To The Rescue

Can I rant a little today? I just watched an piece on Good Morning America, and my blood is boiling. I know most folks don't get into politics and such on their blogs, but seeing as how this is the new public square in our world, I really can't think of a better place for such discussions.

Anyway, Chris Cuomo was interviewing two congresswomen, one a dem the other a rep, who voted against the bailout bill. It wasn't so much the interview that got me boiling but the follow-up piece where George Stephanopoulos showed the results of of the ABC poll revealing who Americans blame for the economic crisis. Most blamed the president; of course, he's the easiest target. Next in line was Wall-Street, and then people blamed Congress. Here's the kicker for me.

Why weren't these two options on the poll: mortgage companies who made bad decisions by giving loans to people who couldn't afford to repay them AND people who wanted more house than they could afford but decided that really didn't matter. (Just a disclaimer - I realize, too, that life happens and people find themselves over their heads through no fault of their own. I am not talking about these folks.) Also, if we want to play the blame game, why not blame the lawyers/realtors who try to rush people through the signing of their mortgage documents when it comes time to close on a house? I know that both times we have bought a house that I was made to feel like a moron if I had a question about the mounds of paper in front of me, asked for clarification of a term, etc. (Of course, this didn't stop me, and I read everything before I signed which I think frustrated a few folks.) Maybe if more people had asked questions about adjustable-rate loans and gotten answers, there wouldn't be an economic crisis.

Okay, last gripe about this whole deal although I could go on for quite a while. One of the biggest things we try to teach our girls is that there are consequences for our actions. We reap what we sow. It irks me to no end that people feel like they should be absolved from their natural consequences. That they're too good for that somehow. That Big Brother should swoop down and rescue us. So, I realize that some kind of "rescue" bill is eventually coming down the pike, but I am so thankful for the two ladies this morning and all the others who did not vote for this past bill. Both pointed out that we did not get in this mess in a few days and that they refused to be steamrolled into passing a bad bill (which from all I have read and understand, it was).

Shifting gears drastically, I just had an interesting thought about God's rescue plan. For He did rescue us in the greatest and most dramatic of love stories. But, even in that rescue, He didn't wipe out the underlying system. Sin still brings about death and destruction and can make a mess of our lives. We still have consequences for our actions. We still have to choose life, to follow Christ in every decision. I'm no economist or politician, but wouldn't it be great if you could mirror the bail-out bill to look like that?

Feeling A Little Different

We're almost at the end of our visit with Todd, and I realized that I haven't mentioned anything about where we're staying. Todd was staying in an extended-stay hotel, but when he checked out to come see us in Louisiana, Ike was on the way. So, when he got back, they would only let him reserve a few days, and then, he got the boot. Since Ike arrived, he's been staying with his boss which we're so grateful for. Todd got a taste of Austin traffic since they live just north of Austin, and the Tuff Shed shop is just south of it. He's been thrilled.

Knowing that we were planning a visit, we knew that he'd have to find some other place to stay. Again, thanks to his boss' generosity, he has his current situation. Ron and Trish have an RV. Now, many don't know that Emma thinks we should sell our house and get an RV. That way we can live wherever we want and see the country. She wanted to do this even before we planned to move to Austin. She just thinks it makes sense. So, Todd looked around for a scenic state park, but most of them are pretty far away from Buda, TX. So, he then started looking for RV parks with play areas, fishing or something like that, but no luck. Finally, he just looked for a place to hook up.

All that said, we ended up in a side parking lot of an RV sales center which is right across the street - literally - from Cabela's in a sort of pseudo RV park. They do have a nice cabin with tiled showers, a laundry facility and wi-fi which cracks me up. So, yesterday for entertainment the girls wanted to hang out at Cabela's, one of their favorite places. While we were there, someone gave us a ton of free tokens for the laser shooting gallery. Turns out, Emma is a pretty good shot! We shot for so long my arm hurt, and I felt a little different as we left from our shooting practice session at Cabela's to head across the street to our RV!

Teeth, Fairies and Stickers

Random things.

Emma lost her tooth earlier this week pronouncing very loudly that she is no longer a little bitty girl. She's a big girl, and I have to say I am a little sad over the whole thing. Within five minutes of losing her tooth, she informs me that the other bottom tooth is loose. This is happening way too fast for me.

She has decided that the tooth fairy will not visit until we are with Daddy again. Thankfully, that should be some time this next week. I don't have a tooth fairy pillow handy...note to self - find tooth fairy pillow quickly.

Last thing. Tonight while I was putting Aubrie to bed, she sweetly let me know that I would get a sticker if I behaved. Not likely that will happen! :-)

P.S. My friend Mer's husband John wrote a much more inspiring post about lost teeth - at least I'm not the only one saddened by them!

My Friend Amy

I have a great friend here in Clinton, Amy, and she has friend, Stephanie, who has recently undergone great tragedy. I've never met Stephanie but am so encouraged by her faith and reliance on God. You can read about Amy and Stephanie's great weekend with two of their other friends from jr. high here. You can also link to Stephanie's blog through Amy's : Leaning on Everlasting Arms. I hope you'll be inspired by Stephanie's story as I have been.

Tailgating and Camping, Sort Of

Weekend before last our Sunday School class met for a tailgate party before the first game of the season. It was the girls' first, and they had a blast. Emma was feeling a little sick then, but was still so into the game. She couldn't wait for the players to start tackling each other. Her daddy would have been proud. At half-time when Clinton had failed to put any points on the board, she let me know that they were going to have to suck it up and stop playing like babies. Oh the mercy she sadly didn't get from me!
Aubrie enjoying MY Coke.

This weekend we were able to meet Todd half-way for a much-needed visit. We stayed at SouthToledoBendStatePark which is fairly new and really nice. We enjoyed the cabins, going on walks, swimming, fishing, feeding the birds and squirrels and eating smores. Anyway, we didn't technically camp out since I'm not brave enough to do that until everyone is fully potty trained! Oh, and I thought that the lovebugs were bad here - my goodness, they were everywhere. Aubrie, who is a little bug-shy, was none to thrilled with their presence, but we convinced her they were lovin' on her, and she warmed up to the idea eventually.

Helping the ranger feed the squirrels.

Emma with her fish. She learned to bait her own hook and take the fish off - quite a big weekend for her!

Oh, other big Emma news. We have our first loose tooth, and let me tell you, her talk was of NOTHING else for two straight days. Thankfully, the new has worn off a bit, and things are back to normal. We had questions about how to chew, if she was going to need special toothpaste, and we were asked about a million times if we wanted to wiggle her tooth or see it move. Such fun! She's also decided that she's not handing it over to the tooth fairy until we're with Daddy.

Speaking of Daddy and our move, I'm going to have an open house this Sunday. I'm a little nervous and trying to get ready for it while I also try not to lose my sanity. Please pray that it goes well and that someone will fall in love with our house.

Thank You

Thank you, Lord that Gustav wasn't as strong as expected.

Thank you, Scotty for mowing our front yard and HUGE back yard Friday.

Thank you, Jill, for being the back-up to keep my kids last week while I showed the house and offering to let Jeremy mow our yard. :-)

Thank you Nanny and Pops for keeping the girls more times than I can count and for inviting us to Hurricane Party 2008.

Thank you Scott and Angie for checking up on us.

Thank you Sunday School class for praying for us.