School Rules!

Ahhhhhhh! Can you smell it in the air? Can you feel it in your bones? That's right........school has started here in Wisconsin! It's like Xmas morning for me! I get so excited the night before I can barely sleep! I wake up early to make sure my boys are ready for that first day. Teeth brushed, beds made, school supplies and backpacks are ready for the day. It begins with Mitch (along with Megan and Anthony) having to catch the bus at 6:30am.......then it's Nick's turn.











Here's Nick right before the bus was to arrive. He's all smiles in this photo, but soon afterward he said that he felt sick! Poor Nicky! He was starting middle school this year and no one from our neighborhood was on the bus with him. He was so nervous! (he gets that from Auntie Joan!) But he toughed it out and got lost only once. Now he's got it all figured out and hasn't got a fear in the world! (just like Auntie Joan!)

This weekend we went to the Highland Games in Waukesha. Nick was given the chance to throw axes and knives at a log. (he probably would have rather thrown them at Mitch) Also, at the Highland Games were the "heavy games". This is when guys throw heavy stuff around in kilts! Now you would think that these guys would be big and fat....right? No! Most of these men were old college football players with nothing better to do than throw stuff around! There was one guy that looked just like The Rock! Whooooo! He had such a great body!









On a sadder note.......we have read and heard many things about the tragedy that happened in the Gulf Coast. Many things have been written and said. Fingers have been pointed at "who to blame" or arms thrown up in the air declaring "don't blame us". Well, I usually don't try to comment on such things, but since this is my blog, I can do what I want. So here we go.....

The blame game never works, folks! You can point fingers all you want, but it's not going to help the situation. I'm tired of all the reporting of Hurricane Katrina and the way the media is taking advantage of this horrible tragedy. CNN, NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC etc; are making money off this! The more you watch, the higher the ratings, the higher the advertising dollar goes to the network, the higher the pay raise goes to Katie Couric etc; Mark my words.......in one month, this story will be on page 3 of your local newspaper.

This isn't to say that we shouldn't help.....but we should help EVERYONE in our country that needs it, all the time! No one realizes the struggles of our poor in this country who were homeless BEFORE Katrina hit. Why doesn't the Miller corporation donate a truckload of water to the poorer Native American communites in the southwest? Because there isn't enough media attention, folks! Today at work a woman told me that she would only buy Miller products because of their donation to the hurricane relief efforts. When I asked her about them NOT donating to other parts of our country that are poor, she shrugged and said "You never hear about that"! What a shame! Tsk! Tsk!

What do we do as a nation? We need to learn to give without expecting something in return. Imagine...... no pat on the back, no award for giving, no certificate, etc; just the feeling deep inside that tells you it's the right thing to do. That's the greatest feeling of all.