Happy New Year! I'm sure you just couldn't wait to read that on a blog today, because no one has told you enough. Right? Yeah, that's what I thought. You're a little overloaded with resolutions and regrets and maybe you have a hangover. So, I've decided to wander from the norm a bit today and not write about resolutions or regrets. (And I don't have a hangover, so we won't even go there.)
Today, instead of telling you what I want to do in 2012, I'm going to talk about what I am NOT going to do in 2012. Prepare to be surprised. (ever wonder about that phrase? can you really be prepared for a surprise? I mean, if you're surprised, that means you weren't expecting it. Huh.)
1. I am not going to be pressured by Illinois drivers. The drivers here are rude and impatient, and deadly. You know how when there's a green light, but no green arrow, and you can inch out into the intersection and turn left at the last minute? Yeah, I don't do that. If there's a space, I will turn left, but I don't like being in the middle of the intersection because--guess what--I might die! The other week a SEMI TRUCK honked at me because I wasn't inching out. And so I swiftly turned left in front of somebody, who proceeded to beep their wimpy little horn at me. So, there you have it. I'm not going to be pressured into being a crappy driver like everyone else in this state.
2. I will not get worked up about Facebook the way everyone else seems to. I have never taken it seriously, and I never will. If people write a lot of annoying things, I simply don't read it. I don't understand why people complain about other people on facebook. No one forces you to read a status! Someone might post something new every half hour, but that doesn't make you obligated to look at it! It also doesn't make you obligated to complain about them every half hour, which in turn causes you to be just like them. ALSO. If someone does something on facebook that you don't like, or they offend you, that doesn't mean you need to go drama-queen on us and delete your facebook, or delete that person. Get over it. It's the internet.
3. I'm not going to get a summer job in the food business. This isn't new. I've tried it, and I hated it. I would rather be a custodian. I would rather mow lawns. The end.
4. Despite the wishes of my parents, my siblings, my in-laws, and who knows who else, I am not going to get pregnant. Don't worry, Joey and I want kids. But not yet. Plus, nobody wants me to be student teaching AND have a bun in the oven. You'll all just have to wait until 2013.
5. I will not talk to people about politics. It is an election year, and I know that it may be expected of me. But I never have, and I never will. My vote and my personal beliefs will be represented by my actions and my behavior. I'm not going to talk about it. (Unfortunately, I'll be student teaching during election time, so I'll have to come up with some sort of witty response when the kids ask me who I'm voting for.)
So there you go. Five things I'm not going to do. Hope you all have a wonderful 2012 and don't get too carried away with your resolutions (or lackthereof.)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
All the Single Ladies
"A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." -Irina Dunn
I've recently come to some strong conclusions about relationships--mine, and those which I see or hear about regularly. This could be for any number of reasons. For starters, I have several friends getting married this week. I also celebrated 6 months of marriage on Sunday (along with Christmas.) And, quite frankly, this is the time of year when young, single women complain about relationships quite frequently. They do it with speed and passion, and are diligent in scorning every dating relationship they see--but not marriages, because if a couple gets married that means they're less public with how in love they are (or perhaps just less in love?), and naturally less prone to "couple-y" habits that cause such vexation in the single woman.
There are a few points I'd like to make, to ease the confusion of such women. 1, I'm going to tell you what the experts say. 2, I'm going to tell you a personal story. 3, I'm going to sympathize and criticize at the same time.
1. What the experts say.
-Many counselors would be quick to tell you that there is someone out there for you, and that you just need to keep looking. They will also tell you that your life is up to you and that if you make goals and follow your dreams then you will be successful and happy. Yeah, right.
During premarital counseling my then-fiance and I were told that the belief that there is one person out there for you is complete crap. (that's not a direct quote.) Now, this was not a crotchety old widower telling me this. This was a respectable pastor, with over 20 years of preaching under his belt and countless counseling sessions with newlyweds, very in love with his wife and not at all trying to be cynical. He was being reasonable, and accurate.
Take this quote from 'Ever After', for instance...
