national treasure

husband. father. grandfather. friend. soldier. hero. 

beloved and honored. 

 farewell and peace to our dear Zora. 

embracing winter :: number 1

I'm trying. Really really trying to embrace winter, to find some joy in this season of brrrrrr.

I think I'll start with my latest issue of Sunset, which featured several gorgeous winter getaways that seem positively blissful, snow included, and not just for skiers. Winter never seemed so inviting! So today I'm fantasizing about a weekend of solitude and crackling fires and mountainside bistros and about snuggling up in one of these cozy cabins.

a national treasure

We recently recognized the anniversary of a major turning point in World War II: Pearl Harbor Day. In June we recognized D-day. Last month we honored Veteran's Day.  These days bring our thoughts to one special man.

Some years ago, Mr. J and I were pleased  to make the acquaintance of Zora. He was 80 at the time, give or take a couple of years, though he looked hardly more than 60. Spry, witty, charming, filled with conviction and wisdom. He was quickly endeared to us; he flirted with me and humored my history-loving Mr. J with his stories of World War II. Zora had been there. Still practically a kid, he was among those that stormed the beach at Normandy. His personal accounts were lucid and matter-of-fact, but utterly lacking venom or bitterness. Together, Mr. J and Zora compared movies and novels with actual history. His humility is inspiring, his memory sharp, and he speaks of his experiences with reverence. He has seemed always at peace with the history he lived and the history he made.

Zora lives on the opposite side of the country, yet he has a warm place in our hearts always, and has a tender friendship with Mr. J. We received news today that our agile, spunky friend has had a stroke. It seems he will recover, but it has reminded us that Zora, a real life hero, is mortal. There are few men left in our country who can personally recount the stories of World War II. Their wisdom, their pain, their knowledge, their service must not be overlooked. One day soon, they will be gone. National Treasures are they, Zora and his unknown compatriots. Always will we consider it an honor to call him "friend." A treasure indeed.

powerful words

I appreciated these powerful words from a brilliant and inspired man; an address given to the students at BYU-Idaho this week.

[prayer at valley forge by arnold friberg]

I harbor great anxiety and fear for the sanctity of the Constitution of the United States of America. My soul is pained by the thought of altering it's words, tampering with it's intent, belittling it's inspiration. I hope, I pray, it changes not.

assignment, in part, via travlin oma's school days.

July 4th perfection

blissful weather. delightful friends. friendly neighbors. happy parade. amazing picnic. cheerful kiddos. red white and blue.

Someday I'd like to go

...to the Kentucky Derby, and wear a fabulous hat, simply for the spectacle, excess, and history of it all. 

Bracket-ing

One Shining Moment is in the making as the finest in college basketball emerge in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Americans everywhere obsess over brackets and seeds and rankings and point spreads and divisions and some guy's turf toe problem in North Carolina. Some say that one toe could define the entire tournament. It really is madness.

And secretly, I love it. I love to talk about teams like Villanova and Xavier and Gonzaga because I think they sound cool, about how Mike Krzyzewski (She-shevsky) is brilliant but I hate to see Duke win all the time, about how this tournament is everything an athletic event should be: pure energy, pure dedication, pure heart and soul.

If you care what the President of the United States thinks about March Madness, click here.

If you want to fill out your own bracket (hurry! Games start tomorrow), whether based on team colors or syllables or coolness of mascot, click here.

Note to Dish Network: you are big fat jerks for disputing with CBS over trivial matter for so long that we are forced to miss any CBS broadcast NCAA games. Watching them online is so not the same as HD.

Honest Abe

"Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."

--Abraham Lincoln

It's Abraham Lincoln's Birthday today. Certainly worth honoring with a bit of reverence. He led a humble yet fascinating life, displayed immeasurable wisdom though he was self-schooled by candlelight. He endured tragic hardships and heartaches but also earned great respect and honor. A man of modesty, faith, and determination plus decency and goodness in general. 

Several years ago, I was on a business trip in Illinois. A portion of my business was conducted in Springfield, where Lincoln lived and is buried. With a spare couple of hours before my departing flight, I visited his home, and then his tomb. I was alone, the weather was mild, there were few people about when I arrived at the lovely park where he lay inside the granite and marble rotunda. On the walls are engraved the words of his Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address and portions of his second Inaugural Address. As I stood and read his words, his beautiful, timeless, simple words, I was struck with reverence. Goosebumps (not the spooky kind) and a pang in my heart reinforced that I was indeed on sacred ground. What a world that could exist would there be another man, flawed though he surely was, like Abraham Lincoln. 

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day. 

--Abraham Lincoln

Not just a right

Not just a right, but also an obligation. Vote today. It matters, whether or not it matters. B will be leaving the house at 5 am tomorrow. From that time until 9pm he will be home a total of 30 minutes. He's finding time to vote. I'm finding time, somehow. (2 year olds aren't welcome at the polls, really). From my own little soap box: regardless of preferred outcome, do it for accountability, liberty, possibility.

What I believe

We are in the midst of tumultuous times with what often seem to be foggy choices. Beliefs, values and needs are belittled.  Heroes continue to fall, with few to replace them. It seems we must fight harder as time passes to uphold what is vital to us. I note in simple terms the things I believe unwaveringly.

