Nook

Last Thursday we went to Best Buy where Clay bought me a Nook (the closest Barns and Noble is on Hilton Head Island about an hour away).  I had been reading books from my mom's account on my Ipod but that is small and hard to hold for long periods and if you accidentally turn or tilt it the page flips and often changes pages in order to accommodate the writing. 


I got the 3g nook and love it.  You can have up to 6 nooks on the same account so I am still using my mom's account.  You can have multiple credit cards on an account so we can both buy books and share them.  Even Clay can read them from his ipod (he doesnt read enough to justify spending the money on his own) when we run across one we think he may like. 

There are literally hundreds of thousands of free books to read AND they have what is called Free Friday where they offer a book for free that is sometimes a new release.

It is easy to tote around, I dont have to worry about the kids playing with it and loosing my page (As they do often with paper books), it takes up less room and is a little more earth friendly.

I am in love.

He is HOME!

We picked Clay up at the Savannah Airport Wednesday.  The kids are so happy to have him home.  His flight was supposed to get in at 6:30 so we went down there early, really early for a couple of reasons.  I wanted to go a little early so that we didn't get stuck in rush hour traffic on I95 and the kids had a Dr. appointment at 1pm here in Beaufort so after that we went to Biglots for a couple of items and at that point is was a little after 2.  The kids needed naps but I didn't want to go home and only to turn around and leave about an hour later so we just headed down to Savannah where I found a shady spot not to far from the airport and parked.  I took my Ipod so I could read a book on the nook app (more to come on the nook) and figured the kids could just sleep.  Well David woke up just after I pulled into a parking spot and rolled the windows down and he couldn't sit still so he woke Amelia up.  I sat there for as long as I could but the kids were getting antsy and wanted out of their seats so I moved over to Sams club and wandered up and down every single isle as slowly as I could.  By the time I got to the check outs it was 4:50 so I figured that by the time I got out of the store and everyone loaded up in the van it would be a little after 5 (and it was) and we would just go park in the airport parking garage and go in to wait.  Well once we got to the parking garage I decided to just give the kids the new books I bought at Sams and open the windows and doors to read for a little while.  Not long after parking I heard some people walking and talking and then heard abrupt stops and the s word come from about 2 cars back so then heard the foot steps start slowly towards the van and saw two security guards who must have thought that someone had just left kids strapped into their seats with the doors open.

At about 5:50 we went inside and I got the kids a muffin to split and a bottle of water from Starbucks then 6found a table to sprawl out at.  At about 6:15 the arrival board said that Clays flight had been delayed so we continued to hang out till his flight arrived at 6:55.  I have a short video of the kids seeing daddy again after 6 1/2 weeks that if  I can figure out how to load I will post.

So proud of my big boy

I am so proud of David.  Both of his teachers were very impressed with him today when he asked if he could write his name all by himself instead of having them help him.  He is the first kid in his class to ask to do it alone.
 

I think he did a great job.

A day to never forget.

Today marks the 9 year anniversary of 9/11.  That horrible, tragic day when so many were lost.   It was a day of sadness and a day to pull together as Americans and remember that we are all in this life together and have to help each other through the good and the bad.


Please remember to take a moment out of your busy life to remember those lost and to pray for those who lost a loved one or who were injured.    And remember that our freedom isn't free or cheap and that there are brave men and women who put their lives on the line each and every day to insure that something like this doesn't happen again.  Remember to say thank you to police officers, EMT's, firefighters and Military members for all that they do.  And don't forget the silent ranks,  the wives, husbands, children and parents who support these brave men and women.  As a military wife I sometimes don't know how to accept the thank you of supporting my husband because I don't often think of it that way but it is nice to know that people appreciate what he does.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
     of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
     one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

 

 

Land of Opportunity

The book that I am reading is set in the mid/late 1890's and a large part is set on Ellis Island with 2 of the main characters being doctors for the Marine Hospital Service.  And this has me thinking about why people immigrated to America.  Many came to escape religious persecution while others came for the opportunity to make a better life for their family. 

One of the first things these immigrants saw was Lady Liberty which gave them hope for the future but now that immigrants are not coming in droves like they did back then Ellis Island is closed and modern day immigrants are not greeted by Lady Liberty. 

Is America still considered the land of opportunity and religious freedom?  We still have the constitutional right to choose our religion of course but do outsiders still think of us as the great land of plenty? Is America still the place foreigners think of when they think of making a better life for their family? 

I have always loved my country but being a military wife had really taught me just how much goes into making this country great.  It has also shown me how much some Americans have forgotten what a great country we live in,  they have forgotten the way people swarmed to this great land looking for hope and a better future.   I think that most American need to go back and study American history and remember the great struggles and amazing men and women that shaped this country into what it is today.

I am American and I am proud of my country.

You get what you pay for.

So people sometimes give me gruff for how much I spend on my kids carseats.  But I am a firm believer in carseat safety and that you get what you pay for.  All of our seats are Britax and we love them.  When I uninstalled David's Britax Frontier because he had an accident I noticed that two plastic sections were separating so I called Britax and in less than a minute I had a live person on the phone who simply requested a pic of the seat and a credit card number for a $1 hold (this was my choice because I wanted the new seat sent to me first so I didn't have to try to find a box to ship the current box back in. but you can opt to send send the damaged seat in first then have the new seat mailed to you with out the credit card hold). 

This is the first time we have ever had an issue with a Britax seat (and we have had 1 infant carrier, 2 marathons and 2 frontiers) and it was such a simple quick process.  She said if they recieved the pic before 11am today (which I called yesterday and sent the pic right after I got off the phone with the rep) that the seat should ship today and that since they were in North Carolina I should have the seat Thursday or Friday.

When you pay for something you are not only paying for the quality of the product but also the quality of the customer service.