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Showing posts with label Never Forget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Never Forget. Show all posts

June 6, 2016

The Eyes of the World Are Upon You

Morning, loves! I hope y'all are doing well this Monday morning. Le Husband and I enjoyed our first weekend as Tennessee residents, exploring the area, joining a gym, getting put on the BODYPUMP schedule [!!!] and doing a lil lake living with family. I'll share more tomorrow, because today marks something much more important than my weekend recap. 

Today we remember D-Day and Operation Overlord. We remember the 156,000 American, British and Canadian armed forces who landed on the beaches of Normandy and turned the tide of WW2. We remember and we say thank you.
This beautiful expansive beach turned into something we could never imagine. 
A calm and serene view changed to this hell on earth:
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My family was raised to be grateful for our Lord, life, family and our military so we always observed D-Day with reverence. I'm not saying our way was better than anyone else's, just that June 6th meant more than a date on the calendar.  However, nothing could be as poignant as walking the beaches those brave men stormed and standing where many of them took their last breath. Today I remember the wind whipping and the waves crashing while I walked the shoreline. My eyes glistened then and they do today as I remember those brave souls.  
Point du Hoc
Rangers Memorial
The Greatest Generation answered the call and we Americans our free today because of their bravery and sacrifice. Please take a moment today to remember them and thank them. #somegaveall #wewillneverforget 

"Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Forces:

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. . . 

. . .  I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory.

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."

Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower {source and audio}

{Not sure what the deal is with formatting today, my bad}

September 11, 2014

The Day The World Stopped Turning

Today marks the 13th anniversary of September 11th 2001. Today, 11 years ago a heinous man orchestrated a heinous terrorist attack, killing thousands of innocent Americans and people from all over the world. That man is DEAD, and I honestly have no sympathy for him or his family.

September 11th always evokes many emotions for me. Sadness, utter disbelief, empathy, sympathy, hate, anger, distress, fear and TEARS upon TEARS. I cry for those lives lost. I cry for those left behind. I cry for the firefighters who died trying to save others. I cry for the firefighters who live today, without their brothers. I cry for the police. I cry for the military. I cry for the leaders and the decisions they had to make 11 years ago. I cry for America.

I also get ANGRY at Americans. I am ANGRY because so many people have forgotten. I am angry because SO MANY PEOPLE want to forget. I get SOOO SOOO SOOO MAD when I see facebook status or blog posts saying and I quote, "I'm tired of seeing programs about September 11th".

I'm sorry....but WHAT THE F*&^!

Why don't you call up the widow who's husband died in the World Trade center and say that to her face? Oh wait, because that would be wrong. Personally, I think even thinking that statement is wrong, but obviously there are people who don't agree with me. We need to remember, because we need to honor those lost. Everyone writes about how they remember where they were and what was happening, but do you remember on September 15th? November 1st? April 23rd?!? I have a friend who has an alarm that goes off every day at 9:11am and 9:11pm. I think TV stations and radio stations should do the same. Make Americans remember what they have and how quickly life can change.

What baffles me the most is our nation's disinterest in ISIS and what kind of world we are living in today. People care more about the kardashians, celebrity gossip, the newest tv craze and reality tv more than care about the news. I am scared silly for our children, as our world is getting more and more dangerous. Al Qaeda was a KNOWN terrorist group, but it took September 11th before they were taken seriously and hunted. I pray every night that our nation doesn't have to suffer another tragedy, before we, the people take notice of ISIS and demand our government take action. We can't be passive anymore, we need to become aggressive and remove those that would try to harm our nation and our people.

A few years ago, I wrote how September 11th should be a movement and not a day. I hope today, y'all take a moment and remember. Remember those lost, remember America's fighting spirit and remember you ARE ALIVE so do something amazing today in honor of those that can't. Our nation is great and we must continue to learn from our history, to create a powerful and strong future for generations to come. 

LAND OF THE FREE...                                               
                                      BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE!

**********************
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NEVER

FORGET

9/11

May 23, 2014

Twenty Four Notes

The TRUE meaning of Memorial Day Weekend.





"Day is done, gone the sun

From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky
 
All is well, safely rest
 
God is nigh."


**brief history ::here::**

November 27, 2012

War Talk, Family Style

Anyone who reads my blog knows how I feel about our military and their families.

I was brought up in a PROUD military family, that spaned two generations.

Both of my parent's fathers served in the military
and all of my father's brothers have served.

My father retired as a Ltc Col and now is an Army Civilian.

I'm military proud and an ARMY strong supporter
through and through.

My dad's father, GPJ retired as an Army Colonel
and flew a medivac both in
the Korean War
and Vietnam.

