Coming out of the closet!

Okay...I can now publically admit it.

I voted for Barack Obama!

Man, what a relief to finally get to SAY that! For those of you wondering why I kept it a secret, there's a ton of reasons. First of all, I'm a teacher, so I never tell the kids who I plan to vote for. They're always trying to gauge their own thoughts with my own and I want them to decide for themselves.

The biggest, though, was the subject of one of my earlier blogs and where the title for this one came from. I didn't want people throwing away my political opinion just because I was black. With some of the folks I know, just saying that I was voting for him would have made them decide to not listen to anything I had to say about ANYthing. They would have been disgusted, thinking I only voted for him because of his race and that "we all stick together".

This is patently NOT true. There are about as many divides in the black community as there are in the white community, so looking like someone does not automatically mean I'll be casting a vote for them. I was ready to vote for either of them back in the primaries, but in the end, I really just paid attention to what the candidates had to say and felt like Obama was the most likely candidate for CHANGE.

Watching the returns was amazing. I was completely overjoyed until I listened to McCain's concession speech.

And then, right in the middle, I started to cry.

All this time and I had truly forgotten that he was the FIRST (frankly, I forgot he was black at ALL!). He did such an amazing job of making this NOT about race that people of ALL races truly forgot. Personally, I really only cared about CHANGE, not making history or anything else. Even before I walked into the polling booth, the Highlander nudged my elbow and whispered "Go make history." And it still didn't hit me.

But once I remembered, really understood, I wished that my (and Obama's) grandmother had lived to see the day. My own parents (who never voted in their lives until 2000) even said they really had never expected to see this in their lifetime. Dad said he'd just never thought that far ahead. I liken it to the way one doesn't think of marrying flowers. It's not that they can't be pretty and sweet, but the idea of marriage to a plant just seems so farfetched as to never occur to you.

My favorite saying from all this was on a t-shirt:

Rosa sat so Martin could walk
Martin walked so Barack could run
Barack is running so our children can FLY.

Speaking of children, despite my attempts to NOT discuss my personal political views and stick to the basic facts of the American election process, this whole thing held my class in its thrall. I was so proud! Last week was Kids Voting, but I had NO info on the candidates. I was very disappointed because NO one should vote without finding out the FACTS about the people involved. So, without my telling them to, many of them went and did research on their own. When I mentioned that the US president is a world leader, one of my boys asked "How can we be so popular if our economy is so bad?" They kept asking great questions, so instead of sticking to the basics, we went deep into everything that's been hitting the US (war, economy, etc.). We even talked about what a patriot really is (ANYone who defends their country against outside influences). On Tuesday, we kept an electoral college map that refreshed every 10 minutes up on the tv with kid votes from all over the US. They were excited when they checked the real map and saw how well the kids mirrored their parents in voting (which led to the discussion of why kids AREN'T allowed to vote).

Anyway, it was one amazing race...now I'm just praying for the man's safety and hoping people aren't looking at me now and thinking I'm gloating. I'm not, I promise. I'm just glad to see that something NEW is happening. The world can FINALLY look at us and think we're good people again, not selfish brats that like to bully our way into whatever financially benefits us.

So, I'm all full of national pride again...and not in that "holier-than-thou-'cause-I'm-a-bigger-patriot-than-you" kind of way, either. Just the "glad-we're-back-to-normal-with-a-HUGE-sigh-of-relief" kinda way!

The "quiet and proud" Sprite & the "I'll be vocal FOR you this time, babe!" Highlander

Final Info on Hallowed Grounds

Okay, it's all done! The clues are here http://thesprite.orgfree.com/letterboxing/hgtour2.htm

Also, the first map had trouble, but some folks have been able to get it here: http://thesprite.orgfree.com/letterboxing/hgtour2map.htm

You can log your finds here: http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=94529 and here: http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=94530

Hope to see everyone this weekend!

