Memory

So ever since I got pregnant remembering ANYTHING is not in the cards for me. The old wives tale about "Baby Brain" remains true for me today almost 3 years later. Seriously one day I forgot the word Power Strip ... TWICE. At any rate, that's not to say that the long term memory is mostly in tact. I can usually remember how old I am, what my name is - on a good day, and who my parents are. I can also remember more often than not that my brothers are US Air Force Veterans (Iraqi War, one is currently serving in Africa). And not just them, but both my Grandfathers were US Army Veterans of World War II and the Korean War (Aka the forgotten war). My dad would have gladly been drafted during Vietnam but fortunately for me and my family he wasn't. The heart of the military lives in him though. My mom's brother was in the Army although not in combat. And I have many friends who are or were Coast Guard, Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines. Kinda feel like I'm in good company with some good people!

So what does remembering who did or is what have anything to do with anything? So very glad you asked. Memorial Day is tomorrow. A time for cookouts, corn hole and good times. But Memorial Day did not start off with that intention in mind. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day but has always been to honor those past and present who have served their country. To honor and REMEMBER the fallen and their sacrifice for those they never met. The idea of Memorial Day has foggy beginnings, in fact over two dozen cities lay claim to the origins of Memorial Day. It appears that Southern Women were decorating graves of the fallen before the end of the Civil War. Which is where Decoration Day came from. To visit, decorate and commemorate the graves of fallen soldiers. To REMEMBER them and what they have done for us. Matter of fact, I think it bears repeating that over two dozen cities lay claim to this holiday's origins. Which means that with out prompting, hundreds of people in different places and at different times organized and gathered to honor the dead. It's human nature.

May 5, 1868 General John Logan officially commissioned his order: General Order No. 11 to declare Memorial Day and was first celebrated on May 30, 1868 by placing flowers on the graves of those who lost their lives during the Civil War at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. The idea of wearing Red Poppies for Memorial Day came from the poem "In Flanders Fields." That poem inspired Moina Michael to write the following:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

She wore them and sold them to her friends and donated the money to servicemen in need. The idea took off in Europe and eventually made it's way back to the United States where presently the VFW sells artificial red poppies made by disabled veterans. (If you see them, buy one, it's for a good cause.)

Over the years several groups and organizations have dedicated themselves to REMEMBERING our fallen hero's. Every Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3rd US Infantry place small American flags at EACH of the 260,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery. Then they patrol in 24 hour shifts to ensure that every flag remains standing and have done so every year since the late 1950's. Since 1951 the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis have placed flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual "Good Turn." In 2004 Washington held it's first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.

But the fact remains that more Americans would rather spend their extra day off work lounging around the Barbeque enjoying a hot dog, than spending a few moments at the grave of someone who gave their all. Observance of this National Holiday has fallen from REMEMBERING status, to party status. Suffice it to say that enjoying yourself isn't a crime - no. It's just that it's not hard to take a moment, be silent, think, REMEMBER, google or any other method to honor men and women who gave their life for your burger. You are where you are today, enjoying the freedoms and liberties you are, because someone believed in that so much they sacrificed their life. That concept for me is so monumental that I typically get emotional thinking about it. I'm so important, someone else died so I could live ... Amazing.

Now I realize not every family is like mine. When you walk into my parents house it's like the 4th of July all year round. My dad makes a point that whenever he sees someone in uniform, wearing a VFW hat or driving a car with a veteran license plate, he goes out of his way to talk to them and say Thank You. Crazy to you, important to us. So many people don't, it feels like "if not me then who." The Vietnam War sullied our nations reputation for supporting our troops. When they were returning home they were welcomed with spit and spews of hate. We are now a nation who likes to think we "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS". And I'm sure many of you do. But how many of you stand up at your gathering and tell everyone a moment of silence should be observed before partaking in that pasta salad? How many of you go to cemetery services? How many of you use your Monday to personally Thank a Veteran - not just post it on Facebook? (If you don't know one, I can help you out.) These are the things that TRULY honor those who have and are serving. They are inconvenient and sometimes difficult, but they are what Memorial Day is about. Not just chips and beer.

So I will take tomorrow, and REMEMBER those who have given. Freedom isn't Free ... it comes at a cost. And some paid the debt for all.

