"I do not claim that I can tell a story as it ought to be told. I only claim to know how a story ought to be told." -Mark Twain
I am the flag of the United States of America.
My name is Old Glory.
I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.
I stand watch in America's halls of justice.
I fly majestically over institutions of learning.
I stand guard with power in the world.
Look up and see me.
I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice.
I stand for freedom.
I am confident.
I am arrogant.
I am proud.
When I am flown with my fellow banners,
my head is a little higher, my colors a little truer.
I bow to no one!
I am recognized all over the world.
I am worshiped I am saluted.
I am loved I am revered.
I am respected and I am feared.
I have fought in every battle of every war
for more than 200 years.
I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg,
Shiloh and Appomattox.
I was there at San Juan Hill,
the trenches of France,
in the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome
and the beaches of Normandy, Guam.
Okinawa, Korea and KheSan, Saigon, Vietnam know me,
I was there.
I led my troops,
I was dirty, battle-tested and tired,
but my soldiers cheered me
And I was proud.
America has been attacked by cowardly fanatics
And many lives have been lost
But those who would destroy me cannot win
For I am the symbol of freedom,
Of one nation
Under God
Indivisible
With liberty and justice for all.
I have been burned, torn and trampled
on the streets of countries I have helped set free.
It does not hurt, for I am invincible.
I have been soiled upon, burned, torn
and trampled on the streets of my country.
And when it's by those whom I've served in battle it hurts.
But I shall overcome for I am strong.
I have slipped the bonds of Earth
and stood watch over the uncharted frontiers of space
from my vantage point on the moon.
I have borne silent witness
to all of America's finest hours.
But my finest hours are yet to come.
When I am torn into strips and used as bandages
for my wounded comrades on the battlefield,
When I am flown at half-mast to honor my soldier,
Or when I lie in the trembling arms
of a grieving parent
at the grave of their fallen son or daughter,
I am proud.
MY NAME IS OLD GLORY
LONG MAY I WAVE
Original Poem By Howard Schnauber
Edited version by Rocky Chaplin
It is more important than ever to remember what we stand for. As our Armed Forces so proudly say, "These colors don't run."
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."..........Roger Caras
My brother and sister love to make fun of me about how much I love animals. Apparently I got enough love for animals for the three of us, as they don't feel the love I do for all animals! I do take a lot of teasing about how much I baby my two Schnauzers. That's okay though, it doesn't bother me a bit. Is there anything more loyal than a dog? If you have ever had one, you must know the answer to that. The other day Becky had a picture very much like this. I knew I had one too, so I looked in my files till I found it, so I could post it. I loved the quote I found to go with it. Go to Tracey's blog to see what other quotes are shared this week...........And give your animal a special hug!
With our children all too old to play any kind of organized ball now, weekends at our house are a little slower paced than years past.
Especially during the winter, spring and summer months things are slower. We never know how many of our children will be home, or what other visitors will be here. We DO know though that every single Saturday and Sunday morning Hubby will go and play golf.
He is usually the first one out on the links. He always plays at least 18 holes. Our church offers several services and we go to the later one. So by the time we get to church, Hubby has already played a round..or two..of golf.
But there is one other thing he does every Saturday and Sunday morning. He cooks breakfast. Or maybe it is brunch.
He shops for his own food, has his own cooking griddles and pans, and does it all himself.
He has a whole arsenal of recipes he cooks up. He surprises me/us each time. Pictured above was today's. ......And if you didn't like Strawberry Pancakes with strawberry syrup and fresh strawberries, you could get the same pancake with Blueberry Syrup and fresh blueberries.
In case you were wondering.........yes, it was delicious.
My oldest son (and oldest child), Fielding, is getting married. 
He is our first child to get married and we are very excited. His cute little fiance' is Kelly. Kelly is an RN and Fielding is a paramedic/firefighter.
The wedding is set for October 23rd. What a great time of year to get married. I read where October is the new June. No wonder, there are so many wonderful wedding ideas for fall. You'll be hearing more about the wedding as the day gets closer!
How is that for some eye-candy for beautiful fall wedding ideas? I'm so excited to get to help AND to have Kelly join our family.
In the past two weeks, for no reason at all, my children have 'gifted' me. Not only have they 'gifted me', but because of the gifts they gave me, I know that they were thinking of me. In other words it was not about to be a birthday or gift-giving holiday. They just randomly saw these things, and thought of me. Is there anything better than that?
First, my son Luke was helping someone clean a garage. He saw TWO of these galvanized water-buckets that were getting tossed aside. He knew I would love them. One of them even came with a lid!
And it was Luke's idea to put the flags in the bucket/cooler. I was going to plant flowers in it and he told me I was 'boring'. He said he imagined it with a bunch of American flags. So I did. And I love it. And I love Luke for seeing a dirty old galvanized bucket and thinking of me!!
Then, my daughters were together at an Estate Sale. They sent me a picture on my phone of these plates and asked me if I liked them. I text back that I love cobalt blue. They bought all 8 of them. They said when they were paying that the Estate Sale lady said she couldn't wait for someone to buy them because she thought they were such a great color. I plan on using them...and putting them in a Tablescape. Or two. Or three.
I love the plates....And I love my daughter's for seeing these bright blue plates, knowing how much I love blue, and thinking of their mama!
Then to complete a great week, my son Coulter came home with this little gem. He said he saw it with the # 5 on it and knew I would like it. (I collect 5's because of the number of children I have). Plus he knew I would like the color he said.
He could not have been more on target....Speaking of which, is where he got it...At Target.
The lamp is the color of sea glass. I ooohed and aaaawed and loved it immediately. And I love Coulter for seeing the number 5 and thinking of his mom who loves all things 5!
Don't kids do the darndest...and sweetest things? When you least expect it?
