The question is always... will it really bring May flowers? Do we need all this icky rain?
Since moving to the country, my kids have gotten to experience a lot more nature! I love it... but with it comes a lot more mud. Vance and Erik LOVE it! The girls and Dustin like it on the nice days. :) I think they'll come around tho. I know when my parents moved to their current house, I was just turning 12, and I HATED it! I had no friends, and there was a 7 year cicada (like a locust) problem! We lived in a woods filled with bugs!! How awful!! :) But I eventually came to love the woods and would not change that for the world.
Our new house is on a hill. We have a beautiful view... but very limited internet. the road is not super busy, but we get our fair share of traffic. I think it will be a highly desirable place... as long as we can get someone to hook up internet. :) Everything runs on Wi-fi these days! Didn't realize how much I rely on it until we moved. I'm adjusting and adapting... but paying bills and keeping up with things like blogging and Shutterfly have had a take a back seat. I'm currently sitting in a Panera trying to create a Shutterfly book from our trip to SeaWorld, and download updates, and write this blog... I'm overloading their system! :) Ha!
Ok, and now I'm going to touch on a very touchy subject.. the Election! I hate this time of year... it causes such controversy! I have been waiting anxiously for the year when we can get Obama out of office... but now that it's here... It's just been filled with turmoil! For the first time in my life, I'm fired up and ready for change... Matt has been researching it like crazy! He has been digging into all the candidates trying desperately to figure out who would be our "best bet"... This has caused such discussions and controversy on social media and even in person. I try to avoid this for the most part... but the other day I entered into quite the "discussion" with my mom over who is the most qualified candidate for this job. I'm not going to name who I voted for... for some odd reason... as long as I simply "be suggestive about who" it gives people the needed out to not think bad about me... but I feel, that this country is in a serious bad state... and not a single politician seems to be able to do anything about it, because they are bought and paid for... by whoever voted for them, or who donated to their campaign... speaking of which, side rant... why the heck do they spend so very much money on trying to convince us that they would be the best man for the job? Why can't they use that money, to pay down the horrible debt that they have been helping create for my generation and the generation of my children? I feel as if we have been "screwed over" by previous generations and the answer is to hire more people, exactly the same... and expect new results? This un-named candidate is not your typical guy. He is self-funding, and therefore has not been blowing tons of "our" money on ads and campaign stuff. You may not like his business, but he is legit and he loves the USA. He loves his family and I believe he wants to save the USA for HIS kids! Not for political fame, but for the future of his family. He has a vested interest in the USA... for both his family and his business... and as the wife of a business (ok, multiple businesses) owner... NO ONE cares more about their company, than the owner. NO ONE! So, if you have a business (i.e. your entire empire) that will crumble if the economy collapses... who has the most motivation and desire to save it???!!! Certainly not JoeSchmo who works for a paycheck. I AM NOT busting on those who simply "work for the man"! I am one of those kinds a people... I love the idea of punching in and punching out! There is a great freedom in being that kind of person! But being married to an owner has given me an entirely new perspective on the world, and on money and business, and people... etc.
I get that there are a lot of other crappy issues... the government funds so much crap! Would I love to see some changes there? Absolutely! Do I expect everything to become rosy and beautiful with this guy? No way. Do I hope and pray that he will make the needed changes to save the USA? Yes, for sure!! I, and my kids are praying to for candidates! I would LOVE to see this nation turn back God! But I believe it starts with us, and with teaching our children! I homeschool, as most of you know, and I do this because I want to be able to teach my children things from a Godly, and moral perspective! I believe change needs to happen with us... teaching our children RIGHT and WRONG! I do not believe that we can do this if there is no USA to call home... I recently heard this statement at a church we were visiting... "stop avoiding short-term pain at the expense of long-term progress"... Having a larger family "hurts my ability" to do all the service projects... but only short-term... eventually I will have a small army... homeschoooling right now "hurts my ability" to keep a clean house... but only short-term, because I'm trying to raise a family of children to help, and learn, and do! Eventually, my team, will be able to do much more than if I had stopped having kids... so that I could do stuff... I have learned this by watching how I was raised, vs. what is the norm!
I'm not sure if I should or will publish this... But as long as I'm on a roll... I might as well keep going with my rant...
With this election, I've seen the older generation get more cynical and depressed... they say "we used to think we could change the world, but now we've seen so much bad, that we realize it's impossible"... And it suddenly struck me why so many old people get cranky! They used to dream, but when dreams aren't realized...and more and more bad stuff happens... they lose hope! I've always been scared about getting old, because I didn't wanna turn into an old, crabby, cynical person... and now I know why they are that way! So here is what I'm curious about, did they never see God's hand? Did they simply forget them, or did they truly never see any miracles? I know even in my (insert age) years... I've begun to see lots of crap, and the more kids I have, the more I become a germ-a-phobe, but I have also seen miracles! God is still working! Yes, the World is going downhill (it says in the Bible that that is what it has to do) but God IS STILL WORKING! He is still in control, and He STILL cares about the little things!! I have seen Him change my marriage. I have seen Him save my children. I have seen Him answer little prayers. I have seen Him work... I have seen Him heal, I have seen Him work! Why do we forget? Why do we forget how quickly this life is going, and the only thing that matters is what we do for Him? I am striving (tho I fail every single day, over, and over, and over!) to teach this to my children. So if, by God's grace, the USA is saved... they will have a place here to live for Him. But if God chooses to allow this Country to fail... I pray that my kids will take on the challenge to live for Him.
I believe that regardless of who gets into office, and no matter how bad the world gets... God is sovereign and will do His will. So trying to keep an eternal perspective... in the midst of the crap that has been handed to us. Lord Save the USA.... but more importantly.. Save these people!
~Anna