The S & H

Hallowed Grounds Tour update & Map

Just letting everyone know that the clues are taking a little long to type up than we'd hoped, so they won't officially be posted until Wednesday (the map is already posted here: http://thesprite.orgfree.com/letterboxing/hgtour2map.htm). However, we can give you THIS much info for now:

· With the exception of the event stamp (which will ONLY be around on the 18th and 19th aka this weekend), all these boxes are permanent placements, so don’t worry if you can’t get them all in one weekend…you’ve got the rest of your life (or until the muggles find them, whichever comes first!)
· On that note, be sure to look around carefully, since even out in the sticks where many of these stamps are, there are farmhouses that can see RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE! We recommend carrying a camera or camera phone of some sort (or paper so you look like you’re doing tombstone rubbings). Tell any muggles that you’re following a “Cemeteries of Genesee County” tour instead of boxing.
· The boxes are simply the stamps on about an inch square piece of pink carving material and hidden inside medicine bottles, so don’t look for anything big (or a logbook until you reach our place).
· There are two different stamp sets this time. The Green Route takes you northeast of the I-90 from the Thruway Exit 48a (Pembroke/Corfu Route 77/63) to Thruway Exit 47 (Leroy/Route 19). When you finish, you’ll have 12 pieces that create one tombstone with the center missing (the center is the event stamp). The Orange Route takes you southwest of the I-90 from the Leroy exit back to Pembroke and makes an obelisk with its 11 stamps (print the map out so you can see what these should look like).
· Both routes at once total up to about 90 miles, plus you can add another 10 to get to our house when you’re ready. Needless to say, we do NOT recommend doing these all at once!
· Finally, don’t forget to come by our place for snacks and the event stamp when you’re finished (you can do this on Saturday OR Sunday)! You can send us AQ-mail and we'll give you the directions. Keep in mind that folks will be coming at different times, so don't feel like you need to bring something to eat (unless you'll be one of the first folks coming on Saturday and just want to leave it there). If you want to DEFINITELY meet with people, just come at 5pm on Saturday and you'll be sure to find some folks to hang with!

More on the clues soon, we promise!

Hallowed Grounds Tour coming soon!

Just a reminder that our October event, the Hallowed Grounds Tour, is happening soon! This is a driving tour of several old cemeteries in Genesee County that you'll be able to do, then return to join us for some cider and doughnuts once you're done. We won't really start meeting and greeting until around 5pm, but if you can't come, you can just swing by for that final stamp between 10 and 7 that day. It's a GREAT event for new boxers and kids, since all the stamps are literally drive-bys!

Here's the link to the sign up page...hope to see you there! http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gEventId=785

The S & H

And the band Boxed ON...!

OUR first time boxing in Canada...EVER. We've made commitments every year to do it and had to back out every time due to financial issues. In fact, we'dve backed out again if not for the fact that the hotel folks were going to charge us anyway! :-P

But, despite the fact that we will be dumpster diving and living in a cardboard box for the rest of our lives, we had a ball at Box ON this year! The park was beautiful, plus Fiddleheads, Landmark Leapsters, Jiggs, Lone R and all the other Ontarions (?) were super cool and good to us, even when we held up dinner for an hour and a half to find one more box in the park. I think we ended up with about 30 stamps total, which is more stamps in a day than we've done in YEARS. Plus, the hotel really WAS nice, with full breakfast included, a microwave and fridge in the room, pool, etc. Our only down side was getting a speeding ticket on our way back to the park today to get that box we missed. Still, it wasn't enough to ruin a wonderful weekend!

So, that said, who's up for going/backing out/going anyway to Ontario NEXT year??? ;-)

The (home and relaxing) Sprite & Highlander

Spanish Team on Offense and Defense?

I know, it's not about boxing OR my trip to Oregon (still forthcoming), but it's important! :-)

I'm reading stuff about the photo the Spanish team did about the Chinese (the one where they do the slanted eyes thing) and I'm finding more and more people that don't understand the offense, here. So, let's put this whole "ethnic joke" thing into perspective, shall we?

Try putting yourselves in the Chinese players shoes for a moment. Picture how you've felt in school when someone made you feel stupid or look stupid, all the while laughing at you and getting others to join in. Picture the times that you've tried to fit in and felt out of place. Picture ANY time at ALL when all you wanted to do was blend in with others and not have someone point out how much you are NOT like them. This is how intelligent people of other races feel every time someone does another slanty eye joke, another ebonics joke or any other joke that makes their people look foolish.

I think the reason why many people are confused is because they can't fathom how a joke like that affects those people or reflects on those people, regardless of the intent. There seems to be a consensus in America that it's acceptable to make fun of another culture if you:

A) "don't mean anything by it" or say you're just joking (as in the Spanish photo
B) have done it long enough that it's okay to you or would take too much effort on your part to change (Ex--keeping the name Squaw in names of places or keeping offensive Native American images like the Cleveland Indians because so many people have a history with those things)
C) know a person or persons from that culture who will laugh with you or use the same words to make fun of a culture, which gives you license to do so (ex--"Well, my black friend says the "n" word, so I should be able to!" or "I know a ton of Chinese guys and THEY didn't mind!")

