Conservative?

I am a huge fan of Glenn Beck. I agree with him on most issues. Today he wrote an article on being a conservative. I really liked it, and again, I agree with most.
A conservative believes that our inalienable rights do not include housing, healthcare or Hummers.
A conservative believes that our inalienable rights DO include the pursuit of happiness. That means it is guaranteed to no one.
A conservative believes that those who pursue happiness and find it have a right to not be penalized for that success.
A conservative believes that there are no protections against the hardship and heartache of failure. We believe that the right to fail is just as important as the chance to succeed and that those who do fail learn essential lessons that will help them the next time around.
A conservative believes in personal responsibility and accepts the consequences for his or her words and actions.
A conservative believes that real compassion can't be found in any government program.
A conservative believes that each of us has a duty to take care of our neighbors. It was private individuals, companies and congregations that sent water, blankets and supplies to New Orleans far before the government ever set foot there.
A conservative believes that family is the cornerstone of our society and that people have a right to manage their family any way they see fit, so long as it's not criminal. We are far more attuned to our family's needs than some faceless, soulless government program.
A conservative believes that people have a right to worship the God of their understanding. We also believe that people do not have the right to jam their version of God (or no God) down anybody else's throat.
A conservative believes that people go to the movies to be entertained and to church to be preached to, not the other way around.
A conservative believes that debt creates unhealthy relationships. Everyone, from the government on down, should live within their means and strive for financial independence.
A conservative believes that a child's education is the responsibility of the parents, not the government.
A conservative believes that every human being has a right to life, from conception to death.
A conservative believes in the smallest government you can get without anarchy. We know our history: The larger a government gets, the harder it will fall.

Florence

Something about summertime gets me longing for Italy. I have never been there, but twice in the past I made plans to go without getting there. Ok, they were more like daydreams, but still- my heart was set on Italy. Lately, I have been minorly stressed for one reason or another, and have found relief in Florence. I was reading a rather lame book that happened to take place in Florence. I had a few minutes and typed in "florence" on google images. It was instant relief, magic! Suddenly, life was just a bit better. Someday, I'll get there.

New stuff, Old stuff

I have been asking Dj to update the blog FOREVER, but he has been too busy watching his new favorite show, can you guess it? So you think you can dance. Meanwhile, I have finally tackled the Turkey pictures, and am finally organizing them and writing some memories down. I have nine pages to go and I'll be done!! Yeah, that says March 2007, but finally! I am so glad I pressed so many flowers in the pages of my guide book while I was there, because that is my favorite thing about my memory book.

If you haven't heard, Dj is the owner of a new toy, a Piaggio BV250. Some may call it a moped, some may call it a scooter, but I like to call it the Silver Surfer. Thanks Larkin for the name. Dj has had it for a month. He went three weeks on a half tank of gas, which comes out to about 90 miles a gallon. Someday I'll be brave and ride it with him.

We have also done a new thing this summer and ordered some fruit plants from nurserys. We are the proud owners of two blueberry bushes, which should start producing fruit next year. I can't wait that long! They arrived very small and half dead, but have grown rather nicely.

Also, the Shrub in our front yard DIED. It was ugly and horrible, so we are not really sad to be free of it. We decided to go ahead and get a peach tree, cause, why not. When it arrived, we about busted our gut laughing. It was stick attached to a peach seed--no joke. Dj went ahead and planted it, and now it looks like a dead stick in the ground. If you squint you might be able to make it out behind the post. No signs of life yet...

And lastly, Peekaboo. She has been with us for five happy years now. Doesn't she look so thrilled about it?

BBQ

On Friday I had a YW leadership meeting/BBQ for the leader's families. Today I was emailed a bunch of pictures from the event, and there was one of Dj and me. I found it pretty entertaining. I am staring into space not paying attention to anything, and Dj is in the background wearing his scrubs. We had a nice time in the Doelings shady backyard, eating delicious hamburgers (made with a meatloaf recipe--talk about a nice flavor!). Enjoy the colorful umbrella.

Discover your color personality

I found an online color choice test from Pittsburgh Paints. It managed to entertain me for a bit, and I was pleasantly suprised by the result. Yes, it may be boring, but I love white paint.

http://www.voiceofcolor.com/en/colorsensegame/index.asp

WVU scandal

For anyone who has kept up on Mountaineer news the past couple months, scandal is alive and well. I am refering to Heather Bresch, the daughter of our wonderfully corrupt govenor, Joe Manchin, who was falsely awarded an eMBA. Here is the run down:
Bresch gets a job at Mylan (the evil drug company that controls all in WV).
Bresch decides to get her eMBA way back in 1998.
Bresch moves up to vice president of Mylan in Pittsburgh, 2007. A Pittsburgh newspaper decides to write a nice article about her and her accomplishments. The paper calls WVU for varification of her eMBA. WVU has no record of this, aka, she did not earn her eMBA.
Well, soon the big wigs hear of this "misunderstanding" and hold a quick meeting to decide if she earned the degree or not. They say something to the effect of the decision could have gone either way, the flip of a coin. They decide that yes she did earn the degree.
Some unpleasant things come to light about Ms. Bresch: the financial aid office has no record of her paying tuition. She only completed 22 of 48 hours. Most credit hours were "work experience". Oh, poor Ms. Bresch.
Another panel is held to determine if she really did earn her eMBA. This time the judges are brought in from out of state. The panel determines NO eMBA for Bresch!!
Unfortunately, the consequences for those original people who awarded her with the eMBA, most of them friends with Bresch or Mylan or Manchin, have been few and far between. Two members have stepped down from leadership positions, but still get to keep their salaries and teaching jobs. WVU President Garrison has come off scott free, although everyone is screaming get rid of him! Did I mention Garrison is a family friend and former business associate of Bresch? Yeah, they are good buds. Anyway, the purpose of this post is to let everyone know about a new organization, Mountaineers for Integrity and Responsibility, which is actively letting the world know how much they love WVU and want justice restored (certain leaders to go...). The chairman is someone I highly respect, physics prof Boyd Edwards. I encourage everyone to head to the website and sign the petition!!
http://www.wvumir.org/index.html

Update: Garrison resigned June 6th. Good for him. We'll see what happens next!
Next Update: Garrison gets to keep his salary for the next three years as part of his contract. He also gets to stay director of this new, useless WVU committee he just formed, so he will still be around. Basically, he gets to keep his job and salary, just not the title and free house that comes with it. Please, WVU, do not pick another lawyer as president. Instead of being the liar and corrupt leader he is, he has become a martyr somehow...

The coolest thing we will ever own...

We spent $400 during the month of May for my eight year old car. Two months ago, we spent another chunk of change replacing the shocks. I really love my car, it drives so nicely, and really is everything I need in a car, driving and safety wise. And the trunk is huge!! But having costly problems every two months is just TOO much!! So we went to a car dealership this weekend for the very first time ever, and got us a new car. Unfortunately, there is a three month waiting list, so we won't be driving it home until September. It is definately hard to believe: