God Bless all those who serve….

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.

Please watch this video (8 minutes) of the changing of the guard for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlingon National Cemetary.  It’s such precision and it’s beautiful to watch.  You can see why it’s one of the highest honors to perform this duty.

Today we had our final workshop out of town for our religion class.  I’ve now completed my entire Level 2 training.  Lean Green is done with the workshops, but still has to take all of the classes.  The workshops are always out of town, but the classes are in town.

We had plans to look at new cars while we were out of town.  The dealers here suck!!  We were going to look in town where the workshop was held, but decided to go another 30 minutes up the road where they have a great reputation.  That was probably our first mistake!!

We went to look at a Chevy Cobalt.  They’re great little cars and have super milage.  It’d be perfect for hubby getting back and forth to work.  So, we test drove one, but I wasn’t really happy with it.  It was just a plain model.  With any options, it was pretty expensive.  We decided to walk and look.  Next mistake!!

It didn’t take long to realize that a nice Malibu cost the same thing as a loaded Cobalt.  The milage is close to the same thing.  Difference is, the Malibu is a whole lot more car.  The finance guy told our salesman to let us test drive it and he’d work up paperwork on the Malibu and see if he could get it as close to our budget as the Cobalt was.  When we got back, he practically came running out the door.  I knew something was up.

He told me that he got us approved for 3.9% interest on the financing and had the payments slightly above what our goal was.  Oh, and the 3.9% was through GMAC, not a bank.  Need-less-to-say, I was stoked!!  I’ve been working hard on our bills and trying to fix our credit.  I knew something was getting better when I got a notice from one of the credit cards that they’d increased our credit limit by $1,000.  That’s just not happening to people much right now.  We knew we’d never use it, but it’s nice to know that it’s there and that’d I’d gotten us back in that condition to be offered it!!

So anyway, I tell the finance guy that we need to talk, so he says “sure” and grabs the salesman and they go back inside.  I called my dad, of course, and he thinks we’re onto a great deal.  Hubby and I discuss it further and it’s pretty much up to me.  I pay all the bills and know what we can and can’t handle.  I ask him if he likes the car….he says “no, I love it”!!  Well that pretty much makes up my mind, so I tell him it’s time to go in and get ourselves in debt again!!

We’re now proudly in debt and the owners of a silver 2010 Chevrolet Malibu!!

It’s an awesome car and it’s already so fun!!  I can’t wait to play with it more and learn some of the features to it.  I do know that it has something like 457 computer chips (computer run areas) in the car.  That’s alot!!  HAHA  She’s a beauty and we’re so glad that we did this.  We have so much to be thanful for and especially all that God has provided for us to be able to do this.

BUY AMERICAN!! 

(Foriegn cars, especially Japanese,  suck!!)

We were on our way on post to pick The Man up from work when we heard on the news that there’d been a shooting at Ft. Hood, TX.  The first reports sounded horrible.  Then, as we waited, more reports came it and it was even worse than expected.

All our thoughts and prayers to out to the families on Ft. Hood.  I just can’t imagine what would make someone do something like this.  It’s so shocking.  We know people there and will be waiting patiently not so patiently to find out if they’re alright.  We know for sure that it’s possible that one of them was being processed.

Thank goodness for the heroes that took down the bad guy and probably saved many lives.  Please pray for these soldiers and their families.  Even if you don’t believe in what we do, at least believe in the men and women that serve and go through ordeals like this that are even more senseless than war.

I just want to let everyone know that I’m trying really hard to catch up with all my blog posts.  As well as doing that, I’m going to be getting caught up on comments and checking out everyone’s blogs.  As you can tell by looking at my calendar, I haven’t even been blogging much myself, much less reading up on everyone else. 

Things have been fairly busy for us and life seems to keep stepping in.  Other than that, I just don’t have the same love for blogging that I did for awhile.  It all started around the time that someone decided that they could judge me and report me for the Disney games.  I knew when I started the blog that it was open and anyone could read, comment, and let themselvse in.  I just didn’t think that something like a little FREE game for kids could turn someone into a JERK!! 

Anyway, that just sort of took the wind out of my sails.  I didn’t find enjoyment in doing something that I once did for myself.  While doing it for myself, I felt I was helping others.  Now, I just seem to play catch-up in the blog world.

For those that have left comments, tried my recipes and so on…..I deeply appreciate it.  I’ve read all the comments, but I haven’t gotten back around to replying.  I had plans to do so this coming weekend, but it’s turned into a very busy weekend for us.  Hubby and I will be attending our final workshop for teaching religion class.  Once the workshop is done, I’ll have completed my complete Level 2 training.  Hubby still has to take the classes, but his workshops will be done.  YAY!!

Then we have a busy Sunday, but that’s always a good thing.  Well, for the most part!!  HAHA

Please continue to read, leave comments and I promise that I’ll be getting back around to my blog routine.  It’ s just taking more time than I expected.  I appreciate you all!!

So you might be asking what Saints and Talladega have in common.  Well, some of you might even be asking what Talladega is.  HAHA

First of all, today is a day that they both share in common this year.  Today is the race at Talladega Super Speedway and it’s also All Saint’s Day.

For Catholics, today is  day that we celebrate all the saints in Heaven.  We remember that we want to live as those saints did, not just today but every day.  In a way, it’s our own celebration of the “good” after Halloween.  There’s more to it than that, but it’s a very general explanation. 

For today, it’s also proof that God and those saints watch over NASCAR drivers. 

There is usually always one huge wreck at Talladega, know as “the big one”.  For this wreck, it usually takes a out a large number of the field because the cars are too damaged to get back on the track.  These wrecks are a HUGE excitement factor to the race.  Nobody ever wants to see a wreck, but you just can’t stop the thrill that it adds.  So this year, there really was no “big one”, but there was not one, but 2 major wrecks. 

