Great Quotes from a Great Man!

His best is saved for last!!! - Don't forget it!


'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.'- Ronald Reagan

'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' - Ronald Reagan

'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' - Ronald Reagan

'Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.'- Ronald Reagan

'I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.' - Ronald Reagan

'The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination. ' - Ronald Reagan

'Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.' - Ronald Reagan

'The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.' - Ronald Reagan

'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.' - Ronald Reagan

'Government' s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases : If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.' - Ronald Reagan

'Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.' - Ronald Reagan

'No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.'- Ronald Reagan

'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.'- Ronald Reagan

"Freedom From Want," a painting by Norman Rockwell.

not just for kids to remember

Today on the Rush Limbaugh show a lady by the name of Jennifer James called in. She is a freelance writer for the (ultra-liberal) LA Times (boo, hiss). It was a complete shock to hear that she, as a conservative, wrote an article paying tribute to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock and that the Times actually published it in their "Kid's Reading Room." It's a great article and I thought I'd share it you all.


Remember that we need to be thanking God and his son, Christ Jesus, every day for this nation; Not just on Thanksgiving. This nation was founded for many reasons, but the most important was so that we could worship Him freely. It is a gift and a blessing that God gave to the men and women who braved much to come here, and that gift continues today. Let us not waste it!


It was Thanksgiving, and for the first time our whole family was together.
By Jennifer James November 23, 2008

It was Thanksgiving, and for the first time our whole family was together. Mom and Dad had to drive all night just to get here, but boy was it worth it! The Grandsters really know how to do it up right. The Grandsters being Grandpa and Grandma. We were all seated at the table, and I couldn't wait to dive into those mashed potatoes and gravy. And the smell of the turkey -- I thought I was going to faint with happiness.

"What's that, Mindy?" demanded my little cousin Sam. He can be such a pain. He is 8 years old, two years younger than I am.

"What's what?" I asked.

He pointed to a little paper cup containing just three kernels of corn beside Grandpa's plate. I opened my mouth to answer and then realized I didn't know. Ugh! How I hate admitting that I don't know something!

Grandma answered, "It is to pay tribute to the Pilgrims."


"But why three kernels?" asked the always curious Sam. Give it a rest, I thought.

Grandpa answered, "It reminds me of what a tough time the Pilgrims had. In the beginning, three kernels of corn was each person's daily food ration." The table got real quiet after he said that.


Grandpa continued, "Against all odds, they made a life for themselves in the wilderness. Let's talk more about it after dinner."

Sure enough, dinner was over and Sam wanted to know more.

"Squanto taught the Pilgrims to grow corn!" Sam exclaimed. He's never going to forget that -- he played Squanto in the Thanksgiving Day play at school.


"That's right," Grandpa said. "But at first the Pilgrims were terrified of the Indians, as they called them. Then one day a tribesman named Samoset ventured into their encampment. He was tall and dark and by many accounts quite handsome. Loudly and plainly he proclaimed, 'Welcome!' in perfect English."


"The Pilgrims must have freaked!" shouted Sam.


Grandpa laughed and agreed. "I'm sure you're right. He had learned the language from English fishermen. For the Pilgrims, life was a constant battle for survival. Later, Governor William Bradford made a decision. Instead of the colonists sharing their crops equally, he assigned a parcel of land to each family and told them they could keep whatever they produced for themselves."


"Then what happened?" asked Sam.


"At last the Pilgrims began to prosper. Governor William Bradford wrote in his book 'Of Plimoth Plantation,' 'This had very good success, for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.' "


"Shoot! If you can keep everything you make, of course you're going to work harder. Everybody knows that."


Grandpa answered, "The first seed had been planted for the American Revolution. People were free to practice their religions as they saw fit and were free to keep the fruits of their labor. This had never happened before in the history of mankind. In the words of William Bradford, 'As one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation.' "


"That William Bradford sounds like a pretty cool guy," said Sam.