All of these are really just excuses to belittle someone else and make them feel like I mentioned above. Think about what you'd do if these guys had pretended to act like a person with mental disabilities or handicaps...we'd ALL be up in arms because it's considered rude. There is NO difference at ALL in making fun of another race or culture.

If you can take anything from this, remember this...just because a LOT of people have done it all their lives or think it's acceptable does NOT MAKE IT SO. After all, lots of folks liked slavery and backed the Holocaust...didn't make them RIGHT. And even if it's a joke to you (or you wouldn't MIND that same joke done on you), it's not always funny to the person who has to show people that they are SO MUCH MORE more than just differently shaped eyes, darker skin or a different accent.

Sprite's Big Oregon Adventure (at last!)

Well, I was so busy in Oregon that I never had a free moment to actually recap the trip. Frankly, I'm still physically off my time zone game (Ex---woke up today at 9 am, but went to BED at 4:30 am!), so I'm still trying to REMEMBER the blur that was the trip. So, let me at least comment on the letterboxing parts. First, the Spritely Ice Cream Social highlights (you can read my original post on this at AQ here):

1. I got into a van with women I did not know because they waved happily at me (which will force me to question EVERYTHING I KNOW about "stranger danger".
2. I arrived, only to find out that this Sprite chick was some kind of princess who made people wait in line to exchange with her, but for some reason, the Portland people think she's cool (no accounting for taste, I guess).
3. I did not shut up the whole time I was there.
4. I put Maiden on the phone so she could make fun of the highlander for the Batlander stamp, thus ensuring his participation in the festivities.
5. I did not shut up the whole time I was there.
6. I brought my stamp, which I used continuously from the moment I arrived until about 20 minutes before I left.
7. Seriously, I did NOT SHUT UP the whole time I was there.
8. I do not recall seeing ice cream, for my ink and stamp were my sustenance (plus two bites of brownie).
9. Also, I talked a lot.
10. I met many folks who were really cool whose names were...(blanks out)
11. I promised to go to the ocean and box with people, only to end up too busy to call them and make further commitment to said trip. I hope to go boxing this Sunday with Dem XX Men
12. I stayed up late and slackboxed with Buppsters & Marmalade, since I left my clues at home.
13. I ate a Scotch egg with hard cider (thanks to Bups and Marm for contributing to my delinquency).
14. I talked a HELL of a lot more!
15. I gave money to a bum who is supposed to be opening for the Black Crowes at their next concert.
16. I saw a 24 square inch park, and got the !@#$ scared out of me by a giant copper babe with a triton (Portlandia, you sly minx!)
17. I got drowsy and talked slightly less.
18. I got back to the hotel sometime around 1 am and CRASHED.

The Highlander's new blog!

Finally, he's computer savvy!

The Highlander finally got tired of writing long e-mails and decided to create a blog of his own. He's an amazing writer in his own right with insights that crack us all up (when we have time to read them)! So, without further ado: http://whineratthegatesofdawn.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!


The (now able to clear her inbox without guilt) Sprite & the (finally able to reduce his e-mails to less than a novella) Highlander

Summer boxing news!

Greeting from Summer Busy-ness Central! :-) The Highlander and I have been working summer school like crazy, so this is my first Friday off to start updating the info on our 6th Annual WNY event!

If you haven't signed up yet for the annual WNY event (http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=468), you HAVE to do this...because only the COOL kids are coming. And you WANNA be a cool kid, right? Peer pressure is a game EVERYONE can play! ;-) And you can tell your mom that we won't be smoking or doing drugs, but we WILL be SERIOUSLY high on boxes. We will also be staying overnight at the county park(check here for that event: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=787) and NOT calling to let people know where we are, so your mom MIGHT get worried sick and call the police...

