Thursday, October 9, 2008

Get this election over...please!!

I decided that I don't want to make my blog a political forum of my beliefs anymore, mainly because I know that some of you reading this might have differing opinions and therefore might not be interested in visiting my blog anymore. I certainly hope that is not the case, because one of the freedoms we can enjoy as American's is expressing our opinions...but I digress.

However, I do want to post a fair and balanced blurb of opinion.

Recently, I was reading a post made by an Obama supporter on an online community in which I belong. This person was saying that certain John McCain supporters were making hateful and racist comments in regards to Barack Obama at a political rally this past week. Entirely inappropriate if you ask me. These people were clearly inciting hatred towards our Democratic nominee and that was way out of line. The author was saying that these comments could be attributed to John McCain's smear tactics and the message he sends to his supporters. Should they?

Now, I don't believe John McCain should apologize for comments made by supporters, just as I don't believe Barack Obama should apologize for offensive comments made by his supporters. Take Madonna. The other night at a concert at Madison Square Garden she said that "Sarah 'f-ing' Palin" would not be allowed at her concert. A total abuse of power to use the show as a means of promoting her position and inciting hatred. I'm sure there were McCain AND Obama supporters at the show that paid good money to see Madonna sing - not talk politics. So should we blame Obama's campaign tactics? Should we expect Obama to made a Public Service Announcement apologizing for Madonna's behavior? Absolutely not. No, in America we have personal responsibility and people themselves should be held accountable for what they say - not the candidates in which we respectively support.

The division between Republicans and Democrats at this time of the year can be very hostile. It's almost like we from two different countries fighting for our own deeply held beliefs. We are forgetting we are ALL Americans and we all want our country to prosper and do good in our world. There is no need for supporters of one party to hate on the other party and resort to name calling and pointing fingers. This goes for both Dems and Repubs. It's getting ugly and it's getting annoying!

Monday, October 6, 2008

This is funny!

I haven't watched SNL regularly since about 2001, but on Saturday night I was flipping the channels and came across the show and decided to watch a minute of it.

It was getting pretty bad so I was about to change the channel when a skit featuring a performance on The Lawrence Welk Show came on. Will and I used to watch the real Lawrence Welk show so I decided to watch the skit. I was literally belly laughing!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxj90S3REoI

Thursday, September 4, 2008

My favorite quotes from the RNC

I've been watching coverage of the RNC this past week and I've especially enjoyed the speeches. I've complied a few quotes that especially hit home for me or that I just found amusing.

I'll start with Senator Fred Thompson:

"Some -- some Washington pundits and middy -- media big shots are at a frenzy over the selection of a woman who has governed rather than just talked a good game on the Sunday talk shows and hit the Washington cocktail circuit."

"Now, being a POW certainly doesn't qualify anyone to be president, but it does reveal character. My friends this is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of our history have sought in their leaders: strength, courage, humility, wisdom, duty, honor."

"America needs a president who understands the nature of the world we live in, a president who feels no need to apologize for the United States of America."

"Now, our opponents tell us not to worry about their tax increases. They tell you they're not going to tax your family. No, they're just going to tax "businesses." So, unless you buy something from a business, like groceries or clothes or gasoline - or unless you get a paycheck from a business, a big business or a small business, don't worry, it's not going to affect you!"

Mitt Romney:

“And at Saddleback, after Barack Obama dodged and ducked every direct question, John McCain hit the nail on the head: radical Islam is evil, and he will defeat it! Republicans prefer straight talk to politically correct talk!”

"And I have -- I have one more recommendation for energy conservation: Let's keep Al Gore's private jet on the ground."

Mike Huckabee:

"I'm not a Republican because I grew up rich, but because I didn't want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me."

Rudy Giuliani:

"
On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer, and immersed himself in Chicago machine politics. Then he ran for the state legislature - where nearly 130 times he was unable to make a decision yes or no. He simply voted "present." As Mayor of New York City, I never got a chance to vote "present." And you know, when you're President of the United States, you can't just vote "present." You must make decisions."

"His rise is remarkable in its own right - it's the kind of thing that could happen only in America. But he's never run a city, never run a state, never run a business. He's never had to lead people in crisis. This is not a personal attack....it's a statement of fact - Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada."

"They would have you believe that this election is about 'change versus more of the same.' But that's really a false choice. Because "change" is not a destination ... just as "hope" is not a strategy."

Sarah Palin:

"But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."

"And there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state Senate."

"This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign."

"And though both Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, "fighting for you," let us face the matter squarely. There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you ... in places where winning means survival and defeat means death ... and that man is John McCain."