"He was a pretty cool guy," Grandpa said with a chuckle.

growing up fast

It really is amazing to me how quickly time rolls by when you are looking at the life of your child. I would swear we just brought Livvie home from the hospital and now she's 3 years old and working on crafts for Christmas. In honor of my little girl, I will post a couple of pics taken of her latest creations.

Happy faces and Christmas ornaments

More Christmas trees for our home

Who wouldn't want more Christmas?!

A friend of mine asked if I would be posting pictures of our other trees ( I think she is in the Christmas spirit as well ). Ask and you shall receive!

My wife Lauren, and her little helper Olivia, did a great job getting them up and decorated. Thanks for all of your hard work girls!

Family Room (kids) Tree

Olivia's favorite Barney ornament

Master Bedroom Tree

Bathroom Tree (animal theme)

Olivia's Tree (very girly)

Closeup

Jack's Tree (all boy)

Closeup

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Now that the election is over, it's time for my family to turn our attentions elsewhere: Christmas!

For my wife and I, this is the best time of the year. We love Christmas. Over last weekend, I took the time to climb up into the attic and pull down all of our Christmas decor, which my wife worked hard to get up over the next couple of days. We have Christmas trees in almost every room of the house, including our bedroom, Livvie's, and Jack's. Christmas music has filled the house for a few days now.


It is NOT too early for Christmas!!!!


Everywhere I go, there are Scrooges! "It's too early", "I can't believe the stores have Christmas decorations out", "Can't we get through Thanksgiving first".

Repeat after me......It is NOT too early for Christmas!!!!

Yell if you must.......IT IS NOT TOO EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!


Living Room Tree

Election 2008

This is a battle cry to all those conservatives and independents that believe in this country and the principles this nation was founded on: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Never in my lifetime has there been a more important and defining moment facing the United States of America. These truths set forth by our Declaration of Independence and upheld by our Constitution are under severe attack by those who see our country as the biggest problem in the world and not as President Reagan did: America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere. These people wish to make drastic changes to our republic that will have lasting effects for decades to come. Whether or not they wish to weaken us purposely, that is what will happen to America if they are allowed to have unfettered power in Washington. Our Liberty will be infringed upon by high taxation, our Lives will be endangered by their push to weaken us militarily, and Pursuing Happiness will be the last thing on Americans minds as we work just to survive. In the minds of some, these are radical words, but make no mistake, these are radical people that could hold all federal power by the end of tomorrow evening.

Now is the time for these people to be stopped! Tomorrow is Election Day 2008. As citizens of the United States of America we have been given an unbelievable privilege and opportunity to cast votes that help determine the path that this country will take. VOTING IS NOT A RIGHT. You will not find it spelled out in any of the 27 amendments to the Constitution. Millions of people in this world do not have this sort of privilege and we must not take it for granted. If you haven't already, take serious time to think through the candidates and which direction they wish to lead us. Don't be a person that wastes your vote because it's a "historic moment" or because you like how they look or speak; think this through.

My position: I love this country. It was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and I believe as President Reagan did: we, as Americans, have the capacity now, as we have had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom. This nation is a true blessing from God and we must fight for it. The "last and greatest bastion of freedom." There is nowhere else to go if we allow this nation to be destroyed by Socialist/Marxist policy. We must stand up and say NO to this kind of "change."

I will be helping to support the election tomorrow in my county and I had the opportunity to vote in advance, but understand that this is worth waiting in line for. Your country and the lives of our children and grand-children are at stake. Conservatives: this is a fight that we can win! Don't pay any attention to reports from the media. Go Vote! Find as many people as you can and explain the issues to them. Then have them Go Vote! Remember the quote from Edmond Burke: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" While I don't believe these people to be evil, I believe this statement truly applies to the situation we face.

While I do not support all of the positions that he has held, I have already cast my vote for Sen. John McCain as my next President of the United States. Sen. McCain loves this nation and has already given so much to defend it. I believe he will work hard to protect this nation from all enemies "foreign and domestic." He is a man of faith that will work hard for the American people and a man we can be truly proud to call Mr. President.

McCain/Palin 2008