when I realised my brother wasn't coming back."

And, he adds, people need to remember the positive aftermath of the attacks as well, "the compassion, people wanting to come together and support each other".

Losing his brother has changed his life, Mr Laychak is certain.

http://www.cantcryhardenough.com/  click here to be directed to a phenomenal site in tribute of the victims of 9/11.  It's truly a moving video and the song is awesome.

Strength is born in the deep silence of suffering hearts; not amidst joy. ~ Mrs. Hermans

Can't Cry Hard Enough
Performed By: Victoria Williams
Written By: David Williams & Marvin Etzioni
From the Album: Swing the Statue p & c 1990 Rough Trade Records

I'm going to live my life
Like every day's my last
Without a simple goodbye
It all goes by so fast

And now that you're gone
I can't cry hard enough
No I can't cry hard enough
For you to hear me now

I'm going to open my eyes
And see for the first time
I've let go of you like
A child letting go of his kite

There it goes up in the sky
There it goes beyond the clouds
For no reason why
I can't cry hard enough
No I can't cry hard enough
For you to hear me now

I'm going to look back in vain
And see you standing there
When all that remains
Is just an empty chair

And now that you're gone
I can't cry hard enough
No I can't cry hard enough
For you to hear me now

 

Joining the list of people who are moving in onto GRAB Way....

Based on the drawing and the 10 answers they gave this is a summary of their personality:
Your house tells the world that you ought to be a leader. You are good at making friends and when the joyful moment arrives, you make the most out of it. You are shy and reserved. If you've drawn a cross on each of windows, you always want to live alone. Once you have a problem, you need a friend with you. Your life is always full of changes.

When it comes to love, you shut yourself off. It's difficult to win your heart because you have decided to keep your feelings deep inside. You have a strong personality and you like to command, influence and control people.

You are not a romantic person by nature. It also safe to say that others don't see you as a flirt. You don't think much about yourself.

Chase is home on a 72 hour TCA (home visit). I picked him up yesterday evening and he will have to go back mid-day on Friday. So far, he's doing quite well, just a touch restless.

Conlan decided to wake everyone up again at yet one more unGodly hour. That seems to be his forte. He gets up incredibly early and decides he'd like company. Eventually, within 20 minutes of his eyes opening, the entire house is awake and cranky as hell. I have to find SOMETHING to get this kid to stay in his bed if he's going to wake up so early all the time. He never was a good one for sleeping. Even as a baby and young toddler there were sleep issues.

Chandler is LOVING school and looks forward every morning that he's able to get on the van and attend. And every afternoon he sits on the floor beside me and we do his homework together. He's pretty smart, but gives up fairly easily. Guess that's a simple male genetic marker. Can't argue with genetics, just try to overcome it.

Casey is actually making the grade in school yet again. Not that he has much choice about it, being in the leader program still. They pick him up directly after school where he does homework then he does the PT and whatever other classes, courses, pee tests, etc. they have scheduled for the day. He doesn't usually arrive home until between 8 and 8:30 at night.

Cian is hitting the 'terrible twos' hard and heavy, with a little extra teachings from his dear older brothers. He knows how to get into so much more than he should and for once I curse his intelligent little brain for picking up things so easily. However he's still able to cute his way out of most consequences, though a smack on the hand is usually sufficient punishment to help him understand that we DO NOT "_______" (whatever it is he does at the time to earn such a smack).

Caleb is well into learning his ABCs and 123s. He's catching on slowly but surely and I'm the one at a disadvantage, him being left handed and me not being left handed. Makes it a little more interesting on how to teach him to write his letters and numbers. But we're making it through. He should be completely ready for Kgarten next school year.

Me? I'm not really wanting to talk about me so much. I've had to make some difficult choices in my personal life that I'm not happy about, but it has become obvious to me that some things will not change. And there is only so much I can do to help get things rolling. I cannot fight for some things that don't want to be fought for, it's a rather futile effort. And banging my head against a brick wall might feel good at first, challenging even, but then after a few months it starts to hurt. So .... I'm dealing with yet another loss, another failure and trying to just get from one day to the next without breaking down and losing it. Having learned my lesson from experiences past, I know I will get through this. I just wish I understood why this time it's so much harder than all the other times I've failed in my life.

So that's the update on the Onder family. For whoever might read this silly blog and possibly even give a [censored].

Have a great day.

Copying from my friend Julie who copies from others .......... lol

http://kevan.org/johari?name=heart_reavor

http://kevan.org/nohari?name=heart_reavor

Again if you want to hear the music you'll need to click the play button. 

