Presidential Candidates

"I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's.

I'm not running for president because I think I'm blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need. My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God. "

John McCain

I didn't think I could support John McCain as a presidential candidate. At least, I couldn't support him wholeheartedly. I didn't think my viewpoints and his were going to coincide. The more I listen to him, though, the more I like him. His speech at the RNC really showed a lot about him. He suffered for this country. He loves this country. Even though all of his policies aren't what I'd like them to be, sincerely loving this country as he does is something you rarely see and is valuable. When I heard that he had chose a woman for his running mate, I kind of thought he was just trying to gain popularity. But when I heard Sarah Palin speak, I was like, "Wow!" She stepped onstage and told everone what she'd done and what she wanted to do. She had a great personality and was a skilled speaker.

"But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people."

Sarah Palin

I really appreciate her conservative viewpoints and her "will-do" attitude. What do I think about a female VP? Carolyn McCulley has interesting post about that here. It's a lot to think about.

More company........

Grandpa told us a few weeks ago that he was just going to get in the car and drive for vacation, stopping here and there when he decided to. He mentioned coming to visit us, but never said anything definite. This evening he called. He and his wife are just an hour away from us -- a 600 mile drive from where they live! Fortunately, I have tomorrow off, so I'll be able to visit with them. It's kind of funny -- we never have more than one or two visitors a year, and now this will be five visitors in little more than a month! Plus, some more of my dad's family are coming up to visit in October. It's pretty nice, actually. All of our family lives in a different state, so we only see them every three or four months. It's great to get to see them more often and show them where we live. Now, I should go clean my room. :)

A few pictures........

Back home.........

We are back home again. It was a tiring trip. We never stayed in one place for more than an hour as soon as we got there, or at least, it seemed that way. It was sad to go to the funeral for my uncle, but there was comfort in knowing that he wasn't suffering anymore. During the service, the preacher talked about how he had tried several times over the years to talk about the Lord with my uncle, but he would change the subject and seem uncomfortable. It wasn't until a few years ago, when his sickness was growing worse, that the preacherr tried to talk to him about salvation and he was interested. He said that he prayed with him and saw a definite change in his life after that conversation. That was certainly something to be thankful for.



It's hard to watch people suffer. I hadn't seen this uncle as much as I should have all these years that he has been sick, but I remember him years ago when he was well. Looking at the pictures at the funeral, it was hard to see how much the sickness changed him over his life. It made me remember my grandma, too. She was sick for so many years before she died and suffered so much. And now, my grandpa is not doing well either.



Funerals are always sad, but they make me think about Heaven. My grandma can walk and run and see now. And my uncle is well, too. In Heaven, there will be no more sickness, no tears, no sadness, or pain.

I can only imagine What it will be like

When I walk By your side

I can only imagine What my eyes will see

When your face Is before me I can only imagine

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel

Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still

Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall

Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all I can only imagine

I can only imagine When that day comes And I find myself Standing in the Son

I can only imagine When all I will do Is forever Forever worship You

I can only imagine

I can only imagine When all I will do Is forever, forever worship you

Sad...

We received a call this morning that my uncle (my dad's brother-in-law) died last night. He has suffered with Huntington's disease, which is similar to Parkinson's, for so many years now, and his health has really declined in the last few years. For a long time, he couldn't even get out of bed, then he got a little better, but then he grew worse again. We are leaving tomorrow to go back to our home state. I'm not sure how long we'll be gone. Please pray for my aunt and the rest of our family during this difficult time.

Piano Lesson

I went to my piano lesson yesterday. It was interesting. The teacher has come through a lot of hand injuries herself, so it was encouraging to hear that someone really can learn to play again. One of the key things she was showing me was to play with my fingers near the black keys, not the edge of the keys, and to keep your wrists relaxed. That's not as easy as it sounds. Until you force yourself to notice it, you never realize how much tension you hold in your wrists and fingers while you play, especially when doing chords and octaves. This teacher learned to play this way from another teacher, Vickie King, whose website is www.naturalpianoplaying.com. I really hope I can use these techniques to play the piano again!

What I've been up to......

I just noticed how long it's been since I've posted. Yikes! I didn't realize it had been over a week. Last week was pretty busy. I had a bad cold the first half of the week and had to work long hours the last half of the week. So, I didn't get around to blogging. After I work 3:30-midnight once, it kind of wipes me out for the rest of the week. Thankfully, I have this weekend off! Yay!

I do have some news that's somewhat exciting -- well, it's exciting for me. At church last Sunday someone gave me the name of a piano teacher who retrains pianists to play after performance injuries. It had been so long since I told her about my hands that I was amazed she remembered. I contacted the teacher this week and we have a lesson scheduled on Tuesday. It has been four years since I overworked my hands playing difficult pieces and developed carpal tunnel syndrome that I haven't been able to get rid of since. A few weeks ago I sat down to play a few pieces and was discouraged because my hands just wouldn't cooperate with me. I'm really hoping this teacher will be able to teach me a new way to play so that I can actually play again!