With all that has gone on for my family the last few years Christmas is becoming not such a big deal to us anymore. It seems like this time of the year is the WORST time of the year!!!

With the exception of spending time with our Nephew. He truly is the only light we have left and the twinkle that keeps Christmas ALIVE!

You see last year when Mom-Mom and I took him to see Santa we had to tell him that I wanted to see Santa and then when we got there he sat on his lap and then we left we thought it was just that easy. When we got to the car he said “Shoppy you forgot to sit on Santa’s lap!” I said “Oh man, your right let me call him right now!” I called on my cell phone and let a very detailed message for Santa ;0)

SO THIS YEAR, we think its going to be just that simple again. We are at the mall on Black Friday and we were doing some shopping (from midnight thanksgiving but thats a whole other story..33 hours of no sleep) and had lunch at the food court, we finished lunch and I noticed that the line wasnt very long for Santa so I said “oooh I wanna see Santa” instructed my Mom to take the lil’ man down the elevator and I took a beeline down the stairs for the line. While were in line he is enjoying the lights and characters of the display….UNTIL

We get closer then he starts saying “Shoppy your the only one sitting with Santa, right??” I said “why dont you wanna see Santa??” He says “Nah, he just a Fat guy in a suit!” With that my mom and I laughed and said “No he’s the guy that takes all the wishes of the boys and girls and gives it to the Santa in the North Pole, That he is his helper” We were pretty sure he bought it ’cause he said “oh I see”. We get a few steps closer and he still insists I am the only one siting on Santa’s lap. I asked he to please just stand by him so we could get a picture but he still refused. We his current weakness happens to be Poke’man Cards. So I pulled the bribe…..I offered to buy him Poke’man cards if he would please take a picture with Santa. He bit!! So I think we are in the clear now up for his chance to see Santa and the lady comes up and asks the question they usually ask so they can clue Santa in “What is the name?? ” With that lil’ man speaks up and says “Shoppy, she’s sitting on his lap first!” I looked at him and just laughed… So like a good Aunt I sat on Santa chair and told him what was going on…..He winked.

Then it was the big moment came Would he or Wouldnt he see Santa???

HE DID!!!!……

and the minute he hopped off his lap he said “Shoppy we’re going to get my Poke’man cards now right??”

I just laughed again and said “Yes we’re going to get your cards now…..

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

} The MRS {

I used to wait all winter for the Reds parade and first pitch in cincinnati !

With Cincinnati’s Mayor and this year’s most embarrasing opening pitch,
I wondered if I’d miss the reds on my b-day - Im glad to be in Philadelphia !

 

 

Boy it felt great to be back in the middle of it all again !

First base side 3 rows from the field… 70 degrees

now I just need to party with the Fanatic !

download this fanatic photo for season fever fun !

 

I almost forgot what real MLB baseball was like LOL !

 

 

I remember when I was little, our Grandfather went out into the woods along our Farm and cut down that season’s tree and literally drug it into the living room. I remember being little staring all the way up it as it towered over me. I will never forget christmas at my grandparent’s farm. It’s like a rosebud moment for me. This tradition I love and my wife has continued it today at our new home for our first wedding christmas together …

 

Did you know?
The first decorated Christmas was in Riga, Latvia in 1510.

check out ChristmasTrees.com …

 

 

 

It is just like out of a storybook that in the humble little towns are where the extrordinary tales lie dormant; waiting for someone with a vision to find them polish them and launch them from thier fear of the unknown and create legend.

In the little town here is an exciting little theatre just reopened and reconditioned ready for the silver screen to light the way and fill our hearts with hope and hollywood dreams…

 It is so magical to see the children run up to the box office and get a ticket for a magical journey that only an enchanted theater such as this can provide them.

This borough is a neat place full of heritage and tradition, and what better item, what better jewel to crown the community than to be a part of reushering in hollywood magic. 

In 1948 George Orwell wrote 1984.

He envisioned a nation whose citizens have no expectation of privacy under a dictatorial government that relishes in perpetual war. A state whose alliances are arbitrary, and where deviation from the party line is considered a lapse in loyalty that is subject to harsh retribution. Orwell’s city is a prison where there is no place to hide from a government that can track a persons every move and even read their minds. People live under constant scrutiny and must show I.D. to travel in their own town. The goal; to know everything about everyone. People randomly disappear, or are publicly kidnapped. If an error is made, history can be revised or erased by a propaganda machine that is subject to no restraint. When the year 1984 rolled around, people thought Orwell had got it all wrong. Now it looks like the only thing he got wrong was the date.
It seems sometimes that 2006 may be the new 1984.

The way the patriot act feels sometimes does concern me, I wonder if President Jefferson or Hamilton would think this a radical movement… I am glad it’s provisions protect me and identify possible targets true - I cannot deny it that certainly and am glad to give up some freedoms in order to establish a clean hand outlook; however I want all to keep a close eye with me on what we are loosing and when it is too much. Take action - not reaction.

nuff of my soapbox

In the 1400’s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have “the rule of thumb”.
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Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled “Gentlemen Only…Ladies Forbidden”…and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.

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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

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Coca-Cola was originally green.

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It is impossible to lick your elbow.

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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this…)

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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000

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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received! in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn’t added until 5 year! s later

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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

A. Their birthplace

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Q Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requeste d?

A. Obsession

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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter “A”?

A. One thousand

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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All were invented by women.

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Q. What is the only food that doesn’t spoil?

A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

A. Father’s Day

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In Shakespeare’s ti me, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase……… “goodnight, sleep tight.”

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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts… So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them “Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.”

It’s where we get the phrase “mind your P’s and Q’s”
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Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. “Wet your whistle” is the phrase inspired by this practice.

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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

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A great test of how receptive we are to things we encounter that we cannot control but how clear they do impact us never the less…. Don’t skip this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the
ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the world as a whole. Amzanig huh?

A pilot’s good luck charm in the air…

The official gold colored commemorative coin of the Commemorative Air Force.

Our Client and grown to good friend Uncle “BOB” was thoughtful and shared with our Team a Special Good Luck coin…

Adam especially I think dug it since he is such a coin collector…

I really liked the story behind it all, that evey time a Pilot should carry his coin on every flight and then later you must keep it on you so when you go out socially, If anyone Calls for a “Coin Check” you’d better have your coin because if you dont then it’s your turn to “pay” … If everyone has thier coin, the individual who called it, pays this round…

Thanks again Bob,

…for now…

Over and Out

As many of you know, I am 1/8th Cherokee american indian.

Much of our family resides in the back hills of Kentucky and Oklahoma scattered along the trail of tears…

I will continually be adding information to this post as I accumulate things I uncover.

 

National Museum of the American Indian   http://www.nmai.si.edu/

the Cherokee Nation based in Tahlequah Oklahoma          http://cherokee.org/

To be eligible for Tribal Membership with the Cherokee Nation, you must apply and be able to present a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB), issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

 

http://cita.chattanooga.org/bia/cdibfedreg.htm