In Flanders Fields

 In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. (John McCrae, 1915)

** Information used in this blog was obtained from: http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html - feel free to visit and learn more about the origins of Memorial Day. **

Consider My Carrots Cooked

I did  a post a little while ago about things that "Grind My Gears." And I just was reading through it and laughed out loud, at work. First things first, when people toot their own horn it really frosts my cookies. So I'm gonna stop, but it did make me think how much I liked that post, and am going to do it again.

So there's this hand soap pump from Lysol now. You seen these? No touch soap dispensers. I'm goin banana's tryin to figure out A. who came up with such a stupid idea, and Second, who's buying this??? You do realize that you are about to ... Ahem ... WASH your hands right? It doesn't matter if you touch the stinkin pump or not!! Whatever germs you may happen to aquire during said soap disppensal, you will subsequently wash off in 3 seconds. WHY?! Why. It just perpetuates the germaphobic society we have become. KNOCK IT OFF! Or we'll think ourselves into sepsis and never recover.

Speaking of germaphobes, it's time to stop worrying that you're going to catch a cold. I sneeze a hundred miles away from you, into my elbow and I get stared down like I just drop kicked a puppy. Sorry my nose hairs were full and needed emptying. My apologies your highness. Doesn't even count I covered! Being sick stinks, I get it, but really. Here's a neat fact! When you do get sick, your body builds up immunities so you will never get the same cold twice! There ya go. Get sick and stop lookin at me like I'm the Unibomber trying to infect you. It's not anthrax, it's just a sneeze. (Side fact: those handy hand sanitizers we're all using, is actually making the problem worse, because the germs it DOESN'T kill mutate and become bigger and badder ... so thanks for making ME sick! HA!)

People who throw plastic bottles in the trash can with a recycle bin 20 feet away. Really? You're just that lazy. Can't make the effort to hang on to the bottle while you're on your way out the door to drop it in it's appropriate recepticle? Huh. Neat. Thanks for ruining the weather ding dong. Pry the same jerk that likes to wear his flippie floppies and cut offs when it's negative 40 out. Consideration goes a long way, don't be dumb. Recylce your stuff!

The NBA. Stop Crying.

People who think the world literally revolves around them. You see these people? Yeah you know what I'm talkin about. The one's that stop in the exact middle of the grocery isle so that you cannot in anyway get around them. The grocery store is the worst for this. These folks sittin there with their gigantic cart full of Stouffer's goin, "Now what did I come down here for? I clearly know there is someone behind me, but I'm just going to stand here like an ignorant knucklehead and block the way so they have to turn the cart around, go down the next isle and come through the other side just to get those sponges. What a fun game this is!" Yeah, move. Get out of my way. I don't care if you lollygag. Just as long as you don't block me in the process. Pull your cart OVER and figure it out. It's groceries, not rocket science - which my husband says really isn't that hard, but we're not gonna go there. Most recently, true story by the way, I went into a local grocery for 3 gift cards. Two of them were the same, and two women were blocking one whole section of the gift cards. Not only with their bodies, but their carts as well. When I eventually got ticked and slithered my way between the cart and my coveted gift cards, I even said sorry and excuse me, my coat happened to knock ONE card off the wall, because SOMEONE wouldn't move her cart an INCH! And you'da thought I just kicked a kitten! Oh my heavens, it's raining gift cards! Sweet mercy someone should really stop that woman before she knocks one more off! Like I was a crazed gift card snatching lunatic on the loose. It happened, my husband is a witness.

People who drive below the posted speed limit. Safety first and all that, but either go the right speed or get off the road. Some people want to make it to their desired destination sometime this millenia. I got stuff to do, it's super you don't, but seriously, move.

People who don't know what they're doing when they work out. I work in a rec now and sit at a desk and get to watch people work out. When I was swimming in college, we did a lot out of the water too including lifting and cardio. I know the correct form and way to workout. Many people do not and it desperately makes want to go up to them and slap them upside the head. It's cool if you don't know what you're doing, but ask someone, don't look like an idiot. Although complete idiocy I suppose is your perogative, just don't think anyone is subsequently impressed.

Well that's all that's ticking me off currently. I'm sure I'll have more just give it another 6 months! Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it ... Stay giggly my friends!

If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say ...

