Well, the exact amount of alligators that Jared has spotted comes to, and I quote, "lots." Amazingly, the count for cottonmouths and containers is precisely the same, which leads me to believe this may actually be a secret military counting code, and my husband has forgotten to share the translation with me. Yeah. I, in all my recent travels, have seen a genuine pumpkin-seed-eating squirrel. He [she?] left all manner of partially gutted pumpkins all around Red Butte Gardens, and we were privileged enough to witness the actions causing the pumpkin carnage.
Jared's ETA back in Utah is also less than precise: sometime after Saturday, and definitely before Halloween, depending on which plane flight he and his vehicle are assigned to, and whether or not they end up driving back. The good [and sort of weird] news is that we have shirt-tail relatives there in Texas, where he's currently staying. My brother's wife's father's parents live in Silsbee. No, seriously, Amber's grandparents do live there. Like I said, weird. I mean, Texas is a HUGE state, and Silsbee is a small town- what are the chances? Anyway, they got in touch w/Jared to see if he needed anything before he left.
Jared's mom organized a donation to the LDS Humanitarian Aid in memory of Myles' 2nd birthday. She and my FIL drove over to my house today, with a big clothes basket full of outfits, and we went shopping with the money that was donated and bought more clothing. We're taking all of these to the donation center tomorrow.
******WARNING: I am about to step on my soapbox******
And, my latest pet peeve is complaining about the economy. It's not because I think it's doing stellar, but our society tends to believe what we see/hear on the news, and good news doesn't sell. So, a few quotes and definitions to bring some hope [and a reality check] into my life:
"The media has correctly predicted 36 of the last 2 recessions." -Zig Zigler oh how very true this is!
"How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself. So always think positively." -Norman Vincent Peale I need to forward this to my congressmen, and probably to the President as well...
Recession: A period of two consecutive quarters of negative GDP [gross domestic product] growth
"Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the second quarter of 2008, (that is, from the first quarter to the second quarter), according to final estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 0.9 percent." ***this was released on Friday, 26 September 2008 on the US Government's Bureau of Economic Analysis website
According to the definition of recession, we are not currently in one. :)The market and our economy are moving slower than a snail in molasses, but they are moving in a positive direction.
Oh, and one more statistic [from Dave Ramsey]: 97% of the 5-year periods in the stock market have made money. 100% of the 10-year periods in the stock market have made money; and this includes the Great Depression, the S&L failures, the dot-com crash, and 9-11.
I think we will weather this storm, and we'll be fine as a country. However, LOL, I am definitely looking for candidates who will balance the national/state/local budgets, and STOP SPENDING MONEY THEY DON'T HAVE. And, I'm making sure I check how they voted for the idiotic [ooooh, I hate this bill] bail-out law that was passed this past week.
******now returning to the regularly scheduled blog******
Gratitude list:
* my ipod and the ability to listen to my music whenever I feel like it.
* the gifts and notes we've received as a family in remembrance of our Myles.
* email, so I can keep in touch with my friends.
* a photographic record of my life, however incomplete it may be.
* God
g'night. or morning. or whatever *yawning*
4 comments:
Thank you for your soapbox comments. I am tired of the panic and the media for contributing to the problem. I just wish it were easier for the general public to educate themselves.
What a great way to remember and honor Myles birthday.
Sorry I missed Myles birthday. I know that had to be so hard. Bless you, and the family.
Your soapbox, omg, I am so sick of it. If people would just sit tight, it will work out. Made Don promise not to open any of the statements, lol.
Will sure be glad when the elections are over....the negative ads drive me crazy.
That's a beautiful way to honor Myles' birthday. *hugs*
My own soapbox regarding the bailout...may I say I won't vote for the candidate who seemingly wants to let individual homeowners out of their mortgages...I was smart enough to buy a house I could afford with a loan I could afford. No one is offering to pay off my 30-year mortgage for me, and I don't think any stupid person who got a balloon loan for a too-expensive house should get off the hook they hung THEMSELVES on....at MY taxpayer's expense. I'm already paying for my own house; I don't need to pay for anyone else's.
There, I'll step off my own box now *bows* :)
I completely agree with your soapbox comments. Have you thought about starting a soap box blog? :) I think you are doing an amazing job honoring Myles and remembering his birthday. One day at a time...
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