Okay, seriously, the night event IS going to be VERY cool! Talking Turtle is sending us the night boxes she had from Fear Faketor, so we get to have THOSE for the night boxing on Saturday, plus we MIGHT put them out early for the camping folks on Friday. As a matter of fact...we might ONLY put them out for the camping people (ooo, incentive to do that night event!!!) We'll keep you updated as to our level of pure evil! ;-) I should also have the website up soon, which will be here: http://thesprite.orgfree.com/letterboxing/gathering5.htm Those of you that are Johnny-on-the-spot with my blogs, give it until the end of tonight before it shows up!

Finally, we jump a little ahead to early fall (and a week before MY birthday...yay)! Unless I'm missing a trailname from the states, it looks like the Highlander and I are the only Americans hitting Box ON (in Guelph, Ontario, just two hours from Niagara Falls: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=706). Anyone else checked this out yet? If you're new and hadn't thought about going...GO! It's not far away and it's a chance to box in another country with Canada's nicest folks! Plus, they come visit us all the TIME (heck, Jiggs practically LIVES here!) We GOTTA return the favor!

Hope to see MANY of you in our area this summer...if not, hope your events are gonna be as cool as ours will be!

The (cool kid because she SAYS so) Sprite & the (cool kid when the AC is on) Highlander

Rendezvous at the Ridge Really Rocked (right?)

Okay, all alliteration aside (okay, all aside after THAT last bit!), Chadams and Lady Lilac were once again the most gracious of hosts! :-) They carved a beautiful event stamp and walked people all around for stamps they already had or had personally created (pretty impressive to do when you think they did all that walking and I don't think they got a SINGLE stamp for themselves!). They were just as helpful with the groups that went off on their own, giving directions precise directions so no one got lost. I was sans Highlander, but had a Dancer RP (one of my students) as a bonus rider, so I was grateful for anything that could get us right to the boxes without her getting disappointed. We hiked like CRAZY, but got tons of great stamps, which is exactly what Chestnut Ridge is all about. Plus, the Highlander (who couldn't make it because of his neck pain) stayed in contact via text messages and had Chadams believing I was somehow mentally linked to AQ by logging finds for me while I was still on the trail! LOL

Also, I was REALLY happy to meet some of our neighbors to the north...Canadians rule! :-) Fiddleheads turned out to be a fellow D & D geek and picked up out Sword of Omens PT, all the while blowing sunshine up my ego about my funny stories (including the ones about voyeuristic gophers...very concerned about the lack of proper entertainment up Canada way...!) :-) Plus, the 4 Sailors and LAndmark Leapsters we're just some of the nice folks you could hope to meet. Hopefully, we'll be joining them in September for Box ON in Guelph and we can trick...er, convince them to come back down for the WNY event in August.

Anyway, for those of you who missed it, you REALLY missed it, so...don't miss it again! If Chadams and/or Lady Lilac says they're throwing a boxing event (heck, if they say they're throwing a FIT), you GET here and destroy all those who get in your way (won't THAT be FUN?!)

The (glad to be back boxing again for the first time since 2007) Sprite & the (looking forward to next time) Highlander

6th Annual WNY Gathering (first major bulletin of 2008!)

Just letting folks know that the Western New York Annual gathering is all set for the weekend of August 22-24. There will be a regular Saturday day event, some night boxing that evening and, for those wanting to have some REAL fun, a camping event that will begin Friday and end Sunday. All this will be at the SAME park...Sprague Brook County Park in Glenwood, NY, just south of Buffalo. The theme is movies, so be ready to see some amazing images from the silver screen!

If you plan to join us during the day for LBWNY's Saturday at the Movies, you can sign up here: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=468

If you plan to stay for the weekend for LBWNY's Movie Double Feature, you need to ALSO sign up here so we can let you know where to reserve your tent or RV site: http://www.atlasquest.com/events/event.html?gEventId=787

We always get folks from all over the country (Trekkie Gal, Eidolon, Artemis, Mysterious...OTHER GUY that's HIKING A LOT NOW, I'm talking to YOU!), so this is a weekend you don't want to miss! I'll be creating the official website once school is out and am taking box donations dealing with the silver screen from anyone who doesn't mind the box plant being permanent (I'll also take any TES's folks want to bring or send)! Hope to see you all there!

The (getting ready for on last month of school) Sprite & the (getting ready to be bossed around for the entire month of August) Highlander

First bats, now a stake through the...palm?