"Do you really think there is only one perfect mate? ... How can you be certain to find them? And if you find them, are they really the one for you, or do you only think they are? What if the person you're meant to be with never appears? Or she does, but... but you're too distracted to notice? ... Then, let's say God puts two people on earth, and they are lucky enough to find one another. But... one of them gets hit by lightning. Well, then what? Is that it? Or perchance you meet someone new
and marry again. Is that the lady you should be with? Or was it the first? When the two of them are side by side, were they both the one for you...and you just met the first one first? Or is the second one supposed to be first?" [Prince Henry]
"The one" does not exist. The Bible does not promise that every woman has a prince charming or a knight in shining armor just waiting around the corner of college graduation and your 25th birthday. There are billions of people on this earth and any number of them are compatible with each other, in any number of combinations, and you could fall in love with one or the other given the right opportunity or circumstance. If (by some horrible accident) Joey died tomorrow, I am not unhappy in the thought that, after a few (hundred) years of mourning, I would be able to love someone else. It wouldn't be the same love, it would be different because the person was different, but I don't doubt that I would be able to fall in love again.
2. A personal story. Well, two.
-I spent many of my high school years wishing for love. I did, in fact, have a boyfriend during high school. He didn't treat me well and we were still "in love" when we weren't dating. (Sounds healthy, right?) I liked having a boyfriend, but I also liked my life without a boyfriend. I believe that most of my turmoil in high school was due to depression, and not because I actually needed a boyfriend. The year and a half after said boyfriend dumped me (for the third time) I had the time of my life. I had a relapse later. But again, a boyfriend was NOT the solution. And I didn't believe it was! My desire for romance and my depression were connected, but they were not the same thing, and I was aware of that.
I was still aware of that during my second semester of college when I was dumped by a different boyfriend. I didn't handle that break up as well, for different and more damaging reasons. But after a while I found some peace about the situation, and was content in my singleness. I had four glorious, adventurous, liberating months of singleness. I had decided early in the summer that I wasn't going to think about dating.
And then I met the man that I married this last June.
3. Sympathy and criticism.
-I'm sorry that all you lovely women are without love, and that you find it to be the focus of your lives. But trust me, there is so much more to think on, to explore, to discovery. If there is a man out there whom you would be inclined to fall in love with, let him find you. Don't dwell on him, or it. It's just a waste of time. I can personally say that, as a married woman, I do sometimes miss being single. There are so many things you can do as a single woman that you can't do when you're married. Go into ministry overseas, write a novel, be yourself--discover who you are before you put your whole life into someone else. And who knows, maybe God has called you to the single life? That part is in the Bible, my friends.
Now, on another significant matter, when you discover who you are, don't give up any part of yourself for anything. We no longer live in an age of arranged marriages. If you do find the person you're going to marry, you'd better be able to express yourself in love or anger without fear. You'd better be able to follow your dreams and have him follow them with you, and follow his as well without feeling you've compromised something too important. You've got to be in everything together, and if you have to hide part of yourself or change a part of yourself to be loved and accepted, then you chose the wrong "prince."
So stop complaining. Stop whining about other people's relationships and crying about your lack of romance. Stop expecting to find it. Marriage is not a promise, it is a blessing. Ask for it, pray for it, but don't keep yourself waiting. Don't spend your life waiting for a prince/knight/doctor/lawyer that may not even exist. You are worth so much more.
I've recently come to some strong conclusions about relationships--mine, and those which I see or hear about regularly. This could be for any number of reasons. For starters, I have several friends getting married this week. I also celebrated 6 months of marriage on Sunday (along with Christmas.) And, quite frankly, this is the time of year when young, single women complain about relationships quite frequently. They do it with speed and passion, and are diligent in scorning every dating relationship they see--but not marriages, because if a couple gets married that means they're less public with how in love they are (or perhaps just less in love?), and naturally less prone to "couple-y" habits that cause such vexation in the single woman.
There are a few points I'd like to make, to ease the confusion of such women. 1, I'm going to tell you what the experts say. 2, I'm going to tell you a personal story. 3, I'm going to sympathize and criticize at the same time.
1. What the experts say.
-Many counselors would be quick to tell you that there is someone out there for you, and that you just need to keep looking. They will also tell you that your life is up to you and that if you make goals and follow your dreams then you will be successful and happy. Yeah, right.
During premarital counseling my then-fiance and I were told that the belief that there is one person out there for you is complete crap. (that's not a direct quote.) Now, this was not a crotchety old widower telling me this. This was a respectable pastor, with over 20 years of preaching under his belt and countless counseling sessions with newlyweds, very in love with his wife and not at all trying to be cynical. He was being reasonable, and accurate.
