West Fest and Other Doings

We went to the West Fest Parade on Saturday morning to see Jarom march with the band. After the parade, the band played four songs at the park. My favorite was the Indiana Jones theme song. Jarom is getting to be quite the trumpter. After the band was done and Jarom got a snowcone, we went home. It was hot! I felt sorry for the people who had booths and had to stay at the park.

We went back again at about 9:30 pm to watch the fireworks. They started when we were still wandering around trying to find a place to sit. Fortunately, there just happened to be an empty spot on the lawn right where we were, so we sat down and watched the fireworks. We were so close, we had to lay on the grass to see most of the fireworks. I couldn't believe how much smoke there was - Meagan said it looked like a scene from a war movie, with all the smoke. Jarom and Meagan both got hit by ashes in their eyes. I think next year we will sit farther away. The fireworks were pretty, so it was worth it.

Yesterday we went to mom and dad's for Byron's baby blessing. It was nice to see so many people I had not seen in a long time. I didn't realize how long it had been since we went to mom and dad's church until Amber got out of the car and had no idea how to get to the chapel. It was nice seeing Byron and seeing Ray's parents and sister again (and Sondra). Ray has a very nice family - what I've met of them.

Last Sunday we went up to Mueller Park with the whole family, too. I love Mueller Park. It was nice to see that there is actually water in the creek this year.

I Finally Learned How to Spell Fahrenheit

As I type, Cameron is downstairs playing his powertour guitar he got for Christmas. Wow, an electronic toy that has lasted 6 months and he still likes it. I am getting tired of hearing the same songs over and over again, but he is getting pretty good at it. It's basically guitar hero, without the game system (ie, computer screen).

Let's see, what's happened since my last post? I watched Fahrenheit 9/11. You know, I don't think Michael Moore is as crazy as the media makes him out to be. His Oscar acceptance speech kinda a freaked me out, but if even half the stuff in Fahrenheit 9/11 is true, I can understand his outrage. I can also imagine that George W really hates Michael Moore.

Now that George W's presidency is winding down, we can look forward to a new president. Or not. One of the librarians when I was returning the dvd to the library was telling David and me that she heard that no matter who gets elected as president, they're gonna make George W look good. Scary. One thing is for sure, our government is corrupt. I used to think that US Presidents were in the job to help us, not for self-serving reasons. Oh, was I naive! I guess the only real question is, what do we do about it? I haven't come up with a good answer for that yet.

I would go in to the story of why I wanted to watch Fahrenheit 9/11 in the first place, but it is time for me to go to work. Suffice it to say, if you haven't seen the movie yet, it's eye-opening. And perhaps a bit one-sided. Moore never goes in to all the bad stuff Sadam Hussein did - genocide and all, but it makes one wonder, is Bush any better than Hussein? I do have to say, it is "R" rated for a reason - war scenes. I had to fast forward thru those. I could never be a soldier. Anyway, it's worth a watch. Thank God America is still a land where we are allowed freedom speech!

I do have to say that even with all its faults, I still love this country. There are still alot of good things about the US and many good people who live here. I hope that everyone all over the world can say that of their own country.

You know what else? No matter what happens, it is good to know that everything is in God's hands and everything is gonna turn out ok. I don't know who said this quote, but I like it: "Faith is not knowing what the future holds, but knowing who holds the future."

42 . . . The Answer to Life, the Universe & Everything - and My Age Now

So, now I'm 42. I wonder, was Douglas Adams 42 when he wrote "Hitchhiker's Guide"?

My Birthday was yesterday. I did most of my Birthday-ish stuff on Saturday. My cute sister Sheri made me a gluten-free birthday cake that was so yummy, Amber liked it better than she liked David's regular cake. I think Amber ate half of my cake all by herself. This was the first year in several that I have actually had a birthday cake and my attempt to blow out the candles was quite dismal. After the first try, I still had 3 candles lit. It's a good thing my cake didn't have 42 candles on it - just 13, enough to spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

On Saturday night, David and I went to Panda Express for dinner. I love Panda Express because they have gluten free choices and never use MSG, so I don't have to remember to make a special request. We also went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. It was pretty good. I'd give it 3 out of 4 stars. Thank goodness it was better than "Temple of Doom," I don't like that movie - it's too gross. It was more along the lines of the 3rd Indy movie, but, unfortunately, no Sean Connery. I love Sean Connery and Harrison Ford together.

Mom, Dad and Sheri (and maybe David???) called last night and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. That was the highlight of my day!