... Don't say anything at all. I'm fairly certain most of of have heard that at some point in our lives. Most commonly from mom. Yes, I'm going to blog about mom's! So what?! Christie, seriously it's like almost a whole week after Mother's Day. Yeah well ... I'm unconventional. Anyway, mom's are worth so much more than just telling us to keep our stinkin mouth's shut. However, that is one of their best talents. After all, most mom's can shoot a death stare that can make their kids nearly pee their pants. I mean a look ... and small children are running.

I know this isn't in time for Mother's Day, my mom had shoulder surgery the Friday before Mother's Day and I spent the weekend and first part of this week with her trying to ease some of the excruciating pain she was and is feeling. Needless to say I didn't have much time to spend on a computer having nonsensical conversations with myself and typing it down. But I went because that's what you do. My mom spent the first 22 years of my life spending every waking and some non waking moments worried about every aspect of my life. Is she driving safe? Did she wear her seatbelt? Is she keeping her nose clean? Is she doing well in school? Did she remember her jacket? And that's just the first 3 seconds of the day. Now she just worries about me every hour or so.

Let me rewind a little for you. My mom had to have one ovary removed when she was just a teenager. So when she got pregnant with my oldest brother it was nearly a miracle. Then just 17 months later my middle brother was born. Another miracle - 2 babies one ovary short. Then 14 months later I hit the world ... sorry. But before I was born, and before amazing technological advances you didn't know what you were having til they made their appearance. My mom had two boys, and wanted a girl more than anything. She tells me she prayed so hard I was a girl and so much that she swears Jesus came to her one night and stood at the end of the bed and told her to stop worrying. Really Jesus or random hallucination from an overworked mother of 2 toddlers hormones raging? I'm not sure. Either way she stopped worrying and low and behold they had a girl. A bald not very cute baby girl, but a girl none the less! She's spent every day praising God since.

She's also spent every moment since being the very absolute best mother possible. Perfect? No. What? I'm just being honest in the fact that no human anywhere ever is perfect. But the best? Yes. Every Birthday growing up extremely special, all themed and all awesome. She worked exceptionally hard to make sure our childhood was both happy and memorable. She also spent an immense amount of time supporting each one of us in our endeavors. My oldest brother and I having the most radical. I wanted to do so many activities it's a wonder my mother didn't go completely insane. But never the less I was afforded everything from dance lessons, to piano lessons for almost 10 years, to swim team, to track, to girl scouts to to to ... I could go on for awhile. And guess what, my mom was there for nearly all of it.

Not only did she work hard, but she taught me a lot as well. She taught me good habits and bad. Responsibility, to love Jesus, pride, manners, perseverance, loyalty, friendship, humility, honesty, the value of hard work, and unconditional love. I was a little crap when I was a kid. I tattled - a lot. I whined - a lot. I suffered from LSS ... Little Sister Syndrome. It's no excuse, no, it's just that when I felt trapped in a corner by my bro's I'd do the only thing I could ... be a jerk. Run to mommy and tattle. Needless to say, sometimes I picked fights with my brothers, and I'm sure had a beating coming to me, but I always ran. Eventually my mom caught on and told me that I either needed to stay away from them, or learn to defend myself. I couldn't keep running to her all the time. But she loved me still. Imperfect, crappy, ugly little me.

Now when I say ugly, I'm not doing the skinny-girl-calling-herself-fat thing. No no. My 8th grade confirmation picture is up in the basement of my home church in Toledo, a dress up picture, and every time we go my husband likes to take time to admire the photo and tell me exactly how not-at-all pretty I was. Oh yes. My loving husband enjoys letting me know how awesomely unattractive I used to be from about age 5- ... well ... we're still counting. So proof positive that I had some desperately ugly years. My mom did her due diligence telling me I was the prettiest girl in school and tried desperately to make me feel special. Which if I'm honest, she succeeded in quite often.

I like to think about the biggest impact my mom had on me, but to be honest, there isn't just one. All of the things I listed earlier are HUGE parts of who I am. All parts that compose a good mommy. And when I was young, I desperately wanted to be my mommy. Pretty, successful, humble, God fearing, loving ... things I still strive to be. My mother has uncompromising faith, fierce love, and uncontested loyalty to her family and friends. At the end of the day, she is one mama bear you do NOT want to mess with. She is smart, strong, capable, and compassionate. Qualities she would never admit to having. Humble.