Take this quote from 'Ever After', for instance...
"Do you really think there is only one perfect mate? ... How can you be certain to find them? And if you find them, are they really the one for you, or do you only think they are? What if the person you're meant to be with never appears? Or she does, but... but you're too distracted to notice? ... Then, let's say God puts two people on earth, and they are lucky enough to find one another. But... one of them gets hit by lightning. Well, then what? Is that it? Or perchance you meet someone new
and marry again. Is that the lady you should be with? Or was it the first? When the two of them are side by side, were they both the one for you...and you just met the first one first? Or is the second one supposed to be first?" [Prince Henry]
"The one" does not exist. The Bible does not promise that every woman has a prince charming or a knight in shining armor just waiting around the corner of college graduation and your 25th birthday. There are billions of people on this earth and any number of them are compatible with each other, in any number of combinations, and you could fall in love with one or the other given the right opportunity or circumstance. If (by some horrible accident) Joey died tomorrow, I am not unhappy in the thought that, after a few (hundred) years of mourning, I would be able to love someone else. It wouldn't be the same love, it would be different because the person was different, but I don't doubt that I would be able to fall in love again.
2. A personal story. Well, two.
-I spent many of my high school years wishing for love. I did, in fact, have a boyfriend during high school. He didn't treat me well and we were still "in love" when we weren't dating. (Sounds healthy, right?) I liked having a boyfriend, but I also liked my life without a boyfriend. I believe that most of my turmoil in high school was due to depression, and not because I actually needed a boyfriend. The year and a half after said boyfriend dumped me (for the third time) I had the time of my life. I had a relapse later. But again, a boyfriend was NOT the solution. And I didn't believe it was! My desire for romance and my depression were connected, but they were not the same thing, and I was aware of that.
I was still aware of that during my second semester of college when I was dumped by a different boyfriend. I didn't handle that break up as well, for different and more damaging reasons. But after a while I found some peace about the situation, and was content in my singleness. I had four glorious, adventurous, liberating months of singleness. I had decided early in the summer that I wasn't going to think about dating.
And then I met the man that I married this last June.
3. Sympathy and criticism.
-I'm sorry that all you lovely women are without love, and that you find it to be the focus of your lives. But trust me, there is so much more to think on, to explore, to discovery. If there is a man out there whom you would be inclined to fall in love with, let him find you. Don't dwell on him, or it. It's just a waste of time. I can personally say that, as a married woman, I do sometimes miss being single. There are so many things you can do as a single woman that you can't do when you're married. Go into ministry overseas, write a novel, be yourself--discover who you are before you put your whole life into someone else. And who knows, maybe God has called you to the single life? That part is in the Bible, my friends.
Now, on another significant matter, when you discover who you are, don't give up any part of yourself for anything. We no longer live in an age of arranged marriages. If you do find the person you're going to marry, you'd better be able to express yourself in love or anger without fear. You'd better be able to follow your dreams and have him follow them with you, and follow his as well without feeling you've compromised something too important. You've got to be in everything together, and if you have to hide part of yourself or change a part of yourself to be loved and accepted, then you chose the wrong "prince."
So stop complaining. Stop whining about other people's relationships and crying about your lack of romance. Stop expecting to find it. Marriage is not a promise, it is a blessing. Ask for it, pray for it, but don't keep yourself waiting. Don't spend your life waiting for a prince/knight/doctor/lawyer that may not even exist. You are worth so much more.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Found(ation of) Gratitude: 23
Today's blog is going to sound kind of dumb. (Especially if you read it out loud. Don't do that. You weirdo.) Alas, I'm having some trouble thinking of something to be thankful for, because really, today is pretty laid back, and saving the "big one" for tomorrow.
Basically I had a few interesting opportunities today. It's the first official day of Thanksgiving break, and because my mentoring teacher was sick last Thursday I thought I'd go over to the middle school to make up those hours. So I woke up early with Joey and took the fastest shower in the history of showers. I bought myself Starbucks, and drove all the way up to Waukegan, just to find an empty parking lot.
