The Rest of the Story...

Radio legend Paul Harvey passed away Saturday at the age of 90.
I don't really know what else to say.

Doris L. Allen

This past Valentine's Day my grandmother passed away at the age of 85. Even though she was hospitalized at the time it was still a shock.

The funeral was yesterday. It was nice but it was still a funeral.

I made a slideshow to be played during the visitation Wednesday night. I have to admit it was a lot harder than I expected. Looking at all of the pictures of her throughout her life, it was impossible not to become emotional.

She was, without a doubt, the strongest woman I've known (some might substitute "most stubborn" for "strongest"). When she met my grandfather he was, of all things, a Democrat. She couldn't stand for that and eventually converted him into a very staunch Republican. They were both quite active in the RNC and even attended a few national conventions.

She had quite a sense of humor as well. I remember one year my grandfather desperately wanted a Mercedes Benz. That's all he would say he wanted for Christmas. And, wouldn't you know it, my grandmother got one for him. It was about two inches long and came in a package labeled "Matchbox".

One year, while Christmas shopping, she spotted a very, very large pair of Levi's 501 jeans on display at a department store that was going out of business. She loved to give my grandfather a hard time about his weight so she just had to have them. She finally convinced the store to sell them to her and she wrapped them right up. When he tore open the package on Christmas Eve the first thing he said was "..you didn't get me jeans, did you??" She insisted that he hold them up for everyone to see. He started unfolding these monstrous jeans and when he held them up he completely disappeared behind them.

She really was the glue that binds our family together. She will be truly missed and we are all blessed to have had her in our lives. I hope we continue to be a close family and manage to get together every once in a while.

I Did the Right Thing

I forgot to post this last week.  Here is the book I bought at the Mike Huckabee signing:

And here is the autograph:

Mike Huckabee

I went to a Mike Huckabee book signing at lunch today. I was surprised at how fast the line moved. Of course we were told that, because of time constraints, the former Governor would not be able to personalize the signatures. He could only sign his name.

How Obama Got Elected

(from www.howobamagotelected.com)

I have no words.

A Great Day for America!

Something amazing happened today on Capital Hill. At around 11:23AM Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for an adjournment of the House. It was passed and House Democrats left the building. Several House Republicans, however, stayed and continued to debate the energy bill that Speaker Pelosi will not allow a vote on. The Republicans stayed at it for several hours!

One of the most interesting parts for me was Rep. John Culberson's (R-Texas) use of Twitter and Qik to get the information about what was happening out the the people.
You see Speaker Pelosi ordered the C-Span cameras to be shut off, as well as the microphones and even the lights! While outside cameras are not allowed on the House floor Culberson and Pete Hoekstra (R-Michigan) used Twitter to send out text updates.
Then, outside the floor, Culberson used his cell phone to stream live video via Qik. He interviewed some Congressmen and allowed us to see what was going on.

This is what the "New Media" is all about. This is what freedom and democracy are all about! I am so proud of what these Republicans did today and I am so proud to be an American!