Death and or Taxes

"In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes."
Benjamin Franklin
It seems that it won't be death AND taxes for Mr. and Mrs. Brown, but instead, they have vowed for death BEFORE taxes.

The story talks about Ed and Elaine Brown who claim that there is no law requiring citizens to pay taxes. Therefore, they have avoided paying taxes for the last decade. Because of their refusal to pay, they have been sentenced to prison and been told they owe the government $200,000. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have said that they will die before they pay or go to prison. The government is now in a perplexing situation as they get to choose between ignoring this or getting into a shoot-out with a grandma and grandpa over money.

When I first read about this case, my initial thought was, "Crazy people." Then as I read on my thoughts changed to, "Could they really be right?" I was intrigued that the Brown's could actually make a case for not paying their taxes. Very interesting.

But as I read on further, I discovered something that really ticked me off. I found out that our own government is pushing a bill that will forgive all back taxes owed by illegal immigrants. So the Brown's own hypocritical government would like to lock them up while at the same time they smooth the way for the millions of people here illegally by erasing their debts. What a quandry we are in as a country. How can our goverment wave a special wand of forgiveness over illegal immigrants, but refuse to give it's own citizens the same consideration?

Fight for Life

You really need to check out this video. You have to watch all of it though, don't stop early. No, I am not sick and twisted, just keep watching.

Oh no you di'int!

Today I dropped Finn and Layla off at the vet. When I came to pick them up that afternoon, the nice, yet weird vet assistant was there. He just happened to have a giant snake around his neck and was acting like that was a normal occurance, which perhaps it is seeing as I was at the vet. As I was paying, here was our conversation:

Me: "How soon can we get Finn neutered? I don't want to do it too early."

Finn: Stares out door while panting.

Snake Charmer/Vet Assistant: Petting snake. "I would wait a month or so. Well, let me see...if I can get personal here for a minute." Walks toward me.

Me: Staring at snake waiting to see if maybe it would start to constrict on the guy's neck. Wondering if I would finally be able to find out if I have the strength and courage to save someone from a snake attack.

Snake Charmer/Vet Assistant: Bends down over Finn and reaches hands under and back to Finn's special purpose. "Well, he only has one testicle dropped...wait, no there's the other one. He has both, but I would give him some time with them."

Finn: Stares out door while panting.

Me: "You just grabbed his testicles." Sick.

BAP

In honor of Father's Day, I would like to let everyone know what a fantastic dad I have. While many women end up marrying someone like their father, I instead ended up as my dad's female clone. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Here are the top 5 reasons I appreciate my dad:

#5: My dad raised me to be interested in the world around me. He instilled in me an interest in politics, cultures, psychology, and basically people in general. He's just about the greatest "people" person you could ever meet.

#4: My dad is big into character, and he never let me do lackluster or careless work. He showed me how important it is to work to the best of my ability, no matter if the situation was playing in a soccer game or picking weeds in the backyard.

#3: My dad always makes me feel smart. He tells me how helpful and brilliant I am for even the smallest things, like showing him how to attach a file to an email.

#2: My dad tells it like it is. I have never had to guess how my dad felt about a choice I made or a boyfriend I had. I appreciate that he lets me know if he's proud of me, as well as telling me when I disappointed him. He's always held the bar pretty high, but I see that as a compliment because he obviously believes I can reach it. Because of that, I have always had high standards for myself as well.

#1: Lastly, my dad always has supported me in any hobby, sport, or adventure I've undertaken. From soccer to study abroad to moving to Seattle, he has continually encouraged me. My dad has been there for me
physically by being at events to cheer me on or driving me thousands of miles,
financially by giving me the money to participate or the funds to get on my feet,
mentally by talking me through potential problems or pumping me up to dispel any nerves, and
spiritually by praying with me or reminding me Who I belong to.

I am truly blessed to have BAP as my dad.