I'm not too disappointed. Being with 7th graders all day would have been torture, because I'm pretty tired. However, I still felt reasonably silly, and it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet. (The time also meant that I couldn't do any of the other errands that need to be done today.)
So I drove to see Joey at work and tell him what happened, then went home and... took a long nap.
#23. I've found I'm thankful for being an adult. I'm grown up enough to "go the extra mile" (literally) to take care of things. I'm also grown up enough to decide to take advantage of the free time I'm given and rest when I need it. I'm thankful that driving up there for no reason didn't upset me.
Seriously. That sounds stupid. I got nothin'.
Basically I had a few interesting opportunities today. It's the first official day of Thanksgiving break, and because my mentoring teacher was sick last Thursday I thought I'd go over to the middle school to make up those hours. So I woke up early with Joey and took the fastest shower in the history of showers. I bought myself Starbucks, and drove all the way up to Waukegan, just to find an empty parking lot.
I'm not too disappointed. Being with 7th graders all day would have been torture, because I'm pretty tired. However, I still felt reasonably silly, and it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet. (The time also meant that I couldn't do any of the other errands that need to be done today.)
So I drove to see Joey at work and tell him what happened, then went home and... took a long nap.
#23. I've found I'm thankful for being an adult. I'm grown up enough to "go the extra mile" (literally) to take care of things. I'm also grown up enough to decide to take advantage of the free time I'm given and rest when I need it. I'm thankful that driving up there for no reason didn't upset me.
Seriously. That sounds stupid. I got nothin'.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Found(ation of) Gratitude: 16-22
Apparently I've been really busy, because I haven't blogged in a whole week. So I'm gonna make little short notes for each day because a story and a photo for 7 days is just a lot of work right now.
#16. Word games. Like Scrabble. Or Words With Friends on Facebook. I don't actually own a Scrabble board anymore so these games keep my brain word-ing and stuff.
#17. The ability to argue with one clear point, and to put up with people who like to bounce around a lot just to keep an argument going. Also, for patience with said people. Also also, for the car ride with said people to be over.
#18. Hymns. I went to a band concert on Friday night, in which all (most?) of the songs were based on hymns. They were beautiful, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
#19. For feet and legs that function, because I spent 50% of Saturday walking around Chicago, with no actual destination.
#20. For "new" sweaters (from Goodwill) that make me feel cozy and cuddly, and happen to be the perfect shade of green.
#21. Cancelled morning classes, and for good migraine medication.
And now, for today.
A little more than three years ago I was thrust into a friendship with a lovely girl in a dark red dress. It was summer time and I didn't have any friends in Illinois yet. We went to dinner and a coffeehouse together, and we've been best friends ever since.
#22. I've found that I'm thankful for my best friend Janell., (whose birthday is today!) Like all relationships, there have been rough spots and potholes, but we've persevered, in our own way, to the best of our ability. We make each other laugh and sometimes we laugh at other people, and sometimes, they laugh at us. (we are pretty freakin' hilarious.) She is beautiful inside and out, and I love her all the way to my toes! She is such a blessing in my life.
#16. Word games. Like Scrabble. Or Words With Friends on Facebook. I don't actually own a Scrabble board anymore so these games keep my brain word-ing and stuff.
#17. The ability to argue with one clear point, and to put up with people who like to bounce around a lot just to keep an argument going. Also, for patience with said people. Also also, for the car ride with said people to be over.
#18. Hymns. I went to a band concert on Friday night, in which all (most?) of the songs were based on hymns. They were beautiful, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
#19. For feet and legs that function, because I spent 50% of Saturday walking around Chicago, with no actual destination.
#20. For "new" sweaters (from Goodwill) that make me feel cozy and cuddly, and happen to be the perfect shade of green.
#21. Cancelled morning classes, and for good migraine medication.
And now, for today.
A little more than three years ago I was thrust into a friendship with a lovely girl in a dark red dress. It was summer time and I didn't have any friends in Illinois yet. We went to dinner and a coffeehouse together, and we've been best friends ever since.
