So I got this as a forward and for anyone who knows me knows that I REALLY REALLY hate pointless forwards that clog up my inbox. Its so funny how that happens when I don't forward something on that I didn't have the phone ring, get bad news, lose a friend, or even...gasp...die from not following through with what the forward wanted me to waste my time doing. That is just a side note soap box though. This is the real one.

I received a forward today and typically the forwards that I receive from this person drive me nuts cause they are typically pro-republican, anti-obama emails. At most they are annoying and I cant get my finger to the delete button fast enough. This one though I decided to actually read and look at.

See, I have always been proud to be an American and especially of our soldiers. It is something that I know I could not do myself and I enjoy my freedoms because of soldiers past, present and future. It really wasn't until my oldest brother entered the Navy that I became not only proud but protective of the subject. If you live in this country and you plan to stay in this country you need to thank an American soldier at any chance you get. The sacrifices that are made are many.
As my oldest brother returns from Kuwait and my two little brothers head off to Marine boot camp within two weeks of eachother I feel very strongly that this particular forward was important for me to post. I cried through most of it. If you dont feel like you can relate just imagine it being your brother, son, or husband.


It truly makes me proud to be an American. `

Killed in action the week before, the body of Staff Sergeant John C. Beale was returned to Falcon Field in Peachtree City , Georgia , just south of Atlanta , on June 11, 2009. The Henry County Police Department escorted the procession to the funeral home in McDonough , Georgia .A simple notice in local papers indicated the road route to be taken and the approximate time. Nowadays one can be led to believe that America no longer respects honor, and no longer honors sacrifice outside the military. Be it known that there are many places in this land where people still recognize the courage and impact of total self-sacrifice. Georgia remains one of those graceful places. The link below is a short travelogue of that day's remarkable and painful journey. But watch this only if you wish to have some of your faith in people restored.


http://blip.tv/play/AYGJ5h6YgmE

Thank you Justin!

You are much deserved of a blog post named after you. He took the stupid red line off of my blog layout. I am incredibly thankful for his knowledge. The only thing is, is that now Justin is a admin and contributor on my blog....so watch out for any odd posts or exceptionally good writing. It could be an imposter. ;-)

Wish I knew HTML

I really hate that I do not know HTML. I at least know what it is and I can recognize some of what is going on in it. I am mad that I will have to keep the stupid red bar across the top of this kick awesome layout because I dont know where it is hidden in the code.

This is my first effort to start blogging again.

Turns out this is my Thanksgiving post

No new news here. I have been delaying posting until something exciting was happening. I got nothing. Im praising God for every day he has allowed me to remain in my home because it truly has been a gift. Im thankful for my husband and his unrelenting willingness to do whatever it takes to provide for his family. We are nowhere in the clear but I am recognizing and Im really looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I really do think these are some of the best days of my life. My kids are young and still LOVE to do stuff with me. I am entertained by them and they allow me to do things that people without kids cant do.
Things such as:
Watching kids shows: Dont lie! You know that you have laughed at Phinneas and Ferb or danced to "Hot Dog Hot Dog Hot Diggity Dog." And even though somedays you wonder if gouging your eye out would be more entertaining then watching just one more episode of Yo Gabba Gabba...just remember that the party in your tummy is what convinced your child to even attempt to eat spinach and then they tried and now they like it!
Coloring and Art on your Fridge: Let's first start with coloring. What a great way to reduce stress...coloring a picture of My Little Pony. If you havent tried it you have to. I find myself asking my children if they want to color just so I can spend the time coloring. Same with crafts. I love making crafts! Cutting stuff out of foam or construction paper, using glue (or even better...glitter glue), googley eyes, colorful pipe cleaners, string, you name it! You'd be amazed what that white elementary glue can hold! And then the best part, the pride that both parent and child have hanging the art in the Gallery De Fridge. I have even taking to hanging other near and dear childrens art on my fridge! All the Picasso Pieces on earth couldnt hold the value that these pictures hold for me.
Playing Tag and Hide and Go Seek: Tell me this doesnt rock! The best part about tag is that when you play with the kids, typically, or at least my daughter, can't run because she is laughing so hard so much that she suddenly gets a very stunned look on her face and says "Mommy, I peed a little." Wouldnt trade it. I also have to note that I love their willingness to run aimlessly. Even when no game of tag is going on, they continue to run just because running is fun and unlike me, they dont have the fear of their ankle buckling below them or that every part of their anatomy is freely bouncing so they run with everything they have. My nephew does this well. I just love watching that.
My most favoritest ( btw, you can use made up words like favoritest when you have kids) part of Hide and Go Seek is when I seek. To pretend to look for these "well hidden" little ones and you cant possibly find them even with the giggles and whispering that you can hear clearly coming from the closet. Then the look on their faces when you find them. Snapshots in my brain.
Animal sounds: Tell me for what other reason would you need to make your best and loudest Oink!
Dancing and Singing around your House: Now I admit I dance and sing around my house regularly prior to kids and with or without an audience still, but nothing is like forming your own rock band with pots and pans, the broom as the guitar, and the hairbrush as the microphone. Watching kids interpretations of what band does is really amusing. I also love hearing the interpretations of the words. I will have to add some lyrics that Emma has made up when I can think of it.
Simple Prayers: It is funny when I dont have an adult audience the nervousness of praying out loud just goes away. Most nights I get the privilege of praying with my daughter before she goes to bed. The best part of those prayers for me is not only hearing her prayers which typically include praying for the United States of America and for Papa and that his legs heal, but I love my being freed of the pressure of prayer that makes perfect sense with big Godly words. It works to pray for things such as just for our family and keeping us safe and giving us happy sweet dreams. God knows our heart and I think that is evident when you pray with a child.