The first involved Ryan Newman being flipped and landing on his roof.  Not just landing, but sliding on the roof.  He came out totally unharmed and safe.  Mark one up to God and NASCAR safety features.  The race resumes with  3 laps to go….known as “green, white, checkered”…..and there’s another wreck.  But not just a wreck, another flip.  This one was Mark Martin flying through the air.  He walked away.  Mark another one up to God and NASCAR safety.

Ryan Newman flips and lands on the roof

 

Mark Martin is upside down

Yep, God was looking after those NASCAR boys!!  It also says alot about NASCAR safety features.  I just wish they’d let them get out there and race.  Single file around and around is ssoooo boring.  It’s too bad that it takes “the big one” to make it interesting!!

Some of you might ask, what should we do on Halloween?? Well, this is how my family celebrates Halloween.

This year, hubby had to work….yes on Saturday and Halloween.  (But it’s alright…..it’s overtime!!)  After he got home, he and kiddo went to Sonic to pick up dinner.  We’ve eaten at Sonic any year that Miss K didn’t go trick-or-treating.  That’s been most of them, but not because we wouldn’t let her.  It just was never that big of an issue to her.  We also didn’t let her go if it was cold or nasty. 

While we’re eatting dinner, we watch a movie.  Usually something suspense or thriller.  None of us are really horror fans.  This year, it was “Jurassic Park”.  We’d actually watched the first one last weekend, so we watched parts II and III tonight!!  It’s a favorite of mine and you can’t tell me that some of those dinos aren’t scarey!!

We sit all curled up on the bed watching the movie and enjoying time together.  We generally don’t have trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood.  Even when kiddo was little, we usually went someplace else to get candy.  This year, the doorbell rang twice.  I felt so bad not having anything to give, but we just don’t get kids here.  Plus, the parents weren’t very fair to those kids sending them up to any house.  It’s common practice to only visit house with the outside lights on.  It’s always been that way!!  Anyway, at least it was only twice!!

So, that’s how our family generally celebrates Halloween.  Not very spook-tacular, but fun for us!!  How does your family celebrate Halloween??

The new photography contest has started for the class that Miss K is taking.  More of the students participated this time and there’s some really good entries.  The category for this contest is “strength” and it’s amazing the wide range of photos that one category brought.  I’m going to post the letter from the teacher and I hope that you go check out all the great photos that these kids took.

 Hello,

Our home school photography class is having another contest. The winner of the last contest (entry #1 – Jenifer) chose “strength” to be the topic for this contest – so the topic is STRENGTH. It’s interesting how differently it can be defined by different people. And for those of you who aren’t familiar with our class – it’s a home school photography class and we have students from age 11 on up. (if anyone is younger than 11 feel free to correct me) We’ve been working hard and learning a lot – but for the most part – it’s a beginner’s class and most students have the bare minimum when it comes to equipment. I am, however, seeing big improvements in their work.

Anyway – to see the pictures go to:
http://www.seemyprints.com/photographer.asp?accountid=8000248

And enter the word STRENGTH

Choose the pictures you think most deserves to win and e-mail your choice to me at patty.patterson@sbcglobal.net

I will count one vote per e-mail address. Please vote by midnight, Sunday, Nov. 1st.

 

Thanks so much,
Patty

 

Of course, I can’t tell you which one belongs to Miss K.  That wouldn’t be fair, but I think that anyone that knows her will know which one is her photo.  Also, the co-teacher has submitted photos.  She’s the one that won the first contest and got to pick the topic for this new contest.  That’s the prize!!

Enjoy the photos!!

 

Tonight was a really easy night for religious education.  I printed off a couple things to be done in class, but I knew we probably wouldn’t get to them.  The high school students did a presentation for the entire religious education program.

They were set up with 2 students per station.  One person led each class around to each station.  The 2 students at the station gave a presentation on what a saint was and information on certain saints.  At each station, the kids were given a page to put in a book at the end.  When completed, they had a complete little book of saints.

This worked out really well and the kids enjoyed it.  It’s a great way to introduce the students to All Saints Day and have the older kids do “community service”.  At the end, they were each given a big bag of candy and sent back to class.  That left just enough time to say prayer and put one of the pages in their folders for homework.

The end of class and the night.  Doesn’t get much easier than that!!

I’m so proud!!  Miss K is now certified by the Red Cross in CPR and First Aid.  This is a class that I set-up for the homeschool group.  I was really happy to do it, although it had it’s trials during the process.  It all worked out great and there’s a great group of kids that can now save a person’s life.

Can anyone say that you can have a class like that in public, or even private school??  I don’t think so!!

She’s got her certification cards and she’s supposed to carry them with her.  I plan on laminating them to help them last longer and withstand life in her purse!!  To my knowledge, everyone in her class passed both parts of the test.  There’s also a class next week and I’m hoping that they do as well.  I’m so glad they had this class because at one time, I was certified as well.  Things sure have changed though!!

I thought the class was CPR only, but it turns out that it included first aid too.  So that means that she’s certified in adult, child, and infant CPR.  Since the class included first aid, she’s certified in that too.  They’re 2 separate cards.  CPR has to be renewed in a year and first aid is good for 3 years.   

You go Miss K….I’m so proud of you!!

I know I haven’t blogged in a long time, but here are some pictures I took with my photography class.  We took a photo walking journey through a park on post.  I really love photography and I have learned so much about it.  I hope you enjoy the walk as much as I did and see the beauty through my pictures.

Wild Berries

Which path will you take?

Can you see through the forest?