{vote 2012} and so it begins

Lord, have mercy.

This was today's mail.

Today's alone.

OK. 

I get it.

It's going to be a long 4 1/2 months.

(God bless all of the slaughtered trees)

images from NH on 9.11.11

Visiting my sister and her babies in New Hampshire for the week. Some shots from this thoughtful day ....

"justice will be done"

i don't take it lightly

The service and sacrifice of our veterans, that is. What an honor to live in a country, protected by them.

flickr photo: off my front porch

9.11

Aggieland to honor September 11 heroes

survival straps

I'm always looking for ways to support U.S. soldiers who have served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan; so I was happy to come across Survival Straps. Made from paracords, they come as key rings, survival bracelets, dog collars, watch straps, and more.

I bought a key fob and love, love, love it. It's super durable (my ginormous set of keys resembles those carried by a janitor); is personalized, based on my two-color preference (I went with Texas Aggie maroon for both of my options); and best yet: Proceeds from sales go towards the Wounded Warrior Project.

We are extremely passionate in our support for our Men and Women in uniform. We realize that we are able to lay our heads down on our pillows safely at night because of the work that they do. We must honor those who serve our country and protect our freedom. They come from all walks of life and from every part of our country. We really hope that our customers use our gear as a vehicle to show support for the members of our armed services, and to help spread the word about the needs they have. Just as they have stood tall for our country, we must always stand by and support the Men and Women in uniform and their families.

Many of these brave Men and Women now need all of our help. That is why we decided to get involved with the Wounded Warrior Project. The struggles that our seriously wounded soldiers face when they get back home from Iraq and Afghanistan are enormous. We hope to do a small part in raising awareness for our Men and Women who have sacrificed so much for us. The Wounded Warrior Project is an incredible organization, with an impeccable reputation, that is doing some amazing work to help our soldiers who need it the most. They have an excellent website that does a great job explaining what the need is, and what they are doing about it. Please visit them at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

Survival Straps can be made from two of 31 colors, so the combinations are endless. My key holder arrived in about a week:

I think they're great. And you never know when you'll need 6' of paracord :).

"when they come back, we give back"

I've been following the boot girls over at Boot Campaign for quite awhile now. I love everything about their cause and who they are. Their mission:

The Boot Campaign was created to generate American awareness about the needs of our military men and women coming home from combat. The money raised from boot sales will go to nonprofit organizations that best serve combat veterans.

Our military heroes volunteered to put themselves in dangerous, life-threatening situations to preserve human freedom. The Boot Campaign motto is simple…“When they come back, we give back.” The Boot Girls want every person within reach of our website to tangibly give back to our troops by buying a pair of combat boots and proudly wearing or displaying them.

Buy a pair of combat boots for $129.99, and $50.00 goes to support our veterans (THE USO, Lone Survivor Foundation, and Military Warriors Support Foundation). Can't beat that with a stick.

For months I've had my name on their list for a pair of boots. And today--just in time for Independence Day--I received word: My boots will ship mid-July!

Texas A&M Head Football Coach, Mike Sherman

Governor of Texas, Rick Perry

Houston Astros Centerfielder, Michael Bourn

Texas singer/songwriter, Aaron Watson

American Hero and Navy SEAL, Marcus Luttrell

NFL Houston Texans Head Coach, Gary Kubiak

Texas singer/songwriter, Bleu Edmondson

RW&B

etsy seller, therobinandparrow

marthastewart.com - Sand Castles

The Junk Gypsy Co. - Tea-stained Bunting

flickr photo - Randy Batz

flickr photo - cody_green

flickr photo - bruce...

etsy seller, jlquilts

marthastewart.com - Star Medallion

so hard

God bless those--and their families--who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Hope it's been a day filled with whatever means the most to you.

heroes

Remembering those who paid the ultimate price in protecting our freedom.

Happy Memorial Day weekend.

the architect

Saw Karl Rove last night at the George Bush Library here on campus. I was also fortunate enough to hear him speak about a year ago (with Juan Williams), and he was fantastic; but last night's presentation was in a league of its own. Talk about one of the completely brilliant political scientists of our time. Regardless of what you think of his ideological leanings, Rove's book, Courage and Consequence, is a must-read.

Anyway, the lecture was unbelievably moving--particularly the moments when he described the minutes and hours following the 9/11 attack. Rove was as close to the situation as anyone, and his account is sobering.

Some media coverage from Rove's visit, along with a few photos I snapped (bags and cameras were not allowed inside the lecture venue):

Rove defends George W. Bush & Rove Recalls Success, Mistakes in Speech at Texas A&M



The library, at dusk, on a beautiful spring evening


Statue, with pieces from the Berlin Wall

Another shot at sunset


EDIT: I almost forgot! When we were driving off the grounds of the library, we noticed a car, parked off to the side of the road. Such a sight is highly common along the roads of Texas right now, as folks are constantly stopping to take photographs with the stunning bluebonnets and wildflowers that currently blanket the landscape.

Anyway, two people (an older woman and a young girl) had a couple of dogs on leashes and appeared to be letting the canines "take care of their business." As we neared them, we saw that the woman was none other than Barbara Bush! I don't know how the stoic-looking [federal agent] guy, wearing the dark suit and Ray-Bans didn't tip me off ahead of time as to the importance of the car's passenger. And we knew she was there, since she introduced Karl (41, who was planned to give introductions, is under the weather).

Needless to say, it was a hoot!