#22. I've found that I'm thankful for my best friend Janell., (whose birthday is today!) Like all relationships, there have been rough spots and potholes, but we've persevered, in our own way, to the best of our ability. We make each other laugh and sometimes we laugh at other people, and sometimes, they laugh at us. (we are pretty freakin' hilarious.) She is beautiful inside and out, and I love her all the way to my toes! She is such a blessing in my life.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Found(ation of) Gratitude: 14 & 15
I've been doing a lot of "future planning" lately in regards to school. I don't want to go into details--mostly because I've been talking about it all day, and also because it seems to only make me more frustrated. When you get down to the real truth about my school life, it is complex, more complex than it is for the average college student. Now, I never say to myself "I wish I had a different major" or "I should have gone to a different school." Yes, I do wish it was simpler. But I know that there is a purpose to all of this, and that when it's over, I will hopefully get to do something meaningful with my life.
#14. I've found that I'm thankful for my academic adviser. She has been an endless source of help and friendship the last four years. She is supportive and encouraging, but she is also genuinely interested in making me the student and the person I should be. She tells me the truth, even if it royally sucks. I could not have picked a better person to help me through the process of getting my BA. She is such a blessing!
#15. I've found that I'm thankful for people that are "kind of" my friends. These are the people that have been in my classes, in groups I'm in, etc. These people brighten my day when I'm not around my "best" friends. They greet me in the halls, or off-campus, and during class they talk to me like I'm a normal person. They're not awkward. They laugh at my jokes. And today, when I was feeling angry and frustrated about some school-related things, they listened to me vent, and shared their own similar frustrations. The conversation seriously improved my mood.
I have no idea what I'll be thankful for tomorrow. It's a Wednesday. Somehow, when I first typed that, I forgot that days of the week were capitalized. The "English major" side of my brain is apparently tired. I'm gonna go doodle or something.
#14. I've found that I'm thankful for my academic adviser. She has been an endless source of help and friendship the last four years. She is supportive and encouraging, but she is also genuinely interested in making me the student and the person I should be. She tells me the truth, even if it royally sucks. I could not have picked a better person to help me through the process of getting my BA. She is such a blessing!
#15. I've found that I'm thankful for people that are "kind of" my friends. These are the people that have been in my classes, in groups I'm in, etc. These people brighten my day when I'm not around my "best" friends. They greet me in the halls, or off-campus, and during class they talk to me like I'm a normal person. They're not awkward. They laugh at my jokes. And today, when I was feeling angry and frustrated about some school-related things, they listened to me vent, and shared their own similar frustrations. The conversation seriously improved my mood.
I have no idea what I'll be thankful for tomorrow. It's a Wednesday. Somehow, when I first typed that, I forgot that days of the week were capitalized. The "English major" side of my brain is apparently tired. I'm gonna go doodle or something.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Found(ation of) Gratitude: 12 & 13
It's been a long weekend, and I still have an abundance of math homework to finish, so I will be brief. So brief, in fact, that I am combining Saturday and Sunday.
#12 & #13: I've found I'm thankful for my friends. Since getting married it's been difficult to find free time to be with people in a relaxed setting. Last week I had one-on-one time with my best friend for the first time since August. I no longer have a meal plan, so I eat my meals in the apartment (alone, if Joey is at work) and I live on a floor with few familiar faces and no common living area. This weekend I got to spend time with some people dear and close to my heart. I'm thankful for their willingness to laugh with me and walk around aimlessly, and to be silly and carefree in a time when much "professionalism" dominates my behavior.
I'm especially thankful for trips to the pet store to watch sleeping puppies, trips to the thrift store to find... who knows what?... and of course, trips to new places where we can buy food like this:
#12 & #13: I've found I'm thankful for my friends. Since getting married it's been difficult to find free time to be with people in a relaxed setting. Last week I had one-on-one time with my best friend for the first time since August. I no longer have a meal plan, so I eat my meals in the apartment (alone, if Joey is at work) and I live on a floor with few familiar faces and no common living area. This weekend I got to spend time with some people dear and close to my heart. I'm thankful for their willingness to laugh with me and walk around aimlessly, and to be silly and carefree in a time when much "professionalism" dominates my behavior.
I'm especially thankful for trips to the pet store to watch sleeping puppies, trips to the thrift store to find... who knows what?... and of course, trips to new places where we can buy food like this:
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Found(ation of) Gratitude: 11
For the 11th of November, there is an obvious theme. It's been a theme set in stone since 1911 when the first great war ended.
