A fine M.E.S.S.

lost?

2011-04-13T22:41:00.002-04:00

blogging... a lost past time... lost to facebook... iphones... nooks... crooks(politics)... and so on...
just thought I'd "blog" for a moment... we are still kickin'.... weekly grind... routine... some ups and some downs... and some all arounds...
will update as we see fit :)

TheBlaze.com - Journalism Watchdogs or Progressive Propagandists: Media Matters Massive Beck Hate Hypocrisy

2010-10-22T02:11:00.000-04:00

I thought you would like this story from TheBlaze.com

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/journalism-watchdogs-or-progressive-propagandists-media-matters-massive-beck-hate-hypocrisy/

brady bunch~!

2010-08-17T22:57:00.000-04:00

pork chops and applesauce

Huh?

2010-07-26T18:08:00.001-04:00

Hey!!! out there!!! yeah you!!!!
Does this thing still work?

Health Care in a Free Society

2010-03-01T13:47:00.002-05:00

Hey folks, I just wanted to share this with ya. (yes, I cut and pasted, so what)

Imprimis
February 2010

Paul Ryan
Member
U.S. House of Representatives

Health Care in a Free Society

PAUL RYAN is in his sixth term as a member of Congress, representing Wisconsin's First Congressional District. He is the ranking member of the House Budget Committee and a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee. A graduate of Miami University in Ohio, he and his wife Janna have three children and live in Janesville, Wisconsin.

The following is adapted from a speech delivered on January 13, 2010, in Washington, D.C., at an event sponsored by Hillsdale College's Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship.

SOMEONE once said that before there was the New Deal, there was the Wisconsin Deal. In my home state, the University of Wisconsin was an early hotbed of progressivism, whose goal was to reorder society along lines other than those of the Constitution. The best known Wisconsin progressive in American politics was Robert LaFollette. “Fighting Bob,” as he was called, was a Republican—as was Theodore Roosevelt, another early progressive. Today we tend to associate progressivism mostly with Democrats, and trace it back to Woodrow Wilson. But it had its roots in both parties.

The social and political programs of the progressives came in on two great waves: the New Deal of the 1930s and the Great Society of the 1960s. Today, President Obama often invokes progressivism and hopes to generate its third great wave of public policy. In thinking about what this would mean, we need look no farther than the health care reform program he is promoting along with the leadership in Congress.

Let me say here at the beginning that even though survey after survey shows that 75 percent or more of Americans are satisfied with the quality of their health care, no one I know in Congress denies that health care reform is needed. Everyone understands that health care in our country has grown needlessly expensive, and that some who want coverage cannot afford it. The ongoing debate over health care, then, is not about whether there should be reform; it is about what the principle of that reform ought to be.

Under the terms of our Constitution, every individual has a right to care for their health, just as they have a right to eat. These rights are integral to our natural right to life—and it is government's chief purpose to secure our natural rights. But the right to care for one's health does not imply that government must provide health care, any more than our right to eat, in order to live, requires government to own the farms and raise the crops.

Government's constitutional obligations in regard to protecting such rights are normally met by establishing the conditions for free markets—markets which historically provide an abundance of goods and services, at an affordable cost, for the largest number. When free markets seem to be failing to meet this goal—and I would argue that the delivery of health care today is an example of where this is the case—government, rather than seeking to supply the need itself, should look to see if its own interventions are the root of the problem, and should make adjustments to unleash competition and choice.

With good reason, the Constitution left the administration of public health—like that of most public goods—decentralized. If there is any doubt that control of health care services should not have been placed in the federal government, we need only look at the history of Medicare and Medicaid—a history in which fraud has proliferated despite all efforts to stop it and failure to control costs has become a national nightmare. In 1966 the cost of Medicare to the taxpayers was about $3 billion. The House Ways and Means Committee estimated that it would cost $12 billion (adjusted for inflation) by 1990. The actual cost in 1990 was nearly nine times that—$107 billion. By 2009 Medicare costs reached $427 billion, with Medicaid boosting that by an additional $255 billion. And this doesn't take into account the Medicaid expansion in last year's “stimulus.”

The health care reform bills that emerged from the House and the Senate late last year would only exacerbate this crisis. The federal takeover of health care that those bills represent would subsume approximately one-sixth of our national economy. Combined with spending at all levels, government would then control about 50 percent of total national production.

The good news is that we have a choice. There are three basic models for health care delivery that are available to us: (1) today's business-government partnership or “crony capitalism” model, in which bureaucratized insurance companies monopolize the field in most states; (2) the progressive model promoted by the Obama administration and congressional leaders, in which federal bureaucrats tell us which services they will allow; and (3) the model consistent with our Constitution, in which health care providers compete in a free and transparent market, and in which individual consumers are in control.

We are urged today—out of compassion—to support the progressive model; but placing control of health care in the hands of government bureaucrats is not compassionate. Bureaucrats don't make decisions about health care according to personal need or preference; they ration resources according to a dollar-driven social calculus. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the administration's point people on health care, advocates what he calls a “whole life system”—a system in which government makes treatment decisions for individuals using a statistical formula based on average life expectancy and “social usefulness.” In keeping with this, the plans that recently emerged from Congress have a Medicare board of unelected specialists whose job it would be to determine the program's treatment protocols as a method of limiting costs.

President Obama said in December: “If we don't pass [this health care reform legislation]...the federal government will go bankrupt, because Medicare and Medicaid are on a trajectory that are [sic] unsustainable....” On first hearing, this argument appears ludicrous: We must stop the nation from going broke by enacting a program costing $800 billion or more in its first decade alone? On the other hand, if the President means what he says, there is only one way to achieve his stated goal under the new program: through deep and comprehensive government rationing of health care.

The idea that the government should make decisions about how long people should live and who should be denied care is something that Americans find repugnant. As is true of the supply of every service or product, the supply of health care is finite. But it is a mistake to conclude that government should ration it, rather than allowing individuals to order their needs and allocate their resources among competing options. Those who are sick, special needs patients, and seniors are the ones who will be most at risk when the government involves itself in these difficult choices—as government must, once it takes upon itself management of American health care.

The very idea of government-run health care conflicts with the American idea of a free society and the constitutional principles underlying it—the principles of individual rights and free markets. And from a practical perspective it makes no sense, given that our current health care system is the best in the world—even drawing patients from other advanced countries that have suffered by adopting the government-run model.

But if one begins with the idea that health care reform to reduce costs should be guided by the principles of economic and political liberty, what would such reform look like? Four changes to the current system come immediately to mind.

One, we should equalize the tax treatment of people paying for health care by ending the current discrimination against those who don't get health insurance from their jobs—in other words, everyone paying for health care should receive the same tax benefits.

Two, we need high-risk insurance pools in the states so that those with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage that is not prohibitively expensive, and so that costs in non-high-risk pools are stabilized. To see the value of this, consider a pool of 200 people in which six have pre-existing heart disease or cancer. Rates for everyone will be through the roof. But if the six are placed in a high-risk pool and ensured coverage at an affordable rate, the risk profile of the larger pool is stabilized and coverage for the remaining 194 people is driven down.

Three, we need to unlock existing health care monopolies by letting people purchase health insurance across state lines—just as they do car insurance and other goods and services. This is a simple and obvious way to reduce costs.

Four, we need to establish transparency in terms of costs and quality of health care. In Milwaukee, an MRI can cost between $400 and $4,000, and a bypass surgery between $4,700 and $100,000. Unless the consumer is able to compare prices and quality of services—and unless he has an incentive to base choices on that information, as he does in purchasing other goods and services—there is not really a free market. It would go a long way to solve our health care problems to recreate one.

These four measures would empower consumers and force providers—insurers, doctors, and hospitals—to compete against each other for business. This works in other sectors of our economy, and it will work with health care.

So why can't we agree on them? The answer is that the current health care debate is not really about how we can most effectively bring down costs. It is a debate less about policy than about ideology. It is a debate over whether we should reform health care in a way compatible with our Constitution and our free society, or whether we should abandon our free market economic model for a full-fledged European-style social welfare state. This, I believe, is the true goal of those promoting government-run health care.

If we go down this path, creating entitlement after entitlement and promising benefits that can never be delivered, America will become like the European Union: a welfare state where most people pay few or no taxes while becoming dependent on government benefits; where tax reduction is impossible because more people have a stake in welfare than in producing wealth; where high unemployment is a way of life and the spirit of risk-taking is smothered by webs of regulation.

America today is not as far from this tipping point as we might think. While exact and precise measures cannot be made, there are estimates that in 2004, 20 percent of households in the U.S. were receiving about 75 percent of their income from the federal government, and that another 20 percent were receiving nearly 40 percent of their income from federal programs. All in all, about 60 percent of U.S. households were receiving more government benefits and services, measured in dollars, than they were paying back in taxes. It has also been estimated that President Obama's first budget alone raises this level of “net dependency” to 70 percent.

Looked at in this way, I see health care reform of the kind promoted by the Obama administration and congressional leaders as part of a crusade against the American idea. This is a dramatic charge, but the only alternative is that they are ignorant of the consequences of their proposed programs. The national health care exchange created by their legislation, together with its massive subsidies for middle-income earners, would represent the greatest expansion of the welfare state in our country in a generation—and possibly in history. According to recent analysis, the plan would provide subsidies that average a little less than 20 percent of the income of people earning up to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. In other words, as many as 110 million Americans could claim this new entitlement within a few years of its implementation. In addition to the immediate massive increase in dependency this would bring on, the structure of the subsidies—whereby they fade out as income rises—would impose a marginal tax penalty that would act as a disincentive to work, increasing dependency even more.

And before I conclude, allow me to clear up a misperception about insurance exchanges: it makes absolutely no difference whether we have 50 state exchanges rather than a federal exchange, as long as the federal government is where the subsidies for consumers will be located. In other words, despite what some seem to believe, both the House and the Senate versions of health care reform set up a system in which, if you are eligible and you want a break on your insurance premium, it is the federal government that will provide it while telling you what kind of insurance you have to buy. In this sense, the idea of state exchanges instead of a federal exchange is a distinction without a difference.

* * *

Americans take pride in self-government, which entails providing for their own well-being and the well-being of their families in a free society. In exchange for this, the promoters of government-run health care would make them passive subjects, dependent on handouts and far more concerned about security than liberty. At the heart of the conflict over heath care reform, as I said at the beginning, are two incompatible understandings of America: one is based on the principles of progressivism, and would place more and more aspects of our lives under the administration of unelected “experts” in federal bureaucracies; the other sees America as a society of free individuals under a Constitution that severely limits what the federal government can rightfully do.

We have seen many times over the past 100 years that the American people tend to be resistant to the progressive view of how we should reform our system of government—and I believe we are seeing this again today. Americans retain the Founders' view that a government that seeks to go beyond its high but limited constitutional role of securing equal rights and establishing free markets is not progressive at all in the literal sense of that word—rather it is reactionary. Such a government seeks to privilege some Americans at the expense of others—which is precisely what the American Revolution was fought to prevent.

Americans understand that the problems facing our health care system today, real as they are, can be addressed without nationalizing one-sixth of the American economy and moving us past the tipping point toward a European-style social welfare state. They know that we can solve these problems while at the same time remaining a free society and acting consistently with the principles that have made us the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth. It is our duty now as their representatives to come together and do so.

worth reading... (i think)

2010-02-14T23:38:00.002-05:00

Hey folks... one of these days we'll get back to blogging... here's some good news: Mel's back is starting to ease up a little bit. She will be following up with the Neurosurgeon sometime in the next week or two... if he still wants to cut on her then we will probably let him... otherwise, enjoy this cut-n-paste from our friend Louis:

Sunday, February 14, 2010
Dear Barack (A Valentine's Day Break-Up)

Dear Barack,

We really need to talk. I know the timing is awful with it being Valentine's Day, but I've had these thoughts building up in my head for months now that I just can't shake and can no longer ignore. I've tried to brush them aside and tell myself I am imagining it or that things will change, but now I realize that things won't change unless I change them. That is why I've decided, Barack, that we need to break up. I want to tell you that this is because of me, not you ... but no, it really is you. I'm sorry. It just isn't going to work out.

You have a right to know what brought us to this point. When we met, I was at a low point with my last guy, George. Shortly after I met George we were attacked at home by a bunch of thugs. They did a lot of damage to our house and hurt my family, and several even died. George was never the most eloquent man, but he went after them and put a hurt on them, and I knew that with him around those thugs would not attack again. Sure there were things about him that got under my skin. He spent more money than we really had to spend, and he let our neighbors come in and out of the house without even knocking, but he kept us safe and that counted for a lot.

Then you came along. Oh, how I remember that day. You were so tall, dark and handsome, so charming and debonair, a bit mysterious and a little dangerous ... it sent a tingle up my leg. It was kind of like you were a god. My friends were swooning over you and telling me how much better you were than George, how he was just a big, dumb jerk and you were someone they could really like. You said all the right things, you were so inspiring and you made us feel that with you in charge we could find hope in change. You made us feel like with you in charge the oceans would recede and the earth would start to heal, and that all the friends that ditched me when I was with George would now come back and like us again.

After I split with George I was so excited to be with you, at least to start with. But then things began to change. I started off thinking that you would be able to fix all of our problems, but over time I realized that you just can't, and too many times when you try you just make the situation worse. George was bad at spending too much money but you make him look downright miserly. I've tried to tell you that we can't keep maxing out the credit cards just because we want something or think it would be good. You just won't listen though and now our checkbook is overdrawn, our savings depleted, we're having to borrow from "friends" that don't even like us and we're having to use the kids' college fund (for kids we haven't even had yet!) as collateral. We just can't keep this up, Barack!

It's not just that, either. I want to feel protected but now you've gone to the same thugs that attacked us and apologized for us being attacked! You told them that is was probably our fault for thinking we are better than everybody else, or for wearing the wrong clothes or too much make-up. Well you know what? I'm not perfect but I like who I am. I'm a good person and I don't want you making apologies for me! You are supposed to love me, and that means not belittling me in public. If I have a problem you take care of it within the walls of our home. How can I trust you will protect me when you act like that?

That's not all either. You want to tell me how much and what I can eat, what I have to do when I am sick (even when the stuff you are telling me has been tried and has never worked), how much electricity I can use, what I must drive, that if I want a job it has to be a "green" job, and stuff like that. And by the way, it was bad enough when you let the neighbors come in and out of the house without permission, but now you want to let them move in and have us pay their bills! We can barely afford our own bills, Barack!

Finally, I don't like your friends. Nancy has a freaky laugh and just plain scares me, Harry is a grumpy blowhard, Joe thinks he knows everything but puts his foot in his mouth so often he has to use Tinactin as a throat spray, Barney is funny but really creepy and Chuckie is arrogant and overbearing. I never thought I'd see the day when Hillary seems to be the most rational of your friends.

Anyway, I could keep going but you get the idea. It just isn't working. You can stay in the house until the lease is up, but I want your friends out by November. I'm sorry that things had to end this way, but I hope we can still be friends, okay?

Sincerely,

The American People

Blog??? oh yeah, a blog...

2010-02-04T23:03:00.003-05:00

well, it appears as though we've neglected the blog for a while... feeling less than inspired and distracted at the same time, i just felt guilted into throwing something on here... so... here is a letter that a friend of mine from highschool posted on his facebook thing... is it "real"? i don't know, but it's scary, entertaining, and a forshadow of the political and educational climate that we are currently experiencing... isn't it? (yes, it is)

Thanks Chris!!

2009-11-27T00:08:00.000-05:00

My lil' brother says that I can take this lil' boat, and its skirt,
home with me... Cool, thanks Chris!!

PUSH BACK ON OBAMACARE

2009-09-27T22:23:00.001-04:00

Dear Patriots

                We must take action now or risk losing our battle against Obamacare.

    The White House wants to ram this through – the pressure is enormous and relentless.
                         Our town halls and tea parties plus protests etc. are fading.

Republicans alone can not defeat this. They need our support. Our public outcry.