All in all, the best memories by far in my life are created with a child involved. Whether it was my own childhood or living life with my children. God has blessed me in this way and to this day I dont understand what I did to deserve it but I thank him everyday. Even with the simple prayer of thanking him for the blessing of a family.

See...I started this post not having anything to say. Goes to show that even when I have nothing to say I still have something to say.

Just thought this picture was funny. Dress up day at the Reimer house. Ry in Dog the Bounty Hunter costume ready to kick some tail, and Emma in her Miss Attitude Belle costume. This is a great representative of personality.

Election is over....YAY!!! The last few days pre election made me go back on my words that I was done with arguing politics. I couldnt help it though...I got set off. I am a pot stirrer as my near and dear family and friends like to say so when someone stirs the pot for me I typically cant let it slide. I have to start stirring as well, but it tends to always be stirring in the opposite direction. Anyways...it is over. Hope prevailed... character prevailed... and now we can move forward. On to new things.

My vacation is 2 months away and I can just jump out of my skin just by thinking about it. I have not been on a real vacation since my honeymoon which was by far my best vacation ever and next to a few trips to Wisconsin, a couple mission trips, and a family trip to Florida in eighth grade really my only vacation I am looking forward to going somewhere so special with some of the most beloved of my family. It is going to be a blast. After the last two years with Isaiah's health issues and our major financial troubles, I am just looking forward to doing something that I can truly say is not for any other reason than to make memories...good memories. I know that with allof this anticipation it will be over in a blink but I just want to make the best of our blink that there could possibly be. Thanks Old R's. I dont know that a thank you can even come close to appropriate but since we are broke, it is about all I can offer at the moment. I will make it up to you though. My love and affection will have to be enough until Billy makes it big or my BFF Barack offers me a job on his staff. Hey anything is possible now!

Another thing is that I really like my Avon business but I am running into a few problems....I hate sales for one, and for two, I will not end up with a profit if I continue to buy things from them. Now I have bought many samples to sort of build my business and since it is all tax deductible it makes sense but it is the other things.... I really like their skincare line and I have tried several different kinds and have not liked anything as much as Avon skincare. I also like their makeup and some of their seasonal knicknacky things. This is the issue. I do not want to work to put the money back into Avon. I think the novelty will wear off but I have to figure out that balance. I am looking forward to seeing where it goes. I have to get better at sales and stop feeling so self concious. I am the same girl who wouldnt trick or treat cause I hated the idea of going door to door in a begging sort of way. If I can't get the free stuff due to my fear of rejection, how in the world will I be able to build this business! Luckily I have a few solid customers which will make my selling worthwhile at least for a few extra dollars but the potential of what it could be if I "grew a set" would be unbelievable! The profit really is unreal for Avon if you have a good client base.

Ahhh...isnt it nice to hear something from me that is not deep and contemplating lifes (I have no apostrophe key so bear with me) greatest mysteries. I tend to get really profound in my blog posts. It is that love for stirring the pot I guess.
My kids are hanging off of me literally right now so that typically is my clue that they need some attention. Gots to go!

MY passion for November 4th

OKAY THE FOLLOWING IN ITALICS IS NOT MY WRITING BUT ACTUALLY SOMEONE WHO'S EMAIL WAS FORWARDED TO ME TO "MAKE A POINT." BELOW THAT IN BOLD IS MY WRITING "THE GOOD STUFF" AS I LIKE TO CALL IT. IT IS A LONG POST BUT SERIOUSLY WORTH GETTING TO THE BOTTOM. I WOULD LOVE FEEDBACK GOOD AND BAD.

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=7030bd098cca768e72d111&skin_id=701&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=image

http://www.americaschoicenow.com/

Hello everyone,

I have never written an email such as this before, but after these two videos were brought to my attention, I realized that it would be wrong of me to remain silent. Those of who you know me are probably pretty much aware of where I stand politically and on the pro-life/pro-choice issue. If I am sending you this and you don't know where I stand, shame on me for not standing up more emphatically for what I know to be true.

Well, election day is fast approaching, and this time around, I have become more aware than ever of the complacency of Christians in America. So many of us have compromised politically and tried to justify it. Well, you say, don't we all have the freedom of choice? Of course we do, it's America. However, as Christians, when we asked Christ to enter our hearts and lives, we fell under His authority and His guidelines. Our opinions and plans did not matter anymore! Why? Because He knows what is best for us and has plans so great for each of us that we can't even comprehend them. The whole purpose of Christianity is to die to ourselves so we may further His kingdom!

I am not here to toot the horn of a particular candidate. Frankly, I was not overly impressed with any of my choices this election (except for Fred Thompson, bless his heart). I am here to toot God's horn. We have been told time and time again to vote according to our standards and what we believe. Horse manure! When will we as Christians vote according to GOD's standards and what GOD says is right? This election, it goes beyond the candidate; it goes to the party that candidate represents and the types of laws and policies that will be enacted. The truth is, Republicans have for years supported policy that is more in line with God's Word than the Democrats. Issues such as abortion and homosexuality are shaping the moral climate of America, and that, my friends, is more important to me than the economy. If America returns to God, I firmly believe that God can fix all the financial woes! Plus, the state of the economy right now is directly related to greed and corruption, other symptoms of our moral decay.

I am not saying that all, or even most, Republicans are godly, as we all know that politicians are smooth talkers and have a tendency to be untruthful at times. However, it needs to get beyond that. Our Christian focus needs to be on turning this nation back to God! It is a God-given right that we can vote, so please vote according to God's principles and not society's. I encourage you to view the two videos whose links I have posted at the top. I have always been pro-life, but after hearing about some of the policies that Obama wants to implement once he is office, I grew fearful for our country. If I can't trust him to protect the lives of the most innocent, my unborn babies, how can I trust him to protect my money? I truly worry about the spiritual battles my children will have to fight when they are my age.

God bless all of you and remian in prayer for our nation, for it is a great nation.


Here is my passion for November 4th
I find it offensive that the thought that I would vote Republican just because I am a Christian is ridiculous. I will make it plain and simple. The only thing that seems to align value wise in the Republican party is the pro life issue. That seems to be the only thing holding some Christians in the Republican party. Recognize that Roe v. Wade has yet to be overturned even under our current "Christian" president so if you are voting thinking this is going to change than you will likely be waiting a looong time. History shows that the Supreme Court does not have a large record of overturning major cases as this.

So this is the single issue that seemingly makes sense to vote Republican? Oh wait, and then there is the issue of homosexuality. What ever happened to love the sinner, hate the sin? but if you believe in this country you should also believe that the constitution is entirely written on the basis of freedom. I do believe that marriage is designed for one man and one woman. How about divorce? Is anyone fighting that on the consitutional front? No and why is that? it likely has alot to do with the fact that the divorce rate is nearly at half and there are more Christians divorced than gay Christians. Or could it be that as Christians we see it as more tolerable to be divorced but we are sickened by the thought of a homosexual....sounds more like intolerance and hate than love for what is right to me.
No doubt my job is to LOVE unconditionally and let my life be witness in order to bring those who need it closer to understanding love of Christ and be freed from sin. That is what I will do. Homesexuals, liars, cheaters, thieves, even those of you who might have...gasp...done something dishonest in your lifetime as WE sinners do. I dont hear anybody running to say I think we should take away my rights since I (_____(fill in sin here)___. All sin is created equal. Your sin is no worse than mine and mine no worse than yours. Homosexuals no worse than heterosexuals....we all are condemned to death without Jesus. Lets fight that battle. Not the battle of whether we can stop a gay person from seeing their loved one in the hospital because they do not have the right or whether they are entitled to be on the same health insurance policy. Fight the battle on the right front people! That war isn't going to be one with anti gay rallies and conversion retreats. Put 1/10th of the energy used fighting the gay people and their rights and try loving them and you might be surprised by the results.
Other than that, although I don't see this as the best way to look at it, lets talk about just the big issues which seem to drive the Republicans for Christ. Tell me at what point is gun rights a Christian view? The right to use a weapon that is single handedly used to kill or severely and permanently damage life? We are so concerned about life and apparently the value of it and yet we have no problem with allowing normal everyday people the right to a death device. Do you believe Jesus would have been walking around shooting animals for sport or carrying a gun just in case he needed to defend himself. Doubt it. Also another issue that tends to get alot of attention is that of the environment. I do not claim to understand it all and I leave that to the scientists, ecologists, environmentalists...whatever. But what I do know is that the democratic party seems to be majorly more concerned with the environment and the longevity and sustainability of the beautiful creation that we call Earth.
So I appreciate your effort to align Christians with the Republican view because we need to "stand up for what is right!".
I am no less Christian because I am ready for change in Washington. I am no less Christian for loving the idea that we could be voting in a president who represents more Christian family values than a man who has divorced his first wife to marry his mid life crisis.
I swore I was done defending my belief. I have continued to receive ridiculous emails about everything from Barack Obama being the antichrist to Obama killing babies and seriously I am at wit's end. I have been prayerful and making a point to educate myself on ALL the issues, but it is at this point that I need to defend one last time before tomorrow. My passion for November 4th isn't that Christians will get a grip and stop voting out of fear and vote for what makes sense. You may see this all as my "opinion," and that's right, as Christians we shouldn't have an opinion (I constantly forget this). I really hope that you can correct me on anything that is unbiblical in what I have said. I am open to understanding things better. I pray that you can be in search of truth as I am.

I will also remain in prayer for this great nation.