I've always wanted to hear stories from GPJ
regarding his time serving over seas.
But, like many service men and women of his era
he chooses to NOT talk about his time
fighting in the war.

Last night was an amazingly rare and raw sharing moment
between me, GPJ and my daddy.

I walked into the conversation late,
but immediately realized the importance
of the stories and
of the moment.

Honestly, while GPJ was reminiscing
I felt like I was in the presence of a baby deer.
I tried to be so still and quiet
so I didn't ruin the moment.

He shared some very interesting, funny,
heart warming, and saddening stories.
I was able to ask a few questions
and my dad was able to record
them on his iPhone.

All too soon, the moment was over
as he went to get ready for dinner.

But, that moment in time
will be with me for the rest of my life.

It will be the moment I tell my children about.

It is something that will warm my heart
when anyone mentions veterans.

 I want to share his stories,
but he is a very private man
and even though he doesn't know about this blog,
I want to respect his privacy.

Thank you GPJ for being such an amazing 
helicopter pilot
father
grandfather
veteran
and example of a man!

I LOVE YOU!


September 11, 2012

WE NEED TO REMEMBER 9/11

Today marks the 11th anniversary of September 11th 2001.

Today, 11 years ago a heinous man orchestrated a heinous terrorist attack, killing thousands of innocent Americans and people from all over the world.

That man is DEAD, and I honestly have no sympathy for him or his family.

September 11th always evokes many emotions for me.
Sadness, utter disbelief, empathy, sympathy, hate, anger, distress, fear and TEARS upon TEARS.

I cry for those lives lost. I cry for those left behind. I cry for the firefighters who died trying to save others. I cry for the firefighters who live today, without their brothers. I cry for the police. I cry for the military. I cry for the leaders and the decisions they had to make 11 years ago. I cry for America.

I also get ANGRY at Americans. I am ANGRY because so many people have forgotten. I am angry because SO MANY PEOPLE want to forget.

I get SOOO SOOO SOOO MAD when I see facebook status or blog posts saying and I quote,
"I'm tired of seeing programs about September 11th".

I'm sorry....but WHAT THE F*&^!

Why don't you call up the widow who's husband died in the World Trade center and say that to her face? Oh wait, because that would be wrong. Personally, I think even thinking that statement is wrong, but obviously there are people who don't agree with me.

We need to remember, because we need to honor those lost. Everyone writes about how they remember where they were and what was happening, but do you remember on September 15th? November 1st? April 23rd?!?! Because you should remember.

I have a friend who has an alarm that goes off every day at 9:11am and 9:11pm. I think TV stations and radio stations should do the same. Make Americans remember what they have and how quickly life can change.

Last year I wrote how September 11th should be a movement and not a day. I hope today, y'all take a moment and remember. Remember those lost, remember America's fighting spirit and remember you ARE ALIVE so do something amazing today in honor of those that can't.

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NEVER

FORGET

9/11

September 10, 2012

Busy Weekend and Heavy Heart

Phew, what a weekend.

Usually my weekend's are pretty chill [unless there is kickball involved], but this weekend I had tons going on, and while it was fun, it was busaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Friday night a good kickball friend was celebrating her bday in DC. I was going to catch a ride with another friend, but she got sick and decided she needed rest. Since I HATE driving into DC, I planned to metro, but getting to the metro is a lil dicey when your ride, boyfriend, is out of town. Luckily, my kind neighbor offered to drive me, but had something going on around 8 so I had to be ready by 7.

That meant, working out, showering, making cookies, eating dinner, doing my hair [failed], trying a new eye makeup look [loved, but too forever] in 1.5 hours. YEAH, it was a bit rushed, but y'all I made it. Pregaming was fun and I was very glad I got some quality time with the bday girl.

Went from THIS to THIS in 45 minutes...BOOM!


The party was a good time, but the DJ was major wak. I'm a dancer, so if the music blows I get bored and tired. And I leave around midnight, which actually worked out well because I had things to do Saturday morning.

Even though I wanted more sleep, I was up and at em early to get to the farmer's market. Y'all I just LOVE the farmers market atmosphere. Good smells, good food, good people and awesome FRESH and locally grown food. WIN.WIN.WIN.WIN!

After the farmer's market it was time to get ready for an afternoon NATS game. My friend N, had free tickets from his company and invited me to join him. Best part, they had FREE lunch provided, which included FREE beer/wine and FACEPAINTING!! Yes I partook in all three :)!
Ignore the goobers, gawk at the WINE
You couldn't have asked for a better game day. No humidity, cloudless sky, warm sun AND we were sitting in the shade. PERFECT baseball day. The games was fun, with a couple home runs (ZIMMAY) but the Nats were losing in the 7th. We planned to stay for the whole game but then,
something CRAZY HAPPENED!