Pump it Up - Summer Vacation Days 14-18

Personal Accomplishments: ***
Memories: **
World Impact: **

The last few days have been really fun. I have been busy, but in a good way:

-I actually worked out at the gym instead of eating lunch, cleaning a bit, and going to bed at 7:30. Who knew being an art teacher was so tiring?



-went to see Surf's Up with my students for a field trip



-made an awesome art project at camp with giant coffee filters and watercolor paint



-kicked Trey and Tim's butt in Phase 10



-watched The Privileged Planet with our new small group from church



-played soccer with my nephew at his Soccer Tots program (he's awesome at Red Light, Green Light)



-Got to meet Rigaud, the visiting minister from Haiti who is staying with Gavin and Elizabeth (my mom spoke French with him, which always makes me so proud of her :)



-And lastly, I started my volunteer tutoring program

Daughters - Summer Vacation Days 12 & 13

Personal Accomplishments: *
Memories: *
World Impact: n/a



These are some pictures of my super cute niece, Ella Grace. Ms. Nola, my mom's great friend from Michigan, brought a tiara and a feather boa for her all the way from Michigan. Tiaras and boas are Ms. Nola's thing. Anyhow, Ella loved it and I thought I would share. So, Elizabeth wrote in her blog about the incident and I thought she made an excellent point. She said that she never thought she would see her daughter in a tiara because she doesn't care for the whole "princess" mentality. Elizabeth then went on to say she had changed her opinion because, it's one thing to dress your daughter like a princess, but quite another to raise her like one. I wholeheartedly agree.

It has been incredibly helpful and uplifting for me to see how my sister-in-law, Elizabeth, handles motherhood. While I originally (9 years ago original) thought that we were total opposites, I now see that we are far more alike than we are different. Seeing how gracefully and comfortably she handles all types of parenting situations thrown at her gives me confidence that I, most likely, won't permanently emotionally damage my children. When I do finally decide to step into the role of mother, I know that she will be an incredibly valuable resource and confidant.

Bowling - Summer Vacation Days 10 & 11

Personal Accomplishments: **
Memories: **
World Impact: **

Today was bowling for Camp Tejas. I worked with three kids, one of which had his own bag, ball, shoes, and team shirt. Oddly enough, he scored the lowest of the group. There was also a boy who used the bowling ramp to play. I would have to remind him every time to gently place the ball on the top of the ramp and then push it, DO NOT THROW THE BALL AT THE RAMP!!! One staff member decided that he could teach aforementioned student to throw the ball without the use of the ramp. The student dropped the ball on the staff member's foot and that was the end of his lessons. We had fun though. The kids really like to be able to do well at something, just like any other kid.

Yesterday was a lazy day, aside from a trip to Costco, because today was supposed to be so busy. I have been anticipating for weeks a dinner with a great friend in from Boston on business. Sarah and I were supposed to meet up for Indian food at Madras Pavilion in Dallas (props to Tim for introducing me). Unfortunately, Sarah had to cancel last minute as she had to fly back. I am so bummed! I really was looking forward to some unrushed time to talk with her before her wedding in September. Sarah and I were very close friends in high school, but we sort of lost touch for awhile as we are both not very good at calling and such. We never really completely dropped out of each other's lives, but we were not real consistent. Anyhow, we were able to take a trip together to a friend's wedding in October and we had a great time together, picked things up right where we left off.


Although we talk more now, it's not the same as being face to face, so I was looking forward to tonight to catch up a bit more, as both our lives have changed drastically in the last 5 years or so, as have we. But things happen and there will be other dinners. I'm crossing my fingers it will be soon!

Swimming Freak Out - Summer Vacation Days 8 & 9

Personal Accomplishments: **
Memories: ***
World Impact: **


On Friday, Camp Tejas went swimming. The previous night I had searched for my swimsuit but could not find it. Instead of going to buy a new one at 8:30pm, I decided to wear an old one that did not fit at all, much like everything else in my closet. I planned to simply wear shorts and a shirt over it. No big deal.