Will you stand with us now and call ALL senators and blue dog democrat congressmen?

also, please send this request to your friends and family across America!

Keep your message brief and to the POINTE:
   "We the People", the American majority, do not want big government
     controlled healthcare. We want free market solutions to healthcare
     CHALLENGES! and not a government takeover.

leave message if recorder answers

Thank You
United we stand

http://www.northgeorgia912.com/

US Senators

Alabama – Sessions, Jeff (202) 224-4124	Montana – Tester, Jon (202) 224-2644
Alabama – Shelby, Richard(202) 224-5744	52. Nebraska – Johnanns, Mike (202) 224 4224
Alaska – Begich, Mark (202) 224-3004	Nebraska – Nelson, Ben (202) 244-6551
Alaska – Murkowski, Lisa (202) 224-6665	Nevada – Ensign, John (202) 224-6244
Arizona – Kyl, Jon (202) 224-4521	Nevada – Reid Harry (202) 224-3542
Arizona – McCain, John (202) 224-2235	NH– Gregg Judd (202) 224-3324
AR – Lincoln, Blanche L. (202) 224-4843	NH – Shaheen Jeanne (202) 224-2841
Arkansas – Pryor, Mark L. (202) 224-2353	58. NJ – Lautenberg, Frank (202) 224-3224
California – Boxer, Barbara(202) 224-3553	59. NJ – Menendez, Robert (202) 244-4744
CA – Feinstein, Dianne(202) 224-3841	60. NM – Bingaman, Jeff (202) 244-5521
CO – Bennet, Michael F. (202) 224-5852	61. NW – Udall, Tom (202) 224-6621
Colorado – Udall, Mark (202) 224-5941	62. NY – Gillibrand, Kirsten (202) 244-4451
CT – Dodd, Christopher J. (202) 224-2823	63. NY – Schumer, Charles (202) 224-6542
CT – Lieberman, Joseph I. (202) 224-4041	64. NC – Burr, Richard (202) 224-3154
DE – Carper, Thomas R. (202) 224-2441	65. NC – Hagan, Kay (202) 244-6342
DE – Kaufman, Edward E. (202) 224-5042	66. ND- Conrad, Kent (202) 244-2043
FL – LeMieux, George S. (202) 224-3041	67. ND- Dorgan, Byron (202) 244-2551
Florida – Nelson, Bill (202) 224-5274	68. Ohio – Brown, Sherrod (202) 244-2315
GA – Chambliss, Saxby (202) 224-3521	69. Ohio – Voinovich, George (202) 244-3353
Georgia – Isakson, Johnny (202) 224-3643	70. Oklahoma – Coburn, Tom (202) 244-5754
Hawaii – Akaka, Daniel K. (202) 224-6361	71. Oklahoma – Inhofe, James (202) 244-4721
Hawaii – Inouye, Daniel K.(202) 224-3934	72. Oregon – Merkley, Jeff (202) 244-3753
Idaho – Crapo, Mike (202) 224-6142	73. Wyden, Ron - (202) 244-5244
Idaho – Risch, James E. (202) 224-2752	74. PA – Casey Robert (202) 244-6324
IL – Burris, Roland W. (202) 224-2854	75. PA – Specter, Arlen (202) 244-4254
IL – Durbin, Richard J. (202) 224-2152	76. Rhode Island – Reed, Jack (202) 244-4354
Indiana – Bayh, Evan (202) 224-5623	77. RI – Whitehouse, Sheldon (202) 244-2921
IN – Lugar, Richard G. (202) 224-4814	78. SC – DeMint, Jim (202) 244-6121
Iowa – Grassley, Chuck (202) 224-3744	79. SC – Graham, Lindsey (202) 244-5972
Iowa – Harkin, Tom (202) 224-3254	80. SD – Johnson, Jim (202) 244-5842
Kansas – Brownback, Sam (202) 224-6521	81. SD – Thune, John (202) 244-2321
Kansas – Roberts, Pat (202) 224-4774	82. TN – Alexander, Lamar (202) 244-4944
Kentucky – Bunning, Jim (202) 224-4343	83. TN – Corker, Bob (202) 244-3344
KY – McConnell, Mitch (202) 224-2541	84. Texas – Cornyn, John (202) 244-2934
LA – Landrieu, Mary L.(202) 224-5824	85. Texas – Hutchison, Bailey (202) 244-5922
Louisiana – Vitter, David (202) 224-4623	86. Utah – Bennett, Robert (202) 244-5444
Maine – Collins, Susan M. (202) 224-2523	87. Utah – Hatch, Orrin (202) 244-5251
Maine – Snowe, Olympia J.(202) 224-5344	88. Vermont – Leahy, Patrick (202) 244-4242
MD – Cardin, Benjamin L.(202) 224-4524	89. VT – Sanders, Bernard (202) 244-5141
MD – Mikulski, Barbara A.(202) 224-4654	90. VA – Warner, Mark (202) 244-2023
MA - Kerry, John F.(202) 224-2742	91. Virginia – Webb, Jim (202) 244-4024
Michigan – Levin, Carl (202) 224-6221	92. WA – Cantwell, Maria (202) 244-3441
MI – Stabenow, Debbie(202) 224-4822	93. WA – Murray, Patty (202) 244-2621
Minnesota – Franken, Al(202) 224-5641	94. WV – Byrd, Robert (202) 244-3954
MN – Klobuchar, Amy(202) 224-3244	95. WV – Rockefeller, John IV (202) 244-6472
MS – Cochran, Thad(202) 224-5054	96. WI – Feingold, Russell (202) 244-5323
MS – Wicker, Roger F.(202) 224-6253	97. WI – Kohl, Herb (202) 244-5653
MO – Bond, Christopher S.(202) 224-5721	98. Wyoming – Barrasso, John (202) 244-6441
MO – McCaskill, Claire(202) 224-6154	99. Wyoming – Enzi, Michael (202) 244-3424
Montana – Baucus, Max(202) 224-2651

Blue Dog Democrats

1. AL – Bobby Bright 202-225-2901	25. IA – Leonard Boswell 202-225-3806
2. AL – Parker Griffith 202-225-4801	26. KS – Dennis Moore 202-225-2865
3. AR – Mike Ross 202-225-3772	27. KY – Ben Chandler 202-225-4706
4. AZ – Marion Berry 202-225-4076	28. LA – Charlie Melancon 202-225-4031
5. AZ – Gabrielle Giffords 202-225-2542	29. ME – Mike Michaud 202-225-6306
6. CA – Joe Baca 202-225-6161	30. MD – Frank Kratovil 202-225-5311
7. CA – Dennis Cardoza 202-225-6131	31. MN – Collin Peterson 202-225-2165
8. CA – Jim Costa 202-225-3341	32. MS – Gene Taylor 202-225-5772
9. CA – Jane Harmon 202-225-8220	33. NY – Mike Arcuri 202-225-3665
10. CA – Loretta Sanchez 202-225-2965	34. NC – Mike McIntyre 202-225-2731
11. CA – Adam Schiff 202-225-4176	35. NC – Heath Shuler 202-225-6401
12. CA – Mike Thompson 202-225-3311	36. ND – Earl Pomeroy 202-225-2611
13. CO – John Salazar 202-225-4761	37. OH – Charlie Wilson 202-225-5705
14. FL – Allen Boyd 202-225-5235	38. OH – Zack Space 202-225-6265
15. GA – John Barrow 202-225-2823	39. OK – Dan Boren 202-225-2701
16. GA – Sanford Bishop 202-225-3631	40. PA – Christopher Carney 202-225-3731
17. GA – Jim Marshall 202-225-6531	41. PA – Tim Holden 202-225-5546
18. GA – David Scott 202-225-2939	42. PA – Patrick Murphy 202-225-4276
19. ID – Walt Minnick 202-225-6611	43. SD – Stephanie Sandlin 202-225-2801
20. IL – Melissa Bean 202- 225-3711	44. TN – Bart Gordon 202-225-4231
21. IL – Bill Foster 202-225-2976	45. TN – Jim Cooper 202-225-4311
22. IN – Joe Donnelly 202-225-3915	46. TN – Lincoln Davis 202-225-6831
23. IN – Brad Ellsworth 202-225-4636	47. TN – John Tanner 202-225-4714
24. IN – Baron Hill 202-225-5315	48. UT – Jim Matheson 202-225-3011

Stanton Bedwell's Baptism/Birthday Party today, you're invited!

2009-09-26T01:41:00.001-04:00

Hey y'all,

this is a follow up on the email that we sent out Sunday Night (or was it Monday night?... i can't remember).. anyway, I'm sorry for short notice on the map, but here it is. You're all invited to Stanton's Baptism and his Birthday Party (no need to bring a gift, your presence is all we request). The Birthday get-together will be immediately after the Baptism, so bring a change of clothes if you like... you know we will be changing into shorts and sneakers (flip flops for some)

Stanton's Baptism starts @ 11:00 at the Cartersville Chapel, after which, if it is not raining, we will head to Coopers Furnace Day use area and have a little birthday get together... hot dogs, cake, ice cream... horse shoes, volleyball, nature walks, people talks... hangin' out by the Etowah river... you're all invited to both. Hope to see you there... If you only plan on coming to the party, then plan on being there around 12:30 or 1:00...
IF it is raining, we will remain @ the church for the party.

Melinda's Cell # is 770-769-7716, mine is 7717... neither phone gets good reception @ the church so you may not get us immediately while we are there.

Hope to see you guys there.

Thanks,

Scott Bedwell and Family

Directions from Church to Coopers Furnace Day Use area.

Starting from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints building on 870 Peeples Valley Rd NE

1	Head northwest on Peeples Valley Rd NE toward Old Cassville White Rd NW - go 0.7 mi
2	Turn right at Cassville White Rd NW - go 220 ft
3	Take the ramp onto GA-401 S/I-75 S - go 8.3 mi
4	Take exit 288 toward Cartersville - go 0.5 mi
5	Turn right at GA-113/E Main St - go 1.9 mi
6	Turn left at GA-3/Joe F Harris Pkwy SE/Joe Frank Harris Pkwy/US-41 - go 1.5 mi Continue to follow GA-3/Joe Frank Harris Pkwy/US-41
7	Take the exit toward Old River Rd SE - go 0.2 mi
8	Turn left at Old River Rd SE - go 2.7 mi

Arriving at Coopers Furnace Day Use Area, Old River Rd SE

Total: 15.7 mi - about 24 mins

Link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=870+Peeples+Valley+Rd+NE,+Cartersville,+GA+30121&daddr=E+Main+St+to:Cooper+Furnace&geocode=%3BFbBnCQIduk7y-g%3BFRBQCQIdQBHz-iFg_eH_sEhobA&hl=en&mra=ls&via=1&sll=34.207259,-84.773941&sspn=0.157014,0.32959&ie=UTF8&ll=34.212654,-84.773941&spn=0.157004,0.32959&z=12

Start address: 870 Peeples Valley Rd NE Cartersville, GA 30121
End address: Cooper Furnace

Start at: 870 Peeples Valley Rd NE Cartersville, GA 30121

1. Head northwest on Peeples Valley Rd NE toward Old Cassville White Rd NW - 0.7 mi
2. Turn right at Cassville White Rd NW - 220 ft
3. Take the ramp onto GA-401 S/I-75 S - 8.3 mi
4. Take exit 288 toward Cartersville - 0.5 mi
5. Turn right at GA-113/E Main St - 1.9 mi
6. Turn left at GA-3/Joe F Harris Pkwy SE/Joe Frank Harris Pkwy/US-41 Continue to follow GA-3/Joe Frank Harris Pkwy/US-41 - 1.5 mi
7. Take the exit toward Old River Rd SE - 0.2 mi
8. Turn left at Old River Rd SE Destination will be on the left - 2.7 mi

Arrive at: Cooper Furnace

Jolene Roxbury- OB/GYN Answering Machine

2009-09-10T20:50:00.000-04:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ-XhuFSQFs

Scott B.

Cat Talk... or should I say: Catpoop talk from FB

2009-08-20T00:34:00.009-04:00

This has had us laughing all evening... though this mornng we were definitely NOT laughing...(I'm attempting to cut/paste from FB): It turned into 3 threads, I'll try to merge them into one, chronological thread... enjoy:

Scott Bedwell: left my window down in my car last night... again! Was worried about the rain getting in until I opened the door to find that the neighbor's stupid cat had climbed in and taken a nasty, runny, CRAP on not one, but both back seat floorboards!!!!...! The floor mats were still up on the seats from vaccuuming... Soooo, the idiot cat $h!tted right onto the upholstry!!!! Uuuuggghhhhhh!!!!

Alyson McQueen Pearson: Yuck!

Beckara Mosley: LOL

Scott Bedwell: This same flee-farmer has crapped on the railing of our back porch, in our garage, and on our neighbor's front porch... I think he has some problems.... AND, I think he's about to turn up missing!!!!!!!!!!!

William Neese: To bad it did not rain enough to wash away the cat poop.

Melinda Bryant Bedwell: I suppose you're going to want my car tomorrow--- I forgot um to tell you I'm going to Atlanta tomorrow, yea, that's it. Sorry-/ need my car!!!

Scott Bedwell: Aaarrrrrrggghhhhhh!!!! DEATH TO PROZAC!!!!! (that's actually the cat's name)

Louis DeBroux: cat...the other white meat. Time for some stir fry.

Allison Hollis-Ball: That is HILARIOUS.... I'm LMAO @ your story. BOTH floorboards?

Scott Bedwell: Not sure I'd eat this one, might get whatever illness is making it poop everywhwere except where it should... In the woods (or on the neighbors porch)

Scott Murphy: Sounds like the cat might wanna go on a little field trip to check out its survival skills

Scott Bedwell: My thoughts exactly... I wonder how well it can swim...

Nancy Hearn Booth: I'll bet you don't leave your windows down again.

Louis DeBroux: Hey, get one of those water balloon launchers and see how far you can shoot the cat out of it!

Doug Morris: Ewwwww...lesson learned?

Doug Morris: Louis has the right idea...The CAT-APULT !!!

John Miller: Nice.

Tiffany Denise Jemison Garner: I love all of the comments about the kitty. Sorry Scotty!

Jackie Dove: Hmmmm... I don't think that cat likes you Dude! I can relate though, we have an elderly cat who pisses in crazy places and she shit all over my bed when I had the flu! She was mad because I was ignoring her! Cat fluids are the worse!

Doug Morris: Jackie, I'm experiencing that right now. We have an old cat(19) thats just whizzing everywhere but her box now. Ewwww

Scott Bedwell: Yeah, yeah... lesson learned... Louis, I really like the concept... But I want the cat to pay the way he's making me pay... I think I'm gonna catch him and lock him in Ethan/Stanton's bathroom after they've both "taken care of business"... But I'm affraid he'd just poop in there too... So, nevermind.... It's the balloon launcher for Prozac after all!!

Scott Bedwell: Thanks for your sympathy folks, but this cat isn't old, he's just over a year, very sweet, doubt he's mad at me... Well, unless he realizes that I'm the one who sent his girlfriend and her kittens on an extended vacation to farm country... He might be able to meet back up with them tonight when we go on a lil' ride..

Doug Morris: WHEW !!! When you said you were gonna make the cat pay the way he's making you pay, I thought you were gonna go take a dump in his litter box and make his family think a cougar had crapped there. LOL
Actually I've always wanted to do that. Go to someone's house that has a kitty litter box in their bathroom, drop a massive one in there and cover it up. Can you imagine when the family comes to clean out the cat box and finds one about 1' long LMAO...."Kitty, are you ok?" Bwahhahahaaha

Scott Bedwell: Doug, dude, I'm cryin' cause I'm laughing so hard... I would entertain the idea, but this cat is our neighbor's "outdoor cat".... But dang man! That was friggin' hillarious ....
"kitty, are you ok?"

Scott Bedwell: well, gotta go rent the steam cleaner!!! just be glad you can't smell cat-feces through the internet!!!