 

For those with delicate sensibilities, I've opted for non-autoplay.  If you want to hear the music you'll have to click the "play" button.

 

Holy Cripes I'm blogging!!!

Yes, the first day of school has arrived which means now that 3 of the boys are in school (Chase would be also but we know where HE is right now), I actually have a smidgeon of time on my hands to sit here and unabashedly BLOG.

I have already accomplished about half of my chore list and WOW does that feel GOOD!  I have plenty left to do, never doubt that.  But it's a good feeling to know that I'm halfway done with my days listed activities and it's not even 8:30 in the morning.  Holy wow.

I'm as excited for my boys as I am for myself.  Chandler begins his first 'real' year being a first grader and as it happens, he has the same teacher Conlan did last year.  Poor woman.  Did she do this to herself or was it mere luck?  Actually she really enjoyed Conlan when he wasn't acting up.  He is a sweet, likable kid who could charm the horns off the devil if he's in the right mood.  And Chandler is just as darling, once you get past his high-pitched mickey mouse voice.

And Conlan is a full-fledged second grader and is looking forward to meeting his new teacher.  Looking forward to a new year of fun, learning, and making new friends, meeting up with ones made from last year.

For me, it allows me more time to accomplish things throughout the day, time to work with Caleb on his pre-K learning, time to regroup throughout the day (even with a 2 year old and a 4 year old at home with me), time to see things from my children's eyes that I haven't thought about for years, time to enjoy the little things in life again.  Summer is enjoyable, however it's a chaotic, restless time for children.  They spend half their summer freedom enjoying being able to do whatever they want (for the most part, anyway) and the rest of the time they plague their caregivers because they're BORED.

However, the first day of school also signifies for me the end of an era and the beginning of a next.  Fall will be approaching before long, which just happens to be my favorite time of year.  The crispness to the air returns, the leaves scuttling along the road, the smell of chimney smoke as people once again think about staying warmer in the evenings instead of searching ways to cool down from a hot day.  The gradual shift of the climate, causing longer sleeves to be worn and the thought of jackets for those cool mornings.

It also represents holidays that will soon be arriving.  Halloween and costumes and the sounds of children laughing and shouting TRICK OR TREAT throughout the neighborhood.  Thanksgiving, a time to be think about the blessings in our life and how much we have as opposed to how much we don't.  A time to be truly grateful for the things in our lives that we take for granted every other day.

Then of course, Christmas.  OMG Christmas.  Can you really believe it's this close?  Have you thought about what you will be getting or making for those loved ones in your life?  Are you prepared for the nastiness of drivers (I don't get it, but it's true) around the season that is supposed to be the most joyous of the year?  The endless lines in the stores and the crankiness of people all struggling to get that one perfect gift?  When did it turn into this?  When did it become so commericalized and all about the presents under the tree?  When did we shift from being joyous and humbled by the birth of our Savior to rats in a maze, shopping shopping shopping, trying to get the gift that will most please and delight?  Shouldn't that holiday be about family, love and peace?

And as the year ends and we celebrate the last day of the year and the beginning of the next, we reflect on things that we have done with our last year.  Things we could have done better, things we are proud of ... accomplisments and trials gotten through.  We cast our eyes on the year approaching, and dream of what we hope to do.  Dreams of better times, a better year, a better us.  We make resolutions of newer, better, more happy selves.  It's a fresh foot foreward, it's a time to shed bad things and look forward with delight to newer, happier times.   Unfortately it can also be a time when people go out to celebrate a little too hard and wind up beginning the new year in tragedy.  I can only pray that the general population will try harder to celebrate with friends and family this year instead of taking their party on the road.

The first day of school.  For many reasons it represents to me more than just another ordinary day.  It's the end of summer.  It's the beginning of a new period.  And I embrace the thrill of the first day of school with all the enthusiasm of a small child.  I do not hang onto my childrens' hands, sorrowful that they aren't home with me.  I push them with a smile towards the van that picks them up, excited for them as they leave me for the day to engage in a whole new world of learning, of friends, and challenges.  I will be here when they come home, excited to tell me all about their day.  I will be here to help them with their homework.  I will be here to share in their learning and to encourage them to meet those challenges.  And I will stand back and allow them to make mistakes that they can learn from.  I will be their rock.  I will be the best mom I can be.

I can only pray that they understand when they're older how much my love for them has been.  Since the time they rested beneath my heart, fluttering kicks and ticklish movements, I have loved them.  Dreamed for them.

The first day of school.  What an awesome day!