Well, medical fate strikes again. Not long after my last post tonight, I went back to cutting open tennis balls to put on the legs of my kids' chairs at school. Now, I know what you're saying...the Sprite is BRILLIANT! What amazing judgment she must have to think that cutting tennis balls open with a box cutter when NBC is running their Thursday night lineup is a GREAT plan! And you are RIGHT! I AM brilliant...if you expand your definition of brilliant to include "people dumb enough to stab themselves in the palm after being told by no less than 5 people on separate occasions that it would happen". If that's what passes for brilliant, then I'm a certified MENSA candidate.

Almost 2 and a half hours after the blood started spurting and I'm now sporting 4 stitches. I'm also required to go get a tetanus shot within the next three days (which means tomorrow with the show going all weekend), since they were out of them tonight. Yay smart people like me!!!

The (feeling a bit less than herself...hur hur) Sprite & the (unable to contain the backload of sheer "I-TOLD-you-so"ation) Highlander

Buffalo Comedy Sportz Improv-a-thon!

Okay, it's NOT letterboxing, but it's MY blog! :-)

If you are going to be in the Buffalo area between April 26th-27th, come see me (the Sprite) play in a 29-1/2 hour improv show with Buffalo Comedy Sportz (my first time with the troupe)! There will be food and drinks, prizes, and even a Chinese auction! All the proceeds will be used to send my team to the 2008 Comedy Sportz World Championship in Portland, Oregon this summer.

Also, I need pledges...the more I get, the more decent time slot I get to play in! You can pledge me per hour or just give me all your money (and I mean all of it). Email me offlist for details.

So to recap:

WHAT: Comedy Sportz Improv-a-thon
WHERE: The Riviera Theatre, 67 Webster St, North Tonawanda
WHEN: April 26th at 4:00pm-April 27th 9:30 pm
WHO: Me and the other members of Buffalo's Comedy Sportz and YOU, our loyal fans
WHY: To send us to the Comedy Sportz World Championship in Portland, OR
AND: Give me money and get a genuine thank you!
PLUS: Chinese auction, yummy foods, drinks for the whole family, and prizes!

And remember, even if you don't live in Buffalo, you can still give me money and get that genuine thank you over the internet. ;-)

For more info, check the Facebook event here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10924904118

or the My Space Event here:
http://events.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&eventID=420517.82916&Mytoken=EB484BEB-2FA1-4B7A-AD9A11A9C775BCB414263861

Virtual Break!

Woo hoo! I solved this virtual on AQ and got THIS:



All hail my apparent boxing coolness! :-D

The (trying to figure out what to do NEXT with her midwinter break) Sprite & the (sleeping his away under the influence of painkillers...poor ol') Highlander

Cars, kids and other comedy sports!

I know it's been a while in between posts, but in my defense, CQ was over here with Kitten and Falling Leaves and they were all...CQing and Kittening and Falling around, so we couldn't concentrate...so...yeah...! Also, if you read my other blog, this is only KIND of a crosspost. I updated some stuff and added in some boxing news.

Anyway, it's been a crazy couple of days, the worst of which came last Thursday. I'm just gonna preface this by saying "No sprites, Highlanders or teenagers were harmed in the making of this incident!"

The Highlander and I were in a car accident Thursday night. We hit two teenagers that we know through their families at school (I actually do an afterschool reading team with the mom of the passenger and had the little sister of the driver in my GT class). We were coming down the main road going home and the driver turned in front of us to make a left on our green light. When he saw us, he put his brakes on, so they slowed down instead of speeding out of the way. We slammed our brakes and tried to avoid them, but there was no way to go but into their car.

Even now, it's like a bad dream where things NEARLY happen, but nothing quite comes of it. There were emergency vehicles everywhere and lots of broken car parts, but no hurt people...even the kids were fine. Our airbags didn't deploy, but the seatbelts were enough. I had this horrible moment where I thought the Highlander was injured, and another when I thought we'd hurt the two kids, but none of that came to pass. Our car was totaled, so a sheriff had to drive us home, but the rental people got us another car yesterday. And even though we had initial worries about this being a huge problem (two teachers hit local teens, or local kids fight insurance claim), the family accepted full responsibility and all our needs will be paid for. Heck, while visiting the doctor yesterday, we found out our favorite nurse hates her green 1995 Subaru Legacy (the EXACT car we totaled!) and would LOVE to trade it for our gas guzzling GMC Sierra that we've had off the road for months!

