Oh, Baby!

For any readers who may also read Katy's blog, Our Daisy Life, you'll know that we are expecting our third munchkin in January. At this point, we don't know if its another girly or that coveted manchild. I have a secret to tell you....come closer....closer.....shhhh...

I don't care whether its a boy or a girl!

Really, I don't. At one point in my life, I would tell you with certainty that I needed that manchild to pass the hunter/gatherer skills to, to teach to camp and fish and love the outdoors as much as I do, to be interested in "boy things" like video games and rassling. But as my two precious angels have gotten older, I've realized two things:

1. Girls can like that stuff as much as boys. Hannah loves camping and video games and Josie loves rassling with dad.
2. It doesn't matter what gender a kid is, he/she will like the things that he/she will like. There's no guarantee, should we have a boy, that he won't be interested in dolls and dressup instead of guns and trucks.

So, would I like to have a boy? Sure, if nothing else than to help to balance the estrogen in the house with a little testosterone. But I will be just as happy with another healthy, beautiful baby girl.

Summertime

I know that parts of the country are having cold snaps and even, gulp, snow! But, here in Arizona, its starting to warm up.  Tomorrow's forecast calls for 90 degrees!  Those who know me, know that I'm not originally from Arizona. I moved here from Illinois when I was 19.  For all that Arizona has, Illinois has two things that Arizona does not - Spring and Fall.

In Arizona, it starts to get hot around mid-April and stays that way until mid-October.  From there, it "get's cold" with temperatures hovering in the mid-60s with periodic dips to the 40s.  Of course, this is only in the Valley. Northern Arizona gets nice and cold.

Anyway, my point is that its starting to get hot again here in the ol' Valley of the Sun.  And hearkening back to my youth when you had a "summer haircut" and a "winter haircut", I decided it was time to break out the "summer haircut".

Before:

 

After:

My new Facebook profile picture.

Become a 9-12er

Anyone remember how we felt on 9/12/2001? The entire country seemingly banded together to show a level of support and love for this country. Such an outpouring of patriotism hadn't been seen for many years before.

But what has happened to us since then? We, as a country, are more divided than we've been for a long time. The elected leaders of our country seem to grow more and more out of touch with their constituents and care only about their own agendas. The media constantly blares doom and gloom about war, the economy, illegal immigration and border violence, and climate change. Its not difficult to see how some people can become disenfranchised with their government.

Its because of this that radio and television host, Glenn Beck, has set up The 9-12 Project. In his words, it is a "place for you and other like-minded Americans looking for direction in taking back the control of our country. It is also a place to find information that will assist you in navigating the rough waters we face in the days, weeks and months ahead."

Before you think this is a Republican/Democrat thing or whatever, you should know what this project is based on. Mr. Beck has listed 9 founding principles and 12 eternal values (get it, 9-12?) that, if you agree with most of them, then you are a "9-12er". The principles and values are listed below:

9 Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the center of my life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law, you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

12 Values
1. Honesty
2. Reverence
3. Hope
4. Thrift
5. Humility
6. Charity
7. Sincerity
8. Moderation
9. Hard Work
10. Courage
11. Personal Responsibility
12. Gratitude

The idea behind the website and the "movement" is not a national centralized movement to boycott or whatever. The idea is to read and discuss the principles and values with your family and friends and decide what you can do. I believe this is a good cause and we can do a lot of good within our communities. And remember, We Surround Them.