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Well last night we got home from our Labor Day in Wilmington and I already miss it. Sometimes I really wish I could live near the beach but then I realize that I wouldn't appreciate it as much as I do when I get to visit on occasion. In high school, I didn't realize how nice I had it living in a coastal area and having the beach in the summer. But once I moved to college, I saw how festive and FUN the coast was and longed to go back.

I tell Will that one day we'll retire at the beach but he plans on retiring in the mountains. We'll have to see about that one but we've got a long time to figure it all out.

I got a new local number: 704-930-3218. So my old one doesn't work anymore. Call me sometime!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Buffalo, etc.

I've been aware that I haven't posted on my blog in a long time. So here's a little update on life these last few weeks:

I did in fact make it home in one piece from Buffalo. It was fun seeing family although it was emotional saying "goodbye" to Mama. This was the church that held the memorial service. A lot of people turned up to honor her.

After the memorial service and graveside ceremony, we headed to the community house to have a big party. Very typical of our family. It was also nice to see my sisters. I haven't seen Melissa since Christmas since she lives in Los Angeles. Now that I live four hours from home, I don't see Hannah that often either.Hanging out with my cousins is always a blast. It's getting harder and harder to get everyone together nowadays. Here are 14 out of 16 cousins posing for a rare picture.

A lovely picture of Bananz. She's moving to college tomorrow (Appalachian State). I can't believe it. I remember her first day of kindergarten. That was the only year we were both in the same school (I was in 5th grade). She was so cute in her little jean outfit and her Pocahontas bookbag. But I digress...
I had to eventually come home, but with good reason...Will and I were celebrating a special occasion - 1 year anniversary. He brought me this when I got home from work one afternoon.
They were so pretty and lasted for about a week. Then they died and I had to throw them away. It was sad.


He took me out to a special dinner at Sullivan's. I had the best steak of my life there. Then to top it all off, we had an amazing chocolate creme brulee. I thought I was in heaven. Here's us before going out.


Monday, July 28, 2008

I hate flying

I'm flying to Buffalo on Friday for the weekend and I'm not looking forward to getting there. I hate flying for two reasons, 1) Because I'm afraid of crashing and 2) Because I get really, really airsick.

Now my dad is a career jet pilot so I have been accostomed to flying my whole life. Obviously it was a big part of my dad's life so therefore, we had countless opportunities to fly while growing up. I have even worked at an airport where private jets would fly in and we'd refuel them and provide other services. You would think that after so much exposure, I would almost be aloof to the idea of flying - but that's definitely not the case. Now I know that the chances of the plane crashing are very, very slim. I know you are more likely to get run over by a bus while walking down the street. Regardless, I am still scared of crashing because IF it does happen then you're pretty much dead.

When I do fly somewhere, I always have rituals to help me in remaining calm:

-Dramamine and anxiety medication are necessities. I must take 3-4 non-drowzy Dramamine's and a couple of anxiety pills before boarding. I keep them handy while I'm sitting in the plane and will chew on them when nervous tension arise.

-When boarding, I observe the exists and escape routes. I look for anything suspicious. I listen to the plane's engine for anything abnormal.

-I watch the flight attendants very closely. They will be the tell-tale sign if anything is wrong.

-In an attempt to distract myself, I look at Skymall magazine and try to pick out all the things I could use while sipping on my Gingerale.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Our trip to Miami

This past weekend we made the 11 hour drive to Miami for my cousin Jessica's wedding. Will and I left Thursday morning at 5:30 AM to head down there. We both aren't morning people but surprisingly we slept well that night and were rearing to go by morning. The trip down was uneventful with the exceptions of a few rain storms in FL and some bad traffic. We stopped for lunch in Flagler, FL at a Woody's BBQ. We both ordered the "Carolina BBQ" sandwich and interestingly, it wasn't bad! It tasted as authetic as you could imagine.

Here's some pictures of us driving:
I look pretty mean (I was just trying to drive carefully) and Will had to make a face right when I snapped the shot.


We got into Miami right about 5:30 PM and met up with my parents and Hannah. We were ready to eat and explore the city so we changed clothes and headed onto the Monorail to go to Bayside, a neat marketplace with outdoor restaurants and shops. We chose to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe and afterwards we sat outside and sipped on daquari's while listening to the live band. It was fun.

Friday the Fourth was the day of the wedding so we woke up and headed straight for the pool. We were there pretty much all day hanging out with some of our family members and working on our tans. Talk about vacation!



The wedding began at 5PM with the reception immediately following at the Marriott (where we were staying). We had a blast at the reception dancing and just being with everyone. Here's some pictures of before the ceremony and at the reception.



We left Miami the next morning to head back to NC. The way back was better than the way down, but sad because we wanted more time to vacation! Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Here's some cool pictures of Miami from our hotel room.