I guess the only piece of this that makes this real is that yesterday, we were both home and safe on a school day without some sort of debilitating illness being involved (you guys KNOW what I'm talking about!). We slept in and rested pretty well, so all we have is stiffness and my tongue being sore from biting it. I actually had a UTI that I should have stayed home from work on Friday for (and wasn't going to), and the Highlander (who's a sub and part time at a lab) has had no paid days off since...um, last year at this time when he was still considered full time at the lab! If not for the car being totaled, both of us would have been stretched thin at work and come home exhausted. Had it even been just a fender bender, we'd have had to handle all the insurance stuff while TRYING to work.

This whole episode has become a weird blessing in disguise, I guess. Sure, the Highlander's neck is in bad shape currently, but still...it's the kind of day where you should hug the ones you love, call the ones you miss and thank God that you've got your health.

In less "holy !@#$" kind of news, I auditioned for Comedy Sportz in Buffalo and made it in! I haven't gotten to do much improv outside of my normal classroom goofiness lately (plus I've forgotten what a pain it was to drive into town and do late night shows...oh, wait...). Okay, STILL, I'm gonna do it. The minute they start letting me do shows, I'll be sure to let you guys know and make a Comedy Sportz stamp to commemorate it all. :-)

Also, as Odyssey of the Mind in New York State draws ever nearer, I find that I might be in Binghamton with one or more of the Lockport teams on March 28-30. If anyone wants to meet up and exchange, contact me after March 8th. I'll know for sure whether I'm going or not by then.

Until then, keep your cars on the road, your odysseys in mind and a bit more comedy in your sports!

The (glad to be still alive, using our brains and FUNNY) Sprite & the Highlander

Our Holiday Newsletter 2007

Happy Holidays 2007 From The Burkes!

About 10 years ago, Kevin and I met each other playing a game online. There were, at the time, over 1500 people playing that game at any given time during the day and I was already closer buddies with one of his friends. Neither of us was looking to do more than play a game and have fun with our free time, yet somehow we ended up together for life.

You’d think THAT would be a constant reminder that things always happen for a reason…!

Life is really funny sometimes. Last year was a year of loss and change, but somehow, as I write this fifth holiday update, I’m surprised at how we gain when we accept that we lost. Too many events have happened this year to remind us of this. For starters, our picture this year wasn’t taken on our anniversary (which we mutually decided to skip to work summer school). This picture was taken at the wedding of a close friend of ours, someone we might not have been reacquainted with if not for the passing of our friend Tom Hollis.

Last summer, we lost my grandmother Lucy Rollins, but almost exactly a year later, my brother Eric breathes new life into our family by marrying Antra.

We braced ourselves for more lean years when Kevin decided to go back to teaching (even went so far as to decide to let go of the house if needed), but found that a HUGE part of the pain in his head and neck came from the stress of working at the lab. Now that he’s been subbing all over the county, we’re finding we don’t go through as much medication to keep his pain at bay. Coupled with the gas saved in going to work together, we’re actually SAVING money.

We were late to a student’s basketball game and felt we’d really missed something important, but arrived at a crossroads just in time to witness a terrible car accident. Had we been on time to the game, we wouldn’t have been there to hold the victim’s head and comfort him until help arrived. The experience became even more real for us as later that same day, another accident happened at the same intersection and a life WAS lost.

Even the song that we chose to mark our anniversary, “Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel, turned out to be prophetic in more ways than one. I was listening to it while driving Kevin home from his myelogram. He was so worn out and tired looking from his 6 hour ordeal that seeing the sun shine on his face and hearing the words “Grab your things, I’ve come to take you home” really hit me hard. As it stands, it’s also a song about letting go, taking a risk to reach for your goals, despite your fears.

The name of the game this year, then, is faith and perseverance. Obviously, we haven’t STOPPED trying to do what needs to be done to survive or to help others, but we can see there’s no point in worrying any further about whether things will all work out. More importantly we know better now than to worry if they will work out the way we WANT them to.

So, while life here is never perfect, we’ve learned to accept a few basic truths:

Wherever you are is where you need to be at that time (even if you’re late to work or a basketball game).

Do what you can to make things happen (God bless the child that’s got his own), but remember to thank God for those unanswered prayers, too.

Stop waiting for the other shoe to fall…if life will take a wrong turn, it doesn’t need your pessimism to guide it in!

Love and support each other in your dreams…and always be ready to grab your loved one’s things and take them back home.

Have a wonderful 2008!!!

From Kevin & Daina