So I was assigned to a sweet boy who was very pumped to be going to the pool. We got to the there and I put sunscreen on him and got him his life jacket (all campers must wear a life jacket) and we headed to the freezing water. This is an outdoor pool with no heaters, just like at Shiloh, so you take it as is. I got in some but mostly just watched him from the side and watched when he said, "Watch this!" and cheered when he went down the slide.

We had been at the pool for over an hour and all was good, so I headed to get my water bottle and yogurt. I was heading back and watching Zach as he climbed out of the water and headed toward me. Now, it is difficult to understand what he is saying sometimes so when I asked him where he was going, it sounded like, "Want out." I assumed he meant he was done swimming, so we headed toward the benches and I stopped him to take off his life jacket. As he got out of it, he immediately turned and ran back toward the pool.

I started running after him, balancing my water, yogurt, and the dangling life jacket. I was barely able to grab him with my semi-free hand before he jumped right back in the pool. Earl was running over so I said, "Can you help me Earl?" What does big, strong Earl do? He takes my yogurt and water out of my hands and walks away. Thanks for all your help! Thankfully, Tracy was there to help me restrain him and we spent the next 30 minutes at the edge of the pool with a crying camper who desperately wanted to get in without a life jacket.

Eventually he calmed down and we got him changed, but that was quite enough excitement for the rest of the day.

On Saturday, Trey and I enjoyed our mostly clean apartment, as Trey had spent most of yesterday cleaning. He told me to make myself scarce as he was focused and really wanted to get some stuff done. When he says that, I definitely will not get in his way. The dogs were freshly groomed on Friday so we had no hair to vacuum. Life is good. The dogs needed something to chew on (other than our carpet) so since I never got to make it to Costco, I headed to Petco. The bones are more expensive at Petco, so I wanted to be sure to buy the best value which means bigger bones. You would think little Layla would have a tough time with this, but obviously not.


Saturday night, we went over to my parents' house to go out to dinner with them. Their good friends the Cucherans and the Kirbys, from Michigan, were in town and staying with them, so we all were going to hang out. Of course the Corbett's came too and Gavin and Elizabeth so it was quite crazy for awhile. Lots of babies and laughing and catching up, so the volume and insanity were welcome.

Ella was there, naturally, and I am amazed at how much she changes every week! Just last week she was fighting to lift her head for a few seconds. Now she has almost no problem holding it up. She smiles so much more too. I guess we're just starting to see her personality. I can't wait to find out more about what she's like!

Nikki's baby, Stone, was there too. He is so cute and BIG! He looks like he could kick some butt already. It only occurred to me after that he was born right about the same time as Eveyn. I can't believe that Eveyn would be walking and exploring like he was, and we would know if she likes to be held or if she likes to be tickled. It makes me really sad that I'll never know or see her like that.

Everyone had a great time together and Trey and I stayed until late with the girls out on the deck and the guys watching the game inside. I CANNOT BELIEVE THE PISTONS LOST!! The only thing that could make this basketball season any worse, would be if the stupid Spurs win the championship. So I am now officially a Cavs fan, but only until October.

Postcards - Summer Vacation Day 7

Personal Accomplishment: **
Memories: **
World Impact: **
Yesterday we decorated postcards. I'm not sure they will go through the mail as they are covered with so much glue and sand. They are really cute though. The kids really enjoyed writing them and had fun with all the glitter and glue. One boy had so much fun he threw up in class. A couple times. Oh the joys of working with kids.


I also took the dogs to the vet as the groomer said we had to have proof of rabies shots and Finn had never had his. Thank goodness there was an opening that evening. We also got Layla's sick skin thing checked out. She has this crusty, scabby thing over her elbow. Really gross. It took the vet $60 to tell me that it's not mites and to spray some stuff on it. We were only at the vet for 20 minutes, but it cost over $200! I'm beginning to wonder if these dogs are worth it.