Finisher!!!!

Give it up for Paul! Today he did an amazing thing! Paul ran the Murfreesboro Half Marathon! A.K.A. "The Middle Half" (did you see what they did there??!!) :)
Now I know the athletes out there are about to say, "13.1 miles, pffft! I could do that in my sleep!" BUT considering I don't run unless someone is chasing me, this is a huge accomplishment in my book!
The race started at 7am, and Paul handed me the paper with all the stop points of good places to take pictures, where to park, and the finish line location...
Without fail, our children slept in, the ONE day I needed to get out the door at a specific time. ugh.
Nevertheless, we made it to the race and got to the 13th mile hoping we hadn't already missed his big finish! We cheered some others on, yelled "Go State!" to some guy with a sparty shirt on and clapped for lots of runners! (When I say "we", I mean "me", my children just stared and looked at me like I was crazy.)
Then we saw him! Woot Woot!!! You can see by this grin that 13.1 was NOTHING for him! HAHAHAHA!

We got to see him run his last .1 miles and it was pretty exciting to hear all the motivating cheers inside the stadium!

How exhilarating!!!!

I couldn't be more proud of him! Let me just say, he did NOT have time to train for this and still pulled off a run time, 2:14:02. AND (in case the boss reads this) he advertised for the Marines the whole way, so he's a true recruiter! How about a round of applause!?

Love is in the Air

We had a wonderful Valentines Day. Paul came home from traveling all week, but he really pulled out all the stops! I thought for sure we would stay in, usually he's exhausted from his trips. But we got a sitter and headed out for my big surprise. I *honestly* didn't know where we were going. (Usually I prod enough and break him down into giving me a hint where I can come to the conclusion on my own), but not this time.
First, he took me to Kay (Every Kiss Begins with Kay...) Jewelers to get my new Eco-Drive (ambient light powered) watch to get sized! It's so sleek! He made an excellent choice!

Then we went out to eat. Or should I say, we went to the restaurant, walked in the door, heard "2 1/2 hours" and walked out. So we decided to eat later.

The drive began. Every turn knocked one of the options out of the running. I had no idea. We headed for Nashville, then towards Knoxville! I was stumped!
But just then we turned of the highway on to Opry Land Drive!!! Woot Woot!!!!
He took me to Opry Land!!!
If you haven't heard of it...check this out...

The whole night reminded me of every cool place we had ever been together! It had the History of D.C., the quaint cafes reminded me of Jamaica, the tropical feeling of Hawaii was there, and they even had a sushi bar which brought back memories of Okinawa! He joked that that was exactly what he had planned all along! :) Well, he did a great job in my book! And it was a well needed night out for the two of us. We ended the night with an authentic Irish meal at a pub (with live fiddle players!, Oh Cleary's how I miss you!) and a stop at the Godiva Chocolate store for some truffles and chocolate covered oreos.
We didn't staty the night, but we were planning our next visit before we left!


{Pic1-Outside view of OpryLand; Pic2-One of many waterfalls inside;Pic3-1 of 5 Atriums they have in the world of awesomeness!}

Thank you, Paul, for everything you do! You are the best man a girl could ask for! I love you with all my heart!

Democratic Duty

by Paul
I received my absentee ballot for the 5 Aug primary. I am registered to vote in Northfield Township, Michigan, and the clerk was nice enough to send me the materials early. Although I only lived in Northfield Township briefly, it was my last physical residence in Michigan when I left the state for active military duty so I legally vote there. Filling out the forms was a very bureaucratic affair that ended up taking me a few hours (which I don't really have) but, on the up side, got me thinking about voting and the political process we endure as Americans. When I was in Australia last year, the Aussies were shocked when I told them that our voter turnout is about 50 percent (depends how you gauge, of course, but roughly half is a fair generalization). And that only means half of those who are registered.  So I think the actual number of Americans who vote is probably something like a third or less (minus children, felons, those who aren't registered, etc.). Pretty sad commentary and a reminder that you live in a Republic and not a true democracy...which is of course by design and not necessarily a bad thing. Anyway, the Aussies have compulsory voting where they basically have no choice but to vote. For some interesting (and depressing) reading on where the US stacks up, look at this. I don't think this would be a good model for Americans; to mandate something like that would probably be construed as contrary to freedom. But I feel like those who fail to vote can't honestly complain, so I take my ballot very seriously and try to do my part.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the packet, and it could only be called a packet, was that the entire absentee ballot system is far more complicated than it really has to be. I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, but I had to stare at the instructions and scratch my head a bit...it was very frustrating and I realized something:
It's no wonder that so many people don't vote.

It's a confusing and painful process, and the absentee system is even more so. Just look at the series of instructions (three sets) and all that fine print. A second-grader could probably make clearer instructions. The second thing I noticed was on the ballot itself. Being a primary, you can't vote a "split" ticket, so you have to vote either entirely Democrat or Republican. As a military officer, I don't feel it's my place to discuss politics specifically so I won't divulge how I voted or why (it doesn't matter in the context of this narrative), but it was surprising to me that there were no other parties represented. Also, the graphic they use to label each column was interesting in that each depicted two former US Presidents. The Republican clip art showed Lincoln and Reagan, while the Democrat side had FDR and JFK. Lincoln is a no-brainer, but Reagan? Already? I would have had my money on Roosevelt or Ike...surprising that they are already holding the Gipper up as a personification of their party. Also interesting and maybe telling. Likewise, the Dem's use of FDR is a given, but JFK? Maybe Clinton is still considered too controversial and Truman may not have the recognition among the masses, but there were a slew of better Chiefs in the last century aside from JFK. I guess Jack is a symbol of the left like Reagan is a symbol of conservatism.
I started looking through the ballot, and since it's a local election I didn't know three quarters of the people. Aside from one congressman, I had little knowledge of the others, even if I did recognize the name. I moved to the ol' Internet to do some Googling and I had an epiphany:
Why can't voters take their ballot home? 