It's so obvious that even in Waukegan, a town full of people who are unlikely to be found voting or planting tiny flags at a local cemetery, the students are found thankful for veterans.
Since public schools were closed on Friday I got to witness the Veterans Day celebration on Thursday when I entered the classroom. The students had an adorable worksheet for homework on the history of Veterans Day / Armistice Day, and they all read their answers proudly. Then the teacher and her son--a senior in high school who was either skipping class or had the day off--told a story about their cousin, who had been a marine and went to Iraq and was inevitably changed forever.
The personal story helped the students prepare for the day's assignment, which was to write a postcard for the local veterans. Mrs. G and her son would deliver them to a local Veterans Hospital after school.
For the next hour I helped 7th graders write these postcards, and if the spelling was mostly correct they were allowed to color/decorate the back. A few of the postcards made me catch my breath. It's amazing how someone who has no connection to a soldier can understand how much those in the military have done for us.
I have a favorite student, who shall remain unnamed. He's not my favorite because he's perfect, or well-behaved, or funny, but because there is a kindness in him that the rest of the teachers just don't see. There is something good in him that I feel is being stifled.
His was my favorite letter, and probably the best written. The words were sincere, and eloquently written for a 7th grader, and at the end, he wrote out the Pledge of Allegiance. As I sat there reading his postcard, my peripheral vision caught the nervousness in his posture, and I felt my whole face warm up with emotion. The smile he gave me when I told him how good the letter was, and how much I liked it, was something I can't describe.
#11. I've found I'm thankful for Veterans Day, and for veterans, more now than ever. I'm thankful that we still find it important in this country to honor those who have fought overseas--whether or not we agree with the war, whether or not we we know a soldier, whether or not we know how to spell "appreciate." (1 student spelled it "arpyshat"...) I'm thankful that this generation and the next one are being encouraged to thank those who made sacrifices for the freedom of America, even if it means writing a letter to a stranger.
Most of all I'm thankful for my own veterans. My brother, my father, my grandfathers, and my uncles.
In the foreground is my paternal grandfather's grave, in the background my father and brother. (And my dog. She loves veterans too.)
[photo taken by Becky Foutz 11/11/11]
It's so obvious that even in Waukegan, a town full of people who are unlikely to be found voting or planting tiny flags at a local cemetery, the students are found thankful for veterans.
Since public schools were closed on Friday I got to witness the Veterans Day celebration on Thursday when I entered the classroom. The students had an adorable worksheet for homework on the history of Veterans Day / Armistice Day, and they all read their answers proudly. Then the teacher and her son--a senior in high school who was either skipping class or had the day off--told a story about their cousin, who had been a marine and went to Iraq and was inevitably changed forever.
The personal story helped the students prepare for the day's assignment, which was to write a postcard for the local veterans. Mrs. G and her son would deliver them to a local Veterans Hospital after school.
For the next hour I helped 7th graders write these postcards, and if the spelling was mostly correct they were allowed to color/decorate the back. A few of the postcards made me catch my breath. It's amazing how someone who has no connection to a soldier can understand how much those in the military have done for us.
I have a favorite student, who shall remain unnamed. He's not my favorite because he's perfect, or well-behaved, or funny, but because there is a kindness in him that the rest of the teachers just don't see. There is something good in him that I feel is being stifled.
His was my favorite letter, and probably the best written. The words were sincere, and eloquently written for a 7th grader, and at the end, he wrote out the Pledge of Allegiance. As I sat there reading his postcard, my peripheral vision caught the nervousness in his posture, and I felt my whole face warm up with emotion. The smile he gave me when I told him how good the letter was, and how much I liked it, was something I can't describe.
#11. I've found I'm thankful for Veterans Day, and for veterans, more now than ever. I'm thankful that we still find it important in this country to honor those who have fought overseas--whether or not we agree with the war, whether or not we we know a soldier, whether or not we know how to spell "appreciate." (1 student spelled it "arpyshat"...) I'm thankful that this generation and the next one are being encouraged to thank those who made sacrifices for the freedom of America, even if it means writing a letter to a stranger.
Most of all I'm thankful for my own veterans. My brother, my father, my grandfathers, and my uncles.
In the foreground is my paternal grandfather's grave, in the background my father and brother. (And my dog. She loves veterans too.)
[photo taken by Becky Foutz 11/11/11]
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