 I was looking for lipgloss in my purse and I decided to check my phone. I saw I had 3 missed calls from my best friend a 3 text messages from my daddy. That's pretty strange so I called my girl T, and she told me a TORNADO had touched down in downtown FAIRFAX, which is 25 miles outside of DC. She kind of was freaked out that I was still at the game, but I told her I would be fine. I texted and called my dad and he said it would be best to go to a lower level of the stadium until the storm passed.

I looked up to the sky to tell my daddy "there's not a cloud..." but quickly ate my words because to my left the sky was BLACK. I'm not kidding. We had literally 2 minutes to get down to the bottom level before the rain and wind hit with fury. I'm a little peeved the NATS front office wasn't watching the weather or warned anyone, but oh well. We stayed on the first level and watched people running for the exits [not smart, but oh well]. Originally we wanted to stay to watch the Nats finish the game, but an hour later it was still raining so we left.

Once home I decided to HIT THE GYM [minus the face paint] and wait for C to get home from a kickball tourney. It feels SOOOO good to be back lifting weights like a meat head, I LOVE THE GYM! C was such a tired pup after the tourney that he passed out on the couch watching football, poor kid.

Sunday morning I was off to church and then C and I headed to Great Falls for some hiking. I really wanted to play golf or tennis, but knew I needed to rest the ankle. Great falls is a local park that is super gorgeous and a great workout. We got caught in some traffic because it was AMAZING weather, but stuck it out because we KNEW how fun the afternoon was going to be.

We spent two hours just walking and exploring. I can't wait to go back when my ankle is healthy, I wasn't happy playing it safe, I want to be adventurous like C. The hike was awesome and we enjoyed the scenery.

We were both ravenous after hiking so we made homemade pizza for dinner. It.was.AMAZEBALLS! During dinner we watched Serena battle back and win the US Open and some football. I was a tired girl from a busy weekend and so I hit the hay around 9:30pm. Don't call me lame, I woke up at 5:30am this morning to hit the gym. BTW, it was cold and I was NOT HAPPY! Bring back the heat.

Sadly, this morning I also received some sad news. One of my amazing college professors, Dr B, passed away from a massive heart attack last night. Personally, I'm still in shock after receiving the news via facebook. Dr. B was an inspirational professor, who also became a friend. I am so sad students will no longer hear him speak about "sweet honey love muffins" and "what had happen was".

Dr. B I promise to continue to "Tell the truth, Tell it early and Tell it often". The Lancer nation is crying today, you will be sorely missed!

I'm linking up with Sami today for the Weekend Linkup.


***********************************
Sweet friends, tomorrow is September 11th, please remember to honor those no longer with us. Our nation is in a bad place right now, but we NEED each other and to NEVER FORGET the men and women who perished 11 years ago.
***********************************

May 28, 2012

MeMoRiAl DaY....It is the VETERAN...

While you are bbqing, beaching, pooling, sunning, drinking and eating today
TAKE SOME TIME TO REMEMBER
and say
THANK YOU!

Today we REMEMBER those who have DIED for our
FREEDOM!










It is the
VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the
VETERAN who
salutes the Flag,

It is
the VETERAN
who serves
under the Flag.

ETERNAL
REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON
THEM.

April 6, 2012

It.Is.Finished

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Today is not a day for many words. Today is a day of reflection and of sadness. Today Jesus dies on the cross. For YOU! For ME! For ALL!

Do yourself a favor and click the song titles below for amazingly moving music. They will be sung at my church tonight and both songs bring to life the pain and suffering Jesus took on to save us all.

I pray you have a blessed Good Friday.


Craig Courtney

"My Father, let this cup pass from me.
My Father let this cup pass from me.
Yet not my will oh Lord,
yet not my will oh Lord
 But Thine be done"

"Then they took my Savior,
and nailed him to a tree.
And then they broke his body.
Poured out his life, put him to death
TO RISE AGAIN!"


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Pamela Martin

"I Thirst he cries upon the tree,
I Thirst he cries in agony.
He shared the cup the night before,
and now he is the drink that's poured.
I THIRST!"

"And though the crowd ignores his plea,
he says to all come drink from my.
The water that I give is free.
Thirst no more."

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December 7, 2011

70 Years AGO TODAY...


Our county was attacked!

American lives were lost!

We were taken by surprise...

...but they woke the sleeping bear!


"December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - The United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan...As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense...With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounded determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God." - President F.D. Roosevelt


Take a moment to remember and reflect. 
Today was not a normal day 70 years ago....
remember how blessed you are today...
you are ALIVE!













Read it *here*
See it *here*