If I were at the polls in-person, I would have had to pick randomly, to be honest, and who are we kidding? I think most people do this. Using the net allowed me to research each candidate and pick who I really wanted to vote for...and that's based not just on what they said, but on news items, past entries, etc. Call it a Tom Friedman moment, but I was surprised how much technology influenced my votes this go-around. Most shocking, though, was the realization that so many people move around and campaign just to get elected to something. I found old sites of the same guy who was running for drain commissioner on the other side of the state (and lost) and is now running for sheriff in my precinct. Based on that, which I never would have known without researching it, which I probably wouldn't have done if I'd been home and voted in person, do I really think he has the best interests of his constituents in mind or is this a guy who just wants the "power" of a public office? Needless to say, when scenarios like that arose, the offender didn't get my vote.
The final shock came when I realized how many people were running unopposed for an office, either within their own party or totally unopposed from the other side as well.
Is it really a true Democratic Republic if there's one option for a given office?
Of course one could write-in a candidate but realistically that's a waste of ink, time, and thought. Another sad factor was the number of offices with no one at all running. Makes you wonder.I also noticed that the current clerk's name was printed on the mailing materials. This may be nit-picky, but I have to wonder how much money is wasted when/if that clerk is replaced. Many will remember when Michigan Secretary of State (I think it was Candice Miller) declined to have her name added to the storefront signage of SOS buildings. This simple, common sense gesture not only demonstrated humility, but it saved the state a boat load of money.
Hmmmm, saving money for the taxpayers. Now that's a mindset I could get behind.

What Your Marines Do For You

by Paul

I spent the last week on the rifle range. "The range" is an annual event that must be completed by all Marines. It re-certifies the shooter on the M16 rifle and ultimately gives them a level of qualification. The course of fire has changed many times in the past ten years that I've shot and the latest incarnation incorporates combat shooting simulations based on lessons learned from Marines fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
While I was out there, I kept thinking about a few key concepts that many Americans probably do not realize or ever consider. Your Marines are young, at least in terms of time...they are nineteen and twenty-year-olds, for the most part, and they suffer greatly to be on the front lines for you. Normally, I work at a level pretty far removed from the most junior Marines but being at the range allowed me to mill around among them and it was a rare treat to speak candidly and openly with the boys. The Marines who work for me fall into a chain of command so they will always be guarded in conversation, but on the range every shooter is quasi-equal so I got to sort of relive my glory days as a lance corporal.
We shot at Camp Schwab, a remote base on the Northern end of Okinawa that rests more or less in a dense jungle. The range is a huge patch of open, mowed grass that sits surrounded by dense foliage. Marines shoot from 500 yards away (really-no scope either) during some stages of firing, so the range is well over half a kilometer square. Since bullets need a clear path to hit their target, there is virtually nothing on this entire square exceeding a foot or so off the ground. For those who can't connect the dots, I'll spell it out...THIS MEANS NO SHADE. The Okinawa sunlight comes ironically from the same sun used by people all over the world, but for some reason, when it shows up here it does so with an intense fury that makes you wonder how something can arrive after a 93 million mile trip and still kick your butt.
I got incinerated over the past week, as did every other Marine there. Even the backs of my hands got sunburned, which, despite my lifelong fairness, has never happened to me before. And this was the least of the miseries we endured. Imagine a week spent in scorching heat, wearing a thick long sleeve shirt and trousers, carrying all of your food and water for the day, lugging twenty pounds of gear, getting harassed by huge bugs and yelled at to "hurry up" at every turn.
Now remember, we weren't in combat, we were just shooting. We do this every year. I have to do this because it's my career and I get paid well to provide for my family. The vast majority of Marines out there are first termers who won't re-enlist. They get paid below minimum wage. They're doing this for themselves, for their country...for YOU.
I realized for the millionth time in my career just how tough these people are. Yeah, they still harbor the immaturities you'd find in a high school or college campus: they talk about chasing girls and how much hard liquor they can drink. They talk about comic books and the new big summer movie and which cigarette brand is the coolest. They eat fast food, junk food, and candy bars when they should be getting something healthy and they drink soda instead of water even though they know that the sugar within is going to make an already hot day feel even hotter. But they get the job done. They're NOT college kids or high school kids...they're not even kids at all. They're men and women; they're not the youth of America. The youth of America, the dot com generation, are often viewed as a bunch of arrogant, too smart for their own good little snobs who think the whole world revolves around diversion and entertainment and can't understand why people can't just get along. These Marines know better. They are the greatest generation.
Our grandparents all fought in WWII, but that was the thing to do. Literally everyone contributed. These junior Marines (and all military folks, for that matter) today enlisted against all advice from their peers and parents. They knew it would be terribly hard...they knew their families would think they were crazy...they knew they'd have to go to war. But they came anyway while their contemporaries went to Starbucks and watched American Idol instead. God Bless Them.

It does me proud to be able to stand among them. To learn more about your Marines, look here.