Scott Bedwell: wish i had some liquid nitrogen so i could freeze it, scrape it up from the carpet, borrow the neighbor's vaccuum cleaner, suck it up while it's still frozen, give the vaccuum cleaner back and let it thaw in the bag...

Allison Hollis-Ball: Scott, I don't know your friend, Doug, but when Morris (my cat) goes.... it probably looks like YOU went. Except for one little thing: Morris doesn't go in the box. Morris goes OUTSIDE the box. He points the wrong direction. OH, I forgot to tell you morris is 22 lbs. That might give you the visual. Morris has IBS, too, right Scott? Be glad HE wasn't trapped in your car.

Scott Bedwell: Oh yeah, Allison, thanks for the silver lining... I AM very greatful that Morris wasn't in my car... and yes, I remember Morris... seems like he had a "pointed the wrong way" incedent once while we were studying @ ur house during the nursing school era... Good times ;~}

Doug Morris: Glad you liked that !! So next party you and the Mrs. go to, look for the kitty litter box in the bathroom and enjoy. LOL

Scott Bedwell: It's on the itenerary... Especially when the neighbors (Prozac's owners) throw their next get-together...
And on the IRONIC side of things... Stanton was outside and saw one of the neighbors... He took it upon himself to tell her about the present left in my car... She said "tell your parents that if they see Prozac, catch him and bring him over... We're taking him to get neutered tomorrow"...
Talk about justice being served!!!

Judi Powell: Scott, the stories you and your friend Doug are telling have got me LMBO to the point of tears. I needed a good laugh. Thanks!
As for the poop, I suggest that you scoop it up in a bag and label it "Prozac's gift to mom and dad" on the outside and place it in the floorboard of their car.Put a hole in the bag so it has a chance to leak out.

Allison Hollis-Ball: Scott.... I have laughed about this for so long. It's great to read the thread over and over. Be sure to thank the neighbors cat for me, too. God that's funny.

Scott Bedwell: Glad we could be of service... I didn't laugh until Doug's last post... Now I can't stop... I want to go poop in my neighbors litter box one day when we're over there... just for fun

Allison Hollis-Ball: I know, seriously.... it makes you want to go do that w/ a hidden camera and a reveal for later. Hilarious! You could put it on youtube. DO IT!

Allison Hollis-Ball: OH MY GOD.... the cat's name is PROZAC? Talk about a silver lining. This is the best story EVER. Thanks!

Scott Bedwell: Bwaaahaaahaahahaaa!!! "Kitty, are you OK?"...... I can't stop laughing!.... Thanks Doug.... (if ur wondering, just read my last status/post)

Alyson McQueen Pearson: That made my day! I made everyone in the office come read it!! LMAO

Scott Bedwell: made mine too. glad we could entertain ur office... i'm getting ready to go rent a steam cleaner!!!!!! UUUGGHHHH!!!!

William Neese: With a steam cleaner in this Ga heat, your car will be a cat POO sauna:0

Scott Bedwell: be glad u don't have "smell-a-vision" on ur computer

Lowry Burton Vasko: Oh my word!!! I just about fell out of my chair!!! :-D Sorry about the cat poo...but it sure is entertaining for the rest of us!!!

Scott Bedwell: what's on my mind... what about "what's on my floorboard?"... THAT is the question...

Mac McKinney: Yep! Bad Kitty.. BAD KITTY!!

Sarah Kimpel Taylor: "Kitty, are u ok?"

Prozac going on a low altitude orbit!!

Mac McKinney: Hillarious!

Jessica Magnusson: the only thing i can think cats are good for. love this picture

Ethan & Stanton waiting while dad rents the cat poop extractor

Amber Cain: Is it as scary as it sounds?

Jessica Magnusson: cats are the debil.

Scott Bedwell: Amber, Jessie,... Y'all need to go to my wall and read my status from earlier today, actually my last 3 statuses... And the 30+ coments... You should get a good chuckle

Jessica Magnusson: oh wow. that was a good laugh. sorry for your car though.

Scripture reading before bed time

2009-08-16T22:55:00.000-04:00

As necessary as it is, sometimes it can be painful

Blogging in bed

2009-08-16T03:16:00.002-04:00

In bed... Middle of night.., can't sleep... Helluva headache... This isn't helping... Obviosly, I figured out how to blog with my cell phone... Blog blog blog blog blogblogblogblogblogblogblogety blog. (I just did a lot of blogging if you didn't notice).... Goodnight.
Scott

Can't Slep

2009-08-16T03:10:00.001-04:00

"Live Free or Die"

2009-05-29T14:14:00.001-04:00

It's a bit of a read, but well worth it. Folks, we have got to wake up and do something if we want to save our Republic. Dad supbscribed me to the Imprimis newsletter and this was in last month's edition. I felt obligated to share it with whoever I could get to read it.

April 2009
Mark Steyn

Live Free or Die

The following is adapted from a lecture delivered at Hillsdale College on March 9, 2009.

MY REMARKS are titled tonight after the words of General Stark, New Hampshire's great hero of the Revolutionary War: "Live free or die!" When I first moved to New Hampshire, where this appears on our license plates, I assumed General Stark had said it before some battle or other—a bit of red meat to rally the boys for the charge; a touch of the old Henry V-at-Agincourt routine. But I soon discovered that the general had made his famous statement decades after the war, in a letter regretting that he would be unable to attend a dinner. And in a curious way I found that even more impressive. In extreme circumstances, many people can rouse themselves to rediscover the primal impulses: The brave men on Flight 93 did. They took off on what they thought was a routine business trip, and, when they realized it wasn't, they went into General Stark mode and cried "Let's roll!" But it's harder to maintain the "Live free or die!" spirit when you're facing not an immediate crisis but just a slow, remorseless, incremental, unceasing ratchet effect. "Live free or die!" sounds like a battle cry: We'll win this thing or die trying, die an honorable death. But in fact it's something far less dramatic: It's a bald statement of the reality of our lives in the prosperous West. You can live as free men, but, if you choose not to, your society will die.

My book America Alone is often assumed to be about radical Islam, firebreathing imams, the excitable young men jumping up and down in the street doing the old "Death to the Great Satan" dance. It's not. It's about us. It's about a possibly terminal manifestation of an old civilizational temptation: Indolence, as Machiavelli understood, is the greatest enemy of a republic. When I ran into trouble with the so-called "human rights" commissions up in Canada, it seemed bizarre to find the progressive left making common cause with radical Islam. One half of the alliance profess to be pro-gay, pro-feminist secularists; the other half are homophobic, misogynist theocrats. Even as the cheap bus 'n' truck road-tour version of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, it made no sense. But in fact what they have in common overrides their superficially more obvious incompatibilities: Both the secular Big Government progressives and political Islam recoil from the concept of the citizen, of the free individual entrusted to operate within his own societal space, assume his responsibilities, and exploit his potential.

In most of the developed world, the state has gradually annexed all the responsibilities of adulthood—health care, child care, care of the elderly—to the point where it's effectively severed its citizens from humanity's primal instincts, not least the survival instinct. Hillary Rodham Clinton said it takes a village to raise a child. It's supposedly an African proverb—there is no record of anyone in Africa ever using this proverb, but let that pass. P.J. O'Rourke summed up that book superbly: It takes a village to raise a child. The government is the village, and you're the child. Oh, and by the way, even if it did take a village to raise a child, I wouldn't want it to be an African village. If you fly over West Africa at night, the lights form one giant coastal megalopolis: Not even Africans regard the African village as a useful societal model. But nor is the European village. Europe's addiction to big government, unaffordable entitlements, cradle-to-grave welfare, and a dependence on mass immigration needed to sustain it has become an existential threat to some of the oldest nation-states in the world.

And now the last holdout, the United States, is embarking on the same grim path: After the President unveiled his budget, I heard Americans complain, oh, it's another Jimmy Carter, or LBJ's Great Society, or the new New Deal. You should be so lucky. Those nickel-and-dime comparisons barely begin to encompass the wholesale Europeanization that's underway. The 44th president's multi-trillion-dollar budget, the first of many, adds more to the national debt than all the previous 43 presidents combined, from George Washington to George Dubya. The President wants Europeanized health care, Europeanized daycare, Europeanized education, and, as the Europeans have discovered, even with Europeanized tax rates you can't make that math add up. In Sweden, state spending accounts for 54% of GDP. In America, it was 34%—ten years ago. Today, it's about 40%. In four years' time, that number will be trending very Swede-like.

But forget the money, the deficit, the debt, the big numbers with the 12 zeroes on the end of them. So-called fiscal conservatives often miss the point. The problem isn't the cost. These programs would still be wrong even if Bill Gates wrote a check to cover them each month. They're wrong because they deform the relationship between the citizen and the state. Even if there were no financial consequences, the moral and even spiritual consequences would still be fatal. That's the stage where Europe is.

America is just beginning this process. I looked at the rankings in Freedom in the 50 States published by George Mason University last month. New Hampshire came in Number One, the Freest State in the Nation, which all but certainly makes it the freest jurisdiction in the Western world. Which kind of depressed me. Because the Granite State feels less free to me than it did when I moved there, and you always hope there's somewhere else out there just in case things go belly up and you have to hit the road. And way down at the bottom in the last five places were Maryland, California, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and the least free state in the Union by some distance, New York.

New York! How does the song go? "If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere!" If you can make it there, you're some kind of genius. "This is the worst fiscal downturn since the Great Depression," announced Governor Paterson a few weeks ago. So what's he doing? He's bringing in the biggest tax hike in New York history. If you can make it there, he can take it there—via state tax, sales tax, municipal tax, a doubled beer tax, a tax on clothing, a tax on cab rides, an "iTunes tax," a tax on haircuts, 137 new tax hikes in all. Call 1-800-I-HEART-NEW-YORK today and order your new package of state tax forms, for just $199.99, plus the 12% tax on tax forms and the 4% tax form application fee partially refundable upon payment of the 7.5% tax filing tax. If you can make it there, you'll certainly have no difficulty making it in Tajikistan.

New York, California... These are the great iconic American states, the ones we foreigners have heard of. To a penniless immigrant called Arnold Schwarzenegger, California was a land of plenty. Now Arnold is an immigrant of plenty in a penniless land: That's not an improvement. One of his predecessors as governor of California, Ronald Reagan, famously said, "We are a nation that has a government, not the other way around." In California, it's now the other way around: California is increasingly a government that has a state. And it is still in the early stages of the process. California has thirtysomething million people. The Province of Quebec has seven million people. Yet California and Quebec have roughly the same number of government workers. "There is a great deal of ruin in a nation," said Adam Smith, and America still has a long way to go. But it's better to jump off the train as you're leaving the station and it's still picking up speed than when it's roaring down the track and you realize you've got a one-way ticket on the Oblivion Express.

"Indolence," in Machiavelli's word: There are stages to the enervation of free peoples. America, which held out against the trend, is now at Stage One: The benign paternalist state promises to make all those worries about mortgages, debt, and health care disappear. Every night of the week, you can switch on the TV and see one of these ersatz "town meetings" in which freeborn citizens of the republic (I use the term loosely) petition the Sovereign to make all the bad stuff go away. "I have an urgent need," a lady in Fort Myers beseeched the President. "We need a home, our own kitchen, our own bathroom." He took her name and ordered his staff to meet with her. Hopefully, he didn't insult her by dispatching some no-name deputy assistant associate secretary of whatever instead of flying in one of the bigtime tax-avoiding cabinet honchos to nationalize a Florida bank and convert one of its branches into a desirable family residence, with a swing set hanging where the drive-thru ATM used to be.

As all of you know, Hillsdale College takes no federal or state monies. That used to make it an anomaly in American education. It's in danger of becoming an anomaly in America, period. Maybe it's time for Hillsdale College to launch the Hillsdale Insurance Agency, the Hillsdale Motor Company and the First National Bank of Hillsdale. The executive supremo at Bank of America is now saying, oh, if only he'd known what he knows now, he wouldn't have taken the government money. Apparently it comes with strings attached. Who knew? Sure, Hillsdale College did, but nobody else.

If you're a business, when government gives you 2% of your income, it has a veto on 100% of what you do. If you're an individual, the impact is even starker. Once you have government health care, it can be used to justify almost any restraint on freedom: After all, if the state has to cure you, it surely has an interest in preventing you needing treatment in the first place. That's the argument behind, for example, mandatory motorcycle helmets, or the creepy teams of government nutritionists currently going door to door in Britain and conducting a "health audit" of the contents of your refrigerator. They're not yet confiscating your Twinkies; they just want to take a census of how many you have. So you do all this for the "free" health care—and in the end you may not get the "free" health care anyway. Under Britain's National Health Service, for example, smokers in Manchester have been denied treatment for heart disease, and the obese in Suffolk are refused hip and knee replacements. Patricia Hewitt, the British Health Secretary, says that it's appropriate to decline treatment on the basis of "lifestyle choices." Smokers and the obese may look at their gay neighbor having unprotected sex with multiple partners, and wonder why his "lifestyle choices" get a pass while theirs don't. But that's the point: Tyranny is always whimsical.

And if they can't get you on grounds of your personal health, they'll do it on grounds of planetary health. Not so long ago in Britain it was proposed that each citizen should have a government-approved travel allowance. If you take one flight a year, you'll pay just the standard amount of tax on the journey. But, if you travel more frequently, if you take a second or third flight, you'll be subject to additional levies—in the interest of saving the planet for Al Gore's polar bear documentaries and that carbon-offset palace he lives in in Tennessee.

Isn't this the very definition of totalitarianism-lite? The Soviets restricted the movement of people through the bureaucratic apparatus of "exit visas." The British are proposing to do it through the bureaucratic apparatus of exit taxes—indeed, the bluntest form of regressive taxation. As with the Communists, the nomenklatura—the Prince of Wales, Al Gore, Madonna—will still be able to jet about hither and yon. What's a 20% surcharge to them? Especially as those for whom vast amounts of air travel are deemed essential—government officials, heads of NGOs, environmental activists—will no doubt be exempted from having to pay the extra amount. But the ghastly masses will have to stay home.

"Freedom of movement" used to be regarded as a bedrock freedom. The movement is still free, but there's now a government processing fee of $389.95. And the interesting thing about this proposal was that it came not from the Labour Party but the Conservative Party.

That's Stage Two of societal enervation—when the state as guarantor of all your basic needs becomes increasingly comfortable with regulating your behavior. Free peoples who were once willing to give their lives for liberty can be persuaded very quickly to relinquish their liberties for a quiet life. When President Bush talked about promoting democracy in the Middle East, there was a phrase he liked to use: "Freedom is the desire of every human heart." Really? It's unclear whether that's really the case in Gaza and the Pakistani tribal lands. But it's absolutely certain that it's not the case in Berlin and Paris, Stockholm and London, New Orleans and Buffalo. The story of the Western world since 1945 is that, invited to choose between freedom and government "security," large numbers of people vote to dump freedom every time—the freedom to make your own decisions about health care, education, property rights, and a ton of other stuff. It's ridiculous for grown men and women to say: I want to be able to choose from hundreds of cereals at the supermarket, thousands of movies from Netflix, millions of songs to play on my iPod—but I want the government to choose for me when it comes to my health care. A nation that demands the government take care of all the grown-up stuff is a nation turning into the world's wrinkliest adolescent, free only to choose its record collection.

And don't be too sure you'll get to choose your record collection in the end. That's Stage Three: When the populace has agreed to become wards of the state, it's a mere difference of degree to start regulating their thoughts. When my anglophone friends in the Province of Quebec used to complain about the lack of English signs in Quebec hospitals, my response was that, if you allow the government to be the sole provider of health care, why be surprised that they're allowed to decide the language they'll give it in? But, as I've learned during my year in the hellhole of Canadian "human rights" law, that's true in a broader sense. In the interests of "cultural protection," the Canadian state keeps foreign newspaper owners, foreign TV operators, and foreign bookstore owners out of Canada. Why shouldn't it, in return, assume the right to police the ideas disseminated through those newspapers, bookstores and TV networks it graciously agrees to permit?

When Maclean's magazine and I were hauled up in 2007 for the crime of "flagrant Islamophobia," it quickly became very clear that, for members of a profession that brags about its "courage" incessantly (far more than, say, firemen do), an awful lot of journalists are quite content to be the eunuchs in the politically correct harem. A distressing number of Western journalists see no conflict between attending lunches for World Press Freedom Day every month and agreeing to be micro-regulated by the state. The big problem for those of us arguing for classical liberalism is that in modern Canada there's hardly anything left that isn't on the state dripfeed to one degree or another: Too many of the institutions healthy societies traditionally look to as outposts of independent thought—churches, private schools, literature, the arts, the media—either have an ambiguous relationship with government or are downright dependent on it. Up north, "intellectual freedom" means the relevant film-funding agency—Cinedole Canada or whatever it's called—gives you a check to enable you to continue making so-called "bold, brave, transgressive" films that discombobulate state power not a whit.

And then comes Stage Four, in which dissenting ideas and even words are labeled as "hatred." In effect, the language itself becomes a means of control. Despite the smiley-face banalities, the tyranny becomes more naked: In Britain, a land with rampant property crime, undercover constables nevertheless find time to dine at curry restaurants on Friday nights to monitor adjoining tables lest someone in private conversation should make a racist remark. An author interviewed on BBC Radio expressed, very mildly and politely, some concerns about gay adoption and was investigated by Scotland Yard's Community Safety Unit for Homophobic, Racist and Domestic Incidents. A Daily Telegraph columnist is arrested and detained in a jail cell over a joke in a speech. A Dutch legislator is invited to speak at the Palace of Westminster by a member of the House of Lords, but is banned by the government, arrested on arrival at Heathrow and deported.

America, Britain, and even Canada are not peripheral nations: They're the three anglophone members of the G7. They're three of a handful of countries that were on the right side of all the great conflicts of the last century. But individual liberty flickers dimmer in each of them. The massive expansion of government under the laughable euphemism of "stimulus" (Stage One) comes with a quid pro quo down the line (Stage Two): Once you accept you're a child in the government nursery, why shouldn't Nanny tell you what to do? And then—Stage Three—what to think? And—Stage Four—what you're forbidden to think . . . .

Which brings us to the final stage: As I said at the beginning, Big Government isn't about the money. It's more profound than that. A couple of years back Paul Krugman wrote a column in The New York Times asserting that, while parochial American conservatives drone on about "family values," the Europeans live it, enacting policies that are more "family friendly." On the Continent, claims the professor, "government regulations actually allow people to make a desirable tradeoff-to modestly lower income in return for more time with friends and family."

As befits a distinguished economist, Professor Krugman failed to notice that for a continent of "family friendly" policies, Europe is remarkably short of families. While America's fertility rate is more or less at replacement level—2.1—seventeen European nations are at what demographers call "lowest-low" fertility—1.3 or less—a rate from which no society in human history has ever recovered. Germans, Spaniards, Italians and Greeks have upside-down family trees: four grandparents have two children and one grandchild. How can an economist analyze "family friendly" policies without noticing that the upshot of these policies is that nobody has any families?

As for all that extra time, what happened? Europeans work fewer hours than Americans, they don't have to pay for their own health care, they're post-Christian so they don't go to church, they don't marry and they don't have kids to take to school and basketball and the 4-H stand at the county fair. So what do they do with all the time?

Forget for the moment Europe's lack of world-beating companies: They regard capitalism as an Anglo-American fetish, and they mostly despise it. But what about the things Europeans supposedly value? With so much free time, where is the great European art? Where are Europe's men of science? At American universities. Meanwhile, Continental governments pour fortunes into prestigious white elephants of Euro-identity, like the Airbus A380, capable of carrying 500, 800, a thousand passengers at a time, if only somebody somewhere would order the darn thing, which they might consider doing once all the airports have built new runways to handle it.

"Give people plenty and security, and they will fall into spiritual torpor," wrote Charles Murray in In Our Hands. "When life becomes an extended picnic, with nothing of importance to do, ideas of greatness become an irritant. Such is the nature of the Europe syndrome."

The key word here is "give." When the state "gives" you plenty—when it takes care of your health, takes cares of your kids, takes care of your elderly parents, takes care of every primary responsibility of adulthood—it's not surprising that the citizenry cease to function as adults: Life becomes a kind of extended adolescence—literally so for those Germans who've mastered the knack of staying in education till they're 34 and taking early retirement at 42. Hilaire Belloc, incidentally, foresaw this very clearly in his book The Servile State in 1912. He understood that the long-term cost of a welfare society is the infantilization of the population.

Genteel decline can be very agreeable—initially: You still have terrific restaurants, beautiful buildings, a great opera house. And once the pressure's off it's nice to linger at the sidewalk table, have a second café au lait and a pain au chocolat, and watch the world go by. At the Munich Security Conference in February, President Sarkozy demanded of his fellow Continentals, "Does Europe want peace, or do we want to be left in peace?" To pose the question is to answer it. Alas, it only works for a generation or two. And it's hard to come up with a wake-up call for a society as dedicated as latterday Europe to the belief that life is about sleeping in.

As Gerald Ford liked to say when trying to ingratiate himself with conservative audiences, "A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have." And that's true. But there's an intermediate stage: A government big enough to give you everything you want isn't big enough to get you to give any of it back. That's the position European governments find themselves in. Their citizens have become hooked on unaffordable levels of social programs which in the end will put those countries out of business. Just to get the Social Security debate in perspective, projected public pension liabilities are expected to rise by 2040 to about 6.8% of GDP in the U.S. In Greece, the figure is 25%—i.e., total societal collapse. So what? shrug the voters. Not my problem. I want my benefits. The crisis isn't the lack of money, but the lack of citizens—in the meaningful sense of that word.

Every Democrat running for election tells you they want to do this or that "for the children." If America really wanted to do something "for the children," it could try not to make the same mistake as most of the rest of the Western world and avoid bequeathing the next generation a leviathan of bloated bureaucracy and unsustainable entitlements that turns the entire nation into a giant Ponzi scheme. That's the real "war on children" (to use another Democrat catchphrase)—and every time you bulk up the budget you make it less and less likely they'll win it.

Conservatives often talk about "small government," which, in a sense, is framing the issue in leftist terms: they're for big government. But small government gives you big freedoms—and big government leaves you with very little freedom. The bailout and the stimulus and the budget and the trillion-dollar deficits are not merely massive transfers from the most dynamic and productive sector to the least dynamic and productive. When governments annex a huge chunk of the economy, they also annex a huge chunk of individual liberty. You fundamentally change the relationship between the citizen and the state into something closer to that of junkie and pusher—and you make it very difficult ever to change back. Americans face a choice: They can rediscover the animating principles of the American idea—of limited government, a self-reliant citizenry, and the opportunities to exploit your talents to the fullest—or they can join most of the rest of the Western world in terminal decline. To rekindle the spark of liberty once it dies is very difficult. The inertia, the ennui, the fatalism is more pathetic than the demographic decline and fiscal profligacy of the social democratic state, because it's subtler and less tangible. But once in a while it swims into very sharp focus. Here is the writer Oscar van den Boogaard from an interview with the Belgian paper De Standaard. Mr. van den Boogaard, a Dutch gay "humanist" (which is pretty much the trifecta of Eurocool), was reflecting on the accelerating Islamification of the Continent and concluding that the jig was up for the Europe he loved. "I am not a warrior, but who is?" he shrugged. "I have never learned to fight for my freedom. I was only good at enjoying it." In the famous Kubler-Ross five stages of grief, Mr. van den Boogard is past denial, anger, bargaining and depression, and has arrived at a kind of acceptance.

"I have never learned to fight for my freedom. I was only good at enjoying it." Sorry, doesn't work—not for long. Back in New Hampshire, General Stark knew that. Mr. van den Boogard's words are an epitaph for Europe. Whereas New Hampshire's motto—"Live free or die!"—is still the greatest rallying cry for this state or any other. About a year ago, there was a picture in the papers of Iranian students demonstrating in Tehran and waving placards. And what they'd written on those placards was: "Live free or die!" They understand the power of those words; so should we.

MARK STEYN'S column appears in several newspapers, including the Washington Times, Philadelphia's Evening Bulletin, and the Orange County Register. In addition, he writes for The New Criterion, Maclean's in Canada, the Jerusalem Post, The Australian, and Hawke's Bay Today in New Zealand. The author of National Review's Happy Warrior column, he also blogs on National Review Online. He is the author of several books, including the best-selling America Alone: The End of The World as We Know It. Mr. Steyn teaches a two-week course in journalism at Hillsdale College during each spring semester.

Imprimis

Umm

2009-03-05T21:00:00.007-05:00

I just needed that other title to go away. Jessica said our blog is sad. So, here's a little something. I have a hunch that there's a big, long, insightful blog well on it's way.... gotta go for now, Melinda's not here and I hear kids fighting in the background.

Here are a few choice pictures for you guys to see...
I call that picture "South Alabama Gothic"... can you make the connection... to... you know... American Gothic... Come on!

Stanton Graduates (last year)

Ethan in Kindergarden... the kid hasn't changed a bit... just a little taller and can read better

Melinda a couple years ago... (wink,wink)

Young man and the Sea.... not quite

I put this up for Ryan,Dad and anyone else who could possibly attempt to imagine climbing the monster on a bicycle... (heck, descending it on a bike would be fun but you better have some good brakes!)... oh yeah... it's somewhere in Chile... Portillo I think

Facebook killed the blog (think: "Video Killed the Radio Star...")

2009-02-11T00:01:00.003-05:00

Yep, we've succumbed to the Facebook frenzy... oh! wait, you have too, you already know this because you've been Facebookin'-it too. It's kinda neat to run into old friends whom you remember and then remember things and times that you have chosen to forget. It's actually scary how addictive this "facebook" thing is... I think it's activity has peaked in our home and in it's decrescendo we will now spend a little time here and there corresponding with our newly encountered ol' friends... filling in the years with stories and experiences... it's funny (to me) how so many of my friends, that I lost contact with 15 +/- years ago, have been through similar experiences, gone to similar places, and done similar things as me... all this time I thought that I was "breaking the Lower Alabama mold" just to find out that many people go through that "finding yourself" phase in life (duh... I knew this... 2 years as a psychology major, plus all the psych I had to take for nursing school... yes, I'm a genius, I just repress the proof)
anyways, I just felt bad for our blog and wanted to put a "shout out" to the non-facebook blog people who "keeps it reel"... y'all don't know what (and who) you're missing until you facebook... (beware the addictive side though).

FYI, we have an exciting weekend planned... All of my siblings, their spouses and kids, my parents, and Chystal (soon to be Chris's spouse) will be getting together for the first time in a couple of years to celebrate my parents 60th Birthdays and Jessica's newest edition (her 3rd martian baby.. wink/wink)... this should provide some interesting blogging for the next week or two... I'll be sure to let you know then... I'm actually pretty excited about it and can't wait.
Later,
Scott

Stanton intow in S. Carolina during my 1st lap of a 13 hour endurance race.

2009-01-19T00:47:00.001-05:00

Slideshow of Me and my gang (old school style)

2009-01-18T23:56:00.001-05:00

Going Ridin'!

2009-01-13T08:32:00.002-05:00

So, I claim to be a mountainbiker but have not been a very "active" cyclist at all (at least since mid summer)... I've got tons of excuses and even a few isolated good reasons why I haven't ridden much, but lately it just boils down to being fat and lazy.... so, it's 30 deg. out today, but it's my only chance to ride until maybe saturday, or even next week... so I'm going to suck it up and go ride my bike in the cold woods for an hour or two... I just figured a worthy procrastination would be to blog about it. So, there you go.

Here's a picture for proof that I have ridden before... it's me in the "gully run" @ Big Creek Park in Roswell/Alpharetta, GA just up 400 from the Temple. No, folks just don't hang out in the woods and watch people ride by, there was a mtb festival that day and I was part of a "free ride" demo... we were demo-ing the newest addition of trail in that particular park...

New Years Eve 08-09

2009-01-06T21:29:00.003-05:00

Feeling less inspired for commentary, we just thought we'd put up a few pics from our little family NYE party that had the kids jumping for joy in anticipation of the new year. Hope y'all had a Great Christmas and a fun New Year!

Tis The Season

2008-12-14T21:35:00.010-05:00

I started this post with the desire to share this incredible song with you, now it has become a bit more, I hope it all makes sense, and I hope you enjoy.
Before starting the video, you should first, scroll to the bottom of the page and pause that "playlist" player so you will not have 2 songs going at once.

(Turn it up, man!!!)

If you have managed to spend any time around Melinda or me during Christmas, you would more than likely have heard this song. It has become one of our Christmas Anthems. This arrangement-- The Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Orchestra at Temple Square-- gives me chills every time I hear it. We first noticed it a few years ago on the end of Mr. Kruger's Christmas (one of the extra components of the DVD), then we bought the CD and have been wearing it out every Christmas since... the whole CD is great, but MAN! This one just does it for me. Having played in symphonies, I love the dynamics and instrumentation of this arrangement, not to mention the Angelic voices of the MoTab. The message of the lyrics really hit home as well. What shall we give to the babe in the manger? The best that we can give is our all, ourselves.

I really dig this passage of scripture, found in the New Testament, it (to me, in a round-about way)answers the question of "What shall we give?"... our lives.

Matthew 16 (King James Version of course)
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
...
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

OK, While I'm at it, here's one more for ya! “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” is a proclamation, a statement, a testimony, where modern-day prophets and apostles bear witness of the divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ. I just figured it's fitting, especially this time of year, so I will cut/paste it for you and there's really nothing that I feel I can add to it except "Amen".

The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles

As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.

We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.

He rose from the grave to “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among His “other sheep” (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Ephesians 1:10).

Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:3–4).

Of Him the Prophet also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).

We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth—“built upon the foundation of … apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).

We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

I agree with the above statement whole-heartedly. Again, all I can add to that is Amen.
Merry Christmas.
Scott

Here is a link to the actual performance(the video above), it will not let me embed it so you'll have to click the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGULr3NGhRs

I just have to say:

2008-12-08T23:17:00.003-05:00

I just have to say these few things, then I'm done for tonight:

-- I'm stoked for my little sis, Jessica, and her family for their newest addition to the family, Peter Sands Mag. (last name abbreviated for alleged identity protection). This is their 3rd, the "Family"'s 13th (grandchild... oldest being 12 y/o... 10 boys, 3 girls). They live in Walmart-ville, Arkansas and we haven't been up to visit yet (they moved up there around the same time we moved up here). Anyway I'm very happy for Jessie and Ryan, I'm really wanting to make a trip to Clinton-land soon.

-- University of Alabama Football ROCKS!!!! yeah, bummer that we lost Saturday!!! I really thought we could pull it off against Florida... I knew it would be an "edge-of-your-seat" match-up, and it was, but I really thought we could take 'em. At the end of the 3rd quarter, I knew we had 'em, but we definitely didn't hold up through the 4th quarter and ultimately lost the game, the SEC championship, and our chance @ the National Championship... Dang good run though, and I'm hoping for at least as good of a year next year!!!
Looks like we'll be schooling some Mormons at the Sugar Bowl down in Katrina-ville. Can I just say that I don't like the whole BCS thing??? I'm all for changing it to a legitimate play-off championship thing... I mean come-on!!! Don't get me wrong, I think that the Florida-Oklahoma matchup will be much more intense than our bowl game, and probably more entertaining than the Texas-Ohio State game, I also think that we could take Oklahoma if we could've scooted by Florida. So there you go... yes, I just predicted Florida to beat Oklahoma to be BCS National Champs. Whoopee... I still feel that we had one heck of a year. Nick Saban is the man, J.P. Wilson is a dang good QB and a talented leader (not unlike Tebow), and you can be looking for some big plays out of our freshman from Foley, AL (Julio Jones) in the years to come!!! That being said, let me just say: ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

-- Being sick sucks!!! I've had some kind of crud for more than a month now. It's been mutating into different incarnations each week... started off with sinus drainage, sore throat and head ache... Stanton had similar stuff going on so we went to the doc to knock it out early... we were negative for strep and flu, he got better, but the next week I no longer had the sore throat and head ache but instead had inflamed and congested sinuses, and my ears were stopped up... the really annoying kind where you can't equalize them, one is open the other closed type of thing and it swaps sides as you try to "pop" them... The following week I lost the ear thing and picked up a phlegm cough, intermittent lethargy, and maintained the sinus inflammation/congestion... but no drainage. Well, this past week I lost everything except the sinus thing, but it still sucks, in fact, I've been draining the thick, greenish, junk from my nose... still somewhat lethargic while still feeling the pressure/ache/pain in my sinuses... so I went back to the doc this past Friday and she decides it's time to try some anti-biotics... today is day #4 on antibiotics and not much change!!! Still green junk, still achy... yeah, I know... boo hoo, wah-wah... I'm just sayin', it sucks!!! I'd rather have earned my sickness from riding my mountainbike in the freezing cold and rain or something sick-worthy like that!

-- It's cool to hear from old (or long-lost) friends. Kelly Booth (now Bird I think) popped up on our radar today from whichever part of the universe she's living in. If you're reading this then "Hey Kelly". No, I'm not some weirdo (the only non-gay, male "family style" blogger around). I just picked up this whole blogging thing from my sisters as a way to communicate without having to use the phone... my family is not known for their phone and written letter tendencies, but blogging is a pretty easy and painless process that seems to fit the bill. Melinda (my wife) likes to read blogs, likes the concept, intends on blogging, but usually just gives me things to blog about or adds to my blogs in the form of creative and/or constructive suggestions, but seldomly gets around to actually blogging herself. So there you have it, somehow I got off of the original segment which is: hearing from old friends, namely Kelly.
About Kelly. She was always one of those cool "older sisters" of one of your friends, ya know. Her younger brother, Joel is about a year or so older than me and we were in Mutual (young men/young women's program) together as teenagers. We went to different high schools so we usually only hung out on Wednesday nights or weekends and usually with activities centered around church, but we did manage to get into some "typical" mischief associated with adolescence and not necessarily associated with church... that's all I'll say about that... anyway, remember how awkward you felt in your early/mid teens when you got around older teenagers? Remember how you wanted to be accepted, but really didn't know what to say or how to act the further away you got from your nucleus of similar age and like minded friends/peers? Well, Kelly and her friend Sheila, never made me feel that way... come to think of it, there was a whole gang in their age group, including Jeff (Kelly and Joel's older brother), Terry (Sheila's older brother), Skip (aka Kalvin) and Holley Johnson who were cool like that. I'm not sure that teenagers act like that towards each other anymore, you know... civil? It wasn't like I was trying to hang with the older kids either, but in our church, you tend to see a lot of each other at different events and Kelly was always one of those who would talk to me when she saw me... not one of those who would act like you weren't in the room. I always thought she was cool for that. Anyway, Kelly, thanks for being cool back then, even if you may not be anymore... just kiddin', you could've easily saw our blog, scanned through it, and kept on surfing, but you didn't, you kept true to form and said "hey"... well I think that's pretty cool. I hope all is well with your family and hope to hear from you again sometime.

-- I'm pretty much a weirdo. I can never just throw a few words on the blog and be done with it, I always end up doing this kind of thing. I really wanted to go to bed a bit earlier tonight, but screwed that up... oh well, I'm sure that there are many other husbands out there who seem a lot less weird than me who are looking at porn or something equally degrading, they probably bash guys who "blog"... ahhh, who cares? Since when did something like keeping a journal (which is kinda how I see blogging)become abnormal and being addicted to porn or "fantacy football" become accepted as "just what men do"? I'm just sayin'

Well that does it for now... I just saw Melinda quickly walk by and not even glance over at me... which translates from married sign-language to 1 or 2 things: 1. "you've angered me and now you'll have to guess how (and/or why)" or 2. "I'm trying to slip by you because I'm eating/drinking/or doing something that I don't want to share with you.... and now you'll have to guess what it is". So, I'm off for the night. We'll get back to addressing my weirdness soon... I promise.
Scott

Long time no post. Here's a cop-out.

2008-12-06T23:34:00.003-05:00

It's been a while, I know, a lot has happened. I'll post soon with updates. BTW, Congratulations, Jessie, for giving birth to the 10th healthy grandson (out of now 13 grandkids)for Mom and Dad. We're glad everything went well with the delivery and that you guys are doing fine. Can't wait to come visit.
There's a lot more to report in regards to the NW Georgia Bedwells, but I'll do that soon, but for now, here's a cut-n-post for you to "get to know me better"
Later,
Scott

I got this from a friend's blog. I've never posted one of these things, but figured what the heck. You are supposed to copy the list and bold any of them that you have done. I couldn't let some go without comments (italicized)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars Many, many times in many different states. My favorite was with Melinda hidden between some sand dunes on the Florida side of Alabama Point in Orange Beach on the beach. We were awakened somewhere around 3 a.m. by some "do good" cops who warned us of people being kidnapped and even killed by doing the same thing... I figured our error was leaving the car in the parking lot instead of having someone drop us off... there's no way they could've seen us from the road, parking lot or even the beach... (yes we were married then!)
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland /world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo two weeks ago in the Ward Choir... My first such
11. Bungee jumped Off of a bridge in a canyon in Idaho
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (seems like this one should be a "yes" but I can't really think of what it should be)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables we grew small gardens when living in Orange Beach
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight Long time ago... really
22. Hitch hiked from Big Sky Ski Resort, MT to many places including but not limited to: Bozeman, Missoula, Rexburg, Jackson Hole, Salt Lake City
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill some of my best surfing trips were when I was "Sick"
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping Duhhhh!!!
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset Many, Many, Many times
31. Hit a home run Do "In Park" HR's Count?
32. Been on a cruise It was a "Dinner Cruise" in Mobile Bay for a Prom Dinner, does that count?
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke Not something that I want to admit
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business does Amway/Quixtar count? they want you to think that it's your business anyway
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle can't wait to do it again!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person got struck by lightning IN the canyon, down near the Colorado river
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating do fish count?
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life Many times... it's what I get paid to do.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous Ted Turner and Jane (when she was his wife), and many football celebrities including Bob Baumhower, Gene Stallings, Shaun Alexander, Kenny Stabler, also Wayne Rogers (BJ Honeycutt from M.A.S.H.) and some more I can't remember off the top of my head
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (made a couple... does that count?)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (walked ankle deep in it... when seeing Widespread Panic play at the "Salt Air Arena" on my 22 birthday... 1994)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Happy Birthday Ginger!

2008-11-18T18:37:00.005-05:00

As the title may suggest, yes, it's another Birthday in the Bedwell clan! Happy Birthday Ginger!
Ginger is the middle child in or group of 5. We have had her convinced since she was old enough to comprehend English, that she was adopted. So Ginger, for your birthday present, I just wanted to let you know that "SURPRISE!!!!", you're not adopted!!!
Wow, now you finally know who your birth-parents are!!! (not that you could ever be mistaken for someone other than a Bedwell).
Of course I'm joking... we let her know a long time ago that she was not adopted... wink/wink...
Here's a picture of Ginger and a couple of her offspring:

We hope you have a great birthday and we look forward to seeing you next week for turkey day festivities @ Lake Martin!!!

By the way, I'm 36 y/o now and Ginger was born 4 years after me... so if you really want to, you can do the math and figure out how young she is.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland visits for my Birthday

2008-11-09T13:07:00.007-05:00

Wow, what an unexpected birthday present! Well, first, let me back up. Yesterday was my birthday, somewhat uneventful, we had thought to go see a concert (Matisyahu was playing in Atlanta), but we decided that we needed to go shopping and to dinner instead, the kids had an overnight birthday party to attend, so it worked out nicely.
Melinda got some new Danskos and we both got some new Smartwools. Woooo-hoooo!!!!! Right? Yeah, I know, we really get crazy when we go out for a birthday (actually, Melinda's birthday was last week and our 12th anniversary was in between our birthdays, so we were kinda celebrating all of the above)... we had dinner @ Ted's Montana Grill ( www.tedsmontanagrill.com ) it was actually way more casual, and way more enjoyable than expected. My Bison pot roast was great, but looking back, I wish I would've tried the Bison Filet or prime rib/ribeye. Melinda had cow (beef tenderloin) for dinner and it was good too. It was an enjoyable night with exceptional company and conversation.
So, back to Elder Holland, (click on the video to hear and see Elder Holland's testimony, for more about the living Twelve Apostles, go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.org or ask an LDS friend)
Well, we were to have an "impromptu" Stake Conference of sorts this weekend... again, if you're a non-member friend, just ask, I'll fill you in... Stake (like stakes of a tent) Conference is a meeting of the congregations of many local LDS churches under a local presiding presidency, it happens twice yearly...
So anyway, our Stake (the Cartersville Stake), is relatively new and we have yet to build a Stake Center to meet in, so we have borrowed our neighboring Stake Center in Powder Springs in the past for the purpose of our Stake Conferences. We have also utilized the larger of our buildings in our stake, Mars Hill (Acworth/Dallas-ish) for this purpose as well. The funny thing about this is that coming from Cartersville, you typically drive to both buildings in the same route, on the same road, only Mars Hill is about 6 or so miles North of the Powder Springs building and it's off the main road a little. The reason this is funny today is because neither Melinda nor I could remember which building we were to meet in. We knew that Elder D. Todd Christofferson (another Apostle) was supposed to be presiding over our meeting, so we figured that it would be big, so we just drove past the turn for Mars Hill building and went on down to the larger Powder Springs building, where we saw folks filling the parking lot of the high school football stadium just up the street and figured we were there. I dropped Melinda and the boys at the church, then went and parked the car where I was picked up by the shuttle service that was being provided by the ushers.
When I got inside, I realized that I had missed the opening prayer and the opening song and Stake business. The first speaker was already speaking, then song, followed by the out-going Mission President (apparently we have a new Mission Pres.), then a song, then the "Stake President"... only it wasn't OUR Stake President... (BTW, we were now sitting in an overflow room watching on a monitor), so I'm turning to Melinda asking... "Did President Giddens get released?" She just shrugs, so we sit and listen.
It IS a very spiritual meeting at this point, but it did seem to be moving right along and not quite a typical Stake Conference, and no other affiliated meetings on Saturday and whatnot. So, the next speaker turns out to be Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and there's no sign of Christofferson, come to think of it, we had yet to see a familiar face from our Stake either.
Elder Holland's talk was awesome! He was very candid and informal to start, he made some jokes and seemed very personable. He explained that this "impromptu" visit was not to "announce the date of the coming of the Lord, or anything great and marvelous as that", but was an attempt of the General Authorities to get out and see the Saints and be seen by them... (turns out that he was traveling with Elder Chistofferson, Elder Snow-- Quorum of Seventy, and maybe some others)... So, the visiting G.A.'s met on Saturday with all of the Atlanta and surrounding area Stake Presidents and Bishops/Branch Presidents. And Each met with a different Stake or two today... (Ah,Ha!!!)... Turns out that Christofferson was, in fact, at the Mars Hill building meeting with OUR (Cartersville) Stake and WE (Bedwells) were, in fact, attending the Powder Springs' "impromptu" Stake Conference and Elder Snow would be at another Stake holding a similar meeting... They were in Canada just a couple weeks ago, and will be in New York next week, and so on and so forth, going about the country (and assumingly other GA's doing the same thing), until after General Conference in April, then they will be going out of the States doing the same...

No wonder we hadn't seen a familiar face yet (well, we recognized the Mission Pres, and of course, Elder Holland). I've yet to find out the message of Elder Christofferson, but let me get back to Elder Holland's Talk. As I mentioned, he started out on a light note, but soon became very serious and began to address the youth specifically. He requested the attention of young men and young women from the ages of 12 to 22 and spoke directly to them. He relayed some experiences which he had to be near Presidents Hinkley and Hunter in the latter parts of their lives and he spoke of President Monson as well. He mentioned that the Thursday before Pres. Hinkley died, he conducted meetings in a typical fashion, ALL DAY LONG (as usual) with members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of Twelve in the 4th floor of the Salt Lake Temple. He emphasized that not only was this a few days before his death, but that it was also a few months before his 98th birthday. He really drove the point that President Hinkley and the Prophets before him as well as the "young" President Monson (81 y/o) had more or less lived their lives to the fullest, and had for decades, dedicated their lives to the Lord's work and on some level had possibly/assumingly secured their places in Heaven. (He kinda apologized for saying such and stated that none of the Prophets would agree or actually feel that way, it just was the point that he was leading up to)... His point was that these men, in the twilight of their lives, were still working as hard or harder for the building up of the Lord's Kingdom on Earth. "There is no 'Palm Springs' for Prophets" he said. Speaking of President Hinkley he said that if you were to give him a Golf Club, he wouldn't know what to do with it. "He would probably think it was some kind of device to beat a missionary upside the head with... you know, motivation" ...
His point was that these leaders could've and can easily justify "retiring" at this time in there lives and that their counterparts in the world, in business and otherwise, were typically well on their way to their "Palm Springs" by this age. He asked "Why".(regarding the Prophets). Why would they feel the need to press on? His answer was: (and if you see a quote on my blog, please note that it is STRICTLY a paraphrase), his answer was: "Not for themselves, it was never about themselves, it's always been for you." (speaking to the youth, which involves us all, obviously, but specifically the youth). He continued to drive the point that they were doing a selfless work and their dedication was without measure. He called this work and dedication an "investment". And that he wished to talk to the youth about a return on this investment. He mentioned some statistics about what age people fall away from the Church and that, overwhelmingly, it has always been sons and, more recently, daughters of members who fall away in their teens and early 20's. Those who return, usually don't return until later in life.
After some expounding on things mentioned above, Elder Holland asked the youth ages 12 to 22 and those who would soon be 12 to commit to paying a return on their leaders' investments. The investments of all their leaders, the young women's president, the Sunday school teacher, the Bishops and Stake Presidents, and so on. He explained that this "return" or "interest" would be in the form of tithing. He said "not 'Tithing' tithing, you pay that to your bishop, he can deal with that", but the tithing he was talking about was 1/10th of the youth's life. "Let's say you live to 100, then 1/10th would be 10 years." That's why he said that he was talking to the 12-22 y/o's. Because that's the age of the biggest falling away. He asked the youth of Powder Springs to fully commit to living the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to commit this day, to pay the spiritual tithing for the next 10 years of their lives. "Go on a mission, uphold the standards, read and learn the scriptures, cherish virtue and morality, share the gospel..."
It was one of the more spiritual experiences that I've had in a while. I would call it inspiring and invigorating. Elder Holland went on to promise the blessings of the Lord if they(we) would but do this. He had a lot more to say, and it was very spiritual, but I'm sure that you're about tired of reading this so I'll have to tell you about it in another post.
Anyways, living in the South, it's not often that you get to attend a meeting with an ordained Apostle of the Lord, a Living Prophet. I'm pretty stoked right now and have decided that it's definitely one of my favorite Birthday Presents.
We stood in line for a while in hopes to shake hands and thank Elder Holland for the visit, but it looked to be a very long wait and we did get close enough to see him, but we figured that we'd come on home, so we did.
The messages we heard today were definitely needed, I feel like I've been fed and led. I'm sure I would feel the same way if we had attended our own Stake's meeting with Elder Christofferson and I'm anxious to hear what messages were shared in that meeting, but as of now, I'm just glad that I didn't sleep in like my body wanted me to.
BTW, I know that Elder Holland, Christofferson and the gang are truly Apostles and Prophets of the living Lord Jesus Christ. I also know that Thomas S. Monson is not only the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but he is also a Prophet, Seer and Revelator with all the keys and authority like unto Moses, Noah, Alma, Nephi, Isaiah,Joseph Smith all those mentioned in the Scriptures. That is my testimony to you, the reader, which I bare in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Oh yeah, just in case you didn't click on it, go back up and click on the embedded video of Elder Holland's Testimony of Jesus Christ. It's good.
That's all for now, and thanks for reading.
Scott

Sorry, I just Had to!!!

2008-11-06T21:53:00.005-05:00

Disclaimer: This is NOT an endorsement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a sad truth!!!!!!!!!

Click on the Picture for bigger image.

Here's to new Beginnings!!!

2008-11-03T18:04:00.003-05:00

Yep, I started my Mon-thru-Friday day job today in PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit... Aka: Recovery Room)... I had to take an extra dose of Melatonin last night just to get to sleep by midnight (my goal is to have the kids in bed by 8:30-9:00 and for me to be in bed by 10-10:30... we'll see how that goes)...
So, it was a new experience for me... Got the kids up by 0630 and off to school(I mean, the bus stop) by 0655, got myself ready while Melinda packed my lunch and made our breakfast smoothie, was in the car and on the road by 0715 and clocked in by 0750, funny thing: it is almost 10 minutes quicker to get to work in the a.m. than it is going to work @ 6 p.m. (who would've guessed?... even with school zones and all)
I like PACU so far, the pace starts off kinda slow, crescendos to a peak somewhere between 12 and 2 p.m., then starts winding down... it's got a rhythm and right in the middle of the crescendo, guess what? You get to go to lunch!!!! a 45 minute, away from your work station lunch!!!! one of the charge nurses or a "floater" nurse takes over your beds while you eat... what a novel idea. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've actually walked away, sat down and had a civilized meal in the middle of my work day (er, uh, night). I've probably spent more 12.5-13 hour shifts without taking a real break than I have actually taken a lunch or a break period!!!
By the way... I figured it out, I have not had a day job (the Monday-thru-Friday kind) since I was 19 years old (I'm 36 this coming Saturday)... yeah, my last Monday-Friday 9-5'er was when I pulled cable for my uncle Mike @ Coastal Computer Connections back before I moved out west! Since then it's been hotel/restaurant hours until nursing school, then it became the 7pm-7am torture that my family and I have had to endure for the last 4.5 years.
So, I "shadowed" someone before lunch, then after lunch I had my own patients with someone "shadowing" me... on the average, the work is easy compared to ICU, it's really just going to be a matter of me getting my routine down, learning the paperwork, and learning doctors and their specific preferences (procedure specifics)... But I'm digging it now and everyone who works in PACU seems to be pretty cool (it's an interesting mix: a few O.R. nurses, a few floor nurses, a few ICU nurses, and a few E.R. nurses... oh yeah, and one CCU nurse) each with his or her strengths to contribute. Excellent teamwork and attitudes.
You want to know a crazy thing? When I clocked out 4:30 p.m., there was still a couple hours of daylight... I got home just after 5:00 p.m. where I was greeted by a sexy young lady whom I've had a crush on for more than 12 years now... then we commenced to get down and dirty for an hour or so!!!!

Yeah, we got down and dirty!!! you heard me right!!!

We put on our riding clothes, went out to the trails in the woods behind our house and rode our bikes and worked on the trails for a while!!!! That's what I call down and dirty!!!! You might not see how this can be so exciting to me, but here's the deal, usually when I get home from work @ 0800, I have just enough energy to get a shower and crash into bed, just to wake up in time to eat a little something, hang out with the family for 20 or 30 minutes (or tend to whatever kind of business that needs attention), then head off to work just to do it all again the next day. So the excitement comes in here: I actually have enough time in the day to do something other than work and sleep!!!!! Look out world, once I'm acclimated to my new environment (I figure 2 weeks or so), I'm gonna be one tough customer!!!!

Hey look, it's only 6:40 pm and I'm gonna go have "Family Home Evening" with my family on an actual Monday evening!!!!! Who would've thought? It's almost like I'm a REAL person... suddenly!!!!

Birthday time!

2008-10-29T10:02:00.004-04:00

Today is April's birthday! Happy Birthday April! She's a couple years younger than me and a couple years older than Ginger.... that's all I have to say about that. Oh yeah, she's about 10 years younger than Melinda which brings me to mention that Melinda's birthday is tomorrow... I'll wish her happy B-day then.

Our new(ish) computer recently crashed and we lost every photo and music file that was on it so I'm digging through online storage places to find a pic to post. Here's one of April from the July 4 weekend of '07 when we camped @ Ft. Mountain in Chatsworth, GA. She's giving someone "one of her looks"... wink/wink
picture deleted per Melinda's request. Sorry
When I get a chance, I'll scan or upload a newer/nicer picture...
Anyway, Happy Birthday April, we miss you and hope to see you and your family again soon.

Love,
Scott

(FWIW, I'm very sleep deprived and will likely re post this Birthday wish when I have my wits about me)

Job Update

2008-10-24T17:18:00.002-04:00

1 week and counting!
4 more 7p-7a shifts in the ICU before I start my 8a-4p monday-friday job in the PACU (recovery room)!!! after I orientate for a few weeks, I'll be working 10a-6p mon-fri with some night time call and every 8th weekend on call. Hey, I'll take the good with the bad and right now, I'm stoked about it!!!!
That's all for now.
Stanton's got a 1st grade Chorus concert tonight, I'll shoot some pictures and post them when I can.
Later,
Scott

COPE with it!

2008-10-22T11:20:00.002-04:00

Hey y'all, I hope everyone's been doing well. I haven't posted lately due to the whole work/sleep thing, but had a moment to zone out on the computer, so I figured I'd share one of my and Melinda's passions. Music. All kinds of music. Live, studio, acoustic, electric, vocal, metal, blue grass, hip hop, folk, blues, rock,... we love it. The only exception would be most of the crap they play on the radio and oh, yeah, recorded opera. I didn't mind playing in the orchestra for an opera (when I was playing bassoon in college), and I would go to an opera, but can't stand to hear it on the radio/tv. And as far as radio... well regardless of whether it's top 40, country, "alternative", or whatever, Most of it boils down to mediocrity. I'm not saying that those musicians are not talented, but I am saying that the stuff they're putting on the radio tends to be fabricated on some sort of "American Idol" like assembly line. BTW, the best part of American Idol is the auditions!!! I would like American idol IF the contestants were only allowed 1 or 2 covers for the whole show, the rest of the shows they had to sing/play their OWN songs which they had written themselves or in collaboration with each other. Then, it might be impressive. Again, I'm not saying that those folks aren't talented or can't sing, I just think it's lame that they get sucked into the whole "sellout" mentality and become another generic "Pop Sensation" for a year or two then gone.

Speaking of sellouts (just kidding!), one of our FAVORITE musicians for going on 7 or so years now is Citizen Cope (aka Clarence Greenwood). You might recognize some of his tunes on recent tv commercial (hence the "sellout" I was alluding to... I really don't think he's sold out, I think the man is just trying to make a living... and probably has a promoter who elbowed his way into some kind of "commercial" contract... that's all). Anyways, we usually go to a big concert or two per year and we saw Citizen Cope in a small-ish venue in Atlanta last year called "Center Stage" and it was greaat... we just missed him last week (bummer), but we'd already been to our big show this year (G. Love & Special Sauce with John Butler Trio opening... JBT took the show by the way)...
Anyways, Cope is an incredible songwriter and is good to listen to anytime, even with the kids (not his debut album though, unless you can get a censored copy). I just thought I'd put a link or two for you folks to check out... he's got a new acoustic album coming out in December... would make a pretty good Christmas gift!
Hope you enjoy it!

Preserve Family! Politics affect you!

2008-10-13T23:26:00.003-04:00

Please watch this video and pass it on.

Yeah, I know it's California, but there's a mindset that California sets the pressadent.

Family Weekend Update.

2008-10-13T12:42:00.003-04:00

Hey Folks,
Hope everyone had a good weekend. I know ours was good. The kids got out of school early on Thursday, off Friday and today (Monday) for "Fall Break". So, we went to Eclectic (North of Montgomery,AL just east of Wetumpka) for a family reunion. It was @ Melinda's Sister's house and it was the first big reunion on her side since her parents died in '03. It was just for the Saturday, not one of these all weekend events. We got there our usual 2 (ish) hours late, where we were quickly informed that bets had been placed that we would be the last to get there and what time we would get there. (Melinda's cousin, Holly and her son were only a few minutes earlier than us...) Glad we could provide a bit of conversation and entertainment.
It was good to see everyone. They had invited both families (Melinda's Mom's side and her Dad's). Being that they were all originally from Hokes Bluff (a little Mayberry like town east of Gadsden, AL), and many of them still reside within a 10-15 mile radius, they all are well acquainted with each other and for the most part, mix well in social settings. I think the head count was close to 75 people, but with this group, in contrast with my family, little kids were the minority... though they were well represented. I like Mel's family, and have grown quite fond of them over the years and it's times like these when I regret not being closer to them so the boys can know them too. It seems easier to go to my families events because there are so many cousins their age and they're used to seeing each other, but I hope we can make this a frequent gathering too.
Allison (Mel's sister who hosted the gathering) has 2 or 3 stocked ponds (one is probably big enough to call a lake... not sure of the qualifications though)... we've been fishing there before and of course Ethan caught 12 or 13 fish to mine and Stanton's 1... But not this time!!!! I think he was distracted by his cousins who were cruising around the property on a golf cart...
After lunch, many of the men, a wife or two, Ethan, Stanton, one other little boy and a few of the little girls headed to the water with their tackle boxes in tow... we went to the lake where we had not fished before, but where more folks were and put our hooks in the water. After a couple bites, it had come to our attention that people were catching a bunch of fish in the other pond. So, Everyone but Stanton and I went over to where the fish were biting. As soon as they were out of sight, I felt a couple bumps on my jig, then wham!!! I pulled in a 4 (ish) pound large mouth bass... Stanton pulls up next to me, then he pulls in a little bluegill (bream)... as we worked our way down this grassy shallow of the lake, I started pulling in nice 1 to 3 lb. basses with every other cast... now that's how I like to fish... I put a picture of Stanton's only bass... we were using the same kind of lure, but he mostly caught bluegills. After Stanton's big bass, he was anxious to go tell everybody else so he says: "Daddy, would you be lonely if I go to the other pond to fish?" I chuckled and told him that I'd go over there with him...
When we get over there, only a couple people were catching fish, no bass, only bluegill and a crappie or two... so we told them about what we'd been catching and thanks to the invention of cellphone cameras, we were able to back our story.
Anyways, I posted a picture of the biggest fish that I saw Ethan catch... a nice little bluegill... and I have had the pleasure of finally out-fishing my 10 year/old... I bet that if he weren't so concerned about fishing where everyone could see him (yes, a bit of a show-off)... then he probably would have done what he usually does and out fish me and Stanton.
It was a good time though and I look forward to our next visit.
After we left Allison's, we went to Ginger's house in Pine Level (just about 30 minutes NW of Allison's, and hung out with her 5 young'ns while she and Blake went to their Saturday session of Stake Conference. We stayed with them that night, had breakfast Sunday, they went to church and we went to Pelham (about 1 hour north)to go to Sacrament meeting with April and her family... we were going to stay for the rest of church, Stanton got sick and puked en route to the bathroom so we felt that we better head on home (yes, we cleaned up his mess first)... All-in-all it was a good weekend and nice being able to visit with all our family. I'm glad that we live close enough to visit, but far enough away to make most visits special. Thanks, Ginger for letting us crash there.
I gotta go, I hear some kind of commotion in the boy's room.
Later,
Scott

Letter from Wal-Mart

2008-10-10T10:05:00.005-04:00

This is why women should not take men shopping against their will. Recently, Melinda has insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Wal-Mart (to make up for lost "date nights"). Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunately, Melinda is like most women... she loves to browse. Yesterday she received the following letter from the local Wal-Mart.

Dear Mrs. Bedwell,
Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against Mr. Bedwell are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.
1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.
2 . July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3. July 7: Made a trail of apple juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.
4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away.'
5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.
6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.
8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'
9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.
10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the anti-depressants were.
11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously while loudly humming the ' Mission Impossible' theme.
12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels.
13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'
14. October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'
And last, but not least
15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here!'
Regards,

Tom Richards
Wal-Mart Manager

Just kidding, someone posted this on one of my Mountainbike forums and I thought it was funny. And for the record. We do not shop Wal-Mart (except for gas--- you know, if you use the gas card, you get 3 cents off per gallon... plus it's mostly North American oil as opposed to mid-east and South-American).... anyways, we don't shop wal-mart except for last ditch efforts... we try to buy local 1st, then small buisness, then bigger buisness... you get the picture...

Hope all is well with you guys... oh, and fair warning... I feel a big, smarty-pants political RANT coming soon... so keep an eye out.

Later,

Scott

NON-COMMITAL

2008-10-08T20:55:00.003-04:00

Scott has really been at me to write a blog lately (my first) and something he asked me last night stuck. He asked what my favorite movies were- they are not all the same as his. Well, I thought for awhile and have come up with a list but before I blog this it comes with a disclaimer: I have not actually sat through that many movies w/o falling asleep(the usual), getting up and doing something else, or just not being interested enough in a particular film to spend seven bucks to see it. I really hate the 2 hr. commitment required to watch a movie. Give me Law and Order or The Closer any day -1 hr is a commitment even I can handle! I actually slept through most of a Star Wars movie- only woke up during the fight scenes- in a theater with surround sound! I am now being treated for my narcolepsy so that doesn't happen very often but my attention span is rather short (still) and there are lots of things to be doing. Alot of these movies are from a younger age and the ratings and/or content may be questionable but here's what I like/d and in no particular order of preference
Willy Wonka : I loved Gene Wilder in this -sort of creepy, definitely strange, and very honest,at least about human nature.
It's A Wonderful Life : maybe I need to watch it now in light of all the turmoil in the world, it is full of hope.
Harold and Maude: I know the concept of a young, rich, nihilist falls in love w/ a life loving geriatric is weird (and kinda gross) but it really was a positive affirmation about life (even though Maude purposefully o.d.'s on her 80th) and the soundtrack is great--Cat Stevens before he renounced his music and became a Muslim.
Tender Mercies:Robert DuVall in a very understated performance about change and redemption from the perspective of a sober alcoholic country music singer.
Red Rock West: I saw this a long time ago(1992) but I remember really liking it. Nicholas Cage and some crazy identity mix up w/ lots of strange characters.
Short Cuts: speaking of strange characters, this was out around the same time. It probably has some really horrible language and sex in it but I just like all the character developments. Based on the short works of Raymond Carver if I'm not mistaken.
Crash: this was a very powerful movie. So deep and so in your face honest-it was sometimes hard to watch. I would love to recommend it to even younger people but the language- the "f" word in particular prevents that.
Mumford: we just watched this on cable the other night. We both really liked this tale of finding yourself, even when you aren't really who you say you are. It was another one of those ensemble casts I'm so crazy about, also about love, hope and redemption
Raising Arizona, Tootsie, Spinal Tap : I love to laugh.
I really enjoy those football movies like Remember the Titans, Invincible, Rudy, and that new one w/ Ice Cube about the girl football player ;those underdog stories get me every time. There have been other films that I've enjoyed watching w/ the kids: Zorro, Fried Green Tomatoes, A River Runs Through It , and even The Birds:the kids loved these movies.
To Kill A Mockingbird; a classic (both book and film) too bad we don't have more Atticus Fitches in the world today.
So this is a working list and does not include those previously mentioned in our opening profile.
This is dedicated to you, Scott, because I can always talk to you and you'll get what I mean, usually anyway. Next topic please! Love, MOMO

miscellaneous

2008-10-07T10:03:00.014-04:00

Yep, here's that random post which combines snips of a lot of things that I've been meaning to "blog" about but haven't made time to do it yet.

1. My folks visited a while back. It was just after school started (I think). I'd been bugging them and bugging them to come up and finally they did (actually Dad had been up a couple times for bike trips or a canoe trip, Mom just hadn't been up in a while... yes, it's way past time for us to pay them a visit... we will, we will.) Well, when they got here, we hung out, ate, went to a movie, did fun "visiting" type stuff. After they acclimated for a day or two, we decided to take them "Out"... you know, to do FUN stuff... so we drove them a little more than an hour away to this real cool place called "Rock Town"... it's on top of Pigeon Mountain which is a mountain plateau that parallels (on the south side) Lookout Mountain-- Chattanooga (but still in Georgia).

It was a nice visit, here's proof:

Oh yeah, we had to hike a mile from the parking lot out to where the rocks were, it wasn't a bad hike though, here's my Mom and the gimp (Dad has a partial knee replacement, jacked up back and he can't raise his right arm due to a pending shoulder replacement... we still love him though and he's one heck of a trouper!) Oh, Yeah!!! My girl got some climbing skillz!!! Not sure why she decided not to smile though.
Here's a shot of one of the part monkey, part mountain goat, part cheetah that we've been raising for about 10 years now... He can climb just about anything.
Just like big brother right?
Funny thing about these cracks in the rocks... some of them only had 20 ft. drops, others dropped for 40, 50, or 60 feet... I'm not particularly afraid of heights, I just get a little nervous when my dad and my son jump back and forth across these things trying to scare me... ask Dad how that turned out for him the next time you see him... (he made it across one that he almost didn't get back across... yup, he almost took a fall... probably would've been his last).
This is a really cool place and no pictures could do it justice. You just have to go there.
Melinda and Mom chill a bit while Macho man flexes for the camera.
After a nice visit with the rocks, it's time to head back to the car. As you can see from this picture, everyone was energized and ready for our next adventure.
It was a good visit and I'm very thankful that my parents are game to so many of my shenanigans. I'm already planning their next visit. Dad says downhill mountain biking is out of the question ever since the incident on the Pinhoti trail (between Ellijay and Fort Mountain) last year. So,..... I guess it's going to have to be hang gliding instead!!

2. Let's see, I already told you about the Canoe trip, so I think next we went to Ginger's for Jonathan's birthday (he turned 12 and was ordained a Deacon). You can catch highlights from this on Ginger's Blog. Here's a couple pics. It was a nice visit... We took the kids on a stroll through the Bamboo Forest in Prattville, AL. (just down the road from the High School that I graduated from--- I only lived there my senior year... it was o.k.)
I learned a valuable lesson on that visit. That lesson is this: If I ever intend to play cards with Dad and Blake (Gingers Husband) again, then I must acquire a prescription for Valium or Xanax for me and/or for them. They figured out how to push my buttons that night... It had been a stressful week and I was sleep deprived as usual... 'Nuff said.

Moving on:
3. Kittens... I may have mentioned that we have kittens... actually we got them mid to late June, but I'm finally posting about them... We had a cat named Spike-tail that we got when Stanton was a baby... he was a cool cat... half Manx/half something else... purely and outside cat... a mouser... Well, long story-short... he got poisoned by the tainted Chinese cat food, ended up with liver failure and died last October (I think)... he's buried in the woods beside our house. Here's a picture of "Spike". Looks thrilled to be held, right?
Yeah, I know I said he was an outside cat, but every once in a while, he'd scram inside while we were fixing him some fresh water, but he lived 98% of his live "Guarding" our home. We'll miss him. So, about these new kittens, they're actually looking more likes cats now. Their names are Bootsie and Aloe. Brothers, but look like they're from different families. These cats are curious!!! They are hilarious too. They've been in/out cats lately, but as soon as we get their family jewels removed, they'll be full blown OUTSIDE cats. Ever hear the phrase "Who let the cat out of the bag?" Bootsie is the one in the bag, Aloe is just guarding the entrance. Here's a little bit of footage of what they do many times a day and every night from 10:45 to 11:45 like clockwork: (the footage is from when they were quite younger ):

No, we're not what I would call "Cat People"... you know, folks who eat, sleep, breath "Cats"... and I don't think that we smell like Cat Pee either.. you know the kind I'm talking about... Stereotypically they are single women in the 40 to 80 year age group who only go out to buy more cat food and kitty litter. Our kittens are DANG CUTE though.... gotta admit it.

4. Stanton's Birthday! Turned out to be a pretty big ordeal. I think we last counted close to 40 people (probably 2/3 kids). We were running our usual 1 1/2 hours late, but with the help of some of our early guests (thanks to the Giles, Yandows, Campbells and anyone else I may have forgotten to mention), it came together nicely. We grilled hot dogs, Conecuh sausage, chicken, and pork shoulder/Boston butt (slow cooked/pulled pork style)... with usual side items and finished it all off with Melinda's Famous Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse filling and Ganache Icing. Stanton and the rest of the kids had a good time, as did the Adults (me too)... before it was all over, I had some of the men on Melinda's and my mountain bikes roaring up and down our trails... I think Todd Campbell and Jorge Bueno even rode on the teeter-totter that we built on the trail (one of our "intermediate" rated stunts)... Maybe for my birthday in November I can have all my friends come over and ride bikes again!!! Here are a few pictures from Stanton's celebration: Yes, that is in our garage... how classy of us.
I think the cats were the only ones who didn't enjoy the evening. Thank you for everyone who came, we enjoyed it... after living here for more than 2 years, we finally had guests over and the house didn't burn down after all. We did miss our friends and relatives who were not able to join us in the festivities... maybe you folks can make the next one.

Well, I'm running out of time and thoughts. See y'all soon (hopefully).

Later,

Scott (and Melinda if she ever decides to "Blog") Bedwell

Happy Birthday Stanton and Jessica!!!

2008-09-26T20:09:00.012-04:00

Well, this is a big Birthday Weekend. Stanton (our baby) is turning 7 y/o, and Jessica (my baby sister) is turning um, well, she's um turning ... well, ehhh um, you can ask her through the link on our blog... I can tell you this: I'm turning 36 this November and Jessie is just shy of 7 years younger than me.... ;) So, Happy Birthday Jessie!! We sure do miss you and your family. We hope to come visit sometime this winter (fair warning)... for those who don't know, Jessica and her gang live in Wal-Martland, Arkansas and we live in Euharlee, Georgia (45 minutes from Atlanta and 30 minutes from Rome, 75 minutes from Chattanooga).

It seems like forever since Jessie was my curly haired little sister who flipped Mom the bird in the bleachers at Neighborhood Park in Saraland, AL during one of Chris's little league games.... a move that led to the accidental Head-Bash against the hard shoulder of the couch... Mom was upset but not THAT upset... I'm not sure if it knocked some sense into Jessica or knocked the sense out of her.... (joking of course)... it definitely shook Mom up...

It also seems forever since she lived with us in Orange Beach, AL for a summer right after Ethan was born... this was where Jessica trained to be a master Chef in the kitchen of Mangos on the Island (a restaurant made famous by uh-um, yours truly).

Now she is mother of 2 (soon to be 3) and wife of 1 (Ryan... who has surprisingly come out of his nerd cave and seems to be developing an addiction to cycling... I knew he'd come around!!) So anyways, Happy Birthday Jessie-Mac!!

OK, moving right along. Stanton, our little Cherubim. It's hard to believe he's turning 7 already. Melinda and I have been blessed beyond comprehension with the two wonderful spirits that the Lord has entrusted us with. Both of our boys are so vibrant, smart, and energetic that it can be tiresome to be around them for extended periods of time without proper preparation and orientation. Not to leave Ethan out, but because it is Stanton's Birthday, I'll come back to Ethan in another post.
Let me just tell you about Stanton Valor Bedwell. He came into this world wide eyed and full of wonder. He hasn't changed a bit. He's excited, inquisitive, passionate, spiritual, and loving. He loves the outdoors. He loves mountain biking, bmx'ing, hiking, camping, canoeing, tubing, climbing trees, climbing rocks, climbing anything actually. He loves playing with his friends (which definitely includes his big brother, Ethan). He love his Family and misses them when he's not around them. He sometimes (just out of the blue) will express his longing to see his cousins, aunts/uncles, or Grandparents who he hasn't seen in a while. He will lovingly inquire of Melinda's parents, who died when he was too young to remember them, and express his desire to have known them. Stanton loves going to church and being in Primary (children's Sunday School). He has an impressive knowledge and understanding of scripture stories and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His favorite scripture story is from Mosiah 12 (found in the Book of Mormon). It's when Abinidi testifies before the wicked King Noah and his priests. (If you are one of my non-LDS Friends, this is not the "Noah's Ark" Noah from the Old Testament... different era, different continent, gimme a call, I'll be glad to chat with you about it... better yet, I'll let Stanton talk to you about it).
Anyways, before I let my ADD get the better of me. Let me tell you about this past Monday morning. Being that we have two vibrant, energetic lads in our home, there is usually a plethora of small toys and pieces of toys (e.g. Lego's...) to step on in the floor. Well, Monday morning was no exception. I came home from work around 8 a.m. and got ready for bed. I had not even started to dream when Melinda woke me up with one of our kittens in her hands and said: "Scott, something's wrong with the cat, look at him!" The cat kept making this yawning motion and would paw at his face. He didn't seem to be in major distress as I could tell that he was breathing and somewhat calm. Melinda was a bit more excited, as she had noticed him doing this for some time and thought that something bad was happening. (the reason why we have these 2 kittens is because we lost "Spike-tail", our 6 year old Manx to the tainted Chinese cat food which caused his liver to fail last year). So being the Nurse that I am, I continued to assess the cat by the usual nursing method, you know: Airway, Breathing, Circulation (in that order)... as I looked in his mouth I saw something lodged between his upper teeth that encompassed his whole upper pallet. With Melinda holding him, I was able to pull this thing out, the cat shook his head a couple times, smacked his lips, then ran off to play with his brother. It turned out to be a round magnet from who knows what (Ethan is in a deconstructive phase where he likes to take things apart, he just hasn't made it to a reconstructive stage yet). So, I wash my hands and go back to bed. Fast-forward to 3 p.m.: The boys come in from school, I hear Melinda telling them about the cat so I get up and go downstairs. I reinforce what Melinda has told them and Stanton says to me something to this effect: "Daddy, during the 'Moment of Silence' this morning (they're not allowed to "pray" in school, so they have a "moment of silence" after their Pledge of Allegiance every morning) during the 'Moment of Silence' this morning, I had a bad feeling in my heart about the cats. It felt like something was wrong, so I said a prayer to Heavenly Father that the cats would be O.K. when I got home from school today." I was taken for a moment because I realized that when Melinda woke me and all that went on right about the same time Stanton would have been in his Moment of Silence. I gave him a hug and thanked him. I asked him if he always prays during the Moment of Silence and he said "Yeah, usually" in a nonchalant kind of way. I then encouraged him to thank his Father in Heaven that the cats were o.k. and for hearing is prayers. It may not seem like much to some of you, but when my kids say or do something like that, it really touches my heart. Being a parent is often very humbling, and when your children prove to be embracing Gospel principles and concepts (like prayer), well that's just plain inspiring!
Please don't think that I'm bragging (which I have no problem doing) about Stanton, but I consider myself beyond fortunate to have him and Ethan as my sons and Melinda as my wife.
Anyways, that's all for "Getting to know Stanton, volume 1". Wish him a Happy Birthday.
Happy Birthday Stanton, I love you buddy!

Update on Change

2008-09-17T18:46:00.003-04:00

So, as I mentioned on the last post, it looks like I'm finally going to get off of the NIGHT SHIFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got one of the ICU manager's signature on my transfer request so all that really needs to happen is the ICU manager and the PACU manager have to come to terms on what date will be my actual transfer... based on staffing issues in the ICU, and the fact that someone has to train into my charge nurse position, it looks like they will try to keep me for the maximum amount of time which is 6 weeks... I proposed that we just finish out this schedule (which is through Oct. 18)... I guess we'll see.
Well, tomorrow (Thursday) I will work a shift in the PACU just to check it out. I'm pretty stoked. The work itself will not be as challenging as working in ICU, or at least the acuity level of the patients will not be as sick or demanding as the ICU, but it's different in the PACU... It's like "Turn & Burn" (to borrow from my old restaurant lingo)... you know, "get 'em in--- get 'em out" kind of thing. Anyways, I'll let y'all know how it turns out.
Later,
Scott

Time for change!

2008-09-08T10:12:00.002-04:00

Ok folks. Here it is. (If you happen to work with me, do not let this out just yet, I need to make sure it's solid!) I doubt that anyone I work with reads this, but there is a link to our blog on every email I send so, ..... you never know!!!

Well, most of you know that I've been working every night, many weekends, and many many holidays for the last 5 or so years... and before that I worked 'till at least midnight 5, 6 and sometimes 7 days a week; plus just about every weekend and holiday for about 10 years right?

Well, my (and Melinda's) prayers may be answered. I'm just asking that y'all remember us in your prayers too. I have had a couple informal over the phone interviews for a position in the PACU (Post anesthesia care unit... aka: "recovery room") and will have a face-to-face interview on this Wednesday morning. It will be a transfer in the same hospital so there will be no change in pay... in fact, I'll be loosing between $3-$5/hour in shift differentials & etc. but hope to make some of that up in "on call pay". The gig is from 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday-Friday (yeah, that's only 32 hours week, but being on call 1 night a week + coming in early or staying late some days adds up... and I can always pick up a shift or 1/2 shift in the ICU at a moment's notice....they are always in need)... besides, with this schedule, if we find that it's necessary, Melinda can get a part-time job for a while. If Wednesday works out (which in talking on the phone with the manager, it sounds promising) I could be on days within this month!!! That means I can eat and sleep the same time my wife and kids are eating and sleeping, I can function like a real person... You just don't know how bad I need this!!! Hopefully I can lose some weight, lower my blood pressure and cholesterol by having regular sleep patters... and another plus is the fact that there are showers so I can get a bike ride in before work and just lock my bike on the rack. We don't have showers in ICU so I haven't had that luxury... Anyway, we are pretty excited, but are trying not to count our chickens before they hatch. I just wanted to let y'all in on it. BTW, surgeons don't schedule procedures on weekends and holidays, so unless it's emergent and I'm on call (which is every 8th weekend), then no weekend work unless I'm picking it up in the ICU. Pretty cool.
So, the moral to the story: Prayer Works. Please remember us in your prayers.
Later,
Scott

Messy M.E.S.S.

2008-09-04T08:36:00.003-04:00

Well, it's Thursday morning, I just got in from work. It wasn't a bad night, my patient was pleasant (my first Muslim patient that I can remember... nice guy)... yes, I did say Patient and not Patients.... that's because in a Cardio-Vascular/Surgical Intensive Care Unit, most post-op open heart and some vascular and neuro patients are 1 on 1 (1 nurse/1 patient) for the 1st 12 to 36 hours +/- depending on acuity... actually, many times the patient may be 2 or 3 on 1 (2 or 3 nurses/ 1 patient) for the first couple hours... until the patient is stable enough to be 1 on 1...
So, enough Nurse talk 101, there will be a quiz next week...

I figured it was time to post again, by the way I fixed the pictures on the "Can you canoe" post... check 'em out. I named this one "Messy M.E.S.S." because looking around the house, I realized that we (M. elinda, E. than, S. tanton, S. cott) are some messy folks... most of the time it's o.k. because we're not Dirty people, we are just unorganized and cluttered enough to be messy. Hey, we don't sweat the little stuff... I have to admit, Melinda does way more than her share of cleaning the kitchen and living room and even the kids rooms, and I probably don't quite do enough (but I take care of the grass cutting, garbage taking out, some cooking, and working... +/- other stuff)... the boys, well, they are a work in progress and I'll report on them later. I'm not posting to complain. I'm just saying that we're a bit messy, that's all. Here's the thing... I've seen folks with twice as many kids as us who keep a spic and span home... I don't get it. I mean, are they like constantly sweeping, mopping, dusting, vacuuming, washing, folding, wiping... or are they just that anal or "O.C.D." that they are super conscious about every little speck, drop, footprint, hair, etc. that nothing gets by them and are their kids the same way?
Frankly, it annoys me. When I walk into someones home and it looks like nobody lives there because everything is so nice and neat and orderly and clutter free... pictures are arranged neatly, no dishes on the table or counters... no shoes, toys, clothes, and papers spread throughout the house... I get kinda nervous. I mean, I'm afraid to walk... "should I take my shoes off?"... "am I allowed in this room?" these are things that go through my mind... if I wanted to go to a museum, then I would have gone to one, but NO! I chose to visit someone in their home, but it appears that I took a wrong turn because there's no sign of life here...(more of my thought process...) All I'm saying is jeez! If you really want to show some hospitality, drop a coke and leave a nice stain in your carpet, leave a load of laundry on your sofa so I can push it aside and sit down, kick your shoes off at the front door so I can stumble on them when I come through... then I'll feel welcome when I visit.
I'm a family kinda guy, my folks were up here this last weekend and yes, we straitened things up before they got here(I actually scrubbed the whole bathroom...yeah, I know), but when they arrived, they KNEW that someone lived here... they knew it was us and I hope they didn't take offense to it but rather felt welcome. Now I know that my sisters may end up reading this and I'm pretty sure that they can and do relate, but to you other readers (if there are others), try mixing it up a little bit... how 'bout helping your kid with a school project and leaving everything in the middle of the dining room table for a few days, then throw a picnic blanket on the living room floor and having dinner in the floor for a couple days. While that's all going on, make sure to invite some of your "Type A" friends over and get them in on the gig too. I think that you may just loosen up a bit and have a better, more rounded outlook on life.
Go on, give it a try.... then report back here and let me know how it went....

:)

(please don't think that people who have "lived in" homes are lazy, we're not lazy, we are just multi-tasking and happen to be on the "multi" part of the "tasking" thing.)

That's all.

Scott

Can you Canoe?

2008-08-28T09:21:00.006-04:00

Many of you know that we had our first Grandfather, Fathers, Uncles, Brothers, Bros-In-Laws, Sons, and Cousins' canoe trip up here in NW Georgia last weekend. Dad (Gramps to some) had been planning/hoping to do this for some time now and it finally came to fruition. It was a close call with Mother Nature, but we only had a few sprinkles, some wind here and there and little sun... come to think of it, I'd call it "Pleasantly Overcast". It was a 17 mile Canoe trip on the Etowah River. 5 adults and 5 kids (better make that 10 kids). The put-in point was on hwy 411 half way between Cartersville and Rome, GA and the take-out point was at Grizzard Park on the East Rome Bypass (Hwy 1). There were a few rocky shoal rapids (not real rapids, but more turbulence than your average bathtub) which posed minor challenges as well as opportunities for some to get wet (tipped canoes... no injuries or drownings though)... Fun was had by all and we look forward to doing it again... I had a water proof disposable camera and have developed the pics to a disc and uploaded them to winkflash and photobucket... here are the links: http://sandm96.winkflash.com/ and http://s174.photobucket.com/albums/w106/scottheckles/summer%2008/canoe%20trip/
but in the meantime, here's a few pics for proof: (if I'm not making sense, I'll read this later and edit it... I just got home from work and am in need of sleep)

A view from the Captain's Seat (Ethan and Stanton in front).

Who's the Captain in this picture?

"Where's the TP?"........ ........ ......... ........... Nothing to see here, move along, move along.

Sometimes we made a 4 canoe barge and just hung around.

Other times we stopped and emptied the water from the canoes (they tend to float better when they are IN the water and not with water IN them)

This kinda looks like a "Flood Rescue Picture... a la Hurricane Katrina" (BTW, That's the Birthday boy in the background... Happy Birthday Shane)

There was some kid swapping going on (just to keep things fresh... it was almost 6 hours in a canoe...)

Grizzly Adams was there

It was a dang good time... Maybe some day we'll be good enough sailors that we can bring along some Women-folks.... Sounds like a plan....
There are more pics on Winkflash and photobucket...
I'm tired and am quickly running out of steam.
Thanks for including us in your adventure Dad (if you ever read this)... let's do it again.
Later,
Scott

What's that sound?

2008-08-25T03:54:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to post this one, just haven't gotten around to it yet.
It happened last week some time. I came in from work about 9:30 a.m. (had to stay late for a meeting) so I was very tired. Melinda was up and about, she had places to go, things to do. Well, I remember her kissing me good night (my night-- her morning) 'cause she figured that I would be asleep by the time she gets out of the shower... she was right... only she decides to wake me in a semi-panicked state to get me to investigate this "mysterious sound" coming from the bathroom. So I do. As I get closer to the bathroom, I can hear this "BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZ" sound inconspicuously generated from nowhere in particular. "Hmm?" I thought. I looked everywhere I knew to look: under the sink, in the closet, behind the door, in the garbage, in the medicine cabinet... I could feel the vibration on the wall of the shower, but nowhere else... It was a vibrating type of noise... kinda like you hear next to some high voltage electrical wires... or even the noise a set of Stadium lights make just after you've flipped the switch, but right before the lights come on... you get the picture?
Well, just on the other side of our bathroom and half a story down (split level house) is our kitchen. The exhaust hood/fan for the stove is against the same wall as our shower so I thought to check it out... nothing there of note. I couldn't hear the noise or feel the vibration anywhere else in the house except for the master bedroom's bathroom. I didn't smell anything electrical, but thought I'd go flipping breakers and try to shut off what ever was causing this noise. Meanwhile, Melinda's getting kinda nervous... wants to call an electrician, plumber... someone! I shrug it off and tell her to head on to wherever she's going and I'll take care of it. By the way, I got no results from flipping breaker switches... the buzzing continued with every flipped breaker switch.
So what should I do? I figured that I best sleep on it.... Yep, I just closed the door to the bathroom and went to sleep (hoping that it would go away by the time I had to wake and go to work).
Well, Melinda gets back home just before the boys got home from school. She asked if the noise was gone, or if I'd figured out what it was. So, I go opened the door and guess what? It was still happening... no smell of smoke or anything like that though. She immediately gets worried again so we restart the investigation. This time I look in the attic above the bathroom--- Nothing. Seemed like nothing was causing this vibration/noise. So I say to Melinda: "I wonder if someone left a drill or a battery operated power tool of some sort in the wall when they built this house and somehow, now, it's suddenly running"??? She sarcastically says something like: "yeah, right, this house is like 10 years old".
About this time the boys came home from school and I sent Ethan up to the bathroom to sniff out the sound. He comes back to us and says: "Wow! Daddy, you sure do have good ears!", Melinda and I just look at each other and shrug... "What do you mean?" I asked. He continued: "I couldn't even hear it until I got to the bathroom... how did you hear it way down here?" Still confused by his response, I ask what is it (the sound)? "Your razor!" he says in a Sherlock Holmes kinda way.
We all walk up to the bathroom and the noise is gone... he'd turned it off. "Show me!" I said. He proceeds to open the shower curtains and reach across the shower to show Melinda and me the Gillette Fusion Power shaver that was left turned on from when Melinda took her shower. It had been covered up by a wash cloth and was vibrating against the shower wall. We looked at each other in disbelief while Ethan was all puffed up like some kind of hero. We thanked him for his heroic act and sent him on his way.
I'm not quite sure what Melinda was thinking, maybe something like: "Uh-Oh, he knows I used his razor on my legs again...", but what I was really thinking was: "Wow, I'm sure glad I slept on it instead of calling someone to come out to the house... I would REALLY feel like an idiot if it took an electrician to turn off a stupid razor!" (not to mention that those guys cost $$ just to come out and do nothing)

Well, I know what to do the next time a mysterious noise is lurking in the walls of the Bedwell Fortress!! Thank goodness we were smart enough to have kids, that's all I have to say about that!!!

The culprit.

New Post-- "Junkyard in the Sky"

2008-08-19T02:57:00.006-04:00

So, I was checking out our blog, changing some of the layout... figured I'd better say something. My issue now is: what to blog about? I have so many things on my mind that I can't commit to spending time "blogging about them". This last week or so has been pretty busy. I just came off of 4 12's back to back (I worked the last 4 nights 7pm-7am back to back)... Weekend shifts tend to be more "adventuresome" than weeknight shifts... only one set of doctors (the ones on call all weekend), we tend to not move so many patients out of the ICU-- even if they are no longer "ICU Quality" patients--- (you know, if they are well enough to talk, hit the call bell, and get out of bed on their own, they don't need to be in the ICU!)... we always admit a crazy one or two (many times the same crazy, druggie that we admitted the previous weekend)... people tend to die on weekends (no it has nothing to do with the level of care that they are or are not getting from the weekend staff! It's just the way it is... they were feeling crappy all week, put off going to the doctor... by Friday afternoon they tell their husband or wife: "If I don't feel any better by Monday, I'm going to the doctor." Then what do you know, they fall out on their way back to the car from Sunday services and someone calls 911... this is when they get delivered to the hospital E.R. where 10 other folks have done the same thing in addition to the drug seekers in the waiting room, the nursing home patients who get dropped off because the nursing home staff is too low to care for all the patients on the weekend so they make up some story that "granny had a seizure" so they can lighten the load in the ol' nursing home... and all the other runny nose, bumped toes, fits, farts, and freckles waiting in the weekend E.R. front lobby... so they get resuscitated, admitted and then shipped up to the ICU where they proceed to try to die again and again for the next 24 hours all while their family, who is in shock from this sudden chain of events, try to process everything and deal with the idea that grandpa or grandma very well could be gone when they wake up tomorrow and should we keep him/her on life support or shouldn't we....)
Yeah, I know it's sad isn't it? But hey, that's what I do for a living. Sometimes it's hard to be a person and work in this environment. I think we should look at having nurses who's job is merely just to comfort and tend to the family while their loved one is at death's door, meanwhile us 'behind the scenes' nurses are able to focus on patient care, keeping the patient alive and pushing them towards wellness/recovery.
Sometimes I feel like a mechanic. See, we specialize in old cars and moderately old cars or younger cars who've been wrecked or never properly worked before or have been driven recklessly for the most of their functional lives, but now want a fighting chance of just staying road worthy..... see, we don't necessarily "fix them", but we take them from a broken down state and with the guidance of our elusive "master mechanics" (uhm, doctors) we spend countless hours and resources tinkering with their motors or their computers or their starters and water pumps until these cars run well enough to go to the next stage (leaving out of the ICU and going to the "floor")... this stage I would compare to being a test drive or two. Only for some cars, they'll never get a test drive, but at least they'll have their engines started up and revved up a few times, but that's about it. The ones who's engines are now functional and their test drives have been successful... they'll be put back on the highway until their next collision (unless they just drive right off the cliff, then we never see them back in the garage... barring that, most cars come back and stay at the garage from time to time until they either drive off the cliff or end up in that Junk yard in the sky).... Anyway, you get the picture. So, as a mechanic, it's easy (easier) to work on someone's ol' Studebaker (even though they don't make any more parts for that car) and try to keep it running so that they can take it back to their garage or showroom or front yard, than it is to put a new Volvo or Mazda, with a totaled frame and a burnt up engine, up on the rack and try to rebuild it and get it going again... typically, if you can get the Mazda or Volvo back on the road, you know it will never drive like it used to ... I mean nowhere near what it used to. And you say what's the problem with that, you got the car back on the road?... Well, us mechanics, most of us see ourselves as a Mazda or Volvo and it's not fun to think of yourself being broken down into pieces in some greasy ol' mechanics garage... I mean, the ol' Studebaker's and Model T's... they've been around for a while, they've got some miles on them and they really haven't been driving "right" for quite some time anyway, so you feel good when you can get a few more miles out of them and let people enjoy checking out a piece of history... But even if you get a totaled car back to looking like a Mazda or Volvo ... eventually... that totalled car will be a Studebaker... and more than likely sooner than it should...

What's your point Scott? You had me, then you lost me, then you had me, now I'm not sure where you're going with all this... you say.
Well, I'm not exactly sure, I'm probably just trying to work some things out. See, regardless of what you may read on this blog, or hear from my mouth... I really do enjoy what I do as an ICU Nurse. I really do feel blessed to be a part of helping people overcome great adversity as well as being able to comfort those who are left mourning their loved ones whom we were not able to help. I'm constantly amazed at how far we've come in the world of medicine where we can stop beating hearts and lungs, drain them of blood, reroute their plumbing, then re-inflate and restart them so that they can have (hopefully) a better quality of life than they had before or so that they can live to see their grandchildren... etc. I guess what gets me is how many people on both sides of the garage (mechanics, master mechanics, and Mazdas, Volvos, Model T's, and Studebakers) are driving around without their lights on... I mean none of this would be possible or even worth it if not for our Father in Heaven and our Savior's love for us. So, on this note, I'll try to wrap this ramble up by apologizing up front if I annoy or offend any of you when I compare a Studebaker with someone's grandma or a Mazda with someones brother, it's really just one of my coping mechanism. I'm really compassionate and sympathetic on the inside. I firmly believe that we can and will endure all trials and tribulations if we would only do 2 things: Continue to have faith in Jesus Christ, and keep a good sense of humor.... if you don't or can't do those 2 things, then you're on a fast-track to the Junkyard in the Sky!

HiFi!!

2008-08-09T10:20:00.001-04:00

Yup!!!! We've added music. Aren't we cool?
We'll talk more later.
Scott

School: Back in action!!!

2008-08-08T09:54:00.003-04:00

Well, today is day # 2 for school. Ethan is now in the 5th grade and Stanton is in 1st. They had a great first day and are glad to be back in school. I still can't believe that Ethan's already in the 5th grade and Stanton's about to turn 7 next month. I put the above picture because I like it and I wanted to figure out how to post pictures... it's us in the Smoky Mtn. National Park about 1 month ago.... Well, I just got home from work and need to go to bed. Here's Melinda to finish up.

Later,

Scott

The boys woke up early with crazy excitement. They slept in their clothes the night before so they wouldn't have to "waste time" changing. They had a great first day and were excited to talk about it. This had ended this morning with not being able to wake Stanton up and then the crying jag sets in [his, not mine] and Ethan gets aggravated and runs on to the bus stop leaving Stanton crying in the dust, walking this slow defeated walk, crawl practically, until the big yellow bus rounds the curve and he's running and laughing like I knew he would. All's well again until Monday- ah, school has started.

Wow! I feel like a sellout.

2008-08-05T15:21:00.000-04:00

Hey whoever!
This is the first post on our new blog. I don't really feel like a sellout, I just never considered "blogging" something I would be doing. However, Melinda and I have been keeping up with my sisters on their blogs and a couple other folks and have determined that it could serve a few purposes for us, some of those purposes are: 1. Journaling (something that we've always considered important, but have been very inconsistent at keeping), 2. Communicating with family and friends by broadcasting our lives (we are horrible @ picking up the phone, writing letters, and even sending emails... it's not that we don't want to talk to folks, it's just hard to commit to doing it and then it's hard to decide who to contact... we're both pretty good talkers once we get going, and that becomes a problem too... getting off the phone and etc.... so we tend not to call unless it's absolutely necessary... then we feel bad for not calling, writing, emailing... but we're good @ visiting when we're in the area... we just haven't been in any areas where friends are lately due to gas..... yeah, kinda lame... but maybe this blog will bring about a change in our communication tendencies..) 3. Venting (sometimes you just need to vent... if you continue to read our posts, you'll find that we both have interesting points of view, many times not comperable with those around us and we may need to vent... also some experiences with people leave us with the desire to vent and let it go... don't worry, we'll change the names to protect any "innocent" that we vent about.) .... there are many reasons or justifications for starting the blog... I'm sure you'll figure them out...

I guess typically one would do the whole "Hi my name is... I like to... my favorite color is..." when starting something like this, well, we'll get to all that later. In fact, I'm already becoming annoyed with the time I've spent doing this so I'll give it a rest. Maybe you'll meet Melinda on the next post... she'll probably prove to be a better read than me.
Later,
Scott