* in God  the Father and Jesus Christ our Savior

* that all men are created equal  

* that every life has worth and meaning

* in the Constitution of the United States of America as timeless and divinely inspired

* in self reliance of individual, family, community, state, and country

*  in frugality and prudence that go hand in hand with self reliance

* in individual accountability for one's choices and actions

* that "the family" is the most critical and sacred unit, institution, and principle in the world

* that being victimized does not necessarily make one a victim 

* public education is a blessing and a privilege, deserving of our support

* in serving the common good for the sake of the greater good, not for glory or gain

* in the right to protect my family at all costs, by all means

* that faith in God (whatever that might mean to you) created this amazing country that has provided us with countless freedoms, and deserves respect

* in honoring this nation, it's founders, it's defenders, it's emblems with gratitude and humility and pride. 

It is time...

Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Swimming, Diving, Gymnastics, Beach Volleyball, Track. All of it excites me. The thrill, the emotion, the sacrifice, the honor, the spectacle. The lone representative athlete of a tiny poverty stricken country. The goosebumps I get when our National Anthem is played while one of our own stands proudly on the podium.  (but why do they have to drape themselves in the American flag? It's so irreverent!)

We're joining friends for casual Opening Ceremonies soiree. Great company, entertainment, and asian-style food. I'm in charge of side dish and dessert. (Luckily we have a great Chinese restaurant in town). Want to host your own Olympics party? Choose your favorite event, invite your friends to view the telecast, and order a bevy of appetizers from your favorite Chinese restaurant. Don't forget the fortune cookies! During commercials, award "medals" for correct answers on an Olympic Trivia quiz. For an extra treat, send guests home with cupcakes or event-themed prizes in Chinese take-out boxes.  Enjoy! And go team USA. 

Highlights

After way too many minutes of waiting for the parade to arrive, M was pretty much toast...

Local babes on the sidelines...

Fried Chicken was tasty (recipe & pic via martha)...

The local fireworks were amazing (via this flickr stream)

and I think I consumed my body weight in licorice. Even the black. Especially the black.

Small Town 4th

I love Independence Day.  Sunshine,  American pride, fireworks, friends and all kinds of great food--the kind that would render guilt any other day of the year. I remember once spending the 4th with family friends at a gorgeous old home in Seattle. From the deck we could look out over the Puget Sound and see both the Fratelli's and Ivar's fireworks displays. I recall other 4ths: church  pancake breakfasts on Lake Washington, watching my older brother and the neighbor boys attach slugs to their fireworks (ick),  a small-town parade in Afton, WY.  Just prior to becoming engaged, B and I spent the 4th in Idaho Falls, with his family, in a balcony hotel room overlooking the falls. Plenty of fried chicken, strolls along the greenbelt, and fantastic fireworks on the falls. There's something about a small town 4th of July...

Local July 4th,  2008

* Spirit of Freedom Parade *

plenty of shady spots to stake out

* Liberty Festival on the Falls *

anyone for funnel cake or a game of giant twister?

* Freedom Celebration presented by Melaleuca *

largest fireworks show this side of the Mississippi!

[photo via bhg.com]

Book Pick

A little dose of rhyming patriotism in honor of Memorial Day  via  A is for America, by Devin Scillian. A snappy little alphabetical trip through our nation's history. It's on repeat at our house.

Super Tuesday

There is a lot of political activity today and likely a lot of anxiety. The media, as usual, likes to skew things their own way, though I'm not sure what they stand to gain. One of our most promising candidates is the one who might likely deserve more media attention than the others, but he doesn't get it because he isn't, perhaps, scandalous or sensational enough. 

Anyway, I promise not to get too political on this little bloggy of mine, but there are a few things we all ought to consider when it's our turn to choose a candidate. 

America's economy needs strengthening and protecting

choose someone with wisdom, prudence, and clearly proven agility in financial matters

America's freedom is fragile

choose someone who respects and treasures this at all possible costs

America's foreign relations are delicate

choose someone who has the class, grace, and diplomacy to nurture these relations

America's family is being attacked

choose someone who values the integrity, sanctity of life and family above all else

America's values are being undermined

choose someone who knows that we are all children of the same God, who inspired and provided a way that this country might come to be. Someone who, with unwavering faith,  honors the legacy of our blessed founding fathers and realizes that sometimes less government is more

I wax patriotic...

I was only able to catch a few snippets of President Bush's final State of the Union address this evening, but even so, I'm fascinated by it. Each time I listen to a State of the Union address, I get all goose-bumpy and awestruck; my heart swells with feelings of honor and pride and humility. This is true regardless of who the President might be, and regardless of whether I agree with every policy or strategy discussed. Let's face it, some of the issues are intimidating and delicate and sticky and confusing. Nonetheless, I am reminded how powerful our nation is, how fragile our freedoms are, how much work is involved in making this country prosper, and what a blessing it is to have been born and raised right here in the grand old USA. 

Side note: I found it both interesting and comical that at each moment the audience stood in applause, the Supreme Court sat poker-faced in their seats. Diplomacy and neutrality always, I suppose.