There are probably a thousand stories I could tell about my mom expressing each of these qualities, like the time I got sick my freshman year of college. Not just cough cough sick, like ferociously sick. She made the hour drive in 45 minutes to bring me medicine and love her little baby girl. There is nothing my mom wouldn't do for me, no question. And that's how I want my daughter to see me. An awesome example of how to love ... God, her family, and life.

As the years pass, I see a lot of my mom in me. Some good, some not my favorite, but I know I am unashamably imperfect. (There's your made up word for today, unashamably) But it's not about the imperfections, it's about what we strive to be. Always better, always with love, and always looking for the best in others.

Call your mom and tell her you love her today ... guarantee it'll make her day every time.

Love you mom. <3

Did You Know?

Hey! I know you missed me, I'd miss me too! I took a hiatus to finish the fundraiser I was helping to coordinate to raise money to fight Human Trafficking. Something that I'm so passionate about I've posted about before, and will again I'm quite sure.

Getting back to it. A big part of my blog is in regards to health and wellness. A part of that, is learning about new and different things. One of those things is Cystic Fibrosis. I've heard about it, I've swam for it - twice, but if I'm honest with myself and you, I know almost nothing about it. I know it's a bad disease, and life expectancy is not long. But really, what is CF??

I have dear friends at my church whom are some of the best people in the world. In fact, James Fruits is SO Awesome, the mayor of the city they live in named a day after him! ... Yeah ... And one of the MANY things that make them amazing, is their daughter Mylee. The only single word I can offer to describe miss Mylee is Firework. She's bold and beautiful, sparkly and bright. While her stature is not big, her heart and her personality MORE than make up for it. She has a twin brother Malachi but for some reason, Mylee was the chosen one to be born with CF. I don't know why, that's only for God to know, but I DO know that there is no prettier, spunkier, sparkly face to put on a disease. That's truly how I see it. Mylee has a disease, the disease does not have her. Wish I could say the same about some things in my life.

So get on with it Christie, get a grip and tell me what is this disease?! Right, sorry, I was caught up with imagines from YouTube video's of Mylee putting on dance parties in her hospital room! But I asked James and Christie, not me, James' wife - yes we spell it the same, there is more than 1 Christie in the world, get over it. I asked them if they could give me more info on this disease, so I could both educate myself AND you. Here is the breakdown. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a "chronic inherited disease that affects both the lungs and the digestive system." Basically what happens is when a person has a disease it can usually be linked to a defective gene and or proteins that fold incorrectly. (Yeah my tech geek hubby used to do what's called "Folding At Home" a computer program some super smart university people developed to fold proteins until one miss folds unlocking information about various diseases. Your computer sends that info back to the U and they collect and analyze the data. Comment below for more info!) And a person who has CF has a defective gene who's protein associated with that gene produces a super thick "sticky mucus that clogs the lungs" which can lead to many potentially life threatening infections and it "obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food." So even people with normal healthy hearty appetites can be small developmentally.

Basically people with this disease will make frequent trips to the hospital for various periods of time to fight and prevent infections that are so easily developed. To be honest, it sucks. Did you know that May is CF Awareness Month? Did you also know that there are nearly 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year and already 30,000 people living with CF currently in the United States? Did you know the estimated average life expectancy for a person with CF is late 30's? I didn't.

But I'm all about ending on a positive note. So even though this disease is a stupid dumb head, there's a little light at the end of the tunnel.  About 70% of those diagnosed are diagnosed around age 2. We all know that early diagnosis and seeing things early can help start treatments and early planning. Suffice it to say back in the 1950's babies diagnosed with CF never made it to elementary school. Now 45% of the current CF population is age 18 or older. And there are more and more people joining the fight to find a cure each day. Since 1955 The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has been the dominate force in leading the way for a cure. They are HONESTLY getting closer every day. And by they I mean the smart people, not the one's like me who sit a computer and ramble on to themselves.

On Saturday May 18 my friends The Fruits 5 (James, Christie, Malachi, Mylee and Max) are doing their annual Mylee's Miles of Smiles walk athon to raise money AND awareness for CF. This is extremely vital in education and research to end this. I love Mylee. She's a Mylee-work, an effervescent Firework of personality and perseverance.

If you want to learn more about CF, how you can help, or the walk please visit: http://www.cff.org/great_strides/ ... Because late 30's is too early for this ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipUDskxgSTo