Basketball Jones...

Last night "the boys" went to play basketball at the church.

They play with a team of some of the guys my strong silent mysterious man works with... which I might say are all much much younger than him.

And while he was hesitant and knew he would fall victim to all of their old man, and hip replacement jokes; he agreed to play with them... something about his competitive nature wouldn't let him say no I guess; that and I think he is a glutton for punishment.

The teenager goes and fills in when they are short a man.

He loves it! Getting to rub elbows with some older boys, and showing off some of the skills he "thinks" he has over them, being the youngest and tallest of them all.

I hate to tell him, I really think he has bricks in his shoes at times... it looks like he can jump really high, but he barely gets off the ground. But I will just keep that to myself, since I couldn't do much better.

I might have been better to stay home and rest and take care of my fragile head... but I really just wanted to be with my boys. I didn't want to be home alone without them. I have been feeling so badly about how I have acted towards them over the past few days. And I just couldn't bare being away from them.

So I grabbed my camera and thought I would try and learn how to take indoor action shots with my camera. I know there must be a trick to it, because when I had the shutter speed slow enough to let enough light in, everything was a blur. So I tried a few different settings but never did master anything before the end of their practice. I guess I will have to keep studying up and learning.

(I did think this shot was kind of funny... looks like he has wings and is fluttering above the ground, he he he)

It was fun to watch them. I was very worried my strong silent mysterious man wouldn't be able to get out of bed this morning... but he seems to be among the living and able to walk.

Doesn't he look like it really hurts here?

I enjoy being with my boys, I am glad they never mind me hanging out with them... it's just where I want to be most of the time. I am so thankful for my family and that we can be together and share even the simplest of things.

Happy Veterans Day ~

I loved the tribute Google has on their logo today!

I was really touched by some information I received about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and thought this would be a good day to post it.

TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
Interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Sentinels of the Third United States Infantry Regiment "Old Guard"

Q: How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?
A: 21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

Q: How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?
A: 21 seconds, for the same reason as answer number 1.

Q: Why are his gloves wet?
A: His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

Q: Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time, and if not, why not?
A: No, he carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

Q: How often are the guards changed?
A: Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

Q: What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?
A: For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30".

Other requirements of the Guard:
They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. They cannot swear in public FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way.

After TWO YEARS, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.
The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.

The first SIX MONTHS of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends FIVE HOURS A DAY getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

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In recent history, while you were sleeping, the teeth of hurricane Isabel came through this area and tore hell out of everything. We had thousands of trees down, power outages, traffic signals out, roads filled with downed limbs and "gear adrift" debris. We had flooding and the place looked like it had been the impact area of an off-shore bombardment.
The Regimental Commander of the U.S. Third Infantry sent word to the nighttime Sentry Detail to secure the post and seek shelter from the high winds, to ensure their personal safety.
THEY DISOBEYED THE ORDER!

On the ABC evening news, it was reported recently that, because of the dangers from Hurricane Isabel approaching Washington, DC, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They refused.

"No way, Sir!"

Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment; it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a service person. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

Very, very proud of our soldiers in uniform!

HAPPY VETERANS DAY!

Oscar the Grouch...

He's back... I have been Oscar the Grouch all weekend!

What is up with that?

I hate being grouchy... and it was MY special weekend too!

My poor boys... have put up with all my grouchiness.

I know some people stress about getting older, but that wasn't it!

It really doesn't bother me at all.... I tried to assess what was going on, and just couldn't find an explanation. I tried to turn it around and be cheerful... but it wasn't' working.

I started getting really bad headaches, but I was grouchy before they even started.

So I don't know what was going on with me... I was being a selfish ungrateful little snit all weekend (the 1st step is acknowledgement right?)

Banana peels help me out with the headaches!
They take them away, but for some reason I keep getting them back and they are turning migraine on me. So now I'm grouchy and my head hurts!
Stay clear, it's not pretty... but this too shall pass!